Class of 2020 Applicants

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Caiter92 said:
I know I seem eager, but this is more being unsure with how far in advance these things need to be planned than wanting to get things done right away or being a "gunner". But thanks for the assumption?

It's my first time applying, so I wasn't sure of proper etiquette for these things. When I was planning to apply for Masters programs before I changed my plans to trying for vet school, I had an advisor tell me to start asking for letters of rec in the fall of my junior year of Undergrad. This was when I wouldn't have even been submitting my app for over a year. I don't know if he just gave bad advice (at the time I had just started my upper division major classes so I didn't even have anyone I felt comfortable asking yet, so I didn't), but if he felt a year in advance was needed, thinking they need to be lined up a month in advance for vet school really isn't ridiculous.
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Deep breaths, LIS was just messing with ya.

A year in advance is excessive unless you're doing something very temporary and foresee losing physical contact with the person, and want to make sure they'll be willing to write a letter down the road. I asked my recommenders a few months in advance because I was going out of town, but really you don't even have to do it before VMCAS opens if you're still going to be working with them. I would give them at least a month to get it done, so anytime between now and the beginning of August I guess.
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Caiter92 said:
I know I seem eager, but this is more being unsure with how far in advance these things need to be planned than wanting to get things done right away or being a "gunner". But thanks for the assumption?
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OMG, relax. It was a joke. Nothing wrong with getting your ducks in a row however far in advance you feel makes the most sense.
 
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LetItSnow said:
OMG, relax. It was a joke. Nothing wrong with getting your ducks in a row however far in advance you feel makes the most sense.
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Do I need to have a word with the poor newb? Ya know, just lighten things up a bit cuz I'm real good at that.
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Caiter92 said:
Does anyone else still need to ask for LORs?

I have two of my three lined up already, but I haven't asked my lab PI yet. I'm fairly certain she or the Prof the lab is run by will do it (I mean, they wrote a LOR for my crappy lab partner who bailed on our project after a few months and we had to throw out all her things after she left because she had no notes on procedure and what we did have suggested it was done incorrectly)

If she says no for some reason, I have another prof I could ask, but Ahh.
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I only asked one so far, and that was because I was leaving my job and moving to another state. Should've asked my academic reference in person, too, but I simply didn't have time.

I think asking once VMCAS opens should be plenty of time. Even if they flake out in June or July, you still have time to ask someone else. When I was applying to grad school, I think I asked 2-3 months in advance and had no problems.
 
I haven't even asked any of my LORs yet! I haven't even met one of them yet!

Just kidding, I graduate in like 29 days.

But I remember what it's like to panic! And Pepperidge Farm remembers.

I applied three times too. Don't fret, y'all.
 
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Gwenevre said:
@LyraGardenia and @batsenecal , can I join the club? HS 2011, UG 2014, shooting for a third time ;)
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Sure!! We can have special t-shirts that say, "THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM! VET SCHOOL CLASS OF 2020!". And then get asked if vet school is a two year certificate program....by the education post-bach advisor of my undergrad....
 
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Jilary said:
I was a 4 time applicant when I finally got accepted to my first choice school, in case that gives some of you hope.
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I kinda sorta wonder what the record is for most tries before successfully getting in.... When I was a pre-vet volunteering at the university hospital I ran into a vet student who said it took her 7 tries. That's getting up there.
 
LetItSnow said:
I kinda sorta wonder what the record is for most tries before successfully getting in.... When I was a pre-vet volunteering at the university hospital I ran into a vet student who said it took her 7 tries. That's getting up there.
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I applied 4 times, but the 1st time was a huge mistake on my part. So I only consider it as 3 REAL times that I applied.
 
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Wow, my first post on here! :)
HOLY SH** WE'RE APPLYING TO VET SCHOOL. Totally freaking out, also.
My top choice is Tufts, and then I'll probably apply to UPenn (instate), Cornell, Colorado, and maybe UF
 
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Happy to see I'm not the only one already sick nervous about this round.
2nd time applying, 1st round I only went for Madison (IS) to see how everything works. I'm applying to Madison again and UTK (dream come true pick). Hopefully more well-prepared. Good luck to all!
 
