A fellow student in veterinary school hands you a paper with all of the questions for an upcoming exam. Knowing that questions aren't released before exams, how do you handle this situation?

Veterinary school admission teams use the multiple mini interview process to fully evaluate all aspects of the candidates they consider for admission to their program. The interviewer you will speak with during this session will propose the same scenario to every candidate, so you want to give a memorable answer.

"I would first tell my student colleague that having the questions before the interview was wrong and decline even looking at them. I'd also want to try to find out where they got them. No matter how they answered that question, I would give them the option of approaching the professor and apologizing on their own. I would also let them know that I would be bringing it to their attention as soon as possible. We all have an equal playing field as students of this program, and some of the class cheating would be just wrong in my mind. I love that your program has a well-documented academic dishonesty policy, and I want you to know that I would always take it seriously if I'm fortunate enough to be accepted here. In this situation, I'm confident that my student colleague would be thankful for my actions, though it may take some time for them to have that mindset. But in the end, I would know that I was doing the right thing, both for them and the institution."

First and foremost, be honest and walk the interviewer through how you would approach the situation. Veterinary schools don't tolerate cheating and dishonesty of any kind. Most veterinary school programs have an academic dishonesty policy on their website, so it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the institution's policy before your interview so you can reference it. The key to your answer here is that you have the professionalism to confront your student colleague and the ethical values to ensure the professor is notified as soon as possible.