WVU-Interview!

[MarcoPolo]

Hello everyone !

I have been invited for an interview with WVU in March, I am trying to find out how best to prepare. If you had any experiences with them,It might be helpful.

Thank you!

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[WVUPharm2007]

Dress nice, try to get some key issues in pharmacy down, have a nice long response about why you want to practice pharmacy. Be sure to mention the ample salary - it makes you sound genuine. (I listed "financial security" as #1 reason for getting into pharmacy and I got a 29.25/30 on my interview...) They may ask you to mention your strengths and weaknesses. Know your strengths, make sure any weaknesses you mention are positives. (I get so much into school that sometimes my social life suffers.)

What else...

If you get Dr. Higa prepare for a battle, he'll ask you the craziest-assed questions you could imagine. When my wife interviewed, his final question was, "Let's say there are 5 students with the exact same statistics as you who are applying to pharmacy school. Same GPA, same PCAT, same interview, same writing sample, same level of experience, same everything. There is one spot left in the class and it's between you and the other 5. Why should I choose you over the other 5 students?"

I have no IDEA what a good answer for that one is....of even if there is one. Dr. Higa's probably the best professor in the school, though.

Take a beta-blocker before you come in and bring a xanax with you for afterwards. Good luck.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Dress nice, try to get some key issues in pharmacy down, have a nice long response about why you want to practice pharmacy. Be sure to mention the ample salary - it makes you sound genuine. (I listed "financial security" as #1 reason for getting into pharmacy and I got a 29.25/30 on my interview...) They may ask you to mention your strengths and weaknesses. Know your strengths, make sure any weaknesses you mention are positives. (I get so much into school that sometimes my social life suffers.)

What else...

If you get Dr. Higa prepare for a battle, he'll ask you the craziest-assed questions you could imagine. When my wife interviewed, his final question was, "Let's say there are 5 students with the exact same statistics as you who are applying to pharmacy school. Same GPA, same PCAT, same interview, same writing sample, same level of experience, same everything. There is one spot left in the class and it's between you and the other 5. Why should I choose you over the other 5 students?"

I have no IDEA what a good answer for that one is....of even if there is one. Dr. Higa's probably the best professor in the school, though.

Take a beta-blocker before you come in and bring a xanax with you for afterwards. Good luck.

Thank you WVU PharmD . Every thing you wrote is very helpful. Most of all, I'll make sure I take my Beta blocker with me .

I was wondering if they have us write essays-and if so, what are the essay questions like? Do we write it on paper or on a computer? Is it timed,like they only give you 30 min.? How about Math?

I am going to the facility at charlston, will that mean No Dr. Higa? huh.

What kind of questions are good to ask?

I am sorry I am asking you a lot of questions, this is the only interview invite I have and I really want to make the best out of it.

N.B. If any of you guys out there had already an interview at WVU, Please share some of your thought. I will really appreciate it.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I was wondering if they have us write essays-and if so, what are the essay questions like? Do we write it on paper or on a computer? Is it timed,like they only give you 30 min.? How about Math?

You have to submit a writing sample. It's an easy question. Mine asked to write about my favorite book. I think the time limit was 15 minutes or so.

I am going to the facility at charlston, will that mean No Dr. Higa? huh.

Nah. You'll probably get Dr. Elliott or Dr. Terpening. They are ok guys. I'm not sure how tough they are in an interview, though. Higa is a great guy, too, but he's brutal in the interview.

What kind of questions are good to ask?

Ask about what type of post-graduate opportunities are available at WVU. That usually takes up some time.

I am sorry I am asking you a lot of questions, this is the only interview invite I have and I really want to make the best out of it.

Understandable. Did you try the new school that is in Charleston, WV?

 

[orange_ivy]

Hi,
I went to an interview last March (2006). Everyone was really nice and they did the interview day in small groups. Everyone comes in at the time they have their interview so there will probably only be a few people there at the same time as you. There were no essays. They now use the essay from the PCAT so make sure your PCAT is a recent one that has the writing portion. My boyfriend went all the way to West Virginia for the interview and then they told him that his PCAT didn't have the writing section so he was disqualified from acceptance. It really sucked!
I was interviewed by 2 professors and then the incoming pharmacy Dean was sitting in to observe. They did ask a lot of questions but just answer as best as you can. A student gave me a tour of the school and then that was about it. My interview was in Morgantown. Hope your interview goes well!

Also, don't forget to read the interview feedback section of SDN.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Thank you both Orange-Ivy and WVU-PharmD, for your inputs! It is wonderful that we are able to share ideas and support each other this way. Thank you.

Having said that, My writing score on the PCAT isn't that greatthumbdown), so now I am wondering effect that is going to have on my interview grade. substantially, may be? I wish they ask me to write an essay instead.

I was also wondering why there are not any threads that discus WVU-interviews and interview feedbacks.I tried to look it up but couldn't find any. I mean, It seems one can find posts on such topics, on most other schools,so I am just curious what this means,if it means anything at all?

 

[orange_ivy]

Did you find the WVU interview feedback? If you haven't, go to the top of this page, click on Pharmacy and then on Pharmacy School interview feedback. Then on the right side of that page it says "Browse feedback". Click that and then select school as West Virginia University, there are 3 feedbacks there.
Maybe there are less people talking about WVU because people in that area don't know about Student Doctor Network.
And about the writing portion of the PCAT, hopefully it wouln't be weighed as much compared to the rest of your application. Maybe the school could tell you that.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Yeah, keep in mind I interviewed back in 2003 when dinosaurs roamed the Earth....

 

[S_R_N83]

I just had my interview at WVU, and it wasn't bad. I had Dr. Brister. The interview is more like a conversation than an interrogation, so don't worry about it too much. They seem to concentrate a lot on service activities that you did and knowledge that you have about pharmacy.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

'Ol Brister is a bit easier of an interviewer than others. Other easy interviewers are Dr. Scott and Dr. Rojanasakul.

 

[S_R_N83]

Good, I got lucky then.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

He's a good guy though. He's big into neurology and Parkinson's.

We see him all the time at the Eat N' Park midnight breakfast buffet. He sits alone with 5 plates of food surrounding him just chowing down. As you can imagine, that man can put away some pancakes.....

 

[jojo99]

i have the one at morganstown.....i hope i get someone who is really nice and it goes well.....does anyone know how to browse interview feedbacks on this site??

 

[emole123]

I have an interview in Morgantown on the 27th..I goto WVU now and am already a year behind what I should be.. I got into Charleston but really want to stay at WVU...so hopefully all goes well.

To get to interview feedback, click browse pharmacy interview feedback at the top under pharmacy. Then click browse feedback on the right of the next page. WVU only has a few feedbacks, but the ones there seem helpful.

 

[S_R_N83]

Yea, the feedback is helpful. Everything is pretty much the same except they don't have you do the essay, they use the PCAT essay instead.