Now that we have matched, I'll do this as I think this would be helpful. I'll start with California schools I went to first and then post later about other place since this takes so long:
Program Name and Location: Kaiser Oakland
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? There is no pre-interview dinner so you do not get to know the residents as well as if there was one the night before. However, the interview day was very laid back, the people are extremely friendly, and they take you on a walk around the hospital so that you can see the area (wear comfortable shoes!). You have an interview with the program director, assistant program director, and resident.
Positives: Diversity of patients, good pathology, dedicated program director, 2 electives one in 3rd and 4th year. There is a pairing system that each intern has with a 3rd year so that you have a mentor to guide you through your procedures, calls, and help be your advocate. Residents noted this system was +/- depending on who was your 3rd year partner. Great clinics ranging from HIV clinics, transgender, and adolescent. They have a beautiful new hospital.
Negatives: Low number of births but California in general has a low numbers. If you want to live in San Francisco, the commute can be a hassle during traffic. Residents would say that they would sometimes just stay and work out though near the hospital until 7 PM when the traffic was better for them to go home.
Does the program have a specific focus? I didn't notice one.
Specific interview questions you were asked? Why would you be a good fit for kaiser oakland. What is the best and worst thing about your medical school.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? nothing in particular. I really liked this program. It was really friendly, laid back, VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY (almost half the residents have kids), and the residents seemed very happy with their training.
Program Name and Location: Kaiser - LA
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The interview ran pretty late because one of the interviewers had an emergent c/s. Instead of having someone else sub in, we waited for him, which really pushed everything back and a couple of us almost missed our flights. We all were interviewed by a chief resident who scared us because he was extremely negative about the program, told us he didn't feel prepared to be an attending, and wished he had chosen another program. We all had to kind of debrief after that experience. However, the interview day itself minus the chief was great, and everyone else really seemed to enjoy the program and had nothing but positive things to say. The program director is also amazing.
Positives: Good diversity, pathology, and a very dedicated program director who really cares about resident education. Residents seem happy and fun.
Negatives: Not good fellowship opportunities. Something like 90-95% of residents remain generalists. They ask you in every interview if you are interested in fellowship and if you are, then it's going to be more work coming from here, but they emphasize how well they train generalists.
Does the program have a specific focus?
Specific interview questions you were asked? So long ago, I can't remember, but nothing was out of the norm.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? That they were very generalist heavy. I don't know if I want to do a fellowship, but I don't want to rule it out just yet.
Program Name and Location: UCLA-Harbor
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? You are on a speed dating type of interview. You have lots of interviews at this one. The group is smaller than most. I think there were only 8 of us. The interview day is a little more intense than other places. They have questions they have to ask you and they can kind of grill you on them.
Positives: Amazing pathology, truly resident run, the residents seem VERY COMPETENT. Residents are nice, seem happy, laugh a lot. Great location - far enough away from the true craziness of LA and very close to the beach! Great volume here.
Negatives: County hospital, so you will sometimes be grabbing your own stretchers, doing your own blood draws, sometimes things take longer than they should. If you don't speak spanish, you are going to have to learn during residency (this is probably a positive)
Does the program have a specific focus?
Specific interview questions you were asked? Introduce yourself to me in spanish and tell me what you are going to do today. Tell me how you would deal with a postpartum hemorrhage as an intern.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Nothing, I really loved this program. It was really impressive to me.
Program Name and Location: White Memorial Hospital
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The program director is very passionate and fun. She gives a great intro and makes a great impression. The interviews are all really laid back.
Positives: I had a good impression of this program, they have a lot of free time (2 golden weekends a month when you are an R3 or R4!). They have a rotation in Las Vegas where they spend a few months over there to obtain more surgical training. They have subsidized housing next to the hospital that is very large and reasonable.
Negatives:
Specific interview questions you were asked? They asked a lot of questions off your CV. They actually read your application in depth.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Nothing in particular. This program was very nice. People seemed happy. I am not sure about the surgical volume but the fact they have to go to Vegas to increase their numbers tells me that they probably aren't high. However, they do say they get great training on the Vegas rotation.
Program Name and Location: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Very laid back interviews. No hard questions, they just really want to get to know you.
Positives: Good diversity of both the residents and the patient population. Good pathology. Beautiful hospital
Negatives: If you don't speak spanish, you will have to learn during residency (residents said they had no trouble doing this). County hospital, so has the same type of issues as UCLA-Harbor
Specific interview questions you were asked? Tell me about a time you resolved conflict on a team.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Nothing, I had a very good impression of this program. There seemed to be good volume and pathology, and the residents seemed overall happy. They have an affiliation with Stanford so have had a good number of residents enter fellowships there. Also, residents have no problems finding jobs post residency in the area.
