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Application/Interview 2012


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TKB5: The interview process was pretty relaxed. There where three interviewers and they mostly just asked questions about my background and experiences, so it was pretty personal.

Lucky3: I submitted my application in May and got my invite in August about a month before the interview.

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I am scheduled to interview on November 30th. I'm from Boston and don't know the area well. Anyone else interviewing on that date?

 

Also, anyone know what the acceptance rate is? ..how many people are interviewed and how many apply? I know that there are only 25 spots for each class.

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Hi everyone,

 

I am a current first year and want to let you know that Iowa interviews about 100 per application cycle from Sept - Dec/Jan. From what I rememberd, out of each interview date, about 4 - 5 people were accepted. Also, coming from California, Iowa is a really easy place to get around. I recommend staying at the Holiday Inn with a shuttle service to campus. It drops off at the main hospital, and it is a 10 - 15 min walk within the hospital to get to Westlawn (where interview takes place). Feel free to email me: ghycheng@gmail.com should anyone has any questions about anything :) The biggest tip (and I'm SURE many of you already know this): be yourself, relax, and try to get to know the program.

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TKB5, I'm responding to your post in this forum to keep the other thread open for those joining the 2015 class :)

 

The best advice I could give is prepare, then relax. Know the school's program - the class size, pass rates, length of program, etc. They're interviewing you, but you're interviewing them. With so many programs to apply to, you want to make sure this school's a good fit for you. Dress professionally and wear comfortable shoes, because you'll be walking a lot for the tour at the end of the day. Perhaps look up the bios of the faculty on the PA program home page so you can match a name/face to specialty and they can feel more familiar to you before you even meet them.

 

The interview is a group format: I had three faculty/staff and myself in a room. It lasts about 25 minutes (5 minutes being time for you to ask questions). For any interview, good questions to have considered are why you want to be a PA vs physician, why you chose that particular program, what your favorite/least favorite classes in undergrad were and why, where you did your undergrad and why you chose that school, being able to explain grades if necessary, and being able to relate your path to PA school briefly (undergrad, medical experience, any health care trips or volunteer work, research, etc.). I interviewed at 4 PA programs in total, and at only 1 did I have questions of a harder ethical/legal nature. The hardest part for me at this school's interview was focusing equal attention on each interviewer when answering a question, not just looking at the one who had asked the question.

 

I also phoned and emailed about a month ahead of time to see if my personal interview schedule would allow me to sit in on a PA class while there. They didn't have a scheduled time for that opportunity, but I was interested in seeing the classes/students/teachers in action. If your schedule allows it, I would recommend taking advantage of that option. Kaila (the secretary) was wonderful with helping me find a 1st-year student host for a pharmacology class.

 

Other tidbits: the parking garage is close to $20 for the day, so take a shuttle from a hotel if possible. I learned the hard way :) Also, they don't provide lunch, so make sure you pack snacks or bring money for food. Check the forecast and plan accordingly. On my interview day, it rained. There were only three of us who had brought umbrellas, and we were walking outside quite a bit. I got in the night before my interview with time to drive through the University of Iowa campus and find where I needed to arrive the next day. Knowing I wasn't going to be scrambling around trying to find certain buildings the day of the interview helped keep me calm.

 

Hope that helps with some of the details! It's always difficult not knowing what to expect, but now you do. Best of luck!

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