Today the School of Veterinary Medicine received an email communication from our Dean explaining the change in the admissions process a bit. It is quoted here in italics:
“Last year the Executive Committee appointed an Admissions Task Force to review the strengths and weaknesses of the School’s professional DVM admissions process and make recommendations for refinement of our processes. The Task Force examined extensive data collected over the past ten years, reviewed the literature on admission processes for both veterinary and medical schools, and determined that changes to the admission process would benefit the School, particularly in light of the new curriculum. The new admissions process includes an evaluation of academic factors using the applicant’s overall science GPA, the GPA of their last 45 units and their Quantitative GRE scores. In addition, two new processes will be implemented to evaluate non-academic factors this year for the selection of the Class of 2017.
First, evaluations will include utilizing an evaluation tool developed by the Educational Testing Service known as a Personal Potential Index (PPI). Applicants will self-identify individuals to participate in the PPI evaluations, which are administered electronically. Evaluators will be asked to provide information and rate the applicant on six personal attributes that are critical to success in graduate and professional school. These six attributes are: knowledge and creativity, communication skills, teamwork, resilience, planning and organization, and ethics and integrity.
Second, a new form of interview, the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) technique, will be utilized in place of the traditional interview format. The MMI is a series of short, structured interviews used to assess personal traits/qualities. This interview style is more quantitative and assesses attributes of future veterinarians that are important for success including critical thinking skills, communication skills, teamwork, reliability, responsibility and moral and ethical reasoning.
We are very excited about these two key changes which will provide an innovative approach to our admissions process and continue to support the selection of outstanding DVM candidates.”