How many people interviewed you?
Response Average | # Responders |
---|---|
2.46 | 334 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
Positively | 292 |
Negatively | 15 |
No change | 28 |
Response Avg | # Responders |
---|---|
2.50 | 327 |
Response Avg | # Responders |
---|---|
8.01 | 246 |
Response Avg | # Responders |
---|---|
8.52 | 226 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
In Person | 0 |
Virtual | 5 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
5 minutes | 0 |
10 minutes | 0 |
15 minutes | 1 |
20 minutes | 2 |
25 minutes | 5 |
30 minutes | 35 |
35 minutes | 9 |
40 minutes | 22 |
45 minutes | 75 |
50 minutes | 48 |
55 minutes | 4 |
60+ minutes | 137 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
At the school | 319 |
At a regional location | 7 |
At another location | 7 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
One-on-one | 331 |
In a group | 2 |
Response | # Responders |
---|---|
Open file | 82 |
Closed file | 245 |
Response Average | # Responders |
---|---|
2.46 | 334 |
"Share an experience where you worked with others on a project. What role did you play? What did you learn from this?"
"Where do you see medicine in the future?"
"Why Medicine? Why University of Pittsburgh? Why Pittsburgh (As a city)?"
"Tell me how you made the decision to pursue medicine. Tell me how you tested or explored this decision"
"Why pitt, why medicine, all the usual crap. There were no surprise questions at all."
"Why PittMed? Why medicine? What makes you unique?"
"Tell me about yourself, why medicine, why nursing/PA/researcher..."
"How does your major connect to medicine?"
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"All the typical interview questions. Why Pitt? Why medicine? Why not PA/NP? Tell me about your research. Student interview is closed, faculty is open except for MCAT/GPA."
"Tell me about an experience working in a team."
"What sets you apart?"
"Why University of Pittsburgh?"
"What else have you done in college that is not on your application?"
"What are leadership positions you have had?"
"Why Pitt? Why doctor and not other medical field (nurse, PA, etc)?"
"Why I though my educational path was best for medicine"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years? (for MSTP interview)"
""What do you do for fun?""
"In closed-file interview (with student) I was asked about clinical experiences, what I do in my free time, etc."
"Tell me about yourself. Why medicine? Why Pitt?"
"Tell me an example of a time you demonstrated creativity"
"Student interviewer (MS2) had a list of questions: Why medicine? Why Pitt? What kind of clinical experience do you have? What *other* clinical experiences do you have? Hobbies? What kind of superpower would you like to have? Do you have any questions?"
"Why do you want to work with [insert specific demographic from my application]?"
"What book have you read recently?"
"When did you know you wanted to go into medicine?"
"Why Pitt...why medicine...some questions about my activities...tell me about yourself."
"They mainly tried to gauge what I was like as a person, and why the school was a good fit for me."
"Why MD vs nurse practioner or another career"
"The basics, tell me about yourself, tell me why you want to be a physician, tell me why pitt"
"What led you pursue medicine?"
"How did you find out about Pitt Med? (I'm from CA)"
"Why medicine, why pitt"
"Tell me about the process that led you into deciding to go into medicine."
"Tell me about yourself/your interest in medicine."
"Tell me about your research and your role in it."
"Student interviewer: Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Both student and faculty: why medicine?"
"What would make you come to Pitt?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"What kind of research do you do?"
"how are you creative"
"Why Pitt? (both my student and faculty interviewers asked me this)"
"Besides why medicine and why Pitt, what kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"What made you want to go into medicine?"
"So what are you doing here at Pitt? (in other words, Why Pitt?)"
"Was there a specific moment in your life that compelled you to pursue medical school?"
"From student interviewer: Why Pitt?"
"Tell me about yourself, Why Med"
"tell me about yourself. tell me about your research, your undergrad, (everything basic). what do you do for fun"
"How are you creative?"
"Questions about my undergrad institution. How did I choose my major, and what type of classes does it entail? "
"General get to know you questions: tell me about yourself, your background. What have you been doing since graduating?"
"What's the biggest healthcare problem and how would you change it?"
"Student Interviewer: What motivates you? How do you deal with competition? What do you believe will be your biggest sacrifice coming into medical school?"
"What brings you to Pittsburgh?"
"Where did you go to school and why medicine?"
"Why Pitt (Most common question)"
"Tell me about yourself. Something that's not in your application."
"Have you ever considered research?"
"What do you like about Pittsburgh?"
"What have you done since you graduated college?"
"Are you interested in research?"
"Why Pitt? I'm from LA."
"Why med school?"
"What did you do during undergrad? "
"Why Pitt? What have you learned about Pitt since you have been here?"
"What are some non-medically relatedly activities you're involved in?"
"Why did you choose to go into medicine?"
"Student: What superpower would you want? Why medicine? Why Pitt? What do you do for fun? Tell me about your extra curricular activities. "
"By student: in an informal, conversational way: why medicine, why pitt...I asked her a lot of questions about her work in community outreach."
"what do you do for fun"
"Is diversity important to you?"
"How did you get here?"
"Are you married?"
"Besides your clinical experience (3 years) what other medical experience have you had? I thought this was an odd question. It seems to me that 3 yrs of nearly full-time clinical experience is fairly significant for a medical school applicant."
"Student interviewer: How do you work in small groups? (Pitt has PBL every other week so be prepared for that). Superpower question. Why medicine? No really, why medicine? What do you think about Pittsburgh? Do you have any questions for me?"
"WHat do you do now?"
"How do you feel about working in small groups?"
"Tell me about your research experience. He was more interested in my role in the project, but be prepared to talk about your research in detail. "
"What kind of training do you have to have to be a massage therapist. (my profession)"
"What is your favotire book? - I really didn't have a favorite so I just talked about the most recent one I read."
"How would your friends describe you? (asked by student interviewer)"
"Why med?"
"My first interview was a student interview and she asked your basic questions (why medicine, etc.) My second was a faculty interviewer (who was awesome by the way) and that was a convo. The third is w/ a person from the admissions staff. this one's like 20 minutes and it seemed extremely laid back. No difficult questions. Just what my future plans are, etc... "
"How did tennis helkp with your development as a person? (Played tennis for many years)"
"Why do you want to practice transplant medicine?"
"Why MD/PhD?"
"Student: What do you like to do for fun, What do you feel about clinical research, Do you think doctors should do research. Remember, Pitt is a research school. Even if you haven't done any before, you may be asked about it. They don't expect you to sit in a lab all day, you can go out and do research in the community also. "
"what do you see yourself doing in 10-15 years? (ie. how to mesh research and medicine)"
"Tell me about your life. Start at the beginning."
"Why Pitt Med, why Pittsburgh, etc?"
"Are you a vegetarian?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? What experiences shaped your reasons? What have you done to test your decision?"
"Tell me about your study abroad."
"Why medicine? But really, why medicine? Right, but, why not research/teaching/dentistry/etc.?"
"The standards: why medicine, why Pitt, etc. Student questions seemed geared toward assessing your realization of the realities of medicine/medical school and your dedication to patient-directed medicine, while the faculty questions were more personal."
"Faculty interviewer: issues in medicine, why medicine, research experience, tell me about your family, patient/clinical experience."
"When and how did you decide you wanted to go into medicine?"
"Was the difference between specificity and sensitivity?"
"When and why did you decide to become a doctor?"
"Why are you interested in a career in medicine? Why Pitt? What do you think about the US Health Care System compared with that of other countries? Tell me your thoughts on the role of physicians in preventive health and research."
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"What do you want to do?"
"What can I tell you about Pitt to make you want to go here?"
"What have you liked about Pittsburgh? What don't you like?"
"What role do you typically take in group situations?"
"Why medicine? What was the origin of your interest?"
"Why Medicine? (or variations like why do you want to go into medicine, or become a doctor, etc) You'll want to stress 2 things: people and science, and that you find you want both, and can't give up either in your search for a profession."
"Are you holding acceptances at any other schools? (Both the faculty member and the dean asked me this)."
"Where do you see yourself in the future (specialty, research or clinical)?"
"Student: very laid back. What do you like to do for fun? What kind of clubs were you involved in at school? "
"Small group experiences, what role did I take?"
"What do you think makes a good doctor? "
"describe your research."
