How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.88 | 48 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 35 |
| Negatively | 6 |
| No change | 5 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.17 | 48 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.82 | 28 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.70 | 27 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 1 |
| Virtual | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 1 |
| 30 minutes | 8 |
| 35 minutes | 2 |
| 40 minutes | 2 |
| 45 minutes | 17 |
| 50 minutes | 3 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 14 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 46 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 48 |
| In a group | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 47 |
| Closed file | 1 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.88 | 48 |
"Tell me about your self?"
"Why dentistry? Very general questions to get a sense of who you are."
"What do you do for fun? Follow up: How does gardening relate to dentistry? (Be prepared to relate what you do for fun to dentistry)"
"Describe how COVID-19 has changed your perspective on healthcare?"
"They asked me about my research."
"Why Harvard School of Dental Medicine?"
"They asked me about everything in my file, specific questions about how I relate to their curriculum...and I had a hypothetical scenario to analyze to demonstrate skills needed by dentists"
"Why did you choose your undergraduate school?"
"Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? what was your biggest failure?"
"Why Dentistry and not Medicine?"
"How would a friend describe you?"
"tell me a little bit about your background?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"Do you have a life? Convince me."
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Why dentistry?"
"What is your biggest disappointment so far?"
"Why Harvard?"
"How did you become interested in dentistry?"
"Do you have any brothers or sisters? Also, I see that your father is a dentist...tell me about that."
"What have you learned from playing sports in college?"
"Why did you get a C in Calculus II?"
"What are you most proud of?"
"What would your friends say is your best quality?"
"if you could be doing anything oustide of science what would you be doing?"
"Tell us about your favorite leadership experience."
"How do you handle stress?"
"can you go more in depth about the one program you were involved in at school?"
"Why not stay in Cali and go to UCSF, UCLA, or USC?"
"If I were to ask your friends to describe you/your qualities, what would they say?"
"Where do I get my drive?"
"What do you see yourself doing once receiving your DDS?"
"what are some of your strengths?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Nice tie. Did you buy it esp? (crimson colors) Then he suggested I get a couple of other ones when i go to UNC and Columbia....(all in good humor, he knew the school i was interviewing at for Dental SChool"
"Very specific to your own experiences, they read your application very thoroughly."
"What are 3 words your friends would use to describe you?"
"What do you think about the importance of policy in dentistry?"
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"Why not medicine?"
"Why HSDM?"
"How difficult was your undergraduate school?"
"Why did you choose your undergrad school?"
"Where do you see your self 10 years from now?"
"On a scale of 1 to 10, are you a lamb or a dictator, with 1 being the lamb?"
"What do you think of the PBL curriculum?"
"research experience?"
"Tell me about yourself, how you became intersted in dentistry and why HDSM? "
"What class did you not like in undergrad?"
"Tell me about your research, and what do you want to do in the field?"
"Why Harvard?"
"Tell me about your research experience."
"Describe a leadership position that you held."
"So tell me about yourself."
"Describe your research in more detail."
"Tell me a bit about your experiences in this dental office."
"What should I take back to the admission committee?"
"What books have you read in the last year?"
"how would you try to fix the disparity in available and affordable healthcare in america?"
"What do you do to relax?>"
"Any extracurricular activities?"
"how do you feel about the research aspect of the curriculum?"
"Tell me about your research."
"Why I was 3rd author on 2 papers and not 2nd? I thought this question was arrogant."
"Tell me a little bit more about your research."
"Have I ever been challenged and not succeeded?"
"Did you ever consider medicine?"
"how do you deal with stress?"
"Why dentistry"
"Are you in a relationship? How did it end and why? Was she also going into a health profession?"
"Why not medicine?"
"What's the latest book you've read?"
"How would a friend describe you?"
"How do you see yourself and your career in 10 years?"
"asked about the W's on my transcript"
"Did you consider medicine?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What extracurricular activites are you involved in?"
"Did you ever consider going into medicine?"
"pre-dental experience?"
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years/ten years?"
"What do you want to do w/your education here?"
"What attracted you to apply to HSDM?"
"Why did you get a bad grade in organic?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"What role would you take on when you're in a group?"
"Tell me about your experience being an EMT."
"How did you become interested in dentistry?"
"If you had endless amounts of money, how would you improve dental healthcare for the underpriveleged?"
"Do you sing?"
"How how do you like the weather?"
"how well do you work in small groups?"
"What kind of learning style do you prefer?"
"Would you want to specialize?"
"where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"How do you relax? "
"What was a big challenge for you within the past four years and how did you deal with it?"
