How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.10 | 352 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 255 |
| Negatively | 42 |
| No change | 54 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.72 | 345 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.33 | 232 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.34 | 206 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 1 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 5 |
| 25 minutes | 9 |
| 30 minutes | 40 |
| 35 minutes | 24 |
| 40 minutes | 35 |
| 45 minutes | 68 |
| 50 minutes | 46 |
| 55 minutes | 4 |
| 60+ minutes | 122 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 246 |
| At a regional location | 54 |
| At another location | 49 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 349 |
| In a group | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 316 |
| Closed file | 29 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.10 | 352 |
"Wanted to know about my life from childhood to adulthood (asked questions about hobbies, challenges, and hardship) very casual"
"What's the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?"
"Asked further about my background as a soccer coach."
"Don't you think your research is unethical?"
"What is the difference between empathy and compassion?"
"What skills I have learned to recover from a rough start academically."
"Only asked one, tell me about your journey to medicine. Rest was a conversation."
"What do I like to do for fun"
"What have you learned in your current job?"
"How did you like your undergraduate institution?"
"What high school did you go to?"
"Many questions about the extracurriculars listed on my resume."
"Tell me more about said work/volunteer experience. My interviewer did not really ask generic interview questions. Instead, we talked about my experiences and passions."
"Why did you choose to go to your undergrad?"
"What do you consider to be your greatest achievement/most proud of?"
"Tell me something about yourself?"
"Why are you interviewing so late."
"Why do you want to go to medical school and not pursue a PhD?"
"Why should we admit you?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"Besides the fact that your parents are both doctors, why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What about Einstein interests you?"
"Started off asking questions about my background - where I'm from, my family members, undergraduate career, what I'm doing during my year off, what I like to do for fun."
"What patient interaction stood out in your mind and why?"
"Is it going to be difficult to get back into studying [non-trad student]?"
"Which other schools have you applied to?"
"What were some things about Einstein that impressed you?"
"What exactly do you do in your work?"
"Icebreaker: Tell me about yourself."
"If Albert Einstein was theoretically your first choice school, what would be your second choice school of the schools you applied to?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"Looking back on all of your experiences, what have you seen in the world of medicine?"
"Icebreaker: tell me about your hobby"
"no real questions, just a conversation"
"there weren't really specific questions; it was all about the flow of the conversation."
"Have any doctors you've shadowed or talked to tell you NOT to pursue a career in medicine?"
"What do your parents do?"
"Asked a lot about my family."
"Question about abortion. What test would I give to a teenage girl who wanted an abortion?"
"Tell me about yourself? Where do you see yourself in ten years"
"Tell me about your journey starting from high school in your own words?"
"Tell me about your father (pertained to my application and my life experiences)"
"This was the most conversational interview in the world. He started by explaining an EKG he was looking at to me, and we just dropped into this totally non-stressful conversation that covered topics like our hobbies/travels as much as medicine. Asked a lot about my hobbies."
"Why do you want to do medicine instead of research? (due to my extensive research experience)"
"Tell me about your research; a number of follow-ups asking for details and clarifications."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"very typical questions..tell me about yourself, why AECOM?, why become a doctor?"
"Entire interview was very conversational and relaxed. No difficult or unusual questions."
"["I think your application is excellent"] So how did AECOM get on your list of schools to apply to?"
"mostly just asked me about all my extracirriculars"
"tell me about your path to medicine"
"Tell me about your family and when you immigrated to the United States?"
"The interview started with a question about one of my volunteering experiences and developed into a really calm and engaging discussion about my life, healthcare, and just medicine in general."
"How did you coming from (insert place far from NY) end up applying to a school in the Bronx?"
"Do you see yourself getting involved in the research and use of nano-technology?"
"where do you see yourself 10 years down the line?"
"tell me about yourself-start from when you were born, and get me to ''today.''"
"other schools you've applied to"
"Tell me about urself."
"no real questions were asked"
"Tell me your path to MD."
"Why Medicine? "
"Do you think a quadraplegic can be a doctor?"
"What does your brother do?"
"Who is Howard Dean?"
"Why Einstein"
"You didn't originally plan on studying medicine. What changed your mind?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"Normal stuff."
"Why was I in two colleges at once?"
"Why do you want to come here?"
"Why on earth do you want to leave California to go to AECOM in New York?"
"what do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"
"Tell me about your dad."
"have you considered other fields?"
"Have you been to the Bronx before?"
"What is the healthcare system like in your home country?"
"If a 13 YOF came to you asking for an abortion, what would you?"
"What would you like to talk about? (REally, it was just a conversation that went on tangents.)"
"How are you feeling? Are you liking our school?"
"only asked questions specific to my application, nothing difficult (i.e. did you like studying abroad?, have you been to the bronx before?)"
"What did you do during your year off?"
"How do I know you won't change your mind and go into another profession?"
"How do you deal emotionally with working in Chad?"
"What was this sociology of the police class all about (as i mentioned, i took it in my fall freshman semester)?"
"what would you do if you were unable to practice medicine?"
"All your dreams came true. When you're older, you write an autobiography. You finish it and it's 300 pages long, what would be on page 200? (This is a UPenn undergrad admissions essay)"
"I was asked about my service involvement, my research, my experience at college."
"Tell me about your acting expereince."
"How did you get interested in ... (I was asked this for every activity I listed on AMCAS)"
"What was the last thing you read? And before that? And before that?"
"i was asked specifics about my application/research experiences"
"Why the low verbal score?"
"Why did you leave your graduate program to pursue an MD?"
"Why are you not pursuing an MD-PhD program?"
"Tell me about your interest in research."
"how did you become interested in health disparities?"
"Do you think the pre-med curriculum needs to change?"
"Why did you major in X?"
"I see you majored in x... why the switch to medicine?"
"What do you think is the biggest problem in a hospital?"
"My interviewer mostly kept asking me "Do you have any questions for me?" and "What do you want to talk about?" So be prepared to ask questions--your interviewer is a good resource to find out about the health care profession."
"Well, What should we talk about?"
"Tell me about yourself. "
"What are some of your hobbies?"
"Which schools are you already in?"
"(1st question) Do you have any questions for me? Anything else? Anything else? Anything else? Anything else? (seriously)"
"How many interviews have you had so far?"
"How did you get this job? (in reference to a summer job)"
"when did you realize that being a doctor was what you wanted and not just what your family wanted"
"Why didn't you decide to apply for an MD-PhD program?"
"What would I do if I had a patient who was 13yrs. old and pregnant. What would I do if I had a patient who was elderly and had cancer and refused chemo?"
"Where do you see yourself 10 years from now and are you leaning more towards research or clinical work?"
"opinion on current healthcare"
"Just some questions specifically regarding to my application. But be prepared to answer why MD and not other else? "
"Tell me about your research?"
"What do you think of New York and the Bronx?"
"Why haven't you published any of hte books you have written? YOu should!"
"what happened with your physical sciences score on the mcat"
"Tell me bout your research."
"What patient contact have you had that influenced your decision to go into medicine?"
"Is the city and the Bronx a beckon or something you'll have difficulty adjusting to?"
"describe you most important research project?"
"What would you like me to know that's not in your application?"
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
"Tell me about X experience."
"Tell me about the research you are doing."
"What do you do for fun? So, you grew up in X city?"
"Tell me a little about your study of languages and your study abroad experience."
"Question about a sentence from my personal statement."
"First question asked "So, tell me about yourself." (deer caught in headlight)"
"Why Arabic??"
"Do you have any questions for me about the school?"
"Where are you from? What's it like there?"
"asked to discuss problems w/ HMO as health care delivery mode"
"Why medicine"
"What are your hobbies? What did you learn from your work experience?"
"Do you think HMOs work? What are their advantages/ disadvantages? What do you think is wrong with our current health care system?"
"What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"just my background, real easy stuff"
"What brings you to medicine?"
"What would you do if you didn't get into med school? (I told her that I was already in at places and she asked me where, then asked me again what i'd do if i didn't get in anywhere). "
"Why AECOM?"
"How did you arrive at your decision to pursue medicine?"
"What do you know about the population of the Bronx?"
"Tell me the chronology of your life from where you were born until now."
"Tell me about --- activity on AMCAS app."
"Why did you choose the major you did?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"Tell me about your reserach experience?"
"standard questions"
"How did you hear about Albert Einstein?"
"What questions do you have?"
"What if you don't get into medical school?"
"How did you decide to become an EMT"
"Who are you voting for in the presidential election? "
"What pushes your buttons about medicine?"
"Tell me more about your family (relating to disease in my family and my personal statement)."
"How did you like your undergraduate college?"
"where else did you apply"
"why einstein? also see two questions above."
"Where do you see yourself in ten years? "
"Where are you from?"
"Why medicine now? (I'm a non-trad, so this is ALWAYS the first question.)"
"Talk about your hobbies/ what you do in your free time."
"when did you want to be a doctor?"
"If there were no medical schools, what type of profession would you be most interested in?"
"Read above"
"Questions about language, was it hard for your parents to learn english, is it hard for you to learn vietnamese."
"Would you really consider moving to the bronx?"
"Since you have been successful in your present career, why switch? "
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"Tell me about yourself and how you got interested in medicine."
"The usual stuff that everyone else posted."
"Some easy ethical questions where she asked what would I say to a 13 year old girl seeking an abortion or an old man that refuses chemotherapy."
"Tell me about yourself..."
"Is your sister like you?"
"typical questions...above "
"What was one patient with whom you've worked who stood out in your mind, who you'll never forget?"
"Tell me about your family."
"How would you get students to utilize services available to them? Services referred to: tutoring, personal leave etc."
"What do you think about HMO's and their effect on healthcare?"
"With both of you parents as doctors, what makes you want to go into medicine?"
"No particular questions, just conversation about research and the school. "
"See comments"
"Describe your research?"
"what kind of research did you do"
"Tell me about your research."
"Tell me about yourself. If we have to hand in our application to the interviewer, this question is inevitable."
"Do you know Spanish?"
"see above."
"What do you do for fun? "
"How did you hear about Einstein?"
"What have you done since graduating from college? (I'd been out for about 5 months)"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"Explain your family situation."
"How has your work in the WIlliams community impacted your view on medicine?"
"If you don't get into any med school this year, what would you do next year? "
"What do you do for fun. "
"what are your strengths/weaknesses"
"How did you like working in the homeless shelter?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Please describe your most current research experience for me. (or some variation on that theme)"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Tell me about your clinical experiences"
"How did your parents influence your choice of medicine?"
"tell me about your family"
"Is your family supportive of your decision to go into medicine? Why Einstein? How do you like the Bronx?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Why Einstein?"
"What aspects of medical school will be easy for you to adjust to? What aspects will be difficult?"
"Do you plan to work for the Chinese American community? "
"Why New York? Why did I go to Costa Rica? What did I learn in Costa? What do you do in your spare time? A thirteen year old comes into your office for an abortion. What do you do?"
"Tell me about growing up with your grandmother and how this shaped you as a person?"
"Why did you drop your previous career to pursue medicine?"
"What do you think where the motivations of jack kevorkian's practices?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"all personal application questions"
"Why did you withdraw from these classes?"
"Do you have any questions about the school?"
"The interview itself was very conversational. Many of the interviewer's questions were about the city I live in and about a hobby."
"Why did you withdraw from a certain course?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why did you choose the college you went to?"
"Comment on my academic record"
"How do you like [my undergrad school]?"
"was your undergraduate university competitive?"
"Why medicine?"
"Asked if any physicians in family and about my family."
"my opinion on abortion with some hypothetical situations"
"What are you doing next summer?"
"* What do I look for in a school? <br> * Where do you see yourself working? <br> * Do I have an interest in any specific field? "
"What was the most exciting experience you had as an ER volunteer?"
"What type of doctor do you want to be?"
"Do you like your current job? (I am currently working while taking a year off)"
"How would you describe yourself?"
"Why Albert Einstein?"
"What field of medicine interests you? How do i feel about our healthcare system?"
"What do you do at school? "
""Do you work out at a gym?" (Asked in a vaguely disapproving tone of voice, as if she would expect someone like me to do something like that. I don't go to a gym, in fact. Weird woman.) "
"Why NYC?"
"The questions were mostly all non-academic (i.e. what do I like to do for fun etc)"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"Tell me about your research, your internship, [something interesting from your AMCAS activities list]"
"What role do you think spirituality plays in healthcare?"
"Why Einstein/ Bronx?"
"Why not just research?"
"Why didn't you apply to medical school sooner?"
"What do you think will be challenges you will face as a physician?"
"Have you gotten any other interviews?"
"During your research of the school, did you find anything negative about it?"
"What are you doing during your gap year?"
"why wouldn't you do something else"
"What was your SAT score?!"
"What is your greatest failure?"
"Why do you want to go to Albert Einstein?"
"Questions about music"
"Why I went to the college I did. (not many become physicians from there."
"Tell me about your film class? What was your favorite movie and why?"
"What is your favorite class from undergrad?"
"What were you specifically doing while volunteering in this lab?"
"Asked about some of my activities."
"Where do you see yourself in 10-15 years?"
"When did you realize you wanted to pursue a medical career. Why Albert Einstein and what schools have I applied/accepted to? Where do you see yourself in 10 years (both family and career wise). My view on the current medical system."
"Problems in health care"
"What is it about research you enjoy?"
"How do you deal with the stress of bad things that happen in the ER (where I volunteer)?"
"Specifically why this school? Why that school? Do you think you'll get in?"
"What aspect of medical school do you think will be the most difficult for you?"
"The Bronx is a unique neighborhood. Do you think that you could live here?"
"Why do you choose medicine?"
"What do you like about NYC?"
"Tell me about a book you've read"
"Why are your MCAT scores so low?"
"Describe your study abroad experience?"
"Any specific patients from shadowing/volunteer experiences that were particularly memorable or made you especially want to go into medicine?"
"In reference to something I wrote in my essay, she brought up the topic of alternative medicine."
"How did you discover that you wanted to be a doctor?"
"How many hours a day do you study?"
"Question about patient refusing treatment."
"What ddid you think about obama's latest speech on health care reform? (i mentioned watching it day before)"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses"
"Why medicine, why Einstein, do you have any questions for me? What is the main problem with health care today?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"AECOM is great because... XYZ"
"If the president were to call you today, and ask you about health care and how to fix it, what would you tell him? "
"What kind of medicine are you interested in?"
"Tell me more about music performance experiences [and other questions that expanded on that]"
"asked me to give a timeline in college of how i chose medicine"
"telll me about your research"
"how does your family feel about your decision to pursue medicine?"
"tell me about your research/clinical experience"
"what are you doing now (post-grad)"
"Who was your mentor during college?"
"What will be your greatest challenge in med school?"
"Tell me about your research"
"Who is Howard Dean?"
"Where were your parents from?"
"Tell me about this experience...."
"why medicine?"
"Specific question about my research, since she had read nothing on my application. "
"Where do you see yourself in ten years? And in what setting do you see yourself working?"
"Have you been accepted?"
"Why did you majoir in Political Science? "
"Where else have you interviewed? ( i never like that question)"
"Why are you wearing a brown suit as opposed to a black one?"
"How did your immigration impacted your life?"
"Tell me about this experience."
"why medicine"
"Asked to elaborate on my clinical experiences."
"Tell me about X experience? This repeated several times with different parts of my application..."
"If you couldn't ever become a physician, what would you be? "
"What do you think about sending more troops to Iraq?"
"What do you want to know about the school? "
"How was the _____ experience for you?"
"What kind of work did you do with your peer counseling group?"
"Should students do international work? Is there any value in it?"
"why do you want to go into _______ (specific practice area)?"
"tell me about your experience in bioethics. (i was a chair member of our bioethics society)"
"You stumble upon a genie and he gives you one wish, what would you wish for?"
"Questions seemed to follow the conversation. "
"Tell me more about your research."
"How's the football team doing this year?"
"What are the characteristics of a good physician?"
"Tell me about yourself as person, not as a med school applicant."
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"what do you like to do for fun? "
"how did you turn around poor academic performance"
"How would you differantiate between a good change and a bad change?"
"Explain some of your bad grades"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you look for in a school?"
"What did you when you studied abroad in Italy?"
"Tell me about a particularly meaningful experience in your volunteer work (asked for two different activities)."
"What should I look for when examining applicants?"
"Why did you decide to do pre-med? "
"Why AECOM?"
"What were these e-mails with Noreen about? (he had a copy of all of my correspondence with the school)"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Any rejections yet?"
"What kinds of questions did they ask you at your previous interviews? "
"during your volunteering in hospitals, who you thought you would want to be like, and what was a doctor you thought you didn't want to be like, why?"
"Explain some of your volunteer experiences."
"You talked about the importance of healing and touch in your essays, that sounds like nurse's work. Are you sure you don't want to be a nurse? (this was said very provocatively, but in hindsight I think she was just trying to see how I'd react)"
"Have you read any of my published articles?"
"Where else have you applied?"
"What books have you read?"
"Tell me about your research and volunteer experiences."
"Why didn't you any research (a favorite question among interviewers)?"
"is there anything else you want to brag about, because this is the time! any nobel prizes?"
"Tell me about your clinical experiences."
"What made you interested in applying to AECOM?"
"This school is located in a very diverse community, is that something you're looking for in a school?"
"Why is your best friend your best friend?"
"Why are you interested in New York? (I'm a Californian resident)"
"What do you want to know about Albert Einstein?"
"Describe your volunteer work."
"How did you choose your undergraduate major (he majored in something similar)? What did you like about it?"
"So, tell me a little about your music."
"Repeatedly asked if I had any questions for her."
"Where do you see yourself in ten years."
"Tell me about your childhood."
"What should I tell the committee about you?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school? I wish I could think of more questions, but truthfully she didn't ask me much. We just talked."
"no time for any more questions"
"explain your research"
"What was your favorite subject in school? Why? Why did you not take any courses in any other subject areas? "
"what would you gain from living in this area?"
"What is your stance on euthanasia?"
"What qualities do you possess that would make you a good candidate for our school?"
"What are your experiences outside academics? Tell me about your leadership in the military."
"Explain your grades in the beginning of college? (All interviewers must ask if there's some discrepancy- usually they are very understanding with an honest answer)"
"So tell me about your life"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Why didn't you go to medical school immediately after undergrad?"
"Explain inconsistency in MCAT scores"
"What do you think of Jennifer Lopez? If you were her, what would you do differently? Do you think she is a good role model? Who is your role model?"
"Tell me about what you've been doing post-college for the past few years."
"Did you like your undergrad college?"
"What did you like most about the high school and college you attended?"
"Tell me about your family?"
"I see you are from California, do you think you would be able to adjust to the East Coast and why?"
"tell me about what you do for fun"
"Did you like your experience in ......?"
"What do you think about the Bronx and NYC in general?"
"Any questions?"
"Tell me about your work?"
"What are your weaknesses"
"What do you think are the most important personality traits for a doctor to have? "
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"Explain your research."
"Does your sister want to be a doctor?"
"Why Einstein?"
"Why would you want to go to school in New York?"
"where else are you interviewing"
"tell me about yourself"
"What do your parents think of you applying to medical school? "
"why not be a social worker if u want to help society"
"Has your family been supportive of your return to medical studies?"
"Health care/liability, as above."
"What questions did I have about the school?"
"what do you do in your spare time?"
"Specific questions regarding my research."
"is it right to use data that was obtained unethically? What are some issues with using data research data obtained by the nazis."
"Where did you apply?"
"Where did your grandfather come from, and why did he go to Hawaii?"
"what do your parents do? "
"Where do you see yourself in 15/20 years?"
"What do you want to specialize in?"
"Tell me about your volunteer work?"
"What experiences have you had with the healthcare system here vs. Canada?"
"if you could be any animal what would you be and why"
"What kind of community service?"
"What do your parents do?"
"Where are you staying?"
"How do you think the face of health care is changing?"
"What do you think about students watching doctors interact with patients about there most private issues?"
"What can you say to prove to the Admissions Committee that you are a 'worthy' risk for the Medical School?"
"What kind of practice do you see yourself in?"
"Asking about the extracurriculars on my application. "
"What's this?"
"why ae"
"What will you get out of medicine?"
"Why did you go to (my undergrad institution)?"
"Tell me about your major and your experience in college."
"Where else did you apply?"
"What are your strenghts and waeknesses"
"Where else did you apply? Just list them off."
"So you play piano? Did you know we have an entirely student and faculty run orchestra? We also have Yo-Yo Ma's sister who's a violinist."
"Why did you choose this school?"
"Any questions for me?"
"Do you like New York? More than L.A.?"
"How do you deal with stress. "
"where do you see yourself in 10 years"
"Did you know that our school owns a box of 4 seats at both Yankee and Shea Stadium and 2 seats to every NY home game are given free to any student that wants them. The 2 other seats are given gratis to faculty - and they all sit together - adding to the friendly student faculty relationship. After last year, we were reluctant to encourage students from Oakland to go to Yankee games, but this has passed."
"Did you always know you want to be a doctor?"
"Why MD/PhD and not just PhD?"
"Do you have questions for me? "
"What are some of the biggest problems facing healthcare"
"Tell me a volunteer experience that you enjoyed the most."
"what u do for fun"
"How can we fix the healthcare situation today? Tell me about your job at the hospital. Tell me about the death you witnessed."
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"Tell me about an significant extracurricular of yours."
"If I were to go to your Admissions office and ask them the most important characteristic of you, what would that be?"
"Tell me about your research."
"Is affirmative action appropriate for a graduate school?"
"what kind of difference do you think you will make as a doctor?"
"Talk about your values."
"If a 14 year old girl was dragged to an abortion clinic by her parents, and she didnt want to have one but her parents wanted her to, what would you do?"
"Do you feel your upbringing was sheltered?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Do you have any other questions about the school?"
"What do you do for fun? What is your biggest strength and weakness? Relate a research experience and explain what you did."
" Discuss your research project and volunteer experience. "
"Why did you originally apply to Einstein?"
"Some ethical questions"
"Out of all the classes you took in college, if you could take one of them again, which one would it be?"
"When did I decide I wanted to be a doctor."
"What are you looking for in medicine?"
"why albert einstein?"
"How many C's did you get!?"
"Asked if I thought there were any physicial handicaps that would prevent you from going to med school. I thought he meant me personally, but he meant in general...then he proceeded to tell a story."
"my opinion was on animal rights"
"How do you feel about the sniper shootings?"
"* What do I do for fun? <br> * Do I know anything about managed HMOs? <br> * Do you have any ?s for me?"
"What was a bad experience you had as an ER volunteer?"
"Why don't you want to be a politican? You can also help people as well. "
"What extracurricular activities did you do in high school?"
"Tell me what a regular day was like during your trip to the dominican republic."
"Tell me more about your research experiences"
"How does your family feel about you going into medicine? What are their occupations?"
""How do you feel about your MCATs?" "
"What I learned from my experience as a mentor."
"Favorite clinical experience?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Can you really feel empathy for someone who has had different life experiences than you?"
"What would you change about the healthcare system?"
"What makes you interested in X field?"
"Would you like to work with low-income patients?"
"Why do you want to go to Einstein?"
"Are you worried about anything in terms of med school?"
"what do you want out of medical school"
"In your opinion, what is the most important thing that you have done that has prepared you for a career in medicine? Why?"
"What are your study habits? (crammer, group, individual)"
"the interviewer wanted me to elaborate on something I mentioned in my essay."
"What has been your greatest challenge in your undergraduate career?"
"Why was your writing score so bad on the MCAT?"
"What specialty?"
"How did you decide you wanted to become a doctor?"
"Questions related to my application - my study/travels abroad, medical experience, volunteering experience etc"
"Tell me about (whatever activity I wrote on AMCAS)."
"What are your strengths/ weaknesses?"
"What is Hong Kong like? (my birth place)"
"You seem to have the qualities we are looking for in a candidate, so what are you looking for in a school?"
"Tell me 5 characteristics about yourself"
"What have you been doing since you graduated?"
"How do your parents feel about your decision to go to medical school?"
"Based on the student you met and your fellow interviewees, how diverse do you think AE is?"
"Have you ever been to New York before?"
"Talk about your research."
"What is your best/worst attribute?"
"How did you study for the MCAT?"
"Question about euthanasia."
"Why Medicine? Why Einstien"
"How did you find out about Einstein? (I think because I'm from the W coast)"
"What would your best friend say about you? I figured out this question is just to make you feel less awkward about "tooting your own horn""
"Questions about my AMCAS"
"AECOM is great because... XYZ... lol"
"Tell me about your dad."
"Why are you leaving your family over there and coming here? how do you plan to support them?"
"Where would you like to volunteer for global health services? (because I've mentioned my interest in global health)"
"So why medicine?"
"ended with: give me a little closing statement of why medicine"
"what do your parents think of you wanting to go into medicine"
"I see that you're interested in the environment and nature. Can you tell me how you acquired this passion and what have you done to explore this passion? (this was an application-specific question)."
"Why are you leaving engineering to pursue medicine?"
"how do you feel about the bronx?"
"Any questions about the school?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Where else did you interview?"
"your thoughts on drug eluting-stents (specifically paclotaxil) and the current state of affairs of their use in the clinical setting (info. on my amcas would make this question reasonable to ask)."
"What languages do you speak?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Tell me why you care about international health and why do you want to be a part of it?"
"What do you anticipate being the toughest part of being a physician?"
"Tell me about your research...."
"What do you think about US News Rankings? How you measure reputation? Is that a valid parameter? "
"any questions for me? anything that i didn't ask that you want to tell me more about?"
"Explain your role in this activity. "
"What type of medicine do you want to practice?"
"My interviewer didn't ask many questions, he told me that he didn't think he could get much out of interviews, so he just talked to me most of the time."
"Where do I see my self ten years from now? "
"Tell me about such experience"
"What do you want to talk about?"
"What is your biggest flaw?"
"what shud i know about u thats not on ur app"
"What do you do for fun/to relax?"
"Tell me about your current work experience."
"Any questions for me?"
"What was your experience like working abroad?"
"some ethical questions (see above)"
"How do I explain your weaknesses to the admissions committee?"
"You're sitting at a camp fire with your grandchildren and they want to hear a funny story about your childhood, pre-teen years. What would you tell them?"
"Why Albert Einstein?"
"Have any questions about Einstein?"
"How will you make sure you are and will always be a good physician?"
"How would you describe yourself?"
"Do you have any questions"
"Why AECOM?"
"what volunteer activities have you engaged in?"
"what did you like about your tour of the facilities"
"How could you tell a well-educated doctor from a poorly educated doctor?"
"Any questions? any more, any more?"
"What happened with your physics section on the MCAT?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"What does your mother do?"
"Why did you apply here? "
"What does your brother do?"
"What other schools have you applied to/interviewed at?"
"What will you do if this doesn't work out? And what if it doesn't work next year?"
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Why did u get rejected by those schools? You think they don't like you?"
"Have you been accepted at any other schools? Where?"
"other things you want me to know? hobbies?"
"Tell me something about yourself that I can't learn from reading your application."
"Explain your low gpa, do you think you can handle med school work, what about your weakness in math? (I got grilled!)"
"Give me a little bit of background about your interest in medicine and research."
"Do you have any questions about the school or medicine in general?"
"Tell me about yourself/birth-country"
"How do you feel about being so far away from your family?"
"When did you realize you wanted to go into medicine?"
"why medicine?"
"Tell me about this extracurricular activity (referring to my application)"
"what type of doctor do you want to be"
"Tell me about yourself."
"talk about your study abroad experience?"
"Tell me about a surgery you watched?"
"What other schools in New York did you apply to?"
"What did you learn about the medical field from working in a physician's office?"
"How did you know you wanted to go into medicine?"
"Talk to me, tell me what you think I should know."
"She asked many questions regarding family and basically where i come from. "
"Did you feel particularly attached to any of the people with whom you volunteered? (No I'm a non-emotive robot!)"
"Tell me about your current research."
"Do you have any questions for me? She also told me to contact her at any time if I have questions, and she was awfully nice."
"Why medicine, why not something else? If you did not get in this year, what will you do? What would you change in your application to medical school if you re-applied next year? "
"What is the most challenging experience you've ever had to deal with?"
"Why should we choose you over someone who has a 3.75 GPA?"
"What stood out to you about Albert Einstein? "
"What do you do to relax? also, Why did you have so many jobs in three years? "
"What do you do to relax?"
"What was the last book you read?"
"What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"Why I picked my undergrad institution"
"Is English you first language (asked in a non-enlish language my interviewer assumed I knew)? I was like "can you rephrase that please," haha."
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school?"
"Tell me about your study abroad experiences."
"Why did you not conduct any research in college?"
"How do you think obtaining a dual degree will help your career goal of helping the hispanic community?"
"Recommend a good book to me."
"tell em about your research"
"What are you doing on your year off?"
"Why this school?"
"Have you talked to any doctors about the issues that they face with the state of health care in this country? Why do you think they feel this way? "
"Give me an example of your strengths. "
"What field of medicine are you interested in? "
"Are you prepared to move away from California?"
"Did I ever think of majoring in physics?"
"Volunteer experiences?"
"What do your parents do?"
"any questions?"
"what makes you unique? what makes you stand out amongst all the other applicants from your college?"
"How would your friends describe you? What do you think of the campus neighbourhood? "
"have u gotten into any medical schools? why Albert einstein?"
"What was the most formative experience you have had?"
"Do you have a good support system in place to handle the stresses of medical school?"
"Mets or Yankees?"
"is it okay to research on animals."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"How did you arrive at the ethnic mix that you are?"
"how did you manage full time work and school?"
"Why are you doing what you're doing now? (I'm working for a year between college and med school)"
"Tell me what kind of doctor you want to be?"
"Why are you pursuing the MD now, after your graduate training?"
"What hobbies?"
"Why did you take a break from school?"
"What was the population like at the clinic you volunteered at?"
"Why don't you continue your successful research career and get your PHD? "
"Should alternative medicine be subject to the same scrutiny as normal medicine?"
"Explain some of your hardships during undergraduate years."
"what do you do for fun"
"Do you like it in NY?"
"Is there anything else you would like to add? Do you have any medically-related experiences and please discuss them?"
"Why Einstein, why medicine?"
"Where else are you interviewing?"
"Tell me about the research that you're doing now."
"Why Einstein? How do you like NYC?"
"Where else have you interviewed? Any acceptances?"
"What other schools are you looking at?"
"How many hours a week do you study. "
"Have you walked or driven about the neighborhood yet? Please do so before you return to sunny California. I think you will be impresssed by what you see around the medical school"
"Do you want to travel to other countries to work?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Why Medicine? Even with its flexibility, other degrees may offer the same flexibility."
"why did u like research"
"What's not in here? (see above) What do you think about being a woman going into medicine? (I thought that was odd)"
"Who do you think will win the California recall election?"
"It was a thoroughly conversational interview. 80% of it was a conversation about my background and his. "
"So what else am I supposed to ask you? (That was kind of strange)"
"Why Einstein? "
"I asked my interviewer what he looks for in an applicant. He said that they are not looking for nerds. "A- students are a dime a dozen." He referred to the web site's profile of the student body section. He said that there are all kinds of people here. "Phd physicists to former firefighters." They pride themselves on having different and open-minded students. "
"What specific field of medicine are you interested in?"
"What do you do ouside of work, for relaxation, etc.? "
"Do you feel affirmative action is fair? and, a host of other very controversial questions........"
"What do you do for fun."
"What do you want to do?"
"Please see above."
"Is anyone in your family a doctor? How many schools have you applied to? What were some of the things you didn't like about schools that you've already interviewed at? What were things you liked? "
"What was your first impression of the Bronx? Would you be able to live here?"
"During your clinical experiences, did you witness any doctor-patient interactions that stuck out in your memory?"
"do you have any questions?"
"Just conversational. Told lots of stories. Hardly asked any questions."
"my opinion on affirmative action"
"?s a bit more specific to my app <br> * What was my most memorable experience as an EMT? <br> * Why did I take a year off? <br> "
"What questions do you have for me? "
"How did you choose your undergraduate school? Did you like it?"
"What was your favorite class at MIT?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"how did i feel about sept. 11?"
""Where is the list of other med schools you're applying to?" She was under the impression I was supposed to provide this. WTF?"
"What doctor would I not want to emulate?"
"What characteristics are important to a physician?"
"What scares you most about starting medical school?"
"How would your friends and family describe you?"
"What role do you think spirituality plays in healthcare?"
"How does mental health of underserved affect physicians?"
"What is one thing that you would change about the medical system?"
"None really."
"Did your parent's death affect your decision to go into medicine?"
"Do you think black doctors should only treat black patients, asian doctors treat asian patients, white doctors white patients, and hispanic doctors hispanic patients?"
"What do you think [your field of choice] will be like in 10 years? 20?"
"Name a question that has caught you off at guard at your previous interviews. Then I had to tell him my answer to said annoying question haha."
"Fairly conversational, nothing too out of left field."
"From a discussion concerning dying in america."
"What I thought about genetic testing for gaucher's disease."
"I was asked to explain my moral feelings about a theoretical drug that destroyed memories to help people with PTSD."
"Have you read ________? I think this book is in line with what you would like to research in the future."
"When you volunteer with very sick patients, how do you handle seeing patients who are in pain and you are unable to do anything?"
"Would I recommend one of my activities to other people?"
"Would you prefer to go to medical school in Canada or the US ( I am from Canada) ?"
"Where do I see myself in 10 years."
"Why do a lot of doctors kick drug addicts out?"
"How did you prepare for this interview? I think he was privy to sdn, he was quite sharp."
"What's your favourite country?"
"Do you have a spouse or family that will be moving with you?"
"How would you like to join my clinical research in depression/schizophrenia?"
"Where did you go for breakfast? Were they friendly?"
"What is the best advice you have ever been given?"
"Do you think Mother Theresa is a saint?"
"talking about pros and cons of health care reform and how i'd do it if it were up to me"
"Do you think acting is applicable to medicine? (because I have lots of acting experience on application)"
"She was interested in my artwork and asked me for the URL to look at some images I had online."
"None."
"The interviewer asked me to do some role playing. I was pretending to be the physician and he was the patient I was diagnosing with HIV and he didnt want to accept treatment."
"How does leaving Seattle affect you? (since it's be a coast to coast move)"
"What kind of camera do you want to buy?"
"i see you have X interest... (very subtle from my app, interviewer knew the file well)"
"What do you think of the drug regulations in China? (based on my experiences, not totally random)"
"nothing really, very standard format"
"Do you think we are setting up segregation by creating ethnic specific clinics go to certain patients? weird question, basically he ask if you are a hispanic doctor, getting hispanic patients only would be like creating segregation. "
"Why New York City?"
"eh nothing really"
"Why did you intern with the Forest Service? How does this relate to medicine. (Interesting back-and-forth conversation)"
"See above."
"How much will money affect your school selection?"
"Will you be scared or uncomfortable studying with students who are 22 years old. "
"Where in the world have you traveled?"
"Project 10 years into the future: what do you see yourself doing?"
"tell me about a particular experience you had while working in a hospital or shadowing a dr that has impacted you"
"how do you feel about being put under the pressures of not being a son?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"what other schools did you apply to/interview at"
"Who was your mentor during college?"
"no real questions, it was very conversational"
"What do you think will be your greatest challenge?"
"Standard interview questions"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Do you think a quadraplegic could be a doctor (ans: yes, AECOM alum, truly amazing story!!)?"
"what do you do for to relax? it was mostly conversational..."
"Who is Howard Dean?"
"What do you think of US News Rankings?"
"it was just a conversation, really. so i guess ... "why medicine?""
"It was all very conversational. "
"''Give me a chronological account of your life from birth.''"
"Tell me about your family."
"All normal."
"Why do you think you were rejected from other schools previously?"
"Nothing really."
"not really anything out of the ordinary, looked over my file and activities... i have done some ethics research so i was asked if am an ethical person"
"Do you think there is any disability that an applicant could have which could preclude them from attending medical school?"
"nothing interesting"
"Nothing in particular--just a normal conversation."
"nothing too scintillating"
"I interviewed with a psychiatrist and she began the interview with specific questions about my family. I think she wanted to get a feel for my background and all that."
"Did you consider going to psychology graduate school?"
"Why Einstein?"
"Question about how healthcare works in my home country."
"What do you think about Bush and Iraq?"
"What would you like to talk about? (Question is harder than it seems)"
"How are people in NY different from people in your native country?"
"I was only asked questions about my application, nothing difficult, interview was very friendly/conversational/interesting- I genuinely felt that I learned something from my interviewer."
"How did you become interested in photography?"
"A 13-year-old girl walks into your office and asks for an abortion. What do you do?"
"Do you think it is beneficial for students to do international work?"
"I am a post-bacc student and she asked me about sociology class I took my freshman year - which was in fall 99."
"what would you do if you were unable to practice medicine?"
"What 4 people would you send to this interview on your behalf if you couldn't make it?"
"Nothing struck me in particular"
"What are you planning to do this summer?"
"What are your thoughts on the importance of ethics in medical education?"
"What would you do to prevent patients from suing you?"
"ethical question about stem cells"
"If you could be any animal, what would you be?"
"What is the most recent book that you've read? "
"What was the hardest part of X extracurricular activity?"
"Questions about Howard Dean...he's an alum @ Einstein. And also asked if I knew what SDN was...he knew the people he interviewed from their posted feedback. Amazing interviewer...hands down. "
"What aspect do you find most exciting about your research?"
"n/a"
"Address an issue in healthcare."
"what do you find not attractive about medicine"
"BCPM. Do you think Calculus has any place there? How would you change the pre-med curriculum?"
"hmm..nothing really"
"I wasn't asked any specific questions"
"What is the origin of your last name?"
"Who is your pick to win the Texas/Ohio State Game?"
"What do you think is the biggest problem in a hospital? (Asked in the context of discussing my job at a hospital)"
"If you were on the admissions committee, are there any physical or mental disabilities that you think would automatically disqualify an applicant?"
"If I called your roomate what would he tell me about you?"
"No questions, just had a conversation."
"none really"
"What field do you see yourself practicing in?"
"What exactly is hip hop?"
"Ethics, ethics, and more ethics!"
"We talked about snowing in the South vs. in the Bronx. We talked about NYC and the Bronx's cultural life. He asked about a dorm of open-minded people I lived in one year."
"All were standard."
"Tell me about an experience you had as a patient where you had a hard time getting a hold of a doctor to answer your questions. (not really posed as a formal question but came up in conversation)"
"what were two most impactful experiences you remember from your hospital volunteering?"
"How likely do you think it is for the U.S. to elect a woman president in the next election? What do you think of Hilary Clinton's chances?"
"What did I think of Dr. Kevorkian, and of him going on television? (I really know nothing about Kevorkian besides that he did assisted suicides, and had no idea about the tv question so I had to ask the interviewer for more info. All in all I think I was able to craft a good response about assisted suicide)."
"Do I see myself leaning more towards research or clinical work after obtaining the MD/PhD?"
"Questions were very basic and very laid back. Mostly discussion style."
"Nothing unusual"
"nothing out of the ordinary..."
"Why did you not consider going into MD/PhD program?"
"I have to say that my interview was entirely conversational. I was expecting standard questions but there weren't any. She did ask me about specific clinical experiences i've had, but they weren't directed questions. I was to talk about whatever I wanted to talk about - with regards to the experiences. She asked me what questions I had probably 4 times and this is what really directed my entire interview. So it's a good thing to have open questions that could stem a good discussion!"
"None--the interviewer told me that med school interview questions were worthless and unimportant. we talked about politics and the types of physicians who graduate from Einstein"
"Nothing out of the ordinary"
"You've had diverse experiences in science--clinical, research--how have they contributed to your decision to enter medicine?"
"Nothing really interesting"
"how will you deal with the influence and control of HMOs and business models in medicine?"
"what have you been asked at other interviews"
"Nothing, it was all pretty generic."
"If you couldn't make it to the interview today, what four people would you send to represent you, and what would they each say about you?"
"How do you think you will adjust to the transition of coming to medical school and of living in a city?"
"Who is your best friend? How would she describe you? How would she change you if she could?"
"How did you end up with your name?"
"Nothing really out of the ordinary."
"Nothing really out of the ordinary. Mostly straightforward questions about my application."
"My interviewer gave me a speech about how AECOM performs the academic cut-offs and his job is to simply get to know the applicants. After this he just opened up with "just talk, tell me what you think I should know." This would have been a little stressful if it had been my first interview, but luckily I was a little prepared. "
"I see that you are studying multiple languages, what is your motivation for doing so?"
"Nothing too surprising. Just basic conversational questions."
"nothing much, typical questions: tell me about yourself, where do you see yourself in 10 years, why medicine, would you move from CA to NY.."
"Why Arabic???"
"tell me about your parents"
"What was it like to return from Israel to the States?"
"We had an interesting discussion about poverty and obesity, and about Hurricane Katrina (aspects of poverty involved)."
"Where did you come up with the idea for your personal statement?"
"nothing really...he just looked over my file and asked questions of it as he read through the file"
"What's different about you than the average medical school applicants?"
"What would the title of your autobiography be?"
"If you were a doctor and a pregnant 13- year girl came into your office wanting an abortion, what would you do?"
"What was the most difficult question you've been asked at any interview?"
"What will you do if you don't get into any schools?"
"What change in me allowed me to do so well in my Junior and Senior years?"
"An ethical case involving a vegetative minor and her mother's right to harvest her eggs for artificial insemination in producing another baby (this stemmed from a previous question about medical ethics, which I had on my AMCAS)"
"past history questions."
"What was the last book you read?"
"What do you do to handle stress?"
"What do you know about the Bronx?"
"What was the worst question you were asked in another [med school] interview?"
"Questions about research, athletics."
"What did you like most about the high school and college you attended?"
"Why do you travel so much? Why are you interviewing so late?( I didn't realize this was late- it is early Jan)"
"none in particular"
"all questions pertained to my AMCAS application. no ethical scenarios or questions concerning current issues in health care (like HMOs, PPOs, and third party pay systems)"
"What do you want the admissions committe to know about you that is not in your file?"
"They were all fairly standard- but some interviewers (according to other students interviewed that day) ask hard questions like "What would you do if a 13 year old needed an abortion?" I guess I got lucky with a relaxed, nice interviewer..."
"What did you like best/least about high school?"
"Why do you think some doctors have stayed positive and others are discouraging you(based on the current state of health care)?"
"What do you find hard about working in the hospital?"
"How do you deal with a patient who needs treatment but can't afford it? (This was relevant because I work in a pharmacy and wrote about this in my personal statement)"
"I wasn't asked too many questions, so none were particularly exciting."
"With regard to any interactions you may have had with older physicians, have any of them discouraged you from pursuing medicine?"
"How did you like going to a public high school?"
"Would you like to see the new facility? He then proceeded to take me to the dialysis unit and introduce me to some transplant patients! "
"Tell me about your research."
"about my research in alternative medicine, asked questions about my hamsters"
"What did you expect the Bronx to be like? What were your impressions when you actually saw it?"
"The interview was very conversational. He asked me about my favorite detective authors."
"Wasn't asked much. What are my plans for this summer."
"What do your parents think about you applying to medical school?"
"With so many doctors exiting the field due to monetary concerns, what are some suggestions to entice doctors to stay in the field? "
"talk about one your extracurricular activies"
"How did you get from studying philosophy to pst-bacc premedical studies?"
"What do yu think about the state of health care in this country--liability, managed care plans, etc."
"She wanted to know about what I'm doing during my year off."
"Tell me anything about yourself"
"What are my father's feelings about me going into medicine with healthcare in its current state?"
"How would you solve the situation in mid-East/Israel?"
"Do you think its okay to use research data that was obtained unethically (ie during WWII with Nazis)"
"Why do you feel that people with mental illnesses are looked down upon? (My interviewer was a psychiatrist)"
"Why NY since you are coming from LA?"
"Basically, there were several questions regarding my ancestry and ethnic background that I found interesting, and was eager to answer."
"She asked me how I would handle a 13 year old wanting an abortion"
"The question that we ask reapplicants, if you didn't make it last year, why should we accept you this year? He was blunt--not hostile."
"What would you want me to tell the Admissions Committee about you?"
"Are your parents supportive of your decision to become a doctor?"
"What are you doing now?"
"Lots of questions regarding my background; the type of things not in the AMCAS application"
"What company does your sister work for?"
"nothing surprising"
"All of my questions were related my file."
"if you could be any cell in the human body which would you be and why"
"How do you have fun?"
"If all medical schools were closed for ten years, what would you do?"
"What did you think about the other schools you interviewed at?"
"The applcant pool for med school is changing (more women and minorities), how will this changethe face of medicine?"
"Do you know how many Chinatowns there are in New York?"
"Is this what your other interviews were like?"
"How would you get students to utilize services available to them? Services referred to: tutoring, personal leave etc."
"What do you think of Arnold as governor?"
"Nothing especially remarkable--just discussed my file. "
"what do you do for fun?"
"None. See comments."
"nothing too interesting"
"How my family supported my decisions to apply to medical school?"
"Do you speak Dutch?"
"Specific and personal questions about my family."
"none really, just basic questions"
"Nothing too out of the ordinary - How did you get to where you are now? Why NY? Why the Bronx? Could you live here? Why Albert Einstein? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? With a physician for a father, how much did that influence your decision to enter medicine? Are you happy with your application? Overall, he seemed to be testing (in a nice way) my resolve to attend Einstein. "
"No particularly interesting question. We just had a nice conversation, everything from my family to school and my various activities."
"Almost all my questions were about my research. Also got: How did you hear about Einstein? Where else did you apply? Where else are you interviewing?"
"Tell me about your research. How did you get introduced to this work?"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"None - My interviewer asked me a lot of questions about my family life and where I am from."
"So what else do you want to talk about? My interviewer asked this about twenty minutes into the interview."
"The interviewer asked me how my work in running workshops on issues of community, difference and diversity shaped my world view."
"If you don't get into any med school this year, what would you do next year? "
"My parents are both doctors and they asked me to compare the differences between their two professions. "
"Give me an example of one of those ethical situations(I had said that while shadowing a doc I came upon some). So basically I brought up the ethics on my own."
"Hailing from southern California, where there is little rain and brownish grass, did you know the real color of grass? Look at our beautiful campus!"
"Not many interesting questions unfortunately. I brought the doctor my file, so she had 5 minutes to look it over. She really did not know much about me. She spoke most of the time. I wonder how she will be able to evaluate me???"
"I'm paraphrasing here, but: "How do you expect to split time between research and clinical practice without sacrificing quality in either?""
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school?"
"Why do you think we encounter some doctors today who are so arrogant? "
"I told her about my interpreting experience in the hospital... she asked, "How would you deal with this cross-cultural misunderstanding""
"Most of the questions were interesting and thought-provoking. We discussed politics, philosophy, language and other topics that emerged. I truly felt like the interviewer was able to enter my mind and get a better feel for who I am. He didn't bother asking the standard "why med school" type interview questions, which I appreciated."
"So tell me what's NOT in here... (pats my file)"
"Compare a patient's view of a private practice experience vs. an HMO experience"
"What's your favorite part of my undergraduate college? My interviewer was a Darmouth alum and was excited to interview another ivy leaguer. "
"Most of the interview was very conversational. The interviewer was very nice and laid back. She seemed to be more interested in my personality, hobbies, and research than my views on health care or ethical issues. "
"Do you plan to work for the Chinese American community? "
"How do you see medicine as an extension of what you are doing now?"
"I was asked to parallel the issue of gays in the Boy Scouts to gay teachers teaching in primary and secondary school. This question is probably pertinent only to me. I do work with scouitng. "
"How did living in Jamaica with your grandmother and having to give up your room at times make you feel...were you upset?"
"Talk about the trajectory of your interest in medicine."
"What did I think of the motivations of jack kevorkian's practices?"
"Nothing really"
"Do you feel your upbringing was sheltered?"
"all personal questions about my application; really very comfortable and friendly interview; non-stress!"
"Can you explain how you are hispanic but also checked black on your AMCAS"
"I was not asked many questions"
"Tell me something that you do that is not obvious from reading your AMCAS."
"None "
"How does the Bronx compare to where you live now?"
"Can't remember. She was obviously very used to interviewing applicants, and made it extremely easy to relax. No hard questions... no stressful scenarios. I think my interviewer just wanted to get a better sense of who I was and how I've come to this point in applying to schools."
"Nothing was too interesting. Just a conversation asking about specific things on my file."
"The interviewer gave me a scenario where a patient was just told that her baby would be born with deformities and she had to decide what to do. The patient asked what the doctor would do in this situation. The interviewer then asked what I would say."
"Not many real questions, because it was a lot of interesting conversation."
"What would you do if a 13 year old girl came in and asked for an abortion?"
"Do you think vaccines cause autism? (One of my EC's was working with an autistic child.)"
"what was it like going to my undergraduate university?"
"Not really a specific question, but the interviewer asked me multiple questions about each word in the opening sentence of my personal statement. KNOW your PS cold and the deep philosophical reasons you wrote each word. this applies to any interview b/c anything you write in your PS is fair game."
"No interesting questions."
"He asked me if I liked trig and geometry (because I am a math tutor...I said I did, but I don't) and gave me a math problem!!! He said it wasn't a part of the interview though...it was fun to hash it out even though I couldn't really solve it."
"A question about euthenasia, that turned into a discussion."
"If you could give a lecture about any topic, what would it be?"
"What do I look for in a school?"
"Have you had any "bad" experiences at the ER where you volunteer?"
"How do you feel about the use of the terminology patient vs. client vs. consumer? How do we make medical student more attune to social issues?"
"The questions were pretty simple. The interviewer basically just wanted to talk to me and get the feel for what my personality was like. He asked me about my background, how I felt about September 11, what classes I was taking now and what was so interesting about them, why I want to go into medicine etc."
"None really, it was very conversational."
"There were none. It was more of a conversation."
"It's sat night and you have no exams, it's in the middle of summer. tell me what you would do? what is your favorite movie?"
"None, just questions about my activites, research etc"
"You just completed your first surgery which was a success. The patient is doing well and ready to go home the next day. The nurse comes up to you and tells you she has checked and double-checked and she is positive you have left an instrument in the patient (who is the president of Malpractice insurance) what do you do?:)"
"We just had a conversation. There were no straight questions. My interviewer was an HIV researcher, so we had a lot to talk about since I want to do ID."
"Nothing was asked in particular, it was more conversational."
"Einstein has a bunch of charmless weirdos doing their interviewing. Mine was no exception. She had the demeanor of someone who would rather be almost anywhere in the world than in a room with me. Her questions were asked in a half-hearted, going-through-the-motions kind of way. At one point she said in a foggy sort of way, "So do you like watching sports on t.v. and that kind of thing." Huh? "
"None! Most of the questions were very straight-forward questions regarding my MCAT scores, how I envision my life as a doctor, etc."
"Tell me about your research....why einstein...typical questions..."
"How did you feel about coming to this country (I was born in London). I told him that as a 10-year old, I was very excited since I was a budding Cabbage Patch Doll collector and that the United States was the official home of the latter - especially multi-ethnic ones. Thankfully, he laughed and that really opened him up."
"Really straightforward interview, no really difficult questions stood out."
"Nothing terribly difficult. Very conversational."
"Don't you think your research is unethical?"
"What is the difference between empathy and compassion?"
"Why didn't you apply to med school sooner?"
"Why didn't you take more humanities courses in college?"
"When something difficult happens in the family, how do you handle it?"
"What do you think about programs that pay for your medical school education if you choose to go into a certain speciality/work into a certain area? Does this result in one unhappily working in a certain field/location just to save money? Is this right?"
"I guess the first one. "Tell me about yourself". I was really nervous and messed up my answer a little."
"What has been you greatest challenge in your undergraduate career?"
"Why MD and not RN?"
"You have a lot of research experience. Why no publications? (note: not confrontational, just curious. He proceeded to offer advice as to how I should obtain some pubs)."
"I am an ultra orthodox jew, so I got some difficult questions about are practices, but the interviewer was very fair about it."
"There are lots of great schools in Boston (my home city), why did you apply here?"
"Give me a pitch for why the admissions board should admit you."
"Why are your second year grades lower?"
"What other schools have you applied to and interviewed at?"
"Have you had any doubts about becoming a doctor?"
"I was sort of shocked when he asked me about my schools and I told him that I had been accepted to a school in the Midwest. He chuckled and told me I could relax, but I had to emphasize that I really wanted to go to New York"
"Nothing, the whole interview was very laid back."
"Why do a lot of doctors kick drug addicts out?"
"Ethical question about covering for a doc who does legal assisted end of life treatment, the patient asks you to perform the procedure for him as he is in agony, how do you approach it? What do you say to him?"
"Drilling me on my school choices and asking me to reveal confidential information"
"None. Everything was very conversational and low-stress."
"Tell me about your family."
"What is the best advice you have ever been given?"
"How do you think we should view those doctors who make medical errors in the field?"
"Just talk about yourself (this is 45 min into the interview)"
"the health care reform questions"
"The one about patients."
"None. She was really easy going and no question was posed in a difficult manner."
"The interview was very conversational, no difficult questions."
"Nothing... It was pretty conversational. I thought this interview went well"
"The role playing question"
"no difficult question, BUT because it was very conversational it seems like the questions would be sidetracked where I wasn't able to completely answer the strengths and weaknesses question"
"Tooting my own horn without sounding pretentious. "
"Nothing difficult - it was more like a conversation than an interview"
"AECOM is great because... XYZ "
"What do you think are some problems faced by physicians today? (After listing about 5 or 6, the interviewer expected more)"
"nothing, very standard"
"Very briefly, why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Who is the one getting socialize medicine in the united states? "
"None, to be honest."
"Tell me how you, as an "international" student, view American culture? [lists some things he thinks non-Americans think of Americans (that I never really thought about)]"
"none really, it was very conversational"
"eh. nothing really"
"Do you see yourself getting involved in the research and use of nano-technology?"
"none really - we just talked. very conversational, very low stress"
"where do you see yourself 20 yrs from now? "
"none... all were pretty general interview questions"
"Where is your other interviews?"
"Tell me about your research"
"None. It was actually just talking about the school, its wonderful alum, and the great programs and the happy students. My intervier cancelled and one of the co-chairs of the committee interviewed me...he already knew my file so he didn't have much to ask me except why I thought I'd fit into AECOM."
"nothing, the interview was conversational, with the typical questions..."
"Explain your research..."
"Who is Howard Dean"
"do you have any questions for me? (seriously, i hate that question)"
"Do you want to go to medical school close to home? I see you have connections at Harvard...(I couldn't believe I was asked this directly)"
"What type of setting do you see yourself working in in ten years?"
"What are some of the negatives of Einstein?"
"Why are you switching careers? How do you know that two years through medical school you want want to become a cook?"
"Nothing Really"
"nothing bad...i guess most difficult was how i would like life in the bronx"
"Who is Howard Dean?"
"Nothing in particular. Dr. Simmons was very nice."
"what do u want me to know about you (first question)"
"Nothing, it was very conversational."
"Nothing too difficult, it was pretty conversational."
"Nothing particularly difficult."
"How do you propose to fix our healthcare system?"
"Same as most interesting"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"Why do you think Kevorkian took his cause to TV?"
"How do you cope emotionally with working in Chad? (also first question)"
"no really difficult questions."
"what would you do if you were unable to practice medicine?"
"What would your mother be most proud of?"
"Nothing was completely unexpected or particularly difficult"
"Nothing! Very conversational"
"Nothing difficult at all"
"What was the last thing you've read?"
"If you could be any cell in the body, which one would you be?"
"questions about my research"
"None really. The interview was very conversational"
"NONE! Stress level was 1! If anyone else says otherwise...don't believe them. Interviewer did not see how difficult or ethically-related questions were going to tell him about how good of a doctor one will eventually become."
"None were difficult."
"n/a"
"what do you find not attractive about medicine"
"How do decide if change is worth doing?"
"Do you think your wanting to be a doctor is environmental or genetic? (my dad is a doctor)"
"Why AECOM?"
"Do you believe in lying about your patients' diagnosis to gain coverage?"
"Can you give me an example of a time when you learned from a mistake?"
"What is your first choice school?"
"Why am I interviewing you so late?"
"Ethics, ethics, ethics."
"NONE REALLY! I'm not sure there were many/any questions. "
"Do you have any questions for me? (started the interview like this. not difficult the first time, but difficult/strange the 4th time.)"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"Explain how you connect to being latina? (it was phrased VERY weirdly, I was unsure what she meant but I talked about everything I do that involves the Hispanic community)"
"Why are you wanting to go for a combined degree?"
"none were really difficult"
"nothing difficult"
"Why are some of your grades so low, when your MCAT scores are so good?"
"Why did you not continue to stay in your master lab?"
"Nothing...I wasn't asked any specific questions throughout the entire interview"
"none were hard"
"Why aren't you a Yankee's fan? (My interviewer was really relaxed)"
"What makes you stand out from the rest of the applicants? What else? What else? What else? Kept at it until I had nothing left to say and then I felt stupid."
"nothing really was difficult"
"Why Einstein? Yea that was the most difficult, since it was all generic stuff"
"What do you know/think about living in the Bronx? (not much; I'd never been there before! If you're not from NYC, be prepared to get this question.)"
"none really."
"How do you explain your experimental results at a molecular level?"
"Tell me the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in your life."
"No hard questions."
"Nothing too difficult that I couldn't answer."
"None of the questions were very difficult. I felt like he was giving me advice on schools and medical schools in general, I almost felt as though I was meeting with an advisor or mentor. He asked at one point what other interviews I had been on and then proceeded to tell me if those were good or bad schools for me. He seemed very honest and open, I really liked him."
"Honestly, can't think of any really tough ones..."
"She was very straight forward and seemed to just want to get to know me."
"Tell me about yourself was the very first question asked so i was kind of caught off guard."
"Explain your childhood for me."
"where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"What makes you think you'll be able to live in the Bronx?"
"Nothing was difficult in my opinion, as I answered everything with an honest answer and went toe-to-toe with him in terms of q and a. "
"Why should we take you?"
"Why do you think Dr. Kevorkian went on TV to expose what he was doing?"
"If healthcare did not exist, and there were no such thing as doctors, what would you be doing now? (difficult because I've never considered anything else)"
"Do you have any reservation in going into medicine?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"My interviewer was very nice and knowledgeable, and asked questions only based upon my application"
"Why did you quit pre-med the first time around? (Not b/c this was a difficult question, but that she would not accept my answer)"
"What do you think a physician's role should be in helping America's health care crisis?"
"why medicine"
"How do you view yourself?"
"What are your weaknesses... and how do you get around them?"
"Why would you leave California for this (looks out at cloudy sky)?"
"List three words that describe your positive qualities and three that describe your negative qualities."
"So you waitress as a part-time job. Isn't that demeaning?"
"How do you think obtaining a dual degree will help your career goal of helping the hispanic community?"
"Who would you want to have dinner with if you could eat with anyone in the world and what would you talk about?"
"Why are you taking a year off...they were all fairly standard questions"
"Your MCAT score- What happened? (After a very stimulating discussion he cracked this one out)"
"He asked a lot of 'whys' following my answers, such as 'we moved a lot when i was young,' why and how did that affect you?"
"Weaknesses"
"Nothing that difficult"
"Are there any physical disabilities that would prevent one from successfully becomming a doctor? "
"There weren't any. She was really nice and told me there would be no difficult questions."
"nothing too difficult"
"no questions out of the ordinary, very conversational."
"Nothing dificult."
"None. The entire interview was conversational. "
"none really...it was extremely casual and conversation, my interviewer was awesome"
"If you didn't get into medical school, what do you think would be the reason why?"
"Asked me about research I had done 3 years ago."
"What is the hardest question you have been asked elsewhere."
"How would your friends describe you, your positive and negative attributes?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"None really, the interview was very conversational."
"None, really."
"The interview was very conversational. Her questions were very open ended so I had a lot of opportunities to tell her about myself."
"What do you feel should be done about the situation vis a vis medicine and health care?"
"What makes you mad"
"How would you improve doctor-patient relationships?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? He didn't ask a lot of tough questions, but this one required some careful thought."
"None. I was asked about my family and myself."
"Why I discussed my MCAT scores at all"
"So how do you like New York? yeah...it was not a stressful interview."
"Do you still have interest in economics? (I majored in Economics)"
"Why medicine?"
"What do you think about HMO's?"
"Why medicine now (after pursuing a graduate degree)?"
"ditto"
"if you could change anything about your life what would it be and why/ what regrets do you have about your life...(dude im only 21 chill out)"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"What should someone know about you that they wouldn't find out by reading your file?"
"Same - How are you supposed to answer that?"
"Since you applied to med school before and did not get in, why should we accept you this year?"
"What would your friends say about you if asked?"
"What can you say to prove to the Admissions Committee that you are a 'worthy' risk for the Medical School?"
"She gave me 2 scenarios and asked me to diagnose them"
"Do you really know what it's like to be a doctor? (I guess because I don't have any clinical experience in a hospital.)"
"none were difficult/unpredictable"
"you give interviewer your file, so not too much time for he/she to read it"
"Why do you want to talk with me? (we had chosen who we wanted to speak with based upon our research interests)"
"None. The interview was more conversational and getting to know about my background, education, research and I was asked to add anything else I wanted them to know that's not in my application."
"How would your friends describe you? (I hate this question!)"
"Nothing was overly difficult. He was very friendly, easy to talk to, and peppered me with a lot of questions about myself and my interests. More like a conversation than an interview. Not very structured list of questions so I was able to steer the interview in the direction I wanted it to go. The hour flew by."
"Some questions specific to my research--he decided to grill me on a couple minor details."
"<none really stands out - it was all very conversational>"
"None."
"None- there were no ethical questions during my interview"
"None. It was very conversational."
"In a follow up to my answer about the impact of my community work on my mentality, he asked me if I was ever surprised by the workshop participants' reactions. This is obviously a very focused and student-specific question, but he definitely homed in on specific details and asked me to explain and expound on them."
"Tell me why your verbal MCAT score doesn't correlate with all your other academic accomplishments."
"Do you have any questions? I know it's good to ask questions but man, I didn't really have any--by the time my interview rolled around I knew more about the school than I did my own undergrad campus! Basically all the questions I was asked came straight from my application. "
"Why do 99% of your fellow applicants wear black suits? You are not being interviewed for a position as funeral director."
""Why MD/PhD and not just PhD?" Not really a barnburner of a question, but at least one of the interviewers really pushed for me to be clear about the reasons."
"How will you balance family and career?"
"What do you think the neurological basis for alcoholism is? To what extent is it environment, and to what extent can we intervene?"
"Why Einstein? Because Einstein wasn't my top choice when i went there."
"Why didnt you continue with studies in your major?"
"How do you think we can fix the healthcare situation in medicine today?"
"How would your friends describe you"
"no really difficult questions; just questions about my background. "
"none were difficult"
"Tell me about your research - and she asked me extensive questions about it. "
"None"
"I was asked to parrallel the case brought against mcdonalds by the fat guy that said mcD's made him fat to the lawsuits brought against tobaco companies by smokers. I kind of bombed this question. My answer should have been essentially that the case brought by the fat guy was different and not justifiable because unlike the tobaco companies mcD's does not put addicting additives in their products."
"Nothing too hard... maybe "WHy did you choose to take this year off?""
"see above, i got stressed big time at AECOM"
"Nothing."
"there weren't any difficult questions, he told me in the beginning it was to get to know me, not to stress me out wiht ethical questions "
"How can you really measure someones motivation?"
"I was not asked many questions"
"Is there anything that you think I haven't addressed?"
"Why did you wait two years after college to apply to medical school? Why did you choose to get involved in research? Why your project is important? Be prepared to talk about correlation to medicine; my research has almost none."
"What is your second choice school and why"
"Again,... no hard questions."
"nothing to hard"
"See above."
"About some blips in my academic record."
"same"
"Have you ever failed at anything?"
"how my parents professions affected my career choice."
"question about euthanasia"
""Why Einstein?" (it was difficult)."
"look above"
"What are you going to do next summer?"
"A LOT of ethical questions."
"Do I know anything about managed HMOs?"
"See above"
"What should we talk about?"
"The most challenging question was "If you had a patient who had pancreatic cancer and wanted to end her life, how would you handle it?""
"No difficult questions."
"Anything else you would like me to know about you?"
"None really...the first half of the interview was more like a conversation about stuff in my application..the rest was just talking about our healthcare system, what would i do if i didn't get in, how did i feel about the sept. 11th events, how did my family feel about my decision to go into medicine...but no stress just talking."
"No difficult questions"
"The entire interview was difficult...she clearly was performing an administrative duty that she probably became bored with in, oh, I'd say the late fifties. She should be set out to pasture."
"It seemed that the interviewer was solely focused on finding out why I scored so low on my second attempt at the MCAT, especially my verbal score. Even before I had a chance to answer her question, she rudely interrupted by stating, "Couldn't it be the fact that at one point you were in ESL?!" (FYI, I had immigrated to Canada when I was 10 and yes, I was in the English as a Second Language program for like... what... 1 year?!?!) Come on! By now, I don't think my days in ESL have anything to do with my results on the MCAT! I got a freaking "T" on my writing sample lady, hello??!"
"I can't think of any. The interview was EXTREMELY laidback - he was an awesome guy. Very modest and humble and really just wanted to get to know me. He even gave me some feedback at the end of the interview as to what he thought of me as an applicant. "
"mock interviews, self recording"
"mock interviews, SDN"
"SDN, reviewed my application, read through the slideshow they sent me."
"SDN, researched the school/the Bronx, common interview Qs"
"SDN, google doc of common interview questions + my answers, mock interview, primary/secondary app review"
"Read the feedback and the website"
"Reviewed lists of common questions and practiced answering them."
"SDN and reviewed AMCAS App."
"Researched school, reviewed application"
"sdn and app"
"Sdn, reread application."
"Read up about Einstein."
"researched the school on it's website, read SDN"
"Read my application and basic info about the school."
"researched school's website, read personal statement, went through a list of interview questions"
"practiced interview Qs, mock interview, researched school"
"Read up on the school from their website."
