University of Minnesota c/o 2018 Applicants!

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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remi4301 said:
Really wish they gave us more time to decide on the interview 🙁 I think I'm going to decline. I've already been accepted to Michigan, so it's hard to justify spending the money to go out and interview. I really never thought I'd be in this position! Totally not complaining! Anyone have anything awesome to say about Minnesota that may change my mind? 😛
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What's your area of interest?
 
In an ideal world, I'd love to do mixed practice. Would love to do equine, some small local farmer cows/pigs etc... and small animal to pay the bills haha. Really, I'm trying to keep on open mind about it.
 
Anyone received their confirmation for their interview date yet? Im so paranoid that somehow I might have not submitted the survey correctly and I'm not gonna feel better until they email me back with some information. The survey was due yesterday afternoon, soooo....
 
DoctorToby said:
Anyone received their confirmation for their interview date yet? Im so paranoid that somehow I might have not submitted the survey correctly and I'm not gonna feel better until they email me back with some information. The survey was due yesterday afternoon, soooo....
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If you didn't get called or got an email reminding you before the deadline then your survey was submitted. I got a call from them reminding me to fill out the survey. (Was really thankful for that).
 
remi4301 said:
In an ideal world, I'd love to do mixed practice. Would love to do equine, some small local farmer cows/pigs etc... and small animal to pay the bills haha. Really, I'm trying to keep on open mind about it.
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Hm. I'm having a hard time formulating a reply; mostly because I don't know anything about Michigan (other than it's rep is good, too). We do offer a mixed track here, and access to production, equine, and companion animal opportunities are abundant. So there's little doubt in my head that UMN would be a good place to do a mixed approach (I'm small animal).

I think in your shoes, I'd visit both schools and see which one felt more 'at home'. But if you're coming from some place that makes that prohibitively expensive .... I'd probably look at the total cost of education at both schools and honestly, and that would be about 90% of my decision. Given the lackluster earnings potential for a dvm, especially right out of school, it may make sense to get the cheapest education you can, even if it means toughing it out at your second (or third, or tenth) choice school.
 
LetItSnow said:
Hm. I'm having a hard time formulating a reply; mostly because I don't know anything about Michigan (other than it's rep is good, too). We do offer a mixed track here, and access to production, equine, and companion animal opportunities are abundant. So there's little doubt in my head that UMN would be a good place to do a mixed approach (I'm small animal).
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Since you mentioned Minnesota offering a "mixed track"...is it a school that tracks or does it offer some degree of flexibility if your interests happen to change? I'd be considered out of state for UMN as well, and it would be nice to know that beforehand...(even though I think like I'd really like being in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area for school...that cost of tuition though!)
 
lso5013 said:
Since you mentioned Minnesota offering a "mixed track"...is it a school that tracks or does it offer some degree of flexibility if your interests happen to change? I'd be considered out of state for UMN as well, and it would be nice to know that beforehand...(even though I think like I'd really like being in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area for school...that cost of tuition though!)
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You commit to a track going into your third year (which is when you put your fourth-year rotation requests in).

"Tracking" impacts primarily two things: required rotations, and third-year second-semester electives. The last semester before clinics is almost entirely electives and is strongly track-associated (for instance, I'm taking only small-animal classes this semester because I'm tracking small-animal). There are electives in every semester, but it's usually only one or two and few of them have any impact on your track (though they may be more interesting to people tracking certain things, like the equine limb elective first year).

I have heard that people have been able to change their track going into fourth year, but I have to imagine it would be a challenge to do that. In general, I think once you commit at the beginning of third year you're fairly locked in.

The tracks available to my class were small, food, equine, mixed, or interdisciplinary ... I *think* they may have changed that up a bit now, but I'm not sure.
 
LetItSnow said:
The tracks available to my class were small, food, equine, mixed, or interdisciplinary ... I *think* they may have changed that up a bit now, but I'm not sure.
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Yes, the track options have changed slightly with the new curriculum, I think. We have the option of small animal, food animal, equine, mixed, and research/public health. I guess mixed is supposed to include exotics/wildlife/zoo.

