How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.86 | 475 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 346 |
| Negatively | 46 |
| No change | 80 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.82 | 476 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.46 | 318 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.28 | 282 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 12 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 1 |
| 10 minutes | 2 |
| 15 minutes | 14 |
| 20 minutes | 30 |
| 25 minutes | 34 |
| 30 minutes | 164 |
| 35 minutes | 55 |
| 40 minutes | 63 |
| 45 minutes | 51 |
| 50 minutes | 27 |
| 55 minutes | 1 |
| 60+ minutes | 40 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 381 |
| At a regional location | 36 |
| At another location | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 472 |
| In a group | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 440 |
| Closed file | 13 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.86 | 475 |
"Why DUCOM?"
"Why do you want to join Drexel?"
"why drexel? what do you think will be a challenge for you going to medical school? What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"What do you see as a challenge for your career in medicine?"
"Why did you choose to apply to Drexel?"
"Tell me about yourself. then after answering, why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Traditional - Why medicine, why this specific activity"
"Do you have any doctors in your family?"
"Why are you interested in Drexel?"
"Why Drexel? Then proceeded to shoot down everything I stated. Repeated stated "that is not only found at Drexel, what else" or "yeah that might seem like a good program at Drexel but it's not nearly as good in reality as on paper"."
"Tell me about your work experience"
"Why are you here?"
"What undergraduate school did you go to?"
"So you mentioned many doctors have jokingly said turn around now, why do you still want to be a physician?"
"What do you think of the Affordable Care Act?"
"Assuming multiple acceptances what factors would influence your school choice?"
"What is your opinion about humor in medicine?"
"tell me about your best friend"
"What are the types of problems you think you will face as a future physician?"
"He asked about a specific course I took first year "First Year Preceptorial" as it was in a letter of rec, or "Conversations in a World of Strangers" as on the transcript. Probably because of the discrepancy. File specific, but transcript is fair game."
"Tell me more about your background and your family"
"How do you think (my school)'s basketball team is going to do this year?"
"What did you write about (in the essay prompt)?"
"What is the hardest thing you've had to deal with academically?"
"What does your sisters do?...Kinda random"
"What are your interests in medicine?"
"Student: Why Drexel? What do you do for fun? What's your favorite movie and book? What questions do you have for me?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"I know this, this and that about you. What else should I know about you?"
"In your opinion, what are the top 3 most important advances in medical technology?"
"What have you done since graduating and now"
"Tell me about (resume experience)."
"Why a doctor and not a nurse?"
"What do you think about the current health care system in the US?"
"Which curricula would you prefer once enrolled? PIL (small group based) or IFM (lecture based)?"
"Explain what you learned from your clinical volunteer experience..."
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
"WHy do you want to go to Drexel?"
"Here are the three possible ethical question essay prompts I'm aware of. I may have paraphrased them or gotten the details wrong but if they're close enough that that won't matter. 1) You're a doctor, it's 4:00 pm and time for you to go home. You have long-standing evening plans. Your patient patient is just going in for a diagnostic test for a serious medical condition that will take an hour to complete. Do you cancel your plans in order to be there when your patient's results come back or leave your patient in the care of the on call team? Explain your reasoning 2) You're riding in your friend's car when she runs a stop sign/red light and gets into an accident (no fatalities/injuries/damage of that magnitude). She asks you to be involved in lying about the cause of the accident for insurance purposes. What do you do? 3) Rules exist for a reason but aren't applicable to all situations. Explain a time you've broken the rules and some of the ethical consequences (I forget exactly which they ask for, but if you think about an example and what you learned, why you broke the rules, and other ethical ramifications of such a scenario, you'll be prepared) You have about half of the space on one side of a unlined sheet of standard printer paper to answer the prompt."
"why did you choose to go to (my undergrad school)?"
"What is your motivation for becoming a doc."
"What extracurriculars did you do?"
"Tell me about what they do at your school for fun"
"How do you relieve stress?"
"Explain these weaknesses in your application."
"Who is a role model for your medical goals?"
"Why are you interested in medicine?"
"What do HMO and PPO stand for?"
"Did I like my undergrad school"
"The student and I had a pretty easy flow of conversation and really wasn't an interview at all. The professor/doctor had me shadow him a bit and then we did the interview in his clinic's break room. He asked me if I was satisfied with my MCAT score."
"What made you decide to pursue a college education? (I'm a non-trad.)"
"What impressed you positively about Drexel?"
"Drexel had two interviews: student and faculty. The questions that were asked by faculty were very simple and it was very conversational. The student interview for me lasted almost hour and a half, but normally its only half an hour. "
"Why were your undergraduate grades so low as compared to your post-bacc grades?"
"If you had to teach [skill from application], how would you go about it? Tell me how it all works."
"Without political opinion, how do you think the potential changes, or potential lack there of, in the healthcare system will impact your future practice?"
"What kind of clinical experiences have you had?"
"Faculty: Tell me about your family. Why Medicine? Tell me about your research. What was your most/least favorite class and why? Why Drexel? How can Drexel help you achieve your goals? Student: Why Drexel? What do you do for fun? What is your favorite book/song? "
"What led you to pursue medicine?"
"why medicine/medical school"
"Why medicine ?."
"Without repeating anything in your file, tell me about yourself?"
"Tell me about X activity."
"What do you think are negative aspects of going to medical school? being a doctor?"
"Do you think you can handle the stress?"
"What was the most difficult medical decision you ever made in your life? "
"Who inspired you to study medicine?"
"Why Drexel? Why medicine? General questions about GPA and extracurriculars. Questions regarding my graduate program. "
"what do your parents think about you going into medicine"
"What specific areas of medicine interest you?"
"Why New York? (for undergrad)"
"Abortion, which I thought was inappropriate."
"What did you do before you decided to apply to the medical schools?"
"Why medicine? How did you get from Cornell to Drexel (I've been out of college for 5 years)? Why medicine and not public health? Have you been discouraged by anyone in persuing medicine? If you were President Obama, how would you handle the healthcare crisis? "
"Tell me about yourself ... ... what else ... what else ... what else"
"What are the most important qualities of doctors today."
"where r u from? very conversational"
"If you do not get into medical school this round, what would you do?"
"Quoting from previous poster.. pretty much word for word same question (aka: Same interviewer) Are you ready to pay the price? Your kids are not going to see you, you will miss great part of their life, are you really sure you want to go through with this? And he went on and on saying how his kids still judge him for been missing in their life."
"Why did you get these 3 C's? What makes you think you are ready for medical school? (my GPA is a 3.7 but i got 3 C's) Do you even know your limits?"
"Why did you choose your undergrad? "
"Why medicine? What type of doctor? What kind of environment would you want to practice?"
"What do you think is the biggest challenge your generation of physicians will have to overcome?"
""You've taken a rather circuitous route to medical school...explain""
"Tell me about your research experience."
"Student Interview: Why do you like Drexel? Faculty Interview: Tell me about your research involvement as an undergraduate?"
"What are so great about you?"
"Why did you change careers?"
"why should i help you get into drexel med?"
"Tell me a little bit about X (this was something on my app)."
"Why did you transfer schools?"
"Tell me about this activity?"
"Tell me about your childhood, family, siblings."
"Tell me about (such and such activity from my amcas)"
"what are your academic strengths and weaknesses?"
"Why do you want to go into medicine? Why Drexel?"
"Tell me a little about yourself."
"Why didn't you get accepted to medical school the first time?"
"What is your greatest strenght? weakness?"
"Did you do any research?"
"what aren't you looking forward to as a doctor?"
"What have you done since graduating from college?"
"Say that being a doctor never existed, what else would you do?"
"What do you do for fun? How do you relax?"
"What are some issues facing medicine?"
"Why did you apply to Drexel? Why did you choose to pursue medicine?"
"Why didn't you retake the MCAT? What are some academic challenges you have faced? Why medicine?"
"Why Medicine? Why Drexel? "
"Mostly conversational"
"Is there anything you'd like to explain?"
"How did you get involved in cancer research?"
"Other than medicine, what could you see yourself doing?"
"What isn't in your application that you want us to know about?"
"How did you pick your undergrad"
"Tell me about your experiences and how you were lead to pursue a career in medicine."
"What is the one thing people need to prevent disease?"
"What medical specialties particularly interest you?"
"What does HMO stand for?"
"Typical stuff. Why medicine, why Drexel, etc"
"Why medicine? Is it because your father is a doctor?"
"positive/negative qualities about you."
"Favorite type of wine? The faculty interviewer asked about the origin of my name and we started talking about French wines."
"are you qualified to study medicine? (assuming b/c of my poor start to my undergrad)"
"What kinds of ethical problems do you think you will face as a doctor? How will you handle them?"
"Tell me about yourself... including childhood, undergrad, postbacc, jobs, life."
"Tell me about your family, background, why you chose your undergrad school, and how did you got to medicine."
"What's wrong with our health care system?"
"The first things she said were: Ok I want to know about you, I want to know about your family, what do your parents do, any siblings, where you're from, where you went to college, how you chose this college and your major, and what made you decide to pursue medicine. This was really intimidating at first but it allowed for a great flexible conversation with a lot of tangent/joke room. If you get Lisa Cifeli, you are in luck. I heard the other interviewers were great too."
"Tell me about your extracurricular activities."
"How did you know medicine was right for you?"
"See "immigrant" question above."
"What do you think the biggest challenge will be coming into medical school?"
"What else would you do, if it were not medicine?"
"Which one of the undergraduate class did you not like the most?"
"Asked me about an ethical issue I had faced."
"Why do you want to be a doctor? (The only question asked by the student interviewer)"
"Why would you want to move from California to Pennsylvania."
"When did you realize you wanted to go into medicine?"
"do you know healthcare issues exist"
"do you feel deprived?"
"So, I see you've lived in the UK most of your life. Which healthcare system is better? (I answered the US, but I guess my interviewer disagreed, and then proceeded to grill me on my choice)"
"the cannibalism thing"
"What kind of medicine do you want to go into?"
"What was it like being a latchkey kid? (i can't believe he asked this, what a dlckhead)"
"Tell me about your MCATs, grades, personal experiences ect..."
"What are you most passionate."
"Tell me about XX activity."
"Why I picked biomedical engineering as my major"
"Do you know if you would rather do PIL or IFM? They have 2 tracks of curricula. You have to pick one. "
"Tell me about yourself (where you were born, what schools you attended and why). "
"Tell me about your research."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What is your wish list?"
"Why did I chose my undergraduate college?"
"what do you see yourself doing in 15 years?"
"Tell me about your family and friends"
"what do you do for fun"
"Why did you study abroad in England?"
"why medicine"
"why did you choose your undergrad school?"
"All questions were specific to my file"
"Why did you get a C- in [insert class here]? "
"Why don't you just tell me a little bit about yourself?"
"Why Drexel"
"how did you choose your undergrad?"
"Biggest problem facing medical field today"
"What is a pressing issue in healthcare?"
"What was your previous career?"
"What do you want me to know about you? What else? What else?"
"If you were treating a patient who disagreed with your course of action, what would you do?"
"tell me how you became interested in medicine and why you switched from your original intended career (i definitely like this question better than straight up "why medicine?")"
"How do you feel about leaving your family and moving here for medical school? (Im from CA)"
"what do you think is the most challenging issue facing health care today?"
"what do you do for fun? (it seems like fun is a big deal at drexel, another thing i liked)"
"see most interesting question"
"How I felt about certain Supreme Court cases concerning euthanasia."
"What was you favorite undergraduate course?"
"Tell me about your transition of coming from Hong Kong when you were a kid. (asked by both faculty and student)"
"Typical questions"
"What was your most challenging course in college? (faculty interview)"
"tell me about yourself and your parents."
"What is the worst part about being a doctor?"
"You seemed to have a rough start in college, can you tell me about that?"
"What brings you to medicine?"
"Questions about my work experience"
"If your friend was stressed and questioned his or her decision to continue residency, what would you say?"
"Why I applied to Drexel."
"Why medicine and not a translator? (referring to my experience as a medical translator)"
"Why do I want to be a doctor?"
"Was Jane Austen a feminist? (I'd just taken a Jane Austen class.)"
"how do you handle stress?"
"research"
"Your strengths and weaknesses. "
"What are some of your hobbies?"
"Most questions were about my work experiences: Why did you pursue service work abroad?"
"Tell me about your undergraduate research project?"
"Explain two classes (took when I went abroad) and describe how they relate to medicine."
"favorite/least favorite class"
"When did you decide you wanted to become a doctor?"
"She asked me specific questions about classes i had taken in college, like economics and philosophy -- she then linked them to healthcare issues"
"How do you know you even like to be around sick people?"
"See difficult question."
"How come I did so poor in college, especially my undgrad science, while my postbac grades have been so good."
"Describe your research. Why don't you try an experiment that makes no sense?"
"see above"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience (she referenced my essay)."
"Why do you want to be a doctor"
"Why did you take the MCAT twice"
"tell me about your background"
"Why did you decide to pursue medicine as opposed to something else."
"Tell me about yourself (again, because he did not have my file)"
"Most were specific to my application"
"Tell me about yourself. "
"The doctor only asked one question: Ask me anything you want to know about Drexel."
"Why Medicine/Drexel?"
"Explain your verbal score. What's a big problem in medicine today? "
"do you think your Christianity will negatively influence your practice of medicine?"
"She said upfront that she wasn't going to ask me anything about academics and that she just wanted to know if I was a normal, TV watching kind of person. She wanted to know that I had a life outside of books."
"Motivations for going into medicine"
"why didnt i go to medical school immediately following college?"
"What healthcare issues do you think you will be facing as a future physician? (Faculty Interviewer)"
"Tell me about yourself, Your family"
"Why do I want to become a doctor (Faculty Interviewer)."
"why do you want to come to drexel?"
"Tell me about your clinical/laboratory research experiences."
"Why did you attend a community college?"
"tell me about yourself?"
"Why med school?"
"Have any of the physicians you've worked with in the past tried to discourage you from going into medicine given the state of healthcare?"
"Tell me more about your _________. (research, jobs, volunteer work, blah blah blah)."
"why med discuss research exp"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Why have you been in school for so long?"
"What is the most problematic issues in the field of healthcare today?"
"What was your fav/least fav. class?"
"tell me about yourself"
"Have you shadowed a physician?"
"What other professions have you considered? What led you to your decision to pursue a career in medicine?"
"Tell me about your decision to pursue medicine. "
"See above; also, how does your family feel about you entering medicine?"
"What specialties interest you?"
"What do you think of the big rat?"
"Have you ever been to another country?"
"Which country did I think had the highest life expectancy rate?"
"what would you do if not med?"
"Tell me about your leadership experiences. "
"Tell me about yourself. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What would you like me to tell the admissions committee. (faculty)"
""Why do you want to be a physician""
"MCAT Verbal Prompt (Physician Interview)"
"Tell me about yourself. (Gotta love that one)"
"None were very specific, mostly my faculty interview wanted to verify my activities. "
"What are the problems with medicine today? (Followed by) Any other problems with medicine today?"
"The interviewer went through my file and asked about the activities, etc. that I was doing. Most of the interview was based on this."
"tell me about a memorable patient experience"
"What problems do you expect to face in health care?"
"How would your best friend describe you?"
"Tell me about your research?"
"Why your major?"
"Why Drexel? What will you bring to the medical community?"
"How are you doing in your current courses?"
"strength and weakness of our healthcare system. how would you improve weakness"
"Why do you want to go into medicine?"
"Tell me about this experience...what did you learn from it? This went on and on..until it was time for the interview to be over!"
"What is the most difficult obstacle you've had to overcome?"
"Why did you wait to apply? Why go directly to med school after college? "
"Basic questions about research, volunteer, working, etc. "
"what did you get out of these specific classes? (mine were "the art of war" and "british and irish drama 1956-1965""
"Tell me what you are most passionate about?"
"Tell me about the experiences that led you to decide on a career in medicine."
"What motivated you to work with Alzheimer's Dimentia patients?"
"Why did you do so poorly your first year of school if you always knew that you wanted to be a doctor"
"what do you see are your strengths?"
"Why Medicine?"
"What was the biggest challenge you have faced?"
"why score low on verbaL???"
"Have you interviewed elsewhere? What schools? What did you think of them?"
"Why medicine? Tell me about your parents. How do they feel about you going into medicine? What was your most interesting class in college? What was your most difficult class? Why did you choose your major?"
"Why Drexel? Why Philadelphia?"
"What hospital experience do you have?"
"When did you decide about medicine?"
"Tell me something interesting you've done at work."
"What kind of books do you like to read?"
"Explain your research."
"What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of medical school?"
"You have a lot of research background, but only a few experiences in clinical medicine. Do you think you should be looking at an M.D. or a Ph.D.?"
"By student interviewer: Describe a difficult situation that you have had to overcome. What do you like to do for fun?"
"What is the most difficult challenge you have faced (bnoth interviewers asked me this)?"
"What would you write on your epitaph?"
"Why Drexel/PA?"
"Challenge you overcame? "
"Would you be interested in joining clubs here? "
"Tell me a little about your family background. "
"What challenges have you faced?"
"why doctor?"
"Why Drexel?"
"Tell me about yourself type of interview. "
"What do you see as the biggest problem facing medicine today? How woudl you solve it? Who do you think is to blame?"
"Why do you want to become a doctor and what kind?"
"Tell me about a challenge you overcame?"
"student interviewer asked if there were any challenges I overcame, what I do in my spare time"
"What difficulties have you overcome?"
"my medical experience"
"what is your biggest accomplishment so far? "
"What challenges have you faced and what did you gain from overcoming them?"
"My interviewer, although he never asked, mentioned that he was 'supposed' to ask me about the current and future state of health care as it related to managed care, malpractice etc"
"If patient wanted you to perform a task that was against your religious beliefs, how would you handle it?"
"What is one thing you look forward to in medical school"
"Who is your best friend and what would they say is your worst+best trait about you?"
"Tell me about a time you experience a challenge and how you deal with it?"
"asked about my institutional action"
"What is one topic or issue currently facing our modern healthcare system?"
"Tell me about a stressful time in your life? What did you learn from it"
"tell me about (a specific role from my primary app.) / with further clarifying questions"
"What problem can you identify in healthcare today?"
"What makes an excellent doctor excellent?"
"What are you most proud of?"
"Is Drexel your top choice?"
"Explain your IA"
"What are the qualities you think a physician should have?"
"What are the characteristics that are important for a physician to have?"
"What would your best friend say your best and worst quality is?"
"Out of all your experiences, which taught you the most about yourself?"
"Tell me about your family"
"What do you think is the biggest problem in healthcare today?"
"What was your most important experience"
"Have you done any clinical research?"
"Tell me more about this (specific activity in my application)"
"What is one word your friends would use to describe you?"
"What did you learn from _____? (a mission trip I attended that was part of my AMCAS)"
"Tell me about your experience as a _________. What did you learn?"
"Tell me the best thing you learned/ that came from being a burn survivor."
"what is something your best friend likes about you? what is something your best friend dislikes about you?"
"What kind of research do you do? (pancreatic and colon cancer research listed in application). We ended up going into a fair amount of detail."
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years from now?"
"What can I tell you about our school?"
"Where do you see yourself in 20 years? I said I am into PCP"
"Faculty: Ethical problems in medicine? Why Drexel? Talk about your experience with X activity? My interview with the faculty member (who I believe was on the adcom) was mildly catastrophic. I completely botched the question "Why Drexel?" and it went downhill from there."
"Because of everything that you have been through, tell me how you will balance the very heavy workload that is to come."
"Ten years from now, what do you see yourself doing, and where do you see yourself at?"
"What do you think about health care economics?"
"Who do you admire as a doctor"
"Did you apply anywhere else in Philadelphia?"
"Why do you want to come to Philadelphia or the east coast since you're from California?"
"Why do you want to come to Philadelphia? I'm from Texas"
"Who did you have for guidance towards medicine throughout your life?"
"What can I tell you about Drexel?"
"Why did you take the MCAT multiple times? Was one section harder for you?"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"What are you no good at?"
"Did your father's illness inspire you to go into medicine?"
"What are the problems in health care?"
"Why would you want to come here when you've been accepted at a school in your hometown?"
"Tell me about your personality."
"Explain your poor undergrad performance and subsequent change."
"I see your parent is a physician, how did that influence you?"
"How many people in the US don't have health insurance?"
"Why I do so much community service"
"What do you think of healthcare reform?"
"What did you like about working in [the field I used to work in]."
"Why didn't you re-take the MCAT?"
"Tell me about your research activities."
"Why did you pick your undergraduate school considering you were grown up {insert location}?"
"What will you do if you're not accepted anywhere this year?"
"Given your [causal root of non-trad status] how do you feel you will fare in medical school?"
"What are you looking for in a medical school, when you have to choose one come May 15th? "
"What was this research experience? What did you actually do in the research lab?"
"Strengths/Weaknesses"
"not sure"
"Why Drexel ?."
"What interests you about medicine?"
"Why apply now and not earlier?"
"What is your mother's influence on your wanting to become a doctor since she's a nurse?"
"Where is your family from ?"
"How do you handle failure? "
"what fields of medicine interest you"
"What are your outside interests?"
"Questions about research"
"Why a year off?"
"Where is your family from?"
"Why Drexel? why not?"
"Tell me about your GPA (I had lower undergrad grades, higher grad school grades). Tell me about your MCAT score. What are your strengths/weaknesses? Do you have any sibilings? What's their professions? "
"If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?"
"Tell me about your current job"
"Who is your role model"
"Do you consider yourself serious or easy-going? (I said easy going, and he disagreed)"
"Why is your verbal score so low (8 v, but 30 overall)? Are you going to retake this or you are keeping your low score? (the average MCAT for Drexel is 31 and a 3.6 GPA)"
"Asked me about my writing sample score. "
"How did you get to this point...timeline."
"With 47 million people uninsured in the most developed country in the world, how would you solve this problem?"
"What is the biggest problem in Health Care today?"
"What classes are you taking in your Master's program?"
"Student: Why medicine and not research, explain your real motivation behind that? Faculty: If you made a mistake as a physician and severely injured your patient, how would you handle it? Would you be able to continue with your day and see other patients objectively?"
"Why Drexel? Medicine?"
"what are you doing in your year-off?"
"why clinical medicine and not research?"
"Tell me about your research experience?"
"Why didnt you take the MCAT again with your poor performance in this section?"
"Why medicine and not PhD?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses"
"what are the negative aspects of the medical profession?"
"what speciality are you interested in doing?"
"What scares you about medicine? With all those things in mind, you still want to go into medicine?"
"favorit class and least favorite?"
"Asked questions about my AMCAS application in detail. "
"A sort of ''tell me about yourself'' question but more so about where I've lived and where I'm from"
"What leadership activities do you have?"
"Questions regarding things I said in my personal statement."
"What is the strongest thing in your application?"
"what is the one thing you cherish?"
"What was the defining moment that made you decided on changing back from business to medicine?"
"What would you say your academic weaknesses are? "
"Do you think you can handle medical school?"
"Tell me about yourself and by that I mean don't list your gpa and accomplishments, tell me who you really are, what makes you tick"
"What is your greatest strength? What is your biggest weakness?"
"Why did you choose to go to X College?"
"no really, why medicine? Why? (because....) No, Why?"
"What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of medicine? "
"What is plan B if you can't get into medicine?"
"Why did you not continue to pursue more clinical experiences?"
"How would you deal with a difficult patient? What if a patient did not want to listen to you treatment plan? "
"Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?"
"Explain you're MCAT score"
"Tell me about your research"
"Why did you chose Drexel?"
"You have many interests. Do you imagine combining them with the practice of medicine in any way?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Why did you apply to this school"
"Specific questions about my experiences listed on my amcas"
"Why medicine? Why Drexel?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"How many uninsured Americans are there? "
"Why Drexel? How much do you really want to come here?"
"how do students stay in touch with the outside world?"
"how do you like it here after moving from india?"
"Tell me about your interest in Third World health issues. What did you learn from your experience in Peru and Zimbabwe?"
"what attributes should a doctor have and what have you done that shows those attributes?"
"What have you improved since your last application? Anything new?"
"Have you ever seen something go wrong while a doctor is treating a patient?"
"Not too many clear questions, mostly elaboration on my activities and ensuing conversation"
"Are there any connections between your interest in medicine and your background in philosophy?"
"What do you most look foward to in medical school?"
"What makes you special compared to all the other qualified candidates?"
"What do you think leadership is? How have you exercised leadership?"
"What do you want to do with medicine."
"Why do you want to come to Drexel?"
"Asked me about my circuitous path to med school."
"What do you think of the immigration laws in the news?"
"Tell me about your clinical volunteer experience."
"things specific to my file"
"Tell me about your clinical experiences."
"Tell me about your work"
"Why here?"
"why did i chose drexel"
"why do you think you were not accepted previously"
"What is your research about?"
"How do you think you would handle moving so far away?"
"Why do you volunteer?"
"How did you decide which schools to apply to?"
"What would your parents think if you told them you didn't want to be a doctor anymore? (he implied several times that my parents pressured me into being a doctor...and BOTH of his children are doctors!)"
"What are your wishes?"
"What qualities do you possess that would make you a good physician?"
"How did you choose your undergraduate school? Did you like it? Why drexel? Why are you here? "
"Student = What do you do for fun? What type of medicine do you want to go into?"
"How will you incorporate other non-medical skills into the field?"
"You had a shaky start to college, please explain (not an exact quote but something along this line)."
"How did you chose your undergrad institution?"
"What happened in my winter term of sophomore year with my grades (all three of my C's on my transcript were here)"
"none really...my faculty interviewer did most of the talking and my student interviewer didn't really ask much. "
"My interviewer then asked me questions as I told my story, so it was fairly conversational."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Tell me about your research?"
"Why medicine"
"Would you move to Philadelphia?"
"What was my most challenging course?"
"why did you choose your undergrad school?"
"What made you want to go into medicine?"
"why do you want to be a doctor"
"why Drexel"
"what activities are you still involved in (referring to AMCAS?)"
"Your bad grades (from 6 years ago) don't match your good MCAT scores (from 6 months ago). Why? "
"Why do you feel compelled towards medicine? "
"Explain your verbal MCAT score"
"what would you do if not medicine?"
"How did you choose which schools to apply to?"
"How would you remedy this?"
"Tell me about you clinical and research experiences."
"Which track do you think you would do if you came to Drexel (PIL or lecture)?"
"Why do you feel called to help people through medicine and not through any other means?"
"As a follow up- do you have an example of a time where you have had to pursuade someone to believe you?"
"What fields of medicine are you currently considering?"
"how are you uniquely qualified for medicine?"
"volunteer experiences (I dont remember the exact ques..)"
"WHy not just a PhD?"
"what are the weaknesses of your application?"
"are you taking some fun classes this semester?"
"How do you deal with stress? (student interview)"
"What I thought was wrong with the health care system."
"How did you come to the decision of Medicine?"
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare? (I was prepared for that one)"
"Tell me about your research.(faculty interview)"
"When did you decide to be an MD and what have you done since then?"
"You have a minor in English, yet you did only fair on the VR and essay sections of MCAT"
"Challenges facing future doctors"
"Describe a problem in healthcare today"
"Why I chose to attend my undergraduate institution."
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"hobbies, volunteer work and extracirriculars?"
"How did I choose my schools to apply to?"
"Questions pertaining to why I wanted to be a doctor, my experiences in and around doctors/research."
"when did you know you wanted to be a doctor?"
"volunteering"
"What was the last book you read?"
"What questions do you have? (Asked this at least 5 times)"
"Why did you pick/do you like your undergraduate college?"
"Which extracurricular activity was especially important to you?"
"what happened during your first years at school that affected your grades?"
"What is an ethical challenge that physcians face today?"
"Why not retake the mcat?"
"recent movie you saw and did u like it or not. why?"
"What kind of work do you do?"
"I had mentioned that i thought a large issue was the lack of understanding and communication between healthcare professionals and the public. She asked me how i thought we, as doctors, could bridge that gap so that people could have a realistic image of doctors both as people and as professionals"
"Why do you want to go to Drexel?"
"What do you know about medical ethics?"
"How did I improve my MCAT so much, 5 point increase"
"Why are you interested in Drexel?"
"Why do you want to be an MD?"
"talk about your research"
"Why do you want to pursue medicine?"
"What do you do for fun (from the student)"
"What type of medicine do you want to practice and why"
"elaborate on my research experience"
"What will be your support system on the East Coast?"
"medically-related experiences"
"What experiences have been the most influential?"
"What interested you in Drexel? "
"What are you doing in your year off to keep your brain active?"
"Describe how you would make a patient feel at ease in the short time you have with them."
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"What's with your grades in orgo?"
"What do you think about our current health care system? What are your suggeestions on making it better?"
"Why do you want to come to Drexel? Why do you want to come back to Philly? (I went to U.Penn for undergrad)"
"Student Interviewer: Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"Did you like your undergrad institution? Why did you go there?"
"What do you do for fun? What course did you like least?"
"what is not on your application that you would like us to know about you? "
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
"Being out of school for a couple years, would i have trouble re-adjusting to the coursework?"
"Tell me about your clinical and volunteer experiences. (Faculty Interviewer)"
"Any research experiences, Any voluntering?"
"What do I see as a problem facing medicine today (Faculty Interviewer)."
"why do you want to go to med school?"
"Would leaving sunny California to come to school in Philadelphia be a real problem for you?"
"What made you decide to become a doctor?"
"Did you have to work to help put yourself though college?"
"Tell me about the research you've done"
"issues in healthcare?"
"Where else are you applying? "
"Tell me about any clinical experiences you've had"
"What do you think is the greatest problem facing modern health care providers?"
"What hobbies do you have?"
"what specialty/type doc will you be"
"Has anyone ever discouraged you about going to med. school or told you it was a bad idea?"
"Were have you traveled?"
"What institutions do you believe are responsible for working to solve the problem of the uninsured?"
"Tell me more about.... (various programs I had participated in)"
"what are your mcat scores (problem with my amcas, they weren't reported)"
"What changes would you like to make in patient care?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience. What did you learn? "
"How would you fix healthcare"
"Do you see many cultural differences in the hospital where you work? "
"Why is it necessary to raise funds for Breast Cancer?"
"Tell me about your experiences while traveling."
"Have you done any research? Do you have any doctors in your family? (no) do your parents support your decision to go into medicine?(faculty)"
""Tell me about a difficult situation""
"Ethical issues involving end of life issues (Physician Interview)"
"What is your explanation for specific grade/ MCAT score?"
"Was there a class that made you decide to major in --- and ----?"
"Talked about languages"
"What did you do in your lab jobs?"
"where do you see yourself in 10 years"
"What's your motivation to become a doctor?"
"A lot of questions on my experiences. "
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Describe a situation that really stressed you out and how you coped with it and what the outcome was."
"How did you prepare for the MCAT?"
"your biggest challenge . . . how did you overcome it?"
"How do you deal with stress/ what are your coping mechanisms?"
"I had to clear up some confusion about coursework for a while."
"What are your hobbies? How do you like to spend your free time?"
"Why do you want to become an OB-GYN? "
"Why drexel?"
"What was it like having a doctor as a parent?"
"What do you think about the current situation of rise in medical malpractice insurance?"
"Which field of medicine do you think will be hot in the next few years?"
"What makes you think you can handle medical school"
"when did you realize that you wanted to become a doctor?"
"Hardships overcome?"
"What fields of medicine interest you and why?"
"Specific questions about grades in classes"
"why do you think that you wouldn't get in to md school if not admitted??? how would you justify it to yourself???"
"Why medicine?"
"A hardship you have had in life and how you overcame it."
"What will you do if you dont get into any medical school this year? (I have already been accepted 4 places so I just B.S.ed something)"
"What was a stressful situation you encountered and how did you cope?"
"Faculty interviewer basically asked for clarification on some of my ECs and transcripts."
"What are you doing now during your year off?"
"What motivates you to work hard?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Would you do research while attending Drexel?"
"How do you feel about moving to the east coast?"
"Why are looking at Drexel?"
"By faculty interviewer: What will you do if you don't get in to medical school this year? "
"What experience solidified your decision to pursue medicine?"
"What volunteer work have you done?"
"What are you doing during year off?"
"Why doctor? Where else did you apply? "
"Why do you like that each class is large?"
"see above"
"Did you have anything that you would like me to convey to the admissions committee about you?"
"What are some reasons you wouldn't choose this school?(asked by the student interviewer)."
"Tell me about your research."
"What other kinds of schools did you apply to and why Drexel/Philly?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"my extra curriculum activities"
"what areas of medicine do u think you're interested in?"
"what do you want to accomplish in your life? "
"What are your hobbies?"
"What is your biggest strength?"
"What will you do if you don't get in to medical school this year?... strengths and weaknesses?..."
"What is one thing you are not looking forward to in medical school"
"Most interesting non-stem class you took in undergrad"
"what is a challenge you see in the healthcare system? What other thing should I know about you?"
"What is one challenge you think you will face in medical school?"
"What is the biggest issue in healthcare today?"
"tell me about your interest in medicine and how have your experiences shaped it"
"What does your support system look like?"
"What characteristics are important for a doctor to have? What are some problems you see in healthcare today?"
"What are your greatest strengths/ weaknesses?"
"What would your best friend say that your best and worst qualities are?"
"What part of medical school are you most excited for?"
"Specific questions aimed at interesting experiences I've had"
"How would your best friend describe you"
"Do you have any other questions for me?"
"What did the doctor you shadowed do to fix her problems?"
"What was your most impactful volunteering experience?"
"What qualities are found in a good physician?"
"In your time shadowing, tell me about the patient contact you personally were involved with."
"Where else have you interviewed?"
"What do you think will be the most difficult part of being in medical school?"
"what do you like about your best friend? what do you not like about your best friend?"
"What would you do if you don't get into medical school / can't go into medicine?"
"What made you want to go into medicine?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What is your plan B? not if you did not get into med school, but if Drexel is no longer has Pittsburgh rotation site."
"Do you have any questions for me? (seriously, he asked me this three times, and we still finished in 20 minutes)."
"What do you like to do in your spare time?"
"What can I tell you about Drexel?"
"Why were you on academic probation"
"Why do you want to come to our school?"
"What would you do if you were not accepted anywhere this year?"
"do you have any questions for me about the school?"
"What will you do if you aren't accepted this year?"
"Questions about my interests and activities on the AMCAS application."
"How did you cope with moving to the US as a teenager?"
"What do you do for fun."
"When were your parents divorced"
"What else should I know?"
"I was only asked two questions."
"Tell me about [x] activity?"
"What is the total population of people in the US?"
"What do I do for fun"
"i don't remember"
"Explain your research that you did in undergraduate? Why Drexel? Why medicine? "
"What would you do if you did not get accepted anywhere this year?"
"Tell me about [issue from personal essay]. How will you cope with any crises that arise from this issue in medical school?"
"Tell me about..."
"Are there any specialties in particular you are interested in? "
"What do you like me to know? (at the end)"
"Tell me about yourself..."
"not sure"
"What field are you interested in and why ?. "
"Imagine you are against abortion, how would you treat a patient requesting an abortion?"
"What do you do now?"
"What do you think about the current state of health care?"
"tell me about this community service project?"
"How many schools did you apply? "
"What is your 2nd choice of career?"
"Where are your family from?"
"What activities do you participate in outside of school?"
"specific clinical and research stuff"
"(Student interview) What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"Why did you choose a non-science major?"
"This is a long and hard process, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Tell me about research job X. What specifically did you do? Tell me abt the specific lab protocol. Tell me about volunteer experience Y. What specifically did you do? Tell me about your current job. What specifically do you do? Tell me about your experience in Rwanda? (Spent a 4 months there in grad school)"
"What area of medicine would you like to go into?"
"Why medicine and not Pharmacy(I'm a Pharm/Bio double major)? "
"Do you think you have a temper? Are you good with interacting with people? (he ask the question twice)"
"Tell me about your volunteer work. "
"What books have you read lately or are currently reading. "
"How important is it to you to stay in the Northeast region for medical school?"
"Why did you choose your undergrad?"
"Tell me about your activities."
"After that it was strictly conversational directed by my questions...hope that's not bad, he just seemed really quiet."
"What other school have to applied/interviewed at?"
"Student: What would your theme song be, and why? Faculty: How do you handle failure?"
"Do you feel that you're sufficiently prepared to handle med school?"
"Tell me about your job experiences."
"What accomplishment are you most proud of?"
"Whats the weakest point in your application?"
"Why did you wait to apply to med school?"
"Be sure to be able to explain almost every page of your AMCAS."
"what was your favorite class in college?"
"Tell me something you'd change about your personality?"
"your parents are both doctors. how do they feel about you becoming a doctor?"
"Why did you get a low score on your MCAT?"
"Lots of specific questions relating to my AMCAS."
"what field would you like to go into."
"What can you bring to medicine? Then, some specific questions regarding my experiences abroad, etc."
"Ethical questions about abortion and euthanasia"
"what one thing would you change about yourself?"
"tell me about your family?"
"With all the other jobs that you could make more money at, why do you still want to go into medicine? Do you need to go into medicine?"
"explain your low MCAT score."
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What do you enjoy doing in your free time?"
"She didn't ask many questions but she thought Drexel gets the best students from all over the country."
"Why do you want to move to the east coast?"
"You said you had a brother, what does he do? <-- Don't ask me why I was asked this question. I guess she was just interested."
"how would you as a doctor empathize with a patient?"
"What do you do for fun/relaxation?"
"How did you pick medical schools to apply to? How did Drexel fit your criteria?"
"How did you select your majors in college?"
"How do you study? What do you do for fun?"
"Tell me about your research. Do you plan to do research later in your career."
"How do you center yourself?"
"With your limited clinical experience, how do you know medicine is right for you?"
"Tell me anything you would like me to know. "
"What would you do if you couldn't become a physician?"
"what other schools have you applied to?"
"Why Medicine? "
"What has been your most meaningful activity/experience?"
"How did you decide on medicine?"
"What would you do if you didn't get in this cycle?"
"What should I know about you? (Overall it was pretty conversational...)"
"How many siblings do you have? (I have 6, probably why she asked)"
"Tell me about this low score on *MCAT section*"
"Many many questions about primary. Basically to elaborate on your experiences. "
"Is there any moment that stands out in your mind, in your clinical experiences or volunteer work, where you realized that medicine is the career for you?"
"where do you come from/background/family."
"What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"
"do you like sheryl crow's music?"
"Why is your twin going into public health and you into medicine?"
"what do you know about US healthcare system?"
"US Healthcare issue"
"What's the biggest challenge you have ever faced in your life?"
"See above."
"How do you deal with emergencies?"
"Talk about my research during the previous summer"
"What do you like to do? What do you like to read?"
"What concerns do you have about medical school?"
"What are your impressions of Drexel so far?"
"What was the most difficult experience and the most rewarding experience in you life?"
"Should illegal immigrants have access to health care?"
"What does your research involve?"
"explain why i got some bad grades during college"
"What field of medicine are you interested in and why?"
"What have you gained through your volunteer work?"
"why did i chose this special program"
"any questions for me? (this is after him asking me questions for 5min)... so I spent ~30 asking him questions. "
"Describe such and such experience in your amcas app."
"Talk about your family, etc."
"What do you think of the new law passed in Oregon? Do you know what it is? (I said yes but he sounded like he didn't believe me) Well what is it? What would you do if a patient came to you asking to help him commit suicide?"
"What is so special about you that med school would want you?"
"What are the pros and cons of PPO vs HMO?"
"Any questions for me? "
"Doctor= Tell me about yourself. Then we just talked about stuff that I wanted to talk about."
"Who is going to win the Pittsburg Denver game? (I said Pitt was being disrespected and they were going to put the beat down on Denver.)"
"Why emergency medicine (I said I wanted to practice emergency medicine as a response to another question, what do you see yourself doing with a medical degree)."
"What are you looking for in a medical school?"
"What do you think is one of the most difficult situations doctors face when providing care."
"Why did you decide to do an MPH?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why drexel"
"Tell me about your volunteer experience."
"Tell me more about x activity"
"How did you improve your mcat score?"
"it was very conversational, so we just chatted a lot about my hobbies, goals, background, childhood, etc."
"What challenge(s) could stop you from going to medical school?"
"explain your low grades freshman year"
"is there anything else you would like to talk about"
"tell me about your family"
"how many interviews have you been on?"
"Why was your writing section on the MCAT so bad? You know that's like 25th percentile, right? "
"If you want to make an impact in people's lives why not something like teaching?"
"tell me about your travel expereince!"
"Tell me about your experience in clinical setting that made you decide on medicine."
"Would you choose IFM or PIL?"
"How do you relieve stress?"
"What was an experience that you learned from/gave you new perspective?"
"Healthcare, HMO questions"
"I was asked to explain a decrease in grades during a certain semester."
"what else on your application do you want to discuss? (thank you! how many times do i wish i had been asked this at other interviews!???)"
"Have you been to philli before?"
"What is your reason for wanting to become a doctor?"
"explain your low grade(s)."
"general stuff about jobs i've had and whatnot"
"Is there an area of medicine that you're interested in practicing in?"
"What I thought the AMA was doing right."
"What was one activity/event that you are really proud of."
"Why medicine? Tell me about your research. "
"What do you do for fun? (student interview)"
"tell me about your activities"
"What can you bring to Drexel?"
"How would you deal with the frustrations or negative aspects of being an MD?"
"So did you apply to law schools too and settle for which ever program you are accepted to?"
"What do you do in your spare time?"
"questions for me"
"Tell me about you hobbies. "
"Why my grades suck"
"What is the big issue in medicine?"
"how is the permanent fund dividend in alaska allotted to public institutions like hospitals and schools? definitely specific to alaska."
"why medicine"
"Tell me about this experience ___?"
"What makes you stand out?"