"Did I ever consider medicine?"
"What do you normally do when you hang out with your friends?"
"what do you think about the pbl system?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"How did you find volunteering in 3rd world countries after being raised in the US? Language barrier? Would you combine medicine and politics? (reference to my essay and also topic of socialized medicine.)"
"Asked hypothetical/ethical questions"
"If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be? (both of my interviewers asked this)"
"Do you have any enemies?"
"Both interviewers asked in depth questions relating to my application. I was impressed with how thorough the entire interview was."
"All of the questions were pretty standard."
"On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a lamb and 10 being a tyrant, how would you rate your leadership skills?"
"how would you rate the difficulty of your undergrad school? how would you rate how hard you worked?"
"What do you think of the PBL curriculum here?"
"Why Dentistry and not Medicine?"
"Describe your leadership skills."
"nothing"
"What was you greatest failure?"
"if you can choose anyone, who would you want to sit next to in an airplane?"
"On a leadership scale of lamb to tyrant where would you be?"
"What would you do if you failed a class? I told them I wouldn't, that I'd work hard at it. For that reason, I thought they were going to kick me right out the door."
"Asked about my interests in building furniture?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"The questions were pretty standard."
"I was asked about this hypothetical situation where the patient had HIV infection and how I would tell him what's going on there."
"The interviewer described several scenarios and asked how I would handle each of them."
"What specifically do you think you can bring to the problem-based learning style and tutorials at HSDM?"
"How do you think you will fit in with the calibur of students here? (I thought this was arrogant!)"
"What were your impressions of the DAT?"
"Why do you think you belong here?"
"if you could be doing anything oustide of science what would you be doing?"
"Who has been a positive influence on you in your lifetime besides your family members?"
"How would you handle dealing with cadavers in the gross anatomy section?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"If you come to HSDM, how would you contribute to the class?"
"Why not stay in Cali and go to UCSF, UCLA, or USC?"
"None really-most of the questions were based on application and personal statement."
"hard to say which was the most interesting. asked a lot of questions based on my personal statement and application (incl. secondary)"
"Describe your method of learning."
"What is the biggest challenge facing dentistry today"
"What are the top three most important things in your life?"
"How do you learn?"
"what previous perceptions of harvard did you have before you came to this school?"
"How would your friends describe you?"
"If I were to ask your father what are you three best and worst qualities what would he say?"
"None"
"What do you want me to tell the ad com?"
"How should dentists balance monetary benefits and patient care?"
"No single question was difficult. The interviews themselves were conversational."
"You have a very high dat score and GPA. You have a passion for research, have a wealth of diverse dental experiences, and have completed many community service projects, both locally and internationally. But we have plenty of applicants like you. Why are you different? What can you bring to HSDM that is unique?"
"where do you see yourself 10 years from now? (celebrating the 10-year anniversary of you asking me this question)"
"What was your biggest failure?"
"Why Dentistry and not Medicine?"
"nothing"
"What do you look for in a dental school? (I don't know why, but I totally fumbled on this one... maybe cuz I was on CA time, and it felt ridiculously early in the morning)"
"if you can choose anyone, who would you not want to sit next to in an airplane?"
"What will be the most challenging thing about dental school for you? "
"I joked about having a life at school, then she (Anne Berg) asked me straight up if I really did. I spent the next couple minutes persuading her that I was at least sorta cool."
"What is your biggest weakness?"
"Imagine you are in a PBL class where none of the other students include you. How would you handle this situation?"
"Why I did badly in organic chemistry and on the carving portion of the Canadian DAT."
"What is the biggest disappointment you've had so far in your life?"
"The question above was unexpected, but other than that they were ordinary questions."
"What book/movie has influenced your life?"
"What turns you off about HSDM?"
"Everyone who applies has done all of the necessary labwork, dental experience, etc to be a good candidate, and that's how they got this far. But what makes you different, what makes you stand out as a candidate?"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"Tell me about your family."
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"how would you try to fix the disparity in available and affordable healthcare in america?"
"Why do your DAT scores not reflect your GPA?"
"What type of role would you take in a group setting?"
"What was the most interesting short story you read? (I used to read a lot of short stories when I was in college, that is 7 years ago. When the interviewer asked the question, I could not answer it right away.)"
"Same questions as everywhere else I interviewed."
"N/A"
"None were really difficult b/c the interview was extremely conversational...i really enjoyed it."
"What would I bring to the Harvard Dental Class"
"same as above"
"What did you learn from doing research?"
"Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge."
"how do you feel you can fit in with the rest of the incoming class?"
