The Support Group - A place for admissions-related rants and worries.

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Originally Posted by bigkittinteef

Well congrats on graduating!
I only wish I could help you more in this situation. :\

Thanks. I just don't want to ruin my chances of getting into vet school. Onward and upward chya?!

Definitely.

Well, I promised I would post an update after I figured out a couple of things. So I’m here to make good on it…

After a bit of badgering from my mentor, (the joys of working with a person 40+ hours a week) I went for a meeting with the nice people over at Penn. The meeting was quite eye opening on several levels – they obviously took some time to look over my application in depth prior to the meeting, treated me as an adult and a professional (something I had not really been granted in the past by anyone) and allowed me to speak quite frankly throughout the 45+ minutes I was with there. Was it the ‘best’ file review I’ve ever had? Maybe. It was certainly the most honest and most productive.

I heard basically what I expected to hear: my issues are completely in the numbers – abysmal undergrad science grades (regardless that they’re from 20 years ago) are still setting off alarm bells; and thus, my ‘average’ GRE requires improvement. The surprising part came when they totally agreed with me that to take/retake any further undergrad classes would be a complete waste of my time, energy and money. However, if I were to show proficiency in more graduate biology classes (I took a few back when I was getting my masters) it would certainly be looked upon favorably. I challenged this by asking if they really thought I was going to lay out more money for more classes that would do me zippity should I opt to reapply and then not get accepted. That’s when the next surprise came: I should take classes that ‘would do me some good’ rather than run after the ‘recommended’ or courses. Take something that interested me. Begin to build a possible alternate path. OK…

The medical school at which I’m employed also has a graduate school that offers a variety of medical based courses that may be applied towards several degree and certificate granting programs. On a crazy whim, I went to the graduate admissions office… No appointment, scrubs on, copies of my academic records in hand. I was warmly greeted and when I said that I was considering perhaps taking some classes and would like to speak with an academic advisor, or make an appointment, the coordinator took my paperwork back to the admissions director and asked me to have a seat. To my great surprise, almost immediately, I was admitted as a non-matriculated candidate allowing me to take courses in any department. The admissions director encouraged me to register for summer classes in order to begin accumulating credits should I opt to matriculate into a degree granting program next year. Next week I start pathology and parasitology.

Whether or not I reapply to vet school is a decision I have yet to make. I’m not sure if I have the desire to take the GRE and play the VMCAS game again. However, at least I’m currently on a path that may provide me with some direction. My director thinks that after a couple of weeks in class that I’ll find my way and be making vocabulary flash cards. We shall see…

In the meantime, best of luck to everyone about to tackle the VMCAS! And to everyone that’s getting ready for their first year (with very special shout outs to multi-app club members WEN, Orca2011, DVMDream, Marsala, and Jamr0ckin) - I hope that you find it’s everything you ever dreamed and more!!

It's good to hear that you at least have a goal for right now - those classes. I'm happy to hear from you! Good luck with all of that and with your decision regarding reapplication! I hope you'll stop by more often again!

It sounds like a cool program and I hope it will help you no matter what your new goals will be!

I'm glad you have a direction. It sounds like things are falling into place for whatever you wind up doing

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It's great to hear from you, LMMS!!!

And I'm glad that Penn took the time to really go over everything with you since I know many people often feel their files reviews don't give them enough information. It's great that you are taking some courses that interest you and that the school you work for has allowed you to transition into being a student so easily. It's always been a battle for me to take courses at other schools. If you find from these courses a new direction, awesome! And it's awesome if you decide to give vet med another shot. You have my support either way!

Wishing you the best!!

It's June 9th and I'm already freaking out about this application cycle. Not cool!

