By Rhyan Caruso
1.) Research the Program
Be sure to have done at least a little bit of research on the schools prior to the interview. This can include things like NPTE pass rates, employment rates post-graduation, what resources the program offers, clinical rotations offered, and even some information on a handful of faculty members, such as if their board certified in a specific area or what type of physical therapy topics they’re interested in, as a majority of the time the faculty members are the one’s performing the interviews and having done some research you can easily bring up talking points.
2.) Practice Mock Interviews
There are loads of common physical therapy school questions on Google, with primary ones being “why do you want to be a physical therapist,” “what kind of shadowing experience do you have,” and “what can you offer to this profession,” to name a few. I would recommend going through the list of most commonly asked questions, writing down bullet points to help guide your answers to them, and review them as much as possible. Once you have reviewed enough, I would have someone read through the questions and have you answer the questions exactly how you would in the interviews. This is exactly what I did and resulted in very clear-cut answers without having to stutter or think of something to say on the spot in my own interviews. If you would like the exact copy of questions I used to study for my interviews, just send me a message through email and I will send it your way.
3.) Review Your Application
Be sure to review every piece of your own application, which is often overlooked. In the interviews, the PT schools will most likely ask you a question regarding something from your own application, so make sure you are extremely familiar with every experience, achievement, and any other information that you entered in your application to be prepared to answer any questions about it on the spot.
4.) Prepare Your Own Questions
In every interview I participated for PT schools, there was a time period for the interviewees to ask their own questions that they had for the program. Make sure you have at least 3-5 questions ready on hand to ask, as this will show that you care about getting into the school and that you have done your research. These questions can include things like, “what sets this program apart from others,” or “what type of students find the most success within your program?”
5.) Dress Accordingly
When you receive an interview offer through the email from PT schools, they will most likely let you know what the dress code is for the interview. Some interviews I went to require the men to wear suits and ties, while other programs stated they were business casual, and I wore dress pants and a button-down long sleeve dress shirt. If the dress code is not stated, you cannot go wrong with a suit and tie as it won’t hurt to look the best.
6.) Relax
Do NOT overthink your answers that you had prepared and try not to perfect your answers that you rehearsed in your head but speak naturally. Maintain great eye contact and answers your questions honestly. Try not to talk too much and get to your point in a concise, sharp way.
7.) Follow Up
After the interview, send a follow up email to the school to let them know you appreciated the interview opportunity and are looking forward to hearing back from you. This will keep your name fresh in the school’s mind and help increase your chances of getting accepted into the program.