Successful Applicant Stats Class of 2016

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2nd time applicant, nontraditional applicant
Schools
Applied: Iowa State, Minnesota, Kansas State, Wisconsin
Rejected: Kansas State, Minnesota
Accepted: Iowa State
Pending: Wisconsin
Academics
Cumulative GPA: 3.2
Last 45 GPA: 3.8
GRE: 710q, 530v
Veterinary and Animal Experience
Large Animal (cattle, swine): 200 hours
Research: 1200 hours
Humane Society: 100 hours
Letters of Recommendation
1 DVM
4 professors

Questions, feel free to PM me!

First time applicant
Applied: UF, Mississippi State, VMRC
Interviewed: UF, Mississippi (declined)
Still waiting: VMRC
Accepted: UF
Attending: UF!!

Academics:
Undergrad: University of Florida, BS in Biology, Graduated May 2010- GPA 3.3
Graduate: University of Florida CVM, MS in Forensic Toxicology- GPA 3.85
Science GPA: not really sure although I did make a lot of C's surprisingly (in Organic, Biochem, Physiology)
GRE: Verbal- 510, Quantitative- 590, Writing- 4

Veterinary Experience
-2 years as vet assistant at a private practice (approx. 20-25 hrs a week)
-2 years as a vet tech at a corporate vet's office (30 hrs a week for 1 year, then full time)
-6 months (and still employed) at the UF CVM in PCW/ICU (full-time)

Animal Experience
-Raised pigs and heifers through FFA in high school
-Volunteered at a local spay/neuter clinic for feral cats
-Helped my dad with his cattle (worth mentioning)

Extracurricular Activities
-YMCA soccer coach
-Prevet club
-Volunteered in forensic anthropology lab (which ties in with my Masters)

Letters of Recommendation
-3 veterinarians, each from a different practice but I knew all of them really well! **I've been told by someone on the admissions committee that references are actually really important. Make sure you really know the person who is writing you one.

Personal Statement
I discussed my forensic background (both Masters and volunteer experience). I also focused on my experience as it was the strength in my application. I discussed the fact that I've worked in 3 facets of veterinary medicine- private practice, corporate and academia.

PM me with any questions

First Time Applicant from NJ
Applied: Iowa St., Ohio St., Kansas St, Colorado St, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Penn, Michigan St, VMRC, UTK
Rejected: Kansas St and Colorado St
Interview: Iowa St, Ohio St, Penn, Minnesota (declined), Purdue (declined), Illinois (decline), VMRC (declined) (would have loved to interview at Minn and Purdue but traveling just got too expensive)
Still Waiting: Michigan St, UTK
Alternate: Iowa St.
Accepted: Ohio St. and Penn
Attending: Penn!

Academics
Undergraduate: Loyola University Maryland, BS double major in biology and sociology
GRE: 1210 (570 Verbal, 640 Quant.) with 3.5 writing score
GPA: 3.75 overall and Science GPA is about 3.50-3.55 (varies up and down depending on the specifics for the school)
Switching from med. to vet fairly recently

Vet/Animal Experience
850+ hours doing research fellowship on how mice change the plasticity of their Small Intestine with changes in diet protein content.
450+ hours volunteering at a small companion animal vet. getting trained as a tech.
40 hours shadowing at a vet. cardiologist
60 hours volunteering at a local wildlife rescue (birds of prey and large reptiles)
200+ hours working at a pet store kennel
30 hours shadowing with a equine vet

Extracurriculars
Spent a semester abroad in Australia
Member of and officer in 3 honor societies (bio, sociology, and Jesuit)
Volunteered at local hospital with a social worker
Volunteered at an home for individuals with AIDS
Interned with a colorectal surgeon and at local ER
Played rugby for a year

Letters of Recommendation
2 from veterinarians I volunteered for
1 from research professor
1 from colorectal surgeon I shadowed
1 from sociology professor

Personal Statement
I discussed risk taking and my transition from medical to veterinary school

If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM! Hope this helps through the process and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I promise!

Originally Posted by Fireflysushi

Hahaha Seriously crazy stats Nuevaburra!!

Thanks guys! I have a weird brain, it's pretty much optimized for standardized test taking. Served me well in life, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot of brain power left over for some other things, like hand-eye coordination, or effortless social interaction

1st time applicant, PA resident

Schools
Applied: RVC, Edinburgh, Penn, CSU, Wisconsin
Rejected: CSU
Accepted: RVC, Edinburgh, Penn
Waitlisted: Wisconsin

Academics
B.A. in Biology c/o 2012, currently taking a gap year
Cumulative GPA: 3.8
Last 45 GPA: 3.7
GRE: 800q, 550v

Veterinary and Animal Experience
Equine: 40 (vet), 1000s (animal)
Small animal: 300 (vet), 200 (humane society)
Mixed (international vet): 200

Letters of Recommendation
1 DVM
2 science professors

1st time applicant
Schools
Applied: Iowa State and Colorado
Rejected: Colorado
Accepted: Iowa State

Academics
Cumulative GPA: 3.6
Last 45 GPA: 3.8
GRE: 600q, 440v, 5.0w

Veterinary and Animal Experience
Large Animal: 400 hours
Research: 1200 hours at ISU CVM and U of Minnesota CVM

Letters of Recommendation
DVM/PhD
Professor
My current Administrator... I work for a school district
Professional Colleague

Cool Things Not Dealing with Veterinary Science
2009 Teach For America Corps Member
2 years working at one of the most violent schools in America as a special ed and English teacher
1 year teaching consulting for a school district - I am a tech integrationist. I teach teachers.
I have never seen the show Jersey Shore; I am okay about that.
I broke my jaw in 3 places and took the GRE while concussed.

Originally Posted by lux0r

GRE: 600q, 440v
...
I broke my jaw in 3 places and took the GRE while concussed.

Those aren't bad scores for a completely healthy person! Nice job.

Originally Posted by nuevaburra

~50 hours volunteering with ringworm infected kitties at humane society (I put it under vet exp but it's probably closer to animal)

Do you work with the FIT kitties? So do I!!! I am a weekend volunteer and my name is Kate.

1st time non-trad applicant

Schools:
Applied: EVERYWHERE! Just kidding.. kind of. Cornell, Tufts, UPenn, Wisconsin, CSU, Washington, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Massey, Ross
Interview Invites: Tufts, Ross, UPenn (declined), Washington (declined), Minnesota (declined), Missouri (declined), Illinois (declined)
Waitlisted: Wisconsin, CSU
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, Ross, Massey
Attending: Cornell

Academics:
BA in Economics
Post-baccalaureate pre-medical certificate program 2010-2011
Cumulative GPA: 3.66
Science GPA: 3.88
GRE: 700 Q, 690 V, 5.0 W

Vet Experience (hrs @ time of app):
Small animal: 400 hours
Equine: 50 hours
Large: 50 hours

Animal Experience:
Wild Horse Sanctuary intern (300 hours)
Cat rescue/adoption group volunteer/foster-mom (500 hours)
Animal shelter volunteer: dog walker & foster-mom (200 hours)
Pet-sitting: dogs/cats/sheep/chickens/turtles.. you name it (300 hours)

Letters of Rec:
2 DVMs
1 professor/post-bac advisor

Other Things:
Camp counselor for animal shelter's summer youth program
Volunteer in oncology center (of a HUMAN hospital. Ah!)
Worked in NYC at a consulting firm for a year prior to my decision to enter veterinary medicine
Children's Miracle network volunteer
Students for Strides member
Other non-vet-related jobs (yawn)

Any questions (especially for the non-trads!) feel free to PM me

hope this is helpful for future applicants, I know this thread last year was super helpful for me...

1st time applicant. female, 29, out of state.

Applied:Tufts
Interviewed: Tufts
Accepted: Tufts

Academics:
Bachelor's in Fine Arts with concentration in Glass. 2004 Mass College of Art. Graduation with Distinction (no GPAs at MassArt)
Graduate Work in Education. Master's in Education with focus in Teaching Methodology "in progress." University of New England 2007. GPA at UNE 3.97
Prerequisite Science and Math. University of Southern Maine. 2010-2012. GPA at USM 3.86 currently. (still have to finish up genetics, o chem lab 2, and physics 2 this term)
GRE: combined 1230. 4.5 AW. (I think the breakdown was 730 Q, 500 V, but I may be wrong)

Vet/Animal Experience:
1200 or so SA clinic hours, assistant/unlicensed tech.
Co-cowner of a goat diary. Conservatively estimated at avg of 20hrs/week for the past three years.
15 hours training at UNE's MARC. learning how to tube feed baby seals. (Now if I just had time to get down there...)
2 summers of teaching horse stuff (english riding, mainly, and horse management) at summer camps.
~5 years of competitive showjumping and retraining my TB ex-racehorse

Letters of Rec:
Bio 2 lab/lecture professor.
Ochem lab professor
DVM at SA clinic (Tufts alum- don't know if that matters, but it's there)

First time applicant, 27, NJ resident,
Applied: Tufts, Cornell, Illinois, NCSU
Interviewed: Tufts, Illinois
Still waiting: Illinois
Accepted: Tufts
Attending: Tufts

Academics:
Undergrad: Rutgers University, BA in East Asian Studies, May 2007, GPA 3.5 (honors)
Post-Bacc Pre-Med Program at Columbia University 2009
Rutgers Coursework 2010-2011 - animal science, advanced sciences of all kinds
Total GPA ~3.3
GRE: Verbal- 560, Quantitative- 760, Writing- 4

Veterinary Experience ~1800 hours
-2 years as vet tech at a private practice
-4 months at foreign wildlife rescue center
-summer internship at wild bird rescue center

Worked for two years at law firm as paralegal, studied abroad in Japan, interned for non-profit for a bit. application was directed specifically for wildlife medicine

Letters of Recommendation
-2 vets from my practice
-physiology professor
-dean
-supervisors from both wildlife centers

Originally Posted by flyinggoat

15 hours training at UNE's MARC. learning how to tube feed baby seals. (Now if I just had time to get down there...)

