Class of 2020 Applicants

[WildZoo]

Going through the fine details of my experiences section to make sure I haven't missed anything obvious. The admissions director for one of my schools explicitly said to include research experiences that were part of coursework (if the research was significant, like a semester-long project) even if it wasn't related to vet med. But I feel weird putting my research experiences on there because with the exception of one bio project, they're weird, obscure humanities stuff. The one school said to do it, but I hope the other schools don't think it's obnoxious and just resume padding. Like, what the hell do they care that I wrote a long, boring paper on the development of accent patterns in whatever language no one cares about? But it was grad level "grown up" research aimed at getting us into the publication mindset. Bah. I hate worrying about stupid little things like this. Anyone else in a similar boat?

You should definitely put it on there, especially since one of the schools asked you to. The other schools probably won't be bothered - if they don't think it's relevant they'll just disregard it. Also, don't feel weird about it just because it's humanities stuff. They like to see a well-rounded applicant. I got asked about my writing (I have a BA in English, Fiction Writing concentration) at both of my interviews last cycle. They seemed really interested. I wouldn't be surprised if you're asked about that research as well.

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[finnickthedog]

The questions never stop coming *sigh*
I realized today I left out contact information on a lot of my experiences. I thought it was just a couple of them but it's kind of a lot.

Is it important to include contact information for my experiences?

In cases where I do not have contact information for the supervisor should I be including contact information for the organization as a whole instead?

And in cases where I had multiple supervisors (eg dog training, HS band) should I just leave the field blank or should I note that there were "multiple" or just pick one of my supervisors?

 

[dyachei]

For some schools, yes, it's important. UGA comes to mind as one that checks contacts. For other, older experience I wouldn't expect it to be as important. Most important is the contact info for your eLORs

 

[missdarjeeling]

Thanks, guys.

You should definitely put it on there, especially since one of the schools asked you to. The other schools probably won't be bothered - if they don't think it's relevant they'll just disregard it.

That's what I figured, but it's too easy to worry about some of these little details. I know it seems like this year we're all asking a ton of questions about minute details, but it's hard to maintain a sense of perspective and get a good idea on what's going to work and what isn't. So thank you all for chiming in. Man, I'll be glad when this part of the process is over...

Also, don't feel weird about it just because it's humanities stuff. They like to see a well-rounded applicant. I got asked about my writing (I have a BA in English, Fiction Writing concentration) at both of my interviews last cycle. They seemed really interested. I wouldn't be surprised if you're asked about that research as well.

Heh, great. One of the major projects I have in mind was something I did 5 years ago, and the seminar topic was something my classmate had chosen for us. I thought it was quite literally the single most boring topic I had to write about all throughout grad school and I promptly forgot 90% of what we talked about as soon as it was over. That was also my last regular semester in the program, and I was so, so ready to get out. Finishing that paper was like pulling teeth. Will have to refresh my memory and remember to act at least a little excited if I get asked about it.

 

[WildZoo]

Thanks, guys.



That's what I figured, but it's too easy to worry about some of these little details. I know it seems like this year we're all asking a ton of questions about minute details, but it's hard to maintain a sense of perspective and get a good idea on what's going to work and what isn't. So thank you all for chiming in. Man, I'll be glad when this part of the process is over...



Heh, great. One of the major projects I have in mind was something I did 5 years ago, and the seminar topic was something my classmate had chosen for us. I thought it was quite literally the single most boring topic I had to write about all throughout grad school and I promptly forgot 90% of what we talked about as soon as it was over. That was also my last regular semester in the program, and I was so, so ready to get out. Finishing that paper was like pulling teeth. Will have to refresh my memory and remember to act at least a little excited if I get asked about it.

Just as a tip, I would be prepared to answer questions about really anything on your application.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here:

Isn't it understood (Edit: changed word from expected) that through an undergraduate education, most students have been introduced to the scientific method and basic abilities to research? Just as there's prerequisites to certain classes in terms of knowledge, there's inferred (I would think) prerequisites to some of the upper division classes with writing components that you understand how to read research articles, decide what's relevant information from an academic perspective, and write about it.

