The dreaded tell me about yourself question...

[WelshCob]

So where do you start when ask this question? With your life history, how about why you want be a veterinarian? Any current students want to share with us how you answered the question.

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[Bearby]

I don't remember specifics, but I know that I talked about my family - what my parents do, that I have a brother that I usually get along with pretty well, where I'm from, my pets, what I like to do in my spare time, where I went to school and my field of study, and my current/most recent job.

I would say not to jump into why you want to be a vet because they're going to ask you that anyway! Take the opportunity to show that you're a real person with the "tell me about yourself" question. I used it as an opportunity to tell them about things that I want them to ask me about. Stay away from saying anything in this opening question that you don't want to answer further questions about.

They're going to get the information they want out of you one way or another, so don't fret too much. My interviews that I spent a lot of time prepping for didn't go nearly as well as the ones that I just went in there and charmed the adcoms' pants off with my normally rocking personality.

 

[heylodeb]

I used this as an opportunity to introduce myself as a future veterinarian but also through in some interesting facts about myself but most importantly to SELL myself!!. I don't remember how I said it (not so elegantly in my KSU interview - I was so nervous!, MUCH better in my UCD interview) I always felt like it was really awkward

Essentially, "Thanks for inviting me to interview, I have been looking forward to this for a long time! Blah Blah Blah about myself. Something along the lines of the whole 5 year old wanted to go into vet med, found riding horses as a hobby which taught me responsibility and hard work as a child, as I've matured so has my understanding of the profession and here I am - one step closer to the career that I am well suited for because I'm professional, capable, extraordinarily amazing and fantastic () etc. etc....." I think I threw a joke in about how nervous I was. (not at Kansas - they were not so interested in jokes....or really me....or anything?? boy, was that a strange interview!)

Find a way to brag about yourself but try not to sound pompous at the same time.

They're going to get the information they want out of you one way or another, so don't fret too much. My interviews that I spent a lot of time prepping for didn't go nearly as well as the ones that I just went in there and charmed the adcoms' pants off with my normally rocking personality.

I agree with this half and half - I REALLY benefited from doing mock interviews with professors and friends. Helped me put things into words in a lot better way. I am not the type of person who does well when surprised by questions or not having prepared my thoughts very well - add on the nerves and it got way worse. I get the mumble jumbles and can't remember things like my own name...

On the other hand - at KSU and WSU I was worried about saying "the right thing" a little too much and I think it cost me an acceptance. Practicing, knowing the basic gist of what I wanted to say and then letting it just flow out of my mouth later seemed to work really well. If you can get them to laugh, they will remember you better!

 

[hunterjumper12]

On the way to my first interview, I actually sat down and wrote out a response to this question and then made sure I could say it without it sounding too rehearsed.

My name is __________________ and I'm from a small town in ____ called ________________. I'm currently attending school in at ___________________ in _____________(city name) and will be graduating in May with a BS in Biology (or whatever your degree is). I have a younger sister that also attends __________________(my sister attended the same university I did), and both of my parents work in the ____________________ industry (both of my parents work at the same place). I currently work in a _________________________(where I worked) that specializes in __________________________. Because of my upbringing and my current job, that has led me to intend to pursue a career as a _________________ veterinarian.

That might not be exactly what I said because I'm typing that from memory, but it was something similiar. I put the blanks in there in order to not reveal identifying information about myself. One thing I do remember hearing about these kinds of questions is make sure your response isn't 5 minutes long. Interviewers want to hear 2 - 3 minutes, max (so I've heard).

 

[racccjlm]

This, in my opinion, is a time for you to emphasize things that are not in your personal essays/in print in your application. Of course you shouldn't AVOID those things, but take time to think about unique characteristics, etc. that you weren't able to share in the application you submitted. Interested in history? Poetry? Hiking? Show them that you have many facets! I "bonded" with the panel in one of my interviews over WWII Tuskegee Airmen history, of all things. Don't just recite things (I'm sure you know this) - whatever you talk about, show that you're passionate about it.

Cheers and good luck!

 

[Velaineil]

I really hate this question- I like specifics, d*mn it! I kept it really short- I told them where I went to school, about my experience(s) that lead me to pursue vet med, and just a little bit about the work I'd done to get to where I am today. I think it was only like 20 seconds long- 30 seconds tops. I don't know if that's what they were looking for or not, but it was a good jumping off point to get into more personal questions.

 

[EllieGirl89]

I kind of flubbed this question. It was one of the few that I hadn't prepared for, though I was positive I was going to get it. They not only asked me to tell them about myself but they asked me to tell them things about me that weren't in my application. Ummm...I poured my soul into that application, there's like NOTHING about me that's not in there. I started out kind of awkwardly telling them my name, my age (????), where I went to undergrad (obviously all things on my application). I told them about my family a little bit which was good, and then I just kind of stopped. They stared at me for a few awkward seconds to see if I was finished and then said "....Okay! Next question." So I think they were unimpressed but I got in so the rest must have gone alright.

Moral of this story: prepare for this question! Have an interesting tidbit about yourself to tell them and try not to be too cliche.

 

[LetItSnow]

So where do you start when ask this question? With your life history, how about why you want be a veterinarian? Any current students want to share with us how you answered the question.

