2017-2018 The Commonwealth Medical College (Geisinger)

BU Medical Sciences
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manicpixie said:
Don't be nervous! They are so kind and there is nothing to worry about. I was asked the generic "tell me about yourself," "why medicine?" "Why GCSOM?" But aside from those my interviewer was just asking me follow up questions based on my answers, very much like a normal conversation. Nothing about current events or healthcare policy or anything. Don't worry! Just know yourself!
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Thank you for your input! I was also wondering if their style of interview would be more conversational or if they wanted to test your knowledge on topics. My last interview was very conversational as well so it's reassuring to know that they aren't trying to stress you out 😀

I look forward to meeting some of you guys on Monday!!
 
DayDoesMed said:
Question: Do you mind sharing some of the questions they asked? Or maybe just give us some info on the subjects? Was it mostly on the PS? I know some schools love to ask about current events, so I'm trying to brush up. I just don't even know where to begin. It's my first II, and I'm super nervous as an OOS.
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I've been on two interviews so far and they have been very conversational- sometimes not even pertaining to anything on my application. I have heard from multiple sources that the interview at GCSOM is very similar in nature (although it ultimately depends on the interviewer). To be honest, if they bring you in for an interview they just want to get to know you better. At this stage they aren't out to scare you or grill you about anything. From my experience, interviews are a great time for the school to market itself to make students want to go there. Just my two cents! You are going to do great 🙂
 
Rejected a few weeks back.

In-state. 512. 3.3 uGrad, 3.9 grad (SMP) Lizzy M ~ 68 - 70
 
pramsotingz said:
II yesterday afternoon! OOS but from a nearby state. Interview dates were available for September through end of October, with dates on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and one Saturday.
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You have 15 interviews?! Wow, congrats!
 
wizarddoc2213 said:
I've been on two interviews so far and they have been very conversational- sometimes not even pertaining to anything on my application. I have heard from multiple sources that the interview at GCSOM is very similar in nature (although it ultimately depends on the interviewer). To be honest, if they bring you in for an interview they just want to get to know you better. At this stage they aren't out to scare you or grill you about anything. From my experience, interviews are a great time for the school to market itself to make students want to go there. Just my two cents! You are going to do great 🙂
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Thank you so much! That's a great perspective. I forget they're interested in me too, hehe.
 
manicpixie said:
Don't be nervous! They are so kind and there is nothing to worry about. I was asked the generic "tell me about yourself," "why medicine?" "Why GCSOM?" But aside from those my interviewer was just asking me follow up questions based on my answers, very much like a normal conversation. Nothing about current events or healthcare policy or anything. Don't worry! Just know yourself!
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's great to know it's conversational. Good luck to you on your applications 🙂 Who knows, we might end up at GCSOM together.
 
I had a wonderful interviewing experience today! It's going to be a long month (or longer) waiting to hear back from them. Really impressed by what GCSOM has to offer their students. Good luck to everyone interviewing soon! You'll love it.
 
My faculty interviewer was rather difficult - he gave challenging ethical questions and political healthcare questions, some of which I had no idea what he was really asking. I didn't feel as prepared for these because most people had said that their interviews were based off of their application and pretty chill.
My student interviewer was super nice, however, and everything else was great. It's a fabulous facility, I can only hope I gave the right answers and they think that I fit as well as I do!

Side note - you HAVE to try the scones. They're legendary.
 
DrDunkin said:
My faculty interviewer was rather difficult - he gave challenging ethical questions and political healthcare questions, some of which I had no idea what he was really asking. I didn't feel as prepared for these because most people had said that their interviews were based off of their application and pretty chill.
My student interviewer was super nice, however, and everything else was great. It's a fabulous facility, I can only hope I gave the right answers and they think that I fit as well as I do!

Side note - you HAVE to try the scones. They're legendary.
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Wow, that blows. On the plus side, I'm sure you killed it! Pre-meds are known for being fast on their feet :laugh: It's all about the finesse
 
FlyMissMD93 said:
Anyone know if the interviewers have access to our letters of recommendation? Also, for those of you who interviewed already, did it seem like your interviewers read your application thoroughly?
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It all depends on who you have. Your student interviewer only has access to your secondaries, and your faculty interviewer has access to everything (even LOR) except for your transcripts and MCAT scores. With that being said, it was quite obvious that none of my interviewers reviewed any of my file. So my questions were all pretty generic: Why NEPA/Geisinger? Why Medicine? Do you like teamwork? What experiences make you a good fit? Etc. And so forth.

However, keep in mind that you could end up getting an unlucky faculty interviewer. I've heard from two pre-meds (btw 2015-2017) that they were asked challenging ethical scenarios, to relay present healthcare issues, and inquiries on how to increase primary care graduates at Geisinger Commonwealth. So just be prepared for anything! Especially if your interviewer is a male (spoiler alert).
 
MedicineN'Jazz said:
It all depends on who you have. Your student interviewer only has access to your secondaries, and your faculty interviewer has access to everything (even LOR) except for your transcripts and MCAT scores. With that being said, it was quite obvious that none of my interviewers reviewed any of my file. So my questions were all pretty generic: Why NEPA/Geisinger? Why Medicine? Do you like teamwork? What experiences make you a good fit? Etc. And so forth.