"Read primary, read about the school"
"reviewed my app, researched the school"
"Website, SDN, mock interviews, re-reading AMCAS application"
"I just read through my application, a few interview books, SDN, etc"
"Reviewed SDN comments, poured through the school website, and visited the school during an open house, in addition to reviewing my application."
"Read a lot about the school and the Bronx in general. Thought about the standard questions they could ask and had a general idea of how I would answer them. read my primary application and the secondary i submitted to Einstein."
"Looked over information about the school and thought about why I would specifically want to go to that school. Got a lot of sleep the night before."
"Sdn, school website, mock interview, reading over application"
"Read SDN threads, combed through the website and the brochure that was mailed to me."
"SDN, Einstein website, mock interviews"
"I read these posts and reviewed the school's website. They sent me a pamphlet in the mail, I read that during my flight and found it kinda useful."
"SDN, AMCAS app"
"Read the school's website. Hadn't heard of the SDN feedback site at this point."
"reviewed application, reviewed website, reviewed current topics in healthcare"
"SDN, looked over past interview notes, AECOM website, chatted with my student host"
"SDN, read the information brochure, talk with students there."
"practiced in front of camera then reviewed it."
"SDN, review secondary app"
"SDN, health care books, einstein website"
"Read over my applications, research, the Einstein website, and SDN interview feedback questions."
"Didn't really. Thought about my answers to the "standard" questions, but there's not really a way to prepare for any one interview."
"School website, Einstein's applicant booklet"
"Practiced questions in the car with my dad and had other interviews before. Read the website thoroughly so when interviewer asked what I was looking for in a school I could point out specifics regarding school."
"Introspection, made sure I had thought about a list of interview questions, read up on the health care debate. A lot of my interview prep was for the first interview I had, which was not at Einstein. That interview, I over-prepared like a mother (mock interviews every three days or so, practically memorized responses)."
"Reviewing my application, SDN interview feedback, the website, mock interview"
"Reread primary and secondary, researched the school, its programs and its hospitals online, talked to a recent graduate"
"reading personal statement, SDN"
"SDN, school's brochure that they sent me"
"Read SDN, school website."
"Just knew why I wanted to go into medicine and just went in with a positive attitude."
"SDN feedback, read over AMCAS personal statement"
"SDN, ABC's of Einstein, read over AMCAS."
"SDN."
"SDN, read Amcas file, Read some Health care info stuff"
"SDN, reading over my AMCAS and secondary application, looking on the schools website"
"Mock interviews, SDN interview feedback, reading current healthcare articles, answering all questions outloud lol"
"sdn, read some really basic info on the U.S. health care system, read the school website, thought about answer to "why Einstein" and "why medicine" and prepared questions for the interviewer."
"Read the website"
"SDN, school website, AMCAS application, basic ethics stuff"
"read about school, SDN, ask lots of questions to the student host."
"SDN, talked with students at school, reviewed AE viewbook"
"SDN, Secondary, AMCAS, student hosts, the school's website."
"SDN, MSAR, ABC Brochure, AECOM Website"
"SDN, read primary and secondary, ABC's of einstein pamplet that they mail you"
"SDN, website"
"I quickly browsed the SDN forum, most specifically the interview thread. I also skimmed over healthcare-related books @ Barnes and Noble."
"SDN Interview feedback, Washington University ethics website, talked to parents and friends about my interest in medicine, thought about what my answers would be to basic and expected questions."
"SDN, ethics reading, mock interviews, reread secondary"
"SDN, secondary essays, amcas app., interview book, school's website and info. from tour"
"SDN, reviewed file, read school's info on website and in MSAR."
"this website, review my amcas"
"discussed health care policy issues w/ my dad, to make sure i wouldnt come across to conservative-republican-ish, if i had a liberal interviewer, read over my amcas app, thats it"
"SDN feedback, forums, AMCAS app, secondary, read my research papers, read current health issues, and reviewed bioethics"
"Read Student Doctor, School Website"
"einstein's website, sdn feedback"
"read amcas, sdn interview feedback posts, and browsed ae website."
"sdn, msar, website"
"Read over application."
"Reading school's website and SDN"
"Read over my application, my research notes, material about the school"
"Thought over some basic questions. Read SDN. Read about Howard Dean. "
"SDN, read AMCAS, asked my student host, University of Washingtion Ethics website"
"researched healthcare issues, school's website, amcas app, sdn interview feedback"
"SDN, AECOM website, reread application"
"Website"
"website, SDN, looked over my application"
"Read website, reread my application"
"SDN, school website, read up on current healthcare issues."
"I didn't really. I think I spent about 2 minutes on SDN looking at feedback."
"Read SDNet, looked at the school's website"
"Explained my research to my parents."
"This forum, past interviews, school website, mock interviews, read my application, spoke with individuals."
"SDN, AAMCAS application, secondary application, Princton Reievew interview questions"
"SDN, my AMCAS, my research, looked over the website to make sure i knew exactly why i wanted to go there"
"SDN, School Website, Talked to first year student friends, AMCAS/SEC application"
"Amcas application, read AECOM site, consulted faculty and friends"
"prepared answers for typical interview questions"
"Previous interviews."
"sdn, spoke to students, website, otehr interviews"
"Read the AECOM website, SDN."
"read schools website"
"Reviewed school's literature."
"Read SDN, reread my AMCAS, read about the school online."
"Research on the school, my application, SDN."
"I read a little about the school from the website and the interview feedback on studentdoc. "
"Read over my AMCAS"
"read my application, read school website"
"By reading student doctor.net"
"Read over primary and secondary, school's website"
"Interviewed elsewhere, read the entire website, spent the night with students and grilled them :)."
"read the school website, mock interview, read sdn, researched practice areas that interest me"
"sdn, school website, read over amcas and application"
"AECOM website."
"SDN, AECOM website,"
"SDN Interview feedback, read over AMCAS"
"Read the Einstein website"
"sdn researched the school"
"SDN, read over primary application and school website"
"sdn, looked at website, other interviews..."
"Health care policy reading, AECOM website, read AMCAS, SDN interview feedback"
"SDN, school website, and reviewed my application"
"Student host...tour, spoke to students"
"Mock interview, SDN, practiced answering standard interview questions, AECOM website, reviewed my application"
"website, talking to students"
"SDN, previous interviews"
"SDN, school website."
"Read feedback, books, papers."
"SDN, mock interview, chilled - watched TV, went to Beauty and the Beast on Broadway"
"Studentdoctor.net, school information, "
"Went over secondary, talked to AECOM students, mock interview"
"Interview Feedback, School's website"
"Researched the school, reread my AMCAS, researched ethics and news topics"
"SDN, school website, prepared answers to common questions"
"Asked medical professionals I know about controversial topics."
"Looked up information about the school."
"sdn, read over application, other interviews"
"SDN, AECOM website, reviewed AMCAS application"
"Read SDN, school website, did some mock questions with a friend"
"SDN, Brochure, Website"
"SDN, School Website, typed up responses to general questions (makes me relax)"
"Read all I could find on Einstein, current issues in medicine, and reviewed my application and SDN feedback. "
"Read SDN, re-read my AMCAS."
"SDN, my AMCAS app, AECOM student viewbook"
"sdn, read up on current events, re-read app, bought warm clothes"
"Studentdoctor.net, reread my amcas application, read the news, looked over school website"
"SDN, my amcas app"
"read over sdn, my application and just winged it."
"just read up on the school on their website"
"SDN, review school website, review some questions"
"school website, studentdoctor.net, review my amcas"
"Read over SDN, AE website and my application"
"read SDN, read over the einstein website, spoke to my people who go there, thought about some answers to generic questions"
"AMCAS, school's website"
"SDN, application, list of question"
"I read over my AMCAS application, went through the school's website and looked at the websites of a couple of the hospitals they are affiliated with. Also looked at SDN."
"studentdoctor.net, einstein webstie"
"read this site, other interviews... not much"
"SDN website, Albert Einstein brochure"
"msar, sdn, einstein website, spoke with students"
"Not much, just read up on the school's website"
"Re-read my application, read interview feedback on SDN, read the AECOM website, looked up and read papers published by the researcher I was meeting, practiced answering questions."
"SDN, reading website, reading newspapers"
"Read papers, websites, SDN"
"SDN, website, admissions handouts, review AMCAS and secondaries"
"Read SDN feedback, read admissions brochure, talked to people I knew"
"Looked over SDN interviews, studied the AECOM website like crazy, practiced with commonly asked interview questions, read over AMCAS essay and secondary"
"Read SDN, read the school's website, reviewed my AMCAS application."
"This website, school's website, looked over application."
"I read over SDN, my AMCAS and a list of typical interview questions. "
"SDN Interview feedback, read "Healthcare in America: Can Our Ailing System be Healed," reviewed AMCAS, reviewed thesis proposal "
"This website, AECOM website, mock interviews, read over my materials."
"SDN, school website, there are some good stuff in the pre-allo forum which i printed out like description of healthcare today and its problems and interview advices. i also made a print out of questions i could be asked and wrote out an answer. Also prep questions for the interviewer. This was my first interview and i never practiced talking with anyone so i was very unprepared."
"Read up on research at Einstein, prepared answers to questions."
"this website, schools website, read over application"
"This website, the school's website, AMCAS, speaking to students/profs at school."
"I read sdn feedback, glanced over my AMCAS and college research thesis, etc. Nothing major."
"SDN, school web site, hx of Bronx"
"just be me"
"SDN, AMCAS application, read thru couple of health policy books and articles, went thru Univ of St. Louis ethics page (really good! highly recommend!)"
"SDN, spoke with preprofessional advisor, reviewed questions in my head, and believed in myself."
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS, read medical ethics textbooks, slept"
"um, prior interviews."
"SDN, applications"
"Read SDN, looked at school website, practiced."
"AMCAS, ethics cases, past relevant written materials, any research I did"
"SDN, Other interviews, school website"
"SDN, school's website, read up on faculty of interest, looked over application materials"
"This site, their website, reviewed health policy"
"Read over my essays, checked SDN, looked at Einstein's website."
"sdn, app"
"SDN, school website, MSR"
"sdn.net, talking to current students, Einstein website"
"AMCAS app, SDN, school's website."
"this site, AECOM website"
"SDN. reviewed my personal statement, looked over the school's web site, and cotacted MSTP students about the interview process. "
"SDN, read over the school's website, talk to med students"
"SDN, AMCAS, reviewed Einstein's website, etc."
"This site, the web site, review Amcas and sup. app. for the school"
"skimmed the website, StudentDoctor... This was my fourth interview so I was pretty comfortable with the process at this point."
"sdn, looked over secondary and amcas appl, mock interview"
"Read SDN, read school website, tried to sleep the night before--didn't work much!"
"this website, AECOM website, current health care issues, practice interview, read NY Times"
"practiced, read this website"
"Other interviews "
"Read studentdoctor.com, went over AMCAS application, tried to keep up with current events, talked to friend who goes there, read AECOM website"
"Website, personal statement, SDN interview feedback"
"SDN, AECOM website"
"Website, sdn"
"SDN, read AMCAS, looked over Einstein website"
"SDN, AECOM website, read my AMCAS Application"
"aecom website, amcas app, sdn"
"this website, einstein website, reviewed AMCAS app."
"SDN, School Website"
"SDN, website, etc."
"Read possible interview questions from various pre-med websites, thoroughly reviewed the school's website including history and special research projects. "
"school website, looked at my file thoroughly"
"be yourself"
"Read SDN, very brief practice interview with an MD, read about Einstein on the internet and spoke to a couple of students."
"Read up on the school on the Internet; downloaded papers from the researchers I was going to meet."
"Read the AECOM web site, mock interviews, SDN."
"read their website, kept up-to-date with current events"
"website, amcas"
"Reading this website, the school's website (not that helpful), and my own application (AMCAS application, essays, etc.)"
"This website, reviewed my amcas"
"I didn't"
"This website, school's website."
"UW's ethics website, AECOM's website, reading personal statement."
"Website info"
"Read SDN, looked over the school's website"
"read SDN, read AMCAS, talked to students at AE, brushed up on current events, looked on school website"
"Went over typical questions with friends."
"SDN"
"This site, SDN, AECOM website, my application"
"SDN, read my application"
"Read everything."
"Read about the school on its website, SDN, prepared questions for interviewer"
"Read SDN, previous interviews helped me know what was coming."
"Read SDN, about school"
"this site. reviewed application and research."
"AE, SDN websites"
"AECOM website, SDN, my application, talking to current students"
"SDN, current events, read up on school"
"AE website, SDN, mentally preparing for probable questions."
"Reading website for school, going over my research experiences, thinking about how to answer generic questions thoroughly"
"Read the website and interview feedbacks."
"the usual- sdn, web, etc."
"I didn't."
"Read the Einstein website, SDN, read a little about healthcare, read a lot about my research and looked into my interviewer's research as well."
"Took a nice bath."
"sdn, AMCAS application, school's website, mock interviews, learn about healthcare issues"
"great school website, sdn, talked with current students"
"SDN interview feedback, AMCAS application and secondary aplication"
"Read my application, the Einstein website, should have reread my research description more carefully."
"interview feedback, the Economist and other news magazines, read my application"
"SDN, school web site"
"I reread my AMCAS, read the whole Einstein webstie, and looked at SDN."
"Mock interviews, this site, and AECOM website"
"SDN, website, mentally prepped the usual questions."
"sdn, read over primary app, etc"
"Read this website, mock interviews with everyone, read my AMCAS & research & current events. "
"Read this website, their website, read my app, asked my student host some questions about the day, and learned from this mistakes made from my previous interviews."
"Read the web site and spoke with Einstein students and graduates."
"Student Doctor Network. Kept up on medical issues in the news"
"I re-read anything (and everything) that I had sent to the school, paying specific attention to the descriptions of my research and my MD/PhD personal statement. Then I just relaxed and tried to be myself -- as if that was something inherently difficult to do."
"SDN, Einstein website, AMCAS"
"sdn, read up on healthcare issues"
"Mainly talk to the student guides and my friend who goes there. This is my 5th interview so I didn't prepare much"
"read this website, my amcas, their website"
"this website, school website, having done other interviews"
"SDN, AMCAS apps, AECOM apps, brushed up on a bit of medical current events"
"sdn, current issues in medicine, read einstein's website"
"read over my AMCAS, checked over secondary and thorougly looked at the website. Be prepared to answer Why Einstein, particularly to make clear why Einstein over any other New York school."
"Read previous posts on this site, reviewed AMCAS, talked to students"
"Interview feedback, Einstein website"
"Read recent articles on the human genome project and was prepared to talk at least a little bit about the molecular aspects of medicine"
"Read a couple sort post about docs I would like to do research with on the Einstein web site. Reviewed my app and SDN."
"Read the website and my AMCAS application."
"Read my AMCAS application, looked at Interview Feedback, visited a day earyl to sit in on stuff "
"reread my amcas, sdn feedback"
"Read the website."
"Not much"
"website, read my amcas, talked to friends who interviewed there previously"
"MSAR, SDN Feedback, friend who goes there"
"My previous interviews, reading the web page, books about the school and studying the area."
"Reread my AMCAS and Interview Feedback(SDN)"
"Studied my application, school's web site. Prepared questions and came up with reasons I wanted to go to this school."
"Read website, read this site"
"Re-read my statements, books, internet.... "
"read over my application, looked at their website."
"Checked out website, did a search for articles online about the school"
"I read some interview reports and contacted a first year to talk about the school."
"nothing"
"Read over school's web page"
"read over website and my application. found out what was unique about the school."
"did nothing"
"I did look for directions to the school...."
"CV, primary, secondary, interview feedback, SDN, and talked to a friend who had been accepted there."
"Read about the school on their website, read my AMCAS"
"Read their website, and looked over my app."
"Read about the school, read my file well."
"read website, SDN feedback, my app"
"school website, read my amcas, read my school app, this website"
"Read the website, talked with my student host. "
"I looked at the school's web site, looked over my AMCAS essay, had a mock interview with a friend."
"Reviewed my application, tried to think of answers to commonly asked questions, reviewed my own research, tried to read up on healthcare issues, and read over their website."
"Read up on health issues, reread my application, this website"
"read about the school"
"Read up on health policy, medical ethics, read over my application and looked up some info about the school"
"read through the school website, updated myself on current events, had an outline of what i wanted to say for the main questions, went over my application, the norm...."
"I read interview feedback, checked the schools website, and spoke with a friend in the MD/PHD program."
"Looked at school's website, searched interviewfeedback.com, talked to current students, read over application material"
"Usual stuff."
"Checked out the site, interviewfeedback.com, practiced mock-interviews, read up on current healthcare issues, spoke to different doctors I work with (I'm currently working as a physical therapist in a hospital setting)."
"knowing my application and reading about the school"
"Get sleep!!! It was a LONG day (I was there from 8am - I got there early - until around 4pm). My interview was after lunch, and I actually (I feel terrible) closed my eyes briefly during the interview out of sheer exhaustion. "
"how casual and stress-free it was"
"very casual, genuinely wanted to talk"
"Friendliness of my interviewer and the current students"
"Friendliness and laid back nature of the staff. Also the global health internship and other student resources were interesting to learn more about."
"Student support."
"The friendliness of everyone involved with the school, including the interviewer. The clinical sites."
"School facilities/community"
"Diversity of students and patient population."
"The current students were very laidback while collegiate."
"Students seem genuinely happy and enthusiastic; they went out of their way to tell me how much they love Einstein. Admin seems responsive to student feedback both positive and negative. Admissions staff was super friendly and welcoming. Love that it's *true* P/F in pre-clinical years."
"the students seemed reasonably happy. the student housing was cheap and decent."
"The amazing campus feeling, and the friendliness of all the students I met."
"All the opportunities offered at the school"
"Friendliness of staff and students, sense of community, relaxed nature of interview day"
"Very nice/professorial guy."
"Pass/fail grading system, happy students"
"The staff was so nice and accomodating, and the student tour guides had only positive things to say about the school. It seemed like everyone just wanted you to enjoy your day."
"how nice everyone was, the housing"
"friendliness of students/staff, nice facilities, nice campus"
"The friendliness of the staff, community of the students and school, opportunities for volunteering"
"Everything!! Wow..loved how chill the day was. Having oreos, chips, trail mix, coffee, tea, and water available in morning was awesome! Also love that during the tour, the students actually allowed us to see inside their apartments. They're pretty good for the price! Note: for the price;). I just love the whole campus, oh and the pre-clinical years are actually true P/F so that is amazing:) Lunch was pretty good too. And the 3rd year student we had for the tour was amazingly funny and real about everything about Einstein-the good and the ugly."
"The students were fairly relaxed and did not seem stressed out. They were strong proponents of the pass/fail grading system."
"The diversity, the hospital, ECHO, people were friendly."
"Staff/Students were so friendly, campus was nice, very focused on community development."
"Research, on campus dorms, great community"
"Most everything. The students were VERY laid back, talkative, friendly, intelligent and eager to answer questions; they seemed to absolutely love it there. "True" P/F. The campus was beautiful (even during winter), and the facilities that I saw were nice (including the lecture hall). Housing can't be beat for the price. Very large, impressive network of clinical sites to train in all over NYC, as well as right there on campus. School offers TONS of student support--they seem really tuned in to what students want, and do everything in their power to be flexible, responsive, and make sure students are happy. They also offer amazing opportunities for research and funded international travel (seems to be highly encouraged and easy to obtain). The admissions staff members were incredibly sweet, and my interviewer was very friendly and seemed bright, respected, and hardworking. What I saw of the Bronx impressed me -- quiet, residential, safe, lots of upper middle class neighborhoods and parks. Easy to get into Manhattan (~30-35 min bus ride to UES)"
"Very friendly atmosphere from students and faculty. Really nice, chearly priced housing. I observed a great lecture. Very student oriented. The students want to be the best they can, not neccessarily the best in the class which produces a great close-knit, focused and fun environment."
"Almost everything. The doctor was fantastic who interviewed me. The students were friendly and clearly happier than most, the apartments and amenities were better than expected. I was blown away by this school."
"The housing is very cheap and the rooms are large. Einstein students are charismatic. The admissions team provides snacks for you."
"Their research facilities and affiliated hospitals."
"The faculty seems to really care a lot about the happiness and well-being of their students. The students seemed to be happy and relatively laid back."
"facilities"
"They place a large emphasis on Global health, which is what I'm really interested in. AECOM will subsidize international medical trips between M1/M2 and they're generous with research funding too. The medical students here seem REALLY chill and happy. Each of them said that they found a good balance between study and play which is amazing. Also the housing option is GREAT. $350/month for a three bedroom apartment, right next to campus, and it's guaranteed for four years."
"The interviewer tried his best to make me feel comfortable and making the interview just a conversation about myself and my experiences. On campus apartments are large, extremely cheap, and close to the classrooms. The are surrounding the school is beautiful and suburban, very un-New York yet close enough to Manhattan."
"Dorms are cheap and safe"
"Support from faculties and student centered atmosphere of the school."
"Nice campus, cool friendly students, seems very helpful"
"Location, diversity, cheap housing on campus"
"I liked the students very much and the facilities seemed nice"
"Great housing, everyone was very friendly, students gain a lot of clinical skill, high match rates, pass/fail grading, student run organizations, good research opportunities."
"The students seem very connected and close. The on campus housing is nice, but I don't think that it will work for my unique situation. They have a really nice gym with an indoor pool."
"Dorm was really nice and cheap, Price center is gorgeous, people seem extremely nice and normal. Very close knit school"
"Beautiful campus, friendly people, amazing and cheap housing"
"I really liked the students there. The tourguides were not just MSI's and II's. There were a few MSIII's and IV's. They all seemed to enjoy the school. I personally liked the Bronx, but that might be because I grew up in Baltimore and enjoyed Baltimore. The two seemed very similar to me (even down to being split by I-95). PURE P/F first two years! Students seem very chill and help each other out."
"The students seemed very happy to be there and enthusiastic about the program, and the curriculum"
"MPH option, Dorms, Students, New Research Center"
"Emphasis on clinical research and global health, student housing"
"the campus, housing is great - guaranteed CHEAP apartments right across from campus"
"student body seemed really friendly and community-ish. P/F first two years. my interviewer was so nice, and she took me to see the pediatric ICU just for fun."
"Pass/fail for first two years. Class seems very cohesive. Close to Manhattan. CHEAP housing. "
"How my interviewer stressed that she was there to be my advocate. It really does put you at ease. Einstein has been the least stressful interview I've had."
"Everyone there: faculty/students/staff all seemed really happy to be there. Jacobi is AMAZING and beautiful! The Price Center. The school's attitude of "do what you like/study how you like, we're here if you need/want help". Housing right on campus w/free shuttle busses to the hospitals."
"Curriculum, students, hospitals."
"Facilities are excellent. Students were very laid-back. P/F. "
"The schools campus, the students, the lecture hall, their cheap housing"
"The students were wonderful. They were easy to talk to and really told you the truth about different aspects of their lives. "
"The afternoon tour given by Dr. Dannis, also that the school is EXTREMELY accomodating to the students much more than most schools"
"You get money for international electives, the students were so relaxed and happy (one said his only complaint was that Einstein was "too much fun"), close to NYC, collegial atmosphere, nice lecture halls, true pass/fail, cool interest groups"
"My interviewer was very friendly"
"cards the admissions office handed out with names of our tour group and interviewer, with addresses. convenient."
"all the students live on "campus" very close to the buildings in which they have class; students seem very happy"
"housing"
"Housing is SUPER cheap! Global health program is great, you are relatively close to the city, people seem to be really nice. Great clinical opportunities. "
"social medicine; gobal health program; AWESOME student housing!!!; lunch was really really good also"
"The location is much nicer than expected. The on-campus apartments are very affordable. Students seem very happy and not competitive with each other. "
"The location, hospital affiliations, the cohesion amongst the students. It is an unreal place."
"The students seem happy and friendly. The student apartments are amazing for cheap prize. The Kosher cafeteria wasn't bad. My interviewers was so nice and amazing. "
"Friendliness and the enthusiasm! Also, the new research building and the hospital building are really impressive... take the tour if you can."
"School looks pretty nice, not as bad as the Bronx's rep, great housing size for the price especially!"
"my interviewer was really nice and the housing isnt bad, but worse than i thought. its virtally impossible to get a one-bedroom as a first year, even if you are married. also, 2bedrooms are converted into 3 bedroom"
"The great faculty and student environment. Everyone was super nice! The student hosts were also fun to be around."
"Everything. My interviewer was nice and engaging, making it as calm and non-stressful as possible. I can't say enough about how positive my experience was."
"brand new research building was super nice (go to the special tour if you can), focus on community service, funding for international electives, decent cheap housing is provided, pure pass/fail for first two years, faculty and students seemed happy, my interviewer was VERY enthusiastic about the school, family friendly school"
"Students are enthusiastic and friendly. It is a collegial atmosphere, and the library facilities are wonderful. Also, impressive research and seems to have a lot of funding for research projects at school and overseas. Very cheap housing and parking. Nice community atmosphere for students. "
"The students and staff were extremely friendly and excited about their school."
"friendly students, very enthusiastic. my interviewer was very laid back - seemed interested in what i had to say. made me feel very comfortable."
"all students i spoke to seemed genuinely happy. for real. they enjoyed being there, they enjoyed school, etc. admissions staff were super nice (even though when i called they didnt seem all that organized over the phone) my interviewer (longtime professor) was just so nice"
"Everyone was really nice (esp. the admissions office), the interviewer was a doctor in the Emergency Medicine department and we had a wonderful talk. The facilities are very new and the dorms are supopsed to be very nice."
"Students seemed very happy, the school seemed very laid back. The faculty do everything in their power to make mad school a tolerable and enjoyable experience. There are lots of opportunities for going abroad. "
"housing is cheap, and students seemed pretty happy, lots of funding for seemingly any project you want to do"
"students, faculty seems really like their school. There will be a new Institute of Translation research building with new faculties (40+ according to my interviewer) in 2008. "
"On the whole, I think Einstein is a terrific medical school. Many people have previously complained about the location but I do not think it is that bad. I did my undergraduate work at Stanford (believe me, Palo Alto is as rich as any community on this planet) and was not shocked/disappointed/scared/etc by the Bronx. I think as a medical student, the location is a great asset because you will see cases and patients that you will not see elsewhere. Einstein offers excellent clinical training and a good amount of research opportunities. The students seemed nice. The Pass/Fail grading is a big plus (real pass/fail, none of that H/HP/P/LP nonsense). Residency placement data were fantastic. In past years, people have done things like dermatology at columbia and head and neck surgery at mass general (some of the most competitive programs in the country). More importantly, Einstein's affiliated hospitals are well-regarded and provide the entire spectrum of medical services. And so, you can always get good training/do your residency at Montefiore if you desire. The student housing is great. And for 300/month a bargain you won't find anywhere else. Columbia puts its students up in closets and, I believe, charges more. At least this is the case with Bard Hall facility. "
"the incredible sense of community there (almost ALL students, first thru fourth years, live in the university apartments on campus), campus is compact, very friendly staff and faculty, they have scholarships to fund the pursuit of an MPH at a school of your choice, etc"
"Global health opportunities, incredible emphasis on learning anatomy right, housing."
"Affordability and convenience of housing. Gym membership included. Students seemed happy. Closer to Manhattan than I had originally thought."
"The clinical facilities, the genuine happiness and camaraderie of the class, the location, the most inexpensive housing, especially for NY (280 per month for huge single room)"
"How kind and happy everyone from the students to the faculty to the staff seemed. Everybody was helpful, honest about the school, and seemed to be having a great time there. I attended a couple lectures and felt the same there too. Also faculty seemed extremely approachable. And the Int'l Health program is even bigger and better than I read! Its great, and you're really encouraged to participate!"
"I was a little nervous about being in the Bronx, but the area where AECOM is is pretty nice...and the fact that I am not in Manhattan is great so I can study, but when the urge is there I can go to the city in under an hour!"
"global health opportunities and clinical emphasis in curriculum"
"The attitude of the students, and the huge hospital system. THE FUNDING...YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT AND GET PAID FOR IT! The cheap rent for APARTMENTS (not dorms). "
"People. Very much so. They were all happy. and housing."
"nice lecture hall. not a bad neighborhood. nice apartments."
"The students were great people, and they had an all-you-can eat lunch, and it was good that it was after my interview (I was getting tired of the small snack lunches elsewhere, but I guess AE makes up for it in the largest application fee!)"
"Students and staff were super welcoming and friendly. My interviewer was also incredibly nice. The student housing is amazing! It's right across the street from the school, very large, and super cheap. "
"I really liked the person I interviewed with. He was a dean of sorts (assistant, associate, something) of admissions and was very humble about the school. He took an unbiased looked at me as an applicant and let my personality speak for itself. Overall, there seems to be a great community and a sense of camaraderie amongst the students. And the housing is cheap. And the school, overall, isn't as expensive as most (surprisingly)."
"Nice lecture hall. Gorgeous student housing. Students seem happy."
"BIG appartments for very little cost. Integrated curriculum. Relaxed students."
"The school went out of their way to arrange the meetings I requested. Ms Longo was wonderful in explaining and arranging my day. The fact that most students live together in the guaranteed housing."
"The facilities were very nice. The students were great and really showed me why I should want to come to Einstien."
"the interviewer was very relaxed and even had some jazz in the background also the lecture hall is really nice"
"The man who interviewed me had been affiliated with the school since 1956 and loved the school, impressed by the compassionate nature of AECOM, housing facilities."
"The enthusiasm of the students, the professional atmosphere, the kindness and warmth of the admission committee, the construction of a new site, the neat housing, and probably my past experience with the location."
"nothing"
"The students seemed very happy there and they were all funny. The faculty and facilities were also nice (especially the lecture halls). Also, you can't beat the price of the residence complex."
"students seemed tight-knit and happy, housing is even better than the rumors"
"The social medicine philosophy of the school... it matches my own."
"students seemed happy, real community feel between students"
"There are obviously a lot of smart people here with a lot of exciting research. The student housing is a nice perk. I also like the medical spanish emphasis they have, extre appropriate since the Bronx has such a large Spanish-speaking population."
"The student tour guides seemed enthusiastic about their school. The location has its benefits, Manhattan is close enough to be accessible but far enough away as to not be distracting. "
"Amount of funding for international and community programs and research."
"I really like the faculty and students. The apartments are dirt cheap. That is really great for New York."
"Exceptionally nice and enthusiastic students. Nice lecture halls. When sitting in on a lecture, a student played the piano for every one before the lecture began (cooool!)."
"I really enjoyed my interview, lunch was great, students seem very happy and could name several specific things about why they like the school, great community atmosphere"
"The lectures were great and the facilities were nice as well."
"The friendliness of people who worked there -- admissions office, admin staff of interviewer, even random people in the elevators. Nice change from what I'm used to in Manhattan..."
"The dedication of staff and students to the good of their communities, the enormous support and opportunities for students to serve globally and locally. The student apartments and express bus into manhattan (30-40 minutes)."
"the interview was more conversational than confrontational. the student tour was very laid back. overall, got a feeling that it is a good place."
"i stayed in nyc, always impresssive. very liberal school for orthodox jewish background. laid back students. VERY cheap housing"
"All the students were very friendly and enthusiastic about the school."
"Dedication to community involvement, students really love it there and seem to have a realy good work-life balance. They are relaxed and confident. AECOM's location lends to its character as a true service oriented institution and also allows for exposure to an extremely diverse patient population. "
"I loved this school! The student tour guides (there were four of them) were really nice and seemed genuinely happy there. When our tour group passed groups of students, they would yell ''yay einstein, come here!'' I thought the facilities got a bad rap in this forum, I was quite impressed with what we saw on the tour, especially the lecture halls. Great international oputunities, lots of good research, and a lot of emphasis on helping the immigrant populations in the Bronx are just a few of the other things that impressed me. Overall, just a really great school I thought!"
"The laid-back and diverse student body, anatomy lab, nice student housing"
"Free travel abroad during summers, friendly atmosphere, students that absolutely love the school, the housing location and price, the number of affiliated hospitals"
"the student apartments were really nice, cheap, and right off campus"
"great dedication of staff (lots stayed with AECOM for years) really enthusiastic students, GREAT housing "
"Most of the facilities are located very close to each other (only a 5 minute walk from housing to class), first and second year classrooms are nice"
"the students were very laid-back and everyone was very involved with serving the bronx."
"The students were very enthusiastic and happy."
"The housing was very nice and the students said it was very easy to get a research position and grant during a summer or to travel abroad."
"Stress level, pass/fail system, faculty and administration really cares about the student body"
"The interviewer was really friendly and encouraging. Housing is guaranteed."
"cohesive student body, community-based medicine, ECHO (student-run free) clinic"
"I really enjoyed my interview with one of the doctors at the hospital and the students all seemed very friendly"
"The school has a very service oriented attitude. i.e. less showmanship (no white coat ceremony or long speeches) and more commitment to serving patients"
"The Asst Dean had read my file and quizzed me on some personal stuff."
"Dorm rooms, Happy students, "
"Everyone was so enthusaistic and all the students seemed to love it there! My interviewer was really nice and really loved working there. The housing that is provided by the school is really cheap and also very nice. It also encourages a cohesive student body. "
"Faculty and students were super friendly and enthusiastic. People seemed happy and relatively unstressed!"
