<p>Thanks!..didn’t know UPitt SOM is private.</p>
<p>All PA medical schools are private–even Penn State.</p>
<p>There is only a $1000 difference for resident vs non resident at Pitt.</p>
<p>[Cost</a> And Financial Aid | Admissions & Financial Aid | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.medadmissions.pitt.edu/financial-aid/index.php]Cost”>http://www.medadmissions.pitt.edu/financial-aid/index.php)</p>
<p>Penn State seems to differentiate a bit more - about 8k worth.</p>
<p><a href=“http://pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0a2367fe-e30a-43eb-a433-ac13930acd89&groupId=133445[/url]”>http://pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=0a2367fe-e30a-43eb-a433-ac13930acd89&groupId=133445</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=fcf45241-0740-40d1-88e3-9d480c603397&groupId=133445[/url]”>http://pennstatehershey.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=fcf45241-0740-40d1-88e3-9d480c603397&groupId=133445</a></p>
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<p>No I check my status routinely on schools that I know move fast with holds/rejections/etc. Information is on sdn. I track schools based on what other posters have posted about when they were complete and when they got rejected, II, waitlisted, etc. lol its a neurotic thing to do but it helps me see when I need to send in an update letter. If I hadn’t checked my status with GW or Wake, I would have never know that I was put on hold because they don’t email applicants with status changes. They expect applicants to be checking their status frequently. Only problem with that is, if an applicant applies to too many schools, it may be hard to do a routine status check on all your schools.</p>
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<p>^ “complete”, according to them, is when they have received your LOR. I was “complete” on 8/29 or something. You must have had a REALLY strong application to get an interview if your app was “complete” around 9/29. Your II is that much more impressive because Mayo gets very very very selective with their interview invites around this time. I am expecting to be rejected within 2 or 3 weeks. </p>
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<p>Thanks dude. If you don’t mind me asking, did you end up getting in? I understand that you are from Texas according to some of your other posts on this thread. If you were accepted, why not choose Mayo over say Baylor/UTSW? All three are great schools, but cost shouldn’t have been such a HUGE issue because Mayo is known to give a lot of generous aid. Were there any other reasons for choosing another school over Mayo?</p>
<p>I hope I hear back from some other Texas schools soon. For now I am grateful for my invites from UTMB, A&M, El Paso. Kristin you are right, all it takes is 1 !</p>
<p>Was not accepted there. Loved the school and hospital, but Rochester not so much. My worst interview performance was also at that school.
I chose another school over baylor/utsw.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids,
Congrats on your S’s II!</p>
<p>I honestly was unaware that Mayo was additionally selective toward the end of the cycle; I’m not surprised though, because the group I was interviewing with was certainly top-notch. I also don’t know how extraordinary my application was; while I did have 3 top 25 interviews, I was not accepted to any of them (waitlisted then withdrew from 2, withdrew from the other).</p>
<p>HOWEVER–and this is the important point!!!–I ended up at a school that is, in my opinion, incredible. The curriculum is exactly what I want. The people in my class and in the classes around me are just fantastic kids that are so fun to be around. I’m challenged, I’m busy, I’m learning a ton, but I’m not ridiculously stressed out. By some wonderful stroke of serendipity, my school is quite well known for the area of research I’m interested in. I have time to go to football games, hang out with my brother who’s a sophomore undergrad here, visit with my 84yo grandmother who lives in town, etc etc etc. I picked up a scholarship and am already in state, so I’m not breaking the bank. </p>
<p>I am certain the med students who are represented on this board would say the same thing about their experiences at their school fitting them wonderfully.</p>
<p>So the take home points are: find where you fit, and it only takes one :)</p>
<p>* I picked up a scholarship and am already in state, so I’m not breaking the bank. *</p>
<p>Congrats K!! :)</p>
<p>I realize that every SOM may do things differently, but is there any kind of expectation to have for the interview? </p>
<p>I’m guessing that the interviewee must be there early (maybe 8am??) and then is there all day? or is that wrong? </p>
<p>lol…what should the interviewee bring with him/her?</p>
<p>Some schools tell you the format on their website or in the invitation. There is also discussions of interviews on SDN either by current interviewees or med students. </p>
<p>Many seem to have a couple of 1/2 to 1 hr interviews either with 2 physicians or 1 physician and a med student. These can range from casual conversations that rarely mention medicine to some tough questions about the state of health care, ethical questions, etc. Some are open (they can read your application) and some are closed. Some schools have MMIs (multiple mini interviews) which sound pretty stressful.</p>
<p>If you google medical school interviews, you can get many hits with advice/topics/etc.</p>
<p>They usually tell you in the II how long the day lasts; sometimes you can get out early if you have early interview times, skip optional sessions/tours. </p>
<p>Paper and pen to take notes. D1 forgot to bring anything to her first interview, she thought they’d at least give them some freebee pens from the SOM.</p>
