Interviews for Top Jobs at De Montfort University
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant Interview
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at De Montfort University in Aug 2021
Interview
It was an online video interview with two DMU employees who took turns asking their sets of questions. It was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I was asked various scenario questions as well as how my previous experience would help in this role.
- Tell us a bit about yourself?
How did the interview impress you?
“Describe delivering difficult news to someone”
“A lot of team-based questions”
“What was your most difficult course in college?”
“Why medicine and why DO?”
“Tell me about a time where you worked in a team to overcome an obstacle”
“Name a time you worked with a team and experienced difficulty.”
“Why DO instead of MD?”
“Why do you want to become a physician and specifically why choose osteopathic medicine?”
“Tell me about a time you worked on a team”
“Tell me more about your unusual major.”
“Why medicine and why DMU?”
“Questions about my personal statement, including exact word choice and meaning”
“What do you like to do in your free time not related to academics, medicine, research?”
“What surprised you about medicine?”
“What is the most surprising thing you learned from your time shadowing?”
“How do you deal with conflict?”
“What do you have to offer DMU?”
“Why DO? Are you a compassionate person? How will classes such as art appreciation benefit you as a future physician?”
“What would you do if you were struggling in a class in medical school?”
“What are my thoughts on OMM?”
“If I asked your friends to describe to me your strengths and weaknesses, what would they say?”
“Choose a controversial ethical issue in medicine today and explain your position on it.”
“Tell me about your research?”
“What is one thing you would change in the health-care industry today?”
“Why am I interested in medicine? Why osteopathic and why DMU? What do I do to relax?”
“Do you have any questions for us, and is there something you wanted us to ask you/wanted to tell us? What was the most exciting/interesting thing from your tour of the school.”
“3 things I liked about DMU.”
“Why do you want to come to Iowa from the state Im living in now?”
“Why I failed 2 of my classes.”
“Tell us something about you that is not in your application already”
“Why the low sGPA and high MCAT score? (I was surprised they asked this, didnt think my sGPA was low but I guess it is for DMU. I interviewed at allopathic schools and they never asked about grades)”
“You struggled early on in school. What makes you sure that you can succeed in medical school?”
“Why DMU? What about Des Moines?”
“Why DMU, Why DO, Why medical school?”
“Anything you did not put in your application that you wish to discuss now? How did you find out about DMU? Why osteopathic medicine? Why DMU?”
“Why do you want to be a physician? Why an osteopathic physician?”
“Why medicine, DMU, and DO?”
“Why do you want to be a doctor, why not PA, why not army medic…”
“What brought you from your high school to where you sit today?”
“”You seem like an intelligent and articulate person – how will you handle a professor who seems less intelligent than you?””
“How would you deal with the stresses of medical school?”
“Why medicine, and why DO? What does being a doctor mean?”
“What do you think of stem cell research?”
“What is something you struggle with?”
“Why DMU? Why Osteopathic med? What differences have I noticed between DOs and MDs? “
“Tell us about yourself. Why Osteopathic Medicine? Why DMU? Is this your first interview?”
“What do your parents do for a living?”
“Lots of questions specific to my app – Id say 90% of them were app specific.”
“How did you become interested in Osteopathic medicine?”
“What are problems in current healthcare system and how can they be rectified?”
“What books are you reading?”
“What are your views on the current Health Care debate?”
“Lots of questions about extra-curriculars, research experience, shadowing”
“Where do you see yourself practicing Medicine? Whereelse did you apply?”
“Tell us about your family”
“Question about my personal statement/ what I learned living with my mom.”
“Tell me more about your experience in ____.”
“Tell me more about your international experience, how do you get involved? Is international medicine something you would be interested in here?”
“What do you perceive as the current challenges facing medicine?”
“Please explain your bad grade in xxx class (if you have bad MCAT, grade, or whatever be prepared to explain it!)”
“Why as a pharmacy Tech have you NOT counseled patients on their medication.”
“If you were the surgeon general, what is one aspect of medicine that you would change?”
“What is the difference between an MD and DO?”
“why medicine? why DO? why DMU?”
“How do you think you and your family will deal with you relocating? What will your husband do?”
“Tell us about yourself. Why do you want to be a physician, why do? Tell us about a difficult situation and how you overcame it.”
“what do you do to relieve stress”
“Why not pursue nursing rather than becoming a doctor? Having a major in X, would you consider a specialty in Y?”
“Why DMU? Why Osteopathic Medicine? Why not graduate school? Why not be a PA?”
“Tell us something about yourself that you want us to know that we cant find in your application.”
“Why DMU, why DO, why accept me?”
“We talked about my academic history. They asked about what I would do if I found myself struggling in the change to medical school.”
“Why medicine? Why DO? (what is it about osteopathic medicine that interests you?)”
“Do you buy your own clothes? Why did you choose the color and pattern of the tie you are wearing?”
“How did you get to where you are today? You seemed to have a lot of successes in your life. Tell us some failures and what you learned from them. How are you going to transition from the Northwest to Iowa? “
“Why osteopathic medicine and what are the key differences you see between MD and DO? Why DMU? What are you going to do to adapt to a place like Iowa, coming from Southern California? Why not physical therapy (app experiences are heavy on sports med stuff)?”
“Tell me about extracurricular X.”
“How do you define success?”
“Did you apply to MD schools? Which did you apply to and why?”
“How would you fix the doctor shortage in rural areas?”
“Start by saying anything that was not covered or has occured since your interview”
“Tell me one characteristic about so and so person! (pertinent to my application)”
“Why DMU? Why DO? I heard they asked other students about Medicaid and medicare; and how to improve health care.”
“1. How do you think we should improve health care?”
“Explain the day of your MCAT”
“Are you happy with you MCAT score?”
“why medicine, why do? “
“Tell me about your research. Why not get your PhD?”
“What are you most proud of?”
“Tell us about your research.”
“What field of medicine do you want to go to?”
“Tell me in 20 words what Medicare is? Medicaid?”
“why medicine? why dmu? why osteopathy? (all asked at once)”
“Why med? Why DO? Why Des Moines”
“Name one problem with health care you see in the United States today.”
“how did your motivation for medicine begin? why do you think you didnt get in last year? when you get into all your schools, how will you choose which school to attend?”
“If you recieved a 65% on an exam, and the required pass score was 70%, what would you do and how would you prevent it from happening again?”
“Why DO, Why DMU? etc.”
“why medicine why do why dmu”
“Why medicine? Why osteopathic medicine? Why DMU as opposed to Kirkville (if I had a choice)? “
“Why should DMU pick you for the incoming class?”
“Do you think your age was a factor in not being accepted anywhere last year?”
“Why osteopathic medicine? Why DMU?”
“Why DMU, why medicine, why DO…(but let me point out that I got interrupted before I could complete and the interviewer sidetracked and started talking about herself…this happened repeatedly!!!) They were nice though.”
“Why Osteopathy, why DMU, tell us about yourself…”
“Why DO, Why doctor, why DMU”
“So, why medicine, why osteopathic medicine and finally, why DMU? (this was all one question)”
“Tell us about the biochemistry behind the disease porphyria. (I had mentioned this disease in my personal statement! Be sure to know what you wrote in your PS and know about everything in it. I was caught off guard by this one!)”
“What do you think was the most important contribution the field of chemistry gave to medicine? the prof asked me this after he found out i had a major in chemistry because apparently not too many biology AND chem majors apply there.”
“Why medicine, when did you know you wanted to be a doctor and why osteopathic?”
“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“Tell us a litlle about yourself. “
“Tell us some things that we should know about you that arent on your application.”
“(This was asked in response to my desire to help a community). If you desire to help the community, why a physician? There are other professions that can help the community.”
“Why medicine? Why now? Why DO?”
“Did you play a musical insturment?”
“Tell us something about yourself that isnt in your file.”
“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
“What do you struggle with?”
“Who are you going to root for in the upcoming Iowa vs. Illinois basketball game? (Im sure that was a relax question)”
“What will make a medical school a good fit for you?”
“What would a typical day be like here? (Im thinking I dont know why dont you tell me)”
“Differece between DO and MD?”
“Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician?”
“Why do you want to be a doctor?”
“Tell us one something about yourself thats not in your personal statement. (asked by D.O. faculty member)”
“Why did you switch careers? Would you ever go back to an economics job?”
“You live in Pennsylvania, so why do you want to come to DMU. (If you live far from the school you will get this question). “
“Tell us about your DO shadowing?”
“Why medicine with my background (very nontrad)?”
“Tell us about what you have learned from your research.”
“See most interesting. Tell me about your research, clinical experience, why you want to be a doctor, why you want to be a DO, why DMU (not all at once of course). What would you do if you failed your first exam in med school? Fairly basic.”
“All Qs were basic and pertinent to my app. Just sit back and enjoy your experience as much as you can.”
“Tell me a little about yourself…”
“Walk me through a typical day of a first-year DO student.”
“Will you be able to keep up with the pace? “
“Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do in your spare time? “
“If you were a rural doctor who had received $200,000 and you could either immunize all of the children in the area or use the money for a child who needs a heart transplant, what would you do?”
“What do you do for fun?”
“What do you do for fun? (student question)”
“with such good grade/MCAT why DO?”
“What would you do if medicine no longer existed?”
“Tell me about your research experience… will you do research in the future?”
“Why DMU? Pretty much standard stuff.”
“What is the hardest thing youve ever done.”
“Tell me about your family and your life growing up.”
“What qualities have you attained from your experience with the military?”
“What does your father (an MD) think of you going into osteopathic medicine?”
“What do you believe is the most pressing issue in healthcare today? What is an important quality in a physician?”
“Tell us about yourself. By far my favorite question…best way to address it is to have a canned response and then when they look iterested branch off and emphasize one aspect.”
“Describe your day as a first year student, as you imagine it.”
“When and how did you know that you wanted to be a doctor?”
“What social issue would you change.”
“WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX?”
“How did you become interested in medicine?”
“Would you prefer a school that has only lecture based teaching or problem based learning? Why?”
“What do you do to relax? Have you ever lived in a cold climate?”
“Tell me about yourself and how you became interested in osteopathic medicine.”
“What do you do to relieve stress?”
“Tell me about your research.”
“What is one obstacle you have encountered and how have you overcome it?”
“What was my favorite class in college?”
“tell us about your research?”
“What drew you to the field of Medicine?”
“Tell me about a certain grade.”
“What is a social problem that concerns you?”
“Tell us about yourself and how you became interested in medicine and why youre going this route?”
“If we were to leave the room and you could change anything in your file without us knowing, what would you change?”
“Tell us about yourself and what brings you here today.”
“What would you change about this country if you could?”
“Why did you choose osteopathic medicine as oppose to allopathic medicine?”
“What do you think we–as a country–should do about the future of providing health care for our citizens?”
“Why do you want to be a physician and what event solidified your decision?”
“Why DO and not MD? Where did you apply?”
“One interviewer with a science faculty member, clinical science faculty member, a student, and an observer (learning to interview). It was meant to last from 30 minutes to an hour. Mine was closer to an hour. Not all of these questions are exact but are in the spirit of those asked. Started off with questions about: Why Medicine? Why D.O.? Why DMU?”
“If you were accepted at only two schools, DMU and another allopathic school, which one would you go to and how would you select between the two?”
“Why did you choose to apply to DMU-COM and why are you interested in Osteopathic schools?”
“Have you done any traveling “
“Your mom is an MD, how does she feel about you pursuing DO? “
“Tell us about yourself…what do you do in your free time?”
“What is one social problem that you are concerned about?”
“Why do you want to be an osteopathic doctor?”
“Explain a social problem youre concerned with?”
“What do you do to reduce stress?”
“What was the last book you read? Why do you want to come here in Iowa?”
“Is their anything that we didnt ask you that you thought we would.”
“What is a social issue you are concerned about?”
“What are your weakness and how will you deal with it in medical school?”
“What qualities do you feel a physician should possess?”
“What would your suuport system be here?”
“If you could change anything about healthcare, what would you change?”
“What would your best friend say about you?”
“Tell me about yourself other than your file. Whats an ethical issue in healthcare? Why doctor? Asked about some experiences listed in application. How many school did I apply to? MD? “
“Why DO, and why DMU?”
“Why DMU, Why DO not MD? “
“Why did you give up a successful career to go into medicine?”
“Tell me about a major issue facing healthcare today?”
“Tells us about your life and events that shaped the person you are today.”
“Why DO, if youre also applying to MD?”
“How do you deal with stress?”
“Tell us about your family. How many brothers and sisters do you have? Fill in the portions of your life before your application here. “
“First question – Tell me about your background and how you became to pursue medicine? Why DO versus MD (didnt really grill me on this)? Why DMU?”
“Tell us about yourself. “
“Whats the difference between osteopathic and aleopathic disciplines?”
“”To get started just tell me anything and everything you want to tell me about yourself and how you got to this point in your life.””
“How did I balance my extracurricular activities in undergrad and how will this help me in med school?”
“Your MCAT scores are great, but your GPA is only so so, can you explain that difference?”
“Name three good qualities your friends would say you have.”
“Tell us about why you want to become a DO and why did you choose DMU?”
“What would your friends say your greatest weakness is?”
“How did you come to the conclusion that medicine was for you?”
“Why would I be good at rural practice?”
“Why do you want to become an osteopathic physician?”
“Why DO? Tell me about yourself.”
“Why medicine? why DO? why DMU? What do you think is the complete physician?”
“How do your experiences prepare you to become a phyiscian”
“Do you feel as though you can handle the academic workload of medical school?”
“Why dmu? why osteopath? Why not PA or nurse? Are you happy with your MCAT score? “
“How do you deal with difficult situations?”
“Do you think the MCAT is a fair measure of becoming a physician?”
“What were your responsibilities in the laboratory you worked in?”
“Tell us about yourself? Do you have other interviews?”
“What do think is one of the most important issues facing medicine today and how might you be able to help resolve it?”
“with the exception of the ethical question, everything else was pretty much based on your profile. So just know what your wrote and what you did before.”
“See above for the unusual question.”
“Tell us about yourself – discuss how/when your interest in medicine, and osteopathic medicine specifically, developed. What are the differences/similarities between allopathic & osteopathic medicine? What are your career goals? In what area of medicine are you interested in practicing?”
“How did you study for the MCAT differently since your second score is significantly better than the first?”
“Tell me of a time you worked in a group and it did not go smoothly”
“What is something about medicine that makes you not want to enter the field”
“Name a time when you being responsible helped others.”
“Tell us about a time when you interacted with people who held different views than you did.”
“Explain a time that you disagreed with a directive and how you responded to that.”
“Why do you want to pursue DO as opposed to MD?”
“Tell me about a time that you received feedback from a manager that you did not necessarily agree with.”
“Describe a situation where you made a mistake and what occurred after.”
“How did you use your Emotional Intelligence on the mission trip you went on?”
“What leadership roles have you had and how have they impacted you?”
“Tell me about a time when you did everything you could and the outcome was still a failure.”
“Tell me more about a specific experience on your application.”
“How have you handled difficulties in the past?”
“Specific questions about my experiences on my application.”
“They asked me specifically about my time in grad school, including a reference to a comment I made in my PS. I enjoyed how thoroughly they knew my application.”
“Tell me about your job as **.”
“Why DO? Tell us about your research experience. Tell us about your study abroad.”
“What do you like about Osteopathic Medicine?”
“How comfortable are you being a leader?”
“how has your position as team captain affected your leadership skills?”
“How did you score higher the second time you retook the MCAT?”
“You will have taken two years off from school, how have you been preparing for the rigorous studies that accompany medical school?”
“You have a non-compliant patient, what do you do?”
“Talk about your involvement in the medical field- what type of experiences have you had that makes you feel like you will be a good doctor?”
“Discuss a time when communicating with someone was difficult.”
“Will you seek help from adviser if you begin to struggle academically?”
“What is something that your future patients will appreciate about you?”
“What type of job would I like to have in 10-20 years?”
“How will your leadership involvement benefit you in medical school?”
“How do you manage time? What do you do for fun/how do you handle stress?”
“How did you get to where you are now?”
“What do you look for in a school and why does DMU seem like a good fit for you?”
“Why do you think volunteering is good?”
“How do I think being a student-athlete prepared me for being successful? How do I handle stress/How will I handle school and having a boyfriend etc? Who is my support system?”
“Name a time when you hurt someone (not nec. physically), what did you do/learn?”
“Asked my opinion on the current health care situation.”
“What is your favorite thing about genetics?”
“What was your favorite class?”
“Why business school? (Im a business major)”
“Tell us about your hobbies.”
“What was the most interesting case/patient you saw/worked with in your clinical experience?”
“What qualities do you have that would make you a good osteopathic physician?”
“Tell me about how you got to this point in your life.”
“What do you look for in a medical school?”
“How will activity X (eg – research project) help you become a better physician?”
“What did you learn from your clinical experience? (2-3 follow ups about this)”
“What do you to do relax?”
“What is the number one thing you look for in a medical school?”
“Have you ever failed? Explain.”
“What are your study habits?”
“What would you do if you fail out of my biochem class? And if that didnt work? And if that didnt work? And then what?”
“If you couldnt ever become a doctor, what profession would you then pursue?”
“What was something you look forward to about being a physician, and something you dont look forward to?”
“”Why do you think you were not accepted to any medical schools last year (I was 18 when I applied – I graduated 2 years early)? Is that why youre applying to osteopathic programs this year?”
“If [tragic serious of personal hardships] happened next year during med school, how would you handle it?”
“There is an ongoing debate in medicine about whether medical students should be required to engage in lab-based research. Do you think research should be a requirement?”
“Why did you do ______ ?”
“What would you tell a patients family if you made a mistake that the patient was going to die from in 10 minutes? “
“How are you going to be able to adjust to Iowa weather since you have lived your whole life in California? How are you going to adjust to going back to school? (I graduated June 08)”
“Asked about research I have been involved in.”
“What is the one thing we should take away from meeting you today?”
“What did you do different to get a nine-point increase on your MCAT?”
“How did you prepare for _______ experience?”
“Why do you want to be a doctor/DO?”
“What do you think are the issues with current healthcare policy?”
“Why do you want to be a doctor as opposed to a …… (unique undergrad major)? Why do you want to be a DO?”
“Would you change anything in your life if you could? What are you doing currently?”
“What do you do when you fail?”
“How important is basic medical research to a medical school?”
“If you had a choice between Cornell Medical School and a DO school, which one would you choose? “
“Tell me about the most interesting class you took during undergrad…”
“How do you think youll adjust to the transition from working full time to being a full time student?”
“what is best advice someones ever given u?”
“What if you irrevocably harm a patient, what will you do / how handle it. And if (answer) does not work? And if (second answer) doesnt not work? “
“If you failed your first exam, what would you do?”
“where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“Why medicine? Why DO? “
“What do you do for fun? What books are you reading? Describe a situation that exemplifies your integrity. Describe a situation that demonstrates compassion.”
“Tell us about x and y activity? Whats something you learned from shadowing this DO?”
“What weaknesses do you have that prevent you from reaching your goals?”
“How do you relieve stress?”
“Questions about my trip to Ecuador”
“Moving away from your family when you have lived with them so long, how will you deal with this?”
“Talked about my file. What do you do outside of studying/extra curriculars?”
“Why do you want to become a doctor when you could do nursing?”
“How do you handle failure? What do you do to relieve stress?”
“What do you see as one of the biggest problems in medicine today? What do you do for fun, to relax? What do you look for in a medical school when choosing one? “
“Tell me about your experience at your undergraduate institution. Tell me of an interesting/unique situation you encountered during your shadowing. How do you manage your time and how do you deal with stress? How do you deal with dissapointment? “
“What do you think the main differences are between a DO and a MD?”
“Name a stressful situation that you experienced and how it was resolved?”
“What did you learn from shadowing?”
“Do you think you will be able to handle the medical school curriculum?”
“Why do you want to study in Iowa? Why DMU? Why not CCOM? (CCOM is a few minutes from where I live)”
“What is your opinion about diversity in medicine?”
“Describe experience X from my file.”
“Why did your verbal score not change the second time?”
“What do you do to relax? What was your favorite course in undergrad?”
“2. Tell me about activity X?”
“What is a rural medical doctor?”
“What other schools have you applied to, and how can we convince you to choose DMU?”
“What have you learned from your work experience that can be applied to medicine?”
“how do you balance school & other things?”
“Why DO, why DMU? “
“Tell my about your research.”
“Tell us about your D in Organic Chemistry. Is it a one-time incident? Do you have a plan B?”
“What qualities should a DMU applicant have? Please prove to us that you have these qualities.”
“What was the last book you read?”
“what other schools i applied to and how many interviews ive had “
“Whats your biggest accomplishment? Strengths/weaknesses? Favorite book?”
“What will you do it you dont get in anywhere?”
“What can you contribute to DMU?”
“How did you manage to get good grades with all of the activities that you are involved in?”
“What will you do if you dont get in?”
“What three books did you read most recently?”
“if your best friend was here, what would she say is your best quality? your worst? would those qualities hinder your future successes?”
“What book did you read recently? (due to my response to the first question)”
“Why not go to University of Iowa?”
“is it more important to be competant or compassionate?”
“Have you ever seen OMT being practiced before?”
“(I graduated in June of 05) Since you have been out of school for almost two years, what makes you think you will be able to hand the work load of going back to such a difficult program?”
“What will you have to work on to be successful in medical school?”
“Why Midwest? (I am originally from Seattle and currently reside in DC.)”
“Describe a problem facing health care today.”
“complete the following sentence. my friends say im a really nice guy, but _______. (fill in the blank w/ some negatives about yourself).”
“What are you outside interests? What kind of music do you play? Describe your undergrad institution and how you picked it (they had never heard of it)?”
“Tell us about an influential or pivotal moment in your life.”
“What is a time you have made a mistake, and how have you learned from it?”
“Tell us more about your research.”
“What was my most recent book I read?”
“Where have you applied? If you got accepted all of those schools how would you choose?”
“I honestly dont remember any more. Theyre all typical questions though. “
“Why did you become an EMT?”
“why medicine, why DO, why DMU”
“Tell us about how you learned spanish and what a mission is “
“What would you say your best quality is? Your worst? “
“Do you think we can have universal health care in the United States?”
“Tells us about your research”
“Why did you only attend graduate school for such a short duration(One semester)? A: Readers Digest version: I HATE RESEARCH!!”
“do you know the person who made the first vaccine? the professor asked this after a lengthy discussion on my response to the first question.”
“Are you concerned about getting back into formal education, like studying, etc.?”
“What will be a big problem in healthcare in the future? “
“What other schools have you applied to? How will you choose which one to go to? What about osteopathy speaks to you?”
“Why did you take a course on Japanese History and culture when you are a Spanish major?”
“Would you like to do research when in medical school?”
“Have you ever had a OMM treatment by a DO?”
“Tell us about A.T. Still and his theory.”
“What are your hobbies? What do you do with your free time?”
“Tell me about (volunteer experience).”
“How do you handle conflict?”
“How do you deal with death?”
“If you could change something about your past experiences, what would it be and why?”
“If you were to start a new student organization as a medical student, what kind of community service event would you like to organize?”
“Define Cancer. How many irreversible steps are there in glycolysis? (luckily i knew this one, one of my interviewers was a biochemist)”
“What do you think is the biggest problem in medicine today.”
“Tell me about your research?”
“In one of your letters of recommendation your professor said (yada yada.) Give us a specific example of this situation. (asked by 2nd year student)”
“Why DMU? If you get multiple acceptances, how will you decide which school to attend?”
“What type of medicine do you see yourself practicing later on and where.”
“what kind of experience have you had with osteopathic medicine and how did it help you decided to become an osteopathic medical doctor”
“Tell me about your medical experiences. What did you do? What have you learned?”
“Stumbling blocks in life and school.”
“Assisted suicide question — see above.”
“Who has influenced your life the most?”
“With all of your research experience, why not grad school instead? “
“In your personal statment you said X, can you explain this statement, it caught my eye! (this was not in a negative tone, very positive)”
“What have you gained from your experience working with people who have disabilities?”
“Tell us about experience in countries X and Y.”
“If you received a 68% on your first exam, how would you deal with that?”
“How do you deal with stress? “
“Tell me about your research. (more of a statement really) Ph.D. question”
“Why did you chose an non science major (I am a spanish major with chem and bio minors)? Do you feel you will be well prepared for advanced science classes in medical school?”
“What do you do in your spare time?”
“Why osteopathy, and what led you to it?”
“With such a high GPA/MCAT why not MD? Why DO? “
“Name the biggest challenge youve overcome in your life.”
“Why did you choose Neuroscience over Biology?”
“Having a family, what would be your safety net?”
“What was the last movie you saw?”
“Tell us about living/studying abroad.”
“So, I see you play lacrosse? What do you do to relax?”
“What is it in particular about DO philosophy that fits in with your personality? I told a joke at this point which went over well, then eased into it.”
“What part of your military experience has contributed to who you are today?”
“Why do you want to attend DMU?”
“Are you interested in psych-med”
“WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEA ALLOPATHIC AND OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE?”
“Who will act as your support, when family issues arise?”
“Why did you take the MCAT so many times? Why dont you get your PhD (because I have a lot of research experience)?”
“What is your impression of the first year of medical school?”
“What schools have you applied to? Why Osteopathy?”
“Tell me about the community that you have lived in. “
“Why osteopathy? (Why medicine was addressed in personal statement)”
“What is one social issue that you are concerned about?”
“Tell us about the last book you read?”
“Why Osteopathy? Why DMU? “
“Describe to me your volunteer experience and how it shaped you.”
“Do you like to read? What are your hobbies? Whats a social issue youd like to address/fix if you could? Tell us about your research. Do you have a doctor in the family? No hypothetical questions – just direct questions based on my application, etc.”
“How many times a week do you play the piano?”
“What scientific advancement since the beginning of recorded history has had the greatest impact on medicine?”
“What are you looking for in a school?”
“How do you study/make it though tons of school work and still do well?”
“Why should we pick you if we had just one seat left”
“Why do you want to go to DMU?”
“Why would you want to leave the big city (NYC) and come here?”
“How do you relieve stress? What sorts of things do you do for fun?”
“How do you think a family member who is an MD would respond to you attending a DO school?”
“What was the funniest thing that happened to you?”
“Do you consider yourself passionate about medicine? Tell us about your travel abroad experiences? What was your favorite class in undergrad? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“What is something special that you would bring to DMU that would be a great addition to the DMU sudent body?”
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
“What do you like to read?”
“What do you look for in a medical college? Why Iowa? Wouldnt it be more conveninet for you in your home state? (I explained why I applied to DMU before they asked this-but they will ask so be prepared).”
“What specific moment did you know that you were going to become a doctor…why D.O.,…..why DMU?”
“If your best friends were sitting here, how would they describe you?”
“What do you look for in a school?”
“What will be the hardest thing about medical school that you will have to overcome?”
“How do you think youll be able to balance school and work (I mentioned I intended to work part time during year 1)”
“Tell me about your best friend.”
“Tell me about your research.”
“What do you do to relax? Who is your role model? Do you prefer to work in groups or alone?”
“What is the last book you read.”
“Why here vs. other D.O schools?”
“Do you plan to be active in the community where you will one day practice? How?”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
“Who do you consider to be a role model?”
“Why do you want to be a doctor when no one else in your family is in the medical profession…Why DO, why DMU etc.”
“The questions from faculty werent bad at all. It was the student questions that were the stumpers. I hate those damn students…until Im one of them. 🙂 “
“If you got into >1 school how would you decide?”
“If accepted to both DO and MD programs, where would you go? They grilled me on the difference between MDs and DOs although I had substantial experience with both.”
“Are there any questions you wished that you would have been asked? Tell us how you feel your reading and writing abilities rate and what you feel will help you in the future to do better?”
“What would I do if I noticed another student cheating on an exam?”
“Do you plan on participating in extra-curricular activities in medical school?”
“What is a pressing health care issue that keeps you up at night?”
“What was the last book youve read? Have you been accepted to any other schools and what would it take for you to choose DMU? How do you feel you will handle having a family and being in medical school? “
“Do you play a musical instrument?”
“Why did you choose this school?”
“”What experiences do you have with osteopathic physicians?””
“What specialities? Why primary care? “
“What experiences and ideas will you bring from your prior career to this school and the medical field?”
“What do you do for fun?”
“What do you do to relieve stress?”
“If you failed your first test in med school, what would you do?”
“How did you balance collegiate sports and school?”
“What is your greatest accomplishment?”
“If you could fix one thing about medicine, with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?”
“Do I think the MCAT or my GPA is a better reflection of me as a student?”
“How does DMU compare with other osteopathic medical schools?”
“What do you enjoy doing in your free time?”
“Was asked to explain a few poor grades.”
“What books have you read recently? What is the weakest area in your application? Why DMU? What do you like to do? What would you do if you failed the first test?”
“what would make you decide between schools if had multiple acceptances?”
“Has your integrity ever been tested?”
“Have you ever had manipulation done on you, or have you observed a manipulation before?”
“What kind of medicine you want to practice, why DMU?”
“In your medical experiences, have you ruled out becomming any specalities? What type of med. do you want to go into?”
“How do you know that the medical profession is right for you? “
“What would you do if you were accepted into both DO and MD schools? How would you choose?”
“Why are you not applying to Emory Medical School (my undergrad. school) What qualities will make you a good doctor? What was your hardest class in undergrad and why?”
“Describe your experiences in more detail “
“What qualities do you possess that would make you a good physician?”
“Tell us what you typically do to relieve stress.”
“What is, in your mind, the difference between an allopathic and an osteopathic physician?”
“What activities do you participate in to relax?”
“If you saw a student cheating, what would you do?”
“in a clinical setting, how do you see conflicting opinions of physicians resolved”
“Name a time when you helped improve a process.”
“Tell us about a time when you tried your hardest and still failed.”
“Tell us about a time that you failed.”
“Name a time you worked with a team and overcame an obstacle.”
“Tell me about a time when somebody came to you with a problem that you empathized with.”
“Describe an encounter you had with someone that was maybe unpleasant and how you changed that.”
“Why do you want to be a physician specifically, rather than a nurse, nurse practitioner, or physicians assistant?”
“How will you adjust to the rigorous curriculum of medical school?”
“What kind of physician do you want to be? (both specialty and how I want my patients to view me)”
“Multiple questions specific to my experiences and academic record”
“What person characteristics do you think you could improve upon?”
“What programs are you interested in here?”
“What is one mistake youve made in the last 6 months, and how did you handle it?”
“What is the state of healthcare today?”
“how do you think your position as head coach and dealing with parents will help you deal with patients family members in the future?”