"How do you see yourself working in small groups, as in problem-based learning?"
"all basic questions about my future goals and my interests in medicine. my student interviewer though asked me more general questions about my life and what i had done. the student interviewer only gets your name, your undergrad school, and your hometown, so they basically know nothing. the faculty interviewer gets only your personal statement, so that is a little more intimate, but mine still wanted me to give her a general idea of who i was. the last interviewer, which is the dean of admissions, only talks to you for like 10ish mins and he just wants to grill you to make sure that you have a reason to apply to pitt specifically, and then he'll probably ask you where else youve applied/interviewed/been accepted. be prepared for him cuz hes really direct and quick. "
"What books have you been reading lately?"
"How is your day going? What have you done so far? What do you think? (All 4 interviewers asked me this, which I think really says something.)"
"Why mediicne? Faculty asks something specific about your PS."
"How did you become interested in medicine?"
"mostly conversational questions concerning path to medicine and interests/background. nothing out of the ordinary."
"Why do you wish to pursue medicine? (all three interviewers asked me this)"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Tell me about your family (I know, this isn't a question)"
"Why Pittsburgh?"
"Explain your research to me."
"Standard student questions: Why medicine? Why Pittsburgh? What are you looking for in a medical school? What are your interests outside school? "
"What are your career goals? What will having an MD AND a PhD allow you to do that having one of these degrees won't? (I'm paraphrasing)"
"Very generic questions, but more chit chat than anything"
"What do you think would be a better way to measure who will make a good resident?"
"when did you decide to become a doctor ?"
"Tell me about yourself? From student What brought you to Pitt? From faculty"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"Dating question"
"Explain your research."
"everything pertained to my amcas application."
"what do you know about Pittsburgh?"
"Why medicine? Why Pittsburgh?"
"Why medicine"
"How do you deal with frustrating people/situations? What are you looking for in a school? "
"If doing an MD/PhD was not possible which one would I choose and why?"
"same"
"Tell me about your volunteer work."
"Why medicine? Why Pitt?"
"Tell me about why you have chosen to become a physician"
"Mostly personal info- Questions regarding opinion on curriculum"
"Have you worked in small groups? (Related to their PBL [problem based learning] which they ask about.)"
"what specialty are you interested in?"
"What is the craziest thing you have ever done?"
"Why UPitt?"
"See above."
"What are the weaknesses of your application"
"Why Pitt?"
"Describe this experience."
"What makes Pitt the right place for you? Or you right for us?"
"whats one of your strengths/weaknesses"
"The student interviewers are obligated to ask these two (why medicine? tell me about your extracurricular, lab, other exp.) It's on their sheet that they fill out later. "
"Why Pitt"
"Are you doing any reading for pleasure and if so, what are you reading?"
"Why medicine? "
"What do you like to do for fun"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Why Medicine, and what have you done to test this decision?"
"typical questions- Why MD/PhD, why do you want to be a doctor etc..."
"What do you do for fun?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"How did you come to your decision to pursue medicine?"
"(it's been a while, I can't remember much besides "What brings you to medicine" and "Why Pittsburgh?")"
"The basics...why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Brief summary of your life:"
"Why the Russian major?"
"Tell me more about....(insert application activity here)."
"What are some of your strengths?"
"When did you decide medicine was for you?"
"see above"
"What do you do outside of school?"
"Why Pitt (asked this 3 times)?"
"When you work in a group with other students, what role do you play?"
"Is UPitt your first choice? You can be honest. It wasn't mine. "
"Tell me about yourself."
"Tell me about yourself....basically a time to boast...however individuals like myself, who can't boast..and aren't willing to...don't do very well on such questions! "
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"how are you a well-rounded person?"
"What's the last movie you saw?"
"What are your strengths?"
"What's your biggest weakness?"
"Why do you want to be a doctore?"
"Why motivated you ? "
"Nothing special, really. B/c it was closed file, questions weren't too hard. What extracurricular have you done?"
"Why both degrees?"
"Why medicine? Tell me about you background and your motivations. How do you handle stress?"
"What sort of extracurricular activities are you involved in? (required)"
"Strength and weaknesses."
"strengths (one of the questions on the "suggested?" list)"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"What do you want me to tell the admissions committee about you?"
"MD faculty interviewer - "Congratulations, you're accepted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine." *shake hands* "What, are you surprised?" -- Me: Uhhhh, yeah I guess I am."
"Tell me more about your childhood?"
"Tell me about your research."
"Tell me about your research"
"what are your strengths."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"Why do you think problem based learning is for you?"
"Why did you apply here?"
"Why do you want to get both MD and PhD degrees?"
"the interviews were just conversations: the dean asked specific questions though. Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What would you do to provide health care insurance to those without if you were appointed Secretary of Health?"
"What is your best character trait?"
"Discuss your research project, how independent are you on it...etc."
"Listed above"
"Give an example of a situation in which you failed. How did you handle this? What did you learn from this?"
"What issue do you see occurring in healthcare in the next 10 years?"
"What does research mean to you?"
"Can you recall a patient interaction you had or witnessed that made you realize or become more aware of some of the issues facing healthcare?"
"Tell me about your research, Why Pitt, what speciality do you want to go into?"
"What makes you want to apply to Pitt?"
"talk about your research experience"
"Make me excited about your research."
"Tell me about a time you had to work in a team."
"Tell me about your (LDS) mission."
"What kind of medicine are you interested in?"
"What is critical thinking?"
"Why Pitt? What brings you to Pittsburgh?"
""What drew you to our institution?""
"In the open-file interview (with faculty) - what are your interests outside of school?"
"How would you to contribute to the diversity at Pitt Med?"
"Faculty interviewer (a clinician with a path to medicine similar to mine) was extremely nice, one of the most awesome people I've ever met, really! She asked me about my motivations to go into medicine, how my previous career translates into practicing medicine (I'm a non-traditional), my experiences in medicine - both positive and negative, and what kind of conclusions I made from them, why medicine, why Pitt (implicitly rather than explicitly), how I handle stress, my extracurricular interests (Pitt is big on them!). The interviewer than proceeded to answer some of my questions about the school and volunteered to tell me more about the city, the school and the culture at both. My faculty interview was actually very informative."
"Why medicine, not public health?"
"Tell me about your study on XYZ..."
"Have you done research and do you want to do it here? (they are a big research school)"
"How are you creative?"
"What drew you to apply to Pitt?"
"At what point did you decide medicine was for you?"
"What do you like to do outside of work? (I'm in my gap year)"
"Why did you choose Pittsburgh?"
"Do you plan to do any research during medical school?"
"What was your most meaningful extracurricular activity?"
"Why Pitt? Why medicine?"
"Why med school?"
"Why U Pitt?"
"Tell me more about what you've been doing since you graduated. Tell me about what you did in college."
"How would people describe you?"
"What non-academic activities are you involved in."
"Tell me about your research."
"Student interviewer: If somebody said something racist/distasteful to you, how would you react? (P.S. this was a context question, he didn't come out of nowhere with it)"
"What do you do outside of academia?"
"Student: what do you do in your free time? Faculty: tell me about your research in layman's terms..."
"Wha are your hobbies? "
"What is one activity that you learned something from? (vague)"
"So tell me how you came to do medicine?"
"what do you do for fun"
"Why did you major in ___?"
"What kind of research do you do? Do you like it?"
"what clinical experience do you have?"
"Was there a physician that you had a close relationship with that influenced your decision to go into medicine?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"From faculty: What type of medicine?"
"Why Pitt"
"very conversational interview. chit chat. "
"What will be the most difficult part of being a physician?"
"Why Pitt? What do I think of the scholarly project? What do my parents do? What did I think about my past travels to a third world country?"
"Are you interested in research?"
"Faculty Interviewer: Really no specific question, just conversational and one thing led to another. The only question I got put on the spot for was "Are you creative?""
"What has gotten you to this point that makes you want to be a physician? "
"Tell me about your family."
"What kind of research/(healthcare) experience have you done/(do you have)?"
"What do you see yourself in 10 years"
"Why do you think you've succeeded? This wasn't really a question. My faculty interviewer kept praising/complementing me on my hard work thus far and said that I would be a great doctor and then asked the question and then answered it for me: Because you worked hard. "
"why Pitts?"
"How has your day been so far?"
