Grad School Interviews

While working with BYU's Health Management Association, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and future leaders of health care. They all come with questions and I love answering them. There is nothing greater than helping others in their career. I enjoy every minute of it. Those questions will serve as prompts for many of my blog posts, including this one. I had a good friend ask me more details about my interview at VCU, and will include some answers to his questions here.

1. What did you include in responses to interview questions to set you apart from other applicants?

This is a great question, but I think it pans out to be more general, How do you set yourself apart from other applicants. MHA programs are competitive. Here are a few things I feel can set you apart:

• Do your homework about the program you are interviewing.
• Knowledge of the health care industry-be aware of large problems and concerns hospital administrators face (I was asked, "What is a large problem do you see in healthcare that you would like to take on personally?")
• Experience working in health care even it is volunteering in the ER. Try to get as much exposure through shadowing, networking, etc.

Here are some ideas a good friend of mine had of the general questions asked:

Why Health Admin? (they want to see passion for the field)

What makes you a good admin/leader?

Why this program?

Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?

When you work in a team environment, what role in the team do you typically assume?Tell me of a time you were working with a team and ran into a problem (i.e. confrontation) and how you solved it.

What's the difference between a manager and a leader and which one are you?

What makes a good leader?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years (also asked for in 10 years).

What are the biggest healthcare issues in America today (what about in 5 years)?

Many qualified applicants are being considered for this position. Sell yourself to us: Why YOU?

How do you handle stress?

Main advice: be confident, be prepared, and show that you will benefit the program both while at school and represent them well when in the field. Make sure you have good questions for them and it appears that just as they are interested in whether you are a right fit for them, you want to find out if they are right for you. Also, connections with current students and previous conversations with program faculty etc. show you've researched and can pave the way for a much more comfortable interview.

Ben and I both realized that a huge advantage is just people skills and be able to articulate what you are saying clearly and concisely.

Hope this helps!