“Tell us about your research projects.”
“Tell me more about XXX (application specific)”
“How has being a college athlete prepared you for a career in medicine?”
“What do you like to do in your free time?”
“Who is one person that you admire, and why?”
“What types of clubs/activities would I be involved in as a DO student?”
“Compare the Chinese health care system with the United States health care system.”
“Did you talk to any of our married students? (I am married.)”
“How does your husband feel about moving to IA?”
“What was it like as a U.S. NAVY combat search and rescue swimmer?”
“What are some negative qualities that you wouldnt want to see in a doctor?”
“I have an academic misconduct charge and they asked me to explain what happened, and why they should let me in.”
“What was the last book you read..what do you do for fun…What would you do if you failed your first test..”
“How I will decide between multiple acceptances”
“What was your most difficult class?”
“What did you learn from this experience? (referring to experiences I talked about in my application papers)”
“What kind of books do you like to read?”
“What have you done in your time since graduating?”
“What have you done when youve had difficulty in a class?”
“Are you interested in rural medicine? (I asked if they meant as a career or just experience and he said both).”
“Discuss your strategies/factors on how you did well in undergrad?”
“Did you apply to M.D schools? If you got into no schools, what would you do? What type of physician do you see yourself as?”
“What other schools did you apply to?”
“What is your greatest weakness?”
“Tell me about (activity from AACOMAS)”
“What do you think will be the hardest part of attending medical school?”
“What kind of dogs do you have?”
“Tell me something about you that is not on your application, what have you been doing since you wrote this?”
“What difficulties do you expect having been out of school for two years?”
“”What do you like about the DMU atmosphere? Do we have the kind of people youd like to make friends with?””
“They asked me to explain and elaborate on a low grade or two.”
“What is your biggest concern in transitioning to medical school?”
“What is the latest book youve read for pleasure?”
“Have you thought of what you want to specialize in?”
“What are your hobbies? Tell me about your research? “
“What do you do to de-stress?”
“Asked about my strengths and weaknesses.”
“Why should we accept you?”
“If you were accepted here would you cancel all your other interviews?”
“Lots of application specific questions”
“Are you interested in rural medicine?”
“What is going to be the hardest part about being a physician?”
“specific questions to my application”
“If you got into DMU and Iowa, which one would you pick and why?”
“What are your perceived strengths and weaknesses?”
“Describe Osteopathic Medicine without using the word Holistic?”
“What do you think about the coordination of care for patients (i.e. primary care and specialists)?”
“Do you think its a physicians job to tell patients what to eat? What about a dietician? “
“If there was only one spot left in this falls class, tell us why we should give it to you.”
“Whats hardest situation you ever dealt with?”
“How will you handle medical school, what if you fail a test? How will you handle it? What if you keep failing? “
“What is the physicians role in the healing process in activity x?”
“describe a stressful situation and how you dealt with it.”
“What is an ethical issue you encountered in a health care setting and how did you deal with it?”
“Where do you see our health care system in ten years? Do you think your mom practices holistic medicine? (my mom is an MD) “
“What are you interested in?”
“What are your hobbies and what do you do for fun?”
“What worries you most about medical school?”
“Hobbies, interests, how i will deal with med school load”
“What will you do if you fail a test?”
“What would you do if you didnt get into medical school?”
“What are you looking for in your medical education?”
“Tell us about your research. Do you feel bad when you kill (I like to hunt)”
“If you kept applying to medical school over and over and never got in, what would you do then? Why do you want to practice overseas when there are so many problems here in America to face regarding healthcare? “
“What would your friends and family say are your strengths and weaknesses?Specific questions regarding my application and experiences.”
“Do you think you would ever consider doing Rural Medicine?”
“Where do you see healthcare in 10 years?”
“Why such a long path to medicine?”
“Is it hard being Indian and living away from your family? Would your parents prefer if you were an MD? Who is Bobby Jindal? Can you tell me about any Indian authors?”
“What would you do if you failed your first test?”
“How will you add to our school?”
“What do you think your first year of medical school will be like?”
“Would you be willing to relocate if accepted? Did you apply to the DO program in your city? “
“3. Tell me about XYZ in Personal Statement. 4. What do you have to offer this school?”
“What field of medicine do you want to pursue… do you know the difference between primary care and rural medicine? “
“Have you thought about our dual degree program, DO/MPH or DO/MHA?”
“What do you do to relax?”
“What are two of your strengths and two of your weaknesses?”
“I see that you have graduated and are now working. Tell me about your work.”
“Tell us about a social issue our society is facing that is important to you.”
“Where do you see yourself in 15 years?”
“What qualities should doctor have?”
“If a classmate could thank you for something, what would it be?”
“Are you a morning person?”
“rural med question mentioned above. “
“What do you do in your free time?”
“Most of the questions were verbatim off of SDN.”
“the difficult question mention above”
“What is one thing that you like about yourself and one thing that you would change?”
“Why did you go to school as an undergrad so far away from your home town?”
“what future problems in healtcare are you scared to face?”
“What is the biggest problem in healthcare today?”
“Will you stay in Des Moines to practice?”
“Did you apply to other schools?”
“How will I select the school?”
“What specialty are you interested in?”
“Why do you think we should allow you to come to DMU?”
“Out of all your volunteer experiences, what was the most profound and what did you learn from that experience?”
“What do you think is required for somebody to be a fit for rural medicine?”
“How do you account for the clear contrast in your grades from your earlier academic career to your last 60 hours of outstanding grades?”
“what has been your greatest accomplishment.”
“What did you learn from your shadowing? What did you gain from your Americorps experience (volunteering)? Since you took time off from school, how do think youll do with the rigors of the cirriculum at DMU?”
“Why arent you applying to the medical school of your undergraduate university?”
“What would your wife say is your worst quality?”
“Are you interested in a particular specialty?”
“Explain my low MCAT score and how will I be able to make it in medical school which requires so much focusing?”
“If we called one of your friends asked them one good thing about you and one bad thing about you?”
“Why was your MCAT so low?”
“what in your research will help you in becmoing a doctor?”
“How will you deal with the work load of medical school”
“How do I cope with strees?”
“Do you have a hobby? “
“How will you cope with staying up 30+ hours a day and still be a good doctor?”
“With all of you clinical experience you have had in the past, explain to us what you believe the role of a physician is.”
“What are the specific differences in the way a DO would treat a diabetic patient as opposed to an MD? this was in response to the answer i gave for “why do you want to be a DO?””
“Tell me about a time youve shown compassion.”
“What did you like about your shadowing experience?”
“Tell about your misdemeanor. (asked in a friendly non-confrontational way, its better to get this out in the open)”
“In your letters of recommendation you were referred to as a life-long learner, why would someone say that about you?”
“What makes you stand out among other applicants?”
“How do you think you will handle the load of medical school?”
“How will your educational background and prior profession help you practice medicine?”
“Did you apply here as your back-up for MD? “
“What can you bring to this school?”
“With all of your clinical experience, how will you deal with being ahead of your students during the first 2 years? How will you interact with them?”
“How is a doctor a teacher? (Hint: “Global Doctor” = educator/teacher)”
“What is the most difficult thing you may run into becoming a physician?”
“Why do you want to do family practice even though its the lowest paid? You wont be able to drive a fancy car, or wear 5000 dollar suits!!”
“Tell us what you know about Des Moines.”
“How might already having a family be both a positive and negative during medical school?”
“What would your bestfriend say about you?”
“What are you doing now, in terms of school, work, volunteer, etc.”
“I see that youve been working in a hospital. Tell me about your job.”
“Why do you want to be an osteopath? What influenced you to choose the D.O. path? (asked by P.H.D. faculty member)”
“What do you do for fun?”
“What is one thing I would change in America ( I answered “the number of people currently without health insurance” they said, “how, you wont raise my taxes will you?”)”
“Describe your typical day as a med student here”
“Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where will you be practicing, etc.”
“Is there anything you would like to ask us?”
“What will I do if Im accepted to an allopathic school?”
“Why would you want to go here over a resident school?”
“Since your father is a MD, what does he think about you going to a DO school?”
“During your health care experience, what sort of valuable things did you do?”
“What was your favorite class during your undergraduate years?”
“What would you do to help other people with their personal healthcare?”
“Are you scared about returning to full time school after a long hiatus? Do you think you can handle the course load?”
“What do you plan to do if you do not get into medical school this year?”
“What would you do if you dont get accepted this year? “
“Why do you want to go into medicine? (D.O. question)”
“Tell me about your volunteer work in honduras”
“Most of my questions were specific to my application, and seemed to be just trying to get to know me better.”
“Research? What do you do for fun? What type of doc?”
“Tell us about yourself. (NOTE: This was a “well tell you about us, then you tell us about you”. Interviewer #1: Im A, and I teach here. #2: Im B, and I work here. #3: Im C, and Im a 2nd year student here. Me: Im me, followed by a paragraph of general information which was all in my file. 30 seconds of silence followed this answer while they stared at me stoney-faced.)”
“Tell me about your research with child development”
“What do you expect with your education from des moines?”
“What are your academic strengths and weaknesses?”
“What do you know about osteopathic medicine?”
“What is it that you like about osteopathic medicine. “
“I noticed that you took a course–Electron Microscopy Techniques–how was that? Actually, an excellent segway into medicine since this is more of an artistic science course, and I was then able to weave in how the practice of medicine is both an art as well as a science. They really liked this…!”
“Up to this point in your education, what is the longest that you have ever had to study for a test?”
“Why dont you wear a watch?”
“How will you get back to where you came from?”
“WHY DO YOU HAVE A “W” ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT?”
“How will you choose the best medical school for you?”
“Tell me about your research experience/volunteer experience?”
“Tell us how you first became interested in medicine.”
“What medical issue gets me angry? What social issue concerns me?”
“What would you do if you failed your first anatomy test?”
“How would you adjust moving to the cold?”
“What did you learn from your work experience as a CNA?”
“Is there anything that we did not ask that you would like to share with us?”
“A question about my medical experienced as was referenced in my personal essay.”
“what qualities are you most looking for in a medical school?”
“If you were put in charge of unlimited resources, what can you do?”
“Why did you move around so much?”
“Do you have any questions for us?”
“Tell me about why you got this grade… etc. (They really really really knew your file)”
“Why didnt you apply to (my undergraduate institutions M.D. program) since its a really good school?”
“How did it feel when you got that D in statistics?”
“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“What did you like/dislike about research?”
“If I was a terminally ill patient how would you treat me”
“Tell us about your job as a CNA.”
“Something about current healthcare proposals by the presidential candidates”
“How can we solve the current nursing shortage and what can be done to help the uninsured with their prescription drug coverage.”
“How will you decide where to go if you are accepted at more than one school.”
“If you were accepted at a number of schools, what three main factors would influence your decision on where to attend? Do you honestly believe you are prepared for the rigors of medical school? “
“What specialty do you want to go into and why?”
“If you caught someone in class cheating on a test, what would you do?”
“What is one social problem in health care today? How do you feel about patients ordering med refills from Canada?”
“If your friends were sitting here today how would they describe you in one word?”
“If you were to fail a test how would you deal with that? How would you council a friend in the same situation?”
“What would you do if you decided med school wasnt for you (asked by student)?”
“How do you think youll cope living in Iowa?”
“What are three of your weaknesses? “
“What interesting thing do you like to do? How did you get a xyz grade in this class? What did you do to prepare for the MCAT the second time?”
“What are your strengths and weaknesses as a person, candidate, and family member? (How stupid is this?)”
“Where else have you applied and why?”
“Tell us what about you and why you decided to practice medicine.”
“If you got accepted to more than one school, how would you decide where to go?”
“Tell me about your experience in _______(fill in your own unique experience) how has it shaped your decision to persue medicine?”
“Pretty standard questions, nothing out of the ordinary. Didnt even get asked why DO. Thats it, Good luck!”
“Tell us about your volunteering experience.”
“How has diabetes affected your life and what have you done to live a full life with the disease.”
“How do I handle stress?”
“How does your mom feel about you going into a DO program? (My mom is a MD)”
“What specialty do you think you might not want to pursue? (This is a different spin on asking what you might want to go into. I answered a specialty that one of the interviewers was, much to my horror! However, I think that they just want to know what area you see yourself as suited for.)”
“How have you been involved in research, and how has that helped you to pursue your career in medicine? What would you do to overcome failures and setbacks once in medical school? “
“How would you choose between schools if you received multiple acceptances?”
“”Where will you go if you get multiple acceptances?””
“What is the definition of doctor?”
“How do you feel about fetal stem cell research?”
“What was the last book you read?”
“What do you do to relieve stress? “
“If we only have one slot left, why should we give it to you?”
“Tell us a little about your time volunteering? What sorts of things did you discover about medicine in 3rd world countries?”
“How did I arrive at my decision to become ar Dr?”
“How do you handle stress?”
“What factors would decide on whehter you went to DMU or your state school?”
“Is there anything you hoped we werent going to ask?”
“What courses are you taking now and what will you be taking your last semester in college.”
“Why should we recommend you, if you had to write your own letter to the dean, what would it be? why are you unique?”
“If you were accepted everwhere you applied, where would you go? Why? What would it take for you to choose DMU?”
“If you were told you will never, ever get into medical school, what would you do. “
“What made you decide to become a physician?”
“Why DO, Why here? What would your friends say about you? What do you see as being a difficulty you will face in medical school, and how do you plan to overcome it? If you fail a class in med school, how will you deal with it? What field do you want to go into?”
“What impressed you most regarding the interview day? Do you have any questions for us? Very straight forward.”
“Why Osteopathy and why DMU?”
“What types of qualities do you see in the doctors you come into contact with in clinical settings that you would like to emulate, and which ones do you hope you never see in yourself? Why?”
“Do you plan on using OMM in your practice?”
“You cant always be successful. Name a time when you failed and how you reacted.”
“Specific question about an experience of mine”
“what do you do to unwind?”
“Tell me about a time when you had to have an uncomfortable conversation with someone. How did it turn out?”
“How did you do so well on the MCAT?”
“How did you use your Emotional Intelligence on the mission trip you went on?”
“Where do you see yourself in 25 years?”
“Tell me about your xyz research.”
“Questions about my personal statement, including exact word choice and meaning”
“Is there a time where you witnessed a physician interacting with a patient in a manner you believed to be unprofessional?”
“How do you plan to excel in medical school courses?”
“What is the riskiest thing you have done in the last year?”
“What attracted you to DMU?”
“why did you choose to volunteer with hospice?”
“How did you use your bachelors degree after you graduated from college?”
“Tell me what you are most proud of that is not academically related?”
“What is one issue, outside of medicine, that you think most affects your generation and how do you plan to be a part of the solution?”
“The questions regarding my experiences (from application)”
“I was asked something very specific to my file, kinda surprised me with how well they knew me before I even entered the room.”
“What is one specific thing you learned from each of the doctors you shadowed?”
“Who is a public figure you admire and why?”
“If recorded lectures makes it too easy for students to not attend class.”
“Tell me about the history of hospice (I volunteered with hospice).”
“Have you been able to use any of your undergraduate education in your CNA work?”
“Tell us about your Masters degree in Bioethics.”
“I was asked about academic violations at my undergraduate institution (being written up by an RA, etc.)”
“Why do you like nature?”
“Nothing extremely interesting or weird. Just the typical why Doctor (and also why not scientist or others), WhY DO/DMU..(id suggest figuring out a couple specific things you like that are unique to the school).”
“Nothing really stood out as particularly interesting.”
“In one word what does the title “doctor” mean?”
“What is your favorite book?”
“What do you like to do for fun with your free time?”
“Do you think the skills youve developed playing musical instruments will help you with OMM?”
“Convince the medical student in the room that it is rewarding to practice medicine Jail Health services (I worked in a county jail — they will probe your experiences!)”
“None were interesting questions. pretty standard”
“What is the most important quality a physician should possess?”
“If you got into all the schools you applied to, how would you decide which school to go to?”
“What adjustments will you have to make to succeed in medical school?”
“The physician interviewing me asked about a specific clinical research study Ive worked on. It showed that he REALLY read through my application prior to interviewing me – very impressive!!”
“If you had an IV drug user come to you, would you tell him about needle exchange programs? (based on my previous experience moderating discussions on this topic)”
“Why else do you want to be a DO?”
“Are pi bonds still dumb bell shaped?”
“What was something you look forward to about being a physician, and something you dont look forward to?”
“Why DO? Are you applying to both MD and DO and dont care which you get into as long as you become a physician?”
“”I see youre currently enrolled in our MPH program. What can you tell me about Dr. Snow and the broad street pump?””
“If your family is your support system and you are the first person in your family to attend college, how will they possibly support/identify/empathize with your experiences in med school?”
“Why does a young guy from New York want to come to Iowa, and DMU?”
“How will you use your position as a DO to fix a problem in the health care system today?”
“Who is your favorite artist?”
“What do you think will be the hardest part about being a physician?”
“If I could change one thing about what I have seen from physicians, what would it be?”
“None really. No gray area questions – no healthcare reform questions.”
“How you do gauge success?”
“Explain a typical day working with an autistic child. What was the most difficult part about it?”
“How do you deal with a patent care situations where you are incompetent?”
“describe a situation where you did not get along with someone else and what did you do”
“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“If you were to get an acceptance geographically closer to your hometown as well as Des Moines, where would you choose to go?”
“Describe Osteopathic Medicine without using the word Holistic?”
“What is the difference between Greek and Greco-Roman thought? (I think he was just getting at my experience in a great books program)”
“What is your stance on xxx policy? (We were talking about some public health issues in US and asked me this question based on my response).”
“If you were to get in here, how would your family respond?”
“Question about my parents careers (nurse and OT) influencing my choice of medicine as a career.”
“Has your father (alum) visited the school recently and if not why do you think he has not?”
“If you were the surgeon general, what is one aspect of medicine that you would change?”
“What is a PA? “
“No questions out of the blue. No ethical questions or anything funky.”
“I was surprised by the persistent questions about my family and how my husband will deal with relocating to Des Moines. “
“Do you think your mom practices holistic medicine? “
“Nothing out of the ordinary was asked.”
“What are some of your non-academic strengths/weaknesses?”
“What do you anticipate the most difficult challenge facing a rural physician is?”
“Questions about specific medical experiences in Ecuador”
“What MD schools did you apply to? Is DMU just a safety school?”
“Do you like teaching others about osteopathic medicine? Could you see yourself getting involved in pre-SOMA at DMU? (from an activity in my file)”
“How I would deal if I found I was struggling in med school.”
“None really – all were standard, basic questions”
“Tell me about a physician you admire and why. (going off my answer) How would you design a health care policy/program that would educate the citizens of the U.S. regarding the problems you mentioned?”
“What do you consider the role of the doctor in the patient-doctor relationship?”
“Specific question about my extracurricular.”
“Does India have large uranium deposits? (specific to my application)”
“Where you ever bullied as a kid?”
“What scares you the most about med school?”
“If you could go back in time and meet anyone, who would it be and why?”
“Have you ever observed a conflict in the ER and if so, how was it resolved?”
“If you had just enough money to either treat a sick child or buy vaccine for 50,000 people, what would you do?”
“What do you think of a hospital system with its different levels of nurses, therapists, and doctors?”
“What do you not want us to know about you?”
“If you get accepted to your instate school, you will automatically go there wont you?”
“If you get accepted instate, why would you want to spend so much money going here?”
“What would you do if a patient asked you to do something that you felt was unethical?”
“Your numbers are very similar to the average matriculant. What seperates you from everyone else who has similar numbers?”
“No really interesting questions. Just some of the usual, “Tell us about your weaknesses”, “What do you bring to the class””
“I wasnt asked anything interesting really!”
“Please list the qualities should an incoming student have? Please prove to us with examples that you posses these qualities. What qualities should a doctor have?”
“Nothing too out of the ordinary… I suppose Tell me about Healthcare in country X (a foreign country where I got some clinical exposure) What do you do for fun?”
“If a patient came to you and asked how being an osteopathic physician would benefit their treatment, what would you tell them?”
“If someone says to you that women are less smart than men and backs it up with facts, how would you respond?”
“Do you think there are similarities between raising a dog and having children. (In response to our conversation about my German Shepherd). “
“Have you ever read any fiction/ poetry pieces written by doctors?”
“Being a woman, being a minority in the US, and applying to a DO program, how do you feel about those obstacles that you have to leap through to gain equal standing as physician? Why not MD? (Is it even ethical to ask such a question?)”
“Tell me about a problem client you have encoutered and how you dealt with it? “
“when you retire, what do you have hoped to have learned from your career in medicine?”
“What would you do if you failed your first exam in med school?”
“Are you going to have a large pro bono aspect in your future practice?”
“Describe an ideal patient/the opposite.”
“Who is your greatest role model?”
“none really, mostly about my background and how I immigrated to US”
“Nothing that interesting, just standard questions.”
“If I could ask any one person to go to dinner, who would I ask and what would I fix for dinner.”
“What ONE quality is the most important for a physician to have?”
“What is your favorite food?”
“If we only had one seat left, why should we choose you over the 12 others here today?”
“what is a scientific invention you believe promotes public health?!?!”
“None of their questions were out of th ordinary…I guess: What did you gain from your Americorps Experience (federal volunteering).”
“Where else do you want to go?”
“How do you think your Psychology degree will benefit you as a physician?”
“What would your wife say is you worst quality?”
“What do expect medical school to be like?”
“You are driving home today and are in car accident and die. What would you want your tombstone to say?”
“Basic getting to know you”
“what would you do if you didnt make it into the top 25% of the class”
“If you were in charge of a government program of health and had $100,000, you can save a child that needs heart surgery of give thousands of a vaccine what would you choose?”
“What would I do if I could change anything in the United States?”
“I am interested in Geneaology. Can you tell me anything about your last name? “
“Why are you here? I was a little confused by the question, so I had the interviewer form a more concise question.”
“Where did you get that tie?”
“What do you think was the most important contribution the field of chemistry gave to medicine? actually, i thought this was difficult at the time becuase its hard to seperate chemistry from biology. i think i ended up saying either the process of vaccinations or the isolation of pennicillin. “
“First question, right out of the gate: Why are you applying so late? Maybe not such an “interesting” question as aggravating. I explained that I submitted before every deadline and I didnt feel that I was late.”
“They were fairly typical questions asked in unique ways.”
“Why not Vet. Medicine? (I have dogs)”
“You worked at a coffee shop, do you know type of beans you sold?”
“Tell me something about yourself that you did not write down on your application.”
“Nothing stood out as particularly interesting. Just the basics were asked.”
“Why is fitness so important to you and how will that change how you treat your patients?”
“If you could change one thing about American society, what would it be?”
“Whats the last book you read?”
“How many hours of sleep would you get in a stress-free world? How many hours do you think you will get next year? (fyi- they should be the same!)”
“How do you deal with criticism? (right after the low GPA question)”
“Is 42nd Street still your favorite Broadway show?”
“If you were to start a new student organization as a medical student, what kind of community service event would you like to organize?”
“”If you were to die tomorrow, and I were to put up a tombstone for you, what would be a proverb that I could inscribe on it that would describe your life?””
“How would you compare being a lifeguard to being a doctor? (I was a lifeguard for 7 years, still havent figured out how they knew that because I didnt put it in my application)”
“How might having a family already be both a positive and negative during medical school?”
“What do you do when you get really angry?”
“Where else did you get interviews?”
“”I notice that you took a course in short story literature in college. What exactly was the class all about?””
“What one thing about yourself would you like us to remember about you after the interview? (asked by D.O. factuly member) Runner-up: Do you still do air-conditioning work? :)”
“Why did you switch careers?”
“You have been on two other interviews, what makes our interview different. (in my eyes a great question, makes it like they are very interested in you) and it was followed up by: if you were accepted into all three of the schools, what would make you choose one over the other? (again, makes you feel like you are at home).”
“Are you applying both allopathic and osteopathic? and why not only osteopathic?”
“Why not be a pharmacist? (I work as a pharm tech)”
“”How would somebody from California like to move to Des Moines?” I was asked a lot of questions about relocating to Des Moines.”
“I was asked a question about assisted suicide — would I do it for one of my hospice patients?”
“If you caught one of your classmates giving test answers to another classmate, what would you do?”
“Tell me something we dont know about you that isnt on your application. “
“How did your major (religious studies) prepare you for medical school.”
“So… How about them beavers?”
“So you took a snowboarding class during college huh? (Didnt ask about it in a negative way, but thought it sounded like fun!)”
“You mention countries X and Y as 3rd-world countries. Is that condescending?”
“Discuss what you do in your current line of work. “
“If you were a rural doctor who had received $200,000 and you could either immunize all of the children in the area or use the money for a child who needs a heart transplant, what would you do?”
“What do you think about socialized medicine? (this question was relating to an earlier response, not out of the blue)”
“Please explain to me the difference between Conservative and Orthodox Judaism. (I was a Jewish Studies major)”
“Tell me about your experience as a missionary in paraguay.”
“None, really. All the questions were quite canned and boring. Really.”
“You say that you have a good understanding of the hispanic culture. Why is this important? Well obviously Dr. Bendeya has been in Des Moines most of his life or he would have noticed that Mexico has taken over the South Western United States!”
“What do you expect from your education at des moines?”
“Cubs or Sox? (I am from Chicago.)”
“If you get accepted to every medical school that you apply to, how will you choose which one to attend?”
“If all of the med schools in the world closed down and the career of a physician no longer existed, what would you do? “
“Since you mentioned that you “love life and all it hsa to offer,” and that you are an adriot academic, what do you do for fun? My answer involved discussing my love of Oldies music, and I offered to sing…but no takers. Surprising! They also liked it when I mentioned I drive an old Buick…seems to always catch the laughter.”
“Whos easier to coach at soccer, boys or girls?”
“Why dont you wear a watch?”
“Are you thinking about psych-med?”
“WHY DID YOU CHOOSE IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY FOR YOUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES?”
“What is a weakness that you have had, and what have you done to overcome it?”
“What are some issues in healthcare that you know/have an opinion about?”
“What social issue keeps you awake at night?”
“If you were passing by a car-wreck in the middle of the night and no one else was around, what would you do?”
“Two were unique. 1)Tell us about your participation with Pet-Facilitated Therapy. 2)How does Osteopathic Medicine relate to your current field? (I am currently in a different healthcare field)”
“If you were appointed Surgeon General, what issue would you address first?”
“So… many people think of the “doctor” in many different ways, some think of doctor as their professor at school, some people think of doctor as their health care provider…. whats your definition of “doctor” in 1 or 2 words?”
“If you could eradicate any disease, what would it be and why?”
“Given unlimeted funding, what would you do to change the world?”
“What social issue to you feel is the biggest issue today?”
“if you were given $10 million, what would you do with it?”
“Where do you see yourself ten years from today?”
“Describe to me a social issue (concern) not related to health care.”
“A detailed hypothetical question involving my previous career field, physics, and economics.”
“If you were offered anything to do research would you?”
“Why should we accept you?”
“We here at DMU very rarely accept students that have withdrawn from beginning clogging, so why should we accept you? (He was just joking though and we all laughed.)”
“I was asked to compare the healthcare systems of Europe and the U.S. in terms of what the U.S. might do to improve the health care crisis (I had studied abroad and apparently the interviewer thought that this gave me the authority to answer such a question).”
“What is a social issue that concerns you?”
“I dont know if any of them were interesting. How about, “If you could change one thing in this country what would it be and why?””
“What havent we asked you that you thought we would?”
“What is a social problem that you would address if you were the richest person on earth”
“If I had to do it all over again, what would I have done differently?”
“What have you done to change your application since last year, when you also applied to med schools?”
“Since your application is strong enough to likely get you into an MD school, how would you choose which school to go to?”
“The interview started with: “Tell us about yourself.””
“The most interesting question they asked was, ” What would you do if you studied hard for a test, and failed anyway?””
“How do you think we can solve the current nursing shortage that healthcare is seeing?”
“Why do you want to leave research to pursue a career in medicine?”
“Would you consider adding an M.P.H. to your D.O. program given that you could do it without any extra cost if you came here? “
“If and how you would help people whose basic needs (from Maslows Hierarchy of Needs) have not been met?”
“Why did you choose to pursue medicine over a field such as public health or epidemiology?”
“What do you think are some of the reposibilities of being a student?”
“When did Tolkein write the Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings Trilogy? (We were discussing what I like to read.)”
“How do you feel about patients ordering prescription medications from Canada? “
“What would you do if you failed a test?”
“What is the most important thing you have learned from your parents?”
“What good book have you read?”
“Typical ethics question about 15 year old girl suffering from leukemia. “
“How do you plan on balancing the kind of practice youd like to have against the constraints of working in a high-volume clinic?”
“Nothing was really interesting – standard stuff really”
“How do you define compassion?”
“Tell me about your best friend.”
“How will you devote enough time to your family and school if you were to be accepted?”
“What would you change in healthcare today? Tell me something in medicine that you would like to know more about.”
“What makes you get up on a soap box. What are you passionate about.”
“What do you think of the connection between farm subsidies and obesity?”
“What do you do to relieve stress? What is the last book that you read?”
“Why are you here, not just here at DMU/COMS but why are you here in America? Stupid ass question, completely irrelevant to what I went there for.”
“What qualities do you want to bring with you as a physician?”
“What would you do if you had a patient that would die without treatment and the opportunity to immunize 1,000 patients, but only enough finances to address one of the needs? “
“What do you look foward to the least and the most about becoming an osteopathic physician?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“What have you learned about the state of medicine in this country based on your travels?”
“Questions were all standard, found in other reviews of this school. Nothing was that unique.”
“Just standard questions. Nothing really difficult.”
“Tell us something about you that isnt in your file.”
“What traits will make you a good doctor?”
“If youre offered >1 spot, how will you decide?”
“Do you think there is a difference in the way a DO and MD treats a patient?”
“How do you think spirituality fits into the practice of medicine?”
“Who has been your template or role model for becoming a physician. Has it been one person or many?”
“how would you, if at all, participate in community work as a doctor?”
“What was the last book you have read for fun?”
“since I want to be a pediatrician, I was asked how I would deal with a crying kid who didnt want to be treated”
“Pick an ethical issue and talk about it.”
“”If your best friend were sitting here next to you, what would they say about you?” I didnt really get it at first, since I didnt know if they were talking in terms of my becoming a physician or just of my character, but thought a little bit about it and was able to answer it.”
“What was the last book youve read (outside of a class)?? In what area of medicine do you see yourself practicing in five years? “
“Do you play a musical instrument?”
“If I were hit by a bus and killed today, what would I want my epitaph to say?”
