What should I do for an interview?

[Caecilius]

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Hi everyone, I will have a interview with the school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science of University at Buffalo. I wonder what types of questions will be asked and what should I prepared for this interview. I have a month to prepare it. THANKS!

 

[dannnielleeee]

You'll have a short writing exercise first, then an individual interview, a small group "project", and a student tour, in some order.

There were two faculty in my interview, and they asked a few basic "tell me about yourself" type of questions, and a few situational/"tell me about a time..."-type questions.

In the group project, there will be 3-4 of you, and you'll be asked to come up with a response to a situation on a prompt, as a team. I had two students in the room with us, monitoring (one with a clipboard). Then we had a short q&a and a white coat fitting.

I'd recommend to just be yourself, and be honest about why you want to become a pharmacist and why you've chosen Buffalo. They seemed really enthusiastic about selling themselves, and showing you why you should want them (but in a good way, not a desperate "we need students" way).

Also, check out their interview feedback - I'd recommend checking out what some of the most frequently asked questions are... I was definitely asked a few from what has been posted over the past few years.

 

[Caecilius]

Thank you so much!! Those questions will help me a lot.

 

[NextStepTutor_4]

Hey @Caecilius - congrats on your interview!! Here are some common interview questions:

• Why do you want to be a pharmacist? No, really, why? (Why not [other health field] - what specific to pharmacy?)
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?
• Why do you want to join our programs? What do you like about Buffalo?
• What do you bring to our program?
• What is a challenging situation you've been in? How have you overcome adversity or shown leadership?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What experience have you had in pharmacy? with challenging situations or complex patients?
• Tell me about X experience that you listed on your resume or personal statement.
• What questions do you have? (make sure you have at least one or a few questions ready!)

*Also, you might be asked about the pharmacy or healthcare field more generally - you don't need to be an expert by any means, and they won't be very technical questions, but you might be asked about what you see as the biggest problem facing pharmacists/healthcare today, or a similar question, where it helps to have some understanding of what these fields are like.

*The more you can research about the program, the better. This will help for several reasons: (1) you will be prepared to ask questions about their program; (2) you can discover what you like and don't like about the program, and any questions you want answered; (3) you'll demonstrate your understanding of their program; and (4) this will help you ultimately determine if you would like to join this program - and if you think it's a perfect fit, hopefully you can convince your interviewer of that. If this is your top program, don't be afraid to let them know!
​

P.S. The most helpful thing I ever did before interviews was a mock interview. It can be helpful to simulate the interview setting and practice difficult interview questions in advance with a friend or colleague. Remember, Buffalo already knows you're a competitive applicant based on your PCAT, transcript, and resume. This is the chance for them to meet the real you, and vice versa, so be yourself (as cliche as that sounds) and be confident in yourself as an applicant. As long as you are professional, polite, and sincere with your answers, you can't go wrong.

I wish I could provide more specific advice about interview day at Buffalo - but I have a feeling you're going to feel very confident when the day comes! 🙂

 

[Modest_anteater]

Hi everyone, I will have a interview with the school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science of University at Buffalo. I wonder what types of questions will be asked and what should I prepared for this interview. I have a month to prepare it. THANKS!

This school will take anyone with a pulse. Just show up and you will pass.

 

[Caecilius]

This school will take anyone with a pulse. Just show up and you will pass.

THANKS !! haha

 

[Caecilius]

Hey @Caecilius - congrats on your interview!! Here are some common interview questions:

• Why do you want to be a pharmacist? No, really, why? (Why not [other health field] - what specific to pharmacy?)
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?
• Why do you want to join our programs? What do you like about Buffalo?
• What do you bring to our program?
• What is a challenging situation you've been in? How have you overcome adversity or shown leadership?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What experience have you had in pharmacy? with challenging situations or complex patients?
• Tell me about X experience that you listed on your resume or personal statement.
• What questions do you have? (make sure you have at least one or a few questions ready!)

*Also, you might be asked about the pharmacy or healthcare field more generally - you don't need to be an expert by any means, and they won't be very technical questions, but you might be asked about what you see as the biggest problem facing pharmacists/healthcare today, or a similar question, where it helps to have some understanding of what these fields are like.

*The more you can research about the program, the better. This will help for several reasons: (1) you will be prepared to ask questions about their program; (2) you can discover what you like and don't like about the program, and any questions you want answered; (3) you'll demonstrate your understanding of their program; and (4) this will help you ultimately determine if you would like to join this program - and if you think it's a perfect fit, hopefully you can convince your interviewer of that. If this is your top program, don't be afraid to let them know!
​

P.S. The most helpful thing I ever did before interviews was a mock interview. It can be helpful to simulate the interview setting and practice difficult interview questions in advance with a friend or colleague. Remember, Buffalo already knows you're a competitive applicant based on your PCAT, transcript, and resume. This is the chance for them to meet the real you, and vice versa, so be yourself (as cliche as that sounds) and be confident in yourself as an applicant. As long as you are professional, polite, and sincere with your answers, you can't go wrong.