There may be a clear-cut definition about what the VMCAS is looking for in terms of "research," but I personally think my semester nutritional therapy project on Hereditary Hemochromatosis, although substantial, pales in comparison to legitimate research in a laboratory. I researched a bunch of papers about the disease, learned about the best treatments, and put together a comprehensive report. Whoop dee doo, how does that show my abilities as a researcher compared to the PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, genotyping, 3D cell culturing, immunocytochemistry, etc, etc, and analyzing data targeted to a specific hypothesis that I carried out in an actual lab?

I know not everyone has the opportunity to work in a lab, but I just have a hard time seeing schoolwork as research.

Either way, whatever paints you in the best light is the way to go , that's the goal.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

You should definitely put it on there, especially since one of the schools asked you to. The other schools probably won't be bothered - if they don't think it's relevant they'll just disregard it. Also, don't feel weird about it just because it's humanities stuff. They like to see a well-rounded applicant. I got asked about my writing (I have a BA in English, Fiction Writing concentration) at both of my interviews last cycle. They seemed really interested. I wouldn't be surprised if you're asked about that research as well.

Hey WildZoo, (and I'm sorry if you've already discussed this somewhere else, but I'm curious) did you talk about your BA at all in your personal statement? I'm a fellow English major.

 

[missdarjeeling]

There may be a clear-cut definition about what the VMCAS is looking for in terms of "research," but I personally think my semester nutritional therapy project on Hereditary Hemochromatosis, although substantial, pales in comparison to legitimate research in a laboratory. I researched a bunch of papers about the disease, learned about the best treatments, and put together a comprehensive report. Whoop dee doo, how does that show my abilities as a researcher compared to the PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, genotyping, 3D cell culturing, immunocytochemistry, etc, etc, and analyzing data that's targeted to a specific hypothesis and carried out in an actual lab?

How does standing there watching a doctor and tech work on a patient show your clinical abilities compared to working as an actual assistant/technician? Yet both of these things are classified as veterinary experience, and schools will figure out what you learned from it and what skills you developed based on what you write about the experience. Just because experiences are categorized under the same general label doesn't mean they'll be equal in terms of what you learned and how complicated the work was. At first, I was under the impression that the research category on VMCAS was supposed to be quite narrow, but if the admissions director told me it's a lot broader, then I've got a lot more to add to that.

Yes, there's often a difference between classroom research and research in an actual lab, but aside from the fact that the extent of your work will be obvious in the explanation, the differences aren't as great in the humanities. And for what it's worth, the one project I keep referring to was part of a graduate seminar in my PhD program and was a way of getting us to do graduate-level "real" research as practice for once we passed qualifying exams and moved on to exploring paths for the dissertation. My undergraduate senior thesis was also along those lines and was going to be the starting point for my dissertation had I stayed in that field. The difference between the research I did for my thesis and the research I would've done for my dissertation would have been how much faster I'd have been able to read texts/data in the language I was studying.

 

[WildZoo]

Hey WildZoo, (and I'm sorry if you've already discussed this somewhere else, but I'm curious) did you talk about your BA at all in your personal statement? I'm a fellow English major.

I didn't because I couldn't find a legitimate way to connect it to vet med - for me they've always been fairly separate - working on my BA classes was how I decompressed while working on my BS classes - and that's actually the way I like it. I'm no James Herriot but it was of course on my application and I mentioned the two short stories I've had published in the honors section or something.

Of course if they are more intertwined for you and you can think of a way to make it relevant, it would probably make for an interesting PS.

 

[WildZoo]

I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here:

Isn't it expected that through an undergraduate education, most students have been introduced to the scientific method and basic abilities to research? Just as there's prerequisites to certain classes in terms of knowledge, there's inferred (I would think) prerequisites to some of the upper division classes with writing components that you understand how to read research articles, decide what's relevant information from an academic perspective, and write about it.

