How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.41 | 69 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 56 |
| Negatively | 6 |
| No change | 8 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.63 | 70 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.22 | 58 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.33 | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 5 |
| Virtual | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0 |
| 10 minutes | 0 |
| 15 minutes | 0 |
| 20 minutes | 1 |
| 25 minutes | 8 |
| 30 minutes | 35 |
| 35 minutes | 3 |
| 40 minutes | 4 |
| 45 minutes | 2 |
| 50 minutes | 1 |
| 55 minutes | 0 |
| 60+ minutes | 17 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 67 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 69 |
| In a group | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 22 |
| Closed file | 44 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 2.41 | 69 |
"Why this school"
"Tell me one of your challenges."
"They only see your essays so they asked specific questions from there."
"How do you manage stress?"
"How will you add to the class culture?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"If you like helping people, why not just be a social worker?"
"How do you handle stress?"
"How do you relieve stress?"
"What do you do to relieve stress?"
"The interview was mostly a conversation about my personal statement. They asked about specific events from my personal statement and asked me to elaborate."
"What is your weak point?"
"Why San Antonio?"
"Student: Do you have plans to specialize?"
"Why dentistry other than medical or pharmacy school?"
"You said this in your personal statement, explain."
"The interviewer was rude!"
"What do you know about UTHSCSA?"
"What I have been doing after I submitted my application?"
"Why did you choose to get a ___ degree?"
"Why should we pick you?"
"why dentistry "
"Honestly, I had one student interviewer and one faculty interviewer, and neither really asked me questions. The student interviewer was really chill and cool and pretty much just asked me to ask him questions. The faculty interviewer was extremely nice and talked about research the whole time (he was a PhD on faculty, with no dental degree). They match you up with a faculty interviewer based on compatibility, and we did have a lot in common."
"What questions do you have for me?"
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (student interview)"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Why SA?"
"Why dentistry?"
"What kind of research have you done."
"I really wasnt asked alot of questions, my interviewer basically asked me to clarify/elaborate on things that I had written in my personal statement. My advice would be to know your application very well. Some of the interviewers I heard were very picky and wanted alot of detail. "
"Tell me about your research."
"no general questions. the student asked me about my profession."
"Are you applying to med school?"
"Why do you want to come to UT San Antonio?"
"I dont remember them anymore but none of them had anything to do with ME!"
"Why do you want to become a dentist"
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"Considering you background is not in biology, how are you preparing for dental school?"
"What are your motivations for a dental career?"
"Like I said, it was mostly conversational... none of my interviewers even asked why I wanted to be a dentist. We mostly just talked about my personal statement. It was actually kinda fun."
"why do u want to be a dentist?"
"what do you want out of life? and how do you get that?(asked by faculty interviewer)"
"Why do you want to become a dentist?"
"why dentistry"
"Tell me about your hometown and why you chose to go to X University."
"Tell me about yourself."
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Tell me what you did for your extracurricular activities. Can you go into detail about such and such event? "
"Scenario based ethics questions"
"How do you handle stress?"
"What questions do you think we (the interviewer) would ask?"
"Tell me about a time when you were thrown off."
"How do you handle conflict with others?"
"3 situational questions (disgruntled patient, cheating, etc)"
"Current issues facing dentistry / access to care?"
"Why do you want to be a dentist?"
"How do you organize your schedule?"
"Strengths/Weakness"
"Is there anything you would like to tell me that is on your application?"
"What is one thing that surprised you when you were shadowing?"
"How do you handle conflict?"
"Mostly get to know who is interviewing you. The students will have lunch with you so find your interviewer during lunch and get to know what type of person the interviewer, that way the interview will be a breeze."
"Describe one of your strengths?"
"Student: What is your greatest weakness?"
"How will you handle the high volume of study materials and stress in dental school?"
"What is your biggest strength?"
"Nothing about dentistry just general questions."
"Tell me something that didn't quite jump out of your application."
"What are some extracurriculars you've done?"
"How did you prepare for the interview?"
"Can you explain the leadership positions you listed?"
"Tell me about your academic background and explain the gaps in your education."
"How do you handle constructive criticism?"
"Why San Antonio?"
"my strengths"
"What is your best trait?"
"What area of dentistry do you want to specialize in? (student interview)"
"What differences do you find in dental practice in your home country and here?"
"What shadowing experience do you have?"
"What will you be doing in 5 or 10 years?"
"Tell me about your experience at the University of ........."
"You have to do alot of the talking, asking questions. "
"How's your volunteering going?"
"What drew you to dentistry?"
"What procedures have you observed?"
"What is your impression of the general San Antonio area?"
"So you just woke up one morning and decided you wanted to be a dentist?"
"What did you learn today about dentistry and UT San Antionio during the day?"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Why do you think you would be a good dentist? (He was very critical about this question)"
"a lot of people are used to being the top of their class, and come here and are just an average C student. How would you feel in that situation?"
"Where do you see yourself ten years from now?"
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"what do u do in your spare time?"
"What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?"
"how did you get interested into dentistry?(by student interviewer)"
"Do you have any questions about the school?"
"experience in dentistry"
"What skills do you think a dentist should have?"
"Tell me about your science classes."
"Why dentistry?"
"Talk about your community service experiences?"
"What did you learn from shadowing?"
"What makes a good dental student?"
"Where do you see dentistry in 10 years?"
"Strengths?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"How do you handle conflict?"
"GAP Year: What are you doing right now?"
"Tell me about your volunteer experiences."
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"What kind of books do you read?"
"How do you relieve stress?"
"Faculty: Why UTHSCSA?"
"What would you want to do with a DDS licencese?"
"What do you know about current events in dentistry?"
"Describe the perfect class for you."
"I have extensive experience as a dental assistant (~5 yrs). So the faculty interviewer asked some clinical questions to verify my experience. She asked me what were the steps in a crown prep, how do you make a temp crown, what specific material is used to make the temp crown."
