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Interview Feedback

All Questions & Responses

  • University of New Mexico School of Medicine
  • Allopathic Medical School
  • Albuquerque, NM
Individual Feedback 2 39 Responses
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Response # Responders
Positively 28
Negatively 5
No change 6

What was the stress level of the interview?

Response Avg # Responders
4.39 38

0 = low, 10 = high

How you think you did?

Response Avg # Responders
7.66 35

0 = low, 10 = high

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

Response Avg # Responders
6.32 31

0 = low, 10 = high

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

Response # Responders
In Person 0
Virtual 1

Questions

How long was the interview?

Response # Responders
5 minutes 0
10 minutes 0
15 minutes 0
20 minutes 0
25 minutes 0
30 minutes 1
35 minutes 0
40 minutes 4
45 minutes 3
50 minutes 3
55 minutes 4
60+ minutes 24

Where did the interview take place?

Response # Responders
At the school 31
At a regional location 1
At another location 4

What was the style of the interview?

Response # Responders
One-on-one 38
In a group 0

What type of interview was it?

Response # Responders
Open file 28
Closed file 9

How many people interviewed you?

Response Average # Responders
2.08 38

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

""what is a health problem that specifically affects New Mexico?"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of the major health concerns facing New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the biggest public health issues facing New Mexico and how would you change them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to practice medicine in New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some current healthcare problems that New Mexico faces and what can we do to fix them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What have been some of your life experiences with diversity?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Do you know about the major health problems in the state of New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you could change three things about our current healthcare system, what would they be?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to come to UNM?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to do pediatrics and not family practice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Interest in becoming a doctor." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What led you to choose medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are three major health issues in New Mexico and how would you address them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Problems of health-care on a national level?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you treat the current diabetic problems in New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Give me the top 3 reasons you want to be a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of your strengths and weaknesses? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"''If you were a bird on my shoulder in the committee meeting, what you whisper in my ear for me to tell them about you''" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your positive and negative qualities." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you didn't get into any medical school this year, what would you do during the coming year to strengthen your application? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of the best advancements/discoveries in medicine in the last 100 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What are the major medical issues facing New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why New Mexico (asked at every interview)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You say you're stubborn, what happens if you and a patient disagree? Say your patient has a viral infection and requests antibiotics, what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of the important healthcare issues today?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What kind of practice are you interested? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

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

"If you don't get accepted this round, what will you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the factors that make it difficult for PCPs in rural areas? Asked related to presence and retention" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you know about New Mexico health issues, and what will you do to fix them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Expect to talk a lot about clinical experiences you have had." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you see as the most significant healthcare issues facing New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Should we be accepting if patients do not want to take our advice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would be the most rewarding thing of becoming a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What are some healthcare issues specific to New Mexico and how would you solve them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What were the hardest parts of adjustment when you moved to Albuquerque from a rural area? Did you feel prepared?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why become a doctor and not a nurse practitioner?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Specific questions about my AMCAS application." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the major health issues in NM, and how would you fix them if you could?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your strength when working in a lab?" 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

