Kansas City, KS
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 29% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
7.8
Good
Generally favorable experience overall, applicants reported positive interactions with some minor issues noted.
Based on 547 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (81%)
Negatively (7%)
No change (11%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (27%)
Good (53%)
Average (16%)
Poor (4%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally found the interview process at KU Med to be relaxed, with friendly interviewers who focused on getting to know them. They appreciated the conversational nature of the interviews and the opportunity to interact with current students, but some wished for more information about the school and its offerings to better understand if it was the right fit for them.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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I didn't like the interview. Wasn't a friendly get to know me but rather a difficult in depth grill session.
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I did early decision so it is very competitive but we hear back quickly. I think the interview helped me reiterate why I wanted to go to KU med and would be a good candidate for their program
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The interview was very casual. The interviewers were just normal people having a normal conservation
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This is a nice interview day. Your questions about curriculum and financial aid will be answered in group presentations, and you get to meet multiple current students over the course of lunch and your tour. The new HEB is very cool - they even have a model hospital where nurses and MDs in training work together on simulation cases. A major emphasis throughout the day is that KU Med seeks to train clinicians to serve in Kansas.
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Overall a very positive experience! I am very encouraged after my interview!
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Overall good experience!
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The current student was unsure what to show us on the tour, and the non-faculty physician at my open-file interview seemed uncomfortable with his role. Overall, it seemed a little loose, but not bad.
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Read "Medical school Interview," it's going to help you get in. You can come up with answers to the general questions ahead of time and not sound like a cookie cutter robot.
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Night before we went to restaurant for dinner. Great turn out by residents and food was great. We met at 6am at hotel, went to Grand Rounds. Then half of applicants interviewed while others took tour, then switched. After interviews and tour, ate lunch and headed home.
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KU is a great place to learn medicine. The people are friendly, and supportive. The goal is for YOU to be your best, and not worry about everyone else. A big emphasis on keeping Kansas residents in-state, which for me at least is a plus. Overall an exciting place to be, and you feel at home within the first few minutes of being there.
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I wish they had sold their school to me more. They didn't give me much information, financial aid barely spent five minutes with us, and they just didn't make me WANT to go there. I always figured that was the goal of the interview day.
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Great school
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Overall great experience. The fact that one of my interviewers kept looking at the clock during the 2nd interview was a little unsettling for me. I kept dwelling for weeks! Although, my first interview went really well and my last question to him was "Do you think there are weaknesses in my application that I should address in the case that I don't get accepted this time around?" He gave me some good advice for the second part of the interview.
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The school seems really great. For the first two years, all the students are located on the Kansas City campus. During third and fourth year students get to pick whether or not they want to stay in KC or move to Wichita. Seems like the students are really happy. They get awesome opportunities to work in the community, and to go abroad. A great focus on cross-cultural understanding.
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First interview is with the member of the adcom who will be presenting your file to the rest of the committee, so you want to be warmed up and ready for that one. I did much better in the second interview - should've been more prepared for the first.
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Two 30 minute interviews; the first with an MD from the admissions committee (who will later present my file at the committee meeting); the second with a research faculty (PhD) and another MD.
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The school is great and i like everything there.
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Two 30-minute interviews...the first one is open file and one-on-one. Mine was with a PhD. This is the person that will actually be presenting your file to the Selections Committee. The second interview is closed file with two people. I had a 4th year med student and another PhD.
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There were two 30 min. interviews back to back. The first with one interviewer that was open-file, the second with two interviewers that was closed-file.
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There were two thirty minute interviews. The first was open file with the person who will represent you to the adcom. The second is limited file (PS, secondary, activities from AMCAS) with faculty + student.
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This was an ED interview. First interview was 1-1 and open file with an MD. Second interview was 2-1 and closed file with a Phd and an M-4 student
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I really "bit my tongue" and held off from writing this critique, also complaining about MD admissions does nothing. But, I wanted people to beware, and hopefully be prepared for some offensive interviewers. I really was hoping to attend KU, but it left such a bad taste in my mouth I'll never think of it the same way. Thank God I had other acceptances to choose from.
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The KU curriculum is very unique and gives the students the chance to take tests twice!! Awesome, so you can literally be as good of a student as you want to be.
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Overall they put on a good show. Kind of wish they would have asked if any of us were vegetarians (even though it was an extremely small group) before they ordered the sandwiches.
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First, mine was an EDP interview, so the setup might be slightly different from regular app interviews. Overall though, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it'd be. There were 2 interviews, 30 min each back-2-back. First was open file and one on one with PhD prof. Second was semi-closed file, with MD prof and 4th year med student. Both were very low stress and conversational. MD was clearly disappointed I hadn't shadowed any, which was the low point of the interview, otherwise it went well. They never seemed to be out to get me. Interviewees were invited in groups of 8, with 4 students interviewing per hour. During the down time while the other gruop interviewed, just hung out and talked with other applicants and ate snacks. At the end of the 2 hour process, there was a brief financial aid talk with time for any questions. No tour, but that's because they couldn't get student guides for all the tours (an alumni event had claimed most of the free students). And that was it. From check-in to driving away took about 3.5 hours.
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I got every interview question in the book
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Two separate interviews were one after the other. The first interview was open file. The second was closed file.
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I felt like the interview went really well. It was mostly just a conversation wanting to get to know me...no trick questions, etc. The first was open-file and focused more on my grades. The next was closed-file and I enjoyed it a lot more. Both interviewers were doctors who are faculty at KU Med. The second interview typically has two people, but one of the interviewers wasn't able to make it. Everyone seemed very helpful, informative, and I enjoyed the day overall.
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Since my interview was in the afternoon, I had the morning to get rid of my nerves. Talking with the med students really helped because they were reassuring and my interviewers were very laid back so I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. Overall, the day went very well
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Nervous-->Relaxed-->Excited.
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Overall, it was a great interview experience with great interviewers. They were all very nice; none tried to trick me or make me uncomfortable with questions.
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When you arrive, you'll get a name tag and then go to a room with the other applicants. everyone was OOS, so we had a lot to talk about. the first meeting of the day was about an hour where a very nice lady explains the interview schedule, and tells to relax and enjoy the day. then we went back to the room and waited to be called by our first interview, which was one-on-one, open file, with the person who would be presenting us to the committee. my interviewer was very nice. i completely froze for the first question (why medicine?) and she kept asking it in different ways so that i would have a chance to do well. that was awesome - it seemed like the more i was able to talk, the more i relaxed, so i'm glad she was so patient. next, the second interview was with another faculty member and a 4th year, closed file (they had personal statement and experiences, but no grades or scores). i felt like that interview was a lot easier, maybe because i had practice with the previous one. then it was lunch time (lasagna, broccoli, salad, strawberry cheesecake or lemon cake, yum). a third-year sat at our table and we were able to ask questions and talk about the school candidly. after lunch was the financial aid presentation. kinda boring, but i don't know how they could have made it better. then was the student-led tour, except we didn't see much because it was snowing, and too cold to go outside so we toured the areas that could be accessed by enclosed walkways - some classrooms, stood outside the anatomy lab, book store, library. then there was a reception with the office of cultural enhancement and diversity - we just sat in a comfortable room, ate snacks, talked about school and how friendly and supportive everyone was.
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Positive. The people were GREAT, and everybody was very helpful. The whole process is very much what I expected.
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It was okay. I was very nervous because this was my first and only interview. The process is not stressful unless you make it that way. They served great food but I couldnt eat because I wasnt feeling well (lasagna, broccoli, salad, and cheesecake). Also the people I interviewed with were great. I would love to have them as classmates. They can be a litte intimidating when discussing their backgrounds and how they were accepted to 2-3 schools already.
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I was a repeat interviewer from last year, so my interview day went by very well as I knew what to expect from KU. It definitely helps with the nerves. I knew coming in that the focus would be on what I have done to strengthen my candidacy, so I really focused on that. My GPA and MCAT are a little average, and last year the PhD I interviewed with was most interested in the academic side of it. This year, I was lucky to interview with an MD which wanted to talk most about my shadowing/volunteer experiences and my work as an EMT. I think PhD's care more about which candidate would make the better STUDENT whereas the MD's focus on who would make the better doctor. I can only hope that I am right. The first interview is one-on-one with the person who is presenting your file to the admissions committee, therefore it is open file. The second, is two-on-one and they have only seen your personal statement and secondary applications. Overall, my day went well and I went back to the hotel (Best Western is the best choice for anyone coming in) feeling like I may have got in this time. You have a 1 in 4 chance of acceptance, so why not me!
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Overall, an exciting experience. The students absolutely loved to be there! The lunch with the 2nd yr students was very helpful. And lectures on Podcast....amazing!
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Great...but long. The deans seem so nice, it's crazy. Very solid school. Go Jayhawks.
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Overall I thought it was a pretty good day. It was very organized and the people seemed friendly. The interviews were relaxed for the most part, but you still have to be prepared to answer some tough questions.
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Interviewers were nice, positive people. Everyone seemed helpful and enthusiastic about the school. While the facilities were not the greatest, they were adequate. My fellow interviewees were also all very cool, and I would definitely enjoy having them as classmates.
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The overall experience was great. I had very friendly interviewers, and my interview could not have gone better. I was shocked that they did not ask me about my grades or mcat score as I've been given the impression that they are high on numbers. They were geniunely interested in me as a person, and how well I would fit into this profession. There were not pressing and very relaxed.
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When I arrived I knew KU was a good school and I was willing to go there. When I left I was excited about the possibility of attending an excellent school.
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The whole experience was nice. Some boring parts, e.g. FAFSA info, but this is difficult to make interesting, I'm sure. The interviewers were cool, and their questions weren't as lame as I had expected them to be (fellow interviewees claimed that KU's questions were more ''intense'' than the other schools they had interviewed at. This may be true, but I didn't find them to be too bad.)
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It was definitely positive as a whole. The students we met were nice and very honest. The interview is split into two parts, with the first being a 1 on 1 open file interview. My interviewer wasn't necessarily hostile but definitely challenged me on the majority of my answers and I feel like he spent just as much time telling me what HE thought was the right answer as opposed to just letting me say my piece. Still, he was engaged in the conversation and that made the process go a lot faster. The second interview is 2 on 1 and is closed file. Most of these questions are hypothetical (''what would you do if you were in this scenario, etc.''). My interviewers were a lot more laid back and it seemed like much more of a conversation than an interogation. All in all a positive experience.
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The day went fairly smooth. First was an info session, followed by financial aid and lunch with medical students. Next was a meeting with the deans and a student led facility tour. Unfortunately I was in the last block of interviewers, we had about an hour to wait after the tour before we were called back. Overall the day was stress free and they seemed to really be interested in me as a person.
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I thought the interview was pretty laid back. The interviewers were really trying to get to know me, and were very nice.
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The first interview was very intense but the second was very conversational. However, both were good experiences. Overall it is very low stress and the day moves at a good pace.
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I had 2, 30 minute interviews. The first was open file with one physician, on the commitee. The second was a M3 and a PhD, who had my personal statement, supplemental, and activities. They were nice and wanted to get to know me.
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Anticipated for more challenging and ethical questions but none were asked during the interview. My 2nd interview was not 100% closed file; the two interviewers already read my essay and some of my volunteer activities; I guess they just haven't got access to my grades and test score...whew thank GOD. KU has a lot of rural programs as well as international programs for their students so I can't wait to enter this school. In addition, some of the abroad programs even grant scholarships to eligible students, how awesome is that.
