New York, NY
Allopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 21% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.3
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 535 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (88%)
Negatively (6%)
No change (6%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (26%)
Good (53%)
Average (20%)
Poor (1%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided feedback about Mount Sinai's interview process, emphasizing the overall friendliness of the staff and students, relaxed interview atmosphere, and positive impressions of the school's community and facilities. Some applicants noted a mix of experiences with interviewers, ranging from laid-back and conversational to more confrontational or disorganized interactions.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Sinai should drop the elitism attitude. They need to also fire misogynistic men who question whether or not a student can handle the time commitment due to their gender. I do not recommend this school based on the toxic admissions committee.
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Amazing school, hope I get in since it's my top choice
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Incredible place
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Great interview experience! Even if I don't get in, it was a great visit.
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Generally relaxed day
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Amazing school with wonderful people.
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Brilliant school... I'd love to attend. It's trying to get more support for primary care ventures in the coming years.
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All in all, Mount Sinai seemed like a friendly, student-oriented place with a dizzying array of things to do and focus on, and a good place to train in New York.
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Day was low stress but exhausting Interview day started early (8:00) with a talk by some guy (I forget who) who answered questions, there were interviews from 9-11 (I had two 30 min interviews with physicians), students came to the room to chat in between interviews, financial aide presentation by Dale and then tour+lunch after until about 2:30 or so I was really impressed by the school, but it was a long day. Was tiring to hear students go on and on about how great the school was after 6 hours of hearing it already! Staying with student host was very convenient
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The student dorms are incredibly nice and incredibly cheap for the area!
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Great school, great impression, everyones positive and friendly, facilities are great, interview went generally well, really just looking to get more detail about your application file
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I thought I would like this school a lot coming in, but I guess the disorganized interview day and weird students rubbed me the wrong way. I'm sure I would still enjoy the school a lot given its location and opportunities, but sometimes the interview day can skew your perception, like it did for me. Hopefully I'll get to take a second look and then have a better idea.
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I'm surprised that a school with such a strong reputation gave such a negative impression. Perhaps it was just an unfortunate coincidence that all of the unengaged and unkind students at Mount Sinai were involved with admissions on the day of my visit.
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AMAZING! Interviewed at several top/prestigious schools, and there's really only one school I would choose over Sinai. Loved the student body - extremely down to Earth, dorms are $530 a month on the Upper East Side - insannnnnnnne!!! Loved the community feel, in that they are really the keystone of East Harlem, unlike other med schools, which sometimes seem to feel separated from the community they serve. Also great for research - it pretty much has it all, and I loved it!
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Great school. Introductory meeting with the dean gave great insight into the school; the Dean was very approachable and friendly. Interviews were conversational and relaxed. No difficult questions. Met many students throughout the day in the interview lounge who answered questions about clinical training and student life. Overall, great interview day.
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The school was really nice! Not my favorite place but I'd be excited to go here! Students seemed really nice
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This is one of my top choices. I hope i get in!
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Lovely school with a wonderful sense of community. If you want to go to school in NYC, and want a top tier education, without more gunnerish elements (which you may or may not find at Cornell and Columbia)
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Definitely the gem of the NY schools.
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Excellent - the interviewers were laid back, and at no point made me feel uncomfortable. They were just trying to get a sense of who I am, and we talked about somer random stuff having nothing to do with medicine (bowling, cornell, etc.)
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Presentation by Admissions senior administration, a welcome, interviews and between interviews med students come in and talk with us candidly, fin aid presentation, lunch and tours. great!
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This was my first interview and it has been my best interview experience so far. The people and my hosts were so friendly and genuine. The hosting arrangement was great and the day didn't drag on unnecessarily. We started with the usual introduction of school, fin aid talk, interview, and tour.
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Very welcoming and comfortable! They really just wanted to show off the school.
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I was really excited about this program, but the interview experience was a little disappointing. I was offended to be put down because I couldn't afford to attend an expensive Ivy League. Most of the other students who applied were from wealthy families and attended schools full of like-minded students. I tried to spin my state university experience as intellectual diversity, but it may not have worked!
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This was my first interview and I came away with a really positive feeling-not that I think I'll get in-just that everyone, interviewers included, made things really comfortable, and pleasant.
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Short breakfast and info session in the morning. then 2, 30 minute interviews (open file). then a lunch and tour of the school and hospitals. loved everything about it. hope they let me in!
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For the actual interviews, we were brought into room by interviewer, clarified parts of AMCAS app (mostly activities), asked why you're interested in Mount Sinai. Low stress. Rest of the day was typical of an interview experience. We had a powerpoint presentation, met a bunch of current students, we chatted with the deans, toured the school with students, had lunch, yadda yadda.
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MOUNT SINAI ROCKS!!
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It was great the school is really student friendly. After each lecture students rate professor --- great, and school is really community service oriented like myself
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I just liked the students and the school. I read a lot of complaints about how the day drags and how inefficiently they organized the day but mine was fine. Intro session was at 8:10, my first interview at 9:30, second at 10:30, financial aid at 11:30, and lunch and tour at 12. I was home by 2 and perfectly happy with the schedule.
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Great experience, it completely turned my opinion of the school around. Both interviers were easy to talk to.
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There was some confusion with the interviews, because one interviewer cancelled at the last minute so schedules were switched around. Both the interviewers and the students were very laid-back and friendly.
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Really laid back, everyone was very nice. big emphasis on students coming by and talking to us. everyone seemed to like the school. interviewers were faculty, and they did not interrogate at all, just friendly conversation with no curve ball questions. great facilities, great location, cheap and great housing.
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I did not know what to expect from Sinai and came away simply amazed. Everyone, the students, interviewers, admissions staff, is incredibly warm and helpful. The students who came in during the day had a lot of interesting things to say and did not give off a sense of pretense as I noticed at other interviews. The 2 3rd-year students who had lunch with us and gave us the tour of the hospital/clinic/simulation room were really engaging and honest. The anatomy lab is incredible and the simulation and standard patient rooms were equally impressive. There's a strong sense of community and cooperation at Sinai, which helps when in a huge city.
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I had a good time. During the gap between my two 30-minute interviews a flood of first year students came in to ask questions. They all seemed to get along well, as if Mt. Sinai fosters a community among its students.
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I went into this interview pretty excited and was a little dissapointed. I had two interviews, one with a man who had to be over 90 and talked so slowly i almost couldnt tell if he was done with his question or just pausing to catch his breath. The older man was at least nice. My second interviewer was condescending and rude. He would ask a question, I would answer it. He would give me a puzzled look and in an annoyned tone say ''let me rephrase'' and then ask the exact same thing. He grilled me about why a particular drug was used on a certain disorder on a study i worked on, he wanted drug mechanism, which thank god i had studied randomly before the interview and knew. He seemed impressed after that and ended the interview.
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It was an incredible experience. For everyone in my interview group was chatting and had interesting experiences to share. They were definitely the types of students I wanted to go to school with. The day started with an introduction by the assistant dean. She gave us folders and outlined the day for us. Then we were given a presentation of Mount Sinai by Dr. Rows (sp?). It was extremely informative and highlighted all the positive aspects of MSSM. Next were the interviews. Unfortunately they stick to a tight schedule of 30 minutes each so be sure to say what you have to say! I really really really wished that they were longer because I had so much more to say about myself and the school but they had to stop the interview because they interview back to back. In between your interviews you be in the waiting room where random medical students will come in and chat with us. All of them seemed pretty content with the school. The financial aid presentation came next after the 2 hour time period alloted for interviews. Unfortunately the dean of financial aid was away on my interview date so we got a hand out instead. The tour was conducted by two second years and we got to see everything. The anatomy lab is by far the best of all the schools I've seen. It's large and has an INCREDIBLE VIEW! Simply amazing! Really makes you want to hang around the lab more often! The lecture halls are a bit drabby and the school is horrible at controlling a stable temperature throughout the building. The apartments are extremely nice also. We got to see the duplex apartments. HOLY COW! They also have an amazing view and the balconies connect so it seems to bring students together. The hallways of that building though...not so nice. Lunch was ok, wraps again like almost every other school but I couldn't be bothered to care because everything about the school wowed me so. The second tour was the 'clinical' one. Our tour guide was a no show but luckily a really nice third year came in and volunteered herself even though all she wanted to do was just wanted to say hi to us. We saw parts of the hospital and the simulator patients that they have. We also went to see the Morchand center. They day went really well. All the staff and interviewers seemed incredibly happy and my interviewers seemed to love teaching. It's hard to find negative things about the school, probably that the neighborhood shuts down around 10pm according to the medical students. Oh well, there's always downtown!
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There was a brief intro then a thirty minute orientation. Then the two interviews are scheduled from 9:30-11:30am with any downtime you experience spent in talking to the med students who come by the admissions office periodically throughout the morning. The interviews were open-file and very relaxed, focusing more on me than on my app. My interviewers could not have been nicer :) Then there's a financial aid session, lunch and two tours. Overall, it was a pretty pleasant experience and the fact that we got done early was just the cherry on the top!
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Well planned out, informative for both the interviewers and myself
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Very good school. Staff and faculty seem very approachable. Impressive simulator lab and wonderful cultural environment.
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Two 30-minute interviews with faculty. The faculty present you to the admissions committee and are there to advocate on your behalf. Anything you tell them that you want the committee to know will get across. Keep that in mind, they are there to help you in the process. Be ready to describe lots of previous experience. You should have a solid reason for wanting to attend Sinai.
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Pretty awesome. They do keep you from 8:30-2, with two interviews and two tours... kind of a long day, but more fun than most.
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I was very impressed with the school, the hospital, and all the people. I did not expect much going there, but I came away with a new enthusiasm for Mount Sinai.
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8:30-8:45 Welcome. 8:45-9:30 Powerpoint presentation. 9:30-11:30 Interviews (2 30-min interviews, with downtime). 11:30-12 Financial Aid. 12-2 Lunch & Tours. Very low-key, low-stress. Just know thyself, and thy file/essays.
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It was a pretty great day...not too long..the fin. aid presentation was really boring..although the guy expected it and he was pretty nice about us kind of fading out a little there.
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Its two 30 minute ones, they just go through your file and as you so they can present it well to the comittee
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In the morning the dean comes in and asks you to introduce yourself. They put a lot of emphasis on extracurriculars (in some ways it felt like attending a private preparatory high school). Then you have two open file interviews with faculty (sometimes students interview) half an hour each. Then you've got tours and such from 11 until 2 or 3pm.
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The day begins a little early at 8:30 am. But don't worry, after the interviews there is a financial aid presentation... I usually take that time to hit the snooze. The tour was well organazed
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At the start of the program, Kelli Bailey introduces herself and welcomes each applicant one by one. She is well acquainted with everyone's file and asks you to say more about something in particular when introducing yourself.
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Everyone was really warm from the start and made us all feel comfortable. The interview group size was about 10, which was a nice number to get to know the other interviewees and still have a lot of people to talk to.
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Great!
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One of my two interviews and most of the other applicants interviews that day were really laid back and straight forward. One of mine was sort of strange and he liked to ask a lot of philosophical questions and argue with you, but in the end it was still a ncie conversation...he just likes to be different.
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Friendly, nice ,no stress.
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Great interview, low stress. Got in, presentation from admissions office, presentation from Dean about school. Interview rooms are tiny little closet like spaces. You sit around and wait for interviewer to come get you. In the mean time A LOT of students came by to say hi and talk about the school. Then we were taken to lunch, could eat anything we wanted in cafeteria. Had lunch with studnets in a very nice student lounge. Went for a tour of school and hospital with second years. Went for tour of clinical facilities with fourth years. It was great to see the perspective of students from both beginning and end of med school.