"Why medicine? (What type of med school interview would it be without that doozy?)"
"Tell me about your research experience."
"What do you do for fun? What book(s) would you recommend to me?"
"What is your healthcare experience?"
"Who do you go to for support?"
"Faculty: How did you know you wanted to practice medicine? A bunch of questions specific to my personal statment? What do you do for fun? Do you have any questions for me?"
"What did you learn from Hospice volunteering?"
"By Faculty: A little more formal but still really enjoyable. He was extremely nice and basically wanted to get to know me. I could tell that he had read my PS really well. Questions: Why Pitt, Why Medicine, he wanted to know a lot about my two years of work after graduating (I am a nontrad) and about how it was like to have a physician dad."
"What do u do for fun? "
"what will you do if you don't get in"
"What is the hardest thing you think you'll encounter during medical school?"
"Tell me about any research experience"
"Are you interested in teaching?"
"What do you think the ethical issues of the future will be?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school? Why Pitt? (Both student and faculty interviewers asked this question.)"
"Faculty member: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Academic medicine or clinical? Tell me about a volunteer experience. How do you think your background in x will help you as a physician? Do you have any questions for me? "
"Where else did you apply? Heard anything yet?"
"What makes you speical?"
"With so many options why did you want to go into medicine?"
"How does your family feel about moving and you going to med school?"
"What do you do in your spare in time?"
"What is your favorite movie? - The lady who asked me these questions said that everyone who comes to the interview is well qualified to go to Pitt but these questions help her to understand if Pitt is a write fit for us."
"How do you work in small groups? (also by student)"
"What kind of physician do you want to be?"
"Can you handle the weather in PA? (I'm from NC)"
"What clinical experiences do you have?"
"Faculty: Why are you here, Do you always wear black to an interview, What kind of volunteer experiences have you had, Where did you get your motivation for becoming a doctor, How do you feel about euthanasia/stem cell research"
"Which areas of specialization are you considering?"
"questions about my personal statement"
"what do you do to maintain balance?"
"Why/How/When Medicine?"
"At what moment did you realize you wanted to become a physician?"
"What factors do you think about when choosing a medical school? What other schools are you interviewing at? Then why Pitt?"
"What are you reading?"
"What would someone have to do to make you confront them about it? How might that go?"
"What social needs do you hope to address by practicing medicine?"
"Most challenging experience"
"Talk about a time when you worked in a small group. "
"Student interviewer: tell me about yourself, hobbies, what I look for in a school, etc."
"How do you like Pittsburg?"
"Tell me about your experience with research? volunteer work? your undergrad institution? hobbies?"
"Why are you in grad school?"
"Tell me about yourself. What area of medicine are you interested in pursuing? What do you think of Pittsburgh? Is there anything I can tell you about the city or the school?"
"what are your non science hobbies"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"tell me about blah blah"
"Who has been your greatest mentor?"
"So, your parents worked in the health care field?"
"What do you think of PBL?"
"What extracurricular activities do you engage in. "
"Why choose Pitt? (and variations thereof like - what made you want to apply here, etc) You'll want to know Person-to-Person inside out to answer this question. You'll also realize they design the conversational approach to prevent you from shooting off a rehearsed speech. They seriously just want to know and get a feel for who you are."
"Tell me about yourself. (Keep in mind the interviews are closed file, so you have a lot of control over where your interview goes here)."
"Why Pitt? What attracted you to Pitt? Why would you choose Pitt over other schools?"
"how did you decide on medicine?"
"Dean: Why Pitt? Where else have you applied? How do you like Pittsburgh? If you have the opportunity, drive around the day before. That way you have something to talk about. I went to the Waterfront, a shopping area with lots of restaruants. Everyone knows about it, so it's really easy to talk about it. The dean, like everyone else, is really nice. "
"How did I become interested in medicine, what have I done to explore that interest...?"
"What has been the most meaningful of all your activities?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school? "
"Tell me about yourself"
"what kind of medicine do you want to practice? and how do you envision your future practice?"
"What do you know about U of Pitt and what makes it a good fit for you?"
"Tell me more about THIS volunteer experience."
"Why medicine? Why Pitt? What have you done to verify your desire to be a doctor? Why are you positive that this is what you want? (Assorted versions from assorted interviewers, usually within the flow of conversation)"
"What experiences have you had that confirm your desire to be a doctor?"
"What do you do outside of school?"
"Why Pittsburgh?"
"Why are you pursuing medicine at your age? (They're very big on non-traditionals)"
"tell me about your research"
"Faculty questions: What books have you read recently? What are some of your hobbies? Tell me about this activity."
"Tell me about your research. What will you do if you get 'this' result from your research? What if you get 'that' result?"
"How do you think you will handle the negativity that you might feel during the stressful times of residency?"
"Tell me about your experiences (from my application)"
"What do you do in your free time? Question about family background"
"What do you think you would be the most difficult part of medical school for you?"
"how did you decide to be a doctor?"
"What's wrong with medicine"
"Why Pitt for medical school?"
"how did you decided to do go into medicine?"
"Why would you come to Pittsburgh over some California school? (I am a CA resident.)"
"Why pittsburgh? (Really important)"
"What have you been doing since graduation? Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"See the questions above for the interesting/difficult ones. Also, what single attitude developed in research will help me be a better doctor and why? "
"old"
"Have you done any research? What do you do in your spare time?"
"What do you do for fun...tell me about yourself...ask million of questions to the students...why Pitt?"
"Questions about ECs and research. "
"Why Pitt? Why medicine? Why do you want to be a doctor? (standard stuff)"
"Do you think the fact that you lost 80 lbs in the past will serve to help you relate with patients as a doctor?"
"what have you been doing since May?"
"Tell me about your research and volunteer experience."
"What do your parents do?"
"How can doctors manage an intense career with other responsibilites?"
"See above."
"What are the pros and cons of medicine/being a doctor"
"Please tell me about your time out of school..."
"when did you decide on medicine?"
"Tell me about your experience abroad."
"why did you apply to pitt"
"What EC's (req questions)"
"What do you look for in a med school? "
"Why are you here today? (walk through your decision for medicine)"
"What are some of the problems in healthcare today and how will you handle them?"
"Why Pitt?"
"What is the most significant extracurricular activity I have done? "
"What have you read in the news lately"
"What is your family like?"
"Extracurricular activities?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Do you have questions about Pitt for me?"
"What was your most significant extracurricular experience as an undergrad?"
"how do you think creativity will help you as a doctor?"
"Why medicine?"
"What is life like in Ukraine?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you like to do outside of school?"
"How have you tested your interest in medicine? (required)"
"When did you decide you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you like to do outside of school (again, 3 times)?"
"How many schools did you apply to? Why so many?"
"So are you one of those people who like to see the big picture and help more people with less individual impact or one of the people who like to help fewer people but have unmatched impact on their lives?"
"Why did you major in film/video?"
"What are you going to do if you don't get into medical school? (This is such a downer...why do they ask it?)"
"What do you think about going to war with Iraq?"
"what do you do in your spare time? extracurricular activities?"
"Seeing as your from Penn State, do you think you could ever root for the Pitt Panthers?"
"What is the scientific method?"
"What's your biggest strength?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"What are your hobbies? Why are they important ? "
"Have you had any sort of clinical exposure? (no major EC's like that in my file)"
"What do you see as the biggest problem in medicine today, do you feel were heading in the right direction? How do you see yourself working in a group setting? "
"What is your favorite book? (required)"
"What field are you interested specifically?"
"describe your family (this is the one question that started my conversation with the admissions committee person."
"What do you do for fun?"
"Do you think it is possible to have caring, attentive patient-doctor relationships?"
"One of the MD/PhD faculty interviewers everyone else "What are three words that describe yourself?" We got tied up in my research and personal statement, so he never got around to hitting me with that one."
"What do you do in your free time?"
"What experiences have you had that have exposed you to medicine?"
"What are your strengths"
"why medicine"
"Outside of medicine, what do you do with your time and why?"
"How do you plan to finance your medical education?"
"Why medicine? Why Pitt?"
"Have you done research?"
"What books have you read recently?"
"What other schools are you applying to?"
"How do you propose we limit health care costs?"
"What makes you a well-rounded applicant?"
"Talk about your extra-curricular activities, etc."