"Name a few problems with the healthcare system in New Mexico and how would you fix them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are 3 major issues in healthcare in new mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the biggest healthcare issues in New Mexico?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the biggest healthcare issues faced in New Mexico and how would you fix them? * Make sure you know about issues in NM, they will definately ask you*" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What did you learn from your clinical experience that helped prepare you for medicine." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe a difficult situation you faced in which there was no good solution." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your strong and weak points?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you change health care?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You didn't do very well as an undergrad, but your post-bac grades are great. What accounts for the improvement?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why MD/PhD (sound familar? It will)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You've lived here before, and have returned for one year, how do we know that you're going to stay in nm?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you have any political/religous/cultural beliefs that would cause moral or ethical dilemmas for you in your practice?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"biggest problem with healthcare?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why New Mexico? They have problem based learning and are highly rated in Family Practice." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Greatest needs of our state? --poverty, lack of access to care, high unemployment rate, HPSA in most of our counties, lack of appropriate infrastructure, teen pregnancy, etc..." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why should I advocate on your behalf to the rest of the committee?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a meaningful clinical experience you had with a patient?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your motivation to pursue medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What are some of the greatest medical inventions?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Would you have any biases as a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is one time you failed at something?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some national healthcare issues and how would you solve them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What kind of specialties are you interested in?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you feel about the healthcare reform?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Have you ever witnessed a diagnosis made by a physician that ended up being wrong?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Creative ideas about fixing problems in health care. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What other interests do you have/ what would you do if not medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You shadowed for one summer do you feel that this has been enough to give you an idea of what the life of a doctor is like?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If not medicine, what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You have a lot of different experience. What did you learn from them? How did they influence you going into medicine? How will you use what you learned from these experiences as a physician?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult person and how you handled it. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Talk about a struggle in your life in which there was no solution and how you dealt with it. What are you strengths and weaknesses." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about one of the people you worked with during your clinical experience." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of the most important medical discoveries ever made?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What's the most difficult situation/hardest decision you've had in your life" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are the most important attributes of a physician?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You've only lived here a short time. Tell us what you know about the history of New Mexico." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your clinical experience? Actually, this school seemed to stress clinical exposure fairly heavily, more so than the others I interviewed at." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What 3 things should I tell the ad com to so that you are accepted to medical school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If, for some reason, you were not allowed to practice medicine at all, what other career options have you considered for yourself?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

What was the most interesting question?

"How many schools have you applied to, and what is your top choice? (not exactly questions I believe should be asked during an interview)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you had a patient who received a concussion during football, what would you say to his parents? What are your personal opinions about concussions and football?" 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

"Do you see yourself working in a community or academic setting?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you think you would do in a rural setting?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Man with Diabetes comes into your office and you know he is not taking his medication. What are all of the reasons this could be?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How will personalized, genomic medicine fit into efforts to curb costs?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about Valley Fever. (I guess one of my prof. said in his LOR that I did a presentation on it in his class)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you think are the most difficult parts of being a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was given two different ethical scenarios. One involved an obese man with sleep apnea, the other a child with a severe case of lupus that had severely damaged her organs." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you get children to wear helmets (I am interested in public health and community education as well as clinical medicine)." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What attributes would you look for in an applicant if you were on the admissions committee at UNM?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you address the health care issues of New Mexico? (really open ended, leads to a discussion rather than a simple answer)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Some good tailored questions. They read your file and ask some good background questions." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"So you are thinking of becoming an ER doc, huh, you would just like to treat and street?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some of the healthcare issues in New Mexico, and if you were in a position of power, what would you do about them?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"''If you were a bird on my shoulder, what wyould you whisper into my ear fo rme to tell the comittee to convince them to accept you''" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you could change one thing about health care in this country, what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you were to teach a class tomorrow, on any academic or non-academic subject, what would it be and what important ideas would you try to get across?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you could whisper in the Health Care God's ear, what would you tell him?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How did you score so high on your MCAT? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to waste so much time with getting an MD?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"if I could wisper into the medical god's ear, what would I change about medicine?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you were on the admissions committee, how would you evaluate your application?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"More like brainstorming the furture , than a question" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What did diversity mean to me?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Would a prisoner deserve a heart transplant over a civilian, and how do you feel about the fact that it would be paid for by the state, when a civilian would have to pay a large deductable...?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If I were a Dictator of the world, what would I do? They also asked questions pertaining to healthcare in our state of New Mexico, Obesity, diet, access to care, etc... " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing really interesting. Both interviewers simply asked me questions about myself and why I want to go to UNM." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"Many questions. Was grilled on health care policy and factors relating to the roles of doctors, insurance agencies, and hospital administrators. The interviewer wanted to know the exact statistics." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was asked specifically what types of conversations I had with family members of hospice patients concerning end-of-life. It was a little out-of-left-field, and definitely not something I was prepared for." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you could not become a physician, what career would you pursue?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you think is the most important advancement in medicine and why?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"You have little to no clinical experience with US doctors. 50% of my work is paperwork, not just visiting patients. What makes you think you can handle that?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Most were pretty straightforward. The question about healthcare in New Mexico is the one you should prepare most for." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are some ways that physicians could help to direct legislation on healthcare reform?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you think technology and internet will influence the healthcare and education in rural areas. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing overly difficult." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why not just get an MPH?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I'm an middle aged woman with a potentially malignant lump in my breast, and I have no insurance, what would happen to me in your hometown?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you think you will be able to adjust to life as a doctor?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If not medicine, what would you do? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe something you regret doing. " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"None of the questions were difficult. The just want to know your personality and how you will use it to give back to New Mexico. I am out of state but was able to apply because of my military status so it was somewhat difficult to explain my ties to New mexico and how I could give back." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"None were particularly difficult" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How should we deal with the related problems of rising obesity and increased rates of diabetes in NM?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Has there been a problem in your life to which you couldn't find a solution? (my life has been pretty easy, so I was unsure if I could just say no...)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the most rewarding aspect of becoming a physican? There weren't that many difficult questions." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why should we accept you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I did not get any of the ethical, high stress questions. They really just wanted to know why you were there, and how they can help you get to where you want to be." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"how was I able to change my grades so drastically from undergrad to post bac?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What should I tell the adcom to convince them that you are more qualified than the other great applicants that we have?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Are research and patient care similar and how how not" 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