“Who was the last real emperor in the region now known as Ethiopia? (He saw that I took ONE class on African History, over ten years ago mind you.)”
“Scenario: During residency you encounter an attending surgeon with alcohol on his breath. What do you do?”
“What experiences would you bring from your prior career to this school and the medical profession?”
“Name three things your friends would say about you if they were here.”
“What would I do if I saw a classmate cheat on a test.”
“If I played any musical instruments. “
“Being that my dad is an MD, what he thinks of my choice of becoming a DO”
“Because I was from Oregon they asked me about my thoughts on Death With Dignity/Assisted suicide.”
“If you were to become an osteopathic physician, how would you confront/ change the general misunderstandings people have about D.O.s?”
“In light of some volunteer work I had done, how did I feel about the war? “
“Would I serve as a big brother to other incoming students”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
“I was given a tough ethics question involving patient rights.”
“Tell me about yourself? I know its not THAT interesting but I never know what to say!”
“How are you and your fiance prepared for you going to medical school?”
“Is there anything you hoped we werent going to ask?”
“Why is a man-hole cover round. (the only shape that wont fall in on itself)”
“I was asked detailed questions from my personal statement. (Its nice to know they actually read it!)”
“Why do you think that DMUCOMS is a place where you can succeed and be happy?”
“What three things would you tell a student to recommend them to DMU?”
“What would I change in medicine. “
“If you were the Chief of Surgery, what would you change about the operating room?”
“A 4 year old child is rushed to the ER. Her parents have “mong” beliefs, where if you puncture the skin, your soul leaves. THe child will die without an immediate operation. The parents refuse based on their religion. What do you do?”
“None really, pretty straightforward. I guess an interesting one would be describe what a physician is like using 5 adjectives.”
“Nothing difficult at all, no ethics or scenario-based questions. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good physician?”
“No strange or particularly difficult questions. The interview was very laid back and conversational. They just want to get to know the applicant on a more personal basis to determine whether youll be a good fit for the school.”
“Name an ethical issue facing medicine today and how would you change it.”
“If a mother brought her obviously malnourished infant into your clinic and told you she only fed her watermelon because that is what her religion required, what would you do?”
“What activities do you participate in to relax?”
“Where do you consider home?”
“what would you like to elaborate on in your application (i didnt know if i shouldve made this a why DMU response and im regretting that i didnt)”
“Name a time when you caught a small problem and fixed it before the problem became larger.”
“Anything else you would like us to tell the admissions committee?”
“They kept reiterating team questions, over and over.”
“Tell me about a time when you did not get along with a peer or co-worker. How did you overcome this?”
“How did you use your Emotional Intelligence on the mission trip you went on?”
“What was a difficult situation you encountered in your clinical experience and how did you handle it?”
“What is an ethical decision youve had to face?”
“What would someone who likes you say about you? What would someone who dislikes you say about you?”
“None really. I was expecting some tough or complex ones based on others reviews, but it was all pretty straightforward. I didnt even have to explain why id move from NY to IA”
“Is there a time where you witnessed a physician interacting with a patient in a manner you believed to be unprofessional?”
“What kind of research study can you think of that is OMM related?”
“What is the riskiest thing you have done in the last year?”
“Why a physician instead of a nurse, for instance?”
“What is the most surprising thing you learned from your time shadowing?”
“What is the highest stress situation youve ever been in, and how did you handle it?”
“the specific history (dates, names of the founders) of the clubs and volunteer programs im involved in”
“Tell me what you are most proud of that is not academically related?”
“How do you deal with conflict (for some reason it gets me every time)”
“What will you bring to DMU?”
“What do you believe is the weakest part of your application and why?”
“There really werent any difficult questions – it felt very informal and they really just wanted to get to know me.”
“Name a problem in the United States not related to medicine that will effect you as a physician? (blanked looking back unemployment would have been a good choice)”
“Describe one failure and one success in your life.”
“What is something that your future patients might not like about you?”
“Should politicians be allowed to determine health care policy or should it be left up to physicians?”
“What do you know about the history of osteopathic medicine?”
“You have not traveled much. Are you okay with staying in Iowa? They did not seem to understand my reasoning.”
“None; nothing tricky or unexpected.”
“Why do you want to move to Des Moines?”
“Why did you apply so late in the year? Was this school at the bottom of your list?”
“I see that youve been in student government. Compare anatomy to the form and function of the way a medical school operates…”
“Why after I tore my ACL twice (during collegiate athletics) did I return to play?”
“We interviewed a lot of people why/how should we remember you, you have the floor…& tell us two things that make you different from the other applicants that will contribute to the class in a positive way. I see you did research with insulin and caterpillars, do caterpillars get diabetes and how would you know (me–> ?:/”
“What is something you wanted us to ask you that we didnt”
“Discuss a time where you did something bad/wrong? What did you learn?”
“Since you are not a science major, how do you think you will do in medical school compared to the science majors?”
“Why medicine and not something like nursing?”
“What will you do if you see a fellow student cheating on an exam?”
“Give an example of an ethical dilemma youve experienced and how you handled it.”
“Tell me about a time you were in a situation where you had to think on your feat to solve a problem.”
“Tell me about a failure and how you handled it.”
“Describe an ethical situation and how you delt with it?”
“What is the difference between DO and MD?”
“What is your secret to time management?”
“Tell me about your failures”
“All the questions were very easy if you have thought out reasoning for the way you think.”
“If Pres. Obama called you and asked about the one thing you would do to change healthcare, what would it be?”
“What was something you look forward to about being a physician, and something you dont look forward to?”
“none, it was very conversational, more discussion of specifics to my application, some discussion entirely off topic too!”
“”What would you do if you found out another student was doing better than you in a class?””
“If God called you on the phone and asked for one piece of advise for improving healthcare in America, what would it be?”
“I didnt understand the question, so I asked for a rephase but the rephrase was even less clear. I took a guess at what they were looking for, but they did clarify what they were trying to get at with the original question.”
“If Obama was going to call you and ask your advice about one piece of the healthcare reform bill to absolutely keep and one piece to compromise on, what would you say?”
“What would a friend say about you if I asked them what your greatest quality is?”
“Something I struggle with… I had a basic answer, but they wanted another one. “
“Why Osteopathic Medicine? – Only because this was the first question and I was a little frazzled since my interview began 10 min early. I was planning on mentally preparing myself during that time, but I came back from the tour and they were waiting for me. “
“What will be the hardest part about me being a physician.”
“I dont remember thinking any one question was too difficult.”
“Why did you apply to MD programs if you want to go to a DO school? What do you think is a better school Iowa or DMU? Which would you pick? (like 10 questions in a row about this)”
“Are you interested in rural medicine?”
“In 25 words or less, fix the healthcare crisis.”
“my thoughts on obamas health care speech the night before. i was unable to watch since i was traveling”
“What is the most frustrating situation you have been in and how did you deal?”
“What are your perceived strengths and weaknesses?”
“Describe Osteopathic Medicine without using the word Holistic?”
“Nothing. It really felt like they were just trying to get a feel for my personality and interaction style.”
“If you had a decision between Cornell Medical School and a DO school, which one would you choose?”
“Nothing too difficult; more just wanted to get to know me better…no tricks.”
“Current challenges facing medicine question.”
“The question about my father not visiting recently”
“If you were the surgeon general, what is one aspect of medicine that you would change?”
“Describe a situation that exemplifies your integrity.”
“Nothing really. The questions I prepared for, I was able to answer. However, they asked about activities I participated in 4 years ago, which I fumbled around with the details. Perhaps a bit more preparation would have fixed this.”
“What weaknesses do you have that prevent you from reaching your goals? (Couldnt just say that I always reach my goals) “
“(From the student interviewer) If I were a member of your class, why would I want to be your colleague/what do you have to offer the class? “
“Biggest weakness and how it will affect me as a doctor; also asked about the health care system of Ecuador, which I didnt really know about.”
“What is an ethical challenge that you have faced and how did you deal with it? What did you learn from it?”
“#2 – wasnt sure what they were getting at or what they were looking for. interviewer was kinda rude when asking the question. “
“Describe in detail your typical week as a first year student starting at 6 am….I forgot things like “eating breakfast and spending time with my wife”…it wasnt “hard” per say, but it was something that was hard to get all of the tiny details on the spot without forgetting something. He later said he wanted to show how busy and demanding the medical school schedule would be.”
“Tell us about a failure you had and what you learned from it. “
“What do you consider the role of the doctor in the patient-doctor relationship?”
“What are you doing with your major? (Because the answer is… nothing!)”
“How do you define success?”
“What is the mission of this school?”
“Do you think DOs are better than MDs (with MD as one of my interviewers)”
“Nothing out of the ordinary…no ethical/healthcare type questions”
“1) To describe rural medicine 2) Explain what I liked about a class the interviewer found interesting, he picked a gen ed government course I had to take. The honest answer would have been nothing, the class was early, boring, and a review of Am. Gov. from high school”
“You are from so and so place, why Des Moines?”
“If you had just enough money to either treat a sick child or buy vaccine for 50,000 people, what would you do?”
“What would you do if you failed Gross?”
“Interrogation questions about the MCAT and standardized tests.”
“How do you plan to use your practice to address todays health care issues?”
“Tell us about a mistake you have made and what you learned from it”
“If something was to happen to you family member and youre so far away, how would you deal with it?”
“I was asked to explain my poor grades early on in college. For me, it was the most difficult question.”
“If you were the surgeon general, what issue would you address/tackle about todays healthcare?”
“Tell us about a social issue our society is facing that is important to you.”
“if you were accepted to all the schools you applied to, what criteria would you use to select the one you will be going to?”
“If a classmate could thank you for something (at your graduation, for example), what would it be? Not horrible, I guess. There werent any difficult questions.”
“Why do you think your PI never tried to convince you to go into research?”
“What would you suggest to improve health services for rural areas?”
“Where else did I apply and why”
“How would you ensure through your practice that more people had access to medical care?”
“How will you bring hope and encourage resilience in your patients?”
“Tell us about the time when you display flexibility?”
“Suppose that there is only 1 seat left in our class, persuade us to give you that seat.”
“Im concerned about your science background and I see you have not had a biochemistry course. This is the toughest course for medical students – how will you remedy this?”
“Why should we not accept you?”
“you seem to have succeeded a lot in life, when have you faced failure? how did you deal with it?”
“How do you feel about socialized medicine?”
“How are you going to feel when you accidentally kill your patient? And yes, it WILL happen. -All I can say is WOW, I had no idea what to say. “
“How have you responded to a difficult patient.”
“Nothing difficult. Be prepared to be asked the standard questions and youll do fine.”
“What do you think a vital problem in health care is? How would you solve this problem?”
“If I could change one thing about the current health care system in the U.S., what would it be.”
“If you had the power, what ONE thing would you change in America?”
“If you were to die tomorrow, for what do you want to be known?”
“Not real tough but, I guess it was a question asking me to explain a problem health care faces today. I spoke of current medicare legislation and its disadvantages.”
“same as above + tell us a time you showed integrity”
“Do you have any questions for us (I had just had my questions answered over the last 4 hours of tours/presentations).”
“Where else do you want to go?”
“Why should DMU pick you to be in the incoming class?”
“What is a time when you made a mistake, and how have you learned from it?”
“What area in the field of science would you like to study further in the future and why?”
“Why such a high GPA and a lower MCAT? What did you get on your ACTs in high school?”
“What are you going to do when you kill your first patient?”
“Nothing. Very basic and conversational. “
“what are some problems/issues in healthcare”
“What would I do if I could change anything in the United STates”
“Hypothetically, we have only one spot left in the class, why should we accept you and what can you bring to the class?”
“What is your stance on animal testing?”
“If you could change one thing about your application what would it be?”
“Tell us the biochemistry of the disease porphyria (see below). Other that that all of my questions were very fair and all ones that I have prepared for. They were basic yet important. Definitely know the difference between allopathic and osteopathic medicine. “
“What are the specific differences in the way a DO would treat a diabetic patient as opposed to an MD? “
“Why osteopathic medicine instead of allopathic? This was difficult because I gave my answer, then the interviewer repeated the question, as if I hadnt answered it.”
“If you could change anything on your application, what would you change? “
“Why do you want to be a physician and how you you come to this decision? (especially why since my undergrad major was non-science)”
“What has been your greatest achievement in life?”
“When asked why I would like to be a doctor, I responded that I enjoy the investigative/research part of it. One interviewer then responded that in primary care (the field I am most interested in)90% of your patients will share the same symptons, so how can it be investigative and involve research?”
“None of the questions were difficult. The interview was very non-stressful.”
“Tell me about A.T. Stills life and theory.”
“What is your biggest obstacle to going to medical school?”
“Why would you apply here if you have so much research experience?”
“Where do you see yourself in ten years? “
“How do you deal with criticism?”
“Define “global doctor” and apply it in context. How do you plan to get involved in your future community? Give an example of how you define your character? (pertained to my essay)”
“What is the most difficult thing you may run into becoming a physician?”
“”What are some of your weaknesses?””
“What do you think about socialized medicine? (my response: I dont know what that is)”
“What do you do when you get really angry?”
“Tell me about yourself (I hate vague questions)”
“”Why do you want to become a physician?” The question was only difficult because its the same questions were all trying to answer…but my interviewer even reffered to the question as “a formality,” so it was no problem.”
“If you could not be a doctor, what would you likely do instead? (Not really difficult, but not lame either.)”
“Why DMU? (Really, not that difficult).”
“What is one thing I would change in America ( I answered “the number of people currently without health insurance” they said, “how, you wont raise my taxes will you?”)”
“What if you were failing a course in medical school, would you consider spending more time studying and less with your family? *not difficult, just stupid*”
“How do you know that you can handle the amount of work in medical school describe a typical day here at the school (I dont know what they wanted, so I just gave them a time schedual of a day)”
“What do you have to offer this school that other applicants dont?”
“How can you relate the teachings of your third semester English requirement (Fiction) with todays social climate?”
“Why should we accept you? (hard question for me, I feel like I either sound arrogant or am selling myself short)”
“How would you help a patient who was dealing with a death in their family.”
“So, you are the most involved student I have interviewed for a couple of years, although your MCAT and GPA are fairly low… Do you think you were involved and doing to many things, and would you change this if you could go back?”
“Tell me about any issue, whether social or healthcare related, that concerns you.”
“What would you do if you failed a test?”
“With all of the pre-vet classes in undergrad, why are you applying to medical school?”
“There seems to be a discrepency between your undergrad grades and your MCAT/Grad school grades, whats the deal?”
“How do you plan to use your Masters in Public Health degree as a physician… this led into the importance of preventive medicine.”
“What question were you dreading wed ask? (I didnt have an answer, I wasnt dreading anything.)”
“None. They were all pretty basic, get to know you questions.”
“None. This was my third interview so I have been through all the same questions.”
“Why am I here? ( I wasnt sure if they wanted info on why med school, why dmu, or why D.O.), but I gave it to them. “
“It is said that medicine is science and an art. How do you feel that it is an art?”
“So…tell us about this C- in Organic Chemistry- why did you get it, and did you know that this grade is often used as a predictor for how well youll do in med school?”
“Nothing about the entire interview was difficult. Really good questions. The interviewers made me feel right at home and very comfortable. No stress at all during the interview.”
“As you are a very adriot student, how do you think the bridge between academics and osteopathic patient care bridges? Not particularly difficuly, but that was the question.”
“Imagine youre a first year here. Now, describe your day. (I didnt have a clue, as Ive never been to medical school. However, I took a stab at it, and the second-year student laughed and said, “thats it!””
“All questions were very reasonable, they truly want to get to know you as a person.”
“Are you disapointed with the research vigor at this school?”
“Why Osteopathic medicine – how is it different?”
“IF YOU ARE TO BE AT A PARTICULAR PLACE NOW WHERE WOULD YOU BE, AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE WITH?”
“Who is a role model to you? I hadnt thought of this previously, so it took me a minute to formulate my rsponse.”
“What are some issues in healthcare that you know/have an opinion about?”
“What is your impression of the first year of medical school?”
“What do you expect to be your most difficult adjustment to medical school?”
“What things would you change about a community or a society? “
“If you could eradicate any disease, what would it be and why?”
“Tell us about a social issue that concerns you, what gets you up on a soap box? *Expect this question. They told me they were required to ask it.”
“A question regarding whether I told people not to eat Mayonnaise on their food when I worked a deli.”
“what are you most proud of?”
“How will you balance your Medical and non-medical life once you are a practicing physician?”
“You got a poor grade in chemistry. Medical school is liking drinking from a fire hydrant and a good foundation in the sciences is needed. Do you think you have the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in medical school?”
“With your lack of science background (beyond minimum prereqs), how will you handle med school?”
“What is an accomplishment of which you are particularily proud?”
“The people that wrote letters of reccommendation for you said that you were “outstanding and excellent”, why do you think they said that?”
“None really. Was somewhat surprised to be asked about the single D on my transcript from like 4 years ago. But I was prepared for this possibility and was actually glad they asked since I was able to point out my success in statistics based classes since then.”
“What group of individuals would you like to target working with?”
“What is a current social problem in your community?”
“What have you done to change your application since last year, when you also applied to med schools?”
“How do you define success? [What they seemed to mean was: “what does it mean to be a successful physician?”]”
“”tell me the last joke you heard”… stupid yes, but I was stumped! I couldnt think of an appropriate joke”
“I was asked about a community issue. I informed the group that a large company had closed down and a large number of people lost their jobs. In response to this, one of the interviewers asked me what do i think can be done to help these people pay for their prescription drugs since they no longer will have health insurance coverage.”
“What was the funniest thing that happened to you?”
“Do you honestly believe you are prepared for the rigors of medical school? (My answer was “yes, I am” but the question seemed a little abrasive.)”
“Who is your local representative?”
“What do you believe is the most pressing issue in health care today?”
“One interviewer asked about a poor grade in my undergraduate record.”
“If you had ten thousand dollars worth of medical aid, would you use it to help a little girl who needed heart surgery, or would you spread it ou to help many patients?”
“Can you think of a social problem in the world?”
“What difference would you like to make in the medical field?”
“How do you cope with a bad grade?”
“Why should we choose you over other similarly qualified applicants? (always disliked that question).”
“Why should we pick you over other qualified candidates? (yes I know this is a regularly asked question, but I still hate it)”
“Why do you think teenagers today have it tougher than you did? “
“Given the fact that you were an English major, how do you explain a verbal score of only 10 on the MCAT? I felt this question was very petty, given that more than 90% of those who take the MCAT score less than 10 on the verbal section.”
“None were that difficult. The interview is open file, so know what you have written and be ready to talk about it.”
“Tell me about yourself. What would your friend say is your weakest quality? What makes you a better candidate compared to all the others who are being interviewed today?”
“Tell us about yourself. “
“If you were the richest man in the world, what health care problem/issue would you resolve.”
“Why do you want to be a physician?”
“How would you use your international experience to solve a current healthcare problem in the USA?”
“If I could change anything about health care, what would I change?”
“What is one social issue a community that you hope to change? May not have been worded exactly like that, the interview was mostly a blur!!!”
“How many schools (MD and DO) did I apply to?”
“Tell me about yourself. ( I hate that )”
“If accepted to both DO and MD programs, where would you go?”
“Why does an airplane fly? I had mentioned how physics was my hardest class, and talked specifically about how planes fly.”
“An 18 year old girl came into your office requesting an abortion. And your beliefs did not permit you to give one. What would you do? Same situation only now you do perform abortions?”
“What are you weaknesses? none were too difficult”
“If a patient asked you to pull the plug what would you do?”
“asked about why I took certain courses”
“Pick an ethical issue and talk about it.”
“See above, but also: “How are you on multiple choice tests?” That one was probably getting at my lower MCAT score. “
“What do you perceive as being a currnet problem in medicine, or a future problem in medicine, and how do you think you can help to solve it?”
“Is there anything you wish we had asked that we didnt? NOTE: This was the last thing the interviewers had asked me and, at the time, I thought that they had pretty much covered everything. In retrospect, there were questions I did wish that they had asked, but I was super tired by the end of the interview.”
“Why would being a nurse hurt me going to medical school?”
“Ethiopia question, but it was really almost given as a joke to lighten up the mood. I knew the answer and we joked about it.”
“Do I consider myself to be a patient person? unsure of what they meant”
“Why would you leave your current career for medicine? “
“probably “How have your volunteer experiences led you to want to specialize in pediatrics?” because what led me to that decision was my work experience, so I didnt answer that too well.”
“What would I do if I saw a classmate cheat on a test.”
“Name three things your friends would say they do not like about you. “
“Explaining a low MCAT section”
“If you were to be accepted at some of the other schools youve applied to (DO and MD), what would make you choose this school over them? They really pressed me on this, as if they were trying to see how strongly I felt about their school. I was caught off gaurd by it and had trouble coming up with some good reasons.”
“How are you different from all the other applicants?”
“Why do you want to go to our osteopathic school?”
“Nothing, I didnt even have an ethical question”
“Is there anything you hoped we werent going to ask?”
“No difficult questions, very conversational.”
“If I believed in nepotism when it comes to the medical field”
“How will you handle being married and in school?”
“None of the questions were very difficult. However, the one to look out for is when they ask you why you want to be a doctor of osteopathic medicine. The interviewers payed very close attention to my response.”
“No really difficult questions were asked. Basically, questions were drawn from my file. Also, general questions such as, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years? List three qualities your friends would use to describe you. How do you study (study habits)?””
“What do think is one of the most important issues facing medicine today and how might you be able to help resolve it?”
“There were no difficult questions. The questions are based largely on your file, so they are very personalized. If you know your file and personal statements, and you know the philosophy of osteopathic medicine (it is a VERY pro-OMM school), you will do fine.”
“A question about recent research in Alzheimers Disease.”
“SDN prior threads. Choose DO DMU page. DMU website.”
“SDN + practiced questions that could come up”
“SDN Interview Feedback and Dr. Ryan Grays Med School Interview Book”
“review questions from princeton review and SDN”
“Interview books (Ryan Grays), Writing answers down”
“SDN interview feedback, 500 question interview doc from the premed subreddit, reviewed my app”
“Read over questions on sdn. researched the school.”
“Mock interviews, going over questions and responses aloud”
“Didnt prepare answers but thought of what may be asked and how I may respond.”
“Mock interviews, research about the school, and reaching out to current DMU DO students.”
“Looking up information about DMU and SDN”
“Mock interview, discussing questions, researching the school”
“Read through my application, looked at questions on SDN, reviewed the schools website.”
“SDN interview questions, school website, previous interviews”
“Mock interviews, talked to friends that interviewed previously”
“Looked over questions on here”
“Looked at programs and curriculum on school website, reviewed common interview questions, reviewed this site.”
“Check this website and youtube videos about medical school interviews.”
“Interview feedback, re-read my application several times”
“Read application, looked at SDN questions”
“Used the school website to understand curriculum and mission before going Prepared common interview questions Payed attention during the tour to use information in the interview”
“Reading SDN and preparing answers to possible questions.”
“Looked at school website and prepared answers to basic questions. Thought of examples in my life that I could use for particular questions.”
“Reviewed my application and practiced with others via skype.”
“I read other feedback and researched the schools website/talked to current students.”
“SDN, had friends ask me difficult questions and evaluate my answers”
“Reviewed the website, stayed overnight with a med student”
“SDN interview feedback, going over DMU website”
“I read over my application, and I practiced answering questions posted here as well as other common interview questions.”
“Read questions on this site.”
“I practiced answers to why medicine, why DO, and why DMU. I made sure I was familiar with my PS and my application.”
“Looked at SDN interview feedback, wrote out outlines of my answers, mock interviews with family and friends.”
“Read my application material, used this website to see common questions, had a practice interview at my school”
“Just prepared for the “Why DO?” question and read up on healthcare issues.”
“SDN interview feedback, re-reading personal statement and resume”
“SDN, asking other applicants at previous interviews”
“Looked on this site at as many of the interview questions as I could. Wrote down key words/answers to questions. Studied up about the school and their programs I am interested in (ex. global health).”
“SDN, reviewed my app, printed off a millions questions everywhere that I could find of what can be asked at interviews and thought about them for a few minutes so that I at least had seen it once before if they happened to ask me that question. Prepared answers to the typical questions (why DO, DMU, Doctor), strengths/weaknesses) etc..”
“Going over medical school questions, my personal statement and answers to other schools general secondary questions.”
“Schools website, you tube videos, SDN”
“studentdoc.net, pre-med adviser mock interview”
“SDN forums/interview feedback, looked over the schools website, talked to DMU alumni.”
“SDN interview feedback, past interviews I have had, SDN threads”
“Looked through SDN Interview feedback briefly”
“Reading SDN boards, past interview questions, practicing with friends, rereading application”
“SDN, read AACOMAS primary and school materials”
“Studentdoctor.net and I read a list of common medical school interview questions. I also read a book on the new healthcare bill just incase.”
“Read interview feedback here, CIB, website”
“Read interview feedback, read schools website, reviewed application.”
“SDN, mock interview, reviewed my application, and tried to be myself.”
“SDN, review of school, review of app”
“Read SDN, talked to DMU professors I had MPH classes with, practiced with my sister (a DO graduate).”
“Read through previous interview questions, school website, Des Moines information, medicare, medicaid and health care reform information, and researched my interviewers.”
“Looked up common interview questions and practiced, SDN, looked over my application, read up on recent health and medicine related current events.”
“Asked my student host questions about the school, then just relaxed and tried to get some rest.”
“Read SDN, reviewed ethical issues, knew what was going on in health care reform, looked up example questions.”
“SDN, DMU website, practicing with my fiancé”
“Went over interview feed back on SDN, practiced answering the questions, went over primary, etc”
“SDN, visited the schools website”
“Prepared for the basic questions you should expect – why medicine, what makes you awesome, health care issues etc. I knew my AACOMAS application well.”
“Lots of SDN, practice interview, reviewed DMU materials, Explored the website”
“interview feedback questions, reread app”
“Read up on current Health Care issues, read over my application, looked over SDN”
“SDN, went over primary application, talked to a graduate, went over school website “
“SDN, interview feedback, reviewed my application. Was honest and myself.”
“Lots of SDN. Girlfriend quizzed me. 1 mock interview at my undergrad school. “
“mock interview with undergrad faculty and feedback from premed adviser, going over the website and my application, sdn”
“SDN, friends, in front of mirror.”
“SDN, reviewed application materials, read several medical ethics books. I had also interviewed elsewhere earlier in the week so everything was quite fresh.”
“SDN interview feedback; read over my application; mock interviews with friends”
“SDN, mock, read school website”
“SDN, spoke with alumni, spoke with students, the usual “
“SDN, Mock Interview, and reviewed my file”
“SDN interview feedback – I just used this to form a list of questions, then rehearsed the answers to my reflection in the mirror.”
“SDN, read over my application, read over my secondary essay questions, and went online to find a list of sample med school interview questions. practiced with family”
“Practiced typical questions, read over personal statement, looked over SDN”
“Read SDN Feedback, reviewed application, reviewed DMU website, mock interviewed in front of mirror.”
“Researched the school and its history as well as it academic curriculum. Prepared answers for the typical questions. Reviewed my primary application and medical experiences. “
“Reviewed my application, researched the school, looked up frequently asked interview questions on SDN”
“SDN forums and interview feedback, researched health care systems and politics, which i didnt really have any questions about.”
“Read up on the school, reviewed my application and essays, thought about generic interview questions.”
“SDN, DMU website, read up on political candidates, current healthcare topics, and ethical issues”
“Read SDN, practiced answering the “generic” questions, reviewed my primary application.”
“SDN interfview feedback, reflection on questions, talking to myself in a mirror etc. “
“Student doc, reread application and personal statement, looked over class notes and refreshed mind on research experience and extracurriculars”
“2 mock interviews, sdn intervew feedback, prepared with others”
“SDN and practice interview with admissions consultants.”
“SDN Interview Feedback and mock interviews.”
“Mock Interview, books, SDN, internet, other students who interviewed, and DMU website.”
“SDN, website, read over all of my essay question answers”
“SDN, mock interview, research the schools, wikipedia”
“Current topics (nytimes and TIME) and ethical issues; my application to the school and student-doctor feedback forum”
“Pray, SDN, schools website, application, practice.”
“SDN, Info on the schools website, my file”
“SDN, reviewing my essay and application, reading health-related news”
“SDN, my primary and the schools website”
“school website, sdn, my application file”
“SDN, DMU website, reviewed my personal statement and CV.”
“SDN, website, review my personal statement.”
“Read the website, talked to students.”
“Student Doctor Network, DMU brochure and website, talked to a friend who had recently interviewed there…”
“I looked through the SDN comments, my application, and the schools website. I printed out a bunch of the questions and tried answering them (in my head, at least). The interview was very relaxed and conversational. They definitely read through my file and knew a lot about me. Overall, I think I may have overprepared, if that can be done. There werent any ethical questions or any polarizing questions. I think the interviewers just really wanted to get to know me and see if I would fit in the environment. Overall I think I did OK, but I left with some mixed feelings, as I was a little nervous and stuttered a few times.”
“SDN, sample interview questions, reviewed application”
“reading SDN feedback, researching the school online and on SDN”
“SDN, Mock interviews, practiced possible questions.”
“SDN, DMU website, mock interviews”
“Reviewed SDN feedback, reviewed my PS, reviewed DMU website”
“Looking at online material pertaining to the school, anticipating questions and my answers, practicing answering questions by talking them out”
“website, sdn, TRIED to read a quick synopsis on our healthcare system”
“sdn, kaplan, writing out answers to possible questions.”
“previous interviews, SDN, personal file, current news”
“Go over the primary and secondary applications, do on-line research about the campus, do mock interview with a career counselor and read SDN”
“Student Doctor Network, school network, talking with current students, reading on the health care system, reviewing my application”
“I actually didnt really prepare for this interview, having had two (successful) interviews previously”
“Read this site, studied health care issues online, reviewed my file and essay, prepared all possible answers ahead of time.”
“sdn, school site, practice over phone.”
“Went over questions in my mind. Wrote out all questions from SDN and other sources and my specific answers to them.”
“SDN, AACOMAS application, DMU Website, Current students input”
“Coming to studentdoctor.net and looking at the feedback. The school website. Pumping myself up. Relaxing.”
“Researched everything I could about the school and the program.”
“SDN and looked at their website”
“SDN, interview feedback, personal statement, DMU website, DMU alumni physicians”
“I didnt. Lets be honest, after youve had one interview, youve had them all. “
“SDN, DMU website and catalog, mock interviews”
“This site, College website and D.O. literature.”
“Read SDN Medical School Interview Feedback and spoke with current students.”