"**What questions do you have for me?**"
"Tell me about your work experience and why have you worked for so many dentists?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"Fool, what set you from? ''West-siide!'' Psyke."
"I see here you made alot of study groups, tell me more about this. (faculty interview)"
"Why UT?"
"What do you bring to the field of dentistry?"
"Why San Antonio?"
"So I guess this is where you ask me about me. So what do you want to know about me?"
"What kinds of questions do you have for me? (I then asked questions for 30 mins.)"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Do you have any questions? (They really wanted us to ask the questions)"
"Why dentistry?"
"Do you think you're prepared for dental school?"
"Have you ever considered research? (My facutly interviewer was very much involved in research)"
"I see you applied to few schools around the nations, why did you pick these specific schools?"
"Do you have any guestions?"
"what kinds of extra-curricular and volunteer activities have u been a part of?"
"What did you observe while shadowing with a dentist?"
"Why did you choose X major and how is that relevant to dentistry?"
"Tell me about your shadowing experiences."
"Do you have any questions for me? (These were the only questions they asked, they expected me to do the interviewing!)"
"Do you have any questions to ask?"
"What is your least favorite about this field?"
"What would you do if your patient asked for a specific opioid?"
"Questions pertaining to my personal statement and my interests."
"Situational questions"
"Asked one question about one of my essays"
"What are the qualities necessary to be a good dentist?"
"Qualities of a good dentist"
"You mentioned "this" on your application, tell me more about it."
"A personal statement question."
"Tell me more about your minor in religion and why you chose to do that."
"Do you have any questions for me?"
"Tell me how (personal statement topic) has affected your life and how you overcame that challenge."
"Student: Tell me about yourself"
"How will you handle the high volume of study materials and stress in dental school?"
"Something about the health reform and how it affects dentists."
"What is the most significant thing that has impacted your life?"
"If you could go back in time, what would you change about your path?"
"Our conversation about how he came to be a professor at the school."
"honestly nothing, just go over your application, show a passion for dentistry, smile, and be confident"
"None"
"Everything was basically conversational."
"What do you do that makes you confident that you possess the manual dexterity to succeed in this profession? (student interview)"
"Why would you want to do a Pg since it will take you even mor time to get out of D school and start working? ( I am an international dentist and was interviewed for IDEP)"
"what do you bring to the incoming class?"
"What specifically will you bring to the incoming class?"
"What factors influenced my decision to go to my undergrad school??? It is only interesting because it is such a stupid question. They might as well asked if I believe in Santa Claus. "
"Nothing out of the ordinary. The interviewer did not have my file in front of them but did have a paper where they had reviewed my file and wrote questions to ask me. "
"Basically, the interviewer made me feel very comfortable and let me just open up and talk. It wasnt a barrage of questions and answers, but was more like a conversation. The most interesting topic was about the suposedly high suicide rate of dentists."
"Do you think federally funded national healthcare for everyone is a good idea? Why or why not? How will this affect dentists?"
"So why did you do the pharmacy technician certification?"
"the essay at the end was : What is your greatest acheivement??"
"Tell me about yourself"
"Have you every considered teaching?"
"Really, it was the fact that I wasn't really asked any questions."
"What is it about dentistry that interests you?"
"Since your parents wanted you to go to medical school, do you have a rebellious cause for going to dental school?"
"Why do you think you would be a good dentist?"
"Considering you background is not in biology, how are you preparing for dental school? are you ready to accept criticism for what you think is good work?"
"I was asked about the jobs I had previous to college."
"What input/impressions I had of the laptop component of their curriculum. "
"Questions regarding work history"
"They didn't really ask questions, we just kinda talked. I loved it. "
"what is your favorite movie?"
"If you never got into dental school what would you do?"
"Why do you think wars occur in this world?"
"If I had any questions about the school"
"what made you decide to apply to the schools you did?"
"What skills do you believe a dentist should have?"
"What upper-division biology classes did you take? "
"Tell me about yourself? Why dentistry?They didn't really ask me many questions. I mainly asked the question for the 30 mins."
"What was your high school class rank?"
"A lot of times, students who did not major in a science take only the bare minimum of classes in order to apply to dental school. What challenging classes have you taken that you think will prepare you for dental school? "
"Nothing. They were pretty standard questions"
"What will you do if you see your classmate always come in drunk and messy?"
"if you had a classmate that was showing up to lecture drunk/hungover what would you do?"
"Ethical question involving cheating/plagiarism."
"Is there anything else you would like to add to your application?"
"Access to care - what about people in rural areas?"
"If you like helping people, why not just be a social worker?"
"none difficult, all pretty standard"
"What are your opinions about the Affordable Health Care Act's impact on dental care?"
"How do you feel about access to care issues and midlevel providers?"
"nothing really, extremely more laid back than I was anticipating, and both of my interviewers were very friendly and seemed to really enjoy getting to know me."
"Do you have any questions for me? Make sure you are well rounded on recent events and dentistry in general. The professor/dean interviewer will ask if you have any questions, that is when you need to be prepared to ask some smart questions."
"Name a strength of yours. (I had only prepared answers for my weaknesses.)"
"Student: What qualities do you have that can contribute to UTHSCSA?"
"Why you over all the other applicants?"
"What is a good (and then bad in the next question) day for the dentist you shadowed? What has that taught you?"
"What exactly is the material used to make a temp?"
"About Healthcare Legislation"
"Nothing really, it was mostly just conversation and me asking questions."
"There was nothing really difficult. Just trying to get to know me better and double check minor concerns on my application."
"nothing"
"None"
"so are u a people person? how do i know?"
"Do you have any questions for me? 10 minutes into the interview."
"Do you think you have what it takes to succeed in your dental education? (student interview)"
"What do you bring to the incoming class?"