"Explain your QR score from the DAT"
"same as above. I couldn't think of a third. But it was alright, he understood being on the spot. "
"SDN questions, regular interview questions"
"sdn, talking to students"
"SDN. Deep dive into their website (read the articles and student interviews)"
"I was just myself."
"Research online"
"Conducted mock interviews, studied the HSDM website (a lot), spoke with current students."
"I completed the Supp App. That helped me put my thoughts in order. I also paid much attention to our morning meeting with Anne Berg. I used some of the info i learned in that meeting as examples during my interview."
"SDN, HSDM website"
"SDN, mostly just thought about it a little. NYU interview the day before."
"SDN and Harvard Website"
"Website, SDN, talking to various people, ADEA booklet."
"Aadsas and secondary app."
"Got info on the school from the internet and the school introduction that you have before your interview."
"Ran through questions on SDN's interview feedback, talked with a few Harvard alums. "
"hsdm website"
"SDN, Harvard website"
"Called several class members of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years. SDN."
"I talked to previous canidates, and had several interviews before. I really didn't prep because I just wanted to be myself, not impress anyone."
"Noting much... look over my app on aadsas"
"I actually really over-prepared... I read a book on dental ethics, a book on interview preparation, looked over SDN feedback, read their websites in excessive detail and stressed for extensive periods of time."
"SDN, school website, ect."
"practiced answering potential questions, sdn, school website"
"Read the web site, SDN interview feedback"
"read sdn"
"SDN interview feedback, read Harvard website, studied info they sent me pre-interview"
"SDN and practiced with my friends"
"HSDM homepage, previous interview experience"
"I read the website and student doctor.net"
"school's website. general interview questions"
"Read Harvard's wesbite, talked to a few current students, and of course, SDN!"
"school's website and SDN"
"SDN website, talked to students, Harvard website"
"SDN, their website, etc..."
"This was my 4th interview so I didnt worry too much about this one."
"Read SDN feedback and visited school website."
"researched the program, prepared general answers, slept well the night before!"
"reviewed webpage"
"Website, SDN"
"Talked with some dental students before going; read the website; read my essay."
"read hsdm's website, sdn"
"read SDN, talked to current students, read the website."
"I relaxed, read the material and talked to a few friends at "ha-vUd" "
"Very nice and personable faculty, with medical students for first year and a half"
"The admissions team is incredibly helpful and kind. The students seem super happy and genuine."
"The financial aid presentation was pretty helpful. It gave you a better idea of what your financial situation will look like after graduating with loans"
"Super personal interviewers. They really read up on me and made the interview day (even online) super special."
"The research opportunity and the Pass/Fail curriculum"
"One me and one other student was present for the entire interview day."
"Everything. The school: pass/fail, no ranks, 100% match rates, med curriculum, networking opportunities, PBL (wasn’t a fan until I learned how Harvard does it). Faculty: down to earth, leaders in their respective fields. Students: unique, happy and seemed less stressed than any other school I interviewed at (which was a lot!). Location: Boston is an exciting city, always stuff to do. Vandy is a rock toss away from the medical and dental school (definitely stay was a student host!). All in all, the program is phenomenal. The interview is extremely thorough (especially the financial aid talk). I had so much fun during this interview. Just know your application well, drink some coffee, and enjoy your day!"
"The students and faculty are amazing. I love their version of PBL."
"prestige, opportunities to specialize, and the lack of competition among students"
"Taking classes with the medical students, pass/fail system, Boston!"
"everything. beautiful campus, beautiful city. it was my first time there. the students were also really laid back and gave a great tour that touched everything."
"Historic nature of Harvard, their prominence, the caliber of professors there. "
"Everything. Everyone I encountered during my visit was very nice, and they were very excited for all the interviewers."
"True Pass/Fail system"
"How laid back the program is."
"By far the most impressive aspect of the school is the location, Boston. The med school was extremely nice and taking med classes would be pretty sweet. Also, you're pretty much guaranteed acceptance into a specialty if you graduate from Harvard. Problem based learning. "
"The students and how laid back and brilliant they are."
"students are laid-back, pass-fail (passing grade is 60%!!), best school to go into specialty"
"Lots. I was impressed by the program, the board scores, the strong medical emphasis, the med students, and the curriculum. Also P/NP"
"Get into your specialities, but I knew that. The students were really cool and social. No arrogance. Some were pretty funny and cool."
"The school was so relax and chill, I didn't get the vibe that people were trying to be pretentious or overly snobby. I expected that i would not like the school or the people, but I was totally wrong."
