AWSOM Interview Prep Guide (2025-2026)

The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) offers a new, community-focused MD program with an innovative approach to medical education and admissions. This guide synthesizes key details about AWSOM’s interview process, mission-driven philosophy, unique curriculum features, and the broader context in which the school operates. Readers will learn about the school’s virtual interview format and holistic selection criteria forums.studentdoctor.net alwmedschool.org, its whole-person care mission and values alwmedschool.org alwmedschool.org, notable program highlights (such as an integrative curriculum and tuition support) alwmedschool.org arkansasadvocate.com, relevant healthcare issues in Arkansas and beyond arkansasadvocate.com arkansasadvocate.com, and important application timeline milestones for 2025-2026 alwmedschool.org alwmedschool.org.

By understanding AWSOM’s foundational values and educational model, applicants can better appreciate what the school looks for in interviews without focusing on formulaic answers. Each section of this guide reinforces how AWSOM’s mission – improving health through whole-person, inclusive care – is reflected in its interviews and admissions process. Equipped with this knowledge, candidates will be prepared to discuss their fit with AWSOM’s culture and navigate the interview with confidence and insight.

AWSOM conducts its interviews in a modern, virtual format that differs from the traditional in-person panel. The process is not MMI-based; instead, it uses a relatively conventional interview style with some unique twists.

• Interviews are conducted entirely online via a virtual platform forums.studentdoctor.net.
• Format is traditional (no multiple mini-interviews), with many candidates reporting a small-group interview setting rather than one-on-one studentdoctor.net.
• Interviewers have partial access to applicants’ files (a “semi-blind” format) – they see some of your application information but not necessarily everything forums.studentdoctor.net.
• The tone of interviews has been described as low-stress and conversational, and most candidates felt positively about their experience studentdoctor.net.
• A few hundred applicants are interviewed for a class of 48 students, meaning roughly 15–20% of those interviewed ultimately receive offers of admission forums.studentdoctor.net.

AWSOM’s mission is centered on training physicians to improve health outcomes in medically underserved and rural communities in Arkansas, surrounding states, and beyond alwmedschool.org. The school seeks to “bridge the gaps” in healthcare by pioneering a whole-person approach, deploying contemporary technologies, and forming novel partnerships to deliver high-quality care and promote wellness for all alwmedschool.org. In short, graduates are envisioned as change agents who will tackle 21st-century health challenges, especially in communities lacking adequate care.

This mission is underpinned by five core values: Empathy, Self-care, Humanism, Entrepreneurialism, and Community Focus alwmedschool.org. These values permeate the school’s culture – for example, AWSOM emphasizes student well-being and self-care as essential to becoming compassionate physicians alwmedschool.org. Because the program is so mission-driven, interviewers often look for alignment with these ideals. In fact, past candidates have even been asked directly about the school’s values during their interviews studentdoctor.net, highlighting the importance of understanding and internalizing AWSOM’s ethos.

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is a newly established four-year MD program in Bentonville, Arkansas, that integrates conventional medicine with holistic, “whole health” principles healthcarejournalar.com. The school achieved preliminary LCME accreditation in 2024 and welcomed its inaugural class of 48 students in July 2025 arkansasadvocate.com. Notably, AWSOM is waiving tuition for its first five cohorts of students as part of its philanthropic mission, removing financial barriers for those entering the program arkansasadvocate.com. The campus and curriculum are uniquely designed – the medical school is adjacent to a world-class art museum and includes an on-site clinic, reflecting a curriculum that fuses science and technology with the arts, humanities, and personal wellness alwmedschool.org alwmedschool.org.

AWSOM’s curriculum, called ARCHES, interweaves six longitudinal elements: the “Art of Healing” (merging humanities with medicine), Research (including a required Whole Health Innovation Project), Clinical Care (early and continuous clinical experiences), Health Systems Science (understanding healthcare delivery and policy), Embracing Whole Health (training in self-care and integrative health coaching), and Science of Medicine (the foundational biomedical sciences) alwmedschool.org alwmedschool.org. This evidence-based and collaborative curriculum is designed to produce physicians adept at treating the whole person – mentally, physically, and socially – and prepared to lead in transforming healthcare. These distinctive features offer great talking points during interviews, demonstrating a candidate’s sincere interest in what makes AWSOM unique.

