How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.88 | 40 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 31 |
| Negatively | 8 |
| No change | 2 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.48 | 42 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.05 | 42 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.29 | 42 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 3 |
| Virtual | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 2 |
| 30 minutes | 12 |
| 35 minutes | 1 |
| 40 minutes | 3 |
| 45 minutes | 6 |
| 50 minutes | 1 |
| 55 minutes | 1 |
| 60+ minutes | 11 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 34 |
| At a regional location | 1 |
| At another location | 4 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 0 |
| In a group | 39 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 7 |
| Closed file | 28 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.88 | 40 |
"what is one strength and one weakness?"
"What would you do if you heard a classmate speaking about private patient information in the cafeteria?"
"What is a recent book you read"
"tell me about yourself"
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"Tell me about yourself. Why dentistry? Why Lecom?"
"Latest book you read and what did you learn from it?"
"If you are a student member of the ethics committee (those who decide what disciplinary action should be taken against students who plagiarize or cheat) and you become aware of a student who accesses a restricted area of campus to get a test, and then does well on that test, what should happen?"
"What is a book you have read recently that left an impact on you and why?"
"What is an extracurricular activity that shaped who you are today and how?"
"Women in dentistry. 50 years ago there were practically no women in dentistry, what changed now?"
"Something quirky about yourself?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"In 10 years if you were a successful dentist, how would you define successful?"
"Tell us a quality a dentist must have."
"How do you feel about PBL?"
"What is your experience with PBL and what are your thoughts on this type of learning?"
"Tell me about your independence (financially)?"
"What is something you're proud of?"
"lecom is about giving back to the under-served and community. tell us about one of your community involvement activities and what you learned from it, positive or negative."
"Talk about PBL? What do you think about it?"
"why pbl?"
"why lecom"
"What community service were you involved in?"
"What are you looking for in a dental school?"
"What is one word that you think will describe your life as a dental student?"
"Tell me about PBL. How do you think of it?"
"Why dentistry?"
"Tell us about what made you pursue dentistry."
"what is a failure you have experienced and how did you overcome it?"
"Why dentistry"
"journey to dentistry?"
"What are three words that describe you?"
"What is your fear of dentistry?"
"if you could go back in time and do something differently what it would be?"
"What are some of your favorite books?"
"If a doctor is absence and you have to take over the patient (a child) and you can’t see the area that need filling, even with the X-ray. Even though the chart says it need a filling, what do you do and say to the parent? How will you try to resolve it?"
"If not a dentist, what is your backup plan?"
"If you are not accepted to dental school, what will you do?"
"Why did you choose dentistry?"
"What has been your greatest disappointment in life (non academic)?"
"Something you admire/like about the dentistry experience you've had watching a dentist work"
"What would your best friend say is your flaw?"
"Why this school?"
"Describe a time you didn't have enough time to complete something in your life."
"Any experience with PBL? How would you fit in PBL"
"How do you handle a large courseload?"
"If you didn't do dentistry, what would you do and why?"
"What do you think would be the biggest challenge in dental school?"
"Name one thing not in your app that we should know that helps with manual dexterity."
"Whats something not on your resume that you would like us to know?"
"Why LECOM/What are your thoughts on PBL?"
"how do you like to unwind from studying?"
"Define underprivileged. What type of community service have you done with that population?"
"describe one word that describe success in dentistry"
"how will you pay for dental school? (which i thought was pretty unprofessional of them to ask)"
"Tell us your name, where are you from, and where did you go to school."
"Give example of PBL."
"Are you comfortable with switching to ebooks?"
"How do you like PBL? Have you ever had any experience with it?"
"Why would you do well with PBL?"
"Why dentistry? How did you study for DAT? Why LECOM?"
"Why LECOM?"
"Tell us a story about your research experience."
"how did you get exposed to dentistry, what is your experience with dentistry, and why dentistry?"
"Obstacles you faced and how you overcame"
"What is one movie/ tv show you can watch over and over again?"