There may be a clear-cut definition about what the VMCAS is looking for in terms of "research," but I personally think my semester nutritional therapy project on Hereditary Hemochromatosis, although substantial, pales in comparison to legitimate research in a laboratory. I researched a bunch of papers about the disease, learned about the best treatments, and put together a comprehensive report. Whoop dee doo, how does that show my abilities as a researcher compared to the PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, genotyping, 3D cell culturing, immunocytochemistry, etc, etc, and analyzing data that's targeted to a specific hypothesis and carried out in an actual lab?

I know not everyone has the opportunity to work in a lab, but I just have a hard time seeing schoolwork as research.

Either way, whatever paints you in the best light is the way to go , that's the goal.

I think the main thing to remember is that if you're told to include something by an admissions counselor at the school you're applying to, you should probably include it no matter what the specifics of the VMCAS instructions are or what your own opinion about it is. Ultimately the adcoms' opinions are the ones that matter. It's kind of like the whole pet ownership debate.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Yes, there's often a difference between classroom research and research in an actual lab, but aside from the fact that the extent of your work will be obvious in the explanation, the differences aren't as great in the humanities. And for what it's worth, the one project I keep referring to was part of a graduate seminar in my PhD program and was a way of getting us to do graduate-level "real" research as practice for once we passed qualifying exams and moved on to exploring paths for the dissertation. My undergraduate senior thesis was also along those lines and was going to be the starting point for my dissertation had I stayed in that field. The difference between the research I did for my thesis and the research I would've done for my dissertation would have been how much faster I'd have been able to read texts/data in the language I was studying.

You should absolutely include that stuff! I was (maybe wrongfully) under the assumption that it was standard undergraduate-level work. Not that I consider it any less important, I just have a hard time seeing that type of work as research.

I think the main thing to remember is that if you're told to include something by an admissions counselor at the school you're applying to, you should probably include it no matter what the specifics of the VMCAS instructions are or what your own opinion about it is. Ultimately the adcoms' opinions are the ones that matter. It's kind of like the whole pet ownership debate.

Bingo.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here:

Isn't it expected that through an undergraduate education, most students have been introduced to the scientific method and basic abilities to research?

There's a difference between active participation in real research and the exposure you get through pre-reqs. I don't have that kind of experience, therefore it is a good idea for someone who DOES have it to include it on their app - it could give them an advantage over me.

And, your logic doesn't stand. There are a LOT of things you're presumed to have as an advocate. Pre-reqs, a decent GPA, experience, etc. You don't leave any of it off just because it's "expected". You prove you have it by documenting it.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Just because experiences are categorized under the same general label doesn't mean they'll be equal in terms of what you learned and how complicated the work was. At first, I was under the impression that the research category on VMCAS was supposed to be quite narrow, but if the admissions director told me it's a lot broader, then I've got a lot more to add to that.

Exactly. It's never wrong to include things as long as you present the experience for what it was. Based on the description, adcoms will be able to sort out how it will influence them in terms of how they see you as an applicant. It only looks bad when you make something sound way grander/more important than it really was. The analogy to pet ownership as animal experience is a good one.

That being said, I think there's a difference between someone shadowing doing nothing else in a clinic, or doing reception work vs. doing quasi-research (not commenting about whatever your experience was, just a general statement here). Just being in the clinic environment shows an applicant how the profession works. An undergraduate "research paper" does not help you out much as a veterinarian. Yeah, perhaps it somehow teaches you how to assess sources of scientific info or whatever, but that's a bit of a reach.

 

[RoRey14]

So.. did majority of ya'll submit your VMCAS application in already? Am I the only one who hasn't? I am trying my best to wrap up everything and submit by Aug. 15th, like VMCAS strongly suggests, but I was curious who's in the same boat as me.

