How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.98 | 102 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 72 |
| Negatively | 13 |
| No change | 16 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.27 | 99 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.77 | 73 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.37 | 62 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 1 |
| Virtual | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 3 |
| 30 minutes | 16 |
| 35 minutes | 4 |
| 40 minutes | 14 |
| 45 minutes | 11 |
| 50 minutes | 19 |
| 55 minutes | 1 |
| 60+ minutes | 32 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 100 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 101 |
| In a group | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 100 |
| Closed file | 0 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.98 | 102 |
"explain your MCAT scores"
"Define success."
"How do you handle stress?"
"Asked a lot of questions from AMCAS experiences (student interviewer). Ie tell me more about ___ or what did you get out of ___"
"Tell us about your MCAT score."
"Talk about an experience in which you failed."
"What do you think will be the hardest thing about being a physician?"
"Tell me about a time that you dealt with someone either angry/depressed/emotional. How did you deal with it?"
"I was told to close my eyes while he set the seen of me walking in to a crowded bank. A bank robber came in and fired a shot that hit me in the arm. Luck or Unlucky? Quickly, first thing that comes to your head!"
"A lot of questions based on application activities."
"What is an example of a time where you had to be compassionate and use your listening skills?"
"How would your experiences add to the diversity of the class?"
"How did you arrive at the decision to go into medicine?"
"Tell us about your shadowing experiences"
"What did I want to do with my life other then medical school?"
"Why would you want to come here for medical school?"
"What led to your decision to go into medicine?"
"Why should we offer you an acceptance amongst the hundreds of other qualified candidates?"
"What do you think of our current healthcare system?"
"How many representatives are there in the House?"
"What do you think about the current health care bills in the House and Senate? What "public options" are currently available."
"How will your religion affect your view of ethical problems such as abortion?"
"Tell me about what you took away from experience/job/service work x, y, or z listed on your application."
"Tell me about your family."
"don't worry, they will be very easy, bland questions"
"y mizzou"
"Why do you think Korean people restrict themselves within their community and refuse to integrate with the main-stream culture? "
"How would you fix the national healthcare crisis?"
"What do you think are the issues surrounding the healthcare crisis?"
"Tell me about what your parents do."
"How did you study for the MCAT?"
"tell me about yourself. what is the relgious background of your family? One guy asked me all the relgious questions,"
"Strengths/Weaknesses?"
"what would you do if you didn't get in?"
"Tell me about your family? What do your parents do? What do your sisters want to do?"
"Tell me about your experience so and so..."
"How would you treat a patient if his insurance would not cover the recommended treatment but would cover the less effective, cheaper treatment?"
"why did you choose your major?"
"how do you feel about your mcat score"
"What do you think is the major healthcare crisis in America today?"
"In what ways has your application improved from last year?"
"Why do you think you will be a good doctor and why do you want to be a doctor. "
"Talk about your international experiece"
"Tell me of a time... you did something analytical, sacrificial, ethical."
"What accomplishment are you most proud of?"
"What took you to Northwestern (my undergrad)"
"What are some of the issues in health care? "
"What is a major issue affecting healthcare in the US? In the world?"
"What is an issue facing medicine?"
"Tell me what you learned from your clinical position at this hospital?"
"What would you do if you didn't get into medical school? If you couldn't ever get into med school? What career would you want that isn't medically related?"
"All questions related to my file. (Other than the obvious "why medicine?" questions.) It was less like an interview and more like they were just trying to get to know me. VERY low stress."
"What have you learned from your clinical experience?"
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare?"
"What is a HMO? PPO?"
"Why Mizzou?"
"Best advacement in public health."
"What do you think about the problems with the healthcare system? "
"Tell us about _______ on your file."
"Why would you make a good doctor?"
"Tell me a little bit about yourself. (I hate that one)"
"what do you do for fun?"
"what's the best piece of financial advice anyone could give you? answer: keep your first wife!"
"If I could only tell the selection committee one thing about you, what would it be?"
"Why medicine?"
"Some family practice doctors in the area have decided to operate without health insurance providers. Why do you think they would do that?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"First interviewer: "You scored a 25 on your MCAT. This is bad. Explain this." "What do you think about that woman in Florida whose husband wants to pull the plug on her but the family doesn't? What would you do if you were her Dr?" "
"Why Columbia?"
"What are some current medical issues? How do you feel about healthcare/HMO's...how would you fix the healthcare crisis?"
"Do you think a nationalized health care system would work here in the US"
"What shows have you done? (I'm in theatre, so basically they ask specifics about who you are / what you like.)"
"Why MU? "
"What is your opinion of the quality medicine as its practiced today?"
"What is euthanasia?"
"No one in your family is in medicine, so how did you get to this point?"
"How much time do doctors spend with patients each day? What is a typical work day like?"
"What is euthanasia? What are your feelings about it?"
"Do you support either population cloning or parts cloning?"
"What is Cancer?"
"Name a time when you sacrificed something in order to help someone else."
"What's the biggest problem facing health care in America? "
"Do you feel that taking a year off of school was a good idea?"
"Why mid-Missouri?"
"Why Missouri?"
"why did you choose your major and minor"
"Describe a time you made a big mistake."
"Recall a time where you were in a leadership position and made a mistake. What was it and how did you handle it?"
"How did your father being a physician impact your path to med? (faculty)"
"Why physician?"
"Where do you think your application is lacking the most?"
"How would you attempt to decrease the huge costs of healthcare?"
"If a surgeon you were shadowing dropped gauze in a patient, but then you heard him tell the patient everything went well, how would you confront him? Would you tell the patient?"
"What is the biggest problem with the Affordable Care Act?"
"How have your experiences prepared you to be a good leader and teacher in PBL?"
"What are your thoughts on the Affordable Care Act and health care reform in general?"
"What will you do if you don't get in?"
"If I was retiring today what would I want people to say about me and my career?"
"What are some difficulties you might have as a physician?"
"What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"
"How is healthcare in the US different from healthcare in other countries?"
"What do you think are the upsides/downsides to a PBL curriculum?"
"If you were a hospital administrator, how would you design a hospital?"
"Teach me something. It can be non-science/non-medicine, just teach me something."
"Tell me about your research"
"If you had a patient who was smoking for many years, tried to quit but couldn't, what would you tell them?"
"In reference to my application, what exactly did you do in ______ position?"
"tell me about yourself"
"normal application stuff. "
"Tell me about x experience."
"Suppose you are quarterback this week and it's the day after Match Day. The M1's went out to help the M4's celebrate. This morning your classmates are not being cooperative in PBL. How would you handle the situtation?"
"What would you do to change the enourmous cost of healthcare?"
"do you have relgious convictions? would you give a 15 year old girl an abortion?"
"When have you put the needs of another over yourself in your life?"
"what did you read in your lit class?"
"What do you think the difference is between life in a real hospital and how it is shown on popular telvision shows?"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"What are some current issues in medicine that concern you?"
"Where else have you applied?"
"Tell me about your research."
"What are some problems with the health care system in Missouri?"
"if you could fix a problem in healthcare what would it be"
"Euthanasia?"
"What would you do if a thirteen year old wanted you to prescribe birth control? "
"Give me a general summary of you and your life."
"Talk about your experience in political campaigns and policy analysis"
"What motivates you to become a doctor?"
"What are some problems with health care in the US?"
"What are some medical issues going on right now?"
"So what do you want me to know thats not on your application"
"What kind of clinical exposure did you have? and what did you learn from these experiences?"
"Describe an ethical situation related to medicine...what makes this controversial?"
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"What do you think the biggest problem facing medicine is right now?"
"How do you feel about our government's attitude towards medicine?"
"What personal, financial, academic challenges will med school present for you?"
"What is your stance on stem-cell research, euthenasia, etc. ?"
"How do you feel about malpractice?"
"What is your stance on euthanasia?"
"What speciality am I most interested in?"
"whats wrong with health care system"
"What do you think will be the hardest part of medical school?"
"What qualities do you look for in a physician?"
"What are your strengths?"
"What do you do in your free time?"
"what do you think about socialized medicine?"
"who should pay for community health centers"
"Why didn't you major in music instead?"
"Tell me about your nontraditional background."
"How much money do you think you'll make as a doctor?"
"What do you think are some health care issues facing Americans today? How would you change things?"
"First interviewer: "If a 12 yr old wanted contraception, would you tell her parents?" "What are your favorite activities?" "If you only had time for one activity(because med school was taking up so much of your time), which would you pick? (my activities were biking, snowboarding, volunteering and visiting my family)." "What do you think will be the hardest part of med school for you?""
"How did you end up at [my undergraduate school]?"
"What one quality do you have that you think would make you a good doctor? How do you relax?"
"Why did you apply here"
"Why Mizzou?"
"What would you change about healthcare in the US today?"
"After that initial question, their anymosity took over. "
"What does perdition mean?"
"Tell me about activity X in your file."
"Brush up on broad/national healthcare issues - they asked a few questions about those."
"Is America's healthcare system efficient?"
"Do you think the MCAT is a valid measure of a person's aptitude and potential success in medical school?"
"What is the leading cause of death in the U.S."
"What are some of the problems facing healthcare in the U.S.?"
"Did you take an MCAT review course?"
"What do you forsee being the most challenging part of medical school for you?"
"What do you think of HMOs?"
"Why medicine now? (I am a non-trad)"
"give a time you experienced a conflict"
"How do you address a team member who has had a substantial breakdown in communication?"
"Why should you be accepted into our program?"
"What is the most difficult decision you've ever had to make?"
"What is your biggest failure?"
"Name a goal that you have that hasn't been met yet."
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare?"
"Have you given any thought to what sort of medicine you would like to practice?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Why go back and help the people in poverty in your old neighborhood when you can just walk away?"
"How do you feel about your MCAT score and GPA?"
"What do you do during your free time with friends?"
"Explain how you showed leadership abilities in any of the activites you have participated in during college."
"Why do you think you'll be a good fit amongst the profession?"
"What makes you a better candidate than others?"
"In your opinion, what is the largest problem w/ healthcare in the US today?"
"Why did you pick your major?"
"talked about research"
"If a person had a living will that said to cut-off life support if vegetative/brain dead, but the family did not want that person to die, would you still pull the plug? (not exact wording)"
"What do you think is the biggest problem medicine faces today?"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years? Where do you see yourself ten years after that?"
"What would you do if you had a person in a coma whose family wanted to pull the life support?"
"What is you opinion on the Stem Cell debate?"
"what research did you do? One guy asked me about my siblings and about the painting business I run."