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First they talked to us a bit about the school and the curriculum, and then ina span of two hours we all had our two interviews of 1/2 hour each. The interviews were very relaxed and absolutely nothing to worry about. While we waited in between interviews students came in and went on and on about how great Mt sinai is. Then we had lunch (we could get anythign we wanted from teh cafeteria!), and a tour of the school and dorms. Finally we had a tour of highlights in the hospital. Let's just say that even though coming in I was not expecting much after what I saw today I am goign to Mt Sinai if they let me in, despite the expense!
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It was a very stress-free environment
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I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the students that stopped by to talk to us while we waited for our interviews. All seemed extremely happy with the program, with their fellow students, with the camaraderie, and of course with NYC. I felt very relaxed and both interviewers strove to make me feel comfortable. Interviews were not scary, they were just about getting to know me. As a non-traditional applicant, this may have been more stressful for me than for your basic straight-out-of-college interviewee. The tour was a bit haphazard, and it was unclear if we needed to stay until the end. Overall I was impressed and excited about the school. They seem to have a ton of opportunities to volunteer, do research, get hands-on learning early on.
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Great. definitely a very very impressive school.
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Overall, a very positive experience. It really solidified all the feelings I had about Mount Sinai to begin with. I really liked the fact that people seemed happy here and were willing to volunteer their time to talk about their experiences. I felt more like a person than an applicant, for a change.
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Two short interviews, followed by two tours - both very informative. Lunch was served in between the tours. Overall, very low stress day.
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Very laid back, get-to-know-you interviews. The facilities or location of school weren't fantastic. NY is great though and housing is a plus.
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I had a great time at Mt Sinai and in NYC in general, and could seriously see myself at this school after the interview. They favor humanities majors and seem like a really progressive school which also has a great foundation in a well-established hospital, so it's a strong combination. The faculty seem to really know and care about students personally, which is very different from my undergrad institution. A lot of students stopped by while we were waiting between interviews just to say hello and answer questions, and all were enthusiastic about Mt Sinai and had few if any complaints. The interview day was pretty well organized, although the afternoon had a few hitches. The interviews were laid back and conversational, just trying to get to know you. Overall, a pretty low stress experience.
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Overall the interview was amazing. It satrted off rather interestingly when the director of Admissions came in and pointed out interesting facts from each of the interviewees files. After that we went for a 30min powerpoint presentation of the school (virtual tour). Then an amazingly helpful 4th year came in and answered all of our questions, while each of us where waiting to be interviewed. After the interviews there was a financial aid presentation followed by lunch in the cafeteria and tour of living quarters and hospital.
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The whole day was great, but I felt like I didnt click with my interviewers. It was much more "scheduled" than other interviews I went to that ran over. We stuck to the time limit. I liked both interviewers, it's just that something seemed lacking in our chemistry. Maybe I just feel that in retrospect because I didnt get in. I got waitlisted, but they waitlist everyone.
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Two pleasant interviewers. the student seemed a little nervous, and i felt like i almost had to run the interview. but she was nice. the faculty member was also chill.
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Everything was great. The student housing was great, except for the stupid subway. All the students were enthusiastic about the school and 3rd and 4th years stopped in and answered questions while we were waiting for our interviewers. I really loved the school and the location.
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Really one of my best. The day is not too long, and they keep the boring presentations to a minimum. Everyone is very laid back, and they make you feel so comfortabe and wanted. The interviews were pretty much just chatting, mostly about the details of your application.
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The process went very well, my interviewers were two faculty members and I had a great time conversing with them, no really tough questions, they are just trying to get to know you better
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It was a little chaotic and disorganized, but overall it wasn't a bad experience. The student who were interviewing with me were top-notch.
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Really, everything after the opening talk with the dean was a bit of a mess. Many offices and classrooms were closed to us.
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I loved this school. I loved everything about it; the students, the atmosphere, the city...if I could just overcome the shared housing thing I'd have a perfect match
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Great, mount sinai is now my frist choice... hopefully I get in..
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Interview was great. See postively impressed section...
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I believe that 30 minute interviews are too short, and you basically end up answering the same questions twice without really going into any detail. Spend the night with a med student, they were of great help to me and helped me out throughout the whole process
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I visited MSSM after interviewing at the other NYC schools that week. I liked it better than some, less than others. It seems like it would be a nice school to go to.
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Great, they could make anyone want to go there
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I love the whole process. The admissions staff was really nice and they provided you with breakfast if you come in early enough. I enjoyed the whole MSSM lovefest from Dean Barnett. I LOVE MSSM before I even got there!!!!!After that, you have two interviews. Luch followed which is exceptional and tour of the facilities which you can skip.
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They make an effort to make you feel relaxed and comfortable so that you can be yourself. They take pride in their school and it shows.
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It was the least stressful interview I've been on the faculty and the students made a real effort to get to know you and put you at ease.
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The students and staff are very open to questions about the school or their experiences, and we had numerous opportunities to ask. During interviews, we only have 30 minutes, most of which will be spent for the interviewer to get to know your application a little better. The most important question was probably why I want to attend MSSM, since at this point they can only put applicants on waitlists. Our host for the day was straightforward and says most of the class is filled at this point and about 30% of the entering class comes from waitlist. We were advised to send a letter of intent should we be placed on the waitlist. 2-4 weeks expected for a response. I realize that the financial aid information is as important now as it has ever been but the bottom line is that MSSM cost roughly 50k a year and you shouldn't expect much merit-based scholarships. We bought food from the hospital cafeteria and the tour followed. Library, lecture hall, human simulator, standardize patient rooms (where students assess actor-patients), and student apartments were the sights. The day ended at 2pm.
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Overall this was a very stress free and positive interview experience. I walked away feeling that I could be very happy at Sinai.
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The day starts early with continental breakfast and an intro. from an Admissions Committee member. Immediately following are interviews. The whole group of prospectives interview within the same two hours (each interview is scheduled for about 30 min.). You wait in the lounge, the interviewer comes to get you, asks some generic questions, drops you back off to wait for the next one. Tour of the school/lunch with 1st years comes next. Then tour guides switch and a 4th year takes you around the hospital. All and all, this is a no stress day.
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I have heard very good things about Mt. Sinai overall. The students seemed fairly happy, and did not seem over-worked AT ALL. They have plenty of time to chill. Both of my interviewers were boring and not very friendly. One of the doctors kept flipping through my file as I was talking and was obviously not paying attention to what I was saying. He only asked me three questions. I felt like after hearing all these great things about the school, I got a so-so impression overall. However the students seem happy and for the most part the facilities are nice (The lazy-boy chairs in the library are the best!!) There is also a neat exam simulation center where actors fake illnesses. Aside from the student facilities, the hospital is pretty cool. The location is ideal for diverse patients, and right next to Central Park. pass/fail is the best!
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A really impressive school.
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When I applied to MSSM (and when I showed up for my interview), I knew virtually nothing about the school. I applied because it is a decent school and I would like to live in New York. I was very impressed by what I saw during my interview day, and Mount Sinai is now one of my top choices. The interviews were very relaxed and non-stressful, more like conversations than interviews.
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Overall, a very positive day. I left feeling good about the school and about my interviews. They stress that the interviews should be laid back so that your true personality can come out.
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The dean who gave us the slide show was funny and really seemed honestly proud of Mount Sinai. But then again we're talking about New Yawkers. The student interviewer was so accomodating and nice. She told me that my application is beautiful and that my letters of recs were glowing. Phew. Always nice to hear even if it may be untrue. I really was impressed with the school and could picture myself there.
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Interwiews were both laid back. one was with a professor and the other was with a student. they both basically asked me to elaborate on certain extracurriculars and amcas information. no difficult or confrontational questions.
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The day begins with an info session followed by an informal chat with the associate director of admissions. It is all very relaxed and friendly. This is followed by two interviews, usually both with faculty members although some may have 1 faculty and 1 4th year student. My first interviewer was a rather eccentric older doc and it was a little bit of a challenge to get into a rhythm with the conversation. It was actually more like he was interviewing me as a patient than a prospective student which may just be because that is what he is comfortable with. Basically, he just asked questions about my application- pretty standard stuff. My second interview was much better and we had a great conversation on preventive care and how physicians really must become more socially and politically active in order to effect change- an inspiring conversation and I was disappointed when our time was through. We were able to talk with some current students and if you had time between interviews you had the option to sit in on a second year lecture. There was a very informative financial aid session and then lunch and a tour with 2 second years followed by another tour with an admissions staff member. The anesthesia department was interviewing that day so we weren't able to see the SIM lab/diagnostic skills area, but they give you an open invitation to come back to see anything you missed if you happen to be in the area.
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Very easy day of interviews - 4 all told. For me, two were with MDs and the other two were with PhDs. It seemed like one of the MDs was interviewing me more for just medical school than MD/PhD, but the other three were all typical MD/PhD interviews. There is a nice welcoming breakfast and goodbye happy hour. The lunch wasn't anything special but it was a good chance to meet with current students.
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A nice place to go to school.
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My first interview was with a student (which counts as much as a faculty interview) and it was very low-key. My second interview was less relaxed, but still relatively low-key.
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Cafeteria food was very good.
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It was really fun. Great area, two tours, two interviews, tasty lunch from the cafeteria.
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Both interviews were really really relaxed. i wish they'd been longer. i learned as much about my interviewers as they did about me, it was really conversational. both made a real effort to tell me about the school as much as they could, they really sold it to me. they'd also read my file and knew it inside out
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Just great.
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Mt. Sinai is an impressive school. They make the effort, it seems, to accomodate the students. There are numerous opportunities to get excellent clinical exposure, and the faculty are warm and intelligent. They also have a good financial aid package. Mt. Sinai is definitely one of my top considerations now.
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My first interview with the student went pretty well, very laid back. my second interviewer started by asking me, so what do you think the purpose of this interview is? i told him, to select people who would be happy at mt. sinai. he said actually, all interterviewees are acceptable, but the purpose of the interview is find out what's wrong with people, their flaws, signs of "emotional instability." so he asked me what was wrong with me, and i gave him an answer to the "what are your weaknesses" question which he wasn't satisfied with. he proceeded to keep asking me because he said, "oh, you're not being very helpful." although that part was kind of stressful, i really appreciated his honesty throughout the interview. it was very clear that he knew the interview game, had heard all the standard answers. before we shook hands as we were leaving, he commented, lemme see your hands, yeah they're cold (to see how nervous i was);). overall though, liked his personality and i love the school, i hope after that somewhat stressful interview he got a good impression of me.
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The morning started off with a talk from the Dean of Admissions and it was very good because he was very honest with us and gave us a pretty informative powerpoint presentation. Then we sat in the waiting area and people got called in for interviews (the rooms are tiny). Both interviews were very laid back and the interviewers asked pretty typical questions. After that, lunch, tour of facilities which are pretty much on 2 floors of the building, and the dorm. The tour guide and others seemed to compare themselves to NYU a lot. I don't know if there is some competition between them...
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I got a good feeling from the school. The Admissions staff was extremely accomodating.
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I was definitely one of those ppl who walked out of the interview thinking, "wow, what a waste of time that completely sucked. i think my ears are still burning." as it turns out, i must have completely misread the experience, because i was accepted 9 days later. i interviewed with 2 surgeons. the first completely scorched me. i was still reeling from the shock of it when i went in for my 2nd interview. the second surgeon, however, seem to really like me. at the end of the interview he actually asked me, "do you really want to come here?" when i nodded, he said, "good. great. i'll see what i can do." the thing is, as bad as i felt my first interview went, i am still fairly certain that i was accepted 'because' of the interview and not 'despite' it. the reason i think this is because i turned my 2nd app in july or early august, and didn't interview until march. even with the late interview (i was told the class had filled by 3/15, 2 days before my interview), i got accepted before some of my friends did who interviewed back in october. so, i guess what i'm trying to say is that interviews DO count, and hard interviews possibly better illuminate your character as an applicant than an easy, generic interview.
