How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.66 | 291 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 228 |
| Negatively | 17 |
| No change | 39 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.67 | 276 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.65 | 210 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.23 | 184 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 3 |
| 20 minutes | 3 |
| 25 minutes | 12 |
| 30 minutes | 47 |
| 35 minutes | 11 |
| 40 minutes | 23 |
| 45 minutes | 81 |
| 50 minutes | 31 |
| 55 minutes | 5 |
| 60+ minutes | 77 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 289 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 290 |
| In a group | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 261 |
| Closed file | 14 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.66 | 291 |
"What is the most important quality of a physician?"
"How would your friends and family describe you?"
"Why did you choose to attend [my undergraduate institution]? Why do you want to become a physician? If I asked your friend to describe you, how would they describe you?"
"What’s one thing on your application you think you could have done better?"
"What is something that surprised you about medicine?"
"What is one misconception you think some people have about you?"
"How did you find out about Case?"
"How do you work in group settings?"
"What would you tell a nervous person on a plane to help calm them down?"
"How would you work in a group environment?"
"Tell me about XYZ activities on your application"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"They asked about my research, and how I liked my research experience."
"Why would you go to X school? (undergrad Ivy college) I really don''t like it."
"Why medicine? Why Case?"
"How do you work in teams? (related to Case's IQ curriculum)"
"Tell me more about your research."
"Tell me a time when you received criticism."
"What were the "good" characteristics of the physicians you shadowed?"
"Just general questions about me, my background, experiences, etc. Know everything on your application and be ready to discuss subjects related to your experiences (e.g. working with others, ethics, etc.) Be ready with examples of different types of situations you've been in"
"Why do you want to stay in Cleveland? (I am from here. It kind-of caught me off-guard but I was able to come up with an answer.)"
"What was your biggest challenge in college? Tell me about a time when you worked with small groups in an academic setting. (This was my student interviewer. These were the two hardest questions he asked, after that we just had a conversation)"
"Why do you want to practice medicine?"
"The only real question was "Why case," and the rest was mostly conversation."
"Tell me about yourself. (It seems like interviews always start with this one, so I was pleased to have worked out a solid answer during my mock, which also helped me to feel comfortable and to keep in mind the points about myself that I wanted to highlight)"
"Why did you choose to forego pursuing an engineering career with your degree in favor of medicine?"
"Do you have any role models?"
"What's one thing you see as a negative aspect to this school or to the area of Cleveland (I've lived in Cle for 4 years now, going to undergrad at CWRU)?"
"What makes you think you're ready to commit to medicine?"
"Faculty: Basic stuff about my experiences. Why medicine? What are you looking for in a medical school? Do you really think early clinical experiences make better doctors? Note: This was supposed to be an open file interview, but my interviewer either hadn't read my file or was pretending (s)he hadn't. Very hard to read reactions, asked me some questions that I felt were just testing me."
"From the faculty interview: Why Case? Who have been some of your favorite professors in _________ [your area of academic concentration]?"
"why medicine"
"Why Case/Why Medicine?"
"What do you do to relax/relieve stress?"
""This compound your research in college had to do with--what form is it administered in?""
"All the questions from the faculty member were specifically about my file and application. "
"asked about several courses on my app. the interviewer showed up late grabbed my file from the admin committee read it really briefly and then discusses some of my activities and so forth. pretty standard low pressure."
"What do you do for fun?"
"What are you most proud of?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"How can I prove to the Committee on Admissions that you're serious about a career in medicine? "
"What would you do, as a 4th year student, if a fellow 4th year came in and you smelled alcohol on your breath?"
"Faculty: What do you want to talk about? Student: Tell me about yourself."
"Tell me about your family/yourself."
"the student asked me more : why medicine, what do you do for fun etc."
"Faculty: What do you want to talk about? Student: Where are you from?"
"There was a faculty interviewer and a student interviewer. Have you ever been outside the country?"
"everything they asked was mostly tailored to own application."
"Just really general questions, everything from my app and essays. KNOW THOSE WELL."
"Looks like you did some teaching. Why switch to medicine?"
"Open file for first interview with faculty, closed file for student interview. The questions were generally pretty conversational and nothing too intense. I think they really did just want to get to know you as a person/future physician, with one minor caveat: just because it's conversational, doesn't mean you should stop selling yourself. In fact, I would ensure that you work extra hard to sell yourself. Personally, I find that with interviewers that are super-nice, I have a tendency to assume, oh hey, we're all buddies and since we finished on such a happy note, I'm sure the interview went well. Make sure you leave that interview showing them *exactly* why you think you'd be a great fit at Case, and keep repeating that over and over, no matter how many laughs/giggles you guys share."
"Tell me about your motivation"
"Tell me about your family...."
"If you couldn't be in medicine, what else would you do?"
"what is professionalism?"
"Tell me about Evangel University (my undegrad instituion)"
"What do you think about about Case's curriculum? "
"What do you think the hardest thing in med school will be?"
"generic ''why'' questions e.g. why case? why medicine?"
"Why medicine, why Case, why Cleveland. "
"Why do your friends like you?"
"A ''how do you deal with academic stress'' type of question"
"How did your childhood influence you in medicine?"
"tell me about an experience"
"Tell me about this experience on your AMCAS."
"What are the traits you are looking for in a thesis advisor?"
"what else do you want to know about case"
"What schools did you apply to and why?"
"What made you pick the schools you applied to?"
"Have you had clinical experience where you witnessed human suffering/anguish?"
"why Case, why medicine?"
"Tell me about X research project."
"What can you tell me about your research?"
"Why did you pick your undergrad?"
"I have it on paper, but why don't you tell me your life story from college until now."
"relaxation activities?"
"If you found out that your roommate was using drugs, what would you do?"
"(paraphrasing) How do you plan to balance research and patient care in your career?"
"If there were no careers in medicine available, what would you do?"
"What's wrong with US health care?"
"Say you just had to tell on of your patients that she has three months left to leave. As you are walking out of the room a group of people claiming to be her family ask you about her, what do you do?"
"What's your biggest failure?"
"Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your research."
"My student interviewier asked about my undergrad experience and what I was involved in."
"Tell me about this experience..."
"what's [your undergrad institution] like?"
"Describe how you chose medicine?"
"Specific question about research?"
"what's your impression of our new curriculum?"
"What do you think are some of the biggest problems in medicine today and how can they be resolved?"
"Is there anything not on the application that I should know about you?"
"Why medicine?"
"Have you done research?"
"Tell me about your jobs."
"Do you know what cyclic AMP is? (of course I did)"
"Questions were standard."
"Do you have any brothers"
"With your engineering background, how will you adapt your studying habits when entering medical school? What difficulties do you envision having as a medical student (personal or educational)?"
"I took a look at your grades. What happened there?"
"What is the most recent book you have read?"
"Tell me what you would like to get across during this interview so that we make sure to get to those points."
"Are you interested in global health?"
"What do you think about the MD thesis requirement? (I guess this scares a lot of people off, but it's really not bad. You get four months to work on it exclusively, and all they want is to make sure you understand how to go about the research process. Everyone should do something like this anyway, required or not.)"
"Why would anyone want to be friends with you?"
"What brings you to Case?"
"Why would anyone be your friend?"
"Why medicine, why case, etc."
"what do you collect anything?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why MSTP?"
"Tell me a little more about your research."
"How do you think you would manage the cold weather, being that you are from the South?"
"How will you fit in with the new curriculum?"
"How would you react if you failed your first exam in med school?"
"What is the relationship between medicine and science?"
"Tell me about your research"
"Why is there such a discrepancy between your MCAT and undergrad GPA?"
"Assuming your sitting down in April with a list of schools you were accepted to how would you rank them specifically?"
"Explain the trend of your transcript? It seems like two different students went to school under the same name."
"Tell me an ethical decision you had to make."
"Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"the basics"
"So tell me about your university."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
"Why Case? Is this the only school you applied to that is not on the east or west coast?"
"What would you do if you didn't go into anything medically related?"
"What makes someone want to be your friend?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"There is a HPV vaccine...should we vaccinate all girls? When should we vaccinate them?"
"Research oriented questions in detail. But if you know your stuff even on a basic level, you could answer these types of questions easily. "
"Do you have any siblings? "
"all off of my AMCAS and my Case essays - a few questions about my reasearch etc."
"why case/cleveland?"
"Why didn't you have _________ submit a letter of recommendation?"
"What is the main thing you want to convey when your file is presented to the committee? (asked at the end of the interview)"
"Tell me about your research."
"Are you going to vote tomorrow?"
"When is a time you had to choose between two outcomes that were both negative and what did you do?"
"Why medicine? see interesting question? tell me about your background....family.....tell me about yourself?"
"What type of research would you like to do, & have you considered a dual-degree program?"
"where do you see yourself in 15 yesrs?"
"What's the very first thing you want to let me know?"
"Tell me about your family and growing up in XX"
"We look for diverse students, what makes you different than everybody else?"
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Tell me about yourself. (The entire interview consisted of expanding on things that I mentioned along the way.)"
"Tell me about your study abroad. "
"Why Case Western? Why Medicine? Tell me about your family, what do they do? What questions do you have for me? No tough questions (according to my fellow interviewees, also)"
"Why did you choose CASE??"
"Why do you want to attend Case?"
"Tell me about your sisters/brothers"
"A) I've never heard of your major - explain it to me B) What would you say is your biggest challenege?"
"Tell me your story, pretend that I have not already read your application"
"Why did you move to Cleveland?"
"What can you offer the incoming freshman class?"
"Describe problems with the healthcare system and how you would fix them."
"Most questions were regarding the specifics of my AMCAS application"
"What have you been doing in the time you took off from school?"
"How did you choose your undergrad college?"
"Do you have any questions?"
"Summarize your story. . ."
"What lead you to medicine?"
"Is there anything you want to ask me? (This was one of the first things he asked)"
"Why would someone want to be your friend?"
"Why did you transfer from [an ivy league] College to a [less reputable] school?"
"What specifically interests you about our program? "
"Do you have any brothers or sisters? Tell me about them."
"What is your relationship with your siblings like?"
"What attracted you to Case?"
"why didn't you take the mcat again?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"see above"
"Tell me about your mother"
"What do you do with AmeriCorps?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Why Case? "
"Your grades are much better your junior and senior year as opposed to your freshman and sophomore year. Is there a reason for this?"
"Tell me about your research. Do you have any publications?"
"Tell me about your family"
"Why case"
"How did you decide to major in economics?"
"Why did you write about IQ tests in your supplementary essay?"
"When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor."
"Do you have any brother's or sisters?"
"Tell me about your family."
"Why Case Western?"
"I was not really asked any specific questions, we just talked."
"What does your younger brother study at school?"
"How would you effectively communicate in a group? aka IQ groups"
"What is something that surprised you about medicine? What are some of the challenges you'll face in becoming a doctor/as a doctor?"
"What’s something about you not on your application?"
"Is there anything else you would like to let me and the admissions committee know?"
"What would your friends say they admire about you?"
"What is one prejudice you have overcome?"
"Tell me about your journey to this table today."
"Most meaningful experience?"
"You have worked in research for several years, why not get a phd?"
"How do you respond to feedback?"
"If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be?"
"They asked about my collegiate background and how that might affect my interpersonal interactions with students from different backgrounds."
"Why would you work in X (health care related) program? That's useless."
"How did you come to medicine?"
"What are three words your friends would use to describe you?"
"They had a script of questions to ask but my faculty member just ended up mostly questions about my application."
"Tell me about a time when you showed leadership."
"What are your weaknesses/what do you need to work on?"
"Tell me about activity X"
"What was your biggest academic achievement in college and what was your biggest personal achievement in college?"
"How do you feel that some fools in washington might make physicians lives more difficult by saying you are only allowed to treat this under condition x, y, z, and taking control away from you to use your best judgement, often putting you in the position to treat in a way you do not agree"
"What specific quality about a physician impressed you?"
"What do you think about X approach to malaria prevention as opposed to Y approach? (Related to my overseas experience)"
"Tell me about this volunteer activity"
"Do you work well in groups?"
"If not medicine, what would you?"
"If you didn't get in what would you do?"
"If you couldn't do this, what would you do?"
"How well do you think your major has prepared you, not only for medical school but also if you had chosen to go into industry (I majored in BME)"
"How do you think the business considerations of medicine affect quality and availability of care?"
"Student: Just talked about my experiences and the school."
"From the student interview: What experiences have you had that have prepared you to work well in small groups?"
"why medicine again, later. Had to go beyond prepared schpiel, which fortunately revealed important experiences I had forgotten to discuss."
"Tell me about activity "x""
"What do you think of Cleveland?"
"Explain about your research?"
"How will it affect your med school performance if your father's long-term illness becomes difficult to control?"
"Some about my personal file, secondary app, questions about my essays."
"The student interview is pretty generic. As my host student told me, they are pretty much trying to make sure you are normal. "
"How would your friends describe you?"
"Specific application questions. Interviewer knew my application WELL. "
"How do you learn?"
"Do you think being away from you family would be hard during medical school?"
"Of all your research experiences, which one project would you say that you enjoyed/valued the most?"
"Both: First step to fix healthcare system?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"If you were facilitating an IQ group discussion how would you encourage different personality types to participate equally?"
"Why Case / Cleveland?"
"Do you think it is fair if I were to look up applicants on facebook?"
"Faculty: What are some challenges you've seen physicians deal with where you work? Student: What do you do in your free time?"
"What is your three-word motto/catch-phrase/etc?"
"tell me about your research."
"Student interviewer was pretty chill and laid back too"
"How did you cope with terminal patients at your nurse's aide job?"
"How did you get these grades/scores"
"what do you do in your spare time?"
"Do you have any teaching experience?"
"what would you like me to tell the adcom about you?"
"What other schools are you looking at?/ How many schools did you apply to? (Ick I do not like this question)"
"What are some of the biggest problems in healthcare today?"
"What sparked your interest in medicine?"
"Tell me about your research?"
"what do you for fun? - i think they just want to make sure you have a social life :P"
"What research interests do you have? [note that this interviewer said that he rarely gets update letters; he would have known the answer to this if he'd gotten it]"
"What about you would make you a great doctor?"
"What kinds of things did you see in your clinical experiences that you didn't expect?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"how do you deal with stress"
"So why Case?"
"see above"
"Why medicine, why Case; how do you fit within the new curriculum?"
"How will you be a productive student at Case?"
"Do you speak any other languages?"
"How did you choose what schools to apply to, and why Case?"
"Please describe a problem you faced while doing research and how you solved it."
"Do you have any brother or sister?"
"What would you do if you didn't get in?"
"how did you choose your undergrad school?"
"Why Case? Why Cleveland?"
"A few cursory Qs to verify info on AMCAS."
"Tell me how your experiences teaching Karate will enable you to be a better physician? Also, what belts do you have?"
"Do you feel we should treat illegal immigrants?"
"What have you done since graduating?"
"What's your biggest accomplishment?"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years?"
"Why medicine? Why case? Any questions?"
"What I've been doing now that I'm done with my sport that I played in college."
"How do you study and like to learn?"
"Describe your research"
"tell me about your research"
"What has been your greatest achievement?"
"What has been your biggest hardship?"
"How will you time manage all that you hope to take on as a Dr? (Academia, research, practice, family, etc)"
"What do you think about this school?"
"Describe your research."
"What was your most interesting medical experience?"
"Do you talk to any of them"
"What do you do for fun? Do you go out to the bar a lot?"
"How did you decide on (place where I'm doing research)? Explain your research project?"
"Why not pursue psychology?"
"What does empathy mean to you?"
"Would you consider taking the MCAT again?"
"What type of medicine do you see yourself going into?"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"Where would you say you stand on the research spectrum, from wanting to be devoted entirely to research to wanting to be devoted entirely to the clinical aspect of medicine? (They are very into research, but they understand not everyone will devote their lives to it. In fact, they actually WANT some clinicians.)"
"How have you educated yourself about medicine?"
"Why med?"
"Why the medical field?"
"Transition form athletics to obesity clinic (as stated above)."
"What made you decide to be a doctor?"
"How do YOU define empathy?"
"From my student interviewer: what's my favorite non-science class and why, do I think non-science majors (I am one) can compete at the same level in medical school? "
"Who is your greatest inspiration? "
"how much research do you plan on doing/how big a part of your career will it be if you had to guess now"
"What was your GPA in grad school? "
"What is your Plan B?"
"Was there an ethical issue you encountered in your shadowing experience?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 yrs?"
"Why were you interested in CWRU?"
"Tell me about your research experience and what laboratory skills you have learned from them?"
"What area of medicine have you considered?"
"What do you think are costs and benefits of pass/fail grading?"
"How do you think you will adjust to med school and the work load? What are some of the problems you think you will encounter in your practice of medicine?(i want to do primary care w/ underserved pops.)"
"Are there any factors that would contribute to your decision of where to live?"
"Tell me about your trip to [insert exotic locale here]"
"How do you feel about the medical care being given to the victims of the Hurricanes?"
"Why did you choose your undergraduate institution?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"what's the most recent book you've read"
"You had a long and varied road to medicine- tell me about it."
"Tell me about your current job."
"Why Cleveland? Why Case?"
"What is the area in which you live like?"
"Why did you apply to Case?"
"Give me an example of your altruism."
"random app stuff"
"Do you use computers a lot for school?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experiences."
"Why CCLCM? (I said I loved it and I said it was my #1 choice)...So then they asked "Why is it your number 1 choice?" Why Cleveland? etc."
"Questions about study abroad"
"Was the research you completed through a course requirement or was it an independent work? "
"asked about my application a lot"
"How would you solve some of healthcare's current problems?"
"How would you feel about living in Cleveland compared to Chicago"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"So tell me about yourself...and variations on this"
"What is a major disappointment you have had in your life and what did you learn from it?"
"How does your family thik about you pursuing medicine now? (I am non-trad)? Do you think you are ready? How? Why Case?"
"What specialties are you considering?"
"What kind of medicine are you thinking of practicing?"
"What do you think is responsible for the increase in the number of patients with mental illness and how would you change things to stop this trend?"
"I really enjoyed reading your essay, tell me more about...."
"Tell me about your current graduate program."
"What did you learn from post-undergrad experiences?"
"Tell me about your family. "
"What made you decide to apply to medical school?"
"Describe your experiences overseas."
"Why medicine"
"A) How would you say you work in groups? B) same as above + how are you with authority?"
"explain your first MCAT scores"
"What are you studying right now (research)?"
"Why haven't you done any research?"
"Which state has implemented a relatively socialized healthcare system (or something to this effect)? -- oregon"
"How did you choose your major?"
"You have done some research? Tell me about that. ."
"Why did you choose your undergrad?"
"A lot of specific questions about my research."
"Why do you think orthopedics is such a male-dominated field?"
"Do you have any other questions for me?"
"What do you see yourself doing in ten years? "
"Why do you want to live in Cleveland?"
"Why medicine?"
"do you have any questions about our program?"
"Tell me about what you do at work (I work in a hospital)"
"Why case?"
"Why did you choose Smith?"
"How did you come to the decision of becoming a doctor?"
"Why do you study spanish (my second major)?"
"What role has playing soccer had on your decision to become a doctor."
"Do you have any relatives or friends that are dentists? Tell me about your exposure to dentistry."
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"plans after school"
"The rest was conversation..."
"Have you considered research as a career? What specialties are you interested in?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experiences that have confirmed your desire to practice medicine. "
"What motivates your Dad in medicine today (my father is a physician)?"
"Have you thought about our MD/PhD Biomedical Engineering program?"
"Considering that your father is a physician, has he effected you in any way in your decision to go to medical school?"
"How did you hear about Case Western? How will you manage your time as a medical student?"
"What brings you here to Case? Why Case?"
"What is something that surprised you about the field of medicine?"
"Who do you "champion"?"
"Any particular research interests?"
"Tell me more about xyz from your personal statement?"
"What are some qualities that you believe a physician should possess?"
"What's the difference between empathy and sympathy?"
"Do you know any jokes? Tell me one."
"What did you think of the Dean of Admissions?"
"Tell me about your experience abroad."
"What do you do in your free time."
"tell me about yourself"
"Why do you want to be a physician?"
"Why Case? What did you learn more about today that made a positive impression?"
"Faculty interviewer asked me a few questions, but mostly just tried selling the school to me."
"What would your best friends have to say about you?"
"Why Peace Corps?"
"How much shadowing have you done?"
"Why doctor?"
"What was it like moving to the US in 7th grade?"
"Asked me what I did at my place of employment."
"Do you have any teaching experience?"
"Why did you choose to come to CWRU undergrad?"
"Tell me about [X on application]."
"ethical scenario-patient's family arrives from out of town-do you let them in the room?"
"What was your research about? What do you think about the current health care situation?"
"Do you have experience in a small-group learning environment?"
"What would your best friend say about you?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What would you do if a resident asked you, as a med student, to perform a procedure you thought was medically unnecessary, simply because he or she thought it would be a "good learning experience" for you?"
"Tell me about X activity?"
"What are the problems with healthcare, what solutions do you propose?"
"What have you done since you submitted your application?"
"What is your type of learning style?"
"Tell me about why you want to go into medicine."
"Faculty: Why Case? Student: What do you think of Cleveland?"
"Examples of research? Shadowing docs?"
"What would you like for me to convey to the admissions committee?"
"Faculty: Tell me about your family. Student: Are you a [college football team] fan?"
"Gave me a bunch of "so you're a doctor. what would you do in this situation: _____" questions"
"what is a recent book that you read that you liked? "
"Describe a situation in which you had to work with a difficult person and how you handled it."
"Tell me about your familial influences"
"don't remember"
"What clinical experiences have you had?"
"So where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"Define empathy. "
"Why Cleveland?"
"can you tell me a little bit about... (something from AMCAS)"
"What would make you come here?"
"What do you like to do in your free time?"
"Do you have any brothers or sisters? (listed on AMCAS)"
"Where do you want to practice?"
"describe a stressful time"
"Describe a stressful situation. follow up: how do you deal with stress?"
"Specific questions about my research. It's helpful to think of future directions for your work. "
"see above"
"What extracurriculars have you been involved with and what do you do to relax?"
"What do you do to relieve stress?"
"what kind of program ''flexible or unstructured'' works best for you?"
"What do you do to relax?"
"What is the biggest problem with American healthcare today?"
"What do you do on your free time?"
"Why medicine and not some other career?"
"How interested are you in research?"
"strengths/weaknesses?"
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Do you still practice your drawing?"
"Tell me something that I don't read here in your profile."
"What do you do to wind down and relieve stress?"
"Tell me about yourself. (I hate this question!)"
"Tell me about yourself. (ick, I hate this question, so open-ended.)"
"The usual questions: Why medicine, Why case etc"
"What aspect of medical school do you think will be difficult for you?"
"Do you like lectures?"
"any questions?"
"what else are you interested in?"
"Do you have a support system?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Any questions for me?"
"Do you have any questions?"
"How would you contribute to the diverse personality of the medical school class? (or something like this)"
"What does your brother and sister think of this decision?"
"Question about my personal statement."
"What are your non-academic interests?"
"How do you learn?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What are your views on how the government is handling the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and health care in the United States? "
"Why medicine?"
"Explain to me what you understand of the new Case curriculum?"
"What do you feel is the biggest challenge to medicine today?"
"Would you consider research?"
"Why medicine?"
"If medicine weren't in the cards, have you considered other fields that would be stimulating and fulfilling to you?"
"What hobbies do you have?"
"Tell me about your research experience."
"Having been out of school for 7 years, how will you transition back in to an academic environment?"
"Tell me about yourself..."
"Do you have any biases?"
"how's your day going"
"What do you think should be done to improve upon health care? A good answer is usually something about preventative care."
"What is a personal problem you see yourself dealing with in medicine? What is a global problem?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years?"
"How much research do you anticipate incorporating into your career?"
"What was your favorite science subject in college?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What should be done about healthcare in the US? Prescription drug costs?"
"Why Case? Why medicine?"
"How do you nuture your interest in medicine?"
"Why Case? Why Medicine?"
"What else?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school and how does Case measure up (rephrased version of 1 above)."
"Not in these words but...Why Case and why medicine?"
"What is your biggest disappointment?"
"What are the side-effects to the drug you worked with in your research? Aren't those systemic, rather than focused?"
"What made you choose your undergraduate institution?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"What have you researched in the past? What are you interested in today? Why? "
"Questions about views west coast, where I've been. "
"How did you get your job at the hospital? "
"What other schools did you apply to? How will you decide if you get into all of them?"
"Why did you choose Case?"
"Why Case."
"What should we do about the amount of uninsured people in America?"
"How did you decide what medical schools to apply to? What specialty are you thinking of going into?"
"Biggest problem in healthcare? how will you solve it? and rest of the other questions are from my secondary and primary application....tell me about blank experience? lot of questions from my aplication.....so read it carefully people....I knew mt application well so was not a problem"
"Do you know anyone here at Case at the medical school?"
"I am a non-traditional applicant, so he wanted to know how I arrived at my decision to go back to medical school. "
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school this time around?"
"Tell me about the your research."
"Tell me about what you have been doing since graduating. "
"Any questions for me? come with lots of questions!!"
"What have you been doing since graduating college?"
"What do you do for fun"
"A) What do see as some major problems with healthcare? B) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? -they both also asked about my research, of course."
"what activities have you been involved in outside academics?"
"I was asked about the neighborhood I live in."
"Your grades and scores are good, but that doesn't really matter to me. Your file is weak. Can you explain this? (who asks that?)"
"What specialty are you interested in?"
"Why Case?"
"How can world conflcits be solved?"
"What do you want to know about our school? How did you hear about us?"
"What do your parents think about you potentially moving so far away?"
"How do you see yourself fitting with Case?"
"So, you're a softball player?"
"He seemed very interested in talking about Iraq and the Bush administration."
"What are you looking to get out of your graduate training? "
"Why CWRU?"
"Why did you look into Case Western?"
"Tell me about your family."
"do you have perfect pitch?"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"What will you look for when choosing a medical school?"