"the stress level of the students"
"Everything! Before I went to the interview I wanted to go to Columbia more but I was so impressed with how happy the students were, how open and helpful the staff and faculty were and the general atmosphere of geniality and helpfulness. When I went I stayed with a student and met a lot of students in their natural habitat ;) and they were so nice and so enthusiastic that it made me fall in love with the school."
"Although the dental school is small compared to the medical school right next to it, the program seemed like it could get you into whatever specialty you desire."
"The atmosphere seemed academic and encouraging where students are happy with their lives. Certainly there are lots of things going on in this area other than the classes, and made me wanting to part of them."
"The very upbeat attitudes of the students there. It was obvious that they were happy to be there."
"The uniqueness of the program, the UNLIMITED amount of resources and assistance available to students, and the technology and facilities"
"all of the students seemed to really love it there, and there is guaranteed housing for students in a dorm across the street"
"High quality of the students there. Administration really cares about the students, and wants all of them to do well. Integration of medical and dental schools the first two years with same grading curves; emphasizes the idea that dentistry is a subspecialty of medicine. Opportunities to get involved in all sorts of research projects. Success of harvard students matching into competetive specialty programs. I did not meet one person that I considered arrogant or snotty. People were all very laid-back. "
"I liked the small class size and the problem-based learning. You only have about an hour of lecture a day and then the rest of the learning is done in small groups or by yourself. You also get to take all the classes the med students take during the first two years and you get to know all of them. All the lectures are online, so you can watch them anytime!"
"The small class size"
"the friendly attitude of the admissions committee, interviewing <5 candidates at a time, informal Q&A session during orientation, upbeat attitude of the 4 dental students i met, the PBL system, the "societies", plethora of opportunities to research"
"the medical school right next to the dental school"
"it's Harvard. There is nothing better in the country that the big H."
"EVERYTHING...Boston is awesome, the medical school is incredible (mind you, dental students and med students are intertwined for the first two full years)...vanderbilt hall is a great idea for first year students,...all in all, its HARVARD...what is there not to like? "
"i met a very diverse student body."
"Everything. HSDM is an incredible school and the program is incorporated with the medical school, so you get all the benefits of that school's funding. It is a pass/fail system, so there is no competition between students. You take all of your first 2 years of classes with med students which is cool and you learn all the aspects of the human body before going strictly dental. facilities were amazing, dorms are right across from the classroom buildings. it is in a nice location, the students are from everyone across the country (and canada) so you get to meet a variety of people, not just people who are in the same state and went to the same college or high school. in short, HSDM was amazing, score #1 on boards, great for specialization and their reputation goes a long way."
"Nice curriculum (PBL, classes with medical students, etc);a lot of research opportunities; new building, etc...; friendly students and staff"
"The name."
"The students and faculty were very nice and welcoming. The school's curriculum is one that appears to really try to prepare you for the profession with a solid foundation. The number of resources and opportunities that are available to students are almost limitless. I also liked the fact that there is a pass/no pass grading system which really tones down the stress-level and eliminates competition between peers."
"everything! But i think what -most- impressed me were how friendly and down-to-earth the students were. Honestly, none of them had a snooty attitude, none of them had the stereotypical monster-egos that HSDM students are rumored to have. everyone was just incredibly honest, friendly, sincere, and humble. just very real people. Also, was excited that HSDM is constructing a new building which we were told would be ready in the fall. "
"the interviewers were very friendly, the students seemed personable"
"class done by 12:30 no grades or ranking of students"
"Get to take classes with Harvard med students with harvard med school faculty."
"Everything. I loved my experience at HSDM. Students and faculty seemed really friendly. There seems to be an unlimited amount of opportunity as a dental student there. I really like the pass/fail system as well as the fact that they don't rank their students because it decreases the amount of competition between students. "
"the pass/fail curriculum!! the innovative and all encompassing approach to dental medicine."
"The relaxed atmosphere (the students) the facilities (med) the on campus housing. The finacial aid talk was VERY informative. Harvard is not a strictly research school, you will get a well rounded education with an emphasis on medicine. In addition 90+ percent of the class get into the specialty program of their choice."
"What didn't?? HMS is palacial. I do not believe in the Treasury Department anymore, I believe money was being printed in the basement of HMS. No wonder Harvard hasn't the largest endowment (6 billion i hear)"
"None."
"Seemed a little pretentious"
"Interviewer was disrespectful and didn't seem to be interested in being there."
"That students tend to live in the dorms during D1."
"Nothing. The interview and school itself was flawless."
