The pharmacy school interview is an integral part of the application process, as the admissions staff, who already know everything about you on paper, will finally be able to see how you will fit into their program. This is also your time to interview each pharmacy school, so be prepared to ask any questions you may have about your program.
Most pharmacy schools do a good job of making the interview session as comfortable and non-stressful as possible. Current pharmacy school students will usually greet you and chat with you. Make the most of this opportunity to relax and practice your speaking skills. By now, you should have already completed your speech requirement, so now is the time to put what you have learned in the classroom to use!
Prepare by familiarizing yourself with what you wrote in your personal statement essay. Also, it is a good idea to have a general idea of what kind of questions are going to be asked.
As soon as you meet your interviewers, take the initiative to strike up a relationship / start a mini conversation (crazy traffic this morning, beautiful day, etc.). Smile and divide eye contact between all of your interviewers as much as possible when you speak, and maintain eye contact with the person asking the questions.
Some general interview questions
1. Tell me about yourself
2. What was your favorite / most difficult course in college?
3. Who is your best role model?
4. What is a negative aspect of yourself? How have you worked to improve it?
5. Describe a time when you were proud of an achievement.
6. Why our pharmacy program?
7. What do you want to do after graduation?
8. What do you do in your free time?
9. Why the pharmacy, why not research or medicine?
10. What made you interested in the pharmacy?
11. What are the most important attributes of a pharmacist?
12. What sets you apart from other applicants?
13. What made you take an interest in the pharmacy?
14. Give us an example of your leadership ability.
15. Is there anything you would change about your undergraduate experience?
16. Describe the importance of understanding diversity as a pharmacist.
17. What is the most positive aspect of the pharmacy?
18. Give us an example of when you used your creativity to solve a problem.
19. What makes you unique?
20. Where will you be in 5/10 years?
21. Anything else we should know about you? YES, [list other positive aspects about you]
Get acquainted with health care issues and ongoing changes in pharmacy practice, as you may be asked to give your opinion or specific questions about some of the major events that are happening now.
Other questions may be hypothetical questions that put you in a ‘difficult’ or ethical situation where you will need to discuss your course of action. There is usually no right or wrong answer, but be sure to pay close attention to the question being asked so you don’t miss a thing. Take a moment to think about your answer before you start speaking.
I personally bought a book to get the right mindset and strategy to answer even the toughest interview questions. I think this really helped me narrow down my interviews. Check out my Pharmacy College Interview Lens for a link to actual interview comments and questions from each pharmacy school.
Don’t stress, you’ll be fine for your interviews!