fall 2013 interviews

[newpagirl17]

any alumni or current students willing to spare some time to provide interview advice? i'm a bit nervous and not sure what to expect since the PA homepage doesn't provide as much info as other schools.

 

p.s.- anybody have lodging recommendations? from what i can find, doesn't look like there are many good hotel options.

[PAruby]

Based on past interview cycles (things are always changing, so no guarantees!), DON'T Stress!!! The interview is a full day thing, and it's meant to get to know you - not intimidate you. The morning starts with a breakfast and introduction to the faculty, staff, and some current didactic and clinical students. Then you go to group interviews and/or a writing sample that you'll do there. The group interviews feature personality-based questions, "tell us about a time when you.... " to get to know you, how you problem solve, and how you interact with others. Just be honest :) The writing sample is different each year, but it's also a personality based thing usually, and they just want to know that you are competent and literate writing (and have some personality) on the spot, rather than the months some people spend working on their personal statements to perfect them. 

 

Then comes lunch - hosted by the faculty and a meet & mingle session with current students. 

 

Then comes individual interviews. In the past, each person had two individual interviews with two different faculty. Be yourself, I promise it's much less scary than everyone thinks it will be!

 

As for lodging, depending on your budget, check out the holiday inn (or any hotel) by the airport if you'll have a rental car... there aren't any great hotels within walking distance (and don't judge the school by it's outside building or neighborhood, they're upgrading soon!) Other convenient options include anything in the "uptown area". If your budget is super tight, you can contact the school to see if any current students are interested in hosting, we usually have a few. 

 

Best of luck!!