The Ultimate Guide To Vet School Interview Questions And Answers 

Overview

This is an extremely difficult question to answer because you must highlight your strengths in a humble and modest manner, and without arrogance, but you must not be too damaging in your critiquing of your weaknesses. If you are too destructive in highlighting your weaknesses, the Veterinary School may well opt to reject your application as a result!
 

We recommend, of course, focusing mainly on your strengths and highlighting these, whilst also having one or two weaknesses ready to discuss. Do not claim to have no weaknesses, as this comes across extremely arrogant, and may equally be tantamount to a rejection from Veterinary School. Remember, questions that are worded differently may still be attempting to discover your strengths and weaknesses. For example, “If you could change two things about yourself, what would they be?” is directed at analysing two of your weaknesses and why you think they need to be changed. Also, “Why should we give you a place at our veterinary school rather than someone else?” is an attempt to find out your strengths and what you would bring to the veterinary school, but also wants to see your self-awareness that you have weaknesses which you are willing to improve and grow as an individual. The Veterinary School does not expect you to be a perfect candidate, but rather, a candidate who is motivated, passionate and willing to learn.
 

Examples of strengths

For examples of strengths, please review our material on ‘What makes a good leader?’ and ‘What makes a good team player?’ for guidance. You should then interweave these characteristics with examples from your own past including academic achievements, sporting involvements, extra-curricular activities, charity and voluntary/paid work, and even assistance and involvement in your household.
 

Examples of weaknesses

You should select a perceived weakness that can be remedied and corrected. A weakness such as “I don’t care about other people” shows no compassion, care or empathy for others and ultimately undermines one of the crucial pillars of being a vet. However, explaining that “Sometimes I find that I am focused on a given task so much that I sometimes forget to check in on those around me. I’ve been working on this and setting myself daily reminders to check how my friends and family are doing, which has helped.”, shows self-awareness and willingness to improve, as well as a genuine interest for the well-being of those around you.

 

Other examples could include:

• “I am always very punctual, so I sometimes find myself irritated with those who are late. I am trying to improve myself though because I understand that sometimes there are factors outside our control that make us run a little late. It’s something very common in veterinary medicine and so if I want to be a good clinician for my owners, I need to accept that sometimes things don’t go to plan and people cannot always be punctual.”
   

• “I sometimes get too emotionally attached to animals whose paths cross mine. For example, I am currently volunteering at a rescue centre, and one of my favourite dogs passed away. I was of course deeply upset. I ended up discussing this with the owner of the rescue centre and we discussed how it is very common to grieve the loss of an animal we develop a relationship with, but that the dog had appreciated the time I spent with them. I realised that whilst I may end up upsetting myself by getting emotionally attached, the bond we formed would have provided comfort and companionship to the dog in the later stages of his life.”
   

• “Sometimes I find that I take on too much responsibility. I always like a challenge, especially new and interesting tasks that I’ve never encountered before, but I have a tendency to always say “yes” to every opportunity. This means that sometimes, some projects or some friends or family may be neglected for a little while as I complete the task at hand. I am now appreciating the importance of balancing everything in life, and how to delegate tasks amongst a team. It also made me realise the importance of a life-work balance, because friends and family are a crucial aspect of happiness in life, and cannot be neglected.”
   

• – “I used to take criticism “to heart” and far too personally. I now understand that criticism is a positive way in which I can make myself better, and improve my contribution to society by first improving myself.

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It is also fitting to link these weaknesses back to the veterinary course if possible. You should acknowledge that studying Veterinary Medicine will tend to place pressure on some of the weaknesses and that it is important to use the help of peers and colleagues, as well as the support system of the university and veterinary school in order to succeed throughout the course and as a future vet.

Each applicant will have a different expectation for veterinary school. You should draw information from everything you have read, what you have seen on Open Days, and what you have read from current students at the university. You can find testimonials from current students on the veterinary school website of each university you have applied to.
 

You can expect the veterinary school to be very demanding: you should demonstrate your understanding of how the course works, what you will study in each of the various years, and how you will be assessed (practical exams, written exams, multiple-choice tests and continuous clinical assessment through the year). The course is long and demanding, both physically and mentally.

 

You will be challenged both academically and at a personal level. Aside from your demanding exams, you will be challenged to develop your personal skills, communication, teamwork and leadership, to name a few. These will test and challenge your personality and put you out of your comfort zone. Most veterinary school’s student societies are extremely popular and you will be encouraged to participate in all aspects. This will be both exciting and intimidating, especially for first-year students. You should make it clear to the assessors that although it may be a little daunting meeting and interacting with so many new individuals, it is an exciting prospect that you choose to embrace to the fullest.

 

In addition to this, as a new student to the university, you will need to familiarise yourself with the city, the university campus and integrate yourself within all of these. There are many different avenues to help manage these new aspects of veterinary school. You should look for role models, tutors, older students and even the university’s support scheme where you require. When discussing the realities of veterinary medicine and veterinary school, you should portray your knowledge of veterinary medicine through the phrases you use: for example, you may wish to say “I was able to get a good idea of what is expected of me in veterinary school. From attending open days, reading through the prospectus and talking to current students, I understand….” You should also draw on your learning from work experience, and what you gained from talking to current vets in the field.

 

Finally, you should always link your understanding of veterinary school back to your own personal experiences and what you have learnt, and how it has shaped you to become an excellent vet. For example, you may direct back to your own skills by highlighting: “I know that you are expected to be able to multi-task and deal with the stresses of multiple deadlines, projects and tasks at veterinary school. One of the things I learned throughout my time during A-Levels was how to multitask; I was a school prefect, part of the football and basketball teams and also played the piano at a Grade 7 level. All of this was whilst I managed to achieve top marks in my exams. This was obviously stressful at the time, but I think I am well-positioned to cope with the difficulties that veterinary school offers.”