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It seems like a great school and the students seem very very happy. Non-competitive atmosphere among the students.
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Very stress free. laid back and just be yourself and everything will be fine.
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Both of the interviewers were very laidback and friendly, but one was more confrontational. he asked me to clarify certain 'troubling' areas of my resume. overall, both were very nice.
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My interviewers were really friendly, open, and thoughtful. My application was very well examined, and I was asked about trends in my record. (one of my interviewers did so more than I have experienced at any other school). This interviewer also followed up most questions that I answered with more detailed inquiries about my answer (which I thought was a good thing, but be prepared!)
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It was an informal day. There were only 6 of us interviewed by 5-6 faculty in what was supposed to be 30 minute shifts. However, many of us ended up talking much longer than that. While you're not being interviewed you just hang out in a room and periodically different people drop in to talk informally about topics like financial aid. What I liked best about Mount Sinai is that it's really a high-powered institution with an amazing breadth of talent and faculty committment, and yet it's still a remarkably laid back place. The administration truly values student input and there are so many support systems that make it a very nuturing 4 year experience. Definitely my top choice.
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All in all it wasnt bad. I was most impressed with how the school tries to make an effort to improve the quality of healthcare delivery to the local population. The clinical exposure seems very strong too - the school has a number of affiliated hospitals and I believe in on of them all the patients come through the ER. One of my interviewers was disturbingly candid with me about the state of medicine so much so that it made me wonder what I was getting in to. His advice though was very sound and is something I will definately use regardless of whether or not I go to MSSM. He said no matter what, during your first year, find a mentor, someone who you can trust and relate to and who will call it exactly how it is. Cardiology might sound like fun, but see how cardiologists live and ask yourself if you can live with that lifestyle.
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I really enjoyed myself. My student host was cool, and the school's emphasis on community medicine I really enjoyed. This seemed to be the most student friendly school i interviewed at :)
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The location is the best of all the schools in NYC. It's situated such that it's on the border of the low and high SES populations, which will guarantee that you will be exposed to a diversity of patients AND medical cases. Furthermore it helps that you're literally right across teh street from Central Park and a few blocks down from some of the most famous museums in teh world. Great school! I hope I get in!
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Overall it went OK. The school was still on winter break so there weren't very many students around and we couldn't sit in on classes, but our tour guide was helpful at answering our questions.
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Overall very relaxed and conversational interviews, decent lunch, and nice tour. We were asked to arrive at 8:45am. The dean spoke to the group for a few minutes, but he was done by 9am, and no one had an interview until 10am. Everyone had two 30 minute interviews scheduled some time between 10am and 12:30pm. Each of the interviewers interviewed several of the applicants. There was a financial aid session around 11:30am, when some people had their interviews, but papers where given out that had all the info on them. Our lunch and tour were scheduled for 1pm, and we were supposed to be done with our whole day by 2pm, but we got off to a late start, so we didn't finish till around 2:30. Since we were all so starved, we started by getting lunch at the school (hospital?) cafeteria and eating it in the student lounge. The tour was one of the better ones I've been on, and basically showed us everything except the hospital.
-
2 interviewers, first seemed with an ob/gyn seemed to go better than the second with a urologist. Expect to hear the *exact* same questions both times so try to act spontaneous when you hear yourself echoing your same comments just a few minutes earlier.
-
The interviews weren't too bad, but I've had better. The school itself is awesome-I loved it. New York City rocks, and they seem to give you all the benefits of the city without the drawbacks.
-
Not bad at all, there were some tough questions but they gave you a chance to impress. The facilities and housing are really nice for NYC.
-
Really great interview experience
-
It was weird. Probably one of the weirdest ones I had. The first interviewer gave me an old-fashioned hazing, which are not supposed to exist anymore. For example...he said he was not in his best spirits that day (great, thanks!); when I said maybe it was the weather (it was snowing) he said "why don't you wait until you're a doctor before you tell me what's wrong with me". Great, thanks. Interestingly, we broke the ice later on and joked a lot and he said he liked me. The second interviewer was like talking to a piece of cement. Just stared at you. Strange.
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
🕐
Length:
31 Minutes Average
🔄
Number:
2.2 Interviews Average
👥
Interview Type (Interaction):
100% One-on-One
0% Group Interview
📁
File Type:
99% Open-File
1% Closed-File
💻
Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
MSSM-COMP interviews are an average of 31 minutes, with an average of 2.2 interviews. 100% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 1% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include "Tell me about yourself," "Why medicine," "Tell me about your research," "Why this specific medical school," and "Describe your experiences and background." Some respondents mentioned being asked personal questions and hypothetical scenarios, indicating a potential MMI format with nondisclosure agreements in place.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
Tell me about your research.
-
Tell me about yourself
-
Tell me about your research in sports psychology
-
“Tell me about your experience working as a barista”
-
Hypothetical questions about where I would redirect my research if I acquired a particular result (MSTP interview)
-
What experience do you have with individuals from diverse background?
-
What is the biggest challenge in healthcare today?
-
You've done all this amazing research but why medicine?
-
What specialty are you interested in?
-
Why medicine?
-
Why Mount Sinai?
-
Why med/ Why mount sinai?
-
Would you consider going to school outside of NYC?
-
Why do you want to come to mt sinai
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
Tell me about experience X
-
One of the two interviewers (who is a professor) asked me very strange personal questions.
-
Tell me about your research?
-
Tell me about yourself and your research.
-
Tell me about your thesis research
-
Tell me about your childhood
-
Why Mt. Sinai?
-
How would you define success as a physician?
-
Tell me about your decision to apply to medical school
-
Has there been a time when you struggled with something? How did you overcome it?
-
Would you care to address anything about your grades? (WTF kind of question is that?)
-
Tell me about these two classes you failed (a ridiculously stupid question, given the classes were Tae Kwan Do and Ballroom dance), and what implications they hold for your committment?
-
See above
-
Tell me about your childhood.
-
Why do you want to ocome to Mount Sinai?
-
Do you feel you connect with autistic children? (I worked as an ABA therapist)
-
Tell me a little about yourself.
-
Why do you want to come to Mount Sinai?
-
Tell me about your research
-
The usual stuff.
-
What kind of research do you do (my current research position)
-
What was the defining moment that made you want to be a doctor?
-
What has been your favorite research experience? Tell me about that project? Tell me more about that project? Why was it your favorite?
-
Why do you seek a career in medicine?
-
When did you first decide to enter the medical profession? What led to your making that decision?
-
Describe your research
-
Why Sinai?
-
Ethical questions
-
Activities in my application
-
Why bother going to med school to do health policy work, with your degrees in economics and in law?
-
Specifics from my AMCAS - extracurriculars and clinical experiences really...no questions on my essay (both)
-
Just go through file
-
Why would you move from XXX to NYC?
-
How did you know you wanted to be a doctor?
-
Tell me about X activity
-
Pretty much, the interviewers have already made notes of your amcas application so they will direct questions about your activities. describe your research.
-
What do you find supremely interesting (in life in general)?
-
Tell me about research. Tell me about this, that activity. What have you done for Community service.
-
Various questions about my background
-
Why medicine, and why now?
-
How did you decide on med instead of research
-
Who picked out your suit?
-
Seems like you really liked undergrad - tell me more about it.
-
Amcas stuff
-
What makes you unique?
-
Tell me about your family?
-
Have you had any actual experience with doctors? (I've had 3 different volunteer jobs, and I work in a clinical setting.. this is all on my AMCAS application)
-
Just the basics about my application
-
Tell me about your thesis.
-
What brought you to medicine?
-
How would you solve the problems in healthcare?!?!
-
Why do you want to be a doctor?
-
When did you decide to become a doctor? What helped you make that decision?
-
Why MSSM?
-
How do you deal with stress?
-
Why are you interested in medicine?
-
Why NYC?
-
Tell me about your family
-
What would you do if your team were in the final four and you had an exam the next day?
-
Explain some extracurriculars that you've done.
-
Tell me about your family.
-
Do you want to go into private practice or academic medicine?
-
Why medicine
-
Why mount sinai
-
See above "most interesting question"
-
Tell me about your research experience. clinical experience
-
How did you feel when a child you knew passed away at the Ronald McDonald House?
-
Why New York City? Do you think you'll go back to your home state to practice medicine after you graduate?
-
How many schools have you applied to, how many interviews have you been to, how many have you been accepted to and what schools were they? (he jotted them all down right in front of me)
-
Why do you want to become a doctor.
-
What are you looking for in a medical school?
-
Issues in health care/medicine, why medicine, why your major, why time off, etcetc.
-
Have you read any books recently? (At which point I blanked and couldn't remember any book I'd read...) What is your favorite book? How many times have you read it?
-
What my parents do for a living.
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discussed a wide range of topics, including experiences in Scouting, favorite research projects, childhood memories, and aspirations in medicine. The interviews varied from straightforward to conversational, with no standout questions mentioned, suggesting a diverse set of inquiries tailored to individual applications.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
What do you think about girls joining Boy Scouts (when discussing my experiences in Scouting)
-
Tell me about your gaming PC, what games do you typically play?
-
“Why didn’t you pursue sports instead of medicine”
-
What experience do you have with individuals from diverse background?
-
Is there information you didn't include in your application that you would like to talk about?
-
What did you gain the most from your undergrad institution
-
What have you done in NYC?
-
None were striking.
-
What was your childhood like?
-
Tell me about your childhood.
-
What specialty are you hoping to get into
-
If you could have two minutes to tell the admissions committee about yourself, what would you say?
-
None, very straightforward interview
-
Comment on what you think should be done about nutrition in an urban environment
-
What are you looking for in a medical school?
-
Tell me about your childhood.....i guess... only cause it sparked an interesting conversation
-
Nothing stands out
-
Has there been a time when you struggled with something? How did you overcome it?
-
The entire interview was fun, more a conversation where I got to talk about my philosophy about the role of a physician in society
-
Who is the most inspirational figure in your life?
-
Tell me about your clinical experience...
-
What has been your favorite class at college?
-
Why did you decide to work with autistic children?
-
Who helped you pick out your suit? (apparently he asks everyone this)
-
Hmmm... don't remember.
-
I see you are writer, how do younplan to combine your love of writing with a medical practice
-
None, just basicly why mssm and tell me about certain things in my application. With both interviews I tried to turn engage conservation more than a questions and answer session
-
You mentioned a space elevator,´by what principle of physics do they work?
-
Nothing
-
Nothing particularly interesting.
-
Tell me about a situation that your learned a valuable lession from.
-
Nothing unusual
-
Specific aspect of an EC.
-
What reservations do you have about being a doctor, given what you anticipate about the future of medicine?
-
Very cookie cutter questions. Nothing weird or hard at all
-
As an MD/PhD, why would a patient go to you over a regular doctor.
-
How do I connect with the community?
-
What is one issue you'd like to fix in healthcare today?
-
If you caught a classmate cheating on a test, what would you do?
-
What have other interviewers asked you?
-
Nothing was particularly interesting - everything was cut-and-dry, catered to my application.
-
An old man is terminally ill, wants to be put out of his misery...what do you do? What if he has no family? How? How?