If you have specific questions about the new curriculum I can do my best to answer them.
 
gumtree said:
Yes, the track options have changed slightly with the new curriculum, I think. We have the option of small animal, food animal, equine, mixed, and research/public health. I guess mixed is supposed to include exotics/wildlife/zoo.

If you have specific questions about the new curriculum I can do my best to answer them.
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I think mixed is what is typically recommended to wildlife/zoo types (in add'n to anyone who really wants to get their hands in production, companion, etc.), but 'exotics' depends on what you mean. If you're talking about pocket pets, it likely would be better to go small animal. If you're talking more in the zoo type of stuff, it would make sense to go mixed.

Y'all should take gumtree up on that offer. The new curriculum is really more of a reshuffling than an actual "new" curriculum (mostly same instructors, mostly same material, they just recombined some classes and shuffled around when things are delivered .... in my opinion), but the first years this year definitely have some different challenges than my class would have faced. (Although some of them, like that nasty finals week at the end of first semester, will undoubtedly get changed.)
 
Just curious, is anyone bringing someone with for the tour and other activities? Not sure if I should bring someone or not. Thanks!
 
PurpleMonkey0 said:
Just curious, is anyone bringing someone with for the tour and other activities? Not sure if I should bring someone or not. Thanks!
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I figure if your family has the cash to travel with you then do it. It's always nice to have support and I have seen that about half of the people at other interviews bring some family member with them who participates in tours, mixers, and other things of that nature. I personally don't, but that's due to monetary reasons.
 
Chkntree4 said:
Yeah I will be there what's up?
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no reason except it would just be cool to see someone there that I may sorta know through here haha I plan on going to all their mixers and tours and stuff, so hopefully I will run into someone from here 🙂 Im flying out there and staying with family, but I am not sure if they are going to come with me to the events, so it might just be me.
 
DoctorToby said:
I was hoping to have someone from SDN there on the weekend of Feb 7th and 8th. Anyone ?
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Some of us are always around. 😉

PurpleMonkey0 said:
Just curious, is anyone bringing someone with for the tour and other activities? Not sure if I should bring someone or not. Thanks!
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My advice is to bring someone, especially if you're out-of-state and not familiar with the area. Unless you REALLY like being alone and need to just sit quietly to calm down before the interview, it's nice to have someone along who can help you relax, chat with you, etc. It's like a grown-up security blanket (as long as they aren't high strung and more nervous than you will be and just make things worse). Plus, you'll have down time in the evenings and it probably would be nice to have someone to go get dinner with, etc.

I took my (very pregnant) wife along on my interview/tour day. It was really great to have her there, though I felt bad watching her maneuver the icy sidewalks when 8 months pregger. 🙂
 
LetItSnow said:
Some of us are always around. 😉



My advice is to bring someone, especially if you're out-of-state and not familiar with the area. Unless you REALLY like being alone and need to just sit quietly to calm down before the interview, it's nice to have someone along who can help you relax, chat with you, etc. It's like a grown-up security blanket (as long as they aren't high strung and more nervous than you will be and just make things worse). Plus, you'll have down time in the evenings and it probably would be nice to have someone to go get dinner with, etc.

I took my (very pregnant) wife along on my interview/tour day. It was really great to have her there, though I felt bad watching her maneuver the icy sidewalks when 8 months pregger. 🙂
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haha I know what you mean! I really wish my bf could come with me. no such luck cause its expensive.
 
DoctorToby said:
no reason except it would just be cool to see someone there that I may sorta know through here haha I plan on going to all their mixers and tours and stuff, so hopefully I will run into someone from here 🙂 Im flying out there and staying with family, but I am not sure if they are going to come with me to the events, so it might just be me.
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Yeah I'm flying solo as well. Have some family through my stepmom out there I'm gonna be staying with (hopefully they will let me use a car as well). I plan to go to everything also. When is your interview time?
 
