There was nothing too out-of-the-ordinary, or difficult... both of my interviews began with them asking me to just talk about myself, and the rest of the conversation was completely tailored to my application, with them asking me about different experiences on my AMCAS
Read over my AMCAS, went through the Harvard Med admissions website
What impressed you positively?
I was really impressed by the school, more than I thought I would. I was expecting a sort of arrogance b/c of the school's name recognition, but everyone I interacted with was great - from my interviewers to the students I met. The students there seem intelligent and accomplished, with very diverse interests, but also down to earth, friendly, and nice. There are just a ton of affiliated hospitals and, as my faculty interviewer told me, they all have their own research going on, so you really have a ton of choices, and can choose a project that fits exactly what you are looking for. And Boston rocks.
What impressed you negatively?
They made a bunch of changes to the curriculum a few years ago and I feel like they are still in the testing process of this. They changed the third year so that you do all your rotations at a single site, and I'm not too sure how I feel about this. The tutorials (their small PBL-style groups) seem hit or miss.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
The interview day has probably the most free unstructured time compared to the schools I have been to so far. There is only a 45-min orientation talk in the beginning, interviews, and a lunch+tour at noon. For me, it was no problem because I had both of my interviews in the morning and that kept me busy, but most of the other interviewees had one interview in the morning and another in the afternoon, and were left with not much to do in between. There are a couple things to do around the school though: the Museum of Fine Arts is a couple blocks from campus, you can use the computers in the med school library, and you can also hang out in the campus bookstore or the nearby Starbucks.
🤝 Campus and Facilities
How do you rank the facilities?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this school's location?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
2-3 hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?