How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.02 | 328 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 235 |
| Negatively | 54 |
| No change | 40 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 10 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 5 |
| 20 minutes | 5 |
| 25 minutes | 23 |
| 30 minutes | 61 |
| 35 minutes | 52 |
| 40 minutes | 49 |
| 45 minutes | 81 |
| 50 minutes | 18 |
| 55 minutes | 2 |
| 60+ minutes | 37 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 314 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 13 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 329 |
| In a group | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 224 |
| Closed file | 99 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.02 | 328 |
"Did not use the standardized list of questions, just asked questions based on my essays and applications. Overall was extremely conversational."
"Tell me about your journey to medicine."
"Tell me about yourself and your path to medicine."
"1) Tell me about yourself. 2) Describe path to medicine. 3) Gap year plans? 4) What do you do for fun? 5) Describe ethical dilemna 6) Why Gtown?"
"Tell me about a problem in the medical field? Now tell me another... another... another... another (this went on 5 consecutive times and took the entire interview)."
"Literally watchmojo's top ten worst medical school interview questions. Cura personalis was also in there"
"Why medicine? Why Georgetown? Tell me about your research."
"Tell me about your journey to medicine"
"How will you contribute to the diversity of Georgetown?"
"Describe your story: how’d you get into medicine?"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"They asked what other schools I applying to and was interviewing at."
"What did you do the summer between high school and college? (I was not expecting that)"
"Where would you see yourself in 10 years"
"What are three words that your friends use to describe you."
"What was a time you were stressed and how did you handle it?"
"What is one issue in health care you care about and why?"
"What are some problems in health care today?"
"Why you?"
"It was genuinely a conversation. No specific questions were really asked. He just wanted to get to know me a bit, and we talked about his career a lot as well."
"What challenges do you expect to encounter as a physician?"
"Tell me a little about your research."
"My interviewer was a very kind, laid back 4th year med student. The first question was "why medicine?""
"If you had given a patient the wrong prescription and they had complications from it, what would you do?"
"Tell me about yourself and what brought you to medicine."
"Time you failed and what you learned from it?"
"Why did you perform poorly in X class?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? (he hammered this question several times wanting different explanations)"
"Tell me about your background, and your family."
"Why Georgetown? The interviewer had access to my amcas app with the grades and scores blacked out, so they could see activities and essays"
"Why Georgetown/Why medicine?"
"Why Georgetown? / Why medicine?"
"What have you been doing since you graduated (graduated >1 year before interview)?"
"tell me how health care reform will affect you, as a doctor"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"What are some of the responsibilities of a physician?"
"The basic 3: Tell me about yourself / What attracts you to our program / When did you decide on a career in medicine"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Why Medicine? / Health Care Crisis and how will the Public Option (if passed) affect physicians / Why Georgetown?"
"Why did you decide on a career in medicine? Why did you apply to Georgetown?"
"Why medicine/why Georgetown?"
"So you like science?"
"What did the President say during his recent speech?"
"My interviewer had my PS and Why Georgetown essay only. First question is why medicine? Tell me your story?"
"Why our school?"
"Why do you want to be a physician instead of a musician?"
"The ask 6 set questions. I will try and write them down as I remember them."
"Where I am from?"
""Why Georgetown?""
"Just so everyone knows... there is a standard form with about 6 or 7 questions that they ask EVERYONE. So I'm going to try and put them all down here from what I can remember, for your edification...."
"Tell me about your family"
"Georgetown is a catholic school and there are some strange remnants of that around ie you can't sell condoms on campus. So he asked me what I thought about the school minimart selling cigarettes but not condoms and what message i thought that was sending."
"What do you think is a problem with the US HealthCare system today?"
"What TV doctor would I want to be"
"ethics question"
"non-academic stuff"
"what makes you angry, what are your weaknesses/strengths, let's talk about the negative aspects of healthcare"
"Why Georgetown"
"Write an article as above"
"The basics: why Georgetown? why medicine? What specialty?"
"Tell me about yourself. Why Georgetown? Why medicine? "
"why gtown and why DC?"
"What is one part of your undergraduate career that really stands out to you?"
"Why medicine? What medical experience do you have?"
"Who is your best friend? If he were sitting across from me what would he say about you?"
"Whether i planned to do research, be a clinician, teach..."
"Why medicine?"
"Asked to describe what I had done since undergraduate (as a non-traditional student)."
"What are the qualities you think a physician should have? "
"What are the roles of a physician?"
"What is your greatest weakness?"
"What do you like to do on your free time?"
"Do you really rock-climb? (I wrote about this in my personal statement)"
"why medicine, why goergetown, what are problems in current healthcare in the US (these three are inevitable)"
"What do you find neat about Georgetown?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years? "
"Tell me about yourself"
"favorite TV show"
"The basics, why medicine, why Georgetown."
"How did you get interested in medicine?"
"why medicine, that's it"
"Why would you choose G-town over other schools to which you have applied?"
"You mentioned so and so on your personal statement, what did you mean?"
"What would you do if you didn't get accepted to med school?"
"what are your strengths"
"Research related questions"
"What do you think of U.S. health care, how can you change it"
"How did you hear about Georgetown?"
"how do you think your choice of major will help you in your medical education? (i was an engineering major)"
"Tell me about why you want to bo into medicine."
"does a physician deserve to earn money?"
"Tell me about a book you've recently read?"
"Why MD/PhD and not either one?"
"Why medicine? Why Georgetown? (the ask everyone this, and tell you that in the morning)"
"What do you do to relieve your stress?"
"what do you think are the qualitites of an ideal physician?"
"Why Georgetown? "
"Why medicine? (one of the required ones)"
"Tell me about ___?"
"why did you come to georgetown as an undergrad?"
"why medicine? why GT? why Washington DC?"
"What are some of the biggest problems in healthcare?"
"Why Georgetown, Why medicine?"
"How do you want your patients to view you 20 years from now?"
"Why medicine and Georgetown?"
"Tell me about yourself. "
"What are the big problems in healthcare?"
"Tell me a little bit about yourself?"
"On a personal level, what are your 3 best qualities?"
"Tell me about yourself (after telling me that she had just read my AMCAS essay)."
"What was your commute like in high school?"
"Why DC? Why Georgetown? Do you know what kind of sacrifices you will have to make during med school? Why medicine? What experiences have you had which confirmed your desire to become a doctor? "
"Why did I choose medicine?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"How do you handle stress?"
"What was your grade average? In your essay you write about how athletic committments brought down your average. The interviewer had read only my personal statment before the interview began, which was within the guidelines of how interviews proceed, and I had no issue with this."
"Why Georgetown? Why DC?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"a few "non-threatening" questions about ethics: end of life, patient autonomy, etc."
"Biggest problems of US Healthcare?"
"what did you do during the summers"
"How do you feel about starting medical school at age 27?"
"How did you become interested in medicine?"
"Why major in _____?"
"Tell me about your research."
"How did you come to decide you want to be a doctor?"
"Views on abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, doctor assisted suicide, etc."
"Why medicine now? If you're a non-traditional candidate, you'll get this question everywhere."
"What would you fix about healthcare?"
"What do you parents do? (Not the accusatory, "I assume your parents are doctors, then." I had gotten elsewhere.)"
"What can you bring to georgetown?"
"Why do you want to attend GT? "
"Do you see yourself in research or providing patient care? (I answered and was asked to clarify further.)"
"Why Georgetown? What do you look for in a medical education? "
"how did you decide medicine?"
"What was an experience that you feel passionate about?"
"Tell me about your research"
"What will you find the most interesting about medicine in 10 years? "
"What can you contribute to the Georgetown community?"
"why did you choose medicine"
"why GT?"
"Tell me about your family. "
"Why did you go to school in Montana? (I'm from Tennessee.)"
"So why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Why did you decide to switch from [non-science major] to medicine?"
"TEll me about yourself growing up."
"What were your clinical and research expereinces? What quality do you possess that came through during your clinical experience which you believe will make you a good doctor?"
"So tell me about your school. Where is it? "
"Why didnt you take biochemistry?"
"Why Medicine? Why Georgetown?"
"Why do plan to pursue General Surgery?"
"Standard ethical Q's.....stem cells...euthanasia...abortion"
"What would you do if you weren't accepted anywhere?"
"2 ethical scenarios: 1) what to do if I catch a med school classmate cheating on an exam, and 2) how to break the news to a patient that she has colon cancer"
"What events inspired you to study medicine?"
"How are you different from your best friend and how does this explain why you want to go to med school and she wants to go to law school?"
"How did you get here (where are you from, what did you do after school)?"
"Why GU?"
"What have you been doing in the past year?"
"Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?"
"Why are there so many uninsured in the US? Why Medicine? Why Georgetown? "
"What do you like to do?"
"I cant recall specfic details, but the interview was very conversational-- no ethics questions."
"explain universal health care."
"Why Georgetown?"
"What are the current issues with the Healthcare system?"
"How would you contribute to the community here?"
"I see you've done some creative writing. Have you heard of Walter Percy (doc who became a novelist)?"
"So how many acceptances have you received? (Literally, the first question)"
"What have you been doing since your college graduation?"
"standard stuff...why g-town."
"Typical stuff. Tell about experiences, college, why are you interested in Gtown."
"What is the biggest problem facing health care today?"
"The MD interviewer (an orthopedic surgeon) wanted to know about my past and my clinical exposure to date."
"How did you contribute to your community?"
"Why did you choose to major in Astronomy? "
"Interests?"
"mostly about who I am, my motivations, etc."
"Why did you choose to apply to Georgetown?"
"Tell me about yourself, why medicine, etc."
"What do you do with your free time?"
"Why did you apply to GU?"
"Define for me the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement and give an example."
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"what would you change about your undergrad school"
"See above, although most questions merely came from what we were previously talking about. Nothing caught me off guard."
"what hobbies do you have"
"Why do you want to be a doctor..."
"this was a question i didn't get, but one of the other applicants was asked and i thought it was pretty interesting: "Say the US has universal health care, and you are a physician with a patient who requires very expensive treatment which MIGHT prolong his life for a certain period that you don't know--do you continue to give the treatment even though doing so will keep others from receiving treatment due to the limit to the amount of money you can spend?""
"there were no other questions besides the ones I mentioned above - the interview was a very relaxed conversation rather than a question-and-answer session."
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"If you had a broken leg right now, how do you think the care you received would be the same or different in a managed care setting versus medical delivery of yesteryear?"
"Would you go to Georgetown over your state school?"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare?"
"what is your motivation for going into medicine?"
"What are some good characteristics of a doctor? Why medicine? Why Georgetown?"
"So what do you like to do that's not on this application? (It's closed file but they are given the application in a sealed envelope as you walk in the door)."
"What do you do in your free time?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What are your Strengths/Weaknesses"
"Why medicine"
"why G"
"The interviews are closed-file (though your interviewer will get a copy of your file that you bring to him/her) so be prepared for anything!"
"What's the most recent book you've read? film you've seen?"
"What is the biggest issue facing healthcare right now?"
"What is an ethical dilemma that you have encountered and what did you do?"
"What is one of the biggest problems in medicine right now"
"Tell me about a challenge you faced, how you overcame it, and what you learned."
"What do you do when you feel stressed?"
"What's one of the biggest problems in medicine?"
"What kind of extracurricular activities do you enjoy?"
"What do you think the biggest problem in healthcare is today? How do you propose we fix it?"
"Tell me about your research experience"
"Ethical question about patient with a DNR"
"Why do you see yourself working with the urban underserved?"
"Why Georgetown? How would my friends describe me. How I would describe how I see myself as a future physician."
"What was a stressful situation and how did you overcome it"
"Ethical question about inputting the wrong medication order and by the time you told the nurse it was already given. What would you do...."
"Tell me more about your research."
"What are the main things you learned from doing XX activity?"
"What is a problem with medicine in the United States?"
"What do you think about the ACA?"
"Why Georgetown specifically for your goals?"
"Question specifically about my activities"
"Why do you want to become a physician?"
"What do you think are some of the biggest problems in today's healthcare system?"
"What do you think is the biggest issue in health care today?"
"How do you reconcile your interest in Georgetown with your rural background?"
"Why GW?"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"Why DC?"
"I see you only speak English, are there any other languages you are proficient in?"
"Whole interview was EXTREMELY conversational, many of the questions were informal, flowing from the topics we were discussing."
"What do you like to do for fun? Any research publications? Describe your clinical experiences"
"Asked about my family, questions from my essays( which turned into more of a conversation.. so didnt have too many questions)"
"What do you want me to tell the admissions committee about you?"
"A very, very detailed ethical dilemma question which basically came down to "Would you admit to a patient that you made a mistake, even if you caught it quickly enough to correct it with no negative effects on the patient's health?""
"What do I see my future career looking like?"
"Tell me about your research."
"How will the public option, if passed, affect physicians."
"Specific questions related to my own experience"
"What is one strength you think will help you the most in medical school? What is one weakness that might hurt you?"
"What experiences have you had with the medical field, and how have they influenced your decision?"
"What are the greatest challenges in health care today and how should we address them?"
"How can I make my grandson like science?"
"What describes a good physican? "
"What have you been doing since graduating?"
"What first interested you in medicine?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"What is the biggest problem with health care?"
"1. Why medicine 2. Why Georgetown 3. Whats wrong with healthcare and how would you change it. 4. Any clinical experiences? 5. Any research experiences 6 what do you do for fun."
"Why Georgetown? It wasn't phrased quite like this, but make certain this question is answered by the end of the interview."
"Why I fit into the philosophy"
"What would I reform about healthcare?"
"He asked about my activities."
"1) Why medicine? 2) How to fix the health care system? 3) Research experiences? 4) Clinical experiences? 5) Why Georgetown? (HINT: The right answer includes cura personalis) 6) What traits does a good doctor have? 7) What do you do for fun? 8) Anything else you'd like the ad com to know (not in your file)?"
"what differences have you noticed between schools? What else? What else? What else? What else? What else? This was asked 6 times."
"How many brothers and sisters do you have?"
"How to fix healthcare"
"Why Georgetown"
"challenges"
"a question about medical errors and truth-telling"
"What are you currently working on?"
"problems with healthcare"
"Why Medicine"
"Favorite experience"
"Tell me about xyz (activities I did in undergraduate)"
"What is the greatest problem facing health care today?"
"why medicine? what have you done to prepare for a career in medicine?"
"What is one reason why we should admit you?"
"What do you like to do for fun? What are the biggest problems facing physicians today? What do you think about patient privacy?"
"Do you think you will be able to handle the medical school curriculum? How do you handle stress?"
"can't remember a lot more, got into a long conversation about racial disparities in healthcare and global healthcare. "
"What is wrong with healthcare today?"
"favorite classes in undergrad"
"What specialties I'm considering."
"What are you currently doing now?"
"what experiences have influenced you to go into medicine?"
"Volunteer experiences. "
"What challenges will you face?"
"What are some qualities that physicians must possess other than academic performance?"
"What is one char. a doctor should have?"
"Do you want to go into Anesthesia like your father?"
"tell me about your volunteer service experience"
"What do your siblings do?"
"Medicine and public health are so different- explain why anyone would want a MD and MPH?"
"Why did you switch to medicine"
"What is your biggest weakness?"
"Famous person who graduated from my college"
"What clinical experience do you have?"
"How did you become interested in medicine?"
"Tell me about your religious background."
"Whats the single most important issue in healthcare today and what would you propose to change it?"
"What kinds of med schools are you applying to?"
"Who and what is important to you?"
"why gtown"
"tell me about your family"
"What is your greatest weakness"
"Name one problem/issue with medicine/healthcare system and how you could work to correct that problem."
"what kind of medicine do you think you want to go into after you graduate and why?"
"How can you be sure you really want to dedicate your life to medicine?"
"Why medical school?"
"Tell me about your hospital volunteer experience."
"why didn't you retake the "med-cat?" (that is how he referred to it)"
"Why are you interested in Georgetown and would you really consider it?"
"What is the best quality that you have that will make a good doctor?"
"What healthcare issues will you face as a physician and what is one way to fix one of those problems?"
"How do you know you want to go into medicine?"
"what will be some future health care issues you think you'll need to deal with? "
"What problems do you see in the future of medical care? "
"Something about being responsible in your life."
"If you were given a choice of a Westcoast school over Georgetown, which would you prefer?"
"what will be your biggest challenge in medical school?"
"biggest challenge?"
"Tell me about _______ activity?"
"What do you think makes a great doctor? "
"What is the most pressing issue in healthcare today?"
"What do you do in your free time?"
"What is your opinion on: stem cell research and physician assisted suicide?"
"Discuss research/thesis etc. "
"what clinical/medical experiences i've had"
"What do you understand about social medicine?"
"What turns you off about medicine?"
"On a professional level, what 3 character traits of yours will make you a great doctor? 3 things to improve upon?"
"What problems face healthcare and physicians in the future?"
"What made you choose engineering?"
"What do you think are some of the pressing issues in healthcare today?"
"Whats wrong with healthcare? How to fix it?"
"What sort of physician do I want to be? "
"Tell me about the first time yo knew you wanted to be a doctor. "
"Tell me about some of your volunteer experiences."
"Why are you choosing the GEMS program?"
"why georgetown? (very important to admissions)"
"what classes are you taking now"
"She asked several questions about my volunteer experiences abroad. Why did you go, what did you get out of it, etc."
"What clinical experiences have you had? "
"What does that major have to do with medicine?"
"Tell me about a time that you felt empathy for someone."
"What schools are you seriously considering?"
"about my undergrad school"
"What do you want your legacy to be?"
"Do you think you would be happy in Washington?"
"What is a problem in health care today?"
"What is a problem in medicine today? How about a problem you will face as a physician in 15 years?"
"When was a time you were stressed"
"How do you know medicine is right for you?"
"Why medicine? What are your motivations for becoming a doctor?"
"Tell me about your study abroad program."
"Do you have any nicknames? What was your most fun experience in college? "
"Why G'Town?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"What will you like the least about medicine in 10 years?"
"What issues are facing the medical community?"
"didn't the tribune vote for bush?"
"why medicine?"
"What about your experiences was most important to you?"
"What is your top choice?"
"Lets talk about how poverty affects the delivery of health care?"
"What was it like being a rock star in London?"
"expand on your personal statement."
"Tell me about your extra-curricular activities. "
"What are some experiences you've had that you feel prepare you to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about the British Health Care system? Do you think it would work in the US (I've lived in England and Scotland, so maybe she asked because of that). "
"Tell me what you were like in high school."
"What do you believe are the problems facing healthcare?"
"What are you reading?"
"Why didnt you do better on the MCAT"
"Why were visiting Fairfax last summer?"
"Why should we choose you?"
"What are your clinical experiences?"
"What do you think about Washington?"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare? Why do you want to go into medicine at a time like this?"
"Discuss what to do about current health care situation (see most interesting/difficult question)."
"What do you know about the Canadian health care system?"
"Tell me about your family?"
"How do you feel about coming to DC?"
"Tell me about yourself..."
"a couple of ethical situations: one on bad news breaking and one on cheating in the classroom. i dont think there is a right or wrong answer, just be yourself."
"What do I think of Georgetown?"
"Should the US adpot universal health care."
"What is one of your faults?"
"Address a specific problem in health care."
"Where do I see myself in 20 years?"
"What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"See healthcare question above."
"Asked about my research, activities, etc. (the usual)"
"Why do you want to come to Georgetown?"
"why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What criteria are you using to decide between schools? (I think they want to see that you've really thought about it and you're seriously contrasting schools - not just that you applied to 15 and you'll see what happens)"
"Your dad is a doctor, what has he done to persuade/dissuade you to or not to go into medicine?"
"The MD/PhD interviewers all wanted to know why I was interested in the MD/PhD."
"What health experiences have you had?"
"Tell me about your overseas experience in medicine"
"Specialty?"
"a few ethical questions. nothing to scary."
"Why go into medicine now?"
"What do you think is the greatest challenge facing medicine?"
"(My relationship with my boyfriend came up in casual conversation) What are you two going to do when you go back to school?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"Why Georgetown?"
"what is an event that really changed the way you look at life"
"Typical ethics questions..."
"where did you go to high school? did you like it? how was your college? why did you choose it? what other med schools did you apply to? how many interviews have you had? "
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"Why Gtown?"
"Why medicine? Why Georgetown?"
"Describe Managed Care, how would a physician in a managed care practice treat you in comparison to a physician in a traditional setting?"
"let's role play. i'm a patient, you're the doctor. you just gave me a heart transplant and found out after the fact that the donor had testicular cancer. what do you tell me (your patient), who has just received this heart?"
"Why did you pick your major? How many other interviews have you been to? What other activities do you want to get involved in while at medical school?"
"Where do you see yourself as a physician?"
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Describe your volunteer experiences."
"What is the single greatest issue facing healthcare in the next 10 years."
"What's a problem in medicine right now"
"What do you do for fun"
"Tell me about a challenge you have overcame."
"What is a challenge you have encountered and how did you overcome it?"
"How will you contribute to diversity and inclusion at Georgetown?"
"Tell me about a healthcare issue in DC, and if you can't speak to DC, one in the area you are from."
"What is one issue in healthcare you care about?"
"How will you contribute to the diversity on campus?"
"Are you familiar with the patient population in DC? (he prefaced this question with saying he didn't know anything about this when he was in my shoes so I answered honestly and said no then he explained it)"
"Tell me about other experiences"
"How are your other schools going?"
"What's the biggest issue in healthcare today"
"What kind of specialty would you want to go into?"
"Tell me about your research"
"Three qualities you think every physician should have."
"Tell me more about this shadowing experience."
"Why DC?"
"Specific questions about AMCAS Activities Resume"
"Is there a medical specialty that interests you?"
"What will you bring to campus that benefits Georgetown?"
"How do you handle stress?"
"Asked about specific activities on my application"
"What are some issues in healthcare currently?"
"What is one issue in medicine today?"
"Do you have siblings?"
"Why not research?"
"What do you think are the current issues with healthcare?"
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Why Georgetown, why medicine"
"What does cura personalis mean to you?"
"How have you changed since high school/college?"
"What sort of volunteering experience do you have?"
"What is your clinical experience?"
"Tell me about this activity... (went through my AMCAS activities)."
"Why Georgetown? Why DC?"
"Why do you think you have what it takes to do well in medical school?"
"What do i like to do in my free time?"
"Tell me about X/Y/Z on your application."
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare in the US?"
"Questions about my research and theses"
"why medicine"
"Why are you looking at schools so far from home?"
"What's the biggest problem with our country's health care system?"
"Specific questions related to my file. However, the answer to these questions were already in my file (when did you do this activity...what was that like...)"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"How would you define 'cura personalis' in one sentence?"
"Hypothetical situation: what do you think about practices charging patients a flat yearly fee, to level the field for the insured and uninsured, and to avoid dealing with the hassle of insurance companies?"
"What is a major issue in the medical field today and how would you solve it?"
"Why Georgetown"
"Why do you donate blood?"
"What are the most pressing concerns in healthcare today? (multiple concerns)"
"Tell me about your research project."
"Why Georgetown? "
"I hope I wrote those down correctly. I had multiple interviews in a short period of time so I might have mixed up a couple, but I believe the above are correct."
"What is our greatest health care problem? How would you fix health care in the US? These were two distinct questions, but equally important during the interview."
"What don't I like about Georgetown... (at this point I could have talked for two hours)."
"He asked about my clinical mentor that he happened to know."
"See above"
"Why do I want to go to Georgetown if it costs more than state schools?"
"What is one of the greatest issues facing healthcare right now?"
"Do you have any question for me?"
"How to fix a problem like teenage pregnancy"
"Charity work?"
"What is the largest healthcare problem faced in the United States right now?"
"time-managment"
"problems with our current healthcare"
"questions about my undergrad"
"Tell me something about Healthcare reform"
"Why G-town"
"What questions do you have for me? (she wanted a lot of questions, probably asked me 4 times)"
"What are your thoughts on end-of-life care?"
"tell me about your living experiences in nyc, columbus, and cleveland (places where i've lived in/since college)"
"If there was one thing you could improve in your application, what would it be?"
"What about you will make you a good doctor? If you are going to see a doctor, what qualities are important to you in choosing that doc? Why Georgetown?"
"Tell me about your path to wanting to become a physician"
"How do you feel about your undergrad experience?"
"Problem with healthcare system."
"What are some problems facing healthcare today?"
"What do you think about the current healthcare situation?"
"What events influenced you to go into medicine?"
"What was the most enjoyable/rewarding part of my academic experience in undergrad? Nonacademic experience?"
"opinion on health care "
"Current trends in medicine."
"After that, it was pretty much a conversation."
"Why should we accept you?"
"what else do you like to do aside from studying premed?"
"What do you do in your sparetime? "
"Tell me about your volunteering experience?"
"What are some problems facing medicine in the future?"
" Tell me about ___ activity"
"what are you doing after graduation (I'm taking a year off)"
"What do you think will be your most difficult task as a physician?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"What do you expect from Georgetown with your 250 thousand dollar investment from a contract perspective?"
"Why MD?"
"tell me about yourself"
"What was your proudest moment?"
"What can Georgetown do to help you achieve your goals?"
"So you are from UCLA, how is the football team doing this year? "
"What do you do in your job right now? "
"What have been some of the best and worst times of your life?"
"what are the problems w/ healthcare today?"
"Is Georgetown ranked high on your list of med schools? (loaded question)"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"any remaining questions i had about the school."
"What is something unique that you would bring to our medical school class?"
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"nothing else, not even "why georgetown?" which we were told would be a crucial part of our interview..."
"What are some of your other interests or hobbies?"
"What do I do for fun?"
"Research and volunteer experience?"
"Give the two sides of the stem cell research debate"
"What are your hobbies?"
"what if you had a patient who doesn't listen to you?"
"What questions do you have for me. "
"What do you do outside of school/work?"
"Address a challenge in your life and how you handled it."
"what is one thing about yourself you need to work on?"
"do you have questions for me? what should i tell the admissions committee about you?"
"What was the most satisfying non-medical paid position you have ever held? "
"Other questions about my experiences directly."
"If you had a life-threatening disease would you rather be treated by a doctor who was kind and caring, but not that skilled at treating your disease, or a cold doctor who was very skilled at treating the disease?"
"Tell me about your family."
"What are some of the major problems with the health care system and how do you propose fixing them? "
"what else do i do, what books read, etc."
"Do you believe a physician should be honest in every situation? (He went on to describe a ethical situation about being honest with a patient who was going to die soon)"
"Ethical questions"
"Describe a moral dilemma and how you handled it."
"Why Georgetown for medical school? (They seem to really want people who appreciate, believe, and respect their cura personalis approach to medicine, so make sure that you are prepared to answer this question with something other than some generic response)."
"Tell me about your job."
"Do you have any questions?"
"Tell me about yourself..."
"What area of medicine am I most interested in?"
"Talked about personal experiences."
"What are some current issues that physicians face?"
"What are five words people would use to describe you?"
"Why did you take a year off?"
"questions about decision to pursue medicine and medical experiences. (standard)"
"Future career goals? How do you see yourself using your MD degree?"
"what are two major problems in health care today"
"As a resident, if you had accidentily written a prescription with the dosage doubled, which did not end up harming the patient at all, would you tell the patient and attending physician about your mistake?"
"What research experiences have you had?"
"Did you apply to Johns Hopkins?"
"Elaborate on the patients that you mentioned in your ps."
"What should I tell the board about you to get you in here? "
"about my hobbies"
"Why Georgetown? What can you contribute here?"
"Random questions about my extracurricular activities"
"What was your most significant experience in college?"
"Some remote question about a hospital being built nearby which I had no idea that even existed"
"Who are your rolemodels? "
"what do you do in your spare time? what medical experiences?"
"What separates schools, similar to why G'Town?"
"Do you think you have a realistic and accurate impression of what the medical profession would be like?"
"Are you a compassionate person?"
"what are the qualities that a person should have to be a good doctor"
"tell me about yourself."
"How did your experience in the Emergency Department shape your present beliefs about medicine?"
"Why didn't you write down on your AMCAS application that you waitressed?"
"What are some of the problems facing medicine today?"
"What's the number of uninsured Americans? How can we lower this number?"
"Neither one of your parents are physicians. Are you sure you know enough about the field and understand the responsibilities of being a physician?"
"ethics question on writing an incorrect prescription."
"Why a doctor?"
"In your opinion, what are some of the problems that are going to arise in healthcare in the next 20 years?"
"What do you do to relieve stress?"
"Why should g'town accept me?"
"Do I understand the social responsiblity it is to be a doctor?"
"What did you read before that?"
"What qualities make a good physician? Do you really think that last characteristic is important? So thats all you need to be a good physician?"
"What kind of medicine do you want to practice?"
"Call me when you land!"
"How would you improve te health care system?"
"What are the weaknesses of your application?"
"Can I give you my contact information in case you have more questions?"
"What else do you want the ad comm to know about you that is not on your application? Any questions for me?"
"What do you think you will find most challenging about the next four years of your life? Any questions for me?"
"What do you do besides study?"
"Why medicine?"
"why did you choose your undergrad school."
"See the above ethical question (my interviewer was fresh from residency interviews of his own and full of crazy ethical questions he had asked). "
"Why doesn't everyone want to be a doctor?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"How is medicine different today and how will that affect how you practice medicine?"
"Is it ethical for pharmaceutical companies to use drug trial procedures that wouldn't be permitted in the U.S. on AIDS patients in Africa? (I don't know if this was a trick question or not...I of course said "no.")"
"Ethical questions regarding an HIV+ teen, patient confidentiality"
"Where does Georgetown stand for you (i.e. give a priority ranking)?"
"tell me about your research."
"What do you do for fun?"
"The MD/PhD interviewers all wanted to know about my research experience."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Do you think Georgetown would be a good match for you? Why?"
