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SUNY - Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine (Brooklyn)

Brooklyn, NY

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Negatively

What was the stress level of the interview?

2 out of 10

How you think you did?

8 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

3 out of 10

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

3 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

Explain the withdrawals on your transcript.
How did you study for the MCAT? How did you choose your undergrad institution?
Why Downstate?

What was the most interesting question?

The most unusual question asked was how I studied for the MCAT. There were no interesting questions though. The interview was easy.

What was the most difficult question?

No responses
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

60+ minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

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?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Discouraging

How do you rank the facilities?

4 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Train or subway

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

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

Friends or family

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

5 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

7 out of 10

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

7 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?

5 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

5 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

Looked over SDN the night before

What impressed you positively?

Laid back conversational interview

What impressed you negatively?

No responses

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

No responses

What are your general comments?

The interview went smoothly and seemed only slightly more structured than a casual conversation. The tour was terrible - the students didn't show us the dorms even after someone asked and didn't show us the hospital. One of the tour guides made a rambling speech which boiled down to "P=MD is a very common attitude at this institution." The facilities were sub-par, as was lunch. The dean of admissions lacked the passion that the admissions officers of many other schools have. Overall, I am still attracted to Downstate due to the opportunities its affiliated clinical sites provide, but the few hours I spent there on the interview day were very discouraging.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

The interview day program at Downstate is far below average and gives a very poor impression of the school. Each component of the day, as well as the overall schedule, needs to be carefully looked at and systematically improved. A committee of current M1s may be helpful because they have experienced the interview trail recently and can make suggestions based on what they encountered elsewhere.