How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.00 | 31 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 24 |
| Negatively | 3 |
| No change | 7 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.91 | 35 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.70 | 30 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.25 | 28 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 0 |
| Virtual | 4 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 0 |
| 25 minutes | 1 |
| 30 minutes | 6 |
| 35 minutes | 0 |
| 40 minutes | 2 |
| 45 minutes | 10 |
| 50 minutes | 5 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 12 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 11 |
| At a regional location | 6 |
| At another location | 12 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 30 |
| In a group | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 31 |
| Closed file | 0 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.00 | 31 |
"What would you have done differently in your undergraduate career?"
"If you could describe yourself as any TV or movie character who would you choose and why?"
"How do you handle conflict?"
"Tell me about your mentored research experience."
"What types of books have you read recently?"
"Tell me about . . . pick a subject from the app."
"If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?"
"What were some of the labs you did in biochemistry at your school? (My interviewer was a biochemistry professor)"
"Why do you want to be a M.D.?"
"Can you explain your academic record? How do you feel about your MCAT score?"
"Who, in your view, has changed the 20th century the most?"
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"They didn't really ask questions. Rather, they brought up things from my application and we chatted. They were interested in learning things from me far from anything medical-related. It was fun just to chat."
"What kind of practice do you see yourself in 10 years from now?"
"Why do you want to be a physician? "
"Describe how you envision your medical practice 10 years from now."
"Why do you want to be a medical doctor and not a nurse?"
"What makes you a good candidate to serve in a underserved area of south dakota?"
"Define Health, explain your answer"
"What was your favorite course?"
"Tell me about yourself. Why Medicine?"
"What do you think makes a good physician? "
"Tell me about yourself."
"So, why medicine? What impression do you have of doctors? Tell me about your experiences with ________. "
"Tell me about yourself? "
"Describe ________. (read something off of my file)"
"Since you see yourself as a leader, what would you do if you were in a group and another member also wanted to be in the leader position?"
"How would you define your own successful career?"
"Give me an example of a time when you showed compassion."
"What is one thing I should remember about you?"
"Do you have any kids or a serious girlfriend?"
"Why would I go see you as a physician?"
"How will your major help you in medicine? (I was a political science major)."
"So you know there is a health crisis in America, do you have any great ideas about how was can fix it?"
"What is your take on McCain and Obama's Healthcare views?"
"What are your exposures to medicine?"
"Do you typically feel happy and sad, or are your emotions more level without feeling happy or sad as often?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"What qualities do you have that would make me want you as my doctor?"
"Why be a phsician instead of a nurse? "
"What sets you apart from the other applicants?"
"What qualities do you have that will make you a good doctor?"
"Describe your shadowing of a doctor."
"Name two heroes and why they are your heroes."
"How do you see yourself fitting into the school's mission statement?"
"What did you do in high school, college? What do you do for fun? How do you handle stress?"
"Explain your grades and scores."
"How did __________ affect your decision to become a physician?"
"What can you tell me about yourself that's not already in your application? How did you study for the MCATs? Why do you think ________ was your lowest scoring part on the MCATs? "
"Why do you want to be a doctor?"
"How did you prepare for the MCATS?"
"What can you tell me about the microbiology of anthrax?"
"How did you study for the MCAT?"
"How have you advocated for diversity/inclusion?"
"One word to describe yourself?"
"How did you improve your MCAT score so dramatically?"
"What questions were you asked at your last interview?"
"Where do you see yourself in 15 years? What do you consider a small town? So, which age group of people would you like to work with...kids, the elderly?"
"Have you ever considered primary care?"
"Could you talk about your interests and history?"
"Why do you want to do an MD/PhD and tell us about your research."
"Have you picked a specialty?"
"Do you think it is a woman's job to stay at home and raise the kids?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years? "
"Tell me about your research."
"What do you like to do in your free time? Do you like to read?.....What is the last book you read for fun and not for school?"
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
"Have you ever read [off the wall book]? "
"What is one unique thing that will be an assest to the medical school? One weakness you wil need to overcome?"
"What is the most recent book you read?"
"What do you do in your free time, or how do you deal with stress?"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What type of practice do you envision yourself having? "
"Would you be a good candidate to work in an underserved community? Give me your sales pitch as to why you should get into medical school? Read any good books lately? "
"Where do you see youself in 10 years? (They REALLY want family practice/rural so be ready to answer this question especially if that isn't what you want to do)"
"What is your weakest characteristic and how do you plan to overcome it?"
"Tell me about your graduate research."
"What is one thing you are hoping I won't ask you?"
"My interview gave me a situation and asked what I would do"
"What was your favorite Star Wars episode?"
