How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How you think you did?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

10 out of 10

How long was the interview?

45 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?

Open file

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

"Tell me about some experiences that made you want to practice medicine." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"What do you think you could contribute to the student body?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why did you chose to major in mathematics?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"Tell me about your participation in a sexual assault victim advocacy program." Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"Is there anything else that you want me to tell the committee?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Harvard website, SDN, Harvard factbook, talked to other students." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"Many things about Harvard impressed me--they certainly lived up to their ranking as #1. Harvard receives nearly 1 billion dollars from NIH, and they certainly used it well. The facilities are amazing, as is the location. The other hospitals nearby (Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham and Women's, Children's, and the Dana Farber Cancer Center, etc), are amazing hospitals. Harvard's Countway Medical Library was a nice place as well. Most of the preclinical classes at Harvard are held in the Medical Education Center. It was very modern, clean, and comfortable. I applied to the New Pathway program, and it is definitely not for everybody. New Pathway utilizes Problem Based Learning as opposed to traditional lectures as a way of teaching the basics of medicine. It seemed like a very effective way of learning--not too stressful, but also forces you to learn. The system also makes sure nobody slips through the cracks. The tutorial sessions (for PBL) were held in small rooms with plasma screen TV's, clean chalkboards, and a nice boardroom table--thus making conversations more effective. The faculty at HMS is very accessible and nice--if you show interest in what they do, they'll be interested in helping you out. Finally, the student body was excellent, and for the most part, they seemed very happy with Harvard. They were all easygoing and did not seemed stressed at all. The system pretty much eliminates competition, and you can tell by talking to the students--they were very relaxed and friendly with each other. Those that weren't happy with the New Pathway said that they weren't learning as much as they wanted, but they were able to supplement the in-class learning with out-of-class studying. If people are having trouble with their courses, Harvard provides tutors free of cost. Finally, I was extremely impressed with my two interviewers. Both (faculty member and student) were open interviews. The interviewers were very polite and friendly. They had obviously throroughly read and memorized my file, as the questions they asked were very detailed in nature. The questions were meant to get to know me better. Harvard is a great, impressive place, and my interview experience made it my top choice." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"Not too much--it was cold and snowy. The interview day was long and there was a lot of free time. After exploring for a while, I got pretty tired and just sat around talking to the other interviewees (who were all great people!)." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"I should have brought earmuffs." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"I had two interviews, both open-file, from a faculty member and a student. Both were similar, in that they asked very detailed questions about my file. They seemed to know my file inside and out. They actually cared to make me an individual and know things about me that nobody had bothered to know in my other interviews. The experience was very relaxed. The interviewers just wanted to get to know me better." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tourguide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

What was your total time spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Airplane

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

$101-$200

What airport did you use?

BOS

Where did you stay?

With students at the school

How would you rate the hotel?

10 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

yes

On what date did the interview take place?

01/27/2005

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

10 out of 10

What is your ranking of this school's location?

10 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

10 out of 10