So good to hear from you LMMS, I've missed you! Glad to hear you've got a plan going

Originally Posted by LMMS

Well, I promised I would post an update after I figured out a couple of things. So I’m here to make good on it…

After a bit of badgering from my mentor, (the joys of working with a person 40+ hours a week) I went for a meeting with the nice people over at Penn. The meeting was quite eye opening on several levels – they obviously took some time to look over my application in depth prior to the meeting, treated me as an adult and a professional (something I had not really been granted in the past by anyone) and allowed me to speak quite frankly throughout the 45+ minutes I was with there. Was it the ‘best’ file review I’ve ever had? Maybe. It was certainly the most honest and most productive.

I heard basically what I expected to hear: my issues are completely in the numbers – abysmal undergrad science grades (regardless that they’re from 20 years ago) are still setting off alarm bells; and thus, my ‘average’ GRE requires improvement. The surprising part came when they totally agreed with me that to take/retake any further undergrad classes would be a complete waste of my time, energy and money. However, if I were to show proficiency in more graduate biology classes (I took a few back when I was getting my masters) it would certainly be looked upon favorably. I challenged this by asking if they really thought I was going to lay out more money for more classes that would do me zippity should I opt to reapply and then not get accepted. That’s when the next surprise came: I should take classes that ‘would do me some good’ rather than run after the ‘recommended’ or courses. Take something that interested me. Begin to build a possible alternate path. OK…

The medical school at which I’m employed also has a graduate school that offers a variety of medical based courses that may be applied towards several degree and certificate granting programs. On a crazy whim, I went to the graduate admissions office… No appointment, scrubs on, copies of my academic records in hand. I was warmly greeted and when I said that I was considering perhaps taking some classes and would like to speak with an academic advisor, or make an appointment, the coordinator took my paperwork back to the admissions director and asked me to have a seat. To my great surprise, almost immediately, I was admitted as a non-matriculated candidate allowing me to take courses in any department. The admissions director encouraged me to register for summer classes in order to begin accumulating credits should I opt to matriculate into a degree granting program next year. Next week I start pathology and parasitology.

Whether or not I reapply to vet school is a decision I have yet to make. I’m not sure if I have the desire to take the GRE and play the VMCAS game again. However, at least I’m currently on a path that may provide me with some direction. My director thinks that after a couple of weeks in class that I’ll find my way and be making vocabulary flash cards. We shall see…

In the meantime, best of luck to everyone about to tackle the VMCAS! And to everyone that’s getting ready for their first year (with very special shout outs to multi-app club members WEN, Orca2011, DVMDream, Marsala, and Jamr0ckin) - I hope that you find it’s everything you ever dreamed and more!!

Oh my gosh, it's so good to hear from you! I'm SO glad that you were able to get in to talk to Penn and that it was a productive meeting - and that you are finding a positive direction to move in, whether it leads you back to vet school or not. Either way, you know we're all looking forward to hearing what you end up doing. I expect regular updates, thank you very much.

Originally Posted by LMMS

Well, I promised I would post an update after I figured out a couple of things. So I’m here to make good on it…

After a bit of badgering from my mentor, (the joys of working with a person 40+ hours a week) I went for a meeting with the nice people over at Penn. The meeting was quite eye opening on several levels – they obviously took some time to look over my application in depth prior to the meeting, treated me as an adult and a professional (something I had not really been granted in the past by anyone) and allowed me to speak quite frankly throughout the 45+ minutes I was with there. Was it the ‘best’ file review I’ve ever had? Maybe. It was certainly the most honest and most productive.

I heard basically what I expected to hear: my issues are completely in the numbers – abysmal undergrad science grades (regardless that they’re from 20 years ago) are still setting off alarm bells; and thus, my ‘average’ GRE requires improvement. The surprising part came when they totally agreed with me that to take/retake any further undergrad classes would be a complete waste of my time, energy and money. However, if I were to show proficiency in more graduate biology classes (I took a few back when I was getting my masters) it would certainly be looked upon favorably. I challenged this by asking if they really thought I was going to lay out more money for more classes that would do me zippity should I opt to reapply and then not get accepted. That’s when the next surprise came: I should take classes that ‘would do me some good’ rather than run after the ‘recommended’ or courses. Take something that interested me. Begin to build a possible alternate path. OK…