"Healthcare problems?"
"What do you feel has been your greatest personal achievement outside of your professional and academic life?"
"What experiences in particular inspired you to become a doctor?"
"What is an medical issue that is a current and future problem in medicine?"
"Do you know what kind of doctor you want to be?"
"what do you think about the doctor-patient relationship"
"What are your hobbies..."
"why did you apply to georgetown, how did you originally get interested in medicine? are there doctors in the family? what do your siblings do?"
"What other schools have you applied to? (That was weird)"
"And what do you make of that? (asked after almost every question...)"
"How would you deal with makinga mistake?"
"what do you expect to get out of medical school?"
"What else do you like to do? Is there anything else you want me to know that wasn't mentioned on your application?"
"What type of medicine do you want to go into?"
"Why Georgetown?"
"If you could change anything about your undergrad experience, what would it have been?"
"What's the biggest challenge currently facing healthcare?"
"What was the most recent thing you learned for fun?"
"Is there anything else you would like the admissions committee to know about your application?"
"What do you think is the most important issue in health care right now?"
"Have you faced any moral or ethical dilemmas? If so, what did you do?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What's one of the biggest problems in medicine?"
"What’s your favorite way to spend your free time?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"What Netflix show are you watching now?"
"Specific question about one of my hobbies"
"What shows are you watching right now"
"What was your favorite class in college?"
"Hobbies?"
"Asked me about something specific in my background"
"Tell me a joke if you can (very specific to my interview though)"
"Interviewer gave about 30 mins of discussion about their research. It was interesting, but had nothing to do with my interview."
"We had a conversation about illegal immigration that was quite interesting"
"Tell me about your research."
"Why do you like teaching (specific to my app)?"
"What other fields of medicine are you interested in?"
"What is your favorite TV show?"
"What do you think are the most important qualities of professionalism in a physician?"
"If you had given a patient the wrong prescription and they had complications from it, what would you do?"
"My interviewer asked about my writing after I expressed a life-long interest in composition."
"You are allowed to clean a patients wound, you but beta dine on the wound and the patient has an allergic reaction. What do you do?"
"Considering the negatives of medicine (stress, cost of school, etc.) why do you still want to be a doctor."
"Is there anything else you haven't told me that you want me to know?"
"What will you bring to our student body? Why should we choose you?"
"More of a conversation the whole way, but very interesting. health care, ethics, my former research, volunteering all came up. but, not in a "answer x y z about healthcare reform". way more casual."
"What three words best describe a physician?"
"Who subsidizes Britain's healthcare program?"
"talk about cura personalis"
"About patient privacy and informed consent"
"It was very conversational, not scary at all."
"None of them were interesting. All were cookie-cutter questions. My interviewer didn't really do his part to interact with me and spent too much idle time glancing through my file."
"What really pushes your buttons? What really makes you angry?"
"HC Crisis and Public Option"
"What do you do besides study biology?"
"What do you think about physician assisted suicide, and DNRs?"
"Tell me a bit more about your experiences with intaking."
"Besides patients, to whom is a physician accountable?"
"How can I make my grandson like science?"
"Why Georgetown?"
"Pretty basic stuff. Was overall a very interesting conversation with no 'question' standing out. It was more our wanderings off topic that were interesting."
"If you were out in the town and you met a citizen of the community with little medical experience, how would you try to represent the medical community?"
"What challenges currently face healthcare?"
"Do you think there are any similarities between music and medicine?"
"What soccer position did you play? This demonstrated he knew my application and helped put me at ease through the rest of the interview. "
"Had I ever shadowed in the military system (VA) and if not then what is my impression of universal health care?"
"What books have you read lately?"
"If I thought AZ would go Dem or Republican in the election."
"what tv dr. would you be?"
"Tell me more about your siblings."
"TV doctor"
"He asked about the origin of my name"
"challenges"
"none were really"
"Tell me about your major? Tell me about your research? Tell me about your clinical work?"
"Pretend like you are writing an article about the health care reform policies of the presidential candidates. Tell me what you would say"
"What field of medicine are you interested in? (Led to her talking about her path in medicine, and her views on surgery (her specialty) and how the common perception of lack of pt-MD relationships in surgery is inaccurate)"
"Who is your best friend? What would he say about you if he were sitting here?"
"nothing too interesting"
"Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?"
"If there was only one thing you wanted me to take away from this interview, what would it be?"
"The interview was very interesting and actually fun, but none of the questions were particularly unique or unusual."
"What are your thoughts on DNR / Euthanasia?"
"if i knew what the global poverty line was (about $1.10/day, and no, i did not know that)"
"How do you feel about your undergrad experience?"
"If you were in a situation where you wouldn't personally do a medical procedure what would you do?"
"Nothing atypical. "
"Nothing really. Just standard questions."
"Were you ever a patient? What were your experiences?"
"What should I tell the admissions committee? (Not too interesting, but the most.)"
"Would I reveal to a patient that I made a mistake in his/her treatment if the mistake was corrected and did not pose any potential future harm."
"where do you see yourself in ten years"
"are you afraid of practicing medicine?"
"Asked about concerns related to school's Catholicism affecting learning."
"What can you contribute to the field of medicine? to your patients? to your colleagues?"
"How I would deal with patients from different cultural backgrounds."
"what are some challenges you expect to face as a physician?"
"What are some of the problems that physicians will face in the future?"
"Honestly, I can't remember specific questions-it was really just a conversation"
"What are the characteristics of a good physician?"
"Have you taken any classes on health policy?"
"Tell me about yourself - my interviewer preferred a totally closed file interview, so that question took about half the interview."
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years"
"Does a patient have the right to know if there was a medical error?"
"What is your position on Hospice care"
"How do you feel about the fact that certain procedures (i.e. abortion, IVF) are not performed at GU Hospital due to the school's Catholic affiliation?"
"nothing special, I went to GU undergrad, so we talked about research on campus etc."
"My interviewer didn't really ask me many questions, he did a lot of the talking, unfortunately."
"How do you reconcile your religion with science?"
"Tell me about your heritage (my ethnicity is pretty unique, my parents are part of a Catholic minority from Iraq)"
"Tell me about your views on a Universal Health Care System for the US."
"what were you like in high school? how would your classmates have described you? how would your teachers have describe you?"
"Is it ethical for Eddy Curry, (an NBA basketball player who has a heart condition) to receive a DNA test to see if he is genetically unfit to play?"
"Nothing was particularly interesting or difficult. My interviewer told me at the beginning that she had a list of things she had to write on the evaluation form and she was just going to ask questions that pertained to what she really needed to know. They were basic interview questions, and nothing was meant to be challenging or overly interesting."
"what have you learned about yourself through your current volunteer work?"
"Nothing unusual - why Georgetown was defnitely emphasized throughout."
"Tell me your favorite joke; "you need a good sense of humor to be a good physician""
"does a physician deserve to earn money?"
"How seriously would you consider coming to Georgetown?"
"--"
"Most questions I had already heard before; nothing far out there."
"What would you do if you had given a patient a higher dosage of medication than was needed, but there were no adverse reactions."
"Do you exercise regularly"
"what if you had a child patient whose parents refused to vaccinate them? "
"Follow-up questions to patient experiences I mentioned in my AMCAS. i.e. What happened to Mrs. H? "
"What's on your iPod right now?"
"Do you like philly-cheese steak sandwiches?"
"What is your favorite piece by Bach?"
"my interviewer made me do some rollplaying in which he pretended to be a patient. "
"With your father being a physician how has this effected your view of medicine?"
"What do you think needs to be changed about medicine today?"
"Questions relating to my family"
"In today's state of medicine, who is most responsible for the insurance and care of patients -- physicians, the government, or patient's themselves?"
"Nothing"
"Tell me about Renaissance Self-Fashioning (the subject of my English thesis)"
"Tell me about your favorite clinical experience."
"If I had a sprained ankle, would I go to a nice shiny HMO's doctors office or the good old doctor down the street and why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?"
"hypothetical situation: if you were a physician and your patient's condition worsened, then you realize you prescribed the wrong meds, what do you do? it was a little odd because she asked what i would write in the chart after i told her how i would approach the patient..."
"Name five characteristics a doctor should have."
"What turns you off about medicine?"
"Why wouldn't someone like you?"
"Because of your volunteer work, what do you now think about your own humanity?"
"What is the nickname of your undergraduate university?"
"Specific questions about my personal statment."
"Tell me about yourself..."
"Would I be able to handle the emotional stain of the area of medicine I want to practice(peds oncology)?"
"If you were going to see a doctor, what kind of doctor would you want to see?"
"Nothing all that interesting/out of the ordinary. Maybe what I thought about stem cell research."
"Nothing too out of the ordinary. Interviewer asked why I wound up where I am for this year. "
"What do you think about affirmative action?"
"What did not impress you about Georgetown so far today?"
"What sort of psych. pathologies did you observe while working with children at the YMCA After-School Program."
"If you were a member of the class next year, how would you be described by your classmates and professors?"
"Why did you take a year off? What do you do for fun?"
"Question about end-of-life decisions. As a physician, would I allow a patient to do something (i.e., stop a medication) that might slightly hasten his/her already iminent death?"
"What are the most pressing issues in women's health today?"
"what are the two major issues in healthcare today?"
"How would you propose to resolve the issue of uninsured Americans?"
"Speak about empathy and your life/work experiences. Do you think those will help make you a better doctor? How?"
"Why _______? (my major)"
"Pretend I'm [the interviewer] the patient and you are the doctor. How would you give me bad news? "
"The interview was mostly conversational and the interviewer told me a lot about the school and her teaching style."
"Nothing really out of the ordinary - my interviewer and I had a really great dialogue going - I interviewed with an MS4 - she was bright, articulate and fun!"
"What do you like to do for fun? --Nothing hard or tricky, just trying to get to know me"
"My view on genetic engineering"
"What do you want your legacy in medicine to be?"
"Do you think that your generation views medicine as just another job rather than a career?"
"See below (difficult question)"
"There weren't any interesting questions asked. See below"
"Have I asked you any questions you weren't expecting?"
"the usual"
"The interview was more like a conversation that took shape as we talked about my goals and interests."
"Sell me this pen (he stated that as a resident who is often rushed sometimes patients refuse treatments and therefore you have to "sell" the treatment.)"
"What was the last book I read."
"What is your favorite historical non-fiction book?"
"What will you find the most interesting about medicine in 10 years? What will you like the least about medicine in 10 years?"
"I see you go to _____ school. Do you go to [rival school]? This was asked very seriously--it was weird. Of course, I go to the school on my transcript?!?"
"None of his questions were interesting"
"not much. it was a boring interview"
"What are some of the problems facing healthcare today?"
"You waitressed? Why didn't you write that on your AMCAS? That's important because it shows you have people skills, said my interviewer."
"What did your personal experiences teach you about the characteristics of a good physician?"
"International Health Problems that could be solved better"
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Tell me about a patient from your volunteer experience who stands out in your mind."
"how were the skills you learned in research directly applicable to being a doctor"
"Nothing terribly interesting. Maybe "So what do you think about malpractice?""
"While studying abroad, did you travel to Eastern Europe at all?"
"What are some problems in healthcare that we will have to deal with in the next twenty years?"
"What kind of music do you listen to?"
"NOthing really. Since it was a closed file interview, he asked questions to get to know me as a person. "
"As a patient would I rather go to a doctor with a reputation for getting results or a doctor with a reputation of being compassionate?"
"None. My interviewer was a very old member of the faculty and he seemed bored to be there. From the get-go, he was looking at the clock and asked me only very general, rote questions like, "What book are you reading now?" "Oh, well what about the last book you read?" Georgette in the admissions office told me before my interview that my interviewer was big into football. I suppose that would have been good for me if I could have given a damn about the sport."
"None were interesting"
"hardly an interesting question, more odd than anything. but she asked "So, you love your grandmother?" which was such an odd way to bring up a conversation about what i thought would be important qualities in a doctor, what type of doctor i would want for my loved ones. "
"What would you change about the US health care system?"
"how is your relationship with your family?"
"What type of Korean food do you like the best?"
"After answering a couple medical ethics questions, a follow-up question that is more dynamic was...How would you go about researching ethical values?"
"What do you think could be improved about the current healthcare system in the U.S.?"
"If you misdiagnosed a patient and later discovered your mistake, what would you do?"
"If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be?"
"What brought you to Georgetown?"
"ethical scenario ... if your handwriting was so bad and the wrong prescription was prescribed to a patient, what would you do? how would you feel if you were the patient?"
"What do you think about the current state of health care in the united states? "
"Do I know how to smoke a cigar? He is the sponsor of the cigar club."
"nothing really"
"Tell me about your family."
"Nothing abnormal"
"If I were to walk into a bar in Pittsburgh and sit down next to your worst enemy, someone who totally hates you, what would they say to me and why?"
"Nothing terrible intersting. Standard, "tell me about yourself" type stuff."
"I wasn't really asked any questions. We just discussed why ethhics were important"
""If you were a kitchen appliance, what kind would you be?" (Yup, they seriously asked that)"
"The last movie or book I read My hobbies"
"how do you handle stressful situations?"
"You are the best surgeon in the world and you are reasonably sure you can give a Jehovah's witness a surgery without a blood transfusion. Do you give him the surgery? Then....The kid needs a blood transfusion after all but the parents adamently refuse a blood transfusion, do you give it anyways knowing it is against their faith?"
"What do you think about the 80 hour per week restriction for residents?"
"A long scenario regarding a patient and accidently prescribing the patient the wrong medicine, and what would/should one say to the patient about the mistake."
"What is the biggest problem in health care and how would you fix it?"
"All right, you have a magic wand. With one wave you can change one thing about the medical system. What do you change and why?"
"Patient confidentiality questions"
"Why would you want to be a doctor at a time like this?"
"they asked me how my educational experiences at oxford would enhance my capabilites as a physician."
"Tell me about your parents."
"Why would you consider entering a field so corrupt at this time?"
"Tell me about some of your weaknesses."
"Ethical question: what would I do if I saw another medical student cheating on an exam. Not to difficult, but I think my answer revealed important information to the interviewer."
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"Tell me about your interest in basketball."
"What is Georgetown's greatest weakness?"
"How do you think your time off benefited you?"
"Where were you on Sept. 11?"
"Since your family wasn't involved in health care, how in the world do you know you'll like it, or that you'll be able to balance your family life with the struggles and challenges of being a physician?"
"What do you feel has been your greatest personal achievement outside of your professional and academic life?"
"The questions were all pretty standard... Why do you want to be a doctor? What qualities do you have that will make you a good doctor? Etc."
"What do you do for fun?"
"In the introduction, we were all asked what movie character we'd like to be"
"What movies do you like?"
"what is something that your best friends don't even know about you"
"What books are you currently reading?"
"what five reasons would you suggest to premeds NOT to go to med school/into medicine."
"None Really. The questions were pretty generic"
"N/A"
"i didn't really have an most interesting question, but some ethics questions were: "would you give a blood transfusion to a jehovah's witness who told you not to, but gave permission for surgery, and then you found yourself in surgery and the patient needed a transfusion to survive?" "where do you draw the line between euthanasia and letting someone die peacefully--i.e.--would you take a feeding tube away from someone in a persistant vegetative state if the family wanted it?""
"What were the factors that led you into a career in medicine?"
"Do you plan to have a family and how does that figure into your career?"
"I was asked a lot of interesting questions... Basically, why I took this class, or why I did this activity, etc..."
"If you had a broken leg right now, how do you think the care you received would be the same or different in a managed care setting versus medical delivery of yesteryear?"
"Tell me about your undergraduate institution, I don't know much about it."
"What do you think of the current AIDS crisis in Africa?"
"How would you deal with making a mistake?"
"Interviewer: "The students asked me to make sure to ask this question in the interview. 'Make sure you ask ___ of the interviewee,' they said. So, I'm asking you. What's the '___' they wanted me to ask? If you guess it right, you only have to answer this question. If you guess wrong, you have to answer your own question AND answer the correct question.""
"I was given an ethical situation and asked what I would do. "
"Everything was straight forward"
"What do you think about rising health care costs coming from people who constantly go to the doctor but have nothing wrong with them?"
"What is the biggest challenge that physicians face today? What do you think about the current health care system? "
"All pretty straightforward questions and the faculty interviewer seemed genuinely interested."
"It was a few days ago and I've had another interview since then, so I've forgotten the details about specific questions. There was the usual, why georgetown, why medicine, and there was nothing strange or difficult."
"What do you do to release stress?"
"Nothing stood out as interesting questions. Pretty Standard questions."
"none"
"What is the most pressing problem facing health care today"
"Nothing- my interviewer was completely unprepared. She pretty much wanted me to just explain my interest in medicine, etc."
"Each generation of physicians can be characterized by a health problem they choose to focus on. My generation focused on finding a cure for AIDS. What will your generation work on?"
"Describe an ethical situation you encountered and how you resolved it."
"How would you contribute to the diversity of georgetown"
"Biggest problem facing U.S. healthcare and biggest healthcare problem facing D.C."
"How have you exhibited cura personalis in your healthcare experiences?"
"How will you contribute to the diversity on campus?"
"What do you think is the biggest problem in healthcare at the moment?"
"What do you think are a physician's professional responsibilities?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Strengths and WEAKNESSES of the Georgetown program."
"Why should I recommend you to the admissions committee?"
"What is the biggest ethical dilemma you've faced"
"None, it was all very easy going"
"What do you hope to accomplish between matriculation and graduation as a physician"
"No question was difficult. It was very conversational."
"Which international health care system is the best/should we adopt?"
"The interviewer challenged the work I had done with a NGO in Kenya as being "really easy" in that it is easy to help people in developing countries. Another statement from the interview, not a question."
"Why go into medicine when it's a changing/difficult field right now?"
"What else should I tell the AdCom?"
"My interviewer pushed on why Georgetown and the area specifically. Georgetown likes to waitlist applicants, so I think having a good answer to this one is key."
"What does cura personalis mean to you?"
"Why not your state school?"
"I talked about how one specific physician I interacted with during college embodied cura personalis and she asked if there were others who did too. I have to scramble to remember all the MDs I have worked with but it wasn't that bad."
"He didn't seem to like my why medicine answer because I couldn't name one single day where I changed from not wanting to be a doctor, to being a doctor. I didn't have an AHA! moment, is that such a big problem?"
"What do you see as the biggest problem with the health care system in the United States? (This question wasn't particularly difficult; you should be prepared to answer such a question at ANY medical school interview)."
"If you had given a patient the wrong prescription and they had complications from it, what would you do?"
"None of the questions were particularly difficult to answer."
"Why haven't you done more volunteer work in the past six months? Because I am finishing an undergraduate degree, applying to medical school and being a D1 athlete..."
"How do you deal with conflict?"
"What experiences have you had working with underserved populations?"
"We started talking about ethical situations. and, my interviewer asked me to describe what my thought process would be when faced with an ethical dilemma"
"A patient has leukemia, and the family asks you not to tell him. What do you do when he asks you what is wrong with him?"
"If you could go back and improve one area of your application, what would it be and why?"
"Name a time when you were faced with a challenge and failed"
"What are some of the responsibilities of a physician?"
"What should I write about you in the write-up?"
"What was difficult was trying to make a friendly connection with the interviewer. He didn't seem to want to be there."
"What do you think about the healthcare system? What are your specific suggestions?"
"What are some of the problems in our health care in this country? What parts of the proposed reform are good ideas/bad ideas?"
"What do you foresee to be a problem facing the medical field and physicians when you practice?"
"Nothing really..."
"What specifically did the doctors you shadowed do which increased your interest in medicine? (I sort of interpreted it as "what are the qualities a physician should have?" and answered accordingly, although I'm not sure that's exactly what he was looking for..."
"How can I make my grandson like science?"
"Biggest weakness?"
"If you could fix one thing about healthcare that would help those that are underserved, what would it be?"
"Why do you want to be a physician instead of a musician?"
"What is the single most important characteristic for a doctor to have?"
"All of them, my interviewer barely spoke English so I couldn't understand."
"If never shadowed in VA system, how do I know universal health care will be a better system?"
""I can see you have have a lot to offer Georgetown, but what exactly do you think we have to offer you?""
"Why do you think you need XYZ?"
"The sixth time he asked what differences I noticed between schools."
"Nothing that realy caught me off guard."
"fixing teenage pregnancy"
"Convince me you want this. Leave me with one thing to take back to the admissions office. "
"challenges"
"none were really"
"How would you fix the healthcare mess?"
"Nothing too difficult at all... I guess why Georgetown"
"No really hard questions. All good questions though"
"Role-play pretending you are in a situation where you made a medical error but caught it before any harm could be done."
"My interviewer wanted me to ask him a match everyone of his questions with one of my own"
"Nothing too difficult."
"What does being a professional mean to you?"
"How to fix the problem of how many uninsured americans there are"
"What is wrong with healthcare today?"
"Have you ever been in a situation where you had to make an ethical decision?"
"How will you adjust to the east coast?"
"How would you deliver bad news to patients and their family members?"
"What do you do in your spare time? (HA! Chalk that one up to blanking out...and forgeting what spare time feels like)"
"What is the biggest problem facing health care today?"
"Why go in to medicine with all of the problems there are today?"
"latest book you read"
"what's your biggest fear about practicing"
"None, mostly just chatted, very relaxed interview."
"What can you contribute to the field of medicine? to your patients? to your colleagues?"
"None too difficult. "
"ethical question about medical error"
"What is my proudest moment and what is your greatest weakness?"
"ethical ones regarding real-life situations where culture clashed with modern medicine"
"What questions do you have about Georgetown? (I really had no question after extensive presentations given by admission staffs)"
"Medicine and public health are so different- why are you interested in both?"
"What do you expect from Georgetown with your 250 thousand dollar investment from a contract perspective?"
"What are some ethical issues that you see facing MD's in the future"
"What was your proudest moment? "
"There were very straightforward"
"None of the questions were particularly difficult."
"nothing"
"Why did you do so many community service activities at college? "
"what do you think would make you a good physician?"
"Tell me about managed care"
"questions involving ethical scenarios"
"Why Georgetown?"
"To post my name. Koontz"
"What unique advantages do you believe Georgetown can offer you?"
"What's the biggest problem you see the medical field facing when you enter your practice?"
"questions about my mcat score and whether i thought i should have retaken - sounds like a standard question, but this guy clearly knew nothing about the mcat or how it is scored so that made any explanation very difficult(and this person's on the admissions committee!???)"
"--"
"Nothing really too difficult; I was asked "What clinical experience do you have?" and I only had some volunteer experience two years ago, so that was a little difficult."
"If you had a very strange disease, and no one knew what is was, which doctor would you choose to go to: a docter who is top in his field, but has little time to spend with you; or a doctor who is not top-notch but a good doctor and has time for his patients?"
"So, why aren't you going into public policy instead of medicine?"
"How can the nationwide problem of uninsured people be fixed?"
"how would you answer someone who would say that testing and killing mice is unethical? "
"Describe a disappointing time in your life. "
"how do you propose to change that healthcare problem you named?"
"What is a current pressing issue about medical care in the United States?"
"How can doctors avoid providing the kind of poor care that you described above?"
"Nothing seemed particularly difficult"
"How can you show that you have the responsibility and trustworthiness that it takes to be a physician?"
"What is your opinion of physician assisted suicide?"
"What do you think are the major problems with the US Health Care system? "
"Why Georgetown? (This was only hard because I LOVED THE SCHOOL, there were so many things I wanted to say, but not sound like I was faking it.)"
"Discuss advantages and disadvatages of our health care system compared to that of Britian and canada."
"How do you feel about terminating care?"
"What 3 things about you will make you a great doctor? What 3 things about you will you need to improve to become a great doctor?"
"What do you not like about the field of medicine?"
"Nothing, it was very nice and conversational."
"How to fix US health care system?"
"All the questions were fair!"
"Again, nothing bad. The interview was mostly conversational. "
"None, they were fair and it was more like a conversation."
"How do you propose fixing the problem of not having enough time to talk to patients?"
"N.A."
"How do you see healthcare in 10 years and how would you propose fixing the problems."
"There basically no taxing questions - the above question was probably the most difficult."
"What are the most pressing issues in women's health today?"
"What do you think are some of the important issues or problems in healthcare today and what can be done about them?"
"How does that major fit in with your plans to go into medicine"
"no difficult questions"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare today, and how would you fix it?"
"What are the greatest problems facing healthcare and what would you do to fix them?"
"Why should Georgetown want you?"
"My view on euthanasia"
"What compromises do you think you would have to make to come to a school like Georgetown?"
"Imagine that you are a doctor and you have to give me bad news. Explain how you would go about doing that."
"When in your life did you feel most stressed"
"None really. Pretty standard. No ethical questions or state-of-healthcare questions at all."
"What is the biggest problem in medicine AND do NOT say insurance! "
"Describe some problems you see in health care and how to fix them."
"what do you think are the issues facing medicine today?"
"Why would you want to leave sunny San Diego to come to school out on the East Coast?"
"Do you think you have a realistic and accurate impression of what the medical profession would be like?"
"What can you contribute to the Georgetown community"
""what do you think is the cause of health disparities among groups of people?'"
"How do you explain your Freshman GPA?"
"Tell me about your family (I've got a majorly dysfunctional family). "
"How would you solve the problem of America's uninsured?"
"To describe the negative aspects of Gtown"
"No difficult questions. Very open-ended, allowing me to frame my answers in any way I wanted."
"How would you fix the healthcare problem."
"how were the skills you learned in research directly applicable to being a doctor"
"If you were accepted to every school that you applied to, which one would you go to?"
"How did you like the other school you have already interviewed at? "
"None, really"
"Why should we accept you? "
"What will be the biggest problem facing physicians in the future."
"What quality do I possess that would make me a good physician?"
""Where is your college?" I go to a very good school, though it is small. Still, it was an awkward question because it made it clear to me that he didn't know a thing about my school."
"I"
"same as above"
"honestly nothing difficult, my interviewer really just wanted to know more about me."
"Do you think having the primary care physician as the "gatekeeper" in the healthcare system is a good or bad idea? Explain your answer."
"Why not a PhD or and MD/PHD? (I have extensive research experience)"
"If you had to choose between your undergraduate school's med school or your state school, which would you choose?"
"What events inspired you to study medicine?"
"How are you different from your best friend and how does this explain why you want to go to med school and she wants to go to law school?"
"What would you do to fix the problems in our current system (HMOs, lack of health care, etc)?"
"About the Canadian Health care system. I was well informed but don't feel it would work well here. He was from Canada and really liked the system. opps"
"What is it about Georgetown that makes me want to go there for medical school?"
"None of the questions were difficult, though my interviewer was big on "scenarios" which made the questions seem off the wall when they were just the standard ones."
"List five characteristics that make a good doctor."
""Do you have any questions?""
"I was presented with an ethical situatuion, and it went something like this: you are a 3rd year med studenta nd are asked by the attending to inform a patient that she has colon cancer. How do you break the news? "
"What are the certain expectations of doctors"
"n/a"
"No curve balls, nothing hard"
"Same, just because it was an obvious test of character, not just a typical interview question, so it felt more intense."
"What is your opinion about stem cell research (in detail)?"
"I guess same. Everything else was pretty straightforward and biographical."
"Nothing difficult."
"standard questions."
"They really wanted to know why I was interested in G-town and that I was seriously considering the school, not that it was #8 on my list."
"Describe a failure you have faced."
"Tell me about some of our weaknesses."
"Do you think you have enough clinical exposure to know what you're getting into?"
"What is the biggest problem facing healthcare today?"
"nothing too difficult"
"What is your greatest weakness?"
"Why did you pick your major?"
"see above"
"How are the medical schools where you've interviewed different from Georgetown? (didn't require specifying where else I interviewed)"
"nothing difficult"
"No particular question was difficult. The interviewer kind of threw me off because he would ask me a question and then interrupt me halfway through my answer every time. I don't know if he was trying to test me or what??"
"Nada"
"A bunch of ethical type questions"
"None."
"nothing too difficult a few that really made me think for a bit"
"What is the most important issue facing the health care industry today?"
"none really. "
"Explain your thoughts on our current healthcare system."
"eventhough it was a closed file interview, my interviewer didn't ask me any challenging questions. He asked about my volunteer experience, how I chose to become a doctor, etc."
"what is an ethical dilemma i have seen personally where i work (in the emergency room)?"
"Why did you choose to pursue medicine instead of continuing on with psychology, (my undergrad major)?"
"none"
"(I began by explaining my belief in the necessity of Universal Healthcare) Who makes the decision about who receives a transplant and who doesn't? Suppose you had a 40-year old alcoholic who needed a liver transplant? Wouldn't he just waste another liver?"
"read above"
"What do you think of managed care?"
"Suppose you have a patient with bacterial meningitis that can only be treated with penicillin. If you don't treat him within the next 12 hours, he will die. But you call his parents and they say that you can treat him as long as you don't give him penicillin because he is severely allergic. What do you do?"
"How do you feel that a doctor has a different obligaiton to his clients than say a lawyer or an accountant does or something to that effect"
"if you were asked to give a presentation to premeds to persuade them to NOT go to medical school, what would be the 5 most important factors you would talk about. then, given those 5 factors, why did YOU decide to go to med school?"
"What does going to a Jesuit school mean to you? "
"See above."
"general ethics"
"Hypothetical ethical question about what I would do if I made a mistake in treating a patient."
"nothing really"
"same"
"Questions were conversational, but since she was visibly irritated that I was there (she mentioned that she forgot I was coming and was already very busy), the entire thing was difficult because she cut me off a lot, took calls, was working on her computer, etc.. "
"You've worked on a lot of research projects on the past. Georgetown's medical school curriculum is very focused on developing clinical skills. How will you reconcile your two interests?"