"Boston is cold and wet in the winter, and it's hot and humid during the summer. I really wanted to see the clinics, but they were closed for the NERB during our interview day."
"pass/fail system, new changes to curriculum (problem-based learning), entire first two years being at HMS and non-clinical skills"
"The rooms in Vanderbilt Hall were too small."
"there was no financial aid talk because the person in charge of it was sick that day. so we just got a packet showing us how much $$ dentists make and were on our own for an hour. seemed rather unprofessional."
"Size of class, which actually may be a plus"
"Arrogance of majority of people, excessively small class size, weak dental curriculum"
"There reputation for putting out poor clinicians seems accurate."
"The schools I talked to were cocky as hell (and it didn't seem like they had much to be that cocky about). The lab and clinic were probably the worst I've seen. The cost is not worth the education you receive at Harvard. I believe you can get a better education at many other schools (at least the ones I interviewed at). "
"The lacking of pre-clinical and clinical training, and the run-down facilities."
"students don't get clinical experience for the first 2 years"
"The facilities were not the most amazing I had seen, but still good. No sim lab and less clinical than other school because everyone specializes"
"I just came from Arizona, which was totally nice and new. Harvard looked ghetto. The student interviewing me hadn't looked at my info and I wasn't super impressed with him, but he was nice enough, I guess. How late you get into the clinic, the stress of the 3rd year, doing rectal exams as a dental student...retarded! I didn't like the lonely feel of the student housing at all."
"While I was impressed by facilities, faculty and students, I did get the impression that the school is not as well financed as some other private institutions (or public for that matter)- translation - its very expensive and theres not much scholarship. But its harvard, right! the students are heavily recruitted from this dental school, something I cant say for all the schools i visited. (no one did a GPR or AEGD , everyone went right into there specialty like 95%, the other 5% did public health or something academic."
"no sim lab for the class"
"How long they made us wait before we were interviewed ;)"
"I was hoping that the school would be larger and the facilities larger."
"Nothing really."
"the weather"
"It's very specific program, so it doesn't work for everyone! If you are not interested in going right into a specialty, academia, or research, it will not prepare you for general practice. Also, there is a required research project and no clinical experience at all until the third year."
"the pre-clinical facilities--they were the worst i'd seen at any dental school"
"Not so sure the PBL thing is for me. But then, I don't really know what program would be good for me! "
"The equipment etc. wasn't very up to date"
"The school really wasn't that much different than the safety schools I had applied to. It was actually very similar to Wisconsin."
"nothing, really, against HSDM. just wish boston was cheaper to live in and wish it was more feasible to have a car while in school. wish student housing (Vanderbuilt Hall) was more like an "apartment" rather than a dorm like other graduate school housing at other schools"
"the dental school itself"
"not much that i remember"
"Dental labs/clinic were a little rusty and old, but hey, they get the job done!"
"the constant blare of police sirens around the campus"
"don't touch an instrument until their 3rd year (maybe late 2nd year), but i don't see that as too big of problem. your 3rd and 4th year is all clinical, and you will get plenty of experience in time. also, they have a research requirement, which might deter a lot of people"
"None really. "
"That the name isn't everything. The facilities are soo old. The students don't seem "Harvard material" and that the school makes you do a research project and wants everyone to do dental research in the future, but rarely do their students stay in research as a career. "
"Aside from the frigid weather this time of year..nothing."
"the tour felt really short...i would have liked to see more (but our tour time had to be cut short for various reasons)"
"financial seminar was cynical"
"facilities are garbage you don't even begins doing dental things until your 3rd year small clinic size lack of clinical skills acquired while at Harvard"
"The facilities are ridiculously small and old. I was shocked to see how run down the place was. They spent more time showing us how great the Med school is than the dental school. They have no sim labs. The students have some of the biggest egos I have EVER seen and one told me straight out that after you grad from Harvard you will not have the skills needed to immediately practice clinical dentistry. "
"Nothing. The only thing is that it seems like the dental students have to work extremely hard....even harder than the medical students. "
"having clinical skills introduced so late into your time there. "
"Nothing, except for the weather in Boston."
"Nothing about Harvard, but traffic and parking. But keep in mind the T is there so not a bother really. Awesome "
"They have an open Q and A with faculty and students for the first like 30 minutes, bring questions for faculty and more questions for interviewer (might be the same)"
"None."
"Research is part of the cirriculum"
"How small the interview group was."
"That you will get a ticket if you park outside of Vandy."
