Class of 2020 Applicants

[WildZoo]

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

Well at least it's not over 9000

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[Caiter92]

I've finalized VCMAS and my IS supplemental! I'm planning on waiting a few days and going over them one last time before submitting. Hopefully I'll be better than when I applied to undergrad. I had finished my top choice app a month and a half before it was due, but didn't submit till the day before because I kept checking (but not changing) everything over and over out of anxiety

Now I just need to decide if an extra $200 to apply to Mizzou is worth it when I have 0 LA vet hours and a relatively small amount of LA husbandry hours.... I should go post in the Mizzou thread for advice haha

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

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

Just cut it down a tiny bit, put "Continued on Explanation Statement..." and copy the second half there.

Shouldn't be an issue, right?

 

[deleted676737]

I've finalized VCMAS and my IS supplemental! I'm planning on waiting a few days and going over them one last time before submitting. Hopefully I'll be better than when I applied to undergrad. I had finished my top choice app a month and a half before it was due, but didn't submit till the day before because I kept checking (but not changing) everything over and over out of anxiety

Now I just need to decide if an extra $200 to apply to Mizzou is worth it when I have 0 LA vet hours and a relatively small amount of LA husbandry hours.... I should go post in the Mizzou thread for advice haha

Hey! Mizzou is my IS. I'm also applying there with few LA hours... 0 animal hours, and 2 vet hours (didn't even expect to get that, honestly... I was hanging with an equine vet and you can imagine the smile on my face when he told me our first four patients were cows ). Honestly, as important as LA experience is... if you show variety in other facets of the profession, I wouldn't worry terribly much about the lack of hours. I'm pretty confident that the entire idea behind getting experience with equines and LA is to make sure that you are comfortable working with those animals. Not only that, but I personally know several applicants to Mizzou who were accepted with very minimal to no hours in LA -- granted, they were also IS, but it is at least possible. As long as you've explored at least a few different other areas of vet med (I've personally got SA GP, SA holistic/alternative, equine, wildlife, zoo, and avian), I wouldn't let a lack of LA hours stop you!

 

[finnickthedog]

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...

This is an excellent question, but I do not want to be a nag but...

I'm so frustrated with my last 2 evaluators right now.
Neither status has changed from requested and last time I talked to them about whether everything was working okay I got vague, dismissive answers but all in all they said things were fine and one of them was working on it, one of them wasn't yet but swore up and down she'd have it in by the deadline.

What the heck, guys? Both of them seemed really excited about doing an eLOR and oddly enough to one person I wasn't sure about is the person who got his done right away. I wasn't thrilled that it took him a matter of hours from the time he received the request--but now I'm seeing that's really a silly thing to complain about.

I've kept myself from being a nag because they assured me everything was fine. If those dang eLORs aren't complete on the 19th (the deadline I gave them) I'm going to cry (no, not really but I'll sure be tempted).

EDIT: Look at me, forgetting to insert quotes I quoted

 

[Minnerbelle]

Just cut it down a tiny bit, put "Continued on Explanation Statement..." and copy the second half there.

Shouldn't be an issue, right?

That's what Tufts admissions used to say... I was a little floored when they said the explanation statement for their app had no word limit so to put whatever you wanted there. A lot of people like copy and pasted a second personal statement in there my year...

 

[Caiter92]

Hey! Mizzou is my IS. I'm also applying there with few LA hours... 0 animal hours, and 2 vet hours (didn't even expect to get that, honestly... I was hanging with an equine vet and you can imagine the smile on my face when he told me our first four patients were cows ). Honestly, as important as LA experience is... if you show variety in other facets of the profession, I wouldn't worry terribly much about the lack of hours. I'm pretty confident that the entire idea behind getting experience with equines and LA is to make sure that you are comfortable working with those animals. Not only that, but I personally know several applicants to Mizzou who were accepted with very minimal to no hours in LA -- granted, they were also IS, but it is at least possible. As long as you've explored at least a few different other areas of vet med (I've personally got SA GP, SA holistic/alternative, equine, wildlife, zoo, and avian), I wouldn't let a lack of LA hours stop you!