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

"Nothing very difficult. I genuinely answered how I felt about studying medicine and it went well." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing overly difficult. One question pertained to an adolescent girl that wanted an abortion." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"re-read my primary and secondary, looked up health issues in NM" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read a lot of books on health administration, looked over New Mexico's state public health plan" More from this Member | Report Response

"Spoke with a current UNM student, read all about UNM, read An American Sickness by Elisabeth Rosenthal, prepared outlined answers to 200+ typical interview questions/questions listed on this website that are specific to UNM, found interview clothes that are comfortable and wore them in advance to ensure comfort, practiced my hairstyle in advance, did a mock interview in my interview outfit, practiced interview answers OUT LOUD (it makes a huge difference than just writing them down on paper or computer. Make sure to practice speaking!), etc." More from this Member | Report Response

"n/a" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN interview questions, NM Department of Health website, read Healthcare Handbook (latest volume available), UNM SOM website (for school specific questions), advice from current students" More from this Member | Report Response

"Reviewed health care in New Mexico" More from this Member | Report Response

"Looked up healthcare issues in NM, youtube, and read interview books." More from this Member | Report Response

"Pretty prepared" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read online" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read SDN, looked over my amcas and secondary application, talked to some current med school students, and did some research on current affairs. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Mock interviews, read up on healthcare in NM and US" More from this Member | Report Response

"re-read my AMCAS and secondary applications, used SDN, looked up UNM rankings in fields I was interested in, read about UNM SOM programs I am interested in participating in" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read secondary, sdn questions" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read questions on SDN, talked to current students at UNM and discussed public health issues with family and friends" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read a few books on healthcare and went to the school's website." More from this Member | Report Response

"Looked over SDN, brushed up on my AAMC and secondary app, brushed up on health care issues in New Mexico" More from this Member | Report Response

"practice interviews, SDN, talking to staff and students at UNM" More from this Member | Report Response

"I talked to a UNM student, used SDN, read the UNM website, and reviewed my applications. " More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, New Mexico Public Health Website" More from this Member | Report Response

"I read about health care in New Mexico, read over my application, and did a mock interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"Read over personal statement and secondary, talked with friends and family about my answers to various questions I might be asked." More from this Member | Report Response