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Overall it was good, you have one open file interview that is one on one and then a two on one that is closed file. One of my two on one interviewers seemed like a jerk and was very full of himself. The others were nice though.
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Great experience. I am an out of state and interviewed in the first block. Thus I had an 8 am and 9 am interview followed by a personal discussion with the associate dean about the admissions timeline (they rank and get back to people quickly but don't deny anyone until March). The tour was comprehensive. The facilities aren't the best but they are adequate. The fitness center is fantastic considering the amount of people it serves. Short financial aid presentation followed by lunch with current M1's. All students were relaxed and had personalities...something I can't say for all the schools I've visited. Food was decent. Associate dean's gave a short presentation on the new curriculum and use of tablet PC's and then we were free to go. I headed to the book store and used the 20% off ticket they gave me to nab a $10 "jaydoc" t-shirt to work out in...All in all a place worth looking at.
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The first interview is conducted by a member of the selection committee and is open file. The second interview is conducted by two people and closed file (they only see your essay and secondary app I think). After the interview there was lunch with med students, a presentation about financial aid and curriculum and finally a tour
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There are two 30 minute interviews. The first one is open file and the second one is semi-closed file (no GPA or MCAT scores). I was very impressed with everyone I met as well as the facilities.
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The overall experience was good. Everyone had 2 back to back 30 minute one-on-one interviews. The first interviewer has access to your entire file, including grades, and the other interviewer can only see your essay and activities. I had a great first interviewer who really just tried to get to know me and focused on what I had done to prepare for medical school. My second interviewer was a little different from the others because he was put in on short notice, so unfortunately he had not seen my file and could only ask me basic questions. The only negative part of the day was that we had a whole hour to wait around by ourselves, so I wish I had brought a magazine or something.
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The first interview was a one-on-one open file conducted by a faculty member. The second interview was immediately after that and was a two-on-one closed file. One was a clinical preceptor at KU Med and one was a private physician who drove all the way out from Garden City just to do interviews for KU. The two on one was a little strange for me because they just kinda shot questions at me. After I finished answering one question, the other person was immediately ready to ask another one. Tip: if you have a choice...make the interviewers sit close to one another so you don't have to keep on turning your head to make eye contact with both.
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There were a lot of people interviewing (30-40)that day, split up into groups. Each hour a different group interviews. Your first interviewer is a member of the admissions committee, and that interview lasts about 30 minutes and is open file. The second interview consisted of a faculty member and a physician from the community. They had access to your personal statement and to your activities listed on AMCAS, but did not have any grades/MCAT. That interview lasted 30 minutes, and it seemed as though they had a prescribed set of questions to get through, whereas the first interview was more conversational.
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Good interview...~50 students there during the whole day, but interviews were spread throughout the whole day. Lots of information thrown at once without any handouts...in one ear and out the other. First interview date for regular admissions. There were 2 interviews. The first was open file with a member of the selection committee...consisted a total of 30 minutes. Directly afterwards was another interview that was semi closed (no access to grades, courses taken, GPA, MCAT) and was done with a physician (alumni) and a 4th year med school.
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There was a 30-minute open file one-on-one interview followed by a 30-minute closed file two-person interview. It was really low stress. The interviers were not given a prescribed set of questions, so they were just trying to get to know us better so that they could fill out an evaluation sheet.
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Signed in, had plenty of time to relax and talk to other students before my own interview (great cookies provided). The first interview was by a PhD instructor for 30 min, this one was open file. The second interview directly afterwards was with a 4th year med student and an MD and was closed file, also 30 mins long. I knew they were important interviews, but they seemed much more like conversations with new friends rather than stressful judgements. If you're interviewing here, just relax and be honest. I applied early decision, which meant no time for a tour, but they can arrange a tour for you beforehand if you ask. I think regular decision applicants get a tour. A tour after the interview is pointless for ED applicants because admission decisions are made the next day.
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Overall it was a great experience wether I get in or not. The adminastration was very friendly. The interviewers were respectful and during the interview they seemed to be interested in what I had to say.
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First interview is one on one and open file. You stay in the same room and then two more interviewers come to you. One is a fourth year student and the other a physician. This interview is closed file. The interviews were low stress and very enjoyable. It's not a walk in the park but they are very kind and not in attack mode. In some ways that makes it harder to get a read on how you are doing. Most people feel like they do quite well in interviews like that so only time will tell who get's in and who does not. It takes more than a month to hear from them (that's what they told us anyway). Someone asked about in state and out of state acceptance and the answer given was not really an answer at all. So they avoided that question and I have no idea how they do it.
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I loved my first interviewer, he seemed down to earth and I just enjoyed the conversation. The first interview was open file. The second interview was closed file and it was two on one. This was my first two on one interview and I found it quite difficult. I also wasn't getting very positive vibes from the interviewers...although they did crack a few jokes in the beggining.
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Overall, the interview went quite well. I felt very comfortable talking with the doctors about my experiences and motivations.
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The first interview was open file and the doc didn't bring my file, but knew it very well! They wanted to know about me as a person, where i came from, how i got here, why i'm here, etc. Digging in on me. Sell, Sell, Sell!! The 2nd was closed file and we did alot of why KU, lets pretend, etc. Both were relaxed, yet wanted specific answers
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There are actually two interviews, one after the other. The first is with one person (doctor in my case), who has your entire file at his disposal. He is the one presenting you to the adcom. The second interview was with two people (a doctor and a 4th yr med student in my case), and they only had your ECs and personal statement. My two interviews were awesome, especially the second one, which was really just like a conversation rather than a situation where I had to work really hard to sell myself. Also, if anyone is curious, I'm an out-of-state applicant, so never fear, it IS possible to get an interview if you are in that situation.
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A wonderful day, including a pretty good lunch, they have a fitness center thats free for students and well equiped, the whole place seems well organized and people are working hard, but are still down to earth and friendly
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Overall, I think the interview questions were predictable. The first interview was open file and the second was closed file. They occurred one after another and the interviews were VERY laid back.
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I was the morning session, so I had to get there between 7:45 and 8:00 am, first we had a talk by the admissions dean, then interviews started, my first wasn't until 9:30, so I had an hour to wait, my first interview was my one-on-one open file interview, mine was with a PhD, this is the person that presents your file to the admissions committee, then you wait an hour between interviews, my second interview was partially closed file (the can see your activities and personal statement, but no grades or MCAT), this interview was with a fourth year med student, and another PhD. After the interviews we had a speech on financial aid, then lunch, then the assistant dean of student affairs spoke, then we had a short tour, and that was the end. Both interviews are very relaxed and more conversation like than stressful interview. Be prepared to wait and to make small talk with the other interviewees. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not asked any questions about my grades or MCAT score.
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It went pretty well. Just remember that you are not going to click with every interviewer and try to keep your cool and remain relaxed inbetween interviewers.
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It was a very laid back process and the other applicants were very friendly so we had a good atmosphere. Get to know the other applicants and it will ease any anxieties you have. You may already know this but there are two interviews, a one-on-one and a two-on-one. Good Luck!!!
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I had afternoon interviews, so the morning was filled with talks about what to expect, how they accept students, financial aid discussion, lunch, and waiting! My first interview was open-file, one-on-one. The second interview was closed-file, two-on-one. Each interview lasted 30 minutes. I was asked many, many questions! The other students who were also interviewing that day were really friendly. You spend a lot of time waiting, so be prepared to sit around a bit.
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There were presentations on the admissions process, financial aid, and academics. The lunch was decent.
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First interview just couldn't have gone better. This was obviouly the relaxed, get-to-know-you-interview. I was very happy with this one. The second interview was two on one. They were a little more aggresive than the first interview - intensionally I think. I got rattled and lost my cool. If the interviewers get a little aggresive and even seem rude you must take it in stride. Show no signs of frustration, they want to know whether you can be cool.
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The interviews at KU are a little strange, so I'll try to clarify here. There are 2 thirty minute interviews. The first is open file and conducted by a MD or PhD who teaches at the school. The second is closed file and conducted by an MD or PhD and a medical student. Both interviews were very relaxed in informal. More like a conversation than an traditional interview.
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The interviewers were pretty laid back. one interview was open file one was closed file.
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DON'T GIVE UP! Medical school admissions EVERYWHERE is screwed up. I was waitlisted and got accepted 2 weeks before school started. There are people who were accepted shortly after their interviews and I am doing better than more than half of my class. It just goes to show that medical admissions committees do not have the ability to accurately judge someone's potential. The have only markers (MCAT, GPA, etc.) Admissions committees LIKE candidates who bettered themselves (taking extra classes and excelling, getting more clinical or research experience, etc.) and re-applied as stronger candidates. I was one of those re-applicants who got in. DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!!! God has given me everything I have and made me everything I am! JESUS LOVES YOU!!! :)
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I've known this school for quite a while and nothing really suprised me. Was not impressed with anything they had to show. That being said it wasn't a bad experience either. Would be an OK place to go to school.
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If this school was not so far away from my hometown it would be my top choice. I enjoyed everything about the school from faculty to students.
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I came away extremely disappointed from the interview. I went into it wanting to be impressed, but since I had already interviewed elsewhere, I knew what to expect. This was much below my expectations for an interview. Also, almost everyone else I was interviewing with was older than me, had been rejected by KU once already, and was only applying to KU.
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When we applicants arrived, we were given short talks about how the admissions committee works and financial aid. Then we ate lunch with a few of the students there. After lunch, we sat around for quite some time while waiting for our 2 interviews (One was 1-on-1, open file; the other was 2-on-1, semi-open). The waiting made the day seem rather drawn-out, but conversation killed time pretty well.
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I don't want to go there, but I'm glad I had the chance to practice my interviewing on them.... very low stress. They are polite and just want to get to know you.
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If you have any questions, I welcome your email @ [email protected]. Jason With a G!
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There are two interviews: one open-file, one mostly-closed-file. I had a Ph.D. for the first, and two surgeons for the second. The first was somewhat business-like, but still positive. The second was even better. Getting in KU from out of state is difficult; only 10% of the class goes to out-of-staters. Good luck!
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I thought the interview was unproffesional and one of my interviewers should not have been allowed to speak w/ prospective students. I was accepted last week and if I chose to attend KU I will try to help change the interview process.
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Very postive. The day went fairly quickly.
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Two interviews, one open file (with the Selection Committee member who will present your file to the Committee) + one closed file with two people (doc + 4th yr student in my case). The first interview was a bit stressful and it's important to persuade the person of the strength of your app so (s)he will take that to make a case for you to be there. Judging from others' experiences, this can be a random conversation about nothing, a nice conversation, or a blunt defense of your application. The second interview was mostly ethical & activities questions. In both, it's useful to know your app well and point to details of things you have experienced, link this to thoughts about ethical issues.
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Overall my experience at my KU-med interview was a good one, mainly because of the quality of conversation that I had with each of my interviewer. Although I was asked some ethical questions and the "why medicine question", those types of questions constituted a minimal amount of each interview.....both of my interviews were very conversational. The stress level was minimal, and the KU faculty and students that I met where extremely kind and very supportive of their school.
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Overall the interview was easy. They just wanted to get to know you. There were no trick questions or questions requiring correct answers. They simply want to know what makes you tick.
