- Joined
- Oct 25, 2001
- Messages
- 92
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Ok, so before you read this know that it is just a distraction to make your day (hopefully) a bit more tolerable. And yes, I have too much free time. Enjoy!
The whole day at UCSD was informative, low pressure, and a lot of fun. There were only four interviewees so we all got a lot of personal attention and got to know each other a little better than we probably would have in a larger group.
The day started at 7:55 am (parking was free b/c UCSD has just started classes). First, the dean of admissions, Dr. Resnik, gave us an overview of the curriculum and the types of clinical exposure we could expect in the first two years. He was very friendly and very open in answering questions. To give you an idea of the tone I think the first thing he said directly to me was that his wife had just thrown out the very same tie that I was wearing because she had had enough of it. His intro lasted about an hour and then we were given our interview schedules by a woman named Yvonne (she and all the admissions office staff were really nice) and we all had to hustle off to our different interviewers.
We all had two interviews. My first was with an EM physician just across from the school at the VA hospital. One of the other interviewees had to take the shuttle downtown to his first interview but he said later that it hadn't been much of a problem.
The interview itself was really more of a conversation than a series of one-way questions. Everything asked was aimed at elucidating different aspects of my application.
Why was I interested in an MPH? What was my father like? What was my research about? The interviewer was warm and really open to questions. I didn't feel put on the spot or nervous (except at the start) at all. The whole thing lasted just over an hour.
I then had an hour before the second interview so I wandered around the campus, which is amazing, and had something to eat while I was waiting. The second interview was with a professor from the department of surgery. He was, again very warm and a fascinating conversationalist. We started by talking about the 11th and the stock market (which had just dropped 500 points as I drove to the interview). He had given talks, medals, and so on in the trade center and so was quite shocked and concerned to see it and many of the people who worked there gone. His questions were also about my application. What did I want to do in medicine abroad? Who were my friends? The tone was a little more businesslike than the first but still conversational. I was really impressed that both interviewers had fully read my file and had taken the time to know it well.
All the interviewees then met back up and we had lunch (free!) with two second year students. They were incredibly friendly and offered very honest answers to all our questions. We were then given a tour after which Dr. Resnik debriefed us. We were encouraged to ask questions and he told us were the process would go from there and also offered advice for dealing with other medical schools and (the dreaded!) AMCAS.
Overall an awesome day with literally nothing to stress over. Good luck to all!
The whole day at UCSD was informative, low pressure, and a lot of fun. There were only four interviewees so we all got a lot of personal attention and got to know each other a little better than we probably would have in a larger group.
The day started at 7:55 am (parking was free b/c UCSD has just started classes). First, the dean of admissions, Dr. Resnik, gave us an overview of the curriculum and the types of clinical exposure we could expect in the first two years. He was very friendly and very open in answering questions. To give you an idea of the tone I think the first thing he said directly to me was that his wife had just thrown out the very same tie that I was wearing because she had had enough of it. His intro lasted about an hour and then we were given our interview schedules by a woman named Yvonne (she and all the admissions office staff were really nice) and we all had to hustle off to our different interviewers.
We all had two interviews. My first was with an EM physician just across from the school at the VA hospital. One of the other interviewees had to take the shuttle downtown to his first interview but he said later that it hadn't been much of a problem.
The interview itself was really more of a conversation than a series of one-way questions. Everything asked was aimed at elucidating different aspects of my application.
Why was I interested in an MPH? What was my father like? What was my research about? The interviewer was warm and really open to questions. I didn't feel put on the spot or nervous (except at the start) at all. The whole thing lasted just over an hour.
I then had an hour before the second interview so I wandered around the campus, which is amazing, and had something to eat while I was waiting. The second interview was with a professor from the department of surgery. He was, again very warm and a fascinating conversationalist. We started by talking about the 11th and the stock market (which had just dropped 500 points as I drove to the interview). He had given talks, medals, and so on in the trade center and so was quite shocked and concerned to see it and many of the people who worked there gone. His questions were also about my application. What did I want to do in medicine abroad? Who were my friends? The tone was a little more businesslike than the first but still conversational. I was really impressed that both interviewers had fully read my file and had taken the time to know it well.
All the interviewees then met back up and we had lunch (free!) with two second year students. They were incredibly friendly and offered very honest answers to all our questions. We were then given a tour after which Dr. Resnik debriefed us. We were encouraged to ask questions and he told us were the process would go from there and also offered advice for dealing with other medical schools and (the dreaded!) AMCAS.
Overall an awesome day with literally nothing to stress over. Good luck to all!