"what is difficult thing getting unto this point?"
"Who is your role model?"
"How do you plan on giving back to the community after graduation?"
"What is a fear you have about dentistry?"
"If not dental school, what would you do with your life?"
"What would you highlight/white out (non academic)?"
"Tell us about yourself, where you graduated from and with what major."
"Without talking about dentistry, name one word your friends would use to describe you."
"Explain something you witnessed a dentist do or any incident in a dental clinic you would do differently"
"Give an example of a stressful situation and how you handle those sorts of situations. Basically, "how do you handle stress?""
"What do you look for in a dental program? (clinical hours, private-practice management, general dentistry training, etc.)"
"Where do you see in yourself in 10 years?"
"describe a PBL course you've taken...."
"What have you done to develop your hand skills?"
"how do you feel about pbl?"
"What are some challenges you foresee as a dental student? as a dentist?"
"give an example of underserved volunteering/define "under served""
"thoughts on pbl"
"Why dentistry?"
"What do you think of E-books?"
"Is PBL suited for you? Why? Give an example."
"What do you think of using electronic books?"
"What community service have you done? How have you helped the under served?"
"Tell me the experience about volunteering in undeserved area."
"Tell me about your extra-curricular activities."
"We are in the business of producing general dentists. Do you plan to specialize?"
"tell me about your pets and their teeth."
"N/A"
"What would make your favorite villain a good dentist?"
"what book did you read recently and why did you read it and how was it?"
"Who is your role model?"
"Tell us a book you read and what you learn from it?"
"What is one thing you would change at the practice you shadow at ?"
"Let's say you are a practicing dentist and a mother comes in with her daughter and says she doesn't want to use fluoride on her daughter. What would your response be to this? What do you know about the pros and cons of fluoride?"
"Say you just started working at a dental office with a more senior doctor who owns the practice. One day he becomes very ill and you have to take care of his patients. How would you handle dealing with a patient who's case is unclear to you (i.e. you cannot see the problem that the other doctor wrote down in the patient's x-ray)?"
"An upper classman who is your friend comes to lunch room and starts talking bad about a patient, disclosing his personal information, what would you do?"
"Is there anything else you would like to share?"
"Tell us something quirky about yourself."
"Tell us something you would like to white-out and highlight in your application. (everyone mentioned grades to be whited out or highlighted..)"
"Besides skills, what is one word that can be used to sum up what you need to be a successful dentist? Either go first or have six different answers ready, cause someone is probably gonna say what you wanted to say."
"If you could highlight one point about yourself on your application what would it be?"
"Name one person who is the most influential in your life (not family member)."
"Tell me about yourself?"
"what are you most proud of in your accomplishments?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"none"
"none."
"Are you comfortable with switching to ebooks?"
"The question on PBL"
"How do you plan to pay off debt and have a successful business while helping the under served?"
"nope"
"All the questions were very common. Nothing really stands out."
"Our students may not yet have access to federal student loans. How to you plan on paying for dental school? (I almost laughed at this.)"
"if you were on an island what 3 items would you bring?"
"N/A"
"If you could have dinner with one fictional character from a book or movie, who would it be?"
"A patient come in for treatment, but refuses to get an XRAY, how do you handle it?"
"why dentistry"
"Honestly, none of them were difficult. Pick out a favorite book and have a planned response to the “favorite book” question ahead of time."
"What scared you about dentistry?"
"what is the worst thing that happened to you? what did you learn from it?"
"What is a fear you have about dentistry?"
"What has been your greatest disappointment in life (non academic)?"
"What would your best friend say is your flaw?"
"What would you do if you do not get into dental school this cycle?"
"None really, you have enough time to come up with an answer while others are answering, sometimes you can just build up on another's answer."
"What would be the most difficult part of being a dentist?"
"What were the names of the students who gave you the tour of campus?"
"tell me something that is not on your resume that you would like us to know?"