"Tell me about your dance experiences. (I coach two dance teams)"
"What type of program are you looking for."
"More conversation..."
"Tell me about a difficult situation you have encountered and how you handled it."
"Tell me about xxxxx. (Activities, employment, etc.)"
"Why Case Western?"
"What are two of your favorite classes that you've taken?"
"I see that you are a co-author on a paper. Walk me through the process of how you go about putting together a paper. Where do you begin? What sections do you write first? etc."
"What is something that surprised you about the field of medicine?"
"How would others feel your empathy?"
"Where do you see medicine heading in the future?"
"What is cultural competency to you?"
"Student interviewer asked a probing philosophical question about my senior thesis on mechanistic determinism in the philosophy of science."
"Unique--the joke question."
"You are sitting next to a nervous passenger on an airplane. What do you say to them to console them?"
"What do you think of the Affordable Care Act?"
"None too unusual"
"The interviewer asked me if I could "teach her something." I had to come up with something creative on the spot!"
"Teach me something."
"Not really that interesting, but I'll post it anyways: "It seems like you are close with your family, so how would you deal with being away from home?""
"if a family member wanted to receive a nonwestern medical treatment (homeopathy, herbal medicine), how would you handle that/what would you do?"
"What is your novel about? (I said I liked writing and am working on a novel. I was so excited to get asked this because I love talking about it and it helped me relax.)"
"How do you feel that some fools in washington might make physicians lives more difficult by saying you are only allowed to treat this under condition x, y, z, and taking control away from you to use your best judgement, often putting you in the position to treat in a way you do not agree"
"Who is your inspiration?"
"What is one misconception about you?"
"How did you handle teaching a class with 150 students? (Interviewer was also a PhD lecturer who deals with large classes)"
"Do you like classical music? This led to a 20 min conversation about sexism in the orchestra auditioning process"
"What are your life goals?"
"If you could do your undergrad years over again, what would you do?"
"Question 1"
"none really, mostly conversational"
"What's the most important thing you learned in your clinical/shadowing experiences?"
"#2"
"How did you like the other schools you've interviewed with?"
"Student interviewer asked what is your favorite medical TV show? That was fun."
"Nothing out of the ordinary"
"Why didn't you pursue pharm or dental school?"
"What would your best friend say about you? Example, xxxx is a great person but -----?"
"What do you do to unwind?"
"Ethics question"
"do you believe in moral absolutes? (wasn't randomly thrown out there, we had been discussing a theology course I had taken)"
"Asked about the governor situation in Illinois."
"nothing unexpected"
"They were all interesting for the most part."
"Nothing, really. Both interviews were conversational and friendly."
"If you were facilitating an IQ group discussion how would you encourage different personality types to participate equally?"
"They just asked me a lot about my research. "
"Examples of Community service?"
"What do you think about the Olympics scandal with the Chinese gymnists? Should their medals be taken away?"
"Faculty: What's a common misconception people have about you?"
"What are two personality traits that are important in being a doctor."
"He asked me why medicine in a very interesting manner."
"All pretty basic."
"Who are you most proud of? Just didn't see this coming, kinda threw me for a minor loop."
"How would your teachers describe you if they were here?"
"again, these were just conversations. nothing major here."
"none"
"How do you know this is what you want to do?"
"There are a field of doctors who are so evidence based and others who believe miracles can happen. How would you reconcile those two parties?"
"What would you if one of your friends in medical school starting using drugs?"
"Describe how you would resolve a conflict with someone you didn't agree with."
"How do you define professionalism?"
"all the questions were generic."
"What kinds of things worked and didn't work in making you successful in those environments? [follows the question, what small-group experiences do you have? to which I answered lots of stuff about software management and musical groups]"
"What do you think about the report that said that birth defects in China increased by 40% in the last 5 years?"
"Nothing really stood out, very basic questions."
"everything was pretty typical, but I did have an interesting conversation"
"Nothing. "
"What do you think makes a good doctor? "
"Would you prefer to be a grad student in a the lab of a big shot or a relative nobody? Why?"
"No real questions were asked"
"Name the top 3 problems in our health care systems."
"If you could change something about yourself what would you change?"
"What aspect of attending Case would be hardest for you?"
"what has been your biggest regret?"
"Nothing that interesting or out-of-the ordinary came up. "
"What were your impressions of the medical students when you were in the hospital? (I know, not really helpful to anyone who didn't have cancer)"
"nothing "
"How are you going to be able to stick to your focus on patient care while you're in medical school?"
"iraq opinion"
"Nothing very interesting..."
"What classes are you taking now?"
"Where would I place myself on the scale of being primarily focused on research or primarily focused on clinical work and why?"
"If science did not exist at all, what would you choose as your profession?"
"nothing really interesting per se, just good conversation."
"I was essentially only asked one big interview-type question, about how I planned to balance research and patient care in my future career. "
"Why do you think The Odyssey still appeals to readers? (I wrote an essay about it)"
"Why medicine. Why case"
"You are from Arizona, why did you apply to a school in the Midwest?"
"Do you think you might be the kind of person who'd participate in Doc Opera? (that's their student variety show of sorts) "
"What do you think of the mind-body connection? (We were talking about alternative medicine)."
"n/a"
"How would you address working with someone in a small group who wasn't doing their share of the work?"
"What do you think about Wal-mart selling prescription drugs for $4?"
"give me an example of altruism in which you were the donor"
"The two interviews were both incredibly relaxed. All the faculty interviewer did was read over my AMCAS app and ask if I wanted to update any of the info."
"What has been you greatest achievement to date? "
"How would your friends describe you? Nothing really too out of the ordinary was asked..."
"None."
"Assuming that you are working as a physician, what would you do when you see a fellow physician making bad judgement (violating ethics standards, etc.)?"
"If you failed your first exam as a medical student, what would you do?"
"What does your family (brother, sister, not parents) think of you going to med school?"
"[Faculty interviewer] What do you hope to achieve by going abroad (for your research thesis)? [I'm interested in global health, health policy, and perhaps epidemiology/infectious diseases - upon answering, he helpfully referred me to a couple researchers in infectious diseases that travel frequently to Africa for their work, saying "
"Do you have an interest in radiology?"
"Most difficult experience."
"From your background, what do you think most influenced your decision to become a physician?"
"What do you think of America's healthcare system?"
"How will the admissions committee know you won't regress back to your former habits ( i had a run of glory-defying grades as an undergrad)"
"What are your views on how the government is handling the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and health care in the United States? (All in one question.!..AAHH!)"
"Why didn't you pursue psychology as a career if you earned a certificte in that field?"
"What would you do if one of your fellow students fell into trouble with drugs?"
"From my student interview: "If you could have one super power, what would it be?" "
"Do you think that Case's curriculum and emphasis on independence fits you?"
"Nothing interesting."
"It's been said that laws, without morals, are nothing. What do you think?"
"What was your favorite non-science course during college?"
"If I could change one thing about a volunteer program I participate in, what would that be?"
"Having been an elite athlete, what was it like to transition to working in a weight loss surgery clinic?"
"Why would anyone be your friend?"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years?"
"Nothing beyond the basic: why medicine, why case, describe your extracurriculars. We ended up talking about interesting topics but I wasn't asked anything out of the ordinary or hard."
"Tell me about yourself- how you got to where you re right now. "
"Do you collect anything? What are your weaknesses and strengths? "
"Why does your family suggest persuing a career in business instead of medicine? "
"If you could choose a question to ask yourself what would it be?"
"Was there an ethical issue you encountered in your shadowing experience?"
"Only asked a few questions, none interesting."
"How has your experience in the arts accompanied your medical/science exposure?"
"Most interestingly, I was NOT asked why I wanted to be doctor or why I wanted to go to Case."
"What is the most pressing problem facing American medicine today?"
"Give me a summary of how you ended up sitting here - from birth to now. "
"What should be done about the rising costs of prescription drugs?"
"What would you do if someone in your group refused to do their homework? (from the student)"
"Since I applied MSTP, 80% of the questions were about my research. I had one ethical question about what to do if a critically ill woman's family comes and what you're supposed to do. "
"What do you think about alternative and complimentary medicine?"
"What do you think about the obesity epidemic in America?"
"What is the most exciting aspect of doing research to you during medical school?"
"My favorite question was what is my biggest problem with healthcare, and how would I fix it"
"What three reasons should I give to the committee to accept you into our program?"
"Tell me about an ethical decision you have made"
"Very conversational - no direct questions"
"Honestly, I didn't get many questions, mainly clarification on my ECs. So I did a lot of describing some of my experiences in promoting tolerance and diversity."
"nothing out of the ordinary- the big ones- why case? why medicine?"
"every family has a central theme that they work around. for my family it was swimming. we went to swim meets on weekends, took swimming vacations, etc. what was the central theme of your family. "
"No part of the experience was interesting."
"If you were not going to be a doctor what would you do?"
"Why do people want to be your friend?"
"Why did choose your undergraduate institution?"
"Nothing. My interviewer asked me the Big-3 and nothing more."
"How do you calm a patient who thinks that the medicine you're giving him is a poison?"
"What was the most negative learning experience you've had?"
"The governor of Kentucky, who is a physician, recently signed the death penalty for an obviously guilty man. Some are asking him to resign his medical license, what do you think about that?"
"Tell me about your volunteering"
"There is a HPV vaccine...should we vaccinate all girls? When should we vaccinate them?"
"Mainly questions about my research. The person interviewing me had a strong past and wanted to gauge my knowledge level of my work. "
"Why are you taking a Japanese course? (I am Japanese) "
"Nothing much beyond my AMCAS"
"He gave me a broad spectrum of types of physicians, ranging from pure researchers, to clinicians, to grant writers, to professors, and asked me where I see myself on the spectrum."
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"What would you do if you were on rounds and an attending yelled at you for a mistake in front of all your peers?"
"What have you learned in your Classical Mythology class?"
"Ethical questions regarding my research - ah stem cells..."
"If I was going to vote, one day before election in a swing state everyone was talking about the election"
"When is a time you had to choose between two outcomes that were both negative and what did you do?"
"You are interested in primary/rural care and we have a research thesis requirement ... how do you think this research experience is going to help you as a rural/primary care physician ...All other questions were related to what I wrote in my application.. "
"None really -- everything was very open-ended & based on the materials that I'd turned in. It was more like a conversation."
"Don't remember; much more of a conversation. The interviewer had been a child actor and I had acted before deciding to go to med school. So, we chatted about that."
"What do you think is responsible for the increase in the number of patients with mental illness and how would you change things to stop this trend?"
"Have you seen the musical Rent?"
"We had a nice conversation. It was not rote question and answer so it is hard to pick out one question. It was not a real interesting conversation so...."
"What qualities gained from your post-college experiences will help you be a better doctor?"
"Tell me about your family. What are your parents like. "
"hmm. none really"
"None, it was a purely conversational talk that ran the gamut from obesity in the US and health disparities to high school sports."
"My faculty interviewer was a PhD faculty member who spent most of two hours trying to convince me that I should apply for an MD-PhD. "
"how do you think nationalized health care would work better in the united states? (this wasn't the most difficult just because, luckily, i had read up on it a bit beforehand)"
"About my track and field experiences. He compared it to his own years ago."
"I mentioned my grandmother in my AMCAS, and the interview asked me how she impacted my life."
"nothing interesting. very conversational"
"No difficult questions really. Just why I moved to Cleveland (I moved recently from DC)."
"What can you offer the incoming freshman class?"
"how has your work experience prepared you for medical school?"
"What are the biggest problems facing health care and what can we do to address them?"
"What was my least favorite class I've taken?"
"Questions about my secondary essay."
"very standard questions"
"What do you think about the war in Iraq?"
"During this interview, the old doctor I interviewed with did most of the talking. I could barely get a word in edgewise! He was really nice and all, but I couldn't figure out if I needed to interrupt him and plug myself or just let him go on."
"Are you a dog or a cat person?"
"Just a conversation - no real questions asked. "
"Have you ever had a problem person in a small group you've worked in?"
"Is Kung Fu offensive or defensive? (I wrote about it in my secondary essay.)"
"I think I had the same interviewer as a previous poster and got the "What do you think about Bush's actions in regards to Iraq." I was also asked about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the CA recall election."
"I dunno. It was all stuff related to my AMCAS application."
"What don't you like about yourself?"
"Explain to me what relationships you see between the different world religions (I love religion and the humanities)."
"Explain your most exciting research project to an intelligent non-scientist in exactly ten words. "
"Interview was conversational, very few specific questions were asked."
"Nothing really jumped out as interesting, it was pretty much standard background stuff."
"Why don't we get more applicants from your school?"
"how DO you make jambalaya?"
"My interviewer quoted both my AMCAS and my Case Western essays and asked me about my writing style (I was an English major)."
"Tell me about the trip you took recently?"
"What other schools have you applied to (he seemed to be questioning my motivation behind applying to the school)?"
"A question about an experience I had while doing undergraduate research."
"What Kind of doctor do you want to be"
"Where do you see yourself 15 years down the line?"
"What is the most difficult thing that you have had to overcome in your life and what did you learn from it?"
"How would I inform a terminally ill cancer patient that they don't have long to live."
"How would you tell a patient that they have been diagnosed as terminally ill?"
"What were your intentions of entering a masters program?"
"Didn't really get asked many questions, basically just chatted"
"He basically just asked me questions about my backgound and application."
"The AAMC requires that the Dean's letter specify which tier you rank in your class? What do you think of that in light of our Pass/Fail grading system."
"Not applicable. See interview summary."
"Have you thought about what life will be like as a physician?"
"It was open file, so the interviewer asked me to comment on and elaborate on specific experiences I had and listed."
"My interview was conversational- so there were no really tough or interesting questions. I'm wondering if I had the same interviewer as another person who posted feedback recently- a PhD in pediatric research- she was so warm and easy to talk to! We talked a lot about challenges I will face as a physician, and she wanted to know my stance on the growing childhood obesity crisis- it led to a really interesting discussion."
"Why do your friends like you?"
"What is the best part of your job? (I'm an RA)"
"No really intresting questions"
"He didn't really ask me questions, it was mostly conversational."
"None!"
"How far can you hit a wedge?"
"What is a quality to hold that will make you a great doctor?"
"Why medicine? Why Case? Cleveland?"
"Nothing really stood out, just pretty generic. They focus a lot on what you plan to do OUTSIDE of medical school, ie, what will you bring to the community."
"I was asked about my research was about. They seemed interested in my research and my experience in the Navy."
"What is an example of a time where you received criticism?"
"What is something that physicians struggle with that you've witnessed in person in your shadowing experiences. (particularly difficult because I know and have read a lot about what physicians struggle with, but I haven't seen much of it in person)"
"What is one misconception you think some people have about you?"
"They asked me for a potential research project design (building off of one of my answers previously)"
"Medicine is often called a science and an art, how do you think practicing medicine could be considered an art?"
"Explain your grades to me."
"What role would you play in a PBL group session?"
"Why that school? Why that program?"
"What role would you play in a small-group team situation?"
"None very general"
"What are some challenges you anticipate in medical school, and how will you address those?"
"Do you collect anything?"
"None. They were pretty straightforward."
"What have you done? (Faculty interview was supposed to be open-file but she hadn't read my file at all and was reading it during the interview. I started to talk about something and then she asked me questions about it so I didn't have time to elaborate on my other activities. I mostly asked her questions during that interview.)"
"Quetiosn about hypothetical changes to the healthcare system and the intertia/momentum/general trend of things going further in that direction in the future"
"What is one regret you have?"
"My interviewer and I had a difference of opinion on the relationships surgeons have with their patients and how patients are affected. I left with quite a bit to reflect on, and while I wasn't sure how well I handled it, I was accepted a week later, so I guess it went alright."
"Why haven't you published anything? (I have 3 years worth of research, just never was in the right place at the right time)"
"What would happen when patients don't respect you?"
"What would you do differently for your undergraduate years?"
"Nothing really - friendly interview, the student interview was definitely harder than the faculty seeing as it was closed file"
"The business/quality question; my business experience is minimal, and I didn't want to make claims I couldn't support."
"Faculty interviewer probed gaps in application- tough but fair questions. But on follow ups to my answers to the scenario-kept pressing the point. I managed to keep my composure but felt a bit flustered. That was the most stressful part for me-I wasn't sure if I was being tested to see how I would react to stress, or if my answers really weren't adequate."
"What was the most difficult thing you've had to overcome?"
"Everything was pretty straightforward. Only weird thing was that the faculty interview was a lot more chill than the student interview, but that was just my draw."
"What's the difference between wet and dry AMD (age-related macular degeneration)? (I work in an AMD research lab.. so it's not random)."
"How do you handle stress? (No question was very difficult.)"
"The escalating ethical scenarios that the interviewer proposed after I gave each answer (for example, "Ok, now what if the *patient* didn't think it was necessary?")"
"What will you do with your MD? I'm not asking your specialty, but what will you do with it."
"None, very very straightforward. Basically just going through my activities."
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"Mainly just the 4th year student with alcohol on his breath question."
"How to fix healthcare system?"
"I wish they had asked me more... The faculty guy asked a lot about my research. The student and I just talked... no formal questions. "
"Do you think students who score below a 10 on the verbal section in the MCAT should be allowed to go to medical school? (I didn't score below a 10)"
"Faculty: What's a common misconception people have about you?"
"this wasn't hard... but i guess i would say what do you think would be the greatest challenge in working in a team?"
"Nothing really...oh yea, if you caught your friend cheatin in an exam, what would you do? I think that was at case...hmmm...lol"
"No real difficult questions...just come prepared to talk more about stuff in your personal statement/secondary. They seemed really interested in my psych research, which I was a little surprised about, seeing as how it's psychology-based, not science-based. I honestly found the student interview a little more difficult (which is extra ironic considering my faculty interview was with the director), probably because I dont think it really flowed that well, and my interviewer (although she was super nice after the interview) really fluctuated between animated and deadpan a lot..was pretty interesting."
"What do you want to talk about? (About half of the time was spent doing what I mentioned)."
"none"
"What is professionalism?"
"It sounds like you are pretty sold on research why not just the PhD?"
"How would respond if a patient asked you to do something that was against your beliefs?"
"How do you define professionalism?"
"Why Cleveland?"
"Tell me about your extracurriculars (open file interview...)"
"Why do you think you would make a good doctor?"
"No difficult questions. Interview was not structured. "
"Why do think you're grades were so much better in your post-bac program?"
"Nothing was really out of left field or difficult. "
"What else do you want to know about....this question was asked about 5 times."
"What has been your biggest disappointment in life?"
"He mentioned my low science GPA, but then kind of answered the question himself by considering my MCAT science scores. "
"nothing really difficult"
"What do you hope to get out of your medical school education? (ummm...a degree that allows me to practice medicine?)"
"What challenges will you personally face during your first year of medical school?"
"nothing"
"What will you do if you don't get into medical school?"
"Tell me your life story from college until now. (He then looked down at the paper and gave no sign of response to anything I said.)"
"iraq opinion"
"Nothing difficult."
"Same as my interesting question"
"They were all light hearted"
"Why not psychology? Or something else that works with people?"
"What does empathy mean to you?"
"my future career timeline, all the way to 50 years from now!"
"Wasn't asked anything difficult."
"Besides dropping out of college, what do you feel was your greatest disappointment? (This was specific to my situation and he took away my prepared answer)"
"Why come to Cleveland? (shouldn't be hard but I was really turned off by the area)"
"What is your biggest failure?"
"nothing really . . . my interviewer did most of the talking. "
"What do you think I should know about you that we haven't discussed. "
"Do you think you could learn in a small group setting such as the one that is used in the new WR2 curriculum?"
"Specific question about my research"
"hypothetical situation- you're a doctor who has just told an elderly patient that her latest lab results show she has three months to live, you leave her room after telling her to find a group of people who say they are her family and want to know how she is doing. what do you do?"
"There were none"
"Didn't have any difficult questions."
"How well do you feel like your learning style fits in with Case's curriculum? (Their curriculum is very different than other schools, and I hadn't learned about it much before I got there.) "
"What has been your greatest NON-ACADEMIC failure/success in life?"
"Do you have any prejudices or biases? Please explain."
"If someone came to you for treatment and could not pay, would you still treat them and why?"
"None."
"[Student interviewer] You mentioned your interest in health law and policy. Why not simply pursue that? Why do you feel the need to become a physician to do what you want to do?"
"It was very open ended, my interviewer talked pretty much about the school and his dept. "
"Suppose you are a doctor. You just got test results back for an elderly female patient and the prognosis is not good. You finish telling her that she has 2 months to live, and when you leave the room, a group of eager people approach saying they are the family and asking you what the status is. What do you do?"
"None of the questions were really difficult."
"How do you feel about doing required research?"
"So what happened in college? - see above"
"Why was your MCAT verbal score so low? What happened in your thermodynamics course...you got a C?"
"None were hard. Perhaps why Case?"
"What are the top three problems with our health care system?"
"What are the top three things about yourself that you hope to get across in this interview?"
"Why should Case choose you?"
"Describe a challenge you have faced and how you dealt with it."
""Tell me about a disappointment in your life and how you handled it." I could not for the life of me come up with anything worthwhile to talk about."
"What was one problem you have overcome and how did you go about doing it?"
"What do you want to convey in the next 45 minutes?"
"None of the questions were overly difficult. They were all very fair and well though out."
"Same as above."
"Name the three biggest problems in U.S. Health Care right now. (I HATE healthcare questions...they're so subjective)"
"Why do you want to be a doctor? "
"Same as most interesting question."
"Was there an ethical issue you encountered in your shadowing experience?"
"Why did you apply to Case?"
"none. They were all very warm and friendly."
"How would you react if you were working with a group in a clinic/hospital and someone scolded and insulted you in public?"
"How do you think you will handle being back in school?"
"Do you think that you will adjust well to medical school and especially to the new curriculum at Case? How will you handle the workload?"
"None really."
"Probably about my research. One of the Ph.Ds got a little picky about it. Not too much though. "
"How do you feel about the medical care being given to the victims of the recent hurricanes?"
"I am really bad at the tell me about yourself question."
"Explain your grades after your junior year?"
"What else do you want to tell me?"
"It was all pretty straightforward"
"we had a discussion on medical malpractice and the ways in which the legal profession impacts the medical profession but this comes from my background as a lawyer."
"what is it about becoming an doctor that excites you? "
"I was asked to account for a percieved lack of extracurricular activities on my AMCAS app."
"Honestly, it felt just like talking to a good friend. The interviewer was very relaxed and seemed intersted in me attending Case."
"What happened on the verbal section? (I did really well on all the other parts of the MCAT and bombed this section comparatively.)"
"no difficult questions really "
"Nothing."
"From what plant genus can you obtain the drug you worked with in your lab?"
"same as above"
"No question proved to be especially hard"
"See above."
"How can Case teach you to become a successful doctor? "
"ditto"
"Same as above...it was tough to follow what he was saying because he went on for a few minutes about these different types of doctors and wasn't too clear."
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Medical school is very difficult. Do you think you can really handle it? The question itself wasn't that hard, but after I explained why I thought I could handle it (I thrive in academically challenging situations, I'm good at prioritizing what is important to me, I have a good support network), he said, "Yeah, great. But do you really think you can handle it? It seemed as though he didn't think I could, which didn't make sense considering my stats and my academic record."
"Lots of questions on detailed background information on research that I had done a year earlier. How the hell should I know??"
"Mostly very detailed questions regarding my research"
"nothing really that I hadn't gotten before"
"When is a time you had to choose between two outcomes that were both negative and what did you do?"
"none realy.....all questions came from our conversation or straight out of application (AMCAS and secondary.....so read over them before coming)"
"Why aren't you using your degrees? (I have a BS in biochem and EMT-B certification and I do clerical work at a doctor's office.)"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years. I cracked a joke and asked, "emotionally?" I know you are supposed to be serious, but I couldn't resist."
"Above"
"What is one thing that you regret doing?"
"no difficult questions."
"What happened with your MCAT scores?"
"You are coming from California. Why move to Cleveland?"
"N/A"
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years? - this was tough because my answer would have been different if i was talking about this school or the other 4-year schools. I kind of wish it had been "15-20 years""
"What did you learn about physicians and their patients from volunteering in the hospital?"
"can't remember so much, they were all so bland"
"Why haven't you done research?"
"none- there were very few actual questions, it was truly just a conversation"
"same"
"What was my least favorite class I've taken?"
"very standard questions"
"How are you going to decide among medical schools?"
"What does your GPA tell me about you?"
"Did you ever face an academic problem and how did you handle it?"
"No difficult questions really, very relaxed."
"He asked if I knew the name of the guy who discovered this family of proteins. It was related to my research, but I had no idea."
"What's a disappointment you've had and what did you learn from it?"
"What's your opinion on the Bush administration's involvement in Iraq?"
"Detailed questions extrapolated from my research experiences"
"I don't think any were too difficult to answer."
"none were difficult; interview was conversational, so besides the standard questions, we talked about sports, exercising, and my being bilingual"
"why would you be willing to float the extra $ to go to case?"
"My interviewer went through my file very meticulously, asking about every line of my AMCAS application: every grade, every date (submission dates, etc), every word."
"Why medicine? "
"Why do you want to be in Cleveland?"
"The most difficult was a "why case?" question which wasn't really difficult at all. "
"None: It was all about me and what I'm doing"
"What is your stance on the US vs Iraq and US vs Korea situations?"
"none really the questions were basically conversational. The questions were geared towards a better understanding of how you interact with people in general, not about your credentials or what you have done thus far."
"The interviewer asked a lot of political questions regarding the U.S. stance against Iraq, N. Korea, and current conflicts in the middle east. I found this question difficult because I did not want to offend the Interviewer's personal political stance. Although I was able to walk the fine "middle" line, I thought it was a bit unfair..."
"The most interesting question was the same as the most difficult."
"Before we end the interview, is there anything else you'd like to tell me about yourself?....I felt like I should say something."
"Biggest challenge in medicine"
"None really..."
