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  • University of California Berkeley School of Optometry
  • Optometry School
  • Berkeley, CA
Individual Feedback 1 16 Responses
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Response # Responders
Positively 9
Negatively 0
No change 7

What was the stress level of the interview?

Response Avg # Responders
5.63 16

0 = low, 10 = high

How you think you did?

Response Avg # Responders
6.75 16

0 = low, 10 = high

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

Response Avg # Responders
8.60 15

0 = low, 10 = high

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Questions

How long was the interview?

Response # Responders
5 minutes 0
10 minutes 0
15 minutes 0
20 minutes 2
25 minutes 1
30 minutes 2
35 minutes 3
40 minutes 1
45 minutes 4
50 minutes 2
55 minutes 0
60+ minutes 1

Where did the interview take place?

Response # Responders
At the school 14
At a regional location 0
At another location 1

What was the style of the interview?

Response # Responders
One-on-one 10
In a group 5

What type of interview was it?

Response # Responders
Open file 5
Closed file 8

How many people interviewed you?

Response Average # Responders
2.00 15

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

"What is a defining experience you had in optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is my motivation to fitting into the student population" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you deal with stress? Name a stressful situation you encountered and how you overcame it" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What were your volunteer experiences in undergrad? Did they seem to make a difference?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why optometry, why berkeley, etc." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why optometry? How did you went about preparing for optometry school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself and why Berkeley is a good fit for you." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"what can ucbso offer you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

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

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

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

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

"Every profession has a downside. In your opinion, what is a negative aspect of optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What distinguishes optometry from other healthcare professions?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Asked me about stuff in my essay" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"A specific time where you felt stressed? How did you deal with it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your plans if you don't get in?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you think optometry's scope will be in the next 15-20 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"why optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"They basically circled interesting things on my personal statement and asked me to talk about them." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Asked me about my volunteer experience" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What do I plan on doing differently in graduate school compared to undergrad?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see optometry in the next 15-20 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What were my duties in my previous job before I switched into optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Did you apply to other schools?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Talk about an experience you've had with conflict in a group. How was it resolved?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"some question about my personal statement" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You play the piano: Tell us more. They asked a lot of questions about the activities I am involved in. They had my essays in front of them (but nothing else from my application) so they picked things they wanted to know more about." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell us what you know about the berkeley optometry curriculum and tell us how you would handle the work load." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe some of the legislative issues that are currently important in optometry and what they involve." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe your volunteering experience." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what kind of optometric experiences you have had?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How was Costa Rica?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

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

"What do you do for fun?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What TV show I watched" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"In your opinion, is it ever acceptable to get into a romantic relationship with a patient?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You're a first-year optometry student. Your grandfather has been diagnosed with a disease that will kill him in 5 years. There's a procedure that can be done to cure him, but there is a 10% mortality rate. He wants to do it, but mom does not want him to. What would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you know what an autorefractor is? Do you think technology like this will make optometrists obsolete?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your hobbies?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing was particularly interesting. All pretty standard." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What qualities do you see in your FRIENDS that would make a good optometrist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you think its demeaning for optometrists to use advertisements in newspapers and other media to attract patients?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Ethical/scenario questions. If your professor gave you a higher grade than what you had actually scored, would you inform your professor? Would you, if you were failing the class? Would you still, if you were on probation? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"nothing really. they were all based on my essays and my answers from the previous questions." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you deal with children during an eye exam?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

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

"What sets Berkeley apart from other schools?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Name how optometry is different from other healthcare fields. (I was only given three minutes to answer this question during the MMI portion, and the interviewers didn't interact with me at all..)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"They asked a lot about my ESSAY. Know yours well!" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Talk about a time when you failed." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"The essay questions were actually the hardest. (chose one of two and make a clear argument: change the presidential election process (yes/no), ban hate speech (yes/no))" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"How would you distinguish yourself among your peers?" 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

"Nothing difficult. It was mainly a conversation." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Looked through SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"Took questions from SDN and answered them on a word doc Looked over my essays" More from this Member | Report Response

"Looking at SDN questions and coming up with answers typed up in a google doc" More from this Member | Report Response

