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Interview Feedback

Individual Response

  • Harvard School of Dental Medicine
  • Dental School
  • Boston, MA
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

3 out of 10

How you think you did?

8 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

9 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?

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)?

"Do you have any brothers or sisters? Also, I see that your father is a dentist...tell me about that." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"So tell me about yourself." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Tell me about your experience being an EMT." Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"What specifically do you think you can bring to the problem-based learning style and tutorials at HSDM?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"What turns you off about HSDM?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Read the web site, SDN interview feedback" Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"The uniqueness of the program, the UNLIMITED amount of resources and assistance available to students, and the technology and facilities" Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"It's very specific program, so it doesn't work for everyone! If you are not interested in going right into a specialty, academia, or research, it will not prepare you for general practice. Also, there is a required research project and no clinical experience at all until the third year." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"That they are NOT looking for the most common answer of "what do you want to do after dental school?", which is "Go right into practice and get started!" HSDM is specialized in providing advanced dental opportunities." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"So, to repeat, HSDM will not prepare you for going right into general practice. You simply don't get the overall clinical experience (which begins in the third year), because you're starting to specialize by that time, and choosing which procedures you want to do. Also, there are no traditional lectures and exams - it is ALL student-driven with tutorials and a PASS-FAIL grading system. So the program is very different, but if you are at ALL interested in going into a specialty, research, or academics, this is the PERFECT program. You can do whatever you want, 100% of postgrads get into their specialty of choice, and there are an enormous amount of resources, both with advising, technology, and experience. (Just make sure you let them know you know how to go after what you want and are proactive. Also, you need to be a leader, since all the learning is done in small groups with little professor involvement). Also, you simply cannot beat the facilities, dorm, history, library, cafeterias. This is obviously a Harvard school! Every building looks like a museum. As for the interview, they ask very open-ended questions and let you do most of the talking, since they're looking for a very specific type of personality to match their "problem-based learning" style. If you're invited, you have the numbers - the interview is just seeing your style." Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tourguide seem?

Neutral

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What was your total time spent traveling?

2-3 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

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

$101-$200

Where did you stay?

Hotel

How would you rate the hotel?

7 out of 10

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

Harrington Inn (it's a youth hostile in Brookline)

Would you recommend the hotel?

yes

General Info

On what date did the interview take place?

09/30/2005

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

7 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

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