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University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Iowa City, IA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

3 out of 10

How you think you did?

8 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

8 out of 10

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

8 out of 10
💬 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 a time you expressed empathy and compassion?
What will you do about the current physician shortage?

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 Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

25 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

2

What was the style of the interview?

In a group

What type of interview was it?

Closed 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?

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

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?

7 out of 10

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

7 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?

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.