got interview offer - any advice?

[anhoi]

hi everyone,

i just got offered an interview with ross for this upcoming january class, so one hurdle cleared. i was hoping you accepted kids out there could give any advice on the interview process, what it is like, what kind of questions to look out for, etc. any help is much appreciated, hoping to see you all there in january.

anh

[paayalk]

Congrats on getting the interview! I had mine this past april and my best advice to you is relax!!!! I mean it...its not a stressful process and if anything, make sure you have gone over your application and are familiar with what you have written. I really did not have any behavioral type questioning- although this is common with many other med school interviews (i.e what was the worst moment in your life and how did you deal with it?). My interviewer spent time getting to know about my study habits and things like that. Hope that helps a little :)

~paayal

[tah33]

wen i had my "interview" a bit more than a year ago , things were so different , it was on the phone, and was 10 minutes , they didnt ask me anything i was excpecting and seemed v casual
alhough i realized things have changed dramatically since then as they tend to with ross, frm my conversations with 1sts and 2nds semsters most say it is v laidback and the interviewers do nothing to put u on the spot, with odd questions
what i heard from the students interviewed in miami, is that a great deal has to do with attitude and how u present yourself (clothing confidence and the like).
contrary to what most people say ross does reject a number of applicants or has STARTED to reject applicants, so i suppose the level of importance of the interview has changed dramatically, not that this should deter u in anyway, i think if ur professional and urself u will have a good chance of getting in , (unlike some of those damned professors! )
goodluk and stay positive
hope to hear good news frm u soon...
the PBHcows awaiteth ur arrival !

[thatsme]

I had my interview yesterday. Granted, I don't know if I've been accepted or not, but I can give you some insight. It was really laid back and relaxed. The hardest question I had was what was the biggest obstacle in my educational career. I did some undergraduate research, so I was asked a couple of questions about that, but it wasn't anything hard or anything I couldn't answer. We went over my transcripts, and I was questioned about some of the courses I made C's in, but it was more of stuff like did I have a hard time understanding the concepts or did I not spend enough time studying (I made C's in physics 2, organic 2, and biochem. I'm auditing biochem this semester, so they seemed to like the fact that I'm putting forth the effort to get a better understanding of the subject matter.) I graduated in 2001, so I was asked why I want to be a doctor and why I've waited so long to apply to med school. I took the MCAT twice. The first time I didn't study, and I made an 18, and the second time, I did study, and I made a 23. They wanted to know what I did differently to prepare for it. I've been working since I graduated, and they wanted to know what I've been doing and how I like it. They wanted to know what kind of clinical experience I've had. I really didn't have a lot of clinical experience at all, so I don't know if that will have an impact on my acceptance or lack thereof. The last part of the interview was any questions I had about Ross. The whole interview part lasted about 30 minutes. After that, I watched a video about the school. That took about 30 minutes. After the video, a student who recently got off the island came in and spoke to me and answered any questions I had. After that, we went to the hospital where the 5 & 6th semester takes place, and I got a tour it. That's about it. When you interview, remember that the interviewer is wearing a suit and tie, so if you want to go dressed down, that's your perrogative, but I would suggest dressing up somewhat.

I hope this helps.

[anhoi]

i'm interviewing in los angeles, where did you all interview? i am a little nervous, so any other insights or advice on how to prepare would be great. i have never interviewed for med school before, so a little apprehension is understandable i hope. thanks again!

[Cuando2]

my interview a few years ago wasnt so "laid back," even though it seemed that other people interviewing at that time did get "laid back" interviews. mine was rather stressful, a lot of those typical questions they ask to see how you respond (behavioral questioning?).

[thatsme]

I interviewed in Miami.

[doctorwannabe]

i have been reading this forum for a long time. However, this is my first post after getting a lot of useful informations from all of you guys here.
Well, to answer ur question, i had an interview in Irvine (since im going to UC Irvine) on August 2 for Jan 05 class. My interview was about 55 mins long. I was asked a lot of questions.Here are questions i was asked :
Why Md??
Study habit?
Most challenge class?
does my MCAT reflect my ability?
Weakness and strength?
How will i prepare myself to adapt to new environment in Dominica?
A lot of questions about my clinical experience?
What did i learn when observing a MD??
What character do i think a MD needs??
My research experience??
Those are questions i still remember now. But actually, the list of questions is longer than that. I think i screwed up the intervew, however, only after 10days, i received a big envelope saying congratulation. Well, im really excited now.
hopefully, this will help u out a bit

[beemteam]

hello,

i've used this forum quite a bit, and its helped me quite a bit. i thought it would be nice to help those out who are stressing about interviews by posting the questions they asked me.

i recently had an interview with a woman in Irvine, CA. She is not a physician, but an assistant director to something for Ross somewhere. nice woman.

she asked the the following questions (try my best to put them in order):

1. Why do you want to become a doctor?
2. Why do you want to go to Ross?
3. Where did you hear about Ross University?
4. Do you think the MCAT is reflective of your ability to acheive?
5. Are you satisfied with your transcripts record?
6. If there was one premed course that gave you difficulty, what was it?
7. What course would you recommend to another person to take, premed or not?
8. How did you prepare for the MCAT?
9. Do you like to study individually, or in groups?
10. When you studied in groups, what role did you play in that group? (i.e. leader, organizer, subject, etc.)
11. How would you cope with the basic science curriculum at Ross?
12. How do you get away from studies, and vent your stress?
13. Tell me what you know about Ross University, and the Island of Dominica?
14. What kind of physician do you want to become?
15. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
16. Where would you like to practice in the future?
17. What type of research did you do?
18. Tell me about your volunteer experience?
19. What did you learn from your experiences working in a hospital?
20. What do you think will be the hardest part of medical school as a whole, not just being on Dominica?
21. What will be the most exciting part of medical school as a whole?
22. What is one of your strengths?
23. What is one of your weaknesses?