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<p>You are right, but beggars can’t be choosers until beggars have some choices lol. If I only get 1 acceptance, then I can’t pick and choose. If I get more than 1, then fit will come into play. Right now I am just focused on getting more interviews and I can worry about fit after I have more than 1 acceptance lol. Thanks for the tips, hopefully I get to use them later on in the application cycle if I have more than 1 acceptance lol.</p>
<p>Let’s see…my interviews went something like this:</p>
<p>A) 11-4. Info, tour, lunch, interviews. Interviews were one-on-one, open file, with MDs, and each was 60min. 75% of those minutes were laidback.</p>
<p>B) 8-afternoon (3?). Info, interview, tours, lunch, panel interviews, mingling. Individual interview was 20min, panel interview (3 interviewers and 3 applicants in a group) was maybe an hour. Much more intense than A.</p>
<p>C) 8-afternoon (2?). Info, tours and lunch, free time to explore, interviews. 2 30min interviews with 30min in between. The first was relaxed, the second was more intense.</p>
<p>D) don’t remember time–morning-afternoon I think. Same general pattern. Interviews after all the rest of the stuff. I think there were 3 30min interviews, one with admissions, one with an MD (mostly about ethics), and I can’t remember the third but I vaguely remember it happening.</p>
<p>So, interview styles vary by school. You’ll get the info you need before the interview, probably in an email from the school when they’re confirming your interview date.</p>
<p>Thanks K!</p>
<p>The interview confirming email mentions that details will be forthcoming once son is assigned interviewers. On the SOMs website, there is a mention of a luncheon and a tour. So, I was guessing that the day would end between 3pm-5pm…???</p>
<p>I was just trying to help him figure out travel arrangements. He’ll definitely arrive the day before (hotel room booked), but the leaving time is up in the air.</p>
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<p>If interested, many schools have student hosting programs, saves on $ and can help in getting a better feel for the students at the school.</p>
<p>Some thoughts on the hosting vs hotels thing:</p>
<p>As an applicant, I chose to stay with non-med-student friends who lived in the area or get a hotel. On the one hand, I wanted to see my friends in other cities; on the other, I didn’t want to feel pressured into being a good house guest in some stranger’s place, and I was a little apprehensive that I wouldn’t get along with the host and that would change my opinion of the school. I don’t think my choice to not stay with student hosts negatively affected me, but looking back, I probably overthought it.</p>
<p>As a med student, last year I hosted applicants. I live near the school and know a thing or two about med school admissions, so I figured it would be a nice thing to do. My roommate and I get along fantastically but are actually pretty different; she’s from out of state and is in the Navy, so we have a variety of insights to offer. The students I hosted seemed to really like the conversations we had, said it put them at ease for their interview, and appreciated it that we showed them the route to walk to school (or where to park) including navigating the hospital en route to the admissions office. </p>
<p>So, I guess it mostly depends on what would make him the least stressed out. Having a big bed in a nice quiet hotel where you don’t have to worry about being nice to a complete stranger sure had its benefits; on the other hand, getting to talk with current students might provide some valuable insight into the school and the interview process, and give him a feel for what it’s like to live in that area as a student.</p>
<p>Tip: if he’ll be getting in the day before his interview and in time for dinner, treating the host was something that always made me happy :)</p>
<p>I did read about “student hosting”…</p>
<p>I just wondered how that all worked. Does the guest sleep on a couch? Most students don’t have a spare bed.</p>
<p>^at my school, it just depends on the host. One night me and my friends were up late studying, so I offered my room to the girl I was hosting; otherwise, they all slept on the couch (a decent-sized leather sectional that I nap on daily). I have friends with pull-out couches and also friends with spare bedrooms complete with beds (these tend to be the older/married students). But in general, I’d say couch is the most likely. Info about hosts (including sleeping arrangements) may be available from the school; I know I filled out a row on an excel sheet (location, pets, sleeping arrangements, days available to host) that was later sent to applicants who requested it. No idea if this is common.</p>
<p>D1 has been making her own arrangements and hasn’t talked about what the accommodations were like. She does tend to sleep like a rock, so that helps in such situations :).</p>
<p>She’s mentioned spreadsheets or lists that tell how far away the student lives from the school, which has been her main concern. Sounds like the hosting has ranged from a place to sleep but not much interaction with the host due to a test the following day (very understandable) to having dinner and a tour of campus with the host.</p>
<p>D. stayed with current students on all her interview visits. She did not complain. She said it is a good way to learn what kind of students are at each specific school. She actually stayed with the same student at one of her Second Look event later on. We viisited the studio of her host (during Second Look) because we were there looking for potential apartments. This Med. Student had 2 guests during Second Look, my D. and another applicant. I do not know how they slept. Studio had a couch and a queen bad. This is exactly what my D. (MS2) has in her studio currently. D. usually had a choice of hosts. She tried to choose a host with background similar to her own. The girl that I mentioned above, graduated from the same UG as my D. and applied to few of the same Med. Schools and got accepted to about the same. So, she had a vluable input to my D’s decision making.</p>
<p>I realize that interview questions can run the gamut, but what might be some of the more commonly asked questions?</p>