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wigglebutt said:
Happy to see I'm not the only one already sick nervous about this round.
2nd time applying, 1st round I only went for Madison (IS) to see how everything works. I'm applying to Madison again and UTK (dream come true pick). Hopefully more well-prepared. Good luck to all!
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Me too, for months, I felt sick every time I thought about it. It seemed so far away until now....
 
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batsenecal said:
And then get asked if vet school is a two year certificate program....by the education post-bach advisor of my undergrad....
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Oh the times that I have been asked that. Or had people say that being a vet was "so much easier than going to med school". Last week a woman said that she could see why I would want to do DVM vs MD, because it was "less responsibility" because we "had someone supervising" us.

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Gemgrrrl said:
Or if she was thinking.
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I feel like that's probably the case, lack of thinking. I can sort of udnerstand the "less responsibility" part because some people feel that it's "just animals" and therefore, less serious if a patient dies*. But the supervising part? If anything I feel like it's the other way around. I think single DVM practices are probably more common than single MD practices. And MDs have mandatory internships/residencies where they're supervised for the first few years after graduation, while a lot of DVMs go straight into practice. So yeah, there's either a major lack of thinking or understanding or lack of something going on there...
*Obviously not my feelings, especially if you're dealing with food safety cases.
 
Coquette22 said:
I feel like that's probably the case, lack of thinking. I can sort of udnerstand the "less responsibility" part because some people feel that it's "just animals" and therefore, less serious if a patient dies*. But the supervising part? If anything I feel like it's the other way around. I think single DVM practices are probably more common than single MD practices. And MDs have mandatory internships/residencies where they're supervised for the first few years after graduation, while a lot of DVMs go straight into practice. So yeah, there's either a major lack of thinking or understanding or lack of something going on there...
*Obviously not my feelings, especially if you're dealing with food safety cases.
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I feel like there's a general lack of understanding and appreciation for veterinarians. I meet so many people that have no idea. Maybe we need to do a better job of educating the public and advocating for our profession?
 
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Oh, this woman. lol. I was talking to her to begin with because if I get this new job, I get 1$ tuition plus fees for classes. So If I get that, might as well take some classes and my backup plan is high school bio teacher. Anyways, she continued to talk to me about teaching and how accreditation works for different programs. Apparently Nebraska is changing accreditation and the new accreditation would require want-to-be teachers have a GPA of 3.25 instead of 2.75. She said (and I quote): "If they want to treat teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians, they should pay teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians". Excuse me? 1) I do think that teachers deserve to be paid more, but not because they are being held to a B- standard. 2) If you think the average GPA of a student going into law/med/vet school is 3.25, then you have pretty low standards for the people in charge of your health, your pets' health, and law (obviously not saying a 3.25 is anything to be ashamed of, but we all know that it is not the average GPA for professional schools). That is terrifying.
 
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batsenecal said:
She said (and I quote): "If they want to treat teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians, they should pay teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians".
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Yeah, because all it takes to be a doctor, lawyer or veterinary is a bachelors degree with a 3.25 GPA. Riiigghht...
 
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batsenecal said:
She said (and I quote): "If they want to treat teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians, they should pay teachers like doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians".
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Should've told her some vets and lawyers pull in a salary on par with what teachers get...
 
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Ooh I'm glad I found this thread today! Just finished my file review with Cornell and it gave me hope for this cycle! Third timer here, and planning on Penn, Lincoln Memorial, Midwestern, and a fourth TBD.
 
I can already tell this is gonna be excruciating...all the waiting that's ahead of us! :bang:
 
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Fourth time ahead. I might actually look into applying to a few more schools, money depending. Ohio State is my in-state and home institution so it's going to remain my top choice. In the past I've applied to CSU and Mizzou. I might go for those two again or I might find one or two different schools after reviewing admission requirements.... again.
 
