How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.20 | 363 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 238 |
| Negatively | 51 |
| No change | 84 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.05 | 369 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.31 | 244 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 220 |
No responses
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 2 |
| 20 minutes | 2 |
| 25 minutes | 20 |
| 30 minutes | 52 |
| 35 minutes | 40 |
| 40 minutes | 48 |
| 45 minutes | 128 |
| 50 minutes | 39 |
| 55 minutes | 5 |
| 60+ minutes | 38 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 369 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 367 |
| In a group | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 55 |
| Closed file | 302 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.20 | 363 |
"MMI - Be prepared to discuss ethics, situational judgements, and your application"
"MMI"
"MMI- 3 standard questions, 2-3 ethical questions? Pretty standard, they didn't want us to give out specfics"
"Are there any red flags in your application you'd like to talk about? (the questions was expected prior to the interview they warned us it was coming"
"How did you hear about NYMC?"
"after talking about one of my volunteering experiences.... What was the most meaningful experience (patient encounter)?"
"Describe your research in detail"
"What kind of clinical experience I have"
"Tell me about your activities."
"Asked about activities."
"Tell me about all of your relevant extracurricular activities, in chronological order."
"Any red flags - to everyone"
"What is something you would do differently?"
"Tell me about your family/parents. (They asked everyone in my group this)"
"What are the major healthcare issues facing us today?"
"Any red flags I should know about?"
"Tell me about your diverse cultural background."
"Why did you pick NYMC?"
"Tell me about yourself and the things you've been doing since high school."
"What made you decide to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about your research (super in depth, and then asked me the conclusions / outcomes of it, and how it related to medicine)"
"Tell me about your AMCAS activities which you believe exhibit leadership and initiative."
"What aspects of medicine interests you?"
"Red Flags"
"How would you teach people about preventable diseases?"
"Several questions about my research, including how I could apply what I've learned from it to practicing medicine."
"Are there any red flags in your application?"
"Tell me about your life chronologically"
""Tell me about your AMCAS activities""
"Tell me about your research... Do you enjoy research?"
"Why did you choose your undergraduate college / major?"
"What are you most proud of/ disappointed in"
"Interviewer had read and marked up personal statement and list of extracurriculars beforehand. "
"Where did you go to school? What did you major in?"
"Any red flags or anything you would like to tell me about so when the admissions committee brings it up I can explain it for you?"
"Any red flag?"
"Tell me about your family background."
"Why NYMC/What do you like about this school? Tell me about your research. "
"Why New York? (for Undergrad)"
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Red Flags?"
"Why do you want to go to NYMC?"
"Tell me about your life.. start from the beginning."
"Why medicine? Why NYMC?"
"Just went down the list of my activities and asked me to explain."
"mostly conversational but with "any red flags?" a required question"
"Any "Red Flags" on your application?"
"Are you interested in primary care or becoming more specialized?"
"do you like the east coast? and other very conversational type questions"
"What did you do during your summers?"
"What kind of activities were you involved in your first year?"
"Did you apply to any off-shore medical schools?"
"What clinical experience did you get as an undergrad?"
"Tell me about your family. What do your parents do?"
"Very conversational, would lead into questions based on what we were talking about: why medicine was snuck in."
"Why did you choose Berkeley for undergrad?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"When did you decide you wanted to become a doctor?"
"Tell me about yourself: birthplace, schools you've attended"
"Any red flags - everyone is asked this"
"Any red flags?"
"Tell me about your research"
"Nothing specific really. We spent most of the time talking about things I had done (I had a relatively unorthodox educational path) etc. "
"Tell me about your high school education"
"What medical specialty are you interested and why?"
"None really... just conversed about both our lives, etc."
"do you have anything negative in your file we need to know about?"
"Some random question about canons and the Battle of Gettysburg."
"What made you decide to go into medicine?"
"Tell me more about this activity you were involved in."
"Why did you go into medicine and what have you done to support it?"
"Basically just asked about my experiences."
"I had to give a chronological life history of where I've lived and gone to school."
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why do you want to go to our school?"
"Tell me about this medical experience . . . basically went through the timeline of my jobs/research/extracurriculars through and since undergrad. "
"Usually where you from where do you studying any siblings what do your parents do stuff..."
"Why do you want to study medicine?"
"weakness"
"WHo do you admire?"
"Asked about extracurricular activities."
"What are your red flags?"
"What speciality are you interested in and why?"
"research experience"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"What are you most proud of? Most disappointed about?"
"All the questions were very standard. Basically the interviewer just went through my file and asked me to explain everything I did (volunteer work, etc.)"
"Would you go to Cornell if you got in there?"
"90% about my ECs. Not a whole lot of other stuff, except for the interesting question asked above."
"What am I most proud of accomplishing? Ashamed of?"
"The generals: Why NYMC? Why Medicine? What specialty are you interested in?"
"What did you do in high school?"
"tell me about your family?"
""Now, you went to college where?""
"the physician-assisted suicide question listed twice above."
"About my major"
"Tell me about research activities."
"Are there any red flags in your file?"
"Why NYMC and not other NYC schools? Then a followup question about why I moved from Brooklyn to Cali."
"Wut research have you done?"
"Do you have any questions about New York Med?"
"is there anything else you like to add about your self?"
"how did you find [your undergraduate institution]?"
"1) Why medicine? 2) Why New York Medical College? 3) How did you choose your college and major?"
""Tell me about your research (or insert one other activity listed"?"
"How did you choose your undergraduate school?"
"Pretty much asked to talk about all experiences since interview was closed file."
"Why NYMC? Why not a school in Michigan (my home state)?"
"Tell me about your undergrad experience"
"red flags (the interviewers have a basic set of questions they have to ask and are basically just going down the list and jotting things down in the beginning...)"
"Why am I better than my undergraduate grades?"
"What did you do during your [first, second, third] year?"
"What is a current topic of importance in medicine today?"
"Where else have you applied and have been interviewed at? Why would you chose NYMC over X Medical School?"
"Tell me about your extracurricular activities during college."
"Why am i the best candidate for med school"
"all amcas stuff (nothing remotely stressful or difficult)"
"Literature stuff. Ask me essentially to justify my PI's research projects (I work in HIV/AIDS clinical trials). "
"Explain your research. Be prepared to answere ANY question about it."
"What do you think about the Social Security issue?"
"Have you done research? Are you thinking about continuing?"
"Tell me about a problem in medicine and give me all the sides to it."
"Questions you'd expect about your family, activities, undergrad major and experiences, personal statement (which you hand to them right before your interview), and interest in medicine."
"what/who influenced your desire to go into medicine?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? Why New York Medical College?"
"How else could your research have been conducted? (faculty)"
"What are you looking for in a med school?"
"You don't like someone in your gross anatomy group. How do you deal with this?"
"what ugrad school, what was your major, explanation about a history/biology connection"
"Tell me about the research you do. "
"Why do you work in genetics if you crashed and burned in your genetics course?"
"any red flags"
"What have you been doing since you graduated?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Would you assist your patient in terminating his/her own life?"
"Why NYMC"
"So tell me about yourself."
"How did you decide where to go to college, and how did you like it?"
"Tell me about some of your extra-curricular activities. "
"Tell me about your activities during your undergrad experience."
"What is your name? (They have closed file interviews. Also, there had been some scheduling changes, and I was the doc's first interview of the day, so I actually brought her the list of her interviewees for the day.)"
"What experiences in your life steered you to becoming a doctor?"
"What is your background? Where are you from?"
"Whats your role in your family"
"tell me how you chose your undergrad."
"What do you think will be your biggest challenge in medical school?"
"what do you do for fun?"
""Tell me about yourself.""
"Tell me more about a specific summer activity you participated in."
"What is a current issue in the health care system today?"
"questions pertaining to my research"
"So where did you grow up?"
"How would you describe yourself?"
"Why did you major in European History?"
"Questions specific to my transcript."
"So what do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your experience with HIV/AIDS in Asia."
"Talk about your family"
"what was your best leadership activity"
"Please see most interesting and difficult question."
"What have you done?"
"Where are you from?"
"about extracurriculars"
"Describe all your research experiences."
"family questions- do you have siblings? how was it growing up in your area? what do your parents do?"
"Why NYMC? What are some UNIQUE aspects of NYMC that are attractive to you?"
"Talk about strengths?"
"Describe yourself. "
"The type of questions you'd expect from a closed-file interview: why NYMC? why medicine? how did you learn about us? what are some of your ECs? "
"What is your family like?"
"How did you decide to be a doctor?"
"What red flags are there in your application that you would ike to talk about and clarify."
"What do you do for fun? What do you study?"
"tell me about your family"
"Specific about my personal statement"
"Tell me about your family. How do they feel about your decision to go into medicine?"
"Are there any red flags on your application?"
"Have you done any research?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor. "
"Did you have any difficulties while you were in undergrad? Any red flags I should know about?"
"Why medicine"
"What extracurricular activities did you do in high school?"
"Why medicine?"
"Why dont you want to practice rural medicine?"
"What elementary school did you go to? What did you like most about growing up? How do you feel about sick people? How do you think you will react to sick people? What kind of work do you do at your current job? Do you like working in a lab? What have you learned from working for a year? "
"What is your hometown?"
"What do you do to relieve stress?"
"I was asked about specific things in my personal statement as he read through it."
"Why NYMC?"
"do you have any red flags?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"What questions do you have about our school? (This was the first question I was asked)"
"when did you realize you wanted to do medicine?"
"MD: I gave the Dr. my personal statement just prior to my interview. I see your step-father attended here, tell me about that. What was it like growing up in the Dominican Republic? Who raised you? When did you arrive in the US? What was it like seeing you parents for the first time? Clarify the time between your parents divorce and your mother's remarriage. (This was in context of the conversation.) At this point I asked if there would be any questions about my academics, but he only had a list of activities with him and stated that he just wanted to get to know me. (I was so at ease!!)"
"In my interview, all the questions were based on previous experiences (school, volunteer work, research). So relax and enjoy your time out there. "
"tell me about a memorable ambulance experience"
"What do you think is the biggest issue facing physicians?"
"Tell me about your family."
"Why did you pick your undergraduate university? Tell me about your research. "
"See above."
"Why NYMC? Why Medicine? Tell me about yourself and family?"
"Why did you choose your undergrad?"
"Why medicine and not research?"
"What do your parents do? Any physicians in family?"
"Are you interested in any specialty?"
"Why NY Med?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"See above"
"How do you feel about the political situation in the world?"
"* When did you decide to be an MD? <br> * What was my major? <br> * What kind of volunteer work have I done?"
"Why do you want to come to New York Medical College?"
"Why did you apply here?"
"MMI"
"MMI- 3 standard questions, 2-3 ethical questions? Pretty standard, they didn't want us to give out specfics"
"Why didn't you apply to NYMC the first time you applied? (second time applicant)"
"Any Red flags on your application?"
"How did your transition from (country/city of origin) to New York City (i go to NYU)?"
"Open ended: Tell me about (activities listed on AMCAS)"
"What is your volunteer experience?"
"Is there one particular patient experience you had that stuck out to you?"
"What she should tell the comitte about me"
"Where else have you interviewed?"
"Out of all of your activities, which one has been most meaningful?"
"Asked for more information about different ECs"
"Describe a time where you worked in a group. What were the challenges and how did you work through them?"
"What country would you go to if you could go anywhere?"
"What are you most proud of?"
"Any red flags i should know about?"
"What aspect of your application do you want me to stress to the admissions committee?"
"Tell me the activities which you are currently involved in."
"Tell me more about this volunteer experience you had."
"Tell me more about your family background."
"Any siblings? Where are they and what do they do?"
"Asked for literally everything that was already on my AMCAS: (since it was closed file, he had no idea what my background was) "So tell me about this activity, then what did you do, okay, and then what..", etc."
"What is the most rewarding experience you've ever had (in any area)?"
"Explain your research"
"Describe Undergrad Experience"
"Why did you pick your undergraduate institution? How did you pick your major?"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"What skills do you have that you believe would make you a good physician?"
"Why medicine/why not another career?"
""Any red flags?""
"General questions about my application"
"What negative things have you heard about NYMC?"
"Would you be comfortable at this school?"
"Why did you choose your undergrad/ major?"
"Why do you like NYMC?"
"What is a good book you have read"
"Tell me about each activity on your AMCAS app in chronological order. Why did you do each? Why did you... Why didn't you..."
"Tell me more about _______. (This went on for all of my AMCAS ECs.)"
"Tell me about this experience on your transcript... 1. 2. 3."
"What was your favorite class?"
"What specialty are you interested in? Asked about interests. "
"What do you do besides medically related stuff?"
"I'm trying to fill in a timeline to figure out your journey - can you tell me about what you did during (this time), and (this time), etc."
"Why a doctor?"
"What community service have you performed?"
"Red Flags?"
"Tell me about this experience, now this one, now this one..."
"Why did you go to your undergrad?"
"Are there any Red Flags?"
"What field of medicine are you interested in?"
"What is your greatest accomplishment?"
"Tell me about _________ (picked from a list of my known activities)"
"any "red flags" in your application? They pretty much ask everyone this question"
"Approximately how many schools did you apply to?"
"what field of medicine was I interested in"
"Any "red flags"?"
"Tell me about your research."
"Why did you choose your undergrad institution?"
"What do you do now?"
"What kind of activities were you involved in your second year?"
"Specific questions about my research."
"Is there anything in particular that attracted you to NYMC?"
"What would you change about health care in America? "
"How would you fix the healthcare system?"
"What do your parents do?"
"what would your sister say is your greatest weakness?"
"Community service/job shadow experiences (tell me about them- it's a blind interview so they haven't read your file yet so you can elaborate in great detail about experiences that you enjoyed and not feel like you're being repetitive)"
"Anything else you want me to tell the admissions committee?"
"Who do you admire?"
"What impact do you want to make on the medical community?"
"Explain some of these activities and the meaning you go from it"
"Tell me about your clinical experience"
"What are your best qualities?"
"What kind of person would your friends decribe you as?"
"random trivia"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Have you ever shadowed a physician or worked in an emergency department?"
"where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Why did you choose to go to your undergraduate college?"
"How were you involved in your undergraduate college?"
"Tell me about your research. What tasks exactly do you do? How do you like your research facility?"
"What other schools have you applied to?"
"Ask me a question."
"Do you have any research experience?"
"Any red flags in your application I should know about?"
"Why medical school?"
"Do you have any questions?"
"What was your favorite/least favorite class?"
"Why do you want to go to our school?"
"Tell me about your clinical experiences"
"What is your definition of physician assisted suicide?"
"Explain these extracurricular activity."
"How do you relate to the rest of your family?"
"tell me about your family"
"What have you been involved in/leadership activities?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"Why New York Medical College? "
"Research"
"The personals: Tell me about yourself. Oh! You're hispanic? You don't look it - tell me about how that's influenced you"
"What are you doing right now?"
"what are you involved in extracurricularly?"
""But it says here you've listed X school as a place where you took undergrad courses. Where did you say you went to college?""
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"What can I tell you about NYMC?"
"Overview of college activities"
"Explain research experience."
"What research/clinical experiences do you have? A little bit about patient care and some more specifics about my research. Why medicine? "
"What types of clinical exposure do you have?"
"Who is your favorite composer and why?"
"what is your favorite major?"
"4) Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 5) Tell me about ________ activity on your application."
""Is there anything else about yourself you would like to add that we haven't discussed?""
"Where do you see yourself in fifteen years?"
"Books you have recently read"
"Describe an ethical issue facing medicine today (followed by moral/ethics questions above)."
"Any red flags?"
"Why NY med? Why medicine?"
"So what exactly do you do (I'm in business)"
"What's the biggest problem facing medicine today? Can you think of anything else? (and who said we didnt have to know anything besides the basics (our apps) for this interview?)"
"What is the physician's role in physician assisted suicide? (This branched off into a long discussion/debate in which my interviewer was obviously pushing for a specific answer)."
"How was [that year] for you?"
"why you?"
"How did you decide on medicine/ when did you decide?"
"What do you think differentiates you from the rest of the candidates?"
"Describe what you know about the Human Genome Project. Based on this how many genes were humans found to have? "
"What have you done for community service?"
"What are you doing in your year off"
"Why NYMC? What would you do if you didn't get in this year? "
"Why do you want to be a doctor, rather than a teacher?"
"Why did you take a year off? what did you do, how was it helpful?"
"What does medically underserved mean to you?"
"Tell me something in your application that you think I would want to know more about (since it is closed file)."
"Of course, the red flags question"
"how did you choose your undergraduate school?"
"Tell me about: a) your family, b) your research (in-depth) and Master's program, and c) your clinical experience (asked me clinical questions relavant to what I discussed in my essay)"
"Why didn't you get into medical school last year? (student)"
"What is one word a friend would use to describe you?"
"What was the last movie you saw? Did you like it?"
"Where are you from? Tell me about your family?"
"What's the hardest piano piece you've ever played? (What, was he trying to test me on my piano playing prowess? This was at the end of the interview when I was visibly upset from his unrelentless beating of my application and credentials). "
"if you're an ER doctor and you witness a car accident, what would you do?"
"Tell me about _____ in your personal statement."
"Tell me about your research"
"Tell me about your experience overseas."
"Tell me about your family and background"
"why NYMC"
"Why did you decide to go into medicine?"
"Do you have any red flags?"
"What do you think is the greatest problem in the health care system and how would you fix it?"
"Why NYMC."
"Tell me about your work experience right now."
"Describe your research."
"Tell me about yourself/Why do you want to go into medicine? The rest of the interview was me telling my life story, with the interviewer jumping in now and then to ask more about some of my experiences."
"What do you do to relax? Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"How would you improve access to health care?"
"Not a lot of questions, just more of a flow to the conversation..."
"Pick a medical issue, give different points of view"
"what are you doing now?"
"What are the weaknesses in your application? Strengths?"
"what will you do if you don't get into med school this year?"
""Do you have any red flags?""
"What is your greatest weakness"
"What will you do if you are not accepted into medical school?"
"what is the major healthcare problem currently and in the next year...?"
"Tell me about (insert activity here)"
"What brought you to the east coast for college? (i'm from oregon)"
"How would your best friend describe you?"
"Are there any red flags in your application?"
"Which strengths would you bring to NYMC"
"Questions about the post-bac biology courses I have taken"
"Tell me about a specific case/person that affected you in your volunteer work."
"The end of life question, which took up a lot of time."
"What have you been up to since graduation?"
"Why choose your undergrad"
"what do you do outside of studying"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why med?"
"How did you do such and such diagnosis?"
"favorite class"
"Why and when did you decide to do medicine?"
"What extracurricular activities did you participate in during college."
"where else have you applied, interviewed?"
"Can you explain what Civil Air Patrol is?"
"Talk about weaknesses?"
"Did you like your undergraduate school?"
"What classes have you taken outside of your major requirements? (I have a ton of science background)"
"Why medicine? NYMC?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What is the biggest problem affecting the health system is?"
"extracurricular activities, and what did you learn from them?"
"tell me about your summer experiences"
"the future of medicine"
"Why medicine? Why NYMC?"
"Do you have any volunteer experiences? Tell me about this particular one. (Remember, it's closed file)"
"What non major classes have you taken?"
"Tell me something about yourself that you would like me to know. "
"How do you see yourself helping people in 10 to 15 years? What is the most devastating thing that has happened to you? "
"Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"What did you learn about your experience working at this clinic? How will this impact you when you're a doctor? "
"tell me about yourself"
"Why do you want to go here? Traditional education schedule (normal 1st year and abnormal 2nd), small group studies 2nd year, progressive-first college to graduate female. "
"Tell me about yourself? Strengths/weaknesses?"
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"What is your role in your family? What does your family think about your decision to pursue medicine? What are you most proud of in your life? What are you most apprehensive about in terms of medical school? "
"What did you enjoy most about your undergraduate institution?"
"How would your friends describe you? Are they right?"
"what do you like to do for fun? what other interests do you have?"
"What's the biggest problem in healthcare today?"
"why NYMC?"
"what can i say to help the committe make a decision about your admission"
"You're asking me a lot about the cirriculum...are you shopping around? Have you been accepted elsewhere? What's your top choice school?"
"if your bestfriends can describe you, what would they say?"
"So your grandmother passed away? Did she live here? (I was very close to my grandmother, but the family divorce was not very pretty.) Tell me about high school. (I moved to the suburbs and went to two different high schools because of my parent's divorce and spoke of my excitement towards biology. When did your parents marry? (My step-father and mother) Why did you attend your undergraduate institution? Did you enjoy your time there. So you've been at the NIH for this long and the we corrected some information on my file. What is proteomics? Tell me about your research. Would you pursue a PhD? (I really want to study human biology and human disease and I'm also interested in " translational research." I answered along those lines. Do you have any questions for me? "
"tell me about your work during your year off"
"What is your top choice school right now?"
"What was your major?Why?"
"Tell me about one particular experience in your clinical experiences. "
"What extracurricular activities did you do during college? "
"Why medicine?"
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare and how would you propose to solve it?"
"why did you choose that major?"
"Do you see yourself working in a rural setting?"
"I am your voice to the Admissions Committee. What do you want them to know about you?"
"Long discussion about anthro and evolution...see above."
"Why did you pick your undergrad school?"
"Tell me about your family."
"Why medicine? Why New York Medical College? Have you interviewed elsewhere? "
"see most interesting question"
"What is one definite weakness about yourself?"
"Where do you see yourself 5 years after finishing school/residency?"
"is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"
"* Where do I see myself in 15 years? <br> * How do I think HMO's will affect where I'm at in 15 years? <br> * Any red flags in your app to defend?"
"why your major and undergrad institution"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"MMI"
"MMI- 3 standard questions, 2-3 ethical questions? Pretty standard, they didn't want us to give out specfics"
"How did you get here? (we basically went through the important points in my timeline and he asked me about them"
"How many hours a week do you currently volunteer?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"Who was the most influential person in your life?"
"Who makes up your support system? Family? Friends?"
"Details about my research"
"What is a bad quality that you possess and can improve on to become a better doctor?"
"why do you think you would be a good fit here?"
"Are there any red flags in your file that you would like to explain?"
"Tell me more about your research in detail."
"Describe your research?"
"Do you have any acceptances? (awkward)"
"Asked about my research."
"Why NYMC when you live so far away?"
"What do you like to do that's no academically/medically related?"
"What qualities do you believe are crucial for a successful career as a physician that you feel you still need to work on?"
"What field do you want to get into?"
"Tell me more about _____ activity."
"Any red flags? (They tell you about this even before the interview)"
"Where else have you interviewed? How did you like School X?"
"Why did you decide to become a doctor?"
"Tell me more about yourself."
"Why did you choose your undergrad"
"What do you do in your free time?"
"Tell me about the influence of person X on you."
"How do you know what a career in medicine entails? How can we be sure you are ready to enter medical school?"
"What would make you a good addition to NYMC?"
"I haven't seen anything on your application other than the schools you have attended - I don't know your scores or grades, activities, etc - So is there anything you want to explain or any red flags?"
"Why specific major?"
"Why did you choose us?"
"Give me some details about this extra-curricular activity..."
"Would you be willing to leave your current state?"
"Tell me about x (from your file)."
"What do you like about this school?"
"Are there any gaps or miscommings in my application?"
"Tell me about your research"
"How many schools did you apply to?"
"questions just to get to know you as a person"
"where in general were my other interviews"
"What brought you into medicine?"
"How did you pick your undergraduate school. (I was surprised that I wasnt asked the question "Are there any red flags in your application?"...it seems like everyone was asked that)"
"Why do you think you'll make a good doctor?"
"What would you like to go into?"
"Question about each and every activity on the primary application."
"What kind of activities were you involved in your third year?"
"Any academic red flags?"
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Why new york med?"
"??"
"Any question you want to ask me?"
"Are there any red flags? "
"Discuss current health care issue."
"do you think you could handle med school? why?"
"Have you interviewed/been accepted at any other schools?"
"What undegraduate schools did you apply in high school? Tell me about this experience in your application. What have you been doing since you applied? What possible hormones, peptides, steroids have been identified in the brain developmental process of the brain (we were talking about my research)? Do you have any questions for me?"
"why did you decide to commute instead of living on campus during your undergrad years?"
"Why did you go to the college you went to?"
"How were you introduced to medicine."
"Have you applied to medical school in the past? "
"What led you to wanting to become a doctor?"
"Asked about each experience that I had on my AMCAS, including all jobs and ECs. Made for good conversation starters!"
"Have you interviewed anywhere else? Have you been accepted?"
"Do you have any questions about the school?"
"what do u do for fun?"
"As a native Californian, why would you want to come to NY?"
"Describe your research experience."
"There really weren't a lot more atypical questions. It was more of a conversation than anything else. Very laid back."
"any red flags"
"How did you come upon medicine? (Decide on I guess)"
"When did you know you wanted to go into medicine?"
"Why do you want to go to our school?"
"Any red flags in your app?"
"What kind of medicine do you see yourself getting into? What do you think is the biggest problem in health care today?"
"Why did you decide to teach/tutor?"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"What do you think of New York?"
"Why do you want to study medicine? "
"Have you had any non-clinical volunteer experiences?"
"What would you do if you didn't get into med school this application cycle?"
"What made you realize you wanted to go to medical school?"
"Anything else you want to add?"
"Describe your research, your clinical experience, and your community service. Describe your leadership roles. What will you do if you don't get in? ETC. ETC. Questions that could have been answered thru my AMCAS..."
"Ask me a question."
"why med"
"Explain your research."
"Why NYMC specifically? Don't all schools boast about preparing good physicians?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"You've been accepted at another school and you still came here..?"
"Tell me about a life challenge you have overcome and how the affected you."
"Read any good books lately? "
"Are there any red flags on your application? (which was the MCAT question)"
"How would you tell the parents of one of your patients that their child was going to die in six months? (I told her i was interested in Pediatrics and this was her response)."
"Artistic Endeavors/ outside of school activities."
"How did you become interested in medicine?"
"And the activities-related: So what exactly is water polo? What is your season like? Did playing help you get in? (No - I'm DIII which means no scholarships)"
"Why did you apply to this state?"
"are there any red flags on your application?"
""Ok, so you're telling me you attended Y university for your undergrad, but it says here you took college level courses at X college?""
"What can you bring to NYMC?"
"Any red flags? (The interviewer was really nice and gave me as much information she could.)"
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
"Red flags?"
"Explain volunteer experience in/out of the medical field."
"Do you have any questions for me? What books have you read lately? Who is your greatest role model? "
"What are your hobbies? (see? very generic)"
"What do you think of physician-assisted suicide? If you were on a jury, how would you vote and why?"
"6) What is your best accomplishment? 7) What is your biggest failure? 8) What is the stupidest thing you've done? 9) Any red flags?"
"Any red flags on your application?"
"Thign that you are most proud of? Thing that disappoints you most about yourself?"
"What is the biggest problem facing medicine today and how would you fix it?"
"Biggest problem with health care today?"
"Why the switch to medicine"
"What's the biggest problem facing doctors today? What else? More? (again...know your shit)"
"Any red flags on my application?"
"Whatwas your involvement with your research?"
"tell me about an ethical issue. "
"Various questions about extracirriculars, hobbies, research etc."
"Describe an ethical issue facing physicians today."
"The HMO crisis question described above. "
"Why medicine and why NYMC?"
"Any red flags? (things in your application that need further explanation)"
"What's the biggest medical ethics issue facing doctors today?"
"What questions do you have for me? (I was asked this about 4 times)"
"Talk about a hot topic in medicine today."
"Anything else you want to tell me that you think might not be reflected on your application or essay?"
"If you didn't get into med school this year, what would you do to help improve your chances next time around?"
"how did you choose your majors?"
"Discuss: a) an ongoing issue in health care and b) an ongoing controversy in health care."
"What do you bring to the medical profession that other people might not?"
"Do you go to museums?"
"What is one of the major problems facing medicine today?"
"How would you fix the insurnace crisis in this country? No, that's wrong. What else can you think of to fix it? NO, that's wrong. You're naive. Any other ideas? NO? Okay, you suck."
"did you take any classes outside of science ones?"
"Any red flags?"
"Are there any red flags in your application"
"Tell me about your research."
"red flags"
"Tell me about your research experience and extracurricular activities"
"Tell me about your family."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Why New York Medical College?"
"Why specifically do you want to attend NYMC?"
"Any Red Flags on your Application that I need to know about?"
"What did u learn from your experiences as a medical assistant and how does that support your goals of becoming a doctor. Why do u want to be a doctor?"
"what are your activities now and past activities?"
"How can you be sure you want to be a physician?"
"are there any red-flags that i need to know about?"
""What sort of things do you do in your spare time, things that make you, you?""
"Why medicine"
"How many other schools have interviewed you?"
"what do i do for fun..?"
"Is there anything in your personal statement that you want to talk about? (they recieve your statement at the beginning of the interview and so probably won't read it until after, though i heard some skimmed it quickly)"
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school this year?"
"Tell me about your thesis."
"Why NYMC"
"Tell me about your volunteer experiences with children with disabilities?"
"What have you learned in your job"
"So what do you do for fun?"
"Are there any red flags in your application?"
"What sorts of activities did you do in high school and undergrad."
"see above"
"Do you have any leadership experiences?"
"How could we solve some of the problems of many of the poorest contries?"
"Do you speak any foreign languages?"
"How do you think you would cope living somewhere so different from where you grew up?"
"Do you mind if I turn on the heater?"
"Why did you pick your undergraduate school?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"How would your best friend describe you?"
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"How do you like your school (undergrad)?"
"why did you choose your undergraduate school"
"my weakenesses"
"Tell me about your research (both interviewers asked about this). Tell me how you ended up choosing your undergraduate school."
"Why is practicing rural medicine important to you? "
"What are you going to do for the next year while you're out of school?"
"Why NYMC?"
"Some very specific questions about my essay? (like my parents, my undergrad institutions, etc.)"
"What do your parents do? How do they feel about your choice to pursue medicine? "
"Why are you interested in entering this particular specialty?"
"what do you do for fun"
"Is there anything else you want to tell me? I prepared for this question by driving home a few qualities about myself. Leadership, ability, caring."
"Any potential problems you percieve during your medical education?"
"Do you think your life is going to change in the next few months?"
"Are there any red flags I may need to explain to the admissions committee? "
"Why medicine?"
"No ethical or situational questions, also no "why do you want to be a doctor" questions."
"Any red flags? (it seems they ask this to everyone)"
"Why NYMC? How did you choose your college institution?"
"tell me about your family"
"I felt the interview was a bit short. I did manage to say I have a renewed appreciation for knowledge and that I really want to use medical knowledge to help others. I also said that I had a wonderful time at NYMC, and that it was an honor and privilege to interview at NYMC. Then the Dr. escorted me out and the interview ended. "
"See above."
"Any red flags in your application that you want to clarify?"
"Any red flags in your application that you want to explain?"
"Describe family."
"Any red flags to defend? What do you have to offer to NYMC class?"
"why would you choose NYMC?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Any 'red flags' on your application that need to be explained?"
"Any questions for me?"
"Do you have any red flags?"
"What are some of your experiences outside academics? "
"see most difficult question"
"Tell me about yourself (where you come from?)"
"what are the "red flags" in your application, if any."
"* Have you done any research? <br> * What kind of work experience do I have? <br> * Any ?s for me?"
"MMI"
"Why didnt you apply to NYMC the first time around?"
"I have to present you to the committee. Is there anything you want me to tell them about you?"
"no interesting questions...all basics"
"Tell me about your volleyball club. I told her I hardly played once I got to college because I wasn't very good but loved the sport. I played abroad at a social club instead. She told me she is just like me. We had a good laugh."
"Tell me something funny about yourself"
"Why I thought opioid abuse was prevelant in rural areas (taken aback by this question but was on topic)."
"Tell me about how you fit into your family."
"none, conversational"
"How would I get a patient to trust me"
"Tell me who or what was your influence into medicine."
"just a casual conversation"
"Something you would do differently"
"Any red flags?"
"Tell me about your experience of moving to this country. Was it different? How did you adjust? (basically, an 'overcoming adversity' question)"
"Do you consider yourself more of a cook or a baker? (We talked a lot about my passions for cooking and baking)"
"What is the most rewarding experience you've ever had (in any area)?"
"Any red flags on your application that you want to explain?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"What have you disliked about NYMC so far?"
"The questions about my family."
"What skills do you have that you believe would make you a good physician?"
"Who is your role model?"