"If your best friend was sitting here today, what would he or she say is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?"
"One word to describe success in dentistry?"
"none"
"none."
"Why Dentistry?"
"No difficult questions. EvErything was so relaxed and the interview felt like a conversation."
"Tell us something that wasn't included on your application. (not very hard, but I wasn't prepared for the question)"
"How do you perform in a group?"
"Tell me about PBL. How do you think of it? Tell me the experience about volunteering in undeserved area."
"All the questions were of the type you would expect. Nothing that would catch you off-guard, so nothing difficult."
"Why LECOM? (Because seriously, why would you go to LECOM?)"
"SDN questions, reaching out to people who have interviewed, and saying my responses aloud."
"SDN, mirror practice"
"prepared answers for the most commonly asked question"
"Reading questions on SDN, reviewing the materials they sent prior."
"just looking into questions SDN"
"Read and rehearsed commonly asked interview questions. Do this! In the group interview, you could tell who didn’t practice."
"Sdn, notecards"
"I read the interview questions here on SDN"
"I studied notecards, researched information on the school, reviewed the interview feedback and questions on SDN."
"Bought a new suit. Read some of the feedback on here. You really don't need to prepare much."
"SDN, researched more about PBL"
"Review application"
"-SDN -School Website -Interviewed dental professionals and got advice from dental students"
"Read over application, experiences, PBL information."
"SND, life experiences, research on website..."
"checked SDN interview feedback, wrote down some responses to commonly asked questions, rehearsed them in my head on the flight over to the school and did some practice interviewing with a friend."
"school site, sdn, asda site"
"SDN, practice interview questions"
"sdn and research"
"just reviewed the basics"
"LECOM website, SDN."
"SDN"
"Learned about the school and their mission."
"Read the PBL curriculum they provided before the interview. Reviewed their website."
"Read the PBL packet, read the school's website."
"understand what is PBL."
"Looked at the school's web page and looked over the stuff they sent with the interview invite."
"I talked to people who had already interviewed and looked at their website."
"how hands on the faculty is"
"Facilities were very nice"
"Tuition, location"
"Very friendly interviewers"
"laid back / chill vibe."
"They were pretty chill, clinical hours are ridiculously high, PBL seems fun."
"Nothing"
"Location. When touring the students had very good things to say about the school. State of the art equipment. Pass rates."
"There’s a building just for dental students. Their labs are new. There’s a ADA prep course."
"The relative cheerfulness and uplifting atmosphere at LECOM"
"I loved how supportive and laid-back the whole staff was. The interview was super casual like a conversation among peers."
"Facilities are brand new, and students clock a ton of clinic hours here."
"Relaxed atmosphere, clinical experience, beautiful school, everythig is there for you to succeed, pbl, happy students"
"The problem-based learning strategy, beautiful views, new equipment, friendly students, opportunity for establishing clubs"
"The dental clinic, students, and the facilities"
"Facilities, faculty, PBL"
"I loved the quiet residential location"
"Facilities are beautiful and state-of-the-art."
"The facilities are all new and up to date. Your entire D3 and D4 years are committed to clinicals. You get your own operatory chair during your third year of clinicals. During your D4, they send you off to another town for community outreach, so all the patients are left to the D1-D3 students, which is pretty cool."
"-New facility -Friendly dental students and faculty -Massage chairs in clinic"
"The clinical floor plan and programs"
"New building!"
"The clinics are beautiful and the school is brand-spanking new. I liked that they offer practice management courses and that as a 3rd and 4th year you don't have to compete for chairs or patients. Also, their student clinic is set up in a group practice environment."
"new facilities, extremely enthusiastic faculty, number of hours spent practicing and seeing patients almost immediately"
"Dr. Hirsch's vision for the school in 3 years"
"the brand new equipment"
"faculty seem really dedicated, the dean seems to be really passionate about the school. it seems like it would have a promising future."
"everything is new"
"What they have planned for clincal."
