How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.02 | 190 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 164 |
| Negatively | 14 |
| No change | 12 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.01 | 189 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.36 | 132 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.66 | 116 |
No responses
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 0 |
| 25 minutes | 4 |
| 30 minutes | 7 |
| 35 minutes | 1 |
| 40 minutes | 1 |
| 45 minutes | 10 |
| 50 minutes | 2 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 165 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 188 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 13 |
| In a group | 175 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 26 |
| Closed file | 157 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.02 | 190 |
"Tell me about yourself and how you got to this point."
"What do you think about the affordable care act?"
"Why Northwestern?"
"Tell me about your hobbies"
"How would your friends describe you? How would your adversaries describe you?"
"What offends you? (Phrased in the context of a situation that would upset me)."
"What do you thing will be a personal challenge for you as a physician in the future?"
"What do you think is the biggest problem facing healthcare over the next 5 years?"
"What was the last book you read?"
"Tell em about a challenging situation."
"What is the thing your are most disappointed about that you have done?"
"Group interview: what is one question you would want me to ask you? [then answer it]"
"What is the last thing you posted on facebook?"
"If you couldn't go into healthcare, what career would you pursue?"
"Something to the tune of "introduce yourself to us", but very casual."
"What would someone who doesn't like you say about you?"
"Group Interview: Mostly conversational: What's the last musical you went to see? (I'm interested in musical theater) How would your friends describe you/why do your friends like you? What's a question you really want me to ask you - say it, then answer it. How do you gain trust in the 8th graders that you work with?"
"What do you want to be remembered for?"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years (phrased more creatively)"
"What was your most proud moment?"
"Tell me about your research (I'm applying MSTP)"
"Individual Interviewer: What have you done since submitting AMCAS? What was a time when someone's reaction surprised you? What do you do to de-stress?"
"In panel interview: Teach me to do something not science related."
"What would your best friend say about you?"
"why am i picking med school over grad school (i have extensive research bkgrd)"
"In the group interview: If I asked a friend to describe you...what would they say?"
"Group Interview is closed file. They ask individual questions, then ask a group question. The individuals as I remember them: 1. Tell me about yourself 2. If I visited your hometown, what would we do? 3. Tell me about X experience and how that influenced you to be a physician."
"why medical school"
""I'm visiting your state, and I've never been there before. Where would you take me?""
"What has been your biggest failure?"
"Why medicine?"
"Individual interview: Why medicine? Why Northwestern? Any updates to your file? What single trait do you think will make you a good physician? Have you tried Chicago's deep dish pizza yet?"
"How do you deal with seeing something negative happen that is beyond your control? What do you do for free time? Tell me more about you?"
"Describe your undergrad. Tell me about an rewarding experience in undergrad. Tell me about a challenging situation. Why medicine? If you were to write a newspaper article, what would it be about?"
"Faculty asked me about an EC from my AMCAS file."
"Group is closed file. Individual is open file. What will your obituary say?"
"Panel question: Where would you take your fellow interviewee to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a night on the town?"
"What do you do for fun/ how would your friend describe you?"
"File update and AMCAS review for the one on one with the dean."
"What's on your ipod?"
"What brought you here today?/ What ethical dilemnas did you face in x clinical situation and how did you resolve them?/ Do you have any questions for me? (all in the individual interview)"
"What do you want me to tell the committee about you? "
"What's your favorite book?"
"Individual interview: we reveiewed my file, and I was asked to tell what I had been doing (and why) since I sent my application"
"One interviewee was asked ''if you could go back in time and meet any fictional character, who would it be, what would you talk about, and what would you eat.'' I thought this was very difficult because I don't read much (oops)."
"Group interview question. You are stranded on the moon 200 miles away from your mother ship. Here are your supplies, rank them in order of importance. "
"Tell me about your research?"
"What do you do in your current job?"
"if i come to your room, what would i see? can you describe your room for me?"
"Apart from those above, Tell us about your mentoring experiences"
"What is your favorite color and how does it reflect you personally?"
"What qualities do you bring to Northwestern?"
"What's the last movie you saw?"
"(Standard tell-us-about-yourself introductory dialogue)"
"If you were to advise someone about where to go to college, would you suggest close/far to/from home, a small liberal arts college or a larger state university?"
"What's on my iPod/TV/desk?"
"Who would you consider your role model?"
"What would you add to the Feinberg community? Where do you see yourself in the future? Why Feinberg? And specific questions about my application. (this was during the individual interview)"
"Tell us your name, a little about your background, and something interesting about yourself. (group)"
"Why Chicago? (I am from the South)"
"Tell us about yourself... and then based on that, more specific questions... Tell us more about..."
"If you could go watch an Olympic event in which the gold medal will be awarded which would it be?"
"What would you do if you couldn't go into medicine?"
"How did moving from a foreign country affect you as an individual and how will it affect you as a physician?"
"How does your undergrad major relate to your choice to pursue medicine?"
"What factors do you look for in a medical school and how would you decide on a medical school? (group question)"
"For the panel problem solving activity: You are planning a day for your college for prospective students. Give us a schedule that allows both the students and the college to get the best feel for one another."
"What needs to be addressed in medicine in the next ten years?"
"the interview is closed file, so all the questions will revolve around what you tell them about yourself at the onset of the interview. this is a very important detail."
"Tell me about a time you had to multitask."
"what do you like to do in your free time/to relax?"
"Tell me about yourself (all they have in the panel interview is demographic information, so you have the ability to dictate the information provided here...run with it!). I was then asked a couple of questions regarding the information I provided. As a non-traditional student, I was asked about how I would handle being the subordinate of people younger than me with much less experience in life."
"What should we tell the interview committee about you?"
"What is the last book you read? Have you ever been in a group situation where you had a conflict with someone, and how did you resolve it? "
"Tell me about yourself. Have a short, solid answer to this question because the panel interview is closed folder and that's how they start off with each of us. You want to give a brief overview that offers them topics they can come back to in later questions."
"GROUP task: make list of the most important traits for a physician to posess; choose most essential three traits and rank them in order of importance."
"What's on your DVD collection?"
"what movie have you seen recently that you'd like to tell us about?"
"GROUP: say all four of you are living together at medical school, additionally the liquor in the house has slowly disappeared and no one knows who has been drinking it. What sort of rules for the house would you implement and how would you go about addressing the missing alcohol?"
"What's your best and worst quality?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"1) Talk about yourself 2) What is on your MP3 player? "
"What movie, play, and/or book have I been into lately"
"If I gave you 2 plane tickets to go anywhere in the world that you haven't been to, where would you go, what would you do, and who with?"
"What was the most recent movie you saw and do you recommend it?"
"what do you think will be the most difficult thing about med school"
"What book have you read that has impacted you or been your favorite book? "
"What one quality will make you a good physician?"
"What books have you read?"
"If I were your friend, what would our conversation be like?"
"Who was your favorite teacher and why?"
"If I walked into your room, what would I see? (30 seconds to answer)"
"If you could experience anyone else's life for a day, whose would it be?"
"what would your obituary say?"
"In Iraq, army doctors are being ordered to assist, using their medical knowledge, in torturing prisoners in norder to get much needed information. What are your feelings on this and what would you do in this situation?"
"Panel Question: A fourth year med student is on the wards, and a patient needs to have a feeder tube put in place. The student is at the top of her class and has no history of any problems. The procedure is to 1) place the tube, 2) chest x-ray, 3) have a resident sign off on it, 4) start feeding; however, the student starts feeding without having a resident check it off. The patient dies after having his lungs fill up with fluid. Turns out that the chest x-ray showed that the tube was obviously in the wrong place, and the student had forged the resident's signature. What should be done? (I said expulsion - she LIED by forging the resident's signature, and that kind of person doesn't need to be giving care to others. The other two said she should take a year off and rethink her future before coming back and finishing her career. I've dealt with cheaters before... they don't change.)"
"Who is your mentor?"
"So you are back in Chicago for the weekend (I went to NU undergrad)-- what are some of the first things you will do not including visiting friends?"
"Panel problem solving question: If you were given $100m to build a new med school/hosp, how much would you allocate to x, y, and z (various depts)?"
"Who's a mentor to you?"
"tell me more about your research"
"What would your best friend say about you"
"What experiences have you had that influenced you to pursue a career in medicine?"
"You are given 30 Billion dollars but cannot attend medical school...What would you do?"
"recommend a book or article"
"Rewarding experience in college."
"fav non-science class?"
"Tell me about your research."
"What is your room like?"
"Tell us why we should admit you over the other candidates"
"Tell me about yourself."
"group question: you are advisors to the president on a policy regarding kidney transplants. Should people be allowed to move to the top of the transplant list if they can find someone to donate a kidney to someone else on the list?"
"What do you do to relax?"
"How will you balance clinical and research work? What is your favorite class? Scenario: Med student avoids working with his patients and makes up vitals on rounds, what do you do? "
"Do you have a mentor or specific person that influenced your decision to apply to medical school?"
"what do you read/listen to"
"Group: if you had a million dollars for a new free clinic opening just north of the city, how would you allocate the funds?"
"why did you take time off? what did you learn from that experience that you would bring to Northwestern."
"What book have you read most recently?"
"10 qualities of the perfect physician?"
"Who do you admire most? What president do you admire most? (and why)"
"What book are you reading right now?"
"describe volunteer experience"
"Some were asked of all of us and some were asked individually or of two of us. It varied. I'll try to remeber as many as I can. (1) How do you relieve stress [all]"
"What is your favorite book?"
"Our group question was. If you were given 50billion dollars by a philanthropist (forgot name) who told you that you had to spend it on health care providers, such that they are better able to give all around care how would you divide the money. What programs would you as administrators use."
"What CD is in your stereo right now?"
"When did you decide to be a doctor, and what helped you make the decision? Where do you see yourself in 15 years? "
"What was your favorite class and why? What was your least favorite class and why?"
"Do you think friends/family members should be allowed to donate organs to relatives who are not #1 on the donor recipient list?--group Question."
"introduce yourselves"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Who do you admire?"
"Suppose you get in a fight with a teammate. How would you go about resolving the issue?"
"As a group, select and present 3-5 issues facing the health care system today."
"Tell me about your job."
"What would a friend say bugs him the most about you?"
"See above. The panel interview definitely asks some tougher-than-usual questions, but they're all doable. Read up on ethics and current events."
"We have just been informed that only one of you can be accepted. Person 1, why should person 3 be accepted?"
"What is your typical role when you work in small groups and why?"
"Tell us about yourself and your interest in medicine."
"What do you do for fun? "
"Tell me about yourself. I was the first one to answer this question, and I was afraid of talking too much, so be prepared to talk for about 2 minutes."
"is there anything incorrect or incomplete on your application?"
"Tell me about a difficult experience working with a team."
"Tell me about stem cells"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Biggest problems in health care? How did you choose medicine? "
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be?"
"Why did you pick medicine?"
"Which 3rd year rotation are you looking forward to the most?"
"What CD is in your CD player at home right now?"
"Present a medical ethics issue that you feel passionately about."
"Describe a time when you were misjudged."
"What is an important topic currently in the medical field? Elaborate."
"Why NU, Why medicine, What do to relax, Hardest experience in last 4 years"
"the ones i mentioned above..."
"Describe your favorite/most interesting research project."
"Explain your research like I'm a non-medical person with a high school education."
"What would your enemies say about you?"
"If you couldn't do medicine, what would you do?"
"Among education, research, and clinical practice, where do you see your career heading?"
"What criteria will you use to choose medical school is you got admitted several places?"
"Pretend you've been working and studying nonstop for weeks and you finally have a day off. What do you do with it?"
"For the group interview: You three have just moved into a 1-bedroom apartment together. Take ten minutes to plan out how you are going to live with each other."
"Tell me about a book you've read."
"What interests you about medicine?"
"Tell us about yourself (of course)"
"What is your favorite book?"
"What are some things you are interested in?"
"In the panel, they asked us to rank first individually and then as a group the top 10 advancements in medicine over the last 100 years."
"Individual: If you didn't get into med school what would you do? Think about the people you don't like, what don't you like about them? Think about the people who don't like you, what don't they like about you?"
"Can you think of a time when you disagreed someone but decided to yield to their point of view?"
"What is your greatest accomplishment to date?"
"What was the moment where you knew you wanted to be a doctor?"
"How was your experience at [your undergraduate school]?"
"Group Interview Individual Questions: 1. What was your favorite math class? What did you do in college? What experience has best prepared you to be a physician? What non-science, non-medicine thing would you like to know more about?"
"In panel interview: Tell me about a time when you accomplished something that made you proud."
"What do you like about Northwestern?"
"comment on how my friends would describe me"
"In the group interview: What is the one question you wish I would ask you that you know you would nail? Ask the question and then give me your answer."
"Group question: I am the dean of your school and we are having problems with underage drinking in the dorms. We want you to come up with a policy for underage drinking in the dorms and present it to me as the dean of the school."
"why northwestern"
""What are your hobbies?""
"If a physician were a player on a football team, what position would he/she play?"
"Who would you have dinner with? "
"Panel interview: Tell me about (some experience I mentioned earlier). Why do you like research? What would you do in your free time at NU? What single experience has prepared you most for being a physician?"
"How do you be competitive and a team player at the same time?"
"What do I want in a med school?"
"If I visited Santa Barbara, where would you take me?"
"Explain your senior thesis project. How did you choose your major and your research projects. How did you decide to become a doctor."
"As an Anthro major, did you do a thesis? "
"Panel Question: What were the five greatest medical advances?"
"With your background, why did you choose medical school rather than graduate school?"
"What will be the most important medical/biological development in the next 20 years? Ignore the economy and access."
"How did moving from a different country affect you?"
"Group: you are the staff members of the president. Come up with three health care tenets/principles for the nation."
"Another member in my group was asked ''Let's say a friend gave you tickets to the championship game of the world cup, in which your home country was playing. The friend also tells you the tickets were stolen. Do you accept them?''"
"Where would we go if I came to visit you?"
"If I spent a day with you in New Haven (I lived there for 4 years), where would you take me/what would we do?"
"who's your favorite musician? what kind music does he produce? why do you like him?"
"Tell us about a book you just read apart from your courses"
"What kind of clinical experience have you had and what did you think of it?"
"What are your long term career plans?"
"Who are you?"
"what do you do for fun"
"If you could recommend a movie, name one and tell me why."
"Who is your favorite novelist?"
"I get frustrated at myself when ______?"
"Group Project: Pitch us a program modeled after American Idol in which you are looking for the ideal Medical Student. What traits are you looking for? How do you select him/her? What tasks will you make the contestants do, etc?"
"Introduce yourselves. What is your favorite kind of shoe and why? What qualities should physicians have? (individual questions during group interviews)"
"What does it mean to be a mentor? (group)"
"What do you think is one of the most important issues in healthcare today?"
"What is your best and worst quality? What quality do you have that you think is most important for a physician to have? What was your hardest course in college? There are other ways of making good money, why medicine? "
"What is the last book that you read?"
"What is on my ipod, what is the last concert I attended, what would I make a guest for dinner, where would I take a guest in my hometown?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"How have you helped others?"
"How will you balance your life in medical school?"
"group: what are the top 5 medical discoveries of all time"
"Where do you want to be in ten years?"
"How would your friends describe you? What about people who don't like you so much?"
"what was it like living in spain, tell me about the experience (i studied abroad there)"
"What do you believe are the most important qualities for a teacher to possess?"
"Why you and not the other interviewees"
"What was your favorite non-science class during undergrad and why (i was a science guy). "
"Other questions asked to me and others... What do you think you've gained from your experiences since graduating? (I'm an older applicant.) What's a book you recently read or a film you recently saw? What would you do if you a military doctor and were asked to extract information from a prisoner using any means necessary? If there were both an AIDS epidemic that had overrun the US and a malaria epidemic that had overrun the rest of the world, and if you only had enough resources to address one disease, which would you choose? What would you do if a child needed a certain procedure but their parents were Jehovah's Witness and refused to give consent?"
"How did you come to realize that you wanted to be a doctor?"
"Would your Catholic beliefs interfere with your acceptance of other beliefs?"
"if money wasn't an issue, where would you travel and with whom?"
"favorite book, who would you invite to dinner and why, favorite movie, who is a mentor to you and what qualities do they possess.?"
"What do you do to relax and de-stress?"
"Who has inspired you most? If you were to write a newspaper article, what would it be about? What would you do with a free day?"
"3) What non-academic book have you read recently? 4) How would you explain to a 2yr old how to brush his teeth? "
"how would i change the healthcare system"
"What would you do if you couldn't be a doctor?"
"If you saw a student cheating during an exam what would you do?"
"what are your weaknesses"
"Small Grp: What are the top three scientific advancements that have changed the world in the last 100-150 yrs?"
"Which is more important: skill or bedside manner?"
"If you were asked to be featured in a newspaper what would you like the feature to say?"
"Has a friend ever dissapointed you?"
"What was the last cd you played?"
"What exceptional abilities do you have that you can bring to the profession of physician?"
"(In discussion with the other applicants:) If you had a day to tour Chicago and could do any three things, what would they be?"
"How has your background prepared you for a career in medicine?"
"'Fashionable Medicine,' is becoming an increasingly popular option for physicians, especially in Florida. What this is, is that for a flat fee (say $5000) a physician agrees to be available to a patient and to treat them whenever needed. How do you feel about this and what are the consequences of this practice?"
"What's in your DVD player right now?"
"If it were mandatory to take two years off, what would you do?"
"What skills do you have that are helpful when working in group settings?"
"What was your most important extracurricular activity?"
"Where do you get your news?"
"Do you think that Vioxx should be pulled by the FDA?"
"strengths and weaknesses"
"What other profession would you choose besides medicine."
"What was it like growing up in ____ ?"
"You have to explain to the president stem cell research: pick 3 people and what would they say"
"what is a controversial issue in medicine, and what do you think about it?"
"What do you look for in friends?"
"group question: if you were advisors to a politician, how would you make him/her understand stem-cell research so he/she could educate the public? i felt it was too open-ended."
"If your friends were describing you what positive and what negative things would they say?"
"What do you do in your free time?"
"What have you been doing since you graduated from undergrad?"
"What do you like to cook?"
"see most interesting and difficult questions"
"How would your friends describe your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Scenario: You are a med student and your resident tells you that one of the patients will probably be in a vegetative state from now on. The family is in the next room, what issues will you need to address?"
"If the admissions committee could focus on only one aspect of who you are when considering your application, what would you want them to focus on?"
"who would you like to eat dinner with, (anyone in history) and where would you go"
"Have you traveled abroad, if so what have you learned?"
"how would a friend describe you (strengths & weaknesses)"
"most difficult one"
"What do you like to do to relieve stress?"
"Case: you have a patient that comes into the ER and needs surgery within a short period of time. He wants to speak with his doctor first. You speak to the doctor and he insists on coming in to the operating room and is drunk. What do you do. (you must address all aspects of the issue)"
"How has your clinical experience enhanced your communication with patients...how do you make patients feel comfortable?"
"what do you do to relax"
"(2) What is on your nightstand, your bookshelf, on the television (playing), in the CD player. All these questions had to be explained as to why. [one person] (2) What is the hardest thing about being a patient and what is the hardest thing about being the doctor responding to this patient. [ A joint question between me and one other person] "
"What is your favorite class?"
"within group: what would you do if you couldn't get into medicine? what was the most difficult decision you had to make in the last five years?"
"What is the biggest adjustment you think you would have to make in coming to Chicago?"
"What would you contribute to the Feinberg med school community?"
"What kind og books do you like to read?"
"senario: patient-X is on the list for an organ transplant and her friend-Y offered to donate the organ but tests showed that she would not be a match. should the friend-Y be able to donate her organ to the next match on the list and in return have patient-X moved to the top of the list? give pros and cons of the situation (group question)"
"You are given 1 million dollars to start a health program in the city. What will be the program and how will you spend the money? (this was the group project)"
"What are you passionate about?"
"Biggest issues in healthcare? (Had to present the answers to this one in a group with other interviewees)"
"When you walk into your house, what magazines are on the coffee table? What CD's are on the CD player?"
"What is a challenge facing doctors today?"
"Recommend a book to us."
"You are a pediatrician. One of your patients is the child of Jehovah's Witnesses. What do you tell the parents about the possibility of performing a blood transfusion?"
"Describe a difficult situation that you faced. What values and resources did you call on to make it through?"
"What do you think of patients who do not comply with their doctor's advice? "
"Explain a situation in which you had a conflict with another team member (I was an athlete in undergrad) and how you resolved it."
"what would your best friend say about you?"
"What is an important issue in medical ethics"
"Which movie character is most like you? Explain."
"Why are you worthy of a career in medicine?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"Why Northwestern?"
"Who do you admire?"
"What clinical experiences have you had?"
"What would you personally like to see change in healthcare in the future."
"How would your friends describe you?"
"What book have you read recently. "
"Name 3 items on your coffee table that represent you."
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"talk about a great conflict in your life and how you resolved it..."
"Why did you leave your first research lab, and do you regret it?"
"What do you think the three most important attributes of a good doctor are?"
"Why Northwestern"
"Tell me about a time where you faced challenges or failed at a task."
"Tell me more about a specific activity."
"Do mid-level providers who obtain PhD's have the right to call themselves "Doctor" in a clinical setting?"
"Who has been a mentor in your life?"
"What would we do in your hometown?"