Soooo jealous!!!!!

This is for those people considering if they should apply with low vet experience hours. You can get in! But I’m not recommending not trying to get as many hours as you can (and you need to try to make your application stand out in other ways). I didn’t know if I would even get an interview this year so I’m really happy to be posting here and hope this helps someone else.

First Time Applicant from CA female, 22
Applied: Davis, Western, Missouri, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin
Interview: Missouri, Western, Purdue, Minnesota (declined), Illinois (declined)
Rejected: Davis, Wisconsin
Still Waiting: none
Waitlisted: Purdue
Accepted: Missouri, Western
Attending: Missouri

Undergraduate: B.S. Animal Science 2011
GRE: Verbal 480 Quant 700 Writing 4.0
GPA: 3.72
GPA Science: Around 3.5-3.6 (I don’t remember exactly)
GPA last 45: Around a 3.9

Vet Experience (at time of VMCAS)
40 hours at 1 general equine practice
240 hours Small animal

Animal Experience

200 hours foal watch
13 hours random things with horses like showing for 4-H students to judge and grooming horses for a therapeutic riding center
90 hours food animals (lab classes)
6 hours exotics (lab class)
1000 hours Horse Show Team
480 Dog Rescue

Work Experience

Secretary
Tutor

Extracurriculars/Community Service

600 hours Mission trips
I did so many different community service events all that were like from 4-6 hours each that I don’t want to list them all but they totaled around 130 hours

Leadership

For 1 year I had a leadership position with the Horse Show Team

Awards

President’s Honor List (multiple times)
Dean’s List (multiple times)
Magna Cum Laude
Research Presentation
Gamma Sigma Delta Honors
Golden Key International Honour Society
Honors College Scholarship
Honors College
Math Award (High School)
Honor Roll (High School)
Economics Award (High School)
CSF Sealbearers (High School)

Research

160 hours with horses it was my senior research project (so I worked on my own for most of the project)

Letters of Recommendation

My advisor for my research project/professor
A professor
A professor/veterinarian

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

First time applicant, 21, MA resident
Applied: Tufts, UPenn, Illinois
Interviewed: Tufts
Still waiting: Upenn
Rejected: Illinois
Accepted: Tufts

Academics
BS double major in Chemistry and Biology at Brandeis University (2012)
GPA: 3.6
Science GPA: 3.5? Almost all of my classes are science so depends on which pre-reqs were counted.
GRE: Q:730 V:550 Writing: 4.5
Justice Brandeis Scholar, Physical Science Scholar

Vet/Animal/Research/Medical Experience (@ time of app)
40 hours vet assistant at SA/exotics clinic
250 hours wildlife at the Boston Museum of Science Live Animal Center (I took the North American porcupine out for live animal shows! )
30 hours volunteer at the Boston MSPCA
(^ these three were all done during the same summer in addition to working at the lab)
600 hours as undergrad researcher in an inorganic chemistry lab at Brandeis
600 hours as an office assistant for an internal medicine doctor

Since app (mentioned at interview)- 40+ hours at an animal nutrition lab studying diabetes in Nile rats at Brandeis.

Other things:
320 hours as camp counselor
2 years as Undergraduate Chemistry Department Representative at Brandeis
2 years as Brandeis American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapter Officer
Volunteer at a local science museum designing a new chemistry exhibit/station, and running chemistry out-reach programs
Participate in art shows, craftsmanship competitions, and do art commissions (wrote an essay about this for Tufts)
From high school:
Girl Scout Silver Award
Participated in every band at my school (concert, marching, pep, jazz etc) playing saxophone and piano

Personal Statement
Focused on chemistry applications in vet med, and showed interest in wildlife and public education

LORs
DVM from SA clinic
PI from Inorgo chem lab
Biology Professor

Originally Posted by lux0r

I have never seen the show Jersey Shore; I am okay about that.

Nice! This is a good quality to have!

I take pride in that I've never seen an episode of:
The Real World
Jersey Shore
Desperate Housewives
90210 (old or new)
Lost
True Blood

And I've never watched any of the Twilight movies...and never will.

Originally Posted by ARC99

Nice! This is a good quality to have!

I take pride in that I've never seen an episode of:
The Real World
Jersey Shore
Desperate Housewives
90210 (old or new)
Lost
True Blood

And I've never watched any of the Twilight movies...and never will.

I am the kind of person who can live w/o TV for very long periods of time...and when I do watch TV normally it is A&E ( hoarders, intervention, other depressing shows) or documentaries...but I am sad to admit that I LOVE Jersey Shore...LOVE it...and here is my theory why: its a love/hate thing...everyone on the show is the POLAR opposite of me and their lifestyles are also the POLAR opposite of mine...I envy their carefree nature and lack of responsibility but know that deep down inside like all reality show celebrities they are/will be miserable...I think Snooki is adorable, and its meatballs like her that let me know sometimes the only to deal with something is have a drink and just not give a s***.

Originally Posted by ARC99

Nice! This is a good quality to have!

I take pride in that I've never seen an episode of:
The Real World
Jersey Shore
Desperate Housewives
90210 (old or new)
Lost
True Blood

And I've never watched any of the Twilight movies...and never will.

I am in the same boat as you! Will never watch any of the above.
You can also throw in.. Keeping up with the Kardashians.... my sister watches that show and just hearing it in background makes me...

Originally Posted by ARC99

Nice! This is a good quality to have!

I take pride in that I've never seen an episode of:
The Real World
Jersey Shore
Desperate Housewives
90210 (old or new)
Lost
True Blood

And I've never watched any of the Twilight movies...and never will.

Hmm. Hard to take pride in not doing something, as it is impossible to know it was worthwhile not to do it. Sort of a conundrum, no?

While I have not seen several of those shows, I do find that when I am disdainful of what others find enjoyable, I often find that, in the end, I was the ignorant one.

[/end preachy old man talk]

Originally Posted by ARC99

Nice! This is a good quality to have!

I take pride in that I've never seen an episode of:
The Real World
Jersey Shore
Desperate Housewives
90210 (old or new)
Lost
True Blood

And I've never watched any of the Twilight movies...and never will.

I feel as though I have brought this thread off topic. My bad. I just think sometimes you can tell a lot about a person beyond GPA, LOR, and animal experience.

.

Second time applicant, 27 years old, Female, Texas resident.

BS in Animal Science from TAMU, 2005.
Masters of Agriculture in Agriculture Education (in the discipline of Extension Education) with a focus on Youth Leadership & Development, TAMU, 2008.
Texas Teacher’s Certification in Secondary Agricultural Science, 2010. (also at…wait for it…TAMU!)

First round- Applied and Rejected from TAMU in 2008

Second round-

Applied: Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Western U, Ross
Rejected: TAMU
Interviewed: Mississippi State,Western U, Ross
Accepted: Mississippi State, Ross
Waiting on: Western
Attending: Mississippi State!

Cum GPA: 3.22
Math & Science: Ranges from 2.86 (thanks TAMU) to 3.3
Last 45 hours: 3.4
GRE: V570, Q470, A4.5

Veterinary Experience:
6000+ hours at a privately owned, rural, mixed-practice clinic. I wear many hats- receptionist, kennel tech, surgery tech, exam assistant, & pharmacy tech, plus maintain inventory, maintain the financial aspects (aka “run the books”), chase clients down for money, be a personal assistant to my boss and a baby sitter for her kids….We’re a small place with just two vets, me, and three college guys. It’s exhausting and I love every single day.

Animal Experience:
-5,000 hours on family’s Limousin cattle ranch with livestock & pets of all species.
-25,000 hours with showing 26 steers/heifers all over the freakin’ state of Texas for 11 years. I swear it’s not an exaggeration.
-500 hours training 3 Australian Cattle Dogs for obedience, agility, & Canine Good Citzen. Also incorporating American Sign Language to train a deaf ACD puppy that I raised from birth.
-Also certified in Bovine Artificial Insemination

Employment:
-Agriculture science student teacher at large, urban high school in the Houston area. I was in charge of planning & implementing lessons for 5 humongous classes of floral design, animal science, intro to vet tech, & food technology, in addition to being a coach/advisor for a competitive Floriculture team that traveled the state. (I didn’t- and still don’t- know a damned thing about flowers.)
-Intern at Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo during Junior Breeding Beef Heifer week in 2007 rodeo season
-Customer Service Rep at large local feed store/cooperative that sold everything from pet supplies to chicken feed, horse tack to cattle vaccines.
-Waitress at umpteen different restaurants over an 8-year period.
-Emergency Admissions at TAMU Small Animal Hospital. Was basically a liaison between clients & on-callvet students during emergency hours .

eLORs:
-The 2 veterinarians I work for at the clinic I’ve been with for 4+ years
-The Dean of Student Admissions for the College of Agriculture @TAMU- he started out judging my cattle at steer/heifer shows across the state when I was kid and then became my professor & advisor in college.

Extracurriculars/CommunityActivities: (I felt really weird about listing the HS stuff; I’ve been out for 10 years…but VMCAS said include it.)

