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Eastern Virginia Medical School Interviews 2024


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Hello future Class of 2027! My name is Hailey and I am a member of the EVMS MPA Class of 2026 and Mentorship Committee. My classmate Alexis and I will be active on this forum. Please feel free to ask general questions and engage with each other! We are so excited to see everyone on interview day!

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Hi Hailey, it's nice to meet you and I really appreciate you doing this! I'm so excited to interview! 🙂 

I did have a question about the group portion of the interview. Is there any information on the format-- is it a group activity, or is a question posed to the group that we will each take turns answering? I'm just wondering how to best prepare!

 

 

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Hello Hailey and congratulations to all interview recipients!

As I understand from looking over last year's interview thread, the day is broken into AM/PM interview/tour sections.  I'm wondering if the tour is in the morning if there will be an ample break for lunch before the interview portion.  Should I bring my own lunch and would there be a place to store it? Or would I be lugging it around all day?

 

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On 6/9/2024 at 7:57 AM, hollandr90 said:

Hello Hailey and congratulations to all interview recipients!

As I understand from looking over last year's interview thread, the day is broken into AM/PM interview/tour sections.  I'm wondering if the tour is in the morning if there will be an ample break for lunch before the interview portion.  Should I bring my own lunch and would there be a place to store it? Or would I be lugging it around all day?

 

I am not sure if this is correct, but I saw this posted by an EVMS representative in a previous forum thread on this website (I believe it was last year's interview thread)! 🙂  I hope it helps! 

"Hi there! Congratulations on getting an interview! The interviews are traditional style (not MMI)!  We plan to have a snack station set up outside the main room that all interviewees will be welcome to graze on. Please feel free to bring your own snacks as well. There is also a decent lunch break (More to come on lunch via the program closer to the interviews). You will absolutely be able to check your blood glucose levels on your phone whenever you need to!"

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On 6/8/2024 at 11:56 AM, Katherine16 said:

Hi Hailey, it's nice to meet you and I really appreciate you doing this! I'm so excited to interview! 🙂 

I did have a question about the group portion of the interview. Is there any information on the format-- is it a group activity, or is a question posed to the group that we will each take turns answering? I'm just wondering how to best prepare!

 

 

Hi Katherine! Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to give details on what the group/individual interviews entail. Typically, the group interviews involve 2 interviewers and 4 interviewees. Just prepare the best you can and be yourself! Here is a link to the EVMS website which gives some basic information about what interview day will look like! 

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On 6/9/2024 at 7:57 AM, hollandr90 said:

Hello Hailey and congratulations to all interview recipients!

As I understand from looking over last year's interview thread, the day is broken into AM/PM interview/tour sections.  I'm wondering if the tour is in the morning if there will be an ample break for lunch before the interview portion.  Should I bring my own lunch and would there be a place to store it? Or would I be lugging it around all day?

 

Hi! For interviews last year, you either had an interview in the morning and a tour in the afternoon or vice versa. You won't know until the day of. The format could be different this year, so just be ready for anything! We had a very generous lunch break in the middle of the day. You can either bring your lunch, go out and grab something, or we will have an option for you to order a premade lunch (more info to come). There are plenty of places you can store your lunch so don't worry about having to carry it around all day.

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Hello Hailey & Alexis! Thank you both for creating this forum and for offering your advice! It's wonderful to see both of you in this forum as current students as I saw you were both active in the last cycle's forum.

My questions are: 1. What did you both do to prepare yourselves for the interview day? 2. Any tips on increasing confidence?

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3 hours ago, MAnderson96 said:

Hello Hailey & Alexis! Thank you both for creating this forum and for offering your advice! It's wonderful to see both of you in this forum as current students as I saw you were both active in the last cycle's forum.

My questions are: 1. What did you both do to prepare yourselves for the interview day? 2. Any tips on increasing confidence?

Absolutely! I know interview day is very stressful so I know we both want to do as much as we can to try to reduce that stress even if it's just a tiny bit! I will share a few things that worked for me. 

1.  Practice common interview questions out loud, but remind yourself that you may never get asked the questions that you practice. Don't try to memorize a script because you will most likely blank in the moment. The most important thing is knowing yourself, your experiences, and your stories that you feel are pertinent. 

2. The PA Platform is a gold mine of information when it comes to PA school interviews. I chose to do a mock interview which boosted my confidence. 

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14 hours ago, MAnderson96 said:

Hello Hailey & Alexis! Thank you both for creating this forum and for offering your advice! It's wonderful to see both of you in this forum as current students as I saw you were both active in the last cycle's forum.

My questions are: 1. What did you both do to prepare yourselves for the interview day? 2. Any tips on increasing confidence?

1. Interview day preparation:

  •  Find a way to eliminate all *controllable* stressors. For example, getting to campus early on the day of interviews. If traveling from out of state, make sure you get here at least 1 day before. Lay your interview clothes out. Eat something! Also, It is a long day- please get a good night of sleep! 
  • Personally, in the week(s) leading up to interviews, I reviewed my personal statement, resumé, CASPA application. It was a good reminder of my “why” and everything I’ve done to get to this point. The night before interviews I tried my best not to look at these items! 
  • If you need a resource for interview preparations, I really enjoyed going through a book called the “Physician Assistant School Interview Guide” by Savanna Perry PA-C. Mock interviews, as Alexis stated, are also a great option if that’s something you are able to do!

