How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.54 | 37 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 28 |
| Negatively | 6 |
| No change | 4 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.80 | 40 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.31 | 29 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.86 | 28 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 1 |
| Virtual | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 1 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 6 |
| 25 minutes | 4 |
| 30 minutes | 10 |
| 35 minutes | 7 |
| 40 minutes | 5 |
| 45 minutes | 4 |
| 50 minutes | 3 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 37 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 31 |
| In a group | 6 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 3 |
| Closed file | 32 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.54 | 37 |
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"How do you manage stress?"
"Why dentistry?"
"Why IOWA?"
"If the spouse of your of your coworkers called in sick for them, what would you do?"
"In what ways do you exhibit manual dexterity?"
"If a employee's spouse called you the night before to tell you that the employee would not be coming into the office tomorrow, what would you do?"
"Your employee is really sick and his wife calls in to ask for a day off, what will you say?"
"If you saw a kid hitting himself with a hammer what would you do?"
"something about a little girl holding a hammer and hitting herself with it. what would you do?"
"What would you do if an employee's spouse called in sick for them?"
"Are you a good teacher?"
"rank yourself as a perfectionist?"
"do you consider yourself an empathetic person. explain"
"Would you make a good teacher?"
"Rank how much of a perfectionist you are on a scale of 1-10."
"Why dentistry"
"Are you the type of person that can leave work unfinished?"
"what would you do if your hygienist called in sick"
"How well should you know your patient?"
"How would your friends and family describe?"
"What makes a good dentist?"
"What are 3 words that your friends and family would use to describe you?"
"What are kind of information should you get from the patient when they come in for a dental visit?"
"How do you demonstrate compassion in your life?"
"Why dentistry?"
"How do you think a dentists is perceived as a member of a community?"
"How do you manage stress?"
"What have you done to demonstrate proficiency with your hands?"
"What differentiates you from the rest applicants?"
"Should the dentist be the best at all aspects of the practice"
"a couple other strange questions like that. and the interview is tape recorded."
"What are your weaknesses?"
"If you could not be a dentist, what would you do?"
"are you empathetic?"
"is there anyone that has been a great influence in your life? (i answered "yes, there are many" to this question, and my interviewer went on to the next question. i'd reccomend that you take the liberty to elaborate on your "yes" or "no" answer for this one"
"Are you able to leave work unfinished?"
"How does it make you feel to leave work undone?"
"Weaknesses"
"How would your friends describe your personality?"
"do you consider yourself a charitable person?"
"How much should your patient know about dental procedures?"
"Greatest accomplishment"
"When is one time you have overcome adversity?"
"What is success to a dentist?"
"What are your goals 10 years from now?"
"If a spouse of one of your employees calls you and tells you they can't come in, what would you do?"
"How do you manage stress?"
"What are three ethical qualities every dentist should have?"
"What do you see yourself 10 years from now?"
"What have you built with your hands recently?"
"Should the dentist be the leader of the practice?"
"greatest attribute?"
"Name a role model and explain why he/she is your role model?"
"What are your weaknesses and strengths?"
"Strengths"
"Should the dentist set the work standards at the office?"
"why do you want to be a dentist(asked about 5 times in slightly different ways)"
"Who has been a major influence in your life?"
"What is your experience with confidentiality?"
"What are 3 words your friends would use to describe you?"
"What makes a dentist successful?"
"What ethical principles do you use most in your daily life?"
"Rate yourself as a perfectionist on a scale of 1-10. 10 being highest."
"What are three characteristics of a good dentist that you think you possess?"
"What are some ethical codes you live by?"
"Rank yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 as a perfectionist."
"Describe a perfect patient?"
"If you saw a kid hitting himself with a hammer what would you do?"
"If a 5 year old hit their hand with a hammer, what would you do?"
"Describe the perfect patient?"
"What would you do if you saw a child hit their hand with a hammer?"
"do you like to spend time alone?"
"if you recieved a phone call by an employee's spouse calling in sick for them, what would you do?"
"Name something that you are proud of that you recently made with your hands."
"If I was watching a 5 year old child and he was playing with a hammer and hit his thumb what would I do?"
"If you saw a child hit his hand with a hammer, what would you do?"
"What would you do if you saw a child hit his hand with a hammer."
