University of California Berkeley School of Optometry Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

8 out of 10

How you think you did?

7 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

9 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?

Every profession has a downside. In your opinion, what is a negative aspect of optometry?

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How do you deal with stress? Name a stressful situation you encountered and how you overcame it

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Where do you see optometry in the next 15-20 years?

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What was the most interesting question?

In your opinion, is it ever acceptable to get into a romantic relationship with a patient?

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What was the most difficult question?

Name how optometry is different from other healthcare fields. (I was only given three minutes to answer this question during the MMI portion, and the interviewers didn't interact with me at all..)

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

50 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

10

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?

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?

4-6 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

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

$101-$200

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?

9 out of 10

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

9 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?

9 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

9 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

student doctor network, re-reading my optomcas personal statement + experiences, talking to my optometrist about the future of optometry, BREATHING and making sure I was confident and not nervous

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What impressed you positively?

I was surprised at how organized the day was. 115 students, 4 color groupss, 4 subgroups within the colors, all who had different schedules.. it was all very crazy but the timing worked very well. The campus is also very pretty: other grad school campuses are nearby, berkeley has alot of good restaurants, and SF is really fun too!

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What impressed you negatively?

How they crammed so many students into one small room during the intro and conclusion of the day. I was definitely stressed seeing all the competition right next to me, knowing that 50 of us in that room weren't going to get accepted 0__0.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

How to prepare for an MMI. I've never interacted with anyone like that before, where you're given a max of 4 minutes to answer a question and the interviewer doesn't interact and just blinks at you until you're done talking. I felt like I was rambling in a monologue

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What are your general comments?

Berkeley's interview was definitely the most stressful interview I had, with a group project, essay, traditional interview, and MMIs. BUT it makes it all the more glorious when you get accepted. Key is --don't be nervous/stressed! You made the first cut to the interview, now just be confident :)

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What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

Maybe use a bigger room for interview day? Cramming 115 applicants and 30+ current students/faculty was probably a fire hazard, and also added to the stress level of the interview.

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University of California Berkeley School of Optometry

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