"Why medicine? What influenced you?"
"Tell me about the area that you're from. Do you like it there and why?"
"How do you feel you are suited to medicine? How did you decide on medicine?"
"what are the differences in the US healthcare system and the healthcare system in my country? (a question specific to my application)"
"What are you doing now? (I graduated)"
"Three qualities a physician needs and how you exemplify them."
"What was the experience that made you most want to be a doctor?"
"your strength and weakness."
"Are you interested in working in underserved areas?"
"Why do you want to come to Drexel?"
"What is one quality that doctors should have, that you have?"
"How would I practice under the restrictions of the current healthcare model, and how have my volunteer/shadowing experiences will influence that."
"Describe your volunteer experiences. "
"How would you fix healthcare in the US?"
"how did this volunteer experience affect you"
"What would you do if you didn't get into medical school?"
"the physcian was curious as to my econ background"
"What is the great problem facing healthcare at this time and in the future"
"Where will medicine be in the next 10 years? Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?"
"favorite science/non-science courses"
"Any questions about Drexel?"
"Is there anything else you want to ask me that hasn't been covered today?"
"Describe the most challenging aspects of your past career."
"What type of medicine do you think you will practice?"
"What's your current work/research about?"
"What do you look for in a medical school? What questions do you have for me?"
"When did you decided that you wanted to become a doctor?"
"Student Interviewer: Talk about some current issues/problems in healthcare, and address why you want to go into medicine given the current situation in healthcare."
"What do you do at your job? Do you like your research?"
"Tell me about your research, animal experimentation."
"do you have any questions for me?"
"What do you find most wrong with healthcare in the US?"
"I have to fill out a feedback sheet to the Admissions Committee, what do you want me to say to them that isn't already in your application?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15-20 years?"
"Would i be interested in the PIL program @ Drexel?"
"Why did you decide to major in Biophysics instead of going for the traditional biology major? (Student Interviewer)"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What am I doing now (Faculty/Student Interviewer). What do I do besides school (Student Interviewer)."
"tell me about what you're doing now."
"When you volunteer at the clinic, was there any experience that made you not want to be a doctor?"
"What questions do you have for me about the school? (repeated at least a dozen times!!)"
"What would be some limitation for doctors in next ten years?"
"where will you be in 10 years?"
"Do you have any questions for me? (student interviewer asked me what I wanted to know about the school several times)."
"Read through my personal statement and asked me some questions stemming from it. "
"Is there anything you would like me to convey to the adcom that isn't in your file?"
"Why Drexel, why the East Coast? (I am from Southern California)"
"what attracts you to Drexel"
"Asked about my research"
"How have your travel experienced effected your decision to become a physician?"
"What are your views on practicing medicine in state of PA (i.e. what do you think about malpractice insurance?)"
"Is any one in your family in medicine? "
"Any questions for me? (like 10 times throughout the day:-))"
"How will you handle medical school and a family?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"How will your experiences working translate to medicine and help you develop into a good physician?"
"How do you handle stress?"
"What do you think about doctors striking?"
"Why is the teenage pregnancy rate higher among unerserved populations?"
"Tell me about your research."
"why do you want to become a doctor? (student interviewer)"
""Why did you choose (your major)""
"Typical what I do for fun / relaxation questions (Student Interview)"
"Asked about research, and what I thought was the biggest problem facing medicine today."
"Have you done any research?"
"Talked about my MCATs and research"
"tell me about your research"
"What is your primary extracurricular activity?"
"Tell me about study abroad experience?"
"Outside interests?"
"You obviously went to an amazing school, but got a lower GPA relative to most med school applicants -- how do you feel about that?"
"Tell me about X activity. "
"hobbies? why did you pick your major?"
"What are some problems with HMOs, and how can we solve those problems?"
"General questions about transcripts, volunteer work, current job. "
"What do you do in your spare time (since you work 8-5)? What do your parents do? Do you have anything else to say or any questions? "
"tell me some more about your clinical experiences..."
"General questions about EC's and Clinical work."
"Why do want to major in liberal arts and be a doctor?"
"What was your favorite class"
"why drexel? how do u feel about moving to the east coast?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What needs to be done to improve our healthcare system."
"why drexel???? do you have any questions for me???"
"Why were your grades so bad in college?"
"Questions about research and volunteer activities."
"What are you doing now at you job (I am taking a year off)?"
"What would you like me to tell the admissions staff when I present you to them for voting?"
"Student interviewer: What do you do outside of science??"
"Why were you a nutrition major?"
"Any questions?"
"Who are you?"
"What class did you enjoy the most?"
"What volunteer work have you done?"
"Why Drexel?"
"What can you tell me about in situ hybridization?"
"What kind of a doctor do you want to be? Why Drexel? Comment on the business environment of medicine today."
"Explain your research?"
"Do you know what area you would like to specialize in?"
"What is one struggle you see yourself facing in medicine? "
"What are your concerns about going into med. school/being a physician?"
"hobbies?"
"Would you want to continue your interest in tutoring/educating?"
"How will you incorporate music into your career as a physician?"
"Do you have any interest in academic medicine, what extracurriculars do you think you will pursue?, what was your favorite course in college"
"Tell me what I can say on your behalf to the Admissions Committee."
"examples of challenging situations that I had to overcome."
"describe your life outside of the classroom. "
"What does your family think about you leaving the west coast to come here?"
"What kind of a doctor do you want to be? What do you think your job as a doctor will be like (ie. daily routine)? "
"Asked me a question about my hobby"
"what will be your greatest challenge at Drexel"
"Who is your best friend and what would they tell me are your strengths and weaknesses?"
"How would your best friend describe you?"
"Is there anything on your app that I haven’t mentioned that you want me to ask you about"
"Would you zone out during a lecture on business within medicine? (my interviewer taught that module)"
"How do you characterize success?"
"Out of all your experiences, which taught you the most about yourself?"
"what brought you here today"
"Would you attend a business and healthcare course if it was optional? (he revealed that he taught the class after I responded)."
"How do non-science (humanities) classes relate to being a good physician"
"Very standard"
"Why are you here?"
"What are the most important qualities of a good physician?"
"How would friend describe you"
"How do you feel about the current healthcare situation?"
"Scenario: You are on your way to visit one of your best friends, who is on their deathbed in the hospital. On the way, you hear the best joke you've ever heard in your lifetime. When you get to the hospital your friend is lying in a bed surrounded by other friends and family and nearing death. Do you tell your friend the joke?"
"What do you think of the Affordable Care Act? (interestingly enough, didn't ask "why Drexel?")"
"N/A"
"The questions were all designed to be open ended to spur on further conversation. Consequently, all of the questions led to interesting tangential topics of discussion which were very interesting. The conversation was very enjoyable and very low stress."
"If you were given a certain amount of money, what would you do with it?"
"On euthanasia"
"What does your sisters do?"
"Do you have any questions for me (the third time he asked)."
"So, what kind of food do you and your family like to eat? (In reference to my mixed racial upbringing.)"
"What do you think about health care economics?"
"How did you feel about seeing the anatomy lab?"
"Tell me more about your experience that you mentioned in your personal statement."
"What is your mother doing?"
"Which aspect of your application do you believe will help you to be a good physician?"
"discuss transitioning from high school into undergraduate..."
"What is your best friend like?"
"WHat books are you reading now?"
"Why do you think the school system here doesn't encourage learning a second language?"
"What do you like to cook (I said I love cooking and that is what I do for fun)"
"Have you heard of the Graf Spee?"
"Have you heard of Yellow? (an techno group- i mentioned that i liked electronic music)"
"Who is a role model for your medical goals?"
"What did you write about in your essay?"
"How can I fit so much into my schedule"
"healthcare reform... since he teaches business and policies at the med school."
"Not really anything, it was very conversational."
"The questions were pretty standard, but it was literally a conversation the entire time."
"I see you've been involved extensively in community service. What makes you like it so much?"
"The first of these. The interviewer said outright that it was meant to demonstrate my response to pressure."
"If you had a looking glass, what do you see yourself doing 10 years after you graduate from medical school?"
"Do you have any question to me? What do you like to know about the school?"
"the student asked me 3 words to describe me"
"Why MD, not phd ?."
"Are you a follower or leader? Explain. Why are both of those characteristics necessary in a good physician?"
"How would you define a "medical professional"?"
"What do you think is the weakest part of your application?"
"Current state of health care."
"none in particular"
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
"Do you know what is involve in this process?"
"What would you do if you don't get into medical schools?"
"What would you do if your patient needs a blood transfusion and refuses?"
"tell me something about yourself i cant get from your amcas"
"It was a very conversational interview...for the most part, I was allowed to drive the conversation and talk about what I wanted to talk about."
"I mentioned that my current job was incredibly challenging and she asked me why and how and we had a really interesting discussion about the nature of medicine today. "
"A question about medical practice and ethics."
"what would you do if you don't get into any program in U.S.A. Would you accept a program out of the country to become a doctor?"
"If you were President Obama, how would you handle the healthcare crisis? "
"what do you do to relax? both interviewer asked"
"Are you ready for what you have to give up for a career in medicine?"
"How many students in your school are premed?"
"Question 1... he just wouldn't let up. I started by mentioning I would talk with my kids about the work "daddy has to do" and that is why he can't be around all the time.. but that wasn't enough for him. He said, "They still don't appreciate it, even though they understand..." I was stuck, and then he told me this is his life."
"Are you ready to pay the price? Your kids are not going to see you, you will miss great part of their life, are you really sure you want to go through with this? And he went on and on saying how his kids still judge him for been missing in their life."
"None really. My interviewer actually told me a lot about the school, especially the curriculum. Otherwise conversational."
"Nothing really. Just your standard stuff."
"none, i was only asked 2!!! grrr"
"Asked by the student interviewer: ''If you had to pick a theme song to represent you, what would it be and why?''"
"Have you ever cheeted"
"All of the questions were directed towards my application except a)Why do you want to be a doctor? b)Why Drexel? c) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"Given unlimited time and money what would you do to better the world?"
"Nothing"
"tell me something about yourself that's not on your application"
"If there is a fairy god mother who will give you a list of wishes, what would be your list?"
"Have you ever been in a situation where you observed cheating and how did you handle it? ( asked by the student interviewer)"
"Tell me something you'd change about your personality?"
"why should i help you get into drexel med?"
"No real interesting questions...there just wasn't enough time! With only 30 minutes it was a real no-nonsense interview."
"Describe an example of how you work well in groups."
"What are your hopes and dreams?"
"what skills do you have that you can bring to medicine?"
"Describe a problem I had overcome."
"Tell me about your best friend"
"What are some of the weaknesses of Drexel?"
"nothing terribly interesting was asked"
"pretty standard questions"
"Do you need to become a physician?"
"why Drexel and not Temple?"
"Tell me why you would fit in with the students here, and what was one important thing you've learned that will help you when you're a doctor. "
"What makes you unique?"
"How do you think living in LA affected your studies or career goals? What problems do you think you would have adjusting to living on the east coast?"
"None."
"Nothing exciting. He flipped through my file and asked me to talk about a few things."
"If we were able to cure all disease, would this have a positive or negative impact on the human race (and why)?"
"What are you not looking forward to as a doctor?"
"What made you change your mind about going into medicine?"
"Nothing really interesting.. a lot about alternative career paths if medicine doesn't work out... think that's a standard question though"
"Nothing interesting. It was about a 10 minute interview. He asked me to tell him about myself and then interrupted me to ask if I thought I could handle medical school."
"By Dean of Admissions after learning about my baby-signing experience, 'Have you ever seen Meet the Fockers?' She's a really cool down to earth woman, easy to relate to, but is also highly qualified and accels at her job."
"What are some issues facing medicine? (It was interesting because it was asked a few times consecutively, so I really had to reflect on the answers I gave)"
"None of the questions were particularly difficult or interesting. I'm pretty sure that applicants always hear that a school's interviews are conversational but the Drexel interviews were just that. Seriously."
"Are you sure you want to go into medicine? no really, are you sure? you really want to be a doctor?"
"If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you do?"
"What do you do to center yourself?"
"With your limited clinical exposure, how do you know medicine is right for you?"
"Mostly just the standard questions."
"You gave me a whole bunch of reasons, but what is single most important reason why you want to go into medicine?"
"If I had a fairy-godmother to grant me my perfect life in the future I would ask for..."
"What other schools have you applied to?"
"it was basically a get to know you conversation. can't remember any specific questions"
"Anything you would like to explain in this file?"
"Why did you chose 7 year vs. 8 year? (I applied to the Villanova/Drexel combined program)"
"What ethical questions do you think doctors face? How would you deal with that?"
"I heard that someone was asked ''how many uninsured patients are there in the US and how would you go about addressing this problem?''"
"What is the most important thing people need to prevent disease? (I said nutrition, the answer is clean water.)"
"Would you treat an illegal alien? Would you if it was unlawful to do so?"
"If you had ten million dollars, how would you change healthcare?"
"They were all pretty basic get to know you and why you want to go here questions. i actually enjoyed the interviews."
"Is research important to medicine?"
"nothing much. i don't remember."
"What is simple (after a discussion about my complex background)?"
"What is your favorite type of wine?"
"Do you like Sheryl Crow's music?"
"How did my sister's cerebral palsy affect my family's life and my decision to become a doctor? "
"How would you react if you were the physician who had to treat the victims of the amish school shooting?"
"What do you think of the US Healthcare system"
"My interviewer did not ask specific questions. She just told me to talk about my family, background, ECs, why I picked my undergrad school, and why choose medicine."
"Why did you stop pursuing a career in music for medicine?"
"None really. "
"So what brings you here (in reference to choosing medicine and Drexel)?"
"What do you think of Drexel Med?"
"How would I handle a situation where a patient--such as an illegal immigrant-- arrived needing help, but the law forbad providing it..."
"If I knew about a George Harrison song called "wa-wa""
"What do you think Freud got right and what did he get wrong? (In relation to an independent study I did on Freud)."
"If I were not going into medicine, what would I do instead?"
"What do you want to do with medicine"
"I got asked a lot about my non-traditional path to med school."
"What do you think about the immigration controversy? Do you think illegal immigrants should be able to get health care in this country?"
"What was the reaction of people around you when they found out you were applying to medical school?"
"why medicine?"
"In 20-30 years tell me what you picture your typical day to be like, start with waking up, breakfast etc."
"fairly standard questions"
"What is the biggest problem facing health care today?"
"Do you do bharat natayam dancing?"
"Nothing... the interviewer asked me only 2 basic questions, problems in healthcare, and why I thought I was waitlisted last year."
"So, I see you've lived in the UK for most of your life. Which healthcare system is better?"
"All typical questions"
""There's a lot of diversity here, which should interest you since you've studied cannibalism a lot." "..Wha?" "[rereads my file] Oh. Never mind. I was way off.""
"woud your family support you if you did not want to study medicine? (Both of my parents and two of my grandparents are physicians)"
"What was it like growing up as a latchkey kid?"
"What is so special about you that med school would want you?"
"What would you change about the health care system?"
"What are you passionate about?"
"All the questions were pretty basic, about items on my application and my ideal career. The student interviewer asked me a lot about what I want in a medical school and sold me on Drexel."
"Mostly questions about grades, why medicine, when did you come to that conclusion, what are your strengths, and is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"You took the MCAT three times. That's a lot of times to take an exam. (Not a question but this prompted a response). "
"How do you know the [educational organization I lead] was successful?"
"What do you think one of the most difficult situations doctors face when providing care?"
"Tell me about yourself...."
"what kind of master's program are you in?"
"With all of the new information being discovered in the human genome project, what do you think will be the next big discovery?"
"Whats your wish list?"
"None too off the wall. We talked about our separate experiences visiting Argentina."
"Because you are a x major, why not enter x field?"
"What are you doing right now?"
"Where did you get that watch?"
"not too intersting...but what I did to improve my mcat score"
"Tell me about your family and friends"
"tell me about your friends"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"she asked me why I wanted to go into medicine more than once, it was basically the same question, different wording."
"what were the best and worst things to ever happen to you?"
"which track (PIL or IFM) would you be interested in?"
"overall they were the basic questions, but framed in unique ways. instead of "why medicine" it was "why not nursing?" "
"Nothing really unusual"
"Did your parents meet when they were doing their residencies? I know...wtf."
"Describe a friends of yours?"
"Just standard questions about background"
"Tell me about your favorite Science Fiction book."
"What's with your MCAT verbal score? Did you have trouble finishing the passages?"
"Among all your extracurricular activities, which one would you re-do."
"Why the career change?"
"I wasn't really asked anything interesting. She said, "so, I guess psychology is your thing?""
"What was your "a-ha" class?"
"If you were treating a patient who disagreed with your course of action, what would you do?"
"every question was standard, straight out of the book."
"Is there a story behind the C you received your last semester? (I was happy they asked this b/c I had a chance to explain)"
"What is my biggest shortcoming"
"I noticed you listed your marriage as an activity on your application - do you care to explain that?"
"a lot of personal questions about my family"
"hmm nothing too interesting"
"If there was some decree that said you absolutely could not practice medicine anywhere, what would you do instead?"
"I was asked about a recent Supreme Court case concerning euthanasia. "
"What did I see as the shortcomings of my application."
"Tell me about your best friend (asked by student interviewer)"
"What are my thoughts of professionlism in medicine, and how would I exemplify them."
"What was your most challenging course in college? (interesting because that depends on how you define "challenging")"
"Nothing really. It was just a conversation . Tell me about yourself...your family...your activities..."
"The usual healthcare stuff."
"Nothing really stuck out as unusual, it was very conversational she just wanted to get to know me."
"Where do you see the patient physician relationship? Give me an example of a doctor who you think is good at relating to patients and why."
"what lessons did you learn from traveling abroad?"
"Most pressing problem facing medicine."
"If you had a 2-seat car and drove by a dying woman, your best friend, and the love of your life, who would you pick up and why?"
"about my research"
"What is the population of the cities I previously lived in ?"
"All were pretty standard questions. My interviewer was a faculty member who wasn't an MD and didn't ask any questions about med ethics or problems in health care (i.e. PA's med liability crisis)"
"Nothing really interesting, just the standard fare of personal questions."
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
"What do you think is different between inner-city and rural hospitals?"
"Was Jane Austen a feminist?"
"i'm a beginner skier, why size skiis should i buy? (i used to ski professionally, so i think they were just getting me to talk)"
"He didn't really ask me any questions."
"he barely asked me any questions"
"None really"
"Why Drexel?"
"What is the most important aspect of a medical school to you."
"How do you like living where you live? (I'm from a very rural area)"
"Routine q's."
"what are the differences in the US healthcare system and the healthcare system in my country? (a question specific to my application)"
"What is an ethical challenge physicians face today?"
"My interviewer had carefully read my application and asked a lot of questions about classes i had taken, including an essay-writing course. She asked what my favorite piece of writing had been and why."
"I wasn't asked anything I thought was "interesting""
"Was there a non-science course you had that you enjoyed?"
"About my graduate research."
"Nothing really. The questions were really basic."
"What characteristic of your best friend makes you friends?"
"How would you fix healthcare in the US?"
"If I felt it was harder working with children or adults as patients"
"A question abou9t my volunteer experiences."
"Sometimes a positive quality turns into a negative one, has this effected you ever?"
"what quality is most important to me in selecting a medical school?"
"nothing, all boring stuff"
"the student interviewer asked "if i were to bump into you and your friend and pull him/her aside ask them to name one thing they like about you and one thing they don't, what would they be?""
"What made you decide you wanted to go into medicine?"
"Did your study abroad change your worldview? What criticisms of the US did you develop while living abroad?"
"None in particular. All but one were specific to my experiences listed in my application. "
"What do you think of the ethical challenges to your current work and research? (I work on providing cash incentives to schizophrenics to encourage them to quit smoking cigarettes.)"
"How to you deal with stress?"
"No interesting questions."
"From my student interviewer - "Why are manholes round?". She told me there was no real answer to the question, she was just curious how I would reason the answer."
"Tell me about your best friend."
"none really, all pretty standard"
"no interesting questions"
"Based on your background in political science, who is going to win the Democratic Nomination? I said Kerry and turned out to be right."
"Why do you want to go into medicine and how do you think you will make a positive contribution to medicine?"
"If you could pick one issue in healthcare today and have it solved overnight, which one would you pick."
"why didnt i go to medical school immediately following college?"
"The most interesting question I was asked was about how I would make the transition to medical school. (asked by my student interviewer)"
"Why should Drexel accept you? "
"No question was really interesting. I think that the questions that I asked my faculty interviewer were more interesting than the ones he asked me."
"The interviewer asked, what was the weirdest question you've been asked in other interviews??? (He liked to see if anyone had a horror story)"
"All of the questions are your expected, general ones you'd expect at most interviews."
"No interesting questions, most were very standard questions."
"What are some of the best places to eat in Fort Lauderdale?"
"There were no questions that pertained to my applciation. They were all general questions"
"tell me about yourself?"
"Where do you see yourself fitting into medicine? "
"Assuming that 20 years from now all of the malpractice and managed care/medicare problems are solved, what do you think will be the most pressing issue in healthcare? "
"Have you considered how chosing a career in medicine will affect you financially?"
"None really, very conversational"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Very canned questions."
"Nothing too interesting. The student gilled me a bit on health care and the price of medications. He jumped from subject to subject. It felt artificial - not like the natural flow of a conversation."
"Are you aware of the recent changes at the university? All of this info is on their site how it has changed, affiliates...."
"Besides HMOs, malpractice insurance, health care system etc. what do you see has the biggest challenge facing medicine? "
"The faculty interviewers questions were all personal in nature, intended to examine specific aspects of my application. The most interesting being what I would do for my community if I became a physician. The student interview was odd, my interviewer appeared quite shy, and I asked most of the question."
"As a physician, how would your prevent yourself from getting sued?"
"Assuming the insurance issue is cleared up in the upcoming years, what do you see as the most challenging issue in the field of medicine?"
"What do you think of racial diversity in the workplace and educational system?"
"What qualities do you think define a physician? Watch out, my interviewer wrote down everything I said. The follow up question I did no expect.."
"hardly any questions, mostly just discussion"
"If you weren't going to medical school, what career would your pursue."
"nothing really interesting"
"tell me about yourself -- very broad question that allowed me to pretty much tell them anything i want them to know."
"Nothing was interesting or out of the ordinary. Every question was completely run-of-the-mill."
"The interview was just a conversation geared to get to know you better. All questions related to my application and life experiences."
"If, for some reason, you didn't get into medical school, what other profession would you like to pursue?"
"Something about urban public hospitals losing money like crazy. "
"What do you think will be the greatest challenge that your generation of doctors will face?"
"Tell me what recipes you published in your column? (I wrote for a paper... my interviewer *really* read my application!)"
"Why do you suppose the amount of time a patient spends with a doctor is so brief...because of the doctor or the hospital?"
"How do you feel about the big rat? (nurses striking outside, 15 foot inflated rat sitting outside)"
"None were interesting"
"Do you think undocumented immigrants deserve medical treatment while in the United States?"
"nothing really"
"Given the following scenario: I am a physician and I have two patients, but only enough time to dedicate to one. The first patient listens to everything I recommend and follows instructions about meds perfectly. The second patient never listens to my recommendations and refuses to take meds. Keeping in mind the time constraint, how do I spend my time treating the patients? "
"How do you like the weather in Pennsylvania? (I'm from California) "
"No question I got was particularly interesting, but the overall experience was really nice. My faculty interviewer was very chill, and it was more like a conversation than an actual interview. He asked me just the standard questions really, such as "Why do you want to be a physician," "Why Drexel," etc. "
"She asked if I could remember the MCAT verbal prompt. I scored well and she said most people cannot remember the question."
"What is your biggest obstacle?"
"Theoretically, if Drexel were to make you an offer, how enthusiastic would you be?"
"What do you look for in a medical school? What is a problem you'll face in healthcare. What do you do on your free time. What are you currently doing at your job."
"When mentioning to practicing physicians that you are applying to medical school what is their response?"
"What do you think of the East Coast (i'm from the west)? Why Drexel? What experiences made you want to pursue medicine? Basically, getting-to-know-you type questions."
"None were particularly interesting. I was asked by the student what I would be for Haloween."
"Parlez-vous Francais?(I had listed french as a language that I spoke fluently)"
"Have you had any failures or academic disappointments?"
"About my religion"
"how would a friend describe you"
"What's 2 times 2? (My student interviewer needed to assess my "problem-solving skills")"
"If you had one year to do anything you wanted, what would you do?"
"nothing too out of the ordinary"
"Tell me about your research?"
"What will be a hard thing you will have to face as a doctor?"
"Why do you want to go into clinical medicine?"
"How do you feel about needle exchange programs? (and "why are manhole covers circular?")"
"I was asked to give an in depth explanation of a particular extracurricular activity that I had. This interviewer was interested in the event and wanted to know more about it. "
"Nothing specific. Just an honest attempt to get to know me and the decision making process I used in getting to this point."
"If you were to make an "ideal" medical school, what characteristics would it have?"
"Nothing very interesting..."
"What makes you want to come to Philadelphia?"
"What kind of books do you like to read?"
"what would you want on your epitaph?"
"none really...very informal...just wanted to know who I was "
"None really. Very standard questions like, "How was it having a physician as a father" and "what are you most passionate about." The student interview asks questions off a sheet of paper and the "what are you most passionate about" questions is one of them."
"You are a high school applicant applying for a BA/MD program. How do people respond when they find out you have decided to physician at the age of 17?"
"What was your favorite class"
"Why do you think infant mortality is so high in Phili?"
"very standard questions. interviewer just wanted to get to know me"
"-None-"
"Do you anticipate having difficulty with the coursework in medical school or do you feel prepared? (student interviewer)"
"This is what the typical person would do. Now here is what you did. Please explain this to me."
"nothing interesting...the faculty interviewer was not very nice...she kept asking why i had scored so low on the verbal part of the mcat."
"What was the biggest challege you've faced so far (seems to be a Drexel required question)"
"none"
" "
"I wasn't even asked questions by the faculty interviewer really. We just talked about him for most of the interview and I asked the questions. The student interviewer asked the standard questions like why medicine and what do you do as a hobby. Here's the thing, I thought my faculty interview went bad because we spent the entire time talking about his life and acomplishments. He was super friendly, but I didn't know what he could possibly write on my evaluation because I never really got asked questions. But I got acepted. Contrast this with Albany's interview in which I prepared so much for ethics questions and talked rather well in my opinion for a total of 3hrs over two interviews only to get put on the alternate list. The interview process in general seems a little screwy to me."
"just basic stuff really"
"What was your most interesting class? What was your most challenging class?"
"nothing too interesting, pretty standard stuff."
"What would you do if you found out that your parent had HD? (I would have a 50% chance of getting the disease, and the interviewer wanted to know if I would get genetic testing to find out if I had the disease)."
"Why haven't you considered military service to pay for med school?"
"What would I do if a patient refused a life-saving treatment?"
"By the student: What's your favorite vodka? By the doctor: Are you sure you don't want to be a lawyer instead? (apparently I was pretty talkative)"
"How do you think research will help you as a doctor?"
"What was your favorite class in college?"
"What does a medical scientist do?"
"Why are malpractice insurance premiums so expensive in PA?"
"nothing unusual, "how would your friends describe you", "what obstacles do you expect as a physician""
"What was your biggest obstacle in life?"
"What is the one thing I should mention to the committee when I present your file?"
"How has Hinduism impaceted your decision to enter medicine? "
"A challenge I have encountered and how I overcame it."
"How will your background in research help you as a physician? "
"Why Philadelphia?"
"What would you write on your tombstone?"
"They were all really straight forward...general questions based on my application."
"The student interviewer asked me to compare the health care system before an after the Soviet Union broke up (I am originally from there). "
"What was the last book you read?"
"What future obstacles do you see for the field of medicine?"
"How I felt about the rising cost of malpractice insurance premiums?"
"Given the current situation with HMOs, why do you still want to go into medicine?"
"All pretty typical."
"all standard questions"
"Why did your recommender say this (something)?"
"What would like written on your epitah?"
"What is the one thing you'd want me to say to the admissions committee on your behalf?"
"i didn't think that any of the questions i was asked were particularly interesting."
"Describe your life growing up."
"pretty standard fare"
"What is your favorite restaurant in Philadelphia?"
"Who is Alice Coltrane?"
"What is the thing that you regret most in your life?"
"Nothing interesting, we just talked about my extra-curriculars. I was asked if this interview was my first and since it wasn't, where else I had interviewed."
"besides HMOs what is the next big thing facing the medical community"
"what am i most proud of?"
"Tell me more about your project?"
"How do you intend to provide quality care in an HMO environment (or something along that line)."
"What do you think is a problem in the field of medicine in general?"
"Do you think we should teach business in medical school? Would you take the class/be interested? (personally not that familiar with business?)"
"What do you know about (complex medical term I don't remember). Said I don't know but hope to learn about it in the future."
"walk me through some of your poor grades"
"What would be your greatest challenge at Drexel?"
"What makes an excellent doctor excellent?"
"What are some challenges that healthcare faces today?"
"What do you think your greatest challenge will be here"
"What is the biggest problem facing the healthcare system today?"
"Fill in the blank: "I am happiest when ____""
"What is the best quality of a physician"
"None, straight forward questioning."
"How does the advancement of technology help dermatology?"
"None of the questions were particularly difficult"
"How do you feel about the current healthcare situation?"
"Judging by your GPA you are a strong student, but why is this not show in your MCAT score?"
"What was the hardest part about being a burn victim?"
""So, you don't have much clinical experience?" because I don't have much listed as so on the application. I addressed the point (I do consider it a weakness of my application)- it overlapped with volunteer."
"I don't understand why you are so interested in substance abuse. Was someone in your family incarcerated"
"Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?"
"None were too difficult. What are some of the conflicts you think doctors face, what are some things that would no longer be a problem?"
"A specific case on abortion- if a woman came up to you and said she was going to self abort if you didn't perform an abortion, what would you do?"
"Convince me that you can handle medical school."
"Why were you on academic probation"
"Why you?"
"If I were to present the committee your file, what should I say about you?"
"What would you do if you were not accepted anywhere this year?"
"No question was too difficult, it was low stress."
"Why do you specifically like Drexel?"
"What challenges do you see yourself facing in 10 years?"
"What questions do you have for me? (this was most of the interview)"
"after I said that my shadowing helped me learn about the importance of patient-doctor relationship she asked for specific examples... took me a while to come up with an answer."
"The student interviewer liked to ask real interview question despite lacking of experience and grilled me over if I am capable of studying for long periods of time."
"What else should I know? -the interviewer asked me this like 20 times...theres not much to say after that..."
"My essay question: Give an example of when you broke the rules? What was the result?"
"What other schools have I interviewed at"
"healthcare reform"
"What do you think should be done about health care in this country?"
"The ethical dilemma essay prompt you will get at the interview. There are 3 different questions you can receive, and you have about 1/2 a page of unlined paper to write your essay on. It was a little difficult not so much to think of something, but people who finished quickly were surprisingly rudely loud, making it hard to think."
"Again, the first question, mostly because it was unexpected. "
"What if you don't get to do what you plan to do? Lots of times people have dreams of what they want to do and cannot do it. How will you deal with the realities associated with your career goals? "
"(relating to research experience) What was point of the research?"
"probably that one"
"what else can you tell me about yourself? (the faculty interviewer asked me this over and over again)"
"Nothing really. "
"How are you going to balance family?"
"How would you define a "medical professional"?"
"What would you do to fix the current state of health care as a physician?"
"none specifically"
"What would you do if you decided this is not what you want to do in the middle of the medical school?"
"Which school would you choose?Penn, Temple Or Drexel? "
"Who inspire to this path and how?"
"What are your greatest weaknesses? What are your greatest strengths?"
"none, it was very conversational"
"Tell me about this bad grade. (Had one C on my transcript)."
"He (faculty) seemed very concerned that I haven't had biochem. He stressed that there is very little time for "catching up" in the med school curriculum."
"Why did your physics grade dip?"
"what was the most important medical influence you had in your life?"
"This is off the record, but tell me how you plan to pay for med school when you still have grad school loans? Tell me about research job X. What specifically did you do? Tell me abt the specific lab protocol. (This was my first job after graduation so it was difficult to remember the specifics of the protocol we used)"
"I'm a non-trad applicant. They asked me what would keep me in medical school rather than moving on to another field, as I had done before."
"[[sprinkled throughout the interview]] Where else did you apply? Where else do you have interviews lined up? In what other cities did you apply to medical schools? Where ideally would you like to be next year? Don't you ever want to leave Philadelphia? (when I said no) Why don't you want to go to Penn? Have you considered Jefferson? I'm sure you applied to Temple and Penn State, too, right?"
"Question 1"
"Same as most interesting. this topic took about half of the interview."
"None really. It was mostly conversational. I guess I wasn't expecting to be grilled about a particular score. "
"The questions were all fairly intense- much more so than I had expected"
"None. Just questions about me and I know a good bit about that subject."
"tell me about yourself"
"What are some of your concerns about practicing medicine? In regard to my background in research: ''why do you feel you are more suited for a career in clinical medicine as opposed to research?''"
"What most contributed to your ethics"
"Name three of your best qualities? For some reason I drew a blank and stared into space for a long time :)"
"Why did you take the MCAT twice?"
"Why didn't you apply to medical school directly from undergrad?"
"Explain your GPA (it shocked me because I realized that the faculty interviewer is reading the wrong file of the other student who will be interviewed half hour after me)"
"pretty standard stuff--what's the biggest problem facing healthcare, etc."
"Tell me something you'd change about your personality?"
"Why Drexel? This was not made easier by their presentation of the school which really did nothing to distinguish the school from anywhere else."
"Why is there such a large disparity between your GPA and your MCAT scores?"
"Why did you get a C in gym?"
"What would you do if you couldn't help a patient? what do you think your role would be?"
"How would you deal with a given ethical or moral decision? (kinda talked myself into a corner on that one)"
"Why medicine."
"Having to explain a few Bs on my transcript... I wasn't expecting that."
"what are your academic weaknesses?"
"With all the negative aspects of medicine, why do you still want to go into medicine?"
"Y D not T?"
"Nothing really too difficult. Tell me about yourself, why not become an RN like your mother? "
"What makes you unique? (The student interviewer wanted to know unique qualities that he could write on his evaluation of me)"
"What leadership experiences do you have?"
"Nothing difficult."
"What would be one thing on your application that an admissions committe could see as something to not accept you?"
"Would you ever recieve gifts from a patient/ what are you not looking forward to as a doctor?"
"Why did you come back to medicine after a stint in the business world?"
"Do you feel qualified to study medicine?"
"What are some issues facing medicine? (Because it was asked a few times consecutively)"
"after going through my file in front of me... ''is there anything in here I haven't asked you about?''"
"If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you do?"
"What area of your application needs most work?"
"Why didn't you continue to pursue more clinical experience?"
"Again, nothing out of the ordinary."
"none The student asked three ethical-like questions but he was super nice and got really excited (in a good way) about my answers. "
"Why should we accept you?"
"Explain you're MCAT score"
"What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? What specific specialty?"
"None, really. "
"What was going on in your life that caused you to perform poorly during your sophomore year and how did you overcome these challenges?"
"Why does Philadelphia have such a high rate of infectious diseases?"
"None were difficult"
"What should be done about the high number of uninsured Americans?"
"Tell me three positive aspects about yourself."
"So, tell me about the gall bladder, its function and the reasons why you would need to remove it."
"nothing really. both the faculty and studen interviews were very laid back and conversational. The faculty was very interested in my background, while the student asked more typical questions and answered more questions about the school."
"Some questions about my grades during college, I had a few low ones near the beginning."
"Are you qualified to study medicine? If so, why? "
" If I weren't to be a doctor or work in health care, what else might I do?"
"what do you need to work on as a person?"
"Was grilled on the fact that if my parents, who are both physicians, were such positive influences then why am I a non-traditional student who majored in econ. and tried out a diff. career."
"Not really, we ended up talking about rather random stuff like cooking, food, marriage, family, etc. "
"(Faculty Interviewer, ice breaker): Because I haven't read anything about you or your file, what would you like to discuss today?"
"None. The only thing that could make this interview difficult is if you don't know your OWN activities which ofcourse is virtually impossible."
"What do you think is a pressing issue in medicine today?"
"Nothing too difficult.."
"What countries do you think provide better medical service than the U.S.? How so?"
"We had a discussion about my rural upbringing, the fact that neither of my parents went to college, etc."
"Why MD over PhD?"
"all questions were salient and engaging. i enjoyed interview."
"A very specific question about my research that I couldn't remember."
"What do you think about the immigration controversy? Do you think illegal immigrants should be able to get health care in this country?"
"If you didn't have to worry about malpractice insurance and reimbursements, what do you think will be the most difficult challenge you will face as a physician?"
"why medicine?"
"none were difficult, all related to my file"
"when did you make up your mind that medicine was the career for you"
"What do you do when you are stressed? (I'm sure they didn't want to hear the real answer...and yet, I refuse to lie during interviews)"
"Why i chose drexel?"
"Why I thought I was waitlisted and not accepted last year"
"Should we give healthcare to illegal immigrants?"
"what was the greatest struggle you've had to overcome in your life?"
"What field would you enter if you did not become a doctor?"
"You being work at a clinic where the veteran surgeon is conducting an outdated surgery that keeps the patient in the hospital for 2 weeks. You know a procedure that only keeps him at the hospital for two days. What do you do?"
"What are your wishes?"
"What would you change about the health care system?"
"None, all questions were about my application or common interview questions (why drexel?)"
"same, just because I wasn't expecting it."
"My interview was with the dean of admissions, and she asked me a big block of questions all at the beginning and then let me basically give a monologue to answer them all."
"Really nothing too difficult. Questions about me not topics in medicine. Describe your experience in this or that. Very low stress. Really you just discuss yourself."
"Nothing in particular. "
"What are adjectives you would like me to use to describe you to the committee?"
"The same"
"After I told him about myself, he said "Tell me more," so I did...and then he said "What else?" So be prepared to have a one-sided conversation. "
"Nothing was difficult"
"Tell me one reason that sums up why you want to be a doctor."
"How do you balance studying with your other activities?"
"Are you taking any classes? (These were the only questions, the rest was conversation)."
"What do you plan to do with your women studies minor?"
"Nothing was very tough"
"how would your friends describe you - not difficult but the most difficult i guess"
"What makes you really angry?"
"ditto"
"see above"
""did you ever think about re-taking the MCAT?" "
"Why this school, I mean c'mon I'm from Cali, why do you think?"
"Why did you get a C- in [insert class here]? Your bad grades (from 6 years ago) don't match your good MCAT scores (from 6 months ago). Why? Why was your writing section on the MCAT so bad? You know that's like 28th percentile, right? "
"Can you explain why one of your references would rate you with low maturity?"
"We just talked. No hard questions"
"Nothing was difficult, very straightforward"
"Why Physician"
"Why did you do poorly in these classes?"
"The above."
"What do you think about healthcare in the United States? What do you think is the biggest problem in US healthcare today?"
"what makes you uniquely qualified for medicine? (even though this is a common question, i always hate this one!)"
"despite the current regulations and impact of organized health care, why do you still want to be a physician?"
"I see you seem to like research. Why don't you just become a PhD instead of a physician? (My interviewer was a PhD)"
"what's your mom like?"
"explain lack of clinical experience/how will you overcome this"
"None were really difficult"
"The Supreme Court case one."
"What would I do if I were not admitted to medical school this year."
"What is the biggest problem in healthcare today? (asked by student interviewer)"
"What worries you about med school?"
"What would you do if you do not get into any medicine? What other careers have you considered?"
"What is the worst part about being a doctor?"
"Have you had a chance to look at other health care fields (NP, PA), why is MD the better choice for you?"
"Do you have any questions about the med school or Philadelphia?"
"Nothing too difficult"
"The above question."
"None were particularly difficult. Just asked about why medicine, why Drexel, etc."
"Is there anything you would like to add?"
"Why do your grades suck spring quarter of senior year?"
"Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?"
"What is the big issue in medicine?"
"what is the most difficult aspect of medicine you foresee in your medical career and how would you fix it?"
"nothing hard"
"Hypothetically, would you accept a position here now?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"None of them were difficult. But as I mentioned below, I think the fact that I interviewed with an administrator made it more of a bulleted list of q's rather than a conversation."
"To talk about my poor grades (but he asked me in a very nice way)"
"Your MCAT doesn't really reflect your grade point average. Why is that? Why didn't you retake the MCAT?"
"Tell me something interesting about yourself."
"Pretend you are an infectious disease doctor 15 years from now. One of your female patients is in love with one of your other male AIDs positive patient. What do you do?"
"Why are your grades lower in your junior year than others? (This one was difficult because it had a personal answer.)"
"The current healthcare system, if it continues as it is now, is headed for bankruptcy. How do you think we could improve the system to avoid this situation? How can we functionally tie together economics and healthcare?"
"What do I think is going to be the biggest problem with healthcare in the future?"
"What do you think is important for me as a member of the admissions committee to know about you?"
"none, fairly straight forward questions."
"Again, nothing really."
"Describe your research. Why didn't you try <plug in any experiment that has nothing to do with your research>? Although she was nodding and acting like she was interested, it was pretty clear she didn't follow me , since she followed up with a question/suggestion that made no sense at all. So I just changed the subject to the merits of the new experiment she was suggesting, which she seemed pretty excited about. I think I need to work on how to talk about this stuff so its easier to understand without sounding condescending."
"same as above."
"If the malpractice crisis would affect my ability to be a physician"
"None, my interviewer was great and we had a conversation more then an interview."
"what is my opinion of embryonic stem cell research"
"Regarding a previous answer I had given, How will you able to spend the needed time and attention to each patient?"