 

[Caiter92]

So.. did majority of ya'll submit your VMCAS application in already? Am I the only one who hasn't? I am trying my best to wrap up everything and submit by Aug. 15th, like VMCAS strongly suggests, but I was curious who's in the same boat as me.

Don't worry, I haven't submitted either I've finished my IS supplemental and just need to finalize experiences on VCMAS. I still have to decide if I'm applying to other schools this year or not.

My plan is to finalize experiences this weekend, and hopefully submit early next week. I've been waiting till my final LOR is in to submit, but they said they're planning to submit this weekend, so hopefully I can get my app in by the end of next week.

 

[finnickthedog]

So.. did majority of ya'll submit your VMCAS application in already? Am I the only one who hasn't? I am trying my best to wrap up everything and submit by Aug. 15th, like VMCAS strongly suggests, but I was curious who's in the same boat as me.

Nope, I actually still have to order my transcripts (because I had a lovely little issue) and make sure everything matches the official before I'm comfortable submitting. Also waiting on two eLORs but they still have a little bit of time per the deadline I gave them. Planning to do that very soon though, polish everything else and submit within the next weekish. I don't want to cut it too close but I also did not want to submit too early when I have some ongoing experiences, etc.

I keep worrying that I'm behind though :/

 

[Cephal0pod]

I haven't submitted yet either-- my goal is no later than Sept. 1st. Definitely feeling the pressure. I'm still finishing my experiences, working on my personal statement, and a few miscellaneous other things. Also taking the GRE one more time next week.

Did I mention I was feeling the pressure?
On the bright side, though, only a few more weeks before we will have to be done with VMCAS! We are in the home stretch of this leg of the journey!

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

My VMCAS is paid and submitted, but my experiences need to be updated because I'm still racking up the shadowing hours. CSU is my last supplemental and I take the GRE next week...meh

I wish everyone the very best

 

[WildZoo]

You guys are so good, I submitted mine the morning of the due date last year

 

[chrkat1]

I'll be submitting pretty close to the deadline! I am still getting more hours and finishing up classes. eep!!

 

[finnickthedog]

I still haven't decided whether I want to use my explanation statement.
I wrote one up just in case but I only had one person look at it and I'm still not sure it's a good idea to include.

I've also been editing my "description of duties" sections.
I think my personal statement is mostly done. There are a few things I'd like to do to improve it but if I can't get them done I'm content with where it's at and I mostly received positive feedback on the latest draft.

I don't wanna submit. I wanna keep tweaking forever.
I'm gonna feel so dreadful when I finally do submit. I hate that feeling right after you submit something. No more changes. Bleh.

 

[missdarjeeling]

That being said, I think there's a difference between someone shadowing doing nothing else in a clinic, or doing reception work vs. doing quasi-research (not commenting about whatever your experience was, just a general statement here). Just being in the clinic environment shows an applicant how the profession works. An undergraduate "research paper" does not help you out much as a veterinarian. Yeah, perhaps it somehow teaches you how to assess sources of scientific info or whatever, but that's a bit of a reach.

Agreed. In terms of learning what vet med is like, I'd rather shadow for 100 hours than do general biomed research for 1,000 hours. Even just a handful of hours of shadowing can be extremely valuable. For the application, I think the value of having research experience is in showing that you're comfortable with heavy academic work and that you have enough of an interest in the pure science side of things to put in the effort. And, yeah, it could help you learn how to assess new information and read relevant studies more critically. I just brought up shadowing vs. clinic work as a parallel to the coursework research vs. lab research distinction.

Not sure how a lot of high school stuff is remotely relevant to being a vet, aside from it being a record of your growth into a functional adult, but they want to see all of that, too.

 

[RoRey14]

I don't wanna submit. I wanna keep tweaking forever.
I'm gonna feel so dreadful when I finally do submit. I hate that feeling right after you submit something. No more changes. Bleh.

I feel the same exact way. I'm also editing experiences and tweaking my essays a bit.

