Congratulations! You have received letters of recommendation, completed your personal statement, submitted your application and have been invited for an interview to professional school. It is now getting real and is in your hands as to how the interview goes. As Simba said, “Be prepared!” What will set you apart from other candidates is how well you demonstrate that you are worthy of an offer of admission. Candidates with great academic records and excellent letters of recommendation are not offered admission to prestigious professional schools due to performance in the in-person evaluation, the “interview day.” Here are 10 tips to prepare for your professional-school interview day:

1. Be on time and by that I mean be at least 15 minutes early. First impressions count!

2. The day starts once you walk in the building—you never know who you are riding the elevator with or what impression you made on the security guard.

3. Keep that phone away!

4. Take your “power pose” and go in with your “A-game” outfit and “A-game” body language on!

5. Put a smile on even if you are not feeling it. It will become contagious to both you and those you encounter.

6. Keep your eyes open so you can see if this is where you can envision yourself.

7. Whether this school is your “safety” school or your number one choice, behave as if this is the highest stakes day of your life. The healthcare profession may be large, but it is a small world and you never know when or where you may encounter the interviewers again.

8. Know why you are here today. Have some original answers as to why you want to attend the school. Do your homework!

9. Address the elephant in the room—if you have a hiccup on your record, either academic or professional, have a clear answer ready, which must include ownership rather than playing the blame game.

10. Do not let the sun set until you have thanked everyone who made the effort to welcome you on your interview day. Be quick to express gratitude and slow to complain.

Heidi Fuchs is assistant dean for admissions at Touro College of Pharmacy in New York and has been in higher education for over a decade. Prior to that she had over 25 years of experience in HR on Wall Street and has interviewed countless numbers of people.