Successful Applicant Stats - Class of 2018

[MnW2014]

2nd time applicant
22 year old male, OH resident
Major: Natural Science; Biology
Minor: Chemistry

Applied: Ohio, VMRCVM, Mississippi, Mizzou, UTK, UGA
Rejected: Mississippi, VMRCVM, Ohio (after interview)
Interviewed: Ohio, Mizzou, UTK
Wait listed: UTK
Accepted: Mizzou
Waiting to hear: UGA
Attending: MIZZOU!

Overall GPA: 3.68
Science GPA: 3.53
Last 45: 3.83

GRE (Q/V/W): 152/150/4.5 = 52/44/73% - I despise this standardized test

Vet Experience:
8000 - small animal/pocket pets
250 - Equine/large animal

Animal Experience:
2000 - Helping my grandma with breeding

Research:
None

Employment:
5yr vet assistant in a small animal clinic (full time), 2yr on-call emergency assistant

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-Vet Club
Chem Club
Tri-Beta Bio Club

Awards/Honors:
Dean's list - several semesters
Bioinformatics student
Phi Eta Sigma Honor Soc.
Tri-Beta Bio Honor Soc.

LORs:
1. Small Animal Vet who I've know for most my life
2. Genetics/Biotech Professor
3. Small Animal Vet who I worked with for 1.5yrs

Personal Statement:
I talked about growing up with my grandma who is a breeder - this brought up a question on all the controversial issues in every interview I had. Described cases I saw while working in the small animal clinic/ while out on farm visits. The role of a veterinarian in society, and I also focused on being a 2nd time applicant and what I have done to improve myself.

Yaaaayyyy! A future classmate!! Congrats!!

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[tiberius_the_turtle]

1st time applicant
23 year old female, WI resident
Major: Evolutionary Biology

Applied: WSU, VMRCVM, Cornell, Wisconsin
Rejected: WSU, VMRCVM
Interviewed: Nowhere!
Wait listed: Cornell
Accepted: Wisconsin
Attending: Wisconsin!

Overall GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.68
Last 45: 3.94

GRE (Q/V/W): 163 (88)/159 (84)/4.5 (72)

Vet Experience:
~1500 in a surgery laboratory
~500 at an aviary
~25 at a SA clinic (high school)

Animal Experience:
~700 at a zoo
~120 volunteering with/fostering rabbits at a shelter
~35 volunteering with cats at a humane society
~100 at a wildlife rehabilitation center (high school)
~3000 through pet ownership

Research:
~2000 working on a biofuels project
~500 working on a maternal allocation project (probably short-changed myself on the application, probably more like 800...oh well!)
~200 working on plant evolution project
~250 working on genetics education project (high school)

Other Employment:
~2000 as a front desk attendant & supervisor at a residence hall

Extra-curriculars:
3 years cross-country
FFA
French Club
Also added my hobbies, since I think they spoke a little more to who I was than my high school clubs...things like writing, acting, gardening, etc. I added pretty much any volunteer work I've done.

Awards/Honors:
Dean's list - four times
Phi Beta Kappa
FFA Wisconsin State Dairy Foods champ (I know...kind of ridiculous that I have NO LA experience and won this, but I did!)

LORs:
1. DVM at the aviary
2. Zookeeper
3. Lab manager at the surgery lab
4. PI from the biofuels lab
5. Faculty mentor for the maternal allocation project

Personal Statement:
I explained the progression of my interest from evolutionary biology and research into veterinary medicine and exotic animals. I actually wrote it in about four hours, but felt really good about it. So, if you're like me and have a habit of over-analyzing these things, don't worry! As long as it's authentic (and it's grammatically correct), you will be just fine. Just use that age-old, cheesy advice of "show, don't tell" (I wrote about training a turtle, for example). I actually thought it was a really strong part of my application, so if anyone wants help, just let me know!

I was worried about not having thousands of hours of vet experience (and no LA experience), but it can be done! I should note that I took a few graduate-level courses in undergrad and took classes that some might shy away from, like math and comp sci. So...academics don't have to just mean grades. If you took some interesting classes in your undergrad, definitely mention it on your application! Schools (especially Wisconsin) like diversity. So excited to start my career path toward being a vet! Hopefully I'll meet some of you soon

 

[allieoop2714]

1st time applicant, 21, OH resident

Applied: Colorado State, Ohio State, Michigan State
Interviewed: Ohio State
Accepted/Attending: Michigan State !!