"None- it was VERY relaxing. My interview really wanted to get to know me and really wanted to answer all of my questions. This was a GREAT interview experience"
"How do your and your husband's views on healthcare reform differ?"
"Nothing......what do you do in your free time?"
"Have you heard from any other schools?"
"None really, pretty standard. "
"What do you do besides medically related stuff?"
"Questions he asked about my research..."
"What other schools did you interview at?"
"none."
"About my research"
"Who is the one person you admire most and why? Do you have any regrets?"
"How does your mom feel about you coming to NYMC?"
"None, all basic."
"A lot of probing questions about my application, since things are totally blind (the interviewer doesn't see your file at all until they adcom meets, as far as I understand it), so they really seem to try to get to know you."
"How do you plan to pay for medical school?"
"Just questions about myself and what I took away from those experiences."
"Why do you think dying patients are able to talk to you?"
"Nothing too radical- favorite class in college, what I consider to be the negative aspects of medicine"
"No ''interesting'' questions "
"If I followed my parent's religion. Kind of an uneasy moment...Don't think they are supposed to ask you that one."
"There were no interesting questions."
"The interviewer was very interested in my current graduate school program and asked a lot of specific questions about the coursework and class attendance."
"Was an interesting interview, pretty relaxed and straight forward. Most people had an interviewer who asked questions verbatim from a sheet of paper. Mine was just a conversation and he didn't fill anything out. Not sure what that means... "
"Basically all normal questions, Why NYMC? Why Medicine? Describe Research and Activities..."
"Why did you chose your undergraduate institution?"
"what is the difference between ethics and morals?"
"All the questions were expected and if you read the other interview questions for NYMC, you should be ok b/c since this is a close filed interview, you spend most of the time talking while the interviewer jots down notes."
"In your opinion what is the most significant current health care issue."
"Interview was highly conversational. I was asked about my stint as a restaurant manager and how I thought what I learned would apply to medicine."
"not really interesting questions"
"nothing too interesting... mostly just going down his page filling in the blanks"
"What is your favorite book?"
"What is your role in your family?"
"Why New York Med College?"
"The difference between research and medicine, the limitations of each discipline. It was more of an interesting conversation."
"Nothing really out of the ordinary. What specialty?"
"The questions were all pretty standard."
"The interview was highly conversational. However, the most interesting question was: ''How would you integrate public health principles into a medical practice.''"
"It was really a conversation- it was amazing for a first interview experience!"
"Do you think that mentoring kids in the projects for periods close to 1 year actually positively affect their lives? Or are the relationships too short to have lasting impressions?"
"all standard questions"
"Nothing really, typical stuff..."
"nothing really interesting. the interview was more like a conversation. the guy was just trying to get to know me. "
"When did you first decide that you wanted to be a doctor?"
"I interviewed a long time ago but forgot to post. No specific questions really. Asked about why I minored in sociology, my favorite sociology course. Mostly conversational... constant dialogue with few direct questions."
"none..no ethics questions"
"I wasn't really asked specific questions - I talked a little about my personal statement and my activities. My interviewer and I made sure she understood each of my activities."
"Why do you think some doctors are bad at their profession?"
"Any red flags about yourself?"
"n/a The interview was almost more like a discussion really"
"Tell me about your high school education ( I think this was in reference to something I had written on my AMCAS essay)"
"nothing"
"nothing interesting"
"Are there any red flags in your file I should know about?"
"A few questions specific to my app."
"There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The questions were all very bland. "
"Why are you not doing anything medically related this year?"
"when did you actually know you wanted to be a doctor? (I grew up with a family of doctors)"
"How was Ecuador?"
"I asked most of the questions! The interviewer only asked me a few questions at the end of the interview. They were very basic involving my research I had already mentioned and my involvement in college."
"Why doesn't your boyfriend like pasta? (Haha it was very comfortable and conversational and we chatted about a variety of aspects of my life)"
"What was the msot intersting/memorable case you saw while in the PICU? while in the orthopedists office?"
"talk about some recent news in science and medicine?"
"N/A"
"He didn't really ask any "
"Nothing interesting."
"Let's talk about CPR."
"Define diff between ethics and morals"
"Are there any red flags that I should tell the admissions commettee about you. "
"It was more of a conversation rather than a Q & A"
"What do you think you will bring to NYMC? How does NYMC relate to your future goals?"
"nothing really"
"Did you consider taking a year off?"
"None, the questions were standards. She just wanted to get to know me and my accomplishments."
"If you could cure any one disease, what would it be and why?"
"He asked me something about football and how my school's team had a surprisingly good season. I forgot what the questions were, we were just talking about how underappreciated college football is in the northeast. "
"Do you consider yourself a curious person? "
"If your major is economics, why do you want medicine?"
"Have you ever done anything dumb? (this was asked totally out of the blue, and was done intentionally to throw me off. It didnt work :)"
"What is your ideal vacation?"
"Explain water polo - I have never heard of that sport!"
"Nothing."
"we spoke a lot about my thesis, and she asked some really interesting questions."
"Tell me about your X research project."
"My opinion on physician-assisted suicide. "If a patient asked you for this, what would you do? Would you do it?""
"What field of medicine will you be in in 15 years?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"How come you want to leave the West Coast?"
"You are a rural doctor and a patient approaches you about physican assisted suicide, what do you do - (this was done in role play format, my interviewer was the patient and I had to act as the Dr.)"
"Why NYMC?"
"Nothing really, the questions were all pretty straight forward."
"None, very standard questions, but the interviewer kind of wanted me to initiate telling him about myself since the interview was closed file"
"Who is your favorite composer?"
"which is your favorite major?"
"Nothing too interesting"
"none- asked about my activites straight off the summary sheet he was given"
"What leadership skills have you gained from being director of this student organization?"
"Tell me the most interesting thing you learned in ____."
"If you had 2 patients waiting for a kidney transplant, both would die without it, were the exact same age, gender, etc, etc, except one could pay for the procedure and one couldn't, who would you give the kidney to and why?"
"None really"
"Tell me one thing that you enjoyed during your time at (school)?"
"Nothing really, it was very conversational and since it was closed-file I directed the interview with my experiences. "
"If a 12 yr old girl has osteosarcoma in her right leg and it had to be amputated, what kind of problems could you run into?"
"What is a doctor's place in physician assisted suicide?"
"so you're from the midwest? (it seems uninteresting, but it got us started on a discussion of camping since it turns out my interviewer is the leader of a boyscout troupe and i just like camping)"
"What role does family play in your life/Do you have any siblings?"
"Nothing unexpected."
"Nothing interesting... "
"We had more of a conversation then real questions."
"Why not pursue a career in music (my other serious interest)?"
"Pick an ethical issue facing doctors (i didn't even have to explain that much about it)"
"Is this your first time applying? How come you didn't apply last year?"
"only amcas stuff"
"Was there literature before the Guttenberg Bible?"
"Why NYMC"
"Tell me about a controversial health topic today."
"What does the term 'medically underserved' mean to you?"
"What cities did you travel to on your W. European traveling seminar?"
"Most valuable volunteer experience"
"Are you sure you did ________ extra curricular activity?"
"What is the difference between morals and ethics? (This turned into a chicken/egg-type conversation...)"
"why did you choose this particular method over the other? (regarding some research i had done)"
"No questions really stood out; it was a casual yet in-depth discussion of my expereinces and my endeavor to become a physician."
"The interview was closed file so it was really much more of a discussion about my family, experiences, etc. "
"What was the last movie you saw? Did you like it?"
"about the middle east"
"None were interesting, the guy was just concerned with humiliating me as much as possible."
"tell me something embarassing that happened to you and how you handled it."
"How are the results from the research you conducted applicable to every-day life?"
"How are the huskies doing (horribly)"
"How does religion affect your daily life?"
"Why would you travel this far for your medical education?"
"pretty standard. "
"Everything was pretty standard (i.e. why do you want to be a doctor; tell me about yr research experience, extracurricular activities; follow up questions to my answers)"
"Discuss the pros and cons of universal healthcare."
"Why Medicine?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Why do you think the patient kept coming back to the ER? (regarding a recurring patient who has psych problems at the ER where I volunteer)."
"What were any "red flags" in my application"
"What do you think is the greatest problem in the health care system and how would you fix it?"
"None. They were all pretty standard."
"The 'questions' were directed at listing my experiences and background."
"Why New York Medical College?"
"None really."
"Standard stuff."
"So, is that the biggest red flag on your application?"
"Nothing stands out that I remember."
"none (mostly standard)"
"What did you take away from your volunteer experiences? Why were they positive?"
"they just asked me about my life- and my medically related experiences..."
"what would you do if a patient was dissatisfied with your service?"
"what was the dumbest thing you've ever done?"
"If you had the resources to start your own healthcare-related grassroots campaign, what would be the focus of your campaign?"
"it was a closed file interview...so it was mostly a "tell me about yourself" type interview. the interview was all about my app and my personality/character. "
"nothing all that out of the norm, standard questions involving my activities and red flags in addition to "tell me about yourself""
"How would your best friend describe you "
"Besides medicine, what other career paths did you consider?"
"what is the biggest problem facing health care today?"
"What were the reasons for chosing my undergrad institution?"
"What's the difference between sympathy and empathy?"
"Why did you decide to do research as an undergraduate? "
"What do you think will be the hardest for you in the transition between college and medical school?"
"Are there any "red flags" in your application that you would like to bring forward?"
"What scares you the most about medicine?"
"What would you say is the cause of teen pregnancy, ie parents' or school's fault?"
"Since you are from the West and are active in outdorr athletics, how do you feel about moving to the East?"
"How would you go about calculating the number of gas stations in America?"
"none, really. interview was fine. very relaxed."
"My interview felt like a conversation, so specific questions don't stand out. We talked about my undergrad experience and family life and motivation."
"What do you think the role of a physician is at the end of life?"
"nothing too out of the ordinary, we mainly talked about my extracurriculars and women's issues in Asia since I have a strong background in international service outreach. "
"nothing surprising; they only see a brief summary of your AMCAS file, which they get the day or your interview, so you spend most of the time recreating your file and going more in depth here or there."
"i used to play raquetball and he played 3-4 times a week and he asked if I wore goggles which I didn't... I was then advised to :)"
"I was asked to pick a topic of concern in our society and to examine both sides of the issue."
"Nothing unusual"
"Have you ever done anything dumb?"
"What do you read?"
"all the questions stemmed from my application( ie about extracurricular activities). nothing too interesting or difficult. "
"Nothing in particular. Because my interviewer didn't get my file until I handed it to him, we talked about very basic things like where I went to school and what sorts of activities I did. "
"many questions about my family life"
"What was your favorite part of the ballet "Gizelle?""
"Talk about your research in SOCIOLOGY?"
"Tell me about your family"
"He really wasn't trying to be interesting or challenging, they were basic questions about my life."
"What do you think is the hardest thing about being a patient?"
"Describe a time when you faced some difficulty or challenge."
"the questions were pretty standard."
"some stuff about rural med"
"How should the medical community respond to undocumented aliens seeking care that they are unable to pay for? (In reference to my experiences)"
"What was the best/worst decision you ever made?"
"How felt being an only child had affected me"
"I am seeing a connection between your switch from music to speech/hearing sciences and then your interest in medicine. Do you? Can you explain that?"
"Tell me about your siblings."
"How do you handle a patient who refuses to follow your advice?"
"Since it's a closed-file interview, my interviewer spent a lot of time asking me questions about where I was born, what my parents do, where i went to school etc. i guess that's one of the downfalls of these type of interviews, but then it's a good opportunity to break the ice. the most interesting Qs came when my interviewer started asking questions based on my answers."
"nothing really out of the ordinary, very conversational since its closed file (interviewers don't even read our Personal statements beforehand)"
"What part of our healthcare system do you think needs to be changed?"
"Standard questions...nothing to out of the ordinary. Why medicine? How do you see yourself helping people in 10 years?"
"nothing interesting... standard med school questions (ie why medicine? why nymc?)"
"How is the geography in Chicago laid out? Where did you work relative to the rest of the city? Where did you go to school?"
"I wasn't really asked any questions."
"What are the problems with healthcare in the US? (I talked about access, malpractice insurance, and for-profit insurers)"
"None. Standard Med School interview questions."
"No interesting questions."
"What did you like most about elementary school?"
"What did you enjoy most about your undergraduate institution?"
"What do you do for fun? "
"How do you think your life will change in the next three months, in regard to the war with Iraq?"
"What is the toughest thing that you feel patients must face?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"standard questions"
"What is the controversy regarding abortion? (Good thing I'm taking a healthcare and ethics class)"
"What do you think the names on my calendar represent?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"none. very standard questions"
"I was quite surprised by the friendliness of the admissions staff, the students and my generous hosts. My whole interview was interesting. My interviewer just wanted to get to know me. He made this clear. All of the questions pertained to my life experiences. I'll list the questions below. He also asked me "What is Proteomics.""
"it was very unstructured..talked about my research and current job. be prepared to do the work and bring out diff parts of your app on your own. some ppl were supposedly grilled by diff interviewers, so really it depends on your luck!"
"Got into a discussion of ethical concerns regarding clinicians prescribing medications for patients and holding some financial interest in a pharmaceutical company. "
"typical questions, nothing too difficult. "
"If I were to ask your best friend the best/worst thing about you, what would it be?"
"If there were someone that didn't like you, why would that be?"
"none"
"What do your parents do?"
"Name your two greatest strengths, and don't be modest."
"Nothing very interesting was asked, only very typical interview questions."
"Why did you choose your undergrad school? -> this led to a really nice discussion as to what I look for in schools"
"Do you think it's ethical to kill animals for the purpose of research?"
"From an evolutionary standpoint, why do you think some tribes have monogamous marriages, when humans are naturally inclined to be polygamous? (Obviously, this guy is a PhD, and was referring to a single intro to anthro course I took in summer school nearly 3 years ago...sheesh)"
"What is the connection between your major and medicine?"
"What is the biggest problem with the current health care system? how would you solve it?"
"Just general questions. Tell me wbout yourself."
"Nothing unusual - why medicine? why NYMC? That kind of stuff."
"Very typical questions. "
"What was the dumbest thing you ever did?"
"What would you do if you didn't get in to any medical school?"
"Interview was conversational. We talked about my research and clinical experiences. Closed file interview but they have a sheet of your activites."
"What is something that you've had much trouble learning?"
"How do you feel about the political situation in the world?"
"How do I think HMO's will affect where I will be in 15 years?"
"Nothing really. All the questions were very straightforward getting to know you type things."
"standard questions, nothing too exciting"
"The interview was very low stress. I interviewed with a physio faculty member, Professor Levine(?), who was very nice and pleasant to talk to. We had a infomal discussion about basic questions, like why you want to be a doctor and why this NYMC. I don't recall any interesting question."
""If your dad is a doctor and your mom stays at home, why aren't they paying for medical school?" How did you fund your undergrad education? (I went to a private college.) Is this your first interview, you seem kind of jittery? (When I told her it wasn't she asked where else I had been interviewed.) Why are you here then if you've already been accepted?"
"So, tell me about current political system? - that was the very first question he asked."
"MMI"
"Why do you think your MCAT was so low? (I didnt do very well on the MCAT and I chose to bring it up when asked about red flags in my application"
"no hard questions...all basics"
"None. All reasonable. I just couldn't recall my grades when she asked.. so I confused my C+ in Arthurian tradition and said it was in Orgo II... bad call."
"What in your extracurricular activities and clinical volunteer makes you think you're ready for a career in medicine? How are you prepared for medicine?"
"Why I thought opioid abuse was prevelant in rural areas (taken aback by this question but was on topic)."
"Why us?"
"What is one thing that you worked so hard for and when you finally accomplished it, it was the best feeling you have ever felt?"
"What was the most challenging part of your research?"
"Nothing was difficult"
"no difficult questions. I was interviewed by one of the admissions people, so the questions were mostly about my experiences."
"What did you learn about your [humanities major]? I wish I'd prepared more for this question because even though I thought I gave a pretty cogent answer, my interview literally asked this question of me two more times before the interview was over."
"none, it was very conversational"
"What is the most difficult experience you've had (in any area), one which truly showed you what you were made of as a person?"
"None really very conversational and the interviewer was quite possibly the nicest doctor I have ever met."
"How do you feel about the healthcare issue?"
"What makes you cool?"
"Applying my research to practicing medicine, since my research isn't in a natural science."
"Tell me about your life chronologically"
""What do are the bad things you have heard about NYMC on the internet?""
"Nothing too difficult."
"Impact of health care reform on my future as a physician..."
"I was asked what the results of my research were. I answered. Then he asked me again. I wasn't sure what to do."
"None really...very conversational"
"What will be the most difficult thing about medical school? (Not a very hard question, but the hardest of the ones asked)."
"Any red flags?? "
"Why do you want to go to NYMC?"
"nothing special... "
"What would you do to fix healthcare in the US?"
"None! It was relaxed."
"None, all basic."
"Nothing particularly hard, just make sure you know your application inside and out because you'll have to give lots of detail on things your interviewer finds interesting."
"Tell me about some issues in medicine today."
"Probably the above."
"Negative aspects of medicine. "
"No ''difficult'' questions"
"What will you do next year if you don't get into medical school?"
"We started talking about rural medicine and the interviewer wanted me to check out his calendar to see if I noticed anything. Really nothing was hard, no ethical/state of medicine questions."
"Are there any red flags in your application?"
"talk about an ethical issue in healthcare right now"
"Describe what you consider to be the most pressing problem in healthcare and demonstrate your understanding of the opposing views on this issue."
"not really hard questions"
"nothing much- Why medicine? "
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Questions were expected. But what was difficult about the whole process was that the interviewer kept taking down notes and I felt I should slow down for him to write . In addition, it seemed my interviewer was trying to gauge whether I would want to go to NYMC considering I am from California, so there seemed to be doubts already."
"very conversational, no difficult questions"
"Why medicine?"
"If you've done so much research, why do you want to be a doctor? Obviously, he wasnt looking for the generic ''because I care about people'' answer."
"Tell me about your research. And.... so what exactly are you testing (it should have been easier to answer)."
"Again, the questions were typical - tell me about yourself, your research, your activities, why med school, why NYMC. Nothing very difficult"
"What would you like to see change in our health care system. "
"I know the problems with the healthcare system...how would you fix them?"
"see above"
"Why would you choose NYMC over other New York schools?"
"Why do you think you were waitlisted at another school?"
"Nothing too difficult. Asked me the name the professor of my favorite sociology class and it took me a second to remember it. (He wanted to possible contact her about giving a lecture on sociology of health)."
"Problems in healthcare and how to fix it"
"Do you think the current medical education system works well for training physicians? Uh sure, how am I supposed to know? I haven't actually taken part in the medical education system...I'm at a med school interview here... "
"Tell me about your family...any red flags...tell me about your reserach/volunteer...what is the worst problem with healthcare today (I started to give my ansewr and interrupted me to tell me what she thaought...then I continued to give my opnion and she wouldnt let me talk until i agreed with her)"
"Where do you think medicine is headed in the next 10 years?"
"Red Flags?"
"None of them were really difficult or out of the ordinary. "
"nothing difficult"
"None really, as it was 100% conversational. The interviewer had not read anything about me, so we started from scratch."
"Most of the questions were completely random, pointless questions to which the interviewer expected me not to know the answer. It was a very unpleasant experience."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you think is the biggest problem in health care? I felt like this was the only thing my interviewer could think to ask, as if she ran out of things to talk about. As I explained what I thought was an adequate answer to that question my interviewer proceeded to interupt me to tell me what she thought. Aren't we going to the interview for them to get to know us?"
"Tell me more about your clinical experience. (This interviewer was really focused on clinical experience/research.)"
"i guess the same"
"What will be the hardest part of medical school for you?"
"Any red flags?"
"What will you do after becoming a doctor?"
"Details about my research. She started critiquing some of the things we did. "
"What was your proudest moment?"
"Why are you better than the other applicants?"
"Define diff between ethics and morals"
"No difficult question"
"What is your definition of physician assisted suicide?"
"What are your red flags?"
"What did you learn about yourself from working at a soup kitchen?"
"Nothing. Except a question concerning my feelings during an obstacle I overcame in life. Made me kinda emotional. "
"Tell me about your low MCAT score. (Though he followed by saying that the section I did bad when was "A good one to mess up"). "
"Do you want to get married and have kids (I think this is inappropriate)"
"Tell me about your life as a child."
"What is one of the dumbest things you've ever done? (Of course there were many things I'd never dare answering at a medical school interview. ha!)"
"So why did you transfer from UCLA to Scripps?"
"Nothing."
"questions about medical experiences preceeding college (who does anything more than volunteering in a hospital, really? they don't let you do much more) it was kinda annoying."
"The questions themselves were not difficult, rather it was difficult to successfully clarify for my interviewer basic chronological facts in my file."
"My opinion on physician-assisted suicide. "If a patient asked you for this, what would you do? Would you do it?""
"None were difficult."
"same question"
"If I knew who my state representative was."
"Tell me about research. It's closed file, so the interviewer did not know that I had worked in 8 different labs...so almost the whole time was spent recapping what could have been read ahead of time. But that is just the format they choose for the interviews."
"Anything u wanna explain about your application? (red flags)"
"Do you think it is ethical for premed students to job shadow?"
"Nothing too difficult. Pretty standard."
"None were really difficult, pretty straightforward."
"None too difficult."
"What is the difference between morals and ethics?"
"nothing hard. Just questions about myself, my family, my decision to be an MD, etc"
"Tell me one thing you disliked about (your school)?"
"Have you done any research?"
"What would you do if you didnt get into medical school this year?"
"About physician assisted suicide."
"If i got along with my sister, b/c I don't. It was difficult to lie about that."
"out of 9000 applicants and 1300 interviewees, why you?"
"Is there anything lacking from your application that makes you a weaker applicant? (basically, What should you have done before you applied, but didnt?)"
"Describe an ethical issue facing doctors today."
"The human genome project question, I knew the answer but the interviewer just didn't seem to like me and she made the question a lot more difficult to answer because she kept interupting me."
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
"How have you improved your application in the year off."
"What's the biggest medical ethics issue facing doctors today?"
"Why would you want to leave California for medical school?"
"What do you think about the Social Security issue?"
"How would you fix the health care system? I started out by suggesting an increase in taxes (one ideas of many); however, the interviewer just snapped "NO THAT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!" I think she was already against me after I told her where I was employed."
"I didn't think anything was THAT difficult. "Name one pressing issue in health care today" was tough for me b/c it was so open-ended. I was prepared to speak about an issue if I was presented it, but I wasn't as well prepared to present an issue if given a choice."
"why didn't you apply earlier? (i graduated from undergrad in 2000)"
"Discuss a health care controversy. Not to hard if you follow up with the media but one of the more trick questions."
"Student-Teach me how to do something non-science, non-academic, right now. "
"What is going to be the hardest adjustment for you when entering med school?"
"If you didn't get along with a person in your gross anatomy group, how would you respond? (Note the gender was left unspecified.)"
"i really think we had more of a conversation than anything else"
"Why would we choose you out of all the other applicants?"
"Why did you bomb your genetics class? And why do you work in a genetics lab if you "crashed and burned" in genetics? This was after I had been asked what my worst grade was, and I replied B- in genetics. So I told this guy that at my college, genetics is the hardest class you can take, it's notorious for being ridiculously hard, and I don't consider B- crash and burn. He asked what was hard about it, and I said, the level of detail they expect undergraduates to know was a little unrealistic. He snorted and said, "What do you think medical school is like?" To which I replied, "there's a difference when you're an undergrad and have four other courses to worry about simultaneously." He snorted again, shook his head, sighed, rolled his eyes, and finally moved on."
"As a physician, would you ever assist your patient in obtaining medication that he/she can use to terminate his/her life?"
"What is your role in your family?"
"pretty standard."
"Are there any red flags on your application? This means explaining any gaps in your record, bad grades, unusual circumstances, etc."
"Discuss the ethical implications of a 50 year old married woman with end stage lung cancer."
"What are your weaknesses?"
"There were no difficult questions. "
"Why do you think the US healthcare system is having the problems it is currently having (regarding access to healthcare)?"
"What colleges did you apply to undergraduate, and why?"
"Are there any red flags in your application."
"How should we (society) improve poverty? "
"Why New York Medical College?"
"None."
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Whats the biggest problem facing medicine today and how would you go about fixing it?"
"none (mostly standard)"
"Why I kept with an extracurricular program even though it negatively affected my grades."
"pick a medical issue and give me supporting views and disagreeing views."
"what was the dumbest thing you've ever done?"
"How do you work in a group setting? (My interviwer noted that most of my jobs/experiences were independent and not affiliated with school clubs, etc. and wanted to know why that was. I felt slightly defensive, as though she was perhaps implying that I was antisocial or perhaps didn't work well with others.)"
"not any really any difficult questions. I guess the hardest thing was to explain the "red-flags" of my application. "
"no question was particularly difficult, all were standard closed-file questions as other reviews have mentioned"
"What is your solution to the current problem of "access" in the health care industry today?"
"what is the biggest problem facing health care today?"
"What solutions can I suggest to the healthcare problem that I had suggested?"
"So what is going to really make you stand out against the other applicants?"
"What is the worst thing you have done?"
"What scares you the most .."
"Why did you not get in last year? "
"The first interviewer asked a LOT of questions. It's not that any of them were particularly difficult, but there were simply a lot of them. Be prepared to answer to any inconsistencies/weaknesses in your transcript."
"What other schools are you interviewing at and how interested in them are you? "
"Nothing, the interview was very relaxed and conversational. An extremely pleasant experience."
"none realy, very conversational interview, he asked me questions about where i was from originally since he had visited the area. My family history is kind of complicated and he asked me to delve into this."
"Any red flags in your application? What will be hardest for you in medical school? Why did you choose your undergrad school?"
"N/A"
"How will we improve health care where people are in poverty?"
"What makes you a strong candidate?"
"Again, we really just discussed very standard, neutral things."
"nothing"
"Do you really think this is the right school for you? Can you convince me that you would actually come to this school of you were accepted?"
"Talk about a subject in science that has intrigued you so much that you have done some research on it aside from the laboratory research."
"Why do you want to go here?"
"Any red flags (I have quite a few)?"
"Why NYMC? (difficult because I'm not so interested in going there)"
"same as above."
"(i had volunteered at a free clinic): how do you feel about people who take advantage of the system, i.e. people that would rather pay for luxury cars than health insurance so they come to your clinic. aren't you encouraging people to avoid the insurance system by offering a free alternative?"
"If I could fix one thing in our healthcare system what would it be?"
"none really. most were about my family, undergraduate experiences, volunteer, research, etc. nothing that I had to dig deep for."
"So, tell me about yourself . . . "
"Same as above"
"to recall what i've done every summer while in college and if there are any red flags in my application (time unaccounted for in AMCAS, particularly low grades, etc)"
"red flags in application?"
"See most interesting question asked"
"What is the most devastating this that happened to you? (This was difficult only b/c during preparation for the interview, I had prepared an answer to: what is the most DUMBEST thing you've ever done? So when he asked what is the most devastating thing you've done, I heard what is the most dumbest thing you've done. After I started to answer the wrong question, I was able to turn it around and still save myself.)"
"nothing too difficult or off the wall. be prepared to talk about yourself and the activities you have listed on your AMCAS application in depth."
"none, this was a very easy interview, once we got past the introductions--but introductions took a LONG time, since this was a completely blind interview--he barely even knew my name before the interview."
"none"
"How many times have you applied to medical school? "
"Why are most medical students so self-centered?"
"What do you think patients feel when they are lying sick on the hospital bed? What emotions?"
"What is the difference between Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia? (Unfortunately, I walked right into this one!)"
"Why Valhalla? (good question, considering it's close to the middle of nowhere)"
"What do you think of doctor assisted suicide?"
"There were none."
"none really"
"Why NYMC"
"Nothing really"
"Which St. Francis was the college my mother attended named after?"
"Standard set of questions."
"There were no really difficult questions. I was asked however, if I would pursue a PhD. I have spent three years performing biomedical research in Bethesda so this is a really interesting question as well. I answered by saying that I would like to do translational research or more patient centered research. And that a medical education would allow me to more fully understand the human body and human disease and pathogenesis."
"Ask me if I could recall interesting cases I witnessed during one of my volunteer experiences."
"What would you say to someone else to convince them not to become a doctor?"
"same"
"What questions would you ask me if I were the one interviewing? "
"Where have you interviewed? Have you been accepted anywhere? Where?"
"Do you think you'd like research better if you had your own projects?"
"Nothing difficult. Interviewer kept probing about Healthcare, but not in a mean way. "
"Why NYMC?"
"If you could go to any medical school, where would that be? And...don't say NY Med."
"Look above."
"What qualities can you bring to medicine?"
"What is the biggest problem with the current health care system? how would you solve it?"
"None, really."
"Tell me about yourself (that is a very open-ended question, which can be good if you have thought about it and know how you want to respond and where you want the conversation to go)."
"Nothing difficult. "
"What was the smartest thing you ever did?"
"Tell me about a time when you really had to help someone."
"above"
"see above, the interviewer for some reason had some vested interest on my opinion on attacking Iraq"
"what do you think are 2 traits that a physician should possess and what past experiences have you had that have developed these traits?"
"Why NYMC when you grew up and went to school in the south?"
"I felt the most interview question was why I have no healthcare experience. I felt it was hard for me to explain why I wanted to be a doctor without any real exp. Other then that, there was no difficult questions. He did not try to trip me up or ask me any ethical questions. It really was low stress, except for the fact it was my first interview. "
"How do I view euthanasia/physician assisted suicide?"
"Forums, mock interviews"
"MMI prep book and knew my application well."
"Ethics review and MMI practice questions"
"some ethics studying, read up on my application and other MMI practice scenarios"
"By looking through my application, reading through interview prep books, and I tried like two MMI scenarios until I realizedtrealizedthat prepping for an MMI is kind of pointless, just be yourself!"
"SDN, Research on MMI"
"I came here which was good because I practiced ahead of time for the red flag question"
"Quick look at SDN interview feedback, skimmed through the schools website and relied on past interview experiences."
"sdn, read books/article on healthcare, practiced with friends, NYMC website,...."
"Read over my PS and MCAT activities and practiced typical questions"
"school website, sdn"
"Go ever my application, SDN feedback, prepared answers to why medicine, why this school, etc"
"SDN, read school site."
"Mock interviews, SDN, research the website."
"read my AMCAS over"
"Read about the school."
"Prepped with friends/counselors and used SDN"
"SDN, read AMCAS"
"I'd already had one interview and they are easier than expected. I just searched the school's website to memorize some things I liked about it."
"School website, SDN..."
"SDN, NYMC website, asked the student host about NYMC the night before"
"SDN, read over my primary application, looked over the school's website"
"AMCAS and my interview notes (looked up different questions and answered them), mock interviews, also read the school's website."
"Read up on (the few available materials) on NYMC; read SDN interview feedback; kept up with health news"
"School's website, wikipedia"
"Interview feedback on SDN, read website and other random things about Med school interviews"
"SDN, review AMCAS, review research."
"Read student doctor forums and used other sources online"
"Looked over my Amcas App, learned about nymc through the website, visited the school to get more comfortable with the atmosphere"
"Asked current students, looked over application"
"SDN and reading over AMCAS application"
"mock interviews & read through Interview Feedback, school website, my own AMCAS"
"SDN, the website, but overall just practice from my previous interviews."
"Read about the school, mock interviewed myself."
"SDN feedback"
"SDN, schools website, mock interviews"
"studentdoctor.net; looking over my application; reading current health articles; reading up on healthcare/healthcare reform"
"Spent time on the school's website"
"Nothing much. Read up on the website."
"Study amcas app. activities."
"I had had two interviews in the two weeks prior to this one, so I didn't prep at all. "
"SDN, Schools website, mock interview with people."
"SDN, SDN, SDN"
"sample questions, SDN, deep thought"
"SDN, school website, read over my AMCAS"
"NYMC website. Going over questions out loud. SDN Interview Feedback page."
"Reviewed NYMC viewbook, SDN interview feedback, mock interview, review AMCAS"
"Interview feedback, school website"
"reread AMCAS, SDN interview feedback"
"Reviewed personal statement Mock Interview "
"Read up on the school. Reviewed my resume and AMCAS. "
"None."
"Read the school's website."
