My Rocky Vista University School of Osteopathic Medicine interview

My interview at Rocky Vista University School of Osteopathic Medicine was probably the best interview that I had and was the least stressful of the three that I have had thus far.

To prepare for the interview, I participated in two mock interviews and I reviewed the Rocky Vista University Interview Feedback page on Student Doctor Network and I reviewed the 50 Common Medical School Interview questions on the Princeton Review website, and the Rocky Vista University Mission and Vision statements. The questions that stand out are:

At your age, do you think that you will have the energy to keep up with your younger classmates?

Why are you seeking to attend medical school given that you will have a PhD?

Tell me about a time that you failed at something and what did you learn from it?

How do you handle stress?

Can you discuss your most recent research project?

What is your favorite book?

How will you add to the diversity of our institution?

How do you define professionalism?

Why do you want to attend Rocky Vista University? Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician?

In terms of the structure of the interview, it will be a 40 minute, two-on-one interview. You will have two representatives from the university, not necessarily faculty, who will interview you. I had one faculty member and the other was the head of the university writing center. Before you ever interview, you will be given access to a website that lists the bios of all of the members of the interview committee. This is different than my other interviews because I was able to read about my interviewers beforehand and get a sense of their personalities.

My interviewers took a tag team approach and each asked me a question. The interview was conversational and I felt that I bonded well with my faculty interviewer because he is an Army vet like me and he was an older career changer like me. The interview lasted for 37:58 so I used that remaining time to ask several questions. Your interview may not go for the full 40 minutes so make sure that you come prepared with three or four questions to ask. I asked:

As a faculty member, are you satisfied with the range of student services offered to your students?

What is your perspective on student relations? Is it a competitive environment or do students tend to work together?

In light of COVID-19, what future curricular changes is the university considering?

You want to make sure that you research the schools that you are interested in and you don’t want to ask a question that may be easily answered by reviewing the school’s website. Only ask questions if you genuinely want to know the answer to them.

Once the interview was over and I’d asked my questions, I was told that I would receive a decision within two weeks. I was then given a link that contained various video by faculty, staff, and students and I also had the chance to sign up for a student virtual chat.

Overall, I loved this school and had I not gotten into SOMA< I would have been a very happy stundent here. 