"Did not."
"Reading SDN, Mock Interviewing"
"read sdn, do mock interview with friends and family/mentor"
"Researched the school, did mock interview with friends and PI, sdn interview feedback surveys"
"Read SDN, mock interviews, recorded myself"
"Familiarize myself with the curriculum and my own application, read SDN."
"Looking at prior interview responses on SDN + Reddit, consulting with friends in the Georgetown SMP program + friends in medical school."
"Review application, practice my responses, relax."
"SDN, practicing common questions out loud"
"Sdn resources and I used other books to help me prepare"
"Reviewed my app , SDN and the website"
"Sdn questions, mock interview w my friend, read my secondary file"
"SDN and the website"
"Reviewed my application, did practice questions"
"Mock interviews with friends and advisors."
"SDN, GU website"
"Talked to friends at the school"
"Mock interviews, review app, SDN"
"SDN interview feedback, school's website, MSAR"
"Read up on the Georgetown website, read SDN and the interview feedback page, talked to someone who interviewed at Georgetown in the past and a physician I know who did his residency there"
"Website and SDN"
"Did not prepare much, jotted down some notes on how I would answer basic questions"
"I reread my application and secondary, and practiced some general answers to why medicine and why Georgetown beforehand."
"Studied these questions"
"Read about Georgetown online"
"SDN interview feedback. Researching the school. Reviewing my primary/secondary etc..."
"SDN and their website. Honestly, going in I thought I was underprepared but I think I did fine."
"Read questions on SDN and reviewed my AMCAS and secondary application materials."
"Went over the website, read interview feedback on SDN, did mock interviews, read through my application the night before"
"I re-read my secondary, looked over the application brochure, examined the website, and read random interview questions I have compiled."
"Read the interview feedback, reread my essays."
"Read over my person statement and essays. Went over their website"
"Mock, SDN, school's website."
"SDN Feedback, starbucks sessions."
"Sdn, school website, looked over my Why GU secondary again..."
"I wrote and tried to memorize everything about myself. Totally unnecessary! Remember what you like about the school, but everything else should come pretty naturally."
"Read through primary and secondary multiple times, researched a little on ethics and healthcare reform, researched the georgetown website, talked with older friends already in med school about the interview process, looked up practice questions, looked on SDN"
"Thought of all possible questions and answers. SDN"
"Read over ACMAS and secondary applications. Studied up on healthcare reform and ethical dilemmas. Read through Georgetown's website."
"SDN, Georgetown's website"
"read sdn, learned about georgetown, read about cura personalis"
"School website, SDN, general interview prep questions"
"SDN feedback, website"
"List of potential questions, intensive research about the school's program."
"Read over AMCAS and secondary, practiced in front of a mirror, SDN"
"There are apparently three questions the interviewee will be asked to answer: Why Georgetown, Why medicine, and What's going on with HC Reform. The rest is verification of your file."
"Read SDN interview feedback. Re-read my AMCAS essay, secondary essay, school website."
"Reviewed the facts of the HC Crisis and made sure I could articulate my opinions clearly."
"SDN. Otherwise, just winging it."
"SDN, re-reading primary and secondary application, interview prep books, school website"
"SDN, reread my primary and secondary"
"SDN, school website, reviewed AMCAS application and Georgetown essay, made a list of possible questions and practiced answering them, researched health care reform a LOT, prayed"
"Read through my application and about Georgetown's program."
"SDN, list of questions, short mock interview. "
"SDN, wrote down a bunch of possible questions and thought of answers to them. Read my gtown essay and my personal statement."
"SDN, school website, etc"
"SDN, my application, reading USA Today, analyzing myself (my strengths and weaknesses, etc.)"
"SDN interview feedback, reviewed application materials."
"SDN, thought about my life, practiced answering questions"
"I reviewed my primary and all my secondary applications, reviewed the SDN interview feedback for GUSOM, and practiced my responses to expected questions."
"I read what I thought was great materials about the school, their philosophy, etc."
"SDN, website, MSAR"
"Read website, studentdoctor.net, and answered questions to huge packet of interview questions from my pre-health office."
"SDN, Georgetown prospectus, read my application"
"Good nights sleep"
"reread website "
"SDN, school's website, meditation"
"SDN, read, mock interview, primary/secondary app, website"
"read"
"Talked to alumni, Mrs. Sullivan's speech, thorough research of website"
"Read SDN, ethics book, read my primary/secondary"
"discussed main points with my fiance"
"Read over secondary essay and school's website."
"other med school interviews, read a book on medical ethics, a book on healthcare, and read stuff about GUSOM online"
"read AMCAS, studentdoctor, and Georgetown website..."
"read bioethics, health politics,etc..."
"sdn, read website"
"read school's website and my secondary"
"Sleep"
"SDN feedback, Georgetown website, reading over my apps"
"SDN, Georgetown's web site. Listened to Mrs Sullivan's speech (this might have been enough even if I did nothing else)"
"thought about previous interviews"
"SDN, read my essays, various interview tips online, mock interview"
"Read over my secondary app essay. Looked over interview feedback on SDN."
"read AMCAS & secondary essay, SDN, mock interview"
"Georgetown website, SDN interview feedback, reading my secondary, my amcas"
"AMCAS, secondary, sdn"
"Read about Georgetown."
"Read SDN, extensive ethical research (not needed), health policy research (not needed), Why Georgetown?"
"Read up on the school's teaching philosophy and my own essays. Mock interviews. "
"School website, interview feedback"
"sdn, georgetown website, reviewed amacas application & secondaries"
"look over Gtown website; read interview feedback"
"web, sdn, msar"
"Exercised the night before and morning of."
"Read school website, SDN feedback."
"read over app"
"Read over applications, research on healthcare and current issues. "
"sdn feedback"
"SDN, reread essay, reread AMCAS application, looked up info on cura personalis (Georgetown's motto)"
"looked at sdn, went over potential questions and answers"
"SDN, other interviews, talked to an M4 I know"
"SDN, mock interview, etc"
"Went over my AMCAS, secondary app, and researched the school."
"website, SDN"
"Georgetown website, literature, other interviews."
"Talked out possible questions with friedns, SDN, AMCAS, secondary"
"Read interview feedback, looked over school's website, reviewed my secondary application and AMCAS."
"read over SDN interview feedback, my application, GT website"
"SDN, schools website, re-read secondary"
"Read AMCAS, CV, this website, school website, talked to students"
"Re-read my AMCAS and Georgetown applications, searched through the school's website, and browsed the SDN interview feedback."
"didn't"
"SDnet, read personal statement, secondary essay."
"Read app, SDN, website, spoke to current students"
"Read Newsweek, school website"
"read my essays"
"sdn, amcas, supplement"
"SDN"
"Read SDN, personal statement, GTown Secondary, talked to a 2nd med student there"
"Reviewed application, SDN feedback"
"SDN, georgetown website, reread my application"
"SDN, school website, personal info"
"SND, read secondary, went to school's web site"
"made sure i knew my application well, kept up on current issues (which was good, because some recent topics were brought up by mrs. sullivan and i felt like i was the only person in the group who ever bothered to pick up a newspaper)"
"SDN, read secondary application, Georgetown website."
"--"
"Georgetown website; the school's mission statement and objectives; a little bit of SDN; review AMCAS and secondary application essays."
"took notes during the morning presentations and used them in my interview"
"SDN, school site, reread amcas, "
"SDN, georgetown website, read over app"
"I read reviews here, read my AMCAS app, read my secondary app/essay"
"read last issue of georgetown medicine magazine, SDN, gu website, mock interview, reviewed app and research data"
"Georgetown website, AMCAS "
"Gtown website, my app stuff"
"Read over essay and AMCAS app."
"Read over primary, secondary, SDN, watched the news, mock interviews"
"nothing really...it was my 4th and i'm a gtown undergrad"
"read the GT website"
"SDN, mock interview, read pro's and con's of current ethical debates, reviewed current health care issues, reviewed AMCAS and secondary, completely went over school website"
"Read over essays, background about the school, walked around the campus."
"SDN, Georgetown website, talked to students "
"SDN, articles on web regarding health care politics, Georgetown website"
"re-read applications, georgetown.edu, cnnhealth.com"
"MSAR, Georgetown website, practice interview"
"SDN Website. Read over my AMCAS. Reviewed research. "
"SDN, read "Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood"
"read over my application essays."
"SDN, school website"
"sdn, looked over georgetown website, healthpolitics.com"
"Read application, SDN"
"Read over SDN, went over my AMCAS & secondary."
"Read SDN interview feedback, went through Georgetown's website, and reviewed my secondary essay."
"Georgetown web page, SDN"
"SDN, read about issues on the internet, talked with Doctors and RNs."
"SDN, MSAR, Georgetown website"
"Read over my application and the schools website"
"Read over application and PS, visited GT website"
"Read website, reviewed my AMCAS app and secondary."
"Reread secondary app, looked at SDN, Georgetown website"
"Read SDN, reading the paper, my application, etc. "
"Read the Georgetown medical school website and also some information about the greater university as well. "
"Read Gtown Med School and Hospital Websites, SDN, ethical debates, and healthcare resources"
"Website, updated myself on current health issues, mock interviews"
"Read up on school's philosophy. Not much else aside from reading feedback here."
"school's website, read over my AMCAS essay, SDN, CNN Health to update myself on current issues"
"read up on the school's unique characteristics and saw what others said on studentdoctor.net"
"SDN, WU ethics site, current events, etc. I think practice interviews are the most important and useful means of preparation."
"Read over SDN, read info on Georgetown (MSAR, website, etc.), read over practice questions in my undergrad pre-health handbook, reviewed course descriptions, etc."
"sdn feedback, amcas"
"Read over SDN, checked over the Georgetown website."
"read my essays, looked at SDN, read articles on healthcare"
"Relax and be yourself."
"Read SDN, read over internet material, read PS and secondary, spoke with friends who are MS4s"
"Read this website, bioethical questions on focus on the family's website"
"This websight, my AMCAS app."
"SDN, read over application, school web site"
"read website, reviewed my application"
"GU website, this site, AMCAS, secondary"
"Re-read my statement from the secondary."
"read SDN, AMCAS app, secondary"
"Reread AMCAS, brushed up on current health care events, read SDN"
"AMCAS, secondary, SDN, read over GT's mission and thoroughly explored GT's website, health policy books and articles"
"SDN, school's website"
"talked with current students, SDN interview, read file, read GU website, read GU first year guide"
"Read my file, school's website, SDN"
"SDN, school's website, read over my application material"
"Read over SDN, secondary, AMCAS and health policy papers"
"SDN, GT website, read my app"
"Talked with friends that attend, read online materials, SDN"
"Application and Website"
"website, etc"
"interview feedback+GT feedback"
"Spoke to Alumni, Website, Examined issues facing healthcare, reviewed my application,"
"Talked to student host, website, read over my application."
"SDN, brochures, practice questions"
"AMCAS, SDN, Website, Secondary App"
"reading SDN, reviewing my app, reading the MSAR description of the school, g'town's website."
"Read website, talked to current student."
"read sdn, georgetown website, personal statement"
"Reviewed application, research and read a lot of health care articles."
"talked extensively with a friend who is a GT-1, read the material, attended a recruiting session at my undergraduate university, went out on the town the night before"
"Read Georgetown's website, ethics websites, good night's sleep!"
"SDN, talked to people who had gone before, read up on healthcare stuff, read GU website"
"Looked at website, SDN, read up on healthcare stuff"
"Looked over app. Learned about managed healthcare and healthcare problems."
"SDN, read school website"
"Looked over my application, reviewed the health care problem"
"read interview feedback, researched some problems with HMOs, managed care, and Medicare/Medicaid"
"university of washington ethics page, sdn, went over my secondary app"
"SDN, school website, Kaplan resources, mock interviews, read up on healthcare, other various websites and books on interviewing."
"SDN, School websight, reflect on previous interviews"
"read Georgetown webside, SDN, practiced answers to questions"
"Past interviews and read over primary and secondary apps, SDN, and school website"
"Georgetown is one of a kind. Familiarize yourself a bit with those unique aspects -- curriciulum and philosophy."
"Read SDN, Georgetown's website, talked to a Georgetown med student, read about managed care"
"Read Georgetown website and materials, talked to former grads, read SDN."
"Looked at GU website, sdn, went over applications. "
"this website, my application, listening to what the presenters had to say"
"reviewed my AMCAS and secondary application"
"SDN, Georgetown website"
"web site, SDN"
"Browsed the website, read up in the journals. Interview took place during the Terri Shiavo trial so I spent extra time boning up on patients rights and advanced directive stuff."
"SDN, website, stayed with a 2nd year GU student"
"this site, Gtown website, re-read application"
"read about the school - they want to know if you want to go there and if you know about what they offer"
"SDN, web, AMCAS"
"SDN, read over website"
"SDN, looked over AMCAS essay, looked over secondary, printed out relevant info off Gtown's website"
"SDN, Georgetown website, personal essays etc."
"This site, Georgetown's site"
"Reread AMCAS/GT secondary, checked out SDN."
"SDN, school website, reviewed app"
"New York Times, SDN, reading about insurance issues and things online."
"sdn, msar, amcas"
"Mock interview, this site, reviewed my AMCAS"
"SDN, communication with friend who is an undergrad there, webpage"
"School website, SDN, reviewed AMCAS."
"Read the online prospectus. Reviewed my research and my application. Told myself over and over again to avoid babbling."
"SDN, G-Town Website"
"SDN, school website, refamiliarizing myself with Jesuit traditions"
"Website."
"SDN. AMCAS Application. Preped for ethical questions and such. "
"this website, school's website"
"read SDN, re read my application, etc. Read up on G-town's programs."
"Familiarized myself with the GUSOM website, reviewed my essays, reviewed SDN, and thought about potential questions I might be asked while waiting for my flight out to DC"
"I did not prepare"
"Read SDN, looked at the school's website."
"Read SDN, Looked on the Georgetown website, read my primary and secondary applications, read about current healthcare issues, RELAXED!!"
"GU website, other people who interviewed at GU, and my student-host."
"Looked over Gtown's site, this site, my application, resume, and read up on current events"
"Read this website, Georgetown's website and looked over my app"
"SDN, Georgetown website."
"review app, read up on school, pay attention to the talks before the interview"
"Re-read my application, read the G'town website, read interview feedbacks"
"read the website, and this website"
"Looked over my application, went through lists of questions, etc."
"read over my application and research, read "Becoming a Physician" by Danek."
"looked at this website, looked at the school's website, read up on current events, etc."
"reading books about interviewing, practicing with family, researching school and health care websites"
"read website, this site, amcas"
"I talked with a good friend of mine who interviews people for his company."
"sdn, feedback, website, talked to friends who go there"
"Read secondary, read AMCAS, school's website"
"Read my secondary, looked at their brochure."
"Interview feedback, healthcare stuff, website"
"SDN interview feedback, website, and listened intently during the presentations (prior to interview)."
"Read the website."
"Interview feedback, sdn, website, looked over my application"
"Read the website, talked to med students."
"Read about Georgetown, read about the health care system, read about ethics."
"No preparation, just add lib."
"the five interviews before this one."
"other interviews"
"Checked website, reviewed list of commonly asked questions"
"read the site, read the website, listened to Ms. Sullivan "
"thought about medical stuff"
"Read Georgetown's website, MSAR, looked over my application, current events, etc."
"Read their website, reviewed my AMCAS and other material"
"reviewed the schoool's website"
"Very low stress"
"very open and welcoming"
"The interviewer was very relaxed and focused on having a genuine conversation"
"Georgetown's commitment to supporting their students"
"The interviewer was an MS4 and was very friendly and conversational."
"I liked that they split the info day and interview day into two separate days because it made the experience less exhausting/overwhelming!"
"My interviewer was a complete chiller (they were a 4th year medical student.) From thr get-go, it was clear they were more big-pictutr oriented than run-thru-the-checklist natured, and that led to some great discussion."
"Medical student panel was encouraging about the collaborative environment."
"The way my interviewer described the student population was so positive. Definitely sold me on the school."
"Really nice facilities and a great lunch"
"Clinical opportunities and general Georgetown neighborhood were excellent."
"New curriculum seems really promising"
"I really just liked the students and the atmosphere. DC is absolutely beautiful as well"
"The campus and student body"
"Everyone I met seemed to be really happy with the school, but they did say it was hard"
"The school spirit and how much they care for the students."
"How friendly the interviewer was and the lunch."
"The tangibles - research funding, opportunities for mentorship, residency match"
"The tour and how passionate people were about the school. Really seem invested in their students"
"The location in Georgetown could not be any better, in my opinion. The students and faculty I met were all wonderful. The meal in the faculty dining room was incredible -- easily the best meal I've seen at any school. Enjoy it."
"The campus was beautiful and all of the students were super friendly/chill"
"EVERYTHING. Fantastic opportunities for service locally and international, research, public health and policy integrated into the curriculum, opportunities to learn about policy and advocacy."
"Flexibility in curriculum, match list"
"Very flexible, customizable clinical curriculum. DC."
"All the admissions staff and students were very pleasant."
"The students, the program, the philosophy."
"Mrs. Sullivan's speech. It's worth the interview trip just to hear it."
"all the students were very excited about Georgetown and were adamant about answering any questions."
"Location, school, opportunities, different tracks."
"Honestly, not a whole lot."
"Georgetown's campus is nice, and in a good neighborhood, albeit far from metro access which can make navigating the city a bit of a pain (have to take a Georgetown bus to get anywhere). There's also the prestige of the "Georgetown" name, along with abundant research opportunities, and being in DC, opportunities to get your hands dirty with policy. There does appear to be a strong emphasis on clinical skills and preparing for a positive residency experience. According to the admissions office, the school emphasizes service to the underserved. Ms. Sullivan's speech about selecting a medical school was excellent. Also, there are some unique curricular opportunities (mind-body-medicine, health justice scholars track, etc.)"
"The admissions woman who spoke with us was very knowledgeable about the school and spoke very well."
"The admissions office presentation was awesome, but also intimidating."
"Location, global health opportunities, ISCOPES program"
"Everything"
"students seemed happy"
"Nothing. Georgetown was my top choice, now there is no way in HELL I will go there"
"Organized and informative interview day."
"Culture of the area. The relaxed mindset of the students. They emphasize having a social life outside of med school. School is more focused on producing clinicians instead of researchers."
"I was expecting to not like this visit based on what other interviewees had said about their experience. I think it really depends on who you get as your school speakers that particular day! I had heard they would stress the conservative catholic nature of the school but our guy came right out and said that the only real difference it made (besides their emphasis on caring for underserved populations) was that on your OB/GYN rotation you wouldn't be able to see abortions at THEIR hospital but that they would be happy to set you up with a rotation elsewhere where you could see one.. Hard to say if they are really that chill or if that one guy represented the far left of their admin.... The internist who runs the Hoya clinic spoke to us at lunch and she seemed really awesome! Also I love the location that has some trees and isn't right in heart of downtown like GWU"
"They are truly passionate about their mission to serve the community and cura personalis. Seems like a great atmosphere."
"Everything. I love the school's philosophy, i loved the students i met ( very nice, funny, and personable), i loved the lecture i attended. great professor. i loved the MANY opportunities (volunteering, studying abroad, health justice track, mind body program), early clinical exposure, opportunities to rotate at many different hospitals in DC."
"Cura Personalis, DC, cadaver teaching, close hospital"
"The students all seem very happy to be there, and they all seem to be able to find the time for fun. Love the area (but it is extremely expensive to live in DC!). I love that 1/3 of the students spend time abroad! Georgetown has some unique programs that I'm excited about (Mind-Body, Social Justice, etc)."
"How informative everyone was, how friendly all of the student ambassadors were, it was a great day!"
"the people, the philosophy"
"the location and the number of unique opportunities there are for students to take advantage of"
"The location, Mrs. Sullivan and her straightforward answers, the enthusiasm of the students and all of the people involved with interview day"
"Georgetown's location and legacy seem to attract a varied, interesting group of applicants - I was very impressed by those in my interview group."
"I LOVED Georgetown. It's clear from start to finish that they actually take the idea of cura personalis seriously. Ms. Sullivan's presentation was inspiring. Beautiful campus. Really felt I fit in there."
"Nothing."
"The philosophy of the school. The presentation given by ms. sullivan was very inspirational and informative. "
"Not Much"
"The flexibility of the curriculum. The application of 'cura personalis'. The focus on non-biological factors in the doctoring courses. The responsibility given to fourth-year students. International/service/supplementary/other programs."
"EVERYONE at the school seemed very passionate, and excited to be there. The academic environment appeared non-competitive, and students have time to go out and have fun, instead of studying all the time. Mrs. Sullivan's speech was incredible."
"Everyone was super friendly and nice! The atmosphere was also super relaxed! Sullivan, Steven, Dr. Nolan, and the Dean were all very honest and easy-going :)"
"The school's philosophy, Mrs. Sullivan's speech, every student and faculty member I encountered, the curriculum, the opportunities for research and volunteering, location"
"Everyone was so nice and was very happy to be at the school. The school's culture, mission statement, and location are so awesome."
"Campus, students"
"1)Mrs. Sullivan's speech. What's there not to like? It shows she (and Georgetown) care, and not only because you're potential dollar figures to them. 2)the excellent advise for the applicants, whether you plan on attending Georgetown or not."
"Everyone loves it here. I didn't find anyone who wanted to talk about how bad healthcare is. Everyone was enthusiastic about medical education and the medical field."
"Tons of opportunities to do anything imaginable"
"The location. Georgetown is awesome."
"Great location, amazing student opportunities, great campus, and amazing residency placement."
"the DC area, the students, people were friendly, the curriculum is integrated, "
"Mission, students were friendly and happy, admissions office was frank about what they were looking for"
"The location, the medical community and students' attitude/approachability, and the philosophy of care (cura personalis)."
"um.... my trip home."
"campus, people working there and students, medical center, curriculum, Deans' attitudes"
"The staff was very pleasant and entertaining when you spoke with them one on one. My interviewer was surprisingly casual compared to the others, and we really just ended up having a conversation whereas other interviewees got grilled with scenarios."
"Lots of good residency matches, strong clinical training, emphasis on cultural competency and holistic medicine"
"number of surgeons they put out"
"Students were really nice, I really connected with the overall philosophy and attitude"
"The philosophy of the school. Hands down. Very specific about educating physicians who will go out into the world and help those in need. And the focus on excellent clinical training is emphasized over and over again, which by extension means that Georgetown physicians will be very skillful clinically. Also, the early clinical responsibility given to medical students is very attractive. "
"school location, school philosophy/mission, residency match and board scores, connected to undergrad campus, friendly adcoms"
"area, university"
"I went into this interview with low expectations because of what I read on SDN. I was blown away by the mission/values of this school. I never imagined it would mirror my own so closely. I can't think of a better fit for me anywhere else."
"The other interviewees, the area, the guide."
"I really don't know where to start with this question. First off, the campus was the most beautiful campus I think I've ever seen. The architecture and brick buildings were magnificent and the vegetation surrounding campus was lush and abundant. Each corner I turned as I walked through campus made me want to take out my camera and snap away. And the neighborhoods surrounding campus were very quaint and charming. The two tour guides were extremely upbeat and informative. Their positive attitudes really made me feel like I would welcomed there. I really liked the 'feel' of the medical school facilities. I always have to picture myself in a place (considering it would be a 4 year commitment) and I could definitely see myself spending time there day in and day out, walking down those hallways, and sitting in those classrooms. The library was very impressive. Many courses will be available on audio and video starting next year (fabulous!), the classrooms looked really well-equipped and technologically up-to-date. People around campus were really friendly. Personally, the cura personalis philosophy captures what I've always thought a medical school curriculum should offer. I was hoping that this wasn't a fleeting statement that doesn't really stick when you delve into the medical school course load. But our tour guide, who I really felt was trying to give us an uncensored picture of the school, said that it has always been a constant throughout her time there (she was a 2nd year) and I learned that courses based on morally, ethically, and culturally delicate issues of the profession are a continuous part of the education here. I felt really encouraged by Mrs. Sullivan's talk. What I got out of it was a much different story than what I've read from some other posters on here. Of course she was trying to help everyone come to terms with whether we truly wanted to go to GUMS-- or just get into 'a' medical school, but I also think she came from a genuine place and was trying to help us understand that whether we received an acceptance was OUR choice to make. Loved the idea of working in the Hoya clinic, NIH, WHO, getting involved in health care reform on capitol hill, a gazillion different affiliated hospitals and facilities, doing international electives, and many many other opportunities you can't really beat. "
"The location in Georgetown."
"1) the school's location in DC 2) the friendliness of the student body"
"Georgetown's in the nation's capital"
"cura personalis"
"i actually liked the area, the people, etc..."
"Nothing at all."
"School's philosophy"
"Great part of the city!"
"The fact that they really teach students the art of medicine beginning in the first year, and that everyone there has a persona that really fits their traditions and philosophies. "
"Just about everything. I have literally never seen a school that bases everything that they do on a single (pretty amazing) philosophy. They are SO into helping the students develop great technique early on. LOTS of patient contact almost from the moment you step onto campus. Also, the AI program is genius. Great location. Mrs Sullivan's speech."
"georgetown is a beautiful area; students and faculty seemed happy to be there; awesome opportunities in DC; you can do an MPH at JHU or GW; you can do an MD with an MBA in international affairs; "
"The campus, the 3rd and 4th year program (students are more or less free to choose what they want to do and where they want to do it)"
"the students. seemed to be a really good vibe."
"Beautiful grand entrance to the med school building. Mrs. Sullivan's talk in the morning that everyone talks about... it was amazing and very helpful. The dean, interviewer, everyone seemed friendly, happy, and helpful."
"They seem to truly practice what they preach in terms of their mission statement. They are very up front about the philosophy of their program."
"Everything. I definitely had preconcieved notions about the school and they were definitely wrong. I liked the students, the other interviewees, the faculty, the campus, just everything. "
"The students are really friendly and the new organization of classes is very intuitive. Plus they really focus on holistic but excellent clinical medicine. Mrs. Sullivan is AWESOME"
"All the trees."
"I loved the school. The admissions staff are excellent and really gave us a feel of what Georgetown is all about. Georgetown is a very special place. The students are very happy."
"The city is awesome. Students were surprisingly laid back. I didn't meet many professors but the admissions staff seemed very enthusiatic about their program and the school."
"The fantastic program. I'd give my right arm to be at Georgetown! They will make you a superb clinician."
"The focus on ethical concerns through the cura personalis philosophy. The number of opportunities afforded by their large medical and research network."
"The school really cares about the individual student and the community. They stress compassion and volunteerism. All the students I met also seemed really happy there. "
"Location, student friendliness/happiness, cultural opportunities, facilities (old but nice)"
"students seemed to like it"
"Enthusiasm of the tour guides; Donna's frankness about the mission of the school."
"Beautiful campus and facilities. The ''typical'' institutional aid takes the cost of attendance down to near what my state school costs."
"the looks of the school, beautiful architecture"
"great opener by Dr. Sullivan, commitment to public healthcare and socialital health, very clear on the fact that if you didn't fit or agree with the philosophy then it wasn't the place for you. Interviewer very focused on humanistic side of medicine and my own personal reasons for entering it, focused more on activities rather than academics "
"The enthusiasm of the tour guides, who volunteered their own sparetime to help us. The school actually practice what they preach, especially the humanistic philosophy that guides the curriculum. "
"I really liked Mrs. Sullivan- it was refreshing to hear a direct, blunt assessment of both the positives and negatives of the med school application process and of Georgetown as a school. They've done a good job of branding themselves based on their philosophy and what they are known for."
"Their attitude on caring for the patient as a whole person (mind, body, and soul)."
"Everyone was pretty nice"
"The people, the variety of hospitals in DC, commitment to service and advocacy, the high match rate for residencies"
"my interviewer was so nice =)"
"Very nice folk, a genuinely patient-centered school, great city."
"I feel neutral about the school overall but beggars can't be choosers. I would go if they accepted me. Some of Mrs. Sullivan's points were interesting. "
"Mrs. Sullivan's presenation of the Georgetown philosophy"
"Beautiful campus, DC has tons of resources."
"The school really cares about the sucess and well being of the students. Very friendly atmosphere. Mrs. Sullivan's talk at the beginning was possibly the most informative talk anyone could have given on the Georgetown philosophy and just the whole medical school process in general."
"The Georgetown area and campus are awesome. Would be a fun, but expensive place to live. Mrs. Smith's talk was very helpful too. She definitely put things in perspective and was up-front about Georgetown's strengths and weaknesses. "
"the way they really want you to understand what the school is about. they have a really unique curriculum...it just happens to not quite jive with me!"
"The faculty! They were so positive, approachable and encouraging!"
"THe devotion to educating competant physicians"
"The enthusiasm and conviction of the deans and admissions staff (particularly Mrs. Sullivan). A lot has been said about her infamous orientation brief - from my perspective, it was very informative and provided a realistic insight into what you could expect to receive from your medical education at Georgetown. She does not deserve the criticism she has received because of her firm belief in accountability (by the way, if you do happen to read this, my name is Dan ;) ). I applaud her conviction!"
"The day reminded me of why I chose Gtown for undergrad, it's a great institution and you'll be surrounded by great people."
"They have a taco bell, kfc, pizza hut, and subway in their student center. Oh wait, that didn't impress me either."
"Administration seems really student-oriented. "
"Everything, the philosophy of georgetown, the enthusiasm of the students, the curriculum, the atmosphere, and of course the Georgetown area. I would love to go here. "
"Great philosophical vision, very cooperative student body. (The students in general seemed very fun, enthusiastic and helpful). It's nice to be so close to DC but not right in the middle of the city. The other students interviewing with me were great- GTown knows how to pick em! The staff knew our names and where we were from right off the bat it seemed. "
"all the students we encountered were very nice, they didn't seem as competitive as everyone makes them out to be"
"The city is awesome, and their surgical program is great"
"The area around the school is quite nice. Facilities did not seem as run-down as previous interview feedback would suggest."