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2 weeks and 3 days.. yee yee! Exciting! I'm nervous as all get out though
 
Me too, I just found out due to the way they calculate GPA, my best shot is this year not next. I am also questioning whether or not to bother with the BS degree, or just pray I don't screw this up and work to pay the loans off instead.
 
ResoluteMike said:
Me too, I just found out due to the way they calculate GPA, my best shot is this year not next. I am also questioning whether or not to bother with the BS degree, or just pray I don't screw this up and work to pay the loans off instead.
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That topic is really a matter of opinion. A lot of people would tell you it's safer to have a fall back just in case, and depending on your situation I may or may not agree. Me personally, I say meh, unless you have doubts go for the throat and get your DVM sooner than later (I don't have a BS either). Also consider that there are a number of schools that will grant you a Bachelor's after a certain point in the curriculum.
 
Frozenshades said:
That topic is really a matter of opinion. A lot of people would tell you it's safer to have a fall back just in case, and depending on your situation I may or may not agree. Me personally, I say meh, unless you have doubts go for the throat and get your DVM sooner than later (I don't have a BS either). Also consider that there are a number of schools that will grant you a Bachelor's after a certain point in the curriculum.
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Yeah, I don't see much choice but to go full bore and hope for the best. I am going to talk to an advisor at the program I am applying to as soon as I can set up an appointment to try and figure out the best course of action for additional schooling. In the meantime, back to studying for the physics final that suddenly became a lot more important.
 
Aegolius acadicus said:
I'm applying to Ohio (IS); just applying to the one school because of poor stats. We'll see what happens. And yeah, 2020 would be cool. :)
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I would suggest applying to at least two schools, possibly one of the island schools or the new ones, since they tend to be a tad more lenient where bad stats are concerned. Lincoln was pretty competitive this year, though, so I think you'll need a 3.0 or so to get an interview. If you don't mind, could you list your stats in the "what are my chances" thread, or here, that way we could better advise you.
 
UPenn, OSU, and UGA...I'll apply to a few other as well but those are my top three
 
Eeeeek! I've lurked for almost two years reading every single thread now I can finally say I'm applying this cycle to TAMU!
 
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BirdsinMyHouse said:
I would suggest applying to at least two schools, possibly one of the island schools or the new ones, since they tend to be a tad more lenient where bad stats are concerned. Lincoln was pretty competitive this year, though, so I think you'll need a 3.0 or so to get an interview. If you don't mind, could you list your stats in the "what are my chances" thread, or here, that way we could better advise you.
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Did you see Midwestern's stats for their first class? I did a double take when I saw them.

SummerTheLynx said:
Man, that's a lot of WW to read without having played a single game
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Check out that sassy-fras! :)
 
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batsenecal said:
Did you see Midwestern's stats for their first class? I did a double take when I saw them.



Check out that sassy-fras! :)
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I just now looked for the first time, very interesting. Of course, you have to balance that with the high cost.
 
BirdsinMyHouse said:
I just now looked for the first time, very interesting. Of course, you have to balance that with the high cost.
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I completely agree. I would also attribute it to being an untried school in an untried state. I bet they accepted a bunch of 3.6-4.0 kids, but they got accepted elsewhere and went to the schools that had an established presence as well as the cheaper price tag (as you said). Unfortunately both schools require organic chemistry 2 and I can't fit that into my summer schedule.
 
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batsenecal said:
Did you see Midwestern's stats for their first class? I did a double take when I saw them.
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I saw that, too, and as an applicant with a lower-than-average cumulative GPA but much higher science/pre-req and last 45, it seemed tempting, but that price tag... ouch.