"same"
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
"The last question of the day was a written essay they put in your file. It asked "What factors influenced my decision to go to my undergrad school?". I wanted to write because I had a friend at the school already and he said it was a cool school. That really was the only factor involved in my decision, but instead I wrote a half page of B.S. that I feel wasn't very well written. I'm not to excited about that going in my file. Thanks SA!"
"What ethical problem have you ran into and how was it handeled."
"Same as the most interesting one."
""I'd like to spend this interview answering your questions...""
"Why dentistry?"
"What obligations do a dentist have?"
"So you just woke up one morning and decided you wanted to be a dentist?"
"Tell me what impressed you and why you would prefer to go to UT San Antonio in comparison to other schools."
"Something about why people in third world countries did not ever improve even when we try to help them --- he asked a bunch of weird questions --- all of the answers were supposed to point towards education -- I didn't catch on to his point until afterward and I got to tell him nothing about myself"
"Considering your lack of experience in the dental setting, how are you qualified for dental school?"
"Why would you think you would be a good dentist?"
"a lot of people are used to being the top of their class, and come here and are just an average C student. How would you feel in that situation?"
"Why is dentisty my choice over medicine (I just wasn't prepared to give an answer)."
"What is a Plan II major?"
"Nothing was difficult, everything was expected"
"n/a"
"nothing really"
"How do you think diabetes affects oral health?"
"the q above"
"If i had any questions about the school"
"same as above"
"None were too difficult"
"What did you learn in your upper-division biology classes, including genetics?"
"If you get rejected, what would you do?"
"Tell me about yourself?"
"The above question because I didn't understand what he was trying to ask me at first."
"Talked to students"
"SDN, YouTube videos, mock interviews with friends and pre health advisor"
"Go through practice interview questions."
"SDN, practice with friends and family, practice coming up with answers on the spot"
"SDN, mock interview workshops and personalized mock interviews with mentors"
"SDN, mock interview practice"
"SDN, researched the school program, reached out to current / past SA dental school students"
"Review a questions bank along with reading my application essays"
"SDN, Mock interviews, Previous interviews"
"SDN interview feedback"
"SDN, mock interview, practiced possible questions. REREAD personal statement"
"SDN, have general idea of answers to common questinos, mock interview at my school, mock interview with friend and sister"
"I copied all of the SDN questions and practiced answering them. Then I researched the common dental issues, such as amalgam restorations, public health dentistry, obama care affects on dentistry, and fluoride."
""Interviewed" two friends. One is a DS1, the other just graduated in May. Reviewed the school website for talking points. Took notes on school-specific strengths/attributes and had them ready to reference during the faculty interview. Researched my faculty interviewer on my phone =)."
"SDN and current student feedback"
"Read my application over and over again. Little webstie research about the school, particularly for the academic curriculum."
"Read over application, used SDN feedback, lots of internet research on current events."
"Mock interviews, looked at a few questions beforehand"
"SDN , talked to dentists, dental students, and hygienists, practice out loud with my girlfriend, practiced in front of a mirror."
"mocked with 3-4 different people"
"SDN, reading my app/essays, practicing common questions"
"Interview Feedback, talk with dentists who went there to find out their likes and dislikes about the school, go over application"
"SDN, read over application, interview feedback"
"sdn forums, predents.com, this page, went over possible questions, went over my application"
"SDN interview feedback, surfed UTHSCSA's website, and went over possible questions with family."
"Interviewed at other schools, plus did some homework."
"AADSAS application, UTHSCSA website, and SDN interview feedback."
"Went thru their site, made a note of things I should be able to use. made possible answers to most qns listed on SDN..and prayed well :)"
"sdn, read over file, school's website"
"SDN, practice with friends and family"
"SDN, read the UTHSCSA website, some basic question and answer with friends, read my apps before and reviewed some random interview books. "
"SDN, mock interview, school website"
"SDN, mental preparation."
"School website, reviewed my application/personal statement."
"SDN, Reading my application over and making up questions for myself"
"read my essay, SDN"
"SDN, and school website"
"SDN, school website"
"SDN, practiced with husband, school's interview info"
"I read over my essay, studentdoctor.net, some current event articles concerning dentistry."
"SDN"
"SDN, common interview questions, watched Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle...that loosened me up the night before."
"Asked myself basic question: Strengths/Weaknesses, my motivations.... General questions you would expect. There is no way you can anticipate all the questions. Just be honest. If you don't know tell them you don't know. "
"SDN, school's site, relaxed and watch a comedy movie the night before =)"
"school's website, sdn"
"SDN, mock interview with a health professions advisor at my school"
"Read the San Antonio website, reviewed some of the most common questions...weaknesses, strengths, why San Antonio, etc."
"practiced with friends/family, SDN, mock-interview at school"
"read student feedback on this website...practiced with friends and family"
"SDN, SDN, SDN, school website, and a past visit to the school."
"Prepared answers for the "sure to be asked questions": Why Dentistry? Why Here? Tell me about yourself; about your motivation, etc. Website, my application, and SDN previous interview posts."
"I practiced with friends and talked to D1s I knew that had interviewed there"
"read website, read essay "
"Researched their website. Practiced speaking in front of a mirror"
"practice questions, read questions, look up info on the school and other schools"
"Mock interview"
"Surf school webpages, Read my essay, Practice with my friends"
"Talked to friends that go to the school, dentists, SDN"
"I had a list of interview questions that I looked over and I researched the school through their website. "
"Very thoughtful organization for the interview day. Everyone was very friendly and easy to talk to. Curriculum and facilites are amazing"
"Made me feel comfortable and confident"
"the faculties and students are extremely nice. This was my first interview and it gave me a very relaxing interview environment."
"Kind faculty and students, the buildings are so nice (especially clinic). It felt like I was truly wanted there. The exchange program and opportunities to teach/do research excited me!"
