Iowa City, IA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
8 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
6 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
2 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
2 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Why Medicine?
What do you do for fun?
What qualities do you look for in a physician?
What challenges do you think you'll face in medical school?
What has been your greatest achievement so far?
What was the most difficult question?
What challenges do you think you will face in medical school?
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
25 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
Negatively ☹️
How many people interviewed you?
2
What was the stress level of the interview?
9 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What was the style of the interview?
One-on-one
What type of interview was it?
Closed file
Where did the interview take place?
At the school
How did you prepare for the interview?
Reviewed feedbacks on SDN, AMCAS and secondary application, read up on the school on their website,formulated answers to some common interview questions
What impressed you positively?
The Student Learning Communities called CELLS-- pretty much every student from MS1 - 4 are put into 4 communities, each community has a lounge area where they hang out, interact, plan events, mentor and learn from each other. Pretty cool concept.
What impressed you negatively?
Everything: the ride from cedar rapids airport-- I've never seen so many corn fields in my life, iowa city is small and the neighboring outskirts seem rural to me, there doesn't seem to be much going on here-- the medical students didn't have too many exciting things to say regarding recreational activities.
I didn't like the structured part of the interview-- I was so nervous that my voice quivered a lot because the interviewers were just staring at me with no expression on their faces while I answered the 4 questions and would often jot down notes. The remainder of the interview beyond the structured part wasn't necessarily that much different-- my interviewers were still pretty stiff and did not help me relax at all. I got a bit emotional when answering one question and it was so awkward because they just kept staring at me. They neither asked follow-up questions nor ask me to elaborate further so it was hard to know when to stop talking or what they were thinking. It was basically a question and answer session rather than a conversation. Nothing laid-back about it at all.
Also, as an ethnic minority, i'm not sure how comfortable and happy I'll be spending 4 years here given how homogenous the population is. The school tries to diversify its class, but I can count the number of minorities I saw on campus during the tour- not very many. Unlike in my other interviews, I didn't get to meet any minority student, neither did I meet with the office of minority affairs staff or SNMA members. I would have loved to talk to them about their living and academic experiences both in the school and Iowa city.
Don't get me wrong, it's a really good top-ranked school-- it just may not be the best choice for me. I have to think about it.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Shuttle or Taxi from Cedar Rapids airport to the school is approx. $30 - $35.
What are your general comments?
Look under negative experience
📍 On-Site Experience
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?
4-6 hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$301-$400
What airport did you fly into?
CDR
Where did you stay?
With students at the school
How would you rate the hotel?
3 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
no
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