"faculty interviewer: what qualities do you possess to become a physician?"
"Nothing really. Both interviews were more like conversations than a grilling session."
"Nothing was very difficult, pretty standard stuff."
"What skills from your last job will be transferable to medicine?"
"What are your feelings about malpractice insurance? This is a big problem in Penn."
"Honestly, the hardest question was whether or not I had any questions for her...most had already been answered in the informational session and I had to think fast to come up with another one."
"Why did you perform poorly in organic chemistry?"
"None really"
"No difficult questions."
"Why did I receive a low grade in one of my science courses. The faculty interviewer was very nice when she asked me, told me it was just a formality that she had to ask. "
"Just had to really elaborate on my motivation to be a doctor."
"what do you want us to konow that isn't in your application"
"What do you find most wrong with healthcare in the US?"
"Why didn't you get into med school the last time you applied?"
"Nothing was difficult. It was a very casual discussion and we were just laughing and talking about TV shows."
"Why become a doctor instead of a nurse?"
"none were especially difficult...."
"I didn't feel any of the questions were difficult to answer, my faculty advisor did ask me a question about my academic record and my view on how prepared I was for medical school..but I think I handled it well."
"What do you feel you will add to the incoming class?"
"What do you see as a problem facing medicine today?"
"They were all really easy questions, almost all based on different aspects of my application. "
"why do you want to go to med school about 20 times"
"All of the questions are your expected, general ones you'd expect at most interviews."
"How do you feel about healthcare in Broward County? Pennsylvania? The nation? How do you intend on fixing it?"
"Why do you think you got rejected by other med school?"
"What motivated you to apply to medical school?"
"None really."
"Why have you pursued medicine, why are you a qualified candidate?"
"See previous"
"Why have you taken so many classes in college? -I am a non-traditional student who basically started over as a premed after majoring in political studies for three years."
"Same as above"
"How do you demonstrate these qualities? "
"Explain an academically difficult time during ugrad."
"nothing really"
"Do you think undocumented immigrants should be allowed access to health care? I didn't really want to be pegged as super controversial, so I said that I would personally find it very difficult to turn away anyone who needed health care. And then he said, "But you didn't answer my question, I asked a simple yes or no question." He was basically trying to box me into a corner, because when I said yes, then he said "But isn't it unfair for them to get the same advantages of citizens?" The entire interview was like that....I was so stressed out when we finished."
"what would you do if you had to choose a different career other than medicine?"
"Wasn't asked anything difficult."
"Nothing too difficult."
"Why did your grades drop during your sophmore year?"
"Why do you still want to pursue medicine with the troubles of HMOs and malpractice insurance?"
"How did you get through your difficult undergrad year?"
"Nothing all that difficult from the student interviewer...just a few ethical questions...just pick a side and don't change your mind. The faculty interview was extremely relaxed. Just shot the breeze for about a half an hour...no medically related questions."
"How would you fix healthcare"
"What I thought about doctors striking (the nurses were striking that day); having to defend myself against an accusing comment."
"Why do you think Philadelphia's infant mortality rate is equivalent to that of a third world country?"
"What is your style of leadership? "
"None.. all were pretty straight-forward. The faculty interviewer wanted to get to a bit about my background, and if I would like it here in Pennsylvania."
"Honestly, none of them were difficult."
"My opinion on a discussion about elderly patients and end of life issues. My interviewer was a geriatrics specialist."
"I was asked about specific grades and a quarter in school where I had done badly. I was also asked about a low MCAT score. My interviewer was very concerned with the details of my file, rather than getting to know me. "
"WOuld i go to a california school if i got in."
"What problems do you see in health care today that need to be addressed?"
"Nothing"
"What will be the most challenging problem faced by physicians by the time you are practicing?"
"Didn't really have any difficult questions"
"None were difficult, but I was a little thrown off when asked what the interviewer should say to the comittee."
"What are the problems with medicine today?"
"none, really"
"Why Drexel?"
"how would a friend describe you"
"What are some problems you expect to face in health care?"
"What do you want me to tell the admission staff"
"What questions do you have for me?"
"None at all"
"To name current problems with healthcare/medical profession. After I named one, I was asked to name another, and then another."
"Where do you see yourself in 20-30 years?"
"Why do you want to come to Drexel, as opposed to any of the other schools in Philadelphia?"
"How would you like me to write you up to the admissions committee?"
"none"
"What are some solutions to the problems that HMO's present to physicians and patients?"
"I was asked to basically list all of my activities and then tell the interviewer what I learned from each...."
"What is the greatest obstacle you have had to overcome?"
"Why did you decide to work for a year before applying the medical school?"
"same"
"what is the most difficult situation you have faced? how did you overcome it? and what did you learn from it?"
"Nothing particularly diffult or hyper-ethical."
"Healthcare is a changing field. Can you tell some positives and negatives of managed healthcare?"
"what makes you think you can handle medical school (because when I mentioned a class that I did during my grad-work, she cut me off and directed me towards my undgrad classes)"
"40% of the population does not have insurance should we treat them. How do we solve it?"
"what challenges do you expect to encounter as a med student and as a doctor?"
"Where else have you interviewed (!)"
"What is the biggest problem with healthcare? How should we fix it? And if that doesn't work? And if that doesn't work?.......She just kept asking until there was nothing else to say. She also answered three phone calls during the intervies, which were just casual calls and really unprofessional."
"what would you think would be the reason you were not admitted to med school if you are rejected from everywhere....why would you think you didn't get in."
"Who are you?"
"The most difficult question I was asked was asbout my research."
"not being asked questions leaves one feeling worse than a whole bunch of difficult questions."
"From the stduent interviewer: What do you think of the malpractice situation in PA...wait, do you know about it? (I am not from here, so I really did not know much)"
"What did your faculty interviewer ask you?"
"none too difficult either. Student interviewer asked me what challenges I have faced and how I overcame them."
"When you're a physician, how would you advise a patient in that situation? (see above)"
"What is wrong with the way rounds are currently done? Who are you?"
"By the student: Why exactly are you choosing to be a medical doctor over a clinical psychologist? How are they different? (since I was a psychology major)"
"None."
"What would like me to say to the admissions committee when I represent your candidancy?"
"How do you see our current system of healthcare (i.e. HMO's)? Is this system working? How would you fix it?"
"What's your goal in life?"
"See above."
"Strength? Weakness? "
"When did you solidify your decision to be a doctor?"
"Can you explain *this* on your application? "
"Describe the current status of the nation's healthcare system."
"What do you want to accomplish in life? (very general question)"
"My faculty interviewer asked me how do I feel about the fact that medicine has become a business and how do fell about working in a free clinic he has founded. Basically, medicine is a right or a privilege kind of question."
"What do you see as the most difficult part of the transition to medical school?"
"none really. spent a lot of time discussing advantages and disadvantages of the PIL/IFM programs. She was a really strong advocate of the PIL program."
"Explain academic discrepancies."
"nothing really difficult"
"All pretty typical."
"why was one of my MCAT section so low"
"What do you see yourself doing in 5-10 years?"
"The questions were not that difficult........but to actually pick one it would have to be "what challenges have you faced in your life""
"What are you looking for _exactly_ in a medical school? (An acceptance? :) )"
"usual stuff: why do you want to be a doctor? clarify these extracurriculars?"
"What is your biggest weakness?"
"How do I know you will be OK working with sick people?"
"Specific questions about my academic record."
"What would you do if you were not accepted at any medical school?"
"You have a patient that has emphysema and refuses to quit smoking. What do you do? (Then I gave my reply) What if that doesn't work, what would you do then? He kept asking the same question until I ran out of answers."
"give me 2 weaknesses and strengths"
"what do you hope to accomplish in your life? "
"Describe a difficutl situation that you have to overcome and how did you deal with it?"
"What was your most difficult experience?"
"SDN, mock interview"
"SND, mock interview, school research"
"SDN, Mock Interviews and Reading over my app."
"practice interview services and individual research on the school's resources"
"Reading a lot about Drexel and their community and their collaborative vibes"
"Practice speaking in front of webcam; traditional"
"Reviewing provided information on the curriculum and outlining common interview questions"
"SDN practice questions"
"career counselor, rereading primary & secondary, online interview questions"
"Read the school's website, researched specific programs that I find interesting, reviewed their curriculum"
"reading sdn/ regular interview questions"
"SDN and practice interview questions online."
"Reviewed application, practice"
"Gathered up a list of potential questions and checked this SDN thread for school-specific questions."
"SDN, reviewed personal statement and secondary"
"Reviewed the website and my own application"
"Researched the history of the college and the programs/services they offer."
"Mock interviews, reviewed my AMCAS essays and the research I was involved with, read through SDN and became familiar with big programs from Drexel's website (ie the IFM/PIL programs however these will not be part of the curriculum as two distinct tracks for students matriculating in Fall 2017)."
"Researched the school, read over my application."
"I reviewed health care policy, general ACA impact, etc. I also reviewed my application and my personal statement to ensure that I had a consistent message during my interview."
"SDN, mock interview with boss, Drexel website, reaching out to a friend's friend at the school"
"mock interviews, sdn, printed out everything on the website."
"Read Drexel medical school's website and my essays."
"Read over this site and prepared answers to all of the questions that people had been asked previously. Also, tried to talk to lots of people about topics that I thought would come up during the interview, so that I would be used to chatting about these topics and expressing my point of view articulately."
"reading up on current events, ethical issues, healthcare in the US"
"SDN, read my application, mock interview"
"SDN, MS1's"
"Read AMCAS"
"Mock interview, School website, SDN"
"talked to alumni & current students."
"Researched the school and looked over my AMCAS application."
"SDN forum, interview feedback, pre-medical interview workshop at undergraduate university, tips from a friend who interviewed in the previous cycle"
"Reviewed AMCAS, secondary, SDN feedback"
"read the interview feedback"
"Reviewed Drexel website and my apps"
"Review books, SDN, this site"
"SDN and interview book."
"Website and mocked interview."
"I stayed with a student host and did research on the school's website. Also practiced interviewing skills and remained confident."
"SDN, practice questions, talking to others..."
"SDN, school's website"
"SDN, practiced answers to questions found on various websites"
"SDN and feedback from other forum members as well as personal preparation with common interview questions"
"Talked with students who attend school, read website and my app, reviewed sdn and health policy."
"school's website, faculty profiles, reviewing my own experiences"
"Read about healthcare Read about the school Read interview feedback Talked to med school students Reviewed my application"
"SDnetwork, mock interview, etc"
"Read this site"
"sdn, going over amcas app, prior interviews"
"Read SDN, school website."
"SDN, read over my file, checked out the website."
"School website, talked to others who had interviewed there"
"ethics website, interview book, looked over amcas."
"SDN, re-read my personal statement, practiced answering some basic questions."
"studentdoctor.net; read over application; read current health topics/articles; mock interviews with family/friends"
"Read over the Drexel website, read interview feedback, practiced responses to standard questions with family."
"SDN, reading on schools information"
"SDN. The school's website. Keeping up with the news, especially as it pertains to health care."
"Read SDN feedback, Drexel website, educated myself about the PIL curriculum option."
"SDN, mock interview with career center, website, MSAR"
"website"
"I should have reviewed my research experiences from 4 years ago."
"MSAR, SDN, school website, asking my friends. "
"read the school's website"
"sdn interview feedback, msar, school's website"
"SDN, mock interview, Drexel website, "
"SDN, reviewed application, met with career services interview counselor at my university."
"SDN, read primary and secondary applications"
"SDN, Mock Interviews, Read my AMCAS and Personal Statement"
"SDN, interview guides, practice, reviewed AMCAS"
"sdn, read over amcas, read ducom application and website."
"DUCOM, SDN"
"SDN, mock interviews with friends."
"SDN, mock interviews with students."
"SDN, mock interviews with students and mentor, researched Drexel website, interview skills workshop."
"mock interview, SDN"
"SDN, Practiced questions"
"SDN, mock interviews"
"Website, SDN, talked to a 1st year @ the school, brainstormed answers"
"SDN, other students, read and researched."
"Talked to friends and associates in the medical profession. Consulted this and other websites. Practiced with other students."
"Read up on materials from the Drexel web page. Read through SDN interview feedback. Mock interview with friends/family."
"Read and reread their website. Come up with questions to ask that I genuinely wanted answered."
"School website, spoke with a current student"
"read SDN feedback (thanks guys!), read the website and prepared a good solid answer to why Drexel"
"SDN, Mock Interview, Made a list of all possible questions from SDN and did basically all of em... didn't help sadly."
"SDN, AMCAS."
"SDN, read AMCAS app, practiced with mom, read health section of newspaper to try to be up to date with current health issues."
"Read over AMCAS and DUCOM website."
"Looked at SDN although my questions were very different from anything else I saw."
"read over PS and AMCAS app"
"Read the feedback on here, mock interview, read over my AMCAS, looked at their website, googled my interviewer so I could talk about some of his interests ;)"
"SDN website, school's website"
"SDN, AMCAS application, Current healthcare issues."
"First one, so did some research about the school, looked over my app, etc."
"sdn, my app"
"Reviewed AMCAS, became familiar with the school and its curricular highlights, mock interview"
"read SDN, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary applications, talked to Drexel students and friends who had interviewed there."
"reviewed my application, school info, and SDN website"
"sdn"
"sdn and amcas application"
"With a stiff drink."
"SDN, my AMCAS, articles about healthcare problems"
"sdn, amcas, read a book on bioethics"
"SDN, read about the two different tracks online, read a lot about drexel. "
"SDN, thought up answers to potential questions, read my amcas"
"Interview feedback, looked at AMCAS, browsed SDN"
"AMCAS, SDN, mock interview"
"Mock interview, checked out Drexel's website."
"eat drink and sleep"
"SDN Intereview feedback, School Site, healthcare topics on internet"
"Read Drexel website, looked over my AMCAS, reviewed some current issues in medicine"
"SDN, reading my amcas, mock interview"
"SDN, went over AMCAS, listened to presentation before interviews to ask more in depth questions about curriculum"
"read over my amcas, looked on this site for different interview questions and thought up answers, read alot about the school"
"relaxed, looked at their website"
"SDN, AMCAS App, Drexel website, read NY Times for current events, especially current health topics"
"sdn, school website, my app., pray."
"Reading SDN, school's website, AMCAS application, and going over possible questions."
"SDN, online brochure"
"SDN, interview book, "
"AMCAS app, researched health care issues, SDN interview feedback, school viewbook, talked to students"
"Went over some of the basic info. that the school provides online."
"Read over the SDN interview feedback."
"Read SDN feedback, MSAR, school's website"
"Website, MSAR"
"SDN interview feedback. Read interesting books, read current advances in medicine."
"Read MSAR, looked up some curricular details -- but honestly, not that much"
"This website, school's website, read newspapers for current events"
"SDN, talked to friends at Drexel, current events"
"SDN, current events, read over my primary."
"MSAR, SDN feedback, mock interviews."
"AMCAS, SDN, previous interviews"
"SDN, read AMCAS and secondary, research on school"
"Read up on my amcas, the school website and brochure, medical ethics and problems with current healthcare system."
"AMCAS, research manuscripts, SDN, previous interview"
"SDN, re-read AMCAS application"
"mock interviews, SDN, researched school, ethics, healthcare, reviewed AMCAS and secondary, six previous med school interviews"
"SDN interview feedback (thank goodness for sdn). Drexel website. Mock interview. "
"SDN, school website, previous applications"
"looked over AMCAS, SDN feedback"
"SDN, AMCAS, practice interiviews, talking to those who have interviewed elsewhere, talking to medical students at the school."
"Student doctor, website, read my application over"
"Looked at SDN, reviewed application, got a good night's sleep."
"Reviewed my app, and school's website, SDN postings"
"Read the school's website, spoke with current students, read sdn feedback, reread my application"
"SDN school website"
"studentdoctor, went over my amcas, went over basic questions, researched the school"
"Looked over my application, looked over SDN Interview Feedback"
"sdn, current events"
"SDN, re-read AMCAS, went over common interview questions"
"SDN, school website, MSAR, current issues reading"
"SDN, re-read entire AMCAS primary, & website"
"SDN, Drexel website, mock interview by a peer"
"Mock interview, SDN, Drexel website, health related issues"
"SDN, New York Times (general reading of the health section), looked over AMCAS"
"SDN, Drexel materials..."
"SDN, drexel website, current med ethics issues from internet"
"SDN interview feedbacks, Drexel website, info on current healthcare system"
"Read magazines, newspapers, bought a book on the policy crisis of american healthcare"
"Not at all. Basically just gathered up a "
"SDN, school website, asked friends at Drexel"
"typical answer-re-read AMCAS, secondary, and read SDN comments--make sure to know about PIL v.s. IFM curriculum."
"Reviewed Drexel's website."
"Drexel website, SDN, my application"
"SDN, website, health care ethics textbook"
"SDN, drexel website..."
"SDN, primary and secondary applications, school website"
"Read this site, read the school website"
"Read the website, SD.net"
"previous interview, studentdoctor.net, browse school website"
"AMCAS app materials, SDN, some research on ethical issues"
"looked over my primary, secondary, MSAR, SDN, and read up on current health care issues"
"SDN, web site"
"I didn't."
"application, sdn, viewbk"
"Online info"
"SDN, read thesis, read website"
"Didn't really... had been on other interviews and wasn't expecting to like Drexel"
"read over my amcas app, SDN, drexel website"
"SDN!!! Read AMCAS, secondary, and the book "Get into medical school!" by Kenneth Iserson . That book is awesome!"
"SDN I guess. None really."
"AMCAS, SDN"
"Read SDN and the Drexel website"
"SDN, AMCAS app, Wikipedia and drexel website"
"SDN, my applications, MSAR"
"I read over my application, Drexel's website, and this website."
"SDN, Drexel website, MSAR, Applicant profiles, and freemedadvice.com"
"Interview Feedback, Drexel's website (the viewbook is specially helpful) "
"re-read AMCAS, mock interview, studied up on Drexel website"
"Read over my AMCAS, 2 mock interviews, read SDN"
"Read about the school, SDN, practiced with friends. "
"looked at interview feedback website, reviewed my application."
"SDN, read info on their website"
"SDN, read over my amcas"
"SDN, School's website, prior interviews"
"SDN, Drexel website was very useful, and I acquanted myself with Philadelphia."
"SDN, MSAR, Drexel website"
"School website, SDN"
"SDN, AMCAS app, drexel's website, online brochure"
"SDN, read website, looked over curriculum"
"sdn, brochure, online brochure, drexel's website"
"Looked at drexel website, and the interview feedback"
"sdn, read over app and schools website"
"SDN, school website, MSAR"
"read the viewbook"
"this website, the school's website"
"read about the school. they have a great curriculum. "
"studentdoctor.net, their website"
"I read this website's old questions and my AMCAS application."
"SD, web, interviewed a couple students"
"previous interviews, nothing specific"
"Read the school Brochure, website. Read SDN feedback and thought about the tough questions that are typically asked in interviews."
"SDN, previous interviews"
"This website, read my app over, my student host helped me, also"
"SDN and School's website"
"read secondary, AMCAS, Drexel website"
"Read interview feedback, read about the school, read my application"
"Probably not enough. There were a lot of ethical and healthcare related questions"
"SDN, my AMCAS and secondary applications, read up on our healthcare system and some "hot topics" in ethics"
"browsed over the website and talked to a few friends who attend the school"
"prepared for generic medical school interview questions; school website (very detail, has a online tour)."
"SDN, AMCAS, website"
"News"
"sdn, reviewed common interview questions"
"read over school's brochure, website"
"SDN, reread AMCAS"
"SDN, research on school."
"SDN, Drexel University Website, Talked with current students, re-read AMCAS app."
"Read over AMCAS, school website, the SDN forum"
"AMCAS review, SDN."
"I didn't. I prepared for my first, looked stuff over for my second, and by now I'm just showing up. I feel like there's no reason to prepare. Reading the feedback here is good, though."
"Read SDN and re-read Amcas. I was up to date on current healthcare issues, ethics, and current events."
"SDN interview feedback, MSAR"
"Read over Drexel website information on PIL and IFM learning options that are available. Went over my app. Looked over some issues in healthcare"
"SDN, reviewed application, practiced SDN questions with friend, read Drexel's website"
"read the website, talked to med students at the school"
"this site, school website, review application"
"SDN, previous interview experiences"
"SDN, website, prepared answers to typical questions, read over AMCAS"
"Read studentdoctor.net. Read books about interview (Kaplan, and other books at the bookstore). Attend interview techniques workshop offered by the career center at my undergraduate school. Mock interviews. Read about ethics and managed care. Review AMCAS application."
"SDN, Drexel website, AMCAS app"
"Drexel website, SDN, read up on current events"
"SDN, catalog, website, internet research"
"Read over the viewbook, wrote my answers to typical questions, reviewed class notes on bioethics. "
"Went through SDN's interview feedback questions. Read through AMCAS application."
"read bioethics, my file, SDN, meditated. "
"Reading SDN, read the website, talked to students, freaked out big-time."
"sdn, website"
"read SDN, website, spent a day on campus before interview"
"SDN!! Also, read Drexel website."
"Website, Admissions brochure, SDN"
"SDN, reviewed my applications, relaxed"
"drexel website, sdn, read through my materials, net research on medical insurance crisis."
"SDN, read my AMCAS application, secondary appl. and Drexel website"
"Re-read my AMCAS, looked over the school's brochure, and SDN."
"Interview and school brochures, talked with current medical students"
"SDN, read up on healthcare, school's website"
"this site and there website"
"Read books on health-care and ethics, the NYTimes, this website"
"AMCAS, reviewed my research, SDN, read up on current healthcare issues, news"
"This web site"
"SDN, Drexel Web site, re-read my application"
"Amcas, studentdoctor, interview feedback"
"Read SDN, looked over my app, browsed the website."
"SDN, online newspapers, freaking out way more than necessary (I took the august mcat, so this was my 1st interview)"
"SDN, drexel website"
"sdn, reading"
"sdn, Drexel's website, the interview booklet that Drexel emails you"
"Student doctor, nytimes.com, application, drexel web"
"SDN, school website, read my AMCAS"
"read interview feedback, school's website/ info brochure"
"website, read my amcas"
"website, sdn"
"Pfizer manual, SDN"
"Read about the school and reviewed what I had submitted in my application."
"Reviewed application and school's website."
"SDN, thought about myself"
"SDN, this site, U.S. news, drexel's web site"
"This website, the school's website, read my application again."
"this website, AMCAS, Drexel brochure, sleep"
"sdn, AMCAS, school website, read some material on bioethics"
"Read SDN, read the Drexel Website, relaxed"
"Read my primary application, read posts on this website, and read articles about current issues in medicine."
"Read the website, kept updated on current events, read this website. "
"Kaplan list of interview questions, brochure, skimmed medical ethics books, took a health policy course, mock interview...had a cheesesteak and brushed my teeth."
"online, sdn, brochure"
"this site, Drexel's website, read about healthcare issues"
"Read this site, as well as Drexel's website."
"Read over your own application, read their website, and talk to students who have either had an interview there or students who go there."
"SDN, School's website."
"Read AMCAS application and school website"
"read journal articles, my Kaplan guide, internet sources, brushed up on health insurance terms...."
"I read people comments on SDN, wrote out and answered typical questions, Drexel website (very informative), asked someone who had interviewed a little earlier about their experience, went over AMCAS, resume"
"Read this website"
"This website, Drexel Medical School website, and websites dealing with current health care issues helped me to prepare for the interview."
"Reread AMCAS, studentdr site, memorized basically their whole website"
"read sdn, went over my amcas"
"SDN, reviewed MSAR and Drexel website"
"studentdoctor.net, read their website, mock interview"
"Read SDN interviews, read DUCOM information"
"SDN site, books"
"I know students that go to school there. They just explained what the school was like and what to expect at the interview"
"sdn, drexel's website"
"Read this site, drexel's website....no need really. The presentation gives all the information needed."
"School's website, SDN"
"Read SDN, mock interviews--Just tried to chill out. I got nervous before my previous interview, so I decided to try one where I waited to feel comfortable before answering questions. It worked. It is my best interview experience so far."
"Read AMCAS, MSAR, interview feedback... The usual"
"SDN, spoke with Drexel students I know."
"SDN, reread app, ethics book"
"Their web page, SDN, also many online sites have questions"
"website, SDN, application, practice questions"
"Browsed the Drexel website. Read up in the journals. Did a lexis-nexis search for articles about Drexel and by doctors who taught at Drexel. Reviewed my application."
"SDN, school's website and handbook, news articles related to MCP hospital's closing"
"read AMCAS, school website, brochure they sent, current events"
"SDN, read Drexel website"
"Nothing"
"read SDN feedback here and website"
"SDN, school's website, reviewed my amcas application and secondary,"
"read this site, read over my AMCAS, Drexel brochure"
"Read a lot about Penn's medical malpractice problems."
"the school's website"
"Mostly I didn't. Read a few links on their website, but that's about it."
"Relaxed, got a good night's sleep, chatted with fellow interviewees. "
"Read SDN, school's admissions brochure, and AMCAS application."
"Did not."
"SDN, Drexel website and catalog "
"there is TONS of online material! also, read SDN"
"This website, mock interviews, and kept up on current events."
"SDN, friends from Drexel"
"Read about the school, ate a Philly cheesesteak"
"Read SDN interview feedback, visited the school website, consulted my personal psychic advisor. (kidding)"
"here"
"I read from the MSAR and the website. Also, I made sure I had examples if asked any ethical questions. I was familiar with both IFM and PIL before I went to the interview. "
"SDN, current health-care issues, looked through Drexel brochure."
"I read up on the school, did some mock interviews, and reviewed my primary application essay."
"SDN, AMCAS app."
"Interview Feedback, reviewed amcas app, kept up on ethics and current events."
"std, website , reviewed ap"
"Drexel website, SDN, look into health care issues"
"Read up on health care issues. School booklet."
"I didn't really. I had an interview two weeks previous for which I prepared extensively. All I did this time was browse current medicaly related issues and go over my amcas application. Out of my two interviews so far I have not had a question about the healthcare system in the US. I thought Medical Schools would stress this as it is in bad shape throughout the country especially in Penn."
"Reviewed application, researched about school, talked with my cousin's friend who was a 2nd year at Drexel, Went over some ethics, kept up-to-date on science and non-science current events, keep calm."
"Read the information they sent me, looked on the website and talked to friends who had interviewed there."
"SDN, reviewed school materials"
"read application, SDN, school's info"
"Everything"
"SDN, Drexel's website, brochures, my applications"
"This website"
"Read up about the school's curriculum in their brochure"
"Read SDN, reviewed viewbook and application"
"This website, AMSAR, read my app, practiced common questions"
"this website, drexel brochure, my application"
"Went to the website, went over some sample interview questions."
"looked at SDN, school website"
"I just read this website."
"relaxed"
"SDN, current events, reviewed AMCAS"
"Read the school catalog."
"Their website"
"Read this website, read amcas, relaxed the night before."
"Read tons of articles and books, this website, typed up all my answers to potential questions and reviewed them on a regular basis, watched the news, read over my application"
"sdn, read over AMCAS"
"went to this website, cut and paste all the questions people had previously posted answered them to a certain extent, read articles on medicare, malpractice crisis, etc. and read over Drexel's information booklet...I over prepared a little, but still good stuff"
"Read the booklet and SDN the day before. "
"read over my application, this website."
"Student Doctor Network, www.review.com (Princeton Review), Drexel Med wesite, www.aamc.org"
"This web site and the school web site"
"read website"
"sdn, drexel website, asked students"
"Didn't"
"Read website, studentdoctor.net, read materials sent by school"
"Read SDN, the website and the application."
"this website, talked to current students, read my application over, school website"
"website."
"SDN, interview feedback, school's website"
"Read my application and this website"
"you're doing it"
"Read the information they sent me, this website, read over my AMCAS"
"interview feedback, drexel brochures, and keeping up with current events"
"SDN, Drexel website: read up on their two different curricula, read through my application"
"website, interviewfeedback.com, other websites for interview preparation"
"Read about the school (brochure, on-line)."
"read website, MSAR, interview feedback"
"read SDN, looked at publicagenda.org"
"Read this site, went over app, wrote down answers to common questions and practiced them"
"This website and talking with the student interviewer. I was fortunate the he and I went to the same undergraduate school."
"SDN network"
"looked at the website."
"Interview Feedback (SDN), read through the material that Drexel sent."
"this website, the school's packet"
"SDN, Interview Feedback, The Economist and Atlantic Monthly for current event (current events did not come up in the interview)"
"primary, secondary, interview feedback, talked w/ friend who goes there, read catalogue, etc."
"SDN, pamphlet"
"SDN, booklet they sent was really helpful (about PIL vs. IFM), AMCAS app."
"SDN, school brochure, read over my AMCAS and statement"
"website, brochure, interview feedback"
"read personal statement, read some health related articles, read the school catalogue"
"Interviewfeedback, looked over my application, reviewed Drexel's program"
"This site, my AMCAS and secondary applications, general interview questions."
"Reading school website, my application, SDN"
"interview feedback, brochure, and website"
"Read their website, SDN and AMCAS app."
"Read brochure, school web site, SDN interviewfeedback, cnn.com/health,"
"interview feedback sites, went over my application, researched current issues in medicine"
"Read the website and SDN."
"SDN, school brochure"
"read website, brochures"
"Read SDN, read up on bioethics, read school website as well as school brochure"
"SDN, read over my publications and AMCAS app, practiced questions"
"sdn, looked over amcas app, my undergraduate health professions website, thought about ethical/hmo issues"
"SDN, school website"
"I read this website, the school's homepage and read my AMCAS application."
"Read school materials, reviewed WEB, read this site, spoke with medical students from school."
"I read up on the school's website, read the material they gave me, looked up this site."
"Read up on the School, stay up on current events, and review my application (Although my interviewer was just interested in having a friendly conversation about everything but my application)."
"Mock Interviews. MCP website (really well done)."
"Looked at the school's website, read interviewfeedback.com"
"Looked at school's website, searched interviewfeedback.com, talked to current students, read over application material"
"I read about the school on the web site, there is a ton of information about the programs, facilities, etc."
"nothing really since interview feedback has been down."
"interviewfeedback.com"
"interviewfeedack.com, this place, their website, materials they sent"
"Interviewfeedback.com, school's web-site, StudentDoctor.net forums"
"Inteviewfeedback.com, the school's website, posts on SDN"
"admissions staff was very friendly"
"All the staff, faculties, and interviewers are very nice and chill. They repetitively emphasized that they are a welcoming and supportive community and all the interviewers volunteered to hold interviews and loved to meet the applicant."
"The school seems to have a lot of great programs and extracurriculars for students to work with."
"the number of opportunities and unique resources offered by the school"
"I really liked my interviewer and they were helpful with my questions. The orientation session was well done"
"Solid connection with student and faculty interviewers. I was also impressed by the West Redding campus"
"Very helpful staff and students; warm personalities and welcoming"
"kindness of the staff, emphasis on supportive student community"
"The friendliness of both the faculty and student interviewer."
"everyone was super nice"
"How genuinely kind everyone was... multiple students who were just studying and had no involvement in the interviews would stop me and wish me luck and offer to answer any questions."
"students, staff, atmosphere"
"The student interviewer seemed excited to offer us a tour and talk about Drexel."
"Students seemed great and happy to be there. Facilities were okay. Philly seems like a pretty cool place"
"Faculty had a really good impression of the new curriculum. Evidence of change with feedback"
"Nothing."
"The cadaver lab was neat."
"Friendliness of the student tour guides"
"The positive attitude of the interviewer. Free t-shirt."
"The fourth year students were returning after being matched with their residency programs. A few took some time out of their day voluntarily to come talk to us during our very impressive catered lunch. They spoke very highly about Drexel's professors and students. They were very real."
"The faculty member I interviewed with was kind, jovial, and passionate about his job. The students I met and stayed with were warm, welcoming, and very encouraging. Moreover, the students seemed genuinely happy to be at Drexel and to have a good life/study balance."
"meh. not much"
"early clinical exposure, use of standardized patients. Can rotate at various places, or stay at one location. (some locations are via lottery)"
"Interviewer allowed interviewee to shadow him as he saw two patients."
"Extremely friendly and warm interviewers and the school in general had a vibe of community which I loved. Was the opposite of the cut-throat, gunner vibe that is supposedly found at very competitive schools. The day was designed to be as low stress as possible and you didn't feel under the microscope at all. You were simply given the opportunity to demonstrate what kind of person you were and why you would be a valuable addition to the school."
"The Queen Lane campus building was pretty nice; interviewer had to see a patient and asked me to come along"
"The facilities, the option for the PIL learning pathway the interviewer was very kind and calm."
"the student interviewer's enthusiasm"
"students were all very happy"
"Interviewers was amazing."
"Drexel's relationship with foreign countries"
"The facilities were better than expected on the inside. Philadelphia was nice."
"beautiful facilities. Hospital is in center city (great location near chinatown)."
"The friendliness of the student body."
"The friendliness of the students, the low competitiveness, non-sabotaging like environment that the medical students cultivate. Really enjoyed physician interviewer who was very enthusiastic and passionate about his position, and talked at length with student interviewer who is a very well rounded and interesting individual."
"Great community. Nice campus outside of Philadelphia. Good clinical exposure. Choice of learning pathways (IFM/PIL)."
"The concern for creating physician healers and the option for a curriculum that fits you."
"New facilities, happy and friendly students"
"Two different teaching methods in the first two years."
"Friendly faculty and student."
"Although the student body is huge, the school had a small familiar feel, and everyone was very friendly. School shuttle dropped me off in City Center after my interview which was very convenient."
"Everyone I spoke to was extremely nice and welcoming."
"The relaxed atmosphere."
"Lots and lots of study rooms!"
"How friendly and relaxed the admissions staff was. I interviewed on a Sat. and everybody from the medical students to the admissions personnel wore really casual clothes! And they all tried their best to put you at ease."
"Extraordinary friendly, frank, and kind faculty and admissions. Very relaxed and happy student body."
"facilities and flexibility of the program"
"the curriculum! the students!"
"The faculty interviewer was very generous in dealing out encouragements and positive feedbacks both in respond to my answers and just over all to my application, not sure if this is some kind of positive indication but I sure felt warm and fuzzy"
"Very friendly, PIL program seems really cool"
"facilities, curriculum choices"
"the city, the faculty"
"PIL curriculum, friendliness of the staff."
"The location of the 1st/2nd year campus in a more suburban area of Philly. The facilities were really nice. I like the two curriculum track options, the problem/small group based vs. traditional lecture style."
"The student interviewer was very pleasant."
"Laid back atmosphere"
"students are EXTREMELY friendly."
"The Queen Lane campus seems small, which is nice because I imagine you won't be running all over the place during your first two years. The facilities look nice, even if they're not state-of-the-art."
"The 2 different programs"
"Everyone was genuinely nice, the students seemed happy, the curriculum was awesome, and the facilities were really nice."
"Interviews, the students Drexel's responsiveness to students. The PIL program."
"The PIL program. If I get in and chose to go there, this is the program meant for me. I love it, and it just makes sense to learn medicine this way. I'm excited they're in the process of building a simulation center to practice clinical skills at. They seem very supportive of minorities, of women, of non-traditional students, and of community service."
"I was happy to learn that the first two years are spent not in Philadelphia proper but at a quiet, pretty campus outside the city with labs, classrooms, food, and the fitness room all centrally located. There are many local hospitals nearby for rotations. The PIL program option for small-group learning sounds interesting. I got to see an anatomy laboratory in progress."
"supportive nature towards non-trads, PIL and IFM choice, available tech"
"The students are laid-back and friendly, facilities are very nice, everything is centrally located (gym, food, bookstore, library), quiet and safe neighborhood, innovative curriculum, emphasis on women's health and humanities, lots of community service opportunities"
"Friendliness of staffs & students; School curriculum"
"students and the positive atmosphere. "
"There were no tricks or games. Everything was very laid-back and low-stress. The whole day seemed to be designed to allow us (the interviewees) to "interview" the school. The M1s and M2s we met were very friendly and very willing to answer questions."
"the facilities were not bad. I liked the lecture hall and anatomy lab, these seemed really nice. It's a decent campus. definitely condusive to going to school every day."
"choice between ifm/pil, humanities program, being able to stay in philly for third & fourth years"
"Quite neighborhood, Clean and well-kept campus buildings and hallways, nice cafeteria, helpful staff, use of technology, display windows with medical objects of historical interest."
"PIL, community service opportunities, diversity in options (major plus at being at a larger school), philly."
"The many hospitals and clinics associated with the medical school. The choice between two curriculum and how it allows for the large class size to feel smaller. They also give you an opportunity to try out the problem based curricula and if you don't like it, you can switch out."
"The faculty are very nice, and there is a real sense of community between the students. The PIL program seems very interesting."
"The overall happy vibe on campus. Students help one another, even the interviewees were nice to each other. "
"PIL, friendly student-body - very informative student interview."
"Be able to choose between regular or problem program. Working at different hospitals."
"Students seems happy in genuine way. helpful."
"Students seems to be happy and genuinely helpful. "
"The campus is new and high tech. The faculty and staff are very "student centered". The two different curricular pathways are very interesting and focused on developing the best possible learning environment. The students seem very happy with their experience. "
"PIL, on site gym"
"Enthusiastic students, all of whom seemed very happy. No cut-throat tactics it seemed. Two different curricula; nice to have an option."
"Facilities looked very well-maintained, I like the PIL curriculum, DUCOM neighborhood is nice."
"The unique opportunity to choose between 2 curricula. The fact that everyone there seemed happy. The seemingly encouraging faculty."
"People are friendly and helpful, the students seems happy at the campus. Hands on program."
"The students seem friendly and content with the program and the school. Good public transportation. charming neighborhood."
"The PIL program (small group study). I used small study groups mostly in grad school."
"The unique curriculum. I especially liked the PIL curriculum (problem based learning) My interviewer was extremely positive about Drexel and its students. The school seemed to have an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competition. "
"Their problem-based learning cirriculum. Learning more about this moved their rank on my list up a few schools."
"The students and staff are very friendly and helpful. The student body seems genuinely happy and non-competitive. The staff and faculty seem eager to be involved with the students"
"students were SUPER friendly i cannot stress this enough!!! student interview was low-key and relaxed over lunch"
"My student interviewer seemed to like me, and he seemed to be pretty cool."
"the option of choosing what type of program you want, either regular leture or problem base."
"the students were very friendly. many stopped by the room just to say hello and see if we had any questions. the student interviewer was the most laidback of any i've experienced."
"The Queen Lane campus is very nice and has great lecture halls, labs, gym, and other rec stuff. The choice between curriculum is unique. All students seemed super happy being there. Low stress/competition environment."
"The students were all very enthusiastic and seemed to really love the school."
"Friendliness of the staff, quality of the cafeteria food."
"Use of technology, newness, ability to do all of 3rd and 4th years in Pittsburgh. I don't think I can take more than 2 years of Eagles and Flyers fans."
"The accessibility and small size of the campus, as well as the friendly atmosphere. It really seemed like everyone knew everyone, from students to faculty. "
"Their two different curriculums are awesome. It shows that they really care about what kind of education their students get. Also, the fact that the faculty consist of full time professors who are their to teach and who are not caught up in their research projects."
"The sim lab is nice"
"the facility"
"The basic science faculty are full-time instructors and have no other obligations besides teaching. The schools is very tech oriented. Students seem to love the school and are very friendly. Lectures are videotaped, audiotaped, and loaded onto the web within hours after the class. Faculty are readily available for extra help."
"Very nice. Lots of new facilitys"
"brand new technology, they hire actors to act like patients and you can videotape your performance"
"Drexel has a really unique curricular track you can take called PIL (Program in Integrated Learning). It seems to allow for a lot of flexibilty in your schedule while also giving you a lot of responsibility for directing your own learning within a small peer group. It's based on a PBL model. Also, Drexel's facilities are very nice--high tech, modern, and wireless. Students were very friendly and the admissions staff were very helpful."
"Facilities were new and pretty neat. The students seemed really cool and happy. Option to choose PIL or IFM, all of the pathways one can choose during the 4th year."
"friendliness of students, everyone seemed happy, choice in curriculum"
"The staff was VERY nice and accomodating. The students seemed to really know their peers."
"The technology of the entire school. Everthing appeared to be hooked up. The PIL program really impressed me."
"The people at Philly are very nice"
"there are 2 curricula that you can choose to follow- a standard lecture one and a small group based one"
"Everything. The student guide was very honest in why she chose IFM over PIL. Everyone had already told me that the interview would be very relaxed, but since this was my first and #1 choice interview, I was stressing myself out a lot. The faculty interviewer was about as relaxed and conversational as possible. "
"the technology! ex: CEAC rooms, anatomy lab, micro lab, lectures are put on the internet. and the medical school is open 24/7 to students looking for a quiet place to study. the students seemed really happy to be there and it felt like a supportive community (not a cut-throat atmosphere at all)"
"My student interviewer and faculty interviewer were really great people. They both seemed like they would be a pleasure to work with."
"The students were really nice, my student interview was awesome. Drexel is really hooked up in terms of technology."
"The individualized, but supportive learning atmosphere."
"the students were very nice and happy, they seemed to love what they were doing. the admissions office and faculty are very concerned with the students' learning"
"The new student center especially the new shiny gym (what can I say Im a meathead)"
"The two curricular pathways during the first two years is interesting and different from other schools"
"The community feel, the new facilities, the overall friendliness of the people"
"enthusiasm of the students, how every student who saw me wanted to tell me how great Drexel and Philly are"
"everyone was extremely friendly, students seem to help each other out rather than compete with one another, technology"
"students seem very down to earth"
"The tour guide was very nice and helpful and we go to go into a PIL classroom and talk with the students, they loved the program."