"The faculty member was very passionate about organized dentistry and mentorship and those align with my interests as well. I'm glad the school tries to pair you up with an interviewer with similar interests."
"Overall everyone was really friendly!"
"New building is nice. Students were very helpful and encouraging. How innovative the school is."
"The academic quality that the school seemed to hold."
"The new building is amazing!"
"Spacious operatories, friendly faculty, many places to study. Traffic is not bad."
"The friendliness of the people there"
"the friendliness of both the students and faculty, new clinic being finished by summer 2015, extensive outreach programs throughout the city/mission trips to the border, selective courses to be able to explore certain specialties/other interests"
"The impressive standards of UTHSCSA."
"-All the students we interacted with were very positive about the school. -Ms. Nelda Potter, who helps coordinate the interview day, was super friendly and made you feel welcome at the school. -Rent is really affordable near campus, and the shuttle runs during normal business hours so you might not even need to pay for parking. -DDS students can do implants, invisalign, and can even go to Japan for a week through the school's program. -Both interviewers actually read my personal statement."
"they want to know you personally"
"The interviewer is only given the personal statement. They do not know the grade and activity of the applicant. It will prevent any biased point of view."
"Students and faculty all seemed friendly"
"The tuition fees & living expenses is less !!!"
"Friendliness of the staff."
"The friendliness of everyone at the school, especially the professors."
"Very reasonable tuition."
"Assistance"
"Relaxed atmosphere, everyone is very helpful, they give the impression that they want you to suceed."
"It's great the San Antonio is digitally converted and is an excellent school, but I tried to look at the little things. I made sure I observed the students there and see how they acted towards each other and if they seemed stressed. They loved it and were laid back. Both a plus in my book. Don't want to go to a place where I'm stressing out all the time."
"The location of the school and the dvd style curriculum. I say if it does kill you it makes you stronger. With everything being on the computer these days it is better to start early! plus never fear anything tough, it does not matter what school you go to, in dental school everything will be overwhelming and rough in the beginning. Ask questions, work hard, seek help from your faculty and friends, and you will make it."
"The location of the campus (really green and nice area), and they had the nicest facilities I have seen so far"
"campus location, enthusiastic D4 students"
"There were plenty of great things about UTHSCSA! The campus is very green and nice and in a very nice neighborhood of SA. The clinical aspect of the education starts in year one and is very comprehensive. I especially like the "general practice groups" you are in for your 3rd and 4th years. Also, they don't grade on a bell curve, and it seemed like a pretty laid back school. Also, the low tuition for out-of-staters is clutch."
"The style and setup for UTHSCSA is very professional, and down to earth. The people there are helpful, and friendly."
"How clean and modernized the facilities were. Everyone was extremely nice, straight forward, and easy to talk to."
"The staff was really friendly- to quote a fellow SDNer who posted here _''they made you feel like they actually wanted you to get in''."
"nothing really"
"Laptop curriculum, friendly professors, private operatories for 3rd and 4th yr. "
"The first thing I noticed was how nice the campus is compared to other d-schools I have visited. Walking around I found a lot of nice places to study on campus (inside and outside), everything looked clean and well kept. Even on a Sunday I found tons of students on campus and in the library studying. I overheard several making plans to go out that Sunday night, so that showed they have a life besides the books. Speaking of books, the laptop based books made a lot of sense once they explained the basic idea of the system and showed some examples of things you can do with it. One laptop instead of 30 books in a bag… sign me up! The last thing that really impressed me was the bays where you work. They are individual rooms and feels like a real office setting. "
"How great the students were and the faculty. Everyone is really nice (at least the faculty that I had the pleasure to speak with)"
"Awesome environment and atmosphere of the whole place. The facility and faculty were all great. The computerized curriculum is something to look forward to."
"The way I was treated; they treated me like they really cared about me attending their school."
"Faculty and students very positive and motivated."
"facilities, computer based learning."
"Everything. I love this school! They're building a new sim lab and students and faculty were very friendly."
"The faculty and the students were all positive. The clinic is VERY impressive."
"family atmosphere"
"I really liked the student that interviewed me. She was really nice and made me feel really comfortable."
"Students were very very nice, the facilities were superb"
"Students were friendly with us and with each other."
"The faculty and students were extremely friendly and laid back."
"their use of electronic media (computers and DVDs) for class materials, books, videos, searching books, sharing notes, etc."
"Students are assigned their own personal labs. Everyone was very friendly. The facility was clean."
"The feeling that the faculty and administrators, even the current dental students, welcomed us applicants. They were very friendly."
"The friendliness of the interviewers/staff/students...very laid back atmosphere. They try really hard to make you feel welcome and relieve your stress, plus the area is just sooo laid back"
"the students were much nicer, the facilities are incredible, everyone seems so happy"
"the school's location"
"The interview process was well organized and they fed us lunch."
"the energetic people, the new equipment, the individual operating"
"School is top-notch! Students, administrators and faculty all seemed to enjoy being there."
"How informative and nice everyone was. The students were very helpful and encouraging."
"nice facility, cost of living is cheap, safe part of town"
"The facilites are awesome. The presentations given really helped me gain an appreciation for the school"
"very very nice facilities, sure to get a high-quality education here; labs "
"The facilities. I really like how the students are assigned to teams of ~10 students in their third and fourth years for their clinical component. They are like small general practices overseen by faculty members. Each DS3 and DS4 gets their own operatory too."
"The faculty were great. I was able to sit in on a couple of classes. They also are very focused on producing great clinicians."
"The school is surrounded by medical and nursing school. Safe environment around the school"
"I loved how friendly the students were and the relationship between students and staff. I did not hear anything negative about the professors and even hear that the students go golfing with their profs. How cool is that? "
"Nothing, loved it"
"Nothing. But my student interviewer wasn't that day. Another student, who was supposed to transport me to the 2nd part of the interview, happily took me in and interviewed me."