“SDN interview feedback/boards, AACOMAS info, DMU Website, talked to students.”
“SDN, Interview Feedback, talked with DMU students, DMU website/literature, read “The D.O.s””
“Website, this site, practice interviews”
“StudentDoctor.net, DMU website, various websites with sample questions, and I went out the night before with several DO students”
“This site, read up a lot on the school,previous interview experiences”
“Since it is open file, I reviewed the AACOMAS application, prepared answers to the common questions, and responded honestly to the off the cuff questions”
“SDN, talked to students at the school (ask your student tour guides about your specific interviewers for suggestions), read application”
“SDN, re-reading application materials, DMU website”
“Read feedback on SDN, mock interview, read latest headlines and issues in healthcare, read DMUs school catalog.”
“Read over interview feedback on SDN.”
“SDN and read the schools website”
“Reviewed school website, osteopathic websites, re-read science journal articles of interest.”
“Practice interview and I read info. on the school website.”
“SDN, reading the schools website, talking to students beforehand.”
“DMU website, read over my application, practice questions, SDN”
“SDN website, DMU website, mock interivews”
“SDN, read over my application, practiced interviewing with friends “
“SDN, looked over my file, DMU website”
“SDN, mock interview, looked over the dmu website”
“SDN, re-read my personal statement, read tons of health-related articles from newspapers”
“Re-read personal statement, talked to current 2nd year DMU students, campus visit this summer.”
“SDN, Interview Feedback, stayed with student host”
“SDN, their website, people who had prior interviews, students at the school and my application.”
“Read SDN, mock interview, read news, medical issues”
“Read SDN interview feedback, school website is very helpful, stayed with a student and spoke with him. I would recommend staying with a student at any interview if it is offered to you. You will be able to get insight on the school and will have more to talk about on your interview, plus the price is right.”
“Read all the materials the school sent me. Visited and studied DMU-COMs website. Read discussions at SDN. Emailed students at SDN. Visited the school and met with students. Studied my application and other materials I sent to the school. Went through some basic interview questions. Prepared questions to ask to the interviewers.”
“Read SDN and the schools website.”
“SDN, previous interview, talked with health professionals”
“Studied my answers and app and sdn”
“SDN, read about Des Moines, read my file, RELAXED”
“SDN, read over my applications, read about DMU on website, talked to current DMU students and DO alumni physicians”
“SDN, mock interviews, research about the school”
“DMU students, interview guide, SDN”
“SDN, read over application, DMU website”
“Read DMU website, SDN, read over my aplication”
“Read DMUs website, talked to a couple students while at DMU, looked up and mentally prepared myself for some popular questions, studied my application”
“I reread my application, SDN interview feedback, read forum threads about DMU, and talked to someone who had interviewed there.”
“Know your file. Read SDN. RELAX!!”
“SDN, Web site, school packet.”
“Read my file, read interview feedback.”
“read over the website. SDN.”
“Had every answer ready to the main questions, as in why D.O. or why do I want to be a physician, really thought about them. Read SDN and read my statement.”
“SDN, medical school essay books”
“read SDN feedback, looked at DMU website, talked to a current student.”
“SDN, Researched medical topics, Thought about myself…”
“Read through, printed out and made comments on all 119 studentdoctor.net interview forms, printed out every page of the DMU website and read it until I knew it cold, spoke with current DMUCOM student, read over my AACOMAS and 2-ndary statement, etc.”
“Read input here, reviewed my app., and read about the school.”
“Read SDN interview feedback, went over application, spoke with the doc who wrote one of my LORs.”
“This site, along with a moch interview and some books.”
“Met w/ a DO; read about osteopathic history; read SDN”
“I READ THIS WEBSITE AND SOME BOOKS.”
“Read SDN, re-read my applications (Primary and Secondary). Read numerous websites preparing for questions about healthcare.”
“Read SDN interview feedback, read books about Osteopathic medicine, read medical student autobiographies, flew in a day early and got a good nights sleep.”
“SDN, basic interview questions, review personal file. DMU really knows your file well and asks a lot of questions about it.”
“I just read my application.”
“Practice interviews, reviewed literature/website of school, studentdoctor.net feedback”
“This website, talked to students, book with interview questions.”
“sdn interview feedback, school website”
“Websites…Many. SDN and DMUs in particular.”
“This site, review current medical issues, and reviewed my file.”
“SDN interview feedback, asked students that went there, and read the information they gave me, read Gevitz book, but the school really prepares you with its presentations before as well.”
“Read SDN, did a self-reflection/evaluation, jotted down a few notes to organize my thoughts, and relaxed.”
“Gleaned the top 75 questions from SDN feedback and though about answers for each. Reviewed interview thoughts from premed101.com forum. Perused the DMU website and posts on DMU in pre-osteo forum. Read The DOs by Gevitz. Read Doing Right by Herbert (med ethics). Skimmed some books on primary health care issues (eg. chronic care, current issues in health care delivery).”
“A big deep breath and being sure of who you are”
“SDN, stayed with students night before, DMU alum, other med students”
“DMUs website, SDN, DMU brochures, reading newspapers and watching the news”
“SDN, Des Moines Web site, researched current political climate regarding healthcare and other social issues”
“I knew my application and I knew my motivation for being a doctor.”
“Read the website, SDN, looked over my application. “
“Student Doctor Network, campus tour, and speaking with current DMU students and graduates.”
“I read my application essay, reviewed eveything in my resume, made sure I could discuss the research I have done at various lab jobs, read Norman Gevitzs book on DOs in America and thought of questions to ask the interviewers.”
“Read SDN feedback,AACOMAS app, school website, and just tried to be myself.”
“Read their website, looked over SDN, and spoke with a current student.”
“I read my primary app, remembered who wrote letters of rec for this school, read this site and thought about some of hte questions people were asked.”
“I thought through responses to typical medical school interview questions, like the ones on this site for DMU, and I also thought about my characteristics.”
“SDN and a guide to interviewing manual from the career center”
“SDN, catalog, mailing stuff, website”
“Arrived early. Asked first year students about the interviewers and their interests.”
“SDN, read over my application etc.”
“read up on DMU, talked to alumni, drank lots of coffee!!”
“reread transcripts, used this site to predict questions”
“Read through SDN, School material, OMM, reviewed AACOMAS app”
“SDN, read over application and personal statement, practice answering possible interview questions, read about school online”
“SDN, mock interview with a friend.”
“SDN, read over application, DMU webpage”
“read over my secondary and essay, this website and mdapplicants.com”
“My 1st and 2nd applications, SDN, their website.”
“Interviewed with a DMU graduate.”
“Read schools website, re-read 1 and 2 app.”
“Studied osteopathic manipulation websites, this website and reviewed my personal statement.”
“Read my application, school website, this website.”
“This site and the DMU website”
“This website, went over practice questions, got the DO philosophy down, re-read my application, school website etc.”
“This site, SDN, DMU website.”
“Read SDN and DMU website.”
“The usual, SDN, read over app. again, bioethics sites”
“Interview feedback site, reviewed application and resume.”
“Read up on the material they sent me, and reviewed my application.”
“This website and mock interview with a close friend”
“Read up on the school and looked over my application”
“Go over my application, this website.”
“website, interview feedback, read about osteopathic medicine”
“This website, which was fantastic for helping me prepare for a variety of different questions, having family and friends ask me various questions, and learning general things about the school. Also, I paid close attention to the presentations given throughout the day and asked several students questions in order to present them with my own questions at the interview.”
“Talked with current students, SDN website, DMU website, talked with physicians.”
“looked over SDN interview feedbacks, checked out DMU website, brushed up on medical ethics and current medical issues, talked with current students before the interview”
“Reviewed my application, studentdoctor.net, and DMUs website.”
“SDN, school website, friend that is student “
“DMU website, SDN, app, talked with students”
“Read several books about Osteopathic Medicine and looked over the DMUCOM website.”
“mock interview, read dmus website”
“Read up on the School, OMM, talked to people I know who had an intervidew there, SDN.”
“Read this website, looked at DMU website, read up on osteopathic medicine. Spoke with many students, and stayed with a current student the night before. “
“Read up on DMUs website, talked to another friend who interviewed earlier”
“Read about the school on this site. Reviewed by application closely. The questions that the students listed on this site really made a big difference and helped me really be prepared.”
“Read over a few interviews from this site; researched info about des moines and the school online; said my prayers and ate my vitamins like all good Hulk-a-maniacs should.”
“Looked at this site, the schools site, and read over all my essays and personal statement”
“Read about the school on their website”
“Schools website, reviewed my application”
“SDN, mock interviews, read over secondary”
“SDN, DMU website and viewbook, Gevitzs book”
“Read personal statement, school literature”
“DMU website, studentdoctor.net, book on osteopathy.”
“used this site and did some yoga (sarcasm)”
“this website, and the dmu website”
“Went through two mock interviews and used internet resources to find tips and feedback from other students. “
“SDN, went over my application, checked the schools website.”
“SDN, reviewed aacomas, secondary, etc…”
“read my file and read comments on SDN”
“This site and the schools internet site.”
“Read DMU website, SDN feedback, reviewed important medical issues”
“SDN, websites, personal statements, profile”
“I looked on here at questions, reviewed my personal ethics, as I knew there would be an ethical question of some sort, and I researched the school so I would have questions ready.”
“I read through my personal statement & secondary application to DMU-COMS and read through the schools web site and info on this site.”
“Looked at the web site.”
“The group experience is good and they take feedback with a survey afterwards.”
“The city of Des Moines! Im from the south but really liked Des Moines! The suburban campus makes it seem safe. Theres a clinic on campus.”
“Facilities and the sense of community”
“the community experience, an example of OMM, student testimonies of positive experience”
“Culture of the school on top of the great board scores/residency placements, everyone was very friendly”
“The atmosphere and everyone I interacted with were super laid back and chill, great facilities”
“The friendly atmosphere. Just by having people smile at me helped in calming my nerves before the interview.”
“Everyone was really laid back and every single person there loved it. They couldnt stop gloating about how great it was.”
“Facilities were huge, they share a campus with four clinical programs (DO, DPT, PA, PT).”
“The facility is large and beautiful, very sunny and conducive to a positive learning environment. Everything seems relatively new.”
“Very thorough questions, tailored to each applicant it seems like, you can tell they read your app well”
“The atmosphere of the school. Everyone was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the school.”
“The tight-knit community, the OMM and anatomy lab”
“OMM lab, simulation labs, resources”
“Staff and students are all super nice and welcoming. Seems like a very friendly community. Day was planned really well. Facilities are awesome”
“Everyone was so welcoming and the school is very beautiful. I also enjoyed eating lunch with all the students in the main cafeteria area.”
“Good facilities with a new focus on integrating technology, recorded lectures, good match statistics, Friendly students and faculty, Nice location (near downtown, cheap rent, good traffic)”
“The campus, the people, the Sim Labs”
“Students were all very welcoming, interviewer came up and complimented me on my interview afterwards. Staff and Faculty that spoke with us were awesome.”
“They were so welcoming!! The facilities were great! The school was very clean. We met with current DMU students for lunch, and everyone was so friendly!”
“Facilities, student-teacher relationship, surgical skills lab, SPALs, how much they have their shit together in comparison to other schools”
“They seemed to really want to get to know me as a person”
“Students were very nice and wanted you to do well in your interview Interviewers were very relaxed, and it seemed to be more of a get-to-know-you conversation instead of an interview.”
“Collaborative environment; students help one each other and share study resources; teachers are accessible and helpful”
“wrote down many questions to ask interviewers”
“The whole school (class rooms, libraries, location, city, students, professors)”
“Everything. The facilities are very nice compared to the other schools, the entire student body seems to be very friendly towards each other and to those visiting. The profs and admission people are very nice as well.”
“Everything! I absolutely loved the school. Great student body, beautiful facilities, and Des Moines seems like a great place to live.”
“The facilities are amazing, definitely a plus.”
“Pretty much everything. The campus and facilities are really nice, and I really got the feeling that you will get a solid medical education there. I liked the sim labs and surgery skills labs. Lecture halls had outlets and internet ports so you can definitely bring a computer to class, and also all the lectures are recorded and available to students.The faculty in my interview were very positive and encouraging. I generally felt like they were rooting for me.”
“I was seriously impressed with DMU. The interview day is structured well, and its designed to be very low stress. Interviewees had ample opportunities to speak candidly with current students, and I really liked that transparency–it showed that DMU had nothing to hide.”
“incredible friendliness of students, staff and interviewers. Random students just hung out to keep a group of us calm and relaxed while we were waiting our turns”
“Curriculum changes, surgery dept, sim lab, anatomy lab.”
“The facilities were new and up-to-date.”
“Each presentation was very informative, and the students were very open and friendly.”
“Global health opportunities; electives; facilities are top-notch; helpfulness of the professors.”
“Friendliness of students/faculty, curriculum, environment of the school, campus structure, surgical skills lab.”
“The encouragement and friendliness of the current students at the school… “You in the suit, good luck today…””
“The facilities are very nice, the students you get to interact with are so friendly and willing to answer anything you ask them, the faculty seem happy and interested in student success.”
“The interview was relaxed, eventhough I had 4 people interviewing me! I had 2 professors and 2 students. Very friendly! And no weird/bad questions. I like that it was open file, so they had the opportunity to question anything they were concerned about instead of assuming or wondering. (they didnt ask me anything about grades/MCAT)”
“Everything, top choice so I loved every minute.”
“facilities, surgical suite, friendliness of the students, reputation of the school”
“I really like the smaller town feel even though it is a large city. I also thought the resources and students at DMU were the best of any place I have interviewed so far”
“Honestly everything. They gave us an awesome binder with a lot of info in it with a notebook to use to take notes throughout the day. The faculty and all of the students were very happy and friendly. The facilities were very impressive as well as all of their technology.”
“Staff enthusiasm, student friendliness & enthusiasm. Also the community mission to maintain academic excellence, clinical aptitude and humanistic physicians.”
“The simulation center was awesome. they teach you aseptic technique & surgery skills in a P/F course which certifies you. The city is really safe, students talked about not locking their cars on a fairly regular basis. Also, the students and staff were really nice and seemed to be quite close as a class.”
“Everything. The students were very laid-back and the facilities were wonderful.”
“Friendly faculty and administration. Students would come over and start conversations with me when I was just sitting by myself.”
“Everything. There really is not a single negative aspect to this school.”
“Everything – it is a really wonderful school. If I had to pick one thing it was the friendliness of everyone I encountered.”
“campus buildings are very nice, especially sim labs and omm lab”
“The facilities are amazing, and theres lots of opportunity for hands-on learning and volunteering in the community.”
“The facilities were nice, the students were friendly, and the staff rocked. I was floored by how much I liked it. This is at the top of my list now.”
“Nice facilities, prepares students well for clinical rotations.”
“It was a friendly place with great facilities.”
“The school has amazing facilities, the staff are friendly and extremely helpful, and the student body seems incredible.”
“Wow, I was NOT expecting anything special about DMU, but I was impressed from top to bottom, from the facilities, the people, the technology, their willingness to help you get to where ever you want to go in medicine, the exercise facilities, the cost of living in Des Moines… Ive been to a lot of schools both MD and DO and this was the most impressive school overall.”
“The fact that Ive never had an interview with a surgeon that felt friendly and non-intimidating before this day. Also, the facilities are gorgeous and very high tech. Also, the binders they give you are just awesome. I still use the one I got in my classes.”
“The facilities and how genuine and kind everyone was.”
“Nice facilities, connected, nice bball court and gym.”
“The whole experience was really laid back. The facilities were great. All the students seemed happy and went out of their way to talk to us. The faculty and administrator were really approachable. The school really seems to have everything together.”
“The OMM program and demonstration”
“Nice area of Des Moines, facilities rather nice, students appeared to be very supportive of each other – not as cut-throat as med schools seem to usually be”
“Everything! The school is amazing. I love the extra programs, and everyone was incredible friendly. “
“Sim lab, surg skills lab, when I interviewed the weather was awesome, West Des Moines area, that we get a computer that has all the notes synced to it for courses, friendliness of staff and students, underground tunnels connecting buildings, cheap living costs”
“The cozy building reminded me of Gryffindor with its color scheme. I really liked the technology they possessed in terms of birthing mother, and also their excellent dedication towards OMM.”
“This school has it together. Excellent curriculum. Their facilities are amazing – esp the trauma man. They are one of the only DO schools that prepare you for surgical rotations. Great gym, intramurals, exercise classes. All of the students seemed happy and were approachable. Lots of emphasis on clinical medicine. Freedom with 4th year rotations. Very family friendly – you can have a plus one pass that allows access to gym and campus facilities for sig. other As for the city of Des Moines, I was very impressed. Seems like a fun bar scene. They have many business opportunities (significant others can get jobs) Lots going on : concerts, casino, farmers market, lots of outdoor sports – when weather permits! “
“How friendly they students were”
“The school was beautiful. I loved the facilities and how technologically up-to-date the school is considering it is the second oldest DO school in the country. Also, everyone was very friendly. “
“Facilities were great. Overall the most positive thing was the atmosphere at the school. Everyone seemed genuinely personable and friendly. Supportive place.”
“Great campus and amenities, cost of living is really cheap, overall philosophy of the school, friendly.”
“The facilities especially the mock surgery room”
“facilities, non-competitive environment, happy students, underground tunnel system for the winter!”
“Facilities availble at the school: Surgical lab, Anatomy lab, etc.”
“Enthusiasm and positive attitude of students, facilities facilities facilities (Surgery lab, anatomy lab, simulation lab, lecture halls, gym ), deans message to interviewing group. In general, was impressed time and time again throughout the day. “
“Surgery Lab, Simulator Lab, Friendliness of faculty and students, international medicine, etc.”
“The school–facilities are amazing. Students are very friendly and open. Professors seem genuinely interested in students.”
“just about everything. The facilities are great, the faculty seems friendly and available, and the students seem genuinely excited to be there.”
“Facilities, enthusiasm of students, overall happiness of students, support from staff and faculty.”
“The friendliness and happiness of everyone at DMU. It was clear that everyone, staff and student, was very happy to be part of DMU. The facilities are top-notch; particular the simulation labs.”
“Facilities, friendliness of students and faculty”
“This school is absolutely amazing. you will get more than you can ask for at this school; wonderful facilities with simulation and surgery labs; committed professors who are open to students; great reputation and excellent board scores plus residency matches; global health; great curriculum, wireless campus, best OMM lab and facility Ive seen (and ive been to 5 other schools), reasonable tuition, ample resources for scholarships”
“The amazing facilities, the solid reputation, the students all seemed very happy to be there and were excited about their future careers as Doctors.”
“The campus was great, fantastic facilities, great students, and staff. The interview was very relaxed. The interviewers were helpful and didnt try to make you slip up”
“Facilities top-notch, simulation lab was great. Everything was state-of-the art.”
“Everything about the school!! Amazing facilities, beautiful anatomy and OMM lab. I like the fact that OMM tables are all over campus and are constantly being used by students to practice techniques. Underground tunnels to avoid the unbelievably cold weather. Nice gym. I was impressed by the welcoming student body and the positive attitude of the faculty members. Interviewers seemed excited to meet us. “
“The facilities were amazing. The campus offers so many resources and leadership opportunities. Class is until 12 everyday with labs in the afternoons (not each day). “
“technology of school, facilities are by far the best I have seen”
“Friendliness of faculty and student body, Simulation Labs, possibility of doing International rotations in countries such as Asia.”
“Staff and faculty are very friendly and encouraging. They dont try to sell you on the school as much as they challenge you to select the school that is best for you. Technology and facilities are amazing! The interview day is a great representation of the environment of the school. Interviews were more conversational rather than basic question-answer format.”
“The emphasis on a collaborative environment among students and the availability/willingness to help by faculty.”
“The technology and the community, this school was AWESOME. The students all seemed to be extremely impressed with the school and happy about the awesome faculty, community, and area.”
“The weather seems nice, the trip was easy. Also the food was good (they had a salad bar, etc).”
“awesome facilities, students are friendly and seem genuinely happy to be there, non-competitive atmosphere, ability to TA classes, cost of living, the Des Moines area is surprisingly pleasant”
“The facilities and how friendly everyone was! I love the Sim Labs!”
“The facilities! The simulator lab, surgery lab, anatomy lab, and OMM labs were brand new and top of the line. The atmosphere of the school – I met so many students in addition to the tour guides because they were so eager to answer questions, gained lots of insight and information from them. “
“The SCHOOL—awesome facilities and surgical unit. You get to learn a lot in the 2nd year from the simulators they have. You will be very prepared with some of their technology.”
“The students relationship with the faculty, the technology on the campus, the enthusiasm of the students going there, the helpfulness of the students, the “newness” of the campus. “
“That campus is bad *ss. Seriously, those facilities are ridiculous. They really are something to marvel at. The sim lab, the surgery lab, the anatomy lab….wow. No doubt they prepare their students to be excellent physicians. Beyond that, the atmospher was great, the students were awesome, faculty and admissions people were all nice. AND the lunch was very good. Unlike some schools they just give you basically a blank check and you can get whatever you want from teh cafeteria. Basically a dream come true. Other schools give you like half a sandwhich and a bag of chips.”
“The simulation lab was great! The technology was very new and high-end. Everyone there was extremely positive about the school and it made me feel very welcomed. “
“The school was nice and teaching tools were interesting and seem as if theyd be effective. Students and interviewees were very friendly. If the pool of interviewees are an indication of the incoming class, I would be happy there as (mostly) everyone was friendly and not cutthroat. “
“The facilities are absolutely AMAZING!!! There is a new trauma simulation lab where 1st and 2nd year people can go and practice all they want! Surgical training for pre clinical years is probably the best in the nation!!! I can really picture myself going to school with these students. Everyone was soooo wonderful and inviting. The faculty really seem like they want to teach you and help you out whenever they can.”
“The facilities are very good, new. Technologically, it was the best osteopathic school I interviewed at. I like how tablet pcs are included in tuition. The patient simulator lab was interesting as well. I liked how the OMM fellows gave us a demonstration of their skills.”
“The technology is amazing and the students were very friendly.”
“The facilities really seemed top-notch.”
“The facilities at DMU are top notch, a top of the line laptop and PDA are included in you tutition”
“The current students were very excited to be there and they have a great student culture! And, of course their simulation lab was impressive! The interviewers made the interview very stress-free and comfortable.”
“The students seemed to be really happy and eager about the school; the facilities were really nice; impressive pass rate for board exams”
“surgical lab, dean is a surgeon, facilities are great, simulated computer patient,”
“The schools facilities were beautiful.”
“The facilities seem impressive with state-of-the-art technology and a comfortable environment.”
“The facilities were amazing. The student body and the professors were very friendly and inviting.”
“the facility, Simulation lab & surgery lab.”
“The facilities and campus are top notch! The students seemed happy and were very friendly.”
“The facilites are second to none. Surgical skills lab, SPALs. Lots of windows and comfy chairs everywhere. Professional envirnment, friendly, helpful staff and students “
“The students, I probably talked to 20 or 25 students throughout the 2 days I was there and they all seemed genuinely happy that they chose this school.”
“Everything! AMAZING facilities! Surgery Lab Skills course. Global Health rotations. Beautiful campus. Very friendly students. SIM lab is AWESOME!!!”
“I loved the fact that the students were so excited about their school. THIS IS KEY! Everyone was very friendly. Since I was in the first group to interview, and didnt get a chance to tour the school with the other interviewees, a student volunteered to show me around. The facilities are BRAND new, and everything looks awesome. I think the academic building was built in 2005, but dont quote me on that. I love the fact that they have such awesome technology, and want to prepare students before they go for clinicals. The simulation lab, where they have a huge mannequin that can respond to drugs, has blood, etc. was awesome, as was the surgical lab where they teach you how to put on surgical wear and how to do simple procedures before you go out for surgery. They really want their students to be prepared.”
“Amazing facilities, very new and updated (patient simulators, anatomy lab, performance assessment labs, surgical skills lab). There was a real sense of community there, and everyone was focused on helping you succeed in any way possible. The whole school also seemed to be very interested in promoting wellness.”
“the facilities, the campus is nice, the board scores and match lists are impressive”
“Everything, the overall facilities, the cohesiveness of students, faculty and admissions were super nice, the simulation lab and surgical lab.”
“How genuine everyone was, and how much you seem to get exposed to so early on. Their Global Health program was also really interesting and unique. “
“labs and facilities, I mean simulation labs and surgical skills labs — WOW!”
“Everything, the facilities are great and are also new. Their sim lab is amazing as well as their surgery lab. The students were very open and friendly.”
“The surgical skills lab is incredible as is the patient simulation lab. The building is new and interconnected by tunnels for relief in the winter.”
“The positive regard that all students held for the schools program. “
“new facilities; cheap housing; very friendly student body; safe town; cafeteria food is pretty good, too”
“Very nice people and Harvey is AWESOME!”
“Very nice facilities, all the students seemed happy and everyone seemed very positive and enthusiastic about DMU.”
“friendly faculty/students, amazing facilities, great tour guide, a lot interaction time with students”
“Facilities, students, curriculum, amount of clinical prep, gym, Des Moines area, cost of living”
“that this school really cares about their students. “
“very warm welcome both by the students and faculty”
“The schools facilites are A+ nice!”
“The sincerity with which the school expressed its concern toward the well-being and success of the students. The faculty was very involved during the day, and all stressed the importance of approachability. Also, the technology available to the students from lectures on the web, to the vast simulation labs. “
“The facilities are very nice along with the admissions staff.”
“Great new-looking facilities, extremely nice students”
“The new construction shows that the school is going to have superior facilities!!!”
“The facilities are impressive…almost all the building have been built within the last 4-5 years and are state of the art! There are no undergrads at this institution!”
“Politeness. Admissions, teachers, students, cafeteria workers, etc. were all very welcoming. “
“The campus was VERY nice and new. The basic surgery skills course was impressive. The small, community atmosphere. The students were really nice.”
“Everything. The entire interview day shows you so much about the school that you seem to leave knowing exactly what it would be like to be a student there. It isnt a typical show you a few parts of the school tour. “
“The facilities from the pre-surgical practice area, Harvey who teaches different cardiac rhythms, and how friendly everyone was.”
“Great Facilities, nice area, friendly people”
“Facilities, technology, and an effort to always improve. “
“The facilities were unbelievable!!!! State-of-the-art everything!!!”
“campus is nice, the studnet education center is new and amazing. everyone is friendly. “
“The friendliness of everyone we met and the excitement of the students”
“The facilities were amazing. The students were extremely helpfull and kind.”
“The facilities were absolutely amazing, everybody was so nice, all the students seem really happy to be there. They have amazing technology (all students get tablet laptops and pdas loaded with the course schedules). My student host was awesome too.”
“Everything is brand new, literally. Harvey the heart simulator was really cool. People in the community are awfully nice.”
“The facilities and how helpful everybody was at the school. Seems like students really care. Housing and the area is very reasonably priced too.”
“The overall sense of community and welcomeness is saturated in everyone you meet. The demonstrations and tour of the facilities is great. This campus is STATE-OF-THE-ART!! And it is onle getting better. “
“pretty much everything – the new facility is amazing, the faculty we met were very nice, the students seemed to like it a lot… it just seemed like a great atmosphere. i liked that there is a lot of housing in the area that is reasonably priced.”
“The facilities are first-rate. While I havent toured every medical school campus, I dare say DMUs new facilities rival anything else out there. Students, both ambassadors and others just hanging out in commons, seemed happy at the school.”
“I was impressed with the technology utilized, the new building expansions, and the strong OMM program.”
“facilities, emphasis on students, warm and welcoming atmosphere, new surgical area is really impressive”
“Everyone was so friendly! The facilities are fantastic, and the students really seem happy with the education they are getting.”
“The facilities were new and up-to-date. Students were enthusiastic, and the faculty were upfront about why their school is worth going to. Des Moines is a safe place to live and very affordable place to rent apartments/buy houses.”
“The facilities! Also, the students were very friendly and willing to stop and talk to the interviewees.”
“Everything. The students and faculty were amazing. They really made us feel at home and made it a low stress day. The facilities are also amazing and very student centered.”
“The facilities are absolutely beautiful. The admissions staff and faculty members that I met were helpful and enthusiastic. I never felt like it was a “sell job” but thought that they are really proud of their school and wanted me to know what they had to offer.”
“Great facilities and students were very positive about the school overall.”
“Great…I mean…GREAT facilities. Brand new. People are just great too. Everybody makes you feel at home and want to be there. Location is nearly ideal. City is medium sized with the school on the south side of town. No parking Nazis. Cheap housing. OMM demonstration.”
“Facilities (especially the wellness center) and affiliated colleges. Des Moines wasnt bad either.”
“The campus and facilities are beautiful. The students are wonderful and willing to go out of their way to help.”
“The facilities are second to none. Brand new buildings, all the students get brand new computers and pdas, very technologically advanced. Students are very nice.”
“Caliber of the faculty and students. The facilities were very impressive. I really like the location-good for a family guy like me.”
“The facilities are TOP NOTCH, the best I have seen. There surgery lab is insane! I have seen about 6 schools already and this blew me away. The people were really friendly. All the buildings are connected by a tunnel.”
“The facilities at the school are SECOND TO NONE. The simulator (Harvey) was truly amazing (DMU is one of 36 schools in the country with the simulator) and the lecture halls are VERY advanced (i.e. mp3s of all lectures are automatically downloaded to all student computers–which is provided by DMU).”
“DMUs new educational building(designed by students)and tunnel system is awesome. Nearly all labs and instruction rooms are being moved and replaced with new. Wellness center is better than many commercial fitness centers. Technology implementation is astounding. All lectures (complete with mp3 audio)are pushed to the students free laptop. Everybody I met today was friendly, enthusiastic, even randomly chosen student studiers were happy to talk.”
“The students, faculty, and facilities!”
“Everything. The school has brand new buildings which are connected via an underground passage. They give you a lap top and a PDA as part of the tuition. No attendence policy, no dress code. Everyone was just truely amazing. I asked a question and they went out of their way to find the answer for me. Just a great school, not enough praise can be given. One-hundred and seven years old and it still continues to impress. “
“Nice people, warm staff, nice facilities, nice labtops, casual dress code”
“The students seemed very happy, lots of smiles, facilities were great (especially the gym if you like working out), Des Moines was bigger than I had anticipated.”
“Open-door policy, student centered focus, prodigious student resources, OMM training and top-notch facility, from lecture halls and wellness center to hands-on labs. Everybody was friendly and helpful. All the students I met were happy about their overall experience. The professors were exhilarating. They love what they do, and it shows in the way they teach and interact with the students.”
