San Diego, CA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
What was the stress level of the interview?
4 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
What are your general comments?
First interview: scheduling mistake and so the interview started late. The professor was nice, very chatty, asked me all about my life, culture, beliefs, habits, background, etc. Then, all of a sudden he looked at the clock and told me I had to go to my next interview because we ran out of time. That's when he gave that question regarding the admissions committee and what I wanted them to know.
2nd interview:
4th year med student. Quite nice although I think I started off on the wrong foot. I had more fun with her because of the issues. She was grilling me on things, though, like my research and my free clinic work, etc.
Overall: I thought my interviewers were really open with me. I asked them specifics about their lives and their relationships with spouses. I asked the doctor/researcher/professor what his role is in his children's lives and how being a clinician has impacted family life (i'm very family oriented). i asked my 4th year interviewer what is was like to be married (to someone not medicine/science-related) while in medical school? How do you maintain a healthy relationship, etc?
💬 Interview Process
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Second medical ethic scenario (vague detail):
A child has cancer. In those cases where the child was treated for this specific cancer, there is a 95% success rate. His/her mother, however, refuses this line of treatment and wants to try herbal remedies instead. The mother believes that any chemotherapy treatment will cause her son/daughter to lose their hair and he/she would be made fun of in school, etc. So, the mom wants to protect her child from any emotional trauma.
If you are the doctor, what would you do in this specific situation?
What was the most interesting question?
2 medical ethics questions! I had a lot of fun with those, only because no one every asked me about them and I spent so much time preparing for them.
First scenario (vaguely recall details of it):
A 35 year old female is a Jehovah Witness and is in the hospital. She specifically stated that she does not want a blood transfusion if anything should happen to her because of her beliefs. She has 3 kids and is married. She has some sort of complication and is in/out of consciousness. She requires a blood transfusion or she will die. You are the doctor and have to decide what to do.
(just remember that there is no right/wrong answer. this case even went to the medical ethics committee because it was so complicated)
How did you prepare for the interview?
I read the 3 (studentdoctor.net) interview feedback surveys that were available. Reviewed over current medical ethics issues from the University of Washington's SOM Medical Ethics website. That site is amazing. look it up. Also, just reviewed over the school, what they offer, what i liked/didn't like and had questions about, etc.
What was the most difficult question?
My interviewer said:
Basically, my job is to present you to the admissions committee. What do you want me to tell them? What do you want them to know?
What impressed you positively?
Free clinic, weather, enjoyment of school by students, staff, opportunities for
What impressed you negatively?
hard-core curriculum, but now they are improving on it (i attend school there now)
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Not much. Wish I knew about the free clinic tour because they didn't tell me about it in advance and so I couldn't go.
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
Success!
School has been added to your favorites.