I’ve been planning to post my impressions of the school for a while. I’m now procrastinating from studying for PChem, so this seems like the best time. I had the opportunity to interview here and I must say it was a great experience - Wake Forest is a wonderful school. I drove in to Winston-Salem pretty late at night before my interview and was not expecting a city - I’m not sure what i was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by skyscrapers and city lights. The medical school took over one of the old tobacco plants and is at the corner/end of the city. It’s an absolutely beautiful building and I’ve heard (and experienced) there is very little traffic and plentiful parking. I also think there was some kind of conspiracy with the date I interviewed because fall was in full effect and the trees were absolutely beautiful. I discovered in the morning that the city is not large by any means - it’s more like a glorified Main Street of sorts - somewhat similar to Greenville, SC. I found it large enough to give a city feel, but certainly small enough for those who are from small towns.
One note on the location is that Winston-Salem is just over an hour from Durham and Charlotte - maybe 1.5 hours from Raleigh and 2 hours from Asheville. This gives you many opportunities to go to bigger cities or go hiking in some of the most beautiful mountains you will ever see.
I stayed with a student and highly recommend this. I was able to talk with her extensively about her experience as a student there and how she decided where to apply, where to attend, etc. She mentioned that the biggest complaint I would probably hear from any students on campus would be with regards to the city itself. Some thought it was too big (this is a little laughable, but hey - everyone has a different perspective), some found it too small (probably those looking for a big city like NYC, Chicago, etc.). Note to anyone looking for a big city: This is not for you. Wake doesn’t have a social before the interview, so I highly recommend staying with a student host to get a feel for the school. There are only three things I might consider modifying for the interview, and having a social the night before would be one thing I would add. BUT - it gave me some extra time with my family, so no complaints on my end.
The interview day went smoothly. This is the first school I’ve visited that told me to be there at a specific time, then actually started a little later. While I was there plenty early, I found this somewhat refreshing as it did give a little breathing room. We were greeted by the incredibly friendly staff and the dean. We had some time to mingle with the other applicants, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. If I could add anything to the morning’s events, it might be a little presentation on the school, their mission, and what they are looking for in applicants. It’s possible that something like this happened and I completely blanked, but I think 15 minutes devoted to this might be nice. They split us into our groups for the MMI - one group took the tour and learned about the curriculum while the other did the interview. The MMI was very fair. While some students found it “fun” I was very glad it was over, kind of like how I’m glad races are over when I cross the finish line. It wasn’t that it was that much more stressful than any other interview, it’s just that I was relieved when I didn’t have to stress about the next station. As far as preparation goes for the MMI, I think the description “hybrid MMI” is a good description for their interview process. There will be some thoughtful questions you must answer and some opportunities to discuss your strengths as an applicant. I can’t give anything specific away, but I think preparation for this MMI is akin to preparing for the CASPer exam - you can practice your timing and maybe how you would give answers for a typical MMI question, but you don’t need extensive external knowledge. Be yourself. Of course, I haven’t been accepted yet, so maybe I bombed the whole thing. But I found that this method is probably the most balanced interview opportunity you will encounter - take advantage of it.
I found the tour and curriculum presentation were enjoyable. The building is truly amazing. They did everything they could to get as much natural light into the building and give students as many study areas and break rooms as possible. They have a new curriculum that compresses the first two years into approximately 18 months. This gives you more time during post-clerkship time to explore additional specialties, etc.
They also start early - mid-July - to help the students transition into medical school life. And they provide a 2-week intern boot camp at the end to prepare you for your first year as a resident. I thought these were nice additions to the curriculum. Like one other school I toured, they have the cadaver lab in the top of the building with (as I’ve heard but not seen) windows looking outside. I cannot confirm this as we did not see the lab, but I can say that this sounds rather nice. They also created four “houses” for the students and they compete for a house cup (a la Harry Potter. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, I have no idea what to say to you, but perhaps you should take the time before med school to become one). This seemed like a fun way to get the older students and younger students to mingle. Each house has its own study space, which also gives people more opportunities to get to know one another.
Overall, my impression of the school was very positive. Housing in the area is very inexpensive, at least coming from Florida. Traffic was low and parking was great. And while the hospital is no longer connected to the school, it was a convenient 10-15 minute drive, at most. I am an avid runner and went for a jog the morning of the interview. I passed an entire cross country team as well as many other people out for walks or runs. The sidewalks were well lit and it was clear that this is a place I could go running - which is one of those weird requirements I have for any school I attend. It’s essential to my mental health, so I make sure and take a test run while I’m there.
My only other suggestion for the interview day would be to involve a few more students. They did a great job of getting a LOT Of stuff packed into one interview morning and it was the shortest interview experience I have had. I appreciate that they respect our time. On the other hand, I would have loved some kind of way to mingle with the current students. That’s why I appreciate having a student host and recommend others do the same if you have the opportunity.
All in all, I thought it was an excellent day. I really enjoyed meeting Dr. Grier and the other administrators. The students were very welcoming and the school was amazing. Best of luck to those who are interviewing here in the coming weeks. You will certainly enjoy the experience!
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