Has anyone here already interviewed for the Pacific University OT program? Does anyone have any pointers? Tips? Sample questions? I'm kindof nervous!
Thanks!
Congrats on getting an interview! That's so exciting! I interviewed with Pacific in February and really appreciated their efforts to keep us relaxed through the process.
The interview is on a one to one basis with core faculty members, for the most part. I saw a few interviewees with a faculty and alumn pair. My interview was very casual and conversational. The questions were fairly broad and typical. Tell me about yourself? How will you handle the academic rigor? Why OT?
My biggest tip to stand out and be memorable, which apply to any school's interview, is to give off the impression that this specific school is the best and number one choice for you for x, y, and z reasons. You've made it to the interview! The department has acknowledged that you are an extremely qualified and capable person with great potential to be an OT. Now, it's a question of are you a better fit than every other person who they are also considering.
Read the mission of the department and identify a few faculty whose work you're interested in. The mission will tell you a great deal about how the school will operate and its expectations for students and alumn that represent the school. Find a few values that resonate with you and mention this is in the interview. You can even ask questions about how these values are developed and practiced in the program. Learning more about faculty work will help you identify areas of interest and ways the department can give you exposure to the type of experiences and settings you want. This is helpful for questions about your future career aspirations and what you wish to get out of the program.
Go beyond the mentality of "I want to help people and have a stable career, so I applied to every OT program in OTCAS". It is okay to have those thoughts too, but in this stage of the game, it's all about best fit. Both for you and the school. So be genuine, get excited, and ask questions. You are interviewing the school just as much as they are interviewing you.
Interviewing is honestly my favorite part of the application process because it forces me to reflect on why I want to be an OT and get a better feel of the program. If anyone is interested in wanting more guidance and/or want more details about my own interview, feel free to PM me. Best of luck to everyone!