"Not applicable. See interview summary."
"Why Case?"
"Nothing really, though she asked about what I considered to be the biggest problem in healthcare. As long as you've thought about that, you should be fine."
"no difficult questions!"
"What is the most difficult part of your job? (I'm an RA)"
"Why did your sophomore year grades suck?"
"How did you choose which schools to apply to? And why Case Western?"
"Why dentistry?"
"See above"
"None, really, the interview is what you make of it considering that they only ask you these questions. The rest of the time is conversational and you are asking the questions about Case."
"Why do you want to be a Dentist. Although you know why it is hard to tell others, I had to work alot on this one before I went."
"Researched the school, mock interviews"
"Mock interviews &"
"Practice interviews"
"SDN interview feedback, read over application and my research"
"Read over my application and researched the school"
"Mock interviews with other pre-meds"
"Read this page"
"Reviewed application, read about the school."
"Re-read AMCAS."
"I read my application, practiced talking about my application out loud (to my dog), did a practice interview with a mentor, and read up about the school and the program to think of questions to ask them"
"Read app, asked my host questions"
"Looked over my app"
"I looked over my AMCAS application."
"Reviewed my application, had a beer and relaxed!"
"Read, practiced, talked to current students."
"Reread AMCAS, secondary; looked up information about the school"
"Re-read my essays"
"Visited the associated hospitals the weekend before, re-read my secondary application questions, read about the schools WR2 curriculum, etc."
"Read this website, thinking about why I want to be a doc, etc"
"I read about healthcare, including the Affordable Care Act, but I wasn't asked anything about it by my interviewers. I also went over my application."
"read over the interview feedback here and made a list of frequently asked questions, read over my primary and secondary applications a lot, reviewed my research"
"Looked over these surveys, prepared answers for basic questions, read over my application materials, researched the school"
"I have responses typed up for standard questions so I reviewed those, and looked at Case's website."
"Not much, I wasn't extremely excited about this interview so I briefly looked at interview feedback and went on the website so I could answer "why case" and "any questions""
"My application, school website, sdn."
"I read SDN, looked at the Case website and looked over general interview tips."
"I prepared pretty thoroughly, preparing answers for a lot of the questions listed in this website. But I really could have prepared much less for this particular interview."
"Read about the school, went over my AMCAS, mock interview (with video and feedback, best prep in my opinion)"
"read up on the school, on health care, reviewed my AMCAS"
"SDN, primary, secondary, website, students"
"Looked up Case and compiled a list of reasons why I'd want to go to Case as opposed to other schools."
"SDN, reading about school"
"Re-read app, reviewed website, freaked out, etc."
"SDN forums, read over application."
"Read over app, read school's website, practiced with questions from SDN and other sites"
"Reviewed the material on the Case website, reviewed studentdoc comments, prepared answers to the questions "why Case?" and "why do you want to be a doctor?""
"SDN-thank god for it. re-read apps. rehearsed "why medicine" and "Tell me about yourself" in front of mirror. re-read old academic articles. good night's sleep."
"Researching the school, refining interview skills at other interviews"
"SDN, health care reform papers, UWashington bioethics"
"Read SDN, talked with student host, looked at school website."
"Nothing. Already seasoned from previous interviews."
"Reading over SDN, the Case Western site, etc."
"mock interviews, browsed the school's website, prepared questions to ask"
"Re-read application, essays, SDN, arrived a day early to check out the area"
"SDN, review app, consider sedative (unnecessary)."
"Re-read my AMCAS and secondary application and researched a lot about Case online."
"read over app, read their brochures"
"SDN, Read my AMCAS+secondary"
"Read AMCAS, SDN, interview feedback."
"The school's website is full of useful information"
"Reread my application, practiced questions, used SND, talked to my student hosts about the school."
"reread application materials, SDN, read website"
"SDN, checked over my application materials"
"Researching the school on the site, talking to my student host, emailing a 4th year student with questions."
"SDN, Case website, re-read my file, asked student host and 4th years a ton of questions, Zen meditation"
"Read student doctor forum, read about Case Western online"
"SDN, mock interviews"
"Website, SDN Interview feedback, talking with my host Med students. Staying with a host was EXTREMELY helpful. They gave me much more insight into the school."
"SDN Interview feedback, recorded myself in a practice interview, read up about healthcare policies and bioethics, researched about the school, talked to the med students at case"
"Sort of read website, some SDN, reread primary and secondary apps"
"Didn't really"
"School website, review both secondary and primary, SDN, get a good night's sleep"
"Read over website, read bioethics book, read up on health care and current events, SDN"
"Usuals...sdn, amcas"
"Read over my AMCAS app and secondary. Read about research topics. Researched the school via website."
"Talk to students, talk to faculty, read up on their curriculum, their website."
"SDN Reviews, looked over application and essays from all of my schools, read up on possible questions and tips, mock interview, prayed."
"nothing"
"The school's website, sdn, amcas and secondary app, mock interviews."
"SDN, mock interviews, practiced questions"
"Read ''Better'' by A. Gawande and ''The End of Medicine'' neither of which go over interviews in the slightest, but I figured both would solid up my understanding of the medical field and how research fits into it."
"Prayed, read AMCAS, looked at website"
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS"
"Books, mock interview, thorough review of their curriculum from their website."
"SDN interview feedback, mock interviews, school website"
"AMCAS, Secondary, Bioethics text, CWRU Website"
"1) read sdn, amcas, my research papers and their website 2) talk to my friend at the school 3) went to my faculty interviewer's personal website - you should definitely do this. i got to ask questions about his research a little bit, and he seemed impressed about how prepared i was :) "
"mock interview, sdn, case website, re-reading amcas"
"SDN, website, practiced with friends, reviewed AMCAS and my research papers"
"SDN feedback, reading the school website, writing up questions to ask"
"read this site, read AMCAS, looked at school website"
"Case website"
"SDN, interview book, practice interviews with my girlfriend."
"SDN, school website, reviewed abstracts of PIs with whom I interviewed. "
"read over sample interview questions. really thought about my motivations for applying - both to CASE and med school in general. read new york times"
"SDN, reading the news, case website"
"SDN, website, mock-interview, reviewed my application"
"Useful preparation: SDN interview feedback, talked to friend at Case, Case website. Not useful: reviewed basic biochem, read some articles about my previous research. "
"SDN interview feedback, reviewed AMCAS and sedondary application, reviewed my research (it's been awhile since I've done any), explored their website"
"Researched the school through their website and SDN."
"read my application and looked at the school website"
"SDN, school website, friend already at school"
"AMCAS, SDN, read through Case website"
"sdn, case website"
"Mock interview, previous interview, SDN, reviewed secondary, read materials."
"reviewed AMCAS, SDN, read up about health care crisis and other health issues."
"Reviewed my research"
"SDN"
"SDN, career center questions"
"SDN feedback, school website, Wikipedia, Google."
"Read interview feedback, practiced mock interview questions, read application, stressed out a lot as this was my first interview."
"SDN, website"
"this website, school website, reviewed my application materials"
"read SDN feedback and Case site"
"SDN, read my AMCAS, reviewed health care class notes"
"Went to the Case website, read the brochure, looked on sdn etc."
"SDN, previous interviews"
"SDN, Case website, reviewed my application"
"read over case website, interview feedback"
"Interview feedback, reviewed AMCAS, googled my interviewer"
"SDN, AMCAS application, secondary, internet, etc."
"Read SDN, read through Case information, re-read my secondary application."
"Studied apps, had friends ask me sample questions."
"Looked at www.interviewfeedback.com, re-read my application, and read the mailed materials."
"SDN, interview feedback, school website"
"SDN, MSAR, AMCAS, secondary essays, student host, website, materials given by mail and before interview, Economist (my scheduled faculty interviewer is a researcher in the Dept of Global Health, and I have a degree in Economics), listen to NPR daily"
"SDN, School website (school brochure they gave me had all the information that was on their website), a good night's sleep"
"Read practice questions on the internet."
"I read their brochure."
"studied website, AMCAS, secondary"
"SDN and reviewed application material"
"website, google, reread app"
"Read over all questions posted on feedback from this cycle. Scan my secondary essays. Prepare answers - most of the time to questions that are never asked. Spend 10 minutes in the mirror psyching myself up. You are the Man - is my mantra"
"Read my secondary essays, looked at the Case website."
"SDN,read over secondary and reviewed my research "
"It was my first interview and I prepared as much as I can but the interview turned out to be very laid back and all that preparation wasn't really necessary. Just be prepared to answer the question - why Case?"
"SDN, school website"
"Read my application, Case website, and studentdoctor.net"
"Read over essays and application and Case's website"
"read AMCAS, secondary essays, Case website"
"SDN, read interviewer bio, Case website"
"sdn feedback, read the website, reviewed my secondary"
"Read application, SDN, experience from previous interviews"
"reviewed essays and bio of interviewer"
"Read AMCAS, student doctor feedback, helath policy book, current events arrticles, info about school."
"Read amcas, etc. Looked up interviewer's bio."
"SDN, reviewed my app, read about Case"
"SDN interview feedback, read over my application & supplementary essays"
"students, AMCAS, secondary. "
"SDN, prior interviews, secondary, amcas, school website"
"read a bit about the school"
"Read everything from the Princeton review medical school book to interview advice on monster.com"
"Look at school website, SDN Interview Feedback, and I also had a strong background in US Health Care Policy."
"got sick and didn't sleep well"
"sdn, intransit, reviewed research"
"Read my application, SDN, read current event articles, CWRU website."
"Student doctor.com, read my AMCAS and secondary"
"Look over everything. Oh yeah, for anyone going on any interview: you don't need a prada suite to impress your interviewer. For the most part, no one even looked at what I was wearing."
"read the website, my essays"
"Case website, info they mailed, talked to a doc who went there."
"this website, case's website/info, friend"
"SDN, school website, re-read AMCAS and secondary applications"
"Read over my research, essay responses, answered interview questions online, practiced in front of a mirror. "
"This website, reviewed my research and secondaries"
"SDN, reviewed AMCAS and secondary, reviewed my research articles, read several healthcare related books."
"SDN, talked to students, read, website"
"Looked over AMCAS, secondary, and reviewed my research."
"I researched the school and found different practice questions"
"Browsed SDN and school website, read over my personal statement"
"schools website, SDN"
"reviewed application"
"Read up on my app and research. Looked up the school's site, SDN"
"reviewed app, read SDN and case websites"
"school website. studies my amcas application. went to the rock and roll hall of fame! its awesome! you gotta go if you're in cleveland!"
"SDN, school's website, prayer."
"Slept."
"SDN, Reviewed App., web-sitee "
"Looked over Case's website, read sd.net."
"Re-read my statements. Should have spent much more time reviewing my research."
"read my app, looked at case's website"
"SDN, Case webpage, read application "
"Reread application. Psyched myself out -you're the best you you can be!"
"Read everything I could about the school, the hospital. Looked over all my research, re-read all of my publications (i hear ppl are skipping this? DO IT!!!), read my CV and read my AMCAS and their application...."
"SDN review questions"
"I looked over the Case website, AMCAS app, Secondary App, my research work, feedback questions on this site, informational sheets provided by The Career Center at U of M, and a website on my interviewer (they tell you who you are interviewing with). I was also running out of time, so I voice recording important info. into my MP3 player to listen and memorize during my 3 hr. drive to Case (yes, I give you permission to laugh at me, but it honestly helped)."
"read over application and SDN"
"this website, the case website, spoke with a case grad who works at the cleveland clinic"
"read SDN, read my AMCAS, the secondary, Case website, etc."
"At CCLCM the previous day. Little additional preparation."
"Read over my essays, looked at Case's website, read SDN."
"Med school info books, asked student host"
"read Case website, SDN interview feedback"
"Read the school's MSTP site - it's probably one of the entertaining out there. Reread applications."
"This was my fourth interview - I read the news, mock interview"
"Read SDN, Case's website, talked to and e-mailed students, read up on healthcare issues, watched news for current events."
"I was there for the summer program so already knew pretty much everything bu talking to students at that time ...visited this site, Case's website "
"this site, reviewed my app and the SOM's website, mock interviews (one with a friend and one with a friend of my parents' who interviews for a different med school)"
"I read their website. Spoke to a student and stayed with a student the night before so that helped me think of some questions."
"Read feedback and forums, Case website, contacted students"
"SDN, website, etc."
"Reviewed my AMCAS and Case secondary. I had a hard time finding info on the school other than provided by MSAR"
"I'd like to say I went to the flats but I was on my best behavior, as my family was there, so I had a giant piece of chocolate cake the night before"
"Studentdoctor.net, I met with current medical students that attend that school, I looked over my amcas application"
"Case website, MSAR, SDN"
"SDN, AMCAS and Secondary essays, Reviewed health-related current events, Reveiwed CWRU web site, Researched the work of the interviewer."
"Talked with my student host the night before."
"Reviewed my file, talked to current students I know. "
"peruse the website"
"I read SDN, skimmed my personal statement, spoke to current students, & read the CWRU website."
"Reviewed my AMCAS and supplemental applications"
"Read my secondary, had my CCLCM interview the day before. "
"Read about their different programs on the internet and pamphlets given to me"
"CCLCM brochure, website, SDN"
"School website, talked to friend who goes there, review AMCAS app"
"Reread my AMCAS and secondary, Case website, went over the details of my research, SDN"
"talked to a case med student"
"Read SDN and looked at Case's website. "
"SDN, website, viewbook"
"read website, SDN, etc"
"Reviewed my application materials and searched SDN."
"website"
"SDN, school's website."
"read SDN, read school website"
"talking to case students, apps (1ry, 2ry),sdn"
"Read brochure in mail, emailed med students, reviewed AMCAS"
"This website, Case's website, talked to my student host."
"read interview feedback. read over application."
"read over my application"
"Printed directions to Cleveland."
"Didn't really. For the politics questions, I inadvertently prepared for those by listening to NPR while at work."
"I looked over my AMCAS application, read an article that my interviewer wrote, and made sure I understood the school's basic info (curriculum, etc.)."
"sdn, case's website, read up on current issues in medicine"
"Mock interview; Following the news; SDN website; Case's website; Talking to students from Case"
"Read papers of my (PhD) interviewers, reviewed my research, practiced answering typical questions"
"Reviewed AMCAS (he knew my personal statement pretty thoroughly), CWRU website, SDN."
"Reading this site, reading anything I could find on medical school interviews, thinking about how to make my responses very positive and confident."
"SDN, website, reading over my application, practicing answering questions"
"coffee and oatmeal"
"Read up about my interviewers, asked my boss what he thought about the school/people there (he finished his PhD there). "
"Case Western web site, student doctor"
"Read SDN, MSAR, Mock interview. "
"website, literature/viewbook"
"Looked at info on their web site, looked over my personal statement and read Sir Theodore Fox's "Purposes of Medicine" sdn was down before my interview :("
"Read SDN feedback, read up about the school, reviewed my secondary"
"Their web site isn't up yet, so I just reviewed my application and talked with my host a lot to learn more about the school"
"I go to Case undergrad so I already knew everything about the school, so I just reviewed the web page, looked over my app and got a good nights sleep."
"The CWRU web site, this website. "
"SDN, read over my AMCAS, website"
"Read the website. Read over my AADSAS application the night before."
"Read site + secondary"
"Called and spoke with Case Western med. students"
"Reviewed everything about the school to prepare for the question "Why Case?""
"Read the CWRU website thoroughly, SDN postings, interview feedback "
"Read over my AMCAS and application, SDN, read over a list I made of my strengths and weaknesses, looked at the school's website"
"Not much--reread my supplemental, relaxed."
"I just read about Case's curriculum, why it was for me. "
"I'm from Cleveland originally so I know a lot about Case already. I looked at the website extensively and I know some current and former students. In general, I made sure I could answer the traditional questions they're known to ask: why medicine, why case, why cleveland..."
"internet, read about Case"
"checked interview feedback, got a good sleep :-)"
"SDN, Web Page, Talking to current students and faculty"
"Read all of their materials, researched on SDN, tried to find out about my interviewer since they gave me his name."
"Asked the SDN forums what they knew about Case, read their website."
"Read the website, and information that was sent to me."
"Read Case' website, interviewfeedback.com"
"Mock interviews, friends, school's website, and interview feedback"
"Read articles written by all of my interviewers (I usually did a PubMed search whenever I knew my interviewer's names) Read through the stuff they gave me, talked to friends who are students at CWRU."
"I read about the school and the area. I also brought a copy of my DAT scores and my personal statement so I could remember what I had written."
"The students were awesome and seemed very happy to be there."
"facilities and new building"
"The new Health Education Building is absolutely incredible. The architect for it was the same guy who designed the new Apple Campus, and you can definitely tell. It is super futuristic, the classrooms are amazing, and the technology is so cool. The IQ curriculum seems super beneficial, and it gives students a ton of flexible time. School is located next to four incredible hospitals, including one of the best hospitals in the whole country."
"The campus is beautiful and everyone seems to really love the curriculum"
"How laid back the day was"
"Beautiful new building and happy, fun students"
"Super collaborative environment, students said that it was the "easiest medical school in America" because the environment was so low-stress"
"Clinical location, new building, hololens curriculum."
"The students seemed friendly and collegial. The school seems focused on the future--it's building a new campus and is transitioning to holograms (!) for anatomy. The clinical training is phenomenal. The area around Case is surprisingly nice, with museums, restaurants, etc."
"Every part of the interview day impressed me from start to finish. The facilities, curriculum, affiliate hospitals, current students, admissions committee members, every part of the day exceeded my expectations"
"Lots of free time for studying and research"
"admissions staff were incredibly friendly and lively"
"The director of admissions, Mr. Essman, sent me a personal email after the interview with an answer to a question I had asked in a large group Q&A time. I was impressed that he remembered my name and my question, and took the time to email me with the response later."
"The enthusiasm of the student's with Case's curriculum and their classmates. The admissions staff were all absolutely wonderful to applicants. Honestly, everyone just seemed happy to be there and it was incredibly refreshing."
"Reputation that I read about online."
"Amazing curriculum and students. Faculty were also really friendly."
"Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital, Awesome research facilities."
"Hospitals, student vibe, nearby area (pleasantly surprised at old architecture, lots of restaurants and cultural feel)"
"Friendliness of the admissions office. Getting breakfast!"
"They were really friendly and their presentation was nice and laid-back."
"My interviewers were very nice!"
"the students seemed very laid back and very happy with their choice to attend case, the curriculum seemed very fitting for my learning style, and the hospital systems are great"
"Everyone was super friendly and seemed to like being there, there is no shortage of research opportunities, you can choose where you want to do each of your clerkships/electives since Case has 4 teaching hospitals all to itself"
"Cleveland Clinic"
"students seemed really relaxed and friendly and seemed to really like it; the hospitals; my student interviewer was a last-minute sub but asked really interesting questions"
"The curriculum, the people, the facilities, the opportunities"
"Students were very happy, balanced, collaborative. Cheap cost of living, good enough public transportation"
"Curriculum, friendliness of the people"
"The students were welcoming and engaging, despite the first years being in an exam week. Also, the admissions director was extremely enthusiastic about the school and what it had to offer. Which was impressive and different from other schools I had visited."
"The admissions committee are people who really want to optimize their education."
"The amazing Center for Global Health and Diseases, small group dynamics, examination procedure, subsidized loans from Case that last through residency, variety of dual degree options"
"friendly interviewers, really really enthusiastic student body, awesome curriculum, lots of chances to do special programs"
"Friendly students and staff."
"Curriculum flexibility"
"Their curriculum which fosters an independent pursuit of the material."
"students very enthusiastic"
"Everything! Case blew my mind. The IQ, class from 8-12, students have so much free time and end up doing a ton of other things, the facilities, the research opportunities, the Cleveland Clinic, and on and on and on."
"Probably the most professional interview day I've been on - very impressive how it was structurally laid out. Strictly pass/fail and no class rank whatsoever was very impressive"
"The availability of dual M.S. programs, the research opportunities, how comprehensive small group sessions could be, the built-in four-month thesis time, two hours of Anatomy lab every other week, Cleveland traffic, Cleveland symphony orchestra."
"The students are so happy! There is time outside of class to be involved in other things. IQ is cool."
"I absolutely loved this school!! The curriculum is amazing in how it brings together the biology of disease and the social and behavioral contexts of medicine. The research opportunities it offers are essentially endless. Students have the opportunity to do their clinical training at all four of the main Cleveland medical centers (Case University Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Metrohealth, VA) during their time as medical students. Case offers great opportunities to help provide medical care to underserved people both in Cleveland and throughout the world. Finally, I felt that the students and faculty here are really warm, friendly, and respectful, and that students are more interested in helping each other out than competing with each other. This creates an environment that I would love to be immersed in during medical school."
"open and friendly students-they seemed enthusiastic about the curriculum. the IQ groups do seem like a good way to start "thinking like a doctor" early on. Interviewers really listened to my answers and were prepared."
"How dedicated everyone is to wellness and community, as well as education and innovation. Every faculty member I met was really cool and involved in so many levels of the students' lives."
"Students were really down to earth and happy. Curriculum is the main draw for me! Cleveland Clinic is pretty awesome. Nice surrounding neighborhood. Great research resources."
"Obviously the clinical opportunities are outstanding, with University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and Rainbow Babies. Students and faculty love the school, everyone seems like a family. Faculty seem very accessible, and I dig the societies system. Seems like a great way to meet people easily. "
"Technology, small class session, opportunities and clinical rotations, everything about the school!"
"Everyone there is so friendly, and they are very in depth about their curriculum. I loved it!"
"The interviews were very laid-back--no difficult or offensive questions. Everyone, from the admissions office staff to the students to the faculty, seemed genuinely friendly and happy to be at Case. "
"Variety of clinical opportunities (University Hospital, Rainbow Babies, Cleveland Clinic, etc.), museums and opera are adjacent to campus and students get free admission as well as deep discounts, very cool curriculum involving lots of PBL, independent learning, limited time spent in lecture"
"Very open, very honest, very impressive."
"The friendliness of the admissions staff, the other interviewees on my day, the enthusiasm of my faculty interviewer, and the amazing curriculum."
"faculty, research"
"The amount of students I saw in the hallways and the admissions office. This was the first school that walked me to a meeting room and made me sit in on a small group discussion."
"Admissions office was great, there's fantastic clinical experience, people were very friendly, student interviewer gave me a really positive sense of the school. "
"The curriculum is amazing. I love that there's only 4 hours of class per day, afternoons are free, no class on Thursdays, and the IQ groups. The school's the only medical school in Cleveland, which means the very large and diverse patient population gets treated at Case. If you are into peds, Rainbow is amazing. If you want to see tons of uninsured patients with all sorts of crazy problems, they have MetroHealth. If you want to see the most advanced treatments to diseases that can't be cured anywhere else, Cleveland Clinic is right there. The required research block fits my own interests. Early clinical exposure, integration of public health into curriculum etc. are also positive highlights"
"Great program with lots of flexibility and self-guided learning. Everyone is very friendly and happy."
"The curriculum seems really well thought-through and balanced. Really loved the emphasis on "adult learning" w/ students being responsible for their own education. Opportunity to rotate through a lot of great hospitals"
"The campus is really nice and everyone was really friendly. The curriculum seems innovative and something I could really excel with."
"The school, curriculum, clinical and research opportunities. The students there were also great - felt like I would fit in very well."
"The admissions office, how friendly and enthusiastic the students were, low cost of living in Cleveland, the other interviewees (who all just seemed really happy/friendly)"
"Interviews were completely conversational and actually fun. The school really values collaboration and leadership, and seems to genuinely look closely at fit."
"The program, the welcome speech, the students."
"How friendly everyone is. How laid back the school is, and flexible it is."
"The school was extremely impressive. The interview day is very well organized, everything seems crisp and well put together. The students I stayed with seemed really happy with the program, and the doctors I talked with seemed very proud to be where they are at. I also liked the IQ groups that Case uses, rather than a solely lecture based teaching style. Finally, the curriculum seems great. Access to amazing hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, anyone?"
"The supportive environment of the school. The responsiveness and friendliness of the admissions office. The general feel of the student body as well as the school."
"The weather was better than I expected. Cleveland has a lot of vegetation, trees, etc. The campus and facilities were both more beautiful and more charming (even if old) than I expected. The small groups seemed productive and cooperative."
"EVERYTHING. The curriculum is the greatest ever, and the faculty seem really nice and approachable, and the students are super-friendly and responsive. No competition! Pass/fail! Great board scores! Patient interaction! "
"hospitals were great, students were extremely friendly, admissions staff and interviewers were friendly and chill."
"The enthusiasm and the energy that everyone had! I loved interacting with everyone I met. I got so pumped up from them."
"Everything. Really really really good school and the new curriculum is spectacular. Everyone loves it there and is geniunely happy...administration is out for your best. you go to class like 3 times a week form like 8 to 12...then you're done. Pretty sweet place really.."
"Everyone was very warm and laidback. The students all seem motivated, unstressed, and happy to be there."
"It's like a big family here..people are really out to boost each other and build each other up. Faculty is very responsive and encouraging/generous. It's just a great place to be overall, I really hope things work out for me on Oct 15th and I can call this place home next year."
"Everyone was so gung ho about Case's new program. The students really felt like it was better, and I was told that the first batch of students to complete it are doing phenomenal."
"The students were very friendly. The facilities are pretty sweet."
"The students i met. They were friendly, and they all seemed to work together and get along pretty well. Also, the interviewer was very nice."
"The facilities were IMMACULATELY unreal, like they had been built last year or something. Students seemed laid-back and happy. They seemed content with their decision. Ellen and Christian are suuuuuper nice. I felt so welcome by them. They went out of their way to help me on many different occasions (too embarrassed to mention them) but it warmed me up to the school a lot. Case as a whole seemed like they wanted to get to know the whole person not just their numbers/accomplishments. Dr. Mehta made us all go around in a circle and tell something interesting about ourselves."