"looked over SDN, talked with my parents, talked to my friend who is a current nurse in New Mexico " More from this Member | Report Response

"Read SDN stuff, talked with my parents." More from this Member | Report Response

"I bought a new shirt." More from this Member | Report Response

"The same prep as all other MD/PhD interviews" More from this Member | Report Response

"talked with coworkers a lot (I work 3rd shift on a gen. med floor)" More from this Member | Report Response

"Researched current health issues, especially things that are of central importance to New Mexico." More from this Member | Report Response

"looked over the ciriculum and my apps" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read Public health information page, student doctor interviews and AMA ethics guidelines" More from this Member | Report Response

"researched stats online" More from this Member | Report Response

"I looked up interviewfeedback, talked to public health workers, and taking some classes also helped." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really." More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"They matched me really well with one of my interviewers ie interested in her specialty, went to undergrad at the same place, seemed like they wanted me to interview with someone who would get along with me very well" More from this Member | Report Response

"Cost of school, cadaver lab, new facilities, extensive clinical experience, generally happy and adventurous students," More from this Member | Report Response

"The students, faculty, and staff were all so friendly! I love the culture at the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"Not a whole lot other than the fact that the people I ran into were really nice." More from this Member | Report Response

"Students seem really passionate, students seem very engaged with campus activities, admissions office staff was very friendly." More from this Member | Report Response

"My first interviewer was able to make it a conversation" More from this Member | Report Response

"LOVE the culture of New Mexico and how everything is synced to apple products. Almost everyone just carries around an iPad. Also, ALL lectures are digital." More from this Member | Report Response

"The second interviewer was very friendly and easy to talk to" More from this Member | Report Response

"Quality of options for community outreach (PIE)" More from this Member | Report Response

"Everything about the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"The office staff and interviewers were all very friendly. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Found out more about UNM, and that it is an even better match for me than I thought. " More from this Member | Report Response

"friendliness of staff and students, the curriculum at UNM- you start clinics in the first "phase", campus facilities" More from this Member | Report Response

"The students all seem very happy with the school. No "cutthroat" attitude. The area is beautiful (as is all of New Mexico) and the weather is great. (I love high desert)" More from this Member | Report Response

"PBL and early clinical exposure in the curriculum. The maturity of the student body(older group of students). Beautiful new hospital and the campus is being upgraded." More from this Member | Report Response

"Problem based learning method" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewers were both very friendly. Interviews were laid back, and felt more like a friendly conversation than an interview. Nice facilites, inculding one new building and plans for 2 more new buildings for the medical school in the next few years. The staff and faculty are encouraging and friendly and the students that i met were very laid back!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The facilities are really nice." More from this Member | Report Response

"UNM highly advocates patient contact early in the first year. They really focus on making you comfortable with being around people and ensuring that you are an all around great clinician. The problem based learning is also a great tool to learn how to approach case studies- the thing that many students have trouble with. The faculty, staff, and interviewers are very nice and really came across like they were trying to help students get accepted. They have a new student union being built right now so by next year there will be more studying space and dining options right on site. Also, there are so many teaching hospitals in the area so the opportunity to learn in different places is definately there." More from this Member | Report Response

"The students I met were happy with the program. It seems like once people are accepted, they really want to keep them." More from this Member | Report Response

"A brand-new UNM hospital is opening in April, and there will be a new basic sciences building shortly after that, both of which are going to be great. For anyone who is interested in primary care and health issues particular to NM, the school is perfect. I appreciated that the whole thing was laid back-- I wasn't herded around in a group of other suit-clad applicants as I was at some of the big-name schools. " More from this Member | Report Response

"They heavily recruited me during my interview, and discussed how the school caters to a lot of my interests. ALL new buildings (sub, anatomy lab, lecture hall) will be finished in the spring, just in time for next year!!!" More from this Member | Report Response

"My student interviewer was very enthusiastic." More from this Member | Report Response