I spoke to VMCAS two days ago, and she put a very strong emphasis on submitting it in by this Saturday, since verification could take a while. I still have one transcript left to send over from my summer class that just finished up last week, and I'm retaking my GRE next week as well, so I'd rather wait for that. So it's a little bit of a relief that I'm not the only one.

It truly is nervewrecking how fast time flies by.. I felt as though VMCAS just opened up.. what the heck?!

 

[HorsesandHogs]

For those asking about the explanation statement: A current third year vet student told me to list anything that set me at a disadvantage. For example, I took only 14 credit hours one semester and there were a few semester that I made a C in one of my courses. At this time I was suffering from Lyme disease which caused short-term memory loss, migraines and chronic fatigue syndrome. Basically, I had trouble studying and retaining information. I'm including this in my explanation statement because it explains why my grades were less than stellar.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Speaking of VMCAS, I am psychologically scarred from that holding music. It haunts me in my sleep.

 

[RoRey14]

Sorry to post again so soon, but it just occurred to me that most school deadlines are Sept. 15th for all materials.. So what would happen if I were to submit the VMCAS app on the last day?

 

[Gwenevre]

Sorry to post again so soon, but it just occurred to me that most school deadlines are Sept. 15th for all materials.. So what would happen if I were to submit the VMCAS app on the last day?

Would probably take longer for verification, since you won't be the only one to submit on the last day at the last minute

 

[LetItSnow]

I was actually far more positive than negative, though, and spent several sentences detailing how I've since developed those methods and as a result and, although my cumulative GPA is lower, both my science and last 45 hours GPAs stand at around 3.8. I ended with an affirmation that I do not foresee academic underperformance being an issue in the future.

For all the rest of you, what Nalikti said there is pretty key, in my opinion. Don't just 'explain' whatever it is you're trying to talk about. Make sure you make it positive and provide credible evidence (not just a 'claim') that you've moved past the problem.

For those asking about the explanation statement: A current third year vet student told me to list anything that set me at a disadvantage. For example, I took only 14 credit hours one semester and there were a few semester that I made a C in one of my courses. At this time I was suffering from Lyme disease which caused short-term memory loss, migraines and chronic fatigue syndrome. Basically, I had trouble studying and retaining information. I'm including this in my explanation statement because it explains why my grades were less than stellar.

I dunno that I'd agree with that. If it was literally one semester with reduced credits, and a couple C's, but overall your academic background is pretty darn good ........ then all you're doing is raising red flags and drawing attention to 'negatives' unnecessarily. And making yourself look neurotic. (I'm not saying that you necessarily are - just that using the explanation statement to talk about things that aren't really a problem could be perceived that way on some applications.)

Obviously, every applicant just has to make a gut-level decision about whether to bring up things or not, and there's not going to be a perfect answer. Probably the best place to start is to have someone else look over the application with an eye toward asking "Are there any red flags here that I'm left wondering about that I feel should be explained?" or some such. Put simply: Make sure you really have something to explain before you go making people wonder "Why on earth is s/he talking about this stuff?" The litmus test should be stronger than just slightly-less-than-perfect. None of us are perfect. It should really be something worth explaining. My perception - which definitely may not be right - is that applicants are more and more explaining things that just aren't worth explaining.

 

[finnickthedog]

I'm in the same predicament, actually.

I used it to explain some very low grades my first year or two in non-science classes; I said that I simply didn't have study methods refined enough for college-level material and didn't put forth the effort needed to excel (I also was kinda waffling around in what I wanted to do as a career and was majoring in a field I found that I didn't care for; I briefly addressed this in the personal statement, but within the context of exploring other fields prior to vet med). I was actually far more positive than negative, though, and spent several sentences detailing how I've since developed those methods and as a result and, although my cumulative GPA is lower, both my science and last 45 hours GPAs stand at around 3.8. I ended with an affirmation that I do not foresee academic underperformance being an issue in the future.

