Okay so now that I'm back home, I'll detail why this interview was so amazing.
The day started with the same coffee and conference room with admissions info, but the immediate beginning was already special. You walk in and the admissions staff has read your application so thoroughly that when they see you they remember where you're coming from or what you've been up to recently. That sort of immediate first impression goes a long way. Something I feel like we all should keep in mind as we're going through interview season is how well our interviewers really know our applications. While this process is largely us selling ourselves to these schools, the schools are also selling themselves to us. While the nature of that may make their side inherently less intimidating than ours, something like immediate recognition of my file goes a long way in that I've been here 1 minute and I already know they truly care about their students.
And then you go through more of the same admissions and financial aid sessions and what not, but even these sort of standard things are different because the staff is so... I don't know... Actually human. Not just another bland presentation on numbers, but a humorous, colloquial, and interesting dialogue.
And the interviews? Well you can't really give specifics on those, but they were great. Probably the most relaxed of them all. I've been realizing through all the interviews at different schools that laid back and actually not intense (mostly) stress fests, but these just perpetuated my sense of my interviewers knew me.
But of all of this, I haven't touched on the most important thing to me. Every medical school is great and everyone can become a phenomenal physician at all of them I'm sure, but what this decision comes down to is what environment works best for us. Not only which program will make us a good physician but which one will make us the happiest people. I really feel that Brown takes care of its students. And they create a fantastic environment for growing minds to learn in. There is such an air of the marketplace of ideas at Brown and a general of openness from everyone to everyone. It shows that Brown values you not just as a student but as an individual, it shows on paper through the electives they offer (ie. literature/playwriting, not JUST intro to surgery etc) and it shows in person through the interactions you will have all throughout the interview day.
Now I'm realizing that I've typed a short novel of a cheeseball story for you all, so I'm going to stop while I'm mildly ahead. I hope everyone who interviews here has the same experience I did and good luck to everyone who hasn't heard yet!
