Questions to ask in Interviews?

I don't really have much too add because I've also been having trouble coming up with questions to ask the interviewers that I wouldn't prefer asking the students about or that I can't find on the school website/SDN. So, you're definitely not alone!

However, I think that I'm mainly going to stick to more opinion questions like what do you think are the main strengths of the school and things like that because you might get a different view then what you'll find on the school website. I might also ask about attrition rates out of curiosity, but I'm not sure if that is too confrontational.

skysong13 said:

So I looked around and didn't see a thread on questions to ask the interviewers. You can post the link to the thread on here if there is one. But I am interviewing at Purdue, and I also go to Purdue. I just can't think of any questions that I couldn't really answer myself. Ones I have thought of are very strong/confronting questions and with Purdue being so conservative I'm afraid of coming off as arrogant.

So, what are safe questions to ask that won't be too simple. i.e., i could have found it online.

Thanks in advance

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During my interview, when they asked if I had any questions, I opted for: "I've volunteered here at the hospital for 2 years; I've asked every fourth-year student on rotations all the questions I needed. I'm just excited for the chance to start."

So I think if you really want you can duck with a similar "I've done all the research I need to know that this is where I want to be" sort of thing.

If you feel that you need to ask questions, though, then ViaBea is on the right track: Ask them something that's opinion- or value-based on their part. If you just ask something informational that you could have found with 30 seconds of searching on their web site ... that just makes you look like you haven't done your research.

LetItSnow said:

During my interview, when they asked if I had any questions, I opted for: "I've volunteered here at the hospital for 2 years; I've asked every fourth-year student on rotations all the questions I needed. I'm just excited for the chance to start."

So I think if you really want you can duck with a similar "I've done all the research I need to know that this is where I want to be" sort of thing.

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Yes.

You can also follow this up and ask them about themselves - esp if they mention a specialty or special interest, or a hobby, or why they chose Purdue, etc etc.

LetItSnow said:

So I think if you really want you can duck with a similar "I've done all the research I need to know that this is where I want to be" sort of thing.
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This is similar to what I said.. I also added at the end that I had blank and blank qualities that I believed would be a great addition to the class. It was a Great way to end my interview!

I asked about how active vet school clubs are (aka how good they are for getting hands-on experience)/how much of a time commitment they are, but this might again be something that's better to ask students.

Another question I've come up with to ask other schools is whether jobs are available on campus and how successful students (particularly first years) are while working. Of course, you wouldn't ask this if you found out on the tour or something.

I asked: beyond the obvious what are you (meaning the adcom) looking for in an applicant? I got an interesting answer, which provoked a discussion of my non traditional status and strengths as a non traditional applicant. Given a chance I would ask the same question again, so give it a try....

I think if your asking "just to be asking" ...dont. At Kstate we ran over time & most of my qiestions were answered by the student ambassadors the day before. The only thing I asked abput was the quality/reputation of the public school system since my son will be attending elementary. ....thats pretty specific to just me though

I asked what my interviews most liked about the school and also what they least liked. Then as we were leaving (we ran out of time) I asked what made them choose to work at OSU.

At ISU I asked about living and practicing in the Midwest to both my interviewers. One was a professor at the university but not a vet, the other was a vet in Iowa, but not associated with the school (just graduated from it). I also asked the vet about what made him so happy in the field. When he introduced himself he was very enthusiastic about how much he LOVED vet med and I wanted to know how he made that happen. Especially since I've seen plenty of unhappy vets.
At Ohio State I asked them why I should choose OSU over the other schools I applied to.
Mizzou I asked in their experience with Mizzou grads vs others if they saw a huge difference in the clinical skills of Mizzou grads since they have a 2+2 program.
I think if you really feel like you have nothing else to ask but need to ask something (I felt like that at some of my interviews) then something about why this school is a decent question albeit common. I feel best about the opinion questions, especially if you can relate it personally to the interviewer's experiences. I think the questions I asked at ISU were probably the most thoughtful because of it.

wildcatj said:

At ISU I asked about living and practicing in the Midwest to both my interviewers. One was a professor at the university but not a vet, the other was a vet in Iowa, but not associated with the school (just graduated from it). I also asked the vet about what made him so happy in the field. When he introduced himself he was very enthusiastic about how much he LOVED vet med and I wanted to know how he made that happen. Especially since I've seen plenty of unhappy vets.