"Who has been your most important influence?"
"what would you do if you saw a child hit his thumb with a hammer?"
"Is there one person that has had a major influence on your life?"
"If a child were hammering and hit his finger what would you do?"
"What if a child comes to your clinic and he is very scared what r u going to tell him?"
"Why is it important to have good dental hygene?"
"If you saw a little child fall and hurt themself. What would you do?"
"What is your experience with confidentiality?"
"What worries you about the transition to dental school other than the coursework?"
"Why Iowa and not *home state*?"
"Describe your perfect patient."
"You treated a patient with some oral disease. How will you continue treating the patient so that this doesn't happen again? (Something like that...)"
"None were to difficult to answer....... Many questions where they put you in situations and you have to reason your way out of them. Just answer with how you think you would!"
"If an employee's spouse called them in sick the night before work, what would you do?"
"What are three ethical qualities every dentist should have?"
"How much of a perfectionist a dentist should be? (Or something likes that, I can't remember the exact question)"
"Should the dentist be the best at all aspects of the practice"
"Do you think a person's own perspective of their teeth is important and why?"
"What kind of ethical principles do you bring to dentistry?"
"they were all pretty easy"
"are you a goal oriented person...what goals have you set for the next 5 years?"
"Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on how you view yourself as a perfectionist."
"A question on the kind of ethics I would bring to dentistry. (i can't remember the wording though)"
"If the husband of one of your employees called in sick for her, what would you do?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"What would you do if your hygienist did something bad?"
"What is your purpose in life? "
"Do you have any other weaknesses?"
"NONE"
"Some questions were just "yes/no" questions and difficult to elaborate on."
"Have you ever been depressed, and what did you do to overcome your situation?"
"Had mock interviews with outside agency"
"I did not prepare. Just went in and was myself."
"SDN Interview Feedback, thinking over possible answers to the questions (don't overdo the reciting), and getting a good night's sleep before"
"SDN, reading a professional school interviewing book, mock interviews, and I've had several other interviews already."
"SDN/Mock Interview"
"SDN posts and know a little about the school"
"Reviewed their online materials. Did a practice interview with a career counselor."
"Reading SDN, practice interview with pre-health advisor at school"
"Read SDN interview feedback Practice with friends"
"Talked to friends who had interviewed in the past, read SDN feedback"
"read website, sdn."
"SDN, UIowa website"
"Mock interviews with friends/family, SDN website reviews"
"SDN, school website"
"just be myself and relax. you don't want to appear overrehearsed."
"SDN, talk to alumni of Uof Iowa"
"I read past SDN interview posts and looked in the forums for sample questions."
"I read this site and basically worked on communication skills."
"SDN"
"SDN, read the school website, spoke with U. of Iowa dental student, read my personal statement, visited the school the summer before the application cycle"
"read up on the school, went over what I put on the AADSAS, talked to a friend of mine who is a D-1 there right now"
"Read through this website, the U of Iowa website"
"Looked up questions online and thought up answers before I went."
"Web site/called and asked questions."
"Confidence."
"How friendly everyone was who spoke at the interview day"
"The school's attention to detail. Every aspect of the interview day was impressive, from the faculty interview to the student-guided tours. UICOD made sure that you were interviewing the school as much as the school was interviewing you."
"The very friendly faculty and students."
"They were nice"
"The faculty involved in the interviewing process. They were all so kind, and even though the first 10 minutes involved back-to-back questions where they couldn't provide input, they were constantly smiling (in a genuine way). The dental students who were there for the luncheon and the tours all seemed to love their school."
"The amazing clinical exposure, facilities, and the top-notch research opportunities."
"EVERYTHING. Everyone was so happy and enthusiastic. The school is pretty top-notch. The facility is amazing. I love the view and everything about it. I feel that upon graduation, I will be extremely confident with myself and skills."
"The new addition and all of the other renovations will make the school pretty much brand new."
"The facilities and the admissions people were both very nice."
"The facility was being renovated and seemed tech-saavy"
"School has all ADA recognized specialties, faculty seem VERY committed to teaching, strong clinical exposure, lots of research opportunities (if that's what you're interested in), low rent to live nearby"
"N/A"
"Facilities look good, I love Iowa City (I attend the University of Iowa for undergrad)"
"facilities are nice."
