How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.77 | 13 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 12 |
| Negatively | 0 |
| No change | 1 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.54 | 13 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.89 | 9 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 8 |
No responses
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 1 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 0 |
| 25 minutes | 2 |
| 30 minutes | 1 |
| 35 minutes | 1 |
| 40 minutes | 0 |
| 45 minutes | 3 |
| 50 minutes | 1 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 4 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 13 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 8 |
| In a group | 5 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 3 |
| Closed file | 10 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.77 | 13 |
"Have you done any research?"
"For the group interview, the professor gave us a hypothetical situation involving a student who cheated on an exam. We had four questions which we analyzed (ethical and moral in nature). I think the whole point of this exercise was two fold. First, the professor probably wanted us to see if we had morals. Second, he wanted to see how we actually organized the group discussion. Did one person dominate the discussion? Did everyone get a chance to give their two cents? My advice would be to somewhat organize the discussion so that no one would be left out and everyone would have a chance to talk."
"Tells us about yourself? (It was really this general. The two professors sat opposite the table from me and they had my file but did not open it. They said they wanted to hear about me in my own words. So I started talking and they asked further probes based on what I has already said. I really guided where the interview went.)"
"Why do you want to study medicine here? and why Puerto Rico?"
"What did you get on your MCAT? "
"Why medicine?"
"On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you think you performed during the interview?"
"What are your strenths and weaknesses?"
"Why do you want to study medicine?"
"What is the future of the Reforma?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"What are your strengths? weaknesses?"
"After the group discussion the professor interviewed us each individually. My personal interview was literally five minutes. He asked me what my MCAT was? What I did for fun? Why Puerto Rico (I am from the mainland? Do you speak Spanish?"
"NA"
"What do you foresee being the long-term effects of immigration on healthcare in the United States?"
"Why do you want to study in Puerto Rico?"
"Why here?"
"Is there anything you would like to express to the admisisons committee concerning you application?"
"Where does your support come from? (family, friends, etc.)"
"What brings you to Puerto Rico?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What problems do you think doctors will face in the future?"
"Have you done volunteering?"
"Why Medicine? Classic."
"NA"
"What are the most important attributes for a physician to possess? "
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"How have you spent your year off?"
"Why medicine?"
"How will your spouse and daughter adjust to life in PR?"
"What are the biggest challenges to medicine in Puerto Rico? the mainland United States?"
"Why do you want to study medicine at our school?"
"What did you major in?"
"What I do for fun?"
"NA"
"How can the Reforma be improved?"
"What is something that you have had to overcome that may have affected your academic work?"
"We pretty much had a conversation. I don't know if any of the questions were out of the ordinary."
"On a scale of 1 to 10 how do you think you performed during the interview?"
"In a group, we were given an essay to read and answer questions individually and as a group. At the end of the interview, we were asked individually to rate our performance in the exercise."
"If you and another doctor were examining a patient who was having pain in his abdomen and the other doctor wanted to rush to surgery even though it was not urgent, what would you do?"
"Where do you see the future of the Reforma going?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Most were standard questions."
"Most of the questions were fairly standard. Why do you want to be a doctor? Why Puerto Rico? What type of doctor do you want to be? etc."
"How do you feel you did in the group portion of the interview? (asked in the individual portion)"
"Explain any discrepancies in your transcipt, i.e., grades, MCAT score, etc."
"The format at UCC is different from most schools. Interviewees meet at the admissions office (we were 7 in total). From there we went to the library with our two interviewers. In a small group study room we had to work together in a bioethics case study while they monitored our group skills. Later these same professors were the interviewers. "
"How can the Reforma be improved?"
"Nothing difficult at all. All questions were typical and straightforward."
"Nothing really. Everything was pretty straight forward."
"No difficult questions asked of me. However one person was asked why he had decided to pursue medicine in the group interview."
"Defend your application."
"What was the most stressful situation in your life and how did you deal with it?"
"None of the questions were really too difficult. Most, in fact, were very straightforward and typical."
"What is the future of the Reforma (Puerto Rican universal health plan)?"
"None of the questions were too difficult."
"Student Doctor Network interview feedback"
"Went over my resume. Read up on the school. Read SD forum and interview questions. Just get the basic questions down like why medicine, why puerto rico, stuff like that."
