Tips for Downstate interview?

[Vgirl]

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Hi.

I have an interview for SUNY downstate next week- can anyone give me some advice? I looked this up in the interview section and ppl don't seem to have a good experience. Anything i need to know in order to avoid that?

Thanks!

 

[Kashue]

Originally posted by Vgirl
Hi.

I have an interview for SUNY downstate next week- can anyone give me some advice? I looked this up in the interview section and ppl don't seem to have a good experience. Anything i need to know in order to avoid that?

Thanks!

read the interview feedback - the ask questions from a list.

 

[Quickread]

i'd say go in expecting to find a med school that is in a "bad" neighborhood and that is publically funded in a city with a ton of hospitals and med schools as it is. my expectations were set pretty low when i went in because of the things i read on the board, but my experience there was really positive. some of it has to do with what you want to do after school; if you're eager to go into alot of the primary care sort of things, DS could be great because of the exposure you get, etc. All that is to say don't go in expecting Harvard, go in expecting a medical school heavily involved in a poor community that is in Brooklyn.

 

[nrosigh]

I loved downstate when I interviewed earlier this year. True, the school is in a pretty depressed area, but it's a straight line through to park slope and then manhattan on the metro, if that's what you like.

In your interview I would emphasize the reasons why you want to go to downstate - a few of mine are: 1) great clinical opportunities (I know this sounds generic, but you'll really have the opportunity to do any procedure you want), 2) varied research, 3) really impressive match list, 4) you can live in brooklyn : )

my interview was conversational with an MD who had read my file pretty thoroughly. he didn't ask any unusual questions.

have fun at your interview, and be sure to ask a lot of questions as well!

 

[SarahGM]

I would also stress that you want to help an underserved community (if you do)... because that's what you'll be doing at downstate.

I'm inclined to believe all interviewers are equipped with a sheet of paper (individualized) with questions that they're supposed to answer about you for the adcom. My interviewer went so far as to show me the paper/read the actual questions out loud... and ask me how I would like her to answer them, in writing, on the answer sheet.