-
Nothin
-
One of my interviews was completely conversational... not one question was even asked.
-
If I were the Surgeon General, what would I do to mend America's healthcare system.
-
What do you think makes you special?
-
Pretty standard questions.--asked some detail questions about my research
-
What do you find supremely interesting?
-
Just AMCAAS stuff. No questions out of the ordinary.
-
Tell me about your family.
-
My daughter wants to be a writer. What advise would you give her? (I have written a lot throughout my life and wrote about it in my application.)
-
None were particularly interesting
-
Tell me a vignette from your volunteering experiences.
-
Nothing all that unusual....i had two interviewers. the first one asked me things like where i saw myself in ten years, what i wanted to specialize in and why, how i came to my decision of medicine and why not research (i have a lot of research background). the second one asked me about my extracurriculars and my time abroad etc.
-
What did you think of the "Gates"?
-
What's been your favorite research project thus far and why?
-
If you work at Cornell why do you want to come here?
-
What makes you unique among applicants?
-
Aren't you affraid of traveling in the Middle East?
-
I wasn't asked anything interesting.
-
Nothing too interesting, just the basic questions about my application
-
How do your parents feel about you becoming a doctor?
-
What would be a question you would ask a potential candidate?
-
What problems do you forsee your generation having to tackle? (generation of doctors not in general)
-
Scenario- What would you do if..... e.g. you were a doctor and had a group practice and all the other physicians left town?
-
Why did you not keep on working as a social worker if you want to help people?
-
Something specific about my application...
-
How did you lose the weight after your pregnancy?
-
What is your favorite type of music?
-
None, really. They asked alot of information pertaining to your weakness.
-
Who picked out your suit?
-
How did you pick out your suit?
-
How has the experience that drove you towards medicine shaped your philosophy as a physician?
-
Have you considered doing any bench research instead of clinical research once in medical school. (I have been working in clinical research for 5 years.)
-
Very standard questions: tell me about yourself; explain your research; why medicine; why this school
-
Where do you think medicine is headed today?
-
Related to healthcare
-
None of the questions were particularly interesting or particularly difficult. Both of the interviewers had read my application very thoroughly, and they mostly asked questions about my research and extracurricular activities (nothing picky).
-
What are the greatest issues that doctors have to face when working with minorities communities (my interviewer had a MPH)?
-
They just asked a lot of questions pertaining to my family history and my motivation to becoming a doctor. Very generic.
-
It is 10-15 years from now and you are on the admissions committee interviewing candidates. What question would you ask?
-
(some research question)
-
You didn't take a course in complex analysis? Why not?
-
Can you teach me how to dance in the next 20 minutes?
-
How would you improve health care in underserved communities?
-
I seriously choked on my interview. I didn't read over my amcas app as carefully as i should have. he asked me specific activites that i was involved in, but didn't refer to the activities my name...so i gave him confused looks, to both our embarassment.
-
Tell me about your childhood
-
Just get to know you type stuff.
-
The interviewer just wanted to get to know me. No tricks, no rudeness. Just asked me about certain aspects of my file that she felt was interesting.
-
What's wrong with you.
-
Why do you think you're fit to be a doctor?
-
"let's discuss some stereotypes."
-
Nothing too interesting.
-
In the future what are going to be significant trends in medicine?
-
Do you have any regrets?
-
How will you juggle a career in medicine with having a family and children?
-
What's the most fascinating undergrad course you took?
-
What do you think is the biggest healthcare issue facing the US? What would you suggest we should do about it?
-
Are you sure about the financial risk of going to medical school?
-
What did you do in your Christian organization/church?
-
Nothing... I don't think either one of my interviewers actually asked me a question. They just made comments like... so, New York? So, Medicine? Why Medicine? They weren't even complete questions. They just kind of stared at me and waited for me to talk about anything I felt like. It was not stressful at all, but it was strange.
-
What sort of challenges do you see for yourself as a physician 15 years down the line?
-
If you could ask me any personal question you want, what would you ask?
-
N/a
-
Are you afraid of New York City?
-
What was the most interesting paper you wrote in college?
-
What was your favorite class?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application materials, practicing with friends, reading the school's website, and looking at interview feedback on platforms like SDN. Suggestions included reviewing current events, practicing answering common questions, and discussing the program with current students to gain insight into the school's culture.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
I talked with students and faculty there
-
Learned more about Sinai programs, practiced aloud myself and with my friends
-
Looked at questions on SDN and used what I knew about getting into two schools previously about what I knew worked or didn't work at an interview.
-
Practice, SDN threads
-
Reviewed my previous research and applications, SDN questions, read advice online
-
Read SDN feedback, practiced with someone else, read my application and Sinai website
-
Read "An American Sickness" by Elizabeth Rosenthal
-
Went over primary and secondary apps, school website, sdn feedback,
-
Interview feedback, questioned student hosts.
-
Read through my application, researched the school
-
SDN questions, asking myself questions
-
Mt Sinai website, reviewed AMCAS activities
-
Reread my AMCAS
-
Sdn, went over my amcas, secondary app questions, basically reviewed my entire file
-
Reviewed my application, mock interviews, looked at sample questions.
-
I went on their website. Forgot to look at SDN interview feedback so I had no idea what the day was going to be like. Oops
-
Researched Sinai
-
Previous interviews, SDN, rereading essays
-
Read website, reviewed AMCAS and secondary application essays, spoke to friends at the school
-
Reviewed AMCAS, secondary app, current events, SDN
-
SDN, many previous interviews
-
Strong public health background and preparation will be helpful.
-
Talked to current student the night before.
-
Reread secondary app
-
No prep
-
Website, this site, reviewed my essays and app
-
Read over secondaries and school information.
-
Read Sinai's webpage and briefly reviewed AMCAS and supplementary app.
-
SDN, Mt. Sinai website
-
SDN, secondary and primary app, sinai website
-
Read the school's website.
-
SDN, MSSM website, thinking through my reasons for wanting to go to the school through the Humanities and Medicine program
-
Reviewed my AMCAS. Read up on the school. Surfed tons of websites!!
-
Msar, website, sdn
-
MSAR, www.mssm.edu, SDN feedback, watching the news for current events, looking into current issues, reviewing AMCAS
-
Good night sleep
-
Read alot about MSSM on the web and read over my application. Review to beable to describe my research brief and concisely
-
Practiced several monologs on my research experiences. very useful!
-
Read this site and website.
-
Read over AMCAS and secondary, SDN and website.
-
Read over the school's web page.
-
Read over sdn, read over my application, read mssm website
-
Reviewed application, SDN, student host, news.
-
Read my secondary, browsed the school's website
-
Read schools website, my secondary app, sdn feedback
-
SDN, MSSM website, review AMCAs
-
MSSM website, reviewed my AMCAS
-
Review my application and school website
-
SDN reviews, practice with friends, school's website
-
SDN, website
-
Same as usual... swim and work out
-
Nothing
-
SDN, MSAR, AMCAS app, secondary app, student host and his roommates, relaxed
-
SDN, AMCAS, sleep, watched movies :)
-
Slept
-
Not much, it was like the 6th one i've had.
-
I drank coffee. The interview day starts at 8:30 am. AH!
-
Sdn, amcas, secondary, talked to students the night before
-
SDN, interview rehearsal book, school's website, went over my application
-
Sdn, mt. sinai website, amcas application
-
Read the website, SDN, reviewed appication
-
Reviewed application, visited school website and read fedback on this website.
-
Usual, amcas, secondaries, sdn, talked to a host student
-
Studentdoctor.net, mt sinai website, looked over my secondary
-
AMCAS, website
-
SDN, Mt. Sinai website, re-read AMCAS, took interviewing workshop.
-
Sdn, friends notes, website
-
Sdn, talked to friends
-
Read AMCAS, secondary, SDN
-
Read sdn feedback, looked at my amcas
-
Read MSSM website, looked over my app
-
SDN, Read Application and all of school website material
-
Ate breakfast
-
SDN, read app
-
Student Bulletin, AMCAS, Secondary
-
Read website, reviewed my application
-
Read sdn, talk to students, read handbook, not really necessary though
-
Didn't have time. Nothing.
-
Read website... read over file... usual stuff
-
Read school's website, SDN
-
School website, sdn, amcas
-
Read SDN, read MSSM website, went over my application
-
Read
-
Read my AMCAS, secondary, looked at their website, SDN, interview feedback, etc.
-
Re-read my AMCAS, read their website, read this site
-
SDN but I wished I had reread my secondary.
-
Read a lot. Did mock interviews. Read up on the school.
-
Reread AMCAS, SDN, School Website
-
SDN, AMCAS, search forum for positive opinions.
-
Read all SDN questions for MSSM, read school website, reread honors thesis, read most current research in the field I am currently working in. All of this was overkill!
-
SDN, read over AMCAS app, talked to other pre-med students
-
Sdn, AMCAS, website, MSAR
-
I re-read my MSSM secondary.
-
Sdn, brochure, my app, talked to current students
-
SDN, amcas
-
Read over my AMCAS and supplemental; relaxed; chatted with fellow interviewees.
-
It was my sixth interview so I didn't really.
-
Read Sinai's website
-
Reviewed my application, looked at Sinai's website.
-
I had been to many prior to this one, so I wasn't too keen on preparing. Their website is not that informative either.
-
SDN, MSAR
-
SDN
-
Research on their website.
-
Looked at this website, and the Mt. Sinai website.
-
SDN, Mount Sinai webpage
-
Website, talked to students.
-
Read interview feedback, browsed the school website, reviewed cnn-health.
-
SDN, mock interviews, read my essays, read the MSSM website
-
Read this site. reviewed nytimes science sections. read about healthcare issues. read articles about ethical issues
-
Sdn, school's website
-
Talked to friends, this site, MSSM website.
-
Read up on MSSM's website, talked to my student host, read SDN feedback
-
Checked out www.mssm.edu, searched SDN for anything related to mount sinai.
-
SDN feedback, the school's website, reread my application
-
Read the website
-
Looked at website, looked over my application, looked at this website
-
Read the website Reviewed my application and current research Spoke with friends who are current students there
-
Read over the school's website, read over this website, reviewed my AMCAS and secondary application, reviewed notes from my research, and tried to think of answers to commonly asked questions.
-
N/a
-
Read their website, looked at this website
-
Looked around the school's website
-
Read their website, reviewed my AMCAS and other material
-
Read interview feedback such as this.
What was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discussed a wide range of topics, including personal beliefs, challenges faced, career aspirations, and ethical dilemmas. While the responses varied, some interviewees mentioned being asked about research dissemination, emotional encounters with patients, reasons for choosing medicine, and handling ethical scenarios. It's worth noting that the interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) as some responses referenced non-disclosure agreements regarding specific questions asked.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
-
How will you use your research in sports psychology in the future?
-
“Tell me about a time where you had to stand up for something you believed in
-
I saw that you have a lot of experience working with the underserved. Are you considering getting an MPH as well?
-
Why MD/PhD?
-
Nothing too difficult. Very relaxed.
-
What should I tell the admissions staff about you?
-
What shall I tell the admissions committee about you when we meet to discuss your application--and just to be clear, I will tell them what you say?
-
Did your project end up a success? (I helped re-start an organization...but after i left it regressed again. sadly.)
-
One interviewer's only question was : "What questions do you have for me?"
-
What would you do if you did not get into medical school this year
-
Are you an emotional person? (Yes.) How will this affect your job? Will you be able to handle emotional encounters with patients?
-
None, very straightforward interview
-
What is your greatest weakness?
-
One interviewer asked about my public health diabetes prevention (through lifestyle changes & health education) research study, and asked me how it's supposed to be realistically disseminated because our study seems too costly. It was hard to argue back...
