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ID (either a passport or driving license), and photocopies of ID.
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Completed forms, such as declarations and work experience forms
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Work experience references, and photocopies of these
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Exam certificates (especially for English, maths and sciences), and photocopies of these
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Passport photos
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Questions about anything at all that you wrote on your personal statement, work experience forms, or any other documents that the university has received.
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The cliché, 'why do you want to be a vet'.
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Simple questions about work experience; things that you should have picked up during your time in practice, for example vaccinations and worming protocols.
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An explanation of a case study you saw while seeing practice.
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Questions about your personal traits, e.g. "Describe a situation when you used X skill"
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Questions about animal welfare and ethics. Your opinions on controversial issues surrounding veterinary medicine/farming/animal research etc
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An ethical dilemma/scenario, where you're asked what you should do in a certain situation.
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Questions about your understanding/exploration of the veterinary profession. Have you looked into all the avenues that veterinary graduates can go down? Do you have realistic expectations of the career?
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Calculation (MMIs) - some simple vet-related maths. May be done with or without a calculator. Usually several questions done step-by-step.
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Practical task (MMIs)
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Animal testing
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Bovine tuberculosis and the badger cull
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Milk prices
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Fox hunting and the ban
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Pet obesity
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Pet hoarding
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Horse racing
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Antibiotic and antihelminthic (wormer) resistance
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Inappropriate captivity of animals (e.g. SeaWorld)
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Inappropriate dog training (Caesar Milan etc)
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Organised dog fighting
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Dangerous Dogs Act and breed specific legislation
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Puppy farming, inappropriate genetic selection goals (e.g. brachycephalic dogs) and corrective surgery
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Tail and ear docking and declawing
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Unwanted cat and dog control
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Animal organ transplants (e.g. kidneys in cats)
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Chemotherapy for animals
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Electronic dog collars
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Issues facing racing greyhounds
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Potential changes to agriculture as a result of the EU referendum
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Supermarkets going 'cage free'
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Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and slurry storage in Wales
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Pin firing
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Harambe the Gorilla
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Compulsory microchipping of dogs
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Babesia
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Hunting, e.g. Cecil the lion
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Anthrax
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Ebola virus (since it's zoonotic)
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Alabama rot
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Marius the giraffe
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Food security and the horsemeat scandal
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Schmallenberg virus and its vaccine
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Swine flu
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Avian flu
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Foot and mouth disease
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BSE ('mad cow disease'
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Rinderpest/cattle plague (not current at all, but still interesting!).
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Get a good night's sleep the night before your interview.
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Ensure that you know where you are going! If a university has multiple campuses, check which one you need to go to. At the RVC, VetMed interviews are held in Camden while nursing interviews are in Hawkshead, for example.
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Be sure to arrive there in plenty of time, nothing worse than panicking because you think you're going to be late! Make sure you know for certain which trains/buses you need to take, where you take them from, and how much the fare is. It won't hurt to have a back up route.
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That said, if you're going to get stressy, don't arrive hours and hours in advance. You'll have nothing to do but read over your notes and it'll make you worried.
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Be mindful of how you conduct yourself for the entirety of the day, not just during your interview. You never know who could be watching, and in some cases people like student helpers/ambassadors actually have a small say on what they thought of applicants, including whether they felt as if they would fit in at the university, and whether they got a good feel for them during any campus tours/walks between rooms. Be respectful, engage with everyone that's talking to you (I know it's a nerve-racking time but one word answers are no fun for anyone!), and it goes without saying that you should not be rude to any members of staff or the other applicants!
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Often, interviewers are more interested in your thought process and the justifications for your answers than the answers themselves. Explain yourself, and don't worry about being 'wrong'.
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Sometimes interviewers like to play devil's advocate. If you're going to argue a point, know some of the counter arguments and have responses to these.
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If you muck up a station in an MMI, that's okay! You don't have to be perfect all the time . Your next interviewer will have no idea, so just compose yourself and go into the next one with an open mind.
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If you really don't know the answer to a question, give it your best shot but be honest. "I'm not sure but I think X. If that's not the case then I'd be interested to know what the answer is, though" turns the situation around and shows that you're willing to learn.
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Upon being asked a question, your reflex action may be to launch into a torrent of verbal diarrhoea It may be more helpful to take a second or two to consider the question fully and compose your thoughts before responding.
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Don't worry too much about going off on a tangent. It may be more relevant than you think and the admissions tutor will stop you if needs be. That said, make sure that you actually answer their questions rather than skirting round the issue!
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Consider your body language. Appear confident. Sit up straight, make eye contact. Introduce yourself with a handshake when you meet your interviewer(s), and thank them at the end.
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Have a question prepared to ask the admissions tutors. They may ask if you have any at the end, and it helps to show your interest.
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For group tasks, it goes without saying that you should neither dominate the conversation, nor shy away. Be yourself and act natural.
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If you have a panel interview, and you know who your interviewers will be beforehand, look them up and learn a bit about the work they've done. This is what they're interested in and may ask you about.
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People with long hair: you may want to tie it up if you think you'll get nervous and fiddle with it.
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Be sure to read all of the paperwork given to you on the day. If there is anything you need to sign and return (e.g. a consent form), ensure that you do this.
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