“All the students and grads seemed very enthusiastic and felt like they absolutely made the right choice with coming to DMU. The schools very into OMM and even gave an OMM demonstration. They also have some neat classes like Chronic Care where you get to follow a chronically ill patient around and see what their life is like.”
“The school itself has amazing facilities. I was not expecting the campus to be so beautiful! Everyone is nice, and honest! They admitted the negatives of the school, along with discussing the positives. “
“OMM excellent…family friendly…cost of living…good people in admin, and at interview”
“The honesty of all the students there, and how many people came down to Portland to try and give us a good view of their medical school!”
“Everything did…the people were great. The current students and faculty really wanted to make you feel comfortable throughout the day.”
“The faculty, staff, and students were all very friendly and encouraging. The facilities are top-notch.”
“Great facilities, student support is amazing, you receive laptop and pda as part of tuition, great faculty, very warm environment”
“The facilities are brand new and the frienliness of the student and staff.”
“The main classroom/cafeteria/study area/library facilities were brand new (completed in April 05). As well, the school seemed to be technologically equipped and had quite a few amenities including a surgery lab, Simulated Patient center, and new OMM tables.”
“everything! the facilities are outstanding, esp. the surgical lab. plus, all the students I talked to were friendly and excitied about the school.”
“The facilities were amazing, the students were extremely friendly, Des Moines is a nice place… everything was great.”
“Everything!! I thought that DMU would be about #3 on my list. It was by far the best school Ive interviewed at. It will be hard to beat. Now my #1 choice. The facilities are amazing! The staff is great! The students are friendly and you can tell they have a close class. I was blown away!!”
“Everything. The school was absolutely fantastic. The students were great, the lunch was great, Harvey was great, the tour was great, the OMM demonstation was great, and the facilities are top notch. Des Moines isnt as small as some may say. A larger city with a small town feel. Housing is reasonably cheap and the area is safe. This school WILL be a top prospect for many in the future with their new facilities and aggressive approach to medicine. Surgical lab was also fantastic. They want to train you as doctors, not just process you and get you out the door. Best of all, NO TRAFFIC!!”
“The facilities are fabulous. The students are VERY friendly – if they see you standing around theyll walk up to you and ask if you have any questions.”
“The school itself is great! The facilities were excellent. I loved the school!!!”
“Great location, great campus with new buildings, great students who were willing to help, awesome classrooms, and really good statistics as a med school.”
“The facilities are top notch. The buildings are very new and have a nice touch of warmth and welcome to them. The study areas and cafeteria are conducive to studying, socializing, or just plain relaxing. Their OMM program is top notch and the faculty and students are very friendly and helpful. OH YEAH, THE AMOUNT OF TECHNOLOGY IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING-EVERY STUDENT RECEIVES LAPTOPS AND PDAS WITH OUTSTANDING TECH SUPPORT!! Also this school prepares students realllly well for their 3rd and 4th year rotations by teaching basic surgical skills during the 1st and 2nd year. “
“Pretty much everything! Overall I felt welcomed and like they wanted me there. I liked the surgical skills lab and the small-city feel of Des Moines- not too big, not too small.”
“The Facilities were amazing. Dr. Mueller was a great guy to meet with and he started the day off well. He really makes you realize that this day is nothing to worry about and to be yourself.”
“FACILITIES…wow, really modern. I was dreading the city location as I am more of a country person, but Des Moines is a pleasent surprise…traffic is not bad, the area is not too crowded, housing is affordable, etc etc etc. Excellent school. ALSO, EVERYONE HERE IS SOOOO NICE ITS CRAZY!!”
“How nice the facilities are.”
“The genuine friendly attitudes of everyone at DMU. Their new facilities are impressive.”
“The friendliness and positive attitudes of all the people that I met.”
“The campus is set on tree-lined Grand Ave. The new addition (while not complete at the time of my intervew) will be very nice.”
“THEY HAVE A VERY NICE CAMPUS AND ENTHUSIASTIC FACULTY.”
“The happiness of the students, the facilities, the surgery lab, the admissions staff and student services.”
“The school has a strong reputation, a strong OMM program and places students in both MD and DO residency programs in a variety of specialty areas of medicine.”
“The new building. It had the most student space I have seen at any school. Plenty of study rooms if you want to be undisturbed, comfy chairs if you prefer and plenty of room by the windows in the library.”
“The building was nice and people were friendly.”
“The OMM demonstration and suturing/surgical labs impressed me because these basic skills are addressed with comprehensive, step-wise education. The students, faculty and staff were positive and friendly. The new building is extremely well-planned to accomodate student needs yet also comfy-feeling and attractive.”
“They are a great teaching facility, surgical skills lab and standardized patients.”
“The facilitie were much more impressive in person. “
“Dr. Mueller gave the intro at the beginning of the interview day, and he was really encouraging. He really made DMU seem like the perfect place to study medicine.”
“The faculty, the new facilities, and laptops and PDAs with tuition.”
“DMU is building a very nice new building that will be in use for next years class. Also, I was approached by several students over the course of the day who were very enthusiastic in sharing their experiences.”
“Everyone was very friendly, and very positive. The “students helping students” mentality. The new student center, to open in April 05.”
“They have a really great program going. They do a fitness evaualtion while you are there and try to get you to improve your health. They also have a surgical prep area where they teach you how to suture stiches and scrub up for operations, before going on rotations. I have never heard of that before.”
“students, faculty, facilities, board pass rates, etc etc. pretty much everything.”
“The facility, warm welcome, friendly atmosphere.”
“They have nearly completed a brand new building that will house most of the schools classes, library, gym, ect.. It was very nice.”
“DMUs ultra-modern facilities. The campus is absolutely amazing and I wouldnt be surprised to see DMU become one of the top DO schools in the nation as a result of the institution-building they have engaged in.”
“Admissions staff was very friendly and helpful – introduced themselves. Met with the assicoate Dean who was also very friendly and did his best to help us relax. They gave us plenty of time to speak with first and second year students.”
“The Assoc. Dean – Dr. Mueller I think his name was”
“Iowa is beautiful and the people there are beyond nice. The malls are gorgeous; the Botanical Gardens are breathtaking; the environment at DMU is student-friendly and the teachers are open; Everyone is happy and willing to help you; There was a student peer program where you can stay with first and second year med students who take you under their wing. Theyre building a new beautiful building with a huge gym. The housing is affordable. The colors of the school are purple and gold. Their OMT is phenomenal and there are many research opportunities there. After finding out what DO school is all about, I wonder why anyone would ever want to go to MD school.”
“Pretty much everything. The new facility is going to be amazing. The professors and staff are really approachable and seem to really want to interact with the students. There seems to be an effort to innovate the curriculum and make the school as user-friendly as possible. The physical diagnosis class during the winter of year 1 is pretty cool too. “
“Friendliness of staff and students. Great experience staying with a current student. Stellar facilities. Great technological support. Entire program seems very responsive to students and their needs. I was pretty much blown away by the experience – it will be hard to beat.”
“The poker face of the interviewers, I could not read them at all”
“Campus – new building opening in May. Students – Very friendly Professors – All the profs we met I really liked!”
“The new student educational building being built”
“new student center; the big wigs really made an effort to introduce themselves to us. The dean spoke to us for about 20 minutes”
“OMM demonstrations, student panel, lunch.”
“How happy the students are! The school is very High Tech”
“The student body is very supportive of eachother and the faculty is available to help the students in any manner.”
“The dedication the faculty seems to have to the program and students, especially the time given to patient stimulations early on in the program.”
“Starting with Becky Grissom and Tom Mueller, our day couldnt have started on a better note. These two “sanguine” personalities where just marvelous. Their banter started off the day with an upbeat, informative, and “relaxing” touch. These two individuals are a huge asset to DMU. Besides the duo, we were impressed with the new building, the strong OMT department, and the student-centered philosophies of the school. “
“how nice everyone was and that they were really interested in getting to know me better.”
“Just about everything did. I couldnt believe how friendly the staff, faculty, and students were (but I guess it IS the midwest…). They really made an effort to make you feel welcome and part of the school. The facilities are outstanding and the new student center which will be completed next spring will be AWSOME! Their OMM department is one of the best and they have that really cool cardiology simulator “Harvey.” Also the campus is located in a nice area. Definately my #1 choice right now.”
“Very friendly and comfortable environment. Kept hearing how everyone there was “trying to sell” their school, but I walked away feeling that they really do care about making you feel welcome.”
“It is true that they are VERY friendly on this campus. They really make you feel welcome and take off the competetive between applicants. They also provide you with a free lunch-the food at the cafeteria is really good. They only charge ten dollars for parking a year, and the parking is like 10 feet away from the building. Reasonable tuition for a private school. Good wireless laptops included in tuition. Lots of affordable housing. I didnt find anything that I didnt like. I asked many students if there was one thing they could fix or change about the school, what would it be. A couple said the construction had been kind of a pain-but it will be completed in May, no one else had anything to complain about. The new building is awesome, the old facilites are very nice. Apparently the school has an unparalled OMM program. The workout facilities have a locked door that you can enter by swiping your ID card, and it has many treadmills each has its own cable TV and earphones! Spouses get free membership to the gym-and everyone lets in their boyfriends/girlfriends, without it being a problem. They spend a lot of time explaining their curriculum, student clubs, life in Des Moines-you arent left feeling like “what is this school environment like?” I left feeling like I would be very comfortable in such a supportive environment.”
“The positive atmosphere on the campus, and how well everyone got along.”
“The new building is going to be fabulous! Plus, everyone was genuinely interested in me. They made me feel like they truly wanted me to be at their school. Also, the SPAL and OMM programs are amazing.”
“During thier selling of the school, which was from 8am to 1pm, they provided a ton of useful information. Usually, Im more skepitcal of a school that sells itself, but they must have done a good job.”
“Small OMT class groups divided into lab sections. Wireless internet. Laptop provided. Relaxed atmosphere”
“Very nice faculty and students. Didnt seem that the students were overly ambitious (by that I mean it seemed as if the school fostered a community atmosphere).”
“How friendly all the students and staff were. Everyone was very open and welcoming.”
“Atmosphere, students, and faculty for sure – very competent”
“The facility will be beautiful once the construction is complete in 2005. Des Moines has quite a bit to offer for a city its size. The 4th year student who performed the OMM demonstration was very impressive. Parking only costs $20 per year. Diverse student body drawn from all over the country, and everyone seemed friendly.”
“No doubt the students. Friendly, open, eager”
“Great comradery amoung the students. Very friendly staff and professors.”
“Friendly atmosphere, will have a new fitness facility in a year, demonstration of OMM”
“The friendly administration, staff, and students. Construction of new facillities and the new Dean is a practicing surgeon at Mercy.”
“friendly and very helpful students and faculty, great OMM program, very informative sessions, wireless campus, low cost of living and convenient housing, able to stay with students before the interview”
“the admissions committee was very helpful and organized. The students seemed happy to be there and nice enough to let you stay at their place the night before the interview. Also, you get a laptop and PDA ($ included in tuition) as a 1st year.”
“Not one thing, Des Moines is a dump full of horrible people.”
“The focus on fitness and student well-being. Also, how close the school is to apartments and downtown. They seem to really care about their students and everyone(incl. faculty)was very friendly.”
“You get a laptop and they are up to date with the new technology.”
“The friendliness of the students, faculty, and staff”
“Very student oriented, free primary care, freelabtops and pdas (included in the cost of tuition, nothing is really free!) Almost everything. Asked about problems with 3rd and 4th year stuff, they have new people in charge of that department, so it is getting fixed.”
“Newer facilities, friendly students, great OMM.”
“The Dean himself came and talked to us and answered questions for nearly an hour. The facilities are excellent. The school seems to provide truly excellent support/advising for its students. The admissions staff were thoughtful, knew who we were, and were very helpful. Housing is very cheap. Faculty are truly interested in teaching and helping students succeed.”
“Safe town, affordable housing, student seem very happy.”
“This school has an excellent OMM program, facility, and faculty. Overall, they seem to care about the students. Very informative and answered all questions. **Stay with a student if you can. Aside from saving $ on a hotel room, I could ask any and all questions without any b.s. Oh, and ask your “important questions” to more than one person to get different opinions. Also, the students get a laptop & pda (however, the technology fee of $1,050 is charged for all 4 years). “
“Use of technology evidenced by the Harvey cardiac simulator, wireless PDAs and laptops, and cameras and monitors in the anatomy lab (along with available recorded dissections to watch).”
“The students form a very close-knit, cohesive group. I think they really go out of their way to help one another. Also, the OMM teaching is really top-notch. If that is the main reason you want to become an Osteopath, this school is your school.”
“The campus has a great OMM program. The facilities are among the best. The people were very midwest, meaning polite and eager to talk and laugh with anyone who will listen. Some students came in and did a demonstration of OMM on a staff member. They mentioned that the second year students choose as a whole class what prep course for the COMLEX 1 boards they want and the university pays for it (600 dollars a head usually). “
“The students seemed to be extremely happy, unlike many schools Ive been to. Everyone was laid back and not too stressed out. Also, they used to have a problem with paperwork during residency but that is fixed now because a new person is head of that department. overall it was awesome.”
“Everyone was so friendly! On the interview day, the staff and students really go out of their way to make you feel welcome.”
“everything! This school is amazing, admittedly not for the location, but because of the people. Right from the start, a professor who recognized that I was interviewing escorted me up to the admissions office! Everyone, admissions staff, students, faculty, grounds keepers, everyone was soooo friendly. Is this a midwest thing? The interview day was the most organized one I attended. Everything was set up to make us feel welcome and informed. I left feeling like I had made new friends! I also left telling myself that if I got in Id cancel all my other interviews and go there. This school is definitely well organized with a fast turn around time. The people there really make the school run beautifully. Did I mention they invited all the interviewees to their halloween party?!”
“Im from the Midwest, so I wasnt surprised at the “niceness” of the students. I was, however, surprised that so many had time to take us on tours, eat lunch with us, answer our questions, etc. In general, I loved the comments some of the students made, such as, “Ive never regretted choosing DMU.” and “I make priorities to enjoy activities outside of school.” I was also very impressed by the demonstrations and tours that made me feel like my day was well spent and that they werent just inviting me solely for an interview. It seemed that they were as interested in my learning about their school as they were in learning about me. “
“OMM presentation, friendliness of everyone from admissions staff, to current students, to faculty, 20th largest medical school (of MD and DO) but TA to student ratio is 1:2, high percentage of pass rate on NMLE and class gets to choose board review program (included in tuition).”
“The school seemed to be very technology-oriented. In particular, I was really impressed with the standardized performance assessment labs (SPAL) and Harvey demonstration. It seems that they really stress clinical skills and thats really great. I really enjoyed the OMM fellows demonstration as well. Also, everyone there is extremely friendly and very proud of DMU. The atmosphere is very laid back.”
“The overall warmth of the place, everyone was enthusiastic and happy about DMU.”
“The students and staff are SUPER nice. Everyone was genuinely interested in me as a person. Many (at least 15) students came up to me and chatted about the school and told me how laid back and non-competitive it is. The facilities are great and getting better. Great anatomy lab! Awesome OMM program. Campus small and everything close by. There were no snobby academic types anywhere!!!! Cool folks”
“Facilities, new computer and palm pilots for every student, OMM was Awesome, Faculty was Fantastic, students seemed to love the school”
“The friendliness of both students and faculty. They really seem to enjoy their school immensely and have fun while learning. “
“very friendly people, seems like very supportive environment”
“The people, the people, the people. They were all nice and friendly. The city is bigger then I thought it would be and seems like its not boring. The technology at the school, the faculty and pretty much everything else.”
“Very mellow campus. Friendly atmosphere.”
“The overwhelming freindliness, options for clinical rotations during 3rd and 4th years”
“Everyone one of the students was genuinely excited about the school. They kept dropping in to admissions to talk to students. The amount of enthusiam was incredible. Everyone in the Admissions department was terrific. You came away feeling like they would do everything in their power to make sure that you suceeded. They actually bring in companies to help you study for your boards at the end of the second year. The all course of study is student geared.”
“The day was well-planned…if a bit redundant. I really didnt need to have researched the school, b/c they went over everything I could have wanted to know throughout the course of the day. I was most impressed, however, by a presentation on what OMM is, given by the chair of the OMM dept. “
“The staff and students were sooo nice. I was made to feel very welcomed and comfortable. Staff encouraged us to talk with students about the program.”
“friendliness of the people at DMU and Des Moines”
“The staff and students are amazinlgy friendly! Everyone was very nice and more than willing to share information with us.”
“Everything! The faculty members were sooooooo nice! The school has great facilities and the students were extremely helpful. The school is in a nice area with lots of apartments across the street.”
“Everything, I really liked the feel of the school. Great OMM program. Very high board pass rates.”
“Friendliness and cooperation of student body and faculty”
“The faculty is amazing, very open, sincere, and caring. The students seem very happy and the atmosphere seems very conducive to learning.”
“AThe students and faculty were very nice”
“The students were really friendly and helpful. The OMM clinic is impressive.”
“The staff really seems to care about students and their concerns. “
“Friendliness of the students and the school overall. Students came over and chatted with all the interviewees during lunch, and over all, appeared very enthusiastic and proud of their school.”
“The admissions staff, faculty, and students. They made me feel at home. “
“The students are happy and very helpful”
“how down to earth, sincere, and friendly the students and faculy were”
“The friendliness of the faculty and staff. Even the dean was there to dine with us. “
“The Chairman of the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine department gave us a quick brief on the many uses of OMT, very impressive! Stated that MD schools are starting to teach OMT to its students, under the course name of “Bio-Mechanics”. Des Moines is a very nice city, extremely clean and progressive, definitely not “Hickville, USA”. Would be a great city to raise a family. To choose between UHS-COM and DMU would be difficult. Both boast a 96% COMLEX Part 1 pass rate.”
“The friendly atmosphere and the fact that every student I had contact with (not just those scheduled by the school to meet with us)loved the school. It was very common for students to just stop by and start a conversation with any of the interviewees. I was also impressed by everyones enthusiasm for the OMM program. The Standardized Performance Assessment Labs were impressive as well.”
“Students that had nothing to do with the tour or anything came up to us to tell us their interview story or to tell us how great the school is. Everyone is SUPER friendly and they clearly love the school. “
“The SPALs (patient assessment labs) (though seeing the exam rooms was not an official part of the tour). Also, OMM is taken very seriously at DMU-COMS.”
“The friendliness of the school.”
“Not enough time to interact with anyone during the group experience.”
“Lack of tour at campus clinic or at rotational hospital.”
“Located in urban area and rotation sites”
“Almost nothing, I suppose rent would be a little high (for Iowa which isnt saying much) in that area of town”
“There were first year students that complained about rotation being a lottery. for an established school. It didnt bother me that much though but it was still off-putting”
“The interview was very rigid. They would ask a question, I would give my response, and they would move on. It was not conversational at all.”
“I didnt feel like the school had tried to recruit us as students as much as other schools had, although they are a great school so maybe they just dont think they need to. The student body was huge, at least it felt big.”
“The cafeteria seems to be decently expensive.”
“Nothing, I really enjoyed the school.”
“Location since its far from home and there doesnt seem to be much immediately outside the Des Moines area, the climate (although it sure beats east coast blizzards)”
“Nothing. School was awesome, all staff and faculty I had interactions with were awesome.”
“location wasnt so bad, but it is very far from home”
“Got myself worked up for no reason”
“There was a slight wait between the tour and the interview, depending on what your interview time was.”
“No much, but my interviewers did not know the answers to some of my questions…”
“Lack of computer based testing to prepare for boards”
“I wish they would tell us a list of their clinical sites. Even if the sites change from year to year, I still think it is important for us to have an idea of what the options will be.”
“The interview was not as relaxed as I was told, but my interviewer was considered a tough one by current students.”
“Rotations at away hospitals; may have to travel or move.”
“Overemphasis on OMM, not enough research emphasis.”
“The lack of nearby hospitals for third year rotations. This likely means you will have to move in your third year.”
“Had to sit and wait 2 and a half hours for my interview.”
“Nothing, I think everything was great.”
“The weather. It was mid teens while I was there. I come from Cali so those winters would be brutal”
“Wish the curriculum was system based”
“The financial aid presentation was not very useful or energetic”
“The lack of diversity in the student body and in the city itself. At least 85-90% of the students are Caucasian. Also, no affiliated hospitals for 3rd & 4th yr rotations. Also that you are ranked by a percentage system (essentially, no letter grades but percentages).”
“No swimming pool. :/”
“Lots of clinical roations are away. Which is sad but a very real part of any medical education.”
“I felt a little shuffled around during the tours.”
“I just wish they had a little more diversity, and some racquetball courts.”
“nothing, Ive read alot of interview feedbacks, but I mean it, the school has very little drawbacks, if anything is its distance from your hometown, unless you are from Desmoines :)”
“The fact that parents were allowed to accompany students on their interviews. it just made for more people to compete with in asking questions of the staff or talking with current students.”
“Gym was weak, most of the students looked depressed (more than usual)”
“I ran out of time in my interview; I could have asked so many more questions!”
“Tiny anatomy lab for as many students as they have. Shared classes with POD and PA students = HUGE lectures. Many students, no formal rotations, weird interview format. Little research going on, didnt seem that “academic” to me.”
“There was very little visible diversity… Iowa…”
“The atmosphere of the whole day was like you were being juded by everyone you met.”
“Public transportation in Des Moines lacks”
“Hearing what the winters are like, that the COMLEX 2 scores were about at the national average and not above”
“Less structured 3rd and 4th year.”
“weather, so far from home (no direct flights). Limited research experience. “
“Parts of the interview were intimidating, but everyone was still nice (an enjoyable interview overall). Class size is pretty big. Winter.”
“class happy, no serious complaints, new facilities, no strict attendance, mp3 and ppt lectures online, computer and ipod covered by tuition, Huge clinic on campus, great gym, cheap rent nearby.”
“we were only able to talk to around five 3rd and 4th year students, which is understandable since they are doing rotations elsewhere “
“Rotation options during 3rd and 4th years. “
“Professor jabbing me about science GPA for about 3 questions.”
“Nothing really — it would have been great to meet some DMU 3rd and 4th years and get their perspective on the clinical opportunities of DMU. “
“Nothing. The whole experience was great!”
“nothing :)”
“They stoic and stern interview where each member of the panel asked fair but difficult questions and then continued to ask “and if that doesnt” work to each question with no emotional feedback from them. This made me feel unwanted, that they did not care to get to know me and it was a firing line to gain admission. “
“Nothing, I have nothing negative to say. This is the nicest campus and facilities out of any school I have been to, MD/DO”
“Its in Iowa. Im not sure if the rotations are setup well. I think thats why they have invested in the simulation labs because the students have limited real world exposure in Des Moines. They are planning to make 3rd years stick around in Iowa so I really have doubts about the rotations. “
“nothing. One of the other interviewers asked a student what she thought was one of the negatives about DMU. She and another student couldnt think of anything. “
“their acceptance process. financial aid talk was not too impressive”
“Some of the tour guides seemed unenthusiastic, especially compared to CCOM. The campus on a whole didnt seem as social and warm as I would have liked. “
“difficulty of obtaining competitive residency as d.o.”
“It was the first snow of the year, which made driving conditions extremely not favorable! Also, the 5 to 1 cadaver to student ratio seemed a bit large, but they do say it cuts down on the amount of work per person.”
“The financial aid representative was a bit crabby. Borrowing money is already stressful enough.”
“I dont love cities, so Des Moines is a little big for me. The campus itself is in a very residential area of the city, so it isnt that big of a drawback. Im pretty much guarenteed to end up in a big city for med school anyway.”
“Pretty much nothing, the day went kinda long so i was kinda tired by interview time.”
“The students I talked to didnt seem very academically serious. I was a bit suprised by this because of all the good stuff the pre-osteos say on SDN. It seemed like everyone (even the faculty) I talked to had an inferiority complex. This is the first DO school I interviewed at, so maybe this is a DO thing in general and not specific to DMU. The students called MDs “Manipulation Deprived” and they all said they got into the University of Iowa but decided on DMU (despite the tens of thousands in extra tuition). I just had a hard time of taking these students seriously. I thought that all I wanted in a school was somewhere where I could become a doctor. Today, I decided that I also want to go to a school with students and faculty who are happy to be at their school and dont have a chip on their shoulder.”
“clinical rotations in the past were all away from Des Moines, but now they are establishing a lot of opportunities in the Des Moines area”
“The cornfields surrounding Des Moines.”
“My student interviewer was cold and unfriendly – he didnt seem interested in learning more about me as an applicant. The financial aid presentation was useless – they didnt provide any information in addition to what was posted on the DMU website. “
“The idea of lengthy days of lecture. Also, during clinical years you might have to pack up and move to Michigan, Ohio, or some other Midwest state not named Iowa.”
“My interview a little. I didnt do so well I think. But I guess they were fine. They asked great questions. “
“I wish it had been decent weather so I could have walked around outside. Really the only negative and the ONLY reason that would keep me from coming to this school is that its in Iowa. Seriously, pick up DMU and put it in california and Id sign my soul (maybe). Its gonna be tough gettin over that weather barrier tho. “
“A couple of side comments post-interview. “
“That they claim to be a “small school” but boast a very large class ~220. Seems a bit conflicting. Some classes have mandatory attendance. “
“The school, students, and curriculum are amazing. The facilities are world class. However, I dont like the fact that i may have to travel to another state or city to do clinical rotations. I still have appehensions about being discriminated as a DO when it comes to residencies.”
“The interview group I was placed in was very aggressive. I disliked how one of the interviewers thought he had a license to badger me with various ethnic questions because he was Indian too. Most of the questions asked were designed to probe for weakness rather than learn about any of my positive characteristics. In addition to being high-pressured, the interviewers were rude. There were a few instances of inappropriate laughter. One interviewer made unnecessary comments such as “typical” and “unremarkable” to describe my accomplishments. I have not idea why they felt the need to ask if I was ever bullied as a kid. The interview left me feeling uncomfortable and insulted. “
“The interview. All day I had heard that it was going to be laid back and friendly. It was not! “
“No OMM demonstration as that part of the day was not planned well at all.”
“Student ambassador loved being at the school but didnt seem to keen on interacting with us”
“Its cold in Des Moines!”
“Nothing about the school really, just the cold weather”
“straight lecture format w/o PBL, snow/rain,”
“I didnt like that they supply students with laptops, because Id rather use my own instead using my tuition to pay for that program.”
“Nothing! Des Moines isnt too bad either.”
“Its in Des Moines, cold, wet and snow. the new building wont open till spring 05. The first year leacture hall is one giant level room with idividual high school like desks.”
“Their COMLEX pass rates are the lowest of the schools Ive interviewed at thus far…but theyre still above the national average, so its not really that negative of an attribute.”
“small clinic. Also, have to travel for clinical rotations.”
“A lot of students are from the midwest, and I dont know that the school is necessarily uber-diverse.”
“The interview. The whole day was very relaxed with everyone saying how low-stress the interview is. However, my interview seemed like an interrogation, where they asked a question, I answered and then there was an awkward silence. They really focused on my research experience and why I wanted to go into medicine rather than research. Also a lot of healthcare questions (medicare, medicaid, etc.).”
“Nothing really. Well, some of the students were a little snobby.”
“I would like there to be more patient contact in the first two years. I was very impressed otherwise.”
“its a smaller city from where I am from, and Im a city person”
“That there is really no clinical experience or preceptorship programs the first two years.”
“Just the one interview question about biochem and the fact that biochem is not a required course for admission. Plus, its a heck of a drive from home. There was also limited parking that day.”
“10 people per cadaver. “
“very long morning..but it was still great, there really wasnt anything I didnt like about the school!”
“The area around Des Moines is pretty dull”
“too much selling the school”
“Des Moines is a hole.”
“I quite honestly cant come up with anthing negative about the school. “
“The interview was with 4 people around a fairly large table so it was very cold and uninviting. The interviewers also did not segway their questions at all so it felt choppy. The observing student interviewer who was not supposed to ask questions actually asked questions, which wasnt bad (one of the more enjoyable questions), but just be aware that that may happen. “
“The class size can be overwhelming, esp. considering that you share some classes with DPM, PA, and PT students. Also, you share your cadaver b/w 2 4-person groups.”
“population <500K ~50% class married w/ kids very small diversity level huge class sizes"
“I had some hints of things I didnt like. For instance…admission presentation outline how they can help us develop better study habits, and that many of their students need help with that. I kept thinking to myself…jeeze I hope not, as applying med student, having got through some tough undergrad courses/ the MCAT…I think I know how to study by now! Also listening to admissions department try and defend class sizes of 215 DOs plus sharing some classs w/ PTs, PAs, etc. I can deal with these class sizes, but it isnt a positive.”
“No hospital on campus, only a clinic. The clerkships were not guarenteed to be in Des Moines. Not much research at the school.”
“Only that it seems like there isnt a wide diversity of students there, like other DO programs seem to have. Most appeared to be in their 20s and from the midwest.”
“3rd and 4th year rotations could be quite far from campus, large class sizes, over-reliance on students to teach/assist”
“Had to drive 4 hours to get there!”
“Some of the lectures are very big (mixed classes with Podiatry students so ~315), No affiliated hospitals so a lot of the Year 3-4 rotations are away (~500 miles)”
“They were taking photos of people for their literature. The only person I saw wearing scrubs was a girl staged to walk across the common area. Not very cool. DMU could sell itself without all of the flare.”
“CLASS SIZES IS 215 FOR EVERY MEDICAL SCHOOL CLASS!!! Plus, I thought that the grading system was quite competitive despite what students said”
“Hard to say, really the day is full of positivity and optimism. I had trouble getting anything out of the students that is negative. The thoroughness of the tours, presentations, and students advice left it hard to fire questions back at the interviewers.”
“nothing really. even though for unknown reasons I was in a very bad mood the day of the interview, i didnt come away from it with anything bad to say about the school”
“Cost and the fact that I was only interviewing for the wait list.”
“It may not be significant, but the low class attendance.”
“nothing, I think Des Moines is a great place to live”
“The morning was very informative, but I think it could have been condensed a little more.”
“The presentation about student activities were given by the director of student services. I felt that she only gave the positive aspects of student life and not a holisitic appraisal. Plus dont expect much in down town Des Moines–though there are lots of buildings, apparently night life is not as exciting (and this was on a Friday night when I went exploring!)”
“I cant think of a thing. The two drawbacks to the program include the lack of clinical experience in years 1 & 2 and the utilization of almost exclusively lecture/lab teaching methods. “
“The lack of research. That can be a positive because they are focused on education, but I think a lot can come from doing research.”