Hey! Part of my concern is I don't really have any other vet experience aside from SA I have 1400+ SA (including 20 at a spay and neuter clinic I volunteer at monthly, and then ~10 wildlife, but that's from observing during my wildlife rehab internship and not from any actual shadowing. I have a ton of research experience, and varied animal experience (wildlife, LA, equine, and exotic), which for my IS is fine with my academics, but I know for OOS isn't the best. I live in suburbia and have had a heck of a time trying to find LA and/or equine vets to shadow, and all the specialty hospitals nearby are owned by the same corporation which doesn't allow shadowing for liability reasons (the last three independent specialty hospitals recently merged with them as well, I was sad haha). I'm so torn!

 

[Caiter92]

I actually had a similar issue. My undergrad is in a city, so there was practically nothing in terms of LA vets there; I live in a more suburban outskirts-y type of area back home, and while there were LA vets, none of them accepted shadows due to liability concerns. Like I said, the small amount of LA experience I did manage to get was indirect and from a one-day shadowing experience with an equine chiropractor, of all things (though we also did acupuncture, radiographs, and vaccines that day), which was not expected but certainly appreciated. I understand the struggle of searching for LA vet experience!

It really is a struggle! If I don't get in this year I'm just going to go around and beg (kidding.... mostly) at every non-general SA hospital in the area until someone lets me shadow, and try to convince our associate to ask her partner who is an equine resident if I can follow him around for a weekend. I'd have to drive five hours to shadow him, so a weekend is the only way I'm making that trip

 

[Minnerbelle]

Hey! Part of my concern is I don't really have any other vet experience aside from SA I have 1400+ SA (including 20 at a spay and neuter clinic I volunteer at monthly, and then ~10 wildlife, but that's from observing during my wildlife rehab internship and not from any actual shadowing. I have a ton of research experience, and varied animal experience (wildlife, LA, equine, and exotic), which for my IS is fine with my academics, but I know for OOS isn't the best. I live in suburbia and have had a heck of a time trying to find LA and/or equine vets to shadow, and all the specialty hospitals nearby are owned by the same corporation which doesn't allow shadowing for liability reasons (the last three independent specialty hospitals recently merged with them as well, I was sad haha). I'm so torn!

I had like 0 private practice vet experience of any kind, 0 large animal vet experience, and I was accepted at four or five schools. All of my hours were in a shelter for vet hours (700 hrs). The rest added up to over 5000 in research and animal experience (large, wildlife, exotics, small animal). I made myself stand out with the experiences I had, and it didn't seem to count against me that I didn't have the traditional shadowing experiences.

If you have a cheap IS to go to, I'm not sure I would bother applying OOS. But I wouldn't not apply just based off of not having non SA vet experience as long as you are an overall well qualified applicant with other assets.

 

[Koala1010]

This is an excellent question, but I do not want to be a nag but...

I've kept myself from being a nag because they assured me everything was fine. If those dang eLORs aren't complete on the 19th (the deadline I gave them) I'm going to cry (no, not really but I'll sure be tempted).

EDIT: Look at me, forgetting to insert quotes I quoted

I told my evaluators August 15th. I asked five people and three already turned it in. So for the last two my plan is just to send out one more final reminder before the September 15th deadline (on the 12th or so) as one last plea. Since I already have the three in I figure I'm not too desperate. They told me they'd get it in so I don't want to be too annoying. Especially if it's just because they're taking their time and want to do a good job. It's definitely hard depending so much on something so out of our control though!

 

[njvet93]

Hi all. I planned on submitting my VMCAS no later than September 10th. I just saw the picture posted above of their submission confirmation and it said VMCAS can take up to 4 weeks to finalize an application during peak periods. I'm applying to 20 schools so with work and everything else this summer I really did not want to rush the process. I guess what I'm asking is, say it does take 4 weeks to verify my application if I hand it in on 9/10, do you think schools will count that as late? I know they don't look at applications right away and I'd assume there would be an understanding for this situation as the final date for VMCAS submission is 9/15 but seeing that picture above kinda made me freak out haha....

 

[WildZoo]

Hi all. I planned on submitting my VMCAS no later than September 10th. I just saw the picture posted above of their submission confirmation and it said VMCAS can take up to 4 weeks to finalize an application during peak periods. I'm applying to 20 schools so with work and everything else this summer I really did not want to rush the process. I guess what I'm asking is, say it does take 4 weeks to verify my application if I hand it in on 9/10, do you think schools will count that as late? I know they don't look at applications right away and I'd assume there would be an understanding for this situation as the final date for VMCAS submission is 9/15 but seeing that picture above kinda made me freak out haha....