DoctorToby said:
haha I know what you mean! I really wish my bf could come with me. no such luck cause its expensive.
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Ah, if only my SO could accompany me to MN. He's very useful because he keeps a much more level head than I do during any sort of city travel. Also, he's my boyfriend so that's nice, too. :wacky:

Anyway, I will also be there the weekend of the 7th/8th! I heard from someone who interviewed last year that she took advantage of hotel shuttles and the rides offered by current students. Anyone else planning to do that this year? I think that's how I'll have to roll, since I have to fly solo and renting a car would be MAD expensive.
 
Chkntree4 said:
Yeah I'm flying solo as well. Have some family through my stepmom out there I'm gonna be staying with (hopefully they will let me use a car as well). I plan to go to everything also. When is your interview time?
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Friday at 1 pm. Although I am going to fly in on thursday so i don't have to worry about rushing over to my interview.
Smudgen said:
Ah, if only my SO could accompany me to MN. He's very useful because he keeps a much more level head than I do during any sort of city travel. Also, he's my boyfriend so that's nice, too. :wacky:

Anyway, I will also be there the weekend of the 7th/8th! I heard from someone who interviewed last year that she took advantage of hotel shuttles and the rides offered by current students. Anyone else planning to do that this year? I think that's how I'll have to roll, since I have to fly solo and renting a car would be MAD expensive.
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What time are you interviewing?
98cats said:
I'll be there thte 7th and 8th!
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What time is your interview?
 
My interview is Feb. 1! For any current students: due to limited travel options, I will need to leave on Saturday in the afternoon. As a result, I will miss the tour and afternoon activities 🙁 🙁 🙁. Does anyone know if I can tour on Friday? Or even just walk around with my dad? I'm going to call the office later, but any input is greatly appreciated!!!
 
Hey gang, I'm absolutely riveted to visit MN for my interview - I'll be there Feb 7/8.

One question for someone who might know, is it possible to declare residency as an OOS applicant? I was doing some research on MN state residency and came upon the "185 day rule." Pretty self-explanatory in that regard. I wasn't sure what the school would have to say about it, I know that some schools (like Ohio) allow for that. It's my understanding that in MN you just have to own/rent property paying MN state taxes for 185 days, and then you can declare residency.
 
DoctorToby said:
Friday at 1 pm. Although I am going to fly in on thursday so i don't have to worry about rushing over to my interview.

What time are you interviewing?

What time is your interview?
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I'm interviewing at 10:45. 🙂

On Saturday!
 
sblove17 said:
My interview is Feb. 1! For any current students: due to limited travel options, I will need to leave on Saturday in the afternoon. As a result, I will miss the tour and afternoon activities 🙁 🙁 🙁. Does anyone know if I can tour on Friday? Or even just walk around with my dad? I'm going to call the office later, but any input is greatly appreciated!!!
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The buildings are open/unlocked up until a reasonable hour on Friday (like 5p or 6p, I can't remember), and they are (as far as I know; but I have no official status) public buildings for the most part ... so I would think you can wander around as long as you respect any 'do not enter' and whatnot signage. If you want to tour the hospitals (SA, LA, and Equine Center), you would need a tour guide (safety for you and the animals, respect for clients and staff, etc.). But the two classroom buildings (first/second years are in one, third years are in another) would be open, as would any of the other 'main' buildings on campus (student center, library, gym, etc.). As far as I'm aware nothing would prevent the general public from wandering into those buildings.

I don't know what they would say if you call and ask to arrange a Friday tour. On the one hand,they try hard to accommodate any reasonable requests, and this is certainly reasonable. On the other, they have a ton of visitors to manage these three weeks and not many people to manage them with, so they may not be able to handle too many individualized things that aren't part of the 'schedule'. I wouldn't feel at all hesitant to ask, though. The Academic and Student Affairs folks are super to work with. Feel free to PM me if you need; as long as ASA was ok with it I'd be happy to show you around Friday. I'm free between noon and 2pm.
 
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Gluffalo said:
Hey gang, I'm absolutely riveted to visit MN for my interview - I'll be there Feb 7/8.

