8/8 Rejection from tuscon
8/30 Rejection from Vandy
Come on, I need some good news here!
9/2 Whoohoo!!! First interview invite from Iowa!!!
9/16 Interview from Maryland!
9/28 Interview from Einstein!
9/29 Interview from Temple! Wow, two days and two II\'s, not bad!!!
10/9 II for Minnesota
10/14 Interview at Minnesota
10/15 II for Wisconsin
10/21 II for both case and cclcm!!!
10/25 Interview at Iowa
10/27 II from from University of Chicago! I can\'t believe it!!
11/1 Interview at Maryland
11/2 Interview at Temple
... and the rest was basically long droughts of nothing and then random interview invites scattered through Nov-Jan.
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~University of Minnesota:
I was pretty impressed by this interview. The interviewers were very laid back and were very knowledgeable about the school. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to interview since I am OOS. First off, the curriculum is just great in many ways. I was recently revamped to put the courses in more logical order and increase the amount of PBL. The small group case-based learning seems extremely well put together and I think the student get a lot out of working directly with a faculty mentor. There is early clinical experience and there are a ton of places for students to rotate through (it\'s the only medical school in the twin cities). The faculty seem encouraging and helpful and the all together, I found it to be an incredible place to learn. It is all underground though...
~University of Iowa:
I was a bit turned off, at first, to this school because of the small size of Iowa City. But I had a great student host who showed me around town and while it is small, it has a great cozy feeling and simultaneously, it felt very alive with people. Lots of shops, bars, restaurants and things to do around town. Overall, the students seemed very friendly and very laid back. I did not get the feeling that they were too stressed even though they have exams every Friday. I think I would really hate the constant battering of exams. The facilities were very nice, especially the medical school and community centers. I was amazed at how much the faculty seems to care about its students. They really seem to bend over backward to cater to any student need (and they use constant surveys to make sure the students are happy). The University also seems great in that it provides a research distinction tract and funnels in all the major traumas nearby. I\'m not so sure about this place after interviewing elsewhere...
~University of Maryland
Being a small town Midwestern boy myself, I wasn\'t sure what to expect about a school in downtown Baltimore. I was a little thrown off by the fact that there was not really a community/neighborhood around the medical school campus but it seemed to be alright because all of the downtown attractions were close by. I\'ll start with the facilities; they were incredible. All the buildings are brand-spanking-new and beautiful. The student center even has a pool on the fourth floor! The hospital was great, too. I also found the students to be very happy with their education. No big complaints from them. The faculty seemed awesome and caring for the students. The down sides that I saw were the crazy OOS tuition and the letter grading system.
~Temple University
This was a very interesting day. I have to say, I was not expecting much going into the interview. While walking to the school, I went through a very rough neighborhood and none of the students live nearby, which I thought was strange at first. The interviews were extremely laid back and conversational. I was impressed at how much Temple prides in giving back the community and serving underserved populations. I think being in such a diverse part of Philly, I would receive an incredible medical education interacting with such a broad patient population. The facilities were incredible and brand new. It did seem that the students do quite a bit of traveling during the clinical years though. But lots of opportunities for students and the students I talked to were extremely happy with their school. They especially seemed to like the block curriculum which I think would be awesome. Research opportunities are not as available at other schools.
~University of Wisconsin
I was unexpectedly surprised by this school. I thought the incorporation of the public health early in to the curriculum was very interesting and I like the \"block\" scheduling. The students were enthusiastic and the hospital is very nice. I\'ve got to get out WI though.
~Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Wow. I\'m not even sure what to say. This place was absolutely incredible and my utter ideal medical school. I loved the curriculum with no formal lectures and all of the group learning. It\'s awesome that the students teach each other and rely on the PBL-style of education. I\'m also very drawn to the small class size. The facilities and the resources within the research labs are out of this world. And, perhaps most importantly, the faculty are the most enthusiastic and caring that I\'ve seen from any school. I have found my dream school.
~Case Western Reserve University
Awesome school with awesome students. I got a really good vibe from this place. The students just seem... different is a really good way. They\'re all extremely smart but they seem very diverse and have outside interests. The curriculum is great with its block schedules and spread out exams. The students can actually have a life! I could definitely see myself here!
~University of Chicago
Holy moly this place was awesome. There\'s really nothing I didn\'t like about the school. Great everything: student, faculty, curriculum, facilities. The staff seem very receptive to students wishes and the P/F seems great for creating class cohesiveness. I loved by interview day here! Plus I love Chicago. I did get a strange vibe of pretentiousness from my fellow interviewees and possibly from a few of the students, but it could have just been that one day.
~Northwestern University
Geez this place was awesome. The school is right downtown, I mean two blocks from Michigan Ave downtown. Best location of any schools I\'ve seen and the students definitely make use of it. Extremely nice area (which means a bit pricey, though). I was impressed by the students most, I think. Every person I talked to was down-to-earth, intelligent and fun. No one seemed stuffy or uptight and everyone was very helpful. The school is beautiful with awesome facilities for the students. The curriculum is somewhat similar to Case with its integrated PBL. Students didn\'t seem to embrace the pbl as much, however. The only downside is see is the pricetag.
~Emory University
Emory is pretty sweet. I had an excellent interview day and my fellow interviewees were great, too. One big plus is that the students have awesome hospitals to rotate through. Grady is something else. I feel that the experience gained from working in Grady in incomparable to other schools. I really like the new curriculum except the long(ish) hours spent in class. Atlanta is pretty sweet too. I love that the basic sciences are for 1.5 years and then the research project / \"Discovery Phase\" is after third year rotations. Not sure if I would enjoy the \"Hotlanta\" summers.