"In the individual interview: Why NU? Tell me about your saddest childhood memory. Tell me about your happiest childhood memory. I was also asked again what question was I hoping he would ask, and then to answer it."
"Where do you get your news from?"
"The individual interview was open file, so the questions"
"Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your research. What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"If you were given the opportunity to write in Feinberg's school newspaper, what would your article be about?"
"Group Interview Group Activity: You're a med school curriculum committee, and the students tell you that they want more humanities in their education. Design a humanities course that will help make med students more well-rounded doctors."
"In panel interview: Tell me about a time when you failed."
"What's the most difficult thing that you've had to face?"
"if i saw a fellow med student cheating off of me, what would i do?"
"In the group interview: The 3 of you must live in a small one bedroom apartment next year. Figure out the living arrangements, splitting costs, food, etc. for next year."
"Individual Interview: Open file about 25 minutes. 1. Why Northwestern 2. Talk to me about what motivated you to be a physician 3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 4. Where else did you apply and why did you apply there?"
"what separates you from other applicants"
""What do you do to relax?""
"Do you go on studentdoctor.net? Do you think it corrupts the interview process? (Well cut off my legs and call me shorty - I guess I'm a corrupter for having posted all this!)"
"Where would you want to travel?"
"Group question: Pretend that you and your fellow applicants (3 of us) are living in a one bedroom apartment in Chicago. What problems do you think you'll face and how would you resolve them?"
"Why did you give up a career in X to pursue medicine? Why not Med School X?"
"Whats your biggest concern about med school? "
"Who is your hero?"
"One of my fellow applicants was asked: Now that you know a little bit about the other two applicants, what kind of poster would you give to each to hang up in their rooms?"
"If i were to come to your town, where would you take me?"
"What do you do for fun? Favorite book? Ethical question involving whether to allow a hurt athlete to play in a big game."
"People often say medical students are too narrow, so, we would like you to (in 10 minutes) design a humanities course for inclusion in the medical school curriculum. (This was our group exercise in the panel interview)."
"I am a federal grants awarder. I have $1 million that I may give to your free clinic. Make me a fundraising pitch. Why should your clinic be the one to receive funds? How would you distribute the money to different needs/departments?"
"Who is your role model?"
"Why do you want to live in Chicago?"
"Individual questions during the panel interview: How would your friends describe you? What would you do if you didn't get into medical school or if medicine didn't work out? Where would you take me if I visited you in your city for a couple of days? Why do you want to be a doctor? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Etc."
"Group question. ''You're the advisory board for a case in which a exemplary 4th year medical student performed a proceedure to a patient without authorization from the resident but resulted in patient death. The situation was non life-threatening and the 4th year student didn't follow protocol. What action do you suggest to the disciplinary board?''"
"If I were picking on you in lecture one day, I kept asking you questions that you wouldn't know, and you felt completely humiliated by it, and you knew I would be lecturing for the rest of the week, what would you do?"
"Tell me one thing about yourself that you consider unique and that we may not know"
"Tell me about your research."
"(group question) if you are finding four people to help President Bush to justify his decision on stem cell research, who would you find? give me four names or four types of experts you are looking for."
"Why Northwestern?"
"What is the hardest decision you have ever had to make?"
"What's the best piece of advice you have been given?"
"(Question about family's member's influence that I'd alluded to earlier)"
"What were some of the extra-curricular activities you were involved in?"
"What's a unique skill that would benefit physicians today? (example given: clowning)"
"What do you do in your free time?"
"Group: You are all producers and you are creating a reality show with pre-med students. How would you organize it and how would you choose a winner?"
"What are you doing this year?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What would you do in Chicago if the interview was cancelled? 3 people to have dinner with: past, present, future. Who is the most inspirational person in your life?"
"What would your friends say about you that you wouldn't necessarily say about yourself?"
"Who would I have over for dinner and why? Read any good books lately? "
"How did you choose your college?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"How did you come to apply to Northwestern?"
"Group question: Bill Gates gives Feinberg an unlimited amount of money to start a program promoting the Renaissance ideal. You are part of the development committee. Discuss for 15 minutes and then make a formal presentation to the panel."
"where do you see yourself in 10 years GROUP QUESTION: a donor has unlimited money and she wants you to create a program that teaches doctors to be more like renaissance doctors ie more interested in humanity, compassion, the human spirit...go!"
"What would it mean for you to don the medical student white coat at Northwestern University?"
"Why Feinberg andhow do you plan to change the community?"
"What is your relationship like with your family members? Where do you see yourself in 10 years and why (ie academic medicine, private practice, what specialty, etc)?"
"Our group project was do decide what action to take with an M4 who was supposed to put in a nasogastric tube, get an X-ray, get the resident to sign off on it, then begin feeding. The resident wasn't available so the student forged the signature and was just about to start feeding when the resident came in and checked the film. Other groups got different questions, but they're all listed here in SDN. Remember it's the process of working together that matters more than your final answer."
"If you could go back to your undergrad years (I've been out a couple years) and do one thing differently, what would it be?"
"There were quite few "what would you do..." questions but I honestly recommend include in the answer, that's why I want to attend Northwestern, to learn how to address such situations.That doctor forgot we were applicants. He was old."
"have you ever had a problem in your academic career? what did you do to resolve it?"
"You have the ability to make a room in a hospital for doctors only, what would you put in it?"
"Why medicine?"
"What would your obituary say? What would you do if a doctor showed up to work w/alcohol on their breath? "
"5) 8yr old child is in a car accident and requires surgery and a blood transfusion, but the parents are Jevohah's witnesses, what do you do? 6) What non-traditional qualities will you bring to medical school (can't talk about grades, volunteer experience, etc.) 8) Are you worried about the transition back to medical school? 7) Group Question: What are the top 6 medical discoveries of all time? (unranked)"
"what was the most difficult challenge i faced."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"How would you balance your medical education with your social life?"
"which class would you have wanted to take outside of your major and why? "
"Why NW? Why Medicine? What do you think you could bring to the entering class?"
"Give an example when you worked in a team setting and what that experience taught you about yourself."
"Have you seen any movies lately?"
"If you were forbidden to be a doctor, what would you do?"
"How would you react if you were a military physician ordered to torture a prisoner of war or treat someone who had obviously been tortured?"
"Define professionalism."
"How many manholes are there in the U.S.? "
"If the Russians invaded the US and said that no Irishmen could be doctors, what would you do for a living then? (It sounds crazy, but it corresponds to my answer to Question 2)"
"What is the hardest thing about being a patient?"
"questions about my research and my studying abroad"
"Others were more specific to my own experiences."
"What kind of music do you listen to? (clearly, they grilled me)"
"What is something that you have done that you are most proud of?"
"can't really remember what else - no ethics questions though."
"Describe a time you had a confict and how you resolved it."
"Group/PBL Question: If you were all members of an ethics committee for a hospital that was considering to adopt a "paired matching" program for kidney transplant donors and recipients, how would you weigh the pro's and con's, and what would you recommend to the hospital?"
"How would you solve the problem of the uninsured/underinsured"
"tell me about your research (which i had mentioned before)"
"what is one of your accomplishments?"
"Group question: The government is trying to increase the number of primary care physicians in the country. List three things they can do to reach that goal."
"What problems facing the future of medicine particularly bother you?"
"Group question: What are five clinical skills that a good physician has? List them in rank order."
"Was there any media that influenced your perception of physicians? (i.e. tv shows, books, etc.)"
"What do you think is a problem in healthcare today?"
"Tell me a little about yourself. Our group question was pretend that you are on a disciplinary board and a med student forged a resident's countersignature to get a procedure done quicker, the patient dies. The student has always had a stellar record. What do you do?"
"What aspect of medicine most concerns you?"
"if you got into all the schools you wanted, what would you evaluate the school according to?"
"If I were to walk into your room, what book would I find on your nightable?"
"what book are you reading?"
"most interesting one"
"What dead historical figure would you like to eat dinner with?"
"What would you do with someone visiting you from a different city?"
"Tell me about the plot of "The Da Vinci Code"...luckily I didn't give too much of the plot away, because a fellow interviewee in the room was 1/2 way thru the book at that time!"
"asked about my interests from the file he saw"
"(4)How have you experienced working in a group? Tell a time when you worked in a group but it did not work out so well, what did you do and how did you feel it affected you. Name a time when you worked in a group it worked out very well. [all three of us were asked some variation of this question] (4) Name two people dead or alive that you would like to meet and have dinner with."
"If you had a patient that wanted to see her doctor and he came in drunk, what would you do? (group question)"
"What books are lying near your bed now?"
"research Qs"
"What is on your bedside table right now, other then a neuroscience book? What is the most interesting class you have ever taken? What are you proud of? What would the person who knows you best say is the most difficult thing about you to deal with? "
"What would you want said about you after your career is over?"
"something about culture and medicine... (i understood the question when it was asked and then didn't anymore when it came time for me to answer... haha)"
"What qualities would you look for in a medical student applicant."
"Name a movie all med students should see?"
"see above"
"What do you think are obstacles to you being a med student or being a physician? (Eg. Motivation)"
"What is a book you could recommend to us?"
"When did you become interested in being a doctor?"
"If you could have plane tickets to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?"
"How do you plan to incorporate your MPH into your medical career? (Pretty specific to my situation but other people in other interviews with graduate degrees were asked a similar question)"
"What do you see as a challenge for doctors and for you in general in the future? "
"If you had a patient who was diabetic and refused to do his/her treatment, how would you deal with this patient?"
"what book are you currently reading?"
"Tell me about a leadership experience"
"Group Question: Basically, we were supposed to be a admissions committee and had to think of 5 questions that we would want to ask interviewees."
"What are some of the downsides to being a physician?"
"Panel interview---you have to make sure you do not talk too much!!"
"What is your biggest fault?"
"What do you regret about your college experience?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"What are 5 personal qualities a physician should have (just rattled off stuff from our secondaries probably :p )"
"If you could invite 3 people to dinner, who would they be, and why? What would you want them to know about you?"
"Name a time you have helped someone."
"What do you think will be the hardest thing about Med School?"
"What is the last movie you saw?"
"if not medicine, what would you do?"
"Do you think Steve Jobs was an innovator?"
"What is the purpose of medical school?"
"Why should I convince the admissions committee to accept you here?"
"Lots of specific questions about my activities"
"Take the first derivative of an equation the interviewer wrote."
"Can you tell me about a book that changed your perspective on life?"
"What is one question you wished we had asked you (and then answer it)?"
"Tell me about your most memorable college memories (asked to a group member)."
"For the group problem: If you were crashed on a desert island, with a group of natives who worship wooden idols, and the pilot has a broken leg that is bleeding, what 5 items that are common to luggage would you want to have and why?"
"If I came to your campus to visit, what should I do?"
"I said I liked reading. Someone asked what my favorite book was."
"In the panel interview, I was asked how my friends would describe me and how my brother would describe and what the differences would be between the two descriptions."
"Think about the people you don't like, what don't you like about them?"
"My house is invested with chipmunks. What should I do?"
"If you walked into a room with a block of stone and a chisel and were asked to carve an idea or concept, what would you carve and why?"
"If you were given the opportunity to write in Feinberg's school newspaper, what would your article be about?"
"In panel interview: (to all three interviewees) Imagine that you are going to be roommates next year. Figure out your living situation and present it to us."
"ethics question"
"what have i done to challenge why i want to be a physician?"
""I'm visiting your state, and I've never been there before. Where would you take me?""
"If a physician were a player on a football team, what position would he/she play? Also the group question: Create a reality show where the winner gets a full ride to medical school."
"Favorite sport that doesnt involve a ball?"
"The group question."
"Group question to name three points to change health care system for Obama?"
"What do I want in a med school? obituary question in panel interview. if you were a bird what would you be and where would you fly/see?"
"The other applicant and I were told we were moving into an apartment together and we had to create rules."
"Group project in the panel interview: Design a reality TV show for med school applicants. Consider selection of applicants, the show's title, advertisement of the show, the contests on the show, and the prize."
"Group question: advise an admissions committee about what is the most important aspects of an applications. Make suggestions"
"Many people in your family are doctors, how did you come to the conclusions that this was right for you on your own terms?"
"The group project--top five medical discoveries!"
"If you could eat a meal with anyone (past or present), who would it be?"
"Tell me about a place you have traveled to, and something you would do differently if you went back. "
"What would I see if I walked into your room? Favorite books and movies?/ If you couldn't be a doctor, what other profession would you choose?/ A book that you've written about your life is published. What does a review in the NYT say?/ What would you change about your undergraduate curriculum? Where would you take me if I visited your undergraduate institution for an afternoon?/ Teach someone from rural Iran how to go to the bathroom in the US using words only."
"If you are given $3000 and 4 days, where would you go and how would you spend it?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"If you had a blank check to travel anywhere you wanted, where would you go?"
"If you could pick the headline of the New York Times, what would it say and what would it be about."
"They asked the girl sitting next to me how many fire hydrants there are in the United States. Then they asked me why they asked that question."
"Probably the group prolem solving one about the ethical issues of disclosing medical records to a patient's employer when they have some questionable lab results that could indicate aggressive and reckless behavior"
"1. (Group Question) Work with your team to design a reality TV show about medical school. 2. (Group Interview) If there is one question that you want us to ask, what is the question and what is the answer? 3. What makes you sad?"
"what's the name of the student from your alma mater you just meet here? (they encourage upperclassmen from our undergrad schools to come meet and talk to us)"
"Being the middle child of the family, would you regard yourself as the rebellious child and the one who has always been different in the family? (I really enjoyed answering this question, you can really use question like these to your advantage to give them some very unique information)"
"What are the five most important events of the 20th century (group question)?"
"You are a emergency room resident and an 8 y.o boy comes in bleeding profusely and needs a blood transfusion - but his parent's are Jehovah's Witnesses and object to the procedure. What do you do?"
"I often notice lots of unhealthy food options in physicians' lounges. I also notice many unhealthy physicians, especially cardiologists. What do you think about that?"
"tell me about a time during college when you had to work in a team and something didnt go well and how did you resolve it "
"''Since you are interested in international public health, name one thing you would do to better the lives of people across the world.''"
"To fellow interviewee: ''If you could have dinner with any person--past, present, or future--who would it be and where would you dine?"
"What would you do with $10 million? This was our group problem solving question."
"Group PBL: You have been given $10,000,000. What will you do with it?"
"If you were to invite me over for dinner, what would you serve?"
"''You seem so serious. What is the silliest thing you've ever done?''"
"(Group question): Develop a curriculum to address the issue of cultural diversity of the doctors and of the patients."
"Of all your accomplishments, which one do you most look back on and smile?"
"Do you think a doctor's appearance and dress matter to the patient?"
"I didn't think any of the questions were particularly interesting or difficult. Maybe there just weren't that many questions."
"What I would make the interviewer for dinner if they came to my house? Where would I take them in my hometown if they came to visit? What is on my ipod right now?"
"What was the last activity you did just for yourself?"
"From X activity, what was your most interesting clinical experience?"
"For the panel problem solving activity: You are planning a day for your college for prospective students. Give us a schedule that allows both the students and the college to get the best feel for one another."
"If I could eat a meal with anyone at any time, explain who, where, what, etc."
"What do you think is something that needs to be addressed in medicine in the next ten years?"
"all of the questions i was asked have already been listed on this website."
"What do I want people to remember me for and what do I want people to forget?"
"He read the definition of "
"This one was related to my specific experiences as a non-traditional applicant, and would not be of much use to other applicants."
"Will you be staying in the country to practice?"
"What era or time period would you want to live in? (I said this era). "
"Imagine that one of the questioners had to give a political speech arguing that we should spend nothing on public health and everything on medicine. I was free to resign afterwards but I had to come up with arguments to support that position. (Yikes.)"
"If you traveled in a time machine to the year 2080 and read your own obistuary, what would it say about you?"
"We were put on a group interview of 3 applicants and 3 interviewers, then we were given an imaginary case and we had to conclude with an action. It worked to meet my co-applicants prior to the interview to work better with them, yet show some leadership. Our case was about a student who falsified a signature, performed a tube feeding and killed the patient; yet she was the best of her class."
"you and the other candidates are living together, and some property goes missing. how would you initially set up house rules, and what would you do to handle the missing items?"
"if you could go back and redo college what would you change?"
"Group question: Make up rules if all 3 of you were living together."
"If you stepped into a time machine and were sent to the year 2085 and picked up a newspaper, what would your obituary say?"
"How would I explain to a 2yr old how to brush his teeth?"
" who would i invite to dinner that is still living today"
"If you got into Northwestern, what would it take to get you here?"
"Panel question: You are responsible for forming a committee on cloning for the president who would you appoint and why and which personality qualities would you be most interested in?"
"In what time in history would you like to live in and why?"
"Who in your life has had the most influence on you?"
"none. "
"What's in your CD player right now?"
"What is your favorite drug to prepare (had to do with my job)?"
"I have money for a research grant, give me a proposal."
"What did you learn from your time as a bouncer?"
"If I couldn't go to medical school next year, what would I do? "
"what would your obituary say? "
"The Panel Question (See Below)"
"What would you want to see on the front page of the newspaper?"
"What book should I read?"
"none really"
"Tell me about your favorite book."
"How would your teach understanding of different races, cultures, and creeds to Northwesten medical students, qua curriculum organizer?"
"Do you think that drugs such as Vioxx should be pulled by the FDA?"
"what were the 5 most important discoveries in medicine (which i had already seen on sdn)"
"Being from chicago, what do you think of Mayor Richar Daley?"
"You seem like a very serious person. What do you have to say about that?"
"Nada"
"Choose: You are given 30 Billion dollars but cannot attend medical school...What would you do?"
"what are the five most important medical discoveries ever?"
"Who I would invite to dinner..."
"What is a challenge that future doctors face?"
"What makes you laugh?"
"what is the last good book you read or movie you saw?"
"How would you get a difficult patient to open up to you?"
"What medically related books have you read that have influenced your decision to enter medicine?"
"What is hanging on the walls of your room?"
"Are there any skills you learned as a waiter that would serve you well as a physician?"
"If the med school class was ranked, what number do you think you would be?"
"The group question was the most interesting. The three of you make up a committe to decide what happens to a resident in your hospital that has always done a great job in the hospital but recently forged a signature to complete a feed tube. He accidently placed the tube into the lungs and the patient died. How do you handle this situation?"
"What was the most interesting question you were asked?"
"What is most important in bringing about more equal healthcare throughout the world?"
"explain your healthcare plan as a 3rd party candidate running against W and kerry"
"If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change and why?"
"How do you feel about Northwestern's recent defeat of OSU?"
"our group question: how would you allocate a large sum, private donation that must be used w/in 1 year, pick one of the three - hospice, prenatal care for underserved women, or biomed research."
"What would you do if you were given a filmcrew for one week?"
"Explain a time when somebody has mistaken your intentions or misjudged you. Tell about the means by which you resolved the situation."
"If you could ask either presidential canidate one question, what would it be?"
"A child was in an accident and needs surgery. His parents do not believe in medical intervention. What do you do? (vis a vis the parents, treatment of the patient)"
"What type of music do you listen to (MP3s, radio, or CDs)?"
"how to allocate 5 million dollars donated to hospital"
"How would you allocate 5 million dollars to the neighboring communities that would allow for the greatest impact and change in healthcare. You must allocate the funds within 5 minurtes because the press is coming and they want to know how this money that we have just been granted will be used."
"How was your experience with health care here versus abroad?"
"If you could meet any 3 people, who would they be?"
"None that interesting"
"How would you find appropriate health care for a geriatric Asian woman?"
"What is the biggest adjustment you think you would have to make in coming to Chicago?"
"What's in your CD player?"
"How would you introduce someone to your city?"
"what was the most interesting question you have NOT been asked but wish you were asked?"
"Someone else was asked this: "You are an attending physician and your patient's mother calls you hysterical because your medical student has just kissed her 10 year old daughter. What do you do?""
"I didn't find them to be particularly interesting...I guess maybe when asked to describe what you would do if a resident you worked with didn't wash their hands"
"Pick a movie that you think should be required for all medical students to watch."
"How would you convince a teenager to stop smoking? (Try to act as a counsellor)"
"A patient needs to have a surgery within ten hours and wants to talk to their private physician because they're feeling a little nervous. You call in the doctor, and they show up clearly drunk. What do you do? (This was the group question)"
"How would you deal with a physician as your colleague if she came in for an emergency to the hospital drunk?"
"you have a very diverse set of interests, what in your personality prompted this?"
"(Our panel group's problem solving activity): I (the interviewer) am a really rich philanthropist. I want to invest my money in some sort of public interest activity that will do really well and make me famous. You guys have 5 minutes to come up with a proposal for how I should spend my money."
"The guy sitting next to me was asked, "Who is your favorite president and why?""
"Assume that you are a resident. A patient comes in and needs surgery within 10 hours. She is very nervous and asks that her family physician come to the hospital. When the family physician comes, she is drunk. What would you do? (Yes, this question is extremely bizarre; it was our collaborative group question.)"
"If you could ask any question to any of the current presidential candidates, what would you ask and who would you ask?"
"What was the one character from a novel that has impacted u?"
"What doctor that was in a movie you saw or a book you read would you most like to be like and why?"
"Name the 6 greatest advances in medicine in the past 100 years (this was a group discussion question that we had to work on, the three group members discuss it while the interviews note how we work with each other) "
"If you had to cut someone from your team (assuming I was a coach), would you cut the super star athlete who always wins and who has a crappy attitude and work ethics. Or, the athlete that is no good athletically, but has great work ethics and a great attitude?"