"Describe a situation where you interacted with people of different backgrounds. What did you take away from this experience?"
"Tell me about a challenging time and how you overcame it?"
"Tell me a time you had to deal with something challenging, what did you do and how did it turn out?"
"Why do you want to serve homeless populations? (I talked about it in my app)"
"Can you describe an experience where you helped/related to/connected with someone who might be considered marginalized in society?"
"What sets you apart?"
"What specialty"
"Have you ever interacted with someone from a culture/group different from your own"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"do you want to continue research in the future/in your career"
"What do you do when you're stressed out?"
"Tell me about your volunteering/leadership experience."
"What did you learn from ______?"
"What type of medicine would you like to go into?"
"What kind of community service have you done?"
"Tell me about research, volunteerism, things you do outside class, something creative you've done, leadership position you've had"
"For MSTP: "What are you looking for in a program?""
""What kind of research would you be interested in pursuing in the future, and why?""
"In the open-file interview (with faculty) - where do you see yourself in 20 years?"
"How do you work in teams?"
"What is one challenge you see affecting healthcare right now?"
"Student interview had a list of very basic questions asking about how you like Pitt, why you applied, what drives you to medicine, etc. For my faculty interview, nothing too specific, just had a nice conversation. My interviewer seemed to have read my essay carefully and asked about my background, but didn't focus on it- used it as a guiding tool for the conversation"
"Do you see yourself doing research, and if so, what kind?"
"Tell me more about (thing from PS)."
"How do you work in a team?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"What do you do besides academics?"
"Tell me about X activity."
"How will you balance your professional and personal lives?"
"I see you said ____ on your application. That's interesting. Please elaborate."
"NA"
"Any questions for me?"
"How are you creative?"
"What do you think of the health care reform."
"Are you involved with any research?"
"Faculty interviewer: Tell me about your research."
"How did you feel about (x) experience during high school/college?"
"How do you feel business and medicine cross-over?"
"Student: tell me more about [some EC I mentioned] Faculty: could you be a Steeler's fan?"
"What extracurricular activities did you participate in?"
"Biggest challenge to overcome as a physician?"
"What clinical experience do you have?"
"What activities do you do outside of school?"
"What are you interested in?"
"why pitt"
"What is your leadership style?"
"How did you decide you wanted to become a physician?"
"what was your favorite non-science class?"
"interests outside of medicine?"
"What kind of research do you see yourself doing?"
"What have you done that isn't related to getting into medical school?"
"Both faculty and student interviewer showed keen interest in interests outside of medicine. Specifically: what do you do for fun?"
"Tell me about your non-medical volunteering experiences/ your research/ your outside interests."
"Other than shadowing, have you had any exposure to medicine?"
"What do you think are some of the challenges facing healthcare today?"
"Tell me about yourself, something not in your application."
"What do you like to do in your free time"
"Why PBL?"
"who is your best friend and what is she like?"
"What clinical activies have you been involved in?"
"Tell me about X. X=insert amcas activity"
"Any early thoughts on specialties and are you open to changing?"
"What makes you so interested in politics? (I'm a political science major)"
"Tell me about your research experiences"
"What is your volunteer experience? Work? Why so many jobs?"
"Do you know what sort of doctor you'd like to be?"
"Questions regarding personal statement (this is all the faculty interviewer gets, so they use it)"
"Talk about your research."
"What do you think the role of a physician should be?"
"What is important to you?"
"Why do you like research?"
"Why your particular major?"
"Admissions rep: How was your day? Do you have any questions for me? "
"Why geriatrics?"
"By Admission's person: how has your day gone? How have you liked the school, city? How many more interviews do you have and where? To which other schools have you applied to? And some informal chit chat about the steelers."
"Talk about your undergrad extracurricular activities."
"where do you see yourself in 10 years"
"Why Pittsburgh? (I'm from LA so they pointed this out)"
"What have you learned today that you didn't know before?"
"Tell me about your volunteer work."
"What do you think about human consciousness?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Admissions Dean: Overall, this was much more of a conversation (Although this was more nerve racking for me since she was one of the deans and all). She asked me how the day went, if I'd heard of a few of their specialty programs (like the area of concentration program), how I liked Pitt, where else I was interviewing at, and if I had any questions for her. Still very pleasant."
"Anything else you want to tell me about yourself? Anything you do for a hobby?"
"Is there anything else I can tell you about UPitt?"
"Standard other ones."
"Do you know about our problem based learning?"
"Why Pitt? Do you have any questions for me? If you were not accepted into medical school, what would you do? REMEMBER THESE INTERVIEWS ARE CLOSED FILE AND THUS THE INTERVIEWERS DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR GPA OR MCAT SCORE."
"What do you do for fun?"
"Tell me about ______ - asked about a few different experiences I included in my personal statement"
"Tell me about your research internships?"
"When did you decide you wanted to go into medicine? Was this before or after you decided to study neuroscience? (asked by faculty interviewer)"
"what research did you do?"
"Why medicine? What have you done to convince yourself that this is really what you want to go into?"
"Dean: How do you like Pittsburgh, What have you done around the city. You should probably drive around the day before if you have time. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods around the school. "
"What is the worst movie you've ever seen?"
"questions about my activities related to medicine"
"summarize yourself as an applicant"
"How have you handled hearing disgruntled physicians complain about their careers?"
"Tell me about...(some specific experience I mentioned)."
"Tell me about your research. "
"What type of doctor do you want to be? Why did you choose that profession? Do you feel like Pitt can help you achieve your goals? Why?"
"Why did you take a year between college and med school?"
"Why Pitt? What do you mean it has a strong reputation? What does it mean to be a top research/primary-care school?"
"Tell me about your childhood and how you got where you are."
"How will you deal with disappointment during your career"
"What do you do in your spare time? "
"Other than playing music (I'm a violinist), do you do anything else for fun?"
"What's going on in the world today?"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"Where else are you interviewing?"
"Where are you in the application process? How many interviews have you had / do you have scheduled? What do you think about the application process? How do you feel about the interview day at Pitt? Are there any questions that you have for me?"
"Tell me about your research"
"Question basically pertaining to my personal statement."
"superpower"
"How do you think your qualities will help you to be a doctor?"
"Your really willing to attend medical school out of state? (I live 1,000+ miles away)"
"Tell me about yourself, why medicine, etc."
"Why surgery?"
"Why medicine/Pitt?"
"How would you combine your previous research experience, you interests, and you desires into you future medical studies and practices?"
"What were some clinical activities."
"Favorite ________ ? (insert: Hobbies, Foods, Books, Movies, sports) Other questions: - Where are you from? - Describe your childhood? - Describe your research (if any)? - So how do you like the City? - Have you tried the Hosting Program? ** No one asked me Ethical/Moral Dilemmas, nor did they press me for weird answers to put me on the spot. However, do be careful to tell your interviewers IFFFFF you have to be somewhere at a certain time - I had no rush, but some people have more interviews to go to, or have flights to catch, ETC."
"What else do you do when you are not working?"
"Where are you in the application process and what other schools are you looking at? (This is the first time I was asked about other schools, and I felt like they were really digging for information to see if I would actually choose Pitt)"
"what are you looking for in a medical school?"
"Faculty: Why did you include x in your personal statement? How do you feel about Academic medicine? "
"Where do I want to practice (rural/urban)?"
"Why Pitt? (This is what the Dean really wants to know)"
"Could you see yourself here?"
"why Pittsburgh?"
"What's your motivation for going into medicine?"
"Tell me about yourself (the student interviewer hasn't seen your file at all). The student who interviewed me was very kick back but took lots of notes on what I said."
"What superpower? What cartoon? Favorite music, books, movies? What do you do for fun?"
"What do you do outside of medicine, what are your hobbies, what do you do for fun. What do you do with your friends? No hardball questions like ethics or health care issues. "
"What do you do not related to school and medicine?"
"How do you manage stress?"
"Questions about how I feel working in small groups and how I feel presenting information to large groups of people."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about your volunteering at the homeless shelter. (Like I said, straight-forward questions)"
"other typical stuff"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Admissions officer: What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"What do you think the most difficult aspect of the Program will be? (Followed by same question, but for being a physician-scientist.)"
"Why did you apply here?"