But I know that the explanation statement is really more geared towards explaining extenuating circumstances or gaps in employment/schooling, so I am currently mulling over whether trying to explain a cumulative GPA of just under 3.3 is even really appropriate, especially since the lower grades aren't in sciences/pre-reqs and I had no excuse beyond immaturity and irresponsibility when other applicants have overcome genuine adversity to get to where they are.

My explanation statement covers the fact that I had a terrible semester (1.92) but it touches on mental health so I don't know whether I would be shooting myself in the foot with it. Decisions, decisions.

I feel the same exact way. I'm also editing experiences and tweaking my essays a bit.

I spoke to VMCAS two days ago, and she put a very strong emphasis on submitting it in by this Saturday, since verification could take a while. I still have one transcript left to send over from my summer class that just finished up last week, and I'm retaking my GRE next week as well, so I'd rather wait for that. So it's a little bit of a relief that I'm not the only one.

It truly is nervewrecking how fast time flies by.. I felt as though VMCAS just opened up.. what the heck?!

Welp, that does not make me feel better.
I can't submit yet, and even if I could I wouldn't be put in line for verification until they get my transcript and my last two eLORs.
I'm express mailing my transcript as soon as I can but I still have this road bump in my way. Seriously regretting taking summer classes at this point because if I hadn't all would be well. *sigh*

 

[LetItSnow]

My explanation statement covers the fact that I had a terrible semester (1.92) but it touches on mental health so I don't know whether I would be shooting myself in the foot with it. Decisions, decisions.

Probably worth it; in particular if you can spend 2/3rds of it talking about positive outcomes. But.... ya just gotta make a gut-level call. It sucks. Might be worth asking a couple to read the whole application and consider whether it makes it overall better or overall worse.

 

[finnickthedog]

Yet another question from me

Anybody know if VMCAS show when they've received my transcript even if I haven't submitted yet?

I'm asking because it says that it will show up in the "program status" tab, but as of right now that tab say it will show the processing status of submitted applications.

 

[deleted676737]

Yet another question from me

Anybody know if VMCAS show when they've received my transcript even if I haven't submitted yet?

I'm asking because it says that it will show up in the "program status" tab, but as of right now that tab say it will show the processing status of submitted applications.

You'll receive an email from VMCAS and a notification on your portal when your transcript arrives, submitted or otherwise.

EDIT: Verification and processing, however, as far as I am aware, do not begin until the VMCAS is submitted and paid for. But you will at least know when they receive transcripts.

 

[Minnerbelle]

My explanation statement covers the fact that I had a terrible semester (1.92) but it touches on mental health so I don't know whether I would be shooting myself in the foot with it. Decisions, decisions.

You don't have to disclose your mental health condition. You can explain and just broadly say that you had a medical condition that hindered your performance, but that you received treatment and it is no longer a problem as evidenced by your performance in the following semesters. As much as people shouldn't, some people still do stigmatize mental health issues, so I wouldn't bring it up especially because it is none of their business.

 

[Caiter92]

You don't have to disclose your mental health condition. You can explain and just broadly say that you had a medical condition that hindered your performance, but that you received treatment and it is no longer a problem as evidenced by your performance in the following semesters. As much as people shouldn't, some people still do stigmatize mental health issues, so I wouldn't bring it up especially because it is none of their business.

This is what I did. I pretty much just said, "X term I was suffering from health issues that hindered my ability to perform well in my studies. I received treatment, and this health issue is no longer a concern. I feel my previous and subsequent terms better reflect my true academic ability. "

Medical issues are confidential, so they can't ask for further information aside from possibily if steps have been taken to ensure it is not an issue again. They shouldn't ask, and even that is prying, but if they do, all you need to say is yes, and move on.

 

[Paloma1419]

Hello, everyone:

I am going to retake the GRE this month and I just wanna get some advices to get high scores( 75%) on the quantitative section. How did you guys prepare for the math section?