"The setup of the school, the flexibility and desire for improvement almost all of the staff had. How close the 4 cooperative hospitals were and how nice the area was. After the train ride, I was a little suspicious."
"great people, pass fail system, amazing integration of all the different ways of learning (lecture, CBL, and small group)"
"the students were really nice"
"Details about the non-traditional curriculum."
"students are really happy"
"Student/faculty enthusiasm and support"
"small/medium groups. you can take any undergraduate classes for free. i'm thinking about taking some anatomy classes through this. even though, the school building looks old, the hospitals look very nice. as we all know cleveland clinic, university hospital and rainbow babies are great hospitals! cheap living expense. etc "
"People in Cleveland are incredibly nice and polite. Trees around Case are really beautiful, as are the suburbs (huge, gorgeous, cheap houses). Administration's willingness to self-reflect and put investment into new, risky, wonderful curriculum. Students' virtually unanimous opinion that the ''people'' at Case are the best asset of the school. Lots of surprisingly good ethnic food. Support for any kind of research venture."
"the curriculum and the people"
"The student interviewer was very enthusiastic and honest about the school."
"the curriculum is awesome! I loved the space that is reserved for research"
"It's affiliated with some amazing hospitals."
"1) Case Western sits in the affluent Cleveland Heights. 2) the M1's that I sat next to during lecture was funny."
"The staff, faculty and students were all incredibly friendly. The students seemed really happy and laid-back. There is an attitude of collaboration rather than competition. Most of the interviews were more like conversations."
"the "pregnant patient" program. during first year you get a pregnant patient and follow them to all prenatal visits and then to their childs pediatric visits."
"case is the only medical school in the cleveland area, students are all laid back and the camaraderie is great"
"The large amount of opportunities in a variety of specialties because Case is the only med school in Cleveland"
"1) Case's affiliation with four established health care systems. 2) Laid-back attitude of students (some could see this as a negative). 3) Focus of new curriculum on small group learning and longitudinal clinical experience. 4) Friendliness of admissions office. 5) Low cost of living. 6) Lots of pretty trees."
"Case seems really student centered and receptive to student feedback about the new curriculum"
"The current students were super friendly and helpful; admissions staff is great. Good food. Amazing hospital system in Cleveland."
"The enthusiasm of the students and the interviews for the school and medicine as a career. "
"School of medicine is completely wireless, so you can take your laptop anywhere. Great hospitals. "
"The students all loved it there and their curriculum really gives students flexibility in terms of actual class time."
"Curriculum is well designed, excitement and friendliness of staff and students, beautiful hospitals, the campus and area were nicer than I had expected from people's comments, diversity of interview group..."
"students very nice"
"Students really love the school; lots of patient contact in the first two years"
"The admissions staff, Rainbow Babies, the program in general."
"The facilities, the student body"
"The very pleasant staff, and students. The school has a strong support system for students and really wants everyone to do well."
"curriculum, students, hospitals, faculty"
"this is the most progressive medical school in the country, and the clinical experiences abound. everyone, including the students, was quirky+fun and approachable."
"The medical campus is absolutely phenomenal. The new curriculum is fantastic. The students are extraordinarily friendly and happy."
"The facilities are incredible, and I didn't even get to see the nicer hospitals that they rotate through. The students, staff, and faculty were all very nice throughout the day. Very organized day for us to see a good amount of things. I liked the faculty interview because it was very conversational. The curriculum is very well planned and the medical students are happy about it."
"Enthusiastic faculty and students, awesome hospitals"
"University Hospital and Rainbow Babies hospital were very impressive facilities. "
"The students were very excited and friendly and the facilities were amazing. "
"Everyone was really friendly, the faculty seemed very open and receptive to the students, and I really like their curriculum (which you should read about before you go)."
"Students seemed really happy and laid back"
"EVERYTHING! I did not expect to like Case so much. The facilities looked great. The hospitals were very impressive. And both of my interviewers really impressed me. All of the students were great. "
"Interesting new curriculum, friendly people"
"very happy students, very caring faculty and staff"
"Curriculum is very innovative and PBL to the extreme"
"the students, the overall organization of our day"
"the new curriculum seems amazing, the facilities are nice and all of the students are friendly and enthusiastic"
"The school is absolutely amazing. Everyone is really friendly and the facilities are awesome."
"Students are happy, curriculum is amazing, loved the campus. Overall a very good experience!"
"Just about EVERYTHING. Everyone was so enthusiastic and happy to have us there. It seems like Case really listens to their students and treats them as equals. It's as if all the things they tell you in the brochures are actually TRUE! Also, the hospitals (University and RainbowBabies) are joined to the"
"I got to see two amazing classes, the university is connected to four AMAZING hospitals, clinical experience in the first year is extensive."
"Everyone seemed very happy there. Deans were friendly and wanted to get to know students."
"everything, really. the University Circle/Cleveland Heights area is both ethnically and culturally diverse. Cleveland Clinic is the $hit, and so is Rainbow Babies. students are satisfied with having chosen Case for their educations, and while recent classes have been guinea pigs for the new, revamped curriculum, most agree that the changes have been for the better."
"The faculty and the students. The facilities were nice"
"The flexibility of the program, the ingenuity of the curriculum."
"Everybody there seems to really like the school."
"Rainbow Babies and Children's"
"curricular changes, less time spent during lecture. I got the impression that they really listen to students and are trying to make learning oriented towards small groups."
"Facilities, really cool imaging/microscopy demonstration, the student I stayed with was extremely nice."
"Everything! Everyone was extremely helpful. There was very minimum down time, and I really like the new curriculum. Case has a true pass/fail system so the students really help each other."
"facilities, attitude of students and staff, organization of the day, lectures, pro cut anatomy labs?, great architecture"
"Case is top school. But they are on the up. They used to compete with CCF, now they have a collaborative relationship. This stands to profit the students. Also they have true pass/fail. The students still match competitively. And heard numerous stories about how case 3/4 years would do rotations at other hospitals and would be lightyears ahead in terms of their clinical preparation. All this is a p/f atmosphere... My interviewr had a lot of passion. She loved her life and job, it was great to see a physician talking about the joy of her life as a physician (it sounds corny, but after all the HMO/health reform talk it is good to know someone who wholly endorese the art and practice of a physician with no if, ands, or buts."
"The facilities were even nicer than I expected. The medical campus is a large complex of hospitals, research buildings, etc. The students were very nice, and were forthcomming with information and liked to answer any questions. The curriculum has undergone some changes over the past couple of years, and the end result is a curriculum that I believe I would be compatible with. "
"Everything! The faculty is great, the students are great,the hospital is beautiful....its obvious everyone is happy to be there. "
"Everything. Students came in frequently during the day to talk to us. Faculty members are amazing and seem very professional. University hospital is awesome. I'm surprised people actually complained about having too much "downtime" in other feedbacks and called it unorganized. Why are you in such a hurry? Talk to the students and have fun."
"I thought Case was great. I love how receptive the administration is - it really shows how driven the school is to innovate. Very professional presentation."
"The University hospital was amazing. The students were very friendly and willing to talk to the applicants. "
"Everything was very organized. The staff in the admissions office were very nice and helpful. The tour guides were excellent. The facilities are amazing. They really go out of their way to inform you about the school."
"The deans and admissions staff were very friendly and helpful."
"The school puts a lot of emphasis on self-directed learning, especially with the new curriculum beginning next year with almost no lectures. No spoon-feeding here."
"Really friendly, warm people that seem to have a happy and tight community. Dean Horwitz has great vision for the school and for its student body... it seems like a very forward-thinking place. I like that the curriculum is moving to include more small group learning in addition to lecture, and I looove that the grading is REAL P/F, no honors, no ranking. I would also, most of all, like to give a shout out to the best damn rap session ever ;-)"
"The facilities and students. Everyone seems to be friendly and committed to helping you succeed."
"How relaxed the atmosphere seemed and how much cooperation there is between students."
"The hospitals are awesome. Reasearch opportunities are amazing. The new curriculum is going to be very effective. The overall attitude of the students and the faculty was inspiring."
"nice facilities, enthusiastic students."
"friendly students and staff"
"The P/F system, the new curriculum, the medical center & cleveland clinic, the mph program, and how nice everyone was. The neighborhood around Case (i.e. the Heights) seemed like a chill college neighborhood, affordable with lots of small independently owned stores and restaurants."
"The administrative office was really nice and supportive. "
"student and faculty support. The Dean was amazing!!! The curriculum is new and incorporates more PBL and research. Opportunity to get a dual degree on them."
"the faculty, students, curriculum is great"
"Case is a Mecca for learning!!!"
"Students are really happy, non-competitive atmosphere, nice facilities, Dr. Ralph Horwitz seems intent on changing the world, and enthusiasm on with technology."
"The Dean is very visionary and has a clear and positive direction for the medical school."
"revamped md program requiring thesis for all MDs shortening md/phd program; public health educational experience integrated into md program; amazing facilities (cleveland clinic, university hospital, metro health, veterans); they treat grad students in a manner that lets you get real projects; people in Cleveland are super nice"
"The facilities are incredible. I stayed with a host and had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with a group of students, and I really liked them."
"The facilities and the hospitals, the administration and the students"
"The staff, faculty, and students are all so down-to-earth! The med students there are really pampered. The faculty are all ready to help if help is needed."
"everything. the school has a very innovative mindset and is not afraid to take risks. a very holistic approach to health. the pass/fail grading seems to invite collegiality among students. the administration and faculty both seem very accessible to students. lots of opportunities for clinical and basic science research as well as for dual degrees."
"The hosptials and facilities are nice. The school uses a lot of technology - all the lectures are available online. Good study space. The students all seem to really like it. "
"case's curriculum is really innovative, students are GENUINELY happy to be there and really love the school, the dean was really enthusiastic about all the new changes"
"the facilities, the warmth and enthusiasm of everyone I met, especially the medical school dean who is incredible. very well organized day, great breakfast!"
"Facilities were great, research is pretty hard core there, great teachers and doctors to learn from. They are really intent on becoming a top 10 school."
"Friendly students, great clinical facilities, accessible faculty, new curriculum."
"Open door policy of the administration and faculty, opportunities for service and research, new curriculum, friendly students"
"Facilities were beautiful, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital are amazing places, very friendly, happy students"
"The new curriculum and the ability to mold it to suit your personal preference at the time."
"It was a wonderful day. I liked the faility, my interviewer, the students. I loved everything. Everyone was welcoming"
"Seeing the facilities, the enthusiasm the students have, the curriculum"
"The facilities were nice. Despite being a truly depressing city, the public transportation system in Cleveland is decent"
"excellent research facilities and a very ambitious new dean"
"Everyone seems to love Case a lot and the students and faculty seem to be very excited about the changes going on at the school. The dean has started a research and thesis requirement (doesn't sound like too much work, seem to be similar to an undergrad thesis) and really recommends international rotations, which was pretty exciting. Overall I like the direction Case is going in. The campus is really nice too."
"the students were very enthusiastic, the facilities what I saw of them at least were nice (they are really strict about following the privacy laws so we did not tour the hospitals or anatomy labs). The orientation/information sessions were excellent but would have been better before the interview (the session was after mine)"
"they have a lot of new facilities for the medical school that are really state of the art. the area surrounding the campus is really woodsy and pretty and case is the cultural center of the city. all cultural performances and museums are just outside your door. as a minority applicant, i felt the school was really interested in making me feel welcome. the student national medical association met with us to answer our questions for an hour then one of the students took us to meet the dean of students and the dean of minority affairs. the dean of minority affairs spent a lot of time with us also, giving us an honest perspective of the school, faculty, and students. just the time and consideration they gave us was really wonderful and the school seems like a great place to be for a person of color. also, the deans of admission are two young female physicians so overall the typical white-male dominated image of medicine does not hold at case. they are very very progressive. "
"The interview took place in a beautiful new building and the Case campus seems very nice for a midwestern campus in the middle of the winter."
"The people at Case seemed to really want me to attend their school even more than other schools that would be considered much less prestigious universities. Cleveland seems like an easy place to live relative to other cities. It isn't drastically colder than the Central Midwest where I am from (I've checked on the internet averages). Most people live within walking distance from the school and it is affordable."
"The school was very organized and planned a complete day."
"students, flexibility, and the Dean"
"The newly built research building (where the admissions office was) is beautiful, and Case seems to be well-funded. All students seem to get laptops their first year. The class we sat in on talked about the biology of love, which I though it was a very unique and refreshing topic for a lecture, and the professor seemed very amiable and had an entertaining lecturing style. The Dean of Admissions himself also came to talk to us, which I thought was very flattering and impressive, especially since he was so fascinatingly soft-spoken but appeared very dedicated and driven toward the goals he had for the school."
"Grading in the first two years is P/F. Students have "open" (not necessarily free) time in the afternoon. Lectures are video-recorded and can be downloaded to your laptop. Very wired program. Students were well-spoken and welcoming. School gave you personal space in the medical building (your own desk). Very friendly staff."
"interviewer CARED about my application- it was very conversational (interviewer made his "list" of questions fit into the conversation well) -Case STARTED the systems based learning approach in the '50's!"
"My host was very very chill and nice. The curriculum is amazing and unique. Lots of clinical experience and all pass fail 1st two years. The administration has a great vision and semed very caring ."
"Laid back and easy going feel of the school, despite being a very well respected institution. The lady who helped was joking they used to auto-accept guys who wore khakis and a blazer!"
"Facilities, staff, students, program, everything, Cleveland was surprisingly ok. The ride on the RTA across the bridge!"
"The facilities were excellent"
"The cohesiveness of the students mainly created by the cooperative, as oppose to competitive, atmosphere of the school. The first 2 years are strictly P/F without the ranking of P/F students that some med schools use, which in my opinion defeats the whole purpose of having a P/F curriculum. "
"I really like their curriculum a lot. they are making a lot of changes, which i think are for the better, and they do a good job of integrating the traditional methods of teaching with the newer trends. "
"different curriculum from other schools, given some freedom as students to pursue research, not lectures all day like some other places"
"How nice everyone was."
"Visited a lecture, fun and interesting."
"Everything except the interview itself. I love the program. Being matched with a pregnant patient first year is amazing. The elective program is really flexible and open. You can apply to the MPH program after you enroll. Students seem really happy and unstressed. The Dean is AMAZING! He's so excited and happy to have his job. Hmmm... Yeah, everything about the actual school was impressive."
"The curriculum is well rounded, a diverse group of students who all seem to get along, the facilities are nice"
"pass/fail first two years, shifting toward more research emphasis (each student writes thesis), flexible electives, collegial atmosphere reported by students, nice facilities"
"Cleveland - I expected some sort of wasteland, but it was actually quite pleasant"
"The amount of patient contact you get in the first year, the new patient simulation lab that will be complete this summer, pass/fail"
"It is a very reputable school. Big research facilities and a lot of NIH funding. 70% of the students get their first-choice residency program. Admissions staff were nice. Dean Horowitz is very excited about the new direction of the school and he is also very friendly. Student tour guides were friendly."
"Their curriculum, new lab that they are building, emphasis on research, and new Dean's enthusisam and vision for future of medicine and Case....very dynamic person...and Dr. Haynie....if you there you will know what I mean :-)"
"the facilities, the enthusiasm of everyone that i spoke with, the innovative programs"
"The facilities were all first rate. Campus was expansive, the relationship with Cleveland Clinic. Seems like you will get a great education."
"Just about everything. But what impressed me most were everyone's attitudes, from the faculty to the staff to the students. Everyone seemed so active and genuinely passionate about the school and where the school was going."
"The curriculum and e-curriculum. Afternoons free for electives and studying. Student focused. Responsive, available faculty. Laptops given to all students. Primary care track. Students have desks 1st and 2nd year. My host was great. Clinical aspects first year - the mentors were great! Diversity in the class."
"Everyone is very friendly and relaxed. There is nothing stressful about interviewing here. "
"I expected CWRU to be all research, but they made a point to address the clinical and human side of medical school. It was a nice change from OSU. The school was much more student centered than I expected."
"It was very laid back, the student tour guides were very friendly. The new research building is quite impressive. The new dean also seemed very nice and very enthusiastic about making positive changes for the medical school."
"The new Dean is real nice, and he is going to take the school to another level."
"Both faculty and students were very welcoming. Excellent facilities. Student comraderie was strong due to no grading policy."
"The attitude of the students (a big plus), the friendliness of the faculty (especially my interviewer)."
"The school is nicely laid out and the facilities are state of the art. I was also impressed that the head of admissions took the time to do an introduction and to do q + a. Students were very friendly. "
"The campus looked really cool. The facilities seemed very modern. People at the admissions office were extremely pleasant (esp. Ellen Rosenblum-she's gotta be one of the nicest people I've ever met). They give you a laptop. The electronic curriculum sounds cool. Dr. Kirby is my favorite interviewer so far. "
"Everything!! The facilities were newer and part of a beautiful campus. The students all seemed chilled out and friendly. They staff was great. They had a special meeting and great for minority students to ask off-the-record questions to current students of color."
"The friendliness of the students and the admissions office staff. "
"the new dean-- Dr. Kerby was very nice and very open. He has a great open-door policy with his students."
"Their information systems, their program that gives students a lot of freedom in designing their own curriculum"
"everything was very thorough. i got a really good view of the school depsite there not being any students yet. they really made up for that factor. everyone was so accommodating and friendly too. both of my interviewers had gotten me a drink beforehand and the admissions director called and scheduled a taxi for me to the airport."
"Positive attitudes from everybody!"
"The students very very enthusiastic about the school, the residency placing is something like 70% of the students recieve their first choice."
"How positive everyone was ... their credentials compare with the Ivies, but without the pretention ... I was pretty much impressed by everything at the school ... even the lunch! (which I why I'm going to attend)"
"how happy everyone was"
"I really like the people at Case. I work there now and the atmosphere is great."
"I sat in on an anatomy lecture, it was great. Very entertaining, not intimidating. The school has a great curriculum and the students seem very happy and cooperative. It's a true pass/fail system so there is no competition between the student body. A great place to go to med school."
"the elective program is fantastic, we were allowed to sit in on a class, the students (even those not selected as tour guides) seemed very happy and willing to answer questions, the dean seems to be a great person. interview was VERY low stress. they give students laptops, and lectures are videotaped and put online. notes are online, as well, and classrooms are wireless."
"The Cleveland Clinic facilities are simply beautiful and I could tell that the administration was very interested in their students succeeding and loving the area."
"lots of expansions taking place, pass/fail system"
"The elective program,being able to follow the pregnant patient, and having your own desk. Also, Cleveland was better than I expected and the students seemed laid back."
"We met with the new dean. He seems to really care about the students and his vision for the school is really impressive. Also, the students are really friendly so it seems like a really great environment for attending medical school."
"facilites are impressive"
"Amazing school, high tech, students happy"
"The dean (I mean, the big dean) meets with all interviewees."
"students were really friendly. the student lounge was nice and sunny. the laid back atmosphere of the school."
"the Cleveland clinic facilities. Staff is really nice and trying to impress applicants since 2004 will be the first year of the cleveland clinic interview."
"Everything about the school seems innovative: flexible curriculum, wireless internet and technology emphasis, 8-12 regular class hours, diverse student backgrounds, lots of things to do in Cleveland"
"How relaxed the students were."
"All the students seemed very relaxed and at ease with everything. The second-years had a huge exam the next day, but they were not nearly as stressed as I would've thought. The pass/fail system for the first two years keeps the anxiety low."
"Students were very happy, great curriculum"
"Diverse student body; Fancy hospitals; Flexibility of the educational program; Emphasis on dual degrees"
"Everyone's willingness to share information."
"Facilities, laid-back atmosphere, treatment of medicine as a humane science, focus on patient contact."
"The tour of the medical school--I really liked some of the aspects of the program they described, such as the 'pregnant patient' program, where you attend check-ups for a pregnant patient, and if there is enough time, present for the birth; after the baby is born, you attend all of the child's checkups. You can also opt for a geriatric patient, and I think they said there was a new third option, but I forget. Oh yeah, and the food in the cafeteria was really good!"
"the amount of freedom with the curriculum (but then, with the bill I'd be racking up, they better pretty much cater to my interests), the high USLME pass rate, the friendliness of everyone"
"the empahsis of the program on self-directed learning"
"I love some of the faculty there. Besides doing excellent work that I like, they are very student-oriented. The school and the labs were agreeable to what I want to do with my MD/PhD, which is slightly non-traditional."
"The campus is quite beautiful and the students very enthusiastic. The hands-on clinical experience sounded exciting. The doctors associated with Case and the Cleveland Clinic were very willing to stop and talk about the place. "
"Really nice staff and students. Administration seemed very responsive to students concerns. VERY flexible curriculum, with lots of clinical exposure. Extremely large numbers of electives. Really seemed like an upbeat, happy place. "
"the school was actually very well-equipped and more impressive than i had expected."
"Not competative, the best learning environment is the crux of what the administration strives for."
"EVERYTHING!! The technology that the school has, the friendliness of the students, the organization of the day."
"The students and how well they all got along. Also the huge amount of technology being used by the school. All the students get laptops and all of the classes are videotaped and audiotaped and this can be accessed via the web."
"How nice the people were and how technologically advanced they are. The whole medical school is wireless!"
"The friendlyness of the students and staff"
"The students were extremely friendly. Technologically advanced school. My interviewer spoke to me in a way that made me feel that I had already been accepted, even though I'm currently on the waiting list. Her attitude made for a comfortable atmosphere. She made an important comment regarding the pass/fail system at case. She told me to remember that the only thing residency programs will have to evaluate me are my Board scores. Therefore the pass/fail system could be a disadvantage to the good student who doesn't perform well on standardized tests. "
"Fantastic facilities!"
"Program allows for a ton of flexibility"
"Inteviewer seemed interested in me, getting to know me. I felt like th focus was on me, so it made me feel good."
"The students, the curriculum, everything about the school."
"The nature of my interview. The flexibility of the program and the various electives to choose from. The amount of patient interaction in the first 2 years (following a pregnancy or a geriatric patient). The Primary Care Track. "
"I like the hospitals and the clinical experiences given early on as they assign you either a pregnant woman or a geriatric patient to follow right from day one. I also love their curriculum structure and that you are only in classes from 8-12 three days a week and 8-1 two days."
"The campus and facilities."
"Taking on a preg mother or geriatric patient first year. How wired the campus is."
"the students- our two tour guides had just been through a morning of exams- all first and seconde years had- so i knew most of the regular students just wanted to leave. in spite of obviously being tired, the tour guides took a LOT of time to explain why they were at case and how much they liked it. It wasn't a "hard-sell," though, which i've seen at other schools and for some reason makes me wonder if they're really all that happy... Also, the curriculum is really exactly what i want- less lecture time, free afternoons, tons of exciting electives in the first two years, a great 2-year, longitudinal patient contact experience, totally elective fourth year, diverse (both in race, age, and general background) student body, rotations at UH and the clinic, great city for healthcare in general, lots of nih research grant $$... oh, i also reeally liked the other interviewees."
"the interview"
"the facilities (hospitals) are INCREDIBLY nice!"
"The tour and the generally happy nature of the students. They were all willing to answer questions and were very nice."
"The hospital and Cleveland Clinics. Gorgeous facilities"
"Curriculum, free laptops, facilities."
"Great clinical exposure -- I was allowed to assist in the clinics for four hours, after the official interviews were done."
"Primary Care Program, kindness of admissions staff, wonderful fellow interviewees (made me a get a feel for the type of students that Case likes)"
"The students, what a great group!"
"The students were amazing, really tight group and had lots of talents! (I saw a med school talent show that was loads of fun, plus free wine and food, always a bonus :) )"
"I loved the clinical emphasis that the school had. I also like that they had a mentor program where practicing Dentists would spend two days a week in the clinic with students."
"I am not a fan of how much hand-holding the school does. From the start, after I received an interview, their portal said they understand Zoom fatigue yet they planned an entire day of presentations and 2 hour-long interviews. They even had about 4 hours worth of youtube videos for us to watch before the interview because they viewed it as a "flipped classroom" interview. Too many mandatory sessions and assignments... they even have essay exams every block?"
"The faculty interview seems to have barely read my file as she got the dates for my activities wrong and she didn't know where I was from."
"This is the first year they're doing two weeks of crash course anatomy with cadavers and then moving to an augmented reality anatomy for the rest of the pre-clinical years. This is super cool, and a lot of money went into it, but I think it is yet to be seen how this will be for students in the long term. Also, Cleveland isn't the best city there is lol."
"The interview felt a bit stiff because they had a set of questions they had to ask us, so it didn’t feel very conversational"
"One student who ate lunch with my group was too laid back and cursed left and right. She was also very loud and dominated the conversation. Unfortunately she gave me a negative impression of Case."
"Nothing at all"
"The research seems to start later in the medical students' careers."
"Weather gets really cold."
"The current medical school facility is old and a bit decrepit, but the brand new facility is extremely impressive and will be open next spring"
"Big class size, no recorded lectures"
"Cleveland, and the very strong emphasis on PBL which I don't know is for me"
"The facilities are nothing special."
"Not a thing."
"Everything I actually experienced."
"The building has no windows, but that's really all I can think of :P"
"Encountered a snotty student there. Won't go into the detail, but I thought this student was rather inconsiderate. Unimpressed by her. Also encountered a weird, strange student there. Brazen and unpolished. Just got a weird vibe from him. I am only describing interactions with 2 students (not 200), but I left thinking that the school lets some arrogant folks through the doors unintentionally. I met 2 other students who seemed quite amiable and down to the earth."
"Med school facilities are old and lack windows. Cleveland is cold."
"It was hard to navigate the building we were in."
"The group of interviewees seemed kind of competitive, which turned me off."
"We had a chance to sit in during the medium group class, and the students really didn't seem too enthusiastic. When they had to get up to present something, most of the students weren't very good presenters. However, the professor seemed very helpful."
