MY INTERVIEW FOR SGU IS IN 2 DAYS PLEASE GIVE ADVICE :)

[morrisol]

i just got an email saying that ive been selected for an interview. i was wondering what i should know before hand in order to better my acceptance chances. also would i know before hand if im interviewing for the pre-med program thingy or the chartered program?

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[premedbrah]

*insert joke about checkbook/ qualifying for loans*

but seriously I would like to know as well!

 

[Chondroclast]

SGU student here. I had my interview a little over a year ago. Some things they asked me and most likely will ask you the same (they just read questions off their laptop and type in answers):

Why SGU and not US schools?
Why not Ross/AUC if you applied/got accepted?
Why med school/medicine?
What type of medicine are you interested in? specialty?
Explain how you can handle the stress of med school/what do you do for fun to destress?
Explain how you can handle being away from home and in another country/underdeveloped area without all the luxeries
Give your strengths and weaknesses
Explain any leadership positions and research
How will you pay for SGU? (they want to make sure you know how much it costs and how you are paying for it)
Explain your shadowing/medical experience
What does professionalism mean to you


Other than that, I remember there were a few oddball questions but forgot what they were exactly.. I think one was what was my view on healthcare and insurance or something.. another one was I think on what would I do if I saw a student cheating.

Just smile, be polite, respectful, thankful, personable, and mature. They want to see professionalism, maturity, interest in medicine, and readiness to start. Also, after the interview send a thank you email to the person that interviewed you.

If you have an interview, your grades and MCAT are good enough (either regular MD acceptance, MSAP, or charter foundation program). They want to see how you communicate and present yourself. There's a lot of immature unprofessional kids at SGU, yes I said kids because they don't behave like adults... they slip through the interview process somehow, so they want to see someone mature and professional- super important.

 

[Chondroclast]

Just remembered, mine also asked about a challenge I had to overcome.

Also, be ready for the typical "tell me about yourself" at the beginning.

Good luck!

 

[morrisol]

SGU student here. I had my interview a little over a year ago. Some things they asked me and most likely will ask you the same (they just read questions off their laptop and type in answers):

Why SGU and not US schools?
Why not Ross/AUC if you applied/got accepted?
Why med school/medicine?
What type of medicine are you interested in? specialty?
Explain how you can handle the stress of med school/what do you do for fun to destress?
Explain how you can handle being away from home and in another country/underdeveloped area without all the luxeries
Give your strengths and weaknesses
Explain any leadership positions and research
How will you pay for SGU? (they want to make sure you know how much it costs and how you are paying for it)
Explain your shadowing/medical experience
What does professionalism mean to you


Other than that, I remember there were a few oddball questions but forgot what they were exactly.. I think one was what was my view on healthcare and insurance or something.. another one was I think on what would I do if I saw a student cheating.

Just smile, be polite, respectful, thankful, personable, and mature. They want to see professionalism, maturity, interest in medicine, and readiness to start. Also, after the interview send a thank you email to the person that interviewed you.

If you have an interview, your grades and MCAT are good enough (either regular MD acceptance, MSAP, or charter foundation program). They want to see how you communicate and present yourself. There's a lot of immature unprofessional kids at SGU, yes I said kids because they don't behave like adults... they slip through the interview process somehow, so they want to see someone mature and professional- super important.

so even though my interview emial said for the Doctor of Medicine program i could still be put into the other two programs?

 

[Chondroclast]

Yes- when they interview you, you're being considered for regular MD admission, MSAP, or charter (they don't tell you which one, it's basically just based on your MCAT and GPA). I was put into MSAP (low MCAT) which wasn't a huge deal- it's a free online course they have you do a month before you start in August. Basically you need to pass with a 70 or 75 (I think they might of changed it) and you get put into the fall MD class. It's 4 weeks, a lot of work, but it will prepare you to start in the fall (kind of a blessing in disguise) and worth it, in my opinion. The charter program is a whole different story- it's a semester long pre-admissions course in grenada (pricey), but I know lots of people that did it and it helped them a ton- you have to get a minimum grade to continue onto term 1 MD.

I'm pretty sure when I was interviewed the physician asked me if I could consider doing MSAP or charter if the admissions committee wanted me to. I said I would not do charter, as I was already accepted to another carib school and would of just started there in the fall instead of doing charter at SGU, but I said I would consider MSAP, then a week or so later I got the letter that they accepted me into MSAP. It wasn't a big deal, it worked out for the better.

 

[Osminog]

SGU student here. I had my interview a little over a year ago. Some things they asked me and most likely will ask you the same (they just read questions off their laptop and type in answers):

Why SGU and not US schools?

Nice to hear that the SGU adcoms have a sense of humor.

 

[morrisol]

Yes- when they interview you, you're being considered for regular MD admission, MSAP, or charter (they don't tell you which one, it's basically just based on your MCAT and GPA). I was put into MSAP (low MCAT) which wasn't a huge deal- it's a free online course they have you do a month before you start in August. Basically you need to pass with a 70 or 75 (I think they might of changed it) and you get put into the fall MD class. It's 4 weeks, a lot of work, but it will prepare you to start in the fall (kind of a blessing in disguise) and worth it, in my opinion. The charter program is a whole different story- it's a semester long pre-admissions course in grenada (pricey), but I know lots of people that did it and it helped them a ton- you have to get a minimum grade to continue onto term 1 MD.