As long as you get it turned in by the deadline, schools will not consider it late even if it takes the full 4 weeks to verify. The only risk is that if there are major errors found during the verification process, you might not be able to fix them.

 

[DVMDream]

Hi all. I planned on submitting my VMCAS no later than September 10th. I just saw the picture posted above of their submission confirmation and it said VMCAS can take up to 4 weeks to finalize an application during peak periods. I'm applying to 20 schools so with work and everything else this summer I really did not want to rush the process. I guess what I'm asking is, say it does take 4 weeks to verify my application if I hand it in on 9/10, do you think schools will count that as late? I know they don't look at applications right away and I'd assume there would be an understanding for this situation as the final date for VMCAS submission is 9/15 but seeing that picture above kinda made me freak out haha....

Submit by September 15th. You will be fine.

I'd be more looking into reducing the number of schools you are applying too, to be honest. Not that you can't apply to 20, but just that is kind of ridiculous and you will never be able to attend interviews to all of them.

 

[finnickthedog]

I told my evaluators August 15th. I asked five people and three already turned it in. So for the last two my plan is just to send out one more final reminder before the September 15th deadline (on the 12th or so) as one last plea. Since I already have the three in I figure I'm not too desperate. They told me they'd get it in so I don't want to be too annoying. Especially if it's just because they're taking their time and want to do a good job. It's definitely hard depending so much on something so out of our control though!

I only have 3 so no back ups for me. If they're not in on the 19th I'm contacting them again and from there... I just have to decide how much of a nag I can get away with being. You would think my vet especially would understand the importance of getting it done in a timely manner. BUT I really don't have room to complain until the 19th since that's the date I gave. So we'll see what happens.

 

[njvet93]

Thanks WildZoo and DVMDream for the responses! Things would definitely be different if Jersey had a vet school...or at least still contract seats. I do understand how it may get tricky down the road (although all those options to interview, best case scenario of course, would be nice) but I feel this is the safest plan for me.

 

[Koala1010]

I only have 3 so no back ups for me. If they're not in on the 19th I'm contacting them again and from there... I just have to decide how much of a nag I can get away with being. You would think my vet especially would understand the importance of getting it done in a timely manner. BUT I really don't have room to complain until the 19th since that's the date I gave. So we'll see what happens.

Definitely understandable... but I wouldn't feel too awful about nagging as long as you are polite about it and it isn't too excessive. If they agreed to do it, I'm sure they end up getting it in sooner or later... or at least that's what I'm telling myself. My issue is I only asked one vet and his is one of the ones not in. And since a lot of schools require a vet rec, I'm counting on him!

 

[Caiter92]

I had like 0 private practice vet experience of any kind, 0 large animal vet experience, and I was accepted at four or five schools. All of my hours were in a shelter for vet hours (700 hrs). The rest added up to over 5000 in research and animal experience (large, wildlife, exotics, small animal). I made myself stand out with the experiences I had, and it didn't seem to count against me that I didn't have the traditional shadowing experiences.

If you have a cheap IS to go to, I'm not sure I would bother applying OOS. But I wouldn't not apply just based off of not having non SA vet experience as long as you are an overall well qualified applicant with other assets.

Thanks I think looking at the successful applicant threads has just made me nervous, since so many people seem to have a huge variety of vet experience.

If I apply OOS this year, I've decided it'll only be to Mizzou since I can get IS tuition after my first year.

 

[lilylilac]

FYI, I submitted on the 13th and my application was verified today for all those freaking out about super long verification times. Granted I already had all my transcripts and eLORs in as well though

 

[TotesMahGoats]

Hooooly crap.

Long time lurker (I've been reading since before 2012 to decide if I could even make the journey), first time applicant.

So incredibly nervous. NJ resident, 27 y/o female non-traditional, here. Good luck to everyone this cycle! (Holy crap I'm posting here! I'm applying! It's finally time!)

 

[BeamingLight]

Yea. I submitted on the 14th and mine was verified this morning at 9:30 am (central time). Clearly verification wait times are not as long as VMCAS made them out to be, but I'm sure as more and more people hold off, wait times will increase. I felt that if something major was wrong with my application, I would want some extra time to resubmit

 

[BeamingLight]

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.



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.

@LetItSnow I have to disagree with you. Either way the schools are going to see her "blemishes" and the explanation statement will give her an opportunity to explain why that blemish is there. It's not as if they wont see it... Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

 

[finnickthedog]

Alright, 2 eLORs officially down and 1 to go.
And of course the one I'm waiting on is the one vet I have.

