How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.46 | 317 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 254 |
| Negatively | 29 |
| No change | 36 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.40 | 312 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.44 | 244 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.03 | 206 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 7 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 9 |
| 30 minutes | 48 |
| 35 minutes | 32 |
| 40 minutes | 51 |
| 45 minutes | 114 |
| 50 minutes | 28 |
| 55 minutes | 2 |
| 60+ minutes | 38 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 308 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 8 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 101 |
| In a group | 212 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 303 |
| Closed file | 8 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.46 | 317 |
"Ethical question about being a pediatrician and encountering parents who refuse to vaccine their child"
"Ethical question- what would you do if a doctor won't prescribe a medicine because of personal reasons?"
"What is one health topic that you would like to see state or federal support for?"
"Why do you want to pursue being a physician besides any other healthcare position?"
"Most meaningful patient interaction"
"Physician reluctancy to provide certain ethnic groups with pain medication."
"What would you do if you were an M4 and witnessed the physician you're under make a mistake on prescription medication?"
"What should a physician’s role be?"
"What disparities have you seen in your clinical experience and how would you address them?"
"What are the three biggest issues in healthcare today?"
"What are your strengths and what are areas that you need to work on?"
"Tell me about time where you made a mistake that negatively impacted people in your lives?"
"If you had a patient who was noncompliant, what would you do and how would you handle it?"
"what did you see at school today that you didn't know before coming here?"
"Describe a time you made a mistake and what you did about it."
"How well do you know about the current events happening regarding the US healthcare?"
"What did you observe around the school?"
"What do you think about the ACA (Affordable Care Act)?"
"Tell me about the role of a physician"
"What do you think medical school will be like?"
"Asked me about my research"
"What brought you to this point?"
"They were flipping through my amcas application and asking me questions about my activities."
"Can you tell us a little about yourself?"
"How do you manage your time? They like RAs a lot so I worked in a story about how I manage my time with goals but I am also flexible because when an emergency happens, things won't end up as you planned."
"Have you ever had a moral dilemma?"
"What would you change about "Obamacare?""
"What are your views on PAS?"
"What would happen if Obama's healthcare plan were repealed?"
"Strength & weakness"
"What do you think about national health care in the US? (stemmed from previous discussion about lack of healthcare in developing countries where I've had a lot of experience)"
"Why would you move to VA from Alaska?"
"From all your community service, what was the most prominent thing you've learned?"
"Why did you choose EVMS?"
"What is one thing that you would do to fix the US Health care system?"
"What about EVMS makes you want to attend?"
"Ethical question about 14 yr old girl wanting an abortion"
"Did you learn anything about EVMS today? What do you think of the standardized patients?"
"What have you learned about EVMS today? What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Why EVMS? Why medicine? What books have you read lately? How would you fix healthcare?"
"Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your research."
"So you're trained as a physician. What would your average day be like?"
"A bunch of questions about my personal statement and out of school activities. What were the last 2 books you read? Why EVMS? What will your day to day life be like as a doctor? What will you do if you don't get accepted this year? What are you going to do between now and next September?"
"why don't you think you got into medical school the first time? "
"What do you think of the everyday life of a physician?"
"Why do you want to come to Eastern Virginia "
"How would you address the problems of the US healthcare system?"
"How would you advise Obama to improve healthcare if you were his health advisor?"
"Why EVMS? How health care could be improved? If there were one thing I could excise from our health care system, what would it be? About the Taiwanese health care system, from the view of a PR there for 7 years."
"Why EVMS? Will you be comfortable moving to Norfolk?"
"They asked really specific ?s about classes I've taken... not grades, but more so what the classes were about and what I learned. "
"Suppose you are head of a hospital, and a 17-year old comes in who claims she is pregnant and does not want to keep the baby. What do you do?"
"How many schools did you apply to? And why EVMS of all the schools. "
"Tell me about yourself."
"19 year-old who wanted abortion"
"Health-Care?"
"Your a family practice physician, and a 14 year old girl - whose entire family are your patients - comes in wanting birth control. Do you give it? Then she comes back some months later thinking that she may be pregnant, wants an abortion, and doesn't want anyone to know. What do you do, and do you tell her mom because she is your patient?"
"A 15 year old comes to you and wants an abortion; what do you do?"
"If you were a pharmacist, would you prevent people from purchasing certain drugs based on your own moral or religious beliefs?"
"Will you continue your practice of public health when you're a physician?"
"what would you do if your patient had a nervous disorder?"
"Why you over 7000 other applicants?"
"A patient asks you for assistance in ending his life? How do you respond?"
"14 year old girl that wants birth control, and then 14 year girl wants an abortion."
"Abortion. 14 year old girl comes, what would you do? Thne what would you do if it was incest?"
"Abortion question."
"strenghts/weaknesses"
"Tell me more about (blank) activity from your undergraduate years. (Know your AMCAS backwards and forwards.)"
"AdCom member asked about a few specific activities on my app. What has impressed you most today? Why EVMS?"
"Why do you want to be a physician? Why EVMS?"
"15 yo wants an abortion and doesn't want to tell her parents but you're pro-life? She's you're best friends daughter?"
"Name your best and your worst quality. "
"How would your roommate describe yourself? What attributes do you have to become a successful doctor. What are your strength and weaknesses."
"So how has your day been so far?"
"interviewee stats: 13 of 18 interviewees were female. 7 of 18 applicants were from UVA. 13-15 applicants were in-state."
"Why EVMS? Why Dr.?"
"Why EVMS? What did you know before today?"
"What is a moment you are least proud of?"
"Why EVMS? Why medicine?"
"A number of ethical questions regarding teenage abortion/abuse and physicians working while intoxicated."
"Do you like yourself?"
"Why did you decide to play the viola?"
"Ethics question, on abortion. "
"Why did you apply to schools in the states?"
"Why EVMS? (And later I was specifically asked if it was my number one choice)"
"why evms? (they ask everyone this, and want to know that you've done your homework on what the school offers)"
"the last book I read"
"When did you first decide to become a doctor?"
"An ethical one in regards to I made a mistake with my patient 2 years ago and now he has cancer, could have been prevented. How do I deal witrh situatin?"
"Healthcare, what to do about the uninsured"
"Strengths/weaknesses (classic question)"
"why medicine? tell me about ur reserach? tell me about health care in home country?"
"We started talking about my trip down here because I had to apologize for my shoes (which were still lost in transit in my bag - so I wore the sneakers that I traveled in to the interview) and then Why Virginia? (I'm out of state, int'l student) - I was told for in state - Why EVMS? is a staple..and for OOS - Why EVMS and why Virginia?? are gonna be asked for sure"
"Um I was asked like 15 questions..but had one on healthcare reform"
"Health care reform"
"see most difficult"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"tell the parents?"
"How would you fix the healthcare system?"
"What would you say to a patient that asked you to help him committ suicide?"
"What was last book you read."
"Why EVMS? Especially since it is so far away from your home state."
"How would you fix the healthcare system? They really emphasis this one, I think everyone gets it!"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"You have a patient who is a young child with meningitis. Her parents don't believe in medicine, instead, they want to take her home and pray over her. What do you do? "
"Last book read. Asked me questions about my research experiences."
"Why EVMS (obviously)? What impressed you today? What didnt impress you?"
"what do you do when a terminally ill patient asks you for medication to end his life"
"Tell us about your research. Why have you decided to pursue clinical medicine?"
"How do you think your major has positively and negatively prepared you for the field of medicine?"
"Give a creative solution to the problem of health insurance."
"Why do you wanna be a doc? Why EVMS? Tell me about the lifestyle of a doc."
"How would you fix healthcare in this country? (I relied on my own knowledge as an attorney with an interest in healthcare and medical malpractice reform, but I also "cheated" by citing elements of Governor Mitt Romney's plan to overhaul Medicaid finance in Massachusetts, as well as Germany's statutory framework which has succeeded quite well at cost control). [Also, when asked how many people are uninsured in America, I cited the popular '45 million' figure, but then I added that "According to a 3-year-old study done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in any given 3-month period that figure is closer to 73 million. That's about 1 in 3 Americans. When you factor in the number of UNDERinsured, you get a sense of how atrocious healthcare delivery is in this country for many Americans."]"
"What are some of your weaknesses?"
"Questions on the goal of my research project and clinical aspect of research project"
"What would you do if you weren't able to become a physician?"
"What does a doctor DO exactly?"
"Something about what there anything negative about the school or city that I could see as a challenge if I came their. "
"best movie you've seen recently"
"Here are the basics: Why EVMS? Why medicine? Some ethical question. Then a question about the current state of health care. The rest will be about your experiences."
"How to fix current healthcare crisis"
"What sets you apart from our applicants?"
"Why EVMS? List some US Healthcare issues and compare them to that of a foreign country (where I was born)."
"Why medicine? Why Eastern?"
"Why this school? What kind of community service have you done? "
"A 16 y.o. female patient, whom you have known and treated in addition to her family for 10+ years, comes to you asking for a birth control Rx. How do you handle this?"
"Question about one of my secondary essays."
""An interesting case from N. VA - an anencephalic baby suffers a long series of breathing arrests. Do you resuscitate?" They let me answer, then gave me the state court's opinion."
"If you were a physician practicing today what do you think would be the most frustrating thing you would experience on a daily basis?"
"Ethical questions: What do you do if a family has been in a car accident, the child needs a blood transfusion, but the parents refuse based on the fact that they are Jehovah's Witnesses?"
"Who wrote your letters of recommendation? How old were you when you saw your first birth? (and similar questions that were all a test to find out if I knew what was in my own application)"
"Why do you want to be an MD? Strengths/weaknesses "
"Why do you want to be a physician? Why EVMS? Talk about your exposure to medicine. What can you bring to EVMS that is unique?"
"Why you want to be a physician (you almost always WILL be asked this so have a concise answer it looks extremely negative on your part if you stumble over this answer) "
"15 year old girl walks into your clinic and wants an abortion, what do you do? (since I would have killed to give up an arm and a leg to know the answer beforehand, here's an idea of what the answer might be: inform the patient of the other options (adoption, keeping the baby), ask about her relationship with her parents and why she doesn't want them to know, inquire about the circumstances of the pregnancy (rape?) and run HIV and STD tests. If the patient still wants to have an abortion and is competent enough to make a decision, then the best choice of action is to do whatever the patient wants to do)."
"Why EVMS? Three strengths/weaknesses. Role of a physician. Describe a typical day of your life in 15-20 years."
"About my extracurriculars."
"what is the biggest problem you see in healthcare, how would you rememdy it? what would you do to fix the problem of the over 50 mil. uninsured?1. "
"see "most interesting question" above."
"Tell me about your neuroscience program."
"Would I give a 15 yr old birth control and not tell her parents, if they were family friends who would not approve?"
"Typical day in pratice? Why EVMS? Why doctor? "
"How would you suggest we deal with the prohibitively high cost of prescription drugs?"
"What would you do if a 15-yr-old girl comes in and wants an abortion? "
"Would you give an abortion to your 14 year old neighbor who didn't want you to tell her parents?"
"Why do you want to be a physician? What is your greatest strength/ weakness? (very standard questions)"
"Question about crack baby described above. HINT: As a doctor, it is your responsibility to be an advocate for your patients, even if they cannot advocate for themselves! Who their mom or dad is should not make a bit of difference."
"Same as above, why EVMS, why applying again, what is different, what if you don't get in?"
"strenghts,weaknesses. what undergrad science class did you like the most, the least. would you change anything you did academically in your undergrad. experience."
"45 million uninsured"
"What would I do about the 45 million uninsured? (and several follow-up questions)"
"Does the health care system need to be fixed and if so, how would you fix it?"
"what will a day in your practice look like?"
"A man's PSA test comes back reading 20. When you compare the results with a few years ago, it was 9. You missed the diagnosis of Prostate Cancer. Do you tell him? Would this result in a malpractice suit?"
"What is your concept of the ideal physician? (character qualities, etc.)"
"What is your opinion of HMOs as it relates to the healthcare crisis?"
"Ethicals (abortion, health care rationing)"
"Why EVMS? Why would you leave Florida [where I'm working right now] for Norfolk?"
"Did you like your undergrad. experience? "
"Strenghts and weaknesses"
"Tell me a little about yourself (in my opinion the worst interview question of all time)"
"What is the biggest problem with the U.S. healthcare system?"
"Every standard med question you can think of...where you'll be in ten years, strengths/weaknesses, what would your friends say about you, why doctor, why EVMS"
"Strength? Weakness? Biggest regret? Why med school? Why now? Why EVMS? Day in your practice 15 years from now? Doc responsibility to community? Animal rights question? Worst experience with a doc? Volunteer experiences? Explain outcomes of research? "
"why do you want to be a doctor"
"What's the biggest problem with US healthcare today? How would you fix it?"
"Pretend that you are the Surgeon General what would you do about the childhood obesity problem?"
"If you friend's dad has a heart attack, and a pill for $10 might help but a $50,000 medication would save him, what would you prescribe. Who would pay for it? Does everyone deserve adequate healthcare?"
"What was the last book you read? "
"14 year old girl?"
"The above one about malpractice insurance"
"What does your father do for a living? (caught me off-guard)"
"What would your ideal healthcare system be?"
"If you were the Surgeon General of the US and had all the power to rebuild the healthcare system from the ground up, what would the system look like?"
"During WWII, illegal medical experiments were performed in Nazi Germany on Jewish prisoners where they tortured and sometimes killed their subjects. Some authorized people have read the results of these experiments and found that the Germans uncovered such advanced scientific knowledge that scientists today still have not quite caught up to some of the discoveries. The results of these German experiments have not been released to the public due to the brutalities associated with them. Some on the one hand believe that it is wrong to release the knowledge because of the horrible acts that were performed by those scientists. On the other hand, some push for the knowledge to be released because the knowledge discovered then still cannot be rediscovered today and that by releasing the information, since it will save lives today, those Jewish prisoners who died will not have died in vain. If it was your decision, what would you do with the information? Release it or not?"
"In no specific order: the question that is posted on SDN about abortion, my favorite and least favorite classes, my hobbies, they asked a couple of questions from my PS and my secondary, definitely be familiar with those. "
"The liver Q"
"as above"
"see the interesting and difficult ones."
"What are the top three problems with the health care system?"
"How do you propose to fix healthcare?"
"Interview 1: Tell me "your story." Where do you see yourself in ten years? Do you have any concerns about VCOM? If you are accepted here and several other schools, what would keep you from choosing VCOM? "
"What are the three biggest problems facing health care"
""You have a 65 year old patient on medicare with fixed incomes and she is on BP meds. You see her in the office and find her having a high blood pressure. You ask her if she is taking her medications and she swears she is. Who would ask to find out if she is really taking her medications?""
"Strength/weakness?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"What are my weaknesses, what are my strengths?"
"Why a physician? Why not nurse?"
"15yo in the most rural area where you are a family practitioner comes to you for birth control since she has a new boyfriend and she is going to be sexually active (does not want her parents to know)what do you do? If you don't give it to her, she comes back six months later pregnant, she requests an abortion because she does not want her parents to know. what do you do?"
"How is the health of your grandmother?"
"If you were the Surgeon General and you had to power to completely solve the problem of the 40+ million who are uninsured, how would you do it? "
"Describe yourself."
"If I talked to your best friend, what would she say is the worst characteristic that you have?"
"What is your stance on euthanasia?"
"Would you save someone's life if they asked you not to?"
"Why did you choose to write a thesis as an undergrad?"
"How do you feel about MDs who offer more personalized care (ie home phone numer) to only a few of their patients, for a one-time fee?"
"Why EVMS? Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Why EVMS? Why choose you if one spot? "
""How did you get down I-64 on a moped?""
"There are millions of uninsured in this country, if you had the power to change things, what would you do?"
"A few standard questions: Why do you want to be a doctor? Why EVMS? Etc."
"Why medicine? Why EVMS?"
"Scenario: Elderly patient that has been previously prescribed bp meds by you comes in with very high bp. She insists she is taking the med. What do you do."
"the abortion one asked to a lot of others on SDN & strengths and weaknesses as seen by a friend"
"Why were you a history major?"
"See "Most Interesting Question""
"Tell me about your experience living overseas."
"What is the #1 problem facing Americans today in terms of health care?"
"They are known for asking tough ethical questions. Just pick a stance and run with it. You don't have to be right, just show that you have given it some thought and have an opinion."
"What are your strengths and weaknesses"
"What would you do about the 400,000 uninsured Americans? "
"Abortion - 14 yr old, rape victim, "
"Why be a doctor? Why EVMS?"
"You're an ER physician and an uninsured patient walks in....what do you do?? How do you solve the problem of the 42 million uninsured people?"
"What would you do about the 44 million uninsured in America?"
"How did you pick your undergraduate institution?"
"What sets you out from the other 1000 applicants?"
"If the president gave you unlimited funds, how would you deal with the 44 million uninsured Americans?"
"Tell me about yourself and why you're here"
"What do you think about President Bush's stance on stem cell research?"
"An ederly woman with high BP already on medication. If you want to check to see if she is taking her meds, who do you ask?"
"Imagine you run a free clinic in the most rural area you can think of. A 16 yo girl comes to you and says she's pregnant. What do you do? You do such a good job guiding her that she goes back to her little village and brings back all her friends? What would you do now?"
"What are the strengths and weaknesses of the US healthcare system?"
"3 Weaknesses/Strengths"
"Why EVMS?"
"what is one strength & one weakness?"
"if there was only one slot open and we had to choose a student why should we choose you?"
"What would your (best friend, college counselor, etc) say is your greatest strength/weakness?"
"why u suck?"
"You are a pediatrician. A 17 yr old patient comes to you asking for birth control. What do you do?"
" Why EVMS?/ Why medicine?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience at the ____ hospital."
"Tell us how you got from *** to medicine. What would you do if you couldn't do medicine?"
"What do you know about socialized healthcare? Is it better than our system?"
"what are strengths/weaknesses, why do you want to be a doctor, what kind, why EVMS?"
"Ethical Questions on abortions and parental concerns"
"If you have a 69 year old female who's married to a 71 year old and they're on a fixed income, and you suspect she's not taking her meds, who will know for sure? Hint: It's not her, her husband, or you the doctor."
"Please Describe the "Art of Medicine" and not the "science of medicine""
"If a patient was dying and told you he did not want life support, and after he was unconscious his wife wanted him to be on life support, what would you say/do? (i said i'd first look at the law, and he immediately responded - forgot the law! now what?)"
"Strengths/weaknesses"
"Why EVMS? They really want lenghthy and specific answers; make sure you are prepared for it."
"What is wrong with managed care and how would you change it?"
"Tell us about your research?"
"Why medicine?"
"Some ethical questions about patient compliance and the conflict between managed care and patient interest."
"See above"
"What would I change about myself?"
"How would you change the United States Healthcare system?"
"What are my strengths and weakness?"
"Why do you want to come to EVMS?"
"Why EVMS"
"Top three healthcare issues"
"What about the curriculum most resonates with an activity you've done?"
"You have a couple as patients. One is HIV+ and does not want you to tell their partner. How would you handle this?"
"Statistics show that some physicians prescribe less prescription pain medication to patients of certain ethnic backgrounds compared to others. Why do you think this is?"
"Do you share our school values"
"3 of the biggest problems facing healthcare today and what I would do to combat these issues."
"Are there any disparities in medicine right now? If yes, what is it and how would you fix that?"
"Question about sharing responsibilities with coworkers."
"What are the important qualities/characteristics of a physician?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What are three of the major issues in healthcare today?"
"Tell me about a challenge you have faced?"
"Tell me about an impactful experience you have had during your exposures to medicine?"
"What are the top three problems in US healthcare?"
"time you made a mistake and what you did about it/ what you learned."
"What did you like about EVMS in the presentations/tours?"
"What is the Doctor's role with a patient?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor (as opposed to a nurse, PA, etc)"
"What activities do you do to destress?"
"Do you think your ten-year plan is realistic?"
"Pros and cons of obamacare"
"We see that you have worked extensively with numerous of our faculty and students. Do you foresee conflict during your education with these individuals? If so, how would you navigate these conflicts?"
"What is your plan B? (I think they were looking to see if I was dedicated to working in medicine, or if I would just abandon it.)"
"What did you like about your tour today? (the interview is at the end of the day)"
"You find a colleague has not informed a patient of a life threatening abnormality. The patient is very irate and yelling at staff. What do you do?"
"Asked about my ethics. Took me a little to realize that they wanted me to come up with a scenario. Then talked about how I would handle an abortion and was then asked about how I would treat a JW child who needed a transfusion and the parents refused. http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/ This website really helped me prepare for ethics topics and my interviewer agreed with what I said."
"What have you learned in your extra-curricular activities about teamwork?"
"If your sister's boyfriend came to your practice with an STD what would you do?"
"Tell me about (these specific classes)."
"HIV positive patient is dating your sister. What do you do?"
"If you knew students who were selling/using Adderall, what would you do?"
"What is one of your strengths?"
"Tell us about yourself. (always tough... not sure how much detail to give in open file interviews)"
"What do you think about the new heathcare bill?"
"how to fix health-care"
"What is THE most important quality of a Physician?"
"Explain research and experiences."
"Three qualities of a great physician."
"What is one thing that you seen today at EVMS that stands out the most for you?"
"What do you think about the current state of health care in the US and the current reform being discussed? / What would you do to change things?"
"How to improve healthcare situation"
"What are 3 things you would do the fix healthcare?"
"What are 3 things that you'd do to fix healthcare system?"
"A 14-yr-old girl comes in and wants birth control. What do you do? Now she's pregnant and wants an abortion. Do you give her one? Do you tell her parents?"
"How would you reform the healthcare system?"
"If you were surgeon general, what three things would you focus on or advise Obama on with healthcare issues?"
"What do you want people to remember about you when you graduate?"
"why va"
"How do you perceive healthcare today? If you believe there are any problems with the current system expand on these. Do you have any solutions? "
"A question about abortion."
"why can't you do what you want to do with an MPH degree? Why become a doctor?"
"What do you suggest to do about national health care issues?"
"What would your best friend say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?"
"What to do about 47 million uninsured people?"
"What will you do if you don't get into med school this year?"
"What would you do if your friend's teenage daughter comes for an abortion and doesn't want you to tell her parents? what if it's required by the law?"
"Ethics: a) Physician Assisted Suicide, b) Workplace ethics. About details regarding my volunteering experiences. Have I had any experience with family members illnesses; what did I learn from it."
"What would you do as an advisor to Obama/McCain about health care in the US?"
"What do you think about the American healthcare system?"
"What would your roommates say are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"take me through what your typical day will be like as a physician"
"specific questions about application"
"15 year old wants abortion?"
"What do you know about the health care system? And how would you go about improving the situation?"
"If you had $10 million, how would you fix healthcare?"
"What are your positive and negative attributes?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"what would you do if your patient didn't do what you told him to?"
"How would you fix health care?"
"What makes you different from other students "
"How do you plan on having a family while being a practicing physician? (I am a female.)"
"Besides lack of money, why do I think there are so many uninsured Americans?"
"Please describe (insert activity)."
"What do you think about SCHIP? Do you think all children should be covered?"
"How to fix healthcare."
"why EVMS"
"What are your thoughts on stem cell research?"
"How would you fix the healthcare system? A 15-year-old girl comes in and asks for an abortion, what would you do?"
"Tell me about extracurricular activity, have you shadowed? community service?"
"You have a vaccine for HIV in hand, do you go for the money or for equitable distribution?"
"Why would you choose EVMS over, say, some larger school to the west of us. (I work at UVA so they were clealy asking me why they should believe that I would want to go to EVMs over UVA). "
"What has your best friend said is the best thing about EVMS? (We chatted for a while after the first question and I mentioned my best friend is a M1 at EVMS)"
"see above"
"What would you do about the 45 million uninsured?"
"What would your best friend say are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Describe for me your interest in global health."
"Why should we take you instead of another Canadian? (I am Canadian)"
"What would your friends say are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"How would you fix the American health care system?"
"Name your stengths and weaknesses. "
"Is there anything you learned about the school on your tour that impressed you?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Ethical question regarding the morning after pill."
"Tell me about telomeres and cancer (it was what I did my thesis on)"
"compare the canadian and american health care systems (because I am canadian... but they ask everyone about the health care system)"
"What do you think your schedule as a physician would be like"
"Ethics question about a child who is a Jehovah's Witness but needs a bone marrow transplant."
"What would you do if no med school this year? Obviously, reapply!!"
"What would you do about a doctor who was krunkd all the time?"
"Tell me about your Tutoring at ____(inner city kids tutoring program I did over the summer)"
"uninsured healthcare crisis"
"If a family came to my practice with no insurance would I treat them?"
"strenght, weaknesses, "
"AMCAS questions? Why medicine? Fix US health care? Abortion question? "
"Ethics question on a parent wanting medication for their child when the child clearly didn't need it"
"Ethical question"
"What is one acheivement from college that you are most proud of?"
"What would you do if a 14 year old girl came in and asked for an abortion but didnt want to tell her parents?"
"why evms? right off the bat"
"If you had a supervisor that came to work under the influence what would you do?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"How would you fix healthcare system?"
"Specific questions about my primary and secondary application."
"What did you learn from your volunteer opportunities and shadowing?"
"Why do you want to attend EVMS?"
"Why a doctor?"
"Tell me about your study aborad experience."
"Something unique you will bring to EVMS"
"What do you know about the health care system"
"Tell me about doctors."
"What are your strengths/weaknesses"
"If your roommmate were to describe you to us, what would he say are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"Would you give condoms and birth control to a minor?"
"You have a friend with a 16 year daughter. She gets pregnant and comes to you for an abortion. What do you do?"
"Would you give blood to a 4 year old who would die if she didnt' get a transfusion but her parents are Jehova's witnesses and will not allow it?"
"A 14-year-old girl comes to you wanting an abortion, and she does not want her parents to know. How would you handle this? (Refer to the Univ of Wash bioethics site, read other SDN posts, and you should be able to utterly destroy this question)"
"Describe further [anything from the application, such as activist work, desire to work in international relief, academic problems, etc]"
"what are two things you want to do before you die? "
"Why EVMS, about the physician I shadowed (why do I model myself after her), Fix health care system, donating organ to 70 year old or 20 year old inmate"
"How would you fix the health care system?"
"When DOES life begin? (after I said that I had taken an ethics class...oops!)"
"Fix the healthcare system? What you do you think the over head for HMO in comparsion to Medicare is (You do not have to get this answer right they just wnat to see what you think)? "
"My clinical experiences"
"What was your college like?"
"Describe research project.(Did neuroscience research with a nobel prize nominee). I was drilled on this for about 20mins."
"Fix the US Health System"
"16 yr old came to you for an abortion, what would you do? If you chose to perform the abortion, would you contact her parents beforehand? If she wanted birth control, would you give it to her? Would you contact her parents before giving her birth control?"
"What is your greatest strength and weakness?"
"Liver patient question (see above)"
"How would your friends describe you (strengths and weaknesses)?"
"How did you like UVA? How was your research experience? "
"Why are you interested in EVMS?"
"Euthanasia"
"talk about US health care system and possible solutions"
"Healthcare? What do you think of it, what can we fix?"
"Why Medicine?"
"Strengths and weaknesses."
"What do you think of the US healthcare system?"
"Where do you see your practice in 10 years? What has changed about your application since last year? "
"How do you respond to an angry mother who had to wait in the ER for 6 hours to find out her son only had a cold and doesn’t understand why he can’t be given medicine (something like that). Followed up with a question about the healthcare system (they seem to like this topic) "
"What's a big issue in healthcare and what do we do about it? "
"What should be done about malpractice? What should be included in basic healthcare? "
"About my extracurriculars."
"2. Tell us about what research/clinical experience you've had? 3. what qualities do you think make a good doctor? what are some of your postiive qulities? "
"what's wrong with the healthcare system here versus in india? why do you think the problems here exist and how do you fix them? what's better or worse about each system?"
"Would you give birth control pills to your neighbor's 13-year-old daughter?"
"What do you think about the US healthcare system? What can be done to improve it?"
"What's up with your declining GPA over the course of your studies?"
"Pregnant girl at 15, what do you do? Best friend describe weakness, strength? What book are you reading?"
"If I were to ask your best friend to describe your strengths and weaknesses, what would she say?"
"Describe a typical day in your practice."
"What would you do if a 3-yr-old (whose parents are Jehovah's witnesses) come in and needs a blood tranfusion, and the parents refuse?"
"Where do you see yourself in twenty years?"
"How would you fix our health care system?"
"Who is responsible for paying for paying for a brain damaged 80 year old who has no hope of recovery and no insurance if her child doesn't want her to be taken off life support?"
"How do you plan to balance your responsibilities to your family and your patients?"
"Question about who deserves a liver transplant more, person in situation A or person in situation B. HINT: That is not up to you to decide. There is a very precise system in place for the allocation of organs to potential recipients. It matches based on blood type, body size, place on list, etc."
"what do you do for fun, last book you read. why an econ major. what specialty and why."
"transplant / scarce medical resources"
"What would I do if a 15 year-old came into my office and wanted an abortion? (again, some follow-up)"
"You have an unconscious patient with a life-threatening head injury who needs immediate surgery. His brother says he is a Jehovah's Witness who would not want surgery. What do you do?"
"what specialty interests you?"
"A couple with leftover embryos from an in-vitro fertilization procedure wants to do something useful. What would you suggest if they requested that they not be implanted? (Yes, this is stem cell research, do your research)"
"How would your brother describe your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Question about euthanasia. It's illegal in all states except Oregon."
"you've done so much, do u feel like u've sacrificed anything along the way?"
"How would your best friend describe your greatest strength/weakness?"
"What are you doing now?"
"Compare medicine in Nigeria to USA (I am from Nigeria) "
"abortion, resource allocation, autonomy--ethics, ethics, ethics"
"Are you interested in primary care?"
"About 5 ethical questions, teen pregnancy issues, deciding which patient deserves a liver transplant, stem cell..."
"euthanasia question"
"Question about teenage girl who wants abortion (above)"
"How can we deal with the rising price of healthcare?"
"Strengths/weakenesses"
"I was asked about present policy regarding healthcare reform and funding, and then about what John Edwards did (Hint: doctors don't like him)"
"This has been posted before, If a 15 year old girl wants an abortion, what do you do?"
"biggest problem with healthcare system"
"Say a fifteen year old girl comes to you asking for birth control because she is going to start being sexualy active wiht her boyfriend? Follow-up, her mom finds her pills with your name on it and calls you furious, what do you do?"
"Why are you interviewing at ___________ (other schools I was scheduled to interview at)"
"You have had extensive clinical volunteer experiences. What makes you want to go further to become a physician?"
"Organ allocation question. (see above) "
"how did your experience studying abroad make you a better dr?"
"What do you think about the system of health care in the United States? What would you do to solve it? How would you fund that? "
"The uninsured Q"
"strengths/weaknesses/how best friend describes me"
"A terminally ill patient wants a large prescription of painkillers to end his life when he chooses. Do you give them to him? Is physician-assisted suicide legal? (answer: only in oregon)"
"What are your thoughts on Euthanasia?"
"Interview 2: What is compassion? What positive experiences did have when you were shadowing physicians? What negative experiences did you have? What are the traits of a good physician? Do you think you are well prepared for medical school?"
"Bioethics questions on euthanasia and stem cell research"
"What is the ONE thing that you like the most about being a doctor? Why EVMS? Tell us more about your shadowing experience. Tell us a little bit about your research."
"What would you do if your supervisor had alcohol in his breath?"
"Some ethical quesions - very specific cases."
"How would your best friend describe you?"
"why medicine"
"What would your best friend say your strengths and weaknesses are?"
"How would your friend describe your good and bad qualities. (I have actually asked this my girlfriend)"
"What are your best/worst features? What characteristics of yours will help/hurt you in medical school?"
"What do you think about physicians walking out on patients to protest higher malpractice premiums? "
"What will you do if you are not accepted to medical school this year?"
"What would your best friend say was your best/worst quality?"
"What is a typical day in the life a physician?"
"If their family asked you not to?"
"If you were going to attend a conference and it was going to cost you 3000 dollars and a drug rep offered to pay because they feel continuing edu is so important for physicians would you let them pay?"
"Tell me about your strengths/weaknesses"
"Talk about current problems in healthcare. There are 43 million Americans without health insurance. How do we fix this problem?"
"Habla espanol?"
"What would you do if a 14 yo girl came to you pregnant, wanting an abortion, but insists her parents will "kill her" if they find out... after pressing, you find out it was her dad's baby! What do you do then?"
""Tell me about your research." "
"We [the admissions committee] can judge students' aptitude for the "science" of medicine by the courses they take in college. It is more difficult to judge students' aptitude for the "art" of medicine. What is the "art" of medicine and how does one judge a student's aptitude for the "art" of medicine?"
"US health care problems and how you'd fix them."
"Describe a day in the life of a family practice small town doctor (including what I would eat for breakfast, when I would leave for work, etc...)"
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"A discussion about problems in healthcare today that led to obesity."
"What would you do if you couldn't go to medical school?"
"what books have you read recently?"
"Do you know what a typical day is like for a doctor?"
"See "Most Difficult Question""
"14 yr. old girl scenario..."
"See difficult question above"
"Describe the most rewarding experience at your undergraduate institution"
"Would you give abortion to a 15 year old girl living in a developing country? why?"
"Do you think this country is ready for a national healthcare program?"
"weaknesses/ strengths"
"How would your friends describe you: positively and negatively."
"Why should we select you over everyone else? "
"What do you think about Oregan's right to die legislation?"
"What are 3 of your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What is Women's Studies? (that's my major)"
"Picture your medical practice ten years from now. Describe how you envision a typical day, from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep."
"What do you think of the uninsured in America and how would you solve the problem of insuring everyone?"
"What is the literal meaning of "Doctor"?"
"How do you feel about HMOs? "
"If a 14 year old gril comes in adn asks you for birth control, would you give it to her and would you tell her parents? if not, what if she came in 6 months later pregnant?"
"Why EVMS?"
"What do you think of the Oregon assisted-suicide law? "
"how would you address the national healthcare problem for 45 millions uninsured americans?"
"question on euthenasia"
"What will you do if you're not accepted to medical school this year?"
"what did u say why u suck again?"
"You are the verge of failing a class when an upperclassman comes to your rescue with an illegal copy of a forthcoming test. Would you look at the test AND would you turn in your colleague. "
"If you are appointed the health minister of the country you came from would you take the position? "
"What impressed you about EVMS?"
"Your father's an MD. Tell us how he influenced your decision to enter med school."
"What do you like to do? How are you involved in your community? "
"what would you do for a child whose parents wanted to not treat her for menegitis?"
"Why should we pick you over all the other students interviewing today? Why are you different from everybody else and how will that difference contribute to the EVMS community?"
"If your mother had hypertension and she ran out of her meds, would you prescribe her more until she can get in to see her doctor?"
"What has been the most important medical discovery in the recent past?"
"some people say my clinic can't serve poor patients because they can't afford it. they end up going to another place that is overcrowded. how would you fix it?"
"Why doctor/EVMS?"
"How do you think about Stem Cell research. "
"Why did you choose to take time off after college?"
"In what type of underserved area would you like to practice and why?"
"What are your strengths? Weaknesses?"