"location"
"Nothing at all"
"The school's willingness to consider student opinion w/r/t curriculum"
"I was most positively impressed by Mrs. Sullivan. Her speech was the most useful experience I have had in the application process. It totally changed my view of how the process works."
"Mrs. Sullivan was very forward about what the school was looking for in its potential students and what kind of students essentially fit at Georgetown. I liked how open she was about the school and told the negatives in addition to the posititves about the school."
"Dr. O'Toole: he is in the line of work i plan to pursue. he is funny, very nice, candid and easy to talk to. i interviewed with him and he was great and one of the most positive things about the school."
"The neighborhood of Georgetown itself; Mrs. Sullivan's openness about what Gtown is and is not looking for"
"Everything, the philosophy, the students, the area of DC, the clinical exposure, the opportunities at the school and beyond. Also, the other interviewees in the group seemed like the class would be fun. "
"The school's philosophy. Ms. Sullivan's discussion about the schools was inspiring,"
"the interesting curriculum, mrs. sullivan's talk, post-lunch session with dean mitchell (a very witty and down-to-earth guy), washington dc area"
"Georgetown's philosophy is very unique and aligns to my own. Mrs. Sullivan was very honest, straightforward, and forthcoming. I wish this had been my first interview because she made some really good points about questions to ask at interviews and ways to evaluate schools. I found her to be very informative...she also memorized each interviewee's name, school, and various other info...this makes a nice impression. She may be too abrasive for some, but I like people who don't feed you bs. The faculty and staff impressed me."
"Cura personalis. Tradition of the school, and I'm not remotely Catholic."
"Its educational philosophy for the MD portion; the honest attitude of the staff and how they told me things about their hospital and about their MD/PhD funding that I wouldn't have gotten at other schools."
"extensive clinical experience starting 3rd year and the community service component"
"The devotion to clinical education."
"the school's focus on serving the underserved, Mrs. Sullivan's talk, big emphasis on learning clinical skills (lot of responsibility 3rd and 4th years)"
"The students were very enthusiastic. The admissions counselor told things like they are and did not try to paint a fake picture of the school."
"fellow interviewees, school's philosophy, faculty"
"Mrs. Sullivan and Dr. O'Toole. Mrs. Sullivan strikes me as a no-nonsense type lady. Very articulate, and she's very clear...if you interview at a school and don't get in, you were not able to adequately convey why you are a perfect fit for their school. At least for me, that comment was empowering. In the one hour introduction to Georgetown med, Mrs. Sullivan makes you want to be a part of the Georgetown tradition of community outreach and patient advocacy. Dr. O'Toole is also great. Very friendly, very funny, and you can sense his sincere desire to help the underserved and make changes for the better in medicine. Out of all my interviews, Georgetown really had me at attention and inspired. "
"Pretty much everything was positive from the second I stepped onto the grounds. They did an excellent job of outlining the unique aspects of the school and educational philosophy."
"EVERYTHING!The tradition of the school. The location. The philosophy with which they teach medicine.(Which may not be for everyone by the way.)It impressed me though. The faculty there all seemed very nice and encouraging. The public transportation is very efficient."
"The students and faculty were really encouraging and easy going. The integrative clinical center is pretty nice."
"the tour guides were fun. faculty cares about students"
"-the dean lunch was very nice and informative. -the student tour guides were enthusiastic and seemed genuine -great public transportation in DC "
"Ms. Sullivan's presentation was amazing, the responsibility given to students during 3rd and 4th year clerkships, community service requirement, Dr. O'Toole was hilarious. The students seemed very happy"
"Friendly and helpful students and staff."
"Mrs. Sullivan's speech in the morning. The overhaul of the curriculum and the changes emerging from it. "
"Mrs. Sullivan is as amazing as everyone else on this site keeps saying- you actually have to be there to experience it though!"
"facilities were not nearly as bad as they're made out to be, apparent support for students, curriculum developed by students and focused on fostering the physician - patient interaction"
"Everyone was very friendly. The tour guides seemed very enthusiastic. Mrs. Sullivan was very candid and I appreciated her honesty."
"The quality and intellect of the faculty, particularly that of Mrs. Sullilvan who was phenomenal. "
"The time they took to make us feel welcome. Mrs. Sullivan, who prepped us on G-town and answered our questions, knew our names before she even came in the room. Then, when she was pointing me to my interviewer's office, she remarked on how she thought we'd get along wells since both the interviewer and I loved to travel and had different senses of humor. I couldn't believe that she'd HANDPICKED the interviewer she thought would like me best. Imagine how that kind of thoughtfulness would impress patients!"
"educational philosophy"
"cute neighborhood. within 10 minutes walk of good shopping. seems like students place well in residencies and are well prepared."
"The school's commitment to the patient, integration of alternative medicine and ethics into the curriculum"
"focus on treating entire person, learning about ethis and religious aspects of medicine, and learning about alternative medical treatments (herbal meds, accupuncture, etc) "
"So pretty, facilities aren't as bad as everybody says, awesome part of town"
"The curriculum is very focused on ethics, clinical care, and small-group interactions. DC is an amazing city and the area around Georgetown is simply gorgeous. My interviewer was wonderful, and Mrs. Sullivan gave a strong presentation on the school and its educational philosophy."
"The unique mission of Georgetown and the entire campus."
"Basically everything! The mission, the curriculum is astounding, you get more clinical experience and responsibility than you could imagine and the students were so wonderful. They genuinely seemed to love Georgetown. I got such a good vibe from the students about the program at Georgetown. And the dean seemed to really be interested in the students and even potential students."
"Everything. The school was amazing. The campus is beautiful. The students seemed happy. Their program emphasis having dreams and turning them into realities. There is also an emphasis on clinical care, a program that matches you up with a doctor all four years and allows for 1 on 1 learning, great opportunites for rotations, affiliated with 11 federal and community hospitals in which rotations can be done, programs for rotations abroad. Have great resisdency match results and board scores."
"The match list is absolutely amazing, it really blew me away. They give a lot of responsibility to 3rd and 4th years."
"How great the people are who go to school there and that work there. My interviewer was great and seemed to be very excited to be interviewing for the adcom. "
"Everyone was really friendly and it seemed like a great atmosphere."
"Great focus on social justice in healthcare"
"I really enjoyed Mrs. Sullivan's presentation. She was honest about the school and was enjoyable to listen to. I also LOVE the city and the new advocacy program that Georgetown has started. "
"The friendliness of everyone I met."
"This school has an amazing and unique philosophy-they are so concerned with treating the whole patient. They stress giving clinical experience(learning procedures early on, a lot of feedback on your approach with patients, and a LOT of patient responsibility in the third and fourth years). The school also has very unique programs-namely alternative medicine, ethics, and religion in medicine classes. The people here are fantastic-down to earth, relaxed and happy. Every single encounter I had was positive and genuine. My interviewer was one of the nicest doctors I have ever met, and Ms. Sullivan spent almost an hour successfully convincing most of us how great Georgetown truly is. "
"Students, Mrs. Sullivan, Georgeen, Dean Mitchell, My Interviewer"
"The whole place seemed very upbeat; students seemed to like being there. Faculty and administration seem to be very welcoming to students. The new simulation center is impressive. The location is amazing! "
"The GEMS committe really seemed interested in helping the students to do well."
"location; very firm dedication to turning out well-rounded physicians; the fact that georgetown tries hard to provide its students with unique experiences; students place extremely well in residency programs"
"Georgetown emphasizes the humanistic side of medicine more so than the other schools I looked at (probably b/c it is a Catholic institution)."
"i loved mrs. sullivan. i thought she was very honest and sincere and tried to help the interviewees come to an honest decision about whether Georgetown was right for them. i was also impressed with the medical school students--they seemed very happy to be there and yet they expressed the perks and frustrations of being a med student there very openly"
"The students were very upbeat and interesting, and there seems to be solidarity among the student body. I also appreciate the committment to community service and compassionate healthcare the curriculum demonstrates."
"Just about everything. I felt very comfortable at GU, and liked the students, faculty, fellow interviewees. The curriculum sounds great, the area is beautiful, etc., etc., etc."
"Great location (right in the heart of georgetown), sounds like students get hands on clinical training."
"I really like the emphasis G-Town makes on ethics and serving the underserved. All the other schools I applied to barely touch on these two things whereas G-town integrates them fully into the curriculum. Also, the Georgetown area is GORGEOUS!!!! I fell in love with it...it's just too cute. The faculty that I met were great and seemed really student-oriented. In summary, I think this school is GREAT!"
"I loved this school. The area is really beautiful and the school was nice. The students on the tour were really great and answered all of my questions thoroughly. They also gave us their emails to address future questions. Altough the tour was pretty disorganized, I had a good time and I felt like the relaxed atmosphere of the tour suited me. I was amazed that Georgeen and Mrs. Sullivan knew my name especially coming from a large university where no one seems to care what anyone's name is. The speakers during the day were honest and up front about the school and curriculum. I could not have been more impressed. I really loved this school."
"The students, especially the tour guides. In previous posts, someone mentioned that the students didn't have very much personality and that they only talked about alcohol. However, I thought the students were well balanced, friendly, and energetic. They were also open and willing to answer any questions that we had. The tour was a little disorganized, but the students apologized and told us that the tour route had been changed that day. All in all, I enjoyed my interview at Georgetown."
"I really enjoyed Ms. Sullivan - she's awesomely cool. Oh, and Georgina's a total soccer mom (she called herself that, too!). I liked how Georgetown took the time to talk about its curriculum and mission - and how the Jesuit tradition can be marginalized in everyday life (this was a concern of mine)."
"Every single thing. The intro to the school--Mrs. Sullivan made such an honest and strong statement about what Georgetown is all about, the facilities, the surrounding area, the students, my interviewer--probably the nicest man I've ever met, besides that he's got an MD, law degree, multiple PhD's, he's a Priest, and he used to be a military officer"
"The school's willingness to acknowledge other forms of medicine (i.e. accupuncture, they point out the meridians during anatomy lab) Also, the non-religious approach of students and faculty. Even though it is a Catholic school, it only shows itself very subtley, in a positive way. There are the "very religious" if you are into that kinda thing, but it is very easily avoidable and ignorable."
"My interviewer was a great liberal, which was relieving after the woman from admissions made me think this was not a place for people with change in mind. "
"Not much."
"Students, admissions staff, campus, tour, faculty"
"The admissions staff was EXTREMELY honest with everything about their school, financial aid, and medicine today. Mrs. Sullivan keeps an eye on this very site to see student feedback. Hi, Mrs. Sullivan!"
"I interviewed with a Jesuit priest who was everything I would look for in a professor. He was dedicated to learning in his own life, had really strong values, and was commited to serving the community. I feel that the administration and staff have similar values and goals."
"The interview day was well organized and extremely informative. It was very good information, not just specific to georgetown but for medical education in general."
"Cure Personalis and the outstanding dedication to communitry service. Georgetown's philosophy teaches you to be a fabulous, compassionate physician, and you have numerous opportunities for clinical experience. They have some amazing residency match stats"
"super supportive staff, nice surrounding location (New England feel with the brick buildings, river, and trees), really friendly and happy students, great program that emphasizes the right things, Courage to Care program"
"Students seemed hard-working but knew how to have fun. School is accessible by public transportation."
"friendliness of faculty and students, "cura personalis" motto "
"The students were very friendly."
"the people, the attitude of students, the video/audio taping of clinical skills, the effort for improvements, how nice the faculty and staff is, "
"Ms. Sullivan, and her description of the "like-it-or-not" Jesuit philosophy towards education"
"mrs. sullivan, dr. o'toole and georgina were so enthusiastic about georgetown that made me fall in love with it. "
"The good attitude of the students, the beautiful campus and wonderful Washington DC"
"The Dean's presentation on the mission of the school was fabulous!"
"Staff really cared about applicants, location"
"The whole long talk in the beginning was very well put together, and painted a very nice picture of the Georgetown Community."
"the clinical curriculum is complete and rigorous. it prepares you well for you residency"
"cura personalis and very warm admissions office"
"The quality of the other applicants, the speech by Mrs. Sullivan, Georgeen(the Program Coordinator, one of the nicest people I have ever met)"
"Dr. Sullivan's schpeel about "cura personalis"-- treating the whole person. "
"The ethos of Georgetown is what I am looking for in a medical school."
"Nothing"
"donna's talk was amazing. she told me exactly what g'town was and was not. she clearly defines the focus of the curriculum and clinical experiences."
"Almost everything. My opinion of the school skyrocketed after the fabulous presentations and hearing about the unique curriculum."
"beautiful campus and nice students"
"Four ethics classes, Religious Traditions in Health Care, alternative medicine exposure, they encourage you to volunteer with a disadvantaged group "
"there are so many new and innovative parts of the G Town curriculum, many study abroad opportunities, the Georgetown area, Georgetown's unique mission and philosophy of education, the quality of students; I could go on all day"
"I would be astounded if you can find one unfriendly person on the staff or in the student body at Georgetown. Everyone was amicable and really, really encouraging. I loved the philosophy and mission of the school; it seems like they really do focus on the student's development as a doctor AND person by allowing the maximum amount of choice possible. Great opportunities for everything from community service to spending time abroad! "
"Ms. Sullivan is awesome and Georgina talked to me in Spanish knowing that I was fluent. They all know you when you come in. My interview was supposed to be closed-file, but my interviewer read my file before coming to get me, which was good. It was supposed to last 30-40 minutes. Mine lasted an hour and 20 minutes. I just really clicked with my interviewer. The school's philospohy is great- they want to make sure you really want to go there. They basically told us what we had to say to get accepted. "
"Huge focus on clinical skills. How right when I walked in, an associate Dean immeidately knew who I was. Frankness of Mrs. Sullivan. She says what G'town is all about. Also like how the staff wants the us to make the right decisions about med school."
"I dare you to find one person during your interview day who is not the nicest person you ever met. Also, DC is just awesome. Mrs. Sullivan's speech was great, very informative and gave me the tools to have more efficient future interviews. After meeting her, I think everyone who spoke poorly of her here is insane. Meet her yourself, you'll see."
"Georgetown is a beautiful campus, but you have to REALLY like living in a big city"
"The students were friendly and helpful. The student interviewer was very nice"
"a really great presentation about georgetown's ideals and overall mission."
"Friendliness of staff and students, strength in surgical sub-specialities, atmosphere of tradition, Washington D.C."
"i have to admit i wasn't too excited about g-town pre-interview but after i went there, this school is definitely extremely high on my list and if accepted i'd go. Mrs. Sullivan's speech was amazing, she paints an accurate description of the program and it definitely isn't for everyone."
"The school is in constant flux. True, the facilities are not state of the art, but rennovations are completely underway for many of the facilities, such as the interactive learning center. The curriculum is not static, in that, it is constantly evolving and improving. Mrs.Sullivans speech will definately give you the best picture as to if GU-SOM is or is not meant for you. The students seemed genuinely happy about their decision. THe city of DC is spectacular. There is so much to do. Overall, I loved this place and it is definitely my #1 school of choice."
"Ms. Sullivan, who spoke in the morning, is an amazing woman. Of all the people I have personally met in my life, she is one of the most memorable speakers who exudes amazing character and a genuine concern about others (including the interviewees!). If one were blind or deaf to her wisdom and intelligence, it would be a shame. Pay attention and remember what she has to say, for it applies to most areas of life and one would probably have a richer life if they are aware of such things. Reggie G."
"Mrs. Sullivan's talk was inspirational -- her philosophy toward patient care and training young doctors is humane, holistic, kind, and thorough"
"everyone's honesty about the strengths and weaknesses of Georgetown"
"Mrs. Sullivan's speech was on point -- the most articulate, explicit case for "what makes our school unique" I've heard among all of my interviews."
"The administration knows you by name, and are very genuine about the nature of Georgetown. Ms. Sullivan sets out to paint the Georgetown picture for the applicants. By the time of the interview, you are armed with good information. The Georgetown interview is definitely the most informative of those I've visited."
"The organization of the day. Everyone is really nice and goes out of their way to make you feel welcome."
"The amount of preparation & patient contact you get. I got the sense that they prepare you very well to be an excellent clinician. I also liked the fact that they have a very clear vision and a strong sense of their own strengths and weaknesses. "
"The thrid year sounds awesome, if you are looking for lots of patient contact and responsibility give this school a look. I liked the fact that you could take electives at the main campus, seems like more work then some schools I interviewed at but that is a plus to me."
"i like the jesuit ideas, caring for the whole person. the students seemed to think they were getting a great education and school is constantly adapting its curriculum. also, they gave a great financial aid presentaiton."
"The presentations were very well structured and rehearsed. The speech about Georgetown and the considerations we should have as prospective medical students was very informative and useful."
"Honesty of the staff and students- they were not afraid to admit the weaknesses of the school. Also, I was impressed with the amount of pride everyone had for Georgetown's values."
"Mrs. Sullivan's speech"
"Georgetown is off the hook!! It is an incredible town with everything from small local pubs to upscale boutiques. Being from California I felt that the town was mainstreet USA meets Union Square in San Francisco. "
"The motivational speaker type intro to the school and the honesty about their program"
"Mrs Sullivan's long-winded, yet highly informative talk. They are honest about everything--even your chances of getting in."
"The most supportive, friendly, family environment. Mrs. Sullivan's speech was inspirational and empowering. The students were great - informative and friendly."
"Cura Personalis (I may have spelled it wrong)-- means that Georgetown's curriculum has it's foundation in the Jesuit belief of treating the entire person, not just an objectified body. Very cool."
"georgetown is a really beautiful place and the presentations from the faculty were really helpful. They really stress their values and are honest as to who and what the expect from their students. Georgetown is a great place. Washington DC is also a wonderful city. "
"The passion of the staff, the nice surrounding area, the philosophy of the school that emphasizes the whole person (for example during anatomy you are taught non-traditional medicine in relation to anatomy)"
"Current students all had positive things to say about the school and its clinical opportunities. Clinical experiences are spread out over entire DC area so you get diverse clinical experiences."
"The admissions staffs' love of the school, and dedication to making the experience comfortable, but also doing all they can to ensure you know as much about Georgetown as possible when you leave."
"Everything. I really liked this school, I was far more impressed than I was at any other school I've visited."
"Nice area. Students seemed very happy. I like the cura personalis philosophy."
"Beautiful campus, thorough explanation about the unique aspects of Georgetown"
"They gave a great presentation of their program -- it's strengths and weaknesses -- and they do this BEFORE your interviews, so you can have some sense of how well you match up. Loved the philosophy of the school and the humanistic approach to medicine and to teaching."
"Extra-friendliness, beauty of the Georgetown area, students' enjoyment of life in general, patient contact all four years."
"i liked their honesty about their philosophy, direction, strengths, weaknesses, etc."
"My interviewer was very warm and personable. "
"Proximity to downtown D.C., integrity of medical school (regardless of the values I may or may not agree with)"
"Mrs. Sullivan's presentation was very well done and very honest... it was refreshing. Cura personalis."
"I was impressed by the commitment to compassion in patient care, and the emphasis on clinical education. The students there were all really cool, and they provided many useful insights. The admissions staff were extremely friendly and helpful."
"Admissions staff, admissions staff, admissions staff! They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Instead of trying to sell Georgetown to everyone, they urge you to consider whether or not Georgetown is the right school for you. Students seem very happy to be at Georgetown and generally feel well prepared for their residency. "
"I really have no idea why everyone is so scared/intimidated by Mrs. Sullivan's talk. She tells you straight up what Georgetown is about (it is unique), its Cura Personalis philosophy, and goes on to say that it is not the best choice for everyone. She's honest and simply tells it as it is. She even offers a set of wonderful guidelines that can be used to select the best medical school for us. I don't understand what everyone's problem is with her; I guess no one likes her for actually caring about helping us find the school that fits us the best. After reading everyone's reviews about the facilities, i was expecting a garbage dump. However, what i found was decently nice facilities, with many improvements in the works. This is a school rich with tradition and will teach you how to become an all around healer, not just a master of the basic sciences. Listen to Mrs. Sullivan carefully: if you like what you hear, G'Town might be the place for you. If you do not, don't just bash the school: just say it wasn't for you and move on with your life."
"Structure of interview day, students, the surrounding area."
"The surrounding Georgetown area. "
"Faculty, admissions staff, students"
"They have TONS of clinical exposure and service opportunities, right up my alley."
"There were many things that really impressed me during my visit. The presentations by the admissions committee and financial aid were very good. I was very impressed particularly impressed that the office of financial aid had a pretty comprehensive list of scholarship programs on their webpage. Our student guides were very enthusiastic about their education at GU and were very happy with their decision. I was also impressed with the patient-focused educational experiences that GU has incorporated in the first year curriculum."
"Cura Personalis--how to treat the whole person and not just the disease. I was very impressed by Georgetown's training system and how deeply the school seems to care about the well-being of its students as well as its patients. I felt that Georgetown would not only help me become a doctor, but also to become a better person."
"It was snowing on the day of my interview and the city looked very picturesque."
"Their philosophy and curriculum... they fit me perfectly. "Cura personalis"- treat the whole person. They believe in treating the mind, body, and spirit. They teach you not only the science of medicine, but also the art of healing. Ethics is woven into the curriculum all 4 years, complementary and alternative medicine is woven into the curriculum, religion in medicine, etc. Georgetown seems like they emphasize the importance of a well-rounded physician... I like that! Also, the clinical experience there seems really intense and educational."
"The structured presentation of the school and their values. The area around the school."
"The admissions officers really do care about the applicants, which is a great aspect of Georgetown's program"
"Ms. Sullivan's speech, people seem happy"
"The faculty and administration that I was in contact with on interview day seemed very dedicated to and confident in Georgetown."
"admissions staff was the best I have seen yet. they really do care about you and will go out of the way to help. they review your file very thoroughly. nice campus, students seemed pretty happy"
"The faculty and students are very dedicated to healing of the whole patient so they consider a certain amount of spirituality in the education. The residency placement statistics were outstanding."
"I really like their philosophy and their dedication to curing the whole body. They really seem to care about students, and about producing compassionate physicians "
"Washington DC and the surrounding area is impressive, and Georgetown campus is rather pretty. The facilities seem pretty nice."
"G-town's dedication to producing competent, practicing physicians, and not academic physicians"
"the students--even after the whole day was over and i was waiting for my ride, a 2nd year student came into the "fishbowl" just to talk to me and another applicant--i thought it was a nice gesture, and he was very excited about the school. "
"very organized - the admissions people are so helpful and they truly care about how you feel. Mrs. Sullivan's speech made me want to start med school tomorrow, and Georgine's referral to us as her "children" made us all feel very welcome at the school."
"the campus is absolutely AMAZING!! My interviewer was the coolest guy..his style was that he would ask me a question, and then I had to ask him a question, then he asked me...I felt so comfortable. He let me know afterwards that I would be in if he had anything to say about it"
"Mrs. Sullivan's presentation was very comprehensive. The Georgetown philosophy really resonated with me."
"the impressive clinical exposure and their match list"
"Philosophy of education"
"Washington, DC and the surrounding neighborhoods and the school's commitment to clinical teaching."
"Their amazing teaching philosophy"
"the students. my student hosts--UNBELIEVABLE. the school's got such nice people. and there's a note taking service for the class-attendence-ly challenged. very nice."
"How those ladies remembered all the applicants names. "
"cura personalis...their teaching philosophy"
"The different spin Georgetown puts on medical education with the cura personalis philosophy."
"The administration seemed incredible and Ms. Sullivan's presentation about the school was very unique and very honest, which I really appreciated. She doesn't mess around - she tells you straight out that Georgetown isn't for everyone then tells you why. I wish every school would do that. "
"The school's mission & immediate vicinity of Georgetown. Also the committment of students to volunteerism, particularly clinical volunteering in developing countries."
"That this school seems to really have a philosophy behind what they're teaching which includes promoting your own personal growth. Therefore the curriculum and the school in general seems very flexible in allowing you to do what's best for you. They just seemed very honest and upfront and i like that. No pretensions, very real. "
"the upfrontedness of the program. the told you exactly how it is here. Either you are into the philosophy or not. I thought it was cool that they teach some alternative medicine in the curriculum (you don't learn how to do acupuncture, but you learn about it in a scientific way- like where the acupuncture sites are in the body)"
"Preparation students recieve (board scores, clinical skills)"
"The school really supports its students. They make lots of changes to accomodate student requests. Tons of clinical opps, and a large focus on understanding patients as people versus sciences"
"the attention the faculty gives to the student concerns"
"The personal contact with admissions staff, and the meeting to discuss the school's financial situation. It felt very honest and they were very forthcoming with information, good and bad."
"Clinical Teaching"
"cura personalis, the philosophy their teaching -- you either love it or hate it"
"Almost too laid back? Was not really asked why I want to be a doctor or why Georgetown, but mostly because my interviewer had already read my essays answering those and more just wanted me to elaborate on specific things within the essays"
"Tuition"
"Nothing! Was great. In hindsight, I sort of wish I had been able to speak to multiple people but nothing really negative."
"Only one student showed up to the meet and greet breakfast. The students that we talked to didn’t seem excited and it sounded like all they did was study."
"Interviewer was not paying attention to me. Distracted by electronics. Many area of the facilities were also outdated or not being maintained."
"Old facilities and not the best library--DML needs to be renovated."
"Facilities were a little run down and they don't give you anything to write on BEFORE the presentation. Also, the school is super expensive, to the point my interviewer warned me about how expensive it was."
"Research opportunities seem a tad disorganized compared to some other schools"
"Old facilities, but the education is what I actually care about, not how the lecture hall looks"
"The speeches in the beginning were too aggressive for me - I began to question why this school had to sell itself so much"
"The interviewer spoke only about their own research, asked very little to get to know me, and really scared me with his opinion on an ethical scenario which seemed 100% antithetical to Georgetown's mission and values. The interviewer told me they had discouraged their daughter from coming to Georgetown (she ended up going to another school) and that Georgetown physicians were subpar in the treatment of the interviewer's spouse. The tour was incredibly limited and led by an M2 who had very little knowledge about years 2, 3, or 4 (she had just started M2). Only students I got a chance to speak to were the tour guides. In general, there seemed to be a pervasive arrogance about the place and an appeal to the name of Georgetown without actually backing it up with substance."
"I wish we would have been allowed into the hospital to get a peek. The tour overall could have been much more in-depth, although they do make a point of providing you will information for a self-guided tour at the end of the interview day for those of you who do not have a strict travel time. On that note, spend as much time in DC as you can while you are there."
"Cost of living is outrageous. Grading is not true pass/fail - it's basically a glorified letter grade on a curve"
"Student tour guide opened up a cadaver "for fun" although totally unnecessary and immature thing to do on our tour"
"Maturity level of the students. Obsession with match list. Very low percentage of students matching into primary care."
"The interview day was very disorganized, the facilities are quite old, some of the speakers were kind of crazy, the tour didn't include important things like the hospital and the library."
"The facilities here are extraordinarily poor. There doesn't seem to be a lot of money in the med school and it definitely shows. People can and do learn medicine here, but the consistent complaint that I heard from students and even administrators was the lack of facilities and resources."
"Some of the applicants interviewing with me."
"my interview was very short"
"Of course with 10k+ applicants, things can get a little impersonal."
"Seemed very pretentious"
"Cost (and corresponding lack of available scholarship monies), slightly outdated facilities (not a big deal), the sample lecture was quite boring. Despite Ms. Sullivan's speech about Georgetown's institutional "cura personalis" values, I'm not sure the rest of the faculty and students gave me the same impression; I did not feel that the student experiences there are radically different from anywhere else, but at least I did like what Ms. Sullivan had to say about the school's mission and approach to medicine."
"Still not sure if I want to go to a Jesuit school"
"My interviewer. He was an M4 and it may have been his first time as an interviewer: he was obviously very nervous and scrambling to find questions most of the time. I also felt rushed out the door after the interview concluded by a member of the admissions office, who may or may not have been having a bad day."
"Students who came to talk to us in the conferance room about how much they spend on drinking and how much they get drunk after tests. Admissions office, although these are only several students this does NOT leave a good impression on the school. I know it left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd suggest reminding students to tone this type of talk down or screening those who talk to applicants."
"The staff seemed anemic and unhappy to be there. We were in the same room for hours too. I also don't like the location of Georgetown too much, as there is no subway to get to the more lively parts of the city."
"The admissions office people were rude, the students uninterested (they didn't even give us a tour of the hospital), the lunch short and the interview combative."
"none. Although it would've been nice to not have to wait all day for the interview."
"Buildings and classrooms are very old (some are being remodeled). Anatomy lab is pretty old. Also, they never showed us a clinical simulation center."
"The really huge lecture hall with the med students sitting up on balcony following along on video screens, How young and preppy the student body seemed, only 1 floor of library has windows, anatomy lab doesn't have windows,"
"no dorms, students didn't seem to do a lot of clinical"
"Facilities are a little older than some other med schools, but I like that classic old-college feel :)"
"facilities are a little old"
"mediocre med school facilities (but very nice hospital)"
"No breakfast provided."
"Where to begin? The day began with an awkward introduction by two of the admissions staff, followed by a ridiculously long, melodramatic rhetoric from Ms. Sullivan about how "medical school all teach the same thing, so you need to be right for Georgetown." Presumably this means cura personalis, which the tour guides insisted they didn't teach in the lectures anyway. So that leaves you with old facilities in a yellow basement, a hospital that bleeds money and a school that is clearly paranoid about their lackluster ranking. Tour guide claimed GU was her only acceptance. Don't tell people that. Interviewer was unwilling or unable to understand the nature of my research and wanted to discuss cura personalis, not the focus on international care that GU purports itself to have. I had trouble discussing an idea that I wasn't sure existed."
