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All Questions & Responses

  • Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine
  • Dental School
  • Alton, IL
Individual Feedback 2 30 Responses
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Response # Responders
Positively 21
Negatively 2
No change 5

What was the stress level of the interview?

Response Avg # Responders
2.75 28

0 = low, 10 = high

How you think you did?

Response Avg # Responders
7.63 19

0 = low, 10 = high

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

Response Avg # Responders
7.68 19

0 = low, 10 = high

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

Response # Responders
In Person 1
Virtual 0

Questions

How long was the interview?

Response # Responders
5 minutes 0
10 minutes 1
15 minutes 3
20 minutes 6
25 minutes 4
30 minutes 6
35 minutes 1
40 minutes 4
45 minutes 0
50 minutes 0
55 minutes 0
60+ minutes 5

Where did the interview take place?

Response # Responders
At the school 27
At a regional location 0
At another location 1

What was the style of the interview?

Response # Responders
One-on-one 27
In a group 0

What type of interview was it?

Response # Responders
Open file 27
Closed file 0

How many people interviewed you?

Response Average # Responders
1.70 27

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?

"Tell me about yourself" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

""What was a satisfying experience you have had recently?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is a non-science class that you took that will help you succeed in dental school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"They asked questions based off your personal statement." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a failing experience?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you expect to be well-off in this profession?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your biggest weakness?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to become a dentist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"do gpa and dat reflect you academically" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What distinguishes you over other candidates?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"wanted lots of specifics about names of dentists i worked for." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Dentistry? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your semesters" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"So how was your trip to get here?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why are you here?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why dentistry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why are you interested in SIU Dental School?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What will you do if you aren't accepted for the upcoming class?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"why not medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Indiana University (I went there for undergrad). " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to be a dentist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 2)?

"What distinguishes you from other applicants?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

""What is something we should know about you that we can't find on your application?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is something interesting about you that I cannot find out by reading your application?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What causes you stress?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you do if you don't get accepted this cycle?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What types of volunteer work have you helped with?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Is there anything else you would like to tell us before you go?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you believe your DAT score and your GPA reflect your abilities?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"where do you want to practice" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Does your GPA and DAT scores reflect you academically? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you improve public health dentistry, and expand clinics? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"In Alaska, they are adopting a program where students go to Australia/New Zealand for two years to be trained to provide dental services in remote communities in Alaska. Do you think that this is a good practice and should be adopted throughout the rest of the United States?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What about your DAT score?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your self. Family?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you have any research experience?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What if not accepted?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why SIU?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you know about SIU Dental School?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you do in your free time?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"why do you want to be a dentist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 3)?

"A time you made a mistake and what you did afterwards" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What component of your application do you want us to overlook?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

""Why SIU and what do you expect from it?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is something that frustrated you over the past year?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why dentistry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why SIUE?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"strengths and weaknesses" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why SIU? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What classes are you taking next semester? Why dentistry? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What kind of businesses does you father own?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What else would you like to know?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Is SIU your top choice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you imagine for your future practice? Do you plan to stay in the area?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you plan to practice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why now?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"The interviewer didn't ask me too many questions. Instead asked me if I had any questions the majority of the time." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"is it a cultural shock for you to be in this city? (since i'm from the city)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"N/A" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What qualities do we look for in an applicant, in your opinion?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

""What was your favorite class in college?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why dentistry and not medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see the direction of dentistry going?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Does your undergrad GPA reflect your learning, and DAT score? GPA vs DAT..." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Question #2" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How may I help you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Is SIU your top choice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you do if not accepted here?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you do if you are not accepted?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was asked a bunch of general questions." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"He asked me a fairly odd question. He asked why I applied to the other schools I got interviews at(Case Western and Temple). " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What will you do if you aren't accepted for the upcoming class?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why did you change from medicine to dentistry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing really, informal interview where we just talked about the school and the program." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"N/A" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you were to go back to a situation and act in it differently, how would you act? What would you have done differently?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

""What was a frustrating experience you had recently?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is something that you wish you would have handled in a different way/How has your communication skills served you well?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Give me a failing experience" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"They asked me how I felt about what was going on in Wall Street." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your biggest weakness?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why SIUe specifically? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Question #2" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"none" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"above" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why are you here?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What Can you Tell me about our school" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"None." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I think the one above was the hardest question to answer. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What will you do if you aren't accepted for the upcoming class?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"same as above" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Looking through previous questions from other students here in SDN, watching lots of YouTube videos to prepare, and doing a mock interview with my family via zoom since my interview was held virtually on zoom!" More from this Member | Report Response

"mock interview, SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read questions from this website/researched the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, writing down questions and answers on paper and reviewing them before the interview. Also asking current dentists for advice." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN. Past interview questions. Mock interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"By going through the recommendation committee at my school, because the questions asked were very similar." More from this Member | Report Response