"Texas heat :("
"The presentation preceding the student panel was a bit boring."
"Faculty was about 10 minutes late"
"The old building is OLD. No windows. No natural lighting. 2 years of dental school will be spent there."
"Old building is pretty old, but not really negative it's still a good place and very ecofriendly"
"The old building isn't too great. I wish D1's and D2's could share the new building too."
"older building, one of the students giving the tour didn't seem super excited about the school."
"The inability to know how you did right away."
"The financial aid presenter mis-pronounced FAFSA over and over. The lab where models are poured up was pretty dirty and windowless (compared to Houston's)."
"building looks old and you stay in ONE room for first 2 years."
"Having lunch before the interview. It was little bit difficult to enjoy the lunch for everyone was nervous."
"The dental school building is confusing and most of it has no windows. As a D1, you are in the same windowless room from 8 to 5 because all your classes are in there."
"The interviewer was too self obsessed !!!"
"The student life. The facility. The school seemed boring."
"The location of the school."
"Building seemed old."
"Crazy maze of hallways?"
"The layout of the school was a little confusing. Even the students and some of the faculty made comments that it can be a little confusing but not a big deal. Once you know the ins and outs it will be pretty easy to navigate around the school"
"The school was kind of old looking but have great sim lab. "
"The students that go there didn't seem happy and the building was confusing."
"complicated framework of the school.. could never figure out what part/section of the school i was in"
"Not much, really."
"That the Health Science Center is a virtual labyrinth. I felt like a rat in a cage."
"The dental school is like a labyrinth. It is so confusing. However once you figure out the layout of the building, it should not be a negative factor anymore."
"The inital orientation presentation was too long..We really dint have to know so much.."
"lack of enthusiasm at the school; disorganized interview"
"hallways were like a prison, very confusing"
"I agree with everyone that mentions the sterile hallways of the school. It does have a scary movie mental ward feeling to it. Also, I didn't see very many people in the halls for the whole 6 hours I was in the school. I think that added to the weird feeling because the school felt empty. The halls are U-shaped with the clinics and classroom in the middle and instructors on the outside. I didn’t see one classroom with a window, so I can only assume the Profs have the windows in their offices. The building layout really doesn’t make sense and even the d-4 giving us a tour said he still gets lost. That was pretty obvious when he tried to take me to my interview and we circled around a couple of the U-shaped halls until we finally found the instructor doing my interview. "
"Nothing"
"Cant really think of anything that stood out as "bad.""
"Nothing."
"Facilities very dated."
"My interviewer was working in the student clinic she spnt most of the time helping students instead of interviewing."
"The lecture hall-I hated the chairs in college and they will follow me to dental school now!!"
"dark, old hallways"
"All they talked about was how their were the number one school and how great their laptop curriculum was. Well, every school has a laptop curriculum now and it is nothing special anymor. The facilities were also outdated, and the building was dark and depressing."
"The computers are forced on you and alot of the students don't really like that they use those instead of real text books; This school is very proud of themselves and don't mind saying so --- I personally dont think they should be quite so arrogant"
"They kept comparing themselves to Baylor, as some sort of costant competition. The presentation was boring and worthless!"
"This was my first interview. Since UTSA is supposed to be a leader in technology I imagined the dental school was newer. The building seemed very old but I must admit everything else was modern."
"hotel was just alright. you can kinda get lost in the school (multiple times in my case lol)"
"none"
"My faculty interviewer intimidated me. The questions he posed weren't difficult ("What are your motivations for a dental career?") but the moments of silence punctuated the awkwardness. His facial expressions made me feel like my answers weren't good enough. "
"Nothing ~"
"The ticket I found on my windshield after my interview was over. I guess they're going to have to accept me if they want me to pay the ticket!"
"my faculty interviewer seemed kinda dry"
"Parts of the school are the exact same as they were when it opened 35 years ago. It was like going back in time. They still claim they are the number one school. Yea, maybe if it was still 1970!"
"my interviewer kepted yawning....that's prolly my fault though. some parts of the building had poor lighting which produced an eerie, uncomfortable atmosphere."
"Nothing really, they did good job of showing off the school."
"The school was very arrogant and kept bringing up the fact that the school was the best school in the nation. First of all, dental schools are not ranked. Also, when they were ranked, it was the newest school in the nation; so, the equipment and facilities are new relative to the other schools. There have been a few schools that opened since then. Also, San Antonio was not the nicest place to live, although the school tries to sell the city."
"stress..everyone seems stressed out (except for fourth-years); not as laid back here as the other two dental schools in Texas. The staff were not nearly as friendly either (the profs were ok). Called for directions/help and no one picked up. Office people ignore you. "
"The current renovations and upgrades which are supposed to be completed next fall. They are remodeling the pre-clinical laboratories and building a sim clinic."
"No negative impression"
"The school isn't around a university. It is only a med/dent/nursing school joined with a medical center. But, the social life still seems great."
"Nothing really except how confusing the numbering of the rooms are..but I am sure that can be easily adjusted to. "
"I wish I knew that eating a proper breakfast is important. It was a long day and I felt light headed at some point"
"To not be as anxious. If you are getting an interview, they want to meet you. If you have practiced basic interview questions, you will be fine. They are asking about you anyways, and who better to answer that than you! Also, everyone at UT Health San Antonio is so welcoming!! Be confident and do the dang thing. You have worked so hard to get to this point so show them you deserve to be there!!!"
"Take deep breaths! Remember that even though they're asking you questions most of the time, you're also interviewing the school to see if you'd like it there!"
"Felt very prepared. Just relax. Prepare your best. Once you do that, there is honestly absolutely zero point in stressing or worrying. You did what you could and you did your best. Leave the rest up to God."
