Minnesota c/o 2020

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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People that say they didn't get one, did you get a rejection? Or just no email?
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wheelin2vetmed said:
@LeTitsNow, you gonna interview me?
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Negative. I did have the opportunity to participate in interviews, and it would have been a lot of fun, but I opted not to participate this year due to time/scheduling issues. Bottom line is that life is pretty stressful right now and I am trying to protect my time a little more. I hope to participate in interviews next year, though, if they'll have me.
 
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I got my interview invite as well!
 
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OOS, just read the e-mail and ranked the options. I don't know if most people will prefer the third weekend for more time to prep or wish to avoid it since that's valentine's weekend. That was my 1st place ranking.:D
 
Just declined my OOS interview, so hopefully that will open up a spot for someone else!!
 
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I received my OOS invitation today as well! Does anybody know about how many interviews to spots they typically offer? I saw online that the latest class was 55 resident to 47 OOS. Was just curious if anyone knew if they interview about twice as many as they have spots (that's seems to be the trend I'm seeing) or something different. Thanks in advance!
 
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Woke up to an interview invite this morning (OOS)! Yay! Anyone know how many people they typically interview?
 
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lima_beans said:
Woke up to an interview invite this morning (OOS)! Yay! Anyone know how many people they typically interview?
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I love that people have gotten interview invites. And as a researcher, I realize stats are a safety net and may bring security to mind...

but I want you guys to look in the mirror and psych yourselves up. YOU are the deciding factor here, not a set of numbers. You go in with a quiet confidence and knowledge of yourself. You answer questions with thoughtfulness and one hundred percent how you would answer if it were simply a bloke off the street asking you the same question. You say you don't know when you don't, but based off experience, answer how you would reason through a real life problem.

You've been given an opportunity to show your value as a person, so make sure you do actually believe in your value and go forth and conquer. :)
 
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rejection here. good luck everyone!
 
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I didn't receive an invite or a rejection! Still hoping! Good luck to everyone interviewing!
 
For those of you who applied, would you be willing to share stats? I am interested in applying to Minnesota next cycle. I'm wondering if I have a chance. My last 45 GPA is 3.52 and my pre-req is 3.43. My GRE which I am willing to retake is 308 combined. I have more than 500 hours working and doing research in an infectious disease lab, 300 hours interning at a wildlife center under a vet, 25 hours doing research on bears, 300 hours of large animal experience through college, 75 hours large animal vet experience, 10 hours pocket pet vet experience, 5,000 hours companion animal and pocket pet experience through volunteering, pet-sitting, and clubs, and 3,500 hours of small animal vet experience (2500 at one practice as a technician and 1000 at another practice shadowing and working as a vet assistant) . I put all my eggs in one basket this cycle and I'm working on saving to apply to more schools this cycle. Do I have a chance or am I kidding myself...
 
Update: Now rejected. Good luck to everyone still in the game!
 
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In the past - and this is not based on inside information, just me observing my own interview cycle along with the next 4 cycles - they've interviewed in very rough numbers 2x as many seats IS and 4x as many seats OOS.

But like I said - very rough numbers, and to be taken with a big huge no-inside-info grain of salt.
 
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Are you in- or out-of-state? Will make a big difference.

1vet2be said:
For those of you who applied, would you be willing to share stats? I am interested in applying to Minnesota next cycle. I'm wondering if I have a chance. My last 45 GPA is 3.52 and my pre-req is 3.43. My GRE which I am willing to retake is 308 combined. I have more than 500 hours working and doing research in an infectious disease lab, 300 hours interning at a wildlife center under a vet, 25 hours doing research on bears, 300 hours of large animal experience through college, 75 hours large animal vet experience, 10 hours pocket pet vet experience, 5,000 hours companion animal and pocket pet experience through volunteering, pet-sitting, and clubs, and 3,500 hours of small animal vet experience (2500 at one practice as a technician and 1000 at another practice shadowing and working as a vet assistant) . I put all my eggs in one basket this cycle and I'm working on saving to apply to more schools this cycle. Do I have a chance or am I kidding myself...
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1vet2be said:
I am OOS
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Hi @1vet2be -- I want to let you know that V. Tech was also my in state and I didn't get in there, either.

I had~180 credits (untraditional) at the time of my application and my cumulative GPA leveled out to a 3.14 according to VMCAS. I think this is one of the things I had trouble changing for VMCVM and it made me a less competitive candidate in their eyes.

