Office of Admissions 2021-2022 - Interviewer Training for: Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant - Upstate Medical University

Office of Admissions
       2021-2022
        Interviewer Training for:
Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant

The Legal Parts

Official policy of the State University of New York,
Upstate Medical University, to offer equal opportunity
to all qualified applicants without discrimination on
the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age,
disability, sexual orientation or marital status on
admissions, employment, and treatment of students
or employees as stated in Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Civil Rights Act of
1964 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of
1990.

The interviewer should not initiate discussion on
the factors listed above which can be interpreted
as being discriminatory.

Diversity Statement

Upstate's commitment recognizes that excellence is achieved through having a diverse
workforce and student body throughout the institution so that we can best serve the patients
in our communities. The careful review of each completed application allows us actively to
seek candidates with the strong academic qualifications and personal backgrounds that will
help meet this objective.

While we remain steadfast in our commitment to train students from traditionally
underrepresented populations, we are also active in our recruitment of students from varying
geographic and economic backgrounds. Further, we seek opportunities to enrich our
community with students representing a diversity of age, gender, sexual orientation,
perspectives, religious affiliations, talents and abilities. By promoting diversity in our student
body, we will have an important impact on their education and the care they provide our
patients, as well as on the care they provide their future patients in the clinical, research
and/or educational roles they pursue.

Screening Applications
                               (Completed by the Office of Admissions)

HOLISTIC REVIEW POLICY STATEMENT:
Once an application to SUNY Upstate Medical University becomes complete, it is
evaluated using a comprehensive, holistic review process. Upstate reviews applications
using a comprehensive, flexible, and individualized approach to assessing an applicant’s
capabilities by which balanced consideration is given to experiences, attributes, and
academic metrics.

Holistic Review Procedures:
Completed applications are evaluated without regard to sex, sexual orientation, race, color,
creed, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or marital status. In a holistic review
process, we consider the applicant as a whole individual rather than select parts, such as
GPA or test scores. In doing so, we evaluate applicants based on who will contribute to the
SUNY Upstate Medical University’s academic community in meaningful ways. Holistic
review takes into account factors such as a student’s strength of coursework, academic
and extracurricular interests, unique talents, background, and personality. By evaluating an
application from a holistic perspective, we take the time to get to know applicants as
people, not as numbers.

Interviewing

An interview with an applicant should:

Solicit information for use by the Admissions Committee in deciding
acceptance or rejection of an applicant. Since the interview is important
to the applicant and the selection process, it is our responsibility not to
lapse into a callous or careless attitude regarding these interviews.

The interview day should provide the applicant with the opportunity to ask
questions about the department, the curriculum, financial aid, housing,
employment opportunities and an opportunity to tour the facilities and the
campus. For most programs this is done through a Q&A with faculty and
then the Admissions Advisor.

Informing/Selling: Projecting an image. Strengths of the program.
Strengths of the college.

Interview Practices/Policies

Interviewers must not share any personal thoughts on the candidate’s likelihood of acceptance.

Remember that the interview is a stressful situation for applicants. Try to make an individual comfortable.

All interview write-ups are considered confidential and not to be shown to or reviewed with the
applicant. Any question from the applicant regarding this policy should be referred to the Admissions
Office.

It is not our policy to conduct "pressure" or "stress" interviews.

Do not ask questions regarding controversial issues. This might be misinterpreted by the applicant as the
sole reason for his/her rejection at a later date.

Do not ask questions which violate federal laws or regulations.

Financial Aid is a separate process from admissions. Questions regarding how they plan to finance their
education are not permitted.

Interview Advice

From Maly, "Toward More Effective Admissions Interviews," Journal of College Admissions,
Volume 100, Summer, 1983, pp. 14-19.

Preparation: Examine the image you want to project. Have consistent areas of assessment.

Location: Quiet, private. Out of the mainstream of traffic. Relatively free from interruption.

Interview skills: Don’t cut the student off. Prevent tension silences. Maintain control of the
interview. Keep student on track. Listen carefully. Interject specific questions when student
digresses. Maintain eye contact.

Welcome: Make applicant feel relaxed, comfortable. Act natural, be yourself, to the point,
friendly. Early stages--don't ask personal questions, get student talking as early as possible.

Conflict of Interest

POLICY STATEMENT FOR INTERVIEWERS: In the interest of administering
consistent and unbiased selection practices, applicant interviewers at Upstate
Medical University are not influenced by external stakeholders with outside
interests or internal constituents, such as other faculty or administrators not
selected to interview applicants. Interviewers have an ongoing obligation to
self-report any new conflict(s) of interest which might arise or become evident
during the course of the admissions year.

REASONS FOR POLICY:
It is of the utmost importance that the recruitment, evaluation, and
matriculation of applicants to Upstate Medical University be fair, consistent
and free of bias.

Conflict of Interest Procedure(s) for Interviewers: An interviewer must recuse
themselves from interviewing candidates where there is a conflict of interest.
Conflicts may arise from relationships that include but are not limited to:
Family members (genetic or by marriage)
Friend of the family (including children’s friends or classmates)
Anyone with a business relationship with the interviewer or their family
Interest in the outcome other than the recruitment of the most qualified
applicants
A student the Interviewer member may have mentored in a significant capacity

POLICY STATEMENT FOR ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS: In the interest of administering consistent
and unbiased selection practices, members of the CHP Admissions Committee at Upstate Medical University
are not influenced by external stakeholders with outside interests or internal constituents, such as other
faculty or administrators not on the Admissions Committee. Admissions Committee members have an
ongoing obligation to self-report any new conflict(s) of interest which might arise or become evident during
the course of the admissions year.

Individual department or college policies related to admissions conflicts of interest must not contradict this
policy.

REASONS FOR POLICY:
It is of the utmost importance that the recruitment, evaluation, and matriculation of applicants to Upstate
Medical University be fair, consistent and free of bias.

Conflict of Interest Procedure(s) for Admissions Committee Members: A member of the Admissions
Committee must recuse themselves from discussing or voting on a candidate where there is a conflict of
interest. Conflicts may arise from relationships that include but are not limited to:
- Family members (genetic or by marriage)
- Friend of the family (including children’s friends or classmates)
- Anyone with a business relationship with the Committee member or their family
- Interest in the outcome other than the recruitment of the most qualified applicants
- A student the Committee member may have mentored in a significant capacity

For Admissions Committee members who have immediate family members applying to Upstate Medical
University, such members must withdraw from the Admissions Committee for that calendar year.

Content of all application materials, details of the review including summaries and interview reports will be
held in strict confidence and not discussed other than with other Admissions Committee members.

Evaluations

Writing Interview Notes: Write-ups should be done the same day as the interview. Most of
the content should be reporting. Summary comment--your recommendation.

The write-ups should always be completed as though the interviewer would not be present
at the Admissions Committee meetings. This means that information must be specific and
generalizations are to be avoided. Any judgmental or evaluative statement must be backed
up with descriptive examples from the interview.

The narrative section of the interview rating sheet should be a defense of your
recommendation (or not) of the applicant.

   Photo source: http://iopasolutions.com/how-candidates-really-interpret-interview-feedback/

The Interview Day
Arrive on time or early. If you’re going to be late, please contact Maggie Moore @ 315-560-
7839 as I may not be available to check e-mail while with the applicants.

The interviews can’t begin until all interviewers have arrived and are in place.

Please use the restrooms before the interviews begin.

Please silence your cell phone for the duration of the interview.

Feel free to take notes during the interview if that’s helpful for you.