"What are my strengths and weaknesses?"
"What medical experiences do I have?"
"If you don't get into medical school this year what will you do?"
"WHat would your friends say is your greatest weakness"
"Ethical decision whether to treat undocumented/DACA patients"
"Tell me about a time a physician you shadowed had a difficult patient?"
"Why do you want to work in medicine as opposed to other areas of healthcare?"
"What is one positive and one negative trait your friends have used to describe you?"
"Why do you want to be a physician rather than a PA or other healthcare professionals"
"Tell us about your most interesting volunteer experience."
"Should a physicians’s religious beliefs play a role in the care they provide?"
"How do you exemplify our values in your daily life and how will you exemplify them as a physician?"
"Why do you want to be a physician rather than a researcher or something else in the medical field?"
"Ethical question"
"Describe the physician's role, as you see it?"
"tell me about xxx experience. what did you learn from shadowing. out of all the qualities you mentioned about your shadowing physician, which ones do you posses. KNOW YOU EXPERIENCES FRONT AND BACK. THINK ABOUT EVERY DETAIL YOU HAD IN THEM."
"How has your volunteering affected you as a future physician?"
"What are you doing if you do not get in this cycle?"
"What do you plan on doing in the upcoming year prior to matriculation and what will you do if you don't get into school this cycle?"
"What was your favorite course you've taken?"
"Tell us about your hobbies?"
"How do you manage a team with different opinions? i.e. how would you lead them?"
"What specialty do you not want to do and why?"
"What are your thoughts on the Affordable Care Act?"
"Why did you apply to EVMS specifically all the way from California. (I screwed this one up. The way he asked it didn't make it sound like a why EVMS question!)"
"What is the most important quality of a doctor and why? I talked about trust because you have to be able to instantly create a relationship with a patient in order for them to be willing to share personal information so that you can diagnose."
"Have you overcome any hardships?"
"Why did you choose to attend your undergraduate school?"
"Tell me about an ethical/moral dilemma."
"What is a challenge you've faced?"
"What is one of your weaknesses?"
"What did you know about EVMS before today? Branched into a discussion on what I like about EVMS / what did I know EVMS for before the interview."
"What do you think about socialized medicine?"
"walk us troughs how your life will be like 20 years from now"
"Regarding a specific experience in my application, What was an obstacle you faced and how did you overcome it?"
"How I coped with some difficult events in my life."
"A woman with hypertension refuses to take her meds. What do you do?"
"Have you gotten a chance to check out Norfolk? How do you like the area?"
"If you accidentally cut an artery or other organ during a surgical procedure, but managed to repair the damage would you tell the patient? Why or why not?"
"Questions about what my minor entailed"
"What are 3 of your strengths? 3 Weaknesses?"
"A 16 year old patient is terminal and wants no more intervention. His parents want him to be intubated and put on the ventilator. What do you do?"
"Doctor assisted suicide"
"Ethical situation in which an elderly man dying of cancer comes to you to refill his pain medication, and tells you that he plans to take all the medication at once to kill himself. Do you give him the refill?"
"What led you to medicine? Why EVMS?"
"If you aren't sure your patient is taking her meds, who else other than the patient can you ask to find out the truth? "
"what speciality"
"A 14 year-old female walks into your office asking for contraceptives but does not want to tell their parents. What do you do? The female comes back a couple of months later, believes they are pregnant, and wants an abortion. What do you do? Say you refuse to give the abortion and the patient leaves your office threatening to pursue other (not so nice) options for the procedure. What do you do? "
"What do you think of the American Health care system and how would you fix it?"
"14 year old girl, daughter of a family you treat, asks for an abortion and doesn't want parents to know. What do you do? (VA state law requires parents to be informed about abortion for minors, but they do not need to give permission) Later you find that the girl was raped by someone in her family. (Turn case over to social services)"
"Hypothetical Ethical Dilemma-- You made a serious mistake-- how do you deal with it and what do you tell the patient and her family?"
"Abortion scenario with a pregnant teenage girl. What would I do as a physician?"
"Why do you want to become a doctor now (following prior career)?"
"If you see a classmate struggling and skipping classes what would you tell him/her?"
"About the paper I published; Why I felt I knew I would like interacting with people; why I wanted to be a doctor; what doctors I have known that have impressed me and how"
"Ethical question. The mother of a child with leukemia decides to send the child to Mexico for treatment instead of remaining in the U.S. The success rate for treatment in the U.S. is 98% and you believe the child will die if taken to Mexico. Do you call Children Protection Services and take the child away from the mother in order to provide treatment? "
"What are your strengths?"
"A 14yo walks into your office, missing two period cycles and asks for an abortion. What do you do? Do you tell her parents, specifically her father? What would you do if the kid was raped? Then what would you do if her father raped her? (I didn't expect a series of questions, but I think they wanted to see how I would react under pressure. I answered with the best of my ability and stuck to my position and action plan. We'll see if they like it in a few weeks)"
"You're a first year med student and at a party one of your classmates has 6 beers in 1 hour and gets really drunk. Then next party he does the same thing and ends up punching someone. How would you handle the situation."
"problem with healthcare, how would u fix it?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? Why EVMS?"
"Tell us about your dialysis center volunteer work?"
"Why did you want to come to EVMS? What specific aspects attract you to the school?"
"How will you balance your activities in medical school with the rest of your life?"
"ethics"
"How do you feel about using animals in lab testing?"
"stengths/ weaknesses? Why EVMS?"
"Strength/weakness?"
"What do you think about the US healthcare?"
"Assisted physician suicide question. Stuff on application. What makes you different?"
"There are many qualified applicants, why should we pick you?"
"What are your three strengths? Three weaknesses."
"If I called your best friend right now, what would they say are your 2 greatest strengths and 2 weaknesses? Followup of how do you think your weaknesses will impact your ability to handle medical school? Describe what you think your typical day will look like as a physician. Do you have any questions for us?"
"What would your best friend say is your greatest strength? Tell me a weakness, ''and don't say something that's really a strength.''"
"Why come to VA? What about EVMS do you look forward to? "
"How would your unique background contribute to our campus diversity and to your success as a physician. (I have a Master's in Theology and Philosophy so yeah I guess I'm kinda unique)."
"How would you fix health care? ( took up atleast half of my interview)"
"How did you get interested in the issue of female genital circumcision? (again, my thesis)"
"see above"
"Strengths and weaknesses?"
"What are you greatest strengths/weaknesses?"
"Patient asks for enough medication to end their life, what would you say/do?"
"A daughter of a friend comes to saying she is sexually active and comes to you asking for oral contraceptives. What do you do? Followed up with that it is now a few months later, she has come back saying that she had not been taking the prescribed birth control, and is now pregnant and wants and abortion. What would you do?"
"Some kind of assisted suicide question (if you read through the U wash website and do their cases, and read a book or two on ethics, you should be able to destroy their questions)"
"What's wrong with the health care system? What do you think are the possible solutions?"
"Would you give a fourteen-year-old an abortion?"
"What are some examples of accidents your family has had? (I had said in my personal statement that I come from an accident-prone family)"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Tell us how you came about to decide to become a doctor, the long version."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"have you ever had an unpleasant experience with a doctor?"
"Why do you want to go to medical school, why our school"
"What would your best friend say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?"
"Why EVMS? I do not think my answer to this was that convincing, but I do truly want to attend. My number one hoice!!"
"What would you do if you didn't get into med school this year?"
"Anything negative you discovered about the school while you were here?"
"abortion"
"Physician-Assisted Suicide question"
"ethics questions, why EVMS (THEY ALWAYS ASK THIS!)"
"Grades/GPA too low, but MCAT fine. Have improved over school career but have I considered other options? What to do if don't get in right away? What other schools have I applied to? What do I want them to tell admissions commitee?"
"Thoughts on animal research"
"Why EVMS (specifically)"
"What was your biggest adjustment in the last two years (since I'm out of undergrad)?"
"reason for improvment on 2nd mcat?"
"Why were you are a Psyh major in college? What do you do to relieve stress? "
"How would you fix healthcare?"
"What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"Ethical question above and if you had a colleague who was hammered at every event what would you do? What if it was affecting their work?"
"What are your strengths? Why would we regret admitting you?"
"3) What would you do if a teen came into your practice and requested an abortion? 4) What is the biggest problem with the U.S. healthcare system? 5) How would you remedy this problem?"
"What to do about uninsured in US?"
"Fix the healthcare system"
"How would your roommate describe your strengths? Your weaknesses?"
"Various questions about my interests. Make sure you are prepared to back up your answers!"
"Fix national healthcare."
"How would you go about fixing healthcare (in terms of homeless showing up in ERs as primary care)?"
"Why would you be a good fit at EVMS?"
"Would you give a liver transplant to a wealthy person willing to donate $10 million to the hospital if he could get the liver that a homeless bum was supposed to get? "
"We know you have many strengths - what are some of your weaknesses, and could you please tell us what YOU think your strengths are? [Just be modest and humble, and don't make up bogus "weaknesses" such as "I am a perfectionist" - it's a fine balance coming up with attributes that can be construed as BOTH asset and liability. I recommend reading Iserson's description of how to tackle this question.]"
"ethics: You accidentally and inadvertently chance to see the file of the husband of a family you've known for a long time, but are not his primary provider. The chart shows that he has HIV, and his wife later comes to you for a physical."
"If you were Bill Gates what would you do with all that money?"
"Where do i see myself in 10yrs, what kind of physician would I like to be, strength and weeknesses, describe what my day will be like as a physician"
"What do you think you would contribute to your class?"
"Why EVMS/why medicine, the normal questions like that."
"Strengths and Weakness? What do you do for fun? Why EVMS? "
"strengths and weaknesses"
"Do you have any questions?"
"You are already a nurse. Why don't you advance within the nursing field rather than trying to go through Medschool?"
"What specialty?"
"What do you think a feasable solution would be to help the uninsured population of America? "
"You have one liver for transplant. The two candidates are: a rich, 80-year-old widow with 10 years to live or a 60-year-old inmate serving a life sentence with no possibility of parol. Also, the inmate has a family with young children. Who gets the liver? Depending on who you chose, either the inmate's wife or the widow's son comes to beg for the liver. How do you defend your choice?"
"Whats wrong with healthcare in US and how would you change it?"
"What problems do you think there are with our healthcare system?"
"Why do you think you'll go into surgery? Will you leave your options open?"
"If you don't get in this year, what will you do?"
"U.S. health care"
"What do you know about EVMS?"
"Biggest problem facing healthcare? How would you solve it? "
"Ethical Questions."
"Describe a typical day in your life as a doctor in 10 years."
"What would you do if a 16 year old came to you and wanted an abortion but didn't want her parents to know? (Since I said I would talk with the girl about her options and try to find out more about her psychosocial history, I found out that her father was also the father of her child - at that point it would be turned over to a child protection agency)"
"What is the role of the MD in society?"
"What do you do if a patient with stage-4 metastatic cancer asks to assist with suicide? "
"Basic ones included my strengths and weaknesses, why evms/what impressed me about the school (know info about the school they like to see you've done research on them) Questions relating to my experiences. Know your amcas and secondary application they can and most likely will refer to it at some point. "
"What are your strengths and weaknesses? "
"A 16 year old male with CF is going to die if he is not put on a ventillator and will still die within 3-4 weeks even with the vent. The patient wishes to die, but his family wants the vent, what do you do? (Hint: at 16 he can decide) A 16 year old comes to you and wants an abortion, what do you do?"
"14 year old girl wants an abortion, doesn't want parents to know, what do you do?"
"4. Tell us about a weakness you have (they prefaced it by saying "Don't say I work too hard, we've heard it all before.") 5. ETHICAL: what would you do if a 5 year old needed a transfusion but her jehova's witness parents adamantly refuse it b/c of religion? 6. What would you do if an end stage cancer patient wanted you to help her terminate her life?"
"explain some grades issues, strengths and weaknesses, etc."
"What are your strengths/ weaknesses?"
"Specific questions about several experiences on my application. Be prepared to discuss what you have accomplished thus far."
"45 million uninsured? Describe a specific research project that I did?"
"How are you going to handle the emotional stress of medical school/being a physician?"
"What major problems do you see with the health care system? How would you fix them and how would you fund those fixes?"
"What would you do with the 45 million uninsured?"
"What are your lifelong goals?"
"What other schools are you applying to?"
"Describe a typical day in your life as a doctor."
"Why medicine? Why EVMS?"
"what life advice do you give the kids you coach. "
"Medicare"
"Typical questions: why medicine, why EVMS, strengths/weaknesses, etc."
"If you don't get into med school this time, what will you do?"
"what would you do if your health policies (from an answer to another question) cut down on the money available to pharmaceutical companies for r&d and there were less new drugs available to help the public?"
"Biggest problems in healthcare?; What specialties are you considering?; Strengths/Weaknesses?"
"What are the pros and cons of universal health care?"
"What are your views regarding stem cell research?"
"tell me about a special friendship you have. "
"ultimate characteristics of the ideal physician"
"How did you maintain a job throughout college?"
"Ethics question: Would you give a teenager an abortion? "
"Community service, question above, why evms, why medicine?"
"How do you think your experiences between college and med school (several years of work experience) will make you a better doctor?"
"What is the biggest problem with US healthcare? If you were a senator, what actions would you take to rectify the problem?"
"abortion question"
"What's different about your application this time around? "
"What should we do about the 44 million Americans that are uninsured?"
"biggest problem in healthcare"
"Strengths and weaknesses."
"What specialty of medicine do you want to practice?"
"how would you fix that problem? "
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"If you had your very first choice of schools, where would you really want to go? (again, caught me very off guard)"
"What do you do for fun?"
"If you've done anything "special", e.g. travelled to a foreign country to volunteer, etc., make sure you are prepared to explain how it will help you become a better doctor. "
"your the next president....."
"How does health care in Peru compare to that in the US? (I'm from Peru and I had written about it in my personal statement)"
"why medicine/EVMS"
"Why do you think you'd make a good doctor? What are your weaknesses? "
"What was the last book you read?"
"Interview 3: Mostly conversational with no real questions. Discussed the professors background, his interest in VCOM, status of D.O. hospitals, international D.O. schools versus U.S. schools, realities and practicalities use of O.M.M. in practices, trends in D.O. medicine, etc..."
"Why EVMS and why a doctor"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses? If you were given an unlimited amount of funds, how would you work on the problem of 44 million uninsured? See the other two questions above (interesting and difficult questions)."
"Expand on a healthcare issue."
"How would I propose to fix healthcare in the US?"
"Are you a good writer? (in reference to my mcat writing score...I didn't think anyone looked at that)"
"ethical questions about u.s. healthcare system"
"What is your typical day five years into your surgical practice? "
"Many, many situational questions, mostly ethical, but not all. i.e. An eighty year old man with pancreatic cancer and a dispute amongst the family about how to procede; A 76 year old woman who has high BP but swears she is taking her meds; An 80 year old woman with bone sarcoma who asks you to prescribe her a lethal dose of painkillers...."
"What was your most memorable moment while volunteering in a health care setting?"
"Describe your most recent volunteer experience."
"(see slew of questions listed above and imagine them asked in a very agressive way)"
"What turned you on to EVMS?"
"If their religious belief required them not to receive medical treatment, would you still intervene?"
"Has there been one event that has occured in your life that changed you forever?"
"Why do you want to be a doc? Why EVMS?"
"What do you think about Dr. Kavorkian? (This is the name of the doctor who is famous for physician assisted suicide. He is currently in jail.)"
"Do you think females make better caregivers than males?"
"The baby question (above), what are your biggest strengths/weaknesses, what books have you read? How would you fix the US system of healthcare delivery? "
""Why EVMS?" This was an EASY one! :)"
"Why do you want to be a physician? What would you like best/least about being a physician? What are your strengths and weaknesses? How would you cope with the stresses of attending medical school? "
"15-yr-old girl question(s), followed by another ethical question about euthanasia."
"What would you do if you were a small town doc and a 14 year old girl told you she thought she was pregnant?"
"Ethics questions and my strengths and weaknesses."
"How do you feel about vanity license plates like MD TO BE?"
"what do you like to do for fun?"
"Describe your clinical experience. (Strong emphasis on clinical care - not so interested in research.)"
"If I were on the committee, what would I tell them that would convince them that EVMS should accept you."
"biggest problem facing health care today? fix it for us..."
"an elderly patient asks you while you are an intern to make him feel "comfortable" while his family thinks he should undergo surgery. Do you give him enough meds to make him feel comfortable? (yes, they were this vague.)"
"Weakness/ strengths??"
"Why do you want to be an M.D. when you're already in healthcare?"
"why EVMS"
"Who should pay for someones care who comes into the ER and doesn't have insurance? What do you think about the negative changes in medicine (healthcare/malpractice insurance)"
"Tell us about yourself and why medicine?"
"Tell me about your job/research experience/etc."
"What do you think is wrong with the healthcare system and how do you propose to fix it?"
"What did you learn from going to Lithuania? From doing this?"
"If there was only one spot available, what would you say to the admissions committee to convince them you should be admitted?"
"What do you do for fun? What would your friends say your strengths are? What is your most most memorable medical experience? What would you do if you can't become a doctor and can't apply again?"
"A 14 year old girl comes to your clinic, says she is pregnant, wants an abortion, and doesn't want you to tell her parents. What would you do?"
"What can I tell the admissions committe about you that will separate you from the other applicants."
"Why do you want to change careers?"
"Why a Doctor?"
"Describe a typical day in your future practice as a physician. "
"what do you see yourself doing after leaving medical school? any specific directions?"
"why evms; why medicine; tell me about yourself; strengths and weaknesses; "
"If we could only accept one student out of all those who interviewed today, why should it be you...."
" What are some of the traits a good doctor should have?/ What should I tell the admissions committee about you? etc."
"Why do you want to become an OB/GYN when so many are retiring early or closing their practices early because many are being sued and the malpractice insurance cost is so high?"
"What would you do with a malingering patient (exhausted all possible avenues of diagnosis, doesn't seem to be much wrong with them but they malinger)? Place your answer in the context of national healthcare issues. How would YOU effect change in the healthcare industry? What would you do if a patient came in demanding a treatment because he'd found out about it on the internet? Have you been involved in community service? Explain. What do you think of alternative medicine? Should it be covered?"
"Tell me about your clincial experiences. What did you learn from them?"
"what would you do for a patient who wanted to end his life (elderly, in pain, terminal prognosis)? what if his family did not agree?"
"Will it be hard for you to move to Virginia from home since you're close to your family?"
"How would you friends describe you?"
"What I thought of Children's Hospital which we toured and how it differed from others I had been in."
"13 year old pregnant girl, wants abortion without telling the parents. What would you do?"
"Why do you think you will be a good doctor?"
"A friend of yours is taking care of her elderly father. You see him in your office one day and observe bed sores and bruises on the patient, what do you do?"
"What do you think about euthanasia? Follow up: Don't you think that works against the Hippocratic Oath?"
"Why medicine?"
"Why EVMS?"
"A 13 year old comes to you and wants an abortion what do you do?"
"How do you feel about managed care and the health care system we have today?"
"How would you improve healthcare? Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"Do you have any questions"
"Why medicine vs. (my current role in something semi-unrelated to medicine)"
"You have a couple as patients. One is HIV+ and does not want you to tell their partner. How would you handle this?"
"When you look at your career after retirement, what would you like to have accomplished?"
"The morality of a physician refusing to treat a patient with a specific treatment due to their moral values."
"Do you think male adolescent suicide rates have increased and are more of a concern due to the current pandemic?"
"A question about religious beliefs and how they play a role in healthcare."
"Should a physician who is religiously or morally opposed to providing birth control be allowed to be in OBGYN?"
"Do you believe a physician's values should justify them advising against a patient receiving a treatment?"
"Why do you think racial disparities in medical care exist?"
"Social justice in medicine"
"the most interesting thing: i had no ethical questions......i was prepared for the worst though, and you should too."
"How do you serve people in your daily life (aside from community service, etc.)?"
"What did you like about EVMS on your tour?"
"If you were a resident and smelled alcohol on your surgical attending's breath just prior to having to perform a surgical procedure, what would you do?"
"What interests you about EVMS?"
"How would you handle a mistake made by your partner physician in a private practice? What would you say to the patient and to the partner, sort of role played the conversation"
"What specialty do you not want to do and why?"
"How did your volunteer activities improve you as a person?"
"The last question they asked me was, "Okay, this pink sheet of paper is what we bring with us to the admissions decisions meetings. It summarizes everything about you. There's a line right here that says to describe the applicant in one sentence. If I had to write one sentence about you, what would you want me to go back and tell admissions?""
"I really liked discussing ethics with them. They challenged my position, but I showed them that I was confident in my answer and explained my reasoning, as difficult as it may be. It was a relief to have them agree with my decision at the end."
"Did you watch the VP debate?"
"How was your undergraduate experience?"
"What key is an alto saxophone? Who is your favorite saxophone player? (they based that question on my application info; it's obviously not standard)"
"If you didn't get accepted to med school this year, what would you do?"
"The ethical question. It was not a question about ethics as much as knowing the options that a physician has for difficult situations. The particular situation was based on a minor with Hodgkins whose parents refused life-saving treatment for him and decided to hop on a plane for alternative, not-proven therapies. What would I do? (best to be familiar with these cases - looked into it after I got home and it's more common than not. Physicians can involve the courts when they believe parents are endangering the health of a child)"
"We talked about the biggest reasons that docotrs get their licenses rejected. (sexual misconduct and drug use) Not really a question but it stemmed from my answer to, "Tell us about a time your morals have been challenged.""
"14 years old abortion questiuon"
"We just want to get an idea of what you know about what is going on up in Washington right now?"
"If the attending came in drunk but did his work well, would you report him?"
"A 7 y.old kid keeps coming in for asthma. It's his sixth time in the ER and you find out that his mother has been neglecting to give him his meds. What do you do?"
"They asked some ethical questions."
"From my experience working as a ER Technician, name a few positivie things and a few negative things that I have seen a physician do."
"The above surgical accident question."
"Healthcare question"
"(Because there was not an option for this above: 1 interviewer had an open file, and the other had a closed file). A mother has an emergency C-section. The baby is born with acute cystic fibrosis and will probably not survive for more than 4 or 5 days. The baby stops breathing while the mother is still under general anesthesia. What do you do?"
"Ethics Question: You've messed up, how do you fix it?"
"They were all standard. No weird or outlandish ones."
"Ethical situation in which an elderly man dying of cancer comes to you to refill his pain medication, and tells you that he plans to take all the medication at once to kill himself. Do you give him the refill?"
"Question #2"
"health care reform"
"Do you think a monetary penalty for those not having health insurance is part of a viable solution to healthcare?"
"Have you ever seen a man in an ER trauma unit with his guts in a bucket beside him? Why not?"
"what do you think needs to be done about health care reform in this country?"
"What was the most recent book you read? (Atlas Shrugged)"
"What is the problem with healthcare today?"
"What other schools have you applied to?"
"Their interest in traditional Chinese medicine"
"See above"
"What do doctors do... and dont just say 'help people'?"
"Do you think a European healthcare system would work in the US?"
"The abortion question. Not some much the abortion part, but how you would react if a series of unfortunate events happened (see above). Later into the conversation the 14yo was not pregnant, what would you do? I said do a HCG test, right?"
"You're a first year med student and at a party one of your classmates has 6 beers in 1 hour and gets really drunk. Then next party he does the same thing and ends up punching someone. How would you handle the situation."
"gave an example of a discovery and asked how i could make it clinically relevant"
"Do you think a dialysis patient lives a life worth living?"
"What attributes do you have that would help you become a successful doctor?"
"How does growing orchids and medicine fit with each other? (Wrote in my PS that I grew orchids as a hobby)"
"Many IRBs stipulate the requirement that researchers in developing countries provide the same standard of care for patients as they do in the U.S. Do you agree with this?"
"what is the biggest problem in today's health care system?"
"Obama voted for partial-birth abortion, what do you think of that?"
"lots of ethical questions "
"Do you have road-rage?"
"What do I think is the most revolutionary discovery for medicine of my generation?"
"Your 15-year old neighbor asks for an abortion. What should you do?"
"What would you do about patients with addictions?"
"Abortion Question."
"How would you fix health care?"
"An interviewer picked out a random extracurricular activity from the list and asked about it. It came from left field because it wasn't science/medically related."
"How will your faith play a role in the decisions you make as a physician? (lead in to abortion question)"
"you are a resident in your last year. You scrubbed in for an appendectomy and the attending physician has alcohol on his breath, what do you do?"
"If you had the cure for aids would you go for the money or equitable distribution? Doctors paid $40k/yr would you still do it? (I have a very modest background, so this was interesting but annoying)"
"How would you fix the problems with the current US Healthcare system. Namely the 40 million uninsured americans and the rising cost of healthcare?"
"A 14 year old girl wants to have abortion, but the parents cant be told. what do you do as a doctor. Follow up question: the girl tells you the father pregnates her. What do you do.(yea, pretty intense.) easy answer call the police and social services"
"What have you read about male circumcision in relation to female circumcision? (I did my thesis work of female genital circumcision)"
"A 16 year old you know fairly well comes in for an appoinment to your primary care office. She states that she is pregnant and wants an abortion but does not ever want her parents to know. What do you do?"
"Nothing unexpected. Go through the other feedback."
"''You're application shows you have a lot of research experience. Why did you apply to a clinically oriented school?''"
"Do you like yourself and Why?"
"Convince me that the UN should exist. (I have had a lot of MUN experience)"
"How is assisted suicide different (giving the patient something that will help them die) than removing a feeding tube"
"None of the questions were particularly interesting. Standard stuff."
"What do you think of the Virginia Free Clinic system?"
"Nothing too interesting that I can remember. "
"If we were to ask your older brother what your strengths are, what would be say? If we were to ask your younger brother what your weaknesses are, what would he say?"
"The ethics questions. ie: a 14 year old girl walks in and says that she wants and abortion."
"What are the pros and cons of the Canadian Health System?"
"After being asked about the 14 year old girl who wants birth control, I was asked if I thought the sex ed program should be changed in the US"
"what do you think about peta? (i didn't even know what that meant, but they told me)"
"Something about my background(I did not grow up in US."
"Your friends are going to get married, have kids, and travel to Europe. How do you justify throwing away your twenties?"
"describe pros and cons of Canada's health care vs. US. (I'm a Canadian applicant, so don't worry you probably wouldn't get this otherwise)"
"several ethics questions. abortion, role of the physician, healthcare crisis."
"An ethical question"
"There is a limited number of flu vaccinations, who do you save"
"Did you decide to go to graduate school because you love learning or because you were rejected from medical school? "
"uhm...they were all interesting??? oh they had me describe one of the reagens i use for my expriment and i completely forgot what it was, oh well..."
"You've been the primary physician for a 15 year old her whole life. You know her family and know her and have known them for a looooong time. Now she says she is pregnant and wants an abortion what to do? Follow up: Suppose you do her pregnancy test and it comes up neg?"
"What are your thoughts on animal research?"
"Parents bring 15 year old patient to you because of health concerns (but they don't know why). Patient finally explains addiction to drugs and alcohol. What do you do? Tell the parents? The answer is yes; how you go about it is the real question."
"You have two patients and you are the only ambulance in the city. One is a 15 yo with cystic fibrosis and raging pneumonia, the other is a 24yo who took 4 bottles of tylenol to end his life. Who do you save?"
"what should we do about the 44 million people who are without healthcare? should we move towards nationalized healthcare?"
"explain how your job has prepared you for a career in medicine"
"How would you fix the healthcare system?"
"Why I selected the major I had as an undergraduate student"
"How would you deal with obesity with children and how would you go about promoting its awareness?"
"what was last book you read?"
"A beauty pageant queen comes into your office with a mass in her breast. Her boyfriend tells you not to tell her what's wrong with her because it will destroy her. Her mother calls you later that same day to say the same thing. What do you do?"
"How should we fix the healthcare system?"
"How do you feel about the town that your college campus was in just being named the "
"Which composer is your least and most favorite to play?"
"Why are you an art history major?"
"What would you do if you made a mistake on a patient / how would you deal with it (personally) if you made a mistake on a patient?"
"one that I expected.. you have 1 liver for transplant and 3 possible candidates.. one is a little girl, one is an 80 yr old philanthropist who promises to donate millions to the hospital, and one is a 60 year old ex vietnam war veteran who is an alcoholic. they are all equal on the match list and they all have equal chances of survival. who would you pick, and how would you explain your decision to the other 2?"
"What kind of reg do you have? (scuba)"
"If a terminally ill patient comes to you and asks for medication to end his life. What would you do?"
"What do you know about boutique clinques? What are the benefits/disadvantages?"
"Would I give condoms and birth control to a minor?"
"What makes you think you would be a good fit at EVMS?"
"Should people be allowed to sell their kidneys?"
"[i applied for 2005 admission to medical schools and had received a waitlist from Vanderbilt]: Did you contact Vanderbilt to find out why you were not accepted? (i did not, and i admitted as much) Also: What will you do if not accepted this time? (My response: Peace Corps) What if you don't get in after THAT? (My response, which in retrospect I'm not completely happy with: use my legal background for health policy work. I immediately wanted to point out that I would apply as many times as necessary to get into medical school, but upon seeing the AdCom guy's head nod once, I knew my opportunity to speak up on that issue was gone)."
"ethical, see below"
"What is the definition of a doctor? How do you define doctor?"
"What is my view illegal immigration?"
"What do you think the Supreme Court should do about the impending case on euthenasia? (I'm sure I spelled that wrong...)"
"What does a doctor DO exactly? (really didn't know what they wanted for this one...I just gave the obvious answer and got lucky!)"
"The ethical question about a 14 yr. old girl wanting an abortion. "
"What do you think we should do about medical malpractice lawsuits?"
"If you were on call and the doctor coming to relieve you smelled of alcohol, what do you do?"
"How would I fix the current healthcare system?"
"I guess the ethical questions would qualify. These questions seem to be a hallmark of EVMS interviews. They recycle them, so read SDN and it won't be hard."
"What if you don't get in this year?"
"What type of doctor do you want to be and why?"
"The whole birth control series of questions"
"I have a 16 y. o. patient with cystic fibrosis. He is gradually becoming unable to breathe. It is possible to prolong his life for 3 weeks if he is put on a ventilator. His parents want him put on the ventilator and he wants to refuse treatment. The state of VA states that he is competent to make his own decisions. What do you do?"
"There is a homeless man (w/ no insurance) who has multiple health problems and continues to come to the hospital, but is not compliant with medical care. Do you continue giving care to him or tell him to go to another hospital? "
"A 16 y.o. female patient, whom you have known and treated in addition to her family for 10+ years, comes to you asking for a birth control Rx. How do you handle this?"
"If you are a psychiatrist who is treating an inmate (who is in prison for severely beating his wife) that tells you he is very angry with her, and wants to "get even" with her for getting him thrown in the prison, what would your obligation be to patient confidentiality?"
""An interesting case from N. VA - an anencephalic baby suffers a long series of breathing arrests. Do you resuscitate?" They let me answer, then gave me the state court's opinion."
"Ethical question: if you were a gastroenterologist and you had 1 liver that could be donated would you give it to a 60 year old widow or a 60 year old ex convict with a family. all health related issues are considered equal. BUT...the woman is loaded and would donate millions to your organ donation fund if she was given the liver."
"How do you study?"
"Ethical Question"
"People over the age of 80 are denied organ transplants in another country. Do you agree with this policy? Why/Why not? "
"Why do you want to be a physician and not an alternative medicine practitioner? (this was because I studied alternative medicine as part of my master's degree)"
"You are an ER physician and a mother brings in her 6-year-old, who needs blood transfusions immediately. The mother is a Jehovah's Witness and states that she cannot allow the transfusions as they are against her religion. What would you do?"
"Do you treat a terminally-ill woman who requires palliative care but is uninsured, and all expenses (high) will go to her family?"
"As an ER doc what do you do if a 15 yo girl comes in telling you she is suicidal and she just got raped…and then what if she attempts to run away from the er."
"None, they were all pretty much expected as they were posted on this website. "
"If you were surgeon general what three things would you advise the President to change regarding health care?"
"Stuff about my application."
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare? Why are there so many uninsured in this country? How would you fix this problem?"
"a long discussion about the ethical implications of universal healthcare; where you draw the line, who decides it, can/should you allow a tiered system where more money can get you more services. also how do you decide what's included in a basic healthcare package and how do you justify those items?"
"Would you place a feeding tube in an 80-year-old woman who has severe dementia if her daughter does not want to prolong life?"
"Nothing too interesting, middle of the road ethics, and EC stuff. "
"US healthcare policy...if you look up the questions on this site and practice your answers then you will be WELL prepared for the interview. The questions are VERBATIM from this site"
"Would I give a 15 yr old birth control and not tell her parents, if they were family friends who would not approve?"
"Parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, child needs a blood transfusion to survive and they refuse. What do you do?"
"A 13 year old girl is pregnant by her father and wants an abortion, what do you do?"
"Do you think the U.S. should annex Mexico? (a joke :) )"
"Do you have a hard time asking for help?"
"Describe your best and worst quality."
"My biggest weakness"
"allthe questions were pretty typical-- ethics, health care, why do you want to be a doctor, about activities listed on AMCAS application"
"An elderly man suffers from a terminal illness and his wife recently passed away. He asks you for a self-administered lethal dose of painkillers. What do you do?"
"I was asked very standard questions-- I wouldn't describe any of them as interesting."
"A baby is born who is blind, deaf, retarded, and has a congenital heart defect that will not allow her to live for more than a few years. Should we funnel endless amounts of money into this baby's life support/care? Follow-up: What if the mother is a homeless crack addict? (I didn't really see why that should make a difference...) Follow up #2: Okay, so who should pay for all of this care the baby will need? "
"If a patient you have known for a long time was on life support and asked for a prescription that would kill them, what would you do?"
"if a younger friend of yours considering applying to med school asked you for advice on which schools to apply to, what would you say?"
"Organ transplant between prison inmate and 80 female who will donate large sum of money."
"We had a fairly extended discussion about healthcare insurance and how to provide for the uninsured, so it was probably somewhere in there."
"Ethical question regarding an unconscious patient with a life-threatening injury whose family members claim is a Jehovah's Witness and would not want surgery."
"a 16-yr-old with cystic fibrosis, who is old enough to make a legal decision about his own care in the state of virginia, wants to forgo a ventilator, which will cause him to die in the next few weeks. his parents are adamently opposed. what do you do?"
"Most of it was hand-tailored to my application."
"What is a physician's role in society?"
"What was the last book you read?"
"2 babies, both need livers, everythings is equal except their financial situations, one's parents can't afford the surgery, the other's parents promise to donate $10 million if their child is given the liver, how would u decide who gets the liver?"
"What is your responsibility as an advocate"
"How have you grown from your experiences during college? [I wrote about a specific personal situation that affected me tremedously in AMCAS, thats what they were referring to]"
"Do you like living in Virginia?"
"What will I do if a man with a kidney failure, got it replaced, but still continued using alcohol and did not use his medications. He has a second kidney failure and a family member wants to give the man a new kidney. Would I allow the family member?"
"Baby with congenital heart defect (will only live a few days) arrests shortly after birth, mother is unconscious so you can't ask her opinion, do you try to resussitate the baby?"
"an ethics question focused specifically on a medical issue that I had been involved with "
"look below"
"What is your responsibility as a physician to give back to the community? How do you envision a day in your practice 15 years from now?"
"if a 16 year old girl wanted an abortion but didn't want to tell her parents, what would you do?"
"Suppose a 15-year-old patient you've known well walks into your practice and says she is pregnant and wants an abortion. What do you do? (Remember to first mention giving a pregnancy test: trick question!) Then, suppose you have the same situation but the baby is the result of incest. What do you do?"
"Say you are doing research on rats that involves killing them, but the research can potentially benefit those with spinal cord injuries. You are out at dinner one night and the person you are with's cousin is involved with PETA. He questions you about your research what do you say? Follow up question: what if the experiment was on baboons, or dogs?"
"Which alternative spring break trip did you like better? ( i went on two)"
"If, after you graduated, they made a plaque that said what you did here/what you were known for, what would that plaque say?"
"Twenty years from now when you are an attending, what do you see as your typical day?"
"14 year old asking you, family doc, for birth control pills. Would you tell her parents?"
"So tell me about your experience working with paraplegics in scuba diving?"
"If money would never be an issue for you and you still wanted to practice medicine, what would you do?"
"There's a woman down in Florida who was in a car accident and required life support. Her husband wanted to withhold care while her family wanted to save her? How do you feel about the situation? Is pulling the plug equivalent to giving a lethal dose of drugs? What if you were the doctor in the ER and you are told that she has an advanced directive but it is not there. What do you do?"
"You are in charge of organ allocation and have one liver available. The two candidates for the organ are: 1) a middle aged man in jail who needs the liver because of alcohol induced cirrhosis. He has quit drinking alcohol. 2) an elderly woman who's been a model citizen her whole life. Who do you give the liver to and why? (stick with your guns regardless of your answer) "
"i wasnt caught off guard by any of the questions -- they were all pretty standard and in accordance with the other posters, so i didnt find any of them to be too interesting..."
"What do you think about the system of health care in the United States (yes, they were this broad)? What would you do to solve it? How would you fund that? (all asked in a row)"
"What would your fellow students say about you on your graduation day from medical school?"
"Two of your patients, one middle-aged man in prison and one elderly gentlemen, are in need of liver and are very close on the recipient list. If one liver became available, whom would you give it to?"
"The interviewer (County Health Commish, btw) says: "I'm a genie in a bottle and I grant you one of three wishes - end to childhood cancer, end to scourages of adolesence and middle age, or an end to later life issues - which do you choose, and why?" "
"you are a surgical resident working 90 hours a week; you are married; wife wants a divorce because you have no time for her; what do you do?"
"If a couple had some leftover embryos from their ivf and asked you to do something useful with them, what would you do? (led to a discussion on stem cell research)"
"My thoughts on Euthanasia"
"Do you think that you will remain compassionate as a physician?"
"Compare the New Zealand and US governments (I studied there)"
"Who is your favorite author?"
"What do you think of personalized license plates that say, "MD 2BE" or "DR in 08"? "
"what would you do if your supervisor had alcohol in his breath?"
"Hypothetical ethical questions of scenarios the interviewers had encountered."
"What do you think of the problem of pain medicine theft in your state?"
"ethical question about u.s. healthcare system"
"A 15 yo. comes to you for birth control what would you do?(you have known her all her life since you are the family doctor and you know her parents very well)"
"How can we cure alcoholism?"
"What is the one way you can, all by yourself, lower the cost of health care for your patients?"
"What do you think about physicians walking out on patients to protest higher malpractice premiums?"
"What do you think the solution is to the problem with the uninsured? (If there were an easy solution, wouldn't someone have thought of it by now?)"
"If your mother was dying and needed a kidney transplant and the only way to save her was to buy a kidney from Korea that they had cloned overseas using technology that was illegal here, what would you do? (um...yeah)"
"If you could improve health care, what would you change?"
"Should parents sue fast food restaurants if their children are obese?"
"Do you think that the clinical research trials you conducted were ethical?"
"If you could have dinner with any two people, dead or alive, which two people would you choose?"
"If a 14 y/o girl came to you and said she was pregnant and wanted an abortion and said her parents would kill her if they found out, what would you do? (What if her father was the father of her baby?)"
"If you were the doctor and a mother just delivered a baby with a known genetic disease and will die in a week and the baby went into arrest, would you resussitate (the mother is in a coma and can't help you)?"
""What is the proper technique for deadlifting without wraps?""
"Penicillin made a great impact on medicine in the 1940s. What has made a similar impact on medicine since the 1940s?"
"Part 1: A 14-yr-old girl thinks she's pregnant and wants an abortion. What do you do? Part 2: The test is negative and she doesn't want you to tell her mom. What do you do? [I say, no, I don't tell the mother.] Part 3: Is there an age or a circumstance in which you WOULD tell her mother? "
"What would you do if you were a small town doc and a 14 year old girl told you she thought she was pregnant?"
"What would I do if I were given the complete and total power to make a decision of whether or not to pull a feeding tube in a patient who is in a coma. Her husband wanted it out, but the family wanted it in."
"Who is to blame for America's obesity epidemic."
"What would you do if you couldn't go to medical school?"
"a 95 year old woman is in a coma and on a respirator she needs a heart operation. Do you perform it?"
"What would you do if a patient refused care?"
"Say you were a doctor, and a patient at a free clinic (staffed with medical students) had a heart condition that was missed, would you testify (as an expert) that they were negligent? What if the clinic were NOT a clinic, per se, but was a screening center staffed with medical students and no attending MD for things like BP. What would your testimony be?"
"What would you say to a fourteen year-old girl who comes to you, claiming that she is pregnant, asking for an abortion, and claiming that whe doesn't want her parents to know about her visit to your office or the abortion."
"What does the term physician mean to you?"
"What do you think of the policy on admitting homosexuals into the military?"
"While you are working at the ER, a religious man was dragged to the hospital with problems. He clearly states that he refuses surgery or any treatment. After a while, he loses his consciousness. A neurologist claims he has an aneurysm. What will you do?"
"Give me a typical day working at the WHO."
"What kind of physician do you want to be and how do you plan on fulfilling this goal (what area do I plan on specializing in)?"
"What would you do about the 400,000 uninsured Americans?"
"Nothing really, mostly ethical"
"What I thought about the Oregon Assisted Suicide Law"
"If a friend of yours growing up was a physician in the same hospital as you, and you saw him taking pain killers, what do you do? You talk to him and he's addicted, what to you do? He takes some pills before performing surgery, what do you do?"
"You have two patients who need a liver transplant. One is the town alcoholic and the other is the president of the bank. Who should get the one available liver and why?"
"What is the most challenging thing about working with physicians? (given my experience)"
"A 14 year old patient came to you and said she was pregnant, wants an abortion, and doesn't want you to tell her parents. What do you do? Tests confirm that she is pregnant, what do you do when she confides in you that the pregnancy resulted from incest from her own father? (ack! what a starting thing to ask me!)"
"Do you think it is fair for us to give a spot to someone who will end up quitting medicine and raising a family full time? (this exact question was asked to female applicants before the 1960s to keep them OUT of medical school--and what year is it now???)"
"Is healthcare a privilege or a right?"
"What would you do about the problem of obesity in the U.S.?"
"What do you think about President Bush's stance on stem cell research?"
"How many patients can you see in an hour?"
"What are the strengths and weaknesses of the us health care system. I couldn't think of any strengths."
"My views on the US/Iraq problem. It was rather conversation like question."
"I was asked "what I thought" about Oregon's assisted suicide law. It could have been an interesting question, but they didn't really ask anything specific about it, and they didn't challenge anything I said. I did have a little trouble articulating how I felt about it, and my reasoning for feeling that way. "
"Do you think a physician is capable of giving quality healthcare to a patient without speaking the same language? (this is in context of medical translator ethics)"
"what do you think a doctor does every day?"
"If you were in charge of making national health care policy, how would you solve the problem of the 45 million uninsured Americans?"
"A 70 year old patient that you have seen for 20 years refuses to stop smoking despite your wishes. He comes in and wants needs treatment for something once again related to his habit. Do you eventually refuse treatment?"
"what would you do if the director of admissions call you to inform you that you're on the waitlist?"
"What do you know about the cannabilistic Indians that shared San Salvador with the Arawaks? (This was in the context of an experience I had)"
"If you were the surgeon general of USA what would you do to change the health care crisis we are facing?"
"There's an elderly couple on a fixed income. You prescribed the wife with medication to lower her blood pressure. However, when she comes in for a visit, you find her blood pressure to be very high. Who could you ask to find out if she is taking her medication? (not her or her husband)"
"What do you think about alternative medicine? Should it be covered in the context of a national healthcare system?"
"It was a follow-up question to an ethical "suspicion of child abuse" question, where he asked me who would be on my side (legally)"
"would you be willing to do something illegal to save a patient's life?"
"Most of the questions were really basic- there were several ethical and healthcare questions"
"Do you know who Abraham Flexner is?"
"Please Describe the "Art of Medicine" and not the "science of medicine""
"When you become a doctor and a 14 year old patient comes to you, tells you that she's pregnant and that she wants an abortion. She also doesn't want you to tell her parents. What do you do?"
"If a pediatric patient wanted an abortion and you then suspect incest, what do you do?"
"How would you change the healthcare situation in Northern VA?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Nothing too interesting really, just mostly asked about my research experience. I was asked " Knowing that there are 40 million people who are uninsured in this country, how would you change the current health care system to fix this problem?""
"Is DMB your favorite band? (I went to school where the band hails from.)"
"Do you like yourself?"
"50 million americans are uninsured. How would you rectify this problem?"
"Do I think that HMOs have affected patient costs of services?"
"A 16 year old you know fairly well comes in for an appoinment to your primary care office. She states that she is pregnant and wants an abortion but does not ever want her parents to know. What do you do? "
"What are my strengths and weekness?"
"If a 12-year old female patient came and told you the Catholic priest at her church was molesting her, what would you do?"
"ethics question about an non-invasive procedure, if your pt. wanted it badly, but in your mind really didn't need it would you do it for thier peace of mind?"
"What does the school's vision mean to you?"
"What is a physician's role in a healthcare team?"
"When you look at your career after retirement, what would you like to have accomplished?"
"What is one thing NOT on your application that makes you unique?"
"How your values align with what you believe a physician’s values should be."
"What is something about you not in your application that you want us to know?"
"A question about racism in medicine."
"What do you think is the most important quality a physician possesses?"
"Tell me about time where you made a mistake that negatively impacted other people's lives?"
"Tell us of a time where you made a mistake."
"What would you do if your patient refused to comply with your instructions?"
"Tell about a time the doctor (while shadowing) did not solve the problem."
"How would fix the ACA and what are some specific strategies you can employ if you are told you have to start seeing double the amount of patients in a shift?"
"Why should we choose you over other applicants?"
"Completely random but I said research taught me critical thinking skills and they asked me to define critical thinking and I kinda blanked >.<"
"Talk about a time you resolved a conflict."
"They asked me an ethics question about a girl who is referred to me for being underdeveloped at 16 and was being teased at school. Nevertheless, her mother insisted she wanted her daughter to be short and look like a little girl. He kept dragging the story on until eventually I was asked what I would do if the girl overdosed on her mother's medications."
"We had a long discussion about the finances of healthcare in the US compared to Europe and where most of the money is wasted. It was mainly challenging to me because I am not very political so I wasn't as confident with my responses as I would have liked. But they were very friendly and it was more conversational than grilling so it was still low stress."
"What did you learn in (insert random freshman year electives)?"
"Tell us about a situation where you were not able to resolve a conflict."
"Why should insurance companies make a profit? (This is one of a few questions relating to health care reform). Also, a question about a patient arriving late and how it affects other patients."
"What's your opinion on the political climate right now with the healthcare debate? (very broad, so I zeroed in on a couple of aspects and they asked me very confusing, unclear, and difficult follow up questions)"
"HIV positive patient is dating your sister. What do you do?"
"How would you fix the current healthcare system?"
"You are a medical student doing a rotation. Your attending, at the request of a coma victims' spouse, injects him with 3M KCl and kills him (without the consent of the hospital administration). 1) What would you do? 2) Do you think this was ethical? 3) He later approaches you and says, "I may have made a mistake." What do you think he meant?"
"What do I think about national healthcare? I was prepared to discuss the "fixes" to the current healthcare system, but had not prepared my position on universal healthcare in the U.S. Think i did fine with a combination of public and private sector system but wish that I had prepared on this."
"They were all very standard. I have read that the interviewers here really push the candidate on ethics and such. That really wasn't the case for me."
"how to fix health care"
"Have you ever had a moral dilemma? What and how did you handle it?"
"If you intercepted a fax to your boss saying many bad things about you, would you still give the fax to him?"
"Health care stuff."
"What do you think you would bring to the class?"
"Ethical question: If I had a parent who didn't want his/her child to get an vaccine due to the possible negative associations with autism, what would you do? If the parent chose not to have their child vaccinated, would you still treat them?"
"The above health care reform question."
"Healthcare question"
"A 16 year old boy that does not have a good prognosis refuses to be intubated contrary to his parents wishes. What do you do?"
"What are you willing to give up to balance work and life?"
"None of the questions were hard. They were all EXACTLY like the ones people have already posted on this website."
"Ethical situation in which an elderly man dying of cancer comes to you to refill his pain medication, and tells you that he plans to take all the medication at once to kill himself. Do you give him the refill?"
"Question #1.. although I have shadowed several physicians and have a lot of clinical experience, I still don't know what kind of doctor I want to be so that was a bit hard to generalize. "
"Ethical question (physician-assisted suicide)"
"health care reform"
"Do you think a monetary penalty for those not having health insurance is part of a viable solution to healthcare?"
"A 14 year old female from a Hispanic migrant worker community comes into your clinic saying she thinks she's pregnant. What do you do? (ummm...i completely messed this question up, every answer I came up with was shot down or corrected, not cool)"
"All the tangential and subsequent questions to the national health care question. One of the interviewers was very combative about my responses and nitpicked everything I said apart before I could finish my response."
"Ethical questions"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What would you do if your friend's teenage daughter comes for an abortion and doesn't want you to tell her parents? what if it's required by the law?"
"N/A"
"Nothing was really difficult... you should be prepared for the ethical questions though... abortion, physician assisted suicide, etc. They will push you on these, just make sure you hold fast to what you believe the right decision to be. One of my interviewers gave me a really hard time, but after the interview said I analyzed it nicely. "
"According to one of your letter writers, you are _______ (a negative statement that totally caught me off guard). How would you respond to that?"
"The abortion question was challenging, but I enjoyed discussing it. The interviewer also asked me about healthcare and what my knowledge of socialized medicine was and if I support it. I c/c private and socialized medicine and spoke about what I believe in. I don't know if this was the answer the interviewers wanted, but I was thorough and honest with my response."
"None really. Maybe the health care question, but I knew it was coming and my interviewer basically guided me through any ethical/health care questions that I needed a little help on."
"Why did you turn down EVMS for another master's program?"
"Nothing was particularly difficult, but I did have to stop and think about the ethics question regarding being a pharmacist and the follow up question about being a surgeon and someone coming in for an abortion."
"Many IRBs stipulate the requirement that researchers in developing countries provide the same standard of care for patients as they do in the U.S. Do you agree with this?"
"Are you aware that in the Canadian medical system people have to wait months for a basic check-up?"
"Who would you vote for president to fix the health care issues"
"Patient assisted suicide"
"Describe the day of a normal pediatrician."
"Biggest weakness in US Healthcare system, and suggestions on how to fix it. "
"Why does your MCAT score not match your gpa?"
"How to fix healthcare. "
"How would you fix health care"
"What are your thoughts on stem cell research?"
"How would you fix the health care system? Knew it was coming, but still a really difficult question."
"if you had all the money in the world, how would you fix health care?"
"What are your thoughts on 'boutique' medicine?"
"If you were a family practice physician, and the fourteen year old daugther of a family you care for comes to you and says that she is a month late on her period, her home pregnancy test came back positive and she wants an abortion. What would you do?"
"Whether I am for or against abortion. I didnt really want to reveil my stance but thats what they wanted to know. So I just said my stance and backed it up with arguments"
"What would you recommend to a family who has a child with cerebral palsy who is on life support and will never wake up? (I began to stumble a bit in my phrasing and my interviewers guided me in the right direction which was very nice)"
"Why EVMS?"
"14yo F pregnant by her father...does not want to tell mom because she is afraid of breaking up the marriage...what do you do?"
"What if physician assisted suicide were legal in the U.S.? Would you give a lethal dose of a particular drug if the patient asked you to? "
"End of life issue question...but not difficult if you are prepared."
"After talking about my interest in global health, I was asked where I felt it was ethical to do work overseas when there were problems in the US."
"Which type of doctor is better: 1) a doctor who is able to diagnose/fix any health problem but has no interpersonal skills, or 2) a doctor who is a joy to be with, really cares, but is barely passed his boards and went through a 3rd rate residency"
"How would you deal with a teenage girl impregnated by her father and who wants to get an abortion without telling her mom? Yeah."
"Would you help a terminal patient end her life?"
"How would you fix the healthcare system?"
"You say you want to be a surgeon. Do you really understand what a surgeon's responsibilities are?"
"See above. "
"Questions regarding the Canadian Health system but from the pharmaceutical drug side."
"The 'how would you change healthcare' one only because they really wanted to make sure you knew what you were talking about but I felt pretty prepared"
"how do you think the canadian health care system would decide the order of who gets a liver transplant?"
"Ethical question about a pregnant teen, wanting to have an abortion, w/o her parents consent."
"What to do about healthcare?"
"Why don't you want to be a teacher or researcher? (2 seperate questions because I have vast experience in both fields)"
"wasn't too difficult if you prepared. "
"How would you fix the healthcare system? How would you do that? How would you do that? How would you do that?"
"There is a limited number of flu vaccinations, who do you save"
"Fix Health Care system...I thought I had a great answer, but one interviewer kept pushing me and pushing me on it...i tried!"
"everything? why do you want to be a doctor? reagent question...oh yeah, my weakness, apprently, my weakness is a strenght, got stumped on that"
"None because they prepared you for all the ethics questions. Technically you already prepare since u read this, and then during the day (the interview is in the afternoon) you will be told multiple times what kinds of questions to expect. They have 10 specific questions they must ask you and ~2 are ethical and one is how to improve the US health care system. So basically...that's all - the rest are about you and ur strengths and weaknesses etc."
"Healthcare reform...wasn't supposed to be a hard question because I had prepared for it, but they REALLY grilled me on it. You definitely have to know your stuff!"
"Probably the ethical one above. Also asked about health care reform."
"a couple ethics questions, would you tell the parents of a pregnant 15 year old?"
"If a child had a rare blood disease and needed a blood transfusion to save his life, but the mother refused stating that it was against their religion, what would you do? What about if the child was healthy, but the mother was the one that needed the transfusion?"
"Why a doctor, why not a nurse?"
"Have you ever witnessed an event that has been emotionally scarring and how did you deal with it? "
"ethical questions regarding healthcare system and abortion."
"Sum yourself up in a 30 second sound byte that we can present to the admissions committee. Include why you above all of the other applicants from your state should be accepted."
"Euthanasia question that involved terminally ill patients who did not want to live."
"How will you know what field of medicine you want to specialize in? (What they were looking for was what factors I will consider)"
"What would you do if you were an resident and a patient needed care and your attending came in to do a procedure and had alcohol on his breath?"
"What would you do about the 46 million uninsured Americans? (and then to every response I gave--HOW? HOW? HOW?)"
"How would you fix the health care system?"
"see above. i really didn't expect them to say they were equal on the list and had equal chances of survival. they really want to see how u come to your conclusion because there is no right answer -- don't be afraid what you pick, just make sure you have good reasons to defend your decision."
"When has your bluntness (one of my weaknesses) been to the detriment of you patient communication? Benefit?"
"How do you think your major has positively AND negatively prepared you for this field?"
"After I said that my strength was creative, analytical, and critical thinking the interviewer said, "So, since you are so creative and analytical, give me a creative and analytical solution to the problem of health care coverage.""
"One of your recommendation letter writers said that you did enter into music professionally because your father would not have supported the decision? Is that accurate, and why didn't you go into music professionally?"
"Why EVMS; hard not to sound too canned, despite a sincere desire to attend."
"What do you think should be done about uninsured americans?"
"What is my view illegal immigration?"
"Same as above. Oh and they asked me how many people in the US were uninsured. I was just honest and said I didn't know."
"An ethical question along the lines of what would you do if you made a mistake with a patient."
"No really difficult questions. Really know the heath care system. If not in detail know the basics. Particually about HMO's and the 45 million uninsured individuals in the U.S. "
"What should we do about the 45 million uninsured people in this country?"
"something about my application"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Would you ever withhold info about a patient's diagnosis?"
"questions werent really difficult, i just wasnt used to answering ethics/policy questions. suffice to say, I am now :)"
"If two people of equal health/age needed a liver transplant and one was in jail for a felony and the other lived a good life and would donate money to the school, who would you give the liver to? (and you can't say, a system is already in place to decide who gets it)"
"I guess same as above question"
"Same as most interesting"
"Surprisingly, none were difficult. Just make sure you read up about our healthcare system a little bit."
"Nothing was that difficult"
"What is the current state of Healthcare? What would you do to fix it?"
"Ethical Question"
"You are surgeon general of the U.S. What is your opinion of our healthcare system and what would you do to change it?"
"After I answered a standard strengths and weaknesses question, one of the interviewers replied 'thats not a weakness, what is your weakness'. He then continued to press me on this issue to the point of absurdity."
"Fix the US health care system (Be very prepared for this question! Everyone gets asked this!)"
"What do you think about concierge medicine?"
"I was honestly very surprised to not have any questions that tripped me up. "
"Why do you want to become a doctor? They (actually, I brought it up) asked me about my lack of clinical experience, and my experiences mostly seemed to have dealt with research. "
"You are a pediatrician called to a delivery. The mother had to be anesthetized and a c-section performed. You immediately realize that the baby has a fatal heart defect and will die within a few days. The baby starts to have problems breathing within a few minutes of life, what do you do? The mother is still under anesthesia."
""A 14 year old wants an abortion and doesn't want her parents to know. What do you do?" As prepared I was for this question, I still somehow managed to mess it up!"
"see above"
"Would you place a feeding tube in an 80-year-old woman who has severe dementia if her daughter does not want to prolong life?"
"Something about ethics that seemed harmless but I got grilled when I gave my answer. "
"I hate strength/ weakness questions."
"What's up with your declining GPA over the course of your studies?"
"If you read SDN, pretty much every question was verbatim from this site."
"Do you think a health care system like Cuba's could work in the US?"
"When it gets to the point where even the generic version of a drug is $600-, what needs to change? Who should be responsible for regulating the market? "
"What would you do if a 15-yr-old girl comes in and wants an abortion? "
"Describe your worst quality."
"How would you fix the health care system today if you were given 4 years to do it?"
"all the questions were very straight forward if you were prepared"
"Name three weaknesses and three strengths about yourself."
"How would you compare health care in the U.S. to health care abroad?"
"Above."
"If a patient you had known for a long time wanted an abortion what would you do?"
"if a 14 yr old came into your office and told you she was recently sexually active and thinks she may have an std now, and it turns out she does. she just wants antibiotics and doesnt want you to tell her parents. what do you do?"
"How would you deal with 45 million uninsured."
"In response to my answer to a question about the uninsured, one of the interviewers asked me a complicated question about the ethics of healthcare insurance. I didn't fully understand what she was asking me."
"How would you fix the health care system? Be prepared to defend your answer!!"
"how would you find the money to pay for health care for the 45 million uninsured americans?"
"The interview was more of a conversation than a grilling. I was asked 1 1/2 ethics questions, but the questions didn't really have teeth."
"How do you envision your practice following your training? (i.e. a day in your practice)"
"What sets you apart from other medical school applicants?"
"what do u think about the state of prescription medicines in this country?....i guess this one was difficult for me because other than the fact that prescription drugs are too much and some are dangerous, i didn't know what else to say"
"various ethical situations, difficult in the respect that there is no correct answer, merely an instinct and a personal code of ethics by which you can abide. Be sure to know the field of health care and the issues that plague current physicians."
"What do you think about patients filling prescriptions in Canada?"
"What is a major problem in Healthcare and how would you help fix it?"
"You're made surgeon general and your first task is to solve the problem of the 44 million uninsured Americans, what do you do?"
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare and how to solve? (The question was no surprise, but the answer is always difficult to sum up in a few words.)"
"look below"
"Biggest problem with health care and how fix it? How can you defend animal testing? Worst experience with a doctor? Biggest regret?"
"Nothing difficult, really. Just standard stuff about healthcare system, how to fix it, and the ethical question above."
"Pretend you are the Surgeon General what kind of program would you come up with to provide healthcare for the elderly in an economic way?"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare today and how would you solve it?"
"If you could either pay for one life-saving liver transplant or supply vaccinations to every child in Los Angeles, which would you pick?"
"Not too hard, but they asked me to talk about a problem in health care today of my choosing."
"How do you fix the healthcare system?"
"Because you want to become an OBGYN, how do you feel about many doctors leaving their practices because of the high costs of medical malpractice insurance?"
"What is a physician's role in society? (vague, ambiguous, they wouldn't clarify)"
"All of the questions about healthcare and ethics were reasonable. Just look over some of the questions on other posts and practice defending your opinion. Make sure you don't waver from your stance even if they try to nudge you in the other direction. "
"youre the next president, what 1 thing would you do with the health care system? i was expecting this question and did prepare for it, but still found it kind of difficult. i couldnt tell if the interviewers thought i was nuts or thought i had a good answer."
"(this is paraphrased, but I am not making any of this question up) During WWII, illegal medical experiments were performed in Nazi Germany on Jewish prisoners where they tortured and sometimes killed their subjects. Some authorized people have read the results of these experiments and found that the Germans uncovered such advanced scientific knowledge that scientists today still have not quite caught up to some of the discoveries. The results of these German experiments have not been released to the public due to the brutalities associated with them. Some on the one hand believe that it is wrong to release the knowledge because of the horrible acts that were performed by those scientists. On the other hand, some push for the knowledge to be released because the knowledge discovered then still cannot be rediscovered today and that by releasing the information, since it will save lives today, those Jewish prisoners who died will not have died in vain. If it was your decision, what would you do with the information? Release it or not? (Yes, it was this long, and I promise I am not lying about this question. Tip: answer that you would not release the information like I did.)"
"What are the biggest problems in American healthcare? If you had unlimited funds how would you solve these problems? Describe a day in your life as a practicing physician. (Wanted extreme details)."
"How would you go about providing health care for the 44+ million people that are uninsured?"
"Explain a small, relatively remote detail from my personal statement. Good question, just tough because it caught me off guard."
"you are a new surgeon; say an immigrant who can't pay for services comes to you; you treat him. he goes back to his community and tells everyone you are givng medical care for free; they all come to see you; what do you do?"
"none really - all pretty standard (top three problems with the health care system, what are your strengths and weaknesses, etc.)"
"From my secondary application, I had written pharmaceutical companies cheat patients, they asked me how I could think that when they create drugs to save millions of lives"
"I can't say that anything was difficult. Maybe, would you consider "oncology?" I would and in fact it had already crossed my mind."
"How will you be able to fit the same amt of training into your residency with the new 80 hr work week"
""What should a physician know?" Those exact words. I said that he should understand the patient. And they still wanted another answer."
"If someone came in with head trauma and said he did not want treatment and then passed out, would you let him die or would you treat him?"
"how would you solve the medical malpractice insurance issue?"
"How to change US Healthcare system (with 44 million uninsured)."
"ethical questions throughout the interview"
"What should I say to the adcom so that they accept you?"
"You are physician and married with two children, and you work all the time. One day your spouse says to you, "If you don't quit your job today and start spending more time with me and kids, we are leaving." What would you say? "
"What was your most memorable moment while volunteering in a health care setting?"
"If you had a 14 year-old patient who was pregnant and wanted an abortion. You confirmed her pregnancy and she said that she didn't want her parents to know--she just wanted it to all go away--what would you do? (No laws in this hypothetical scenario)"
"Take your pick - they asked me about HMOs, national health care, the 40 million+ uninsured, IVF, cloning, and malpractice insurance to name a few."
"One re-worded a statement on my secondary application and asked me to defend it to them. That person then continued to try to sway me by saying the school teaches the opposite of what I think."
"All very easy."
"Would you consider helping a patient end their life? It was hard because I am conflicted about it, I choose one view though and stayed with it."
"Which is more difficult, engineering (my b.s. degree) or pre-med (my post-bacc)? "
"Do you agree with Governor Bush's to keep the woman on the feeding tube? (This question is referring to to the Florida case.)"
"With so many millions of Americans being uninsured, how would you change this?"
"Since Medicare recently got Rx approval, what do we do about the children who desparately need funding for vaccines, Rx's, etc? Is it right to give that money to the elderly and not to children? What would you do? How would you divide the dollar?"
""What is the sound of one hand clapping?""
"What are the pros and cons of physician-assisted suicide?"
"Talk about the state of the healthcare system in the US today... give some problems and explain how they should be fixed. "
"Describe a day in the life of a family practice small town doctor (including what I would eat for breakfast, when go to work, etc...) I wasn't sure what to focus on - thought the minute details she wanted were strange..."
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare today."
"None really"
"Same topic but the family has no insurance and no way to pay for operation. What do you do now?"
"How do you feel about placing caps on payments for pain and suffering? (Just didn't understand the question at the time.)"
"What are some weakness that you think may cause you trouble as a medical student."
"The above question was also the most difficult. I wish I could've given a tighter response to "What is the greatest problem faced by our health-care system today and how would you solve it?" "
"say you were to a physician and were to travel to San Diego for a seminar and a pharm. company offers to pay with the enhancement of your medical knowledge being their main reason for paying, would you accept the money? (???)"
"What would you do in a situation where you had an 80 year old patient that insisted she needed a test that wasn't covered by her insurance?"
"What is your biggest accomplishment that you are the most proud of?"
"none- maybe because i was grilled to bad in my previous interview at another school this was a breeze: i came prepared ( abortion questions were asked but sticked to my guns and supported what i had to say)"
"What can I tell you about EVMS that you don't already know to convince you to come here?"
"Why do you want to change from one healthcare profession to M.D.?"
"Same"
"How I would balance a career in Medicine and be a good father/husband. ie. being with the family"
"Describe your life as a physician. I didn't realize how specific they wanted the answer."
"Same."
"What do you think about Oregan's right to die legislation?"
"I was expecting the abortion question of course..but not the incest part!"
"Do you feel that doctors are responsible for supporting poor, handicapped children whose parents cannot pay for them? Apparantly in Virginia they are."
"If you were admitted to every school to which you applied, how would you decide where to go?"
"None"
"What do you think about President Bush's stance on stem cell research?"
"How can you change the malpractice insurance issues at the national and community level?"
"Why did you bother leaving your home state? (This is despite the fact that I have lived in 2 other states and traveled 2500 from home to attend college.)"
"Even without the law, would i tell a 14 yoe old's parents if she came in to me pregnant."
"What problems do you forsee yourself having as a clinician several years down the road."
"Describe a typical day in your future practice as a physician. "
"How would you address the national healthcare policy? What about other national health care policies, such as that of Canada, etc.?"
"A persistent line of questioning about animal testing...one of the two interviewers kept asking follow-up upon follow- up question."
"Believe it or not, "What types of books do you read?" That is one of the few questions I see as a "do I tell them what they want to hear?" question."
"what would you do if you didn't get in this year?"
"No curveballs really."
"see the above question"
"same as above"
"What would you do with a malingering patient? (I wasn't sure what the questioner meant and blathered an answer that caused the other guy to look at the questioner and say, "that didn't answer your question, did it?" Yikes. Make sure if you don't understand what they're asking to ASK THEM. It's a good gamesmanship tactic, as the Dean of Admissions told us earlier in the day. Simply tell 'em, "I'm not sure what you're getting at" and they're forced to be more clear."
"I got blindsided- Instead of asking me a specific ethical question, he asked what types of ethical issues I'd heard of milling around in medicine right now. I listed a few, to which he replied, "now what would you do about each of those situations?" (In all fairness, he was cool about it, though. It may have been a panic test)."
"how will you, as a doctor, improve the status of health care, solve the problems of the uninsured patients..etc, etc.?"
"There was one question about the patient's bill of right-the interviewer wanted to go into details about it but I had only a slight idea of what it really was"
"How will you as a physician lower the cost of healthcare and improve the quality of healthcare?"
"What has been the most important medical discovery in the recent past?"
"see question 1 below"
"What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses"
"About socialized medicine, hadn't looked that info. over in awhile"
"Stem cell reasearch and IVF procedures. "
"What would you do if you had a 70 year old terminally ill patient who wanted to die?"
"See above. Also, describe your typical day 15 years from now."
"What sets you apart from the rest of the applicants?"
"What is the most important thing that a doctor should know?"
"A 14 year old girl comes in pregnant. She wants abortion and doesn't want her parents involved. How do you as her doctor respond?"
"Describe a normal day in your practice 15 years from now?"
"What do you think of malpractice law and how would you change it?"
"Ethical question about 13 year old patient wanting birth control."
"What are your weaknesses?"
"What is my weakness?"
"Mock interview & SDN"
"Reviewed the school website"
"Mock interviews, writing out answers to questions from this site"
"Sifted through all potential questions on SDN and wrote out my responses. Practiced with friends and family."
"Mock interviews"
"Google, Tik tok"
"Videos and practice interviews!"
"Read about the school and typed out practice questions."
"SDN, videos, books, mock interviews"
"Researched the school and wrote out responses to possible questions."
"online videos"
"SDN, practice interview questions"
"SDN, researched school, looked over my AMCAS and secondary apps."
"sdn, AMCAS EXPERIENCE SECTION, secondary app, personal statement"
"SDN"
"Looked at fellow SDN questions (very accurate), looked over my AMCAS app and secondary essays (important), smiled at a rando in the halls - turned out to be my interviewer who was receptive to me the whole time."
"practice, research on the school, looking over my application (activities and essays)"
"Read books, used interview stream, and mock interviews at my university"
"I prepared by reading a book called understanding health policy, keeping a small notebook with possible answers to questions, and reviewing information about the school."
"MSAR, school website, sdn reviews, mock interviews"
"Nothing."
"Practice interview, looked up questions by myself"
"Skimmed the EVMS website"
"Looked through sdn feedback, read The Healthcare Handbook and they didn't even ask me anything about healthcare, read ethics articles"
"Read this site and brushed up on ACA and some ethical problems."
"Studied medical ethics, obamacare, reviewed my personal statement and other application materials, organized my thoughts for common questions like tell me about yourself, why medicine, etc."
"Interview feedback, reading up on healthcare"
"SDN, research school's website, review application materials."
"Interview feedback, interview books, read over application, EVMS website"
"looking at schools website, reviewing my primary/secondary, reading SDN"
"Read EVMS website, read SDN, reviewed healthcare policy, reviewed my application."
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS & secondary, browsed EVMS website."
"Interview feedback on SDN."
"SDN (went through ALL of the questions); EVMS website; U of Washington bioethics; pros-cons websites on ethical issues (Guttenmacher site is good to recap laws and restrictions on such gray areas, but know that it leans left)"
"Read SDN and got 12 hours of sleep the night before!"
"SDN, U wash ethics, and articles on healthcare"
"Student Doctor, Reviewed my application, researched health care reform and ethical situations."
"SDN, ask current students, read over my application."
"googled ethics scenarios, read on health care, sdn and read over my secondary app and personal statement."
"SDN and the schools website. The admissions office basically told us up front what types of questions we would be asked in the interview."
"SDN feedback, EVMS website, and mock interviews"
"I researched what the school had to offer, reviewed my personal statement and secondary essays, reviewed my old research, reviewed my grades, and looked over some information for a few different controversial topics."
"EVMS school website"
"Reviewed AMCAS; Read Jeremiah Fleenor materials; Reviewed bioethics notes from undergrad; Read recent healthcare articles"
"SDN, Mock Interviews, Primary and Secondary application material"
"Studied healthcare reform and U. WA's ethics website. Did a dozen mock interviews."
"SDN interview feedback, UW ethics, wikipedia page on healthcare and healthcare reform."
"SDN interview feedback"
"Stayed with current student who interviewed applicants last year"
"SDN, UW bioethics, reviewed my application"
"SDN, talked to current student, Washington U. Ethics, mock interview, went over application"
"Read SDN, personal statement, obamas opinion papers on healthcare reform."
"read through EVMS site, reviewed research, reviewed secondary"
"Read interview feedback on this website, read UW Bioethics, read over my personal statement, role-played most likely questions (why do you want to be a doctor, national health care, abortion)"
"Thought about my motivation to enter medicine and some of the difficulties I might face as a physician"
"AMCAS app/EVMS secondary..literature on health care issues and reality..bioethics articles"
"Reread apps, SDN interview feedback, U Washington bioethics website"
"AMCAS secondary ethical and health care stuff online"
"SDN, talked with student/friend for hours about EVMS/emailed students, website, UW ethics website, wikipedia, health care policy journals, reread my application, talked out loud to myself"
"SDN interview feedback. Read over my application."
"SDN, AMCAS, EVMS Website "
"SDN, read over my primary and secondaries."
"SDN, U.Was. Bioethics website, EVMS website, mock interview "
"Read over my resume, amcas app, secondary, wash u ethics website (it only takes an hour or two to go through, its pretty interesting and you DEF should read it if you are interviewing here), and a list of questions I made from previous poster's here."
"SDN, UW medical ethics site, read up about minor abortion issues, read over PS and secondary responses."
"sdn, msar, school website"
"read about school; mock interview"
"Read SDN. Read a book on health-care."
"SDN, two practice interviews, read a few chapters of a book on medical ethics"
"SDN, EVMS website, reading my AMCAS"
"As silly as this may sound, I asked myself questions and then answered them out loud. Then I did a mock interview at my undergraduate school followed by a review of U. Washington's ethics site"
"The Medical School Interview book, sdn interview feedback, U Washington Medical Ethics site, AMCAS, my essays, mock interviews"
"sdn, essays, university of washington ethics page"
"reading SDN, Wash U ethics, the Medical School Interview, look over my AMCAS and secondary"
"SDN, AMCAS, Wash U ethics"
"SND, UW bioethics, talked to previous adcom people, current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, which has a great feature by ACP on how to improve health-care in the US"
"SDN, Washington Ethics Website, the book, ''The Medical School Interview.''"
"SDN, U of W bioethics page, Healthcare Meltdown (Rocky White, MD) "
"read u of wash ethics page, sdn"
"Looked online for ethics issues."
"U Wash Ethics site, about a half dozen books: $800 million dollar pill, health care mealtdown, the big fix, some others about universal health care and the right to die."
"SDN, questions from my college career center, Washington Bioethics"
"SDN interview feedback. Reviewed AMCAS and secondary responses. Did some reading on ethical issues like physician-assisted suicide."
"SDN, Wiki health care, talked with my friend who goes to the school."
"sdn, read through student handbook, mission statement, etc... on website"
"SDN Interview reviews, U. Washington ethics page, Internet searches on ''Healthcare Crisis'', etc. And a book called ''becoming a physician'' put out by Wiley publishing company. Great resource. "
"SDN like no other( very reliable). read a health care book.(health care reform now!) , read wash u's ethical website. uptoddate on health or policy current events"
"University of Washington ethics website, Wikipedia on health care, my application materials, came up with some key points to talk about from my experience"
"Read up on SDN. Talked to people who had interviewed there. I even called someone who was in a residency program I was interested in that went to EVMS."
"Way too much. Read all SDN questions. Practiced alot. U of Wash bioethics. Online research on health care systems. "
"SDN interview questions, reviewed my primary and secondary application, did a couple of mock interviews with friends "
"Read about ethics and this forum to prepare for ethics questions. Listed my strengths and weaknesses. Read about school. Reread my AMCAS and Secondary."
"SDN, read the newspaper regularly, U. Wash website, had a practice interview with a classmate"
"Made sure I was familiar with medical ethics (read Wash U's website, answered previous EVMS ethics questions from SDN)...read about the US healthcare system (wikipedia)...went over my AMCAS file and my EVMS application"
"Looked over the SDN interview feedback, and thought about things."
"SDN, read books about healthcare, went through school's website"
"Interview feedback, mock interview, EVMS website"
"Re-read application, read about health care"
"Their website. Reviewed my application. Reviewed some current healthcare issues"
"SDN, past interviews, reviewed information regarding both health care system, my application."
"AMCAS, secondary application, SDN, the EVMS website, reviewed notes from Bioethics class"
"this, re-read amcas and secondary, school website, read about health care systems online"
"school website, sdn, researched abortion law in VA, UWashington ethical website"
"SDN, AMCAS, secondary application, U of Wash ethics page"
"SDN interview feedback. Read books on ethics and US health care problem ''Health care meltdown'' by Lebow., read school website."
"I recommend the book ''Health Care Meltdown'' by Dr. Bob LeBow. It really helped me answer the health care questions I had during interviews."
"AMCAS, EVMS secondary answers, website"
"SDN."
"SDN, read AMCAS and secondary essays"
"Read my essays, SDN"
"UofW bioethics page, WSJ, various health care articles"
"washington website, SDN, printed out about 200 pages of stuff on insurance, i overdid it"
"SDN, AMCAS, Watched news in the morning, University of Washington Bioethics site"
"UW bioethics page, SDN, secondary app, amcas, healthcare reform articles, CNN"
"SDN, prepared answers for ethical questions and for health care; read through 2ndary application"
"SDN, UW ethics page, AMCAS, secondary"
"read amcas and secondary applications, read about the school, read relevant healthcare topics"
"SDN, secondary, amcas, ethics on U of Wash"
"SDN, U of Washington website, read AMCAS and EVMS apps"
"University of Wash website, all of the student doctor net post, mock interiview, and help from friends"
"SDN, School Website, U of W Ethics page"
"read postings on this site, went to school website, read over AMCAS applicaton"
"Read SDN interview feedback, reread my secondary."
"SDN, secondary, schools website, biomedical ethics course, talked to friends who had been."
"SDN, a health policy book, read over AMCAS and EVMS secondary, U of Washington bioethics site, know Virginia abortion laws, and lots of Google searches on topics I felt I needed to know more about."
"SDN, Read applications"
"read SDN and AMCAS, reviewed my application"
"U of W ethics page - v. helpful! Read AMA / AAMC articles on health care issues like the number of uninsured. SDN, of course."
"SDN, read over secondary, read over AMCAS, ethics ethics ethics & lots of health care system reading."
"SDN, PR and USNEWS, Reread my applications."
"reread application, visited ethics website"
"read over applications, bioethics book, kept up on health care news, read local paper, EVMS website"
"SDN, MSAR, bioethics website, and school website."
"Read my primary and secondary materials. Studied the school website."
"Mock interview, SDN, MSAR, EVMS website, Health Care Meltdown, UWash Bioethics website."
"SDN interview feedback, particularly at the school's library the night before the interview (but also for many days prior while at work); Kenneth Iserson's "Get Into Med School!"; University of Washington bioethics site (run a google search on University Washington bioethics, then proceed to read and master ALL of the material in there); Kaiser Family Foundation materials on health care finance and reform (www.kff.org); read over AMCAS and secondary apps multiple times; through my Navy recruiter, arranged for a tour of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth the day before, met Navy docs in both surgery and emergency medicine; read Health Law journals published by the New York State Bar Association (i am an attorney); cased the joint the night before by sneaking in when a student exited the library entrance; read EVMS website; read up on illegal immigration (just in case it came up) through issues of Time magazine; listened to NPR daily driving to and from work; read blurb on EVMS in the MSAR book; found a nice chart summarizing consent laws in all 50 states with regards to abortion and pregnancy issues among underage patients; skimmed over relevant ethics and finance sections of The Social Medicine Reader (published by Duke University Press, written by collaborators at University of North Carolina)"
"reading SDN, reviewing my applications, downloading "Ethical and Economic Issues Facing Today's Physicians", talking to med students onsite, rehearsal"
"student network and read over my application"
"sdn, researched health care issues, researched ethics questions."
"SDN, U of W ethics site, looked at my application"
"The interview feedback on this site, mock interviews, re-read my personal statement and my secondary application, researched the school"
"SDN mostly. Really look at these questions because I was asked 90% of the questions found here. Also review your AAMC application and EVMS application. "
"This website, EVMS website, re-reading my application."
"Read my applications, read the university of washington bioethics page(huge help!), read through Q's from SDN"
"Read AMCAS, secondary, SDN, talked to medical students"
"SDN, UW Bioethics website, school website, secondary, jumbo margarita at Guadalajara down the street"
"SDN, univ. of Washington Ethics site, Text book on US Healthcare system."
"Ethics book, primary, secondary"
"SDN feedback, EVMS website, opinions from other students/doctors"
"school website, MSAR, and SDN (got three questions that I was asked from this site!!!)"
"Read SDN, my application, my secondary, school's website"
"SDN, and read up on current healthcare and medical/ethical issues "
"Downloaded and studied "Ethical and Economic Issues Facing Today's Practicing Physicians" (search on google)"
"SDN (of course!), read "Healthcare Meltdown", reviewed my AMCAS and secondary applications. Thought about why I was interested in EVMS."
"SDN, google "medical school interview", etc."
"Read SDN interview feedback, printed out some bioethics topics from Univ. of Washington website"
"this website, read articles/newspapers/magazines."
"SDN Feedback, Read the schools website."
"Read issues on medical ethics. Read my application file/essays."
"Reading SDN"
"SDN, read over my applications, articles on the US healthcare system"
"read over my application, had mock interviews previously, SDN, read the New Physician, Time, Newsweek, etc and drew on my own experiences in clinical medicine and basic science research."
"Read SDN, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary, researched health care reform, talked to some friends who had already interviewed there, brought copies of my publications. "
"Mock interviews, compiled a list of questions from this site, read articles about national health care issues."
" Read SDN feedback (most helpful) Mock Interview and some reading up on current events/healthcare (which I didn't really need) "
"Went to Kelly's Taverna the night before with my roommates (they decided to tag along for the 5 hour trip.) Really small, nice, quaint bar. The crab dip's alright."
"SDN, mock interviews, read up on healthcare and ethical issues"
"Studentdoctor.net, reading books/magazines, answering commonly asked interview questions, etc."
"sdn, sampe interview questions, website"
"SDN, reading up on the american health insurance crisis"
"SDN, mock-interview, website, talked to ER docs about ethical questions"
"Didn't prepare nearly as well as I should have. They asked "why EVMS?" and i had not printed out my secondary since sending it in, and I'm pretty sure my answer in the interview did not match my answer on the secondary. I certainly recommend looking at some bioethics questions before the interview. "
"this website, EVMS website, mock interview"
"SDN, baby! Oh, yes, and I spent a lot of time drilling on interview questions, so I was comfortable and natural with my responses."
"SDN, U of W bioethics site, mock interview"
"Read studentdoctor.net, kept up with current health issues in the news, re-read my personal statement."
"SDN interview feedback, U of W bioethics, Cato Institute publications, NY Times articles, etc. In short, I googled major topics and read the articles that looked the best."
"SDN, AMCAS, supplemental app, school's website, and the student host"
"SDN prepared me beyound belief. All other comments are very accurate and to the point. Also, reviewed my applications."
"evms website, sdn, my secondary, a few articles on health care"
"read my applications, read this website, schools website, talked with a medical resident, researched health care and ethical questions"
"Read SDN interview feedback, browsed school website."
"I reviewed my application, visited SDN, paid attention to the news for a few weeks."
"SDN, school website,AMCAS application"
"read SDN and looked over my applications and practice interview questions"
"Ethics review, PS, Sec. App."
"Reviewed my apps, SDN, EVMS website, a little ethics review"
"mock interviews, this website"
"sdn (lost my secondary! so i didn't read it--i don't think it hurt me much)"
"Their website, this website, my application."
"SDN, gathered interview questions from this site, mock interview, Iserson's books, EVMS website"
"Brushed up on bioethics, health care policy (Kaiser Family Foundation has some good stuff, though you have to dig for it!), reviewed my PS and secondary"
"relaxed, looked over the feedback from this website"
"SDN, School website, Ethical text"
"I read through the EVMS website, my AMCAS and secondary, talked to EVMS students, and thought about questions listed on SDN"
"SDN, Ethics books, my application"
"SDN, EVMS website"
"SDN, stayed with a student (highly recommended as it gives you a good idea of the school)"
"thought about problems with the U.S. healthcare system"
"Looked through the EVMS website, looked on this website."
"Read this site for iview question, read up on healthcare isues particularly ethics and the uninsured, paid a LOT of attention throughout the day"
"read this website, my application, relaxed"
"Read SDN, EVMS website, AMA website, bioethics.com"
"SDN, read Bioethics books, read EVMS's website, reread my AMCAS and secondary application."
"sdn, reading bioethics books- although i was never asked a bioethetics question like i thought i would be pounded with, and spoke with a health service administration professor about our healthcare system"
"This web site, looked over my application, went online to learn about healthcare, malpractice, laws, etc."
"This web site, the web site of the school, u.s. news"
"Readup school's website, SDN"
"Looking at interview feedback, school website, and health care websites."
"Read up on health care issues, this site, re-read application"
"bioethics.net, evms.edu, nytimes.com, researched global healthcare systems"
"read most of the recent posts on this website, reread some chapters in a bioethics book, skimmed over my AMCAS application and secondary, read articles of bioethics.com"
"read sdn forums and interview feed back, read books on ethics and current health care issues, did mock interview/discussions with family and friends about ethical issues, read the EVMS web site"
"Read this website, read my personal statement, studied my activities, read my secondary essays, studied myself (figured out my stances on difficult medical issues and my answers to difficult questions)."
"SDN, read over my AMCAS application, read about EVMS online."
"SDN, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary app"
"EVMS website, SDN, and available text info. Of note was my utter deficit of preparation. They WILL ask you a question on why EVMS, they will ask about contemporary healthcare issue, they will ask about your AMCAS and PS and they will ask you an ethical question. Know this."
"website, SDN, reread application"
"interview feedback, mock interviews w/family"
"SDN, researched health care, ethical issues, read over secondary, amcas, etc."
"SDN, VCOM's website"
"interview feedback, read books on healthcare and ethical issues, talked to friends in health care"
"Read SDN, looked over my secondary and primary."
"SDN, read through bioethics issues, reviewed primary and secondary apps"
"sdn.net, read some articles on health care and ethics"
"Read SDN, went over questions, read over applications."
"interview feedback, read up on ethics, practiced"
"evms publications & website, studentdoctor.net"
"SDN Consulted with one of the doctors I work with and read my AMCAS application."
"Read couple articles/chapters on ethics, SDN, secondaries."
"SDN and read articles on current health issues. I knew there would be a lot of ethical questions. "
"Reviewed my application and the basic questions I knew I might be asked."
"This website, EVMS' website, AMA, current health issues"
"Website, read up on national health care issues."
"School website, MSAR, ask students."
"Nothing, had lots of interviews before this one."
"EVMS website, SDN, mock interview"
"Read my primary application, read posts on this website, and read articles about current issues in medicine."
"I read SDN, and knew my stance on controversial medical topics"
"Studied this website, then studied on the internet about stem cell research, the US healthcare system, the uninsured, etc."
"Talked with other students. Read their prospectus. Tried to find out when EVMS would lose their accreditation."
"I reviewed my AMCAS and secondary applications. I also read about current ethical issues in medicine."
"Read through my AMCAS app, EVMS app, and SDN. Also talked with lots of students throughout the tour about the interview."
"Reread AMCAS and secondary apps, read SDN comments"
"SDN, read about the school and reviewed my notes from my Bioethics class."
"Read health related articles in current events, studentdoctor.net, reviewed secondary and school literature/website"
"Read about the school, Interview feedback etc."
"I didn't"
"talking to other students who had previously interviewed here, SDN"
"Stayed with a student and met a lot of M1's; talked about the school/curriculum with a lot of students there."
"SDN, read up on ethics... Looked for some seafood restraunts in the area :)."
"Read my AMCAS stuff, my secondary for EVMS, everything I could find about Glennan, Jones, and Strelitz Institutes, and reviewed some algorithms for ethical decision-making."
"SDN, their website."
"This site mainly"
"This SDN website (thanks to all who contributed!!!)"
"SDN, read up on all ethical issues i could get my hands on. my apps"
"Internet, SDN, and alot of prayer"
"Read SDN; really just needed to be myself - truly no right or wrong answers, they just want you to stick to your guns and not change your opinion."
"SDN, school website"
"This site, reviewed ethical/controversial subjects and decided how I felt."
"Mock interview, researched current medical topics, read a science magazine, used this website, spoke to other physicians."
"SDN, talked over healthcare issues, read website"
"This website, read a book on clinical ethics, watched the news, read the paper, researched the school, etc."
"read past interview questions on SDN, read up on ethical issues and health care, reviewed submitted app, practiced my answers for possible interview questions, spoke with current EVMS students about their experience so far"
"EVMS is NOTORIOUS for numerous ethical questions, so I did research on abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, and the like. "
"Reviewed current ethical issues, SDN, AMCAS app, and EVMS secondary"
"I was fully prepared and did not get any unexpected questions because SDN covers EVERYTHING! Thank you SDN. "
"Read previous interview reviews, studied the website, reviewed bio-ethical situations (abortion, stem cells, euthanasia, medicinal marijuana, etc), got a good night's sleep."
"I read the posts on this site, reread my primary and secondary apps, read the website and positive self-talk"
"Researching the school website, looking through books at my undergrad school's Career Center"
"this site, talked to students, ethical books, US healthcare primer, read up on health care systems in other countries"
"This site, my application, talking to friends at the school"
"Read this website (all my questions were posted here, as were those of other interviewees on that day, so I was well-warned). Staying with a student really helped me learn a lot about the school. "
"read SD.net, skimmed my AMCAS personal statement. Interestingly enough, the Dean of Admissions & the med student who gave the tour gave us hints to what sort of things are "fair game" for the interview, and also some other hints (ie. always ask questions at the end, don't have to have a REAL answer to the healthcare question, ethical questions about abortion & physician-assisted suicide, patient bill of rights, etc.)"
"read this website; read medical ethics articles; researched evms; researched articles concerning healthcare, medicare, patient bill of rights, bush's state of the union address and democrat's response."
"talked with current student, reviewed my application, reviewed website"
"mock interviews, commitee interviews, sd.net, friends, website (not very good), etc."
"pray."
"Read SDN and EVMS website/lit."
"SDN, reread my supplemental appl. "
"looked at questions on studentdoctor.net, read up on ethical issues, reviewed my application"
"SDN, reviewed my EVMS app, reviewed my AMCAS app."
"Read over my resume, some interview questions, ethical issues, and HMO information."
"read stuff on this site."
"Went over my AMCAS application, SDN and talked with friends at EVMS"
"Good night sleep and a promise to myself to be myself."
"Read over my application."
"read sdn, read up about stem cells and health care"
"wrote out answers to practice questions"
"SDN, EVMS website, secondary, AMCAS app., ethical issues, future of medicine"
"SDN, Read over my files."
"Studied health care reform, read about the school, re-read my application."
"Read journal articles on the health care system and ethical considerations, Also, read "Classic Cases in Medical Ethics" by Pence, which is a very good book. SDN, and talking with friends who are also interviewing"
"talked to friends who had already interviewed here, school website, looked up state law on some ethical issues, looked over my application"
"Read interview feedback, EVMS website, went over my application."
"Read abortion chapter of Munson's medical ethics book. read EVMS website, read interview feedback on SDN "
"Student doctor network, website, talked to med students"
"Read some info on US healthcare"
"Read interview feedbacks, curriculum info, and my secondary appl."
"interviewfeedback.com; talked to somebody who had interviewed there before me; read over my stuff"
"Interview feed back, thier website, reviewed my app"
"The amount of community projects offered at the school"
"The interviewers were nice"
"They ran a practice stimulation case; orientation was very interactive and interesting"
"They did an excellent job in the school info sessions the morning of on emphasizing the community-based culture and the connections with local schools and hospitals."
"The interview was very relaxed and they made sure to emphasize that at the start. They were very nice and validated my experiences and responses. Made me feel very comfortable."
"EVMS students' success stories"
"The difficulty of the questions."
"How kind and knowledgeable the staff members were!"
"The pre interview information session."
"The positivity, openness, and conversational ability of my interviewers."
"Diversity of interviewers -- a nice range of roles at the school."
"Having two interviewers was nice because you had more than one person to judge you. I was impressed by the great things they had to say about the school and the community."
"Loved the facility, community, & curriculum. Thought the interview day schedule was more engaging than most other schools"
"Very community-centered, both in their curriculum and how friendly everyone seemed with one another. High step 1 pass rates and median score (highest in VA). Patient sim center is top notch."
"We got to do a standardized patient scenario, which was really cool."
"everything. this school is not cutthroat. the students care. the faculty care. great campus. historic city. wonderful group of peers i interviewed with, all diverse and soo smart, wow what a great crowd. great community focus and drive to change the healthcare issues they see. IF YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT PEOPLE and want to change the community early, this is the school for you; there is no other place to be but here. if you're in this for the money and fame, idk if youd like this school."
"The simulation center, new curriculum, match rates"
"Match rates, not much history but great progress the med school has made to try to compete with other med schools, and tour was well given. Children's Hospital was a great tour."
"The facilities when we toured"
"facilities, stats (top step 1 and match rates in the state), details about the curriculum"
"Great facilities and interaction with the current students"
"The nearby hospitals were right next door and were very impressive."
"Everyone was really friendly and happy to see you, loved the children's hospital...adorable!!"
"How relaxed the interviewers were."
"Friendly staff all around"
"Their children's hospital -- it was beautiful and I would love to have a rotation there."
"The Simulated Patient's program! Seems to be the best in the nation."
"The facilities and how happy and helpful the students were."
"The use of standardized patients throughout all 4 years and the experience from volunteering in the free clinic really impressed me. I was also impressed at how friendly and supportive the students were. We had random students come up to us throughout the day just to offer to answer any questions we might have. I felt welcomed the entire day and it brought the stress level down immensely. Also, that the professors are very receptive to student input."
"The student-led tour, the friendliness of my interviewers (who really wanted to sell the school to me based on my interests and values), the standardized patient demonstration, and the Children's Hospital tour."
"Strong focus on developing clinical skills."
"Attitude of students, standardized patients, facilities"
"The whole interview day (up until the interview) was very well structured and informative. I especially liked the student tour, which was 1 med student and 3 interviewees (very easy to ask questions)"
"The cohesiveness of the student body (according to student presenters)"
"Facilities, collegiality of students."
"- The breadth of opportunities outside of the classroom. - The medical students are extremely supportive of each other (provide course materials, peer tutoring, etc)."
"Standardized patients were practically developed by EVMS. It's a huge part of the program and seeing the patient teaching assistants in action was impressive. I truly believe that EVMS will provide strong patient-doctor skills even within the 1st year of the program."
"The students were laid back."
"standardized patients"
"The student body seems happy and not all depressed. They seem to have a lot of activities together that has made them united. There are international opportunities and research opportunities if you want them. The facilities seemed nice and new."
"The people -- they were very nice."
"happiness of students, match success rate (98% for the last class!), hospitals"
"The school is supportive of the students, the students do well with residency placements, and the new building that will open in 2011."
"Interviewers and admission staff were very nice. Students were very nice and are willing to talk and give pointers. The standardized patient demonstration was great and gives insight to the school's focus on early clinical experience. Love the small, tight-knit feeling of the school and the Norfolk area."
"Their Intro to the Patient courses, general curricular focus, location, student life, and match stats."
"Standardized patient program, beautiful children's hospital"
"Friendliness of everyone in the whole area, spirited students even if they just got out of a big exam that day, standardized patients"
"The staff/students were friendly and helpful. The facilities were nice. The tour was informative, and CHKD was impressive. The standardized patient presentation was great, and I was able to interview a standardized patient in front of the group. (Raise your hand when they ask for a volunteer. This was a good ice-breaker for the interview)."
"The location, the student attitudes, the standardized patient program, the new simulation center being built, the children's hospital, the admission's office personal, the faculty-to-student ratio"
"I really liked this school. 1. Perfect town for me: medium-sized, cute and safe, beautiful neighborhoods, right on the water, 45-minute drive to nice beaches, great apartments for affordable prices right by school and hospital, not too cold 2. Teaches with two focuses: preparing you for the boards and giving you practical experience for your rotations. They've had good results (esp. high board scores). 3. Global health and volunteerism. For example, Operation Smile was started by someone at EVMS. "
"everything! The school's location is BEAUTIFUL. It's basically a suburban area that is surrounded by the ocean. I heard that it is the most affluent area in Norfolk so that explains just how pretty all the architecture was around there. The students were super chill and super friendly. Everyone was extremely happy. The faculty seems to be really dedicated to the students and often works in the weekends to help students. We toured the children's hospital which was AMAZING!! The whole hospital is decorated with kid themes like space themes, castles, even the elevators were decorated like a popcorn stand. IT was like going to disney world. Their neonatal intensive care unit was HUGE and very impressive. Also EVMS really prepares its students well for USMLE and clinical aspects of residencies. They have like 99% passing rate for USMLE and i heard they do better than UVA and VCU. They have a very strong clinical focus and is trying to expand on their research aspects. "
"the naval port and diversity that comes with that, pediatrics hospital which we toured, relaxed feel of the city and beautiful Ghent area surrounding EVMS, how down to earth and service-oriented the students are, the SP program, small class size, ..."
"Family-like atmosphere among students and faculty; diversity of interviewees"
"The admissions staff and students were all REALLY friendly. I felt comfortable the whole day, even during the interview. E "
"students, facilities, feel of school, and hospitals"
"Affiliated hospitals, a cardiologist took time out of his day to talk to our group on one of the volunteer led tours, community service, standardized patients, enthusiasm in preparing students for rotations and residency"
"hospital facilities and standardized patients are very nice. the students were all super friendly. lots of volunteer activities and student life stuff. my interviewers were definitely tough, but fair. I think they just wanted to see what I was really made of and if I would flake under pressure."
"the hospital tour was very thorough and extremely cool, the warm atmosphere, reasonably happy students, big emphasis on community service, big emphasis on learning excellent clinical skills"
"The highly trained Standardized Patients and the great level of involvement with them before visiting with actual patients during M3. Sentara Norfolk General is a very impressive hospital."
"The friendliness of my interviewers! Students were also very helpful and friendly. I loved the area and got a very positive vibe throughout the day."
"Students seemed really happy and friendly, faculty seemed friendly as well. Standardized patient program seems like a great way to learn clinical skills."
"the size of the school, the amount of clinical exposure you get in 1st 2 years"
"Facilities, student enthusiasm/diversity, clinical training, standardized patients, demeanor and warmth of faculty/relationship with students, enthusiasm of ALL staff I encountered that worked at EVMS and Sentara, heart hospital, jones institute, responsiveness of administration, proximity of places to live... BEACH! Community service, ease of student programming/student affairs involvement, low cost of living"
"The friendliness of the school"
"Children's hospital is amazing. Ms. Williams was really helpful. "
"The Center (even got to see and interact with a simulated patient!), Sentara Heart Hospital (one of the best in the South). One of my interviewers was very cool, calm, and extremely professional. And cute!"
"The King's Daugthers' Children Hospital was AMAZING! So gorgeous and modern! It even has a "healing garden," which I thought was really cool!"
"Pretty much everything but the location. All I could really ask for in a school."
"The involvement with the community, the awesome standarized patient program, how nice everyone was (all the med students wished us good luck as we walked by)"
"simulated patient program starting 1st year, practice you will get taking histories/doing exams, amount of community service students do"
"how conversational the interview became; how friendly all the students were"
"Standardized patients, the location in Norfolk, the active and collegiate-like student body"
"The LGM and ITP programs at EVMS. The strong community ties."
"EVERYTHING! I'm not kidding. The students were amazing. It's a very close group that really looks after each other even without a strictly pass/fail system (which I thought would engender a lot of competitiveness). I visited Sentara and thought the hospital was excellent. The school is very community based, and has a ton of interesting activities to be involved with - shelter for the homeless, SMILE, health education for kids, coat drives, etc. They have been an AAMC service award finalist the last four years. Since the school isn't associated with a university, you get access to the local YMCA, and can play IM sports at CNU, which is five minutes away. Oh, and the location of the school is AMAZING. Not what you would think of when you think Norfolk. Gorgeous older homes and apartments that are very reasonably priced and just a block or two from the school."
"The students are all really friendly and seem to be happy. The Children's hospital is great to have nearby if you're interested in working with kids."
"The friendliness of the people and the number of hospitals that are affiliated with the school. At first I thought Norfolk to have a small town feeling. Although it has that facade, it is in fact decently sized. "
"The students seemed to really love it there. Everyone was really friendly and positive. The children's hospital is great. The school has connections with a diverse array of clinical facilities. Also a big fan of the use of standardized patients and the early clinical exposure students get."
"the group simulated-patient exercise"
"student body, enthusiasm of faculty"
"the students really seemed to enjoy each other. Faculty seemed to respond to student needs and ideas."
"The students seem happy, the facilities are nice, the class is relatively small."
"The quality of the hospitals, the sense of camaraderie among the students."
"The children's hospital is amazing, and really focuses on the child (for example, instead of wheeling children in gurneys, they can be driven in wagons, how cool is that!) I loved the people, and many med students came by to talk to us. The standardized patient demonstration."
"students coming up to us and talking about their interviews, the school"
"Children's hospital, the people are really really friendly, and laid back, they seemed to really like the school."
"The facilities are actually really nice, better than I expected after reading SDN. Great hospitals. labs may be ''outdated'' but in no way insufficient."
"The students are extremely excited about this school. Everyone talks about how it's like a big family."
"The students were all very friendly. They seem like a tight-knit group and they like to have fun. One student even said that studying was actually fun because you are hanging out with your friends while you do it. The hospital and classrooms were nice."
"The area the school sits in is nice. The school used to be a big party school, it's toned down some, but you still get the vibe that the students play a lot. Really emphasize clinical skills."
"Use of simulation, both standardized patients from day 1 and the Govt. funded simulation center. Research on the rise. Students level of satisfaction. Student interviewer had really good questions and followups."
"Everything. The school is very close to the water, the students were very friendly and genuinely loved their school Everyone was laid back. The Children's hospital was AMAZING!!! I've never really considered pediatrics but I would after seeing that place. Friday interviews are when they visit the Children's hospital tour. Their standardized patients are pretty amazing and very well trained. "
"the ped hospital. very nice facility. the students!!! very nice very helpful. the whole student seems to get along really well. no competition. "
"the facilities were great (hospitals nearby etc), the students were really friendly and VERY social which I absolutely loved, "
"Attitude of students."
"Standardized patients. They can simulate bruises, swelling, burns, heart abnormalities, bruits, all kinds of stuff...they're amazing. The students are very tight knit and supportive of each other."
"The main hospital was pretty amazing; they really seem to go out of their way to help patients and their families. "
"How friendly and laid back students are with each other. Children's Hospital."
"I was really impressed with the type of medical community that they are forming/have formed at EVMS. All of the students were really helpful and informative, as were my interviewers."
"Sentara hospital is pretty impressive...the hospital looks brand new...also, the ppl at EVMS are really nice....the student host I stayed with was absolutely amazing"
"Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. Three words: indoor pirate ship."
"The enthusiasm of the students"
"Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters"
"The students were soooo friendly. So many people stopped to chat with us while we were waiting to be interviewed."
"The feeling of student community. As the group of interviewees were standing around, we actually had random students ask if we had any questions, tell us to relax, and wished us luck. "
"Just posting to correct my previous feedback post regarding the stress level of the interview. They interviewers were very friendly. Being a panel interview was not something new to me and, if anything, the interviewers engaged in the interview so that you didn't feel like you were at a Question & Answer session."
"The students and the staff! They truly seem to love their school. AND EVMS's standardized patient program really impressed me. They allowed us to experience what a session with a standardized patient would be liked. The school's obvious emphasis on the patients really impressed me."
"The community service work the school does and all the things the school does for the students, like retreats, dances, etc."
"the students were all so happy!"
"The student were nice, loved the facilities"
"The students are all very friendly. Several people stopped just to say good luck and answer our questions. I also like how much cooperation there is between the students and faculty."
"The new facilities are super sweet. I could sooo see myself there. All the students walking in the hall were genuinely nice and encouraging to all interviewees"
"The facilities are great. The city is nice, and getting nicer. The students were all very helpful. The early clinical exposure is quite extensive."
"Students were very nice; everyone seemed to know each other; faculty and student relations were very friendly and casual. Everyone seemed to care about each other. "
"happy students. good faculty-student ratio."
"The students"
"The hospital is brand new, the people are nice"
"The emphasis and amount of community service completed each year- very impressive. There seemed to be a great deal of camraderie amongst students, which I feel is important in a medical school class. And of course the focus on clinical skills is a wonderful aspect of the school. Gosh I wish they had asked me why I wanted to attend EVMS..."
"the students, faculty, everyone. EVMS obviously makes up for areas where it lacks. there are going to be more research opportunities becuase there is more reserach funding but i was especially imprssed by the degree of cordiality among the students. everyone knew each other and even when they didn't, they were just having fun like they did. lots of interactions with faculty and staff including retreats, Fall balls( dancing stuff ), community projects. This is the only school where i know that students get dressed up and do stuff with faculty members. oh yeah, fellow interviewees were just the best, i guess it shows how well EVMS picks it students"
"That the students really enjoyed it there. They do ALOT of community service. We actually got to see the standardized patient program - not just hear about it..so that we could see what exactly they're talking about"
"I definitely came to the school thinking I was not going to be impressed but I was pleasantly surprised. The location is great, Norfolk is beautiful! I'm from NOVA and I def. did not expect much from a place in southern Virginia, but it's really pretty. The students are SO friendly, I definitely felt like I would fit in with everyone else. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed. Very community oriented school and the curriculum is very patient oriented. Clinical exposure starts very early!"
"Students; stdized patients"
"I really like the school. It's down to earth with friendly students and faculty. It's patient and community focused too."
"nothing really...I thought it would be a nice area near the beach and stuff but i ended up taking a wrong turn on my way to the interview and went through a really bad part of town. the people were nice but the facilities are just not that great."
