Got back from Arizona...

[MissingPolaris]

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It wasn't as bad as I expected (on current events) but the interview was a turn-off for me. I felt like I was being rushed and did not get a chance to show them the real me. School is nice and plp are okay. Like many others, I still don't know what they are looking for. Guess I won't be going there consider I didn't do too good on my interview...man, the city is nice, too!

 

[briansle]

It wasn't as bad as I expected (on current events) but the interview was a turn-off for me. I felt like I was being rushed and did not get a chance to show them the real me. School is nice and plp are okay. Like many others, I still don't know what they are looking for. Guess I won't be going there consider I didn't do too good on my interview...man, the city is nice, too!

you're being too hard on yourself. I felt exactly the same way after interviewing there. It's hard to let down your guard down due to the 3vs1 panel and quiz-like atmosphere. Your not alone on that one. You did fine, now put it out of your mind since there's nothing more you can do.

 

[mepstein]

i completely agree with the interview style, besides the current events, I thought the questions and responses about me were really bad, they just chugged down their list of questions. I also didn't feel like they tried to get to know me, or that i could express my strengths as well as i have at other schools, this 'personal school' has seemed the least personal yet....in the faculty department that is.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

I've got a question for you guys who feel that you weren't able to share your strengths etc.

What did you say at the end of the interview when the interviewers asked you for any questions or supplemental information that the ad com should know about you? If you didn't say much, thenyou missed your shot to give 'em all you got.

When you interview, you have to research what the school is about. If you are interested in sharing their vision and goals, then it is your responsibility to show the interviewers why YOU are exactly the candidate they are looking for. I've never had an interview for school, jobs or otherwise where I felt like they had all the information I wanted them to know about me strictly from their question list. As for the list, any school with legal advice will have a relatively standard list of questions to go through for everyone. If your interviewers seemed to be rushing through the list, it probably wasn't because they wanted you out of the room. They were probably trying to give you more time to give them your own personal picture of why you fit at their school. After sitting in on a lot of interviews here, I really believe this.

I am also sorry to hear that you feel that way mepstein from your impression of our faculty. Dental school is different than the interview and I have been so impressed with our faculty and their personal approach towards us.

I wish the best of luck to you guys.

 

[ItsGavinC]

How many faculty did you all meet? I'll give you a hint: not very many. In fact, you probably were interviewed by some people that aren't even faculty.

In the end, the didactic faculty just don't matter. It's a big deal when you're doing book learning, but once you get into the clinic it's the clinical faculty that matter. You want sweet faculty that are living and breathing to teach you and make you an excellent dentist.

 

[MissingPolaris]

I did use my very last chance when they asked me at the end of the interview if there are anything else I want them to know about me. I was very nervous and now I am getting this post-interview depression. I know, I know, it's very weird but I just keep thinking that I could have answered the questions better...I am kinda mad at myself, too. I don't really like the interview style because I wanted them to ask more questions about me. (OR maybe just because I did bad on it) However, I have to admit that I do like their school. Their mission fits my view of dentistry very well. Now, I just hope that I WILL NOT hear from them before dec 1st...

 

[briansle]

How many faculty did you all meet? I'll give you a hint: not very many. In fact, you probably were interviewed by some people that aren't even faculty.

In the end, the didactic faculty just don't matter. It's a big deal when you're doing book learning, but once you get into the clinic it's the clinical faculty that matter. You want sweet faculty that are living and breathing to teach you and make you an excellent dentist.

I really hope the guys that interviewed us are the same guys that teach on the clinic floor. I immediately got a sense of professionalism from them. I think they were all probably in the military-they don't BS around. They are distinctly West-Coast: calm, confident, and patient. Except for the dean, that guy was all over the place.

I was alittle disappointed when a student told me most of the interviewers were actually practicing dentists associated with the school and not actually teachers.

 

[bluhe02]

I've heard AZ asks current events, but what other non-general or difficult questions were you asked?

 

[PDizzle]

I've heard AZ asks current events, but what other non-general or difficult questions were you asked?

The interview was really short and they did blast through the questions. 6 current event questions. The first three, no one in my interview group got right. If you watch CNN a lot you would do better than me. The last 3 you needed to get right or it would hurt you badly. If you miss all the questions then you live under a rock!