“Nothing, really. I was impressed by the quality and character of the students. “
“Constant bombardment by staff/students trying to “sell” the school. Very cumbaiya-la-di-da. Almost cult-like.”
“Some students told us that by the end of semester some of the class attendences decrease from like 130 to 20.”
“The hills of 31st street. Seriously. I went there on a 4 degrees F day and luckily there was no ice on this hill. I can see major pileups at the bottom of 31st street or a car never making it up the hill…Actually the hills were quite nice compared to super flat Illinois where Im from.”
“I didnt get to see the surgery lab.”
“The morning session was way too long and boring, dmu is good blah blah blah blah for 4 hours. No breakfast! Des moines is not the best city to live in. In fact, in the winter, it would be horrible. on a side note, ever noticed that “negatively impressed” doesnt make any sense? an oxymoron, really…”
“Not much student contact, it just seemed strange and I dont know why”
“We were constantly encouraged to talk to students while there, but the highly structured day didnt really permit much interaction with many students. The tour was given by admissions staff, not students. Would have like to see more of the campus, like the library, anatomy labs, etc. These werent really negative impressions, but something I would have liked.”
“Des Moines is kind of small.”
“location…Im a big city kinda gal.”
“Seriously, the interviewers in Portland were horrible. They showed me why there is still a stigmatism against D.O.s when they drilled me on why I was applying MD. Because I wanted to get accepted somewhere, leave me alone. You cant make a choice by just reading and shadowing, you have to go and feel if the school is right for you.”
“Three on one interview is kinda intimidating. Minimal amount of things to do in the city Orientation went on longer than expected, I barely had time to eat before rushed into my interview”
“Nothing in particular. Im from the midwest so living in Des Moines doesnt bother me. If youre from LA and love warm weather, this isnt the place for you.”
“Nothing big. Students do generally have to relocate for clinical years, but I already knew that. I havent actually been to Des Moines yet because the interview was in Portland, so I cant comment on that.”
“The length of the day, I wasnt done until after 3pm. I was too tired by the time of my interview, and felt that I did poorly because of this. A morning interview would have been helpful. Also, would have liked to see the anatomy labs, but apparently we werent “allowed” because we werent students. I didnt get to meet the dean or president whom I hear so much about.”
“I dont think I can come up with anything better then it is in IA, where the weather is a quite a bit different then where I live now. (I live in a very warm climate)”
“Having to do 3rd and 4th year rotations around the country.”
“for clinicals, some students will have to leave the Des Moines area.”
“The fact that the campus was not accessible 24 hours a day. Usually most medical school campuses have something that is open 24/7 however DMU did not.”
“Honestly… not a dang thing.”
“The interview. It was more like a trial. A dark room with a single light above my chair would have almost been a warmer experience. Dry question asked, question answered. Followed by three stoney faces staring back at me and 20-30 seconds of silence. Every question. Absolutely out of sync with the rest of the day.”
“How rude the interviewers were. They were very cold and never smiled. Dr. Crisp told me that I have just floated through life and that everything that has happened to me has just flowed and fallen in line for me; she then said it seems that I have never had any difficulties in life. Before she could further her insults I corrected her and asked her how she knew that? I then continued by telling here that she was dead wrong in her assumptions. She knew nothing about the struggles in my life. I have had plenty and explained a few so she could get the picture. I guess she doesnt know that ASSumption makes you… well look like just that, an ASS. They also acted throughout the interview as if I couldnt handle going to school there. Interesting because they invited me to their campus I didnt invite myself. Finally they asked if I had any questions (which I had plenty all printed out) so I started asking them questions. The Student couldnt answer a basic question that I had asked her so I saved her the embarrassment and moved on. I asked one more and then all of a sudden before I could finish Dr. Crisp cut me off and told me my time was up. They didnt even let me ask all of my very relevant questions!!! Dr. Crispy critter dont ask me if I have questions when you really dont care if I have any! I hate fake people.”
“I wished there was a D.O. in the group of interviewers or at a physician. “
“I kept trying to think of “cons” about the school, but really couldnt think of anything major. I would have liked to have seen the cadaver lab during the tour.”
“I accidently ended up in a bar in downtown which was full of drag queens… didnt really negatively impress me but it was a little bit strange. Not quite what I was expecting. “
“Not a single thing…you will be surprised if you have the “corn-fields” conception of Iowa. I am going to miss it when I return to MA tomorrow! Well, the DO students do take preclinical classes with the DPMs…but no biggie.”
“They didnt talk about finances as much as I would have liked.”
“The process took an entire day (complete with childish group-photo time) for only a 30 minute interview – at times it felt like a being sold a time-share. “
“Des Moines is a smaller metropolis, it is up and coming and there are areas of the city that are more up to date than others, but it is still a small city.”
“The area itself. I was not expecting anything like NY or LA but from what I saw there was not enough to offer a life outside of school. I feel that distractions are necessary to help balance studying and maintaining ones sanity. “
“There was no tour. We saw none of the schools facilities. But we were constantly told how awesome everything was. Well, if everything is so good then why wasnt it shown to us?”
“location is not ideal but what in life is.”
“The interviews itself seemed to “staged,” and they didnt seem to be interested in really getting to know me but rather getting answers to fill out the paper work for the interview. “
“Lack of clinical time before years 3 & 4.”
“politics of school…..stressed out students – “
“I did not feel like I really “connected” with all of my interviewers. “
“The town. The people of Des Moines are very nice and friendly. But I didnt realized how small it was. It would be condusize to studying. “
“That you may have to travel for your rotations (I have a wife and baby and leaving for weeks at a time does not sound too good)”
“Lack of MS3 and MS4 students present. The morning Student Services information session dragged on and on and ooon! “
“It seemed like they were trying to sell the school and Des Moines. Also, what happened to the Director of Admissions Ive been talking to for a year. Are they trying to hide something? It was hush hush”
“Nothing, except some of the other interviewees in our group were gunners… they looked down at everyone else and even the school, just because they thought they were better (heavens knows why some ugly people have to make themselves even uglier by their personalities). Other than that no, nothing about DMU was bad.”
“I guess the lack of rotations in a centralized area (hard to avoid with a D.O. program)”
“see above, I really didnt know if they liked me or not”
“The morning was a little long with many speakers”
“too many speakers. very long morning”
“Some of the students were a little overeager to sell the school, more than even the faculty. I guess that could be a good sign.”
“The school doesnt have an undergrad”
“There were several informational sessions in the morning which werent eye opening and really unecessary.”
“The clinical staff doesnt seem to be involved in too much research.”
“It is not a school without its weaknesses (the anatomy lab was decent but not on the level of some of the newer labs in the country) and the lecture halls left a little to be desired. 200 students seems a TOO LARGE for my comfort but it might not be so bad. The students repeatedly mentioned that they thought it wasnt a big deal at all.”
“Obviously Des Moines isnt the most happening place to be, with less than desirable weather. But its really a nice small sized city. Other than that nothing negatively impressed me.”
“Iowa is a completely different world than Ft. Lauderdale, FL!!”
“Nothing. Well, the morning is pretty long. At first I thought it would be better tohave the interviews out of the way first, but they provide a lot of info that is useful to you for the interview, such as “why DMU” and “what do you look for in a medical school” and “how do you think you would like life in Des Moines.”
“The joint labs with podiatry students. No DO interviewed me!”
“Contruction on the freeway is going to take a long time to complete. Interviewed by PhDs and student, not a D.O.”
“Interview is in the afternoon after lunch and presentations. Would have enjoyed my experience more if I could have had the interview done and out of the way.”
“Iowa!! Despite claims to the contrary, the student body was extremely, uniformly, white-bread Middle America. And Des Moines was the same way too. Not much diversity- in culture, in thoughts, ethnicity, etc.”
“Will be dissecting the leg with podiatry students as well as the normal 8”
“The current lecture hall is overcrowded and poorly lit. DMUs projected costs are even higher than their website suggests, and would necessitate private loans on top of federal aid. “
“Tried too hard to sell the school to you.”
“I cant really think of anything and I have interviewed at other schools.”
“coldest day of the year”
“Everything single aspect of DMU negatively impressed me, like I said its a complete dump.”
“location, facilities, Iowa, sales pitch”
“Some of the other interviewees were very uptight, which made it hard to talk at all. The campus is under some serious construction, so it wasnt the most asthetically pleasing thing to look at. “
“All of the construction and the first year classroom.”
“Construction, must share cadavers for anatomy with at least eight people.”
“Morning presentations went way over time and people repeated what others had said; they ended up cancelling a couple of presentations that would have been more useful. Would have been good to have more time with students without staff/faculty present. Class is very large. 3rd-year rotations are all over the place.”
“Weather, Very cold and old snow. You dont know where your rotations will be until your send year.”
“The construction (but it is for the greater good of the campus). The 1st year class is a big multi-purpose room. As for 3rd and 4th years, it seems a bit disorganized. But, I hear its loads better than what it was a few years back. “
“Construction and disconnected facilities. Lack of breaks during the day.”
“Des Moines, but also the fact that most students have to leave Iowa and go all over the country for 3rd and 4th year training. There are also virtually no clinical facilities that students can go through in their first two years.”
“They did not have a session on finance.”
“Not much, only the construction, but that will be done soon.”
“construction on campus – the new student centre wont be done until spring 2005.”
“Des Moines is more of a suburb than a city. There doesnt seem to be much of a night life (not that Ill have time for one) in the city. “
“The construction was a little bit annoying, as was the large lecture hall and limited cafeteria. However, there will be a new auditorium when the construction is done after my first year, so thats not too bad.”
“Tuition cost, new buildings wont be ready for use when I arrive, unknown aspect of clinical rotations (after 2nd year)”
“Des Moines is a very small city. Also, the setup for clinical rotations and electives seemed confusing. “
“Everybody being too happy, it almost creeped me out. The construction sucks, also!”
“Traveling clerkships during the third year. If you are willing and able to travel (i.e. single w/ no kids) the clinical years will be AWESOME. You can do anywhere from 6 months up to two years away in places like Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida. For me (wife and kid) being seperated from my family is not an option. There are 6 months during the third year that are up in the air, meaning you MAY have to travel. You have a very good chance of not traveling if you wish, but no guarantees for those six months. The rest of your clinical time can all be done at DMU. Many of the students want to travel so the Des Moines slots are not that hard to come by really. Again, if I were singe the traveling would be a positive instead of a negative “
“Clinical rotation stuff-unsure of how it will work”
“OMM fellows who told us they skipped lecture to study…it just seemed like a bit much to start thinking about skipping lecture when I havent been accepted to medical school yet.”
“The old buildings. But they are being torn down now.”
“Not much. Old buildings were being torn down, so thats good. The cafeteria was pretty lame, I think it was a make-shift cafeteria though so hopefully that will be moved. “
“A number of things. The student giving my tour talked 100 mph and very softly. It was extremely annoying. Also, the school is undergoing some major renovations. Perhaps in 2 to 3 years it will be a nicer place to go, but not during the time Id be there. Then, of course, there is the fact that you have to travel around during your 3rd and 4th years for clinicals. Maybe not too hard if youre a swinging single, but Im not. Another thing was the cost. Estimated budget for year one was $43K! Ive already been accepted at another school where the budget was just 29K. Unless youre independantly wealthy or going the military route, a 14K differance will make you blink. Finally, and most importantly, while I was relaxing before my interview a current student (a senior) approached me and vehemently advised me not to go to this school if I had other options. He said they have had big administrative problems over the years and havent had a permanent dean for quite a while. The clinical dept. (in charge of 3rd and 4th years) was especially disorganized in his opinion. Sorry, but when a senior at the school pleafully tells you to go elsewhere, thats a big red flag!”
“The school is having major construction during the next couple of years. “
“cold temperature and one must move in the 3rd and 4th year”
“The upper level students who I saw in the library were advising me that the 3rd and 4th years of medical school were a joke. They said that the people in charge of rotations are lazy, irresponsible, and difficult to contact. Several students said thay had paperwork that was lost while they were doing rotations away from Des Moines and the university blames students for the mistakes of the clinical affairs staff. One third year student told me that the staff sends threatening e-mails that threaten to suspend students if they are even a little bit late submitting paperwork. Students also said that the fact that the school has no strong affiliation with a hospital, like allopathic schools do, is a disadvantage as students are left to train in mediocre small facilities.”
“The students giving the tour were not as impressive and knowledgable as the students that gave me my tour at UHS last week. They still were helpful though.”
“New recreation facilities would not be started on, or completed before I would enroll there.”
“The only thing was that the gym is being moved, so there will be some construction and transition. Otherwise, nothing else.”
“The buildings were kind of dumpy and the first year lecture hall is very small considering classes of 240 people.”
“The Gym…its an old church.”
“the gym (its in an old church)—but its being rennovated this year.”
“Many of the other schools have nicer facilities, but DMU is growing, a major construction project is due to start in the Spring of 2003. Should be very nice.”
“I cant think of anything. The older, run-down building is being torn down and a new one built within the year, which will provide a new cafeteria and fitness center (and other things), so I had absolutely no complaints. Great place!!”
“The auditorium for first-year students — small table-tops attached to individual seats lined up; three overhead screens are strategically (?) placed around the room so everyone is, theoretically, able to see info presented on the screen. Also, theres a stinky auditorium thats also used for first-years with poor ventilation/ circulation – small table tops; seats are attached not free standing as in the other auditorium. Second-years sit in auditoriums/lecture halls that have stadium seating and TV-monitors (though, from what I was told, the TV monitors are used rather infrequently). “
“they might not ask why dmu in the virtual interview. i dont know if they expect us to throw that in randomly somewhere”
“The Kira Assessment is the interview. The group experience is just to get to know the faculty and students.”
“That the interview is super chill”
“how relaxed the interview is”
“How relaxed the interview was. Even though it was 3 people (2 faulty, 1 student) to me, everyone was very friendly,”
“Dont stress about this interview lol”
“to relax. everyone says its a low-stress interview but seriously. it REALLY is a low-stress interview. Just be sure to know 3 questions: Why medicine, why DO, and why DMU and youll be fine.”
“I was expecting a “tell us about yourself” question, but they started with “why DO?””
“I wish that I had done some research on the interviewers themselves to facilitate a better dialogue that wasnt so one-way during my interview.”
“The interviewers preferred specific experiences when answering their questions.”
“The day is really long, so its all about staying strong even when the interview is at the end of the day.”
“They give you a portfolio so no need to bring your own”
“Dont stress :)”
“Local events that were occurring in Des Moines so that I could maximize my exposure to the city. Otherwise, SDN prepared me well for what to expect.”
“How relaxing the interview would be”
“Wear comfy shoes! The tour is very long”
“That I would want to spend more time in the town, and that I would not want to go home. It was so gorgeous!”
“To relax! Everyone was so welcoming.”
“The people are extremely nice and want you to do well. The students are awesome and so supportive.”
“How friendly the school was!”
“That the interview would be relaxing. SDN mentioned some interviewers who were difficult and the grillers.”
“Save some energy for the end of your day because your interview will be the very last thing you do.”
“I dont know… if you read the rest of these feedback comments, nothing will really be a surprise.”
“My interview was very short compared to those of other interviewees. After the interview, I was pretty freaked out about that and was sure that I was not going to be accepted. However, I was ultimately accepted, so if your interview is short, know that its not necessarily a bad thing and theres no reason to stress.”
“That you could be interviewed by 2 interviewers instead of three. I did not have a student interviewer.”
“That I would have to wait over an hour for my interview time. (I had the last time of the day – 2:45pm)”
“How friendly the entire staff and student body were.”
“How awesome the school was.”
“Nothing really, maybe how many others are interviewing on the same day as me.”
“How much more Id like this school and Des Moines!”
“I knew a lot about this school before going.”
“How much I was going to love this school”
“That the room for interviews is setup a little awkward with your interviewers on three sides of a table”
“That the interview was going to be almost stress free”
“You shouldnt forget your rental car at your hotel, and fly across the country : )”
“that they give you a really nice folder so I didnt have to bring my heavy leather portfolio.”
“That I did not need to stress so much about the interview.”
“How beautiful and amazing the city of Des Moines is.”
“Nothing – I really did my research.”
“That the interview would be really relaxed.”
“They give you a binder so dont bring anything. Break in your new dress shoes. Have fun because this place kicks hiney.”
“The inteview is the very last part of the day”
“That when you are to return to the admissions office when its time for your interview, youre actually supposed to wait near the chairs just outside of the office for your interviewer to come. Also, that the surgeon who was to interview me was the friendliest surgeon to ever live (Dr. Pandeya).”
“The optional tour at the end of the interview is a waste of time. If you are tight on time, youll miss nothing if you skip it.”
“Had a better campus map to review so my driver could easily drop me off and pick me up.”
“It only took 10 minutes to get to the airport, didnt have to rush.”
“I wish I knew a bit more about Iowa (being from the East Coast)”
“Traffic at 8 am in Des Moines is no big deal and you dont have to leave an hour early to get there on time.”
“That they give you an awesome binder!”
“They do provide you with portfolios, so dont bring your own. They have a closet they allow you to use to store all of your stuff during the day. I should have rented a car. I stayed at a hotel near the airport so it was difficult to travel to downtown. I did make it to downtown though and went to the farmers market. I highly suggest exploring downtown if you are not familiar with the area. The Heartland Inn was alright. They provide transportation to the school, free wireless, and discount for interviewees. the facilities arent that nice and its far from school and downtown (10-15 min driving). But it is $60/night. “
“How cold it would be.”
“That I would be given a packet of information along with a notepad and a pen, so I didnt need to bring anything with me. “
“That flights are a million dollars into Des Moines”
“How small the campus was, the fact that all the classes are essentially in one room.”
“winter snow can be really harsh, large classroom sizes, yr. 3 clinicals will be in Iowa. “
“that this school is so awesome i shouldnt have applied anywhere else.”
“I believe I was well prepared”
“JUST RELAX AND BE YOURSELF”
“nothing. I felt quite prepared.”
“Flight delays can occur — make sure to book an early flight to Des Moines if you dont want to be late for your interview. “
“That we would be given a binder of materials, so that I did not bring my portfolio. (A lot to carry around all day)”
“nothing :)”
“That my interview panel was very stern. All three people who had my panel felt very strongly that it was a massive negative mark to feel so unwanted. Other panels seemed to give much less of a grilling type of interview. “
“That I was going to be grilled in the interview.”
“1) That there was nothing to stress about. 2) subzero temperatures. “
“They give you a big binder with information in it and scratch paper and all that, I didnt need to bring a portfolio with me. “
“interview was last…about 3 p.m.”
“There were no real surprises that day. Everything ya need to know is on SDN and on your application!”
“The day can be very long, especially if you have one of the last interviews. The downtime after lunch can fuel your anxiety and stress levels. You will be tired afterwards.”
“How easy-going the interview would be. I was a little nervous, but the interviewers were very friendly and it didnt feel like I was being grilled.”
“Definitely stay with a student when you visit! It was very benificial and way cheaper.”
“The attitude of the faculty and students.”
“That the interview would have been so laid back.”
“That my interviewers were not going to be as inviting and friendly as I was hoping. “
“That the interview was not hard. I think I made a bigger deal of it than I should have. They dont ask you hard ethics questions or grill you. They want to know if you are normal. #1, answer the question asked. #2, think/pause if you have to before answering a question… and dont ramble on!”
“Nothing really, I know the weather can be pretty bad, so i wasnt surprised that it was raining.”
“That they give you a portfolio. I carried around two the whole day. “
“The mission of the school. I really dropped the ball on this one. “
“That not all interviews are laid back and friendly. Though I was warned at lunch by a student, who saw my list of interviewers, that not all are laid back and friendly. “
“There is very little if any traffic congestion in the Des Moines University area so you dont need to leave from the hotel too early in the morning to arrive on time.”
“Des Moines is a really cool town”
“That almost everyone is married or engaged.”
“The interview asked about dual DO/MPH or DO/MHA degrees, which I hadnt known much about.”
“That I did not need to bring a folder to the interview because they provide you with one.”
“THe campus and education is better than I thought”
“during the first year the basic science classes are taught with the school of podiatry making the class size 250 durning lecture.”
“That about 1/4 to 1/3 of students are married. I think this can add an interesting and friendly dynamic to the class.”
“The broad implications for OMM in all areas of medicine.”
“The rotations are chosen for you (by lottery) and you might have to travel your 3rd and 4th years — not great for those of us with families…”
“That I shouldnt have been so nervous – it was very conversational. “
“How many other students would be at the interview day. “
“dont need to bring your own folder or anything. they provide you with a special DMU one.”
“dont worry about bringing a portfolio/notepad, etc. they provide you with a folder to carry papers, etc.”
“Lots of Mormons go to DMU”
“that school has joined lectures for DOs, potiatric students and masters in health”
“$ 1000 for seat deposit need sound sleep the night before the interview b/c the process is too long”
“That Des Moines is smaller than I thought.”
“The Presidents (full tuition) and Deans (half tuition) scholarships that higher MCAT & GPA students are automatically considered for.”
“that i wouldnt like the des moines area.”
“How many others would be interviewing: Wow, they schedule interviews for the whole school…besides the 20 of us touring around for D.O. there were PTs and PAs interviewing all over the place as well! It makes you feel less uncomfortable.”
“That everyone else wore a suit coat, and I didnt have one.”
“EVERYbody interviewing that day was wearing a black suit! “
“Lots of married students. Around 40-50%. Not a negative just a little intimidating.”
“I should have brought my cleats, played in a city league flag football game the night before my interview.”
“The students that were there on my day (there were 15 besides me) were not exactly the typical applicant and it felt a little odd. “
“If you park in the back and walk in from the back that is actually the ground floor and not the first floor. you need to go up to the first floor for the admissions office.”
“The interview is very laid back, there is no reason to be worried”
“Some of the things mentioned in the “
“That I was in the second group of interviews for the year. They take a mug shot and group photo in the morning.”
“That Des Moines really doesnt have much of a night life”
“That the chairs were going to be comfortable. I wouldve had that second cup o joe. Also I wish I had known not to stress about this interview.”
“nothing really, i was fairly well prepared for this interview. i would suggest really reading up on the school just to become more familiar with its practices.”
“All day, everyone kept saying how the interview would be very laid-back and low-key. They emphasized how little stress was involved and that admissions committee just wanted to get to know you. Then I got into my interview and they asked some pretty pointed questions. I didnt feel like I needed a blindfold and a cigarette or anything, but dont be lulled into a false sense of security. Interviewers had reviewed my file well and didnt avoid tough questions about my weak areas.”
“The interview was mainly me talking, and not always conversational”
“I wish I had known how laid back the who interview would be. I was really nervous, but I turned out to be very laid back.”
“The final decision of acceptance or rejection is by the dean of admissions, which I never met. I felt that this may be a bit unfair.”
“I wish I had rented a car. My motel was close to the airport, but there was absolutely nothing to do around there. I had to walk about a half mile to eat supper (even though the info DMU sent said there were several restaurants within walking distance).”
“How low stress the day was going to be. Just relax and be yourself.”
“No attendence policies and no dress codes. Also, a really short winter break.”
“Wish I knew more about OMM. It seems kind of mysterious still and Im sure with practice wont be as much of a mystery.”
“I wish I had known that the entire process would be so relaxing and actually fun!”
“At first I was turned off by the location, Des Moines is a 3 hour flight from my hometown. Once you get there, however, you will fall in love with the school. If I get accepted here, I am going to cancel the rest of my interviews. Hands down, I felt like I belonged in DMU. “
“That they were arrogant D.O. Nazis. I had already been accepted to 5 other D.O. schools (everywhere I applied) and I gave them the same answer if they asked about applying both ways. They all seemed to say that I had a good reason, but DMU didnt seem to like it. I could have saved the money and turned down their interview. Definitely not anywhere near the top of my list now. Almost gave me a bad enough taste to take the MD acceptance and forget the whole DO thing.”
“The interview was done by a group (one student, one physician and one professor at the school).”
“How DMU-COM is a great school and that one cannot really fully realize this until he/she visits the school and meets the staff and students.”
“I learned how osteopathic medicine differed from chiropractic medicine — something were all afraid to ask but thats interesting to know.”
“Nothing really. Everything was pretty well predicted.”
“They give all 1st year students a laptop and PDA. Also, the major interstate to the school from my hotel would be closed and the route I had to take was an extra 15 min (I was about 10 min late). “
“I didnt need to bring a folder, they gave us a folder with paper and information… No biggie”
“I felt pretty nervous all day before the interview since it was my first one, but once I got into the interview room, the board made me feel very comfortable.”
“I had my questions answered beforehand.”
“Nothing I can think of”
“Just how nice the facilities were.”
“There are many things you can do for fun in Des Moines even though its a tiny town.”
“How long I would have to wait for my interview. I was in the last interview group, at 2:45pm. I spent about an hour and a half waiting around doing nothing with three other poor souls like myself.”
“the interview would be in a group of 3”
“how nice Des Moines is… I had never been there before.”
“How amazing the school was. I wanted more time to explore the city.”
“How nice the school really is.”
“How really family friendly Des Moines is.”
“Des Moines is really as small as it sounds. Not much to do there. They have traffic supposedly. I guess they consider a 15-20 minute drive traffic. (Try driving in California!)”
“I was an easy going day, I was very stressed before. “
“This school is a treasure, in the middle of what seems like nowhere, waiting to be dug up by anyone who comes to visit. “
“The heavy emphasis they place on OMM.”
“I wish I had known how relaxed the day the would be and that I really did not need to stress over it before hand. “
“That the heels on loafers you bought for $2 tend to come loose and cause you to fall when walking to the interview room. Oh well, it started the conversation rolling at least. Look into the chronic pain elective…really sounds like an invaluable experience I would be honored to take part in. Also impressed with the surgery course and Harvey/SBLs. Very well done curriculum here at DMUCOM.”
“That Des Moines airport made everyone just about strip before entering the terminal.”
“I WISH I HAD KNOWN THE PLACE WAS NICE SO THAT I COULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME THERE.”
“Cant think of anything. I wish I would have stayed another night, I really loved this school.”
“That there was construction trying to get to the school from my hotel, luckily I left early enough to make it on time, but I had to find my way taking side streets to the school.”
“I would not have bother to come if I knew there would be no tour ahead of time. What is the point of going to a medical school interview if you dont even get to see the labs or classrooms?”
“I wish Id known that we would not be doing a lot of walking outside as I wore pants but carried a skirt to change before the interview. I would have been better off just wearing the skirt.”
“I discovered that the facilities were incredible! If you are going for an interview and have never been to DMU you will be impressed! The surgical training lab and simulated dummies are awesome. The OMM training is #1 in the country.”
“the town sucks….they try to sell you on Des Moines”
“NOTHING. I explored a lot and learned about DMU quite a bit before leaving..”
“That there would be a panel of four interviewers.”
“Dress warmly if youre interviewing during the winter season – youll walk outside a couple of times. I didnt find the students to be as overly excited as mentioned on other sdn inerview feedbacks. “
“Turnover in administration is high – several deans in the past few years as well as admissions…WHY????”
“Nothing really. Everyone had been so open with me the whole process that I pretty much was spoiled with information.”
“Des Moines isnt as rural of a place as one might imagine. Its not a huge city with lots of distractions, but at the same time, there are things to do to get away from the med school frame of mind. “
“Nothing really. While the interview was very casual, I think preparing for a more intense experience allowed me to really own the interview and know what I wanted to bring up. Being yourself and coming across as compassionate is key I think.”
“New rotation sites and opportunities for international rotations”
“I didnt need to stress as much about the interview”
“theres a Glatt Kosher deli about 5 minutes from campus”
“The interviews are generally laid back and i should have relaxed much earlier in the day.”
“Just more information on how the interview would be conducted.”
“Full-tuition and half-tuition scholarships are available at this school for those with 30s or above on their MCATs as well as 3.5 GPAs or above. I might have been more interested if I had known this.”
“That there were so many places you can do rotations. If youre single like me, thats gotta be a great experience.”
“Most peoples 3rd and 4th year rotations are off-site.”
“How nice they are-and how they make the interview very unstressful, even though its three on one. They dont just stare at you, they talk to each other-when I said I didnt know the answer of understand question-they talked about it in detail and gave some options to choose from. If you do happen to have four interviewers, as I did, be aware that the fourth one is just there to observe for training purposes and makes no judgements and asks no questions. Also, you dont have to wear a black or blue suit. I wore something flowing and flowery and they said “oh we are so glad your not wearing black or blue-were sick of black and blue- you look very nice.””
“I felt prepared going in to the interview. After having browsed the schools website, nothing was shocking to me.”
“How helpful everyone was and how fun the interview process was going to actually be. I would have been a lot less stressed the night before!”
“That DMU is a lot cooler than I thought. (They give you a bag of goodies!!)”
“Podiatry class shares first year lecture. New building under construction opens next april 2005 and will house a first year classroom, gym, student services, library, etc. “
“Required to accept mid level laptop issued to you, for a hefty $1050 per year on top of tuition. Experience borders on almost too relaxed.”
“That nontraditional applicants may be scrutinized more rigorously than others, and that a negative decision had apparently been reached before the interview even began. I spent the entire interview defending myself, even though I had a GPA which met their average, an MCAT which exceeded it, and good extracurriculars.”
“That Des Moines actually has a lot to offer. “
“I wish I had known how big of a waste of time this was going to be, wasted $400 total on trip with no hope or wish of getting in or attending this P.O.S. school.”
“poor 1st year lecture halls”
“Interviews are late, and so is lunch.”
“That the interviews were last, by the time my interview began I was much more relaxed than when I arrived.”
“The size of Des Moines almost 450,000.”
“There would be 4 people throwing questions at me. It wasnt necessarily meant to be nerve racking, but due to the nature of it, it was. My interviewers were 2 PhDs and 2 students. They read over my file pretty good.”
“How good the school is; knew that their OMM program had a good reputation, but it seems that they are working hard to make the whole school that good. They have a lot of financial aid available.”
“That we would have to walk around outside and that we share cadavers with other students (PA students).”
“The vagueness of 3rd and 4th yr.”
“That the whole process including part of the interview was going to be a sales pitch rather than just informational.”
“That most students leave during their third and fourth years. Also, the very cool fellowship they have in OMM.”
“No on campus appartments. Although there are many apartments in the area, there are none solely for DMU students. “
“Nothing really, maybe that there would be four people in the room other than me during my interview, which was a bit intimidating.”
“Nothing caught me by surprise”
“The the people were so friendly that I felt rude!”
