Positively
4 out of 10
8 out of 10
10 out of 10
60+ minutes
At the school
2
In a group
Open file
"Why Medicine?" Report Response | I was asked this question too
"This was not addressed directly, but they gauged other questions to set you up to talk about how much you know about UM and the school itself, and as a clinical epicenter." Report Response | I was asked this question too
"Tell us about all of your patient-contact/shadowing experiences." Report Response | I was asked this question too
"Can you tell us about the more compelling moments in all of your shadowing experiences - in other words, moments that tended to solidify your desire to work toward medicine as a career?" Report Response | I was asked this question too
"What would you do if you didn't get in this time around? (I answered). And if your 2nd time around you didn't get in again?" Report Response | I was asked this question too
"MSAR's UM Miller Profile, SDN, UM Website, UM Med's Magazine, NEJM Editorial by Atul Gawande" Report Response
"The sheer unmatchable range and profundity of patient diversity available from day 1. Jackson sees sick people from all over Central, Southern FL, the Caribbean, Central America, and often South American countries too. They don't forget to pound in how much clinical opportunity is valued here - and the hustle&bustle of the medical city that is Jackson is a clear testament." Report Response
"Honestly - this is no one's fault, but the medical school building suffered a lot of damage from the last series of hurricanes. The Office had to close at one point due to flooding! So, they're trying their best to get back on track asap, and I'd say they're doing a great job considering." Report Response
"How bad rush hour traffic can be in Miami, leaving or entering, in the morning or the afternoon. It's atrocious, and many med-students told me they biked to school quite often because of it, or sometimes even skipped class and went to Starbucks with headphones to listen to livecast lecture from the comfort of their laptops and lattes. :)" Report Response
"Dr. Hinckley is a wonderful guy, and has a wonderfully witty sense of humor. Be sure to speak with Agnes Murphy, the Admissions secretary - she's a total sweetheart and can answer tons of your questions when you arrive and are waiting for the day to roll on forward. I arrived 10 mins before 9am. Give yourself a good 2.5 hours to travel from anywhere similarly distant as West Palm. Getting to Miami via I-95 is no big deal. Once you reach the Miami region, it's bumper-to-bumper hell. So plan accordingly! No excuses! The day begins with a green folder that has your day's schedule in it, along with info sheets on curriculum, UM's nearby attractions/cultural life, Financial Aid, Research Opportunities, etc, etc. Standard get-to-know-us type stuff. After that, Dr. Hinckley meets and greets you, offers you coffee/juice and donuts - although you will see lurking med-students seem more prone to be attracted by this display than anyone else! :) haha - it was cool though - because you got to talk to them as they grabbed donuts, etc. Once some 15-20 mins had passed, you were walked right outside the door to your left, to a typical whitewashed conference room with huge wood table and comfy chairs - the same place, as Dr. Hinckley will inform you, that your file will be discussed and voted upon by the AdCom. Dr. H then gives you an Intro to the School with a PPT presentation on a laptop - curriculum changes, the two campuses, tidbits od medical history you can tell he's fond of (Edward Jenner and cowpox/smallpox, etc), stats about appplicants, the school's rankings, the hospitals' rankings, etc. He then opens up for questions as he goes, and again at the end. When that's over, a bearded gentleman named Dr. Bookman walks in promptly and sits down to give you a well-read sermon about Medicine being the Greatest Accomplishment and Gift to Mankind. The talk has little to do with UM at all, it mostly has to do with the process of scientific inquiry and the nature of exploring for the purpose of helping our own species survive ... better (Bookman heads the MD/PhD program and will tell you he thinks rarely anyone is right for it). Topics mentioned in the speech: philately, the MD/PhD program, space exploration, antiquated vs modern medical education, men on the moon, Cold War, his wife writing boks on the Economies of Lesser Developing Countries, his youngest daughter's talent for multi-tasking ... he weaves these into a triumvirate of acronyms he calls TIP = Talents, Interests, Passions. He'll single one person out (it was me this time), and ask you whay your talents are, and of course, like anyone else he picked on in the past, I said: UHHHM. haha Hethen told me to stop right there, because everyone