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Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Hershey, PA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How you think you did?

No responses

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

No responses

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

No responses
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

If you get accepted at the U of MN (my home state), you aren't going to go to Penn, are you?
Tell me about your project with Somali refugees.
Why do you want to live out east?

What was the most interesting question?

Have you heard about the new research in autism, about the hyper-sensitivity to sounds? (I should clarify, I researched autism as an undergrad, so it wasn't totally off the wall)

What was the most difficult question?

What is your worst trait? (Not that it was difficult to formulate an answer, in fact it was probably too easy, it was just a little difficult to admit to an imperfection)
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

45 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

2

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?

Other

How did the tour guide seem?

No responses

How do you rank the facilities?

No responses

What is your in-state status?

No responses

What were your total hours spent traveling?

No responses

What was your primary mode of travel?

No responses

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

No responses

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

No responses

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

No responses

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

No responses

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

No responses

How did you prepare for the interview?

I winged it. I know my experiences, I know my qualifications and limitations, and I know why I want to be a doctor. I strongly believe that going interview with a level head and a high level of confidence is far better than going in with a head full of trivial Penn State info, or a bunch of ripped-off answers to questions about obscure medical issues. You'll also have a lot more fun! It can only be stressful if you let it be!

What impressed you positively?

Well, I don't think any student can walk out of that building without being impressed by the staff. From the front-desk lady, to the presenters, to the current students and the faculty doctors, everybody was REALLY proud of Penn State and genuinely happy to have us there!

What impressed you negatively?

One word: Rural.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

They hand out FREE chocolates... (Hershey, PA). I hadn't considered proximity to a chocolate factory in choosing a medical school, but I must admit it's a strong selling point, as a non-carcinogenic self-indulgent stress relief for the poor med students.

What are your general comments?

I had two interviewers, and I really like one of them. The first was pretty disorganized, she didn't seem like she had read my file with too much interest, but she asked some pretty good questions and I thought it went well. My second interviewer was awesome, he had a great sense of humor and conversation did not lag at all. Overall, my interview questions were mostly on my personal essay and experiences. They are probably not going to try and stump you. If they do ask you a question about medical ethics, etc., it's probably something they are interested in, and they just want to see what your opinion is. If you don't know anything about the topic, tell them and ask them what they think. I promise you they will be more than happy to talk to you about what they asked. Once they do, you can answer the original question with the info they just gave you!

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses