Western Updates

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I GOT AN INTERVIEW..... OMG.

Awesome ImaJerseyGirl!!! Superb!!! Good luck!!!!

 

[Marsala]

Congrats, ImaJerseyGirl! Good luck with your interview!

 

[chii chan]

Yay! I leave on a plane tonight for my Western interview tomorrow! So excited!!!

Anybody else going tomorrow for the morning's sessions?

 

[FinleyMonkey]

Congrats to everyone with an interview and thanks to everyone who have been posting great info (i've been checking this hourly, it's quite sad)...

I was wondering if anyone knew the best place to stay? I did have something booked in Pomona but now I'm thinking I should stay closer to Ontario. Thoughts?

 

[HopefulAg]

I'm staying at the Shiloh Inn. It has a shuttle to and from the airport and Western both.

 

[chii chan]

Same here. I'm staying at Shilo Inn. Shuttle is free! 🙂

 

[kootz]

So I feel a little left out. I'm interviewing on the 8th... anyone else? Crickets?


Also staying at the Shilo Inn.

 

[Loolical]

So I had my interview today and was very impressed by Western. The practice PBL session was great and I really think it's a good way to learn and retain information.

My interviewers were so nice and friendly, that it wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought.

Now I just have to wait! Wow, I hope I get in.

 

[Scrchvy]

I am up tomorrow morning! Wishing everyone a good nights sleep and anxiety-free day! Will have my husband's arm to give me strength! We are expecting rain tomorrow so be warm...

 

[ImaJerseyGirl]

Soooo... this trip is turning out to be a bit cost-prohibitive. I can't find any flights NJ-CA for less than $800 on such short notice even with one stop. 🙁
My dad told me to turn it down... I'm sorry but when vet school calls, you go!

 

[StarStruck8]

So I feel a little left out. I'm interviewing on the 8th... anyone else? Crickets?

Also staying at the Shilo Inn.

I'm interviewing the 8th and staying at the same hotel. 🙂

Soooo... this trip is turning out to be a bit cost-prohibitive. I can't find any flights NJ-CA for less than $800 on such short notice even with one stop. 🙁
My dad told me to turn it down... I'm sorry but when vet school calls, you go!

Have you tried using tripadvisor? That's where I found my tickets, and I'm flying out from Newark. I'm not sure what day you plan on flying, but they have tickets for around $500 popping up. Of course you may have 2 stops, but it might be worth it! I'm just hoping this snow storm coming to NJ isn't going to hurt my travel plans...

 

[Nissan]

ImaJerseyGirl, congratulations! I'm in the same boat you are financially, albeit for another college that did last-minute interview invites.

I'll be heading to Western on the 9th into the 10th for an interview as well 🙂. I remember searching for non-stop flights and seeing tickets costing upwards of $1100!!

.............. On the note of hotels and penny-pinching in Pomona (alliteration ftw!), I booked the hotel for night of the 9th, and my interview is in the morning of the 10th (check out is at 11 am??)... I don't know how I'm going to be lugging my duffel bag around during the interview day.

Any thoughts on this 🙁?

 

[DVMDream]

ImaJerseyGirl, congratulations! I'm in the same boat you are financially, albeit for another college that did last-minute interview invites.

I'll be heading to Western on the 9th into the 10th for an interview as well 🙂. I remember searching for non-stop flights and seeing tickets costing upwards of $1100!!

.............. On the note of hotels and penny-pinching in Pomona (alliteration ftw!), I booked the hotel for night of the 9th, and my interview is in the morning of the 10th (check out is at 11 am??)... I don't know how I'm going to be lugging my duffel bag around during the interview day.

Any thoughts on this 🙁?

Just tell them you have an interview and they will give you a late check-out for 2PM. That is what I did. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[FinleyMonkey]

I'll be there the 8th!! And as far as hotels are concerned, I was hoping I could get some feedback from people who have already stayed... maybe I'll try the Shiloh Inn though.

And Nissan, after you check out the hotel should be able to keep your bag for the day.

