My FIRST interview! What do I do to prepare?

[walkaht]

Hello all!

I just received my first interview invitation an hour ago from the UCF (University of Central Florida) DPT program, so I am very excited! However, now the pressure of this news is kicking in. This school/program was my first choice, and I definitely didn't want this one to be the first interview I did. Can someone please tell me how I should prepare for this? I understand there will be some questions about why I want to be PT, why their program, et cetera. But what other things should I be doing to prepare for this? HELP!

Thank you to anyone who replies!

Tyler

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[PTMattI]

If you know anyone who currently goes there or went there, try speaking with them to get some first hand knowledge about the program. Other than that, just be yourself and dont worry too much

 

[DPTFL2015]

Hey Tyler, congrats on your interview. I received the call for mine as well. But I am reapplying this year and actually interviewed with them last year also. So here's how it works.

There are two mini interviews during the day. You are put into a group with two other students and are interviewed together. You are interviewed by two faculty members and a current student. After your first mini interview you get to regroup in the main room before being brought out to the second mini interview.

Being yourself is most important. They may ask you what you would do in a particular scenario, to tell them about a current event you find interesting, what made you interested in physical therapy, whether you believe health care is a privilege or a right (I got that one specifically) or really anything they wish to talk about.

Before my UCF interview I did a mock interview through the school and honestly, none of the same questions were asked but it helped me to feel more comfortable. You should see if your school offers mock interviews. Take a deep breath, it's really not scary at all. Good luck!

 

[walkaht]

Thank you PTMattl and DPTFL2015! I really appreciate the feedback! I contacted a friend of mine who is currently in their DPT program and she has agreed to get together with me to discuss things with me, so that should help a lot. I have found that a lot of people are saying to act myself, which is good because I am not good at NOT being real with someone.

Thank you for letting me know how the interviews go, that will help out a lot! With the second interview, is it one on one? Or is it with another person again? I hope they wont judge me for my views on a current event/situation. What if they ask you about a current even you know nothing about?

Why did you have to reapply this year, if you dont mind me asking? What other schools have you applied to? Did you do your undergrad at UCF? I have been going to UCF for the past 3 years.

 

[DPTFL2015]

Thank you PTMattl and DPTFL2015! I really appreciate the feedback! I contacted a friend of mine who is currently in their DPT program and she has agreed to get together with me to discuss things with me, so that should help a lot. I have found that a lot of people are saying to act myself, which is good because I am not good at NOT being real with someone.

Thank you for letting me know how the interviews go, that will help out a lot! With the second interview, is it one on one? Or is it with another person again? I hope they wont judge me for my views on a current event/situation. What if they ask you about a current even you know nothing about?

Why did you have to reapply this year, if you dont mind me asking? What other schools have you applied to? Did you do your undergrad at UCF? I have been going to UCF for the past 3 years.

The second interview is the same format as the first. They never asked me about a particular current event, rather they asked me to discuss something I had seen or read and found interesting.

I went to UCF for my undergrad as well. I was waitlisted at multiple schools last year but ultimately did not get in due to my low prerequisite gpa (I took most of my prereqs as a freshman when I didn't care much about my grades). I know physical therapy is what I want to do with my life so I took the past year to better my application and went for it again. I applied to UCF, UF, USF, Nova, FIU, Duke, Pitt and U of Washington.

 

[walkaht]

UPDATE: My interview was this past thursday (Dec 17), and I just got a call from UCF yesterday telling me that I have been offered a spot in the program!! Such amazing news! Thank you for everyone and their advice/help!!

 

[DPTFL2015]

Congratulations! That's wonderful. Is UCF your first choice?

 

[DPTFL2015]

Also, would you mind telling me your stats?

 

[walkaht]

Also, would you mind telling me your stats?

Hey DPTFL2015! Thank you! I am relieved to say the least! Now I just need to wait until May... grrr.. UCF wasn't my first choice going into the application process, but the more I learned about their program, the more I felt like their program was superior to the other programs I applied for. By the time I was done with my interview, UCF became my first choice, which makes it even more exciting that they accepted me.

Stats, as in GPA, GRE, and such?

CUM GPA: 3.55
Prereq: 4.0
UCF GPA: 3.99
GRE: 148, 153, 4

Is that what you were wanting?

 

[cc5]

Hey DPTFL2015! Thank you! I am relieved to say the least! Now I just need to wait until May... grrr.. UCF wasn't my first choice going into the application process, but the more I learned about their program, the more I felt like their program was superior to the other programs I applied for. By the time I was done with my interview, UCF became my first choice, which makes it even more exciting that they accepted me.

Stats, as in GPA, GRE, and such?

CUM GPA: 3.55
Prereq: 4.0
UCF GPA: 3.99
GRE: 148, 153, 4

Is that what you were wanting?

I thought they did a great job of selling their program at the interview. All of the current students were also very informative and helpful with our questions, all in all a great experience. Congrats!

 

[DPT1720]

Hey DPTFL2015! Thank you! I am relieved to say the least! Now I just need to wait until May... grrr.. UCF wasn't my first choice going into the application process, but the more I learned about their program, the more I felt like their program was superior to the other programs I applied for. By the time I was done with my interview, UCF became my first choice, which makes it even more exciting that they accepted me.

Stats, as in GPA, GRE, and such?

CUM GPA: 3.55
Prereq: 4.0
UCF GPA: 3.99
GRE: 148, 153, 4

Is that what you were wanting?

Did they give you hard time about the gre?