"Students were very friendly, uncompetitive atmosphere, pass/fail cirriculum years 1&2, very nice and affordable housing, school's commitment to activism, nice lecture halls, generous funding for international externships, several hospitals to rotate through."
"Students were extremely happy and enthusiastic, the campus is close-knit, the apartments are extremely cheap and also large"
"Students very friendly and enthusiastic. Seems to have a very uncompetitive, relaxed atmosphere while still being academically intense."
"The class structure seemed amazingly well organized. Power point notes printed in packets etc. Also, very diverse student base."
"New facilities, gorgeous housing."
"The new lecture hall for first-years is very nice."
"The students seem to really love it there, and the dorms are amazing ($300)!"
"The interviewer read my application thoroughly and was very interested in having me at the school."
"Students seemed pretty chill; research is big in this school; great host"
"I loved the students/other interviewees and the man I interviewed with was my favorite interview by far. He really got me to want to go to the school (and live in NYC specifically). I thought it was the best interview experience of my eight or so interviews thus far, despite it being rainy, windy, and cold (and we did get stuck in an elevator). It changed my mind completely about the school. But despite all this, I still got rejected!!! The food was really good during lunch. The dorms were cheap, nearby the school, but we did get stuck in the elevator and they look okay, not really nice or bad. Also, this might be a negative to some, but the school seemed really rough and rugged or straight shooting. I mean, it's in the middle of the Bronx, my interviewer cussed at least 3 times during the interivew (of course I didn't), it's not like everything is nice and new. I just like to think of it as a school I could definitely see Howard Dean going here. Heh! "
"The admission's office took the time/effort to pair me with an interviewer who had a great deal in common with me."
"Apartment is very nice, the 1st year class is also nice"
"The kids who provided the campus tour were very enthusiastic about their school/experiences but were also willing to honestly tell us the downsides of the school. The facilities are very nice and there is a real sense of camaraderie. Professors appear to be very accessible and willing to help."
"students were happy, non-competitive, pass-no pass, people were nice, admission office staff were very helpful, rent is $300 including utilities!"
"The students - the tour guides were awesome. Also many of the facilities are new, and housing is cheap and relatively spacious."
"anatomy labs, cheap nice housing across the street, enthusiasm of the students, 1st yrs lecture hall, student diversity and support for minority students."
"the friendliness of the faculty "
"Everything. I am mostly writing about my experience because my tour guide was excellent. He had heard that einstein tours were not great so he decided to do something about it. He gave a very extenisve and enthusiastic tour. The school was amazing. They are clearly spending money on new buildings for research and seemed very research oriented."
"My interviewer was great and really nice and showed me a lot of what he does (vascular surgery)"
"school seemed really laid-back, supportive environment"
"The people are nice there. The student host is especially nice, who prepared a bed, answered tons of my questions and allowed me to stay for two nights."
"how laid back everyone was...I was expecting that since my friends who go there told me it was like that...but I really wasn't expecting such a chilled environment"
"enthusiasm of interviewer and students, new facilities and facilities under construction, pass/fail curriculum, openness of administration to listening to student feedback and desires"
"The residence, the facilities"
"How the students interacted with one another--the learning environment seemed non-competitive, and students really seemed to help one another out. Also, my interviewer and all the people in the admissions office were so nice and incredibly enthusiastic about the school. I was also impressed by the involvement of students with health-related activities outside the classroom. "
"how enthusiastic students were, beautiful lecture hall, nice apartments, kosher food! (a plus for me)"
"pass/fail, the lecture i sat in on was very enthusiastic (although the students were still asleep), international electives"
"Really nice first year lecture hall, Montefiori Medical Center, really nice apartments for the students, good security system, pass/fail system, very diverse patient population, big community outreach programs "
"the students, curriculum, and the number of international research and service opportunities the school provides"
"Stress free b/c of pass/fail system, nice facilities"
"1) Great research opportunities (I found a prof ahead of time that I'd be interested in working with, and was able to meet with him during my visit), 2) students are super friendly and the school has a diverse student body (it's one of the more diverse schools I've visited), 3) students seem happy (the first two years are P/F, so competition is nil), 4) there are brand new buildings going up all over campus: the new Jacobi hospital, and also a new translational research center that is currently under construction, 5) cheap, convenient student housing, 6) nice first-year student lecture hall, 7) lots of non-trads (AECOM explicitly invites older students to apply)"
"This is a very "roll up your sleeves and get to work" type school, which I loved!"
"closeness of faculty and student happiness, awesome studio apt for MD/PhD students"
"The relationships between professors and students, the lecture halls."
"The enthusiasm of everyone at the school. Everyone is genuinely pleased to be there, and it's non-competitive."
"The class environment! Everyone is SO unbelievably nice and laidback. They actually do seem to have a decent time while working hard. I really liked the noncompetitive atmosphere. Classes are pass/fail, the schedule seems to be structured to help students adjust to med school life, and the housing is spacious AND cheap. I also loved how there are so many community outreaches done in the Bronx. I've already picked out the ones I want to get involved in. On top of that, AECOM seems to help fund a lot of things: the 5th year tuition is waived, conferences are paid for, etc. I can't stop going on about this school; it's one of my top choices."
"Everything! The school has amazing facilities and resources, the apartments are awesome, the hospitals are great, it's in a good area of the Bronx, and the students seem truly happy there."
"Students were very positive and enthusiastic about the school. Nice facilities and housing. Pass/fail grading encourages students to help each other."
"The students were very enthusiastic. I sat in on a lecture, and one of the students immediately started talking to me about how great the school is. They have great programs, even during your first year, and a lot of clinical experience early on. Once you talk to the admissions office, they are very nice and helpful, but they seem to keep contact with the interviewees to a minimum, which was kind of surprising. "
"NIH Funding, research facilities are awesome, Pass/fail = cooperative student body, enthusiastic faculty, very acommodating administration office, potential for awesome interaction with underserved patients"
"The community feel of the students and the whole school in general."
"Housing - their rooms is humongous comparing to what i'm used to and its cheap. internet included but not cable or phone. First year facilities is great. Pass/fail system is GREAT, strips away the competitive nature in pre-meds. Admissions people were the nicest administrative folks i've ever met. AECOM allows you to do research for a year w/o tuition and you can get alot of grants for conferences. Hospitals allow you to do a lot of work as a med student. There's also many holidays because the school observe Jewish holidays as well. Med school seemed like an isolated school so everyone you meet were med students or faculty. about 40 first years were from California. 5 or 6 out of the 12 of us were from California."
"The diversity in the ages of students."
"the students seemed really down to earth and happy. the facilities i saw were beautiful and the housing is cheap!"
"There is a wonderful sense of community. Professors support spiritual growth as well as academic and emotional growth. If you believe in rolling up your sleeves and making a difference in the world - this school is for you."
"The students were enthusiastic about the school. The first year lecture hall is awesome. Housing is inexpensive and fairly nice. A fourth year I talked to was very positive about the clinical education."
"Students were very enthusiastic about their school, despite being at the tail end of a long, cold winter."
"nothing at all"
"the cheap housing, I believe your own room and sharing a kitchen and bathroom is about $300."
"The quality of life, it's very nice, and the facilities are good. "
"people were friendly, einstein seems very open to different/alternative-type applicants and seens to take care of their students quite well. housing was amazing."
"the students there seem very happy at the school, the 1st year lecture hall is beautiful, the housing is amazingly cheap (and nice)"
"Just about everything: the facilities, the stress-free environment, the enthusiasm of the students, the ridiculously cheap housing."
"Happy students, nice (cheap) housing, great summer opportunities, near NYC (shuttle runs to downtown Manhattan), good food "
"the first year lecture hall was new and nicely equipted. the student tour guides were real cool and funny and they were really involved in a lot of clubs and organizations. it seems that the school tries to cater to the students needs. "
"The students were very enthusiastic, mature and passionate about school and medicine; The interviewer seemed very interested in getting to know me as a person; The dorms are new and a decent size for only $270/mo (triple with 3 indvl rooms, kitchen, eating area, living room, and bathroom), and about $400 for a single I think; school encourages students to think about medicine broadly by funding conferences and summer/rotation electives/year-long medically-related experiences in and outside the country; the Pass-Fail grading system leading to noncompetitive atmosphere; the cafeteria lunch was very good (esp compared to lunches offered at other medical interview luncheons); and the free gym and pool facilities."
"the housing and food"
"The MSTP is very old (oldest in country?) and, as such, established. The Program itself is large (many students enrolled) seems stream-lined to get students out in 7 or 7.5 years (faster than most schools). To do this, MSTPs take anatomy/histo in the summer before year 1 of their preclinical. This speeds things along, though at the cost of some isolation from the rest of the (MD) class. The research going on there seems good (and very good, depending on the department), though the facilities seems a bit tired and in need of restoration. According to faculty, there is heavy collaboration with some of the other great research universities in Manhattan. As for the interview, a positive is that they tell you which interviews are formal and which are strictly informational."
"interviewer was very forthcoming with his opinions about AECOM. Very encouraging as well. "
"The students and faculty were unbelievably nice. Everyone was incredibly helpful and relaxed and truly loved being there. The housing is very cheap and a lot better than other NYC schools (you know who you are...)"
"Students very happy, enthusiastic about Einstein. First year lecture hall is great, housing is pretty good. Kosher food in the cafeteria."
"the cheap and nice housing...the apartments are really nice and rent is around 300/mo"
"The housing is very affordable, quite nice, and that they let you do what you want with it (paint it, split a living room to make an extra room, put in diff carpeting). The first year lecture hall is beautiful."
"Students all seem really happy. The administration also appeared to be really supportive of the student body and their needs. I arrived early and the interviewer accomadated me and saw me earlier."
"Excellent facilities, very nice and cheap housing, seemingly happy and enthusiastic student body."
"The students were all really enthusiastic and even at one point the number of students showing us around out-numbered the interviewees. Also, we got to see the residence halls and an appartment, which I've never done at any other schools."
"the school's attitude towards the students. Powerpoint presentation printouts are provided at the beginning of the lecture. The apartments that the students live in are really nice and very cheap. The students really love going to school there"
"The MSTP program is its own seperate identity apart from the medical school and graduate division, with MSTP only classess such as Histology and anatomy. They also provide students with the oppurtunity of free tickets to all NEw York professional teams home games through a lotery system. "
"My interviewer was really nice and really wanted me to get to know the school. Students are GREAT! So many came up to us during the interview to tell us how much they love Einstein. Students are the friendliest, most down-to-earth ones I have met and they like to study but like to have fun too (this was my 8th interview). Housing is great, right across the street. Nice first-year lecture hall. Very diverse group of students. Pass-fail makes the first two years much less stressful and less competitive. "
"The apartments are big and go for only ~$300/mth! Also there are a lot of opportunities to go to abroad to learn spanish while researching/getting clinical experience in Latin America. Also the school is Pass/fail, which is great"
"The students were SO happy (though they didn't really portray WHY), the quality of clinical experiences"
"Pass/fail grading system, students seem fairly at ease, great diversity in patient population, great public bus system that stops infront of school, cheap guaranteed housing"
"The children's hospital is beautiful and amazing. Words cannot describe!"
"How happy all of the students were to be there. Also, the housing is unbelievably cheap! The school really invests in its students, and it is a very relaxed learning environment. There is a Manhattan express bus that takes you straight from midtown to the front door of the school."
"Students seem happy, relaxed"
"After my interview, the doctor I was with brought me around and introduced me to various deans--just to prove the point that their doors are always open and they are really interested in knowing their students. "
"The students all seemed to really enjoy their experiences there. The housing is huge and cheap. They have a free clinic on Saturdays that is run by the students, and there are lots of opportunities to study abroad and get funding from the school. The school is very supportive of the students in general, and it seemed like a happy atmosphere."
"Affordable housing, community style apartments (almost all of the students live in the same apartment-style dorms for all four years) across the street from the classrooms, required clinical rotations from the beginning of first year"
"The location-- the section of the Bronx that AECOM is located in is fairly nice. I was impressed by the flexibility AECOM allows in terms of conducting research projects and going abroad."
"lecture halls were very nice, newly renovated. On campus housing is cheap and close by."
"The AMAZING Montifiore Children's facility and the diverse, progressive student population. Also, they have awesome and cheap housing!"
"The vast research opportunities and funding provided to the medical students; inexpensive/really nice housing."
"housing is great and cheap, student body is really laid back, cooperative, smart, and get along well together. facilities are pretty nice, great patient population exposure, and they fund you for summer abroad travel"
"students seemed happy, student host was incredibly nice/accomodating, student housing is awesome (and incredibly cheap!) "
"The students really enjoy their time at Albert Einstein"
"The class community, which is probably at least partially because most students live on-campus in apartments across from the med school (which are also really cheap!) Also, PF first two years."
"The students; they were mature, friendly and honest about their experiences. "
"the apartments are inexpensive"
"nice lecture halls VERY BIG TABLES, best clinical work in all of NY. guaranteed housing"
"The hospitals available for students to train in, had patients from every conceivable socio-economic group. My interviewer had this quiet poise and strength about her when she spoke about treating truly poor and mentally ill patients. From her words it seems as though the faculty actively try to always relate a patient's condition to their life. This seems to help students more easily identify better courses of treatment or support. I really admired this goal of Einstein's faculty."
"Everyone was great. The school went way out of their way to arrange two extra meetings for me with researchers--and I'm not an MD/PhD candidate; this was just something they mentioned in their conformation email as a possibility, but they really followed through on it."
"I would recommend taking a tour of the Montefiore children's center if you're interested in pediatrics. It is an amazing hospital."
"the ample opportunities to study abroad "
"The interviewer was very positive about the school and the hosptial (my interview was at Montifiore, an affiliated hospital). All pass/fail grading makes the atmosphere, for the most part, seem uncompetitive. Very nice, cheap housing."
"The school pride that my interviewer had. It was obvious that he was really proud of the school, its students, and accopmlishments. The students were nice, open, and friendly. Plus, the food was pretty good."
"How cheap housing is and how close it is to the school (across the street). Research seems encouraged as well. Bus across from school takes you straight into manhattan. The gym and indoor pool was nice. Food was good."
"The students were really friendly"
"The dorms are very nice and extremely cheap."
"Strong clinical education and pediatrics department. Also, affordable housing was a plus."
"The students"
"How nice the facilities and dorms were. "
"the physician was straight forward and honest"
"AECOM's residence halls are ridiculously inexpensive (like $275 utilities included). Students were very friendly and surprisingly laid-back. "
"friendliness of students"
"the students were very friendly and cohesive, the staff and interviewer were nice, the housing"
"Student attitude"
"I really liked the dorms, the students anf the clinical opportunities available at Einstein. It seems like it's a nice place to go to med school because the students were laid back and very down to earth."
"My interviewer was so friendly, it almost felt like a recruiting visit. Like everyone else says, the housing is very affordable and nice. The apt I saw had hardwood floors, and they let you paint things as you wish."
"The tour guides were great- they even ran us over to their apartment even though they were almost late to class. The curriculum sounds really interesting. Very active in the community. "
"Housing, location (near but not in Manhattan, safe area), relaxed students (pass/fail), treat students like adults (attitude is: learn the material how ever you want to; need help? ask for it), huge tutoring program, financial support to go overseas during summer or elective, diverse affiliated hospitals"
"A.E. has 4 affiliated teaching hospitals offering as wide a variety of atmospheres and patients as New York has to offer. International travel is really encouraged. Also the food and apartments were v. good."
"lots of patient contact at Einstein, good, real cheap student housing, AE is very close to Manhattan but not actually in it, so dont have to deal with the negatives of the big city, diversity of patient contact"
"Nice facilities, awesome dormitories, and friendly people."
"Everyone was so friendly, it was very laid-back. The school seems extremely open and responsive to student feedback."
"The guy who interviewed me was this young oncology surgeon who seemed very normal and down-to-earth. I really enjoyed chatting with him."
"The hospitals are huge and impressive but you only get to see them if your interview is in one. There is a research requirement for med students, I thought that was unique."
"The school has a lot of money and is very supportive of it's students. There's easy access to Manahattan but none of the hecticness. Housing is cheap and good. Food was pretty good."
"EVERYTHING: great opportunities for students, nice housing, family friendly, great cafeteria food, awesome curriculum, nice faculty and i actually like the bronx."
"The overall happiness of the students. The cheap rent."
"The students were all very relaxed. They seemed to like it there a lot. The housing is really cheap and very nice. There was a big stress on giving students clinical experience, relatively less lecture time than other schools. "
"The MSTP program itself- it speaks for itself, its willingness to change yearly, the intercollegiate spirit amongst students, the dedicated/concerned coordinator- truly a learning institution. "
"The dorms looked nice. The children's hospital (one year old) is awesome. "
"quaint neighborhood, seems like school gives kids a lot of freedom"
"great school. a lot of people dont like the area but its not far from the city and the living situation is pretty good."
"The housing situation. The interviewer was really great, and enthusiastic about the school."
"The students were VERY happy and the faculty seemed very supportive. It seems like a great environment to be trained in. Also, the housing was great and really cheap."
"Inexpensive and great, convenient dorms. Laid back atmosphere of the students, but hectic atmosphere in the hospital - a good thing. Funded international exchange/study/research abroad programs. They seem to have $$ and if you want to rotate in the city, then you can get housing there too. "
"Student housing is cheap and is right across the street from the school; students seem laid back and happy; non-competitive atmosphere; pass/fail for first two years; nice lecture hall; the Introduction to Clinical Medicine program; school is active in the community and has a free clinic on the weekends"
"Great program with lots of opportunity to tailor your medical school education to your own interests. Medical Spanish program, 75% financial support for studying abroad after 1st year, research opportunities. Students genuinely happy. Everyone friendly and helpful. My interviewer was just a really cool guy and great to talk with!"
"The apartments, gym and first-year lecture hall. "
"The students are SO happy, kind of ridiculously so. The MSTP program director is great, too. The location isn't as bad/dangerous as it has been made out to be. Housing is SO cheap and SO close to the labs, and it's super cheap to keep a car there, too."
"The dorms and prices!! The faculty and their enthusiasm, the first year lecture hall, the community service opportunities in NY"
"Everyone was very nice. We got to see the student housing during our tour and the apartments were HUGE and cheap."
"*The students so welcoming and friendly. I stayed with a great student host who answered all of my 1 million questions about the school. To help me get other perspectives, she introduced me to her friends at the school who had more insight on certain issues than she did. *I was able to sit in on class and check out the lecture hall - they were comfy and had good visibility. *I really got the feeling that most of the students really wanted to be there and were happy with what Einstein had to offer."
"The students seemed genuinely happy, community outreach, required research progect, medical Spanish program, opportunities to go abroad, New York City!"
"The cameraderie, community spirit."
"student body, resources, housing, etc"
"How extremely friendly the students were. They study hard but also now how to have a good time when they can. Also the apartments are amazing in size and cost. "
"Students are really nice, it's not that far away from Manhattan(I took the subway in from JFK and it took about 2 hours from start to finish) but really if you catch the bus and trains at the right time you can get into Manhattan(downtown) in decent time. Also the Pass/Fail grading system of 65% during the first 2 years. That really takes the pressure off; the 8 or so hospital affiliations--so good rotation opps; the admissions office being really nice and willing to get taxi's for you for FREE to all your rotations. And those taxis aren't ratty--they're nice lincoln town cars."
"The students were so warm, friendly and happy;the faculty I met were pleasant,helpful, and all had a sense of humor;the class was diverse;the location of the school in a safe, clean neighborhood (completely reversing my opinion of The Bronx)."
"Sutdent were great! Diverse, honest, friendly. I could really see myself as one of them. Dorms were wonderful. Food wasn't bad. I got to sit in on a lecture and that was great too."
"The staff and students were both very friendly and positive about their experiences at the school. However, the students were also honest when asked more probing and less superficial questions about the MD/PhD program, life at Einstein, etc. Additionally, the Bronx neighborhood surrounding the hospital was surprisingly safe and vibrant. Also, the MD/PhD program administrators really stressed the amount of integrated study in the curriculum and highlighted the decreased time to graduation of the average Einstein MD/PhD student. Finally, everyone (and I do mean everyone) I talked to noted the highly collaborative research atmosphere at Einstein and many referenced it as the primary reason for their decision to come or stay at the school."
"Students seem happy with their school and like their faculty a lot. Housing and facilities are really awesome. The free lunch was great too."
"I liked the diverse patient base"
"Einstein is in a nice part of Bronx, lecture halls are renovated. Einstein pay for 75% of airticket for 4th year who do rotation overseas. Nice and cheap student apt"
"the interviewer and admissions staff were very nice. they didnt give us a limit on the amount of food we can get in the cafeteria which is good. its pass fail which is awesome. the lecture hall is brand new. everything is close. the students seem cool. the housing is awesome and cheap. the pool is cool."
"the student housing (cost and comfort), the sports facility (wonderful pool), 4 students/cadaver, the area, the faculty, the students, the fact that it's Jewish"
"The lecture halls were really nice, the apartments were nice and cheap, plus apparently they have a deal with IKEA so you can furnish your apartment for cheaper than normal. The students seemed happy there, and they SWEAR it's a safe neighborhood, although it didn't really look like it. Also, I liked the way the campus was set up, everything's close by. The anatomy lab is up on the 7th floor (instead of in the basement) and has windows and is really well ventilated and there's only 4 students per cadaver."
"students were all very happy"
"My interview. He wasn't "out to get me" and was a very laid back radiologist who asked me question -- mostly nonmedical in nature -- to just get a sense of who I was. It was my first interview so it was nice to be put at ease like that. "
"The students seem genuinely happy to be there and the housing is absolutely amazing and cheap. "
"The student housing is really nice. We went right after they finished their first exam so all the students were so happy and friendly with each other. The immediate area is pretty decent-I was expecting a lot worse. "
"His seeming enthusiam"
"The students. The fact that everything is right there. You roll out of bed and roll into class. Really convenient like back in undergrad."
"I met the Assistant Dean who works in the minority office in the restroom and her attitude mirrored everyone's ..friendly, helpful welcoming."
"The 2nd year lecture hall, the apartments, the gym"
"The school seems very noncompetitive. the pre clinical curriculum looks pretty relaxed, and the housing is very cheap and maybe the best of the NYC schools"
"The housing is pretty decent. I stayed with a MD/PhD student, so he had a studio all to himself. Also, the hospitals are pretty nice."
"Everyone (students and faculty) seems to love this school! Also, the dorms' showers have the best water pressure of any I've ever experienced."
"non-competitiveness of the students; everyone seemed to want to help each other succeed"
"The student housing"
"How happy and nice the students were."
"The cheap apartments offered by the school. They are located across the street from the medical school."
"The dormes are great and cheap. During the visit there was nothing impressive, but the things I found out from their web site and their students made me rank this school high on my list."
"Good school for families, very supportive of students, CHEAP student housing. The gym had a really nice feel to it and i'm not into gyms. It was definitely inviting."
"The hospitals, the curriculum, the students, the cafeteria is nice, the lecture halls were comfortable,... it's a great school. The students seem happy."
"The apartments are really nice and there is a gym that is located right near the apartments. "
"Enthusiasm of the students"
"The positive atmosphere of the hospital staff, and the excitement of the doctors and admissions staff."
"the dorms are AWESOME!!!"
"The housing is very nice, and very cheap. Also, the neighborhood is not bad at all -- not what most people think of when they hear "The Bronx"."
"friendly faculty, state of the art facilities, easily available public transportation"
"housing is cheap"
"The dorms are very, very cheap. The new Children's Hospital at Montefiore is gorgeous."
"My interviewer. Part of second graduating class at AE. Very funny and distinguished. Gave me a personal tour when he found out I would miss the good parts because of my flight. He LOVED the school and couldn't sing better praises about it."
"The students seemed laid back and friendly."
"I liked the school a lot, the students were nice, the school had available housing."
"the housing is cheap! the students are all really enthusiastic about the school, even the ones we happened to run into in the halls. AE will pay for you to go abroad during summer between 1st & 2nd year. the student organizations are very active, especially the free clinic the students run."
"the campus. despite what other people have said, i really liked it (and the bronx in general)."
"Student housing is located across the street from the lecture halls and the rent is outrageously cheap, considering it's New York. Very active student group at Einstein. "
"I was impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the school. I felt calm and at ease shortly after I got there. "
"The friendliness of everyone I encountered, and the fact that students seem to really enjoy their school"
"The dorms. They are HUGE and CHEAP!"
"the dorms!!!! they are apt style dorms right next to the gym, the classes and the pathmark! it's so convenient, so spacious and so cheap!! NICE!! =)"
"low stress level in everything: students, faculty and the interview itself"
"the ease of the interview, the dorms were great..."
"The cheap housing, the laid back envt, the kosher dining hall!"
"My interviewer went out of her way to read over my application and get to know me more as a person than as a paper applicant. When I missed the lunch and tour, she gave me my own little tour and took me out to lunch."
"Not a thing. "
"Affordable student housing, friendliness of the students."
"The apartments and amazing price for them that students get... "
"1. My interviewer 2. Montefiore hospital is awesome (that's where my interview was) 3. Housing (unfortunately, I just found out that there is a 2-3 year waitlist for studios, so first-year students have to share a one-bedroom (the housing officer told me that students have to put up wall in the middle of the living room - it's the same for a 2-bedroom apt. Three people are put in there). 4. The overall consensus about Einstein is that it is VERY supportive toward the students - academically in particular. 5. Wide variety of ages among the students. 6. Einstein is well known for their study abroad programs"
"Not much. Housing feels a bit like a college dorm but current students seem to enjoy its cheapness and proximity to campus."
"Location, Dreary buildings, Sort of desolate vibe/atmosphere, lack of things around the campus"
"My interviewer wasn't very personable."
"The only negative was the stress involved with trying to navigate to an off-site interview."
"SCHOOL ADMISSION TAKES FOREVER TO RELEASE DECISIONS"
"Neighborhood and location."
"The whole day basically. The tour the med student wouldnt take us through any classrooms or the library because "we are loud applicants." We had no overview of the curriculum and didnt meet the dean or associate dean or really any instructor."
"Honestly, some of the buildings, including student housing, appear old and somewhat shabby. Not as new and shiny as some other schools I've visited. Doesn't seem like there's much to do for fun in the area around the school. Not sure I'm excited about the dorm-like living situation, although obviously it's possible to live off-campus."
"I didn't feel particularly "taken care of"--had to walk by myself for about 10 minutes to my interview location and then wander around within the facility to find my interviewer. There was no presentation on the school given by the admissions office."
"The area around the school is not the best."
"students were too positive about the school. There was no use really in asking them questions..."
"Hard to get to from Penn Station (paid for $50 cab one way, $6 for hour-long bus ride the other way)"
"A few second years said the teaching was poor in their anatomy lectures during year one. This was a major red flag for me since anatomy is important for Step 1."
"how inflexible they were about the interview date"
"area around the campus is bad; slightly long trek to NYC"
"The location (Bronx)"
"I was extremely impressed by everything! Except the gym. It's pretty small, so if you're someone who goes to the gym a lot you should get a membership at the gym down the block. Oh and the library is kind of small as well, but there's a bunch of empty classrooms and other study areas available."
"Can't really think of anything. Maybe the fact that the school is not right next to a subway. But it wasnt that big of a deal cause there are buses to and from the station."
"Nothing, I loved it."
"Is a little isolated."
"Interview day was very unstructured, with no informational sessions to learn more about the school, what'll come next in the application process, etc. The students were awesome and very helpful, but an appearance from a faculty member or two to discuss the school and put a face with the name would have really helped. It made for a very laid back and short day, but I left feeling like I didn't know that much more about the school than when I arrived. My interview days elsewhere were more structured, a bit more informative, and they all went out of their way to sell the school to applicants. Einstein is quite an amazing school when you take the time to read about it and talk to current students, but the unstructured interview day means it just lacks the impact that other schools have on applicants during their days."
"No video recording of lectures (due to copyright issues, according to a studnt guide. He told me they are working on it, though)"
"The location... The school itself had a pleasant atmosphere and a great student body, but the surrounding neighborhood gave a bad impression. I took the time to explore before my interview. It wasn't scary, but not a good place. That being said, the teaching hospitals definitely receive a wide range of patients from all backgrounds."
"They do not video record lectures."
"Interview day was poorly organized; I was given a slip of paper for a "self-guided" tour, there was no introduction given by an admissions officer, only two students came to speak to the visitors. The cafeteria food we were given was terrible, and the students were less than enthusiastic. The school is in a depressing neighborhood, the medical education building is small and tired, and the school doesn't feel like a community."
"Not a whole lot impressed me negatively. The location is a bit far from Manhattan but it's not that bad...probably like 35 minutes out of parts you'd want to go to. It's med school, so I imagine the only trips I'll take anyway are to the library!"
"students"
"The only resource we had were the medical students who stuck with us on the tour and luncheon. Afterwards they just left us to find our way to the interviews."
"The interview day was pretty short; there was no information session; we didn't have the opportunity to sit it on any lectures or talk with many students there."
"Bronx isn't so fun"
"Lacking state of the art equipment like virtual dummies"
"Tiny cafeteria, certain facilities seemed to be old and dingy"
"my interviewer and the location"
"The day was very unorganized. The student tour group did not show up because all of the M1s had a special event that day. All of the candidates sat in the lobby for nearly 1 hour while the admissions office found M2s to take us around."
"only one place to eat on campus... but there are plenty of eat out places within walking distance"
"I like walking alone at night which is probably something I can't do in a city like this one."
"The location, not much public transportation to get to and from the city"
"Traditional Curriculum, poor academic and clinical facilities, location (boring, isolated), lack of enthusiasm about research"
"Neighborhood (I was told by a student to "definitely don't walk around"); the shuttle runs infrequently; I felt like some of the current students use the P/F grading system as an excuse to slack off -- but what do I know, maybe they are just the most supported and balanced med students I've met..."
"there was NO presentation about the school/financial aid/etc., just kind of checked in and then sat around until it was time for lunch or interview"
"disorganization-- the people giving us our tour were totally confused and they had to tag team it. there was no presentation about the school. also... that part of the bronx makes me a bit sad."
"Anatomy facilities were HORRENDOUS. I was shocked at how bad they were. No presentation on interview day. Didn't feel like they had really prepared for the interview day at all. Why did it cost $120 for a secondary if they didn't do ANYTHING for the interview day?"
"Only 3 ellipticals/treadmills in the gym, but you can sign up for a time slot in advance."
"Run down facilities except the Anatomy lab."
"Surrounding neighborhood... And the fact that it takes so long to get to manhattan even though its about 12 miles away (traffic, and lights, bridge) "
"My interview started an hour and a half late and I had to travel on a bus to get there from the school."
"the facilities needed to be renovated (well except the brand new research facility)"
"I didn't like the Bronx too much, but you can take a bus/subway to the city without too much difficulty, and one girl told me the Italian food in the area is amazing. I feel like it was a really dorm-like feel in the apartments in the sense that they pair you up with random people . . . but the apts were super cheap and huge. Lots of the students are married apparently. The match list wasn't overly exciting to me, the library didn't look to comfy, the lectures aren't online, and seems hard to get to a grocery store."
"the Bronx, and how there was no presentation about the school"
"we brought big envelopes from the admissions office to the interviewer, and were asked not to open them, but to give them straight to the interviewer first. presumably, it contained our info. the interviewer had me wait outside while they read the file for 20 minutes. that was less than ideal, though it was nice that the interviewer knew my file very thoroughly. i later wondered how quickly someone gets rejected if they fail the honor test and open the secret parcel hehe. but i didnt take any chances..."
"the location; some facilities seem outdated"
"location, facilities seemed old, food was bad"
"which there was a more direct way to get to the school. Area is not that bad."
"the location...but maybe just because it was my first time in the Bronx"
"Nothing!"
"They grant many interviews...there were about 10 students total that were there for interview. "
"I'm not a huuge fan of the really big class and the really quiet neighborhood"
"A little far from Manhattan and not a lot of life outside the campus"
"just about everything else..."
"None. The Bronx is not scary at all. I was actually impressed by the area."
"some of the buildings were a little run-down, some of the students I met did not seem too motivated"
"there isn't a lot of places to go out for drinks and hang like in manhattan nearby (they have bronx zoo, botanical garden), but there is a bus by the school that goes into the city. "
"The location of the school. It was not as bad as I expected it to be but it still was not great."
"really nothing. great school"
"absolutely nothing. "
"I didn't get to sit in on any classes and didn't get to see the dorms because the first years had anatomy class (that we weren't allowed to attend) and the second years were studying for a test. Also, I had my interview at the Montefiore Medical Center and it is a 20 -min shuttle ride and the shuttle only comes once an hour. I hardly had enough to time to eat and catch my shuttle on time, which also caused me to miss the rest of the tour as well. Also, the medical center is laid out weird so it was hard to find my interviewer's office. "
"Nothing"
"i wish admissions did a little more, you don't get much info from them"
"nothing really."
"The on-campus gym could be better. It is decent, but the ones at big state-schools and private universities with good D1 athletic programs will be better (obviously). There is a New Yorks Sports Club nearby but that may be expensive. "
"the location could be better, its sort of a pain to get to the city, and the facilities are sort of old and run-down"
"Only one interview, facilities a little run-down."