"i didnt really connect that well with my first interviewer, he didnt seem to be asking "the right" questions to get to know me"
"Nothing, really - they spent a lot of time defending Cleveland, which is unnecessary in my opinion but other people may feel differently"
"My faculty interviewer was not prepared and also didn't seem to know how to interview. I just hope I managed to make a good impression anyway."
"Not the biggest fan of the location, facilities were OK, not as impressive as other schools. I didn't hate Cleveland as much as I thought I would, but I'm still not the biggest fan."
"Nothing, maybe cost"
"How limited the aid seemed to be...very expensive."
"Nothing about the school. But I was very surprised by the fact that I wasn't even asked about the contents on my application. It made me question the importance of interviews."
"Obnoxious SDN forum (it is tough to actually find information buried in there, but my student host assured me that those people are really few and far between at the school), tactlessness of the first years by eating and drinking all of the food and coffee left out for the interviewees, Cleveland isn't so rockin, large class size, run-down classrooms, I also was not impressed with the student interview (a second year who couldn't answer questions well, we also interviewed in the cafeteria...., I would have preferred to interview with a third or fourth year- someone with hospital rotation experience)"
"weak anatomy program, but they offer a gross anatomy class for those who want to go more in depth"
"the city"
"Weather and Cleveland"
"Their lack of recording classes at all."
"facilities, school seemed to care more about it's reputation than the students"
"Ok, Cleveland isn't really THAT bad, and I'm an elitist big-city jerk, so honestly, it's not that bad. But I guess it was probably the worst thing about the interview, besides the ridiculous winds. But really, not that bad."
"I didn't feel like the curriculum would prepare me too well for the boards because only about 2 hours a day is spent in lecture - seems like it is great for helping students think as doctors and try and diagnose problems (which is more important of course than boards), but with how important boards are, I don't feel I'd be as prepared as a I should be"
"Need for a car, lake weather. Unavailability of online lectures. Anatomy stretches across both pre-clinical years. Early start date might cause complications with current schedule."
"Cleveland isn't the world's greatest city."
"Honestly, nothing."
"Honestly, the facilitators of the IQ groups seemed superfluous. The students really were running the show, and were openly critical of some of the facilitators. Also, I don't know if other schools allow you to tour the anatomy labs, but we were only allowed to "peek" in. Not well ventilated-could smell the fumes in the hallway with the door closed. I will pay attention to the ventilation at other schools to compare. FInancial aid is basically loans with minimal specifics on scholarships. Told us to be frugal, which I found insulting."
"My student interviewer was kind of rigid."
"Some of the learning environments are older and my student interviewer was extremely introverted and into research, which was pretty opposite of me... not necessarily Case's fault at all. Also, Cleveland was a bit of a downer, but the school is not really in the thick of Cleveland, so that rocks!"
"I really don't like Cleveland. And it's very telling that when I asked students if they'd stay in Cleveland for residency, they all said no. The hospital facilities are top-notch, but I think the actual classroom facilities are run-down. Long hallways with lockers on either side, and classrooms with no windows. That could be very depressing, day in and day out. And I think the curriculum is just too much PBL for me. I've had courses like that in undergrad, and I've always found them to be more frustrating than productive. Great for some people, just not for me. "
"Nothing!"
"Nothing -- everyone was great!!"
"The tuition is quite expensive, and since there aren't many scholarships available, many students graduate with a lot of debt."
"Aforementioned clinical opportunities are relatively spread out around town (not a dealbreaker, just less convenient), Lake Erie keeps things pretty cold"
"Cleveland. The area in general isn't the greatest. They all say they felt that way when they got there and that they warmed up to it eventually."
"The cynicism of some of the students about living in Cleveland."
"facilities, students"
"Kind of an old building, with no windows except in a few rooms"
"First-year students were not particularly enthusiastic about Cleveland or Case. Don't like the idea that school starts in very early July."
"The medical school building has no windows. Facilities seemed a little old. "
"Cleveland is cold! "
"Cleveland is cold!!!"
"The lake effect snow is a bit daunting"
"The medical school building itself isn't up to snuff with a school as good as Case is. Cleveland also leaves a bit to be desired. None are dealbreakers at all though."
"Old med school classrooms and, I hate to say it, but Cleveland. I would go to Case in a heartbeat if only it weren't in Cleveland. So-so and vague financial aid presentation."
"The medical school building -- no windows!"
"The building had very few windows"
"Cleveland."
"Cleveland isn't the greatest, but it's not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Any urban city has its issues. I am really bummed about how flat northern Ohio is. Some of the facilities weren't as nice as I would have liked. I'm not too sure about the delay in learning anatomy, as well as the apparent lack of anatomy focus. Also, not sure how the research requirement will pan out."
"Cleveland as a whole is not what I'm used to. I went to school in a big city where there was lots of things to do."
"8 am class. Exams only at the end of some very long blocks (14 weeks)."
"Cost. Cleveland. Most of the 1st and 2nd year education happens in one building with few windows (this is minor)."
"some of the rooms/buildings need some work"
"Maybe the lecture halls. They are a bit dark and looks a bit old."
"Hmm just the usual crazy expensive tuition for private med school.."
"Nothing really other than the high private school tuition."
"Nothing really...we had stuff to do during downtime, they served us food, took us on a nice tour, oh look, i'm putting positives in the negatives box."
"It was a huge pain to get there. Massive amounts of construction. Also, the school is just one large building attached to a teaching hospital. I guess I was expecting a bigger campus, but honestly this was a great school and I have no real complaints."
"the city is pretty rundown. my first visit to CLE."
"The city, but then again, i didn't get to see very much of it."
"Uncertainty of Step 1 because of newly implemented curriculum. My faculty interview was like talking to a wall. I got no feedback, no smile, not even a look down. He just shot questions at me one after another. I even caught him checking his watch once. It made me even more nervous. NOT CONVERSATIONAL AT ALL!! Apparently, though, this was not the norm, but it gave me a negative impression of the school from that point on. Apparently it rains in Cleveland just about as much as it does in Seattle. :( Only a few hospitals nearby (including ''the world renowned Cleveland Clinic''). No student housing (but apparently apartments are really cheap)."
"Everyone had a car, which isnt that bad, but I am used to living in cities where you can get around most of the time without having to deal with a car and parking and all that."
"how they learn anatomy. it is done as prosection more so than disection"
"Lecture hall and student facilities."
"their new curriculum has not been proven yet since it's been applied for only two years. i'd like to see how well their second year students do on usmle 1."
"Slap-dab tour that lasted only 15 minutes with the guide saying things like, ''like, I don't know what to show you and everything.'' (he did sneak us into the (unimpressive) anatomy lab, however, which is normally off-limits to tours.) Students' virtually uniform feelings that there were kinks and frustrations with the new curriculum (most notably that 1) the first-years were frustrated with the teaching of anatomy (60% prosections), and 2) the second-years had no idea whether they were going to do well on the boards or not since they will be the first class of the new curriculum to take it.) Laptop use is required, so students all chat and facebook during lecture. Cleveland is rigidly class-segregated and provincial, and extremely car-oriented. The really ugly pit of a neighborhood that you see when you drive to Case from the airport."
"the location (the roads were horrible) and the facilities (it looked a bit like a really old high school on the inside)"
"Faculty interviewer made some very rude comments about my file throughout the interview and was very discouraging overall."
"the student body didn't seem that upbeat and the facilities were kinda dingy"
"Cleveland. Reading previous comments, I wasn't expecting much of Cleveland, but it was a lot worse than I expected. Urban decay, seemingly high levels of poverty and crime. I'm sure there are gentrified pockets, but I didn't see them. "
"actual facilities where they work and study is dingy and windowless."
"The area surrounding the campus wasn't very impressive. It's not as terrible a city as a lot of people seem to think it is. "
"n/a"
"location, campus tour is not long/extensive enough"
"The area surrounding the school"
"1) Students complained about administrative confusion resulting from the new curriculum. We were told that these are being reduced with each passing year. 2) Lack of USMLE scores to validate the success of the new curriculum. 3) Cleveland is very divided geographically by race and socioeconomic status."
"''typical day'' of a student wasn't what i was expecting"
"The campus tour was very short, I would have liked to have seen more but we didn't have time."
"The amount of downtime between interviews."
"There are no windows in the classrooms. "
"Facilities weren't the newest, no anatomy lab"
"very indpendent approach to learning, lot of pbl"
"not a thing"
"Nothing really, I loved the school. But if I had to pick something it would be the price and the weather."
"The facilities were not the best (I had just visited Cleveland Clinic the day before, so it wasn't a fair comparison), and I wasn't a big fan of Cleveland."
"The thesis requirement that is so new that no one really knows about"
"Nothing. :)"
"the other applicants were rather underwhelming. i still had some unanswered questions about the new curriculum, but it's a work-in-progress and they are very receptive to feedback. they could use more cushy amenities in student-occupied spaces."
"Cleveland is really destitute and it is apparent. All the social ills stemming from this are present. Walking around the city at night is definitely a bad idea."
"Thought I might get mugged while waiting for the subway to go to the school. The student interview was very hard to read, and she was the one person I met that didn't seem happy there which clashed badly with my exhuberance towards the school. It was also very f'ing cold in Cleveland. We're talking 4 degree wind chill factor."
"Cleveland is a dive (lake caught on fire in 70's due to heavy pollution). New cirriculum has a lot of kinks, and my student host held reservations about it. I didn't think it was professional of school to introduce Horwitz as the dean after he resigned and plans to move to stanford."
"I dont know. the weather? "
"They are in the first year of the new curriculim and they are still working all the kinks out. hopefully they should get things sorted out by next year"
"My interviews weren't until the afternoon, so I had a lot of time to kill till then. The actual med school classrooms could have been better, but they weren't bad. "
"The medical school building itself was kind of old and dark, and I wasn't crazy about Cleveland."
"Really long day"
"Hmm . . . nothing. "
"It's not the most beautiful area."
"cleveland seems very poor, hard to navigate"
"There's a lot of responsibility for students to learn on their own since there are few lectures."
"nothing really"
"Nothing really - cleveland isn't great but it's not a huge visit"
"Honestly, Cleveland, but it is something I can overlook for the amazing program. It's only four years, but I think I would adjust to it well. "
"Cleveland, somewhat, but that is to be expected. Also, the facilities were not quite as new as I expected, but it's not a big deal at all."
"It rained during the tour."
"lecture halls without windows"
"The tuition, the fact that we'd be the first class going through the curriculum revision."
"though it's obviously out of anyone's control...my faculty interview had to cancel b/c her son was ill. i ended up interviewing with another faculty member who had only 2 min to go over my file. still was a laid-back, low-stress interview. that was the only real setback/negative for me - oh yes, and missing my connecting flight in Detroit on the way home to New York! it also was a turnoff, albeit a very small one, that the fitness center and library are not open 24/7."
"City is similar to Baltimore. But that can be a good thing too... (more interesting cases in the hospital)"
"The building for classes was dumpy, broken lab equipment in hallways, etc."
"cost "
"Faculty interview. He was not at all nice, then repeatedly insinuated that I should request another interview."
"Nothing! Nothing was wrong with Cleveland or the tour guides."
"cleveland is pretty empty, school layout seemed disorganized ie had to keep switching elevators to get to top floor, kept switching rooms just to listen to people talk, tour guide Dante was horrible......j/k i think he reads this, but he did need to speak up a little."
"At first the true P/F. I was wondering, how am I supposed to stand out. But the truth is, the students still stand out, but rather than you v. your colleagues/friends/classmates. It is you(plural) as Case students v. all the other non-Case students. Not a bad proposition. "
"Some parts of Cleveland seem kind of rough, but that is the case with any city. Overall, I liked the city."
"Cleveland weather"
"There were A LOT of interviewees that specific day, and we had to make some long trips to get to conference rooms. Very minor complaints at best."
"It's very expensive. I should underline very. Also, compared to Texas, Cleveland is very cold. I should underline very."
"There was way too much time during the day where the applicants are left with nothing to do but sit around and wait. The student facilties are so-so. "
"Not much."
"There was way too much down time. Student tour guides forgot about the tour; we sat waiting for them for 25 minutes. My interviewer was very rude. I felt personally attacked several times during the interview (which lasted too long- a miserable 90 minutes). "
"The facilities were so-so. Basically all we got to see were the lecture halls for first and second-years and some study space. We didn't really get to see any of the hospitals (except lobbbies) or research areas."
"Cleveland as a city doesn't excite me. But that's not Case's fault, and wouldn't keep me from attending the school."
"Cleveland isn't the prettiest city in the world."
"The tour guides did not show up."
"Most people in this section say that Cleveland sucks. I didn't mind it all that much."
"the curriculum is a bit strange."
"Cleveland weather seems cold and dreary much of the time. Tha lack of school-owned student housing (you have to rent an apartment, and most are 10-15min. walk from campus)."
"financial aid- the school costs almost $60,000 a year and there isn't a whole lot of financial aid support for students. "
"the classrooms were okay. They may not be giving students computers next year."
"The thesis program is a little unorganized at the moment. "
"The weather can be a little chilly."
"While the surrounding hospitals are great, the actual medical school buildings are somewhat out of date. Cleveland seems like it sucks."
"Cleveland is a little ghetto"
"The Cleveland area. The areas close to campus seemed nice, but the rest of the city seemed poor/dangerous."
"the city of Cleveland"
"They all said that Cleveland is cheap, but it's not that cheap. I was hoping to get by on a $600 budget, but the students say they need about a $1000 per month. It's cheap compared to NY or Cali, but not anywhere else."
"not sure how i'd like living in cleveland during the winter."
"The weather was a bit lack luster...but you can have that anywhere...tuition and costs are pretty high. "
"cleveland isn't the greatest city, but it seemed okay"
"Going through a curriculum change, not sure how that is going to work out."
"High tuition, Cleveland is a crappy city, they wouldn't give us a parking voucher (petty, I know. 2 hours of downtime sitting in the lobby."
"Not much"
"Cleveland was so-so. Far from home with expensive flights getting back and forth"
"I didn't like cleveland very much. The area right around the university was really nice, but just a couple more blocks and everything seemed like a ghetto."
"It snowed for two whole days non-stop, the area seemed lifeless...probably because it snowed two whole days non-stop"
"Cleveland...probably the worst city I have had the misfortune to visit. More homeless people asked me for money than on a typical day here in NYC. My interviewer was a PhD in epidemiology and had very little info on the school. Our tour guide seemed disinterested; like she had other things she'd rather be doing"
"the building where students go for lectures and labs was built in 1960"
"Cleveland isn't the prettiest thing to look at, but I really didn't see much of the nightlife . . . maybe when I go back for second look. The tuition is kind of expensive and it is not fixed."
"I drove in to Cleveland through the worst part of town- the "hood" as it is called but even that was not as bad as most cities. Also, a lot of students believe class is totally optional."
"cleveland is really wack. coming from la i felt like there was absolutely nothing interesting to do. the financial aid office consists of two people and the school basically made it known that if you come there you're not getting any kind of good aid. they offer very little scholarship and grant money and the school-based student loans have higher than normal interest rates. this really pissed me off after seeing the millions upon millions they've put into having tricked out class rooms and meeting spaces. it kind of seems like they don't really give a crap about the financial health of their students. when asked about their financial aid they basically say, don't worry about the money, go where you're happy. when you're a doctor you'll make enough to pay it all back! i heard that from at least 4 people when i was there! and i think that is a TERRIBLE answer. yes go where you are happy, but i think the school should show a bit of concern as well. "
"My interviewer did not seem to have read my file or be very interested in me because I am not interested in research although I do have a background in research. Also, the first thing that we did was meet with the dean who talked about all of the changes that he will be instituting including requiring a thesis from all studentsl."
"Tuition is not fixed and is approaching $40,000. The financial aid office does seem very helpful though."
"The entire interview experience was, sad to say, fairly mundane. I had read on sd.net that most interviewees at Case had had a wonderful time there, and I was looking forward to the same experience, but I never got it. Perhaps it was just a fluke, but that day there were only about 8 interviewees, and there was A LOT of dead time, which gave the impression that the interview day was not well-planned. My interviewer showed no evidence that she had looked over my application, and instead asked me a few basic questions and then responded to my answers by answering the questions again herself. She didn't write anything down or showed any interest in representing me before the applications committee. What other little exposure I had to faculty was promising, but in the class we sat in on, many of the students seemed ridiculously bored--perhaps the free laptops are not a good idea, because I saw quite a few students sitting in the back of the lecture hall, playing computer games and completely ignoring the professor. Regarding the curriculum, research is mandatory, which didn't quite agree with me. Finally, the admissions staff told me I would receive a reply by mid-December, but at the time of this writing, it is now January and I haven't heard a thing from them. Case seems to be well-funded, but in the end, I couldn't quite say whether or not that money is going to the right places."
"I found my interview stressful. I got questions "wrong" and didn't get to focus on my strengths. Campus was covered in slush at the time, but it wasn't THAT cold."
"NADA! well, longish waits during the day"
"The weather. It was cold and snowy while I was there and apparently it's like that all the time!"
"The building was like a blast from the past, everything was straight from the 70s/80s."
"Hmmmm....one other interviewee was annoying...other than that...nothing."
"Most if not all of the visit was fine, but when we had time with the students I noticed how negative one of the students was about her experiences, and how another one emphasized how much "fun" one could have in Cleveland instead of the abilities of the school. She seemed kind of strange. "
"The tuition is very expensive. ($37,000)"
"I did not think that they did a good job of exposing us to students. The waiting area was not in a place where students walked by to talk to us or anything. I felt that I did not get a feel for the student body beyond my host and tour guides."
"maybe too much focus on research...but for some that is great"
"The tour guide was sick and didn't show up to give the tour. We waited about an hour before other students showed up to give the tour (this wasn't allt hat abd...it gave us applicants time to get to know each other)."
"My interviewer was challenging. He disagreed with me on almost every answer I gave and dismissed a lot of my reasoning. I wasn't prepared for this after hearing how relaxed Case interviews are supposed to be. "
"lots of emphasis on research, a new 4-month research thesis requirement for graduation"
"none"
"Taxis do NOT exist in Cleveland"
"I don't know if I could see myself living in Cleveland. "
"The other interviewees and students! My group of interviewees were really hard to talk to..it was like pulling teeth. I didn't meet too many students, but I also got a similar feeling from the students..sort of boring/nerdy type. Of course, that may just be my experience at Case (I hope it is!) Also, there doesn't seem to be too much to do in Cleveland, but I am from a big city so I'm biased I guess!"
"nothing except the food choices in atrium cafe .. well I will be eating there for next 4 yrs so it counts ...and cleveland weather is very unpredictable."
"the school got a new dean about a year ago and things are in transition -- a lot of the things that people talked about were prefaced with *tentative*, *planned*, or *possible*..."
"1) Cost of tuition, but that is generally with these private med schools. 2) The people I was interviewing with. Most were 22-23, from top schools, but lacking social skills. We sat in a room for an hour and trying to make conversation was more painful than self inflicted lashes. If that's who my classmates are going to be, YIKES!!!"
"I've never been a fan of Cleveland. Of course, my being from Pittsburgh might bias me a little :)."
"Students were all really friendly, but over 50% of them are from Ohio and even more from the mid-West. Cleveland. That you need a car all four years and getting a parking permit is virtually impossible your first year. No second look."
"I wasn't crazy about Cleveland, but there is more to a med school than the location."
"The students seemed nerdy. I couldn't even find a student host."
"The food we were served for lunch."
"My interviewer asked me a couple of times if I was going to move back to Iran to practice medicine. And she did not know that resident aliens are eligible for financial aid."
"Lecture halls were somewhat drab (I was told they are going to be refurnishing soon). Students seemed disinterested in ICM (Introduction to Clinical Medicine) presentations by other students."
"They put the cost right out there and they don't try to sugar coat it. I suppose this is to their credit, but it is a major drawback. Also, I wished the interviewer had slowed down and taken a little more time with me. "
"haha.nothing."
"The freezing cold Cleveland weather. Parking in the school ramp was $9 for the day and they don't validate parking."
"the students. I felt like they were boring and several of them seemed a little stuck up. Also, the classrooms are straight out of the 70s. "
"The cost and their absolute obsession with diversity"
"nothing really - cleveland isn't really my cup of tea, but the nicer areas are better than i had heard/expected"
"The facilities were soemwhat older, and the area around the school seemed somewhat unsafe."
"It was drizzling"
"it is EXPENSIVE"
"My interviewer was ruthless. He must have had a bad day; the secretary described him as "very nice," but instead he needled me incessantly about my shortcomings, dismissed my strengths as irrelevant, only asked questions about weaknesses in my file, and could not tell me anything about Case's med program. I'll be lucky to get waitlisted."
"only one room in the medical school building has windows. the classrooms and the floor they're on remind me somewhat of high school."
"Cleveland is pretty boring. I though the Case Western students seemed a bit unhappy with their curriculum."
"not in a good area, anatomy lab seems to smell"
"The building where you spend most of your first two years has no windows. "
"weather"
"most of the girls were cute, but there were very few of them. Quality, but not quantity"
"Cleveland, while nice around the school, is mostly what you'd expect. I sat in on a class and most of the students were surfing the web on their laptops instead of paying attention to the lecture."
"we didn't get a tour of the hospital. the school facilities were a little rundown but look like they are being renovated. "
"Tuition will likely be 37-38k next year (but fixed over four years with fair financial aid/scholarships), all classes are in the same room, same floor - High School-like"
"The building with no windows."
"It seems that a lot of students are less than enthusiastic about Cleveland, but they said the school itself makes up for it."
"traffic around campus and a car is recommended, even during the first 2 years"
"The MPH program is not CEPH (Council on Educ. for Pub. Health) certified; High tuition; Some students seem to take the flexible program as a free ride; Poor public transportation in Cleveland; Case's relationship with the Cleveland Clinic??"
"Everyone's willingness to swear freely in conversation. "
"It's expensive. Very, very expensive."
"Nothing."
"the hosts that wouldn't return my calls"
"lecture room has orange seats"
"Ok, so Cleveland wasn't exactly what I expected, but I still didn't like it. The school is on the edge of the city, not in the city itself. Everyone lives in the giant suburbs called "heights". For me that would be more suburban wasteland, and I'm looking for a change. A car is a must, since there doesn't seem to be much transportation. At least parking is available. More negatives were some requirements the graduate school had. Things like requiring your med school classes to be graded (but I hear you will always get an A or B so it doesn't matter). There's also publishing requirements, which don't exist at some other programs, but you should publish a couple times anyways. You get alot of electives from the medical school there, and that's a big selling point for the med school, but from what I understand the graduate school makes you take all these graduate classes that will kill your electives. I guess this helps keep graduation time reasonable, but I think certain other things could be cut (and they are at other schools) rather than piling more stuff on top of us."
"Unfortunately, I had a very bad student hosting experience. I went in very enthusiastic despite never being in the midwest before. But the students I stayed with didn't help the image of Cleveland and really surprised me about the attitude of students on campus. Thankfully, I think they're exceptions and not the rule."
"Cleveland didn't seem too special. It seemed impossible to get around the city without a car... Case tution is kind of high. Fortunately, cost of living in OH is low..."
"cleveland isn't exactly the most happening place. also, our tour guide seemed to be selling the school through lies. for example, he said that case western would be receiving more NIH funds next year so as to be second most in the country. for some reason, i doubt that case western will have more funds than schools like penn, columbia, hopkins, and the like."
"Dude--this school is expensive especially since a third of the graduates go into primary care"
"The weather. "
"The COLD!!! And there aren't that many windows in the school so it's hard to recognize the passage of time."
"Case is really expensive! Also, the facilities are really old."
"The tuition..."
"The interview was very unorganized. I sat on a couch for 2 hours waiting for them to find someone to interview me."
"Nothing"
"I didn't realize how cold it gets in Cleavland, if your comming from a warm place dress warm. I was in dress shoes and a light jacket in 6 inches of snow."
"Cleveland Sucks!"
"The medical school building is old. The lunch at the hospital cafeteria."
"Cleveland, I am a Case undergrad so I've been here for 4 years already and while I've gotten used to it, I don't particularly like it all that much."
"The hotel I stayed at."
"That part of Cleveland. Cleveland, period."
"the interview day is supposed to be very laid-back in nature, but i might have preferred a bit more structure. although i didn't know it when i scheduled my interview, i was unable to sit in on classes or see any lecture halls because the first and second years all had exams. The facilities aren't brand-spanking new, but they're fine- case has a great new school-wide library, two fabulous health centers, and the hospital system is really gorgeous. Also, we got lunch from the hospital caf and they gave us $5 coupons to use, but I was worried about going over the limit and had left my purse with the admissions people! Bring extra cash if you plan to chow down..."
"organization of the interview day"
"tuition is high, 60% acceptances must be Ohio residents, teaching building is fairly old and depressing-looking, you need a car in later years, cost of living is seemingly high for a city of this size"
"The interview itself."
"The location and med school facilities. The part of Cleveland we were in didn't feel very safe, and I kept getting a wierd vibe walking around there. The M1/2 facilities were very institutional and seemed run down. The students weren't as outgoing as some at other schools."
"Cleveland! Though, $1.50 fare for the train was stupidly cheap and quite appreciated after all my time with SEPTA in Philadelphia."
"Tuition cost."
"Tuition 35,000. Shocking!"
"Cleveland"
"The tour was pretty shabby, just showed a few facilities (obviously the newer more impressive ones) The school itself is VERY EXPENSIVE to attend 35K tuition alone!!"
"The city. Although everyone said Cleveland was a great city, I was told not to walk more than two blocks north or south of the campus. I also heard that it is the most segregated city in America, just a weird vibe and the segregation thing was enough to worry me."
"I wish I looked more into their curriculum before I applied. I only learned about the curriculum in-depth from the post-II videos they made us watch and I disliked everything from 4 hours worth of team based learning 3x a week, essay exams, and many other hand-holding aspects of the school."
"You might get stuck with both of your interviews in the afternoon, like I did. This just added a little stress to my day as I had to eat lunch and go on the tour without having done either of my interviews yet."