I'm pretty sure when I was interviewed the physician asked me if I could consider doing MSAP or charter if the admissions committee wanted me to. I said I would not do charter, as I was already accepted to another carib school and would of just started there in the fall instead of doing charter at SGU, but I said I would consider MSAP, then a week or so later I got the letter that they accepted me into MSAP. It wasn't a big deal, it worked out for the better.

im doing the january entrance not august. im just worried that they will put me in those programs. i really dont want to do them. i think ill be placed into the msap one then cuz my mcat was very low. and im an odd student becuase i have two degrees and my science gpa was from my first degree and is incredibly low but since starting my newest degree i have acheived a solid 3.9 gpa. i really just want to be accepted into the program. i also think that because im canadian and they are always looking for people to fill the KBT slots that maybe it may help me. but i dont want to do charter 100%. im scared that after all this im going to find out that im not accepted into the actual MD program.

 

[Chondroclast]

im doing the january entrance not august. im just worried that they will put me in those programs. i really dont want to do them

They do the same interview stuff for january. Why not apply for august? If you can, apply for that one- you graduate a year earlier than starting in January. Up to you though. I wouldn't knock out SGU just because they put you in MSAP, it's worth it in my opinion. Just see how the interview goes and go from there.

 

[morrisol]

They do the same interview stuff for january. Why not apply for august? If you can, apply for that one- you graduate a year earlier than starting in January. Up to you though. I wouldn't knock out SGU just because they put you in MSAP, it's worth it in my opinion. Just see how the interview goes and go from there.

the reason i didnt apply for august was becuase i wanted the extra 2 months to study for my usmle exam. i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller. i got my interview literally the day my application was sent to the admissions committee so i dont know if thats a good or bad thing

 

[Chondroclast]

the reason i didnt apply for august was becuase i wanted the extra 2 months to study for my usmle exam. i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller. i got my interview literally the day my application was sent to the admissions committee so i dont know if thats a good or bad thing

Good reasons, you pass.. lol. You did your research, so very good.

 

[sisko]

the reason i didnt apply for august was becuase i wanted the extra 2 months to study for my usmle exam. i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller.

These also sound like good things to me. But if you're pushing back starting by one semester, it's not an extra semester you get for board prep just an extra two months? (Still nice though.)

 

[morrisol]

Good reasons, you pass.. lol. You did your research, so very good.

hahah i tend to over research everything

 

[morrisol]

These also sound like good things to me. But if you're pushing back starting by one semester, it's not an extra semester you get for board prep just an extra two months? (Still nice though.)

yeah but the extra two months makes a big difference for someone like me. id rather have more than not enough time to do my very best

 

[Caribpro]

i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller.

You do realize even the january class is like 500 people right?

 

[Raney Schauer]

opened a new account just so I could put Caribpro in Ignore again.

 

[morrisol]

You do realize even the january class is like 500 people right?

Yes but that’s 500 vs 1000 or whatever it is

 

[rangerdad]

the reason i didnt apply for august was becuase i wanted the extra 2 months to study for my usmle exam. i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller. i got my interview literally the day my application was sent to the admissions committee so i dont know if thats a good or bad thing[/QUOTE

the reason i didnt apply for august was becuase i wanted the extra 2 months to study for my usmle exam. i also like that the entrance class is a lot smaller. i got my interview literally the day my application was sent to the admissions committee so i dont know if thats a good or bad thing

Same reason I am applying for the January class. I know people said here that CFP is a "ripped off" but I would like to be accepted for the January class, but go to the CFP in August to get in the medical school mindset and have a leg up in the 1st year. I am not worried about failing but if that happens better know in 12-weeks that a whole year. The more I learn about SGU and their support program the more I am considering to bypass the bs AAMCAS application process. Plus I can start my school a year early versus playing the essays, interviews, waitlisted, etc... games. At 36-yrs of age, I do not have time for that. Let me start this journey, and will be up to me to succeed or fail.

 

[gyngyn]

Do this right, not fast.

 

[ewax]

Do this right, not fast.

Agree. Also if you have a 3.9 gpa with your second degree, why not aim for DO (would be easier to get a residency spot/less attrition). Do more research on this before potentially making a life altering mistake.

 

[Like]

Yes but that’s 500 vs 1000 or whatever it is

Technically, from what I've heard, they've split the Fall class into houses like Hogwarts (I don't know if this was a joke, but it was a rumor going around last semester). Since the recent change in curriculum from 4 lectures per day to only 2, they have been holding two sessions, each for each half of the class.

 

[Chondroclast]

Technically, from what I've heard, they've split the Fall class into houses like Hogwarts (I don't know if this was a joke, but it was a rumor going around last semester). Since the recent change in curriculum from 4 lectures per day to only 2, they have been holding two sessions, each for each half of the class.

This is true- last fall they started to implement a "college system." With well over 1,000 students in the fall terms class, they wanted to make it feel more like a small college and build camaraderie and have a system to separate students into smaller groups. Yet, they are still in a huge lecture hall for their lectures. It's just more of an organizational/logistics thing more than anything.

Just a side note- for those thinking that SGU is just too huge and class sizes are a deterring factor on sgu vs ross vs saba, etc... You don't really learn anything in lecture- it's just for attendance points. Most of your learning is done on your own/in groups/labs, which is the remaining 22 out of 24 hours of your day. Lecture is just to see what to focus on and then the rest of your day is learning in small groups (8 students or less) or with friends... This goes with any med school- med school is basically self-taught