"Everything, the students and facilities are all very impressive"
"the laid back atmosphere and the standardized patient program"
"I love the fact the EVMS gives back to the community and allows the medical school students various opportunities to do the same."
"Students were very friendly and atmosphere was real nice."
"School atmosphere was positive, lots of cultural diversity."
"The facilities are amazing. The children's hospital is one of the best that I have ever seen. The students all really care about each other--the faculty also cares about the students. Students not only have classes with professors but the professors also participate in community service with the students. Very helpful, welcoming environment."
"Great school! Everyone is very involved in the communitee, volunteering, and student organizations...even the professors. Everyone seemed very approachable and genuine. I felt that the interviewers took time to get to know my entire profile and asked great questions. They may come off as a little intimidating at first with the tough ethical ones but if you stick to your opinion with good examples, you will be fine. "
"Camaraderie among the students, students and faculty were extremely friendly and often approached our interview group to offer to answer questions. A fairly new (and very nice) library building. Standardized patient program. Emphasis on primary care and community medicine."
"The students are nice like everyone says, the admissions people are very nice too. The hospital is modern and the location is sweet overall."
"Sentara Hospital is very nice and the standardized patient program is impressive"
"CHKD - so great! Friendliness of students and staff - really tight knit atmosphere. The way their program is structured."
"I LOVE THE STUDENTS. the EVMS students were SO NICE towards eachother & also to us interviewees."
"The children's Hosptial was amazing. The enthusiasm and cheerfulness of the students. The sense of community."
"students enthusiasm, standardized patient program"
"pretty much everything, EVMS really cares about their students (and applicants, as it seemed); the standardized patient program is amazing as are the hospitals; my interviewers were such nice guys"
"The Children's Hospital was amazing."
"EVMS has a great interpersonal atmosphere. The standardized patient program is awesome! Huge emphasis on communicatin skills and bedside manner."
"Sentara Hospital, Dean Sohag (sp.) was really nice, very welcoming, atmosphere."
"Standardized Patient Program; student performance on USMLE Steps 1 & 2; opportunities to engage in medical/humanitarian work domestically and abroad; student satisfaction; Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (b/c my interview day fell on Weds, when they only give tours of Norfolk General, this tour was given by administrator/pediatrician at my request); Heart Pavilion and Trauma Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital"
"The close knit community of students, the interest of the professors and staff, the Children's Hospital, the demeanor of my interviewers."
"The students were really nice and enthusiastic and the focus on stanardized patients seems really good. Meeting the students made the experience."
"EVMS has a wonderful Standardized Patient program, campus is homely, students seemed very happy, 98% of students pass their boards, some opportunity for research, alot of healthcare facilities to choose from for residents who need variety. Free Parking available. Overall, a wonderful school."
"EVERYTHING. I fell in love with this school. People on here are way too harsh. The interviews can be a little tough, and maybe the one lab is a little old, but other than that everything else was phenomenal. They have an amazing SP program, a beautiful children's hospital, fantastic clinical skills facilities, integration of techniques (techonology plus microscopes), cohesiveness of students, frequent social activities and extracurricular/service things to get involved in... I could just go on and on"
"The students seem so happy to be there, everyone is very nice and friendly (even my interviewers!), the children's hospital is AMAZING...I also really liked how much the student body is involved in community service to the community, and the focus on a clinical education."
"The students were great. I was really impressed with the faculty involvement and how commited the faculty are to your development into a physican. I think this is the thing that most impressed me. The Children's Hospital is GREAT!!!! "
"the facilities were way nicer than I expected. Apparently EVMS will also be spending a lot of money to expand and improve things"
"EVMS has a really good program with standardized patients, and they even have a whole floor of a building devoted to it."
"The enthusiasm and close feeling that I got about the school, its students, and its faculty. Hospitals are very close and cost of living around the schools seems fairly low."
"Tour of the amazing pediatric hospital."
"Clinical exposure is great, homey atmosphere. 90+% get top two residency choices? That's hard to believe."
"Close relationship among students. Students seemed to be really happy and enjoyed being in the program. Library is also really nice. Being a minority, the office of minority affairs is super welcoming and READY to assist in whenever. Positively impressed with such a good communication system. "
"The close-knit atmosphere"
"great clinical training, nice facilities, non-competitive atmosphere, enthusiastic and genuinely nice students (our student tour guide brought us to the exact room we would be interviewing in and told us some interview questions that she and other students had been asked in previous yrs), very high board scores, matched three students into derm last yr which is great for a relatively new school that not many know about"
"Just about everything other than the age of the labs. The standardized patient program is awesome! I really felt like the faculty would look out for me and allow me the opportunity to really shine. I loved the school even though I came in with a mediocre attitude."
"emphasis on preparing students to be clinicians, standardized patient program, hospital (free-standing children's hospital right next door_"
"Everyone student I met truly enjoyed being there and was very proud of the school. It seemed like a very warm and fun place to be. "
"quality of people (this is, above all, an institution's greatest assets and most reliable representation); quantity, quality, and comprehensive nature of affiliated hospitals (Level I trauma center)"
"This school is way under rated. Their clinical training is second to none, and the students all seemed genuinely friendly and happy to be there. They were glad to talk to the interviewees, and kept wishing us good luck throughout the day. I also liked my fellow interviewees too, they were friendly and talkative. They would be fun to have as classmates one day."
"Children's Hospital and programs that it provides. "
"Standardized patient program starting from first week of class, Children's Hospital"
"student body seems very bonded and friendly. the standardized patient program is really impressive as well as the mentor program and the childrens hospital was great."
"The student body was laid back and happy. The school prepares studetns well for clinical situations. The King's Daughter hopsital is simply amazing."
"Great standardized patient program Children's hospital, really nice facilities. People - very friendly and warm and tight-knit. Faculty also were very friendly -like to joke with students."
"Standardized patients, student friendliness, Children's Hospital."
"the standardized patient program, close-knit student body"
"I stayed with a first year student who was welcoming and helpful. She and her friends made me feel very welcome. Overall the students, faculty, and staff are all truly warm and the atmosphere at the school was relaxed and supportive. The standardized patient program is very impressive, and it is clear that EVMS emphasizes a humanistic approach to clinical medicine. I could really see myself at this school. "
"The students were univerally friendly and encouraging and seem to have a very closely knit community. They were planning a haunted Halloween night for disadvantaged youth, and seemed very committed to serving the area. The Children's Hospital was beautiful. The Jones IVF center is among the best in the nation, and the standardized patient program was impressive."
"The standardized patient program demonstration at the beginning of the day is pretty cool - don't worry yourself so much about volunteering for it!"
" The entire place is really great. Their standardized patient program is impressive. The atmosphere of the school is warm and welcoming. "
"I read about the students being happy, but I had no idea how happy, nice and helpful they could be. Every other person was wishing my interview group luck and with smiles. This place seems like a close knit community, and seeing the stuff they did made me regret not doing community service myself. I look forward to going here, hopefully!"
"Standardized pt. program, friendly students with helpful attitude rather than competitive"
"Everyone seemed so happy, seriously. The students are so laid back and happy it's scary. I liked the place better than I thought I would, but have nothing to compare it to yet since it was my first interview/visit."
"the standardized patient program, and that we had a chance to do one in the morning."
"the students are so happy and the faculty are genuinely invested in them."
"the students enthusiasm"
"Interview on Friday.. they show you Children's Hosptial of the Kings Daughters which is out of this world. The entire hospital looks more like a toy-store/sandcastle than a hosptial.. definitley looks like a pleasure to work at that hospital. The student-body also seemed very laid-back and genuine with regards to thier other classmates. There seems to be a "chill" attitude that maybe stems from being so close to the beach? Also saw some pretty blond ladies at the school. "
"the location is very nice, students are super friendly and it seems like a really laid back place"
"The attitudes of the students- they have a tremendous collegiality and are a very friendly and relaxed bunch. There was not a competitive air, it was more like a team, with everyone helping each other get through school."
"The enthusiasm and close-knit feel of the students"
"The commrodery was nice. All the students seem to really like each other. Also, the standardized patient program was amazing."
"What EVMS really has going for it is a tremendously happy and non-competitive student body, a beautiful children's hospital, a great new Health Sciences Library, and an excellent standardized patient program that sets the national standard."
"I was treated like royalty since landing in Norfolk. My student host gave me a ride from/to the airport, and even gave up her bed for me the night before the interview. Her enthusiasm about the program (as well as the enthusiasm of the students, faculty, and administrators) put this school at the top of my list. If you're seriously looking for a tightly-knit cooperative community, then this is the place. (thanks K!)"
"The school is beautiful. It is close to both hospitals and there are nearby appartments. The students were friendly and seemed happy. I think this is very important. I also attended a small part of a lecture and it did not seem any different than my undergraduate lectures except the topic here was medicine."
"the students LOVE it there and are really happy and enthusiastic. i didn't walk by anyone in the hallway that didn't smile and say good luck to me"
"the town, the students, the Children's Hospital"
"Student body is very happy to be there and was enthusiastic about the school. The community overall has a close, tight-knit feel to it."
"The hospitals (Sunterra and Children's) were pretty impressive-- it just seemed like a great place to do rotations. Also, the standardized patient program was interesting."
"The students were great- a very diverse and interesting group. The standardized patient program is very impressive. Norfolk is prettier and bigger than I had expected."
"the weather, it was so warm in January and the interviewers were very nice and the Children's Hospital is excellent, standardized patients"
"the area, evms is in a gorgeous part of norfolk, but also not that far from less fortunate areas where your service is needed- perfect!"
"Everyone (students, staff, members in community) were happy enthusiastic people."
"The standardized patient program is excellent - one of the best in the country from what I understand. Students begin working with them within the first month of classes."
"Really like the enthusiasm of the students and the supportive, collaborative atmosphere at the school"
"norfolk has great recreational opportunities, the school is in a cute neighborhood, the buildings & facilities were nicer than i expected, the students were very laid back, the children's hospital was wonderful, the standardized patient program seems like a great way to learn, and the school seems very secure about its educational mission and place in the community"
"I liked the faculty and the students. I really connected with the other interviewees, as well. They get good Board scores and match nationally, but they still have time to have a life outside of medical school. I also liked the emphasis on community service and the large number of clubs on campus."
"Facilities are great, the students are very happy, the hospitals are top-notch with a new Heart Hospital being built, the curriculum is phenomenal...everything impressed me"
"Students seemed VERY outgoing and enthusiastic. Seems like a supportive, close-knit class. I was impressed by the reputed accessibility and flexibility of the faculty and administration. Last but not least, the children's hospital is fabulous!"
"The med students were very positive about the school and the faculty. Students do alot of volunteer work in the community. EVMS's Standardized Patient Program was very impressive. "
"my interviewers, the people, basically i was sold after our tour of the children's hospital...oh yeah, that sandwich we had for lunch was bangin'!"
"The enthusiasm and cooperative nature of the student body and faculty and the early hands-on clinical exposure. Students emerge from their first two years with a well-laid foundation in clinical skills. Board scores and pass rates are exceptional, regularly surpassing that of Harvard, UVa, Penn, Hopkins, etc. This the apparent result of their progressive teaching style and clinically-integrated curriculum."
"The cohesive and energetic nature of the students; close knit faculty-student relationship; amazing children's hospital."
"Everything.... the students were friendly and talked with me while I waited for the interview. Also, the school has great professors and an excellent childrens hospital right next door. Also, don't let the other feedback scare you. Everyone was nice especially the people who interviewed me."
"Standardized patients, friendly students and faculty, norfolk is a cool place."
"the interview questions were thought provoking and not run of the mill but the school itself was rather unimpressive "
"Reported approachability of faculty and ease of getting tutoring and extra help sessions, if needed. Impressive standardized patient program (far more extensive than any other school). Flexibility of "away" electives during 4th year to explore different residency programs. Impressive children's hospital."
"Norfolk seems like a great city, I love the area and the location of the hospital. The childrens hospital is gorgeous and the standardized patient program seems pretty intense."
"Students- very happy, LOVE their choice, very supportive environment. Teachers are VERY supportive. Great environment, HUGE community service focus!"
"the people there are very friendly, facilities are nice, it seems like the students are treated real well at EVMS"
"I stayed with a student, and he was very welcoming and answered all my questions. in fact, all the students i encountered during my interview day were very friendly and stopped to chat and answer any questions about the school. Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters is awesome, great place to do a pediatrics rotation. The school is very linked to the community, and it is obvious."
"The Children's Hospital was beautiful. Students were friendly and eager to answer questions and give tours. The class size is small and the students were very friendly with one another. There is a real sense of community. The Standardized Patient program is really well set up and run."
"The people- so friendly and came up to us to ask if we had questions. Standardized patient program is impressive. Really focuses on the people part of medicine"
"THe students were all great and very helpful, the hospital was huge and probably very instructive, and the standardized patients were impressive. Also, Norfolk is a nice place."
"The standardized patient program was highlighted and rightfully so, I was impressed. Also, I liked that the children's hospital and main hospital were on campus. I also enjoyed the area near the water."
"administration and student body are really laid back."
"The childrens hospital was truly amazing and our tour guide was the volunteer coordinator, so she was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the hospital."
"Fantastic children's hospital. Friendly admissions staff."
"the people were the friendliest people! and the dean of admissions is the sweetest man - very approachable and friendly"
"Friendliness of the students, faculty, and administration. Community atmosphere provided a comfortable and engaging environment. "
"the childrens hospital is GORGEOUS. you see it if you interview on a friday, and it was simply amazing. i was also extremly impressed by the students - they were all so supportive and enthusiastic about the school; several stopped my through the day to wish me luck and to talk about the school. and the tour was pretty cool - we went into an anatomy lab and some kids were studying for an exam so we got to see the body. also - its awesome that you get the results in about 3 weeks. lightning fast for this process."
"The children's hospital is amazing. The neighborhoods around campus where the students live was a great suprise. There are cute neighborhoods and a string of restaurants and coffee shops all within walking distance of the campus. Seems very easy to get around. Norfolk itself really struck me as a great city and the beach is only 30 minutes away."
"Everything really impressed me: Extremely friendly student body, curriculum, ties to the community. A very positive aspect was their Standardized Patient program. They employ this learning tool throughout your tenure at EVMS."
"I had no idea about the depth and sincerity of the school's ties to the surrounding communities and to the standardized patient programs."
"clinical experience; they actually had a standardized patient in the morning presentation; great children's hospital"
"the standardized patient program"
"The childrens hospital is amazing. The school is nice, students and faculty are nice and stress free. Then Dean is amazing and funny!"
"All most everything seemed positive. The students seemed genuinely happy. The professors seemed to be so excited about the school. There seemed to be a real vision full of grandiose expectations for the future of this school. I was very interested in the medical missions program, the incredible technology the school has built in, and the atmosphere they are creating there. "
"The standardized pt program and the emphasis placed on pt care, also the class unity and lack of competition"
"The friendly, home-like atmosphere of the school and Norfolk. "
"The facilities are awesome and the people are really nice"
"friendly students who all got a long, friendly faculty, wonderful children's hospital"
"All the students seem really happy there and not stressed out."
"excellent facilities, very happy students, friendly staff, standardized patient program"
"standarized patient program presentation"
"Excellent curriculum, std. pt. prg was great. Children hospital was magnificent and the interviewers were not as aggressive as I had expected. "
"Truly excellent standardized patient program. Stress on humanistic medicine/patient is a person in their curriculum. How happy and friendly students were."
"The people - everyone is so friendly. Also, the standardized patients. "
"Hospitals and other facilities were clean and everybody was very friendly."
"The Children's Hospital was wonderful. On Fridays, interviewees are shows the Children's hospital, so I wasn't able to see the main hospital. The library is nice and the students are really happy and actually have time to have social lives. "
"The medical student and Admissions Board member were very friendly and personable."
"I was really surprised about the school. Prior, I thought the school really was a little sketchy. But, this school is not to be taken lightly. It is growing, and the facilities are nicer than the other schools I have visited. The tour of the hospital is really good too."
"Clean campus, great attention getting presentation of Standardized Patient program."
"Very nice facilities, it is only 30 years old so everything is modern. The students were great. I interviewed on a Wed so we only saw the general hospital, while we were waiting for the interviews a student came and asked of we wanted to see the childrens hospital and then took 4 of us on a tour. The standardized patient program seems really cool."
"How happy all of the students were; high USMLE pass rate"
"How modern the library, teaching facilities, and research facilities are. The hospital system is very big."
"Everyone was so nice, there is a really big "team" feeling with all of the students. After my visit, I realized that I would love to be accepted to their school. I also liked the use of "simulated patients" in the cirriculum."
"The students- they all loved it, were very helpful- even ones not giving tours!"
"The curriculum. EVMS has a great faculty/student ratio. The entire curriculum is PBL based. The students seem very low stressed since the first two years are P/F. EVMS placed 20 students in Derm this last year and have a 98% top 3 placement with the NRMP."
"Every one seemed quite happy at the school."
"The tour of the school was the best one I've been on. We had a long tour of the children's hospital, went all through the med school including the anatomy lab (where we actually got to see the cadavers), met lots of students, had a thorough financial aid presentation, and overall just got a really good feel for the school. The students all seem genuinely happy, friendly, and supportive of one another, and the children's hospital is amazing. "
"Nice children's hospital. Most of the students I met were nice and seemed intelligent."
"The Students absolutely loved the school! Every student was extrmely positive. Also, the children's hospital we visited was magnificent."
"The students there were unbelievably friendly. It seems like a very supportive environment."
"The school seems excellent. The Children's hospital was oustanding. The students were so nice. I was VERY impressed with the program. Brand new library and happy students! Norfolk is also very nice."
"The students were nice but the students were nice at the other schools i've been to."
"the positive things the med students said about EVMS"
"The students are incredibly friendly and fun and no one has anything bad to say about the school even when they are free to be completely honest. I was there for a couple of days in transit from another interview and had a fantastic time. The school really encourages the students to spend time doing what they like in addition to studying. There is a very nice community feel to the school - very little competition, a lot of cooperation."
"Wide range of clerkship sites in the Hampton Roads area, very cooperative emphasis with the student body, standardized patients, emphasis on clinical skills."
"CHKD is definitely sweet. Students seemed, for the most part, kind and informative."
"The area-the beach is 25 min away and downtown Norfolk is growing. The students-all are laid back and extremely friendly. CHKD-a really nice pediatrics hospital. And the effort by the school to make sure students have a life outside of classes. "
"Norfolk is in a great location. Didn't get to see it, but the children's hospital has awesome reputation. The standardized patient program."
"The campus is really awesome. The children's hospital is absolutely spectacular, the hospital tour was given by the volunteer services chief who dressed as one of the three little pigs (Halloween Day). She along with everyone at EVMS were so genuinely friendly and down to earth."
"VERY VERY friendly atmosphere. Faculty, administration, students all showed strong support for the school. Strong clinical training facilites."
"The interviewer was amazing"
"The students seemed genuinely happy and at ease. All of the students & faculty I talked to were open & friendly and willing to help."
"The student facilities are TOP NOTCH. Among the best that I've seen so far. Everything looks new. Childrens hospital is also quite nice. Very non-competitive atmosphere. Small class size"
"How much they wanted me to go there. Made me feel very special and wanted."
"The students' attitude. They all seemed very happy. It was a laid back environment. The SP program and children's hospital was great."
"everything. great standardized patient program (best in the country, a huge asset for the future board changes)."
"The facilities are beautiful, the students are happy and super-nice, the standardized patient program is top-notch, and the area/town is lovely."
"AWESOME PROGRAM! Demonstration of Clinical Skills Program and use of standarized patients, tour of campus by med student, seeing a human cadaver, Diabetes Research Institutes, HAPPY HAPPY "love med school" students, community feeling of place and people."
"lovely facitlities, happy students. Their FABULOUS standardized patient program. Ability to live close to campus."
"The standardized patient program seemed incredible, students were happy to be there, new library, availability of numerous community health initiatives"
"Supportive atmospherel...everyone is absolutely happy."
"I interviewed with two older physicians. One was a professor emeritus at the school, the other was a part time physician in the community. They were very laid back and the interview felt more like a conversation, although some difficult questions were asked. "
"I was impressed by the sense of "community" among the students. The Standardized Patient program is one of the best in the country. The city is beautiful and so close to the beach."
"The facilities of the campus. I couldn't believe how huge only the children's ER was!"
"All of the students seem to love it there; the standardized patient system."
"Everything. New school, nice students, good scores, cheap, impressive hospital"
"Interviewer put me at ease initially by telling me he was familiar with the research I was working on. Children's Hospital is really nice, but I'm not interested in Peds, so it was a bit lost on me. Standardized pt program seems very strong, seems to be frequent pt (standard and real) contact in the first 2 years. Students seem very happy with the school. The surrounding neighborhood is nice. "
"The standardized patient curriculum is incredibly thorough & intriguing... specifically appealing since they changed the USMLE step 2 to include a process that is based upon the EVMS example. Also the community-oriented medicine, and how prepared the M1 & M2s are when they enter their preceptorships (ie. they can actually do stuff b/c of the Introduction to the Patient stuff they learn, instead of passively shadowing clinicians). 24-hour buildings, nice library, and they actually give gym memberships."
"standardized patient program and its clinical skills center; children's hospital; how warm, helpful and enthusiastic everyone was; jones institute; they took us to the gross anatomy labs-very interesting to say the least."
"the school seems very responsive to students, all the students seemed very happy with their decision to attend"
"The campus, the students seem very happy, and the whole day was very organized! The Children's hospital was awesome!"
"the hospitals."
"The enthusiasm of students and applicants, and the apparent emphasis on the student's experience."
"standardized patient program, childrens hospital, student happiness, USMLE I and II exams pass rate, emphesis on clinical experiances coupled with strong curriculum etc."
"The children's hospital was fantastic! Early clinical exposure using the standardized patient(the demo during the interview was impressive). The students were genuinely happy to be there. Students tend to work together instead of against one another. Dr. Lewis, the dean, was very charismatic and helped relaxed the interviewees. EVMS has extremely affordable housing (about $700 for a 2 bedroom apt across the street from school). I stayed with a student who was very nice and hospitable even though it was finals week."
"1. All the students I met were REALLY happy and upbeat. They were credible when they told us that the professors were just as cooperative as they were. Not a cutthroat school at all. 2. The facilities are new, really nice new library and (though I didn't get to see it firsthand) a really nice children's hospital. 3. The "standardized patient" program which ensures a high board pass rate (last year a full 100% step II USMLE pass rate)."
"It is a wonderful school, that is HONEST with you! They are extremely interested in you as a student, and treat you as their own. Their standardized patient program is one of the first and best in the nation, from what I've heard, and the school is so intermeshed with the community that it's hard to not have something to do if you need it. Wonderful children's hospital!"
"everyone was so friendly and was so happy to be working/attending the school. the faculty was genuinely interested in helping the students and it seemed like there was lots of support for academics and future clinical practice, as well as lots of chances for fun."
"The tour of the Children's Hospital, the genuine concern of the admission staff,- the fact that the dean of admissions actually introduced all 20 students interviewing that day and had something to say about everyone"
"Awesome Children's Hospital! Very friendly students."
"How happy the students were to be at the school."
"the facilities are nice and new!"
"The professional patients"
"When the admissions director introduced everyone by the university they went to and their extracurriculars"
"Friendly students, Innovative cirriculum, Learned interesting things with the Standardized patient. "
"Fantastic Children's Hospital, friendly students, 98% of students pass the boards (WOW!!!)"
"The demonstration of their use of the standardized patient. It was really a great experience and I really liked their emphasis on . Also, the Children's Hospital is phenomenal!"
"Everyone was incredibly nice and friendly. Also, I thought the children's hospital was a wonderful facility."
"The enthusiasm and warmth of the faculty and students. The intensive standardized patient program. An overall feel-good atmosphere."
"The people were really cool (and good-looking) and the place was spotless."
"The interview day included interviewing a standardized patient."
"The children's hospital, down to earth students"
"Each class is committed in making sure nobody fails out."
"SP program; friendliness of the medstudents; area is cozy and pretty; apartments are really nice, cheap, and 5 min walk from school"
"Childrens Hospital"
"My day started 9:30am and ended around 4pm. By the time of my interview, I was already drained out. Also, the current EVMS students did not do a good job selling the school"
"Not being completely prepared for the questions I asked"
"The student interviewer seemed unprepared and had no information on my application when it was supposed to be open file. Also seemed to disagree with one of my answers and have a poor attitude for the remainder of the interview."
"I asked them about their five year plan for cultural humility and they did not know what I was talking about."
"No informational sessions the same day as the interview for Friday virtual interviewers."
"Very little focus on research at all."
"Both of my interviewers basically had sticks up their asses and no personality. A doctor in the area and M3 student interviewed me and I asked the M3 if she saw a specific movie and condescendingly replied "Well as a medical student, I don't have time to watch movies...". Additionally, we stood around for 30 minutes after our hospital tour for some current students to grab us for a tour of the hospital building but they never showed up and this poor M1 noticed us and gave the tour last minute (and since we lost all that time, it was very rushed). Some students also had to wait 2 hours for their interview after the financial aid seminar because instead of interviewing everyone at the same time, they do 3 separate rounds of interviews. The school did not provide an opportunity to give feedback on the interview day either and there is not a gym at the school."
"nothing, this is a top notch school"
"Surrounding town is odd - gentrification at its finest. Not much to do around the area besides the beach?"
"the first question was "tell me something that is not on your application", but as I was about to answer she added on "what makes you different?" which are two completely different questions which would solicit two completely different answers, so that tripped me up, even though I know they were trying to help."
"The campus is somewhat small, but the size is made up for by the staff and the hospitals."
"Campus seemed pretty small. I kept asking the tour guide what he did for fun and he kinda said ummm...hang out? there aren't many intramurals or student activities on campus =/"
"Nothing negative."
"Norfolk does not seem like a fun place to live for someone in their 20s. The area around it is pretty sketchy and overall the area has an empty feel."
"The fact that my panel interview wasn't really a panel. It was two people."
"Cost of living in the area/lack of student housing."
"Extremely small school with two hospitals right on top of campus, so it seemed a bit claustrophobic."
"Minimal research opportunities"
"the interview itself was rather uncomfortable, mainly because they just stared at me as I was answering questions and didn't offer any type of affirmation even a head nod while I was speaking. I just didn't really feel like they were "on my side" like I have in other interviews"
"A med student said hi to a professor and the professor totally blew him off and walked away. Did not reflect positively on the approachability of the faculty, although maybe that's not normal behavior for them."
"Nothing?"
"The persistent use of standardized patients / clinical evaluations in a clinical setting (even into 3rd and 4th year). I don't mind them during 1st and 2nd year, but beyond that they seem to be overkill."
"Not negative, necessarily, but the M1 students who gave the tour looked stressed and lacking sleep."
"I didn't feel like the school did a good job of strutting it's stuff. Although they did try. Maybe I just wasn't that enthralled with the place. Then again I could really see myself there."
"facilities but they are making the new building so don't know"
"The building you spend all of you time in seemed small and cramped."
"The facilities are a bit old, but nothing really negative about the place."
"surrounding area, i would probably need a car especially 3rd and 4th year"
"Tuition for out-of-state and not being able to be considered in-state after a period of time"
"The location, there isn't as much to do around the school as I'd like. Also, no student guides showed up to give us a tour, so a resident who'd gone to EVMS gave us a tour of the hospital, but I would have preferred a student tour of the school."
"Norfolk traffic."
"Small hospitals"
"nothing! maybe traffic in the tunnel. "
"out of state tuition! and no chance of switching to in-state after attending for a few years!"
"Long weekdays at school"
"Traffic."
"grades in med school, BLAH"
"The good cop bad cop routine during the interview. The questions were fair and I was prepared, but that doesn't mean I found the experience enjoyable. "
"everything was about as i expected."
"not as many research opportunities, some med students complained that EVMS lacks the "prestige/recognition" of other medical schools, also that unpleasant lady who comes in before interviews to tell you what to do and what to say to impress your interviewers (I thought we were supposed to be ourselves, why are you telling us what to do like we're a bunch of five year olds?)"
"The combative nature of the questions asked to me about national health care."
"Traditional lecture-based format. Very little incorporation of technology into the curriculum. Library is not open 24 hours. Norfolk seems fairly sleepy."
"the location of the school, and the fact that school doesn't have electronic histology slides. "
"9-5 scheduling for classes leaves less time for self-directed study; students' negative feedback on some professors; convenience of food places in the area."
"Not a whole lot of diversity"
"Had to pay for the parking deck... Norfolk traffic and the Hampton Roads area traffic in general really sucks... I did not receive information about staying with a current student until the week of my interview, which was not helpful. I wish I could have heard back sooner to take advantage of that great opportunity. "
"One of my interviewers had very opposite views to mine on healthcare, and he made that very clear!"
"Norfolk is gorgeous, but it's a lot different from LA and NYC. The night life is nothing to brag about, but the area is still very pretty. I can see myself attending EVMS! I love it actually. On another note, the 1st year curriculum seems a little intense. "
"Mixed feelings about the location of the school (within Norfolk and the Norfolk area in general)."
"had to pay to park"
"The lab areas"
"The area is a bit rundown. The tunnel systems can be frustrating in Norfolk. Live next to the school!"
"Nothing really. Maybe the histology/immunology lab which looked sort of old. "
"My interviewers were an hour late! I had to wait for them to arrive, and it was clear that one of them had not read my file (even though he was supposed to have). The student interviewer didn't like me from the get go and was pretty much an unpleasant bitch to me during the whole interview. The physician was nice enough, but definitely flaky and asked dumb questions. I had to go on the defensive about not going to EVMS for my masters, and they questioned every reason for picking my current school. What a nightmare. I wasn't surprised when they waitlisted me."
"Only little things which I'm sure I'd encounter in any other city that I moved that wasn't home. Norfolk has a very different feel than say Northern California. "
"seemingly very conservative interviewers"
"facility it not really state of art"
"the facilities are aging but the hospitals are nice. "
"A presentation by a student focused on the social side of the school very heavily. "
"The lab facilities."
"Some of the rooms are not technologically equipped. "
"facilities"
"I wished they had more diversity."
"The neighborhood around the school is charming, but much of the rest of Norfolk is not."
"The labs are a bit old."
"I guess that they have tests every Monday, so the students can't exactly party on the weekends. However, they do go out Monday nights."
"People were friendly, but kinda got the feeling of some underlying racial tension (i might be imagining it) and i didn't get to talk to any minority students. "
"Classroom & Laboratory facilities. Faculty interviewer: questions were engaging and provacative but some of the followups indicated they weren't exactly listening to my responses."
"none, but if i had to choose something. its not a big city. biased because im from chicago. no professional sports team. there is a minor league though."
"The schedule seemed to change a lot. I'm very much a planner so that might drive me a little crazy if I go there. But that is so minor it doesn't even matter!"
"Cost (48K out of state per year), primary care emphasis"
"Not much. Anatomy lab is a little old school...but, I kinda like that..."
"Nothing really; I just felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb are suited up. "
"As far as the curriculum goes, it seemed that quite a few students were not satisfied with course organization and lecturers. Also, the curriculum is based very heavily on lectures instead of PBL or small groups."
"Not really a negative...but with all the standardized patients (which are great), I wonder if they sacrifice real patient contact...also, the school isnt as well established, but I dont think this really matters..."
"The med school is really just one building on the grounds of a hospital."
"The students didn't seem to be very motivated, and my tour guide was dressed in sweats and a tank top. She spent more time talking about how many parties the medical students throw than the curriculum. Overall, I felt that the school spent too much time during the interview focusing on the social life of the school so that I came away with very little information on the curriculum."
"Nothing, really."
"Small campus. There isn't really any affiliation with another university so the medical students are pretty isolated. "
"Not so much a negative, but they could have been a bit more technologically improved. The students mentioned that they recently had begun to audio record the lectures and that certain parts of the school had access to the network wirelessly. However, the schools obvious emphasis on patient care and improving the relationship b/w doctor and patient off-set any possible negative impression. The school takes great pride in the Patient-focus approach, which won me over."
"the trafic was bad in the morning"
"Technology isn't as integrated as it is at some schools, but they are working to improve that. "
"umm.... nothing really"
"Rent costs a lot."
"Given the small size of the school, resources at the school aren't great when compared to other schools. However, the dean of admissions did address it and he does plan to try to save money for the future in this area. "
"small classroom size (sometimes people take tests on the floor??). old anatomy labs."
"The style of the interview, the older anatomy labs."
"The interviewers were just bad. They seemed to talk down to me and were more concerned with trying to trip me up then get to know me. The people are very nice but there seems to be a lack of high expectation. Every seems happy with just getting by"
"My interview was very stressful as I was continually probed deeper and deeper for answers."
"the interview. it really wasn't bad, but i don't know why it has to be such a drilling. lets skip the health care questions, the ethics questions can stay. but again, it really wasn't bad"
"Nothing really about the school, but just the city - without a car it could be difficult to get around - but that's about it...although weather is usually good so apparently some students just walk to campus etc."
"Facilities weren't amazing, but not bad either. "
"everything just seemed really gloomy..."
"the surrounding area"
"technology is not integrated as much as at other schools"
"How nervous all the other interviees were."
"Some of the facilities looked outdated"
"organization of tour, etc was not very well planned"
"Norfolk looks a little depressing but I think it's just different from anything else that I have ever experienced. They have a really great mall and a really great part of town as well--they have to with all the doctors."
"Nothing other than the facilities are not the most up to date. However, they do have great hospitals that are very innovative."
"One of the lecture halls is fairly small and cramped looking. Anatomy and histology labs are dated. Nothing that would affect the quality of education, though."
"Honors/high pass/pass etc is just like A,B,C, etc so no point in having that system. Also, some of the labs seemed somewhat old, and technology at the school itself (not the hospital) wasn't great."
"norfolk."
"everything seems to be in 1 big building (lewis hall & brickell building)"
"The facilites arent as bad as people have said, but they are definitely not new, but all of the expected technology and learning aids were there."
"i sort of wish the interviews were before everything else...i was so nervous i think i would have enjoyed everything more had i been done with it"
"The facilities were older than I thought they would be."
"I'm a non-traditional applicant, so the main negative to me was that all the students there seemed to be really young. I didn't notice anyone else who appeared to be in my decade. Also, I didn't like the heavy emphasis on social clubs and volunteer events. You get the feeling that if you don't participate in these things, then you won't fit in at EVMS. "
"not too much!"
"1st/2nd year student enthusiasm bordered on ignorance or some kind of blissful daze - i was very skeptical hearing that "at EVMS students have FUN (all the time) during their four years," which meant to include having fun with their studies everyday; research opportunities are limited (but as i am pursuing the Navy's HPSP, i could avail of research opps at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth); with all the community outreach, the students have not yet created their own student-run clinic (though to be fair, free clinics abound in the Hampton Roads region)"
"The gross anatomy and multi-disciplinary labs are indeed pretty dilapidated, with poor ventilation and dated equipment. It seems like a very small town. The weather, as well; I had hoped it would be colder, but it's probably good it wasn't."
"The interviers was asked stupid question. The admissions did not seem very friendly. They just pawned us off to the students."
