Applicants generally found the interview process at Mercer to be relaxed and informative, with a mix of faculty and student interactions. They appreciated the friendly atmosphere and opportunities to ask questions during the tour and mingling sessions, but some felt that the facilities were not state-of-the-art. The three-hour interview format, including sessions with faculty, students, and a writing assignment, was well-received by most, with an emphasis on being yourself and engaging with everyone present.
-
The session started with an informational meeting with the director of admissions and then split into an interview with a faculty member (closed) and director of admissions (open). There was a tour of the pharmacy building with a student ambassador then gathered with director of admissions to discuss what to expect after the interview. It ended with a tour with all the student ambassadors of the campus. Decisions were made two days later.
-
Overall, not a very stressful process. Small cohort of students for each interview date, starts with a presentation about the school, then a student lead tour, then rotations through a student interview, a faculty interview, and a 'group discussion'/group interview with admissions and more students. Everyone is very friendly!
-
Good impression overall, everyone was excited and proud of their school. good job on school representation.
-
It's an interview - the only thing that made this one different was that they had 35 people in my group.
-
Very impressive from start to finish! I was accepted and painfully had to turn it down as another school provided a different type of experience I wanted out of my pharmD program. However, I would reccomend Mercer to everyone who wants to live in the city!
-
Be relaxed. Where nice, professional clothing. Make sure you ask plenty of questions and mingle during the mingling session. Interact with others even if you just laugh along with the crowd.
-
I first took a tour of the school, then had an interview with one of the faculty. She asked about three questions which took ten minutes and the rest of the time she asked me if I had any questions. So come with questions in mind! Very laid back, felt very conversational. Then had a social meeting with some other interviewees, mercer students, jordana and the associate dean. Make it a point to talk to jordana and the dean! They are very nice and easy to talk to so dont be scared! Afterwards, had an interview with a student who asked a few more questions but was very friendly and willing to answer any more questions I had. Once again, very conversational! Mercer is an amazing place!
-
The best interview experience. No essay made it even better (other schools take note please). Get your face known (make YOU stand out) because you are talking to lots of different people.
-
There were two 30 minutes interviews, one with a professor and one with a student. then there was a half hour set aside for us to mingle with students, the associate dean, and someone from admissions (this was a little awkward at first).
there were only 15 of us interviewing and we split up into 5 groups for the campus tour (lots of opportunities to ask questions, but you start to run out after a while).
-
Came away very impressed with Mercer. Took the train into the city the night before to relax which worked well.
-
LOVED it. Very laid back and they are awesome. Consists of an hour introduction to the school, then a 10 min break, the a tour, then 3 segments-
1/2 hour interview w/ faculty, then with student, then a meet and greet w/ maybe 10 people (students, Jordana, Dr. Bartlett)
-
This is set up as a set of 3 interviews - one alone with a faculty, one alone with a P4 and one meet and greet with the Dean, 3 current students and Jordana (forget her last name, sorry).
-
Great school, I'm so glad I got accepted
-
Interview session consisted of a small group tour in which students could interact with a current pharmacy school student. Three interview segments were held, one in which students mingled with various faculty and current students. Two other interviews were with a member of the faculty and a current pharmacy student. Very relaxed! Just like having a conversation with somebody, stress-free!
-
I love this school.
-
I love this school. I received a letter that I had been put on the alternate list and three days later, I received a call that I had been accepted. I am so happy and cant wait to start. Class of 2013 here I come.
-
Everyone is just trying to get to know you so just be yourself. I had a great time.
-
I LOVE that Mercer is so close to Atlanta. Lots of fun stuff to do in that city. Students were super nice in explaining the block schedule of classes, answering any questions about the program or their experiences. The interview is 3 blocks 30 min each: one with a student, one with faculty member, and a social time. The social with the Dean, A.c., and other potentials is the hardest part because you don't know anyone and have to make a nice impression.
-
Mercer is on a block schedule, which means you seem to have quite a bit of time free to work or volunteer; there are many opportunities for you! Missionary trips, international rotations (1), research, specialization, etc. Most of the people interviewed were YOUNG; sophomore in college type young... which, to me, showed an air of innocence and inexperience in the world. I'm surprised how many people without a BS were even considered, actually.