"In your opinion, what qualities make a good physician?"
"What kind of animal would you be and why?"
"Tell me about your husband and how he feels about all of this. Is he willing to move with you? Where do you get spontaneously hypertensive rats? (referring to my research) "
"What is your solution to the Healthcare crisis in America?"
"Why did you major in Philosophy?"
"Who, in your view, has changed the 20th century the most?"
"What was the only class you got a ''B'' in and why?"
"None really caught me off guard"
"None really...everything was pretty standard. They asked a lot about my upbringing and where I was from. "
"If you could be remembered by your children for something, what would it be?"
"Simply a test disregard"
"Do you think doctors of today will be able to practice medicine in 10 years?"
"How can the committee trust that you will move to an underserved area?"
"Who are two of your heroes and why are they your heroes?"
"Have you ever read "Of Guns, Germs, and Steel?""
"Just general questions"
"They were all questions about either my job history or school track record."
"Nothing really interesting, just standard questions."
"What impression do you have of doctors after having worked with several of them at the hospital?"
"What is wrong with being a nurse?"
"What three words would your friends use to describe you? "
"What is going on in Afghanistan right now?"
"Why is diversity important in medicine?"
"Why do you see yourself in South Dakota?"
"There was nothing too difficult. Very straight forward"
"How will your major help you in medicine?"
"None were really too horrible. The interview was mostly just conversational and the interviewers were very very friendly. Although I was prepared for the healthcare crisis question that I mentioned before, I still wasn't exactly sure to say because I knew the physician I was talking to know a lot more about it than me!"
"What is your solution to the Healthcare crisis in America?"
"What was your involvement with the "Nonviolent Alternatives" student group? (The group is an anti-war group that identifies with oppressed peoples. The interviewer who asked works at the VA. Yipes!)"
"Who, in your view, has changed the 20th century the most?"
"How did you get such a low score in the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT yet still get A's in all the English and writing classes you took?"
"Why didn't you get an A in Organic Chemistry? How do you feel about your MCAT scores?"
"What qualities do you have that would make me want you as my doctor?"
""why do you want to be a physician?" Not the hardest question, but to EVERYTHING I said one interviewer said "doesn't a nurse do that, doesn't a nurse do that?" It's like I couldn't win. "
"In the past century who do you feel is the most influential person and defend your claim."
"Who is the most influential person in the past century?"
"Name your hero"
"How do you see the role of insurance companies affecting health care in the future?"
"What would make you a unique part of the medical school?"
"My interviewers didnt ask any tricky or ethical questions, just wanted to get to know me, they asked me about my life experiences and how they reinforced my goal to become a physician, and that was about it."
"What can you tell me about yourself that is not already in your application?"
"I was drilled by one interviewer about why I want to be a doctor and why I would be interested in working in an underserved community. That is all we talked about."
"Describe your drive for applying to medical school"
"Explain the microbiology of anthrax"
"Mock interview"
"Mock interview and research"
"University Pre-med resources, online readings."
"Studied SDN material, my resume, and internet sources."
"I didn't"
"SDN, friends at the school, looked over the school website, reviewed my AMCAS."
"SDN, practice interview questions, reviewed my applications, researched my interviewers, reviewed my research, looked at personal statements, prepared to defend any part of my application or to explain activities and such, school website and mission, current medical issues, the US healthcare system, political views on healthcare"
"Mock interviews, SDN, reviewed USD website & info, MSAR, spoke with friend inschool there. "
"Mock interview, read SD.net feedback, re-read my applications, read generic interview questions, wrote-down my own list of questions, bought a new suit from Macy's."
"Mock interviews, MSAR, Interview Feedback."
"Read over the most commonly asked interview questions and thought about them. Did a mock interview with faculty. That helped a lot."
"read my application, reminded myself why I love South Dakota"
"Reviewed my AMCAS, secondary essays, school's mission statement, and had practice interviews from a doctor I know."
"Looked at this website, talked to my classmates who had already been on interviews. "
"SDN (not much help there). Researched my interviewers since they tell you well ahead of time who they will be. Contacted students who are friends of mine that attend USDSM."
"SDN, reviewed my application, personal statement and secondary, thought of answers for commonly asked questions, searched internet for commonly asked questions"
"reading this site and looking over my file."
"I researched the two interviewers, read their research articles, etc."
"Website, SDN"
"SDN, looked over school's website"
"Read over my file, SDN."
"this website, kept up on current events, studied my applications, USDMS website"
"This website, practice interviews, looked over website, researched my interviewers. I also went to the hospital the evening before the interview and found where I needed to be the next morning. "
"Re-read my application materials, looked online at several possible interview questions and thought about what answers I'd give, made sure I was up-to-date on current events, etc."