“That all first years are issued laptops and PDAs you get to keep. I am very glad that I found that out before buying the new laptop Ive been looking at.”
“I didnt realize that DMU was only a professional school, no undergraduate studies. “
“That the interview was going to be a group (interviewers) to one (interviewee) interview.”
“The ex-Governor is now the President of the school.”
“The whole darn town, and whole campus too, is under construction. I mean miles and miles of road being rebuilt and many detours. “
“Nothing suprising, but interview was more intense than I thought”
“Think about something creatively funny for the interviewee group picture. “
“I wish I realized what a long day it was going to be!”
“That the school was going to be in a building boom for the next two years.”
“Not much, I think I was well prepared. People told me what was going to happen that day, and indeed everything was right. “
“that DMU was strictly a professional school, i.e., no undergrad”
“I gained a much greater understanding of OMM as this school really places great emphasis on it.”
“the above two answers. Students are extremely helpful to each other. “
“That allergies are bad in Iowa, real bad. “
“I was pretty prepared, so I think I knew everything before I got here.”
“Most rotations are done out of state. 1/5 go to Ohio. If I wanted to go to Ohio, I would have applied out there.”
“DMU is known for the best OMM training in the nation.”
“That Des Moines is actually a pretty cool city.”
“During the third and fourth years, the basically kick you out of the state because there are not enough rotation spots. Plan on being in des moines for only two years.”
“I was really impressed with how much OMM the students already knew and how confindent they were with their abilities. “
“Des Moines is an actual city with lots of people,and things to do. I was expecting to be out in the cornfields….was pleasantly surprised.”
“How hard everyone at the school worked at making the interview experience as stress free as possible.”
“none bc I did lots of research”
“I had thoroughly researched the school, so I didnt discover anything new, really. The interview day just clarified some things I had questions about. You will get the most out of the day if you come prepared to ask things. They have the financial aid person, student services person, OMM fellows, a biochem professor, Admssions rep, and of course Dr. Teitelbaum (dean of the college) speak with you, and then there is the tour with the students (and lunch), so there are tons of opportunities to ask questions, and from many different perspectives.”
“calm, well structured, adcoms seem kind”
“DMU seems like a great school that caters to its students needs. I would love to go here.”
“Loved my interview here. The food was great. The students were awesome and supportive. Admissions staff and the Dean seemed like great people.”
“This was a great experience and I left the interview/school in such a great mood. I feel like DMU cares about you as a potential student rather than most schools only caring after you are accepted and are paying them.”
“Great school overall, probably the best DO school when you factor in facilities, atmosphere, student body, cost of living, and match results”
“One of my top choice schools. The vibes from the students and faculty were just positive and welcoming. The interview itself was nicely organized. It was an amazing first interview experience.”
“Overall, I loved the school. It seems like a great medical school, and I would love to go here.”
“The vibe was different than I expected (less personal) but obviously a great program.”
“This was a fantastic school overall! The community and the city of Des Moines in general is beautiful and very clean, with nearby affordable apartments.”
“The interview was an open file. However I felt the questions were very generalized which didnt allow for a productive discussion of myself and their school. DMU was my 6th interview this cycle and I had high expectations for the school. Though leaving the interview I was displeased with the environment and experience. All in all, the school is amazing and maybe I was unlucky with the interviewers I received.”
“I was very impressed by DMUs community and the number of resources and opportunities they have for their students.”
“Great school, will likely attend.”
“The school seemed awesome. I would love to go there. Relax about the interview”
“Amazing school! Great facilities and great curriculum. Also great residency matches”
“Beautiful campus, surrounded by beautiful town.”
“Very nice school! Highly recommend!”
“This is a fantastic school, and a great place to interview at. Administration and Faculty were very nice and professional.”
“great competitive school, friendly students, nice environment with the other graduate program students”
“Awesome program and sets the students up for success.”
“This school is simply amazing. Ive heard very positive remarks from people here on SDN, and after seeing it for myself I completely agree. Very excited to go here soon.”
“DMU is a great Osteopathic school, its facilities and supportive atmosphere can compete with any school I have interviewed at, MD or DO.”
“DMU is a fantastic school, and I would love to attend there!”
“DMU is a great school! The students and faculty seem genuinely happy to be there, and everyone is so friendly.”
“Dont stress out too much. The weird questions you cant really prepare for, and the standard ones should only take a few days to prepare for.”
“Loved this school! They really know what theyre doing and they are rightfully proud of it.”
“Great school, friendly people. The research and OMM negatives can be overlooked… since there are opportunities for research at DMU.”
“The school is very up-to-date, clean, and highly reputable!”
“Great school. I really hope I get in, but I am nervous I wont because I interviewed late in the season.”
“DMU really is a great place. I had high expectations after reading many reviews and the school did NOT disappoint. It seems like a great place and I hope I get to attend med school here!”
“Des Moines is really nice. Its not huge but it doesnt feel extremely small. Nice city and beautiful parks, state buildings. Friendly people. Low cost of living, and decent tuition (+free laptop)…awesome electives and things to get involved in (clubs, mobile clinic, chronic illness course), free visits for students at DMU clinic. They dont test every Monday or Friday like some schools so you may have some time to relax (whoa), their schedule is staggered so youll start with a couple of classes, then add on more, then a couple classes will end (havent seen this anywhere else). All buildings connected underground=awesome. Plenty of study space, free huuge gym/basketball court, good cafeteria food..Campus not too big but still good size..220 class size.. (feel free to pm me if you have questions, I can try to answer :))”
“Great experience, great interviewers and students to take to.”
“This is an amazing school.”
“DMU really seems to have their act together and their students seem genuinely happy. I could see myself going there.”
“DMU is my first choice and that is where I will be in the fall of 2011!!!”
“Awesome school, they give you a very thorough tour of the campus, packed with technology. Before the interview you get to hang out with students while you wait which helps calm the nerves.”
“The whole package, and it feels like ME. Hopefully you too.”
“I really like this school. How friendly the people on campus are was a nice surprise and the facilities are good. Lots of technology incorporation, the cost of living is lower than I am used to which is nice considering it being such a safe city. Lots of housing within walking distance. I really wish they had more diversity, affiliated hospitals for rotations and didnt rank students (I prefer HP/P/LP/F). Those were the only drawbacks for me.”
“This school seemed amazing in all aspects!”
“I used to be on the fence about D.O. schools vs. M.D. schools but this school completely cemented my desire to become a D.O. Its such a great program!!!”
“DMU is a great school, in a great place, for a great cost. If I get scholarship, Im all in like playing heads up with pocket aces.”
“Mostly relaxed interview. One professor, one clinician, and one student interview one applicant at a time.”
“It seemed like a very good school that really strives to see their students succeed.”
“I was accepted, and it quickly became my top choice. Bear in mind, though, that I am an existing student in their MPH program. They promised me, however, that this did not affect my decision.”
“The new facilities gave the entire program a luster and shine what is hard to compare, but some of the basic thing ( Somewhat extreme emphysis on OMM, huge class sizes) groud you. Well balanced program, I wouldnt cross the country for it, but if your local or in the midwest it is a fine option.”
“I went to this one osteopathic interview bc Im from Des Moines originally. I did the interview in the same week as a University of Iowa interview – if I hadnt I would have probably been more impressed. The school is a factory – HUGE class size, especially when combined with the PODs and PAs. Facilities are kind of nice, but you can get into the ghetto if you search around. The anatomy lab was disappointing, and I wasnt impressed with the 3rd and 4th years of the school.”
“Overall great impression of the school.”
“Overall, DMU is a wonderful school. They place a lot of emphasis on producing primary care physicians. Very fast turn around time (9 days after interview received acceptance). Interview is not too stressful. Spend morning learning about the school, financial aid, and touring the facilities. Interview seems to be more conversational than a “grilling session.””
“This place is awesome. They really need to do something about Iowa winters, though.”
“I really really really loved the faculty here. The students were kinda eh compared to NSU / WesternU where I recently interviewed. They were just like “blah… yeah its all good here..” If only there was a school with the faculty from Iowa, Facilities and campus from NSU, and location in California….. Man that would be perfect. “
“DMU blew me away with their faculty, curriculum, and facilities. Amazing school. This is a leap away from home for me, but I would love to go to this school.”
“Great school, I really hope I get in.”
“Awesome school! I would be honored to go there. “
“Nice school, the people want to be there, and great philosophy.”
“Technology at this school is amazing, but it seems a little hokey. All the students talk about how much of a “community” the school is, and I think thats really just a product of such a small campus with a large group of students. I didnt really get a sense of how the students interact other than what they told us about their interactions. The area the school is in is pretty boring as well. Not a whole lot to do.”
“I was blown away. this school really has its stuff together.”
“Great school, great community, great resources. They say you will find out 2 weeks after your interview the decision, but I found out in 1 week!”
“Awesome School, I will be lucky to get an acceptance.”
“I was very stressed for my interview as my significant other had already gotten acceptance. My advice is to relax. It was a difficult interview which I re-analyzed over and over again. In the end I got my acceptance less than 2 weeks later.”
“I was very impressed with DMU. The introduction activity really broke the ice and helped people relax. Everyone in admissions was very friendly and helpful.”
“This school is great. Im very honored to be accepted ! “
“Spectacular school. Dont anyone think that they will have the same experience, prepare and do the best you can!!”
“Great facilities, excellent resources it seems. But thats only for two years, Im not sure about those 3rd and 4th year rotations. Maybe I need to do some research about that because Im not convinced they are a strong aspect of the school….but who knows if I even got accepted so will see when the time comes.”
“An absolutely amazing school, #1 on my list! Despite the fact that each class is roughly 220 kids, it still has a small school atmosphere and all the professors have open door policies. OMM and anatomy labs are broken down into smaller groups and students get a lot of one-on-one attention with faculty/masters students. “
“I was not sure what I thought about this school, but if you are unsure I would highly recommend going just to see the campus and meet students. It had a positive impact on my impression of the school. I have been accepted and would be honored to attend DMU, but I am still interviewing at other schools. “
“Great school with wonderful facilities! I was thoroughly impressed! Also the interview is in the afternoon and the tour and all that is in the morning. If you are the last to interview, be prepared for a long day!”
“The day began with introductions with various members of the faculty. We toured through a few labs and had lunch with med students. The interview was in the afternoon, which was great because it really helped dissipate stress as the day went along!”
“Overall impression of DMU is as I hoped it would be. It is a great school with an outstanding reputation for placing quality physicians. Very strong OMM emphasis (200+ hours). The collaborative environment between students and faculty can be an important asset throughout your education. Facilities and technology are truly second-to-none. I can only hope for acceptance because I will end my application process immediately. “
“I was impressed with the school overall. I could definately see myself attending in the fall.”
“This interview confirmed some of my suspicions about DO schools.”
“This school is awesome and really impressed me.”
“I would be very happy to attend this school. The laptops every student gets look really nice. I definitely recommend staying at the Heartland Inn near the airport, decent rooms at an awesome price with free shuttle to the airport and to the school!”
“The school and students really lived up to my expectations. I wish they had provided more information on housing options (other schools have given me local apartment information, etc.) Definitely #1 on my list!”
“GREAT SCHOOL! Top notch program with great facilities. If you like lecture, this is your place. The school is super friendly and laid back. The gym is pretty sweet and the campus has a very “college atmosphere” feel to it. It would be hard to turn down an acceptance here!”
“Overall great school. I couldnt comment on the cultural life, the location etc. because I didnt spend too much time in the city or anything. Just a puddle jump really. Got in, got out. However, I think I could get used to the Midwest! People live there everyday so it cannot be that bad. I hope I get in here! “
“I know I said my interview lasted 40 minutes, but I really dont remember. It was all kind of a blur, and I know I was asked a lot of questions, so i guessed 40 min at the least. I really coulndt even remember the questions directly after the interview, luckily they came back to me later in the day. Enjoy the day, its a great campus with great facilities and students. Very laid back, no need to stress! Oh, and seriously, whoever decided to put in “the tunnel” to access campus buildings is a GENIUS. That is such a huge plus, especially for a dude from sunny so cal. The tunnel basically allows you to get to and from any building with out having to go out in the cold/rain.”
“The interview I had was with a RN, PhD, and a MS2. Everyone was extremely chill and it felt like a conversation moreso than an interrogation. The entire day was very relaxed, so dont be nervous. This was my first interview, too. So, just be yourself and youll do fine!”
“Good experience overall. Hope I get in!”
“This school is absolutely amazing. The other schools are gonna have to be mindblowing to get me to go to them if I get accepted to DMU.”
“I received my acceptance 6 days later. I am also planning on going to DMU because it is an amazing school (besides the three interviewers).”
“Overall it was a great experience and I look forward to hearing back from DMU.”
“Open ended questions that focused on my ideas not as much as me as a person as my other interviews did”
“Started out around 8am; met with the admissions officers, biochem prof and other candidates; lunch with current students; interview in the afternoon; campus tour. I had a really good experience, interview was really laid back and must have gone really well because I have been accepted into the program.”
“There was about 15 other interviewees there. Low stress interview”
“I found it to be conversational, yet rushed and incomplete at times. “
“My group consisted of about 15 interviewees. The day started with registration 8-8:30, then introductions with Dr. Mueller, followed by a viewing of the Sim Lab. We heard about some special programs, such as opportunities to go abroad, and visited with OMM fellows. DMU provided lunch with current DMU students, and the afternoon consisted of campus tours and interviews. All the people I met were incredibly helpful and open about their experiences.”
“It was super friendly. Very conversational. I had a great time actually and wasnt really nervous. They said that you dont need to be nervous, and you really dont.”
“the overall experience was amazing. I love the program, the school, the people there. Des Moines is a good city, not as small as I thought it was.”
“3 interviewers: second year medical student, a physician (DO), and a faculty member (Biochem professor). The interview was very laid back. They outright said that they were just trying to get to know everyone who was interviewing and not try to pressure cook them. The interview was very conversational . . . each interviewer took turns asking a question and it went on like this until we ran out of time. I felt very comfortable and probably could have talked with them for another hour!”
“It was fairly laid back, mostly conversational. Nothing out of the ordinary. Interviewed by a faculty member, current student and a DO. “
“Overall it was a very enjoyable experiance. I stayed with one of the 2nd year students. I would recomend this to anyone seriously considering sttending. I got to know more about the school that way than during the actual interview. The interview was relaxed. “
“PHENOMENAL! We started off with a brief intro session where we got to know each other (16 of us interviewing). Then we had a general overview of the school, a quick financial aid talk (a huge bonus since theyre the same at every school!), a few tours of the surgery lab and SIM lab which are SO COOL, followed by speaking with OMM fellows, lunch, a tour and then our interview. You dont sit around much at all and the day goes by quickly. I wasnt asked anything difficult in my interview, so dont be worried!”
“Interview was not as conversational as I hoped it to be. “
“Overall, great. We went over basic questions like Why DO?, but it was very conversational.”
“I felt the questions were narrow in focus, and that it was less of a conversation and more an interrogation. I think I answered the questions well, but overall the exchange felt one-sided and cold.”
“they started off conversationally. everyone introduced themselves and tour was given. i was overall impressed with the facilities but it is a small college. and has low ethnic and cultural diversity. i wish i had prepared better for the interview by writing out my answers and somewhat memorizing the key points. most of the questions asked were directly from the interview feedbacks ive read at sdn and by writing out my answers i wouldve been better prepared. they also asked what did i learn from several job exp that would help me in medicine and i wish i had better prepared to answer questions of that nature as well”
“The interview is with an alumnus, a MSII and professor. The MSII and professor in my group were very friendly and conversational. The alumnus was a little more confrontational… None of the questions were difficult and most were file specific.”
“My overall experience of the college was great. My interviewers seemed to be tired from interviewing everyone because unfortunately I was last to go. As the interview went on I think things improved, but overall I was happy with my experience at DMU and its my #1 choice!”
“I really was impressed with DMUs facility and level of camraderie.”
“The school really impressed me, gym, lab, students, friendly atmosphere, everything … I am especially impressed at simulation lab, it is better than some older established MD schools.”
“My interview experience was fantastic. It was very laid back and conversational. I highly recomend the school.”
“8:30-12pm was check-in, intro, and lectures on the university, financial aid, curriculum. My interview was at 1:15 – 2pm. It was a busy day – not really much down time unless you dont interview first. It was laid back, the students were friendly, and the facilities were nice and new. “
“It was very positive. Prior to my visit I wasnt to enthusiastic about Des Moines but after my visit I was very impressed with their facilities and their everyone is in this together attitude. They really seem to put everyone in a position of success. “
“overall a very laid-back experience. everyone is really nice. there is plenty of housing around the school. a lot of different presentations in the morning but once you are done with your interview (i was lucky to have it early in the afternoon) you can leave.”
“fantastic very low stress, just be yourself!”
“It was good overall. The whole group interview thing was sort of intimidating. I had four people just staring at me, all asking questions at the same time. The day was very very organized. There wasnt a wasted minute and it was all very interesting. The tour was great and the people made me feel very welcome. “
“group/individual pictures in the morning, followed by presentations, meeting the dean, lunch w/students, then tours/interviews scheduled in the afternoon.”
“From very begining admission staff was doing everything possible to make you feel welcome and relaxed. Students stoped by to talk to us and answer out questions. Tour guide was very helpful. Facilities are amazing.”
“The interview is way converstaional if you take control and make it that way. Talk about anything, from the Des Moines area to what you ate for lunch; Take anything they throw at you and go with it and you will do extrememly well. In the course of my interview, I was asked about three serious questions and the rest was completely conversational. They really try to impress you with the school and dont want to ruin the day by grilling you with absurd questions. “
“Long day, lots of workshopsand campus tour. Interview started at 1 pm and lasted until 4 pm.”
“I like this school. Des Moines is not the greatest place to live but I would go here for the school.”
“Overall, it was very enjoyable. I was asked some pertinent and difficult questions with regard to health care and my personal application. However, the questions were never out of line or made to put me on the spot. There was a great deal of open dialogue and friendly discussion that took place.”
“Overall positive, but I probably will not go to DMU if offered a position based on how the actual interview went.”
“The interview day went really well. It was really low-stress, as everyone says. No complaints here.”
“Very well organized, they organize the day so that the interview is last and you by then are calm and relaxed. Students there are all around you and very excited about the school. Smiles everywhere.”
“It was very typical, with very few surprises. One D.O., one professor, and one student asked questions. They were casually spread out in the room, which made making eye contact with all of them difficult, without swiveling in my chair. Their questions were very basic and expected. However the D.O. seemed weirdly uncomfortable with any eye contact, and was expressively very monotone and odd (he made me feel uncomfortable). Aside from that things were pretty standard”
“Interview was given by a faculty D.O., an admissions / faculty worker and a student. They were all very welcoming and genuinely seemed interested in having a conversation more than drilling me on my record or my motivation. Very laid back, very polite, yet very informative and directed.”
“Great! I got accepted into the school and I am seriously considering going there. Good school with great facilities. Small close knit student body was great. Good atmosphere if you have a family.”
“As said above, they really show you so many parts of the school, from so many viewpoints, it really inducts you into the culture of the place. Students went out of their way to come by, talk to us, answer questions, show us around – whatever we asked for. It was something. Actually, the staff and faculty were the same way (not to leave them out of it!) – really friendly – so great.”
“It was a wonderful day. They start you off with an ice breaker, then financial aide info, clinical rotations, lunch. By the time you are in the interview you feel very comfortable.”
“Very nice and relaxed. I think when talked about Greece for about 20 minutes on the interview. Then they asked my questions just to get to know me a little better.”
“It was easy schmeezy and very laid-back. They day drug on a bit with a bunch of sessions that all felt like they were too long. “
“The interviewers were very friendly, they asked good questions about me and my life. They asked about a few discrepencies on my transcript but in a very nice way. I enjoyed the interview”
“I had a great experience. I flew in the night before and my host and some fellow students showed me the campus and answered any of my questions.”
“The whole experience was great. First point of advice: Stay with a student host if you can, this really helped me get a feel for the school. Otherwise, the whole day will be very laid-back, youll start out with individual and group photos, then there will be presentations on everything. Youll have an ice-breaker with Dr. Mueller (hes a character, you will know him when you see him). Afterwards, youll get a financial aid presentattion, youll go down and have more info sessions on the school, youll get the surgery lab (new and amazing!), the dean will make a presentation, youll get to see Harvey (a cardiac simulator), and youll have an OMM demo. There will be lunch with the studnets and youll get to ask all the questions you could possibly have. Finally, youll have your interview. The interview is usually a faculty member, a clinician and a student. This is very, very low stress. No politics, no ethics, they just want to get a feel for you as a person. Depending on your interview time, youll get a tour before or after the interview. The facilities are new and very nice.”
“I got there around 8:00 and spent 15 minutes looking for a parking spot. Good thing I came early. We started with Dr. Tom Mueller doing introductions. Hes a great guy, telling us to find the best school that fits us, be yourself, etc etc… He also has a laugh similar to the boys on Car Talk but no Ray or Tom accent. We then had the financial talk, the benefits of a DO, surgical unit, OMM demonstration, Harvey simulation, and then lunch. After eating, we went on a tour of the campus and then had interviews. I was out by 3pm.”
“It was very informative and relaxed. The professors do care about students and the students do care about each other. However, there is competition among students and the class size seems huge to me”
“I recommend that everyone checks out Des Moines University in their pursuit of that perfect medical school. I left very satisfied with my interview day.”
“the interview was more intense and intimidating than other DO schools i had interviewed at, but I also felt that their questions were better aimed to really see what kind of person I was. there were three interviewers: a professor at the school, a student, and a healthcare providor. some people had DOs, some had MDs, I had an RN. I loved that they had a student in the room, it made the whole process much less stressful. the end of the interview turned into more of a discussion about the school and the area. i actually learned almost more about what it was REALLY ilke to go to school there by talking to the professor and the student during the interview.”
“The experience was overall very positive. The day began with a full morning of presentations from admissions staff, which drug on a little bit. They talk about the school, curriculum, etc. A woman spoke about life, housing, entertainment, etc. in Des Moines. A tour of the facilities was given over the noon hour. Lunch was served in the cafe in the main building. A group of 3 OMM fellows talked with us about the school, OMM and did an OMM demonstration. An interview with a professor, a practicing physician and a current student (3 on 1) was held in the afternoon.”
“I was a bit nervous at the start, but eased into it after fielding some questions. “
“Relax and be confident. Interview does not focus on academic discrepancies. Be yourself and enjoy the day. Be sure to ask questions at the end of interview.”
“Overall, the interview was very casual. It seemed more like a conversation with four strangers who were trying to get to know me, than a medical school interview.”
“The interview was challenging, but I felt that I rose to the occasion.”
“The interview was conducted by a physician, a faculty member, and 2 students. Everything was very conversational and I did not feel stressed at all. The one way I feel that these interviewers excelled was the fact that I felt truly listened to. They seemed to appreciate my answers and be truly interested in my input to their questions.”
“I was pretty impressed by the interview itself. It was formal, certainly, but very friendly and not confrontational. They made no effort to embarrass me or trip me up. It was obvious that they had read my file and knew my strengths and weaknesses. The questions were appropriate and seemed geared towards understanding my motivation for wanting to go to medical school. I felt that they were interested in me as a person as well as a student. All of my interviewers were very professional but also very friendly, which made it a pleasant experience.”
“The morning was about five hours of sales pitch, with not much substance. Sat in rooms for very long periods of time- didnt have tour till after lunch, by very unenthusiastic student detailing how he skips the majority of his classes. Interview was very confontaional- couldnt understand why I dont want to be an Army doctor, and tried to make me feel guilty for it. Also couldnt understand why I applied there with so much research experience. Interroagated me about my MD applications. If osteopathy expects to attract higher quality students, this is probably not the best method. I now understand why DOs have been, and continue to be, discrimanted against. “
“I did not do my best- I think I was overly relaxed. They usually have a current student in with you, but I did not and I wish I had. “
“The day was great. Very small group oriented with plenty of time to ask questions and you felt very important. Dr. Mueller had lots of great stories, especially the one about him saying “Okay…” 150 times in a lecture. Interview was fairly laid back, felt like there was a good group interviewing me. Got a little worried when I was questioned about my lower than average GPA 3.08 Felt overall the interview experiences was overall laid back and just a great conversation. The students all day were very helpful and willing to help us out.”
“Very good experience overall. It was my first interview and I was much more relaxed than I thought I would be.”
“Facilities are nice, people seemed cool but interviewers asked really wierd questions. the morning is waaaaay too long and monotonous. im sick of hearing from all the admissinos offices. stay with a student-theyre awesome, mine took me out to dinner, took me around des monies, and picked me up and dropped me off to the airport. and its cheaper too!”
“I was sick which couldve affected how I felt about the day, but we were talked to all morning and then sat around and waited for the interview. I got asked some really interesting questions (see lifeguard question above) and it just seemed like a strange place, students would randomly come talk to us, but it seemed like they were supposed to. Not much student contact.”
“Like many others, after visiting the campus this school moved up to the top of my list. Very impressed.”
“It was an overall great experience, everything from the faculty to the students to the facilites impressed me. If accepted, I would def. go here. “
“We had a lot of speakers in the morning: a welcome, student life, financial aid, COM strengths, OMM demonstration, Harvey demonstration, tour of surgery labs. We had lunch with the students, a tour led by students and the interview.”
“EXCELLENT. I would be very proud to get accepted and say I go to DMU.”
“The interview day started at 8:00am and the last interviews were completed before 2:45. A series of ~35 minute meetings before lunch answered every question our group (15 of us) could think of, and plenty more that we couldnt. A great lunch was provided, during which many current students gave us their perspective on the school and Des Moines in general. 45 minute tour after lunch. Lastly, layed-back interview. It was made clear (repeatedly) that we were all there because we had already cleared any academic hurdles, that they were interviewing us to try and acsertain how well we would fit into the school, and that they very much wanted us to be able to relax during the interview so they could get to know us. “
“It was so comfortable and nonstressful. The interviewers were extremely friendly and jovial. We laughed and cracked jokes. Very laid back. The student do seem to absolutely love their school and their friends at the school. A very close knit bunch. STAY WITH A STUDENT HOST if you can…it totally made my experience!!!”
“There was three people, a student, a D.O. and a pHD. The questions were basic, except the changing in America one. It was very relaxing, they even gave you feedback. It went longer then expect, over an hour as apposed to 45 minutes but I guess that can only mean good things. They were interested in me and not just my GPA or MCAT scores (so very few other schools are). Having the student on the panel allowed for me to ask questions about the life on campus and what they recommend doing. A very laid back, great experience. My top chioce.”
“If you want in, you better not say anything about MD schools and you better be willing to sacrifice your family for the sake of passing biochem. Families are not important anyways, right. “
“Pretty good overall, just a little rushed”
“The day started with a session so that we got better acclimated with our fellow interviewees. This was followed by sessions aimed to show you what the school has to offer (Surgery Lab, HARVEY simulator, etc.). We then had lunch which was followed by a tour or interview depending upon the interview time you were given. The interview itself was very laid back and it seemed as if the interviewers were genuinely interested in what I had to say. If you get an interview here, I would highly recommend going to it. I was very impressed with the school, the facilities and especially with the students.”
“Great! It made me realize how much I miss being in an academic environment, got me fired up about becoming a student again and deepened my appreciation of osteopathic medicine!”
“The interview was at the Marriott in Portland — they had a special weekend session for West Coast people. The morning started out with informational sessions and a student panel. We also had an OMM demonstration. Then we had lunch at the Marriott (pretty yummy) and had interviews after that. While we were waiting to interview, the current students hung out and answered questions about the school.”
“This has been by far my most relaxed interview. Other than the previous mentioned questions, the entire time was as mild as a casual conversation. “
“I was very impressed by this school. I had heard many negative things, but felt the school was upfront and honest about its short comings. The facilities are brand new, and the campus is nice. The faculty seem very involved in the students education, and were nice. The students seemed laid back, and not stressed out. The interview itself wasnt too hard, but I felt nervous (I really wanted to do well) and was tired by the time I had my interview. I also was uncomfortable with 3 interviewers opposed to 1. The clinicals 3rd and 4th year are set up by staff, but you pick where you want to go. Only about 25% of 3rd years can stay in DM for the first 6 months (others have to go to pre-selected hospitals, most of which are in Michigan), but it seems like after this you can pretty much get clincals anywhere you want. Some students loved this because they could travel, others hated it because they wanted the convinence and simplicity of staying in DM. There were lots of students from my hometown and undergrad school at DMU, and they had nothing but positive things to say. DMU has definately become one of my first choice schools after this visit. “
“Just good people and a solid medical school. I believe that anyone will come out of this school well prepared for their rotations…but you have to go to another state if you want stability in years 3 and 4.”
“It began with introductions, we all said our name, major and place of studies… Then we were told about the university, financial aid, their amazing OMM program, we saw some OMM demonstrations, got to ask a panel of students questions, had an AMAZING lunch, and then had interviews!”
“Overall, great experience. The physician, professor, and current student all asked questions about my file and my experiences. They were just trying to get to know me to see if Id be a good fit for their program.”
“Overall, the interview experience was wonderful. I had visited 3 other schools previously, but this was my first interview. I really thought everything went well and enjoyed the company of the other interviewees. I know it is written everywhere, but at this school you really feel welcome and are able to relax. I am hopeful that I get an acceptance because I would definitely enjoy going to school there.”
“It was very positive experience. They provided a list of students to stay with and she was my best source of information. If I had an acceptance right now, I think I would cancel most of my interviews. The school really fit well with my personality. Everyone was extremely warm and inviting. I felt like they were selling the school to me instead of vice versa.”
“Presentation was given by admissions and financial aid, followed by a tour and lunch. After lunch we interviewed and then were free to leave.”
“I loved Des Moines. It surpassed my expectation. Now, its one of my top choice.”
“This was myu first interview of the season, however, my third interview overall (re-applicant). I thought that the questions the interviewers asked were very fair. They only seemed to challenge me on areas where my application was obviously weak. Otherwise, the interview was quite conversational. Of the three interviewees (student, D.O., and Ph.D.), the student didnt have much to say. Actually, she looked almost as nervous as me.”
“The interview day is really busy but goes quickly. First there are introductions all around, a talk about the school, the city, and financial aid, a tour of the surgery skills lab and the OMM lab w/ demonstration, a talk inbetween there about the curriculum, lunch with students, and then interviews in the afternoon. If you dont have the first interview you can go on an extra tour with students. The interview is with three people, one student and the other two are doctors or professors. “
“AMAZING!!! I came into it thinking it was #3 on my list… its now #1 by far. With only one interview left I dont know how it will drop. I will be very disappointed if I dont get in.”
