I applied for the 2026 Cohort and received an offer. The whole interview process was not difficult, but it was very awkward. The interviewers seemed very bored and ambivalent, but I assume it was because they had many other interviews to attend to that day. I'm a recent university graduate with little experience in education, teaching, and even kids, but the interview process is not that bad if you have transferrable skills to the field of education. Some of the strengths the interviewers highlighted were time management, being proactive, and especially willingness to accept feedback and grow from it. Interview included just 11 questions, with a mock lesson at the middle of the interview. Some time left at the end for a short informational presentation from the interviewers and for you to ask some questions. I received an email offer about 1.5 weeks after my interview and I don't find the program particularly challenging to get into. They specified that they have a selective admission process, not a competitive one, so their focus is to find qualified candidates without the pressure of filling a certain quota of residents. Be ready to speak to your strengths and find ways to apply that to the mission of CTA. Prepare a couple STAR stories that you know on the back of your hand. Advocate for yourself.

After filling out the online application, I skipped the phone interview + short response part and got into the group video interview. Video interview, involved making a 5 minute demo lesson, reading an article to discuss with other candidates, and a mock conference with a parent.