"Do you think use of technology in medicine would be helpful? (Since I have a technology background)"
"The rest of both interviews was mostly a back and forth conversation."
"Tell me more about [this event in your essay]. "
"what are your extracurriculars?"
"The usual - tell me about this experience etc etc"
"How did you become interested in medicine?"
"what do you do in your free time?"
"Do you know the perils associated with academic medicine?"
"What can you offer to the entering class?"
"Do you want to practice academic medicine in the future? (Dean asked that)"
"Why medicine? What would you choose as an alternative career? What if you don't get into medical school, that is, how bad do you want it?"
"And of course the questions of why medicine? Why MD/PhD? Describe your research. Why did you apply to Pitt? "
"stuff"
"What do you think of the block curriculum and the PBL approach?"
"Tell me some of your strengths."
"How would you contribute to the educational mission of our institution?"
"WhyPitt/ why medicine"
"If you couldn't do medicine, what else would you do?"
"Has anything dissuaded you from becoming a doctor?"
"why pitt?"
"What makes you a well-rounded person?"
"What's wrong with health care in the U.S.?"
"What do you do outside of school? "
"See above."
"How did u get into medicine and what are your extracurricular activities youve done"
"Do you feel that your family has been supportive through this process?"
"Do you know what kind of doctor you may want to be?"
"why do you want to be a doctor/how did you verify this desire"
"What can I tell you about Pittsburgh? They really go overboard on trying to sell the city, I get the impression that they are almost apologetic that they have this great school stuck in Pittsburgh and they try to make you feel like you won't miss out on 4 years of life by coming there."
"What do you do in your spare time? (I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have any spare time) "
"What do you do in your spare time"
"What is your biggest fault?"
"See the most difficult question asked response."
"How did you decide to go into medicine and have you tested this decision"
"Why Pitt; why MD?"
"What is a typical weekend for you?"
"How has your medical experience helped your decision?"
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"Tell me about yourself...."
"Talked about my clinical experience... Can I answer any questions for you? "
"what do you think of healthcare?"
"Various conversations about what I do for fun and what I think about the school."
"If you could write President Bush's State of the Union Address, what three things would you specifically mention?"
"What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
"How well do you like working in groups, and what role do you like to play?"
"What are your strengths? (suggested)"
"What clinical experience do you have? Community service?"
"Do you have any Qs for me (all 3 times ... do we see a theme here)?"
"What do you do when you're not in school? Which of those is most important to you and why?"
"What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? How would your friends describe you?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Are there any organizations, political or humanitarian, that you see yourself contributing to while in med school?"
"What is your medical experiences?"
"Typical strengths/weaknesses question (I HATE this one)"
"Why medicine?"
"Why University of Pittsburgh?"
"What else do you want to talk about? "
"Tell me about your current research project(s)."
"What do you do for fun? How will you keep from becoming a jaded doctor?"
"What are your strengths? (required)"
"Talk about your research"
"what do you like besides medicine. (very open ended..) I started by replying I thought law was interesting and i've always wanted to audit a law class.. but then he kinda rephased his question and said "What do you like to do for fun." =p"
"How would you handle negative criticism?"
"Describe your strengths and weaknesses (and alot of other ordinary interview questions like that)."
"Where else have you applied?"
"What do your parents do? How have they influenced your decision to pursue medicine?"
"What makes you a well rounded person"
"what do you do in your spare time? how areyou going to pay for med school?"
"Describe a present health-related issue and how you would attempt to resolve it."
"What are your biggest strengths?"
"Where do you want to practice? What do you do for fun? What type of medicine are you interested in?"
"What do you like to do?"
"Have you had any clincial exposure?"
"What do you want me to tell the adcom?"
"What was the last book you read?"
"How do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Why do you want to go to Pitt?"
"Give an example of a time you noticed a lack of compassion during your clinical interactions and detail how that impacted you."
"None - generally basic questions"
"Very basic questions"
"What healthcare issues are going to be big in the next 5-10 years?"
"Have you come across, either in your studies or independent research or reading time, any advancements in science or healthcare in recent years that's had an impact on public/population health?"
"What are some of the challenges that I think are facing medicine"
"How would you confront a patient that was skeptical or doubtful of science/the healthcare system (i.e. COVID-19 and mask policies)?"
"What is your definition of success"
"Asked me about my thesis research"
"What do you think is the most challenging issue facing healthcare? (she followed this question up with "did you watch the democratic debate last night?)"
"How have your experiences prepared you for medicine?"
"Would you want to go into ___ field?"
"What are some qualities a physician should have?"
"Make me excited about your research."
"None, they were really standard."
"What is the worst book you have read?"
"How will your experience with the arts inform your patient care philosophy?"
"Why didn't you go into one of your parents' careers (follow-up to question on my parents' backgrounds)."
"What would you do if you couldn't go to med school?"
"Question 3."
"I was talking about what I do in my free time and I mentioned I watch Netflix occasionally (of course, alongside building orphanages and helping old ladies cross the road), and my faculty interviewer asked me what my favorite TV shows were and why."
"What medical specialty are you interested in?"
"Tell me an example of a time you demonstrated creativity"
"Some questions related to my background and interests."
"Tell me about your experience playing x sport"
"Did you have any trouble finding my office?"
"What field of medicine are you interested in and how positive are you that that is what you want to do?"
"None, it was very straight forward"
"Nothing really. Be prepared for the usual stuff, about why medicine etc."
"How are you creative?"
"They were all pretty standard conversation starters."
"So you worked _____. Why the heck did you do that?"
"NA"
"Are you a steeler fan"
"Who are your role models and why."
"How do you think creatively?"
"If you could go anywhere and do anything for one weekend vacation, where would you go and what would you do?"
"Why medicine?"
"They were pretty standard."
"If you could win any award in the world, what would it be?? (student interviewer)"
"Explain your interest in the actual science of medicine. "
"Nothing crazy... "
"Student: give me an example of how you are creative Faculty: what would you do if you didn't get accepted?"
"How would you rate your mechanical skills (playing with tools, etc)? The interviewer asked me this question because a part of my app said I am considering orthopedics as a specialty of choice."
"Do you think you would have a problem with the Scholarly Project? -mostly related to the fact that I don't have much research background"
"So you think you have enough clinical experience?-"
"What did you dress up as for Halloween? (there was a bit of a lead up to this question, it wasn't completely out of the blue)"
"How do you work in groups and how will that serve you as a physician?"
"What do you think you'll struggle with most as a physician?"
"What qualities in the physicians you shadowed impressed you the most?"
"What personality traits are important for a doctor to have?"
"If you could have dinner with any two or three people, who would they be and why?"
"What do you think about the informational systems in hospitals? (this was part of an overall conversation about the UPMC hospital's switch to electronic files)"
"After answering a question about what I would do if I didn't get in to medical school I was asked: What is the biggest health care issue negatively affecting the quality of life of people today in the US."
"What do you do that's not related to medicine?"
"Nothing really: Why did you decide to take a year off?"
"what do you think of the pharm companies influencing doctors"
"Tell me something not on your application material that's important."
"Do you understand the culture of Pittsburgh?"
"Was kind of hoping for more challenging and fun questions, but it didn't happen. How would you define Academic Medicine?"
"Are you creative?"
"If you were any kind of ice cream flavor, what would you be? / What is the coolest thing you have ever done?"
"If you had to pick an ice cream flavor to describe your personality, what would it be?"
"Frankie asked me the random questions like What do you like to do? What's your favorite book?"
"All pretty stock questions, nothing special."
"Who was your best friend and how would you describe her?"
"cant think of one"
"How would you like me to present you to the admissions committee?"
"I was mostly just asked to explain activities on my AMCAS for my faculty interview. The student interview was a simple conversation for 45 minutes."
"If you were so happy serving in the military, why are you wanting to get out to go to med school?"
"Tell me more about your siblings."
"What do you do for fun? Why did you work so many jobs?"
"What animal would you be and why?"
"Can't think of any right now..."
"Have you heard of the plagiarism case with the Harvard student that was given $500,000 to publish a book? (I told him yes, but didn't see how it connected to medicine... he said that a previous interviewee last week talked about it when they got into a discussion about academic honesty..)"
"None really, what I do for fun?"
"What books do you read?"
"What is the biggest challenge you will face as a physician?"