"N/A"
"what do you think about the state of healthcare in America?"
"You have five uninterrupted minutes to sell yourself to me, starting now."
"If a patient of yours refused stem-cells (that were guaranteed to cure) for religious reasons, how would you handle the situation?"
"What's your family like?"
"Tell me about your family."
"why do you want to be a doctor? why will you be a good doctor? what do you do for fun?"
"What made me choose Brandeis (my undergrad)?"
"how do you feel about euthanasia"
"How would you councel a patient about leading a healthier lifestyle?"
"What are some of the major healthcare issues facing our country right now?"
"What is the most important medical concern in the U.S. and health insurance questions. "
"Talk about your interest in either healh care economics or your laboratory research"
"What makes you better than other applicants?"
"Given an 83 year old patient on a ventilator who has a terminal illness, and whose family wishes him to be taken off to die naturally, what would you do? "
"What is holding you back the most from coming here?"
"why mizzou"
"Is there anything you would like to make sure you told us before you leave today?"
"Why medicine? Why Mizzou? Specific questions related to my AMCAS file. Overall they seemed like very standard interview questions."
"What is public health?"
"If you were in charge, what governmental programs involving medicine would you change or start?"
"Malpractice"
"What do you do in your free time and other similar questions from my application."
"Why UM Col? "
"What type of medical internships/experiences have you had?"
"What would you do if you didn't get accepted?"
"Why med?"
"What do you think about healthcare overall?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years? Why medicine?"
"why medicine?"
"what was your favorite class in undergrad?"
"What one quality defines a good physician?"
"Pick an ethical problem. Tell me how it's affecting medicine and how you would resolve it."
"What do you think about alternative medicine? (I seriously screwed up my answer for this one!)"
"What do you think of the looming Social Security crisis?"
"Second interviewer: "What should I know about you?" "What do you think about the Atkins diet?" "Why is obesity a problem in America?""
"What will you do if you don't get accepted to medical school?"
"What type of medicine or practice are you looking into?"
"What is the most rewarding encounter you've had in the medical field"
"Let's talk about your grades in this class. (i got a C once, and they wanted to know how that happened and how i've handled it)"
"Tell me about your research."
"If you are a Missouri resident, why did you go to Baylor?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What would you do if someone in your PBL group wasn't contributing?"
"What does it take to be a good leader? A good communicator?"
"What other schools have you applied to and have you been accepted?"
"Why Mizzou?"
"How would you allocate money between specialties and preventive care fairly? "
"What is your best attribute?"
"How will you fix the health care crisis?"
"what is your favorite patient interaction"
"What's your opinions on international volunteering trips?"
"Which class that you have taken so far has been the most difficult or challenging? Why was it so? How did you handle it?"
"Tell me about a rule that you didn't agree with, but had to follow anyway"
"What do you think the biggest problem facing US healthcare is today? how would you realistically address it?"
"What is the biggest downside to being physician (not a medical student)?"
"Which do you think is more important: honesty or loyalty? Why?"
"What do you think is the relationship between primary care and the specialist?"
"Hypothetical question: what would you do if you were working with a team and someone wasn't doing their fair share of the work?"
"Nothing was too interesting, very text book."
"If a system or business was failing, how would you go about fixing it? I was asked to answer in general, hypothetical terms."
"What would you have done [in response to actual, complex patient-care situation]?"
"Explain the Frank-Starling mechanism."
"If you had a million dollars to spend on YOURSELF, what would you buy/do?"
"Not interesting: but why do you want to go to Mizzou?"
"None"
"a wierd question related to my research"
"I didn't have much interesting questions. Almost all of the questions were asked to better understand my experiences and who I am. "
"Nothing too interesting, they asked about my experiences, my motivation, and about me as a person."
"It seems like everyone has a course that they would have loved to take, but it didn't fit in their schedule. What course do you wish would you could have taken and why? "
"How have you incorporated diversity into your life?"
"Suppose medical care and prescriptions are free, and there is a doctor for every square mile -- so access and affordability are not barriers -- would that solve the healthcare problems in this state? Why or why not?"
"What did you learn from working in the hospital?"
"If you could change one thing about medicine what would it be?"
"Do you have relgious convictions."
"What was a challenge you faced in your life successfully?"
"have I done any traveling"
"What is the number one personal trait that a phyisican should not possess?"
"If we had socialized medicine in the US, would you deny payment as a government official for any procedures?"
"How do your parents feel about you becoming a doctor?"
"Real life patient scenario, have to come up with a solution. Great creative thinking exercise."
"You have a 15 year old patient and after running tests you realize she's pregnant. What do you do"
"What about child development intrigues me?"
"thoughts about euthanasia"
"How much do you think docters make? What will you do with all that money?"
"What is your position on right to die."
"At one point in time, the interviewer and I were talking about how the human diet has changed over time."
"What is the weakest part of your application?"
"Why will I make a good doctor?"
"What do you want me to tell the admissions commitee so they will accept you?"
"nothing too interesting"
"Have you gotten any interviews at other schools yet? Which schools? I realize that I didn't have to answer this question, but it was a little awkward and I wish I would have prepared more on how to respond to something like this. It caught me off guard."
"What do you think about the rationing of medicine? "
""I see you have a lot of paid experience, why don't you have a lot of volunteer experience?" Was a strange question because I do have a lot of volunteer experience."
"I am interested in fertility so one of my interviewers focused on ethical situations surrounding that area. For instance, he asked me what I thought about cloning? What about parents who want two clones of the same person? What about 10 clones of the same person?"
"I want to work in an underserved area. My interviewer asked my how, being a good student, I will deal with being (relatively) underpaid to some people with less altruistic motivations."
"Medical malpractice, see below."
"What qualities would make a bad physician?"
"What was the last book you read?"
"What is the problem or reason for health care disparities with the underprivileged? I have done research"
"What do you think about the mind-body connection."
"There was a question based off of a Florida man who wanted to remove the feeding tube from his wife, but his wife's parents wanted her to stay on it. I was asked what I would do as the family physician."
"All were basic just tell us about this or that on your file."
"How would you describe the word "service?""
"If we have a drug that controls a disease and costs $1, and one that controls the disease better for $5, are we obligated to give the $5 one to everyone regardless of ability to pay. This question was set up to test economic medical thinking and to see if you have researched health care costs and trends. I think he asked me it because I have a business minor. "
"compare the health care plans of kerry and bush (it was right before the election)"
"how do we go about achieving peace in the middle east?(this was pretty much prompted by me, so don't worry!"
"If you won the lottery today, what would you do with the money?"
"What personal characteristics do you have that you would like to improve on?"
"Who is Jessica Lynch?"
"I too was given the match-stick problem mentioned in one of the previous posts. Although it was great fun for the entire 15 or so seconds it lasted, the time afterward was a bit awkward. I'm still unaware of what purpose it served -- maybe to put me at ease somehow, which I already was. I think the interviewer intended it to last a bit longer, and maybe have me ask him for clues, but it was all very straight-forward. "
"Describe your what you think your work day will be like when you begin practicing."
"Who is Quintin Tarantino? (Also, who is Jessica Lynch, what country was she held in, and who is the governor of Missouri... I think he was employing some tactic to through me off) :o)"
"Tell me about a specific patient that has frustrated you in your clinical experience. Tell me about a specific patient that has touched you."
"None, really. All of the questions were about my application, my background, my family, etc."
"How would you like to be remembered"
"What are some of the challenges surrounding health care for the non-English speaking of this country? What kinds of solutions are there to help this situation?"
"What activity are you most proud of and why?"
"What is the best idea you've ever had or the best decision you ever made?"
"If you love the Missouri environment so much, why did you elect to attend Harvard as an undergrad? Oddly enough, both of my interviewers wanted to know the answer to this question, despite the fact that I never said that I "loved" the Missouri environment. I had simply stated that I was originally from Missouri. Based on their line of questioning, it seemed as if they were annoyed at the fact that I picked Harvard over Mizzou as an undergrad. "
"Would you consider healthcare in general to be efficient or unefficient?"
"The questions were exactly as I expected and had prepped for. Absolutely no surprises in either of my interviews. I'm from the city, so if I had to pick an "interesting question" it would be "The rural population in America has been known to generally visit the doctor as an absolute last resort rather than as a preventative measure. What do you perceive to be the cause behind this trend and how would you formulate a solution?""
"What would you say to a colleague that didn't want to treat Muslim patients after 9/11?"
"What do you think about the prescription drug benefit?"
"One of the interviewers presented me with the scenario that a 39-year old expectant mother had an amniocentesis (sp?) done and discovered her fetus had Down's syndrome. He asked me what advice I would give her if she came to me seeking help. "
"Nothing too interesting."
"Everything was very conversational. Nothing very interesting."
"Don't you think your lifestyle choice (I indicated that I had done work for Lesbian Community Project on my AMCAS application)will negatively impact your relationship with your patients?"
"Do you think we can ever have any real tort reform when all of the politicians are lawyers? (I'm a lawyer, so it may not be a common question)"
"Have you seen the museum in Bilbao? (we were talking about studying abroad in Spain)"
"If you were President Bush's "right hand" woman and he asked you how to deal with the problem of child abuse in the U.S., what ideas would you have?"
"do you think your research experience will help you in the admissions process?"
"The interviews were conversational. I would not say that any were interesting."
"describe a time you dealt with inequality"
"Justify your [insert stat here]."
"Recall a time you did not handle your stress. What happened and how did you fix it?"
"Compare the healthcare system in the US to that of another country"
"Tell me about a time you had to work with someone who didn't like you"
"If your sister was in a critical car accident and was unable to make decisions for herself, would you rather have her physician use moral or ethical judgement? He offered no clarification"
"What is your biggest failure?"
"There weren't any particularly hard questions in my interviews."
"What makes medical school different then college, what will be the hardest part about that?"
"What is a problem you see with the current healthcare system and how would you go about fixing it?"
"Nothing too bad."
"What do you think is a better indicator of a medical school applicant's success while matriculating, their GPA or MCAT score?"
"Name one of the biggest problems facing medicine -- now fix it."
"How would you fix health care?"
"Why do you think you'll be a good fit amongst the profession?"
"How would you fix the healthcare crisis?"
"None of them were too difficult"
"An ethics and insurance scenerio was given; and I had to decide if what I would do if a more effective form of treatment was recommended to a patient but the insurance wouldn't pay for it"
"None"
"what are your greatest strengths, ? followed by how would that help you in medical school? "
"Why do you want to be a doctor? It took me several weeks to craft a good answer to this question. I had too much to say and didn't know how to filter my answer. I gave my answer to this question (only one interviewer asked me) and it seemed to bore him a little as my answer was kinda long (about 3-5 minutes). "
"Talk about an experience in a group where you received criticism and how you dealt with it. They asked many questions concerning this considering the curriculum is based upon group work."