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Now I'm interested...what did he say?

wildcatj said:

One was a professor at the university but not a vet, the other was a vet in Iowa, but not associated with the school (just graduated from it).

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Darn... that makes the questions I had thought up irrelevant to ask... Back to thinking.

There is nothing more annoying than asking questions just because it seems like you are supposed to ask questions. It is oftentimes pretty obvious when that is the case

Most interviews run over and they don't need to waste time.

If you have a legitimate question ask it, if not, politely decline and perhaps ask if you can e-mail if you have any questions that come up later.

I have my first interview at K-State this Sunday but I think asking some thoughtful questions at the end of the interview to show your interest in the school might be helpful. Maybe questions about the school itself, their programs, clubs/activities, faculty, research, etc.

One I thought that might be interesting to ask (depending on what questions they ask me)
- What are your thoughts or ideas on finding solutions for problems in veterinary medicine (I would make it more specific than that).
- What is one piece of advice would you give to a young veterinarian.
- what areas of research are they interested in and why they chose that

- advice for a first year student (better to ask this to the students)

I'm interested in lab animal so I asked about that. I think it's worth trying to think up something but I guess if you're really pressed, just express that you've been at Purdue for a while and you already know a lot of the ins and outs of the campus, area, etc.

adams30 said:

One I thought that might be interesting to ask (depending on what questions they ask me)
- What are your thoughts or ideas on finding solutions for problems in veterinary medicine (I would make it more specific than that).
- What is one piece of advice would you give to a young veterinarian.
- what areas of research are they interested in and why they chose that

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Others may disagree, but my personal take on questions like these is to scrap them because while you are "interviewing the school as much they're interviewing you," you're not there to assess the interviewer... That's kind of irrelevant IMO.

At VMR I asked what kind of culture they're looking to cultivate amongst their student body. It took my interviewer aback; he actually couldn't give me a good answer, so I started talking about Virginia Tech (my undergrad institution) and its heavy focus on community service, as embodied by its motto ("Ut Prosim" - That I May Serve) and how I was hoping that spilled over to the vet school, as isolated as it is from main campus.

I asked the same at Illinois but I directed it at my student interviewer, who also had no idea how to answer, so then we started talking about the learning environment in general.

I don't know if it's a good question or a bad question since no one seems to know how to answer it, but it opens the doors for some very good conversation - and I was accepted to both places, so there's always that.

JoAnna423 said:

I think if your asking "just to be asking" ...dont.

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This is my personal opinion, although I see that a lot of other people have had success with asking their interviewers a variety of questions.
They're interviewing you, not the other way around, and I don't necessarily think you could add anything to their impression of you by asking some random question (especially if it's a question you could easily answer on your own time).

As an alternative, when they ask if you have any questions, you could say "no, but I just want to say *some sort of wrap-up statement*".
In one interview, I think I said something like "no, the orientation process has been so comprehensive, all of my questions have been answered. I'm very happy to have this opportunity, and it was wonderful meeting you".
I guess it was a pretty generic thing to say, but I think it's a nice, polite last impression if you're like me and don't like taking risks.

OwlandPussycat said:

They're interviewing you, not the other way around

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I don't entirely agree with this statement.

Yes, they're interviewing you, but this is also your opportunity to determine if this school is actually going to give you access to the resources/opportunities you want from your curriculum. Regardless of where you're going, you'll be paying a lot for it - so in many ways, the interview is the school's way of showing you what you (as the consumer) will be paying for. This is why so many schools take advantage of having all of their potential candidates in one place at one time, and put on extensive tours, org fairs, etc. They're showing off to you. =)

Since, at the end of the day, the schools all offer comparable curricula, you may want to ask what sort of extra-curricular activities are available (especially if you're interested in a particular niche - internal medicine, holistic medicine, wildlife, zoo, etc). And really determine what sort of environment you'll be in.