@LetItSnow I have to disagree with you. Either way the schools are going to see her "blemishes" and the explanation statement will give her an opportunity to explain why that blemish is there. It's not as if they wont see it... Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

Not sure how relevant my opinion is since I'm a first applicant with minimal knowledge of how this all works (just enough to get me through anyways)... but I really agree with LIS. Yes, they're going to see the blemishes but I imagine they'll chalk it up to exactly what it is. As has been stated everybody goes through struggles, everybody deals with stuff. If the worst you have is a few Cs and you are otherwise a great applicant there is no need to explain anything. Plenty of people, from what I can tell, have had a few Cs.

It's like... a few Cs don't really raise a red flag on their own. Throwing in an explanation statement draws attention the to the Cs and probably raises a red flag that wouldn't have existed before because they would have just glossed over it.

 

[Crickietoosh]

Also waiting for the one vet LOR, which is also the last one of course. She's had two months to do it and I've reminded her 3 times. Not to mention I still work under her so she sees my face every week. Does she not see the panic in my eyes? Lol all I'm trying to say is I know how you feel, good luck to us both -.- @finnickthedog

 

[WildZoo]

@LetItSnow I have to disagree with you. Either way the schools are going to see her "blemishes" and the explanation statement will give her an opportunity to explain why that blemish is there. It's not as if they wont see it... Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

Because it draws unnecessary attention to it. Hell, I had a couple C's in different semesters and one semester where I took 14 credits instead of my usual 16-18. Why make it look like a trend if you don't have to? They don't expect perfection and I agree with LIS that explaining every little thing can make an applicant look a tad neurotic. If you have a 3.7 GPA and there are a couple of C's in there but the rest of your grades are great, it's just not enough to warrant an explanation statement. The grades are there, you're not hiding them, so I don't see how it would signal a lack of maturity or some kind of avoidance.

 

[finnickthedog]

Also waiting for the one vet LOR, which is also the last one of course. She's had two months to do it and I've reminded her 3 times. Not to mention I still work under her so she sees my face every week. Does she not see the panic in my eyes? Lol all I'm trying to say is I know how you feel, good luck to us both -.- @finnickthedog

Well, I just got a voicemail from my vet saying she lost the email and asking me to resend it. So I did and hopefully it will be taken care of soon.
But seriously... the day before the deadline I give is when this comes up. *grumblegrumble* I really love my vet, but she's not my favorite person at this very second.
Hoping that your eLOR (and mine) get submitted soon!

 

[Caiter92]

Ugh, this is making me question if I should even use the explanation statement again haha

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Because it draws unnecessary attention to it. Hell, I had a couple C's in different semesters and one semester where I took 14 credits instead of my usual 16-18. Why make it look like a trend if you don't have to? They don't expect perfection and I agree with LIS that explaining every little thing can make an applicant look a tad neurotic. If you have a 3.7 GPA and there are a couple of C's in there but the rest of your grades are great, it's just not enough to warrant an explanation statement. The grades are there, you're not hiding them, so I don't see how it would signal a lack of maturity or some kind of avoidance.

This! I think its incredibly difficult to write a good explanation statement when it comes to just wanting to explain a few bad grades (without there being health issues or personal issues as the root of the problem). Even with serious issues, I think it'd be difficult. The tone of the explanation statement seems to be more important than why you're writing it, too...you can't make it a pity party. I have a handful of C's and a semester with only 10 credits (with a C) and I'm in vet school now. I didn't bother with an explanation statement for my second application. I did write one for my first, and wish I hadn't. I don't think it hurt me, but it didn't make up for the grades I was explaining.

I think it also depends on how low the grades in question are. If you have a few C's here and there, don't stress, just work hard to keep the rest of your grades up. If you have a semester or two with seriously low GPA's, that might warrant some explanation, assuming there's reasoning other than not taking the time to study.

 

[missdarjeeling]

I agree that it might make you look neurotic unless there's something serious that really needs to be explained. I wouldn't consider a one-off bad semester to require much explanation, especially if you have semesters after it where your grades are much better. It's really not unusual for life to get in the way and for sh-t to happen, and few people are going to have a perfect record reflecting their absolute best all the way through.