 

[jpeterman13]

i just got back from western today. I stayed at the shilo inn. a little bit ghetto...but OK. There are two Shilo's The Hotel and the Hilltop. If you are at the hotel (like I was) and want to continental breakfast--you have to walk down across the street which was lame. The shuttle is great though! But I got gypped, the first guy told me that he'd be driving me to Western the next day and I only had a 5 on me, so I gave it to him and said that that was his tip for both days. Come to find out, he didn't work the next day 😡. Good bye $2. I ordered a medium pizza from a place called JoJo's which ended up being a $22 pizza with delivery and tip. So don't eat there (or ask the front desk for coupons, I should have).
Overall, I don't know how I feel about my experience at Western. We didn't get to talk to a single student which was a HUGE deal for me. Esp with the PBL. You do a "mock" PBL case in the beginning and I found myself rather confused. I would have loved to hear about it from students. The school is small (yes, it does look like a strip mall) but nice. Esp the Banfield Pet Hospital, very nice. The staff is great and accommodating (so Nissan, I'm sure they'd find a way to store your duffel for you). also, I think that you can have the shuttle bring your bag to you when they pick you up. The area--not so hot. I think that overall, the PBL scares me a little bit. I think that that fear wouldn't be so severe if I was able to talk to students. The interview wasn't terrible, only 30 minutes...I don't think I did very well to be 100% honest. PM me if you have any ?'s about the interview while it's still fresh in my mind.

 

[DVMDream]

I'll be there the 8th!! And as far as hotels are concerned, I was hoping I could get some feedback from people who have already stayed... maybe I'll try the Shiloh Inn though.

And Nissan, after you check out the hotel should be able to keep your bag for the day.

I stayed at the Shilo Inn Suites (there is also a hotel that is slightly cheaper, but they may not offer the same services). It was a nice place and they have a free breakfast that you can go to. They also have a shuttle that will take you to the school for free. The wireless internet works off and on which was frustrating because I was in the middle of taking an on-line quiz when it kept cutting out. But I discovered that to make it work again just disconnect from their wireless router and then reconnect to it. Good Luck at the interview.

 

[cooniexp]

I'll be there tomorrow as well.. good luck everyone!

 

[Nissan]

Thanks for all the advice about my bags, everyone XD. I'm feeling a little left out that everyone's going for the Shilo Inn hahaha. Is there some sexy party going on there that only long-time SDNers know about?

Also, good luck to everyone interviewing!! I'm excited about seeing the PBL thing in action and/or explained, but I'm getting mixed reviews from random sources.

...I think all in all, I just want to see Western for myself and prove one of the veterinarians I work with wrong. She wasn't too keen on me leaving work for OMG 3 days to interview at a school she apparently didn't think highly of. I've resorted to referring to the Western interview as "an interview in California" to some of our clients when they ask so as to avoid the glares and disapproving looks from her. Although, even then, I won't know how it is until I go through the program huh? *headdesk*

 

[Marsala]

ImaJerseyGirl, I don't know what dates you plan on going, but I went to Orbitz and put in leaving the 9th, returning the 11th, leaving from La Guardia (can you get there?), and the lowest is $255. Also put in Newark, came up with $391. Did you try Orbitz? Just a thought.

 

[JKIM02]

The interview wasn't terrible, only 30 minutes...I don't think I did very well to be 100% honest.

I am relieved i am not the only one that feels this way. Of course I would have wished that we both felt that we did awesome but it is comforting to know someone feels the same way about their interview that I do. I hope you do not take that to offense jpeterman. 😳

I interviewed in the morning session (group 2 represent!!) and everyone I asked about the interview felt that it went totally great so i was starting to feel uneasy.

 

[DVMDream]

I am relieved i am not the only one that feels this way. Of course I would have wished that we both felt that we did awesome but it is comforting to know someone feels the same way about their interview that I do. I hope you do not take that to offense jpeterman. 😳

I interviewed in the morning session (group 2 represent!!) and everyone I asked about the interview felt that it went totally great so i was starting to feel uneasy.

I was also group 2 morning session. I wouldn't worry too much about how you think you did. One of the second year students told us that she thought her interview went awful but she was accepted without being waitlisted. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!!

Jpeterman, I am sorry you did not get to talk to any of the students. I wonder if they were all in classes or if they did something different on your interview day. I wish you good luck with western and the rest of your schools!!

 

[SoCalLife]

i just got back from western today. I stayed at the shilo inn. a little bit ghetto...but OK. There are two Shilo's The Hotel and the Hilltop. If you are at the hotel (like I was) and want to continental breakfast--you have to walk down across the street which was lame. The shuttle is great though! But I got gypped, the first guy told me that he'd be driving me to Western the next day and I only had a 5 on me, so I gave it to him and said that that was his tip for both days. Come to find out, he didn't work the next day 😡. Good bye $2. I ordered a medium pizza from a place called JoJo's which ended up being a $22 pizza with delivery and tip. So don't eat there (or ask the front desk for coupons, I should have).
Overall, I don't know how I feel about my experience at Western. We didn't get to talk to a single student which was a HUGE deal for me. Esp with the PBL. You do a "mock" PBL case in the beginning and I found myself rather confused. I would have loved to hear about it from students. The school is small (yes, it does look like a strip mall) but nice. Esp the Banfield Pet Hospital, very nice. The staff is great and accommodating (so Nissan, I'm sure they'd find a way to store your duffel for you). also, I think that you can have the shuttle bring your bag to you when they pick you up. The area--not so hot. I think that overall, the PBL scares me a little bit. I think that that fear wouldn't be so severe if I was able to talk to students. The interview wasn't terrible, only 30 minutes...I don't think I did very well to be 100% honest. PM me if you have any ?'s about the interview while it's still fresh in my mind.

Hi peterman....I'm sorry that you didn't get to talk to any students. We have (1st, 2nd, and 3rd years) signed up for each interview day to do tours and Q & A sessions, so I'm really surprised that you didn't get to talk to anyone. Hopefully you expressed that in your survey at the end of the day. Feel free to ask me any questions about PBL or the school if you want! 🙂

 

[JKIM02]

I was also group 2 morning session. I wouldn't worry too much about how you think you did. One of the second year students told us that she thought her interview went awful but she was accepted without being waitlisted. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!!

THank you! I will keep my fingers crossed for you as well!! Did your interview go well? I was the only Asian girl in our group... which one was u??

 

[DVMDream]

THank you! I will keep my fingers crossed for you as well!! Did your interview go well? I was the only Asian girl in our group... which one was u??

Thanks! Sorry, I was in group 2 on Monday (but we are still representing all of the group 2 people). I think my interview went ok...I could not really tell they really do not give you any indication as to how it went. Maybe I am just being optomistic since we were the first interview day and the intervieweres were not tired with interviewing yet.

 

[ILoveMutts]

Hi peterman....I'm sorry that you didn't get to talk to any students. We have (1st, 2nd, and 3rd years) signed up for each interview day to do tours and Q & A sessions, so I'm really surprised that you didn't get to talk to anyone. Hopefully you expressed that in your survey at the end of the day. Feel free to ask me any questions about PBL or the school if you want! 🙂

i just got back from western today. I stayed at the shilo inn. a little bit ghetto...but OK. There are two Shilo's The Hotel and the Hilltop. If you are at the hotel (like I was) and want to continental breakfast--you have to walk down across the street which was lame. The shuttle is great though! But I got gypped, the first guy told me that he'd be driving me to Western the next day and I only had a 5 on me, so I gave it to him and said that that was his tip for both days. Come to find out, he didn't work the next day 😡. Good bye $2. I ordered a medium pizza from a place called JoJo's which ended up being a $22 pizza with delivery and tip. So don't eat there (or ask the front desk for coupons, I should have).
Overall, I don't know how I feel about my experience at Western. We didn't get to talk to a single student which was a HUGE deal for me. Esp with the PBL. You do a "mock" PBL case in the beginning and I found myself rather confused. I would have loved to hear about it from students. The school is small (yes, it does look like a strip mall) but nice. Esp the Banfield Pet Hospital, very nice. The staff is great and accommodating (so Nissan, I'm sure they'd find a way to store your duffel for you). also, I think that you can have the shuttle bring your bag to you when they pick you up. The area--not so hot. I think that overall, the PBL scares me a little bit. I think that that fear wouldn't be so severe if I was able to talk to students. The interview wasn't terrible, only 30 minutes...I don't think I did very well to be 100% honest. PM me if you have any ?'s about the interview while it's still fresh in my mind.

Hi jpeterman,
I am bothered that you did not get to talk to any of the students! I'm pretty sure that students are doing the tours/Q&As/mock PBLs in the morning and afternoon of every interview day, so I'm not really sure what happened! Regardless, you are right about needing to talk to a student about your questions and concerns. Talking to someone who just went through the whole thing a year ago, and is still adjusting to the PBL process is invaluable. That being said, please feel free to contact me with any questions that you might have. I can give you my email too if you want 🙂
I can not stress enough how different the PBL process is from anything that you have ever done. Honestly, I am still adjusting and it's difficult because it's so different. I do believe that going through it this way will pay off in the end, but it's definitely hard work!
To all of those that have interviewed, take a deep breath and know that you did better than you think you did (I thought that I did AWFUL after my interview), to all those that haven't yet, GOOD LUCK! We are all rooting (sp?) for you!
--------
C/O 2013
.

 

[AlCat1002]

This will be my one and only interview invite for this application cycle and I know I SHOULD be excited, but I had a conversation with a veterinarian today who had nothing but negative things to say about Western! She said that the cost is too high and that the grads she worked with from there "did not impress" her at all. She graduated from Ross University and just told me that if I can avoid Western at all to do so. I'm sorry to sound so negative but she scared me!!! And has anyone looked into what their "partial accreditation" by the AVMA means? Is this going to impact our ability to work after graduation? Ugh, darn! I will most likely interview and hopefully I'll be able to get a better idea of what Western is all about, if anyone has any feedback or help, please share!

So sorry to hear that you were given a negative impression of Western. As I think someone else who replied to this implied, there are very few of us out there. It bugs me when people make assumptions about the program or *think* they know what the curriculum is like. Heck, I bet there are crappy vets from every vet school out there!! Being the new school, I think we are scrutinized more.

I graduated in 2008 from Western and was accepted to a small animal rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

As for my internship, one of my classmates and I were the first Western graduates accepted to a very well established internship program. So, needless to say, we were under the microscope and felt we had a lot to prove. After completion, I had multiple job offers (even in this crappy economy) and my classmate was accepted to the ECC residency program at Angell.

As far as how we stacked up against our fellow internmates, no real difference. However, the definite advantage from coming from a PBL curriculum is that we knew how to find the answers and I think our problem solving skills stood out--we were not afraid of the unknown. And believe me, you never knew what would walk into the emergency room!

You should be excited! Congratulations!!👍

 

[kootz]

HURRAH! does anyone run on this forum? I'd love to get out for one but don't want to get killed in what I'm imagining a seedy area from other comments... ehh

 

[natalieises]

It's Interview Day!!!! ahhhh. Do we have some sort of secret hand signal for the sdners??? If any of you are going to be there I'll be wearing a charcoal grey suit and will probably look like i'm nervous as ever!

 

[badcats]

HURRAH! does anyone run on this forum? I'd love to get out for one but don't want to get killed in what I'm imagining a seedy area from other comments... ehh

Where are you staying? If you are at the either Shiloh on Temple, you can run down the hill past Cal Poly and you should be OK, but there are a lot of lights and depending on the time of day, it can be pretty trafficky. If you have rental car, just drive down temple until you pass University and you will see many cars along the side of the road. You don't need a permit to park there, so you should be good. Then you can go along the side of the road and go across the street to run at mt. SAC or keep going straight when temple turns into Amar and you will hit a dirt trail on the westbound side of the road.