"Location was dismal, facilities were old and dilapidated with the exception of one new lecture hall for 1st year students. No presentation from administration at all. Left interview knowing hardly more about the school then prior to the interview. "
"The Bronx is dreary and not a easy place to live in, despite the AECOM apartments and despite being 35-40m from NYC (supermarkets? safety? dreary buildings :( ). They really try to put a nice spin on it and tell you about all the positive (which might be true) but if you're not from NY, you're definitely taken aback, which is a pity because the school is so amazing."
"N/A"
"the fact that the library is closed on friday nights and saturdays"
"It's located in the Bronx so not really Manhattan style. If you are familiar with any other borough than Manhattan, you'll know what I'm talking about. The school is older, but a good med school is based on the latest gadgets...its based on the faculty and the students (which seem great). However, everything taken together I would still love to go to this school. "
"Buildings were way too old and unimpressive."
"i didn't fit in. i was the only non-white/non-jewish interviewee in the batch of us that day (15-20) and everyone was talking about israel and palestine relations, and about learning to speak hebrew. i didn't fit in."
"The apartments weren't so great as I had heard. Too much brown color everywhere and looked outdated. At least it was cheap. The area looked run-down. "
"The Bronx. Also, the school, hospitals, etc. are really spread out and the shuttle between is rather unpleasant. "
"PARKING!!! I almost got stranded in a parking lot because apparently anyone can get in but only a select few can get out... Plus it's in the Bronx. I hate driving in the city area."
"Location. It's pretty dreary up in the Bronx. Cafeteria was small and awful."
"Dearth of neuroscience. Most was cell-signalling or computational. I had to walk 8 blocks or so between my two evaluative interviews, and showed up late for one because of this. They kept us up until 11:30 at a student party the night before which was 20 minutes by charter-bus away from the hotel."
"There was not much structure to the interview."
"there are no formal presentations, had to wait 45 mins for the students to show up for the interview, students didn't seem enthusiastic, there doesn't really seem to be a student community despite the fact that most live in the apts across the street from the school"
"Construction everywhere and cold, dark buildings."
"I had to walk a long distance to get to my interviewer and had to pay for a taxi in the morning to get there."
"structure of the interview day- nonexistent. I really didn't get any feel for the school. Most schools try to impress you even the really top tier ones. Usually, they advertise and talk about their program, but AECOM really didn't do a good job selling the program to me. And I am definitely not sold. I looked up their matchlist the night before my interview. And it wasn't impressive at all. Out of ~190 students, only one student matched to derm program. Location is pretty bad. NYC is an hour away, but still an hour is a long time."
"The structure of the interview day... there really wasn't any besides knowing I had to be back at the admissions office by noon for the tour/lunch."
"schools location is a little desolate"
"The facilities I saw were a little sad looking. The location was not ideal - still the downside of the city (parking, cost of living, etc.), with not a lot of the perks (bars nearby, subway). It took me a solid hour and $5 to get from Manhattan. Also, the tour guides were not very excited about it, he spent most of his time looking at his watch and telling us what he was missing."
"The overall atmosphere of the place seemed rather subdued. The tour was not very thorough."
"Where it's at in the Bronx. Nothing around the campus, empty feeling."
"Bronx is not Manhattan"
"The toll at the Whitestone bridge is $4.50"
"I was very negatively impressed by the admissions office/planning of the day. Everyone in the office was very nice, but it was disorganized. I was told to be there at 8:30 and no one was in the admissions office until 8:50, there was no coffee or tea/breakfast (I know that is not so important, but its nice after a long morning of getting to the bronx). I also did not like how there is no presentation or information packets given. My interviewer was awesome, but she does not teach at the med school so could not really answer questions about it. (It is possible to meet with the Dean of Admissions, but you must plan this ahead of time and I had to catch a flight back home)"
"The location in the Bronx. Too far from Manhattan."
"Location in the Bronx... area seemed very dull, quiet. "
"The anatomy labs, tiny, cramped, a bit smelly. "
"nothing really"
"students a little too laid back, don't go to classes. area is not very aesthetically pleasing. not that close to manhattan as i'd hoped. no tour of hospital or anatomy lab. i sat in on a class lecture, i can understand now why most students don't go. very boring."
"It's location in the SE Bronx."
"The facilities were not as impressive as other schools, but there is lots of construction going on. "
"Library isn't open on Saturdays (sabbath)."
"It's way out there in the Bronx"
"The facilities, while nice, seemed old and drabby. Our tourguide led us through the basement of the school which looked like something you see in a horror movie (bad lighting, rusty pipes etc), also my interviewer was a bit rude."
"the area, the buildings, the whole day seemed somewhat disorganized"
"tour covered student life facilities but i never saw the hospital or anatomy labs, so still unsure of facilities (though all i saw was very good)"
"Weather and traveling was bad, but besides that, nothing"
"the fourth year tour guide admitted that living in the area could be "
"The bronx definitely isn't NYC"
"I guess the BX bourough isn't the greatest, but the school and atmosphere make up for it."
"The Bronx is a pretty dingy area. The students were happy, but not very enthusiastic. Clinical exposure is not very early. The tour was pretty disorganized at the beginning. Library and gym closed on Saturdays (Jewish observance)"
"the area"
"The Bronx isn't the nicest area, but you are close to Manhattan."
"The accommodation is a little dingy."
"You have to take a shuttle to the subway station. Manhattan is 20-40 mins away depending on traffic."
"Research requirement"
"Campus seemed a bit isolated, I didn't love Jacobi hospital"
"Location feels a bit isolated--I wasn't concerned about safety so much as there not being much to do in the immediate area."
"Not much"
"The lack of tour, the campus being nowhere near a subway (you need to take a bus to the subway). "
"Having to take a 30 min shuttle, then walking another 15 minutes just to get to my interview! Also, the anatomy labs look pretty run down."
"The Bronx is not the most interesting place in the world...but it's not too far from the city, and a lot more people bring cars than I expected."
"He didn't seem to care about getting to know me as a person because he already liked what he saw on paper."
"the interview. high stress and unpleasant situation; housing is not very impressive (too dorm-like)."
"The anatomy labs were really just bad and old-fashioned. The school seemed a little dirty (but in all fairness, it was rainy and the fastest wind I've ever experience w/o a hurricane or tornado warning). And by the end of the day, my suit smelled awful!!!"
"My interviewer fought yawning and watched the clock over my head during the interview. The financial aid officer basically told me to go to my state school because they didn't have great resources for aid."
"Bronx sucks!!"
"Rain, wind tunnels, and getting stuck in an elevator during the campus tour did not leave me with the best impression of the school but I'm sure things would have been better on a different day. It seems like some students make time to go out and go into the city as first years, but overall, student life seemed a little less exciting that I'd hoped for. A tour guide pointed out that AECOM favors older kids with extensive life experience, and the majority of students are either married or in serious relationships by the beginning of the first year, certainly a negative for some prospective students. "
"bronx is not the prettiest place to be"
"I didn't really mind waiting, but when I went to my interview, the interviewer hadn't looked at my file yet. She told me to wait while she looked it over; I ended up sitting around for the better part of an hour waiting to meet with her."
"location (safe, but didn't click with me), library and computer lab was pretty sad...all of the offices seemed very small and old - honestly I felt kind of claustrophobic there, couldn't really explain it. "
"not much."
"the location isn't great"
"facilities were kind of dingy, and there was no formal presentation about the curriculum so it was hard to get a sense of what the school was all about"
"The dorm is...little dirty and shaggy. The administrative stuff were late on my scheduled appointment time so another applicant and I sat outside wondering what happened. Also we had to find our own interviewers. If they could give us more time, that will definitely decrease our nervousness of trying to get to the place on time. However, they did take their time to explain the route!"
"distance from the city"
"The Bronx."
"shabby neighborhood, didn't let us see the anatomy labs"
"they don't do anything to try and convince you to go there, there is little information given about the school, there are no admissions reps, and the location sucks. as a NYCer, I can say with complete sincerity that it is not in NYC for those of you who think it is. the facilities are pretty old."
"not sure if the bronx is for me"
"nothing about the school"
"Nothing really, I had to leave halfway thru the tour so i didnt get to see some things. I think I'm gonna call admissions to ask for another tour."
"The biggest drawback to AECOM for me is its cost. Realistically, I probably cannot afford to go here without some serious financial aid. Also, some of the facilities are fifty years old and look it. Yehsiva is an orthodox Jewish university, so everything closes on Saturdays, including the library (although you can go study at Fordham nearby)."
"The facilities are a little run-down."
"small research facilities"
"The area."
"Surrounding areas are kinda yucky, and the buildings aren't so great looking from the outside."
"While the area isn't nearly as ghetto as some make it out to be, it is a little blah-looking. Some of the facilities are a little old. And there's no Starbucks nearby! But really, there aren't many negatives things I can say about this school."
"Nothing."
"This is a very unstructured and laid-back interview day, which is good or bad, depending on what you are expecting. "
"Can't think of anything here..."
"The area immediately around the school."
"Just the location, saw a lot of busted shops and broken cars along the way to AECOM. There arent many restaurants around the dorms. One student i met as i was taking the bus away from AECOM told me make sure you put urself on the waitlist for a garage spot immediately after you find out about acceptance. Waitlist is long. Another student told me the courses there don't really prepare you for the board exam because the classes don't really test in that style. But material is covered. Just need to buy a study book for board. "
"The low number of women and minorities."
"honestly nothing, it was great. einstein has moved to the top of my list."
"The second year classroom is not renovated. "
"No audio or visual of lectures available to students. Student-run transcript services seem dated to me at this point. The gym is tiny. The library is supposedly getting renovated at some point; now it's tiny."
"This express bus just drops you off on a corner ... there you are ... somewhere in the Bronx. You don't get a feel for the community that you'll be living in."
"rudely kept waiting by head of admissions & interviewed late by same. a very superficial interview after comming 3000 miles to get it."
"The surrounding area(Bronx) was pretty gloomy, AE's about 45 minutes away from Manhattan (20 min by subway) and yes, strangely enough, there did seem to be a palpable oppressive gloom over the whole campus, and students included - but maybe it was cause I visited NY during the rainy season. I talked to a first year from Santa Barbara, and my basic impression was that he was pretty unhappy about his final decision."
"The location."
"the gym, library are closed on friday night to saturday night for jewish observance. i think that's an inconvenience."
"the closed file interview, my interviewer had no idea how to answer my questions about the school, NO ONE came to speak to us from the financial aid office, the admissions office, etc."
"Isolation from the rest of NYC."
"Students and interviewer couldn't really answer too many questions about the school/curriculum."
"the projects were like 2 blocks down and the affiliated hostipals looked really sad. the facilities were pretty crap (especially the cadaver laboratory had really old equiptment, no video monitors at each table and the whole room really stunk and there was only one body in there). but the worst part of the facilities were the on-campus apartments... I saw a two bedroom that had NO livingroom. just this tiny place for a dining table and the bedrooms were completely separated (really unsociable). "
"only that some students interview at Montefiore (a short shuttle from the Admissions Office), and in this case, you are given your application packet to give to your interviewer. Only then is she/he given the chance to review it (unless they specifically request it beforehand). Also, some people might care that the Bronx itself is very low-key (unlike Manhatten), BUT it is a short express-busride into midtown Manhatten and also short driving distance there. In my case, it's close to my home so I didn't mind. "
"the location"
"The location. The Bronx where Einstein is located is probably not the Bronx you had in mind if you are not from NY. I didn't get to see the area during the day, but it seemed kind of dead. When I asked students about how livable the area was, they said that having Manhattan 30 minutes away makes it all tolerable. Although the MSTP is streamlined to get students out faster than most schools, it seemed that this led to alienation from the rest of the class. This impression was reinforced by students who said they did not feel as close to their medical school class (although they felt very close to the other MSTPs) Another negative impression that I had from the interview at Einstein was the attitude I caught from some faculty, which seemed to be: "why would you come here if you could go to one of the Manhattan schools?" I didn't hear that from all of the interviewers, but I did hear it from some. The last negative that I can think of is fairly minor: the cafeteria is kosher. Although I'm sure I could get used to this quickly, it is a little disconcerting."
"Some of the students were disappointing. The location is not great either."
"The location stinks...there really isnt any way of getting around that. No one tried to deny that either, but like they said, its only 20 mins into Manhattan."
"The housing elevators are basically useless if going up unless you live on the higher floors as they are small and get crowded fast. The second year lecture hall isnt very nice (but it will be renovated soon)."
"The housing is cheap, but I'm not sold on living in a "dorm" situation in the Bronx."
"I'm personally not too crazy about the Bronx."
"We had to travel to other destinations for our interviews. Not too bad, but given the weather, it would have been nicer to have the interviews on the Einstein campus."
"Being from California the weather is a little cold for my taste. "
"Umm...the Bronx haha. Not too much around there for sure. As everyone knows, kind of a run-down area. Not super..but there is an express bus that runs to Manhattan. That's the only major negative. "
"The location has little to do, and you need to travel about 30 min. to get into Manhattan"
"They made no effort to sell the school to us-- no talk from the dean, no financial aid talk... it was very informal and sort of rushed."
"School is kind of secluded-no groceries, restaurants near-by, old facilities, didn't give us an info packet/describe the school as much as I'd like"
"The medical school "campus" is basically 3 brick buildings. However students spoke positively about this by saying that there is grass and trees and how nice that is...But to me it just looked like kind of three buildings and that's all!"
"I went on Sunday to check out the area and EVERYTHING was closed (It feels so far from Manhattan). They don't give you a presentation on the school, so I didn't get any info on financial aid or anything that the students didn't talk about."
"No subway stops near school, having a car is important"
"The location--there is absolutely nothing around campus to do and it's not especially easy to get into manhatten (you have to take a bus to a subway station). "
"Nothing, really."
"Dismal look to the apartments/campus, not much to do around the campus/have to travel out of the Bronx, most people rely on cars (whether their own or a friend's)"
"There was no place to wait before my interview. I had to walk to Jacobi for my interview but at least it was nice weather and a good way of exploring the surroundings on my own. My interviewer had no clue about first and second year curriculum."
"Nothing really except perhaps the Bronx in general but I was ready for it."
"the tour was unorganized and the student guides were unimpressive. "
"Bronx is kind of dead, no restaurants near by, not many things going on"
"interview day is not well organized...basically consisted of 1 interview, lunch, and a really quick tour of the school (total time~2 hours)"
"There's nothing to do right around the med school. You really need a car to do anything."
"The lack of official advisors the first couple years. Also, the Bronx. "
"The weather-there was a blizzard. "
"the staff wasn't very friendly, and the tour consisted of us looking at the apartments only."
"very ghetto area, had to take a bus to the school. the bronx is just too run down and poor. Very under developed area. However that gives students a better chance to see different illnesses. This is the reason why this schools clinical program is SO strong. "
"The tour could have been structured better and more thorough. There was a glitch in the schedules of our tour guides."
"Not a thing, really. It's not in a great area, but I'm from New York--it wasn't like it was a shock to find run-down areas in the Bronx."
"I wish there was a more formal presentation by the addmissions staff. I wasn't impressed with the student housing."
"No orientation talk from anyone (dean, financial aid...). No folder with info on the school. They expect you to know everything from the website, which is not a particularly good website. Longer tour of the gym than any academic facility. Tour leaders didn't really have anything to say unless we asked specific questions. Just seemed kind of weird."
"the immediate area isn't all that nice. its a shlep to manhattan"
"How old housing apartments looked. Didn't have an "orientation session" like most others schools. You just show up, interview, then have lunch/tour. No other info on financial aid or the school or selection process."
"My interview was far off-campus, the food at lunch was terrible, the school is located an hour outside of manhattan and there's nothing to do in that area of the Bronx. "
"The day is very disorganized, the long walk to the hospital in the snow."
"Driving through the Bronx was somewhat depressing. Library also closes on Saturday, so most students study at Fordham University's library, about 10 min. away."
"My abhorent interviewer"
"that Einstein's interviewers think the mcat means nothing, but the committee rates them as more important than your gpa"
"The Bronx...what can you say? It's pretty boring, which can be a good thing for studying. Luckily you're only a short ride from Manhattan."
"gym facilities"
"the area, the facilities were kind of old"
"Gym, Bronx and facilities"
"I didn't like the food too much."
"Nothing really. To be nit-picky, the facilities are older than I am used to. Also, there are very limited options for coffee, etc. around there. I really wanted a latte :)"
"There was no welcome or financial aid talk. "
"it's expensive, many said it's "like high school" since you spent so much time with your class (could be a + or a -), good produce supposedly is not to be found outside the caf, "
"The dankness of some of the buildings. Decent paint would make a real difference. "
"kosher food law...what? closed on the sabbath? may be a little akward going here if ur not jewish, especially if you have choices at other "normal" schools. also didnt like that the interviewer had to read my file in front of me before starting...he read out loud any Bs i got and those classes."
"No complimentary folder stuffed with info. "
"It takes 20 mintes by bus to get to the subway station, then another 30 or so in the train to get to midtown where I stayed. I felt like I was so close to the action, yet so far."
"Housing is horrible. Everyone lives on campus in what is basically a dorm. It is cheap, but I would never live in those dorms. You have to share them and it reminded me too much of freshman year of college. "
"The day was pretty lame, no F/A talk, no pep talk, a minimal tour."
"nothing really surprisingly"
"cold weather, the food in the cafeteria was not that great (kosher), "
"There's not much to do in the neighborhood, but it seems easy enough to take a trip down to the city if you want to go out. "
"The running around to different buildings, we had 4 informal interviewers in addition to the two and had to run from building to building without a map to make it to the next one in time. It was cold, windy, and several of the interviews were off campus. The Bronx ain't that pretty either. Think gray skies and red brick buildings. There's no coffee shops (which means that corporate starbucks hasnt corrupted it, but youre going to have to get used to folger crystals)."
"The Yeshiva University campus looked old and unimpressive."
"they make you walk pretty far to get to your interviews:)"
"The whole day was poorly organized. No talk with the dean, or financial aid rep, way too much free time. Weren't allowed into any of the buildings. They didn't even give us a viewbook. "
"The Bronx. Not so hot unless you like hanging out at "Oil and lube" and other auto parts places! I would have liked to walk around and explore (maybe I would have found things I liked about the Bronx), but it was way too cold to do so. We were not taken on a tour, which might have been helpful."
"The student body was not as diverse as I want it to be. Many were Jewish and yamukahs are a norm there. I don't know if I would fit in. "
"The Bronx - even in the day it looked drabby. There isn't much to do around the school."
"Windy. A general complaint about this school is that it is way off in the Bronx. However, I didn't find it all that bad - a lot of the students go into the city on weekends either to play or study. Rotations 3rd and 4th year are also not only isolated in the Bronx, but include places in Manhattan and Long Island. "
"The area around the school. The interview was not as organised as I would have expected, not intros or presentations. "
"The location, while not super dangerous, is BORING as all hell. How can Blockbuster be the only thing open after 10 pm?"
"50% of the school is Jewish, which is a great opportunity for me to get to know a different religious group/culture, but it seemed a little too pervasive when I walked into the kosher cafeteria (the food was bland) and almost every guy was wearing a yamakah (sp?). I also saw strollers in the dorm, which reinforced how many students (mostly orthodox jews) were married and had families. Just very different from my current lifestyle."
"There was no formal Q&A session or Admissions committee presentation. Questions were just answered informally by med students during the tour and lunch. There was no Financial Aid session or information given out. We were not given any brochures or supplemental info to bring home to help us ponder Einstein as an option. There was a long wait for my interview b/c the surgeon who did the interview was VERY busy."
"*The courses are pass/fail. I got the impression that students did not really have to go to class to do well and were not overly motivated to go to class regularly. Apparently, their board scores are not negatively effected by this."
"We aren't notified until January"
"Slight lack of ambition among students; location."
"location"
"My interviewer seemed disorganized. Also he seemed to not review anything about my AMCAS except my gpa and MCATs. The Bronx sucks compared to Manhattan. "
"The north Bronx, where they are, really is safe, but there's just nothing to do there. When I arrived at 7PM into the neighborhood on a Sunday night everything was pracically closed(stores, restaurants, etc), and I was mad starving too so it was a trek before food was found. Also, I kinda don't like the fact that things shut down on Friday night all the way till Sunday Morning(namely the workout facility and the library). Granted, the students tell me they don't use the library but study in a nicer area but this whole closing thing is wack. "
"No negatives at all"
"The Bronx is.... well, the Bronx. No frills. Definitely the type of people I want to work with, but I couldn't see myself taking a jog around the block. They are so proud of the gym but I don't really understand why."
"Since it is a Jewish school, the libraries and athletic facilities are closed on the Sabbath, which struck me as a bit archaic and unnecessary. However, most of the resources are available electronically now, so it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal. Also, the food at the cafeteria was nearly inedible."
"Interviewers read your file 15 min before the interview, so you don't have a good sense of what they remember and what they don't."
"the bronx, the dismal feel of the school"
"My tour guide said some negative stuff about the school."
"the food was bad. it might be annoying having to do your clerkship at hospitals that are not near the dorms. the interviewer kinda tried to push me a few times, which wasnt that cool. the library is small. the lecture hall was overcrowded with no seats when i went there. the school shuts down from fri nite to sat nite, so you cant go to the gym, library, etc."
"The facilities seemed kind of run-down, but I suppose that happens in heavily-trafficked city hospitals... The day was pretty disorganized. No official presentation on the school, just what we could get from the students at lunch and our interviewer."
"the bronx is kind of boring and depressing"
"I asked a student what the impact of having 50% of the student body married was on the unmarried nonJewish students. She said there wasn't really a difference. I figured that couldn't be true! Also, I find the system of the student handing his or her own file over to the interview just before the start of the interview a little bit odd. It's strange to have your interviewer looking at your MCATs/gpa, recommendation and personal statement as you're sitting right there."
"I had to take a shuttle and then walk several blocks to my interview location. It wasn't a big deal, but it was an inconvenience."
"You arrive at the admissions office and they send you off to your interviewer by yourself. I had a 10 min walk, but some people had to take shuttle buses to nearby hospitals. This was all before the tour. Also, the school adheres to the Jewish Sabbath and the holidays, although many of the students are not Jewish. "
"He was one hour late and cancelled the meeting once before"
"Snow. The fact that I might need a car up there. It is not the City. Not everything is right there. "
"It was raining and cold...part of the tour was outdoors. My interview was scheduled at another site."
"The Bronx... safe but boring"
"The area is pretty safe but not to happening, and the bus takes a while to get to and from manhattan. "
"The Bronx is...well, the Bronx. The school is not very diverse either. Though it's understandable that the student body and perhaps the faculty is mostly Jewish, I was able to eat lunch at the cafeteria and noticed that people of other backgrounds seemed to be isolated. Lastly, the interviewer made me stand outside of her office while she reviewed my file. It was kind of rude."
"The Bronx (though the neighborhood isn't that bad, actually)"
"didn't see many other minorities"
"The interviewer"
"The facilities are old."
"My interview was at a location 15-20 min. away from the medical school. I had to bother with a taxi and shuttle..."
"The day was unorganized and they didn't sell themselves as well as a lot of other schools. My interview was at the Mortifier Hospital, which is pretty far away from the school, at least 20 min. ride by a shuttle bus. Then I had to walk for about another 20 min. to the building where I had to meet my interviewer and the day was very cold."
"it was cold!"
"The interview schedule was a little rag-tag. But I was able to go to a lecture in the morning. Also, the public transit is limited,.... the express bus is going to get canceled soon by the city.... so double check on your plans to get up there before the day of the interview. "
"The actual buildings are not that nice. Plus there doesn't seem to be that much stuff to do in the area near the hospital. "
"We didn't really see much on the tour. They showed us a student's apartment and the gym. We didn't get to see the hospital or anatomy labs."
"The admissions office gave me an envelope containing my app, which I had to deliver to my interviewer. I waited outside while she read my app. Also, there's a really small gym."
"none"
"No financial aid presentation, and no info available."
"its a very large and somewhat daunting looking medical campus, the day was somewhat disorganized."
"school is sorta old."
"The students we met there, fellow interviewees, the kosher dining hall, the gyrm, Jacobi Medical Center..."
"Interview day. You just show up, get interviewed, and get a tour...that's it. The time in between those things is up to you. No financial aid talk, or intro to school. Kind of refreshing though....gave me some time to relax."
"My interviewer and the location/environment of the school"
"The disorganized interview day. The tour was pretty dismal."
"The interview was more stressful than I thought it should be."
"The elevators in the housing (at least 1935) are slow and a couple of students have had the elevator drop on them. You might live on the 20+ floor, so the stairs aren't that much of an option."
"The neighborhood--if you're not used to seeing lots of trees and open space, it'll be quite a change. The facilities are old although they are building a new lecture hall for the first-year students. "
"I really can't say anything bad about the school. "
"The campus and the location of the school."
"Area the school is in"
"the fact that they close on Sat because of the Jewish Sabbath. I don't have anything against Judaism, but the fact that the school is so restricted by that didn't impresse me much..."
"facilities, the fact that the only living arrangement realistically available is in dorms across from campus, which makes it feel like college all over again."
"the area...being in the bronx, there's no pretty campus and not much going on directly around the school...when they said it was in a middle-class area that was a stretch..also the cafe is strictly kosher and the school shuts down from friday to sunday including the library."
"The buildings and library."
"The surrounding vicinity of the school, but I didn't have my car. Once school starts, I will have my car and I can drive around more for errands."
"I thought it was my atrocious interview experience that gave this school the air of a Soviet gulag, but I've heard others with better interview experiences also comment on the omnipresent gloom of the school."
"The interviewer, the location, the grunginess of the hospital I interviewed at. My interviewer was a pathologist, so the location of the office itself was pretty close to the morgue! sheesh!!"
"My interviewer. "
"1. The housing situation - even though the apartments are gorgeous. 2. I don't know what it is, but unfortunately I never really "took" to the school. I had visited the school before my interview in the summer and I didn't quite get a good feeling from it. The same on the day of my interview. Perhaps I was just really in a funky mood since it took me 3 hours to get there - and I was only coming from Long Island. It's sort of in the middle of nowhere, and the surrounding neighborhood is run-down looking - at least to me. But , I could definitely see myself attending the school since being in the heart of the city is not a deciding factor for me. 3. The facilities are drab (dark brown) - including the huge lecture hall where you take most of your classes the first year 4. Limited library hours - Einstein follows the Sabbath. I guess if it were up to me, I wouldn't be studying on Friday nights anyway..."
"not to be nervous and speak conversationally"
"I wish I wouldn't have focused so much on the common questions, because I wasn't asked a single one of them. Just don't go in thinking you know the format just because it's what most other people have experienced."
"How low-stress the interview truly was."
"That I would be walking 5+ blocks alone trying to locate my interviewer alone and getting lost. Wish I was given the location pre-interview."
"How much of a pain it is to get to the Bronx via public transit."
"To pack an extra pair of shoes to wear on my long walk. They told me my interview would be "on-campus" but it was not."
"How relaxed the interview is."
"That there would be a lot of walking during the tour. That the interview was going to be very conversational"
"Be careful with your belongings. I saw a car's window had been shattered in the middle of the day and presumably robbed. The glass was all over the pavement right in front of the school."
"that my interview would be off campus"
"How super chill the interview is!"
"Hmm, just how chill the day would be."
"I wish I knew the name of the doctor who was going to interview me."
"Interviewed in early December and it surprisingly freezing; pack accordingly, as you will be outside a fair amount. My interview was at Montefiore, which required a short shuttle ride (walkable, but wouldn't be so fun in dress clothes in winter), but it was quite easy to get there. I took a cab there from Manhattan, which costs $30-40, and ended up taking the bus back once I saw how easy it was...picks up right across the street from the building housing the admissions office, drops off right in front of The Met in UES, where cabs are lined up."
"The school has a strong Jewish heritage. This definitely wasn't a bad thing, but I wish I had known. I was raised in a non-religious family, and the religious atmosphere caught me off guard."
"Wearing flat shoes is OK."
"They warn you about this, but be prepared to possibly have to take a shuttle to your interview."
"the area around AE does not seem that dangerous"
"Nothing really"
"That I would have to take a 20 minute shuttle to Montefiore Hospital for my interview. The admissions office explained where I would get dropped off by the shuttle and where I need to go to get picked up. However, I got dropped off at the pick up spot, and I roamed the hospital for ten minutes because I didn't know where I was."
"How to get around campus"
"Nothing, super chill conversational and laud back"
"My interview was at Montefiore, which is connected to the main medical campus by a shuttle which runs every 40 min."
"To request interviewing with a researcher who would appreciate my research interest - my interviewer had absolutely no interest in research whatsoever."
"It was very cold and I should have brought a coat. The admissions office will store your stuff for you during the day."
"The interview is super relaxed. Mine was essentially 30 minutes of the top 20 med school interview questions followed by 15 minutes of just pure conversation. The day is largely guided by students, so it is a hit and miss if you'll get a good group of students that genuinely like the school."
"That it was going to be snowing on the morning of the interview"
"that my interview would be across the bronx, and that i'd need to take a shuttle there."
"That my taxi wouldn't show up in Manhattan that I had reserved. Luckily I made it to my interview on time. "
"That I had to take a special cab from Manhattan to get to the Bronx"
"..."
"It was going to rain!"
"I could have met with the Dean of Diversity Enhancement."
"What to expect about the Bronx. That there really wouldn't be too much info presented on the school, so prepare a lot of questions!"
"Taxis in the Bronx are black, and they look like regular vehicles!"
"lots of waiting around. lots. tons. they encourage going to a lecture, but if you can't make it because of when your interview is scheduled, you will just be waiting a whole lot. you'll get to know your fellow applicants quite well in the waiting area."
"my interviewer came from my alma mater and it seemed to have affected her opinions of me negatively"
"what a pain it was to get all my stuff to Manhattan using public transportation"
"they dont give you a presentation about the school nor a pamphlet. so you have to do more research about the school from before. "
"my actual interview location is ~45 min away from the admissions office"
"It takes over two hours of public transportation to get to the school for LGA airport."
"How relaxed the day was going to be."
"I wish I could have gotten the tour of the hospital...but my interview was later in the afternoon. So I didn't get the tour. "
"that it was going to rain on my interview day, luckily i was lent an umbrella!"
"that i didnt need to come in by 845am for a 10am interview, oh wait, it actually turned out to be at 1030."
"Just enjoy your time in NYC and don't over think the interview process. I wished I could've stayed for the special hospital tour, but my plane departed early."
"How low stress the interview really is."
"the bronx is not that scary, dont use the express train during rush hour (use the subway instead) to get to/from manhattan, there is no organized orientation or financial aid meeting so ask lots of questions to the interviewer and the tour guides!"
"It is a very cooperative learning environment."
"no real md/mph joint program"
"how COLD it was gonna be! Shouldve taken the weather report more seroiusly! I backed out of the tour 1/2 way thru because i was sick of walking from building to building w/ no scarf and gloves!"
"That I had to take a shuttle to Montefiore for my interview; that it was sooooooooooo cold in NYC! "
"I was supposed to interview at another location but missed the shuttle. "
"It is not easy to walk from 6-subway station to the school during this cold winter weather. I have to take the BX31 bus. "
"that I would like Einstein this much!"
"Applicants won't be notified until 1/15 at the earliest of decisions. I would have scheduled my interview later to try to group it with others."
"That I didn't need to prepare for the interview.... very laid-back"
"The bus from NYC to the Bronx takes the Metrocard too. Then I wouldn't have run around trying to get $5 in change. "
"That the facilities were a lot nicer than other led on. This was my third interview and the facilities are older here, but nicer than some of the other schools I interviewed at. The best part was the Anatomy lab is on the 3rd floor with windows!!! Not in a basement dungeon like most schools..."
"So, everyone ahead of time tells you about all the Jewish people who go there and how its uncomfortable and the food is bad. Well, that was not my experience at all. I think if you are a half-way open person, you'll get over the school being closed on Saturdays in a heartbeat. The students are really nice, and only a small percentage of students are orthodox. If you are another religion you'll only feel weird if you generally don't like being around people that are different from you. The food was good too. "
"Bxm10 doesn't stop at 44th"
"how religion plays a very large part in the overall environment/ambience of albert einstein."
"Don't apply to a school you don't really want to go to."
"The open vs. closed file issue was a little ambiguous. I went in thinking the interviews were open, but when I arrived, admissions handed me a packet with all my information in it to give my interviewer. She said the interviews were blind. But THEN when I got to my interview, the receptionist took my information to the interviewer, and I waited outside the office for about twenty minutes while he read over everything. If I had known this I would have arrived to the interview much earlier than I did. Also, I wish I had known how wonderful and relaxed my interviewer would be...it would have saved me a lot of stress :)"
"There would be very little exposure to the campus. Also, I would have preferred the interview after the tour and a chance to speak with students. That way I would have had a better idea about the school."
"That they would change my interview time without telling me."
"That your interview day can be structured if you want it."
"that jet blue would cancel all my flights...most people destress by going into the city and it doesn't seem like that many care to stay in the bronx.. though some said it was nice to be able to study without the city's distractions, also student housing is AMAZING AND CHEAP"
"It was not that stressful at all!"
"I wish I looked at their matchlist ahead of time."