"Relax"
"The school is very professional. They hand you an itinerary as you enter the conference room."
"They only have your personal statement, so it's really relaxed"
"That I wouldn't have to worry about any crazy specific dentistry questions, ethical questions, or current events kind of questions. All of it was basically like going to get coffee with someone and getting to know each other."
"How easy going the interview was going to be."
"To bring hairspray and an umbrella. It was humid and rained a bit."
"They are willing to know about the applicant not to criticize them. It is not necessary to get nervous or worry."
"Nothing, over-prepare and you will be fine."
"Interviewer was a nut case"
"The student interviewer was going to ask so many structured questions. I thought they were going to be more relaxed and talk about things other than dentistry. My mistake for assuming so..."
"That there was an essay at the end."
"About Healthcare Legislation of course"
"That someone takes you to each interview and you don't have to find your way through the maze alone."
"They really try to make you feel welcome. Dr. Cappelli had some really awesome advice. He said to use this interview as an opportunity for you to also "interview" the school to see if you could see yourself going to school there. (Hence carefully observing current students as previously noted)"
"How relaxed the interview was"
"what types of questions to ask"
"That I wouldn't be asked any questions!"
"Nothing really."
"How laid back and easy the interview is."
"The particulars of the dexterity test.I had no clue what I was about to face..and the fact that I never received my interview call the day before dint help.."
"normal sdn feedback on this school wasn't what i experienced"
"Not much. I really had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the SDN. Thanks to everyone who post here. "
"Nothing"
"? - The area around the school is very nice."
"How many questions you needed to have ready."
"the essay question and they said that penmanship was important."
"The new sim lab will be ready in August 2007."
"The interviews are not until the afternoon. Try not to be nervous all morning and pay attention to everything else they tell you because it is also good information. "
"that my tour guide was my student interviewer! Pay attention when they introduce themselves because you will get a paper with your interviewers' names on them."
"There is not much in the area of the dental school. I had to drive around for fifteen minutes around the dental school to find a coffee shop to chill out at before the interview. "
"There were ants in my hotel room, and the shoes I wore to the interview were not ment for tours."
"Nothing really surprised me. Everything you need to know is told to you during orientation. Just make sure to follow up with questions of your own. Sound Interested."
"they ask you to WRITE an essay about "How did you benefit from meeting students during the interviewing process". Y'ALL PREPARE FOR IT A BIT, and sound smart :)"
"The ease of the interview."
"That not all of the faculty interviewers are approachable. "
"That it would be the easiest of all the schools"
"To make sure my inspection sticker wasn't expired, so I wouldn't have gotten a ticket. "
"the school is very laid back so there was no need to be nervous"
"They made us write an essay about when the pivitol point was in your life that made you choose dentistry."
"I learned that interviews are not supposed to frighten people. They just want to see if you can carry on a good conversation for more than 5 minutes....something every dentist should be able to do. "
"I wish I had had more questions for them about the school."
"A student from this school contacts you ahead of time to answer questions (is not at all part of interview evaluation so you can ask/say anything). This is a very nice and welcoming gesture. Also, one interview is from a student (much more easy-going!)"
"Nothing that I can think of."
"Not much to say aside from amazing"
"Do research on the school beforehand. Have questions ready to ask your interviewers."
"Very chill, behavioral and conversational interview. Standard questions that can be all found on SDN and nothing too out there. It's a closed interview so they only have access to your essays prior to your interview - be familiar with the topics you covered on there. Overall though, they just want to get to know you!"
"Conversational, personable interviewers"
"Almost 100% behavioral interview. I heard some others had a rough time. Expect at least one question on your essays, so be able to genuinely talk about them. Closed file, but I heard one interviewer asks about your GPA and DAT, so be ready to back it up."
"Was just a conversation with a couple of general questions here and there. Wasn't stressful, but very casual."
"LOVED this school!!"
"Beautiful school, beautiful location."
"I would have liked a bottle water for the entire first half/morning session."
"If dentistry is really what you want to do, and you have experience in the profession be confident and let it show. The interview will be 100x more easier if you let your experience and your passion speak for itself."
"Do. Not. Show. Up. Late."
"UTHSCSA will build a new clinic and will be completed by 2015."
"Just check your basic writing skill (Grammar, sentence structure) for the essay session right after the interview."
"Did really well during faculty interview, but not as well during the student interview. It was incredibly awkward. The food was great. The room where you meet and stay in for the majority of the day is pretty small, so it gets a little crowded. The tour didn't impress me at all. Seems like the students went there just to go there. School is all about research. There is a little essay at the end to see if you actually wrote your personal statement. It's probably different for every interview session."
"The student interviewer and faculty interviewer were very respectful and friendly."
"It really is as relaxed as everyone says. There may be the random interviewer that throws in hardball questions, but overall everyone in the group had great experiences."
"Try to relax and enjoy the experience. If everyone at the school is as friendly and helpful as the people in Student Affairs then you know that you're well taken care of and they really want to see you succeed."
"The faculty and student I interviewed with were nice. They made you feel relaxed. One note, make sure to look professional and neat :) At the end you have to write an essay, its not too bad. The essay was, What ethical dilemma have you faced and how did you go about resolving it? The essay should be the last of your stress. Its just general questions thats all. Nothing to study and stress over...trust me!"
"Everyone there was super nice. They all seemed open and willing to share. Come with questions because they really encourage them."
"don't stay at Oak Hills inn/motel/dump.. it is conveniently located but not priced as cheap as it looked.. couldn't sleep well due to the feeling of creepy crawly bed sheets.. staff was not bad.. the 1 person that was working there.. breakfast food was HORRIBLE.. i could've defrosted that better."
"It's a great school. I'm sure I would be happy if I ended up here."
