University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine Interview Feedback Summary
Urbana, IL
Veterinary Schools | Public Non-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 36% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did okay.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
6.8
Mixed
Mixed experience; organization and communication appear average with varied impressions and occasional stress.
Based on 217 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
Positively (63%)
Negatively (20%)
No change (17%)
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
Great (22%)
Good (51%)
Average (15%)
Poor (12%)
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided feedback about interviewers' attitudes, interview structure, campus impressions, and organization of the interview day. Suggestions included being prepared with versatile examples, staying relaxed during the interview, and arriving early due to potential lack of organization.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Was not impressed with the interviewers, did not seem like they wanted to be there. And the virtual interview was not a plus
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Have versatile examples ready that you can apply to many situations
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My interviewers were so sweet and I loved it! Such a stress-free experience.
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Loved Illinois
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The interviewers just want to know who you are as a person, don't worry!
💬 Interview Process ▼
Length, number, and type of interviews
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Length:
23 Minutes Average
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Number:
2.9 Interviews Average
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Interview Type (Interaction):
77% One-on-One
23% Group Interview
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File Type:
0% Open-File
100% Closed-File
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Interview Modality:
100% Virtual
0% In-Person
UIL-VET-COMP interviews are an average of 23 minutes, with an average of 2.9 interviews. 77% of interviews are one-on-one, 0% are in-person, and 100% are closed-file.
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about ethical scenarios like handling cheating or euthanasia, defining professionalism, dealing with difficult situations or individuals, and reflecting on past experiences such as group projects or conflicts. Many respondents mentioned the interview format as MMI, where specific questions were not disclosed due to a nondisclosure agreement being in place.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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NDA
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No response - Honor Code
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Questions regarding cheating including scenarios.
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Can’t share the exact questions, but they asked general questions for the most part just to get to know you and understand how you’ve gotten to where you are in life.
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They really just want to know what you have done in your undergrad, how you feel about cheating and how to destress, and what you would do other than veterinary medicine
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine discussed a wide range of topics, including explaining vaccines to toddlers, advocating for veterinary school funding, defining professionalism, and handling burnout prevention. Many responses indicated an MMI format and potential nondisclosure agreements, while other questions focused on personal experiences, favorite veterinarians, and hypothetical scenarios involving veterinary medicine and retail settings like Walmart.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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NDA
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No response - Honor Code
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How would you describe a vaccine to a toddler.
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How would you convince legislators to increase funding for veterinary school and veterinary medicine?
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What does it mean to be a professional?
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by practicing behavioral questions from resources like SDN, school websites, and online sources, as well as conducting mock interviews with friends or family members. They also made sure to research the school, brainstorm examples from their experiences to discuss, and have questions ready for the interviewers to demonstrate interest and preparation.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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SDN and looking up interview
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Practiced questions from SDN and Illinois pre-vet club website
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I made sure I knew what I liked about the school and had questions to ask the interviewers.
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I looked up sample questions online and held mock interviews with friends and family members. I also spoke to current students to get advice.
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SDN
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine discussed various scenarios such as ethical dilemmas, leadership, professionalism, dealing with academic failures, and conflicts among individuals. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) due to references to nondisclosure agreements, with questions ranging from explaining concepts to a child, addressing euthanasia dilemmas, and demonstrating problem-solving skills in different situations.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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NDA
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No response - Honor Code
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How would you describe a vaccine to a toddler.
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There were one or two ethical dilemma questions. Don’t try to answer how they want you to answer, just answer what you would do if the situation happened to you.
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Explain to an 8 year old what a vaccine is
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were most impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the interviewers, faculty, and students, as well as the informative information session and the new curriculum. Suggestions for improvement included enhancing the facilities and campus amenities and providing more detailed insights into the program's unique features.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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Not much
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My interviewer's glowing praise of the college's community
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Even though the interviewers are not supposed to respond to your answers, they were still very friendly and still made it seem like they liked hearing your answers.
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The interview panel members were very friendly. The informational session was very helpful.