Seems like a VERY quality school.
Atlanta is pretty far away from the school itself; I found the cheapest transportation to take to the school was by the marta train/bus system. BUT, it was well worth staying in Atlanta to see what the city itself had to offer and what the culture was like.
The campus itself also seemed a bit aged; this is not state-of-the-art in regards to facilities, but it seems like it's adequate.
-
The 50 minutes was really broken up by one interview with a faculty member, another by a current student.
-
Much less stressful than expected
-
Because Mercer is such an established school, many applicants want to go to school there. Be ready to explain what makes you unique, and how you will make an impact at Mercer. This pharmacy school has been around for over 100 years. In California we view Mercer as the UCSF of the east, so if you get in here you are so lucky! This school impressed me so much!
-
Interview agenda consisted of a welcome and introduction session, a tour guided by a student, one-on-one interview with faculty member (closed file) 30 minutes, mingling session with admissions staff & students for 30 minutes, and 30 minute interview session with another student.
-
There's a mingling session..make sure you talk!
-
The day starts of with you and the other 15 or so interviewees being informed about the university by Dr. Bartling, Ms. Berry, and Ms. Lord. Then you go on a tour of the campus with a student guide. My guide was a P3 student but most were P1's on this day. After that you have a 30 minute session where you are either being interviewed by a student, a member of faculty, or are part of a "mingling" session in the main room. It was a great experience and everyone makes you feel welcomed. I really want to go to mercer after visiting and meeting much of the faculty, staff, and some students.
-
Was a great experience, Mercer has set the bar high in terms of what is expected at the interview
-
Excellent; although I was extremely nervous, everyone was very friendly, talkative, and curious. They organize it so that the whole process is low stress & the time flies by.
-
Do realize that there will be 15-20 other candidates during your interview. The dean of student affairs and his staff talk for close to an hour. You get short break before breaking up into a smaller group for a 30 minute campus tour with a student (most of the student representatives were P2 on this date). After the tour you will rotate for three different interviews. Two of the interviews are 1-1 with either a faculty member/alumni and then by a student. The third interview is when you meet back in the conference room to 'mingle.' Make no mistake; this is just as important as your 1-1 interview. Make sure you talk to everyone in the room, including your fellow candidates. Be sure to prepare questions for your interviewers.
-
The interviews themselves were good. I had a P4 student instead of a faculty member and a P3 student for my student interview. The P4 did a good job of conducting a faculty-type interview. The P3 student and I just sat around and talked about Pharmacy School in general. He occasionally threw in a few of those questions he was ''supposed'' to ask, but we pretty much just talked. The mingling session was entirely too short for what they wanted to happen. They want each student to talk to Dr. Bartley and Jordana. However, when you have 10 students trying to get as much time as possible with both individuals, it is difficult to get anything done, especially when there are current pharmacy students in there talking to you as well.
-
They have all the interviewees sit in a giant conference room around a table and go around and have everyone introduce themselves. You have to tell the group a little about yourself and also why you chose pharmacy. Be ready to talk in front of a large group of people and have a well-thought out answer. You don't want to have the same answer as everyone else in the room.
-
When we arrived, the group of us (20 or so) sat in a large conference room around a big table. The dean and several other important people gave us an introduction to Mercer, told us about the day, and gave us an opportunity to ask questions. Then I was taken (with a smaller group of 4 others) on a tour of the campus by a P2 student who was really cool. This was an opportunity to ask the questions you don't want to ask important people (How much free time do you have? What is there to do in Atlanta? Etc.); this person was not an interview (or a spy or anything like that). Then there was a 30 minute interview with a faculty member or alumni that was pretty informal. It seemed to me like the type of conversation I have with anyone when they ask my major and why and about me. After that interview I had a student interview with a P1 student which was pretty much amazing. It was the same type of questions, and it was beneficial to me because he already had experience at Mercer so I got to learn thing from him. The last thing we did was return to the conference room for 30 minutes and ''mingle'' with everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until 15 minutes had passed that mingling time had started; I was under the impression that we were going to take our seats again, but we didn't. That was it. Talk to the important people, to the current students, and to the other applicants. The experience was wonderful.
-
Overall it was a great experience. Everyone is very nice and welcoming. The program is very good and I learned about many opportunities available to students.
