Reno, NV
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?
2 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your general comments?
I really want to go to this school, and I think they figured out that I wasn't BS'ing them on that fact. I think if you aren't positive that you want to go to UNSOM, they're going to pick up on that too. Don't waste their time or yours if you don't want to go there.
Overall, it was a good experience, the interviewers seemed to really make an effort to look at me as an individual and specifically how I would fit in to the upcoming class. It wasn't an interview "mill" and if you've gotten this far in the process, you have a pretty good chance of acceptance.
💬 Interview Process
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
Quite a few questions, but somewhat standard. The questions lead to more conversation. All the typical questions, like "Why do you want to be a doctor?"
What was the most interesting question?
I wouldn't say that the questions were difficult or particularly "interesting" however I really got the feeling that the questions were used to begin conversations that became interesting. The thread of which, depends on the interviewee.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Talked to students at UNSOM, talked to the first year who was "assigned" to me to answer questions, talked to alumni of UNSOM, read SDN, stayed current with political events which affect healthcare, read medical ethics websites.
What was the most difficult question?
Describe a crisis situation and how you dealt with it. Interviewers (both the student and the physician interviewer had the same list of questions, from which they read.
What impressed you positively?
I visited Reno and UNSOM late last year and really enjoyed it. I would HIGHLY recommend visiting the school before you apply there. Some people have visited there and realized that they would never survive in that setting. (ie, compared to las vegas, the culture is a bit homogenized, and it lacks 3 billion degree temps... boo hoo)
What impressed you negatively?
Nothing really "Negatively" impressed me, rather I "noticed" that the student interviewer and the physician interviewer had about 95% of the same questions, which came from a list they were given.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
All my friends and contacts at UNSOM told me that it was going to be low-stress, and indeed it was. Was I able to relax about it? Heck no!! I fretted about it until the last minute, then just got into the interview and tried to shine. Whew, I'm glad it's over!!!
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