JHU interview

Winnie04 · Dec 11, 2006

Hi hlee13,

Have you had your JHU interview yet? I am about to schedule mine and have the same questions about it that you did... good luck to you if you haven't gone already!

hlee13 · Dec 11, 2006

hi winnie,

i had mine the day before thanksgiving. it was kind of them for taking me in right before the holiday!

i have been waiting to hear from them. the interviewer said that they will contact me on and around the 15th. but as i read the past posts here, i kinda of figure that they'd call you the same day as they mail your "acceptance" letter. and the rest would just get the letter. that's just my assumption....

so, which program are you applying to?

anyhow, i wish you the best of luck on the interview. be confident and comfortable. i am sure that you will do well;)

juicypear920 · Dec 19, 2006

hi hlee13 and winnie04,

i'm new to the forums and your guys' post caught my eye because i just received an email from JHU regarding scheduling an interview for the BS-MSN program (w/the accelerated option) to start in summer 2007. my application arrived the day of the deadline (november 15th) and i know they reviewed them as they came in. that said, i wanted to ask you two (and anyone else out there):

1. did you guys apply for early decision?

2. did you both interview in person? if so, do you live near baltimore (i live in california)?

3. how did the interview go? how long did it take? no horror stories, i hope? :nuke:

thanks in advance for your advice!

Winnie04 · Dec 19, 2006

Hi juicypear,

I also applied for the BSN/MSN accelerated option for summer 2007...and I think my application probably arrived right on the 15th as well! ( I did not apply early decision).

When I called to schedule my interview, the person asked if I wanted to do it in person or over the phone- I opted for the phone since I am in Massachusetts. The person said the phone interview should last up to an hour...mine is scheduled a few days after Christmas.

I am really curious if all applicants are interviewed, or just strong applicants, or just applicants who are on-the-fence....

Anyway, good luck and happy holidays!

janony · Dec 19, 2006

Howdy

I was an applicant this time last year - applied to a bunch of direct entry-MSN and BSN-MSN programs, including Hopkins.

I had my interview on the phone; they offered one to me in person but I don't live in the area and couldn't get down there. The interview was about 45 minutes long and not too bad at all - to tell you the truth, it was mostly the interviewer trying to sell me on JHU rather than actually interviewing me. THe only questions I remember were

1. why do you want to go into nursing?

2. why JHU?

She kept asking me if I had questions, so be sure you have some prepared. All in all, no biggie.

It took them maybe 2 weeks to get back to me after the interview. I actually had missed the deadline for the accelerated summer-start option (the fall start deadline is slightly later) but they offered me admission to both programs. I ended up picking another school, mostly because I didn't want to move!

Good luck!

janony

juicypear920 · Dec 20, 2006

hello all-

janony: thanks for your informative post. based on what you said about the interview's content, it makes me think that maybe they interview all the candidates for the BS-MSN program (surely there aren't as many applicants as there are for the bachelor's, no?) since they're screening you as a graduate student as well. correct me if i'm wrong, but did you say that they told you their final decision within just two weeks of your phone interview?!? :confused: that's pretty fast. and lastly, can i ask where you ended up going since you declined JHU and how you like it?

winnie04 and hlee13: how was a time and date set for your interviews? did you just suggest a day and they told you their availability? i haven't called yet to schedule my interview because i'm torn as to whether to do it over the phone or in-person. i'm in california so it will definitely be a bit of a financial burden but i used to work in HR and i feel that you generally made a better impression in person. how do you guys feel about this?

also, did you all apply to other schools too? i applied to UCSF and columbia as well.

here's to good news for all of us!

smile123 · Dec 21, 2006

Hi,
I just scheduled an interview with JHU SON for BS/MSN program (Fall 07) and have a couple questions in mind...
1) is the interview required for All applicants or by invitation only?
2) if anyone has had the experience, can you please pass on some tips about the interview? and what kind of questions are usually being asked?
Thanks a bunch! and Good luck to everyone :)

JHU interviews all BS/MSN candidates. If you only applied for the accel'd or 2 year BSN, you would not be interviewed. You do not have to go out there in person; a phone screen is fine.

