Interview with Midwestern

Hey everyone. I have another interview update for anyone interested. Jenny and I just returned from Arizona where I interviewed at Midwestern University. Six of us pre-podiatry students, four of whom (myself included) are LDS, interviewed on Monday the 10th. They started us right off with an introduction and welcome from the director of the podiatry program. He talked to us and answered questions and really gave us a great first impression of the school. After that we just sat in a waiting area until the commitees were ready to interview us. I interviewed with a panel of three people who took turns asking questions and then answered my questions at the end. It was a bit more intimidating and challenging than my interview at OCPM but they asked some really good questions and I hope they liked my answers. When I finished my interview I went into another room where they had a financial aid presentation that was nice but not very helpful. The person in charge of financial aid was gone so they grabbed a sub last-minute and she didn't really know what she was doing. I know it wasn't her fault but still, a bit frustrating. After that, we waited for almost an hour while the DO applicants continued with interviews. Waiting wasn't that bad but it would have been much more productive if they let a student come talk to us. In my opinion, the opinions and advice of current students are huge. I'd rather have an honest student tell me why they chose the school and what they like about it than an admissions employee get paid to say nice things about a school they aren't attending, just working for.
When the DO's finished they took us to the cafeteria for lunch. It was fine, but there were no podiatry students to talk to. We ate at our own table then went outside (it was sunny and in the 70's) to shoot some hoops before they took us on a tour of the school. The school has nice buildings and some new ones that should be ready for use in the fall, including a very large auditorium that will be the White Coat Ceremony venue in August and be used for class lectures. I'm glad they showed us all the buildings but again, there were no students on the tour, just an admissions guy who was nice...but probably more concerned with his Monday Night Football tailgate plans than hanging out with us. After the tour we filled out a short survey and left. I should hear back from them in the next couple weeks. Overall it was a good day. I'll get over not being able to talk to any students... It really is a nice school -- very different from Ohio's school. Ohio is completely independent; Midwestern is very integrated with their other programs (DO, dental, PA, Pharm...). Class size in Ohio is capped at 125; AZPOD is around 30. OCPM has been around a long time; Midwestern's podiatry program graduated their first class this year. Glendale and Independence are two very different cities as well. All in all, they're both nice and we have a very difficult decision ahead of us. I know this was long and probably not that interesting but thanks for reading it anyway. We'll keep you posted as the story unfolds.