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Overall it was low-key, people were friendly and it didn't seem like they were trying to screen out people, just trying to get to know you.
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Fairly laid back, but long.
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It was a very low stress process, except for the two interviews being back-to-back with no break. First interview was one-on-one (this interviewer presents you to the committee) and the second was two-on-one including a 4th year student.
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Overall, the interview was as relaxing as it could be. I was impressed with the school and their committment to the students.
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Great and very, very low stress! Friendly and enjoyable....I wished that the day didn't end so fast!
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Talk to your fellow applicants. it helps to relax and get your mind into the interview mode. overall, i had a great time and got to know a group of about 10 other applicants a little better.
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Very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. RELAX and enjoy yourself. It is actually a very nice experience.
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It was a nice day overall. For the few hours when your group is interviewing, you just hang out in a room and chat. Talking with the med students at lunch is definitely a good way to hear about what it is like as a student.
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I was underimpressed --plus they kept saying how they didn't have money for anything (like soda or a technician) and tuition is increasing 20% for the next 5 years! (each year I believe)
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The interviews were a mix of conversation and ethical/hypothetical questions. The interviewers were very nice and didn't seem to pressure you at all. Be prepared for alot of waiting around before, inbetween, and after interviews. Overall, I think that the day could have been better organized, but was still enjoyable.
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Overall, it was a stressful but good interview. I found out about my interview just two days before due to an email error, so I would have felt more together, prepared and less stressed if I would have known about it sooner. So, if anybody out there has applied to KU and has not heard back, I recommend you call because they communicate through email and it's possible you didn't get it.
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
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Length:
40 Minutes Average
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Number:
2.5 Interviews Average
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Interview Type (Interaction):
97% One-on-One
3% Group Interview
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File Type:
99% Open-File
1% Closed-File
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Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
KUSOM-COMP interviews are an average of 40 minutes, with an average of 2.5 interviews. 97% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 1% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about reasons for choosing medicine over other healthcare professions, ethical scenarios such as end-of-life care and professional dilemmas, personal motivations for pursuing a medical career, future aspirations in the field, and reflections on healthcare challenges and solutions. Additionally, many respondents mentioned encountering questions related to hypothetical scenarios like allocating resources to patients, handling diversity, dealing with stress, and discussing influences on their decision to pursue medicine, with some interviews structured in an MMI format possibly involving nondisclosure agreements.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What do you see a global health inequities and how would you combat it as a physician?
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Why do you want to be a physician, and not a PA, nurse, etc.?
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If you could go out to dinner with one person that is still living, who would it be and why?
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Ethics questions about end of life care
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Imagine yourself practicing medicine in 15 years. What does a good day at the office look like for you?
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Why do you want to go into medicine?
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A lot of hypothetical questions: What would you do if your partner was overprescribing opioids and taking some on the side? What if they showed up to work high? Which patient would you save out of three: heart transplant smoker, breast cancer, AIDS patient?
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Why medicine?
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What events and experiences have lead you to medicine?
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What is the biggest problem in healthcare today? What should we do about it? and even more specific questions asking me to back up my answer.
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Why do you want to become a physician?
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How would you describe yourself in three words?
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What is one of the biggest medical problems in the location you are from?
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What is the most negative aspect of you pursuing medicine?
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What is a problem in healthcare today and how would you fix it?
-
If you could have dinner with three people, who would it be and why?
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What are your biggest concerns with medical school?
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How would you improve healthcare in Kansas?
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What are your strengths/weaknesses?
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What is the biggest problem in health care today? How do you think it can be fixed?
-
Why medicine, why KU, why early decision?
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Why KU? (I was OOS) Why do you want to become a doctor?
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How do you handle stress?
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Tell me about yourself.
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Lots of specific questions about my ECs.. not in a 'grilling' way, just curiosity about them in order to break the ice.
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Tell me about yourself? Why do you want to be a doctor? If you could do one thing to change health care, what would it be? Why did you choose to apply EDP?
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At what point in your life did you feel that becoming a physician in medicine became necessary? What do you do in your free time? What is the biggest issue facing health care? Which course in your undergraduate career do you feel you 'got the most out of'?
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Tell me about yourself? What do you do for fun? What book have you read recently?
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Your standard Jehovah's Witness and blood transfusion question
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Tell me about yourself?
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Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
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Tell us about yourself. Explain such and such about your personal statement. What is the most interesting medically related article or book you have read recently?
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Health care reform and the election
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Hypothetical: 1 kidney to give to either a Single working mother, a Prostitute, or an alcoholic...who and why? Followup: Compatibility comes back...Alcoholic is most compatible, then prostitute, then the single mother...now who and why?
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A random question on diversity. I was asked how I've handled diversity in the past. I gave what I thought was a good answer, but the interviewer didn't agree. Rephrased it to include that I couldn't have seen much diversity in my life due to where I grew up, went to high school, went to college, and the fact that I was in a fraternity. So how could I deal with "ignorant african americans" in the inner city. I wish I was making this up. Needless to say I was shocked, a little offended, and blew the rest of the interview.
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An issue regarding a cheating student, and how I would respond.
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Where do you see yourself in 15 years in terms of your career? Be specific.
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Who has influenced you the most? why KU? why did you go to NYU? the whole jehovah's witness scenario
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Describe your life after high school. (I had a span of time after high school which was unclear)
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What do you see as the biggest health problem? (I got this question in both interviews, one currently and one in the next 10 years)
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If you had any extra power, medical or non-medical, how would you use it globally?
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Introduce yourself.
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What do you think was the main difference between healthcare here in the US and healthcare in Africa? (I had been to Ethiopia the summer before)
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The blood transfusion question
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Who has had the greatest influence in your life? Why? Who else? (This ''who else'' threw me for a second, because I had considered who I would say for my greatest influence, but not really beyond that.)
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What have you done in the past year to make you a better candidate?
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Tell me about yourself/ goals in life.
-
Almost all of the questions i was asked were straight from my application or already listed on this site.
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Why me?
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What will be the hardest thing for you to deal with in medical school.
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One heart, three patients, which one would you give it to? I was actually asked this one twice.
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What did you learn from working at Best Buy?
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What is your learning style?
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What's a major problem with healthcare
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What would your friends say are your best and worst qualities?
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Stock Jahovah's witness question. Child in the ER needs transfusion, parents don't want it. What do you do?
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When did you first become interested in medicine?
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Tell us about your family? What do your parents do? How has this influenced you?
-
A pretty standard Jehovah witness question: A five year old girl needs a blood transfusion to live, but her parents are Jehovah witnesses and say no blood products, what do you do?
-
You are the head transplant physician in a hospital and two patients arrive in the ER, and both of them need a heart in order to live. You only have one heart to give. The first is a 58 year old man who is very active in the community, and his family will give the hospital 5 million dollars if you give him the heart. The other patient is a 24 year old girl medical student, and she drinks a lot and isn't passing her classes. Who do you give the heart to?
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You have 1 minute to tell me why you should be accepted to KU over anyone else; GO!
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What do you do in your free time?
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Describe an ethical situation you have been involved in (what decisions did you have to make, etc).
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Which activity has most greatly influenced your choice to pursue medicine as a career?
-
Do you think healthcare is a right or a privilege?
-
13 y/o female presents for bunion excision, directly before procedure, lab results indicate she's pregnant. What do you do? Do you tell her parents, etc...?
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What do you think about cloning, is the person cloned going to be the same as the original person he/she was cloned from?
-
Tell me about an experience in your volunteer work that made an impression on you?
-
Asked about my extracurriculars. Why Kansas.
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Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
See above
-
See above.
-
From the leadership positions you've held in your ec's what have you learned about teamwork?
-
What do you feel the biggest challenge facing medicine today is?
-
How would your best friend describe you? What do you do in your free time? Where do you see yourself in 10/15 years?
-
If you could bring 3 people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
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What do you do for fun?
-
Tell me about yourself. How do you feel about stem cell research? Did you experience any ethical dilemmas in college? What is your favorite movie? Who is the one person that you would like to go to dinner with?
-
How can we encourage people to seek preventative care?
-
It was just the routine ethics questions. They asked me quite a bit about my family.
-
Describe yourself
-
Tell me about flying airplanes.
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Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
What do you like to do for fun?
-
What is the biggest problem with the healthcare industry today? What is being done about it?
-
What are 3 ways you would benefit KU?
-
Of your clinical experiences, what did you see that troubled you the most?
-
Why doctor?
-
What do you think of the governtment spending my tax dollars for antismoking campagins and to provide condoms in schools.
-
Why do you want to become a doctor, and why do you want to attend the University of Kansas School of Medicine?
-
Questions above and What do you think of cloning?
-
What are some pro's and con's with the cloning issue?
-
Whay did you major in biology?
-
What have you learned through one of your EC experiences that will make you a better doctor?
-
Tell me about your family.
-
Why kind of medical practice are you interested in and why?
-
From the interviewer that presented me to the selection committee: Tell me whatever else you would like the selection committee to know.
-
You are fluent in 3 different languages (English, Spanish and Tagalog (Pilipino). Do you think or dream other than in English?
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What one decision would you change if you could go back in your life?
-
Why you want to be a doctor?
-
If you could invite any three people whom were deceased, who would they be and why.
-
What is the social issue that you are most concerned about?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Kansas School of Medicine discussed a wide range of topics including defining life-defining moments, memorable patient interactions, future retirement party expectations, and hypothetical dinner guests. While the questions varied, some respondents mentioned a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, implying nondisclosure agreements may have been in place, with common themes including ethical scenarios, personal values, healthcare improvements, and reflections on past experiences.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Knowing that KU interviews 400+ applicants and must narrow it down to less than 200, if you were ADCOM how would you narrow that down keeping in mind KU's mission driven purpose?
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What was one moment in your life that has defined who you are today?
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What was you most memorable patient you have had and why?
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What do you hope your colleagues will say about you at your retirement party?
-
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be and why?
-
The "lightning round" questions
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If you were an MLB player, what would be your up-to-bat song?
-
How do you handle conflict?
-
Who is your hero?
-
What was your favorite class in college?
-
If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be and why?
-
Tell me about the happiest time in your life.
-
What type of cows were at the dairy farm you worked at?
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Tell me about your childhood
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How would I fix healthcare, and how would I pay for it?
-
What would you do if you had a diabetic patient who was non-compliant with their care?
-
How would you use your culture to help your community?
-
What will your patients say about you?
-
If you could invite 3 people (living or dead) to dinner, who would you invite and why?
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Situation: terminal life support patient, 2 sons are fighting over whether or not to take him off. One wants to one does not. Both lied about being power of attorney, real DPOA cannot be contacted. What do you do?
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From the 4th year interviewer... Say you are sitting in my seat 4 years from now interviewing a student, what are three questions that you would ask them?
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Ethical question about OBGYN treating a 14 year old pregnant girl... do you tell the parents? What if there is a law that the girl has rights to her own privacy? Would you still tell the mom who's there at your office with her daughter?
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Do you believe it should be mandatory for all KUMC MD grads to practice for a year in an underserved area of Kansas?
-
The health care started a good discussion, I felt it was one of the strongest portions of the interview for me as well.
-
20 years down the line you become the surgeon general. What is the biggest health care facing America and how do you go about fixing it?
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What have you prepared for and we haven't asked?
