Iowa City, IA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
9 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?
3 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
3 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Very poorly worded question about telling people difficult news, I think??
What was the most difficult question?
The poorly worded one that was barely a question.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
25 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
No change 😐
How many people interviewed you?
2
What was the stress level of the interview?
7 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
7 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?
Had previous interviews, school's website, mock interviews, SDN interview feedback, etc.
What impressed you positively?
Nice buildings and hospital. Research & Service Tracks.
What impressed you negatively?
Their attitude both at the interview day and before/after was that they were better than me and I was a lowly applicant with no options other than to do exactly what they ask. They messed up things on my application and were unfriendly in every interaction. I was really rooting for them, but came away disappointed.
Also, the tour was way too short and was not informative at all. The medical campus is absolutely beautiful and the tour could have been done much better.
The grading system is very undesirable. I do not want to compete with my classmates, I've been doing that for four years and want a more collegial atmosphere.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
The interview is over before you know it.
What are your general comments?
The CBL was alright, though the leader was laid back to the point that it was annoying and he seemed to think he was extremely cool. Also, the other interviewees were typical pre-meds trying to impress each other with their EC's and I was not interested in this.
Also, the general feel from the students (not admins) was that the school was "alright" and "wouldn't hurt your future". The students were unenthusiastic about the school and seemed as if they went their because it was their state school (i.e. "cheap") or was their only option.
** Disclaimer: I only interacted with a few students and others may behave differently. Plus, I still like the school because of the wonderful facilities, research opportunities and pretty good hospital. Give it a chance and I truly hope you have a different experience than I did **
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Be kinder to your applicants. Every interaction I had with the office was very unimpressive.
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Neutral
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