"If you could have any super power which one would you have?"
"Nothing in particular"
"What's your favorite cartoon"
"detailed questions about my essay (my main interviewer had really read my application!)"
"It was really low stress...my interviewer was a really nice guy who suggested that we take a walk outside since it was such a nice day. My student interviewer was much younger than me, and she was a first year, on top of that it was her first interview so she was more nervous than I was."
"My feelings on teaching"
"Nothing too out of the ordinary: Why Pitt? Why medicine? Describe your volunteer work? Tell me about your research? How did you get here (I'm about 10 years older than most applicants)?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"What do you think about human consciousness?"
"Of the cities around the world in which you've worked, which was your favorite and why?"
"If I could have any superpower, what would it be? (Asked by student interviewer) Also asked a lot of questions about my interests in women's health, research, and how those tied into my faculty interviewer's current work which was awesome!"
"Was there any one moment that really set your heart on medicine?"
"All standard questions."
"nothing too interesting. just the common questions."
"Why did you get into your present line of work? There were a lot of interesting and though provoking questions. Very much a conversation between two adults. "
"How does your family feel about you going to med school. (I have a husband and a child)"
"What did you think of Freakonomics?"
"Do you workout?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary..."
"What was the other state that the Senate race was waiting on other than Virginia. I did not know the answer, but it was Montana."
"What good experiences and bad experiences have you had with doctors treating your sister (my sister has a severe chronic disease) and how will this affect the way you practice medicine?"
"What do I think about HPV vaccine development?"
"Do you always wear black to an interview? (actually, I was wearing black and blue, so it was kind of funny)"
"Why do you want to be a physician instead of a...?"
"i wrote about my father's influence in my PS, and my faculty interviewer spent some time asking about my relationship with the rest of my family and my travel experiences with them."
"I got asked about what I see myself doing in 10-15 years a lot. But, the most interesting question was the student interviewer who asked me what thing from my application I would like him to emphasize to the admissions committee. I thought that was really cool of him."
"Describe how you work in small groups."
"One of my Interviewers went off on a tangent for a few minnutes about how much they liked the new show "
"what sorts of health policy do you see yourself shaping in the future?"
"nothing really"
"What role do you take on in a group situation and why?"
"How do you deal with confrontation?"
"Tell me something about yourself that you shouldn't (asked by the student interviewer and technically not part of the evaluation)."
"How do you work in groups?"
"Actually, most of my questions were typical. "
"what do you think will be the most difficult aspect of practicing medicine "
"this was my second interview and honestly if I taped my first interview and played it back, it would be fine, just sound interested about your own life and activities and you'll do fine. Plus remember the two inescapable questions: why medicine and why this school"
"n/a"
"Was the difference between specificity and sensitivity?"
"In your experience, have you met any physicians who were disgruntled or unhappy with their choice of profession?"
"nothing special"
"Tell me your thoughts on the role of physicians in preventive health and research."
"What do you want to have accomplished by the time you die?"
"What kind of sandwich do you like? Kind of random. "
"I had so many interesting questions. They were: 1. What superpower do you want to have? 2. Would you swim in pool or ocean? 3. Name three people you'd like to have dinner with?"
"Who has been your greatest mentor?"
"How did your grandma die? (I spoke about her in my personal statement)"
"What don't you like about Pittsburgh?"
"What do you think will be the most difficult aspect of medicine faced by future doctors?"
"My faculty interviewer asked me about my brother, who has Down syndrome. I thought it was interesting that she would want to talk about that."
"None, no surprise questions, very straight forward and to-the-point."
"Just your typical interview questions - Why medicine? Start from the beginning of when you knew you wanted to go into medicine."
""What's your favorite cartoon - why?" I thought it was pretty random. I answered honestly and said the one where Elmer Fudd goes after a Helga-dressed Bugs Bunny singing - "Kill da wabbit ... Kill da waaaabit.""
"Nothing really out of the ordinary."
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"What's your favorite movie, book, cartoon?"
"What is your most creative accomplishment?"
"Nothing too interesting...basic questions and specific ones"
"I wasn't asked anything remotely interesting. Just the same old questions"
"pretty standard questions--why medicine? when did you know you want to go into medicine? etc."
"Why medicine?? not really that interesting..."
"(in reference to my interest in global health) how much of your career do you plan to spend working abroad, and what are you reasons?"
"What are the biggest problems with healthcare today? How would you change it?"
"A couple really fun ones: *If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why? *What's your favorite cartoon?"
"Nothing really. Every question were the typical ones like Why medicine, Why Pitt, What do you like about the city, what extra cirricular."
"How many schools did you apply to? Where have you interviewed already?"
"Nothing really."
"what book are you reading?"
"What setting do you see yourself practicing in? What is your favorite cartoon?"
"What kind of physician do you want to be?"
"Do you think you'll be able to "have a life" during medical school?"
"What clinical experiences have you had?"
"What is the most creative thing you do?"
"What is your favorite cartoon"
"What did Wittgenstein (philosopher) have to say about pain?"
"Very few solid questions, more chit chat with admission dean"
"What do you think would be a better way to measure who will make a good resident?"
"What are the major issues facing medical care today and what solution would you advocate?"
"what is the most important thing we should know about you?"
"In reference to my school's female:male ratio (I'm a girl): What does that do for your dating life?"
"Can you adjust to the cold in Pittsburgh since you are from California?"
"All questions pertained to my AMCAS application. No ethical scenarios, or questions concerning current issues in health care (e.g. HMOs, PPOs, etc.)"
"what is the most creative thing you do? apparently the faculty interviewers are told to asess creativity."
"How will you balance family and medicine?"
"Very standard questions"
"nothing usualy, we just talked about my life, why medicine, what I liked to do in my free time, and why pittsburgh"
"What was the last CD you bought?"
"If I was to be the gov. of ? (pick one) state and giving my state of the state address, what would be my issues and what would I do about them?"
"If I were elected a US senator, what would be my issues?"
"What improvements do you think doctors could make to help patients have more comfortable experiences?"
"In addition to asking "why medicine," my interviewer inquired as to what steps I've taken to discover whether or not medicine really is for me. "
"In a scale of 1-10, how confident I am about being accepted into Medical School...funny thing was that I am already accepted at two medical schools"
"Nothing stands out- it was all very conversational and seemed aimed at getting to know you as a person. "
"Do you know that you cannot save life you can only prevent death"
"If I were to meet you as a random stranger, what would we talk about?"
"Do you think the fact that you lost 80 lbs in the past will serve to help you relate with patients as a doctor?"
"none very interesting"
"What is the craziest thing you have ever done?"
"Nothing special."
"Very relaxed interview...no tricky questions."
"Student: "What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" Faculty: "How do you think knowledge from your [geriatrics] research could be applied to children?" "
"What are some of old movies that you love that you can suggest to me?---I am a huge old movie buff"
"What do you think about our curriculum? What attracts you to Pitt?"
"How did your background with 2 cultures affect your educational experience?"
"Nothing in particular caught my attention, both my student interview and faculty interview were very relaxed and chill and we talked about a lot of stuff, but all about ME."
"nothing really, they have some standard questions that they have to get the answers to"
"no real questions, just asked me to talk about myself"
"We really had a nice discussion. There were no rote questions but a real flowing conversation."
"nothing interesting"
"None - pretty standard fare"
"What is your biggest fault?"
"What was your most memorable EMT experience and why?"
"Are you a good cook? "
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Do you realize that as a doctor you are not saving a life, you are simply delaying death?"
"None really too interesting"
"Do you consider yourself to be a well rounded person?"
"some weird scenarios, pretty fun though."
"What other schools have you interviewed at and what did you like about them?"
"No interesting questions. Just the questions you'd expect; what do you read, what are your hobbies, what area of medicine are you interested in, etc."
"How did the role in your family prepare you for a career in medicine? (Nothing too interesting or crazy...)"
"Just the basic stuff..."
"What do you hope to get out of Pittsburgh?"
"What is a big pain in the butt?"
"If you could write President Bush's State of the Union Address, what three things would you specifically mention?"
"What are the biggest problems in health care and how would you personally help fix them?"
"How would you feel working for someone less qualified than yourself?"
"None too interesting. Questions were fairly standard."