Academics:
BS in Biological Sciences: Animal Physiology & Behavior
Graduated a semester early (December 2013)
cGPA: 3.84
Science GPA: 3.80
Last 45 GPA: 3.91
GRE: V: 155, Q: 153, A: 4

Veterinary Experience:
Shadowing at various SA hospitals: ~340 hours
Shadowing/volunteering at a shelter: ~20 hours
Shadowing a behavior specialist: ~10 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteering at various shelters: ~330 hours
Volunteering with horses: ~30 hours
Trapping birds for my research: ~33 hours
Pet-sitting: ~35 hours

Research:
Field assistant for a lab studying behavior in house finches: ~130 hours
Senior honors thesis on the ethical responsibilities of veterinarians: ~120 hours

Employment:
Domino's Pizza

Honors and Awards:
Member of Barrett, the Honors College at ASU
Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Dean's List all 7 semesters
Presidential Scholarship at ASU
Dean's List for both semesters I took community college classes as a senior in high school
Graduated with Honors from high school
Received various awards throughout high school
National Honor Society

Community Activities:
Barrett Mentoring Program
Devil2Devil Student Ambassador
Marching band for 3 years of high school
Concert band for 3 years of high school
National Honor Society tutoring for ESL students
Ski Club, Key Club, Spanish Club

eLORs:
1 SA veterinarian
Thesis Director
Honors Professor

Personal Statement:
I started with a brief anecdote about how I became passionate about science and veterinary medicine. I focused on how my experiences led me to become interested in specializing. I also went into detail on how moving across the country by myself and attending ASU helped me grow as a person and prepare for professional school. I also talked about being in the honors program. I ended with how all of this came together to confirm my aspiration to become a veterinarian and fully prepare me for the four years ahead. I didn't really fret too much over writing my personal statement; the most difficult part was getting started! Just use this as an opportunity to really sell yourself.

Although I do not have a tremendous amount of experience, I really feel like I stood out because of my academics and my research. I always took heavy course loads, and a lot of my classes, such as ochem, were honors classes. Feel free to PM me with any questions!

 

[privera3]

2nd time applicant, 22 y/o male
PR resident

Applied: Ohio State, Mississippi, LSU, Colorado, UGA, Illinois, Kansas, UPenn, Minnesota, VMRCVM, Missouri, Tuskegee
Interviewed: Ohio State, Missouri, Mississippi, LSU, VMRCVM
Interviews I declined: Minnesota, Tuskegee
Waitlisted: Mississippi, VMRCVM, LSU
Accepted: Ohio State, Missouri
Attending: The Ohio State!

Academics:
BS in Medical Microbiology
cGPA: ~3.52
Science GPA: ~3.70
Last 45: 3.82

GRE: V145, Q148, W3.5 (epic fail)

Veterinary Experience:
850 hours total:
500 Private practice clinic
300 Large Animal (Cattle and Equine)
Some other hours shadowing vet at zoo.

helped in spay/neuter community service activity

Animal Experience:
Worked full time at a summer in a stable.
Owned two horses.
Own dogs all my life
Caring for confiscated exotic animals (snakes, turtles, geckos, frogs) that belonged to the clinic.
Helping the vet in community service conferences at schools

Internship:
Short internship at a monoclonal antibodies production lab

Research:
Heartworm prevalence in a city.

eLORs
President of the MAB lab
Main vaterinarian I worked with
Parasitology professor
Other veterinarians

Other Experiences:
Life Rank Scout: Bunch of hiking trips, camps, leadership experiences
FAA certified private pilot
Play guitar, piano and bass

 

[NStarz]

2nd time applicant, 22 y/o male
PR resident

Applied: Ohio State, Mississippi, LSU, Colorado, UGA, Illinois, Kansas, UPenn, Minnesota, VMRCVM, Missouri, Tuskegee
Interviewed: Ohio State, Missouri, Mississippi, LSU, VMRCVM
Interviews I declined: Minnesota, Tuskegee
Waitlisted: Mississippi, VMRCVM, LSU
Accepted: Ohio State, Missouri
Attending: The Ohio State!

Academics:
BS in Medical Microbiology
cGPA: ~3.52
Science GPA: ~3.70
Last 45: 3.82

GRE: V145, Q148, W3.5 (epic fail)

Veterinary Experience:
850 hours total:
500 Private practice clinic
300 Large Animal (Cattle and Equine)
Some other hours shadowing vet at zoo.

helped in spay/neuter community service activity

Animal Experience:
Worked full time at a summer in a stable.
Owned two horses.
Own dogs all my life
Caring for confiscated exotic animals (snakes, turtles, geckos, frogs) that belonged to the clinic.
Helping the vet in community service conferences at schools

Internship:
Short internship at a monoclonal antibodies production lab

Research:
Heartworm prevalence in a city.

eLORs
President of the MAB lab
Main vaterinarian I worked with
Parasitology professor
Other veterinarians

Other Experiences:
Life Rank Scout: Bunch of hiking trips, camps, leadership experiences
FAA certified private pilot
Play guitar, piano and bass

Woohoo! Can't wait to meet you in the fall!

