A yelp for medical school interview food.

[Officer Farva]

Please list your best and worst experiences.

WashU: 5/5 stars. Fantastic lunch presentation and the breakfast crepes were out of this world. Pizza was surprisingly decent too, and that's coming from a pizza snob who lived in NYC for a while.

SUNY Downstate: 1/2 out of 5 stars: Dryest sandwich I have ever eaten. I was only able to eat half before my body stopped me from eating any more. The one water bottle I had was barely enough to help wash it down.

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[parachichi]

I'm a fan of this.

Shout out to Morehouse for supplying us with a Chipotle-style burrito bar (minus one star because of bad breath-inducing onions): 4/5 stars. All the other interview days were the standard sandwich/salad + chips and a cookie fare, so I can't rank them.

 

[MedSchoolAdvice20]

Western Michigan was top notch. Had the option of grilled salmon and/or good chicken breast, not to mention a big table of side dishes.

Rush University went deep dish Chicago pizza, which was fun to eat while looking out the window at downtown Chicago and the Sears Tower.

 

[darkjedi]

You are really starting to lose it

 

[Erza]

They give you food in interviews?

 

[Officer Farva]

I'm a fan of this.

Shout out to Morehouse for supplying us with a Chipotle-style burrito bar (minus one star because of bad breath-inducing onions): 4/5 stars. All the other interview days were the standard sandwich/salad + chips and a cookie fare, so I can't rank them.

Western Michigan was top notch. Had the option of grilled salmon and/or good chicken breast, not to imagine a big table of side dishes.

Rush University went deep dish Chicago pizza, which was fun to eat while looking out the window at downtown Chicago and the Sears Tower.

Ok, I kind of regret not applying to those schools now.. lol

You are really starting to lose it

I think food says a lot about the culture of a school! Good food = good people. All the nicest people I have ever met were excellent cooks in the kitchen.

 

[mimelim]

Ok, I kind of regret not applying to those schools now.. lol


I think food says a lot about the culture of a school! Good food = good people. All the nicest people I have ever met were excellent cooks in the kitchen.

This has nothing to do with the people and everything to do with the depths of an institution's pockets. What does the quality of catered food have to do with people cooking and how nice they are?

Just wait until people blow $1200 on 10 applicants on lunch... Seen it...

 

[Officer Farva]

This has nothing to do with the people and everything to do with the depths of an institution's pockets. What does the quality of catered food have to do with people cooking and how nice they are?

Just wait until people blow $1200 on 10 applicants on lunch... Seen it...

To be honest, I am just as happy with fast food, preferably white castle or taco bell. That would be quite an economical choice. The other day at taco bell, I bought 3 crunchwrap sliders for just under $5. It was sooooooo good, and so cheap.

 

[PSiloveU2013]

Drexel and University of New England get 5/5 stars for me. Simply because they let us pick out our food in their cafeterias instead of giving us dry sandwiches and a bag of Lay's plain chips (my least favorite chip of all time).


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[Mr Magpie]

UVM outside of its sandwiches provided us with doughnuts (traditional, unglazed) and warm apple cider to dip them in. The combination was great... very reminiscent of apple pie.

Einstein had these kosher beef sliders with some kind of sauce that I thought was cheese (wasn't, but still good). They also had fries. Having hot food was a nice plus since it was in the high 20s low 30s (in late Jan, right after a decent snow storm with around 2-3 ft of snow).

 

[whatever5]

Rosy Franky's food depressed me a bit, but everything about my day there depressed me so this is inherently biased.

 

[MDmichelle]

At Georgetown they had steak and potatoes! 5/5!!

 

[Lawpy]

WashU: 5/5 stars. Fantastic lunch presentation and the breakfast crepes were out of this world. Pizza was surprisingly decent too, and that's coming from a pizza snob who lived in NYC for a while.

What an amazing reward for getting high MCAT scores

 

[LizzyM]

At Georgetown they had steak and potatoes! 5/5!!

Glad they are putting those high secondary fees to good use.

 

[P0ke]

At Ross, they had a mountain of instant mashed potatoes for us since that's the only way they could feed all 3000 of us interviewing that day. It was $50 a scoop and no refills. I rate the potatoes 5/10, they weren't bad but you could tell they were instant.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I hear they give out Olive Garden gift cards for the Caribbean schools.

 

[Mwooster]

When I had my interview at UMHS (Carib), my interviewer took me out and let me pick w/e I wanted from the hot dog cart we shared a 6-pack of Red Stripe Brewskies

 

[Officer Farva]

When I had my interview at UMHS (Carib), my interviewer took me out and let me pick w/e I wanted from the hot dog cart we shared a 6-pack of Red Stripe Brewskies

So they aren't part of the Bud Light Party at UMHS? lol

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

 

[parachichi]

Rosy Franky's food depressed me a bit, but everything about my day there depressed me so this is inherently biased.