"student doctor network, re-reading my optomcas personal statement + experiences, talking to my optometrist about the future of optometry, BREATHING and making sure I was confident and not nervous" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, reading sample MMI questions" More from this Member | Report Response

"Spoke to current students, read other feedback on SDN, did research into current events of optometry." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, read my essay, read about the school" More from this Member | Report Response

"researched questions on SDN, reread my personal statement over and over" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN and answering questions out loud to myself on long car rides. The latter was quite helpful because answering out loud is harder than answering in your head. And interviewing out loud is harder yet, so it's good prep." More from this Member | Report Response

"sdn questions, practiced questions out loud, mock interviews with friends" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN interview questions, reading the UCBSO website to know about the school, and practiced with a friend for an hour" More from this Member | Report Response

"Reviewed the application essays, scoured the SDN forums for past questions, and searched the optometry site thoroughly " More from this Member | Report Response

"interview questions from SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"I didn't." More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"The organization of the whole day The friendliness of everyone there" More from this Member | Report Response

"The introductory presentation given by the dean, the organization of the entire day, and the mock class given" More from this Member | Report Response

"I was surprised at how organized the day was. 115 students, 4 color groupss, 4 subgroups within the colors, all who had different schedules.. it was all very crazy but the timing worked very well. The campus is also very pretty: other grad school campuses are nearby, berkeley has alot of good restaurants, and SF is really fun too!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school shut down to give us interview day. There were plenty of student volunteers and faculty that wanted to partake in the experience." More from this Member | Report Response

"Students really seem to like the program, the campus is beautiful." More from this Member | Report Response

"the enthusiasm and friendliness of all the students and the staff" More from this Member | Report Response

"The food was yummy! And the day was very well organized and everyone was really nice." More from this Member | Report Response

"there were more volunteers than actual interviewees (which were 128?!). they were very accommodating." More from this Member | Report Response

"the enthusiasm of the students/faculty/staff" More from this Member | Report Response

"The enthusiasm of the students. " More from this Member | Report Response

"students' enthusiasm and their closeness to each other" More from this Member | Report Response

"The students positive attitudes and enthusiasm." More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"I felt as if my interviewers were not as responsive, causing me to freeze from time to time" More from this Member | Report Response

"MMI interviewers were stone-faced" More from this Member | Report Response

"Buildings were slightly old, but not too big of a deal" More from this Member | Report Response

"How they crammed so many students into one small room during the intro and conclusion of the day. I was definitely stressed seeing all the competition right next to me, knowing that 50 of us in that room weren't going to get accepted 0__0." More from this Member | Report Response

"The one set of interviewers from the MMI had a really stern, upset look on their face. It was the only interview portion that made me nervous and stutter. The other MMI interviewers were far more welcoming with positive body language to make me feel comfortable." More from this Member | Report Response

"Rain, but it was not their fault." More from this Member | Report Response

"The building is kind of old, but my interviewer said they were trying to update it, so hopefully that won't be an issue anymore." More from this Member | Report Response

"the very long day (but it goes by faster than you think)" More from this Member | Report Response

"Long day. And the snacks were not very healthy. (but one the plus side, they had snacks!)" More from this Member | Report Response

"the student interviewer did not pay attention to me when the other interviewer (faculty member) asked the questions. he zoned out and didn't seem like he cared. i thought that was disrespectful." More from this Member | Report Response

"the LONG day! the lecture halls were not designed to seat 100+ people at a time." More from this Member | Report Response

"At the time, the facilities were under renovation. So building was unappealing on the inside. Interview day was longer than it needed to be. " More from this Member | Report Response

"long interview day with alot of activities" More from this Member | Report Response

"Not much personal attention because of the 121 of us. They apparently don't have a lot of money." More from this Member | Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"Just advertise yourself" More from this Member | Report Response

"The essay question is really not that deep" More from this Member | Report Response

"MMIs are not as stressful as I thought" More from this Member | Report Response

"How to prepare for an MMI. I've never interacted with anyone like that before, where you're given a max of 4 minutes to answer a question and the interviewer doesn't interact and just blinks at you until you're done talking. I felt like I was rambling in a monologue" More from this Member | Report Response