"Where does Mizzou stand in your rankings?"
"Nothing too difficult."
"Think of a policy you disagree with but you complied with anyway. "
"What is the biggest healtcare issue facing us today?"
"Are you interested in research? (I may have hung myself with my answer-I said no, which is true. The vast majority of my interests are international medicine, teaching, and primary care.) I know Mizzou is trying to increase its reputation as a research institution."
"Would you give an abortion to a 15 year old girl if she asked you to."
"What are your weaknesses?"
"why do you think that math majors have a hard time in med school?"
"You're obviously interested in a career in health, why not a PA, Physical Therapist, EMT, etc.?"
"Insurance has denied an expensive, but more effective therapy. What do you do?"
"What is your biggest weakness? (For some reason I drew a BIG blank and probably came across conceited)"
"same."
"Why do I want to come back to Missouri after going to school in Boston?"
"asked about a small research project I'd done years ago that I forgot about and was flustered talking extensively about the details of the study"
"What will you be famous for?"
"Why do you think you will be a good doctor. (I wonder if we all say the same thing)"
"I have studied policy, economics, and work in a laboratory full-time, so I was completely prepared for everything!"
"I was asked what concerned me about being a doctor, began to answer and interviewer went into a mini tirade about what I was about to say. (about socialism of medicine) Apparently she was very liberal and didn't like what I was about to say. This surprised me somewhat and I wasn't sure how to handle it. Was I supposed to stand up for myself (if she did it on purpose). I was hesitant to speak against her opinions cuz I didn't want to make any enemies. "
"Would you prescribe birth control to a young teenager without letting her parents know?"
"nothing difficult"
"What are my goals for the future (not related to medicine)? What goals have I set for myself recently that I accomplished."
"What do you think are the biggest problems with socialized medicine? The English system? The Canadian?"
"Tell me about a ethical dillemna you have faced and tell me how you handled it?"
"none were too difficult."
"What is your solution to the medical malpractice crisis? I believe I was asked this particular question due to my experience in the insurance industry. It seems they make an effort to tailor questions to the individual, rather than throw a random curveball."
"There were no real "difficult" questions."
"I was given an ethical situation where a woman had requested non-aggressive treatment if she fell ill, and I was the doctor and had to tell the family what I was going to do. Answer (as the interviewer stated): never kill a patient...always do everything you can."
"What are the top five problems facing medicine today?"
"What is the problem or reason for health care disparities with the underprivileged?"
"None. I was asked a question about the best public health advancement. My interviewer meant vaccines or antibiotics, but I thought he was asking about policies so I answered wrong."
"See above"
"None really, pretty standard stuff."
"all were questions I expected, lots of stuff on my file and about my background"
"See above."
"if you could change one thing about the healthcare system, what would it be?"
"why did you come to interview here today?"
"They were all easy questions."
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"What would you say to a patient who has cancer?"
"I think it was more difficult for the interviewer to ask me than it was for me to answer him. Following the little match-stick "puzzle," he looked at the next question on his sheet and somewhat reluctantly mustered up the courage to ask me what I had learned from the puzzle that would serve me in medical school. I think he expected me to lean over and say "you've got to be joking right? If this is any indication of what a student here should expect, then this curriculum is a joke." "
"Why do you want to be a physician in light of the fact that you have not had much experience shadowing physicians."
"I was given a matchstick puzzle. 16 matchsticks were arranged to form 5 squares and I had to find a way to (moving only 2 matchsticks) for 4 equal sized squares. Very challenging (and fun)!!"
"What's the biggest problem in healthcare? What's the solution?"
"None. "
"no real difficult questions"
"Above, plus there were the questions about medicaid/ prescription drugs, and such."
"really nothing difficult."
"See above. "
"If we were to indeed accept you into our MD/PhD program, convince me that you would in fact attend Mizzou this time around. Not even a question, but it again provided a glimpse into his annoyance w/ my decision to not attend Missouri as an undergrad. I felt literally driven to tell him "look, you and I both know Mizzou is not my first choice, but if I underwent the application process, it obviously means I'm interested, so can we please move onto some questions pertaining to my application.""
"What do you think is the biggest problem facing medicine?"
"None really. Just stay calm (easier said than done I know, but believe me there is nothing difficult that they'll be asking you. If it sounds difficult, its b/c you're making it). See the comments section below, and tailor your responses to the advice I'm giving you. That should be the theme you're weaving your story around. "
"Nothing too difficult. Mostly questions about my file."
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare, how did it become a problem and how would you fix it?"
"Same as above."
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school this year? This was difficult because I told him that I had been already accepted. My interviewer became visibly annoyed, so I answered with what I would have done. This did not appease him. It was clear the interview was over at that point, though he did continue to ask me questions."
"The questions were very general nothing difficult basically about my application."
"The same as above"
"None really."
"What other schools that you are applying to are PBL (Problem based learning) format? (I couldn't remember of the 16 which were which really, but I wasn't picking for that specifically, so the interviewer seemed okay with it)."
"How should physicians define quality of care?"
"what would you do if your patient continually rejected your advice?"
"What has been your greatest challenge?"
"browse MU website, sdn, and prepare why med and MU answer"
"SDN, google doc with stereotypical interview questions and possible responses, talking to other current and past applicants about their experiences, bulleted list of key points I wanted to touch on, some questions to ask the interviewers, etc. Remember to dress the part and be confident! For me, it helped a lot to think of it more as a conversation than an interview. They are trying to get to know you."
"Know the Tell me about yourself > Why medicine > Why this school like the back of your hand. Mizzou loves hearing about PBL so dive into that (even though interview day will tell you a lot more about it)"
"Mock interview"
"Studying the school website, my application, and my case file"
"Mock interviews at career center"
"Reviewed application, ACA, unique aspects of Mizzou, and past SDN questions."
"Read interview feedback and looked over my AMCAS"
"SDN interview feedback and mock interviews."
"SDN questions, looked at the MU website"
"SDN interview feedback and mock interviews"
"SDN interview feedback page, researching Mizzou's curriculum and mission/values materials, reviewing my primary and secondary apps, researching the Affordable Care Act"
"Read SDN questions and brushed up on healthcare policy."
"SDN interview feedback, practice questions, read up on current healthcare policies, etc"
"SDN, primary application."
"I read all of the entries in this forum, practiced outlines of my probable answers, and did a few mock interviews with a friend."
"Reviewed their website; read the student handbook; reviewed my 1o/2o applications; read up on PBL"
"Studied info about the school and about current events."
"SDN Interview feedback, read over my application (primary and secondary), talked about my answers to questions I "knew" were coming with my wife."
"SDN reviews, practice with others"
"Printed practice questions and had a friend ask me the day before. This helped a lot because it exposed what I needed to brush up on."
"Read through SDN's forums, looked over my application, read about HMOs, PPOs, the national healtcare crisis, etc., and practiced answering questions with my family"
"Kept up on current affairs in the medical community"
"SDN, read over amcas + secondary"
"Ask myself various questions and write down the answer. Among many, let me list some. Why is so unique about me? What is my vision and goal as a physician? Why did I choose to do certain clinical and other experiences? What is community service and why did I do it? What is medical school (harder to answer than you think) and other questions that help me find out who I am and what really matters to me "
"SDN, school website, primary and secondary, also researched healthcare crisis (they were interested to know what I thought were the problems and the suggestions I had to lessen them.)"
"read over my AMCAS, browse SDN, school website"
"Read AMCAS and secondary, school's website, SDN"
"Read the school's website, AMA's Code of Medical Ethics, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary essays, and read through SDN's Interview Feedback"
"SDN - read last 20 or so interview feedback posts for MU and then and prepared for them. Thoughtout the questions and how I would answer them."
"Usual. AMCAS, secondary, spoke with mentors and friends, mock ints"
"read student doctor net, wrote down answers to questions, mock interviews, practiced talking and giving responces in front of the mirror, researched the school and health issues in state."
"Read about HMOs, studied journal articles on how to present oneself, learned about my interviewers."
"standard"
"Read over my own apps and SDN."
"Reviewed school's website."
"SDN feedback, school's literature"
"Read over school website, researched Missouri healthcare issues (rural care, stem cells, etc.)"
"SDN, read local newspaper"
"snd, reviewed current medical issues, reviewed my amcas"
"SDN interview feedback, reread my AMCAS and secondary applications, practiced writing out answers to questions, read the school website"
"talking in front of mirror, reading this website, reading up on medical ethics, keeping up with current events in NY Times, Economist, "
"SDN, AMCAS application and Secondary application."
"went over some typical questions. I'm a re-applicant so last years interviews helped."
"SDN!! Read all of the feedback at this site, know your application, read up on topics: stem cell research, health insurance topics, etc.."
"Zen in my heart & Bob Dylan in my iPod"
"SDN, mock interviews"
"Read questions on SDN, read about the school and curriculum."
"Just read up on the school"
"this was my 4th interview so I didn't really prepare much for it"
"read amcas, secondary, went to the school's website, looked up some health related information"
"Read questions on SDN, practiced in front of mirror, mock interview."
"SDN, re-read application, mock interview"
"I had a mock interview with several people."
"Read over my application, read other interview feedback"
"Read over my AMCAS, SDN"
"The usual: read school website thoroughly, read SDN feedback, developed list of expected questions and answered them, reviewed my answers to standard questions, tried to find my happy place."
"This web site, reading up on current medical events, talking to a friend who had already interviewed."
"SDN, read website"
"this website, AMCAS, school website, talk with past applicants"
"Looking over my application, looking at the med school website"
"Read the MU website, SDN, my amcas."
"Definitely look over your aamcas and read up on medicare/medicaid type stuff. "
"SDN, school site, read Newsweek health issue, re-read apps"
"SDN, school website, brushed up on healthcare issues"
"SDN, stayed up on current issues, self-reflection"
"amcas, SDN"
"i didn't"
"Went over this site, my application, and the school's website."
"Three years keeping my ears open during undergrad."
"Looked over Amcas, mock interviews, and this website"
"Well, I had one great advantage. I've already been accepted to other med schools, and am in the process of shopping for the one w/ the best financial aid package. Having that monkey off my back really relaxed me. And by viewing some of the comments on this site, I knew not to expect any bells and whistles. If you've had other interviews, then expect a fairly primitive version of one at mizzou. Very very basic. Very relaxing, makes you feel like you're 16 all over again applying for your first job. I mean, one of my interviewers was wearing a faded, untucked polo...no joke."