"recently renovated facility, PIL, high tech stuff."
"The technology and condition of the school is excellent. Everything is new and up-to-date and more than I expected."
"The facilities, the students, Philadelphia."
"Though the school is 30 minutes away from the hospital, it is in great condition and seems like a good atmosphere of students. Drexel is super-techno savvy, they have all lectures videotaped and online. I also think I want to apply to the PIL curriculum if I get in!"
"the facilities - everything is open 24 hours, lectures are all online, and there are two pathways to take that can cater to your learning style"
"Things are very new looking, specific attention focused on utilizing technology as much as possible in every facet of the medical education, 2 different curriculums, quaint/safe neighborhood, variety of hospitals seems to ensure a pretty darn good clinical experience for 3rd and 4th years, students and faculty, in general most things about this school get a big thumbs up"
"My student interviewer."
"All 1st and 2nd year classes, etc are in one building; student parking is available & very close to school; high degree of personalized guidance available to each student "
"Tour, how friendly the people were"
"The energy of the tour guide, the setting of the med school, and the efforts ppl made to accomodate those being interviewed."
"the MBA program and the PIL program, board pass rates, cadavers"
"1) Facilities; everything is brand new, very clean and well organized, somewhat small, but home-y feeling 2) Staff/faculty; everyone seems very concerned about the students' welfare and many options for career guidance, student/teacher interaction"
"The use of technology. Everything is online. Although, they don't get it up as fast as Jefferson does. Nice, new facilities."
"The PEOPLE! Everyone was amazing, so welcoming, so enthusiastic about their school. The TECHNOLOGY! All lectures are videotaped and online within 4 hours. All notes are online. All lab slides are online. They said if we can put it online, we do. If we can't yet, we will in the future. Students seem to love watching the lectures at home in double time. "
"The enthusiasm of the students and faculty. Everyone at Drexel seems very happy they are there. Everyone's general attitude was pretty laid back, and getting to meet the other students interviewing at Drexel was also an enjoyable experience. My interview with a student was really great, she was extremely helpful in answering my questions about the curriculum, life in Philadelphia, and pretty much any random questions I had."
"Friendliness of the students and the truly non-competitive atmosphere. Everyone is genuinely looking our for everybody else."
"I loved the school and the atmosphere. the students seem very happy"
"I really liked that all the students I ran into on campus were extremely happy to be at Drexel. The faculty are very involved with the studetns and seem to truly care about the education of the students. The facilities were nice, the campus is small but is cozy and welcoming. I just felt Drexel was a wonderful school and the atmosphere there is very relaxed."
"Students and faculty were really nice. My student interview went almost an hour (which may or may not be good). Bright facilities, pretty campus, short distance to New York. The other applicants were super cool."
"the shuttle bus between the campus and Hahnemann "
"A lot of technology incorporated into curriculum, great ethics, women's health courses and organizations"
"THE PEOPLE. EVERYONE (host, tour guide, admissions ppl, student interviewer) was super nice and I loved the atmosphere there. "
"Architecture and organization of the medical school building was very nice."
"non-stressful interview process, gross anatomy lab tour, high tech learning environment, mock clinical rooms, teaching emphasis"
"How enthusiastic everyone was."
"Facilities and curriculum. Seems like a very friendly place to be, and students seem to be well cared for. Choice b/w PBL or lecture based learning. Oh, and neighboorhood is quaint. Not in Center City, but close enough for easy access, but far away enough so it won't be too much of a distraction. =P"
"Modern technology that was implemented on the campus. Suburban environment yet close to a nice city/urban environment. Faculty and students seemed to be in a cooperative effort in the pursuit of academia, seemed like there was no cutthroat stuff there."
"Students and faculty were collegial. School has both a campus and a link to urban life."
"EVERYTHING!! I was amazed by how much I loved Drexel. The students were soo happy. The PIL and IFM tracks are a great idea, awesome clinical exposure early on, great sense of community within students, fantastic community outreach opportunities, etc"
"Facilities, curricula, students seem really happy."
"very high tech campus, very supportive learning environment from admin to faculty to students, PIL is interesting"
"Enthusiasm of the students, the option of the IFM or PIL curriculum, early clinical exposure"
"The school seemed very student oriented. The tour guide addressed some interesting topics that now I wish I had heard about at other interviews- how are students taught to do genital exams (by an area advocacy group); what happens to cadavers (all parts are preserved with the body in a special bucket for small bits then a Philly-wide memorial service takes place). "
"enthusiastic faculty, pretty neighborhood in the immediate area of the campus"
"The general feeling of the whole school was very supportive, they are a teaching institution, not really a research center. I am impressed with the two curiculla, and am leaning towrads PIL. I felt the facilities were nice (and large enough) and the whole campus is wireless and has everything online. The new student center was great and added a lot of study room. The neighborhood is just what my wife and I are looking for, outisde the city but close enough (15mins) to go out at night to do things. Oh, and the lunch was good!"
"facilities seemed nice, though small / the faculty seem very in tune with how to help the students learn the best way possible / WHEP program is unique and interesting"
"Emphasis on women and friendly people. I also liked the PIL and IFM programs."
"The facilities are new and high tech. I stayed with a student host, who was so nice! When I told my host that I missed part of the tour for my interview, she took me around herself."
"students were enthusiastic and comfortable. PIL"
"The sense of community amongst the students and faculty was amazing."
"the facilities and the two different programs"
"Very courteous and engaged staff and students."
"happy students"
"Technology!!! 2 curriculums to choose from"
"The students and faculty were laid back and nice. I really liked my faculty interviewer. She was there to know me and was open about her experiences and herself too. I think I got to know her as much as she knew about me."
"Student interviewer, well spoken and thoughtful"
"The PIL curriculum, the students are nice, the faculty are very welcoming and have close relationships with the students, and the surrounding area is very peaceful yet very close to center city Philly."
"Drexel seems to really care about their students and everyone is really enthusiastic about the school. "
"The faculty's enthusiasm...students demeanor"
"The administration is genuinely interested in pedagogy, i.e. in supporting students' optimal learning styles."
"The amazing facilities, everything is open 24/7, great area despite being right in the middle of Philadelphia, the student interview was very relaxed and we actually had a good conversation, no unfair medical trivia questions"
"Students were really nice and seemed to really like the school. Nice facilities and technology. Good environment overall."
"Two curricula pathways, so that clinical experience is offered early on compared to some other schools. Also like Philadelphia a lot."
"The very low level of stress involved with the interviews, the personable feeling of the students and faculty, and the sense of community within the school"
"Nice facilities, tour through the anatomy lab while students were dissecting a cadavor, history of the school"
"WiFi everywhere, streaming video of all lectures, really supportive environment"
"Problem Based Learning option- helps teach students to think and integrate information as if they were seeing a patient. Facilities looked rennovated. New gym in the fall. Students were friendly, looked relaxed. Wi-fi for all."
"the emphasis on students and their education, the facilities and the friendliness of people"
"use of technology (1st wireless med school), gross labs were not as smelly as others i visited"
"Both the staff and students were very enthusiastic and during the interviews made me feel really comfortable. All of the students that I met were happy to be at the school, the facilities are good and high tech."
"tech/wireless capabilities, curriculum"
"The technology."
"close circle of the school, positive staff, and excellent advisers"
"technology of school, diverse student body"
"The students, the facilities, the faculty . . . basically everyone there is really upbeat and friendly."
"Everything- from the faculty to the students, from the facilities to the city, the curriculum to the gross anatomy lab... loved it all"
"awesome use of technology (all wireless, lectures taped and uploaded same day), 2 curricular tracks, students AND faculty are very happy, campus is in philly but in a quiet area, the fact that it's possible to live downtown and without a car (tour guide did that), and of course the diversity of the student body"
"The laid back, friendly, and cooperative environment among students. The choice for two different curiculum tracks. The involvement by the students in both school affairs as well as community service. The school has lecture videos available online the same day as lectures. The DrX program allows you to simulate patient care online and it tells you how much your treatment costed. Everything is digitized. The non-smelliness of the anatomy lab. "
"Diverse student body. Very high-tech and up-to-date facilities"
"facilities are nice, students seem happy there, 2 curriculum tracks"
"The facilities are very nice and the option of choosing between the two educational tracks is also an asset."
"The schools facilities are incredible and the two programs (IFM and PIL) really seem a pretty cool way to learn medicine"
"The positivity of the students and faculty. The high level of student-faculty interactions. The dependence on the internet by the school."
"The facilities are BEAUTIFUL, and there's going to be a new building with a big student center complete before the class of 2010 gets there. Their curriculum looks really good, like they have really put a lot of thought into making the learning pleasant, fun, and memorable -- especially the PBL track -- and I just don't know why Drexel has such a mediocre reputation. Despite what other people have said on this website, the school is not far away from Philadelphia, in fact it is in the city (just not downtown), and the night after my interview my cousin took me to a really nice neighborhood nearby with a hopping nightlife."
"The school was very new looking, all in one building, very clean and very shiny. They have 2 curricula one is an integrated course standard fare and the other is a problem based case study kinda system. It reminds me of House MD. You get together with a small group of students and a facilitator and basically work on a patient case learning as you go. Sounds rather interesting. Oh and the regular curriculum video tapes all the classes and puts them on the web. You could (and students and faculty both stated this occurs) never show up to class yet still get a med education. Heck you could study in Chicago and just show up for the exams. Ain't technology great?"
"The campus, the committment of the faculty to teaching, the hi-tech wireless internet stuff, the cooperativity amongst the students"
"The school facilities - every thing is new and very technologically comprehensive. Also the friendliness of the students"
"The facilities and technology present on campus and how happy the students were to be there"
"The students were SO friendly. One girl was late to class, but she still took time to walk me to the admissions office bc she didn't want me to get lost. Other students that I met were also super friendly. The facilities are great. The faculty don't really do research, so they really focus on teaching and their students. It's a very student-oriented school. It's 20 minutes from Center City, the heart of Philly and there are free shuttle sthere!"
"the curriculum, the fact that the students seemed happy to be there, the beautiful facilities, the administration seems to really care about its students (very friendly)."
"The faculty are soo nice, there is a gaurd at the door that checks you in, the class size is HUGE!!! teh students seemed to really love the school.. everyone got along. They offer two different programs, depending on how well you can learn medicine- either group based/ case based or traditional method. "
"The friendly atmosphere and how beautiful the school was! I loved the layout of the building...it was very modern!"
"The school focuses on training clinicians and less on research. They have a lot of high tech stuff e.g. wireless internet. The curriculum structure. The fact that their lectures are video taped."
"Video-taped lectures, nice and happy students, two choices of curriculum. Philly seems like a cool city and the public transit is easy and extensive."
"The modern & updated facilities, video-taped lectures, friendly & social students, location near Philly"
"the facilities, the friendliness and accessibility of the faculty, happy students, quiet neighborhood, diversity"
"the people. everyone seemed to be very enthusiastic and they really tried to emphasize medical education and not medical research."
"facilities, the effort they place on educating their students, the accessibility of the faculty, how happy the students were"
"I really like the students and the PIL program. "
"The faculty is very very interested in student well being and education. All of the students seem really laid back and seem to really enjoy medical school. "
"enthusiasm of the director, emphasis on student, trying to sell the school, ridiculously thorough power point, the realness of the people there, interesting programs like womens health, choice between curriculums, progressive nature of the school, the enthusiasm and kindness of my interviewer, philly was awesome, and i never expected to like it, but it was brilliant, real, and very fun."
"The choice of either the PIL or IFM curriculum, as well as the technology at the school. "
"friendly students, approachable faculty"
"the campus is really nice, lots of technology"
"the facilities seemed new. i liked the other students who were interviewing"
"the curriculum"
"curriculum (no, I mean really, I'm in love) and the fact that all lectures are taped, and the additional tutoring available, and the noncompetetive vibe I picked up. "
"The student interviewer was really nice. I also really liked Philly, even though I really only drove through it a few times."
"Drexel is really progressive in its teaching style. Not only do they do SYMPTOM based learning they also let you choose a teaching style that best serves you, i.e. their PIL or IFM programs. The IFM program is very normal where you are spoon fed. large amounts of information in subject blocks. The PIL program is a problem based learning program where you generate the information you think you need to learn with a faculty facilitator. "
"The students. They all some really happy and proud of their school"
"the students were happy, PIL was very impressive"
"Student interviewer was raving about school. Interviewer and faculty was student focused and responsive. Faculty describing PBL program was passionate and clearly cared deeply about teaching."
"very laid back"
"Everyone there is really friendly. You can choose between PBL of interdisciplinary learning. The train is really on time."
"Emphasis on teaching, two different curriculums"
"The students seemed really enthusiastic about the school."
"The faculty "
"The new facilities, drexel's two curriculums, nice people."
"The school itself and the facilities are very modern and look brand new. "
"the facilities are really top notch; the choice of curricular options; students and faculty are more closely knit than at other schools i've been too"
"supportive environment, faculty and staff were pleasant and welcoming"
"School is new, with a lot of good technology features"
"The campus has a lot of technology: completely wireless, every class filmed and streamed online as well as stored for later viewing. The curriculum is very progressive, and it is obvious they have put a lot of resources into making it effective."
"technology, PIL program"
"definitely strong community atmosphere, nice neighborhood around the school, everyone very friendly, in a suburban area but very close to the city"
"The school is high-tech (wireless campus) and the faculty seems to really care about the students. They are also building a new student lounge and gym."
"attention devoted to students. All faculty are educators, means not preoccupied with research. Their whole job is to teach students. "
"The people - everyone was friendly and smiling. The staff, students, and especially the faculty. The people representing the school made up for any negative impressions I had."
"Facilities are so awesome, also they let the students take part in how the school is run (student interviewers for example). But the facilities and the tech stood out, it was really something else. "
"The friendliness of the faculty and students is remarkable. The facilities are well maintained and modern."
"The presentation about the school was excellent. Drexel has an awesome curriculum and nice facilities. They are building a new place with more facilities, too. I already knew about the school, but the presentation was still nice. They have a bunch of clinical sites available."
"The PIL program is great. The students are super happy at the school."
"The facilities are clean and in the process of expanding. Student body is large but diverse and enthusiastic. Choice of curricula is unique and very impressive either way."
"Despite the larger class size, all of the students seem to be really close knit and supportive."
"All the students were awesome and open. They were into making the process as least stressful as possible and that was paralleled by the staff. Drexel seems very accessible to students. I think that it is rarely anyone's first choice, but it should be. They are tech savvy and their PIL program is amazing (look up the PIL program, they have reason to be proud of it). Also, they are attracted to the non-traditional student."
"all lectures are taped and online; the whole campus has wireless internet access, the lecture rooms seems comfortable. Also, the school is building a new gym and student lounge which should be ready in 1-1.5 years."
"excellent and new facilities, good powerpoint info session given by director of admissions, extremely technological campus, standardized patient rooms, devoted faculty, friendly students, unique curriculum (anatomy lab is all year)"
"really nice facilities; my faculty interviewer was very nice and seemed to care a lot about students"
"So many things! 1.The faculty is very dedicated, which can be seen from the style and structure of the medical curriculum at Drexel. 2. Compassionate and kind physicians---my interviewer is such one. 3. Innnovative curriculum and excellent modules. IFM fits my learning style well, and I like the sympton-based approach of learning. 4. No use of live animal in the lab. I like that because I do not want to do harm to sentient beings. 5. Excellent opportunities for community sevices: downtown is about 30 min drive. 6. Friendly students and relaxed interview. They really want to know things about you. 7. The medical school is just one building. All the lectures will be taught in one big building. "
"How friendly and happy both the students and staff were. The people I met were all genuinely enthusiastic about the school. The campus-wide wifi, streaming lectures, and choice between two curricula (IFM vs. PIL) also showed how much the school catered to the needs of their students."
"The campus is very nice and clean. Everyone seemed friendly. The neighborhood is nicer than i expected. As a lot of other reviewers have written, it does seem like the middle of nowhere, but I thought it was a nice distance (15 min) from center city philly."
"Faculty dedicated to teaching, nice facilities, good PIL curriculum."
"The students were very friendly and willing to answer questions. They were very positive about the college. The facilities were great and the commitment to a live gross anatomy approach reassured me of commitment to hands on learning. The ability to be exposed to clinical settings during the first year was excellent."
"The friendliness of the students. My faculty interviewer."
"drexel's curriculum is very student oriented. i also was attracted to the location of the school - nice and quiet. this one is a personal thing, so its not a plus for all people. "
"The facilities are great, the students are really nice, and the admissions staff is nice too. "
"good facilities"
"The students were all very nice. They really stressed how it was a non-competetive environment. IFM lectures seemed really casual with the professors interacting with the students a lot. Cheap on-campus housing (relative to CA). "
"One of the nicest admissions staff that I've experienced. Also, the school is completely wireless (first in the country, I think?). It's this nice, warm, technologically-advanced compound with fountains and peaceful-looking hallways and really nice lecture halls. Also, very diverse student body that seems to be very supportive to each other and active in extracurricular activities. A lot of non-traditional students."
"Students seemed happy."
"the tour guide was very helpful and seemed to really enjoy being at the school, the facilities are awesome too.. completely wireless campus!"
"Thr students seemed very open and Wanda, the Admissions assistant is so nice and helpful. The classrooms looked very modern, labs have great technology. I liked the choice of two curricula. There is a shuttle to center city every 30 min and Queen lane station on the R8 is a block away. All the facilities look brand new. Busy cafeteria which is good for studying at night. The first two years, professors are totally dedicated only to teaching i.e. no research is required of them during the academic year at least. So they are totally devoted to students which is rare. There are two anatomy labs, a big one and a little one. Both are really nice except I tend to prefer those which are built above ground with the windows and light. Im not sure why most schools have them in the basement. All lectures are videotaped and put online. (at least for IFM) For those interested in international health rotations they have quite a few - Brazil, Ethiopia, India and students have gone everywhere from the Fiji Islands to Dublin on other prgms. My student interviewer was in his late 30s and I got the impression from him that the environment is very friendly towards older students."
"The faculty, administration and students were very nice. The women's health education program sounded interesting."
"The campus was very nice."
"Both curricula have interesting things to offer, the facilities were very nice, Ms. Trottie was very very nice to all the interviewees, and my student host was great."
"Students are happy to be there. They spent a lot of time talking about the school in terms of history and curriculum."
"The PIL program"
"Everyone at Drexel was extremely friendly and helpful and the students seemed really happy to be there"
"Students were very nice and loved their school. "
"My faculty interviewer, the anatomy lab looked relatively nice, the inclusion of standardized patients in learning patient care techniques, the students seem happy."
"Students are very nice, and so was the faculty"
"They have two curricula, and the people in the PIL curriculum seem really excited to be learning that way (in problem based classes)."
"Drexel students looked freakishly happy. PIL curriculum sounds cool - it was the reason I applied. And Wanda rocks."
"entire school wireless. good technology."
"faculty, student body, the group I interviewed with was very nice"
"The friendliness of all the students and staff. Some students who were just walking by our meeting room came to talk to us and answer questions just because they wanted to."
"very technologically advanced"
"School facilities: although the building is separate from the clinical sites it is extremely well equipped with everything I would need in my first two years. It is clean and the technology is advanced and seems to be quite useful. There is a gym, student room with ping pong, pool, and foos, and a TV. The library is small but adequate for the first two years. There seems plenty of places to study. Faculty: the faculty are educators first, researchers second. they seem to spend a lot of their time focusing on the curriculum giving the students a comprehensive, organized, integrated curriculum. the faculty seem to be available and open to student feedback and able to provide supplemental support if needed. Curriculum: choices between problem based and lecture based is good. Lecture notes are comprehensive and pre-printed. Lectures are available online sameday. Grades apparently come back almost same day. Clinical exposure is threaded throughout via a physician and patient class. I was told that all the lectures know what the others are doing to help tie things together. Clincal sites: there seems to be an abundance of clinical sites in city, suburban, and rural areas of PA, and NJ. They also seem very open to international and self created rotations."
"the facilities are clean and high tech"
"students were very down to earth... more so than any other school i've been to.. location is in a suburb (shuttle to the hospital), so theres a high-schooley feel as all the 1st and 2nd years take class in a huge building in a beautiful area... and stay for the pbl curriculum introduction!! if the director of the program speaks, you'll be moved, he gave a great speech about our duties as physicians.."
"my interviewer"
"friendliness of admissions staff and students"
"How nice and genuine everyone was and that the faculty actually cares about the students. "
"The school seemed pretty updated and the student took us in the gross anatomy lab and showed us a cadaver."
"the technology, students were friendly, the PIL program"
"The campus where classes were held was nice. Choice of learning styles during first two years was interesting."
"Facilities are great, very state of the art. The students were outgoing and welcoming, and had really good things to say about being there. Drexel also seems to have a lot of opportunities for clinical exposure in years 3 and 4, and also seem to provide a lot of guidance to people who go into medical school with no idea what kind of medicine they want to practice (like me)."
"The facilities are really high-tech and well-maintained, and the campus is located in a pretty, old part of Philly."
"All of the current students seem genuinely happy being there and get along very well with one another. The facilities are pretty high tech and the PIL curriculum is definitely worth thinking over."
"How friendly the admissions staff was. I was also very impressed by how excited everyone at the school was about having us there. It seemed like everyone at Drexel really enjoys being there."
"The extent to which the school takes advantage of technology and integrates it into the curriculum."
"The people. Admissions staff was wonderful, the physicians and students I met were very warm, welcoming and happy with Drexel. Also the curriculum was a lot more desirable than I thought it would be."
"Everything looked so fresh and so clean clean. The Queen lane campus is attractive and technologically well-equipped. The first year students seemed happy and upbeat. Lots to do in Philly."
"the curriculum and the fact that you can choose which you would like to do...and the PIL session is very helpful... PIL is just as good a curriculum if not better than IFM and it's challenging; the people were all very helpful and nice"
"The curriculum is very intensive, and you have a choice of learning through lectures or through problem based sessions. The quality of the education seems very high caliber, the facilities are very nice, clean and modern, the school is very technologically advanced now that it has become Drexel, everyone was very friendly, students seem happy."
"The student body is really nice and motivated. But without a doubt, the curriculum is truly unique. While I am not a fan of the small group approach in PIL, it definitely is unique. I was really impressed with IFM curriuculum, and how the material is really integrated together so that you don't study one subject in a vacuum. Also, the facilities are really high tech."
"The faculty was very pleasant and sincere in wanting to help you. The students were very happy and gave nothing but good comments about their experiences. The institution itself is absolutely beautiful. "
"The campus is really great. The facilies are beautiful and the PBL curriculum option is awesome. The students seemed really happy to be there and were super friendly."
"Technology integration - a very progressive school in that sense."
"The technology"
"Both student and faculty interviewer were personable and friendly and seemed eager to have a more "conversational" interview than a bunch of scattered questions "
"everything...I loved it..the faculty is so involved and you really feel the sense of community that exists between the students, faculty and admissions staff, the facilities are amazing, they really are technologically savvy, I really liked the fact that everything is open to students 24 hrs/day, housing is reasonable, and I enjoyed the fact that they really get a chance to know you beyond your numbers and really read through your entire application, and the guidance given through advisors, Bigs and the Pathway program are really impressive"
"The school. I fell in love with it as soon as I walked in. I definitely hope I get in."
"One of the things that impressed me was the cheap rent for apartments in the area surrounding the campus. The fact that the entire medical campus has wireless internet access and the ability to watch all the lectures on-line also impressed me much."
"Technological services available to students"
"How advanced they are with technology"
"nice lecture halls"
"There is no doubt that the people here are very laid-back and chill. They were super-friendly and just wanted to get to know me as a person, without trying to grill or interrogate me with high-stress questions."
"The facilities, technology, area, housing rent (really cheap, considering I'm from Los Angeles), food was pretty good, staff was extrememly nice, student interviewer was totally cool"
"The facilities are excellent. 4-5 students per cadaver. Faculty genuinely seems to care about students and transforming them into doctors. Excellent technology on campus."
"Cool facilities, nice students"
"very nice facilities, faculty and the curriculum"
"curriculum, technology of the facilities"
"Technology, openess of faculty, openess towards nontrads"
"The integration of technology; choice of curricula."
"The school is basically like the Matrix. It is filled with technology that makes classes and information more accessible to students. For instance, each day's classes are posted as video on the web by early afternoon. Also, the admissions staff were very helpful and accommodating. I interviewed on a day following a snow storm. One of the doctors on their admissions team really put in the extra time to make certain that our chat was a comprehensive one."
"Facilities, technology and wireless capabilities. They have it set up so you never go to class. Lectures streamed online, transcripts and notes available. Never leave your bedroom! "
"The school was fine... but for some reason I was not too impressed. I cannot put my finger on it. But it would not be a bad place to go to med school and then leave."
"I was really impressed by the school/basic science facilities, downtown hospitals, Philly is awesome"
"The school was nice and the people were really great. Going in I wasn't expecting much, but I was impressed by the people and school."
"The curriculum provides ample clinical experience right off the bat. The campus really focuses on training outstanding clinicians. The students were extremely friendly. I was approached on at least five different occasions by students offering advise, answering questions and chearing me on. The technology on campus is the most impressive of any medical school that I have visited. Center city is only a twenty minute train ride away, but Germantown and Maynuck offer exciting entertainment options much closer to the campus. Very affordable housing options near campus, with the opportunity to live in Center City or Pittsburgh during the third and fourth year."
"Curriculum, anatomy lab, early clinical exposure, school's committment to service"
"The facilities. Even though it was my first interview, looking back now after I have been to 3 others, I see that Drexel has very good facilities. Also, I liked the student interview, it was very relaxed and informative."
"the campus is very nice and the technology is great. faculty seem very interested in working with the students to better the experience"
"The campus is like a hotel"
"facilities, great campus"
"student friendliness, technology technology technology, pathways during fourth year, option of PIL (program in integrated learning)."
"the campus/surrounding area, VERY low cost for student parking on campus"
"This school is very electronically connected; very nice that students can view the lecture from a remote location while the lecture is going on."
"The faculty and the students -- if you want to go to a place where you feel comfortable, the faculty's priority is the students, and the students seem to really act as a team, you should give this place a chance. Also, the school's technology is second to none -- ALL lectures in the IFM program are video-taped! The students are really well-taken care of here. Resources are great. The building is very nice and comfortable. 24 hour security. Gated. Everyone was just so nice! "
"The facility seemed very new and wired with wireless internet throughout the building. They have a pretty nice gym, open 24 hours, that is supposed to expand fairly soon. Plus, students working downtown are able to work out at the Wyndym for free."
"The friendliness of the staff and students, how relaxed and happy the students were, the location (just outside Philly, very close to Fairmount Park), the PIL curriculum; Drexel is very wired with many resources available on-line and they have a wireless network; At the end of the year they have a memorial service for the cadavers."
"The technology at the school is great, way beyond the other schools I have been to. The Program for Integrated Learning looks very interesting. The school is located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where living is much more affordable than in the city."
"Students were really friendly and the school seems to be on the rise. Despite the past roubles the staff and faculty are open aboutit. PIL program is very interesting. East Falls is pretty."
"nice facilities, great technology on campus, nice labs "
"Facilities - modern and pretty. Students - happy and friendly. Parking was cake. There is much housing near campus and its not too expensive. Also, admissions staff is forthcoming about their prior financial issues - at least they admit it. The tour was great! We saw a PIL group in action, and also the anatomy lab (a bit unnerving, but the students really looked like they were having a great time dissecting). "
"Everything seemed fairly new in terms of the facilities. Faculty, staff, and students were enthusiastic about the school and what they are attempting to accomplish. Philadelphia would be a great place to learn medicine."
"PIL program, gross lab had windows, tons of training experience from the very get-go: interviewing and history training with standardized patients (and videotaped too, so you can see your mistakes), all lectures uploaded onto web, school very hi-tech"
"The school is nice, the curricula is interesting, and housing is relatively cheap in the area. I think I would be happy going to school there."
"The ability to do rotations at several hospitals throughout Philly, the admissions staff and dean were knowledgable and friendly. Philadelphia is great."
"everyone was nice. the area was nice. facilities are OK."
"The facilities at Drexel were great. The students seemed to be very happy there."
"The commitment faculty members have to their students and their success. The students are super friendly and it doesn't seem like there is any competitiveness amongst the students. "
"The students were all really nice and helpful. A lot of them saw I was wearing a suit and stopped and chatted with me, telling me what they liked/didn't like about Drexel. Everyone was really friendly and helpful. Drexel has some cool programs too, such as the Medical Humanities and Women's Health Education programs. The curriculum is also very progressive."
"I had known that Drexel had financial difficulties in the past and it seems that the school is in a good financial situation now and has plans for expansion."
"I was impressed with the standardized patient rooms, and felt that the students seemed very relaxed."
"campus-very nice, nice neighboirhhod, happy students, laid back lots of ciriculum options"
"My faculty interviewer was very nice and enthusiastic, as was the admissions staff."
"Students were very enthusiastic about their school. Area is really cute. Very high tech school"
"The medical school building, the anatomy lab and the students. "
"I liked learning about the curriculum, more specifically the PIL program. The school seems very up-to-date on technology. Also, the school is in a nice location of Philadelphia. The entire building is wireless, so all you need is a wireless network card for your laptop. Everyone made me feel welcome (always a plus). "
"The facilities, the location, the tour was the most comprehensive I have had thus far. That they have a choice in curriculums, and that all their learning relates directly to cases. "
"The location, Philadelphia is almost as cool as S.F, and even though the main campus is small, it doesn't seem crowded."
"the technology at this school is amazing...there is a wireless network, all the lectures are online, etc...also, I like the choice between lecture-based and problem-based curricula"
"Very nice interviewer, my student interviewer was REALLY nice"
"i like that they have a choice for curriculums, but i wish there was more flexibility in changing in case you didn't like one. "
"People seemed very nice, the area seemed safe, it's extremely close to Manayunk & Roxborough, their curriculum seems really good (I like symptom-based modules better than anatomy/biochem/physio blocks)"
"Seems like a great place, and has whethered the storm of past problems. I thought there wouldn't be a strong sense of community, but I was wrong. "
"I thought the area around Drexel was not too bad. It's a suburban-looking area that's about 15 min from Center City Philly. The school's use of technology is great. They tape every lecture and you can watch them from your computer at home. The range of clinical oppurtunities available seems to be very extensive."
"The facilities and technology at Drexel are amazing. Everything is wireless and the school is really nice. The location and buildings are excellent."
"The interviewers were awesome, the students were awesome, the facilities are brand new and totally state of the art, there is parking for students, the place is safe. "
"the technology is impressive. classes are videotaped, audio recorded, and can be taken online. you dont even have to come to class! (that may not be so positive for some). the pil program sounds like a wonderful alternative to the standard lectures."
"Technology and students' comments about their professors."
"Dr. Puglia, the head of PIL, gave us a talk that bowled me over. It really inspired me and reminded me why I decided to get into this crazy process to begin with. Also, the students were friendly and the facilities were very nice."
"The variety of hospital experiences that the students have the opportunity to be exposed to during their clinical training."
"the building is very new and totally upgraded."
"Multiple and diverse clinical sites for 3rd and 4th year rotations. Progressive program in 1st and second years."
"The friendliness of some of the students."
"The faculty seemed extremely accessible, the students all seemed happy, friendly and well-rounded. The technology is impressive. I really like both my student and faculty interviewers."
"I really like the format of the PIL program that the school offers. I also liked the facilites... they are new and clean."
"no comment"
"students are bright regular people who are interested in becoming healers rather than book worms...seemed like real people"
"-The school was well wired-wireless internet and note taking services. The inside was well maintained as well. -In the class of 200, people landed very residencies in very competitive fields (neurosurgery, tons of orthopedics and dermatology) -55% post interview acceptance rate."
"The school was great! The students and faculty were friendly and sincere. The technology was fantastic!"
"The atmosphere of the interview was VERY relaxed. My interviewer, Dr. Tunkel, is one of the most interesting people I have talked to."
"Very high tech, nice classrooms, lots to do in Phila. I especially enjoyed the Rodin Museum and the cheesesteaks"
"Hi tech facilities, the students liked it...the m1 interviewing me said get ready to give up your life though 1st year sucks. PIL program is also more structured than I thought. "
"the student body is diverse and everyone is more than friendly. students seem very happy. the faculty members seem to have a fun side to them (the dean participates in games with the students) school offers students a variety of way to learn (lectures, scribe notes, video lectures, and online lectures). school is close to center city which has many things to do and the train station is within walkable distance. also uses standardized patients."
"The faculty interviewer I had was a Nephrologist named Dr. Kurnik. She was fantastic, very enthusiastic about the school (she'd been recruited from UMDNJ as part of Drexel's "rebuilding" efforts) and also very blunt. I appreciated her honesty--we talked about where I'd applied and interviewed, which I felt comfortable talking to her about because she was dealing with me on the level. She expressed confidence that in 5 years, everyone is going to know Drexel's name..."
"The two different curricula offered."
"Technology and the secretary in the admissions office is friendly"
"Technology of the school is very impressive. Also, I am a student in the post-bacc program here and have taken most of the first year classes. Students seem very happy, and the faculty is GREAT!! very approachable, you would never know you were in a class of 250 students"
"nothingn reallyy...the city seems cool"
"Facilities were great - Students seemed to love the program and the faculty."
"How nice and high tech the school is."
"The technology (wireless internet access). Research programs are not quite large but has good potentials."
"the technology level is super-excellent"
"Facilities are nice, lots of technology. Students were very laid back. "
"Everyone was SO nice and all the students really looked happy. The neighborhood is REALLY beautiful (contrary to popular opinion)...it is a quaint, quiet suburb. "
"The school is pretty technologically advanced...also, the clinical skills center."
"Facilities ar eoutstanding, students seem happy, low stress level"
"The facilities were very contemporary and state-of-the-art. "
"Students seemed REALLY happy, diverse curriculums, pretty tech-savy campus"
"almost everything, but the PIL program in particular (if you are interested in this, be sure to sit in on a session)"
"The school, its technology, its emphasis on clinical experience, and the students enthusiasm for it"
"The ability to use an infared connection anywhere on campus without a direct link-up."
"Clinical/Volunteer opportunities in 1st and 2nd year"
"The facilities were clean and the school is very high tech."
"Facilities, future financial outlook of the medical school, availability of housing not far from campus in a decent neighborhood."
"compact campus for attending classes, labs, etc.; easy access to all lecture notes, videos, etc. they want to make learning what you need to learn in med school as easy as possible"
"how relaxed the students and faculty are, no-stress environment. The PIL program would be very good for people are self-disciplined, motivated and independent. Not for me. I am born and bred in a lecture hall."
"How happy the students were, facilities"
"the technology there is amazing, Center City"
"Technology!! Students seemed relaxed "
"The students were all very happy, and although the class sizes are very large, they all seem to know each other. My student interviewer was very informative. "
"The technology of course and how content everyone seemed. "
"the personal touch that the school offers, I felt very welcomed"
"The student interview....I didn't think that I would like it, but it was very conversation and allowed me to ask the questions I wanted. I didn't have to worry about trying to hear in a big group!"
"The level and use of technology."
"the friendliness of the students"
"technology obviously, the surroundings are hardly ghetto, i think i'd still live in center city and do the 15 minute commute...everyone was really friendly"
"The technology the school has to offer."
"The early exposure to clinical skills through the CEAC, the rising use of technology, and overall freindliness of the place"
"choice between IFM and PIL curriculums"
"Family-like atmosphere of the school despite its large size, beautiful residential campus, and enthusiastic student body"
"the school's technology"
"the school facilities"
"The family-like nature of the campus, the students and the staff. Everyone was really nice and willing to answer you had. It was awesome...."
"Facilities, atmosphere, friendliness of everyone there"
"The technology, as everyone mentions, is great. The location isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's not Center City, but not Hell either. The community seemed more diverse than I had anticipated. "
"The medical school's technology is great."
"Terrific use of technology, great atmosphere, down to earth students, enthusiastic faculty, very innovative school."
"The atmosphere is very friendly. I never felt like I was being interrogated even during my interview. The faculty on the campus were very friendly and seemingly very accessible to students. The students were also really helpful-- not just the one I interviewed with but people I met randomly in the bathroom, in the cafeteria, on the lawn. They have an interesting curriculum and an awesome advising set-up for your third and fourth years."
"The technology of the campus. Friendly student and staff."
"Clean, modern, wireless-enabled campus. Students with positive view of school. Faculty who seem earnestly interested in your application process (esp. PIL program professors.)"
"The friendly atmosphere, how new everything was"
"The high state of technology"
"The campus was state of the art, hooked up for wireless internet, everything was very modern. The students also seemed to all know each other and seemed friendly and low-key."
"the up-to-date technology"
"technology"
"very nice facilitiess, a gym right in the building just for med students"
"Location of the school, state of the art facilities and equipment."
"The school is very high-tech, and they like to show it off."
"They made some last-minute changes to my schedule so my faculty interviewer received the wrong student file."
"The interview started kind of cold and intimidating, but I think once I started asking him questions about his profession/research, there was a better connection and became more conversational. Maybe it's just the personality of the interview?"
"It was a very long virtual interview day experience because there were a few hours between the orientation and my actual med student and faculty interview."
"The attitude of one of my interviewers seemed very very disinterested in me and the school as a whole and was rushing and interrupting in the middle of my sentences."
"the lack of assurances for popular extracurricular programs and rotation positions"
"Miscommunication with a student interviewer"
"School has a lower reputation."
"i had a student interview with another applicant and an MS1. i felt like she couldn't really answer my questions about the school since she literally just started there a month ago"
"I had to do a virtual interview so I didn't get to see the campus (not Drexel's fault)"
"school facilities weren't very impressive, didn't learn much about the school because the information sessions were very rushed"
"N/A"
"school was somewhat small despite the large class sizes"
"Campus not incredibly new or high-tech."
"The area around campus is very suburban"
"My interviewer was late. The interview was an hour instead of the allotted 30 min. I was then a half an hour late for the essay."
"There are not enough cadavers for students to do their own dissections for every system. They tried to spin this as a strength, saying that med students just don't have time to do all their own dissections, so this is a time saver, since people only learn from looking, anyway. (Um....then why do dissections at all?) Several medical students we passed on the tour said "Don't come here! This school is terrible. lol." The only students we were allowed to interact with were first years, who couldn't speak to clinical rotations, their preparation for step, ease of access to faculty mentorship, or anything other than the 2 month old curriculum."
"Started with video recording of presentation, someone couldn’t find 15-20 minutes of their day to welcome us, I liken any other Interview I have attended"
"No faculty, other than the admissions employee, talked with us. The dean did not introduce herself, no other faculty introduced themselves. During the time allotted to sit in on a class, we were left to figure things out ourselves, no faculty escorted us anywhere. The school has a very small library with minimal hard copy books. $10 parking fee."
"The day before my interview I went with my father to check and make sure the location was correct. The security guard was undoubtedly and unnecessarily rude to the both of us. In addition, the morning of my interview the same security guard was rude to us again when we asked for direction on where the student conference room was located. Bad first impression."
"Facilities seemed small and run down. Staff weren't that nice and students who gave tour/had lunch with us didn't seem to be too happy or very accomodating. Felt crowded at lunch and as if the applicants were just left to figure out their own interview days instead of someone helping them out. I appreciated the independence but would've liked a more structured interview day. My interviewer was nearly an hour late to my interview and he had to interview someone after me as well so things were messy and in a rush. Even the parking/security attendant was unnecessarily mean to me and unhelpful."
"Faculty interviewer was extremely rude and unprofessional, in my opinion"
"Post-interview communication wasn't great - I wish the follow-up was an email instead of a mailed letter."
"my interviewer wasn't very serious and seemed to judge me as soon as i walked into the room. the students didn't seem too happy to be there and my student interviewer seemed like he was just in it for the free lunch. not impressed at all with this school."
"stayed with a student host (super awesome, definitely recommend) but her place was pretty expensive for the quality. Must have car at Drexel."
"Interviewer was callous, abrasive, and eager to talk over me and/or cut me off to inform me that I was not answering his questions how he wanted. I asked the interviewer how students new to Philadelphia could learn about local community needs to start a club or become involved and the interviewer asked, "are you coming to Philly to go to medical school or to start a program?" Interviewer demanded that I tell him whether any of my family members were incarcerated for substance abuse because I expressed an interest in working with substance abusers."
"Nothing really. Overall it was a fantastic experience."
"Negativity of interviewer regarding other medical schools, reputation even amongst employees, disorganization, campus locations all over the place"
"Nothing major, just the long waiting time in the conference room, no food or drinks were provided before the student lunch interview."
"My faculty interviewer seemed to have read my file beforehand and decided that she didn't like me. After I gave my response on why medicine, she frankly told me that it wasn't good enough (this was within the first five minutes of the interview). After hinting her opinion that I lied about my activities on my application, she debated with me on abortion, healthcare, and euthanasia for about forty-five minutes. Apparently none of my responses were good at all. Expecting a rejection shortly."
"facilities are a bit outdated, cafeteria food was ok"
"The admissions staff."
"My own interview skills"
"I'll preface this by saying that I was "spoiled" by interviewing at 2 incredible schools before Drexel. Yes, I did not have a great impression of this school. 1.) Location - I got lost in the ghetto trying to find the school. At first it was funny, but then it got depressing when I started thinking about actually being a student here. 2.) No campus/isolation - the entire school seemed like a kind of retirement community/high school. Yep, I would not want to go back to anything resembling high school as a med student...Nothing to do in the Queen Lanes area. 3.) Complacency - Students seemed to be there because it was the only school they had gotten into. Not one student popped by the conference room to talk to us about the school. 4.) Close to no focus on research - My student interviewer mentioned "volunteering" at another institution for a project. I'm sorry to be blunt but even if a school is not a research powerhouse, when students are paying one of the highest tuitions in the country, a funded project should be expected. My undergrad has more research opportunities than this med school. The biggest strength of my app is my research and my faculty interviewer didn't even want to talk at all about it. 5.) Cost - it did not match up with what they were offering. An adcom member pretty much said the debt coming out of here is insane. 6.) Rotations - While bouncing around the state 3rd and 4th year may provide for a more "diverse" experience, it is certainly not ideal. 7.) Large class size - Call me a cynic, but the option to choose one of 2 types seems like a way to manage the 200+ students than anything else."