"What three things on your coffee table best describe you?"
"If you could invite any 3 people (dead or alive) for dinner, who would they be, what would you serve, and what would you talk about?"
"If you were to select a book character who in some way embodies your goals for being a physician, who would it be and why?"
"What do you think of file-sharing?"
"If you were the editor of a newspaper and you had a choice to write an editorial about anything, what would it be and why?"
"Eek, the panel interview! What sillyness! It's positive being with the MD/PhD group because we got to hang out together for awhile before the panel interview. The panel asked us things like: Name 2 people from the past and present you would like to have dinner with. What really compells you to become a doctor? In a group, what five things are important for the physician-scientist, especially what is unique from the physician?"
"If you wanted to bribe me by cooking dinner, what would you make for me?"
"A couple of hypos including what issues would you consider when opening up your own practice? "
"What was your greatest failure and how did you overcome it?"
"During the group interview we were each asked, 'If only one of you can get in this year, tell me why the person sitting next to you should be admitted.' "
"If you could go out to lunch with any living person, who would it be and why?"
"What movie character are you most like and why? --> not the most interesting question in the world but a fun one to answer in a group setting. "
"Which 3rd year rotation are you looking forward to the most?"
"What do you think the greatest challenge to medicine will be in the next 10 years?"
"What do you think about needle exchange programs?"
"If you could go to one place and time in history where and when would you go?"
"What do you think about coming to live in Chicago?"
"If you had the choice of resurrecting 3 deceased people and inviting them over for dinner, who would you select? (Please exclude any relatives.)"
"If you were working at a clinic in a rural area, two hours away from a hospital, what would you say to a patient who needed a cut treated but had no health insurance?"
"How I felt about affirmative action in med school admissions"
"if we were to walk into your apartment one day, and you weren't there, and the tv was on, the stereo was playing a cd, and a book was left open on the table, what would be on the tv, what cd would be playing, and what book would be on the table?"
"How will you handle the change from the warm weather of Florida to the cold of Chicago?"
"what was the wildest thing that you've ever done?"
"If you are accepted to multiple schools, what can we tell you right now that would make Northwestern your top choice?"
"What is the purpose of medical school?"
"Very difficult questions on my research"
"How would your adversaries describe you?"
"Interviewer gave me a riddle and asked if the statements were possible, and I had to explain why or why not."
"What would you change about your undergrad university?"
"How would you handle NOT being able to help someone, or making a serious clinical mistake?"
"If your classmate had to miss a class and asked you to sign them in for credit, what would you say to them?"
"What would your friends say about you (good and bad)?"
"What are 5 qualities you think a doctor should have?"
"What is a dendritic cell"
"Why would someone not like you?"
"Two other interviewees and I worked on a task together for 10 minutes."
"They asked me to explain to a six year old how to tie shoes without using hand gestures...and I am a very visual learner/teacher."
"Think about people who don't like you, what would they say about you? (that was awkward and tricky!)"
"If you could have dinner with anyone, anywhere, and at any point in history, who, where and when would it be? Why?"
"If you walked into a room with a block of stone and a chisel and were asked to carve an idea or concept, what would you carve and why?"
"What was your most proud moment?"
"ethics question"
"ethics"
""I'm visiting your state, and I've never been there before. Where would you take me?""
"What has been your biggest failure?"
"Group question. If you were the head of so and so company and we gave you 100 billion dollars, how would you allocate the money?"
"I was lucky in that no question was really difficult or unexpected. I wouldn't say this was true for fellow interviewers though."
"Why are you a better candidate than anyone else?"
"Whats your biggest concern about med school?"
"The obituary thing. Rough."
"What achievement are you most proud of?"
"What do you like to do?"
"At the end of every group interview they ask you to answer a question as a goup, ours was: you three are creating a new reality show where the winner gets all expenses paid to medical school. Design your show and present it to us, the NBC panel."
"group project-we didn't agree so that was tough, but probably nice for the interviewers to see"
"If you were speaking with the UN secretary general, what issue would you highlight with him?"
"What is the Catholic Church's position on stem cells? Do you see any situation in which they could possibly be accepted?"
"What were the hardest ethical dilemnas you faced in x clinical situation? How did you resolve them? (Individual interview)/ An M4 performs a specific clinical procedure incorrectly without the supervision of a resident. You are the disciplinary committee comprised of three faculty members and one medical student. What is your group's recommendation for punishment--if any--for the student? (panel interviewing group)"
"You get to pick the headline in the NYT. What issue would you highlight?"
"What was the most unusual cross-cultural experience you have had?"
"If your obituary was in the New York Times in 2085, what would it say?"
"If you were to read your obituary in the New York Times in 2085, what would it say you did. Please keep in mind that to get into the New York Times you must have done something spectacular."
"If you could go back to any era in the past, where would you go, who would you meet, and why?"
"See ''most interesting.''"
"How would you teach someone doesn't speak english to use a toothbrush? (it was a question directed at another interviewee in my group). i have seen this question on the feedback, so i would've been prepared. i think he struggled a little since it is not a usual question to expect."
"Group question: You are on the organ transplant committee and have to chose between two individuals with liver damage who will die if they don't receive a new liver a) A 35 year old mother with three children all below the age of 6 and a history of drug abuse b)A 50 year old man with 20 year old twins and a history of alcohol abuse. This person's family has given HUGE donations to the school "
"What is the one question you wish we would ask you?"
"What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?"
"What was the last poem you read? If you could have any superpower, what would it be? If you could invite anyone to dinner (past, present, future) who would it be? If I went to your house and you were not there, what would your family tell me about you? Why did you pick your undergraduate institution and how does that correlate to your decision to apply to FSM? What is your favorite movie? PANEL QUESTION (you get to work together with the two other applicants in your panel interview): You are an intern at a hospital and a pt. comes in with acute cerebral bleeding. You call the attending physician and s/he when he arrives he is intoxicated? He or she is the only one in the hospital that can perform this surgery, what do you do?"
"What role do you see physicians playing in the conflict between caring for individuals and caring for the collective health of a community?"
"Complete the sentence... I am most angry when... also... What is one day you could re-live?"
"Me: You can ask any politician a single question or offer them a single piece of advice. What would you say? Peer: How have you grown culturally in the past four years?"
"If you could go back and relive one day in your life, what day would that be? Would you change something about it? If so, what?"
"''What is the one question you wish I would ask? State it and answer it.''"
"Describe a time when you were a patient in a hospital, and received medical care. Tell us what you learned from that experience."
"Group Question: a fourth-year close to graduation messes up (ethically). What would you do to disciplime him?"
"Ethics questions regarding a husband who doesn't know the child is not his."
"How would you say your dancing and playing will help you in your work with patients? (I said I dance and play the drums... and the question then came up as kind of random...)"
"Who would I invite to dinner living or dead and why? What interesting books have I read lately? For kids involved in research--why medicine and not research?"
"You're an intern in an ER and a patient who comes in needs immediate surgery. You call the on-call surgeon and you can tell he's drunk. What do you do?"
"Describe a situation in which you demonstrated personal growth."
"What do you regret about your college experience?"
"What would I write in an op-ed article about a newspaper article the previous interviewee would write."
"Same."
"Above"
"see above"
"Why is your MCAT score so poor and why should we let you come to a school where our average covers your MCAT if we only use two of the three areas?"
"During the panel interview another applicant's second question was whether she still remembered my first question. (She did.) LESSON: don't just focus on your own answers, pay attention and be interested in what other folks are saying during the panel. The whole reason they do a panel interview is to see how you interact and listen to others."
"How can you and how can we be sure that you're truly committed to medicine?"
"The ethical/moral questions were the toughest. Some were easy like "What would you do if you are the doctor in charge and you hear that a resident kisses a 5 yr old girl", but some where hard as to how to deliver bad news to someone or if you find out the patient was unfaithful or something that was a secret"
"define professionalism."
"what unique qualities can you bring to Northwestern?"
"If you had suspicions that your research mentor or PI was fudging data, what would you do?"
"If you were a 4th year student and you were assisting in a C-section, and the anesthesiologist came in with alcohol on her breath, what would you do? Naturally, I said not let her work- but then he pressed it further, saying what if there was no other anesthesiologist there, what would you do?"
"What is on my MP3 player these days?"
"how would I change the healthcare system"
"What question do you want me to ask you?"
"What was the one experience that made you want to be a doctor and that will make me convinced that you should be a doctor."
"What would you do if you were a resident and the surgeon showed up to perform a procedure with alcohol on his breath "
"What type of ethical dilemmas do you expect to face as a physician?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"If you could have 3 people over for dinner, who would you chose and why?"
"None particularly difficult."
"What do you look for in a friend?"
"If you could live in any time period what would it be?"
"Group Task: You three (interviewees) are President Bush's advisory committee on the issue of stem-cell research. In 5 minutes come up with something to tell him."
"I was asked to defend my course of study in college."
"what was the hardest question that you've been asked in previous interviews, and what was your answer?"
"If you could go back to any period of time, meet any person, take them out to dinner to any restaurant and ask them whatever you wanted, when, who, where, what and why would you choose?"
"How did sharing a room with your brother influence who you are today?"
"Random Personality questions."
"If you could have dinner with anyone from any time period anywhere in the world, who would you meet, where and why?"
"The attending surgeon on your rotation shows up for surgery drunk, and no one else will intervene... what do you do?"
"How should we, as members of the admissions committee, choose who to accept among students that have the same grades same experiences etc"
"What is a hurdle you've faced?"
"How do you define a mentor?"
"What is one of your weaknesses?"
"how friends would describe my strengths and weaknesses"
"If you were given $100 million to donate, which of the three areas would you select 1) prenatal care 2) coronary heart disease 3) end of life decision making"
"How would your friends describe you"
"Nada"
"same"
"tell about a time you thought outside the box"
"Arguing for a standpoint on a controversial ethical issue--I didn't think I did too well on this point."
"See above."
"you are part of an ethics committee. a 4th year med student with an impeccable record carried out an order without the signature of the resident (he could not get a hold of him). the patient died. what would you do? "
"What would your friends say is your greatest weakness? (Not hard, but I hate this one)"
"If a patient needed a procedure and refused to consent, what would you do?"
"What was a conflict in your life and how did you resolve it?"
"If you were asked to write an article in the school newspaper about anything (not related to medicine), what would you write about?"
"I thought questions were going to be a lot more challenging at NU from past SDN posts, but I guess I got lucky. The group question was probably the most difficult "
"Tell us about a time when you were a member of a group (not a leader) and faced a challenge."
"where would you take your best friend if he came to visit"
"To select a committee of 5 members to establish policies and work on the issue of stem cell research"
"person next to me: something about canadian prescription drug problems... never read up on this before. "
"what will be the most challenging aspect facing medicine? "
"How would explain to a 5-year old girl how to tie her shoelaces."
"The one mentioned above, but also a question concerning a time I really helped someone. It is difficult to have an honest response to something like that right on the spot without being trite and talking about your hospital voluteer experiences (little Jimmy on the 6th floor), etc... For me the question ended up getting very personal... almost uncomfortably so."
"probably the group question....it was strange because everyone had already seen most of the group questions in advance from reading interview feedback so we all knew what to say, it just became an awkward excersice in not stepping on eachother's toes"
"What president do you admire most and why? (i find it hard to remember specifics about things like people and then on top of it, the person next to me had just answered with the president that I wanted to use. Good thing we had different answers)"
"Who is your favorite president and why? (I hadn't ever thought about it before)"
"what would you do if you went to an alcoholic party"
"What do you do away from school that helps you get away from everything and relieve your stress. I wasn't terribly difficult, but it was the very first question asked and it was asked of me first and because I was nervous at first, my voice was shaky and it took a minute to get my answer out. I got the first question because I sat in the first seat. Hint!Hint!"
"If you could ask any of the candidates a question, what would you ask?"
"Describe your apartment."
"is there a personality that you feel does not fit that of a med student?"
"If you had a limited supply of drugs, how do you decide which of your patients to give them to?"
"What is an obstacle you have overcome?"
"If you were a physician and you made a mistake, how would you handle it?"
"What do you think the new frontier in medicine is going to be (after HGP)?"
"same as above!"
"Basically, would you sacrifice your own well being (i.e. your health or life) to treat your patient?"
"What is a movie that all med students should see? I hate this question, I never have a good answer because i like "stupid" movies"
"Suppose you have a patient who needs an x-ray to identify a possiblly life-threatening lung disease, but his/her insurance only covers x-ray services at substandard locations. What would you do?"
"Imagine that you're a successful student at med school and the student newspaper want you to write an article. What would you write? It doesn't have to be medicine-related"
"If you could invited three people to dinner, past or present, who would they be? What would you serve them?"
"What are you most proud of?"
"Is the role of a female physician different than that of a man? (I had such a hard time getting my answer out!)"
"how would you deal with living in a big city? (not that hard but it was the "hardest")"
"Hypothetical: you are president of the honor council. Suppose you find out that your best friend has cheated on an exam. What do you do?"
"Who is your favorite philosopher and why? (in response to my comment that I am a philosophy major)"
"Tell me about a time that you were in a group that needed to collaborate to accomplish something. (I could not think of a single good example)."
"What piece of art inspires you?"
"N/A"
"As a group list the 5 most important traits of a physician and rank them. (In and of itself this isn't difficult but when you're doing it in a group they are judging you on a lot more than your final answer)."
"If you could have dinner with anybody anywhere, who would it be and where would you have it? (I've seen this question on interview feedback, but I never thought about it b/c I figured that its not really a standard question...)"
"How has your undergraduate school prepared you to become a physician?"
"What five things would you be most concerned with if you decided to start a private practice (group question)?"
"Tell me an issue that concerns you about healthcare."
"As a group, list with rankings the top 5 traits of a good doctor. (Mainly difficult because I focused on personal traits like being morally informed while one person was primarily concerned with technical competance)"
"What are the 3 biggest problems in the world right now?"
"None"
"Just the unique panel stuff. You'll probably read all about it on the other feedbacks."
"What makes you worthy of a profession in medicine?"
"None - typical questions - Three things found in your living room. Biggest issues in health care. "
"What good books have you read?"
"As a group we had to name the top three world health care issues of the last 100 years and the next 100 years. "
"What would you like the admissions commitee to know about you, that has not already been addressed in any other parts of your application? Also, what would you consider to be the biggest advancement in medicine in the last century?"
"Nothing terribly difficult."
"What would you personally like to see change in healthcare in the future."
"You have diagnosed a patient of yours with alzheimers... how would you break the news to them?"
"None really"
"Name 3 types of people that you would put on a panel to advice the president on what stance to take on stem cell research?"
"Describe a time when you were misjudged and how you handled it?"
"Name a controversial issue in medicine and give you opinion about it."
"What question are you begging me to ask you?"
"Why not policy, but medicine. Could I tell who to accept based on this interview. "
"if you were president of the NIH and a vote was coming up to establish and fund a department on either bioterrorism or alternative medicine, which would you choose and why?"
"How do you feel about physicians' roles at death penalty executions?"
"I quickly looked up all of my faculty and director interviewers (MSTP) and made a short Word document listing their recent publications and major faculty positions. I also researched what departments are available to complete the Ph.D. in and what the curriculum timeline looks like depending on the department I choose. Lastly, when the program coordinator sent me the official schedule, I made all of the Zoom links into calendar events so that I could quickly join the various Zoom interview rooms."
"Book, mock interviews, talks with friends, individual research and practice"
"Friend, SDN"
"Read sdn interview feedback, researched school online"
"Read through the website's curriculum and watched promotional videos."
"Review app. Read up on the university and on uniqueness of Curriculum"
"Looked over the questions listed on this page (they reuse a lot of them)."
"Interview feedback"
"The forums, my application"
"Researched school. Had dinner with group of students the night before the interview (helped alooot)"
"looked over my application, read SDN interview feedback"
"Going over my application, researching the school."
"SDN, read app,"
"I didn't"
"Read up on NW a bit and chilled. I had done a long round of interviews by that point and didn't feel the need to prepare more than by getting a good night's sleep."
"This site"
"researched the school, look at SDN interview feedback"
"read over AMCAS, secondary, school website, and of course SDN interview feedback"
"Read SDN feedback, read school website, went over my secondary essays."
"SDN, read over my app"
"i had some pretty tough questions at my other interviews so i didn't have much prep, just read the NU website"
"Mock interview, SDN, read the Northwestern website "
"studentdoctor.net, reread my secondary, answered a packet of interview questions that my pre-health advisor gave me, talked to students that had already been to the interview."
"It was my first interview, so I did a lot of research on the school and practiced verbalizing answers to the expected questions to myself."
"The usual."
"Researched the school extensively, interview feedback, general heathcare/bioethics stuff"
"SDN, school curriculum website, panicking etc..."
"read SDN, book on health policy, application, looked on school's website"
"none"
"Read previous year's feedback on SDN. Read up on some current events, such as problems in medicine (like health care). Tried to get as much information as I could about Northwestern's curriculum and the opportunities offered here."
"Reread AMCAS and secondary, prepared a quick verbal update on my app and what sets northwestern apart in my mind as the school I want to be at, and reviewed previous panel questions through SDN --> VERY HELPFUL! I heard many of the questions I saw on here. "
"sdn, sleep, went out the night before with students"
"Read my AMCAS and MSAR. Stayed up way too late the night before."
"SDN, talked to current students, mock interview with friends, mock interview with advisor"
"SDN, website, reviewed app"
"School's website."
"SDN, re-read application, school website"
"Read over my file, read the school website"
"Read SDN, talk to students (I stayed with a student and got to talk people that way), read the website."
"SDN (really helps--a lot of he questions are repeated from year to year it seems), school website, reviewed secondary/AMCAS, looked at presidental candidates stand on health care reform"
"I read through last season's posts on SDN, read my secondary interviews, and brushed up on the curriculum and bioethics. Based on my experience, the posts on last season's SDN feedback were very similar to the questions that were asked of me (many of the were questions identical)."
"sdn, i already had a bunch interviews before NU, so i was pretty confident (maybe a little overly confident and eager which i thought may have costed me the seat to NU after my interview. i was accepted)"
"Mainly SDN, read an ethics website, mock interviews with friends"
"read sdn, reviewed my amcas, talked to my host student"
"SDN, school's website, re-read AMCAS and secondary apps"
"Feinberg website, SDN."
"sdn researched the school"
"SDN, health policy reading, ethics reading, listening to NPR regularly, combing the school's website, etc. "
"SDN, school website, it's a really good idea to study up on their curriculum."
"Reread AMCAS and secondary, prepared a quick verbal update on my app, and reviewed previous panel questions through SDN."
"AMCAS, SDN"
"SDN interview feedback, ''Understanding Health Policy''"
"Read secondary application essays."
"StudentDoctor! re-read application, studied Northwestern on website and MSAR"
"SDN, prepare a blurb to ''tell us about yourself,'' read excerpts of an ethics book, and prepared for a how to solve our current health care problems question."
"SDN, re-read my apps, read the school's website"
"SDN, other interviews, NWern's website"
"Looked the questions posted here online... about 75% of all of the questions I got asked had been recycled from here :) Talked to the student I stayed with the night before, went online to research some current health care issues. "
"SDN, AMCAS, secondary, talked over answers to various possible questions with friends and family."
"Reread applications, read SDN feedback, read up on Northwestern."
"re-read app, looked at website"
"Reviewed AMCAS and secondary essays, school website about"
"SDN, read over secondary responses."
"read the old interview questions, relaxed."
"SDN questions, talking to current students, reviewing application"
"copied pretty much all the questions on SDN from the past interview season and went over them, reviewed my file"
"Read through AMCAS and secondary applications again (for one-on-one, open file interview). Reviewed questions posted in this interview feedback forum. Read AMA News and JAMA for current events."
"Went over my personal statement"
"Read my AMCAS and secondary essays, looked at SDN feedback, studied my medical sociology notes, got enough sleep."
"Others have said this, but I'll repeat it: Study the questions posted here. I went through the past few years of NW feedback here and collected 140 past questions then wrote out a short answer to each one. It might seem like overkill, but I could relax during the interview and over 90% of the questions I heard had been listed here in SDN. Also, a great resource is _101 Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions_. It's written for job interviews, but is still useful for teaching you how to look at questions/answers from an interviewer's perspective."
"SDN, school website"
"Went to mock interviews at my undergraduate university career services, practice questions, read about the medical school program, curriculum, research opportunities, patient care ranking."
"SDN, reread my application"
"SDN, AMCAS and supplementary, school website, read up on current issues in science, medicine, and healthcare, mock interview"
"SDN Feedback, Amcas, CNN.com, Northwestern website, information from my Premed Office"
"I copied down every question posted here over the past two years and wrote down an answer for each one. I ended up with about 100 questions. And PRACTICE them in front of the mirror, to your favorite statue, or to your dying plant. I RECOMMEND you do that as well unless you have incredible interview powers like Vin Diesel."
"sdn, copied down all of the questions about the school on this site and studied from them, read my amcas and secondary"
"SDN! Amcas, secondary, school's website"
"SDN, school website,interview handouts"
"this website, read my amcas and secondary"
"SDN, website"
"SDN, secondaries, school website"
"SDN, Student host, website, MSAR etc."
"AMCAS, school's website"
"Knew the school curriculum etc"
"Reread AMCAS and information about the medical school."
