How to Rock Your Vet School Interview-Part 1

It's hard to believe that only a year ago, I was frantically checking my email waiting to hear if I had received an interview from UC Davis. I think I got the email mid-February and I remember being really nervous! I had made the first cut and landed an interview! I look forward to helping out at the Interview Workshop this year and hosting a possible future vet student when they come for their interview. I thought I would include a list of questions they asked me during my interview, I know it seems like a lot, but the interview goes by so fast! 

What have you been doing since you submitted your application? (They will usually always start off with this one.)
How do you feel about the use of animals in research?
What have you learned from your animals in society class?
What is the organization on campus that regulates research animals and how do you manage pain in lab animals. (They asked me this because I had experience doing animal research on campus.)
What are typical vaccines for horses?
Why do we vaccinate horses and humans for tetanus, but not cats? (I didn't know this one, but they told me that it's because cats have a localized reaction and typically don't experience the neurological effects like horses/humans)
They asked me about my low GRE scores and what I had done to do better on the exam, why I felt my score was low, etc. (they congratulated me for being a first generation college student).
Would I be able to handle the busy schedule of a veterinary student?
Since most of my experience and emphasis was equine would I have a problem learning primarily about dogs/cats in the first 2 years of veterinary school?
What did I think about the overpopulation of horses problem and what would I do about it?
Can you make more clear if you are interested in clinical equine medicine or research? (I answered both)
What steps would you take after graduation to obtain a faculty position at a veterinary school? (I think they wanted to make sure I knew how crazy I was for wanting to pursue a faculty position and wanted to make sure I knew what it would take...years of more school!)
Where you see your self in 5-10 years from after graduation from vet school?

These are the majority of the questions I was asked, they seemed very friendly and enjoyed my interest in research and teaching. One of my interviewers made a joke after I told them what I had been doing since I submitted my application, "have a lot of spare time, don't you." He was funny and asked quite a few technical questions. Another interviewer focused on my interests and feelings towards working with animals as a vet. The outside veterinarian (I can't remember his name), but he focused on ethics and GRE scores. It was very nerve racking up until I went into the interview room. I felt like it went really well. I got there early and was in the waiting room and got to personally meet Dr. LeFebvre and his dog "Flow." He came to talk to someone there and while he was waiting asked me about my experiences at Davis and why I was interviewing, etc. He helped me warm up a bit.

I would highly recommend you do several practice interviews beforehand, these questions give you a lot to think about and you need a clear opinion on many ethical issues. I had to research more about equine welfare and the overpopulation of horses problem in the US. I even bought a veterinary ethics text. I don't really think that is necessary, there is a lot of info on animal welfare online. I learned a lot by doing this and was able to form an educated opinion about the issues. I also recommend that you read over your application a few times! I hope you saved it! You should really know your animal/vet related experiences inside and out and be able to give examples of what you did. When you go for your interview they have your application right in front of them! 

I think it would be a good idea to know your strengths and your weaknesses. Identify problems or holes they may find in your application and come up with a good explanation for them. For example, I knew my GRE scores were low in the verbal and writing part, but I did excellent on the math part. My explanation for that was that I had taken the GRE 3 times and not really improved much on the verbal part, I did bring my writing score up a bit. I also mentioned that my parents did not go to college and I didn't have the opportunity to learn a lot of GRE type words when I was growing up. Anyways, knowing yourself inside and out is essential.