"I wish I had researched more about the school before I arrived. I had a JADA article on the HSDM curriculum that I wanted to read before my interview but never got to it. I also should have perused the website more. These "should have's" would be more for my benefit, rather than for my success during the interview."
"How casual it would be...misconception of prim and proper ivys"
"That the cab drivers in Boston WILL rip you off."
"Interview lasted until 3:30"
"Breakfast is not provided"
"Their unique curriculum"
"There are multiple entrances to the dental school, and the ONE that you have to enter is in a very obscure part of the building. They don't provide breakfast, so eat something before you go!"
"Everyone lives in the dorms, and that Boston is really cool! Oh, and arrange to stay with a student and save $$$ on hotel."
"The students at Harvard are way cool, but I wasn't impressed with my day to day actions with Bostonian public transport and street people. They were kinda mean and not too laid back. Weird that the students were way cooler!"
"I you missed the sign on the way in you would never think you were at harvard. The people and the environment is very nice, and does not seem overly competitive or stressful."
"That the interviews are mostly there to gauge your personality and see if you'd fit in with the students, so let your natural self shine through!"
"That my interviewers were both researchers."
"Not to stress so much over it. That interviewing with 2 faculty members is not something to stress over."
"That they are NOT looking for the most common answer of "what do you want to do after dental school?", which is "Go right into practice and get started!" HSDM is specialized in providing advanced dental opportunities."
"how poor of a pre-clinic facility they have, that they're building a new research building, and that the students are basically med students for the 1st two years."
"That I could actually get accepted!! "
"That I should have brought my snow boots to the interview for the tour....it snowed almost a foot in the 24 hours I was there!"
"I did not know that the building was so old and so separate from the medical school itself. When I got there, I first walked into the beautiful med school and soon realized that I was in the wrong building. When I finally got to the dental school itself, I was hugely disappointed."
"SDN members are grossly misinformed about HSDM. thought it was a solid program and the opportunity for growth seems plentiful. i am not worried that i won't be good "clinically" once i graduate."
"The school is really not that great. Besides the Harvard name, I dont see how someone would think this was good school. If you like the cold weather and even colder people(the interviewers especially), then this is the right school for you."
"i knew a lot about the school"
"PASS/FAIL!!!:):):):)"
"nothing really"
"There were more non-traditional applicants and dental students than I had thought."
"The cold and dreary weather. How expensive it is to live in Boston. The cambridge undergraduate campus is in a better location than the medical/dent school. "
"That the facilities were not as bad as previous feedback made them out to be (you must take into consideration how old the school is). In fact they are in the process of constructing new dental facilities which should be completed in the coming Fall. The people around the community and campus are also very nice and willing to offer help (contrary to public belief of Harvard students)."
"how much I would have liked Harvard. I went there, having read all these negative things about the school here on SDN...but I think i really just had to go there for myself, to experience the interview, and make up my own mind. "
"That the just throw students in the medical school class for the first two years because they dont have the facilities to support the dental school class."
"That the Harvard dental school is absolutely worthless compared to its med school and other dental schools. You take away the Harvard name and you're left with a mediocre school at best. "
"That most people specialize after receiving their DDS from HSDM. "
"that while research is required, you can basically do anything you want to do, including going overseas! i would have been more enthusiastic about it."
"nothing"
"Wish i had spent longer in boston. Everyone i talked with was incredibly cool. Went a had a drink and got to know them before i left, but they were the type of student who know their stuff without being stuffy. Pretty unusual for an Ivy (Exception was PENN"
"Excellent school with excellent students. They are all very humble considering they come from such a great school like Harvard. They are upfront about Harvard not being a super "clinical" type school, but the students don't feel shorted by this."
"If you’re reading this, you probably landed an interview at Harvard. Congratulations! The interview day is nothing to worry about. They want to better understand who you are as a person, not how well you can spit out rehearsed interview answers. There are two 1 on 1 interviews, each for about an hour. It is very conversational, so just relax and answer honestly. Also, come ready with tons of questions to ask faculty/students. Good luck!"
"It's an amazing school. In my eyes, the closest to perfect that you can get from a dental education. But I don't think I put my best foot forward during the interview. Maybe I was just nervous because I knew I only had one shot, and I really want to go to this school."
"I went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the city, campus, students, and faculty. Really a top notch school that gives you a lot of options. I would never go to a school just for the name brand, but I think HSDM earns it from what I saw."
"Excellent school. Dental students do all coursework with med students first two years, plus take two additional classes. (harder than med school)."
"GOOD!"