"SDN, school site, online bioethics journals, "
"SDN, school website, looked over my essays"
"I had a mock interview at my school and looked at Northwestern's web site."
"SDN, Interview Feedback, School's Website, Reviewed AMCAS and my secondary"
"Reviewed Feinberg website, perused SDN, went over my stuff, etc."
"reviewed secondary, sdn, school webpage"
"Website, reviewed my application"
"amcas, sdn, healthcare issues"
"Read the Wallstreet Journal and USA Today, this website, read their webpage, MSAR, and Princeton Review guide"
"SDN, AMCAS file review, Secondary review, internet research on health care + medical ethics, practice interviews, and long hours of angst and moral development"
"I looked at questions online."
"ethics book, sdn, northwestern website, mock interview (since it was my first)"
"Website, SDN, and Kaiser Foundation website (they can throw in a heathcare related question) "
"Previous interviews, I guess."
"read about the school, relaxed"
"read my secondary, sdn, fsm website"
"SDN, read Feinberg's site, my secondary"
"looked for NU's website"
"standard"
"sdn, website, mock interviews"
"Read school catalogue and press releases."
"SDN, read up on some bioethics website"
"standard stuff"
"SDN, looked at NW website, reviewed application materials."
"this site, northwestern website"
"SDN, NU website"
"SDN, my application material, website"
"reviewed my secondary application and AMCAS personal statement, looked over the FSM curriculum"
"SDN, talked to current students"
"Read my AMCAS, SDN, student host, etc"
"talked w/student host, looked at website, sdn."
"SDN and sleep. "
"Talked with friends about current political/healthcare issues. Thought about some analogies so that I could clearly relate my standpoints on healthcare and the role of the doctor. Read some accounts of Non-western medicine so that I could have a few different type of interpretations of disease and body available to open up different angles on a given standpoint. Made sure I knew the curriculum."
"read interview feedback, school's website, and ate a delicious bagel"
"SDN, the website, my secondary, AMCAS"
"read SDN, talked to a friend that is a 2M at NW, read their website"
"studentdoctor. read over my application"
"I read some of the questions from student doctor network, I talked with my pre-med advisor, and I knew about the various programs and curriculum style of Northwestern prior to my interview."
"read interview feedback. "
"SDN"
"used old experiences from other interviews"
"Northwestern has a great website"
"SDN, the Northwestern website"
"Re-read my Northwestern secondary, read a book about the healthcare system, read this website. "
"read this site, info on school online, my application"
"I did cross word puzzles =)"
"Read the website, used SDN, mock interview"
"Talked to my student host(who was awesome), read this website, and the northwestern one."
"Read up primary, secondary, website, SDN, chilled, slept, ate some deep dish pizza."
"Secondary/Primary essays (But these are not important as group interview is closed-file). List of typical interview questions"
"Had interviewed at several schools already, so was feeling OK."
"SDN interview feedback"
"read up on the school and my app"
"Read SDN, talked to people I knew who'd interviewed at Northwestern, reread my secondary."
"Websites, re-read AMCAS/secondary app"
"Read this website, read Northwestern's website."
"Interview Feedback, website, secondary essays."
"nothing really"
"Reviewed AMCAS, secondary, Northwestern website"
"Website, SDN, Interview Feedback"
"SDN, mock interview, reread my essays/secondary application, researched some ethical issues in medicine and researched the school."
"looked at sdn's interview feedback, northwestern website, reread my applications"
"This website was really helpful, other interview websites, read through my essays (you can use your essay answers in the interviews because the interviewers have not read them!)"
"Here, asking friends their impressions of the day, contacting a student friend"
"mock interviews, read interview feedback, talked to people who had interviewed there, reread my secondary"
"SDN, NU Website,..."
"Took a look at what my interviewers did."
"Glanced over personal statements, read interview feedback."
"Read interview feedback"
"SDN."
"Read about NU's curriculum. Used SDN forums. Re-read my supplemental application."
"Read all my application materials, NWU's website, SDN website, searched for info on current medical issues, mock interviews, my school's premed website."
"review my NU and other apps. SDN. mock interview"
"SDN feedback, read my app over, the usual"
"Read up on the website."
"Read over app, didn't know it was closed-file beforehand."
"read this website, reviewed my supplemental application and AMCAS application"
"SDN, mock-interview"
"I didn't."
"Read over primary/secondary applications, looked over school website."
"read my app, especially 2ndary"
"read over all the school's publication material, online material, read over my secondary for the school (key), and my amcas, etc..."
"Read my essays"
"This was the most organized virtual experience I have seen this interview season, and perhaps this entire pandemic year. Everything from the interview schedule, the communications from leadership, and the actual interview day were flawless. One of my interviewers was about 5 minutes late, but that barely registered in my mind because the entire day was executed perfectly. Even the various student events were well-planned and very engaging. And the Grand Rounds sit-in opportunity was a great touch that I haven't seen other programs implement. It gave me a sense of what the students actually learn/do."
"The culture seemed really warm and supportive even through zoom and the research and curriculum impressed me."
"Hospitals, facilities were really cool (except the Anatomy lab was kinda eh), location in Chicago"
"Facilities, curriculum, availability of students"
"The facilities, LOCATION, student happiness, the food"
"Having a tour of the hospitals was enjoyable. All of the students were excited to share why they loved Feinberg."
"Location. Location. Location. Facilities. Organization of interview day."
"The obvious camaraderie among students, their descriptions of problem-based learning, the absolutely GORGEOUS hospital."
"Everything. Dean Wallace had such great enthusiasm throughout the entire day. While we were waiting in the admissions office for our interviews, medical students kept stopping in to talk with us and answer any questions/help calm our nerves."
"Location! New curriculum, students seem to really love the school"
"Everyone was very nice and excited about the school"
"School's location and facilities are pretty awesome."
"The student host's apartment-- wowza!"
"the happiness and excitement of the students, the area where the school is located, how beautiful the school itself is"
"Northwestern has put a lot of thought into its curriculum. It's hard to say if it's even better than that of other schools, but it is very well thought out. Dual degree options seem interesting/doable. Hospitals are new and cool."
"Facilities, mock PBL session during the introduction"
"everything. students were really really nice and friendly. hospitals looked like hotels! MA in medical humanities and bioethics and MPH looked awesome (you can get them done in the 4 years of med school) Admissions staff was really friendly. the administration seems to really take the students' views into consideration. students seemed really happy. interviews were low pressure. group interview is not as scary as it may seem - it's just a conversation"
"The friendliness of the student tour guides."
"Facilities, people (students and faculty), location. The educational and research opportunities seem great here. I'm confident that I could get a very strong education at Northwestern. I was also very intrigued by the medical humanities options, although i don't know if it's worth the extra tuition to get the MA. Also, my fellow interviewees were awesome - by far some of the nicest, most outgoing, most well-rounded people I've met on the interview trail."
"The facilities, the students (laid back), the location"
"Most of the students seem happy there. The facilities were nice and the location (downtown Chicago) is a great advantage. Also, the MD-PhD program administrator went to Northwestern for her graduate training, so she knows very well how the program is run. She knows what the trainees are going through, and is extremely helpful."
"LOCATION, facilities, AWESOME students (very sociable, laid back)"
"The location! Feinberg is in the best part of Chicago. The hospital is also rather ritzy (they built it to feel more like a hotel than a hospital). The PBL demonstration was interesting."
"the buildings, location, the students"
"i really liked the school, chicago is definitely a nice setting for med school and everybody was very nice and genuine"
"I really like the group interview style--having a chance to hear what my peers have to say and also being able to interact. We were never each asked the same question so I never felt like we were competing. I also really liked the morning introduction and felt that there was a very clear overview of the school given. The mock PBL was also interesting."
"I like the idea of problem based learning. The other applicants seemed very intelligent and capable and I would enjoy learning PBL working with others like them. Also a lot of research opportunities and the location of the school is unbeatable"
"The facilities were unbelievable. The hospitals were like hotels, and the location was stellar."
"The location is indescribably fantastic, and everyone I met was so passionate about Chicago. Chi-town is definitely the place to be, thanks to Obama! The facilities are lovely and I like the curriculum (although as I've interviewed at other schools I've learned that it's not unique to Northwestern, as they would lead you to believe). The students I met were friendly. The learning environment seems laid back and very collegial. I came away feeling like NW was a great fit for me, and the feeling must have been mutual as I was accepted in November."
"Curriculum and the schools mission."
"Everything. The location, the friendliness of the students, the immaculate facilities (the hospital especially), the research opportunities, my individual interviewer (so friendly and kind), my student host."
"How friendly the students were and how they WANTED to strike up conversations with you all of the time! How new and polished everything was! How mature they are about the learning process."
"location, students seem very down to earth yet still very smart"
"The location is great. The students seemed to really like the school. They have lots of free time as students"
"The tour guides, all first year students, are very enthusiastic. Everyone seemed very happy here. Northwestern is all about making sure you are a good "fit" for the school."
"Location of school."
"Facilities, location, enthusiasm of the students we met. "
"AMAZING PLACE! The facilities are the best that I have seen anywhere and everyone seemed so happy. The students kept coming in to the admissions office all day just to rave about the school!!"
"Everything. That school is ridiculous."
"everything...great location, amazing facilities, students really enthusiastic"
"The organization and breadth of the day--you really see everything: anatomy lab (with cadavers!), dry lab, hospital patient rooms, lecture halls, mock PBL. Admissions opens their office to students so there's a constant flow of people and a real opportunity to ask students questions. Several deans and faculty make presentations so you get a very complete picture of the school."
"The students were very enthusiastic, great curriculum, very chill environment, P/F system"
"The facilties, the student body, the strong sense of community."
"The day was well structured, people were friendly, they cared about you"
"The facilities, students, and animated faculty."
"The facilities are amazing, absolutely amazing. The students seemed really down to earth and they actually seemed to have lives outside of the classrom (I went to a socceer game that the medical student I was staying with was playing in)."
"Everything! This school is absolutely amazing. The facilities are beautiful and extremely functional, admissions staff is welcoming, students are so nice and encouraging, curriculum is cool (I didn't think I'd like PBL as much as I did), Chicago is awesome."
"The general happiness of the students and the friendliness of the admissions staff impressed me."
"the student all really like their school which i thought can't be fake. the hospital was stunning and their facility/lecture halls are amazing. i was sold to the school on the tour. "
"Amazing facilities and really great hospital. Everything seems new and all the people are enthusiastic"
"The facilities are superb at Northwestern. The main hospital, research labs, lecture hall, etc. were incredible. The location of the school in the heart of downtown Chicago is also great. Cultural opportunities are abound. Students are Northwestern are a diverse crowd and bring a wide range of experiences to each class."
"Facilities were really nice, school's location in downtown Chicago is really great, close to everything."
"The enthusiasm of the students and other applicants. Very open and social atmosphere, not competitive."
"facilities were amazing, location"
"The hospital and the M1/M2 classrooms are luxurious, to say the least."
"The people there really like Northwestern. They try really hard to make you comfortable. The city is awesome. The hospital is freaking awesome, exactly a cross between a hotel and a mall (complete with escalators)! THeir lecture halls and facilities are great."
"The general hospital feels like a five-star hotel. The location near Michigan Avenue is hard to top by any other medical school."
"The location is in a GREAT part of Chicago and the hospital is gorgeous"
"The facilities were awesome, the city is AMAZING, everyone was extremely friedly and attentive."
"The hospital! It is really as people describe it - like a cross between a hotel and a mall."
"Everything. "
"The hospital is AMAZING. Built in 1998, it is a hybrid of a 5 star hotel and a large shopping mall. The classrooms we saw were pretty nice as well and downtown Chicago is an exciting place to be. I went with a student host to the new gym facilities and it is also AMAZING!"
"Memorial Hospital seriously looks like a 5-star hotel. I would LOVE to work there. Most of the facilities are really really new and pretty. The students seem to really enjoy being at the school and there's an air of collegiality about the place."
"The PBL curriculum, the sense of humor of the admissions committee (they really made me laugh, it was awesome), the facilities were new and nice, I love the city, etc."
"Everyone was so laid back and relaxed. The students seemed genuinely interested and excited to be telling you about the school. NW has a brand new curriculum with only 2 hours of class a day and all pass-fail courses for the first two years... basically everything was amazing."
"Enthusiasm and helpfulness of students and administrators, curriculum, opportunities available at the 5 Chicago hospitals that have direct affiliations with NW."
"Enthusiasm of students, the pass/fail system, the facilities and school, the faculty. Location!"
"Location. Curriculum. Students. Facilities. Pass/Fail grading."
"Students were happy, great facilities, location"
"Everything about the school is pretty awesome: facilities, curriculum, students/faculty. Northwestern was, and still is, one of my top choices."
"this school is pretty awesome, housing prices arent as bad as some on here suggest and the school is gorgeous. curriculum is great too"
"The area, the students seemed really well-rounded, a hybrid curriculum (about 50-50 PBL and lecture)"
"pretty much everything. Location, facilities, faculty (in the interview and the admissions committee), students"
"The attitudes of the students! Everyone was ecstatic about participating in the curriculum at Northwestern! The hospital facilities are amazing!"
"The school's curriculum and the location"
"The facilities are excellent (hospitals, research buildings, and the medical school itself). Chicago is also a very nice city, and the school is practically right on lake michigan. The students seemed to love it there, and emphasized that they did not live at the library. "
"This is the only interview I've been to where it definitely felt like they were trying to sell their school. It wasn't just about checking us out, they were enthusiastic to present their school to us. The 4 year MD/MPH option is the syncher for me, but beyond that there were lots of things... Everyone was very enthusiastic about the program, it was collegial didn't feel at all competitive, NW has a very strong clinical focus with a great clinical reputation (research is definitely available but they don't expect anyone to do it who doesn't want to). The facilities were amazingly top notch, but despite its wealthy reputation, they went out of their way to stress that NW values service and serves a very diverse population. Their line was "Why shouldn't a homesless person get just as nice a hospital room as a millionaire?""
"the facilities were some of the most impressive I've seen anywhere. The studnets spoke very highly of their experience, and Chicago is a great place."
"Everybody was very positive about the school and made an effort to be friendly and reduce the stress. The Northwestern Memorial Hospital is awesome and the Dean of Admissions was a doll."
"the facilities are UNBELIEVABLE, the students are enthusiastic and involved"
"neighborhood is wonderful, culture is very important and appreciated, deans are very friendly, brand new research building and new hospital opening in 2007"
"The facilities are amazing. All the students I met were so happy to be there. They absolutely loved the curriculum. "
"The students are VERY active at NU in extra-curricular activities and other things! Probably b/c they don't spend so much time in class, which was another pleasant surprise."
"Nothing in addition to what's been said here. It's in the best part of Chicago. Imagine going to med school in Union Square, SF; downtown Manhattan, NYC, the red light district, Amsterdam, next to Stubbs BBQ in Austin, TX. Just awesome locations."
"the location of the school, the architecture, the facilities were amazing, and the students were really nice"
"Excellent facilities, gorgeous hospital and location of school! Organ-based curriculum with pbl sounds great. Students are very friendly and enthusiastic."
"location is perfect! Students were great despite have a final that day. Faculty went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable."
"facilities are very new and nice"
"the hospital and school are located downtown in a VERY nice area. The school is amazing. Everything is sooo new and the curriculum is organ based."
"The curriculum is fantastic. Chicago of course."
"They did a great job selling their cirriculum. I was orginally turned off from the PBL idea, but their cirriculum info session really helped me to see the benefits."
"Facilities are beautiful. The location is great as well. Seems like it would be a lot of fun to go to school there."
"Facilities, curric"
"The attitude of everyone involved with the interview process, I felt at home and at ease within a few minutes of arrival."
"The facilities, the curriculum, the excellent location, and the enthusiasm of the staff and students."
"the facilities are AMAZING - everything is new, the students seemed outgoing and friendly. the school is putting up new buildings and labs to attract more researchers/increase prestige. and you can't beat the location. "
"Everything. The students who I spoke with were enthusiastic about the school, and the faculty and staff were friendly. There was a mock problem based learning session that gave me a better feel for how the students are taught. Also, the facilitiest were amazing."
"The hospital is a chimera of mall and hotel - it's really nice. The students seem nice enough, though they look a bit overworked. I like their emphasis on service, and the location of the med school is simply amazing - half a block from the lake, and 2 blocks from the magnificent mile."
"Very nice facilities and spectacular location in Chicago, nicest area on Lake Michigan. Admissions staff was very friendly and students as well. "
"incredible facilities"
"The facilities were AMAZING. Brand new research building, hospital was like a hotel, the cafeteria was fabulous. Students were all extremely relaxed, and seem to love the school. The lecture halls were the nicest I've ever seen in a med school. Also, the school is in the best part of Chicago."
"the facilities"
"The facilities, the positive attitude of the students, the sense of community, the curriculum."
"Everyone I met at NU treated me very well. Their panel interview format is actually great, which I had not expected (in fact, previously I feared and loathed it...). The campus was some endearing mixture of modern, opulent, and urbane."
"The two interviewers were very kind, the two interviews felt more like conversations."
"friendliness of the students (including my student host who was great), nice facilities - esp. hospital with all private rooms but not serving a wealthy population, enjoyable panel interview, friendliness of the other applicants, great location in downtown chicago right on lake michigan!"
"Many of the fellow interviewees were very social and interesting. Also, numerous students stopped by to say hi and find out where everybody was from. "
"Students were outgoing. Fellow applicants were fun to hang out with. The entire interview was a lot more eventful than other interview days"
"the medical center, curriculum, laid-back med students"
"Everyone was very nice, both the faculty and the students. Thoe hospital is great and is in a wonderful part of the city. p/f curriculum relieves stress allows students to cooperate. If you are self-motivated, you will succeed regardless."
"curriculum looks great, hospital is beautiful"
"really nice facilities and great location and very friendly students"
"awesome facilities, awesome location in downtown chi, students dropping in to say hi"
"everything, i loved every single thing about the place, the facilities were amazing and the students were really smart but also had social skills and were really, really nice"
"the curriculum"
"The contemporary curriculum, the location, and the hospital."
"The new hospital, new research facility being built, Dean Brown, the fact that they fed us good food for breakfast and lunch, my fellow interviewees, the curriculum (we got to do a sample PBL session), the MD/MPH program"
"very high-brow hospital, I personally liked the panel interview, PBL session was nice, location was *amazing*, students have so much energy"
"Dean Brown is incredibly cordial; she does an excellent job at making the interviewee feel comfortable. "
"school's location, small amount of lecture time (2 hrs/day), new facilities"
"The school slowly adapts you to med school life. The first year students start off in orientation, then take a fairly simple class for a couple weeks, and finally start building up to the more typical med school class. The location is also incredible."
"How well maintained and sophisticated the facilities were. The students were also very happy."
"The students were very friendly and open about answering any questions we asked. They seemed genuinely happy about attending school there and spoke honestly about their experiences."
"curriculum is catered to small group learning, short lectures, great location, chicago's a fun place"
"the location, curriculum, friendly students, training opportunities, research, great school overall"
"The Hospital is amazing, as well as the school and obviously the location"
"the curriculum is really great. P/F grading in yr 1&2, but the class averages still remain high. kids are smart and yet social. it incorporates small group learning and students dont spend a lot of time in lecture. hospital facilities are hotel-like & moving towards paperless records. they are building new research facilities and a new first year lecture hall."
"Feinberg's great location, the newness of their facilities, and even the group interviews were kinda nice. "
"The supportive attitude of the admissions committee. This was my first interview and I was surprised to find that admissions folk are not out to get you after all. They want to make the experience a good one so that you are impressed and want to come back when they accept you."
"The school itself and the program there seemed wonderful, the hospital is very nice, plus I love Chicago and NW is in a great part of the city. The east coast interviewees, by the way, kept mentioning that "the midwest actually isn't that bad" what the heck is that supposed to mean? I've lived in NY, I've been to Boston....they have nothing on Chicago. "
"The school was great, everyone was very accessible. The students were very excited and enthusiastic about the school. They couldn't have spoken more highly of the program. NWU also was very accomodating with my schedule. They had assigned me to a date 2 weeks later and allowed me to move it to when I was going to be in Chicago with little notice (i called on Monday and had the interview on Friday)."
"What was not to love about the school? The location is fantastic, the two deans who interacted with the interviewees were fabulous. We got to a mock PBL session, which was great so we could get a feel for how things were run at NW. The NW Memorial hospital is awesome as well..."
"chicago is extremely pretty! no worn down housing or old equipment from this school."
"I was very impressed with the entire visit. The office staff, the medical students, the faculty, and the other interviewees were all wonderful. I can't believe how well we all (the interviewees) got along together. These were people that I could see myself spending the next four years with. It is hard to get a complete picture after spending only nine hours with them, but even the medical students commented on how unusually gelled we were as a group. Northwestern seemed to have done a great job of selecting good well-rounded people to interview not just 4.0's and perfect MCAT scores. This was a personable gruop of people there on that day."
"The campus is nice and the hospital looks like a hotel. You don't have to have a car during med school. The cafeteria food wasn't bad. Being in chicago is great. "
"The students, staff, and facilities."
"the new buildings - teaching center, exam rooms and research buildings. The realy nice hospital. My student hosts were realy cool. The students generally seemed happy. They have an innovative curriculum that gives alot of free time."