"mock interview, medical reviews, reading about the school"
"reading this site and theirs, Reading over my AMCAS and personal statement"
"Researched the school and looked at some possible interview questions. As well as draft answers to the questions they were obviously going to ask. "
"SDN, looked up website, prepared answers to likely questions and had a list of questions to ask."
"Interview feedback, looked over my AMCAS."
"Reviewing personal statement, what I've learned through my experiences, etc."
"Just knew my extra-curricular activities well. "
"SDN feedback, reviewed my file, good nights sleep."
"Read all of the previous interview experiences, Read up about the school (but if you dont have time to do this, dont worry...you will learn so much about the school during your orientation before the actual interview), brushed up on medical issues"
"SDN, AMCAS Application"
"chatted with fellow interviewer and student hosts the night before"
"Did not"
"School bulletin, AMCAS application, SDN"
"Looked over my AMCAS app."
"I did not prepare at all. "
"SDN website; school website"
"Looked over personal statement & primary app, read SDN feedback."
"Read over my AMCAS, read everything on the NYMC website, went through some practice interview questions and formulated some answers"
"Read over AMCAS and personal statements. Looked up presidential candidates healthcare plans, etc."
"AMCAS, SDN"
"reread AMCAS essays, SDN, read up on the school's website"
"sdn interview questions, website"
"Student doctor network, mock interviews, NYMC website"
"AMCAS Essay, previous interviews, websites (NYMC and SDN)"
"re-read AMCAS, SDN interview feedback, NYMC website"
"read my application, student doctor interview feedback and read current events"
"Read over personal statement, AMCAS,SDN"
"read this website, mock interviews, amcas application"
"Read this website, reviewed personal application, printed off stuff from NYMC website."
"SDN, interview feedback, website, notes"
"SDN, NYMC website, AMCAS, Thought about common questions"
"SDN, read personal statement, school website"
"Student Doctor website; AMCAS application; talked to other students"
"MSAR, SDN interview feedback, read up on modern healthcare issues (didn't really need to)."
"SND, website, mock interviews (it was my first one)"
"Asked current students about the school, read through the website. "
"Researched the school through their website and used studentdoctor.net"
"Practice with mock interviews, Reviewed the school's website, went over my amcas app"
"SDN, various interviewing lists, practice interview. "
"Reread personal statement, scanned website, SDN interview feedback!"
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS, mock interview"
"sdn, reviewed AMCAS, school website"
"sdn, website, etc"
"School website, studentdoctor.net, AMCAS"
"sdn, website"
"SDN, NYMC website, learned about the school (I was asked Why NYMC?), had uncle asked me questions, etc."
"sdn, reviewed file...make sure you review research if you've done any"
"read through SDN, interview feedback, AMCAS and all secondary apps"
"SDN, amcas"
"SDN...reviewed my application and essays"
"Read the NYMC website and looked at some of the interview feedback pages"
"Ethics book, SDN, random questions, AMCAS"
"Read SDN, NYMC website. Btw, the red flags question is really just a question to clarify potential 'questionable' points on your app, as explained by the admissions guy during the info session. "
"Studied up on the school, their program, curriculum, history...etc. I also practiced the typical interview questions, of which I think I was asked half."
"SDN, re-read personal statement"
"this site and amcas"
"Browsed the NYMC website"
"Made a list possible questions, read books, mock interviews, interviewed at investment banks for practice"
"I looked at their website and used studentdoctor.net"
"Read SDN"
"sdn, amcas app, research their website"
"I read over my AMCAS application and personal statement as well as reviewing feedback on SDN."
"Read SDN, re-read AMCAS, read school website."
"Read application/SDN"
"The usual!"
"One of the successful med student recommended me to buy a book from ADMISSIONSMYSTERY.COM that proved a deciding factor for my interview."
"SDN, read through my AMCAS, reviewed notes from a health care class I took"
"SDN, reviewed my primary application, school's website."
"SDN, read over my AMCAS"
"School's website, AMCAS, SDN"
"Went over my application. Looked at their website."
"I read my AMCAS application, looked over the school web site, and looked at interview questions on SDN."
"I went over my AAMC application and the SDN forums feedback."
"SDN, their website"
"SDN,read NYMC website, reviewed AMCAS application"
"re-read app, this site, put thought into why nymc."
"SDN,AMCAS review, interview prep book"
"previous interviews, SDN, read about school"
"StudentDoctor.com, mock interview, practice questions and wrote down answers"
"SDN, school website, application, and just relaxed."
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS app, talked to others that interviewed there, did some research on healthcare/ethical issues."
"SDN, typed up responses, missed my flight, slept for two hours freezing cold in a hotel in DC to fly in the day of the interview (heh)"
"Read my AMCAs, student doctor, and brushed up on healthcare issues"
"sdn, read nyt (although unncessary for the interview), mock interview, and prepared answers to the obvious questions beforehand."
"Didn't have the chance to"
"didn't really. just got a good night's sleep"
"SDN, read the school website, look over application (know your application in and out)"
"Read SDN feedback, researched the school via their website, e-mailed some current students from the host list, read up on some current medical issues"
"Asked my host about the school."
"this site, previous interviews"
"Student Doctor webiste, NYMC website"
"Studentdoctor.net, reviewed AMCAS application essay, practiced answering interview questions, did extensive background research on NYMC from their website."
"SDN. Read over personal statement."
"This website, NYMC admissions catalog and website"
"Read over application"
"Schools website"
"Looked over the school website."
"SDN, Medical Ethics, AMCAS, Website"
"This website and NYMC website."
"mock interview, SDN, read up on my research, held interviews with some buddies, refreshed on some medical ethics"
"Nothing really, just kind of winged it. "
"practice interviews, reading NYTimes, CQ Researcher"
"NYMC website. looked on SDN"
"Read the website. Read the catalog."
"read over my app, made a list of points I liked about the school/program, looked on SDN"
"SDN, mock interview, read school's website."
"website, current publications"
"SDN, reviewed notes from medical ethics class, NYMC website"
"looked at school website, SDN, etc"
"Their website, interview feedback"
"SDN, read over my AMCAS app, the school's website, and had long chats with my advisor about current medical and ethical issues."
"Read over my AMCAS, school website, SDN, current events"
"re-read personal statements, current events, sdn"
"Read SDN and the school website, reviewed my AMCAS."
"Read over my publications and AMCAS"
"this site, the website, my amcas"
"NYMC website, SDN"
"NYMC website & SDN"
"SND website, other medical students who attend this school and the NYMC website."
"School's Website"
"Website, mission statement, curriculum; current healthcare issues, AMCAS application, personal statement, SDN."
"AMCAS, essays, student doctor forums, mock interview."
"SDN, and website"
"sdn interview feedback, looked over amcas"
"Read their website, compiled a list of questions from here, wrote out answers"
"SDN, school's website"
"SDN. Mock interview. read amcas application. school website."
"This site, NYMC website."
"previous interviews"
"amcas, website"
"SDN, read over websites regarding interviews, my own personal essays, secondary essays, etc."
"NYMC website, Viewpoints book on health care reform, University of Washington biomedical ethics webpage, SDN helped so much that it convinced me that I should contribute too instead of just lurking as I had been"
"Read over AMCAS, SDN, handbook, website."
"SDN, School Webpage, and speaking to friends who I knew interviewed there."
"Read the student handbook, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary applications"
"Looked online, their website is pretty comprehensive."
"Had to print out some copies of my AMCAS statement. Re-read that."
"i basically sat down and tried to imagine a logical progression for why i wanted to be a doctor in case the question came up. theres so many reasons so its hard unless i prepare but I was allowed to go on tangents while we spoke."
"Read brochure and read website on-line, spoke with student host. "
"Read SDN, the school's website"
"read SDN. read AMCAS"
"I read the school's website, looked up some information about healthcare and medical ethics, and read the interview feedback on this site."
"this website."
"I reviewed my application and read up on the school. I also went over a list of sample questions as well as the ones listed in SDN."
"read this website,school website, mock interviews"
"SDN, school website"
"SDN, reread my amcas application, practiced standard interview questions, consulted school website"
"sdn, school website, thought about ethical issues"
"Learned about the school?"
"I reviewed my AMCAS application, NYMC's website, and this website."
"Read SDN, reviewed my application, did mock interviews with friends."
"SDN, Read AMCAS app, mock interview, website"
"SDN, read over school website and AMCAS app, had good breakfast"
"It was my first- did SDN and reviewed AMCAS. Key to go over your app so you can make sure that when they compare the interview info and the file, everything matches up."
"SDN website, the New York Med website, read up on healthcare and ethical issues (but that isn't necessary)."
"Read my application, looked at the school's website."
"Read about the school on their website and their catalog. Talked to students."
"Read over my app, sdn."
"SDN, NYMC website"
"Read NYMC website and SDN interview feedback + SDN forums. "
"SDN, AMCAS, School Website "
"read over amcas studentdoctor"
"just be yourself"
"read sdn website, reviewed my activities"
"Checked out school website, SDN, etc."
"SDN, knew my application very well, practiced answering sample interview questions, spoke about NYMC with my overnight host"
"SDN, interview books, the med college guide, mock interviews, tried to anticipate questions"
"SDN, amcas application, school website"
"this website, re-read personal statement, AMCAS application materials"
"read the website; read my application"
"SDN site, NYMC website, and my AMCAS."
"interview feedback, nymc website, prepared answers to some possible questions"
"sdn, read my AMCAS and did a lot of thinking"
"UW's ethics website, NYMC catalog, personal statement"
"NYMC website, sample interview questions from Barron's, mock interviews, previous interview, SD "
"Reviewed app, SDN"
"NYMC website, interview feedback"
"Read SDN, reviewed my AMCAS, read up on current healthcare issues, and thought about some of the ethics questions that might come up."
"Good food, rest, relaxation, reviewed AMCAS, read SDN"
"reviewed application"
"Spoke with my student host, read over NYMC website, re-read my application"
"SDN, NYMC website, re-read AMCAS application"
"Read SDN, website, AMCAS application"
"Good night of sleep"
"SDN, then sleep"
"No prep other than reviewing my application."
"School's website, SDN. "
"Read NYMC website, SDN postings, google healthcare news"
"Read NYMC web site, this site."
"this website, application, school's website, read the materials they gave us when we got there (this was probably the most helpful)"
"read my application, sdn, website"
"Studied the University of Washington website for ethics (this is advice for ANY interview...it's comprehensive enough that it will give you something intelligent to say in response to any ethics question and concise enough to read in about 2 hours.)"
"SDN, Mock interviews, AMCAS"
"the school's website "
"NYMC website, this website, practice interviews."
"Read app, this site, nothing more"
"Learned as much about the school as possible from their website and the interview feedback here; previous interviews."
"Website, alot of introspection."
"Website! (as usual)"
"Reviewed AMCAS appication, school website, interview feedback."
"School's website, and interviewfeedback.com"
"Read the website in detail, great presentation early in the morning"
"SDN, amcas, nymc website"
"STN, readwebsite, reviewed my ap"
"Read school's guidebook/website (at NYMC, they are very impressed if you've taken the time to research the school), SDN, e-mailed students, pre-med advisor at my school"
"Asked current students about their interviews; read AMCAS, especially personal statement"
"Read AMCAS, read school website, SDN, ethical issues "
"NYMC website, SDN, friends who have interviewed there before"
"NYMC website, interview feedback."
"SDN"
"website...school catalog...read up on current healthcare issues...sample questions...looked in the mirror for 30 minutes and pretended to answer questions...read AMCAS essay and app"
"this website, perused the school's website, looked over application, looked over sample interview questions"
"Looked over the school's website, reread my AMCAS application and the additional part of my supplementary, made a list of questions about NYMC I wanted to ask my interviewers"
"same old same old"
"SDN, Healthcare: A clinical approach (is an awesome short textbook with graphs, charts, etc.), mock interviews (essential)"
"Mock interviews with college professors."
"Read NYMC online catalog."
"Read lots of articles and books, mock interviews with people from work, watched the news, this website"
"SDN, school's website, overview of my AMCAS application"
"looked at web site, read information packet, talked with another interviewee"
"read over AMCAS, SDN"
"Student doctor, Interview feedback, school website"
"this website,nymc website"
"Went over amcas and read up on school, asked a friend who had interviewed there"
"this site and the school catalog"
"Talked with students, studentdoctor.net, read my application"
"Read SDN Interview Feedback."
"SDN, school website, healthcare primer, etc."
"sdn, nymc website, talked to nymc students"
"I prepared by reading all of the material I could on the NYMC web site; SDN interviews; reviewed my research; and had some time (2 years and a previous rejection everywhere) for serious introspection about what I want to do with my life and why a career in medicine is most satisfying for me."
"SDN, talked to others, went on their website, read amcas"
"The interview is very informal and comfortable. Basically the questions were germane to my experiences and interests."
"SDN, my amcas file"
"Read website, SDN, reviewed application"
"Read school website, SDN, went over my application."
"Health care issues - though I didn't need it - and review my app."
"Interview Feedback (SDN), NYMC Website, AMCAS"
"read this website, read the school's website, talked to students the night before"
"interviewfeedback, sdn, website, student"
"This website, read about medical ethics and healthcare issues online, reviewed application material and read the newspaper everyday (which I do anyway)."
"read website, checked MSAR, read interview feedback"
"Read my application, researched current issues in healthcare, check out www.publicagenda.org"
"NYMC web site; SDN; AMCAS app"
"Read website, MSAR page, CV, bioethics notes, interview feedback on this website, SDN, and talked w/ a friend who had been accepted there."
"practiced questions, read my essay"
"reviewed my app. went to the school website. talked to students there."
"Read about NYMC, read over my application, thought about why I would want to go to NYMC."
"Read website, talked with student host"
"Read NY Times, book on health policy/insurance, looked over personal statement"
"Read over the website and my AMCAS app"
"Read up on this feedback site, NYMC website"
"read through the nymc website, sdn"
"read up on current events/bioethics."
"read website, SDN feedback, my app"
"Read feedback, read over applications, read articles on health care issues."
"read current events, stayed with student host, reviewed my file"
"read a brochure about the school and used info from this web site"
"I was nervous, so I did everything I could to make sure I was ready. I read up on the US healthcare systems vs other healthcare systems (Canada), bioethics, the school, etc. In hindsight, I would still have done the prep, more just to have something intelligent to so, rather then trying to dazzle someone with knowledge. Just have a informed opinion and you should be fine."
"Looked at school's website, searched interviewfeedback.com, talked to current students, read over application material"
"Interviewfeedback.com, StudentDoctor.net pre-med forum."
"The facilities, the support for student, the residency placements. Power was out in admissions building but they really made the alternate arrangements work."
"Loved the area, students seemed great, faculty members were all very enthusiastic. Tons of clinical opportunities for students. Facilities seemed pretty nice too."
"Very nice campus. Friendly staff and the students seemed happy."
"hospital on site"
"Surprisingly, I was impressed by a lot! I know a lot of people are turned off by the dorm-style environment, but I personally love that most of the class lives right on campus! I got a community vibe while I was there. And of course the anatomy lab is beautifullllllll. Love the natural light, and I couldn't smell an ounce of formaldehyde because of the amazing ventilation system. The whole inside of the school is beautiful really! I was probably so impressed because I didn't expect to like the school, since I'm such an urbanite. But then I realized that as long as I have a car, I'd love it there! If I'm too broke for a car then it's a whole other story..a really bad story but let's stay positive. Oh and I'm interested in Neurology so hearing the Associate Dean talk so much about neuroscience and neurologic rotations made me happy! Havent really heard much about Neuro at other schools. Oh and this was seriously the BEST interview lunchI've had so far. Those wraps were delicious! And we had cake at the end of the day ^_^"
"Students seemed cooperative. Good match list."
"I loved the community feel. I've never lived in dorm style housing before and I thought it was very endearing"
"It was a very relaxed day."
"The attitude of the students I met."
"the anatomy lab lived up to my expectations. the building the school is in is really nice."
"They gave really good directions to the interview sites which are not necessarily inside the administration building"
"The student body"
"Academic facilities, broad range of clinical sites"
"The sense of community between students."
"How friendly the admissions staff was and how laid back the entire day was."
"Lots of great opportunities, like rotations in NYC. Curriculum. The actual campus itself and the facilities are really nice, there's lots of green everywhere."
"Location, facilities, anatomy lab"
"Beautiful campus, friendly people, school community and pride"
"my faculty interviewer was very very nice and the other students interviewing at this school seemed pretty down-to-earth"
"Just one building on campus, the mec"
"Friendliness of faculty and staff"
"Seems like a friendly environment"
"The proximity to NYC"
"The anatomy lab has a nice skylight. My student host was awesome and really cool."
"The laidback, chill med students who were really nice and helpful about any questions asked. The amazing anatomy lab and facilities. The fact that the school is 30 minutes from New York City."
"There is a strong sense of community and the students support each other in both school work and life, since most of them live on campus for the first 2 years. Also, we had a chance to sit in the back at the lectures for first and second years during the free time on the interview day."
"the pretty anatomy lab; the nationally-ranked children's hospital (I wandered there during my free time and a doctor saw me looking kinda lost so he took me on a tour of his floor!)"
"The faculty and the hospitals. It is a level 1 trauma center"
"The anatomy lab is at the top floor of their newest building with lots of natural light"
"Facilities and students."
"The atmosphere and the friendliness of the faculty and staff"
"The interviewer impressed me immensely."
"Staff, facilities (especially the anatomy lab -- very bright and airy)"
"The anatomy lab and all the buildings looked new and refreshing"
"The children's hospital is pretty neat, and my interviewer was a really interesting guy. The two tour guides were also a nice sample of the student body (not identical people, and pretty open). The anatomy lab is also new and very light and airy, which was a bonus."
"How satisfied the students were with the school, the ANATOMY LAB (imagine that!), the school's high USMLE pass rates."
"Beautiful campus."
"The campus was gorgeous!"
"Great school- right next to a hospital; an overall amazing campus"
"The campus was amazing; the brand new pediatric hospital; the students seemed genuinely happy; the anatomy lab wasn't in the basement and had natural lights"
"The anatomy lab, the campus, overall feel of the school, the cafeteria, scribe service"
"Interviewer very nice, small campus, everyone was nice."
"Location, anatomy lab, campus was pretty"
"Attitude of school was focused but relaxed, they really want to make quality doctors! Their board exams are above average so they prepare you well for residency. Diversity of clinical rotations."
"location, facilities, campus"
"Anatomy Lab, convenient campus housing, very nice and welcoming students even though they were coming out of a test or something. High boards scores, great match list."
"Info-session speakers were enthusiastic and friendly. Tour guides were friendly. "
"The weather was nice that day."
"View of the school and the students seem happy"
"Everyone was really helpful. The Anatomy lab."
"solid match list, 3rd and 4th year can be spent in NYC, prepare you well for boards, anatomy lab was new"
"campus was pretty, students were very friendly!! anatomy lab was great"
"Everyone was incredibly nice. The students seem to have a life despite their studies. Their follies videos (shown to me by my student hosts were hilarious.)"
"The campus - it is really a beautiful building (set of buildings) - anatomy lab was very nice - students seemed very collaborative, open, etc."
"Facilities, current students, board scores. Interview was laid back and conversational. Interviewer seemed interested in what I had to say. "
"the anatomy lab room is the BEST ventilated I've seen so far. With so many ducts going in and out of the room, you can barely smell the formaldehyde."
"Anatomy Lab Location near NYC"
"Honestly, not much of anything. It seems like a pretty lackluster place. I guess the anatomy lab is alright though."
"Their student survival guide is nice."
"The facilities are nice, high board scores, NYC is close by and you can do your second two years there"
"The students, their friendliness and helpfulness. "
"State of the art medical education building, beautiful campus with lots of trees. Stay with a student host! Then you get to see how student housing is like. Many students spend their 3rd and 4th years doing clinical rotations in Manhattan. I spoke to my first year tour guide and she said she knows a few people who live in manhattan and reverse commute to school every day/every other day. Podcasts help."
"Relaxed interview and the students seemed to really enjoy the school."
"Student run clinic, brand new anatomy lab, free tutoring if you want it"
"Valhalla is beautiful, lots of trees and what not. The campus is gorgeous, and I'm assuming it is even more so during the sunny months. I was kind of sketched out about the prison close by at first, but it's not bad at all. There is lots of security on campus. The cadaver lab is awesome...so are pretty much all the other facilities there too. Housing looks nice as well."
"Very quiet area"
"campus is beautiful"
"New York Med is the first med school to own a hospital, a precedent that speaks volumes toward its dedication to training clinicians as opposed to just becoming a research institute. The school has many famous alums who are now prominent physicians in hospitals and med schools all over the country. Also, since it was established first as a med school, new york med devotes most of its resources toward training its med students as opposed to allocating them to undergrads."
"One of their main academic hospitals (St. Vincent's in Manhattan) ranks first in cardiac surgery open heart procedures among New York City hospitals; this prestigious hospital has been treating titanic survivors to WTC survivors to numerous celebs to the avg Joe for 150 years."
"the great name/reputation of the school, very high board scores, strong alumni network, and that the student body was very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be part of the school"
"the name of the school ("New York Medical College" speaks for itself), impressive board scores, emphasis on training physicians as clinicians first and foremost, on campus housing, friendly students, and easy access to the city; also heard from the tour guide that Sarah Jessica Parker was treated in one of their hospitals"
"the rich suburban location that is nevertheless part of the New York Metropolitan Area. It is quite close to NYC (20 minutes rail accessible) yet offers a safe, relaxed, and beautiful scenery for the first two basic science years. It is quite a blend of the safety and beauty that a NYC suburb offers and also a short and easy travel down to the nation's media capital whenever one feels like having an adrenaline rush. The next two years of clinical rotations could well be spent in Manhattan where med students really need some patient interactions. The students were very friendly, diverse, and the facilities were very nice as well."
"This might seem superficial, but "New York Medical College" just sounds a lot more legit compared to other med schools. I am especially fond of the student-run clinic they have in East Harlem; also, I like the fact that the school has educated many influential physicians in NYC."
"While not known as a research powerhouse, the school is very reputed among clinicians/practitioners in the medical community. Not surprisingly, it has the same avg board scores as Harvard."
"I really liked the campus, the students all seemed very happy, the board scores and match list were top notch, and the facilities were the best I saw."
"It was obvious that the student body was very close and worked cooperatively."
"The student hosts were the nicest and most helpful guys I have ever met. If there was one reason to go to the school, it would be because of the great friendships that develop between the students in each class."
"the facilities were decent"
"Very Little..."
"Location. I like that the student is isolated from the city and next to a hospital. (I don't care much for the city life)"
"Anatomy labs (large windows)"
"Cheap MPH program, Anatomy lab"
"Valhalla seemed like a serene & peaceful area compared to a place as LA. We got a free NYMC lanyard. NYMC is very geared towards the boards, so they have good stats for STEP 1. "
"The students seemed to love the school. The anatomy lab is great (on the top floor of the medical education building, lots of light from skylights and a great ventilation system); everything is right there (medical center, education center, student housing); the student housing is cheap and very convenient; the area seems like a very nice suburban community; proximity to NYC; they offer a cheap dual MPH degree that you can complete within 4 years with the MD degree; medical spanish courses are available; "
"Unlike some of the other feedback, the people at NYMC really impressed me. Everyone was incredibly helpful, and the second years seemed really relaxed. Can't speak for the first years, however, since they were taking a test. Also, I like the rural feel of the campus. Lots of open space. Also the facilities were pretty nice. Check out the Children's Hospital if you have the chance its pretty impressive."
"Anatomy lab, proximity to NYC"
"BEAUTIFUL anatomy lab...that's about it."
"My interviewer was really easy to talk to. The students seemed happy, and they were all really nice and helpful. The anatomy lab was great. "
"my student host was really nice. how close the housing is to campus. across the street."
"anatomy lab is well ventilated, excellent clinical opportunities, camaraderie of students, curriculum, proximity to NYC"
"Diverse and acive students, nice 2nd year lecture hall (1st year not as good), no class on catholic holidays, impressive facilities, numerous partner hospitals."
"great anatomy lab, good community feel to the school since most of the first year class lives together in residence"
"How close knit and friendly the students and admissions staff were. The facilities are very new and clean."
"Nice anatomy lab, of course. Good presentation covering admissions process, financial aid, etc."
"Overall, I liked the school. The campus is really nice and open, not just a building. WMC is a 1000 bed level 1 TC, and the rest of the network is large and has some great hospitals so the school offers outstanding clinical training. Buildings themselves were nice and the anatomy lab is probably one of the best in the country. The students, staff, faculty were pretty nice and were happy to talk with us when we had questions."
"Snow? I hardly ever see snow, but concerning the school, maybe the anatomy lab. Most impressive was the Children's hospital. You should definitley check out the acquarium, the NY Yankees memorabilia collection and the dolls on display. All are geared towards kids but you get a sense of how the school goes out of its way to care of its patients. Also, the school boast high board scores, specifically for Step 1. They were vague about how much higher their scores were but the guide rounded to about 8 points above the national average. The area seems safe. My interviewer said only 1-2 major crimes in the past 25 years. The administration is nice and seems to be willing to listen to student concerns and complaints. The first and second year class was very helpful when I asked questions and there doesn't seem to be serious competitiveness."
"the close proximity to NYC! I have never been to New York before, and the city was absolutely amazing! "
"the facilities and faculty"
"The facilities were new. The gross anatomy lab was better than most."
"Nice facilities, huge hospital, new and airy anatomy lab, overall community feel. A NYMC graduate doing his residency there talked about the school, he gave excellent advice and explained why he liked NYMC, it was pretty convincing. "
"The students were all very friendly. The anatomy lab is really nice and the administration seems really supportive. It is also really nice how close it is to Manhattan (50% of students live 3rd and 4th yrs in Manhattan). The children's hopsital is gorgeous."
"The interviewer was wonderful! He really seemed to want to learn more about me and give me the opportunity to get to learn about the school. "
"The students were incredibly friendly, the facilities were reasonably nice, the location (Valhalla) was better than I expected. "
"anatomy lab was great, the students with whom i interacted were enthusiastic about the school and the tour guides were fun"
"Sense of community at the medical college, on campus housing. "
"The facilities are all new and very clean. Literally everyone I met was sweet as sugar, including the car rental guys- not what I was expecting for a weathier suburb of NYC. The Children's hospital is amazing, the campus is compact, easy to navigate, and seems like a real community. Parking for all students, including commuters, is free. Great security, saw many even during the daytime. There are so many options for things to do outside of school time: 30 min from NYC, 6 min from White Plains which has all the basics you could ever ask for, less congestion and noise than what would be found in downtown urban area, beautiful scenery, many outdoor activities and opportunities. "
"beautiful campus, new facilities, good housing"
"the anatomy lab, the high board scores, and the attitudes of the students. Not to mention NYC is just a short train ride away..."
"the anatomy lab...nice, natural light, ventilation system, the new children's hospital was amazing! The students seemed happy, and the admissions staff were enthusiastic."
"facilities are nice."
"The people were extremely nice and helpful. "
"the campus, the anatomy lab"
"Great interviewer who was so relaxed. Told me not to be nervous, etc. Nice anatomy lab, friendly faculty."
"nice facilities. I stayed in the dorm...nice people"
"The location: the school is in a small, pretty town in a nice area (except for the prison) but still only 35-45 minutes away from Manhattan by train. The dorms are right across the street and are pretty inexpensive; you can do your rotations during 3rd and 4th year at practically any hospital "
"The anatomy lab is pretty amazing and I liked how they had tests throughout which use the same format as boards so you will be well prepared."
"The facilities seemed up to date, clean, etc. I didn't mind that the dorms were literally across the street from classes, library, and everything else, but they were dorm like. Not bad. "
"A lot. I liked the students and the facilities seemed relatively up to date. Everyone was helpful and looked happy, which hasn't been the case at all of the schools I've seen."
"Everything. The location is great for all sorts of social life. In there are there is rock climbing, running/biking/hiking trails. Skiing is 45 min away. NYC is less than 30min away on a fast train."
"Nice staff, very well lit anatomy lab, dorm rooms are all singles"
"The interview itself was very laid back and conversational. Being that this was my first interview, it really helped me ease into the whole process, which I liked. "
"chill environment, spacious campus, comfortable housing, nice education facility (including anatomy lab), friendly people"
"the anatomy lad was so beyond beautiful but everything else kind of sucked"
"Anatomy lab, children's hospital. Also the match list was very impressive"
"anatomy lab"
"Friendly students, facilities, housing"
"The classrooms and anatomy lab looked new and clean."
"The anatomy lab was great and really new."
"anatomy lab's very well lit and ventilated. very nice students. the tour guides were definitely trying to sell the place to us. free parking!"
"Proximity to NYC"
"children's hospital, students, anatomy lab, student housing, 'scribe system' (people record lectures and make them available for students)"
"I was impressed students typically score above the national average on boards, the anatomy lab was very well lit with natural light and well ventilated, and the students were very friendly and open."
"The facilities are new and very nice. Great anatomy room, well ventilated and lit."
"beautiful campus, great respect for the cadavers in the anatomy lab, nice students"
"I really liked the attitude of the school and the students there. Very easy going and positive. A lot of enthusiasm in talking about the school. Also the new Children's Hospital is INCREDIBLE!!! Doesn't seem like a hospital at all - all sorts of fun things for kids and plasma TVs with gaming consoles in every room. Probably an incredible experience for the kids that have to stay there. I think it would be incredible to be able to work there."
"Excellent financial aid talk, nice tour guides"
"Campus was really nice; nice anatomy lab too. I like how students and live in dorms and roll out of bed to class, and the dorms are very cheap."
"the anatomy lab was VERY nice and didn't smell, really not that far from NYC, pretty campus, the new children's hospital is very nice, students were all friendly, LOTS of California kids"
"student body and facilities."
"Beautiful area, pretty good facilities."
"The buildings were beautiful and I loved the Children's Hospital."
"The students! They were so friendly and helpful. Sitting around and waiting for my interivew, many of them came up and asked if I had any questions, if I knew where I was going, or who I was interviewing with. They were incredibly nice and helpful. Also really liked the area. Don't want to be in a big city, so this is pretty much perfect for me."
"Amazing facilities and location! FREE PARKING FOR STUDENTS!"
"The atmosphere was not at all stuffy and everyone from admissions staff to my interviewer was friendly."
"facilities"
"I enjoyed the facilities, and it has a very suburban feel to it. The apartment dorms were very nice. "
"Campus was really nice; nice anatomy lab too. I like how students and live in dorms and roll out of bed to class, and the dorms are only $640/mo including utilities."
"facilities, housing provided and relatively cheap ($600/month includes everything except phone), free parking on campus, curriculum (trimesters with 2 major classes each trimester)"
"i think the campus is great, and the hospitals that you do your clerkships in are diverse. seems like the students receive great training overall. "
"amazing anatamy lab (best of 7 interviews), exceptional board scores, 19 hospitals in which to do rotations including Westchester Med Center (1000 + bed major hospital serving 5 million people), major academic hospitals in Manahattan if you want, brand new innovative peds hospital on campus, prosimty to NYC, research during 1st summer if you want (research not as lacking as everyone tries to make it seem , 45+ million in funding with a grad school of 200 students), international opportunities for the summer if you want. "
"facilities are nice..anatomy lab is preety new..and so is the 2nd yr lecture hall"
"EVERYTHING! The faculty, interviewer, students and facilities were amazing. The Childrens Hospital was great. The tour guide was really chill and funny."
"My interviewer was amazing, informative and organized orientation, anatomy lab is really nice."
"The facilities were very nice and new, especially the cadaver lab which was very large and not smelly. It is also only 30 min. from manhattan."
"The school's beautiful (though I find snow pretty). I feel that the town is suburban and you can easily have a car (which some people would hate). And you can get to NYC with a ten minute (11 dollar) taxi/drive, and a 40 minutes train ride (6 dollar) train ticket. I know some say that's too far away or too much, but good enough for me. I liked the anatomy lab and cafeteria, but I did not get a full tour (long story, I'll explain later). And I liked the dorms."
"The facilities are really nice, especially the anatomy lab, and the campus was really pretty and quiet (a nice change from NY, but very close)."
"anatomy lab is very nice"
"facilities for sure, great campus, there is a good social outlet if you look. take advantage of things going on "on campus". medical education is excellent and great exposure to all different types of patients with its extensive hospital network"
"Nice facilities, fairly active student body, close to NYC"
"the chat with the 4th year student - she was fantastic!; the facilities; the fact that nymc and wmc are in this medical enclave (not for everyone, but i really like that atmosphere)"
"The students"
"Everyone at the school was genuinely happy to be there and there was a real sense of community. Very cooperative environment and beautiful facilities"
"Students score really well on the boards."
