Summary of Experience:
BU was one of my top three choices when I applied. The school's emphasis on social determinants of health fits my interests well.
The dean talked about the history of BU and clearly enjoyed speaking to us. Even before his energetic presentation, I was already excited about BU from their viewbook.
I think there were around 20 applicants at the interview day. I enjoyed talking to many of my fellow interviewees. I felt like they'd be hella fun to hang out with outside of class. The BU students themselves seemed chill. They had time to be involved in the community outside of class. However, they did not blow me away the way the Brown students did, in terms of their passion for their health interests. I did feel like I would enjoy being at student at BU but I want more of a challenge.
My interview was okay overall. It started with a tell me about yourself type question, though he had reviewed my app before and referenced parts of it and my letters of rec. My later interviews had a better flow to them, but we did get to talk about several of my activities and my international studies minor.
Pros: - Boston. - Emphasis on social determinants of health - Patient population and hospitals! - Great public health programs - Scholarly concentration in advocacy - Geriatric rotation in homes - International opps (Pro for most schools, I just felt more of an emphasis here) - I liked my fellow interviewees
Cons: - Nothing in particular. I just felt that there are better opportunities at Brown and Mayo. I also enjoyed my time with the current students at the other two schools more.
Summary of Experience:
I love their focus on population health (based on the dual MD-MSc program). My interview day blew me away from the beginning. The admissions committee is well known for the way they cater to individual applicants. This can be seen by the selectivity of the interviews they give out and how the director of admissions can reference your application at the drop of a hat. The students were approachable and genuine. They were interested in learning more about my interests and experiences and all of them had a lot to say about why they liked Brown.
My interviews were a blast. The first was with one of the deans. It was conversational but we mainly focused on my interests and opinions, which I prefer in an interview. The second one was challenging in some ways, but I like a challenge. We talked about issues in medicine and healthcare, but each question tied in well with my activities, so I didn't feel put on the spot.
I liked Providence overall. I have lived in small and big cities and felt that Providence was a nice in between. Plus, if I'm ever aching for the big city life, I can always head over to Boston or NYC.
Pros: - Dual degree in four years in Population Medicine - Students from all over the U.S. and some abroad (incredibly diverse, high percentage of minorities) - I fit in well with the students - Great faculty (approachability, interests) - 6 hospitals in Providence including 10th busiest ED in U.S. - Patient population: Lots of immigrants and refugees - Great concentrations: Advocacy & Activism, Caring for the Underserved, Women's Reproductive Health, Global Health, and more - Love the healthcare policy courses - The medical school is stunning, man would I enjoy studying there - The anatomy lab is on a higher floor and has amazing ventilation - New England
Cons: - Still trying to figure that out... I could say cold, but all of my interviews have been in the midwest and New England... So that's irrelevant to me
Summary of Experience:
I'm okay with the waitlist as an OOS applicant.
I enjoyed my interview day at U of MN more than I anticipated. The admissions committee was very nice, directing all applicants to our interview rooms and back to the meeting room. We did not get the same individual attention that I felt at Mayo and Brown, but there were more interviewees at MN than either Mayo or Brown.
These were probably my two most conversational interviews. I wasn't challenged much to apply my experiences to other situations. However, we did talk about what I had learned from my activities and what I hoped to do with medicine in the future. We also discussed why I chose to apply to Minnesota and how I felt I would fit in. Pretty standard interviews. I felt comfortable discussing the difficult part of my college career with both interviewers.
The students seemed nice enough but I did not get to talk to any of them individually. When asked during lunch about why they chose the school, many said that their support system was there. As this will not go into my decision, it was not the most helpful statement though I do believe this is a valid selling point for many applicants. Another student added that they are the only medical students in Minneapolis for a large hospital system which allows for more opportunities for medical students than say Boston might, having multiple med schools. I doubt this would really affect a student's opportunities, but will keep it in mind.
Pros: - Great public health program, solid primary care school - Approachable faculty - Incredible innovation center (though I doubt I will have the urge to dapple in medical technology...but who knows what the future holds?)
Cons: - Mostly in-state students (nothing against Minnesotans, just a fan of more diverse student bodies) - Supposedly colder than New England... depends on the day though
Location: - Neither a pro or con to me personally. I think I'm more of a New Englander though. Minneapolis seems like a cool city overall
Summary of Experience:
Mayo pushes patient centered care with their website, every portion of their interview day, and how they run their clinic in general. I loved the admissions room we started out in, with the giant fireplace. It was quite cozy. I liked that we only had 10 applicants there when I interviewed and that we went around the room and told random facts about ourselves. The admissions committee seemed open to applicants' questions, concerns, and comments, which makes sense when they only interview ~250. The hospital is beautiful and the peds floor is wonderfully decorated, but this will not matter much in my decision.
I like how the committee runs admissions. They only require your primary application and will screen before looking at letters of recommendation. I think they do a good job of evaluating the whole applicant, though of course I'm biased since receiving an interview.
The interview day itself felt homey. The students obviously love it there and are a close knit group. They love Mayo for the opportunities they have there, like selectives (I'm so excited for selectives!) as well as the individual attention they get from faculty. Mayo boasts the highest faculty to student ratio of any med school.
I enjoyed both of my interviews. My student interviewer was assigned to me that day as the scheduled one could not make it. We talked about my activities and patient care, and really hit it off. His interests in psychiatry and disadvantaged populations matched my interest in mental health and the underserved. My interview with one of the deans went well too. It felt incredibly fluid. I have no idea how we went from one topic to the next but it worked.
Pros: - Selectives!! One to two week breaks to do whatever I want related to health and medicine! - Small class size: individual attention - I felt I would fit it well with the students here - REACH program (public health) - One class at a time (as low stress as med school could probably be) - Mayo Clinic: I may be planning to go into primary care, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in specialties. The training I'd get at Mayo and the patient cases I'd see probably can't be beat. - Potential summer trip abroad before orientation
Cons: - City demographics: My main interest is in underserved communities. Not sure how much interaction with minorities I will get here. Though they do have a free clinic run by med students - Rochester: I don't need a big city life and the restaurants are diverse and seem fun, but it's just plain tiny - Small class size: This is a pro and con to me. 45 students? It takes me back to elementary school. After attending a UC, I don't know if I can handle so few people. I loved the diversity of experiences of my undergrad class. - I believe lectures were mandatory (I need to double check this): Not necessarily a con but I like to choose how I study for different classes and sometimes it's easier to just listen to lectures
Summary of Experience:
Like with U MN, I enjoyed the interview here more than I anticipated. I came in around 10:30 as my interviews were in the afternoon. I wish the applicants had all started out together with an introduction to the school but I'm sure they had reasons for splitting up the interviewees into a morning group and afternoon group. Instead, we heard from the assistant dean a bit before lunch. The assistant dean seemed very in tune with students' needs and interests.
Both faculty interviews were conversational. I got a sense of their perspectives on topics related to medicine as well as completely unrelated. The first interviewer really delved into my career interests and the second seemed especially interested in my decision-making process while I learned about hers as well.
For the student lunch, we all got to talk to a medical student. It was informative and enjoyable. I prefer getting these one on one times compared to speaking with a panel of students or having one med student to tons of interviewees.
Pros - Population: 60% black, good for minority health - 1.5 hours from D.C. - Tracts: Medical Spanish, Primary Care, Psychiatry - Community service requirement - Research quarter requirement for understanding clinical research - Center for vaccines, center for virology - History of city - Only morning class 8-12, one class at a time
Cons - Letter grading - Student body mostly in state - Large class (relative)