University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy
Hilo, HI
Pharmacy Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 29% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview mixed with a low stress level, and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about pharmacy-related experiences, decision-making processes, personal qualities that would benefit a pharmacist, reasons for choosing the field of pharmacy, addressing ethical dilemmas like cheating, and predicting future challenges in the pharmacy profession. While the responses varied widely, some interviews may have been in an MMI format with nondisclosure agreements in place.
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How would you go about making a difficult/important decision? What is your process?
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What type of exposure/experience do you have in pharmacy?
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What characteristics do you have that you think would make you a good pharmacist?
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What pharmacy experience have you had?
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Why do you want to become a pharmacist?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy discussed a variety of topics, including scenarios like handling medication errors, choosing a book for a deserted island, and interacting with fictional characters. The interview format may have been an MMI, with some respondents mentioning nondisclosure agreements, while other common themes included personal experiences, future goals, and ethical dilemmas in pharmacy practice.
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Imagine you’re in a team of healthcare professionals. How would you handle a doctor suggesting the wrong medication/dose for a patient?
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Why should we pick you over the equally qualified students?
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Tell us about yourself.
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Essay: If you could bring one book to a deserted island, what would it be and why?
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Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at University of Hawaii at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy discussed a wide range of topics including challenges in the pharmacy field, solving industry problems, reasons for choosing the school, handling group projects, cultural experiences, and personal attributes like weaknesses or strengths. Some respondents mentioned questions related to MMI format, indicating a structured interview process where nondisclosure agreements might have been in place.
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What challenges do you think the fields of pharmacy is facing and how do you plan to meet that challenge?
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What problems do you think there are in the pharmacy industry and how would you be able to solve these problems once you become a pharmacist?
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If we had 1 spot left, why should you get it?
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What is a current issue in pharmacy, and how you would address this issue?
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Why would you choose University of Hilo out of all the other pharmacy schools?
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 1 person.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had a closed file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at another location.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as average.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents rank the facilities as below average.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 7+ hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent more than $500.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used McCarran International Airport (LAS)
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ito
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Sacramento International Airport (SMF) to Long Beach Airport (LGB)
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SFO
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McCarren international airport
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McCarran International Airport
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
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The Queen Mary
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The Palazzo in Las Vegas
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The Mirage
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The Hilton Las Vegas
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Seaside hotel
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by utilizing resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN), mock interviews, and compiling common interview questions to practice their responses. They focused on researching school-specific questions, practicing with friends, and reviewing their personal statements and application materials to feel more confident and prepared for the interview.
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Go over some common questions asked in every pharmacy school interview (i.e. Introduce yourself, Why pharmacy?, Why this school?)
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I googled a lot of pharmacy school interview questions and put them all together in a Quizlet, and practiced from there.
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SDN interview feedback and various internet searches. Wrote questions and possible answers down in a notepad to sort out good answers versus bad.
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Studied school-specific questions on Student Doctor
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mock interviews, SDN
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and laid-back nature of the interviewers, creating a relaxed and conversational atmosphere during the interviews. They also appreciated the responsiveness and helpfulness of the admissions staff, highlighting the welcoming environment and genuine interest in the applicants. Suggestions include maintaining this positive and friendly approach throughout the admissions process and continuing to prioritize creating a welcoming and comfortable experience for applicants.
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Interviewers were quite nice and one was pretty local, interview felt quite relaxed
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The interviewers were very laid back and nice. Also, their questions were very straightforward.
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Friendliness of the school.
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The interview was very laid back
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The interview was very relaxed.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants were mostly concerned about the interview locations being in hotel rooms or temporary modular buildings, lack of proper facilities like tables and lighting, and the inconvenience of having to travel to distant locations for short interviews. Suggestions included providing more information about the school, improving the interview setting, and expediting the construction of a dedicated pharmacy building.
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Nothing!
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Nothing.
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My interview was held in Las Vegas at Embassy Suites, horrible location, the fire alarm went off the night before entire hotel was soaked. In addition there was not a table or place to write the written portion. Apart from the interview location, the entire interview went very well, and impressive.
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It would have been nice to have a table for the written portion and better lighting than the light in the hallway.
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The location (in a hotel room).
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Many applicants wished they had known ahead of time about the low stress level of the interview, the importance of arriving early to avoid last-minute stress, and the general ease of the interview process. Additionally, some mentioned the need for reliable transportation in Hilo and the generic nature of the interview questions.
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I actually had my interview over video chat, instead of actually visiting the college. And I wish I had known that my computer would crash..
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Don't rely on Google maps, haha. Show up 45 minutes ahead of time so you can find the place instead of wandering around. Plus, you get to talk to other people while waiting.
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How low stressed it was.
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How low stress the interview is.
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Fly to Hilo International Airport, not Kona! Hilo International is literally 10 minutes away; Kona is not.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally commented on the positive experiences related to the interview process, including quick response times, friendly interviewers, and a relaxed atmosphere. Suggestions included being prepared with common interview questions, remaining confident in responses, and considering the cost of attending school in Hawaii.
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I got asked for an interview the day after I submitted my PharmCas application. And after the interview, I got accepted the next day.
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Use AirBnB for a budget trip. Save a whole day for the Lava Flow tour, I heard it's awesome. Also, it costs $20 to get into some of the parks.
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What I did to prepare was look over all of interview feedback responses and compiled a list of all possible questions, prioritizing questions that seemed to be asked the most in addition to general questions. I was accepted into the college a couple weeks later.
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The environment is very country-like here. Be prepared to find a hobby or study all the time!
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This was my second time interviewing with them and the person who interviewed me was so much easier to talk to than the person before. It's all in the questions that they ask. The first time I interviewed, I felt like I didn't have a good chance to show them who I was.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants generally appreciate the admissions office's quick and helpful email responses, suggest providing clearer directions for interviews, and recommend adding more questions or extending the interview duration. Some also suggest offering seating in the hallways for waiting students and families.
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Nothing. The admissions office replies VERY quick to emails and they're always very nice and helpful.
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In the interview request email, I think you should mention "We are at the other end, opposite the Observatory", so people don't get lost or park far.
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Continue the great work. My experience was very positive .
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more questions and longer interviews
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The admissions office should provide some chairs in the hallways for students and family while they are waiting.
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