Hi previous applicants!
I have an in state interview through USU and would love to know what your experience was with it! Types of questions, preparation advice, what to wear, etc!
Hello, I'm a third year that was also in-state at USU. Obligatory "pre-pandemic and long ago, so it could be different now."
Overall the experience was fantastic. They understand how stressful it is for you and do their best to help you feel at home. Prior to the interview you wait in a conference room with other applicants and WSU admissions. You can ask them any questions you have and chat with everyone which takes your mind off of the wait. Someone will come get you for the interview and take you to a smaller room with your panel. I had two USU SVM professors, the director of admissions at WSU, and a practicing veterinarian from the Logan area. I feel my interview was very "rapid fire" with back-to-back questions and a half-second to breathe. A majority of the questions were situational and behavior based, with some questions about current events in veterinary medicine. The SDN interview feedback page has good representative examples of what you could be asked (
here).
As cliché as it probably is by now, just remember: They invited you because you're a good candidate. The interview is the time to remind them why. I would recommend mock interviews just to get rid of the jitters, but I don't feel like you should come up with scripted responses to questions. You could read about recent events in veterinary medicine, but for what it's worth I talked about something completely off-topic from their question and they didn't even bat an eye at me.
At some point during the interview schedule they also do a tour and a dinner. I would highly recommend both if possible, just because it gives you a chance to see how friendly and family-like the school, professors, and administration are. It is a stark contrast to the interviewers who are deliberately bland and unbiased.
I feel like a majority of applicants there were in business formal/professional. With it being Utah, I would recommend the more conservative approach for interviews and then you can wear whatever you want after you're accepted.
I haven't seen very many USU people on here, so if you do have any specific questions feel free to send a PM my way. I'm not always that active here but do make an effort to check and help when I can.