"Chicago--such a beautiful city, and Northwestern is in the most posh area, on the lake shore. The students were down to earth, normal-seeming. The hospital is so nice and pristine, very state-of-the-art."
"What didn't? The location is probably better then any school in the country, in the best part of Chicago, which is a great city. The students seem happy, the facilities are top-rate, the student dorm, despite some horror stories I heard, is fine- not great, but nothing to sneeze at either. "
"Northwestern is located in a really nice part of Chicago with accessible public transportation. The hospital was great and the students were friendly and intelligent. I was especially impressed that the students seem to have plenty of time to participate in extracurricular activities, and several of them even work part-time."
"How great Chicago is."
"the hospital, chicago, the dorm, the lake, the cheesecake factory.... etc"
"I stayed with a student, so I got to talk with students, and they seemed like a really cohesive class. I also like the focus on PBL and the reduced hours in lecture. Chicago is a great city to live in."
"Their curriculm is awesome and much more interesting than other schools. They have time between exams so you can relax for awhile, and the students were all really, cool, smart, and relaxed. The hospital is really nice."
"Collaborative curriculum, MD/MPH program, relaxed atmosphere, patient-centered hospital, emphasis on PBL over lecture, breadth of Physician, patient, and society courses. Feinberg jumped to near first choice for me."
"The school does respond to student feedback. The urban setting of the school. The ability to finish MD/MPH in 4 years and the ethnically diverse patient population."
"The people involved in the interview day know how to make you feel really comfortable and special. You get a short "interview" (more like a chat) with a dean, which is very nice and low-stress. Also, the lunch was my favorite type... the kind where they give you a voucher and let you pick out yummy hot food from a cafeteria (no dry sandwiches and cookies in a box). The school really does have an amazing location... it's unbelievable that you could live right on a lake during med school! Also, you get to a mock PBL that day with your fellow interviewees, which is really fun. "
"Students were excited about NU. Chicago's a great city."
"Everything! The school is situated right in the heart of Chicago right by Lake Michigan - what an awesome place to go to school! The students were friendly, the hospital was spectacular, and the anatomy lab was very well kept."
"the location of the school and the level of clinical involvement"
"Nice facilities, nice hospital. The students seemed really happy. The PBL system seems to have been really nicely streamlined. I liked the dorm a lot. Nice location in a great city."
"The school is amazing. The students seem diverse and the location can't be beaten! The curriculum is pass/fail and the class hours are relatively low (only 4 hours per day). "
"My student host was extremely nice. Chicago is a very cool city."
"The curriculum: Pass/Fail, very little lecture time, PBLs, etc. Students seem very happy there."
"The facilities, the curriculum"
"The hospital is the most amazing facility I've ever seen. It really is like a hotel with a grand piano and Starbucks in the entrance and a painting and pull out bed in every room. Also, the collaborative learning curriculum is pretty impressive."
"The location of the school is great, they have a really nice view of the lake. The hospitals look brand new and amazing and even their cafeteria looks nice. They say that this is one of the few hospitals not in debt, even though it serves a lot of disadvantaged people. "
"The hospital is amazing! The students all seem very happy and a lot of them came by to answer questions and meet the interviewees. The PBL program is great and the demonstration was very informative."
"the location, chicago was great. the hospitals are more like hotels, very high class, high tech, they're some of the few hospitals that aren't in the red, the student i stayed with the night before was awesome, the dorm was pretty nice"
"The facilities are beautiful, the location is great, and they seem to be really into their PBL curriculum. I guess it's older than at most schools, so it's tried and tested."
"Sincere focus on PBL that stood out as being much more sincere than that found at many schools. Laid back, *happy* students."
"they seem like they really care about education. they take care of the students very well, granted they can since they have the money, but students all seem very happy there."
"Everything...I liked the interviewers (honest, straightforward), students (real people not machines), labs, classes, location..."
"Northwestern has the greatest location of any medical school. It's still possible to live right nearby on the MSTP stipend or buy/rent cheaply with a short commute on all that good Chicago mass transport. I think the program is very well integrated and Dr. Engman, the director, is one of the most personable directors out there. He seems to really have vision for his program and he knows what is going on in the MSTP world. He did alot to sell the program. The medical school is one of those new non-traditional types with low classroom time. I think that's great, rather than doing some 8 - 5 for 2 years (ugh). It leaves alot of time for PhD integration, which the program seems to do ALOT of. I think many more MSTP applicants would love Northwestern if it had a higher US News ranking/reputation. If you can look beyond that, unless you don't want to be in the city, I don't hear many negatives from MD/PhD people about the school."
"Nearly everything. The facilities are amazing. The hospital is like a hotel. The students are INCREDIBLY happy... much more so than at other schools. The faculty and admin people were very friendly as well."
"Students and faculty"
"Location, reputation, students seem happy."
"The students were far more laid back than I'd expected. I'd heard that Northwestern had some snotty students, but that didn't seem to be the case at all. It seemed like a diverse, well-rounded group who loved being at NU."
"The way the curicullum is set up enables the students to pursue other interests and have a balanced life, the place is absolutely gorgeous, the staff and students i met were very nice and friendly, the clinical opportunities in an urban setting!!"
"The curriculum--> 10 hours of lecture a week so you do most of your learning in groups and in independent experiences. Students seem happy to be at NU. The location is unbelievable"
"The location of the school is absolutely gorgeous. Right by the lake, in downtown Chicago, its amazing. The pre clinical curriculum is very lax. The student housing is dormish but they even have subsidized apartments that are suprisingly affordable in ultra affluent Gold Coast area."
"Facilities, students."
"The facilities and location are amazing."
"The hospital was incredible; it was like a 5-star hotel. "
"Fantastic facilities, building a new 200 million dollar research building as well as a new Women's hospital. The hospital was state of the art. Also, just the general location next to Lake Michigan."
"Really nice hospital, the cafeteria was just amazing."
"The school, hospital, program, and the surroundings."
"Beautiful campus, designed cirric, pass/fail, new hospital, lakeside view. "
"The new hospital is INCREDIBLE...it is *so* nice, new, and technologically advanced....it has the feel of a 5-star hotel more than anything...i feel that clinical training would be amazing here, as it is in downtown chicago...also, i didn't know they only interview about 550 out of 6000 applicants! 8-12 curriculum, and completely Pass/Fail grading system...."
"LOCATION!"
"The curriculum and the hotel-like hospital"
"Nothing! I loved it all"
"Seems like the school serves a rather homogenous population, but it definitely looks like NU recognizes that and they do have opportunities to work with underserved populations"
"Lack of diverse patient population"
"Chicago is cold ... especially when you're from California"
"The admissions officer who led the day had a strange preoccupation with the fact that we were all wearing dark suits."
"Honestly, nothing. This school has such a great program. Everyone seems so happy."
"Nothing was negative...."
"Our tour guides were quiet and anemic."
"I really disliked the group interview. Only the last 15 minutes of the 75 min interview really required us to interact with the interviewees (in working together on a certain scenario). The rest of the time was them asking us typical interview questions one at a time. It made me very self-conscious and nervous. Even though they say that they aren't comparing you to the other people in the panel, I still didn't like hearing their answers to the same question I had to answer because I was comparing myself to them the whole time."
"high price of living in Streeterville, but it's expected"
"My tour was rather discombobulated."
"Student body isn't particularly very diverse - but they are really interested in recruiting and maintaining more diversity. financial aid seemed slim, but more telling the students didn't seem to think this was a problem - i.e. i guess they were rich enough not to have to worry about it =( though the hospitals are beautiful, the student facilities aren't as impressive, but they're fine. (i've just been to two schools already that have brand new student facilities with a gym and stuff, so my perspective has been skewed). and although the group interview wasn't at all scary - I'm not sure it was super useful in the admissions process - it was a little long to just sit around and talk about our likes and dislikes."
"The cost of living in Streeterville."
"It's expensive (although the tuition is comparable to or LOWER than most private schools I'm looking at), and the prime location = high rent if you choose to live near campus (which many students do)."
"The MSTP student who gave us the campus tour was very unhappy with the program. He spoke poorly of the program director and thought that he was wasting his time in the dual degree program. It was quite good to learn about all the negative aspects of the program, since all other students I spoke to were very happy there and offered mostly a one-sided perspective."
"no online video lectures (although apparently that is likely to change in the very near future)."
"too much focus presenting curriculum, cut financial aid talk and other parts very short"
"They rely very heavily on small group learning, which I'm not very comfortable with. Also, between the two interivew sessions (the group session and the 1-on-1) I felt as though they didn't really get to know me at all, as the one on one interview consisted mostly of him having me ask him questions."
"The class size is rather large (175). There was a lack of visible diversity (both ethnic and geographic - everyone I met on my interview was white and from the midwest). Also, the folks who led our PBL session in the morning acted somewhat paternalistic towards us. If that's a reflection of the actual experience, it's off-putting."
"Lack of diversity and the amount of HPME's in the entering class."
"The students had a test coming up, so they were kind of stressed out and maybe not as happy as usual."
"M1 students were taking exam so we didn't see the labs and some of the classrooms"
"expensive tuition, not as much of a community feel"
"One current student said it was possible to actually get too distracted by the amount of extracurricular activities available to students. It seems the students have a lot of free time, but it also seems it's possible to easily lose focus."
"Cost of school. Cost of living near school. PBL curriciulum is not for me. Run down looking anatomy lab. Group interview sucked."
"A couple of the other people being interviewed (though I am sure this happens everywhere...)"
"The group interview was a little awkward just because one of the people in my interview was so nervous and uncomfortable. I felt sorry for her which was an odd feeling to have during an interview. "
"Financial aid. That's about it."
"not much....except they kind of made us all feel like idiots during the mock problem based learning session for not really knowing what to do"
"High cost of living in the area. 90% of students live in Streeterville (surrounding downtown area)."
"The location.. it was too busy for me. Also the cost of living"
"The studnets seemed to be more interested in talking about their social lives than the school."
"The place was very empty, it was weird (but it was because they were on winter break)"
"Didn't get much interaction with my student host."
"It is very expensive to live in Chicago, and I must confess I am not used to some of the hassels of living in a big city."
"Honestly nothing!"
"The anatomy lab was more morbid than I expected:) (lots of cadavers, none covered), but the facilities were generally exceptional."
"i spent four years in chicago for college. the cost of living around NU med is astrononical. i'll prolly end up share a place w/ a friend south loop to save a bit cash. what negatively impressed me was that there wasn't any info given about their finaid on the interview day. i found their info on their website. i wasn't too impressed."
"No on-campus housing and food isn't that great (not really a negative as I eat out always)"
"The extremely cold and windy weather and the overall cost of attending Northwestern certainly stood out as negatives. I also found the flexibility of the program to be a little odd. There is only 2 hours of lecture a day, and many students skip class regularly."
"They don't really have student housing so to speak, so housing close to the school gets pretty pricey."
"Not much!"
"weather, cost of living"
"Not too much."
"We saw the anatomy lab; it seemed a little dingy, but it was also my first interview and my first tour, so I could be mistaken. "
"The panel interview designed to ''get to know you as a person'' and ''simulate a PBL session'' was a ridiculous waste of my time and money. I didn't fly to Chicago to talk about what's on my iPod."
"The anatomy lab was pretty bad, the students didn't really seem to like PBL, and the day was a little longer than necessary"
"The cold but Im a baby from a tropical climate."
"I suppose weather could be an issue, but I like the cold."
"If you go to Northwestern, it seems like its really expensive!"
"We didn't see much of the patient facilities and were limited by occupied classromms in many buildings. The student guides were also not the most enthusiastic and didn't ''sell'' me the school particularly well. "
"Chicago weather. My flight out of Chicago(and about 50 others) got cancelled due to bad weather, and it's not even hardcore wintertime yet."
"The group interview is not focused on your academic acheivements at ALL. I thought I would get a chance to shine, but instead it was just a lot of ''what do you like to eat'' type questions. I assume they just want to see your personality, but you come out feeling like you didnt really get a chance to show off and explain why you should go to NW. "
"There's almost no patient interaction integrated into the first two years of curriculum."
"The cost of attendance isn't the lowest in the world."
"cost of living. Cold weather"
"Waiting until November (and possibly until February), for a decision, stinks."
"wish we could have talked to more upperclassmen, i only saw one m3 the whole day the rest were first and second years"
"Weather! Chicago was colder than I thought it would be for September. Girls, wear pants."
"only thing that stuck in my mind was that there didnt seem to be anywhere to study all night long (not that I study at night) and that you have to pay to print stuff from the library "
"Absolutely nothing!"
"The tuition"
"I did not like the panel interview. Out of the 3 interviewers on the panel, one of them was 15 minutes late, and the other left the room 3 times to answer pages. I was asked mostly odd questions like the ones seen on SDN, and I felt the time would have been better spent if I were asked questions that gave more insight into my character and goals. This interview felt like talking to a wall - the interviewers gave no feedback signs at all, beside the psychiatrist laughing at me twice. Beside that, nothing else negatively impressed me. "
"Cost (incidentally there was no financial aid presentation). NW is definitely at the top of my list, but if I get into a UC school for half the tuition, I'll have a touch choice to make."
"length of the interview day -- very long"
"A girl who pretended to love medicine so much that said she would be smiling and honored to be up for 72 hours working at a hospital. Even the Dean looked at her with pity eyes."
"financial aid discussion ($$$$$$$$)"
"expensive to live around the school, most students live by themselves"
"Maybe the cost of living in the area and of going there itself, but hey, in this case, I think you'll get what you pay for."
"The tution-which they try not to talk about. And how long the day was! "
"Not much, it was absolutely freezing the day I arrived."
"very expensive place"
"Day starts super early! Really expensive. They don't have student housing, so you're forced to find an apt in the most expensive neighborhood in Chicago."
"the financial aide sucks!! Serisously its bad...most of the students graduate with a lot of debt. The cold weather was a shock as well."
"high cost of living near the school "
"nothing except on my interview day it was colder than it had been there for a few wks, didnt get to take a walk to the lake but it was still great"
"The panel interview is terrible. If you think about it, at a normal school you have one hour with one person and you get one evaluation. At NW, you have one hour with 3 others while evaluated by three people. Do the math: that's three evaluations for 1/3 the "interaction time." "
"The interviewers seemed less interesting in getting to know me and more interested in grilling me with questions."
"Not too much really but just the fact that we had periods where we weren't doing anything. So I would say the downtime. It wasn't that bad though."
"not much student contact"
"Students were not very eagar to talk to interviewees, a lot of talk about how great and revolutionary the curriculum is, but not how great anything else was. Or even how the curriculum will help you score well on the boards, match etc . . ."
"Nothing other than cost of living."
"Lack of student diversity and the confrontational nature of some of the interview questions."
"although the statistics say otherwise, I saw very few minorities. Also, the cost of living is extremely high. "
"The price of living downtown is high."
"Cost of living of the surrounding area - $1200 for a one bedroom??? Also, the lack of ownership of cars - I just bought one this year, so if I'm going to turn around and sell it..."
"Interview day somewhat disorganized. You have a solo interview and a group, which sum to about 1.5 hrs. However there is about a 3 hr gap there, so you are essentially sitting in the waiting area for around 1.5 hrs. Which is fine because there are other interviewees you can chat with, but gets a little boring. "
"expensive (school and cost of living)"
"The students kept stressing how you need to be independent, and how they don't baby their students... good for some, bad for some I guess."
"the faculty didn't seem as friendly as at my other interviews"
"Nothing!"
"Some students could only think to tout the school's location. This made me wary - of the school itself and of some students' lack of pride in going to a school ranked 20th. Nevertheless, I LOVE NU."
"cost of living - that's it."
"not too much"
"The hospital they show you is too nice. It's like a mall."
"panel interview, lack of diversity of other applicants"
"students were nice but not super interesting"
"histology class includes everyone and there's just one prof, about 30-something tables in anatomy, so not as much individual attention from prof even if there are MS4 TAs..., no free printing, lecs are not videotaped, admissions office and group interview room were way too warm, couldn't think in there."
"nothing"
"Housing and cost of living."
"The fact that the first part of the introduction to the school was all about how hard it was to get into the school and how we should be so proud of ourselves for getting this far because it is so hard to get an interview there blablabla...I realized this is why people think of northwestern as elitist and snotty. Also, the class seemed very young and a little immature, 1/3 of the class is from the 7 year undergrad program, lack of international study opportunities compared to other MPH programs"
"I was really peeved at the 15 min 'file update' If you are going to interview me twice then just tell me and make it legit. Students seemed very into their social lives to the deteriment of their academic studies"
"I didn't hear back from the student host program until I got into Chicago. They couldn't find me a host."
"cost of school, cost of living in chicago, wind"
"I wanted to answer questions that were asked to the other applicants in my interview and maybe pass some of my questions off to them."
"Not really anything...except maybe the cost of living in the area."
"cost of tuition, panel interview"
"the high cost of the living area and the fact that the school does not provide merit based scholarships"
"Tuition, didnt even talk about Financial Aid-goes to show that youre on your own."
"mixed review of the dorms. although its prime lakeside property, there are some drawbacks such as no dorm kitchen, being required to buy a mealplan, & adhere to cafeteria hours."
"Day starts off too early, especially for those on the road. They should shift the day one hour later. "
"Not too much. Most of the other students interviewing with me were very cool. Same was true of the med students that I met. "
"the other students"
"The downright arrogance of the students. They try to affect a cool demeanor, but come across as a bunch of wannabe's. "
"nothing really. they were wonderful."
"Nothing..loved it!"
"there were a couple of med students sitting near where i was sitting. made a few remarks that could be taken as racist, not directly toward us. but you could tell they wanted us to hear it."
"The day was very long and I was extremely tired afterwards. It bagan at 7:30 that morning and I didn't leave there until 4:30. 9 hours!!! My goodness. "
"The dorms looked shady and the room we saw was as big as a closet. Cost of living is expensive. "
"One of the panel interviewers was being totally antagonistic to certain people, yet super friendly to others. I felt some favoritism going on there...Even sexism. This certain interviewer is a pulmonologist, an elederly gentelman. Interviewers be warned that he may give you a rough time if he doesn't like you. And be very friendly to those he does like--overtly friendly."
"The day was kinda long with excessive stressing of PBL, I guess this is their thing though. I was told they have even less in terms of scholarships and grants to give and this is probably the schools biggest negative. There is quite a bit of down time and the room is cramped"
"the big class size"
"It is an expensive school"
"Nothing."
"The hospital seems too nice, not the over-worked desperate city hospital where med students get to play doctor"
"the tour was a bit sparatic but we still got to see a lot of cool stuff"
"The dorms; med students were taking classes in the business school, but that should have changed by the time the next class enrolls."
"Nothing really. I liked the dorms actually, they have awesome views, but you don't have a kitchen and I guess the required $200 meal plan sucks. Staying in the dorms is great, but the cots you sleep on are really uncomfortable."
"COST. Of tuition, of living in Chicago, everything. The price tag is pretty steep, and financial aid isn't wonderful. They only gave us a packet on financial aid, one wonders why they didn't give us a presentation on it. The dorms, while a good way to meet people, aren't wonderful, cost $700+ a month, and require that you get a $200/month meal plan to a cafeteria that doesn't get good reviews."
"The dorms (Lake Shore Center), I know a first year med student who already wanna move out. Also the food at the dorm cafeteria, I was forced to have super over-cooked Salmon for dinner."
"To facilitate the group interviews, they need to have a lot of people there in one day. i.e, it was a little crowded."
"Nothing, really. Well, the weather's a bit cold in the winter, but that's just the midwest."
"The fact that it gets really cold in the winter."
"some students didn't seem all that happy, some of the buildings are pretty "old" (not in a good way)"
"NW is expensive, even more so than the average private med school. There's not a lot of hiking or climbing nearby, which is big for me. (I know I won't get a ton of free time, but still...) Obviously I am grasping for straws here."
"The only real negative was the cost. NU's tuition is expensive and housing in downtown Chicago is costly. "
"The dorm rooms range in size a great deal. To me, they were extremely expensive (about $850 a month plus a required $250 per month meal plan; Soddexho is the food provider, and they are awful.). Northwestern provides nothing in the way of financial help beside loans. Thus when you leave you are in a quarter million dollar debt. You had to pay for your own parking, which was over $20 for a day. You sit around and wait a lot during the day, which I found very frustrating."
"I'm not a big fan of Chicago. Too big and crowded for me."
"The dorms"
"One of our interviewers seemed completely disinterested in our answers regardless of whether they were good or not."
"Currently, they have their lectures in the Kellogg School of Business. The building is right next door, but still, a medical school should have their own lecture rooms. They say that new ones are being built for 2004, but I didn't get to see it. The students seem laid back and not very hardcore. One student did mention that out of the 170 or so students in the class, 50 come from the Northwestern BA/MD program. They stick together and are "young," though the way she said it made them sound immature. She also mentioned that there is a MD/PhD crowd, a MD/MPH crowd... etc. "
"I'm not sure how much you have to be interested in research, but I'm not really at all. The school seemed big on research, and I felt like everyone around me was smarter than myself."
"the people i interviewed with seemed very pre-medish, very uptight, etc. the gross anatomy labs were pretty ugh. the student tour guides were pretty lackluster. the campus was separated by many miles from the undergrad campus (although there are many other northwestern grad schools there)"
"It was cold and rainy. Some of the people from similar undergrad schools seemed a little cliquey. Most first-years live in a dorm - small rooms with no kitchens!"