Just imagine being on an adcom and reading through hundreds of applications. I'd imagine that a great number of applicants have Cs here and there, and if you're going through a giant pile, one applicant having a C or two but otherwise having a solid GPA is going to blend in with all of the other people in the same exact predicament. Someone who's reading a lot of applications like that would probably think nothing of it, provided there's a general upward trend in grades and a decent GPA at the end of it. Having someone point it out in an explanation statement would make you even more aware of it, and I'd think that having to read a lot of extra text in the way of applicants writing explanation statements for what's likely a fairly common situation would get annoying.

FWIW, if there's some kind of circumstance that led to a bad semester, there's always the possibility that your academic letter writer will mention it anyway. I never said anything to my advisor about my not-so-great semester of almost straight Bs, but when I asked her for a letter, she asked me to let her know how many hours I had been working and of any other circumstances that may add context to my GPA, since she knew I was a working non-trad who was commuting an hour each way. I won't be writing an explanation statement (thanks to discussions and opinions on here convincing me it's not worth it), but she's probably going to mention a few of the obstacles I had to deal with while at school.

At the end of the day, it's a personal call. I think that with all the pressure we're under, it's very easy to feel embarrassed by a crappy semester and to want to preemptively defend yourself to make sure everyone knows you're capable of doing better. It's hard to say either way whether it's in someone's best interest to include an explanation statement, but I do think it's a careful balancing act and that we should all think hard about it, being careful not to make minor problems into bigger ones by highlighting them.

 

[BeamingLight]

I agree that it might make you look neurotic unless there's something serious that really needs to be explained. I wouldn't consider a one-off bad semester to require much explanation, especially if you have semesters after it where your grades are much better. It's really not unusual for life to get in the way and for sh-t to happen, and few people are going to have a perfect record reflecting their absolute best all the way through.

Just imagine being on an adcom and reading through hundreds of applications. I'd imagine that a great number of applicants have Cs here and there, and if you're going through a giant pile, one applicant having a C or two but otherwise having a solid GPA is going to blend in with all of the other people in the same exact predicament. Someone who's reading a lot of applications like that would probably think nothing of it, provided there's a general upward trend in grades and a decent GPA at the end of it. Having someone point it out in an explanation statement would make you even more aware of it, and I'd think that having to read a lot of extra text in the way of applicants writing explanation statements for what's likely a fairly common situation would get annoying.

FWIW, if there's some kind of circumstance that led to a bad semester, there's always the possibility that your academic letter writer will mention it anyway. I never said anything to my advisor about my not-so-great semester of almost straight Bs, but when I asked her for a letter, she asked me to let her know how many hours I had been working and of any other circumstances that may add context to my GPA, since she knew I was a working non-trad who was commuting an hour each way. I won't be writing an explanation statement (thanks to discussions and opinions on here convincing me it's not worth it), but she's probably going to mention a few of the obstacles I had to deal with while at school.

At the end of the day, it's a personal call. I think that with all the pressure we're under, it's very easy to feel embarrassed by a crappy semester and to want to preemptively defend yourself to make sure everyone knows you're capable of doing better. It's hard to say either way whether it's in someone's best interest to include an explanation statement, but I do think it's a careful balancing act and that we should all think hard about it, being careful not to make minor problems into bigger ones by highlighting them.

At some point everyone is going to have a different opinion about the explanation statement and that's perfectly fine. In my mind, it exists as an opportunity to talk about something you may feel is a weakness or something that puts you at a disadvantage. If you got one C, just ONE, throughout college, does it make sense to talk about that? Probably not. But if you did poorly in calculus, calculus based physics, and chemistry, you should probably talk about that. You don't need to dwell on it, just explain it-- take responsibility and talk about what you did, or what you are doing, to improve that.

One always has the option to refrain from writing the explanation statement if one does not think they have a solid reason for the "hiccup." Again, this probably wont make or break you as an applicant.

 

[Chordata25]

Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring on the explanation statement topic. I had two not-so-great semesters my freshman year of undergrad, maintained a high credit load and did better all the other semesters for that degree, and kept a 4.0 for my entire masters, so I never wrote an explanation statement since I didn't have health problems or anything.
When I had a file review at UPenn, admissions said I should have wrote an explanation statement to point out what happened during those semesters and talk about how I improved. I even brought up that I didn't think it was important because of my academic successes later on and that I didn't have a health problem or anything "causing" those grade issues, but they didn't care and still wanted to hear about it.
So personally, I think the explanation statement should be used for anything that would leave the admission committee wondering "what happened here?" because I think it's better to explain it than leaving them to draw their own conclusions. It seemed so obvious after my conversation with admissions that I should have addressed this, but hindsight is always 20/20.