"The students I met during the day seemed really complacent."
"Some parts of the facilities seemed outdated."
"My interviewer was running late, and it lasted for only 12 minutes."
"The school is not near the hospital! I felt really bad for the students who had to take a 30 min shuttle to get to their interview. Didn't really like the idea of coming in and writing about an ethical question and the class size is pretty big. Also tuition is pretty high."
"Clinical sites - because Philadelphia has UPenn, best sites go to them. Location: Philly is not so nice"
"The location and no on campus housing"
"wait 6-8 weeks to know the final decision."
"Cadavers did not have wells. Is that normal?"
"Some people were not able to go on the tour because of the timing of their interviews that were off campus."
"None really."
"The only negative impression I was left with is that Drexel's anatomy labs are not quite as advanced as several other schools I have visited."
"medical campus is somewhat spread out (main buildings are 20-min. shuttle ride apart from each other)"
"Smaller than I expected campus! Seemed somewhat isolated!"
"There was no paper towel in the lady's room; the cafeteria is simply way too small and noisy, I could barely hear my student interviewer..."
"Students don't go to class much"
"having the interview off campus. I had to catch a shuttle and run two blocks in heels to make my appointment time, and then the guy showed up 25 mins late."
"med school campus is removed from the main campus"
"The school seemed to be housed in a small building, for a school that has over 1,000 students."
"There is a possibility of really getting bounced around during your 3rd and 4th year rotations."
"I got on a bus and drove through the slums to my interview location. My faculty interviewer seemed to really dislike me. We got into a religious debate and I tried very hard not to be offensive, but I think he did not like my answers."
"the city of Philadelphia...wouldn't want to live there. Also, the hospital is a 20 min shuttle ride from the school in downtown philly."
"My interview was at Hahnemann at the same time as the optional PIL information session was going on at Queen Lane. So I wasn't happy about missing that session, and I also felt that there was no wrap-up to the day."
"The interview really did not seem to be interested in what I had to say. I would speak, and he would cut me off and begin writing and then would go on to the next question. I was quite disappointed with the interview."
"There was quite a bit of down time, but I expected that."
"Anatomy lab was not state of the art"
"The hospitals are not located directly adjacent or near to the campus where you spend your first two years. The downtown campus with the hospitals is ~ 20 minutes away with little traffic. Also, for 3rd year rotations, the hospitals you train at are spread throughout PA and NJ. Meaning that unless you commit to staying in Pitt or Philly (Philly is hard to get unless you have a family), you have to basically move every 6 weeks :( Even though they'll guarantee you housing, I hate moving."
"Several students (myself included) had to take the student shuttle downtown for our interviews, and one student had to duck out of the tour early in order to make it to his appointment on time. Students came and went to interviews and lunch at different times, which was somewhat disruptive for the people working on their ethical dilemma writing samples at the time. A car would probably be necessary."
"admissions office was a bit disorganized with scheduling interviews"
"Food court was kinda small. Also on the day of interview, PIL group had a big meeting so that I couldn't hear more about PIL program."
"despite the new technologies, buildings were a bit rundown. "
"Had to grab a shuttle to make it to the faculty interview. Not a big deal though."
"at the same time the campus seemed somewhat boring"
"no on-campus housing"
"Nothing significant. Hospital not being closer to campus - have to catch a shuttle to downtown hospital. A hassle especially in messy winter weather. "
"Nothing, its a great school."
"The medical school building is small. There is a big separation between IFM and PIL students."
"Its not really a campus its more of a school in one building. The icy sidewalks and roads, having to live off campus and drive to school every day would be a new and slightly scary task."
"Not too much to do in the area but the town is only 10 min. by train.or car."
"Not much! I was highly impressed!"
"anatomy lab seemed kinda small for 200+ students"
"Some students seemed very lazy. Also, if it's possible, this school seems like a party school!"
"Have to pay to park in visitor lot! Bring $5 if you have to park at DUCOM. "
"One member of the faculty was talking about the lack of restaurants in the area. Doesn't seem like much going on in the suburbish area. Then again...Philly's not far and it's a good, quiet place to study. "
"No strong negative impressions."
"The interviewers seem too casual about the questions."
"Nothing really... just that Philly is a little dirtier and more overcast than Atlanta."
"The tour was rather short and I didn't get a great sense of the facilities."
"My student interview was rushed, because he had the schedule wrong, so I had 15 minutes to eat food and answer all of his questions in a crowded cafeteria."
"location you need a car!"
"The area around the school is pretty dead, there isn't even a coffee shop. You have to go into the downtown part of Philly for anything. The campus is pretty small as the hospital is in a different location."
"facilities way less impressive than my (admittedly snooty) prep school and my undergrad"
"My interview."
"you have to be jumping around for your rotations in 3rd year. Different hospitals throughout PA. "
"the campus is tiny and facilities not the most impressive. no grand stadium-style lecture halls and anatomy lab in basement. "
"The only bad thing about it is that the major hospital is a 25-30 minute shuttle ride downtown. "
"Two completely different campuses- school is outside of the city and the hospital is in the city. There is a shuttle that runs back and forth though. Also, not a big fan of Philly- the train system is so unreliable!!"
"The medical campus is not in the same location as the hospital. Having two entirely different curricula in one institution seemed to create division in the student body. My student interviewer was rather odd, and my faculty interviewer had a hard time thinking i was legitimately interested in the school."
"My student interviewer stood me up and they had to find someone else to do mine."
"The facilities seemed a little bit old, but Drexel just took them over a year ago and is pouring money into it now."
"THe location."
"The location is terrible (you have to get on a 1/2 hour shuttle to get to the hospital, so we didn't even get to see it during the visit). My interviewer was obnoxious and confrontational the whole time. "
"the whole shuttle ordeal from queen lane to the city"
"The school itself is physically small. It seems like the kind of school where you go to class and then head home during your free time bc of the spatial limitations of the place (It feels more like a prep. school than a medical university). "
"Losts of people"
"although very nice and new, the campus seems rather small and could get overcrowded"
"Cost of tuition... (I guess all schools are pretty similar though). The campus is a little further outside of the urban part of the city than I would like."
"I had underestimated how much I would hate Drexel's location. While it is outside of the city (of Philadelphia), it still has a high crime rate and there seems to be little to do in East Falls. My student host chose to live in a gated community with 24 hour security because she feels safer that way. Students grumble about having to take the shuttle or trains into the city, and I think it would be very difficult to go to Drexel if you didn't have your own car. "
"My interview with a faculty member was so short."
"The tiny bookless library, the school appeared to be small despite having 250 students. "
"The weather (windy, storm, and cold)"
"Location is not exactly in philly. Cafeteria food sucks."
"the cafeteria."
"The opening presentation needs to be redesigned in a manner to truly distinguish Drexel from other medical schools. The student tour guide was awful, unenthusiastic and talked about how all of the facilities were small and modest in comparison to other schools. He also put down the PIL study track, as he was in the IFM study track. Very unprofessional."
"My interviewer."
"I wish I had known in advance that I would have to go downtown for one of my interviews."
"not much research. didn't get to see MCP hospital"
"Have to take a shuttle to the hospital in the city. "
"The facilities seemed a bit dreary, and the class size is very large."
"The area it is in"
"lack of emphasis on research - but i knew that going in"
"everything was really informal, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn't what i expected."
"for some reason, the school feels like a high school"
"I had to go downtown on a shuttle that took 30 minutes, only 3 out of 15 or so interviewees had to go."
"nothing much but I didn't see much of the enthusiasm I saw in osteo schools."
"Some students had to take a shuttle to the hospital for their faculty interview. "
"The school is kind of removed from the city and would be difficult to manage without a car."
"Proximity to the hospital (30 minute shuttle away"
"it's about 15 minutes outside of center city, and there's really nothing around the school, so you need a car."
"Not too many straight facts about all of the trouble that the school has been in recently and how it affects students matching into residencies. Like I said in my comments, things just look too good to be true at this school."
"The hospital is a 30 min shuttle ride away."
"Waiting between the presentation and interviews/lunch. I thought maybe something would have been scheduled."
"Grading "
"The fact that I was interviewed by a non-MD; the cheap and low-quality physical appearance of the facilities (main building, caf and associated study rooms--literally felt like a Fisher-Price Medical School); distance from campus to hospitals; suburban milieu"
"Focus on test scores; they seem to be very concerned with high passing on the board exams (mentioned several times that there is 98% pass as Drexel); Lack of knowlege on PIL curriculum (most students in IFM)"
"Not many students around, didn't seem all that outgoing. HUGE separation between PIL and IFM students. Recent string of break ins and muggings on and around campus. The dean of admissions didn't even show up. Instead of her introduction they played a 55 minute power point presentation. My interviewer was 25 minutes late and then only interviewed me for 10 minutes. They had a lot of trouble finding students to do the student interviews."
"The fact that the campus is not at the same location as the hospital. "
"I was a bit discouraged by the topics that were discussed during my faculty interview. I would've liked the opportunity to discuss some of my own reflections on medicine and ethicality. Instead the interview seemed rather specific to a few questions."
"Tuition for Drexel University is expensive!! Not too mention that the class size isabout 250 students."
"my interviewer didn't seem focused on the interview... was distracted"
"I was warned that the location is not in a nice neighborhood but I felt it was safe during my visit there. "
"Small campus size. "
"the isolation of the campus from the rest of the city"
"The fact that the student interviews are not planned, rather they are just luck of the draw, the interview coordinator had to go find students to do the interviews"
"Nothing. The hospital is away from campus but the shuttle is an easy ride there. I found out from someone from another school that one of Drexel's clinical affiliates just got closed down (i don't know if this is true). "
"Terribly unorganized interview procees, small unimpressive cafeteria, lack of interest in student body."
"one interviewee had to take the shuttle to the downtown Philly/hospital campus for his interview"
"Small school..even though it has among the largest enrollments."
"Tuition is expensive. "
"Small campus size. I thought it would be much bigger for being the largest private medical college."
"The day was a little disorganized but not approaching awful. Basically, the campus is isolated. The city itself is great--and easy to get to."
"how far the hospital is from the campus (though there is a free shuttle) and the caf isn't that good (though thats true everywhere)"
"Nothing really, but I do know that Drexel is not as well known because while the school is old, the name is new."
"Small campus (not really a big deal); surrounding neighborhood is not the safest"
"The school is in the burbs, far away from the hospital and downtown. Bring your lunch- there is nothing around."
"shady neighborhood near the campus"
"the cafeteria = not good food / my interviewer didn't read my file before I came in / the school is far away from the hospital, you need to take a shuttle to get there "
"The neighborhood aka 'hood. One guy working there said that they are between two bad neighborhoods. Good thing they have a free drop off service for students."
"They scheduled an interview such that you had to miss part of the tour. The public transportation was unreliable and caused me to be late to my faculty interview."
"The school is remote and the campus is very small."
"Surrounding area is very suburban, but with many shuttles to downtown Philly only 10-15 minutes away it doesn't matter very much."
"Location and size of medical campus. "
"a little disorganized..lot of downtime, was supposed to hear a speech from dean of admissions 'but she just came in from seattle last night', directions to my alternate location were incomplete"
"Campus: not particularly nice or close to anything. All classes are in one building"
"The campus is rather small and the area around is not the safest place to be."
"Faculty interviewer"
"Ghettoes are close by but that's cool. And there's no real student housing."
"Certain areas around the medical school are not very safe. "
"the location--I thought it was a lot closer to Central Philly"
"The location is isolated and the campus small."
"There were about 25 people there that day"
"?"
"Drab school...and not sure how much of what I hear is just "marketing"...it also took the school virtually months to find a place on their calendar to schedule my visit."
"Sitting around in the conference room waiting for my interviewer"
"Student interviewers - two volunteers showed up at the last minute for four of us, and they were busy talking about themselves more than the school"
"I did not find the student body overly diverse. Everybody was either white or Asian. I saw maybe two black students and no Latinos. I also found the school to be sort of small, and the basement area felt like a worn dorm room. Seemed a little like a high school. "
"Alot of students in gross anatomy lab. Each lab bench had 5-6 students but there were 20-25 benches."
"the small library, the building layout"
"small cafeteria and student lounge - but they're building another wing with a new student lounge, gym, PIL auditorium, etc - and the old student lounge will become study space"
"waited an hour to be taken to lunch"
"Philadelphia."
"lil student interaction"
"interviewer seeemed to be very bored and uniterested in everything. adcom seems incompetent in ways they handle their applicants"
"That Philly is kinda scary in some parts esp right around the school."
"Don't expect a research mogul"
"not the safest area, but what do you expect, med school cant be all fun and games"
"The Philly weather. I'm not sure how safe the area is. But then again, I am from suburbia Southern California. The campus is really small, and its 20 minutes away from the main campus, so you'll probably spend most of the time off campus."
"The interviewer was incredibly disagreeable and had a preconceived notion of me before he even met me. You would think they would have more pleasant people interviewing. "
"The school is not in downtown Philly but still very close"
"The student interviewer. I also didn't like Philadelphia too much and couldn't see myself living in Philly or going to Drexel for the next 4 years. "
"My interviewer was unpersonable, unfriendly and attacked my reasons for wanting to become a doctor. She said that I could always become a nurse if medicine didnt work out for me. "
"I wish the school were in a little nicer area, the gym was not very nice, though they are building a new one. I would have to drive into the city to go the Drexel main campus's gym."
"The neighborhood around the school is relatively poor, but nothing like the neighborhood I live in now (in Oakland -- yay) so I wasn't bothered by it."
"Nothing really. They have a free shuttle on weekdays from Hanneman hospital in center city every half hour. Plus its only a block from the train station (take the R8). I'd recommend staying in center city Philly and checking out the city if you stay overnight. There is a lot to do."
"My student interviewer stopped our interview for a minute (it was in the school cafeteria) to chat quickly with a friend - unprofessional!"
"Having lived in Philadelphia for 6 years now, that the location of the medical school is in a rundown area on the outskirts of the city"
"I really loved the school when I went and I can't figure out why its reputation isn't that great. I think that since MCP merged with Drexel, it has had a huge turn-around and is gradually trying to change its image to become a more selective/top-tired school. But I would be wary of being a student there during this transition period. "
"The school does not have housing or much of a library. Students study in oner lounge and get their books and journals somewhere else- so there is no formal library. "
"What other people said about the school before I went. I think it is one of the best I have seen!"
"I don't like their location at all. I wish they could relocate. "
"3rd and 4th years are spent around the entire state."
"The school is 15 minutes outside downtown & is very isolated, hospital is a 25 minutes shuttle ride away, large size of class"
"how much the tourguide talked about drinking, the distance between campus and grocery stores and other necessities"
"the cold temperature. I'm from CA, give me a break."
"school location, safety of neighborhoods surrounding campus, hospital is 20-25 min bus ride downtown"
"nothing sticks out in my mind"
"i got kind of a weird vibe from the students, like the kids in the cafeteria didnt seem too happy, it seemed like a lot of the students only went there cause it was the only school they got into, the first two yrs are done in suburban philly, the other interviewees didnt seem too psyched about drexel."
"The lottery system used to decide the locations of third and fourth year rotations. "
"cost of living is pretty high around the campus"
"location of camps"
"the anatomy lab was pretty stinky. they should get some ventilation in there"
"the interview itself. I felt like the interviewer didn't make an effort to get to know me as a person and didn't seem very interested in what I had to say. On top of this, they told me that I didn't have a good chance because my MCAT and GPA aren't that high. This bothered me because 1) they could have read this on my application before they invited me to the interview, 2) they said during the orientation that "they aren't all about numbers" so this sounded hypocritical. I think they might have just been looking for a justification, so be ready to defend your application. A friend of mine had to explain all of the B's on his transcript."
"Short time spent on gross anatomy in PIL track"
"My interview...was weird..."
"I honestly have very little to complain about. Their student hosting program could be bigger, but I still found someone to host me so it wasn't really a problem."
"They are far from Philly"
"the distance from the city, the tour guide said some things that were a little weirdly negative and as a campus tour guide myself they came across as a little odd to talk about in the way she did."
"Not connected to undergrad campus."
"the tour guide was a little weird and I personally felt he was a bit disrespectful and desensitized to the cadaver he showed us; that the dean of admissions told me she never wanted to be a doctor in the first place, and she was the one I interviewed with. She was a great lady and I had a great interview, but the fact that she told me that...what does that say about who's running the school? Also, no presentation by Financial Aid"
"The school is kinda far away from the main city. You can't get around without a car. AND tuition is costly."
"Philadelphia in general. Perhaps it was the weather and not seeing much of the city as a whole. Definitely will give it a chance though, the school is worth it!"
"The location of the school. Its 25 minutes from the hospital and in the middle of the suburbs. "
"The students didn't seem very enthusiastic"
"Strange explanation of curriculum while in the gross anatomy labs. Hospital system geographically distant from the classrooms."
"The nearest hospital is still a bus ride away. The school is in the middle of a neighborhood and next to a water treatment plant."
"the school is in its own little bubble, isolated even from its main teaching hospital; the area seemed very bland and, just down the street, the area takes a turn for the worse (although not terrible by any means)"
"nothing significant... my first interview so I was satisfied it didnt become a horror story"
"Location "
"The student who gave the tour was very obnoxious. He came across as someone who worked for admissions instead of being a student. The school is in an old suburban neighborhood not terribly close to the city. "
"nothing i remember"
"nothing really, except that i got lost driving there and home, but that was my fault"
"The school is in a suburban area (there's not much around) and is about 20 minutes away from Center City. It is also a really small and confined campus."
"I didn't like the location. The College of Medicine seemed to be isolated from the rest of the city. "
"The whole classroom for 1st and 2nd years is in one building, which felt a bit like a high school. They're renovating one wing, but it will be dedicated mostly to the other graduate programs."
"Hard to get around w/o a car, and its very expensive. 36k tuition and 20+k expenses, need tons of loans if you go."
"I didn't like that the student interview was during lunch. I felt like I couldn't eat because I had to talk, and it was very awkward."
"Phily is pretty dirty and filthy, but you should kind of expect that from a big city."
"Area is not outright dangerous but not perfectly safe; it's no different from any other large city."
"I am from a smaller community, I am not sure if living in philly would be for me. If you like the big city Drexel runs shuttles downtown so you can really get out and enjoy it. I was told if you go down the wrong way on Queen lane you will run into a bad part of town very fast!"
"The safety around the area. Although it seems ok, some students warned me about parking. The student areas (cafeteria, gym, lounge) could use some work, but they are building a new one. Not that much negativity to talk about..."
"the area around the school is quite and peaceful, but there is not much to do; it's 20 min to the center of Philly"
"large class size"
"having to wait half an hour between orientation and first interview, and another half hour between first and second interviews, but nothing about the school itself"
"It is cold in Philly. However, weather is not that important for me. What is important is whether the school teaches me so that I will become a good and competent doctor."
"The small size of the school, isolated location in suburbs."
"Not much to complain about except that the school and Hanneman hospital are not in the same place, so the campus is very small."
"Sort of a pain to travel between campuses."
"The cold."
"the tour guide MS-1. he loved hearing his own voice and if it were required for me to interact with him on a daily basis, i would not go to drexel. other than that, it was all just fine. "
"location of the med school.. it's in the middle of nowhere.. you have to take the train to get to civilization"
"There is nothing at all around the campus. Everyone seemed to just study all the time. You have to take the train to get into center Philadelphia."
"Kind of a small campus. Also, students there kept saying how unsafe the surrounding area is. "
"Had 20 minute bus ride downtown for my faculty interview."
"the only students who even bothered to make eye contact with me were the tour guide and my student interviewer; also, they clain a "suburban" area but it still seemed pretty "city" to me"
"I was disappointed not to be interviewed by an MD/PhD. The administrator was very nice and Im a good conversationalist usually, however I felt that it prevented me from learning more about the profession and talking about a common interest indepth. Also Im someone who likes to build personal rapport with professors so it would have been nice to meet someone who might actually teach me if I go there. My undergrad school was in a suburb so Im pretty determined to end up in a busier area, if not a city. There isnt anything really to do in East falls. And while that area itself is not so bad if you are heading home at night, just a couple of streets away is Germantown, which I heard is so dangerous you shouldnt even walk around there. I think you would definitely need a car if you want to get around the town more..."
"the facilities seemed a little small compared to other schools but it wasn't too bad."
"The area that the school is in feels very isolated, despite being only 15 minutes away from downtown Philidelphia."
"The tour guide was a little off the wall, and told us something about the anatomy lab that sort of left me with a negative impression about the students. Also, my interviewer, while polite, was a bit cold and allowed our interview to be interrupted by someone (really not that big of a deal, but it sort of broke my concentration)."
"The neighborhood -- it's in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but living in Center City is totally feasible"
"The med school itself is pretty isolated and small"
"My interviewer was a little "frosty" and could have taken more time before I got there to look over my file."
"My student interviewer asked closed-ended questions about what was already provided in the AMCAS application. Although I understand that the student did not have this information because the student interview is closed-file, I personally do not see how asking that type of question would help the admissions committee make a decision regarding my ability to fit in at Drexel."
"Drexel Med is a bit secluded"
"The tour guide seemed unhappy with her time at Drexel. Also, in general, the students didn't seem that friendly or excited. My faculty interviewer worked in student affairs and didn't ask me much besides the basics. For most of the interview, she told me how impressive my MCAT scores are or how great my GPA is. I do have solid stats, but I'm not a 4.0, 45 or anything. It seemed like they were a little too impressed with me."
"dreary suburban location"
"Where do I begin. 1) Dean of Admissions busted out with a powerpoint presentation. Are you kidding me?? 2) School couldn't find a student for campus tour because "they were all in lab." Admissions lady gave tour, answered most questions with "students say" or "I've heard." 3) Interviewed in hospital 25 minutes away, had to wait 30 minutes for first interview. 4) Student interviewer spent 90% of time talking. Only question to me was "where are you from?" 5) Administrator of alternative learning program was stuck in a meeting, got an ill-prepared student who couldn't answer most of our questions. 6) Gym smaller than student lounge. *wouldn't be heart-broken if I didn't get in. "
"there is nothing around the school...literally nothing"
"The cafeteria/food selection was very limited, and the fitness room is very small with no cardio equipment. The med. school is completely separate (outside center city) from the undergraduate campus where more facilities are located."
"seperated from the hospitals, had a high school feel"
"I was concerned about troubled financial rumors. Apparently the school itself has never had any problems, just the companies that owned some of the hospitals affiliated with the school. Since then they have hooked up with Drexel University which is a positive and they have diversified their clinical sites."
"the school sucks, everything is all one building it looks like high school, the hospital is far from the school and going bankrupt"
"they were too impressed by me (i'm not all that stellar either)..gave me the impression that they didnt have the most competitive program"
"the location of the school, the student body, that the hospital is not located near the school"
"school was too small, and the faculty interviewer seemed sort of aloof and busy"
"PIL...but I think that is because I personally don't learn well that way."
"Not attached to a hospital, not sure if it would be a good place to live."
"the tour, some of the students I met, Philly and the fact that Drexel Med is so far from downtown"
"The main hospital is a 25 min. shuttle ride away, that is where I had my interview. Also my student interviewer told me that her car got broken into since moving there, not good!"
"The location is pretty remote, and getting there is a pain. You either have to live in Center City, where its more expensive and you have to commute to school, or live by school which is in the middle of a residential neighborhood and where a car is essential. I was also a little unclear about the school's accrediation, having merged with so many partners over the last ten years."
"The class size is upwards of 200!"
"The interview seemed a little too easy, don't know what to expect."
"How much down time there was between the faculty and student interview and the PIL informational session."
"Small facilities such as gym, cafeteria, and research departments. Hospitals are not close to the school - you have to take a shuttle to get to them."
"Everyone agreed the the surrounding neighborhoods can be unsafe at night. The school provides security transport however, should you need to get home late at night."
"Tiny library & cafeteria, disconnected from other schools and hospitals so M1&M2 spend all their time together. "
"that the place where basic sciences are taught is one building where the med students are on one side, kinda segregated from the research facilities; kinda reminded me of a high school campus or at least small college (but they do have a big class so i don't know if that'll effect everybody being up in your business)"
"The crime rate in Philly is much higher than New York (where I live). In fact, to come home from Drexel after dark you need a security guard to drive you, because it's too dangerous to walk. "
"MCP Hospital closing definitely gave me a moment of pause. However, I have heard that they have already set up alternate training sites for students, so I don't think it will be big deal down the road."
"The fact that Tenet owns one of the school's hospitals"
"The students that didn't seem very happy"
"On my schedule, i was to have a student lunch/interview from 12-1pm. We had down-time between 11 & 12, and were encouraged to walk freely around the building. Student interviewer actually stopped in to talk to me at 11am, but i wasnt there...He was preparing to study for an upcoming exam, but lost an hour out of his time waiting for me. I felt bad, even though it was beyond my control....This probably could have been avoided...."
"absolutely nothing negatively impressed me about Drexel, I am hoping to be accepted there because it is definitely my top choice, and I can see myself fitting in there so well :)"
"The tuition cost negatively impressed me, but then again the cost of tuition to any medical school would probably negatively impress me. One other thing that negatively impressed me was the fact that Drexel was not taking anymore acceptances at the time of my interview. I have to wait until May 15 (6 to 8 weeks) for any decision."
"snotty attitude of one particularly self-absorbed woman in the admissions office"
"The price, and how the hospital is a shuttle bus ride away. "
"everything seemed very small... the school, the library, the cafeteria. i thought the gross lab was also really small and one of the smelliest."
"My student host was a bit flakey. Should you decide to seek a host, make sure that person is clear on when and where they're supposed to meet you."
"Kind of far from the center city. trains arrive very infrequently"
"Nothing at all."
"A bit small "
"The area is not so hot "
"small campus, but is set in nice philly suburbs"
"$"
"The feeling of instability - Numerous name changes and buy-outs in the past 10 or so years and the recent closing (or soon-to-be closing) of one of their affiliated hospitals through which many of their students do their rotations. "
"Students who choose to study the problem based learning track are virtually in a separate medical school."
"Student interviewer was in it for the free lunch (which he promptly admitted to me). He asked 3 questions in between bites of bad tuna salad and answered my questions (which took way more time than his) tersely. He was obviously going through first-year syndrome (stressed, depressed, etc.) They shouldn't let first years interview at all. "Faculty" interview was with an admissions staff member."
"There is a good part of town and a bad part of town. You cross a traffic light and you are in the bad part - segretation."
"The cost and the student I spoke with said that the research opportunities weren't that great."
"Not much. The size of the library is indeed small, as I am sure you have already read, but none of the students I talked too seemed to feel that it negatively impacted them. Students have access to the library at the University City and Center City campuses of Drexel's other campuses. The one thing that did bother me is the fact that MCP hospital is closing (it was were I had my interview) and that clinical sites are spread throughout the state."
"size of school-lecture halls cannot accomodate all students so some must move to "over flow" rooms where they listen to the lecture on head phones while watching the professor on a screen"
"library is super small for such a large class size. "
"Overall good school"
"far away from center city"
"talking while eating is horrible, alot of downtime, day seemed slightly unorganized"
"class size (~250 students per year), inadequate library"
"Geez...the library was really really small, cause all the articles and journals are on the web. "
"tuition -- it's a private school, so tuition is of course going to be higher."
"There was very little interaction with current students, aside from the student interview. My student interviewer did not give off the best impression of the school (his best reason for choosing it was because it's the only place he got in). The hospital seems a bit old."
"The facilities are a bit on the old side."
"The students in the two separate curriculums have little to know interaction with each other. Many of the students said that they didn't know a single person in the other curriculum."
"Philadelphia. Students were not as mind blowingly smart as the other schools I have been to. "
"there is too much down time in between interviews and presentations..."
"Price is high, but this is true at most private medical schools."
"The size of the class, we didn't tour any of the hospitals you would rotate through, the library was small for such a large class. "
"My interviewer was very cold and accused me of being intolerant simply because I'm from a rural area. The second thing she said to me was how intolerant people from western PA are, which is not true. Then she made the comment that there are not many cows in Philadelphia, which I found to be incredibly rude. I don't know about her, but at least I have manners, even being the hick that I am."
"The facilities seem small and isolated, the student that interviewed me seemed unhappy to be there, the student tour guide said some inappropriate things, which was disappointing."
"a little bit of a small time feel. i dunno, tough to put into words. just alot different that being at Mt. Sinai or NEMC or something."
"The size of the class was overwhelming. I also didn't like having an interview over lunch. "
"can't think of anything."
"Nothing in particular negatively impressed me."
"The area around the campus is mostly residencial and seems like there is very little to do there without going into downtown."
"The campus seems too small, and the interviewees were kept in a conference room most of the time. Both interviewers and admissions personnel were late."
"DOwntown PHilly where the hospital was, thats where my interview was, I had to take a shuttle, the gym"
"My student interviewer seemed like somebody they'd pulled off the street with the lure of a free meal. He was completely unprepared, awkward, and couldn't answer my questions."
"Facilities are crappy. Gym was a joke. Cafteria was tiny. "
"The distance of the campus to Philly. It's not far, but far enough that it would be hard to party there, especially since public transportation stops before midnight in most cases."
"Library a bit small, but there are plenty of other places to study in the medical school. "
"My student interview. The student was obviously not well prepared, had no questions in mind to ask me, and was not very enthusiastic. That they have gone through so many mergers, they seem a bit unstable. "
"Down time between interiviews (but it wasn't too bad)."
"The public transporation is not good and expensive"
"even though they say they are all good now, i think they are still having structural issues adjusting to the merger with drexel. when i went to other interviews and i mentioned that i interviewed at drexel, everyone (including interviewers) would cringe and comment that they have a bad reputation because of their financial problems in the past and reorganization."
"The whole campus is one building, which seemed kind of high-school-ish. Facilities were extremely small (especially since it's one of the largest classes in the US). Library, study spaces, gym, cafeteria...all very small. They don't offer on-campus or school-affiliated housing, which isn't necessarily negative, just odd. Also, they require every student to own a laptop and a PDA."
"The price."
"The school's library, cafeteria, student lounge and gym are all pretty tiny."
"The guy who gave me the tour was kind of negative about living in Philly and didn't like the city. It made me think that the students aren't very happy."
"Nothing"
"7 students/cadaver, too suburban feeling, isolating, not an especially diverse student population. it reminded me of the way i envisioned high school to be before going to high school. kind of camp-like?"
"Its location in greater Philadelphia"
"High-school-ish feel. Big class size. I'm sure it's a fine education, but it doesn't feel like it would be something I'd look back on with fondness. There's not a real sense of community, just 250 individuals who all live off-campus and sort of know each other."
"Everything was great!"
"my studnet interview"
"my student interviewer didn't seem too happy about being there. i don't know if it was just the school or maybe she was just tired. she said "it's an okay school""
"High average debt."
"Our student tour guide was a wacko!!! He seemed very unhappy about his experience at the school..stated that he never went to class or lab...Personally, I'm a little scared that he's going to be practicing medicine!!!"
"The high cost of tuition. "
"The area is not what I'm used to... I supposed I'm spolied by California! "
"cold weather"
"building is kind of rinky dink and the town is not what I expected"
"-Weird neighborhood;it's really suburban on a one block radius around the school but outside of that I could not figure out whether I was in the Third World. -$35,000 a year!!! -Not the best education for your money. -Drexel is a rather unstable institution financially; it changed hands three times in the past 10 years! -The student interview was very clumsily coordinated;in an attempt to make it laid back, they had it during lunch! This was certainly weird and pretty inappropriate. -People had to take shuttle buses to interview locations fromt the school in the outskirts of Philly to Hahnemann hospital in center Philly. -The school had a high-schoolish appearance to it and I did not the get the University feeling from it"
"nothing."
"For the largest private medical school in the country, Drexel has a really SMALL library."
"it was freezing, the style of my interviewer."
"library is very small, but med school building is always open to study. "
"SMALL library...can probably fit about 30 students. also lecture hall can hold a max of 170 students even though class size is over 200 (not that big of a deal since not all studnets go to class). tuition is also very expensive"
"The medical school building itself is dumpy, and the library is tiny (shocking considering Drexel's the largest private medical school in the country). Also, in stark contradistinction to my faculty interviewer, my student interviewer was rather cold and unfriendly. I got the sense she volunteered to do interviews because it gave her a sense of self-importance, and not because she was particularly interested in talking to me about the school. Another compaint is that the tour took us into the gross anatomy room for a couple of minutes, where there were body parts clearly visible and the cadavers were barely covered (at other schools I have seen, the body parts are better concealed, or at least aren't placed in clear bags)."
"The location of the school."
"IF YOU HAVE AN ACCEPTANCE TO ANOTHER SCHOOL, DO NOT BOTHER GOING TO THIS INTERVIEW. The interviewer was rude and condescending and the location is horrible. Believe me, I went there with an open mind, but was really disappointed. Also, the student interviewer told me to go to the school that I was already accepted and he did not seem very happy there. Also, the PIL and IFM students seem to not like each other's programs. And last but not least, COST."
"location, not really near center city philadelphia, but the area is very nice. Kind of quaint."
"i had to go to the hospital for the interview which was 30 minutes away...it wasted away about 2 hrs of time b/c i missed the shuttle."
"Small library size - but not an issue since most materials are available on-line and whole building is open for studying - and setup for wireless web access."
"The students weren't all that friendly and Philadelphia isn't that nice."
"Large size of the incoming class (250). "
"there are 250 students in the class--a little chunky don't you think? Also 1200 students are interviewed! Thats a lot of people and makes you feel like such a number during the application and interview process."
"I heard that other med schools in the area make fun of students here, but after coming here I dont really understand why... You have to have a car by your 3rd year. I am not sure if i got the best vibes from the current students. Not many attend class, the ones I spoke with dont seem as dedicated as some students at other schools, but they were from the post-bacc program, so that could be why."
"The school is basically one building...it is pretty far removed from everything else."
"Nothing really, it is kind of too bad that the med school campus is actually 8 miles from Center City. Also, the library is very, very small."
"Interviewer seemed distant, did not seem to read file beforehand"
"One of the largest number of students in each class and didn't believe that such a number would hinder the quality of student/faculty interactions."
"big class size, campus in a (boring) residential neighborhood."
"the weather (high of 32 F while I was there!)"
"Biggest med school in the country (250 per class), location"
"The school is small and far away from the main city. Don't take a cab to the school. "
"nothing really"
"It seems like the medical school was not hip to what an M.D., Ph.D. does or why one would pursue that degree."
"A student we bumped into on the tour... depressing and disinterested in anything but his upcoming test"
"the area around the school, the cost, few students engaged in research"
"the area surrounding the school was pretty shady. There is absolutely nothing around the school, no restaurants or anything within walking distance. Not an ideal place to live."
"A library the size of my small apartment, the shady area in which the school is located, that there is only one building that makes up the school"
"the area"
"The entire building was so small including the library. Didnt get to interact with the students much during the day"
"Disorganization of the day. "
"The transportation within the suburb is not great, and housing can be dificult."
"There was only one building where classes are taught. The fact that my interview was not at the school and the lack of structure while waiting for interviews. Also, my student interview was rushed. It was supposed to be conducted over lunch, but my interviewer had a test that day and seemed disinterested."
"the library is the tiniest library I've ever seen!!! but they give u the most updated software for free"
"The idea of required voluteer work...I love volunteer work, but I think it negates the meaning of the phrase! also the cost is crazy."
" My student interview was held in the cafeteria ,it was very noisy. The interviewer asked me almost every question twice and I do not know if she could not hear me or expected me to say something more. She talked to me over lunch and held me for 50 min. up until my faculty interview was scheduled. But she was generally nice and was interested in my story."
"My faculty interviewer!"
"would have been ideal if the college was in center city"
"The school is quite small."
"the tuition"
"campus seemed to be a bit depressing"
"Small number of students engaged in research, short summer vacations, run-down student lounge"
"small cafeteria"
"the location of the campus"
"The campus is somewhat smaller than i expected, but it helped to create a more communal atmosphere. "
"Big auditorium packed with students"
"My interviewer hadn't had time to look over my file(he mentioned something about a recently completed or pending surgery), but as he chose to get the information from my file as I was sitting there rather than asking me about myself, there were some strange/awkward moments."
"There are 250 students in the class, so it may be hard to get to know your professors and classmates."
"Location within Philadelphia"
"The size of the building is relatively small to the class. Library, cafeteria, gym are all teeny."
"The library is very small"
"Lecture was very poorly attended (apparently lectures are avail via web-cast and scribe service)"
"The campus--or lack there of"
"The overall USMLE Step 1 pass rate"
"Nothing about the interview, except recently I have heard mixed things about their financial situation."
"tuition, told that iw as interviewing for a wait list spot"
"city/location itself"
"tuition, private school"
"Tuition."
"The school is rather far away from the center of the city and its hospitals. Also, being a private school, its expensive. And I wasn't really impressed with the city of Philadelphia."
"The student interview is a group interview with 2 other applicants (3 applicants in total)"
"That their curriculum is completely flipped and that they lost their affiliated hospital so rotations are a bit of a gamble."
"that my interviewer and interview time would change, they mention that it is possible, but I wish I had more of a heads up"
"two interviews : one faculty open file, one student-led group interview closed file"
"There are two parts - a faculty interview (1 on 1) and a group interview with an MS1"
"The interview is really chill. There is no need to panic"
"that i would have a lot of downtime between the interview day programming; that the faculty interview would only be 30 minutes; that it would be a group interview with the medical student"
"That they really just want to get to know you and they aren't trying to stump you with the questions."
"there's a lot of downtime"
"the essay is not a big deal- also you have a lot of down time. Probably over 1 hour of it"
"Very relaxed."
"There is a 30 essay on an ipad"
"I wish I knew the professor would grill me on everything from my AMCAs."
"No food or snacks are provided until lunch."
"That the essay wouldn't be as stressful as I thought it was going to be."
"I wish I had known how much pressure I would feel walking in the door initially - they had 12 of us seated around a conference table, then had us write an essay. Having everyone else around makes the process feel intensely competitive and much more stressful."
"my interviewer would be so laid back in a somewhat rude and off-putting way. didn't like the vibe of the school"
"the essay isn't that big of a deal (simple, non-medical, ethical question)."
"I was pretty well prepared because I had read over these survey answers in detail beforehand, so nothing really took me by surprise. Make sure that you are prepped for the ethics essay - the prompt I got was pretty much exactly the same as one of the ones that I had seen on here previously."
"How much sitting around time there would be, how chaotic it would be"
"The amount of time we would be sitting and staring in the conference room."
"That this interview would be pointless"
"you'd be sitting in a room for a long time and AT&T doesn't get service on campus"
"That interviews take place off site-- had to ride a shuttle."
"You might be taking a shuttle to be interviewed"
"That most of the day would be spent sitting in a conference room. Now I understand there's nothing to do outside but at least show that you're interested in us."
"Everyone should know about the ethical question essay you have to do while you're in the room with everyone. It's super awkward, but pretty simple if you've thought about these things before. The questions are posted in the forum on SDN."
"Nothing really. This was my 4th interview so I was not shocked by anything."
"Everything was as expected."
"The possible essay questions we'd have to write about!"
"How much down time there would be during the interview day"
"Student interview and the weight of it."
"It's very relaxing."
"I felt pretty prepared."
"How relaxed the interview would be."
"They were going to provide a great assortment of breakfast foods (I wouldn't have eaten the crappy bagels at the hotel I stayed at had I known). Also, the orientation between 9-10 am might take longer than expected, so don't worry even if you have one of your interviews at 10 am - it seems like they were really laid-back about transitions and that type of thing."
"Be prepared be reading everything you can about the Drexel interview process and you won't be surprised by anything."
"you have the entire day to write the essay and it is only 1/2 page"
"I was well informed about the down time and the essay and so on... plow through this survey and you should be fine"
"to not wear heels"
"how short the day would be"
"Whether the student interview is weighted heavily or not."
"How short the interview was going to be. Also, directions to interview room were not clear. Interviewer even remarked that everyone seemed to have trouble finding him."
"I stayed at a bed&breakfast type place the night before and had an allergic reaction to the dust and mold there. I didn't sleep well. Don't forget your allergy pills!"
"That I would have to find my interviewer's clinic alone in downtown philly and that I would be separated from everyone else (their interviews were in another building)"
"To bring a book!"
"How cold it was going to be?"
"That the interview day would be so stress-free and very few questions would be asked about me. Even my student interviewer spent lunch asking me if I had any questions for him the entire time."
"There is a closed-file student interview over lunch that is really really casual. It doesn't feel like an interview at all, actually. You just eat and talk about med school."
"The ethical essay question prompt. You have two topics that you'll randomly get one."
"I had one of the earliest interviews at Hahneman so didn't get to go on a tour :( "
"No need to stress over anything. The more relaxed you are at DUCOM, the better off you'll be."
"that it would be pretty easy"
"that it would be raining on my interview day"
"the shuttle travel which would take more than 30 min in winter to take you from campus to hospital. "
"If you have your faculty interview at the off-site hospital, leave 1 hr before, as opposed to the 30 minutes that the admissions director suggests. The bus takes at least 30 minutes, can leave late, and it may take a while to navigate once you get to the other location."
"Everything ended by 2PM."
