How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How long was the interview?

45 minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

2

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

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

"If you get accepted at the U of MN (my home state), you aren't going to go to Penn, are you? " Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Tell me about your project with Somali refugees." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why do you want to live out east?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"Have you heard about the new research in autism, about the hyper-sensitivity to sounds? (I should clarify, I researched autism as an undergrad, so it wasn't totally off the wall)" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"What is your worst trait? (Not that it was difficult to formulate an answer, in fact it was probably too easy, it was just a little difficult to admit to an imperfection)" Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"I winged it. I know my experiences, I know my qualifications and limitations, and I know why I want to be a doctor. I strongly believe that going interview with a level head and a high level of confidence is far better than going in with a head full of trivial Penn State info, or a bunch of ripped-off answers to questions about obscure medical issues. You'll also have a lot more fun! It can only be stressful if you let it be!" Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"Well, I don't think any student can walk out of that building without being impressed by the staff. From the front-desk lady, to the presenters, to the current students and the faculty doctors, everybody was REALLY proud of Penn State and genuinely happy to have us there!" Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"One word: Rural." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"They hand out FREE chocolates... (Hershey, PA). I hadn't considered proximity to a chocolate factory in choosing a medical school, but I must admit it's a strong selling point, as a non-carcinogenic self-indulgent stress relief for the poor med students." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"I had two interviewers, and I really like one of them. The first was pretty disorganized, she didn't seem like she had read my file with too much interest, but she asked some pretty good questions and I thought it went well. My second interviewer was awesome, he had a great sense of humor and conversation did not lag at all. Overall, my interview questions were mostly on my personal essay and experiences. They are probably not going to try and stump you. If they do ask you a question about medical ethics, etc., it's probably something they are interested in, and they just want to see what your opinion is. If you don't know anything about the topic, tell them and ask them what they think. I promise you they will be more than happy to talk to you about what they asked. Once they do, you can answer the original question with the info they just gave you!" Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Other

On what date did the interview take place?

02/12/2003