Ponce Interview in the US or PR?

[tristan]

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Hey Guys,

I spoke to an admissions officer from ponce to schedule my interview. I told her that I couldn't interview in PR, and if it's possible I would llike to interview somewhere in the US (Money Issues). The question is, should I tell her that I can go and just figure out a cheap way to go? Will that affect my chances of acceptance? Also, how many of the applicant (My stats: 3.65 with a 27) are accepted if they interview? I just don't want to waste my time if they're not going to offer me an acceptance. Thanks for your input.

 

[gower]

It is never a waste of time and money to go to an interview if you are really interested in a medical school, or if you want to discover if you would attend if offered a place. Seeing the conditions on the ground should be important. A non-island interview is likely to be given by a graduate in the USA, who will write up a report. If you already have an acceptance you think you would prefer anyway, cancel the interview and give someone else a shot at the spot. If you do not yet have any acceptances, invest in your future: take a trip to the Island.

 

[tristan]

Thanks for the frank advice. As a matter of fact, I do have an acceptance, but at a DO school. I'm still waiting for my state school to respond in April. So right now I'm up a creek.

 

[Jet915]

Gower, I sent you a pm.

Jetson

 

[Lara]

For what it's worth, I applied to Ponce last year and was told that a US interview could be arranged (which I never ended up doing since I was accepted at Temple). I do think it would be to your benefit to actually go though, assuming you're not very familiar with the island. My mother's family is in Puerto Rico and I've been there many times before, so it wasn't so essential for me to take in the surroundings. I knew I'd go if I wasn't accepted in the States, but in your case you might have to make a decision regarding MD vs. DO.

As for your chances, your stats are perfectly fine from what I've been told (MCAT scores tend to be much lower in PR, most likely due to the English language). You *must* be fluent in Spanish though and this includes college credits. So basically make sure you fulfill the prerequisites before spending money on an interview. Not having any Puerto Rican connections (if that's the case) will probably be somewhat of a disadvantage, but I'd still give it a shot if you meet all requirements.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Albah]

Tristan,
Pretty funny because I am in a similar situation...I have an interview scheduled at Ponce for March 10 and I have also been accepted at a DO school (PCOM). I was born in PR so I wanted to go back to see how the school was, but now I am inclined to decline the interview because I really liked PCOM. 😉

 

[tristan]

Albah,

What are your reservations about Ponce. Are you struggling with the MD vs DO thing also? Because more and more I feel that I will get a better education at KCOM than I would at Ponce even though it's a DO school. I just don't know if it's worth going there and not choosing it if I get. Let me know what you decide to do.