"Dental equipment, enthusiasm of faculty"
"The building (and the restroom) was brand new and amazing! The faculty & dean were very nice and passionate about their curriculum."
"How passionate the faculty is about helping the students reach their potential."
"The facilities are amazing. The equipment is top notch."
"Beautiful location, new building, passionate staff, eBooks, state of the art clinic, integrated learning."
"New dental school. Faculties and staffs are so passionate. Great modernized facility plan. Nice weather."
"The faculty seemed pleasant and the weather is nice."
"Their clinic looks like it will be nice when it is built. The computer rendering made it look nice at least."
"Felt rushed. Entire day was spent in a tiny conference room for 25+ people"
"curriculum, interview on zoom while in person"
"Group interview. Was just very unpersonal and sometimes students would accidentally talk over one another"
"the questions were not something you can usually prepare for, some of them were imo a little weird."
"They were quite disorganized."
"One of the presenters for the presentation told everyone to wait until senior year to take the DAT. That is a bad idea. That and maybe PBL, but it seems to be excellent for those who like it."
"It's hot. But everyone knows that Florida is hot and humid."
"They emphasized the project based learning a little too much. I wish they would have emphasized they types of experiences their students get in the clinic and early on."
"The school isn't really a campus per se, just the two buildings with lecture halls, PBL rooms, a library, clinical spaces, and a cafeteria. It is rather isolated from the nearby towns of Bradenton and Sarasota."
"I wish we had more personal time with the interviewers, i think it is great that they got to know me in a group, however, there were some things I wanted to brag about that I just did not feel comfortable expressing infront of fellow candidates"
"The small library, no specialties, no recording of lectures permitted, software based anatomy dissections, the clown dolls seemed strange (Barnum and Bailey tribute is a bit odd in a dental school) and no water permitted around campus except for the cafeteria."
"Lack of library, and building closes pretty early."
"Nothing!"
"One of the doctors that interviewed our group left me with a really bad impression of the school's staff. He seemed like he had absolutely no interest in the interview and didn't want to be there (monotone and frowning the whole time). I'd hate to have him as one of my teachers. Don't know if it was part of his strategy to make the interview more "difficult," but it just came off as rude. The group interview is a joke. They split you up into groups of 6 interviewees and two interviewers. They asked like 4 questions, since that's all they have time for with 6 of us there. Didn't feel like they got to know me, nor cared to anyways. The rest of the staff were more than welcoming."
"Humidity- the weather is not for everyone."
"4th year could be placed in PA or FL."
"Relatively new school without and and dental board scores to date"
"The price tag! This school is expensive. Also, the climate in FL is not the best. When I was there, it was extremely muggy and humid."
"only the class of '16, at the time"
"Nothing"
"the location"
"1. 100% PBL--i think PBL works, but making it a primary focus of a curriculum is a huge mistake. 2. the fact that they completely discourage specializing or anything other than general dentistry. this gives it a trade/tech school kind of vibe 3. the fact that you're being outsourced in your last 2 years. you're paying a lot of money to be some dentist's indentured servant to ''gain experience.'' essentially a distance learning kind of deal."
"It was my first group interview and I was really nervous. Everyone answers the same question. It makes it more stressful trying to come up with a better answer."
"Such a new school no track record for dental students."
"The interview process. 6 people in 30 minutes is a very short period of time to get to know your applicants. I felt like I had a lot more to say but wasn't given the chance to. Also, there is only 1 dental class at the school and they have just started the PBL curriculum. The current students were honest about their schedule and said it was a hard but interesting adjustment."
"Nothing negative."
"If I get a accepted and attend then I'll be the 2nd year ever to attend. So the curriculum and schedule all sound great, but since no class has experience 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years as of right now. So a lot of what they presented us with was theoretical information. They also suggested that the average student will spend 6-8 hours a day reading. If you don't like lectures and would rather read than this is a big plus."
"The fact that there is no federal aid available for the first year."
