Interview Preparation

[Spoot]

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Hey guys, I didn't see a thread like this so I thought it'd be helpful to post one and have some discourse.

I have a lot of free time at the desk in my current job, so I've begun trying to "prepare" as well as possible, including:

• Buying a vet ethics textbook
• Looking up the format for interviews and trying to get a handle on the MMI format
• Reading my essays to ensure my knowledge of what I'm talking about
• Trying to think of concrete answers to the basic questions like "Why do you want to be a vet?"

Are there any tips, tricks, suggestions, or methods you guys are using to prepare or have used to prepare in the past? For instance, a good website to keep up to date on new veterinary developments.

Some might say "oh you don't prepare for an interview. You have it or you don't" but every interview I've ever had was massively improved by my preparation.

 

[SnowJ]

Hey guys, I didn't see a thread like this so I thought it'd be helpful to post one and have some discourse.

I have a lot of free time at the desk in my current job, so I've begun trying to "prepare" as well as possible, including:

• Buying a vet ethics textbook
• Looking up the format for interviews and trying to get a handle on the MMI format
• Reading my essays to ensure my knowledge of what I'm talking about
• Trying to think of concrete answers to the basic questions like "Why do you want to be a vet?"

Are there any tips, tricks, suggestions, or methods you guys are using to prepare or have used to prepare in the past? For instance, a good website to keep up to date on new veterinary developments.

Some might say "oh you don't prepare for an interview. You have it or you don't" but every interview I've ever had was massively improved by my preparation.

The trick with vet school interviews is every school treats it a bit differently. I would look into the schools you've applied to/are going to apply to and find out what kind of interview they do (MMI, traditional, behavioral, open/closed application, to name a few). That way you can tailor your preparation to the formats and questions you are going to encounter. Some schools publish example interview questions- I would look at those for a good start point. For example, none of my interviews asked about current events, so I didn't spend too much time studying news (not that it's a bad idea to keep up to date.) I had one traditional open app interview where they just asked me about my experiences, and one closed app behavioral interview where they asked me to give examples of a specific kind of situations I had been in and how I had dealt with them.
Other than that, practice interviews can be super helpful (I didn't take advantage of them and I so wish I had). If you're in undergrad some schools have prehealth/professional programs that offer practice interviews and other preparation resources, and they can give you really good feedback on what to improve on. Outside of school I'm not sure what's available, but I'm sure there are similar resources out there.

 

[Spoot]

The trick with vet school interviews is every school treats it a bit differently. I would look into the schools you've applied to/are going to apply to and find out what kind of interview they do (MMI, traditional, behavioral, open/closed application, to name a few). That way you can tailor your preparation to the formats and questions you are going to encounter. Some schools publish example interview questions- I would look at those for a good start point. For example, none of my interviews asked about current events, so I didn't spend too much time studying news (not that it's a bad idea to keep up to date.) I had one traditional open app interview where they just asked me about my experiences, and one closed app behavioral interview where they asked me to give examples of a specific kind of situations I had been in and how I had dealt with them.
Other than that, practice interviews can be super helpful (I didn't take advantage of them and I so wish I had). If you're in undergrad some schools have prehealth/professional programs that offer practice interviews and other preparation resources, and they can give you really good feedback on what to improve on. Outside of school I'm not sure what's available, but I'm sure there are similar resources out there.

Great advice! Is their somewhere on their main page that says what kind of interview they do normally?

 

[SnowJ]

Great advice! Is their somewhere on their main page that says what kind of interview they do normally?

I mean, every school may have it in a different place. I'd look on whatever admission page/guide each school may have on their websites and look for sections on interviews. If you can't find it, contact admissions at each school to ask what kind of interviews they do.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Great advice! Is their somewhere on their main page that says what kind of interview they do normally?

There are also threads on here specific to each school every application cycle (for example: NC State University c/o 2023 Applicants), if you look back at those generally they discuss what to expect during interviews!

And in addition to schools publishing past questions, there is the interview feedback section on here: Veterinary School Rankings List | Student Doctor Network (click on a specific school, then click the "interview feedback" tab), where you can view past questions. Keep in mind some schools make applicants sign an agreement not to disclose the specific questions they were asked, so there may be more info available for some schools than others.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Have a memorized "comfort phrase" for the basic questions in the traditional format. Something that you can just spit out and help you get the ball rolling on the rest of the answer. The hardest part can be figuring out where to start and that's where people often get tripped up.

Also practice being concise and not rambling.

 

[Lsu22]

Two important things.
1. In the beginning, be able to talk about yourself/your story for about two minutes. Many interviewers will not have access to your folder and they will be interviewing you blind so you need to be able to explain quickly.
2. At the end of the interview it is helpful to ask them a question. Personally, I came prepared with a question that i was able to have an educated discussion about. It shows that your interested in their field. Better yet, they will usually tell you what specific field they are in and if you are able to ask a question about that specific field, it will get them more involved emotionally.
3. In the body of the interview, all questions will be able to be answered; its the degree to which you answer that is the differential. I had a little over a year of experience in small animal practice and this GREATLY helped me answer questions.