"The facilities were great! So much space for everything, city is very safe and nice to live in as well."
"Curriculum, location"
"The facilities are really nice and the town looks super fun"
"The facilities, labs, and clinic space are huge. Students are excited to be here."
"everyone was very nice and things were well scheduled. all out-of-state interviewees are basically preaproved to receive some type of scholarship."
"i've been to 4 other schools at various other places around the nation. i thought i had seen a good representation of what dental school had to offer. going to U of Iowa for an interview changed my perspective entirely. it has bar-none the best facilities of any school i've visited. it is the most well rounded (at least it seems so right now) than any other school, the clinics were the most asthetically pleasing, the philosphpy and education there seem to be a good mixture of everything (including full disection, start to finish, of cadavars in the anatomy lab), and they all seem very student oriented. to be completely honest, of the schools i've seen, there is not another program/facility that i've seen that compares to u of iowa. additionally, crime seems low, traffic seems low, there are a fair amount of malls and resturants and such. lastly, u of iowa has specialty programs in all the ADA recognized programs. that is grounds for a good deal of exposure to a lot of different parts of dentistry."
"I was impressed with the early hands on experience students receive during their 1st year."
"The student tour. If you really want to know what it's like, take a tour from a student. He had more insight and helpful comments than I've ever received from the admission's staff."
"block rotation, early clinical training, amazing facilities, very friendly environment, small town"
"More research funding than they know how to spend. Lots of money for students if they are willing to research."
"The faculty and students seem happy. The research is top-notch. I was very impressed with their clinical approach with the block system."
"I had lunch with a couple of students, and they were awesome. The director of admissions is the nicest lady I could have hoped to meet. The facilities are top notch. The faculty seemed to have good relations with students."
"outstanding facilities, all of the upperclassmen seemed very confident that they could start working tomorrow"
"Wonderful people! I really, really love the school. They had beautifully upkept and up-to-date equipment and the atmosphere was very inviting. The program of study also seemed very manageable and the students seemed very happy. "
"Great facilities, all faculty were extremely nice."
"The college appread well orginized and the facilities were amazing "
"Admissions staff was very professional and courteous."
"Admissions staff has been great throughout the entire process."
"Did not seem super professional. It was super laid back."
"Nothing! It was a great experience."
"The students seemed a bit stuck-up and unfriendly and I felt the same vibe from the interview format."
"Tuition cost, especially for out of state. ):"
"The interview was not very personal. Be sure your answers to certain questions are long....."
"Campus was in the city, but at the same time it was slightly more rural than I was expecting. That might be a good thing if you get distracted easily"
"Don't know how they come up with these questions."
"everything else."
"The interview wasn't personal, just a list of 34 questions!!!"
"weather"
"The clinics use paper and aren't planning on changing any time soon. "
"The interview is impossible to figure out how you did."
"It's cold!!"
"it's in the middle of lots of farmland. it does have a great college atmosphere, but outside of that its in the middle of farms and fields."
"I didn't care for the small computer lab and the lack of a Wireless network. I also didn't care for the dress code. (Of course these issues are by no means a show-stopper for me.)"
"The facilities seemed old."
"The interview. My interviewer acted like he had more important things to do."
"nothing at all!!"
"Each student is read a list of 30-40 questions and given ~1 minute to answer each one. The interview is recorded. The interviewer doesn't talk, or respond to anything you say, so it is like you are talking to yourself."
"The questionare style interview, but I did know it was coming."
"The interview was a standard questionnaire. I didn't feel like the interview really served its purpose. The best conversation we had was the 5 min before and after the questioning."
"The interview format is kind of different. The university of iowa has a policy that if you aren't an iowa resident when you apply, then you can't change your residency to get in-state tuition for the last three years"
"THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW!! Very nerve-racking. You are not allowed to interact with your interviewer and the whole session is tape recorded. Basically you are asked 35 questions and answer them into a microphone. The interviewer is not permitted to elaborate or respond."
"My interview said that the interview wasnt really a contributing factor towards selecting students."
"I hated that i was a questionare i mean they will ask u 30 question and u have to answer them but if u dont really understand the question the person taking the interview wount explain that to u he would just repeat it. Because they say it is a standidied interview.The whole time i felt the person taking the interview just wanted to get over with it."
"Nothing."