"Reread AMCAS."
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS application, and reviewed secondary. I listen to NPR, which proved to be useful particularly during my first interview. I also keep up with current events."
"Read up on HMOs, current events"
"Read over my AMCAS application, a book on healthcare issues, this website."
"this site, my AMCAS, reading some recent medical news"
"read my application, read this site, re-read info on medicaid/medicare, insurance..."
"SDN was great, they asked the questions that people had talked about on here. Make sure to read over your AMCAS statement. "
"Slept well the night before, had my suit pressed."
"Looked over all of my applications, etc."
"I read this website, my amcas, and the schools website"
"Reviewed my app, the AMCAS, and talked to 14 very close friends who are either current students or had been accepted and then elected to go to another school. The fact that all of these individuals are just one year ahead of me made what they had to say very pertinent since the admission criteria is not varied significantly from year to year. See the comments section below for a very very very helpful summary of what advice I was given. "
"SDN, Mizzou Website, looked up sample questions on internet"
"Read SDN, brushed up on healthcare issues"
"Looked at the website, looked over my AMCAS application and prepared questions to ask about the school."
"Read interview feedback, had mock interviews, read my application file, got up to date on current events, read the school's website, spoke with a doctor who does preceptorships with MU med students."
"MSAR, website, and interview feedback, my application"
"Nothing really. Experience, and a medical ethics class"
"Read through a list of interview questions I pulled from various sites on the web, read a book on healthcare policy, reviewed University of Washington's medical ethics website."
"Read AMCAS, read their website a few times, looked up some websites on current issues in health care (they do ask this)."
"SDN, read over AMCAS/Personal statement, MU website"
"read amcas, read about school"
"SDN forums, MU website"
"interviewers knew my application very well"
"Most the interviewers were extremely pleasant."
"That the interviewers are really trying to get to know you as a person, it is less about your achievements (academic or not) or standouts on your application. You can tell that they care about who they will be inviting into their community and want to make sure that those people will be a good fit."
"WARMEST zoom interview I've been to. Made a great impression of the faculty and even saw the facilities "virtually" which look impressive. New research building in October 2021"
"Facilities"
"Step 1 scores, facilities, friendliness, few hours of lecture per week and mostly case studies/group work."
"They were very personable and friendly"
"I majored in psychology and I was paired with a former psychology major and a child psychiatrist. It did not seem like I was randomly paired with interviewers, but paired based on our common interests"
"They were very thorough"
"The facilities, the PBL, and how happy all of the student seemed"
"Interviewers were there to be our advocates!"
"friendly staff, great tour with lots of my questions answered, excellent financial information given and explained well!"
"The friendless of the staff and students. Also, the community and low stress environment."
"Everything went according to schedule, the admissions staff were helpful, and my interviewers were friendly."
"PBL curriculum"
"The staff was really friendly and I love their PBL set up. Also I enjoyed my student interviewer, he seemed to be really knowledgeable about the school and answered a lot of my questions."
"Friendliness of the staff,"
"The rec center and simulation center"
"Very small interview group. PBL curriculum, and the PBL classrooms where you get to interact with a lot of the other students."
"Everyone at MU is very welcoming and warm - my interviewers asked challenging questions, but they were laid-back about it and not at all confrontational. The Sim Center is amazing - I had to go back to get my BLS there, and they were nice enough to show me even more of the incredible equipment and technology that I didn't get to see on the tour. The anatomy lab has been renovated, although we did not get to see it on our tour. We had a very nice lunch were we had a chance to talk to an M1 and an M2 who were leading our tour. I've also talked to several current med students who love the PBL curriculum - they say that it makes the boards a lot easier, plus they have more free time outside of class to do other, non-med school things."
"The friendliness of the interviewers, staff, and students; the willingness of the staff to answer questions; the fantastic campus; the lazy river (!!) in their lush athletics complex"
"The facilities."
"Everything. MU is my number one for a variety of reasons but I feel the school has a polish to it that I don't get from other schools."
"The interviewers read my file thoroughly before interviewing me."
"The friendliness of everyone"
"The PBL learning: 10 hours in group settings and only 10 hours of lecture each week. Also the format of the school in blocks - 8 week blocks, 1 week of evaluation, and 1 week of break then restart with longer breaks during Christmas and over the summer"
"The hospital...it is right on campus and is very impressive"
"The facilities are very nice, especially the individual student labs"
"Very clean facility. The medical school building was almost brand-new including lecture halls, library. The gym is amazing!!!! it even has tanning beds too (what the heck!)"
"Everyone was very friendly, students seemed to have lots of free time, PBL seemed awesome, interviewers were great."
"PBL seems to be a very strong and useful approach to learning that the other students enjoyed. The athletic center is unbelievable! "
"PBL"
"The student tour guides were extremely enthusiastic about the school. The interviews were very low stress and conversational."
"Everone seemed very happy there. The interviewers were great and seemed like they really wanted to get to know me."
"The student body, PBL, and university focus on rural and primary care."
"Very happy students, Columbia is a unique town for the midwest, students loved the pbl experience"
"Everyone was extremely nice."
"format of the tour given by 3 med students w/different vantage points"
"Very friendly faculty and students. The newer facilities were impressive. Good library."
"PBL is very well integrated into curriculum and students are enthusiastic about its use."
"The majority of facilities. They were upgrading labs; library was nice, rec center was phenomenal. People were also very personable."
"fitness center. PBL. weather and columbia- beautiful and temperate. "
"beautiful college campus, high quality program overall"
"the pbl approach, the students (happy and enthusiastic), the facilities (especially the gym)"
"The friendliness of the staff and students"
"the PBL curriculum, simulated dolls, the new gym is amazing, the friendly people, how well-balanaced the students seem, the low-cost of living"
"The students seemed to really like it there! They have an amazing gym."
"The students absolutely love it here."
"The current students said that they scored in the top 10 for USMLE board scores last year and were 12th this year (above Harvard) and they loved the PBL."
"Students have a tight-knit feel that doensn't foster the negative aspects of competition."
"The problem based learning approach, I liked the community, the students were very nice and laid back."
"The enthusiasm of the students"
"Great school, enthusiastic students, great resources, good sense of cooperation amoung students"
"the students"
"The financial aid guy who was very honest about the school. The enthusiastic students. "
"The tour guides were really friendly and informative. They had honest answers for all of my questions. The school has also just received a $2.3 million gift to buy high-tech mock patients. It sounded really neat, and they should be in place by the next school year. They university also has plans to add a new building to the med school to provide better facilities for students. It seems like they are really working hard to make this a top-notch medical school."
"The people! We got to see PBL in action, and everyone was happy and in a good mood. It seemed like a friendly place, and all of the students emphasize the need for being well-balanced and engage in social activites. Yet the students score way above the national average on boards..."
"The enthusiasm of the students, the PBL curriculum, and how at home they made me feel from the administrative staff to the sudents."
"The students were very enthusiastic about PBL. "
"Loved the PBL curriculum (I got to sit in on a session and it was amazing!), everyone was friendly, enthusiastic, and personable"
"1) The overwhelming satisfaction of the students with the PBL curriculum; 2) The involvement of the faculty in the PBL curriculum and personal success of the students; 3) The block schedule for curriculum, testing, rest time; 4) The success of PBL and testing format in preparing students for excellent results on boards; 5) The PBL lab set-up; 6) Proximity of school to the hospital complex (connected) and to ammenities of the larger campus community (brand new rec center is right outside the north doors)"
"The PBL curriculum, the students' attitudes, the facilities, the whole staff made it a nice, low-stress experience."
"How nice the faculty were; students are enthusiastic about the PBL curriculum"
"PBL, facilities, grading system, board scores, tests"
"low stress level of students, stress free testing environments. Exams are administered to students, open note, open book, and you are able to take the exam anywhere on campus where you feel comfortable. Honor Code of course is important. High scores on board exams"
"The students were really laid back and happy. Everyone was very nice. Having attended MU for my undergrad I wasn't too excited to stay for medical school, but after having spent some time there with the faculty and students I am really excited that I might get to go!"
"The medical students seemed pretty excited about the school. "
"The students seemed super enthusiastic about the PBL system and were extremely warm and friendly."
"The students were incredibly excited to be there. They really seemed to like the PBL system. "
"The students were very happy and said they have a lot of free time. Board scores are very high and it is very likely that you will get your residency choice."
"the mood of the students, they all seemed to like it there. also the problem based learning really seems to be helping their numbers."
"the happiness of the students, the success of the curriculum"
"The students love the school and there are very few lecture hours per week."
"The PBL curriculum encourages cooperation. Teamwork is encouraged. You're expected to study hard on your own to help your team. In exchange you get a fair amount of free time. This is a family-friendly school in all respects."
"The students who took us on our tour were really nice. The school is really nice, and Columbia is a great town."
"The interviewers were very very nice, and made you feel at home. "
"Both the interviewers were nice. The students seemed to get along well."
"Very impressive hospital and facilities. Very nice environment. Everyone seems pleased to be working there (not just med students but also a lab tech and a few custodians that I also spoke with)."
"The docs that interviewed me were down-to-earth, the students were very excited about the school."
"One of my interviewers was incredible, and her enthusiasm for the school was contagious. (Although not enough to win me over after I got home and thought about my overall experience.) The students seem very happy with PBL."
"how the PBL system was working, their passing percentages for the boards"
"the interviewers were so pleasant. very nice to talk with. the students seemed very happy to be there, but at the same time did not seem arrogant like at some other schools. The PBL facilities are very nice. All the students get a desk w/ cabinets in the study/pbl room. "
"The students' attitudes were Amazing. The kids love it there, and there's an enormous sense of a social community amongst the entire class / school / university / town!"
"My interviewers were awesome. One was a really down to earth ER doc and the other was an equally affable ped. urologist. Both of them were very nice, asked meaningful questions, and allowed the interview to flow. At one point the ER doc and I got to talking about some peripheral topic and I said something to the effect of "At some point here we're going to have to get back to the interview" to which he responded, "this is the interview.""
"Financial Aid staff was extremely friendly. I felt more at ease w/ them and the receptionist than w/ anyone else in the school. The student giving the tour did NOT want to be there, let alone answer questions. "
"I was excited to see that the faculty care about the students. This extends from the secretary in the office all the way to the finacial aid officer. I definetely liked the feeling I got from the school"
"I had paid previous visits to the facilities, so there were no surprises. I was pleased w/ the attitude of the staff and the students; not the faculty though -- see below."