-
Great, not too stressful at all. Student interviewing me was more stern than the faculty interview.
-
I was very laid back and easy-going. There was a temporary agenda but no one was very put out if an interview ran over time or got out of order.
-
- no essay during interview
- 1v1 interview w/current student 20 min
- campus tour w/current student
- 1v1 interview w/current professor 20 min (closed file)
- group mingle w/fellow candidates and faculty/staff (make sure and speak a variety of people: fellow candidates, current students, and faculty/staff)
-
Overall, i feel my stats are just average..that interview might've helped me. i didnt think i did so well at first, coz i felt i talked too much, so they might think im not being serious or professional. to be honest, during the interview.. i wasnt nervous.. coz i see them as people who were just trying to get to know me.. thats all.. there was absolutely NOTHING to worry about. another thing was, i actually talked alot about my friends (some pharmacy students), football, and my family during the interview.. so for those of you who are going to the later interviews.. dont be nervous at all.. the people there are very nice..
-
Overall it was great. There was a student and faculty/alumni interview. I ended up getting a really tough alumni who definitely put it to me when she came to questioning and seriously doubted how I did at the interview. We were in this very small room that you could literally hear a pin drop in and she was completely straight faced and quiet even after I finished an answer as to suggest that I shouldn't have stopped yet, which was sort of awkward. The student interview went fantastic and it was like a general conversation. Most people said they had opposite experiences and the student interview was hard. I did end up getting accepted to Mercer however, so I am assuming she was testing me to see how I would react under pressure. I went into the interview not nervous at all but she did a really good job of turning that around really quick!
The key is to mingle and meet as many people as you can while other people are getting interviewed. They will hold most of the people in the conference room and there will be faculty and administrators there. Go around and introduce yourself and briefly speak to every one of them!
-
There were 3 interviews. One interview with a student, one with a member of the faculty and one as a mingle session with the dean and some other members of the admissions committee. The whole interview took 3 hours.
I really enjoyed this interview. I felt I connected with each interviewer and we often ended up off subject talking about something unrelated to Mercer or Pharmacy.
In the end I must have impressed them because I got my acceptance letter a week later! :)
-
All of the interviewees sit at a large table, introduce themselves, then you listen for about 1 hour about the school, programs, block schedule, etc. Then you go on a 30 minute tour of the campus and after that you rotate between a 30 minute interview with a student, a professor, and you mingle for 30 minutes with interviewees, students, and professors. There is no writing sample.
-
It was a great experience. As stated with previous interviews, the key is to mingle with the Pharmacy students and staff members as well as the other students interviewing. You will be one of about 20 students all interviewing at the same time. The key is to be yourself and ask questions. The entire proces takes 3 hours. You have a brief introduction of the program, a tour of the school, two 15 minutes interviews (one with a faculty member and the oter with a student), 15-minute writing sample, and about 30 minutes to mingle with faculty, students, and other interviewees. I was really impressed with the school and the interview process. It was actually an enjoyable experience. (This is from a person who HATES inteviews!)
-
The day started with a brief introduction about the program from the dean. Then we had some time to interact with current students, followed by the tour and finally faculty and student interviews. We also had to write a short essay before leaving.
-
Flew down the night before, weather was nice. The interview lasts 3 hours. The first hour you sit at a table with the other interviewees, introduce yourself. Dr. Bartling talks with Jordana for about an hour. Then you tour the campus, interview with a student, and interview with the faculty. They go by extremely fast. The whole 3 hours seemed to fly by.
-
It was a great experience even for being my first ever pharmacy school interview. I think the key to having a good interview at Mercer, is be prepared with questions, act very impressed and enthused with the school (but not over-the-top), talk to everyone there (every person you talk to is taking mental notes about you so you want to positively interact with as many people as possible), and dress appropriately. It worked for me!
-
Not bad at all; they're very nice and only use the interview to get to know you better (they don't look at your file at all).
-
Great - it was very low key.
-
Overall, I was much more impressed with the school than I expected to be, with the exception of facilities. All the people seemed to be super nice. I came away feeling that there would be a lot of positive faculty-student interaction at the school.
