Oh, Pritzker: first one to send me an interview invitation, first one to steal my heart. I arrived on Sunday excited at the prospect of interviewing, and left yesterday beyond thrilled with my experience.
I flew in and arrived at Midway International Airport before taking a Go! Shuttle toward Pritzker where I met my host. For some reason, my Uber estimate was about $40 because the cheapest option was available, so I booked a shuttle which was $25/each way. (I later found out an interviewee who took an Uber for only $16…).
It was my first time in Chicago, and I was extremely lucky to experience such gorgeous weather. With sunny blue skies and mighty gusts of wind, it was the perfect combination for me. As the admissions directed noted, Chicago is “a city comprised of neighborhoods” which each block of so exhibiting a very distinct culture and feel. Pritzker is located in Hyde Park near South Chicago, which has a large underserved population and clusters of cultural enclaves. The architecture, to me, was almost…cinematic? Tall, rustic buildings partially covered in ivy, spacious affordable apartments nestled above Mom and Pop shops, authentic restaurants galore.
My host and her roommates stay in a nice, spacious apartment that’s only a 15 minute walk from campus. With 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, it only costs them $700/mo each. As someone who resided in Campus Housing in LA for 3 years, that pricing is a dream come true, haha! The students said that housing more north of campus may be more expensive since it would be farther away from the “dangers” of South Side. Before going out to dinner, we all walk around Hyde Park and stopped by 57th St Beach.
Yes, a beach. As a SoCal resident, I did a double-take when I first saw it.
Located along the coast of Lake Michigan, Chicago is home to a large strip of fresh water “beaches.” I absolutely loved the feel of it; nice and cozy, without the crowded tourism. Perfect for students and families in a small community.
Interview day began at 8AM with the Multicultural Breakfast, and by the time I had grabbed my pastry, fruit cup, and shiny Pritzker folder, I could already feel the genuinely excited vibes from all interviewees and administrative staff. Everyone seemed truly excited to have us here. It was an amazing feeling. Throughout breakfast, current MS2-4 students dropped by to chat and answer our questions, reassuring us that Pritzker has already taken an expressed interested in us, and that we just have to be ourselves. Let’s hope!
After the Multicultural Breakfast, we heard a presentation on Pritzker’s curriculum and academic mission. Due to its location and emphasis on Scholarship & Discovery, Pritzker provides an immensely strong curriculum with plentiful opportunities for community outreach and research. There are 5 student-run clinics that allow MS1s to get involved in board positions, and S&D program allows the student to focus on 1 of 5 tracks. 80% of the MS1s stay to do a Summer Research Program, which may be formalized into their S&D project. One thing that Pritzker admin and student raved about was the P/F curriculum for the pre-clinical years, and students only need a 65% to pass. This, they said, really promotes open collaboration and support among all the students, eliminating the competition. Even in the clinical years, which are graded as H/HP/P, no competition is noted since it is competency based curriculum. There is no curve, so if everyone excels in their rotations, then everyone can get Honors or High Pass. There is also a Longitudinal Program that allows an MS to pair up with a mentor in his/her desired specialty. MS1s have reported that they went from mere shadowing at the beginning of the program to completing histories and presenting cases by the end of it! Additionally, during the 4th year, the curricular requires students to take a “sub-internship” in a desired field; essentially, 1 month, the MS4 is the intern. It’s an intense month, but prepares the student extremely well for residency. I found myself in love with the concept; frankly, after competing for so long, the idea of open support sounds phenomenal.
Speaking of support, Pritzker’s small class size of 88 makes it really easy to provide each student with abundant attention to maximize their success. The students are sorted into 4 Societies (or as my host calls it, Hogwarts Houses), allowing for open mentorship upon the MS1s-MS4s in each house. Furthermore, only 11 students share the same advisor allowing for even more attention. Even with anatomy lab, only 4 students are grouped for each cadaver and are allowed to be immersed in the lab. Some students commented that at other med schools, cadavers are assigned to student groups of 10, and even then, the TAs do most of the dissecting! Having not taken Anatomy myself, I feel that I would learn best by being as immersed in the action as possible
Following the presentation, were my interviews! Pritzker has you interview with a student, a faculty member, and an administrative member. The director of admission explicitly that during the interview, you imagine if you can see the student as a peer, the professor as a mentor, the admin as a person you can address concerns with. I had my student and admin interviews in the morning, and I found them to be very comfortable and conversational. My student interviewer came in jeans and a T-shirt, which threw me off for a bit, but whichever works! The interviews were open file (though the student interviewers don’t see your stats and secondaries), and I found myself feeling gradually more comfortable through the day. They really seemed interested in getting to know you as a person; and more importantly, they want you to get to know them–their students, their strengths, their goals in medicine.
After the first batch of interviews is lunch with Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza! MS2s-MS4s came in to chat with us and to help themselves to the free food. We learned a lot from them, and they were very nice and reassuring. I’m in love with the school already.
Following the interview was the campus tour. Pritzker, nestled in the greater UofC campus, is able to provide the med students with more resources such as professors, PIs, and study spaces. The medical center is impressive and beautiful, with “tunnels” connecting the buildings to protect the students during the infamous Chicago winter. My favorite view was the Skyline Lobby; just…gorgeous. Me, being an idiot, forgot to switch into my flats, and received three nice blisters as souvenirs -___-
My last interview was after the tour with a professor, and I felt that this one was a bit more formal than the others. I don’t think the interviewer read through my file, or maybe he did and wanted to see if I was bullshitting my answers when I wrote it. Regardless, the questions were more standard, though still conversational. I still got the feel that he wanted to know if I was “right” for Pritzker, just as much as I wanted to know if Pritzker was “right” for me (although like I told him, I’ve been sold since 10AM that morning). Looking back, I hope that I answered his questions and didn’t ramble too much, but it’s too late to worry now! I also had a mini heart attack at the end when he revealed as being a Chairman of the of admissions sub-committees haha.
Following the interviews was a Closing Remarks presentation where the Director of Financial Aid talked about Pritzker’s generous merit aid program. Here’s hoping that I hear good news on October 15th! I am absolutely over the moon about this school!