The medical school at which I’m employed also has a graduate school that offers a variety of medical based courses that may be applied towards several degree and certificate granting programs. On a crazy whim, I went to the graduate admissions office… No appointment, scrubs on, copies of my academic records in hand. I was warmly greeted and when I said that I was considering perhaps taking some classes and would like to speak with an academic advisor, or make an appointment, the coordinator took my paperwork back to the admissions director and asked me to have a seat. To my great surprise, almost immediately, I was admitted as a non-matriculated candidate allowing me to take courses in any department. The admissions director encouraged me to register for summer classes in order to begin accumulating credits should I opt to matriculate into a degree granting program next year. Next week I start pathology and parasitology.

Whether or not I reapply to vet school is a decision I have yet to make. I’m not sure if I have the desire to take the GRE and play the VMCAS game again. However, at least I’m currently on a path that may provide me with some direction. My director thinks that after a couple of weeks in class that I’ll find my way and be making vocabulary flash cards. We shall see…

In the meantime, best of luck to everyone about to tackle the VMCAS! And to everyone that’s getting ready for their first year (with very special shout outs to multi-app club members WEN, Orca2011, DVMDream, Marsala, and Jamr0ckin) - I hope that you find it’s everything you ever dreamed and more!!

I am SO happy to hear this. I know it was not what you wanted but I hope it finds you on the right path. I really wish you were joining all of us this year, but I do wish you the best with your classes. If you ever want to talk, I am here.

Best of Luck!!

thanks for posting and updating us LMMS. I'm glad that somebody finally treated you with the respect and courtesy that you deserve in this dumb process. Best of luck.

I need help.... at a serious crossroads in life and I don't know whether to pack up, head to NYC and do the poor, aspiring Broadway star thing, or head to FL for the poor vet school thing.

LMMS - I've been following your story and I'm glad that you have support and a direction. Make the best choices for YOU!

Emiloo - My sister is a Broadway actress and her life goes like this: Audition, Be unemployed, Audition, still be unemployed, take a million master classes out of pocket, still be unemployed, Audition, call-back, 2nd call-back, SCORE! Role! Wait.... show cancelled after 5 months. Audition, be unemployed, Audition, SCORE! Role on tour. Give cat to my parents and live out of a suitcase for 12 months.

She loves it, and she is AMAZING, but her life is high-stress and lonely at times. PM me if you want more info (or contacts???)

Originally Posted by OH Bunny Girl

LMMS - I've been following your story and I'm glad that you have support and a direction. Make the best choices for YOU!

Emiloo - My sister is a Broadway actress and her life goes like this: Audition, Be unemployed, Audition, still be unemployed, take a million master classes out of pocket, still be unemployed, Audition, call-back, 2nd call-back, SCORE! Role! Wait.... show cancelled after 5 months. Audition, be unemployed, Audition, SCORE! Role on tour. Give cat to my parents and live out of a suitcase for 12 months.

She loves it, and she is AMAZING, but her life is high-stress and lonely at times. PM me if you want more info (or contacts???)

Exactly, and that is what I am afraid of/ know is going to happen. You have to really really love it to be that dedicated, so hats of to her. I will PM you soon about it! Thanks so much!

LMMS it is so good to hear from you! It sounds like now you at least have a direction to go in and know what Penn is thinking. I wish you the best of luck with your courses this summer!! Keep us updated!

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

Exactly, and that is what I am afraid of/ know is going to happen. You have to really really love it to be that dedicated, so hats of to her. I will PM you soon about it! Thanks so much!

You will be amazing no matter what path you choose

Ugh, LMMS - I wish there were a way to convince OK to waive their silly chem thing. I'm still mad about that.

But I'm glad you got some solid answers for once. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Hey everyone - Thank you SOOO very much for the kind remarks and words of support. You guys never cease to amaze me.