"They have done some recent changes to their curriculum so there might be some kinks to be worked out. Also, even though the interviews are "open-file," my interviewer had not looked at mine before the interview."
"Everything. If I had known what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my day there. The curriculum has a bad track record - it seems to be continually evolving due to student complaints. The facilities are awful. Just see for yourself. The admissions staff are the rudest I've come across yet. Georgetown is too focused on emphasizing that it selects a very particular kind of student for its class, and after meeting some of the students, I seriously question the criteria. Georgetown continually ranks poorly as a medical school, and the reasons become apparent on the interview day. Also, I asked the students if the teaching faculty was good, and they unanimously told me that they were disappointed with their lecturers."
"Interviewer never read my file before interviewing me."
"-The facilities weren't nice at all (bummer) -The students who gave the tour (seemed a little too immature to be grad students) -The staff (unfriendly) -The fact that the med school meshes with the undergrad facilities/students. It doesn't create an environment that makes you feel like you're in grad school. -The delivery of curriculum has been changing left and right due to student complaints. Not a strong track record in that area. "
"Old, worn-looking facilities. Nobody seemed to have a straight answer on competition vs. cooperation, which I take to mean it was pretty competetive. Required research project (though this may be flexible)."
"$$$. Lecture halls & labs all in basement, fairly old. "
"Cost of the school..."
"Price, classrooms... that's about it"
"Traffic!"
"Facilities. Grading system which, contrary to what Mrs. Sullivan says, the students insist is curved based: low pass, pass, high pass, honors, and fail. And DC is ok, not sure it appeals to me too much though."
"Facilities are less than perfect, but they are still fine."
"Very expensive"
"Facilities for first year students are pretty much all underground."
"$$$$$"
"The cost (70k when tuition, housing, and cost of living are all factored in), older facilities (functional, but not as nice as others)."
"Where should I start..... Facilities were dreadful. The interview schedule guy... he acted like he was on drugs and screamed at one point while looking at the floor while talking. The woman... Sullivan... she seemed more interested in bashing other schools than on talking about Georgetown... her talk was easily the longest 2 hours of my life... after her talk I could have cared less to even stay around. I was very disappointed in Georgetown, I guess I need to realize that they are known for basketball and law... not for medicine. The tour didn't even include the hospital, kind of odd considering med students spend over two years there... instead we got to see some hotel/banquet center. The tour guides were awful and quite honestly some of the most unintelligent people I have ever met. They made some big deal about having A computer in their anatomy laboratory.... wow! A whole computer for the class? Honestly, I would throw everything away that I have done up to this point in my life than to attend Georgetown."
"school facilities"
"How small the hospital was, and how expensive it was to attend. "
"SMPs are in all your first year classes, grades, lotsa debt. The tour was bad... the students giving the tour had an exam immediately afterwards and wanted to get moving (understandably) so we didn't get to tour the medical center."
"Student host was rude, interviewer could not give me one reason for me to go to Georgetown when I asked him, main reason I was given by students when I asked why they went there was "best school I got into.""
"lot of the facilities are really old"
"Sooo expensive!"
"The cost and distance. I'm from the West coast and Georgetown is a private school on the opposite side of the country, so those 2 factors are obvious. The interview was open file, and I actually had to carry a folder with my information and hand it to the interviewer, who spent only a few minutes to look it over. I think that's a reason why my interviewer wasn't very thoughtful."
"price, they want a very specific applicant that fits their philosophy"
"facilities, expense"
"The facilities are very ordinary, though really nice from the outside.."
"Not really a reflection on the school, but I literally came an inch close to being hit by a driver in a campus cross walk. So I will have to come to terms with more aggressive driving in DC (and probably anywhere else in the country for that matter). Since I'm originally from CA, I guess have been spoiled by the most stringent pedestrian protection laws in the country...but oh well, not that big of a deal!"
"The attitude of the faculty, students and staff (pretty arrogant but with a large inferiority complex to boot). The whole 'cura personalis' thing which is really not unique to their school. The extent to which the Catholic affiliation effected the school (no stem cell research!). Cost of attendance and debt at graduation. My interviewer answered his phone no less than 5 times during the interview. Most of all: the teaching facilities, in the basement, very run-down looking."
"1) the facilities were definitely the worst that i've been 2) Georgetown hospital was sold to MedStar apparently because the med center's in hundreds of millions of debt (found this later in the news); they are still in debt after the sell 3) the med library seems underfunded (someone got trapped in the elevator; according to the librarian, that is quite common) 4) the student body was very homogeneous ethnically and in other aspects as well (surprising for a school located in D.C.) 5) first-year med school is spent competing with non-med students that comprise almost 50% of the class (SMPs as they call it); apparently it's the school's way of making money to counter how much debt it's in"
"The admissions officers seemed ridiculously insecure about the school and its future. Furthermore, they were not friendly at all to the interviewees compared to all the other interviews I've been to."
"I highly discourage anyone from going to this school for many reasons. I stayed with a student host who was an exceptional person, very well accomplished, and down-to-earth. The downside is that my student host was so miserable at this school that s/he is looking into transferring into a different medical school, and strongly discouraged me from going to Georgetown. This says a lot about the school: poor program, faculty that does NOT care about the students, high costs, generally a very bad experience. I decided to not let my hosts' opinions affect my views of the school, so I went to my interview completely neutral-minded. Unfortunately, my interviewer was the worst interviewer I have ever had out of about 8-10 prior interviews at other much better schools (Vandy, Sinai, NYU & others). He was completely unfriendly, rude, stoic and unresponsive to my answers. The tour proved rather informative in showing the schools mediocre facilities and students. "
"mrs. sullivan was cold and odd, the med students couldn't be bothered with us, lunch was awkward, the entire med school is in the basement, it's depressing, it's rediculously expensive, my interviewer answered the phone 3 times!!!!!!! (how RUDE), low ranking anyway"
"the interview was horrible, couldnt get a word in at all. the interviewer just talked and talked and talked about himself and current events, and i just sat there ''agreeing'' and ''supporting'' him. then he concluded with ''do you have anything else to say'', but i didnt have a chance to say anything. "
"School's facilities"
"That the hospital won't even dispense birth control even though they say that being a Catholic institution doesn't affect your learning...how can it not?"
"The facilities aren't fabulous, though they aren't terrible... it's just that everything is in the basement. No windows."
"The facilities weren't amazing. Everything is in the basement "
"cost; gtown hospital is small, patient/student/faculty didn't seem very diverse (racially, economically, age, etc)"
"The facilities are very average, but adequate"
"admission staff. seemed overly concerned with the fact that georgetown is a catholic, jesuit university"
"Nothing really, although the tour was less comprehensive and the tour guide less enthusiastic than at other schools I have been to."
"The facilities are a little old and everything is in the basement. Also, the students we met seemed to be overloaded with work i.e. in class/library all the time."
"The only thing i didn't like was that it's a %age of the class that gets honors, rather than above a certain score, which i'm afraid fosters more competition than they admitt"
"How small and rundown a lot of things were (even though our tour guides kept pointing out the new paint), how much time you are in class, large class size (190)"
"Nothing really. Mrs. Sullivan's talk was a bit long but it was very informative. "
"The facilities. Our's are much newer, cleaner. Anatomy lab is cramped. "
"the high expense of attendance and cost of living."
"The repetitive speeches given all day long before the interview."
"There was only about 1/2 hour put aside for the student tour. I barely got to see the campus or the hospital. I only viewed the basement where most of the classes took place."
"Lack of diversity..everyone seemed TALL and WHITE, esp. guys"
"sooo expensive ... small hospital"
"Cost."
"The people we met were neither the friendliest or most enthusiastic. It was hard to figure out what the program will be like. Tour guides were M1/M2, we were not introduced to any M-3/M-4 students, so didn't get a feel for what clinicals are like. Georgetown is completely restructuring the M1 and M2 curriculum, so students and staff were both unsure of the details."
"very cold and unfriendly atmosphere, seems like students are miserable there, so crowded because of undergrads, unbelievably high cost of living and tuition"
"The fishbowl room was a bit awkward. "
"I felt that for a great school with a stated humanistic philosophy, they could have structured the interview day much more appealingly. We sat for much of the day in a really cold, impersonal glassed in space by ourselves, with long gaps of time between presentations. Our tour was rushed, with one first-year student who couldn't answer many of our questions and didn't stay for lunch. There were no other opportunities to speak to students, which is when you really learn more about a school."
"They are very much into finding students that match their medical school's philosophy. Also, the day was quite long and intense."
"facilities, lack of interaction with students, huge class sizes for a few M1 courses, I don't like how if you get waitlisted, you're supposed to write a letter of how much you'd love to go there"
" The Cost! "
"high cost of living.. obvious, it's DC."
"Nothing really. It's understandable that the facilities look a bit old."
"I felt that some faculty and students were indifferent."
"the facilities -- walking through the halls to the anatomy lab and looking at that awful lecture hall with poor lighting and uncomfortable-looking chairs... and then hearing a student say he once spent 7 hours there listening to lectures..."
"Pretentious, pretty sad medical facilities, melodramatic admissions presentation."
"The tour was given my a first year student. He was very excited, and knew his way around, but a fourth year student might have been able to provide a better idea of what expect down the road."
"i wasn't that impressed with the facilities, especially for the price!"
"The hospital was a bit smaller than I expected, though there are numerous rotation opportunities throughout D.C. "
"Nothing, I loved the campus and everyone that I came into contact with while there."
"The anatomy lab is blah & the tour guides were duds"
"While I was very impressed with the Integrated Learning Center and simulators that are available for improving upon clinical skills, the classrooms and other facilities could use some renovation."
"nothing, except maybe cost, but it's no different than most private schools in big cities"
"1) The med student hosting was no essistent, I had to make last minute arrangements with a friend of a friend 2) There was no one there to great the interviewees as they arrived. 3) The facilities, i.e. the ventilation in the anatomy lab is nonexistent 4) We were only introduced to one med student the whole day, she was the tour guide. And she didn't seem to know much about anything. As a matter of fact we were lost for a short bit. 5) My interviewer canceled on me, so I was interviewed by someone who hadn't seen any of my information at all and spent 30 seconds scanning over it after I arrived 6) The interviewer talked for the first 15 minutes straight. I had to start interjecting just to be able to get a word it. 7) I didn't like the location of the school, it is kind of set aside from everything else and is in a pretty affluent area. Not great when the reason you want to be a doctor is to help the underpriviledged. 8) The ridiculous rents in DC, and that is coming from someone that lives in the bay area."
"I wasn't thrilled with the facillities. It was LONG day."
"Nothing much really"
"Some of the interviews were in an entirely different building than the rest of the day's program, and some students didn't even get the room number of where to go and were late. "
"nothing i can think of"
"facilities"
"Had a bit of difficulty finding the school. Lukewarm water for hot tea and coffee. I was not impressed with the orientation speech because Ms Sullivan just sounded a bit desperate with the "go to the school that fits you best" theme. Perhaps they are sick of being treated as a safety school by ppl aiming for top 10 schools. It also sucked that they made us pay for parking. "
"post my name, why??"
"Old facilities (including the anatomy lab), "
"The school's sensitivity to negative feedback on SDN"
"we only met 2 students (we were told this is becuase all of their students are busy and it is hard to schedule them to come meet us--but really if i can meet students at every other school i have visited, why are georgetown students more busy/important to meet with me?). the talks we were given in the morning were very rushed. as a consequence, we had little time to ask questions of anyone."
"The students did not seem terribly enthusiastic about their school. They said they liked it - but weren't all that convincing - and had so-so things to say about their professors. There is no mannequin for heart/lung sounds (almost all schools have these) and no microscopes for histology. The curriculum is not organ based, it is by subject. AND, there are crucifixes everywhere - in all lecture halls and hospital rooms -- I'm not such a fan of this."
"Nothing, just that the interview was short and you need to put all your eggs in one basket."
"Repeated emphasis on how much harder Georgetown med students work compared to students at other schools. "
"student tour guides, other interviewers were really stuffy and unfriendly, facilities were the worst i've seen"
"The first school I've interviewed at where students and faculty openly admit that there is a fair degree of competition. They claim this cannot be avoided and takes pressure off of USMLE exams. I find this argument convincing, but I'd still prefer a place that is more laid back and doesn't need competition to compel students to study. I think one can learn something (albeit minor) about a school by the type of people it interviews...This is a consideration I've made at each school b/c those people at the interview may end up as my classmates. Realizing its a tiny sample though, (and that the jerks may not be offered admission) I look for the overall attitude of the applicants. A few of the students seemed arrogant - ones I wouldn't want as classmates."
"Cost!! Graduates have the highest debt load of any MD program. Plus D.C. is expensive. Plus they nickel and dime you to death (library fee, lab fee, $200 microscope fee, $0.10 per photocopy or printed page, etc. etc. etc.). Plus D.C. is super expensive. Plus physician salaries are going down."
"The MD/PhD structure was a little difficult to understand for me. I thought the Office of Biomedical Graduate Education is the department that oversees it because all communication goes through his office, but according to the students, its someone else. And I only had 2 PhD interviews because the third one was unable to make it due to the weather--one interviewer was very talkative and asked few questions and the other asked me some questions and told me much about the program; but I am not sure how much they learned about me."
"it seems like a higher stress school than most due to the greater responsibility...but it could be worth it"
"The limitations of a catholic hospital and institution. The area around the school wasn't as great as its made out to be."
"School is a little challenging to get to and is not connected to the Washington DC metro system very well."
"some of the students seemed a little unprofessional"
"the traffic on the way to Georgetown, if you're driving, I suggest adding 1.5-2 hours of insurance time to get to your interview. "
"It was a 15 minute walk through the med center to find a cup of coffee, though if I had known where the student coffee shop was, I would have been all set. :)"
"The cost of tuition and also the cost of living there is pretty high. (At least compared to where I am from."
"Being stuck in the fishbowl. I suggest writing a sign that says "FEED ME" and flashing it at passer bys. "
"they keep you in a fishbowl (closed-in glass room) all day and don't really tell you what's going on. there's also a lot of really long speeches, one of which i think was meant to be scary (you're gonna have so much work ooooooooh!). also, they weren't really up front about how broke the school is"
"-front page of the school paper discussed current controversy at GT regarding whether school should offer health ins coverage to domestic partners. This is still a debate? seems to go against the whole mission of the school... -my student interviewer admitted that he did not feel supported by administration -students claim their classes are graded on a curve... yet they claim not to want gunners in the class??? this seems to force competition."
"Nothing really... I'd love to go to Georgetown"
"The students giving the (disporganized) tour were not the most enthusiastic. THey had exams the next day though. We weren't exposed to many students at all, which makes it difficult to know if you would be comfortable there."
"Tour guides were new- didn't seem to be in sync on which way we needed to go next"
"interview process was somewhat disorganized - long periods of waiting without being told what was happening. Forced to sit in the "waiting room" for upwards of 3 hours while we heard presentations. I felt that I didn't really see much of the medical complex."
"I guess some of the facilities were a little dated, but definitely not as bad as everyone says on this website. "
"Not too much, maybe the deluging rain. Oh yeah, and the rent that's worth more than my life."
"being grilled for over an hour by my interviewer"
"facilities are sub-par. very expensive! (60K)"
"Facilities are not the newest I've seen."
"tour guides said they like GU but didn't seem too enthusiastic, and they kept getting lost; people around campus didn't seem very friendly; very expensive but don't get much for the price (facilities, technology use, etc)"
"Unenthusiastic tour guides- they did just have exams, so I can't blame them too much"
"The facilities are nothing to write home about; Mrs. Sullivan is off-putting in some ways. The lunch was pretty sparse."
"One dean gave a slightly uncomfortable, almost demanding introduction to the school's curriculum. This was the only negative part of the day."
"The talks we were given were informative but a little mechanical, I guess after you give the same talks over and over again, its hard to stay totally up beat with them."
"facilities are a little old, area is expensive to live in, and no Metro access"
"Nothing...loved it all!"
"My suitcase barely fit on the GUTS bus. Really, nothing, I love this school. "
"No Metro stop so it makes the campus kind of secluded from the rest of DC."
"Seemingly competitive atmosphere"
"The students seemed anxious to be third and fourth year students not necesary happy with their first and second year classes."
"I honestly cannot say anything was negative-my whole day went way beyond any expectations I had. "
"nothing really"
"Some of the facilities are not as modern as they could be, especially the large lecture halls in which classes are held all the time. "
"facilities were shoddy (albeit they are being improved); research emphasis/opportunites seems very sparse"
"Being stuck in the "fishbowl" (a teeny waiting area) for all of the morning info sessions but especially the interview coordinator! It is really disconcerting when someone who is not a part of the decision-making admissions comittee tells you that she has read everyone's files, says that some of us might not be the best match for Georgetown, and then singles out an interviewee, saying he had the best essay. She also lectured us on firm handshakes and looking our interviewers in the eye, which some people might have found helpful, but I find unnecessary (by this point shouldn't we already know that?) and condescending."
"my interview did not go very well...i felt that my interviewer dwelled more on my faults than my achievements"
"EVERYONE kept referring to how we interviewees were finishing up the interview process. That seemed true for the others, but this was only my first interview and I've only been invited for one other so far, so that made me feel like I was really behind the curve."
"Facilities were a little old. Interviewer was a complete jerk (interupted me every five seconds and scoffed at everything I said). The staff overall seemed very phony (trying to sell their "cura personalis" which is a fancy word for what every medical school tries to do already). Students who gave us tour said that they only went to GT because it was the only school they got into."
"I wish the tour guides had their act together a little more. I felt like I really didn't see anything. No class rooms because the doors were locked...no anatomy lab... We got lost 3 times trying to find the peds floor of the hospital. The only beneficial aspect of the tour was that we were burning off our lunch calories by going up and down the stairs."
"Nothing that I can think of except that we didn't have nametags like at other schools and so i couldn't remember the other interviewees' names, which was sad because I really liked them and enjoyed talking with them."
"Nothing."
"The students giving the tour - seemed jocky and a bit vapid. Everything social seems to be centered around beer; this is fine some of the time, but not for all events. I thought the tour was a waste of time - we didn't SEE anything! Not the anatomy labs, nor the hospital (aside from the Peds' floor). I wasn't certain why we just walked around aimlessly for such a long time...totally disorganized (which, again, is a shame mainly because the rest of the day was very, very organized). I also didn't like waiting in suspense for my interviewer - it just seemed a bit excessive. Why make us wait for so long? Why not have our interviews set up at the beginning of the day so we know? Also, no nametags! I like them. "
"It was about 5 degrees outside, but cry me a river, it's January. Toughen up a little."
"long wait time for an answer. I interviewed November 15th, the letter I got was dated January 12th. Also, no subway stop near campus. You have to take the "GUTS" bus. "
"Students also seemed really unhappy. They tried to put on a good face, but it was like, "well, what do you expect, it's medical school." "
"Their attitude. Very haughty. I found it from the admissions office staff, the student guides, as well as my interviewer."
"The library is small, tuition"
"Maybe instead of viewing studentdoctor.net, they should just have us to eval forms. And I would have liked to be in a different room than the so-called "fishbowl," but neither of these was a big deal."
"I didn't like the students too much. I emailed every single student on the student host list to finally find one person who would take me for the night. The students also did not want to waste their time talking about the school to perspectives. The students were much more friendly at other schools. Of course I was there one day and had to make a quick judgement."
"The students. Unlike other schools, the students did not come talk to the interviewees. The student tour guides were not knowledgeable about the school or program at all (perhaps because they were first years) and they did not seem that impressive and were kind of dull. My interviewer also negatively impressed me. He was a MS4 and had absolutely no facial expression and was very monotone. It appeared that he wasn't even listening to what i was saying almost as if he couldn't be bothered with it. The questions were just recited and there weren't really any follow up questions that there should have been. It was a lousy way to end the day."
"You spend pretty much all day sitting in the "fish bowl" hearing talks about Georgetown. The tour was brief and didn't show much of the campus. The only students we met were our tour guides, who of course were friendly and loved the school.....but no school would pick tour guides who are unhappy with the school. I wish we could have met more students to see if they really like Georgetown."
"pretty expensive, not too technologically advanced, don't like Washington D.C. (super conservative, everyone's really uptight)"
"No match-list provided, despite the mention of stellar placement record in certain specialties. No on-campus parking for students."
"facilities seemed rundown, housing is expensive "
"The early clinical experiences. Your first year they have you spend a lot of unproductive time in clinics. You haven't even learned how to do a physical exam or draw blood. What use would you be in a clinic? Scut work is the answer. Also, having your third year be just "like residency" seems silly to me. In your surgery rotation you're expected to be there 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are also on call either every third day or every other day. They haven't even taught you most basic procedures by then. Again, why are you there? And two, how are you expected to pass the shelf exams if you have no time to study."
"the construction, but they are at least making changes"
"Construction, but cant hold it against them that they are making school better"
"The sort of take it or leave mentality of the Georgetown curriculum"
"The lack of racial and ethnic diversity."
"Facilities were a little run down compared to others, they said they weren't overly faith-based, but then said "Bless you" whenever we parted. "
"The facilities were pretty miserable, and my interviewer was very abrasive. He seemed completely uninterested in any of my answers, and never even looked up at me unless i paused to think. He then would constantly question my opinions, and then pointed out weaknesses on my application in front of me"
"the interviewer was mean. i gave a policitally correct answer to the "difficult question" and she didn't think it was good enough, so she asked me to come up with something else. I couldn't think of anything on the spot, so i said that i didn't know, and she said, "well that's just something you're going to have to learn later on." the facilities were kind of ghetto, and the neighborhood is expensive to live in. also, i don't think that the interview focused on the strong aspects of my application. the questions dabbled around them."
"That my interviewer, upon stating my like of Dr. Sullivan's ideas being taught in medical education, rolled her eyes and said "That's Sullivan's doing." Her actions, on top of the uninspiring tour guides, made me think Dr. Sullivan's words were just fluff. Construction around campus made tour almost useless."
"I was underwhelmed by the medical students."
"everything - from the dean of admissions to the students"
"the tour was not well-organized, but the tour guides were a great resource for all of my questions."
"My tour guide was dismissive of questions and disorganized. Also, the emphasis on surgery seems a little too strong."
"n/a"
"The hospital is really old and a bit run down. The computer system used by the hospital is also old and inefficient."
"I will have to sell my firstborn child just to be able to afford a GTown education; long day culminates in a rather brief interview, which is a bit of a let down."
"The cost, though we were all told to "learn to love going into debt!""
"Facilities were really old and in the basement. "
"Cost. Also, we were a relatively large group (12 people at least), so asking the tour guides questions was difficult. Also, the tour seemed kind of rushed. It felt like only half an hour and we honestly didn't get to see much except the tunnel system. "
"Our student guides. They both attended gtown 'cause it was the only school they were admitted to and they didn't seem to be the most articulate. It makes me wonder about the caliber of the rest of the student body."
"My crappy interviewer, the day was long and interview was at the end, they just dump you as soon as you are done with the interview, Mrs. Sullivan gave a really boring talk, my tour guides were immature and made comments like "I must have gotten into this school because I'm not white.""
"The facultywas pretentious and the intensity of the faculty interview made you feel like you were interviewing at an Ivy Leauge school instead of a post bacc program. The faccilities were also old, and the advisors made it clear that racism was alive and well on Georgetown's campus"
"lots of people talking at you all morning, often repeating what the person before them said. interviews were in the afternoon after a very long day."
"Lack of technology, less than impressive hospital (however, you can rotate out a lot)"
"sitting in the fishbowl...definitely sit in a chair the benches are SUPER uncomfy. The other interviewees were also kinda uptight.....i woulda liked a more relaxed atmosphere."
"Some of the other students. One actually fell asleep while the dean was talking. Not good for the applicant and definately not good for a possible future physician."
"Some of the facilities are a bit old, but still valid and useful. Students giving tour seemed nonchalant and did not seem to be very informed about different programs the school had to offer."
"Facilities are subterranean and ancient"
"most of my tour guides came to this school because it was the only school they were accepted to"
"The tour was haphazard and inadequate. We didn't get to see much of the hospital or school at all. It was a jarring letdown after hearing Mrs. Sullivan speak so highly of the place. The financial aid talk also freaked me out."
"Traffic in Washington. The financial aid presentation warned against relying solely on loans, but did not offer a plausible alternative for students supporting themselves. "
"It was colder than I would have liked it, but I'll have to learn to deal with it. It is more expensive to live in D.C. but seeing as how I am going to go into tens of thousands of dollars of debt, the high price of rent is just going to be a drop in the bucket."
"That they said about a million times "this is who we are, if you don't like it, go away." It is completely valid (and important) to choose a med school that you agree with their philosophy and goals and fit in...but after hearing it all day long i was starting to wonder if they were trying to convince us all to go away. Also, it would have been nice to meet with more students...sort of got the impression that the few we talked to were only at georgetown because they didn't get into other schools. "
"We were only able to talk to two students. No other students came to talk to us, makes me a little suspicious all the other schools I have been too the students have gone out of their way to talk to interviewers. We won't hear back for 8-10 weeks."
"the facilities were really run down and essentially the entire school is in the basement of a building. i also got kind of tired of listening to all of the speakers and guides. "
"The tour left much to be desired. We visited the Pediatric Wing of the hospital not to visit the children or the facility but to view from a window overlooking parts of the campus. The guides only walked us by the library, book store, and student lounge. I didn't get to see much of the facilities at all. What I was able to see looked run-down and antiquated."
"The tour"
"Not all that much... "
"Georgetown is sooo expensive to live in. Students either live eight to a three bedroom rowhouse or commute from across the river in Virginia. "
"The facilities were pretty old. The tour was poorly done."
"the facilities. Gtown costs $52,000 a year (after living expenses). For that kind of money I figured the labs would be nicer than my high school's. The upshot is that despite the crappy looking facilities, you still seem to get a great education (judging by their impressive residency matches)."
"We all had the hardest time finding where to meet. I would rather have two interviews than just one."
"The facilties are terrible!! Are they having money problems or what? For such a well-know university, I was very surprised that the medical school, including the library (even with the renovations) are so old and shabby. How do they expect us to spend hundreds of hours in an anatomy lab that is probably the worst I have ever seen? Plus, a good, comfotable and nice library is very important, especially considering how much time I'll be spending there!"
"The talk you are given is sorta intimidating. I also don't like how expensive tuition is and how expensive it is to live in the area. Plus, this may not be the best place to go if you want to pursue research at all."
"High cost for average facilities, resources."
"The students seemed down (maybe because it was near the end of the semester), and the facilities and technology are lacking."
"If I had to pick something, I would say I wish I had more time with students during the interview day - you only meet a handful of 1st year students at lunch and on a quick tour, for no more than an hour."
"WORKLOAD. It seems much higher than other schools of equal or better rank, yet the students don't do appreciably better on the boards than other schools (and on step II they actually do worse...probably because they're working so hard they don't have a chance to study). Also, as some have noted, the facilities seemed kind of old. It looks like there's not a ton of money going into the school's programs."
"The introduction was odd. People in the admissions office memorizing my name and using it sporadically in a presentation does not make me want to attend their school. The 4 students that had lunch with us were the most unenthusiastic I have seen at any interview, and one tour guide was outright obnoxious. The facilities are definitely not worth the price. This seems like it is a great school for someone who just wants to be in DC. (and wants a very conservative environment)"
"Sounds like your 3rd year is about as tough as the first year of residency! Cost and facilities."
"Not enough time to eat lunch :)"
"i didn't get to interview with a faculty member. only had a student interview, who didn't seem to like me very much. it's a little pricey, but they try to avoid you having to take out private loans, so that's cool."
"The student that gave us the tour said that in his opinion, while staff are nice he doesn't feel like they make that extra effort to be really warm, inviting, available, close to the students, etc."
"The classroom and anatomy lab is way down in the basement of the medical school. Also, the student lounge is not separated from the hallway---it is just a bunch of counches."
"Facilities are a touch antiquated."
"Very little to speak of. The emphasis on research is not so strong, but that is only important (I feel) if you have little research experience coming into the program."
"The curriculum has many extra classes that the students enjoy, but that I would not be too excited about taking. I feel typcial medical school classes provide enough work as is."
"no parking for 1st and 2nd year students, but hey, what do you expect in a big city?"
"Facilities."
"The facilities are the worst that I have seen. I bumped into one researcher at Georgetown, and he actually told me that Georgetown's research is horrible; he was only there because he went to his state school and couldn't go anywhere better. The faculties do not seem too impressive nor caring of students. "
"Nothing"
"The facilities were really disappointing...very old, and run-down. There are rumors of renovation, but who knows if that will happen in our lifetime."
"I felt that the tour was a bit disorganized and incomplete, but under the time constraint, it was understandable. The cost to attend Georgetown is very expensive, but you also have to remember that these costs are comparable to most private medical schools in urban areas. "
"The facilities, especially the anatomy lab with the dirty floor. I'm still concerned about Georgetown's financial problems, and how that affects certain opportunities."
"The staff seemed to want to deter people from coming to Georgetown. I took this, however, as their way of letting people know what to expect and trying to help people decide whether they would fit in at Georgetown or not."
"The cost!! It's pretty much the same as most of the private schools... but there is a big difference when you are comparing the costs of a private school to a state school! Also, parking is horrible, but that is true with a lot of schools."
"The cost and the apparent stress level of the students. They get high quality clinical training, but at a high cost: both monetary and physically."
"The facilities weren't the newest.."
"None of the interviewees spoke to each other. It was the most akward silence since we were in the "fish bowl" quite a bit. Made me question the type of applicant Georgetown attracts. In my other interviews, the applicants all spoke to each other throughout the day and got to know each other."
