How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

2 out of 10

How long was the interview?

60+ 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)?

"What do you want me to ask you?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What is your top choice school?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Where did you interview last year?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"Specifics about why didn't get in anywhere when I applied the first time." Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"What I did during time off from college- I couldn't give as much information as the interviewer wanted (there was no more to tell), but that's been the case in all my interviews." Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Read their website and all the literature they sent; this website; went over my AMCAS; researched many of the major medical issues (unnecessary), particularly money/Medicare issues on AAMC.org; reviewed my independent study; reviewed specifics of the research in which I'm assisting; answered every possible med school interview question I could find on the net for myself; got interview tips from my boss, who is a clinical faculty member elsewhere; got as much sleep as I possibly could." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"Everyone was friendly, helpful, and encouraging. Great area for winter sports. Undergrad is a division 1A school, if you happen to be into college sports. As a NY resident, it's a lot cheaper than a private school would be. It is a MAJOR hospital for the area (serves something like 17 counties), and a level 1 trauma center. They also offer an alternate clinical years program that is community-based, which is great particularly if you're interested in primary care." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"It's very much a college town. When I drove around the campus at 8 p.m. the previous evening, NOTHING was happening. There was a basketball game that night; two guys (not students) tried to sell me tickets while I was parked near the school. It will be a real culture shock coming from NYC if I go to school there. And, it's 4-5 hrs. from NYC- club deprivation would/will be very difficult for me. I didn't realize how far away it was until I made the drive. If you're coming from NYC, look into taking JetBlue- they're supposedly really cheap to Syracuse." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"That my shoes were not adequate for the snowy, icy hills around campus. I should have brought a second pair for walking around outside." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"Everyone was extremely supportive. My first interview was with a 4th year student who was very open and honest about his own experiences as a non-traditional applicant (which I am) and as a student. He didn't probe my background much or pose any difficult questions. It seemed that he gave me more information (both good and bad) than I gave him. Our interview lasted maybe 45 minutes. My second interviewer was a faculty PhD. He was very friendly and open. He did ask some difficult, in-depth questions about my record, but that's necessary when you have as atypical a history as mine. After we spent the first 30-45 minutes clarify the timeline of my life since high school, we just chatted about all sorts of things. We ended up spending an hour and a half talking. These were just about the least stressful interviews I could imagine. One of the other applicants interviewed on the same day said they had a stress interview. They absolutely should have reported this to the (VERY friendly) admissions staff! The tour wasn't very extensive. We just saw a little bit of the hospital, the anatomy lab, some of the class rooms, and the cafeteria. It might have been nice to see more of the campus (dorms, gym, whatever). But there was a fair amount of snow on the ground and quite cold, so none of us wanted to do as much outdoor walking as would have been required." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Student

On what date did the interview take place?

12/04/2002