General Admissions & OTCAS Interview help/tips!

[epsoftball9]

Hello,

I have been selected for another interview and I am stressed out trying to prepare for it (I have 3 weeks still). I interviewed at west coast university and felt like it went alright, but I know I am capable of better.

I am very charismatic in interviews and am 110% comfortable talking to a stranger about my qualities and what I bring to the table as a person and student. I just want help on how much talking is too much talking and how to answer the basic interview questions better.

I've been on all the interview sites and preparing myself that way. How else do I prepare?

What threw me for a major loop was the essay portion of the interview. How does one prepare for the interview essay? I went in to stress mode when writing mine at WCU.

And dress attire.....someone please help a girl out! I have no sense of style

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[FutureKidOT]

Hello,

I have been selected for another interview and I am stressed out trying to prepare for it (I have 3 weeks still). I interviewed at west coast university and felt like it went alright, but I know I am capable of better.

I am very charismatic in interviews and am 110% comfortable talking to a stranger about my qualities and what I bring to the table as a person and student. I just want help on how much talking is too much talking and how to answer the basic interview questions better.

I've been on all the interview sites and preparing myself that way. How else do I prepare?

What threw me for a major loop was the essay portion of the interview. How does one prepare for the interview essay? I went in to stress mode when writing mine at WCU.

And dress attire.....someone please help a girl out! I have no sense of style

YAY! Where is your interview at? I just went to one interview and it did not have a essay portion, but I can help you with the other stuff!

To prepare...
- Practice your "tell me about yourself" answer. I practiced by talking to myself in the car everywhere I went. That helped me a lot!
- Reflect on all of your previous OT experiences. I got asked a few questions about what I saw when I shadowed, etc.
- Make sure you know why you want to attend that school and unique aspects about the program.
- Think of good questions to ask them.
- Also, buy thank you notes to send to the people who interviewed you. I wrote them after my interview and sent them in the mail the next morning!

What to bring/wear...
- Most people at my interview brought a leather portfolio with their resume. You can get an affordable one at Target!
- I got my outfit from LOFT. I ended up wearing black dress pants, a light colored printed blouse, and a grey blazer. Most people wore pants or a skirt with a blazer!

Overall, I think you will do great since you've already had an interview! Just think of your WCU interview as practice, and now you are 100% ready to go!

 

[epsoftball9]

YAY! Where is your interview at? I just went to one interview and it did not have a essay portion, but I can help you with the other stuff!

To prepare...
- Practice your "tell me about yourself" answer. I practiced by talking to myself in the car everywhere I went. That helped me a lot!
- Reflect on all of your previous OT experiences. I got asked a few questions about what I saw when I shadowed, etc.
- Make sure you know why you want to attend that school and unique aspects about the program.
- Think of good questions to ask them.
- Also, buy thank you notes to send to the people who interviewed you. I wrote them after my interview and sent them in the mail the next morning!

What to bring/wear...
- Most people at my interview brought a leather portfolio with their resume. You can get an affordable one at Target!
- I got my outfit from LOFT. I ended up wearing black dress pants, a light colored printed blouse, and a grey blazer. Most people wore pants or a skirt with a blazer!

Overall, I think you will do great since you've already had an interview! Just think of your WCU interview as practice, and now you are 100% ready to go!

Midwestern in AZ! I really don't want to screw anything up and I really want to get in!

Omg that's SUCH a clever idea with the thank you notes. I will definitely do so! I had my portfolio and it was awesome but I was so nervous I forgot to present it to the professor interviewing me!

Thank you so much for your time I really appreciate it! You were a big help

 

[FutureKidOT]

Midwestern in AZ! I really don't want to screw anything up and I really want to get in!

Omg that's SUCH a clever idea with the thank you notes. I will definitely do so! I had my portfolio and it was awesome but I was so nervous I forgot to present it to the professor interviewing me!

Thank you so much for your time I really appreciate it! You were a big help

Congrats! I'm glad I could help! Good luck!

 

[ugaot94]

In addition to everything mentioned above, definitely remember to eat and leave PLENTY early to allow for traffic and parking especially if you are driving yourself. Bringing your resume is a great idea (in a leather portfolio), and be sure to print out copies and directions/parking pass or whatever you need the night before in case of a technical error.

I went and bought a traditional suit for my interviews, and a slightly printed, professional blouse. Definitely wear comfortable flats or heels you can walk in, and I recommend bringing a non-flashy, nice handbag for your keys/phone/whatever else you might have with you. Some of the girls at an interview I attended walked in carrying an armful of stuff and it looked unprofessional and stressful for them.

Another tip I haven't seen mentioned is to look into the department head and professor's personal research. That's a great point to bring up during an interview, and makes you look well prepared and researched.

I'm sure you'll do great! First one out is always the worst.

 

[et44]

Hello,

I have been selected for another interview and I am stressed out trying to prepare for it (I have 3 weeks still). I interviewed at west coast university and felt like it went alright, but I know I am capable of better.

I am very charismatic in interviews and am 110% comfortable talking to a stranger about my qualities and what I bring to the table as a person and student. I just want help on how much talking is too much talking and how to answer the basic interview questions better.

I've been on all the interview sites and preparing myself that way. How else do I prepare?

What threw me for a major loop was the essay portion of the interview. How does one prepare for the interview essay? I went in to stress mode when writing mine at WCU.