“Overall, my experience was very surprising. I have many interviews and Des Moines was always on the calendar as just another interview and my knowledge of the school was very limited. However, after visiting the campus and seeing what it has to offer, it quickly jumped to the top of my list. They seem to be dedicated to the process of making great doctors, not just filling a slot. They gave a fantastic demonstration of OMM with the fellows as well as a one-on-one with “Harveyâ€Â, which was great. The facilities were top notch as compared to other campuses (7 others DO/MD) I had visited previously. The campus is completely wireless and they give you a great laptop. The students all seemed enthusiastic about their school and nobody seemed negative about it whatsoever. The interview itself was great. Despite what the previous two posts said, they were very interested in ME and wanted to know Me as a person and were not just going through the motions. Seriously people, this school is fantastic. I would highly recommend that you at least look into it. You will not be disappointed. Even better, I was accepted only 6 days after my interview. I am excited, because this is my top choice. Best of luck! “
“The interview was very clinical. As mentioned above, the interviewers were very clinical. The questions were so pointed there was little leeway to expound on the answers, and no further follow-up was asked. Not only that, but all the questions they asked were already answered in my application. The interview itself was so out of sync with the rest of the day Im not sure which face was the real face of DMU – the friendly enthusiastic one, or the stoney-faced sitting-in-judgment silent staring after every single answer. Lots of folks love this place, but after the interview DMU went from #1 on my list to dead last. I just cant reconcile the dichotomy of the interview vs. the rest of the day. One of those faces is right, but I cant really figure out which one. I was VERY disappointed – especially when everything else was so outstanding.”
“I loved the school until the interview. They were as noted above very rude and ruined the experience for me and a few others I talked too. They really didnt go over their curriculum but the day was very nice and informative. I will add that I am not the only one who feels this way about the interview and the school. While inte3rviewing in Las Vegas I ran accross someone who told me that they were so rude to them that he would not go to their school period! I have now interviewed at 5 locations and never have I been treated so poorly like I did at Des Moines. They need to get off their high horses because well they are in Des Moines and their school is not any better than the others! I also heard some more funny stories about the group that interviewed me, they asked students specific questions that had nothing to do with the student there in the room, it was if they had the wrong file opened during the interview. HA HA HA that sounds like them!”
“It was relaxing. A point of advise is to ask lots of questions and be enthusiastic. I was stellar. “
“Very friendly place. Des Moines has enough to do for medical students with plenty of outdoor activities, concerts, theatre etc. Definitely worth the 6 hr. drive.”
“a great first interview- more like a conversation with 3 people than a grill session. They really seemed interested in getting to know me. I also got to speak some Spanish with one of the interviewers!”
“Absolutely wonderful experience. I would be very happy to attend this school if I am accepted. In the morning we met with different deans and faculty of the school. We toured the surgical skills lab, and we had a demonstration of OMM from the fellows. Then we had lunch with students before the interview. Every other person interviewing on my day was very friendly and we all got along very well during the day. Everyone at the school seems very happy to be there and they were all incredibly friendly. “
“Excellent school…nothing like I expected it would be. The day was filled with activities and meetings such as group photo time, meeting with Dr. Mueller (who is hysterical…I love this guys laugh, and he laughs all the time. Very amusing). Also, the financial aid info was useful…over $50K allowance…whew, that made me sweat. But I really think the school is worth it, I really do. Interview was very low stress, but I heard stories about one group who had a real jerk interviewing them…but there are jerks in every bunch. Such is life. I guarantee you will like the school and be surprised. Oh, and did I mention that EVERYONE HERE IS SO NICE…except that one interviewer…!!”
“It was a great school, with friendly students and staff. The interviews were really to get to know you better as a person.”
“Very friendly and laid back. The interview day is very busy as you meet various faculty members throughout the day.”
“I interviewed for the early acceptance program. There were six of us interviewing that day.”
“IT WAS A NICE EXPERIENCE.”
“Upon arriving, amissions took pictures of all the candidates. We had a warm up, met all other candidates, spoke with student services, financial aid, a biochem professor, spoke with the dean, toured the surgery lab, saw Harvey-the cardiac simulator, had a campus tour, ate lunch with some students, then interviewed.”
“Overall I was incredibly impressed with the school. The program is first rate and the students really had a geniune tie to the school. We had a few students coming up and talking with us while we waited for our interviews. They really gave us a good overview of the school and were really laid back. This school is easily one of my top choices.”
“I liked the school. The students seemed enthusiastic. I felt that the interviewers had a good grasp of my application and looked to clarify any confusing points or concerns they may have. My only negative is that living in Des Moines would be too drastic a change from what I am used to.”
“DMU is a very good school with state-of-the-art facilities (a brand new buiding), well experienced faculty members and excellent didactic techniques. On the interview day, we were given a complete tour of the place (old buildings) despite knowing well that in the fall 05 semester we will be studying in and using the new building. The reception was very warm and friendly. The interviews were scheduled after lunch. The whole thing took us close to 6 hours.”
“Of my three interviews this was by far the worst. DMU is indeed a very strange school. All day long we were bombarded with propaganda pertaining to why this place was Gods gift to medical schools. However, we were never given any data to back up DMUs supposed excellent grades/board scores, while other schools I went to did give out facts. Most schools tend to tell you that they only want you there as long as you feel comfortable, if the school is a good fit for you and not the other way around. At DMU it is not like this. They think you would be incredibly priviledged to be offered an acceptance. The whole time I was given the impression that DMU was saying, “We are the best and youd better be really grateful if we accept you.” But thats not all. All of the students there were very friendly and open, but the faculty and admissions officers were not. They exuded a real arrogance. Constantly they said things such as, “We dont like to to name names, but our program in OMM (or anything else) is better than this other school.” Seriously guys, all the medical schools are good and have something to offer. If I wasnt interested I wouldnt have shown up. You dont have to act like a pushy salesperson. Finally, we werent even given a tour. All day long we saw 1.) a boardroom, 2.) a second boardroom, 3.) a third boardroom, 4.) a fourth and final boardroom. We never saw the gross anatomy lab (which I saw at my other interviews), the classrooms, this “Harvey” thing that is supposedly so great, or the OMM lab which is supposedly the best ever, anywhere, for all time. We never even got an explanation as to why there wasnt a tour. Lastly, the interview itself. It was with four people, two Ph.D.s and two first year students. No actual doctors. Hey heres a great idea. Why dont you have people who have no idea what its like to be a doctor decide whether or not you get admitted to medical school! The two first years had one question each and looked very disinterested. I would too, actually. If I was in their position I would rather be studying for my classes than interviewing potential students. The two Ph.D.s were very nice but I feel ripped off. The other two schools I interviewed at had at least one actual physician interview me. Maybe at DMU they cant get any real doctors to interview, I cant even begin to think of a reason why. Lastly, at the end of the 25 minutes I was cut off, mid-sentence, and told, “The interview was now over.” They didnt even let me finish my last sentence! Talk about unprofessional. Well, overall, it was a very disappointing experience. Thankfully I had already been accepted to my other two schools or I would have been very upset about the whole day. Heres my advice: if you have already been accepted somewhere and are unsure about attending DMU, dont bother. They dont really want you, they just want your money. They dont earnestly care about producing good doctors who will go forth to serve communities, they just want people with good grades who can boost their stats. “
“Three interviewers; two were faculty and one was a first year student. They made a distinct effort to alleviate nervousness. The overall experience was friendly and conversational with the interviewers taking turns asking questions. They were knowledgeable about my file and interested in my answers. I received a response by email 13 (very long) days after my interview. Happily, it was a “yes” as the interview day convinced me to attend this school.”
“I enjoyed the visit, everyone was very interested in having me there as well as being enthusiastic. The interview was laid back with no questions from left field. They new the file pretty well. Stay with a student if you can the one I stayed with was excellent and I ended up spending an additional night to hang out.”
“Dr. Mueller, assoc. Dean of admission, is awesome. He stayed involved the whole day, and went out of his way to get to know the students. Although the morning before the interview was long, it was very informative. I thought coming to a smaller city would be difficult to adjust to, but life in Des Moines seems just fine. The students seem to really enjoy med school and the curriculum DMU offers. The interview was very relaxed like everyone says. The interviewers just want to get to know who you are personally. “
“Overall the experience at DMU was very positive. The current students were very nice and some very good looking. The weather wasnt too bad (being that Des Moines is usually very cold). The actual interviews were the most unusual part of the whole day. However, I was able to walk in the inside of the new building, and it is AWESOME!!!”
“The interview day is very long, but the interviews are great. All of the faculty seemed very enthusiastic and happy to have you there, making it a very stress-free atmosphere. Within two weeks I received an acceptance as opposed to other schools where it may be much longer.”
“The interview was not too stressful. Overall, it went well. Routine questions, although a couple were thought-provoking. Everyone at DMU was very nice. Left with a good impression, but not entirely satisfied with interview experience.”
“The interview was laid back. They really just want to get to know you better. You dont have to impress them. There is no right or wrong answers to their questions, they merely want to see if how well you can communicate. They know your file well and ask many questions that are specific to you. “
“Interview was relaxed. The people were very nice, but you got the feel they were nice to everyone, so it was hard to gauge how you were doing. I had one somewhat grumpy interviewer who would interject with somewhat strange and sometimes negative comments. The staff in general seemed to really be in love with the place. Lots of presentations from various people, so you felt like you got lot of persectives on the school. One of the fellows spoke about how when he went on rotations, he was given greater leway from the get go because the school was so well respected. “
“very positive. certainly the most impressive osteopathic school ive interviewed at. facilites are new and everyone was friendly and very interested in you as an applicant/future student. interview day paints a comprehensive picture of what the school has to offer.”
“The students were really great and I enjoyed the city. Big enough that there is plenty to do but still small enough that you feel comfortable. The guy that gave the tour was a little creepy. One of those guys that is excited about everything. That started to bother me after a while. I just got wait listed so take from that what you may.”
“Very straight-forward. Question after question. “
“Overall OK but I wouldnt choose to attend there. Something shady is going on there. “
“First, we met at the Academic bldg on the 4th floor at 8am in the admissions office. We were given a packet of information in a plastic/fabric folder then they took our group to a small conference room where they asked everyone about themselves in an informal matter, so everyone could get to know each other. Then they gave a few presentations about the neat things the school has to offer, the financial aid process, about Des Moines in general, and even about the housing. After that they took us to another building to another conference room where we watched a video on the physical diagnosis program and talked to the Dean a bit. After that we went to watch a small OMT demonstration, where you can participate as the patient (if you want to), which was done by three “fellows” students, whom are more than willing to answer any questions you have. Then you go back to see “Harvey” and then get lunch and eat with First year students, whom run the tours. After that we had our interviews, time depended on each one of us and we for the most part had different interviewers. I know that my interviewers only had one other student than me. Everything ends by 4pm.”
“The interviewers asked some tough questions, but it was all in a good-natured way. They had a sense of humor about things, which made the atmosphere very natural and comfortable.”
“I saw first hand why so many students walk away from their DMU experience with such a positive view of the school. The day was very well setup and they really made you feel welcome. For the interview, the first question was “Tell us a bit about yourself and how you come to be in front of us now.” Very open-ended and up to you to provide a concise synopsis that sets you apart and that will lead into further discussion. A few questions arose from some of what I mentioned (they like to hear about things that arent already in your file as well). This gave a very conversational feel to the experience. When there was a lull, one of the interviewers would bring up a question – all of these were ones that have been mentioned in previously posted feedback. Its worth giving some thought to these.”
“I only interviewed at one school, so I am probably not the best person to ask about the whole situation”
“I LOVED DMU!!! Im a former Iowa resident so it was great to be back in Iowa. The campus is very nice and the new building will be great. The morning was quite long b/c they tried to sell Iowa…. no need here! It was really nice to meet some of the professors. We got to meet the President who was a former govenor. The interview was given by a second year student, a Ph.D., and a DO, alum and current prof. Interview was very laid and just wanted to get to know me. Make sure you know why you are going into medicine and some of your goals as a physician. I love DMU and am definately keeping my fingers crossed. “
“The interview was very laid back and conversational. I was interviewed by a DO, a pharmacologist and two current students. They arent there to drill you really hard questions. They just want to know about you and to see if you fit with the school. They are concerned with your interests too.”
“very long morning; too many speakers; small campus – everythings easily accessible; nice lunch – they pay for it and you choose what you want; they have a cardiac simulator named harvey which we got to experience – very cool; the students seem happy and were very friendly; there were always students sitting with us while we waited for the next activity; “
“I just had a good feeling about it and I am trying to decide whether or not to pay the deposit.”
“The interview was held in Portland, OR for West coast kids who found it easier to interview in Portland than fly back to Des Moines. Everyone was wonderfully friendly and informative. There was a good student panel–first years to a recent graduate–to help answer questions and demonstrate OMM. Because of the size of the interviewing group, there was quite a wait for the kids interviewing later in the day. An excellent lunch was provided by the Marriott Hotel. Generally, a very relaxed day.”
“Overall, the school is very impressive. The interview is very laid back and the students are awesome. Just read through their website and you will do fine.”
“The experience was positive. The school and program is good with a high supportive and knowledgeable faculty. “
“One professor did most of the questioning. It was rapid fire at first and with a challenging tone (I dont believe you feel to it), but after the first few minutes of answering the questions, things settled down and was less combative. I would say just relax, think about your answer and always remain positive. It was long, but not too bad at all.”
“My wife attended the interview day with me. We honestly visited the school with no “pre-conceptions” other than we didnt think we would be interested in moving to Des Moines. What a turn around this day turned out to be. Now, we feel that Des Moines is in our top 3 (out of 10).”
“I loved DMU-COM! Before going I really didnt know what to expect, but I left feeling like I could really see myself as a med student there. The students are very supportive of one another and there is a great sense of community there. After learning all about the program and financial aid in the morning, we all went upstairs and talked with the head of the OMM department who was a really cool guy. Then three fourth year students came into to talk with us and I volunteered to have them demonstrate a few OMT techniques. They were great and it really made me want to learn OMM. Then we got to see “Harvey” and had lunch in the cafeteria which was suprisingly good. My interview was at 2 pm and was pretty relaxed overall. I was a little nervous at first since there were four people in the interview room. A microbiology professor, a DO, and two students. But the interview went pretty smooth except that I may have repeated myself a few times. Overall, it was a great experience and DMU is my #1 choice as of now and other schools will have to impress me more. But this was only me second interview, so anything can happen. Anyone who interviews here will likely be impressed.”
“Overall – positive (with exception of one interviewer who seemed a bit adversarial.)”
“I wrote down all my interview questions as soon as I got out so I could post them-here they are: How did you end up at your undergrad school? Your mom is an MD, how does she feel about you pursuing DO? What do you look for in a medical college? Why Iowa? Wouldnt it be more conveninet for you in your home state? (I explained why I applied to DMU before they asked this-but they will ask so be prepared). Explain what you did at your volunteering job? Would you see yourself active in student organizations here at DMU…Would you be a leader? What is one social problem in health care today? How do you feel about patients ordering med refills from Canada? What would you do if you were practicing medicine in a rural area and people couldnt afford health care? How would you handle that as a community leader? Are you worried about being able to get up and hit the ground running in medical school after being out of school for two years? (no). Hope this helps!”
“The interview was very stress-free. I highly suggest that you socialize with the interviewees to make you feel more comfortable, but most importantly be yourself and be honest. I was myself in the interview, and if I was not sure about a question or did not know the answer I told them and I got accepted!”
“The whole process was very relaxed, but very professional at the same time. The students and faculty were all very personable and made the whole experience enjoyable. I was able to learn a great deal about the school and decide if it is a good fit for me.”
“Very chill. The student was extremly nice to me. I was also interviewed by a PhD. Both were cool, described the programs I inquired about, and seemed interested in my comments.”
“Overall a very good experience. They really lay the sales pitch on thick and I found myself getting impatient during the rather lengthy demonstrations and presentations. However, I was looking for a medical school that promoted a community atmosphere and Des Moines really fit the bill.”
“The interview was conducted by 2 faculty and 2 students and most of the questions were very specific to my experience. I enjoyed that; Ive been to interviews where the interviewer had my file open in front of him and yet knew nothing about me. Didnt enjoy so much the group interview vs one-on-one. Two of the interviewers really went after me while the other 2 were friendly and conversational- felt like “good cop/bad cop”. I had been hosted by a first year student, which I think is the BEST way to really learn about a school/town. It gave me the opportunity to ask all the questions youd never ask the admissions board about themselves. Was very wary about the level of conservatism when I saw their list of student clubs- their Gay/Straight Alliance was defunct from lack of members. ???? Are they trying to tell me that in a student body of 800+ NOONE is queer? “
“Interview was really quite easy. If you cant maintain your nerves through this interview, you may have a problem in medicine. Everyone is very friendly. I didnt like the fact that no time was spent regarding tuition, financial aid, etc. Because the fact of the matter is that once you get to this stage, you simply have to show that youre a competent, smart person whos dedicated to medicine – and if youve gotten this far that shouldnt be a problem. I got accepted and plan to attend, mainly because of location and frankly I prefer the philosophy of DO over MD.”
“The focus of the interview was surprizingly negative. The emphasis was on why I withdrew from certain courses (scheduling conflicts with full-time job as well as academic reasons, in some instances), why I took classes at a community college (affordability – plus it should have been irrelevant, given the fact that my MCAT clearly demonstrated proficiency in the basic sciences), whether or not I felt I could survive the workload (insulting – as anyone who has worked full time and taken premed prerequisites at night would realize). DMU has had 2200 applicants this year, and will invite approximately 25% for interviews. Candidates judged worthy of an interview slot who foot the bill for an expensive trip (Des Moines is only conveniently located for those living in Iowa) should be treated with a little bit more respect.”
“Very low key but it is a medical school interview. Two PhD one student. Overall, impressed with the program. As a married student, not excited about the need to travel years 3 and 4. For many though this is a plus!”
“It was good. If you are interested in practicing OMM, they have an interesting 5th year fellowship where you work with the OMM professor in his practice.”
“Met with a dozen other interview candidates at 8 am. We had different speakers come to talk about different aspects of the school. I learned that in the 3rd and 4th year, you can go to different parts of the country to do some of your rotations, which is cool. Also, they did a demonstration of OMM which I never saw before. They provided lunch where students would join us and talk about their experience at the school. My interview was in the afternoon. During the entire day, everyone tells you not to be nervous for the interview. Since this was my first interview, I did get nervous. I would totally recommend staying with a student. They are really helpful. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience. “
“My overall experience was very positive. The day started at 8am and my interview was at 1:30pm. We met with different staff and students throughout the morning. It sounded to me that if you get an interview they are very interested in you. If it feels like a “good fit” you are in. I have been accepted and Im planning on attending DMU. I felt it was the right place for me. The whole day really convinced me.”
“Very good interview experience, interviewers make you feel comfortable and at ease, answer any questions you may have, students are very involved in the interview day which was great to see.”
“The interview was more of a conversation-type and they just really want to get to know you as a person. The school has very good faculty and facilities. Also, their OMM program is one of the best. “
“Horrible experience. Rude ass people, the faculty, interviewers, and students are completely worthless. Everybody seemed pissed off just because they live in that town and are affiliated with that school.”
“long day of endless meetings from seemingly everyone on staff. “
“It was very enjoyable, especially once we met current students. They sat with us before our interviews and just chatted/ cracked jokes/ talked about all of the fun things the studentt there do, which I thought was awesome, totally took my mind off of things, and Im sure I would have just been sitting there very nervous otherwise. “
“Good experience. Didnt like all the construction but the school will be nice once its done.”
“Great day, seemed to go by very fast. I thought the group interview was a little intimidating, but everyone was very nice.”
“My overall interview experience was pretty good. The interview itself, I sucked it up. I fumbled over my words and felt super nervous. I need to get over it. Admissions staff and dean were nice. Impressive OMM program. I think its a great school, one of my top choices. Unfortunately, I got put on the alternate list. “
“Generally excellent. The group was only about 12 applicants; nice personal atmosphere, relaxed, pleasant. The only place Ive interviewed where I felt they had really read my file, knew who I was, and wanted me to go to their school (instead of making me feel lucky to even get an interview). If I get in, DMU will probably be my first choice (over MD schools).”
“Low stress, relax. Student ambassadors are nice and frank. Interviews are 3 on 1, two faculty and a student. Nice lunch and very informative, they also send you home with a lot of info on the school.”
“Very good school with things to improve on. Know why you want to go to an osteopathic school (and you should want to). Although I was accepted, I didnt feel this was where I should go. I chose another DO school because I felt the “click” there. Comparing Osteopathic schools with the allopathic, the Osteopathic schools want to know about you and your motivations for going into medicine. The interview is open file, so they know your stats and know you can DO the work. It seemed sincere, not like they were trying to stump you with some b.s. ethics questions. That is not relevant now, well get all that stuff in school.”
“Overall a well planned day although there was no free time to brush up before the interview. The students were helpful and available but a little too “in your face” for me. All the students said it was the best decision they ever made making it sound a little rehearsed.”
“Des Moines University is very small school overall. You interview w/about 10 other people, and start out the day by talking with an admissions officer and Dr. Mueller(a really nice guy!). Your interview is w/ a student and one-two faculty members. The interview is pretty straight foward. The students are very friendly, and will come up and talk to you during your breaks. The school is also building a new student center, which shows they are committed to the students. The school is lacking in clinical facilities and sites, which is why I ultimately turned down my acceptance.”
“The students and staff are enthusiastic about being there and having you there. “
“Overall, DMU was awesome and is well known as one of the top DO schools.”
“Great day- the most well organized of all of my interviews. Everyone is very open and friendly. The construction may seem bad at first, but remember it will be mostly completed by the time we start in August. The interview is laid back- just be yourself.”
“It was very conversational, but there were still a few tough questions mixed in. I felt confident and I think that was evident to my interviewers. All in all, it was a low-stress day that made me feel good about pursuing medicine. I felt that they actually wanted me to come there, instead of looking for reasons why I wasnt “the ideal candidate.” Just be yourself, and if youre truly committed, they will be able to see that. Thats the best preparation you could ever have.”
“Oveall, this is a school I would love to attend. I would highly recommend staying the night before the interview with one of the students (they provide you a list of willing students) – they were very honest about the pros and cons of life and medical school at DMU. Everyone was extremely friendly and genuinely seemed to like it there. There seemed to be more of a team atmosphere than a competetive one. If you arent used to the overly-friendly environment of midwest towns, you might be a little suprised by this. There isnt much negative to say – seems like a great school. PS- I just found out I got in, and plan to attend (even over the MD school I applied to). “
“Overall, DMU is a great school, filled with friendly and supportive people. (^_^)Make sure that you read all SDN interview feedbacks for DMU. Many of the questions that I was asked were already posted by numerous people on this websites. The interview, itself, was a little stressful for me since I felt that was asked a lot of questions (~20) in a very small period of time. “
“The overall experience was great, I would have no problem going to school there.”
“DMU is a great school. It is very laid back and not competitive at all. It seemed to me that the school is full of people who have no interest being a number at a big school and they let you know it. It was almost spooky how friendly everyone was, staff included. Seemed like every student knew every other student and staff member, and everyone said hi. This school is not a research institution and has a pretty small campus. Its not for everyone, but if you are just looking for a solid D.O. education this is the place for you.”
“I love this school!! Great OMM, facilities, harvey simulated, labs, Standized patient labs. I cant say enough about the quality of the professor, clinicians and students. They seemed to be great teachers and clinicians.”
“A great time getting to know the interviewers, admissions staff, faculty and fellow interviewees. Students really seemed to enjoy their time there, and the faculty we met seemed to be dedicated to really teaching. “
“It was a good experience, I especially liked the OMM demos and the harvey demo (that simulates different heart diseases). My interviewers were very friendly and fairly laid-back, the time I was in the interview went very fast.”
“I had an awsome interview experince. That school went from being next to the bottom on my list to the top. I decided to attend DMU over 4 other schools. The interview was great. I was intervied by the now Dean and 2 other surgey residents and 1 MS4 going into surgery. This suited me perfectly as I want to go into surgery, we got along great. The interview was conversational and relaxed.”
“DMU seems like a great place to study. You feel very comfortable there because everyone is friendly and that implies that everyone likes to help each other. I cannot begin to tell you how many students came up to us just to say hi and to let us know how good the school is. “
“The students and faculty were awesome-nothing but good things to say. They really made you feel at home and had quite an interesting tour. “
“All of the interviewers were courteously, friendly and open in their approach. It was very positive.”
“Overall, I really did like the city of Des Moines and Id like to live there. The students at the school were extremely nice, and the staff and faculty seemed genuinely interested in me coming to their school. However, I just got this vibe of disorganization. As if the school didnt have clear leadership and direction. Maybe down the road this school will be better, but for now I dont think it is where Id like to go. “
“The day was really fun and the staff was great. The interviewers tried to help me relax and the interview was more like conversation than anything else. They are really informative and want you to learn much about the school during your visit.”
“it was great, they were very open minded, accepted me, and considered me for a full acaedmic scholarship later (which I didnt get).”
“Laid back interview, friendly students, however the comments of other students may have turned me off.”
“This was a great interivew. Everyone is very nice, straightforward and laid-back. We met the OMM chair and he gave a very nice presetation/summary of OMM. Des Moines is a really nice town with more to do than I would have thought.”
“This is my new #1 choice. If you are very interested with OMM (which I am) this is the place for you to go. Throughout the day everyone kept stressing how laid-back the interview is, and they were right. You do not have to get worked up about it, it was mainly questions about things in my personal statements. Its a nice location, you can live almost anywhere in Des Moines, and still be within a short drive of school. Theres plenty of parking also. You can only plan on being here for 2 years, theres a possiblity you could be here for all 4, but it depends on the lottery.”
“If you like a smaller town, this place is nice. I did not like how most of the student body must relocate after their first 2 years at DMU. The interview was so laid back its almost a joke. It seems more like a formality they must get out of the way. If you interview here you have a very good chance of getting accepted.”
“The experience was amazing. This was my first interview so I was very nervous, however, the staff, students, and faculty made me feel very at ease. A great first interview to have. Becky and Genya at admissions are fantastic, just wonderful. And the PhD and student-doctor who interviewed me were so nice and made me feel very at ease, I cannot say enough about the quality of faculty and students at DMU.”
“The day was really long. They have everyone in a small room for about 3 hours, where they present different topics, eg. fin. aid etc. They did two rounds of “get to know you” conversation. After that, current students gave tours of the campus. I would recommend to try to go with a second year student, they know more about the school. After the tour we had lunch with current students. Lunch was over at one and then you basically just waited till it was time for you to interview. By the time I was interviewed I was already tired and overwhelmed with all of the information they threw at us. This made me much more relaxed. The interview was with a D.O. a fourth year, and a phd. Overall, the campus is O.K. but the teachers and classes seemed to be high quality.”
“An A+ experience! If you are looking for a school that is both well-respected and dedicated to student success then DMU is your place. However, they are very serios about the osteopathic philosophy so be sure you know and can explain clearly why you are interested in osteopathic medicine and whay makes it different from other medical approaches. “
“Overall, I think its a wonderful school because of the camaraderie among students and faculty (small school environment), the SPALs program, Harvey–cardiology patient simulator (I think the only other osteopathic school that has one is Nova), the faculty seems to really care about the students, and the safety of the school. However, the facilities were not exactly top-of-the-line, the computer labs and computer technology on the campus didnt impress me, the gym was quite small, and the library was small as well. The city offers much with a more traditional, old-fashioned feel–that is, from what I heard, there are clubs and bars and night life, but not the kind thats offered in places like NY or Miami or Atlanta. There are nice parks nearby and cultural events like theater and art. Des Moines tends to be safer than most big cities and cost-of-living is much more reasonable than the areas in which the other osteopathic schools are located. The interviews were at the end of the day, which was a bit tiring, but everyone tries to make you comfortable and as stress-free as possible throughout the day.”
“They really just want to get to know you as a person. Very relaxed and conversational interview. “
“It was my first interview and it was great the people are happy and helpful. I enjoyed this experience and the school.”
“It was overall an awesome experience. We were treated like royals. Very nice staff and they really want you there. “
“Very laid back and relaxing. Puts the interviewee at ease from the start. Des Moines is a very nice city, larger than I expected, has a population of 450,000 including the surburban areas. Very safe and family friendly area.”
“I visited DMU expecting to have a pleasant experience and I was not disappointed. The student comaradarie is exceptional and the entire staff of the school goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. Most of the facilities are new and well kept and the only old building on campus is going to be replaced shortly with a new one that is scheduled to start construction any time. Des Moines is a great place to get your medical education because there is enough to do to keep from getting bored, but not so much to cause distraction. “
“It was a pleasant experience. Hopefully I will get in”
“It was just a fabulous day. The city was great, too. The students were what really made it for me, though. They are all friendly, low competitiveness (as in they work together, not against each other), and the professors we met made it clear that they are there to teach first, research after. They are very accessible to students who need their help or just want to chat. (I heard that from students, as well.) The college likes students from everywhere and does not show preference based on location (i.e., residents of Iowa v. other states).”
“While the school is in Des Moines, the D.O. program is strong, established, and well-respected in the osteopathic community. The interview experience was extremely relaxed – be ready to strike a pose first thing in the morning (theyre big on group pictures in Admissions). Talk to as many students as possible throughout your visit to DMU – all the students I met provided valuable insight into issues (+/-) relating to life as a med student at DMU. Know who you are/what youre about and why you want to become an osteopathic physician. Above all, RELAX!!!”
“I was very impressed and would be happy to go there. I am still exploring my options so I can be sure.”
We have developed the experience with you in mind
Our goal is to enable you to share your authentic self, perspectives and plans with us. Our interview approach is twofold: an online platform (Kira Talent) that gives you simple access to share your experiences and virtual events for you to meet members of the DMU community. Here are some additional details:
Kira Talent assessment
This simple process should take 20-30 minutes to complete on your own time. You will be asked a question and given prep time and a set amount of time to respond. Refer to your candidate experience invitation email for more information and your personalized log-in link.
Small Group Experience
After completing your Kira Talent assessment, you will receive additional information on how to participate in a small group experience with DO faculty and students. Conducted via Zoom, this will give you an opportunity to share more information about yourself and talk with members of the DMU DO family.
After you have completed both the Kira Talent assessment and Zoom small group experience, your application file will be forwarded along to the admissions committee for review. Please allow 4-6 weeks for a final decision, which will be either acceptance, alternate or release from consideration.
Much more information regarding these statuses will be provided in your decision letter.