"Traffic"
"Nothing. People emphasize the microscopes thing on here too much, and how run-down the lab is. Seriously, it's nothing compared to some places I've seen and the rest of the facilities are phenomenal. They use laptops and other technology besides just microscopes too..."
"I'm not the biggest fan of the Norfolk/VA Beach area...way too warm for me. "
"Nothing really. "
"I think my adcom interviewer was a 4th year medical student. I wish it would have been a faculty member or doctor. Also the interview was so short, I felt like they didn't really get to know me very well."
"EVMS did not do any sort of presentation on their curriculum, and it isn't really advertised on their website, so I had to ask the students about it and they didn't seem to think that the curriculum was important; that is, they didn't have anything particularly good to say about it. It is a very traditional curriculum that is NOT small group, PBL, organ-systems based, symptom-based, or intigrative. All the classes run in parallel with independent content."
"The facilities were a little run down."
"location"
"The school's lack of reputation left me feeling a bit empty."
"Long class hours. Research's not a big deal at this school"
"The interview, the facilities, the lack of research, LUNCH!!!"
"location! although its ~15 min from virginia beach, the surrounding area is like a seaside town, not much culture, not much to do except go to the beach. as expected, student body isnt very diverse "
"the labs... but, I enjoy working with microscopes, so it's no big deal"
"FACILITIES are dungy, dark, and smelled. traffic in the area (including the bridges is horrible), downtown Norfolk isn't the most exciting place, the obscurity of the school to the general public"
"layout of campus; surrounding area; residence proximity/availability"
"Nothing really. People had told me the lab facilities weren't that great, but I like working with actual microscopes, so whatever."
"Age of the labs."
"The facilities were not so hot; the anatomy lab was...blah...the one we have here at undergrad was better"
"Small Campus. Buildings seem pretty old. There is one main building, where classes are held. I think all the first year classes are in the same lecture hall."
"Anatomy lab, and surrounding hallways looked old."
"The high stress level of interview, but it wasn't that bad. As always, stick to one side of the issue and do not waiver; there is never a correct answer to an ethical question. The teaching/lab facilities were slightly worse than average."
"Norfolk is a bit ghetto. The labs and other facilities are rather old. "
"I did not enjoy the interview because one of my interviewers was unusually interrogative."
"The facilities were run-down, and research is poorly funded. The academic caliber of the students was not as high as at other schools. My student tourguide made homophobic comments that I felt were inappropriate. Although this is definitely a matter of personal preference, I felt that the school had a very conservative atmosphere, which I didn't like. "
"Really the only drawback to the school is that it doesn't have an undergrad arts & sciences campus associated with it. There are only 2 small shelves in the library dedicated to recreational reading."
"The night before, the drive down to the Norfolk area seemed depressing. The town seemed relatively small and I thought the next four years would be somewhat depressing and morose. However, I'm actually looking forward to it now seeing all these happy people. I can actually see myself going here!"
"Having always lived in cities, Norfolk is well...Norfolk. Also, the "campus" it kind of small. I have a feeling other schools' facilties surpass those of EVMS, but have nothing to really base that on other than suspicion."
"the surrounding location of norfolk seems a bit dry, coming from a californian. slow living."
"the city(town?) is miniscule and pretty dead looking."
"the labs"
"The disproportionate amount of time spent on discussing the standardized patient program made me wonder what the heck is wrong with the rest of the curriculum! Also the actual "campus" of EVMS seemed really like three buildings and a parking garage. "
"facilities aren't that great, they are working on getting wireless internet throughout the main medical school building"
"Many of the facilities seemed dated and old. EVMS, since it is not part of a larger university, does not have as much funding, nor does it have as many research programs as some schools."
"The area of Norfolk, others seem to like it but I found it somewhat run down. There are Seven-Eleven's and gas stations everywhere, and very few places to sit down and eat. I had a hard time finding a restaurant anywhere near the school. Also, it doesn't seemed very planned, apartments, gas stations, businesses, houses are all together on the same streets."
"The labs were kind of dingy."
"The classrooms themselves are old and run-down (without any windows), the technology is less than impressive (the campus is not wired), the vast majority of the classes are held in just one building (Lewis Hall), and the demographics of the area are not reflected in the make-up of the medical school class (ethinically and racially it doesn't seem that diverse). "
"The hotel that I stayed at was not in the greatest location, but it was very nice. Other people have commented on the city of Norfolk; it is a work in progress and it seems much nicer in my opinion than how others have discribed it."
"nothing at all - norfolk is beautiful, the students are great and seem to have a fun time there and the hospitals (sentara and children's) were wonderful"
"nothing, it was very nice"
"Facilities are clean but not state of the art. Lack of major university attached to campus limits research opportunities."
"The administration seemed indifferent about the admissions process. We had lunch with them and they didn't even acknowledge we were in the room. A bit awkward."
"The older-looking labs and lecture halls. The anatomy lab has almost no natural light. Yuck. THE INTERVIEW. "
"well, the first day it was warm, the second it was pouring rain, also there aren't any student run clinics in the area, expensive"
"Low level of technology in the class room. They do have a note co-op though however no video taping lect. or handing out slides ahead of time."
"First impressions are huge - other schools had smiling faces and snacks waiting, even if you were early. EVMS just made you kind of wait around in the hallway until someone came to find everybody. If they don't bother taking care of applicants, why should I believe they take care of their students?"
"the main adult hospital affiliated wit them is for-profit"
"Not much. Norfolk seemed a little dingy."
"the library is only open until midnight, although the main halls are open 24/7 with areas to study and computer access, and there were some bugs around which could have been cleaned up"
"Not much. EVMS isn't part of a university, so there isn't really a campus ... for whatever that's worth."
"Tuition cost for out-of-state residents- $36,000/year!!"
"a couple of the administrators didn't seem to excited to have us there, like everything they said was a rehearsed speech....oh well...also EVMS does have many underrepresented minorities"
"The classes are on the order of 110 students in size. Not too small, but not too big either. Could be perceived as a negative depending on an individual's personality."
"Resources for med students were sparse; library closes at 12 am; lounge is pretty ghetto!"
"none"
"utter lack of academic curiosity of students. The first years giving us our tours didn't know what their classes were going to be the next semester and the fourth years I talked to didn't seem to really know much about match--maybe they were all EXTREMELY laid back but it came off as being apathetic and lacking motivation/curiosity"
"Norfolk- it is OK, but wouldnt be my pick, alnd the student center could use a face lift : )"
"norfolk isn't the most exciting town, but there ARE things to do in the area."
"The interview was basically 40 minutes of non-stop questions. It felt more like an interrogation than an interview."
"nothing really"
"The interview, and crappy Norfolk weather."
"I would have liked the tour of the hospital given by a student, but it was nice to know the volunteers are helpful."
"everything was good until the interview. I really wish it was 1 on 1 instead of panel interview."
"A few of the students i met where not very outgoing, very introverted, but most of the students were friendly and it seems that they all participated in the schools events, such as dances, parties, retreats, and ets."
"The price tag, and that you cannot declare Virginia residency. "
"facilities need renovation"
"cost was higher than i'd expected. lack of funding compared to UVa. and MVC. "
"not much -- just the cost, which while i did know was high, it was hard to stomach the 200k+ in loans i would need to take out as an out of state student. "
"The interview process was so negative and intense compared to the quality of the school, it was too much of a disparity for me. They even had a small discussion with all of the applicants before the interview to tell us how hard it would be--they told us that the interviewers loved to focus on bioethical issues and situational dilemmas."
"The students have to travel to all different kinds of locations for their clinical years (at least this is the impression I got when I asked). The admissions officers seemed to give canned speeches throughout the day, there wasn't any spark of excitement about their school. The panel interviews seem to create unneeded stress and I have no idea why they think it is a good idea to schedule them LAST...everyone would have been much more relaxed during the tours and lunch if we could have gotten the interviews over in the morning."
"The tuition for out of state applicants...yikes!"
"Some of the behaviors exhibited by school staff could almost be construed as unprofessional - I know that they are just really friendly and real comfortable with each other, but it was very much a different scence from other interview sites."
"second year clas room is tiny; no that much research"
"The cost of tuition is high and they don't have up to date technology as some other schools"
"Very little. I had no real doubts about their clinical aspects but they did seem like they were trying to avoid the topic. Every time someone brought it up, it seemed as though the answers were "we don't know yet" or "we will know better next year when the current 2nd year class moves into clinicals" or "the Dean is working on that." Here are my reservations. While I am certain that the excellence of the school will continue through clinicals, there is no concrete evidence of this as of yet. Words are words. You can choose to believe them but there is no evidence. This is in no way the fault of the school. They are new and will soon have a reputation and I'm certain it will be tremendous but they just do not have one as of yet. As I make a decision on whether or not to attend this school, I feel I may be taking a slight gamble on the clinicals. I feel the first two years are excellent and of course with the faculty being together, excellence can be monitored and enhanced. The clinicals sites will be new. There will be some "kinks" to be worked out and this may be more difficult given that the hospitals and sites are not in the same building as the Dean. Will all 160 students be placed locally or will some have to travel to Ohio or Florida or somewhere else in order to do a surgery rotation or whatever else? These are questions I will need to have settled before I decide on going here."
"They have class til 5"
"The weather. It was muggy all day when I was there."
"Norfolk is not the nicest place. The school does not have a campus and there aren't many student oriented facilities. "
"Hot and humid."
"school isn't wireless (they were, but had problems with it). school is also only a couple blocks from some fairly slummy areas. high tuitition."
"the ethical questions at the interview"
"I learned that I was interviewing for the waiting list, all seats had been filled. Until around July I will be on the waiting list hoping of course that I don't get rejected right away."
"Traffic can get really bad around Norfolk. "
"The weather - it was rainy and cold, which I am told is pretty typical for January - March in Norfolk."
"The second year classroom, anatomy room, and histology room were somewhat old and needed some upkeep."
"The Physiology lab seemed pretty old and rather small. The school does not require you to purchase a laptop (which may be a plus in your opinion), so everyone does not have access to the same software, and there is not wireless internet at the school. The school is underfunded and students made it clear that that is probably the only problem. Change is hard to make due to the money shortage. "
"The Admissions Board member had to interrupt my interview in order to tell the factuly member (who was 10 min late), to lay off me a little...I believe his exact words were, "This is not how we do it here and we're going to have to have a discussion after this interview is finished." The faculty member fired question after question at me without giving me a chance to finish my responses. When I asked him to be more specific on one of his ethical questions (cloning), he came up with the above kidney question, turned to me, and said, "Is that specific enough?" Now I know this interview was probably just a fluke, but are you kidding me??? What kind of impression does this give to applicants?"
"It is hard for me to gauge the city of Norfolk. Could be tolerable, or it could be bad."
"Lunch, watch out for the fish! also, 18 interviewees on same day!"
"Nothing really, just didn't really love the school like I had others."
"The only negative about this school is Norfolk. But I'm more of a city person, so it might not bother everyone."
"Norfolk does not seem like a exciting place to live."
"The absolute only bad thing was the shape of their cadavers- a bit worn."
"The scheduled tours of the hopsitals were cancelled. Though there was a tour of the ER at the last moment, I was not able to see the Children's Hospital. The lunch was even late. There were only two major lecture halls. There was no gym. The campus was small overall."
"I had to wait for 2 hours after the tour for my interview, which was just annoying. Also, it just seems unnecessarily stress-inducing to have the panel-style interview, instead of one-on-one."
"Every single student replied "It was the only school I got in to" when I asked them why EVMS... Norfolk General is an aging hospital - and not a very busy level 1 trauma center.."
"It is very small, campus wise, and Norfolk isn't the greatest place in the world."
"The rainy weather."
"Norfolk and Virginia. It is definitely a different area which would take getting used to."
"standardized pt. example/activity they presented to us"
"I didn't have a lot of time to get to know the people who I talked with."
"My interviewers were completely poker-faced. I left the interview feeling like there was no way I could possibly get in after stating that abortion was morally wrong. Retroanalysis of this interview was not helpful. there were plenty of cadavers for the anatomy class. These, however, looked like they had been trashed in the learning process. "
"The interview itself was bad. There are also no opportunities for research. "
"The tour given by two M2s was not too impressive."
"Like the previous poster, I noticed the "Baltimoreans." Although I am from Baltimore myself, I did wish that the others "baltimoreans" could have held their condescending thoughts to themselves. It definitely would have made the day a lot more pleasant for the rest of us."
"There are always few applicants from "Baltimore" thinking they're all that and cut throat. It's ok to be competitive but come on, we all know you're from "XXXX" you don't have to be so snobbish, and ego-centric. IF you think you're so good, why don't you apply to just the Iys instead of ruining the atmosphere for everyone at EVMS?"
"Paying $8 to park. "
"Norfolk isn't exctly the capital of fun. "
"The tuition. Same at most private schools though."
"I wasn't given get a chance to see both hospitals."
"no true cafeteria"
"The curriculum organization could be improved -- it would be helpful if concepts were taught in blocks across more than one course as opposed to each course standing on its own"
"long interview day: tour etc starts at 10am and ends with lunch at 1:00, interviews start at 2pm. Good thing my interview was at 2:45pm! I feel bad for those who had to wait 2-3 hours fir theirs. Big negative for me: out of state tuition/cost is ~$55,000! Also, new school, so not really well known."
"They have a bell-curve grading scale, Scary interviewer who really wanted me to leave crying, I'm sure (he also started filling out my interview ranking form while I was answering the other interviewer's question); and Norfolk=scary at night when you are lost trying to find your hotel"
"Norfolk wasn't anything to write home about, lack of affiliated teaching hospital, lack of name recognition, tuition cost out of state"
"I can't really think of any, but it may not be the best place for research."
"Too many ethical questions - it seems to me that these are only meant to catch you with your pants down. Physicians have a wide variety of opinions about controversial issues (otherwise they wouldn't be controversial) and they are still good doctors. I got the feeling that my interviewers were coming from a very liberal perspective, which made me a little uncomfortable as I'm pretty conservative on ethical issues."
"It was a really long day. The dean was supposed to join us for lunch, but didn't. One person walked passed our group during our tour and grumbled, "They all look the same to me". That made me feel nervous."
"The rudeness especially lack of respect for cultural heritage that one interviewer conveyed during the interview. On top of that, this interviewer did not introduce himself."
"nothing"
"Seemed like a pretty homogeneous student body, but I don't know that for sure. Doesn't seem to be much time for research or electives in the first 2 years. Student tour guide took us to the anatomy lab and showed us his end-of-the-semester-cadaver. Did not warn/ask us if we wanted to see it, proceeded to poke around casually and talk with us. "
"Lack of strong connections for study abroad programs, and not a weak, but not an incredibly strong, match list (middle of the road, which isn't a "negative" thing, persay)."
"norfolk is not the biggest city nor is it the most exciting but i am coming from ny so i guess its relative"
"not much, although I was the last person to get interviewed..."
"waiting 2 hours for interview after tour and lunch"
"the rudeness of the interviewer, who insulted me and questioned my character and credentials."
"Nothing."
" That the dean of admissions introduces each student (interviewees) with their creds which is really not necessary."
"The interview was in the afternoon so most of the interviewees were tired. Some had to wait 1.5 hours before they interviewed."
"Norfolk. An unremarkable city. Fortunately the med school is in the nicest part of town."
"The Dean of Admissions has good intentions when he introduces everyone with some credentials, but it can be a bit intimidating. "
"traffic in the local area seems annoying. and during the 3rd year rotations you will ahve to go thru williamsburg hospitals which are at least 40 min away."
"Nothing really - I loved everything about the school"
"Too much time spent in conference rooms before the interview. I was tired of smiling constantly by the time I got to the interview."
"The price of the apartments in the local area."
"Medical school building"
"School is kind of small."
"It's in Norfolk, VA. Also, it's relatively new so it does not have much of an established reputation."
"Very small campus, one main building where all the classes are help. Other than that I really liked it."
"Norfolk"
"Norfolk!"
"it was bad weather during my stay"
"The cost of tuition."
"No place to workout at."
"2nd year lecture hall; how many people didn't have their own computers; sometimes professors lecture straight out of their syllabi"
"lecture rooms and amout of time spent there"
"None"
"I didn't have time to go to the information session that was earlier in the week (you can go to a later one street your interview) and I think that would've given me a better sense of the school"
"That we would be asked to volunteer to complete a simulation with a standardized patient. It was completely voluntary and went well but it was very surprising."
"Had done enough research about the process. Nothing."
"The interviewer's info! At least their names and profession"
"The ethical issues they ask about."
"How calm and chill the interview actually is!"
"That there would be plenty of time for casual conversation and questions."
"They will ask very specific questions about your research and/or clinical experiences. I was asked about specific results of research I conducted 4 years ago."
"I wish I had known about how long it would be before the interview."
"If you're driving, the speeding laws in Virginia are SUPER strict! I was stressed and unimpressed after the interview and wanted to just get home and got a ticket on the way home that ended up costing me an additional $450."
"It was a long day with a lot of walking."
"That the interview was more of a conversation."
"Wear better walking shoes"
"The names of my interviewers"
"How many seats were still open."
"I knew my interview was at the end of the day but didn't know I would be sitting by myself until then because everyone else had earlier interviews.."
"I wish I had known that all the other girls were going to wear heels."
"That my interviewers would be closed minded. They were looking for a specific answer to each of their questions and if you didn't have that answer they would write you off."
"My panel was missing the third person (no medical student, so a lot of the questions for EVMS I had prepared became irrelevant because the faculty did not have the insight into student life to answer that kind of question."
"That the panel would NOT be stressful. In fact, it was nice! Also, the school's emphasis on community & standardized patients."
"*shrugs* It was pretty predictable."
"SDN prepared me well. The info I didn't know such as standardized patient emphasis, I gained before the interviews."
"I should have rented a car to explore the area better. Usually I would have but I was really tired. I like the parts of the city I did get to see."
"by how much I was going to be grilled on health care issues"
"That admissions can get you in contact with students that are willing to let you stay overnight rather than staying in a hotel"
"That there was construction going on on Brambleton. It took an hour to get out of the city because traffic was basically gridlocked."
"Interviews start later than scheduled and sometimes run longer than you expect"
"hold your ground during the interview"
"I would have 2.5 hr wait for my interview "
"park on the street on fairfax drive if you can. parking is free there and it's right across the street from where the interviews are held. "
"you may have to wait anywhere from 45-90 minutes for your interview, so bring something to do to calm your nerves. lots of ethical dilemma questions. Also, show up to your interview 15 minutes before its scheduled, some interviewers like to wrap it up early and move on to the next candidate (one interviewer got especially nasty about it)."
"That I should have had a much more specific game plan for national health care (or moreso a more specific way of explaining that I don't think the government should be involved in health care period)"
"Asked for a student host a month in advance, but never got one. (Emailed a week before interview--no response. Called school a couple of days before interview to check, was told "we'll get back to you" but they never did.) Very disappointed--wanted to hear about the school from current students."
"the traffic can get really bad near the tunnel"
"How to get back on the highway from EVMS... I got lost :("
"That one of my interviewers would attack me head-on about my ideas on healthcare. Also, that one of my letters conveyed some personal weaknesses and that those would be addressed during the interview."
"Nothing really. You can't be 100% prepared for the types of questions that they will throw at you. Just be confident and stick to your gun."
"What my interviewers would be like"
"How good I looked in my new suit. :) "
"Nothing. I felt really prepared for everything. If for some reason you hadn't heard about the style of the interview, you were told 100 times throughout the day by the other interviewees, the medical students, and the EVMS staff. And the ethics/health care questions are not that hard. EVERYBODY who interviewed also thought that. SDN makes it seem like you're put in a ring with Mike Tyson for a round. Just explain your thoughts about the question, and the interviewer will likely guide you through. "
"They interview you in study rooms at the library. Weird."
"I wish I had a better understanding of the layout of the city so that when I interviewed, I would be able to scope out the restaurants and places to hang out. "
"That out of state tuition was so much and that, at the time of our interview, they had already sent out enough offers to fill the class."
"That they do not allow out-of-state students to become residents after one year. Places school way out of my price range."
"N/A"
"The interview is NOT THAT BAD. Knowing this could have saved me from getting a couple of white hairs. "
"to be direct about answers bc thats what they wanted"
"That it's not too bad~"
"That I would be totally calm until the second I sat down for my interview. Tried to appear calm but was panicking on the inside."
"I wish I had known what a big city Norfolk is."
"that the indian food the night before would make me shit so much, right up till 20 minutes before my interview. tasted good the night before though."
"Cab wouldn't take credit card from airport to city even though I'd previously asked that specifically."
"Again nothing. SDN helped me prepare very well. It seems like everyone gets the same questions about healthcare and abortion."
"if you have a 330 interview you will atleast 2 hours of nothing. bring a book to keep you occupied. dont book your flight to close to your interview. mine went longer than i thought it would. i was panicing to get my cab and go to the airport asap."
"How relaxed it would be!! I mean you definitely have to prepare but my interview was not NEARLY as bad as some of the horror stories I have heard. "
"How beautiful the area is, how great the students seemed to be"
"How awesome the students are there. Great hospitals too."
"I went to the school early to try and visit the Children's Hospital (I read quite a few amazing comments about it, so I figured I would check it out before my interview since my tour wouldn't be at that hospital). Haha, I really didn't get very far, just sort of walked around the hallways looking lost. "
"I couldn't leave the way I came because of afternoon restrictions on left turns."
"Norfolk is very nice city. The only thing holding me back from calling this school great is their so-called ''reputation''"
"The interview wasn't THAT bad. Everybody says the EVMS interviews are rough, but mine turned out to be very reasonable."
"The standardized patient system is extremely important during the first two years at EVMS."
"Nothing..."
"I wished that I knew that Norfolk had such a suburban feel. I'm not a huge City girl, so this was a pleasant surprise. I wish that I had known that a student could be on the Admissions Committee, but I don't think it would have made a difference to my visit."
"That it was going to be the students Spring Break when I interviewed"
"nothing... sdn pretty much told me everything i needed to know"
"Nothing, SDN is a great resource"
"How nice the school was and how sweet the pediatrics hospital is"
"Parking is free for students.. NICE"
"There were only 7 other interviewees with me. "
"traffic's pretty bad."
"Well I thought I was prepared to deal with healthcare issues, but apparently I should have gotten an MBA before I interviewed. (that's overdramatic- really just study how the healthcare system works and what you can do to fix the problems of the uninsured) they just want to see how you react to stress so calm down!"
"uhm, EVMS gives scholarships, don't know if i qualify. "
"That I should have tried my hardest not to check my bag at the airport..USAirways tends to lose ur luggage..so I didn't get my stuff back until I went back for my return flight out."
"their use of stdized patients"
"the interview is kind of fun. there is a demonstration with a standardized patient and it's really interesting to learn about them."
"nothing really, SDN is a great resource!"
"How laid back the interview would really be."
"Interview procedure regarding tours and interview times."
"How long it would take to get there! The traffic going through Richmond is pretty bad, allow yourself more than enough time or stay the night before."
"53 different student clubs...active social scene outside of class(work hard,play hard)...Clinical exposure begins during week 2 of first year"
"That they were so focused on clinical skills."
"I thought I would like Norfolk better than I did."
"There is an opportunity at the beginning of the day to participate in a standarized patient assessment - it's nerve raking - but a good experience overall! There were approx 16 interviewees there on that day - but it was fine and we broke into groups for many things. I had my interview at 2:45 (approx 45 of down time), but some people went at 2 and others went at 3:30. The people at 3:30 had a long time to wait - but the students are friendly, just go hang out in the student lounge."
"that the girls in VA are so hot. woulda brought my mack game"
"Should have brought a book waiting 2 hours for my interview."
"I probably should have read up on more about ethics and our healthcare system as a whole. The bulk of my interview seemed to revolve around this."
"That I'm an idiot."
"That they're heading towards including more research in the future."
"that my Admissions Committee interviewer is a retired Navy Captain/hand surgeon/pilot; that both he and his student interviewer counterpart would be so candid about what they thought of my candidacy (but not knowing these things ensured that i prepared well for the interview); that the interview is NOT that stressful or negative an experience as indicated by other feedback on SDN (then again, me and my colleagues interviewed on the very first day of the interview season, and we were treated quite nicely)"
"That EVMS has a lot of fascinating research going on, including a potential cure (!) for diabetes (regrowth of pancreatic islets,) and some good stuff on concomitantly improving contraception and preventing disease (ie, HIV) transmission."
"How much service and social stuff they offer. I was really impressed. Also that their standardized patient program is one of the best- and that we would experience one of them while we were there (a little intimidating, but nice to finally see what the SPs are like instead of just hearing about them)"
"How much I would like this school and how laid back the interview would be!"
"Comming into the interview previously reading others opnions of the school I had the impression that I would not like the school at all. But after talking to students there I really liked the school. Although the city needs development, I still liked it. I mean afterall you are going to med school for the school and not the city. And plus the students always had social events so that was cool. "
"focus of the school on community service."
"EVMS is a medical school not associated with any university, and the community created it because they wanted a medical school in the area. The locals are very enthusiastic about its quality."
"can't think of anything"
"That there would be a dress code on Granby. "
"That the admissions department doesn't take their interviews very seriously"
"nothing much. i was surprised the school did so well on the boards, and the facilities were very nice with a beautiful library "
"That this school is constantly awarded by the AAMC for excellence in medicine. It gets a bum rap and has one of the best programs in the nation (judged by calibur of residencies attained and faculty awards by the AAMC)."
"Just that I would like the school as much as I did, and that if you prepare adequately (not a ridiculous amount mind you) for your interview so that you have something intelligent to say, the interview isn't stressful at all."
"That there aren't any good coffee shops within walking distance. There are a couple of starbucks's in some of the campus buildings, but I didn't know that."
"I had a 3:30 interview so I had to sit around for 2 hours before my interview which just made me nervous and anxious...should have brought a book or something "
"Norfolk is congested and can make you late for the interview. Also, the area around the school is really nice (but I hear there are bad areas). A high percentage of students enter the military scholarship, because tuition is extremely high (esp. for out of state-residents). There is a Navy base nearby."
"What the living options are (no on-campus accomodation), prices, and surrounding neighborhood are like"
"The campus is actually quite nice. It is small, but you have to realize that almost all medical schools have small campuses of one or two buildings and the hospitals. The facilities were either new or renovated and the school has plans to continue renovating places like the lecture halls and student lounges. The difference is that this school does not share its campus with an undergraduate school. I don't think this is a bad thing."
"The interview committee generally consists of 3 people: an ADCOM member, a student, and a clinician. The ADCOM member has seen your entire file, but the other two have only seen part of it. The ADCOM person will not identify him/her-self as such, so you have to guess. EVMS is all about the primary care, and has very unimpressive research opportunities. There are--count em--2 lecture halls total in the school. "
"Don't stress so much about all of the issues with national health care. They will probably ask you about it, but not about the specifics - just have an opinion."
"Maybe try to get the earlier interviews (2 or 2:45) because it will get boring waiting around."
"That there would be construction on Granby street. Woke me up at 5 in the morning. "
"I wish I knew to spend enough time in Norfolk and walking around the campus to see if I could really envision myself attending the school. I arrived late at night the night before, stayed in a hotel, had a quick tour of the building/hospital, had the interview and left."
"the extent to which they drill you on your knowledge of healthcare issues"
"i needed a better outfit!"
"low amount of minority enrollement b/c of budget cuts..school was not able to offer as much aid outside of loans, they are working on improving aid"
"I should have printed out more maps or gone to AAA for the tourist book with restaurants, etc."
"I wish I hadn't rescheduled my flight back; it wasn't necessary. "
"luckily i interviewed first but some people had to wait an hour or two until their interview"
"nothing, it was great"
"The class was pretty much full and they were only waitlisting."
"How nice the Norfolk area is, how long I'd have to wait for my interview (3 hours), how aggressive and unpleasant my interviewer would be."
"bring clothes for snow, rain, or sunshine"
"A way to get around the tunnel, as the day finishes right in the middle of rush hour."
"apparently the dress code for med schoo l interviews is to wear black! I was the only one in my group not wearing black -- I was wearing gray"
"that the children's hospital was quite adamant about no visitors without a scheduled tour, which was a let down as it's supposed to be a wonderful hospital"
"In addition to its fertility clinic which I had heard of, EVMS is also home to a diabetes center of which it is very proud. Wouldn't hurt to learn a little about this ahead of time."
"They don't validate parking. Also, downtown Norfolk is a very classy area with plenty of restaurants and bars and a significant amount growth invested in it. The beaches are only 20 minutes away, the water is right out your back door."
"Interviews can go until almost 5 pm so bring something to keep you going, and money for parking cuz they dont validate!"
"None, I spent me last summer in EVMS, so pretty much knew the school."
"That the school was so unimpressive I should have just saved time and money and not interviewed"
"Not much, I knew I was in for a tough interview."
"How hard the interview was going to be. I LOVED the school, the interview was difficult. I would have been calmer and handled it better if i was more prepared. i had about 20 + questions fired at me in a non-conversational manner. Literally no feedback/responses to ANYTHING i said (I think it varies widely by interviewee)"
"Norfolk traffic patterns are crazy. Leave ample time to get to the school. "
"i wouldnt be asked bioethics questions like i prepared for all week"
"I didn't have a student interview. Also, that I had to go first."
"Girls, wear comfortable shoes! "
"their emphasize on Standardized patients"
"They say they will get back to you with an answer within 2-3 weeks, which is very courteous. "
"that the panel interview isn't that scary and that they're really nice"
"i thought i was pretty well prepared for the interview questions thanks to this website. "
"it seems like most out of staters are waitlisted - through the day when people found out i wasnt from VA, i kept on hearing "dont be discouraged if you get waitlisted - about 1/3 of every class comes from the waitlist" so im not really expecting an immediate acceptance."
"I had heard that the interviews were hard, but I wish I had known how stressful and negative they would be and how much it would scare me for all my future interviews."
"Norfolk is a very underrated city and would be a nice place to live. If I decide to go into Peds I would want to work in a place like Children's Hospital, it was just amazing."
"That they would tell you all of the questions you would be asked in the interview beforehand."
"Standardized patients are a major source of pride for the program, and seems to be a major asset for students. Also, there is no one dedicated teaching hospital - they use community hospitals that enjoy teaching students. *** IF you apply out of state, they will not adjust your tuition after one year (or ever), and they will not let you redo you FASFA form, so if you work and your parents work, you're screwed. For me, it is budgeted as MSI: 54K, MSII: 54K, MSIII: 59K, MSIV: 56K. I didn't expect $200K price tag."
"nothing - all the questions they ask are on this site. everyone makes a big effort to make sure you're not nervous, etc."
"The medical missions program is so incredible. During your third and fourth years, you will be allowed to select an overseas rotation (4-8 weeks) in Guatemala, Inida, or Siberia (others may be added later). If you then select to complete a Family Medicine residency through VCOM, you can also complete portions of your residency in one of their international sites. Upon completion of your residency, you will then have an opportunity to spend one full year practicing in one of their international sites and be reimbursed plus have 100K of your loans paid off by VCOM. Pretty cool!"
"How nonstressful the interview was"
"Nothing really. SDN helped me on that."
"Nothing really"
"Nothing-there were no surprises after reading SDN. "
"how high the out of state tuition is. also, that it's not as stressful as everyone makes it out to be."
"interesting observation--almost everyone who attends evms is from uva"
"That there are very many areas for site seeing in Norfolk I could have scheduled my flight for an evening one on Saturday and take a complete tour of the USS Wisconsin (Nauticus)"
"That I have left the directions back to home at home."
"There is a lot of traffic on 64 in the mornings, so prepare for it. The parking garage is also very busy, so allow adequate time for parking."
"Nothing. It was all very straightforward."
"That my interview would not be stressful. I don't think that all interviews were as easy going as mine though. There were supposed to be 3 people interviewing me, I don't know what happened, but I was happy about it. Oh yeah, the school is really expensive for out of state students."
"Definitely study ethical issues and national health care issues. They will make you have an opinion even if you don't feel strongly about a certain issue."
"How nice a school it really was. How long a day it is. Plus parking is 8 dollars. Try to find somewhere else other than the garage."
"size of campus, age of school, reputation, etc."
"That I would have been accepted to my 2nd choice the day before the interview, I found out at my student host. I would not have attended the interview if I had known that."
"That I'd have to carry my belonings with me all day. Should've left my shoulder bag w/laptop in the car. This was my first interview though."
"Eastern Virginia is very big on humanistic medicine and stem cell research."
"How nice Norfolk is!"
"Parking can be difficult if you travel to Norfolk area via moped. Be prepare to pay car-fees in parking garages. Also, you should brush up on turning hand signals when using a moped since blinkers don't work. Be CAREFUL! Not many drivers remember what these are, you must yield to them!"
"I wish I knew that I would have to wait 2 hours before my interview. I was scheduled in the last block of interviews and since the day ran late, I was literally the last one out."
"Lots of walking. Wish I'd worn flat shoes!"
"curriculum is very conservative, norfolk is actually really pretty, definitely park on the streets around the school instead of paying for parking"
"That I would be waiting for an hour and half while others were being interviewed."
"Just how impressive the children's hospital is. It's enough to make anyone want to go into peds."
"That the interview would be laid back. Even though it said this on SDN i didn't think a panel interview could be laid back."
"the over-achieving, nerdy students competing to get in and that they applied to a million other med schools when they shouldn't have"
"That med students have time to live outside of med school. "
"You won't NECESSARILY have a clinician interviewing you. Mine did not show up. "
"That you can park on the streets adjacent to Colley Ave. and not have to pay 8$ for the lot. "
"The day was unseasonably warm."
"That there isn't much to do around town to say the truth."
"Everyone is so low-key - - I needed to look professional, but I didn't need to spend so much time worrying about my appearance. They were really down to earth."
"That it would rain"
"Not to stay in the north-eastern part of town. It was trash."
"The signs for the airport suck. I got lost on my way back to return the rental car, and get on the plane."
"the interview isn't as stressful as i had thought it would be. the interview was more conversational and just a get-to-know-you type meeting."
"There is some construction going on and it took me a while to get to my interview. "
"the outrageous cost for out-of-state students"
"The school doesn't validate parking so expect to have $8 on hand. Also, because you may have several hours off between lunch and your interview, bring something to read"
"I pretty much had my bases covered."
"Read up on ethics. They WILL ask an abortion question (ALWAYS say you will give the girl a pregnancy test FIRST, even if she has taken one at home already - the rest of the answer is up to you.) - EVMS is big into stem cell research and infertility so you will likely get a question about both. I did."
"How much I wish I was a VA resident!!!"
"Getting back to the hotel may be difficult--shuttle service doesn't run after certain hours."
"traffic on the highways was completely ridiculous.....plan accordingly if your driving there the day of...i sure didn't."
"The area of Ghent, where the school is located is actually pretty nice. It's the area of Norfolk where the gay community is most visible, but I get the feeling that's not saying much. There is a gay bookstore in the area, but that was the only sign of gay life that I saw. :)"
"The change in the USMLE Step 2 process, the EVMS 100% passing rate for Step 2, how they have some school-owned apartments just across the street, they give free parking to med students, and the only other programs they have are a small PA program, a MPH program, and surgical assistants (they take anatomy with them)."