 

[thecatastrophist]

Hello, everyone:

I am going to retake the GRE this month and I just wanna get some advices to get high scores( 75%) on the quantitative section. How did you guys prepare for the math section?

My advice might be a bit different than others, but my opinion is that you should understand the format of the test and the nature of the questions (i.e. if aren't a natural test-taker, develop an understanding of what sort of answer they're looking for).

Honestly, the majority of what they ask isn't beyond the scope of what you should have learned taking advanced mathematics in high school or college algebra. My biggest problem was that the last time I took a class pertaining to that material was when I was a junior in high school, and I was 23 at the time and had forgotten a lot. ETS has some excellent, free resources and there are also "practice" resources online for free where you can really focus in on certain types of questions.

My preparation went something like this: 1) take an online practice test; 2) review each section and note wrong answers, and what the right answer was; 3) look for trends in my wrong answers and refer to online resources/ETS practice booklet to review things I didn't remember as well. Rinse and repeat.

In the end, I was just barely average (~65%) on the quantitative section but part of that was because I hadn't taken any statistics courses at the time decided that a month wasn't enough to teach myself that and focused on other ways to improve my score. But I also did pretty well on other parts (~81% V, ~98% A). That ended up in my favor for the places to which I applied. Unless your schools explicitly state that they don't consider those sections, I wouldn't focus on quantitative to the exclusion of all else.

 

[Caiter92]

Just finalized my Iowa State supplemental and sent in the fee and signature form! I'm looking to hopefully submit VMCAS and Mizzou's supplemental tonight (my poor wallet... I guess this is the kind of stuff credit cards are made for, lol).

I am so glad I had to pay for my IS supplemental fee before I could even work on it, because it helped spread the cost out a bit. I'm trying to decide if I'm applying to the two OOS schools I've been considering now (Iowa state and Mizzou too actually ) and I'm dreading the cost on top of my the $200 I had planned originally for VCMAS fees. I think I totaled it up, and it'll be something like $700. That's half my monthly pay haha

 

[deleted676737]

http://i.imgur.com/gB3KqL4.png
Hear that? That's the sound of a massive weight being lifted off of my shoulders. It's also the sound of my checking account writhing in agony.

 

[Paloma1419]

My advice might be a bit different than others, but my opinion is that you should understand the format of the test and the nature of the questions (i.e. if aren't a natural test-taker, develop an understanding of what sort of answer they're looking for).

Honestly, the majority of what they ask isn't beyond the scope of what you should have learned taking advanced mathematics in high school or college algebra. My biggest problem was that the last time I took a class pertaining to that material was when I was a junior in high school, and I was 23 at the time and had forgotten a lot. ETS has some excellent, free resources and there are also "practice" resources online for free where you can really focus in on certain types of questions.

My preparation went something like this: 1) take an online practice test; 2) review each section and note wrong answers, and what the right answer was; 3) look for trends in my wrong answers and refer to online resources/ETS practice booklet to review things I didn't remember as well. Rinse and repeat.

In the end, I was just barely average (~65%) on the quantitative section but part of that was because I hadn't taken any statistics courses at the time decided that a month wasn't enough to teach myself that and focused on other ways to improve my score. But I also did pretty well on other parts (~81% V, ~98% A). That ended up in my favor for the places to which I applied. Unless your schools explicitly state that they don't consider those sections, I wouldn't focus on quantitative to the exclusion of all else.

Thank you so much for your reply! I gonna take all your advices into account! @thecatastrophist

And I'm interested in improving my quantitative scores cause UC Davis only use those scores for admission. I didn't get an interview last year due to my low scores...
I will also apply for other vet schools in the West Coast of US such as: Colorado State Univ, Midwestern University and Texas A&M.

 

[heyyimhayley]

You guys are so good, I submitted mine the morning of the due date last year

This will be me... due to summer courses, I've been crazy busy. Everything is pretty much finished except my personal statement, but I need more time with it that I won't be able to put in until after bio chem (2 weeks). But that gives me 2 free weeks before the deadline to do it, which I believe will be fine.