 

[farmerk]

I'm very excited to be posting in this thread and hope that it will be helpful to someone down the road!

22, Male, North Carolina resident
Second-time applicant (first time I applied to RVC and NCSU, was a shot in the dark for NCSU, no large animal exp, moderate amounts of small, no research, & no undergrad degree yet, but got into RVC! held off a year though due to costs)
B.S. in Marine Biology from University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Graduated July 2013

Applied: NCSU (in state), Mizzou, Ohio, Auburn, and Wisconsin.
Interview Offers: Missouri, Ohio, Auburn
Declined Interviews: None
Wait-Listed: None
Rejected: Wisconsin
Still Pending: NCSU
Accepted: Mizzou, Ohio, Auburn
Attending: If I get into NCSU, I will probably go there. If not, then most likely Missouri

now to dust off the old stack of VMCAS papers...
Cumulative GPA: 3.59
Pre-Req GPA: 3.8
Last 45 GPA: 3.625

GRE: Bleh!
Verbal: 158 (77%)
Quant: 155 (64%)
Analytical: 3 (11%) ouch...
Standardized test have never been my strongest, and this was just my first attempt w/o any preparation... when the next year rolled around and it came time to re-apply I hadn't found the time to study and couldn't justify to myself spending the money to retake the test so I just went with the old scores... thankfully it didn't bite me in the butt for most schools

All numbers listed are at the time of my application being submitted.

Veterinary Experience:
- Specialty referral and Emergency Hospital - 392 hours - I mainly worked Emergency, as a the nights/weekends assistant - got to do all kinds of stuff ranging from assisting with emergency admission/diagnostics to assisting with crazy treatments like DKA, transfusions, and a variety of post-ops, and even got to scrub in on a few surgeries!
- Regan Equine - Mobile Equine practice - 75 Hours - Small # of hours, but saw a huge variety of patients seen.
- Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital - 16 hrs - One day a year at the rehab hospital the Vet students and Drs would come from NC State and Preform Physicals, run bloodwork, and monitor rehab progress for each turtle we had in the hospital.
- Coastal Mobile Veterinary -290 hrs - Mobile small animal practitioner - I was the drs only assistant for house calls.
- Dineen Animal Hospital - 760 hrs - Mixed animal practice (small/exotics) I started simply shadowing, which eventually turned into a job that I worked for about 1.5 yrs


Animal Experience:
- Nest sitting/ Hatching assistance/nest analysis - 200 hrs - Volunteered on the island I did an internship at - nest sitting, assisting during the hatching events, crowd control and education, and nest excavation/analysis - even helped move a nest in the middle of cat. 3 Hurricane Irene - best miserable experience I've ever had (ended up having ~80 turtles hatch from that nest!!! )
- Figure 8 Island Nesting Turtle Program - Interned on the Island for 2 consecutive years - 200 hrs - was responsible for doing sunrise patrols on the island, assisting in relocating nests, recording data, and collecting data for the DNA study out of the Univ. of Georgia.
- Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center - 751 hrs -Weekly Volunteer for the sea turtle hospital for a majority of my college career.
- Misc. Rehab experience - 30 hrs - Got a call from a student on UNCW's campus who found an injured baby red-eared slider - had a puncture wound above his eye, which had caused his eye to swell shut - I retrieved the turtle, brought it to a vet I used to work for - and treated, fed, and released him. There were various other turtles I helped with as well, buy this is the only one I assumed responsibility for the treatment of - most others became hospital pets for a couple weeks
- Harbor Branch - 25 hrs - Random family visit turned into me assisting with cold stunned turtle rehabilitation and release - was my first turtle experience ever - and it got me hooked!
- pet sitting - 125 hrs - watching various pets, including feeding, walking, medicating, special treatment, and whatever else was requested.
- Pet ownership - 500 hrs - various family pets (not sure if it helped, but it couldn't have hurt to put it down!)


Research Experience:
Assisted my peer in his honors project assessing the affects of turbidity on survivability of two coastal, pelagic, surf-zone species. 56 hrs


Employment: non-vet related
Lacrosse referee - 300hrs - refereed youth through varsity high-school lacrosse games.
Circulation desk assistant at the University's Library - 800 hrs -
Sbarros - 750 hrs - High school job - Italian eatery

Extracurriculars:
- UNCW Brass Ensemble
- UNCW Wind Symphony
- UNCW Pep Band
- UNCW Club Lacrosse
- Various High School programs: NHS, Junior Bank Board, Lacrosse, NJROTC, and Marching band.

