Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine Interview Feedback Summary
Ames, IA
Veterinary Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 24% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as average.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as average.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include scenarios where candidates had to demonstrate creativity in problem-solving, handle unexpected changes, make difficult decisions, and exhibit leadership qualities. Some respondents mentioned specific questions related to thinking outside the box, handling commitments, earning trust, facing challenges to beliefs, and dealing with unexpected situations, among others. These questions suggest that the interviews may have been in an MMI format, and some respondents may have been subject to a nondisclosure agreement.
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Tell me about a time that you had to think out of the box.
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Tell me about a time you had to be creative to solve a problem.
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Describe an object hidden in a bag to the interviewers sufficiently so they know what it is when you pull it out. (Mine was a screwdriver, another applicant had a fork).
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Tell me about a hard lesson that you learned.
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Name a time when someone challenged your beliefs. How did you respond and what was the result?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said the most interesting questions asked at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine discussed decision-making scenarios, handling challenging situations, creative problem-solving, and personal values. The interviews were primarily behavior-based, focusing on experiences such as facing forks in the road, making tough decisions, building trust, and standing up for beliefs. Some responses indicated an MMI format with nondisclosure agreements possibly in place.
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The thinking out of the box, but it was from the follow up questions to my response that made it interesting.
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When was a time you had to face a fork in the road? How did your choice turn out?
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How do you feel being a non-traditional student is positive and negative for your application?
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When did you have to make a decision that you weren't sure was the right one? How did it turn out?
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Tell me about a time when something changed in your life that was out of your control. How did you handle it?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine discussed a variety of personal experience-based scenarios, such as problem-solving creativity, commitment fulfillment challenges, unique problem-solving instances, and trust-related inquiries. These questions, focusing on personal experiences and ethical dilemmas, aimed to assess candidates' decision-making, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills during the interview process.
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The follow through question.
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Tell me about a time you had to be creative to solve a problem. (They asked this question twice in a row)
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What is your greatest strength and weakness.
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Name a time recently when you could not fulfill a commitment. How did you deal with that situation and how did the other party respond?
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Tell me about a time when it was difficult for you to keep a commitment.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 40 - 50 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 3 people.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had a closed file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
No responses
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing behavioral interview questions, reading feedback on Student Doctor Network (SDN), and practicing their answers with mock interviews or by brainstorming examples from their experiences. They emphasized the importance of preparing specific examples to showcase their qualities and being familiar with common questions asked in previous interviews.
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Reviewed the SDN questions! They asked me 5 questions and they were all from on here!
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I studied behavioral interview questions.
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I looked at a lot of behavioral questions. The Nebraska interview was a lot different then the interviews reported for the main Iowa State campus.
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I reviewed behavioral questions prior to the interview.
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Looked up questions on SDN, talked to my academic adviser, and spoke with other pre-vet students.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness and warmth of the interviewers, faculty, and students, as well as the state-of-the-art facilities, particularly the new small and large animal hospitals. They appreciated the emphasis on creating a comfortable and conversational interview experience, the genuine interest in the candidates, and the supportive community atmosphere at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
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The interviewers were really nice and took the time to tell me things about Iowa State that they thought I would personally like.
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The campus and the hospital were all connected and updated.
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Interviewers were very friendly and obviously prepared having read my file. Several of the questions were very specific regarding things I had put in the application.
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My interviewers were very personable, and made the interview far less stressful than it could have been.
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The interviewers were very friendly and we had a nice conversation.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed dissatisfaction with aspects such as limited student involvement in hospital settings, lack of knowledgeable tour guides, unimpressive facilities, inconvenient location, and unfriendly or disorganized staff interactions. Suggestions included improving student engagement, enhancing facility tours, providing more hands-on experiences, and ensuring a welcoming and organized interview process.
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Nothing!
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Vet students are not in the hospital really at all until 4th year.
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Nothing.
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Neither of my interviewers were from Iowa State, so they said it wouldn't make sense to ask them about the school.
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The only thing I could say was that I wish they had more of an opportunity for a meet-and-greet, although the student panel was so informal it kind of seemed that way.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known more about the specific interview questions, the differences in interview processes based on emphasis areas, the need for comfortable shoes for the tour, the relaxed nature of the interview, and the benefit of preparing detailed answers. They also suggested arriving early, bringing examples of creativity, asking questions, and being aware of the interview structure and location logistics.
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Nothing! Iowa provided a lot of details about the process ahead of time, which I was very grateful for. It made the day of less stressful.
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They only asked me 5-6 questions. Spend time on your answers since the interview is scheduled to be an hour you can go into more detail. Come with lots of questions for alumni (it seemed most interviewers were).
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More about the differences between the Nebraska interview process and questions compared to the main campus.
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I felt fairly prepared
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I wish I had come up with more examples of how I had been creative and thought out-of-the box.
What are your general comments?
Applicants commonly noted positive experiences with friendly interviewers and a relaxed atmosphere, recommending preparation for specific questions and highlighting the school's facilities and welcoming environment. Some concerns were raised about the location, cost for out-of-state students, and the interview format emphasizing certain experiences over others.
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Review the SDN interview feedback questions! All my questions were from those on here so I already had my answers prepared for them.
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They were really friendly and tried to make it less stressful, while still being a formal interview.
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Overall I had a really positive experience. Told some stories to get the interviewers laughing and generally had a good experience with the interview.
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If you take the time to look over the types of questions that will be asked you should do fine. The interviewers are very friendly and make the experience pleasant.
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Had a nice time, very low stress. Excited to hear back from admissions!
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants generally appreciate the helpful and friendly nature of the admissions office, but suggest improvements in showcasing the campus, providing more information in advance, and offering opportunities for better engagement and visibility of the school's facilities and programs.
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Keep up the great work! You were all very helpful and provided a low-stress environment for us throughout the interview process!
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As a west coast person I think having the interviews in December was a great move. I know that January weather in Iowa can be a bit harsh, and negatively influence some applicants.
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None!
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Impress your potential students better, show your campus off and have more pride about your school, research facilities, and teaching hospitals
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ISU admissions did an excellent job!!
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are out of state students.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 7+ hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent more than $500.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
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Cedar Rapids (rented a car and got to see Iowa's scenery)
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Chicago-Midway (but my p
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DSM
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Des Moines
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Des Moines Airport
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
The most commonly mentioned hotel among the responses is **AmericInn**.
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AmericInn
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AmericInn (ISU rate = $75)
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AmericInn of Ames
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AmericInn of Ames- the staff stole from me
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AmericaInn
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
All Responses
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