"Reading over my application and checking out this website and the Kaplan book."
"Read everything I could find about the school, read newspapers, etc. "
"I read information on current medical topics such as biological warfare agents, mangaged care, cloning, etc. I also went over my AMCAS application."
"Current students were enthusiastic about the program and they showed a clear bond between one another."
"Interviewers were very nice and personable! They made me feel welcome!"
"How relaxed my interviewers were"
"Friendly admissions office."
"The new building."
"The interviewers led relaxed conversations in which I did not feel overwhelmed."
"The school is really great. New and updated."
"Nice new medical building. Incredibly friendly staff. Friendly students and small class size."
"The school...every aspect! The new building is amazing. The admissions office staff were incredibly helpful throughout the whole process and are definitely there for the students. The curriculum and opportunities are just want I am looking for. The location is perfect for my situation!"
"Great new building, very nice staff."
"Everyone, including the interviewers, were very, very supportive and friendly. The new building will be gorgeous, and I've heard only positive things about the curriculum. Patient contact in the first year."
"The new Medical Complex (it's quite nice), and the friendliness of administration."
"How the new building was coming along, and how nice the faculty were."
"The new medical school building is really nice. My interviewers were great and answered a lot of my questions. They were genuinely interested in getting to know me and were very kind. They had a lot of good things to say about their program and their students."
"The doctors who interviewed me were open, really nice and not out to get you. I was impressed to learn that the stats of entering studends are in the lower 25%, at the 50% for the USMLE 1, and at the 75% for the USMLE 2! Something is being done right here."
"The people seemed really nice. "
"Small class size. Female student that I ran into took the time to talk to me and made a good impression. Admissions staff was awesome. I love rural South Dakota... kind of gives you that frontier kind of feeling. The brand new facilities that are under construction are a big plus. "
"Interviews were very relaxed and friendly. They were more like conversations than interviews."
"smaller class size"
"Both interviewers were open to my questions to them."
"How the students were treated as a group of individuals with the same goal."
"The first interviewer was very friendly and told me that even though the school looks for people to go into family practice in rural south dakota, they don't take you out back and shoot you if you choose to do something else"
"The 1st interviewer - was down-to-earth, very friendly, really supported the school/"talked it up", very helpful and positive - interview lasted at least an hour."
"I found out that the school accepts people with an MCAT average below the national average, but those students score above the national average on the board exams. The school is also remodeling."
"The relaxed nature of both of my interviews. It was very conversational and none of the questions were particularly difficult. Both interviewers were eager to answer any questions I had. "
"The second interviewer was very easy going and it was very pleasant to interview with him."
"The staff is very friendly and upbeat about the school's program. This is the sort of school where you need to be self-driven to achieve. "
"The kindness of the staff and the promptness of the interviewers"
"One of the interviewers seemed uninterested, short, and did not understand a question I asked at the end."
"One of my interviewers was foreign, non-physician faculty and could hardly understand his English. And he didn't try very hard to help me understand. And I don't think he was processing what I was trying to say very well himself."
"I had to skip lunch to make it to my second interview on time."
"The first interviewer was late."
"Vermillion"
"Vermillion. I just don't know if I can do such a small town. The facilities are nice but not the absolute best I have seen. "
"Absolutely nothing!"
"...nothing..."
"Very homologous student body in a small college town. The building is still getting finished."
"The location of Vermillion and the interviews being at two locations."
"I would have liked to talk to students and get more of a tour of campus. The admissions office could definately improve their interview days by planning the day for the interveiwie (sp?) and selling their program more. Instead the day only consisted of 2 personal interviews and a brief tour of the med school building."
"Since the school is under construction, I was not able to tour the facilities. I have heard really good things about the new facilities from people I know that work for the school."
"The facilities are really weak. One other thing that did NOT impres me was the second interview. I interviewed with an allergy doctor in the city of Sioux Falls. He asked me what my future plans were, I said I didn't know. He then pretty much attacked me for nto wanting to live in rural podunk SD for the rest of my life. Hello, where are you? Why aren't you out on the prairie if its so great? "
"I try not to dwell on the negative, but I guess to some, the rural setting would not be desirable. But like the plains and it couldn't be a better location. Rural-yes, but state funding makes it nice."
"getting a parking ticket in the visitors parking lot."
"It was offsite, so no tour of school"
"The size of the medical school."
"My letter of confirmation told me the wrong place to go for my first interview. They had me scheduled for an interview with one person while the letter said someone else."
