Top 10 Questions To Ask During A Physical Therapy Interview or Campus Visit

One of the biggest questions we get from pre-PT students throughout the year is "what types of questions should I ask at my physical therapy interview or campus visit so I can stand out?" Sometimes those unique questions you ask are the ones that make you memorable! Here are just a few of the many questions we think you should ask to stand out:

1. What extracurricular activities/community services opportunities do the students participate in?  

A lot of people sometimes forget to ask programs this question! At this point, you’ve probably had some volunteering experience under your belt..so why not ask what the program does in their community to serve others? Asking will show that you care - being involved in your community is so important! As far as extracurricular activities go, what do the students get involved in? Do they play on intramural teams?

2. What is the student/professor relationship like?

Observe how the students and professors interact during your interview, and even ask the students/professors when you have the opportunity to! Does it seem like they get along? This is super important, especially if you’re someone who likes to form relationships with professors.

3. Does the school/program offer tutoring or academic support services?

PT school is hard. There’s no way around it. It’s a whole different ballgame compared to undergrad! So, what happens if students start to struggle with academics at? Do they offer tutoring services? Group study sessions? Private tutoring? Review sessions? Academics are super important and you want to make sure you will be taken care of if things start to get a little challenging.

4. What interprofessional opportunities does the school/program offer? 

I bet you that there are NOT a lot of people who will ask this question, so if you want to stand out, ASK THIS! Does your program work with other health professions in certain classes? Will students from various programs collaborate together on patient cases? In the real world, you will be working with so many different professions for one patient, so it’s really important to learn about those professions.

5. What ways does the program have fun/de-stress? Does the program participate in any special outings?

So you might think that your days in PT school will consist of going to class, studying, eating, and sleeping.. and absolutely nothing else. Believe it or not, you will have some free time to yourself! Ask where students go on weekends if they want to take a break from studying. Does the PT program have any BBQ outings or get-togethers? How often do the students get together to hang out? 

6. Does the PT program participate in a pro-bono clinic?

You may or may not be able to find out more information on this beforehand. Sometimes, the program will advertise pro-bono clinics on their website, but if you weren’t able to find anything, it doesn’t hurt to ask! If you found information on it, think of 1 or 2 good questions you can ask to further clarify things for you.

7. Have any of their students ever been published for research?

Sometimes programs will have students complete a research project throughout their time as a PT student. This presents a great opportunity to potentially present at national physical therapy conferences if any significant data is found. Ask if any students have done this – what did they present on? How challenging is it to apply to present at a conference as a student?

8. Does the PT program have a strong alumni network? 

How does the program stay in contact with alumni after they have graduated? Do former students eventually become CI’s (clinical instructors) down the road for students at clinical rotations? Do they come back and participate in interview day? The relationship that the program has with their alumni really says a lot about the program!

9. Do they have research opportunities? 

Most likely, if you haven’t been exposed to research in undergrad, you will be exposed to it during PT school. Ask the professors/students how the research process works in the program. Do you have to complete a research project in order to graduate? Will you work in groups? What types of research do students typically do?

10. What makes a student successful in their program?

This is a great question to ask a professor in the program. They will basically tell you what characteristics they think will be important to have throughout your time as a PT student. 

Remember, you are interviewing the school too! You want to see if this program will be a good fit for you, so make sure you really come prepared with questions. Write them down! You won't want to forget them. 

Thank You For Your Attention!

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