Honors and Awards:
- Graduated with Distinction
- Dean's List for 6 semesters
- Treasurer for the UNCW pep band
- Chartway Federal Credit Union Directors Memorial Scholarship
- Rotary Youth Leadership Award
- Legislators School

eLORS:
- My first letter was from the Founder and Director of the Sea Turtle Hospital that I volunteered under for nearly 3 years
- The second was from the veterinarian that owned the mobile practice. I worked with her for about a year as her sole assistant and a bit of time before that in the small animal clinic that we both worked at.
- The Third, and final, was form a veterinarian that worked at the small animal clinic that I first began shadowing at.

I felt that this combination of individuals gave a fairly good representation of me as a person, worker, and community member. Each knew and worked with me in a different setting and as such, had different things to say about me. All knew me personally and all knew the troubles I have overcome and various obstacles I have faced, so I felt that this was the best way to represent myself through letters of recommendation.

Personal Statement / Uniqueness Essays:
Been awhile since I have read this... I am usually a pretty good writer, so I felt this was a fairly strong part of my application. I basically created a narration of my road to my desire to become a veterinarian. I began with the initial sparks of my interest in a career with animals, how the interest in medicine developed, and ultimately why I chose to pursue vet school. All the while I hinted at the various obstacles I have had to overcome, such as moving out on my own when I was 18, medical problems - good ole kidney stone that decided to get stuck... for about a month... , financial problems out the wazoo, and various other things that showed my discipline and determination towards this goal.

Other Thoughts:
The whole point of the first application (2013 cycle) was to really get my name out there so that when I applied in the 2014 cycle, NCSU would see that I was persistent and determined, since they don't interview. It was not the best decision financially, but I feel that it will make a difference (guess I will see if it really mattered in a couple of weeks!)

 

[lso5013]

I'm very excited to be posting in this thread and hope that it will be helpful to someone down the road!

22, Male, North Carolina resident
Second-time applicant (first time I applied to RVC and NCSU, was a shot in the dark for NCSU, no large animal exp, moderate amounts of small, no research, & no undergrad degree yet, but got into RVC! held off a year though due to costs)
B.S. in Marine Biology from University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Graduated July 2013

Applied: NCSU (in state), Mizzou, Ohio, Auburn, and Wisconsin.
Interview Offers: Missouri, Ohio, Auburn
Declined Interviews: None
Wait-Listed: None
Rejected: Wisconsin
Still Pending: NCSU
Accepted: Mizzou, Ohio, Auburn
Attending: If I get into NCSU, I will probably go there. If not, then most likely Missouri

now to dust off the old stack of VMCAS papers...
Cumulative GPA: 3.59
Pre-Req GPA: 3.8
Last 30 GPA: 3.48 (only school I had to calculate this out for wanted the last 30, not 45)

GRE: Bleh!
Verbal: 158 (77%)
Quant: 155 (64%)
Analytical: 3 (11%) ouch...
Standardized test have never been my strongest, and this was just my first attempt w/o any preparation... when the next year rolled around and it came time to re-apply I hadn't found the time to study and couldn't justify to myself spending the money to retake the test so I just went with the old scores... thankfully it didn't bite me in the butt for most schools

All numbers listed are at the time of my application being submitted.

Veterinary Experience:
- Specialty referral and Emergency Hospital - 392 hours - I mainly worked Emergency, as a the nights/weekends assistant - got to do all kinds of stuff ranging from assisting with emergency admission/diagnostics to assisting with crazy treatments like DKA, transfusions, and a variety of post-ops, and even got to scrub in on a few surgeries!
- Regan Equine - Mobile Equine practice - 75 Hours - Small # of hours, but saw a huge variety of patients seen.
- Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital - 16 hrs - One day a year at the rehab hospital the Vet students and Drs would come from NC State and Preform Physicals, run bloodwork, and monitor rehab progress for each turtle we had in the hospital.
- Coastal Mobile Veterinary -290 hrs - Mobile small animal practitioner - I was the drs only assistant for house calls.
- Dineen Animal Hospital - 760 hrs - Mixed animal practice (small/exotics) I started simply shadowing, which eventually turned into a job that I worked for about 1.5 yrs