Ahh you reminded me, I actually liked Rosy Frank's spread, but they only served snacks, and by the time we got them everyone was starving.

 

[sharkbyte]

Three of the four places had the standard deli sandwich + chips + cookies + salad, which wasn't bad but nothing spectacular either.

Einstein had grilled chicken, rice, salad, fruit, and dessert, which I thought was really good.

 

[Officer Farva]

Three of the four places had the standard deli sandwich + chips + cookies + salad, which wasn't bad but nothing spectacular either.

Einstein had grilled chicken, rice, salad, fruit, and dessert, which I thought was really good.

I have had so much subpar deli food the past year that I haven't been to my favorite deli in months

 

[sharkbyte]

I have had so much subpar deli food the past year that I haven't been to my favorite deli in months

I know right? I've grown so tired of sandwiches now

 

[Megarooski]

TCOM served a breakfast of orange juice, fresh fruit and yogurt, and a few pastries. Lunch was a pretty decent taco salad. Also some of the best brownies I've ever eaten, oddly enough. I'd say it's a 5/5 as far as interview food goes.

 

[Officer Farva]

I know right? I've grown so tired of sandwiches now

I would be the happiest person ever to get cheap stuff like taco bell, white castle, and pizza over deli food

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Washu hands down had the best food

 

[zedsdead]

I agree washu has been best. Honorable mention to Michigan for serving three meals over the course of the day and to columbia for breadth of sandwich choice.

 

[P0ke]

One school that I interviewed at had us at the school at 9am, and interviewed us in the afternoon. They didn't feed us until after the interview, and I think having a low blood sugar level definitely affected my interview. All schools should feed their interviewees a meal before the interview.

They also didn't give us a chance to use the bathrooms until right before our interviews, so I was in the bathroom unloading nearly 4 hours worth of urine from my bladder and the interviewers said that I was late when I walked in.

A bad first impression plus a zombified interview state landed me a post-interview rejection.

 

[NicksMD]

Shoutout to Nebraska for their food during interview day. 4/5 pretty good.

 

[ImmunoLove]

Mayo had a fantastic selection in the cafeteria. UNC MSTP fed us copious amounts of delicious southern food for three days straight.

 

[p0gono]

Stanford & Wash U: 5/5
Columbia & Yale: 4/5
Northwestern & U Chicago: 4/5 (deep dish bias)
All else: 2/5

 

[Lost in Translation]

You are really starting to lose it

OP is trying hard to contribute...

 

[neurotroph]

These are for MSTP interviews but

Cornell and Columbia: 5/5. Super fancy buffets in their faculty clubs.
Mount Sinai: 1/5. The first interview day started around noon and they only had a few granola bars and tiny pastries, I guess since they assumed people would eat lunch before arriving. Their assumption did not align with ours. Everyone pretty much starved until dinner (which was at like 7), especially me since I arrived right as the interview day was officially starting and missed the snacks. The second day had typical sandwiches. Guess they're deserving of a star for actually existing lol.

 

[carpediem22]

Best: Stanford breakfast -- hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bagels, fresh fruit, etc. (and they were pretty proud of this!). Pitt lunch (MSTP) -- hot taco bar complete with vegan meat options! UW Dinner (MSTP) -- UW took us out to really foody restaurants, best food I've had in awhile!

Worst: Harvard breakfast was a single tray of muffins. All the other places blend in with their mediocre boxed lunches. I don't think I'll be able to stomach a deli sandwhich for another few years.

 

[Glandzburg]

Funny that most of the reviews are of food from top schools. Coincidence, or low-key humblebrag?

 

[redferrari]

.

 

[ImmunoLove]

Funny that most of the reviews are of food from top schools. Coincidence, or low-key humblebrag?

Perhaps a correlation between school ranking and interview lunch budget? Just a thought. Though, I've been to plenty of top schools with the standard deli fare, also. It's just nice to eat something other than muffins for breakfast and stale sandwich for lunch.

 

[Glandzburg]

Perhaps a correlation between school ranking and interview lunch budget? Just a thought. Though, I've been to plenty of top schools with the standard deli fare, also. It's just nice to eat something other than muffins for breakfast and stale sandwich for lunch.

My comment was clearly in jest.

 

[ImmunoLove]

My comment was clearly in jest.

Lol no worries! I was just teasing! Plus, a Kanye ref is always awesome.

 

[asquared]

Might as well throw in my $0.02.