"Just make sure you do your research on Cleveland/Why Pitt"
"They have a set list of about 11 questions that they have to ask you, so it felt less like a conversation. The interviewer also interjected clarifying/more questions while I was still talking. Made it feel a little less relaxing. Also wish I knew that everything happens in their new HEC building (all classes and small-group activities). The building's all white with almost no other colors. Very modern,"beautiful", and minimalist in a sense, but it felt very sterile with not much personality. I felt homesick for whatever reason when I walked around that building."
"They have a pre-determined list of 10 questions that they ask everyone to avoid bias"
"How relaxed and welcoming the interviews were."
"I felt very well prepared and comfortable the entire time, nothing caught me off guard necessarily. Oh, it only took about 5 minutes to get through the Cleveland airport so no need to get there super early"
"Pack for the weather"
"That a stress interview was a possibility."
"There was once a fire in Cleveland's river. Just a joke although there really was a fire back in the 60s. Facilities are a little run down."
"The RTA from the airport was down at a few stops - had to take a shuttle."
"I had two afternoon interviews, so the morning was a little slower than I expected. But we did get to attend some lectures and small groups."
"That just because a student says the interview will be a laid-back conversation, that doesn't really mean it'll be a laid-back conversation.... :P"
"That their cancer center is very new."
"Just relax, they're not out to catch you doing something wrong - be friendly, hang out, find out more about the school"
"We wouldnt be able to sit in on an IQ team"
"that they only have class from 8-12 four days a week (one day is optional)! It was super-relaxed."
"These were the most laid back interviews I've had yet. Takes a lot of Californians"
"Nothing. I had an all around pleasant."
"It was my first interview, so I don't regret putting in a lot of effort to prepare for it."
"Nada"
"How long the day was! Both of my interviews were in the afternoon. The day started at 8 and wasn't over until 3."
"Knew pretty much most of the things I should have known"
"That there would be 30mph winds."
"Nothing. The entire interview day was very relaxed. The admissions office was very friendly and helpful."
"that the day would be so busy. I lugged a book around b/c I thought there would be down time."
"How amazing the school would be! And that it would be raining."
"It suddenly got super cold and rainy, lol "
"How strange the weather in Cleveland is. "
"How much I would like the school."
"Print out a map of the campus -- I got lost trying to find my way back to my car."
"To set up cab service the night before. I didn't have a car, and when I called the front desk of my hotel the morning of my interview they informed me it would take an hour for the taxi to arrive. I ended up walking 2/3 of a mile in the cold, all dressed up, dragging luggage to the interview, and arrived slightly late and sweaty. NOT the way to start the day!"
"It was going to snow."
"Both my interviews were very laid-back. As long as you are prepared for the typical medical school questions, you should be fine."
"that it can be 10 below zero in cleveland"
"That it would be snowing. "
"How much Case rocked."
"I felt prepared"
"That students feel it's not very safe late at night. That the cab ride from the airport would be $40."
"That I should have mailed them a million doughnuts and cookies and pizzas and flowers to make them like me, because this school is now one of my top overall choices."
"How nice everyone was! Don't be nervous."
"The roads. Got lost several times. "
"That it'd rain. But I guess there's not much you can do about that.. :)"
"The admissions team was very helpful, I didn't feel like I needed to know anything. I had read up, but I could tell some of the students were a little shocked by the new style of teaching."
"the wacky curriculum."
"nothing."
"MS1s start in the beginning of July."
"I should have prepared more questions to ask them, because I was so ''defensive'' when they gave me a chance to ask I had nothing."
"the anatomy lab is very condensed"
"Be ready to direct the interview. Don't expect to be led. Sell yourself."
"alraedy knew most of the stuff. "
"nothing, I'm glad I went."
"there are a lot of deer in Ohio at this time; I hit one on my way there and completely wrecked my car"
"Was kind of surprised at how old and unpleasant the buildings were, especially given the high tuition."
"that I wouldn't see much of the great hospitals in Cleveland"
"Everything was more or less as I expected...except how run down much of Cleveland is. "
"their anatomy program is weak (how is this possible in a medical school?), found out from my host and it was alluded to by the director of admissions and one of the Q and A students."
"I wish I hadn't tried so hard to memorize what each PI did because they explained their research to me during interviews. "
"nothing really"
"school starts in july"
"They start medical school in July!"
"The length of the interview day (8am-3:30pm) can drain you, especially if you're coming from the West Coast. "
"lots and lots and lots of ''self directed learning'' time"
"Cleveland IS NOT the dump that people here on SDN say it is. It is clean, and they have trees. I didn't see any homeless people."
"They have a problem-based learning curriculum, but both my interviewers called in ''small-group'' learning and corrected me when I said PBL."
"Taxi is sooo expensive. Avg Debt is pretty high. "
"N/A"
"I wasn't expecting to be so impressed by the school."
"how rough the roads were in cleveland...LOL"
"price, but its the same for all private schools, so it really doesn't matter..."
"There are LONG breaks (2 hours) so bring a book."
"cleveland has a lot of socioeconomic disparity--more so than say detroit or new orleans--and that creates quite an immense patient population. also, there's an optional fifth year, and dual-degree programs are free?! case actually caters to graduate students, not the undergrads... unbelievable! :)"
"Staying with students is really important if you want to get the insiders view on what life is like in a city you've never been to before. Staying in a bed-and-breakfast was comfortable, but I didn't see nearly as much as I could have."
"The roads are all salted and frosty, so I wish I had brought another pair of shoes to wear getting there."
"take the metro from the airport to the university. It's only a $1.75"
"The whole day lasted a really long time, I didn't get done until after 4"
"That the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame closes at 4:30. I didn't get to see it. : ("
"More information about their curriculum: it isn't in the brochure."
"How tired I would be after being on the road for 3 days. Seriously though, the curriculum is new and very innovative, I wish I would have known more about it."
"the weather"
"the students have several different places on campus for them to study in- small group rooms, individual desks in a study area"
"Nothing..."
"I wish I Would have known how long it was going to take me to get there from my hotel, but that is partially my fault!"
"To bring an umbrella, even in September."
"As a CWRU undergraduate, I wish I had taken avantage of the senior year in abstentia program (do 1st year of med school in place of your senior year). Given that CWRU was my #1 choice, I wish I knew they were interested in me, and I would have applied early decision."
"Case is the only school in the country with access to the NBME questions bank. in partnership with the folks running the boards, Case has access to the question bank (i.e., retired USMLE questions) for use throughout the year after every curricular "
"vastness of their campus (something I am not very used to)"
"It was snowing there."
"That I would be asked a question about medical professionalism before ever being instructed about it."
"I discovered that Cleveland isn't as bad as previous SDN feedback made it seem. "
"required research"
"The Taxi ride from airport is $45. I thought Boston cabs were expensive..."
"I am not too interested in pediatrics, but the children's hospital there is apparently ranked #2. You get to do rotations at cleveland clinic as well as several other hospitals that are affiliated with Case. The residency match list was impressive to say the least (8 students or so going into ortho, 2 into derm, 2 into ENT, about 9 into general surgery, and all other competitive specialties were highly represented). "
"Not much"
"Hrm... nothing really."
"I wish I knew I'd have to pay to get off the rapid train. That was strange."
"There is a mandatory research thesis required of all Case students. "
"Case would not live up to its prestigous reputation."
"There's a parking garage right under the medical school which is much more convenient than the one they tell you to park in."
"Hmmm... nothing in particular comes to mind."
"It can be hard to get into the building in the morning, especially if you're early."
"The city is really that cold."
"That there were so few Hispanic students compared to other minority groups. That there aren't any organizations that are just fun, and not medically related. "
"The student interview is closed file."
"to buy a coat to wear over my suit because there was a snow storm"
"A thesis requirement and student interviews. Do not let your guard down during the student interview, it counts just as much as the faculty interview. "
"Nothing really."
"Lots of down time between interviews. Bring a book or take a nap on the couch (as I did). "
"It is cold there! Many of the hosts are 1st-yr students and have only been students for a few months. I wish I'd stayed with a host with more experience/knowledge regarding the school."
"They are all such great people! I can completely see myself there. Also, they are one of the few schools who has a true pass/fail system--no hidden rankings."
"the student interview seems a bit inconsequential"
"Nothing particularly....there is going to be a new curriculum - but I knew that ahead of time. You can read a very good essay the Dean has written about it online. "
"1st class to experience the revamped curriculum"
"How confusing it would be to navigate around the Case campus."
"That the entire curriculum was changing, and that we would be the first year of the change"
"Public transportation ease. Take the RTA from the airport for 1.50 and save yourself $35 for a taxi."
"I could take the train from the airport to the area rather than paying for a cab"
"How bad winter weather can be in Cleveland"
"That interviewing here was a waste of time. Also, taking public transportation is your best bet, but allow for extra time. The train ride took literally 35 mins"
"the lack of concern for financial aid. the attitude was that of "don't worry about loans since you'll be making lots of money later""
"The Case school shuttle that takes you from the hotel (near the Cleveland Clinic) to the school only comes every 30min! Get there early or you won't make it on time. I almost missed the opening presentation by the dean. "
"you can do a 5th year for free and essentially get a free joint degree. they have an excellent anatomy MS and an MPH. There is a thesis requirement and my interviewer mentioned a trend toward phasing out lectures and relying almost exclusively on PBL. That makes me wonder what the differences between the Lerner College of Medicine and the University Program will be."
"the financial aid sucks. the area of cleveland to really check out is around case. downtown doesn't really have much of anything. if i had known that before my interview i would have spent my weekend wondering the campus rather than walking the empty streets of downtown cleveland. oh, and cleveland food is really unhealthy and not very delicious at all and everyone smokes. so if you're coming from california prepare to be a little grossed out. "
"Well I knew before hand, but still, sticker shock. $36,500 for tuition alone!"
"There seems to be lots of down time during the day. There is construction on campus so be prepared for a very crowded bus ride if you use the campus line."
"I came from a small school with no research experience and didn't seem to have either held against me because I got my acceptance letter in the mail 6 business days after the interview!"
"I wish I hadn't insulted OSU. Who knew he was a Buckeye fan?"
"How poorly-planned and disappointing the interview day would be. If I had known, I would have brought a book or something to pass the time, or better yet, never gone at all."
"Grading system. New thesis requirement."
"Kids hardly ever attend class."
"Cleveland is nice. "
"The early start date, but whatever I can handle that. "
"Case is building a brand new simulation center to train students for medical procedures, which will be up and running for the incoming 2005 students. They have also extended the PCT (Patient Care Track) to all students and is no longer just for primary care students. In the PCT program, you learn from the patients themselves through their feedback on what makes you a better physician. "
"i forgot my umbrella and needed it yet again . . ."
"Cleveland isn't that bad. I'm an East Coast snob. Cleveland is not bad. I could live there."
"A lot of the applicants didn't seem to know how to have fun. The Case program and the Dean's new vision just didn't appeal to me the way I had expected."
"I wish I'd known that the Primary Care Track doesn't really exist anymore. I guess Case decided that everyone should be learning the things that PCT taught, so it isn't necessary. "
"I should have reviewed the literature on my research"
"none"
"There is nothing open in downtown Cleveland, where I stayed. Even most coffee shops are closed on Sundays!"
"nothing really....hotels are expensive in that area...."
"One, that everyone would be so nice -- this was my first interview and I literally worried myself sick beforehand. Second, that things really are changing. For the 2005 entering class, they've gotten rid of fixed tuition, instituted a 4-month research requirement, and have extended the PCT to all students regardless of their focus. They're also starting to concentrate more on community service/public health while still focusing heavily on research."
"How flexible the electives are."
"That it wasn't too late to apply to the College Program even though I had only submitted an application to the University program. All I had to do was submit the additional essay to be considered. They stress that they want the right people for the right program and are more concerned with that than deadlines. "
"The campus was difficult to navigate and the tour sucked. I would have acclimated myself to the campus better."
"The first two years are truly pass/fail."
"That the interviews are scheduled for only 30 min but that most interviewers try to have them done in 10-15 min. My interviewer asked me a few questions, but then seemed to become a little disinterested and ready for the interview to be over. Be ready to sell yourself from the minute the interview starts and don't be afraid to just launch into topics that you want to get to, even if they aren't asked about. "
" (-) Tuition is VERY expensive. Yearly budget is ~$50K. (+) 95% of students who interview at Case end up getting into a medschool somewhere. That probably would have boosted my confidence a bit if I'd known that ahead of time."
"The living options are interesting-- there are lots of cool little neighborhoods in cleveland. "
"All students will surely need a car starting the first year. Apparently, the places were the clinical experiences take place can be as far away as 45 minutes!"
"I felt that the information sent to me confirming my appointment was informative."
"I really didn't expect to like Case too much (I applied because our family doctor went there, and he talked me into it) but when i got there I found it to be a perfect fit ... I guess that is what the interview experience is really for ... just wish I had known beforehand and I could have saved myself some applications"
"nothing"
"If you have a bad interview, TELL THE DEAN. He set up another one for me later that day."
"i wish i'd known more about the elective program, and wish i'd known that a cab ride from the airport to the med school costs $45- take the rapid, people!"
"How geographically close the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western programs were to each other."
"case really encourages students pursue double degrees"
"ASK the secretary about your interviewer! She'll give you the lowdown on their personality. "
"Case is now affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic instead of Henry Ford in Detroit - much more convenient!"
"there would be very few interviewees with you. "
"Cleveland is pretty cool."
"You don't have to apply to most of Case's joint degree programs until after you're accepted to their MD program."
"amazing elective program"
"Competitive relationship between the Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals...."
"No major surprises"
"I don't think there's anything I wish I'd have known beforehand, because my experience was a pretty positive one."
"that it was so freakin cold!"
"the meaning of life"
"Just wished I had different hosts."
"Case tution is kind of high. Fortunately, cost of living in OH is low..."
"case western just started a new affiliation with the cleveland clinic where students could do rotations through. very nice!"
"That the first years on the host list had a test the day of my interview, so I could not stay with them. It worked out with me staying at a hotel, but I didn't realize a transit station was nearby. Could have saved me money, but it ended up snowing, so I was glad for the taxi."
"That they were going to have a huge snow storm the day of the interview."
"nothing...I go to their undergrad already."
"Bring something to do because you might have to sit around for a while"
"Very Very easy to take the train to and from the airport. Also the school/campus is really big."
"If you drive, I suggest parking in the University Hospital visitors parking garage, off of Adelbert (very close to med building: I paid $8). A previous interview feedback posting said that they validate parking. I found that they do NOT. "
"I knew tuition was expensive already but I didn't know the exact figure - $35000! And also that 60% of the class has to be Ohio residents - I thought it was a private university so it wouldn't matter."
"That the campus and facilites are so beautiful."
"Get parking validated at Admissions"
"that i'd left the lights on in my car and needed a jump from the parking office! it was free and everyone was really nice, i just felt like an idiot! Also, i was glad to hear that tuition is frozen for the four years you're there- in other words, they can't change it from year one to year two, as other schools do."
"The school is a good 20 minute drive from downtown -- leave plenty of time because Euclid Rd. is chock-full of traffic lights that are seemingly stuck on red."
"Not much, this is my first chioce so I had done quite a bit of research."
"What Cleveland is like"
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is gloriously overrated."
"That tuition was so high!"
"How non-competetive a group Case has"
"The tuition costs (although I should have known ahead of time had I read all the material) I had a lot of down time."
"Nothing really. I wish I would have had more money so I could have driven around the city by myself."
"This is a great place to go if you love school and being told what to do lol. I am a self-guided type of person and was turned off by how little this school mirrors the actual medical world"
"The faculty interview seems to have barely read my file as she got the dates for my activities wrong and she didn't know where I was from. The admissions team really sold me on the school otherwise."
"This school is incredible, the facilities are brand new and state-of-the-art, and the hospitals nearby are top-notch. True pass/fail curriculum with no ranking makes for a non-competitive environment, and the students here seem very happy."
"Case is a great school if you don't mind being one in a large student body. I am used to a small environment and did not feel "special" there so to speak."
"Great school"
"Really loved that school, but make sure you read up about its unique pre-clinical curriculum (very PBL heavy, not for everyone). Cleveland is more interesting than you would expect, so take some time to explore University Circle/Little Italy after your interview."
"Case has quickly become one of, if not my top choice, and I could definitely see myself there as a student. Also, check out the university circle and Case Western undergrad campus if you can, both are awesome, beautiful areas"
"Great connections to Cleveland Clinic"
"Can't think of a single negative thing to say about this interview day. I enjoyed it from start to finish."
"This was my number one choice going in and sank to the bottom before the interview day was over. Luck of the draw, I guess."
"Loved the school. I wish Cleveland had a little more to offer but I would go here happily."
"After visiting new medical schools that have brand new buildings, I was underwhelmed with the school's architecture and interior decor. However, I don't pick a school based on aesthetics alone. The clinical and research opportunities are world class and I would go there immediately if it weren't for Cleveland."
"Fun, laid-back day. Really impressed by research opportunities and hospitals / clinical exposure. One of my interviewers did not ask me questions at all and just described research...aside from that, no complaints."
"Case has a great, encouraging community type feeling to it. Even though I interviewed around exam time, students were very relaxed and happy."
"Case's curriculum is awesome."
"Definitely the friendliest interviewers that I have had. I do know that other students have had less friendly student interviewers, so I guess I lucked out."
"case is a great school and I would love to attend! fingers crossed for Oct 16th!"
"Great school, I was excited about this one before I went and going there just confirmed that it is a great place to go, and will provide a top-notch education"
"The interview day made a really good impression on me and Case shot to the top of my list. Everyone seemed really happy with their decision to go to Case."
"Good school, I wouldn't mind going here but it's not on the top of my list."
"I love this school"
"Great school and seemingly amazing program. I hope I'm accepted here."
"But I spoke with several other applicants, and some of them did get the normal questions. So it is a very random process."
"Overall, it's a great school with a great program. I left with a very positive impression and I would not be surprised to find myself there next year. And the Admissions staff were uber friendly and welcoming."
"Faculty had access to everything. Student only had AMCAS experiences."
"Great school, bad location."
"Really really nice school. Very expensive though, but I believe they are worth it. Their interviewing style is VERY laid back...I wouldn't get worried about it at all. It's literally just a conversation."
"I applied MD/PhD, so I had a bunch of interviews, but I'm just limiting my feedback to the one MD interview and student interview I had."
"There are two interviews - one with a faculty that is open file (45 min), then one with a student that is closed file (30 min)"
"The school seems great. I was surprised that 50% of time was spent in small group versus lecture, but the small groups ended up being more focused than I expected. Faculty interview is open-file; student interview is closed-file."
"Case is a great place. The interview day is really laid-back, they try hard to keep you at ease."
"They seemed to match up interviewers with your interests or background. My student interviewer was awesome and prepared with a long list of questions."
"Wonderful school. Blew me away."
"Great school. The students seemed happy and enthusiastic about their school. Cleveland is very affordable to live in and has a good social scene. I would love to go here for medical school."
"Love love love this school -- turn around for a status update is only a month! Both my interviews were in the afternoon, and they really relax you during the day.. there's no reason to stress out because everyone there is so chill."
"The faculty interview was open-file. The student interview was closed-file. "
"I had a terrible cold going in to this interview and had to rock the daytime cold meds which affected my performance and perception of the school. I was so self-conscious that I would look either A) obviously sick, or B) unable to articulate my thoughts."
"One faculty, one student. Student was closed-file. Definitely sit in on their IQ groups--different from other PBL groups I'd sat in on. Go to a lecture. The interviews themselves were all very low-key."
"asked about several courses on my app. the interviewer showed up late grabbed my file from the admin committee read it really briefly and then discusses some of my activities and so forth. pretty standard low pressure. there were no questions they took any real effort to answer. Case has everyone interview with a student and a faculty, and the student interview is closed file and the faculty interview is open file. "
"There are two interviews. The one with the faculty is open file. The one with the student is closed file. The student could be a 2nd or 4th year, I had a 2nd year. Both interviews are pretty laid back and conversational."
"Faculty interviewers are open file and know your file WELL. Not just your interviewer either, other members of the adcom also know it. "
"1 faculty interview - 45-60 minutes 1 student interview - 30 minutes"
"Overall, Case has a great program, great hospitals, and friendly people. Would love to go here!"
"Great place. Everyone was awesome and really seemed like they wanted interviewees to love Case. They were really up front about everything and were really pushing for us to determine if Case was the proper fit. Great experience there."
"Friendly and laid-back atmosphere. Just do your best to show them who you really are, and I think that's all you can really do. The student interviewer was also very honest in his assessment of the school and what it has to offer. Also, in case you don't know already, you get 1 faculty (open file) interview and 1 student (closed file) interview."
"The interview day was very well-organized and efficient. The atmosphere was laid back. There was a 20 minute talk by one of the Society chairs, Dr. Hainey, that really helped to break the ice."
"Faculty interview is open file, student interview is closed file."
"The admissions office is very helpful so if you have any questions call them."
"The school is great, great program, curriculum, faculty, clinics... but the area and Cleveland are so so. But keep an open mind... they are really accepting of the students as long as you are willing to work hard."
"You have two interviews. First is with a student (closed file), the other is with a faculty that sits on the admissions board (open file, though mine said he looked at my file after the interview). When my student interviewer brought me into their commons room to find some seats to talk, I commented on their ping-pong table. He asked "you play ping-pong" I said "yes, blah blah" and we had the interview while playing ping pong. Sadly, I lost 11-13. The faculty interview was very laid back, and conversational. This is a great school overall. My tour guide seemed like a total d-bag. He represents the a-hole surgeon that has no patient skills, and I will be discouraged to work with. He just seemed really blaise about the school in general."
"There was one faculty and one student interview. The student interview was closed file and very conversational. I felt like we ran out of time very quickly"
"Two interviews, one faculty (open file, 60 min) and one student (closed file, 45 min). Both very conversational and laid-back. The interview group was very large so, even though we were split in half for the tour, I didn't hear a word that our tour guide said, so even though the facilities were attractive, I didn't really get a good impression of what they were all about."
"Two interviews, one with faculty (open file, 45 min), one with student (closed file, 30 min)"
"The interviews were very general and laid back. You'll have two interviews: one with faculty and one with a student. the one with faculty is open-file, and the one with the student is closed-file. "
"Great school at not bad location. School is wonderful and people are really good there. Would love to go there in a heart beat!"
"A great and underrated school. Probably my top choice after the interview. I loved it."
"Mr. Essman pretty much described it best: Case is a beautiful gem nestled in Ohio. "
"Two interviews, one with a 2nd year and one with the Dean of Admissions. Both were amazingly comfortable and very little "attacking" by the interviewers. Discussion was allowed to flow naturally from one topic to the next. My interview with the student was on a stool, which was a bit difficult to do because I was holding a folder and in a suit, so I couldn't really gesticulate as much as I would have liked. Student interview was 30 mins, the deans was scheduled for an hour. As my first interview, I was really appreciative of the atmosphere, and I was very much impressed with Case. Definately consider their new program, its worth a look. My interest level of Case went from a low 1st tier school on my list to competitive with any other school I am interviewing at. I felt a connection, and I think their emphasis on hands on learning and discussion really is the way of the future. Thanks Case!"
"Faculty interview is open file and student interview is closed file. Both were conversations and very relaxed."
"The interview was very conversational, there were no difficult questions. Overall, i had a very good and enjoyable experience."
"I liked the school. It was just that I was thrown for a loop during my faculty interview (the first one of the day) that made me lack confidence and breed resentment towards the school. Ohhh, and my faculty interviewer couldn't even really answer any of my questions because he was new to the area and only really worked with residents. Also, I didn't like how they set up preceptorships. Random and not very extensive. Also, I didn't really like the fact that anatomy was so late. I want to get the harder stuff out of the way and enjoy the rest of the year, but they set up the curriculum so fluff classes come first so more time in the beginning to get to know your classmates."
"Great, I was actually feeling only lukewarm about Case before the interview and afterwards I am positively jazzed. Too bad I won't know any more on my status for weeks."
"i got ripped a new one"
"I love this school. I truly enjoy the great non-competitive environment, and the fact it is the only medical school in Cleveland, so there is no competition for resources. "
"It was positive and I learned a lot about the school. Unfortunately, it was my first interview so I didn't have much to compare it to, nor did I feel completely prepared for the experience."
"Arrive at 8:15 Welcome by Dean Faculty Interview Financial Aid Talk Student Q&A Student-led tour Student Interview *Bring some stuff with you since there is a lot of down time."
"Great!"
"overall very positive. just know that the school is looking for someone who actually wants to attend their med school. case is competing with other top -tier med schools and probably don't want to accept someone who'll also get accepted to harvard because that applicant will probably go to harvard if accepted to both schools. matriculate/acceptance rate is very important to all med schools. they may actually ask you what other schools you are applying. just be yourself and if you really like the school, let them know that you do. "
"Faculty interview and student interview have the SAME WEIGHT with the admissions committee, so take the student interview seriously. Note that faculty interview is open file but student interview is closed. My faculty interviewer loved to talk and kept me for 90+ minutes, so I wasn't able to sit in on a class. It was very interesting and conversational though (talked about treating the Amish, various books we liked, his love of coaching softball, etc.) Student interview was my favorite of all two schools I've interviewed at so far; she asked the best questions and I was able to present myself really well. Case interview day was more tiring than my previous interview; they kept us walking back and forth between conference rooms all day, which seemed odd. Weather is getting pretty cold, so come prepared."
"I hit a deer during my drive to Cleveland so the trip didn't start out so great, but it gave me an interestin story to tell. My interview was one of the first ones of the day, which I liked because I didn't have to stay nervous the whole day. The interview itself was more of a pleasant conversation and my interviewer was really nice and relaxed. The student interview was pretty much the same, very laid back and relaxed. There's a lot of down time so I suggest listening in on a class and talking to your fellow interviewees. Also, walk around the campus if you have time because the tour doesn't cover everything."
"Good curriculum, but otherwise, I left feeling a lot less enthusiastic about the school than I was when I arrived. Might be the result of the poor faculty interview."