-
Informative and pleasant. Entire thing lasted about three hours (One hour intro. and round table discussion/Q&A session, 30 minute tour of campus, 30 minute interview, 30 minute student interview, and 30 minute "mingle session").
-
Overall it went well. Its 3 hours, but it goes by really quickly. There is a 15 min writing prompt, choose which question you wish to address - "Define professionalism and how it applies to your life," "What would you do if you caught a friend cheating" When you get there all interviewees are put in a room, then Dr. Bartling and Jordana come in and speak. You go around the table and introduce yourselves. Then after they tell you about the school, you mingle with the others while you wait for a student to come take you on a group tour of 3 or 4. After the tour, you have an interview with a student, then go for your writing session. You then wait to be called for your interview with a professor. Its very casual conversation. Just have questions to ask them to show your interest in the school as well as in pharmacy.
-
Overall, it was a good experience. It was somewhat nerve-wracking as it was my first pharm school interview, but they work very hard to keep it low-key and relaxed.
-
Overall neutral. It was not unpleasant, but it did not make me "enthusiastic" about potentially going to Mercer.
-
Group introductions with other interviewees and introduction to the dean and staff. Then we split up and toured the campus with a student. This was a good chance to ask student lots of questions. Then a one-on-one interview with a faculty member. Then a one-on-one interview with a P3 student. Then a sample essay on an ethical topic (see the most difficult question asked, above), then open time to mingle, talk with dean, etc.
-
Overall, it was a good one. There were 15 of us and we all got to talk while we wait in a conference room. The first part was the dean and staffs telling us about Mercer's programs, scholarships, ect. Then: 1) Introduce ourselves. 2) In group of 3 we were assigned to a 2nd year student for the campus tour. 3) One-one-one interview with a second year student. (15 minutes or less) 4) 15 minute writing prompt. 5) Wait, chat with everyone until your faculty interviewer calls you up. This is about 30 minutes long. Everything went very fast. I was glad of the tour and the chatting in between b/c it helps you to relax a bit. Everyone is very nice and you can see that the students really like being at Mercer. My interview was at 9AM, by 12:30 we were done.
-
Everybody seems nice and welcoming.
Here's how they evaluate you for admission:
- 35% PCAT Score.
- 15% GPA.
- 15% Interview.
- 35% personal statement, recommendations, background...
PCAT is considered very important at Mercer.
The average PCAT score for Fall 2006 was 86% so far.
Average GPA 3.7
Never say that you want to save/help the people.
Never exaggerate!!
Only doctors save the people/world/ect.
The pharmacist COUNSELS the patient about drug information.
-
First we all sat around a table where we were introduced to the dean and head of financial affairs. Then were broke up into groups and toured the school with P2 students. After that, we went to a faculty interview, student interview, and finally had to write an essay in 15 min. Don't fret.
-
I was very nervous the day before but because you are there for so long, you become comfortable. The interview starts at 9am and there where 16 people the day I was there. We went around the room and said why we all wanted to be a Pharmacist. The admissions people talked to us about what to expect and gave some statistics. We were then split up into groups of three and given a tour of the campus. From there you have a one on one with a professor and a one on one with a student. There is a 15 minute writing assignment after that. PS. I just received my acceptence letter yesterday.
-
It was overall a very stress-free interview! Think of it as a way to find out whether the school is right for you...ask a lot of questions! As others have mentioned, the format is general introduction/overview of the program/financial aid/housing, followed by a short campus tour. Then come the writing prompt (15 mins), student interviews (15 mins) and faculty interviews (30 mins)!
-
It was really cool. First you come in, sit down at a large table in the interview room with about 20 other interviewees. The dean comes in to talk about the school, certain financial aids, and asks everyone to introduce themselves. It's a nice icebreaker. After that, students are separated into groups of 3 for a tour with first or second year students. Then, you get pulled out to either the formal interview, the student interview, or the writing section. Somewhere between all of these, you have time to mingle in the main interview room with other students and faculty. It's important to note that you are being judged as you mingle with the faculty, I found out that it was actually a key part of the interview, so make sure you don't stand in the corner alone. Get in there and talk it up. That was pretty much it. It was a great interview, albeit very tiring to stay completely alert for 3 hours, which was how long the whole process took. I got my acceptance in the mail this morning (12/15). =D
-
Overall, the experience was a very good one! I was way more nervous than I needed to be. I checked in, sat in a room with a group of individuals at a big table. The Dean came in with members of the adcom and spoke to us. Then we were asked to go around the room and introduce ourselves and give our reason for wanting to become a pharmacist. We then broke into groups of three, were given a short tour by a P2, had a 30 minute interview with a faculty member, a 15 minute interview with a P2 student and then a short writing assessment on a topic relating to pharmacy. The topics are somewhat ethical but general. The whole process lasts 3 hours and it goes by quickly! I received my acceptance letter today!