I wish I could provide more specific advice about interview day at Buffalo - but I have a feeling you're going to feel very confident when the day comes! 🙂

WOW! Thanks for your information! Thanks a lot.

 

[doressia]

Hi everyone, I will have a interview with the school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science of University at Buffalo. I wonder what types of questions will be asked and what should I prepared for this interview. I have a month to prepare it. THANKS!

Can you share what you're going for prepare. I can be called soon. I need this kind of advice from you too. 🙂

 

[Caecilius]

Can you share what you're going for prepare. I can be called soon. I need this kind of advice from you too. 🙂

Firstly, there will be a writing test for about 20 minutes, after that you will meet a panel to ask you few questions. Please see here

• Why do you want to be a pharmacist? No, really, why? (Why not [other health field] - what specific to pharmacy?)
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?
• Why do you want to join our programs? What do you like about Buffalo?
• What do you bring to our program?
• What is a challenging situation you've been in? How have you overcome adversity or shown leadership?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What experience have you had in pharmacy? with challenging situations or complex patients?
• Tell me about X experience that you listed on your resume or personal statement.
• What questions do you have? (make sure you have at least one or a few questions ready!)
• and so on

People told me that just show yourself honestly and confidently. I hope those will help you.🙂

 

[Dary]

Firstly, there will be a writing test for about 20 minutes, after that you will meet a panel to ask you few questions. Please see here

• Why do you want to be a pharmacist? No, really, why? (Why not [other health field] - what specific to pharmacy?)
• Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?
• Why do you want to join our programs? What do you like about Buffalo?
• What do you bring to our program?
• What is a challenging situation you've been in? How have you overcome adversity or shown leadership?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What experience have you had in pharmacy? with challenging situations or complex patients?
• Tell me about X experience that you listed on your resume or personal statement.
• What questions do you have? (make sure you have at least one or a few questions ready!)
• and so on

People told me that just show yourself honestly and confidently. I hope those will help you.🙂

Thank you for your information!! What do you think the writing test will be like? For example, what kind of topic related?

 

[NextStepTutor_4]

Hey @Dary - the Writing section is 30 minutes long, and during that time you'll be asked to type an essay (on a computer) where you propose one or more solutions to some kind of problem that's stated in a prompt. The prompt will present a health issue, a science issue, or a social/cultural/political issue. For example, "X% of US adults are overweight or obese. Discuss a solution to this issue." or "High school drop-out rates are on the rise. Discuss a solution to this issue." You should be able to answer the prompt without having any kind of extensive background knowledge, and you're rewarded more so on critical thinking and writing effective arguments. 🙂

 

[dannnielleeee]

Hey @Dary - the Writing section is 30 minutes long, and during that time you'll be asked to type an essay (on a computer) where you propose one or more solutions to some kind of problem that's stated in a prompt. The prompt will present a health issue, a science issue, or a social/cultural/political issue. For example, "X% of US adults are overweight or obese. Discuss a solution to this issue." or "High school drop-out rates are on the rise. Discuss a solution to this issue." You should be able to answer the prompt without having any kind of extensive background knowledge, and you're rewarded more so on critical thinking and writing effective arguments. 🙂

I think you're referring to the writing portion for the PCAT.

At the interview for Buffalo, the writing "test" is a short, handwritten exercise (the first portion of the day after the intro presentation) where you respond to a prompt. It's 15-20 min and I can't say what the exact topic was, but it wasn't anything where you'd need prior knowledge of a certain topic in order to answer it.

 

[NextStepTutor_4]

I think you're referring to the writing portion for the PCAT.

At the interview for Buffalo, the writing "test" is a short, handwritten exercise (the first portion of the day after the intro presentation) where you respond to a prompt. It's 15-20 min and I can't say what the exact topic was, but it wasn't anything where you'd need prior knowledge of a certain topic in order to answer it.

Woops - I redact my comment

 

[Dary]

Haha thanks, I just need to remember some English vocabularies in advance since I am not sure my English skill will handle that situation lol. Is there a writing portion in the U of Minnesota's interview as well? Similar to UB's? Have to do all of them on skype tho🙁(

 

[dannnielleeee]

Haha thanks, I just need to remember some English vocabularies in advance since I am not sure my English skill will handle that situation lol. Is there a writing portion in the U of Minnesota's interview as well? Similar to UB's? Have to do all of them on skype tho🙁(

Minnesota doesn't have a writing portion. We had an intro/presentation from the dean, then a one-on-one interview, followed by some more presentations about the two campuses and a q&a with a few current students.

 

[Caicai]

I have an interview in UB today at noon, I am so nervous right now and it is good to see so many advice here!

 

[Dary]

Thanks a ton for your information! Finger crossed

Minnesota doesn't have a writing portion. We had an intro/presentation from the dean, then a one-on-one interview, followed by some more presentations about the two campuses and a q&a with a few current students.

 

[Caecilius]

I have an interview in UB today at noon, I am so nervous right now and it is good to see so many advice here!

Hi! What questions did they ask? Can you give me some examples? Thanks🙂