Hershey, PA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2018-19
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
7 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?
6 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
4 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?
4 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?
What do you think you would like most about being a physician?
What was the most interesting question?
My interviewer set up a long situation that was essentially asking about how I would deal with stress,, but phrased in a very open-ended way.
What was the most difficult question?
None of the questions were particularly difficult, both of my interviewers seemed to just want to have a conversation.
✅ 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?
1 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
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?
Read through the website, the school scheduled a couple presentations on the school before the interview (useful to have talking points), reread my AMCAS application
What impressed you positively?
Everyone (even folks not associated with admissions) was incredibly friendly and helpful. All the admissions staff did their best to make the interview low stress. Gave the interviewees plenty of "off the record" time with medical students and made sure to emphasize when we were "off the record" and not being observed. Also very well organized and timely.
What impressed you negatively?
The directions to the admissions office were somewhat cryptic, but everyone I bumped into was super happy to help me find where I was going.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
This was honestly a very fun interview. I wish I had known not to be as stressed as I was going in.
What are your general comments?
Penn State sells themselves as being friendly/non-competative, patient-focused, and team-oriented. From what I gathered from the interview and discussions with the medical students, this is very true. I had a fantastic experience interviewing.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
The dean of admissions is, perhaps, the most jovial person I have ever met. He had something personal and nice to say about each and every one of the applicants present at the interview. He was also incredibly receptive to questions and wanted applicants to be as low-stress as possible. Keep him around, he's a gem.
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Other
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
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?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
< $100
What airport did you fly into?
Philadelphia International Airport
Where did you stay?
With students at the school
How would you rate the hotel?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
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