 

[missdarjeeling]

Okay, stupid question. I put my extracurriculars under experiences, of course, and mentioned the awards I got in those activities in the description box. Should I be listing the awards in the awards section, too? Someone suggested I do that, but I don't know if it's overkill.

Hello, everyone:

I am going to retake the GRE this month and I just wanna get some advices to get high scores( 75%) on the quantitative section. How did you guys prepare for the math section?

I used the ETS PowerPrep software that they have for free on their site and did the practice tests. I also did the free online tests at Kaplan and Princeton Review, going back and checking my wrong answers. I bought one of the prep books (Princeton Review) and read through all the sections, even the basics where they go over simple math terminology. I feel like re-reading all of the rules and things they're looking for combined with a good amount of practice really helped. ETS also has a document on their site for the math section that lists exactly what they're testing for.

 

[fredandcessna]

If it helps anyone who hasn't submitted yet, I submitted my application July 22 and it was completely reviewed and verified by August 1. However, this was NOT considered a busy period for VMCAS. If you haven't submitted yet, I'd recommend doing it as soon as possible, as the deadline is drawing closer and more people will be submitting this time of year!

 

[Koala1010]

My verification was also extremely quick... I submitted August 7th, my third recommendation was in August 10th, and it was verified August 11th. I was so surprised!

 

[Paloma1419]

Okay, stupid question. I put my extracurriculars under experiences, of course, and mentioned the awards I got in those activities in the description box. Should I be listing the awards in the awards section, too? Someone suggested I do that, but I don't know if it's overkill.



I used the ETS PowerPrep software that they have for free on their site and did the practice tests. I also did the free online tests at Kaplan and Princeton Review, going back and checking my wrong answers. I bought one of the prep books (Princeton Review) and read through all the sections, even the basics where they go over simple math terminology. I feel like re-reading all of the rules and things they're looking for combined with a good amount of practice really helped. ETS also has a document on their site for the math section that lists exactly what they're testing for.

Thank you! @missdarjeeling
Today I did my first practice test from the ETS PowerPrep software... I had never used this software before and it works pretty well. I'll also try to find the Princeton's Review book in Pdf format!

 

[Caiter92]

I second Magoosh. I felt the practice problems were definitely at the level of the actual GRE (some where even harder!), and the video explanations for problems missed+the video lessons of concepts were awesome.

I bought the full plan, and it was $100. But if you only want a study aid for the quant section, it was $60ish just for that I believe.

 

[HorsesandHogs]

If I'm done with the general part of VMCAS but not my supplemental, can I go ahead and submit VMCAS?

 

[wigglebutt]

Can anyone tell me the different statuses of evaluations? One of mine is at requested, which I know means they haven't started it yet (I did verify that it was received) and two say "accepted". Does that mean they're finished or just started? I was aiming for Sept 1st to submit too but now I'm nervous about that.

 

[wigglebutt]

When my evaluations were finished, they had a status of "Completed". From what I understand, "Accepted" means that the evaluators have elected to accept the recommendation but haven't started it. I say that because there's a specific "In progress" status, too.

Geeezz... if they weren't out of state I would stand over their shoulder. I've sent them all twice so far, most recently in the beginning of August. How many times can one remind an evaluator before becoming a nag...

 

[Koala1010]

From my understanding, I think three DO need to be completed for the verification process.

And, I am still waiting on two evaluations... one from a vet and my most important. He promised it would be in by the deadline (I gave him August 15th), but alas it is still missing. Nagging evaluators is my least favorite of all of this....

 

[wigglebutt]

Well that's good at least. I just finished my first draft of my personal statement. It's a whopping 4900 characters. I have a lot of work to do...

Edit: HAHA, nope I accidentally looked at my statement from last year...this year's is 9000