"PBL program looks like a very fun and effective way to learn medicine. The facilities were nicer than expected. Students were all very nice."
"Liked PBL, students seemed happy and relaxed. The class does a lot together socially."
"The admissions staff was extremely helpful and the students who gave to tour seemed to like the school a lot."
"The students were pleased with the program."
"The staff was very nice and made me feel at ease."
"Nothing."
"Students seemed happy there. Definitely seemed to be a low stress environment (for a medical school)."
"Students really like it there and love the PBL format for the most part. Interviewers were very easy to talk to."
"The curriculum -- PBL. Lots of small groups, learning through case-based study and clinical contexts. Also, the students and staff were very accessible and down-to-earth."
"group study rooms for the students, each gets his own desk w/cabinet. "
"The happiness of the students. The really seemed to like th PBL environment."
"mispronounced my name"
"Had one really intense interviewer that was faculty."
"Compared to interviews at other school this one was very short, so the time crunch is palpable. Sometimes questions and responses will be rushed."
"My faculty interviewer did not seem particularly interested at some points. Very one-directional, the interviewers did not seem to want to talk about their experiences."
"The interviewers, one in particular"
"Uninterested student ambassador."
"The M4 who led our tour acted like an ass. He had some useful advice and insight into the school, but he mostly seemed insistent on demonstrating his coolness to our tour group: barging into rooms of M1s and M2s taking exams, repeatedly bringing up that PBL left him a lot of time to lift weights, bragging about his boards scores, etc."
"Nothing really, I loved this school."
"the tour"
"PBL curriculum"
"How non-conversational the interview was. Didn't really have a chance to talk to students other then the tour guides."
"The M1 labs are pretty depressing (concrete, no windows), although I hear there is some kind of renovation in progress."
"I was disappointed that the Dean of Admissions was unable to meet with us and also disappointed in how much they tried to sell the clinical simulations building."
"nothing. I liked the school"
"Nothing really. I liked the school"
"the interviews were very bland...it didn't seem as if they were really trying to get to know me"
"Very little diversity, or attention given to the issue (Ie, 2007 class w/ zero black students, 2006 class w/ zero Hispanic students) No office of cultural diversity or individual in charge of minority recruitment. Every other school I have interviewed at has at least made an effort in this regard. "
"Less than 10% of the class were minority descent. I saw no Asian, Latino students while I visited. I am a Asian American and would like to see some diversity within the class. "
"I had an aggressive interviewer that seemed to challenge me on whether I would even consider accepting an offer from Mizzou. I didn't like feeling singled-out for having an application above their averages. Also, my interview day lasted late (until 6:30 pm), but that was very circumstantial and my last interview was very enjoyable (1.5 hours worth!) "
"I don't know exactly what it was, but the visit just didn't excite me like I hoped it would."
"the indifference of the interviewers--both of them =("
"nothing serious, the facilities were a bit dated in some places-nothing I really care about. "
"N/A"
"lecture halls were outdated"
"The M1 classroom looked like a dungeon. Also, about half the school is very old."
"M-1 PBL labs feel like a jail cellblock. Program is very inbred (~50% from Mizzou undergrad, ~50% stay at Mizzou for residency)"
"The lecture hall. It was a little run-down and not much leg room for those over 6'6'' like myself... a minor minor negative."
"school size, lack of diversity in patient population."
"a car is definitely necessary and as someone coming from living in a really busy city, quite a change of pace and things to do...traveling to get there took two very small jet planes so commuting to see my boyfriend/friends would be really difficult"
"Nothing really."
"The tour guides were helpful and nice, but barely gave us a tour at all. They only showed us a couple classrooms, and a lab. I went to undergrad here and knew the school well, but I'm sure that others were unimpressed."
"Didnt get to see much on the tour."
"The facilities were being renovated at the time, so our tour was limited. "
"I barely got a tour. My tour guide was very unprepared and didn't seem to care about giving a tour. He was rushed (expected to show the whole site in half an hour) and so didn't do much more than ask if we had questions i.e. we went up the elevator to the floor of the pediatric unit and didn't even leave the elevator area because he didn't really have time to show it to us, we looked into a classroom and he pointed into the direction of the labs, but that was it, no joke."
"The fact that due to Missouri's budget crisis, the School of Medicine does not have a lot of money. The average facilities. "
"Nothing really stood out to me."
"Some of the physical facilites, like the lecture hall were not overly impressive, but really nothing!"
"Their isn't much to the medical school. I wasn't allowed to see the anatomy lab. Onde of my interviewers seemed as if she had read the wrong file."
"We didn't see any of the hospital's facilities on our tour-only classrooms. Also, there was no real organization regarding things beyond the tour and interviews (ie lunch)"
"out-of-state tuition...ouch There also happened to be a murder in Columbia right before my interview day, police were around asking questions (I was told this is pretty unusual for Columbia.)"
"Nothing really; already knew about high in-state tuition rate"
"Cadaver labs...dingy"
"no lunch, had to wait a while"
"Not really a lecture hall or classroom because PBL is based on group work in study type rooms. Could be negative to someone who prefers the lecture style of learning. I was not so impressed with the anatomy lab. Very old and out of date facility but of course the focus is on the bodies there not the the state of the classroom."
"My first interviewer was 15mins late and he didn't do a good job interviewing me. I ended up having to ask questions to spur discussion."
"The curriculum completely revolves around PBL- that might work for some people though. I like PBL, but I also would like basic science lectures. "
"Our tour didn't really show us anything. We saw the library and the conference room where our tour guides PBL group met, nothing else. Not sure if this is all there is of the school or if its all they can show, but pretty lame. "
"nothing really"
"No lunch, a bit un-organized"
"the tour was a bit unorganized, and there was no lunch even though you are there from morning until early afternoon."
"i'm still not sold on pbl, also the school doesn't have as much money as i'm used to after seeing other schools"
"The interviewer on the selection committee had never interviewed applicants before. Also, the day didn't seem very organized. No presentations from financial aid or a dean. In the 1+ hour between interviews and the tour, another applicant and I were told to leave and come back later. And as everyone else has mentioned, no lunch."
"Can't see the anatomy lab. Not uncommon."
"My first interview was one of the worst experiences of my life. The interviewer was the rudest, cockiest, most presumptious man I had ever met in my life. He was unorganized; he had the wrong person's information in front of him the entire time. He grilled me about the death of my mother to the point where I was almost in tears, he interrupted my answer to almost every question, and he assumed that my long-distance relationship with my boyfriend would cause me to fail classes. I wanted to hit him on several occasions. Also, the interview went longer than it was supposed to, making me late for my second interview. He seemed more amused with himself and the ridiculous questions he was asking, than how qualified I was to go to the school. I wrote the school a letter to complain about him. I got in eventually, but I don't know if that letter helped or not. At least it didn't hurt my chances too much. "
"Some of the points mentioned previously. I'm also sort of amazed by how much negative feedback I'm seeing on this site. True, individual experiences do vary, but I've also looked at the feedback for some of my other candidate schools, and this one definitely stands out for its number of negative experiences. "Thousands of wolves can't all be wrong." In fact one of the positive experiences noted, was posted by a current 2nd year -- no offense, but it just seems a bit desparate. I'm wondering why none like him/her were around when I visited the school, and the only student I met was the tour-guide. Makes one wonder if its really a 2nd year student, or if the Dean's found a new medium of expression. Any as for the financial aid package -- don't waste your money on the flight tickets. Whether you're a state-resident or not, you'll get a much better deal attending a private school."
"The school seemed kind of boring. All of the students said they had boring teachers. Many of the lectures are taught by guest lecturers and there isn't much continuity week to week."
"I can't think of anything negative about the school. However DO NOT stay at the Best Value Inn... ughh... really nasty place!!"
"The cost of attending Columbia is outrageous for a state school. In recent years, they have raised tutition as much as 10% per year, and the tuition is not fixed for entering students. Also, they don't seem to give a lot of scholarship money. The town of Columbia seemed really isolated."
"how the PBL system worked, their lack of exposure tand emphasis to anatomy"
"pretty expensive for a state school, but the financial aid guy seems very helpful and approachable."
"The interviews were held in tiny study rooms in the library. But really, nothing was bad."
"The students giving the tour were very nice people, but the seemed unimpressed with the school. This is probably b/c I was comparing them to tour guides at other schools that were so passionate about their institution. The MS1s doing out tour spent alot of time griping about things that weren't cool about the school. Also, they are not big on anatomy at all. "
"Interviewers seemed to be very easily impressed. Their questions kept driving at why "
"nothing"
"The faculty. The ones that they've prepped to give "the company line" all follow that order from their higher-ups like sheep. You'll be able to see right through this. My advice is to talk to other faculty members. I did, and saw the school for what it really was. I found faculty who weren't as happy as the school would have you believe. The truth is, and it became even more evident from my conversations w/ the faculty, that the hospital is in trouble. It is financially strapped, and its doing everything it can in the way of damage control. Unfortunately, not much is possible and so they've refocused some of their efforts to keep the Columbia community and even its own faculty and staff confused about the situation so they'll give up their zeal for finding out. One faculty member told me that a few years ago, the teaching hospital tried expanding its wings, and acquired a small local hospital that was in similar trouble. Unfortunately, that hospital was on the market in the first place b/c it was in terrible debt, and its administrators were unable to keep it afloat. So w/ its acquisition, MU literally paid to acquire a huge problem, and has not been able to fix it since. Its resources have been further drained by internal squabling about how to fix the problems. Another faculty member figuratively wiped his forehead in relief when I told him my MCAT score and GPA. He was actually relieved when he found out MU was one of my backup schools. He told me this was not a place to go unless it was an absolute last resort. W/ a skyrocketing budget, outrageous debt, and cuts at the state level, the future reputation of the school is up in the air. He told me as far as national residency programs are concerned, although my board scores and grades in med school are important, they'll also be taking into consideration where I graduated from. And if it comes down to applicants from MU and some other school, they're much more likely to settle for the other applicant since they're weary about the curriculum here. For example, they may say "sure the MU applicant scored a few points higher on the boards, but he/she may have had more time to prep for the exam since the curriculum is not as challenging as that of this other institution." I would definitly 1) talk to faculty other than those hand-picked to talk to you 2) watch their body language as they answer questions b/c some have literally been kept in the dark regarding the woes of the school and you'll be able to see right through it despite their rather political answer, and 3) be careful NOT to come across as being offensive in you questioning. Remember, some of these faculty members teach there b/c Columbia is such an awesome community, and they're rasing their families there, and its not easy to just go teach elsewhere whenever you please. However, they also know that they're being lied to by some top administrators regarding the future of the school, and its affiliated hospitals. And they know that they can't do much about that. There's an element of helplessness. The last thing they want is some applicant who's just there for a day, coming around asking him/her about why the place is in shambles as if implying that that faculty member is somehow contributing to the problem. Anyway, use your own best judgement. I was lucky enough to find some very helpful faculty members, but I had less coopertive ones too, and so I backed off w/o sounding offensive. "
"The students claimed that Columbia was a fun place to live, but I don't know..."