• How does AWSOM incorporate its whole-health philosophy into daily student training (for example, through the Embracing Whole Health element or the use of wellness coaches)?
• What kinds of community partnerships or clinical experiences does the school provide, especially in rural or underserved areas, to reinforce its mission during the MD program?
• Can you tell me more about the Whole Health Innovation Project and how it allows students to pursue research or initiatives in areas of need?

AWSOM was founded to address pressing healthcare needs in Arkansas and the Heartland, so awareness of certain policy and public health issues can inform interview discussions. For instance, Arkansas faces a significant physician shortage, especially in rural areas – over a third of Arkansas physicians are over age 60, and many communities have little to no local access to care arkansasadvocate.com arkansasadvocate.com. State leaders have responded by funding more residency positions and even creating fast-track programs for rural practice, but the maldistribution of doctors remains a challenge arkansasadvocate.com arkansasadvocate.com. An aspiring AWSOM student should recognize how training more physicians (and other providers) for underserved regions is both a local and national priority.

The whole health focus of AWSOM also intersects with broader healthcare trends. There is growing emphasis on integrative, preventive care and on addressing social determinants of health in the U.S. healthcare system arkansasadvocate.com. Patients’ health is shaped not just by clinical treatments, but by factors like family life, insurance coverage, and public policy – a fact that AWSOM explicitly acknowledges in its training philosophy arkansasadvocate.com. Topics such as mental health integration, healthcare access disparities, and innovative care delivery (e.g. telehealth for rural areas) are all relevant in the context of AWSOM’s mission. In interviews, candidates might be asked their perspectives on major healthcare issues or how they would approach improving patient care; having an understanding of these policy and system-level challenges provides valuable context for such conversations.

Like many medical schools, AWSOM uses a holistic review process in admissions, meaning that beyond grades and test scores it carefully considers an applicant’s experiences and personal attributes alwmedschool.org. The goal is to select students who not only can handle the academic rigors of medical school but also embody the school’s mission and values in their character. In fact, AWSOM strongly encourages applicants to take the AAMC’s PREview® exam (a situational judgment test), indicating the school’s focus on professional competencies such as ethics, teamwork, and resilience alwmedschool.org students-residents.aamc.org.

According to the admissions guidelines, successful AWSOM applicants typically demonstrate the following qualities in addition to solid academics alwmedschool.org:

• A strong commitment to serving others and the community alwmedschool.org
• Meaningful exposure to and understanding of the medical profession (e.g. through clinical experience or shadowing) alwmedschool.org
• Effective teamwork and proven leadership skills alwmedschool.org
• Evidence of academic ability and preparedness for a rigorous medical curriculum alwmedschool.org

These non-academic factors are very much in line with AWSOM’s whole-person perspective. Candidates who have engaged in community service, taken on leadership roles, or shown resilience and empathy in their life experiences will naturally align well with what the school is looking for. In interviews, applicants may find opportunities to highlight these aspects of their background when discussing their motivations and experiences (keeping in mind that responses should remain genuine and not rehearsed).

The qualities and skills AWSOM emphasizes are reflected in national competency frameworks for medical education. The AAMC, for example, defines a set of premedical competencies that encompass personal, interpersonal, thinking and reasoning, and scientific knowledge areas expected of entering medical students students-residents.aamc.org. These include professional traits like ethical responsibility, service orientation, and teamwork, as well as cognitive skills like critical thinking and quantitative reasoning. AWSOM’s focus on holistic admissions correlates with these standards – by recommending the PREview exam and stressing attributes such as collaboration and empathy, the school is aligning its selection with the AAMC’s view of a well-rounded future physician students-residents.aamc.org.