"That the final essay piece isn't necessarily an ethics question, and that day is truly made to be as stress free as possible."
"How to get around center city"
"I didn't know 'Drexel University' is in down town, Philadelphia and the medical school is in East Falls section of the town, about 20 min. from down town. "
"I wish I had more time to explore the city. I recommend 'Student Guest House', they are only $85 per night and you can walk to the school. Friendly and professional."
"The medical school campus is in a different campus than the main campus."
"what was on the lunch menu"
"Writing sample (although I did know ahead of time thanks to SDN). Just an ethical situation, but very short, no pressure answer."
"If your faculty interview is at the hospital, it's a 20-min shuttle each way. You will probably miss some of the scheduled activities."
"Get your accommodations early! I stressed a bit about lodging. "
"I wish I knew more about the school and the programs and the area. Surprise essay!"
"The essay"
"my mock interviews were good prep. But I was basically grilled by my faculty interviewer. That interview was much more difficult."
"weather was cold almost similer to NY"
"The interview was very conversational, which was relaxing, but I don't think I was able to answer the questions as fully as I could have."
"a surprise essay during the interview day!?!? boooooooo"
"My interviewer.. personally, because maybe then I would stand a chance."
"that there was a free shuttle from the Hospital to the Campus. i would had taken that instead of the train. "
"the writing sample, although i probably would have worried about it and it was really no big deal. "
"Writing sample during downtime at interview."
"That there would be an essay to be complete at the interview!"
"Nothing really, one of my parents works there."
"The interview was very relaxed. Also my student interviewer said that he was interviewed all the way in April and still got in; which i thought was interesting."
"The train to downtown seems convenient, but it doesn't run that often. "
"the area around queen lane is only residential, not many stores and stuff"
"I wish I would've known how much walking was involved. I definitely would've worn more comfortable shoes!"
"med school is at a different location than the undergrad campus, it's out in the suburbs of philadelphia"
"Over half of students invited to interview are offered admission. "
"There is a shuttle from the school to the downtown. "
"It's been a closed-file interviews for me (my faculty interviewer read the wrong file) That the two curriculum are actually complete systems (everything is different from the other)"
"i stayed in a great bed and breakfast that was half a block from the school and the lady who runs it picked me up from the train station and dropped me off at the interview in the morning ( you can e-mail her at [email protected] )"
"that i was going to be one of 3 people sent to the hospital in center city to be interviewed (it was a 20-30 minute shuttle ride so give yourself some time). and there was no need to be nervous! (everyone was really friendly at drexel med and at the hospital)"
"I have a friend there, so i asked him some questions"
"How to get around the hospital- I was a little late to my first interview because I got lost."
"alot of down time between interviews"
"That it doest take 2.5 hours to get there from my house in traffic (more like an hour)"
"It is very easy to reach the campus by train"
"I wish i was given better directions to my interviewer's office at Hahnemann University hospital- i had to break through a lot of locked doors to get there..."
"That the other interviewees were going to be so nice and friendly... that would have taken away a lot of stress."
"the whole day ended around 1:30. "
"The school is 30min from the airport."
"How cool Philadelphia is. I wish I had given myself more tim to check it out."
"I almost completely dismissed this school's interview invite because of all of the negative things that I've heard about this school. The truth is that the school has a lot to offer and is actually very appealing. At least give it a shot because chances are that everyone can find something that they'll love about this school."
"That they have two different programs to choose from."
"1st and 2nd yr students were prepping/taking final exams, so our interaction with them was minimal."
"That you don't get breakfast, so have your coffee before you get there"
"How suburban and far from the city the school is (this might have a Philly mailing address but this is more of a suburb)"
"That there's a shuttle from Center City to campus-- would have saved me $20 on cab!"
"The campus is so far away from the hospital."
"I wish I had known more about the specific differences between PIL and IFM tracks, and if the two groups are as socially isolated as they seem."
"That so much of the orientation is dedicated to distinguishing the IFM and PIL curriculum. The Drexel website has very little detailed information on the distinctions between these two programs. As such, I planned to ask a lot of questions throughout the day about the differences on everything from academic to social distinctions between the two curriculums."
"Although the College of Medicine is located in Philadelphia, it's really in the residential area and away from all the museums, restaurants, and ''typical night life hot spots'' one would expect from Philly."
"That I would be the one going off campus for the interview. I should have left earlier on the shuttle to compose myself for the interview. "
"How expensive it is."
"that my interview was going to be rescheduled to a different interviewer"
"See above"
"My faculty interview was quick and I felt very rushed. But maybe that was a good thing, since luckily I got accepted soon afterwards. "
"That they don't feed you until they can find a student interviewer to go to lunch with you. (I basically should have brought my own lunch.)"
"If I knew my host was going to play football on Saturday with other med. students, I would have arrived a day earlier."
"Never really practiced any interview questions, so I should have done that..."
"The school is not in a really crappy area like other reviewers said. "
"Apparently they only interview you if they're pretty serious about you. They said that the admit most of the people they interview. (We'll see though ... I should find out in a couple of weeks.)"
"That the school was in the middle of nowhere."
"the train back to the airport (from queen lane station) doesnt come very regularly. this was not a fun situation to be in if your plane leaves just a couple hours after the interview. be sure to look up SEPTA and find the times the train is leaving so you can be sure to get back to the airport in time! "
"That medical school in general is hard."
"That there would be a lot of deadtime during the interview day...there was about 2 hrs where I sat in the conference room just to wait around for an info session at the end of the day."
"The shuttle downtown takes 15-20 minutes and runs every 30 minutes so if you want to make it on time for an interview downtown, consider taking the one an hour before your interview so you're not rushed."
"The coordination with the shuttle to off-site interview is not well worked out. Adds stress, uses up interview time."
"Not to stress too much and not to come during exam time, because the faculty and students were all busy preparing and studying for the exams."
"N/A"
"Drexel interviews 1700+ kids a year for a class of 255!!! And the interviewers are very good at answering any questions you may have (most of the time without you even having to ask the question) so don't worry about not knowing specific stuff ahead of time. "
"That the student interviewer would ask more questions than the faculty interviewer. "
"Trains are really easy to use, but their schedule is often sparse on Sundays, and you can pretty much plan on them coming late."
"It's quite easy to take trains here."
"The B&B we stayed in was really disgusting and needs to be taken off the list they give interviewees"
"No on-campus housing. They are building a new wing that will be done in time for the incoming class."
"that I should have applied to Temple Med School too -- and taken advantage of opportunity to interview at both places."
"All the down time between faculty and student interviews, and I was surprised at how small the campus was. "
"How nice it is"
"School is 2 blocks away from train station. Students give school nickname UC Drexel in ref. to University of California."
"that the student interview is close file and that I was expected to be the interviewer. I had to ask all the questions! It's a good thing I had made a list of questions beforehand."
"breakfast not provided"
"That there would be approx 50 of us interviewing"
"Philadelphia is pretty ghetto and cannot even be called a city."
"gross anatomy lab!"
"that my interviewer would be such an azz-hat."
"That the interview is only 30 minutes. I thought my interview hated me when he began to wrap up after 25 minutes."
"That Drexel had only merged with the other schools 3 years ago... I told you I didn't prepare"
"contrary to a previous feedback post, they do not give you breakfast. lunch yes, but not breakfast. i arrived starving and expecting a raisin muffin or something and ended up going to the cafeteria and buying a bagel."
"That I'd be interviewing with a complete a-hole and that I would have to catch a 20 minute bus to get there. I wouldn't have gone if I had known the first part."
"Traffic is killer...plan to leave early"
"The interview was not going to be stressful, but my interviewer would be unprepared, late, unenthusiastic and type notes about me as I spoke. "
"About half of Drexel's students are from California. The lecture curriculum (you can choose between a lecture curriculum and PBL) is symptom-based and is a fairly new curriculum. It looks really good, even though I would go for PBL myself."
"Very student oriented and there seem to be a lot of non-traditional students. One shock was there 60 applicants there for interviews. They interview everyday as well. I bet less people come in during the week but its still a lot of competition! They said there were about 9700 applicants last year. 20% get interviewd. Don't know how many acceptances are given out but its a big class."
"It was looooooow stress. I was looking forward to flexing my muscles about nifty little facts about U.S. healthcare. I also read up on ethics that never came up."
"The faculty does essentially no research - they are there solely to teach. Pros and cons to this, I think."
"That I was not going to be interviewed by a Doctor."
"I had prepared an answer to the "tell my about yourself" question...but when he pressed for more, I wasn't ready. So have plenty to say about yourself! Make a list of points that you want to get across. "
"It has gone bankrupt more than once!"
"Nothing"
"Nothing out of the ordinary"
"That the school is very update in terms of curriculum & facilities even though its not highly ranked."
"the session at the end of the day is optional, so its possible to be done at 2 instead of 3 (as it says in the interview info)"
"Don't stay at the Holiday Inn that they recommend. There is no shuttle that runs to the College of Medicine and they ignore your requests to call a cab. "
"hospital is that far away from campus"
"That I shouldn't have stressed out so much about it. "
"its FAR from the center of the city"
"This may not be standard, but the office where the faculty interview was held in was very uncomfortably hot. "
"the area around the campus is not especially safe. the curriculum is amazing and very unique."
"The shuttle has to be arranged, way, way, in advance...I was forced to take a taxi, ouch. Oh, and yeah, Holiday-Inn no longer offers shuttle to Drexel, something that I found out the day of my arrival although I check with them several weeks prior. So call couple days before and verify in any case."
"I wish I knew I'd miss the tour of the school because of the interview."
"I wish I had know that I forgot my belt at home. As a tip to fellow applicants that may find themselves in this predicament; be MacGuyver. I used my shoelaces from my regular shoes tied together and they worked well in a pinch."
"Drexel is neither in Philly nor near a hospital"
"that i would really like PIL"
"I wish I had breakfast. Being on California time, my stomach was making all sorts of noises by 10 AM."
"Nothing, I felt very prepared."
"That the campus is really COMPLETELY isolated from Philly. Also, a student told me that if you wanted to go into academic medicine or a subspeciality (like I do) then you shouldn't go to Drexel. "
"That taxis are unreliable, that old houses are hard to get out of (the Bed and Breakfast), that the school is in a random location and that the train station in that direction would be closed..."
"Didnt realize this was in the suburbs of philadelphia- not near center city at all. "
"That the hospital was a bus ride away."
"we actually ate lunch DURING our student interview (just a tad awkward); students live literally across the street from the school."
"Easily accessible through public transportation. Train station from the airport stops two blocks away from the school. (have to transfer once)"
"That the PIL discussion at the end of the day is really optional, and that staying for it wont look better on your part. So unless you're really interested, just leave before it. There is a lot of just waiting around. I probably spent 2-3 hours just waiting with other interviewees."
"i didnt expect to like it as much as i did"
"That there would be so many interviewees. I only had about 5 other ppl at my other interviews. There were 20 ppl at Drexel"
"How relaxed the interview was going to be."
"That all the student interviewees are kept in one room (like a herd of cattle) and then called to interview...then back to the ranch...then lunch....the ranch....then you go home."
"Not everyone is sent down to the hospital for the faculty interview. I ended up staying right at the school. Also the PIL curriculum is capped, only about 40 people are choosen to participate. (if accepted you must apply for the PIL curriculum) "
"They don't provide breakfast - bring a SNACK and a water bottle. That you should get CLEAR, detailed directions and always stay with a student host if you can. Parking costs $5 and check in with the guard when you show up."
"lunch is w/a student interviewer, all housing is off-campus"
"Nothing really. I prepared a lot. Only one tip: if you have to catch the plane back to other places, you may want to make reservation (the earlier the better) for shuttle so the shuttle will pick you up at school. I went to airport by cab, because I did not make reservations in advance. "
"Bring a book. I was lucky to have a morning interview, but others had to wait a long time in between their faculty and student interviews."
"That the interviews were gonna be easy."
"I believe I was well prepared throughout the entire interview."
"i learned nothing new while i was there. "
"That I interviewed on a day when the only other interviewees were applying to a 7-year BS/MD program- so they were in high school. I walked into the information room, saw all these young kids and their parents, and wondered, "Was I supposed to bring my parents?" Kind of weird."
"that the interview day didn't last until 3pm as expected"
"How ghetto the surrounding area of Germantown is. The medical school is one building."
"The medical school is pretty far from Drexel University main campus. About 20 minutes by car."
"the two different types of programs med students cam pick from, PIL or IFM"
"So I was coming in from NJ. Not far, shouldn't be a problem if you leave early right? Think again!It was a freezing cold morning when I found out that N. Phili station ( where you can catch the R8) has no where inside to wait that early. So I was waiting outside in a skirt suit for 30 min until I couldnt feel my legs anymore. It took 3 hours for my feet to come back to life. Then when I got off someone directed me the wrong way- just remember when you get off dont cross to the other side-go straight down queen lane. To add to it, it started snowing for a couple of hours and I had to take the shuttle, cab, train, another train and another cab to get home 4 hours later. Ladies- if you are planning to wear a skirt and heels, change there!! Of course this has no bearing on the school itself, except perhaps that its not too easy to get to the city via regional rail in the winter."
"How hard it is to get a cab out there."
"How exactly the shuttle system at the airport works. And that most applicants were from the east coast or west coast, not the midwest.. I felt kind of like a loner!"
"There was a LOT of downtime when other applicants and I were sitting in the admissions conference room waiting for our interviews. Luckily the other interviewees were nice and fun to talk to, but there were awkward moments."
"Nothing really."
"Drexel is associated with Tenet, although I'm not quite sure what that relationship is."
"Drexel is in a suburban, boring location. They don't even have a coffee shop to go to in the evenings."
"What a traffic nightmare philly is in the morning. Thank god I left early."
"The area around the school leaves a lot to be desired."
"I need to switch cell phone companies if I want reception there"
"If you drive, you can park in the parking lot for free. I came a day earlier to explore the school and went on a self tour. Good thing I did b/c on the interivew day, my interview was early and I had to leave the group tour half-way through so I missed seeing the labs and other stuff."
"expenses"
"drexel is located in suburbia (for first 2 years)"
"How unattractive the area around Drexel is."
"that it was so far away from downtown philly, and that there wasn't much public transportation"
"It takes 30 minutes to go 2 miles on the 76 freeway in the morning."
"that I wouldn' get cell phone reception anywhere on campus (I was waiting to hear from another school)"
"I should have guessed that I would be sent off site for my interview, just my luck. I get kind of car sick when I ride in those bumpy shuttles and the crazy driver did not help! I also wish I knew that my interviewer would not have my file. I was glad I brought a copy of my AMCAS!"
"How annoying the trains are to get out to the school. Especially on Sundays (they run every hour and a half). I would highly recommend staying in one of the bed-and-breakfasts the school recommends, just to save a headache or an expensive cab ride on the morning of your interview."
"That I should have used the train to get from the airport to my hotel instead of spending $40 in a taxi."
"How relaxed it was going to be."
"I wish I knew the hospitals were not so close to the medical school campus."
"The R8 train from 30th street stations is really slow. Leave plenty of time if you are taking it in the morning, or take the free shuttle to campus from Hahnemann hospital."
"Interviewing can be pretty laid back. Student interview was chill, basically a lunch buddy. Students sign up daily to interview applicants for the free lunch."
"that their cafeteria is really really small! and the food is not so great..."
"The student interview was conducted during lunch, so neither of us were really able to eat since we were trying to talk."
"There are no real clinics directly next to the campus. The campus is just for classes, nothing else."
"not much...there's a lot of info on the school's website."
"they were not currently making anymore acceptances. "
"Nothing, I think it was fitting that this was my last interview...I had it scheduled since December...I wish that the decision process was sooner...but I am willing to wait :)"
"Nothing, really took me by surprise. This website prepared me for anything that would take place on interview day."
"a few of their interviewers are real lemons"
"the school's proximity to the "bad area" of town. "
"That the medical school is so far away from Center City Philly. Nevertheless, the school's facilities are sweet and the people are great!"
"Nothing I can think of."
"They might stop issuing acceptance before the file is reviewed. "
"They take 6-8 weeks to get back to you"
"nothing really"
"It can get hot in the interview room..."
"How relaxed the day would feel : )"
"Nowhere to eat but the cafeteria. Med school is in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the suburbs. Hospital is downtown. "
"Interviewing over lunch is not a good idea. It is hard to hear in the cafeteria, and generally hard to make a good impression while eating! But lunch is not bad."
"There is a lot of down time waiting for interviews so pray that you won't be stuck in the room with annoying people who love to talk about how great they are and how many interviews they have been on."
"What a great place Drexel is. I came expecting the worse and left totally converted."
"drexel isn't really close to center city. it's a good 20 dollar cab-ride."
"MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOUR AUGUST 2003 MCAT SCORES!!! I confirmed prior to my interview that they had received my scores. Drexel said yes. At the interview, the guy spent 30 minutes drilling me on my MCAT scores. But I didn't know where this was coming from since I did fine on my August MCAT as opposed to my April scores. (I got like a 10 on my April MCAT :) And then towards the end of the interview, I mentioned I took the MCAT twice, and then he's like "Oh, that changes alot of things". Confirm with your interviewer that they have your AUGUST 2003 scores. ITS A MUST.."
"interview with student over lunch, don't expect to eat very much while you try to present yourself positively in 20 minutes"
"That I didn't need to read the website because the hour-long presentation covered everything prior to the interview..."
"There is a SEPTA subway terminal right next to the school. And not all the interviews were held on campus; some interviewees were shuttled to the hospital in downtown Philli. "
"do not stay at the bed and breakfast on i believe it's called Pennsylvania street or something like that. They are a couple with a child and a dog. They put you in the attic and it's literally a HOLE, and the showere BARELY works. It's more worth it to pay a little more and stay at a nearby hotel. "
"You have to take a shuttle to your faculty interview- not a terribly big deal but it would've been nice to be forewarned. Drexel has an interesting history which you will learn during the info session. Also, third and fourth year rotations are done all over PA and NJ. It allows for a broad experience, but you will have to travel and in many cases be assigned housing at that facility. I would recommend staying for the PIL presentation. It is definitely worth it, be prepared for an inspiring presentation!"
"That my interview would be at a hospital in center city Philadelphia, ten miles away from the school. That the medical school is not actually anywhere near the Drexel Campus, which is in downtown Philadelphia."
"How diificult it is to get to the school from the airport."
"That we would actually go into the anatomy lab - I have never seen a cadaver before so this was kind of weird, but I think they do it to spice up the tour and also see how you react. There you are in your nice business suit, and the students are in scrubs, arm deep in a cadaver, saying, "Look, isn't this cool?" So just be prepared. Also, don't freak if your faculty interviewer is at the psychiatric hospital, mine was and it was fine."
"That my interview would not be relaxed and conversational like everyone else's, and that I would have to defend myself againt being accused of being intolerant of other cultures."
"The students are segregated according to the style of learning they prefer, so even though the class is big, it probably seems smaller depending on which program you choose."
"The medical school's past financial problems. At least they brought the problems to the applicants' attention though. "
"I had one student interviewer and one faculty interviewer. The faculty interview was open-file, and the student interview was closed-file. "
"I had to take a shuttle to downtown for my interview. It wasn't super stressful or anything, but it would have been nice to know that ahead of time."
"Some interviews may be off site at Hannemann Hospital."
"Nothing really. I'd found out from SDN that I would most likely have to take a shuttle to have my interview at another location."
"How warm the conference room where the morning presentation was held. I wouldn't have worn an undershirt, my upper body was dripping with sweat."
"Be prepared to possibly have your faculty interview at a different location. Shuttles run every half hour to and from the medical school."
"That there are so many CA people there, and they seem to segrigate themselves a bit. "
"the student interview is during lunch"
"Buy train tickets before getting on the train. It saves you money. Try staying with a student host. WEAR COMFY SHOES girls!!!"
"that the school itself is in a very residential area of philadelphia"
"Not much."
"It takes a long time to get from the airport to campus by train."
"It's good to know that the campus is outside of center city- a 30 min train ride. OH and if you buy your ticket on the train it costs more than if you buy it ahead of time."
"You have to drive on streets for a while to get there, at least from NY. "
"That they would stress "WHY DREXEL???" and that we'd have so much time to ourselves."
"The Queen Lane campus is not that easy to find! Just allow yourself plenty of time to get to the school if you are not familiar with the area."
"its not really a campus so to speak just one building."
"The campus is very beautiful..even if it is just one building. It was interesting that they took us into the gross anatomy lab while the students were dissecting! Most school that I've been to didn't allow us to observe the lab while it was in session. Some students like our student tour guide hate the school...while others love it...some students actually approached me at my lunch interview and talked to me for a while about how much they loved the program!! I guess you really have to make sure you'll love the school before you decide to go there. Personally I loved the friendly atmosphere!!"
"Be prepared that you may need to take a shuttle into the city or to other facilities to get to your faculty interview. Not a big deal, but was unexpected."
"That the location of the school is urban."
"that the entire school was just one building. "
"that I wasn't scheduled to interview until may 12th...made things a little more stressful"
"The difficulty of finding this place; leave to the inteview well ahead of time and don't be afraid to ask for directions."
"How many high school seniors had applied for the same program."
"BRING AN OVERCOAT"
"Med school not near downtown. Med school in a residential area miles away from anything."
"They give you a six dollar voucher for lunch, but if you go any amount over the six dollars you must pay the difference (i.e., they won't let you put something back and take it off the bill)."
"That there really is no medical campus, but rather just one building."
"I had called the admissions office and asked about the grading system when I was deciding to interview and was told it is honors, pass, fail. When we were there, we found out it is a 5 tiered system. Also, the students are sent out to locations all over the state for 3rd and 4th year, which makes school more difficult."
"Auditorium isn't large enough for the class - overflow rooms are used that have a live lecture feed. Not a problem later in the semester when fewer people go to class."
"Nothing."
"More about the Drexel/MCP merger. Be prepared to travel across the city to do the second interview with the faculty member--there are shuttles, but don't get on the wrong one like me."
"That no one stayed for the optional PIL information session. All it really is is some student that will come talk to you, and I got that info from the host i stayed with, so I could have taken a way earlier flight home. The PIL and IFM students kinda dont have any contact with one another, they both think that the other curriculum is weird (IFM thinks PIL is easier bc less exams and stuff, PIL thinks that IFM is lame bc its just some one feeding you the information you need to know, you get a big stack of notes and study from there)"
"You can't go to the campus and explore the day before...they won't let you!!"
"that it would be a pretty long day"
"If you're taking a cab from the airport, tell the driver that the school is in the West Chestnut Hill area. Also, some interviews are conducted at MCP Hospital, which is a few minutes away by shuttle. Finally, if you're planning on doing any sight seeing, most museums are closed Mondays."
"I was about to walk from U. Penn (where my friend lived) to the school. It is not at the Drexel University. It is far away. Follow the directions in the brochure that they give you. Don't rely on Mapquest. They are wrong."
"I wish i had known that the mreger between Drexel and MCP is limited insofar as one can't or is discouraged from working with a faculty member on Drexel's main campus."
"Drexel is the largest medical school in the United States."
"how horrible the neighborhood was, and how housing is such a complicated matter."
"That the Raddisson I stayed at was about a 30 minute drive from the school. "
"that the interview day doesn't really last until 3p. The latest it goes is until 2:30p. At 2:30p is an optional info session on PIL program."
"The student host program was incredibly difficult to work around. I would reccomend just staying in a hotel. "
"That they really hadn't organized the optional PIL info. session and I should have left right after my faculty interview."
"That the board passing rates for PIL and IFM for the most part have been the same. "
"taxi is $35 bucks, DO NOT TAKE THE TAXI, TAKE THE SHUTTLE!!! THEY ARE MORER RELIABLE, trust me, the taxi people left me waiting an hour before they came, I was on the way to the train station ($7) when the stupid taxi came. "
"Not to stay at Center Line Holiday Inn....nice place but the staff is incompetent"
"The campus consists of only one building and the area did not impress me."
"wish i knew the directions better"
"You can leave after your last interview and don't have to stay till 3pm."
"you have to apply to get into the PIL track after you get accepted"
"There's an optional session at 2:30 about the PIL program. Otherwise, the day is pretty much over at 1:30 or 2 pm."
"the exact driving direction, try not to get lost in the vicinity, some places can be pretty tough."
"how slummy this area of Philly is"
"Nothing.....it was very smooth and i'm happy to have gotten the chance to interview there. "
"That taking the wrong 676 exit sends you over the Ben Franklin bridge and near Camden, NJ."
"That parking does not need to be validated, you can just leave the lot because the gate is up."
"I knew from this site that the campus is in North Philadelphia but if you are not driving, look up the transportation system early because it's a little complicated and inefficient."
"That the campus is actually in East Falls (N. Philly) not Center City (Philly)."
"The hospital is about 15-20 minutes from the school in Center City."
"that i was going to be put on the wait list...would have reduced the stress level"
"The SEPTA train is a very good way to get from the airport to the school."
"Not very stressful, both interviews were very conversational."
"The overall interview was neither positive or negative. Either way would love to attend here in the future!"
"both interviews are very conversational and casual, which helps ease the stress but also makes it tricky to try to stay formal with answers"
"Two interviews. One w faculty member, then one group interview w/ student"
"I thought my interview went very well"
"they had a curriculum q&a to answer questions about their curriculum as it is pretty different from other schools. even though there is a big independent learning component, the student i spoke with seemed to like it. the school seems really committed to serving the community and teaching its students about health advocacy."
"everyone was super nice, very chill day. The essay is also low stress; basically CASPR part 2"
"Really enjoyed the interview day, everything was very laid back and they seemed to genuinely want to get to know me as a person."
"Relaxed day. Two interviews: a one-on-one open-file faculty interview that lasts approximately 30 mins and a group closed-file interview with 2 other interviewees and a current student (very casual "interview" over a lunch and campus tour)."
"Only one interview that was suppose to be 30 minutes, very relaxed. The tour was great because we saw the entire building. We even went into the cadaver lab, which was awesome."
"The interview experience heavily depends on who you have as your interviewer. My first interview here was completely conversational and flowed greatly; the time passed quickly. My most recent one was robotic: question - answer, question - answer, goodbye."
"I was immediately turned off from the school once I met my interviewer. After being 10-15 minutes late, the first thing she did was rush into the waiting room, look at me, and say "well come on." Like I was the late one. She didn't even introduce herself. I was disappointed to say the least."
"This school was spectacularly underwhelming."
"Bad location, old facilities, super big class size, seems like no one really is super proud they go there"
"Seemed outdated. Micro lab has old microscopes. Students were very enthusiastic, friendly, and eager to answer any questions."
"In your interview it is so important that you are honest and real. These professors, doctors, and admissions committee members have been doing this for years and can tell right off the bat whether or not a student is being themselves. If you were invited for an interview, Drexel has some sort of interest in you so be confident, but never arrogant."
"Had a poor experience interviewing at Drexel. Although parts of my experience are unique to me, I think overall the interview day for myself and many of my fellow applicants was disappointing. Two fellow applicants told me that their interviewers were on the phone the whole time during their interviews..."
"The student interviews are laid back but they still matter quite a bit."
"nothing special"
"My interview day at Drexel was overall not the best. I had an idea about the day from reading this survey and SDN. The essay was given at the beginning of the day and wasn't hard at all, so don't worry about that too much. So my faculty interview was at the adjacent campus in Central City so I had to take a campus shuttle. My interviewer was over a half an hour late because he was tending to patients and basically hinted the whole interview that I was good but not good enough. Then I was late coming back to campus and my student interviewer was nice but we ended up finishing up an hour after the scheduled end of the day, which was a little annoying. Overall, I didn't feel very welcome at Drexel, like I wasn't good enough and didn't sense a warm feeling from the students."
"Good, solid curriculum (two choices!), good clinical experiences in M1, M2. Easily accessible via pub trans (SEPTA, 9 bucks to airport). Interview was much more conversational than interrogative."
"Fantastic school that is community-focused and seems like it wants its students to succeed."
"more organization needed. desperately."
"I really liked this school because they are one of the few MD schools that give an alternative learning pathway, I like the sense of an innovative curriculum."
"Not impressed."
"I wish I had Temple interview...since it will take over the Allegheny Gen Hospital in Pittsburgh"
"Very laid back interview, nice facilities, seems like a very positive student community"
"Drexel doesn't even try to make an impression on its applicants. Don't expect to feel special on interview day. You won't get a name tag or breakfast."
"The clinician who interviewed me was late, answered two phone calls while I was in his office with him, and then proceeded to seem disinterested and asked me a total of 2 real questions. One of which was "where else have you gotten interviews?" which totally caught me off guard. But then I was accepted almost immediately, so I have no idea what to think now."
"An overall good day."
"I really enjoyed the interview overall. It was very laid back, and the essay at the beginning of the interview was a breeze. It wasn't made to be a critical thinking exercise."
"There was an ethics essay at the beginning of the day, but you are given plenty of time to complete it."
"Good experience there."
"Loved it here, although it's not big and shiny."
"If you interview on a Sat, expect things to wrap up by 1pm. You will not see the hospital downtown as the faculty interviewers will all be waiting for you at the school itself. There will be more or less 3 essay prompts from which you'll get one assigned in your packet. You can start thinking about it during the presentation which starts off the day. You'll have all day to finish the essay which should not go over half a page."
"Generally my interviewer was very relaxed and mostly friendly. She didn't ask anything about healthcare or ethical issues. Simply went over my application and asked about my experiences/activities/grades. It is important to take time to phrase your answer. I hurried to answer and didn't sound too convinced/confident. Overall it was a nice and cozy school, with friendly students and approachable staff."
"Very solid nice school, compacted campus, friendly environment, in general a very nice place I'd say"
"Good to know about the essay!"
"there needs to be a better schedule. Having people randomly leave the tour or sitting for hours waiting is horrible. Off campus shuttling is ridiculous."
"I really liked the school's curriculum, student body, extracurriculars, and community involvement."
"Definitely a cool school. I really like that they had a Saturday interview option, great for not having to miss work. Also, if you interview on a Saturday everything is conducted at the school (no having to take shuttles downtown) and they move things along - we were all done by 1 pm."
"the school is fine but I just didn't like the area and can't see myself living there."
"My student interview was during lunch and lasted maybe 20 minutes. He was very personable and it was more like a chat than anything but I was still nervous. My faculty interview was at Hahnemann after lunch and it lasted maybe 10 minutes. He was nice and although he asked me a few questions that were clearly designed to test my response to situations where there is no easy answer, he didn't grill me and he accepted it when I gave an honest "I don't know.""
"I really wish I had been given a better chance with the interviewer. He did not seem very receptive to what I had to say and got quite confused with my activities despite the fact that they were right in front of him. The student guest house is AMAZING. You get a ride to the school and they are such a nice family! They are so sweet and really put you at ease prior and after an interview."
"The essay they make you write wasn't nearly as bad as I feared. Just relax and have a good time! Student interview is closed file and faculty interview is open."
"I had a great time at Drexel, and I know I will be going there upon a acceptance. I think its a wonderful school, the interview is very relaxing and low stress. Be prepared to have a student interviewer who is not having a wonderful day. "
"Your interview will vary greatly depending on who interviews you. Also, I didn't quite understand the scheduling of interviews throughout the day. One guy didn't get to go on the tour because he had to dip out early to catch the shuttle to the downtown interview site at the hospital. Also, another girl had to miss the optional PIL Q&A period because her interview was scheduled concurrently. Also, the above ratings might look a bit low, but I find it hard to rate this school. I like Center City/downtown Philly, but where the M1 and M2 years are spent is bleh. Very boring, nothing to do, must drive 15-20 minutes in either direction to really have fun/eat after hours/party/ etc."
"The whole process was very low-stress, and both interviewers (one faculty open-file, one student closed-file) were relaxed and friendly. I found the interview timing/organization a little strange given that one student was shafted on the tour, but having students coming and going helped the casual feel of the day."
"Drexel was a pleasant surprise. It's a well-equipped med school and has a very easygoing, scholarly environment. "
"I really loved the school and want to come! PIL program sounds more attracting as I learn more about it."
"Very conversational--I wouldn't worry about it. It was definitely stress free!"
"nice enough school no doubt. There was a presentation in the morning, powerpoint. i thought this was a huge waste of time and gained nothing from it. you wait in a room with about the 10 other students whom you are interviewing with, and you can end up waiting there for about a half hour or so before the interview. there are 2 interviewers, student and teacher. the student is at lunch. she tried to ask me tough questions, and i wasnt quite sure of how she wanted me to act - was this a 'be yourself and act casual because you are talking with a student at lunch and they want to see how cool and friendly you can be" interview'' or was it a regular interview where they grill you with questions, and they try to get you into a false sense of security by placing you in the caf. In other words, the student was asking me regular interview questions, but at same time you are supposed to have a natural conversation with the student at lunch. I guess i wasnt sure of the angle the student was taking, and how i was supposed to respond and act. The teacher was nice enough. VERY short. Not sure how to take this. I asked a couple questions, but not too many. He only asked about 3 or so. I've got to agree with other comments on here, they don't go out of their way to wow you and entice you to come there. They do not make you individuallly feel unique or anything, and try to get you to come to the school. It was like the group i was with was interviewed as a whole, as opposed to being a day for me. Does this make sense?? email me with questions if you want. "
"accepted 02/06/09"
"I live in a neighboring state. But I went (car) to philly one day ahead (because of a messy snow storm), stayed overnight at the student guest house, went to interview in the morning and drove back home. First I had my faculty interview (open file) at the downtown hospital and then the student interview (closed file) back at the campus during lunch. There is an essay-you have the whole day to write it. The downtown hospital has many buildings with many names. So leave time, so that when you get there by shuttle, you could ask people and go to the appropriate building on time. They have two curricula which they will show you during the tour in the morning. Be prepared for weather and if you happened to have a downtown interview, have a basic idea of the route to the shuttle stop. Finally, the student guest house - if you have to, then stay with them. The family is very nice. They provide wireless internet, breakfast, ride to the campus in the morning, and they even cleaned the snow off my car. Everything went well except the weather (snow, ice, rain...basically everything you expect). I hope Drexel would accept me (6-8 weeks for the decision). Good luck to all. "
"If you stay at Moving Arts B & B, Pam, the owner will take good care of you. She picked me up from the airport, dropped me off, made sure my room was nice and warm (the room I had was really spacious), and she does whatever you might need to help your interview go as well as possible. She also gave me a heads up on what to expect for the interview (most her customers are applicants to DUCOM). The B & B doesn't come with breakfast but there is a nice cafe across the street that has delicious pastries baked daily and some amazing apple juice. Ask Pam about it and she'll point it out for you."
"Drexel seems like a great school to attend. Check it out."
"I love Drexel, the students are happy and the faculty know the students. The PIL program is a great side to the traditional lecture based programs. Faculty interview is open file followed by a student interview closed file over lunch. Stay with a student if possible they give plenty of info and the real dirt on the school if any. There are trains that run from the airport to Queen lane (med campus) for $10 one way."
"I feel pretty good about my interview and the school, there were some grilling questions but they didn't surprise me. Overall, it was a positive experience. I really like the school and the area. I can see my self coming here. "
"My student interviewer told me to tell everyone to take the student interview seriously, it is as important as the interview with the doctors. Find accommodations early, I recommend 'Student Guest House' they are practically around the corner from the school. Friendly and professional and only $85; Can't go wrong. Good luck!"
"Stay at 'Student Guest House' if you can to reduce stress of the day, they are just around the corner from the medical school and to the train station, it is a perfect place to stay for the interview, they only host Drexel medical student interviewees so the place is set up for the purpose. They understand the process and the stress of the interviews and trys to accommodate everything we need for the interview. They are friendly and helpful and knowledgeable about the area. The only thing is they have only two rooms so reserve soon, you don't want to be the one telling horror stories about where you stayed like some of the students at the orientation. "
"I was very impressed with my whole experience. My faculty interviewer and student interview were friendly, informative, and professional. I loved the campus and the city seems pretty cool too. Overall a low stress and positive experience-I had fun! I could not have been more happy when I received my accept :)"
"Nice school in an ok suburban setting. The transportation around the area is ok, but car recommended. A school I wouldn't mind attending but not my first choice."
"My student interviewer was nice, but didn't seem very enthusiastic."
"Pretty relaxed. I was really impressed. The faculty interviewer really knew my file, which was comforting."
"My interview experience was ok but not too exciting."
"The interview was conversational and easy going. I had an interview at 'Hannaman Hospital', 20 min ride from the med. school, it was an interesting experience I liked it. "
"Student interviewer loved me... said I was the best interview he has done in years. Make sure you have a LOT of questions to ask because my student interviewer only had one question for me. Make sure you can talk about interesting things you have done throughout your career/studies during the student interview (show your personality and dedication to medicine). I think my faculty interview was very different from others who interviewed at Drexel in the sense that it was not laid back or conversational. The faculty interviewer grilled me and really wanted to know why I chose medicine since healthcare is going down the drain and doctors are paid less and are less respected. I felt like I was defending my choice like you would defend your thesis. But all his questions were fair, and I do believe he really wanted to be sure I had thought thoroughly about my decision to go into medicine. All of the questions I listed were asked by the faculty interviewer. Despite the tough interview, I really enjoyed the whole experience."
"Two interviews: faculty interview and student interview. The faculty interview is open file, while the student interview is closed file over lunch. Interviews are held in two places, either at the med school campus or at the hospital in philadelphia. If you are interviewing at the hospital, you will need to take a shuttle from the med school to your interview."
"They popped a little essay on us while we were waiting for our interviews. I believe it was along the lines of describing when its okay to break the rules, when have you broke the rules, and what were the reaction to you breaking the rules. They gave you one sheet and you had to write it on that sheet, one side only."
"The people I met were great and it was refreshing to see such down-to earth faculty members and student body. The campus is small and the area around it isn't very nice, but it does allow for more focus on school!"
"I absolutely COULD NOT convince this guy I wanted to go to drexel; I had really solid good reasons, which I told him over and over again. I felt like the man was selling Penn, Jeff, and every other school in Philly. Low-key and the rest of the interview was totally pleasant and not stressful at all...I just should have been more prepared to say why drexel is the king of the world, I suppose :) good luck all"
"He implied that I wasn't medical school material because I would neglect my kids, I was too serious, and not compassionate, even though I brought up good points, and reasons to the contrary. Watch out for this one. Oh, also, if you get him, have a bunch of stuff ready to ask/tell him... The interview started with... "So, do you have any questions?" Then he asked me 2 or 3 questions, then, "Would you like to add anything?" I sat there for a good 3 mins trying to think of anything to show how good of an applicant I am, but I hadn't prepared to pitch my entire app. Oh also, don't talk about anything on your AMCAS app, he doesn't like that, you hafta talk about other things. Anyways, expecting a rejection in 6 weeks.. I'll update if that isn't the case."
"This was my worst interview. I had 5 other interviews at this point and 3 acceptances. But my interviewer was so mean and pushy that he make me think that i was the worst candidate. It was a really bad interview. "
"students seem to really like the school. admissions could do a better job of selling it, though. they really try to push the two curriculums, so be sure to investigate that even though they tell you a lot about it. your interview may be soon after you arrive. "
"There was one faculty interview (open-file) and a one-on-one student interview over lunch (closed-file). They said both counted equally. I loved the school and would be happy to go there."
"Was my last choice school when I applied, but only because it's location was very near where I grew up. Was easily the largest school I applied to which I was not a fan of, but am grateful that they were the first school to accept me."
"Miae at East Falls Bed and Breakfast is awesome. She made me a great breakfast and drove me to my interview. She's a super sweet lady."
"My interviwer who is the anatomy prof. did not get a chance to read my file. In a way i liked that because he gave me a chance to talk about my application.It was very conversational and my interviwer was genuinely interested in getting to know me."
"Very low stress, overall a nice day. I learned a lot about the school and came away with a good impression. "
"Tour guide was fine. Seemed to like the school but couldn't pinpoint anything. The sim lab seems nice but we couldn't see it. Would have liked to see the hospital. Would never go here after my day and my rude interviewer. "
"It was like everyone elses on SDN, but i was interviewing for a BS/MD program. I had my fac. int. in the city. My interviewer was late 15 mins. I am thinking he was in a hurry bc he only asked me 2 questions. I was surprised when his second question was do u have any questions for me? Now came the improv. I had to incorporate my statements into what i was asking and what he was saying (such as y i want to become a doctor, why drexel, etc.)"
"The interview is very conversational and pleasant. The student interview is closed file and give over a quick lunch as a brief assessment of whether the student feels your personality would fit in at the school. My faculty interview was with a professor of pathology, downtown at Hahnemann Hospital (a shuttle ride away). He was very pleasant and easy to speak to. "
"Good... both of the people that interviewed me were really nice. I liked the tour a lot... very informative and entertaining. "
"The experience was not that exciting. I felt like Drexel did not make a personal effort to attract the students. It was bascially like they wanted you focus on the boring computer gadets they had. The student interview was the peak of my day because she was actually personable. The admissions staff tour guide was really friendly as well. Other than that everyone seemed like robots that were just getting the job done. My interviewer did not make an effort to get to know me. Maybe she was having a bad day.The school appears to be a sound school but depending on the staff or faculty you met, you might not see it that way."
"The school is exactly as I expected it be. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm from students, but that could've been due to the exams that were happening for 2nd year students. I also found that the other interviewees were not as friendly as those I've been with at other schools."
"The student interviewer asked me harder questions than the faculty. He asked me serval questions about healthcare and ethics. After that we just did small talk."
"There were two interviews, one with an admissions committee member (either a clinician or one of several people who work in the admissions department) and the other over lunch with a student. The first interview is more formal, open-file, and in the office of your interviewer. The second interview is in the cafeteria with a student. It's much more laid back, closed file, and you will have many opportunities to ask questions about student life. Overall, the interview is very low stress, with the interviewers friendly and affable and open to questions. This is not the kind of interview you need to stress out about, and as long as you can talk reasonably articulately about your experiences, you should be fine!"