"Slightly less pride than top 5-type institution. A worry that one would not learn how to treat patients in $$-limited healthcare systems (which are the norm.)"
"most first-year students live in the dorm across the street from the school, which is not bad for a dorm, but it would be hard to go back to communal living. also, everyone warned me that i hadn't seen how cold it gets in the winter with snow and everything."
"Nothing...but if you aren't from Chicago, expect COLD and windy weather..."
"The Hospital (Memorial?) is super-nice, but I wonder how good the clinical exposure is. Whatever, when it comes time for residency applications my research will matter tons more. I don't know what's up with the office. I was ready to cancel my interview because I couldn't get a hold of them before the interview and then afterwards they were impossible to contact with my later questions. They just hired a new person, and I think that will help."
"Very expensive school."
"Financial aid - cost"
"Price $$$"
"Actually nothing really. The dorms might be a little hard to live in because I'm an older student, but the rent around the school is sky-high. Dorms might be the best way to go for the first year."
"nothing really."
"Price. "
"First thing, the price tag. The debt capping thing is nice though. But, I was a little suprised that a University like NW which I'm sure has boku endowments somewhere provides very little aid. Plus, that hospital is better than a 5 star hotel. While that looks pretty, sure, would I really be doing anything besides watching the attendings there 3rd year? Probably not."
"Classrooms, obscene tuition."
"Lack of computer technology incorporated into the curriculum."
"The extremely high tuition. "
"the cold"
"The minimal amount of financial aid NWU provides for non-traditional students."
"The residence hall."
"COld weather, forced meal plan, no kitchens in dorm. THE EARLY MORNING OF THE INTERVIEW, the other applicants. "
"the weather when i was there, the windy city indeed! oh, and the tuition is sky high..."
"The least impressive thing at almost any private school is how they sometimes try and "sell" the school. It really felt like we were being sold a spot at the school, and it really wasn't necessary <it's a wonderful school!!!>."
"Nothing really, If you like city-life, then is is optimum. "
"N/A"
"That the faculty 1-on-1 interviews were open file, but the medical student interview was closed"
"Interviews are open file"
"I wish I knew the panel interview was relaxed and was used to assess collaboration with other students."
"The panel interview isn't as bad as it sounds. Our interviewers were joking around with each other and with us. It was completely low-key."
"How cold it would be!"
"The group interview isn't as terrifying as it sounds. Each individual person is asked a different question so that your answers are not compared. It also goes by much faster than you think. As for the individual interview, it was much like the common open-file interview, but there weren't any specific questions from my file, it felt like it was a closed file interview."
"how relaxed the panel interview was going to be"
"To eat more at breakfast (which was good!) because I was about ready to fall over by lunch."
"how awesome northwestern was. also, you have interviews before the tours and before most of the informational sessions, so i just felt I would've been more prepared/excited for my interview had I already been acclimated to how awesome NW is."
"The panel interview was brutal. If I'd known we'd be grilled with random questions for an hour, I'd have drunk more coffee."
"That it was going to snow the day before the interview."
"That interviews are not as scary/stressful as I thought they would be (Northwestern was my first interview)."
"they asked the same question to each person in the group. "
"That all the time I've wasted watching ANTM and Project Runway over the years actually helped me get in to a top-20 medical school! (see "most interesting question" below). I find this hilarious."
"Exactly how cold it was going to be that morning. "
"Nothing really."
"don't sweat the group interview! How laid back the one-on-one interview was."
"That my interviewer was going to try to get me to marry the other applicant in my group."
"Prepare a lot of reasonable questions. Don't ask things that are available on the website, since that shows nothing. There are a million chances to ask questions, so ask them at the right time."
"That Northwestern is kind of an over rated school. Also, they don't provide financial aid so you'd better have rich parents."
"Don't stress so much over the group interview! Actually, you should focus more on the one-on-one interview as this is the one where they ask you specifically detailed hard questions about your application (strengths, weaknesses, etc). The group interview is closed-file, so make sure when they ask you to introduce yourself to throw in some interesting topics which you want to talk about later because this is all they have to go on... otherwise you will ened up with the questions that others on this website have said they thought were a waste of time --> ie ''what is on your IPod''. They won't ask you that unless they are fishing for answers and you didnt' give them an interesting topic to run with."
"My host lived a little too far north of the campus than I would have liked."
"You won't get any straightforward ''Why medicine'' or ''Why Feinberg'' questions so you have to work those things into answers to other questions."
"You need to have enough updates to fill 20 minutes. Find things to talk about."
"The class size is pretty big."
"The panel interview is actually very laid-back and you shouldn't stress about it"
"The nature of the panel interview."
"The panel interview is really not that bad--I was a little flustered in my delivery (not in content though I don't think) of answers at first for no reason. It got better and you get a chance to interact with other applicants in your panel beforehand and strike up a rapport before going in."
"The focus of the group interview to allow them to gauge your personality and not necessarily to reiterate the strength of your application. Some other tidbits: they expect to have ~8000 applicants this year, interview 8% of that (~700), and accept 40% of those interviewed. They really stressed the importance of being an active learner for their PBL/collaborative-style curriculum. "
"how much their students love the school. i think that'll be a decision factor for me cuz i just want to be happy for the next four years. i've heard negative things about their pbl curriculum but it doesn't seem to bother them."
"The panel interview is more like a conversation than an interview. "
"I wish I had known more about the curriculum, particularly the extensive humanities program Northwestern has."
"That PBL is not as big a deal as the website made it seem. Also that they have an MD/MPH program that's FOUR years :-)"
"The group interview was not bad. It was actually a lot of fun!"
"how long the interview day would be"
"Selection is made on a rolling/non-rolling hybrid system: they make two grand decisions in Nov and Feb."
"Don't talk to the people around you, a lot of people take different routes to get to where they are now (the interview), but you are all qualified in your own way. Basically, I ended up losing a lot of confidence going into the interview because I talked to a bunch of much more accomplished people around me. It really hurt my interview."
"That ~25% of the class comes straight from NW undergrad. On the positive side though, that half of us interviewees will get an acceptance."
"Nothing I can think of."
"The group interview is so not stressful!"
"Panel interview is fairly relaxed. Get to know your group during the breaks if you can and try to be at ease with one another. I also heard some groups say that they were asked to respond to a another student's answers so pay attention to the other questions and answers. "
"That ''tell me about yourself'' meant 2-3 general sentences and not a speech about yourself."
"I don't necessarily wish I knew ahead, but they only make a decsion twice in the year, once at the end of November and again at the end of February."
"IT RAINS IN CHICAGO A LOT. Bring an umbrella and covering for your luggage if youre going straight home from your interview. "
"Chicago is cold!"
"How great the city of Chicago is and how much flexibility the curriculum allows."
"the one on one interview in which you talk about new developments in your application is an actual interview. interviewees that did not bring file updates were asked interview-type questions."
"When they say check in at 7:30, they mean exactly 7:30. I walked in the door at 7:32 by their clock and just barely managed to check in before they took us all to another building for a speech by the dean (and then brought us back to the original room to wait for our interviews; it was kind of silly)."
"the class is pretty large, 170 students"
"The quality of the hospital facilities is much better than I could have ever imagined. The curriculum has even more flexibility built into it in terms of research, dual degrees, etc. than I had initially realized."
"Out of the panel interviewers, 1 was a student, 1 was a retired prof, and 1 was an MD. I stressed about the panel interview, and it felt awkward to me. Afterwords, I thought I would be rejected for my poor performance. I wish I knew not to worry so much if you have a bad experience in the panel, as I somehow was accepted. Just be yourself and try to stay calm. Also, another thing that would be useful to know beforehand is that at the beginning of the panel, we were asked to "say something about oursleves". Bring up topics you want them to ask you about in the interview. Study the SDN questions, as we weren't asked any hypothetical questions or odd questions that were not already described on SDN feedback. "
"Chicago is more diverse than I realized, lots of opportunities to use other languages and serve immigrant groups. I also had the wrong impression that NW was primarily a research institution, but clinical skills seems to be its primary focus."
"I always feel I could have done better in everything. I still think that I should have brought up more my knowledge about the school but there was no time actually, the interviews flow easily and don't stop."
"it's tricky to be considered financially independent for aid, so even though i'll be paying for school myself, the math will still assume that i will have a family contribution :("
"all the hotels on the list from Feinberg are within walking distance of the Med Admissions building"
"1) That the panel interview is not as stressful as it seems. 2) When they said to wear comfortable shoes they meant it. 3) It's going to be a really, really long day."
"It is an incredibly LONG day, have plenty of questions to ask because they love answering them!"
"No surprises - but it is a long day."
"How nice Chicago was and that the PBL problem is nothing to fear."
"admissions decisions are only made twice a year, in late Nov and late Jan"
"they fill up the class of 180 with up to 30% HPME students"
"The panel blows"
"How big of a city Chicago is. Reminded me of NYC."
"I did not realize that so much of the medical school class was made up of seven-year med students in the honors progra."
"They have space in the admissions office to store my luggage."
"that the individual interviews (15-20 minutes) were more "what is new in your application?" than anything else. "
"The panel interview (3 interviewers and 3 students) was the least stressful, most fun interview I have had yet. I was in the second time slot for the interview and it was really nice to be able to get to know the other two people that would be interviewing with me ahead of time. "
"FIRSTLY - there's breakfast, so don't get up early to eat! Also, there's a lot of downtime, so you can plan on doing something else that takes ~1h if you really want to, in the morning. Plus, there's a lot of construction in the area, so work that into your time of travel."
"How many spots are already takeninthe incoming class due to the Bachelors/MD Northwestern program. Definitely has an effect on the class dynamic. "
"breakfast provided"
"It was a LONG day."
"nothing-- I already knew from sdn that it was going to be a LONG day so dress comfortably!"
"They gave us a small breakfast when we got there (seeing as how we had to arrive so early!), but I had gotten up SUPER early to have breakfast beforehand"
"NU ought to have been my first choice from the very first."
"MD-MPH program can be done in 4 years, might have considered applying to that."
"Parking is problematic and expensive."
"Nada"
"Bring a picture ID."
"Nothing, I knew most of the pros and cons before going"
"The dorm thing isn't required and they are eliminating it! :)"
"From some of the other feedback left on SDN, I had the impression that the students would be stuckup and nerdy. The complete opposite is true. I met a lot of 1st years during my visit, and they were all really cool and helpful. "
"bring an overcoat"
"that i should stay longer because there's a lot to do in chicago"
"the expensive living arrangments!!!! Man, I wish Oprah could give me a scholarship to afford living in Downtown Chicago!"
"That the other students interviewing were real chill."
"the panel interview really isnt that bad. its nice to sit back and listen to other people's responses. most of the students here are younger - either straight from college and a portion from the accelerated program w/Northwestern ugrad."
"Panel-style interviews. I had heard of them, but did not know the format. It turned out to be two faculty/MDs and one 4th year med student questioning myself and another applicant (usually three applicants but not in my case). While this might seem intimidating, it really wasn't. The interviewers really put me at ease before hand. They referred to it as a "dinner table conversation." Trying to make sure that we were able to work together positively in groups (reflective of the northwestern curriculum's problem based learning)."
"how unplesant the other interviewees would be"
"learned more about the way the curriculum works which was helpful. we did a mock 15 minute simulation and it was very insightful as to how the courses are taught."
"How cold 20 degree weather feels!...yuck...but it would be worth it to go there!"
"That I should not have been nervous and I should have believed all of the horror stories that I heard about the interviews at Northwestern. "
"The day seems like it will never end. "
"O'Hare airport is impossible to catch a fligh on time out of. Ooops, I guess I already know this since I'm from the midwest."
"Snow gets dirty"
"not much"
"I spent way too much time stressing about this interview. The panel interview actually turned out to be less stressful than some of the one-on-one interviews I've had."
"how cold chicago is"
"How very, very windy and cold it is in Chicago during the winter. "
"That they have so little class time compaired to other schools, so its really awesome. That the group interview would not be any worse than my other interview experiences."
"If you're taking the CTA transit trains to downtown Chicago, those damn farecard machines don't give change!"
"Snowing itself is not bad, the worst part is the wind. The school's emphasis on Problem-based learning is even more than I expected."
"Nada."
"Don't rent a car! It costs a fortune to park anywhere in the city. The public transportation system is great and a lot cheaper!"
"the structure of their anatomy course is awesome, as are some of their other curricular choices"
"..."
"Be prepared for rain, and if you are driving don't expect to get out of Chicago before rush hour traffic."
"Parking is about $20."
"They tell you that you're going to be meeting with a dean to "update your file" but really it's a mini interview."
"The walk from the subway to the school is FAR... and the entrance on Chicago Avenue is not very obvious. "
"I didn't get asked any questions that I read on this website."
"how much i liked chicago - i might have applied to more schools there..."
"Lots of people forgot to bring umbrellas - you need it for the tour if it's raining."
"It is a LONG LONG day. Get as much sleep as possible and make sure your shoes are comfy because otherwise you will not be in a good mood by the end."
"wear comfortable shoes! my feet were killing me by the end of the day (ladies, test out pumps before you go to your first interview). "
"The panel interview format isn't stressful. Also, remember it's closed file."
"Be prepared for an hour long presentation on financial aid at the end of the day. After having to be there at 7:30 in the morning, this was the last thing any of us wanted to hear."
"The specific details of the debt cap."
"I had never been in temperatures that cold. If you are wearing a skirt to the interview, you might want to wear two pairs on nylons. The tour takes you outside a bunch of times."
"They just want to get to know the applicants and don't really ask trick questions or anything like that, so i wish i would have spent more time practising being able to talk about myself for a good amount of time, without sounding stupid."
"nothing."
"Its pretty easy to get from the airport to the school. just take one of the trains that run from the airport to the "loop", get off at State and Lake, and take a cab, shouldnt be more than 10 bucks total :)"
"Nothing in particular."
"Road signs to get out of Chicago are dubious at best if you have no idea where you are going."
"Nothing"
"Two or three students meet with three interviewers at the same time for group interviews."
"i had to be there at 730, it is a long day, i should have booked my plane earlier so i could skip the financial aid presentation, i slept through it. "
"that parking in downtown chicago is a VERY expensive affair..."
"Grading is P/F. Schedule during the first year is EXTREMELY open - very few hours spent in lecture every week, and so studying becomes a personal endeavor, and most of the education is presented through a PBL system. Some people may not be able to make the adjustment easily from undergrad coursework."
"The school is in the nices parts of chicago, restaurants and shopping galore"
"Fantastic school with a really supportive and diverse community that trains excellent doctors that are free to follow their interests in medical school and after."
"Great school and great program, even though they're short on admissions committee members"
"FSM blocks off 3 hours for interviewing--do not be intimidated by this large block of time. They go by quickly. Possibly be prepared for some unexpected questions. They're not intended for you to have prepared answers but rather to evaluate how you think in the moment and make decisions. I found that this was my most enjoyable interview but one of the more challenging with the types of questions. I stayed relaxed throughout the day and acted like myself."
"Do not get phased by the group interview."
"Really low-stress... no need to pre-prepare your answers, cause then you sound stupid"
"Don't stress about the interview here, I had heard scary stories from friends about the interviews here, but it wasn't bad at all. I did something right, cuz I got accepted here :)"
"All in all this was definitely the least casual, most awkward/difficult/nerve-racking, interview I have had (out of 5) so far."
"Great school and a great interview day! Don't stress about the panel interview, just be yourself and you'll be fine. NW does an excellent job of showing what they offer as a school and leaving the decision up to you if whether or not they're a good fit"
"Great school - I really hope I get in there!"
"My one-on-one faculty interviewer was sooo nice and impressed me a lot about Northwestern. I also really liked Dean Wallace and met some very interesting non-trad current Feinberg students. All in all, I got a great impression of the faculty and student body. That being said, it was one of the most physically uncomfortable interview days I've ever had, since it started at 7:30 AM and the admissions office was SCORCHING. Transitioning from -4 F weather outside to 80-90 F weather indoors is just brutal. And the day is wicked long - I was really drained by the time 3 rolled around. I think my ability to really enjoy the day was weakened by these factors, but I still walked away feeling like NW is a great school that could offer me a fantastic education."
"Loveddd the school =)"
"WOOT"
"There is a 75 minute panel interview and a 15-20 minute one-on-one. The panel one tends to have some random questions that have nothing to do with you or your application, and there's nothing you can really do to prepare for it. But I think the point is just to see how you work in groups. The shorter one-on-one is more of the traditional "why medicine? why here?" type interview."
"there are two interviews, an individual one for 30 min and a panel interview for about an hour. "
"I really fell in love with Northwestern. Everyone was very friendly and it seems like it is a very stress-free learning environment. The first two years are completely pass-fail which is great. I really like the fact that everything is organ-systems based from the beginning. There is a large emphasis placed on Problem Based Learning and other group work. You are only in lecture for about 2 hrs/today. The clinical experiences set up for the first two years happen 2 days/week in the afternoon in your college (4 colleges/class to make the size smaller). Overall NW seems like a great school that will give you a great medical education!"
"I was very impressed by Northwestern and am ecstatic to have an acceptance there. With that being said, I've learned a lot as I've gone to other interviews, and I don't think Northwestern is as unique as it markets itself to be. This may sounds cynical, but in the end I think that all upper-tier medical schools will give you more or less the same education and opportunities, so things like "mall-like facilities!" and "an innovative PBL curriculum!" aren't huge selling points for me. Location, on the other hand, definitely is, and NW gets a big freaking gold star in that category."
"At the beginning of the panel interview they will ask you to tell them about yourself. Its important to give them something interesting that they can ask about later. If you dont, then thats when all the off the wall questions commence. As far as the group project is concerned, just make sure to demonstrate your ability to work with others in a synergistic fashion. "
"I would be honored to go here. From the location to the facilities, global opportunities, and students, and faculty it was top notch."
"I only had 1 other interviewee on my panel interview, which made it much better."
"great school! panel interview was interesting, we had the same group question as the rest of the groups. "
"There are actually two interviews. I had my individual interview first, then the panel interview (2 faculty and a 4th year student) with two other applicants. Individual interview was open file. My interviewer really didn't ask questions about myself but wanted me to ask questions about Northwestern."
"If you love PBL, have super rich parents and want to live near Michigan avenue in one of America's best cities for four years, I recommend NU."
"I had a great time, and since the interview I have accepted my offered spot. "
"Great! The PBL thing at the end was fantastic and everyone was really nice and informative!"
"Feinberg was the first school I visited that tried to tell you their philosophy and why it might not be for you. I appreciated the honesty."
"You're with a group of co-applicants the entire day. I interviewed with 20 other applicants. The entire day is very structured and designed to show Feinberg off at its best. After a continental breakfast and 45-minute orientation by an assistant dean, during which basic school info is presented, you break into interviews. There are two interviews, in a different order for everyone: one 20-minute individual interview with the dean of admissions or a doc; one 90-minute panel interview of a group of applicants. The invdividual interview is open file. Although the individual interview is supposed to be just to update your file, I got asked tough ethics questions here so be prepared. I also got asked the closest thing to ''Why Feinberg'' during this, too. The panel interview is closed file so the interviewers only know your name and where you're from. Two docs and one M4 interviewed four applicants. It opens with everyone introducing themselves. Then they do three rounds of individual questions and then give the group a problem to solve. You discuss the problem for 15 minutes while the panel observes you, then you present your solution to the panel. Then the applicants ask the interviewers questions for 15 minutes. You definitely have to be on your toes and the anxiety is not for nothing--be prepared and be gracious to your fellow applicants! Then all 21 applicants have lunch with eight M1s and M2s. They give you a thorough tour. The day ends with presentations by MD/MPH, MD/MA in Bioethics, Diversity training, and a mock PBL session in which everyone is expected to participate. The day starts at 7:30 am and ends at 3 pm. There is a lot of walking inside and outside."
"Well, I was more stressed about the group interview so I kinda ignored preparing for the individual interview. I basically stuttered through my individual interview which totally sucked. The group interview, I thought, was going to be very stressful but was very relaxing. My answers weren't as brilliant as those of others but I had my moments so it was ok. "
"I felt very welcome and supported. "
"Showed up at 7:30 am for a continental breakfast, followed by an orientation, followed by the two interviews (in any order): a 20 min individual one with an admissions officer to update your profile and a 1 h 15 min group one (3-4 students, 2 faculty, 1 M4) were you wered asked some individual questions and one question during which you were asked to collaborate with your group to solve a problem. Then we had lunch, a tour of the school, a long meeting about their curriculum, and at 3 it was done and we went home."
"I've had a handful of interviews that have been pretty much all the same (basic personal questions). I didn't really expect the NU interview to be too much different. Since it was a panel, I'm guessing they didn't just want to hear 3 people talk about why they would make a qualified doctor so they asked almost all hypothetical questions. This seems to be the consensus with most of the people i've spoken to about the interview."
"You do a quick interview with someone on the admissions staff. No big deal but make sure you know what is on your application. Then there is a group interview. Some groups seemed to have harder times than others. I think the biggest trap here is that it is actually so laid back that you feel like you can say anything funny or quirky, but when I thought back on it there were some things I wish I hadn't said (They asked me were I would take them if they visited me at school and I said tailgating, but apparently a lot of people associate tailgating with binge drinking when I was thinking more of hotdogs and tossing the football around)."