"as others say, the anatomy lab is really nice. i also LOVED the children's hospital."
"The facilities were excellent"
"The anatomy lab is very very impressive. Trust me, I've worked in an anatomy lab in college! Also, I really appreciated that the student body was collaborative and that there was a lot of comradrie - the people here are not competitive and work hard together to learn together!"
"Anatomy lab (good ventilation and lighting), new facilities and classrooms"
"The board scores."
"Students are happy, faculty are nice"
"The amazing facilities, the lecture halls, the beautiful weather, the childrens hospital nearby"
"The students...they were very chill and down to earth people. The school had a very relaxing atmosphere to it and the students didn't seem at all stressed even though they were busy studying for upcoming exams. Great facilities and good location."
"Very nice interviewer, interesting physician and very excited about the school. I like the old, remote feeling to the campus, yet close enough to NYC."
"That you can spend year 3 and 4 in new york city in hospitals there."
"nice facilities, great anatomy lab, the college is really not that isolated- its just really suburban. NYC is like 25 min away!"
"Students seem happy there and anatomy lab was nice; the first one i've seen that wasn't in a damp basement. It had nice bright windows and awesome circulation."
"beautiful campus; affordable student apartments on campus; comradary between students; friendliness and helpfulness of faculty; diversity of student body; location"
"the new facilities especially the anatomy lab. Students seem happy"
"catholic affiliation is only in name, nothing (or at least very, very little) more"
"Students are happy and friendly. Scribe service. Campus is beautiful. Prime location. Everything else!"
"The admissions staff was very very very friendly. The students were very friendly as well. Everyone seemed happy. The school is small and comfortable."
"students seemed happy and warm, nice facilities, convenient student housing"
"The students were all very friendly and enthusiastic about the school, the campus and surrounding area are nice."
"The students were really enthusiastic and nice and seemed like a close knit group."
"The anatomy labs are GORGEOUS; on the 4th floor, with cathedral ceilings and skylights - not at all like the dungeon/horror-movie-esque labs at other schools."
"Awesome new facilities like anatomy lab and housing. Building new children's hospital as well."
"Of course the antatomy labs were very nice. The location is suburban and nice. There are a lot of trees, grass etc. Convenient to have apartments available on campus"
"How small the campus is. Also, the student's seem genuinely happy at the school."
"The facilities were amazing, especially the famously and rightly talked about anatomy lab with sky lights. The train ride from NYC was a quick 40 minutes, meaning that is close enough for when you need the distractions of city life, and far enough when you need to stap down and study. "
"the faculty and students were really helpful and friendly"
"The facility, as everyone notes, was great. The students seemed very happy to be there and they were openly friendly and helpful (including those that weren't leading a tour but just sitting around studying)"
"The place grew on me. I think it was the modules and anatomy lab."
"the facilities were great. and anatomy lab was especially fantastic (everyone says that). skylights and space. such a refreshing experience in contrast to most schools' dank basements"
"Everything. The anatomy lab is beautiful, the best I've seen by far (It has skylights). The campus is very nice. The dorms, are clean and well maintained."
"All of the students seemed very enthusiastic and happy with the school. Everyone was very friendly. The new medical education center is very nice."
"I loved the anatomy labs, the labs were on the top floor, had skylights and a good ventilation system. I liked that there was on-campus housing something that wasn't available at the other school I interviewed at."
"I liked how the campus had a community feeling to it. They have a variety of student organizations and I-play sports that other colleges dont. It was also the first medical school interview where they discussed pointers on getting financial aid."
"The academic buildings are fairly new and very clean. Anatomy lab is on top floor with lots of natural light-- very pleasant. Cozy, New England feel to the small campus."
"For an old school, very modern facilities. Got to sit in on a lecture, and enjoyed the teacher. The Anatomy lab really is THAT nice. All the students i met seemed quite happy with the school. There is one hour free time during the interview day to walk around campus. "
"Impressive USMLE scores. I heard some years they get close to 100 percent of students passing on first try. Spend the first two years in an environment that is very condusive to studying yet you are still close to new york. Anatomy room is amazy. Faculty are really friendly. Students are laid back."
"The anatomy lab is incredible. Nice campus feel, close to NYC but still has a suburban atmosphere, everyone was very nice."
"Housing is available on campus, 3rd year rotations can be in NYC. Facilities were pretty new."
"Camraderie between the MS1s, free parking if you live on-campus, everyone in the singles housing gets their own room."
"Beautiful school; I like that the anatomy lab is not a creepy basement, but the top floor of the main building, with lots of sky lights and windows. The hospital is right at the campus, which is really nice. The dorms are really nice, nearby, and large; everyone gets a single, I think."
"Anatomy lab is really nice. Better than all other schools i've seen. But I would'nt pick a school because of their anatomy lab. To me that is trivial. Option to do rotations is Manhattan, good clinical experience i bet."
"The school has a high USMLE pass rate (99%) and it is only about an hour away from New York City."
"almost every 1st and 2nd year student lives on campus so very close-knit community, everybody was very friendly, anatomy lab on 4th floor, good food in the cafeteria, Children's Hospital"
"nice area, nice anatomy lab, friendly students. Has a campus feel. Almost everyone in first two years lives on campus."
"The students were really nice. I don't understand why every person that writes on this website says that the students seemed unhappy. The tour guides were so enthusiastic, the girl I stayed with and her roommates were happy, the facilities were nice, especially (as everyone says) the anatomy lab. The most positive thing is the opportunity to do 3rd and 4th year in NYC!!!! It is the perfect set up!!!"
"The anatomy lab, the dorm rooms, the great record NYMC students have on the boards, the poise of the students and admin office staff when speaking; also, Westchester's a nice place to live in terms of comfort and just feeling safe; finally, I really liked the group of students I interviewed with, which I took to be a good sign in terms of the types of students the school attracts and ultimately enrolls"
"the anatomy lab is beautiful (well, as beautiful as an anatomy lab can be). lecture halls are pretty nice."
"How friendly the students, faculty, and staff were; and how the students genuinely seemed to really like the school."
"The facilities are very modern (wireless connections,etc) and the gross anatomy is beautiful (lots of natural light, plants, recycled air every 27 min, etc...) They have a financial aid person come speak and it was very, very informative and helpful."
"I had very little expectation for this school, but by the end of the day I was really impressed with it. The facilities are really nice, and the students that I met seemed really comfortable and happy where they were. I was initially turned off by the idea of dorms, but the students seem to see it as a great way to develop a community, and it seems like it helps people concentrate to have everyone around them doing the same thing. The other thing I was nervous about was I thought that maybe the opportunities to do your rotations in Manhattan were limited, but all of the staff and students said that if you want to, you can. I enjoyed how the day was very self-organized. I was able to sit in on a lecture, and I felt like I could roam around the school and get the informal sense of what it would be like to go there. "
"The anatomy lab and other facilities were nice. But I got the impression the anat lab was really the only great part of the school."
"The Faculty are soooo nice. The interviewees are sooo nice and friendly and so are the interviewers"
"The beautiful anatomy lab, friendly students, on campus housing and opportunities to do clinical rotations in NYC."
"Nothing, really. The students looked miserable, the tour guides were boring and didn't seem happy, and the facilities were nothing exciting. I was also not impressed with the dorms, where every single student seems to live. I can't imagine being in the middle of nowhere and living with all my classmates right across the walkway from the classroom building. Seems like med-school summer camp to me."
"the anatomy lab. the open-air feeling was amazing. and i liked the idea of taking anatomy and looking at the body under the naturay light of the sun."
"1) How well students do on the USLMEs and in matching for residencies 2) The campus was nice, had a New England flavor 3) Students seemed pretty laid back but also take the work seriously 4) Even though the area was very suburban there were a few hospitals and medical university buildings 5) Housing was quite decent, cozy."
"My interviewer was very cool. The faculty in general seemed very friendly and competent. The anatomy lab was very nice too. The other applicants there were very cool people as well. "
"The facilities at NY Medical are all very new. The students seemed pretty happy and I thought my interviewer was great - he was personable and welcoming. The student apts are nice too but not entirely cheap. The campus is nice & quiet too. It's a good environment for study and the city is only a 45 min train ride away."
"The enthusiasm of the school"
"the student guides. they seemed to be enjoying the school and the life there. People are very genuine and nice housing. everyone thinks the anatomy lab is really cool. given this was my 1st interview, i couldn't compare it to anything else. "
"My interviewer was great. She had this feminist vibe to her and I asked her about how hard is it to be a female in medicine while managing a family and a career. Needless to say, we really bonded over that question. Overall, i really liked the facilities. The building was built in 2001 so everything is spanking new (the anatomy lab was gorgeous). The staff was really inviting and friendly. "
"How nice and normal the students were"
"The building was awesome, the housing was great. The students seemed happy and down to earth. The tour guides were very congenial and warm and gave great information."
"My interviewer was extremely attentive, took notes, and asked follow up questions. He seemed to care about what I had to say and was genuinely interested in getting to know me. The medical teaching building is in great shape and the anatomy lab is the best I've seen so far being on the top floor of the building with abundant skylights. My interviewer as well as the staff made me feel NYMC cares deeply about its students. Check out the brand new Children's Hospital. For kids and baseball fans (as well as sick patients) it is a true treat. "
"Very nice campus, beautiful facilities, the faculty and staff seem really oriented toward helping the students, the comraderie between students, the non-competitive atmopshere, the housing is more that adequate, BEAUTIFUL facilities"
"The anatomy labs were gorgeous, and the students did "seem" happy..."
"pretty campus, enthusiastic students"
"The campus was very clean and peaceful-looking. Also the staff was very accomodating and the students seemed happy to be there."
"This is a relatively new school in a very picturesque setting. The facilities all seemed nice, clean and modern. Their anatomy lab is incredible and the students are all very positive, low-stressed. "
"Admissions staff seemed very friendly. Students seemed pretty friendly also. The campus is very well maintained and pretty in that brick, East-coast, kind of way. A lot of the buildings and facilities seem to be pretty new. "
"The anatomy lab and the campus."
"The student host program is great. Campus is very modern and the facilities/resources are great. NYC is like 20 minutes away."
"Pretty campus, laid back atmosphere, very nice people."
"Nice facilities, nice campus, very laid back atmosphere. I could really see myself making NYMC my home for 4 years. We got to sit in on a 1st year lecture after our interview, students all had the powerpoint slides printed out in advance and were following along with the professor. "
"Facilities are great, the anatomy lab was very well ventilated and modern. The school is fairly small and everyone knows everyone which is nice. The campus is beautiful, and I love Valhalla as one feels like they are in a 'forest' surrounded by trees. Campus seems safe and staff seems friendly. I like how the financial aid office seems informative and quite open to helping students. I also liked how the school gave interviwees a list of phone numbers of current students that are willing to answer questions about the school. I also like the continental breakfast and $7 coupen for lunch! that was very nice...."
"Beautiful campus (everyone says that, but it's nice--reminds me more of an undergrad campus than a med school)"
"everyone was really laidback and nice pretty place"
"clean lecture hall, very nice anatomy lab"
"nice facilities, easy to park"
"The facilities are BEA-YOO-TIFUL! The anatomy lab and classroom modules appear to be brand-new and well-maintained. The students seem genuinely happy, didn't appear as frazzled/stressed as kids at other schools. I think NYMC does a good job of selecting ppl who fit the profile of the school (even the other kids I interviewed with were great! We all bonded and even shared rides/took cabs/trains back together.) Although the housing is dorm-like, it's reasonably priced and convenient. The location is also pretty ideal--it appears as though living in Valhalla would be conducive to studying (i.e., avoiding the tempting distractions of city life), but The City is easily accessible when you want it (40 minutes away by train). I was also psyched to hear that a large percentage of 3rd and 4th year students do their rotations in NYC."
"first of all, the interview day was VERY organized. The welcome from the admissions office was great, and the presentation by the financial aid adviser is the best I've encountered. Admin and financial aid really look out for their students! I had steak for my free lunch! Housing is nice, educational facilities are fairly new. Students have high board scores. there are various teaching hospitals (city-->subburbs) for your clinical rotations. "
"the admissions staff was very kind and informative, the students were nice and helpful, the facilities were impressive (especially the anatomy lab!), and the opportunities were incredible (high board scores and good third year)"
"anatomy lab, scenic location, dorms, the financial aid team "
"students were friendly and seemed happy, facilities were new and state-of-the-art. The interviewer was genuinely interested in my responses."
"The campus and ANATOMY LAB are amazing."
"the facilities are one of a kind, the campus is very beautiful and cosy...i got a very peaceful and homely feeling...not to mention the famous state of the art anatomy lab."
"awesome facilities! beautiful location "
"nice facilities(anatomy lab!), good preparation for the boards, nice location, nice student housing"
"beautiful campus, unparalleled anatomy lab, friendly laid-back students who rock the boards and get great matches, "
"HIGH Step I pass rate (~99%), and a killer anatomy lab (no pun intended). Housing was superb, and the students are quite laid back. Financial aid counselors work closely with students to help them budget properly."
"anatomy lab, excellent variety of clinical experiences, student housing (better than the dorms I lived in!), orientation (although students giving the tour repeated a lot of what we had already been told), there's sushi in the cafeteria"
"Gross lab (and its philosophy on donors), clinical emphasis, beautiful campus, student housing"
"Campus location is very nice, quiet but still close to the city. Students seem very satisfied, and well prepared for the boards."
"Students seemed like a cohesive group and the new facilities are a plus. Wide diversity of clinical sites. Also, students seem well prepared for the boards."
"The students were VERY friendly and seemed happy and active in the school. There was a variety of activities they participated in, and community service was a common denominator."
"nothing"
"My interviewer was great and had very similar interests in medicine to me. The new teaching facilities are great and the school seems to really prepare its students."
"The campus was small and intimate, which may or may not bother people. Most people live on campus in pretty nice housing. "
"the anatomy lab and the fact that the rates for passing board exams is extremely high at this school. i don't mind the location either, it's not that far from nyc."
"Very nice facilities. The anatomy lab is the nicest I've seen. Students seem happy"
"Outstanding facilities. Safe and convenient campus. Great hospital affiliates for your clerkships. High Board Scores. Strong campus life (a pro and a con)"
"the location is cool... very campus like... Though it is isolated, white plains is only a 10 minute drive and there is easy access to the city. If you want city life, its there, and if you want quite suburbs, its there too. Also, quite a few hospital affiliations and therefore lots of opportunities. One of the most helpful financial aid departments I've seen. "
"The facilities."
"Great location -- best of both worlds in being near NYC and in Westchester, which has rich nearby, but also poor, immigrant, elderly, rural). Awesome facilities. Convenient campus. Curriculum prepares you well for boards. Many options for clerkships in 3rd and 4th years."
"Nice new teaching facilities, student's seemed to enjoy being at NYMC, friendly administration and interviewer, good board scores, traditional curriculum with good clinical opportunities "
"Essentially, they get done what needs to be done, fairly painlessly, you go there, you'll get good board scores and you'll get a good residency, in a fairly cush environment."
"nice campus. facilities are new. anatomy lab is superb."
"how hard they try to emphasize primary care. even though not many of their students go on to practice in primary care, they still emphasize it a lot"
"Anatomy lab is new, large, and airy. Third and fourth year rotations can be done in NYC. (About half the class ends up moving out of Valhalla.)"
"ridiculously awesome anatomy lab. my interview, which was with a faculty member, was relaxed like a conversation. "
"The facilities are beautiful. There is no EGO at this school. Faculty and students are down to earth. There is no "inferiority complex" that I would have expected. People generally seem happy and the staff seems dedicated to making you a good physician."
"The anatomy lab, and all the facilities."
"The sense of community as well as the strength of the program"
"the facilities, the students were really nice, impressive residency placement"
"Nice anatomy lab. Students are smart but still outgoing down to earth. Some people complain about the campus being away from the city, however half the students do rotations in Manhattan for third and fourth years. Board exam scores and options for clinical work."
"Great board scores, nice facilities."
"I like Valhalla. It's very Pretty. I like the opportunity to do both rural and urban clerkships without compromise."
"That most students live on campus; the variety of clinical training sites; the facilities (brand new!); the campus is really beautiful"
"facilities are very nice and new. nice housing."
"Students were very helpful and friendly, everyone likes the anatomy lab"
"The students were friendly. Anatomy lab (like everyone else)"
"great gross anatomy lab, all the facilities seem brand new"
"*awesome* anatomy lab - you almost couldn't smell the formalin at all and the lighting was wonderful. students say they are very well prepared for the boards because of the preparation."
"i had heard a lot of bad things about this school, from this website and other people that interviewed there, but i was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming people were there and how happy the students seemed to be. i like that a lot of students do 2 years in valhalla and move to manhattan for their 3rd and 4th years, so you get a change of location."
"The dorms, brand new facility, options for 3 and 4th year rotaions and housind, nice anatomy lab, happy students and faculty"
"They did a really good job "selling" the school to us. The facilities were awesome - brand new. The board scores are really high above average and residency placement is very good. Their hospital affiliations are awesome too."
"The students were very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. The facilities were new and clean - the campus as a whole was very nice. Staying with a student was a great experience. The board scores and residency placements are also very impressive. "
"School is gorgeous. Very nice and diverse people. Interview day not too long and pretty organized."
"beautiful area, anatomy lab is spacious, not too smelly and with excellent natural light, the students are very friendly, the financial aid presentation was extremely informative and organized, the school uses a lot of technology, the module rooms are very cool"
"anatomy building, board scores, nice campus"
"Anatomy lab is beautiful and open 24/7, there are many options for seclusive study areas, cohesive student body. NYMC has an intimate feel despite the large MD class. Excellent board scores. Fellow interviewees were very friendly if that is any indication of the type of students that attend NYMC. "
"Away from the hustle/bustle of the city (if that is what you like)"
"the student community... everyone seems to get along and it reminds me of dorm life from college. I like how everything is situated on one site, one campus."
"The faculty and students seem very happy with the curriculum, and the students appear to get a lot of support in all areas even financial aid advising. Transportation from NYC was also very convenient. "
"the anatomy lab, and the board scores"
"Everyone was very friendly. I liked the student tour guides. One of the students said she interviewed on April 25th, was waitlisted and got accepted on July 3rd. That was nice to hear since I interviewed so late. My interviewer practiced what I want to practice. Coincidence...probably. Good cafe food."
"The campus. I like the small town environment. Good programs tailored to my interests."
"Facilities are nice - nice anatomy lab with good ventilation. Good USMLE scores and residency placement."
"I loved the area...I grew up in "suburbia," so I felt right at home. The school is in a beautiful and peaceful locale. The admissions staff was wonderfully sweet and organized our day without any glitches. The student tour was informative. The gross anatomy lab was very well lighted and ventilated. I loved the "look" of the school and the attitude of the people there. The student housing was also pretty impressive."
"My interviewer was very nice, and kept stressing to me that he was my "voice" to the admissions committee, and he seemed to want to "go to bat" for me. Also, I was so impressed with their anatomy lab - the best I've ever seen."
"The anatomy lab is really nice. "
"the third and fourth year are done in the city."
"the anatomy lab, location of the school (this will depend on your own personal preference, but I liked that it was outside the hustle bustle of NYC), close to NYC, diversity of patient population and hospitals"
"the new facilities like the anatomy lab, the students appeared to be happy and not stressed. Nice dorms. Good board scores and match list. The diversity of the hospitals where you can do clinical work."
"facilities are top notch"
"the new medical ed center including the anatomy lab. High board pass rate"
"The anatomy lab was excellent! The student tour guides were very friendly. "
"Not much. The anatomy lab was very nice with hardly any smell."
"People seem to be happy. Amazing anatomy lab with skylight and no smell."
"the anatomy lab is fantastic!! it's so well ventilated that you can't hardly smell the bodies. it is also on the top of the MEC building unlike te basement at most schools. the students seemed very happy. the school is also very diversed. the USMLE pass rate in recent years have been 100%. student housing is almost guaranteed and comes furnished. parking permit (for student housing area) is only $30 for the year. school also has a housing facility in manhattan for 3rd and 4th years who do rotations in the city. "
"Everyone raves about he anatomy lab - it is great! High ceilings, glass windows for natural light and t.v.s everywhere. It is as wonderful place to study human anatomy. However, I feel that not enough is said about he faculty. The Professors here really focus on teaching the students. In addition, the curriculum stresses bi-weekly exams - which by the way are similar to the boards. Hence the high passing rate at NYMC. The congenial atmosphere is extremely attractive. I also learned that the school really makes an effort the get the best financial aid packages possible for its students. "
"can live on campus for 2 years (suburban) w/college type housing, sense of community, valhalla/westchester cty is beautiful! then can live in manhatten during last 2 years while doing clinical rotations-they have tons of cool hospital affiliations get best of both worlds"
"Success rates on board scores and matching for residencies, not to mention the large number of students who return for residencies in California. Impressive Anatomy Lab. Short distance from Manhattan. Substantial scholarship for top 30 students. "
"clinical opportunities. seems like NYMC has strong clinical affiliations"
"The new Children's Hospital opens in 2004 and it will be state-of-the-art. 3rd and 4th years can be completed at New York City hospitals."
"High passing rate on board exams, housing is decent and affordable. "
"The fall colors of the campus and that the students seemed to be happy"
"The beauty of the campus, the people, the facilities, and the organization of the interview day"
"the closeness of the campus community; that both faculty and students really wanted to be there; that they really want you to succeed and give you whatever resources you need; the diversity of the hospitals where you can do clinical work, from inner city to rural; the anatomy lab, of course!"
"good interviewer, clean facilities, happy students, clinical experiences, friendly admissions staff, excellent prep for boards, AWESOME anatomy lab!"
"The high quality of education tht the students receive. Curriculum is geared towards passing the boards and as a result students do really well on them. They seem to have excellent access to professors."
"I stayed with student host the night before and all of the students I met really liked the school - they raved about the facilities and the clinical exposure. and of course the anatomy lab."
"The dorms, anatomy lab. "
"The anatomy lab is everything everyone says it is--AWESOME!"
"Housing, spiffy name badges that you get to keep, new anatomy lab is wonderful, friendliness of everyone. My interviewer gave me his card and told me to email him if I had any questions...first card I've gotten so far!"
"the beautiful campus, the friendly students"
"new teaching facilities and dorms. most students have their own room in a 4 bedroom apartment."
"The anatomy lab is incredible and the housing is really nice. "
"The school is committed to training generalist physicians. However, that doesn't mean that they discourage students from specializing. The campus is green with lots of open space. Student housing is a five minute walk away from the lecture halls and library. The anatomy hall is gorgeous with natural light flooding in. At the end of the anatomy course, the class has the opportunity to meet with the family members of those who willed their body to science. Pretty awesome! Students have the option of staying in Valhalla or moving to the city during the third year. Housing is provided in the city. Student housing on campus is great although it looks a little too much like college dorms. The school boasts its nearly 100% passing rate on the Boards."
"The anatomy lab was very nice. The campus is large with lots of trees/grassy area."
"The campus is beautiful, and the new anatomy lab is great."
"Anatomy lab; you can do clinical years in manhattan; maybe 3rd and 4th years live in manhattan; MD/MPH in 4 years"
"The anatomy lab!!! It is friggin' awesome! Beautiful skyline at the top floor, cutting-edge monitors, very clean, great venting...I could live there (j/k)Also proximity to NYC is awesome. Faculty there are awesome!"
"the anatomy lab (hey, it stunk a lot less than other schools)"
"facilities were nice."
"the green campus & the happy students. Very spacious, airy, and minimal smell to the anatomy lab."
"everyone seemed to be part of a community there, working together and having fun together"
"The campus itself--the classroom buildings and anatomy lab are absolutely gorgeous. I mean, the anat lab has hanging plants and huge glass windowns in it for crying out loud. where else can you find that? the student housing is also very nice and much cheaper than anything off campus. the apts are literally steps from classes, and apparently almost everyone who wants housing gets it. I also like the location, so convinient to the city w/o having to deal with the hassle of living there."
"the anatomy lab, the facilities, and the atmosphere of the students"
"the new medical education center. student housing is not bad."
"the new medical education center. student is not bad."
"I am a NY resdient and I already wanted to attend NYMC anyway. Compared to other schools I visited later on, by far, the campus was my favorite. I am not a city person by anymeans so I wanted to go somewhere more rural. It still has many places to go, but it helps to have a car. I also liked the anatomy lab (brand new) and the dorms. The other dorms I have seen were not that great and in most cases, you end up with a roommate. I spent the night at the dorms the day before my interview with some students, it is a suite setup where you get your own room. I also liked the way the classes were set up, very good toward helping you prepare for the board. "
"The anatomy lab"
"Anatomy Lab."
"Nothing about the school itself but the weather would be tough"
"How expensive the cost of living is"
"Will need a car if I attend this school"
"curriculum is outdated according to the students, the housing is really dorm-like"
"The location of course. I have a very broad edition of rural so, yeah.... I'd still love to go there as long as I have a car. Pretty sure I'd miserable without one. I mean a 10 min drive to groceries isn't far?!? I'm used to driving 3 minutes hah. Also the price/average graduate debt of the school is pretty scary and I am not sure if it would be worth it without a scholarship. Also wish my day was more structured/led since I was in the last Circuit, but it's not like we were waiting around for an hour at all. We had to find our way to a 2nd yr lecture and that was a bit tricky, but because of the lecture we were busy so I can't complain."
"Felt like undergrad all over again. Not happy with the location. Very tiny feel, everyone lives on campus. 8+ places for MS3 and MS4, meaning a lot of commuting or moving. In class all day, lectures not recorded. Students didn't seem all that interested in innovation. Didn't seem like a first choice for many."
"Cost of attendance and cost of living. Westchester is not cheap"
"the location"
"I had a nurse as my interviewer. She did not know anything about the md program so it was hard to ask her questions at the end of the interview when she asked if I had any questions for her...... my interview was held in the children's hospital, which is 5-10 min walk form the administration building. I was the last to interview so I had to rush after ym interview to get back in time for the tour....they don't wait for you...they come pick you up later but then you miss some of the tour..."
"dorms are very college like... no pets?! really?! it's like living in UG all over"
"The cafeteria food choices are very limited and limited hours open. Limited online resources."
"The lack of energy on the part of the school. The lack of on campus dining options. Few areas open 24/7."
"It was rainy that day, but that's not the school's fault. Also, it would've been nice to see the hospital on the tour."
"Location wasn't for me though, too isolated overall. The tour was pretty bad, the guides seemed disinterested."
"price"
"Cost of school"
"the campus location, it seems that without a car it would be very difficult to get by. also the dormitory-style housing, just felt too much like college"
"My interviewer was very rude, and uninterested in anything I said, didn't ask follow up questions, hadn't read any of my file, and looked down writing while writing on a pad the whole time. It didn't feel like a conversation."
"Both tour guides (1st and 2nd years) seemed a little too care free and didn't know a couple of common medical things."
"Unfriendly admissions office and lack of enthusiasm among students."
"The interviewer. He answered a call during the middle of the interview which took up like 30 minutes. That was really rude. When I asked him about volunteer/research/ec opportunities, he said, "you won't have time for that stuff because you're going to be studying all the time here." That completely turned me off of the school. Also, there are/were rumors about the Touro system buying NYMC. I wouldn't feel comfortable being at a school that would need to receive funding from a for-profit DO system."
"The fact that my interviewer did not shake my hand when I met her or when leaving. Made me feel like she didn't like me. The on-campus housing looks old and limited options."
"had to take a taxi from the train station. Also, to do anything, you pretty much need a car."
"The tiny campus: it seemed like the campus only consisted of 4 main buildings (admin office med science building, hospital, children's hospital) and bunker-like student housing. Students at NYMC were nice enough but other students interviewing there gave off the distinct impression that they were just here because it was a backup."
"Location is super isolated (just around trees), all the students felt like they needed an excuse as to why they ended up there (clearly it didn't seem like it was their top choice, but ended up there anyway), I felt as if it was a boarding school for high schoolers: tiny cafeteria with not many options, dorm living right across the street that ~80% of the students stay at, takes a ton of time to get to NYC via public transport"
"School is somewhat isolated."
"Location -- from Southern California so this place seemed like it was out in the middle of nowhere and the small yet busy roads lined with tall trees made me feel claustrophobic."
"Everyone lives on campus in the dorm style housing. Also the first year is longer compared to most institutions"
"I was a little disappointed by how traditional the curriculum was, but it obviously works!"
"Laundry for the student housing being in another building (though it is close), no on-campus option for food past lunch."
"None of the students (other than the tour guides) stopped to talk to us."
"The interview style"
"There is not much around the school in Valhalla (although NYC is less than a 40 min train ride)"
"The dorms and the fact that so few students live off campus"
"Small town, though the city is close, so that isn't a huge deal."
"On-campus housing (I didn't like the apartments)"
"Location may or may not be good depending on your personality."
"nothing!"
"Surburban setting, need a car most likely. "
"Very insular. Very small. 2 minute walk from student residence to the one other building where you will be spending your days."
"Basically everything, except the sky lights in the anatomy lab. My interviewers both seemed really dense and kept asking me things like "oh, do you do that for school?" when I graduated almost 2 years ago. Also, neither of them had heard of my undergrad, which is hilarious because it's REALLY well-known and only an hour away from NYMC. The students all seemed like zombies, and it was clear that none of them wanted to be there. Nobody seemed intellectually engaged, and they openly talked about how the school was a lot like high school. Blech."
"there is a jail really close to the school, its kind of odd but nothing you should worry about."
"Students opinions of the school."
"its in the middle of no where, self study during second year seems a little weak on the support system, "
"that most students live on campus... the apartments were basically dorms with no RA"
"It does seem in the middle of nowhere. Good for studying...though the students do talk of going to White Plains. Also, 2nd year is largely self-study, which can be a negative depending on your learning style."
"While students were happy with NYMC they seemed a bit "under-whelmed" and were not quite making the "hard sell". They seemed happy, comfortable and pleased to be a NYMC but didn't have great enthusiasm."
"The transition period between introductions and interviews was somewhat unorganized."
"no transportation to and from admissions office to interview location"
"Location is isolated"
"Felt like I didn't really have a chance to speak about myself. Sort of felt like a piece of paper."
"90% of the students are there because its the only place they got in. Prison and cemetary are right by the school. Its super expensive, and just was not impressed."
"Interviewer called B$ on my "why NYMC?" answer - scheduled 30 minute interview went for 55 minute and was almost hostile after that one (at the 30 minute mark). Financial aid presenter was crass "Don't worry about how expensive it is, you'll be rich." And the student presenter made everyone uncomfortable, no one wanted to ask questions, she said she wasn't interested in the things people asked about."
"The interviewer did not try to get to know me, instead she had my timeline my life, which she could have easily look into my file had it been an open file interview. Or she could have asked me about what I learned from my life experience, rather than just asking me what I did this year, that year.. "
"The student life during the first two years, most students live in campus housing and i would feel trapped. there is nothing else on campus but the school and a prision"
"My interviewer was not the most exciting character, and by that I mean not at all. Also, the location of the school is tranquil yet boring. "
"The whole place had a very undergrad/collegiate feel to it. It was very insular, even though it's only 40 minutes away from NYC. There is no life there besides the students at the college."
"Seemed like a remote location with not a lot going around the area."
"Not much to the town besides the school, though not too far from NYC"
"Very large class size."
"No undergrad attached, so campus feels very small relative to what I'm used to."
"location, seemed more undergrad-y to me"
"I wish they interviewed us on one of their hospital campuses in Manhattan. Valhalla's a bit too quiet."
"i'm still debating about the location; a close NYC suburb seems nice but i also enjoy living inside a big city, i guess 3rd and 4th yrs would allow students to do that"
"nothing substantial"
"tuition and living standards are on the upper end (White Plains is on the top ten list of the most expensive cities in the U.S.), also one of the admissions personnel wasn't very friendly"
"tuition and living standards are on the upper end even though it's in Westchester; one of the admissions personnel wasn't very friendly"
"It's a private school, the tuition's unreal. But oh well, that's the way it goes."
"The school's location. I didn't like the fact that it was out so far away from the city. However, you do have the chance to do rotations in the city."