Then she allowed me to ask her questions, so I asked her the following (with responses):

1. What did you think about the Univeristy, the Island, and the people when you went to visit it?
- she loved it

2. What do you think it will take for a student to succeed at Ross?
- students should prepare themselves for the lifestyle they will endure ahead of time, and study from the get go

3. What is the attrition rate at Ross?
- 15% for first semster students

4. What is the average USMLE Step 1 board exam passer rate for first time takers? Overall?
- 88% for first time takers, 96% overall

5. Do students match in California? if so, in what specialties?
- yes they match, not too sure which specialties

6. Explain the purpose of 5th semester in Miami, and how it prepares a student for the board exam?
- models the kaplan prep course. it was 6 weeks long, but will be extended to 8

7. How does the trimester system effect students entrance to various clinical rotations, and residency match system?
- she explained that students must take the step 1 no later than 3 months finishing their 4th semester, and that since the process is continuously turning over, 63% of Ross students enter residency through the non-match system (called a scramble)

8. Does Ross Univeristy organize a students 3rd and 4th year rotation schedule, or is it the responsiblity of the student to do that?
- it is continuously evolving since it based upon your board exam score. they try to place you in your geographical preference. it is mainly up to the student to call and schedule rotations

i didn't get a video like other students have mentioned. My interview lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes. Since i'm applying for May, they mentioned I should get a response in a few weeks. She also mentioned that there is room for the May class.

I hope this helps anyone stressing about the interview, or with information in general. cheers!

[singer]

Beemteam:

Not sure whether you received the wrong information or if you posted wrong info.

1-Fifth semester is currently 9 weeks and a few students opt for 12 weeks. The talk is that in the future all 5th semester will be 12 weeks.

2-The USMLE part 1 must be taken within three months after 5th semester not 4th.

Hopes this clarifies some things.

[RossMD2006]

4. What is the average USMLE Step 1 board exam passer rate for first time takers? Overall?
- 88% for first time takers, 96% overall



Doubt that.

[link626]

4. What is the average USMLE Step 1 board exam passer rate for first time takers? Overall?
- 88% for first time takers, 96% overall



Doubt that.


i don't think that's referring to ross. 88% is for all test takers in the US.

[williamrobert]

*********** apparently is compiling the statistics for this for Ross. We were told that based on his data for usmle test takers from 1999 through 2001, 88% of those with a GPA above 3.0 passed it on the first try. The data apparently are not available (at least publicly) for test-takers for 2002 through 2004 etc.


***********=edited by moderator due to user posting an individual's personal name.

[beemteam]

singer: thanks for correction, i appreciate it.

everyone else: jus passin' along the info. and the national average for first time takers from allopathic US/Canada-based med schools is 92% in 2002, and 93% in 2003. Its on USMLE.org hompage.

[beemteam]

oh, and the 88% passing rate my interviewer was refering to was for Ross students only, first time takers. I did not make that clear, sorry!

[shyilguy]

Try not to sleep through their propaganda video they make you watch. I mean come on the reason you applied to Ross is because you’re a prospective student. They already have you in the bag. Than why bombard you with the propaganda that Ross has better facilities or equal to us med schools?

[gemilli]

hihihihihihihihihihi

[Stewie]

I just wanted to bump this thread for those that may have an interview coming up. I found this thread to be very helpful.

[brown12222]

I like to thank beemteam for posting his/her interview experience with **************** in Irvine. I too interviewed with Ms. ************* at Irinve and I hope I can further add to the very complete list of questions that beemteam has already posted. My interview lasted about 40min.
1.) Why do you want to be a doctor?
2.) Lots of talk about volunteering experiences? (be sure you can talk about them without fail...)
3.) What was one course that gave you difficulty?
4.) What do you know about Dominica?
5.) Talk about your extracurricular activities (if you have non-hospital volunteering activies)
6.) Are you satisfied with your MCAT score, how did you study for it?
7.) Talk about one course that gave you trouble, and how you turned it around?
8.) What did you learn during your volunteering experiences that was not expected?
9.) What is one of your strenghts/weaknesses?
10.) What do you think will be the hardest part of medical school?
11.) What kind of physician do you want to become?
12.) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
13.) What would you do to prepare yourself academically at Dominica?
14.) Study habits, individual or group?
15.) What will be the hardest part of medical school as a whole?

Finally, if you did a lot of volunteering, be sure you're able to talk about your experiences. I felt that Ms. ******** asked a lot of questions regarding what you did and what you got out of it. PM me if you have any questions, but until I get a decision from Ross, I couldn't give you confident answers. I recommend getting "Get Into Medical School" by Dr. *************, probably the most resourceful premed book ever! You won't regret getting it. Good luck and thanks again to beemteam for the awesome post.

****************=edited by moderator due to user's use of individuals' personal names.

[zeldababy]

The questions aren't hard so just be urself and go with the flow.

[WinebarVIP]

I heard the first time pass rate in 2004 for Ross students was 40%, Its gotten better since supposedly.......and it will be even better since you cant take the step without passing the comp...........so Ross pass rate will be 97% on the first try.............good business pitch......

[Dru]

I heard, I heard, I heard.....

[WinebarVIP]

Next time I will use "I have been told" instead of heard.....so my statement will have more merit...........