-
Overall, the interview process was very enjoyable. They do a great job of making you feel comfortable. Just be yourself, and don't act phonie (boy are the phonie ones easy to spot!)
-
Walk in and get a nametag, sit in a conference room with the 14 or so other interviewees, Associate Dean and Associate Admissions Director come in and talk for about 50 min about Mercer, its history, you interview, etc. Then you break up into groups of three and take a tour with a first year pharmacy student. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions, as it is very laid back. Then you take turns, one person goes to an interview with a P3 or P4 student, one goes to the writing section, one goes to the Faculty interview. The student interview is nothing to worry about, they're just trying to get to know you. The writing section is pretty short, also nothing to worry about. The Faculty interview is a little more formal, but if you are relaxed its still no big deal. Everything was very laid back and relaed for me. Great atmosphere. ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS TO EVERYONE. EVEN THE SAME QUESTIONS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
-
You start out seated in a room with all of the applicants. Everyone introduces themselves, and then you listen to info about the campus/pharmacy program for about an hour.
After that, you go on a tour with a student for a half hour.
When you return, the group is divided into three groups. One group goes to a candidate interview (one-on-one, closed file), one group mingles with the admissions staff (open). The last group does an ineterview with faculty/alumn (one-on-one, closed file). Then you rotate, 1/2 hour each.
Dont Stress! Honestly, these people are very freindly and pleasant. Just be yourself let them get to know you.
They no longer do the written portion as of this year.
-
Its a great school. Easy to find. The staff is so friendly and nice.
-
The interviewers were really friendly and the interview itself felt very casual.
-
First, there was an introduction done by the admissions dean, his assistant, and a financial aid officer. Then students were taken on tours by a pharmacy school student (there was only two people in my group). After that, the interveiwees were split into three groups. One group had faculty interviews for about 30 minutes, one group stayed in the conference room and "mingled" with the admissions dean, his assistants, and Mercer students for 30 minutes. The third group had a 15 minute interview with a student, and then did a 15 minute writing assignment.
-
I arrived about an hour and a half early and there were already about 4 students waiting for the interview to begin. At the start of the interview all of the interviewees were seated around a large conference table and received a quick orientation on the school, admissions criteria, the area, and financial aid. After about an hour all of the students were split and sent on a tour with different Pharm. students. After the tour each student rotated between a 15 minute interview with a Pharm. student, 15 minute writing assignment, 30 minute informal conversation, and 30 minutes interview with a professor. I was amazed at how quickly the interview went, so make sure you talk yourself up as much as you can because there's not a lot of time.
-
See other posts. Same exact scenario.
-
The whole process lasted 3 hours.
1. Walked in the administrative building and was handed a name tag.
2. Had a group presentation by the Dean of Adminsions for about 50 minutes.
3. Divided into groups of 3 and went a tour of the campus with a first year student. During this time you could ask questions.
4. Had to write a sample essay. There were two questions to pick from. The first was "You have caught someone cheating in your Organic Chem class, what do you do?" and the other was "Define Professionalism in your terms and tell hos it effects your daily life". You had 15 minutes to do it in.
5. Had a small, personal interview with a third year student. I really enjoyed this because you could ask a lot of questions and get a true feel of the school.
6. Went back in the room where the presentation was at and informally talked with the Dean of Adminsions, his assistant, and fellow applicants. This was very laid back and mostly just conversational.
7. Had a 30 minuted personal interview with a falcuty member. My interviewer was very nice and made you feel very comfortable. The interviewer knows nothing about you (closed-file), so this is your time to shine.
All in all, it was a great experience and nothing to be frightened of. Just walk in with a postive I-can-do-it attitude and you'll do great!