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California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA

Podiatry Schools | Private For-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

2 out of 10

How you think you did?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

9 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

Besides location, why Samuel Merritt?
What do you look for in choosing a school?
Why podiatry?

What was the most interesting question?

Do you think that the MCAT is more based on knowledge or test-taking skills?

What was the most difficult question?

List three things that a school must absolutely have or else you'd refuse to go there.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

10 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

4

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school
📍 On-Site Experience

Who was the tour given by?

Admissions staff

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

7 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

7+ hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

10 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

10 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

Read the forums, the Samuel Merritt webpage, and had friends interview me for fun.

What impressed you positively?

I liked how we began the interview process by speaking to current students and residents to get more insights on the school. It made the interview day a bit more relaxing. Everyone was so encouraging and kind including the doctors, admissions staff, and dean. CSPM seems to have very strong clinical training. The podiatrists that teaches you in your second year surgical lecture are the ones who will train you during your third year rotation. The new dean really cares about doing w/e to make everyone strong podiatrists. Overall, I was very impressed!

What impressed you negatively?

The gym and library was a bit small compared to what I'm used to at a UC, but that's no big deal.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

Traffic across the bay bridge is horrible all morning!

What are your general comments?

I think everyone who gets an interview invite should definitely come and check this place out. There's a nice new simulation lab that the school is going to start using more. Since the classes are small, we get our own cadavers to dissect and work with for the year. Basically, the training very well prepare you for your 4th year and residencies.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

Instead of having four separate interviews, they should combine the first two and last two since the