"AMAZING! Northwestern is a great school. I think I could have had better delivery with 1 or 2 panel questions (I was just flustered, I think what I said was ok but I didn't feel as confident as I usually do, sucks). Anyway, the day starts at 7:30AM. You do an hour introduction/orientation to the school ad the day with the dean of admissions and then break off. Half the group does their hour and 15 minute panel interviews first, the other half starts with their individual 30 minute interviews, then you switch. Afterwards, 1/2 hour lunch with M1s and M2s, followed by an hour or so tour. We saw clinical skills center, hospital (the most amazing hospital ever), anatomy lab, classrooms, etc. Then there is about an hour of presentations for dual degree programs and PBL curriculum simulation. Then end-of-day wrap up to talk with more students. A long day but a great one"
"Amazing school, beautiful campus, stunning teaching hospital"
"i wasn't too sure about the panel interview until i walked in the interview rm. it was a great/relaxing experience for me. they start the session by asking you to introduce yourself. try to introduce the most confident/impressive/easiest to explain part of your life. it'll help you direct the interview conversation. all three interviewers asked me practically the same simple question which derived from my introduction. i really had an easy time. one guy in my group, i felt, kind cornered himself with his introduction. i hope he got in cuz he must've had an impressive resume. the girl in my group started out with her research, which i would be feel difficult to elaborate into too much detail. i think the details loose people's interest after a while, but this girl was so impresive with her ability to captivate audience. even i was riveted. NU was my sixth or seventh interview. i have had the chance to compare quite a few schools and was fairly comfortable at the interviews. NU facility was still one of the most impressive among them all. i liked the school philosophy, the students seem fun. my interview group was very impressive which will make my classmates a fantastic bunch to hangout with. im not too sure about the large class size, and im a bit reluctant to graduate with $250K debt which seem to be the result of their finaid system."
"This was an excellent learning opportunity for me. Northwestern has a 30 minute individual interview (open file) and a 1 hour 15 minute panel interview (closed file). The panel interview has three people, 2 doctors and one M4. You are interviewed with two other people. Its really not that intimidating. I was really nervous to begin with but I spoke with a lot of passion. Just be yourself, its all that matters. In my individual interview, we were talking about Babel and how it compared to Crash. They really try to know you as a person apart from the grades and academics. I got accepted into the program and I think just being myself and showing my positive,non-academic side really helped."
"I had a great interview experience, and with some adjustment, I could see myself attending school there and enjoying it."
"It was a great experience, all the students I spoke to were really enthusiastic about the school. Seems like a good place to spend four years."
"Very thorough day. I have a great understanding of the curriculum, philosophy of the school, and lifestyle of students."
"they definitely did the most of any school i've been to so far of trying to make you want to go there. there was breakfast in the morning followed by a twenty minute update session some down time and then the panel interview, which wasnt that bad. then lunch, tour, and more presentations in the afternoon."
"The group format is novel, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I'm a die-hard city kid; life here is very urban."
"Overall, it wasn't bad. Northwestern is a great place to go if you like big cities and extreme urban life. Most students live within a few blocks of the campus in downtown Chicago, which is really great. Just relax, be yourself. The people there WANT to get to know you. They want to see the person you are, silly, weird, kooky, whatever. Just chill."
"Be there at 7:30 sharp for continental breakfast. Brief orientation at Lurie Research building, 20 minute one-on-one open file interview to update your app, 1 hour long panel interview, lunch, tour, currciculum overview, MPH/MA optional degree speech, then reception by office of multi-cultural affairs."
"The day begins with an orientation that lasts about an hour. Then the panel interview, which is about an hour and fifteen minutes. I was a little anxious about the panel format, but it ended up being really relaxed and fun! Of course, a big reason for that is the two applicants that I was interviewing with could not have been cooler and the interviewers were funny and friendly. However, the rest of my interview group all seemed to have positive experiences also, so really don't stress about the panel! The 20-30 minute interview with the dean is open-file and also laidback. She asked typical questions: Why Northwestern, why medicine, etc."
"We started off with breakfast at 7:30am, had an introduction and time for questions, individual ''interviews'' took place for 20minutes where you updated your profile, then had group interviews for 1hour 15 min, had luch, a tour, another info session on joint degree programs, and a short reception. The group interview was set up as 4 applicants and 3 interviewers (1 4th year, 1 researcher, 1 physician)."
"There are actually TWO separate interviews. The first is the closed-file group interview (75 min), with three interviewers and three applicants. They ask sometimes the same question to all three, and sometimes completely unrelated questions to each person. At the end they give a group question to work on (see ''interesting question'' above). The second interview is a brief (~20 minutes) open-file session with one interviewer. Really laid-back and non-stressful."
"So good! The day is really long, but it was so worth it because I had every single one of my questions answered. We started with breakfast and an introductory meeting; then there were two interviews: one short, update-your-file interview and one hour and fifteen minute group interview; we ate lunch at the cafeteria and had a tour of the campus with a first year student and a second year student. There was also an aoptional closing snack and info session about some of Norethwestern's joint degrees."
"Love the city. Love the location. Panel interview was not as bad as expected. Be yourself, don't worry about competing with the other members of your group, and you will come across like you should, as a good person. Lot of waiting during the day. I was not sold on the school by the staff nor by the students. Still, it is a good school and the facilities are new and enticing. "
"I loved the place. The admissions deans were friendly. The students were friendly. The people on the street were friendly. It was a pleasant experience overall."
"We get there pretty early--7:30am--and have breakfast. Then there is an orientation regarding general info and admissions. Assistant Dean Lapin is great. Then we wait. There are two interviews (at least for mine), one in a group (3 interviewees and 3 interviewers) and one with an admissions committee member. I liked the second one a lot. The group interview wasn't bad--the only thing I didn't like about it is that I feel I didn't get much time to really let them get to know me. I feel like they really didn't get to know the real me like they may have if it was just me. The group project was fun and I was glad that we got the question we did. "
"It was really awesome. It quickly became my #1 school after the interview. "
"The entire interview day was well-organized and surprisingly enjoyable. They work hard to make it a comfortable experience, and they really try to frame it in terms of seeing whether you're a good "
"The day starts early - 7:30! They give you a continental breakfast and then Dean Lappin talks about the school and the admissions process. Afterwards you wait for your interview with one of the deans and your panel interview. The individual interview is a chance to update your application and highlight parts of it. The panel interview is not near as bad as I thought it was going to be. Definitely take the down time after the talk by Dean Lapin to talk to the other applicants in your panel - it helps a lot! Walking into the interview with a sense of familiarity (within the limits of what can be established in an hour or two) really helps. All the med students I talked to were really enthusiastic about the school - from the ones that dropped by to find fellow undergrads in the morning to the tour guides."
"We had breakfast and orientation at 7:30. Then a short 20minute open file interview to update yoru records followed by the panel interview. Then we had lunch and a tour. Finally, we went through a PBL case"
"the panel was slightly akward, but do your best to meet the others on it and it won't be too bad. don't get stressed out about the interviews, especially the one on one, which is a very low key discussion. Come with questions ready!"
"The day starts off with everybody meeting and eating breakfast (at 0730). From there, we went to a lecture room to discuss the school. Next was interviews. I first had an individual one with Dean Brown (who is very nice, as is the other interviewing dean), which was fairly informal about my application and why I chose medicine, etc. Then there was a lull time (during which a couple interviewees and I went to the John Hancock building to check it out), followed by the group interview. This wasn't too bad either, though like everyone says, it's mildly awkward. Everybody at the school is very nice and encourages you to come. Waiting is going to be tough as I would love to come to the school."
"really enjoyed the whole day, the students were very happy and were a fun bunch. i could really see myself fitting in here."
"A long day, but very informative and fun. The panel interview was kind of weird; it felt like there were 3 separate, simultaneous interviews. But the group discussion (see below) was really great."
"The panel interview is NOT BAD. Yes, its a bit awkward answering questions in front of 2 other students that want to go to the school just as much as you do (hopefully) but its actually a very informal environment with a bit of conversation and in mine they tended to ask us all the same question and then if there was anything that we brought up that they wanted to know while answering they asked us about that. One of our interviewers asked each of us a seperate "
"The day began with an breakfast and an orientation session. We then split up into our interview groups; some of us had our one-on-one, open file interview first, and others had their three-on-three, closed file, panel interviews first. We were given a sheet of paper that illustrated our interview times, and the individuals with whom we would be participating in the panel interview. Take advantage of the opportunity to get to know your fellow interviewees before the panel; it will certainly help put you at ease. The one-on-one interview was with a professor or one of the deans, and lasted 20 minutes. This was primarily an opportunity to review your file and provide any updates. I was asked about my interest in medicine during this interview. The panel interview lasted for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Each of the three interviewers took a moment to introduce themselves, and went out of their way to make us feel at ease. A series of individual questions was followed by a problem-solving exercise in which the three interviewees had to work together to solve a particular problem posed by the panel. The interviews were over by 11:45. We were then provided lunch at a small cafeteria in the Robert Lurie Research Building. The rest of the afternoon was filled with tours of the facilities, a dessert reception, and special interest briefings on MD/MPH and MD/MA programs. People were able to leave as early as 2:30 pm to catch flights. The interview day was shortened from previous years by removing a sample PBL session from the afternoon schedule. Overall, it was a great experience!"
"This was a very good experience. I am blessed. I am a one on one person so the fact that they did not have any panel interviews that day was great.I got to talk to two assistant deans of admission.The interviews were suppose to last 35 mins but I got them to talk for an hour each.This was very important.I got a 24 on the MCAT so I wanted a chance to explain. One of them practically told me I was in!I was so excited. The school is beautiful and the students love the place. I can understand why.This is the first interview where I actually felt bad that the long day was over. I loved my fellow interviewees. Northwestern spends a lot of time on your personal statement and secondary.They want to make sure you can handle the pressure of PBL and the independant learning environment."
"See above. Beside the panel interview, my visit was was very positive. Lunch with current students was useful. I was left with the impression that this is an excellent school in a great location where the students and faculty are welcoming and smart. "
"I think there were over 30 of us the day I interviewed (they said it was one of their biggest days). We all gathered in the admissions office and there were bagels and juice available. Then we had an overview lecture by Asst. Dean Lapin and found out who we were doing our panel interviews with. Then we had at least a half hour to meet and chat with other applicants in our panel group, which you ABSOLUTELY should do. It feels a lot better going in as friends than as strangers. Then the panel interview which was pretty fun and a short interview with Dean Lapin (or Dean Brown or someone else) to "update your file" and ask questions. The one-on-ones varied quite a bit. It sounds like Dean Brown is very outgoing and talkative, but with Dean Lapin be prepared to get a conversation going. Talk about what's new, ask questions, etc. Students hosted lunch and a tour, then we had a presentation from the Dean of Minority Affairs, the Dean of Education asked us for feedback (feedback is big at NW), and we did a mock PBL session as a group (a bit difficult with 30 folks)."
"The panel interview was not as bad as expected, but I suspect that this has to do with who interviews you and the others who are in your group. Becuase it is closed-file, questions tend to be general and less personal -- of the "what do you think about..." variety"
"First we were given an introduction to Northwestern, followed by a 15 min interview with someone of admissions to review our files. Afterwards, we had a break and had our group interview. At the end we had lunch and a tour of the school."
"can't imagine another interview being as relaxed as this. didn't feel like anyone was trying to sell me on the school, they just had so many things to say! although the day is long, it's all-inclusive, and all topics are dicussed. all my questions were answered!"
"Began early, I had the first personal one on one interview at 8:30 and then down time till 10:30 when my panel group of 4 went to talk. After that we ate lunch, tour, then PBL session and further questions, long day ended around 4:30."
"It was great. I had fun. A tad too long, but I'm glad the interviews were in the morning so by noon, everyone's pretty relaxed."
"This was by far the longest interview day: be prepared! When you arrive they sit you in the admissions office and serve you breakfeast while everyone casually chats. Then you go to a room where they welcome you, everyone introduces themselves, and asks questions. They hand out folders w/your interviewers name & applicants you will be interviewing with. You then go back to the admissions office to wait for your interview where you sit and talk amongst your group. When you get called back for your panel interview, you're there for about 45-1hr. You don't get that many questions in a panel interview as I thought you would. None of my questions asked why I wanted to be a doctor/why NW/why Chicago? Then at the end they give you a group problem to solve- and they watch you solve it. Then you go back to admin office where you go for a one-on-one interview w/someone: it's mainly to update your file & answer any questions the admin committee may have had about it. It was very relaxed and comfortable. Then you wait for other groups to finish their interview and in the meantime med students come in and answer any questions you may have. At 12 some med students take you to lunch at the hospital and then you go on a tour of the facilities, while asking the med students any questions you might still have. After the tour, you discuss the curriculum and do a sample PBL session. After that there is a reception... which is at like 3:00. so again, it is a long day- try to be well rested."
"Well, if you read the last 100 posts here you will get an idea of what it is like at NU. So I won't rehash what everybody already knows. But I will discuss the Panel Interview in some more detail. The purpose of this interview is to have you talk about stuff, anything really. They want to gauge your communication skills, your impromptu thinking abilities, and your ability to express weird and abstract concepts that you would otherwise never do. Note that these qualities are also quite important in PBL - you must be able to interact with your fellow students and mentors. This is why I recommend you study and prepare as hard as you can, because they will ask you questions that have been posted before and even some that have not. My main problem with the Panel Interview is it is not a dynamic Q/A/Q/A discussion between you and your interviewer. There are times I wanted to follow up on a question or expand on what someone else said, and you can't do that. It's like a firing squad of questions. As soon as you finish with one question your fellow candidate is asked another question. All this said - I felt I performed quite well. I had prepared for my group question in advanced and I think it killed it during the group problem session at the end. One last thing - it is so interesting to hear other candidates answer questions. One candidate seems to clearly contradict himself but he didn't catch on to that. Most of the answers you here are stock answers, completely transparent. Ethics this, injustice that, helping the unfortunate here, i'm intellectual because my favorite movie is something that sounds completely boring.... I think one will have a superior interview if you not only show depth in thought but also some passion, personality, and sound like a real person. It is more impressive to sound like a pragmatist than an idealist. I'll list all of the questions I can remember below..."
"I arrived at around 7:20am and found there were a lot of other students already there. I stayed at the Holiday Inn hotel which is 2.5 blocks away which was awesome. I met the Dean and spoke with her for 30 min and I waited for my panel interview. There were 3 panel interviewers: a 4th year and 2 faculty members. After that, the day was a piece of cake. They even fed you too!"
"Long day. Begins with orientation. Then you have three hour block for individual interview with dean, panel interview, and downtime. You get a chance to talk with your panel beforehand so you're more comfortable together. Lunch and tour with 1st year med students follows. Then, an explanation of the curriculum and reception end the day. They have plenty of food fyi! They have breakfast if you're running late!"
"It was great, eyeopening,& informative. The students were entertaining as well."
"The panel interview was very stressful and the day was quite long. It starts at 7.30am"
"You have to be there at 7:30 in the morn, they give you breakfast as soon as you get there. We then moved over to the new research building where the dean spoke with us about the school. there we found out our grps for the grp interview and who we would be talking with for our ind. interview. The first interview is a panel interview with you and 2 other applicants. There were 3 interviewers and they ask questions, some they put to the whole grp others they put only to a single person. That lasts for about 1 hr or so. the last 15 min is a problem solving session with your grp. The second interview is one on one with a dean, you get to see your file and update it with new info. and then they ask you the standard interview questions."
"Overall, I thought the panel interview was terrible. "
"Overall I was very impressed with the school. The panel interview wasn't bad at all. It was interesting to see someone else be interviewed. We were interviewed by three people. When they were done asking questions we had a project to work on. It was kind of awkward at first doing the project with the interviewers staring at you and listening to everything you say but after a while I got used to it. It went well but it was definitely quite different from any other interview I had."
"intro meeting, individual interview/update session with the dean for 20 minutes, walk around for an hour, group interview 1 hour 15 minutes. ATTN ALL INTERVIEWEES: read everything on this website regarding panel interview questions. You, or someone in your interview will be asked every question posted. I read all the postings before i went, and heard every single question in my interview. So, prepare answers now, for real."
"Did not really enjoy the panel interview, especially because it was closed. Felt more like a very choppy akward show and tell than anything else. Not neccesarily a firing squad, but I didnt leave feeling like the interviewers were able to learn anything about me. "
"The one on one interview was great, the interviewer was friendly and allowed me to ask questions after letting me update her on my application. The panel was easy, there was no competitive nature to it because we wern't given the same questions other than "tell me about yourself.""
"I think the three-on-three interview, especially because it was closed file, didn't give me a chance to let my interviewers know who I was. The dean's interview was very helpful, but felt too limited in time to tell much more. The rest of the day was wonderful, though. The students were enthusiastic willing to answer all my questions and the curriculum session was incredibly helpful. "
"The interview day as a whole was wonderful. The interviews were not stressful at all, the students could not say enough about their experience at the school, and the mock problem based learning session was interesting as well."
"I stayed with my girlfriend's family in Highland Park over my Fall Break, so her mom drove me in on the morning of my interview. The day started off dreary - completely cloudy and rainy. I didn't realize how downtown the campus was until we got off on Ontario and were in the middle of it all - not too shabby. I got there at 7:20, and the doors to the admisisons office didn't open til 7:30, so I got to wait in the lobby with a few of my new friends. After breakfast (bagels, fruit, muffins, juice, coffee, water, etc.), we had a 20 minute orientation given by the associate dean of admissions. Afterward, we went back into the admissions office for a short break, during which time I got to know the other two people in my group interview. I was in the first batch of group interviews, from 9 - 10:15, so that was first. Questions were straightforward, though this varies from panel to panel. The group question was more difficult for me, as I had a different background than the other two, i think - in any case, if they were looking for strong morals and a willingness to stand by my opinions, they got it. If they wanted compromise, well... I think that was my only failing. After the panel interview, I had 1.25h to kill, so I wandered up to the lake and then to the magnificent mile - by then, the clouds had broken, the skies were blue, and the sun was shining - a gorgeous day (though it did prove to be the Windy City!) At 11:30, I had my individual interview, though the interviewer was more about making me relax and answering my questions than he was about grilling me. All-in-all, it was a really laid back time. At noon, the student guides picked us up and took us to lunch ($8 voucher) in the new hospital - it was awesome. Then we toured a patient room, the histo lab, the anatomy lab, a couple of classrooms, and then we went to the curriculum presentation and a mock PBL problem (speak up - it's fun, and it can't hurt!). After that was a reception by the Office of Minority Affairs or somesuch, and then it was back in the car for an eight hour drive home."
"BAsically, it was a pretty nice, relatively unstressful day. The weater was amazing, blue skies, the students seemed very friendly and seemed to enjoy their experience. After a continental bfast, you have a short meeting with the Dean, followed by your 20 min solo interview andyour panel interview or vice versa. The one on one interview is fine, so you have nothing to worry about. However, with the panel interview, I feel half of it may be up to who is in your panel (both interviewers and interviewees). Basically, you want a friendly panel, and you dont want any fellow interviewee on your panel to be super aggressive or annoying or amazing for that matter, as it could definitely detract from your performance. It is good to just go in and try to be relaxed as possible of course, pay attention to what everyone is saying, anddont worry if you have to take time to think about your answers. Then after the interviews, you have lunch and a nice tour by the students. On the whole, I liked Northwestern, and thought the panel interview went fine. It is nothing to worry about, however they will try to put you on the spot, so you absolutely have to remain composed. Even if your answer is not the best, the way you deliver it is half the battle."
"Great experience, all things considered. The panel interview itself was not bad, but not great. In all honesty, it was more like three separate interviews going on in the same room rather than an interactive experience (there were three interviewers and three interviewees). My main interviewer was a great guy, young, interesting, really chill. But it seemed like he really tried to back each of us into a corner. His questions were at times a bit obscure and impossible to answer. But the students were definitely people I could hang out with, and they obviously have fun."
"After they fed us breakfast(!), we had an orientation session for half an hour. Then I had a chance to talk for a bit with the other candidates that were going to be in my panel. Then we had our panel interview which wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be AT ALL! It was really easy. Then we had about an hour and a half of down time during which we had our one-on-one interview with the dean or assistant dean for 15 minutes. At noon we had lunch, tours, mock PBL session, and then a reception. I was done at 3:30!"
"I was so glad to have seen the campus. They let the interviewees talk amongst each other quite a bit and get to know one another, so the panel interview felt like a team effort. "
"Great interview. Met great applicants. Great-looking campus. Picked up a CD at the giant Virgin Records store a couple blocks away on Michigan Ave. GREAT STUDENT HOST. Good times had by all."
"It was a very good experience. I interviewed for the NUPSP program, so my interview might have been different from the regular interview process."
"this was my first interview but remained my favorite through all the others. the panel interview was actually kinda fun - they give you the groups in the morning so you know who else you will be with, and you can get to know them before the interview - then you really feel like cheering each other on. they ask general questions at first that you all answer, then as they start to get to know you better they come up with individual questions targeted at each of you. it was nice because you weren't always on the hot seat, and some of the questions that were asked of other people, i was really glad i didn't get! i was impressed by the facilities and really liked the students (hesitant about the fact that so many are from the 7-year program though, as an older applicant). by the end of the day i was completely exhausted though."
"I enjoyed the panel interview. I lucked out by having two other friendly/cool people in my group. The questions they asked were standard, just make sure you approach the PBL problem the right way."