"very relaxing, student body is very friendly"
"It was a great experience overall. I didn't feel much of stress. But the weather really had a strong impact on me since I came from the south; the freezing wind almost knocked me off the ground. Spare a lot of time for yourself if you are flying, the delayed flight easily swallow 5 hours of your time."
"the faculty interviewer was very nice and attentive..the student interview was held during lunch and was pretty laid-back as well"
"It was great. I felt like the interviewers were trying to see if Drexel would be a fit for me, and not necessarily vice versa which was nice. I portrayed to them this is my #1 choice and hopefully that showed. Great school, great facilities, students LOVE Drexel. Everyone I have ever met has loved Drexel."
"the people there (faculty, students, doctors, and the random people i met in between my interviews) were friendly so it helped alot with keeping me relaxed and calm. even the interviews i had were more like conversations and not a stress test like i was afraid of. "
"A mix of good and bad. The interviewers were great and the student I had lunch with was very nice as well. The opening presentation needs to be reworked and the student tour guide was clearly there only for the free lunch."
"Everything was great, except for the interview! Be ready and prepared for those tough questions, esp. about your past experiences is you are a non-traditional student."
"This was my first interview, but I thought it was a good way to start. Everything was pretty low stress, and my student interviewer was really friendly and helpful in answering my questions. I really enjoyed going to one of the first year classes."
"my impression of drexel has completely changed after visiting. Drexel is very student oriented and would be a great place to learn. Would go if i got in. "
"The day started at 9 with a presentation about the school which was about 45 minutes long then a tour of the school for about an hour. After that some had faculty interviews and the rest waited until 12 to do student interviews(I had my faculty interview first). I interviewed with the microanatomy professor for the school. She was nice. At 12 I had my student interview over lunch which was really relaxed and easy going. After my student interview I went home at 1pm. Oh yeah, I got accepted yesterday."
"We arrived and conveined in a conference room where we introduced ourselves to each other. We had a presentation the Drexel's history as a medical school, the current curriculum, financial stuff, etc. We had a tour given by a first year. My faculty interview was on site (some were downtown) and early (some where later), so I had my faculty interview and then my interview with a student over lunch. Some people did things in the reverse order depending on the time of the faculty interview."
"Everyone was friednly and willing to answer quesitons. The presentation at the begining was only ok, and the tour wasnt given by a student, but people were so helpful that it made you want to spend more time with them."
"It seemed pretty standard - a group of 11 interviewees were given a presentation about how great Drexel is, given a student-led tour of the medical school, then lunch with a student interviewer, and then a faculty interview at Hahnemann. The most stressful part was just making sure i could get to my faculty interview on time and i felt like my student interview was a bit rushed."
"pleasant and laid-back"
"Overall, It was a good experience, my interviewer was very nice and it ended up being more of a conversation with some questions thrown in. He was very interactive though and made me feel like I was answering the questions well. I also had an interview with a student who was quirky but very nice as well. We interviewed over lunch and he asked a few questions about me and what I do because this interview was closed file."
"low stress. powerpoint presentation of the school and it's curri. no financial aid stuff. uncomfortable setting for student interviewer(over lunch at noisy cafe.) Faculty interview was Dr. Nunez. She was very nice person to do interview with. There were about 12 interviewees about 5 of them had to take suttle to Hospital in downtown for their interview. "
"I loved the school and the technology. It was nice seeing they have 2 different curriculums, but I felt that the students were a bit competitive with the students in the other curriculum. It was extremely laid back and there was no reason to be nervous at all. It was a kind of do your own thing interview day with the schedule they give you - and you can just leave when you're done. "
"Fun experience. The school is very technologically advanced and the facilities are immaculate. The PIL program seems awesome and they allow clinical exposure very early on in your education. The faculty interview only lasted fifteen minutes which was kind of odd, but the student interview over lunch, though slightly awkward, was great and the students seem very happy. Had a great time and would love to attend this school."
"Interview day was well planned, with an orientation in the morning and then a Student guided tour. The Dean of Admissions gave the orientation, and she was super friendly and funny. After the tour, I had my interview with the Dean, lasted 40 minutes and it was mostly conversational. Then I had a lunch interview with a student who was a bit quirky but very nice. He told me after lunch that he would write me a positive review! Overall, it was a good day!"
"There were two interviews, one faculty interview that was open-file, and another student interview that was closed-file. Each interview was 30 minutes. Both interviews were very conversational, but the faculty interview was very fast-paced because we only had 30 minutes for her to get all her questions in. The student interview was very relaxed. For me, it actually ended up lasting for over an hour, but it was more of a conversation than an interview. However, the student interview does address some more ''difficult'' issues, such as if you are ready for medical school, what past experiences have prepared you, and how do you think you would adjust."
"Interviewer was very nice and courteous and set a very comfortable tone. I almost felt like I was talking to my mother (of course, in a good way). She was very intersted in learning more about me and even seemed impressed to very impressed with much of what I had to say about my experiences. Faculty interview was relatively short but I got to say everything I had to say. And she didn't mind at all that I had more questions for her than she had for me! It went great. Student interviewer was cool and helpful too - completely non-confrontational. Students I met were great and in general they seemed like a pretty jovial bunch. Still, I have trouble balancing out all of these positive feelings I have about the school with that nagging sense that something still seems off. The name-changing, the accreditation issues, and the struggles of Tenet all play into this school as well, even if it doesn't seem like it. I dunno, it just looks a little too good to be true."
"My interview was at the hospital downtown so I took the shuttle from the med school to get there. My interviewer was semi-serious but didn't ask any difficult questions. It was over very quickly."
"A positive overall experience. Know your application very well and be able to communicate it to your interviewer. The interview day ended at 1pm since the people who were scheduled to present for the afternoon had unexpected commitments require their attention."
"Since it was so late in the cycle, I didn't really expect much from the interview even though they reassured us that we were interviewing for acceptances. With that said, I wasn't very stressed and decided to just be honest with my interviews. Luckily, my faculty interviewer was really sweet and sincerely just wanted to have a conversation. I'm not a huge fan of the lunch-interview, but my student interviewer did seem really nice, although he did ask more difficult questions that my faculty interviewer. "
"The interview was laid back as many people already said. The student and faculty interviews are given equal weight. I really felt like the student interview was an opportunity to really sell myself because the student was laid back and didnt ask me the jarring and challenging questions like I thought she would."
"The tour and the presentation you get in the morning about Drexel was uneventful and boring at worst. I was interviewed by an admissions officer who literally had never laid eyes on my file before-- since I was told that interviews were going to be open file, this took me by surprise. The interviewer's body language was extremely negative, like she was bored at what I was talking about. I had a terrible feeling when I left the interview, but I ended up getting in. Don't let the turkeys get you down!"
"Overall very laidback and easy going. Interviewers were very nice (one teacher, one student) and staff seemed very enthusiastic. Didn't get to interact with other interviewees very much because we all had different schedules. Facilities were beautiful. Although this seems like a ''I didn't get in anywhere else'' school, you still get a good, thorough, well rounded education. Definitely impressed overall."
"Maybe I just interviewed on a bad day but I was very unimpressed with the attitudes of both the students and the faculty."
"Loved it! I'd gladly make Drexel my home for the next 4 years!"
"My interview went rather well. I heard from most of the other students, as well as on most of the SDN reviews, that the interview experience at Drexel is a very relaxed and conversational one. I got the feeling that my particular interview was much more structured than others, but it was still a very nice and enjoyable experience. The questions asked were very deep and probed at my motives and reasoning for going into medicine, and as such I think overall it was very informative to my interviewer. My student interview was much more relaxed, and she was able to answer all of my questions and was extremely helpful."
"I signed in at the front desk and was later esocrted to the Admissions Office by the security guard. As I waited in conference room with the other interviewees, I watched our group grow and grow to a number of 14. Apparently Drexel interviews many people every day of the week. We watched a presentation on the school (history, curriculum, clubs...) and then went on a tour of the school. I then had a thirty minute faculty interview. Consider yourselves lucky if you get Donna Antonucci!! That interview was immediately followed by a student interview. Of the two interviews, however, I must say that the student one was a bit more awkward. Student interviews are conducted in the cafeteria as the two of you are eating which makes for an ''interesting'' interview. The day ends with an optional presentation on the PIL curriculum. Overall, it was a good experience. Not stressful at all."
"the student interview and tour of campus went very well and I was very impressed. the faculty interview was awkward because of the interviewer's demeanor"
"Drexel was fun and the faculty and students are super nice. The atmosphere there is very relaxed. I loved how committed the students and the faculty were towards the school. I enjoyed this interview very much and fun meeting the students at Drexel and making friends with fellow interviewees. "
"I got to the building early. They gave us background on the school and curriculum, focusing on the two tracks offered (IFM and PIL), then gave us a tour by the lovely secretary who was enjoyable. Some of us had to leave to catch the shuttle to center city for the faculty interview (luckily mine was on the main campus) and then we waited for a student to come by and have another closed file lunch interview. The day could have ended there but a few of us stuck around to here what PIL students have to say about their curriculum. A good interview experience overall."
"Overall, it was like everyone says: very laid back. I was suppose to interview with one faculty, but then they pushed me onto someone else (so I don't know how much time my interviewer had time to review my file). My student interview was closed-file; that was where I was asked ethical questions, which they said they did in order to see how we think under pressure. "
"Okay, the school is really great even though it's not that well known, the lunch is in a small cafeteria, you get a voucher for $6"
"It was great. As interview experiences go, this was the very best. Drexel's reputation may not be the best, compared with my other 9 schools, but it was by far my best visit. by far. "
"We all had to get their at 9, however, the dmissions dean was late and the 13 of us were placed in front of this self-running video on the history of the school until another guy runs in to save us and talk about the school for over an hour. Due to their mistake, those with 11 or 11:30 interviews had to miss the tour and take a 30 minute shuttle to the hospital for an interview. My interviewer had someone before me and during the interview was constantly interrupted by his pager, the phone ringing, and people coming into the office. Once I took the shuttle back to the school I had to sit in a room for 1.5 hours until they could find a student interviewer to eat lunch with us. During this interview I was scarfing down food with someone who had already completed 4 other interviews because no other students signed up. Overall, terrible experience."
"Both my faculty and student interviewer were enthusiastic and engaging. The interview process was largely stress-free. "
"Overall, the whole process was laid back. Its like they already knew who I was and why i wanted to do medicine, all they wanted to see is how good of a communicator i am. The student interview was great..we had a lot in common."
"positive. definitely."
"My interviewer was extremely nice. He hadn't read my app yet, as it was just after Thanksgiving, and my file was misplaced, but he finally found it and gave it a quick skim while I was there. That was a little strange, especially when he asked me is there anything you'd like to explain in this file? After that, everything went smoothly. Spoke about my interests, my reasoning for medicine, and talked a lot about the school. He was trying to sell me the school, and he definitely had a favorable opinion of Drexel. "
"This was my first interview out of 5 and I liked Drexel. I know Drexel may not be the best medical college in the US, but it does have a lot to offer and is in a nice, quiet neighborhood."
"A good option if I need it."
"Presentation on the school by admissions staff, tour by very enthusiastic student, interview with wonderful laid back faculty member (open file, 30min), hung out with other interviewees, had student interview over lunch (closed file, 1+ hour)"
"They really do a good job at Drexel of presentng their school and helping you get to know it better. They have great programs in women's health, humanities, and community outreach. Overall, I was very impressed. My interview was very conversational and laid back. Same with the student interview."
"I really like the school. The campus is fully wireless. They also have facilities which record you while taking patient histories from trained actors. The students, faculty, and admin seem very supportive. I also like their Program Integrated Learning Curriculum. It seems to encourage genuine learning rather than memorization."
"It was a pretty positive experience and I'd be happy to go to Drexel if they accept me!"
"I don't love Drexel but I would go there. My faculty interviewer said it didn't matter where I went to med school because they were all the same. My student interview was kind of pointless. They guy was nice but talked about himself a lot. It was nice to do the interview on a Saturday so I hope for y'alls sake Drexel continues to do that. Overall, everyone was nice. The school was decent but definitely a I-didn't-get-in-anywhere-else kind of school. That is not to say that Drexel is a bad place to go- it has many redeeming qualities. "
"On the weekend, there is ample parking, but you still have to pay for it. The admissions staff is not particularly helpful, but my interviewers, one student and one faculty, were very friendly. The faculty member I spoke with was especially inspiring and seemed to truly care about the medical field. On the weekend, lunch is catered, which is nice, and following that is a tour of the campus, which is concise but informative."
"Overall I was very impressed with Drexel. The problem based learning is what I am looking for and they seem to incorporate it well in their curicullum. They are very supportive of families and non-trads and seem to focus on the student more than other schools. The day went well, a short orientation at 9:00am and then interviews started at 10:00. I was first interviewed by a student and then a faculty member. Both were very nice and seemed genuinely interested in me and what I had to say. They didn't grill me in any way but just wanted to know: why I was applying to Drexel, about some of my esperiences, and where I see myself in 10 years. We then had lunch with some of the students, they all seemed happy to be there. Finally we had a tour of the facilities, which I thought were great. Again, overall it was a great experience."
"It was a good experience, 2 interviews, neither too difficult really. I recommend going over your research papers just in case they ask you about it because I kind of got asked a lot of specifics about my research. The student interview is very relaxed and nothing to be worried about at all. There is an informative slide show presentation and they show you the anatomy lab which is cool. Overall I liked it..good luck!"
"After arriving, an admin director gave a PowerPoint presentation about the school. Afterwards, the interviews began. Candidates are interviewed by a faculty member individually and also a student individually (the order is random). The interviews are 30 min long and mine were not confrontational at all. They were very very friendly. The interview blocks are also selected at random so you have a chance to talk to other candidates while waiting. The fac interview is completely open file. My fac read my entire primary and did not interrogate me about grades or MCAT, which was nice of her. The student interview was closed file. At noon. there is a nice lunch with students who sell the school and the director. The food was actually really good. After lunch, there was a tour and then we were released. Positives: friendly people, newly renovated gym and rec area, access to med school fac (they are mainly teaching not research), in philly, good women health program, choice between PIL and IFM negs: in bad neighborhood, med campus is quite isolated (no hosp next door & undergrad campus is not there and needs shuttle ride), no student housing, seemed small"
"My faculty interviewer was nice, but he grilled me on some info in his specialty ...I wasn't expecting that. On the whole, the interview was very rushed because the shuttle was 20 min late to pick me up. The student interview was very laid-back and easy, but it was slightly awkward to do because it was over lunch (eating and interviewing don't go too well together)."
"It was an overall positive experience. I got to learn more about the two programs. The day was relatively short and stress free."
"I was very happy with the information that was presented, and the interviewers were very happy to answer my questions."
"Overall, it was stress free. My interview with both the faculty member and the student turned out to be very conversational. We talked music, my travels and books. The school takes pride in technology and its new facilities. "
"The school's optional curriculum tracks for different learning styles offer useful options. The environmental health program is impressive also. "
"went smoothly enough overall. had to take a shuttle to downtown for first interview, and then come back for student interview"
"Overall it went very well. It was my first interview and I am really happy it was here. The faculty interviewer definitely drilled me on a lot of issues. The student who interviewed me was awesome! It was very laid back and conversational"
"Since this was my first interview, I got pretty nervous at first. But overall, it was a comfortable and relaxed experience. It was not that structured as I thought. Probably because it was around exam time, the dean of admission did not give us an orientation or the PIL info session afterwards. We spent a lot time sitting in the conference room and waiting for interviewers. I recommend not to come around exam time."
"Student interviewer: interested in my resume, accomplishments, motivations, personal strengths and weakness, and general character. Facutly interviewer: complete 180 -- it was like talking to a brick wall; most of the questions he asked were framed negatively, such as DID YOU EVER SEE ANYTHING GO WRONG WHEN A DOCTOR TREATED A PATIENT, or WHATS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH IN YOUR LIFE Also, he was generally unreceptive and unable to respond to the questions I asked him like CAN I GET ONBOARD WITH A RESEARCH PROJECT THE SUMMER AFTER MY FIRST YEAR?"
"I stayed at the Moving Arts Bed & Breakfast (hi pamela). Pamela, the owner, is an extremely sweet lady. She will more than accomidate for your needs and she is like a mother for the applicants! Her place is not like your average home but don't worry it's just because she's really into culture and the arts. If you are an introvert and want to stay to yourself and practice for the interview, I don't recommend this place. However, if you are an outgoing person, interested in learning more about Philadelphia's history and hot spots, and basically anyone who is not just a big stiff, then Pam's place is for you. Anyway, Drexel is a great place -- with respect to classroom education (PIL & IFM are both great), clinical education, and LIFESTYLE - this is a huge vibe that I got from my student interviewer. They have a lot of non-traditional students so there's a huge diversity of people that you can meet. Philly is just like where I grew up and where I went to college so I feel like I can fit right in. I like very much."
"Overall, my interview experience at Drexel was very positive. There was a small group of interviewers and we got to chat during the downtime. The dean is really friendly and gave a helpful presentation. The students seemed to really enjoy going to Drexel. The day ended pretty early (3pm) and would have ended earlier except we were waiting for one person to return from their interview. "
"Student and faculty interviews are equally weighted. Both people seemed genuinely attentive, interesting and asked apt questions."
"I was one of about 25 people there interviewing. The tour was brief but informative. The formal interview was very open and honest and I was happy with how everything went. The student interview over lunch was very honest from a student's prospective and the guy I had it with was very nice. Over in about 6 hrs. I was accepted 10 weeks later (yes, 10)."
"At 9:00am there was a powerpoint presentation by the dean. She was very nice and informative. Then at about 10:00 we were given a tour of the facilities. Of the 15 interviewees, myself and two others had to take a shuttle to the hospital for our interviews. The interviewer was really nice and laid back. When I got back I waited around for a bit and talked to other interviewees until the student interviewer came to bring me to lunch. The student interview is really casual and nothing to worry about. We pretty much just ate lunch together. I asked him to see the gross anatomy lab, and it was cool to see. I really liked pretty much everything about the school."
"With both faculty and student interviewers, I felt like we really engaged in a conversation that touched on things of interest to us both."
"There are two interviews- a one-on-one with a student over lunch (closed-file) and a one-on-one with a faculty member (open-file). I had an enjoyable interview day with both interviewers. I was very impressed with how laid back the interviews were. Both of my interviews lasted an hour or more. I stayed at the Germantown B&B and I highly recommend it. The owners are very nice and helpful, the only downside is that part of town seemed a bit sketchy. I walked from the B&B to campus and it was a very enjoyable walk, plus I saved a few $. "
"It's a late interview, and I already have an acceptance elsewhere, so I was neither expecting nor much prepared - but school was surprisingly nice and if accepted I would give it a serious consideration"
"The woman who interviewed me was pretty thorough, but she did not seem at all excited about the school. When it came time for me to ask questions she knew almost nothing about any of the school programs, and after several times of her telling me that she didn't know any details, I had to downshift into general "what is your opinion about ___" just so it would stop being embarrassing. Also, yes, the student "interview" was just having lunch with a student."
"Student interview was over lunch--real casual--appeared that many of the students did it for the free food. Student interview was real helpful in my case because it occured before the faculty interview (gave me heads up on the possibility of immigration question). I oversaw a student interviewer fill out a form after the interview in which they rank the interviewee between 1-5 in several categories (couldn't see what the y were) also area for personal comment. The interview with Dr. Zarro was short and it was hard to get a read on what he thought of me. Also, I felt he cut the interview short maybe so he could go to lunch."
"I was very impressed with Drexel. I don't think it gets the attention it deserves as an outstanding medical school. The people were all very friendly, the CEAC rooms were great and it looked like a place I wouldn't mind spending the next 4 years of my life."
"interviewees arrived by 9 am. dr hanau gave a presentation about the school history and curriculum. then we had a student led tour. we were then given our interview assignments and hung out in the conference room until/in betweeen interviews. faculty interview is open file (though my interviewer did it closed file, maybe not to have any preconceived notions) and the student interview is closed file over lunch. 2 students had faculty interviews at the hospital so they missed part of the tour b/c they had to catch the shuttle. the day ended with an optional PIL Q&A around 3:30 pm."
"I stayed with a student host who lived a couple of blocks away from the school. The morning of the interview upon arrival there was a continental brekfast and the dean of admissions gave a powerpoint presentation on what distinguishes drexel from other med schools. Then I had a student interview, approx 30-40 min. Then a faculty interview, approx 40-50 min. The student interview is closed file and faculty was open file. I was impressed that the faculty had read my file in depth and all of the questions were related to my past experiences. Very easy going. Then we had lunch and a tour of the school."
"Relaxed and conversational. My interviewer seemed genuinely interested in my life and my reasons for choosing medicine as a career."
"1) I was late (approx. an hour) 2) My interviewer was late (approx. .5 hour) Minus these two minor points, I liked my interview experience."
"excellent, smooth, stress free, and interesting"
"waited 1 hour for dr. to interview me, asked me at one point if i felt deprived, was not enthusiastic about the school at all, and was one of the worst interviewer and PERSON i ever met. interviewing with him was like talking to a wall. "
"I had Dr. Lazarro, who is really nice, but he asked some tough healthcare questions. I didn't get too flustered, but it was intimidating nontheless. I guess my approach worked, I was accepted 2 weeks later."
"The faculty interview was very short and didn't vary from the typical, expected questions. I got the last student interview, and needless to say, he wasn't the most enthusiastic at the beginning. But he didn't open up to me and we had a good, broad conversation about both of our lives. Just don't schedule an interview right before an exam."
"dr. berkow is pretty chill. with him, you do most of the talking, so know what you're going to say, don't ramble about random ish. my student interviewer likewise was very cool, it was very conversational and she encouraged me to ask her questions about whatever i wanted. she looked like the chick from laguna beach."
"FAculty interview is open file, and student interview/lunch is closed file. they said the favulty and student evals are equally weighted. My faculty interviewer was extremely nice and enthusiastic. Our interview was basically an informal conversation about various topics that came up in my file. My student interview was also very conversational. She asked more direct questions than the faculty. She also volunteered to drive me to the train station so I could make it to New york on time for a concert that night!! I would have been one hour late if she hadn't done that. The people at the school definitely made my first trip alone to the east coast memorable =)."
"Started off with a presentation about the school which was nice and informative. There were a LOT of interviewees (about 12, almost all of which were dudes...WHACK). Then I had to take a bus to my interviewer's office at some hospital downtown. The guy was a complete prick and wouldn't allow for a normal conversation. He proceeded to grill me for the entire duration of time there. His name was Dr. Chawla and he really left a bad taste in my mouth as far as Drexel goes. Then I took a bus back to the medical center where we ate lunch with current students (who are basically in it for the free lunch and don't really give a shit about you)"
"The day started with a presentation from the dean, telling us about the 2 different tracks that are available. Next we were given a tour, followed by an interview with a faculty member, and then lunch with a student. My faculty interview was great and I enjoyed speaking to the interviewer. On the other hand, my student interview wasnt that comfortable and she ended up asking me ethics questions as well as questions about the health care system (I thought the student interview was supposed to be relaxed and casual). They finished up the day with an optional PIL information session."
"The day starts at 9:00 with an hour long power point show about the schools history and curriculum. Next is a student tour of the school followed by interviews at 11 and 12. More waiting until your student interview can see you, then you have your student interview over lunch. More waiting until you get a lecture about the PIL program (which is optional). Day ends about 3:00 or so."
"Given a hisotry and overview of the cirriculum. Had a tour of the school. Then two interviews. The student interview is over lunch with them."
"Very low stress. The student interview was just a good conversation. Its hard to judge how well I did without having an answer. Answers are mailed out in 6 to 8 weeks."
"Got there a little before 9:00 AM, free breakfast (the raisin bran muffin is really good), very comprehensive powerpoint presentation (1 hour), off to the interview, lunch at 12:00 (1 hr.), tour from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and that was it. "
"The day felt a bit amateur; the financial aid talk was the admissions staffwoman saying "I don't know anything about financial aid. call this # if you have questions." Also the student interviews are in the cafeteria at lunchtime, so it's not really a formal interview. All in all, Drexel seems fine, but it certainly lacks some of the research opportunities I've seen elsewhere. Also, you don't get to see the hospital unless you interview there."
"It was a good experience, mainly a conversation no real hard questions"
"Student one was a joke...I think he only signed up to do it for the free lunch. The faculty one was confusing...after I told him abotu myself, he did all the talking and just tried to sell the school which was cool. But I didn't do much talking. But I got in, so don't worry if it happens to you. "
"We started the day with a power point slide for an hour and a half, and then had a tour which an admissions officer gave, and then I had an interview with a faculty member, then another interview with a student over lunch, and finally a talk about the PIL program by the course director. "
"The best interview ever! I loved the school, although the surrounding is the ghetto- but the scohool itself is a really good school. The offer so many opportunities for you, and you can live either within walking distance or in the city itself, which is a 10 r 15 minute drive.. But its fun! "
"I had an amazing experience. The admissions staff seemed very friendly. I interviewed with Dr. Hardison and we had a very interesting conversation. He was really laid back and fun to talk too. I also was able to hear about what he does at the hospital...which was really interesting. My student interview was very informative and laid back. I really liked hearing her thoughts on the program (which were all very positive). I hope I am accepted into this program! I would love to go to this school!"
"It was a nice interview experience. I had 2 interviews - one with a faculty and the other with a student. The on e with the faculty was open file and the one with the student was rather layed back and closed file. I unfortunately had to interview at the hospital downtown. That was'nt too bad after all as I got to see the downtown area. ( I wish the school itself was downtown like Upenn & Jefferson). Overall it was a pleasant day."
"I stayed at the Bank Street Hostel, near 2nd and Market, so I got up early and left at 7. I got to the interview 30 min. early. The dean of admissions gave a good power point presentation and took questions. She painted Drexel as a school made for educating doctors, as opposed to other school that brag about their research. The tour was given by a student who splits her time between Texas and Philly-she watches the lectures online while away! The facilities were nice and quite modern. I had my first interview with a first year over lunch. He appeared truly interested in what I had to say and we had a good conversation. My second interview was with the director of admissions. The questions were pretty standard and she participated as much as I did. Overall I was impressed with Drexel. The two options of curriculum allow students to choose how they want to learn. I even like the fact that the school is situated away from downtown Philly. It has a quieter and more serene environment than the center city campus."
"Overall, it was great. Very low stress and my student interview was very conversational and enjoyable. My interview was at Hahnemann Hospital so it was nice to get to see the commute that the students make. But do not take taxis if you have to! They are horrible. "
"relaxed, positive overall"
"It was a good experience overall. The temperature was a little on the cold/freezing side and everyone seemed very happy to be there. The admissions people and the students seemed to be very happy that the med school highly emphasizes the quality of medical education and its clinical applications. They also emphasized the family-like community that they have."
"Drexel is a very good experience, esp for those who want PIL. Their IFM curriculum seems outstanding as well and they defintely put most of their effort/resources into ensuring you have the best education. I just didn't like the surrounding area (There was not a whole lot around minus some factories, industrial places and I was told, it is not the most safe place at night."
"It was a good experience. I like that they have a student interview along with a faculty interview. They were both more of conversations than interviews."
"It was awesome. The Dr. who interviewed me was very friendly. He said that he was impressed by my essay, and activities. It was very casual. "
"it was really fun learning about the school, and everyone was very open and honest and seemed to truly care about us and about making us the best doctors they could in the best way for each of us. i was a little discouraged that the school didnt seem so prestigious, but everyone seemed really dedicated."
"The faculty interview was very relaxed and informal. The student interview was more like me interviewing him than the other way around. "
"interview itself was very low key"
"pretty typical interview. it didnt seem very inspired. the dean of admissions started her intro with a speech on how she never wanted to go into medicine in the first place. how's that for enthusiasm?"
"You sit in a conference room and watch a slide show before the tour. The tour takes you all throughout the main building and is very comprehensive. After the tour, each applicant has one 1/2 hour interview, followed by a lunch interview with a student (which I really liked, this was a nice touch). "
"Low stress, conversational overall a positive experience."
"School: awesome. Interview: weird."
"I was impressed with everything I saw and it was fairly standard interview day. Everyone I met at Drexel had a very friendly demeanor and I think they liked being there."
"I went in with no expectations and left loving the school. "
"presentation on the school, tour, interview with a doctor, interview over lunch with a student, sat in on a PIL lecture, PIL presentation"
"Low stress. Due to the nature of the interview, I was able to talk to the interviewer rathan than be worried about what my answers were."
"Lots of free time waiting...there's a overview presentation in the morning, then a tour, then interviews and lunch w/ a med student"
"I stepped out of the airport to find out how humid the weather was. By the time I got to my host's apartment, I really wanted a shower. The interview day was very relaxing and ended at 1 pm for me. I had time to go downtown before my flight."
"Overall very good, however, the interviewer was difficult to read, so who knows. He was very calm and relaxed. We had a nice conversation during that time. Although I was surprised to find that he did not have a copy of my info before I got there, so be sure to always keep a spare: AMCAS App, personal statement, resume or CV."
"The school was hard to find for me--I got lost on the way. My interviewer was ancient and asked weird questions. The students seemed like they were generally older and many married, which is fine for some people, but I am 21. Overall, the facilites are nice and the students seemed eager, but it just isn't the school for me."
"The school was nice. Very impressive facilities. Interview was difficult- it was a lot of hard questions and didn't flow very well, like she had a list of things to ask, and didnt want to deviate. "
"The director of admissions was very nice, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Overall, she was the most memorable person (others were kind of dry and boring / neutral). After being scheduled for an interview at the hospital, I was told after the tour that my original interviewer would be unable to make it and that I would interview with someone else at the actual medical school. Although this change hardly affected me, I felt like it definitely affected my new interview because I figured it must have been last-minute for him. Thus, I didn't feel he was really in the mood to hold an interview and I felt like I had to defend myself the whole time. It was almost confrontational more than conversational (aka, the ideal interview experience). The tour guides were okay and the facilities were really nice but overall nothing too amazing. The student interview was over lunch and it was difficult to hold much of a conversation because the cafeteria was particularly loud at the time. "
"I was very impressed with Drexel's facilities, students, and faculty. Students are really lucky to have the choice of two curricula, both of which seem very interesting and unique. The tour-guide was very informative and very honest (which always helps). Even though she was willing to share the school's shortcomings with us, she clearly seemed to enjoy being a student there. There was a lot of down time, but my fellow interviewers were all very friendly and talkative. It seems like the interviews were all very straightforward. My interviewer basically asked me to elaborate on a few things from my application. S/he was very to-the-point and it was hard to read him/her. That's always nerve-wracking, but the questions were not difficult. The student interview was great. Mine was literally a conversation about random things (mostly social) while other people got asked questions from lists (why medicine? etc). The dean of admissions, Dr. Hanau gave a helpful presentation and she was quite entertaining. Overall, I'd be very happy attending Drexel. The wait for a response should be about 6-8 weeks."
"I had one faculty interview and one student interview. My faculty interviewer had my file in front of her and had marked all the things she wanted to ask about my application on it. Other than that it was more like a conversation than q&a. She made me feel comfortable and the whole thing was pretty informal. The student was 1st year, she actually asked me the generic questions (like why drexel, why medicine, etc)but no biggie... "
"The school is nice, but the area it is in wasn't the best. the interview is easy so don't worry about that. Just see if you could live in a more run-down part of town(it is only 20 min from downtown Philly though)"
"The day starts with the director of admissions talking about the school's history, and a few other things. Then we had the student led tour around the school. Afterward, there was a lot of waiting around. Some students had interviews in the med school, others had to go downtown to Hahneman Hospital. Either way, we basically just had to sit and wait for our faculty interview. After that, we returned to the same room to wait for a student to show up take us to lunch and interview us. Then, you can leave or stay for the PIL talk, which lasted about an hour as the PIL director fervently advised that we make the "right" choice."
"very relaxed, but i am puzzled by the personal questions (though i wasn't uncomfortable to answer them)"
"got lost on the way there, so i called the admissions office and they got me back on track. i was late for the info session but it wasn't a big deal. the tour guide was really nice, then i took the shuttle to the hahnemann campus in the city for my interview. the bus ride was nice and it gave me a chance to see the area. student interviewer was cool too. i was out by 1:30, good day all around"
"The interview with a faculty member was really conversational and relaxed. The student interview is over lunch (which makes it a little hard to eat and talk at the same time) but it was also really relaxed too. In general, very low stress (except this was my first interview so I was a little bit more stressed than need be)."
"Very well organized. Each person had a schedule and directions, so it was all laid out clearly. Very relaxed. "
"A great day with plenty of opportunity to get a feel for the school and social life."
"My faculty interviewer I think liked what I had to say even though it was only 15 min. The person in front of me also had a short interview, and the interviewer even said he likes to do them fast, so its very stress free, and the questions were very easy. Student interview was good too, it was over lunch in the cafeteria. The tour was also nice, showed us around every area thoroughly and they seemed excited over the kinds of technology they have there."
"A very relaxing conversation. We talked about my prior experiences in medicine and how I would apply such experiences as a physician."
"If I didn't already feel comfortable in the school and know all about it, I probably would have had a stressful day. The first part with the presentation about the school was excellent (much better than other schools' presentations have been), but it went over time a bit. Then I had to go with 2 other interviewees down to Hahnemann Hospital for my interview (actually, I interviewed in the building I work in every day!). Becuase we had to take the shuttle, we missed the whole tour. Then the shuttle just didn't show up, though (I ride the shuttle twice a day and this is the first time it hasn't shown up), so we were late. I had to wait for another girl to have her interview before me, and then my interview ran a little late, and so I had to take a later shuttle back to the med school campus. It wasn't a big deal, but it delayed my lunch and student interview. The faculty interview was fine, a typical interview but not stressful. The student interview was very short (perhaps because it was late), but casual and fine. I was offered a tour after that, since I had missed the real tour, but I know the school so I just went home. Overall I left with a very positive impression of the school from the presentation and also just from what I already know. (Faculty interview is open file, student interview is closed.)"
"The interview was my first and it was very laid back. They did not ask why medicine, why drexel. The first thing the guy said to me when I walked in after a hello was, "relax, this is going to be a breeze." (and it was)"
"One-on-one conversational interview. Typical questions, no real curveballs."
"If you end up interviewing with someone who is on the addmissions staff (Not an MD) you will have very comfortable experience. It was very conversational! I can't speak for the other interviewees, but the ones I spoke with had an experience very similiar to mine. They just want to get to know you better."
"The faculty interview was relaxed. It was more like a conversation. The student interview was even more relaxed. Overall, the admissions committee wants you to have a positive experience and they do a good job."
"I like the fact that Drexel takes many older, non-traditional students. Also, Drexel is becoming more selective by lowering its class size and raising the average accepted MCAT. "
"Faculty interview is open-file, and student interview is closed-file and in the cafeteria over lunch. Both were very conversational and everybody was very friendly. Cafeteria food is average."
"overall, a great day. i was pleasantly surprised. everyone was really nice and enthusiastic about the school."
"Interview started at around 9am in the morning. The tour was given around 10am. The student interviewer was friendly. I felt like talking to one of my friends. It is very relaxed. During the faculty interview, I also felt comfortable talking to the interviewer. The interview ends with "Is there question about Drexel?" "Is there anything about you that you want us to know?." "
"All in all, I had a good time while interviewing at Drexel. I wasn't blown away by anything in particular, but I also didn't find any large problems with the school. I can see myself being comfortable here. If you want a busy, bustling urban school with a lot of things to do, then this is NOT the school for you. But if you want a solid education and don't mind its suburban location, then I think you would be happy here."
"The student interview over lunch was informative and very stress free. A good idea on Drexel's part. The faculty interview was not bad at all for me. I didnt get any hard ethical questions or questions about solving the healthcare crisis."
"Both my student interview (closed-file, over lunch) and my faculty interview (open-file) went well. Really easy to talk to and made you feel comfortable. I was sort of nervous because it was my first interview and I didnt know what to expect but everything went well. The tour guide was pretty enthusiastic about the school."
"It was very laid back, the interviewer made me feel very comfortable from the beginning and allowed me to open up rapidly. Overall, I had a relaxing and enjoyable time."
"First, we had a presentation about the history of the school and an overview of the curriculum (both branches). The interviews themselves were standard. The day was very well-structured. Each interview was 30 minutes long and they stayed pretty much on schedule. The student interview was closed-file; the faculty interview was open-file. Finally, it was lunch and the tour. [The Saturday interview schedule is different from the weekday one.] The best part of the experience was after the interview day was over. I noticed a flyer for a Lunar New Year charity banquet hosted by the med students of 5 Philadelphia med schools. One of the tour guides saw me looking at it and asked if I wanted to go. She offered to drive me there and back and I got to hang out with her and her friends during the 200+ person dinner. I learned about Drexel's Chinatown clinic and their students' involvement in the Asian American Health Care Network in Philadelphia. I wasn't expecting such friendliness but I ended up meeting a lot of kind people (students and random Philadelphians) over the weekend."
"relaxed. i flew all the way from alaska though, so i had wished to have more in depth discussions. AK to PA just to "tell them about myself" seems a little disrespectful. i would also have liked an opportunity to discuss my scientific publications and my graduate work, but it never came up. just be able to discuss your personal experiences and how they impacted you. be articulate. "
"The faculty interviewer had read my file and told me he didn't have anything to bother me about from it. Pretty much we just talked about the school, why I liked it, and the two different curricula."
"the faculty interviewer only asked me 3-4 questions which took about 15 minutes"
"Overall the interviews were very laid back. My faculty interviewer was a sweet lady who asked me very broad questions (I was able to talk about whatever I wanted). She was very encouraging during the interview, always giving me reaffirming comments saying "This is good, real good." I got along really well with my student interviewer. We had a fun conversation, and we just talked and talked for a hour. The choice of curriculum is unique to Drexel, but I could see people getting depressed here because there is nothing to do around campus. Overall, if accepted, I would definitely come to this school."
"Sat in a room full of other interviewees and watched a Powerpoint presentation for about 40 minutes. Took a long tour (1hr) and then returned to the room. Waited some more. Was interviewed by a student after a long time waiting, over lunch. Then was interviewed by faculty. Then watched a lecture on substance abuse. Caught a train back to airport (train station across the street)."
"Very hospital and focused a lot on the needs of potential students. Faculty interview was open file. Student interview was closed file over lunch. Student interview was very quiet, shy."
"I enjoyed being at the school.. not my first choice but I would go there if I got accepted... the student interview was over lunch, which I didn't like because you're trying to chew your food and there are questins being thrown at you...the school itself seemed pretty nice and the admissions office staff was very helpful"
"The day was quite organized. I liked the downtime between the interviews to chat with the other applicants, who might be potential classmates. The student interview over lunch was good but its hard to talk seriously and eat at the same time. It seems like a good school with much opportunity to mold your own education. Faciities are great so as long as you're someone who doesnt need to go to the city or much social activity during the weekdays at least, it seems like a good fit. "
"It was very pleasant. The Associate Dean of Admissions gave us the history of the school then we were led on a tour of the facilities by a first-year. Afterwards, we had the faculty interviews, then the student interviews (with lunch). My faculty interviewer was very nice and made me feel very comfortable. He really knew my file so make sure that you go over everything that you sent to them. The student interview was much more relaxed and my interviewer was also very nice. We had great conversation that it almost didn't feel like an interview. I had a good experience."
"There was a presentation about the schools history, a 30 minute tour of the school, a faculty interview, luch and then a student interview."
"Drexel was an interesting place. I felt like there was a lot of downtime, which is both good and maybe not so good. My student host was great, very helpful and informative. The faculty interviewer was kind of hard to read, and just asked the standard "stuff about you" questions - tell me about yourself, etc. No ethical questions or off the wall questions. The student interviewer had a distinct set of questions she wanted to ask, but it wasn't really awkward or anything. I liked the facilities, and the curricula - both IFM and PIL - seem to have a lot to offer in different ways. Plus, the humanities thing is neat. I thought our tour guide was a little off the wall, and she told us about a pseudo-prank that was done in the anatomy lab.. that was a little unsettling to me, but maybe I'm being too sensitive about it. I'm not sure that I felt "at home" here like I have elsewhere, but I guess we shall see, and that's totally a personal comment."
"Drexel was my first interview. I was stressed out only because it was my first interview. My interviewers (admissions office staff member and student) were nice and laidback. I was totally relaxed halfway through the day and at times forgot that I was being interviewed."
"We were given a video introduction to the school then a 1st year student took us on a tour. Since i had an early interview at their Hahneman campus, i had to catch a shuttle to the city and missed the end of the tour. When i came back, i had lunch with a student who interviewed me at the same time. He then showed me around and answered all of my questions. Other than the faculty interview, the day was pretty relaxed and everyone at Drexel as well as the other students being interviewed were really friendly."
"It was hard to tell how I did, because my interviewer was all business, unlike some of the other people's who had more of a conversation than an interview. They were nice, but hard to read as far as how it was going. "
"The day started off with a presentation by the Dean about the history of the school and some of its present highlights. The tour was very thorough, led by a student who definitely had thorough knowledge of the school. He described the service project he did that was required of all students, which sounded interesting. Interviews with faculty are scheduled throuout the day, and then later in the afternoon is a presentation about the PIL curriculum."
"We talked about the hospital situation (the nearby affiliated hospital is no longer available to 3rd and 4th years)and where students can go on rotations, easy interview, I felt very comfortable."
"Drexel has a really great program (two curricula, emphasis in women's health), but it doesn't seem to attract the students it needs to become a really great school. You would get a solid education there, but I'm not going to go there."