-Varsity Cheerleader Squad (3years)
-Marching/Symphonic Band as 1st-chair flute (all-district, all-region, & all-area bands; UIL solo & ensemble)(4 years)
-Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority
-Saddle & Sirloin Club
-Briggs Residence Hall Council
-Sigma Alpha Alumni Association
-Agricultural Education Grad Student Society
-North American Limousin Foundation

Honors/Awards: (again, a little weird with the HS stuff. I feel old.)
-Graduated 3rd in HS class
-National Honor Society
-Most Improved Band Member (1999)
-Most Outstanding Band Member(2002)
-Most Outstanding 4-H Member(2002)
-Who’s Who Among American High SchoolStudents (2002)
-Educational Excellence Award (2001, 2002)
-Robertson County Scholar
-Robertson County Fair Queen candidate (2001)
-Distinguished Student Award (TAMU, Summers 2003, 2004, 2009)

My story is long & complex, and I’m not going to go into great detail about it, but let’s just say I took the long way around to get to vet school. I started college with no Plan B- vet school was THE PLAN. Got a little lost along the way when faced with OChem 2, got lost again in grad school, then figured it out when I got a job at a clinic. Applied, got rejected, got depressed, and got lost again. Thought I’d give teaching a try, but I soon realized I just needed to pull my head out of my @$$ and get to work on those last two physics & biochem classes. I don’t have a 4.0 nor did I get a 1600 on the GRE, but my life was filled with animals from the day I was born (I'm totally serious- my mom went into labor withme at the Houston Livestock Show when she & my dad were there showing their Limousin bulls). I always knew that vet medicine was where I wanted to be. I took the long way to get here, but now I think I’m more appreciative of the opportunity than if I’d applied/been accepted right after undergrad when I was only 21. I’m also incredibly thankful for the schools that looked at ME and not just my numbers. (*cough* TAMU, I’m lookin’ at you *cough*)

Moral of my story- don’t give up and don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone when applying! I have lived in the shadow of TAMU all my life, and I never thought I'd go anywhere else....but with 250 credit hours of college coursework, there was no way I would EVER be able to increase my GPA enough to get TAMU's attention. Retaking a class or two wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket. So be brave and open your mind to other possibilities when you pick which schools to send your application to! You'll be glad you did.

Originally Posted by jalyndani

Second time applicant, 27 years old, Female, Texas resident.

BS in Animal Science from TAMU, 2005.
Masters of Agriculture in Agriculture Education (in the discipline of Extension Education) with a focus on Youth Leadership & Development, TAMU, 2008.
Texas Teacher’s Certification in Secondary Agricultural Science, 2010. (also at…wait for it…TAMU!)

First round- Applied and Rejected from TAMU in 2008

Second round-

Applied: Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Western U, Ross
Rejected: TAMU
Interviewed: Mississippi State,Western U, Ross
Accepted: Mississippi State, Ross
Waiting on: Western
Attending: Mississippi State!

Cum GPA: 3.22
Math & Science: Ranges from 2.86 (thanks TAMU) to 3.3
Last 45 hours: 3.4
GRE: V570, Q470, A4.5

Veterinary Experience:
6000+ hours at a privately owned, rural, mixed-practice clinic. I wear many hats- receptionist, kennel tech, surgery tech, exam assistant, & pharmacy tech, plus maintain inventory, maintain the financial aspects (aka “run the books”), chase clients down for money, be a personal assistant to my boss and a baby sitter for her kids….We’re a small place with just two vets, me, and three college guys. It’s exhausting and I love every single day.

Animal Experience:
-5,000 hours on family’s Limousin cattle ranch with livestock & pets of all species.
-25,000 hours with showing 26 steers/heifers all over the freakin’ state of Texas for 11 years. I swear it’s not an exaggeration.
-500 hours training 3 Australian Cattle Dogs for obedience, agility, & Canine Good Citzen. Also incorporating American Sign Language to train a deaf ACD puppy that I raised from birth.
-Also certified in Bovine Artificial Insemination

Employment:
-Agriculture science student teacher at large, urban high school in the Houston area. I was in charge of planning & implementing lessons for 5 humongous classes of floral design, animal science, intro to vet tech, & food technology, in addition to being a coach/advisor for a competitive Floriculture team that traveled the state. (I didn’t- and still don’t- know a damned thing about flowers.)
-Intern at Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo during Junior Breeding Beef Heifer week in 2007 rodeo season
-Customer Service Rep at large local feed store/cooperative that sold everything from pet supplies to chicken feed, horse tack to cattle vaccines.
-Waitress at umpteen different restaurants over an 8-year period.
-Emergency Admissions at TAMU Small Animal Hospital. Was basically a liaison between clients & on-callvet students during emergency hours .

eLORs:
-The 2 veterinarians I work for at the clinic I’ve been with for 4+ years
-The Dean of Student Admissions for the College of Agriculture @TAMU- he started out judging my cattle at steer/heifer shows across the state when I was kid and then became my professor & advisor in college.

Extracurriculars/CommunityActivities: (I felt really weird about listing the HS stuff; I’ve been out for 10 years…but VMCAS said include it.)

-Varsity Cheerleader Squad (3years)
-Marching/Symphonic Band as 1st-chair flute (all-district, all-region, & all-area bands; UIL solo & ensemble)(4 years)
-Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority
-Saddle & Sirloin Club
-Briggs Residence Hall Council
-Sigma Alpha Alumni Association
-Agricultural Education Grad Student Society
-North American Limousin Foundation

Honors/Awards: (again, a little weird with the HS stuff. I feel old.)
-Graduated 3rd in HS class
-National Honor Society
-Most Improved Band Member (1999)
-Most Outstanding Band Member(2002)
-Most Outstanding 4-H Member(2002)
-Who’s Who Among American High SchoolStudents (2002)
-Educational Excellence Award (2001, 2002)
-Robertson County Scholar
-Robertson County Fair Queen candidate (2001)
-Distinguished Student Award (TAMU, Summers 2003, 2004, 2009)

My story is long & complex, and I’m not going to go into great detail about it, but let’s just say I took the long way around to get to vet school. I started college with no Plan B- vet school was THE PLAN. Got a little lost along the way when faced with OChem 2, got lost again in grad school, then figured it out when I got a job at a clinic. Applied, got rejected, got depressed, and got lost again. Thought I’d give teaching a try, but I soon realized I just needed to pull my head out of my @$$ and get to work on those last two physics & biochem classes. I don’t have a 4.0 nor did I get a 1600 on the GRE, but my life was filled with animals from the day I was born (I'm totally serious- my mom went into labor withme at the Houston Livestock Show when she & my dad were there showing their Limousin bulls). I always knew that vet medicine was where I wanted to be. I took the long way to get here, but now I think I’m more appreciative of the opportunity than if I’d applied/been accepted right after undergrad when I was only 21. I’m also incredibly thankful for the schools that looked at ME and not just my numbers. (*cough* TAMU, I’m lookin’ at you *cough*)

Moral of my story- don’t give up and don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone when applying! I have lived in the shadow of TAMU all my life, and I never thought I'd go anywhere else....but with 250 credit hours of college coursework, there was no way I would EVER be able to increase my GPA enough to get TAMU's attention. Retaking a class or two wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket. So be brave and open your mind to other possibilities when you pick which schools to send your application to! You'll be glad you did.

Congrats!!!! It's good to see someone with stats similar to mine getting in... it gives me hope!!!! Thank you for posting!!!!

jalyndani... your story is very inspirational. Thank you for sharing your stats!

Jaylindani, you ARE an inspiration!! So so happy you got into Miss!! Fellow teachers turned vet hopefuls unite!!! Hahaha

Third time non-traditional applicant, 29 years old, female, Indiana resident

Applied: Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, VMRVC, and Purdue
Interviewed: Purdue
Rejected: Everywhere else
Accepted: PURDUE!!!!

Academics:
B.S. Wildlife Management – Purdue University 2005
M.S. Biology – IUPUI 2011

Overall GPA: Drumroll please J 3.04
Science GPA: ~3.2 - I honestly don’t know – depends on what you use
Last 45: 3.27
Graduate GPA: 3.2
GRE: 520 (V), 690 (Q), 4.5 (A)

Vet Experience:
- 3500 Hours – Animal Shelter – worked in receiving, foster care coordinator, behavior technician, did basic PE and gave vax, performed euthanasia, administered medications
- 1200 hours – Small animal private practice – started as assistant with very little experience – worked part time and weekends – client education, drawing blood, administering injections and vax, monitored during surgery, assisted with xray, conducted dental cleanings, basic restraint

Animal Experience:
- Horseback riding instructor
- Marine mammals volunteer at local zoo
- Therapy horse handler at hippotherapy clinic
- Microchip event volunteer
- Guinea pig rescue – I have a small rescue – take guinea pigs in from local animal care and control and owner surrenders, rehabilitate when necessary and find them adoptive homes
- Pet sitting business
- Zoo Education Department Internship – program animal handling
- Zoo Education Department Educator – was hired after internship
- Salmon fishing crew – worked on a salmon fishing boat for 2 summers in Alaska
- Teaching assistant for bird identification lab during undergrad
- Deer check station volunteer – helped collect data on deer – age, weight, ect
- Horse farm – work on family owned horse farm
- Rabbit trapping research – trapped and tagged rabbits during undergrad research
- Wildlife handling techniques – undergraduate degree had a number of classes where we learned to handle wildlife
- Primate census research – Panama City, Panama
- Horse show groom
- Equine 4H
- Horseback riding – I have been riding horses for 20 years (4H, pleasure, and in horse shows)