However, keep in mind that you could end up getting an unlucky faculty interviewer. I've heard from two pre-meds (btw 2015-2017) that they were asked challenging ethical scenarios, to relay present healthcare issues, and inquiries on how to increase primary care graduates at Geisinger Commonwealth. So just be prepared for anything! Especially if your interviewer is a male (spoiler alert).
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^ I second this. This was probably my least favorite Interview so far. The student interviewer literally just read through a list of standard interview questions and didn’t answer the questions that I asked him/her well enough for me to believe that they actually like being a student at the school. The faculty Interview seemed like they just wanted to stump you instead of getting to know you by asking weird questions that required more than a few seconds to formulate an intelligent answer for
 
wizarddoc2213 said:
^ I second this. This was probably my least favorite Interview so far. The student interviewer literally just read through a list of standard interview questions and didn’t answer the questions that I asked him/her well enough for me to believe that they actually like being a student at the school. The faculty Interview seemed like they just wanted to stump you instead of getting to know you by asking weird questions that required more than a few seconds to formulate an intelligent answer for
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Yikes this scares me for mine tomorrow!
 
H_Scheck said:
Yikes this scares me for mine tomorrow!
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Don’t be scared! Just know what to expect. I went into this thinking it would be very conversational (based on my other interviews at other schools)
 
MedicineN'Jazz said:
It all depends on who you have. Your student interviewer only has access to your secondaries, and your faculty interviewer has access to everything (even LOR) except for your transcripts and MCAT scores. With that being said, it was quite obvious that none of my interviewers reviewed any of my file. So my questions were all pretty generic: Why NEPA/Geisinger? Why Medicine? Do you like teamwork? What experiences make you a good fit? Etc. And so forth.

However, keep in mind that you could end up getting an unlucky faculty interviewer. I've heard from two pre-meds (btw 2015-2017) that they were asked challenging ethical scenarios, to relay present healthcare issues, and inquiries on how to increase primary care graduates at Geisinger Commonwealth. So just be prepared for anything! Especially if your interviewer is a male (spoiler alert).
Click to expand...

The interviewer may not have access to your transcript and MCAT score but I was asked mine during my interview, so just a heads up. My faculty interviewer also did not ask me many questions and left a lot of the time for me to ask them questions, so be sure to come prepared with some.
 
studiene said:
The interviewer may not have access to your transcript and MCAT score but I was asked mine during my interview, so just a heads up. My faculty interviewer also did not ask me many questions and left a lot of the time for me to ask them questions, so be sure to come prepared with some.
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Wait, did you actually give it to them?
With my stats, I wouldn't have dared
 
MedicineN'Jazz said:
Wait, did you actually give it to them?
With my stats, I wouldn't have dared
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I did. I don't know how I would have said no otherwise. I'm happy with my GPA, and they know my undergrad institution so that helped and I did not mind sharing. My MCAT is kind of meh, but when I told the interviewer he seemed to react as if it were an OK score. It falls into their range though so. Who knows! I currently have no idea how my fate lies there. I really did love the school though! Literally everyone was super nice. I was just a little surprised at how different my questions were in this interview as opposed to my last one.
 
studiene said:
I did. I don't know how I would have said no otherwise. I'm happy with my GPA, and they know my undergrad institution so that helped and I did not mind sharing. My MCAT is kind of meh, but when I told the interviewer he seemed to react as if it were an OK score. It falls into their range though so. Who knows! I currently have no idea how my fate lies there. I really did love the school though! Literally everyone was super nice. I was just a little surprised at how different my questions were in this interview as opposed to my last one.
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Lol, and this is why I do NOT walk into interviews with personal folders. I'm happy your interviewer was satisfied with your scores, but even happier I didn't go through that process with mine.
 
MedicineN'Jazz said:
Lol, and this is why I do NOT walk into interviews with personal folders. I'm happy your interviewer was satisfied with your scores, but even happier I didn't go through that process with mine.
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What do you mean by personal folders? But yeah, same here. Hopefully both our interviews went well and we'll both hear good news from them in the future.
 
studiene said:
What do you mean by personal folders? But yeah, same here. Hopefully both our interviews went well and we'll both hear good news from them in the future.
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What i meant was that every school gives its interviewees folders. When you bring in any extras, or even portfolios, you may incite curiosity or temptation from your interviewers. It sounds like you had one or the other, because I sure didn't have my transcript or scores on my person.

Still, it sounds like everything ended well. Hopefully, we both hear good news October 16!
 
MedicineN'Jazz said:
What i meant was that every school gives its interviewees folders. When you bring in any extras, or even portfolios, you may incite curiosity or temptation from your interviewers. It sounds like you had one or the other, because I sure didn't have my transcript or scores on my person.

Still, it sounds like everything ended well. Hopefully, we both hear good news October 16!
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You really think so?! I did come in with a portfolio, but my interviewer made a comment about my organizational skills so I never thought of it to perhaps be disadvantageous! I did not have any copies of my stats in there though, just my secondary app and questions written down. I feel like that's at least better than doing the interview and then completely blanking on the questions. It allows me to have at least one less worry that way.
 
I'm happy to say that my interviewer was pleasant, and had reviewed my file. She asked questions about my experiences and it was mainly conversational. I didn't have a single typical "why Geisinger or why medicine" question. Also my student interviewer was laid back and made me feel comfortable and welcomed at the school.
 
Interviewed Monday, so late to the game. Super relaxed interview and day overall. It seems like students have a lot of support there and TCMC's merger with Geisinger opens up more opportunities for students across NEPA.
 
Officially rejected as of 10 minutes ago 🙁 good luck to those still in the running
 
Been complete here since early july and still haven't heard anything 🙁
 
This was my first pre-II rejection of the season!
OOS, cGPA: 3.77, sGPA: 3.64, LM: 68

Good luck to everyone still in the running!
 
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