"1. Students seemed drone-like, as if they were just getting by. 2. school emphasized board scores so much as if they wanted to mold a group of average students into something to boast about. 3. Student housing is like a dorm suite...not my thing. I need my independence and more separation of medical school and personal time. 4. The middle of nowhere location, coupled with the fact that there is no undergraduate campus, nor is there other professional/grad schools around make for a very lonely and isolated experience."
"The admissions staff was not very enthusiastic and seemed annoyed at having us there. We were their second day of interviews for the year and they are already not hving a good time....very unimpressive"
"The school is not very diverse, admissions and students did not seem very enthusiastic. Besides our tour guides hardly any other med students even acknowledged our presence on campus. "
"Quite a lot. The school's location, although far from rural (more like rich suburban- Think sprawling estates), the location is abysmal. There is really NOTHING to do around campus. When asked what they do for fun, the tour guide simply pretended to sip on an imaginary flask and said ''we drink alot''. The atmosphere of the school felt alot like highschool, and the dorms were cramped,and at $660, way overpriced for what you get. Most student there seemed to pretty much have gone there reluctantly due to a lack of acceptances, and the overall feel was that they are overworked and are unhappy. Clinical experience, as I was told, is a function of ''the student's ability and drive to multitask and take it on''. Don't expect to be pushed to become a competent clinician here. "
"1. Housing (very cramped for 700+ per month) 2. People are not friendly (I smiled at quite a few people to gauge the atmosphere and not one smiled in return - including my interviewer)"
"Too quiet of a location."
"My interview itself left much to be desired. Although Valhalla seems peaceful, the area is quite boring. Public transportation is apparently non-existent and a car is an absolute necessity. Without one, you can't even make your way to the subway station to get to NYC/airport. Housing options reminded me of undergrad dorms, which were right across from the school. Because of this, there seems to be very little separation between school life with non-school life. Religion is very much a part of the school, as I noticed a nativity scene set-up in glass display in the building with lecture halls. I was also turned off by the fact that NYMC banned an on-campus club for bearing the words ''LGBT'' in its name (after much protest, the decision was eventually retracted). Even though I'm heterosexual, I'm uncomfortable with this kind of intolerance ''in the Catholic tradition.'' When asked about research opportunities, my interviewer told me point blank, ''you're going to medical school to be a doctor, and that's what we focus on.'' In other words, good luck trying to find any kind of interdisciplinary opportunities here. I've been accepted, but I don't think this school is a good fit for someone who wants a broad medical school experience--I will definitely be going elsewhere."
"The medical center isn't as extensive as a lot of teaching hospitals at other medical schools; you need a car; there wasn't much to do in the area right around the medical school (but NYC is VERY close); the library isn't open 24/7 as they are at many other medical schools; it doesn't seem like there are many quality research opportunities at NYMC"
"The on-campus housing seemed a bit cramped, yet everyone seemed to make due. Their doesn't seem to be anything near the campus, but White Plains is an 8 minute drive away."
"Some buildings were old and seem to need "
"Where to begin. Students seem a little ''slow'' and yet really stressed out about exams that are three weeks away. They chose to study all day instead of going to lectures because the lectures are ''pointless.'' There's no student union for coffee, the library has no windows and awful hours, and everyone lives right next to campus. It's like undergrad all over again. Can you say drama? Valhalla has nothing so you HAVE to have a car."
"All the classes and teachers are in one building. The campus is small and although the city is close, the school is definitely in a suburb. "
"the location is kinda boring, not a non-car friendly area, students didn't come up to us asking if we had questions about anything."
".....middle of nowhere..... and the 1st year students seemed completely overwhelmed"
"Like some others, the dorms are very small, but if you're living by yourself, it's a decent amount of space. In terms of financial aid, the school gives grants and scholarships to about 20 - 25% of the class, so hope for the best but expect to take out massive loans in the vicinity of $58K+/year. Not sure if negative or positive, but I notice only 40-50% of the class attend lectures. Maybe their "scribbs" note taker is THAT good. "
"Not much"
"not much to do in Valhalla"
"Nothing in particular."
"student housing is on campus, you need a car, my second interview was a little tough, perhaps unnecessarily, off campus housing is $$$$$$$$$"
"the prison located right next to the campus- and the traditional curriculum in the first year- not really hands on clinicals until the second or third year- all of the clinicals in the first year are observational and learning how to talk to patients"
"The school is selling one of their major student housing facilities in Manhattan. While the fourth year speaker and financial aid officer said that the money will go to improving education, I doubt the results of the investment will be as readily felt as the loss of housing. "
"The student housing was okay, not a plus for me but for some that might be a draw. The curriculum is rather traditional with some group learning, nothing innovative. Not a huge research school, although it still has a lot of opportunities. The immediate area is just houses, woods, and a cemetary; you have to go to White Plains or NYC to do anything exciting."
"We were all pretty hungry during the tour (12:15-1:15)."
"Students seemed extremely stressed and borderline suicidal, apparently they had an exam that day. During the financial aid talk, the guy told us to think of it ''as an investment'', great advice and reflective of the school's high tuition."
"How expensive the school is. 95% of students live in student housing that is dorm-style and not very nice. There is nothing in Valhalla."
"The interviewer didn't smile during my responses or attempt to engage me in conversation. "
"not the world's best location but it is close to NYC. other than that, my visit was pretty positive"
"Comments on the college's Catholic tradition. "
"The on-campus student housing. I checked out other options while in the area, and for a bit more a month you can have a very nice place that would allow pets. Library is not open 24 hrs (I like to study in the library). "
"not much to do in white plains"
"the cost, the weather, the size of the school (very very small)"
"nothing within walking distance of campus, housing was cramped"
"students all live together, i didn't know they had a primarily traditional curriculum (not what i'm looking for)"
"The location of the school. If you're used to living very close to a big city, you're going to be disappointed. This place is in the middle of nowhere. All they do is study and I'm pretty sure they don't have any social life whatsoever. Also, the only places to eat close by are fast food places and their gym is miniscule so their lifestyle seems to be very unhealthy."
"On campus housing could be a negative depending on your preference, students seemed VERY stressed, library doesn't stay open late, few food options on the campus (cafeteria closes early too)"
"kind of small."
"The only part that sucked was the weather - it was 30-something degrees and rainy (what can I say, I'm a socal girl)"
"The housing situation is pathetic. You basically live a small dorm with 3 other students and pay a rediculous amount of money...and that's it, there are no other options. Sorry, been there, done that in undergrad."
"The interview people. She was late and rushed through my interview because she had to interview 2 other people. The 3 of us had interviwers who cancelled at the last minute. So the interviwer probably cranky. She didnt seem enthusiastic about us attending there and didnt get to know me as a person. Only what was written on paper. "
"There were very few negatives that I found. I was a little early to the interview and the door to the administration building was still locked, which sucked because it was snowing. The tuition is pretty expensive as well. The person in charge of financial aid was stuck in traffic so that part of the day was lost. "
"Its not a University."
"location is a bit in the middle of nowhere, but NYC is 45 min away via Metro North rail. "
"It didn't seem to be well organized. The student body president came and spoke to us, and he seemed a little scattered. Plus, everything was really difficult to find on the campus. There weren't any signs showing where to go."
"subject-based block exams, somewhat uninspiring environment, large class size"
"the school is next to a prison, everything is ugly, crpay looking brick building spead over a large area, dorms are okay, area is really expernsive, there is nothing close by, the interviews went well but i just didnt feel good when i left the school, the tour guides were not enthusiastic that was what really turned me off about the school"
"Actually a bit. It is a very on-your-own day, meaning that if your interview is at 9:45am (as mine was), you are free from 10:30-12/12:30 to do ___. Another interviewer & I walked around the children's hospital and generally just explored. It was kind of weird how they had nothing that we could do. Also, a lot of the students live in dorms (or close to it) on-campus which kind of weirded me out. Finally, it seemed like it was a safety school for most people- they nearly admit to this by not only interviewing well into the 1,000s of applicants but also by saying something to the effect of ''40% of our students had another choice & chose to come here''. Obviously then 60% did not... Finally, they do ''a lot'' of MD shadowing, which actually amounts to 1 day a month or something nearly as ridiculously infrequent."
"cost"
"everything else,especially the interviewer. The fact that someone like that is on the admissions school is not a good reflection of the medical school."
"Tuition, # of Californians, rude security guards, campus food, small gym, need to have a car on campus"
"The housing is on campus but it's like living at college again. The day of my interview there was not a lot of interaction between the staff/students and interviewees. For breakfast we were left on our own in a back room in the admissions office. It would have been nice to have that time to ask questions to the admissions staff."
"The school's location: it's in the middle of nowhere, and NYC is about a 45 minute train ride away. There is nothing to do, and it seems like the students are really stressed and just study all the time."
"small school. prison nearby. very small elevators in the education building (i'm lazy)."
"Campus in the middle of nowhere - affluent area"
"nothing within walking distance, lecture style learning"
"The average debt is also above the national average. Also, the gym is very small and there is only one small cafeteria and you have to use cash."
"The school doesn't really actively recruit us to want to go there."
"The fact that there is a maximum security prison nearby is a little disconcerting, but there is tons of security. And none of the students seem at all concerned about it. Realistically how often does someone escape from prison."
"I did not feel the interviewer was trying to find out much about me as a person. This interview felt cold-hearted compared to my other ones. "
"COST!!!!! The prison next door, I guess, but it's not too obvious."
"very dorm like apartments on campus where most everyone lives, Valhalla didn't seem all that wonderful, most students admitted they didn't get in anywhere else"
"not on an undergraduate campus."
"The curriculum seems outdated, no new technologies applied in teaching."
"The housing is very dorm like."
"Nothing too much except for my interview."
"location"
"I think the school is too far from NY to commute during your last two years. Moving to NYC will be very expensive. The tuition for this school is also very high."
"COST!!!!! The prison next door, I guess, but it's not too obvious."
"location (pretty rural), COST, how slow they said it would take for them to give a decision (10 weeks!!!), capmus housing reminded me of living in dorms in college and I dont want that again"
"perhaps the on campus apts, but they were not too bad."
"Dorms on campus, living off campus may leave some feeling left out. Not many non traditionals"
"the location..nothing around the campus..except a prison :|"
"This really annoying girl in our interview group who kept talking about the most useless stuff. Why is there always someone like this at every interview?! "
"The host students I stayed with were really competitive with me. VERY ODD! I kept thinking "chill out, you're already in med school, I'm just an applicant". weird."
"The school's "Catholic tradition" makes for a quite Conservative atmosphere...for example, the tour guide said some of the affiliated Catholic hospitals often won't prescribe birth control. "
"The students seemed boring/unenthusiastic."
"The school is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. And it costs too much for an okay or "average" private school. Also, the students did not seem too friendly/ enthusiastic, though my pseudo-host (pseudo b/c long story) was a pretty nice guy."
"My interview, the woman was rude and bitter."
"the tour was so werid. i spent who knows how long learning about how there's a security guard but he's not needed, and details like mail delivery in the on-campus housing. at easch location, instead of just looking in, we stopped and even sat down to have a long talk about it. weird."
"No taped lectures and a weird scribe service; Valhalla seems fairly boring; Students seemed like the premed robot types that didn't do many interesting things before med school"
"there was a large gap in between my interview in the morning and the tour (luckily there are things to do, if you take the initiative)"
"The campus is in the middle of no where, but the city is only 30 minutes away."
"Nothing really - everyone was really helpful. The directions online were a little screwy and the place doesn't exist on Yahoo! maps but the transportation if you take trains and taxis is pretty easy overall."
"School is in the middle of nowhere."
"the structure of their curriculum, the fact that only 1/2 the class attends lectures first year, and only 1/4 the second year, that they practice on each other and not on standardized patients, the location"
"The living situation for 1st and 2nd yr. students. Students live in dorms. The dorms were very small and cramped. I would not want to revert back to dormitory-style living like when I was in college."
"The campus is in the middle of nowhere. There is no public transportation to speak of and no "campus" to speak of. There is nothing within the community to do (i.e. no coffee shops, no stores, no entertainment, nada!). The facilities/buildings and dorms weren't that impressive to me either (but I come from a private college so maybe my standards are slightly different)."
"Location."
"Strong reliance/emphasis on peer teaching, 8 students per cadaver (4 per one-half cadaver!)"
"Seems like curriculum does not teac abortion."
"The fact the it is in the middle of no where, you need a car, my interviewer told me that an MPH from there is not worth anything from NYMC! "
"On campus dining is only opened for lunch."
"The Wellesley Inn is very very close but not so nice. But for the price..."
"that most everyone lives in dorm "apartments" for years 1 and 2."
"It was raining... It was raining... Being in the area would suck if the power went out, and the area seems surrounded by a forest."
"Too pricey. The financial aid presentation mentioned it and so did my interviewer. Around 55-60k for a year including expenses, as opposed to the 35-40k of going to a public school"
"Westchester Medical Center has money problems "
"it's right next to a correctional facility and there isn't much else right on campus or nearby. you actually have to put in effort (and have a car) to do anything."
"Nothing."
"interviewer was the most dry and boring person I have ever interacted with, kind of middle-of-nowhere location"
"You basically have to have a car to get around off campus. I was not impressed by the on-campus housing, where almost all the first and second years seem to live. Only one campus building is wireless, but that seemed to be where students would be all the time, so not actually a bad thing."
"My interviewer seemed very dry. The interview was question/answer, and he seemed to interrupt my responses. It was not conversational at all, which has been my experience at other schools."
"There doesnt seem to be too much to do in the area. There are theaters, stores, etc. But the selection of othe more cultural, nightlife seems to be more limited. The campus has a somewhat isolated feeling. And while students there were very nice, the whole atmosphere seemed very much like freshman year at undergrad school. "
"Tuition, 52,000 a year!"
"The lecture auditorium is large and it's hard to read the slides unless you're in the first few rows."
"the location- if you're like me and used to the fast paced city life, nymc might not be for you. It seemed secluded and there isn't much to do there. But, NY city is only 30 min away so I guess that isn't too bad..."
"The surrounding towns didn't impress me in the slightest. "
"Samll campus."
"the students didn't seem really enthusiastic, nor did the tour guides. it sort of seemed like a little isolated bubble of a community - very pleasantville-esque with the little brick roads and apartment complexes."
"Nothing really."
"I wasn't that impressed by Valhalla. However, in defense of the school I did not take the time to drive around and see what there was in the town. I will say all of the student's seemed happy with the community. Yes it is close to a prison, and that sucks, but honestly if I were a criminal, and I was about to go on a crime spree, the last place I'd do it is right next to a prison."
"The students didn't seem to like the school very much and they weren't very friendly. The school was right next to a prison!"
"There are NO SINGLES AVAILABLE. All on-campus housing is within a single building divided into suites (four bedrooms and a common area plus kitchenette, bath). This means that, if you choose to live on campus, you will always have three roommates. The only exception is "family" style housing, which consists of unfurnished, multi-room/private bath apartments. Theoretically, you could live there alone; however, the increased cost per month assumes shared occupancy. Basic cable, internet, and utilities are included. Inadequate "gym" (a few cardio machines and some free weights), no athletic facilities."
"The location sucks. There's nothing to do around campus, which might actually be a good thing. Also, the dorms are pretty lousy. "
"8 people per cadavar"
"The housing situation, some of the first-year lecture halls."
"Some students seemed more enthusiatic about the school than others. White plains is dull and ugly, need a car."
"Still a mostly lecture-based format, a car is a must"
"It was SOOOO cold! I didn't want to go on the tour because I thought I was going to freeze. Also, NYMC is kind of out of the way; it's a pretty significant bus, taxi, or train ride to NYC."
"There were 14 other students getting interviewed. Damn, do they give an interview to everyone? Live in dorms with 3 to 4 people in each apt (shared bathroom/kitchen, individual rooms). Students were not friendly (said hello to a few students and they just nodded or said nothing back, kind rude don't ya think?). EXPENSIVE, HOLY CRAP ITS EXPENSIVE. $56,000 per year. $160,000 debt for this school when national average is around $115,000. Damn. Must have a car in an already expensive area, west chester county. Just not impressed with the school."
"Rural setting of the school, facilities kind of old."
"a med student said that the library is too small and not easily accessible"
"not much, just more expensive than the SUNYs"
"My interviewer. She was the type of woman who stood her ground no matter what and if she didn't like what you said, then you were told. We sat very close together as well which made the interview very uncomfortable. On top of that, my interviewer didn't show up so I was moved to the afternoon for an interview. They say you will be out by 1:30, yeah right, be careful. I flew from CA and I barely made my flight (6PM) b/c of the interview being rescheduled late, the train to NYC, the subway to the airport (there was nofaster way bc of the traffice, etc). SO BE CAREFUL! I really like the school, but the interview did not go as well as I would have hoped."
"I actually did not know that NYMC is a ubiquitous "back-up" school until the end of my visit, and that made me worry that I might have classmates who actually didn't want to be there; Westchester life may be a little too sheltered and suburban; the gym seemed pretty insignificant"
"the area is pretty desolate, though it is a quick drive from other parts of westchester and nyc, if you have a car."
"The hospital was not included in the tour and the school is located in an area where owning a car is a necessity. However, Valhalla is very close to New York City."
"My student interviewer busted my balls quite a bit (see above questions) and also commented that the school was much like high school with the cliques. Also, if your interview is not at the admissions office they don't show you were it is you have a map and are supposed to figure it out."
"Really nothing"
"The library was too small, although it was nice. The students and other interviewees didn't seem particularly excited or happy or articulate. My interviewer kept cutting me off and seemed to disagree or jump on me for anything I said, be it from whether I liked the last movie I saw or using the pronoun "he" instead of "he or she.""
"nothing, it was cold but thats NY"
"The nearby penitentiary and talk of one of the nearby hospitals associated with the school losing funding. "
"Everything. Read above. It was the worst interview day out of 11 that I have had. "
"lecture halls are really crowded. didn't like the dorm style housing."
"1) There is a correctional facility close to the school 2) Thought they tried to play it down, the school does have a Catholic tradition - for example, the Vagina Monologues could not be performed on campus"
"The tour was awful. We just went back and forth btwn 2 buildings while people kept chirping away questions, stealing away from our lunch time. I don't know if it was the exams and such but the morale of the students there didn't seem too high."
"One aspect of NY Medical that I didn't like was the small campus feel. There's 180 students in each class, which isn't all that small, but the cafeteria, the lecture hall, the apts. across the street from the lecture hall made it seem like a high school boarding school. I also didn't get the feeling that the students went to NY Medical because they wanted to be there."
"the fact that the students have to stay on campus literally for the first two years"
"The interviewer. She didnt' seem very interested in what I had to say. Throughout the interview, she maintained her distance and scribbled incessantly. "
"The only complaint are the directions to the school. I traveled via car from the upper west side and we got really lost once we got to Valhalla (The admissions office officially opens at 9am, so you won't get any help from them). The directions aren't exact - so make sure you know where you are going."
"The grading system seems to encourage a rather intense environment."
"Nothing actually."
"The students. One second year tour guide seemed like he stepped straight out of a frat party apathetically describing the med. school. Many of his discriptions included words such as "dude, crap, shit" etc. He didn't seem to respect or take his medical education seriously. I also talked to students at lunch who seemed somewhat distant and not too excited about NYMC...however, it was only three days before one of their finals. "
"Although it's not in the middle of nowhere, Valhalla and its surrounding areas aren't exactly vibrant and exciting (but it's only 30 mins. from Manhattan)."
"Interviewer was very cold, almost bitter, I felt as though she really didn't have much interest in my accomplishments and generally made me feel uncomfortable."
"the housing is just like college dorms, and so is the dining"
"The housing. It seems a bit too pricey for what you get. "
"The interviewer's attitude towards med. education was geared only to passing the boards. There seemed to lack an enthusiasm for medicine and future excellence. "
"There is nothing on the campus except for the med school really (like no undergrad or major graduate schools). Valhalla is only about half an hour from Manhattan, but it feels pretty far away. If people like quiet, pretty settings then this is for you. If you are from a big city and need that environment, this may not be for you. "
"The attitude of the students. My impression was that it was everyone's back-up school, and it was the only place they got accepted at. There was one exception (the tour guide), and she seemed to choose NY Med for primarily geographical reasons."
"Seems like they work their students a lot harder than at most places. I did not get a good vibe from the students I spoke with. "
"Lots of people have commented on the great food in the cafe. I thought it was pretty bad. Maybe because I'm a vegetarian. Anyway, the quality of the cafeteria food doesn't make a bit of difference in how I feel about the school."
"The housing in the aparment buildings is nice and furnished. However, there is some housing off to the side of those buildings designed for families and students who want to bring their own furniture. This family housing looks very run down, it reminded me of an old motel and was the only blemish on an otherwise pretty campus. "
"The cost!!!! very expensive! and its far away from grocery stores, therefore realistically having a car is important, although I suppose one could take the bus and buy food... this might take time though. "
"everyone drives crazy--especially the cab drivers--if you're from the west, don't rent a car--cab it and make sure you buckle up!"
"dorms are very ghetto, cafe food is nasty, its located next to a prison and a cemetery."
"the admissions staff didn't seem especially friendly, the student housing looked run down and was dirty inside"
"Housing is somewhat dorm-like. Students appear to be a little cliquey (even our two tour guides sat at a table by themselves, leaving the prospective students to chat amongst ourselves). The cost of attending NYMC is really high. I hated wearing an ID tag w/my picture on it throughout the day. Our tour guides told us the curriculum wasn't particularly innovative or noteworthy. I also had the chance to peek in on a 2nd year lecture, and noticed that perhaps only 1/4 of the 2nd year students were in attendance. . . and after sitting there for 15 minutes, I could understand why! "
"It was cold! Also, because the entering class is huge and that the housing is like a dorm setting, I was told that students tend to have their own cliques. Off-campus housing is really expensive. "
"the westchester medical center is a little 'rundown,' but new buildings are under construction, and it is a level one trauma center"
"The student tour guide wasn't very enthusiastic"
"It is in the middle of nowhere :)"
"the interviewer...i've read other remarks here and i've to admit, my interviewer didn't seem very interested in getting to know me...there was a lack of that personal touch taht i've felt at my other interviews...but if accepted i'll defn go to this school..because contrary to the interviewer the faculty seems to be a lot more personal and concerned about their students' success.."
"my interviewer seriously had no interest in me to begin with"
"perhaps it's because it was exam time, but the students looked stressed and seemed pretty competitive"
"all the goose poop on the walkways...haha, just kidding the wandering geese are fun. the only negative thing I can say about this school is the tuition. +53K, as was mentioned in the previous post. This is daunting."
"$$$$$$$$$$$! The cost of attendance is over $53K/year. Valhalla doesn't have much of a public transit system besides trains and cabs, so it's very difficult to get around without a car."
"I missed half of the financial aid presentation because it started late and I had to go to my interview. I wasn't impressed by the lecture I sat in on. "
"nothing really"
"I have a dog, so I can't live in the on-campus housing which is much cheeper than the off-campus housing in the area. Also, we didn't get to see the new childrens hospital or the main hospital on campus during the tour and I didn't have time to check them out before my flight."
"The first interview was by a student, who went through a list of canned questions... the result was a REALLY LONG interview. Luckily the second was by a seasoned interviewer (general surgeon) and very brief; more like a conversation."
"lack of sensitivity. students saying "don't go here" as we walked past them. seems like a very immature student body"
"The students seemed stressed, competitive, and not particularly "well-rounded". I couldn't really see myself fitting in with them, which is a problem b/c the tough curriculum keeps you on-campus."
"I didn't get the impression that students were especially happy there. The tour guides, while friendly and pleasant, were probably the least enthusiastic I've encountered. I didn't get much student interaction outside the tour, actually. Also, while most lectures you sit in on are pretty much the same, this one was horrendously bad. "
"the amount of apathy from students at the school. the interviewer told us the reason why she was here was that she didn't get into any other school..... but everyone said that once they got to nymc, they loved it."
"Grade system. 8 people per cadaver (4 people do each half of the body, but if only one of an organ, such as the heart, 8 people are in the lab at the same time. too crowded). They had nothing exceptional to say about their curriculum. No innovative methods. Seemed like they may teach to the boards, which is nice that you are more likely to pass, but years 1 and 2 should be more than just jumping over a hurdle. Overall the caliber of student seemed lower than other schools."
"Students were not as impressive/bright/well-rounded as at other schools. I met several great folks, but I also met a few duds who probably won't want to deal directly with conscious patients. I mentioned I was just recently engaged to one student and he said, "Get a pre-nup." He wasn't being mean-spirited. Just voicing his own concerns. Otherwise, the fact that 80% of students live in campus dorms is a big consideration. It saves a bit of money, since the immediate area is so expensive, but it also makes for a continuation of the u-grad lifestyle for most folks."
"I felt there are many better school in NY for the same price. The student body is very cohesive, but thats because its a very small campus. I thought their grade system of honors/high pass/pass/low pass/fail is just like saying ABCD,F. I generally don't like it when schools try to look non-competitive by doing this. Just go one way or the other. I was told that there were no opportunites for scholarships through the school in the first two years."
"The school is not associated with an undergraduate institution and is seperated from New York City and therefore lacks some of the culture that you might have if these elements were to exist."
"80% live on campus in 1st two years. Housing and social life seemed a lot like first year of college. NYMC seems to get a lot of left-overs from the applicant pool. I heard some pretyy"
"Lack of large teaching hospital (apparent before the trip), small campus, cost of attendance and living (> 50,000/yr), big break between interview tie and lunch time leaving nothing to do except visit classes"
"Lack of an associated univeristy takes away some from a feeling of life in the surrounding area."
"its in the middle of nowhere! im more a city person."
"it seemed like a laid-back atmosphere, but maybe a little too laid-back. i didn't feel a lot of motivation from everyone, but maybe i was biased by everything i had read on this website"
"The interview schedule was very disorderly and there was A LOT of waiting around. Granted, it wasn't the school's fault because the snow kept many of the interviewers from showing up on time or at all. I (and I'm sure some of the others in my interview group) felt a little abandoned and a lot bored. When I finally got to do my interview, my interviewer seemed very unengaged, stuck in a perfunctory task. "
"the students. i sat in a class, and they all looked asleep. the ones giving us the tour were apathetic towards life. "
"The water main busted so we couldn't visit the nationally renown anatomy lab. Food is rather expensive...this may seem trivial but there aren't many places to eat around campus."
"The library closes at 10pm! It was very small. The students were kind of dull."
"car is required for clerkships"
"the fact that no one goes to class, the interview was a little disappointing."
"kinda need a car for first two years (although you could feasibly survive without one)"
"The dorms weren't all that nice and were just too reminiscient of freshman year in college. The tension! I just got the vibe that students were pretty stressed and had little time for any semblance of a life outside of school. They seemed very serious and not as happy as those I've met at other schools. Just sort of bleak overall atmosphere."
"I met a few students who seemed a little ignorant. As a minority student, I was a little offended. A student's dorm room door had some very sexist material posted all over it. Another student seemed subtly racist. 4th year student said he felt limited in terms of instruction in reproductive & womens health."
"Dorms look very collegy, tour guides said they "never" went to class (literally), people didn't seem really pumped to be doctors, 2nd year curriculum has a lot of self-study which to me sounds like wasted tuition money; Valhalla really sucks"
"didn't give us a tour of the hospital. told us we wouldn't be allowed in if we went on our own."
"Tuition"
"way too isolated (and no undergrad population), seems just like college, students seemed less than excited (tour guide said she "never" went to class, and her friend said people made fun of her because she did...)"
"the school seems to be really isolated - i'm not sure if there's anything to do nearby. student tour guides were not particularly enthusiastic about the tour. also, i get annoyed when interviewers ask for family details (like what parents do, siblings do, etc) when there are so many things about you that they still don't know."
"the location is in a very residential area, but it is accessible to new york city. "
"Vahala is a small town but 30 minutes from the city, the school feels a little isolated, it also felt somewhat competitive"
"The area lacked much to desire. It's not too bad though. Also, they say they take around 12 weeks to get back with a decision, usually."
"Nothing in particular"
"It was sooo cold!"
"apartments a bit too college dorm-like for my taste, a tad isolated and having a car would be useful"
"Can't really pinpoint it but didn't get a very positive impression of the school. "
"Location, a car is a requirement (or a friend with a car). NYMC is a private school, so tuition is steep. "
"nothing really...i really like this school"
"you NEED a car to have a life. or you need to know someone with a car and make them your best friend"
"The students were a little more competitive than I would like. "
"my interviewer, and the tests the first year."
"The med school lectures seemed like they were held in a sauna. The school seems really small (2 buildings) compared to a campus with undergrads."
"NYMC claims to be a Catholic Institution, but students and faculty don't take this heiratige very seriouly. Interviewer described the school's catholic identity in terms of a "buisness" relationship with NY Archdiocese hospitals."
"Student tour guides werent too good. Anatomy lab is nice but 8 people to a cadaver? My interviewer did more talking that I did and didnt let me get to convey everything I wanted because he was busy telling stories. High school average debt."
"Not much."
"Not much, other than most of the students said they would've chosen another NY school, had they gotten in there."
"The students don't seem all-too-friendly. The "medical school" is really on one floor of one building. The entire college is really four buildings, plus a hospital with nothing within an hour (besides some kind of jail)."
"on campus housing"
"that one of the student guides flaked out, 8 students to a cadaver for anatomy"
"small GYM, the isolation of the campus"
"The cold"
"the cost of tuition is high but just as high as other private med schools."
"Parking!!! Inadequate directions as to where to park. I wasted almost an hour trying to figure out where to park!"
"The interviewer (Dr. Felix Wasserman), the unhappiness of my student host. Please read the comment section. Although Dr. Wasserman was not particularly mean, he did not do an adequate job of interviewing me and it irks me that his impression of me decided my fate at the school."
"Small campus. No undergraduate. Dorms were small."
"there's nothing within walking distance of the school. no elevators in student housing which can be a pain to do laundry if you're on the top floor. roommates for student housing are chosen randomly."
"This was by no means a negative impression as much as it is fact: the expense of the school. However, I feel that the clinical training and education offered by NYMC is outstanding and worth the price! I'm going to be in some serious debt though....ouch!"
"campus is hard to find so go early or check it out the day before, don't be scared by the state prison, psychiatric ward, and corrections facility (keep going, NYMC is coming up)"
"Lottery for housing in Manhattan during the 3rd year clerkships. 1st and 2nd year housing new and clean, but will remind you of being back in the dorms. "
"some of the students were kinda dull, like my host and they didn't seem to be too thrilled about being there"
"The cost of living in the area is high and there's nothing to do in Valhalla."
"Since none of the students wanted to host the interviewees, we all stayed in hotels (not fun considering we paid $100 to submit secondaries). "
"That the interviewer's cell phone rang during the interview and that she actually answered it and this was as I was in the middle of speaking. Also, there wasn't much to do besides sit around."
"nothing"
"the isolation of the campus, the cost"
"isolated place, no stores nearby, lots of idle time during the interview day, have to taxi everywhere, need a car"
"How isolated the school is. I actually like small cities (I am from one), but the school isn't even in a town really. There is NOTHING around either, no grocery store, shopping, movies...ie no where to escape to easily. Housing is priced well, but you have to live with 3 others in a pretty small apartment."
"students work really hard (but they do well on the boards...) and the campus is rather isolated, you definitely need a car."
"The students' lack of enthusiasm. Valhalla is pretty isolated and the athletic facilities are only okay."
"Westchester County is very expensive, as is the school. Also, the food in the cafeteria is not that good and it's only open from 8am to 2pm."
"Um...cafeteria food? The fact that I could easily get lost since the streets are so small and dark. Everyone always talks about how they work so hard, but it's worth it due to near 100% pass rate for the boards in last few years."
"the high tuition"
"I had to wait around for quite a while and the students didn't seem quite as enthusiastic about the school as some I have met at other schools."
"Research is not particularly strong although that is something the school is working on. "
"The school felt isolated-even though it's only about 40 min from NYC. The primary care presentation was a video made in 80s."
"The students didn't seem that friendly. The really weird financial aid presentation."
"valhalla"
"Valhalla is pretty dead...you'd have to go to White Plains to get stuff."
"the atmosphere reeked of "back up school" didn't seem like students (like my student hosts) were very happy, and the school is in middle of nowhere"
"small campus."
"tuition. emphasis on Californians."