Employment
- Humane Society – 1.5 years
- Private Practice – vet assistant – 3 years
- Indianapolis Zoo – education department – 1.5 years
- Superior Tutoring – High school chemistry tutor
- Lab assistant in Forestry and Natural Resource Department Genetics Lab
- Catering company server

Honors and Awards
- Agriculture Research Scholarship – Undergraduate independent research project – Affects of Wildlife Education on School Aged Children
- Undergrad Research Grant
- Indiana 4H State Champion x 2 – this was absolutely from when I was very young but figured it was my third time around – what did I had to lose

Community Activities
- Volunteer Committee Chair 2011 and 2012 – I was the chair for a subcommittee for the planning of our local shelters largest fundraiser – I did this during my masters program and received an AMAZING LOR from it and was asked to do it again this year
- American Saddlebred Horse Association Member
- Indiana American Saddlebred Horse Association Member
- International Society for Anthrozoologists Member
- Sand Volleyball Team – one summer
- Microbiology lab volunteer
- Book Club – one year
- 500 Festival Mini Marathon Volunteer 2004, 2005, and 2006
- Indiana State Science Fair Judge 2005
- Regional Science Fair Judge 2005
- Purdue Forestry and Natural Resource Department Genetics Lab Volunteer
- Crisis Center Volunteer – 2003 – 2006
- Purdue Crew Team – freshman year of undergrad


Letters of Recommendation
- Private practice vet – worked with him for 3 years
- Private practice vet – worked with her for about a year
- Biology professor – was one of my graduate course professors – we had a small class with lots of discussion and we did 30 minute presentations – so he got to know me pretty well
- Biology Graduate Department Head – was one of my biology professors – took an undergrad and grad class with him – small class size in the grad class and did big presentation so he knew me well as a student
- Committee member – one of the committee members that worked with me on the local shelter’s largest fundraiser – I can’t say enough about this LOR – she has been involved in the animal welfare community for years and is a huge role model for me – she sent me a copy of the letter she sent and it was amazing
- Personal/Professional – a woman that works at my mother’s farm and I teach riding lessons to her and her daughter



Personal Statement:
I poured my heart and soul into my personal statement this cycle. I knew my GPA was my weakest link and there was nothing I could do about it (too many credits under my belt) – so I had to figure out how to get them to see me even though my GPA was on the low end. I needed them to see what made me different from all the other applicants. I think my PS was one of the ways I did this.

This was my third time applying (second real attempt) and after last year I made some serious changes to my application. A friend with similar academic stats to me got in last year and I didn’t even get an interview – I took that disappointment and decided to look at my application and figure out why she get in and I didn’t – and take from that some steps that were under my control to get noticed the next year. Here are the big changes I made:
- Master’s degree – I entered an accelerated masters program – a pre-professional non-thesis program – I completed 30 graduate biology credit hours in 2 semesters – the goal of the program was to help prepare students for professional schools and show they can handle a difficult course load
- Worked and took on a big volunteer project while in school – I chaired a subcommittee for local shelters largest annual fundraiser
- Updated my eLORs – added new professors – both from my graduate program, one being the head of the graduate biology program – both knew me well as a student
- Worked very hard at personalizing my personal statement – willing to share just PM me

To all those of you with lower GPAs and are non-trads – hang in there – the hard work does pay off – be honest with yourself about your application – ask for feed back from the schools you’ve been rejected from (and be persistent about it) – and then make changes – vet school applications are not just about your grades – its about you as a person and showing that once you’re in vet school you can handle the course load. Be yourself and work your tail off – it can be done!!

1st time applicant, 21 years old, Texas resident

Applied: Texas A&M, Cornell, UPenn, Kansas State, Purdue
Interviewed: Texas A&M, UPenn, Kansas, Purdue
Rejected: Cornell, UPenn
Waitlisted: Kansas, Purdue
Accepted: Texas A&M

Academics:
Major: Biology and Sociology
Cum. GPA: 3.73 (weighted - my undergrad is on the +/- system)
Science GPA: 3.65 (weighted)
Last 45 hrs: around a 3.6 or 3.7 (weighted)
GRE: 760 Q, 650 V, 4.5 W (1410 total)

Veterinary Experience:
120 hours at a small animal practice - internship
~400 hours with same clinic - started as a volunteer, then progressed to a paid vet assistant, then to vet tech

Animal Experience:
over 3000 hours with a local animal shelter
~40 hours with lab animals - undergrad lab class

Research Experience:
Cell Bio Special Studies Lab - 1 semester at undergrad - worked with faculty from Case Western on cystic fibrosis
Summer research at Texas Tech Med School - worked with breast cancer
Special project at undergrad school - set-up, tested, wrote protocols, performed experiments with new qRT-PCR machine - also helped other undergrads understand use of machine

Employment:
Lifeguard ~4 years
Vet assistant/eventual tech - about 6 months
Building Manager (undergrad) - 1 year
Dorm's Cafe employee/manager (undergrad) - 2 yrs.

Extra Curriculars/Honors/Leadership etc.
Will graduate Cum Laude
Alpha Kappa Delta International Honor Society in Sociology early inductee
Dean's list several semesters
Member of Varsity Fencing Team
Lector for dorm mass
Concession Stand commissioner for 3 years
Various other membership roles and community service events

eLORS:
1 veterinarian I work with
Faculty advisor (undergrad)
Lab advisor (undergrad)
Faculty member (undergrad) - I took two courses with her and set up a senior thesis with her as well

Personal Statement:
Started with how I got interested in the profession (through a local rescue shelter) and talked about how my degree plan (science and liberal arts majors) gave me a unique perspective on the science and practice of vet medicine. Also mentioned how being a varsity athlete and carrying two majors gave me valuable skills such as time management and patience that I felt are critical to the profession

This is my favorite thread Its awesome to see people succeed

I happy for everyone who has posted , but I want to especially say thanks to Cypress and jalyndani for posting recently (since I am in a similar applicant pool)... its definitely helping me reassess my application for next year.

... anyways, I cant wait to see more people post here!!!

Well here goes my anonymity...but hopefully this gives hope to other pre-vets with similarly frustrating GPAs...I know this thread helped me a lot as I prepared myself for my second application cycle.

Second time applicant, 25 years old, Female, Massachusetts resident.

Applied: Colorado, Cornell, UC Davis (withdrew), Guelph (withdrew), Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn, Tufts, VMRCVM (withdrew), Washington, Wisconsin
Rejected: Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, Wisconsin
Interviewed: Ohio State, Tufts
Waitlisted: Cornell
Accepted: Ohio State, Tufts
Attending: TUFTS!!

Cum GPA (including Grad School): 3.32
Undergrad GPA: 3.18 (Re-took orgo before my second app cycle…), science/pre-req GPA is pretty comparable since I was a bio major.
Grad (MS) GPA: 4.0
Last 45 hrs (including Grad School): 3.98
GRE: 1320. 610q, 710v, 4.0 AW

Veterinary Experience:
- 80hr farm animal shadowing VMOs
- 1100hrs as a laboratory technician working with mice/lots of benchwork
- 1000hrs veterinary assistant at a small animal/exotics hospital
- 500hrs internship with equine veterinarian

Animal Experience:
- 70hrs wildlife clinic
- 200hrs dog rescue group
- 550hrs therapeutic riding instructor
- 1500hrs horseback riding instructor
- Plus probably 15000+ hours owning and riding horses.

LORS:
- PI
- Equine vet
- Small animal vet
- Undergrad advisor
- Masters advisor
- Biology professor
- Manager from work

I specified different letters for different schools. My undergrad institution prepares a composite letter/committee letter using all the letters, but that was only sent to Cornell and Tufts.

I applied to just Tufts during my first application cycle and I was waitlisted. When I did my file review they told me that the things holding me back were my GPA and my weak performance in chemistry classes overall. I knew I couldn’t do anything to fix my GPA with as many credit hours as I had so I decided the best I could hope for was to retake my worst class (orgo) and do really well. Since then I have gotten an MS (in something unrelated to vet med) with a 4.0 GPA, retaken orgo and gotten an A both semesters, and gotten farm animal experience. I applied to 12 schools this cycle in the hopes that I would increase my odds and never ever have to do this again - and I don’t!!

3rd time applicant, 24 year old female, Illinois resident
1st application cycle: Applied and waitlisted at U-Penn and Illinois as a PA resident
2nd application cycle: Applied and rejected from Illinois, still a PA resident

Applied, Interviewed, Accepted and Attending: ILLINOIS!!

BS Biology, minor in Psychology
Cumulative GPA: 3.77
Science GPA: 3.64
GRE: Q-730, V-600, W-5.0

Veterinary Experience
- 2000 hours as a vet tech at a cats only clinic
- 2250 hours working as a medical staff member at the local humane society
- 50 hours volunteering at U-Penn’s equine NICU
- 600 hours working for a PhD student doing nutrition research with dairy calves
- 15 hours shadowing large animal vets at UIUC
- Attended Tuft’s Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program

Animal Experience
- 260 hours as an Education Ambassador Extern at the Philadelphia Zoo

Other Work Experience
- Tutored Math at my undergrad for a year
- Worked at 2 retail stores in high school and undergrad

Honors
- Inducted into Alpha Chi and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies for academic performance
- Made Dean’s List every semester
- Won various debate awards in high school
- Won Best Student in Chemistry in high school

Community Activity
- Was in Pre-Medical Society for all 4 years of undergrad, served as Student Government Representative sophomore year and co-founded a Pre-Veterinary Sub-group my junior year (we didn’t have enough members to make our own group) and served as vice chair
- Donated blood
- Debate team in high school - was co-captain my senior year

LOR – two from vets I worked with in private practice, one from my academic advisor who also taught three classes I took in undergrad, one from a former vet at the shelter I work at, and one from the medical supervisor at the shelter.

