How to stand Out During the PT School Interview
Oct 12, 2021
So, you got a notice for a PT school interview! Congratulations! However, if you think about it, you're probably going up against a numerous amount of candidates. How are you going to stand out? Here are 12 tips that will guarantee you to stand out to your interviewers!
- What city it the PT program in?
- Are there multiple locations?
- What is the mission statement?
- What are the perks of the PT program?
- How are clinical rotations conducted?
- How is the final research project conducted?
- What is the bio for the faculty/staff?
- What is the recent news about the program, and do they have any current research published?
- Are there any scholarships available?
- What is the ranking of the program?
- What is the NPTE pass rate?
- What is the employment rate after graduation?
Let's dive deeper into these 12 tips!
- What city it the PT program in?
Figure out what’s nearby. Is there a hospital? PT clinics? During your interview, you can ask, “I saw there are some hospitals nearby. Is your school affiliated with any of them?” This shows you’re prepared. - Are there multiple locations?
Are there satellite locations? You want to make sure you know just in case they ask you about it during the interview. - What is the mission statement?
Make sure you know the university’s mission statement and core values. If you know their mission statement and the values the university stands upon, you can respond to questions using those buzz words. For example, if a school values diversity, you can respond to certain questions around the topic of diversity. - What are the perks of the PT program?
Do they have a simulations lab? Maybe a new gym or building? Find one to three specific perks about the program that you can include in your interview responses. I.e. “I read about two years ago, your school started a post-doctoral program…” - How are clinical rotations conducted?
What’s the length of the rotations? Can you choose or does the school choose for you? These are good topics to know prior to your interview. - How is the final research project conducted?
Each school's final research project is different—whether it is done in groups, individual, and the type of project. - What is the bio for the faculty/staff?
The people who will be conducting the interview will be the school’s faculty or staff. Therefore, it is critical to do your research about the faculty for the program—director, board, chair, etc. You want to know the interviewer’s name, title, length of working at the school, role/specialty, and any published research. You will be sure to stand out if you know this information and are able to bring it up during the interview. Your interviewer would be shocked to hear, “Professor blank, I saw that you published an article about blank. Could you tell me more about that?” This not only makes you stand out as a candidate, but also shows how prepared and professional you are for the interview. - What is the recent news about the program, and do they have any current research published?
Has the school launched any new programs? Have they partnered with the city to launch a pro-bono clinic? Try to bring up these topics during the interview and the more recent, the better. - Are there any scholarships available?
Be sure to research about any available scholarships to help your tuition. - What is the ranking of the program?
Are they top 100? Top 50? This is good to know for your own reference. - What is the NPTE pass rate?
This information should be found on the program's website. - What is the employment rate after graduation?
This is more for your information. If the program does not have a high employment rate post-graduation, what does that say about the program? This also goes for the NPTE pass rate.
Follow these 12 tips to guarantee that you will stand out during your PT school interview!
To get a free downloadable copy of a checklist for your interview, click this link!
What to Research BEFORE the PT School Interview Checklist
To hear these tips more in-depth, check out this video.
How to STAND OUT During the PT SCHOOL INTERVIEW