"While my interviewer complimented me for having worked my way through college, she also seemed concerned that I hadn't done MORE volunteer work. What?! To me it was glaringly obvious that I can't work 40 hrs/wk, overload of courses and be in a soup kitchen all the time. Clearly, decent scores, hard work, & some volunteer work aren't enough for my interviewer. Next time, try to be MAGICAL. "
"Not very impressed."
"The interview was interesting and laid back. I just joked around with the student interviewer for 45 minutes about nothing in particular. The faculty interview was interesting and not stressful. The half hour went by really quickly. "
"Interview experience was laid back, pleasant, and I appreciated the free $6 food voucher for lunch. The cateria food was actually reasonably priced so the $6 went a long way. The school is peaceful and the students were all really nice and appeared happy. When I asked 3 different students what the worst thing about Drexel was, they really didn't have any complaints. "
"It was a great experiance, the staff and students were very friendly. Both interviews, student and faculty, were very relaxed. They got to know me and vice versa."
"I was very impressed and pleasantly surprised. The faculty is there for the students first and themselves second. This is unlike most schools whose faculty are primarily researchers. The students seem quite pleased with the curriculum. Philly is a great place to learn medicine and is close to NY, the shore, DC and the mountains so there is alot to do. The recent class had an average MCAT of 30 and GPA of 3.5 which is consistent with national averages. Although it wasnt on the top of my list it is now."
"i was interviewed by a non-md non-phd person who knew nothing about science and didnt really ask me anything interesting, just basic stuff from my application, it was no stress at all, she was very nice"
"most relaxed interview i've had... i was interviewed by a really nice woman who worked in student activities office (wasnt an md or phd)... we talked about random stuff for most of the time - seinfeld, curb your enthusiasm, chris rock... the student interiew is over lunch and was way to chill. i totally forgot that i was still being evaluated, and i asked lots of questions about social life / party scene."
"Had to ride a bus to the hospital (about 20 minutes from the school.) The directions weren't clear and I got lost. Because the bus was late, compounded by the unclear directions, my interview was shorter than scheduled. "
"it was generally pretty relaxed. the student interviewer was extremely nice and helpful!! i was able to sit in on a lecture and also walk into the gross anatomy lab. but the faculty interviewer i had comparing to other "extreeeemely nice" ones i've heard from other students didn't seem overly nice. it was hard to tell whether she liked me or not."
"I appreciate that Drexel actually reads all applications instead of poping numbers into a computer. As a result, I think they select a good group of people who are entering medicine for the right reasons."
"The student interviewer was nice and talked a lot about the PIL curriculum. I think she was trying to convince me that it was the best. My second interviewer was really nice. She seemed genuinely interested in me and talked a lot. She made me feel like it went well."
"I think Drexel is a nice place, but the impression that I got was that it is a nice second choice. All the students I talked to said that they choose Drexel because that is that was the only school they got in to. They all seemed happy and balanced, but I wasn't struck by anything that made me think, wow, Drexel is really great. If I wanted to do PIL this would be a great place, the PIL students seem cool, but the IFM seems pretty standard and second-tier. Interview was very friendly and conversational, don't stress about that."
"It was a good overall day. I liked the wireless campus and meeting a few students, they all seemed happy there. My faculty interview was at Hahnemann Hospital and was tough because I could not understand the guy. He had a thick foreign accent. He also did not have my info so we just talked about random things. He also watched the clock the whole time. My student interview was great, just a conversation. She wanted to know that I was a normal person. I was accepted about a month after my interview."
"My faculty interviewer was great, very warm and non-threatening. The interview was mainly a conversation, with her inquiring about different points in my application, asking me to clarify the timing of things and to describe in more detail some of my work experiences. It was a very relaxed environment. My student interviewer was awesome, so nice and had a lot of great things to say about the school. He asked more pointed questions than my faculty interviewer, such as what brought me to the decision to become a doctor, and if I were on an admissions committee, how would I screen out the people who were in it for the wrong reasons. We talked for almost and hour, and I really enjoyed this part of the day. Overall, I was impressed by the school and the people in it, and would recommend checking it out if you get the chance. Another plus, they get back to you within six weeks of your interview with a decision."
"Drexel is pretty much what a private medical education is all about- nice facilities, high tuition, laptops and PDAs. The two track curriculum is pretty neat although I'm not sure that I would be into the PIL group learning idea."
"My interview with a faculty member was at the University Hospital - 25 minutes away from SOM campus via shuttle. Got to meet some of the third and fourth year students that were at the hospital on their clinical rotations; they seemed really satisfied with their clerkship experiences. The interview was very conversational which concerns me a bit. I really don't know what to expect. The student interview is a get to know each other over lunch thing. It is extremely laid back. "
"I think it went really well. We basically just talked for 30 mins. She wrote down things, but also made sure that she looked up and made eye contact with me, so it wasn't too distracting. She made me feel really comfortable and at ease. It seemed like she was just trying to get a feel of what kind of a person i was. She also complimented me a lot, which really made me feel good about myself and helped to boost my confidence during the interview."
"Very stress free. In the interview the doctor did most of the talking. He went out of his way to make sure all my questions about the school were answered. The student interview is over lunch, so it is also very laid back."
"This was my first interview, and it really put me at ease. The people are great, the interviews are really positive and they basically just want to get to know you better and see that you are a genuine person. One faculty interview in the AM, then lunch with a student around noon. The informational presentation is thorough, and you get a good sense of the two curricular pathways you can choose as a first year."
"It was good. I learned a lot about the school. Got to stay with students and found that really helpful. Looking forward to hearing back in 6-8wks."
"overall really good...the people were very nice, Wanda is awesome! the student interview is great b/c you get to have lunch in their cafeteria and just talk, a very laid back time; they're all very helpful and informative and want you to have a good experience"
"The doctor who interviewed me seemed very nice and extremely intelligent, but he hardly let me get a word in edgewise during the interview. I barely felt I had a chance to talk about myself, most of the time was spent listening to him talk about what's wrong with healthcare in America, which was very interesting to hear his point of view, but I'm not sure how much information he gained about me that wasn't already in my application."
"You interview with about 15 other people. One interview is one-on-one with a facutly member (open file), and the other is with a student over lunch. Overall, the experience is really nice, although some of the student interviewers didn't seem to really be interested in the process. Also, Drexel does interview A LOT of people, so you definitely sometimes feel like a number. Overall though, the school is great. I will be attending this fall."
"It was great overall. Just know that you will have two interviews. The one with the faculty is open-file and the one with the student is closed file. (The student interview is over lunch.) You may not have your interview at the Queen Lane Campus because some students get interviewed in other locations. However, they provide you with a shuttle bus. It didn't even take the full 6-8 weeks to get a letter of response. I got my letter of acceptance in 4 weeks."
"The interview day started off with a presentation first by a member of one of the admissions staff and then a presentation by a dean. Right after the presentation, I left to the university hospital and had my first interview with a cardiologist. He was super super cool and our converstation was laid back. After the faculty interview, your next interview is with a student over lunch. It is extremely informal. I think they just want to get a feel for who you are. I didn't have any "stress" questions at all. After the conclusion of the interviews, there was an optional presentation on the PBL curriculum which was really informative. "
"The interviews were easy. Almost too easy. They kept stressing that they conduct laid back interviews, but this was borderline rediculous. I've always been told that the interview process was designed to distinguish among applicants that look the same on paper (good grades, MCAT, ECs, etc.)but I really have to wonder how this interview facilitated that. I mean, my 12 year old sister probably could have answered the questions I was asked - it wasn't even remotely challenging. What I thought was most distressing was that state of the students. They seemed miserablely stressed and unhappy (even more so than medical students are typically are). Even my student interviewer (who I had assumed would be full of nothing but praise for the school) said that the demands put on students were a bit much - more so than other schools - at times they are juggling something like nine classes concurrently (including a statistics class??)."
"The faculty interview was great...very laid back and conversational. I found the student interview a little stressy."
"Very good. Non-stressful. Pleasant. The day gave me an excellent idea of what school would be like at Drexel, which, i suppose, is the point of the day...."
"This was probably my best interview experience...I came in with a great view of what Drexel Univ SOM was like...and left even more in love with the school, the opportunities, faculty and students."
"Awesome!! Time flew by so fast."
"My day started off with an information session, followed by a tour of the campus. My tour was cut short because I was the only one in the group who had to go off campus for an interview. My faculty interview was great. My interviewer made me feel completely comfortable. When I came back from my faculty interview, I had a student interview which was also great because it was completely informal and my interviewer was a very relaxed person. I jsut wish that I could've changed into something more comfortable for the student interview (it was that relaxed!)."
"Very relaxed, I was worked up for it much more than I should have been. I've been accepted now as well! "
"i could tell my interviewer did not like me. i waited outside her office for about 15-20 min. while she spoke on the phone and she didn't even shake my hand and say hello when i was finally able to walk in the door. she basically went over my amcas page by page and pointed out all my weak points and tried to put down all my accomplishments."
"Overall, Drexel is a good place. The people there are very friendly and easygoing. I didn't feel stressed out at all and found the hospitality to be amazing."
"It was a great interview. The faculty was really nice and they took the time to talk about their school and giving us a tour. Very low stress day."
"My faculty interview was at Hahnemann Hospital. It originally started in an office, continued on walking through the halls of the building, into the OR during a debridement, and in the doctor's car on the way back to the campus. Bizarre, but overall very good interview - I hope. Student interview was even more laid back - over lunch. I felt very comfortable and learned a lot about the school and its students."
"Overall everything is ok. They have a extremly small cafeteria."
"good school"
"nice school. curriculum is progressive. gym is too small but you can use the ymca for free and drexel's undergrad facilities. numerous clinical sites available. cafeteria is small but had good hot food. i like the sound of the problem based learning curriculum. the traditional lecture based curriculum is integrated though which is good. no real reasearch to speak of, but that doesnt matter to me. seems like a back up, an only school for most, but i think it is better than that."
"I pray that I get in...I liked the school...the area isn't the best...pretty close to the ghetto...they have a pretty nice gym there..."
"The interview was easy. Very easy. Just relax and you'll do fine - the faculty there are cordial, welcoming and foster a very low-stress atmosphere for your interview day...a welcome change to my interview experiences of late"
"Private schools are expensive. That is the reality. I would keep that fact in mind when assessing the benefits of Drexel. My day was a very positive one and the students were very genuine. 50G is just a very chunk of change each year."
"Keep in mind that the student interview is over lunch, and the regular interviews are conducted at various campuses. It was a very conversational, laid-back interview. Had a great time! "
"Overall not bad. Relatively short day which could have been even shorter. Students I spoke with didn't seem enthusiastic, they called Drexel a "good backup school.""
"The school is somewhat in the middle of nowhere. But it is affiliated with many hospitals, which is nice. MCP is not definitely closing, but even if it does (which would be a major loss to the local community) there are plenty more affiliated hospitals."
"As above- Drexel more than other schools I visited is dedicated o improvement, their classrooms/labs are impressive and the city of philly is fun/affordable"
"The faculty interviewer was super nice and it was a really good conversation. It wasn't stressful at all and felt like a regular conversation. The student interviewer was even nicer and was great. It was like talking to a friend. He also let me follow him down to the cadavers and meet his friends."
"Drexel Med was my first interview experience and might as well been my last. I have been offered an acceptance and I am taking it. I have been accepted at more prestigious schools, but I feel that they can not offer me the educational opportunities that Drexel can. "
"dont worry about the interview. its extremely low key and laid back. they were very friendly and accomodating. the interview felt more like they really wanted the applicant to consider them to be at their school. just basic easy questions, talk about yourself and why interested in medicine."
"Overall it was good. I had a very challenging faculty interview, with some difficult questions. Questions seemed like they were more geared towards hearing my views on certain issues in healthcare, rather than getting to know who I am as an applicant"
"This was my first interview, so I went in a little nervous. My interviewer was very nice, however and it made me feel more relaxed. Most of the questions came from my application and were not challenging. Besides the health insurance issue question (see above) the only other real thinking question he asked was what role do I think education has in medicine. Overall, it was a good experience. "
"The students and faculty are nice and accomodating. There were almost 50 people interviewing with me though and it seemed a bit hectic. I had to be redirected to another interview room, etc"
"MAKE SURE YOUR INTERVIEWER HAS YOUR 2003 AUGUST MCATS SCORES!! THEY DON'T HAVE THEM ON FILE DESPITE WHAT THEY TELL YOU!!!"
"very low key, emphasized the history of school and recent changes. VERY impressive facility. Drexel has done everything they can to ensure that all learning environments are available for their students"
"School is nice....the average debt was kind of astounding but average for private scchool. "
"Great Day! I came into the day not looking forward to it because I had a negative impression of Drexel. I left with a big smile on my face :)! The day was great: very nice campus and surrounding area, pleasant admissions staff, low-stress interview - - an overall great experience. For my faculty interview, I had to travel by shuttle bus to Hahneman University Hospital in center city, which is about a 25-minute ride. At first I thought this was ridiculous, but after thinking about it, I feel that it gives the interviewee an experience that Drexel students go through during their course of study. The student interview is over lunch, very laid back and conversational. I am still concerned about the teaching hospital situation. The hospitals are owned by a for-profit company, which just announced that it was closing MCP Hospital (the MCP in "MCP/Hahneman University") . . . "
"Everyone said that Drexel was very low stress; I think I just happened to get an interviewer who asked questions for shock value. Although we did have a nice discussion on the state of health care in the United States. The student interview was very low key. Nothing interesting there."
"This was a great experience. The students seem very happy. The resources are excellent. And the students come out very well-trained. "
"The facilities are amazing, but that's about all I got from my interview day. The admissions office didn't really provide an opportunity for us to interact with current students, as most schools do. Even though the day's class schedule was written on the board, it was a little difficult to try and make it to any classes when you're waiting for an interview (plus, the only one I could go to was the same huge lecture we'd seen on the tour). Also, my faculty interviewer was 45 mintues late in starting my interview, so I missed out completely on the PIL session, which I found quite unfortunate."
"The day was very relaxed and enjoyable. The staff is super-friendly and they give you a great tour. Be prepared to have to take a shuttle to your faculty interview. After this you will have lunch with your student interviewer. And the day ends with the PIL presentation which is optional, but well worth the time. "
"The interviewees met in a room in the admissions office and were given a presentation by one of the admissions staff about the history of the school, the curricula, and financial aid. We were then given a tour of the school. After the tour we had our faculty interviews. I had to ride a shuttle to the hospital in Philadelphia, where I met my interviewer. The interview was very relaxed and conversational. After the faculty interview, I went back to the main campus and had lunch and my interview with a student. This interview was really laidback, she didn't even really ask me any questions, we just kind of talked about the school and what it's like to live in Philadelphia. Finally, we had an information session to tell us a little bit more about the PIL program."
"The length of the interviews is ridiculously unprofessional. The faculty do prepare for them by reading your file, but the length is just insufficient. Drexel should have saved me the cab fare and held the interview at the airport. Some people only got 20 minute interviews."
"The student interviewer over lunch asked me tougher questions than the faculty interviewer. Both interviews were very relaxed and informal."
"Completely low-stress; so low-stress actually that I worried they weren't taking me seriously. My interviewer was a psychiatrist (which totally worried me!) but was awesome; had read my application thoroughly and asked me specific questions about my personal statement and activities, in a very non-threatening way. I was flattered that someone had prepared so much for my interview and felt like I really got a chance to let my personality show through. I didn't even get the standard "Why drexel" or "Why medicine" questions; it was really laid-back, and I liked the day. My student interview was also fine; the student was not very talkative so I had to carry the convo a bit, but the free lunch was nice. "
"Overall the day was very relaxed and well organized besides the enormous amount of down time between sessions."
"Thought the interview was off the topic of my application and centered more on how I would react to strange questions. My interviewer also didn't know I was supposed to meet with him that day and took me to see some patients before he sat down with me. Then he answered his cellphone twice during the interview. Student interview, however, was really fun and easy-going "
"I enjoyed the school, and my student interviewer was great. However, my faculty interview was terrible. She made a pre-judgment about me based on where I grew up, and I know that I don't have a chance of getting in because of it. She was very insulting and condescending to me throughout the entire interview."
"I absolutely loved Philadelphia, and I was impressed with the people I met while in the city, including an amazing 3rd yeard student that I just happened to meet in the city who took me out on the town the night after my interview. Maybe it was a bad day, but I did not find the students at the school itself to be especially friendly and/or happy, as other interviewees here had indicated. The student tour guide was condescending. "
"If you interview here, make sure you try to get a good understanding of both the IFM and PIL programs. The class size is around 250 and the school seemed more crowded than any other school I interviewed at. The PIL program seems like a nice fit for someone looking for a smaller learning environment within the large school. "
"Both my interviews were very conversational. My faculty interviewer was very nice and asked me many questions as I was answering them (which made me feel like she was interested in what I had to say)"
"Overall, it was a great interview experience. I wouldn't stress too much about this interview!"
"I was initially uneasy due to Drexel's financial troubles but following the information session, it seems that the school is fine now. The campus seems new and is slated for renovation according to my student interviewer. Very down-home feel for a medical school with such a large class (250)."
"I was not particularly impressed with Drexel, although I think I came away with the interview feeling that it wouldn't be a bad place to go to school. There were 15 people interviewing the day I went, and all said their interviews went very well, and were really easy. I was the only one that had my particular interviewer, and he wasn't Drexel Faculty. He was kind of cold and very hard to talk to, and spent a lot of time looking for problems with my application. I also felt very rushed during the interview, like there wasn't enough time to get out all I needed to say before he would go on to the next question."
"great school, i could definately see myself there, huge class size, prepare to interview with 20+other applicants, lots of people from california"
"Overall positive. Despite the fact that my student interviewer was weird, the other students seemed to be friendly. "
"You get two interviews. One student one faculty. Tour was given by the admissions staff-wish students did it. lots of down time. Faculty interview is open file and student interview is closed-file. Very laid back and conversational."
"I had a negative image of Drexel before my interview. I had never heard of the school and pretty much wrote the school off before I knew anything about it. My opinion changed quickly, I really like the curriculum especially the Interdisceplinary Foundations in Medicine or IFM. They also have a Program for Integrated Learning or PIL which is for people who like to learn in groups but there isn't enough structure for me. The medical school building is great, everything is really new and the campus is in a nice area. I interviewed with the associate dean of admissions which was a little intimidating but he was laid back and didn't rip into me about my many weak points on my application, especially my grades. I also like the fact that they decide on your fate in four to six weeks. It's either going to be a great or really bad Christmas."
"The whole experience was very positive. The day was not too strenuous, except for taking the half hour shuttle ride to Hahnemann hospital where my interview was held (it takes half an hour because it's all local streets). Just enjoy your time at Philadelphia. Be sure to go to Pat's and grab a couple of Philly Cheessteak Sandiches before you leave town. "
"Has the potential to be a really good school if Drexel is willing to make a finacial committment. They have great facilities, and everyone is really friendly. "
"We started the day off with some of Drexel's history, and I learned that it's bancruptcy is old news and and has a very reasonable explaination. Then we went on a tour, then faculty interviews, then we had out student interview over lunch. Next you could leave or you could wait around for a PIL presentation/discussion. "
"Drexel seems like a great school with a very relaxed atmosphere. I really like the IFM curriculum because it is symptom-based but also taught mostly in lectures, with some small group learning as well. The PIL curriculum is mostly problem-based. The interviewers were really approachable and answered all of my questions about the school. I like the location because everything is all in one building that is in a residential area."
"I liked the school. I liked the large class size. The cafeteria food is great! Their anatomy lab is well ventiliated. Students seem to have a life."
"there were about 15 people interviewing. the faculty interview was very fair, dr. larson was very nice and asked all the standard questions. the student interview was very laid-back also over lunch. mostly the students seemed pretty reserved, not the most lively bunch, but not totally stressed out either."
"Overall, I'd say I had a positive experience there, but I just wasn't really impressed by the physical school itself (the building, grounds, etc) Not sure I'd want to spend 4 years there. My faculty interviewer was half an hour late, and I spent only about 25 minutes in with her, but she was nice enough. That interview was open file. My student interview was over lunch, with is hard to do because I was trying to eat and talk at the same time. It was closed-file, but I spent over an hour in there with him. He was cool though, we ended up just chatting about everything from Drexel to Penn State football and partying. His friends were there so I got even more feedback too, which was nice. They all seemed very normal. Be prepared for a LOT of down-time throughout the day though. At one point I sat in the conference room for an hour and a half waiting for my next appointment."
"A great overall experience. I came in thinking, I would never want to go to this school... now I feel the opposite. This is a great place, the people were great and friendly. The opporunities seem wonderful. A great place for clinical medicine. "
"Drexel is a place I wouldn't mind attending but I wouldn't exactly look forward to going there either."
"I got there and got an overview followed by the interview w/ the dean and lunch and tour with the student. Very laid back and easy. Everyone was really friendly"
"Overall the day was great. We got quick intro to the school and choice of curricula, a tour of the place (which is really really nice), talked to some students, had an interview, had another interview, and went home. It is a great place that is getting better and better. Residency placement is great and there is a choice of curricula. The interview was the most relaxed, fun, interesting that I've had. "
"i was really excited to check out drexel...its history and commitment to women's medicine were appealing. however, this commitment seems to encompass alienating the male students to some extent. the interview was fine. the main reason i'd go there (if i am given that opportunity) would be for the pil curriculum."
"It was great."
"It was all right. My faculty interviewer was nice and we had a good conversation. My student interviewer was also nice enough. I don't know, there just didn't seem to be a rich intellectual tradition there -- it seemed like it would be perfectly fine to go to school there, but you better have a separate support network."
"I had a good day and found that most of the students that I talked with were very positive about the school. The questions that I was asked were very straightforward. I was asked nothing ethical or nothing very difficult."
"The experience was great. This was my last interview of the season and so I was pretty laid back. It was also the first really honest interview I had. The interviewer took the time and steps to really get to know me and why I had choosen medicine. My studnet interview was terrible. They do them over lunch with the students and there is a wide variation among studnet interviewers. Mine never asked any questions and seemed to have no personality. Overall though the day was positive."
"Generally a good interview experience that was not conducted as a stress interview. The student interview was more challenging and asked harder questions that the faculty interviewer. The student interviewer has some standard questions to ask. Faculty member just seemed to want to get to know me better and had the standard questions."
"My faculty interviewer didn't give me any feedback as to how the interview went. My student interviwer seemed pissed off that she had to fill out the interview form. It always boggles my mind that I always get stuck with med students that either hate the school or are not too interested in interviewing the potential candidates."
"Overall a really great interview experience. The tour and orientation was really informative. Everyone was extremely nice. Interviews were conversational and relaxing. "
"This was my first interview and was expectedly nerve-wracking. However my group was tremendously supportive of me and even cheered me on as I left for my faculty interview. I was thoroughly disappointed that the lady who interviewed me was retired. She didn't seem very interested in my motivations to become a doctor, rather questioned whether I was capable of it due to difficulties I had with grades. Granted that my grades are average and my MCAT scores are not phenomenal, I really felt that it was the first thing that struck her about me. My positive attitude about myself didn't seem to matter because it seemed like she had already made her mind about what she thought of me. It was tough, which made me nervous.Plus she was really old and squinted at me the whole time....not a good thing. The student interview was GREAT. He was really supportive of what I thought and genuinely seemed enraptured by what I had to say. I got to say what I felt and liked that he seemed to affirm what I thought about various issues. All in all, it was an okay interview experience. I wish everyone the best of luck in the interview process. Believe in your potential...that's the first step. Let them know that you know you'll be a great physician. Take care and good luck :)"
"There's a student interview over lunch which is closed file and a faculty interview which is open file. The faculty interviewer didn't seem to have looked before the interview. "
"good school, good program, good people...would love to go there"
"Pretty laid back and everyone is nice. The PBL curriculum and the IFM is pretty appealing and shows that the school has a correct trajectory in it's educational approach. Yet, the school did not have the luster to it. I think that it would be better to stick to your state school for a better education at a much cheaper price. "
"The experience at Drexel was great. They provide a lot of useful information about their school and everyone was really open to answering questions."
"The people I met were very interesting. As a high school student, I really had little clue of stuff like residency and the USMLEs. The other interviewees gave me the inside scoop on how medical school works and some of their postgraduate work they were doing. My interviewer was really nice and he even came from my hometown! Definately a positive interview experience. "
"the interview should have been relaxing, but for whatever reason my interviewer was challenging my desire to pursue medicine. She picked my application apart asking me to defend all the faults I have. Hopefully I gave her enough ammunition to combat the same questions people on the committee will ask. I have done many interviews, so I know that she was attacking me. Look below to see the questions. It might have just been her style, and maybe it will pay off."
"Overall great experience. My first interview was with a student. Very laid back, asked me why I want to be a doctor and the hardest thing Ive ever done. After that I interviewed with a Md. Very laid back. He asked me why violence was so high in american schools today, infant mortality, insurance, and if docs should volunteer."
"the interview day was organized pretty well considering there were about 40 people being interviewed. there are two separate interviews, one with a faculty (30 minutes) and one with a studnet (about 45 minutes). student interview was very relaxed. he was actually tired from partying the night before but we still had a good conversation. lisa, the admissions director was very friendly. there's not much to do within the area of the school. you have to go to the city and the school provides a shuttle to take you there."
"I wasn't crazy about East Falls (Drexel's not actually in urban Philadelphia), but my interview was at Hahnemann University Hospital, which was. I liked my faculty interviewer, and also the "pathway" program where Drexel provides close counseling for students in the residency match planning. I didn't like the med school building, and the grading system (essentially, a letter system, Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail = A, B, C, F) which seems to make it higher pressure; also I didn't like the fact that the clinical rotations will take you to Erie PA, Pittsburgh PA, and a couple of towns in Jersey (i.e., you will not be able to do all of your rotations in Philly). Also I was not enthralled with the huge class size of 237, but that's minor really..."
"There were two interviews: one over lunch with a student and another with a faculty member. I was pleased that the faculty member took a lot of interest in my application and in trying to understand it throughly (I am a non-traditional student, out of school for a couple years). The med school building was pretty nice, but seems quite isolated. We did not tour any of the hospital either. The med building has a small gym area and its library seemed quite small. "
"If you have a female psychiatrist interview you, who also coordinates some academic programs, expect a rude interview. The other student who interviewed with her, had the same experience that I did."
"I did not have the typical Drexel interview that everyone else seems to have had. My interviewer had read my file very carefully and asked very specific questions, none of the typical why do you want to be a doctor? why drexel? etc. Told me a decision I had made was "a tragic mistake". I did not have a very positive experience but apparently this is not typical... "
"overall it was my worst interview yet...the interviewer didn't really want to get to know me she just wanted to discuss grades and mcat scores. "
"Faculty interview felt odd. He didn't ask too many direct questions and didn't have many positive things to say about me, Drexel or medicine in general. He also didn't answer most of my questions - he said the students knew the school better than he did and I should ask them... Great student interview - also counts in your file."
"Overall it was a really good experience. The interviewers were really friendlyand laid back one was a student and the other one was a faculty member. The day was also very well organized."
"The interviews was not a tough as I expected. I interviewed with the dean of admissions and the MD/PhD director, 3 other PhD faculty and an MD/PhD students. Most of the interviews were conversational and straight foward. The PhD faculty just want to see if you are truely dedicated to research as a major part of your career. There was one faculty that did not ask me any questions regarding my application and just talked incessantly about his research for about an hour... wow... Oh, one note on the hotel accomodations: The school pays for accommodation. I stayed at a bed and breakfast close to the school but the flip side of that is it's not really comfortable (and I'm a non-picky avid camper). I would pick a hotel somewhere if I have to do it over."
"The city is pretty cool--lots of stuff to see and do. The school is niceness too. Students were super friendly and the buildings looked clean and renovated. "
"My interviewer was really nice and friendly. She did a lot of the talking at the beginning and did not really ask too many questions about my application, we got off that subject quite a bit. My student interview was kinda random. I overheard him telling his friend how he was so hungover from last nite and so prepared for the occasion (he like rolled out of bed to come interview and have a free lunch). He said it would be nothing to worry about, but asked kinda serious questions because that was what was on the paper. Its quite awkward to talk and eat in such a loud crowded cafeteria, but I was kinda prepared for that after reading these comments."
"OK, so, you start by going to campus and once you check in with the security guard, you go into the admissions office. Then you check in there and you sit in this conference room with all the other interviewees (about twelve when I went). You chat among yourself and then there is a presentation and a tour, guided by admissions staff. Then there is a whole lot more waiting and chatting until your two interviews (one with a student over lunch and another with a faculty member). Pretty much, by the end, all the interviewees have totally bonded because, let me repeat, there is a LOT of waiting and chatting. It really was a fun day, so don't stress!!"
"I am from the area, so I thought I had some idea of what Drexel is all about. I was a little concerned about the University's torrid history (the name changes, new management, etc), but the presentation by the the admisisons director put my fears to rest. I must admit that I went in expecting the worst and was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the admissions staff, students, and faculty. OH, and the faculty interview is open file, while the student interview is closed."
"I was very impressed with the school, and I was accepted in November..I am seriously considering it, except for it is very expensive. The interview was difficult to assess...my interviewer did not seem exceptionally friendly, yet I have heard this is generally the case. All in all, one of my top choices."
"I had a pretty unremarkable experience. The orientation presentation was extremely fast and haphazard. The lady spoke way too fast during the 1 hour presentation. My interview with the faculty was pleasant (although he was very late to start the interview and early to finish it). My student interview occurred over lunch, which I thought was unusual to eat in front of someone interviewing you for admission to medical school."
"There are two interviews - one student (closed file) and one faculty member (open file). They give a nice slide show presentation about the school, tour, and then there is about 3 hours of free time when you will have your interviews (you interview with the student over lunch - it's hard to talk with your mouth full!!) In between interviews you can listen in on classes or sort of wander around, or just sit in the room and wait. "
"I was still a little skeptical after reading this site, but the interviews really are relaxed (this doesn't mean that they don't ask any challenging questions, but it's more like having a discussion with a friend that with someone who's judging you)."
"Brief info session, followed by a tour. Then I had one interview with a retired doctor who actually attended the school (but did not work at it): she specifically said I should not ask her any nitty-gritty questions about the school since I could ask the student. The interview was basically just conversational, no really hard questions. Then I had the student interview over lunch, which was slightly strange since this student will be evaluating you. The student actually asked me much harder questions, such as pushing me on why I want to be a doctor, etc etc. Then I sat in on a class, which was pretty interesting. I was impressed with the school and its technology, not so much with the location."
"The interview was pretty relaxed. Expect to be there the whole day, but you may get to go early depending on when your faculty interview ends. "
"Overall, I thought the school was great. Everyone I encountered was really nice, and the interview was probably one of the most relaxed interviews I've had. "
"Group orientation followed by an interview with a medical school rep. She was difficult because a research background seemed to be a bad thing in her eyes. She only wanted clinical experiences - weird. Then, a meeting with a PhD. and off to lunch with a very nice M.D., Ph.D. student. Then, a meeting with the director and off to 4 meetings with Ph.D.s who were often new to the school. The interviewers were very nice but too new to Drexel to comment on the school. Then, the thing wrapped up with a pizza party."
"There are two interviews at Drexel University School of Medicine, one with a student(closed file) and one with a faculty member(open file). Both of these lasted 30 - 40 minutes for me. My student interview was in the cafeteria (which is a bit small for such a large school). She was a first year and the interview was as much an opportunity for her to guage my motivations, background, and interest in Drexel as it was for me to ask any questions I had. My faculty interview was at MCP Hospital which is a couple blocks away from the school (a shuttle is provided). My interview was delayed about 15-20 minutes. My faculty interviewer was intellectual and asked my opinion on a number of open ended questions - the kind that nobody really has an answer to... I was impressed by the facilities of the actual college and the surrounding neighborhood does not seem too bad. Admission decisions are made within 6 weeks. Tour guide (Director of Admissions) is a veteran at giving the tour -> NO B.S."
"Overall very easy day-everyone is warm and wants you to feel comfortable. "
"overall very good, the tuition is little high for my taste, but a school that won't burn you out."
"After interviewing here I have a really positive outlook on this school. The students are very friendly and seem to all know each other."
"Everyone was really nice. Random students would ask me how my interview went and wished me luck. My interviewer was the sweetest lady! My student interviewer was a little weird...I ended up asking him more questions than he asked me. The interview was very conversational."
"Students didnt seem too happy at the school and the class size was too large for my liking. Learned that the PIL students dont interact much with the IFM kids. "
"My student interview was basically a conversation except for the end when he said that he was supposed to ask me certain questions. It was a little awkward conducting it over lunch. The faculty interview was quite relaxed. He only asked me what I was doing now and about my volunteering in the past. The rest of the time we discussed sports, history of Philly, etc. (which was fine with me)."
"As of 4/02 it was MCP Hahnemann was adopted as part of Drexel university, an advantageous marriage in many ways. The students at Drexel seemed extremely happy and get a lot of attention. Also , there problem-based learning and 3rd-4th year curricula are models for the rest of the country. "
"The interviews were both low key. The faculty interview was conducted either at the school or at hospitals with physicians. The student interviewers did not have access to your files. "
"nice people, very nice school, great opportunities"
"VERY positively....if it weren't for the cost, this would be my number 1 choice."
"The interview day was very poorly organized. They did not know who the faculty interviewer would be for the three of us (out of 20 people group) and I was on of them. We were told that we would have to take a bus to another campus to be interviewed. There was an hour break between the tour and the student interview that was filed with nothing. In the middle of the student interview an admission office representative came in and told me that I would not have to travel to another campus after all and would be interviewed on site. "
"My student interview went really well, she was really laid back and didn't ask any hard questions. My faculty interview was a little more difficult, he was not in a particularly good mood."
"overall, the interview was SO laid back. the faculty interviewer just wanted to talk basically and what was really great was that she didnt have to ask me if i had any questions for her...my questions all came out as part of our discussion. One thing that I learned was that any problems students had with the PIL program were due to issues a couple years ago and since then there have been no problems with it. In fact, the students I talked to in IFM told me that I should apply to PIL if not just to try it out b/c you can always switch out but you can't switch in to it. Read up on the different tracks for the first two years because it is definitely a good discussion point during both interviews."
"Overall, it was a low stress day. Everyone at the campus was friendly and were really helpful. The interviewers did not ask any tough questions, but instead, wanted to get to know you as a person. "
"overall, it was a very laid back experience, positive, and put drexel up on my top choices list"
"Overall, easy interview, nothing to worry about."
"The student interviewer was fantastic, very enthusiastic. The faculty interviewer was laid back and very interested in being my advocate on the admissions committee. However, my interviewer didn't read my file before or during my interview; he said he preferred to get to know me as a person first."
"My faculty interviewer was great, he made me feel real comfortable talking to him. The setting was like a more like a regular discussion, not an interview."
"it was very positive! But any public transportation to the area is very shady and sucks big time (is dirty, slow, etc.)"
"It was a low stress,and gave applicants an opportunity to interact with current students/staff. The morning was filled with a summary of the school/history. this was followed by a tour, after which the interviews started. "
"I had one-on-one interviews with a faculty member and a student. The faculty interview lasted 45min and was extremely friendly and conversational. We discussed my history and interests, and found some common ground. The student interview lasted an hour and a half and was also very conversational. My student interviewer was a bit distracted (he seemed to know everyone passing through the cafeteria), but was still very friendly and talkative. I felt I learned quite a bit about the school during that time."
"i thought the interviews went fine, but i had the misfortune of getting interviewers (student and MD) that were in bad moods. the student was very much in a hurry, and was obviously doing the interview just for the free lunch she got. she also did not make much eye contact with me. the md who interviewed me was thorough, but was a little bit disillusioned with both his profession and particarly specialty. neither interview experience was very stressful, but i would have liked it better if either person had at least pretended to enjoy themselves."
"I didn't get a whole lot of real questions--just a few clarifications on my experiences, hobbies etc. It was actually a bit disconcerting, but the other interviewees seemed to have more traditional experiences. The student interview was a really good experience--it was good to see the students interact. They all seemed relaxed and happy."
"There were about seven of us interviewing. The day started with a presentation by staff. We were given a tour of the facility, then we had lunch. You get interviewed by a medical student during lunch, so be prepared to answer questions and keep a dialogue. The school is crowded as there is such a big class, but the students seem to like the school. There are two teaching styles here (IFM and PIL-read about these). Students in each of the styles are happy with their style and encourage you to go into it. The students and faculty were very friendly here. The interviews were not stressful, they were more interested in getting to know you."
"A fair interview that served mostly to answer questions the interviewer had in regards to my file."
"overall, i had a very positive reaction to the place. i went in unsure but left very excited."
"MCP Hahnemann is now the Drexel University College of Medicine"
"Positive. Made me rank MCP well above other choices."
"anyone going after the friday i went is going to be interviewing for a wait list spot, so don't get your hopes up too high, even though they do go to there wait list. just changed management, again, so who knows if its going to get better or worse. just relax! email me if you have any questions: [email protected]"
"really good experience; enjoyed the interview, fun conversation; associate dean was very nice, easy to talk to, felt challenged in a good way"
"Interviews were pretty typical: one student, one faculty. The student interview is closed-file, faculty is open-file. They asked the usual questions. The student interview was over lunch in the cafeteria."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 246 |
| Faculty member | 20 |
| Admissions staff | 189 |
| Other | 6 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 193 |
| Neutral | 72 |
| Discouraging | 4 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.29 | 275 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 55 |
| Out of state | 209 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 57 |
| 2-3 hours | 63 |
| 4-6 hours | 84 |
| 7+ hours | 53 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 118 |
| Automobile | 107 |
| Train or subway | 35 |
| Other | 5 |
Philly international
PHL airport
Philidelphia International
Philadelphia Int'l
Main Philadelphia airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Washington Regan
BWI
JFK
Philadelphia International
southwest
us air
Philadelphia Int
Philadelphia
ATL/PHL
Philadelphia Intl. Airport
Philly
Philladelphia
EWK
PDX
PHI
PHL
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 35 |
| Friends or family | 55 |
| Hotel | 111 |
| Home | 7 |
| Other | 2 |
No
Yes
No
Yes
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 62 |
| $101-$200 | 53 |
| $201-$300 | 29 |
| $301-$400 | 36 |
| $401-$500 | 20 |
| $501+ | 18 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.42 | 275 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.50 | 285 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.14 | 281 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.38 | 128 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.35 | 132 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.45 | 115 |
"have student interviewers that have been attending the school for longer than 1 month"
"Better information session"
"less down-time during interview... there was like 45 minutes between activities where i just sat in the admissions office"
"Less downtime if possible."
"They should have an actual person welcome us instead of a video. It felt very insincere."
"Improve food offerings. Use people to give presentations, not videos. Allow applicants to interact with students who have been at the school for longer than 3 months."
"Why make us write another essay? Don’t schedule four applicants with the same interviewer back to back, if he runs late to begin with and runs over time, the last applicant is set back over an hour and a half. It really means a lot to have an actual person welcome the applicants who visit the medical school campus, the video was a complete turn off, and started the day on the wrong foot."
"We were told that it would take 6-8 weeks to hear any word back due to the high volume of applicants. However, this is quite a long time and is very stressful to applicants. I would suggest, however if it is possible or not, to cut that waiting period down significantly."
"-have an actual interview packet or something to give to people when they come for an interview. an information booklet or something that they can take home instead of just a few sheets of paper. -make the lunch more organized instead of just directing students to the cafeteria -notify students when they are being offered an interview immediately, instead of waiting however many weeks to send an email and leaving it up to them to check their portal every day I understand that Drexel receives a lot of applications but their admissions & interview process needs a lot of work."
"It would have been nice if things didn't overlap so much (interviews and tours and presentations, etc.)"
"Don't schedule a tour of the anatomy lab/school facilities at the same time some interviewees have to leave for interviews. The admissions office gave a tour of the medical school and the anatomy lab to all interviewees except for me as soon as I left to attend my interview in Center City."
"Maybe have a student give the tour so interviewees have a better feel for what the students think. Also maybe have refreshments while interviewees wait in the room for long periods of time, I was starving while waiting for the student interview."
"Don't be so rude. Had a horrible experience with admissions staff."
"Make it an actual interview day instead of sitting us in a conference room the entire time."
"An itinerary would be nice. There were multiple points during the day where I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing."
"faster decision making."
"No suggestions, everyone did a wonderful job helping me feel comfortable."
"I think the admissions office could improve by sending out emails regarding applicants in a more timely manner."
"Shorten the down time and the over all length of the day perhaps."
"Thanks for the relaxed interviews. I'd love to see more of what we could see as med students. Seeing the PIL program was good, but I would have loved to see some more."
"Stop having interviews at an off campus location."
"they need to review completed files faster"
"When you give out folders to interviewing students, it would be nice if you included their names and schedules in there instead of having us shuffle papers around."
"Less down time - more structure or shorter interview day"
"Train the interviewers"
"None, so far, although I do wish that the process would not take six weeks"
"We had a lot of free time to sit around and do nothing. Maybe have some current students around."
"make sure students receive secondary"
"be more responsive to questions... didn't feel like mine were clearly answered"
"Nothing much. They were really nice and helpful."
"There was a letter given referring to a packet in the folder about PIL but it was missing from the f"
"I would have enjoyed more student contact and opinion. While the student interview was a great way"
"None"
"The admissions office is great, actually. I would only suggest trying to schedule interviews so that"
"timely (or any) answers to emails would be great"
"Inform students that they may be taking the bus into center city for an interview on the other part"
"Never really dealt with anyone."
"Release decisions online."
"Have someone sitting at the desk at all times"
"I would appreciate a quicker turnaround on a decision following an interview. As of now it is 6-8 w"
"Redesign that opening presentation and think long and hard about what makes Drexel so different than"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?