I hope this shows that persistence pays!

Originally Posted by LittleWiz

jalyndani... your story is very inspirational. Thank you for sharing your stats!

Originally Posted by jemappellejane

Jaylindani, you ARE an inspiration!! So so happy you got into Miss!! Fellow teachers turned vet hopefuls unite!!! Hahaha

Originally Posted by Virginger

This is my favorite thread Its awesome to see people succeed

I happy for everyone who has posted , but I want to especially say thanks to Cypress and jalyndani for posting recently (since I am in a similar applicant pool)... its definitely helping me reassess my application for next year.

... anyways, I cant wait to see more people post here!!!

Y'all don't give up on your dreams. I'm not perfect, I'm not a genius. I've had my ups and downs. I'm just me, and I've known all my life that this is what I wanted. There is something special about you that a school will finally recognize. Keep up the hard work.

2nd time applicant, 23 years old, Texas resident

Applied: Texas A&M, UF, Auburn, Michigan State, LSU
Interviewed: Texas A&M, UF, Auburn, (MSU doesn't interview)
Rejected: LSU
Waitlisted: UF and Auburn
Accepted: Texas A&M

Academics:
Major: Zoology
Cum. GPA: 3.60 (weighted - my undergrad is on the +/- system)
Science GPA: 3.38 (weighted)
Last 45 hrs: around a 3.4 (weighted)
GRE: 670Q, 580V, 4.5 W (1250 total)

Veterinary Experience:
1200 Small aninal clinics
300 Specialty practice
10 Equine
10 Zoo

Animal Experience:
1000 hrs kennel, pet sitting, zoo stuff...
300 Lab animal

Research Experience:
300-400 in animal behavior resulting in 2 papers (unpublished because of data incongruencies, but written in publishable format)


Employment:
Vet assistant- 8 months
Kennel assistant- 8 months
Advertising firm admin 4 months

Extra Curriculars/Honors/Leadership etc.
A LOT.
President Pre-vet club
VP pre-vet club
Zoology student board
Chem student board
Mentor
Mortar Board
scientific honoraries
And lots more...

eLORS:
3 vets
(I have one from my prof, but I didn't use it)

Personal Statement:
anecdotes and what I wanted to do with my degree.

jalyndani, ponio, and everyone else- congrats! This is so awesome. I'm glad schools were able to see past numbers!

1st time applicant, 19 years old @ time of application, Virginia resident

Applied, accepted, attending: Michigan State (OOS)

Academics: all @ time of application
Degree: Animal Science BS- animal biology and preveterinary expected May 2012
Cum. GPA: 3.69
Science GPA: 3.59
Last 45 hrs: 3.69
GRE: 720Q, 480V , 4.5 W (1200 total)

Veterinary Experience: all @ time of app
2500+ hr Small animal hospital
50 hr large animal (equine, swine, small ruminant)
~5 hr shadowing an IM specialist

Animal Experience: all @ time of app
Don't remember what I reported, but in the thousands of hours for small animal
<100 hr of exotics
<100 hr cattle (dairy and beef)

Research Experience:
None! Not the lab rat type. I'm too bubbly to be in a lab. I'd probably break things...

Employment: @ time of app
Vet assistant- 4 years
Kennel assistant- 1 year (promoted to vet assistant)
Resident hall system receptionist at MSU

Extra Curriculars/Honors/Leadership etc.
High school valedictorian
Many science awards in high school, including senior science award
High school science fair- won 1st and 2nd place for two years, went to county fair for two years and got first place one year, and went to VA state fair one year
Prevet club at MSU
MSU's Honors College + $24,000 scholarship
Deans List every semester
Volunteer at a therapeutic riding program (did it even though I am very allergic to horses. I love working with special needs children.)
Fostered a hit and run stray for a few months, raised over $1000 to pay for his bone-set surgery, and eventually amputation (). Found him a nice home.

eLORS:
2 vets that I have worked with for 5 years. One vet I knew very well and we worked very well together. We have a very good friendship and her partner is my best friend. I think she definitely wrote a good letter for me. The other vet- no clue. She is a very fun vet and I really enjoy working with her, too. I guess she felt the same?
1 from my advisor. He let me read his recommendation. Kind of generic, but hit on some good points that stood out in my app.

Personal Statement:
Pretty awesome, if you ask me (and my professional development professor who uses it as an example for his classes must think so, too). I described why I want to be a veterinarian through my unique experiences in vet med- I highlighted those "so that's why I need to be a vet" moments. If you would like to read it, I will send it to you!

I applied to vet school after only being in college for one year. I think my maturity stood out when I met with the associate dean of admissions many times (kind of like an interview), so being young really did not matter. However, since applying, my grades have improved and my vet and animal experience has increased in breadth and depth. I worked at a multi specie farm over the summer and performed many of the veterinary procedures (ethical, IDK, it was a farm). Any other youngin's thinking about applying to vet school "early", shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

1st time applicant, 23 years old, Female, Texas resident

Applied: Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Mississippi State
Interviewed: Texas A&M, Kansas, Mississippi
Rejected: None so far
Waitlisted: Mississippi (declined position)
Still Waiting: Oklahoma (but will be declining soon)
Accepted: Texas A&M, Kasnas State

Attending: Texas A&M!!!


Academics:
B.S. Interdisciplinary Agriculture, Animal Science/ Pre-Vet Emphasis, with Honors/Honors Program May 2011
Cum. GPA: 3.37 (A&M), ranges from 3.4-3.5 at other schools
Science GPA: 3.42 (A&M), ~3.5 something at other schools depending on what's counted (a few C's in Orgo. 2, Cell Bio, Genetics, and Physics 1-- all retaken and gotten B's in except for Organic 2 but that's a whole different story entirely )
Last 45 hrs: around a 3.35-3.45
GRE: 1st time: 430 V 600 Q, 4.0 A/// 2nd time: 600 V 670 Q, 4.0 A//3rd time: 560 V, 560 Q, 5.0 A

Veterinary Experience:
100 hours shadowing small animal vet summer before college
300 hours as a volunteer at a small animal clinic in college
~4000 hours as a vet assistant/technician/receptionist/whatever other position i'm in that day at the same vet clinic I started as a volunteer at
50 hours as a vet assistant on Mobile Farm Calls

Animal Experience:
100 hours + Personal pet ownership (TMDSAS said we can mention up to 100 hours)
~2000 hours volunteering at a family farm with chickens, goats, and horses.
800 hours pet sitting dogs, cats, birds, hedgehog, and other pocket pets (only counted hours caring for pets with medical needs)
100 hours volunteering at the humane society in my hometown
2 hours administering vaccines and trimming goat hooves for Animal Science class
200 hours volunteering at the animal shelter by my undergrad
500 hours as a Weekend/Holiday Kennel manager-- in charge of kennel duties after hours
30 hours Giving Sub-Q fluids to a client's dog with Kidney failure after hours/weekends
4 hours Palpating steers and heifers for Repro class

Research Experience:
300 hours-- Animal behavior research project on the Foraging behavior/success of Black Vultures
75 hours-- Microbiology independent research project on the Identification/Isolation of Bacteria found in the human gut

Employment:
Fuddruckers-- Parlor associate during highschool (I'm a milkshake master )
My other employment is all vet related

Extra Curriculars/Honors/Leadership etc.
Graduated with Honors/Honors Program
Honors Program/College Member
Honor's Scholarship all 4 years
Greater Texas Foundation Scholarship
Dean's List a few semesters
Outstanding Undergraduate in Animal Science-- 3 years (Got my name published in the Journal of Animal Science)
Letts-Hopper Endowed Scholarship
Houston Livestock show & Rodeo Scholarship
McCaffety Electrec Endowed Scholarship
Dorm Council Event Coordinator
Intramural Soccer Team (Grass Kickers) Assistant Captain
Regular Blood Donor
El Paso Lighthouse for the Blind/Blind Buddies Volunteer (my mom's visually impaired so I always helped with events she participated in)
ExLinAg (freshman agriculture group)
Chi-Alpha Christian Fellowship member
Pre-Vet Society
Alpha Lambda Delta
SHAMOS-- Pre-med club
ISFM-- International Student Friendship Ministry
Block & Bridle club-- Animal Sci. club
Delta Tau Alpha - Nat'l Ag honor society
National Society of Leadership and Success
Golden Key International Honor Society
Relay for life
SHSU Alumni member
FFA ( 2 years in High School)
Pre-Med Club (3 years in High School)
NHS
Mentioned that I love doing jigsaw puzzles, and I sometimes give them as gifts to people in frames
Also mentioned that I still play the flute time to time
And I mentioned that I take care of my mom (she's visually impaired and has other medical issues) my OTHER job

I have a ton of community service hours that I'm not going to put in here as this is getting long enough

eLORS:
2 vets I work for-- Husband/Wife team did one combined letter
Undergraduate Advisor/ Ag Department Chair/ Professor
Former Biology teacher

Personal Statement:
Started out with my first experience with Parvo and how the dog was having a major blowout on the table and the vet and technician took off and left me there with the dog while is was happening. Then I talked about how I've grown education wise and professionally. I talked about how I've learned from the vets I work with and the type of vet I would like to become. My current interests in vet med and possible future interests and things I want to accomplish with my DVM (like giving back via a scholarship/mentorship as was given to me as an undergrad)

So that's about it in a nutshell... I'm still extremely shocked. I though this cycle was going to be my "practice" one. I was only shooting for an interview at at least one place. I never thought I'd get interviews everywhere and have a choice in schools. Moral of the story: Don't let lower GPA's scare you... It can be done! Keep at it and you'll accomplish your dream. PM if you have any questions

Originally Posted by BearKat17

Employment:
Fuddruckers-- Parlor associate during highschool (I'm a milkshake master )

I love Fuddruckers and have for a long time. I couldn't pronounce it when I was young, so you could imagine what I called it.