"I read about the school from SDN and UCC's website. I also practiced a mock-interview with my Spanish teacher since I am a native English speaker. "
"SDN Forums, reading PR newspapers (www.endi.com), reviewed my application. Read up on La Reforma de la Salud (PR Health Reform)"
"Read books about interviews and practiced answering questions"
"Read up on healthcare in PR and looked at the school's website."
"Went to their website and student doctor.net"
"This site, application, school website, online research"
"I stressed about it while strolling the streets of Old San Juan. "
"Read about and talked to people about the Health Reform in Puerto Rico."
"Checked with the SDN site. Read up on Puerto Rican healthcare - they have universal health care here (Reforma de la Salud). Looked over the school's website."
"Studied website and brochure. Also, reviewed a prep manual."
"Studied the website as well as the information the school sent me. Tried to anticipate probable interview questions."
"The comfortable and relaxed atmosphere"
"The five minute personal interview IN ENGLISH! Though the other students had another interviewer and he took fifteen minutes for each student. I got really lucky with my professor."
"The school is beautiful, great location in Bayamon, great resources available. Overall the school-complex was much larger than Ponce, but that was perhaps because it is associated with a hospital. "
"Friendliness. Everyone was so helpful and it is a very warm, close-knit community. It seemed like the professors were genuinely concerned for the students."
"Buildings seemed well-taken care of inside"
"Everyone that I met, students and faculty, were very helpful and supportive."
"Everyone was very friendly. The students appear to very close and laid back. Ay Papi, the women are RIDICULOUS."
"The students and faculty with whom I spoke were astute and very friendly"
"They were very focused on helping students succeed."
"My interviewer was a very nice, gentle, and comforting person who really made the interview just like a conversation. "
"Friendliness of the staff. The admissions committee seems to take a genuine interest in each candidate. School has just completed a successful LCME accreditation review."
"Friendliness of the staff, students and faculty. Really wanted to make sure that you were comfortable and that you had any and all questions about the school answered."
"Friendliness. Everyone was willing to be of assistance. Everyone you meet here is extremely polite."
"The attitude of the Americans applicants. The Puerto Ricans were very nice and welcoming."
"Nothing, it was nice."
"Bayamon is somewhat difficult to navigate. Avoid this problem by taking a cab."
"Lower board passing rates and funding"
"I saw Americans just hanging out with each other."
"Facilities look run down. The school needs to be painted and the student lounge needs to be bull dozed and rebuilt from the ground up."
"The facilities are run-down and appear neglected and in need of maintenance"
"Not very organized. There was no tour of the school or interaction with current students. "
"I was not given a tour/"
"Some of the buildings could be a little bit more modern, but all in all, it was a good experience."
"Nothing."
"Conditions of some of the buildings."
"The exact location of the school and the admissions office. If you are using the iPhone GPS, you should type in "Hospital Regional Bayamon" and that should help you greatly."
"That the tour was completely in spanish."
"It is tricky to find the school. Even once I got to the building I had to ask six people where the admissions office was. Get there early and find the right place. Then you can always go relax and eat a little breakfast at the small restaurant by the "umbrellas". You'll see the umbrellas and know what I'm talking about. "
"Much less pressure on the Spanish than I originally thought. My Spanish isn't that great, but that was OK. They will help you become bilingual during the course of your studies."
"That it is hard to find this university! I got lost, ended up at the wrong place...rent a car and go there the day before just to make sure you know where you are going. Puerto Ricans are not the best at giving directions, or maybe it was my Spanish?"
"The traffic is horrible, and no one in Puerto Rico has any clue about giving directions."
"Nothing."
"Take a taxi to the University. It's a huge hassle fighting traffic and finding the school."
"That Bayamon is a busy city. Give yourself ample time to arrive. "
"My recommendation is that if you come down here you take a little time to figure your way around Bayamon. It is not the easiest to get around. Definitely, ask the admissions office for a map prior to arrival. Also, you will need to stay at a hotel in San Juan. There are no hotels in the immediate Bayamon area. Old San Juan is nice, and you can find a good place to stay there, or you can stay in Condado or the airport area (Carolina, PR)"
"Nothing. Everything was very straightforward. Everything was explained. Directions to the school were given to me in advance. The admissions staff is really willing to help if you have any questions or concerns prior to arrival. They are especially sensitive to those who are traveling from the mainland to Puerto Rico."