"Library looked nice, anatomy lab looked good too." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interaction between the faculty/mentors and the students. It was quite impressive the level of personal attention each student received. It seemed that every student actually helped each other with their research. I have not seen this in any other program. Those that were good at running confocals helped those good at other aspects, and vice versa. Quite impressive, and this reinforced the image of collaboration both between researchers and students." More from this Member | Report Response

"Both interviewers were easy to talk to." More from this Member | Report Response

"Both interviewers were very friendly and interesting to talk to. " More from this Member | Report Response

"how well they knew my file and how great the throught the ciriculum was" More from this Member | Report Response

"First interviewer loved New Mexico and being a physician" More from this Member | Report Response

"This may sound very clique but the interviewers really wanted to know me. I was absolutely impressed by their detail knowledge of my application. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Faculty were very accessable." More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"My first interviewer asked very biased questions. He also couldn't figure out zoom format and I could barely hear him. UNM seems very disorganized/unprofessional as an institution. This school feels like a last resort for many people. During the med student Q&A someone asked why they chose UNM and every single person said it was the only place they got into." More from this Member | Report Response

"My second interviewer clearly did not care about the interview, took no notes, arrived 15 minutes late, and only spoke to me for about 15minutes. She asked me about my top choice and then left." More from this Member | Report Response

"The school did not seem to really care about the interview experience. Seems like they do a lot more for the 2nd look visit." More from this Member | Report Response

"The issues with safety and the lagging technology (UNM is very inexpensive, so they aren't at the forefront of medical school technology)" More from this Member | Report Response

"Most of the interview day. It started in a dinky little classroom where we were welcomed by someone who went over some of the highlights of the school. She did not have a presentation. She just sat at the same table as us and talked for a half hour. Next, we had lunch. Not that this matters, but it was by far the worst lunch I had at any interview. We got to ask med students questions at lunch, but they were MS-I's (even though their average age was probably almost 30) and I interviewed in early Sept., so they really didn't know a whole lot about the school. Next, we went on a tour of the school with the MS-I's who already were talking poorly of some of their experiences here after 5 weeks of starting school. They took us to two places for about 15 mins on the tour then decided they really didn't have to take us anywhere else because we would get to see everything if we went there. Then, we were supposed to have a curriculum overview but the person who normally did it couldn't be there so they just didn't have the curriculum overview. They told everyone to find a place to do nothing for an hour until the interviews would start since they weren't gonna even try the curriculum overview. So we did. We just waited for an hour by ourselves in a lobby we found. Oh, did I mention they are starting a new curriculum this year? And they didn't even tell us what it was. Then the interviews started. Both interviewers kept me for longer than they were supposed to. They were pretty nice interviews and not terribly stressful but don't expect it to be a walk in the park like most places. Then that was the end. Thoroughly unimpressed." More from this Member | Report Response

"Lackadaisical effort by faculty during curriculum presentation. No tour of facilities besides the library and one classroom. Clear bias for reapplicants" More from this Member | Report Response

"My second interviewer did not seem enthusiastic, he just wanted to pick apart my previous education and experience in a condescending fashion." More from this Member | Report Response

"Parking on campus looks awful. Also, I was kind of disappointed that UNM graduate and medical schools don't cross talk very much. It's like they're separated by a street and no one communicates across it very well." More from this Member | Report Response

"The second interviewer showed up late to my interview and was not prepared to ask me questions." More from this Member | Report Response

"information about STEP 1 scores and how some students struggle." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"The student tour afterwards was just me and two very young first years. (I am a slightly older non-traditional applicant) Although they were nice, they weren't able to answer many of my questions because they had just started. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The student tour was really just a question and answer with one student. The "tour" part wasn't well defined. Not a huge deal really. I loved the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"Anatomy lab is pretty crowded(they're building a new one). North campus is fairly isolated from the dorms and gym." More from this Member | Report Response

