Any advice or areas to improve? (not a "what are my chances" thread)

[Brandon Hagar]

Hey everyone!
I feel like I have well built app, for applying to the next cycle in the fall, so I was wondering if there's anything I'm overlooking or overconfident in. (Be as upfront, blunt and critical as you please. I love constructive criticism!)

About me:
Michigan resident (Central Mi Univ. and 1 Semester at N Carolina State Univ.)
Graduating spring '15
Double major- Prevet Med and Speech-Language Pathology,
Minor in Biology
Planning on applying to Michigan State, University of Melbourne, LSU and possibly a few others

Graduating Cumulative GPA- 3.4-3.6 range
Science- 3.45 (could be better but always had positive grade trends)
Last 3 sem GPA- 3.85 (most likely)
Averaged a 15-17 credit class load, along with work and volunteering every semester.

GRE will be taken in the Spring

1. Small Animal Exp- 450-500 hours in a vet clinic and animal boarding facility
   
2. Large Animal Exp- I am currently working at am Equine Clinic as well as an Equine Dental Academy with 500 hours to date.

Volunteer-
100 hours- North Carolina Museum of Natural Science taking care of the living animals (clean, feed, bathe- rabbits, birds, snakes, amphibs, repts, including exotics.
5 Years with a rescue league helping foster, rehabilitate, train and make animal suitable for new home.
4 Years Elementary School kids mentor for 3rd and 4th graders

Research- 100 hours
Helped out professors at NCSU with 2 different trials;
1. Horse Nutritional Study on Fescue overseen by a PhD
2. Goat Nutritional Study on diet in a plot with a supplementation

Attributes-

• Internship during high school at Small and farm animal vet clinic and shadowed for a full year.
  
• Worked at a pet store during high school and college for 6 years
• 3 very good letters of recc. 2 DVMs and 1 boss (possibly a professor)
  
• Took and passed the MSU Veterinary Terminology online course
• Volunteer trip to South Africa working with WWF to help stop poaching of endangered species

Few other random things here and there that I missed, but wouldnt add much to what I already have.
Thank you again everyone!

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[ChittyBang]

This is a typical "what are my chances" type post/question...

 

[Brandon Hagar]

Great advice!

 

[DVMDream]

She is telling the truth... post in what are my chances. People will give advice there. No need to clog up the forum with every thread that asks what are my chances/how do I improve/is there anything I can improve?

 

[Lupin21]

Great advice!

I would also adjust the attitude. That is my advice.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I would also adjust the attitude. That is my advice.

Agreed.

 

[DoctorToby]

Hey everyone!
I feel like I have well built app, for applying to the next cycle in the fall, so I was wondering if there's anything I'm overlooking or overconfident in. (Be as upfront, blunt and critical as you please. I love constructive criticism!)

About me:
Michigan resident (Central Mi Univ. and 1 Semester at N Carolina State Univ.)
Graduating spring '15
Double major- Prevet Med and Speech-Language Pathology,
Minor in Biology
Planning on applying to Michigan State, University of Melbourne, LSU and possibly a few others

Graduating Cumulative GPA- 3.4-3.6 range
Science- 3.45 (could be better but always had positive grade trends)
Last 3 sem GPA- 3.85 (most likely)
Averaged a 15-17 credit class load, along with work and volunteering every semester.

GRE will be taken in the Spring

1. Small Animal Exp- 450-500 hours in a vet clinic and animal boarding facility
   
2. Large Animal Exp- I am currently working at am Equine Clinic as well as an Equine Dental Academy with 500 hours to date.

Volunteer-
100 hours- North Carolina Museum of Natural Science taking care of the living animals (clean, feed, bathe- rabbits, birds, snakes, amphibs, repts, including exotics.
5 Years with a rescue league helping foster, rehabilitate, train and make animal suitable for new home.
4 Years Elementary School kids mentor for 3rd and 4th graders

Research- 100 hours
Helped out professors at NCSU with 2 different trials;
1. Horse Nutritional Study on Fescue overseen by a PhD
2. Goat Nutritional Study on diet in a plot with a supplementation

Attributes-

• Internship during high school at Small and farm animal vet clinic and shadowed for a full year.
  
• Worked at a pet store during high school and college for 6 years
• 3 very good letters of recc. 2 DVMs and 1 boss (possibly a professor)
  
• Took and passed the MSU Veterinary Terminology online course
• Volunteer trip to South Africa working with WWF to help stop poaching of endangered species

Few other random things here and there that I missed, but wouldnt add much to what I already have.
Thank you again everyone!

I know a lot of people are new to this forum, and they think "whats the big deal in creating a new thread" and that "my situation is different/special" but seriously a lot of people here have been through similar situations; I mean, thats why we are all able to ask advice from each other in the first place, right?

But what is comes down to, is that its rude. You, among others, like to add threads all sorts of threads posting stats and asking questions that could have been answered with FIVE minutes of legwork. I lurked on this forum for a long time before I even created an account. And to make sure I wasn't asking unnecessary questions, I would try my best to FIND the ANSWER FIRST in the forum before posting, or definitely before creating a WHOLE THREAD on it.

Look basically, I would lose the attitude, use the search tool at the top right (it is very useful for looking up old threads to find information that is pertinent to your situation) and dedicate some time to looking throughout this forum for people who have similar stats to yours. Look into those schools threads ( LSU, Michgian, etc) and see what people are going through, post in the proper threads and ask questions that well thought out.

Also I'm not perfect, and I've I know for a fact I've probably done something like your doing here to others at some other point in time, but I've never responded sarcastically when asking for help, so I would check that attitude because the people on this forum are your future colleagues... also you have used what looks like your real name on this forum, so theres that....




And your title is wrong. it IS a "what are my chances?" question.

 

[DVMDream]

And your title is wrong. it IS a "what are my chances?" question.

A little searching shows that the OP posted a very similar thread a while back and he got one response. "Post this in the what are my chances thread."

Looks like he waited a while and just now has come back and wants us to be sure this isn't a what are my chances and to get input here. I get it, everyone wants to feel like a special snowflake, but the reality is no one really is. You don't deserve your own thread any more than anyone else does. Post in the already created ones and I have to agree with Dr. Toby, if you are asking us for advice in order to help you out then the LAST thing you should to is act like a tool and have an attitude. I will not give advice to people who do that.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

A little searching shows that the OP posted a very similar thread a while back and he got one response. "Post this in the what are my chances thread."

Looks like he waited a while and just now has come back and wants us to be sure this isn't a what are my chances and to get input here. I get it, everyone wants to feel like a special snowflake, but the reality is no one really is. You don't deserve your own thread any more than anyone else does. Post in the already created ones and I have to agree with Dr. Toby, if you are asking us for advice in order to help you out then the LAST thing you should to is act like a tool and have an attitude. I will not give advice to people who do that.

 

[DVMDream]

Only WTF is a *cough* "special" *cough* snowflake....

 

[that redhead]

He posted in the what are my chance thread, so I think we should show him the right way to treat fellow forum members and hope he follows suit

 

[dyachei]

Closing thread - cross posted in WAMC thread.