Yes, the vet school process can be one of stupidity; but it is what it is. Hopefully, now that I have put some of the demons behind me, I will be able to look at the process with a new perspective. Again, I will be sure to let you all know the verdict once it's 'in'.

So I feel like everyone who is reapplying feels so much more relaxed this time around. I realize now that my old PS was crap, but I can't seem to think of a better one to replace it

How am I supposed to get my student visa if the DAMN website will not let me apply!!!

Originally Posted by DVMDream

How am I supposed to get my student visa if the DAMN website will not let me apply!!!

Oh! Heads up for when you actually get it working. Maybe call your bank ahead of time and let them know. My bank froze my account in the middle of me attempting to purchase my visa for abroad. Luckily, I called them after the 2nd failed attempt before going to the 3rd one because if that failed, I would have had to start all over on another day.

Originally Posted by orca2011

Oh! Heads up for when you actually get it working. Maybe call your bank ahead of time and let them know. My bank froze my account in the middle of me attempting to purchase my visa for abroad. Luckily, I called them after the 2nd failed attempt before going to the 3rd one because if that failed, I would have had to start all over on another day.

Thanks for the heads up.

The fraud department for my wellsfargo account called within 10 seconds of me submitting my deposit to Edinburgh so I know they have my back.

Their student loan deparment though....

Originally Posted by DVMDream

Thanks for the heads up.

The fraud department for my wellsfargo account called within 10 seconds of me submitting my deposit to Edinburgh so I know they have my back.

Their student loan deparment though....

That's who I was using when I went to pay for my visa...well Wachoiva, so they probably will flag it as fraudulent.

Originally Posted by orca2011

That's who I was using when I went to pay for my visa...well Wachoiva, so they probably will flag it as fraudulent.

Yup they flagged my Edinburgh payment as fraudulent but they called me to confirm the payment and since I confirmed it my accounts were not frozen. I will probably give them a heads up when I call to figure out why they are suddenly charging me a $5 monthly fee for my savings account.

Originally Posted by DVMDream

Yup they flagged my Edinburgh payment as fraudulent but they called me to confirm the payment and since I confirmed it my accounts were not frozen. I will probably give them a heads up when I call to figure out why they are suddenly charging me a $5 monthly fee for my savings account.

I think they've added fees to everything. I got a letter about that saying they were going to start charging me $7 a month for my student checking account if I didn't depost $500 a month to it or have like $2,500 in it at any given point. Ended up closing it because I don't really put money into that account and like this other bank better, which happens to have a branch right across the street from Penn.

Originally Posted by orca2011

I think they've added fees to everything. I got a letter about that saying they were going to start charging me $7 a month for my student checking account if I didn't depost $500 a month to it or have like $2,500 in it at any given point. Ended up closing it because I don't really put money into that account and like this other bank better, which happens to have a branch right across the street from Penn.

They just did it. The last two months and I never received any notification about it.

Originally Posted by DVMDream

They just did it. The last two months and I never received any notification about it.

I got it by email or randomly checked my messages on my account. Otherwise I would have never known.

Originally Posted by orca2011

I think they've added fees to everything. I got a letter about that saying they were going to start charging me $7 a month for my student checking account if I didn't depost $500 a month to it or have like $2,500 in it at any given point. Ended up closing it because I don't really put money into that account and like this other bank better, which happens to have a branch right across the street from Penn.

Prolly 'cus you switched from Wachovia.

I went in to Wells Fargo to buy new checks (had been a Wachovia member prior), and the guy told me if I wanted to keep my free student checking/savings account, I had to open a new one. They're trying to do away with the Wachovia student accounts, so they implemented a monthly fee. The Wells Fargo one is exactly the same (as far as I can tell; all I ever do is spend stuff and use online banking ), it just has a different account number associated with it.

Originally Posted by hopefulinva

Prolly 'cus you switched from Wachovia.