One question for someone who might know, is it possible to declare residency as an OOS applicant? I was doing some research on MN state residency and came upon the "185 day rule." Pretty self-explanatory in that regard. I wasn't sure what the school would have to say about it, I know that some schools (like Ohio) allow for that. It's my understanding that in MN you just have to own/rent property paying MN state taxes for 185 days, and then you can declare residency.
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That's best answered by the admissions folks; they can put you in touch with a staff person who deals with OOS residency questions. I'm in-state, so I haven't gone through it, but in my limited observation of out-of-state students, it's not as simple as what you described. Best to talk to the university staff about it.
 
LetItSnow said:
The buildings are open/unlocked up until a reasonable hour on Friday (like 5p or 6p, I can't remember), and they are (as far as I know; but I have no official status) public buildings for the most part ... so I would think you can wander around as long as you respect any 'do not enter' and whatnot signage. If you want to tour the hospitals (SA, LA, and Equine Center), you would need a tour guide (safety for you and the animals, respect for clients and staff, etc.). But the two classroom buildings (first/second years are in one, third years are in another) would be open, as would any of the other 'main' buildings on campus (student center, library, gym, etc.). As far as I'm aware nothing would prevent the general public from wandering into those buildings.

I don't know what they would say if you call and ask to arrange a Friday tour. On the one hand,they try hard to accommodate any reasonable requests, and this is certainly reasonable. On the other, they have a ton of visitors to manage these three weeks and not many people to manage them with, so they may not be able to handle too many individualized things that aren't part of the 'schedule'. I wouldn't feel at all hesitant to ask, though. The Academic and Student Affairs folks are super to work with. Feel free to PM me if you need; as long as ASA was ok with it I'd be happy to show you around Friday. I'm free between noon and 2pm.
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Thank you SO much, LIS! You are awesome.

I called the office earlier today -- they were very nice. They said that unfortunately they can't set up any Friday tours due to all of the planned activities. The woman I spoke with also said that I wouldn't really be able to walk around by myself.

I'm not entirely sure when my dad and I are landing on the 31, but I may take you up on the tour offer (if it's okay with ASA, like you said). I would really appreciate it! I'll keep you posted 🙂 Thank you!!!
 
LetItSnow said:
That's best answered by the admissions folks; they can put you in touch with a staff person who deals with OOS residency questions. I'm in-state, so I haven't gone through it, but in my limited observation of out-of-state students, it's not as simple as what you described. Best to talk to the university staff about it.
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Okay, I'll be sure to go to them to get clear answers and verification. Thanks for your response!
 
Does anyone know if the tour/info session/Q&A/lunch on Saturday is mandatory? I assumed it was because they mentioned the tour of the equine center is optional but didn't say the same for the other events. I'm asking because I just got an interview for UF at 9am on the 8th and my interview for MN is on the 7th at 3:30pm..
 
ryroo said:
Does anyone know if the tour/info session/Q&A/lunch on Saturday is mandatory? I assumed it was because they mentioned the tour of the equine center is optional but didn't say the same for the other events. I'm asking because I just got an interview for UF at 9am on the 8th and my interview for MN is on the 7th at 3:30pm..
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When in doubt, just call admissions. I think it's a very reasonable request - after all, it's your loss in that the tours are there for you to see the program and make a good decision. If you're considering MN seriously, I'd consider finagling what you can to either interview later at UF. Not sure where you are in your position though.
 
I'd much rather interview at UF on a later date -- I really want to go to the events on Saturday at MN plus I'd rather not have to change my flights and pay $350 one way to get to FL on time. What is the etiquette as far as requesting a different interview date? I obviously don't want UF to view me negatively at all..
 
ryroo said:
I'd much rather interview at UF on a later date -- I really want to go to the events on Saturday at MN plus I'd rather not have to change my flights and pay $350 one way to get to FL on time. What is the etiquette as far as requesting a different interview date? I obviously don't want UF to view me negatively at all..
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I know it would suck regarding your flights and stuff, but doesn't Minnesota give you an option for interview dates? It may be easier to switch dates at Minnesota as compared to UF.
 
ryroo said:
I'd much rather interview at UF on a later date -- I really want to go to the events on Saturday at MN plus I'd rather not have to change my flights and pay $350 one way to get to FL on time. What is the etiquette as far as requesting a different interview date? I obviously don't want UF to view me negatively at all..
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Can't say I've been in this predicament, but I think calling the admissions office first thing in the morning would be good, describe to them your situation, and ask them what they recommend. I would look down on FL if they really viewed you callously for such a predicament.

