Office of
Health Professions Advising

The HPA interview is a requirement in order for us to prepare a Committee Letter of Evaluation for you. The interviewer will have your completed myHPA and your personal statement, so be prepared to answer questions about your academic preparation and extracurricular activities, including exposure to medicine through volunteering and shadowing.

Though there isn’t a dress code, you may want to dress in business attire as if attending an actual interview.

Scheduling an HPA Interview

Please be aware that interviews are required in order to have a HPA Committee Letter for your medical school application. Committee letters are a requirement at many of these schools.

In order to schedule an interview, you must complete and submit Sections 1 (Profile) and 3 (Personal Essay) of your myHPA within the timeline for any given application cycle. (The deadline for submitting Sections 1 and 3 is Jaunary 7, 2009 for the 2010 cycle). The only way to schedule an interview is through the link on your myHPA Status page (Section 5) that will activate once you submit Sections 1 and 3 of your myHPA.

Please remember that interview slots are limited and will fill quickly. Plan to schedule an interview as soon as you have submitted Sections 1 and 3 of your myHPA. Applicants who submit myHPA after the deadline (January 7, 2009) are not guaranteed an interview. Though if interview slots are still available after the deadline, late applicants who have submitted their myHPA may sign up for an interview.

If you complete your myHPA and submit on time but do not schedule an interview, any remaining slots may be taken by late applicants. PLEASE schedule your interview as soon as you have submitted Sections 1 and 3 of your myHPA.  Interviews take place between January and April.  A Wait List will be established in late spring for applicants who were not able to complete their myHPA and schedule an interview within the above timelines. Obtaining an interview from the wait list is not guaranteed.

MD/PhD Candidates

If you are considering a dual degree program, please be sure to review the MD/PhD information page. After reviewing the website information, please schedule an appointment with Dean Mary Nijhout (mary.nijhout@duke.edu) prior to completing your myHPA in January. Before you may schedule an MD/PhD interview, you need to meet with Dean Nijhout to discuss your application. Once you have met with Dean Nijhout, you may complete and submit your myHPA and schedule an MD/PhD interview.

Please be aware that MD/PhD candidates do not follow the same process for scheduling an interview as other prehealth students; MD/PhD candidates must meet with Dean Nijhout and then receive permission to schedule the MD/PhD interview.