"The facilities were not impressive at all - dingy lecture hall, pathetic student lounge, small library with scant hours, dirty floor in the anatomy lab (yuck!), Georgetown seems like an inconvenient place to live (no Metro stops, no parking, too expensive to live in G-town so you must live in a surrounding neighborhood). Also, the fitness facility is said to be not-so-hot."
"extremely expensive to live in dc. welcome to big cities. no parking. med school a bit dated."
"I didn't realize that the school had fallen out of the U.S. News Top 50 (not that rankings always matter). The cost of living in Washington is quite high."
"I wasn't very impressed with the students, one in particular..."
"I didn't really care for the weather. It was a bit too humid for my tastes. I don't think the interviewer really was interested though. He was a bit late, and during the interview, he was trying to hide yawns a few times."
"they interview too many people, and this fact permeates some of their admissions process: ie, closed file interviews, they have had problems with interviewers not paying full attention to interviewees or cutting out early (my interviewer glanced at his watch). The facilities are very unimpressive (many classrooms are on the basement level). HUGE financial problems at G-town...that's why they ask you to submit a credit report..."
"nothing really--the tour could have been better, i guess, and the cost of tuition is pretty depressing, but i knew about that ahead of time."
"the day was very long - an hour or two could have been cut out and the program would have still been just as effective."
"The cost, though I did appreciate them breaking it down for us."
"Like with all private schools: ITS FREAKIN EXPENSIVE!"
"price (cheaper than GW, but still), and LONG hours in clas through years one or two"
"The tour wasn't the greatest"
"The tour--it lasted barely 20 minutes and we didn't even get to see their hospital."
"Older Facilities"
"the school seems...small. and very expensive. and there's no on campus housing."
"Money."
"how stressed everyone seemed"
"Lack of financial aid. I also wish I could've talked to more students."
"The cost."
"Facilities/medical library seemed dated. Financial matters are a serious consideration."
"The school seems like it's financially strapped. The financial aid presentation was very thorough and useful, but they're pretty clear that you're going to be in ALOT of debt of you go here. And then you meet with a dean who defends why the hospital merged with another group which apparently was controversial to some people but which i had no idea about. "
"price and students"
"facilities and other applicants. well, one in particular really bothered me."
"The students I observed could have been more friendly and didn't seem too happy/outgoing. However, the students I spoke to were great. "
"Ancient facilities, no attempt to incorporate technology into the curriculum, lack of class diversity as stated on our tour given by first-year students!"
"Too religious, seem to have serious financial problems, not great facilities, and no housing."
"the facilities are a bit... well-worn"
"I wish I knew who the interviewer would be before hand so that I could have prepared more interesting questions."
"It REALLY is just one, one-on-one, 45-minute interview."
"Nothin really. Just be easy and give your best."
"That I would dislike it as much as I did"
"How good the food was. It was a luxury dinner for lunch."
"To bring something of my own to write on. Also, that there would only be one interviewer per person."
"That Gtown has "societies" and "families" to help make the large student body feel smaller and closer"
"How humid it would be lol"
"The tour has you walking all around campus and it can be very muggy and hot in D.C. This is right before your interview, so you might be sweaty or winded right when you have to interview."
"I had read about how low-stress the interview was, yet I still managed to get myself very worked up before it. Please, please listen to what everyone says about the interview. 99% of the time, it will just be a casual, very enjoyable conversation!"
"How much free time we would have after getting ten minutes to rush though our sandwich and fruit lunch."
"Everything Ms. Sullivan said."
"If you're staying at the hotel on campus, the whole area is under construction. It's actually sort of a disaster."
"The Independent Study Projects are kind of a joke among students. Its apparently "what you make it.""
"Just relax and know your application. Other than that, if it's meant to be, then it will be."
"Well, I assumed this ahead of time, but everyone ended up going to the "optional" breakfast."
"That my interviewer had decided he didnt like me before we met"
"I had heard bad stories about interviewing here, that the staff was unfriendly, and they were right. Otherwise the interview was my toughest, but I think it was just because I was interviewed by a surgeon who was busy at the time and who didn't quite "get" me (I'm a nontraditional applicant)"
"That I would be sitting in one room the whole time I was there."
"Eat breakfast. The med school building is on the opposite side of the campus as the entrance on 37th and O street."
"Definitely read up on cura personalis if you haven't already. I was happy that I had, that the class size is so large, that the optional morning lecture (which every interviewee attended) would be so boring"
"Just relax"
"that you can take the metro and then the GUTS bus. and it is easy."
"Wish I'd known that being interviewed by an intimidating MD who asked tough questions (rather than a student, like most of my fellow interviewees that day) was not necessarily a bad thing."
"know about health care reform"
"just how great DC is and that going to school there opens up a TON of cool ways to pursue your interests in just about anything"
"That I'd dislike the school as much as I did."
"That the interview would be so laid-back."
"Not to attend interview day."
"I really had my hopes up for this one, and was consequently let down by the draw-backs."
"If you're taking the Metro, you can ride to the Dupont Circle or Rosslyn stations and catch the GUTS bus to campus for free. Very handy."
"How much I would like the school"
"That it wouldn't be as stressful as I had thought..."
"That I would be sitting in a glass box for a large portion of the day, that I was expected to know WAY less about health care reform than I anticipated"
"I wish I had known that it was going to be as relaxed as it was."
"Most applicants didn't know about the lack of breakfast. Eat before you come."
"?"
"That the school would be as impressive as it was."
"Bring chap-stick. I forgot but am going to make certain I do on all my others."
"How disgusted I would be with every aspect of the school."
"to have LOTS of questions--most interactive day so far at every point they want to have a conversation not just an information session. "
"That the interviewers can grill you with medical scenarios-- I didn't get that but one of the interviewees did and he was pretty shaken up coming out of it."
"How much sitting I'd be doing."
"That the whole Catholic/Jesuit thing wasn't so bad..."
"Make sure to come early if you're driving yourself. Parking may be a problem. Also, bring quarters for the toll on the freeway. I barely had enough."
"That Georgetown was no where near as bad as people make it out to be."
"My interviewer had not read my file beforehand, but it turned out great because I got to tell my story and express my enthusiasm to him in person firsthand."
"how much I would really dislike the school. Georgetown is definitely not for everyone."
"that the school seems to be in serious trouble financially and that the situation does not look optimistic"
"The student body is comprised of small-town, less prestigious schools, and that the school lacked diversity. Also their avg MCAT/GPA are quite a bit lower than expected."
"i wished i got a different interviewer, but i guess thats uncontrollable."
"not to waste my 100 dollars sending a secondary. "
"That Georgetown was certainly not worth the trip. If I could go back, I would not attend this interview..."
"Everyone raves about Mrs. Sullivan's talk but I thought she was abrasive. She definitely is completely honest about the school and whether you will fit, but her attitude is off-putting"
"That the interview wasn't as tough as I thought it would be! (I was expecting ethics questions, seeing as they are Jesuit... got none whatsoever)"
"That Georgetown is so great I want to cry"
"that georgetown is such a pretty (but expensive and homogenous) area"
"the metro is ridiculously easy to use"
"be prepared for tough questions by the admissions staff before your interview"
"Didn't know that Georgetown now has a research requirement. Mrs. Sullivan explained the requirement to us somewhat and said that students usually finish the req before starting the third year, although our tour guides (1st years) hadn't even started thinking about it."
"There were no real surprises."
"That i was going to LOVE it. This school quickly climbed to becoming a top choice. "
"nuns/priests teach ethics classes"
"Cura Personalis."
"I was told that out of each interview round, they only accepted 15 out of 75 applicants. I was a little turned off by this because since I had such an early interview, many of the candidates in my group were exceptional. I would hope that Georgetown chooses people based on their backgrounds and not because they have a set number they abide by. Also, my interview was closed file. Since I do have varying experiences, I was hoping that my interviewer would have asked more in depth questions to get to know me and get a feel for my motivations. Instead, I found myself volunteering a lot of my information. "
"That the lunch would be so plain and boxed."
"The school didn't reflect the negative interview feedbacks I read on this page. I went in there with an open mind and I was glad I did. "
"that its a huge class ... 190 ... thats kinda big for me"
"It is not easy to take the GUTS bus to the medical school -I had to walk a few blocks."
"miserable students, and that was a big hint for me"
"Keep a pen somewhere on your body at all times. "
"That their hospital is very small and serves a not very diverse population."
"Take the White Georgetown Bus, not the Blue One!"
"nothing really. I already had pretty much all info I needed."
"Make sure you know which Georgetown University bus takes you to the medical center."
"that Georgetown is so isolated from the rest of DC (no subways, just buses)"
"Georgetown's financial problems - their hospital system has had a lot of cutbacks and in my opinion, is not a place I'd want to be."
"The georgetown, and Georgetown University bus are differnt busses."
"just how different their curriculum is from other schools, in terms of the strong emphases on clinical work and community service (and thus less on research)"
"That first years take quite a few classes with post-bacc students... Makes for a very crowded lecture hall."
"It is cold in DC this time of year!"
"The passionate nature of everyone on the campus"
"Do not place much stock in the negative feedback that has been left about the school. If you are fortunate enough to receive an interview, do yourself the favor of attending with an open mind. As long as you are not looking for a bunch of pomp and circumstance to win you over, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the school - you cannot help but be impressed with the school's ability to place their graduates in top residency programs!"
"Too many to list."
"Sigh. Chinatown bus can sometimes be a no-show."
"That all the negative things I had heard about Georgetown (especially from this site) were not true."
"That travelling in a suit only seems cool until you have a 6-hour plane delay. "
"a map of the Georgetown campus so i wouldn't be so lost trying to find the admission office. "
"How right the other SDN negative impressions were."
"I would have liked to know more about the Georgetown/DC area before visiting. I liked the campus and its surroundings, but wasn't certain I could see myself living in DC full-time."
"That the school is just as interested in impressing us as we are in impressing our hosts and interviewers."
"I had heard (I believe on SDN from another interviewee) that Georgetown students are the most in debt of any other med students in the US. The financial aid representative who speaks at the beginning of the day said this was not true, and it is a rumor going around that discourages a lot of potential students, I was one of the potential students semi-discouraged by that, but I'm glad I found out its not true!"
"we would have no interaction with students during the scheudled interview day/time. but you can meet up with students later or on another day to get more info."
"The details listed above."
"The interview is open file, except grades, MCAT, and references. I wish I would've known how laid back the atmosphere. "
"that the day would start off inspiring (mrs. sullivan's talk about the school) and that it would all down hill from their (crappy tour, crappy tour guides, bad lunch, worthless interview) in other words, i wish i had known better than to waste my time, money, energy, and part of my paycheck on this interview"
"A claim that 3rd-year students will frequently have 16-18 hr. work-days 7 days a week..that seems excessive. Nobody learns best when miserable, and having 6 hours a day to divide between sleep, talking with loved-ones, eating, and exercise is just not reasonable. "
"That students at Georgetown are viewed as open bank accounts. "
"The notorious reputation of the I-495, and the fear of 1 inch of snow, which causes widespread closings throughout the DC/Maryland area (I'm from NY where schools do not close until we have 3 feet of snow)."
"The GUTS bus is white, not blue, and is not the same thing as the normal Georgetown-Metro shuttle."
"That flying out of National in the winter is entirely impossible."
"The interviewer does not see your file until you walk into their office to interview. You take a folder with portions of you AMCAS application with you to the interview so they are reading it for the first time during the interview."
"start bringing warm coats folks. it's getting uncomfortably cold. "
"see above."
"I wish I had brought an umbrella!"
"I wish I understood the Metro system better. I fell asleep on the Metro, woke up and got off the wrong stop. "
"they don't give you any sort of itinerary, so you don't know who is interviewing you or when. you just wait in the fishbowl until you're summoned. really weird. "
"-it was super easy and fast to take the metro to the dupont circle stop and take the shuttle from there to GT"
"How incredibly beautiful the surrounding area is, some students leave GT with over $200,000 in debt"
"Parking is inconvenient and expensive, but manageable."
"That knowing the details of some specific health-related issues today would have made me look cool during the morning talk."
"How much fun Georgetown is. I would've stayed longer. "
"How much I would love the location and the city. I wish that I'd done G-Town early acceptance. I can't wait for the 6 weeks to be up."
"not a lot of time to ask questions, most of the day is spent having people talk to you; don't get to meet any other students than the one who gives the tour (are all the other students completely unhappy there so they try to hide them??)"
"That Georgetown was so much cooler than I thought"
"The great opportunities for early clinical experiences that Georgetown offers and how important this aspect is to their curriculum. Better than all other schools I have looked at."
"The students are much more easy going and laid back than I expected."
"How amazing their program is. It is a unique program, so I would advise understanding it as well as you can to ensure you know if you could be happy there or not. Mrs. Sullivan is great."
"They have a 5 year research track program."
"A long day and a lot of waiting. I should have brought something to read."
"You can keep your bags in the fishbowl. The day is long and mostly spent in the fishbowl. I wish I had brought a soda or something to perk me up a bit before the interview at the end of the day. "
"I wish I had brought more money to spend because I forgot how good the shops in Georgetown are. "
"was well prepared and Mrs. Sullivan and Georgeen filled in any gaps."
"I had heard that they were HARDCORE against abortion, stem cell research, etc, however Mrs. Sullivan addressed these issues and discussed how one will learn about them. While abortions are not performed at the Gtown Teaching Hospital, one could observe them at one of the affiliates. "
"I would have been more relaxed. The whole day was interesting and turned out way less stressful than I thougth it was going to be."
"nothing i can think of."
"According to the interview coordinator, if the religious aspects of medicine don't interest you, Georgetown probably isn't the best match for you."
"nothing in particular"
"Having read SDN and the Georgetown website, I felt very well-informed."
"That it would be possible for an interviewer to ask too few questions. I didn't prepare myself to fill the void created by his relative quietness."
"The students didn't seem all that happy (only met like 5 though). "
"I wish I had known that the school doesn't use its jesuit affiliation to hinder any of its curriculum. In fact, it enhances it."
"I was going to write down so much and that i shouldn't have forgotten my pen at the hotel signing my credit card bill. Also, there is a Georgetown University bus and a Georgetown city bus, which I didn't realize until I got on the wrong one."
"That GT was so into underserved populations. That's a big draw for me."
"All the negative feedback on this site about Georgetown was way off base. I came in trying to have an open mind, but definitely ready to be unimpressed b/c of all the bashing on this site. The school was sweet, and the group that I interviewed with was the nicest/coolest group of interviewies I've seen so far. I could not have been more impressed with any aspect of the school. "
"You can store your luggage in the "Fish-Bowl" if you need to. It gets locked."
"Their commitment to social justice isn't just a smoke screen. My interviewer was really involved in changing health care delivery for the underserved. "
"That they had absolutely no interest in me. Every person I met told me to stay at home and go to my state school. I wouldn't have wasted the time or money if I had known how I would be treated."
"Cant think of anything"
"Georgetown's US News & World Report ranking really should be higher. The school has remodeled some of the facilities and the students really are pretty cool. (They were dragging a keg around when we were touring.)"
"Georgetown is a beautiful campus and DC is a great town to live. "
"That this was not the school for me."
"I really wish I had stayed with a student host to get a better feel for the school. I don't feel like I learned much about the school I coudl'nt have read on their website. I think interviews should be about getting a feel for the campus and studnet life, not just listening to talks about curriculum and financial aid."
"that the questions I had prepared to ask during my interview were going to be answered through the numerous information sessions they gave before the interview...basically, I had to think of new, interesting questions in a time span of about 5 minutes on my way over to the interview"
"There is supposedly an opportunity to do research, but it's hard to see how that would be possible since the students spend a great deal of time in lecture."
"4th year med students live more like residents than students. good or bad...not to sure! "
"I took courses at Georgetown and I had heard a lot of negative things about the medical school. I wish I had listened and never applied."
"First interview, was less stressful than I would have thought"
"that georgetown does not perform abortions, stem cell research on voluntarily aborted fetuses. it didn't negatively affect me because you will learn how to do them and there is opportunities at their satellite sites. "
"Just relax and enjoy yourself"
"Nothing, really."
"That they would read my AMCAS application directly in front of me for five minutes prior to my interview."
"i don't think it's a good match for me"
"No coffee available in the "fishbowl", I was counting on that after a sleepless night before."
"Residency placements were so-so. I didn't get a sense that the student body was terribly dynamic, just there to study. That undergrad classes are free to med students. $57K per year (tuition + cost of living). "
"I forgot my suit skirt--double check your packing job."
"the lack of diversity among classmembers, administrators, and the elitism inbreed in the institution"
"that the interview was strictly used to learn about non-cognitive abilities and interests and much less stressful than I thought."
"Just how unique the curriculum is, such as with the autonomy in the acting internships, the integration of info about CAM and the spiritual aspects."
"just to relax more"
"How intense the third year is. You're given the same responsibilities as an intern. "
"the interviewer did not even touch on any ethical issues or the state of health care in the U.S./world. "
"That it would rain, and the humid weather in D.C. would turn my hair into a nightmare!! "
"Nothing really. Pick a good seat in the fishbowl (chairs are best)- you'll be there for a while. "
"Bring an umbrella! That parking all day in the Leavy Center would cost me $25 (dead serious). "
"No food or coffee was served before lunch so eat breakfast!"
"GT was not worth the plane fare. I interviewed at six other med. schools, and this was by far the WORST"
"Before the interview Georgetown was one of my top three choices for med school. I shouldnt have wated the plane fare or the energy"
"That you will be the school's indentured servant during 3rd and 4th year"
"although g-town does have a catholic affiliation, you don't have to possess catholic views. i am pro-choice and although abortions are not going to be performed at the school, you'll still learn about them and they won't dissuade you from your opinions. Also, g-town has some amazing classes such as a class in alternative healing...how cool is that! The only big problem is that there is no diversity of the student body ethnically."
"You spend the majority of your time in the "fish-bowl." SO, sit in the chair and not the bench. Im glad I sat in the chair because those benches would have done a number on my back and could have made my interview later in the day difficult."
"There is potentially some concern about funding for different research departments due to reduced NIH funding"
"That we'd only have one interview(er)."
"Apparently, calling the Metro "the subway" is a good way to brand yourself as a tourist. Be warned."
"That there was a free bus that I could have taken to the school instead of a 10 dollar cab."
"That my interviewer was from Canada and loved the healthcare system. I am affraid I blew my first choice for not agreeing with him on the healthcare systems viablitiy in the US."
"not too much"
"I wish I had known that most of the day was presentation and less viewing of the facilities."
"Their dedication to clinical training"
"That the interviews were basically closed file. I was handed an envelope that contained basic info from my app and told to give it to the interviewer who looked it over briefly before asking "canned" questions."
"it wasn't so religious, being a jesuit school"
"That when you go to DC in Jan. it can be very cold and it helps to not forget your winter coat."
"DC traffic is horrendous"
"That they really don't push students to do any research."
"You can't be a penny pincher if you want to live in DC"
"Just how expensive it is to live in Georgetown, it is incredible!"
"Georgetown Hospital cut their cardiac surgery program due to some financial difficulty. Definitely something to explore further if I get accepted."
"How heavy the workload is."
"First year lectures are shared with 2 other programs, so there can be up to 300 people in class - no wonder students complain about lack of faculty involvement."
"This place is beautiful. Lots of bricks and fall colors. Also really expensive to live."
"that i would fall in love with georgetown."
"The first few people that speak to you in the morning know your name, picture, file, etc., so they'll just call yu by name and ask you something and you'll be caught off guard b/c you didn't know that they knew you. (When someone pops a question at you they aren't looking for anything sophisticated - just say something short and normal.) This whole thing was a little weird, but it shows that they're really concerned with the acceptance process and take it very seriously."
"The extent of the conservative nature inherent in Georgetown."
"Parking really is as bad as they claim."
"The warnings on SDN about Ms. Sullivan were unnecessarily strong. She believes strongly in the mission of the school, and it is part of her job to help to select students who will be comfortable. She doesn't pull any punches, but when I'm about to make a decision as big as this one, I'd rather have honesty than sugar-coating."
"Road signs in D.C. are very poor, as is parking"
"Expenses per year is ~$50,000. If u want to minimize debt, stick to your state school."
"Get ready for an amazing spiel about the med school process by Mrs. Sullivan."
"A waste of my money applying to this school. "
"Georgetown only wants you if you really really want them. They prod you to think about what you really want in a med school. What WOULD be your perfect med school? Think about that!"
"I wasn't sure what to expect - I had heard different things about the medical school, but really - the one thing I discovered about GU is that it is a really wonderful school that produces very well-prepared residents."
"Cura Personalis. I really hadn't gotten a full picture of that before Ms. Sullivan's talk."
"They have a high residency placement for surgical subspecialties such as orthopedics."
"The Metro system in Washington D.C. is great (clean and safe too)!! I definitely recommend using it... much cheaper than a cab and you can get pretty much anywhere. A $5 pass will let you ride all you want for a day. Plus there is a shuttle bus ($1) that goes from some of the metro stations to the Georgetown campus. It is very easy to get around in that area. "
"The intensity of Georgetown's program (lots of hours in the third and fourth years!)"
"It's a FULL DAY."
"Be ready for a long day"
"Georgetown places emphasis on clinical training early and often. Their third year is almost a "pre-residency" training period with some pretty ridiculous horus."
"well, I had read all of the comments, so there really weren't any surprises. I didn't think Ms. Sullivan's talk was that intimidating or anything. I think it was a very good explanation of their philosophy. "
"I don't want to go there."
"nothing."
"that there was no reason for me to be nervous - this was a very refreshing interview!"
"The cost."
"That I shouldn't stress so much..."
"i was really impressed by the quality of the school. i will say this, and you'll hear it a million times over: georgetown isn't for everyone. their clinical years seemed the toughest of any of the 12 schools i've interviewed at. if you're thinking of doing a surgical subspecialty, this is your place. if you're doing family medicine, save money at yout state school"
"That we would be spending close to three hours in in a small room with uncomfortable chairs."
"how many questions i would be asked"
"that all the hype about the school being supra-conservative is really not true. the school seems fairly open-minded; they are only guaranteeing that conservatism to people who seek it. those who don't are free to do as they please."
"Sit in one of the chairs, not the benches, or you will be twisting your back the whole time to look at whoever is presenting. "
"That there is NO parking anywhere! - use public transportation if at all possible."
"cura personalis"
"N/A"
"You'll do a lot of sitting, esp in the morning when people come to talk to you which can get tiring, esp when you're trying to stifle a yawn after a while. but the speakers are both interesting and informative. The school is in the Catholic tradition, but my impression is that I wouldn't worry one bit about not being Catholic or Christian (I'm not) because I just don't think they really care so long as you are a basically good, moral person."
"where it was located... it almost next to georgetown campus, but i thought it was in the st.mary's buildling- woops!"
"nothing"
"The lack of elective time in the 4th year. You have 4 months of electives, but the rest of your fourth year is booked with acting internships and more classes."
"Ms. Sullivan gives an overview of the program before your interview -- it is a very in your face session. She makes clear what georgetown is all about, and tells each candidate (who she knows by name!) that you can either take it or leave it. This little pep talk can be either inspiring or intimidating."
"Overall a very relaxed and smooth interview experience. The questions were expected and nothing too tricky. I would stress Cura Personalis as much as possible during the interview. GUSOM LOVES Cura Personalis and students who are strong mission fits."
"Make sure you have some examples of how you fit their mission and their philosophy of cura personalis"
"Great virtual experience. Very prompt and well run!"
"Fantastic interview, one of my very best. Really walked away feeling good about Georgetown’s culture and the support available to students. The M4 I interviewed with really came off as someone I’d hope to work with some day."
"Overall very relaxed interview."
"Very positive interview experience! I was SO stressed as this was my first interview but my interviewer was so relaxed and we really just had a conversation. Don't stress out before like I did"
"I like the pre clinical curriculum and area of concentration but the social and extracurricular aspects of the school didn’t seem great"
"Love the program. DC is an awesome city, and Georgetown boasts an insane match list. Facilities are quite old, however, and study spaces are limited. It seems like students spend quite a bit of their time on the main campus, which is a 15 min walk away. Also, there's no metro i That said, I'm really impressed and moved Georgetown near top of my list."
"Great school! Love the DC area"
"Nice school and beautiful campus"
"I loved my interview day. I loved the students, and my faculty interviewer was extremely friendly and immediately made me feel comfortable"
"I was very impressed by the interview and the tour at Georgetown. They made me feel very welcomed and comfortable there."
"Your official interviewer can be physicians, researchers, or a student. Loooong day."
"Very disappointing interview, which I believe ultimately came down to me having a poor interviewer. Others in my group had happy, smiling, personable interviewers, whereas mine didn't seem to want to be there or care about hearing what applicants had done in their lives."
"If Georgetown's "cura personalis" philosophy really resonates with you, then this is the place for you. If it doesn't, then the interviews and the interview day will really demonstrate how if you aren't committed to the same philosophy as Georgetown, then it's probably not the place for you. And that's okay. Just go with an open mind and really have an understanding of their philosophy and how it is reflected throughout the curriculum, as they are very proud of this (as they should be)."
"Mrs. Sullivan's talk gave some fantastic insight into the school and helped me determine whether it was a good fit for me. She said that any med school will teach you to be a physician-scientist, but Gtown will teach you to be a physician-healer and a physician-advocate as well. Pretty cool."
"Dr. Sullivan gave a dramatic, cynical, and rather obnoxious heart-to-heart talk during which she told us how homogenous every med student is, how Georgetown is probably not for us, how 15% of students are gunners and she can't change that, etc...just a bunch of end-of-days nonsense that scared us all."
"This is a great school that I'd love to attend, but I was turned off by the huge, throbbing boner they have for their match list. I found this odd when juxtaposed with the cura personalis philosophy and Jesuit tradition of service to the poor and underserved. The COA (~80,000/yr) is absurd and probably pushes a lot of potential generalists into higher paying specialties, but they don't seem particularly interested in changing their specialty percentages. Compared with other schools I've visited, the students and overall atmosphere seemed fairly immature and frathouse-y. But that doesn't mean much since interview days only expose applicants to a tiny subset of the student body and the older students are probably less likely to be hanging out on campus. Unlike a lot of schools, they provide a lot of real, detailed information and plenty of opportunities to ask tough questions of people who actually know the answers. I liked that and definitely sensed the "cura personalis" philosophy more than I expected."
"The interview was extremely casual. I spoke with a 4th year med student who had read my essays but didn't have access to my grades or scores. We had a good conversation, he took some notes to write an interview report and it was just generally friendly."
"I very much got the vibe that Georgetown wasn't anyone's first choice. Most of the students I met were non-trads or Georgetown was the only MD school they had gotten into. Even the Dean of Admissions acknowledged that he knew it wasn't anyone's top choice in the room. The students are nice enough but don't seem particularly happy. The preclinical building adds to the sort of dreary atmosphere - there aren't any windows and your classes are underground in a basement. That being said, the location in DC can't be beat if you're interested in advocacy of any sort, and the Georgetown neighborhood is gorgeous. The students all agree that they are well prepared for boards and 80% of students matched their top choice last year. Ortho seems like a particular favorite, and I heard several people talk about the large number of orthopedic surgery residencies that successfully matched last year. Given a choice, I would probably choose elsewhere, but it may just be that Georgetown isn't the place for me."
"I had heard many negative things about this school before coming, and my hopes weren't high. After visiting however, I really was surprised about how much this school's mission resonated with my own. Hope to hear good news soon!"
"Great school, definitely near the top of my list."
"Georgetown waitlists a huge number of applicants. The admissions staff told us explicitly that if you are waitlisted and do not send letters of interest, you have pretty much no chance of being accepted."
"All in all it was very laidback and not too stressful!"
"Great location, great school. Clear emphasis on the clinical side of medicine indicates that they should include more information about the clinical years from people who have already lived them."
"Overall its a good school, not great for research though"
"I was so excited to be invited to interview there and was severely disappointed with the whole ordeal"
"Relax. This is one of the least stressful interviews you will have."
"Definitely try to stay with a student host"
"I really loved Georgetown and was nervous coming into my interview because i had read some bad posts on SDN. come in with an open mind and decide for yourself."
"great school, great philosophy, low stress and enjoyable interview experience"
"All around solid school--you would get a great education here"
"Take the cura personalis rhetoric with a grain of salt the size of a tractor-trailer. You'd have to be asylum material to pony up the $75K/year GU claims you'd need to live and go there."
"Georgetown failed on their end of the interview."
"I really had high expectations for the school and thought I would absolutely love it since i really believe in their philosophy. However, my interview left me with an odd feeling. He had an attitude that challenged everything I said and did not seem interested in what I had to say about my experiences, which I think are important but he never even read my file beforehand. Also, I'm a little turned off by the school's policy of basically waitlisting everyone post-interview and then you HAVE to write ANOTHER why georgetown essay in order to be seriously considered on the waitlist. "
"Be honest with yourself in determining which school is the best fit for you. You will hear this from Ms. Sullivan, and she has excellent advice. *No coffee there. No continental breakfast or anything either.* Grab your cup o' joe on the way there, or else you're out of luck. "
"Really liked this place. They emphasize attitudes and programs that I think are important. Really hope I get in."
"Everyone at the school takes the notion of cura personalis to heart, and you can tell everyone is dedicated to the ideals of service and helping the less fortunate. This is a school where students aren't just trained to be competent physicians, but spend their times becoming well rounded people, which helps make it a less competitive, cooperative environment. "
"Just relax and enjoy yourselves! They try and make the day as stress-free and casual as possible."
"I wouldn't classify the interview as "laid back," as many do (at least not with my interviewer), but it certainly wasn't as stressful as it could have been. After today Georgetown has jumped significantly on my dream list."