Of course this is all useless if you are at a different hotel with no car, but hey

 

[radio2020]

Run to a hotel with an exercise room. HAHAHAHAHAHAH...ALright I gotta go back to studying.

 

[Pomegranate]

It's Interview Day!!!! ahhhh. Do we have some sort of secret hand signal for the sdners??? If any of you are going to be there I'll be wearing a charcoal grey suit and will probably look like i'm nervous as ever!

If you want to run, find out where Claremont is and run there. Anywhere above arrow hwy (it's just a street) is beautiful and safe, below it starts to get a bit run down. The residential area in the village is absolutely beautiful and if you like trail running the is a great 5 mile wilderness trail at the very top of Mills Ave. Plus the area at the top of Mills is rich Claremont with HUGE houses, snoop dog used to live up there, so it's nice to run around there too. Good luck on your interview and have fun running!

 

[chris03333]

So sorry to hear that you were given a negative impression of Western. As I think someone else who replied to this implied, there are very few of us out there. It bugs me when people make assumptions about the program or *think* they know what the curriculum is like. Heck, I bet there are crappy vets from every vet school out there!! Being the new school, I think we are scrutinized more.

I graduated in 2008 from Western and was accepted to a small animal rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

As for my internship, one of my classmates and I were the first Western graduates accepted to a very well established internship program. So, needless to say, we were under the microscope and felt we had a lot to prove. After completion, I had multiple job offers (even in this crappy economy) and my classmate was accepted to the ECC residency program at Angell.

As far as how we stacked up against our fellow internmates, no real difference. However, the definite advantage from coming from a PBL curriculum is that we knew how to find the answers and I think our problem solving skills stood out--we were not afraid of the unknown. And believe me, you never knew what would walk into the emergency room!

You should be excited! Congratulations!!👍

There was an '07 grad at AMC NY, so you and your classmate were not the first FYI...

 

[Mitshu]

so I called western again today and guess what they said...they are still reviewing my application. I just don't get what they are doing. Anyways she said I should hear by mid next week I just about freaked out, but she said that if they need to they will add more interview days. So I guess not all is lost just yet. I just hate they they keep pushing back when we will hear back by and I am over it. At least I got into Edinburgh so I don't have to stress out so much.
Anyways so hopefully the few of us left to hear about interviews still have hope. I also heard from a couple of friend that they have send out rejections through snail mail. So no rejection yet is a good thing. Good luck to us all

Good luck to all those who have or are going to interview! I know you all will do great!

 

[HandD42]

If you want to run, find out where Claremont is and run there. Anywhere above arrow hwy (it's just a street) is beautiful and safe, below it starts to get a bit run down. The residential area in the village is absolutely beautiful and if you like trail running the is a great 5 mile wilderness trail at the very top of Mills Ave. Plus the area at the top of Mills is rich Claremont with HUGE houses, snoop dog used to live up there, so it's nice to run around there too. Good luck on your interview and have fun running!

The Claremont Colleges are in this area too just a block or two south and they are all fine to jog around. Two of the schools (Claremont and Pomona) have tracks that are open to the public after afternoon sports are done if you want to do that too.

I went to CMC for my undergrad 🙂 It was a great 4 years but now I am unwilling to leave the midwest again.

 

[Marsala]

so I called western again today and guess what they said...they are still reviewing my application. I just don't get what they are doing. Anyways she said I should hear by mid next week I just about freaked out, but she said that if they need to they will add more interview days. So I guess not all is lost just yet. I just hate they they keep pushing back when we will hear back by and I am over it. At least I got into Edinburgh so I don't have to stress out so much.
Anyways so hopefully the few of us left to hear about interviews still have hope. I also heard from a couple of friend that they have send out rejections through snail mail. So no rejection yet is a good thing. Good luck to us all

Good luck to all those who have or are going to interview! I know you all will do great!

I called yesterday, and they told me the same thing. What makes me think otherwise, though, is that when I called Monday (I think, maybe Tuesday), the woman asked me to confirm my address. This makes me think that they want to be sure that the rejection went to the right place.

