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The interview process was pretty similar to the others I attended, though the group was smaller. I think there was six in my group. You start with a tour of the campus with a member of the current first year class, who was very friendly and willing to answer any questions you have about the program. Then we had breakfast with an admissions staff member, which was laid back and informative. Interviews start after that and are done one at a time with two members of the adcom. They ask you normal questions and really just seemed to want to get to know you. The best advice I can give you is to really know why you want to be a PA and then just relax and be yourself. Easier said then done I know, but I think they are looking to get a feel for your personality since they already like you on paper. The school itself is relatively small and very nice. I thought the campus was beautiful and the cadaver lab was particularly nice. All of the staff and the other students seemed really friendly as well. I interviewed in the first group on 9/24 and they said they were looking to make selections and send out notifications in around 6 weeks. Hope this helps and good luck on your interview!

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PCOM was my first interview, so i came in nervous and unsure of what to expect.  I prepared answers to most of the traditional questions, but in my interview I did not get many standard "strength/weakness" questions.  They asked questions directly related to my previous medical experiences which required answers relevant to becoming a PA.  Some transcript questions came up and had to explain a withdrawal.  You're mileage may vary though - in my case, they wanted to know mostly about my time as a corpsman.  Also, refresh your memory on what you wrote in your supplemental essay.

 

PCOM is in a nice area of Philadelphia and is across the street from Bala Cynwyd which is a pretty wealthy, clean, nice area.  The county line is City Ave. You can be in the actual city area in 5 minutes if you wanted.  Many area hospitals, 2 elective rotations, there are many good points,  You'll go on a tour pre-interview so you should have plenty of reasons figured out  by the time you're in the hot seat.  

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My interview experience was similar. I really liked the program because they had a lot of options for rotations, you can choose electives, there is a whole course dedicated to radiology, they do community and other special events. I also liked how friendly all of the staff and students seemed to be. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. Plus Pcom is well known and had a good reputation in the medical community. Congrats Bnn575! Did you interview with me in the morning or were you in the afternoon group?

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I was waitlisted. :(

 

I keep getting wait listed. Ugh. It seems like everyone keeps saying they were accepted. :/

I'm sorry Audrey! Don't give up though, it will work out in the end. I was wait listed at my first choice back in August and was really upset, but I ended up with acceptances from two programs that turned out to be a better fit than my original first choice. I think everything happens for a reason, even if we don't realize what the reason may be at the time. Best of luck to you!!!

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Wow! Now I am even more excited about this program! I was wondering how far clinical sites are.

They have many rotation sites throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. A lot of them are just a few minutes away and others are up to a few hours away. You can view a list here:

 

http://www.pcom.edu/Clinical_Education/Affiliate_Lists_/affiliate_lists_.html

 

 

Hope that helps and good luck on your interview!

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I'm sorry Audrey! Don't give up though, it will work out in the end. I was wait listed at my first choice back in August and was really upset, but I ended up with acceptances from two programs that turned out to be a better fit than my original first choice. I think everything happens for a reason, even if we don't realize what the reason may be at the time. Best of luck to you!!!

 

Thank you! But the thing is, I was waitlisted at the other schools I interviewed at and I only have one interview left. 

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Thank you! But the thing is, I was waitlisted at the other schools I interviewed at and I only have one interview left.

I can understand why that would be discouraging, but being wait listed doesn't mean you are out. I asked about the wait list at most of my interviews because I was worried as well and learned that most programs end up taking several from the wait list, some as much as 10 or even 20%. Also, how do you generally do in your interviews? I think I might have been wait listed at my first school (even with a 4.0 and 10 years of full time paid HCE) because I was so nervous and stiff. I went into my other interviews much more relaxed and just acted like myself, which seemed to help a lot with getting the conversation going and building a rapport. I also made sure to maintain eye contact and smile a lot. It sounds simplistic, but I really think that's what worked. If you've gotten an interview then they already know you're qualified, your personality is what will actually get you through the door. I used to sit on hiring panels for my old job so I know this is true, even though I forgot to follow my own advice at my first interview :) Anyway, I'm not sure if this is what is going on in your case, but it's a thought. I hope this might help you a little bit because I totally understand what you're going through. Don't give up and best of luck in your next interview!

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I can understand why that would be discouraging, but being wait listed doesn't mean you are out. I asked about the wait list at most of my interviews because I was worried as well and learned that most programs end up taking several from the wait list, some as much as 10 or even 20%. Also, how do you generally do in your interviews? I think I might have been wait listed at my first school (even with a 4.0 and 10 years of full time paid HCE) because I was so nervous and stiff. I went into my other interviews much more relaxed and just acted like myself, which seemed to help a lot with getting the conversation going and building a rapport. I also made sure to maintain eye contact and smile a lot. It sounds simplistic, but I really think that's what worked. If you've gotten an interview then they already know you're qualified, your personality is what will actually get you through the door. I used to sit on hiring panels for my old job so I know this is true, even though I forgot to follow my own advice at my first interview :) Anyway, I'm not sure if this is what is going on in your case, but it's a thought. I hope this might help you a little bit because I totally understand what you're going through. Don't give up and best of luck in your next interview!

 

Thanks! I feel like I could have done better on my interviews, but I just get so nervous. I don't think I am stiff, though. I keep eye contact and smile a lot. I feel like I don't seem "professional" or serious enough, though...I feel like I sound dumb when I talk because I don't have enough time to think about how I want to answer the questions.

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That's exactly how I felt after my first interview. I knew that I needed to relax and that my answers would flow better once I did. This is what worked for me, though it sounds kind of silly: I basically told myself that I was not going to get in anywhere and that I was going to have to apply again next year. I resigned myself to this like it was a fact and then I viewed my remaining interviews as just practice for the next cycle. I really made myself believe it and my interviews then started to flow so much smoother. A total mind game I know, but it did wonders for me. Another idea would be to practice like crazy with a friend, but that didn't work for me because I would always start laughing :)

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That's exactly how I felt after my first interview. I knew that I needed to relax and that my answers would flow better once I did. This is what worked for me, though it sounds kind of silly: I basically told myself that I was not going to get in anywhere and that I was going to have to apply again next year. I resigned myself to this like it was a fact and then I viewed my remaining interviews as just practice for the next cycle. I really made myself believe it and my interviews then started to flow so much smoother. A total mind game I know, but it did wonders for me. Another idea would be to practice like crazy with a friend, but that didn't work for me because I would always start laughing :)

 

Thanks. Haha yeah, practicing with someone else never worked for me either.

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