I think that I've actually decided to only apply to my IS, which is Mizzou. As much as I'd like to have another option on the (admittedly small) chance I get into somewhere OOS, just thinking about the jump in tuition makes my stomach curdle. As someone starting out with ~$40,000 in debt before vet school, I just don't think I can justify tacking on another $200,000+. I would have panic attacks everyday. Heck, even the prospect of $100,000 scares the bajeebus out of me. If I were fortunate enough to have gotten through my undergrad debt-free, then maybe I'd be less hesitant. Meh. It is what it is.

So I guess for me, it's going to be either IS or not at all.
 
Nalikti said:
I saw that, too, and as an applicant with a lower-than-average cumulative GPA but much higher science/pre-req and last 45, it seemed tempting, but that price tag... ouch.

I think that I've actually decided to only apply to my IS, which is Mizzou. As much as I'd like to have another option on the (admittedly small) chance I get into somewhere OOS, just thinking about the jump in tuition makes my stomach curdle. As someone starting out with ~$40,000 in debt before vet school, I just don't think I can justify tacking on another $200,000+. I would have panic attacks everyday. Heck, even the prospect of $100,000 scares the bajeebus out of me. If I were fortunate enough to have gotten through my undergrad debt-free, then maybe I'd be less hesitant. Meh. It is what it is.

So I guess for me, it's going to be either IS or not at all.
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Similar boat floating over here except for the big difference that I graduated without any debt from undergrad. I went to a tiny state college in Nebraska and was able to use scholarships, savings, and working to pay for it all. So I am not hesitant to a certain degree. I do have a below average GPA in pretty much every area as well. But that's why I m going to apply super smart this year. Have you looked at all the schools' tuition amounts? There are some pretty low ones out ther for even out of stater and ther are the schools that let you be instate after one year and some paper work. It might be worth looking into if you haven't already. However I do know people here in Colorado who are only going to apply to CSU.
 
Nalikti said:
I think that I've actually decided to only apply to my IS, which is Mizzou. As much as I'd like to have another option on the (admittedly small) chance I get into somewhere OOS, just thinking about the jump in tuition makes my stomach curdle. .
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This is where I am at as well, at least for my first cycle. I mean, I really hope I do get excepted this year, but if I don't the plan is to do a file review right away and work like hell to improve my chances for the next cycle at my IS. I might apply to one or two other schools that let you gain IS tuition after the first year, but right now that would only be Mizzou with my prereqs. And even then, going to Mizzou would be $40k more than my IS, and that is just so much money.
 
This is so crazy. I've followed threads like this, and now, I'm a part of one. I'm a first time applicant, Louisiana resident, shooting for acceptances to LSU, Midwestern AZ, Mississippi State, or Michigan State.
 
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T-minus ~11 days until VMCAS opens!

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LyraGardenia said:
Another third-timer here! Definitely applying to Mizzou (my IS) again, probably Illinois again since they're the only OOS school that's given me any love, and still deciding on probably 2-3 others. I'm currently on the waitlist at Illinois, but not holding out hope considering they either accept or waitlist everyone who interviews. At this point I'd be a bit annoyed if I get off the waitlist considering I already put down a deposit on an apartment in my current city. :p

I'm considering applying to SGU and/or Ross, because I'm anxious to get in SOMEWHERE this time, but I don't know if I could handle living so far away from family and my SO, and in such a different environment. Regardless, this will probably be my last time applying. I can only take spending almost a full year of my life on this process, with my future up in the air, only to end up back at square one so many times. However, I don't really know what plan B is yet. I'm not really interested in human medicine, research, or teaching, which are the other popular routes to go with a BS in biology. :shrug:


Not gonna lie, this is a bit of a silver lining to having to reapply again for me. 2019 is just such an ugly, odd number, plus I graduated high school in 2010, so there's symmetry. ;)
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I'm not sure what your stats are, but don't give up!!! Don't yet consider another career path of this is what you want to do! Have you contacted the schools you previously applied to and get feedback on why you weren't accepted? I would take a look at each individual school's average accepted GPA, etc. and apply to ones that fit your qualifications. Yes definitely consider Ross and St. George. I've heard great things about both. Think about Glasgow too!
 
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