I'm not sure how the ad com calculated my stats for Minnesota and I've only received an interview; I still have another hurdle to go. Just for reference, I've also been accepted into K-State, which I'm really excited about, and made it to Phase II for Illinois. That being said, I can give you my pre-requisite GPA and GRE, but I think you'll have to make sure your entire application package is competitive. Like a lot of the posts above, come up with a plan of attack to make the most meaningful strides toward your in-state for next year, but also cast a wide net. Since you're only going to get feedback from VMCVM, I'd suggest to continue taking coursework that is applicable to vet-med and working in the veterinary industry. Retake classes that you can do better in; some schools replace the grade. Your stats are comparable if not blatantly better GPA-wise, so just find the school that fits you best next year. Best of luck.
 
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I graduated with roughly 180 credits as well hahaha. =) Which is why taking additional courses just to be considered, feels pointless. I am looking into an MPH program; not giving up just changing how I get there! Thank you for your feedback. Good luck!
 
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Hey! Who's going on the 29th/30th? My interview is at 9:30am on the 29th! So excited!!!
 
Hi guys! My interview is Fri. Feb 5th! Anyone have any suggestions on fun things to do in Minnesota while I'm there?
 
I'm interviewing Friday the 5th at 1 :)

Random things to do near campus... If you like shopping there's always mall if America. It's about a 30 minute drive if I recall correctly. Right down come avenue from the university is the Como zoo. Small but technically free (there's just a donation box as you walk in) so If you have some down time it's a good way to spend it.
 
I'm interviewing on the 28th in the morning. I may be one of the first ones, looking at my time slot. Excited to get in there early! :)

For those wondering about things to do in the Twin Cities area, feel free to PM me, as I've lived here since 2009. Mall of America is an experience, and has an excellent crepe stand - easiest way to get there is taking the light rail train from the Minneapolis side of campus. There are a lot of fun things to do in the area, and great places to eat! I highly recommend checking out The Happy Gnome in St Paul for dinner one night, it's a fun little gastropub (and I'd be happy to meet up with people who are interviewing any weekend except for the 4th/5th).
 
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Friday the 29th at 8:15 AM. First interview maybe? Not sure how I feel about that. I live on campus in Minnesota, so again, if anyone needs somewhere to stay for a bit or advice on what to do while here, let me know!
 
My interview will be February 12th. I thought it was rather polite of them to give us options rather than simply send the interview date and time. I haven't applied to any other schools that gave their applicants an opportunity to choose.

For other people thinking of checking out Mall of America while in town, be prepared to see the same store multiple times while walking around.
 
Will anyone else be there this Friday for DVM/PhD interviews? I was a bit surprised that my PhD interview is before my DVM interview (some of that was because I had a scheduling conflict for my original PhD interview, though). I'm excited to get the ball rolling!
 
Withdrew my application and cancelled my interview for this Friday. I hope someone else here is offered the spot
 
Hello all! I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on interviewing for UMN? I am flying out to interview on Feb 12! I know it is a behavioral type interview but I was just wondering if anyone on here has gone through an interview for them before? I heard there were about 10 interview questions and i've been practicing by looking up behavioral type questions online but there are SO MANY examples online and it is a bit overwhelming to come up with answers to all of them! I am AWFUL at interviews so i'm just absolutely terrified I will freeze up and not be able to come up with an answer during the interview
 
Koala1010 said:
Withdrew my application and cancelled my interview for this Friday. I hope someone else here is offered the spot
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So did I. Why did you cancel?
 
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Crazycatlady2283 said:
Hello all! I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on interviewing for UMN? I am flying out to interview on Feb 12! I know it is a behavioral type interview but I was just wondering if anyone on here has gone through an interview for them before? I heard there were about 10 interview questions and i've been practicing by looking up behavioral type questions online but there are SO MANY examples online and it is a bit overwhelming to come up with answers to all of them! I am AWFUL at interviews so i'm just absolutely terrified I will freeze up and not be able to come up with an answer during the interview
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Don't plan for failure :) Practicing behavioral questions is good but what really helped me was reviewing my application and experiences and pulling out specific examples of things that happened for each that I could draw upon if they became relevant. For example, I thought about negative experiences at one work place and how I turned the situations around, and drew from that whenever I got asked a question like "describe a time when you had to overcome an obstacle to complete a goal." Think about positive experiences too, but I thought it was more helpful to think about negative experiences that I could spin to a positive light or ended with a positive outcome. I don't mean lie about things that happened, just think of better examples where it started negative but ended up positive. Having a bunch of experiences "in the holster" as it were made it easier to answer questions and reduced most of my "brain fart" moments.

That being said, it's also acceptable to say something along the lines of "let me think that over for a minute", grab a drink of water, and compose yourself and your answer. You don't want to make a huge awkward silence of a few minutes, but you can take some time to think about it.