Animal Experience:
- Nest sitting/ Hatching assistance/nest analysis - 200 hrs - Volunteered on the island I did an internship at - nest sitting, assisting during the hatching events, crowd control and education, and nest excavation/analysis - even helped move a nest in the middle of cat. 3 Hurricane Irene - best miserable experience I've ever had (ended up having ~80 turtles hatch from that nest!!! )
- Figure 8 Island Nesting Turtle Program - Interned on the Island for 2 consecutive years - 200 hrs - was responsible for doing sunrise patrols on the island, assisting in relocating nests, recording data, and collecting data for the DNA study out of the Univ. of Georgia.
- Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center - 751 hrs -Weekly Volunteer for the sea turtle hospital for a majority of my college career.
- Misc. Rehab experience - 30 hrs - Got a call from a student on UNCW's campus who found an injured baby red-eared slider - had a puncture wound above his eye, which had caused his eye to swell shut - I retrieved the turtle, brought it to a vet I used to work for - and treated, fed, and released him. There were various other turtles I helped with as well, buy this is the only one I assumed responsibility for the treatment of - most others became hospital pets for a couple weeks
- Harbor Branch - 25 hrs - Random family visit turned into me assisting with cold stunned turtle rehabilitation and release - was my first turtle experience ever - and it got me hooked!
- pet sitting - 125 hrs - watching various pets, including feeding, walking, medicating, special treatment, and whatever else was requested.
- Pet ownership - 500 hrs - various family pets (not sure if it helped, but it couldn't have hurt to put it down!)


Research Experience:
Assisted my peer in his honors project assessing the affects of turbidity on survivability of two coastal, pelagic, surf-zone species. 56 hrs


Employment: non-vet related
Lacrosse referee - 300hrs - refereed youth through varsity high-school lacrosse games.
Circulation desk assistant at the University's Library - 800 hrs -
Sbarros - 750 hrs - High school job - Italian eatery

Extracurriculars:
- UNCW Brass Ensemble
- UNCW Wind Symphony
- UNCW Pep Band
- UNCW Club Lacrosse
- Various High School programs: NHS, Junior Bank Board, Lacrosse, NJROTC, and Marching band.

Honors and Awards:
- Graduated with Distinction
- Dean's List for 6 semesters
- Treasurer for the UNCW pep band
- Chartway Federal Credit Union Directors Memorial Scholarship
- Rotary Youth Leadership Award
- Legislators School

eLORS:
- My first letter was from the Founder and Director of the Sea Turtle Hospital that I volunteered under for nearly 3 years
- The second was from the veterinarian that owned the mobile practice. I worked with her for about a year as her sole assistant and a bit of time before that in the small animal clinic that we both worked at.
- The Third, and final, was form a veterinarian that worked at the small animal clinic that I first began shadowing at.

I felt that this combination of individuals gave a fairly good representation of me as a person, worker, and community member. Each knew and worked with me in a different setting and as such, had different things to say about me. All knew me personally and all knew the troubles I have overcome and various obstacles I have faced, so I felt that this was the best way to represent myself through letters of recommendation.

Personal Statement / Uniqueness Essays:
Been awhile since I have read this... I am usually a pretty good writer, so I felt this was a fairly strong part of my application. I basically created a narration of my road to my desire to become a veterinarian. I began with the initial sparks of my interest in a career with animals, how the interest in medicine developed, and ultimately why I chose to pursue vet school. All the while I hinted at the various obstacles I have had to overcome, such as moving out on my own when I was 18, medical problems - good ole kidney stone that decided to get stuck... for about a month... , financial problems out the wazoo, and various other things that showed my discipline and determination towards this goal.

Other Thoughts:
The whole point of the first application (2013 cycle) was to really get my name out there so that when I applied in the 2014 cycle, NCSU would see that I was persistent and determined, since they don't interview. It was not the best decision financially, but I feel that it will make a difference (guess I will see if it really mattered in a couple of weeks!)

That's my dude

 

[Mrow123]

Okey, here's mine. I stalked this thread continuously before applying so I hope this helps someone else...

21 year old female, traditional applicant
English major, Pre-Vet minor

Applied: WSU, NCSU, Cornell, Minnesota, Ohio State
Rejected: WSU, NCSU
Interviewed: Ohio State
Declined interviews: Minnesota (couldn't justify the $$$$ tuition)
Waitlisted: Cornell
Accepted: Ohio State
Attending: Not sure yet!