2. Tips on increasing confidence:

  • Each and every person applying is completely different and that is YOUR advantage! Identify what makes YOU unique and lean into that. Be proud. 
  • On interview day, every one will have a different experience. Remain supportive of your peers and also confident within yourself. Breathe! 
  • You have what it takes! You received an interview invite! Imposter syndrome is real (I get it!) Take a deep breath. You got this.
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12 hours ago, Katherine16 said:

Those are great interview tips, thank you both! 🙂

I'm flying down from the East Coast (MA); I'm so excited to see the campus and see VA for the first time! Does anyone have any food recommendations near to campus? 

There is a TON of great food near campus! The Grilled Cheese Bistro, Luna Maya, Orapax, TASTE Unlimited, Doumars (more for the experience and less for the food), Handsome Biscuit, Union Taco, Baker's Crust, Elation Brewery, and the Stockpot are all great. For coffee, go to Mea Culpa, Cafe Stella, or Cure Coffeehouse. Cafe Stella & Cure are super popular study spots for EVMS students! 

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Thank you to Alexis and Hailey for starting this thread! Your responses have been very helpful so far.

The instructions in the interview offer email said check in was between 7:15AM and 7:45AM. Do you know if we will be assigned a specific check in time later on, or are we just expected to arrive any time within this time frame? I am asking so that I can plan when I should eat breakfast/head out. I'm flying in from the west coast the day before and will be staying at a hotel within walking distance to the campus.

Thank you both in advance! 

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15 hours ago, ychen said:

Thank you to Alexis and Hailey for starting this thread! Your responses have been very helpful so far.

The instructions in the interview offer email said check in was between 7:15AM and 7:45AM. Do you know if we will be assigned a specific check in time later on, or are we just expected to arrive any time within this time frame? I am asking so that I can plan when I should eat breakfast/head out. I'm flying in from the west coast the day before and will be staying at a hotel within walking distance to the campus.

Thank you both in advance! 

Hi! There won't be any assigned check-in times. Just show up during the time frame given in the info email from faculty. Give yourself plenty of time to find where you're going so you aren't late. You cannot show up after 7:45! 

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Hi Hailey and Alexis! I’m really excited for the interview. I do have some questions in regards to any additional information we’re supposed to receive from emails. The only email I received was my interview confirmation informing me to check the Events tab in PURL, and it only stated my interview date and guest number is 0. Is there any more information I’m supposed to fill out on that page? I only see the interview date. Will they send any more email updates regarding the itinerary, etc?

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16 hours ago, InspiringPA said:

Hi Hailey and Alexis! I’m really excited for the interview. I do have some questions in regards to any additional information we’re supposed to receive from emails. The only email I received was my interview confirmation informing me to check the Events tab in PURL, and it only stated my interview date and guest number is 0. Is there any more information I’m supposed to fill out on that page? I only see the interview date. Will they send any more email updates regarding the itinerary, etc?

Hi! As current students, we don't have much information for you on interview logistics. I would recommend reaching out to the PA program via email or phone to ask this question! 757-446-7158 or paprogram@evms.edu.

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1 hour ago, Alexis1 said:

Hi! As current students, we don't have much information for you on interview logistics. I would recommend reaching out to the PA program via email or phone to ask this question! 757-446-7158 or paprogram@evms.edu.

Will do! Also, do you have any advice on how to we can stand out in group interviews? I’ve done a group interview where it was difficult to speak up and everyone is talking over other people.

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22 hours ago, InspiringPA said:

Will do! Also, do you have any advice on how to we can stand out in group interviews? I’ve done a group interview where it was difficult to speak up and everyone is talking over other people.

This applies to group interviews anywhere, not just at EVMS. If people in your group interview are dominating the conversation and not allowing others to speak, that is a reflection of them and not you. In other words, the people interviewing you will notice if one person is dominating and not working collaboratively. The whole purpose of a group interview isn't to see who can speak up the loudest or say the most, it is to see how you work in a team-based setting! Being a PA is all about working with a team of healthcare professionals, so group dynamics are super important. Don't try to show off or overpower your group members, but be assertive and confident when you want to make a point. 

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6 hours ago, Katherine16 said:

I'm so sad I won't be able to make the Happy Hour social gathering on Thursday night (my flight gets in too late), but I'm excited to meet you all at the pre-interview Zoom meet and greets! 😊

 

We are so excited to meet you guys on Zoom!!!

No worries about the social 🙂 I missed ours last year, too!

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2 hours ago, MasenM said:

Hi all! I am traveling from Arizona and I am anxiously waiting to meet everyone! Do we have any update on the location of the happy hour social gathering for that Thursday evening?

Hi! Safe travels in from AZ! 

Thank you for your question. We just received confirmation for the Happy Hour Social Gathering! I have been advised that I can share this on the forum with you all, however you will also be receiving an additional email by the end of this week for confirmation.

When:  Thursday July 11, 2024

Time: 7:00-8:45 PM

Location: Afterglow Brewing

Address: 2330 Bowdens Ferry Rd Suite 600, Norfolk, VA 23508

This place is roughly a 7 minute drive from EVMS campus, and is a newer brewery to Norfolk! Students from the Class of 2026 will also be in attendance, and we are so excited to meet you guys!

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Hello everyone,

I am travelling from California and am looking forward to meeting you all! I'm super excited for interviews and to learn more about EVMS. I'm curious to know where other people from out of state are staying? I get in Thursday night, and leave Saturday afternoon. I have yet to book lodging, and I'm interested in possibly carpooling to and from campus? If anyone is interested in sharing an Uber, or have hotel suggestions, please let me know!

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