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Scenario question-Who would you rather give money to? either 1. baby with Down's Syndrome for surgery 2. 40 yr old man with 3 sons and who needs liver transplant or 3. 3 Ethiopian ladies with HIV
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What does professionalism mean to you?
-
While shadowing, what is one thing that you saw a doctor do that made you think "wow, that was a good thing to do" and what was one thing that made you think "i would have done that differently"
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Why Medicine? Why be a doctor?
-
Name three people (dead or alive) you would want to have dinner with and why.
-
You're a surgeon and you are closing up and realize you forgot something inside the patient that probably won't have any negative side effects. What do you do? Go back and get it? Do you tell the patient?
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Beware of the question: "is there anything you prepared for that we didn't ask?" This came right after the diversity question and I wasn't prepared.
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A specific question regarding my personal statement
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Why should we pick you? Sell yourself to us!
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As a doctor, how would you want your patients to describe you?
-
If you saw a fellow resident come in late and then fake his patient reports, what would you do
-
What's the best movie you've seen lately.
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What was my favorite class of undergrad and why? I answered it was a medical ethics class, and so he asked me to elaborate arguments for either side on euthanasia.
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Do you like people?
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What was the negative experience you had while you were shadowing the doctors?
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What is one thing that you are working on right now in your life? One area that you're trying to grow in?
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I don't think any were particularly interesting - just the typical why medicine? why KU? where do you see yourself in 15 years?
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What's the nicest thing you've ever done for somebody?
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If you had $20 million, would you give it to lung cancer research, HIV research, or prenatal care? (You cannot split up the money)
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What does the government need to do to stop the problems of illegal immigration? Seemed like a question to test me as I am Hispanic, but those issues don't bother me and I told him how the problems should be fixed.
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Tell me about your research (only because I love what I do)!
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Why me?
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Questions about specifics from my background...athletics, medical experience, etc.
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It was probably something about me attending the in-state rival school (Kansas State).
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If you could be any type of animal, what would it be and why?
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How will I prepare myself to be a physician for cultures other than my own?
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What will your patients say about you? What did China teach you about yourself?
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If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?
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What's the first thing you read when you open the daily newspaper?
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If I went to a dinner party, and could have three guests, who would they be?
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A specific question about some non-medical volunteering on my AMCAS.
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If you could be any kind of cell in the body, which one would you be and why?
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Looking back at my childhood till now, do you think you have grown?
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The very first question asked during the second interview: Why are you here?
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How would I deal with the stress of medical school.
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Mostly personal, pertaining to my activities and research.
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If you were a med student and had a Diabetic patient in a coma, the resident doctor presented the case as being DKA, but the patiend had no ketones in their urine. The resident was wrong, what would you do?
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Do you think that you hold stereotypes and prejudices? (This was in response to me discussing how I was a minority in my community growing up, and how I wasn't necessarily the victim of blatant racism, but I felt that I people held prejudices against me and stereotyped me because they were ignorant.)
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What is your favorite movie?
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What do you believe the appropriate course of action is should you observe academic misconduct?
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What special healthcare issues (if any) are present in Kansas?
-
What's your favorite movie?
-
What do you think about cloning?
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Why should we pick you over the others that are applying? Why will you be a better doctor?
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Give an example of prejudice.
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What communities would you be willing to locate to, if you are accepted and graduate?
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What is a major ethical dilemma you see in medicine?
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Think of something that has recently been featured in the news and describe how it's affected health care and what you think about it.
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What was the last movie you saw?
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I was asked several questions involving Pharmacutical companies and whether or not they should provide free lunches and such for doctors and advertise their medicines on tv.
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If you had one week and no financial limitations, what would you do?
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What would you do if you had one day off?
-
In the future, how can we determine who needs flu shots the most, and how can we ensure that they receive them?
-
What would you do if you failed an exam due to lack of preparation?
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Can't remember
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What would you do to fix the current health care crisis.?
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Are you a feminist?
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If you saw a good friend cheating on a board exam, what would you do?
-
What is wrong with medicine today?
-
They asked me if as a non-trad student, if I would be more likely to study individually or in a group. I answered that in hands on activities, I would take advantage of the group atmosphere to learn from others, however, I would also spend a great deal of time studying on my own.
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A 14-year-old girl is in a relationship with a 22-year-old and asks you for birth control. What do you do?
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What 5 words describe you
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Tell us about an interesting book that you are currently reading.
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What health issues are prevalent among students at your school?
-
People from Spain and Colombia are considered Hispanic, yet they on two different continents, separated by a huge ocean. What is a difference between the Colombian and Spanish cultures? [I am from Colombia, and luckily have been to Spain, so I was able to give my opinion on both differences and similarities]
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A six year old girl needs blood to survive, and her parents say no. What would you do and why?
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How would you address the HIV/AIDS crises in Africa? What would you try that hasn't been tried before?
-
Tell me about an experience that was very disappointing to you.
-
Tell me about an unusual/difficult situation you had during one of your EC experiences and what did you learn from it?
-
Taxpayer money is used to fund public awareness campaigns against issues such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and gang violence. Do you agree with the use of taxpayer money for this?
-
Do you think human cloning is moral.
-
If a young girl needed surgery to live but her family objected for religious reasons, what would you do?
-
If you were working with a colleague you suspected of doing drugs what would you do?
-
If George W. Bush called you up and asked you to assemble a group to recommend what his stem cell research policy should be, who would you select.
-
If you could invite any three people to dinner, dead or alive, who would you choose?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for their interviews by engaging in mock interviews, reviewing their applications, practicing with friends or mentors, researching common interview questions, reading about health care issues, and familiarizing themselves with the school and its programs. Suggestions included rehearsing responses to common questions, staying informed about current medical events, understanding ethical principles, and maintaining a confident and genuine demeanor during the interview.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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KU sdn interview questions, practicing commonly asked questions, memorized my app through and through
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Mock interviews
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Prepared questions online, mock interviews
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Went over my application a lot
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Mock interviews at University Career Center
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Mock interview with profs at my school, looking up common interview questions and responses from people who have interviewed before, typing up my possible responses to possible questions so they are at least in my head, rehearsing (out loud) responses to the big questions: why do you want to be a doc, tell me about yourself, etc. Also think of questions to ask them!
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Practiced interview questions
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Reading online about ethical principles and the ACA, writing main ideas for common questions, practicing the important questions, friends helping me to practice answering questions on the spot.
-
I met with several mentors and family members in medicine.
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Practicing with a researcher and also a friend. Studying current events--especially healthcare in Kansas.
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Researched the school, read ethical scenarios on "virtual mentor" and watched the news
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Practiced a lot of general "traditional" questions I found on the internet and through advisors. Tried to be comfortable with the interview process so that my answers sounded genuine, and not rehearsed. Worked on feeling confident, and excited.
-
SDN feedback, reviewed my application and research, mock interview
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Reviewed application and secondary. Read over questions on SDN.
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School website, talked to former students
-
I read all the questions from SDN, read a few articles on healthcare, watched the news and made sure I understood what KU had to offer and their future plans.
-
Reading SDN, practice interviewing, browsing KU's website
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I didn't prep for the interview as much as I should have. I was afraid my answers would sound too rehearsed, but it would have been good to go through some of the general questions and have a general idea of how to answer. In previous years, I've had verbal discussions with friends who applied about these questions so I had an idea of how I would answer some of the questions.
-
Look through here and answer questions.
-
SDN, school website, read over ethical issues and healthcare
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I read my own application (primary and secondary), read interview feedback, read up on health care reform and listened to NPR podcasts about health care. For every experience listed in my applications I thought about what I learned from each and what I liked or disliked about each. Regarding physicians I'd witnessed, I thought about things I'd want to emulate and things I'd want to avoid or try to do better.
-
I read SDN and this feedback information forum.
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Read SDN, made sure to read through and be able to refer to part of my primary and secondary essays, looked on their website to know about the school, talked with students I know that go there.
-
Mock interview, reading SDN, reading about the health care debate, etc.
-
Researched the various health care bills, state of underserved/rural areas, state of the primary care shortage.
-
SDN, researching the school, talked with some med students there, met with a few research faculty ahead of time too.
-
SDN, various online research... Reading the news (most important)
-
Studentdoctor, mock interview with friend and online
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Reviewed my application, looked at KUSOM website, read sdn for past questions, mock interview
-
AMCAS, secondary and SDN
-
Read SDN, was very familiar with my applications both primary and secondary. Read about the school and their honor code for the inevitable cheating ethical question which I was asked.
-
Read SDN feedback, my personal statement, and secondary essays. Talked to current med students at KU. Read over all of my notes from last year (I'm a reapplicant).
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Read AMCAS application, supplemental application, KU's website, info about the school, reviewed SDN info about interviews, mock interview, reviewed health care policies of presidential candidates and current health topics.
-
Read material from the school, reviewed basics of medical ethics, researched health issues in KS, reviewed health care positions of candidates
-
Read SDN, reread my PS and supplemental. Talked to a med student at KU
-
Researched socialized medicine (as was the suggestion of a KU MSI). Reviewed my file.
-
SDN, AMCAS, read over the KUMC website
-
Stayed on top of current healthcare issues, mock interviews, advice from physicians and current med students
-
SDN, mock interviews, website, secondary app
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Used SDN's interview feedback and thought through likely questions and answers.
-
Sdn, talked to other people who had interviewed there
-
Read SDN and did a mock interview.
-
I reread my AMCAS application, read possible interview questions, and feedback from this site.
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I had a couple of people mock interview me using questions from SDN, brushed up on current medical events and went through my secondary application.
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Mock interviews, Interview feedbacks from this website.
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Reviewed questions on studentdoctor.net, reviewed AMCAS and supplemental applications
-
Reviewed AMCAS, read interview feedback, read KU website, watched Survivor, tried to sleep,
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Mock interview, reviewed typical questions, studentdoctor.net, reviewed current events
-
I printed off hundreds of questions and went over them with friends who were already accepted to KU Med. I went over personal statement and secondary app. I prayed!
-
I interviewed at KU last year, so I had a good idea of what was coming. Its good to go over the hypothetical question, review the AMCAS/supplemental applications and keep telling yourself its all going to be ok. I made a personal list of questions I expected to encounter, but did NOT have someone interview me beforehand. I feel that they can tell if your answered have been rehearsed (insincere), but good to go over them in your head so that you don't stumble or go blank through a question.
-
SDN, read over AMCAS essay, read over published papers, prayed & slept.
-
Reread amcas, reread secondary, read interview feedback
-
I didn't.
-
SDN, mock interview, research from other students in the program.
-
I watched ''The History of Barbecue'' on the History Channel. I also watched Rutgers/Louisville. Then I got 7 hours of sleep.
-
Watch beerfest the night before to have a good laugh. Talk to friends, talk to my pre-med advisor, practice interviewing with friends.
-
Read some current medical articles and got a good night's sleep.
-
This site, read up on some HMO stuff, interviewed with generic questions myself during longer trips in the car.
-
SDN, mock interview, practiced answers to generic questions
-
SDN, reviewing AMCAS and secondary app, talked in the mirror. Reviewed KU website.
-
SDN, Mock interviews
-
SDN, talked to myself
-
SDN, mock interview with faculty, talking to the mirror, and looking over bioethics.
-
Look at my sec. application, have mock interview at my school, had one of my close friends interviewd 4x, and one medical student interviewed me one last time. I took note and video-taped all the mock interviews. I download questions fron SDN and come up with my answers.
