How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

6 out of 10

How you think you did?

4 out of 10

How long was the interview?

50 minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

2

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Closed file

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

"Why medicine? Why Pittsburgh?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why would you come to Pittsburgh over some California school? (I am a CA resident.)" Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Do you know the perils associated with academic medicine?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"How will you balance family and medicine?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"See above." Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"I read through my AMCAS application, Pitt secondary, and SDN feedback. As usual, I read a lot about the school on-line." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"Teaching facilities are pretty cool and there seem to be all of programs to help students explore their interests (i.e., flexibility in combined degree programs, fellowships, etc.). Also, there are many many hospitals afffiliated with Pitt, which is always a benefit. Also, compared to California, Pittsburgh is an incredibly affordable city to live in." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"I wasn't too impressed with the city of Pittsburgh. Also, some of the students seemed to be under a lot of stress and weren't necessarily too happy (but I did meet a number of students who were the exact opposite)." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"It is nearly impossible to park near the medical school. Scaife Hall (the main admissions bldg.) is on top of a hill in a SF-type fashion, and driving conditions are pretty treacherous. Also, you essentially have three interviews: the first is an hour-long interview with a student and is totally closed file; the second is with one of the deans of admissions and lasts for about 15 min (the dean with whom I interviewed asked me how many schools I applied to, what type of medicine [academic, private, etc...] I was attracted to, and he wanted to gauge my interest in Pitt); the third interview, which is an hour long, is with a faculty member who has your AMCAS personal statement and nothing else." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"This was my first interview and, needless to say, I was quite intimidated at the start of the day. However, I tried my best to relax and be at ease with my fellow interviewees, a group of students applying not only to the MD program, but also the MD/PhD program. Overall, my impression of Pitt is that it is an amazing and ever growing school where you find your niche in any type of medicine." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Admissions staff

On what date did the interview take place?

09/16/2004