"did you know that pitt is top 10 in research dollars? (asked this about 5 times)"
"If you had 30 seconds to explain to the admission committee why they should select you, what would you say?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary"
"nothing too exciting here - all fairly standard Qs (all my interviewers were quite mellow)"
"When you go home to visit your parents, what does your mother make for you to eat?"
"How does what you learned from studying public health in Mexico apply to our healthcare system in the United States?"
"Recommend a film that my husband and I should see and tell me why it's good. (I was a film major)."
"Nothing very interesting was asked. "
"Do you play any instruments?"
"What made you know for sure that medicine was the right career for you?"
"I wasn't asked any direct questions. Very conversational. "
"So I saw a speech the Rendell (PA's governor) gave about health care, malpractice lawsuits, and insurance rates. In light of all these issues, why would anyone want to get into medicine? (Asked by the student interviewer)"
"nothing all conversational"
"What do you want to do in the future with your MD degree?"
"Do you still have epilepsy?"
"It wasn't an interview as much as it was a discussion. The faculty interviewers questions will be different for everyone because they have your AMCAS personal statement in front of them and will ask questions regarding it. "
"What do you want to accomplish in the next four years besides getting trough medical school?"
"Say you're in PBL and a couple members are not putting in the work. How would you go about rectifying this problem?"
"how would you deal with a peer who was not pulling his weight in PBL group"
"What are some avenues of translational research that will bring currently broad genomics prowess to bear on specific clinical needs, and generally how do the various -genomics fields change medical research paradigms? "
"nothing particular, pretty conversational"
"Tell me something that your friends may not know about you or may find surprising."
"Do you know who Job is? - I think she just wanted to know how well read I am."
"Nothing"
"nothing crazy. everything based on the conversation at hand"
"What is your favorite cartoon?"
"What is the biggest problem with healthcare today, just off the top of my head."
"my greatest strength and greatest weakness in one word...which I found very interesting since its so hard to narrow this down"
"How would you motivate a member of your PBL(problem based learning) group who is not pulling his or her weight and hindering other members of the group?"
"What kind of people do you not get along with?"
"What is your favorite book?"
"nothing too interesting."
"How important is located relatively close to your family during school in deciding which med school to attend?"
"Describe your family for me."
"What was the last book you read?"
"What type of books do you like to read?"
"Will you go back home when you are done with your training?"
"Describe what you're reading right now (I mentioned that I like to read)."
"standard why md/phd - why both degrees - what specialty would you go into, why pittsburgh - what do you like about the program"
"If you can pick three adjectives to describe yourself, what would they be?"
"What exactly is Postmodernism?"
"The questions were pretty typically. Why do you want to study medince. The most interesting I guess is what do you look for in a medical school...and do we fit that profile. "
"Do you believe the US government should torture suspected terrorists if they have information that might be needed to prevent an imminent attack?"
"What will you enjoy most about medical school? What do you think the most difficult thing will be about medical school?"
"Who do you think was behind the anthrax attacks last year?"
"Tell me about the most interesting family vacation you had...and all my vacations blurred into one, so I couldn't really remember the most fun one."
"none"
"Nothing very interesting. They have a sheet in front of them. The student had only your name and undergrad institution. The faculty interviewer had personal statement and practice vision essays as well"
"Can you think of a recent advancement that impacted population health?"
"Tell me about yourself - it’s too broad"
"Tell me a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker/peer?"
"What research development do you know of in the past 5-10 years has made a strong impact to the community/people?"
"Can you describe a time when you failed? How did you handle it or what did you gain from it or how did you grow from it?"
"none. very standard questions"
"none, all very standard!"
"Has anything especially encouraged or discouraged your motivation for medicine?"
"there were no difficult questions. pretty standard interview"
"the first interview is closed file, so they ask a lot of questions about your activities and characteristics that are sometimes hard to answer"
"What concerns do you have about entering medicine?"
"Why medicine?"
"What sets you apart?"
"There weren't any curveball questions!"
"None, just a conversation."
"A question about my UG school I didn't know the answer for"
"How will you apply your community organizing background as a physician?"
"Tell me something creative you've done"
"What would you do if you couldn't go to med school"
"For MSTP interview: Have you ever considered doing an MD? Why MD/PhD instead of MD?"
"Question 1."
"So you want to work with the underserved. How do you justify going $200K in debt, then working for people who won't pay you?"
"What is your greatest weakness? (Ouch, hate that question)."
"Tell me an example of a time you demonstrated creativity"
"Why did you leave your prior field?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"How did that make you feel? (asked a few times throughout... it felt like I was talking to a shrink)"
"None, it was very straight forward"
"None in particular. Very stress-free interviews."
"nothing was really difficult. there were few actual questions (my interviewer had prepared a sheet of about 5 actual questions, but the rest of the interview was conversational)"
"None really."
"Why did you decide to switch careers? (was expected of course)"
"No difficult questions. I was worried about getting questions about my GPA, but since both interviews are closed file they don't ask."
"No difficult questions at all. The questions that people post on here is EXACTLY what you'll hear on interview day"
"What is professionalism?"
"The faculty interview was challenging, because I almost felt like the woman wanted me to lead the interview. It felt more like a conversation, and she didn't always lead with a question, so sometimes, instead of waiting for a question, I would just respond to something she had said. I was not expecting this level of informality, so it was a bit of a challenge to roll with."
"Give me three words that describe you."
"All straightforward. No curveballs here."
""Why Pitt?" was phrased in an unexpected way, looking for specific detail."
"All the follow up questions on research took some serious thought"
"How do you feel about learning material with a team?"
"Everything was extremely straight forward. The usual stuff."
"None were very difficult"
"What would make you come to Pitt?"
"So you think you have enough clinical experience?-"
"My student interviewer asked what I'd been doing lately. I think he was running out of things to ask and responses, and the time was fairly short. So be warned, your student interviewer might not be the most adept."
"what is the core behind all of your motivations for being a doctor"
"Nothing was very difficult, as most questions were posted on studentdoctor.net in other interview feedback pages."
"What do you think you'll struggle with most as a physician?"
"Nothing difficult. Very conversational."
"what makes you unique from other applicants? (This one is always hard to answer)"
"Not difficult, but strange: Are you creative?"
"Was there anything in the clinical setting which surprised you?"
"Can you think of a specific example of a doctor talking above the comprehension level of a patient?"
"The faculty interviewer grilled me on my personal statement. "
"Are you interested in academic medicine?"
"Are you creative?... I didn't really know how to approach it."
"How would you consider yourself a creative person?"
"What have you gotten out of your college experience besides an education?"
"What are *you* looking for in a medical school? (Note: this is different than "why do you want to go to Pitt", although effectively the answers may be similar). Also, "why not RN, PA?""
"Didn't really have one... my student interviewer was an MSTP or PSTP so he asked me how I felt about pursing professional research, but wasn't difficult just didn't want to offend him."
"Again, all the questions you prepared for, ''Why Pitt?'', ''Why Medicine?'', ''What do you do for fun?''"
"How to balance between research and patient interaction?"
"No difficult questions"
"How would you like me to present you to the admissions committee?"
"Why should Pitt choose me."
"Are you really sure you want to do this, given your age and current career?"
"How well are you, a non-science major, prepared for medical school compared to a science major?"
"Did I have any additional clinical experience other than working as an EMT? (I was hoping working as an EMT would be enough.)"
"What other schools applied to, and i stand with them."
"What motivates you?"
"What would you do if you were in a small group with a very abrasive person? Why would you do this?"
"In what way are you creative?"
"None really, all pretty standard."
"Nothing"
"Having volunteered in a hospice, how do you deal with bonding with patients and then seeing those same patiends pass away?"
"Nothing was too difficult."
"Was there any one experience that pushed you to medicine?"
"None really"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"''do you have any questions for me'' (was a little underprepared, and was asked this four times by one guy)"
"Nothing really out of the ordinary"
"How I felt about the Honors/Pass/Fail system in regards to studying very hard and missing the honors mark by a point "
"Are you interested in teaching?"
"None. The questions were all easy."
"You've had a lot more experience than the average applicant; don't you think that will make it hard to relate to them?"
"What are some of your strengths? What are some of your weaknesses?"