Certainly don't ask a dumb question for the sake of asking a question, but definitely do take advantage of this time to interview the school.

Edit - to clarify, the "you" here being the general "you."

hopefulinva said:

I don't entirely agree with this statement.

Yes, they're interviewing you, but this is also your opportunity to determine if this school is actually going to give you access to the resources/opportunities you want from your curriculum. Regardless of where you're going, you'll be paying a lot for it - so in many ways, the interview is the school's way of showing you what you (as the consumer) will be paying for. This is why so many schools take advantage of having all of their potential candidates in one place at one time, and put on extensive tours, org fairs, etc. They're showing off to you. =)

Since, at the end of the day, the schools all offer comparable curricula, you may want to ask what sort of extra-curricular activities are available (especially if you're interested in a particular niche - internal medicine, holistic medicine, wildlife, zoo, etc). And really determine what sort of environment you'll be in.

Certainly don't ask a dumb question for the sake of asking a question, but definitely do take advantage of this time to interview the school.

Edit - to clarify, the "you" here being the general "you."

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well, with the caveat of keeping in mind who your interviewers are. I was interviewed at one school by a grad who worked in the area and a researcher (microbiologist) without a DVM who had been at the school for only a few years and I asked them something about club activity levels and how much opportunity there was to get hands-on things the first two years through clubs. They both clearly didn't have much of a good idea and it was an awkward little bit there at the end.

hopefulinva said:

I don't entirely agree with this statement.

Yes, they're interviewing you, but this is also your opportunity to determine if this school is actually going to give you access to the resources/opportunities you want from your curriculum. Regardless of where you're going, you'll be paying a lot for it - so in many ways, the interview is the school's way of showing you what you (as the consumer) will be paying for. This is why so many schools take advantage of having all of their potential candidates in one place at one time, and put on extensive tours, org fairs, etc. They're showing off to you. =)

Since, at the end of the day, the schools all offer comparable curricula, you may want to ask what sort of extra-curricular activities are available (especially if you're interested in a particular niche - internal medicine, holistic medicine, wildlife, zoo, etc). And really determine what sort of environment you'll be in.

Certainly don't ask a dumb question for the sake of asking a question, but definitely do take advantage of this time to interview the school.

Edit - to clarify, the "you" here being the general "you."

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Yeah, that's a really good point!

I'm a pretty cautious person, so I worry that if I ask an interviewer something I could easily figure out on my own time (eg from the school website, talking to current students, or posting on SDN), it would annoy them. But honestly, I have absolutely no proof that they would be annoyed - just my own anxious paranoia!

hopefulinva said:

I don't entirely agree with this statement.

Yes, they're interviewing you, but this is also your opportunity to determine if this school is actually going to give you access to the resources/opportunities you want from your curriculum. Regardless of where you're going, you'll be paying a lot for it - so in many ways, the interview is the school's way of showing you what you (as the consumer) will be paying for. This is why so many schools take advantage of having all of their potential candidates in one place at one time, and put on extensive tours, org fairs, etc. They're showing off to you. =)

Since, at the end of the day, the schools all offer comparable curricula, you may want to ask what sort of extra-curricular activities are available (especially if you're interested in a particular niche - internal medicine, holistic medicine, wildlife, zoo, etc). And really determine what sort of environment you'll be in.

Certainly don't ask a dumb question for the sake of asking a question, but definitely do take advantage of this time to interview the school.

Edit - to clarify, the "you" here being the general "you."

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I still think they are interviewing you, not the other way around. A few questions at the end of your interview isn't going to grant you some unique perspective of the school that can't be gained from internet searching/asking current students. I think it's best to play it safe and not take the risk, and to research the schools that HAVE accepted you.

Then again, I'm not one with immaculate stats, where schools are fighting over my matriculation.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=547085
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=622590
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=593235

Bit of a time warp, but there ya go.

equineconstant said:

Now I'm interested...what did he say?

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Haven't read this thread in a couple days, sorry.
But, he said that he very much views veterinary medicine as a service field. So what his clients want comes first. I can see why that would make things easier: less arguing about treatment plans and money. However, it did sound like it meant that what was in the animals best interest didn't always come first, which for me is not why I want to go into this field. It was a very interesting answer none the less.

