Tag: internship

Examples of Good Letters of Intent

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about personal statements.  There are general rules, which I’ve written about here and here.  Also, there are important and simple grammar rules to pay attention to, like these and these.  I’ve provided some examples of poor letters of intent, so now it’s time to look at some good

Continue Reading…

What I Learned Reading Intern Applications This Year

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

Continue Reading…

A Tale of Two Interns

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

Continue Reading…

Red Flags in Internships

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

Continue Reading…

Red Flags in Internship/Residency Applicants

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. 

Continue Reading…

The VIRMP Standard Letter of Recommendation

Applying for an internship or residency can be stressful.  Ideally, you made decisions throughout vet school to improve your chances, and hopefully you have followed the suggestions I have on how to be successful.  You have asked for letters of recommendation, which are probably the most important part of your application packet.  But what do

Continue Reading…

Internship Program Research

You’ve decided to do an internship, congratulations!  Maybe you’re a senior student or maybe you’re out in practice and want to do a residency.  The applications for most internships are administered through the VIRMP (although some equine practice internships are through the AAEP).  I’ve talked before about HOW to select an internship.  But with hundreds

Continue Reading…

Podcast Episode #12: Dr. Pedro Bento

Dr. Bento is the author of the Vetmed Survival Guide, a blog dedicated to helping those interested in pursuing internships and residencies. He’s also written a helpful guidebook for the same, which I encourage you to check out! He provides us with his extensive expertise in advising people who want to pursue an internship and

Continue Reading…

The VIRMP Matching Program as a Foreign Graduate – The Very Basics

By Dr. Pedro Bento at VetMed Survival Guide This is a guest post by Dr. Bento, who writes at Veterinary Survival Guide to help those applying through the VIRMP.  There are a lot of great resources there.  I asked him to write about applying as a foreign applicant, because this is something I haven’t experienced

Continue Reading…

Top 5 Reason to Not Do an Internship

I make no secret of the fact that I think most new graduates are better off doing an internship than not.  However, there are some circumstances where I think an individual should NOT do an internship. 1) You have family obligations. Your family has put you through vet school, suffered through you not being there

Continue Reading…