"The whole day was exceptionally nonchalant. We went through the whole chabang from the morning with the whole introduction, to the generous lunch, to interviews, to wrap up. Dr. Thomas was very personable, and informative. The dental student interview was very low key, while the faculty interview was on the no stress side. I can definitely see why the Dental School at San Antonio is so highly regarded."
"It was a positive experience, the staff was friendly and cordial..they seemed to understand what the prosepective student was going through..all the questions were normal..no shockers.overall- a very pleasant experience I did not rate other schools coz this is the only university I applied to."
"Going into the interview, I had read the sdn interview feedback and expected to be blown away. I was wrong! The interview was highly disorganized- for started, the dean of admissions was out so we had a replacement who first fiddled with the computer for about 15 mins; the financial aid lady was very late and RAN through financial aid in less than 20 mins. She didn't even break down the cost of attending the school and only gave us a brochure from the ADA. She spent time talking about how we should make sure our addresses and phone numbers are correct. Next we had an "IT" class in which this professor spend an hour talking about computers and its use at the school. He even demonstrated how to search for a word in a text book like we don't know how to research things on the computer. It was extremely boring and looking around, people were starting to lose focus. The tour guides were very funny and had great personalities. It was good until they got lost and some people were 10 mins late for their faculty interview. One interviewer didn't show up and so one poor student didn't even had a faculty interview just the student interview. The school said they wouldn't hold it against him. The interview wasn't like a conversation- the interviewer basically fired questions and I answered. I asked him why he decided to teach and did he like it. His answer was more of its a job isn't it? I asked the students what is the one thing they loved about the school and they said the faculty. Watching the students and faculty interact, that was obviously a lie. They seemed disconnected and didn't really care. The school was extremely diffucult to navigate, didn't have any windows and looked like a psyche ward. Talking to the other interviewees at the end, about 4 or 5 complained about their interviewers. One girl had a professor from the medical school who asked her some many times why medicine? She was very upset when she came back to the room for the wrap off session. I also didn't like the fact that you could cross a hallway and be in the medical school. Very confusing even for 4th year students! From listening to the orientation and reading sdn I thought the facilities were going to be top of the art- wrong! The building didn't look to great, their sim lab isn't as impressive or big as the other schools, and the clinics were just okay. I think my expectations for SA were very high based on what I've read. Normally what I do read falls in line with my experience but not in this case. I just got the overall feeling that everyone there was just doing their job with no motivation or care for excellence. I didn't enjoy the school like my others and would rather go out of state than come here. I was extremely dissapointed to say the least."
"We had great food, we had a talk from Dr. Thomas, a talk from the finanacial aid lady, then a professor came in and showed us the laptop curriculum- that was really cool- you have all of your books, and it can search through all of your textbooks for any words you specify in a matter of seconds. Then we took a quick tour, tourguide wasnt that prepared, then we had interviews. My student interview went very well, easy to talk to and a great guy. The faculty interview was rough, he was not even a dentist! Didn't smile, and not very friendly. "
"Overall I loved the school. Sure it has its problems: the hallways, lack of windows and etc… But the fact that it is a real campus attached to a medical school and not alone in the middle of a run down part of the downtown area is a huge bonus for me. I also liked that there are tons of places to live within 2 minutes of the dental school and that there is every type of convenience nearby. Bars, restaurants, malls, movies and etc. are within blocks of the school campus. You don’t have to live away from the school to be able to afford the housing and have fun. The fact that the library is huge and there are tons of places to study on campus is a huge bonus. The interview itself was just as everyone has explained it on SDN. I was shocked that there were only 14 people in the interview (9 girls and 5 guys). I expected more. We had three presentations prior to lunch. Dr. Thomas talked about the school and really made you feel like you had a great shot at getting into the school because they were interviewing you. Dr. Glass explained the coursework and computers. The financial aid lady was a nose bleed, but only because it doesn't really help us until we are accepted. Then lunch with 4th year students. Lunch was just OK. We had chicken parmesan, pasta, grilled mixed veggies, salad and fruit. I was expecting a lot of D-4 to come and eat and mingle with us, instead we just had two students. They were nice and answered any question they could. Then they split us into two groups after lunch and took us on a tour of the school. My guy seemed lost most of the time. We wandered around empty halls and visited the sim-lab, digital x-ray room, and a lecture hall. Then he dropped us off with our student for our interview. I was really impressed with the individual operatory bays because each is its own room just like many dental offices. My guy was very happy and cheerful. We talked about future plans after school, going out and drinking, and my impression of the school so far. I felt awesome after this part of the interview. Then my guy walked me to my next interview with a faculty...FYI: we got lost on the way and couldn’t find the office... This interview was complete opposite of the student interview. I am not going to go into much detail because it would be very obvious to anyone at the school who might read this… but I can say that the person I interviewed with was dry and not very personable. Each student and faculty interviews two students and the other person who interviewed with this faculty member said it was the same way with them; never really smiled, looked at me very intensely, and was very much a stern person. He lectured me on my choice of courses and my reasoning for taking the advance sciences when I plan on taking them. I left the interview thinking it could go either way. So overall I had a great experience, but I don’t feel confident either way. I truly have no idea if I will get a letter of acceptance on Dec. 1, 2007. "
"Just like the invite letter states, you have a presentation in the morning about financial aid, admissions, and curriculum. Then lunch with dental students, then your two 30 min interviews, then a concluding session where you take a survey and write a brief essay. "
"It was great overall. I would love to go to this school if I can get in."
"Excellent. It was my favorite one out of the five I went to."
"Great!"
"goodish."
"Very laid back and low stress. I can't stress enough how friendly everyone was. It was a very pleasant experience."
"Good-got alot better impression of the school, the atmosphere, and what it would be like to go to school there. "
"Really laid back...more so than I expected."
"Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Really, just be yourself and don't try to have prepared answers for everything. Treat it just like a conversation. This was my first interview and it was on the first day of interviews for Texas. I flew in the night before from France so I was a little jetlagged and could have done better w/ some more sleep. Be aware that there is an essay at the end of the day as well as a survey. It was quite an abrupt ending to the day. All in all I was accepted here but have chosen to go elsewhere."
"I enjoyed the day all the way up until my interview - I felt confident going in and liking the school and wanting to go there --- the students were phenomenal --- as were the facilities --- but the interview ruined it -- he didn't seem to want to get to know anything about me and hadn't even looked at my file becuase he said he didn't want to make any pre-conceived judgements about me. He didnt want to make me comfortable --- he wanted to see me squirm! I hated it and although the student interview was laid back and friendly and really nice --- he ruined that experience completely --- I left upset and confused as to why an interviewer wouldn't want to know things about how I tick, my quirks, my interests ---whatever --- That interview made San Antonio my last choice of Texas Schools"
"I was very nervous because it was my first dental interview, but talking to the students really helped. I was not impressed by the facilites but I don't expect them to be any worse than most dental schools."
"Although UTSA is ranked as one of the best schools in the nation, the faculty and students were very humble and friendly towards the interviewees. There was no reason to be nervous. "
"Experience was good. Interviewed with a 4th year student for 30 minutes (very laid back, relaxed, just chatting) then with a faculty for 30 minutes (a bit more serious but still not bad). My interviewer asked few tough questions (mentioned above), but i think it was overall pretty good. school is great, students are great, facility isn't bad at all. food was GOOD :)"
"Great experience (once it is over)."
"I really enjoyed the student interview over the faculty one. "
"It was a good day"
"We saw in the same room for about 3 hours (eat breakfast) and listened to Dr.Thomas, the financial aid woman, and another Dr. talk about the laptop computer stuff. Then we had some fajitas that were really good in the company of some senior dental students. Next was a tour of the school (awesome) and then our interviews, one with a faculty member, the other with a senior student. I am so impressed. I would definatly come here if I got accepted, even if it did mean I had to pay my parking ticket."
"u get there at around 9:30...dr thomas gives an hour long presentation which is followed by the hour long financial aid presentation...then the seniors come up n u chat n have lunch with them...after lunch they divide u into groups and take u on a tour...finally u have ur two interviews...one with a student and the other with a faculty member"
"The interview was average. "
"This interview had a strong Texan flavor: it was energetic, very friendly, confident. Great clinical skills are almost guaranteed at the school. Academix are taken very seriously at this school, though the students seem to know how to have fun w/ sports, alcohol, etc. If I ever get accepted and have to turn it down for some reason, I know I will be very sad. Word of advice: eat lots of fiber the night before....I caught one of my interview group member taking a dump; from the sound of things, he was having a lot of trouble. just imagine the fear he felt!"
"San Antonio is a school with an excellent reputation, and I can see why. They have a large and active patient population. The student operatories are brand new and technologically current (chairside laptop plug-ins). The students are friendly with one another and seem to enjoy their school. Lots of camaraderie. I could easily see spending four+ years learning here."
"I don't remember the exact order, but we watched some powerpoint stuff, went on the tour, ate, talked with students while we ate, interviewed, (by the way, there was a student and a faculty member that interviews you) then we had to write a short one page essay on our time there."
"It was okay. One of the interviewers superficially acted nice, but she seemed like she just wanted to downgrade me. "
"San Antonio is a top-notch school, the best in the country. After I spent the day at the school for my interview, I could see why."
"Ok. The facilities are so nice that the school can sell itself. The stress level seems very high though. Quality of education will be excellent."
"The morning started at 9:30 with a presentation about the school, followed by financial aid, then a presentation about the curriculum. Then we ate lunch with senior students, asked questions, etc. We toured the school, then had our interviews. One was with a student, the other was with a faculty member. Then we take a survey and write a short essay/response. Overall it was a positive experience and I can see why everyone says such great things about the school. I love the family-like atmosphere!"
"It was very relaxed. Presentations in the morning and lunch with students. Interviews with faculty member then 4th year student. Faculty member was closed file. Student was semi-open file. Survey at the end with an essay about topics that change every week...this essay goes into your applicaion file. Overall, it really got me excited to get anticipate acceptance letter from them. It was a 10."
"The San Antonio dental school gave me a really good impression. I left the school saying to myself that if I was accepted to this school and that it was the only one I got accepted to, I would be happy. The administration there is very structured yet I felt like I could also be laid back in this school. "
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 58 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 9 |
| Other | 0 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 46 |
| Neutral | 9 |
| Discouraging | 1 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.76 | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 53 |
| Out of state | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 11 |
| 2-3 hours | 23 |
| 4-6 hours | 12 |
| 7+ hours | 9 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 13 |
| Automobile | 41 |
| Train or subway | 0 |
| Other | 0 |
San Antonio; United Airline
DFW
JFK
SAT
SAN
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 0 |
| With students at the school | 0 |
| Friends or family | 11 |
| Hotel | 26 |
| Home | 4 |
| Other | 1 |
Yes
Drury Inn & Suites San Antonio Northwest Medical Center
Yes
Drury Inn & Suites San Antonio Northwest Medical Center
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 21 |
| $101-$200 | 15 |
| $201-$300 | 8 |
| $301-$400 | 4 |
| $401-$500 | 1 |
| $501+ | 0 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.11 | 56 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.59 | 58 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.48 | 58 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.22 | 36 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 9.08 | 36 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.97 | 34 |
"Sending out a follow up email on what to expect after interview day!"
"Keep up the good work!"
"Heat the food up. It's kind of weird eating a cold sandwich. Combine the lunch tables together so that all the applicants can speak with the Dental students."
"Employ more humanistic appraoch."
"I would have liked a bathroom break earlier during the morning presentations."
"They are doing a Great job"
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?