"expensive school, kind of in the middle of nowhere"
"I think it might feel a little claustrophobic living with all the same people and going to class with all the same people, esp b/c the campus is very small. it's only a grad school so the student pop is very tiny, esp for me coming from a big state school. tuition is also very high here as is the cost of living. and it's clearly a second tier school. a lot of the people i talked to said it was the only place they got it in but then again, they have much higher than average board scores, so obviously they teach and prepare you very well."
"location, it is necessary to have a car, i have a city bias"
"tuition is high but just slightly higher than most private medical schools"
"The only thing I need not like is the high tuition. "
"The students seemed very tired and many told me they had only chosen NYMC since it was their only acceptance. The campus is very far from anything else and you won't be in the city until your third and fourth years."
"Tuition, location of the school."
"How little time we would actually be outside...Didn't need to carry my heavy coat around"
"How relaxed the day would be."
"Hmm...that the MMI would be EXTREMELY chill. Sounds intimidating when they explain the whole process to you, but it goes by really fast. Love MMIs more than traditional interviews now!"
"MMI is not that bad. Be careful how you present yourself the whole day... some of the presenters and so on were our interviewers too."
"I wish I had practiced talking about my research more!"
"I still paid in the wrong lot...Google map the free parking lot they are talking about so you don't turn into the wrong lot like I did."
"how much awkward free time you would have"
"How hot it would be in november!"
"That I would need to leave the finicanial aid discusion early to head to my itnerview that was in another building. Also that it is quite close to NYC, arrived VERY early."
"Not to stress out so much about the interview itself."
"There's lots of downtime. The interviews are scheduled between 9:45 and noon, and in this chunk of time when you're not interviewing you're kind of on your own"
"There is no public transportation that will take you to this school."
"that I would not be interested in living in Valhalla, I love the fact that I saw some deer driving in though!"
"Interviews are closed-files"
"There weren't going to be any tour of the hospital."
"That the school would ask me if I held any other acceptances. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing."
"that Valhalla, according to a medical student there, is a 'hole in the middle of nowhere'"
"That everyone (students/faculty) would have no clue about what was happening with Touro. I understand that things are up in the air but I felt that they could have at least talked about it more transparently and let prospective students know how it might affect education/the vibe of NYMC."
"RELAX! It was a very short and relaxing day"
"Read the other comments, they're pretty accurate"
"To bring a book, we had +1hr downtime."
"The tour was going to take us outside in the pouring rain."
"How complicated it is to get to the school from LGA airport"
"that my interview was a bit of a trek (at least in heels) from the admissions office"
"That my interviewer already had my personal statement - I'd bring copies just in case, however, as not all of the interviewers may have them."
"Nothing...very easy interview day."
"You have to actively try to stick in details about yourself during the interview, because they are more concerned with filling out a timeline than actually getting to know you."
"It was going to be so relaxing"
"To relax!!!"
"More questions to ask student interviewer."
"That I should have scheduled this interview for much later than I did so that I could withdraw after (hopefully) getting in somewhere else."
"Apparently, the website said that boots were totally acceptable to wear in the winter. I ended up changing into boots half way through the day, but I would have loved to have skipped the heels all together. :-)"
"That it would be under 20 degrees F and windy. "
"I knew what to expect beforehand"
"Coordinating taxis between hotel and train stations and the school was a pain for some fellow interviewees"
"How insular White Plains is."
"The interview would be structured the way it was. Also, that the interviewer was an alumni who graduated 20 years ago and knew nothing about the school now. "
"I wish I would have known about how the student life is-I would have asked more questions"
"To relax and have fun!"
"There's a good bit of down time during the interview day. I wish I had brought a coat since it was pretty cold out."
"If you are flying in to New York, be prepared to spend a lot of money taking public transportation to the medical school. New York is really expensive."
"It is a boring culturally isolated school, students don't seem to do much outreach in their community, the dorms suck, looks like undergrad facilities"
"There is a prison on the campus, a juvenile detention center, and a mental ward for level 3 sex offenders"
"This is definitely not the place for me, even though the interview itself went well."
"That I went during spring break (I really wanted to stay with a host to talk about the school)."
"Admissions building is a bit hard to find. Sunshine Cottage road, unfortunately, does not define a building. It also doesn't help that the building does not contain (or at least I didn't see) a bold sign declaring it's purpose. All of people interviewing that day either 1)were on their first and only interview, 2)were not accepted elsewhere, 3)were reapplicants. "
"How to find Sunshine Cottage Road (the campus map is not that detailed)"
"Bring headphones/mp3 player. obnoxious fellow interviews afoot!"
"The prison that is on campus. Its clear on the other side of campus so you'll never see it."
"Absolutely nothing in Valhalla, but close to White Plains which is actually a pretty decent city. Also, 1st and 2nd year housing is a random lottery and you may end up rooming with 2nd year students during your first year."
"They don't tell you ANYWHERE in the tour books that the med school (isolated from everything by a three mile radius) is next to a correctional facility. "
"How freezing it is in NY. I don't know about you, but being from CA, I have never had to use such a thick jacket and yet still freeze my butt off. "
"how long the trip would be"
"Not to skip breakfast."
"Not to stress."
"nothing really"
"That the taxi from White Plains is very expensive if you are staying in Hawthorn or Valhalla- my recommendation- figure out where you are staying, and take the train to that city, the cab far will be less than half over taking a cab from White Plains. "
"They will let you do rotations internationally. They have a few programs for this already set up but if you want to plan on your own, they let you propose the project and they are pretty flexible with it."
"You might have to walk while it's snowing in your business suit!"
"NYMC is not (or is no longer) a primary care medical school, dont cite that as a reason for why you want to go there. If you're driving there, take some extra time, I got lost in the country side."
"White Plains is very expensive. Because of that it doesn't seem like there are a lot of housing options outside of student housing."
"ha ha, that walking from the hotel to the medical campus isn't that great of an idea, especially when it's cold out, sure took me a while, but at least i got to see the prison close up :)"
"I wish I had known more about the suburb the school is located in. "
"travelling in ny is expensive... rent a car if your from out of town."
"little to no diversity at NYMC"
"its catholic"
"nothing really. This was my third and final interview of the medical school application process, so I was just so relaxed and decided to go for it without being nervous, and I think that worked out best for me."
"read over every aspect of my research"
"There's a lot of downtime, so if it's raining, bring something to do!"
"On the interview day there is a ton of time in between activities and they have no place for you to wait, they just want you to wander around campus by yourself or something. I would have brought a book or something to do while sitting for an hour straight."
"That they want you to have research and bolunteer experience and be ready to talk about it for the whole interview in case the interviewr has nothing else to ask you...like it happened with me. "
"Give yourself plenty of time to get back to LaGuardia or JFK after your interview is over. "
"How informal the actual interview was. I would have relaxed a little bit more ahead of time had I known."
"that the school was so ugly...but then again its winter so how pretty could things really be...its probably nice in the spring"
"Location & the fact that so many of the students both live on campus & commute to their rotations as far away as hours..."
"Directions on website was not clear - wish I had downloaded better directions."
"That the admissions staff aren't very friendly. The interview wasn't difficult but the atmosphere was a littl daunting."
"If I had known that it was in the boonies, I wouldn't even have bothered to go for my interview."
"N/A"
"You can take a train from Manhattan and a cheap taxi ride from the train stop to the school."
"There is a lot of free time while waiting for the interview."
"The incredible children's hospital!"
"Should have cancelled. "
"NYMC is actually a pretty good school. I think it's only considered back-up b/c of how much it costs. Also, there's big malls and theaters just 15 minutes away, so it's not like we're on a farm or anything."
"that the zipper on my pants of my suit was broken! but about the interveiw . . . nothing. it helped knowing it would be only sort of open file. you bring hte interviewer your personal statement and that is all they have. "
"the number of people they interview is a lot (1,000 +)."
"That I should have made up some proudest moment junk."
"Wear comfortably shoes-there is a walking campus tour."
"print essay"
"CA residents make up a large portion fo their class. "
"NYMC is actually a pretty good school. I think it's only considered back-up b/c of how much it costs. Also, there's big malls and theaters just 15 minutes away, so it's not like we're on a farm or anything."
"NYMC has little signs of being Catholic (I would call it a loose association), there isn't a whole lot to do in Valhalla or nearby"
"How good a school NYMC is. No one chooses it over their state school because of cost but for those who dont get into their state school NYMC is a great option."
"the crappy location"
"That the interview day is pretty casual and stress free."
"NYMC just opended their new childrens hospital and the students take mini boards for every exam. "
"Nothing too unexpected. "
"The students live on campus, and there is nothing around the campus for several miles (it is in a rural area). "
"Westchester is a nice small airport, but it is not right next door to NYMC. It was 26 bucks or something to get there. Also, bring just your personal statement to the interview, I had to give the interviewer my personal statement with all the school's I applied to from my AMCAS. "
"that it was so expensive to travel to and from the city by trains, and that the catholic church has influence over the school to the point that they can't call their gay club a gay club, they have to call it student of every orientation or something like that. i learned that religion and medical school don't mix..."
"You're definitely not in NYC here, and don't let people tell you its just 15 mins away. If you're taking the train, count on your trip being over an hour."
"can't really think of anything"
"It's freezing"
"I would have gone a day earlier just to check out some lectures and the beautiful new children's hospital. I also wish I would have known that when you buy tickets for a train from Grand Central to Valhalla, you don't have to go at a specific time - I would have stayed in the city for a little while to check it out :)"
"That the black cab is way more expensive than a regular cab."
"that they had a brand new children's hospital"
"That the living situation is very substandard."
"The tour runs over the time alotted."
"How high the caliber of other interviewees would be."
"no ethics questions at all! Didn't even ask why I want to be a doctor"
"how nice the new children's hospital is."
"Hotels were booked the night before my interview (plan ahead)"
"Nothing, just as I expected, a nice place but very expensive"
"I was intimidated by my preceived calibre of the other interviewees"
"I stayed with a first-year host but they had a big exam the following day. Saw the hosts for maybe five whole minutes then just sat around their apartment all night. If you randomly pick a host, ask if it would be more convenient to stay with someone from the other class."
"Nothing really."
"That the school would seem to have such an undergrad feel and feel isolated"
"That there is ample opportunity to study abroad. Had I known, I would have been better prepared for the Q&A following our intro session with a 4th year student."
"The school gets alot of unfair bad press on SDN. All of the students I chatted with seemed extremely happy. I found the on campus housing to be very convinient and spacious. The large class size brings a great diversity of students. "
"After reading this website I was fairly secure about receiving no ethical questions in the interview. I was wrong."
"how confusing the medical center area is. i roamed around a lot of buildings before finding the administration building. and that there would be no water at the orientation. bit parched."
"Don't take the train to the Valhalla station at night in the winter. I waited outside for over 30 minutes for a cab driver. Granted, I take full responsibility for having to wait around in the cold. The web site said that there probably would not be a cab waiting around that station. My cell phone had poor reception so it took about 3 calls before the cab company actually sent a driver to pick me up. My bad."
"The cost of attending... it's really very expensive about $50,000 a year."
"Nothing, I felt well prepared"
"There is nowhere to get anything to eat while your staying there, maybe bring a snack unless you want to order delivery. "
"The hospital is separate from the medical school."
"Shoulda worn long johns under my suit. I would bring a change of clothes for after the formal interview, for the ride home."
"Alot of the negative aspects were revealed to me on the interview day. Also, if you are flying in go to La Guardia, closer than JFK. And it will take at least 2 hours if not more to get from La Guardia to the school. "
"That transportation without a car isn't easy."
"should have driven, free parking, and i wouldn't have had to make so many transfers (from airport, had to bus to grand central then took train to white plains and cabbed to the campus)"
"They teach for the boards here. They bragg about having high board scores and admit they teach for them."
"To really plan ahead. I thought the buses would be consistent in picking peopole up at the different terminals, it took FOREVER for me to finally catch a bus to Grand Central Terminal. The website says to fly into either JFK or La Guardia, if any of you are flying in, fly into La Guardia!!!!!!!!!! JFK is further from Grand Central Terminal, so you may miss your flight or be late."
"I had heard a lot about the Catholic tradition of NYMC and rumors of it being ultra-conservative and anti-abortion and all that, and that had put a damper on my enthusiasm before my visit. But I learned that the "Catholic tradition" is more related to funding than the way of life there. The students and faculty I met and spoke to gave me the impression that the community is tolerant, and the administration tries to allow students to partake in whatever activities they wish to, provided they don't try to garner the attention of the mass media."
"the coffee there is supposed to be pretty good."
"There is a prison located near the campus; although this is not too big of a problem to me as the campus seemed safe."
"I wish I had known how nice it is. I think alot of the things I have read have given me a negative impression about he students and the facility, but I really liked it, and I wish I had given it more consideration in the first place."
"The interview was semi-closed file... I'm not sure how much of my file my interviewer looked at ahead of time. She was definitely confused about my progress through school... and that made my interview go in a weird direction."
"Prepare about 5 questions to ask your interviewer in case they ask you multiple times. "
"That virtually nobody lives off campus, and the administration is bigoted. (Catholic - they don't like gay people.)"
"some student-hosts don't know the meaning of "host." make sure you ask your host if you should bring your own PILLOW/BLANKET. "
"NY Medical has high USMLE scores for a reason. They work you pretty hard and their curriculum is still pretty traditional. But it seems as though this works for them. Also, it takes the school 10-12 weeks to get back to you after the interview."
"that it's located next to a prison. Its tuition is 36000 instead of 34000. you need a car to get to the nearest grocery store."
"how to get there"
"I wish I knew more about the housing as basically all students live in the dorms on campus. Also, NYMC is a fairly isolated campus. I car will be required. "
"I wish I had looked up better directions. It gets confusing in Westchester."
"That my interviwer would not be asking typical closed-file questions "
"That the campus was so nice--I for some reason thought that it would be a lot more run-down. The anatomy labs are amazing, with huge skylights and brand new equipment."
"NYMC would be a nice location to study medicine. Know your application well and take it seriously even if this school's not at the top of your list. "
"There was a lot of down time for some reason."
"It is a Catholic school. I wouldn't have applied or spent all that money to interview there had I known this beforehand. They should be more up front about this on their website. The president and CEO is a reverend, and the primary urban clerkship hospital is a Catholic institution."
"That the interview was totally conversational, the interviewer was very nice, and I really hadn't needed to stress out."
"When you arrive for the interview, everyone gathers in the administration building until the admissions office opens. Very normal, but then they open the doors to the admissions office and you start filing in one by one (there were about 12 people in my interview group). As you walk into the admissions office, you're told to sign a clip board and take a seat. FLASH! They take your picture and print out a computer generated ID card attached to an NYMC laniard for you to wear around your neck all day. It was a complete surprise and none of us had expected it since I had never seen anything on SDN about it. I liked my picture, other interviewees were grumbling about how they hated theirs. Just be prepared to smile for the camera, the last thing any of us were expecting was to get our picture taken for an ID card even before we had a chance to take our coats off."
"To relax a bit more :)"
"wish I knew it was a Catholic school, but it sounds like it's not that Catholic"
"it was next to a prison and cemetery."
"it's hard to get around without your own car and taxis can get costly"
"Um, that the Sprain Brook Parkway (or whatever that road is called) on the school's map is kind of confusing to find. Allot ample time for getting to your interview if you're not planning on cabbing it! "
"SDN stated about the "awesome anatomy lab!". Ya i guess, its a nice lab -- compared to other anatomy labs. It's amazing how big windows that bring natural light in the room, and having a large SPACE, makes everyone describe the lab as "state-of-the art". :)"
"that the med school is so far from the westchester airport and that rents are so high in the area"
"the 6-year internal medicine program w/St. Vincent's hospital is no longer offered"
"The school was a little tricky to find. I went to check out the campus the night before, but definitely go and see where the school is before your interview."
"that route 9A is verryyyyyyyyy confusing...the directions on the school website are accurate, but 9A is called henry hudson pkwy and saw mill river pkwy and exit#23 comes twice on it..(about 15 miles apart) and the school is on the second 23rd exit..i got massively lost..so i'd suggest to go and visit the school ahead of time if u're going to be driving. "
"i probably should have known my app better..."
"The $$$$ details and the fact that the students aren't as lame as some of the negative posts here said they were."
"The high cost of attendance."
"NYMC interviews about 1400 applicants! The entering class is bigger than most (190) but this still seems like a lot. "
"nothing, I was overprepared."
"The winter storms can be really bad, and taxis are impossible to get. Also, the hotel shuttle takes airport trips as priority over other trips, so my ride ended up getting dropped from their list. Have a back-up plan for getting to the airport."
"that they consider themselves a "catholic" institution and seem to be as close-minded as the catholic church"
"There is NOTHING else in Valhalla, and it is more like an hour from the NYC and feels even farther. Bring only a copy of your personal statement (not entire AMCAS)"
"that the jail is EXTREMELY close to the school!"
"Cost of living in Valhalla (600/month for on campus housing)"
"It's a nice place."
"Even though one person had already warned everyone about the bad driving directions, I didn't think it would apply to me since I was coming from a different direction. I was wrong. I suggest printing out directions from Mapquest or something and then using their directions once you get to the campus. "
"NYMC is part of a Catholic tradition."
"the prison located right by. not that it really bothers me, but i think it's funny how the directions given on the site take you to the school the way that does not go past it. "
"This is not a "safety" medical school. They have a sound curriculum, good residency matches and they are proud of it."
"The place really seems to be in the middle of nowhere."
"Information about my interviewer"
"Nothing, I knew alot about this school from a friend"
"That NYMC doesn't have such a focus on primary care. I really want to be a primary care clinician. I actually felt like the orientation was trying to talk me out of this."
"Just how much down time there is (ugh)"
"How small the school actually was"
"School does not emphasis primary-care only, like most pre-med advisors and books tell you. "
"Valhalla pretty much sucks."
"the driving directions on the website are really bad. as far as i can tell, there are no signs for a "cross westchester pkwy" - it's actually "cross county pkwy." also don't get confused by the blue "h" hospital sign which leads you to lawrence hospital instead (i did this)."
"The day was very short I had to wait 3 hours for my uncle to pick me up, i was done by 1."
"It's a catholic school, although that doesn't mean anything really. I was just surprised to learn that."
"There is quite a bit of downtime during the day while other applicants interview, so bring a book, newspaper, homework, etc. "
"Nothing but I didn't know how nice and close-by the campus apartments were. "
"i should have been more prepared in listing my activities/classes in chronological order (what did you do during your summer sophomore year?) at this point, i know what i've done but it's hard to attach a year to it."
"lots of downtime, presentations ended around 10 am but didn't have my interview till 11:15 am. Wanted to sit in during a lecture but those ended at 10 am also. "
"Lots of down-time during the day. "
"nada"
"it's a very low stress interview when it comes time for it. just relax and be prepared."
"not much really. This school was exactly what I expected."
"Check the train schedule! I waited an hour to get back to the city."
"NYMC is obsessed with people from California!!!!"
"not applicable"
"That the anatomy lab is probably the best in the nation"
"That Valhalla is in the middle of nowhere, that you basically need a car. Though it's a "large" medical school, it doesn't feel like it because it's small, space-wise; but it does feel like it because there isn't a cohesive community in the students."
"nothing"
"you can do 3rd and 4th year in NYC."
"That there would only be one interviewer."
"I discovered that my interviewer was not accepting of opposing viewpoints nor was he interested in letting me talk. Had I known this, I would have not wasted $500 to fly out from California."
"Nothing."
"i knew that the school was catholic affiliated but never knew that the school took out subjects of abortion, birth control, etc out of the curriculum."
"I had volunteered here some years back. I showdowed my step-father while he was on rounds. I had some memorable experiences. Going back made me realize what a wonderful place it would be study medicine and be trained as a future physician. I also learned (from my interviewer) that there are plenty of research opportunities available around the campus. Some of the latest finding include the Bone Marrow derived stems cells that were used to regenerate heart tissue - Nature. Overall this place is in a nice location. Valhalla is quiet - allowing for focused study time. There are also quite a few student organized activities and clubs to enhance medical school life. And NYC is only a metronorth rail (40min) ride away."
"that the interview would be so short and up to me, that the campus is hard to find"
"3rd/4th year in NYC."
"Westchester is the wealthiest county in the US. However, the County Jail and Prison are right next to the school."
"TO bring something to read. Also, they give 'mini-boards' exams in each class. This would have been nice to have explored a bit more."
"That the interview is completely blind; my interviewer didn't even recieve my name ahead of time. Make sure you have thought of specific points you want to cover."
"How isolated campus is. You probably do need a car if you want to be independent and get around off campus at all. "
"that the interview would be really relaxed and conversational - then i wouldn't have been so stressed before i got there. "
"The Crowne Plaza hotel in White Plains DOES NOT have a free van ride to NYMC-Valhalla. It says it does on the list of hotels given out on the school website, but they don't. 10 minute cab ride for $9 is best option."
"Waitlists are not ranked."
"My original interviewer was unable to interview me because a faculty member's wife had died that weekend. Be prepared for anything! "
"They don't have the 6 year program (medical school and residency) anymore."
"I missed the exit to the med school and drove for 20 minutes. Scary as hell at 9 PM in the fall when there's no signs telling me where I am.."
"they dont have that 6 year internal medicine program anymore, which was kind of a downer"
"That my interviewer was going to ask that interesting ? above. Despite what they say, not all 1st years are guaranteed housing. There's not room for them all."
"fly into the white plains airport if you can. i'd say it's worth the extra money. bring cash for cabs and definitely do the student hosting program."
"Had a very pleasant experience at the school. I could see myself attending."
"Overall, loved my interview day! Even if it was the longest interview day I have ever had."
"Overall not a good fit for me specifically, but I think I could get a great education there if I were to attend."
"I loved the school, the interview was very relaxing. The brunch served, I have to say, is the worst I have seen so far. They only served bagels"
"the day was relaxed and informal, they make you feel really comfortable about the interview...although one candidate did get a doctor who interviewed him and spent 30 mins asking him how to improve healthcare....depends who you get"
"loved this school, mostly for it's location, student body, and it's anatomy lab."
"Interview was casual, nice facilities, dorms are not so nice and more expensive than I thought. The students were very welcoming. Also while exploring the hospital met an MD working there who was extrememly nice."
"I think NYMC is a really good school but I don't think the location is for me. If only it was closer to the city"
"Loved the school! Hopefully I get in!"
"Students were depressed to be there, most were asleep or surfing the web during lecture. Definitely seemed that they had no other choice but to be there."
"Closed file interview, laid back, trying to get to know you better as a person"
"Date of the interview was changed to preserve my anonymity. The overall impression of NYMC I got during the interview day was not very positive. The new education building was very new and nice but other buildings around the campus were unremarkable. The campus seemed very isolated, staff unfriendly, and students not all that enthusiastic or happy at the school. Although it was open-file, my interviewer did not seem to have read through my file. The interviewer basically went down the AMCAS activity list and did not give me much time to talk or elaborate on things I wanted to talk about... often cutting me off mid-sentence. I have heard many good things about NYMC (such great location, faculties, and cooperative atmosphere) but the interview day left a negative impression. This was the only school where the visit made me rethink my decision to attend the school. I was offered an acceptance but will likely withdraw soon."
"As a rule of thumb, if a school has to mention that more than 50% of the students there chose it over another school, it might not exactly be a place you'll be happy at."
"Very nice school. 3-4 year clerkships are in NYC, so people move there."
"Pretty nice students and faculty, but the location and the vibe of the campus just didn't do it for me. This trip really exemplified why it's so important to visit a school not only to interview but to see if it feels right."
"I really wouldn't recommend this college. It didn't have a good atmosphere (despite the amazing weather they had today), the students seemed really depressed (not that they aren't at most med schools), but they didn't seem to be happy to be there, while I've seen amazing students with amazing enthusiasm at other schools at which I've interviewed"
"Nice place, the topic of Touro's sponsorship came up at least 3x during the day with various people (student guides, intvwr...etc) so keep that in mind. School's credentials will still remain as good though."
"The staff and students were very nice. The other interviewees were not."
"I was really impressed with the school and how it prepares students well for board exams."
"Though I felt like I had to fill the interviewer in on a lot since they only really had a list of our activities and our AMCAS essay, the interview still turned conversational pretty quickly and it was very enjoyable. In general, everything left me with a positive impression except for how small (and quiet) Valhalla was and how blah my student host was."
"Seems like a really good school, focused a lot on providing a good education for students and the close proximity to NYC is a nice balance to the idyllic feel of the campus itself."
"Overall I liked the school. I'm also writing this now with an acceptance from this school as well. That being said, I've heard some negative things about NYMC but I didn't see much of it on display during my interview day. The admissions staff, excepting the secretaries, were very enthusiastic and my interviewer was great. I had a very enjoyable day."
"The interview was relaxed"
"I really loved this school; it gave me a great feeling. The school is very easy to get to and it had a beautiful anatomy lab (which was on the top floor so it had actual windows). The students seemed great and like a close knit group."
"The school was great and I hope to get in!"
"Overall a nice school in a nice location. Obviously not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it"
"Overall, their new building, staff, teachers, housing, and environment impressed me. But it does depend on your own attitude towards that kind of living style."
"from host: in "talks" with Touro for financial backing, but will not become a DO school and should have no impact on curriculum/name/degree. "
"Rumors that school may be bought by Touro (based in New Jersey)."
"Be yourself...thats the best advice honestly. Dont be stiff and tight, have fun with the experience because it is a pleasure to be there."
"My host student was fed up with the administration and expressed interest in transferring out due to recent talks about being bought from med school mill Touro. Another student was worried the school would end up a DO school. I think that if this is the only school I get accepted to, I will re-apply next year because my app will be stronger due to my work and pending publication. "
"A nice experience. The interview was a breeze and my interviewer was a very nice woman who seemed genuinely interested in me. "
"The campus is gorgeous. It is nice to be able to spend 2 years in Valhalla/Westchester and then 2 in NYC. 9am-5pm lectures M-F seems really intense versus other campuses I have visited with less "pure lecture" time. The average boards are 6% above national average and the school generally has a very good match. Overall - a good feel, yet nothing that truly "wow-ed" me. "
"Seems like a quality school. Everyone was very nice, especially current students. Facilities are quite good as well."
"Interviewer impressed me negatively. Definitely didn't care what you had to say. Expressions were neutral and seemed forced. Made me wait an extra 30 min. past the scheduled interview time. "
"The interviewer was very cheery. He tried hard to put me at ease, but that made him difficult to read. Everything about the process was laid back, but not disorganized. "
"This was by far my worst interview, performance- and experience-wise. But I got in, so I don't know what to tell you."
"The school is a good school and you may like how close the students get since there is not much else around, I just dont know if ill like it"
"I interviewed with a faculty member, and then a 4th year. They both had a checklist sheet in front of them and went down asking the same questions. They both wrote down every single thing I said, which was a bit unnerving. The worst part was when they both asked "What did you do the summer after freshman year, the summer after sophomore, junior years?""
"They had told me ahead of time that the interviews are closed file and the interviewer will only have my personal statement (provided by me), but my interviewer had gotten a hold of my AMCAS activities as well."
"NYMC is a decent medical school. Students seemed tight-knit, but not quite sure if this is the place for me. However, it is located within driving distance to many different places. "
"good rep, great location, excellent academics, very high board scores, student-run clinic in NYC, and strong alumni network! what more could you ask for?"
"it's in a quiet NYC suburb, seems like it would be great for basic science studying and also quite close to the bronx and manhattan if you want to meet up with friends who live in the area"
"New York Med is one of the oldest and largest private health sciences university in the U.S. It was founded in 1860 inside NYC but later moved its basic sciences campus to Valhalla, a NYC suburb, in order to accommodate better facilities."
"New York Medical College is truly an awesome place! I love the fact that the first two years are spent in a rich (safer) NYC suburb 20 minutes from Yankee Stadium and 30 minutes from Manhattan, while the next two clinical rotation years are inside Manhattan. The excellent faculty, the HIGHEST board passing rate in New York State (yep better than Columbia, Cornell etc.), increased research funding, close to 1000 graduates currently serving on an American medical school faculty (18 department chairs), and its special dedication to training medical students as future practitioners (since it is purely a health sciences university) allow it to be a great fit for students who are interested in attending strong residency programs. New York Med is truly on the rise!"
"NY Med's NYC's hidden gem. If it decides to interview half of its applicants on their Manhattan academic center campus like some other schools, it would definitely attract a ton more applicants."
"Valhalla's actually a lot closer to NYC than previously thought, and the school actually has five hospitals/affiliates in Manhattan (one academic medical center, one university hospital, and three affiliates) as part of its 28 overall hospitals/affiliates."
"I really don't understand why NYMC seems to get a bad rep. It's a solid school where you aren't in the middle of the madness of NYC, but if you want to grab a train, it's no problem. I'm about 95% sure this is where I'll be going in the fall (I got in), and am extremely happy for the opportunity. And this was the only interview I had where the "no stress" thing really applied. I walked into the interviewer's office with sweaty palms, and they were dry in minutes. He was a really amazing guy who put me at ease immediately, and we just talked about me, the school, my application, the world at large, etc. NYMC is an interview day you really can enjoy."
"It was really relaxing. The interviewer just asked about my personal experiences and what they meant to me."
"The interview itself was not a bad experience, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. The interviewer asked her questions, I answered them, and then she wrote down whatever I said."
"A waste of time. Wish I had not gone...too much money and not worth the vist...will reapply if this is the only school i get into"
"I'm sure you'll get a fine education here. I just foresee myself being depressed/not wanting to get out of bed in the morning if I went here."
"Not very interesting or enticing, the interview was not difficult at all, interviewer knew nothing about me, I don't favor closed file interviews, you seem to just sit there telling them stuff that they should atleast already know. They don't show interest in the diversity issue in their med class. I asked my interviewer about the demographics of the school and why she thought it was as it is, she said because it is an expensive school and minorities might not be able to afford it. Figures that I recieved a letter inviting me to come and have a visit at their minority affairs office on the day of my interview, in the mail when I got home after my interview-imbeciles "
"One on one with a professor. She was really friendly. Good interviewer. She didn't know anything about me. I wish she had read my personal statement. But I understand that the point is to see how you present yourself(first impressions are important)."
"I gave this school a fair shot, I honestly did, but just can't imagine myself there for the next four years. Unless you have not been accepted elsewhere, or they make you an increadible offer you cannot refuse, steer clear of this school. "
"The interviewer (PhD) was very pleasant and nice (difficult to read). I enjoyed the facilities (aside from the housing). The interview felt rushed as there were people waiting outside to interview. Interviewer mentioned something inappropriate/unprofessional."
"Very relaxed interview environ. The students and faculty try very hard to show you a good time. The student body definitely seems like the cooperative (and not competitive) type. Valhalla is kind of dull, but the proximity to NYC takes care of that. Over all impressive school."
"My entire interview essentially went like this: ''What did you do the summer before you entered college? ... What did you do during your 1st year? ... Summer of your first year? ... Second year? ... Summer of your second year? ... Third year? ...etc, until the summer after graduation. To be honest, I was caught off guard by this laundry-list style of questioning. When I mentioned an activity, I also had to state the approximate number of hours of involvement, which is POINTLESS because the admissions committee SHOULD have all of that information on my AMCAS app. As I was responding to these questions, my interviewer was too busy writing down what I was saying verbatim to really hold a real conversation with me. At one point she also interrupted me mid-sentence to ask if I could ''slow down'' because she couldn't write everything I was saying fast enough. At the end of the interview I felt like I had regurgitated my primary application without adding any additional insights into who I am as a person (despite my best efforts to steer the conversation to a deeper level than ''I did X for Y hours'')"
"I had heard negative things about the school and the surrounding area but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the facilities, the enthusiasm of the students, and the overall feel of the medical school. They boast a 99% pass rate on the step 1 USMLE which a lot of top-tier Ivy league schools and even UC's can't compete with. The average score on the USMLE is also well above the national average. They give you breakfast and a few people talk to you about financial aid and life at the medical school. Then you have a few hours of exploration time and one interview. Mine was with a professor. After the interview you have a tour with students and lunch. The day lasted from 8am-1pm."
"It was a very relaxed day, and it included good financial aid presentation. The day ended at about 1:20pm."
"I love that this school unapologetically emphasizes primary care instead of research, but it's isolation and stressed out student body really detracts from it's appeal. The interview was extremely low key and unstressful. No tough questions."
"Everything about the interview was pleasant and easy going. Because it is closed file you are really in charge of where the interview goes."
