11. Will health profession schools interview me? What’s the interview like?

Most health profession schools use a centralized, usually on-line, application service. You complete an extensive application on-line and this is sent to the schools you indicate to the application service.

Then you receive what are called “secondary applications” from the schools interested in you, requesting further information from you such as recommendations and often an interview. Some schools interview most of their applicants; some interview only those they feel will probably be admitted. Most schools are somewhere in between. As with clinical experience and recommendations, the interview is an opportunity for you to demonstrate who you are and why you will be the kind of practitioner that school is seeking.

Often the interview day includes a tour of the campus as well as the actual interview. The specifics of the interview itself vary from school to school but may be a one-on-one experience or involve you speaking with several members of the admission committee either together or separately.

There is a particularly helpful web site where students describe their interview experiences in detail. We recommend you spend some time looking through this information as you prepare for the interview process. There is information regarding medical, dental and pharmacy school interviews, but the information is helpful for students applying to other types of schools as well. The link is:

http://www.studentdoctor.net/interview/