-
SDN, Reviewed application, read up on recent health related news
-
SDN, AMCAS and KU secondary, JAMA and NEJM
-
This site, talking to doctors and reading my AMCAS application.
-
I reviewed my secondary, AMCAS application, and SDN.
-
SDN, reread AMCAS app and secondary app, read journal from a previous internship
-
Read over application, read up on ethics and healthcare policy (which I didn't talk about at all), SDN, answered basic questions
-
Read over my secondary, AMCAS, and questions on SDN feedback.
-
Reread secondary app, reread AMCAS, SDN
-
Read SDN feedback, other websites, reviwed my AMCAS and personal statement.
-
Reviewed my application, read through studentdoctor.net, and listened to NPR clips.
-
Looked at the reviews on this site, read various books, pamphlets, reviewed my senior thesis and research (I graduated 3 years ago.)
-
Reviewed this site, and looked over my application.
-
SDN, reviewed my file, went over medicaid, medicare, tort, social security, and ethical questions.
-
SDN, mock interview, spoke with current students
-
Practice interview, SDN
-
SDN, mock interviews with premed advisor (who put together a committee), mock with doc friend, gathered info,trends,etc on school from web, prepared myself on a couple of biggies: tort and medicare/medicade (it helped!!)
-
Read SDN, read KU info, and basically the experience of having already done 4 interviews helped a ton.
-
Went over questions listed here, read up on KU, slept well, good breakfast
-
I reviewed SDN, read over my AMCAS application and read about ethical issues in medicine.
-
This site, reread my amcas and secondary, reviewed current events and medical issues...
-
Read this website and reviewed other websites with interview questions
-
I tried to understand my own opinions on matters. Stay current with issues.
-
SDN, looked up policies on health care, stem cell research, some ethics websites, etc.
-
Reviewed my application, health care issues, election issues, and this site.
-
SDN, school website, etc.
-
SDN, read AMCAS application
-
Read application
-
I knew myself and had previous experience working in a hospital. Know as much about what you are going into and WHY you want to go into it. Love of and application of science to DIRECTLY improve the quality of someone else's life should be a prime motivation. If you are scientifically oriented and are compassionate, I suggest you be yourself. If you are neither, then medicine is probably not for you.
-
Read SDN, go over app, all the basic stuff.
-
SDN, sample interview questions, AMCAS, and looked over my secondary
-
Read my app, this site, etc.
-
SDN, read about healthcare, read about the school
-
This site.
-
This site and I spent 30-40 hrs per week shadowing doctors.
-
Website, SDN, read about bioethics and health care issues.
-
Study up on current medical issues, This web site
-
Read over my AMCAS and supplementary applications, read up on current ethical issues, outlined my answers to a few questions
-
(1) Read all the stuff on this site for the school (2) Reviewed my personal statement (3) Went through some common questions about health issues, "why do I want to be a doctor," and
-
Read my AMCAS and secondary apps, SDN, and studied up on recent events
-
Went to bed early and tried not to think about it.
-
Read SDN, went over sample questions, read AMCAS and secondary app
-
Read through EC's and research experience, thought about possible questions, tried to relax.
-
Looked over my AMCAS and secondary and read-up on bioethics and current medical issues.
-
Read Newsweek, watched the news, reread my AMCAS and secondary applications, thought about my strengths and how I could relay those to the interviewers.
-
Read over my AMCAS and secondary applications, looked at SDN and school website and just read up on medical ethics and current events.
-
Re-read my amcas application, secondary application, read about the school on-line.
-
Went over my AMCAS application and secondary.
-
Practiced sample questions.
-
Looked over potential questions
-
Read up on ethical topics, my AMCAS application, current medical topics like stem cell research, medicare, managed care, etc.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Kansas School of Medicine discussed various ethical scenarios, including prioritizing patient treatment, handling healthcare disparities, and addressing controversial medical issues. The interview format may have been an MMI, as respondents mentioned a wide range of challenging hypothetical situations and ethical dilemmas, hinting at potential nondisclosure agreements regarding specific questions asked.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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What do you want me to convey to the admissions committee about you?
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What is the biggest issue with healthcare, and what would you do to solve it?
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Lets say you are a physician and a patient comes into your clinic who doesn't have insurance and your facility will not take them as a patient. As a physician leader what would you do to change this in the future?
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A battery of ethical questions - mine dealt with mandatory vaccinations, and each subsequent question raised the stakes.
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You have 3 different patients of different ages and backgrounds with 3 different illnesses, they will all die within a month if left untreated. You can only treat one. Which one do you treat?
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The hypotheticals
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Medical school, residency, and life as a physician is rough. It will grind you down again and again. How do you know that you are prepared for a career in medicine? How do you know that you can handle that?
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Ethical scenario: Which patient to save, given three vignettes.
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20 years from now you are driving down a kansas road and you see an accident. You pull over and there are three people who are injured. One is an elderly scientist that has the cure for cancer, one is a single mother of three children, and one is an infant. You can only save one... Who do you save?
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A colleague fudges the hematocrit numbers of a patient during your ER rounds a few years from now. You ask your colleague about the discrepancy, but they admit to nothing. What do you do?
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What do you see as your impact in the medical field?
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Anything involving politics; I tried to be very moderate in all my answers!
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They stemmed more questions based on my answer on how to fix healthcare. I had to backup my answers and really connect everything.
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What is the most fun you've ever had?
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If Obama gave you XXXXX amount of money to reform healthcare in the U.S., what would you do?
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Weaknesses? And how do you work to improve? -the last part caught me off gaurd.
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What are you sure of?
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When was the last time you were criticized unfairly? What did you do in that situation?
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I talked about specialization and how I've been told it's necessary if you want to run a successful practice, and they asked how I reconciled that belief with incontrovertible data that the country does not need more specialization but primary care doctors
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From the 4th year interviewer... Say you are sitting in my seat 4 years from now interviewing a student, what are three questions that you would ask them?
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The medical student gave me a paper clip and asked me to describe all the possible ways that I could use the clip besides to hold paper.
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Should doctors be friends with their patients? What about in rural communities?
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"What annoys you about other people?" "What do you expect to get out of a career as a physician?"
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Tell me about a controversial, ethical issue in medicine?
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In your life, what's the one decision you wish you could take back?
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What's the difference between me and my best friend?
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Question about giving money for treatment to one of three different patients. I wanted to change my answer after I already started talking.
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Scenario question.
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Probably the professionalism question. I practiced answers to many questions to get a general feel of how I would answer but DID NOT memorize my answers but I had not practiced a question like this.
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What makes a medical situation or case study an "ethical" situation?
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Jehovah's witness ethical question. There is no right answer, so I hated to pick the better of two bad options.
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Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
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Regarding McCain and Obama's views on health care. Also to talk about universal health care and private health care
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Probably, the candidate question. It was literally the first thing the first interviewer asked me. I know about socialized medicine, just not about the 2008 primary candidates' views.
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Why should we pick you over a qualified applicant from the state of kansas?
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If you personally had the opportunity to shape a new healthcare system what would be the first change you would make to improve the delivery of care and why?
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How can we cut the cost of health care in the U.S? It was my first health care question on the interview trail and phrased differently than I expected to be.
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What's wrong with healthcare today, and how would you fix it?
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Tell me about yourself (it's the first question, so I sort of didn't know where to start)
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Describe your ideal office
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How would I advise the mayor of the small community I'm from to help improve the city's hospital?
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There wasn't really any difficult ones. I made sure I was well prepared. The questions were mostly about my experiences.
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Why you want to be physician?
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If you were advisor to the president on the issue of providing pain killers to the 90% of people worldwide without them, what would you tell him to do?
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Why medicine? it was the first question, this was my first interview, and i froze! so stupid.
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What is the biggest problem in healthcare, especially in Kansas? What can be done to fix it?
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What are some issues in medicine?
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The hypothetical questions can be a bit difficult as they say there is no right or wrong answer, but I am sure you look much better if you answer with the most correct response. Mine was of the typical Jahovah's Witness blood transufion variety. I researched what is actually done in that situation ahead of time and was able to respond with an educated anser that really pleased my interviewers.
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A situation shadowing a physician that had both positive aspects I wanted to emulate, and negative aspects that I learned from.
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What did I think of some specific policy?
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If two people were exactly the same and both needed a liver transplant how would you go about choosing who should get it?
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Your typical ''one heart, three people, who do you give it to?'' conundrum.
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How would you define professionalism?
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If I could change the way insurance works in the USA, what would I do?
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What was your most harrowing experience in China? An interesting hypothetical or two.
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What is the largest problem with healthcare today? Not a difficult question, but I was challenged on my answer and had to defend myself for several minutes
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You are an attending physician in a totally slammed ED. Trauma service brings in a 7 year-old boy, severe hypovolemia. ID card in boys wallet placed by parents says no blood products per religious preference, but the boy will die without a transfusion. Parents are not with the boy and can't be reached. What do you do? Follow-up question: The parents arrive and tell you to stop immediately. What do you do?
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Ethical questions: patient refusing blood transfusion
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Tell me about yourself.
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Your GPA is stellar, but your MCAT score was not, can you explain the discrepancy?
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Ethical question asked by a 4th year in the second interview. You have 300,000 to spend on one and only one of three patients. A 23 year old alcoholicand drug user with liver failure who needs a transplant. A 53 year old smoker who needs a heart transplant. Or a 33 year old mother of 3 with TERMINAL breast cancer. Which would you pick and why??? Follow up question - What about the kids?
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What makes you a good candidate . . . (I answered and the guy said) "Yes, but why should we choose you?" and How would you fix the health care system?
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Ethical question about who to give a heart to if I were a heart transplant physician.
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What would your best friend describe as your strengths or weaknesses? I always hate this question because of the weakness aspect.
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If you could take three people to dinner, alive or dead, who would it be?
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A patient of yours has signed papers stating she does not want extraordinary measures to be taken to save her life if she were to fall extremely ill. You see that she has fallen into a coma in the ER...what do you do? (of course you respect her wishes) Now her family members have come and are screaming at you because you're not doing everything in your power to save her...what do you say to them?
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What my opinion was regarding the Merck - Vioxx lawsuit.
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You are a cashier at a grocery store, a blind woman with her seeing eye dog puts a number of items to check out. She pays with foodstamps (which wont let you pay for alcohol, tobacco, or dog food)...what do you do??
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Tell me about a time you failed.
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A family physician's salary is $100-$200 thousand dollars. A specialist makes $1.5-4.0 million dollars. What do you think of this different in salary?
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What characteristics do you possess that would make you a good physician and why?
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Are you for Stem cell research?
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Your GPA isn't steller, What will you do to be successful in medical school?
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Why Kansas...I'm from a big city on the east coast and I think it was quite hard to convince people about my intentions for applying.
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What was your most challenging moment in college?
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Mother and daughter come in to ER, husband killed in accident and mother has severe head trauma and daughter internal injuries. Before mother passes out, she says, no blood products. Both will likely die if not given blood? What do you do? Then other, lets pretend ?'s. There is really no good answer, just want to see your thought process.
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Name one person in the whole world, alive or dead, that you'd want to go to dinner with. (I was prepared for the version of this question that asked for THREE people, but I had a hard time picking just one, haha.)