Finally, my interview at MN was very laid back. I absolutely hate interviewing, and honestly chose OOS schools to apply to that didn't interview (terrible strategy, but cost, location, pre-reqs were the main considerations, the lack of interview was mainly a bonus). But it really ended up being more of a conversation than anything and we ended up actually going over the time limit because one of the interviewers was interested in the research I'd been involved with and we were just chatting about it. Most of the people at MN are pretty nice and laid back so don't be afraid of them :)
 
Crazycatlady2283 said:
Hello all! I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on interviewing for UMN? I am flying out to interview on Feb 12! I know it is a behavioral type interview but I was just wondering if anyone on here has gone through an interview for them before? I heard there were about 10 interview questions and i've been practicing by looking up behavioral type questions online but there are SO MANY examples online and it is a bit overwhelming to come up with answers to all of them! I am AWFUL at interviews so i'm just absolutely terrified I will freeze up and not be able to come up with an answer during the interview
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I probably should just read kcoughli's reply before answering, because she's pretty smart and always spot-on, but it's late, I'm on my sixth blocked cat of the weekend, and oh well.

The point isn't to come up with answers to all of them.

The point is to know HOW to answer them. Your answer should speak to the point of the question, because they are trying to assess very specific character traits. So don't start dancing around some unrelated topic and rambling in a way that doesn't answer the question. You need to specifically answer that question.

Whatever experience you draw on to answer the question doesn't have to be vet related. That's a low priority. The high priority is finding an experience that best fits the question.

While it's a good idea to do what you're doing - sitting back and reading different types of behavioral questions and considering potential answers - that's an exhausting way to go about it. An approach I used, and have recommended, is to set aside a good chunk of time - an hour or two. Go to a place that is relaxing and quiet for you. Bring a note book. Sit back and think through your life experiences from, say, college on. Literally just go month by month and reflect on important experiences.... relationships.... situations..... What did you accomplish? What challenges - even little ones - did you successfully manage? How did you adapt to successfully communicate with someone who was really difficult to communicate with? Make a little note about the important ones. Find some time later to reflect on them again.

The point is to refresh a bunch of those memories so that when you're asked a question you have a bigger 'well' to draw from to answer.

I very definitely said "I need a minute to think about that" and they were very happy to handle that. Better to have 30 seconds of silence (which will seem like an ETERNITY, but don't sweat it) while you organize your thoughts than to just start babbling incoherently.

Remember to be polite and professional to *EVERYONE* you meet - students, faculty, staff. Don't be the person that tries to put on a show for the people you consider 'important' while being an utter snob to the 'lesser important' people. You never know who you are talking to.

Above all, chill. It's a relaxed environment, everyone is friendly, and it will be a fun process if you make it one. Welcome to MN. :)
 
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Hi all! I'm super excited for interviews! Is anyone applying to DVM-PhD? I have PhD interviews on Friday the 5th and vet school interviews on the 6th at 9 (or 9:30, I need to check that).
 
If anyone is coming in today, I will be upstairs in Pomeroy 215 ALL DAY attempting to focus on small animal lectures. Feel free to message me if you want to say hi :)
 
Just an FYI for anyone that hasn't interviewed yet, I interviewed today and it was very low stress :) my interviewers were very nice and chipper and made me feel like they were really interested in what I was saying.
 
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LetItSnow said:
Wow. They've made third year harder since I was there. :)
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It's probably not harder. I also had Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday off and only 3 hours on Tuesday :p Although next week I have class Monday-Saturday, and yes they are making us come in for a half day on Saturday over MVMA because they hate us.
 
kcoughli said:
It's probably not harder. I also had Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday off and only 3 hours on Tuesday :p Although next week I have class Monday-Saturday, and yes they are making us come in for a half day on Saturday over MVMA because they hate us.
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I should ask before I firm up plans .... Are you going on the spring break SIRVS trip? ;)
 
Hi guys, any tips on how to dress for the interview in Minnesota weather? This would be my first time visiting, and I really have no idea. What kinda shoes? How hefty should my coat be? I checked the weather report, and it said around 25-30 degrees avg.?

Also, I'm staying in downtown. Should I rent a car for transportation or should I save my money and try the public transit? Any tips would be appreciated!
 
RoRey14 said:
Hi guys, any tips on how to dress for the interview in Minnesota weather? This would be my first time visiting, and I really have no idea. What kinda shoes? How hefty should my coat be? I checked the weather report, and it said around 25-30 degrees avg.?

Also, I'm staying in downtown. Should I rent a car for transportation or should I save my money and try the public transit? Any tips would be appreciated!
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The tour is inside for the most part, you really only go outside for a moment. I wore business casual the second day and was fine. I had fancy-ish booties with thick heels and walked carefully but wasn't outside long enough to be at risk of slipping and falling. I had a pretty hefty coat, but that's just because it's the coat that I own. The ambassadors were walking around in sweatshirts the whole time.
Some of them were saying they might get snow this weekend, but if the forecast says otherwise, I guess you're okay.
I personally rented a car and I think it was very convenient. I can't speak for public transit though.
 
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