"Panel interviews are not my thing. The first interview is a personal one, and its actually just an opportunity for you to verify and update the file they have on you. The panel interview was difficult for me, because you need to establish a group dynamic, and having the other interviewees in the same room made me a lot more self-conscious about my answers.."
"I really liked Northwestern, the students there, the curriculum, Chicago, and just about everything else except the panel interview. I've done a lot of these interviews, but I was really looking forward to this one. I had done a panel interview before and had loved it. This was much different. With the very impersonal questions they asked, I highly doubt they really got to know me at all. Had they read my application, the questions could have been much more personal and in-depth. But that's the way they do it. Regardless of the panel interview, I really loved Northwestern, and everything else in the day was very impressive (except for the final curriculum/PBL session, which seemed rather awkward)."
"I usually don't post on this website but I really enjoyed my interview experience at NW. It seemed very unique and the panel interview questions were challenging and made you think. I like the fact that you had really had to put some thought into the answers and could not just list your accomplishments. I think that the way they interview makes them attract a certain type of student. I also really like the problem based curriculum and the students seemed very down to earth and helpful. After visiting, this is my first choice if I am fortunate enough to be accepted."
"there is 15 minutes with the dean, then a 1 1/4 hour group interview. the group interview was ok, but i don't feel it really gave each of us the chance to fully "say our piece". they knocked themselves out to make the whole thing low-stress."
"I was really apprehensive about this group interview format but I guess I did okay because I got in. =). "
"love being in the city, i can imagine myself at NU, enjoying the free time to study or explore the city, didn't like the panel interview, it wasn't as laid-back as they claim, the heat didn't help. the pseudo-PBL case study at the end of the day was good way to show us how it'll really be."
"i completely fell in love with northwestern. of anywhere i've interviewed so far it is BY FAR my favorite place."
"two of the three interviewers were very intimidating. in one-on-one interviews, i feel like i can engage a person even if they are a tough interviewer. when the interview is in a group, and their attention is only on you some of the time, its much harder to anything but answer the question. i really liked the group exercise though. also, Dean Brown, in the one-on-one interview, was great. "
"The group experience was enjoyable. Hmm...that last sentence sounds a little odd."
"Overall I thought the school was ok. It's a great place for people right out of college who are really into research, I'm just not sure that I'd fit that well with the student body, at least not from what I saw."
"Got there way early, had orientation and morning interviews. Then lunch and a tour--very nice hospital. Then I forget but I believe PBL session. Seemed like a really long day..."
"The interview experience was informative and not too stressful. You're fed in the morning and you have an opportunity to talk to the other interviewees and the people in your group. That really helps because in the group interview, you feel a lot more comfortable and you don't feel like you're competing with the other interviewees. Dean Brown, again, was incredibly friendly and she made the one-on-one interview so comfortable - it was a great way to start the interviewing and really calmed my nerves for the group interview."
"Panel interview is not that bad. It is very low stress. The only thing I'd watch out for is the group question. If there's someone in your group that just dominates the discussion, make sure that you get a chance to talk. "
"The interview was not nearly as stressful as I anticipated. We all meet in the admissions office. We are taken to another room for a little talk, and then we head to our group interviews. The group interviews are the same as normal interviews, but you get a chance to sit back and listen to other candidates respond to questions. It is really interesting how other applicants respond. We also had an individual interview. I spent about a half an hour talking to one of the nicest person I've ever met. It was very laid back, and we talked about anything I felt like telling him. "
"It was very positive overall. There was a large number of people interviewing, which probably contributed to some of the tension (especially in the morning). The panel interview is slightly intimidating, but it really does ease some of the tension to be going through it with two other people. The interviewers are good about asking variants of questions to each applicant, so they don't ask one question and go down the line waiting for responses. The first and second year students who took us to lunch and on the tour were extremely friendly and helpful in answering our questions. And, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is amazing!"
"2 interviews: 1st is with a dean, for 10-15 min, make sure you prepare questions. 2nd is the panel that everyone's already talked about. this doesn't really give you much time to say much about yourself, so try to make your answers count. otherwise not that different from other interviews."
"Excellent school and interview date. Know how to relate to strangers, the panel interview is decent. Keep up with current medical issues, you may be asked to discuss pros and cons. Think quitely before you speak, because it interferes with the group discussion."
"Location is amazing, although COL is high. The school prides itself on its curriculum. seem to get good experience during years 3&4 even though hospital in ritzy gold coast area. Everyone is very friendly. The group interview is somewhat intimidating and impersonal"
"the school was impressive, but at the end of the day i didnt feel that it'd match well with me. i still think its a great place. all the students i met were happy w/the school. "
"Great experience overall. I would highly recommend this school to anyone. It has impressed me the most so far, even moreso than schools that are ranked higher. "
"Great faculty/staff, great students, great applicants. very low stress levels at this one. Wasn't sure I was going to be impressed with the quality of the school but was really surprised. "
"I'm bored and it occured to me that I never posted any interview feedback about this school, which i had been meaning to do because it was quite unplesant. Overall I liked the city, the school, the administration, and even my interviewers-- what I couldn't stand were my fellow interviewees. Maybe it's because I'm from the midwest and they were mainly eastcoasters (boston primarily) but the vast majority of them were subtly condescending, pretentious, and for lack of a better word...mean. A friend of mine has a wife who goes to NW and she confirmed that, while she loves the school, she really has trouble getting along with the vast majority of students there. I don't know what it is, but after meeting these kids I'm not going to school there."
"The school was great, everyone was very accessible. There are 2 interviews, one 15-minute one-on-one with people like the Dean and Associate of Admissions. The other was a 3 on 3 and you had a case to work on with you fellow interviews. I met with the Dean and she was PHENOMENAL. I "fell in love" with her and she was probably one of the single best aspects about the whole day."
"It is a long day...got there at 7:30am and didn't leave til 4pm...and I was surprised that the group interview lasted 1h 15min, but the ono-on-one meeting with the dean was only 10-15min...thought the one-on-one would be longer...the students were great...we saw alot of the campus--some labs...lots of construction going on right now, but should be completed in april 2004."
"the doctor who interviewed me was great! he had an excellent sense of humor and made me feel extremely comfortable. "
"This was my third and best interview so far. This was my first choice school before I went to the interviews and my decision was solidified by the time I left there. It was very relaxing and a very fair process. The interviewrs didn't know anything about you except the for you name, age, and undergraduate university. How much fafirer can you get? As far as the interviewer was concerned, everyone was on an equal playing field. What they new is what you wanted them to know. There were no preconceived notions of who you were or your grades or anything else. It was a nice group discussion. There was no competition between the applicants. If anything we were helping each other out."
"This was my 11th interview and I haven't been nervous for my previous interviews. For some reason, the group interview made me nervous though. Part of this had to do with not having a particularly great vibe with my co-interviewees. I got along with most of the interviewees though so I think your experience will depend on who you interview with. Most of the other interviewees liked the experience though. None of the questions were a big surprise - many of them are listed on interview feedback. The campus and students were very nice. I didn't get a straight answer about financial aid and tuition though. Be prepared for a long day. "
"Aside from the very antagonizing interviewer, the school was great. Let me clear up something about the pulmonologist. He was not necessarily being rude, but he seemed very opinionated and disagreed with almost everything he didn't "like" to hear. Yet, people who brown nosed a bit seemed to win his favor and he had no trouble showing this. I thought that was a tad inappropriate during a panel interview. Other than that, the school was great. Definitely a top choice since I live close by."
"The day starts at 7:30. There is a introductory section and a long video. At about 9:00am the group interviews start. They ask you individual questions at first, then a general group question where you work it out together. It is relaxed and I think the questions seemed sensible and my group worked well together... it feels wierd to be watched... Then there is an individual meeting (waited around for about 1hour and 15min). All you do is add to your file and ask questions and talk... not really an interview. Then lunch and then a tour. Finally a PBL tutorial thingy where the Dean of Education talks about the program and works through a problem in the same style. Day ends at 3:00pm"
"I really loved my visit to Northwestern and to Chicago. I made sure I had some ample time to sightsee. The interview was a bit stressful for me because it was my one and only panel-type interview. It's hard not to compare yourself and your answers to the other people in the room. But the key is DONT. And even though I thought I sucked in the interview, I still got accepted, so just be yourself. "
"Fantastic. As an East-coaster, I was leery about going so far from home, but Northwestern is now one of my top choices. The school really seems to care about the students, and they all seemed happy to be there. And don't worry about the panel interview, it was really interesting, almost fun. I tried to include as many questions as I could remember below, both mine and the other interviewees."
"I was really nervous about the interview because I've never had a panel interview before and a lot of the questions that I read on this website seemed bizarre. I was worried that the other students on my panel would be super competitive, socially inept, or just plain mean. It turned out that the other two students who interviewed with me were awesome, and we were all asked reasonable questions. Overall, I had a great day at Northwestern and I would be very happy to get accepted. "
"Three-on-three interview w/ a problem at the end for your group to work together to figure out. 15 min. interview one-on-one w/ the deam of admissions-important face time. The longest interview day I've had, but the most interesting b/c of a sample PBL and the group interview--a huge emphasis on working as a group."
"I've always loved Chicago and have known that Feinberg is a great school so I didn't think I could develope any more appreciation for it... but I was wrong! I love it there! I even forgot that I was in another state after just a couple of hours because it just felt like home. Personally, I like the dorm (but I didnt' eat there so go figure). The hospital is just gorgeous. And the cadaver lab! Yeah that's not a complete thought. Anyhow, the individual interview is very very comforting and relaxing and the panel interview is very fun. The great thing about being in a group interview is that if you are asked a question that you can't immediately answer, you can always have them go on to someone else and return to you later. I was reminded by the Dean that as much as we are trying to impress the interviewers, they are at the same time trying to impress us too. so relax! have fun!"
"Overall it was a good experience. The medical students were really excited about the school and often just came in during the interview day to ask how we were doing and to let us ask any questions. The interview was really low-key, probably because with the group setting, the spotlight wasn't always on me and I got a chance to interact with and get to know the other interviewees better. Plus staying with a student is always a great way to see how the students really feel about the school away from faculty and administrators."
"I loved Northwestern, I hope that I get in. Their curriculm suits me really well, and it makes the pre-clinical years much more interesting. "
"Overall, a long day. I was a bit nervous about the panel interview, but it ended up going by pretty fast for me, I felt quite relaxed. I do hope I get into this program, it really is unique. How likely it'll be that I can afford this place? That's another story."
"Northwestern's interview questions are rather different from other schools. Even this was my 9th interview, I still got stuck at some questions. However, they seem to recycle questions, as my group was asked a couple of questions that I found on SDN interview feedback."
"I was a little apprehensive about the interview format because it is so unique and different. However, the interviewers were really nice and tried to put us at ease. The only thing is that the interview seems really variable because your interview can be positively/negatively affected by the people you are (randomly) put with. "
"The panel interview was fine. Just be relaxed and conversational and don't try to impress anyone."
"Northwestern definitely is my top choice school and I would go in a heartbeat. The panel interview for me was more like three individual interviews done simultaneously with a little group project at the end. Not any more stressful than an individual interview."
"great"
"Overall very positive. I liked the school a lot and it's now one of my top choices (and I found out yesterday that I got in!) They do a second-look weekend in April which I'll definitely be going to."
"The interview itself was fairly intimidating. Others didn't seem to mind it, but I found the group interview to be the most nerve-racking of all my interviews. I felt like the group interview introduced a level of competition even though they reminded us that we weren't competing against eachother, but against the whole body of students interviewed. "
"I arrived the night before the interview and stayed in the dorms. The building is very old; it is in mediocre shape. It is convenient to have a basketball court and workout facilities in the dorm. Note, though, that if you do not live in the dorm you have to pay to use those facilities! Chicago is a very expensive city to live in; food, housing, owning a car, etc. The interview day starts very early. Unfortunately half the group waits doing nothing while the other half does the 1 hour 15 minute group interview. The group interview is not bad; the other two students in my group were very friendly and we worked together well. I personally did not like the Pass/Fail grading for both years one and two; it seemed to breed laziness in the students."
"I got there about 7am, walked around, admired the view of Lake Michigan. There was an introductory session with the assistant dean of admissions, plus a continental breakfast. Then I hung out in the admissions office for an hour, waiting for my individual interview. In that one, the assistant dean asked if there was anything I wanted to add to my file, what I wanted the adcom to know, and if I had any questions. She took notes the whole time. She was very friendly and easy to talk to. Then I went to the group interview. I am not a fan of the group interview. It's just not my style and I got nervous. Plus, they asked the most difficult questions that I've had (this is my 6th interview). It lasted for about 70 minutes. The three interviewers took turns asking us questions. Sometimes we all got the same question, other times they mixed it up. Toward the end, they had us work together to answer: What are the 5 greatest advances in medicine in the last century or so. We worked on that for 10 minutes, while they observed, and then we presented it to them and defended our answer. Then we got a chance to ask them questions for 10 minutes. After that we went to lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Then there was a tour or the hospital. This is one of the nicest hospitals I've toured. They told us that Northwestern's is the most profitable teaching hospital in the country. We also toured the anatomy lab and the dorms. Then there was a curriculum overview session, with a sample PBL lesson. Then it was over about 3pm."
"Overall a really good experience. It was definitely interesting to do the group interview and get to hear how other people answer questions. The students were very nice and happy to be there."
"I really enjoyed the day. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Unfortunately one of the applicants I interviewed with was a bit of a talker and kind of wierd. It made the interview awkward. I was overall though very impressed with the attitude, location and curriculum of the school. Definately in my top three choices! "
"we got there mad early, but it was a quick walk from the dorm. we had an hour long orientation thing with one of the admissions deans, including a short video made by feinberg students. they had a light breakfast served. then we had two hours of interviews, both group and individual, and free time. the individual interview is more like, is all hte info in your file correct. then we has lunch/tour with some students. the facilities were awesome, lunch was good, etc. we went back for a brief talk about the curriculum and an example of a pbl session. the dreaded financial aid talk has apparently been replaced. then we chatted informally with some current students that stopped by. the day ended around 3:30, and we were all exhausted."
"Overall it was a lot less stressful than I anticipated. The group interview was not that bad. Sometimes they ask each person the same question (for example, they asked us each to talk about a challenge we faced). They ask one group question - ours was to name 5 attributes a med student should have when they graduate. There is also a 15 minute one-on-one session with the dean or assistant dean of admissions. Be ready to tell them what you want the admissions committee to know about you."
"this was my first interview, but it was pretty early (this was only the 2nd day of interviews for them). there were 12 people interviewing, 4 groups of 3 at a time. it was nice that they had the interview in the morning so you could get it over with and relax for the rest of the day. i stayed with a student the night before which i highly recommend because i got to talk and go out to dinner with other med students and get an impression of how they really like it. everyone raved about the school, but i had a feeling it wasn't representative because they've only been there one month. we were supposed to have 2 faculty and one med student interviewers, but the med student didn't show up. i was glad i got to talk to the other interviewees beforehand because once we got into the room i felt pretty comfortable with them. it was really relaxed and i didn't feel like i was competing with them at all. the interviewers though had very different personalities so the conversation didn't flow very well. the other groups said they were asked more personality questions, but we mostly talked about current issues in health care. part of it was because one guy was an economics major and they wanted his perspective on issues, and then the other two of us were asked to comment on his opinions. overall, a very low-stress interview and a chill day."
"Very relaxed...you'll be leaving smiling! My interview experience at NU reinforced the school's place at the top of my list!"
"The flight was not paid for, but we got two nights in a hotel (shared w/ another applciant) which was cool. They told us to get there pretty early on Wednesday, but then they just gave us dessert that night. I guess it wasn't all that bad since I got to go around downtown Chicago. There was 6 interviews and the meeting with Dr. Engman. 3 interviews were at the medical school and 3 were at the other campus in Evanston. It seems that the school just picks a number of interviewers for the day and matches each applicant to the ones they picked as best as they could. Alot of us ended up with people who did things we had no interest in. Then there was the panel interview, with other MD/PhD students, but really, just be yourself, it's not bad."
"My high expectations were surpassed. Have good questions to ask the students as they are more than willing to answer them for you."
"Great place, good people, laid back students"
"Overall much better than expected. I was a bit apprehensive of the panel format, but it turned out okay."
"This was my last interview, but I was still nervous because of the panel format. It was extremely relaxed and informal and I felt like the people I interivewed with were very friendly and non-competitive. Get to know your fellow interviewees before hand (they let you know who they'll be at the beginning of the day). The interview with Dean Brown was very pleasant. She was just making sure that your application is complete and asks some questions about your family."
"It was a great place and i loved everything i saw. The down side was that it was my first med school interview ever, so i was very nervous, and didn't get much sleep during the week leading up to the interview. Big mistake!! NWU is definitely my first choice, so i wish i would have done the interview a little later, so that i could have gained experience from previous interviews."
"This is definately my number one choice. Its a great clinical education with terrific research opportunities. the school is in the nicest part of downtown chicago and students appear to have plenty of time to persue educational and recreational interests (relative to the average med student of course)."
"The location and the pre clinical curriculum are awesome. And, I actually didnt mind the panel interview, my interviewers and fellow applicants were pretty chill. However, I couldnt really get over the pricetag, and I'm a little leery of the amount of experience I could get their during my clinical years."
"First interview was a panel of three interviewers interviewing four candidates. Second interview was a one-on-one with a dean of admissions, just to make sure your file was correct, etc."
"Pretty impressive overall. The group interview was extremely laid back, actually less stressful than many of the 1-on-1's I've had."
"The school is impressive, and the students were very friendly and happy. You can't do any better in terms of location and environment in Chicago. "
"Really nice school, with a really not-so-nice price tag. The facilities are great, and the curriculum is really progressive, with less lecture time than almost any other major school in the country. Students seem to live it there, the area is great, and NWU really seems to encourage its students to get involved outside of school. In addition to the 3 on 3 panel interview, there's a 20 minute interview with one of the Deans to check your file (they don't trust AMCAS) and address any general questions you may have. Some people have complained about the 3 on 3 format, but if you take the time to talk to your fellow interviewees before hand, it can make the whole experience much less stressful. The two people I sat with were really nice, no-one tried to show up anyone else, everyone laughed, and as a whole, we were really relaxed with each other."
"The staff was really nice, and there were a lot of students who showed us around and had lunch with us. Some first year students even dropped in to see us in the admissions office while we were waiting for our interviews. All interviewees also meet with the Dean or Assistant Dean of Admissions for 15 minutes to discuss their application, but both are extremely kind and supportive."
"The day started way too early, so i wasnt as sharp in my panel interview as possible. I thought it was an interesting format, not just to see group dynamics but to see how other people answer the same questions. "
" *first, it was great! i personally liked the change in pace. it was nice to not be the one talking for the whole time. the interviewers did a great job of making us feel relaxed. it was more like a group discussion than anything. they posed some questions to us individually, or they would ask subquestions (ie ask us to elaborate on a previous answer of ours), and sometimes they asked one question and then went down the line...we each answered one at a time. but it was geared towards personal experience, like "why do you want to do medicine," or "if you couldn't do medicine, what would you do?" so we never felt like we had to really compete or "one-up" each other...so that was a relief. *i felt it was important to really try to talk to the people on your panel before hand...get to know a little about them, get comfortable, and it makes the actual panel interview much less uncomfortable... *about it being blind, one just had to remember it was blind (they remind you), and include certain things in your answers to reveal yourself to them... it was a great time...after that was an individual interview with one of the deans...i happened to get the Dean of Admissions. *this was much shorter, but pleasantly inquisitive...i expected a technical check (are your grades right? etc.....) *but she took the time to ask me questions about my life, get to know me a little, and then was very, very nice to me...it was nice :)"
"There was a group interview of 3 on 3 and and individual with the dean. The dean's interview is open file, while the group was closed file."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 182 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 104 |
| Neutral | 8 |
| Discouraging | 1 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.28 | 113 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 13 |
| Out of state | 97 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 15 |
| 2-3 hours | 35 |
| 4-6 hours | 47 |
| 7+ hours | 15 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 78 |
| Automobile | 20 |
| Train or subway | 13 |
| Other | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 21 |
| $101-$200 | 17 |
| $201-$300 | 25 |
| $301-$400 | 14 |
| $401-$500 | 12 |
| $501+ | 7 |
Midwest
ohare
Both
O'Hare
Midway
Ohara
CHI
oha
MDY
MDW
ORD
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 36 |
| Friends or family | 28 |
| Hotel | 37 |
| Home | 3 |
| Other | 0 |
N/A
Yes
N/A
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.53 | 116 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.43 | 116 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.46 | 117 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.42 | 48 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.46 | 50 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.62 | 42 |
"Too many papers to carry around in our folder"
"N/A"
"Breakfast could be better, but was appreciated!"
"The tour was a bit dull because of the anemic tour staff"
"The start time is too early! 7:30 AM is seriously brutal."
"Please start the day later! Getting there at 7:30 on a cold Chicago morning is no fun."
"Interview day was too long. Combined degree program session should be optional."
"Have signs directing people to the admissions office."
"There was an individual interview and then a panel interview with a faculty member and a 4th year."
"I had individual interview followed by panel interview. Lots of information presented throughout day"
"Nix the panel interview, provide some decent financial aid, and maybe you won't have to accept so many people to get a full class."
"It was a little bit strange that on the door to the office they had posted the colleges which were r"
"I can't believe that the online system didn't work for both the December and March admits! It was in"
"Maybe do the PBL session before the student tour."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?