"The buildings are getting old" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. I really liked this school" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The class size is only about 75-80 because of limited space. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing particularly." More from this Member | Report Response

"They weren't able to schedule a tour for me, and if you like a lot of fanfare on your interview day, you won't get it. I also didn't get to talk to students other than my interviewer, who was an M3." More from this Member | Report Response

"Didn't really negatively impress me, but after being 15 minutes late, my student interviewer cancelled, and so I was interviwed by the associate dean instead (guess it worked in my favor...)" More from this Member | Report Response

"The facilities were horrendous. Very institutional looking. I didn't get a tour, my tour guide didn't show up. I never saw one other interviewee." More from this Member | Report Response

"My first interviewer showed up several hours late. Admissions staff was unorganized." More from this Member | Report Response

"The program is so young; they have yet to graduate an MD/PhD student. Also, there were two interview days, with lots of interviewing. All said, you were one-on-one interviewing for about 9 hours over the two days. This could be good or bad, however." More from this Member | Report Response

"I was interviewed by two PhDs, no MDs." More from this Member | Report Response

"The student that gave the tour was nice, but didn't seem overly enthusiastic." More from this Member | Report Response

"office staff not helpful" More from this Member | Report Response

"The administrative staff were not even there when I arrived to get my interview schedule and then they had changed the time of my first interview without notifing me so I was late." More from this Member | Report Response

"Student tour was weak and he was only motivated by the free lunch he got for showing me around." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing from my visit. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The admissions staff were pretty bad. I showed up a few minutes early, and was asked if I could go walk around for a while until they were ready. They were nice, just not very professional. Also, the facilites were so-so." More from this Member | Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"That I would have 2 hours of free time between activities. I would have brought a book to read so I didn't look like I was sitting on my phone scrolling through Facebook." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really." More from this Member | Report Response

"That one of my interviews was on Skype. I had little time to prepare for a Skype interview and feel that it did make a slight impact." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing-- previous feedback prepared me well" More from this Member | Report Response

"To come up with an answer about the best medical invention. There were just so many rushing through my head that I literally froze." More from this Member | Report Response

"How important clinical experience with a US doctor is. Even if it was five hours, if I had gotten a letter from a US physician, I think there would have been less questions about my lack of qualifications" More from this Member | Report Response

"Can't think of anything. " More from this Member | Report Response

"That I was going to be interviewed by a psychiatrist! For some reason this made me extremely nervous." More from this Member | Report Response

"Where the office of Admissions was in relation to the parking lot. :-) I should have brought something to read for in between interviews" More from this Member | Report Response

"I would have liked to know who my interviewers would be but they don't tell you that." More from this Member | Report Response

"How much I miss NM." More from this Member | Report Response

"Who my interviewers were" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing besides to wear comfortable shoes if you're going on the lunch tour." More from this Member | Report Response

"oh my god!! dress shoes kill to walk around in, bring comfortable shoes to change into!" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing." More from this Member | Report Response

"Bring money for lunch! The $5 lunch voucher they gave was barely enough to buy a drink and two small tacos. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The collaboration between UNM and the National Labs in the Area (The big ones -- Los Alamos and Sandia). If you want to customize your biological research program, this might be a very interesting option to do so. The program is young, and they are willing to let you define your work with great flexibility. However, if you are looking for a very structured program, you might want to look elsewhere." More from this Member | Report Response

"Excited to hear that they are in the process of building a new anatomy lab. " More from this Member | Report Response

"n/a" More from this Member | Report Response

"Don't trust what the staff tell you about the time of your interviews." More from this Member | Report Response

"I had stressed myself out before the interview but it turned out that it wasn't that stressful at all. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Don't expect the red carpet from the admissions staff. You'll have to find your way around campus to get to your interviews, so be prepared to walk around. Also, park in the hospital's parking garage for visitors. it's close to the SOM, and it's free." More from this Member | Report Response

What are your general comments?