"If you are not from Puerto Rico, you may be asked about La Reforma de la Salud (The Commonwealth Government's Health Plan)"
"Make sure you know exactly where to go on the day. It is very difficult to navigate"
"To all those who are weak in Spanish: Do not be afraid of applying here. I suck at Spanish, yet I was accepted to this medical school. Everyone in my group interview (6 students) was from Puerto Rico and spoke fluently. I felt really dumb answering in English while everyone else spoke Spanish. Just make it clear in your one on one interview that one of the main reasons you chose UCC was because you want to cater to Spanish speaking population in the U.S. Also tell them that you will work extremely hard to be fluent in Spanish by the fall. They love hearing stuff like that. Most important thing: Relax and breath. Oh and don't act too much like a gringo. Hasta la vista..."
"Overall, a very low-stress interview. Everyone was friendly and helpful and encouraging. Last year's class did really well in the Match and the school was very proud of that. I felt as though if I came here without being completely fluent in Spanish, that would not be an obstacle as exams and lecture notes are in English. Students here seemed very happy with the school."
"Good times"
"Got there an hour late, missed the group interview but they were very forgiving. Made it in time for the individual interviews and got a tour of the campus. The interviewers (two) were very very nice and the tour guide was reaally cool. Good experience minus the stressful beginning."
"Overall, it was great. It's like medical school in paradise. The weather was great, the beaches were beautiful, and the nightlife was outstanding. I need to say again how incredible the women are too. The interview was super chill and friendly. I met quite a few non-residents students who barely spoke spanish, which made me feel better. Spanish fluency is NOT required at UCC. All the books, handouts, notes, and exams are in english. Seems like if you like to work hard and play hard, UCC is a good choice. "
"The interview format is first group and then individual. The interviewer had four of us read a case written in English. We then had 20 minutes to discuss the case in Spanish and were given questions (in English) to help guide our discussion. Then each of us delivered a 3 minute synopsis of what the group had discussed with regard to the guide questions provided. After this first part, we were called in separately for the one on one, closed file personal interview, which lasted about half an hour. It mostly consisted of my questions about the school, curriculum, and research programs."
"Overall, it was a decent interview experience. It was my first, so that might've contributed to my stress level. It's a nice campus and everyone was very nice. "
"Wonderful. Had to write an essay based on an article. My article was in English and was based on ethics in regards to a study habits."
"I began the process as soon as I arrived. They are very efficient and there is no excessive waiting around like at other schools. The first thing you do is go to an office and read an article (in Spanish) from a Puerto Rican medical journal - Mine was an article about the elevated suicide rates among the elderly. You are given a piece of paper to comment on the article that you just read. You are given 30 minutes for this process. Next, I interviewed with a physician from the Family Medicine department. The interviewer was extremely nice and the whole experience was relatively stress free. The interview was the last part. The school left a very favorable impression on me. In the mainland US, not many people seemed to know about this school, but it is an LCME accredited medical school. Additionally, it is accredited by the Middle States colleges and universities accreditation board. All of the students seemed happy. It is a small school, but there are several students from the mainland US studying here. I was also happy to learn during the interview that most residencies are in the mainland US, because there are not enough residencies in PR for those that want to stay."
"Experience was very comfortable. I arrived and checked in at the school. I was then given 30 minutes to read an article from a medical journal and write an essay on it. Afterwards, the Dean of Admissions explained the whole admissions process to me and then I was given a tour of the school. I then interviewed for about 25 minutes and then the interview was over. "
"I was given 30 minutes to read an article from a medical journal and then write an essay about my thoughts on the article. After that I went for my interview. Everything was conducted in Spanish, including the essay assignment."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 2 |
| Faculty member | 1 |
| Admissions staff | 7 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 4 |
| Neutral | 4 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.75 | 8 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 0 |
| Out of state | 8 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 0 |
| 2-3 hours | 2 |
| 4-6 hours | 2 |
| 7+ hours | 4 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 5 |
| Automobile | 3 |
| Train or subway | 0 |
| Other | 0 |
Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan)
San Juan
SJU
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 0 |
| Friends or family | 1 |
| Hotel | 6 |
| Home | 0 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 0 |
| $101-$200 | 0 |
| $201-$300 | 2 |
| $301-$400 | 0 |
| $401-$500 | 1 |
| $501+ | 4 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.38 | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.38 | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.13 | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.00 | 3 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.00 | 3 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.67 | 3 |
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?