Originally Posted by psilovethomas

I love Fuddruckers and have for a long time. I couldn't pronounce it when I was young, so you could imagine what I called it.

haha! I loved it too.. until I worked for them. Then I got burnt out lol

1st time applicant, 25 years old, female, Colorado resident, non-traditional

Applied: Cornell, Tufts, UPenn, CSU, Davis
Interviewed: Tufts, UPenn, Davis (but withdrew application before interview)
Rejected: CSU
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, UPenn
Attending: Cornell!!

Academics:
BA in Psychology, Minor in Italian (2008)
2 years of post-bac (finishing currently)
Cum. GPA: 3.86
Science/Last 45 hours: 3.99
GRE: 720 q, 730 v, 5.0 W

Veterinary experience:
2200 in small animal ER- 300 as tech assistant, 1800 reception
85 shadowing equine vet
~1000 in vet clinic at humane society- 250 reception, 750+ taking care of shelter animals (this was technically considered vet experience because it was under the supervision of a veterinarian)
200 working as an assistance at a mixed animal practice
75 shadowing at small animal clinic

Animal experience:
Foster volunteer- lots of hours, can't remember off the top of my head
Honors thesis research- I did my thesis in neuroscience with rats, so all those hours counted as animal experience (500+)
Shelter volunteer- again, lots of hours at many different shelters...

Employment:
Research assistant in a psychology lab
Summer intern at an investment bank
Peer writing tutor at my undergrad institution

Other/Honors:
Phi beta kappa, summa cum laude (undergrad)
Alpine ski racer on international circuit
pre-vet club treasurer
pre-vet club president
Dean's list (or equivalent... depends whether we're talking about undergrad or post-bac) all semesters
For fun: cooking, boxing, acting

Letters of recommendation:
VMCAS:
2 vets- these ones knew me REALLY well- I felt like they could honestly speak to my strengths and my weaknesses without making my weaknesses seem like deal-breakers
2 professors- academic advisor and thesis advisor
Cornell wanted letters to back up all my experiences, so I was lucky enough to have someone from each experience write me a letter. They didn't all necessarily know me that well, but I kept up a good relationship with them so that when the time came, it wasn't as awkward as it would have been otherwise

Personal Statement:
I agonized over this. I decided to go with a different, more "dramatic" approach than the usual one that they recommend. Basically, I told a story (it was a sad story) and tied in my different vet experiences to explain how everything had come together to help me overcome my fears of euthanasia/death/dying and why that made me a better candidate than someone who had never confronted those fears. I think it was a really risky approach, and unless you can make a good case for having gotten past a fear or a weakness, I wouldn't recommend centering your personal statement on it. I guess it must have worked for most of the schools, but I know for a fact that CSU (who rejected me) was slightly unnerved by it. I don't know... it's hard to balance describing your passion and dedication honestly while trying not to get too personal.

Originally Posted by psilovethomas

Research Experience:
None! Not the lab rat type. I'm too bubbly to be in a lab. I'd probably break things...

I used to be super bubbly and silly and working in a lab tore me down, but perhaps helped me grow up a bit? And I used to work with Zebrafish and I would knock fish tanks over with my butt. With fish in them.

But Congrats again!

2nd time applicant, 22 female, PA resident

1st cycle:
Applied: Penn, Tufts, UGA, VAMD, Glasgow
Rejected: VAMD
Interviewed: Penn, Tufts, Glasgow
Waitlisted: Penn (#2 on IS list), Tufts, Glasgow, Georgia

2nd cycle:
Applied: Penn, Tufts, Glasgow, Illinois, Wisconsin, CSU, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Missouri
Rejected: CSU, Wisconsin, Auburn (post interview), Penn (post interview), Missouri, Tufts
Interviewed: Glasgow, Penn, Auburn, Illinois
Waitlisted: Oklahoma State, Illinois
Accepted: Glasgow, OK State (off wait list), Illinois (off wait list), Penn (just as shocked as you all are)
Attending: Penn

Academics
Graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a Chem Minor in May 2011
cumGPA: 3.53
Science GPA: 3.56-5.61 depending on the school (for Auburn it was a 3.42 because they just look at Physics and O Chem)
Last 45th: 3.75
GRE: 1st test: 550 V, 650 Q. 4.5 A
2nd test: 440 V, 670 Q, 5 A
So my score is 1200-1220 depending on whether or not the school looked at best section or best overall test

Veterinary Experience
~300 SA (at time of application, updated schools that allowed it throughout the process and currently have around 1000 hours). Most of this is with a humane society so I have a good bit of experience in low income/shelter like medicine.
8 hours shadowing a veterinary neurologist (mentioned this in interviews)
~50 hours shadowing an Equine vet (notified schools that accepted updates after VMCAS submitted)

Animal Experience
30 hours volunteering at a stable that gave riding lessons to people/children with disabilities
150 hours as a zoo keeper intern-> worked mainly with penguins, snakes and turtles
~100 lab animal (just mice and rats and involved mainly cleaning and feeding)
I also have several hundred hours pet sitting which I didn't include because I'm an idiot.

Other Employment
1000+ hours as lab assistant (PT job throughout undergrad)
~2000 hours as a life guard

Extracurriculars
Club swim team (all 4 years)
Club field hockey team (3 years)
Year abroad in Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Spring Break Outreach 08 and 09 (week long service program)
Spring Break Outreach Concert Committee Member
High School Swimming
High School Field Hockey
Band (4th-12th grade...planning on including next time I apply)
Pit Orchestra (2 years, including next time I apply)
Newcastle Swimming and Water Polo team
Newcastle Ambassador (attending info sessions and talked specifically to science majors considering to go abroad to Newcastle)

Awards/ Honors Societies
Dean's List 09-11
Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society
AP Scholar w/ Honor
Principal's 4.0 Award
All American Academic Award
Young Poet's Award- 2nd place
National Honor Society
National Latin Honor Society
Award for Educational Excellence
Girl Scout Silver Award
National Junior Society

eLors
2 veterinarians: 1 shadowed/lived with for a week and the other is the one I currently work for
1 professor: my academic advisor and I prepped labs for him throughout undergrad
my lab manager/boss for my lab assistant job

1st application cycle I used one of the same vets, a different professor and a different lab manager

Personal Statement
I actually didn't tweak mine a whole lot from the previous year because I got positive feedback but I did change it up a little bit. I didn't use any veterinary related experiences in my statement though. I used other life experiences to show why I was a good candidate. I also had several friends (one's a writing major and is known for destroying essays) to read over them for suggestions and weak spots.

If anyone wants more info, feel free to PM me. I have no problem with giving more specifics. Hoping I didn't forget anything.


ETA: For future applicants or people reapplying, if you notice, I got rejected from Penn and then accepted after I pursued a filed review. From doing one, people felt there was some serious miscommunication that happened, and clarification resulted in me being offered admission. Moral of the story, DO FILE REVIEWS!!!! Last year I waited to do them until later in the summer, which didn't allow me to the time to change some things for this past application cycle, which might have increased my chances at some other schools. If I had put it off like I did last year, I doubt my comments during my file review would have been given a second look. Crazy things can happen. Obviously, this is an unusual situation, but they really are helpful in letting you understand how adcoms look at your application. And if you feel like they're not telling you helpful information, don't be afraid to push them for specifics. It will only help you out.

I am so happy to finally post here. I just heard back from my last school. So I couldn't have done this without this forum and this amazing community. This thread gave me so much help last year when I was applying, and I hope my stats will help someone this coming cycle. Here goes my anonymity...

1st time applicant, 22, female, NJ resident (OOS everywhere )

Applied: 15 schools; Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina, Penn, Ohio, Washington, Wisconsin, Tufts, VMRCVM, Louisiana
Rejected: Colorado, NCSU, Penn, Washington
Interviewed: Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Tufts, Auburn (declined), Illinois (declined), Minnesota (declined), VMRCVM (declined)
Waitlisted: Louisiana (pre-interview), Wisconsin (no interview), Florida (post-interview)
Accepted: Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Tufts
Attending: Ohio State


Academics
-B.S. in biology (conc. marine/environmental) w/ minors in chemistry and psychology from small private school in NJ (aka, not Rutgers. Lol)
cGPA: 3.76 from undergrad, 3.74 included some college courses taken in high school
sGPA: 3.5-3.8 depending on the school (won't even consider Auburn's horrendous method of calculating sGPA using organic and physics. Hehe)
Last 45: 3.75-3.9 (yay Kansas!)
GRE: 1300 cumulative, 740 Q, 560 V, 4.0 AW (only took 1 time, used Kaplan's online prep course halfheartedly)

Other stuff: had 4 W's on my app (3 explained away due to illness, 1 during a summer. It was a science course that I later retook). Had one D+ (retook and got an A-. I was asked about this only in my Kansas interview, and they must have been okay with my answer because they accepted me!). Had 2 C+ in science courses. I had a 4.0 my first 2 semesters, went slightly down to a bad-ish semester my junior year when taking 20 credits, and then went back up to straight A's my senior year. I think this definitely helped my case, and it is one of the reasons that I put off applying a year and took a gap year.)