As far as whether or not to ask questions/ who's really interviewing who... I say don't ask a question if you're just going to ask something that you could easily find on the website or is something you could ask someone else (like a student) especially if they would know the answer better. I think in the interviews, opinion based questions are the way to go. I did see it as my opportunity to interview them a little. To get opinions on why I would want to be there, how I could make my career better, etc. I think even if you're not asking a question directly about the program, it shows that you're interested in really exploring the school and area as a whole, and how you can make yourself a better student and later a better veterinarian.

I only asked my two interviewers questions, but I was already well over my 30 minute limit, so I was surprised they answered as thoughtfully as they did.

1. Is there anything on my application that you feel would prevent me from gaining acceptance? (my interviewer actually said he never received this question before)

2. What is your favorite part about the university and the university community? (Another question I thought was common that one of my interviewer hadn't had before.)

The one thing I liked about my second question was that my interviewers answered really honestly. They went out of the way to sell the school to me and emphasize how much they enjoyed what they do here. Throughout the interviews, you get a student perspective, and it's nice to see it from your professors'/faculty members' perspective.

I have an interview coming up in about a month and I was considering asking about faculty research and the extent of student involvement, possibly with specifics about certain faculties research that I found interesting. I don't want to go into research (I think) but I've enjoyed helping my graduate advisor with his research and I wish I had gotten involved earlier. I asked one of the Dr's I work with if that was a good question, and she thought it may sound like I saw trying to kiss ass a little too much.

Jilary said:

I have an interview coming up in about a month and I was considering asking about faculty research and the extent of student involvement, possibly with specifics about certain faculties research that I found interesting. I don't want to go into research (I think) but I've enjoyed helping my graduate advisor with his research and I wish I had gotten involved earlier. I asked one of the Dr's I work with if that was a good question, and she thought it may sound like I saw trying to kiss ass a little too much.

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If you're interested in (or think you might be down the road) getting involved in research, I don't see how it's a kiss-ass question. I think it's a pretty legitimate thing to ask. I might refrain from asking about a specific researcher at the time, unless it somehow comes up in the flow of conversation or that researcher is interviewing you, but others might have a different opinion than I do about this.

Jilary said:

I have an interview coming up in about a month and I was considering asking about faculty research and the extent of student involvement, possibly with specifics about certain faculties research that I found interesting. I don't want to go into research (I think) but I've enjoyed helping my graduate advisor with his research and I wish I had gotten involved earlier. I asked one of the Dr's I work with if that was a good question, and she thought it may sound like I saw trying to kiss ass a little too much.

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I think it depends on whether it's genuine interest. If you are genuinely curious, it will likely come across that way, and there's nothing wrong with asking. Genuine eagerness, curiosity, and interest are great traits for them to see. The answer you get may be super specific and focused, or it may be as simple as "none of us [your interviewers] are researchers; we aren't sure."

If, on the other hand, you're just asking to have a question to ask ... it will probably sound pretty contrived. Yanno?

I am genuinely interested and they even have faculty there that do research similar to my advisor, which I'm even more excited about, even though it's not directly related to vetmed.

Jilary said:

I am genuinely interested and they even have faculty there that do research similar to my advisor, which I'm even more excited about, even though it's not directly related to vetmed.

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Then of course you should ask! I guess I disagree with the advice you got from your vet.

If there's a particular area of vet med you're interested in, then you can ask about the case load or recent developments within that department of the teaching hospital.

Thanks! I think I have a nice little list of questions I could ask now!

Jilary said:

I am genuinely interested and they even have faculty there that do research similar to my advisor, which I'm even more excited about, even though it's not directly related to vetmed.

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I think you could definitely ask this casually. You don't even have to mention specifics, but just asking, "Are there opportunities for students to get involved with faculty research?" is fine

that redhead said:

I think you could definitely ask this casually. You don't even have to mention specifics, but just asking, "Are there opportunities for students to get involved with faculty research?" is fine

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That's what I was pretty much going to ask, as it's not likely I'm going to interview with the faculty that are doing the research I'm interested in.