Advice?

[lcarter103]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi everyone.

I need some advice from you guys, if you don't mind. I have an interview for vet school in April, and I'm wondering about how to handle one question they may ask me. For a little background, I graduated in May 2004 with my B.Sc. in Zoology, applied for fall 2004 to vet school, interviewed, but was not accepted. I then got a job working for a vet and really did not like it; the vet there was horrible to his staff, and on top of that, I really wasn't a fan of the way he practiced medicine (seemed to cut a lot of corners). This experience, coupled with my rejection from vet school, led me to doubt my career choice, and I went through a brief period of thinking that I should perhaps explore other career options. As a result, I did not apply for fall 2005 admission. However, after re-evaluating myself and my goals, and after getting more experience, in another (much better) practice, I am now absolutely sure that becoming a vet is the career for me.

So...my question is, how do I handle it at the interview if they ask my why I did not apply last year? Do I tell the whole truth, even though this may make them doubt my commitment to the field? Or do I just stick to a general, yet still truthful answer, which is that I wanted to gain more experience/finances before applying again (though I don't know why I would not have applied last year anyway, had this been the case).

Has anyone experienced anything similar? How did you handle it? Any advice/opinions you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Leonie

 

[yakpool]

Hi!

I understand how you feel. I worked in two animal hospitals. I really liked one hospital, but not the other one. The difference is that I worked part-time at both places during the same period. So I figured that one person would not represent the whole practice.

Personally, I think you should just tell the truth, but in a positive way. Actually this experience shows that you really know the business, and what you will get into.

 

[UKYWildcat]

Has anyone experienced anything similar? How did you handle it? Any advice/opinions you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Leonie

Explain it just as you did here - you took the year to gain more experiences and be better prepared to start. I wouldn't dwell on that one experience. If asked specifially about that job, like someone else mentioned, put a positive spin on it. Take one specific example, explain what happened and how you would have liked to handle it differently.

The way I choose to look at things is this - I work with a lot of doctors (~25-30 on clinics at any one time), from a lot of different backgrounds so they're vastly different. I've learned from some of them how I WANT to practice and from others how I NEVER want to practice. Each, however, is a learning experience none-the-less that makes ME a better person (and practitioner...eventually!) in the long run. 🙂