"One of my interviewers hadn't read my file even though it's open. Another interviewer spent tons of time talking about unrelated stuff."
"One of my interviewers was about 15 minutes late and did not seem attentive during the interview or interested in my responses."
"One interviewer was not up-to-date on his information for the newer and alternative practices in medicine, the admissions office had an imperial attitude, with the exception of the receptionist, the clinician, who I liked, didn't particularly believe in the curriculum, there are double the number of students per cadaver as compared to the other institutions where I interviewed, and there was a complication with my interview and instead of taking me to an office to explain this, the admissions administrator told me in the common area with other interviewees for the day."
"There were almost no minority students. This school is not very diverse."
"The bigoted attitude of my interviewer"
"Tuition is one of the highest state medical school tuitions in the country."
"They need to give us lunch, I drove hours and was starving. Tour should have included at least a view of the hospital where the clinical stuff all happens, we just sort of walked down a hallway nearby...."
"Lack of student housing within walking distance...but if you have a bike/car you should be okay, so it's not too big of a problem."
"almost everything. i did not like the curriculum, a lot of it is self-taught, even anatomy. they give you a cadaver and tell you to go for it, w/o any instructions. the interviwers were struggling to ask me questions. they kept me for a third interview, usually you only have two. i'm still not quite sure why. they kept me waiting an hour for a pointless 15 min interview. doesn't seem very intellectual. "
"High tuition for an in-state school"
"interviewers will pick apart your application"
"I had one interviewer who was really intense and rapid fire asking questions -- it can throw you off."
"That the school focuses more on learning who you are as a person and less on explaining "hiccup" grades, or standouts on your application."
"You can drink coffee and water while on zoom call. They tell you this throughout"
"Got a parking ticket even though I parked exactly where I was told to park. Sent an appeal but I'd recommended uber or parking elsewhere."
"You do two back-to-back, hour-long interviews - so just be prepared to talk for a long time"
"How strange the questions would be."
"Nothing - there were no surprises while I was there."
"That the building is kind of hidden behind the hospital. IE not easy to see from the road."
"The undergrad and med school are all on the same campus"
"Nothing."
"Nothing - I felt completely prepared for the interview."
"more american politics."
"Who I was interviewing with on that day."
"Where to park"
"That it's not that stressful. The interviewers are like your attorney - they want to do their best to help you "win" in a sense.. so take advantage of that. Don't be modest. If you have a lot of experience, let them know and elaborate on it."
"The interviewers's names so I could ask them more specific questions during our one-on-one interview"
"don't stay at the campus inn!"
"Mizzou considers significant patient experience to be a MUST, I lacked this to some degree. One of my interviewers was very judgmental about this during my interview, and was constantly coming back to the topic of patient experience. "
"The interviewer were there to support me. When I had difficult time finding a right word to say, as English is my second language, the interviewer helped me pick right word for me. The admission committee knows that there is very little, if any, diversity within the class. They want to recruit students from different racial, ethnical backgrounds. This showed very obviously during my interview. "
"The interviewers are your advocates to the committee. They just want to help you get accepted. "
"How hot it would be in that admissions office..."
"The meeting with the Dean of Students was as a group. She goes around the table peppering each applicant with questions to get to know you, so it is sort of like a mini interview -- except the Dean does not have a vote at the adcom meeting. "
"Exactly where the office is. "
"I prepared well for the interview, maybe too well."
"N/A"
"na"
"How much they focus on having clinical experience (I know this is looked at heavily by other schools, but here, it seemed like without it, you were pretty much already rejected regardless of other application factors)."
"There is very little good financial aid for anyone. "
"I interviewed with an M4. I would have had some different questions ready had I known this was gonna happen."
"that the cost of tuition would be so high for non-residents, and the school offers very few scholarships. almost all financing comes from loans. "
"When a point discrepency occurs between the first two interviews, they offer a third interview after the pre-scheduled day."
"I wish I had known more about pbl"
"How much down time we would have, and how far the parking lot is from the med school. You have to walk through the hospital and nursing school to get to the med school."
"i thought one interview would be with a med student which i thought would be more laid back and one with a physician but one interview was with clinical science professor "
"Nothing at all."
"no suprises. "
"They use a point system to decide who is accepted. You may not be accepted by the first round and put on next round, and so on until March of the next year."
"That the interview would be REDICULOUSLY easy and LOW, LOW stress. All we did was talk during both interviews, often times things highly intellectual, yet unrelated to medicine, science, or the university. "
"I wish I had known one of my interviewers was very liberal - our disagreement may not change her opinion of me, but then again it may. If it does, I would've stayed away from that topic in particular."
"Just relax"
"That I would also be given a 1 on 1 meeting with the financial aid advisor. I didn't know about this, so it would have been nice to prepare a couple of questions, but I can always contact him later if I have any concerns."
"A bit more about issues facing medicine: HMO/PPO, socialized medicine, etc."
"How far the parking was from the medical school was and where it was exactly located. I had to walk through the nursing school to find it."
"That the tour is not particularly useful."
"That I could sit in on a class, that I could walk to the bookstore and food court area before my tour and interview."
"That what prior positive feedback has noted about the students being happy with PBL is an understatement; that what prior negative feedback has attempted to convey about the school is a bunch of BS from malcontents, ivy wannabees and others who cannot accept MU for what it is: a modest state school in an out-state area, which has an excellent, progressive curriculum which does an excellent job preparing physicians for patient care (yes, especially but not only for primary care) "
"That there would be a wait between the tour and the interviews."
"nada"
"a better explanation of how the PBL system works"
"Nothing new, PBL is a big deal there, so I kind of learned about it before hand"
"I expected to see more of the facilities, and we really didn't see much of them at all. "
"The Medical Sciences Bldg where you are to meet is actually called the Health Sciences Bldg on the on-line map. "
"As stated by previous posters, DO NOT STAY AT THE CAMPUS INN. I thought "how bad can it be?", pretty darn bad!"
"The parking lot is on the opposite side of the building from the medical school. I already knew they didn't serve lunch."
"I knew that they didn't serve lunch at all, but I would have liked to have brought some money with me to get a drink or something at the cafe in the hospital while I waited for my interview. I ended up borrowing from a friend who was interviewing on the same day. "
"I usually have my finger on the pulse of the school I'm visiting before I arrive for my interview -- so no big surprises."
"Missouri is ranked 2nd in the country for Family Practice. $500,000 in student aid were cut from the budget last year."
"The goal of the interviews seemed to be to kinda through you off or stress you a little. As if they want to see how you respond to stress (or something like that)."
"There was no financial aid presentation for us. Luckily, one of the other applicants told me that I could just go to the office of the financial aid director and talk to him. He was very helpful, and it was great to have a one-on-one financial aid discussion, but if she hadn't told me about it, I wouldn't have known."
"NO LUNCH...you gotta fiend for your self on that one. I thought that we would also get some kind of financial aid presentation with the tour, but that was not that case. Also, the parking lot they suggest is not very close to where they tell you to meet, so women, if you are wearing heels, make sure you bring along some comfy shoes also."
"Do not stay at the campus inn"
"I still can't find the right parking lot. (so get there plenty early to find it)"
"MU's lack on emphasis on anatomy."
"I wish I would've visited this site and chanced upon the comments of one of the applicants who provided a very thorough and, I must say, accurate summary of the admission process at Mizzou. Prior to my interview, I had roughly surmised some of the conclusions/observations that he/she came to, and if anything, I firmly believe that it was me giving my interviewers exactly what they were trained to hear that got me accepted. Like I said previously, my interviewers seemed annoyed that I was even there. I had went into the interview wanting to tell the truth about my future plans, but about five minutes in, the message was clear: "this is NOT the east coast...you're on our turf now, and if you want to get in, you dance to our tune and tell us what we want to hear." Like I said, had I paid a visit to this site, and read some of the feedback, I would've known exactly what to expect. I'm happy I improvised, and obviously, did it just in time. My advice to anyone, read the negative feedback on this site, and take it to heart. If you're from Harvard, or any schools on the east coast, or from anywhere but Mizzou for that matter, read the negative feedback on this site, and do not go into the interview w/o reading that very thorough feedback one of the interviewees posted on this site. Its long, but extremely informative."
"nothing"
"PBL curriculum is generally half lecture and half small group activities."
"I'm glad I already knew they wouldn't have food!"
"Parking is REALLY hard to find, make sure you go early to search it out. Get directions if you need to."
"Had I not known (from this website) that there would not be an opportunity for lunch, I would have wished to know that. I wish that I would have known what should have been a 2 1/2 hour visit could turn into the 5 hour marathon that it turned into. I also wish I would have known that attending the school tour is not worth it: all you are shown is the library, computer lab, study area, and mailboxes. Patient treatment and simulation areas, the gross anatomy lab, and the pathology lab are all off-limits, as is a tour of the hospital. Definitely not worth the effort to get there early."
"I wish they would have given us lunch."
"That the med school is homophobic."
"Lunch is not provided."
"Thier USMLE scores jumped bigtime after they put in the PBL format. "
"The day isn't too structured -- after interviews you may leave, or stay for a tour, or talk to Financial Aid -- it's up to you! :)"
"they don't feed you lunch. "
"i liked the school a lot, presentations were rushed"
"Great school overall, and the interview process is pretty laid back. If you are doing Zoom (virtual) interview, please realize that they monitor you the whole time."
"There is a moderator in the room, normally an administrative staff who is a non-voting member of the interview committee. They will keep time and intervene if needed. Also, every applicant receives a numeric score for their interview and other portions of the application process, those who rank high enough at the end are extended seat offers."
"Conversational great interview. Everyone warm and this school is top of my list"
"I loved my interview experience, they made me want to join the program"
"I loved the school, but the interview(s) left me with a bad taste. One of them was great! But the other was definitely not what I was expecting"
"Interview day was great, and thought the school rocked."