"I almost got lost on the way over there since I am not used to taking public transportation."
"i shudve brought my coat which i left in the car"
"How remote the Bronx can be without a subway nearby. How much I just don't really think living in New York is my thing."
"A lot of people are married. "
"That the interview will be very personal and conversational, with absolutely no standard questions."
"I did not really need to be there at 8:30 for my 9:30 interview, takes awhile to get to the bronx, but not that bad once you know where you are going."
"That the 2 express train and the Bx21 bus from the station to the campus takes about one hour, and is a good alternative to the express bus for those coming from the west side of Manhattan"
"Just as a note, the students are about 40% jewish and a large group of those are orthodox, so things are closed on saturdays and there definitely is a jewish feel to the campus. It definitely is NOT a problem, but something to be aware of."
"how little there is around the school"
"The 1/2 hour tour and 1/2 lunch was combined into something that took 1 and 1/2 hours."
"How truly far it is from Manhattan"
"That there were different locations to take the interview and you might have to take a shuttle to a hospital 15 minutes away. But don't worry, the staff make sure you know exactly where to go."
"when they tell you to get there at 9, that means you have a shuttle to catch at 9:10 so really be there at 8:50"
"the location is a bit isolated and you really have to have a car - and I don't like city driving."
"My interviewer didn't actually get my file until I handed it to him at the start of the interview."
"That the express bus from Manhattan runs on schedule."
"It would take me such a long time to get to and from Manhattan (~1.5 hours by public transportation)"
"It's much more laid-back than I anticipated"
"Doctors and Assnt. Dean of Admissions are smart and logical, and can argue to a different tangent than your thoughts well."
"How far away from everything the school is."
"How secluded the Bronx seems from the rest of the city."
"How secluded the Bronx is from everything in NY."
"That it would be so casual (but u gotta be ready just in case anyways)"
"shoulda used the express bus line"
"The Bronx can get really windy aparently. And if you are crowding in the elevator in the dorms, just offer to take the stairs (that was scary, we were stuck for about 5 or so minutes and crowded). Also, learn to take public transportation in NYC including the buses, so you don't have to walk a mile in the rain/wind of the Bronx. Also, the interviewee talked a lot, I probably should have tried to talk more than he did, but he did not really ask me too many specific questions. And the one thing he was especially interested in was how I talked a lot about being open minded in my application (or willing to befriend to a wide variety of people). We spent at least half the interview talking about how important of a quality that is for doctors to have and that was about a third of my personal statement. Also, if you are coming in from Manhattan, leave two hours early or so. "
"I wish I had been prepared to guide the interview more. It really was the most relaxed interview ever. I hit all my key points, but the interviewer didn't ask me anything to 'flesh out' my application."
"There are many buildings that are somewhat spread out, so depending on where your interview is you may have to do some walking. I wish I'd worn more comfortable shoes."
"my interviewer gave me a ton of hard questions! I didn't really prepare much for it since all the sdn feedback said it was chill."
"how much I would like the school"
"I missed the end of the tour (the apartments) because my interview was a bus ride away so i wish I could have seen the housing earlier"
"nyc transit strike -- aghghghgh"
"Do more research on the NY sightseeing spots...haha..since I didn't leave right away after my interview. "
"That I didn't need to really prepare at all for the interview. But at least I had confidence going in b/c I did prepare, so I guess it's still worthwhile to do some preparation"
"I stayed with friends in Manhattan, which was great, but I wish I had been closer to the school since the subway doesn't really go there as far as I could tell. "
"That they can reschedule your interview"
"i pretty much knew there would be no folder/pen/nametag. it just took a while to settle in."
"that the plaza taxi service the school is affiliated with is not reliable"
"Nothing, it was a pretty straightforward day."
"If you already have a PhD before matriculating here, you are exempted from writing the required scholarly paper. AECOM has a large MSTP program, and all of these students are exempt from writing the scholarly paper as well."
"A lot plenty of time for getting to the campus."
"the interviewers with research faculty are not always prepared for the interviews. The buildings are a maze."
"Not to be too nervous!!"
"They've just built a new addition to the Jacobi Medical Center. The housing is pretty flexible: you can paint the walls and do whatever you want. But they charge you $1000 if you need to get that extra wall built (to convert 2 bdrms to 3 bdrms)."
"They don't notify you of acceptance until January."
"If you are scheduled to have a lot of time between your interview and the tour, bring something to read just in case. They offer to send you to a lecture, but there may not be one at the time you need."
"the Bronx is quite an unattractive area. Great school, and the buildings are beautiful inside, but the outside is pretty blah. I wish they would plant flowers or something."
"Mapquest bites... ask for specific directions so you don't get stuck driving around the seedier side of the Bronx at 1:00 AM with a non-English speaking taxi driver!"
"Nothing really."
"BxM10 - bus from manhattan to bronx - only takes metro cards that are pre-paid and this express bus doesn't take any bills. coins only. Luckily there was a nice lady to save my ass by lending me her card and me paying her $5(cost of the ride) I was more nervous about getting there than the interview itself. I should've learned more about their cirriculum and their rotations. Also about their electives. "
"That you should outright tell the interviwerer if you're Jewish and it's not blatantly obvious. That they are not big on intellectual curiousity."
"that the classrooms would be locked because it was a study day, so i couldnt see the new first year classroom."
"I didn't realize how wonderful a time I would have...and that I could really see myself being happy there. "
"When people say to wear comfortable shoes, they mean it. You may have to do a bit of walking to get to your interview. Also, don't listen to people who say Einstein is in a horrible location. One direction from the school isn't exactly nice, but it's not bad, and not dangerous. The other way (towards the Jacobi area) is middle class brick homes, some of which are quite nice, with families and such. The closest grocery store is really ghetto though."
"that one could get such a lousy reception - and then i would have not bothered to come. I had 6 interviews across the country."
"prepare really good questions about the Jacobi hospital if you're interviewing there (I got interviewed by a surgeon, and even though I had no idea what to ask about the Jacobi hospital other than the standard questions, I had to fill up about 20 minutes of Q and A)"
"It's freaking cold in NY, especially when you're wearing a suit and it's cold, windy, and snowing...and I used to live here. ALso, don't walk with any files or documentation, or you'll have to lug it around in a cold place, and I wanted to much to throw it away...if only it did not have sensitive information."
"you may have to travel to another part of the bronx for your interview. make sure you get to the office of admissions with plenty of time. "
"Since the school is Jewish-affliated, there are a lot of religious guidelines that must be respected (e.g. the library is closed on Saturdays)."
"It only takes a little while to get to Manhattan from the Bronx. Taxi drivers in Manhattan don't know their way around the Bronx."
"the website says that the campus is located in the midst of the middle class suburbs, but it was actually pretty ghetto. there were scary looking people all over the streets. "
"Nothing. Others told me they wished that they knew that cabs from NYC won't know how to get to the school's location (so bring a map!) and to MAKE SURE you know which location at which you are interviewing, so you know whether or not to take a shuttle there after arriving at the Admissions office. "
"How disorganized everything was-- I got there early, and there was NOTHING to do-- i sat in on two classes. the tour guide was stoned. I had to navigate my way to my interview site which was in a different building-- no one knew where it was!"
"I was surprised to hear how many of the MSTP students wanted to go strictly into clinical medicine after completing the Program. I don't know whether this was because it was part of their plan from the beginning or whether something about the Program kind of soured them on a career in research/academia. A major thing that I wish I had known ahead of time was how much better/cheaper/safer it would have been for me to take the Express Shuttle from Manhattan up to Einstein as opposed to the subway. The area of the Bronx that Einstein is in is not bad, but much of the area leading up to it from the tip of Manhattan is. I foolishly took a bus with all my luggage from the end of the subway line up to close to Einstein. If you absolutely cannot take the shuttle and must take the subway, at least do it during daylight."
"I think international students need to put the first two years of tuition into escrow before they attend."
"Remember to confirm your interview the day before! I forgot, and called the morning of the interview, but luckily it was all OK."
"you may need to walk about 20 mins or take a shuttle to your interview so wear comfortable walking shoes"
"Some students have to go off campus, sometimes pretty far, for their interviews. I didnt have to, but some of the other applicants expressed their complaints."
"The quickest way to get there [from manhattan] was by Express Bus [bx10] from 24th and Madison. "
"the bronx is not that bad of a place. It is a lower middle class neighborhood, but nothing like the bronx depicted on TV. "
"In the first year class there are 40 students from California! This is comforting to anyone from the West Coast! "
"The express bus was a great way to get to the Bronx from the city."
"When I got there I found out there's a Hojo hotel nearby, and you can just hop on the public bus straight to the school in 15 minutes. Wear comfy shoes, you might have to walk a ways to your interview location."
"They really don't get your folder until they see you. I'm sure someone else has noted this but its worth noting again in case someone doesn't catch that other post. They flipped through my file while I sat there looking away ...and then began to ask me questions."
"that you cannot get there on the subway, you have to drive, bus, taxi. "
"Interview was at another facility"
"The school doesn't notify applicants until January. "
"interview is very casual"
"The interview was at Montifiore which is 20 minutes away from the medical school and we had to take a shuttle."
"All classes are taken in one lecture hall (its really nice and newly renovated for the first year students)"
"pool is right underneath the apartments!"
"I wish I had brought an overcoat so that my suit wouldn't get soaked by the rain."
"If you want to attend a first/second year class, then you need to get to the school early. On my interview date, the only class I could sit in on was at 9am."
"That my interviewer was a neurologist, this is not a field I am interested in. "
"That the school wasn't worth me visiting"
"you are not guaranteed a single apartment. freshmans are guaranteed only an apartment which fits 4 people. (4 rooms)"
"That I would need much more time if I wanted to see Montefiore Hospital."
"Definetly take the Express bus from Manhattan. It drops you off right in frount of the school."
"the Jewish standards, as far as food and hours of operations"
"No orientation talk of any sort. Nothing fun surrounding the school."
"If you're flying in from out of state, be sure you have directions ready from your hotel to the school if taking the taxi. I was staying at JFK airport and figured the taxi guy knew where the school was. Good thing i left plenty of time b/c the taxi driver had no clue and even had to stop by a gas station and ask other taxi drivers. Better off taking the subway into manhatten and then the express bus straight to Einstein. A lot cheaper too."
"The distance from Manhattan"
"How strict the Kosher laws were, or at least those regarding food). For example, you cannot eat cheeseburgers anywhere on campus (except perhaps in your apartment, which itself isn't proper)."
"that I woulod be asked hard questions. My interview last year was a great conversation."
"That their ICM's are not standardized but each unique depending on where you ask to be located."
"it is not city but it is not suburban either"
"You should not be TOO early!"
"The Bronx has quite the spectrum of living conditions. I was freaked out by some areas I saw, but the neighborhood around AECOM is nicer."
"Come early, dont wear heels"
"There was no meet-and-greet. When I arrived I was sent to my interview and then told when lunch would be and where to go to attend a class. I am used to everyone sitting around a table hearing about the school, etc. It may be a little dull but it is at least hospitable. I felt very much like an unwelcome guest."
"housing is cheap, very close. also, i wish i had known i would become a freezing icicle while making the 10 minute walk to the Jacobi Hospital from admissions. had brought warm clothes to cover suit, but had changed out of them upon arriving. wind, cold."
"I interviewed at Beth Israel because I thought all interviews were in the morning and it was closer to where I was staying. I should've just interviewed at the school and requested a later interview, as I would've saved travel time."
"Students live in dorms, the Bronx is bad."
"White lights on the elevator mean up, red down. The buildings and parking garage are poorly marked."
"financial aid is good, express bus can be taken from penn station directly"
"There is nothing you can do to prepare. One of my formal interviewers and I talked for over an hour, and it didnt follow any format. Your personality/common knowledge will come out with the flow of an unprepared conversation and that is what will truly speak highly of yourself. It's a waste of time to sit there and think of answers to possible questions. Maybe some MSTP interviews are better that way, but not here. "
"Haha. My hotel, in Secaucus, New Jersey was two hours away (by way of bus and subway) from the campus. "
"That I did not need to show up until the time of my interview. That the school basically closes down from Friday night until Sunday morning. The dining hall is completely Kosher."
"That I really didn't have to be nervous. Everyone was very welcoming and extremely nice. "
"If you're from NY, that part of the Bronx is not bad at all. If you're not, it would be a great learning environment if you wish to serve a diverse patient population. Anyway, you can always rotate in their other great hospitals in Manhattan and Long Island. "
"I had a 2:00 interview, was told to be there by noon for tour and lunch. I got there earlier in the AM and was able to sit in on a 2nd year lecture. "
"How expensive it was taking a taxi to and from the airport."
"New Rochelle (where they put you up) is pretty far away from the campus, and while they'll bus you from the hotel to the campus for the interview, they have no intention of returning you to the hotel after the interview day is done, so it might make more sense to drive from the hotel to Einstein the morning of the interviews, if you are driving to the interview."
"The Bronx is not a happy place, which I was expecting. I just didn't expect it to be as bleak and dead-looking as it did. It felt like I was riding a bus through a deserted 1950's neighborhood, and it was smack in the middle of the day, too. The medical facilities are all close together, though, so it's pretty safe and convenient. No good eateries nearby, though."
"Students go to classes on a sporadic basis."
"*The student housing is subsidized, so living expenses at the school are VERY reasonable for New York. Also, the location of the student housing was great. *They have a medical Spanish program that helps students learn clinical Spanish so they can do exams in a second language. *They are the only NYC school with a community-based free clinic for students to practice at."
"That my interview was during the scheduled tour so I missed out on some things."
"My interviewer obsessed about my parents. If you have physician parents be prepared to fully explain their careers, satisfactions, and what you've learned from them. "
"that people have interviews at all times of the day. My interview was at 11AM, while others had their interviews at 3PM or 2PM or 9AM. It's just a mix and kinda puts you on edge if you have an afternoon one and half to eat lunch/get a tour with students who are already done. That wasn't my case but I can sympathize with those that were in that situation(you're really not hungry if you know you have an interview right afterwards)"
"where the school is located. coming from california, i didn't know the distinction between different areas of new york city but the bronx sucks. "
"I wish I had known how easy and conversational the interview would be so I would not have been so worried."
"There are lots of hospitals in the Bronx area that are affiliated with Albert Einstein. They have an interest in creating a diverse class of students, but there are many orthodox jews."
"The significant depth and breadth of the research being done at Einstein."
"It rained like crazy, and my pathetic little umbrella did nothing to protect my suit. "
"That Einstein's not a "ghetto" place...it's not manhattan but it's a safe and fairly nice place"
"i would have to take a shuttle to my interview. "
"There is a shuttle that runs from Montefiore Hospital to the Admissions office"
"The NJ Turnpike going south, on a Friday during the evening rush hour, is hell. That I'd have to do a good bit of walking (wear comfortable shoes). No one was giving us a presentation of the school or a tour of the hospital. Also, kosher food is much less scary than it sounds (I'm not Jewish)."
"einstein describes its location as being in a middle class part of the bronx, which it is...but it's still the bronx"
"I did not expect to be as impressed with the school as I was. "
"There may be a lot of traffic taking the express bus up. You hand your interviewer your file, so they read it 10 minutes before they interview you. "
"How difficult it can be to walk in the snow wearing dress shoes. I about busted my ass twice."
"Wear flatter shoes, had to walk up and down a lot of stairs."
"That there aren't many places to stay in the Bronx (hotels)"
"Not much, my best friend goes to einstein so I knew a lot about the school before i got there"
"I didn't know that there were so many people from Ivies at Einstein. Also, research activity at the school is much higher than I thought it was."
"The "express" shuttle to AECOM only goes from the East side, so if you're at the Port Authority (West side) your best bet is to take the 2 train to 180 street and pick up the Bx21 Bus to AECOM."
"Nothing"
"That I would have to first take a bus, then walk down the streets of the North Bronx in freezing cold weather in my suit, being stared at, to get to my interview."
"The area that Albert Einstein is located in is not as bad as one would think for being in the Bronx."
"This was the worst organized interview experience that I have ever had. It was just an interview and a tour and a whole lot of waiting doing nothing."
"There weren't any real negative surprises."
"none"
"Traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway wasn't bad at all in the morning -- I got there way early!"
"the medical admissions office is right next to the bus stop you get off at: eastchester road. be sure and ask if you are confused because it is easy to get lost inside the buildings."
"n/a"
"I could have saved myself time and money...."
"pretty extensive security, library is tiny."
"The neighborhood was nicer than I expected."
"That it would be so easy to get to the school. Take the 5 subway to 180th street. Go to the other side of the street and catch the Bx21 to Eastchester Rd. It dumps you off directly in front of the school."
"Einstein has a VERY active student body--with lots of interests groups. "
"I just wish I had better directions - I got stuck in major traffic while going there. Make sure to give yourself enough time."
"My interviewer (co-chair of the admissions committee) told me that all interviewers are specifically instructed NOT to give the interviewees a hard time. They try to make the interview experience easy for the students, so there is no need to get too stressed before an interview at Albert Einstein! I was definitely given the impression that all interviews at their school are supposed to be very, very low stress. Any stress I felt was due to the fact that it was my first interview, and I felt it was a little strange that my interviewer was hardly asking me any questions."
"the interview is very low key..don't stress!! Also don't don't expect much out of the day...all you do is interview, eat, small tour and that's it!! Stay with a host, it's easier:) "
"they were matching interests for interviewers, the school has PBL."
"There is no schedule to the day, just lunch, tour and your interview is in the morning or the afternoon. I would have liked something a little more formal such as a Dean introduction and FA meeting, but this school prides itself on working with students, not babying them, so it isn't surprising."
"Nothing."
"That is was definitely the wrong school for ME, but I have good friends who go there and really like it. Just keep your eyes open. My experience would have been totally different if I drew a different interviewer. I am usually a very positive person and can find the best in everything, but in this case I really was blinded by the interview experience."
"Einstein loves research. All students must complete a mandatory research project before they graduate"
"be yourself."
"Really straightforward interview, no surprises, classic questions, laid back attitude."
"super chill interview, friendly interviewer, they make you feel very comfortable. love the school!"
"Everyone else I spoke to at my interview had a very different experience than I did. Their interviewers were very relaxed and conversational - mine just went down a list of very challenging questions and did not respond to my answers (unless I asked them very specific questions back). It was a much more stressful interview than I had expected based off other's experiences here on sdn."
"Ridiculously low-stress interview. Every single person I came across was super friendly and willing to answer whatever questions you have. Walked away from the day with a very high opinion of the school."
"This school interviews tons of applicants and has obviously put the day into a sort of fast throughput process that makes one feel like part of a herd. That said, guys the school is much much more than the interview day and I'm sure there is amazing things happening here. Unfortunately, I was very off-put by the day."
"Overall, great program. Students seem to be very happy here. Seems like a warm, friendly, non-competitive atmosphere."
"I really think my interview day would have benefited from one or two presentations from the admissions office. I knew beforehand that there wouldn't be any, given other peoples' comments, but it really felt lacking. I didn't feel like i learned much more about the school that I hadn't already gathered online."
"One of my top choices."
"Overall good school and happy students but they gave mixed reviews on the teaching and safety in the Bronx concerned me."
"Loved the school and its people."
"Just be yourself, It's a a really chill day! Also had my favorite interview lunch at Einstein, but maybe that's because I got tired of sandwiches/wraps all the time:D Oh and don't look up the name of your interviewer before your interview, you may be intimidated by his amazing accomplishments, and then you may cry haha. But my interviewer was only intimidating on paper so you can if you're that curious. :D"
"Try to stay overnight with a student. This school has a lot to offer. Ask questions!"
"This school is awesome. Academic hub, caring faculty and staff, happy students, incredible clinical and extracurricular opportunities (research, travel, etc.)."
"Really great place."
"An absolutely fantastic school. The neighborhood was not good, I won't lie, but the school was beyond all of my expectations. The students are friendly and cohesive, the campus is really nice (it is really a bubble within the Bronx) and the doctor who interviewed me was funny, intelligent, and overall a great guy. Living in the Bronx might be less than ideal, but I imagine that the hospitals there are extremely busy and a great place to learn about medicine."
"This school seems lonely and dead, and the admissions office makes no effort to promote their school or welcome interviewees."
"I was really impressed. People seemed genuinely nice and I'd be excited to go here."
"Overall I was quite surprised by the school. Even though it's not ranked as high compared to other medical schools, I still think it's quite impressive."
"Make sure you go 45 minutes before your scheduled interview time. If you have to take a shuttle to your interview, you don't want to be late. The school's location is great, and the interviewer was awesome. Since this was my first interview, however, I was pretty nervous. Just RELAX!"
"Good lunch at cafeteria!"
"The students seemed happy, but my host did say "if you were to get into a higher ranked school, go there.""
"From other feedbacks, it seems odd that my file was closed and the interviewer had no idea who i was, where my home town was (its a very big city), hadn't heard of my undergraduate university (its the harvard of the north), etc."
"Overall, good school with a strong research and primary care focus. Students were close and approachable. Area around campus seemed relatively safe and actually pretty nice."
"Before I went there I didn't know that much about it and wasn't sure if I would like it but I really liked it and was impressed with everything."
"If you're going to interview at Einstein, get a student host and stay overnight. It makes a WORLD of difference the perspective you get."
"Great school, enthusiastic students, friendly and welcoming staff"
"I interviewed very early in the season (second day of interviews) and didn't really have any conceptions going in. I will say (to begin) that all the students I met were very nice, friendly, sociable and seemed pretty happy with their decision to attend Einstein. There are also pretty decent on-campus apartments (and cheap$$$) but the thought of living in them for four years bothered me. There isn't a whole lot of affordable, quality housing off campus so it seemed like most students stayed there all four years. There is an awesome new research center, as well as the option to pursue a 5th year MPH degree at any US institution paid for by Einstein (very unique). Both the academic facilities (anatomy labs, classrooms, study spaces, even the cafeteria) and the clinical spaces (Jacobi Hospital) were old and rundown. The area is nestled in a suburbia meets big city type of environment, with some very safe, tree-lined streets...but with practically nothing fun for a 20-something medical student to do. With no Metro Stop nearby, it's a 45 minute "express" bus to Manhattan. Having traveled to NYC frequently, it felt very isolated from Manhattan (moreso than areas in other boroughs like Brooklyn or Queens). My interviewer was 10 minutes late to my interview, and didn't seem to ask me anything other than the three questions she had before her (no follow up questions, despite my enthusiasm for my answers). And while I won't disparage the fact that Einstein is a relatively highly ranked US medical school, I was shocked when my faculty tour guide claimed that "Einstein is the best medical school in the United States, and #2 in research funding." Both of these facts are blatantly false, and I had no idea why he said them. This was my first interview and I've been on 11 others since then, and while I can definitely see why this is a good fit school for some, I just couldn't get over the facilities and geography upon reflecting on experiences at other institutions. Withdrew before getting my decision. "
"I liked the school and loved my interviewer. Had an amazing and really fun 70ish minute interview."
"good school. not my first choice, but certainly somewhere i think i'd be happy enough."
"Take Dr. Dannis' personal tour of the Einstein campus and surrounding community, it was great/very informative."
"Great school. The Bronx is not as bad as some people think."
"The area is not bad at all. Just mind your business and you'll be fine. "
"I really like this school because they accomodate the students, help with disadvantaged populations, and its nearby a big urban city. They interview a ton of people so its not as likely to get in with interview as other schools. Too bad cuz it seems like great school"
"Great overall impression!"
"This school stands our because it is great for social medicine, working with the disadvantaged and underserved."
"I was surprised to be given a big sealed envelope (with my application in it, presumably) to take to my interviewer. I waited outside the office while my interviewer read my file, then went in for my interview."
"take dr. dannis's tour! it was great."
"Overall wasn't so impressed - the school didn't seem to have anything that made it unique - a few cool programs (medical Spanish, global health), but not stuff that every other medical school doesn't have."
"using public transportation might be a little hassle cuz you need to take trains and buses but it is fine. nothing crazy. staying with a host is a GREAT choice because it allows you to see the housing where almost everyone lives in. "
"the interviewer hadn't read my file until I came into the room, but it still went really well; be prepared for a long commute to your actual interview location (you will most likely have to either take a cab or shuttle to get there)"
"Absolutely awesome place. I would consider going there in an instant! GO ON THE SPECIAL TOUR IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE. It was worth it to see what the Bronx has to offer. Plus, Dr. Dannis is a great tourguide."
"I enjoy my visit there. In the morning, I met up with a researcher that I was interested in working with although I was not an MD/PhD applicant. Everything went smoothly. I wish I have gotten to meet Ms. Kerrigan but she just came back from vacation. "
"Great school! Great faculty and student body. AECOM is my top choice. :)"
"My visit here was amazing. The students, faculty, and administration were all so nice and enthusiastic. TAKE THE SPECIAL TOUR! Dr. Dannis was fantastic and explains so much about the neighboring area and the history of Einstein and its buildings. Some people are "afraid" of the Bronx, but there is really no reason to be. Everyone here seems happy and although they work hard they have a great time. Come here with an open mind and prepare to be amazed by the people and feeling of the place."
"I liked the school more than I thought I would. I had never been to the Bronx and did not find it as bad as people say. I had lunch and then a tour and then an interview. My interviewer was a talker and took me on another tour so I was with him for 2 hours. There is no specific meeting to talk and ask all your questions so do your research beforehand. The students were friendly and helpful and seemed happy about their decision to go to AECOM."
"It completely changed my opinion about attending the school. Before the interview, I was not that interested in the school. Afterwards, I was ready to sign up there and then."
"great experience, organized. students were friendly and forthcoming with information, seemed to be unified. "
"way more pleasant than i couldve imagined. the oppostite of the ''stress'' interviews some people explain at at various schools. I had a chance to talk about myself, ask questions, and hear about the school. a really enjoyable day. "
"My interview was very conversational. I interviewed with a researcher and we just discussed the East Coast, my research, living in NY, etc. It was very informative and relaxed. He was very positive about the school and the area. "
"my interview was fine, pretty relaxed. it was weird, though, how i had to hand my interviewer a file, and have them sit and read it while i wait in a tiny cramped waiting area. i don't think it would be too much effort to give them the file ahead of time..."
"It went well I think. The interview was relaxed and the interviewer like to tell me about the school. The school definitely has a lot of clinical and research opportunities for the students. I really like New York. Bronx seems like an old city but the school area is really nice."
"good."
"the interview went really well, she was very friendly and it was completely laid back"
"Overall I liked the place, but I liked it before, so the interview didn't change my opinion."
"Overall, I wasn't very impressed by the experience. The school seemed fine, and it would be nice to be in New York, but I didn't learn much about research opportunities, match possiblities, clinical training, or really find out much about the program at all. "
"Great Interview. Easy-going, conversational, zero stress. The interviewer just wanted to get to know me as a person, and much of our conversation wasn't even medically-related. Very enjoyable experience "
"I loved AECOM even before the interview. The Bronx kind of put me off: but it was seriously the only negative aspect. I just don't know if I myself could live there while going through the 4 difficult years of med school. But the interview experience was enjoyable, warm, comfortable, and very enlightening, and I left feeling I could fit in AECOM so well and love it...if it weren't for the area."
"I really enjoyed the whole experience and I would really really love to get into AECOM. I am really interested in Global Health and service opportunities and they have amazing opportinites in these areas. They have almost complete funding for international electives, and they are located in the Bronx for crying out loud so there are service opportunities everywhere! The interview itself was really great. My interviewer was a recent graduate (like 10 years ago) from the school and she read my file for 15 min. then came and got me to talk about different parts of my application. It was really relaxed and she just wanted to get to know me. So make sure you know what you wrote on your primary application as you are accountable for everything. Overall I left really wanting to attend AECOM and hopefully I will get that chance come January when my letter is sent out..."
"The interview was really conversational. When I walked in, the interviewer spent about 10-15 minutes just explaining to me a spinal scan that he was looking at. He asked about family and the usual questions (why do you want to be a doctor? what do you think the hardest part of being a doctor will be? etc etc) but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, the students seemed to be really happy with their school choice and did not really mind that the school was in the Bronx (vs. Manhattan). It's fairly easy to get into the city during weekends, and being in the Bronx means that it's less distracting during the week. There is a really supportive student community there."
"I loved this school. I thought I was going to hate it. In fact, I was telling my mom I don't even know why I applied to AECOM, because I already know I'm going to hate it!!! It went from being number 6 on the list of schools I had interviews at to number 1 or 2. Seriously. "
"Great interview experience. If the buildings were better, it would be sealed if i got in."
"to be honest, it seemed a bit disorganized. the admissions office lady as well as two students took turns leading us on the tours. and then, we were told to wait for a hospital tour later on, if we wanted to ... and the interview was good, the doctor (pediatrician) and i talked about the pros and cons of medicine, the financial strain, the loans process and the government, and the pros and cons of pediatrics. a good conversation, overall"
"There was a huge number of interviewees. The students were great people and so were fellow applicants. But nothing about the school in particular stood out. My interview was closed file and was at Montefiore Medical Center (had to take a shuttle). I spent most of the hour reiterating stuff that I had painstaking wrote in a way that could easily be understood. You could get lucky and have an open interview, like many of the other applicants."
"It was amazing. My interviewer spent the last ten minutes trying to convince me to go there. Also, there's an enormous amount of campus involvement as far as student activities go. The interview was fairly laid back and not stressful at all."
"Everyone was nice enough, I just felt the whole place was depressing. "
"It was very chilled out interview. Most of the time the interviewer talked about the school's history. He was an alumni of the school. He also discussed his research with me. He only asked me two questions. why did i majoir in Political science? and where do i see myself ten years from now?"
"the interviewer was very nice and conversational, just asked the usual like tell me about such and such experience"
"School has an excellent programs as far as international rotations and serving community. I thought the faculty and facilities were great (esp. the lecture hall). The Bronx is a toss-up though, good patient population, not the best area for recreation."
"I have not yet received a rejection/acceptnace answers so any assesment I offer at this point is based on my own perceptoin, but I liked it very much and I felt that overall I would be very happy there and that the interviewer let me talk, and emote and she then talked and let me know how she felt so I did not feel like I was being judged, not anymore than the reputation of the school was in my mind, so in that sense I felt proud to have come there that day, and also ecstatic that I chose to show up. In short, professionalism to the max!"
"They really didn't do a good job explaining their program. I can't even recall if they even attempted to. Having one interview was a bit odd. I wish they had two because sometimes you don't connect with both interviewers. Interview day was absolutely the worst out of all the schools I have interviewed at. Overall, not very impressed with the school at all."
"I think this would be a great place to go to school. I'd only heard great things about the school before and it definitely lived up to its reputation."
"very nice time overall. everyone seems happy to be there, admission staff was nice and organized, contrary to other posters"
"I love AECOM, it's my #1 choice!"
"There is downtime and you have the opportunity to sit in on first or second year lectures which I found interesting. The tour/lunch with students was pretty rushed, I and other afternoon interviewees had to leave early to make our interviews. They gave me a map to the hospital I would be interviewing at, which is on campus, but kind of far (especially in heels). The map didnt help that much, I was a little stressed that I wasnt going to find it and had to ask a few people to help me out."
"The interview was the best part of the day. It was in the lab/office of my interviewer, with some students doing research milling around. The only curveball was renovation to a room next door, leaving my interviewer and I to shout at one another a couple times. My interview was the first part of the day - kind of a different approach, but nice to have any pressure out of the way. Actually, I felt pretty bad for the other people who arrived first thing in the morning with me. The admissions people were late, leaving one student to find out he was already 15 minutes late to his interview by the time he got his packet. I don't want to sound overly negative because it was a good interview, but the approach of the admissions was a little off-putting."
"Friendly students, stayed with a host. Interview was very direct with question after question."
"I stayed with a student who went above and beyond her duties. She helped me navigate the NYC public transportation. The day started out with going to a first year class. That was really boring and a lot of the students were asleep. The interview with the associate dean was sooo laid back. I didn't have any hard questions. However, I don't know how that went. We had a tour that I thought was really a waste of time, but whatever. "
"Ok here's the deal...My interview was with a psychiatrist!!(quite intimidating). I give her my file. 20 minutes later she calls me and sits me down on a couch, yes, a couch!(good thing she didnt ask me to lay down on it.) First question she asks is how im feeling. So here I am thinking get ready to be psycho-analyzed, because all she kept asking were personal questions about me, my activities, my siblings and my parents. NO standard questions about medicine, ethics, and my credentials in general. This caught me a little off-guard and made me a little nervous. But she was extremely nice and warm!!! The nicest interviewer I had yet. The purpose of the interview was really to get to know me as a person. So despite the intimidating beginning, it was awesome. Since then I've been accepted at the shcool!!! (and i'm developing a unique respect for psychiatrists now)."
"I really enjoyed my interview and the lunch with students, but I found the set-up of the day to be the worst I have seen so far. The admissions office seemed disorganized, I would have liked either a short presentation or a packet/booklet for information. Also you bring your interviewer your file, they review it for 10 minutes and then you talk. Most people seemed to have positive, laid-back interview experiences and the school/program seems great overall!"
"It was really a relaxed, friendly interview. I felt more like I was having a discussion rather than being grilled."