"One of my interviewers asking me about my political views. Also, the first thing he said was he never read my file."
"The 2nd interviewer - was late, didn't spend much time with you and didn't care to get to know you - interview lasted 20 min max."
"The school is remodeling, and it won't be done by the time I arrive...if I am accepted, of course."
"Construction of the new med school will begin this coming summer--classes may be moved and they might be short on space. "
"The first interviewer would not accept any of my answers. "
"The ENTIRE medical school is one building. They are building a new building but after seeing some other campuses I was really disappointed"
"I did not get to see the school -- they do interviews three different cities, and both of mine were not even close to the medical school."
"Have an answer when asked about diversity in general."
"I was the only student to interview on that particular day."
"That I would receive a tour of the school with another applicant."
"N/A"
"That I would not be fed lunch. "
"Nothing really...after the interview, I realized that I was probably overprepared, but I don't regret that at all. The interview was not an intimidating question/answer session...it was comfortable and conversational. One interviewer asked about my MCAT score, but mostly just about how I studied and that sort of thing. So, I guess I wish I would've known how relaxed the interview would be. "
"That they actually don't care much who I am. It's mostly about the numbers (GPA, MCAT) and if you don't measure up you don't stand a chance. "
"That the interviews would be so laid-back. I was way too worked-up over the combative horror stories listed elsewhere, and I should have been working on better jokes. "
"How to find the Sanford campus and building."
"That I wouldn't get to meet with students. I was really disappointed."
"Nothing"
"I had known that USD really wants kids to stay in state, do family practice and live in small towns...but I had no idea to what extent. My advice is to lie through your teeth because if you don't want to do that your file will basically be put at the bottom. "
"I was pretty well prepared, but I wished i would have researched my interviewers' backgrounds better before I got there."
"I should have brought a water bottle. All that talking left me with a dry throat."
"That it was going to be so cold out."
"Scores are very important their average is 9's so they want you to have no less than a point or two below their average. They want somebody that has a broad range of study and volunteers a lot of their time so put everything you volunteer for on your application."
"You likely will have to travel to 2 seperate towns for your interviews, Sioux Falls and Vermillion. They are about an hour away from one another, but they allow plenty of time for travel."
"I wish I would have known how easy going the interviews would be. There were no questions on controversial topics. "
"The interviews are really conversational and not heavily directed toward medicine. They just want to learn about you. Oh, based on how many people applied this year, more than 1/3 of the applicants will get in!!!! "
"They give priority to South Dakota residents -- I assumed this was true, but as I understand they do not even allot a certain percentage of their class to out of state students. Also, they are looking for students who are interested in primary care in the rural areas of the state."
"Three thirty minute interviews: two with faculty (open file) one with a current student (closed file). Over Zoom."
"Great school. Great faculty. Terrible location but it's only 2 years in Vermillion."
"It seems like a really great school and everything. Time will tell."
"Do not get too worked up! The interviewers were very kind and just want to get to know you and your plans! My second interview was different than I expected...it was with a physician, and she pretty much talked the whole time...about her job, life, the healthcare system, stories...it was incredibly interesting. She only asked me a few questions, which I thought was odd, but i just listened and added my input when necessary."
"Would love to got to the school. Not sure it that is possible after a few comments from an interviewer. "
"If you look beyond spending two years in a wheat field and two years in suburbia, this is going to be a great school. It has a small class size with accessible lecturer and promises a solid background for any specialty. "
"I interviewed MD/PhD. The first interviews were on the Sanford Campus at Sioux Falls. These consisted of a panel interview with three interviewers that lasted about an hour. Following this, I met with the Dean of the Medical School. Then at the Vermillion campus, there was a financial aid presentation, lunch, and then a tour. Following this there was a panel interview with six interviewers which lasted about an hour. I interviewed at USD almost last during my interview trails. I interviewed at a lot of top programs, Georgetown being one of them, and out of all my interviews, USD's was the hardest because of the varied questions I was asked. I did get accepted into the program."
"Being from South Dakota, and knowing that this is one of my top choices due to cost and location, I really wanted to nail this interview. I felt I had a really positive experience although I did not learn a lot about the medical school because I know a lot about it due to the fact I have spent my undergrad years here."
"My interviewers were great--really kind and interested in getting to know me as a person. People seem to know each other well and have a good medical community. I wish I got to know the school a bit better, but luckily had friends from home who showed me around town."
"The interviews were pretty laid back and not stressful. Most of the time was just spent chatting. They went through my file and asked a few of the typical 'why do you want to be a doctor' questions, but did not grill me on any ethical issues or whether or not I wanted to practice rural medicine."