was unsure of how to talk about themselves since our culture tells us to move away from grand-standing and show-casing our abilities. Rather, he says, you should use those to assist your pursuit in medicine, and to help take off stress in your life as a human treating other humans. A very far-ranging talk indeed. But he was very interesting. I liked it a lot. After that, you're taken back into the Waiting Room, where some of you are taken on a tour, and some of you are taken to the galleys for interrogation! :) haha I was interviewed at this point. I was actually caught off guard - I had read all the SDN posts, and was thus expecting a mature male faculty member, 1-on-1 interview. What I walked into was a 2-on-1 interview: a female professor of NeuroRadiology named Judith Post, and a male 4th year medical student named Andy Berkman. The medical student seems to play devil's advocate in the interview asking more uncomfortable questions about your file - almost felt like they just wanted to see how I'd react to that kind of prompt under pressure. I tried to keep calm as best I could - esp when he kept nudging about what I would do if I did not get in once, twice, etc. I said I'd keep trying until someone let me in. :) After that, he kind of backed off and was actually super nice to me. The lady doctor was very nurturing, and asked plenty of information about my early life - elementary/middle school, HS (her daughter did IB Program like me, so she asked me about it). They then asked me about the nature of my classes in college, and if they'd affected my progression toward medicine at all, and if so why? They then also asked me about the problem with Healthcare today, and how to provide a decent fix of some sort. I mentioned: cap pain&suffering litigation, and cap insurance premiums, and possibly even federally regulate them so physicians can practice medicine without fear, esp in major metro cities in big states. Also - disparate reasoning: illegal immigrants get free instant access to quality healthcare, but hard-working lower-class Americans that pay taxes and do their best are shunned without insurance and cash up front. I said that was just wrong and had to be changed - probably by a politician with more guts and gusto than ambition. After that, most questions were mostly getting to know you type of deals to round off the image of the applicant, or so I felt. INterview ended, and then I was given a tour with the other student that had been shuttled off for interview like me. That was amazing!!!! - I got to see Ryder Trauma, Sylvester CCC, Lois Pope LIFE housing the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Jackson Hospital, Mailman Center, Children's Hospital, etc. Everything is SO close by to one another too - it feels like a small medical city amidst a concret jungle to be exact. VERY COOL - and the hustle and bustle is OBVIOUS from the first second you step foot in the quadrangle in front of the Old Spanish Colonial Jackson Hospital/Infirmary. When I got back, I met the other students in the waiting area - and we were taken back to that conference room, and were served a full buffet lunch - I was impressed. Chicken Piccata, salad, soda, cookies, fresh fruit. Good stuff. About 4 to 6 med students hung around that conference room and answered TONS and TONS of questions. Moreover, since HInckley nor anyone else from AdCom or the Admin was there, it felt a little less air-tight, and you could let loose to ask questions, if you know what I mean. Feel free to ask them - they like talking about all that stuff. Then after that, a Latino gentleman came in and gave us a 30 mins schpeel on Admissions and Fin. Aid - this felt like that sticker-shock you get at the car-dealer when you look at the fully loaded BMW. Total Cost of Attendance for in-State: 54 grand. OUCH. Suck your thumbs, it is a painful number - but remember, that does not include loans of any kind, nor does it include FAFSA's and the UM Fin. Aid's expectation of payment from your parents'/your pockets. Dr. H comes in again, takes one more brief talk to tell you about what happens to a file's shelf-life after we leave campus ... takes you step by step until the point od the decision by the AdCom - so it's enlightening to learn about - makes it seem less steeped in mystery and fog. One last round of questions for Dr. H, and then, you're done, and get to go drive through Miami rush hour traffic, which Dr. H is happy to inform you before leaving - starts at 2pm. :( EW. It feels like the opening scene from Office Space - for real, it does. NONETHELESS - great place to come study, and pleasant interview experience :)" Report Response
Student
Enthusiastic
8 out of 10
In state
2-3 hours
Automobile
< $100
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