"The dental building is still on construction. We gonna be the first freshman. We can't get any help about school life from sophomore or upper level."
"The program is new, the school isn't built, and I'm not sure a 100% PBL system is really such a great idea."
"I don't want to teach myself while paying a huge tuition with private loans. It does not escape me that PBL is a rather cheap teaching method. It makes you wonder if the method wasn't simply picked because this is a for-profit corporation rather than a traditional school. The fact that admissions seemed to think we would need to find our own patients also concerns me."
"it would be a few questions, and different groups get different questions"
"To watch more tv/movies apparently. jk. I wasnt sure if it was closed or open file. I thought it was open file but then a student ambassador said it was closed file"
"PRACTICE MORE!"
"That the interview was NOT stressful at all. Everyone was super friendly."
"How stressful group interviews are. I would prefer it to be a one on one interviews."
"There will be a soap carving activity. It's actually pretty fun."
"That there was a soap carving activity."
"Because of the emphasis on clinic hours the academic year is 48 weeks long. Also, year four is not in Bradenton but either in Erie, Pennsylvania or DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Both of these things I can absolutely live with but came as a surprise."
"Sdn gave a pretty good overview. Was surprised with soap carving, but that was fun conversation starter with fellow candidates."
"n/a"
"Not to stress out"
"I wish I had known to not be so stressed"
"The group interview is split up into groups of six interviewees and two interviewers. You really do need to "shine" or know sports (went off tangent for like 3 minutes about baseball and football)."
"Did more research on PBL"
"nothing."
"Bring a bottle of water with you into the interview! It's ok! You'll need it because you'll be stressing and your throat will get dry. Also, eat a large breakfast. They do not provide you with breakfast and the lunch is very small."
"the breakfast was very, very light"
"Stay at a nice hotel where your clothes won't smell like cigarettes."
"nothing"
"that i would have to act like a tool and put on a show to impress the interviewers. i stayed true to myself, and i would not have changed my interview style. i understand that the school operates on a group learning style, and that's fine...but to have that during an interview really brings out the worst in people."
"it was stupid lmao"
"none"
"Not to stress the interview"
"In my group interview we didn't take turns answering the question asked. You just jump right in and answer. Some people talked more than others as a result."
"That although Bradenton and Sarasota are relatively low cost areas to live, Lakewood Ranch is not. Be prepared to pay top dollar for a place to live close to school."
"Think that PBL is right for me?"
"The beach is actually a decent drive away. I was expecting to go swimming.... : ("
"I wish I had known that the school was a bit sub-par. I wouldn't have made the trip."
"i think its a great school that will prepare you for the real world"
"Did not enjoy. One interviewer clearly did not want to be there and showed their displeasure in front of the candidates. Students did not seem very happy either."
"decent school"
"Dont be the very first person to go every time but def dont be the very last person to go every time. Try to be in the first 3/4."
"Seems like a great option. Lots of clinical hours, PBL definitely has its pro's and con's, if interview during COVID, sit in a comfortable chair because 5 hours of zoom will make your back hurt if you dont."
"Zoom Interview was alright. have some knowledge on how to look good in Zoom setting. have a bright light, look straight up, wear a pant"
"From what I can tell, it’s a great school and my #1 choice"
"The soap carving activity for manual dexterity was a lot of fun (20 minutes timed though which was nerve-wracking). The interview itself was very laid-back and enjoyable. They did the interview earlier on so the rest of the day was relaxed. The school is very new so the clinics are gorgeous."
"Overall I was impressed with the facilities, but not surprised. It's still a new school so I expected state of the art equipment. As far as the interview goes, there is no need to stress. It is very laid back and the fact that it's a closed file, group interview format makes it even less stressful."
"This was the most relaxed interview I've ever had."
"n/a"
"All about being able to work with a group. You need to be speak up and be assertive but not too aggressive. Looking to see how you work with peers."