"The professor interviewing me didn't seem very interested in the whole interview...almost as if he had better things to do."
"How long of a day the interview would be"
"Not to stress about the writing assessment"
"I wish I would have known that there was going to be a lot of down time to talk to the other applicants."
"That it is a closed file interview"
"That the faculty would be so nice. After reading some comments about how intimidating the interviewers seemed, I was thinking I would get grilled during the 20 minutes, but time flew by. The questions come at you so quickly that you don't even really have time to let the nerves kick in. Just take a deep breath and do what you can to answer the questions in a way that allows them to get to know who you are."
"That the facilities are top-notch."
"Nothing surprised me really."
"First part of the interview is a Q&A style (most structured) and the second part is more conversational ( supposed to be less structured but not really) they just ask you more about yourself rather than crazy situations on the second half."
"You have to pay for parking (~$11) in the visitor's parking lot."
"How to get to the school. I was almost late because I got lost in the medical center, so walk your route to the school the day before your interview so the same doesn't happen to you!"
"how strange the interview was. "
"That I only had one minute to answer 34 questions."
"That the interview consisted of 30 something questions that are just read to you. "
"First and second year classes are taught by medical school faculty, in the medical school."
"no surprises."
"not much. you can't get in state tuition after a year."
"I wish I knew how relaxed the interviewer was going to be. The interviewer was very nice and basically indicated that the interview will be seriously considered when reviewing all other applicants."
"There weren't any surprises."
"nothing"
"If you like research than there are limitless opportunities. There is a 4 year research scholarship that pays ~$7,500 a year in-state or ~$14,000 out-of-state for students willing to commit to 4 years of resarch ~10 hours a week. If you are interested you should apply for the 4 year scholarship BEFORE november! Many other reseach scholorships available for the taking."
"All non-residents get some type of scholarship."
"The interview really didn't seem play much of a role at all in your application."
"the interview is taped and it is a standard list of about forty questions that they ask everyone."
"Nothing, everything went as expected. "
"How the interview wasnt really important."
" That it is not a real one to one inteview but a questionare."
"Nothing."
"Taped interview."
"Interviewed at 3 other schools, if I took the best part of each interview day at the other schools and put them together my interview experience at Iowa would still be better."
"Great school with incredible facilities and faculty."
"great school with first class facilities"
"If you're an OOS applicant, be prepared to answer multiple questions about moving. How you'd feel, what things would worry you, are you willing?"
"I did not get a great feeling at this school but I can tell that it is one of the absolute best dental schools and that dental students there receive a top-notch education."
"1 interview that lasted 20 minutes exactly. You are in there with 2 interviewers. They tell you from the start that this interview is entirely closed file, so they know nothing about you except your name. They also tell you that they can't talk to you or elaborate on questions, but can only repeat them. This sounds intimidating, but they still smile and nod during the interview so you don't feel like you're talking to yourself. The tour was very good! Instead of being with 10 other students, I was only with 3 others. Thus it was very intimate and allowed for personal questions. I love this school. Although I'm out of state, I wouldn't mind going here at all."
"Great School"
"Great that the school has all 9 specialties if you would should to specialize. Also, Iowa City seems like a great place to live and possible start a family.... has a very comfortable feel to it."
"I'm OOS, but Iowa was my top choice before the interview and probably still is after the interview"
"Try the best you can. There are 39 questions total. "
"the interview is rapid fire, read from a list, and interview doesn't interact with you at all. Not the most pleasant experience. The city seems like a complete undergrad party town. I'm sure you could get away from that but i'm already from a small town, have no desire to live in another one. This is one place i had really high up on my list until the interview."
"I loved the school and everything about it. Different kind of interview."
"Before I went to visit, I really wasn't thinking of Iowa as an option, but now it's in my top 2. The facilities are great, there are lots of research options, people are friendly, and the town is cool. The actual interview though was kind of lame. It's completely standardized. My interviewer just read questions to me which I was supposed to answer in less than a minute. He never responded to my answers, just went on to the next question. He seemed bored, which doesn't surprise me since they have been asking the same questions since HE applied to the school. I don't think I did very well, but there is no way of knowing. It's hard to tell what they were looking for. My interviewer seemed disinterested before the interview even started, so I don't know if it was me or that's just the way he is."
