Hershey, PA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
6 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?
8 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?
3 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?
So, what can I tell you about Penn State?
What was the most interesting question?
First interview was more of a conversation than anything, mostly about what I wanted to know about Penn State. It was a good thing I had a slew of questions lined up, and I used all of them. The second interview was much more standard and less conversational, and I get the feeling it was that way because I didn't seem to have much in common with her. She asked the standard questions and the most interesting one was probably about the "biggest issue facing medicine today."
What was the most difficult question?
What would you do if you couldn't do medicine?
Honestly there weren't many tough questions, just the routine ones.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
30 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
How many people interviewed you?
2
What was the stress level of the interview?
6 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
5 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 interview feedback, school website, MSAR, SDN forums.
What impressed you positively?
Unlike (apparently) everyone, I actually liked the location, which is really not as rural as people make it out to be- Harrisburg is nearby and there are over 50,000 people there. The cost of living is low, crime is not a problem, uncrowded, people are down to earth and genuine. Students and faculty seemed friendly.
What impressed you negatively?
The tour. Pretty crazy to me that it wasn't student-led.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Nothing really, there was nothing out of the ordinary to prep for. If I had known about the tour I would have stayed with a student host to get a better impression of the school.
What are your general comments?
Overall a great experience. I liked the vibe I got here, but this may have been because it was my first interview. All the schools I interviewed at were equally well-presented, aside from the tours of course. I wouldn't get too hung up prepping for specifics questions. It's very much a crapshoot who your interviewer is, and although I'm sure some faculty conduct a lot of interviews I got the impression that mine hadn't done many of them before.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Only STUDENTS should lead the campus tour. To me, this raised questions about what the school may have been trying to hide and, honestly, I felt kind of insulted.
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Other
How did the tour guide seem?
Neutral
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?
Automobile
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$101-$200
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Comfort Inn
How would you rate the hotel?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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