Help for every stage of your veterinary career
Every year when I conduct interviews and evaluate applicants, I try to reflect on what I have learned and find tidbits to share with you all to improve your applications and interviews. Here are some thoughts from reading dozens of VMCAS applications and then conducting interviews for vet school. I have made these anonymous when
Except for faculty/real world job positions- where the interview is THE way you get the job– I think the interview does not meaningfully distinguish candidates, except to weed them out. I think it’s incredibly hard to positively distinguish yourself in the short time vet school, internship, and residency interviews give you (i.e. less than a
I have served on intern selection committees for more years than I care to count. Although there are a lot of similarities year-to-year, there are also some interesting differences. This is my first year reviewing intern applicants at my current institution, and there is always some variability in applicants from program to program. Below are
Most universities offer a centralized writing assistance service as well as a career assistance service. The writing service often helps students with class assignments, but can also be used to help with letters of intent and essays for vet school. The career assistance can help with CVs and applying for positions such as unpaid experiences
I have some bad news. Life is not a meritocracy. We all wish we lived in a world where, if you are the best candidate for a position, you get the position. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. In our world, who you know has a tremendous impact on your ability to get
A letter of recommendation (LOR) is one of the cornerstones of your application to vet school. They are used to demonstrate to the selection committee that you know what you are getting into and have the fortitude to succeed. At least one of your LORs should come from a veterinarian. They have been through vet
Internships are entirely unregulated, working under the motto “caveat emptor”. It is up to the individual applicant to determine if a program is a good one or not. There are plenty of programs out there which are better than others, and many that are worse. Therefore, it is absolutely vital to do your research to
I’ve said before that where you go to veterinary school Does Not Matter except for the cost of attendance. I stand by that statement and genuinely believe it. If your school is accredited by the AVMA, you will get a good education, so long as you are a good student. Your education depends FAR more
If I had a fool-proof method to identify good workers before they started a job, I would be a billionaire. This question haunts hiring managers constantly. You NEVER know if someone will be good at the job before they get into the thick of it. Having personally hired faculty who were both outstanding and subpar,
I think it is surprisingly easy to get yourself flagged as “not rankable” for an internship or residency. Most application evaluators maintain a “veto” system for applicants. Any evaluator can veto any applicant for any reason. Particularly for residents, NO ONE wants a resident whom one of the mentors does not want to work with.