"it was an overall positive experience. but it was also pretty standard. nothing stood out to me that made this school seem special, except for maybe the fact that in your 3rd and 4th year you can move to manhattan. so if locaation is the most important thing, then it is a strong positive quality. but the students did not seem easily approachable and i could not tell the competitve nature of the school. i would go here if i couldn't get into a school i liked more. valhalla is only 30 min from manhattan so that is really nice. stay w/ a student host, it is so convenient and cheap. the day included orientation, financial aid presentation, interviews then tours. I wasn't the happeist after my interview because my interviewer talked too much about himself. boo."
"A well organized, informative day, though I got conflicting accounts of how students are placed in clinical year clerkships. I would have liked some uniform guarantee that I can spend the entirety of my clinical education in the city. "
"breakfast, introduction to the school, talk by med student, financial aid talk, interviews, tour, lunch"
"Financial aid and admissions presentation. Short interview with one person. Sit in on a class. Take a tour of the campus and then eat lunch. "
"I expected the worst case scenario but the interviewer was nice and the students were helpful."
"I personally think it was a good experience. My interviewer asked me typical questions,he seemed interested on what I had to say."
"Overall I had a good experience. The interviewer was very nice, and the hour was very conversational. No nasty questions or anything. Just be prepared for typical questions and know your amcas back and forth, although the interviews are blind they do have a list of your EC's and ask you about them."
"Overall pretty chill. The introduction was kind of boring, and the room was very hot so it was hard to stay focused. A 4th year med student came in and talked to us about how great he thought the school was, then had a financial aid presentation- very informative. Had our interviews- one on one- and then had a tour of the facilities. Looked at the dorms, which were pretty freshman year of college but very convenient and affordable for NY. Afterwards we had lunch, then we were free to go. "
"Overall, a good experience considering, I did not get frostbite, was not late to my interview, and did not get lost in NY. I wish my interview did not go over the alloted time b/c I wanted to check out the anatomy lab. Also, the closed file interview is tricky, you have to be aware that b/c the interviewer does not know much about you, you have to talk most of the time and be able to do it in an articulate manner. I waited for my interviewer to finish writing down his notes of the interview, but when I think about it I should have just kept on going instead of stopping which disrupted my train of thought. I think there were 2 questions that I forgot to answer b/c I got side-tracked. Overall, the entire experience was fine, can't seriously find major problems with the school. High board scores, housing for the first two years, decent match list... "
"The admission office opened at 8am, continental breakfast was nice but not tempting since the interviews start early. While waiting for our interview we were recommended to sit in on a first year lecture. Students and staffs were very friendly. Even the applicants were pleasant. It takes some time to adapt to the interviewer, so the session had gone by rather quickly. The tour of facilities followed, then lunch at the cafeteria. A good overall experience."
"The interviews are close-file but the interviewers have the choice to read your personal statement and list of activities (without description)...... Mine of course had not read a thing so the interview was spent mostly regurgitating exactly what is on my application. He literally went down the page and as I described each activity he filled it in -- then he says to me ''Sorry, they will be mad at me if I don't get all this information''. Seemed pretty pointless since I didn't get to talk about anything in detail. However, the interview was completely stress free and really the only 2 questions I got were Why Medicine and Why NYMC?"
"Overall, I was impressed with the school. After the experience, I feel like NYMC gets an unfairly bad rep from some people. The interviewer was a PhD who asked interesting questions and seemed like he really wanted to get to know me. I left with the feeling that I'd get a good education here. That being said, the students were definitely more stressed out than in other places and the place is really out in the country side. You can spend the last two years in New York City for the clinical rotations, so its not that bad. I can see myself going here."
"It was a very relaxed interview process and I was pleasantly amazed by how amazing all of hte students are that I spoke with."
"The interview went really well because I had a great interviewer. The student was very forthcoming on his experiences at NYMC and seemed to be very happy with his choice. The people there were really helpful and friendly (even the guy sitting at the information desk who waved when I walked in). The location is great for the first two years when you have to do your basic sciences. It is a nice community full of land and trees for you to enjoy with little distraction. However it is very close to NYC for you to take advantage of when you have the time and energy to do so. The single apartments are furnished and very close to classrooms so you can literally roll out of bed to class. Their new Children's Hospital is amazing! "
"the questions i was asked were the standard interview questions asked anywhere. as i mentioned above - i was asked about my activities, why med school, and why nymc. the interview lasted 45 minutes, but it wasn't stressful. "
"I had a great interview at New York Medical College, it was very laid back but she also asked challenging questions. Prepare well and you should have no problem. "
"I was really blown away by NYMC. I have heard some not-so-enthusiastic things about the school, mostly here on SDN, but I really didnt find too many of them to be warranted. I was there during exams, and people still stopped and talked just walking down the hallways. Everyone is super friendly, many would stop and chat on their way to wherever they were going. I loved the community feel that the campus radiates, and the facilities are all you could ask for! They also offer great opportunities for getting a combined MD/MPH or MD/PhD, which you dont have to apply for off the bat but can wait and apply any time before the end of your second year. I hope I get an acceptance, because I see myself as a great fit there!"
"NYMC is a mediocre school in an odd location. It'd be a good place to study, but I wouldn't recommend taking a long trip to see the school if you've been accepted elsewhere."
"My interviewer was the chair of the admissions committee. It was a very low-stress interview, and my interviewer seemed truly interested in what I had to say. The admissions lady that gave an introductory speech was friendly, and the 2nd and 4th year students we met had a lot of good things to say about the facility and the curriculum, and their clinical experiences."
"i stayed with a student host, which i highly recommend. the campus housing is literally 150 feet from the admissions office. the interviewees had a light breakfast, brief intro to the curriculum and financial aid, then an hour long interview with a faculty member. my guy was really nice."
"Good"
"Great experience in the actual interview. Kind of tough to be there at 8:00AM, but it was alright because we got out early. Once again, being relaxed was key. I don't think that anyone in my group had an aweful experience. Know why you want to go to NYMC (what appeals to you)."
"My experience was really bad. My interviewer spent about 30 minutes talking to me about my home town. I had this false sense of security and then the last 15 minutes drilled me on my problems and disagreed and basically made me feel like an idiot. So my advice is to stay confident and dont' break down; its a pressure situation. I ended up getting accepted...so always keep hope!!"
"I drove through the campus the day before my interview to check it out. Dr. Sullivan (the dean for admissions) interviewed me, and I felt very comfortable with her. Our interview was very conversational, and I felt that she knew me by the end of it. It's too bad it was raining because I would have liked to have seen more of the campus, like the hospitals, etc."
"Well, at the beginning of the day they give you your itinerary with your interviewer's name, time, and room number. When I got to the correct building (it seemed like they spread all the applicants around campus which make it confusing and more stressful)I asked the security guard at the front desk where this room was. He proceeded to act very confused and asked me questions about what job I was applying for, what kind of car I drove here, what the extension of my party was, and basically interrogated me....when I finally got past him I looked for an elevator since my room was 300-something. Well, apparently the 300's are on the first floor. After roping some poor student into personally escorting me to my interview room, I was there at exactly the time I was supposed to be, not a second early! Then, my interviewer spent the first 10 minutes of my 30 minute interview trying to figure out my EC's (he had a list of my amcas activities to go off of) and seemed almost angry at me b/c he was confused! After that the rest of the interview went fine. It was pretty conversational and easy going. He seemed genuinely interested in my experiences, feelings, and interests. Let's just say that the interview setup made the entire experience very stressful and the lack of instructions, maps, etc, almost made me late for my interview. A couple of the other applicants actually missed some of their interviews b/c they had similar problems finding their rooms too. I hope that they revise their interview setup/schedule so it's not a crazy scavenger hunt. "
"We eat breakfast at 8 and then have a few presenations about student life, the logistics of the interview day, the chances of use getting in, financial aid, etc. Then at 9:45 the interviews start. Some of us had the interview in another building and we had to look for the building ourselves. If your lucky, you'll be interviewed in the same building as you breakfast. At noon the tour starts and you have lunch. You're done by 1-1:30."
"It was a lot better than some of the recent feedback I've seen on SDN. No, it's not in the heart of NYC but it's easy to live in the city after your first year. Contrary to what I've seen in others' feedback, the students I met were happy and said they led healthy social lives. It seemed like a nice, albeit expensive, place to go to school. "
"It was good. Comparing it to other schools I have been to there were no smoke and mirrors. My interview ran long to over an hour when it was supposed to be 30-45 min, so I had about 45 minutes to wander the campus/ sit in on classes with the other interviewees. Everyone was relaxed and welcoming. "
"Overall, I thought the campus was decent looking, although smaller than I expected. The facilities seemed modern enough, and Westchester is really not as bad as I thought it would be. The interviewer was really nice and made me feel extremely comfortable."
"I think it was a good place to start for my first interview. It was laid back, informal and very inviting. Yet, it was in the middle of nowhere and I didn't get a that communal feeling that most universities have. "
"It was all right... nothing spectacular but nothing wrong either."
"11 hours fly = 15 min interview"
"It is an okay school with an amazing anatomy lab. I am sure you could get a great education there but you probably wont be too happy. The interview is not very stressful, so dont worry. Just know yourself and what you have done."
"Got there at 7:45am. Waited 20 minutes til the staff actually showed up to unlock the doors. Sat in a room until like 8:45 and had a 45 schpeel, touching on some info about NYMC. Interview for 45 mins with awesome/nice Prof. ~90 mins-2hrs to waste by just meandering. Tour by 2 students of the school, followed by lunch. Good thing is you're done by like 1:30!"
"horrible"
"When I arrived the admissions staff wasn't even there yet. When they arrived one by one the interviewees got their pictures taken for the school tag you had to carry with you and then we were instructed to help ourselves to breakfast in a back room. After waiting about 45 min. we had some staff talk to us about financial aid. After waiting more, and my interviewer showing up late, I had my interview. After I had to wait for about an hour and a half in the back room until the tour, which was lead by two first year students. After the tour we had lunch and then were free to go."
"I hated the school. I felt like the environment wasn't supportive or helpful, and the students seemed to me to be really stressed. A lot of them had not gotten in anywhere else, so NYMC was literally their only choice. If I had known about this earlier, I would not have gone to the interview. The interview itself was not that stellar, since the researcher kept asking me about my clinical experience (or lack thereof). All the interviewers also ask if there are any red flags on your application, and the interview is blind, which I wasn't too fond of."
"breakfast 8-8:30. then really long presentation about admissions and fin aid. only 1 very relaxed interview which was nice. student tour and lunch. we were done at 1:30 which was great. it was a nice school but i didn't find anything to make me want to go there soo badly. oh and they take at least 10 weeks to get back to you and the decision is sent to you permanent address instead of mailing. that's annoying."
"interviewer seemed nice but at the same time grilled me on my experiences..couldve done better. only asked for experiences and school..nothing really about me."
"The overall experience was very relaxed and casual. All of the students and staff were friendly. The day ended with eating lunch with our tour guide and was over by 1:30pm."
"Great, the interviewer made me feel very comfortable!"
"The beginning of the morning was an overview by the admissions staff and then a Q&A with an M4. There's a large block of time reserved for interviews, but the interviews usually only lasted for 30-45 minutes. We took a tour and then ate lunch with our student tour guide."
"Overall very good, extremely relaxed. Awesome facilities and school. I look forward to hearing back from them!"
"The students I met were nice along with the staff. I don't like the housing for the students and felt the interview was impersonal compared to my other ones. This is def. not the med school for me-- their philosophy does not click with mine. "
"The interview took place in a physiology professor's office. It was more like an informal discussion than like being grilled or put on the spot. I felt relaxed and it was not scary at all. "
"Very easy interview day. Not high stress at all. The other interviewees were very firendly. It was a Jewish holiday so there were no classes, which meant hardly any students around. I was glad I stayed with a student host to get to know a few students and see the housing (that I didn't like). "
"The interview was laid back. I was not asked any moral or ethical dillema questions. There is no fixed length and for the most part the interviewer asked questions about myself, my interests, my hobbies and volunteer/research experiences."
"Overall it is hard to say because the interviewer was frantically writing down everything. It was very relaxed because everything she touched on was already in my application. When my interviewer decided to end the meeting it was only because she had no more room on her piece of paper to write anything. I would have liked to have spoken to her more but I walked out of there not being able to gauge how I did whatsoever."
"It was incredibly laid back and purely conversational. The guy was really into almost everything I had to say, so we had a lot of talk about and shared a lot of ideas. I had a great time and would have loved to have more time to talk with him. I think that since it's closed file, you really have to put a lot of enthusiasm in what you say, else it's just going to be a boring list of your activies. Get really exciting about what you're describing and stick in some good descriptions... get really animated. I don't know. I think closed-file is an opportunity to guide the interview however you want. Anyway, the facilities are nice and the student body seems really close. Overall, I really liked NYMC. I think it's a great school."
"Tour guides were real cool and I love the facilities. The person I interviewed with was very nice but I couldn't get the interview to become a conversation, it was just question-answer question-answer. I was the only kid who interviewed with her outside the Administration building, this could be either good or bad I do not know."
"The interview took place in a physiology professor's office. It was more like an informal discussion than like being grilled or put on the spot. I felt relaxed and it was not scary at all."
"Cool"
"I had a great time with this interview. I had good interactions with the other interviewees and my interviewer made me feel very welcomed. SHe told me she wished one day she can call me her collegue. "
"45 min interview, times are either 9:45, 10:30 or 11:15. One on one interview, closed file. Asked questions about application and personal statement so know these both well. Some interviewers read amcas essay ahead of time, some read it afterwards. Bring two copies of amcas essay (personal statement) to interview."
"It was overall a good day, and the campus left a great impression with me. I liked the closed file because i was able to tell my story verbally, and really emphasize the things i wanted to. I think it gives the interviewer a more real first impression with the candidate. Some people dont like closed file because they have to explain everything, but I think its an opportunity to go more in depth and show what you really have done."
"Interviewer was very nice. Closed file interviews are annoying because you just rehash your AMCAS with a little more in depth explanation"
"It was a very laid back interview..just asked me to describe myself..talked about amcas activities..and make sure you cover everything you talk about in you personal statement"
"It was great. My interviewer was very friendly and was interested in learning more about me."
"Overall the experience was pleasant. I like the fact that the campus is off away from the city but close enough to take a trip into Manhattan to enjoy the city life. Students are a little weird in my opinion but the facilities are awesome and the faculty are very warm and approachable."
"My interviewer was awesome to talk to...he was extremely laid-back and down to earth. He was obviously asking me questions but I honestly did not feel like I was being interviewed. It's important to know your AMCAS app very well because you will probably have to list them all of and explain them since the interview is closed-file. Also, you might be asked for chronology of your activites/experiences. "
"I stayed in Manhattan, took the train to the interview-very convenient. It was raining. The school was pretty, very green, and students lived on campus in apartments that were pretty nice. However, there really is nothing walking distance from the school, You have to pay to park your car. My interview was pretty good, it was with a member of the admissions committee- non science background. I wish I had met more of the students, because the ones I met did not seem like very interesting people, and kind of turned me off to the school."
"Well, the interview day might have been the most stressful and uncomfortable day of my life BUT it was all my fault, not NYMC's. I kept loosing things, I had missed my flight the day before and was stuck in DC until 8 AM the day OF my interview. So I was really overly stressed and tired. And I missed most of the tour, had a rushed interview, and did not get to really talk to any of the applicants or students. I just hope the admissions staff did not think I was incompetent because of all of this, but I still liked the school. "
"The woman I interviewed with was rude and bitter. She went down a sheet of questions and wrote down everything i said, then she asked some pretty inappropriate questions. "
"it's true that it is no one's first choice. it was very strange that every student i met immediately told me that ny med was not their first choice, but that they've been reasonably happy. the whole day basically repeated this theme. as i said, the tour was loooooong. when we got to the lecture hall, the tour guides directed us to have a seat and each talked at length about the lectures and their experiences and the scribe service, etc. sorry to go on about the tour, but it was really strange to get all kinds of details that really don't mean much when you are choosing a medical school. i mean, it's nice to hear about parking and see the facilities, but i didn't learn anything interesting except that there is way to much lecture time and it costs a bundle to access the notes in case you don't go to every lecture."
"The doctor was very pleasant and informal. We spoke for about 35-40 minutes and he just wanted to get a grasp of who I was and why I was applying. "
"The usual suspects - school overview, tour, financial aid talk, interview (though not in that order). As I had heard before, the facilities at NYMC are very nice. The staff and all the faculty members that I met were very nice, as were the students. However, the students reminded me of the premeds who probably had decent credentials (bio major, hospital volunteer, a little research, etc.) but not a whole lot else. Bear in mind that I only met about a dozen of them, so maybe I got a bad sample. I left positively impressed by the experience because it beat my expectations."
"I was quite impressed with my visit to this school. The 4th year student (Dina, I believe her name was) gave a dynamite talk and shared her very honest opinions of the school (a rare exerience, based on my visits to other schools). My interviewer was extremely considerate and made a sincere effort to review what little info he had about me before actually meeting me. The facilities are really top notch and the vast range of hospital affiliates seems to give the students the ability to tailor their rotations and electives to their specific interests/objectives. I really like the fact that NYMC is tucked into this larger medical complex rather than some conglomerate research university. Clinical education clearly takes a front seat to research at NYMC, and I know that that's a turn-off for some. But, definitely not for me. Apparently, ~50% of interviewees are ultimately accepted, so I'm hoping for the best! All in all, wonderful experience!"
"The interview was very laid back, however they asked me where else I had applied and felt uncomfortable answering this question. Otherwise everything was good."
"The day was incredibly fun, not stressful. Everyone in my interview group seemed very laid-back and were definitely the type of people I could go to school with. The bad press that this school gets on SDN is so unwarrented. The people writing it must be a bunch of spoiled snots. And there is a TON of stuff going on if you make the effort to look for it! There must be at least 2 or three small suburbs around the school with local events going on every month. The facilities are gorgeous and Valhalla itself is just like a postcard. My interviewers were really nice (one was the favorite prof. of histology, Dr. Larea, and he was AWESOME and so likeable - he seems like a great prof.) and the students giving the tour were very friendly and honest. And no, they didn't just go to NYMC because they didn't get in anywhere else - they had good options and still chose NYMC. It is definitely a top choice for me now!"
"The interviewer asked me what I did from high school till now. I thought that was a waste of time because she could have gotten all that information from my application (They give the interviewer the list of my activities)."
"the day starts with a very short presentation by the director of admissions, and then a 4th year student came in and quickly summarized the curriculum and waited for questions, but there weren't any, then there was a financial aid presentation. i had my interview with a pediatrician, and then went over to the children's hospital on my own with free time. we went as a group to meet the tour guides in their lecture building, wen't on a tour, and then ate lunch."
"My interviewer did not make any eye contact with me. The whole time he looked down at his sheet of facts on me, and he spent at least half of the time asking me to clarify for him the chronology of my education. It was a frustrating experience. "
"The interview was very conversational. My interviewer did a good job of putting me at ease. It was interesting to talk to him about his opinions on the medical education system."
"Reading other interview experiences on this website, I expected an unstructured interview, but it actually did have some structure. My interviewer had a rating sheet, and took notes throughout."
"Very laid back. The interviewer wanted to collect as much information as possible to serve as my advocate."
"Everyone is so nice and enthusiastic to be at NYMC. Nice part of NY."
"It was a pretty low key day, no one was very stressed out - I don't think this is anyones top choice school"
"I loved NYMC! The people were all friendly and outgoing. There is a genuinely cooperative atmosphere which I really liked. My interviewer was one of the nicest people I've ever met. The interview itself was for the most part self-guided. Contrary to what some people think the location is great, personally I feel if people were actually familiar with the area they would agree with me. NYMC definitely jumped to the top of my list after this day."
"I enjoyed it overall. Nice school campus, nice flexibility in rotations, very high board scores which may be due to the curriculum, they test in a manner similar to the boards."
"The interview was just a normal "who are you" type of interview. My interviewer was really nice and truly interested in getting to me. The school's campus is really nice but small & out in the middle of nowhere. the students seem happy though."
"Interviewees were hella chill The administration was wonderful"
"I really couldn't gauge how my interviewer felt about me. He just gave me the ball and let me talk, and I dunno if he liked what I had to say. He looked satisfied enuf, but you never know with these things."
"The entire experience was extremely positive. I stayed with a student host and learned a lot from her and her roommates. We were able to attend a first-year lecture, which was nice. "
"very impressed with NYMC"
"dr. wassermann is a jolly ol' fellow who puts you at ease."
"This school is great. The faculty and the students are very friendly and happy to be where they are. The location is prime. The school is 30 min. by train from New York City, 15 min. by car from the palisades mall, one of the biggest malls in America, and close to the Appalachian trail (hikers). So no matter what it is that you like to do in life, you can do it. Moreover, the campus is beautifully green, so if you're in love with nature, this is definitely the place to be. Also, the facilities are the newest and best I've seen so far, especially the anatomy lab, which has a ventilation system so efficient that it doesn't smell bad at all. Finally, they have a new, state-of-the-art children's hospital which I highly recommend visiting."
"Interview wasn't too stressful. Pretty standard."
"Overall an enjoyable day, but I wish the interview had been more conversational, since there were no "hard" questions. "
"Pretty stress-free day. Had the opportunity to sit in on some lectures. Interview was conversational, not bad at all. My interviewer was a clinician and knew basically nothing about the school, so he couldn't answer any questions I'd prepared for my interview; he was really nice though. Tour guides were really helpful. "
"See negative impressions above."
"Everyone just got one interviewer. My interviewer was very nice, just wanted to know more about me and my experiences.....took alot of notes."
"Overall it was good. "
"I was expecting to be asked at least one or two ethics questions, and was surprised to be asked only about myself. The interviewer was a female physician, incredibly kind, and seemed genuinely interested in who I am. She did her best to make me feel at ease. "
"I was pretty stress free but I think I may have been talking too fast since I was trying to squeeze in alot of info. "
"Overall, the experience was good; friendly students and faculty, nice facilites, short interview day. The interview was stress-free and more like a conversation than anything else."
"Great experience. Easy going, low stress and almost fun. "
"My interviewer asked me year to year of my undergrad what I did. I didn't review my experinces to such detail, so I struggled a bit, trying to remember all the activities I did each year. She would write everything down, and would stop me mid-sentence to get everything down on paper. Since it was closed-file, I can udnerstand why she needs to write stuff down, but I essentially regurgitated my AMCAS. I was put off by her interrupting me and being so focused on jotting down her notes that I grew uninterested. Also, she was late and I was the LAST person to interview. So, she rushed me because she wanted me to see the tour, even though I told her that my host showed me the campus already and it's ok if we go over. Oy, I'd say the whole interviewing ecperience was ok, but the actual interviewer made it worse."
"i wasn't overly impressed by the interview. it wasn't bad, and i wouldn't mind attending if i'm accepted, but i wouldn't be overjoyed. the buildings are great, and the fact that there is nature on campus is also a bonus. 3rd and 4th year rotations in nyc is a definite plus, but i just didn't really get the sense that i would enjoy 4 years there."
"My interview was not very stressful. My interviewer began by telling me not to worry or be nervous. I've read alot of complaints about the campus and the surrounding area, but didn't see what they were talking about. I guess it's just a matter of opinion. I found the campus to be very nice. The surrounding area is typical upstate NY, and I guess if you prefer a big city you wouldnt like it. I saw the on campus housing as a convenience, not a negative aspect. And as for the prison, I didnt see any escaped inmates running around."
"It seems like the SDN community has really came down on NYMC in its reviews. I would like to say, don't believe what everybody posts on here. I was really impressed with the school. The facilities were very nice. I have yet to see a friendlier or more enthusiastic student body at any of the schools I’ve interviewed at. Nearly every student you walked by in the halls at least said hello, but most told you good luck with the interview, asked who your interviewer was, and gave you a heads up on what to expect. Med school is what you make of it. All of the schools are going to give more or less equal tools to attack your USMLEs with. It is up to you to make the most of your experience both educationally and socially. Personally, I think the school was great and I would be happy to be a student there."
"I really don't want to be one of those people who blames a bad interview on the interviewer but in this case it's hard not to. I read an earlier feedback and a fellow interviewee described his interviewer as a "demon from the abyss below" I am quite sure that his comment was based on this particular interviewer. She was rude and negative and just really put me down. I'm confident that other interviewees who had her feel the same way as I do. At one point, she asked about my thoughts on how to resolve the HMO crisis. As soon as I started to answer she loudly smacks her hand on the table and proceeds to yell "NO! THAT WON'T DO ANYTHING!" I had barely gotten a sentence out and it also happens to be an issue that the U.S. government has barely been able to solve so give me a break lady."
"The Interview went really well. We had more of a conversation than a question and answer session. The interviewer was really easy to talk to. I encourage you to ask them Why you should attend their school. Get your interviewers opinion of the school, it might help you latter on. I did not really know much about the school before the intervie, but I definately think it is one of my top choices."
"Interviews are blind (i.e. no AMCAS information is given prior to the interview with the exception of the personal statement, which may be requested ahead of time). My interview was completely blind. Consequently, my background (where I grew up/went to school, why I chose my college, what my parents do, etc.) comprised the majority of questions asked. This provided for a relaxed, conversational atmosphere but did not leave enough room to discuss sufficently my interest in pursuing medicine and impress upon the interviewer my motivation for doing so."
"I thought i'd be unhappy with this school based on previous comments, but i walked away very impressed. Get this, they were showing the Vagina Monologues that weekend. The students were all friendly and happy, the teachers and faculty were real helpful. I actually liked the place. It was also nice to hear that the "catholic tradition" is a very very small part of the school. "
"The faculty and staff are extremely nice. There was one interview with an MD which went well, I hope. The school itself is pretty nice. You spend the first two years in the suburbs and your last two years in NYC. Overall, great school. "
"The interview was very laid back and my interviewer was nice. The school was alright, but nothing special given its high cost. Location is good because its close to NYC but White Plains is not very nice. Students seemed luke-warm about the school."
"The interviewer (Ph.D prof) was laid-back with an . . . odd sense of humor. I wasn't sure how to play to it but I kept my sense of humor. He kept asking questions, I'd start to explain, he'd ask a tangentially-related question, I'd answer, then he'd ask a completely new question. I never did get around to finishing up most of my answers."
"Started with an orientation and breakfast, durning which I sat and chatted with about 20 other applicants. We then went off to our prospective interviews. The interview was easy and typical, no hard questions, just "tell me about yourself" questions. The rest of the morning was spent taking a tour and sitting in on a lecture. After lunch, we were free to go. "
"Overall, I was not impressed with the school and the interview experience. My interview itself did not go well but I would like to not let that bias my judgment on the school itself. First off, prepare to PAY ALOT for this school. Tuition is $56,000 per year w/ ave. debt after school around 160,000. This school is expensive and West Chester County is an expensive area to live in also. You have to have a car if you want to get around and not take taxis everywhere, adds on the expenses. 90% of class lives in dorms which you share with 2 or 3 other students. Personally if I had to live in dorms I would not mind living in a single but a triple or a quad is ridiculous, plus that is $600 per month/per person. Tour guide said that was cheap in a snobbish way and not to worry about it(maybe if your dad is bill gates). Lecture halls were pretty standard, nothing bad about them but nothing spectacular either. Nice library and study areas. Anatomy lab is realy nice with sky lights and good filtration system. But seriously, don't make a decision on a school b/c of their anatomy lab. I think that is a moot point. As for the interview, I guess she had it out for me from the start. I've heard other interviewers that theirs were very conversational and easy, but I must have been very lucky and got demon-woman from the fiery abyss below. She woud ALWAYS interrupt to give me her opinion on everything, got very annoying. She first asked me about my research and but got hung up some of the specific antibodies we looked at. I could only remember the abbreviations and she wanted the full names. Plus there are like 20 specific markers that we look for and she wanted them all, no way I memorized the full names for all of them. Next she criticized one of my other studies and said some specific aspects were unnecessary. If she wants to change them she can go right ahead and have a nice chat with the Dr. I work under who has been doing this study for the last 3 years. I could not believe she had the audacity to say that. She then asked me to talk about a hot topic regarding medicine, but she interjected as usual and gave her opinion before I even had a chance to explain both sides and then she went off on some other topic that is only slightly related. I just basically sat and listened for 10 minutes. I talked to other interviewees who had her and they said basically the same thing. But if you are interivewing I think it is basically hit or miss with getting a good interviewer or not. "
"The interview went conversationally, and wasn't too stressful."
"This is the most well-organized and most efficient interview day that I've experienced and I really enjoyed talking with everybody I met. My interview was very conversational and the doctor even started telling me about a patient of hers she was worried about. The doctor was a NYMC alumni. Lunch was last and with the tour guide and other interviewees which i liked b/c at other places, we ate while admissions staff was talking or lunch was very rushed"
"Super laid back. no tough questions. It was a conversation"
"Everything but the interview was great. They had a 4th year speak at the beginning to tell us her experiences here, it got me really excited about the school. Then we waited around and then went on our tours and then I had an interview. Usually when I interview the other prospective medical students are so snooty and they act like they are the !@$%, everyone I met at my interview was SOOO COOL! I would love to be classmates with them. I really wanted to go to a prestigous medical school b/c of the repuation, etc. But, I spoke to a student there who told me that even though he was accepted to many other medical schools, he chose this one b/c they offered him money, which I thought was great. So, after visiting this school and talking to the studnets, I would definitely choose a great environment with friendly students and possible free money than a prestigous, expensive school with arrogant med students."
"The day began at 8 w/ a light breakfast and a chance to meet the other applicants. We then got a short introduction to the school and to each other, followed by a little talk by a 4th year. Then there was a mini financial aid presentation (which I actually found to be useful). And then interviews. I had one w/ a 4th year med student and another w/ a PhD faculty member. Questions from the 4th year were mostly about my activities and family and interest in medicine - what you'd expect given it's closed-file. The faculty interview was a little more intense, as my interviewer was not shy at all about sharing his own opinion or disagreeing with me. But his demeanor was almost jovial, so it was not that stressful. Some other students had only one interview. We all met up after our interviews for a tour and then lunch. What I really liked about the interview day at this school was the ample opportunity to at once experience the school and meet my possible future classmates. I didn't realize how helpful it is to have an applicant group you can talk to and share with until my interview day at NYMC."
"my interviewer seemed generally unimpressed with me, and was somewhat unenthusiastic about the school as well. he kept questioning my desire to pursue medicine, so i found myself repeatedly defending my decision. he also kept me for over an hour, making me late to the tour, but that wasn't a big deal."
"Overall, the school had very nice facilities and all the people I met were very welcoming and friendly. My interviewer was also friendly and easy to talk to. All my interview anxiety disappeared witihin a few minutes of beginning my interview."
"Overall it was a good experience, the faculty interview was fairly straight forward, but the student interviewer "was trying a few new questions" which were to test if I was able to think outside of the medical realm. I wasn't expecting that so just be prepared. The girl who interviewed before me did not mention about the student's questions so I want to give you guys the opportunity I did not have to prepare for those type of questions. :)"
"My interview was rescheduled, so I ended up interviewing with admissions faculty who I had met earlier in the morning, which made it very relaxed. We talked about my family, my medical experiences, and my research. She was really great, and it was very comfortable and conversational."
"Eh, I guess you can see above. The day starts early and after the cab drivers rip you off, you listen to a little presentation welcoming you, then on the school program (which sounds largely self-directed), a VERY short part of financial aid (10 minutes, and she didn't tell us the cost of tuition), then you sit around waiting for interviews. I didn't feel like they tried to "sell" their school very well. They did ask for a feedback form, though."
"This was my first interview in my entire life, but the faculty interviewer put me at such ease that I thought we must have been speaking for 5 minutes while it was nearly 40! for both interviewers! She was incredibly nice and intelligent and we spoke about so many things other than medicine. student interviewer, great guy, very easy to speak with. I honestly was so freaked out before this, but afterwards...there is NOTHING difficult about this...i honestly actually Enjoyed the conversations very much! Now given that, I dont know how I actually did b/c I hear its hit or miss but I can't say anything but a glowing + about this interview."