I hope that I'm wrong...

 

[chii chan]

I wasn't impressed with western today. Nor was I impressed with shilo inn. Fair warning: the shuttle service is slow so plan your time accordingly.

 

[cooniexp]

chii chan, were you in the afternoon group today?

Not sure how I feel about the school..

 

[chii chan]

chii chan, were you in the afternoon group today?

Not sure how I feel about the school..

I was there today but I had the morning group. I got insiders info from someone I saw (1st year) who I graduated with and had lots of classes with. My decision is made. What did you think? I'll PM you the details if you want to hear what my friend said...

 

[chris03333]

I was there today but I had the morning group. I got insiders info from someone I saw (1st year) who I graduated with and had lots of classes with. My decision is made. What did you think? I'll PM you the details if you want to hear what my friend said...

Post it here, because your likely going to get tons of PMs anyway. Might as well put it all out there. We might as well all be honest🙂

 

[ImaJerseyGirl]

Anyone going on 2/10?

And yes chii chan, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm still trying to understand it. My Dad is giving me a hard time about it being "unranked".

 

[Nissan]

Anyone going on 2/10?

And yes chii chan, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. I'm still trying to understand it. My Dad is giving me a hard time about it being "unranked".

I'm going on 2/10 🙂

 

[chii chan]

I'm not going to publicly bash on any school. If anyone really wants to know, they will take the effort to PM me. The program is definitely not right for me and because of it, I have a lot of issues I found while I was there. If you don't want to know and want to form your own opinions, then you don't have to read it because I won't post it on here. I don't mind the PMs, I've already responded to about 7 of them.

Good luck to everyone who still has to interview! 🙂

 

[cattycat]

I had my interview today and was really impressed with the school. I really liked that we got to talk to current students and the mock PBL session was pretty cool 🙂 The interview was really laid back so there is nothing to worry about! They are very conversational about it and ask the same 5 questions to everyone. Good luck to everyone who is interviewing next week!

 

[chii chan]

They don't ask the same 5 questions to everyone. They say they do. Three of us all shuttled from Shilo to Western and back. We discussed things on the way back, and we didn't get asked the same questions. But there were 5 questions.

 

[natalieises]

That is interesting about the questions because I interviewed last year and absolutely had the same questions. They may ask extra questions in between the given ones if they want you to delve further into something, but the sheets are the same. They did skip the first question with me because she didn't like it, but there is a standard set of questions to ask each person. Whether or not they ask them all or go off topic is up to them.

 

[TrocarKarin]

I absolutely fell in love with Western. Every student I talked to was really enthusiastic about it, the staff seemed really supportive, and Pomona didn't seem nearly as ghetto as what I was expecting.

The interview questions weren't identical to the ones on the interview feedback, but if you prepare from those questions, you'll have plenty to draw on.


We had a little side-adventure after the interview. My sister-in-law lives in San Diego, but used to live nearby in San Dimas, so she drove up and chauffeured us around, and we stayed with some of her friends.

After I got out of the interview, (a little later than the scheduled 2:10) I called my husband and let him know I was out. He told me to stay where I was, and that he'd come find me (odd... I thought they would be in the parking lot.) Apparently my SIL's car broke down a couple blocks away on their way to come get me. He finds me, we walk to the car, and the tow truck shows up. The tow driver asked my SIL to try to start her car so he could see what it was doing. After not running at all earlier, it starts up perfectly. He follows us around the block to make sure we're not going to break down again, and thinks we're fine to drive without a tow. He leaves, we debate our options, and decide to drive off.

About a mile down the road, her car spluttered and died again. She manages to coast onto a side street, and we called for another tow truck. A new tow truck shows up, agrees to take the three of us with him (he's only supposed to carry two passengers,) under the condition that if we pass a cop, that one of us ducks. I think his exact words were a very mumbled "don't get me a ticket, 'cause that'll make me angry. You can't get angry in the city, 'cause you'll get arrested. You just wanna hit a tree or kick a squirrel, but the cops won't let you here. Back home, nobody cared about squirrels. They're good eatin'. But you gotta eat like 12 of them, make stew or somethin'. Not much meat on a squirrel."

