Congratulations to everyone getting an interview!
So having gone through the interview and writing sample last year in Vegas, I can give you a little bit of insight.
When I interviewed, there were two parts: interview and writing sample. How it worked for me was that the interview begins first (about 30 minutes), and then you have 30 minutes to write a short essay, using only the lines on one side of one sheet of paper.
The interview is pretty straightforward. I interviewed with Dean Pezzuto, and the interview was closed (meaning that he only knew my name and maybe a few other minor details about me). He didn't know that I was a reapplicant, nor my PCAT or post-bac grades. He asked the basic questions: Why pharmacy? Why Hawai'i? Why Hilo? Where do you see pharmacy going in your career?
Then there were the other typical questions about cheating/academic integrity, customer service (I wasn't a pharm tech when I interviewed so it probably was easier in that respect), etc., as well as the random off-the-wall question which for me was, "If you could have dinner with a fictional character, who would it be and why?" Finally, there is some time to ask particular questions to him, and this should be your chance to show that you've done your research about Hawai'i-Hilo and how you would fit in personally in Hawai'i, especially if you're a nonresident.
The writing sample is actually pretty straightforward. I was given one of two prompts to answer a question in the form of an essay, neither of which were related to pharmacy. You must follow the directions for this sample, meaning all your writing has to be contained within the lines of one side of a sheet of paper, since they won't read any notes that are read in the back. Here, they just want to know that you can organize your thoughts clearly on a random essay.
Hope this helps--and good luck to everyone interviewing!
on your interviews - can't wait to hear your feedback!