"The students seem to like the curriculum, but we only got to speak to D1 students. They had just been introduced to PBL, so they had no real feedback to give. Wish I got a chance to speak to some upperclassmen, to get a better idea of the curriculum. They all just all talked about how awesome the school was...who know's...maybe it is all that awesome."
"Great clinical programs and concepts for general dentists"
"Its an easy interview. Just be yourself. If your not a good fit for the program, then don't proceed further than the interview. Dr. Hirsch (Dean) even states this during his slide show."
"Don't stress too much about the interview. There are no curve ball questions."
"this was the only interview i had that REALLY made me want to be in dental school"
"none"
"Great School."
"Great school, great faculty, and very cool curriculum."
"I really loved it. I am glad I went to the interview and am very much interested in attending the school."
"It will be a good school in a good location. They have an attractive curriculum plan. They are so passionate for preparing a new class. However, PBL is not my favorite thing. They don't have any scholarship program yet."
"I had a pleasant interview. I don't think the all the negative opinions of this school are really justified. This might not be such a bad back-up school, but just not top-pick caliber."
"The weather is very nice. Bring a swimming suit! (Less than an hour from the water)."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 23 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 10 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 30 |
| Neutral | 7 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.78 | 37 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 5 |
| Out of state | 31 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 4 |
| 2-3 hours | 7 |
| 4-6 hours | 9 |
| 7+ hours | 15 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 24 |
| Automobile | 6 |
| Train or subway | 1 |
| Other | 4 |
This is during the pandemic so I was fortunate to be interviewed over zoom.
United
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Sarasota
N/A
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport
SRQ
Sarasota-bradenton
tampa---cheaper to fly into tampa and rent a car
Tampa International
Tampa
Tampa International Airport (TPA), but you can also go to SRQ.
TPA
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 0 |
| Friends or family | 3 |
| Hotel | 27 |
| Home | 3 |
| Other | 2 |
wingate
Wingate
Hampton Inn
Econo Lodge
Wingate
wyngate
Day's Inn
Days Inn Bradenton
Holiday Inn
Lakewood Ranch
America Value Inn (only ten mins away from school and good price)
Fairfield Inn
Yes
N/A
wingate
Wingate
Hampton Inn
Econo Lodge
Wingate
wyngate
Day's Inn
Days Inn Bradenton
Holiday Inn
Lakewood Ranch
America Value Inn (only ten mins away from school and good price)
Fairfield Inn
Yes
N/A
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 7 |
| $101-$200 | 1 |
| $201-$300 | 6 |
| $301-$400 | 8 |
| $401-$500 | 5 |
| $501+ | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.76 | 41 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.20 | 41 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.68 | 41 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.71 | 41 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.39 | 41 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.32 | 41 |
"i wish they could update applicants who have interviewed as to when they will be accepting more students"
"Please continue to conduct zoom interviews even after the pandemic, it is not only eco friendly, it also saves a lot more money."
"Ya'll need to do implement same day CAD-CAM crown milling. I saw that while I was shadowing and I want to do it in my future practice."
"Emphasize the experience the students gets more than the project based learning, although that is very important too."
"Communications prior to the interview were somewhat spotty. For instance I was told in my initial invitation to interview that I would receive another email ten days prior to confirm my appointment, but no such email was ever sent."
"They tend to process things in a weird way, do not try to rely on their portal because things are just messy there. They don't update aadsas. Wish there was clearer communication."
"None"
"Please let us walk around with water bottles. ( they have a very strict policy of no liquid outside cafeteria)"
"Have coffee ready for the interviewees. A lot of us have had an early morning getting to your school. The least you could do."
"Have coffee and/or tea for interviewees when they arrive."
"more careful with each application. mine got miscalculated and lost in their computer system. luckily, i called to check on it"
"nothing"
"Not much to complain about."
"The PBL interview style is ridiculous. PBL may end up being a reasonable education style, but it does not translate into an interview well. I have gone to 8 interviews, and have never felt as disingenuous as I did at this interview."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?