"How awkward the first MMI would be. You have 3 minutes to read a prompt in front of a door. You open the door, sit, and have 4 minutes to answer. You leave when you are done answering even if 4 mins isn't up yet." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really" More from this Member | Report Response

"how many times I'd have to go up and down stairs (I highly recommend wearing comfortable shoes!)" More from this Member | Report Response

"What I'd be asked, of course. I was nervous initially, but the conversation was pretty low-key. I felt better as it went on." More from this Member | Report Response

"how long the day would feel-- I would have brought more snacks" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview is semi- open/closed file. The interviewers have your essays in front of them, but have not seen your transcript/LOR's ." More from this Member | Report Response

"interview is semi-open/closed file" More from this Member | Report Response

"YELLOW group... oh yeah... give our group a round of applause because we had to wait until the end of the day to get our interviews." More from this Member | Report Response

What are your general comments?

"this was the best interview day experience I had" More from this Member | Report Response

"Berkeley is an amazing program!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Berkeley's interview was definitely the most stressful interview I had, with a group project, essay, traditional interview, and MMIs. BUT it makes it all the more glorious when you get accepted. Key is --don't be nervous/stressed! You made the first cut to the interview, now just be confident :)" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school itself has not seen much remodeling since they first opened, so the equipment is much older. The Berkeley education is unparalleled and they are clinically superior with the almost 100% board passing rate. You start vision science courses immediately and see about 2500 patients by the time you're done. The pros outweigh the cons!" More from this Member | Report Response

"I was very impressed with Berkeley after Interview Day. I was so nervous and stressed since it was my first interview, but everyone at the school made me feel very comfortable and relaxed. I felt that there wasn't a competitive atmosphere at Cal and that the students were very laid-back and friendly." More from this Member | Report Response

"Don't let the name of the school or the overwhelming number of interviewees stress you. The fact that the school has selected you to come to the interview means that they really like a lot about you in your application. They just want to know more about YOU. The secret to success for me has been to be genuine and honest in my answers and most importantly, be myself. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The school is located in a lively town/campus. However, I was left with no change in my opinion about the optometry program. Beware of a long day. " More from this Member | Report Response

"over all it was a nice experience, very laid back. i just wish that the day would be alot shorter than it was. too many students occupying a small space at one time...it would be nicer if they cut the group in half and conducted the interview in two saturdays." More from this Member | Report Response

"I took a tour then ate, wrote an essay, student panel, had a mock class and finally the interview. VERY LONG but worth it. " More from this Member | Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Response # Responders
Student 13
Faculty member 1
Admissions staff 0
Other 0

How did the tourguide seem?

Response # Responders
Enthusiastic 13
Neutral 0
Discouraging 0

How do you rank the facilities?

Response Avg # Responders
6.36 14

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your in-state status?

Response # Responders
In state 12
Out of state 3

What was your total time spent traveling?

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

What was your primary mode of travel?

Response # Responders
Airplane 7
Automobile 4
Train or subway 1
Other 2

What airport did you use?

SFO

Oakland

none. I walked.

OAK

Where did you stay?

Response # Responders
At school facility 0
With students at the school 0
Friends or family 5
Hotel 4
Home 1
Other 0

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Faculty Club

Yes

Would you recommend the hotel?

Faculty Club

Yes

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

Response # Responders
< $100 3
$101-$200 4
$201-$300 2
$301-$400 1
$401-$500 0
$501+ 2

Comments on where you stayed

No responses

General Info

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

Response Avg # Responders
8.69 13

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this school's location?

Response Avg # Responders
7.94 16

0 = low, 10 = high

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

Response Avg # Responders
8.27 15

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
8.50 12

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
8.83 12

0 = low, 10 = high

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

Response Avg # Responders
8.30 10

0 = low, 10 = high

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

"Nothing really. Did a great job." More from this Member | Report Response

"N/A, great job donw" More from this Member | Report Response

"Maybe use a bigger room for interview day? Cramming 115 applicants and 30+ current students/faculty was probably a fire hazard, and also added to the stress level of the interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. For such a large interview group, the interview day was conducted with as most organization as possible." More from this Member | Report Response

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