I went in to Wells Fargo to buy new checks (had been a Wachovia member prior), and the guy told me if I wanted to keep my free student checking/savings account, I had to open a new one. They're trying to do away with the Wachovia student accounts, so they implemented a monthly fee. The Wells Fargo one is exactly the same (as far as I can tell; all I ever do is spend stuff and use online banking ), it just has a different account number associated with it.

What the eff. It wasn't my choice to switch...they merged or bought Wachovia out or whatever. I hate banks...Doesn't matter. I TD Bank so it's all good.

Originally Posted by orca2011

What the eff. It wasn't my choice to switch...they merged or bought Wachovia out or whatever. I hate banks...Doesn't matter. I TD Bank so it's all good.

Hahaha tell me about it. I was like "So I didn't get any warning about this because it was my idea to switch banks?"

Originally Posted by LMMS

I’m not sure if I have the desire to take the GRE and play the VMCAS game again.

Ugh, I hear you... I'm glad you are in a good place! xoxo

Today. I don't want to do this again. Tomorrow will probably be different. But today, I just don't want to put myself through this again.

Originally Posted by Abney

Today. I don't want to do this again. Tomorrow will probably be different. But today, I just don't want to put myself through this again.

whats up?

Originally Posted by Abney

Today. I don't want to do this again. Tomorrow will probably be different. But today, I just don't want to put myself through this again.

Just take a mental break from it if you need to. Come back to it in a couple of days... or a week. We are here for you.

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

whats up?

1st: Where did you fall off the planet to?

2nd: Today was just a bad day. Feeling emotionally raw today so the thought of months of emotional torment is just daunting. I just have to remember my motto: I will persevere tenaciously!

Originally Posted by Abney

1st: Where did you fall off the planet to?

2nd: Today was just a bad day. Feeling emotionally raw today so the thought of months of emotional torment is just daunting. I just have to remember my motto: I will persevere tenaciously!

I second what Bbeventer just said. Take a break if you need it, especially if you've had a rough day. You have more than enough time to get everything done so give yourself a breather when you need it.

Originally Posted by Abney

1st: Where did you fall off the planet to?

2nd: Today was just a bad day. Feeling emotionally raw today so the thought of months of emotional torment is just daunting. I just have to remember my motto: I will persevere tenaciously!

I've been in NYC for four days

And we've talked a few times about this so I won't bother you with it all again. But if you just want to vent, we're always here to give you virtual hugs

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

I've been in NYC for four days

And we've talked a few times about this so I won't bother you with it all again. But if you just want to vent, we're always here to give you virtual hugs

Oooooh yeah. I knew you were going on vacay.

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Did you have a good time?

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Originally Posted by Abney

Did you have a good time?

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It was amazeballs

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

It was amazeballs

+1

Originally Posted by jemappellejane

+1

and + another 1 for using the word amazeballs.

Originally Posted by jemappellejane

and + another 1 for using the word amazeballs.

I was totally thinking I need to start using this in everyday speech lol

Originally Posted by jemappellejane

and + another 1 for using the word amazeballs.

Originally Posted by Abney

I was totally thinking I need to start using this in everyday speech lol

I do seriously need to come on here and rave about it soon, but I am too busy/lazy to re-live NYC right now. Finishing up my assignments for this class so I can actually matriculate in August

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

I do seriously need to come on here and rave about it soon, but I am too busy/lazy to re-live NYC right now. Finishing up my assignments for this class so I can actually matriculate in August

You know what you could be doing instead of talking about raving about your vacation? Rave about your vacation.

Originally Posted by Abney

You know what you could be doing instead of talking about raving about your vacation? Rave about your vacation.

In due time my minion... in due time.
You could probably find 17 gifs to describe my vacation before I could ever even type it out.

GO!!! Your time starts NOW!

I couldn't remember if you saw Chicago

Originally Posted by Abney

I couldn't remember if you saw Chicago

I DID!!!! I was just about to give you a high five on that chicago gif!

Originally Posted by Emiloo4

I DID!!!! I was just about to give you a high five on that chicago gif!

I was about 95% sure you did