-
None
-
People around the area consider themselves unhealthy for the most part even with a very advanced medical facility close by, why? (think of not just physical health)
-
What would you do if you did not get accepted this year?
-
Has there been a time when you struggled with something? How did you overcome it?
-
The first question, mainly because it was so inane. She actually retracted once she realized how silly it sounded (I had sprained my ankle in Tae Kwan Do, and the Ballroom class I had failed was one that I had taken twice previously, and didn't care enough to show up to the final)
-
Where do you see the future of medicine going?
-
Nothing really.
-
Ohio State isn't a very intellectual school. Why are you there for undergrad? (the other interviewees were from big-name east coast schools)
-
No tough ones really. They're just trying to get to know you.
-
Repeatedly and with extreme doubt at all of my very reasonable responses: Why on earth do you want to be a doctor?
-
Nothing
-
How do feel about your MCAT score?
-
Why do you want to go straight from college to med school, and not take some time off?
-
What would you do if you didn't get into medical school (ever)?
-
None, except being asked if I had any questions for him early on in the interview.
-
What will you do if you don't get into medical school this year?
-
Why is X drug being used in X disorder (i work in research in this field)
-
See above
-
Same.
-
If you suspect that an older, personally close colleague was beginning to misdiagnose his patients, what would you do?
-
What is your worst feature?
-
Explain this car accident that resulted in especially poor marks your senior year (I opened the door by mentioning this in my application).
-
An old man is terminally ill, wants to be put out of his misery...what do you do? What if he has no family? How? How?
-
Nothin
-
Thre were no difficult questions... for my first interview, the interviewer just asked me about various things in my file.
-
SAME
-
Tell me about your research
-
Same as before--what impressions have you gained from your volunteer work?
-
Same as above
-
Why Medicine? Why now? (I've been out of college for two years, but have been involved in research since)
-
Did you do research? (It didn't mention research on my AMCAS.) Why not?
-
None were particulary difficult
-
Why should I believe that you'll be committed to medicine in the future?
-
Why do you consider yourself an "activist"?
-
Why aren't you involved in any LGBT events? (Not at all ill-intentioned; I had written in my secondary that I am gay and my interviewer was just wondering more about it.)
-
Weaknesses--not an unexpected question, but when I gave my answer (needing to be more assertive) and how I'd improved it, the interviewer misconstrued what I was saying to mean that I thought doctors should dictate orders to patients, so I had to back up and clarify. Ugh.
-
None really, all where standard questions. (Why Medicine, Where do you see yourself in 10-20yrs, Strengths and Weakneses etc.)
-
Nothing difficult
-
What's your favorite class?
-
What was your favorite class? (silly me, I had never thought about it before)
-
What are some problems with healthcare? (answer) and then what is another problem?
-
If I only told the committee one thing about you what should it be?
-
None really, the interviews were very conversational
-
No difficult questions...
-
Basically to explain why I instead of everyone else should be admitted (not good bragging about myself)
-
Nothing really. Very conversational.
-
Describe the biochemical effects of a drug on patients(I was doing research on a procedure that required the use of it)
-
None, just kow about who you are and what you did
-
How do you think being a singer will help you communicate with patients?
-
What was the point of your research? (It was a study with preschool children on how they learn.)
-
None.
-
None... all very generic
-
? No real difficult quesitons
-
Explain a grade (some interviewers may really sit with your application and go through it in detail with you there - just understand that that's how he/she interviews, and you just have to stay "perky")
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None really...the one above, I had to think about it for a bit
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(some research question)
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(The first question I was asked) I read your application and it's quite complete. What would you like to add?
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Why not public health? I never mentioned or even thought about doing PH.
-
He prefaced the questions by saying it wasn't fair. Then he asked, is "your undergrad institution" your top choice?
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How would u compare life in new york with saudi arabia (where i mentioned i'd lived a while)? this would have been an easy question except that the interviewer kept interrupting me and didn't give me a chance to finish
-
None really.
-
What's wrong with you.
-
"i hate research. can't stand it. explain your thesis research to me in layman's terms. no wait, don't use any words longer than 10 characters."
-
Where do you see scientific research headed in 10 years?
-
I was asked to clarify weak points of my resume...nothing too surprising
-
How would you deal with the frustration of a patient who didn't follow your instructions (in terms of taking care of himself) and then ended up in the emergency room?
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"Now if you had to apply it (my research) clinically, how would you activate that subset of cells?"
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Are you a leader or a follower?
-
Nothing really
-
Where do you see yourself 15 years from now?
-
So, what are you going to say to impress me? (Said in a joking tone though)
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Can you think of non-economic, non-political issues in medicine?
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What do you think is the most challenging problem in healthcare? How would you solve it?
-
A lot of questions concerning how I would behave in specific ethical situations.
-
What medical school do you want to go to?
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and enthusiastic student body, the quality of facilities and housing, the emphasis on a non-competitive and collaborative environment, the school's location in New York City, and the opportunities available for clinical experiences and research. Common feedback included the affordability and quality of student housing, the supportive and welcoming atmosphere, and the genuine happiness expressed by students at the school.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Extremely affordable rent for Manhattan in student housing. Emphasis on advocacy and fostering environment of change-makers. Everyone was very friendly and supportive.
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How welcoming the students and faculty seemed, everyone seemed to be very happy to be at Sinai and well taken care of.
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Literally everything. The student body is very chill, the hospital is huge and impressive, the interviewers read my file in depth and asked specific questions, the housing is cheap and very nice, the area is safe but also close enough to East Harlem so you get a wide variety of patients at Mount Sinai and the affiliates.
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Students, faculty, amazing atmosphere
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Quality of the facilities and research. Students seem very happy here and laid-back. Pass/fail preclinical curriculum. Non-competitive, collaborative environment.
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The dorm!
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Students seemed very happy. Housing is cheap and nearby.
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How relaxed and funny everyone was
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The vast amount of opportunities.
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Candidness of Dr. Richard Muller, Dean of Medical Education. Friendliness of student body. New affiliation with Continuum Health Partners expanding clinical opportunities. Responsiveness of the administration to student feedback.
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Students were gushing about their school all day, seemed pretty obsessed with it; great location; great facilities; great programs; cheap dorms right across the street
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Super cheap rent, great students, pass/fail, 1 block from central park!
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Student tour guides were very bright, enthusiastic, and articulate. Everyone at Sinai was very friendly.
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EVERYONE was so enthusiastic-- students, deans, nursing staff, the guy who told us about financial aid...
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Everyones super friendly, relaxed atmosphere, students are chill and happy, doctors staff are friendly
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Friendly students, really kind (and funny) faculty members and interviewers who tried to make us feel as comfortable as possible, good sense of community.
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Location is good, student housing is heavily subsized and right across the street, which is great. Even though its a relatively highly ranked school, it isn't only research focused. They have a lot of programs emphasizing clinical skills.
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The reputation of the school, and quality of the affiliated hospitals.
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Everything! Particularly the student body, the mission of the school, the area, the amazing and cheap dorms (pretty much apartments), etc.
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School and hospital is BEAUTIFUL. Gorgeous facilities, absolutely enthusiastic happy students, encouragement of outside interests, pass/fail curriculum with open lengths of times to take exams. The student housing seems like the best out of any other NYC schools...amazing and cheap.
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Students, clinical facilities, information session, locations
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The students seemed really happy. The location is bangin! And student rent is cheap $550 cause everyone lives in the dorms. The campus is vertical and all really close together! Library was just redone. Anatomy lab has great view. Students have access to a really nice gym. Students also have access to NYU libraries.
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Cooperative atmosphere, anatomy lab's view, location, housing...
-
Very relaxing atmosphere
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Wonderful presentation by the dean of medical education; made me want to enroll right away!
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How friendly everybody was. The students came down from their classes to chat with us, and the admissions staff were all very friendly.
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The people were so friendly and enthusiastic. Even the financial aid guy was hilarious.
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Facilities and location
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The location - right next to central park, but not in a hectic area like times square Students - uber chill. May not be future leaders in medicine, but they're the kind of kids I want to go to school with. Apartments - ~$500/month for gorgeous apartments on the Upper East side. Pinch me, I must be dreaming Anatomy Lab - great view
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The friendliness of the students and staff. How laid back all of the students seemed and how happy they were to be there. The student housing is also exceptional, and the teaching space is being renovated to be top-notch.
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Everything - the students were very laid back yet extremely intelligent, the facilities were excellent, and everyone there felt like they all contributed to the overall personality of the school. There was no stress at all, and their curriculum seems fantastic. Use pass/fail but not the honors/high pass/pass/fail system that schools try to use to fake out the students into believing the system is not a,b,c, etc.
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Facilities, students all were enthusiastic about the school, nice dorms that are cheap with a good view, great hospitals
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The people are all really friendly and down-to-earth. The interviews were very conversational. The residence halls were amazing (gorgeous suites on upper east side for $550, including internet).
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The closeness of the community, the well-rounded student body.
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Interviewers were excited about the school.
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How friendly, nice, and relaxed everyone was!
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Mt. sinai is an amazing place! all the students, faculty, and administrators were enthusiastic about the curriculum, etc. student housing is nice
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The students seemed enthusiastic. They all loved their experience there, and seem to be having a good time even with all the work. Hospital is really nice, and many opportunities seem to be available for the students. Interviews were chill and they're looking for reasons to accept you rather than reject you. The student housing is really nice and cheap for NYC. Quick access to rest of the city (the 6 stops right next to the school). Really nice location. Excellent match list. P/F grading, non-PBL centered curriculum, and NYC rules!
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Amazing faculty, strong research. But, most of all, people seemed genuinely happy. And, in the end, I think going to a medical school that not only offers an exceptional educational exprience, but has happy medical students is what this is all about. Nuff said.
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That my one of my interviewers stayed at MSSM for residency. She was a woman of color
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Beautiful area. Relatively inexpensive housing. Research labs were better than I anticipated. Very integrated curriculum. Relaxed students.
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That the school really takes care of its students: decent housing at a decent price, free dental services, free passes to the really nice YMCA, active recreational office, etc.
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Because the dean of admissions had prior committments, the dean of medical education spoke to us, and he was very interesting. Also, the housing is pretty nice.
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Enthusiasm and honesty of the students, personal attention of the admissions staff, clinical facilities
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Students were nice, open, welcoming, happy. described mssm as chill, noncompetitive but a great place to achieve (high board scores, good match list)
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The anatomy lab overlooks Manhattan, MD/MPH in 4 years, simulation room, amazing lecture room, camaraderie of students, student housing.
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Happy students, frequent tweaking of the curriculum for the better, good housing
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Facilities
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Everyone was incredibly friendly. They allowed random students to come to the waiting room to chat with us and everyone had positive things to say about MSSM. There was no 'meet only one or two students' perspective.
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The friendliness of the students and interviewers! Sinai seems to have a very chill environment. Plus, it's got a great location in NYC (you can see Central Park from their anatomy lab!! what more could you ask for?)
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The humility of the faculty and staff
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Friendliness of students and staff
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The students are so happy. Beyond all the talk, MSSM really does seem to care about the WHOLE applicant. The Dean who presented the slide show seemed really nice and funny.
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Human Simulator Lab, patient simulation center (Morchand), down-to-earthness and transparency of students and administration, cheap housing in Upper East Side, location straddling Spanish Harlem
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The incredible enthusiasm of the students.
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Simulator lab a leader among med schools; student housing; Global Health program; Health Policy department; student happiness; student-run clinics; standardized patient program
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The students, the facilities, Aron Hall, Central Park, People jogging, People smiling in NYC...everything
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The hospital was cool, student seemed somewhat happy, residences looked nice
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Location, location, location. What a difference compared to Eintstein! It seemed like a really nice place to go to school. Dorms were nice, although I don't think that I'm interested in living in a dorm.
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The Morechand Center and the human simulator were really cool! It seemed that they would complement the curriculum really well. Also, the students were very excited to be going to school at MSSM. Also, the director of admissions was very nice, comforting and knowledgable. She gave the first med school powerpoint presentation I've seen that wasn't completely useles. All in all, it was a great interview day.
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Morchand center, double beds in Aron, newly renovated 13th floor, view from anatomy lab
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The students were very enthusiastic and kept telling us we should attend the school (even though they had just taken an exam and should have been pretty tired)
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Mt. sinai hospital is a versatile facility--serving the upper east side as well as spanish harlem--so you see a very diverse patient population
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The facilities are some of the best I've seen, the location is excellent, housing is amazing and cheap for Manhattan, the students seems genuinely happy there.
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Really friendly school. Pass/Fail grading system. Anatomy labs on 12th floor give a great view of central park.
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All, I mean ALL students were very happy with MSSM. They all seemed very enthusiastic. My host student was really nice. Central Park is accross the street. There are a lot of opportunities at the school. The cafeteria is the best so far. PASS/FAIL for first two years.
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Everything about the school!!! The students were so enthusiastic--they adored their school and showed us that in so many ways, the resources were phenomenal, the way they learn is just right up my alley, housing is great, hospital is gorgeous, everyone is just so nice!
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People are very down to earth
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The enthusiasm for the current medical students was unmatched by students at any other interviews I have had so far. They don't just like the program, they LOVE the school/program/city.
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Pretty much everything. the three major things i didnt like were: 1) pretty much no problem-based learning 2) sinai hospital is private (im very interested in public hospitals)....they have a lot of public affiliates, but their main hosp is private 3) their md/mph program is crammed into four years. this might be good for some people, but im concerned that it will diminish the quality of both degrees (you have to cut your clinical electives to take mph courses)
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Students seemed earnestly happy at this school. The environment was very laid back and the interviews seemed to be geared towards really getting to know me, rather than intimidating me or asking me to defend my life.
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The students seemed very cheerful and happy. The pass/fail first two years. My interviewers were just nice and chill. The student lounge.
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Interviewers were very nice. Their apartments are nice for NYC housing. Looks like a good clinical experience. P/F first two years. NY is great although not in the best part of NY.
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The location--I'd never been to NYC before, and I liked it a lot; the friendliness and enthusiasm of the students; the sense of community; the international opportunities
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The location and the sincere happiness of the students.
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I loved the facilities and the location. The students seemed happy and enthusiastic.
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I liked the students a lot at mount sinai. a very cordial and communcal atmosphere, starting with my very friendly student host. i think the students are happier at mt sinai than at any other NYC school...mount sinai seems liek a fun place to spend 4 years.
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Facilities, Location, Happiness of Students, The renovations going on for student facilities.
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Their enthusiasm for their students. New York. Everyone is just so happy.
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Community is great, area is very nice and residential despite being in new york, new york's culture
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The true pass/fail system for the first two years, most students and the admission office staff.
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Students.. they were open and honest and approachable. Great groups of people.
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The students seemed really nice and enthusiastic, a true pass/fail grading system, clinical opportunities, diversity of patient population, New York City, MPH program, international opportunities, all faculty and interviewers were extremely friendly and supportive, central park, proximity to subway stop
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The pass/fail system, the interviewers, Dean of Admissions was a very friendly individual, the location, clinical exposure, friendly student body
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EVERYTHING!! This school is my first choice. I thoroughly loved the housing (best housing in terms of price and quality that I've seen yet from NY schools I've interviewed at), integrated curriculum, pass/fail grading, students all are very happy and geniunely express that they are not overly worked and stressed out. The school shows excellent residency placements while giving their students room to have a life outside of schoolwork to become their own people. I stayed with a student host, who was very nice and accomodating. The admissions officers really know your application and know who you are when you get there for the interview. I had a great time speaking with both of my interviewers and both gave me room to show myself rather than suffocating me with their ideas and thoughts. I finished my interviews feeling as though I really got to show MSSM who I am. The area is great. I personally am looking for a lively, vibrant environment to spend my Medical School years and MSSM is perfect for such an atmosphere.
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The students, the staff, the school. Very nice people. Also the quality of the people that were there with me interviewing... they were incredible.
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Nice facilities, caring administration. Nice apartments compared to other NYC schools, although I hear the married student housing is less than stellar.
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All the students seemed to love it, the staff/admissions counselors were laid back
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Everything. The dorms, schools, hospitals and students are amazing. I love the whole atmosphere of the school. Financial aid is really good if your parents don't make alot of money.if you need to fly out later in the day you ca skip luch ad tour right after 12PM.
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I really liked my interviewers and the office administration. All were very nice and friendly and genuine. The students also seem happy.
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Students would stop by and visit with us just to chat about the program - from all years, not just the 1st or 2nd years.
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Forward thinking faculty and curriculum, clerkships emphasize under-served communities, great apartments for students, lots of hustle in NYC.
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Lots of early clinical exposure, community service and opportunities for research. Also, the students really love Sinai and seem to have found a balance between life and school. The students were also very proud of their school. While waiting in the cafeteria I was approached by a random 2nd year who asked if I was interviewing. When I told him I was he very enthusiastically told me how much he loved Sinai and was so happy that he decided to attend.
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Students seem happy; day was very organized; facilities/location a positive. The interviews for everyone in my group were very laid back.
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The hospital seemed really cool, I LOVE NYC
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The curriculum, the housing, the administration is very put together and really cares about the students, the location, it's a really really impressive school
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The Guggenheim Pavilion is beautiful, the students are very friendly and happy, the dorms are fairly inexpensive and seem livable. I was worried about the neighborhood since I know the school is on the border of East Harlem, but the students say that they feel safe and the area really didn't seem too bad.
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How laid back and open the students are. My interviewers were great and matched my personality almost perfectly.They really stress diversity and community service serioulsly. Its not just talk. The location is great also, directly between York St (which is very first class) and spanish harlem.
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Location, location, location. I love NYC, and to be able to live in the Upper East Side is an awesome opportunity. The human stimulator and the intibation stimulator was great.
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The school is great. the presentations were fantastic and down to earth and really helpful. the surrounding area is great and its in NYC. OVerall, the school made you feel wanted! they do an excellent job of catering to students needs.
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Sinai's financial aid, the location, the diversity, the friendliness of staff and students, the number of organizations, the fact that you can start whatever interest group you want and they'll give you funding for it, whatever you are interested in researching just ask and they'll find you a faculty member, the views from the school and hospital, the student recreation office and all they have to offer... what can I say-- it is an excellent school in NYC.
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The location, the hospital, the research being done there in my area of interest, the student housing.
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Beautiful hospital because of the super rich who live to the south of the place, but still get lots of good cases because Spanish Harlem is just to the north.
-
The housing, the students seemed really enthusiastic and the administration seems very responsive to the students. The Assistant Director for Admissions knew my application extremely well and organized a meeting with the Chief of Plastic Surgery while I was waiting in between interviews.
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Friendly admissions staff, associate director of admissions knew everyone's background pretty well, interviewees were from various backgrounds, nice dorms.
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The students are happy, their housing is amazing, the faculty are really into their teaching, financial aid is good, and the anesthia dummy is tight.
-
The facilities are really nice, the students all seemed happy to be there, they have awesome guest lecturers, the neighborhood. the presentations by the different offices were really helpful. and their dorms are awesome
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Everything. it's an amazing place where they REALLY take care of the students. giving you nice housing for cheap in nyc is no small thing.
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It was a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. It is a nice part of Manhattan. The curriculum is well balanced and integrated. The professors were knowledgable and the students were engaged.
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The location is awesome, in upper east side manhattan, right next to central park. the curriculum is somewhat integrated, and they have lots of opportunities for people to explore their interests early on. the interview day is not pushy-they know the school isn't for everyone, but they have a really good program. the students have a lot of free time during the week. their apt-style dorms are huge, much bigger than i expected for new york city, and they're right across the street.
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The surrounding area is easy to get to and very nice. Its a good mix of underpriveleged and overpriveleged people. Their facilities and buildings are all really beautiful.
-
Location in NYC, students, professors.
-
The housing. wow.
-
They truly just wanted to get to know you as a person. I felt extremely comfortable and welcomed. Very laidback.
-
Low stress environment. only pass fail grades for first two years. NYC. students were open and friendly as were the interviewers. inexpensive housing in the upper east side right across from school. a PHD interviewed me. got a different perspective on the school.
-
Students are friendly and happy. faculty is very laidback, accessible, and friendly.
-
Willingness of students to spend a lot of time talking with us about the school, and answering all of our questions in depth. Neighborhood, number of opportunities for volunteering with community groups. They really seem like they take care of all the little details to make the students happy (great place to live, windows in anatomy labs, dedicated faculty).
-
Great NYC location, chill students, sweet housing, very committed faculty, nice anatomy lab
-
Students were very happy. The atmosphere was very low stress. Everyone I met seemed very involved with the local community and was intent on making a difference. The anatomy lab was pretty cool. Tunnels were sweet too.
-
The school's locations rocks. A mix of affluent and indigent patients. The pre clinical curriculum seemed very relaxed. Great clinical opportunities at sinai and elmhurst. Students seemed very friendly. Best housing of any NYC school
-
The students are very laid back, and the new curriculum is showing very impressive results in the boards. It's a school that focuses on the care aspect of medicine. I can appreciate that
-
The students seemed happy and relaxed. The dorms were really nice.
-
The friendliness of the interviewers
-
Both interviewers were friendly, and seemed to really just want to get to know me. The students seemed happy with their school, though it may have been because they just finished their last final before the holiday vacation. The housing was really nice, especially compared with the others schools I've seen. Since there is so much waiting time, there's not much to do besides talk to the other interviewees--everyone was really friendly...almost like there was a sense of camaraderie!
-
HOUSING
-
The students seemed GENUINELY happy there--not like at other schools where you can tell they are faking it. The location is terrific, and the housing is awesome. It's ridiculously cheap to live there, and the apartments are pretty nice. They give you lots of free time, at least in the first year, so students have a life, and they have a lot of resources to help you have a life for cheap. You can see Central Park and downtown from their labs, which was kind of cool.
-
The facilities, location, how nice the housing was compared to other NYC schools and how friendly the students and faculty were.
-
Great housing and really friendly students PASS/FAIL in the first 2 years
-
The layout of the medical center.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the lack of preparation and engagement from interviewers, unimpressive facilities, disorganization during the interview day, negative interactions with students or faculty members, and a perceived bias towards Ivy League applicants. Suggestions included improving interviewer training, enhancing facility conditions, increasing organization during interview days, fostering a more welcoming environment, and addressing any biases in the admissions process.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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In the student Q&A they said the financial aid office is very difficult to work with.
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They had a very big bias favoring Ivy League applicants and I was asked why they should choose me (someone not from an Ivy).
-
Nothing
-
Not much
-
Neither one of my interviewers seemed to have read my app ahead of time. One of them was skimming through my amcas as I talked and asked me random questions that just reflected how poorly they have prepared
-
High director turnover.
-
Nothing. Great school!
-
MS1s seemed kind of stressed... But it may just have been a bad time for them.
-
The school seems aware that they are losing highly competitive applicants to better-known schools in part due to lack of financial aid, but they don't have a plan to address this. No, that isn't easy, but they have lots of other plans going on.
-
Tour was a bit long and redundant
-
Some of the interviewees seemed aloof and not very approachable, especially compared to my many other interviews.
-
One interviewer was texting and inattentive, but she must have been busy with her other work. other than that everyone was warm and welcoming and the tour was thorough
-
None of the students were studying in the middle of a weekday (they were playing pool/watching TV/etc) and many of them walked into class late as if this was the norm.
-
I didn't like the students I met. The few that talked to us or gave us a tour guide were strange. I'm always hesitant to say I didn't like the students though because you only meet half a dozen, which is a small sample size of the 100+ at any med school. Also the lunch was rushed, we had like 5 minutes to eat because we were falling behind schedule in our 1.5 hour tour. They should have given us more time to eat and shorten the tour.
-
The professors who interviewed me were both unfriendly, unnecessarily aggressive, and one asked me odd personal questions. The students who we met were ditzy, unfriendly, and generally unimpressive. I had a miserable time with my student host, who refused to give me a blanket/pillow/sheets or a towel, made me sleep on a couch that was not long enough for me to fit on (though her bed was vacant because she spent the night with her boyfriend), and who seemed to care more about theater auditions than medicine. The suite mates gave me just as negative an impression of the school.
-
Really nothing - I guess the only possible thing is that it is apparently heavily lecture based.
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Nothing really; I'm slightly concerned with my safety in NYC, but that's to be expected in any city environment.
-
The dorms were fiiiiine. I mean by far the best dorms out the new york schools. But still....they're DOORMS
-
1st student tour, lunch
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The neighborhood is kinda sketchy. and I got lost on the subway.
-
Students didn't seem too happy to be there.
-
Curriculum - Not a huge fan of the curriculum. It's very traditional, lecture based system, with the usual divisions of organ based physiology in the first year and then pathophys in the second year. Financials - this isn't a biggie, but the school has been through some financial troubles in the past
-
Not a huge fan of the 'vertical campus.'
-
Nothing - I was very happy there and could see myself attending there in the fall.
-
Location isn't perfect, they say you just have to have your wits about you, but i wouldn't call it safe.
-
The tour was not as comprehensive as it should have been so I felt like I didn't get a good look at the hospital. I got a good look at the lecture halls, etc, but we only saw basically the entrance of one floor of the hospital. Our tour guide (he usually didn't do tours but all second years had a mandatory meeting that day or something like that) was practical but kind of discouraging. It's really nice when I don't always see med students who are always like ''This is the best school EVER'' since I think it seems kind of generic and fake...but this tour guide was a little over the top with his negative comments.
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Nothing!
-
One of the med students who came by to talk to us said ''If you don't get in, don't worry, because medical school is totally boring and not fun.'' That was sad to hear! Also, one of my interviews was way under the 30 minute time slot and the interviewer kept cutting me off, as if he wanted to get it over with quickly.
-
How much waiting around we had to do.
-
Nothing.
-
Nothing really. Doors in interview rooms were tricky to open, lol.
-
Not much.
-
The dorms for single student were either quad or six room suites
-
That 5/6 interviews were on the same day! That we had 1 group interview with a student guide which was evaluative. That half of my interviewers showed extreme doubt about the usefullness of MD/PhDs in general, and didn't seem to buy the school's own bottom line of ''translational research'' which was repeated incessently by the program coordinators.
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Their highly praised anatomy lab wasn't too impressive.
-
Cost of housing!!
-
The tour was a bit abbreviated because it was the one day of the week when the guides have class in the afternoon. The lecture halls are pretty dark and dreary.
-
Nothing really.
-
The outside of the building is pretty hideous, closet-like interview rooms.
-
The dean was nuts, the immediate surrounding neighborhood isn't all that interesting
-
One of my interviewers was an a-hole, area is fine but not great, 3 year students seemed sort of disappointed in housing options and in some of her rotations in NJ (??? )
-
The building is a bit drab and there are literally NO KNOBs on doors. You get a door by the break in color! This only negatively impressed me to a minimal extent. It was a bit hilarious even!
-
It was raining (not pouring but not sprinkling either) and instead of taking the tunnel our rude tour guide took us outside instead, getting all of us interviewees and our not cheap suits wet. That really annoyed me because we were approaching the building that would have taken us to the tunnels but then our tour guide just cavalierly decided it didn't matter and without asking any of us started walking outside. Grrr...Luckily, our other tour guides were nice.
-
At times the interviews alternated from building one building to another, then returned to the same building
-
For some reason I got this blinding headache as soon as I walked into the anatomy lab.
-
Outside of the building pretty ugly
-
Curriculum maybe a little TOO free-flowing; no chance to sit in on classes; Aron Hall right next to train tunnel/tracks
-
Some of the students didn't seem cool, but most did
-
I didn't really feel that I connected with either of the faculty members, or that I could approach them to discuss concerns that I might have.
-
Though the 12th floor is apparently being renovated, right now it appears a little shoddy. The anatomy lab looks like it could get crowded and the lecture room looks like it could get pretty cramped after a 2 hour lecture.
-
12th floor (soon to be renovated)
-
The student housing was nice for New York, but not as great as a lot of graduate housing I've seen at other institutions
-
This is really minor--felt like lunch was rushed but that was only because my tour guide wanted to give us a very complete tour of the facilities/housing so the tour ran a little over.
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Nothing really
-
The location is good for diversity of patients and eye opening, but not a lot to do in that area. There isn't much of a campus feeling, but it's NYC. School does not have a bookstore and library seems to be be unimpressive. The school offers great apartments, but the hallway was dirty and everything smelled of dirty. The apartments/bldg would be amazing if they were clean. Very few lectures are recorded and posted online.
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That mount sinai isn't a trauma center and that it's very expensive (as they were very blunt about in the financial aid session)
-
None
-
The interviews were a little short and I felt like they ended rather abruptly.
-
One of my tour guides was a little over the top and a bit annoying. The dorms, while nice, weren't really that impressive. Although, the price is right. Some of the facilities just seem a bit downtrodden. I don't like how Sinai's not part of a University - seems like it's missing something I just can't put my finger on.
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Tour guides weren't very enthusiastic about school. Heard that hospital has had money problems in past.
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Well, as a graduate of a lowly public university, I was a little put off that everyone else in my interview group and many of the MSSM students who came by to talk to us were all from big-name schools--Cornell, Stanford, Columbia, etc. But at least one of the student tour guides was from a state U, so it doesn't seem to be a pre-req of getting in. Oh, the high cost of living in NYC is of course a negative, coming from a substantially less expensive city, but I already knew about that.
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I had blisters on my feet.
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My student interviewer was a little awkward...but i'm reaching for negative comments here
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Hallway smell in Aron Hall (Dormitory)...eh, what can you do?
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Aron Hall was pretty shabby. The campus seemed gray... but then it was raining, so that probably had something to do with it.
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Dorm style housing, 4 or 6 person suites, random assignment of roommates, some of the rooms i saw were literally the size of a medium-large bathroom
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One of the student tour guides seemed fairly arrogant. For the most part the students were phenomenal, so I won't let that affect my opinion of the school. Also, the third and forth years are graded.
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The interview and the tour.. Tour was disorganized. Such a waste of time. The interviewer was very aggressive and a little bit rude. Really turned me off to the school.
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The fact that to most students live in subsidized apartments. The housing was really cheap, close to the school, and attractive...but I'm not sure I can go back to having roommates again after living on my own for several years
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Nothing really. I dont think lectures are recorded....but then again, that's a good thing for me because it keeps me going to class.
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The fact that interviewers did not display a whole lot of emotion (poker face kind of deal) i started to feel like I was boring them with my answers, but it turns out that's what they did to everyone. However, They were very polite, fair and direct, and never tried to trick me in any way.
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Nothing really. I wasn't blown away by this school, it was nice but not the best I have been to.
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None but this isn't negative but alot of students came from really top notch school and I came from LSU.
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The dorms - even though as far as dorms go they are pretty good.
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When the assistant admissions director told us that last year they accepted someone 3 days before school started, so the wait could be that long, but don't give up hope.
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The financial aid presentation was a snooze.
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Mt. Sinai seemed to really stress how they are "different" from other NY schools, but nothing really stood out to me. Some of the Admission staff who were supposed to spend time with interviewers seemed very rushed-- did not make the time for students. I also was disappointed that no one addressed the financial issues Mt. Sinai is having. I have been at other schools with similar situations who are very up front. They state the problem, how it is being addressed, and how it will/will not affect med students. Nothing was said at Mt. Sinai, and questions about it aren't really appropriate from an interviewer. I would have appreciated some initiative and forwardness from the admins. on such an issue.
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The whole day seemed a bit disorganized. I also did not like either of my interviewers. Neither of them asked any challenging questions, and both were very drab.
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One of the interviews was not as "fun" as i'd hoped, that's always a downer
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That the dorms are all 4 or 6 people suits and its unlikely that i will be able to afford a normal 1 bedroom or studio apartment in midtown. The tour was a little toooo long, dang! My day started at 8:30 and didnt end until 3:30.
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The student tour guides weren't very enthusiastic. It was raining and I didn't have an umbrella. =(
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Nada
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There is no established note-taking service, however, you can coordinate an informal one with classmates.
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Very little.
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-.
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How expensive Manhattan is...
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One (student, I beleive) interviewer seemed to be very concerned why my research has not been published. Constant comparison to NYU by students was a bit too much.
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Trains are loud...couldn't fall asleep in the dorms. I heard it takes a couple of weeks to get used to it.
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I wish the day hadn't been so structured and we had gotten to spend more time with the students than people from the admissions staff
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The main dorm, Aron hall, is next to the train tracks. So it is a bit noisy. The hallways are also unkept and smelly. However, the apartment style housing is decent overall.
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Its kind of weird that the first years have everything on one floor in a building. It feels a lot like high school in that way.
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Facilities
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Lot of waiting around between interviews and before the tour and lunch. i had my 2 interviews back to back at 9, was done by 10:30, and had to wait until 1pm for lunch.
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As others have mentioned, for some reason, they schedule the financial aid session when some are still having their interviews. I missed half of the session die to mine.
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Tour did not include hospital.
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The administration was not too 'attentive' during the interview day...for long periods of time, we were left to sit and talk amongst ourselves in a small room.
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Cafeteria wasn't too great.
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Students weren't as outwardly friendly as at some other schools... we didn't meet anyone besides the tour guides and two students who dropped in to mooch coffee and bagels. On the other hand, they'd just taken a physio exam.
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The facilities were not as nice as I expected. The classrooms looked pretty run down. Budget contraints are a little bit disturbing... students were griping about the paperless curriculum.
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The school's debt and the broken relationship with NYU is a red flag.
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My second interviewer didn't seem too thrilled to be with me. In fact at the end of the interview he said, "Thank you. I'm sure you'll get into other schools". What does that mean?
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Several thing. First of all, they made us wait FOREVER. We arrived at 8:15, had a quick talk from the dean. Then we had two 20-30 minute interviews at some time between 9 and 12... so for two hours, you had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do. Then, from 12 - 1, NO ONE had ANYTHING to do... we all just waited. At 1, we finally had our lunch and tour. We were absolutely starving by this point. The food was pretty good, though. The tour was absolutely the most poorly conducted tour I have ever had. They didn't have any idea what they were doing. They just talked to each other the whole time. The tour guide confessed that the school was called "Camp Sinai" because they never did any work. IN fact, they told me that even if they had an exam on a monday, they would go out over the weekend before... that seemed a little strange to me. They really didn't sound like they did any work at all. The school didn't seem that bad, but the interview day was horriblely boring.