"I went on my interview thinking that HSDM would actually be on par with the Medical School for which it is so famous for, but I am actually quite disappointed. The school itself is located in a very small, old building, its clinics tiny, and I am also not really too attracted/impressed with the PBL approach of the program. What really turned me off the most was the sheer arrogance of the majority of the folks there: when the admissions director first entered the room, the first thing out of her mouth was ''You should be proud of yourselves; you are actually at Harvard.'' I can't speak for others, but I guess it just rubbed me the wrong way, and the rest of the day was of a similar vein. The interviewers, the staff, and a lot of the students seem to have their noses pointed towards the sky. Not the kind of environment that I would feel comfortable or happy in. About the only good thing I can say for HSDM is that, because it does have ''Harvard'' in its name, you are pretty set for specialization. However, I found that the perception that HSDM trains weak clinicians to be quite accurate as well, because looking at their course schedule I can't see how one can learn that much clinical dentistry given that you don't pick up an instrument until your 3rd year and that actual clinical work seems minimal. Socially, whether or not Boston is an enjoyable place is entirely subjective. I personally am a warm-weather, mellow person, so I find a place where it can get so cold in the winter and so hot during the summer to be unbearable. Living in Boston will be expensive, and most of HSDM students appear to live in the Vanderbilt Dorm next to the school. It's convenient, but the rooms themselves are tiny, bee-hived, and are share-bathed. Living off-campus will be more expensive, and I suspect not much better. Overall, I'd say that this is probably most overrated dental school I have visited. For the price it's charging and the actual dental education one's getting, I just don't see any comparative advantage over any state school. It just seems too much of an after-thought of its med school brethren. Other than the name, there just really isn't much to it."
"2 separate interviews...both very relaxed, but come prepared for 2 of them. They will ask the same questions too."
"The only reason I can logically see anybody attending Harvard dental is for the name, and it's apparent in the students that go there (at least the ones I met). You have to realize that Harvard Dental is nothing like Harvard Law, Business, or Medicine."
"It started at 8:30am. There were about 6 interviewees including myself. Anne Berg talked about the curriculum, answered any general questions we had. Then we had two 45 mins interviews back-to-back. Lunch with third year students. Tour of the medical and dental facilities with a second year student. And then a Financial Aid talk, which none of it I understood. Finished at 2pm. I almost fell asleep cuz I had almost no sleep the night before, and ate too much for lunch. =P Went to the COOP to get a shirt and mug for souvenirs. The students were awesome. "
"See above"
"Anne Berg is cool, if she interviews you. It is laid back."
"Best interview experience by far - partially due to the fact that i was not expecting much... such as life."
"I stayed with a first year student (definitely do that if you can) and she went out of her way to make me feel welcome and to help me out. (I honestly feel that the students are HSDM's best ambassadors.) The interview day (there were five of us - all girls) who met with Anne Berg and then went on a tour, had lunch, met some students, and finally went back to be interviewed by two individuals. Now that I think back - the day passed by fairly quickly but at the time - the space between the morning and actually being interviewed was interminable. My interviewers were very kind and tried to make the process as painless and low-stress as possible."
"It was a very nice experience, not a bad deal."
"They're not into research that much as many people would say, but it's just that the school wants the students to be well rounded and to participate actively in their curriculum. You just can't dislike it once you visit the school."
"Very positive. The students that I met were VERY helpful in putting things into perspective. It really contradicted my expectations of being a high stress place."
"So, to repeat, HSDM will not prepare you for going right into general practice. You simply don't get the overall clinical experience (which begins in the third year), because you're starting to specialize by that time, and choosing which procedures you want to do. Also, there are no traditional lectures and exams - it is ALL student-driven with tutorials and a PASS-FAIL grading system. So the program is very different, but if you are at ALL interested in going into a specialty, research, or academics, this is the PERFECT program. You can do whatever you want, 100% of postgrads get into their specialty of choice, and there are an enormous amount of resources, both with advising, technology, and experience. (Just make sure you let them know you know how to go after what you want and are proactive. Also, you need to be a leader, since all the learning is done in small groups with little professor involvement). Also, you simply cannot beat the facilities, dorm, history, library, cafeterias. This is obviously a Harvard school! Every building looks like a museum. As for the interview, they ask very open-ended questions and let you do most of the talking, since they're looking for a very specific type of personality to match their "problem-based learning" style. If you're invited, you have the numbers - the interview is just seeing your style."
"my first interviewer was quite harsh and it was impossible for me to tell whether or not she liked me. but my second interviewer was extremely relaxed and friendly. so it really varies."