"don't apply unless you're a New Mexico resident or interested in primary care. Doesn't seem like they have great opportunities for other specialties beyond primary care" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviews are basically conversations and they will ask you about your specific experiences and to elaborate on the answers you provide. If you put it in your app be prepared to explain it. Not only why you did something, but why you didn't, so look for what could be missing/ low in your application." More from this Member | Report Response

"Hopefully they will stop using the second interviewer I had because she did not cast a good light on the school or on the application process, especially since she spoke badly about her students during the interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewer wanted very specific answers. Told me it was going to be the hardest interview of the cycle. They made a point to interrupt me throughout the entire interview, cutting off my answer if they were not interested. Wished I would've seen it coming and not been as flustered." More from this Member | Report Response

"This is a really neat program! I think the culture is what makes UNM stand apart from other schools. I think UNM receives less credit than its due, and anyone would be fortunate to attend here!" More from this Member | Report Response

"See negative impressions." More from this Member | Report Response

"Make applicants feel more wanted. This has been my dream school since I can remember, but the treatment of me on interview day soured me. I had already received an acceptance to an out-of-state medical school, and I made my decision to not attend UNM as soon as I walked off campus." More from this Member | Report Response

"The day is so long, it makes it incredibly hard for people traveling long distance. We do not know the itinerary for the interview day until the day before which makes it difficult for travel. Also directions to the admissions office are very poor-- clearly they are made for current UNM students. It was very frustrating." More from this Member | Report Response

"Love the school and the culture. Medical students seem very friendly and laid back. They all want to help each other succeed and it's not some big huge cut throat competition. It seems as though the students still have personal lives and can have fun which was comforting." More from this Member | Report Response

"Great school, especially for primary care, though the opportunities for research in specialty areas are also there." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a positive experience. Even if they interviewers start off rough and really throwing lots of questions out, it get's better. I think they just want to test your ability to handle stress at the beginning. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Very conversational and laid back. Other people who interviewed here had similarly pleasant experiences." More from this Member | Report Response

"Both of my interviewers were doctors who work in the UNM health system. The interviews were at their respective offices. Both were nice and conversational and asked interesting questions. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewers are in general really nice. Maybe too nice, I don't know. (I might have got a rosier idea of how I did than my actual performance would justify)" More from this Member | Report Response

"Great curriculum at a great price. Easily my #1 choice." More from this Member | Report Response

"Both of my interviewers complimented me on my honesty in both my application and interview. keep your answers sincer!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewers had access to my AMCAS and my secondary application, but they didn't know my grades or MCAT score. The interviews were both about an hour long, but the stress level was very low; it was very laid back. I was asked about my connections to New Mexico, state healthcare issues, and how I became interested in medicine. I was also asked to mentions my strengths and weaknesses and other character questions along those lines. " More from this Member | Report Response

"My experience at UNM went very well. I was impresesd by the overall objectives of the program and the support they guve to their students. The fact that teamwork is heavily emphasized was great. The interviewers were so laid back and genuwinely wanted to get to know you well so they could convince the committee to accept you. The campus is medium sized but offers anything you may need on site. The students made me feel at home and overall it was a great day. The biggest piece of advice that I'd give is to make sure you can talk about your time in New Mexico and tell them how you feel you can give back to the community, they're really big on that. Just describe how you feel you can fit it. " More from this Member | Report Response

"It was very positive. Everyone was friendly, from the admissions office staff to the interviewers. One of my interviews was with two faculty members, the other with a second year student." More from this Member | Report Response

"My interview day was very short. Both of my interviews were in the afternoon, so I just drove to Albuquerque, checked in, walked around a bit, interviewed, and left. The interviewers have seen all of your file except your GPA and MCAT score. Talking to my interviewers made me even more excited about NM healthcare and issues." More from this Member | Report Response