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How isolated the interviewees all felt while waiting for our interviews
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How much waiting we had to do. Some of the facilities seem only mediocre.
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I don't know how to describe it: this indeterminate happiness of the students. They all say it's great and more laid back than anywhere else yet they all do well on the boards and go off to good places. Also, the location isn't the most happening part of the city, although you're right next to the park.
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They have pass-fail grading, so your whole residency match depends on how you do your third year. I personally prefer honors-pass-fail so that the first two years aren't totally meaningless for your future.
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How long we had to sit around, for no apparant reason. We were told to get there at 8:45, but nobody had an interview scheduled until 10:00.
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The way they had a holding pen-style waiting area for med applicants.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the lack of emphasis on specific questions during interviews, the relaxed atmosphere, the need for comfortable shoes due to extensive walking, the early arrival time, and the financial aid presentation. They also mentioned the importance of being prepared to summarize their candidacy briefly and to inquire about their parents' financial contribution.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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That nearly everyone interviewing at this school attended an Ivy league/super prestigious school for undergrad.
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They do not read your application. The interviewers on the admissions committee project their feelings about their job onto you.
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Don't get there early. I got there 30 minutes early and there were no admissions faculty in the office. Also the room that it's in starts with a 13 which means it's on the 13th floor, and there are 3 different sets of elevators to take you to different floors. Also it is in the hospital so everyone has somewhere to be, so try not to get in anyones way on the way there.
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Wear good shoes because it's a LOT of walking back and forth.
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Sinai has a 4-year MD/MPH program
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Map of buildings
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How super duper relaxed the interviews would be. They are not out trying to get you. No ethical or healthcare reform questions whatsoever. It's basically about you.
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The tour has a lot of walking!
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That I would be asked to summarize my candidacy in a few words for the admissions committee by one interviewer; I should have prepared better for that question.
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That my train would be delayed. Expect delays on the train! STOP WORRYING! It's low-key and low stress.
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Not to worry as much about specific questions and to just make sure i know everything about my file, research, clinical exp, etc
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They provide breakfast and coffee!
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The schedule of the day. It goes like this... You arrive at 8AM, have some pastries and drinks. Then the dean comes in and talks to you for an hour, answering any questions about the school and telling some stories. Right after you have two interviews, each 30 minutes, and they're in the admissions office so you don't have to walk far. After that is financial aid (this school admits they don't have as much money as other schools), followed by lunch and a tour. You're done by 2pm
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Nothing
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That I'd love it SO much. Also, finding it from the metro lines was pretty easy (coming from someone who is directionally challenged).
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Not to be nervous
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Nada
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It was a cold day and we had to go outside for part of the tour-- they should have warned us to bring our coats!
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Nothing really
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The doors to the interview rooms are a little tricky.
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A seinfeld episode was filmed there.
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Hmmm, nothing out of the unexpected.
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The visintg docs program is GREAT. You actually get to go spend a week doing housecalls.
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That a student from my school spent a yr in one of their programs and really liked it... could have mention that in the interview--- oh well
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Warm PJs are a must.
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That they would take us outside in our tour...Had I known I have would brought a scarf and some gloves b/c it was freezing.
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How much they might be expecting my parents' financial contribution to be!
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Make sure and check in with the administrative asst's before you leave for the day. student tourguide told us we could ''take off'', so I did, and turned out that I missed a short wrap up session. co-interviewee told me later. probably not a big deal, but bad form anyway.
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I should have given myself more time to see the city.
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They have a breakfast spread. Students will come and eat and drink everything so if you want something take it early
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There are two seperate tours. There will be a financial aid presentation. The assistant dean of admissions is young, funny and good looking. The buildings seem a bit hard to navigate. The living situation is the best of all 4 medical schools in Manhatten!
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That mssm was my first choice
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Tuna for lunch. Sigh.
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Pretty much anticipated everything by prepping on SDN and talking to students the night before
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That my student interviewer would ask me a couple ethics questions...no other interview feedback mentioned something like that so i went in just expecting a conversation and didn't really have my ethics ''game face'' on...but it was pretty good regardless *I hope*
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That the tourguides & your host have input into the admissions decision!
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I don't really wish that I had known this ahead of time, but I'll use this spot to talk about Aron Hall. In terms of housing, I don't think that it gets much better than Aron Hall. Its pretty spacious (for Manhattan) and really cheap (again, for Manhattan). Also, its only 2 blocks from the med. school.
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We had to rush through our lunch and then we went outside in the really cold weather (I wish I had put my jacket on before)
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Getting to the school from penn station by subway can take over an hour...plan some extra time
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That the school was pretty much in spanish harlem and not upper east side. Doesn't matter much, but I didn't know. If you are staying with a student bring sheets and a pillow, be ready for the couch and the noise from the train. I do recommend staying with a student, but just for experience.
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How great Mt. Sinai is!!!
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That it take almost an hour from midtown by subway to get to the school -- made for an early but long morning before I even arrived. The student hosting would have had me couch-surfing (not ideal), but the school actually has a hotel-style residence right across the street. If I had researched that, I would have stayed there and saved the commute.
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They have the best housing of any school ive been to yet. definitely the best of all the nyc schools. beautiful 4 or 6 person apts (with 2 and 3 bathrooms respectively) that are guaranteed for all four years. some are two floors and even have their own terraces. two blocks from central park. and only $550/month! (which for you non-new yorkers is super super cheap for that neighborhood)
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Catching a taxi going uptown on Madison takes more than 5 minutes!
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Nothing.
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Hospital had financial problems in past (not sure how this impacts medical students).
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If you're traveling alone, stay with a student host. This wasn't an option for me, as I didn't think anyone would want to put up me and my partner, but hotels in NYC are spendy and it seemed like all the students were super friendly and would be good resources.
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How amazingly beutiful Central Park is when it is covered with Snow
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That my shoes give me blisters
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I would be sleeping in a room right next to the subway line. (woulda brought ear plugs)
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There was absolutely no reason to be nervous.
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I wish I had been better prepared. One of my interviewers took me into this HOT room with a fan in the corner, it was facing the wall. He sat me directly across from him and bum rushed me with questions. It was a pretty intimidating environment for the interview. I felt like I was being interrogated in a Caribbean prison. I have to add that the other interview was very nice.
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Leave before the tour. Even if your group is small.. find a way to get out. It's not worth your time.
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The school is in Manhattan, but it isn't the trendiest area. Also the curriculum is still pretty traditional, they have class from 9-3 or so everyday.
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How well i was gonna get along with the med students.. i would have taken more time off to hang out. Also how you leave without any idea of how you did. it could have gone either way, but i'm happy that I went regardless since the experience was very pleasant and the people were incredible.
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They have a wonderful lunch at the cafeteria where you get to pick what you want. I am really sick of sandwiches at interviews!
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The dorm rooms were very nice
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It is cold in October. I came from the deep South!!!
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That it costs $50,000 a year to go there!
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That its 6 people per suite in their guarenteed 4 year housing, and that the train runs above ground right outside their windows. Although the suites are very nice and really affordable for the space you get, being in NYC, and being so close to campus - literally across the street.
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How unstressful the day was going to be!
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Lots of walking, ladies. There are two distinct tours (school and hospital) that take place after your interview, so I would suggest bringing a pair of comfortable shoes to walk around in.
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That the day was going to be so long!
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Nothing really. come prepared with questions.
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Nada really
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How sucky my hotel would be.
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Just how wonderful Sinai's financial aid endowment is- wow. That you have the opportunity to explore pretty much whatever you want, all you have to do ask.
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-.
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That mssm would rise to the top of my list
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Not much, SDN prepared me pretty well. i didn't realize that they have a four year MD-MPH program
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Dont listen to what the others say about 'down time' or waiting around. There was hardly any waiting around, and if you got hungry they had food. Yes by the end we were all exhausted, but thats because they had a lot to show us!
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If you take the subway there, walk to Madison before walking to 100th street. There is a train track that prevents you from crossing from Lex to Mad above 97th street.
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That sinai hospital was in so much financial trouble and that it's been the target of bad press.
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1)Mount Sinai actually gives decent $$ aid packages. And that at 'only' ~49,000/yr total it's one of the most reasonably priced NYC private medical educations you can get. 2)MSSM is the only school in NYC to have a patient simulation lab. All the other NYC schools send their students to MSSM to use it.
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That the school is very very involved with the community.
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I totally did not think I would like sinai as much as I did. If you're thinking about it, APPLY TO SINAI!!! Its a great school.
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The housing is by far the best in NYC. You actually get real apartments in the Upper East Side for something like $400/month. Very very nice!
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That I was going to spend the entire day doing absolutley nothing.
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How tiny the interview rooms are - it's not for the claustrophobic
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That the day was going to be poorly organized--there was LOTS of waiting around. Make sure you eat a big breakfast--all of the interviewees were starving before lunch was even close! Also, the interviews are strictly held to 30 minutes--the interviewers kept watching the clock, and my second interview, which started 10 minutes late, was cut off after 20 minutes by a phone call telling the interviewer that time was up!
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Eat a good breakfast, you won't eat until 12:30 and we had to get there at 8:15
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They want you to be there at 8:15, but the interviews don't start until about 10, so you have lots of free time. Either bring something to do or go observe a class.
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office should improve communication and transparency regarding admissions decisions, be more welcoming and responsive, and provide clearer directions for navigating the admissions process and interview day. Additionally, some applicants appreciated the friendly and responsive admissions staff, while others recommended minor improvements such as offering MSSM pens instead of pencils and using an online interview scheduler.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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The way they operate with admissions/waitlist decisions is very confusing. When I inquired about when I would hear about more admissions decisions/waitlist status, the office was very rude and in the end just stopped responding to emails. They basically refused to answer my questions. Thankfully a very friendly student during the interview day had provided her email and she was of great help.
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Maybe give more detailed directions to get to the admissions office, such as go to the thirteenth floor and turn right at the T intersection once you exit the elevator
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Ask the interviewers to read applications ahead of time
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They are doing a great job!
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They were very responsive! Love the amount of Sinai swag we get on interview day. ;)
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Improve the interview day packet.
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I didn't like the beginning talk. I would have liked something more structured rather than what are questions, what should we talk about in regards to Mt. Sinai
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Nothing!
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Give out MSSM pens instead of pencils :)
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I had a great interview experience here. Students were awesome, beautiful facilities, really cool de
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Nothing really. The intro talk that started the day was refreshingly honest and very well presented
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Admissions staff are down to earth and are serious about their school. They are great.
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Use an online interview scheduler.
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
✈️
LGA
37% interviewees used LGA (LGA), with 16% using JFK (JFK) and 11% using jfk (jfk) and 11% using lga (lga) and 11% using Laguardia (Laguardia) and 5% using ewr (ewr) and 5% using La Guardia (La Guardia) and 5% using LaGuardia (LaGuardia).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by train or subway to the interview.
✈️
29% Airplane
🚗
21% Automobile
🚆
47% Train or Subway
🚲
3% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the The Hotel Newton (average ranking 8.5/10), with some staying at Hotel Wales (average rating 7/10). (Top 3 displayed)
🏨
The Hotel Newton
8.5/10
🏨
Hotel Wales
7/10
🏨
Hotel Wales which is becoming a condo in January 2020, book it while you can because it's cheap and if you stay with a student you may have to sleep on a couch
10/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are out of state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either With students at the school or with students at the school.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Admissions staff (4%)
Faculty member (1%)
Student (95%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Discouraging (4%)
Enthusiastic (90%)
Neutral (6%)
All Responses
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