"Great school, incredibly friendly, seem very interested in the practical application of medicine which can be good or bad depending on what an applicant is looking for in their medical education."
"Good school in general. They have 25 committee members, two of which are your interviewers. They also seem to bottleneck their amount of acceptance offers until late spring."
"I was very impressed with MU's Medical School. If this is a school that you hope to get into, I would take interview preparation seriously, but not be too stressed out when you arrive on the day of the interview. The day is relatively relaxed, and the main thing the interviewers are looking for is honesty, well-reasoned and well-communicated answers, and an obvious love for medicine."
"Mizzou surprised me: it's a fantastic place."
"I liked the school except for the interviewers. Complete turn off. Don't think I will get in, but probably wouldn't go if I did."
"The process and interviews are very relaxed. Everyone seemed warm, friendly and open about the process and their role in it. This has to be one of the most laid back interview processes in the nation."
"If you are serious about patient centered care, then Mizzou is an excellent school for you. If you are more into the research aspect (although Mizzou med school is good for that too) or are not into working with others, I would suggest applying somewhere else. I heard serveral times that they try to select students who jive well with working with others for PBL, are open and friendly, etc."
"Relax and don't stress! The environment is very laid back and easy going. No need to be nervous."
"it seemed as if the questions they asked could be answered simply by looking at my application...i was very disappointed in the questions they asked me"
"Overall, I am a little indifferent about the whole experience. On one hand, this is my undergrad school + home state, but I did not feel like anyone was really trying to convince me to go there. Also, as a minority the issue of diversity is important to me, and I feel they lack effort in this regard (ie see 2007 class profile). I will see where else I get into and re-evaluate the school. "
"It was my first interview and I was very nervous. The room in which I interviewed was very hot, which didn't help me at all (sympathetic nervous system, remember?) But the interviewer so kindly handed me a cold water out of a mini refridge. The interviewer made it toally conversational so that I was able to relax by the middle of the interview. "
"Very good, very conversational, not many standardized questions."
"Overall, it went very well. Most of the interviews are very conversational and very pleasant. I had one interview that was a bit aggressive, but not in demeaning me....more in recruiting me..."
"My day started in the morning w/ 2 interviews right away. There was another student who was doing the same. After our interviews, 3 other students joined us and we all had a round-table discussion w/ the dean of student affairs who asked us questions about ourselves as well. Then we went on a tour guided by an MS-1 and an MS-2 and ate lunch w/ them. After that, while the 3 students that joined us later interviewed, I had a quick one-on-one info session w/ the financial aid lady. They make you wait around a bit when you are finished to make sure your interviewers have turned in their review sheets of you and that the scores they gave you don't differ too much (if they do, you get a third interview)."
"The day was very relaxed. The admissions office has a comfortable waiting area with complimentary water and snacks. They give you a folder full of information about the school. I was interviewed by an orthopaedic surgeon and an 4th year student. Both interviewers were extremely nice and conversational. After the interviews we took a tour, lead by two M2s, of the PBL labs and lecture halls. Lunch was provided (sandwich, chips, cookie, drink). Then we met with the dean. The last thing on the agenda was stopping by the financial aid office to meet the advisor. She detailed how much it cost to attend Mizzou and what financial aid options are available. From start to finish the interview ''day'' took 3 1/2 hours. "
"It was a good experience. Interviewers were very conversational but they still fired some good questions at me. "
"It was a fast interview day. Started at 1130. Met with Dean, had tour, lunch with students, then 2 ints, finally meeting with fin aid guy."
"You first talk with one of the deans, there were three students interviewing in the room and we went around the table and we each talked a bit about ourselves. Then I talked with the finacial aid dude. The student tour was next followed by lunch. Next was my first interview, then a half hour break followed by my last interview."
"Overall, I think it was a very good experience. The interviewers were extremely nice, and the interview as a whole had a conversational tone."
"pretty laid back"
"Both interviewers were very nice and easy to talk with. All I can say is to know yourself, and you'll be fine."
"Two one hour interviews with practicing physicians at the hospital. Both have read over your AMCAS and your secondary so know what you wrote. Be prepared to reason through a few clinical ethics dilemmas. If the two evaluations of you disagree, you will get a third late interview. There also is a tour, lunch, and brief one-on-one meeting with a financial aid representative."
"It was a good expereince. The interviews were very relaxed and relatively easy; interviewers weren't intimidating at all. Columbia seemed like a nice city to live in. Basically, I came away liking about every aspect of the school more than when I went in."
"Very low-key. Two faculty interviews in the morning, along with a financial aid presentation. A tour and lunch with a med student afterwards, with three other applicants. The tone was very casual, and everyone made you feel comfortable. "
"There are only about 5 applicants per interview day, and you don't really interact with all of them at the same time because everyone's schedule is different. My first interview went well, but my second interviewer wasn't very impressed with my research or my interest in primary care. Afterwards we took a tour of the school, ate lunch with our student tour guides, and met with a dean of student affairs. For most people, this is the extent of the interview day, but I was offered a third interview because of the point discrepency between my first two interviewers."
"It was a really great experience. The only downside I can see to this school is that its in Columbia. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Overall, my interviews were fairly informal and allowed for alot of discussion and questions"
"I had an interview at 9am that lasted a half hour. Then I had to wait for an hour and had a meeting with the financial aid guy. Then I waited a half hour, met with the dean of the med school, had a tour, and ate lunch. Then I waited another hour, had a second interview lasting a half hour, and then waited another half hour until I was dismissed at 3:00. Apparently this was the first day of interviews for the year so it was a little disorganized. There were only four of us there, and the other three all happened to go to high school together. The tour guides were friendly but didn't really show us anything, and read directly off of sheets of paper."
"first interview with physician was good- we had a nice dialogue and felt we were on the same page. second interview felt a bit off with the interviewer who looked at his watch a couple times."
"The students that gave the tour were friendly and excited about being at Columbia. My interviews were not very stressful at all. One of the doctors that interviewed me asked me more about my family than anything else. It was a good experience overall."
"The interview process was very positive. The interviewers just try to get to know you at first to calm you down before they start working in questions. "
"They are easy and try to get to know your motivations and your experiences. They drill you on your application and any soft spots, then throw some ethical situations at you. It was exactly what was expected."
"Calm, intellectual, fun, conversational"
"I thought the tour could've been done better at least by ensuring the tourguide cared about giving the tour. "
"It was very easy and fun, and a lot of the questions I was asked came straight from the feedback I had read on this site, so it seems that they tend to ask the same questions of each applicant."
"My interview experience was great. The interviewers were really interested in getting to know me. There are no right or wrong answers to questions they asked, they just wanted to see what my thought process was like. They were very honest and open about everything"
"The students were really nice! We had a tour and lunch at noon. Then 2 one-on-one interviewers. My second interviewer was awesome! We had gone to the same undergrad, so we just talked about that school and campus life the whole time."
"Although it was a low stress place I was pretty stressed about it because it was my first interview. The financial aid guy was very helpful, I recommend talking to him when you go for interviews. It was nice to see the med students really enjoy the school and have a tight-knit community. "
"Overall it was enjoyable. Everyone was friendly. It seems like most students had one informal/conversational interview, and one formal interview where the interviewer asks questions from a list. The first was very, very low stress, while the second was only moderately stressful. Also, lunch was provided for us (I have heard in the past that this was not the case)."
"Very laid-back and comfortable. It was a welcoming and enjoyable environment."
"The students were great. I felt like I was already one of them after the tour. My first interviewer was sincere and genuinely interested in who I was. I think my second interviewer thought I was somebody else. She asked questions that had to do with experiences I didn't do and blamed me for bad ones I never heard of. She also tried to prod me into answering her paradoxical questions the way she wanted me too. I didn't let her and I left feeling pretty bad about my chances. "
"We met for a tour at noon and were divided into small groups. Interviews were not until 2 so we were told just to hang out or go find lunch until then. My interviewers picked me up in the admissions office and took me to their offices for the interview so the interviews did not quite last an hour although you have the transit time to state your case if you need to."
"I loved this school. I was really expecting not to like it after reading the comments on this site, but I loved everything about it (except the non-res tuition). PBL seems great, the students, faculty, and staff were all amazing, and I felt more comfortable than I have at any other interview."
"They divide each interview day into morning group and afternoon group. The am people have two separate interviews, at 9am and 10am. Btwn 11-12, there is time to meet privately with the FA person, ask questions of the admin staff, explore campus or hospital, grab a bite to eat, etc. At noon, students provide a somewhat limited tour of the facilities to both the AM and PM groups. Our tour guides were very upbeat, helpful and eager to relate their experiences (all positive and informative)."
"A very relaxed and conversational interview."
"Great...this school is very laid back. However, the first interview tends to be simpler than the second."
"excellent"
"Really good. I enjoyed talking with both physicians. They were very interested in my research and medical internships/hospital shadowing experiences. Even though they were discussed in my application, my interviewers wanted to talk about them in detail. Very relaxing, straightfoward, and fair. "
"It was a fairly laid back interview experience. If you know who you are, you will do fine. "
"All in all stress free. The interviews actually seemed very short, they were supposed to last closer to an hour and mine were done in around 20 min. Just review your app and think of what you may be asked about."
"I had a great interview and I love the school. The interview was very informal and laid back. PBL seems an ideal fit for me. It is not for everyone, but I value independant study, active group learning, and free time for family. The students claimed to have A LOT of free time. I am suprized at the negative sentiment on this site about the school, it is fantastic. It is certainly my number one school. Oh and don't follow the "Tell em primary care" advice given by a previous poster. My interviewer specifically said that there is a rumor going around that if you tell MU that you are going into primary care you will get in, he said that was crap and they look for sincerity in applicants. If you have no desire for family medicine, don't tell them you do. They will see right through you."
"The interviews were very laid back and i really felt the interviewers were really trying to get to know me, not size me up. There were some questions about current events and ethical issues, but nothing too tough."
"nice enjoyable interviews. my first one went really well, my second one went pretty well, but was a bit more politically oriented. (which i like, but has the potential to alienate the other person) also, despite what mu lacks (which is pretty heavily emphasized on this site) the school is excellent, the avg board score is 8pts higher than harvard, a majority (85 pecent or so get their 1 or 2 residency slot)."
"Great experience. Financial problems formerly experienced by the institution appear to be behind them. Although the tuition is high for a state school, you get a great medical school experience in return. Their philosophy is more cooperative than many other schools. Why put your medical students through hell when they learn much more when they're happy? "
"I wanted to cry."
