Hi guys,
I just recieved my interview information today and I'm going to be interviewing in IL, about 1 hour outside of chicago. I've got a couple issues. 1) I'm currently at school about 1 hour outside of Minneapolis which means about an 8 hour drive to the interview location. This will be ok if the interviewer is willing to meet on a weekend (but how often does that happen?) or during my spring break period in 3 weeks. Is it safe to assume that I will be able to get everything organized to take place over my spring break? I really can not afford to miss the school I'd need to miss to do this interview at any other time. 2) I have an anxiety about driving, especially in big cities and especially to/around places i'm not familiar with. Now depending on when and where the interviewer wants to meet, how bad would it look to have my fiance drive me to the interview? He's much more comfortable driving than I am and I would rather not arrive at the interview completely stressed out. He of course wouldn't be in the interview with me.
Also, dress for the interview, would dress pants and a nice blouse be acceptable or should I wear a skirt for sure?
Thanks in advance
Sara

Congrats Tora!

I think I interviewed at the same place! This was some time ago but I will try to think of some inside information for you...obviously, something must have been good for me because I got in.

My wife and I made a little vacation out of it and enjoyed the sites of Chicago, so I think it would be fine to take your fiance. My wife actually sat in the waiting room during our interview.

As for details regarding scheduling, you will have to talk to the interviewer about that. I would guess he (he if its the same person as I) would be pretty understanding of your situation and will accommodate you as much as possible.

Dress should be fairly formal but usually depends on the interviewer. Unless s/he states otherwise, I would err on the side of caution and dress as formal as possible. I don't think it absolutely has to be a skirt, however. I very uncomfortably wore a suit for the interview.

I have to go but will write more later and maybe some other input will flow in from others experiences.

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I hope this helps, I posted it before but is applicable in your thread (maybe not the dress part). As for dress, just wear a nice pant suit with a eye pleasingly colored shirt, a sharp handbag. Light makeup, nice hair, and modest manicure/pedicure... don't look like you're going to the academy awards.

The interview was held with a Vet from UCDavis at his private office in Southern California. Upon notice of my interview, I called his office (staff consisted of 2 Vets, 3 assistants, and 1 vet tech) and arranged for a convenient interview date/time. The doc was very accomodating and we set up a meeting time of 11:00am at his office. The interview consisted of questions that you are asked and then your interviewer will give you a little time to write the essay. During the interview, the doc told me he used to serve on the admissions committee at UCDavis and he thought SGU was a great alternative to US schools. He was impressed with the amount of money being spent on the vet school. I will break down my interview experience by listing some of the main parts and filling in details.

What to wear (for men)
For a med or vet school interview, we all know that it is most appropriate to wear a dark suit w/ matching tie. However, the interviewing doc was VERY laid back and told me ahead of time on the phone that I shouldn't dress up too much and instead I should just wear some professional clothes. He actually said, "Don't worry about wearing a 3 piece suit, just dress professional". This was out of left field as I had already picked out my suit and it was gonna look so good on me. Instead, I picked out some nice slacks, long-sleeve button up shirt (with nice thin stripes that matched the slacks), some nice shoes, and NO TIE. I didn't need a jacket/coat as it was like 80 degrees that day here in sunny so cali, but in Idaho, you might wanna have a nice coat/jacket and perhaps a scarf.

How to prepare for interview
Don't stress over reading veterinary journals and trying to cram everything. Doing so will just get you flustered in your preparation. At this point of our careers, we all have volunteered in the field and know how we feel about major issues like euthanasia, breeding, food animals, animal research, and elective procedures (declawing, tail docking, ear cropping). Make sure you go over how you truly feel about these issues as you might be asked to opine. The focus of your preparation should be on your personal statement and application. Basically, what you wrote to procure an interview will be the theme of the interview. Know your reason for choosing vet medicine, why SGU, volunteer experience, academic performance, career aspirations, and personal interests outside of school. Think about all the sacrfices you have made and are ready to make for a career in this great profession, that should be enough motivation to really concentrate on preparing for your interview.

Questions asked by my interviewer
I checked in with the front desk and shortly my interviewer greeted me. We went into an exam room and started the interview. My interviewer had a standard list of questions that he asked me and wrote down after eliciting answers from me. Throughout this process he added in his own personal questions and insights in order to make it a more interpersonal experience.

The questions that he aske me were:
Why do you want to be a veterinarian?
What animal experiences do you have?
Tell me about your research experience? (I had done cell and developmental bio research in undergrad and had won grants/scholarships for it).
Why SGU DVM?
How did you learn of SGU DVM?
Do you think you will be able to handle living on Grenada?
Are you ready to commit $150K?
What do you plan to do upon graduation, small or large animal? or Research?
How do you see yourself 10 yrs from now?
What area of the country do you plan to practice in?
What do you think of euthanasia in your practice?
What skills did you learn from volunteering at the small animal hospital?
What did you do at the county shelter?
What other non vet/animal volunteer acctivities have you participated in?
Did you apply to US schools?
What area of veterinary medicine interests you? (I like surgery so thats what I talked about)
Do you want to specialize?

Conclusion
My overall interview experience was GREAT! My interviewer was a very cordial doc and it was more of a conversation than an interrogation. Even though he had to fill in answers on the sheet that SGU provides, he would often break away from that and ask his own questions. I usually do well at interviews and can articulate my thoughts so I did not feel nervous at all. I only felt eustress, the good kind of stress. After we finished up the interview, I wrote a short essay on one of three topic choices provided by SGU. The topics were (as best I can recall): What are 3 characteristics that are good to have as a veterinarian, Describe an important event that influenced you, and name a person that ispires you. I am not sure these are exactly the questions but you can find them on this forum.

awesome...thanks doc4pets.

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Thank You both! That was very helpful. I still haven't gotten my interview scheduled since my interviewer keeps telling me to email them and then doesn't respond. I've sent 3 emails in 2 weeks and have called probably about 5 times. I hate being such a pain but I'm really hoping to get this scheduled over my spring break period so I don't have to make a big trip when my classes are in session. I'll keep you guys updated
~S

Hey Sara,

I wouldn't have a problem with you travelling with your fiance, especially with the weather conditions pending. I would try and get that interview completed sooner than later only because alot of the U.S vet schools will be sending out their rejection letters to applicants with in the next month and so I think the application pool will increase. I interviewed in the beginning of February and I am still waiting for a decision. So I would say the sooner the better but I don't know your exact situation.

Good Luck

Claude

got my interview set up!! It's Mar 12 (next monday!) at 1 pm. That's my spring break so no worries! I'm a little nervous but it'll probably be worse when it gets nearer. Thanks for all the tips!
Sara

Congrats and good luck! Let us know how it goes and maybe some fresh opinions for others who haven't interviewed yet.

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Know your food supply