1. UA-Phoenix: It was a yummy paradise bakery sandwich with warm cookie. Breakfast was also filling and they had egg tortilla things. 4/5
2. Johns Hopkins: I was way too nervous to eat, but they had Panera catered food, which was delicious! Plus they had soda, which is great, since I am basically a soda-addict. 4/5

 

[JPA178]

The food at Jefferson is awesome. Muffins and such for breakfast, coffee/water/granola bars available all day. Lunch is buffet style and your choice of grilled chicken/grilled salmon/roasted tofu, roasted potatoes and roasted veggies, an excellent salad, and a nice spread of desserts, all served on real china with metal silverware. After the interview day is over, Jeff has cookie hour with a few different types of fresh cookies, coffee, and an opportunity to informally chat with the deans and current students. Definitely gets 5/5. Loyola was good too, anything you wanted from their cafeteria, most of it was pretty standard. But we ate in the cafeteria with everyone else as opposed to the a private dining room at Jeff. VCU had pretty decent chicken wraps. NYMC's lunch was pretty bad, a small tray of deli sandwiches and a communal bowl of potato chips (didn't even go for the individual bags of lay's). Someone told me they interviewed at a school whose lunch consisted of a pot of lukewarm chili with styrofoam bowls and plastic spoons, can't remember which school. Talk about worst interview lunch ever.

 

[21Rush12]

SUNY Upstate: 4.5/5

They had some Italian place cater lunch, excellent lasagna and good rolls. Dessert was from a local bakery, a variety of cookies including the only oatmeal cookie I've ever eaten and liked. Minus 1/2 star for boring iceberg salad and for the fact that lasagna/red sauce made me petrified that I'd be a dingus and drop some on my suit (I didn't, but it was close).

 

[carpediem22]

I think that the rankings/food quality thing goes like this: Top schools either A) Go all out on food or B) Have a "you're lucky to be here" mentality and give you muffins. So high propensity to make a best/worst list, haha.

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

Campbell: 5/5- They gave us a wide variety of choices to make for our sammiches prior to the interview, great snacks.
LECOM: 4/5- Good pizza w/ salad at the end of the interview.
KCUMB: 3/5- The food itself was great, but fish before the interview made me scrambling to find a mint/gum.
TCMC: 2/5- Only soup with a small salad. Nothing else lol.

 

[oobie]

University of Arizona was pretty good. They had enchiladas, beans, and I don't remember what else. It's been too long since it.

 

[Lucca]

Best: Stanford breakfast -- hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bagels, fresh fruit, etc. (and they were pretty proud of this!). Pitt lunch (MSTP) -- hot taco bar complete with vegan meat options! UW Dinner (MSTP) -- UW took us out to really foody restaurants, best food I've had in awhile!

Worst: Harvard breakfast was a single tray of muffins. All the other places blend in with their mediocre boxed lunches. I don't think I'll be able to stomach a deli sandwhich for another few years.

Shh don't tell them about the fancy MSTP dinners. They can't know. It's too competitive already lol

 

[Officer Farva]

Best: Stanford breakfast -- hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bagels, fresh fruit, etc. (and they were pretty proud of this!). Pitt lunch (MSTP) -- hot taco bar complete with vegan meat options! UW Dinner (MSTP) -- UW took us out to really foody restaurants, best food I've had in awhile!

Worst: Harvard breakfast was a single tray of muffins. All the other places blend in with their mediocre boxed lunches. I don't think I'll be able to stomach a deli sandwhich for another few years.

MSTP is awesome! I might have lost ten pounds during my regular MD interview season from the lack of good food options.

 

[iker]

Best: Stanford breakfast -- hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bagels, fresh fruit, etc. (and they were pretty proud of this!). Pitt lunch (MSTP) -- hot taco bar complete with vegan meat options! UW Dinner (MSTP) -- UW took us out to really foody restaurants, best food I've had in awhile!

Worst: Harvard breakfast was a single tray of muffins. All the other places blend in with their mediocre boxed lunches. I don't think I'll be able to stomach a deli sandwhich for another few years.

I think Harvard is almost notorious for their awful food. A friend of mine went there for undergrad and absolutely hated the food there.

 

[Sgucci]

Worst place: Virginia tech (gave me food poisoning) or Albany.

 

[NorthOfBroad]

Looking back over my notes from each school, I seemed to actually focus a lot on the food

Best:
UVa- Catered lunch in the swanky faculty club (our day was mexican food, excellent enchiladas). Wide selection of teas, waiter service, and choice of warm dessert. The table next to us was reserved for a basketball recruit and everyone was dressed in a suit so it made us applicants feel less self-conscious. My favorite lunch day by far and left a really nice impression.
Jefferson- Salmon, seasoned chicken, creamy alfredo sauce pasta, nice salad, with Wawa lemonade and iced tea (I am a big fan of Wawa)
Hopkins: Panera sandwiches, simple but delicious

Worst:
Temple- did not actually have enough lunches or place settings for everyone, had to eat half a crappy deli wrap on a napkin, and got one of those bags of lay's that is abnormally small and full of air. Student hosts shrugged off our no-plate/food predicament
TCMC- Day old pasta salad