"They seemed to know my application pretty well. They also acknowledged their weak points, and addressed them up front, which I thought was a good move. If you know what the medical school stands for, then you know to research New Mexico healthcare issues beforehand. I guarantee they will ask you about it." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviews were relaxed and great, but the facilities and the accomodations were awful. I didn't get a tour, so my student interviewer went and showed me the cadaver lab but that was it. They seem to not have enough foundation in addition to problem based learning as students told me. They definitely don't sell the school through an interview day like the Texas schools do. " More from this Member | Report Response

"Both interviewers were MD's. First interviewer was friendly and seemed genuinely interested in me as a person. He made me feel like a shoe-in. The second interviewer had a way of making me feel like I shouldn't have bothered to apply. Good cop/bad cop experience...definitely." More from this Member | Report Response

"Wow! They really try to wine and dine you; except I guess a little light on the wine. Limo travel to and from the school and hotel; a very historic hotel in Downtown Albuquerque, scenic trips up to Sandia Peak, and dinner at the director's house. Very nice" More from this Member | Report Response

"The second interviewer was easier to talk to, but also asked some pretty stern questions about the weakest points in my application. So I really don't know how I did!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Overall, the entire experience went very smoothly and was much less stressful than I had anticipated." More from this Member | Report Response

"Very relaxing styles, but you have to be forward or there would be a lot of silence" More from this Member | Report Response

"My first interview was positive. I have heard that New Mexico does the classic good cop bad cop style of interviews. My second interviewer was late and did not seem interested in interviewing me. At one point she stated she was required to do these interviews. If you have the option to go else where, as I did, take it!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The faculty were very nice. Both interviews were fairly relaxed, and both interviewers made me feel right at home. I got there about 10 in the morning, and was done by 3. All in all, I'd go there if offered. I really liked the emphasis they have been putting on research. The students I met were all pretty cool, and they only had good things to say about the school. I would go here if they accepted me." More from this Member | Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Response # Responders
Student 28
Faculty member 0
Admissions staff 0
Other 1

How did the tourguide seem?

Response # Responders
Enthusiastic 18
Neutral 3
Discouraging 1

How do you rank the facilities?

Response Avg # Responders
6.76 29

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your in-state status?

Response # Responders
In state 24
Out of state 5

What was your total time spent traveling?

Response # Responders
0-1 hour 12
2-3 hours 7
4-6 hours 5
7+ hours 4

What was your primary mode of travel?

Response # Responders
Airplane 9
Automobile 16
Train or subway 1
Other 1

What airport did you use?

El Paso

Albuquerque Intl.

did not fly

I would use ABQ

ABQ

Where did you stay?

Response # Responders
At school facility 1
With students at the school 1
Friends or family 9
Hotel 6
Home 4
Other 0

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

Response # Responders
< $100 10
$101-$200 4
$201-$300 3
$301-$400 0
$401-$500 1
$501+ 1

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
6.70 30

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this school's location?

Response Avg # Responders
7.30 30

0 = low, 10 = high

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

Response Avg # Responders
7.70 30

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
7.64 22

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
8.64 22

0 = low, 10 = high

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

Response Avg # Responders
6.22 18

0 = low, 10 = high

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

"Don't send VITA invites to people in MD only. Be consistent with dates- they told me that "if you haven't heard back by Dec assume its a rejection," but i talked to another person and they were told a different timeline" More from this Member | Report Response

"Send out a more thorough interview day schedule. The schedule I received via email did not have certain activities listed that were listed on the schedule I received day-of." More from this Member | Report Response

"Admissions office was the most positive element of my interview day experience. My suggestion: give the staff a raise, they've earned it." More from this Member | Report Response

"Make sure the buildings are unlocked so applicants can see the inside of them!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The receptionist was incredibly helpful and friendly. My interviewers were very different, so it was" More from this Member | Report Response

"They really should let you pay the application fee with a credit card." More from this Member | Report Response

"None, the staff was helpful and kind during my interview process" More from this Member | Report Response

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