Overall GPA: 3.88
Science GPA: 3.8
Last 45: 3.95 or something

GRE (Q/V/W): 158 (72%)/168 (98%) /4.5

Veterinary:
- Vet tech/kennel assistant at a local SA vet hospital during college: ~450 hours
- Shadowing a SA vet who did laparoscopic surgeries for spays, etc: 90 hours
- Shadowing a SA vet in my hometown: 170 hours
- Shadowing ANOTHER SA vet in my hometown: 90 hours
- Shadowing at Large Animal Hospital: 40 hours
- VIDA trip to Costa Rica (LA and SA): 50 hours

Animal:
- Internship at the Local Zoo 25o hours
- Volunteer at the Wildlife Center: 50 hours
- Pet sitting business (from when I was a kid): 200 hours
- Pet ownership?? If this counts: 300 hours
- Volunteer in Small Animal ICU: 70 hours

Research:
- Dept of Veterinary Biosciences for 2 summers on Lyme Disease: ~350 hours (paid and unpaid)

Unrelated other experience:
- Part time job at the Bookstore starting freshman year

LORS:
- Vet I shadowed
- Research PI
- Organic Chem professor

Personal Statement: Talked about three unique experiences - my VIDA trip, my research, and my internship at the zoo, which opened my eyes to all the crazy options available to veterinarians. Also talked about how being an English major will prepare me for veterinary medicine.

To be honest, I think I spent too much time in undergrad focused on grades, and not enough on experience. All of my animal/vet experience was obtained during summers. I wish I had sacrificed grades a little bit to get more equine/LA experience, because I don't have much. I'm really excited to be admitted, and I can't wait to start! If you have questions or need advice, feel free to PM me.

 

[lso5013]

Okey, here's mine. I stalked this thread continuously before applying so I hope this helps someone else...

21 year old female, traditional applicant, OH resident
English major, Pre-Vet minor

Applied: WSU, NCSU, Cornell, Minnesota, Ohio State
Rejected: WSU, NCSU
Interviewed: Ohio State
Declined interviews: Minnesota (couldn't justify the $$$$ tuition)
Waitlisted: Cornell
Accepted: Ohio State
Attending: Not sure yet! Probably OSU but we'll see what happens with Cornell...I heard they had a LOT of people on their wait-list this year so I am kind of skeptical. Even if I did get in to Cornell, I love OSU so it would be a tough decision.

Overall GPA: 3.88
Science GPA: 3.8
Last 45: 3.95 or something

GRE (Q/V/W): 158 (72%)/168 (98%) /4.5

Veterinary:
- Vet tech/kennel assistant at a local SA vet hospital during college: ~450 hours
- Shadowing a SA vet who did laparoscopic surgeries for spays, etc: 90 hours
- Shadowing a SA vet in my hometown: 170 hours
- Shadowing ANOTHER SA vet in my hometown: 90 hours
- Shadowing at OSU Large Animal Hospital: 40 hours
- VIDA trip to Costa Rica (LA and SA): 50 hours

Animal:
- Internship at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: 25o hours
- Volunteer at the Ohio Wildlife Center: 50 hours
- Pet sitting business (from when I was a kid): 200 hours
- Pet ownership?? If this counts: 300 hours
- Volunteer at OSU Small Animal ICU: 70 hours

Research:
- OSU Dept of Veterinary Biosciences for 2 summers on Lyme Disease: ~350 hours (paid and unpaid)

Unrelated other experience:
- Part time job at the OSU Bookstore starting freshman year

LORS:
- Vet I shadowed in Dublin, OH
- Research PI at OSU
- Organic Chem professor

Personal Statement: Talked about three unique experiences - my VIDA trip, my research, and my internship at the CBus Zoo, which opened my eyes to all the crazy options available to veterinarians. Also talked about how being an English major will prepare me for veterinary medicine.

To be honest, I think I spent too much time in undergrad focused on grades, and not enough on experience. All of my animal/vet experience was obtained during summers. I wish I had sacrificed grades a little bit to get more equine/LA experience, because I don't have much. I'm really excited to be admitted, and I can't wait to start! If you have questions or need advice, feel free to PM me.

I declined my interview at Minnesota for the same reason. They really need to address that...

 

[cowdoctr]

Soo.. my grades/GRE are kind of embarrassing but I hope it helps someone who is feeling a little discouraged about their grades

21 Year old female, PA resident
Animal & Poultry Science Major

Applied: Upenn, VMRCVM, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Purdue, Ohio State, Edinburgh, Glasgow, SGU
Rejected: Kansas, Iowa, Ohio
Declined Interview offer: Upenn, Mississippi, Glasgow
Interviewed: VMRCVM, Missouri, Purdue
Withdrawing App: SGU
Accepted: VMRCVM, Missouri, Purdue, Edinburgh
Attending: Probably MIZZOU!! (not 100% sure yet though)