"No questions were particularly difficult. I think the question I was most unsure about how to answer was what other schools I had interviews at/applied to. I had one other interview scheduled at this point, but I wanted to make sure each interviewer who asked (all three) knew Pitt was high on my list! I also got lots of questions about my research experience, questions about any volunteer experiences, outside interests, and desire for the type of location I wanted to attend medical school at. They definitely try to sell Pittsburgh as a great city, so be prepared to either A. know what parts of Pittsburgh you do like or B. be able to show that even though you don't like Pittsburgh as a city, that wouldn't keep you away from the med school! "
"I don't remember any intentionally dificult questions. It was very conversational; I didn't feel like they were interested in watching me perform under pressure--just wanted to get to know me."
"Tell me about your research. "
"again, nothing too difficult"
"Why do you want to come to Pittsburgh when you are coming from a much better location?"
"Are you sure you want to go to med school? (because I am a non-traditional student, and have had a break in my education, plus a few gray hairs)"
"What are you plans if you don't get into medical school this time around?"
"What will you miss about being a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) whenever you become a doctor?"
"How have you tested your commitment to medicine?"
"Why do you go to the school you do?"
"My interview was more just a conversation... we talked about whatever came up"
"Nothing was really difficult. It was conversational. "
"so why are you here? what other schools that you have applied have problem based learning?"
"If you had to choose between medicine and research, which would it be and why?"
"Why are you here? (it kind of caught me off guard, especially since it was my first question)"
"What is your favorite book? (difficult to narrow it down)"
"nothing was difficult. pitt is very conversational, and i was hardly asked any questions aside from the first, just to get the conversation started."
"one prof pointed out my lack in clinical experience and i had to recover from that one with other community service things that i had done"
"What is the most creative thing you have done recently?"
"Have you met any disgruntled physicians during your shadowing experiences? How did you respond to them? What effect did they have on you?"
"are you a democrat?"
"Have you done anything recent to test your commitment to medicine?"
"They were all easy"
"Discuss an experience where you disagreed with an authority."
"Same as above."
"Same"
"The interview was very laid-back. No curveballs. "
"n/a"
"Who is your role model?"
"Was the difference between specificity and sensitivity?"
"Have you considered the length and difficulty of residency? What are your thoughts on that?"
"With all of your clinical experiences, what do you know about and are you prepared for medical school, residency, fellowship?"
"What do you think about the US Health Care System compared with that of other countries?"
"How do you think you'll fit in here?"
"i suppose those interesting questions could have been hard but my faculty interviewer made me feel very at ease and comfortable so nothing was really hard."
"Why not M.D./Ph.D?"
"Do you think you really made a difference in the life of the inner-city child you were tutoring during your Alternative Spring Break? (Was a reasonable question during the interview, but as a stand-alone, this question is difficult.)"
"NA"
"To be honest - I was not asked any of those questions that interviewing students dread answering - NO moral/ethical questions, NO defend your position on abortion, etc."
"Comment on the difference between the health care systems in the U.S. and Canada."
"How do you feel about academic medicine? (Research, basically) Even if you haven't done any research you will have to do some clinical research while at Pitt. Just keep that in mind. "
"none really, they can't grill you on your application because it's closed-file."
"Nothing difficult"
"How do you like the city? (a question only the most skillful of liers could answer positively)"
"same as before."
"nothing really"
"same."
"I guess the most difficult in content, but not asked in a scary way: If your best friend was one station ahead of you on a lab practical exam, and you saw him repeatedly looking ahead like he was cheating off the person in front of him, what would you do?""
"What do you do with your friends?"
"Pretty standard questions, nothing difficult."
"no really difficult questions, just usual application, how you got to medicine stuff..."
"What experiences have you had working in small-group settings? What do you think are the pros and cons of working in a small group of peers? Why do you think working with small groups will help you learn?"
"no real difficult questions. The interview was very straightforward to get to know who you are. Probably the hardest was "how would your friends describe you.""
"None. They were very straight forward and were mainly from my app & AMCAS"
"questions about my research"
"Name something wrong with our health care system and suggest a solution."
"What kind of role do you play on a team and what kind of people do you prefer on a team?"
"What type of problem I'd like to study in the Women's Health AOC"
"?"
"What do you like to do for fun the most? (It was hard to tell if she wanted no ECs or one from ECs)"
"A question about my family (which I wrote about in my app) that came as a surprise. "
"no difficult questions."
"2 strengths and 2 weaknesses"
"No question was especially difficult, but the interviews clearly wanted to know who I was and what had driven my desire to become a physician."
"What is wrong with medicine and what would you do to fix it? (student question)"
"Nothing too difficult!"
"same, since it was the only one I hadnt heard"
"Very standard questions"
"none really, everyone was extremely relaxed and happy there"
"What do you think of the fact that doctors who are on payroll with the cholesterol drug companies are also the ones that recommeded that the acceptable cholesterol levels be lowered from 200 to 190?"
"From a student interviewer for the MD/PhD part: "The student interviewers have a lot of say in the admissions committee. Do you want me to go to the committee and fight for you?" I thought this was a tough one because even though I was really interested in the school I obviously didn't want to give a guarantee that I would go there since there is still a lot of time before the interview season ends. But as you can see the most difficult question wasn't really difficult."
"Probably the same one; I'd heard everything else before."
"Can you tell me about a time when you confronted a real dilemma in your volunteer work?"
"Describe your study habits to me. I could either lie and pretend as if I'm super-student, or I could use this opportunity to tell the truth. I chose the latter, and I am glad to be asked this question instead of the typical "what are your weaknesses" question."
"Tell me everything you want me to know about yourself (this was asked during the student interview, because they have no knowledge or background about you, aside from your name and state of residency)"
"detailed questions about my research "
"See above."
"None were difficult."
"none very difficult"
"No tough questions."
"So, how do you plan on managing a career with other life responsibilities? (not meant in a bad way, it just came up)"
"Student: "What was the last favorite book you read?" - I don't know! Too busy filling out med school apps! No, I actually didn't answer it like that. Faculty: "Tell me about little aspect X of your research." (I did the project 3 yrs ago). "
"NONE!"
"Most questions were fairly straight forward."
"What schools have you been accepted to?"
"None."
"what would you do if you couldnt do medicine (pretty standard, you see)"
"so, do you think pitt is the place for you?"
"see above"
"Don't recall"
"Why Pittsburgh?"
"How do you feel about male gynecologists not being hired in private practices since women now prefer to go to a woman doctor for their gynecological care?"
"None, very conversational"
"How have you tested your desire to enter medicine?"
"Is there anything not on your application that you want me to tell the admissions committee? What happened freshman year?"
"nothing too difficult, very conversational"
"What makes you absolutely, positively sure that you want to be a doctor?"
"If you get accepted into a UC school and Pitt, would you come to Pitt? (i'm from california)"
"My faculty interviewer asked me about health care insurance. "
"All pretty standard questions."
"Again, the normal med school interview questions. "
"Where do you see medicine in ten years?"
"A current event that I hadn't heard of . . (Low pressure, though)"
"Of those three things lets take one - Education - what 4 policies would you implement to improve it's current situation?"
"Probably the above"
"Nothing too difficult. This site helped me prepare well."
"What do you look for in a medical school? (By no means hard, normally, but I tripped in this part of the conversation)"
"why would you pick pitt over some other top school? this was difficult because 1. pitt is not a top school and 2. i wouldn't pick pitt over a real top school"
"What would you do if you weren't pursuinf medicine?"
"Nothing really difficult...probably the standard "What will be your greatest challenge as a doctor" question"
"Why Pitt? (i know, it's not too difficult, but i was asked it 3 times and didn't have a great answer)"
"Nothing really difficult. Which of your extracurricular activities are most important to you and why?"
"Do you think that the character Denzel Washington played in "John Q" was right in what he did? Why or why not?"
"Tell me about an ethical dilemma you faced while working abroad."
"Nothing."
"What other schools did you apply to? Why would you come out to Pitt?"
"Strengths and weaknesses?"
"so tell me about yourself"
"Same as above"
"Tell me something about yourself that I could not find out from your application. (Basically had to continuing elaborating on this question for about 1.5 hours)"
"none - they just really want to get to know you and be friendly"
"Nothing really."
"Did you always want to be a health professional? How frustrating was it to get the grades you did early in college?"
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?