A.T. Still University in Mesa is an 11 year old school at this point and I was certainly excited to get the interview here. The school’s curriculum is so different due to the addition of a year of clinical experience. The community health centers are scattered across the United States and the experiences at each of them are unique according to the student ambassadors I spoke with. I had applied in June, when the early applications came out and completed my secondary following after. When I had completed it, I got the interview invitation within the week. My stats are above their average but not super impressive, but I had driven past the school a few times on my way to volunteer and I love the campus.
The interview invite comes with a Dean’s Welcome and tour the evening before starting at around 4:30 pm/5:00 pm which I was not able to attend due to an unexpected medical visit, but I heard from other interviewees the following day about how welcoming it was. Interview day was exciting since it would be my first in a line up of 5. I felt that the day was intense and there were quite a few interactions throughout the day. When you get there you get a folder with information of financial aid, school stats and website info as well as a nice pen.
Of course, the first thing I had to do was sign a non-disclosure agreement so I can’t say much more but overall the school had a positive vibe and the faculty were so warm and welcoming. You do get to meet quite a few faculty throughout the day as well as other interviewees. The day was laid back in terms of how the interactions went, but quite structured in terms of timing. Make sure you take bathroom breaks when you can since you will probably need to drink plenty of water in the Arizona weather. Luckily, the day does allow for a little flexibility to take those much needed breaks. At the end of the interview the school did offer lunch catered by Jason’s Deli and to my delight there was a vegetarian pasta with artichokes and two types of salad (notice how I got mostly salad).
It’s a school with a unique and innovative model but my only concern is the fact that there might be a lack of networking with classmates. This might be countered with the fact that the school has a great faculty to student ratio at each of the community health centers. I personally do value more personalized instruction so I would rate that as a positive. I will update on this when I hear back from them as this is one of the top schools on my list to attend.
If any of you were curious on what I wore, I got a pair of trousers from LOFT a month prior. The Julie Fit is supposedly smaller on the waist and curvier on the hips which is perfect for me.
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I wore a pleated magenta top to stand out a little from the sea of Black and Navy with white shirts. The suit jacket was one from Nordstrom’s called the Semantiks Suiting Blazer which I believe is sold out but could be purchased on eBay. I love it because of the short torso and fitted waist. The materials of the pant and blazer were a similar texture so they would appear to be from the same suit. I also wore a pair of Clark’s heels. They were comfortable due to the soft foot bed and rubbery soles but I borrowed them from my mom so they were a tad tight. Pro Tip: wear comfortable shoes, you will be walking around a bit.
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