Overall GPA: 3.48
Science GPA: 3.21
Last 45: ~3.75 ish

GRE: (Q/V/W): 149 (37%)/ 147 (32%)/ 3 (I know these scores are absolutely atrocious. I just..I have no words for them. they just suck)

Experience:
Veterinary:
Shadowing 2 Food Animal vets: 200 hrs
Vet assistant at Small Animal clinic: 250 hrs
Shadowing in VMRCVM teaching hospital: 40 hrs

Animal:
Livestock shows/ FFA: 2,055 hrs
Agricultural High School classes: ~1000 hrs
Large Animal Husbandry Tech: 200 hrs
College Animal Sci classes: 150 hrs
Summer class on handling raptors: 75 hrs

Research:
Cattle Dewormer Research: 200 hrs
Crops Research: 250 hrs

Employment:
Lab assistant: 90 hrs
Student farmer: 250 hrs

Extracurriculars:
Intro Animal Science lab TA
Heifer International ASB
President of Animal Sci Ambassadors
Animal Anat & Phys TA
Poultry Lab volunteer
Pre-vet club
...a bunch of other random high school stuff

Honors/ Awards:
Deans List and couple of scholarships

LOR's:
-Two food animal vets I worked with
-Academic advisor
-Animal Science Professor

Personal Statement:
Discussed how I became so interested in livestock and how that turned into an interest in vet med. Talked about how I want to use my DVM degree as a platform to promote diversity and agricultural interest/education, and explained how/why a DVM degree will help me achieve this. Spent a couple months working really hard on my personal statement. I think it helped my application A TON.

Other:
You DO NOT need a 4.0 to get into vet school! And apparently you also DO NOT need perfect GRE scores. You need to know what your passionate about and how you can become more involved in whatever that is. Then, you need to network!!!!! If you go to a school with a teaching hospital, take advantage of it !!!!!!! And if your grades are not super competitive, cast a wide net and apply to more places. I was strongly convinced I would have to re-apply next year, but I can now say I'M GONNA BE A DOCTOR!

 

[Rainheart]

So excited for all my Mizzou people!! Yay!! Congrats to everyone, though!!
Can't say I'm pumped to be out here right now with finals next week, but I LOVE Mizzou and don't think I really belong anywhere else

 

[muggy]

so i guess i'm "successful?" WOOHOO!

1st time applicant
22 year old female, IL resident, biology major

Applied: Illinois, Wisconsin, Mizzou, Iowa State
Rejected: Wisconsin
Interviewed: Illinois, Mizzou, Iowa State
Wait Listed: Iowa State
Accepted: Illinois, Mizzou, Iowa State
Attending: Illinois

Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.91
Last 45: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/155/4

Vet Experience:
~900 hours at an SA clinic
~350 hours at low-cost vaccine clinic
Shadowed a veterinarian for a day in China

Animal Experience:
~300 hours interning at a zoo
~500 hours in pet-sitting services
~60 hours in classroom experiences (ethology and vertebrates courses)
~100 hours as laboratory assistant for physiology courses (working with rats)
(should have included pet ownership but did not)

Research:
~500 hours studying PDE inhibition in rat’s with Parkinson’s disease

Other Employment:
TA for Microbiology
Writing advisor for cell biology and zoology courses
Note taker for students with disabilities
Genetics tutor
Barista

Other Experiences:
VP of Tri-Beta
Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Fraternity
Pi Theta Sorority
Student Government
Life-time Weight Watchers Member
Pre-Health Club
Regular volunteer at animal shelter (worked many fundraisers)

Honors and Awards:
Dean’s List
Platinum Transfer Scholarship
Pearson Scholarship for Achievement in Biology
Founders Scholarship
Illinois State Scholar

eLORs:
Owner/veterinarian at SA clinic
Veterinarian at animal shelter
Supervisor at animal shelter
Research advisor
Pre-professional committee at my school

Personal Statement: Talked about how my experiences at SA clinic, research, and zoo have developed into passions that I hope to continue as a veterinarian and how I will be committed to quality medicine, education, and research as a result

 

[RPCVvet]

Here goes...
2nd time applicant.
28 year old female, Illinois resident, Animal Science major

Applied: Illinois, Wisconsin
Rejected: Wisconsin
Interviewed: Illinois
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois!

