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?
Honestly? By reading the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I had several different students at Loma Linda tell me that was the #1 best thing to do to prepare for the interview. I started out doing it because I heard it as a recommendation, but ended up sticking with it because of the incredible sense of calm that came over me as I read the gospel, especially while reading Luke's gospel (the story of the Good Samaritan is in Luke, so be sure to read that one if nothing else since Loma Linda's foudning principle is making man whole, based on the parable of the Good Samaritan and Jesus' ministry on earth).
I didn't read any "How to" books. The only answer I rehearsed at all was the standard: Why do you want to be a doctor? And humorously that was never asked. Which isn't to say they won't ask you it; I am a bit of a non-traditional applicant, so I suspect I got a bit of a non-traditional interview. But for you other non-trads out there, I was not given a cold shoulder. Quite the contrary, both of my interviewers seemed very interested to talk with me.
What impressed you positively?
My interviewer praying with me. That is the #1 most gracious, hospitable thing any interviewer can do for their interviewee on the day of the interview. More than food, water, shelter, or good will offerings, the comfort and peace of mind brought to me by the fact that my interviewer was a human being who shared with me a common belief was what made my day at Loma Linda excellent.
Dr. Church, if you ever read this, you were outstanding to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
What impressed you negatively?
I did not like the question about my marital integrity. I felt it was inappropriate, and I even got the impression that my interviewer thought so too, but that he was obligated to ask it. In the future, Loma Linda could certainly find a nicer way of stating the question and getting the same information. In my mind there is a fine line between stressing a candidate to see how they perform and stomping on toes until they break.
That being said, I *was* forced to stop and think by that caliber of a question, and my answer was straight from the heart.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Nothing. I think the interview went the best it could possibly have gone. Occasionally I get a twinge of "well, maybe if I had known who my interviewers were in advance..." but then I realize I would have just spent time talking about THEM, when the point of the interview is to talk about YOURSELF. As such, I would have done myself a disservice had I known who was interviewing me in advance. I'm glad things went as they did.
What are your general comments?
All things considered, the interview was very casual and low-stress with the exception of one or two questions.
I've given LLU a 10/10 on everything except enviromental friendliness in their interview materials. There is no N/A or "This is a cheesy question" options, and the default was a 1/10, so I didn't want to give that. But a 10/10 would have been materials printed on recycled planktonic detritus sustainably dredged from the sea of Japan and imported on solar-powered ocean barges. What a baloney category on which to rate an interview! The 5/10 is because Loma Linda's interview material was printed on paper, in a paper folder, with straight up black ink. Nothing ostentatiously fancy, no absurd amount of tuition money wasted on pointlessly green materials, just a standard format.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
I don't really have any. The interviews were both relatively laid back and conversational. I suppose