Hahahahahaha. I went into my interview all gloaty and happy knowing I wouldn't be asked that question because MN did "behavioral" interviews....

.... and then the very first thing out of their mouths after the friendly "have a seat" and whatnot chit-chat was: "So... tell us a little about yourself."

Sigh.

I only bring this up to prepare people who think that they've heard about the way a particular school does interviews and think that question may not come up. Don't be unprepared for it like I was. Or, apparently, like EG. (I don't think I flubbed it quite like that, EG, but I'm sure I hemmed and hawed a bit.)

As far as an answer ... I opted for an abbreviated timeline of my adult life (since I'm a non-traditional), focusing on elements that I thought highlighted why I would uniquely be a valuable addition to the school. The reason for timelining it is that it keeps your thoughts on track and helps prevent bouncing around (which confuses them and gives the impression that yer thoughts aren't organized).

I agree with what racccjlm said about not covering material in your application, but with a couple caveats: First, schools do 'closed book' or 'open book' interviews. In a 'closed book', the interviewers won't have looked over your application, so there's no harm covering that ground again if it's useful. Research your particular school to find out how they do it. I just plain outright asked at the beginning of my interview - don't be shy about doing that. It's not a state secret. I tried to be tactful about how I asked - something like "So I don't cover ground you've already read about, can you tell me if you've reviewed my application?" Second, having SOME overlap with your application is good, because it promotes the image of a coherent, unified application where the strong points are repeatedly emphasized. There's a balance between over-repetition and leaving them wondering why you didn't include something on your PS or whatever.

 

[racccjlm]

I agree with what racccjlm said about not covering material in your application, but with a couple caveats: First, schools do 'closed book' or 'open book' interviews. In a 'closed book', the interviewers won't have looked over your application, so there's no harm covering that ground again if it's useful. Research your particular school to find out how they do it. I just plain outright asked at the beginning of my interview - don't be shy about doing that. It's not a state secret. I tried to be tactful about how I asked - something like "So I don't cover ground you've already read about, can you tell me if you've reviewed my application?" Second, having SOME overlap with your application is good, because it promotes the image of a coherent, unified application where the strong points are repeatedly emphasized. There's a balance between over-repetition and leaving them wondering why you didn't include something on your PS or whatever.

Well put!

 

[goldnretrivrgrl]

I told my interviewers at OSU that I love Stephen King books. They laughed and it was a really good icebreaker!

 

[Thylacine]

For the Western interview, one of the questions people have reported being asked is "Tell me one thing about yourself, and only one thing"

I've been thinking about what I would say if I were asked this. Would "I'm allergic to all furry animals" be a bad response?

 

[Tator17]

Practicing, knowing the basic gist of what I wanted to say and then letting it just flow out of my mouth later seemed to work really well. If you can get them to laugh, they will remember you better!

This. Personally, I think they ask this question to get to know you as a person. Talk about what makes you YOU and make sure to highlight some of the traits that would make you a strong veterinarian too.

For the one fact about yourself, make it something memorable if not applicable. I don't think they want you to sum yourself up in one sentence, so have fun and tell them something completely out of left field to break the ice before you get into the serious parts of your interview.

 

[pooter]

I started with where I was from and what my parents did. This let me segue into explaining my choice of undergrad schools, which I figured was a weak spot on my application (little known school, less selective than many, great financial aid package that made my broke parents very happy). By that point, I was into the interview and a little more relaxed and by explaining a tough decision, I'd given the interviewers a little look at how I tick. From there it was pretty easy to outline my experience and interests in broad strokes and let them prompt me for details. And by "pretty easy" I mean that there was only moderate rambling and I managed not to forget my own name.

 

[pooter]

For the Western interview, one of the questions people have reported being asked is "Tell me one thing about yourself, and only one thing"

I've been thinking about what I would say if I were asked this. Would "I'm allergic to all furry animals" be a bad response?

I'mma go with "yes."

(Full disclosure: allergies won't keep you out or hold you back, but imo it's not something the interviewer needs to know and it doesn't really help them understand you as a person. And you can get more mileage out of that question.)

 

[StartingoverVet]

I started with the obvious:

<Insert old guy joke here>

 

[deleted387118]

I felt like they tried to use the question to put you at ease as well. Its a pretty standard question most people have a good answer ready for. It puts the interview off to a good start and gives you a second to breathe before the gritty questions hit ya!

 

[Megascops Asio]

(Full disclosure: allergies won't keep you out or hold you back, but imo it's not something the interviewer needs to know and it doesn't really help them understand you as a person. And you can get more mileage out of that question.)

There's definitely better things to talk about for this question. Talk up your positives, not anything that could be taken as a negative.

 

[LetItSnow]

I felt like they tried to use the question to put you at ease as well. Its a pretty standard question most people have a good answer ready for. It puts the interview off to a good start and gives you a second to breathe before the gritty questions hit ya!

I'd rather have gritty questions. They're specific and have a point. Open-ended questions are just an invitation to say something stupid.

 

[kaydubs]

I'd rather have gritty questions. They're specific and have a point. Open-ended questions are just an invitation to say something stupid.

Yes! I had a mix of both app based questions and off the wall questions. I enjoy doing mock interviews with people anymore. It's good fun!