I talked to a D1 student for about 45 min after the interview and he said the answers to the questions were not as important as how you answered them. For instance, one was an obscure geography question: "What country is the city _________ in?". I had no earthly idea and told the interviewers that I didn't know and wasn't going to even guess for it wouldn't mean anything if I got it right. I was upbeat about not getting any of the questions right and I didn't fall apart. Hopefully it was the right thing to do. 🙂

The other questions were very standard: Why dentistry? Why Arizona? Good things about you? Bad things?

My last suggestion is to have a very good answer for why Arizona. At initial meeting, they said Arizona had more AADSAS apps then any other school in the nation. Over 3,000!! They are only interviewing 200 or so for only 54 seats! This isnt to scare you but don't be fooled by their medium to medium low stats (GPA,DAT). It's not a cakewalk no matter what your scores are.

Remeber that they are partially PBL so the group excersie is probably very important. I didn't know any of this before I interviewed and only now think I did well at that exercise. I was the first person to speak and pretty much was the leader and organizer of the exercise. It's not about being louder then the rest but just being able to work in groups. You can say you have leadership skills in the interview but its better to show them in the exercise.

As far as their National boards, they got a 91% avg last year, which is in the top 10% of the nation. Their facilities are great, especially their sim lab which was awesome and high tech.

Wow, I am rambling!....

 

[MissingPolaris]

The interview was really short and they did blast through the questions. 6 current event questions. The first three, no one in my interview group got right. If you watch CNN a lot you would do better than me. The last 3 you needed to get right or it would hurt you badly. If you miss all the questions then you live under a rock!

I talked to a D1 student for about 45 min after the interview and he said the answers to the questions were not as important as how you answered them. For instance, one was an obscure geography question: "What country is the city _________ in?". I had no earthly idea and told the interviewers that I didn't know and wasn't going to even guess for it wouldn't mean anything if I got it right. I was upbeat about not getting any of the questions right and I didn't fall apart. Hopefully it was the right thing to do. 🙂

The other questions were very standard: Why dentistry? Why Arizona? Good things about you? Bad things?

My last suggestion is to have a very good answer for why Arizona. At initial meeting, they said Arizona had more AADSAS apps then any other school in the nation. Over 3,000!! They are only interviewing 200 or so for only 54 seats! This isnt to scare you but don't be fooled by their medium to medium low stats (GPA,DAT). It's not a cakewalk no matter what your scores are.

Remeber that they are partially PBL so the group excersie is probably very important. I didn't know any of this before I interviewed and only now think I did well at that exercise. I was the first person to speak and pretty much was the leader and organizer of the exercise. It's not about being louder then the rest but just being able to work in groups. You can say you have leadership skills in the interview but its better to show them in the exercise.

As far as their National boards, they got a 91% avg last year, which is in the top 10% of the nation. Their facilities are great, especially their sim lab which was awesome and high tech.

Wow, I am rambling!....

Did you interview for 2006 or you are currently a student? eerrr...I need to stop thinking about the asdoh interview that I already HAD.🙁

 

[Beestieboy]

It wasn't as bad as I expected (on current events) but the interview was a turn-off for me. I felt like I was being rushed and did not get a chance to show them the real me. School is nice and plp are okay. Like many others, I still don't know what they are looking for. Guess I won't be going there consider I didn't do too good on my interview...man, the city is nice, too!

I did use my very last chance when they asked me at the end of the interview if there are anything else I want them to know about me. I was very nervous and now I am getting this post-interview depression. I know, I know, it's very weird but I just keep thinking that I could have answered the questions better...I am kinda mad at myself, too. I don't really like the interview style because I wanted them to ask more questions about me. (OR maybe just because I did bad on it) However, I have to admit that I do like their school. Their mission fits my view of dentistry very well. Now, I just hope that I WILL NOT hear from them before dec 1st...

Man, that is exactly what my thoughts were. I couldn't have said it better.