NStarz said:
I know it would suck regarding your flights and stuff, but doesn't Minnesota give you an option for interview dates? It may be easier to switch dates at Minnesota as compared to UF.
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I'm not sure MN would still have the flexibility, only because they asked us our preferred weekend and probably spent some time trying to coordinate a bunch of schedules together. But, I think they'd be the next place to contact if UF doesn't allow you to reschedule.
 
ryroo said:
Does anyone know if the tour/info session/Q&A/lunch on Saturday is mandatory? I assumed it was because they mentioned the tour of the equine center is optional but didn't say the same for the other events. I'm asking because I just got an interview for UF at 9am on the 8th and my interview for MN is on the 7th at 3:30pm..
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They were not mandatory for me last year, but I would check to make sure that hasn't changed. I didn't go to anything except my interview itself, but I don't recommend that other people do this. I had been to 2 official CVM visit days before, spent lots of time on the St. Paul campus, didn't have any burning questions and didn't feel like I could stomach any small talk prior to my interview itself. In hindsight I probably wouldn't do this again--I rolled up to my interview office, took my coat off, and had a solid 5 minutes to mentally prep before I was lead back for my interview.
 
Does anyone know how many in state and out of state students MN is interviewing? And, does anyone know how soon after interviews decisions are made? After each interview block or after all interviews are done?
 
ryroo said:
Does anyone know if the tour/info session/Q&A/lunch on Saturday is mandatory? I assumed it was because they mentioned the tour of the equine center is optional but didn't say the same for the other events. I'm asking because I just got an interview for UF at 9am on the 8th and my interview for MN is on the 7th at 3:30pm..
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As best I remember and understand, the only 'required' portion is your interview (and maybe the info session (generally done by the director of admissions)).

Best bet is to call and explain the situation. Maybe they can move your interview. Or maybe they can't. Regardless, they won't hold it against you if you politely explain the situation and ask. (I'd first call whichever university offered you an interview most recently.... seems to me just general courteousness calls for giving the most respect to the school that first asked you to interview.)

mcmom said:
Does anyone know how many in state and out of state students MN is interviewing? And, does anyone know how soon after interviews decisions are made? After each interview block or after all interviews are done?
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I'm gonna pass on the first question, because I can't remember if that's something they don't mind students answering. But, I'll point out that you can figure it out on your interview day by counting how many people are in the info session with you and then doing some simple math, since you know what days they interview. 🙂

Interview decisions are made after the three weeks of interviews are wrapped up. In recent years they have made the decision very quickly (within a week) after the last interview weekend. That's just historical info, though - I have absolutely no more info than you about what they will do this year. 🙂
 
LetItSnow said:
As best I remember and understand, the only 'required' portion is your interview (and maybe the info session (generally done by the director of admissions)).

Best bet is to call and explain the situation. Maybe they can move your interview. Or maybe they can't. Regardless, they won't hold it against you if you politely explain the situation and ask. (I'd first call whichever university offered you an interview most recently.... seems to me just general courteousness calls for giving the most respect to the school that first asked you to interview.)



I'm gonna pass on the first question, because I can't remember if that's something they don't mind students answering. But, I'll point out that you can figure it out on your interview day by counting how many people are in the info session with you and then doing some simple math, since you know what days they interview. 🙂

Interview decisions are made after the three weeks of interviews are wrapped up. In recent years they have made the decision very quickly (within a week) after the last interview weekend. That's just historical info, though - I have absolutely no more info than you about what they will do this year. 🙂
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do you remember from your group how many were in state versus out of state? I can find the stats f o rhow many apply but I can't find any stats on how many in state and out of state interviews are done.
 
