Atlanta, GA
Pharmacy Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
What was the stress level of the interview?
3 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
8 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
6 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What are your general comments?
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.
💬 Interview Process
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The faculty member was interested primarily in my pharmacy-specific experiences. She seemed to appreciate the conversation-style interview instead of question-answer. Specifically: How often do you actually see the pharmacist interacting with patients/counseling?
What was the most interesting question?
What has been the most challenging thing you've faced in pharmacy? (This was interesting because it made me think pretty hard; being a tech isn't really challenging at all, and I felt there were many more character-defining moments in other fields that were better/easier to talk about.)
How did you prepare for the interview?
SDN, prepared answers to common interview questions, researched the school, looked over my essays
What was the most difficult question?
Do you have any questions for me? (I had prepared about 10 questions, and asked others that popped into my head spontaneously. By the end of the interviews, I had EVERYTHING I wanted to know about Mercer answered... so I had to start recycling questions a bit. >.>)
What impressed you positively?
How thorough their interview process was! I really got the feel that they cared about who entered. They have a well established program where you can really learn A LOT. There is a lot of opportunity for growth on this campus if you take advantage of it. Research/clinical/community/everything you can think of. The campus was in a FOREST, complete with nature walk around the area. It felt very isolated from big-city stress, and smelled lovely!
What impressed you negatively?
Nobody really had a defined personality; they were all just generally nice and hospitable. It made me wonder if they were actually sincere...
The campus is so small! I wonder if it'd be difficult to transplant myself into a community of only about 1000 people and do well!
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
How stuffy the school was... =) It was VERY professional, which could be looked at negatively or positively. All of the students seemed ridiculously happy with their choice to attend, but they also seemed a bit competitive and higher class (stuffy in personality, if they had any personality at all).
🤝 Campus and Facilities
How do you rank the facilities?
4 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this school's location?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
The staff and faculty were very hospitable and interested in how you are going to fit in.
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Neutral
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
7+ hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$301-$400
What airport did you fly into?
Atlanta
Where did you stay?
Hotel
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
Super 8 Downtown Atlanta
How would you rate the hotel?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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