Tag: student

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

Continue Reading…

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

Continue Reading…

On-Campus Writing/Career Services

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

Continue Reading…

What is the VMCAS Recommendation and How is it Read?

You would think a letter of recommendation (LOR) is a simple thing.  You ask someone to write it for you when you apply to vet school, they do so, it is read, and that contributes to your evaluation.  All of that is true, and I want to drill down on the details of the letter

Continue Reading…

How to do Meaningful Research as an Undergrad

So, you’ve decided you want to try out the world of scientific research!  Good for you. You may have fun and love it or you may discover it is not for you.  We’ve talked about the benefits before, so now let’s drill down on the nitty-gritty.  How do you get involved? If it exists on

Continue Reading…

Mastering the Internship Application Timeline

The process to make your application most competitive for an internship starts long before your senior year. Each step along the way is important, and poor decisions can make it progressively harder to be an excellent candidate. Here is a timeline to help you be the best internship applicant you can be. First Year –

Continue Reading…

What to Get Out of Doing Research Work as an Undergrad

You want to go to vet school, you want to maximize your chances, and doing research may help your application. It isn’t the research, per se, which will help. It is the relationships- mostly with your mentor- and the demonstration of grit that doing research highlights. So what do you get? Participating in research while

Continue Reading…

Set Your Post-Graduate Success in Vet School

I was chatting with a colleague the other day who mentioned a course we had just converted that semester from a graded course to a pass/fail (at 70%) course.  Apparently students had been harassing the course coordinator for a few points here and there, even though these students were already above a 70%. They couldn’t

Continue Reading…

How to be Successful: Growth Mindset

Since vet schools care so much about GPA and GRE scores, you would think that being an amazing vet student, intern, resident, or faculty member is largely about intelligence. Being smart helps, no doubt about that. But it is only one piece of the puzzle, and an arguably small piece at that. The best veterinary

Continue Reading…

The need for this blog

This blog will be about employment and professional progression in academic veterinary medicine. From undergrads applying to vet school, veterinary students applying to internship, residency applicants, and faculty applicants. We will talk about cover letters, CVs, interviews, how to strategize to position yourself for the next step, who to talk to and when, and all other things related to the business of veterinary academia.