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None really
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If you suspected your partner of stealing and using drugs from your office, how would you deal with it?
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Same as above
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If a child came into the ER and needed a blood transfusion to live but then the parents flew in and said they were Jehovah's Witnesses (who don't believe in receiving blood transfusions) and all the lawyers at your hospital and judges were at the Chief's game, would you give the child the blood transfusion or not?
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What is a social issue that concerns you?
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What was the biggest problem in the medical field today?
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As a psychology major, what can you understand about patients that the average physician could not?
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Something that had really challenged me in my life
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What are the two major problems you see facing healthcare and how would you fix them?
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Give a weakness
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Why did you decide on medical school as opposed to nursing school or social work? (Basically asking for elucidation of WHY and HOW I wanted to help people)
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None really.
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What is the top problem facing the health care field today?
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Nothing I wasn't prepared for.
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How can uninsured people receive the healthcare they need?
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Same
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If you could change anything in your past, what would it be? I answered that there are many things that I wish I had chosen to do differently, however, I feel that you have to take the good with the bad and it is hard to place a value on what one can learn from their mistakes.
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See above.
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If you could eat dinner w/ 3 peopel in history who would it be and why.
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What are some things that you specifically can do to improve quality and access problems for uninsured populations?
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What is the state of religion in the world today?
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Three patients arrive to your care needing a liver transplant. One is a 15 year old girl (with some crazy sounding disease), another is a 35 year old alcoholic, and the other is a 75 year old woman. The hospital you work for is breathing down your neck to bring in some revenue, and you find out that the only person who with insurance is the alcoholic. The hospital wants your input on the situation. What do you tell them?
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What will be your most difficult obsticle to overcome when practicing medicine.
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Lots of hypothetical situation/ethics questions. Also, what about your personality will make med school a challenge for you? And what kind of people don't get along with you?
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If you were a physician and found out through a series of laboratory tests that a twelve-year-old girl was pregnant, would you tell her parents that are standing in the room with her?
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Why did you have such a difficult time in a particular course? (which I received a C in)
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Describe your greatest weakness.
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You have overcome so much advesity and obstacles in your life. How did growing up in low-income communities shape you into the person you are today?
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If a patient of yours did not follow your suggestions after repeated attempts, what would you do.
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If you had two patients who both needed a heart lung transplant and you only had one unit, who would you give it to?
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SEE ABOVE
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If a genetic screening test was accidentally performed on an unwitting patient and came back positive for Huntington's disease, would you tell the patient.
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If you were a transplant surgeon and you had 1 liver to transplant, which patient would you give it to (he described three patients to me)?
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were positively impressed by the friendliness and laid-back atmosphere at the school, including interactions with interviewers, students, and staff. They appreciated the supportive and welcoming environment, the emphasis on student success, and the opportunities to engage with current students and faculty, which contributed to a positive overall experience.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Admissions staff are diverse and genuinely want you to do well; transparent school
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The interviewers were able to joke and make it more nonchalant
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The friendliness of all the staff during the interview process
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Even at the end of the interview week, after meeting dozens of candidates, the interviewers knew my file and my story.
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Interviewers made me feel very comfortable! We also had the whole admissions decision process (timeline, type of correspondence, etc.) explained before the interview -- really helped put me at ease!
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The interviewers were very friendly, the day was well planned and always on time, the medical students were extremely helpful and friendly.
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All of the interviewers were very friendly.
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Opportunity to meet current students, other interviewees, and staff
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KU people are friendly, students are happy to be there.
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Very high obstetric numbers. The residents were all very friendly and family oriented. You could tell the residents and faculty got along well.
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The entire administration and all of the students love their school. It is one school that really does feel like everyone is open to helping each other become the best physician possible. Doesn't feel cutthroat, or stuffy. Feels like a great place to learn medicine your way, and know you have plenty of support.
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The friendliness of the interviewers
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Everyone was very friendly and laid back. The curriculum seems great.
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They actually seemed to care about the intellectual side of medicine and want the students to be scientists as well as practitioners of medicine. Also the food was awesome!
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Yes. The staff and the students were very nice and welcoming. I loved how they listen to their students needs and concerns. Everyone seemed to enjoy the school.
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The students were great. Jaydoc Clinic seems awesome. I liked the pod-casting and systems based curriculum.
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How personable some of my interviewers were. They definitely eased the tension by making you feel comfortable. They weren't there to attack me but brought out my strengths and helped me reinforce it during the interview.
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Super relaxed and positive environment.
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I had heard it was an easygoing environment, but I was impressed with how calm and relatively free of stress it was.
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The school seems to really be designed to help the students succeed.
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The whole experience really was not as painful as you would think
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How happy everyone seemed, how down to earth the students were and much focus on the students the school seemed.
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The students seem really happy. They all like their teachers, they like the curriculum set up (it's module based - not semester long classes or problem based). They also seemed to really enjoy the services provided to them by the school.
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How nice everyone was.
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Lots of time to interact with the M2s and ask them questions. The M2s were very candid about their thoughts. The tablets seem to be awesome..
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It was a good conversation style interview that only touched lightly on material that came straight out of my application.
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Everyone was really friendly and helpful.
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Everyone was friendly and the day was very organized
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Everyone was extremely friendly. Seemed like they genuinely wanted us to go there. They have a very cooperative environment it is not cut-throat style.
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The people are VERY friendly. The whole day was extremely laid-back. The students I talked to really seemed to love the school.
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Everyone was very kind and truly wanted you to succeed. All the students are friendly and help each other out by sharing notes, studying together, etc. Lectures can be podcast.
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There were no surprises. The school was very open about the interview and admissions process, and also about what we could expect if we were admitted.
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How upbeat everyone was. Glad to hear that the students were all supportive of each other, not a cut-throat university
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I really did like KU. I grew up literally right down the street and knew a lot of physicians who either worked at/were educated at KU. I know a bit about the school, and the new research areas and heart hospital are really nice.
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Eventhough the questions were difficult, the people were VERY VERY nice and I felt welcomed at the school.
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How devoted the school is to the success and well-being of its students
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Adm office very nice and extra willing to accomodate my special interview circumstances. Students and interviewers very friendly and laid-back. Students seemed happy.
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How friendly the administration and profs were.
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Everyone is very friendly and laid back. i felt like they were pulling for me
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The second interview was closed file, and I felt more relaxed with them. Even though I don't think all of the staff were as well intentioned as they seemed, these two surgeons seemed genuinely interested.
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The interviewers were very friendly, not intimidating at all...they seemed like they really wanted me to succeed.
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Since I live around here, I pretty much new what to expect
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The interviewers were all very laid-back and seemed genuinely interested in making me feel comfortable and at ease.
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The PEOPLE! everyone was friendly, and the faculty seem very supportive and involved with the students
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The people.
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Everyone is nice and genuine
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Everyone at KU is very supportive, from the students to the staff. They are competitive, but not at the expense of their fellow students. You feel free to ask questions and get a sincere answer. Having current students around to talk about their classes and life as a med-student gives you a better understanding of what you are getting into.
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The technological advancements in the curriculum.
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The students are happy, the programs are amazing, the facilities are in much better shape than sdn makes it sound like! lots of amazing opportunities for students. if accepted i would have a very hard time turning it down.
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The interview day, as a whole, was hands down the best I've been to. Financial aide, met with the dean, the admissions deans, a tour, lunch with students (who were more than enthusiastic), and very friendly interviewers. It seems goes to great lengths to improve its curriculum.
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High pass rates on boards, students at school had lots of organizations and were very close.
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The people. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful. The students all seemed bright, motivated, and positive regarding the school. Also, the exercise center on campus is really, really good.
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How nice the staff was, they are geniunely interested in their students.
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Lots of programs that I didn't know about. Very friendly admissions staff.
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The fellow interviewees were smart and relatively ''normal.'' My interviewers were all very cool and laid back.
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Everyone, and I mean everyone, is friendly. The administration is very approachable. KU is currently in the first year of their new block scheduling, where they integrate multiple areas of medicine and learn about body systems as a whole, as opposed to the usual first year anatomy, second year pathophys, etc. The curriculum is very much open to change at the students' request.
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Students are very friendly and helpful. All lectures are podcasted, only 3 hours of lecture each day (more study time), plus I'm a fan of PBL. New Heart Hospital, Research Center. The faculty seems to really care about their students and their success. Campus has a real friendly mid-westish feel.
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The students and faculty are very enthusiastic about KU
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The students were very excited and positive about the new curriculum.
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I liked the fellow interviewees. They were honest about the costs.
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How all the medical students seemed to have great interest at KU.
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The students that I met all seemed nice and were happy to be Jayhawks.
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I have to admit I really liked KU...the facilities aren't the best but the people make up for that. The faculty members are very dedicated to the school. The students are very friendly and everyone said that its a great enviroment. Really liked the fact that students e-mail eachother study guides and have fun together (ie kegs in Wittson following test blocks)...Very impressed by the people and the location between westport and the plaza.
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Nothing really.
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The medical students love it there and everyone was really nice.
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That they are expanding their curriculum so that it is more applicable to the actual practice of medicine. They are including a course in Medical Spanish, which I think is becoming increasing important to have. The facilities are also nice, and they seem to be trying to improve on them even more. That all students will be purchasing a HP-tablet PC.
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KU is revamping their curriculum for next year, making it much more integrative and systems based. They're requiring the use of a Tablet computer, which is a super-portable laptop that you can "write on" with a "pen"...pretty neat. They're introducing new electives like, Medical Spanish, Domestic Violence, and Cultural Competency...all of which are great.
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The facilities were nice, particularly the Clinical Skills lab (I was unaware they had this). Also, they seem to be incorporating a lot of technology into their curriculum. For instance, they are re-vamping the auditoriums so they are computer - friendly, since next year all incoming students will get an HP tablet PC. Lunch was also great, especially because each table had 2 current med students eating with us and answering any questions.
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Nice facilities, weather, and females :) Laid back, not very stressful...students seemed to like being there (even though they were doing their test blocks the same week)
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The first interview--VERY relaxed; more like a casual conversation.
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The faculty members were part of the doctors who interviewed. They seemed very pleasant.
-
Everyone was so laid back and easy going, both interviewers and staff really made it a point to promote a relaxed environment and try to eliminate any stress throughout the process.
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Everybody seemed to be happy to be there. From one of my friends that goes to the school I got the impression that the University really takes care of its students and wants them to succeed.
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Program that pays for medical school if you work for four years in an underpriviliged county of kansas.
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They had a social for the minority students. They have a very good financial package. They have a good amount of underrepresented minority students and they are working on increasing the numbers. This was my first time in Kansas and I thought the city was pretty nice. i also met a student at the minority social who was willing to host me for the rest of my stay.
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The atmosphere with the interviewers was very relaxed. I was able to converse with them easily.
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Relaxed atmosphere, not too much posturing by comrades in arms. The deans came in and answered some good questions.
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The students were really nice, and so were most of the interviewees (the less pretentious ones, at least). The boys held doors open for the girls! I didn't know what to do! They don't do that in the northeast!
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Everyone was so friendly and they are really commmited to creating a positive environment for their students and helping them find ways to fund their education
-
The faculty seem to really care about student success.
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The staff seemed very caring, the students enjoy the school, and the speech by the admissions dean
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The students who ate lunch with us and showed us on the tour
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Very laid back. You can't help the nervousness but the faculty is VERY nice.
