The group activity is definitely conversational. I got the impression the school is really interested in how you communicate, interact with the other interviewers, and your fit. I remember it being an enjoyable activity both cycles. For the group interview, it really is more of an interview, but it still is conversational, since you can address and build off of each others’ points. The faculty interview is much shorter and because of that feels less conversational (at least it did for me, but maybe the other MS1 had a different experience, since I’m sure it depends on the faculty member), but there are not any real tricks or traps. CU just really cares about how you communicate with and engage with others, and they are pretty big on fit.
Speaking of fit, what really stood out to me about CU (other than the campus community and the beauty of Colorado) is the new curriculum. A lot of schools talked about how unique their curriculum is, but CU’s approach really is. We have 1 year of pre-clinical, followed by a year of specifically LIC clerkships (which was a huge plus in my mind). We then return to the classroom for a semester of “advanced science” courses to fill in gaps and prepare for Step, followed by dedicated and 1.5 years of individually tailored curriculum. There were also a lot of nuances that seem super small, but showed me an intentionality that drew me in. For example, the parts of our curriculum are named after the parts of hiking a mountain in Colorado, and we start each week with a chief concern that we follow throughout the week in what we’re learning. I’m a big fan of our curriculum and love chatting about it.
. I'm on the alternative list.