Applicants can benefit from understanding how their own experiences map to these competency domains. For instance, experiences that demonstrate cultural competence or resilience speak to the “personal accountability and relational skills” that the PREview exam assesses students-residents.aamc.org. Similarly, leadership in a team project or volunteer initiative echoes the teamwork and service orientation valued by both AWSOM and national frameworks. Being conversant with these competency areas can help candidates articulate their strengths more clearly during the interview, showing that they meet not only AWSOM’s criteria but also the broader expectations of the medical profession.

Interview feedback from AWSOM’s first cycle suggests a range of question types. Not every applicant will get the same questions, but clear themes have emerged in what the school tends to ask:

• Alignment with Mission and Values: Interviewers often probe how well applicants understand or embody AWSOM’s guiding principles. For example, some candidates were asked directly to identify or discuss the school’s core values studentdoctor.net.
• Personal and Unexpected Questions: A number of questions have been unconventional or aimed at getting to know the applicant on a personal level. One memorable instance involved asking how the interviewee prepares a common food (rice) at home – a lighthearted way to break the ice and observe the candidate’s personality and communication style studentdoctor.net.
• Healthcare Issues and Problem-Solving: Given AWSOM’s focus on improving healthcare, it’s no surprise that candidates have been asked about big-picture issues. Interviewers have posed questions like “What is the biggest issue in healthcare, and how would you solve it?”, assessing an applicant’s awareness of current medical challenges and their approach to problem-solving studentdoctor.net.

Other common medical school interview topics (such as why you want to be a doctor, your strengths and weaknesses, ethical scenarios, etc.) could also come up, but the examples above show that AWSOM places particular weight on its mission-driven agenda and getting to know you as an individual. When preparing, it’s wise to be ready to discuss how your own values align with AWSOM’s, to think about how you would address pressing health care problems, and to be comfortable with offbeat questions that have no “right” answer. Rather than memorizing answers, focus on understanding yourself and the school – this authenticity will help in whatever questions arise.

• May 1, 2025 – AMCAS primary application opens for the 2025-2026 cycle alwmedschool.org.
• July 1, 2025 – Select applicants begin receiving invitations to submit AWSOM’s secondary application (supplemental materials) alwmedschool.org.
• August 1, 2025 – First round of interview invitations sent out on a rolling basis to qualified applicants alwmedschool.org.
• Early September 2025 – First interview day of the cycle is held (beginning the interview season) alwmedschool.org.
• October 15, 2025 – Initial offers of admission are released (rolling admissions continue thereafter until the class is filled) alwmedschool.org.
• November 1, 2025 – Deadline for submitting the AMCAS primary application to AWSOM for this cycle alwmedschool.org.
• December 1, 2025 – Deadline for submitting all secondary application materials (essays, letters, fee) alwmedschool.org.
• February 27, 2026 – Final interview day of the cycle (no interviews conducted after this date) alwmedschool.org.
• April 30, 2026 – Per AAMC guidelines, accepted students must reduce multiple admissions offers to only one; this is effectively the deadline for holding more than one acceptance alwmedschool.org.
• June 1, 2026 – Commit to Enroll deadline for AWSOM (accepted students who plan to attend AWSOM must indicated "Commit to Enroll" by this date) alwmedschool.org.
• July 13, 2026 – Classes begin for AWSOM’s new first-year class (2026 matriculants) alwmedschool.org.

Preparing for an AWSOM interview involves more than practicing generic interview questions – it means understanding the school’s identity and the context of its founding. By familiarizing yourself with AWSOM’s mission of whole-person, community-oriented care, its integrative curriculum and values, the structure of its interview process, and the healthcare challenges it aims to address, you will be well-equipped to engage in a thoughtful, authentic dialogue on interview day. In a competitive admissions process, showing that you “get” what AWSOM is about – without overtly coaching your answers – can make a genuine impression. Overall, this guide’s insights can help you approach your AWSOM interview with confidence, knowing that you’ve done the homework to align your passion and experiences with what the program truly stands for.