How about at the end where they ask "Do you have any questions for us?" and I asked,"You have a pretty different interview style than other schools I've interviewed at. What kinds of things are you looking for in students who apply?" Their answer? "We can't tell you" and that was it. Totally stonewalled. Not very cool at all. The interview had been nervewracking enough and then to have them just shut me down like that? That sure didn't feel very good. Luckily it was talking to the students aferwards that saved me. I wasn't feeling very good about the whole thing until I saw the students were cool and they were having a good time there. Of course, the facilities are top notch as they should be so talking to the students was very nice. I felt I did so much worse on this interview than any other that I don't really expect to hear anything good from them even though I'd love to go there. Oh well. I guess I can say I'm glad most other interviews are not like Arizona's. I did the same thing going over it in my mind and wishing I had answered some things differently. Oh well, I'm over it. 🙂

 

[Ruprick]

Well I'm off to my AZ interview right now. Wish me luck!

 

[MissingPolaris]

Well I'm off to my AZ interview right now. Wish me luck!

Good Luck!

 

[MissingPolaris]

Now, when I think about it, they never really introduce those interviewers to us. Who are those plp who interviewed us??? If they are not faculty members, why didn't they let faculty do the interviews? Interesting...

 

[kato999]

As far as their National boards, they got a 91% avg last year, which is in the top 10% of the nation.

Did they tell you that at the interview? Just wondering because I heard differently.

 

[MissingPolaris]

Yes, they told us something about 91-92% (don't remember exactly) BUT they were talking about the PASSING RATE, not what their students made on the boards. They did not say anything about being the 10 top in the nation...

 

[ItsGavinC]

The last 3 you needed to get right or it would hurt you badly.

Untrue. Besides, any school that places as much weight as you are stating on a couple of questions, isn't a school you want to attend.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Well I'm off to my AZ interview right now. Wish me luck!

I saw you today. Hope you had a good experience!

 

[PDizzle]

Untrue. Besides, any school that places as much weight as you are stating on a couple of questions, isn't a school you want to attend.

I'm not going to tell you the last 3 questions I was asked but trust me when I tell you that if you got those wrong it would say a lot about you! Like....you live under a rock! Or....you are not generally aware of what a "normal" person should be.

I will give you examples of questions that if you got wrong would be devastating to your application, and rightfully so:

1) Who is the vice president of the U.S.?
2) Name the two main political parties in the U.S.
3) The city of Los Angelas is in what state?
4) What middle eastern country currently has significant U.S. military forces deployed and in military conflict?


I think you will agree that if you lived in the US all your life, you should know those! Dental schools want "real" people who are well rounded. Sure, they love a 3.8 GPA and a 24 DAT but if you're just a book worm, you may not be what they are looking for. That's all I'm saying.

 

[PDizzle]

Yes, they told us something about 91-92% (don't remember exactly) BUT they were talking about the PASSING RATE, not what their students made on the boards. They did not say anything about being the 10 top in the nation...

Yeah, now that you mention it, it was in fact the passing rate. That makes more sense.

By the way, is there a website or something that lists the average national board scores from each school? I looked for a long time and now am assuming that it is private information.

 

[MissingPolaris]

I saw you today. Hope you had a good experience!

GavinC, is it true that they only interview 250-280 this year? Because it looks like they have interviews twice a week and each group has at least 8 plp. (two groups / day) If they intervew all the way to Feb and March, they are interviewing more than 280. Just wondering...🙂

 

[JustInTime]

I heard it's about 250.

GavinC, is it true that they only interview 250-280 this year? Because it looks like they have interviews twice a week and each group has at least 8 plp. (two groups / day) If they intervew all the way to Feb and March, they are interviewing more than 280. Just wondering...🙂

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm not going to tell you the last 3 questions I was asked but trust me when I tell you that if you got those wrong it would say a lot about you! Like....you live under a rock! Or....you are not generally aware of what a "normal" person should be.

Gotcha, that was a misunderstanding on my part.
🙂

 

[ItsGavinC]

GavinC, is it true that they only interview 250-280 this year? Because it looks like they have interviews twice a week and each group has at least 8 plp. (two groups / day) If they intervew all the way to Feb and March, they are interviewing more than 280. Just wondering...🙂

It may be more, but I think it's in that ballpark. They will interview into the months of Feb and March, but I recall that they cut back interviews in those months to something like once every other week or so.

I don't have any solid info on how they are doing that this year, but that's my edumacated guess.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I should add that certainly after the first few weeks in December, they can look at how many interviews they've had, how many acceptances they've given, and how many people have accepted those offers, and use all that info to judge how many more interview dates they will need for the remainder of the application cycle.