U of Minnesota (Formerly 'Minneapolis VA')

[zman]

I'm putting out feelers to see who and how many are awaiting word of interviews at the University of Minnesota program. I am not anticipating a letter until sometime in September. I applied and interviewed last year, and made the alternate list.

The program transitioned this year to being 'owned' more by the U of M, with the VA remaining as the main clinical site. From the school, the reasons were primarily financial (i.e. the VA was spending resources that they were unable to recoup, whereas the U of M could take over many functions and cover them out of their operating budget) and all very logical.

The interview last year, as I remember, was straightforward and comfortable. Four of the instructors including course director, 10 questions, about 30 minutes in the chair, followed by an opportunity to meet a current student and chat (without faculty, so it is very open and relaxed.) Good luck to all!

[aithug316]

I am also waiting to hear from the University of Minnesota (VA). When did you get notified you were invited for an interview last year? What type of questions did they ask?

I'm putting out feelers to see who and how many are awaiting word of interviews at the University of Minnesota program. I am not anticipating a letter until sometime in September. I applied and interviewed last year, and made the alternate list.

The program transitioned this year to being 'owned' more by the U of M, with the VA remaining as the main clinical site. From the school, the reasons were primarily financial (i.e. the VA was spending resources that they were unable to recoup, whereas the U of M could take over many functions and cover them out of their operating budget) and all very logical.

The interview last year, as I remember, was straightforward and comfortable. Four of the instructors including course director, 10 questions, about 30 minutes in the chair, followed by an apportunity to meet a current student and chat (without faculty, so it is very open and relaxed.) Good luck to all!

[zman]

My calender shows that I confirmed my choice for interview day/time on 22 September, and the deadline for applications was 15 September. That would have them mailing out the letters almost immediately after the deadline. Keep in mind that at that time the process involved interviewing with the VA first, and applying for the U after acceptance. With the changes in the program, and the 2 August deadline, I do not anticipate hearing anything for a while. I do remember that the interview choices were spread over several weeks.

As I remember, the questions were general and dealt with such points as motivation for school, plans for making it through school, previous clinical experiences, how I deal with changes, to name a few of the topics. The general impression that I took away from the interview was that they had seen enough stats on paper to find me acceptable, and wanted to get to know the person behind and beyond the stats.

Good luck and keep in touch!

z