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How friendly everyone was and they genuinely want to to feel relaxed and do well.
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed negative feedback regarding disinterested interviewers, short interview durations limiting self-expression, lack of organization in the interview day schedule, insufficient information provided about opportunities, outdated facilities, and unhelpful or disinterested current students during the tours. Suggestions included improving interviewer engagement, extending interview durations, enhancing organization of the interview day, updating facilities, and ensuring current students are more informative and engaged during tours.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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One on the interviewers was slouched back in her chair and seemed completely disinterested/annoyed with me before i even started talking. And then when I was speaking she was just looking off and not paying attention.
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The interview was so short I felt like I couldn't fully express everything about myself that I wanted to. I was asked only 4 or 5 situational questions and nothing directly about myself or my interests, which I would've really liked the opportunity to do.
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The questions were not what I was expecting.
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A little disorganized in terms of other activities for the day.
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There was not a lot of information on the wildlife opportunities. I would have liked to see the clinic, or have an info sheet about the opportunities available to students, and general statistics from the clinic. Also, much of the day seemed disorganized. There was only one day for interviews, and it was a Monday so on the tour, student were in lab and in class so we didn’t get to see everything. The info session I went to was very specific to irrelevant information. I would have liked to hear more about the opportunities available to vet students throughout their 4 years. Any research programs? MPH or similar opportunities? How do electives work? Etc
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known that the interview questions would not be as difficult as expected, and that they did not need to stress as much during preparation. Additionally, many applicants suggested having more specific questions prepared and being aware of the relaxed environment of the interview.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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That they were not gonna ask me anything about myself or try and get to know me
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That they weren't going to ask me about myself or why I want to be a vet. I was overprepared in that sense, but otherwise I was properly prepared/
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We were told we would have 2 of 3 specific people, but I wish I had known which 2 I would have so I could come up with more specific questions.
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I wish I had known that most of the time spent preparing would be a moot point since very few of the questions asked were ones I had prepared for.
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Have some more student related questions ready because I’m the main atrium while waiting they are tons of students able to answer any questions.
🤝 Campus and Facilities ▼
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How would you rate the Location and Cultural Life?
0 = Low, 10 = High
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested more frequent and informative communication from the admissions office, including sending decisions by email, providing open-ended questions in the application process, and updating portals promptly. They also recommended improving the interview process by offering multiple interview days and enhancing tour guide training for better information sharing.
Top 5 Responses: (Click below to see additional responses)
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I would've liked to hear from them more often and been sent interesting and useful information for prospective students.
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It was mentioned that decisions MAY be sent by email. I'm hoping they are! I think the open-ended questions (vs. the "scored questions" were more helpful in letting me show my personality to the panel.
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A little more communication after admission is offered.
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Decisions by email; multiple interview days; earlier interviews
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Everything was going a slow this year but understandable as they had new employees.
📍 Travel and Logistics ▼
Airports Used
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ORD
27% interviewees used ORD (ORD), with 13% using CMI (CMI) and 13% using MDW (MDW) and 7% using N/A (N/A) and 7% using O'Hare (O'Hare) and 7% using O'Hare/Willard (O'Hare/Willard) and 7% using O'hare/Willard (O'hare/Willard) and 7% using champaign (champaign) and 7% using St Louis (St Louis) and 7% using O'hare in Chicago (O'hare in Chicago).
What was your primary mode of transportation?
Most interviewees traveled by automobile to the interview.
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46% Airplane
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49% Automobile
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6% Train or Subway
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0% Other
Hotels Recommended by Other Interviewees
Most interviewees stayed at the Holiday Inn (average ranking 8/10), with some staying at Eastland Suites (average rating 7/10). (Top 3 displayed)
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Holiday Inn
8/10
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Eastland Suites
7/10
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Hawthorne Inn and Suites
10/10
What was the cost and time spent traveling?
Cost: Low Cost to High Cost
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are out of state students.
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
Student (100%)
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
Enthusiastic (69%)
Neutral (31%)
All Responses
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