"how willing the faculty is to work to tailor academics to your professional goals; i would have come with more specific questions"
"the standardized patient crap is just a bunch of bs"
"I knew Norfolk was a beach town, and was expecting something akin to Myrtle Beach. Actually, the area of Ghent was pretty nice and even the downtown was more sophisticated than I expected. "
" Had I known that the school would impress me this much, I would have prepared more for the interview."
"That the school was so terrific...This was my first interview so I didn't take it seriously...which I now regret."
"If you interview on wednesday, they take you to see Norfolk General Hospital, not the new children's hospital, which is only shown to Friday interviewees. I had wanted to see what all the ppl on this page had been raving about and I didn't get to see it. Hopefully I'll get in and get to see it again! It is a REALLY nice school."
"parking..."
"participate in their activities with the standardized patients, and ask a lot of questions. they are really excited about their school and seem to respond if you are too."
"Parking is kinda expensive so make sure you have enough change-$8/day"
"Out of state costs are $45K-$50K a year."
"I had 2 hours between lunch and my interview in which I spent sitting in a chair the entire time. "
"Nothing."
"The school and students are extremely involved in community activities."
"I had 2.5 hours between lunch and my interview."
"Norfolk is a crappy place, but EVMS is located in the best section of town."
"That they would "introduce" us to each other by mentioning our ECs. It was very intimidating to hear [details about other applicants] whom you are up against."
"nothing"
"The schedule varies a great deal. Classes are not in blocks."
"EVMS has done a lot of stem cell research. You should familiarize yourself with the basics before the interview. "
"Tutoring amongst classmates to insure everbody passes, and the test are not in blocks but staggered."
"how small the complex is"
"It was a calm, conversational interview. They asked a few follow-up questions and made me feel like they were interested in what I was saying and wanted to get to know me as a person and what I have accomplished."
"Ultimately it was not as stressful as I was expecting and I had great interviewers who were kind and talked to me a little about the answers I gave to the questions."
"I was hoping the interview was conversational -- more Q and A/ interrogation type of interview"
"Positive interview experience, a little more formal than SDN had implied."
"I liked the interview day itself, even though it was virtual. The ethical and behavioral questions they posed were a little challenging but easy enough to apply to former experiences."
"Overall I think they adapted well to being online for interviews."
"I liked this school way more than I expected to."
"if you care about the community and envision a life of being connected with your patients, EVMS is for you."
"The admissions coordinators and med students were all very friendly, but the interview day is very long with the actual interview at the end."
"Smile to everyone you see walk the halls (could be an interviewer). You will have between an hour to 2 hours between the end of your tour to the start of your interview so relax, get a cup of coffee, and hang out with fellow interviewers. Great school, hope I get in!"
"Loved the school now, and I hope to receive an acceptance."
"Overall, EVMS seems like a great school. The faculty is great and the students seem committed."
"Very low stress interview, very conversational. nice tour and friendly staff. small campus."
"I had an excellent experience."
"I'm not sure if it was just me or my interviewers, but my panel completely turned me off the school. Every other interview I've been on has made me love the medical school even more, yet at EVMS, the interviewers weren't remotely friendly. One of them seemed a bit smug while the others challenged everything I said."
"I liked the school! The surrounding area was very close to the water, with Virginia Beach about 20 minutes away. The children's hospital was the best so if you can interview on a Friday, I recommend that!"
"Definitely have an opinion on healthcare and be prepared to talk about what makes you unique. Also, the interviewers respond very well to questions about the school and their own experiences with EVMS; it helps turn the panel interview into more of a conversation."
"This is an excellent school for anyone that wants to practice primary care. Check the match list ahead of time. Very few people get placed in top residency programs."
"great school, great program, but I felt very discouraged after the interview. I felt like I struggled, which was a bit disheartening (I'm usually pretty comfortable in interviews)"
"Seems like a nice school that treats its students well."
"Overall, I was more impressed by the school than I expected to be."
"- Great school. Prepares you well for clinical exams. - VERY heavy on primary care and community involvement (not necessarily a bad or good thing, depends on the applicant) - Currently a traditional curriculum school. There was talk of moving to more PBL in the future."
"EVMS seems pretty cool. I'm interested to see how it shakes out in my list of acceptances (if I get in that is!)."
"it was like a conversation. not stressful. Read SDN and those WILL be the exact questions they will ask you."
"Be prepared to answer ethics questions. Generally, the interviewers ask one, but I was asked two. And even though it is one interview, there are two interviewers in the room asking questions. The interviewers themselves are very nice, but the fact that there are two of them in the same room with you can be intimidating."
"One thing I noticed is that I wasn't asked the specific questions-Why do you want to become a doctor or Why medicine? Just remember to try to put those reasons into the questions that you are asked. Overall, I really liked the school, the area, and the friendliness of the admissions staff and students."
"The admissions office is really nice and helpful, but my interviewer was very cold and hard to read."
"I think one interviewer is suppose to play devils advocate (at least I hope). I enjoyed one interviewer more than the other"
"I really enjoyed the day in general. The interview was not as intimidating as people have told me. It has the feel of a really small school, and the student body seems to view themselves as a close-knit family. "
"Lots of people post feedback about tough, grilling interviews at EVMS. On my day, everyone seemed to have relaxed interviews. We only had two interviewers, both faculty, but I think the usual is two faculty members and one med student. My interviewers were very nice and knew my file very well. The interviewers appeared to have a page in front of them with characteristics and/or questions followed by the numbers 1-5. I believe that they had to ask specific questions and look for specific things, which they rated on a scale of 1 to 5. "
"I LOVED the school and I feel that was the general consensus among everyone who visited. I was also very stressed about the interview beforehand but just be prepared. They will definitely ask one healthcare and one ethical question. But they are very understanding about your answers. I think my interviewers liked my healthcare answer but some other students had tougher interviews who asked them specifically how they would pay for healthcare reform. There was a little bit of good cap/bad cop going on or it may just be a personality difference in the interviewers."
"School has traditional histology lab with microscopes. There are def pros and cons with this. Students are fairly diverse."
"EVMS has construction going on that will be great when it's completed (2011). The new technology they're integrating sounds really cool and they are very proud of their students' experiences with standardized patients - and rightly so. "
"panel interview, i had a faculty and a student interviewer panel is NOTHING to worry about. you'll get a healthcare/ethical for sure, but they won't kill you on it, and they're very encouraging"
"get your hand up first to work with the standardized patient during the presentation. it is a fun experience and gives you something to break the ice with in your interview."
"good school, pleasant atmosphere, like the focus on developing great clinicians...the interviewers didn't seem to love EVMS though (red flag?)"
"Overall I love EVMS for several reasons: 1) I grew up near Norfolk and would love to be back in the area again, 2) the network of hospitals the school is connected with is amazing within the Hampton Roads area, 3) the focus on the student seems much more greatly enhanced due to a great student:faculty ratio."
"I loved the school!"
"I was expecting some stress because of the panel interview format, but my panel (2 doctors and a student) was very nice and relaxed. I didn't get any ethics questions, but we spent a lot of time talking about health-care reform. Overall, this seems like a nice little medical school, although it didn't blow me away in any particular respect. Clearly, clinical skills instruction (via standardized patients) is their greatest strength."
"Overall, I think EVMS is a great school that turns out extremely clinically competent doctors, as compared to their peers in residency. And the student life is so, so rich and directed at community service."
"They prefer in-state and people who will remain in the area. "
"EVMS was wonderful... the students were really helpful, and gave lots of helpful hints throughout the day. The day was very low-stress. "
"Great school, routinely scores the highest in the boards in Virginia. The two adjacent hospitals are state-of-the-art, and none of the partner hospitals are affiliated with a University or have large residency programs meaning more opportunities to act as a provider during clinical time!"
"Great campus! Sentara General and Sentara Heart Hospital are top notch facilities. The children's hospital is also gorgeous; it even has a built-in "pirate ship" as a bed for one of the operation room! How cool is that?! And patients get to be pushed into surgery in a wagon of their choice! They even get flavored slurpee afterwards. Awesome!"
"Don't freak out about it. Prepare, but there's no reason to overdo it... my interviewers made it a very comfortable experience. The whole place was extremely accommodating. Honestly, I felt right at home."
"The school was awesome. Everyone was so nice. The interview was a 3 on 1 with 2 MDs and one med student (MS1). They asked a few moral/ethical dilema questions to see how I could reason and think. Overall the inteviewers were very nice and made me at ease from the start. We were told one of the three interviewers was on the admissions committee. The committee member had your entire file and the other two interviewers just had your PS and secondary responses."
"interviewers were super nice, but liked to ask follow up questions and try to challenge your line of thinking, evms impressed me"
"Student body was very friendly and stopped and talked throughout the day to us. Make sure you stay with a student host because it was a great experience!"
"Stay with a host. It makes the experience so much more vivid. I got to eat at good restaurants and sit in on a class and my hosts were great people. +10 to school charisma."
"This is honestly a really great school. Look past the fact that it doesn't have the name recognition you are probably looking for. The students are very collegial and know how to have a good time outside of class (beach trips, Power Puff football, MD vs PA football, tacky Christmas sweater party, etc.). I had a late interview, so I hung out in the hall with some of the others. We constantly had students coming up to wish us luck and if we had any questions for them. One thing EVMS is big on is standardized patients. Your day starts off with a mock of what you will do with standardized patients. I volunteered to be the lead physician, and got the chance to interview a girl who was depressed because her boyfriend had committed suicide and she felt responsible. It's hard to explain how much fun and how interesting it was to get that opportunity. You'll see what I mean when you go. Finally, try to stay with a student if you can. Make sure you keep in touch with the coordinator though to see that you are placed with somebody. My host was absolutely wonderful."
"I really wanted to like EVMS, but the whole interview day left a sour taste in my mouth. Just because I attended another institution for graduate school doesn't mean I should be treated with such disrespect! That, and I didn't even get an apology for having to wait forever for my interviewers to even show up."
"I know that people in all the comments seem to continuously highlight the friendliness of the people. But it's really true. From the moment you get there for your interview, you're immediately given attention from students, faculty and staff. "
"It was a really great experience. My interviewers were very friendly and made me feel at home. The interview was actually fun!"
"they seemed to be trying to ask rapid-fire, antagonistic questions "
"Very fun and informative day! Didnt think the interview went as well as I thought because I didnt expect some of the political questions they asked. However, I ran into one of the interviewers and he said I got a pretty high score...so i dunno! Keeping my fingers crossed."
"It was a greally great day. Make sure you have a good grasp of your activies, strengths/weakness going in. If not they will call you for it. "
"Relaxed. Had some tough questions that the interviewers were trying to pin me down on, but they were all really friendly. The whole thing felt very positive."
"The interview day went very well. EVMS gave a standardized patient demonstration and a great tour of the schools facilities. The interview process was not as stressful as I imagined it would be."
"I was so nervous before the interview, although I was one of the first batch to go. I had three interviewers: a student, a clinician, and a PhD (still not sure who the adcom was), all of whom were very friendly. They did a great job diffusing the nervous energy. I had one question regarding abortion, one question on healthcare, and the rest of the questions focused on my extra-curricular activities/community service."
"it was ok. Two interviewers seemed nice, one guy didnt seem to like me and he was on the adcom...sooooo yea. I dont think he liked some of my answers."
"It was really awesome. Norfolk looked beautiful today."
"Although my nerves were going unexpectedly crazy, my interviewers were extremely nice and unintimidating. They only asked one hard question about healthcare, and although my views were more liberal than my interviewers, I feel that we had a civil debate and that they respected my answers even if they did not agree."
"I enjoyed my day completely. I walked away feeling happy with the school, and my performance during the interview. This school has a reputation for being a bit harsh during the interview, but my interviewers were awesome."
"The first item of the day was a demonstration with a standardized patient... very interesting, I think the standardized patient program is one of EVMS's greatest strengths. Tour of children's hospital. Tour of classrooms, anatomy lab, library, student lounge, etc. Lunch. Student slideshow presentation. Financial aid presentation. Interview."
"Started off the day by bringing in a standardized patient. They didn't really try to sell the school to you, emphasized a lot on student life. I had a gruff looking doc who I later found out was a flight surgeon. I was pretty nervous for the first few minutes, but after I made the doc chuckle a little, I knew I was golden. Student interviewer was a quiet girl who didn't know my friend and so took away my trump card. All in all, I came out happier than I went in."
"Middling. Norfolk is great, the students seemed really into the school, but dodged my question when asked what they didn't like about the place."
"Overall it was very informative and I can say that EVMS has moved way up on my list."
"i thought it went well. im glad i didnt do my interview first thing i got there. going on the tour and talking to students made my answer to ''why evms'' alot more genuine. I had time to collect my thoughts and give an answer from first hand experience. I like how they emphasized clinical experience. which i think is a plus. the student body is what attracts me the most. they seem like work hard party hard types. alot of social activities are planned throughout the year. "
"My interview went better than I expected. I had heard that interviewers are deliberately mean and try to ''break you'' but this was not the case with me. I had two VERY nice women. They did ask me a lot of ethics questions but it was easy common sense stuff. They were so nice and made me feel so relaxed. My advice would be to prepare but DO NOT STRESS!! It's a fun day."
"Other ?s: Why med school? What do you do in your spare time? Biggest thing affecting healthcare today? Most important traits for a great doctor? What have you learned today? Describe your leadership activities? Why surgery? Other application specific questions. "
"Not as scary as people said. My two interviewers were very very very nice. They still asked the ''hard questions'' but since you're reading this, you must know about them...just prepare. Also, volunteer to be the guinea pig for the standardized patient...I've heard it helps...but that's a rumor."
"Overall I had a great time. The students were really friendly, they invited me into their lecture hall to listen to a guest speaker talk about hemotology (I was just sitting in the hallway waiting at the time). The hospital was pretty amazing and really big. I was supposed to have 3 people interview me, but the medical student wasn't there, so I just had 2 clinicians. One was really nice and jolly, the other seemed a bit more stern, but he wasn't unfriendly at all. I think the interview went well, much more calm and relaxed than I thought it would be. "
"Overall it went very well. They want you to be relaxed. They are not trying to trip you up, they just want to see how much thought and time you have put into this process. I was also asked about greatest issue in healthcare right now."
"This was my first interview, so I there were definitely things I could have done better. That said, the types of questions and format of the interview at EVMS was pretty standard, which was helpful both in decreasing my stress level and helping me prepare. Make sure you can answer: Why EVMS? Why medicine? Basic ethical questions Stengths/Weaknesses Depending on your panel, you'll get some variation in the other types of questions."
"Interview was with a retired neurologist and another doctor (cant remember his specialty)....it wasnt as bad as people say...they just ask you questions....from obligatory ''Why EVMS'', to the usual ethics and US healthcare questions...they try to make you change your mind to see how easy they can sway your original opinion, so it helps to stick with you guns"
"Looking through the SDN interview feedback and talking to people on the forums, you learn that EVMS tends to be sticklers for ethical questions and tend to try and make you sweat. My interview, though, was great. They asked tough but reasonable questions that you'd expect a future doctor to have an opinion on."
"The interview was fairly stressful and included several tricky ethical questions and a lot of ''How would you fix American healthcare questions?'' The open-file interviewer had obviously read my file, but asked odd questions. ''Do you like yourself?'' is just weird."
"My interviewer was so nice and sweet. He was eager to talk and seemed like he was impressed by me. I also had a student interviewer from my home state which was nice:)"
"I'm a sophomore, applying through an early application program my undergrad school (William and Mary) has with EVMS. This was my first experience at a med school, but it was really great. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and really set me at ease."
"Really good. I was more impressed by the school and the students then I had expected to be. "
"I had a very positive experience at EVMS. The school was very friendly and the students were super supportive. I really enjoyed our chance to work with a standardized patient, it allowed me to see that I was already somewhat prepared for building relationships and trust with future patients from the training I received from my past volunteer work. The day was structured nicely. The student tour, the information session with the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid staff were all very informative and easy to approach. Overall my experience in Norfolk and EVMS was wonderful. I think I could have done better on my interview, but I was honest and hopefully they saw that and appreciated that as that is all I could hope for. I'm crossing my fingers that I may gain admissions at this school as it has bought me over."
"The whole day was very positive. The standardized patient we started off with was a great way to get us into doctor mode. The tour of the hospital was given by hospital volunteers who were very friendly and the students who gave the medical school tour wanted you to ask them any and everything. What surprised me was the admissions committee told you what kind of questions to expect before the interview, even though most of us already knew."
"there was one guy who had my whole file (grades, mcats) and another guy and a med student who only had my essays and things i wrote. i sat down and they asked me why i chose evms. then we just got talking and it was actually pretty enjoyable. it was just kind of a natural conversation; the questions were mainly all tailored to me specifically."
"The whole day was informative and everyone was really nice. The interview was a little more intense than some of my others, but just try to stay calm. "
"Got there early and just sat and chatted with other interviewees. There were only 7 of us. The tours of the hospital and school were really good. The lunch witht the dean and students and financial aid was informative. The weatrher was gorgeous and I also love the fact that it is like 20 minutes from virginia beach. I had to cancel my appointment with the office of minority affairs because the administrator had an emergency to attend to. I do not actually know what we were going to discuss though, her secretary said that she would call me next week. Because of that I had about 1.5 hours of down time before my interview. i just went to the library and read some of a novel I had brought with me. My interview was 25 min with a pediatric surgeaon, med student and i think a member of the community. It was a good interview. And that was it"
"Stayed with a student host which was great. The day is well organized with presentations and lunch. I thought the interview was going to be crazy stressful with 3 interviewers. However, they were all very nice and interested in what I had to say. I think it all depends on who you get. If I got 3 hard asses, im not sure how I would've handled it. Like everyone says, with ethics questions, just stick to your guns and show that you have put some thought into the issues."
"I didn't go into it with any idea of how the school or city was going to be. However, coming out of the experience, I was definitely much more positive about the school and I wouldn't hesitate to go there if I am accepted (except that the tuition is almost 60k/year for oos applicants! yikes!)"
"nothing too surprising."
"They ask lots of questions to throw you off. I hear the other interviewers were nice about it. Maybe I got the bad ones but I had two people, one student one doctor who just seemed like jerks. At one point, the doctor was paged and returned the call in the room. The doctor also made comments that seemed condensending."
"it really was great. the SP program is amazing. the M1s were being tested the day of our interview but they still took the time to talk to us and give us advice, everybody we met was willing to give us advice. the childrens hospital was great only becuase i got to see those really tiny tiny tiny premies. it would be a great place for those interested in peds or neonatology. also, i can not say enough about my fellow interviewees, thanks for being funny and just a delight to talk with. good luck"
"It was all in all a great day. Well planned but did give us some free time to check out the school right before interviewing so that was nice. I also got a chance to get to know some of the other interviewees better which I'm starting to believe is one of the high points for me (I love meeting new ppl esp. with similar interests)..so anyways the people at the school were really kind, very helpful, and really wanted to make ur visit to the school as pleasant and stress free as possible."
"Interviewers were very friendly but I definitely had some tough questions"
"Great day"
"The overall day was very nice. The students are extremely friendly and willing to answer any questions. You get to tour one of the two main hospitals depending on the day you're there. You also get to experience the standardized patient program first hand, which is one of the shining points of the school. The interviewers were very nice and laidback. They did not want to add any pressure. The interviews are all in the afternoon after lunch (which is very good)."
"my interviewers were great. They seemed like they genuinely wanted to get to know me, and not drill me with hard questions. The doctor who interviewed me took the time to tell me his answers to the questions."
"It was alot more intense then all of my other interviews, however i did not run out crying. Have a good head on your shoulders and you will do well."
"The interview at EVMS was great. First was the Standardized Patient demonstration, which was so interesting. Then a volunteer lead us on a tour of the general hospital followed by a tour of the med school given by a student. After that, we ate lunch and listened to a financial aid presentation, followed by a presentation by the Dean of Admissions. Then, we were free to wait for our interviews, which took about an hour and a half. The interviews were panel intervews, with three people on the panel. Everything was very laid back and I actually enjoyed my interview a great deal."
"Wonderful...EVMS is my number 1 choice"
"It was a panel interview which was very laid back and conversational. They were more about asking questions on issues and ethics though rather then personal questions."
"Great! Not too nervewracking."
"I got the most difficult set of interviewers but I truly enjoyed the questions they asked me. It was a great interview and I felt like they were really trying to get to know me. It was a great experience."
"Overall I loved the school and location, I would definitly go there is I was accepted:)"
"There were only 9 of us, which was a great sized interview group. Spent the morning getting school and financial aid briefings, as well as a presentation on the "
"Overall it was very informative."
"I was worried about the interview after reading SDN, and I think people exaggerated how stressful it was. If you know about healthcare and are a reaosnable ethical person, you will be fine. All of the students were realy friendly and the interviewees generally got along as well. EVMS itself is nice, its just its location that lessens my enthusiasm about the school."
"3 interviewers (panel set up): a basic scientist, clinician and M2. One of the three has access to your MCAT and grades, the others do not. For the most part really nice, although some "
"Got there real early. At 10 o clock we went into a room where Jim Kiraly told us bout how EVMS trains physicians to really care for their patients -- then a demonstration w/ a standardized patient (great job sarah). then we got to tour the children's hospital, and then a 2nd year student gave us a good feel of how student life is like. we stopped so much because so many of the students were kind enough to share their own experiences and help us with any interview/general questions. the interview was 2 on 1 and both my interviewers were AWESOME. i love this school right now."
"I arrived at 930am and was the 4th person there. They have you wait in the main hallway (there's only one) of the medical school right outside the admissions office. Between 930 and 10, 4 students came up to me and started talking to me about the school... all VERY positive. The initial presentation and standardized patient were a little drawn out, but not too bad. The tour was given by students with about 4 applicants per group. They were enthusiastic, and one was very knowledegeable. We saw everything you would expect to see including the anatomy lab with cadaver display. If you interview on a wednesday, ask them to quickly walk you thru the children's hospital, it was very impressive. Financial aid and student life presentations were presented at lunch. The interview itself was definitely good/bad cop routine. I immediately knew from the questions which one of the interviewers was the adcom member and had access to my file. The adcom member seems to be the good cop for most people. The questions built on one another, i.e. give us your strengths and weaknesses... how would you use such and such strength to benefit your patient care. If nothing else, stick to your guns. They want confidence in the face of difficult situations, not wishy-washyiness. Just answer the questions and dont be afraid to say "
"Overall, everything went well. The faculty was welcoming and encouraging, and the students seem very happy with the school. I was nervous because this was my first interview, but I feel like I did pretty well."
"my interview was great. i was tremedously nervous by my interviewers were great people. they basically told me i was already in and it really was a conversation. i heart EVMS."
"It was alright. I felt the M.D. that I interviewed like me a whole lot more than the student interviewer (who I think is actually on the adcom)."
"Laid back, although one person played good cop and the other person played bad cop. There were supposed to be 3 persons on the panel, but I ended up with only 2. They both seemed quite young. I didn't think the interview was bad, but I do think I rambled on sometimes. Brevity and concision have never been my strong points. But overall, I think it was a good experience. I'm glad this was my 1st stop on the interview trail. Good practice."
"I had two interviewers and they did the whole good cop/bad cop kinda thing. The bad cop asked me whether or not people should sell their kidneys and why. She kept on arguing with me on this point and tried to get me to change my opinion for 20 minutes! I stood my ground (as should you) but it was a little stressful. She was very unemotional and monotonous and I had to get used to that real quickly. Overall I think i did alright"
"First off, be the FIRST person to raise your hand to volunteer with the Standardized Patient demonstration!!! Reading other SDN feedback before my own interview, I had this paranoid suspicion that being the brave one who participated would add brownie points toward your "interest" in EVMS. In fact, the experience was very educational and enjoyable - you won't be perfect, but most likely you'll be pretty good (for a beginner). It helped that I had extensive practice with patient history taking during EMT school (obviously NOwhere the level of history taking expected of a physician, but nonetheless gave me a leg-up that the Standardized Patient Program director appreciated, and something the Director of Admissions noticed as well). If you're applying for the military's Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), make sure to arrange a visit to Portsmouth naval hospital! Turned out my interviewer was a flight surgeon (LITERALLY a pilot AND a hand surgeon, retired as a Captain in the Navy) - while expressionless, I could sense he was pleased that I met surgeons and ER docs at the hospital (two specialty interests I cited in my EVMS secondary). Stay calm and relaxed - the more preparation you do during the days or weeks leading up to the interview, the more enjoyable, conversational, and natural your interview experience will be. Get to know your fellow interviewees - turned out a Navy S.E.A.L. was visiting the school with us (though not interviewing, he was going to apply in a year or two), and most of my group were nontraditional applicants (lag-year researchers, and even 2-year researchers like me were common). Finally, on Weds interview days they give you a tour of Norfolk General, and on Fri interview days they give you a tour of Children's Hospital. SPEAK UP if you want a tour of BOTH places, particularly Children's if your interview falls on Weds. The school WILL try to accomodate your wish - one of the admissions/administrator/peds faculty members took four of us around just before our afternoon interviews."
"Stiff in my suit with thirteen other prospectives, we spent the day being lectures to and led around the school. These are not bad things; the lectures were short and germane, and the tour was student-led and hit all the relevant facilities, including classrooms, labs, lounge/study areas, the Children's Hospital, the skills practice clinic, library, etc, etc. Particularly striking was the very first thing in the day, which was a demonstration of the Standardized Patient program, in which a very brave prospective consented to do a difficult interview of a depressed woman. The admissions interview was at the end of the day, which allows one to queue up a great deal of interesting material about the school before hand. My interlocutors were an older physician doing research in infectious disease, and a second-year med student. The feel was informal, a series of broad questions drawn from my application to allow greater explanation of some of the points therein. The much-vaunted ethical question was interesting, and I worked through to a decent answer, which allowed for several minutes conversation on the rules involved and a bit more digression on the public health issues involved. It lasted 30 minutes, and I think I did well overall. Keep reading this site; it works."
"One of the interviews was a student and the other was a retired doctor from the community. The doctor asked alot of questions i thought were dumb. such as: what are two things you want to do before you die? If you were Bill Gates what would you do with all that money? The interviewers did not seem very interested in getting to know me. "
"Interview experience was really great. Tour began at 10:00am and finished at 12:45pm. Alot of effort was put into getting students to see the great attributes of EVMS that are not known. While touring EVMS students tried to help prepare us for the interview (They told us the types of questions to expect). The interview itself went well. Most of the questions were similar to the ones on sdn. The interviewers focused on getting to know me and to see how motivated I was about being a physician. Overall, a good representation of what an interview should be like."
"I think I pretty much told it all up above. We also got to see the anatomy lab where dissections were taking place. Nice to actually see that instead of covered cadavers on tables. I also loved the people who interviewed the same day as me. We all got along really well and chatted a lot more than in my recent interviews. The students there are amazingly friendly, and I could totally see myself fitting in there. The panel interview was kind of tough, but it just depends who you get, too. There are definite advantages to the panel too, so just try to put it out of your mind and think of it like any other interview."
"This was my first interview, so I was pretty nervous going in. The people at EVMS make you feel very welcome and the students are so friendly. The other applicants I interviewed with were so nice too (probably the nicest group that I've had at any of my interviews). They do a standardized patient presentation at the beginning which is so interesting and fun, and in my opinion a great way to start the day. We toured the children's hospital (amazing!) and then a few students broke us up into groups and gave us a tour of the school. After lunch we all had our interviews...mine was in the last group, so there was quite a bit of waiting around time. I only had 2 interviewers as opposed to 3 (probably because it was getting late) -- a 2nd year student and a faculty member. After reading all the feedback on SDN I was concerned about the panel interview, but I actually think I like it better that way. The two interviewers were amazingly nice and we had a really good conversation. I definitely got asked a variety of questions and quite a few ethical questions, but I think they were more interested in how I thought and if I could defend my point than in what I said. It was definitely the most pleasant interview experience I've had."
"The interview was great. I liked my interviewers. I only had one difficult question which I was pressured to answer. But other than that it was great. Just relax and be yourself. "
"the tour with the med students was great, the demo of standardized patients was impressive... loved the childrens hospital. Hated the interview. Panel interviews are just not my forte."
"Norfolk is a pretty city, however, coming from California, there were a few things that bugged me, like the lack of recycling. There is apparantly one liberal neighborhood in the city that is right next to EVMS. As for the interview day itself, the interviewers and presenters had a very high opinion of their school without having many specific comments as to why. I'm sure it's a great school but they didn't make much of an effort to brag about it, or to indicate what was special about it in comparison to other schools. My three interviewers started off the interview by asking me to just tell them about myself, and so I described my experiences, and thereafter nothing about my resume came up in their questions (except that I took a few courses at cheap night school so I could work during the day this year). It was all a discussion about health care policy and the health care system."
"I slept at my buddies place the night before, he is a current 1st yr at EVMS. I arrived at the school for the day, and mingled as always. We went in and discussed the schools curriculum, with a focus on the school's primary care medical interview session. Pretty impressive. Then, we went on a tour of the hospital, which was very lacking. Then, had a tour of the school by great students. This was followed by lunch and a presentation of the school and its programs by students. Then we were free until our interviews. My interview was good. There were 2 Dr.s and one student. It kind of seemed set up with the questions that they were asking me, and less of a conversation. However, they were all nice and seemed to be interested for the most part in what I had to say. One ethical question, the rest about what I am up to now, why EVMS, why medicine. Then, I flew home."
"I was nervous but well prepared. There are many questions about ethics and current issues in healthcare. This was my first panel interview, so I was a little nervous. The students there are really involved in extracurriculars - yet they have very high board averages. The students, faculty, and staff put a lot of effort into the interview day. I would love to come here."
"I loved my interviewers, and the group was small so it was fun meeting everyone there. Maybe because it's a young school, they don't have a lot to ways to "wow" you other than with their clinical contact and class cooperation. If you're down with that, you'll love EVMS."
"Interview was made to be stress free. I had a first year student and 2 doctors ( one of them is into Immunology research). I wasn't ask an ethical question (I was prepared for ethics though). Surprisingly, this was the first school that I was asked about my research project. I wasn't really expecting this b/c this's not a research focused univ. It was ok though. "
"Interviewers were rude. Asked ethics questions and then cut-off during the answer. Interviewers didn't know anything about the school's research or dual degree programs. Students seemed nice. However, this seems like the place for people that have the "get in anywhere" style. If I knew the school was as is then I wouldn't have wasted the 90$ on their secondary."
"I was extremely stressed not only bc it was a panel interview but also bc this was my very first interview. My other interviewees were very social, EVMS students were really nice (a lot of them who were passing in halls stopped to talk to us). Im sure after a few years, when this school is able to become more visible to applicants, its reputation will soar. "
"I really had chemistry with my interviewers. It was supposed to be a 45-minute-interview and it actually lasted 80 minutes. The experience was really enjoyable and I felt they really got to know me well."
"Interviews are either at 2:00, 2:45 or 3:30 in a room in the library. 3 people interview (a student and 2 MD's). It lasts about 30-45 min."
"It really wasn't as stressful as I had anticipated. It was very relaxed and conversational in nature. "
"I expected to get grilled based on the reviews posted on Student Doctor Network, but felt very comfortable. My interview was more of a candid conversation about residencies, the non-importance of research in obtaining a residency, the quality of contacts at EVMS for securing a surgical residency, and my experiences at undergrad (both my interviewers were UVA-grads)."
"The day started out with a presentation about the standarized patient program (which actually seems VERY useful for gaining clinical skills). Then we had a tour of the children's hospital since it was Friday (Wednesday people tour the general hospital). The children's hospital is very nice and also quite unique in that much of its fudning comes from community fund raising, and it does not turn any patients away for the inability to pay. After this we had small group tours led by medical students. My tour guide was very open about the school and willing to answer any questions we had. Next came lunch, and then the interviews at our scheduled times."
"Extremely fun and positive experience. It was my first interview. Also, the tour and presentations convinced me that it would be a great place to go to school."
"It went well; I try to go into these things kind of neutral, regardless of what other people have said about it. I felt good when I left."
"very positive experience, not very stressful. I had a first year student and a physician who were both great."
"I was nervous and prepping really hard for my EVMS interview. I gained most of my information from SDN Interview feedback. I was suprised, but I had no Bioethical questions asked."
"Overall, I left feeling good about the school. Its commitment to primary care in Virginia is nice for those seeking it. The tuition is too high and the school is not well known. The students are friendly. The library and children hospital are very nice, but other facilities are below average. Primary care is the focus, not research."
"Stressful at the beginning Faculty interviewer challenged my answers and cut me off. Be prepared for stressful experience and don't get too frazzled. Student interviewer was friendly. Better at end when faculty lightened up."
"EVMS is a small school in a semi-urban area (and close to the beach!). The interview day was really laid back. I was nervous when I first got there, but after the full day of touring around and talking to students, I wasn't nervous at all by the time my interview rolled around. The children's hospital is amazing, the standardized patient program is impressive, and the students seem to love it there. Parking on campus is free for students, which is great. But they seem to have very little social life. They have tests every Monday, which essentially rules out any fun on the weekend. And they're in class from 9-5 every day. But it's a great school and would be perfect for someone looking to practice primary care. "
"I was looking forward to the interview because I read and heard that it would be an intense but enjoyable discussion. Instead, one interviewer just fired question after question at me and seemed to only want to trip me up. The other interviewer was a medical student and she was wonderful. I think it was just this one guy who had the wrong attitude, and from what the other applicants shared, I think I had an unusual experience."
"The interview was highly predictable, and the interviewers were affable and friendly. They did press me a little on some of my "bioethics question" answers. It's really important to pick a clear stance and then don't back down! Once they saw that I was sticking to my guns, they said "good answer!" and moved on. The students at EVMS are so friendly and helpful. Be sure to talk to as many as possible."
"It was my second interview there - I had one last year (yes, I'm one of those!), so I new quite well what to expect. Just be yourself, show some personality, break out the smiles and the humor. The interview is goes like this: 1 student + 1 clinician + 1 other faculty --> candidate (you). Only one person is on the committee, and that person knows your stats/scores."
"I stayed with a student and it was a really great experience. It saved me money on a hotel and allowed me to discuss the whole interview process and get answers to the many questions that I had. The interview itself was so much more laid back than I had expected. Most of the time it felt more like a discussion than an interview. My advice is to be prepared but do not stress over it. "
"It was GREAT! Everyone I met was so happy and enthusiastic. Seriously, I'm not lying. They seemed to genuinely enjoy this experience! "
"The interviewers did not ask a lot of personal questions about my experiences. They focused on healthcare issues and ethical issues."
"NOT NEARLY as stressfull as this website makes it out to be! Not nearly as stressful as friends made it out to be! Don't worry...they really don't attack you. My interview was extremely laid back."
"it was overall a postiive experience. the students were happy and the people i met were really nice. my student host was incredibly sweet, though we didn't hit it off as well as i'd liked bc of the age difference (she's much older). My interview was the toughest out of the 6 i've had so far. My interviewers were 2 female faculty and a male medical student. They weren't scary though, they tried to make me feel very comfortable while at the same time asking tough questions. In the end, there was some laughing and some joking. My interview went over by 30 minutes, so even though it was a bit rough, they were probably pretty interested in what i had to say..."
"the interviewers (one admissions guy, one clinician, and a 1st year medical student) were very agressive and challenging, but made a point of making the interview an intense discussion, not an interrogation. it was extremely intense and a felt a bit dazed at the end, but it was exciting and engaging."