 

[BeamingLight]

Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring on the explanation statement topic. I had two not-so-great semesters my freshman year of undergrad, maintained a high credit load and did better all the other semesters for that degree, and kept a 4.0 for my entire masters, so I never wrote an explanation statement since I didn't have health problems or anything.
When I had a file review at UPenn, admissions said I should have wrote an explanation statement to point out what happened during those semesters and talk about how I improved. I even brought up that I didn't think it was important because of my academic successes later on and that I didn't have a health problem or anything "causing" those grade issues, but they didn't care and still wanted to hear about it.
So personally, I think the explanation statement should be used for anything that would leave the admission committee wondering "what happened here?" because I think it's better to explain it than leaving them to draw their own conclusions. It seemed so obvious after my conversation with admissions that I should have addressed this, but hindsight is always 20/20.

I'm sorry that happened to you. I am sure you'll do well this time around. To me, it makes sense that they wanted an explanation. I'm a firm believer that if you, as an applicant, are uncomfortable with something on your application, then you should use the explanation statement to speak to that. I know that some people disagree with me, but it speaks to personal accountability and self awareness-- everyone makes mistakes, but how we learn from them and better ourselves, that's what makes a mature adult, and a good doctor.

 

[Chordata25]

I'm sorry that happened to you. I am sure you'll do well this time around. To me, it makes sense that they wanted an explanation. I'm a firm believer that if you, as an applicant, are uncomfortable with something on your application, then you should use the explanation statement to speak to that. I know that some people disagree with me, but it speaks to personal accountability and self awareness-- everyone makes mistakes, but how we learn from them and better ourselves, that's what makes a mature adult, and a good doctor.

Thanks! I was actually not that uncomfortable with that portion of my application because I thought earning an advanced degree and having an overall upward trend would speak for itself. I just wanted to share my case that admissions might not always make the assumptions we think they will make. So if anyone notices anything that they should maybe-sorta-onthefenceaboutit write an explanation statement for, it couldn't hurt to point something out with a well written explanation than leaving admission wondering what was going on.

So yeah, I like your point of self awareness! I wish I was more self aware for my application the first time around. Yay learning experiences.

 

[LetItSnow]

@LetItSnow I have to disagree with you. Either way the schools are going to see her "blemishes" and the explanation statement will give her an opportunity to explain why that blemish is there. It's not as if they wont see it... Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

It's not about hiding vs admitting weaknesses. You're not thinking about it from the perspective of someone evaluating the candidate. If I'm evaluating someone and I see that they feel they needed to explain a lousy couple of C's....? My first thought is "wow - this is a really high strung individual with not a super great perspective on the relative importance of things." It's not "oh look, a mature adult who can admit her weaknesses!" because a couple C's aren't a weakness.

I mean, why stop there! Shoot, maybe people should explain 1 C!! Or that lonely B they got that brought them from a 4.0 to. 3.95! OMG it's a blemish!

At some point it's just silly, and it says more about your lack of perspective than it does anything else. All it does is make you look neurotic and rather than help your overall application, it becomes its own "blemish."

I certainly never implied that they won't "see" the grades, so it's silly of you to imply that was my point.

It's obviously a gray zone, but people should save the explanation for things that really need explaining.

 

[Cocobear88]

@lilylilac I submitted my app on 8/12/15 and still have not been verified

Do you guys think there is something wrong with my application?

 

[lilylilac]

@lilylilac I submitted my app on 8/12/15 and still have not been verified

Do you guys think there is something wrong with my application?

Hm, do you have all of your official transcripts and 3 eLORs in? Since it can take up to 4 weeks, I wouldn't be concerned if it hasn't been verified yet.

 

[DVMDream]

@LetItSnow I have to disagree with you. Either way the schools are going to see her "blemishes" and the explanation statement will give her an opportunity to explain why that blemish is there. It's not as if they wont see it... Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

Oh pre-vets.... this is comical.

 

[DVMDream]

I'm sorry that happened to you. I am sure you'll do well this time around. To me, it makes sense that they wanted an explanation. I'm a firm believer that if you, as an applicant, are uncomfortable with something on your application, then you should use the explanation statement to speak to that. I know that some people disagree with me, but it speaks to personal accountability and self awareness-- everyone makes mistakes, but how we learn from them and better ourselves, that's what makes a mature adult, and a good doctor.