And dress attire.....someone please help a girl out! I have no sense of style

Hi I am a current student at Midwestern in the OT program so congrats on the interview! I love it here so I hope you find it as awesome as I do. Some interview tips first off attire- most people wore dress pants/skirt with a blazer. You could even do an appropriate length business dress with a blazer and some heels or flats. As long as you look professional you'll be okay.
One tip would be research midwestern find something in their mission specifically the OT department that you really like and talk about why you appreciate that part of the program. Ex midwestern has a very clinical based program talk about why you would prefer that etc. Another tip would be really draw on your shadowing/relevant work experiences. They really like hearing about your shadowing experiences and what you liked/didnt like. Honestly the professors at midwestern are so awesome that often the interview will feel like more of a conversation and thats a really good thing. Let your personality shine through they really want to know who you are as a person and what you would individually bring to the program. Good luck maybe ill see you on campus soon!

 

[epsoftball9]

In addition to everything mentioned above, definitely remember to eat and leave PLENTY early to allow for traffic and parking especially if you are driving yourself. Bringing your resume is a great idea (in a leather portfolio), and be sure to print out copies and directions/parking pass or whatever you need the night before in case of a technical error.

I went and bought a traditional suit for my interviews, and a slightly printed, professional blouse. Definitely wear comfortable flats or heels you can walk in, and I recommend bringing a non-flashy, nice handbag for your keys/phone/whatever else you might have with you. Some of the girls at an interview I attended walked in carrying an armful of stuff and it looked unprofessional and stressful for them.

Another tip I haven't seen mentioned is to look into the department head and professor's personal research. That's a great point to bring up during an interview, and makes you look well prepared and researched.

I'm sure you'll do great! First one out is always the worst.

Seriously I felt like SUCH a mess on my first interview.....so I'm hoping that it will be a good lesson learned. Thank you for the other ideas, I will definitely dig on the faculty's research that has been done

 

[epsoftball9]

Hi I am a current student at Midwestern in the OT program so congrats on the interview! I love it here so I hope you find it as awesome as I do. Some interview tips first off attire- most people wore dress pants/skirt with a blazer. You could even do an appropriate length business dress with a blazer and some heels or flats. As long as you look professional you'll be okay.
One tip would be research midwestern find something in their mission specifically the OT department that you really like and talk about why you appreciate that part of the program. Ex midwestern has a very clinical based program talk about why you would prefer that etc. Another tip would be really draw on your shadowing/relevant work experiences. They really like hearing about your shadowing experiences and what you liked/didnt like. Honestly the professors at midwestern are so awesome that often the interview will feel like more of a conversation and thats a really good thing. Let your personality shine through they really want to know who you are as a person and what you would individually bring to the program. Good luck maybe ill see you on campus soon!

Ahhhh how do you like the campus?! I'm from IL and I love AZ so it would be really awesome to get the chance to move across the country. Thank you so much for the extra insight this will definitely help me out! Hoping I will see you on campus sometime !

 

[et44]

I don't think that knowing specifically what research the professors do is very important I honestly had no idea when I interviewed I would say just know more information about the program as a whole - like its mission statement and why you feel your values align with the values of the program. Honestly the professors here are so awesome and relaxed they wont make it a very nerve-wracking interview. I would just honestly talk about you and why you feel like you'd be a good OT. I moved from the east coast too and I love AZ so I'm sure you will find it awesome here - a much different vibe. Just honestly try to relax and take some deep breaths before the interview and just be yourself. I love campus its very small but I like it because everyone here is on the same wavelength school wise. Just be yourself and you'll be fine!!

 

[epsoftball9]

I don't think that knowing specifically what research the professors do is very important I honestly had no idea when I interviewed I would say just know more information about the program as a whole - like its mission statement and why you feel your values align with the values of the program. Honestly the professors here are so awesome and relaxed they wont make it a very nerve-wracking interview. I would just honestly talk about you and why you feel like you'd be a good OT. I moved from the east coast too and I love AZ so I'm sure you will find it awesome here - a much different vibe. Just honestly try to relax and take some deep breaths before the interview and just be yourself. I love campus its very small but I like it because everyone here is on the same wavelength school wise. Just be yourself and you'll be fine!!

Thank you ! I love how small the campus is I went to a big school and had lots of outside distractions I think this will be so good for me!

 

[purplegold86]

Also, what are some good questions to ask the interviewer about the program?

 

[OThopeful97]

Midwestern in AZ! I really don't want to screw anything up and I really want to get in!

Omg that's SUCH a clever idea with the thank you notes. I will definitely do so! I had my portfolio and it was awesome but I was so nervous I forgot to present it to the professor interviewing me!

Thank you so much for your time I really appreciate it! You were a big help

When is your interview date at Midwestern (AZ)? I'll be flying out there soon as well!!

 

[FutureKidOT]

Also, what are some good questions to ask the interviewer about the program?

I asked questions like "How involved are your alumni?", "Where are some of the graduates of this program today?", "What do you love most about being a faculty member at this university?"

 

[epsoftball9]

When is your interview date at Midwestern (AZ)? I'll be flying out there soon as well!!

Second week of January!

 

[OThopeful97]

Second week of January!

Same! I got the invitation back in September so I thought January was kind of late to interview...but that was the only date I saw on there. Hopefully there are still spots available!

 

[epsoftball9]

I need one more bit of advice!

The question "how does OT differ from other health professions" threw me for a loop because I felt I answered that question with how I define OT.

How would you respond that OT is different?

 

[corn17]

I need one more bit of advice!

The question "how does OT differ from other health professions" threw me for a loop because I felt I answered that question with how I define OT.

How would you respond that OT is different?

I'm not sure how you defined OT, but hopefully this doesn't coincide. I would definitely focus on the holistic aspect and how creativity factors into that. You have to be creative to establish treatments that meet every patient's needs, and that definitely isn't something needed by every health professional. You can maybe also talk about how as an OT you can work in any type of setting with any type of population. I would also say something about how as an OT (depending on the setting I guess) you are constantly given the chance to form and build relationships. You aren't just in there solely to fix the problem; you're in there to help change their everyday lives for the better.