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?

8 out of 10

How long was the interview?

35 minutes

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

How many people interviewed you?

1 faculty member, then 1 current student (2 separate interviews) each between 30-45 min long

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)?

"Common questions like: Why medicine? Why MCW? What volunteer activities medicine and non-medicine have you done? Tell me about your research. What would you do if you didn't get into medical school this application cycle? Tell me about yourself." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"Why do you think you had a little trouble with (insert subject area) when you first began college? I was also asked why I had taken time off after college and before applying to medical school and what I had done with that time (I took off one year after graduation and then a second year while applying)." Report Response | I was asked this question too

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

"With all your research experience, why did you decide to apply to a MD prgram instead of a PhD or MD/PhD program?" Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"Name two things that you like about the research you are doing (meaning something about the job in general) and two things that you don't like." Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"What clinical activities are you currently involved in? This wasn't difficult to answer per se as I completed my most recent one and so I wasn't currently doing any. I just felt like I had done plenty of clinical activities by volunteering and shadowing throughout and after college but had finished my most recent shadowing experience (so wasn't shadowing at the moment). This was in my file already, but it was still brought up which made me feel self-conscious that it was being perceived negatively and all my previous activities didn't matter. All I could do was answer honestly and hope I was wrong about it being a negative." Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Talked with some friends who attend here about their interview experience and what their classmates have told them. Talked with current students doing the Thurs informal meeting. Looked at SDN and researched the school thoroughly. Had experience from previous interviews and mock interviews. Also, I had attended one of MCW's mock interview days for pre-meds a few months ago." Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"The students were really the best thing about MCW. They all seemed happy to be there, and the class as a whole seems very collaborative and not at all competitive. The class size is large so even if there's someone you just don't mesh with, you can just never speak to them which is awesome since I think all medical schools get a few of "those people" in every class. And there's always enough people to find a good group of friends to hang and study with. Most of the facilities are very nice and new. They have a lot of resources for advising and counseling whether it be for classes/boards/mental health/residency matching. From large and small group tutoring, career advising, board study groups, everything was available should it be needed. The curriculum is being over-hauled over the next couple years (started about 2 years ago), which is very needed and will definitely prepare students to succeed in today's field of medicine. It's also really nice to know that the faculty have recognized how much medicine has changed and that medical education needs to change to keep up unlike some other schools that prefer to deny that a century-old curriculum is out-of-date. It's very affordable to live very close to the school and in a nice and safe place. The faculty are very available to the students. The pathways seem very interesting especially the clinician educator pathway as I'm interested in medical education and haven't been able to find a lot of medical schools that specifically have ways to teach students to become teachers. Great research programs, whether you pick a summer research program a research honors distinction or the physician/scientist pathway (not the joint degree). Great ways to help out in communties around Milwaukee, I especially am excited about the Saturday Free Clinic. It has a free gym and lounge area with tv, pool tables, and ping pong tables." Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"A few of the facilities such as a computer lab we passed by on the tour seem a little out-dated (although most things are very nice and new). The gym is in the basement which seems kind of like a dungeon and has some REALLY old machines alongside the newer ones. The new curriculum is much needed but means that the current classes are being phased from the old one and into the new one. They are doing this with volunteer pilot programs for certain courses that then become the regular course for next year's class. This caused some bumps (as any new curriculum will) with scaling the pilot programs (mostly small groups) up to the whole class of ~200 students. Overall I got the sense that the faculty are really dedicated to helping the students as much as possible and making the switch as seamless as possible while remaining very open to student feedback, however there are still going to be some problems and the classes during the switch are still going to be guinea pigs for testing everything out on. Overall it's working out well, but not everything is working perfectly. The new pathways seem very interesting but so far not well clarified. Even the students currently doing them are not sure what they are expected to accomplish with them before their graduation." Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"Nothing really, I think the school was very open and honest about everything. Plus I researched this school well before my interview. And they provide many opportunities to ask the students and faculty questions before and after you interview." Report Response

What are your general comments?

"Wish I could have learned a little more detail about what each of the pathways entailed. The info given was helpful but very broad and generalized. It sounded very itneresting and something I would welcome having a chance to take part in, but nobody really seemed to have all the details figured out yet which was frustrating." Report Response

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tourguide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

9 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What was your total time spent traveling?

4-6 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

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

< $100

What airport did you use?

No Response

Where did you stay?

Friends or family

How would you rate the hotel?

5 out of 10

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No Response

On what date did the interview take place?

03/26/2010

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

8 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

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How eco-friendly are the school's application materials and interview process?

7 out of 10

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

"For the Thurs informal meetings, post a sign on the main door directing students to the building's "north entrance". The main doors are all locked after 6 pm (the meetings start at 8:30) and say to use the "north entrance", but didn't give any indication of which way around the rather large building would be the closet and easiest way to find the north entrance. Thankfully I guessed and it was correct so I found it pretty easy but other applicants guessed the wrong way and could have been saved the trouble especially since it was pretty cold outside." Report Response