"There were 2 interviews - one at the actual school with a researcher and one in Sioux Falls with a physician. The first interview was unbelievably laid back...we barely even discussed my file at all so I'm sure it was hard for him to defend me on my credentials. I discussed the second interview above a little bit...he played devils advocate. Everything I said he contradicted to the point that it was ridiculous and we were getting no where. He was a fairly nice guy and he said he was doing that on purpose, but if you have an allergen specialist in SF as your interviewer be prepared for that. Lie Lie Lie! You DO want to live on the reservation and work in family practice! If you do not have any ties to keep you in a small SD farm, be ready to strongly defend your reasoning for wanting to practice in one. "
"Much like the others have reported. Two interviews held in different places. One in V-town and one in SF. First interview was with a Vascular Surgeon. Very nice man, wasn't affraid to be real with me - he didn't emphasize the much-talked-about state mandated rural primary care. He just kind of rolled over it for formality sake. Im not suprised since his specialty is as far from primary care as it gets. He represented the school very well. Interview wasn't easy, but it was definately fair to me."
"Very laid back and friendly. Maps to get to the locations were excellent and made finding the places easy. Overall, was relaxed and more like casual conversation with the occasional interview question interjected into the conversation."
"As others have stated, the interview was split into two separate locations with plenty of time to travel. The first interview was pretty easy going but the second was more intense. The interviewer really wanted me to sell myself to him so that he could defend me to the committee. He seemed very interested in my grades and MCAT scores. There was not as much emphsis on lifetime experience or past degrees."
"Two interviews, 1 PhD, 1 MD. Both friendly and interested in my background and committment to rural medicine. Both very open to me asking them about the program and the school."
"The two different interviewers were completely different. The first was really friendly and seemed like he really wanted to get to know me. The second one did not show much enthusiam and seemed as if i was inconviencing him by being there. "
"The school is very old. They should have the new medical school building built by the time I would have graduated. If you can wait a couple of years, it will probably be a very nice place to go to school."
"They really want and need people to go to rural SD and practice - they know that everyone that applies "says" they will go into family practice and then go to rural/underserved SD and practice but they don't. I know for a fact they don't because I live in the northwest/central region and work and none of our providers have graduated from USD. So the Dean is really cautious of this. I wasn't shown around - which there isn't much to see in Vermillion anyways. The 1st interviewer was great, he really bragged up their school, the different locations, which location would fit you the best, etc. He was really positive. The 2nd interviewer wasn't so great didn't talk much of the school or the other locations - he was short and to the point and didn't do much for the outlook of the school. The interviews were given in Vermillion and in Sioux Falls, they give you lots of time to get from one place to the other. "
"Interviews were very relaxed,...the school stresses primary care for all of South Dakota, especially rural areas, so keep that in mind."
"Both of my interviews were relaxed in nature. They started out by asking where I was from/how I grew up and then went into questions on why I was interested in medicine. Both interviewers asked about what questions they could answer. During my first interview, we spent the last 5 or 10 minutes chit-chatting about places we'd traveled, etc. Very conversational and comfortable. "
"It all depends on who interviews you. I had one doctor who drilled me and another who just had a normal conversation with me."
"Overall, I had a good experience at this interview. The atmosphere was totally relaxed. Most of my questions were about my weaknesses, low scores, or low grades that they saw."
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 13 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 5 |
| Other | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 13 |
| Neutral | 6 |
| Discouraging | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.12 | 26 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 14 |
| Out of state | 10 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 7 |
| 2-3 hours | 5 |
| 4-6 hours | 5 |
| 7+ hours | 4 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 6 |
| Automobile | 13 |
| Train or subway | 4 |
| Other | 1 |
Sioux Falls Regional
Omaha
OMA
FSD
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 0 |
| Friends or family | 9 |
| Hotel | 1 |
| Home | 2 |
| Other | 0 |
No responses
No responses
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 11 |
| $101-$200 | 0 |
| $201-$300 | 0 |
| $301-$400 | 4 |
| $401-$500 | 2 |
| $501+ | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.25 | 28 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 4.19 | 27 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.63 | 27 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.00 | 16 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.75 | 16 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.63 | 16 |
"The financial aid portion of the presentation should be kept for matriculants. I feel it was unnecessary for interviewees. Beginning the interviews earlier in the day would have been nice, as it was a very long day."
"Because this school places so much weight on the interview and the advocacy of the interviewer for the applicant when admission decisions are made, I would suggest competent English language speakers."
"The Admission Office was amazing!! They were so helpful and incredibly accomadating. I was so impr"
"None."
"The Admissions Office was impressively responsive and accommodating."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?