"sdn, siu website, mock interviews" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read interview books, researched SIU website, info through talking to other dental students " More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, talk to dentists who graduated from SIUe, and other health professionals. " More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, SIU-SDM website, and my AADSAS application" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"this website, the school's website" More from this Member | Report Response

"this website" More from this Member | Report Response

"website, reviewed application" More from this Member | Report Response

"University website." More from this Member | Report Response

"Website." More from this Member | Report Response

"Its not really much of an interview. The interviewer asks a couple of cursory questions and then asks you if you have any questions. I just looked a some sample questions I found on the internet." More from this Member | Report Response

"I read the brochere and this website" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read about the website, dressed well and tried to look sharp, did my best to be relaxed and confident." More from this Member | Report Response

"look on their website, looked over my essay, spoke to a dentist who went to siu dental school" More from this Member | Report Response

"Looked at their webpage, talked to dentists, and used this site." More from this Member | Report Response

"Read the school's website and SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"Super nice, friendly, homey campus" More from this Member | Report Response

"What impressed me positively was how the 3 admissions committee members were very nice, very funny, made me laugh, and really made me feel very comfortable and at home!" More from this Member | Report Response

"how conversational and relaxing the interview is" More from this Member | Report Response

"Laid-back interview, a small school that offers a great clinical experience at a good price." More from this Member | Report Response

"Interviewers, small class sizes" More from this Member | Report Response

"The facilities were all brand new and beautiful inside. There were also a couple new machines that I haven't seen at any other dental school. Also, I liked that Alton is only a half hour away from St. Louis, MO." More from this Member | Report Response

"Easy going. Very friendly." More from this Member | Report Response

"How laid back and polite both the interviewers were. In addition, after the interview, while I was waiting for my tour guide, I had a really nice conversation with the 2 women working in the admissions office, which I thought was nice, because it showed that they took an interest in their applicants." More from this Member | Report Response

"I love the campus" More from this Member | Report Response

"Friendliness of staff and students, facilities were nice (they had new equipment), liked the campus-like atmosphere of the school because it was composed of multiple buildings " More from this Member | Report Response

"Subtle undertones that may have indicated my future success..." More from this Member | Report Response

"homeliness of campus" More from this Member | Report Response

"Very laid back! Interviewers were very nice." More from this Member | Report Response

"Small School, Small class size, not many distractions, in a relaxed atmosphere" More from this Member | Report Response

"Very very nice facility!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The students and faculty are very friendly" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school was really homie, I feel i'd be a much better dentist in SIU as apposed to say somewhere in a bigger city" More from this Member | Report Response

"People are very friendly." More from this Member | Report Response

"Atmosphere and the way the staff supports students." More from this Member | Report Response

"The admissions staff was very friendly. The student tour guide was pretty helpful." More from this Member | Report Response

"The price" More from this Member | Report Response

"The students and faculty were friendly and generally excited to be there and to meet visitors." More from this Member | Report Response

"the admissions staff was very kind and welcoming, made you feel at home" More from this Member | Report Response

"Clinic was nice, everyone was very friendly, small class sizes, NDBE scores are consistently very good, and they have fast eddy's." More from this Member | Report Response

"I really liked the small town atmosphere of both the town and the school. Only 200 total students. Good student/faculty ratio. The campus was very small. Nice " More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"Little run down" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Location of the school, surrounding area" More from this Member | Report Response

"The town of Alton is very old looking and small. Doesn't seen like there's much to do in the town." More from this Member | Report Response

"Short interview times." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. Overall, I was very impressed." More from this Member | Report Response

"Interview was a little late, but I still got a dental school interview- Can't complain. " More from this Member | Report Response

"tour was 10 minutes. thats all there is to see. writing sample/essay as soon as you get there. very short like 100 words or something. not many people around for us to talk to." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really" More from this Member | Report Response

"small school, hidden in the suburbs" More from this Member | Report Response

"The facility looks like regular houses from the outside." More from this Member | Report Response

"The location and size of campus" More from this Member | Report Response

"The neighborhood. Its a beautiful dental school in the middle of nowhere, its strictly business" More from this Member | Report Response

"I was given the impression I have almost no chance to be accepted. Interview was very short, no apparent interest in knowing more about me, more like they just wanted to see me face to face and see my interests." More from this Member | Report Response

"Alton is a very small town but the lack of activities means more study time!" More from this Member | Report Response

"I was a complete culture shock, Im a huge city girl and I thought going to school in Indiana was bad..." More from this Member | Report Response

"Alton is a small town, but only 30 minutes from St. Louis so thats not a big deal at all. NOTHING negatively impressed me. It's a great school with motivated people." More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"City of Alton wasn't too exciting, but it is very close to Saint Louis, so that more than makes up for it." More from this Member | Report Response

"If I had to say one thing, some of the areas of the campus could handle being renovated/updated. They are still sufficient for what needs to be done. Just not beautiful to look at." More from this Member | Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"Small campus homey vibe" More from this Member | Report Response

