I just wanted to provide an update on how my interview for Army-Baylor went. I woke up on the morning of the 24th (Jan.) and saw had an e-mail (sent only about 15 minutes before) from a LTC Gill (who, as it turns out, is the new deputy director of the physical therapy program at Army-Baylor). He was e-mailing about 5 people who hadn't responded to his previous request to sign up for an interview timeslot to let them know that today was the last day to interview for the program if we were still interested. I don't know how I could have fallen through the cracks. My only thought is that maybe he initially made a mistake entering my e-mail address and only later caught it when he didn't hear word back.
I quickly signed up for an interview timeslot about 5 hours from then and confirmed with him via e-mail that my name was in fact on the list for that time. I got Ishani ready for work and spent some time adding to a Word document I had started a few days before. In it, I included responses to questions I was nearly certain he would ask (based on accounts from current and past applicants) as well as detailed examples of how I embodied the key Army values (many of which didn't exactly fit). I also spent some time working with my father-in-law to craft a good answer to the "biggest weakness" question and finally I added some final points I wanted to make and questions I wanted to ask.
When he called me (only 1 minute past the scheduled time), I was ready, organized and calm. The first part of the interview was a little rocky as I, for some reason, delved immediately into why I chose to leave philosophy in response to the question: "What have you been doing for the past couple of years." From there though, the interview started to go much better and I warmed up. I began to share the reasons why personal training appealed to me (the one-on-one client interaction, not a strictly selfish pursuit like philosophy tended to be) and made the transition nicely to a discussion of why the scientific model of systematic testing and evidence-based practice appealed to me. From there it was an easy transition into his question: "Why physical therapy in the Army." Opportunity to work with individuals at a high level of conditioning, marriage of strength and conditioning topics with rehabilitation, preventative care, the difficulty of practicing with minimal equipment in the deployed environment. I was also able to highlight my military-specific shadowing experience at Fort Knox (and the initiative I displayed setting it up and continuing to volunteer there) in response to his question about military observation.
I did a lot of talking, but with the exception of the first minute or so, the conversation flowed nicely and I felt completely in my element, not artificial. I felt that I left him with my genuine and enthusiastic desire to be a part of Army physical therapy and he (unasked) told me that my interview was the best of all the applicants he'd phoned. While he advised caution (it took him two times to be accepted to the program) he told me that if the rest of my application was as stellar as my phone interview, that I stood an excellent shot of being accepted this cycle.
The only thing I can do now is wait. Wait to see if my medical waiver (for syncope) will be approved; SFC Thomas said that the closer we get to the Feb. 12th Board date, the more the medical waivers are rushed to be included in the packet. And I also have to wait for an admissions decision. In years past, one week after the Board finishes meeting, applicants start hearing word back (at least those accepted do). So potentially, with any luck, I might hear word back on February 21st.
The only other update I have is that I just contacted a local sports training center (akin to Force Fitness and Performance in Bloomington, IN) about an internship opening in strength and conditioning. The original listing (posted on Jan. 4th) was for an assistant S&C coach for their 4-person facility, but the bottom of the ad mentioned an opening for this internship. I really want to perfect and apply the basics of Olympic lifting (which they specialize in) and this looks like a perfect opportunity to get hands on. I will be purchasing the CSCS materials (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) from the NSCA soon and will take the exam later in the summer. This internship would help immensely with the video practical portion (as well as the test questions on form) and will put me that much further ahead if/when I head to Fort Sam for training.
Well, that was a lot longer than I intended it to be. Thanks for your patience and I should have some more news for you in about a month's time.
I quickly signed up for an interview timeslot about 5 hours from then and confirmed with him via e-mail that my name was in fact on the list for that time. I got Ishani ready for work and spent some time adding to a Word document I had started a few days before. In it, I included responses to questions I was nearly certain he would ask (based on accounts from current and past applicants) as well as detailed examples of how I embodied the key Army values (many of which didn't exactly fit). I also spent some time working with my father-in-law to craft a good answer to the "biggest weakness" question and finally I added some final points I wanted to make and questions I wanted to ask.
When he called me (only 1 minute past the scheduled time), I was ready, organized and calm. The first part of the interview was a little rocky as I, for some reason, delved immediately into why I chose to leave philosophy in response to the question: "What have you been doing for the past couple of years." From there though, the interview started to go much better and I warmed up. I began to share the reasons why personal training appealed to me (the one-on-one client interaction, not a strictly selfish pursuit like philosophy tended to be) and made the transition nicely to a discussion of why the scientific model of systematic testing and evidence-based practice appealed to me. From there it was an easy transition into his question: "Why physical therapy in the Army." Opportunity to work with individuals at a high level of conditioning, marriage of strength and conditioning topics with rehabilitation, preventative care, the difficulty of practicing with minimal equipment in the deployed environment. I was also able to highlight my military-specific shadowing experience at Fort Knox (and the initiative I displayed setting it up and continuing to volunteer there) in response to his question about military observation.
I did a lot of talking, but with the exception of the first minute or so, the conversation flowed nicely and I felt completely in my element, not artificial. I felt that I left him with my genuine and enthusiastic desire to be a part of Army physical therapy and he (unasked) told me that my interview was the best of all the applicants he'd phoned. While he advised caution (it took him two times to be accepted to the program) he told me that if the rest of my application was as stellar as my phone interview, that I stood an excellent shot of being accepted this cycle.
The only thing I can do now is wait. Wait to see if my medical waiver (for syncope) will be approved; SFC Thomas said that the closer we get to the Feb. 12th Board date, the more the medical waivers are rushed to be included in the packet. And I also have to wait for an admissions decision. In years past, one week after the Board finishes meeting, applicants start hearing word back (at least those accepted do). So potentially, with any luck, I might hear word back on February 21st.
The only other update I have is that I just contacted a local sports training center (akin to Force Fitness and Performance in Bloomington, IN) about an internship opening in strength and conditioning. The original listing (posted on Jan. 4th) was for an assistant S&C coach for their 4-person facility, but the bottom of the ad mentioned an opening for this internship. I really want to perfect and apply the basics of Olympic lifting (which they specialize in) and this looks like a perfect opportunity to get hands on. I will be purchasing the CSCS materials (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) from the NSCA soon and will take the exam later in the summer. This internship would help immensely with the video practical portion (as well as the test questions on form) and will put me that much further ahead if/when I head to Fort Sam for training.
Well, that was a lot longer than I intended it to be. Thanks for your patience and I should have some more news for you in about a month's time.
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