"The faculty and my host was very nice. I was very impressed with the academics and resources and hospitals, but not that impressed with the overall atmosphere. First years didn't seem to really have a clue about some things. "
"Easy going. Faculty interview is open file. Student interview is closed file and informal (conducted at the cafeteria). Much of the day is unorganized, so it's sitting around and sort of boring. "
"the interview was relaxed, she mostly just picked experiences from my AMCAS. the student interview was 30 min long and supposedly is important, but they're students, so it was also relaxed. met a 4th year on my flight back-told me some interesting details of how Case isn't a student-centered program, the gaps in the new curriculum, the faculty feeling disenfranchised, made me think a little bit."
"the interview was relaxed, she mostly just picked experiences from my AMCAS. the student interview was 30 min long and supposedly is important, but they're students, so it was also relaxed."
"I was really won over by the kindness of everyone I met there. We had dinner with current MSTP students the night before the interviews started. They were completely honest with us when answering our questions. I had five one-on-one interviews on the first day and two on the second day. In most interviews, I just talked about my research and learned about the research of the faculty members. Everyone was very happy to answer questions, so come prepared with questions. I ran out of questions after the first few interviews. During the breaks, I went back to the office and got vouchers to buy coffee at the nearby coffee shop. The ladies in the office are incredibly sweet and very approachable. Almost all of the faculty escorted me to my next interview (all offered, but I told some of them I could find my own way), which was very helpful because I got a little lost on my own at first. Give yourself a lot of time to get there from the hotel on the first morning. I was late, and they were fine with that, but it makes a better impression if you arrive on time. Also, wear comfortable shoes. There's a lot of walking. You meet faculty at their offices, so you walk around the campus a lot. The students seem very happy with the program. Some students had to switch labs because their PIs were recruited to another school (it's more common than you might think - it happens everywhere). When that happened, the whole program was very supportive and helpful in trying to find new projects for the students. The one school of medicine interview is more of a formality than anything. They mostly ask things like, ''Why MD/PhD? Why not one or the other?'' Just stay calm, be polite and ask intelligent questions and you'll be fine. I came away loving the school even more than I did before I came to interview. "
"my interviewer has a closed file policy (i dont think this was the general case for all interviewers). we had a conversation, he talked about his entry into medicine, i talked about why i applied. then we talked about case, politics, general conversation."
"great day overall...can be tiring if you have all your interviews in the afternoon like i did...very laid-back environment and i like the new curriculum"
"This was my first interview and very helpful for preparing for future ones. Not one of my top choices but seem like a great school for somebody"
"Overall, a very positive experience. However, it was my first interview, so I have no reference point for my rankings. "
"welcome session in the morning. my faculty interview was 45 minutes. my interviewer had only been at Case for 2 uyears and told me straight out that he ''can't answer specific questions about the curriculum, students, or the program''. so i tried to think of as many questions about Cleveland that i could. the med student interview (closed file) was very laid back and informative."
"I wish Case would not have been my first interview. I tried not to fall in love, but that was hard to do. I was very nervous for the interviews and felt I could have done better if I would have had a previous one under my belt. Case seems like it will give its students unparalleled access to just about any specialty they are interested in. I'm hoping that I'll be back for 2nd look weekend, it sounds fun. "
"It starts at a reasonable time (8 AM) and there is a lot of downtime. If you're lucky, you can go see classes in the morning, but expect to be there for awhile. The student interviewers are pretty laid back, but don't direct the conversation so come prepared to talk about yourself without prompting."
"The interview was very laid back. Since it was my second interview, I wasn't nervous and that helped me to do better. "
"Overall, it was a great experience. They let you know within one week what their decision is and thankfully, mine turned out to be positive. Since its the only medical school in Cleveland, they have a monopoly on the Cleveland Clinic hospital system. The people there are great and their admissions director was one of the most honest thus far."
"My best interview yet. I loved Case and am anxiously awaiting the admissions committee!"
"nice, orderly interview, students were very excited about case"
"I really enjoyed my interview. Especially the rap session held by the SNMA chapter there. The students there are so open to helping one another and very supportive."
"Started with a talk with the dean (I had trouble staying awake through this), then financial aid and curriculum info sessions, then lunch with students (there were no napkins!!), a tour of the school and hospitals with students, a faculty interview and a student interview. The student interview was closed-file. The faculty interview was open-file, except mine chose not to read it until after the interview."
"The interviews are very low stress. You don't really need to spend hours preparing for it. The students I met were very willing to give you advice on how to better your chances of getting accepted. Overall, the school just seems like a great place to get a medical education."
"It was very relaxing- everyone was friendly and helpful. My faculty interview was more like a conversation. In addition, the student interview was awesome. "
"i was really impressed by case, and cleveland is cheap. i hope to get accepted ASAP!"
"Admissions Office staff didn't do that great of a job presenting the school, but they didn't have to: it speaks for itself. Top notch everything. It is clear that you will be an amazing physician when you graduate from Case. "
"I really thought Case Western was a very nice school that no one seems to know much about. They have a great research program and some of the best hospitals in the nation to do rotations at. Everyone that I met was incredibly nice and relaxed probably because the first two years are pass/fail with no class ranking system. Case Western is my first choice school, so I wish I had gotten another interview with a different school for practice. They appear to read a lot more into your application than just gpa and mcat which is probably why I got the interview, and their admissions committee lets you know very quickly about your decision. I sure hope mine is good."
"interviewer was pleasant and actually read my application. Tons of clinical opportunities."
"Overall an excellent experience. Case is now a top choice for me!"
"Case was a really nice school. My faculty interview lasted over an hour and went really well. The student interview was totally laid back and easy going. "
"My interviewer, Dr. Mehta, was great. She was so fun and bubbly. No tough questions, we just talked about all the things I had written in my essays. The student interview was closed file, about 30 min, also very relaxed--I mostly asked her questions about the different programs."
"I stayed with a student host, who was really great and fun to hang out with. She dropped me off at the admissions office in the morning, where there was some food (bagels and pastries) and coffee. The staff was very welcoming and the applicant group as a whole was very interesting and fun. There was an opening remarks presentation in the morning, then some people had interviews scheduled. I didn't so I just hung out at the library and sat in on the first year lecture. I wish we had a chance to see the small group sessions, but the lecture was pretty fun too. According to the students it was one of the less important ones, so they were all just hanging out, talking to each other, one was even watching an episode of Lost on his laptop. Overall they were very friendly, and I got a sense that they balance studying hard and relaxing pretty well. After the lecture, we had a financial aid presentation then lunch while one of the deans went over the curriculum. After that we had time to talk to the students and were given a tour. Then I had my interviews. The faculty interviewer was pretty standard - he wanted to know about my study abroad experience, my research experience, told me a little about Case and Cleveland. My student interviewer was more relaxed, he mostly just told me about the school, I don't really remember talking about myself too much - just the standard questions as well. I got a pretty bad headache somewhere during the day, so the second half of it really dragged on for me, which is too bad because I really liked the school and wanted to make a good impression. I was finally done around four."
"The whole trip was awesome. My student host was very cool, and informative. Case is one of those places that once you see you know why it is so well known and respected. I could tell that it would be hard to train there and not be an excellent physician. "
"The interviewer was quite friendly though she stared me down the entire time."
"45 min. faculty interview and a 30 minute SUPER informal student interview. my student interviewer was the shit, super nice, ultra friendly, and also quite hot. we just shot the breeze for a while."
"We were introduced to the school briefly by an administrator, interviewed with faculty in the morning, had a presentation of the WR2 curriculum and opportunities at the school, lunch, student panel forum, financial aid presentation, a tour, and a student interview."
"Overall, the students were really excited in talking about their school and the new curriculum. The tour was awesome. The student interviewer was much easier than the faculty interview. "
"the amount of information they gave us was overwhelming. current students came to talk to us during all of our downtime and were always enthusiastic, my interviews went a little long so i didn't get to sit in on a class but there was an information session, a q and a with students, a financial aid talk, and an introduction at the beginning of the day in a very impressive room that overlooked cleveland. "
"Very laid back interview process. Sat in on the second year class, which the professor was very enthusiastic and engaging. Admissions office is so friendly! Overall it was a great experience. Anxiously awaiting October 16th!"
"I had a great day at Case. I had never been to Cleveland, so everything I was seeing was brand new to me. Absolutely everyone I met there was so eager to talk to us and share their experiences. Even though Case prepares students to be top notch physicians, they told us that they STILL had time to be normal!! The interviews were very low-stress. The faculty interview was open file and very conversational. Mine was over an hour long. The student interview was a little more informal, but very informative and also conversational. Everyone and everything ran smoothly and on time, and it was a great experience!"
"The interviewers really just wanted to get to know you, and made sure you felt comfortable. The faculty interview was open file, but the student interview was closed file."
"I had a great time. The interviewer was an older, Asian woman, and asked me questions like "what would you do if your husband wanted to move?" I'm not married and its not his decision, so in that respect some of those kinds of questions made me feel uncomfortable"
"it's totally low-stress, low-key, and conversational. i was to interview with an MD/MPH in the afternoon (research in inflammation, similar to what i do currently), but she canceled b/c her son was sick. admissions was nice enough to reschedule my slot with an MD faculty in pharmacology. he did not have hardly any time to go over my file, but when he did he asked the standard three questions ("
"The interview day consisted of a one-on-one session with Dr. Kirby (he interviews most applicants), was followed by a financial aid session, tour, then lunch. Chances to sit in on classes are abundant. Tour guides are just regular ol' students and are taught to show the 5 "Ls": lounge, library, labs, lecure hall, then lunch. If you want to see more, you need to ask. Also, when you interview at any med school take into account the proximity to exams during your visit. You can expect students to be more reserved, some places more vacant the day before a test and them to be more uppity and excited right after. (Don't go the day before a test, not ask about tests, and just assume the "students are all cold pricks.")"
"Two interviews. One with a faculty member and the other with a 2nd-year student. My interviews were both in the afternoon. The faculty interviewer came in 15 minutes early to give herself some time to review my application. Both interviews were relaxing and mostly conversational. I ended up interviewing for longer than I anticipated. I got the impression that they really wanted to make me feel comfortable and wanted to get to know me."
"It was very easy going. I'm not sure how they select students if their interviews are this laid back. It may be just a information session for students and they make their decisions purely based on your file?"
"Not a lot to tell- tour, talk by the Dean, and then interview."
"great! I love the school. I think the curricular changes are progressive and the students seem so cooperative. NB: the faculty interview is OPEN, while the student interview is closed."
"Crap."
"Overall, the interview experience was very laid back and conversational."
"open file faculty interview very relaxed, speakers and tourguides were very articulate, entertaining, and charismatic. students seemed happy, closed file student interview- very informal, forgot it was an interview. lectures were interesting and videotaped for online student access. didn't really get a chance to see much of the hospital"
"Great interviewer. Articulate. Made me feel at ease in the office space, but still asked porbing challenging questions. Didn't get asked any of the standard questions, but I never do (too much explaining to do with the undergrad stuff)"
"THis was a good experience. I was excited about the school before visiting, and even more excited afterwords. The presentation by the dean was great - he is a good speaker and discussed many of Case's unique features. The students were nice as well. Note that there is 1 faculty interview, which is open file, and 1 student interview, which is closed file. Apparently the two interviews are weighted the same amount. The faculty interview was laid back - be prepared to make clarifications about your AMCAS, and to answer the basic questions. The student interview was conversational, and seemed more like an information session than an interview, as I was only asked about 7 questions in total. You have time to sit in a class for a while, which was beneficial because I got to speak with many students, and see them in their 'element'. "
"Overall, the day went very well. Both my student and faculty interviewers (except for when he asked me that crazy question..see below) were great. Also, some of the earlier posts said that there was a lot of time spent during nothing??? I'm not sure why they thought that b/c I didn't have more than 10 min of "down-time" until my interviews were completely over. "
"Very laid back, they just want to get to know you as a person. Same w/ student interview although the student interviewer asked more pointed questions than the faculty member!"
"The whole day was terrific, and unfortunately the more impressed I got with the school, the more nervous I got about my chances. This made my faculty interview a bumbling nightmare. The student interview, on the other hand, was very laid-back. The day was great, the fellow interviewees were awesome, and in the end I came out with a new top choice. Here's to hoping for the best..."
"My faculty interview was great. Very low stress and I feel it was one of my better interviews this season. My student interview was very casual, closed file and about 30 minutes long. "
"Case is truly and invigorating place to be. They are very progressive and are undergoing great curriculum changes. My interview was fabulous. I only talked half the time. The facilities are great. They had a light breakfast, coffee on hand and a good boxed lunch for us. There were presentations and an opportunity to speak with the Dean of the Med school as well. We were very well looked after."
"I was not impressed with Case. If you have an afternoon interview, they have you sitting around with nothing to do from 8:45 until lunch (you had the option to attend a class for ~50 minutes). Bring a book or something. Lunch and financial aid was fine. After lunch, the interviewees sat around for 25 minutes waiting for the tour guides to pick us up. I didn't have time to complete the tour, since my interview was scheduled to begin 10 minutes after the tour began. Several times during the day, I comptemplated getting up and leaving. I'm lucky that I already have an acceptance to a school I love and didn't agonize over this experience once it ended. Interviewers should make you feel comfortable- not completely incompetent like mine did."
"I got there early and had a little breakfast and talked to some of the other interviewees. We got a little talk from Dr. Heneghan and then I had my faculty interview right away. My interviewer was kind of strange at first. I tried to make small talk as we walked to his office, but he seemed socially inept. As soon as we got to his office though, he spoke nonstop, which made it hard for me to get my points across. He'd often begin asking me a question, ramble until he was on a totally different topic, and then forget that he had asked me a question to begin with. He was, however, very helpful in giving me information about the school and even gave me some general advice about choosing a school and making it into the specialty of my choice. He didn't really have any questions other than to clarify some of the points from my application, so I really had to make an effort to steer the interview where I wanted it to go. We then got to sit in on some class, heard an extremely short financial aid talk, then Dr. Heneghan spoke to us again about the new curriculum. After that was the student interview, which was more relaxed, but they felt the need to remind us several times to take it seriously. Questions there were much more generic (why medicine, what do you like to do in your spare time?), but you should definitely use that time to pick at the student interviewer's brain and figure out more about the school and what they think. Overall, not too stressful (although it was my first interview, so of course I was a little anxious). The school seems great, especially if you're willing to take a lot of initiative. They're looking for people who know what they want and are passionate about doing what needs to be done to achieve your goals."
"I had a great day, and came out loving the school! Ellen in admissions is AWESOME; she was so friendly and helpful and cool. In fact, everyone I met was friendly and helpful and cool. I enjoyed both of my interviewers very much (the faculty interview is open file and the student interview is closed, by the way). After an acceptance to one of my top-choice schools in November, this is the only interview I kept, and I'm really glad I did."
"Both of my interviewers were great. One was a student, the other a Ph.D. The Ph.D. had my file, while the student did not. The interviews are very laid back and conversational and even the tough questions are not hard if you're just honest."
"The interview was great - very relaxed and conversational. I felt as though I was given ample opportunities to talk about the things I wanted to share with the interviewer. She did nto try and grill me but rather seemed to want to get to know me."
"Case is an excellent school, and I think the new curriculum's push to integrate public health care issues is an awesome step forward. The p/f system ensures that the student body is really cooperative and laid back. All in all though, I'm unsure about finances, Cleveland, and whether it's a good "fit" for me."
"Although the day begins at 8 and ends around 3, tere were a lot of gaps in between. Pretty laid back interviews, nothing too overly exciting. Honestly, Case did not live up to the high expectations that I had envisioned. "
"Amazing. I loved the school, curriculum, and degree of support."
"the day was great, nice fruit platter for breakfast, a greeting from dean horowitz who is inspirational and enthusiastic, faculty interview was laid back, just went over my application and asked a few easy questions, lunch was good, tour was alright, student interview was awesome, i mostly asked him questions about the school, he barely asked me anything"
"Case is an amazing place if you want to be the best and happen to have outstanding scores (e.g. 32+, 3.8+). Remember during faculty interviews, silence is your best friend...do not ramble!!! However, during the student interview, you may need to provoke conversation to capivate the student's interest in your success. "
"This was my first interview but the school is AMAZING!!!!"
"Case is a great school, I think I like Cleveland Clinic even better though. It seems like its a choice between highly self directed learning (CCLCM) or more lecture based material and a more traditional education (Case)."
"Really long but quick-paced and friendly. A lot is based on discussing Case and MSTP programs in general. Very little grilling. One was purely asking me to ask questions."
"Very relaxed. I was fairly nervous because this was my first interview, but I didn't get any difficult questions. The interviewer just told me about the school and asked for clarification where he had any questions about my application."
"Case is certainly an up and coming university with a lot to offer a medical student who seeks a non-competitive environment, a cutting-edge school in terms of curriculum and improving medical education, and a school that centers around student research"
"We had a great breakfast. All the interviewees started to introduce themselvs and we got along really well. Then, we talked to the Dean and the Assistant Dean, who were both highly intelligent and welcoming. Most of us did not have morning interviews, so we sat in on first and second year classes. Then we had the financial aide session, followed by a catered lunch, during which we were introduced to the brand new curriculum. The whole experience was just so smooth. After lunch, we went on a tour. The hospitals were just amazingly beautiful. They have top notch peds and cardio depts, not to mention cleveland clinic being one of the best hospitals in america. As soon as we came back, I went on my faculty interview. This was the most relaxing interview ever! we just chatted about the school and about how I will fit into the school. Afterwards, I had a student interview, which was in a similar style--very conversational (about 45 min). And that was that. The day was over before I knew it."
"A really friendly and innovative place."
"Overall I liked it quite a bit. The faculty interview is open file, the student interview is closed file. The student seemed a little nervous talking to me - but the student was also pretty young. The faculty member was great, very honest, very helpful."
"Everyone at Case is wonderful during the entire interview process. There is lunch, dinner, and two interviews one with a faculty member and one with a student. the students are honest and willing to answer all questions about anything you want to know. truly honest about the fact that cleveland isn't that great of a city but that case is wonderful."
"Very laid back. No real questions from the faculty interviewer or the student interviewer - mostly seemed to want to sell Case to me."
"Nice, low stress. If you do MSTP, almost all of your questions will be about your research, and a few will be about clinical."
"For anyone who resides outside the Clevland area and is considering Case you should know that Cleveland is one of only a handful of cities in America that is a "commuter" city. Meaning that Cleveland has become a place where the lifestyle is such that you live in the suburbs and travel into the city for entertainment night life, work etc. If you look at a map showing population density you will see that the population density is very spread out and Cleveland's ring of suburbs reach 1/2 way to Pennsylvania. So, while the city is small relative to other cities, when you factor in the surrounding suburbs - it is actually quite large. As a result, there is very litte "nice" housing within the city limits - our nice housing is in the suburbs. One reason is because traveling in and around the city is quite easy and traffic is minimal compared to other cities. As an example - I live about 30 miles from the school - my travel time is typically about 40 minutes. You can cover a lot of ground in the Cleveland area in a short time. You don't have to live as far as I do from the school. There is nice housing in the "heights" area - which is only about 10 minutes from the school by bus, car or train. If you know this before you come here I think that you can put your experience with the "area" in a much better perspective!"
"My faculty interview lasted 75 minutes and was very informal and conversational. The student interview was also informal and was a great opportunity to ask questions about student life. "
"My interview day went well for the most part. Every person I met was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I even liked my fellow interviewees. I found myself more impressed by the school than I thought I would be. Be aware that there are now closed-file student interviews that count as much as the open-file faculty/administration interview."
"very positive interview. I could definitely see myself here. Will get a very balanced clinical and research education"
"I feel like I did okay. The interviewer was very relaxed and didn't make it too difficult. Most of the questions were run-of-the-mill as you can see my interesting questions isnt THAT interesting."
"It was a wonderful place. The only reason I chose not to go was that the school I chose was my home school and was better for my significant other"
"Overall, this school is my first choice. The faculty seemed very student-friendly. The curriculum is not competitive so students help each other. The city is kind of dull, but students do find a way to have fun."
"I doubt I will get into Case, but if I did it has moved to the bottom of my list. My interviewer and I had nothing in common, and even after giving her my whole spiel the best she could say was..tell me more. The thesis requirement Case has is obnoxious, and the city is decrepid, run down, and very poor. Sure Case is a bit isolated, but I still felt like the misery of the city spilled over onto the campus. "
"overall a great, stress free experience"
"Overall very positive. Case has nice facilities, the faculty seemed to be very excited, and students friendly and engaging. The interview itself was very very laid back, I had almost no questions and it seemed to be more a discussion than anything else. My interviewer had also gone through my app with a lot attention, she really knew my info and made the interview a much more personal experience than other schools I went to."
"Positive overall."
"be sure to come early and go into the interview waiting room. they had the best breakfast i've seen at an interview yet! other than that, its basically what everyone else says. interview, tour, class (boring!), go home!"
"He really didnt care about stuff other interviews at other schools seemed to care about; rather he wanted to get at the moral fabric that makes me who I am. The interviewer said it would take about 45 minutes; we talked for 1.5 hours. This was the least stressful interview I have been to. The entire experience was great. Case moved back up to my number 2 after this interview; I doubt I will get into my number 1, so I think I will be in Cleveland come fall."
"If you are looking for a research institution, this is probably an excellent place for you, but I just didn't care for the dean, the students, or the curriculum."
"I can't stress how smooth and simple the day was. We were there from 8-1 (some had their interview after the 12 noon tour) and when the day was over it seemed like we had just been at ease all day. I would recommend talking to the other students because they are very interesting and can take your mind off of the interview. I found it difficult (impossible for me) to find a student host but I did wait until 2 weeks prior to interview day. In my opinion, Case should be ranked top 15 instead of just top 25. The hospitals including Cleveland Clinic are some of the best, however CC is about 1/2 mile away so we didn't get to tour it. The students have plenty of free time to pursue other interests and are encouraged to do so. Case does require a thesis for graduation, but the options are endless and I'm very glad I didn't let this stop me from applying."
"Case was a nice school. I am not most useful because I'm comparing it to my other choices."
"Case has everything to offer: various degrees, extensive early patient contact, supportive class"
"At first glance, Case seems to be a promising school with an innovative curriculum. But the interview day itself was disappointing--poorly planned and full of surprising failures by both the admissions staff and the students. A good school if you're into research, I guess, but otherwise, look elsewhere."
"My interviewer gave long stories about things that happened at the school over the years... that resulted in my interview lasting twice as long as it was supposed to. I felt kind of stupid during my interview; he asked me if I had questions for him before I had been on the tour and then told me my MCATs were a little low. Between stories, I got a lot of questions about aspects of my research that I didn't know (I did in vitro, he was asking in vivo) and I didn't get to focus on my strengths. Might have gone better than I thought, but after talking to other folks, I think some of his questions were inappropriate. Other interviewees seemed to have much friendlier interviewers. I just couldn't read this guy. I really liked the rest of the day: We got breakfast and lunch, the students and deans were really cool, the facilities were refurbished or new... Great day, apart from the interview I think I stunk at."
"Extremely impressive interviewer- was also open to questions about his work"
"When they give you a time on the schedule, add 15 minutes to it and thats the real time. Very nice program."
"Overall, it was a great day....somehow I didnt think it was that long. Yes we started at 8am (I was almost late bc of the RTA) and ended at 4pmish....but it was a great day...we had 3 different tours, students gave us one, a resident gave us one and a researcher gave us one. We got an overview of the curriculum, a financial aid talk...over all a busy and informative day. In any case...I got accepted on 11/24 by phone...one of the best days of my life. It is basically my #1 choice.....unless something else happens..I should be C/O 2010!"
"Cleveland Clinic Lerner COllege Interview: All went well. Everything was fine. The tour was a little long, but I figure that it helped me see the facilties for all they were for. I commend the early exposure to clinical skills that the students say they emphasized from year 1. One of the girls really didn't sell the program so well when she kept complaining about her summer experience. Another really seemed like the party type and kept mentioning that Cleveland had a night life. But overall, the students seemed positive. "
"Make sure to know why you want to become a physician, why you chose Case Med, and definitely go over your applications. The interview is VERY conversational, and you have the power to avoid certain topics and bring the conversation to more familiar topics. So, make sure you know some ideas that will impress the interviewer (about stem cell, healthcare policies, insurance, etc.), and lead the conversation towards that direction. "
"I was impressed with the curriculum at case, the integration of research, lecture, and small group learning. the new dean has big plans for this place. I also liked the campus and was able to walk around the undergrad campus. The staff was also very friendly and helpful. I felt that I did not get a feel for the student body as a whole, though. Many schools have you eat lunch with a bunch of students or put you in a spot where the students can stop by and tell you how wonderful this school is yatta yatta. at case we were pretty isolated and beyond my host and tour guides we did not meet too many people. "
"morning wasn't great: got there at 8:30, talk from assistant dean for 30 minutes, then sat around for an hour (would have been two, but we were able to see a class, which was great), then the rest of the day was fine...the day as a whole went well...laid back"
"Case is great!"
"High expectations going in, maybe unrealistically high. The program and school were nice but I do not see myself choosing to attend if accepted."
"Even though my interview was very stressful, the day was great. The other people in my interview group were sociable, and the students were welcoming. After my bad interview, I thought that I'd blown my chances, but I just received an acceptance letter today, so I guess not! It's possible that the guy I interviewed with just likes to push people to see how they react. Anyway, Case is one of my top two choices (tied with University of Rochester), so I now have to decide which one to go to! It's nice to be in this position."
"It was a really good day. The whole morning was very relaxing, and the deans seemed really really nice and helpful. They were funny, as well, and that helped relax everyone. The interviewer asked a lot of questions on my research which was difficult since I had blocked out a lot of my memories of research since I hated it so much."
"Welcome by the Dean. Attended an M2 class. Presentation from admissions. Presentation by financial aid. Tour led by students. Lunch. Interview by faculty member...a well-scheduled day with little down time."