"I was super-nervous for this interview, and thought it was terrible at the time. Looking back, the two interviews I had (1 a PhD researcher, 1 an oral radiologist) were really nice and asked very fair questions. At the time though, I overanalyzed everything. My advice is to just be yourself, and answer the questions truthfully. Try and relax if you can. Harvard isn't all about "research" as some people have suggested. They really want well-rounded people with a range of experiences. Travel, leadership, non-science interests, etc are all important. Also, I think they want people who have explored/considered other health fields."
"I was set up in a dorm with one of the students so that I could learn about that aspect of the school, we were presented to about the school, we had our interviews, lunch with students, a financial aid presentation and then a tour. The whole thing was very positive, and the students seemed very happy."
"This school is not all that its cracked up to be, but if the name is everything to you, then I highly recommend it."
"very positive experience. wasn't expecting much based on the feedback on SDN, but within the first hour of orientation, i realized i had believed a lot of incorrect information. thought the clinic was adequate. the preclinic was old, but i have yet to see a "nice" preclinic on any of the tours i've been on. HSDM has a completely different approach to learning (PBL) than i'm accustomed to, but i think this strategy could be great for me"
"I hope that people think twice before committing themselves to such a mediocre school. I think there are many schools in the U.S that are far better."
"harvard is the best school in the country, no debate. there may not be much clinical emphasis in the first two years, but my general dentist went to harvard and he's doing well for himself... students who don't like harvard either: a) didn't get accepted and are seeking some internet revenge or b) didn't read up on the school to find out thatthey emphasize dental medicine as a branch of general medicine and incorporate research into many areas of the curriculum. "
"It was awesome...I would love to go to Harvard School of Dental Medicine!"
"They made you feel that they needed you more than you needed them. I liked the atmosphere around there and would not hesitate to make it my home for the next 4/5 years."
"interview was all right, two 45 minute interviews. one with a professor and the other with a 4th year student. asked basic interview questions about college activities and such."
"There were two one-on-one interviews at HSDM, whereas at other schools, there were only one interview. The interviews were very relaxing, but they asked a lot of questions. It was interesting that some questions two interviewers asked were identical. I had to say same things twice. "
"Just another ivy."
"I was very impressed with the presentation of their program. The actual interviews were pretty laid-back in the sense that they just wanted to get to know your character to see if you will fit in with the rest of the class. At the same time, they tried to give you a good idea of student life so you can assess whether or not the school would be right for you. The students were very honest with their opinions and were very willing to answer any questions. "
"I had an amazing time at HSDM. I was impressed with so much of their curriculum, the friendliness of their faculty and students, and the overall non-competitive learning environment. I was impressed with HSDM and it wasn't because of their ivy-league name (i went to an ivy league undergrad and i'm not really going to be impressed with a dental school JUST because it's an ivy-league. in fact, with penn, i was really turned off b/c they KEPT on reminding us that they were ivy-league...i really liked penn's curriculum, but i just felt that the intro talk was just too focused on proclaiming their ivy-league status every few minutes). Actually, at harvard, they didn't even mention (not once!) that they were ivy-league. i appreciated that. I just had a really great time at my interview. I felt like they really welcomed me, made a great effort to make me feel comfortable, and were really personable. The interview was by far one of the most fun I've had because we talked about everything and it was all just sharing our experiences, telling funny stories, etc. "
"overall very positive"
"If all you care about is the name and pestige then by all means goto Harvard."
"I LOVED Harvard. I really felt like it as an amazing school that gives their students an excellent education. "
"while small, this place is still quite impressive. the clinics themselves looked nice, and the med school building where you will be taking classes is equally impressive. check out those huge plasma screens!!!"
"My interview was very positive. The interviewers will be very aware of your file so read your essays and application before you go in. The interview is low stress so relax and let your personality shine through"
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 43 |
| Faculty member | 1 |
| Admissions staff | 0 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 22 |
| Neutral | 2 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.04 | 26 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 2 |
| Out of state | 21 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 2 |
| 2-3 hours | 3 |
| 4-6 hours | 8 |
| 7+ hours | 8 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 15 |
| Automobile | 5 |
| Train or subway | 3 |
| Other | 1 |
Logan
Logan International Airport
Boston
BOS
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 7 |
| Friends or family | 3 |
| Hotel | 7 |
| Home | 1 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 1 |
| $101-$200 | 4 |
| $201-$300 | 2 |
| $301-$400 | 3 |
| $401-$500 | 3 |
| $501+ | 3 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.80 | 25 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.50 | 24 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.96 | 24 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.38 | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.50 | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.00 | 8 |
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?