"The interview was open file in that they ONLY had access to your essays and not your stats."
"Solid school. Student's and professors seemed really chilled."
"Great school, would love it here. Just relax and be yourself. "
"Kinda scared about this interview. Although I answered all my questions well, and generally thought I did well (my interviewer told me twice that I did "very good"), the interview was over in 15 minutes. This makes me nervous because I've heard most people say they were in an interview for 30-40 minutes. All around, a very calm interview. Low stress, so just relax."
"Great school. We'll see if 1) I am offered an acceptance and 2) if they offer ANY monetary aid."
"i wanna go hereee"
"GUSOM is a great school if you believe the school's motto: cura personalis. If not, another school will likely be a better fit. Also, I did not get the impression that Georgetown's Catholic affiliation will in any way affect the quality or scope of education."
"Save your money and go to a different school. They are too concerned with their 'ranking' in US news... and if you ask me.. they are ranked too high as it is. Sullivan says they should easily be towards the top... I call her bluff. Please save your money and go somewhere better."
"loved the school's missions, philosophy, honesty and attitude. give this place a try with an open mind. so many people look down on gtown for a number of reasons but i have yet to see a school so open about who they are and what they are about. "
"I don't actually know how long the interviews are scheduled to be because we went over in time since we were just having a conversation"
"Overall, a pretty relaxed day, except for the fact you spend most of the day sitting in a fishbowl in the foyer of the medical center. Kind of awkward."
"Beautiful campus, excellent education philosophy, the Director of Counseling's talk was extremely informative and honest. Georgetown'd be my top choice for sure if I were a resident of DC."
"Cool place."
"Please don't apply here, because this is the place I really want to go! :) Just kidding, but really, I am really hoping I get into this one. I flew home today and I totally miss the place. I can't stop talking about the whole experience with my family. I'm eager for them to see the place too, but I guess we'll have to see which type of envelope I receive in a few weeks. Good luck to everyone in finding the right fit!"
"The only interview I went to where I really had very little positive to say about the school. I was very disappointed at almost every turn. Mostly I couldn't get over the attitude there. The students and faculty really seemed to think they were the greatest, which would be fine if they didn't take every opportunity to let you know it."
"Georgetown is not really known for its medical school nor its science departments; its law school's prestige seems to carry the reputation of the med school, but that seems to be pretty much what the school can offer as of today."
"Georgetown's Admissions officers seemed ridiculously insecure and rude to every interviewee in the room. The person whom we met was looking at the floor the whole time he was talking to us. Mrs. Sullivan seemed quite defensive by the fact that Georgetown's ranking was low on usnews & world report both in research and primary care and that students would select many other schools over Georgetown. She seemed to have memorized a speech about cura personalis (a concept every med school I interviewed at does anyway w/o using a latin-sounding name) and vaguely defended how the school was against abortion but not entirely. The doctor who spoke to everyone during lunch time was trying to tell us that despite the fact that Georgetown University Hospital was sold to MedStar, its location in the nation's capital still attracts many students. Overall, unless you're blindly attracted to the name of this school or have no other acceptances, steer clear from this school."
"bad"
"See "negatively impressed" section below..."
"see above -- georgwtown isn't worth the time and effort"
"Great! Very enthusiasm, young surgeon as my interviewer. She put me at ease, and it was more of a conversation than an interview."
"It was an extremely calm and interesting interview. The interviewer asked me some easy and some sort of tricky questions. He gave me feedback about my responses (which is SO rare in this process) and he gave me totally honest answers to the questions I asked him."
"very impressed by everything except the somewhat homogeneous nature of the students, patients, etc; plus, the other interviewees seemed sort of like carbon copies of each other; overall, however, very positive experience, and if i got in and i could afford it, i would probably go there"
"The school is exactly what I am looking for in a medical education. That being said, it's probably not the best place for everyone, and they admit that. The school is brutally honest about its programs and mission. They don't sugar coat anything or feed you endless propaganda like most schools do. The interview itself was one of the more difficult ones that I have had. Still, my interviewer was friendly and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. Also, the questions were all fair and were nothing that I wasn't prepared for (or you wouldn't be prepared for if you read the previous posts for this school). "
"Really great day overall. Very informative about Georgetown and what they are all about."
"The interview overall was extremely laid back and conversational. My interviewer was very friendly and did not ask many ''tough'' questions. For the most part, he just reviewed my AMCAS and asked about my activities. "
"This whole day was amazing, and Georgetown made the top of my list. Everyone mentions Mrs Sullivan's speech here, and there's a reason. She really clears up a lot of issues, and does her best to find any answers she doesn't know. Everyone in admissions does there best to make you feel welcomed, and the students stop you to ask you how you like it and wish you luck. Very comfortable here. "
"Lots of time in ''the fishbowl,'' listened to Mrs. Sullivan's 1+ hour talk about Georgetown and its mission, 15 minute talk from a dean, tour (before lunch...so painful), financial aid presentation during lunch, back to the fishbowl to wait for the interview, interview with a 4th year medical student"
"Good school, good people. "
"My interview was laid back. Standard questions. no ethical questions. Make sure you know why you want to go to Georgetown. "
"Overall, I think Georgetown is an excellent school and I would love to go there. I was very relaxed throughout the day. The information sessions were actually informative. Mrs. Sullivan really got down to what Georgetown represents and if you are the right candidate for Georgetown."
"The day started at 10 am and ended around 3 or 4, depending on the order. The first five hours were spent listening a few people pontificate on how great Georgetown is, very repetitive. Final 30 minutes is the interview that seems to be standardized from a list of common questions: Why medicine? Why Georgetown? "
"the interview day was organized well. the tour was thorough and the students who led the tour were candid and very helpful. the medical school facilities are more than adequate. If you are interested in a more holistic kind of medical training then this is the place for you."
"The interviewer answered her phone; she was relaxed, but I could tell it was probably her first time interviewing (me too - go figure)"
"i had a student interviewer who kept asking alot of stupid questions. i personally felt that i could've done better with a faculty interviewer. The financial aid mtg. scheduled during the day was unnecessary. Mrs. Sulivan was inspiring and that was a good way to begin the day, but it was sad that some students and even the admission director were clueless about the school. All in all, Georgetown is a good school in an excellent location, if you can afford the price."
"pretty good ... like DC and georgetown would be a good place to study med ... overall good"
"Very pleasant, and my interviewer was very personable. I've lived in D.C. before, so I am well aware of what opportunities exist, and the discussions with staff and faculty were frank and encouraging. I could happily spend the next four years in D.C."
"Very laidback conversation with a faculty member."
"I came in with a positive attitude toward Georgetown, but my opinion changed. The overall attitude of the students that I observed there are very egocentric type A, conceited, and condescending. I'm sure there are those who truly believe in the healing power of medicine rather than to boost their ego. Even though they said there is a sense of camaraderies, I really did not sense it. The overall atmosphere is very cold. That changed my opinion completely. (Even though I had a great interview) :)"
"great experience, very excited to go somewhere where the students are about the people they serve not the MD title"
"My interviewer put me at ease with some softball questions, like where I went to high school and where I live, which I liked. SOon I started telling her about my research and my volunteering experiences. I also got the chance to ask her some questions about the school, which she gave elaborate answers for. Overall, great experience. "
"Aside from Mrs. Sullivan, I was really disappointed by how the interview day was structured. For a great school, they could have made the day much more welcoming, but maybe it's part of a love it-or-hate it strategy, since they do a good job of making it clear that they have a specific identity and they only want students who understand and match it exactly. But I think providing more opportunities to speak with students and not keeping interviewees isolated for most of the day would help package the things that they do have going for them."
"I was interviewed by a 4th year medical student that was going into OB/GYN. She was very friendly and conversational. She told me to relax and be myself. She didn't ask me much about my application, rather she asked about more issue oriented questions such as stem cell research, qualities that physicians must possess, etc. Overall a good experience though."
"overall it was alright. I don't think it wooed me away from these other schools that have already accepted me. "
"I'm not much for posting things-but I truly loved this school. I felt at home here, it wasn't pretentious, I loved every person I met. The curriculum seems rigorous but I know it will prepare you well for your residency. I am very interested with working with the poor and internationally, which is a big focus at this school. Everyone was extremely honest and forthright-I would love to be here for 4 years. I also love that it's on the undergrad campus-you feel a little like you're in college again :-)"
"good school. very friendly, very relaxed interview."
"Overall, the interview wasn't bad, but I still didn't feel like I did good job when I came out."
"I'm surprised there isn't a whole thread devoted to Mrs. Sullivan on here as apparently she is the most indelible part of the interview experience. I was a little taken aback at they way she addressed people and by some of the inappropriate questions she asked, e.g. ''Say something. I want to hear a Chinese speak in a Southern Accent because thats so funny'' and ''You're Catholic aren't you? How many times a week do you pray on your rosary?'' To be fair, Mrs. Sullivan is an engaging speaker and had interesting things to say. I just think that the whole spirit of the day and the school should not ride on one person. How many of these interview feedback respondents haven't mentioned her? I didn't enjoy my interview. My interviewer was a moderately combative and distant. This was probably her interview style- make the person feel uncomfortable to see how he/she responds- but I didn't like it. The tour guides were nice enough even if they had no clue where they were going. And I don't like the SMP program because I think it may detract from the M1 experience and education."
"the person who interviewed me read my file and asked me very vague, general questions. based on other interviews i've had, there are a ton of things she could have asked me but she mainly smiled and nodded, which led to a stilted conversation at points. i felt like i was talking the entire time and that she made little effort to get to know more about me."
"The interview day started with a rousing monologue about Cura Personalis and the Georgetown philosophy by Mrs. Sullivan. In my opinion, it seemed a tad contrived. The financial aid presentation was sobering, as all probably are. The tour was given be a very competent 2nd year student. I was a little disappointed by the facilities - truthfully, they do a lot of liver transplants, but with the large number of hospitals in DC, most tertiary needs are referred on to other hospitals. Consider this as well: Georgetown is somewhat set apart from DC proper, so their patient population is limited, and when students go into DC for rotations, they may compete with Howard and GW students for spots in subspecialties. My interview was completely closed file, and started with ''tell me about yourself'' question. The interview was fine, but like the admissions presentation, I was turned off that my interviewer seemed so intent making sure I knew medical school was going to break me. He also scoffed at my humanities background, and literally said ''medicine isn't philosophy and I don't care what you've accomplished, medical school will be the hardest thing you've ever done.'' I found it pretentious, especially coming from someone who hadn't even read my file. I hate to sound negative, but my interview day made me realize Georgetown isn't for me, which is fine. "
"Overll good expierince. My first interview so I lack a basis of comparison. "
"i had a nice interview day, but i left feeling unenthused about the school. it's just not the right place for me..."
"The day was somewhat long, and was kind of anti-climactic. The day was great, but I felt the interview itself was rather superficial. My interviewer was really nice, but didn't ask that many questions about my activities and such. He asked a few typical questions like why Georgetown, and why medical school, but nothing much deeper than that. I wish the interview had been longer so that we could have talked a bit more."
"I really liked that the school is so upfront about what they are and what they are not. It's an amazing school with an amazing philosophy!"
"I had a wonderful day. I love the Jesuit philosphy and the dedication to service and being advocates for the underserved areas. Mrs. Sullivan is truly an advocate for any student pursuing medicine whether it be at Georgetown or somewhere else."
"The applicants met in the fishbowl area between 9:30 - 10:00 am. After about an hour and a half of introductory briefs (Mrs. Sullivan's included!), we were given a tour of the facilities that was led by one MS2 and two MS1 students (see comments about facilities). All three of the students were very happy with their medical education at Georgetown. In addition to the availability and helpful nature of the faculty, the tour guides cited student camaraderie as reasons for their happiness. After lunch, the Assistant Dean for Financial Aid gave a brief on important points to consider and ways to prepare for the cost of a medical education (not just at Georgetown - he provided information that would be helpful regardless of which school you decide to attend). Finally, the one-on-one interviews were scheduled for either 2:00 pm or 2:45 pm. Some applicants had to walk to another building to meet their interviewer, but most were met by their interviewer in the fishbowl area. While the interviewers have the option of reading information from your AMCAS application (i.e. biographical information, ECs, and personal statement), they may choose to have a closed file interview. While one individual who left feedback complained about a long day, and a lot of walking, this could not be farther from the truth. A day that began at 10:00 am and ended at 3:00 pm is short in comparison to many other schools. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience."
"great, no complaints, stress free, Dean Sullivan is funny"
"As mention above, rather than be prompted to tell the interviewer about myself, I had to initiate it."
"Very pleasant interview with a PhD. Lots of hanging around in the fishbowl. Students seem enthusiastic. LOTS of walking."
"My Georgetown experience was a very positive one, and I enjoyed learning about the school's philosophy and interacting with the students. I love how they emphasize clinical skills and an ethic of service, rather than publishing in "
"GTown is a great place, they really seem to have a well-defined vision and are willing to listen to student suggestions if you are willing to work for the change that you want. The staff has a lot of respect for the institution and knowledge of GTown history. "
"Overall, the experience was very positive. The day was very relaxed, and the interview was conversational. They made it very clear that we can contact them with any sort of question. They seem very applicant oriented."
"It was pretty good, i was def impressed with what i saw."
"My interviewer was a nice person, obviously picked because our research background was similar. We talked about my research and the state of our field. We touched briefly on my family and whether i really want to attend georgetown. "
"Waste of time and money"
"I can't specifically remember the questions, but they were all medical/bioethics questions. And my interviewer GRILLED me. I was completely caught off guard since it was only my second interview at what a prick my student interviewer was. He was stoic, expressionless, and completely impossible to develop any type of connection with. He also was really full of himself, which he should not have been because I was NOT impressed. The phone rang at least 4 or 5 times, which the lady who gave the first talk said if that happened we can reschedule but I did not want to dish out another $400 to fly from Cali to D.C."
"I came into the interview day with a pretty open mind -- I knew the school was Catholic, but Georgetown has a reputation for being the "Un-Catholic" Catholic school. I thought it was interesting how much of their informational presentation centered around their Catholicism (and mostly around assuaging the worries of Non-Catholics). They also came across as very sensitive to what people have written here on this site. I think they mentioned it 4 times, and were very quick to point out the inaccuracies of people's comments. I felt this was unecessary (I don't think the school should feel the need to defend itself against someone who comes to interview at a Catholic school and then complains about the presence of crosses on the wall), and overly reactionary. Also, as a Catholic, I felt that the school was overly eager to cater to and make non-Catholics welcome, to the point of making me feel apprehensive about how I, a Catholic, would be received. They spoke at length about all of the opportunities for peoples of other faiths -- prayer services for Muslims and Jews, fellowship groups for Protestants -- and then just stopped. They didn't say a thing about the opportunities for Catholics (maybe those are supposed to be obvious, but it seemed really odd). I'm not saying that other faiths shouldn't be welcome at Georgetown, just that they shifted so far to the other extreme in their presentation that they actually made me feel less welcome as a Catholic. I also felt like they were continually apologetic for their Catholic principles, providing excuses, disclaimers, and loopholes for their policies on Abortion/Euthanasia/Stem-cell research. On a last note, I feel the need to discuss the specific comments about this website. Specifically, I felt like Mrs. Sullivan's challenge (to sign my name on this feedback) was out of line. Whether Georgetown likes it or not (and I suspect they'd like it a lot more if people didn't keep saying negative things about them), this site provides a valuable and widely-used resource to applicants, and anonymity is an important part of people's ability to write honestly. On this site I've tried to be fair, but haven't been blindly positive, in all of my feedback -- if I was signing my name on every posting I'd be concerned that I would jeopardize my chances of admission based on the slightest of negative comments. I also think it interesting that Georgetown claims to so highly value the opinions of its students, yet they shrink from any criticism on this forum. Rather than defend themselves rabidly against any and all criticism, they should simply ignore the unmerited criticisms (the aforementioned complaint about crosses) and take to heart the merited ones. While anonymous forums are not a completely reliable indicator, the fact that nearly every other post on this site is negative suggests that Georgetown's interview day needs improvement. While I'm not going to sign my name here, as a compromise to Mrs. Sullivan (who, aside from her complaints about this site, I very much liked), I will post a link to this feedback on my (easily identifiable) MDapplicants profile at the conclusion of the application season. I don't feel comfortable posting my name on this open forum, but if the people at Georgetown would like to know who I am, they will be able to find that information out in the near future with a little bit of digging. I also hope that those at Georgetown who read this site recognize that my relatively negative feedback here does not indicate a lack of interest in the school -- I am maintaining an active application and can separate my negative feelings about how the interview was handled from all the positive things I have read/heard/seen about the school."
"Great experience. I wish it had been my first interview so I would have had this new point of view earlier."
"The actual interview was very relaxed! My interviewer was soooo nice and made me feel so comfortable. The questions weren't hard and it was a very conversational interview, which I liked a lot."
"Overall, i didn't like georgetown. the impressions of the school were very mixed that day (from the lack of interaction with students to the poor planning of time by the admissions committee). also, they stressed in the morning how much they value feedback from the students on cirriculum, student life, grading, testing, etc. but at the end of the day i asked them if they had a feedback form to interviewees to fill out and they said no and looked at me like i was crazy. i know i am not a student, but in all the visits i have had with med schools this was the only one that didn't ask for my feedback and was the one school that needed it the most. Also, our lack of interaction with students and faculty at the school sends the message that they don't enjoy life at georgetown enough to want to sell the school to perspective students. that makes me want to get my medical education at an institution that people are excited about--not georgetown."
"The experience was a positive one in that everyone was nice, open and inviting. However, I discovered a lot of drawbacks to Georgetown that I was not aware of before (see negative impressions section of feedback)."
"Overal, the interview was short and to the point, but not stressful at all. "
"My interviewer was very friendly. We had a nice conversation about my activities, work and school activities. There were no terribly difficult questions."
"I was excited to visit Georgetown because of its location, its curriculum, and its good reputation. At the beginning of the day, Mrs. Sullivan from admissions gives a very informative and inspiring presentation about the school and its mission. She made sure to emphasize the fact that Georgetown is looking for students that area good fit. After meeting several students, including our tour-guides, I discovered that GU does a great job of picking a certain type of student. Yes, everyone I met was embarassingly immature, completely un-intellectual, and was more conceited than anyone I have met at any other school. Cura Personalis?? I got the impression that the students flushed this idea right down the toilet the second they got their acceptance letters and bought their Georgetown Medicine car window decals. All in all, Georgetown may be a good school with some noble goals for medical education, but the students representing the school really ruined it for me. If you interview, please be pro-active and try to meet as many students as possible. If not, you'll be shielded from the majority of them, and I now know that admissions has good reason to do that. Thanks but no thanks, Georgetown. "
"The day itself was very informative. Those who spoke to us were very straightforward and organized. I entered skeptical but found myself very impressed by Georgetown. I wish this had been my first interview since it was so informative and not very stressful."
"Paradoxical school: great tradition and curriculum, but awful financials, which means it's a rich-kids school."
"Its a great experience. Low key, not stressful, conversational for almost the whole day, including interviews. Information session by Mrs. Sullivan is great in putting Georgetown into perspective. (And for Mrs. Sullivan: if you haven't figured it out by now, its Suchit. My first interview review post, inspired by Georgetown)"
"Mrs. Sullivan sells the school well. She answers all your questoins before you even ask them. She and her staff should be good contacts in the future, if i don't get in the first time for example."
"I was late because the Georgetown shuttle was running way behind, and I ended up taking a cab which took a long time to arrive and was more expensive than I'd expected. The fishbowl wasn't as weird as SDN makes it sound and the presentations before lunch were great. The school obviously has greater dedication to explicit clinical education than most other schools, but I'm not sure that all the hand-holding through your clinical learning is necessary. I wasn't impressed by the students particularly: they seemed nice but not really that excited to be there. Also there's very limited interaction with students during the day. The facilities were very nice. It sounded like it was fairly easy to find housing in the area but that it is a pain not to have a car and a pain to pay for one in the city, and overall really expensive to live in Georgetown. I was very thrown off by having my first closed-file interview, since I spent most of the interview telling basic information about me instead of sharing more in-depth interpretations of what those experiences meant."
"fell in love with georgetown all over again..but this time i knew what i was getting myself into"
"It was one of my shortest interviews, but also the most pointed. It was a little awkward because I had to wait for 5-10 minutes, occupying myself by looking at wall decorations and family pictures, while my interviewer read my AMCAS file. He seemed a little brusque at first, but as the interview continued, he became more engaging. Ended on a great note. "
"In 2 words: LAID BACK. The whole process is made transparent: I believe that their interview info sheet says that the interview is to test non-cognative skills, ie how you interact on a personal level and who you are. That's honestly all they do. "
"The day starts at 10. First there is an introduction to the school by Ms. Sullivan (who is awesome by the way!)She does a very good job of laying down the facts about Georgetown, she also does a very good job of selling the school in a subtle way. Not that she really needs to, it is an amazing institution. This lasts about an hour, then there is a financial aid presentation that lasts 30 min. There isn't anything new if you've had one before. After that there is a tour given by first years. The facilities at the school are good, but nothing that stands out compared to the other schools I have been to. What really sells the school to me is they way they teach medicine there and the philosophy that they use. After the tour there is lunch with the dean. (Catered sandwhiches) Then the interview. I interviewed with a 4th year. He was way cool, and was interested in getting to know me as person. I guess there are 4 or 5 questions that all of the interviewers are supposed to ask, but he said to me that we'll get those out of the way first so that we could talk about real life which I thought was really cool. We hit it off really well, and the rest was very conversational, and he told me what his experience was like at Georgetown."
"Georgetown was my first interview, and I was more nervous than the rest of the pack. However, my nervousness subsided after Mrs. Sullivan's presentation, talking to the other intervewees, the Dean's presentation, and the tour. The atmosphere for the interview is not intense, but formality still should be a priority."
"kind of a strange day. probably the most intense interview i've had so far. i've never had to listen to so many different people talk about the same stuff at an interview either. lunch was good. "
"some people have a great time at GT. I just didn't buy the message they were trying to sell. i tried. i just couldn't believe it. "
"Very pleasant day with informative meetings and a relaxed interview. Going into the interview I knew GT was my #1 choice for medical school and the experience only solidified that belief"
"Tour was very well organized and helpful. Lunch was sufficient. Day was spread out, but definitely better than being too rushed or short. Definitely good to have a second year student as one of the three tour guides. Wish could have interacted with third and fourth years."
"I felt removed from the students in a way that I did not at any other interviews I've had thus far. We were only exposed to 4, and 3 of them were our tourguides, and were a bit stressed out/disorganized. They were all first-years, thus they had only been at Georgetown for a few months and were probably a bit overwhelmed. The talk in the morning was inspiring. I also enjoyed talking with the Dean over lunch although it's never ideal to be scarfing down lunch while the other person just talks to you and is not eating. The curricular overhauls sound well-thought out and will make for an amazing program. Opportunities abound. I waited over an hour and a half to have my one interview. Although it's less stressful to only have 1 interview, I also feel that you have a better chance of clicking with someone if you have two chances. The interview was not too stressful, pretty conversational. "
"Felt really relaxed and conversational- no need to be stressed about it. My interviewer read my file right before I was asked in. She was really personable and put me at ease. It was clear that there were a set of questions that she was supposed to ask, but she also spent time reviewing my application and asking a lot about my past."
"It was a good interview. It was very conversational and I was well prepared."
"The interview was pretty relaxed, although I wish it would have lasted a little longer. "
"typical questions, done by a 4th year student who seemed like she was new to the interviewing thing so the questions were the usual . also she was super nice and seemed to really enjoy georgetown. overall it was relaxed and an enjoyable experience as far as interviews go."
"My interview was conversational and relaxed. Ms. Sullivan was engaging and straightforward, and the tourguides were all very enthusiastic about their school. Overall, I was very impressed with my visit and I'd love to go there."
"My interview was very relaxed and conversational. No really stressful questions. He looked over my file (just extracurriculars and personal statement) before asking me questions. The hardest part of the interview was finding the building it was in. I asked some students on campus if they could point me in the right direction and they had no idea where the building was. "
"A nice, relaxed interview with some thought-provoking questions. He made me feel very much at ease and did not rush me at all."
"The day was very low stress overall. Some waiting in the "fish bowl", especially if you have the later afternoon interview. Wonderful school with a different, but good curriculum for students. Best of luck to everyone!"
"Georgetown was pretty much at the top of my list before I went to the interview, now I dont even want to go on any other interviews, I just want to be at Georgetown!"
"Wonderful. I do wish we would have been able to talk with some 3rd and 4th year students."
"It was really a great expereience and I think it moved them to, or close to, the top of my list."
"I had a great time interviewing at Georgetown and really hope to go there for school!"
"Good experience, nice staff and faculty"
"I may be biased because this has been my first choice school all during the process. The students all had great things to say about the school and were able to answer all of our questions. My interview was one-on-one, closed file, with a doctor who graduated from Georgetwon and now works at an affiliated hospital. It was nice to have the opportunity to ask her questions about the school. Make sure that you leave some time to explore DC. "
"Overall, it was a good day. Everyone (students, deans, people in the Admissions Office, and the other interviewees) was really nice and friendly so it took a lot of the stress out of it. The interview was last so we had time to learn a lot about the school and talk with different people before the interview even took place. The students seemed to really like Georgetown and they all had good things to say about it."
"Very friendly, conversational. She seemed really interested in my life so far and experiences. It was fun."
"I was interviewed by a young foreign doctor. The interview was entirely conversational and easygoing-in fact I forgot I was in an interview. My interviewer took far more time than he had to in answering my questions and explaining the unique factors of Georgetown. I liked that he was concerned in finding out whether or not the school was a good fit for me, rather than a general inquisition on my activities, grades, etc. "
"I came away feeling incredible about the school, the students, and the faculty. What a wonderful, wonderful place. The facilities are somewhat older, nevertheless, they still have a certain appeal to them. I love the Jesuit aspect of the school, the program is engaging and seemed well fit to the environs of DC (e.g., health advocacy opportunities, some on capitol hill as I understood). Don't let the rankings sway you. Although G-Town is ranked "very high," some people may choose a higher ranked school, solely on this factor alone. Georgetown has incredible residency placements, and rankings are based on many factors that do not translate to the quality of the medical school experience. "
"Everyone was so friendly and made sure we felt welcome. The interview coordinator, Georgie was incredibly nice. I did not like having to wait for 45 minutes to be called for an interview. My interviewer was awesome though. When you go to your interview you have an envelope with some of your app in it for the interviewer to read, but mine said he preferred not to. This was interesting as he just got to know me, rather than having preconceptions about me. Overall it was a great interview experience, and made me decide to go there! Yay Gtown Class of 2009!"
"I've been on about 8 other interviews and I think that this was the fairest and most appropriate one. My interviewer was very pleasant and I felt very comfortable. During the interview, she really gave me every opportunity to elaborate on my answers and I felt that I really had the chance to portray myself and my potential as a physician. The schools is in a great area and students coming out of GUSOM are incredibly successful in all fields. GU has a really great approach to teaching medicine and I wholely agree with their train of thought that it's important for med students to experience all realms of medicine. The students may face a very strenuous 4 years, but it's obviously a benefit in the long run."
"Kind of awkward b/c they assign you an interviewer on the spot and take you out of the isolation chamber waiting area one at a time. My interview was with a Ph.D. I was unfortunately misinformed by the interview coordinator who gave me the impression that my interviewer was an MD by saying that she was in family medicine so there was a slight moment of awkwardness while my interviewer explained that she is not an MD. It was also a little weird at first when I had to sit and watch her for five minutes while she read my file (which you are given to take to your interviewer), but afterwards it was fine. She had to fill out a sheet, which she did while I talked, and then she put it back in my file, which I then had to return to the admissions office myself. "
"somewhat intimidating and not very comfortable"
"The woman who interviewed me was a fourth year medical student. The interview was very conversational. She showed interest in understanding my motivations and talents and tried to give me insight on whether Georgetown is right for me."
"I don't know about other schools, but I was at Georgetown from about 9:30 a.m. till 3 p.m. The interview was last and before that we had talks from financial aid, the admissions counselor, and a dean who helps design the curriculum. I didn't feel nervous until right before the interview. My fellow interviewees were all very nice and likable. They were a pretty diverse group. I've seen a lot of complaints on this website, about student tour guides in particular, but I liked ours. I felt that they were honest but definitely positive and that they are enjoying their experience at Georgetown. The faculty was great overall. My interviewer was very nice and comforting, but the interview was short (maybe even under 30 min., I didn't look at the time right as I went in) and I felt like I had more to say to persuade him that I was a good candidate. I really wished he'd asked more questions, and even some more difficult ones, like about medical ethics. But despite that, I still felt that I did well and made a good impression. He was probably just tired and couldn't think of much to ask."
"The interview itself went badly. My interviewer refused to let me talk. He got even more antagonistic when he asked me if I applied to Johns Hopkins (which is answered yes) and he further berated me. The admissions talk is overly dramatic and phony; they sounded like a bunch of used car salesman."
"I loved it! My interviewer was from my state and his wife happened to have graduated from my undergrad institution so we immediately bonded. It's always more calming when the interview is more conversational than you just speaking. Georgetown has definitely been put in a positive light after this experience. Apparently they accept 15 out 100 applicants (minimum). I'm just crossing my fingers."
"This experience was a lot more relaxed than I had envisioned. I learned a lot about the school and the students and I really hope to go to this school."