"Please see the rest of my comments."
"I was more impressed with the school than I thought I would be, but since I have been accepted at other schools, I don't think I will attend Mizzou. The Problem Based Learning system is very impressive. Mizzou is much nicer than some previous reviewers will lead you to believe."
"Good. My first interview was pretty stressful initially. However, I recovered well and was much more prepared for my second interview."
"I'm currently a second year at MU - I'm posting this to share my experiences and to express my disgust at some of the comments posted on this site about my school. First of all, if this school is your 'back-up' or you feel you are too strong a candidate to actually consider this school, let me just enlighten you: no one with a snobby smarter-than-you attitude will make it at MU. Our strength comes from pointing out one another's weaknesses, teaching one another, and solving problems together. Numbers mean nothing the second you start school here. If reputation, rank, and tooting your own horn mean a lot to you, then you should look elsewhere. If you want to learn to be a compassionate, knowledgable, and adored physician, MU is for you. Even as a second year, I have encountered hundreds of patients, gained invaluable clinical experience, and out-smarted several residents from 'respected' institutions in clinic. So, here's my challenge: be a better physician than me. Your first obstacle: getting your head through the door. The class entering med school at MU this year is already lightyears ahead of you."
"I was disappointed that we didn't get to meet very many students during the interview day. I think that a big part of the reason that I have a negative opinion of the school is that the few students I met had very different personalities, interests, and goals than I do, so I just felt like the school was a bad fit for me. One of my interviewers was downright hostile, while the other physician was an absolutely wonderful person to whom I could have sat and talked all day."
"Seemed alright...pretty laid back. "
"I came on this interview unsure about the school and the pbl process. I left the interview feeling like I really enjoyed my day. The interviewers, office staff, and students were all very pleasant and the atmosphere is great there. "
"GREAT! I really only applied there because I wanted to be in the midwest (i'm from Illinois), but everybody's attitudes were great and made me feel like, "Wow, this place is nice." I am thinking about surgery and didn't feel any pressure to say "I want to be a family practitioner." I want to re-iterate how really solid of a school this is. My MCATs and GPA were quite strong, and i went to a fairly prestigious undergrad (Vanderbilt) and I am not considering Mizzou as a backup. After the interview, it's high on my list."
"Much less structured than any other interview I've been to. No presentations or anything like that, no lunch with students, perfunctory tour. I would say I enjoyed the experience more b/c I had interesting conversations with my interviewers than because I was really impressed with the school."
"I've been accepted. Attitude of interviewers impacted me negatively. Financial Aid Staff know how to break the high-cost of attending MU gently. Final opinion = my visit only comfirmed why MU deserves to be a last tier school."
"I think that this is a great school. Do not listen to some people on this site that think they know what the admissions committee wants to hear. Frankly, I am extremely upset that anyone would try to give such bad advice. I suggest you be honest!!! If you want to be a surgeon, do not hide it. Just because this school is known for its primary care physicians, does not mean they won't accept you because you don't want to be one. During my interview, I told the complete truth. I did not try to give answers I thought they wanted to hear. I gave answers that reflected my understanding and beliefs. Also for the record, I have been accepted and will attend this school in the Fall. So honesty does seem to be the best policy. P.S. I loved the school and do not believe this school should be considered a backup. It is insulting and frankly if that is your opinion, then perhaps you should go somewhere else. I have a high GPA and MCAT and I'm going. "
"Being from Missouri, I already knew quite a bit about the place. Its problems, as well as the type of applicant they're seeking. As far as the type of applicants they admit, I got some priceless help from 2 friends who are current students, and 12 who were admitted but went elsewhere. Their MCAT scores ranged from 25-33 (the ones who were admitted both had 25's), undergrad GPA's ranged from 3.4-4.0. Here's what they had to offer. They told me first to only use the school as a backup. They knew my MCAT and GPA figures and strongly recommended I only use it as a backup, which I am. Second, as far as the type of applicant they seek, keep a few helpful things in mind. Missouri is a rural-farming oriented state (KC and St. Louis are the only exceptions). This means any money the state allocates to programs, it will only do so if they support a rural-farming agenda. What does this mean for you as an applicant: DO NOT go in there saying you wanna practice medicine in an urban setting (e.g. KC/St. Louis). If you wanna get in, tell them you'll be practicing in a rural environment, while teaching (even if its part-time) at local health institutions (as to whom you'll be teaching there, tell them you'd like to see medical students and nurses doing part of their learning in such environments). You wanna emphasize teaching b/c as mentioned b4, MU is in trouble partly b/c its alumni don't return to serve the school. The admission committee has been told to admit those who are more likely to teach b/c there's a higher chance that those individuals will actually teach at MU (especially since private schools tend to be more selective and are less likely to give MU grads a job at their place). Next, if the interviewer inquires about your family, be sure to mention that you have a significant part of your family residing in Missouri, and that you'd like to someday raise a family here too, some place near Columbia in particular. They know that if you're gonna be teaching, and living near Columbia, then its not far-fetched to assume that MU's the place where you'll be doing it. Furthermore, regardless of which branch of medicine you're thinking about going into, tell them primary care is what interests you most. Apparently, MU is nationally ranked by US News and World Report as one of the top primary care institutions (don't be too impressed, this is a category that the more well known schools simply don't care about b/c it means nothing in the way of receiving grant money. One glimpse at the rankings, and you'll know that the more competitive schools rank right where they should when grant money is involved). But anyway, since this ranking is MU's one (and only) claim to pseudo-fame, the administration would like to hang on to it. So they wanna continue to recruit applicants who are interested in primary medicine. So this is another point you have to allude to during your interview. It doesn't matter if you'll be going into neurosurgery, they'll pass you right up if it means losing that ranking. This is the one thing that has allowed them to avoid scrutiny by the state. If they're constantly churning out doctors who serve the rural community w/ primary care, then the constituents are happy, and that means the lawmakers can continue to claim credit for excellent healthcare during difficult economic times, and that means they constantly get re-elected. So its not in their best interest to blow the whistle on an institution that is literally haning on by its fingernails. In addition to all of this, here's one more very important piece of advice. Admissions may get suspicious if too many applicants start giving the same EXACT responses. So keep in mind the basic underpinnings of my advice, but please please please keep your answers varied. You don't wanna shoot yourself in the foot by sounding like everybody else who walks through their door. Although you do have one thing working for you. My guess is, the majority of interviewees don't visit this website, and thus are not as likely to give the same response as you. And second, if you have to give the same EXACT responses I gave, then do so only if you're boder-line (MCAT = 24, GPA = 3.4 give or take a bit). I can tell you that this advice has indeed gotten in at least 14 other applicants, and by what one of my interviewers told me after the interview, has gotten me accepted as well. I know that it works period. There's no maybe's about it. But please keep the details of your answers varied. If you've scored high on the MCATs and have a high GPA, you have more room to take a chance w/ responses that are more and more removed from the advice that I gave here b/c you'll likely be accepted based on your scores (at MU or some other institution); however, as I mentioned, if you're borderline, I would strongly recommend that you stick to the advice that I've given here. Why am I giving you advice that no one else is willing to? I've applied to 15 schools, have interviewed at 8 already (including my 1st choice school), and thus far, have been invited to interview at 3 of the remaining 7. I don't mean to brag, but I'll probably be accepted to one of the other schools, and I'll opt for one of those choices. That means I won't be attending MU, and so I'm not hurting my chances by helping someone who is border-line. And I would definitely encourage others who are in my shoes. Please, if you KNOW that you won't have to resort to attending your back-up school, then help someone who does have to resort to that. After all, we'll all be doctors one day, and our profession is based more on cooperation than competition. Be competitive when you have to, but when its not warranted, then cooperate other future doctors. "
"Everyone there tried to make me comfortable and were very laid back and informal. This was my first interview, so I was really nervous and blew the first interview anyway. However, because there are two interviews, I could redeem myself on the second one. Don't sweat this one, and you'll probably like the school more after you leave."
"Overall it wasn't stressful and I enjoyed it. "
"The interviews weren't very stressful, but it was hard to get a feel for whether they liked me or not."
"I found the attitudes of the administration to be patronizing. I found the academician, who believes in the PBL curriculum at MU, to be out-of-date with the information he provided me in answer to my questions. The clinician, who was very personable and asked excellent questions, did not believe in the PBL format, which was telling. (Don't get me wrong--MU does get excellent results with this format and they do produce good doctors, as well.) The alumni I met with from MU was kind of a "cold fish". I wouldn't have wanted him for my doctor. All in all, I went in really wanting to like the place. It was my top choice. I left knowing that MU was not the school for me. "
"This was a great interview experience it was very relaxed and most of the question came directly from my application."
"I enjoyed the interview quite a bit. I knew a lot about Mizzou going in, and it was my number one choice from the start."
"Generally good. I've moved the school up on my list of choices."
"The most entertaining interviews I've had. It felt like I was sitting down with friends and chatting...they made me feel completely at ease."
"the school did not impress me at all, read my comments below. "
"The interviews were very conversational. They were open file and they asked many questions about my AMCAS app. It was as relaxing as possible for an interview. I considered this one of my "safe" schools, if there is such a thing. After the interview, I consider this one of my top choices. The students seemed very relaxed and happy."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 96 |
| Faculty member | 1 |
| Admissions staff | 0 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 48 |
| Neutral | 10 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.50 | 58 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 43 |
| Out of state | 14 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 13 |
| 2-3 hours | 24 |
| 4-6 hours | 15 |
| 7+ hours | 5 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 10 |
| Automobile | 44 |
| Train or subway | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 27 |
| $101-$200 | 7 |
| $201-$300 | 2 |
| $301-$400 | 4 |
| $401-$500 | 1 |
| $501+ | 1 |
I live in Columbia, so this is not applicable to m
St. Louis
KCI
cou
STL
MCI
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 2 |
| Friends or family | 18 |
| Hotel | 11 |
| Home | 5 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.57 | 61 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.69 | 61 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.36 | 61 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.45 | 33 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.00 | 34 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.12 | 34 |
"send information earlier so we have time to prepare questions"
"Please consider making the interview slight longer, maybe 20 minutes, so there is less of a rushed atmosphere. Also so both the interview committee and the student interviewing can continue to have a conversational like interaction."
"Bias-free interviewers"
"Make your acceptance schedule less stressful (a couple each month and a bunch in March)"
"Have more activities planned for tour of facilities and opportunity to engage with students."
"None. They seemed well organized."
"Keep up the good work."
"Make the interview day more exciting! Sell your school more!"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?