Interview Questions

[Poochlover11]

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Hey guys I was wondering if someone could help me out. I am new to the forum and I have seen mentioned in a previous thread that there may have been a thread started that contained some good pratice interview questions or questions people have been asked. I really want to prepare well even though I won't be applying to vet school for a couple years 🙄. (Im kind of nerd what can I say - I decided over break to read through one of my textbooks for next semester so I'll be well prepared, lol) So if someone could post a link that might help out with interview prep it would be much appreciated. (And I did see at the top of this forum that there is a post about interviews but it didn't really provide sample questions, just people's overall impression of the interview)

Thanks!

 

[sambone]

oooo - gorgeous dog! if I had to get a purebred, it'd be a blue merle aussie 😀

Since you're a couple years away from applying, IMHO it'd be more useful to start generally reflecting on what makes vet med (and your experiences) important and meaningful to you, where you want your career to go and what you'll give/get out of it, and to apprise yourself of the important issues. (see the AVMA website for news) It's so easy to focus on individual questions, but I think it's more important to develop your personal understanding of the profession as a whole.

Still, if you're set on practice questions, I know it's a little tedious but it really doesn't get better than the interview feedback. Each response has 5 questions in it that people were actually asked, and you can learn a lot from looking at those.

Add heres the link to a VAgirl post with a ridiculously awesome list of questions!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=7231565#post7231565

 

[BodhiBird]

I agree, don't get bogged down preparing for specific questions. I did exactly that, and surprise surprise they didn't ask me one of the questions that I prepared for! They didn't even ask "so why do you want to be a vet?" At least in my case they chose just a few things from my application to discuss in detail with me. So if you have an open interview really just know your application. Also, I wasn't expecting such a laid back atmosphere and I got thrown off in the beginning. While I was expecting the questions to start coming they asked me to introduce myself... I wasn't expecting this because they had theoretically just read my application which is all about me and it was a little difficult because I didn't want to be repeating my application to them! Despite all this I still think my interview went well, but I'm still waiting to hear whether my interview was really a success or not! 😱 Anyways good luck in your process!

 

[KittyRex]

If you want to get a glimpse of the kind of questions different schools ask, then the Interview Feedback section of sdn is a good place to start.

http://more.studentdoctor.net/schoollist.php?type=8

 

[Poochlover11]

Thanks sambone!

I appreciate the suggestion! I know it may have sounded in my post like I am just focused on the technical side of applying to vet school (which is important to me because I want to be as well prepared as possible, and want the interview process to go as smoothly as possible), but my heart really is for veterinary medicine. I can't see myself doing anything else. I have had so many different experiences that would have caused some to fall away from vet medicine (holding a dog while he was euthanized-which I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking then a life being ended in your arms. A common saying I hear from people is "I wanted to be a vet, but could never euthanize a dog."), but have only made my resolve stronger. I almost lost my oppportunity to become a vet which gave me a chance to really examine what I want in life. I feel I was meant to become a vet. So, I hope you don't think I was asking that because I just want to find the easiest way into vet school. I really want to make this happen so I thought I'd ask what and how I should prepare for. So thanks for the suggestion, and yes it is a pretty dog in the picture : ) It's actually not my dog-I don't have pic of my dog uploaded on this computer now. My dog is an adorable mutt named "Hank." He looks like a golden retriever stuck in the body of a corgi (he has short stubby legs with a long body-my dad calls him "Log Dog" 🙄).

 

[Poochlover11]

Kitty Rex your avatar is soooo funny!!

 

[Poochlover11]

Oooohh! I see what you guys are saying about the interview feeback section of sdn. I just saw earlier that people gave ratings for certain categories. I didn't realize you could click on the ratings and see some of the questions asked. Thanks! My bad!

 

[KittyRex]

Kitty Rex your avatar is soooo funny!!

Thanks! Found it randomly on the internet... but it looked so much like my hilarious rescued drama queen of a chihuahua that I could'nt help but make it my avatar 😉 He's such a clown.

 

[BodhiBird]

You know, I checked the feedback thing as well, but actually the questions I was asked were not similar at all to the ones in the Tufts feed back. So like I said, don't get too bogged down on questions... just get confident with your application and who you are.

 

[Poochlover11]

Thanks for the info Bodhibird, KittyRex, and sambone! I appreciate it!

 

[Skillet9886]

BodhiBird, that's interesting that you say that, because most of my questions in my interview for Ohio State (aside from those dealing specifically with my experiences) were at least similar to a lot of those in the interview feedback section. I would definitely advise anyone to check that out to prepare for interviews.

Poochlover11, my advice to you would be to work more on your personal statement than on interview questions. Trust me, you'll have lots of time to obsess about interviews after you turn in vmcas. I thought for a long time I knew what I wanted to write in my personal statement, then completely blanked when it came to actually writing it. I had a friend who asked a vet for a rec letter, and he told her he would only write it with a copy of her resume AND a list of 10 reasons she wanted to be a vet. Doesn't sound hard, but try it! It's hard to come up with 10 reasons you want to do anything! She's older than me, so since she told me that, I tried to keep a running list, and whenever I thought of an aspect of the profession or an anecdote that I could maybe work into my personal statement I wrote it down. It helped immensely. That, and keeping a running resume. Keep your experiences documented! And hours! You'll be glad later.

 

[Poochlover11]

Skillet9886-thanks for the advice, that isn't a bad idea. I have heard about the hours thing and have been trying to keep a running tab. For some reason I feel like the interview will be harder then the personal statement because with the personal statement you get some time to think about what you want to write, but the interviews are on the spot-that's why I thought it'd be easier to have reviewed some practice questions so the answers flow smoothly instead of awkward silence while I think. 😱

 

[twelvetigers]

True, but everyone has a chance to think about what they want to write, and EVERYONE who applies does a personal statement of the same length. It's kind of a one-shot deal to really sell yourself and make sure you stand out from the crowd.

NOT to make you nervous about that, but it's certainly pretty hard to do IMO.

 

[Poochlover11]

True, but everyone has a chance to think about what they want to write, and EVERYONE who applies does a personal statement of the same length. It's kind of a one-shot deal to really sell yourself and make sure you stand out from the crowd.

NOT to make you nervous about that, but it's certainly pretty hard to do IMO.

Haha! No pressure!

 

[DVMorBust]

Best advice I ever got (and I think it was someone on this board) to prepare for interviews:

1. Dress in business clothes
2. Walk up to strangers
3. Converse