"It's all in one day, unless you're also interviewing for the Cleveland Clinic program. You have six or seven interviews if I recall correctly. There's one interview with the medical school, one with the MSTP director, two with MSTP committee members, one with an MSTP student (really an opportunity to ask questions more than anything else), and a couple faculty interest interviews. Everyone was pretty friendly, and generally trying to sell Cleveland, and Case, to me. No questions were really out of left field - this was a pretty standard interview overall, and generally a good one to have early. There's plenty of good food, and time to interact with students. The school does a good job of mixing up students with applicants - so you'll get to meet first years, sixth years, and everything in between."
"My interview was extremely informal and my interviewer really nice. We discussed everything from books to music as well as the standard health care questions"
"I didn't enjoy my interview day as much as I had expected to. The interview itself was fine (very conversational so don't even worry), curriculum/financial aid overview was fine, and tour was good. But the other interviewees can either make or break the experience and in this case it was the latter! From interaction with students and interviewees, I didn't get the greatest feeling about the types of students Case recruits. I feel as though it may accept or interview good-on-paper type of students (grades, scores, research, etc.) and pay less attention to things like personality? I may be wrong and maybe I should have met more students but that was the impression I left with! I would recommend staying with a student host (I couldn't) to get a better idea of what the students are like! Case is a good school with a good reputation...but this was my fourth interview and the students and interviewees at Case seemed a lot less fun/friendly compared to my previous three interviews!"
"There were about 10 of us and the interview day started with the usual talk about the school....Dean was running late as he was flyig from somewhere so in that time we were taken to attend 2nd yr calss .... then we were taken back to the other buiding for the interview. My interviewer was called off so I was interviewed by the new Asst. Dean instead. Inerview turned out to be pretty good experience and it seemed that she had taken time to look thru' the file on such a short notice, which was nice. Then we had our financil aid talk follewed by Dean's speech. Then luch was served followed by the student tours. All in all a neat experience."
"I'll preface this by saying that Case was my first choice even before the interview, but I loved it, and the day was great. They have a lot of new facilities and innovative programs, and the students and faculty were awesome. Also, we talked to the deans of the school and of the admissions department rather than people who didn't play a major role."
"Very relaxed. The guy was very cool actually mocking the fact that he had to go through this standard question list. He actually spent quite a bit of time telling me about what kind of medicine he does, the attractions of the city of Cleveland and about Case. I learned a lot from him. THese interviewers are selling you as much as you are selling yourself."
"At 8:30 the Dean gave his spiel about the school, Dr Horowitz has a clear vision about where he wants to take the school and is obviously excited about taking it there. I interviewed from 9-10, then sat in a class where I understood absolutely nothing, then had the financial aid talk, lunch, and tour after. Overall, it was awesome and Case has quickly become my top choice. It's a very open-minded and progressive atmosphere, and everyone seems to love it there."
"I loved Case-Western. In fact, I almost went there but changed my mind at the last minute. The students are all really happy and eager to tell you about their school, even the day before exams. I really like the curriculum, having all your lectures on the web if you want to watch them again (or oversleep!) and having the afternoon free for electives and studying. The patient exposure your first two years is amazing, especially the program where you are matched up with a maternity or geriatric patient. "
"I really enjoyed my interview. My interviewer was very nice and relaxed. I got the impression that they are constantly trying to improve their school and involve the students in this process. They are trying to incorporate more public health into the curriculum. Also, they seem to send decisions fairly quick, I got an acceptance letter before I had time to write him a thank you letter. "
"The interviewer was old and not very good at listening. He was nice just old. He didn't really seem to enjoy conversating all that much."
"It went well. I felt very comfortable. The Dean of Admissions is very straightforward, and doesn't make you feel nervous."
"The school was real nice, and the students and the dean were great. My interviewer did not appear to be too interested in me as a person, or applicant."
"Excellent school, certainly top notch."
"All of the people at the school were very positive, helpful, and friendly. The day was fairly long because I had an afternoon interview, but we did plenty to pass the time. We met with the dean at the beginning of the day, and he described his plans for the expansion and improvement of the school. I had the chance to sit in on classes in addition to touring the building."
"Good experience. I enjoyed the school, students and faculty. I think its a little strange that they talk so much about getting to know you as a person (going beyond your paper application), but then you only have one 20 minute interview. "
"It was very conversational. My interviewer was very pleasant to talk to, and very encouraging. He didn't ask me any difficult questions. He seemed genuinely interested in my family. Overall, a great experience."
"The Case interview was awesome!! It was my 7th interview and just when I started to feel jaded and bored about the whole process, Case managed to make things interesting. Dr. Kirby was a great interviewer."
"I felt the school is genuinely concerned with the happiness and well-being of its students. Also, the five locals and cab drivers I talked to all had positive things to say about the affiliated hospitals. This is a wonderful school."
"it was okay, but not great. I wasn't all the impressed with the students I met, but between my overnight stay and the tour, I only met five students, so maybe they were the wrong ones to meet... "
"Very laid back interview with Dr. Kirby. He's very friendly and only asked 3 or 4 easy questions. "
"The Cleveland Clinic is a DREAM COME TRUE!!! Stunning place...great people... Case Western pales in comaprison!!! I was so disappointed with CWRU after seeing the LCM. CWRU doesn't have the appeal I wanted, though the Dean was nice to come and talk to us in the beginning... the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine was very nice.... i haven't seen anything that good so far...and my interviewers were great!"
"CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COLLEGE (not case) - Very impressive place. I really liked the whole transitional research ideal and how accomplished everyone at the clinic is. I'm still a little skeptical about the curriculum and how much independence it requires. But, supposedly this is the new wave of the future in curriculum (?) The interviews were long and the interviewers both really knew my file well. Everyone is real helpful and friendly. Dean Hutzler, Dean Fishleder, and Ms. Meyers are all really great and they talked to us like it was a conversation rather than an interview experience. Overall a really interesting day and program."
"It was very laid back. More of a conversation. Helped relax me after my high stress level interview the day before :( Very good school with good programs and a dean who genuinely cares. Who wouldn't want to go here????"
"The interview was very relaxed, the students seemed to love case, the dean met with the group of ten students interviewing that day personally and seemed very interested in us, students giving us the tour were very friendly, medical school was very impressive"
"Interview seemed needless ... I felt like I wasn't asked any difficult questions and didn't feel like I impressed my interviewer at all (but I got in, so I guess it really didn't matter -- hope that helps you relax a bit) Make sure you ask about Doc Opera"
"Lots of fun. I loved it at case"
"My interview was great. I interviewed for the Cleveland Clinic and Case in the same week. The Clinic program was really impressive and I think I would fit in there with my research background, but being a new school I am a little worried. Case is a great school and the people there couldnt do enough for you. It remains my top choice school."
"I was thoroughly impressed with Case's med school, there was nothing about it I didn't like. At least until the interview... Most people liked their interviewers, saying they were friendly and laid-back. Not me, I suppose I was unlucky. But if you think you were treated unfairly, the dean will give you another interview."
"very positive. as stated above, the interview was really just a conversation, and i really felt like he was just trying to get to know me as a person, rather than drilling me on ethical issues, etc. the first interview i've had that hasn't asked the question "why do you want to be a doctor?" case is a great school, but it's extremely expensive."
"First day was at the Cleveland Clinic and the second day was at Case Western. The Cleveland Clinic staff and students treated us exceptionally well. I would say this was my best interview experience so far. The Case Western experience was a bit less impressive. It felt more like a normal school. Going to med school at the Cleveland Clinic would be like going to school in a hospital, wheras going to school at Case Western would be like going to school at any number of other medical schools...ie sort of like undergrad."
"relaxed, lots of down time"
"It seems like a great school and the students all seemed to be enjoying themselves."
"It was a really great experience! "
"My interviewe was realized and quite open-ended. The interviewer asked broad questions, often times far away from medicine. Unfortunately he had three itnerviewes scheduled that day so he was quite busy."
"Overall, a very relaxed and stress free day. I hope I get in here."
"Case is a nice school. They have a new dean whom everyone seems to like, and it looks like they're about to make some major improvements. It's just not the place for me."
"Case was my first interview so it's hard to compare with other schools. I've heard that this is one of the easiest interviews. "
"This was the Cleveland Clinic interview. The interviews were not hard - they had a set of standard questions. They asked mostly about your research and clinical experiences"
"Tour of the medical buildings with a second year student, lunch at a cafeteria, great interview with a faculty member who seemed to be really interested in me. I was very surprised with the school."
"Very laid back. It's perfect for a first time interviewee. "
"My interview went long (2 hours), but most last in between a half hour and an hour. It was incredibly laid-back, and it was pretty much just a get-to-know-you session. This was my first interview, but the format was very stress-free and made the whole experience pretty enjoyable. I got the impression that Case cares a lot for its students and is very receptive to comments/complaints by the student body. Everyone seemed very happy."
"My interviewer was a very nice guy and is genuinely interested in helping students out. Case is a great school. Being from California, i had my reservations about Cleveland, but i was pleaseantly surprised. The areas around campus are nice, safe and fairly trendy. Nearby apartments are cheap and really charming. Case would be a great place to be!"
"My interview was with a professor in the Dept. of Pharmacology. It was pretty low stress and conversational, and there weren't any surprises. The students were also helpful and enthusiastic, for the most part. The atmosphere felt pretty progressive to me, which I thought was great. While the MD/PhD programs also sound great, I have reservations about the MD/MPH program because of its lack of CEPH accreditation."
"I had seven interviews, four with researchers, two with administration, and one with a student. All asked specific questions, but many quickly digressed to "let me tell you about my research/program." They were all essentially conversational once I had found a point of commonality with the person. The only "difficult" interview was with one PhD who actually expected me to demonstrate my thinking ability; I worked hard to answer his questions, but I also really enjoyed the challenge and seemed to satisfy him by being upfront, honest, and unflinching. "
"Wonderful interview, impressive school. Dr. Kirby is awesome."
"This interview was at the medical school, and conducted by Dr. McCoy, but it was for the Pre-Professional Scholars program in Medicine. It's a program where incoming freshman to Case undergrad are conditionally admitted to medical school in four years, provided they maintain a 3.6 average and complete all the pre-med core classes. It was very laid-back and he wrote my answers down in his Palm Pilot."
"despite the weather, I loved the school before I got there, but I loved it even more after visiting. Dr. Kirby is a fantastic person, and the guide was definitely enthusiastic"
"I am only writing this because I'm surprised that no one had a negative experience. I was invited for an interview, but before I even walked in the room, it seemed as if the interviewer already had decided that she didn't like me. She was very antagonizing, literally told me that it was "stupid" that it took me five years to graduate from an engineering program, and basically seemed disinterested. Needless to say, it was a disheartening experience, and the only reason I wasn't stressed during the interview was because I was so utterly shocked by her lack of professionalism. Obviously, I wasn't accepted at Case, which I'm sure is a fine school; I'm just posting this feedback so other students aren't taken by surprise if this happens to them."
"my interview was definitely well-done. yes, he had my file and asked the usual questions about my academic career, extra-curriculars, etc. but equal time was given to talk about music, cooking, and sports. i'm quite sure i was fairly assesed as both an academic prospect and a person."
"They asked me to pick alot of faculty to visit with and I actually got alot of them, unlike certain other schools where they made me request some or a whole lot and gave me one or none of them. So if I remember correctly there was 6 interviews, all MD/PhD research interviews, and the interview that seemed to really count was with the director. They were pretty standard let's talk about research, why CWRU, kind of deals. Interview expenses were not covered, but the wining and dining was great. So if you can get a cheap flight to Cleveland, it's worth it. The interview experience was pretty fun overall, and I spent one evening playing Mario Kart all night with current students. So I think the school would be a good choice for applicants and will definately get you where you want to go. There's some room for improvement, but overall it's a good program. "
"Most people were really enthusiastic about the school: students, profs, associated clinicians. School seems equally balanced with their clinical and research opportunities. But Cleveland is Cleveland and it's flat. Granted my hosts didn't really attempt to show me much but from what I saw there wasn't much around."
"Good interview. Laid back and not stressful. I got a chance to explain the things I wanted to in detail"
"in general, the experience was average. the interviewer wasn't exactly the warmest of individuals. he seemed to question my motivations; he criticized my essay, and he was excessively badmouthing schools like harvard and implying that case is perfect. other than the acutal interview, it was fairly enjoyable."
"Overall it was good/laid back I was asked few questions--infact I asked most of the questions. None of the ones I was asked was difficult."
"I was interested in Case before I went, but after the experience I am REALLY interested in going. The day was a busy one for me, and I interviewed with Dr. Kirby. He was really nice, and all the interviews I heard about that day were the same, short and low-stress. They wanted to know about you as a person. It's still unnerving not to know how you did after that short period. The school has great directions on how to get to their office, and we used that as our home base, and Mrs. English was very accomodating to us. I liked that the staff knew the students. The things I liked were the set-up of the curriculum, and of the building, where students have their own desk area for studying, lounges for breaks, and the computers are useful, since the lectures can be videotaped. Also the fact that you get a patient so early on is great! I met with some of the students of color, and they were candid and real with me about the school. I also talked with a few second years, before the class I sat in on and during our tour, and the only thing that they wished to change was the breaks for the school were shorter. I highly encourage being able to sit in on a class, and talk to as many students as you can. All in all, a very low-stress day. "
"Overall it was a really good day. The students are all really nice and clearly enjoy being there. They were also very honest about the school and didn't feel the need to hide the "bad stuff" from us. It's a very relaxed environment and feels more like a graduate school environment rather than college."
"The day began with a tour of the medical school by three medical students who had just finished exams but were more than happy to show us around. We then went into the atrium of the hospital to eat lunch and afterwards I interviewed with Dr. McCoy. I would definitely suggest scheduling your interview after the lunch and tour. That way you have more of an opportunity to see the school and ask the students questions that you need not ask the interviewer. Also, if you schedule your interview last that will put no time restrictions on the interview. That is why mine was longer than an hour and a half, which was good, because I was accepted."
"I arrived at 9 and immediately had my interview. I then went on a tour of the campus and that was followed by a financial aid session. After financial aid, we went to lunch and this was followed by a minority rap session. I found this to be very helpful."
"Most of the other students intervieing said their interviews were very laid back. One person said they barely spoke the whole time. My interviewer was somewhat tough. He constantly had questions for me and was taking notes the whole time. He was a nice guy though. Case is a great school with great facilities. The program is expensive though."
"Awesome school"
"The whole experience was great. The admissions staff was amazingly friendly and conversational. School is nice and all the students I ran into said hello and seemed very happy. The interviewer just cruised through the applications and was interested in clarification and more info. He also had a lot of good things to say about Cleveland."
"I stayed with a student host who was very friendly. He really gave me the low down on Case. It seems like a great school, all the students are extremely friendly. The Med School gives you lots of leeway with regards to what you want to do. I absolutely loved the school, if only it wasn't in Cleveland. In the interview, my interviewer did most of the talking, I sat back and listened and threw in my own two cents here and there. It was very conversational."
"Surprisingly, my interview was CLOSED-FILE. All the postings on interview feedback I had read were all open-file, so I that was what I was expecting. My interviewer really never asked me any questions. He glanced at the first sheet of my AMCAS and saw my major and wanted to know why I chose it and secondly, why medicine. The he told me about himself and how he got into medicine (a very interesting story, I might add). The interview was totally conversational and seemed to be very informal. He told me the reason he liked to do closed-file interviews was to get a "gut feeling" about the candidate and their desire to be a doctor. Overall, the interview went really well and my interviewer was very easy to talk to."
"Surprisingly, my interview was CLOSED-FILE. All the postings on interview feedback I had read were all open-file, so that was what I was expecting. My interviewer really never asked me any questions. He glanced at the first sheet of my AMCAS and saw my major and wanted to know why I chose it and secondly, why medicine. The he told me about himself and how he got into medicine (a very interesting story, I might add). The interview was totally conversational and seemed to be very informal. He told me the reason he liked to do closed-file interviews was to get a "gut feeling" about the candidate and their desire to be a doctor. Overall, the interview went really well and my interviewer was very easy to talk to."
"I was familiar with the medical school as I have taken classes there before and with the campus so it was a matter of rolling out of bed and walking over which was nice. The medical school itself is a little old, but the Biomedical Research Building and the hospitals are great. Case students always seem to be happy and I have heard nothing but good things from talking to friends who go to Case med. The interview was really relaxed and conversational, I had a PhD professor in pediatrics (I think others had the same interviewer) who was very friendly and put me at ease. She talked to me as though it was already taken for granted that I would be a physician. They didn't show the library on the tour, but I know from previous experiences that while there is a lot of information in there, I don't like the library (kind of old) but the main campus library is only 5-10 mins walk away and it's much better."
"It was a very good, very laid-back experience. The financial aid talk was the best I've seen so far, and everybody was really great. Interviewed in the morning, orientation afterwards, tour and lunch. Very low-stress. The tour was pretty good, but one of our two tour guides was so enthusiastic talking about Case that I started to tune out a little."
"Pretty great place. I have been accepted already and would love to go."
"Understand that your interview at Case is a laid-back one, and the day itself could be a bit of a letdown if you are expecting a lot of bells and whistles. That said, take advantage of the student host program, sit in on some classes, and learn about the innovative curriculum! They also give you the names and emails of current students and alums all over the country- talk to these people and do the research yourself. I think that way you won't feel so surprised when the interview day comes (in that it's short and mellow, noone's throwing a lot of info at you about the school/program). Also, cross your fingers for one of the merit scholarships- at about 36K a year, it's not cheap! But a one-bedroom in a nice suburb 10 minutes from school should only run you about 500-600 a month... Universioty Circle (the area of cleveland where case is located) is a great place to be a student- lots of museums, restaurants, green space..."
"a great, relaxed experience"
"My interview at Case followed what probably was my favorite school so far, so a bit of a letdown was expected. It was my first trip to Cleveland, and I have to say, as a town, it's a nice place. CWRU is located right on the undergrad campus and nextdoor to nursing and dental schools. My interview was with a PhD who teaches, and I have to say, she was a wonderful interviewer. Corny as it sounds, I think she really "brought out the best" in me as far as being able to highlight my achievements and leading me down roads that played specifically to my strengths. Basically, it was the ideal interview and she was quite forthcoming with her opinion of the students (surprise: it was far more neutral than positive) at the school. The interview was supposed to last for an hour, but was waning about 30 minutes in. I asked her a few questions and ended up talking to her for another 20 minutes or so. The interview was followed by a tour and lunch. The tour guide was an 4th year MD/PhD who the admissions rep had to call that morning to take care of us. He seemed a bit tired/stressed and perhaps out of it, but he did his best for us. He did answer all of our questions (and we had a lot) but he didn't seem particularly excitied about much of anything the school had to offer. It was a far cry from the other schools I have seen where students are scarily eager to show you around. He did an acceptable job, though. It is worth noting that the hospitals seem to be first-rate and are amazingly asthetically pleasing. Some downsides: the classroom building is depressive, you will need a car for your 3rd and 4th year curricula, and the cost of living (one of our interviewees was a resident) is higher than you would expect for a city of this size. Tuition is high but it "includes" the cost of a mandatory laptop which is used extensively in the cirriculum. Overall, it was a good (but not a great) interview -- perhaps just not the best fit for me. Definitly worth a look though, especially if you are an OH resident."
"The school, carriculum, and students are great. Everyone is very honest and open about the school. The interview itself was a bit of a let down. I had heard that Case interviews were laid-back and largely conversational. My interviewer didn't seem all that happy to be there an asked me some very boring questions, "why medicine?" "What have you done to confirm your desire to pursue a medical career?" etc. The interviewer gave me some good insights into the school and admissions process, so that was nice. The school is great, still my #1 choice, but the interview was just blah."
"The interview was pretty laid back, most of it was centered around discussing the school. It was supposed to last an hour, but after 25 minutes my interviewer told me he didn't have any more questions for me. We sat in on a class, and then went on a tour w/ two med students and had lunch in the hospital cafeteria. I'm sure CWRU is a great school, but this was the least impressive school I've interviewed at this year."
"All the interviewers are very nice; no difficult interview questions, I don't think, just people trying to get an impression of the personal qualities of the applicants they're already impressed with."
"Overall, great experience. At Case, there is only 1 interview but for an hour. My interviewer knew everything about my file. It made me feel truly special that he could recall things from my application, that I didn't even remember. The admissions staff was the friendliest I had encountered. Cleveland is not so great. The financial aid presentation was good, though it made me nervous (35,000 tuition). Students are ultra friendly and have a relaxed, supportive environment. One suprising comment: My interviewer has been faculty at a number of schools, one of my questions was "How do Case students measure up in your experience'. He said he had heard that since the environment is so laid back, students tend to enter the wards with the same laid back demeanor.". He says it is not a good or bad thing. But that some tend to need an extra push. Overall, wonderful experience!!!!"
"Case is a great school and the curriculum is the best. The only downfall of the school is the city and the cost. If this school was a state school, it would be awesome. The price drove me away from here."
"Overall a great interview experience, made me want to go there more. I interviewed for the MD/PhD in health services research, I had a private lunch with one of the current students instead of group lunch with the regular MD's."
"CWR is a great school. It was number two on my list for curriculum but I have a family with small kids and the city did not agree with me."
"Case is an amazing school. First of all their campus is beautiful as well as their medical center. They have more research going on in the medical school than all other medical schools in ohio combined. Their curriculum is something different too since they seem to stress "becoming a physician" more than "learning the facts". The interview was one of the easiest ever and you just sit back relax and talk about whatever you want. The rest of the day is very informal with a short tour and lunch. One other thing, understand that of 6500 applications Case asks back 800 interviews and ~260 acceptances. Not only that, but every other student getting interviewed there was from some east coast ivy league school. Overall, great school and very impressive."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 275 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 9 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 138 |
| Neutral | 43 |
| Discouraging | 1 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.01 | 181 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 24 |
| Out of state | 153 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 15 |
| 2-3 hours | 49 |
| 4-6 hours | 67 |
| 7+ hours | 45 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 127 |
| Automobile | 43 |
| Train or subway | 3 |
| Other | 8 |
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
PIT, CLE
Hopkins-CLE
n/a
Dayton International Airport
Hopkins Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International
Chicago (layover), Cleveland
Hopkins
Cleveland Hopkins
Cleveland
greyhound people, dirty, long, but cheap!
BNA
CMH
cak
cle
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 71 |
| Friends or family | 27 |
| Hotel | 67 |
| Home | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Yes
Yes
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 20 |
| $101-$200 | 35 |
| $201-$300 | 30 |
| $301-$400 | 31 |
| $401-$500 | 27 |
| $501+ | 12 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.23 | 184 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.91 | 185 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.42 | 180 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.00 | 90 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.35 | 91 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.32 | 84 |
"Maybe standardize the student tours a bit more. My tour was only 20-30 minutes long, whereas the other tour group got a full 50 minutes and I'm sure they saw a bit more."
"I think having an open interview format could help put everyone at ease...my interviewer even said she wishes the format had not changed and seemed reluctant to ask me questions because she didn’t like them. It was hard to build a rapport or have a real conversation when we were jumping around based on the interview sheet"
"One admissions officer emailed me back addressing me with a completely wrong name (though same first letter) after we had already been emailing back and forth. Felt impersonal, but I understand they're dealing with a lot of people and emails. I also strongly urge the admissions to tell the Case students who are eating lunch with interviewees to be professional and not to curse. It left me with a bad impression of the school and I did not feel inspired by one of the students because of how much she talked, completely overspeaking the other Case student at the table."
"Great job!"
"I had a small cohort and we all got along great and got food and drinks together after the interview, I would say keeping the interview cohorts smaller helps with camaraderie and creating a relaxed atmosphere with reduce competitiveness among the applicants"
"Don't keep students waiting so long to find out results! Their admissions Facebook page said decisions would come out after the first of the year (after the AdCom had met in mid December), but I didn't find out until half way through January. So nerve wracking!"
"None"
"None! Dean and Director of admissions are awesome."
"None, they were great!"
"None - they are just great"
"Breakfast was limited, I'm glad I ate at my hotel first! Lunch was great though"
"The entire process appeared to be very relaxed. While I was happy with how I answered the questions, I was left wondering whether the admissions committee weighed these interviews heavily (as opposed to just a means to weed out the insane applicants)."
"It was a bit annoying that when the interviewees came back to the office from the first round of interviews the first year students came in and ate all the food and drank all the coffee that was left out for us. Pretty tacky."
"More options for breakfast."
"They could have started later on in the day. Out of the other 5 interviews I have had, none started at 8 am (instead at 10 or 11 am), giving us more than enough time to get a good nights sleep in unfamiliar beds."
"great job making people feel welcome. Perhaps include a tour of the anatomy lab?"
"Keep doing what you're doing."
"More prominent signage outside on where to go--admissions office was a little difficult to find."
"There were way too many presentations of basically the same material. The curriculum, which really"
"Nothing. Very friendly and helpful"
"None. Everyone's friendly and did a great job of arranging everything for us."
"Keep up the good work! You are, in my opinion, the friendliest, most efficient office in the country"
"Have more senior students conduct tours and forum -- the first-years don't have enough experience ye"
"They were extremely fast at getting back to me. They were one of the last schools I submitted second"
"The iApply page updates does not seem to correspond to the email updates."
"Keep on keepin' on."
"Nothing really! Everyone was so enthusiastic and loved what they are doing. The lady at the desk eve"
"Nothing really. Very very great admissions office staff!!"
"Um, anything I put a 0 for, I just didn't get to see it/experience it, so I can't judge it. Suf"
"I can only hope that all of my interviews are done by a staff this friendly, efficient, and relaxed."
"Consummate professionals. The AO really made life easier for us interviewees."
"Keep up the good work. I got my response in exactly 3 weeks and updates are posted/emailed right awa"
"too much down time students with morning interviews do not have a chance to sit in classes"
"i think you should talk to the students about what not to do in class. me and others applicants saw"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?