Awards/Honors:
-highest GPA award first semester (4.0/4.0)
-graduated magna cum laude
-graduate of honors school
-departmental honors in biology
-marine biology achievement award (marine biology major or conc. graduating w/ highest GPA)
-best undergrad talk (oral pres. at regional conference)
-jane freed award (best undergrad thesis proposal for my research--came w/ a $1000 check )
-dean's award of excellence (3rd place on poster presentation at school research conference)
-couple of school-specific scholarships
-academic scholarship from school (merit-based)
-bunch of honor societies that have no purpose : alpha epsilon delta, omicron delta kappa, psi chi, beta beta beta
-dean's list a bunch of times

Veterinary Experience
-10 hours equine (shadow)
-910 hours vet tech overnight ER at 100+ doctor GP, specialty, and ER SA private practice (also saw some exotics and wildlife)
-98 hours pre-vet externship at same practice (shadowed in GP, specialty and ER departments)
-90 hours shadowing/assisting vet behaviorist (residency trained, but not board-certified. This was so valuable. All 90 hours was just me, the vet, and the client. Learned a ton about the profession)
-210 hours shelter med (volunteer)
-180 hours shadowing/basic assisting (drawing up vaccines, cleaning, simple restraint, some new puppy visits, etc.)

(Thought my lack of LA hours would really hurt me, but not so much. I made sure to explain at my interviews and in my essays my breadth of experience, even if most of it was technically small animal (shelter vs. huge specialty/referral hospital vs. smaller private practice)

Animal Experience
-30 hours volunteer local CART
-150 hours petsitting (exotics + dogs + cats + medical fosters for SPCA kittens)
-50 hours wildlife rehab (sub-permittee)
-60 hours conference presentations (research, around 12 or so that I listed)
-1000 hours independent research (some for credit, some paid, culminated in thesis. I put this under animal experience because it was under a PhD and involved animals (fish to be exact) based on VMCAS' new rules for this past cycle. Nearly every interview asked about my research experience, so I feel like it was a huge bonus to my application.)
-1800 hours adoption counselor at shelter
-200 hours general volunteer at shelter (dog walking, behavior mod, cat socialization, events, etc.)
-14 hours animal-related seminars
-200 hours employee at aquarium (grossly underestimated. I didn't keep track of these hours so I thought it was better to be safe.)

Other Employment:
-designed and implemented science curriculum at local preschool; editorial, clerical, and secretarial tasks
-peer mentor for school of science
-TA'd freshman biology lab for one semester
-camp counselor way back when

Extracurriculars
-I was a leader in college. Founded a few campus groups (Roots and Shoots chapter, student-faculty teamed sustainability council), held leadership positions in others, and organized campus events frequently. (If anyone wants specifics, feel free to PM.)
-Theater performance, dance and voice classes for a long time
-for high school, the only thing I really listed was Friendship Club (helping special needs peers 1-2x/week. I used this as the basis for my Tufts essay, and I think it turned out really well--they also mentioned it during my interview.)

Stuff that I think helped me stand out and would recommend to anyone looking to boost their application: Strong upward trend in GPA. RESEARCH experience!

Personal statement: I talked about the differences between shelter medicine and private practice and one instance of what happened when my two worlds crashed together. I also had a paragraph about my research experience in there and what a valuable experience it was for me and how it will help me be a better veterinarian.

LORs:
1. Shelter vet
2. Vet behaviorist
3. Adoption manager at shelter
4. PhD professor. She was my academic adviser and my research mentor. Also had her for a couple of courses. This was probably my strongest letter. I have the most amazing relationship with this woman and hope I will find such a great mentor in vet school.
5. Committee letter from my pre-health committee (some schools wouldn't accept it, but I sent it along anyways).

I decided on vet school relatively late (around beginning of junior year, I think) so I spent the last couple of years playing catch up. Please feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

And here's some to SDN.

NStarz signing out...

First time applicant, 22 years old, California resident, female
Applied: Ohio State, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, UC Davis
Apps withdrawn: N/A
Still waiting: UC Davis
Interview: Ohio State, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, UC Davis
Waitlisted: Louisiana, Minnesota
Rejected: Ohio State
Accepted: Illinois, Kansas

Cum GPA @ time of application: 3.69
Last 45 credit hrs: Not sure
Science GPA @ time of application: 3.77
GRE: 1280. 790q, 590v, 4.5 AW

Veterinary Experience:
-1,000 hours working at small animal clinic/hospital
-40 hours dermatology internship at UC Davis
-40 hours food animal intern at UC Davis
- ~40 hours at local vet care for homeless animal owners

Animal Experience:
- 40 hours volunteering at Sacramento Zoo
-Volunteer at local animal shelter

Extracurricular/Community Activities:
- Clarinet/Band

eLORS:
- 2 veterinarians
- 1 professor, PI

Awards and Honors:
- Dean's Honor List multiple quarters

It's totally possible, even if you're not perfect. As evidenced by my less-than-3.5 GPA.

First time applicant, nontraditional, female 23, Louisiana resident

Applied: LSU, OK State, Texas A&M, and Georgia
Rejected: Texas A&M, Georgia
Interviewed: LSU
Waitlisted: OK State
Accepted: LSU
Attending: LSU!

BS in Biology, 2010
Cum GPA: 3.47
LSU required: 3.62
Last 45: 3.56
GRE: 155v, 148q; 303 total for the new scoring system, about an 1120 if you're thinking of the old system

Veterinary experience:
3100 h at time of application working at 2 SA hospitals
A couple of classes taken under a veterinarian requiring hands-on work

Animal experience:
about 3000 hours working with horses and horseback riding camps (every summer and holiday since I was 12)
Owning pets, etc.

Extracurriculars:
Yeah, like none.
Gay Straight Alliance freshman and sophomore year
Habitat for Humanity junior and senior year
AED (pre-med society) senior year

eLOR's:
4 vets I worked under
A high school english teacher
My riding instructor from my horseback riding/camp counselor experience

Awards:
Deans List
Scholarships

Personal Statement:
I talked about wanting to go into human medicine, lacking the passion for the profession, and finding my real passion at a veterinary hospital. Then focused on how I had grown as a person since I was in college, i.e., to make up for my GPA.

First time applicant, female, 24, MA resident

Applied: Tufts, Penn, Auburn, Illinois, Tennessee
Interviewed: Tufts, Penn, Auburn, Illinois, Tennessee (declined)
Accepted: Tufts, Penn, Auburn, Illinois
Attending: Tufts!

BS in Biology
Cum GPA: 3.67
Last 45: 3.84
GRE: 720Q, 680V, 4.5W

Veterinary Experience
At time of application-
100 hours shadowing small-animal clinic
20 hours shadowing opthamologist
10 hours at emergency clinic
Update on application-
500+ hours working as tech at small-animal clinic

Animal Experience
45 hours shoveling horse poop
2000+ hours as foster home for rat rescue
70 hours as animal care volunteer at local animal shelter

Research Experience
1000+ hours working as undergrad research assistant in neuroscience lab, I ran rats on mazes... a lot
2000+ hours working as a lab manager, a big part of my job was maintaining our mouse colony

Extracurriculars
Biology/biochemistry tutor
Reading to preschool students

Awards
Dean's List
Cum Laude

ELors
Boss (PhD) from my lab manager position
Veterinarian from shadowing at the small-animal clinic
1 Professor from biochemistry course
1 Professor from graduate-level cell biology course

Personal Statement
How I got to where I was. Why it took me several years to decide I wanted to apply. What I needed to overcome before I committed to veterinary medicine.

Congratulations abbercadaver! LSU is lucky to have you!

Originally Posted by bigkittinteef

Congratulations abbercadaver! LSU is lucky to have you!

Thanks, 'teef. I hope everything works out for you this year, too. You're the best.

Second time New Hampshire 22 year old applicant...

First time around:
Applied: Tufts, Mizzou, Penn, AVC, UTK
Interviewed: UTK
Waitlisted: UTK, Mizzou
Rejected: Tufts, Penn, AVC

Second time around:
Applied: Tufts, Mizzou, Penn, UTK, Washington, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, VMRCVM, Dublin, Edinburgh
Interviewed: Tufts, Mizzou, Washington, UTK (declined interview)
Accepted: Mizzou, Tufts, Edinburgh, Dublin
Waitlisted: Washington, VMRCVM (maybe? on interview waitlist? doesn't matter though!)
Rejected: Penn, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado
Attending: MIZZOU!!!!!

BA in Biology, minor in music at Colby College (small liberal arts college in Maine)
Cum GPA: 3.68
Last 45: 3.93
Science (as calculated by Illinois): 3.5

GRE:
Round 1 - really low I can't remember! 400s V and 500s Q with a 5 writing
Round 2 - 580 V (82%) and 670 Q (63%) with a 5 writing
Round 3 - 560 V and 740 Q with a 4.5 writing (adjusted from new to old scoring)

For all of this stuff, I'm sure I'm going to forget A LOT!

Vet Experience (I'm going to be really brief with all this)
~1500 hours as vet assistant/tech at SA hospitals and no large animal experience at time of app
Since then, gained several hundred hours SA and ~100 hours LA
Going on World Vets trip soon to Ecuador on spay/neuter blitz trip

Animal Experience
Owning animals, volunteering, etc
Not really animal, but a TA for the lab for a class called Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (mostly dissections)

Research
None really, mostly working for two consecutive summers in an environmental impact study lab counting dead fish and fish eggs while inhaling formaldehyde!