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The interviewers and students were very friendly and laid-back.
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The hospital is very nice, and they are in the process of constructing new facilities.
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It was all very strait forward, no ups or downs, just a neutral experience.
-
How friendly and relaxed everyone was. This may be atypical as this was an early decision interview.
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The interviewers were pretty down to earth. most of the time, we just talked about everyday stuff.
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Simply the fact that it was a medical school.
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The other applicants were nice. The facilities were ok but the ones you see are actually the nursing building. Interviews were laid back.
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The demeanor of the current students as well as others I interviewed with. Both interviews were pretty stress free.
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The new nursing building was nice.
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The students were all very complimentary of the school and really seemed to enjoy their education.
-
Not much... We had a lot of time to sit around and get to know the other applicants.
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The interview is what you make of it. Some students interviewed with the same people I did and came away unhappy with the questions asked and material covered. My advice to you is to make good use of your time. Think before speaking and answer the question in as few words as possible. If the interviewer wants you to elaborate, they will ask you to do so. This means that you have struck a chord so to speak and they are interested in what you have to say. This is a good thing. If they just move on, then you know that you have answered the question to their satisfaction. This is a good thing also.
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The people were very friendly and down-to-earth. The lunch tasted ok, but was cool because a physician and several current students came and ate with us. These are people that I would enjoy being around
-
The tuition is very reasonable
-
My interviewers. They were very laidback and friendly; both interviews were very comfortable and conversational.
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(a) the students are SO friendly and laid back. No evident hypercompetition and neurosis, and they take joy in being there + each others' lives (b) the admissions staff are very nice and accomodating, and try to make the event less stressful, such as presenting info on international clerkship opportunities and speaking to students/faculty as they sit down to eat with you
-
My interviewers were extremely laid back and the students seemed to love life at KU Med.
-
The amount of clinical experience you get at the institution was very impressive.
-
Everyone was very friendly and quick to point out the school's strengths. The hospital looked nice.
-
How pleased the students were with their education and the resources available to them.
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Everyone was very friendly and focused on getting to know you and not trapping you with a tough question.
-
The faculty and staff seemed to be genuinely interested in us and they wanted to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The students we spoke with seemed to be happy with the school and not overly stressed.
-
Friendliness of school officials and interviewers, the medical center on campus, and the quality and diversity of the other student applicants.
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The friendliness of the interviewers, students, faculty, and administrators. the students seemed genuinely happy there.
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Everyone was very friendly.
-
The medical students are happy and seem well rounded. Also, the new clinical facility is great.
-
The interviewers were very nice.
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The politness of the staff and the facilities.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about various aspects of the interview process and facilities, including long wait times, lackluster facilities, unprofessional behavior from interviewers, tuition costs, and disorganization during the interview day. Suggestions included improving communication, enhancing facilities, reducing wait times, and providing a more structured and informative interview experience.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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The interviewers were not chill lol. i felt grilled for the entire time. wasn't a pleasant experience and gave me a negative impression overall
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I got asked if I partied in my free time.. kind of threw me off.
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Not sure this is a negative, per se, but the two interviews were quite different. There was some question overlap, but my first interviewer was more assertive in their line of questioning, while the second was more conversational.
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Nothing! It was a great experience!
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KU didn't seem to have much about mental health services provided or address topics in diversity and marginalized populations. I also thought trying on white coats was fairly strange of an interview day practice.
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Lots of waiting/dead time. Both interviews only had one faculty member. The tour included a lot of time outdoors on a 90-degree day.
-
Nothing
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Not many negatives. Most wouldn't think Wichita, KS is a very exciting place to live, however there is actually more to do there than you would think.
-
Not much. I'm from the area, so the urban setting is normal for me. I can see how this might be a negative for others. Otherwise, it's a great school.
-
The facilities were more than lackluster. The immense amount of down time as I was in the last group. We had more than an hour of waiting by ourselves. The day really needs to be re-formatted. No mention of board scores at all throughout the day. Finally, the students genuinely didn't seem happy.
-
Some of the other applicants seemed a bit gunnerish
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I do really love that area of KCK, but it close to some great areas of KC.
-
The facilities seemed a bit out of date. No simulation lab. Not a ton of study space in the library.
-
One of my interviewers kept looking at the clock while interviewing me which made me even more nervous.
-
Nothing really.
-
Did not get a tour of actual KC campus
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Not really anthing
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I can't honestly say that there was anything bad, just that the facilities were all business, not a lot of frills, but adequate.
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Doesn't seem to be much diversity within the medical student population.
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Never really got a good tour of the hospital.
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The stress level was a bit high on my first interview, but I was stumped by the 2 'difficult questions' listed below. Can't blame them for that.
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N/a
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Nothing, really. I suppose there probably exist medical schools with newer facilities but KUMed's seem to be more than adequate.
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Nothing!
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Parking isn't the best and the hospital and school buildings can be confusing to get around in.
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Parking kind of sucks, but really not that big of a deal
-
The interviewer that questioned my "diversity" Really, really out of the blue. Also a bit of a shock considering I grew up in the shadow of the med school.
-
The facilities seemed a bit old, but that is changing as the school is undergoing a lot of growth.
-
Parking
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The lottery system for the Wichita campus if not enough people sign up. The location where KU was located. OOSers can't get instate tuition by claiming residency.
-
The place just seemed kind of bland
-
The first interviewer was an instructor. I believe his name was Edward, and he seemed very stand-offish. Also, I believe Edward was suggesting that my depression would negatively effect my studies. He mentioned it twice, and I had to explain it to him more than once. There are a total of two classrooms; one for each class. It didn't seem like I was at a school at all.
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Nothing that I can think of.
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Nothing really
-
Because it was early decision, we didn't get a tour. The whole process was very quick.
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The hotel. that's all.
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The campus was really spread out, with a few resources here and a few there, all mixed in with other areas, such as the nursing school.
-
The directions to the exact location of the interview were vague. I got lost and started to freak out!
-
Nothing negative. The ONLY thing that may stand out to some is the state of the fitness center. It is a bit old and outdated, but has all the necessary equipment. Besides, the intensity of your workout, not the equipment, is what produces results. Also, it is a gym, so how great can one be?
-
Possiblity of doing clinical rotations (yrs 3&4) in Wichita, KS.
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The actual interview day seemed a little disorganized - probaly not reflective of much, but it made me rethink the logistical/red tape problems that go with a big school
-
The facilities are just OK. Kansas City sucks from what I saw. Excluding the Plaza, it's a midwestern nightmare.
-
Tour was a lot of walking so be ready for that. Also they are trying a new program of study so there are some unknowns about its success.
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The facilities are lackluster. Nothing really fancy, not that I'm that hard to please. I could definitely see myself going to school there, as I'm not averse to spartan surroundings, but I've definitely seen better medical schools.
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The buildings are beginning to show their age.
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Terrible food for lunch.
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The KU school isn't all that pretty. I felt that the hospital could be a depressing place. But I'm a naive MS0. The have no grants or scholarships for international electives.
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That said, since this is the first year of the new lesson plan, it's hard to get a really good grasp of if it's working. The students I had talked to enjoyed the systems approach but had only been with it for three months.
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You're forced to buy the $2500 laptop. Although, the textbook software is provided which helps a bit. Classrooms are older and real institutional looking.
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It's about 60 grand to go there out of state!
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The library wasn't very cozy.
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The student center needs some renovations. Also, they force you to buy the lap-top when you enter. It's over 2 grand.
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Nothing.
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The facilities were not what I would expect them to be. For $20,000/year in tution I would expect better up keep. Another person I interviewed with told me that the buildings were nicer than two other schools he had already interviewed at, but I can't imagine how they could be worse.
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I have to say the facilities leave room for improvement, I am used to hospitals being in poor condition but the med school only parts are all 1960's institutional and compared to schools with new medical education centers there is no comparison. However, a new research building is almost up and honestly they are trying to update what they had...the first year lecture hall is being completely remodeled for next year which is something that was definitely needed. Student to cadever ratio is sub par...something like 1:9
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The facilities were depressing, especially the classroom that first year students use. The clinical practice rooms were nice, but overall the entire campus was not that impressive.
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They are making everyone buy their laptops next year, and I already have a laptop.
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How much down time we had.
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The facilities aren't that great...the study areas seem really small and depressing.
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The curriculum is getting a complete overhaul, which is a good thing, but the fact that next year's class will be the first that they are trying some of these things out on is a little worrisome. They seemed to have planned for every possible outcome, though, and sounded like they would provide tons of help to ensure that each student passes.
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They had a negative trend in Step I scores for the past couple of years but are gradually improving...they've been constantly tweaking their curriculum over the past 5 years and it seems to be greatly improving Step I scores and the students seem happy about it
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The second interviewers attepted to corner me on ethical/moral issues.
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They did a good job.
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The financial aid talk was a bit boring, but everything else was perfect.
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I wish I could have seen the University hospital, but it was cold and snowing outside.
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The facilities are not logically planned out and need to be updated. I did not see anything that set kansas apart as a good school. I wanted to be awed and I was let down. This is the only med school in Kansas and I expected a little more.
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Out of state students can't pay resident tuition after a year. There didn't seem to be a nice spacious place place to study on campus, the study places seemed rather constricted.
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The schedule didn't run on time.
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Really would have liked a panel discussion with current students. Just ommission.
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Just stupid things, like a big chunk of the current first year class is married...do they get married younger in Kansas?
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Out of state tuition is high, but this is realy the same anywhere out of state.
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The wait time!
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The fact that many students do not attend classes, the size of the class, and the faciliites
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One of my interviewers was not a very active listener and kept closing his eyes when I would talk.
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Just the waiting. Expect an hour wait between interviews. They tell you this ahead of time but it just made me more anxious.
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The long wait before and in-between my interviews.
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Parking, class size.
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I felt that it all took a little longer than it could have. Not a big deal though.
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Finacial aid talk and tour were both very brief and not very informative.
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They didnt try to impress me nor thank me for being there. pretty much everyone is rejected by KU at least once.
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The semi-condescending attitude of some of the PhD interviewers. The MD's seem fairly sympathetic to the interviewing plite and seem a little less formal. The PhD's just seem to have a chip on their shoulders.
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Interview was somewhat unprofessional and unorganized. One of my intviewers was late and as a result I didn't get to have that interview. Don't know how that will affect my app.
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It looked a little worn, but it was on its way to going wireless, so I guess "age aint nothin but a number"
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They did absolutely nothing to give me a reason to attend their school. I felt like they assumed because I was interviewing there I would automatically want to go. As an in-state student, I was very unimpressed and disappointed overall. Also, they served spaghetti! Who serves pasta to nervous interviewees in suits?
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While parts of the school were very nice, other parts were remniscient of a dungeon.
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Very unorganized. There was supposed to be a two-on-one and a one-on-one, but one of my people didn't show up, so I had two one-on-ones.
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I have nothing negative to say about the school or the experiance as a whole.
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Students seemed to have a little too much free time on their hands. The facilities aren't bad, but not impressive either. Having just the one hospital on site was a little disappointing, compared to other schools I'd visited.
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The staff/faculty did not present themselves as very proffesional. One faculty interviewer would not make eye contact with me during the interview and was generally disengaged from the interview. He struggled to come up with questions to ask me.
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I wasn't exactly impressed with the rooms in which we were interviewed. We were interviewed in the examination rooms in the school's clinical studies lab.
