Please provide feedback on any MSTP interviews that you have had using the following format, and let's see if we can keep them grouped together by schools.
School
-"screen name & interview date" (if you wish)
-# Program Interviews:
-# Research Interviews/Meetings:
-Closed/Open file:
-Interview Questions: list them.
-Admissions office impression: 1 to 5.
-Stress of Interview: 1 to 5.
-Overall Impression: 1 to 5.
-Comments:
WashU
-"thndr"
-1 medical school interview, 1 committee interview, 4 faculty research interviews, 1 on 1 interview with an MSTP adcom member as a rap-up at the end of the day (opportunity to make a good impression if there were any issues during your committee interview).
-All Open file
-Interview Questions: "why MD/PhD?" (short answer) "Please describe one research project that you have worked on" (You get 20 min in front of the MSTP admissions committee ~12 faculty and 2 directors)
-Admissions office impression: 5 (awesome MSTP admin support)
-Stress of Interview: 1 (very low stress Med and faculty research interviews) 4 (pretty stressful committee interview)
-Overall Impression: 5 (awesome school for doing an MSTP)
-Comments: They take very good care of you during the 2 interview days: very nice hotel with individual bedrooms, great restaurants for dinner, walked from one interview to the next, overall well pampered. WashU is one of the largest programs (~25 matriculate per year) and it is extremely well funded (NIH grant, WashU endowment, private fund raising). MD/PhD balance between research and clinical training is definitely tilted towards research. They make a big effort to match you up with faculty you are interested in interviewing with, so take care when you send them your faculty list.
Pitts
-"thndr"
-Day 1: 3 MSTP adcom interviews (1on1), 1 MSTP student interview, ? Research Faculty Interviews (depends on which program you express interest in, I chose pathology and had 5 interviews). Day 2: MD interview (time to emphasize clinical medicine and helping others, not your research experiences).
-All Open file
-Interview Questions: "why MD/PhD?" "If you could only do one, practice clinical medicine or do research, which one would you choose and why?"
-Admissions office impression: 5 (strong admin support + excellent integration of MD and PhD degrees)
-Stress of Interview: 3 (expect some serious questions about your past research interests and your rationale for choosing Pitts and for choosing an MD/PhD program).
-Overall Impression: 4
-Comments: This is the best integration of MD and PhD training that I have seen (I have been on 6 MSTP interviews thus far). Care is taken during your MD years to keep your research skills sharp, including a new 6 month post doc program (stipend boost + extra time to prep for residency match), and the clinical exposure during your PhD years is robust (you can do one 1/2 day a week in clinic with the head of the ER department for example, or go into the OR if that is your thing). Too bad Pittsburgh is just not as nice as Chicago, San Francisco, or other cities or else this would definitely be the program to beat!
University of Michigan
-# Program Interviews: ~ 8 total. 3 with faculty in your area. 3 with mstp operating committee- 2 faculty on committee with related interests if possible, and 1 mstp student from your desired grad department.
-# Research Interviews/Meetings: 3 purely research faculty meetings.
-Closed/Open file: open
-Interview Questions: basic. talked a lot about michigan, the area, the school. research interests and experiences. md interviewers definitely read the ps.
-Admissions office impression: mstp office was ridiculously friendly.
-Stress of Interview: 1, besides one intense md interviewer
-Overall Impression: 5.
-Comments: they have multiple methods of helping students choose labs for rotations, and committees dedicating to picking a thesis lab, along with a separate thesis committee once you decide.
University of Wisconsin
-# Program Interviews: 6 total, 1 admissions meeting
-# Research Interviews/Meetings: 5 faculty meetings
-Closed/Open file: open with admissions meeting, don't think file was given to or read by research faculty.
-Interview Questions: standard. tell me about yourself, talk about research, talked about admissions process, things about Madison.
-Admissions office impression: 5. very nice. assistant is very, very helpful.
-Stress of Interview: 1. Realllly laid-back here. Students sign up to escort you to all the interviews, so you don't even have to worry about finding buildings or getting lost, or even leaving on time.
-Overall Impression: 4
-Comments: some of the faculty seem so into their own research it seems like they don't always have time for their students (a big, big change from what i'm used to). probably just comes with the territory of a big school, though.
