The OUWB interview format

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB), in Rochester, Michigan, holds a virtual interview day for the 2026-27 cycle with two kinds of interviews. OUWB's interview day page says "Each applicant is scheduled for three separate short interviews with a current student, staff, faculty or alumni," plus "one, one-on-one traditional interview with a faculty physician and/or foundational faculty member." The AAMC's MSAR interview procedures report for the 2027 entering class describes the same mix as three short-form interviews and one traditional 30-minute interview.

The interviews are "semi-blinded": the interviewers "do not have access to your academic record (GPA, MCAT score, colleges/universities attended, etc.) or letters of recommendation."

Item	What OUWB and the AAMC say
Short interviews	Three, each with a current student, staff, faculty member or alumnus
Traditional interview	One one-on-one with a faculty physician and/or foundational faculty member; MSAR says 30 minutes
What interviewers see	No academic record, MCAT, colleges attended or letters
Virtual or in person	Virtual for 2026-27
Season	Mid-August through early March (the admissions process page says August through March)
Scale	Class of 125; about 500 applicants interviewed

The rest of the day includes a welcome and overview (curriculum, student services, admissions, financial services, and the clinical partner Corewell Health), time with current students and a wrap-up session. OUWB also invites applicants to student-led virtual chats on Thursday evenings through the season.

OUWB doesn't publish how long each short interview is. It describes them as "short" and the MSAR report calls them "short-form," but it doesn't call them an MMI or list stations or prompts. Treat the format as unknown beyond what is above.

OUWB's timeline

From OUWB's admissions process page:

AMCAS: due November 15.
Supplemental application: due December 15, with a $100 fee that can be waived.
Interviews: August through March. The MSAR report says invitations begin in late July or early August 2026.
Offers: rolling, starting in mid-October.
Early Decision: for Michigan residents and applicants with strong OUWB ties, with a 3.6 BCPM GPA and 505 MCAT. AMCAS is due August 1, the secondary August 14, and decisions come by October 1.

OUWB's requirements page sets minimums of a 495 MCAT and a 3.00 BCPM GPA, and says it "highly" recommends that applicants complete the AAMC PREview exam for 2026-27. Results are reviewed holistically by the Admissions Committee. It also describes a "mission aligned review" built on the AAMC's experiences, attributes and metrics model.

What OUWB says it is looking for

OUWB seeks applicants with "personal and professional integrity, the potential for professional medical competence, the ability to deliver compassionate care, a passion for lifelong learning, educational excellence, and an understanding that medicine is both art and science." Its desired criteria are:

Meaningful medical activities, including volunteering and shadowing
Service to others and to the community
Teamwork and leadership skills
Demonstrated ability to perform well in an academic setting
Excellence in an activity or area of interest
Evidence of intellectual curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning

The curriculum page describes vertically integrated basic and clinical sciences, skills instruction and patient encounters from the first semester, longitudinal courses in the art and practice of medicine and in medical humanities and clinical bioethics, and a four-year research program with a scholarly project for every student. Those are good, specific hooks for "Why OUWB?"

How to prepare for short interviews plus one traditional interview

Build short answers. With three short interviews, each conversation is brief. Have a one-minute version of your story, your best service example and your best teamwork example.
Don't lean on your résumé. Interviewers can't see your grades, MCAT or letters. Your answers have to carry the evidence.
Expect different interviewers. A student, a staff member, an alumnus and a physician may each ask differently. Practice with people at different levels.
Prepare the traditional interview separately. This is where depth matters: your path to medicine, one challenge and how you think about patient care.
Reset between interviews. Four conversations is a long stretch on video. Plan a breath, a sip of water and one fresh answer to open with each time.

OUWB practice questions (written by us, not OUWB)

OUWB doesn't publish its questions. We wrote these around the criteria it lists. For the short interviews, aim for about a minute and a half.

Tell me about a time you worked toward a shared goal with a team.
What is an activity you have been committed to for a long time, and why?
Tell me about a time you served someone outside your comfort zone.
What does it mean that medicine is both art and science?
Describe something you learned recently, and how you learned it.
What have you done to understand what a physician's day looks like?
Tell me about a time you led without having formal authority.
Why OUWB, beyond the location?
What kind of scholarly project would you want to take on, and why?
Tell me about a time you were surprised by someone's perspective.

For a wider set, see our practice questions with answers guide.

A drill for a mixed interview day

Ask four friends to each give you one 10-minute interview in a row: three with short questions, one longer.
For the short ones, answer in under 90 seconds and stop. Ask the interviewer to say when you ramble.
For the longer one, go deeper and take two follow-ups on a single story.
Ask each interviewer to name the one thing they remember about you. If it isn't what you wanted, change the opening line.
Notice how you feel by the fourth conversation, and plan a reset routine.

If you don't have a practice partner, Confetto's AI mock interviews ask follow-up questions based on what you actually said and give rubric-based feedback afterward. The question bank has over 500 questions, and you can start with a 7-day free trial.

OUWB interview FAQ

Is the OUWB interview an MMI?

OUWB describes three short interviews and one traditional interview, not a station-based MMI. It doesn't publish station counts or timing.

Is the OUWB interview virtual?

Yes. OUWB says interview days for 2026-27 are held virtually.

Will my interviewers know my GPA and MCAT?

No. OUWB says interviews are semi-blinded: interviewers don't see your academic record, MCAT, colleges or letters.

Does OUWB require the PREview exam?

OUWB says it highly recommends it for 2026-27. Check the requirements page for the current wording.

How many applicants does OUWB interview?

About 500 each cycle, for a class of 125.

Applying to other Michigan schools too? See our guides to the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School and Wayne State University School of Medicine interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Sources: OUWB: Virtual Interview Day, Application Process, Admissions Requirements, Curriculum, AAMC MSAR interview procedures (2027).

Confetto isn't affiliated with Oakland University or OUWB. Everything here about the school comes from its public admissions pages and the AAMC MSAR report, checked in October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by your invitation email.