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University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Iowa City, IA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-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?

8 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?

How do you deal with situations in which it is difficult to work with others?
If a patient needed a life saving transfusion but refused transfusion due to personal beliefs (i.e. Jehovah's Witness), what would you do?
Why medicine?

What was the most interesting question?

Can you deal with the shades of grey involved in medical decision-making (I have an engineering background)?

What was the most difficult question?

Explain in less than three sentences why you would be the best doctor ever.
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

25 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

2

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Closed 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?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

8 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?

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?

Home

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?

8 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?

8 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

8 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

Reviewed planned answers to structured questions based on SDN, reviewed my essays because the closed file format meant it was fine to regurgitate that info, and researched the school extensively.

What impressed you positively?

Case-based learning was very well-led and interesting. I have interviewed at this school twice now and the quality of the CBL facilitator makes a very big difference.

What impressed you negatively?

The interview format consists of three "structured" questions and then free-form for the rest of the available time. The three structured questions must be answered without any feedback from the interviewers, which makes it a bit uncomfortable.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

I wish I had known to schedule on a Friday for a morning interview, so I could really relax and enjoy the lunch tour and discussions with M1/M2 students.

What are your general comments?

Iowa is a lovely school and many of the OOS students at my interview day reported that they had added Iowa to the app list on a whim and were pretty surprised at the gem they stumbled upon.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

It would be nice if a general schedule was sent out before, via e-mail. I knew what to expect because I live in the area, but some other students came hungry expecting breakfast or didn't realize we would interview in the morning on Friday (as opposed to afternoon interviews for Mon/Wed interviewees).