"The title and some background info about each of the 3 people that interviewed me. Make sure to look them up and know who is a dentist and who is not, so when you are asking them your questions and you want to ask the question, "Why did you choose dentistry or what aspect drew you into dentistry?" you know exactly who to ask since not all of them may be dentists." More from this Member | Report Response

"not to be nervous" More from this Member | Report Response

"Don't stress out about being a little late if you are, because you sit around a table for a bit at first." More from this Member | Report Response

"Three 30 min interviews with diff faculty, so total interview time was 1.5 hours! Too long!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. I have been to the school before." More from this Member | Report Response

"They didn't really make it clear where the interview was taking place. They mentioned the building, but not the specific room, so I was a little bit flustered walking in." More from this Member | Report Response

"Students start working on patients durig their second semester of their first year. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The school buildings look like regular houses..." More from this Member | Report Response

"It's in the middle of nowhere" More from this Member | Report Response

"The schools in ALton not edwardsville" More from this Member | Report Response

"It is an extremely small school." More from this Member | Report Response

"None." More from this Member | Report Response

"That I didn't need to be so stressed out. The interview was very relaxed." More from this Member | Report Response

"That they are one of the cheapest dental schools and they consistently finish in the top 20% of schools on the NBE's" More from this Member | Report Response

What are your general comments?

"Great school!" More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a very chill, laid back, and relaxed interview. All of the 3 interviewers were very nice, friendly, funny, and one of them commented on one of the things I said and told me that their son enjoys doing the same thing too! So, they definitely made me feel comfortable and not as nervous! Good luck to everyone reading this, you WILL DO GREAT! :)" More from this Member | Report Response

"straightforward q's; really just want to get to know you; have some fun facts to say to stick out a little bc it seems very conversational to the point where they might not remember anything you said" More from this Member | Report Response

"Impressed with the school and the interview was relatively short, which may be good or bad. Have questions to ask your interviewers." More from this Member | Report Response

"Seems like a great school. Look forward to attending in the fall." More from this Member | Report Response

"Good, laid back interview" More from this Member | Report Response

"quickest interview ever. whole thing took about an hour" More from this Member | Report Response

"Good, not stressful, a little bit hard to know where the admissions office is located at, but yet easy to go around the campus. I don't think they have PBL" More from this Member | Report Response

"I didn't feel too comfortable probably because I didn't prepare much for it..." More from this Member | Report Response

"Very layed back, more conversational" More from this Member | Report Response

"I felt the interview was far too short, for the applicant to judge any realistic impression of the person. But he seems to have been doing it for a long time and should have no problem. They are really keen on only taking Illinois students." More from this Member | Report Response

"No need to rent a car,hotels are near by and they have a free shuttle." More from this Member | Report Response

"Excellent school, staff and interview. I just read my acceptance letter today, almost a month after the interview!" More from this Member | Report Response

"It was brief but I felt like I got a good feel for the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"I thought my interviewer was quite odd. He asked me two questions, why I applied to the other schools I applied to. I was thinking in my head the entire time, dont you care why I applied to YOUR school. And secondly, he asked, "tell me about yourself"" More from this Member | Report Response

"Wonderful school, wonderful people. Easily my first choice." More from this Member | Report Response

"Great school, well worth the price." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview was very laid back. One-on-one. The interviewer was not out to see how stressed he could make me. He just wanted to get to know me. Makes you feel very comfortable" More from this Member | Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Response # Responders
Student 25
Faculty member 0
Admissions staff 2
Other 1

How did the tourguide seem?

Response # Responders
Enthusiastic 18
Neutral 1
Discouraging 0

How do you rank the facilities?

Response Avg # Responders
8.22 18

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your in-state status?

Response # Responders
In state 19
Out of state 0

What was your total time spent traveling?

Response # Responders
0-1 hour 3
2-3 hours 2
4-6 hours 11
7+ hours 3

What was your primary mode of travel?

Response # Responders
Airplane 2
Automobile 15
Train or subway 1
Other 1

What airport did you use?

FLL - ORD

MDW

Where did you stay?

Response # Responders
At school facility 0
With students at the school 0
Friends or family 1
Hotel 8
Home 3
Other 0

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

at Springfield...

Comfort inn

super 8

No

Yes

N/A

Would you recommend the hotel?

at Springfield...

Comfort inn

super 8

No

Yes

N/A

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

Response # Responders
< $100 9
$101-$200 4
$201-$300 3
$301-$400 1
$401-$500 0
$501+ 0

General Info

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

Response Avg # Responders
8.00 19

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this school's location?

Response Avg # Responders
5.50 18

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

Response Avg # Responders
5.28 18

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
8.79 14

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
9.21 14

0 = low, 10 = high

How eco-friendly are the school's application materials and interview process?

Response Avg # Responders
8.21 14

0 = low, 10 = high

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