"It was very low-key. Ethical questions were asked, but made clear that there was no right or wrong answer."
"Intimidating if you let it get to you, make sure to make eye contact with all three members not just the head gal/guy. Stick with your answerseven if you get grilled. "
"sit in on a lecture with the clinical skills department, then a tour with a student, then lunch and then interview. Interviews are done with a panel of two or three interviewers. I had only 2, one a student and one a comm. member. It's really not that bad though."
"Very positive, very relaxed and low stress. Great student body and location. Family friendly environment, which is good since I have kids."
"It was okay. The student was friendly and helpful. I could not understand my interviewer all the time, and occasionally had to ask him to repeat himself. "
"Laid back- everyone was really nice and the interview was conversational. The doctor asked me questions about swimming and my college's football team. Those put me at ease right away."
"Apparently the third interviewer in my panel interview had gotten a page in the interview before and I was only interviewed by two people (woohoo!). When the faculty member and medical student who were interviewing me discovered that I had done my reading on health care policy, they GRILLED me on ideas for reform, and the faculty member asked a lot of questions that seemed to be pushing his own opinion more than asking me mine. However, EVMS appears to be aware of its reputation for high-stress interviews, and though the questions were certainly not easy, the interviewers were pleasant and wonderful people. "
"My interview experience was pretty seamless; the day was well organized, with a talk on the standardized pt. program, and how the curriculum integrates clinical medicine with the basic sciences. The tour was great, and the entire group was friendly -- even the fellow interviewees! "
"I was interviewed by three people. They were very friendly, but ethical questions and questions about reality of medicine, and money and medicine did come up making the interview a bit tense. I had an awsome experience there and loved it."
"i would definitely go here if they accept me!!! there is no negative competition amongst the students and they seem SO happy"
"The interview experience was wonderful. I was very impressed by the school, the people, the town, and the Children's Hospital."
"Two or three interviewers sit down with you in a room, one of whom is on the admissions committee and has access to your entire file. The questions were probing but not aggressive. Topics included motivation for going into medicine and a few ethical situations, as expected."
"The students were very friendly, as were the interviewers. They asked me questions for about twenty minutes, then we spent the rest of the time just talking and they answered my questions. Very relaxed. Except for the hour we spent not talking to the admissions staff during lunch, this interview was great. Amazingly, no ethics questions (and I had prepared for them). They were very prompt in getting back to me, even though I was waitlisted."
"My interviewers all seemed nice enough at first, but quickly settled into a good cop/bad cop routine. There were two doctors and a first year on the panel. The student and the female doctor quickly became silent, and the male doctor proceeded to ask me a variety of ethical questions. This I was fully prepared for. What I was not prepared for was the amount of antagonism I would receive in regards to my answers. My answers were good, I don't think it would have mattered what I said. Every answer I gave, he would attack and/or try to chip away at it to see if I would crumble. I didn't, but it was still very intimidating. During this time, the other two would just sit quietly and nod in response to my answers.At the end, somewhat abruptly, they turned off the good cop/bad cop routine and talked to me like a normal person for a few minutes. One other thing: when he learned I was interested in gynecology, he made a joke about dealing with "women's plumbing." Not appropriate."
"great, the interviewers gave me feedback during the interview so that helped a lot"
"much more of a rapid fire questioning experience than the more conversational interviews ive had previously, as has been described on this site. clinician that acted rude, , disinterested, student who acted neutral, admissions committee guy who acted friendly and accepting. seems to be the three roles they have there to try to make you nervous. if youre ready for it though, no problem. most nervewracking thing was waiting the hour and a half between tours ending and my interview. the day was full with a presentation in the beginning and then demonstration of their standardized patient run throughs, with us interviewees involved, which was very amusing. tour by administrator of childrens hospital which was extraordinary. tour of academic building by student. disappointed that we couldnt see a classroom or the anatomy lab. then to lunch with more administrators talking about fin aid, and a student presented slideshow. seems like a tight knit community, with fairly relaxed, cooperative, interactive students. loved it."
"I enjoyed it. It was thought provoking and the interview left me feeling as if they had explored every aspect of my application."
"The interview itself was fine - the school was okay, but didn't impress me enough to seriously consider it. I was a bit surprised at an apparent lack of technology throughout the school."
"It was a great experience. The interviewers went out of their way to make the experience pleasant, low-key and conversational."
"the questions were challenging, but in a good way, & the interviewers were engaging and friendly"
"Excellent. I really like the people there and the interview was the best interview I've had so far."
"We started with a presentation and demonstration of the Standardized Patient Program, which was great and well done. Then tours of the whole Hospital and then the basic science facilities. Lunch with the admissions staff and students. Interviews were a couple at a time, separate rooms but multiple interviewers. So it's a panel interview, but quite relaxed. I enjoyed it and wish that there had been more time to talk, although I probably ran over a bit as it was. The students and staff and faculty are enthusiastic and love the school and their experiences. Enjoy your experience, it was probably the best I've had."
"Overall, the EVMS interview was lower-stress than what I had expected. The interviewers were friendly and conversational, but still asked some tough/revealing questions."
"I was interviewed by two people. One was a surgeon and the other was a second year med student. Overall, the interview went well. They did ask some ethical questions (ie. euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research) but the overall interview atmosphere was more relaxed than I expected. They were much more interested in personal character and motivation rather than GPA and MCATs. "
"okay, so this day was a very pleasant surprise for me! after interviewing at duke and having a completely WONDERFUL experience there, i didn't think it was possible that i could be happy at any other school. but after my interview at EVMS, i don't feel that way any more. i really had a good experience on my interview day. the children's hospital was so wonderful. i hope i get in !!!"
"Fantastic experience overall. Granted, the interviewing experience is somewhat intimidating at times, but it's merely a means in which to really get to the heart of you. Namely, your ideals, beliefs, and goals for the future. The AMCAS is designed to acquaint them with your past and your accomplishments, while the interview was there to explore more of the intangibles like how you work through problems. Address issues as capably as possible and be your own best advocate. I recently received my acceptance here, and after a couple acceptances already elsewhere at UVa and Tulane, I think I've decided upon EVMS as my home."
"I was worried about getting slammed with ethical questions as per EVMS' reputation, however, I was very pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the interview went. You have to set the tone from the get go though. My advice: Dont freeze up to their intimidating looks- they're not pissed, they're trying to phase you; laugh/smile a lot and try to make it more like a conversation; look at each interviewer in the eye. Dont give cookie cutter answers- stick to your opinion, even if you dont know that much about the topic, just admit that but go with your gut. "
"It was a great experience. Don't overthink what they are going to ask you in the interview. Just be yourself and make sure to express everything that you want them to know about you."
"First interview, it was a cool one to start with."
"Stayed with a student the night before the interview in student housing which was really helpful. I got to meet a bunch of students, and figure out what life as an EVMS student was really like. Arrived a bit early for the interview and was (unkindly) directed to wait in a students lounge outside the admissions office. Had SP demonstration which was neat, tours (mediocre) and then lunch. Found it interesting that during lunch when one admissions member was talking about the school the other two members were shuffling through papers and reading the newspapers. Didn't seem very respectful or give the impression of interest in the school. Tours were as previously described. Heavy on the ethical questions but both my interviewers (student and clinician) were very nice."
"EVMS would be a great place for a future doctor interested in primary care."
"Overall I really enjoyed the visit to EVMS. I just applied to this school not knowing or expecting much at all. The city seems great, and I love the idea of being right on the water (20 min. from Virginia beach). In terms of the interview, it was rough. Even if I was accepted I don't know if I would attend (even though I've already been wait listed) because of how it went. It was a panel interview with two doctors and a 4th year student. They really weren't interested in me, it seemed like they each had like a few set questions listed that they wanted to ask. After I answered they'd usually just nod their head and ask another question. The ER doctor was there to try and shake me it seems, she challenged almost everything I said, and generally just seemed to dislike me. About 30 minutes into the interview she stopped paying attention, gazed out the window a few times and checked her watch more than once. I can handle myself fine in an interview, but I'm still not a fan of pressure interviews, I feel they really don't serve a purpose. Make sure you're up on your healthcare knowledge and take a stand on the questions and don't budge. "
"Loved the school, felt medium about the area, thought the interview was tough"
"went very well, people are so friendly it almost creeped me out a little, but i suppose thats a good thing - they asked me a whole lot of ethical questions, i can't remember them all."
"The interview day at EVMS was great. The day started with an introduction and a presentation on the school's SP program. the admissions staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. the standardized patient program is amazing; definitely a big reason to attend EVMS - as a student you get massive amounts of patient exposure and clinical experience. Next was a tour of the children's hospital, excellent facility. Then came lunch along with a financial aid briefing. Lastly, the interviews. I had interviewed here a couple of years ago, and I can definitely say that the experience this time was totally different, much more relaxed and friendly. Maybe because i had different interviewers? Regardless, the interview panel was very down-to-earth, quite jovial. The healthcare and ethical questions were to be expected; reading SDN and consulting with someone with clinical experience helped alot. "
"The students are friendly and warm. The facilities seem to be well maintained, and the library looks brand new. The other candidates interviewing on the same day were really friendly. The panel interview is a bit daunting. "
"The two interviewers played good cop/bad cop. One was very nice, and put me at ease. The other kept asking me a difficult question, then cutting me off when I was halfway done. It was more stressful than I anticipated, but I was dumb to succumb to nervousness. Just stay as relaxed as you can; they can smell fear."
"I really liked EVMS. I liked the idea of living near the water for four years. During the interview day as some of us walked around the campus other students came up to us and said good luck, etc. The students seemed upbeat and nice, which impressed me. I also visited the standardized patient center which I encourage others to do. I got to watch the first years do their first patient interviews from the control room, very interesting!! I was accepted about three weeks after my interview and I will probably attend!"
"Awesome!!"
"Good first experience. The students interviewing the same day were fantastic. I really liked our group. "
"It was a really fun and informative day. They brought in a Standardized Patient for us to "play" with. The Children's Hospital is the most child-friendly hospital I've seen yet. I was really nervous about the panel interview and the impending questions about ethics and healthcare, but it really wasn't bad at all. they were really very friendly."
"Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by EVMS. The students passing by in the hall stopped to talk to us and expressed their enthusiasm for their school. They emphasized the non-competitive and cooperative nature of the student body. Their standardized patient program is unique and very appealing. I also learned that the school is extremely focused on developing clinical skills. Don't be intimidated by the panel interview. The common sentiment of all the interviewees I talked to was that their doctor(s)/medical student combo was extremely nice and engaging. Don't worry too much about the interview questions. Read the questions posted on other posts, formulate your opinions, and stick with them when asked. "
"this was the first interview i had and overall i think it was a pretty good experience. i was most intimidated by the other interviewers [14 of us total] who had gone on 5 or 6 already and kept saying they were glad that this wasnt their first. everyone was very nice, very laid back, and overall seemed very happy to be there. i got to norfolk the day before the interview so walked around a bit and the downtown seemed pretty nice. i keep hearing that it isnt a very safe city, but the small section that i did see looked nice - clean, pretty vibrant, looks like there were pleanty of good bars and restaurants. the interview day was very relaxed and informal [the dean sat in front of us in plaid pants. loved it]. i dont have anything to compaire the facilities to, but they looked fine to me. the strengths of the school lie in the strong relationship with the community, the fact that they do not own a teaching hospital [thus allowing you to have a myrad of clinical experiences], the student body is very cohesive, and the standardized patient program. talk about these. they love it. the interview itself was fine - mostly normal questions that i was expecting, but i wasnt asked why i wanted to be a doctor, which i found kind of odd. overall, a great day though! cant wait to hear!"
"To preface this, EVMS mailed their decisions shortly after 10/15. I received my acceptance in the mail a few days later. This is a perfect example of how a terrible interview can still lead to positive results. I cannot tell you how terrible my interview experience and performance was. The interview was 3 to 1, with one student on the admissions panel, the director of admissions, and a practicing physician. The physician had a negative impression of me the entire time, and his body language was of extreme annoyance and boredom toward me and my answers. Every time I would speak, he would look away and sigh while the other two interviewers would stare at him instead of paying attention to my answers. After I would answer a question, the interviewers would stop and stare at each other rather than converse with me. There would be a terrible awkward pause for a long period of time, until one was brave enough to ask another question. They would never make conversation with me but would go straight into a question with an entirely different subject. The questions were made in an extremely aggressive manner and my replies were received with indifference. After a long series of aggressive bioethical and current issues questions, I became slightly flustered and started repeating relatively the same answers for all the questions. When it was my turn to ask questions, all my questions were answered by the student since the other two refused to reply to me. This interview was tougher than anyone can describe--do not underestimate it."
"I went into this day thinking that EVMS is a vastly underrated school-- a diamond in the rough, if you will. It was not a BAD experience by any means, but the school didn't really try to impress the interviewees or show what sets their school apart from others. I left with no clear idea of why I would want to choose EVMS over another school. They really stressed their standardized patient program, which seems great, but there must be other things that we as applicants should learn about their school before deciding to go there. They didn't give us any kind of viewbook or information about their curriculum, just a packet of (helpful but scary!) information about financial aid. My interviewers really tried to stress that the interview should be conversational and not intimidating. I just don't see how that could happen given the situation. There was no give and take, it was just me answering their questions. This made the more difficult questions worse than they maybe could have been because you feel like you are getting no feedback and begin to question whether you are even making sense. Maybe they do this to see if you can keep your cool etc, but it certainly wasn't my idea of a conversation. The interviewers were very nice and certainly didn't make me feel bad or try and trip me up in any way, I just felt like I wasn't able to really show my personality or even why I wanted to be a Doctor (they didn't ask this question). Anyway, I still like EVMS, I'm just not sure if it's the best place for me. I won't be heartbroken if I don't end up there. "
"Besides what I've already described, it is important to read up on some relevant health care issues because they will ask you at least one question on that. They also touch on things in your personal statement so make sure you know what you've written! Overall it is pretty relaxed, they ask probing questions and guide you to what they're looking for."
"The entry before mine was accurate (we interviewed on the same day, obviously). Start with an explanation of the day from an adcomm assistant, followed by neat little get-together with the standardized patient (SP) director. We got to "interview" an SP...the SP could even cry on cue. Then tour of Children's Hosptial, then tour of library, then lunch - which is interspersed with the Director of Admissions (unconventional guy, maybe unprofessional?, but made good points) and financial aid staff. THEN - finally - interviews. Two people tag-teamed me, could be just one or as many as three."
"we started off teh day with a talk on standardized patients and how clinical experience is the strength of the school; saw a standardized patient; had a tour. Clinical experience, community service, and a very copperative class seem to be the main strengths of the school. The interviiew itself was a mixed bag. There were the run of the mill questions, but then there were also some pretty tough ones. Another guy who interviewed seemed to have it tougher - how do you pay for socialized medicine? research on people by the Nazi's, although unethical by today's standards still yielded valuable info.; would you accept their research knowing how it was obtained? "
"Very relaxed - surprising for a panel interview. Actually was pretty fun."
"In general, I really enjoyed my interview experience. I would just make sure to know my secondary application inside and out because the interviewers try to sway you from you position and they will keep hounding you to make you change your opinion. Just be yourself and stick to your opinions!"
"There is so much to love, it seems to overshadow my concerns. The family friendly environment. The professors frequently have potlucks for the student where the profs bring the food. They have movie nights in the auditoriums with kids in one room and adults in the other. Everyone is full of vision and hope. A great sign. Professors are there because they want to be. Many of them have designed the program and have a great deal of pride in it. It is very obvious that this school has great things in store."
"It was a great experience that really made me want to attend EVMS, everyone including the interviewers were extremely friendly"
"EVMS is an awesome school. Yes they aren't a very rich school but they have a great education (high board percentages) and a very friendly atmosphere. The interviewers were laid back, and quickly tried to make me feel comfortable. They really did seem to want to get to know me better. The key thing is to be friendly and HONEST. Make it into a chat and it will make it easier for you to answer their questions."
"Overall, good experience. The interviewers sort of bombarded me with questions that do not seem relevant to the practice of medicine."
"it was very relaxed"
"This was a great experience - the staff is really friendly and the interview was definitely more like a conversation even though it was "panel" style. "
"Great interview experience. Excellent way to spend my very first interview."
"toured school and observed standarized patient presentation. attended lunch w/dean. interviewed at end of day with student, faculty and alumni in group setting."
"The day began with an introduction to how the STD. PT. prg works. We had a volunteer whom we did not know at the time was actually one of the faculty members play the role of a pt. and one of us volunteered to be the doctor trying to find out what is "wrong" with this "pt." That went really well, there was a part two of that which was based on how to perform a physical examination (auscultation). A tour of the childrens' hospital followed and then the medical school and anatomy lab. Lunch break followed and a brief informal financial presentation FYI out of state students $52,000/yr. My interview was at 3:30pm I had about one and half hours down time, bring something to read. Don't be intimidated, you have three pple. interviewing you in one of the rooms located in the library only one has your open file with your academic transcipt and MCAT scores. The other two don't. The team comprises of a faculty member, clinician, and a medical student (M1-M4). A panel interview may not be favorable with most pple., but it is not different from the one on one, Just be yourself. "
"EVMS is way underrated. The school has very solid curriculum that emphiseizes human values and clinical skills. Their standardized patient program is among top 3 in the nation. If you are looking for school that will make you the best physician you can be, EVMS is the one. The interview itself was really low stress. It consisted of 3 people: student, adcom member and scientist. They had really great sense of humor and the interview itself felt more like a conversation than an interview (which hard to accomplish because because its 3 against 1). They did ask however about typical physician day, healthcare problems, abortion etc but nothing hard. Overall, I really liked the school and people who interviewed me. "
"In the morning you conduct a mock interview with a standardized patient and recieve a tour of the hospital and school. Then you have lunch (wraps!) and you move on to the library for interviews. If you have a later interview (the first one starts at 2:00) bring something to read. The panel interview set-up was not as intimidating as I thought it would be, but I think I had it easy compared to some people. I have definately heard stories about people coming out crying! The inerviewers are tough, they test your opinions, knowledge of the subject matter (not necessarily the legality of the situations) and your ability to think quickly, reason and back yourself up. The student tour guides will tell you some of the questions that they will ask. It is important to have good solid reasons for wanting to attend EVMS and to be a doctor. "
"The interview was easy and everybody was very friendly."
"The day was really organized. We got a really nice demonstration of how the standardized patients are used and how they give feedback. The tour of the hospital was nice and for the tour of the school, there were several groups. The lunch was okay and the financial aid presentation was very helpful."
"Honestly, the interview is not so bad. It feels like an interview more than a conversation, but you can get around that by just trying to enlighten the situation early on. They really will try to get you on an ethical question. The admissions staff warn you prior, that they will try to say the opposite of what you say, to see if you will stick to your guns. STICK TO YOUR GUNS! Lunch was nice. And the Dean of Admissions Dr. McCombs is awesome. He reminded me of Bob Hope (he wore a white golf shirt and big plaid pants!). The class size is so small that really everyone knows each other. The rumor about them pushing you towards primary care is not true at all. They have a plaque outside the library doors of last years residency matches, and there are plenty of other programs graduates went into. Overall, take the day seriously. It is a legit school, and just be yourself. You will do fine."
"comfortable interview day, too many interviewees, school seemed under financed."
"The panel interview wasn't that bad. I enjoyed being asked about the ethical questions. I was interviewed by researcher and got asked a lot of questions about my research. "
"This was my first interview, so I was very nervous beforehand. But as soon as the conversation got going, it was very relaxed. "
"Two or three people will be interviewing you at the same time. There will be a barage of ethical questions. The interview is conducted in a small quiet study room in the library, which has very big windows. Even though they ask a lot of ethical questions, the interviewers do it in an informal manner so it is not too stressful. For these types of ehtical questions, just think about your answer for a few seconds before speaking. Then pick a side, justify your stance, and don't sway from it no matter what else the interviewers say."
"Overall, the interview experience was great. I was really nervous about the panel interview, but the interviewers made me feel really comfortable and didn't "drill" me. They honestly just want to know what kind of person you are and if you can defend your answers to their questions. Seeing the cadavers was pretty cool too!"
"It was stressful- one older guy (on the board, he told me himself!) asked the "book" questions (strengths/weaknesses, why this school, etc) and another peds MD asked q after q of situational/ethical questions- it was a lot!"
"Sweet place!"
"The day started at 10AM. First, we had a presentation on standardized patients with two demonstrations. Then, we were supposed to have tours of the hospitals, but those were cancelled. We spent almost an hour just chatting amongst ourselves. We then had student tours of the facilities. We met with the Dean and had the financial aid talk. We were supposed to have lunch with the Dean, but the food never arrived. A last minute tour of the ER was arranged. Afterwards, we ate delivered pizza in a small humid class room. The first interviews were scheduled to start at 2, but we were running late. I had the last interview time. It was the 2 hour wait that stressed me out most, though the interview itself was fine. My day didn't end until 5PM."
"Although the actual interview was kind of stressful, I came away from the day loving the school. I was pleasantly surprised at how happy all the students seemed, despite it being finals week. In general, it feels like a small, supportive, fun environment. "
"The panel interview was supposed to have 3 interviewers - a first year student, a clinician and an academic. My clinician didn't show up. The academic had weak personal skills, made me feel uncomfortable, and asked weird questions. She also made every attempt to make things more stressful by making comments under her breath and questioning me. You should know they make a practice of asking ethical questions, and pushing you about your responses to see if you'll budge. The students who gave us the tour did warn us about this - but I was surprised at how unprofessional my interviewer was. The student interviewer was nice, but she didn't say much. Also, you MUST give them a very clear answer as to why you are interested in EVMS. Lie if you must, but they only want people who are completely enthusiastic about their school."
"Overall a pretty good experience but it was my first interview and it's tough when the interview is 3 on 1. Also, I had to PhD's and a med student interviewing me so the PhD were kind of stubborn."
"Not a very stressful interview. I was expecting ethical scenario questions but received none. The interview is the easy part so just relax and be yourself."
"It was not a stressful interview at all. Be sure to explain why you are interested in EVMS and be prepared to answer some ethical questions. During the lunch before the interview, the admissions staff will tell you teh kind of questions the interviewers will ask. "
"I don't know. This school didn't really impress me. It is my last choice of the schools I have been to so far. The standardized patient program is emphasized alot but other schools have it as well. I also didn't learn anything about the curriculum. The students were cool and talked to me during the down time during the day but still the students have been great everyhwere I've gone. Don't get me wrong I would be happy there I just would probably be happier elsewhere. It just didn't feel right there. On the other hand I did see attractive girls at the school which is always a plus. I don't know how to describe my feelings about the school, it just didn't feel like a place I would jump at having the chance to attend. I also saw residents interviewing which was pretty funny. They looked exactly the same as all of us."
"good, better than expected"
"Great time - two interviewers at once which was a little confusing because one was a med student and one was an older doctor. They had looked at my file but not too extensively I don't think. It was very conversational."
"The 3 on one interview actually is very comfortable. However, some panels were pretty variable, I saw a couple students who told me their experiences were "intense"."
"The area, the great surgical residency, and the breadth of opportunity for clinical experience early makes this my top choice school. My advice: be yourself; they know you're not a doc yet. Be willing to admit your faults, if you have them... (can I get an amen?) "
"The facilities, campus, and students were very impressive. The interview itself was what was a negative experience for me. EVMS will surely scare away potentially good students becuase their interview process is poor. It needs to become a better school before it requires one to undergo such a painstaking process for admission. Its lack of research opporunities is a concern for me, but if not accepted into a more research oriented school I would go here for the location and the congeniality of its students. "
"I'd love to go here if just for the location. Standardized patient program was their pride and joy, and it seemed like a great program to prepare you for patient contact."
"This school offered the most in depth look at their school, starting with the demonstration of the standardized patient assesment. We were even allowed in the anatomy lab, my first time seeing cadavers!! The hospital tour was amazing, the students are so down to earth and friendly. The atmosphere is really comfortable and welcoming."
"EVMS is really a great school. I underestimated it. why "
"I had a wonderful interview experience. All of the staff was extremely friendly and the students giving a tour of the school were extremely helpful."
"Wonderful and low-key. My interviewer really helped me stay focused and understood that I was nervous. Loved the school! Would go in a heartbeat!"
"The food was good. We had a selection of three sandwiches. They sprung for crab! Southwestern chicken wraps with rice and pinto beans were good. The dean has a wry sense of humor which takes a moment to get used to, but you can tell really soon that he's a great guy. "
"Great. Very comfortable and we laughed."
"It was very laid back. The interviewers made jokes to calm me down. They were very receptive to my answers and respectful of my questions. I didn't feel incredibly inferior to them."
"The school is now my top choice and i really wish i was a state resident. everything from the standardized patient program to the very cool, relaxed, and friendly student body, the school seems to promote a "work hard, play hard" mentality. the area of norfolk is nice and i would love to be here next year."
"My experience was very positive. The school has moved to the top of my list."
"glad THIS SCHOOL was my first medical school interview ever. had a great experience overall. comfortable community friendly atmosphere. Wouldn't mind going EVMS."
"Well I walked out of the interview knowing that I am not getting in based on this interview--he really intimidated me and made me distrust myself. BUT just stay with your beliefs, no matter what the interviewers try to make you say."
"Everyone was worried about the ethical questions that would be asked, but I did not encounter any questions of that nature. My interviewers were pretty laid back, and asked good "thinking" questions, but I didn't get the feeling that they wanted to trip me up. Overall, the interview wasn't too stressful, but make sure you prepare for "standard" questions about your motivation, personal attributes, etc."
"From start to finish I had a great time. I would advise everyone to just chill and be yourself. The interviews were not bad for me. I didn't have a single bioethics question. Rather, I had many more questions on the healthcare system in the U.S. and other countries. It really is a fantastic school!"
"Overall, not bad, not too stressful"
"Everyone arrived at 10am looking sharp (9 ppl). We assembled in a conference room where we were given our agendas for the day and a preso on SP's. We also got to practice on a real SP (pipe up and volunteer!). We then toured the hospital and the classrooms. Afterwards we had lunch and talked about money. Then 3 sets of interviews (you will only go to one) scheduled 45 minutes apart. Mine was the 2nd set so I had an hour to kill. I had 2 interviewers. They asked about me specifically and probed me about my ethics, passion and commitment. Then I asked questions. Guys!-Don't all wear black (it makes you all look the same!)"
"Norfolk is a naval community predominately Caucasian with African Americans living towards the outskirts. I can only assume that my interviewer figured a student of ethnic minority would meet resistance in this town and wanted to see how I would deal under pressure. Future interviewees should not panic over this, but I want them to be aware of my experience--after this the other interviews were much easier. "
"I thought that the school was great. I wish that my interview wasn't so late though."
" The interview was really easy going. There were no off the wall questions and the flow was conversational. One of the interviewers asked all the questions while the other just sat there and smiled. Questions included: Weaknesses/Strengths, Why EVMS? Why MD? Your thoughts on Stem Cell Research? Confidentiality question on pregnant teen. What do you think of the Iraqi conflict? "
"The panel interview is kind of annoying, but not that bad. I learned a lot about the school, and was able to ask lots of questions prior to the interview. But I was a little tired by the time my interview came around. I was waitlisted about 10 days after I was there. Nice turnaround, anyway!"
"Incredibly friendly, and it is obvious that the medical students are the entire school's first priority ((vs. the MD program being one of many within the school). "
"it was very easy going. exactly what i expected. no tricks and they were very nice. "
"Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The interview day was well-organized. Faculty answered questions and seemed genuinely interested in us each; students were open and nice."
"I was scared walking in, hence the higher than necessary stress rating. However, the panel interview was actually very enjoyable. It was even more conversational than 1-on1's that I have had. This school really has some potential, and I would be very happy to attend there."
"the school has the wrong kind of people on the admissions committe."
"The school really surprised and impressed me. We were made to feel welcome and comfortable, while the interview day was informative and planned with care. After my visit, EVMS quickly climbed my list."
" The whole interview process was great. Dr. Lewis, the dean of admission, were very informativ. I went to this school thinking that it would be one of my safty schools and came out wishing to be accepted. They take the art of medicine very seriously and train their students to be great physicians. "
"I was extremely impressed with the school and the students. I would be more than willing to move from the west coast to the east coast to attend EVMS. The tour given by the students was great. I got to go into the physiology lab to check out the cadavers! If you are looking for a school that emphasizing more on the art of medicine than the science of medicine, this is the school for you!"
"The outgoing Dean of Admissions, Dr. Lewis, is really nice and straightforward. During the informal lunch discussion, he basically outlined for us some of the types of questions we might be asked and gave us tips on how to answer them. That was a real surprise, especially as some of the other interviewees got asked the very same "sample questions" for which he had given sample answers just a short time earlier!"
"Interview was a little stressful, since it is by a group, but they're very nice. I really think that the students genuinely believe in helping each other. There seems to be little to no competition between them, which is great. Fantastic school. Since it is new, it doesn't have the repuation of other schools, and can be looked down upon for that, which is completely a farce! They can't rely on a history, so they do everything they can to make sure that they create a wonderful environment for teaching and patient care. I've heard from doctors who say they can tell which residents are from EVMS (in a good way)- that says a lot. I see others complaining about Norfolk, but I've spent time there, it's actually a pretty cool place. On top of that, there are seven cities right there (Hampton Roads), giving innumerable experiencess locally (along with Virgnia Beach to relax). "
"i really loved the school and would be very excited to be accepted."
"This has been my best interview so far and I would be honored if I was offered a place at their school"
"On the whole, it was pleasurable and gave me some good insights for future interviews."
"Overall, I would be honored to be selected and attend EVMS. It is a really great academic program and has great oppurtunities. "
"i had a great time here, and even though it is still buildling its reputation, i think it woudl be a great school. interviews were a little tougher than others, but they are nothing to really worry about if you go in and be yourself. they might seem tough but at the end the interviewers are all smiles."
"The interview was with a student and retired doctor, they made me feel fairly relaxed, it was my first interview. "
"The interviewers were both MDs. They seemed to drill me quite a bit with ethical questions. Did not have much of a chance to talk about anything casual. The interview was more stressful than I expected though the dean of admission, Dr. Lewis was very nice and helpful. Though Dr. Lewis introduced everyone in the round table with all their credentials, don't let that bothers you and ruins your confidence if your experiences sounds kind of bland compared to others'."
"The first 2/3s of the interview were devoted to the "difficult" questions. Once that was over with, the interviewers really wanted to just chat about things I like to do and why I've chosen medicine."
"Overall, it was a great experience. It was my first interview so I was a little nervous, but the other applicants, admissions people, and students were really, really nice. In fact, one third year student talked with me for almost an hour and a half. During that time I met 1st through 4th years, who were are very helpful and answered a lot of my questions. I even got to meet one of the professors as he was passing by who was a very friendly and interesting person. Definitely was a very good atmosphere."
"After having been brainwashed into thinking that EVMS was a low-quality school, the interview day totally changed my perceptions. It doesn't have the reputation because it is a relatively young school, but I was impressed by their board scores. Their standardized patient program is well-developed, and they truly do emphasize the clincal aspect of medicine. Everyone, without exception, was very nice and friendly, from the people in the administration office to the random med students who walked by. The interview was very low-stress, and everyone did their best to put us at ease. Also, my interviewer told me flat out - if you want to do research, go to UVA; if you want to focus on the patient, come to EVMS."
"A very positive experience. They presented themselves very well during the interview day. I discovered a lot of things about them that I did not know before. I did not expect to fall in love with the school as much as I did!"
"It was my most difficult interview yet. The interviewer kept challenging my answer that I knew was right. I explained what an 'emancipated minor' was, since my student host explained it the day before to me."
"The interview was very laid back. The Dean of Admissions is a great person who seems to genuinely care about applicants. The location is beautiful. They also have retreats for students and faculty included in tuition."
"overall, a good experience"
"Like the place alot, heard about a professor tutoring a student in anatomy for 3 hours on his own time, now that's what I call individual attention."
"good experience; students were friendly and down to earth and nice--would be great classmates; interview wasn't as bad as I anticipated it could be; SP/teaching associate program and clinical teaching facilities were impressive"
"It was not the fear fest that others had preped me for, but I was the last to go that day so I was tired and had a lot of downtime between the tour and interview. If I had a chice between an early time on Wed or a late time on Fri, I would go Wed."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 269 |
| Faculty member | 8 |
| Admissions staff | 9 |
| Other | 24 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 180 |
| Neutral | 18 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.09 | 204 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 89 |
| Out of state | 109 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 24 |
| 2-3 hours | 58 |
| 4-6 hours | 70 |
| 7+ hours | 45 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 68 |
| Automobile | 115 |
| Train or subway | 7 |
| Other | 6 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 48 |
| $101-$200 | 40 |
| $201-$300 | 20 |
| $301-$400 | 20 |
| $401-$500 | 20 |
| $501+ | 17 |
Norfolk Airport
Norfolk International Airport
Dulles and then drove to Norfolk
LAX to ORF
RIC
N/A
Norfolk
Norfolk International
orc
IAD
PHF
OFR
ORF
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 27 |
| Friends or family | 27 |
| Hotel | 98 |
| Home | 5 |
| Other | 0 |
No
plaza
Yes
No
plaza
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.32 | 206 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.23 | 209 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.03 | 208 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.92 | 92 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.13 | 94 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.88 | 82 |
"N/A"
"Shorten the day!!!!! Give information about the interviewers prior to interview day!!!"
"Be a little more clear about how BlueJeans works when giving instructions for interview day."
"I think the virtual interview format worked extremely well. It was convenient and much more affordable than traveling. It would be nice to give the applicants an idea of how long the interview might be."
"Less time waiting"
"Will echo what others have said: be more present during the interview day. It felt like we were just handed off from one person to another, and lots of time where we were by ourselves in between sessions. Waiting for later interview slots kind of sucked. Would've loved a session that talked about the curriculum and academic resources...I loved the patient simulation, but I think it was weird that we didn't get an overview of the curriculum. The introduction session essentially just felt like it was them talking about the accomplishments of the school (which is great) but I just feel like I don't know much more about the school or why I should go here."
"Be more present during the interview day. We arrived at the building and a security guard told us where to go and the students had to pick a place to wait until someone showed up. We also waited around for a student to give us a tour. Provide someone to stay with us all day in case mishaps or questions arise."
"Take the candidates to the interview rooms instead of leaving them to find the hallway on their own."
"Nothing, very friendly staff made 'check-in' seamless"
"I wish they'd provided a campus map or something. The hall where we met in the morning was a bit difficult to find."
"Interviews would be better if they were in the morning. Interview questions should be impromptu."
"Breakfast would be great..it would alleviate some of the awkwardness of waiting around in the morning."
"None"
"switch to electronic supplemental"
"Online secondary application."
"Switch application from paper-based to electronic-based."
"The admissions office was wonderful. You can call to get your results early over the phone."
"Get online!"
"some admissions office people were cool and some were kind of PO'd...didn't appreciate the ones who"
"Definitely not as friendly as some of the other schools."
"put more material in their folders"
"Let us know what time our interview will be before we arrive."
"I just wish that the application process was a little more organized. It seems much of the applicati"
"Screen the student presentation that goes on during lunch. It may put people off who are not concern"
"They're great."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?