As I hope anyone who has looked at posts on this forum knows, I am a faculty member at the University of Mary, a member of the admissions committee, and I also do PT interviews. I am not involved in setting up the interview groups.
I was asked through a personal message about our interviews by a poster on this site. I responded personally, but also thought that it would be useful to post my answer for all. I have added a little from my original message. Keep in mind that this is my perspective.
One general comment. Do not approach the interview as a quiz or test. See it as an opportunity to let us know abou you, and why you will be an asset to our school and the PT profession.
I can tell you what I look for during an interview.
1. An applicant who is personable and confident. As a PT, you will have to work with other healthcare professionals, patients, clients, insurance companies, etc. Show that you have the ability to do this. Being nervous is okay as long as it does not interfere with the rest of the interview. We have had applicants in the middle of an answer get a little flustered, and ask if they can start from the beginning of their answer. We let them, and do not take off points for this (At least for the first time, and I do not remember anybody having to do this more than once). The interview is stressful, we recognize that, and so being a little nervous is not a bad thing. We also expect you to be nervous during your first in-class demonstration, lab practicals, clinical experiences, etc., and we expect you to be able to deal with it.
2. Look at all of the interviewers when you answer a question. One person will ask the question, but look at all. Smile when appropriate.
3a. Answer the question. Do not beat around the bush. If you are not sure of what the interviewers are looking for, ask them to repeat the question, or paraphrase the question back in your own words and ask if that is what they are looking for.
3b. And be specific. If you can bring up instances in your life or your observation hours, and DIRECTLY relate them to the question, that is good. Saying that you are interested in PT because you or a family member was helped by PT is good, but at some point in your life you were also helped by doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers, secretaries, store clerks, etc. Why do you want to be a PT rather than one of those other professions?
3c. Do not be wordy. Most interviews are relatively short. Usually one generic question is along the lines of "Tell us about yourself". Or "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" Expect these type of questions, and have an answer in your head before the interview, but not sounding rehearsed. Most of us could go on for 5-10 minutes on this, and some much longer. But keep it relatively short so there is enough time for the rest of the questions. The best answer is short and sweet, that fully answers the question, and includes your reasoning or thinking behind your answer. I know that is somewhat contradictory, but just answering the question without letting us know something more about you is not the best.
4. The "Tell us about you" question is as much an icebreaker as anything else. The applicant is expected to know that this question is coming, and to have an answer to it. So it gets the applicant talking about something they know alot about. It also lets us know a little about you.
5. At each school, you will probably get a question that is unique and asks you to respond to a particular situation. What I am looking for is that you can pick out the different factors that are important in the situation. As an example (and not one that we use), when working in a supermarket you see a man walk out with a loaf of bread, and then see him giving the bread to an obviously hungry child. What do you do? What would you do if you see him in the store again a week later? Factors could include: stealling is wrong, the child needs the food, the man could be arrested and then what would happen with the child, does the store have a program to distribute food to the hungry, are their other sources of food, etc. There may not be a 'correct' answer to this question, we are more interested in how you think (superficial or deep), and can you support your choice.
6. We do not ask questions about specific PT practices. So no questions about whether you would use ultrasound and this patient and what parameters you would use. We expect that we will teach you all of that in PT school.
7. Know about all of the PT profession, not just the types of practices where you did your observation hours. Vision 2020 is a good resourse.. Where is the PT profession planning on going? Where do you see the future of PT, and what is your role in its future?
8. Our interviewers will not know your grades unless you talk about it in your essay, which they will have. They will not know if your GPA was a 4.0, or if you have the lowest GPA of all the applicants. We assume that you have the academic abilities to succeed in our program.
In general I look for an applicant who:
- has decent interpersonal skills
- knows themself
- knows about the profession of PT, and can tell be why it is the right choice for them
- If you are an AT or PTA, be ready to explain why you want to go further and become a PT
- has goals and a plan for themself
- can think somewhat well on their feet
- matches the mission of our school
At one place that I use to work, someone had put a qoute by Al Capone on their door.
"To make it in America you need three things, a smile, a gun, and a plan. If you need to give up one thing, give up the smile. If you need to give something else up, lose the gun. But never, ever, give up your plan."