So after the crazy tow truck driver's squirrel eating rant, we all got quiet until we got to the garage. The shop closed at 4, we got there about 10 after 4. They won't be able to look at it until Monday. I'm freaking out inside, because our flight leaves LAX at 8, and we're stuck in Pomona without a car. Luckily SIL is still pretty well-connected in the surrounding areas, found a friend to drive us to LAX and let her crash until she gets her car back, and we made our flight.

Between the ride in the tow truck, and her friend taking backstreets, I got to see a lot more of Pomona than I would have otherwise, and more areas that I wouldn't have ventured into. And I got a good story about a creepy tow truck driver that eats squirrels.

 

[HopefulAg]

I think his exact words were a very mumbled "don't get me a ticket, 'cause that'll make me angry. You can't get angry in the city, 'cause you'll get arrested. You just wanna hit a tree or kick a squirrel, but the cops won't let you here. Back home, nobody cared about squirrels. They're good eatin'. But you gotta eat like 12 of them, make stew or somethin'. Not much meat on a squirrel."

LOL, that's most excellent.

 

[SoCalLife]

That is interesting about the questions because I interviewed last year and absolutely had the same questions. They may ask extra questions in between the given ones if they want you to delve further into something, but the sheets are the same. They did skip the first question with me because she didn't like it, but there is a standard set of questions to ask each person. Whether or not they ask them all or go off topic is up to them.

I spoke with a couple Dr's this past week who are interviewing people and they all said they are given the same questions to ask. They may get off track based on your answer or if they want more info. One specifically said that if he can tell people knew the questions ahead of time he would ask for greater detail or change things up a little.

My advice would be to have scenarios ready in your head to pull from in case they throw you a curve ball. And make sure it is a true story because they can tell when you are bs-ing! I brainstormed 3-5 scenarios from my life that really stood out and related them to: "problem solving/difficult decision, critical thinking, etc". That way I could adapt the scenarios to whatever question was given to me. Your answers don't always have to be veterinary related unless the specifically say so. They like well-roundedness.

Good luck 🙂

 

[jesiah]

i had my interview this week, and the questions were pretty much the same as interview feedback. the advice i got from a friend who goes there was to have a few stories ready and then whatever the question is, adapt the story to it, and it worked out fine for me. overall, i thought it went pretty well. i was lucky too because you are broken up into 4 groups, and i was the first group to interview, so i was able to enjoy the rest of the day in peace. sandwiches, sun chips, and drinks were served for lunch, as well as an array of snacks: trail mix, milano cookies, goldfishies, and fruit snacks.

i was mixed about western mainly because i wasn't sure how well pbl worked/a lot of negative things said about it on this forum/from what i heard from other students. But, I went there with an open mind and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. The PBL system, while drastically different from the passive sit down and listen lectures I've grown up on, seems to really foster critical thinking and a passion to ask questions and find the answers yourself. Additionally, I really liked the fact that the school has a respect for life because the animals they use for the anatomy lab are all donated by their previous owners. Overall, I left, wondering why some people have to bash on something solely for the reason that it's different and may not work for them, and was glad I had come there with an open mind. I don't know where I'll end up, but I am strongly considering Western at this point if I make it.

Lastly, being a native So. Cal, sure some parts of Pomona are bad, but it's not all like that. I think it's a good area relative to everything else because you can go up to the mountains to board or hike, go to the ocean, or hit up a casino/explore LA, all of which are about an hour or less from Western. For any out of towners who have time to stay in Cali, I recommend trying El Taurino, a 24 hour mexican joint in LA,particularly if you enjoy spicy salsa roja and al pastor. or lots of other good eats...pm me if u want more suggestions =)

holla!

 

[radio2020]

I am so excited for my Western interview I am having a hard time concentrating on anything else! Like vertebrate anatomy. My interview is Friday Feb. 12th.