Iowa City, IA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2014-15
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
8 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?
8 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Please introduce yourself. Why do you want to be a physician?
What was the most interesting question?
Follow up to my answer: Why do you think physician burnout is such an important issue?
What was the most difficult question?
You mentioned volunteering in a nursing home, how do you keep yourself motivated? (wasn't too hard, but they only ended up asking me 5-6 questions total)
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
25 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
How many people interviewed you?
2
What was the stress level of the interview?
3 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What was the style of the interview?
In a group
What type of interview was it?
Closed file
Where did the interview take place?
At the school
How did you prepare for the interview?
Carver College website, UI Healthcare website, SDN interview feedback, having student host, mock interviews with peers
What impressed you positively?
How interactive the day was. A lot of time for questions.
What impressed you negatively?
The printed materials could have been more informative, and I was skeptical after the interview because of how few questions I was asked. They stopped you at exactly 25 min, but it seemed they stopped asking me questions at around 12-15 min mark and it became my turn to ask questions.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
That the BONGO website has a trip planner, helping you know what buses to take. It's great!
There is a also a very nice natural foods store, the New Pioneer Co-op, that I enjoyed a lot.
What are your general comments?
Very laid back and fun . Great school and I hope I get in! They interview 300 out of state and offer about 120 acceptances OOS, so if you are at this stage you have a great chance.
Be sure to try and get a student host. Talking to my host definitely helped me feel more confident.
I also enjoyed speaking with SNMA students and hearing about how open the administration is to new ideas and actually implementing quite a few of them.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Have better printed materials, maybe a power point in the beginning to show pictures of the place or a video? Also, after giving out handouts, please give interviewees time to scan through the materials and come up with questions.
I liked the healthy options for lunch (apple/banana), although there was also plenty of soft drinks and chips available.
The case-based learning session was a little long and not as organized as it could have been.
Loved the coloring books and sudoku puzzles for the interviewees waiting to have their interview. Maybe having an organized wellness session too would be nice (leaving a even more positive impression on interviewees)? Something like meditation or strategies. Besides the financial counselor, we didn't get to speak with the social support staff, which might have been helpful.
📍 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?
$401-$500
What airport did you fly into?
Des Moines
Where did you stay?
With students at the school
How would you rate the hotel?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
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