Awards
Multiple Dean's List
Graduate cum laude and with distinction in the biology department
Winner of the Symphony Orchestra Prize at Colby College

Involvement
Basically all music groups... orchestra, flute choir, lessons, other various ensembles...

eLORS
1 vet I've worked under for a while
3 professors (1 music, 2 biology)

Personal Statement
Basically why I want to be a vet and what makes me special compared to other applicants! Emphasizing second year applicant, how that gives me perspective and discussing trip to Ecuador with World Vets and the vet I most admire!

23 years old, female, third application, AZ resident

1st cycle:
Applied: Washington State, CSU, UCDavis, Western
Rejected: Washington State, CSU and UCDavis
Interviewed: Washington and Western
Waitlisted: Western (no ranking)

2nd cycle:
Applied: KSU, Ohio State, Western, Mississippi State, Iowa State, and University of Illinois
Rejected: KSU, Ohio, Western, Iowa State and University of Illinois
Interviewed: KSU, Western and Mississippi State
Waitlisted: Mississippi State (would not tell ranking)

3rd Cycle:
Applied: KSU, Mississippi State, Iowa State, UPenn, Washington State, University of Edinburgh, and University of Missouri
Rejected: KSU, Mississippi State, UPenn, and Unviersity of Missouri
Interviewed: KSU, Washington State and Iowa State
Waitlisted: Washington State (no ranks) and Iowa State (will know rank after March 30th)
Accepted: University of Edinburgh
Attending: As of right now, Edinburgh but if I get off either waitlist I will go to that school instead.

Academics:
Graduated with a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in zoology and a Chemistry Minor in May 2010
Cumulative GPA: 3.47
Science GPA: 3.3-3.4 depending on the school
Last 45th: I forgot… somewhere around a 3.6-3.7
GRE: 1st test (7/2007): V: 360, Q: 640, AW: 4.5
2nd test (8/2009): V: 430, Q: 710, AW: 4.5
3rd test (9/2010): V: 480, Q: 650, AW: 4.0
The best test would be 1130 and looking at best section would be an 1190. The verbal section and I had a mutual hatred of each other.

Veterinary Experience
All at time of application:
~7,000 hours as a small animal and pet exotics technician (drawing blood, setting catheters, monitoring anesthesia, etc) This is an extremely low estimate considering I have been doing this for nearly 7 years, I would say 10,000 hours would be a closer approximation but I did not want to over-do it.

Updated after application:
~8 hours with an equine vet just shadowing. Was trying to get back with this vet to do some more hours but their clinic has been really slow and they have not had anything for me to really see.

Animal Experience:
All times are at time of application:
~150 hours spent at a summer camp geared towards kids with an interest in veterinary medicine at the humane society. I did this around the age of 12-13 and some of these experiences are what really lead me to pursue vet med.
~530 hours between the years 2000-2003 volunteering in the cattery of a small animal rescue. Again, a very low number compared to what it probably really was.
~50 hours volunteering with a local rescue close to the university I went to. I did the through the pre-vet club which was a joke and did not continue doing this for very long since I felt working at the vet clinic nearly full time and going to school full time was enough on my plate.
~60 hours volunteering in the reptiles and small mammals sections of the Wildlife World Zoo over winter break one semester.
~120 hours at the humane society volunteering with the horses, goats and the pot-belly pig. I was just doing basic husbandry work but I still learned a lot about horses.


Other Employment
~650 hours as a desk assistant at the freshman dormitory I lived in. I worked graveyard shifts (midnight to 8AM).

Extracurriculars:
High School Bowling team for 2 years and both years the girls team when the state championship. (By the way I suck at bowling; I just happen to get lucky occasionally).
Yearbook Committee in high school
Pre-vet club for about the first two years of college but the pre-vet club at my university sucked so I quit after the second year.


Awards/ Honors Societies
Dean’s List in December of 06, May of 07, December of 08 and May of 09
National Society of Collegiate Scholars awarded in April of 07
Llewellyn R. Pierce Scholarship for academic excellence awarded in July of 07
Grant for Excellence awarded in May of 09 for having great academic achievements my junior year (and by far the most difficult year) of college.

eLors:
1st Year:
2 vets who I had worked with for 4 years
A professor who I had gotten to know well and taught the animal physiology course I had taken

2nd Year:
2 vets who I had worked with for 5 years now
1 vet who I had worked with for 2 years
The same professor mentioned above

3rd Year:
2 vets who I had known for 6 years
2 vets who I was working with at time of application and had known for a little over a year (still working with these two)
The same professor from above


Personal Statement:
1st Year:
I compared bowling to veterinary medicine. It was epic. It worked for some schools. I scratched the idea for the second year, but it was by far a very creative PS.

2nd Year:
I started off the PS with kind of a long story to introduce myself and explain why vet med, etc, etc, etc. It was an ok PS and I got some good reviews by some of the schools on how to make it better.

3rd Year:
I used the same ideas from the PS from the second year but really showed who I was. I put in lots of points about how I am a leader because they told me that was what had been lacking and that it would make my PS stronger. I also cut out the fluff and storytelling because it seemed that in my reviews the schools wanted a straightforward PS without the extras. I also really compared science courses I had taken to vet med and how I have used the knowledge I have gained from these courses to my current job in the veterinary field. I think this really showed them that I realize that vet med is a very science based field.


I know some of you are currently debating applying a second or even third year. I know how hard and emotionally draining this process is, but if it is something you REALLY want: do NOT let ANYTHING stop you! I can’t even count how many times I wanted to bow out and call it quits. I can’t tell how many times I have contemplated if I could even afford to apply again or apply to one more school. Get file reviews! They really help! Iowa really pointed out to me after the second year what my weak points were especially in my essays and PS; I listened to them and I am now waitlisted. Don’t let the rejections get you down too much because you have to be able to get back up, wipe the dirt off and say, “Ok. I AM going to do this.” Be determined, be persistent and it will work out. Soon enough you will be able to look back at the whole application drama and laugh at it; like I did this morning when I opened up my Penn rejection.

i have to say DVMDream your story is SO inspirational -- a true story of how to NEVER give up!

i wish you the best at edinburgh if that is where you end up attending and truly hope that either washington state or iowa will work out for you

Originally Posted by sunnex3

i have to say DVMDream your story is SO inspirational -- a true story of how to NEVER give up!

i wish you the best at edinburgh if that is where you end up attending and truly hope that either washington state or iowa will work out for you

Thanks Sunnex!!

Good Luck at Penn!! You will do awesome!!

First time applicant
21-year-old female
California resident
B.S. in Animal Science, June 2012
Interest: Food Animal Medicine

Applied: Colorado, Cornell, UC Davis, Kansas, North Carolina, UPenn, Wisconsin
Interviewed: Kansas, Davis
Waiting on: UC Davis, UPenn
Accepted: Colorado, Cornell, Kansas, North Carolina, Wisconsin
Attending: Cornell!

Cumulative GPA at time of application: 3.94
Last 45 credit hrs: 4.0
Science GPA at time of application: 3.85ish (didn’t need it)
GRE: 710Q, 590V, 5.5A

Veterinary Experience:
Total hours at time of application: 1367
- 188 equine
- 260 food animal
- 909 small animal
- 10 exotics

Animal Experience:
Total hours at time of application: 9455
- 7618 equine (I rode horses for ten years, worked with them in labs)
- 881 bovine (artificial insemination, calf care, bull reproduction evaluation)
- 533 swine (farrowing, artificial insemination, basic care)
- 270 research (exclusively mice, mostly embryology)
- 69 small animal (I didn’t count owning pets, but I did count dog training)
- 40 poultry (egg gathering, hen care)
- 29 sheep (lambing, lamb and ewe care)
- 15 exotics (eclectus parrot, bearded dragon, and leopard tortoises)

Other jobs:
TA for an animal embryology class
TA for reproductive physiology class
Grader for artificial insemination class

Extracurricular/Community Activities:
Vet Science Club: 2 years on and off
Alpha Zeta: 3 years, treasurer

eLORS:
1. PhD: My advisor, professor of repro class, mentor
2. M.S.: Secondary advisor, worked very closely with on a number of projects throughout my 4 years of college
3. DVM: Large animal vet, veterinary mentor
4. DVM: Professor, supervisor
5. PhD: Ochem professor (full year)
I know most people don’t do as many eLORs as this, but I had a couple backups lined up just in case something fell through. Since some schools made me choose anyway, I chose those I felt would be strongest, which in my case were the first three.

Awards and Honors:
President’s List
Dean's List
Boyle-McOmie Animal Science Scholarship
Thomas M. Parks Equine Scholarship
California Cattlewomen’s Scholarship
Leroy and Jean Rogers Academic Scholarship
American Society of Animal Science Scholastic Achievement Award

High School Awards and Activities:
National Honors Society, Parliamentarian
California Scholarship Federation, Treasurer
AP Scholar with Distinction
Three Sisters Ranch Agriculture Scholarship
Mock Trial
Link Crew
Girl Scout Twilight Camp and Camp Counselor

Personal Statement:
I focused heavily on why I want to work in production animal (especially beef and dairy cattle) medicine for the whole vet aspect of it, but I also talked a lot about how I want to help students gain large animal experience that I had an absolutely horrendous time getting. The dairy vet I worked with was fantastic, and made me fall in love with dairy medicine. I explained how I want to do that for someone else, as I love teaching and I love vet medicine.