"Low stress. Not happy that I was told to be at the school at 9am for a 10am interview, and then when I arrived was told that my interview was changed to 11... at least that gave me a chance to walk around, sit in the library, etc."
"I got there at 10 am, my interview was at 11 am with Dean Kuperman (thus the stress level), who is the Dean of Education Affairs, or something. I ended up meeting with two other deans as well, who were fantastic. Kuperman's interview was intense, he was very inquisitive, in an interesting way, asking a lot of philisophical and complicated questions about my work. Really a great man though. Meet with Dean Kerrigan, she's fantastic. I met with her after the lunch and tour. The lunch was good - don't forget to pick up all utensils and napkins before you leave the cafeteria (which is being rebuilt and you can't eat there), so that you don't have to walk back. The students were really content, congenial, and the atmosphere was really great. One thing that stands out at AE is the clinical experience, it is top-notch. If you've done clinical work before, the standard third year might be all repreat, but at AE you'd actually learn much more. The apartments are great, the living environment really nice, and the classrooms are nice too. The diversity in students is decent, not exceptional. "
"very positive. my interview was scheduled for 10:00. i arrived at 10 to 10 and gave my interviewer my amcas packet which i got from the admissions office in a sealed packet. my interview then went and reviewed my amacas for half an hour. after waiting for half an hour, she called me in and we talked for an hour - it might have gone longer but she was paged and had to go. after the interview, all the applicants met back at the admissions office for a campus tour with a few students. the tour was great because the students were into it and seem to like the school. also, u get a free lunch in the caf which was pretty good. the interview itself was very straightforward. all the questions were geared towards discussing why i want to go to med school and why einstein."
"i was excited to check the school out, but after the interview i have lost most interest here."
"The interview was very laid back, even though the interviewer started off with a disclaimer about how he has a bad habit of making this stressful. The admissions staff is really nice and all the applicants were engaging and friendly."
"The interview was fairly conversational. It felt like it was more about getting to know the inividual. "
"The only slightly stressful thing was having to catch shuttles to get to my interviews, but the admissions office was really helpful and made sure I knew where I was going. I even had to call them when one of my interviewers was running late and I knew I would miss the shuttle, and they were so nice! Also, make appointments to meet with Noreen and with a researcher if you have an interest in doing research. I found both of these meetings to be really insightful."
"Interview, sat in on some lectures, lunch, tour"
"I have to admit Albert Einstein wasn't my first choice at all. I had thought about going there but it wasn't exactly a school I was dying to go to. I got to the admisisons office early and waited around a bit with another interviewee until the secretary came and gave us the material. Right away I saw that they were extremely organized give us maps and tickets and directions. There was no waiting room though which was a downside. I took the shuttle to Montefiore hospital. The secretary was very good at making sure I knew exactly what to do and where to go and even when I got lost the medical students were all extremely nice with directions. My interview...was confusing. My interviewer had a sense of humor and I thought our talk was ok but right around 25 minutes in, he cuts me off in the middle of my answer and basically tells me to leave. I left confused. The tour and lunch happened afterwards. You use your meal ticket to eat at the cafeteria. The food is good, better than normal college food and the conversation is also good. Seeing the school was not too fantastic as we didn't get to see the anatomy lab, or the library. They did show us the apartments and they were GREAT! For that price that they pay it is basically a steal. Doorman, right across from two gyms, kitchen bath, huge bed room, great view, 2 blocks from the school is amazing!!!! Plus, the neighborhood doesn't seem too bad. Overall, visiting the school made me really want to go to Einstein college of medicine. It has definately gone up on my lists of potential schools. However it was also the only bad interview experience I've had yet."
"they didnt seem to put too much effort in trying to get you to want to go there. i sort of missed the whole dog and pony show that the other schools put on."
"nicer location than expected, very decent section of bronx surrounds most of campus. really good impression from students, lecture i sat in on was entertaining/interesting, cool service opportunities"
"The visit started off horrible when Delta lost my baggage...I got my suit at 7 am the morning before my 2 pm interview. The weather was cold and rainy, another downer. I arrived at Belfner at 11:45 and sat in on a first-year class. At 12:15 we took a tour of the lecture halls and student housing. The interviwer was nice and talkative. He read through my application, asking me questions as he went along. Very conversational interview."
"My interview was pretty typical and laid-back. I was asked mostly questions about my experiences. Afterwards I met with the dean of admissions (you need to request this but I would definitely recommend it to everyone). She was really nice and gave some insight into the process."
"The interview was laid back and converstional. I was not asked any difficult, pointed questions. "
"The interview was not stressful at all. We just talked about my extracurricular activities and why I chose to go into medicine. "
"Relaxed, low-stress, genuinely nice interviewer, excited students about AECOM"
"There was no formal presentation about the school by the admissions office, which I found a bit disappointing. I met with a researcher in the morning (they give you the opportunity to request that), sat in on the end of a first-year lecture, had lunch and a tour with students and fellow applicants, and then had my interview. The interview was great - very informal, conversational, the interviewer was interested in getting to know me and encouraged me to follow my goals. It was kind of strange that I hand-delivered my file to him and waited for 15 minutes while he looked it over..."
"very short! positive interview but not very many questions"
"The interview day didn't start until later in the day where we went for lunch and a tour before interviewing. I was disappointed that they didn't have any presentation about the school or the curriculum, so everything had to be gleaned from students."
"It was a great experience. The interviews are geared to be non-stress, the interviewers just want to get to know you. "
"Met with one of the asst deans, a gruff man. This was my first interview so when he asked "
"I really enjoyed it...I think the school is a great fit for me and the environment is really relaxed...they're really trying to make you enjoy your time at med school and not stress you out too much at all. The area was really very quiet and seemed to be safe at day and at night. The dorm rooms are amazing - huge and look very comfy."
"My interview experience was very chill. We just talked for a little less than an hour, she didn't ask any specific questions except for if I have any specific questions about the school for her. "
"Conversational interview, a really great experience!"
"AECOM's location is in the nice part of The Bronx. Interview was very conversational. Seems like AECOM has a very close-knit community. The school didn't really try to sell itself (no dog and pony show). Students are genuinely happy to be there."
"I arrived at the Admissions Office a bit early and was given my information and then met the other interviewees and the student guides who led us through the buildings to the library and then to the cafeteria. After lunch we were taken to see the gym and the apartments and then I had to leave to walk to Jacobi hospital for my interview. The interview was about an hour and it was pretty conversational. We discussed my current job in a hospital, traveling, and Albert Einstein."
"I arrived early and sat in on a first year lecture. I had a 1.5 hour long interview where the interviewer told me a good deal about the school. Then I joined two other interviewees and 4 medical students who took us on a tour of the library, gym, first-year lecture hall, and one of their on-campus apartments before taking us to lunch at the cafeteria. I walked around a bit on my own to get a feel for the area, and then went home."
"Very casual, but at the same time a lot of attention to my answers, w/ logical, but counter points."
"I had already been accepted to multiple schools and was planning on withdrawing from Einstein but decided to show up just for fun. There was no tour but we had lunch with some students which was nice. My interviewer was friendly and we got along well but I felt pretty neutral by the end of it."
"I arrived early enough to catch the last part of a first-year lecture...lecture hall was very nice! Then a quick lunch before waiting outside at a random unmarked pickup spot for a shuttle to bring me (sort of) to my interview. I got dropped off 25 min later, and had to walk another 15 min to get to my interview. I thought it was kind of sketchy to be walking by myself in the middle of the Bronx but whatever. The interview itself went pretty well. Then I had to walk another 10 min (to a different unmarked pick-up spot) to catch the shuttle back to the main building. "
"I went into this interview not expecting much, but after seeing the school and sitting in on one of the small discussion group classes, I really enjoyed it. The interview itself was extremely laid back, and very conversational. I think I asked my interviewer more questions than he asked me! "
"Staying wtih a student was great because I got to see what life would be like at Einstein. Everyone's really happy and don't seem to mind the loation. Residences are nice, cheap, and right across from class. Financial aid officer was pretty useless."
"bronx seemed kind of too small for me; area doesn't seem to be able to expand much, and facilities are not top-notch, considering private school."
"I'm really pissed off/confused about this one! It was by far my most relaxing and "best" interview but I still got rejected. The interview was really conversational and I did not feel any stress at all. The interviewer seemed to really like me too. The guy started the interview saying, "I've looked at your application, you're obviously qualified so I don't need to hear how you are qualified again. So let's not worry about that stuff" and we talked about random stuff. It was by far my favorite interview, but maybe I didn't talk enough and I think I would have done better with the usual embellishing of EC's and grades or whatever. Either way, I'm surprised I got rejected already (maybe a waitlist or something at least). Oh well, it was a good interview day altogether. Basically, tour in the morning, lunch, tour of dorms, then one interview."
"My day wasn't unlike the other feedback on SDN. The one thing I did do was arrive early enough to sit in on a 1st and then a 2nd year lecture. I was really impressed with them and think it was well worth my time."
"Very conversational."
"I drove into the Bronx and missed my scheduled morning interview b/c of an accident on the GWB. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the admissions office staff was nice enough to accommodate me by giving me a late afternoon interview, one that provided me with the opportunity to spend the entire day tagging along with some second-years. I sat in on two lectures, which, in addition to the campus tour/lunch, gave me a good feel for what it's like to be a student at AECOM. The interview itself was extremely laid back and barely addressed anything regarding my qualifications or applications. The interviewer stressed that AECOM seeks students with compassion, empathy, and humanity and does not believe in the "stress interview." I kind of got the feel that they don't believe in asking questions, period. As my interviewer pointed out, the interview was unlike any other I've experienced. He shared many of his experiences as a clinician as well as his views on medicine and healthcare, which was interesting. "
"the school is not beautiful, but the program is great. the students were very enthusiastic, and really seemed to enjoy the school... they seem to have time to enjoy NY and have fun, an hour away subway ride to manhattan."
"Great. They give you the opportunity to meet with the dean of admissions and the financial aid officer, if you want to, and I recommend doing so."
"My interview experience was decent, the school's a great school but it's not for me."
"It was a long day, but the university is really nice, a lot of supportive people, very strong faculty and interesting curriculum for MSTP."
"very laid back. Extremely nice interviewer. "
"overall really laidback, not really structured. campus seemed kinda dead but it was finals week."
"Overall, it was less nervous than I thought. I took the advise on the SDN to talk to the applicants. The one I met in the morning was very nice so chatting helped me to divert my attention. He later on even showed me how to take the subway = ) The interview part was a little uncomfortable since my interviewer kept standing up to fix the heater. Because she is a physician, so she kept looking at the watch. After 15 mins, she already wanted to stop, but I just seized any chance I can to keep talking. Nonetheless, it was also because of that I slipped out some stupid answers that I should not have said. So...don't be nervous if your interviewer keep looking at their watch, that's just a doctor's habbit! Stay Calm! THe interviewer did try to develop a conversation with me. The experience was like a pretty relaxing situation. I have not received their response yet, so I would know how my "chatterbox" strategy worked! The students tour was informative. However, the tour students kept talking about where you can have drinks and have fun, which did not really help me to learn more about the medical school. But they did a good job trying to answer all the applicants' question and chill with us = )"
"I had a great time there. I could really see myself going there...I really want to be at a school that is more laid back than more stressful so I was really happy with the school. "
"The interviewer made it clear that he felt that medical school interview questions were worthless, and it was more important to ascertain if the prospective student had a good sense of humor, so we just chatted for a half hour. 'bout as low-stress as possible"
"It was a doctor at one of their hospitals. She was very nice, and everything I said she agreed with and we both suggsted books for lesiure reading..."
"I really liked Einstein. The people I met there (admissions office, students, MDs and RNs in the hospital), were all very friendly and genuinely enthusiastic about the school. The interview was very conversational, and I felt like I could have talked to my interviewer for another hour or two. "
"I was supposed to have an interview at 9:30 but I got there and they told me it was at 2 pm. I was very upset since I had to get to class in the evening and I got them to change it (but they weren't happy--I hope that doesn't mess up my chances). The inteview was very low-stress and the school was very impressive. I really hope i get in because there is a very good chacne I'll go if I do."
"I showed up a bit before my interview and went to see the lecture that was going on. they had given me directions to my interview, which i followed. the interviewer took my file and basically read it while i was answering questions. it was a bit distracting. the interview was a bit wierd - he spoke far more than i did, and gave me a lot of info on the school that should have been presented in a formal way instead of taking over the interview. afterwards, i waited around with the other interviewees until we were told to go get lunch. the tour was after that, and it was extremely superficial (basically only the gym and student housing). then i went home."
"The interviewer was really nice and the interview was very conversational. She asked me primarily stuff about my application and some of my experiences. Nothing difficult at all."
"positive"
"It was good. The interviewer was friendly and told me many good things about the school. It was really converstaional for the most part. I think the school is pretty awesome. It's the only pass/fail school I've visited so far and I like that no competition atmosphere. The tour guide put it perfectly: My 65 is worth just as much as my friends 95."
"Overall, I liked this school. Moving to the Bronx would definitely be an adjustment for me, but I feel that I could manage it. NYC is definitely a bit claustrophobic if you are from a small city or town, though. This interview was the least structured interview I have ever been on. You basically set your own agenda, such as choosing a researcher to meet if you want, or the financial aid officer, or the dean of admissions. But if you don't want to do these things, you can skip them. The tour and lunch are recommended but are also optional; if you wanted, you could just come here, do your interview, and leave. This a la carte approach is in keeping with the general self-directed learning philosophy of the school."
"I had a really great conversation with my interviewer. I felt really comfortable and I was able to highlight everything I wanted to about my application."
"met with three researchers, talked about science and labwork for informal interviews. Met with two mstp committee members for formal interviews - they write up evaluations and influence your acceptance."
"My interview was at Montefiore Hospital, which I took a shuttle to. I brought my application in a sealed envelope and then waited while my interviewer read it. Then she and I talked for about an hour about some of my experiences, where I say myself in the future, and what she thought about the school."
"My interviewer was fabulous, we had a great time chatting. She was really helpful and open, and seemed to genuninely want to get to know me."
"This was my first interview, so I was extremely (ha! understatement) nervous. I stayed with a student host, who was an absolute sweetheart. I was very taken away by how friendly and genuine the students are. The actual day went a lot better than I'd anticipated. I had lunch first since my interview was in the afternoon. The students took us around a little and we ate at the cafeteria before finishing the tour. We saw one of the lecture halls, the gym, and the apartments. My interview was at the Jacobi Medical Center, which was a bit of a walk from the admissions building. I arrived very early, but my interviewer was very nice about it and had me wait while he reviewed my file. When I came in, it was surprisingly very conversational. He seemed most interested in my hobby (dance) and emphasized the importance of having a life outside of medicine. We talked a lot about NYC and other hobbies among medicine. He asked me some expected questions, but not nearly as many as I anticipated. I thought I was going to have to sell myself, but he didn't ask many questions that required me to! Overall, I hope I left a good impression and I was very pleased with the whole experience."
"I interviewed with a physician at the university hospital just around the corner from the medical school. You bring your interviewer your file in a sealed envelope and then wait while they review it for about 15 minutes. My interviewer was very nice, seemed to really want to get to know me, and also wanted to make sure all of my questions were answered."
"I arrived at the admissions office and was given a sealed envelope with my application to bring to the interviewer. I was sent next door to the hosptial where I was interviewed by a doctor who was an Einstein graudate herself. She took about 5 minutes to read through my application before the interview. The interview itself was a pleasant experience - she basically asked me to talk about my experiences listed on my application (volunteer work, research, hobbies etc.). The interview lasted 25-30 minutes. Afterward I was going to go to a second-year lecture, but it was nearly over, so I didn't end up going. Later in the day, there was a lunch meeting with first and second year students, followed by a tour of the campus. Everyone seemed very enthusiastic, and no one had anything bad to say. Overall, it was a very positive experience."
"You should arrive earlier than they tell you to. Depending on your interview location, you will have to walk to one the hospitals across the street from the teaching complexes. There was construction going on, so I had to walk around to the main entrance of the hospital I was going to, which was slightly stressful considering I was getting short on time. You give your file to the interviewer, and talk for about an hour. It is pretty conversational. After that, you return to the admissions office and wait for a student tour and lunch at the kosher cafeteria. After that, you are free to leave and walk around."
"My experience was very positive. I arrived early for my 9:30 AM appointment and discovered that it had been pushed back an hour because my interviewer had to schedule a patient in at the last moment. My newly assigned interviewer was a surgeon at Jacobi and instead of taking a shuttle across the Bronx, I was able to walk up the street 10 minutes to get to my interview. My interviewer was very enthusiastic about the school and the willingness of the faculty or administration to help students achieve their goals in becoming an MD repeatedly came up. We discussed music, foreign languages, committment to patient care, and optimism regarding healthcare reform and having a family alongside a career in surgery. I had to remind myself continually that this was an interview and not a conversation I was having with a mentor. Needless to say, the interview made a superb impression on an already convinced candidate. I left my interview and the campus enamored with the Bronx and AECOM... He did allow me to ask quite a few questions I had prepared ahead of time and although he couldn't answer some of them regarding recent academic changes or the MD/MS in clinical research program, his responses were very helpful. "
"Had never been to New York so had a lot of ideas of what to expect, but it was so much more awesome than I thought. People were cool, sights were cool (of course) and everything just went very smoothly. School's appearance was a little more run down that I would have thought, but the facilities, first and second year lecture halls, were amazing and basically brand new. Students were great, very open and seemed to really enjoy being students there. The faculty was also very positive and laid back. One faculty member stopped and talked to me for a half an hour just because he saw I was there for an interview and told me about my interviewer and tips and other interesting tid bits about the university. Interview itself was increadibly short, or so it seemed, and more conversational than expected. Overall a great experience and would definitely consider this school seriously if accepted."
"This was my first interview so i was a wreck. First thing i noticed about NY is the drivers there have balls of steel. They are maniacs with a car. I took a train to manhattan(i stayed in queens at comfort inn next to queensborough station, great hotel bad location) to fifth ave. Went onto madison ave and took BxM10 to the school. Bus ride was about 45mins. Admissions is actually on 2nd floor of the first building you see when you get off on Eastwhester/Morris Park ave. It's the building closest to the corner. Admissions ppl were super nice. I was 2 hours early so i went to the library to check SDN for a bit. met a few great fellow applicants. My interview was with Dr Junthini at the conference room on the admissions office's floor. Talked mostly about family, she asked the typical questions and tried to get to know me. She heard every word i said and she even repeated back some to me. Talked about South America for a bit(side tracked) but i thought there was a connection. I was a bit nervous but i figure what the hell. My performance could've been better with less stuttering and less mumbling and more eye contact. She took massive amounts of notes as we were talking. Overall I dont think she'll strongly suggest me to the committee. "
"Very fake front from the interviewerer. He seemed extremely enthusiastic about all the detail I provided about why I wanted to go to Einstein. Later heard I wasn't accepted because of the interview."
"it was fabulous, they really sold me on the school"
"Some of the interviews are offsite. Though the office pays for the cabs, it is important to get there on time (I got there with plenty of time to spare and am glad I did)The interviewer took about 1/2 an hour to read my file (I waited outside and had a great conversation with his assistant). When he was done, he came to get me and he then asked me to tell him about myself. Besides that slightly awkward intro he was focused, interested, welcoming and open to my opinions. We laughed and I felt that he offered me the opportunity to be myself. I had a wonderful experience."
"I was prepared for the day from previous sdn feedback. I arrived for my 9 a.m. interview at about 8:40, but security wouldn't let me in the building (but today was the first interview day of the year, after all, and the guard didn't know). Three other people were waiting with me by the time they let us in, after 9. Then the very nice woman in the admissions office told me my interview was at Jacobi, which is about a 10 minute walk from the main school building. Thankfully she called the interviewer to let her know I was coming and why I was late. The interview itself was really cool. It was in the pediatric emergency department, which was neat. The admissions office hands you a sealed folder with your file in it and you hand this to the interviewer. So I sat out in the office with the ER secretaries for 30+ minutes while my interviewer read my file. That wasn't so bad though; at least she was paying attention! The interview was actually a conversation, not an interview. She didn't ask me any hard questions, or really many questions at all. We just talked. A guy who also interviewed today said that his interview was really tough and that his interviewer grilled him, though, so I'm sure it depends on how lucky you are with your interviewer. My interview lasted a really long time (over an hour), so I didn't have a chance to go to a first year lecture. I met up with my friend who is a student for lunch in the cafeteria, which they gave us a voucher for. Actually the wonderful admissions lady gave me an extra one for my husband, who came with me. I skipped the tour because I know the school, and visited with friends (in the housing and at Jacobi Hospital) instead. The tour doesn't show much anyway. Overall I think it was a good day, and I just hope my interviewer felt the same!"
"Interviewed by the Dean of Admissions, born and raised in the Bronx. Was asked repeatedly why I thought I could live in the Bronx, as if to catch me in some unflattering statement re: his borough. Very general, very unprepared interviewer. Late. Not an MD, so couldn't talk medicine. NOT the experience I flew across the country for."
"clearly diss'ed, it was probably a token act for statistical compliance to interact with a minority applicant"
"Pretty relaxed, don't forget an umbrella or a raincoat, and you can take the subway from the JFK to Grand Central and save yourself about $15. The Metro bus to AE is about a block away from the Grand Central subway stop; and bring a rolling suitcase!"
"The interview as challenging, as I did to get in on my first try to AECOM. The interviewer, after we were finished, told me that he was a lot harder on me than he would be on a first time applicant. He asked me difficult questions, criticized me on many aspects, and the topics we touched on were expansive. We discussed many different subject areas, from biochemistry to histology to american history, as well as discussing me and my personal life. He had read my file very well, and knew everything that was written, as well as making inferences about me that were shockingly correct (something about neurosurgeons). However, he assumed things about me that were untrue as well, and waited as I refuted each untruth. I wanted, at one point in time, to raise my voice and tell him that what he thought was completely untrue, but held my composure and defended myself without getting him defensive in the process. It was definitely stessful, but it was, as I said, blunt and to the point. The answers I gave were concise and clear, and as bad as this may sound, it was the best interview I have had in my life, in terms of medical school and jobs, etc. I enjoyed it as much as I was stressed by it."
"it was fine, be prepared to wait for your interviewer because they read your file on the spot when you show up."
"relatively stress-free, students really convinced that they go there because they want to"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Standard questions, but it's completely dependent upon your interviewer since they're free to ask whatever they'd like. Closed-file, so my interviewer knew absolutely nothing about me beforehand. She seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me as a person. She also introduced me to a resident who'd attended AECOM to answer any further questions."
"AECOM is a good school"
"I showed up right on time and had to take a shuttle to my interview, then got lost in the hospital once I got there, since the door to the interview site had an access code. Be sure you get there on time: shuttles to the sites only leave every half hour or so. The interviewer was very friendly - usually interviews are closed-file, but he orders his ahead of time so he has time to read them. He didn't know much about the school, so couldn't answer my questions. Afterwards, the tour was thorough and organized, including a student room and school facilities. Only downside: nobody from the staff/faculty available to answer questions about curriculum, etc."
"comfortable "
"I had Albert Einstein as my first choice before interviewing and the interview experience even exceeded my expectations. The people are all very helpful, even if the buildings are a bit of a maze (not different from any other hospital or school I've interviewed). I love the school's social commitment and felt it matched my interests very much. "
"I thought that this was the hardest interview that I had been on to date. My interviewer was very interrogational, and seemed unimpressed with me. She would not accept my answers (e.g. her: why did you quit pre-med? me: b/c i didn't feel that I was a competitive candidate at the time and wanted to concentrate on my family issues. her: but why did you feel your grades weren't good-- you went to a good school. me: My advisor told me that I couldn't apply with these grades. her: I don't understand. you went to a good school. me: I guess my heart just wasn't in it at the time. etc. "
"After a long/somewhat-sketchy trip up to Einstein, the hotel they provided was very comfortable (you're with another applicant), the dinner with MSTP students was great, the coordination of pick-up by van in the morning was efficient, and the interview day was for the most part straightforward. I didn't feel all that stressed, but I also never felt like I could get across what I wanted to in the interviews, which was more personal attributes that wouldn't be as emphasized on my applications. The MSTP seems very strong and efficient. Things seem to run well: from administrative matters to individual research. Do not stress too much about the interviews. They are focused highly on your research (so know that well), and you will have to work to get some more personal qualities through to them (although I did have one or two people ask what I like to do outside of class). Overall, I had a good impression leaving the school (as I traveled back on the Express Shuttle instead of the subway)."
"A little gloomy..not a lot of energy in that place. People seemed like they didn't care much. Tour was very unorganized. Food was good though.."
"Wonderful school, warm place and wonderful faculty and students. Nice living conditions and facilities. The interview was extremely relaxed and friendly and the doctor even let me sit in on a talk he gave right afterwards. Dont stress about these interviews!"
"Arrived at the admissions office, picked up my sealed folder, went on the tour, had lunch. Then took the shuttle bus to Montefiore and walked to my interviewer's office, had my interview, which was pretty relaxed and casual. He read my file before I came in, but he definitely paid attention and asked me questions relating to it. He was very kind and encouraging. Overall a good experience. (It was my first interview, so I'm glad it was pretty calm.)"
"My interviewer was really nice and the interview was VERY laid-back. It was a little weird though since we hardly discussed anything that was in my application. There were no ethical questions or anything of that sort. Be prepared for the fact that your interviewer doesn not see your file until you bring it to him or her in a sealed envelope. Before my afternoon interview there was a tour given by students and lunch with 2nd year students. Other than that there was no information about the school. Overall, everyone at Einstein seemed to really like ti and everyone who I spoke to had a very pleasant not stressful interview."
"AE is a wonderful place. The Bronx is not as bad as people described it. The interview day was very enjoyable overall, I got there on time even though I took the wrong bus and had to walk 4 blocks. Make sure you plan your transportation. The tour was very informative and long enough to really show what the school has to offer. The interview itself was relatively short but conversational. The students appear to be happy at AE and seem to like the fact that it isnt in Manhattan."
"My interviewer is a dean at the school and is super involved in student life and was really aware of the student body and programs at Einstein so it was really great to have a casual conversation with him. The admissions office gives you your sealed file to bring to the interviewer. My interviewer didn't read my file until after I left, so he took the time to really try and get to know me during the 45 minute conversation. "
"Interview took place at an off-site office with a physician. Very laid back person who just wanted to get to know me and made the process very comfortable."
"My interview was very relaxed and the interviewer was very friendly. As was mentioned in other summaries, the interviewer did not see my file until I brought it. The doctor read it quickly though, and seemed to be very familiar with it when we began talking."
"Overall I liked the school, but did not connect with the interviewer. He did not ask one question realated to why I wanted to study medicine. I spent most of the time explaining the choices I made in college as well as talking about my family. I felt he was just passing the time and had no interest in what I was saying. "
"The intyerviews were set in an stress free environment. The interview day consists of 2formal interviews with members of the MSTP commitee and at least 3 informal interviews with faculty who are doing research in the student's area of interst. The formal interviews were 45-60 minutes in length and were given in the Committee member's office, right next to their labs. Yet despite being "formal" interviews they were quite layback and took shape as a conversation rather than just Q & A. The informal interviews were 30 minutes each but they are meant for the student to get an idea of what kind of research takes place at the school. The interviewer's in the informal do not give evaluations nor are they members of the admissions committee so one has the oppurtunity to relax and not be on their toes. All I would recomend is to know your research really well as questions on specifics do come up."
"PROS: 1) the facilities are very nice. 2) pass/fail grading system and honors/pass/fail grading sytsem in second year means the students work together a lot and are not cut throat 3) students do well above the national average on the USMLE 4) students were extremely happy with their experience at Einstein 5) student housing is cheap (approximately $300 a month) albeit it feels like you're living in a dorm again 6) beginning of each class, the students get a list of all the power point slides that the professors will use, so you don't need to go to class and can just study the power point slides (which can be good for some students and not good for others) 7) there's an express bus that goes to Manhattan that leaves pretty frequently CONS: 1) the library closes early on Fridays and is not open on Saturdays since its a Jewish-affiliated campus. this is not a big deal though--students I hear study at Fordham's library which is right down the street. 2) the interviewer does not see your file before hand. when you first arrive, you go to the admissions office and they give you a sealed packet with all of your info that you must give to your interviewer. when I reached my interview location, I gave the packet to my interviewer. i then i sat in a room for 20 - 30 minutes while my interviewer read over my file in another room. the interviewer then called me in and i had my interview with the interviewer. i have no idea why the heck einstein does this. if the interviewer had more time to prepare, i feel that he could have asked better questions to get to know me aside from the standard--"why medicine? why einstein? what should i tell the admissions committee about you?". they should really change this. i see no reason for it to be this way. this pertains to the interview though and not to the quality of education at einstein which, overall, is pretty darn good. "
"I really enjoyed my day at Einstein. From the other interviewees, to my interviewer, to the students, everyone was really friendly. The interviewer was tough but still friendly! She even arranged for me to talk to an Einstein graduate who was a resident. Tour is good, they show you housing and the first-year lecture hall. Seems like a great place to go and EVERYONE seems to love it there, which says a lot. Only negative is the Bronx!"
"I was dissapointed with the interview process because we only got one interview and when we got there, we were rushed off to our various interview locations. I handed my interviewer my file and he had me wait in the hall while he reviewed it. He didnt even ask too many questions about my file, but when I sat down, he said "so, any questions?" and the rest of the interview consisted of me asking questions and him doing most of the talking. I was a bit dissapointed because he knows me through the questions that I asked about the school, which werent too exciting. And he didnt know too much about the mechanics of the med school, so it wasnt too helpful for me and made him feel uncomfortably when I asked him about the curriculum and related things."
"Since this was my first interview I was very nervous, but the style is very conversational and casual. The doctor glanced over my appl. for a few minutes in the beginning. "
"Fairly relaxed--interviewer was a pro! And an interesting person! I did have to take a shuttle to get over there though...which meant I had to be there earlier than I had wanted to be..."
"The interview went really well. My interviewer was very friendly and put me at ease right away. The tour and luncheon were very informal, but I got great feedback from the students. The students all seemed really happy and I could definitely see myself there."
" School had to change my interviewer at the last minute, she knew nothing about me."
"This was by far the most casual interview I've had so far. My interviewer did almost as much talking as I did and told me off the bat that he wasn't interested in "rehearsal answers to typical interview questions." The day was a really nice break from the standard interview. "
"My interview experience was really great, especially considering it was my first interview. My interviewer was really nice and casual. It was very conversational, and he only asked me maybe 3 real questions. The campus is small, but it's sufficient for the students' needs. I had really low expectations for the surrounding area because lots of people on this site have such negative comments about the Bronx, but it's not as bad as they make it out to be--you just can't go there expecting Manhattan. My interviewer even gave me feedback at the end of the interview, which was nice. I hope I get accepted there!"
"I would be really happy to go to Einstein, but I would also like to see what other options I am afforded."
"I interviewed with a surgeon at Jacobi Medical Center. He was really nice. AECOM has you walk your own file over to the interview so I watched my interviewer read my file for 20 minutes, during which he asked me simple questions- how did i like my undergrad, how did i like my high school, what my sibling is up to, and do i have any questions about surgery. My interviewer was nice enough to take time out of his schedule to bring me to the operating room where I got to see two surgeries. It was great!"
"everyone was very nice and helpful in the admissions office. The interviewer was casual and the students giving the tour and around campus seem happy and friendly."
"Most relaxed interview so far, he quickly glanced at my file and then we took a walking tour of the hospital while we talked. In the end, he told me he enjoyed meeting me and I could look forward to an acceptance if he had anything to say about it."
"Aside from the pouring rain, having to travel 20 minutes to a nearby hospital, and standing in the rain for 30 minutes waiting for my interviewer, it was excellent. The Dr. who interviewed me was very nice, frank, and informative about the school. "
"the tour was a little disorganized, not many people paid attention, lunch was pretty good food - buffet - my interviewer was very nice and we simply talked about my life, my family, and my hobbies. the 60 minutes really fly by...seemed like 15 minutes i would go to aecom in an instant tip: stay with a student host to really experience and get a feel of what the school is like."
"the interviwer didn't really seem interested in anything i said. since my interview was so early in the application cycle, he basically told me that i was going to get mutiple acceptances from other schools. i got the impression that he thought i would not attend einstein if i were accepted. waiting for the rejection letter..."
"My interviewer was great. He even gave me a tour of the children's hospital and then walked me to my bus stop. Everybody at Albert Einstein was very friendly."
"I wasn't really asked any questions. This should have been an ideal opportunity for me to take initiative and talk about anything I wanted, but I was completely exhausted and really said very little. My interviewer also kept wanting to know what questions I had - four or five or six times!"
"The interview was short and relaxed, the doc only asked 3 questions and the rest of the time we just chatted. The campus tour was pretty short too, as a group we saw a lecture hall, the cafeteria, and student housing. It would have been nice to see more of the medical facilities or labs but you can (like I did) seek out those things on your own. "
"My interviewer kept me waiting for over 45 minutes before he called me into his office. Then, after I finally went in, he spent 5 minutes frowning and grunting at my file. Finally, he started asking me questions. When he asked me why I wanted to be a doctor and I explained, he continued frowning at me and told me he didn't understand why I wanted to be a doctor and that I wasn't making a case for my career choice. he talked about a bad chemistry grade--which i explained that i received while working 2 jobs and playing on my school basketball team--and he told me that i would probably have difficulty cutting it in med school. Then he asked me why I wanted to be a doctor again. Overall, the interviewer attacked every answer or career interest that I had. The entire experience was more stress than was necessary. The only good thing is Einstein gives money for research and other interests is students want to take a fifth year."
