1. Come prepared
Whatever course you’re interviewing for, come prepared. Re-read your personal statement, make notes and bullet points. Why do you want to study your course? What inspired you?
For Pharmacy, I had to undergo a Maths and written test. I prepared myself by researching examples of questions online for this and my interview. For my interview, I matched up my experience from my personal statement to potential questions I could have been asked.
2. Ask lots of questions
In preparation for my interview, I made a list of the questions I wanted to ask the academic staff on the day. As someone applying for Pharmacy, I particularly wanted to know about the placement element and what opportunities I would be able to undertake.
By asking questions on the day I realised that the course includes Comensus sessions with real-life patients and a built-up dispensary station, as well as a breadth of placements, from community pharmacy to hospital and the industry. You can become a pharmacy buddy and work on Health Melas or Ask Your Pharmacist. This is where you can communicate with the general public, assess and take measurements in order to counsel on their health. This is where I realised that there were lots of opportunities as part of the course to build work experience and significant employability and transferable skills.
3. Take a look around on the day
On the day of your interview, you’ll have the opportunity to take a look around campus. I would highly recommend doing this, even if you have already visited on an Open Day or Campus Tour previously. It will give you a refresher and knowing that the university is right for you is so important – you’ll be spending the next few years thereafter all!
I hope you have found these tips useful. Keep calm, be prepared and channel your nerves.
Good luck!