goodbytes Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 I have an interview next week at NSU Jax and I'm trying to find out some specifics about their program to help brush up for the interview. Unfortunately, none of the PAs I work around, none of the PAs I have shadowed, and nobody any of them know are NSU Jax alumni. I signed up for the interview a few days ago and it was either take an interview next week or wait until December which seemed like a colossally bad idea, so I'm a bit shorter on time than expected. I e-mailed the alumni association to see if they could put me in touch with anyone willing to talk to me, and instead of an e-mail from the person I contacted at the alumni association, I got one from the admissions coordinator instead stating that they do not put people into contact with current or former students to ensure that the interview process is fair. But then how am I to answer the dreaded question: "Why do you want to attend our program specifically"? I would guess that "this is my hometown where my support network is located" is not going to be a sufficient answer. Are there any NSU Jacksonville PA Students that can tell me what they feel makes their school special? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 You need to read their website, top to bottom, and pay attention during the interview process when they tell you about the program. Do your research. If you can't already answer WHY you want to go there, why did you even apply? They don't want to know why other students enjoyed the program or found it special, they want to know why YOU want to go there. Why do you want to go to any program? Hearing alumni or current students say I like it here because of XYZ might help you decide where to go once you're comparing acceptances, but you applied there for a reason and you should be able to articulate why. Dig deep. Unfortunately you may have already flagged yourself for the admissions committee in a negative way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHAD Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 There’s a whole subforum dedicated to this school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodbytes Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 2 hours ago, MT2PA said: You need to read their website, top to bottom, and pay attention during the interview process when they tell you about the program. Do your research. If you can't already answer WHY you want to go there, why did you even apply? They don't want to know why other students enjoyed the program or found it special, they want to know why YOU want to go there. Why do you want to go to any program? Hearing alumni or current students say I like it here because of XYZ might help you decide where to go once you're comparing acceptances, but you applied there for a reason and you should be able to articulate why. Dig deep. Unfortunately you may have already flagged yourself for the admissions committee in a negative way. I have been over their website any number of times and I know who all the faculty and staff are by sight as well as their qualifications, but there really is not any specific information available that I can build an outstanding answer around. I want to go to NSU Jax because I want to be a PA, their PANCE pass rates are mostly solid, 60 students per class seems like a good size for making professional connections while not getting lost in the crowd, the alumna I spoke to a couple years ago highly recommended their program, and I have roots in the community. This is not a world-beating answer though. I would expect that the "why do you want to be a PA?" and "what made you choose our program?" will be asked separately. Do you really think that being proactive and trying to find more out about the program and the interview process could be considered negative behavior? That thought had never crossed my mind. I was following advice from a PA that works in the clinic I'm shadowing at and some of the materials I've been studying that suggested getting an inside perspective could help make my answers more insightful and competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 Whether the alumni person innocently contacted the PA program thinking they would be better able to help find a PA alum for you or if this has happened before and the PA program has asked to be notified when applicants are attempting to be put in contact with alumni, either way, the program knows you were looking and gave you their answer - don't do it. If it were me I'd be worried that I'd be flagged to interviewers as someone who might not be presenting my own thoughts during interview questions. Frankly, I was able to answer these questions for every program I interviewed at (and honestly applied to) without contacting current or former students and I'm willing to bet that's true for most applicants. I'm certain it didn't hinder our ability to answer the question or get accepted. You answered your own question in your last response; you want more insight to make your answers more competitive - which makes for an unbalanced playing field....and it's not to say that "Well I took the time to contact alumni and ask" should GIVE you an advantage. Knowing why you want to go to a program isn't a competitive question. Again, the program wants to know why YOU even applied there....not how well you looked up alumni and got THEIR insight and opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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