"interviewer was late to the interview by 20 minutes. she was very nice tho. however she looked very tired and when i was giving her answers i caught her eyes wandering around the room. she ocassionally would just stare at the floor and blank out. when i was finished giving my answer she would still be staring off into space. i had to directly ask her "any more questions?" to wake her up. i also did not like the fact she asked me if i had any other acceptances. that is personal info"
"I left Einstein with a positive view of the students and facilities, and an exceptionally high opinion of the administration and the faculty. Many of the students seemed truly happy with their decision to study at Einsten and had substantive examples of how the administration supported them (study assistance, financial assistance for research interests, encouraging and funding abroad rotations) As I said, between this and the hospitals, it is easy to see why Einstein is looked at so favorably among medical students and critics alike."
"I was favorably impressed from the get-go. They were very attentive and pleasant about every part of the process. The students were friendly, they encouraged us to look in on a first-year lecture unaccompanied (which I liked because you're not being "social", you can just watch), I loved my meetings with the researchers (who took extra time to go over their work with me and both of whom encouraged me to come back and visit again), and my interviewer was terrific. I don't know whether she was chosen on purpose, but as an older female student it was great to talk to a woman with kids who really understands what the issues are for women in medicine. Overall, a really great day. I came away hoping I got in."
"Have a few things you definetly want to express during the interview. They may not ask you directly about an experience but if you know what you want to say you should be able to fit in in the conversation"
"the staff at Admissions was extremely helpful and warm. the people i was interviewing with, on the other hand, seemed very aloof. my interview itself though was not stressful at all; he just wanted to get to know me personally. i was surprised not to be asked about anything in my application. it was strictly just "me.""
"I just did not get the best feeling from the students giving the tour, which was our only form of information about the school (no orientation, no information booklets). Hard to get a good feel about the school without talking to any sort of administrator. Learned nothing about financial aid or residency placements. For a top 50 school, I thought they could do a much better job with the interview day."
"My interviewer made an effort to make me feel at ease. We talked about more than my application. The secrataries told me that my interviewer had such school pride that he usually takes students around the school to show them certain things. I was allowed to sit in on a lecture. The school itself is pretty nice."
"Got to school early b/c i had a 9:00am interview. School looks nice. Area around school looks okay, not too scary. You carry your file to the interviewer, so my interviewer took around 20 minutes to read my file while I waited in his research lab. interview was very laid back and more conversational style. he asked about my family. Got into the subject of language and if it was hard for me or my parents (i'm vietnamese, Cali born but parents from Vietnam). Also got into whole animal research ethics and peta (my lab works with rabbits) and if it was okay to do animal research. Also got into research ethics questions. Wasn't too bad for ethical questions b/c it was more like a discusssion than question-answer. Very pleasant interviewer. Lunch was good. We ate at their kosher cafeteria, which was not that much of a difference to me since i'm not jewish but was good for jewish interviewee. Lunch was all you can eat, better than some of the other places i interviewed at. tour did not extend to hospital, but we did see the new first years lecture halls (which were very sweeet) and one of the M1's housing apartments. I was done after the tour, took the express bus from the school straight into manhattan, then went sight-seeing. "
"The interviewer was very nice, but asked difficult questions that were very specific to psychiatry. Also, the interviewer emphasized the fact that Einstein students are unique - they challenge everything and are not your "typical" medical students."
"None."
"I loved my interview experience. My interviewer was a pediatric geneticist, who really seemed interested in my background and in me as a person. I was also able to ask several questions of my own, which he graciously answered. "
"I'm willing to bet I have the same lady the other people who posted negatively had. Either she had no personality or she came into the interview already having decided that she didn't like me. She had no desire to discuss any part of my college life outside of my GPA and MCAT scores. She attacked me and at one point backed me into a corner I did not even get myself into. I really like the school itself- it upset me greatly that the interview was such an awful experience."
"Took the Express Bus which was very clean, nice and safe. Stayed at Holiday Inn-Midtown for $110/night and it was a nice safe hotel. Everything was so relaxed at the interview. "
"My interviewer seemed to not understand why I had not been accepted last year. he was positive, but realistic. It's so obvious to me at this point that most mds dont have any respect for the mcat, but schools treat them as pages from the Bible."
"I interviewed at Montefiore Children's rahter than the main campus. The interview truly was conversational. He briefly went over my app and basically just talked about anything that struck his fancy."
"My interview was very laid back. The doctor that interviewed me did not ask me that many questions. He would bring up a topic and we would discuss our opinions about it. "
"Overall my interview experience was very pleasant. My student host was awesome. The interview was very informal and low-key. The students running the tour gave a lot of good information, we were allowed to get as much food as we wanted during lunch, and the students in general were very friendly."
"Overall, it was a good experience. My first interviewer talked for way too long. It was hard to tell if I got "me" across."
"I had a really nice interview. My interviewer asked me broad questions in where I was free to answer in any way that I wanted. My interviewer also gave me feedback and seemed pleased with my answers."
"Awesome experience! I was really sold on the school, and it is my #1 choice now."
"Albert Einstein is definitely near the top of my list now. The tour guides were so frank about the weaknesses and very ethusiastic about the strengths. My interviewer was an hour late, but we ended up talking for more than an hour. He asked a lot of questions about my family, but no boring interview questions which was a nice change. He even walked me out the door, and told me what bus to take home! Be prepared to ask a lot of questions. "
"i would definitely go to AE over many of the other private schools I've been to"
"Though the interview was open file the interviewer did not recieve my file until I hand-delivered it. All of the questions I was asked related directly to my file and specific experiences so that was easy. The rest of the time was devoted to my questions about the school."
"an older and likable doctor, did ask me a few off the wall questions, but asked me a few questions i considered off limits like what schools have you been accepted to, which rejected from...also asked me questions then told me the best answers he had ever gotten. gee thanks. at the end he told me the school i had gotten into was a good option...I thought that was not a great sign."
"The interview day proceeded in the following order: sit in first-year lecture, morning interview, sit in second-year lecture, tour facilities, lunch, tour dormitory, finish. I was handed a confidential envelope containing my application material, to be transferred to the interviewer. The actual interview covered expected topics such as medicine, hobbies, and community services. The first-year lecture hall was newly renovated and looks better than that of the second-years. If you arrive earlier than your scheduled interview or your interview finished before lunch, you are told to either sit in on a lecture or lounge around. Fellow interviewers and student tour guides were quite amicable. Food at the dining hall was terrific and paid for with an "all you can take" food voucher. Shared 2,3-bedroom housings are quite affordable. The school closes on Saturday but in reality students still have 24-hour access. Affiliated hospitals cover quite a lot of territory to emphasize the quality of specialty at each region. A great feel. "
"The interviewer immediately put me at ease. She mostly asked me questions relating to my experience in my file and the basics (why medicine). There were no difficult questions, no bioethical questions. She only asked me questions for about fifteen minutes, then it was just for questions I had. I only had a few, I wished I had had more!"
"Because I interviewed at Beth Israel, I didn't feel like I got a very thorough experience with the school. I did enjoy being able to sit in on a firt year lecture for a little while, and I think the facilities are very nice. The people were approachable and friendly, the student housing is convenient. I do think I'd get frustrated being so close to the excitement of Manhattan but having it be so inconvenient to get there. A lot of students commented on it being a drag to have to go into the city sometimes. Oh, and my interviewer talked a lot about another school I interviewed at because he went there, and for a minute I felt like I was interviewing at that other school still, not AECOM!"
"There was no presentation given from the admissions office. I didn't even get a pamphlet about the school. So really, I learned nothing about the school. The living situation is bad and there were no tours of any hospitals. The actual intervew was laid back and low stress."
"very relaxed. we were told that only the first two formal interviews in the morning "counted". the other four were informal meetings with PIs whose research I was interested in."
" It seemed like it was at the end of a long day of interviewing and the guy was pretty much tired of the usual BS. Lots of ethical questions and questions about motivations for medicine."
"I hope I get accepted! It is now my first choice."
"I liked AE a lot, the students were very friendly and my interviewer was thorough and likeable. Overall good experience."
"A relaxed atmosphere, but you should definitely prepare well."
"The other applicants were really cool/diverse/interesting, the other MSTP students were really nice/helpful as well. I could see myself being friends with all of them. You don't feel like youre competing when youre surrounded by people so willing to help each other. I had a great time having dinner with other applicants/students and strongly urge all of you to make it to the dinner because thats where you really attain an understanding of what life may be like for you for the next 7 or so years. "
"My interviewer was such a nice guy, a nephrologist/pediatrician. He didn't ask me any question at all. He spent the whole interview (which lasted almost two hours rather than the standard 45 minutes) telling me how great the school is, how nice New York City is, where I should go to sightsee, how much he enjoys working with children, universal health care, and how important a research background is, and walking me back to the children's hospital (after showing me a couple of floors). It was an extremely pleasant experience. "
"good overall; interviewer read my file while i sat across for him, so just the usual questions. very nice though, and had much experience with Einstein"
"laid back. just review your amcas and be sure to elaborate on certain aspects of your application. no difficult of confrontational questions"
"I wish this school would organize its interview day. There was nothing to do all day until my interview. If the students could not answer your questions, you were out of luck."
"I arrived very nervous, but was soon put to ease by the extremely friendly students, staff and faculty. The other applicants and I went to dinner with the current students the night before the interviews. I learned a lot about the program and was really surprised at how laid back and HAPPY the students are. They love their school, which I think really says a lot. We then went to a student's apartment where they had set up a small party for us. The housing is great and more current students came by to say hello. I had 2 formal and 4 informal interviews the next day. They were all really low stress and comfortable. We never took a tour, but I wish we had. Overall, I had a great experience and was really impressed with the school and its learning environment. I give it two thumbs up!"
"I hopped on the Express Bus from the city in the morning. The ride was not bad at all, $4.00 exact change only. It was as safe as I can get in NYC. My interview was in another location and I was sent off in a limo cab (for free). There are restaurants and stores around. I don't know what some previous posts were talking about, but you would have to walk around to see. From the previous posts, I thought that the surrounding neighborhood would be bad, but it wasn't that bad at all. It's representative of the diverse population of NYC. You would be living like a real New Yorker (a perspective living from another borough) and not a Manhattanite. "
"The location of the school isn't too great, but as for the school itself, I got a positive impression. I had numerous first years tell me that the atmosphere is very non-competitive; they help one another willingly. I liked the diversity of the class. Because you give your interviewer your file right before the interview, he doesn't know much about you. Hence, he asked me basic questions i.e. tell me about your extracurriculars, what do you you for fun, research, etc. There were no ethical questions and we basically had a nice conversation. "
"Very positive. Students are happy and friendly. The program is a solid mix of traditional lecture and integrated/pbl. Interview was laid back and I felt he was genuinely interested in what I had to say and who I was as an applicant."
"Einstein has always been my top choice for medical school mostly because of their reputation and numerous community service activities. However, I got there with high hopes as to the general organization of the interview onlt to be disappointed. I arrived early and had to sit around till the tour and lunch with first years. After which we had to wait around for our interviews. The others would interviewed in the morning left after the tour. We got a little talk with the one of the second graduating class members who is still affliated with the school. He talked about his love for the school and why we should come there if chosen. Then he took those interested in a tour of the hospital. I couldn't make it because it was then time for my interview. Anyways I left there with the same impression I had when I came, which is a good thing being that my impression was good to begin with. I just which they had a more elaborate schedule for the interview day."
"Two formal interviews (~50 mins each, though they can be as short as 25, depending on your schedule) and several informal interviews (to learn about your interviewers' research, mostly) make up most of the day, which is broken up by lunch (the food really is terrible) and a tour."
"I'm really glad I visited - it was my top choice school from the logistics of the school, but it seemed a little depressing when I went there. I'm sure, though, that if I end up going, it'll be a great opportunity for me to grow as a person and physician, because the school offers some great research, cultural, and professional opportunities in the community, city, and abroad."
"The interview was easy and conversational, but at times the conversation seemed a bit forced. The interview day was not as structured as I would have liked. The tour of the campus was good, but the tour of the clinical facilities was scheduled at a time that was difficult for everyone to get to."
"I loved Einstein and I would feel lucky to get into the school. They are a stone's throw from Manhattan, students complete their clinical rotations in 5 very different hospitals and graduate with a wide range of skills. I was postively impressed with their social medicine and community medicine focus. They also encourage and allow their students to do research and take advantage of opportunities to learn in an international setting. Einstein offers its students many perks and makes student life comfortable and I think it shows in the positive attitude and demeanor of the students there. It is also a very family-friendly institution. If you are married or have children they are very supportive."
"I love Einstein. Definitely my first choice. The school is really involved in community outreach programs and encourages activity outside of class. I pray that I get accepted."
"An excellent school. While the interviews seem a bit disorganized, on the whole, Einstein appears to be filled with very socially-conscious faculty and students."
"I really liked my interviewer (although she came almost an hour late). Very amiable. "
"Very conversational"
"Pretty good day. My interview was a very conversational, nonconfrontational experience. The students are really nice and seem to have a pretty good group synergy. Facilities aren't bad but I wasn't overly impressed in general. You know some places you go to and you just feel it. Nevertheless it's a great school and you just have to see if it's for you."
"i hated everything about this school. the location is supposed to be in a nicer part of the bronx but when i got off the train my gut reaction was that i did not want to live there for 4 years. the school is in a very residential area with no restaurants/businesses around. i stayed with a student in the subsidized apts across the street. their rent is really cheap but the apts are really old and not very spacious. the school itself seemed very reserved. for most people i met the school was one of their last choices. the curriculum is very traditional and there is very little integration of topics. also, they do not have any real small-group learning sessions. coming from california, einstein is not worth the cross-country move for me. the interview itself lasted an hour and a half. my interviewer only asked me a few questions and spent the rest of the time talking about the school, which was informative, but i have no idea what she even got out of our interview."
"The best and easiest interview I ever had. The interviewer was interested in me, as a person, and whether I would fit in with the friendly, low key student body. I got the impression the school really cares about all its students' well being and comfort."
"Overall, a nice day. I wish the interview went better because the doctor I interviewed with really didn't ask me questions. She talked about her experiences and the experiences of people she knew. But seeing that she only had 5 minutes to review my file, I guess that makes sense. The students were great. I enjoyed speaking to them and I think they were honest."
"First of all, there is an informal dinner with current MD/PhD students the night before the interview day. It is held at a small Italian restaurant just up the street from the school in the northeast Bronx. The dinner is really a great time to get the nitty-gritty about the program and life at Einstein. Then, the next day, there are two formal and five informal interviews. Honestly, the formal interviews are pretty straightforward (and in my case, very conversational), due at least in part to the fact that they are for the MD/PhD program. Both my interviewers seemed more concerned that I could effectively describe my research than answer some trivial question about why I wanted to go to Einstein or explain the circumstances surrounding that C+ I got in organic chemistry freshman year. However, talking to some of the other candidates that were interviewing that day, it seems that their experiences varied greatly. As for the informal interviews, they are really relaxed and do not negatively impact your chances for acceptance. In fact, it seems that they are mainly an opportunity for the school to sell itself to the candidates. However, the informals can be mind-numbing (with all the scientific jargon being floated as the faculty members describe their research) so it was fortunate that I had both of my formals first -- others were not so lucky. Overall, I was impressed (and surprised) by the entire interview experience."
"My interviewer was really nice and put me at ease - I'm just not all that sure that I made an impression on her. "
"I got grilled on neurological v. sociological models of addiction which I didn't know much about and I was just speculating to the best of my ability.... the other half of the interview was more about me"
"It wasn't a totally laid-back interview, because though she was nice, she really went deep into why medicine and why Einstein. I'm better at the why medicine question b/c this was my 5th interview and I had thought of what to say ahead of time. She did comment that my choice of working with elderly with mental retardation was rather unique. Most other applicants "read books to cancer kids", the common stuff."
"overall the school is good. the students are cool, building are nice, blah blah, see below. "
"I had an excellent interview experience...the questions were challenging and stimulating, the day was well organized, and I would gladly go to AE if given the opportunity."
"Overall, I'm still pretty neutral about my experiece at Albert Einstein. The school itself was pretty nice, as was the cafeteria, apartments, and gym. The area doesn't look too great though, plus the hospitals could stand a renovation. It's really close to NYC, so you can get there on any given weekend, but it's also far enough away that you won't be distracted during the week. I interviewed with a pediatric oncologist; we didn't really "click" but the conversation kept going for 50 minutes, so I guess that's good."
"I wasn't blown away by einstein. I arrived at the admissions office a half hour early as directed. They gave me my file to carry to my interview. it took me 10 minutes to walk to my interview site, however, my interviewer wasn't there. Luckily, one of the guys on the elevator with me worked in my interviewers lab so he let me in. i waited for about 25 more minutes for my interviewer to show up and then another 20 minutes for him to read my file. The interview was very laid back, nothing to stress over. It was very conversational. Housing is nice and cheap. Classes are right across the street from the dorms. The first year lecture hall is beautiful. Despite the not so exciting location in the bronx, all of the students were very happy"
"I think it has very much to do with your interviewer. I had a great experience with mine but some of my fellow interviewees said they didn't feel they had "clicked" with theirs. It's a great school, the downside is the location in the Bronx."
"It was a pretty standard interview. I think they match you up with specific interviewers. My interviewer was a Chinese American female (like myself) while others had Jewish males (like themselves.) She asked me about my research and some of the things I wrote about in my essay. Halfway through, she asked me if there were any questions I wanted to ask her and that was basically it. "
"Let me just say that Dr. Petersen is a nice man, but he is a little grandiose in that he told me with confidence at the start of the interview that I was "in" and that this interview was a formality. He was very complimentary regarding my credentials, letters of reference, etc. He shared with me some details about himself that were totally appropriate and about medicine. HOWEVER, I was not accepted and the interview went very well. I thought that there was a really good give and take and that he genuinely liked me. Even though I didn't get in, I have no reason to think that he thought ill of me. The only thing was is that he was so certain of his role or influence that I did not address my one weakness (at least in my head) which was an average physical sciences section score. How can one be rejected on something like that alone; its easy there are so many of us vying for the same seat that competition is intense. He further implored that I contatc the director of admissions, Noreen Kerrigan and to state that he "directed me to contatc her directly" Needless to say, she was not interested in speaking to me, and the secretaryy reported to me that Dr. Petersen needed to stop saying this to students. Im not saying that I would have gotten in had I had the oppurtunity to explain my "deficiency," but his personal enthusiasm for an individual and his own sense of his importance in the admissions process is, shall we say, "inflated.""
"The interview was conversational. However, it was stressful to a degree because I was asked many ethics questions. I was asked my opinion on free speech, abortion, affirmative action, and euthanasia. I was then given situation appropiate to each topic. We jumped around and hit many topics."
"Overall it was good , my interiewer seemed genuine, showed care and concern. Was generally relaxed , he wanted to get to know me. Did not ask me any dreaded ethical questions. "
"It was very relaxing, and overall fairly standard. The day was more boring than usual."
"The take home message i'd like to give is that AECOM does in fact have a few interviewers that apparently give STRESS interviews, regardless of what students or faculty might say. While reading through some of the other entries for this school, I thought I must have gotten the same person. I got absolutely hammered with questions on abortion, the war in iraq, physician assisted suicide, affirmative action, I thought I was on "The O'Reilly Factor" or something. This lady was completely unfriendly , and when my interview was over, she barely even said goodbye. By some act of God, I was accepted this january. After that interview, I couldnt believe the letter. Overall, I like the school, but it was far and away my hardest interview."
"Einstein is a great school, and I'd be happy to go there. The student body isn't very diverse, but I can live with that. I think that they also give out merit scholarships, which is always a hopeful plus! "
"Great interview. Tough to remember the interviewer knows very little about my file (he only got to read it when I handed it to him, and he proceeded to read it for 15 min. while I sat outside his office)."
"The interviewer seemed to question a couple of my answers as if he didn't think I was being sincere or didn't know what I was talkin about. He could have just been testing how I dealt with pressure."
"My day began with my interview. My interviewer was not prepared and was about 40 min late. My interviewer had not read over my file very well, and did not ask me many questions. I felt as though my interviewer knew as much about me when I left as when I came in. It was obvious my interviewer did not know what to ask me so we chatted about the school and my interviewer's experiences at the school. Then I went on a tour and lunch."
"The day consists of the interview, tour by students, lunch, and a brief talk from someone on the admissions committee who was a member of the second graduating class from AECOM. He related his experiences, and attempted to sell the school by telling stories of the unique students that Albert Einstein is looking for. The tour was very short - we walked past the library and then toured AECOM'S gym and Apts. Lunch was very good - don't be scared that it is strictly kosher. My interview was, in my opinion, pretty far away. It was not a stressful interview. My interviewer says that the interview itself counts for less than the personal statement and #'s."
"My interviewer was an MD and seemed very nice. She asked me to wait in the hall while she read my file. She was friendly and the interview was conversational."
"It was a very nice day. Admissions office staff is so nice. The interview itself was mostly closed-file, but my interviewer did glance at my MCAT scores toward the end of the conversation and mention my lowest one. The interview was very laid back and friendly. After the interview a couple current students took the 4 of us interviewees to lunch in the cafeteria and then took us on a tour of the library, anatomy lab, apartments, and gym. That was it. This is a no-stress interview and day--just be yourself."
"Great. I didn't expect to fall as much in love with the school as I did. Just be prepared for a bit of a mess in the day's schedule, especially if you're at the end of your interviews and used to how some other schools really lead you around and keep you organized."
"Very unorganized interview."
"I waited half an hour for my interviewer and then I only got to speak with her for 25 minutes because she didn't want me to be late for the lunch and tour. I'm glad she didn't ask the usual questions about why I want to be a doctor, why I want to go to Einstein. The interview was pretty conversational."
"All of the people I met during my interview gave me a positive feeling about this school, and you really know they care about the students. All the med students work together, and enjoy being there."
"Overall a good experience. Generally a laid back interview but it depends on each interviewers technique. Mine asked quite a few questions that she obviously had prepared ahead of time rather than letting the conversation flow like others at my interview day experienced."
"My interview went well -- it was very comfortable and conversational. The students who gave the tour were very nice, and the food was great. Einstein seems to give a good mix of everything; the affiliated hospitals are all very different, and there's a good balance of research and patient care. No lecture halls were shown, nor were any hospitals. There was an optional tour of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, but it's the day before Thanksgiving, and most people wanted to get out of there! Maybe there could be some way to incorporate one of the nearby hospitals."
"Interview is pretty much like a conversation, not that bad."
"I interviewed with a Pathologist; she was nice enough, but I think she spends too much time in her lab looking at slides. It was a very awkward conversation. She didn't ask any interesting questions, just had me elaborate on my file - which, by the way, your interviewer will read for the first time in front of you. Overall, the school looked like it would be, more or less, a fine experience, but I saw nothing that particularly impressed me."
"It was a good interview day. Everyone was very nice. They give you a card w/ interviewer's address so you can send a thank you card. I don't like to keep track of how long my interviews are, so the time is only an estimation. Rooms are HUGE and nice. I got lost finding my way to my interview and ended up at anatomy lab. The instructor flagged me down and showed me the lab (very nice guy). Then, kept seeing anatomy instructor everywhere (admissions, cafeteria, etc.) and he would always wave and say hello."
"I had thought that Einstein interviews were laid back and conversational, but my interviewer played devil's advocate throughout the entire interview and really gave me a hard time-- like he was deliberately out to get me. It left me with a bad feeling all day. The school's campus is really bleak and depressing and the entire interview day was horribly planned."
"My interview went well, although the doctor was a little weird, but the day was unorganized and they didn't sell themselves as well as a lot of other schools."
"The entire interview was based on "controversial ethical questions". I basically answered questions about all the topics we all dread, like topics of abortion, affirmative action, etc."
"It was great! It really was just a conversation and all of the ?s I've listed below were within that flow. My interviewer was an MD at the Jacobi Medical Center and was extremely friendly. He knew more about the school, its curriculum and activities than any other faculty interviewer I've had. He was very enthusiastic about AE. He said he gets a "warm and fuzzy feeling" from the school, which I don't doubt."
"I had a great interviewer (she talked more than I did and have a lot of good advice). She didn't even ask me why I want to be a doctor. There were only like 8 other interviewees that day (I thought there would be more) but that made the tour given by students more comfortable and helpful."
"Lorraine, one of the staff, gave a tour of the school. While she is quite knowledgeable about the school and the students, I would have much preferred having a student give the tour. We did have lunch with two second-year students. If you arrive in Manhattan, take the Express Bus. You want to take the one that leads you to Morris Park Ave. and Eastchester--right in front of the school. Towards the end of the interviewer, my interviewer repeatedly asked me if I had any questions. Be prepared with at least four solid questions. The interview is closed although I did see my interviewer have my file as I walked into his office."
"Overall, the interview was really great. I had lunch and was given a tour before my interview. Some of the students, however, had their interviews in the morning. Once I met my interviewer I was relaxed and really enjoyed our conversation. He was really not out to trick me or confuse me. I didn't even realize how fast the time went by. Just relax and show them your personality! "
"I think I had somewhat of an unusual experience in that my interviewer did most of the talking and hardly asked me any questions during our 90 minute meeting. It was very conversational throughout. He took me on an unofficial tour of the school and hospital (though most interviewers will not do this) and gave me some feedback on my file. He was very nice and friendly and made me feel at ease immediately. He was a both a student and faculty member at Albert Einstein and seemed to love and be very proud of the school."
"It was an amazing interview. It was my first one and it was completely relaxed. They didn't even ask me the basic two questions, why do you want to be a doctor and whay do you want to come to our school."
"it was overall a great experience! i know there were quite a number of bad experiences at einstein, so i was a bit apprehensive, but my guy was nice enough...not extremely nice though... he was a bit demanding in the manner that he asked questions, and he oftentimes interrupted my answers. But he was overall a good interviewer... i feel like he asked me good questions that painted a well-rounded pic of me. and i was genuinely impressed with the living conditions of the students!! nice dorms!!! "
"interview itself very relaxed, very to the point (I felt the interviewer asked me questions that were actually relavant), she even gave me positive feedback at the end regarding my chances. I was not very impressed with the school itself."
"Very good interview experience. My interviewer really made me feel comfortable. The interview was at the hospital which is a 20 minute walk so be prepared. The surrouding aren't the greatest and the school is composed of the dorms and a couple of buildings. Everyone was nice and helpful, especially the admissions staff. Generally a low stress interview, just be prepared to talk about yourself:)"
"Very pleasant for my first experience. My interview was at a hospital far from the school so i had to take a shuttle, etc. "
"I've read some negative experiences with AE. Fortunately, I haven't had any problems with the admissions office, my interview day, or housing and other offices. They've always been very pleasant. "
"This was a very demoralizing interview; the completely undisguised indifference of the interviewer was a complete turn-off. The buildings on campus will not make your spirits soar. It honestly took several days to shake off the unpleasantness of this experience. The school has a solid reputation for pre-clinical and clinical education; I wanted no part of it."
"This was the most demeaning interviews I've ever had in my life! I know that some people I've met that day had a really positive experience and really love the school, but the interviewer just blew me off with her rude comments and racial comments regarding Asian-Americans. At one point, she said things like, "I think it's really hard for you people (yes, she said those words and later I found out that she herself was a foreignly-trained doctor from some where in the South America) to get adjusted to the western lifestyle because it's so very different from how things are in the East." Enough said! This was obviously one ignorant lady and I hope the school never uses her in the future. I just read the previous posting dated 03/29/02 and I wonder if the writer of that post and I had the same interviewer?!"
"I had a horrible interview experience. During the interview I decided that I would not ever, even if I got a full scholarship go to Einstein. At one point during the interview the interviewer asked "Since you are Hispanic, why didn't write you were a URM?" I replied "I am not Hispanic/URM." She said "Well, I just assumed because you look hispanic. And it says you speak Spanish and you lived in a latin american country in the past few years." We had been having a nice interview, but at this point she totally changed her attitude. The rest of her questions were attacking...and not the interesting and challenging kind, but just outright attacks on me...Her questions included "If you don't like Science why do you want to be a doctor"...I don't know where she got that? I did very well at a top school as a hard science major and had a very good MCAT...she then asked "If you are a doctor, you know that you are going to have to be able to read scientific articles?"...I guess she missed the part where I have published in peer-reviewed journals and given posters a national conferences....At the end she said, "So, I guess this was your first interview"....at that point I decided that I wasn't going there no matter what so I said (which also happened to be true)...so I said..."Thank you very much for your time, but it was actually my eight....thank you for your time"....I withdrew my application the next day. "
"My interview experience was the best I've ever had. I felt extremely comfortable and relaxed and ditto for my interviewer. He had a great sense of humor and wasn't out to "get" me or anything. It was all very conversational and free-flowing."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 309 |
| Faculty member | 6 |
| Admissions staff | 17 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 170 |
| Neutral | 20 |
| Discouraging | 2 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.87 | 195 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 56 |
| Out of state | 135 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 63 |
| 2-3 hours | 46 |
| 4-6 hours | 40 |
| 7+ hours | 40 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 74 |
| Automobile | 51 |
| Train or subway | 56 |
| Other | 14 |
N/A virtual interview
LaGuardia
La Guardia
EWR
HPN
LGA
JFK
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 42 |
| Friends or family | 46 |
| Hotel | 28 |
| Home | 14 |
| Other | 0 |
Sheraton LaGuardia Esat
Yes
Sheraton LaGuardia Esat
Yes
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 69 |
| $101-$200 | 22 |
| $201-$300 | 17 |
| $301-$400 | 22 |
| $401-$500 | 9 |
| $501+ | 9 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.41 | 203 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.91 | 202 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.41 | 202 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.48 | 94 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.15 | 94 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.49 | 78 |
"Actually provide a folder with school information instead of a piece of paper"
"Please consider how you transport students to off-site interviews! It's very confusing for people not from the area/not familiar with public transit/who don't have a good sense of direction."
"The day should be more structured and the tour guides should be better trained. My group of ~15 had one tour guide giving his first tour nd left a bad impression"
"Please decrease the amount of applicants and focus on making the interview days more meaningful with better oversight, introduction to the school, an actual tour of facilities (not just from the glass looking in), and more members of the admission committee present or even saying hello. Some applicants travel hours and spend money on costly flights."
"Give a presentation on the school! Have more interviewers come to campus to do the interviews. If the student must go to another location, designate guides to bring the student there so that they're not left wandering about."
"Have a more organized interview day. Only got to meet one of the faculty members and had to go out of my way to meet others."
"Better to have some kind of coffee/group meetup in the morning, first thing, than just to dispatch everyone to their separate interviews. Very friendly people."
"Maybe add a short info session with an overview of the school."
"The only problem I had was to switch around my date which was impossible."
"awesome staff, esp. mary pace"
"None at all, I initially thought that I'd hate not having any curriculum or financial aid presentations, but the lack of presentations actually made the day so much more chill."
"The people at the office were very nice. Ms. Pace is great!"
"Nothing, they were very accommodating and friendly. Great staff!"
"Nothing. The admin office at Einstein is friendly, polite, and top-notch."
"I thought they were really nice."
"I wish it was more structured, where someone from the admissions committee or a medical student provided a presentation about the school's curriculum, opportunities available, financial aid etc. We had to ask the med students who interviewed us all the questions, but it's possible that we forgot to touch upon some points."
"Organize an information session for the interviewees; tell the interviewees a day beforehand whether they are interviewing on or off campus."
"Make sure interviewers read applicants' files!"
"They were very friendly, helped find a hotel and gave directions that were very good."
"Having a second look day will, undoubtedly, help secure better applicants to matriculate to your school. It would be great to have some type of financial aid seminar and a tour of the cultural life of the Bronx"
"have a presentation!"
"Try to remember that we're coming in, and, ya know... do something for us."
"Really need to have some sort of group presentations about financial aid/the school/what Einstein ca"
"Better lunch."
"Awesome interview day, except that I would have liked a formal info session."
"School Presentation, Financial Aid presentation"
"A presentation of the school would have been helpful. Also I was unaware that we could have met wit"
"Please have a presentation on the school!"
"I think it would be better for the interviewer to read through the applicant's file before the day o"
"Financial Aid talk and Overview!"
"wish admissions office gave a quick presentation about the school."
"please have an official presentation and a financial aid talk!"
"Financial aid information would be helpful. There isn't any sort of presentation of the school."
"They were very friendly and responded all the mails and phone calls that I made."
"a presentation and financial aid information with a folder with info might be very nice...."
"Give a presentation to students! we got a good amount of info from current students, i just think ma"
"nothing, I think they are very good at giving detailed directions during interview."
"More than one interview please! Or find something for us to do in the hours in between if you've go"
"Have someone from the administration present to students and perhaps give a packet or something with"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?