You also need something called perspective... a couple of C's isn't a big deal, doesn't warrant explanation. Explaining is just drawing attention to something that doesn't need attention.

Being "aware" is recognizing what does need to be explained and what you need to "let go". Getting a couple of C's in undergrad isn't a "mistake". Sure it isn't an A, but that doesn't make it a mistake.

There is recognizing a problem and then there is being neurotic. Explaining a couple of C's is tipping over into neuroticism.

 

[Cocobear88]

Hm, do you have all of your official transcripts and 3 eLORs in? Since it can take up to 4 weeks, I wouldn't be concerned if it hasn't been verified yet.

Yeah, I've had everything done since July. I guess all I can do it wait! The worst part, haha.

 

[lilylilac]

Yeah, I've had everything done since July. I guess all I can do it wait! The worst part, haha.

To be honest, I was extremely surprised to have it done so quickly. I was ready to have to wait until mid September

 

[BeamingLight]

Here are my thoughts on the explanation statement.

I actually agree with @LetItSnow on this. One, two, or even three Cs on an otherwise immaculate transcript really isn't worth explaining, especially if there wasn't anything going on in the applicant's life that may have indirectly led to a slightly below par academic performance. It's only when the poor grades extend appear repeatedly throughout multiple semesters that I believe it is worthy of being mentioned. And even then... Cs? Really? I would imagine that the vast majority of veterinary school applicants apply with at least one C somewhere on their transcript; Cs are not near the death sentence that many pre-vetters seem to believe they are. Bringing attention to one or two small blemishes on an otherwise clean academic record almost gives the impression of being a wee bit neurotic and high-strung.

Now, I did use the explanation statement to address poor grades. But there are a few specific reasons that I personally thought would make it worth my while to do so:

1) The really poor grades occurred three to four years ago. I had no intention on going into veterinary medicine at the time and was majoring in a field that I, quite frankly, didn't give a rat's a** about because I thought I was "too stupid" to handle a science-based program. I obtained several Ds (no Fs, thankfully) during this time in non-science courses. I put particular emphasis on that last bit, because my science grades have all been As and Bs, and I wanted to use that point to help demonstrate that I am now capable of handling a high creditload comprised entirely of difficult science classes.

2) Although my cumulative GPA will likely no longer be able to recover significantly from the handful of Ds, my last 45 hours GPA is ~3.8. Those hours are comprised of what are considered to be the most difficult pre-reqs for vet school (organic I and II, physics...) as well as some difficult upper-division courses (immunology, epidemiology). My cumulative GPA, while above the 3.0 mark, is still trashed from those early non-science courses. Ultimately, I believed that retaking courses like history where I performed poorly just wasn't going to be worth the time and money when I can prove myself better by taking upper-division sciences, showing that I am now mature enough to handle a science-based curriculum.

3) Ultimately, if you're going to use the explanation statement to highlight poor grades... I think it is imperative that you remain far more positive than negative in your tone. Don't just say "I was lazy and got four Fs in fall 2013" or whatever. You need to go beyond that. Don't simply explain what the problem was -- convince the adcomms reading that you have made a real effort to fix the issues that held you back -- be it living situation or lack of motivation or whatever. And cite evidence for those claims! If you graduated undergrad with a 2.2 GPA but then rocked out a difficult masters program with a 4.0, use that as an example of how much you've improved. I spent far more time detailing how I identified my issues and what I have done to ensure that academic underperformance will no longer be an issue than I did explaining what actually happened.

Is this not what I've been saying? I completely agree with this. Good luck on your application cycle!

 

[Caiter92]

Honestly, the only reason I'm even bothering to use the explanation statement is because I have a hardship withdrawal the term in question. Without it I don't think I would bother, and would let the admissions committee figure it was just an off quarter, because like everyone else has said, sometimes C's (in my case a D though...) happen. Maybe I should nix it even with that though....

 

[LetItSnow]

Is this not what I've been saying? I completely agree with this. Good luck on your application cycle!

No, it isn't what you were saying:

Admitting your weaknesses is part of being a mature adult; trying to avoid talking about them speaks poorly on personal accountability. If getting one or two C's is the biggest issue on your application, why not speak to it?

