Back from SUNY interview

[ching88]

The interview at SUNY was an open-file interview; basically they have your entire transcript, LOR, and your OAT score. Before my interview I had to write an essay given 20 mins, my question was "What was your biggest challenge and how did you deal with it?". After my essay, I was called into a room with 3 professors, these are the list of questions they asked and I don't remember their order:

What makes you want to do optometry?
Why was your quantitative reasoning your lowest score?
Do you think you can handle the course load at SUNY?
What do you know about optometry?
And a few questions about my academic grades?

I think the interview at SUNY was intensive; first of all, you have to give everyone of them equal eye contact, and I was extremely nervous when I entered the room. Each interviewers continue to fire questions one by one, which I think totally adds pressure to me and I didn’t even have the time to think. Anyway, I think it was very intensive and they were so quite too, it hard to know rather you are doing a good job or not, and they have absolutely no facial expression.

For those going to SUNY interview, I have one advice try to stay clam and try to focus. Remember you are dealing with 3 interviewers possibly more like 5 according to one of the student there who interviewed last year.

Good luck everyone!!

Ching

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[stompy]

hee hee

Did they tell you whether you got in or not at the end of the interview?

 

[ching88]

They told me no decision will be made until Dr. Edward Johnston is back, which will be another week or two.

 

[still_confused]

ah, sounds tough, i guess it varies from interview to interview. i was lucky enough to be interviewed by dr.johnston and another professor. both were very friendly and easy to talk to. Both were smiling most of the time (except when i mentioned the yankees as they were both mets fans) we talked mainly about NYC and why i would choose SUNY over a school closer to home (i live in so cal).

they also asked me about the same questions except for the OATs (i havent taken it at the time of interview). they also enlightened me on the battles between opth and opt ( i had no idea at the time wtf they were talking at the time so i learned alot during my interview)

they also picked some volunteer work i did and asked me to described them briefly and my reasons for doing them.

my essay was on "how do i handle stress"

i guess SUNY interviews are very tough and professional (they never onced try to "sell" me thier school or tell me why i should go there, rather they were more interested in why i was interested in their school) but if you get lucky you will get a friendly face and have more of a conversation as opposed to an interview.

good luck on your acceptance!

 

[ching88]

ah, sounds tough, i guess it varies from interview to interview. i was lucky enough to be interviewed by dr.johnston and another professor. both were very friendly and easy to talk to. Both were smiling most of the time (except when i mentioned the yankees as they were both mets fans) we talked mainly about NYC and why i would choose SUNY over a school closer to home (i live in so cal).

they also asked me about the same questions except for the OATs (i havent taken it at the time of interview). they also enlightened me on the battles between opth and opt ( i had no idea at the time wtf they were talking at the time so i learned alot during my interview)

they also picked some volunteer work i did and asked me to described them briefly and my reasons for doing them.

my essay was on "how do i handle stress"

i guess SUNY interviews are very tough and professional (they never onced try to "sell" me thier school or tell me why i should go there, rather they were more interested in why i was interested in their school) but if you get lucky you will get a friendly face and have more of a conversation as opposed to an interview.

good luck on your acceptance!

Thanks, but seriously I think the interview would have gone better if Dr. Johnston was there. Anyway, I am also from South Cal (Irvine).

 

[stompy]

Yeah, I agree. Mr Johnston was very easy on my interview too. It was one on one.