The interview is pretty casual. Basically, they ask you "Why nursing?", "Why Hopkins?", "What are your short and long term career goals?", etc. Those are the same basic questions most DE programs ask applicants. I would practice out loud, not just in your head. It's important to be able to be articulate and concise. If you are rambling, (as in any interview), they may perceive you don't know what you are talking about. Good luck.

chickpea25 · Dec 21, 2006

Hi there

I'm wondering the same thing about the JHU interview. I'm really excitied about it but hope I don't start to ramble! I was hoping for an on-site interview, especially since I have never been to the area before, but this is obviously a more cost-effective option. I think they're really going to emphasize the "why are you choosing nursing school over med school" question for me because I was accepted to a medical school and chose to do nursing instead (after some serious soul-searching). That's crazy to some (read: family), but I know I made the right choice. The thing is, I have no more creative answers for describing why I want to enter the healthcare field than the usual reasons people cite. I mean, what's wrong with saying you want to help people? A little cliche, yes, but true! I guess I'll have to work on developing more original responses.

To the original poster: good luck on that JHU interview!

Winnie04 · Dec 21, 2006

Scheduling the JHU interview:

I called to schedule my phone interview and spoke to a very friendly woman who asked me what days and times were good for me. The first few days I mentioned were already booked so we finally settled on one that worked after the holidays. It is going to be with an admissions counselor at the school of nursing and the scheduler emphasized that it would be a great time to ask any questions I might have about the program.

smile123 · Dec 22, 2006

Hi there
I'm wondering the same thing about the JHU interview. I'm really excitied about it but hope I don't start to ramble! I was hoping for an on-site interview, especially since I have never been to the area before, but this is obviously a more cost-effective option. I think they're really going to emphasize the "why are you choosing nursing school over med school" question for me because I was accepted to a medical school and chose to do nursing instead (after some serious soul-searching). That's crazy to some (read: family), but I know I made the right choice. The thing is, I have no more creative answers for describing why I want to enter the healthcare field than the usual reasons people cite. I mean, what's wrong with saying you want to help people? A little cliche, yes, but true! I guess I'll have to work on developing more original responses.
To the original poster: good luck on that JHU interview!

Well, nursing school is very different from medical school in terms of patient care philosophy. I would suggest you give some examples in your answers. "To help people" is alright, but go further and use some of your personal experiences to solidify your answer.

I do know a woman who went to JHUSON and had originally wanted to be a MD. But she soon realized that doing the masters to become a PNP was more inline with her goals. So don't worry, you are not alone! Good luck!

A slight aside: If you have never been to Baltimore, you may want to fly out for one of their open houses to see what the area is like. JHU nursing school is in inner city Baltimore. The nursing school, public health school and hospital are within 1 block of each other; they have guard sentry boxes where police stand by 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of the students, patients and health care workers. However, you don't have to live right by JHU nursing school. You can live Charles Village and take a free shuttle to get back and forth to school. Some applicants are a little taken aback when they visit because they are not familiar with the surroundings. Then again, Columbia is also not in a great neighborhood either. Yet both have lots of MEPN applicants!

chickpea25 · Dec 22, 2006

Thanks for the reply!

I do want to check out Baltimore. I may have to wait until later..when I know for sure if I've been accepted. I've heard that Baltimore has a lot of crime and that JHU is not in such a great area, but most of the schools I'm applying to have the same problem. Columbia does, of course, and it's not like New Haven, where Yale is located, is exactly pleasantville. I guess it's just something one will have to deal with and I doubt it's going to prevent me from attending any of these schools. JHU just has so many options within its direct entry program that I know it's on the top of my list. About the only school I applied to in a low crime area (relatively speaking) is UCSF.