"My first interview was with a faculty member. The interviews were closed file but the interviewer is allowed to read your personal statement. However, my interviewer did not. A lot of the questions that he asked were answered in my personal statement (which he would read afterward) so it was sort of awkward explaining them since I felt like I should use my interview to flesh out my statement rather than summarize something I wrote 6 months ago. The questions were so easy that I felt more like we were having a conversation in which I was being very egotistical, ofcourse talking about myself. It was nice to not have so many questions because I felt like I was always leading the discussion. He was a very nice man and I think it went well, although he gave me no feedback on how he thought it went at the end. The second interview I had was with a student. I was not so clear on how much weight the student had on the committee. Anyhow, I think it went well except that the student kept asking me if there was anything else I wanted to say (3X) and I kept talking each time since I feel like it is bad to answer a final question negatively. This was not good because at the end he basically cut me off. "
"Awful, negative, disheartening, humiliating, waste of money, waste of effort, waste of time."
"interviewer kept interrupting me before i couldfinish my answer. i couldn't tell whether it was becuase i was talking too much or becuasethat was justher "style""
"My interview was very standard. The interviewer was quite amicable. She had a list of questions she wanted to cover and would stop every now and then to discuss something of interest. She was responsive and encouraging. We basically covered my resume, and she would ask follow-up questions accordingly."
"The interview and orientations were very informative and pleasant. Wish we could have spoken with more students. Being there during mini-boards probably exposed more apathetic students... but I think the school has a lot to offer. Because this is a closed-file interview, the questions are focused more on who you are and your background, so just be yourself. "
"The interview was mostly conversational and although my interviewer helped me learn a bit about himself, he left room for me to talk about my experiences as well. Make sure you can handle distractions during a conversation though...my interviewer left his office door that leads to the main hallway open for the majority of the interview."
"I like the school. I like that they train you well for the boards."
"My interviewer really threw me off. Other than that, everyone else seems to be happy there."
"The interview was great. Be sure that you ask about their Free Clinic Project. It is a group of students trying to start a student-run free clinic for the uninsured. "
"Overall, everything was very pleasant and I have a favorable impression of the school. They even gave us an opportunity to sit in on one of the 1st or 2nd year lectures. The financial aid presentation was also very helpful."
"I had two interviews; one was zero stress, super easy going. The second interview included many ethical questions and kept me much more on my toes."
"It was very informative; both with what it had to offer as well as some of its drawbacks. I would absolutely recommend visiting as it is a unique campus; somewhat isolated, congenial, yet only 45 min. from NYC. "
"It was a very laid back atmosphere with extremely friendly faculty, staff, and students. We began with a continental breakfast, then listened to the admissions director speak about the school. A 4th year student then spoke to us for about 40 mins. and answered some questions. We then received a short (and somewhat pointless) financial aid presentation. Then the interviews began. The interviews were very casual, but the interviewers were writing constantly (I think my first interviewer literally transcribed the session). It was more conversational but there were some definite questions thrown in. Since it was closed-file, they mostly wanted to know about my activities and experiences in high school and college, and what led me to medicine. It was very standard, nothing out of the ordinary. They did ask the infamous "red flags in your application" question but I felt prepared for it because of SDN. Overall a very nice (but long) day."
"I think a poor vibe from the interviewer ruined this one for me. Also, they're Catholic/Christian standpoint was a turnoff. This hospital does not offer emergency contraception or believe that abortion should be available as an option to women."
"I was pleasantly surprised by this place. There seems to be a lot of comraderie between med students and the facilities are nice. My interview was pretty low stress-mostly conversational with standard, get-to-know-you questions."
"Everyone is very nice; the dean gives an overview of the school and is genuine in wanting to know all interviewees. My interviewer was rigorous in her listing of experiences and chronology of my life- gave no real opportunity to engage in conversation. Overall it was a very nice, relaxed day getting to know an improving medical school. "
"The day at New York Med was not stressful at all. There is a curriculum and financial aid overview, and then a student speaks to you. It is not super organized compared to other schools, but still good. There is a brief tour where they show you the housing, lecture halls, anatomy lab, etc. Since the interview is closed file, you just basically explain your application. For some reason, I didn't get the impression that the students are really happy there...but maybe I'm wrong! Not a stressful day at all!"
"Overall, the day was organized fairly well, although there was some down time while waiting to be interviewed. The campus is nice, but students didn't seem as excited to be there as those I have met at other schools."
"An enjoyable experience, but I don't feel like I would be a good fit here."
"Great, laid back, conversational interview. Nice looking campus. Very friendly people (students and faculty). I was accepted ~7 weeks later, and I will attend."
"The interview day was very relaxed. The admissions office has a nice breakfast of bagels, fruits, and juices waiting for the interviewees as you come in. After about 20 minutes of eating and getting to know the other candidates, the director of admissions comes into the room. She breaks down the day for you, goes over your schedule, and talks about the selection process and NYMC. After she's done, she leaves the room and a 4th year student comes in to talk to the group and answer any questions. That lasts about half an hour and after the student is done, the financial aid director comes into the room and gives a very good overview of the financial aid at NYMC. One of the best financial aid talks I've received during the whole interview season. After he's done, candidates start leaving the office to go to their interviews. My interviewer was extremely friendly and laid back, he truly just wanted to get to know me. He didn't ask me any high pressure ethics questions, instead we just had a really good 45 minute talk about why I wanted to go into medicine as a career, what I've been doing since graduating high school and why I wanted to study medicine in NY. After the interview was over, I grabbed a couple of other candidates and we sat in on a first year lecture for about 10 minutes. Standard looking lecture hall, though no wireless access inside the room so students had to bring print outs of the lecture notes in advance. After that we all met up again in the administration building for a tour of the school. The tour was led by two 1st year students and was very good, we saw the library, anatomy lab, dorms, and PBL rooms. The students were good at answering questions and seemed to be happy they were going to NYMC. After the tour, the admissions office gave us all vouchers to get up to $7 worth of free food in the cafeteria. Very good food and a nice way to end the day. After that we just picked up any coats or anything we had left back in the admissions office and then we were done. I left NYMC with a good feeling about the day, 8 weeks later I got accepted. Though I turned down their offer (I'll be attending the University of Miami instead), I had truly imagined myself as a student at NYMC, living in the dorms, going out with friends to NYC after exams... I would have had no problem going there for 4 years. "
"Overall a very positive and laid back experience, and a beautiful campus, most faculty are very nice and students seem quite willing to help one out. "
"I enjoyed it--the professor I met with was very amiable, and I felt like he really got a sense of me that may or may not have been all in my personal statement/Amcas"
"Lady was very rude. Did not let me finish talking and kept interuppting me. Changed topics too frequently, and told me I gave a bad answer. Then she gave me her answer which was exactly the answer i told her. she obviously was not paying attention to my answer. "
"it was good overall, would definitely attend if i got in"
"My interview experience was positive overall. At the beginning of the day, the admissions ppl tell you precisely why school prefers to give closed-file interviews, but I actually felt that may have detracted from my experience a bit (interviewer jotting so many pages of stuff down made me feel a little uncomfortable/nervous--like i was giving a lecture or presentation or something). I also felt like trying to cram my life story into 45 minutes resulted in my going off onto several tangents/rambly monologues, resulting in my appearing (i suspect) incoherent, disorganized, and perhaps slightly off-kilter."
"Overall it was a good interview experience and I would consider NYMC as a top choice. The ratings for SDN are both positive and negative. And I think that the negativity may stem from the curriculum that NYMC has. The first two years are hard-core intense lectures and minimal patient contact (compared to other schools with patient care and PBL intergrated into the curriculum). So, ya, some students may be a little "off" or "unhappy" cause they are studying all the time. But hey! their board scores are 6-8pts above average. So I guess even though NYMC is not changing up their curriculum drastically like a lot of schools, I would say that this school really really prepares you for the boards. And if you think the NYMC curriculum is the way you want to learn, then great - it's either for you (positive) or not (negative)!"
"The interviewer was a couple minutes late, but more than made up for it by providing a few extra minutes at the end. She was very kind and truly wished to learn about me. She took notes during the interview and had trouble understanding me when I spoke quickly, but she was very easy to talk to and made the interview very comfortable, especially since this was my first. The campus is small and most buildings are the Westchester Medical Center, but the facilities are great and newly renovated. The student housing is very nice and not horribly expensive. The financial aid department is great and helps the students with advice and assistance. The students are happy and relatively stress free (non-competitive) and they do exceedingly well on the Boards."
"The interviewer was nice, but perhaps he was nice to everyone."
"The interview was relaxed and conversational. My interviewer spent a lot of time asking me about my family, my schooling, my academic courseload in college and offered questions that were in response to my answers. The interview really gave me the opportunity to portray the unique characteristics of my application in my own way since it was so self-directed."
"the interview per say was confusing...i couldn't read whether my interviewer liked me, disliked me or if thats just how his style his..i wish he was more personal but seemed like he was just busy taking notes on what i was saying..he had another interview 10 mins after mine so i was a bit discouraged bout that...i don't know how he would particularly remember me while presenting me to the committee...but that was just the interview process...their tour guides were better than any i've to far met..very friendly and informative...the facilities at this school are just amazing...everything looks new and contemporary..and the average of board scores, matchlist etc was also very impressive..."
"honestly, it really is all about who you get as your interviewer. i watched other interviewees get greeted by their interviewers with a smile...mine seriously shouted out my name from her office and came out looking unhappy. the entire interview i was talking to her hair: i was dictating my whole application as she busily wrote down each word i said. she never reciprocated a friendly attitude which was very discouraging. it's so depressing when you hear afterward how the other interviewers were much more down to earth. guess i was the lucky one."
"the day starts at 8 with checkin. from 8:30 to 9:30, there are presentations about the curriculum, financial aid, admissions. interviews are at 9:45, 10:30, or 11:15. tour at noon, then lunch. day ends around 1-1:30. definitely know your app well...they will ask you many specific questions regarding your activities. make sure you address everything in your personal statement since it is a closed file interview."
"It was a great interview, I spoke with Dr. Carl Thompson from the physiology department (a PhD) and he was personable, funny and easygoing. The hardest part was when he asked me what would make me stand out against the other applicants, and when I was done with the self-marketing he replied "well, i'm not sure that's going to do it." Then I spoke some more, it seemed he wanted me to really sell myself and my personal qualities. Good news is after that he said "yeah, that'll definately do it." I felt like he really wanted to know about me, there wasn't anything about ethics or policy. Anyone who interviews with Dr. Thompson in the future will be pleased, he's a very kind man (and also a boyscout leader!). "
"I stayed with a student host, and was immediately impressed with the housing facilities and the laid-back demeanor of the students. The interview events started at 8 the next morning, with presentations from students and a financial aid counselor. There were 12 interviewees. I interviewed with a pediatrician for ~40 min, and then joined the group on a campus tour (really, a tour of their medical sciences building). The anatomy lab was state-of-the-art, and did not smell like one at all. At the end, we were all treated to lunch."
"My interviewer did not seem interested in what I was saying. Not once was I asked to elaborate on anything I said. I had given her a copy of my AMCAS essay (as requested) after meeting her and she said she would read it later. I think that she would have gotten to know me better by reading it first, allowing me more time to elaborate on things she had read. I was not asked about current issues in health care, a topic I think is essential for a med school interview. I would have liked to have two interviews, because I don't like the idea of this interviewer presenting me to the committee. "
"NYMC's a terrific school. I don't understand how they get so much flack from past posters to this site. It's an incredibly strong school."
"NYMC is actually not a bad school,it's probably as good as any other medical schools in term of preparing students to be good doctors.I got a very good feeling from the students, which was a definite plus."
"The interview was very relaxed, we just went over some of the experiences on from my AMCAS essay which the interviewer read at the begining of the interview. "
"The school is very open to students of various backgrounds, and underscores peoples need for a life outside of med school. The administration takes great pride in their support of students. The students confirmed this. Also, they recently changed their curriculum to integrate the first year, and had great success--the boards ave. went up the first year the new curriculum was implemented (they are above the national average)."
"ok. but would not attend the school."
"NYMC is a good school but the students did not impress me. They seemed like the annoying pre-meds not the passionate, interesting ones. "
"Day started at 8am, lots of the standard talks by admissions staff. Then I had my interview. Most people had really casual, informal interviews, but I was one of the few who had a guy who really like to talk about ethics. In retrospect, he wanted to have more of an academic discussion rather than grill you. But still, I got kind of stressed out. The interview was followed by a tour and lunch--nothing too remarkable. "
"Overall I had a great experience. This was my first interview and I loved my interviewer and if accepted, I would definitely consider coming to the school."
"All in all, a mixed bag. There are a lot of pluses (see above); my interviewer was a great person, and I really liked the folks in Admissions. "
"The interview wasn't bad. I got there though and I didn't have an interviewer. They came in at 9:40am and told me I had been assigned an interview at 9:45am. That kinda bummed me out... Guy was very cool however, but I guess he just found out about the interview as well, because he was not really ready to ask many questions. I don't like closed file because many questions can be answered by looking at the file. They say this is to see how you communicate, but you can ask more difficult questions by knowing my file and see how i can communicate those... oh well."
"Good interview experieince overall."
"Mixed bag. Some big positives; some big negatives. "
"Low stress, nice campus, traditional curriculum, good location, good education"
"Interview started off with why do you want to be a doctor and ended being more or less me telling the story of my life. Some social questions."
"interview was laid back. just review your application and be sure to talk about anything on it."
"Overall, I thought it was a very good day. In fact, maybe too short. I wish we would have had more time to talk to the student who came to speak to us in the morning. I actually liked the housing. It did have a collegey feel to it, but you just can't beat furnished apartments. And yeah, it's not that close to the city, but what did people expect? You should know where you're applying before you apply there."
"Day started at 8 with breakfast. Afterward, we had an hour long chat with a 4th year, waited around a lot, had a tour with two 1st years, lunch. Sadly, I was very eager to go when it finally came time."
"the facilities were nice. you can do your rotations in nyc. but everyone i met seemed less than happy to be talking to us. "
"Some people have "easy" interviews, some people have "hard" interviews. If you're serious about the possibility of coming to this school, you need to prepare for some ethics questions and some pretty detailed questions on your extra curriculars."
"Very positive. I truely felt like I was an individual instead of a number and a statistic."
"My interview was as simple as having a conversation with a committee member. Because it was closed file, he asked me to describe myself and he would ask questions based on what I brought up. "
"Started off with usual presentations in beginning: intro and financial aid stuff. Interview was with a pediatrician. I was not grilled or put under excessive pressure. The first part of the interview focused on my experiences and stuff (closed file), second part was ethical questions and stuff. I finished off with a discussion about advances in patient care. Overall a fun experience."
"This school definitely has its pros and cons (see below), which, in my mind basically cancel each other out pretty evenly (hence my neutral evaluation). This school wouldn't be my top choice but I'd go to it over some of the other places I've interviewed at."
"Believe it or not, I think this school is really where I want to go. There were a few scary students, but the majority were great; they overwhelmed the negativity. Most of the students seemed very close; roomates were close friends. The faculty I met were so pleasant, accepting, and intellectually stimulating. Overall, I think NYMC is on the right track. They just need to be more selective in thier admissions. Maybe recruit more minority students and expand their offerings in Women's health."
"A pretty mediocre school; the campus is nice but in the middle of nowhere, and there's no undergrad institution to add to the community. The interviewer seemed totally uninterested and said mm-hmm over and over, even in the middle of words (as if she wasn't listening)"
"a few students told me that was the only place they got accepted. that seemed to be a theme."
"It seems like a great place to go to medical school"
"Positive experience overall. Definitely stay with a student host to get the 411 on the academics, and life outside of school. The interview was like a nice conversation. "
"A standard, pretty open-ended interview. She kept saying "mm hmm" at inappropriate times (i.e. in the middle of a word) so it seemed like she wasn't paying attention to me or lacked interest in what I was saying."
"no stress. you pick what you want to talk about, so be prepared to describe your experiences in an organized fashion."
"there was only one interview. mostly standard questions. most people live in the apts across the street from the school because living in westchester county is extremely expensive. overall it seemed like a nice school and the facilities look very new."
"very postive experience"
"This was a really relaxing interview. I had 2 MD interviewers while everyone else had 1. This worked well because the second interviewer was much more receptive than the first and he also told me that I was lucky to have the first interviewer. It made me feel a lot better. The school loves to boast about their new facilities, and they do rightfully so. Everything about this school was really nice. It was a pleasant surprise. I was already interested in this school but now I am even more so."
"My interview experience was very positive. I would highly recommend staying with a student the night before if you can. I feel that's the best way to really get to know what it's like being at that school. Plus, student hosts tend to be more honest about their experiences. My interviewer was very friendly and the other interviewees in my group also had great interviewers. Overall it was low stress and a good way to get to know the school!"
"It was overall a very nice and fruitful experience. I was really impressed by the school. "
"It's a fabulous school if you want to be in a suburban area for the first 2 years and NYC for 3 & 4th years"
"Overall a good experience. Although not my top choice I'm sure I would be happy at NYMC, and would graduate with confidence in my education. "
"Everything was great...the only thing I didn't like was that I have a considerable amount of research experience. The interviewer did not spend more than 10 seconds talking about my research. I was kind of bummed about that. My only advice to other people is to know there AMCAS application and essay REALLY well before you walk in."
"overall good experience. "
"Very relaxed interview--you even get to see the student housing."
"The day was great. The talk by the dean of admission was great and the talk by the fourth year was very enjoyable. The dean even mentioned SDN. My interveiw was pretty lame. It really wasn't even an interview. The interviewer just wanted me to talk about my self and thats it. There were no real follow up questions to what I had just said and I left wondering if the interviewer cared about who I was. The interview is blind so thats tough, they have no info on you before hand so you have to lay it all out. "
"My interviewer asked me to start from the beginning...okay...luckily I had done some mock interviews to prepare for open-ended Qs. She wrote down everything I said so I didn't have to give her much eye contact. She was from New York, therefore pleasant and a little blunt if you come from Cali. New York is great. The New York caricatures in the movies bear resemblance to the actual people...funny accents."
"Overall, pretty good. The interviewer was very honest and tried very hard to get a thorough and accurate feel for my motivations for a career in medicine and my best qualitites. One of the most pleasant interview experiences I've ever had."
"My interviewer seemed to do more talking that I did. Everytime I answered a question, he went off on a story that was at times related and at other times not. "
"My interview with Dr. Pravetz was an amazing experience. I really felt like he took a genuine interest in me as a person. He asked A LOT of questions, but all were valid, fair, and were aimed at giving him insight about me and my motivations. The interview lasted 60 minutes, but didn't seem long because it was pleasant. He smiled a lot and affirmed what I had to say, so I felt at ease. I feel like we "clicked." I think anyone who gets Dr. Pravetz as an interviewer is very lucky. The admissions staff was very nice. The student speaker, Stewart, gave us a comical and realistic view of what New York Med. is like. I'm glad that a financial aid person spoke with us too. All in all, I really think this school is worth checking out. I know I'd love to go there. Relax when it comes to the interview. Just prepare well, read some articles, and most importantly, believe in your potential. Good luck!"
"Very positive experience - students seem friendly and the admissions people are nice and helpful"
"It was a stress-free interview, where he was eating lunch and waiting to attend a lecture. They leave tyou to do whatever in between your interview and lunch (which leaves about an hour or two of awkwardly sitting around)."
"Overall it was a really good experience. It's nice that the school has an actual campus, but it feels a little isolated because it's in the suburbs and on-campus housing--I mean dorms like first year undergrad. "
"NYMC is a nice school, but their is something about the school that is lacking. I feel that the technology could be better. Also, my interviewer was nice, but I felt as if she wasn't to into the session. It also seemed as if the students were stressed but not any more or any less stressed than at any other medical school."
"NYMC has very impressive facilites. There is good diversity of the hospitals where you can do clinical work. Students seemed to be happy and not stressed. Also the students I talked to had no regrets going to NYMC. ."
"Positive interview, hope to here a positive result"
"Not bad experience. From reading other comments on the student forums, I thought NYMC was this terrible school. I was not going to waste money and go to the interview. I am glad I had the interview. After visiting and meeting with student and faculty. I realize that NYMC is a good medical school. I hope I get accepted."
"I enjoyed interviewing here. Dr. Wasserman interviewed me as well...and he seemed like an overall nice guy. He didn't really make the interview stressful, he just asked me the "get to know you" type questions. Although, he is very frank about the shortcomings of the school...be aware that since the school is Catholic affiliated, they do not teach abortion, birth control, etc. However, I was told that interested students may learn how to conduct abortions in Planned Parenthood. I wish that the interviewer had received the personal essay beforehand, so that he wouldn't have had to waste time reading it while I was sitting in front of him. I think that the person who wrote the former post perhaps didn't understand Dr. Wasserman's sense of humor..or perhaps caught him on a bad day. Its always best to take everything that interviewers say with a grain of salt. Don't let them bog you down! Be confident! You know how hard you've worked to get to where you are now and hopefully, it'll come across in the interview. Anyway, the interview day itself was low-stress and the admissions people are very friendly! Relax and good luck. "
"I'm the same person who wrote the last feedback and just wanted to add one more thing. One of the student tour guides asked me who I was interviewing with. When I said Dr. Wasserman, she said "Oh no, I'm sorry". That's an indication that you need to stop letting him interview people!!!!"
"I dug my grave on a question about euthenasia. Dr. Wasserman told me what I had said was immoral when I said something favoring it. (Thanks buddy, I love it when people tell me I have no morals!) Then he was appauled when I didn't know the difference between euthenasia and physician-assisted suicide. I wanted to say that we are not all medical ethicists and as well versed in it as he was but held my tongue. The worst part was that he cut me off whenever I tried to talk about something. For example, he asked me about any red flags on my app. I answered that I thought my MCAT scores might be a red flag, because they didn't really correspond to the rest of my app. He said something like "What, you just didn't study?". When I tried to respond he of course cut me off. He must have talked for at least 2/3 of the interview! I kept wanting to say helloooooo, you are trying to get to know *me*! I'm not trying to get to know *you*. Additionally, he trashed talked NYMC's School of Public Health, telling me I went to a "real" school of Public Health. Of course, I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to disagree with him (he doesn't like opposing viewpoints), on the other hand I felt cocky agreeing with him! He also asked if I had any "special friends". He ridiculed me when I didn't know which St. Francis the college my mother went to was named after! He found my view on euthenasia particularly disgraceful, because my mother was catholic. Dr. Wasserman asked me what kind of community service I did in college (graduated 6 years ago!), and basically I didn't do any although I did lots of research & played a varsity sport. In hindsight I should have made sure to say I do community service now, but he kept cutting me off and I didn't want to be pushy so never got the opportunity to explain that. If anyone's reading this from the NYMC admissions committee, perhaps you should consider retiring certain interviewers or at the very least consider getting feedback from interviewees about how their interview day went. Other SDNers have had a similar experience wtih Dr. Wasserman. It's a shame that students fly all the way across the country to interview with the old codger!"
"Overall, positive experience."
"i thought the interview was very relaxed. My interviewer was really nice and we ended up having a conversation with me asking her a lot of questions. The day was planned well for the most part. There was, however, a lot of time spent waiting between interview and tour but luckily the interviewees were friendly and we all ended up talking for about an hour."
"What can I say, I'm in love with the school and it would be a privilege to attend there. All I have to say about the interview is RELAX and BE YOURSELF. You can prepare all you want - like I did - but be prepared for a quite easy going interview. They really want to get to know you here."
"the other interviewees were great! it was laid back. and the staff was really cordial. i don't like how it was closed-file..made the interview period too open, boundless. overall, it was a fun time and i would sincerely like to go there!"
"The overall interview experience is well organized. I also got a kick out of the picture ID, although my photo was pretty bad - hopefully they don't use that picture for the committee decision. Overall an enjoyable visit. "
"overall, i had a good interview experience. it was a little shaky at times, especially cause my hosts were extremely laid back to the point of almost not caring about med school. that didn't give me a great impression, but the presentation the next day was fabulous. they had a 4th year student give the presentation and his talk about all the great clinical opportunities was fantastic. it sounded really great. and they have a brand new anatomy lab. my sense of the school is that the students work very very hard, but it seems like they get rewarded for that work during their clinical years and with matching. the other bad thing that happened to me was that my interviewerer cancelled on me, so i spent the entire morning in the waiting area while they were trying to find someone to interview me. they eventually found someone to interview me and it was a very nice conversation. i also liked the area, as it was very quiet and suburban, but nyc is very close by and you can get there by train or car very easily. "
"My interviewer was extremely nice and he was a practioner in adolescent medicine (I'm interested in pediatrics so they may have arranged it). He really enjoyed talking about the school and how the faculty worked together very closely to make it a better learning/teaching environment."
"My interviewer spent most of the time writing down what I was saying and didn't ask anything too out of the ordinary. There is a bit of downtime during which you can sit in on a lecture. I thought things were going well until we had our tours. One of the tour guides was particularly vocal about how much he disliked people from California. I thought he was joking at first but when he continued to goad people about it I realized he lacked any sense of tact. Not someone I would want to go to school with let alone have as my doctor. "
"Hard to judge the interview itself. Laid back though I felt as though there was more to get to. Also, I was kind of rushed out of the office before I had a chance to ask questions."
"I really enjoyed the interview day. The feeling of the college is cozy and the people are nice. I was impressed with the facilities - awesome anatomy lab. The school has very high scores for step one of USMLE. The college has really nice dorms - suite style (similar to college). Free parking - you need a car. School is not far from NY City. The building where most classes are held is only a year or two old. The schedule of the day is as follows: continental breakfast, a welcome by someone on admissions staff, about an hour of a 4th year student talking and answering any questions, 5 min. talk about financial aid, interview, tour and lastly lunch. No stress interview."
"Everyone I spoke with, even those students not being paid by the admissions office, were really happy to be there. They liked the campus, their professors, and their classmates. Even those people for whom it was not their first choice had no regrets."
"I had a good interview experience. I really liked my interviewer and it was very conversational. Since it is closed file however, I felt like I didn't get a chance to talk about some things as in depth as I would have liked. We spent part of the time just sorting out the list of activities that the interviewer receives prior to the interview. Also, once I got going on a topic, the interviewer would switch gears and ask a unrelated question, so it was kind of surprising (maybe they have a list of ques that they have to get through?) I also liked most of the other people I interviewed with. It was funny becuase almost all of us were from Cali, so we were all freezing during the tour. I think overall NYMC is a good school, if you can deal with where it is and not being able to escape campus. "
"It was very chill. The interview was more like a conversation. None of the standard questions were asked...Why do you want to be a physician, Why NY Med."
"For some reason, for the interview above this I put that I interviewed on 9/12/02, this is to clarify that it was actually 11/12/02."
"Very laid back."
"I loved this school. Compared to Einstein and BU, I think this school suited my personality the best. It is in a quiet city in the suburbs and you have the option of going to the big city if desired. The housing is dorm-like, which I love, since I never dormed. 4 people to an apartment style place, each w/ own rooms, 2 people per bathroom (yes, 2 bathrooms total!), ethernet. I also felt like I knew my way around somewhat after only being there for one day."
"It was a blind interview -- they knew nothing about the applicants. I think that that was bad because my interviewer just asked questions like what my major was, where I'm from, what school I went to -- questions that could easily be answered from the application. She didn't even ask why I was interested in medicine or what I thought about any medical issues."
"it was really laid-back except for that one tough question."
"Overall it was a good experience. The interview was very laid back, more like a conversation. However, it was a bit difficult because the interviewer hadn't read my file (he got a copy of my personal statement when I got there, but said he would read it later) so I felt like I had so much to talk about and frantically tried to get everything in. I wish I had been more ready for that type of interview. I would recommend sitting down and coming up with the main points that you definitely want to cover in the interview and make sure you get those in. None of the questions were difficult though and the interviewer was great. "
"If you fly into La Guardia or JFK, take the train (called MTA) to Valhalla. Go to Google.com to find a schedule of when the trains leave Grand Central Station. It will cost you $5 each way so avoid taking taxis if you can. The day is well organized. When you arrive, you will be given a folder with lots of NYMC propaganda. It's good stuff to use when they ask why you want to attend NYMC. You will not know who you will be interviewing you until you arrive."
"The interview was very laid back and the other people interviewing were nice. The students seem happy but emphasize they have to work very hard. "
"The overall interview day was pretty good. "
"Interviewer was great. She had been a student in the very 1st class at NYMC and was still there. She really likes the laid-back atmosphere of valhalla campus. We discussed my activites, mostly the ones that I brought up myself. We talked about patient interactions and research experiences."
"Great! My interviewer was an ENT surgeon. Made me feel very comfortable."
"Great! My interviewer was an ENT surgeon. Made me feel very comfortable. The only thing is, he had to return a page, but that was okay, since I asked him about the patient and it turned out to be a great conversation topic anyway."
"It was "allright". the interview was pretty calm, but there really wasn't much to get excited over at NYMC. but hey, its a med school!"
"very delightful interview with the director of admissions, very conversational in nature, although interviewer did takes notes throughout the interview which made eye-contact very difficult and hard to establish a "connection.""
"The interview isn't completely blind, the interviewer gets a summary sheet with your name, schools attended, and lists your activities. There's a scribe service. Everyone with the service has to do a lecture. Everyone goes through the entire body in anatomy. (Some schools have groups do sections and present their findings.) <br> I flew into EWR. Just outside the terminal you can wait for a charter bus ($12) that takes you 1 block away from Grand Central Terminal. From there, you can catch the Harlem North train ($5) to White Plains and catch a cab to the school. approx 1.5 hours, but easy and you save money with farther airport."
"very laid back interviewer, basically let me talk about whatever i wanted to"
"It was really a pretty laid back day. You get a nice breakfast, interview, tour, then lunch and the day is over. The school is definitely unique in not being attached to an undergrad institution, which could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it."
"the interviewer only became friendly towards half of the interview, but overall the interview was positive, but it was not a conversational interview, rather just question and answer"
"overall good"
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 341 |
| Faculty member | 7 |
| Admissions staff | 8 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 156 |
| Neutral | 43 |
| Discouraging | 5 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.48 | 206 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 36 |
| Out of state | 156 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 33 |
| 2-3 hours | 45 |
| 4-6 hours | 67 |
| 7+ hours | 47 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 99 |
| Automobile | 68 |
| Train or subway | 31 |
| Other | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 45 |
| $101-$200 | 37 |
| $201-$300 | 24 |
| $301-$400 | 22 |
| $401-$500 | 16 |
| $501+ | 17 |
Newark
LGA and JFK
westchester county airport
White Plains
Westchester
NYC
LaGuardia
HPN (White Plains)
lpn
EWR
HPN
LGA
jfk
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 61 |
| Friends or family | 21 |
| Hotel | 75 |
| Home | 6 |
| Other | 0 |
La
Yes
La
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.05 | 219 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.12 | 221 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.44 | 218 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.09 | 100 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.38 | 102 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.06 | 82 |
"Continue using MMI and current layout of the interview day. However, a better discussion of financial aid is needed."
"be friendlier to students on interview day"
"Having a more structured and led day for those in the last circuit would be nice!"
"Not much! Very well organized!"
"Be more welcoming to students who arrive early. I got there at 745am, and the lobby was empty, with one small sitting area. The doors to the administration offices were closed and no one talked to us until about 8.15 when the doors were open....."
"Be more enthusiastic. I felt very little energy from the my interviewer and speakers. Nothing that was presented or shown stood out as being different or better than any other medical school I interviewed at."
"answer the phone!"
"Find a way to let interviewees find out their acceptance/rejection result in less than TWO MONTHS!"
"Treat the applicants like they might actually matter. The front desk people didn't smile the day I was there and just gave me deadpan instructions once I arrived. It didn't really faze me but it did affect my impression of the school."
"Build a more efficient online status check site, the current is atrocious."
"It would've been nice to have more hospital in the student tour, though we did have time to explore on our own."
"Please be more responsive to emails and helpful when students have trouble scheduling their intervie"
"Great Job!"
"Make better coffee... ew."
"They were not overly friendly."
"Allow more conversational interviews. Don't limit it to going over the list of amcas activities."
"Have smarter, tougher people interviewing your applicants. You'll look better."
"They are very nice so i have no issues"
"It would be best if they provide shuttle transportation for your interview from admissions office"
"None"
"Find interviewers who know more about the school. Alumi are great, but when they have been out of sc"
"You should have someone talk to applicants about the school and curriculum (and not a student who ha"
"Faster feedback post-interview."
"NYMC admissions office is notorious being really unfriendly and agitated towards questions and conce"
"Lessen waiting time for response to less than 10 weeks. A confirmation e-mail may have helped. Addit"
"I wish they updated their online status page a little more ''dilligently.''"
"it's a little ridiculous that we have to bring copies of our essays for the interviewers -- thats my"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?