Ultimately, of course, you get to decide for yourself what to put on your application. So if you think you should explain the slightest little thing that you perceive as a foible, regardless of how the vet school peeps will perceive it, then sure - go ahead. You need to be comfortable with and confident in your application. But for something like one or two C's in an otherwise strong academic performance ..... I recommend against it. Up to you to decide whether that's good advice or bad advice, but it's advice from someone who has been down the path ahead of you.

You make it sound like I'm recommending 'ducking' weaknesses and pretending they aren't there, and that's nonsense. Your grades are all over your application - you can't hide them. I'm saying that a couple sub-par grades aren't worthy of discussion, which is very, very different than your characterization.

At some point everyone is going to have a different opinion about the explanation statement

That's true. But all opinions aren't equally valid.

 

[Minnerbelle]

No, it isn't what you were saying:



Ultimately, of course, you get to decide for yourself what to put on your application. So if you think you should explain the slightest little thing that you perceive as a foible, regardless of how the vet school peeps will perceive it, then sure - go ahead. You need to be comfortable with and confident in your application. But for something like one or two C's in an otherwise strong academic performance ..... I recommend against it. Up to you to decide whether that's good advice or bad advice, but it's advice from someone who has been down the path ahead of you.

You make it sound like I'm recommending 'ducking' weaknesses and pretending they aren't there, and that's nonsense. Your grades are all over your application - you can't hide them. I'm saying that a couple sub-par grades aren't worthy of discussion, which is very, very different than your characterization.



That's true. But all opinions aren't equally valid.

Agreed. Seriously, when you write an explanation statement about 2 C's on your transcript because you had mono or whatever... It makes you sound immature and very inexperienced in life. Like, that kind of **** is so not a significant issue in the grand scheme of things. By pointing it out as if it were, you sound like someone who is lacking in perspective and ill equipped to work with clients from all walks of life. Perspective and ability to understand reasonable points of views and not be so me-centric is so important if you are going to succeed in this profession.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

GRE tomorrow! Tripping balls!


Select exactly two words that best complete the sentence and produce sentences that are alike in meaning.

This test is _____.

a) the beez-kneez
b) meh
c) a conspiracy
d) fantastic
e) hate-it-but-I-gots-to-do-it


Good luck everyone else who's taking the GRE this late. Rooting for you all.

 

[finnickthedog]

GRE tomorrow! Tripping balls!


Select exactly two words that best complete the sentence and produce sentences that are alike in meaning.

This test is _____.

a) the beez-kneez
b) meh
c) a conspiracy
d) fantastic
e) hate-it-but-I-gots-to-do-it


Good luck everyone else who's taking the GRE this late. Rooting for you all.

Well the answer must be A and D.... none of the others have counterparts that will create a sentence alike in meaning.

Good luck!

 

[Cephal0pod]

GRE tomorrow! Tripping balls!


Select exactly two words that best complete the sentence and produce sentences that are alike in meaning.

This test is _____.

a) the beez-kneez
b) meh
c) a conspiracy
d) fantastic
e) hate-it-but-I-gots-to-do-it


Good luck everyone else who's taking the GRE this late. Rooting for you all.

Right there with you, good sir! May the scores be ever in our favor.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Well the answer must be A and D.... none of the others have counterparts that will create a sentence alike in meaning.

Good luck!

I'm so sorry! It's B & E. "meh" has a secondary and lesser-used definition of "hate-it-but-I-gots-to-do-it."

 

[finnickthedog]

I'm so sorry! It's B & E. "meh" has a secondary and lesser-used definition of "hate-it-but-I-gots-to-do-it."

Ugh, every time!

 

[TotesMahGoats]

VMCAS Question--thought you guys may be able to help me, before I go bothering the poor people there again ...

I will be taking the Animal Nutrition Course this fall/spring through Oklahoma State. Since I do not have a grade for this yet... do I input the school and spot for the course? I'm afraid that VMCAS will wait for the transcript for verification from the school, even though I list the course as a future one.

Any thoughts?

 

[WildZoo]

VMCAS Question--thought you guys may be able to help me, before I go bothering the poor people there again ...

I will be taking the Animal Nutrition Course this fall/spring through Oklahoma State. Since I do not have a grade for this yet... do I input the school and spot for the course? I'm afraid that VMCAS will wait for the transcript for verification from the school, even though I list the course as a future one.

Any thoughts?

As long as you designate that it is a future course, they're not going to wait for the transcript. It's a good idea to put the course on there so the schools know you have a plan for completing it.