PAapp10 Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 I got an interview invite for July 20th. Lmk if anyone else is going as well! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NchotuFit Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Interview for July 20th as well! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAapp10 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 for anyone who has had an interview, would you be able to give any advice or insight into what the process is like? its my first cycle and first time interviewing so im extra nervous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC8150 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 hours ago, macvaug said: for anyone who has had an interview, would you be able to give any advice or insight into what the process is like? its my first cycle and first time interviewing so im extra nervous I'd recommend going back and reading the earlier comments regarding this. I found them to be extremely spot on as to what my experience was like! I know you've probably read this in every forum and every advice column ever but honestly be yourself! I went in and my interview was pretty conversational. Of course there were a few questions they were required to ask but they still tried to make it as laid back as possible. I butchered one of my questions. I mean completely blanked and pretty much blabbered through the question without even answering it. I beat myself up about it the whole week but I still got accepted. I felt I was pretty personable and I felt the interviewers cared to know me and knew my personal statement inside and out before I even walked into the room. They would let you talk freely for the most part and would add comments about their personal experiences and careers where fitting. The one on one's go quick for sure. The group interview was a little different than what I was expecting. The questions were easy. You didn't need to have a scenario in mind for situations and you just answered the question with things you already know and have done a thousand times over (what was the turning point for you wanting to be a PA, what music do you listen to, how do you study, etc). Maybe this is because I've done group interviews before with both multiple interviewers and multiple interviewees but I felt very at ease and didn't really even feel at this point that it was part of my interview (it is!). However, this was the 4th of 5 sections of the day for me and it seemed like the other 4 people in my group never truly felt comfortable. By this point I had relaxed some but they seemed awkward and shy, their answers either seemed fabricated to fit what they thought the interviewers wanted to hear or didn't truly address the question at all, they answered every question with the same answer, and the biggest mistake I noticed was that for many PA sounded like a backup plan. Many of the people in my group had masters degrees already or had been on different career tracks prior to PA. I'm not saying you can't. I definitely wasn't wanting to be a PA when I started college. But make sure you explain why you want to be a PA now and if you switched from something else come up with a better answer than "I didn't like PT as much as I thought I would so I had to find something else and this is what I found." Don't eliminate all other choices and settle on PA. Convince them that PA was the reason you ended up eliminating all the other choices you once considered. And at least pretend to be interested in other people's answers. Don't rest your face on your hand and look bored, don't relax so much you look like you are lounging, and make an effort to remember names so when they ask you a question and your answer is the same or similar as the other interviewers you can say "similar to _name____, I also do this". Shows you are paying attention, listening, and care enough about others that you are willing to learn their name even if they are competition. The essay was short and if you know anything about medical ethics you should know how to answer the question. Get to know the people at the interview with you even if they aren't in your group. I know for me being able to share my concerns and anxiety about the day with someone in the same position really helped me ease my mind and make me feel comfortable for interviews. I even joked with my interviewers about how nervous I was and they were all so comforting saying "oh don't worry. We aren't here to scare you. We just want to talk. I remember feeling the same way when I went to my interviews!" Just be personable and the answers to the questions they ask will come naturally. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spalm34 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 July 20th interviewers , may I ask when you guys were verified Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAapp10 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) 15 hours ago, jinglebells0518 said: I'd recommend going back and reading the earlier comments regarding this. I found them to be extremely spot on as to what my experience was like! I know you've probably read this in every forum and every advice column ever but honestly be yourself! I went in and my interview was pretty conversational. Of course there were a few questions they were required to ask but they still tried to make it as laid back as possible. I butchered one of my questions. I mean completely blanked and pretty much blabbered through the question without even answering it. I beat myself up about it the whole week but I still got accepted. I felt I was pretty personable and I felt the interviewers cared to know me and knew my personal statement inside and out before I even walked into the room. They would let you talk freely for the most part and would add comments about their personal experiences and careers where fitting. The one on one's go quick for sure. The group interview was a little different than what I was expecting. The questions were easy. You didn't need to have a scenario in mind for situations and you just answered the question with things you already know and have done a thousand times over (what was the turning point for you wanting to be a PA, what music do you listen to, how do you study, etc). Maybe this is because I've done group interviews before with both multiple interviewers and multiple interviewees but I felt very at ease and didn't really even feel at this point that it was part of my interview (it is!). However, this was the 4th of 5 sections of the day for me and it seemed like the other 4 people in my group never truly felt comfortable. By this point I had relaxed some but they seemed awkward and shy, their answers either seemed fabricated to fit what they thought the interviewers wanted to hear or didn't truly address the question at all, they answered every question with the same answer, and the biggest mistake I noticed was that for many PA sounded like a backup plan. Many of the people in my group had masters degrees already or had been on different career tracks prior to PA. I'm not saying you can't. I definitely wasn't wanting to be a PA when I started college. But make sure you explain why you want to be a PA now and if you switched from something else come up with a better answer than "I didn't like PT as much as I thought I would so I had to find something else and this is what I found." Don't eliminate all other choices and settle on PA. Convince them that PA was the reason you ended up eliminating all the other choices you once considered. And at least pretend to be interested in other people's answers. Don't rest your face on your hand and look bored, don't relax so much you look like you are lounging, and make an effort to remember names so when they ask you a question and your answer is the same or similar as the other interviewers you can say "similar to _name____, I also do this". Shows you are paying attention, listening, and care enough about others that you are willing to learn their name even if they are competition. The essay was short and if you know anything about medical ethics you should know how to answer the question. Get to know the people at the interview with you even if they aren't in your group. I know for me being able to share my concerns and anxiety about the day with someone in the same position really helped me ease my mind and make me feel comfortable for interviews. I even joked with my interviewers about how nervous I was and they were all so comforting saying "oh don't worry. We aren't here to scare you. We just want to talk. I remember feeling the same way when I went to my interviews!" Just be personable and the answers to the questions they ask will come naturally. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback and congrats! Edited July 10, 2018 by macvaug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAapp10 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 7 hours ago, spalm34 said: July 20th interviewers , may I ask when you guys were verified i was verified 6/12/18 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NchotuFit Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 10 hours ago, spalm34 said: July 20th interviewers , may I ask when you guys were verified 6/19/18 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unexciting Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 I will be attending the July 20th interview as well! Verified July 9th, South sent an email saying they received my application on July 10th, and invitation received July 11th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EW2019 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 (edited) I'm a current second year student at South and I just wanted to chime in and address some of the concerns I've read on this page. First off, congratulations to everyone who has gotten interviews and gotten accepted - the hardest part of PA school is getting into PA school! And, if you got wait listed or haven't gotten an interview then do not be discouraged and keep on persevering. As I said, I am a current second year student and I am on my third clinical rotation. Every school will have its ups and downs, and some students will have stronger or worse opinions than others regarding their experience of south - I cannot speak for them. As for me, I have loved my experience here and if I were to do this all over again I would still choose South. They have had a bumpy road, but we all knew it would be bumpy coming into it since we are the first cohort. In fact, I feel like our former director was very upfront with making sure we knew what we were getting into and that we needed to be "trailblazers". I do believe that mistakes have been made on the part of administration, faculty, and students but nothing beyond typical mistakes of a new program. Honestly, based on what I've heard from friends in other programs ours really isn't anymore unstable than many longstanding and well respected programs. The most important thing to me is that I feel like my faculty has given me a quality education and are invested in my future, and I can honestly say that I have found that to be true. I have felt very well prepared for our PACKRAT and our rotations. I have had wonderful experiences on my rotations and have been able to perform many physical exams, patient histories, documentation, and writing of orders. I haven't been in a rotation yet where my preceptor performs procedures, but when I am I fully anticipate that I will be able to do/assist with procedures as well. My preceptors have all been wonderful and have done a great job of pushing me in my knowledge base and giving me opportunities to put my knowledge into action. I encourage you to make the best decision you can on where to go to school, but when deciding on South do not let negative comments about its 'instability' or 'poor' clinical rotations sway you in either direction. I am 100% confident that South is giving me a great education and that my attitude and my success is on my shoulders. Good luck! Edit: We got our 1st rotation info 10 days before starting, our 2nd rotation info 6 weeks before starting, and our 3rd rotation info 10 days before starting. You do need to be flexible while in PA school, but all of these rotations are in the area and if you are going somewhere requiring you to find a place to stay then you agreed to it and were well aware of the travel required 4+ weeks in advance. Edited July 15, 2018 by EW2019 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unexciting Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 7 hours ago, EW2019 said: Edit: We got our 1st rotation info 10 days before starting, our 2nd rotation info 6 weeks before starting, and our 3rd rotation info 10 days before starting. You do need to be flexible while in PA school, but all of these rotations are in the area and if you are going somewhere requiring you to find a place to stay then you agreed to it and were well aware of the travel required 4+ weeks in advance. How much choice do you get in choosing your rotation locations? Are there options for rotations in the DC metro area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NchotuFit Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 For July 20th Interviewees, the itinerary says that check-in starts at 10am right? (Of course show up earlier), I'm asking because I know previous interviews started at 8am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spalm34 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Verified 6/29 . They received my application Jul 10th. Still no invite so its not looking promising. Good luck to everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasepruitt11 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 (edited) I just received an invite for the August 3rd interview! Submitted application through CASPA: 6/28 CASPA verified: 7/6 Application received by program: 7/10 Edited July 16, 2018 by chasepruitt11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GemmaJean Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I also received an invite for the 8/3 interview today! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GemmaJean Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 @jedunn verified 7/9, received confirmation from South on 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heather11 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Well from the 7/13 interview, I was wait listed. Pretty disappointed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDPA19 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I interviewed on 7/13 and was wait-listed. Does anyone know how many people they wait-list? Seems like a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannthor1216 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 (edited) I was accepted from the 7/13 interview! I felt like my one-on-ones went very well, but I definitely misspelled a word in my writing sample. Edited July 18, 2018 by Hannthor1216 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unexciting Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Does anyone want to get lunch after the interview tomorrow to commiserate or celebrate how the interview went? There is an Irish pub down the street or a burger place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurenmarie89 Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Hey everyone, I was invited to interview on 8/3! For those that have already interviewed, how many were there interviewing on the same day as you? Should I expect a large number of potential candidates to be there on the same day, or was is more of a smaller group? Lauren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDPA19 Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 4 hours ago, Laurenmarie89 said: Hey everyone, I was invited to interview on 8/3! For those that have already interviewed, how many were there interviewing on the same day as you? Should I expect a large number of potential candidates to be there on the same day, or was is more of a smaller group? Lauren I interviewed on 7/13 and there were about 25 candidates. They split us up into five groups of five and we cycled through the different interview processes. Good Luck!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NchotuFit Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 7 minutes ago, awestcott said: I was just accepted today from the 7/20 interview group! Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear Accepted as well, super stoked and blessed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unexciting Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Waitlisted from the 7/20 interview. Congrats to those accepted!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gld27 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 9:55 PM, jinglebells0518 said: Does anyone happen to know the didactic year academic schedule (when breaks are, etc) for the class starting in January 2019? I was asked to be a bridesmaid at a wedding but it's on a Friday and I'm 4 hours from home so I'm trying to figure out so I can give her an answer! Your orientation will probably be on January 18th and classes would start January 22nd (after the holiday). This is how they organized it last year, so I'm assuming it would be similar. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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