"Fantastic experience. I really enjoyed Iowa City. The school is great. "
"I really enjoyed the whole experience. we were treated with alot of respect and even though the reputation is that the interview is tough and cold, that didn't seem to be the case. opportunities for success in all aspects are available to the students and the school is dedicated to improvement."
"i think that this is the epidome of a very good, well rounded dental school. if i can be happy living in iowa city for four years, then i am sure i'll walk away with a very good educational background and a bright future in dentistry. really, i don't much wrong with the school besides the location."
"The interview was pretty easy and didn't cause a lot of stress. (If you're concerned about the interview, you need not be.) The questions are all very basic and they don't try to trip you up."
"The facilities were old, the office staff was unorganized. There were four of us and we each had separate tours but at the same time, that could have been done better. The office staff did not organize students to take us to lunch so we had to wait for a student while they were frantically calling around trying to find one. Overall, I though the whole thing was unorganized and unplanned."
"The interview was not enjoyable. It was taped and the questions were just the same as everyone else has posted on this site. Putting the interview aside, I liked everything else about the college, the tour especially."
"I was impressed with the school. Yes, the interview is taped, and many of the questions posted are the same questions you will get. What impressed me came after the interview. I was impressed with the facilities, friendly environment, early clinical training. I also talked to many students who felt very strong on being able to practice right after school since the clinical training is very good. I was also impressed with the diversity of the school. Overall I was super impressed!!!!"
"Arrive in the morning. Meet and greet with other students. 45 minute lame interview. Really cool tour of the school by student. Clinic is new and professional. Nice sim lab, with plenty of new technology. I was impressed that they are taught CEREC during dental school. I was told they are the only school in the nation training on CEREC."
"Everybody gets the same questions and it is recorded."
"The interview process is very low stress. The admissions director speaks to you first, and she is so nice. She puts you at ease in a second. You then go to meet your interviewer. You make small talk for a couple of minutes in their office then the questionnaire starts. After the questions, you talk about whatever for a couple of minutes. Finally, you meet a dental student to go on a tour, and you eat lunch with them and their friends."
"I am happy with this school. They seem to have everything in perfect order. Happy students, knowledgable faculty and lots of new technology. The university is set in a small town environment too, which I really enjoyed. Plus, it really seemed like everyone in the whole city was extra nice. You will see what I mean if you go there! "
"Overall it went really well after the questionaire was over we were able to actcually talk and discuss dental school."
"The college was amzing but the faculty wasnt very impresive"
"The school appears to be well organized. I really got the sense they value the students more than the norm."
"I was excited to have this interview and meet faculty, but then realized, this interview was mainly used to make sure I wasn't a socially incompetent fool. I feel as if they are looking strictly for high numbers."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 34 |
| Faculty member | 0 |
| Admissions staff | 2 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 22 |
| Neutral | 3 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.79 | 24 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 7 |
| Out of state | 18 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 6 |
| 2-3 hours | 2 |
| 4-6 hours | 7 |
| 7+ hours | 9 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 10 |
| Automobile | 12 |
| Train or subway | 0 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 5 |
| $101-$200 | 3 |
| $201-$300 | 5 |
| $301-$400 | 0 |
| $401-$500 | 3 |
| $501+ | 3 |
ORD (Chicago - Illinois), 3-hour drive to Iowa City
ORD
Cedar Rapid
cedar rapids
CED
CID
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 2 |
| With students at the school | 2 |
| Friends or family | 2 |
| Hotel | 13 |
| Home | 2 |
| Other | 0 |
Best Western
Campus Hotel
Comfort Inn
Days Inn
hampton inn
Heartland Inn
The Iowa House
Yes
Best Western
Campus Hotel
Comfort Inn
Days Inn
hampton inn
Heartland Inn
The Iowa House
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.10 | 29 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.86 | 29 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.14 | 28 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.42 | 19 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.89 | 19 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.00 | 17 |
"Keep up the good work"
"It was a wonderfull experience! Maybe make it seem a little more professional yet still laid-back."
"Incredibly wonderful experience. Rachael and Jan did a great job organizing the interview. Dean Johnsen and all the faculty conducting the interviews were great! Keep up the good work!"
"Change the interview process to a more conversational format and contact interviewees with information on getting to admissions office, travelling, etc."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?