"The day, as many have said, was a bit long. By the time my interview started, I was a little tired and had the beginnings of a migraine. All of the talks were very informative and helpful - I would have preferred, however, that we had had our interview in between one of the talks. After Ms. Sullivan spoke, we were taken by MS1s and 2s first for lunch (yummy) and then on a tour of...well...I'm not sure of what. We saw some of the medical school building...and a floor in the hospital...and other buildings were pointed out - but we never went there. We did see the MS1 classroom (very nice) and some new facilities for patient-based clinical correlative exercises (also very nice), and the student lounge (nice), but that was it. Then we went back to the fishbowl (which, btw, looks nothing like a fishbowl and was really, really hot) and just hung out until our next talk. After that, we were plucked up for interviews one-by-one. Very long day. But I do feel like I know a heck of a lot about Georgetown now."
"This nice older man, who used to be the Dean for all of Georgetown, comes to get me, and we sit and chat for a while. No stress at all. He was just trying to find out who I am and what I'm about. He finished the interview telling me to tell my parents that they did a good job raising me, and that I'd be a good fit for Georgetown. "
"Ms. Sullivan is a character. She reminded me of "Granny" from the Beverly Hillbillies in her stature and energy and enthusiasm. She gave the best "you want to be here" speech I've ever heard. I want to go to this school partly just to get to know her better. (Seriously, shes that cool, and I'm not saying that just 'cause she reads these posts) Very friendly staff and students. Jesuit tradition = we give you ALL the knowledge, and trust that you will do good with it. You learn how to do anything you would do at any other M.D. program in the USA. Interview was smooth. Even though the questions I got were scary ethical things, I felt like there were'nt any wrong answers. "
"The admissions woman who intro'd the school and process was horrible. She had the biggest chip on her shoulder about Georgetown not being ranked as well as it should supposedly be. "
"The day was long, the presentations were boring, and the interview was terrible."
"The presentations in the morning were excellent. I really feel that this is the school for me. They have a strong focus on adressing the whole needs of a patient and doing community work/helping underserved populations. Also, GU provides early clinical experience to help get students ready for USMLE Step 2. The actual interview went so so...I felt like the interviewer and I were never really on the same page. They were very blunt and didnt let me answer most of my questions fully. At some points I even thought they were really interested in my answers. "
"Very low-stress interview with someone who had been with the school for years. I think he formed his opinion of me from my file, before ever seeing me. Luckily, I think it was positive. We just talked for a little while and he gave me his eval to give back to the office. Felt a little awkward because I would say something and then there would be a pause while he came up with a new question. It wasn't as conversational as I would have liked, but it gave me time to collect myself. I had a really pleasant time."
"I really like the school. I enjoyed Dean Sullivan's talk about the school, and really like my interviewer. I think the staff and administration are really dedicated to their students and pushing their students to see medicine as a service rather than just a job. Unfortunately, I don't think this attitude has been taken up by the students."
"After visiting Georgetown, I realized it wasn't the school for me. If you are interviewing here, be prepared for a REALLY long day. All the interviews are conducted at the end of the day, so be sure to gather yourself. I was so drained at the end of the day, after several informative albeit boring presentations, that my interview did not go as well as I had hoped."
"I went to Georgetown with very high hopes, expecting to love it and want to go there. Nothing that I saw negatively impressed me, but I don't feel as though I got a good feel for what the school is really about. Mrs. Sullivan gives a very thorough talk about what Georgetown is not and why its not for everyone. I liked everything she said and feel that Georgetown's curriculum is definitely for me. But we had very limited student interaction and not a great tour, so it was very hard to gauge whether I would truly be happy living at Georgetown for four years of my life. I can't say I wouldn't like it, but I can't say I would either. I feel like I need to go back again to really get a feel for the school. It was frustrating. "
"I really loved the whole mission of GT and the staff there also, I also like how they emphasize that GT may or may not be your school - it shows their complete dedication towards their mission"
"The day seemed long and exhausting, but I left with a good overall feeling about the school. "
"Overall, I really enjoyed my interview. A 4th year med student interviewed me and his questions were the most intriguing out of all my interviews so far. The beginning of the morning was a bit draining because you sit in a room for several hours while different people come in and repeat the same thing about Georgetown. "
"When Dr. Sullivan says, "We're not better, not worse, just different," notice that she almost always goes on to say something negative about another school. It bothered me that she acted so fair, as if this whole spiel was just to help us, not to persuade us that Georgetown was the right school for us, when actually it was. Especially since, while most schools do not call it cura personalis, they all believe in holistic care. I don't think Georgetown is light years ahead of everyone else just because they have a phrase for it. Also, make sure you know that they have a forced bell curve on their grading system, meaning that some students must fail every exam. The atmosphere is also much more competitive than they let on. Please, when you're listening to her speech, keep this in mind, almost everything she said was unique to Georgetown isn't. Almost every school I've interviewed at has all of the advantages that Georgetown has, plus more."
"a good fit for me, my top choice...the people care about you and the students seem compatable with me."
"Overall good, enjoyed the whole day"
"financial aid presentation, mrs. sullivan presents the curriculum, dr. o'toole presented the school, students give the tour and lunch and then you interview. "
"GT is an amazing place...I don't hink it's for me, though. Not very minority-oriented."
"It is probably a great school, just not for me. They talk at you ALL day. Its hard to appear perky and interested at the end of 2 hours of talk..."
"The most aggressive and negative interview experience of my life. Very antagonistic. Basically the interview was an argument with every stand I made challenged. I would not have written of it but have seen recent interviews go similarly and was comforted by them. It happened to me so if it happens to you do not be surprised!"
"I was very excited about Georgetown, up untill the interview. I felt completely let down by the experience, and i really did not gel with my interviewer. It was a long day, and was only helpful in showing me what a bad interview experience was."
"it was pretty bad overall. the orientation took forever. also, i feel like i'm the only one who had a difficult interview. i was given the last out of 11 interview times, so i got to see 4 or 5 people come back from their interviews, and they all were really positive...except for me."
"It was my 1st interview and the best one I had. I did not know anything about GT except that it was $$$, but after the interview I fell in love with ths school. Students are extremely happy, and everybody is so open. They do teach alternative medicine (that seems to be very non-traditional). Interviewer was very laid back and funny. He did not ask too many questions and was very supportive."
"Very Good experience, I was paired with a very nice Pediatrician who immediately put me at ease. The interview was more conversational."
"While I think that the stated goal of Georgetown is wonderful in that they aim to treat the whole person and foster volunteerism, what I saw in the student body were individuals there to study, without deep passion and commitment to service. Could be a great (albeit expensive) place for an education but don't go there if you're looking to surround yourself with interesting, passionate students. "
"After I stressful morning (see above) I really enjoyed the talk Mrs. Sullivan gave abour Georgetown. The tour guides were first years and not that impressive, in my opinion. I had a tough, but good interview."
"Definitely a safety school"
"My interviewer read over my file for a few minutes before calling me in to talk with him. He was friendly and started off the interview with a comment about UT football (because UT just beat his favorite team Georgia the week before) and some other questions about where I was from. This really loosened me up and put me at ease. He then told me what he thought G'town had to offer me. From there he asked me about my motivation for entering medicine, and things progressed from there. Very conversational and laid-back."
"georgetown has a beautiful campus and students who seem very happy there. i really enjoyed my visit and would love to attend."
"Overall, I was very impressed with the school and it's moved up in my personal rankings."
"Everyone was extremely friendly and upfront about the Georgetown experience. What Georgetown is and is not is laid out clearly for you throughout the day by Mrs. Sullivan, Georgie, and the Assistant Dean, which makes it very easy to distinguish Georgetown from other schools. The tour was also much more thorough than others I have attended, though a couple of the students may have been a bit more enthusiastic."
"Overall, very low-stress, though I felt like I was on edge a bit during the morning (actual interview is in the afternoon). This is quite possibly the friendliest place I've visited so far!"
"Like I said, my interview was supposed to last 30-40 minutes, but I was in there for an hour and 20 mins. It was great! We really clicked. Plus, no ethical questions, which was cool "
"I fortunately had a good inerviewer. He asked me things about myself, what high school I went to (I actually went to a jesuit school in DC, so we talked about that for a little while), how I chose my undergrad, and what I do for fun. The interview was so chill. I had a really good time. "
"You can either be interviewed by a 4th year med student, a professor, or a physician. I was interviewed by Dr. Vicinni of physiology. All the interviewers I met were extremely nice and Dr. Vicinni was no exception. The interview was really straight forward asking me about my experiences and what I thought were major problems in healthcare. Afterwards he told me that he thought I was an "exceptional candidate" so I can't really complain about him :)."
"The 12 other interviewees who I got put with talked about how GT was a good "back up school" for someone. Maybe I agree; I would only have gone there had I not gotten into any other schools. The interviews are cold and unfriendly. "
"I was interviewing for a postbacc program called the GEMS program. It is geared towards improving your academic record so that you can become a more compettitive applicant. So obviosly any applicant to this program would not have the best grades and scores. I am sure that my file was somewhat decent considering the fact that I was accepted to two medical schools after this interview. But the dean of the program seemed to hate me off the bat. She was dry and terse with all of her responses and found a problem with every single one of my answers. She smirked to herself while I was responding and frequently cut me off. Two other students that interviewed with her that same day also experienced her rudeness."
"interviewer was very impersonal, almost rude. before the interviews, an admissions officer informs you who your interviewer is, what type of interviewer they are, etc. she told me that my interviewer was "very nice" which i took to be a bad thing since that's all she could find to say about this person. anyway the interviewer was not very nice at all. when she asked me if i had any questions, of course i had several but i gave up after 2 because all she could give me were one-word answers and awkward stares. overall she made it very uncomfortable and almost impossible to say anything intelligible. i had really been looking forward to my visit, but in the end, i was disappointed that i had taken off a day of work to be there."
"Interview day was very relaxed, although the other applicants were either the most nervous or uptight I've ever seen."
"i had a wonderful time at g-town and in DC. The school is excellent and although the interview day was long, it was super informative and overall I was very impressed."
"I love this place, but like any school, the shoe has to fit!"
"Had a much greater depth in the messege of what it truly means to be a doctor than the 5 other schools that I have interviewed at (even though the other schools were 'ranked' higher). I have many of the valuse that were brought up (not necessarily religious), and I know that I will practive them elsewhere. Patient-Oriented-Problem-Solving (POPS) seems to be just another variation of PBL...which they also have."
"Excellent school -- would recommend it to students who want to work very hard as there's lots of extra, rigorous training"
"I came to Georgetown expecting to hate the school, but I ended up loving it. I was concerned about the influence of the Catholic Church, but Mrs. Sullivan's talk erased my doubts. The school isn't for everyone though, there is one-to-one learning, not that much diversity, and the school is expensive. But everyone was really helpful, new facilities are being built, and lectures seem to be optional. I felt like my interviewer was trying to be tough, but by the end he was really nice and encouraging. "
"I was surprised at how fond I became of the school. The sentiment that you either love it or hate it has been repeated several times here -- perhaps that's a consequence of the school appearing to have such a defined character (cura personalis, intense clinical training, Jesuit history, etc.). I appreciated that they went over the curriculum in detail, esp. the third year (which is hardcore). The interview itself, with an M4, was very pleasant and conversational; other than those I've posted here, I can't recall any blatant Interview Questions. We discussed the state of the current health care system as well as outside interests. At the end of the day, I was happy I visited."
"Georgetown is an excellent school that trains excellent clinicians. "
"I had a great day at Georgetown and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the school and its cura personalis philosophy. D.C. would be an amazing place to live for the next four years."
"I wish they wouldn't spend so much time harping on how you should find another place. Mrs. Sullivan was interesting...I guess the reason she inspires such a love/hate response is that she's not your mainstream motivational speaker. I think she made a lot of valid points and tried to give a clear view of what georgetown is and is not. The interviews were very laid-back, which was nice. all conversational, but kind of weird that they are "closed file" until you get there and then you hand them some info from your app. some people spent the first few minutes of the interview reading up on the interviewee, with the candidate just sitting there...this seems disorganized and odd. overall not a bad experience. DC is great, but expensive. The quality of the education is good and they seem to be working to deal with financial issues. just wish they would stop trying so hard to scare everyone away (especially those who agree with their vision and like their educational philosophy)!"
"I loved this school. Mrs. Sullivan was extremely informative and was good at giving an unbiased look at the school."
"my interviewer was really nice, he didn't ask me if i had any questions which was great because i was all questioned out. "
"There was a small group of nine other interviewees. The day went like this: welcome speech, lengthy speech on Georgetown -- its strengths/weeknesses, curriculum, mission--, financial aid, lunch and tour with students, speech with the Associate Dean of Admissions, and then interviews."
"Beautiful campus, well-organized day as a whole. The experience was much less stressful than I expected. The interview was very conversational. "
"Georgetown is a good school in a great area but fails to distinguish itself from the private school heap. Could have been any school."
"very informative, encouraged introspection more than analyzing the school"
"You get there in the morning and sit in the "Fish Bowl." (God only knows why they call it that--it has no more windows than a regular room!) Mrs. Sullivan talks for a looooong time. Remember: Dont fall asleep, theya re paying attention! Tour and lunch are brief, then its time for the dean to talk. After that, you get called out for your interview. At this point you either luck out or you dont. I got a 4th year, so I feel like I lucked out. Some will get the dean and other will get doctors....its a real crap shoot I guess, so good luck."
"Georgetown is wonderful - but not for everyone. If you like the idea of what a catholic school mentality can offer you in terms of support and challenge then you'll love it."
"Georgetown U has an great curriculum, begining with an awesome philosophy that truly forms the foundation of all that the school does. Furthermore, the intense and early clinical exposure appears to be excellent preparation for residency. I love the school for these reasons, but I am very *distracted* by extremely poor facilities. Additionally, if I understood correctly, the hospital had to be leased out to a private company last year. That may be indicative of a money problem. Lastly, while the neighborhood of Georgetown is very, very chic, nice, and apparently cool, the traffic leaves something to be desired (but hey-- thats probably true for any city)"
"My interviewer was kind of confrontational. He asked me about Universal Health care and whether or not it would work in the US and what the US should do about the health care problems. I did a little dancing, but he kept on this subject for a while. He proceeded to ask basic questions regarding my application. He was a nice guy but it seemed like he was looking for something specific and specific answers during the interview."
"You meet in this room called the fish bowl (you'll see why). The very nice staff talks to you about how you should consider if Georgetown is the school for you and not worry about doing well at the interview. Next, you get a financial aid talk which is pretty intimidating since the cost of living and tuition is high. You also get a long talk about the philosophy of the school which should give you a good idea of if Georgetown is a match for you or not. The tour and lunch with students is informative and you do get to see some of the hospital and the anatomy lab. The interview is pretty low key, mine was with a fourth year student who was very nice."
"Nice school, nice area, good clinical opportunities, don't go if you want a top notch research school, but they really do have genuine and caring faculty and staff"
"It was a positive experience, I liked the school and I really appreciated both the honesty and how informative the admissions staff presentations are, not only about Georgetown, but regarding medical schools in general. If I were in a different position, I would probably be considering it a great deal, but since I have already been accepted to a school higher on my list, I think the quality of the facilities etc are going to be the deciding factor for me if accepted at Georgetown."
"The day starts at 10AM, which is nice. You get an interesting overview from the interview coordinator and the admissions counselor - they are pretty intense, but they are truthful and up front with every aspect of the school. They specifically addressed what attending a Jesuit university means to you (important to me since I'm not a very religious person). Yes, they name drop, and it's a little out of place, but I appreciated that they took the time to learn my name. It made me feel like I wasn't wasting my time and money visiting the school. They will tell you the 8 questions the interviewer asks you before you go to interview, which helps alleviate any nervousness. My interviewer was completely friendly and welcoming. The students seem fun, happy, and unstressed. The facilities are fine - not extraordinary, but not awful either. The neighborhood is fantastic. Overall I would love to go to this school."
"I feel like Georgetown, more than any other school I've been to so far, is either right for you or it's not. For me it wasn't right...and they must have sensed it too, as I got waitlisted there."
"I was excited about my visit here, but was very disappointed by the fancy, formal introduction that was not backed up by good facilities or enthusiastic students and faculty. I couldn't fathom paying so much for such an average school."
"I absolutely loved it, but others applicants in my group did not. By the end of the day, you should know if you're a good fit, or if you'd be happier elsewhere."
"My interviewer was unbelievably friendly and enthusiastic, and was excited to hear what I had to say rather than critical. Good stuff."
"great experience. they're very open minded and they go out of their way to make you into a well-rounded, solid physician. excellent clinical...very hard core, but that's what i'm looking for."
"Calm, relaxed."
"I must say, the admissions staff do everything they can do weed out those applicants "on the picket fence." They are proud of their unique tradition in medical education and only want students that believe in them to study there. Listen to Sylvia's speech---she is brutally honest and very thorough. I do not think it is the school for me, but i apprecate the the staff offering me the wisdom to approach this process at other schools."
"Interestingly and contrary to what I was told beforehand, my interview was open file. My interviewer was a very nice clinician and our interview felt more like a casual conversation than a formalized interview. (which I personally appreciated) It couldn't hurt to brush up on your clinical ethics a bit either."
"Extremely positive. There were a total of five interviews, with plenty of time to talk with students in between. Everybody from the office manager to the financial aid representative was extremely informative and extremely well-spoken. The MD/PhD interviews were relaxed, with the interviewers talking as much about their research as I was talking about mine. As a Christian, I find myself increasingly drawn to this school--they appear to be grounded in the Jesuit tradition and I see this as a strength, especially in light of the kind of education I am hoping for. Finally, they are extremely kind to applicants, and they allow you to feel like an active participant in the process. They want you to know that you have power in the process, even encouraging applicants to write letters of appeal if they are rejected. I will attempt to relate the most important interview questions at the bottom of this evaluation."
"The staff at Georgetown really got me thinking about what I want out of a medical school. Although I was impressed by what I saw while I was there, I am no longer sure that Georgetown is the right place for me. If you are visiting, expect a fair an impartial presentation of the school. "
"Overall a great and extremely useful experience. The school is great in research, ethics, and forming well rounded physicians "
"Of the 5 schools at which I've interviewed so far (2 of which rank significantly higher than Georgetown), I was most impressed by Georgetown. I just got that gut feeling from the school that I'd be really happy here. The area's gorgeous and the curriculum tries its best to cater to student's needs. "
"Definitely think about if Georgetown's the right match for you. It seems that most of the school's diversity came from their GEMS program. "
"This was the best place yet. The admissions staff are the nicest people ever. They truly go out of their way to make you feel at home. They are great. The school is awesome too. The curriculum is good, and the 3rd and 4th years are a great learning experience. The area is great. The environment seems very importants and the students seem cool too."
"I enjoyed the interveiw, although I was a bit disappointed in the facilities. The admissions people were friendly, but they are really putting the ball in your court: does the mission of Georgetown fit yours, and if so, you should come. If not, don't bother. :)"
"As I mentioned before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I found the school to be a pleasant surprise, even during the dreariest of days. The classrooms aren't of the highest caliber, but opportunities for clinical education are enormous. My interview, which was the last part of the day at GU, was very pleasant. Having reviewed some of the reviews on SDN, I expected some tough ethical questions, but I didn't get any of those. It was a very laid-back, collegial interview - I wasn't stressed at all. More importantly, I felt that the interviewer was interested in me and my experiences. It was a pleasant experience overall."
"Great interviewer. Really cool guy who seemed to love Georgetown. It was very conversational and pretty much all the questions stemmed from specific details in my file."
"My interview was relaxed and there were no difficult questions asked. My interviewer followed a form she had and had reviewed my application already. Overall it was a pleasant experience. The staff really make an effort to peronalize the experience (ie, by knowing everyone's name, etc). "
"I almost didn't go to this interview, but I am really glad that I did. I loved the school and the area. The ONLY thing that would prevent me from going here if I got accepted would be the cost. Putting that aside, this could possibly be my top choice."
"Great experience! It was more of a conversation than an interview. I was asked a few of the standard questions, though surprisingly, none about healthcare or ethics. "
"Overall, it was a great experience, and I learned a great deal about Georgetown's unique med school program"
"You get a quick introduction by Georgine, then Ms. Sullivan gives you a one hour speech about the school and it's philosophy. Financial aid then comes to tell you how expensive Gtown is and how much debt you'll be in when you graduate. Student tour after that, a Dean then speaks to you about the whole MedStar/Gtown deal while you eat lunch and then it's interview time. The interviews began between 2-3 for everyone. The last person left around 4."
"I got a really good feel for Georgetown on my interview day. The people were straightforward (which I appreciated) and the other interviewees (10) were really cool. Disappointingly, the facilities did not impress me, which was a let-down because I hoped it'd be a strong contender. The students seemed moderately happy, but the administrators and my interviewer definitely had it all together. My interviewer was SO funny, he was such a riot!"
"The interviewer was very nice and it was conversational. Good questions but more on "who are you" than stuff off your application. "
"Georgetown was a wonderful place but, as they told us upfront, it might not be for everyone. If you don't want to do community volunteering or thoroughly explore religious and ethical tenets in medicine, this won't be your cup of tea. The interview was EXTREMELY relaxed - it was definitely a conversation more than an interview. Everyone who is there (facutly, staff, students alike) all seem to love it."
"very good. I had a fourth year student, and we had a very pleasant conversation. More a conversation than an interview. The questions just came from my answers. very relaxed, and she was very nice. Everyone seemed to love talking about how great georgetown is. This was one of the most informative interview days I've had (perhaps the Dean's talk during lunch was unnecessary/repetitive)"
"I came, I saw, I left. haha. It was ok. "
"Negative. No challenging questions, unimpressive facilities, too many dramatics from the admissions staff during the pre-interview briefing. f"
"Overall, I was pretty impressed by the experience--you will probably hear a lot about Ms. Sullivan's speech--it is very inspiring and i like the fact that GU takes a very different approach than other med schools--they tell you about the school's philosophy and ask you to decide for yourself whether it is the right program for you. As for the interview--i had a really nice doctor as my interviewer and he seemed genuinely interested in finding out about me and where i had come from, what I was looking for in a school, and my views on ethical subjects. I wasn't nervous at all and had a great time. "
"First an introduction to the day's events. Then a speech about the school and its curriculum, which was very honest and motivational. Then a speech about financial aid. Then a tour of the school and a great lunch with med students. Then the interview itself at about 3pm."
"This was by far the best experience out of 10. My interviewer was so cool...I really liked it. They do keep you in the "fishbowl" or waiting room for awhile...so have a pot of coffee before. "
"Mrs. Sullivan gave an excellent presentation that really explained everything. Georgetown seems to have a certain philosophy, if it doesn't resonate with you I don't think this school is for you. They are more clinically oriented than other top schools."
"overall, pleasant but long. mrs sullivan gives it to you straight, and i was glad they were upfront about the strengths and weaknesses of the school"
"Overall a great experience!"
"Overall, it was positive. My interviewer seemed to not listen to my answers to his questions because he kept asking me to explain everything further, even when I initially gave very detailed answers. But he didn't try to stress me out and asked basic questions."
"I really liked the school and my interviewer was great, but asked me a ton of hard questions. Make sure you know your stuff!"
"my student hosts were without a doubt the highlight of my trip. i would recommend ANYONE to stay with hosts. they can provide such great first-hand experience and insight, and mine even helped me figure out what to say in my interviews!"
"The applicants trickle in the fish bowl and wait until someone comes to greet everyone. You sit there and various people come in to talk to you. Then, you go on a tour, which includes some outside walking. Then it's time for lunch. The interviews are at the end. Supposedly, the interviewers get to look at your application right before the interview, but my interviewer seemed as if he had looked at mine for a while, as he had a list of notes and questions he wanted to ask me. During one of the presentations, they will tell you the interviewers are supposed to comment on 7 criteria. My interview was less conversational than at other schools, and I found this a little bit intimidating. My interviewer had a list of questions and would shoot them at me one after the other, but my interviewer was very nice. "
"laid-back...I can't decide what I think of the school. I love their teaching philosophy but there were a lot of negatives as well....Yuo have to decide if you would thrive there."
"My interviewer was very nice and relaxed. "
"I had a great experience at Georgetown. I stayed with a student, which I would definitely recommend doing, then I got up in the morning and went to class with them, which was a good experience. Then I went to the presentation that Ms. Sullivan gives, which is extremely helpful. Then I had my interview, which pretty laid back. The interviewer asked a couple tough questions (read up on ethics and the health care system before you go) but most of it was conversational and very laid back."
"Very relaxed interview experience! Simply be yourself, honest, & have fun."
"The interview itself is very laid back. My interviewer was a lovely old man who seemed genuinely interested in my experiences and thoughts on medicine. There were no tricky questions and he made me feel very comfortable."
"At first I had a negative impression of the school from the unimpressive students who toured with us and from the opening jargon. But my interviewer was such a wonderful person and really gave me a perspective that turned my opinion around."
"As expected in D.C., everything is crammed together in the medical center. My interview was really relaxing and didn't involve medicine except for MAYBE 1 minute. I wasn't very impressed by the way the school markets itself or the faculty's impression of itself."
"Interview waas not too stressful. Had a very good conversation with my interviewer in which we discussed issues and ethics. Questions were pretty typical. Day was very long. Mrs. Sullivan gives good overview of program, answers many questions I had coming in."
"Very relaxing. While Ms. Sullivan provided an intense speech, it was handy for answering why g"
"converstational, but a wee bit confrontational. The interviewer didn't seem too interested in the interview process"
"Although the interview day was low stress, I soon came to realize that this school is not for me. Everyone was nice though, Ms. Sullivan IS a bit intimidating however. Think carefully and be sure Georgetown's very traditional curriculum is for you. It's not a bad place though and the students seemed happy but stressed."
"The interview itself was very laidback, but get prepared for a really informative and long day."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 292 |
| Faculty member | 7 |
| Admissions staff | 13 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 145 |
| Neutral | 39 |
| Discouraging | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 7 |
| Out of state | 176 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 30 |
| 2-3 hours | 45 |
| 4-6 hours | 67 |
| 7+ hours | 40 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 97 |
| Automobile | 48 |
| Train or subway | 26 |
| Other | 12 |
Dulles International
BWI - do not recommend. It's more than an hour from campus.
Dulles (avoid! Its so faaar)
Raegan, so close to the school.
Reagan National
Reagan (Dulles = no Metro!)
Dulles
Harrisburg
Reagan
REG
BWI
IAD
WAS
DCA
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 2 |
| With students at the school | 20 |
| Friends or family | 57 |
| Hotel | 74 |
| Home | 5 |
| Other | 0 |
Yes
No
Yes
No
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 33 |
| $101-$200 | 26 |
| $201-$300 | 26 |
| $301-$400 | 22 |
| $401-$500 | 31 |
| $501+ | 20 |
"Choose a different room to hold applicants, otherwise, great experience!"
"Give us something to write on before the interview day starts!!"
"Provide a applicant packet with pen and notes to help interviewers keep track of all the new info, and have a condensed resource"
"Show the anatomy lab on the tour!"
"."
"I wish we had opportunities to speak to more students. There was ample time to talk with the M2s at lunch, but it would have been nice to hear from some students in their clinical years as well. I only got the chance to speak to a few students, and a little more diversity of experiences at Georgetown would have been nice."
"They need a greeter at the front of the building. Their speeches for us were not quite friendly and somewhat patronizing and cynical. "You are top scholars, but you are all the same!""
"A sign or greeter at the front door would have been nice. I was on time, but walked into an empty admissions corridor when I arrived."
"Clearer directions to the Medical School would have been a plus. Student hosting also wasn't set up early enough for me to take advantage. Both of these things would have helped!"
"Have a more organized tour. We only glimpsed the anatomy lab and some classrooms, and didn't see the hospital at all."
"Possibly have back-ups if a dean cant come speak"
"Show anatomy labs to the students! Tour was very disorganized."
"The ~3 hours of presentations by the admissions office and faculty carried on a bit too long in my opinion. Also, the sample lecture was very monotonous and was not representative of the typical lecturer, according to some of the students we spoke with."
"Keep Mrs. Sullivan's talk in the interview day: it was by far the best discussion I've been a part of regarding medical school admissions. I would suggest getting rid of the grumpy guy who "greets" the interviewees, or maybe getting him a bigger cup of coffee in the morning. Also, with all the talk about the excellent rotations and how prepared Georgetown grads are, let us talk to some M3's and M4's. Meeting the 1st and 2nd year students was awesome, but they have such a limited knowledge base as far as the clinical rotations go, and that's what I wanted to know more about."
"Name tags and folders would be nice. Also seating us in a room with tables, instead of the awkward fishbowl room would be nice"
"Give the interviewees a schedule of the day's events, and name tags."
"None - you did a wonderful job!"
"From beginning to end, the interview day is impersonal and disappointing. It would be nice to be greeted by someone, or better yet, be introduced to the program by someone with a somewhat up-beat attitude. Everyone with whom we interacted was rude and unfriendly."
"The interview was awesome. I was very impressed with the culture and philosophy of the school!"
"Confirmation emails! Also, make sure tour guides who actually know the school well are available."
"Keep doing what you're doing! Loved you guys! Just hope you love me back! :)"
"An interview date and time confirmation email would be nice."
"I appreciated Ms. Sullivan's discussion and am glad she provided it, unlike some others here."
"New admissions members..... honestly disgusted with everyone I met."
"Give a schedule for the interviewee at the beginning of the day so its not a surprise who and when y"
"Please provide reading materials for the students awkwardly sitting in the "fishbowl""
"Provide students with personalized schedules for the day. It reduces anxiety."
"The interview coordinator seemed very unenthusiastic, and the admissions director seemed very very n"
"Expedite the admissions process, be more responsive to emails"
"No one was there to great us in the morning which was bizarre. You basically just go sit in the room"
"I didn't get to meet Mrs. Sullivan or hear her speech, which I was disappointed about, but I suppose"
"Keep it up. You are awesome"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?