How did the interview impress you?

No change

What was the stress level of the interview?

5 out of 10

How long was the interview?

40 minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

4

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

How did you prepare for the interview?

"SDN, reviewed AMCAS and supplemental essays." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"The MSTP students were nice and gave an honest opinion of their experience at UCI. The MSTP staff do a good job of coordinating the day (as well as the night before). I didn't really get too much of a tour of the research facilities, but they seemed nice. The faculty seem solid, and UCI's MSTP seminar series has some pretty outstanding speakers on the bill. " Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"The atmosphere there wasn't very upbeat. Students and some faculty seemed rather down. I don't know if this is due to the city of Irvine being rather dead (reportedly, fun can only be had in "neighboring" beach towns) or if I just caught them all on a stressful day. The main negative in my opinion is that the hospital is 15 minutes away (by car) from the medical school; a geographic nuissance to their hope of integrating clinical and pre-clinical experiences." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"The interview was how I expected it would be for the most part. However, I guess I had expected the student interview to be more conversational (he actually was pressing me on a lot of science, though not in a rude way)." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"A low-key MSTP dinner was held in the medical student lounge the night before the interview, and was a good way to talk to some of the students informally. Overall, they seemed satisfied with the program, but not outright enthusiastic about it. The hotel was very comfortable and convenient. The next morning, there were 30-40 applicants (MD+MSTP) present at the orientation session, which was a downpoint in the experience. The orientation paradoxically seemed rushed although it took FOREVER. With the exception of a relatively short student-led tour of the campus (which was quite good), we were in the same room for 4 hours straight! All the interviews were held in the afternoon, starting with the student interviewer, who seemed sleepy/worn out/depressed. The next three interviews (1 MD, 2 MD/PhD) were straightforward and not too stressful (though not as conversational as I thought they would be). In all, the experience at UCI left me with the same feelings I had about the school." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Student

On what date did the interview take place?

11/15/2004