Tag: interviews

Why We Declined Vet School Applicants Last Year

I participated in the interview and selection process for a vet school this year, and we had another amazing pool of applicants.  Nonetheless, the three faculty conducting the interviews generally agreed to place some applicants on the “do not offer” list.  This is not out of any malice- we just needed a way to reduce

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How and Why to Do a Proper Handshake

Interacting with other humans is hard.  As a culture, we have a terrible time determining if someone is telling the truth or lying.  The handshake originated as a way to determine that the other person doesn’t have a weapon they could use against you.  In veterinary medicine, we will often shake hands when meeting someone

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What I Learned Interviewing Vet Student Applicants This Year

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

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Interviews are More Likely to Harm Your Chances

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

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Faculty Interview: What to Ask Whom

The faculty interview typically involves meeting the faculty members of the department, the department head, and various other administrators.  These may include the hospital director, the associate deans (typically research and academic affairs), the dean, and various directors (research centers, specific services, etc.).  Beyond the general questions to ask during your interview, I think there

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Attire for Non-Vet-School Interviews

I’ve seen a few postings on the APVMA Facebook group about people wanting advice for how to dress for an interview other than for vet school.  I think this is a great question and I will open with my opinion that there probably isn’t a single right answer. What does attire during an interview say

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How to Include and Talk About Extracurricular Activities

I am a strong proponent of including extracurricular activities in applications and during interviews.  Every now and then, I will discover an activity someone does during an interview that wasn’t on their application.  I was in a student interview recently where it came out that the student was on the national gymnastics team, but this

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How to chit-chat during interviews

Most interviews involve at least some time outside of a ‘formal interview’ setting.  For vet school, this may be during a campus tour or a lunch.  For internships and residencies, this may be during the hospital tour or as you are getting set for the formal part.  Some programs may have a lunch period for

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