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Interview Feedback

Individual Response

  • Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center School of Medicine
  • Allopathic Medical School
  • Richmond, VA
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

3 out of 10

Questions

How long was the interview?

60+ minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?

"why medicine and what would you do if you couldn't be a doctor?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 2)?

"what brought you to Va, and what do you like about your school?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 3)?

"what information would you like me to present to the board?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"what is the best type of wine that washington state makes? (this was in reference to a wine class that i had taken) " Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"i didn't have any particularly difficult questions. i had purposely researched several bioethical topics in preparation for this interview, but i didn't get asked any questions on controversial topics, it was just generally about me. It was just hard to direct the conversation in the direction of topics i wanted to make sure that he knew about. " Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"VCU website, this website, talking with other students who had gone on interviews, bioethics.com, reviewed my transcripts and current research" Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"How nice all the staff was and how everyone seemed genuinely happy to see you there and happy to help you in any way." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"I was initially worried b/c my interviewer did not have a copy of my file, but then i gave it to him and i later spoke with the dean of students and she explained to me that it was just my particular interviewer's style not to look at the paper work until after he had interviewed me b/c he wanted to have an objective opinion before he found out who i was. So if your interviewer doesn't really know much about you, just talk about whatever you want him to tell the board, you're file reviewer will talk about all your paper work." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"The whole admissions process that was explained after my interview would have been helpful before the interview. The assistant dean thuroughly explains the process, but it made me concerned that i had not discussed the right type of information during my interview." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"This interview was a good experience, especially as a first interview. I was nervous, but my interview was at 9am, which got it out of the way and I was able to enjoy the rest of the information sessions. During the "morning session" with the assistant Dean, she explains that you have 2 advocates during the panel discussion about you. They only spend about 5 minutes on you where they place all of your stats (i.e. gpa, mcat scores, home state, etc) on an overhead for the whole committee to see while your interviewer talks about how your interview went, how you answered questions, your style, etc. then your file reviewer (who reviews everyone's file and is responsible for getting you the interview in the first place) talks about what was in your file (i.e. grades, essays, involvements, etc.) then the other board members discuss you and any problems they have with your file. your interviewer can then defend you if you gave any answers to questions about grades or mcats or whatever. then everyone on the board (about 30 people) give you a score from 1-5 (with decimals) 1 being the best and 5 the worst. A computer program averages your score and that is what stays with your name until they either let you in or terminate your file. they don't go back and reconsider people after this point and you can never find out what your score was. the committee meets every monday and they are supposed to get back to you soon after they meet at which point they will either put you on "hold" or decline your file. If you get on hold, you could either get in, be rejected later or put on the alternate list. she said they don't fill the class until everyone has been interviewed and they don't make an alternate list until the class is filled by students that said they would definately go there." Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Student

General Info

On what date did the interview take place?

02/17/2004

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