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(a) Tuition is rising fast. Too fast. (b) Spent most of the time sitting in one room with hours (plural) between interviews. Although, this does offer the chance to talk with other interviewees
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The fact that tuition is expected to go up 20% each year for the next X amount of years (as in they don't know when it will stabilize), and the financial aid and "meet the deans" talked seemed rushed and boring
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We interviewed in exam rooms. For one of the two interviews, I actually had to sit on the exam table. I thought it was very unprofessional and tacky.
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Lots of time sitting around waiting; no coffee/snacks
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That the same students were incapable of stating anything negative or annoying about the program -- makes you wonder if they're telling the truth.
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Short tour. We didn't get to see the hospital or even much of the school.
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It was a bit unorganized at times.
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Tuition hikes!
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Most learning during the first and second years takes place in one large lecture hall with the intructors and professors filing in and out. not much flexibility with the curriculum.
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The school did a poor job of representing itself. They had no sodas or snacks, a lot of waiting time, lunch was poor quality, the TV they showed a small video on was literally about 10inches wide for all of us to view, and one of the tour guides spent his time flirting with an interviewee instead of providing useful info. Speaking of the tour--we couldn't even get inside the any of the labs or lecture halls because they were in use--poor planning all around.
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The tuition raises projected at +24% for each of the next three years.
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They didn't give us anything to do -- you just sit in a room looking at each other the entire morning!
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly expressed a wish to have known ahead of time about the interview format, interviewers' backgrounds, and the relaxed nature of the interviews. They also mentioned suggestions to relax, be themselves, and prepare for potential logistical challenges such as parking and wait times.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Prepare very thoroughly for difficult questions. not ethical, but practice every single question type and practice a ton bruh it was like a whole index of q's was asked of me.
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There weren't many ethical questions but rather more political type questions concerning healthcare
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To be less nervous
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We didn't know the identity of our interviewers ahead of time, but they are a diverse bunch - faculty, practicing MDs from the community, PhDs who work on Health Policy and Health Management, and 4th year medical students.
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Relax! They want you to do well. Just be yourself and show them your passions.
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That only person would be interviewing me at a time. Also, what their position/title/specialty was.
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Wear clinical grade deoderant, you are going to sweat like you've never sweat before. Practice practice practice!!!
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All of the questions they were going to ask! Ha! I made a few visits before my interview, and have known about the school my whole life, so there weren't many surprises.
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Parking is hard to come by. If you have a later interview, make sure you allow plenty of time to find a parking spot.
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Parking is awful; get there early!
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Don't stress too much! Very laid back (as much as an interview can be).
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The food at lunch was really unhealthy (chicken fried chicken and mashed potatoes), so maybe bring a snack if this is something you care about. Did not have to go outside on the tour.
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N/A
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I felt like SDN prepared me well.
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To apply early (june/july)
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After getting an interview request, a few days later an email was sent out with names with contact info for students from the school to stay with - I had already arranged plans with a friend to stay with, but wish I had known that this really nice gesture would be provided.
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There was no need to go so deep into researching health policy, the questions asked were fairly general.
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I wished i had known that difficult question ahead of time. never tried to think of the difference between me and my best friend before.
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Nothing
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A way to relax a little better. I was a little nervous for the first few minutes of my interview.
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Nothing really...it was my second time interviewing there so I knew how it was going to go.
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Nothing surprised me.
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I've been told following the interview that KU places a HUGE emphasis on diversity. So at least BS the fact that you have some during the interview.
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That there would be one, "one on one" interview and then another "two on one" interview.
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No student housing the area where school is located is not too appealing.
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A cirriculum change will be taking effect fall '06
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The students mostly don't go to class. Instead, they listen to a pod cast which has been synchronized with a power point presentation.
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I had some difficulty getting from the parking garage to the area of registration, so it would have been nice if I had a map or something a little clearer.
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How bad the hotel would be
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That if you move to Kansas only to go to school, you cannot legally become a resident simply because you moved there only for that purpose, and as a result, you'll have to pay full out-of-state tuition all four years.
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Again, since I was here last year, nothing came as a shock. If you interview with a PhD, they are very interested in GPA and MCAT whereas if you get an MD, they like to hear more about your experiences and character.
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Nothing really.
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How much i would love the school!!
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That it's a really solid school that needs more recognition. I hope to get accepted.
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The fact that part of the class will spend the 3rd and 4th year in Wichita doing rotations.
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Nothing, really. No surprises here.
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That they'd give me my own folder for miscelaneous packets of information recieved throughout the day.
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That there wouldn't be a good impression of how well the students are learning with the new curriculum. That and we have to buy a 2500 laptop.
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Most students don't find out if they've been accepted or denied until March.
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The second interview is 2 on 1.
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Most people don't find out if they are accepted or not until March or later.
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I already knew that they will have a new curriculum for the upcoming students and they're required to buy the PC tablet from the school. Oh yeah, if you claimed in ur sec. application that you're KS resident, they will check that again once you're in med. school to confirm that you're authentic KS residents.
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The incoming class will be guinea pigs for a new curriculum and a tablet pc requirement.
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Details on the revised curriculum...normal and abnormal are being combined in more of a PBL based curriculum. The fact everyone has to have the same HP tablet PC next year...its a good idea I just wish they would wire their anatomy lab with CCD cameras in addition to the virtual microscopy for histology so one can review without the smell of formalyn.
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For their third and fourth years, some students have to go to Wichita. They typically ask for volunteers, but if they don't have enough people to fill the 55 spots, they do a random lottery drawing to see who will go. They also mentioned that it does not matter if a student is married and their spouse has a good job in Kansas City or if they own a house. They basically said if they want you to go to Wichita you go to Wichita. They are also forcing every new student to purchase a tablet computer, which from their comments I gather is fairly expensive.
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There is a shuttle from the airport to the Westin, and then to the Best Western, but I didn't know until I rode it back to the airport.
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Nothing.
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You will be REQUIRED to buy a tablet computer next year.
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That the curriculum is going to be revamped next year. I like the changes a lot and wish I could've mentioned them in my interview.
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They are constantly tweaking their curriculum and its hard to gauge how efective it is considering it was vastly different from the year before. Also, they dont tell you who your interviewers are until you meet them face to face
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They said that all EDP applicants must have a good GPA and MCAT scores or they would not have been invited to the interview. If I had known that, I wouldn't have been fretting about justifying the dip in my GPA.
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I had a difficult time getting there because the exit was closed, then the parking garage was full. I was almost late and I had left for the interview with more than enough time to get there.
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The out of state tuition policy
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It was two one-on-ones.
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There's a rural preceptorship where they send you (mostly) to western Kansas for a month. If you've ever been to western Kansas, you'd see my concern. I would deal with it though in the end.
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That this interview is no stress, aside from what you impose on yourself, that it's a number of friendly individuals who are just interested in you and meeting you, instead of grilling or frightening you.
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I wish I brought something to do while waiting.
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That you may not find out whether you are accepted until march. The majority of the people who were being interviewed at the same time as me attend(ed) KU or K-State (I didn't) and most of them had already finished their undergrad degrees (as I have).
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They tell you that the interviewers just want to get to know you, but they also want to know how quickly you can think on your feet.
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Nothing!
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One of the interviewers had a Masters in Public Health and he absolutely grilled me with insurance questions.
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In between interviews, the applicants all sit together in a large room. Many of them are kind of tweeky at this point, don't spend too much time with them - it's contagious. I thought that I was fine, but in the hour between my interviews I became quite nervous.
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My way around the hospital... it's not well marked at all.
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Expect rejection the first application.
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That all the other applicants had spent money on NICE suits, while all I had was nice khaki pants and a sport coat. If I could have done that again, I would have worn a nice DARK SUIT!
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Being a state school in the midwest they tell people that they are "blue collar," ie the working man's/woman's med school. However almost every applicant there was an alumni's child or the child of some physician. Not a bad thing but it tends to run counter to the persona they claim to have.
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The Days Inn is a little questionable, but it is literally across the street from the school, and it saves from trying to find a place to park if you drive.
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The average age of an entering student is 26. It seems the like to reject you the first time around for some reason.
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As many others have said, that the interviews were much more laid-back than I expected. The interviewers really just wanted to talk and get a peak inside your head.
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I will fit in in med school because the room was full of nerds.
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Maria is from UMASS.
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The interviewers actually come get you for your interviewer, not the other way around. The med center can be a little difficult to get around, so allow yourself some extra time.
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They are revamping the curiculum for the class of 2005 or 2006 which means there is a flaw in it now and I will be taught under that cirriculum. The faculty did not want to talk about it very much and I recieved conflicting stories from them regarding the resons for the change.
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(a) Everybody that day got the "What do you think about cloning" question
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One interview is open file and one is closed file.
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I wish I hadn't been so nervous. It was very laid back, being more relaxed would help answer questions better. Also, wear comfortable shoes.
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I didn't need to read up on bioethics or current events since I didn't receive a single question about those things.
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The person who does your one-on-one interview will present your file to the selection committee. Therefore, their impression of you carries A LOT of weight. Each member of the selection committee assigns you a numerical score after your file is presented and they offer admission to the top 175-200 numerical scores.
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Wouldn't have stayed at the Days Inn again. It was so dirty and gross.....try staying at the Best Western Inn instead.
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Just relax. they are honestly interviewing you to get to knw you better as a person -- not to tear you apart or see you sweat.
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You will do quite a bit of waiting. Be sure to talk to your peers while waiting. It greatly reduces any stress you may have.
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One interview is open file, one on one. The other interview is mostly closed file, two on one. There is an hour between your two interviews.
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There are 2 interviews, one with 2 people (limited file), and another with one person (open file).
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That you can have your parking ticket validated so that you don't have to pay to park.
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One interview has two interviewers, which is closed file and the other interview is a one-on-one, and that is open file.
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Many applicants suggested providing decisions through email for a quicker response and organizing longer tours to explore facilities more thoroughly.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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It's a long wait until March to find out if you get in or not.
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Allow time for a longer tour. We only got to see the outside of many of the buildings because we didn't have time to go in and actually see the facilities.
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I would switch to providing decisions solely through email.
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None
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I think it would be helpful to let us know the names of the people conducting our interviews beforehand
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No suggestions to the admissions office. They were very nice, and responsive to any requests of mine. They also were very good to detail all the information of the interview date (schedule, parking, location, etc). It made it very easy to plan for the day and to know how long to expect to stay.
-
N/A
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None - was a very positive and low key affair.
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Nothing...they were great and very informative!
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They're great!
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Very nice people, thanks!
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Keep up the good work.
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Put more effort into the tour. we couldn't get into any of the rooms because they were all locked.
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
MCI
77% interviewees used MCI (MCI), with 18% using KCI (KCI) and 5% using mci (mci).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
✈️
31% Airplane
🚗
65% Automobile
🚆
1% Train or Subway
🚲
2% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Best Western (average ranking 7.4/10), with some staying at Holiday Inn Express-Westport (average rating 9/10). (Top 3 displayed)
🏨
Best Western
7.4/10
🏨
Holiday Inn Express-Westport
9/10
🏨
The Raphael
9/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Friends or family or with friends or family.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Admissions staff (1%)
Other (4%)
Student (95%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Enthusiastic (81%)
Neutral (19%)
All Responses
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