Hershey, PA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
10 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?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
10 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?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Ask me a question. (One interviewer asked this about four different times)
What was the most interesting question?
If you woke up one day to find that nobody ever got sick anymore, and everybody died at age 80, period, what job would you choose?
What was the most difficult question?
What would you want me to tell the admissions committee if they ask me why you would be a good candidate for med school? Summarize in one sentance.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
35 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
How many people interviewed you?
2
How you think you did?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What was the style of the interview?
One-on-one
What type of interview was it?
Open file
Where did the interview take place?
At the school
How did you prepare for the interview?
SDN, Web surfing for possible questions, going over my application again, mock interview
What impressed you positively?
Everybody was really nice, we had doctors passing by wishing us luck. The admissions office people were ridiculously cheerful. The lecture about the school curriculum and policies were really helpful, the med students were happy about their school and wanted to share everything. The school is continuously expanding - meaning that many of the fields are growing. The interviewers were more intent on sharing their experiences and definitely cared about who they were interviewing... Both took care to read my application throughly.
What impressed you negatively?
Probably how rural the area was.. but then I want to work as a doctor for underserved populations so guess it wasn't too big of a negative for me.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
I should have rented a car instead of relying on the hotel shuttle. Going from the hotel to the school or airport was fine, but I forgot I would want to get dinner after check-in.
What are your general comments?
It was overall quite positive. I wasn't seriously considering Penn State before I visited - the people there do quite a good job selling their school. They go over the med school curriculum quite thoroughly and do a great job in emphasizing their distinguishing points. Everybody in the hospital seemed busy yet happy, and the school had a very family-like feel. The doctors and students passing by would always stop by to wish us luck. The interviewers were quite friendly and seemed very interested in me as a candidate. I liked how carefully both interviewers reviewed my application prior to the interview - interviewing can turn into a horrific experience when the interviewer has no idea what your application says.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
The lady at the admissions office was super nice and cute.
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Admissions staff
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
7+ hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$501+
What airport did you fly into?
MDT
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Comfort Inn
How would you rate the hotel?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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