mcmom said:
do you remember from your group how many were in state versus out of state? I can find the stats f o rhow many apply but I can't find any stats on how many in state and out of state interviews are done.
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I don't recall. Maybe @gumtree does... but it's been too long for my pitiful memory. And, in-state are on Thursdays and out-of-state are on Fri/Sat. So they groups don't generally overlap.
 
thanks for your help and just trying to figure out the odds here...anything to help pass the slow walk to the interview and the long wait after...any insgihts would be much appreciated!
 
mcmom said:
thanks for your help and just trying to figure out the odds here...anything to help pass the slow walk to the interview and the long wait after...any insgihts would be much appreciated!
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Believe me, I know how hard it is, but my advice would be to not worry about the odds. 🙂 They're much better getting an interview than not getting one. 🙂
 
LetItSnow said:
Believe me, I know how hard it is, but my advice would be to not worry about the odds. 🙂 They're much better getting an int erview than not getting one. 🙂
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hahaha - yes getting an interview boosts your odds. Now it is trying to figure out what the lay of the land looks now that this cut has been made. The wait is agonizing. Interview tips?
 
Thanks for the advice everyone!! Since UF only has one other interview weekend (the 1st) and I'm currently scheduled to work (and one of my coworkers is going to be out of town) I'm gonna see if anyone is able to cover for me that weekend. If so, then ill call Florida to explain my situation. If I can't get anyone to cover for me, I think ill have to call MN and see if there's any way I can interview the weekend of the 14th. Worst case scenario ill miss the tour/info session on the 8th, bite the cost of the flight and just have to rush over to Florida after my MN interview
 
mcmom said:
hahaha - yes getting an interview boosts your odds. Now it is trying to figure out what the lay of the land looks now that this cut has been made. The wait is agonizing. Interview tips?
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For MN specifically (the only place I applied, so I have no idea what interviews are like elsewhere beyond what I've heard), sure....

1) Research 'behavioral interview questions' online. You can find a number of lists. This is an old article I found before my interview. I went out to coffee for a few hours with my wife and she just threw random questions at me and forced me to answer. I found the questions in that article to be very representative of the types of questions you will be asked. We're not supposed to discuss specific questions from our interviews, though. In general, I think it's fair to say that most of your questions will start with something similar to "tell me about a time when ....." They're not looking for you to tell them about personal characteristics that you claim to have; they're looking for you to use specific, real examples from your life. From their perspective this approach gives them a chance to evaluate whether you really have a particular quality. Anyone can claim to be good at debating (for example); but if you can't point to some debate club award on the wall and talk about it, the claim is pretty weak. Don't feel like you should use 'veterinary'-specific answers.

2) Take some time in the week ahead of your interview to be alone in a relaxed setting and just take an intentional, organized trip down memory lane. Think back on your life - things you've done, confrontations you've had, accomplishments, challenges, arguments, relationships, interesting experiences, etc. For me I tried to go year by year and just bubble it all to mind. Don't write it down or anything super organized like that, but just bring it all back to mind so it's fresh. Let it percolate a little bit. It will give you material to draw from during your interview.

3) Dress professionally in a way that you know makes you look good. If you feel like you look good, it will show.

4) Be friendly, be polite, look your interviewers in the eye 50% of the time, don't fidget, and SMILE.

5) When asked a question, don't feel bad or awkward taking a few seconds to think about it. Even though it will feel like a horribly long, awkward silence, it's worth it to organize your thoughts so that you can give a coherent answer rather than just rambling away. 15 seconds will feel like forever, but it's really not, and your interviewers won't mind.
 
ryroo said:
Thanks for the advice everyone!! Since UF only has one other interview weekend (the 1st) and I'm currently scheduled to work (and one of my coworkers is going to be out of town) I'm gonna see if anyone is able to cover for me that weekend. If so, then ill call Florida to explain my situation. If I can't get anyone to cover for me, I think ill have to call MN and see if there's any way I can interview the weekend of the 14th. Worst case scenario ill miss the tour/info session on the 8th, bite the cost of the flight and just have to rush over to Florida after my MN interview
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a good problem to have! at least you have multiple interviews to deal with!!!
 
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