The First Interview

One of the most common questions I am asked from pre-PAs is how the interview process works. Interviews vary depending on the school – some will have one-on-one interviews, some will have individual "problem-solving" interviews, some will be in a group with other applicants. I had five invitations to interview and I actually went to three of them (the other two were “safety” schools). Here’s my experience from my first interview!


I was so excited, yet nervous at the prospect of interviewing for PA school. The impression I gave in a fifteen-minute interview would determine my future career! Talk about pressure! But I tried to calm my nerves as much as possible. The night before my interview, I searched the internet for “common interview questions” which was helpful. I looked over my application notes and personal statement in case I was asked any questions regarding my application, which I hadn’t looked at for months at this point. Then, I went to bed to try to get a good night’s sleep before my early morning interview!


I have to admit, this first interview was much less stressful than I had expected. The head of admissions tried to relieve our anxiety by telling the interviewees that the whole purpose of the interview process was to get to know us better, so we should just relax and be ourselves. This was a relief to me because I knew that I could just honestly answer the interviewers’ questions without worrying about what answers they might be expecting to hear.


The interviewers (two faculty members and a recent graduate of the program) were friendly and welcoming. They asked me questions such as "Why do you want to be a PA?", "Where do you see yourself in five years?", "Did you ever consider medical school instead of PA school?", etc. These questions didn’t make me uncomfortable at all because I knew the answers since I’ve thought out my decision to be a PA thoroughly and I know all the reasons why this profession is for me. I just had to reiterate that to the interviewers as convincingly as possible!


My pre-med advisor once told me that, in an interview, you should want the interviewer(s) to ask the "hard" questions. It allows you to explain anything on your application that could harm your chances of getting in. Well, for better or for worse, I didn't get any "hard" questions during my first interview, but I did think it was a good experience overall.


Oh, and here's a tip: at the end of your interview, the interviewer(s) will almost always ask you if you have any questions. Regardless of whether you are actually interested in the school or not and if you actually have any questions or not: always ask at least one question. It shows that you're interested in the school and want to know more about it. So have a question prepared in advance to ask at this point in the interview!


That reminds me of another thing to keep in mind during interviews: in my opinion, the interview process goes two ways. You are “interviewing” the school while they are also interviewing you. The interviewers are simply trying to determine the same thing you are – would you be a good fit for the school? So while you’re taking a tour of the school, talking with students, and being interviewed by professors, be sure to think to yourself if you could picture yourself going to school there and ask any questions you might have about what's it's like to go to the school. You will be spending two and a half to three years there so you want to make sure you’ll enjoy your time in school too!