Overall GPA: 3.26
Science GPA: 3.15
Last 45: 3.4

GRE (Q/V/W): 170/160/4

Vet experience:
Volunteer at shelter
Shadowed a beef vet in Australia for a day
Volunteered in U of I's wildlife medical clinic in undergrad
Tech at SA practice in Chicago for 2 years
Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa for 2.5 years working with livestock techs (the "veterinarians" there)
Tech at a holistic SA practice for 1 year and counting

Animal Experience:
Worked with marine wildlife in Australia for 1 month
Seasonal zookeeper in marine aquatics for 3 months
Intern at a reptile zoo for 3 months
Peace Corps Volunteer for 2.5 years promoting improves animal husbandry practices
Lifetime pet owner

Other employment:
Jimmy Johns
Front desk staff at U of I's SA clinic
Meat Science Lab on campus during undergrad
Did a lot of tutoring, beekeeping and small business development in Africa.

eLORs
Vet at my current SA practice
Vet I worked with in Africa
Organic chem professor

Personal Statement: Talked about how I love to work with a variety of animals and people. Discussed Africa and the need for vets to be adaptable to difficult physical situations and other cultures' views on vet med and animal welfare.

Moral: You do NOT need a stellar GPA to get into vet school!

 

[Kyoht]

I second the above poster!!!

29 year old female, IL resident, 1st time applicant

Applied: Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois
Rejected: Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma
Interviewed: Illinois
Waitlisted: None
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois!!!!!!!

Academics:

A.A. in General Studies
B.S. Environmental Biology – May 2014
Cum GPA: 2.81 - this is not a typo lol! (It went to 2.9 after the fall semester)
Science GPA: 3.38
Last 45: ~3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): 156(70%)/152(49%)/4(54%) – Took it three times and got the same score ALL THREE TIMES!


Vet Experience:

~10,000hrs – Vet assistant/Office manager at mixed (SA, LA, Food) practice for 7 years. Vet assistants at this clinic did reception, tech, and kennel work.

~4hrs – St. Louis Zoo, observing amphibian surgery.


Animal Experience:

~1750hrs – On personal farm with cattle, sheep, pigs.
~3500hrs – Breeding, showing, selling poultry.
~2600hrs – Siamese cat breeding, fostering strays in personal cattery, raising orphaned kittens.
~1380hrs – Taking care of animals & aquaria at undergrad college.
~12hrs – Monitoring bluebird nesting sites for the National Bluebird Society.
~500hrs – cornsnake breeding & personal collection care.


Research:

Researched spider behavior over two summers – currently under review for publication with myself as 1st author.

Research intern at the St. Louis Zoo – collected social data on Grevy’s Zebra and Somali Wild Ass. Worked with zookeepers on a biological way to control the amphibian chytrid fungus in captivity.


Employment – not animal related:

TA for Biology, Environmental, & Microbiology classes.
USPS Rural relief carrier
I had a bunch of other menial jobs up to when I was employed at the vet clinic mentioned above – most were fast food or secretarial ( 2000-2006).


Honors/Awards:

4-H (1995-2002)-showing poultry, cats, and fine arts – too many to count, but I listed every trophy on my application.
Presidents list & Deans list
Outstanding Music Award in HS
Outstanding Environmental Biologist – at undergrad


Community Experiences:

Volunteer at CEFS Head Start – I mainly do odd jobs like planting flowers, putting together classroom exercises, face painting/balloon animals at the little “fairs” they have.

Secretary in undergrad’s Tri-Beta Biological Honor Soc.

ELORS:
DVM/owner of mixed animal vet clinic I worked at for 7yrs
PhD- Head of Biology Dept
PhD- Botany Prof (advisor)
PhD - Anatomy/Ecology Prof (I did research with him)
Assistant Prof - Environmental/Developmental Biology


Personal Statement:

I told a story about how I was working at the vet clinic one day and a cat came in with his family. He was very sick and eventually had to be euthanized after months of treatment. The fact that I was able to be there with him and his family when he passed meant so much to me. That was the day that I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian. Of course I want to help animals, but I also want to be there for both the pet and their family when there is nothing else that can be done. I feel that the relationship between a veterinarian and the client is just as important as the relationship with the pet. This experience drove me to go back to school to obtain my bachelors and apply to vet school.


Explanation Statement:

I took complete responsibility for my horrible grades when I was at CC right after high school. I then explained what I had done to change my circumstances and prevent it from ever happening again. I made no excuses.

I remember last year about this time I was crying as I was reading the successful applicant threads because I knew my cumGPA was so far below the competitive level. I can’t believe I am posting on here today! I was prepared to apply multiple times and maybe do a masters. I never thought I would get into my top choice!!!!!!! I just wanted to post on here to give support to non-traditionals that have really bad cum GPAs. I did not do any grade forgiveness. All of my bad grades were from the CC where I graduated with an AA and a cumGPA of 2.45. At my current school I have a GPA of 3.7, but the past brings that down a lot.


If anyone in a similar situation has any questions let me know!

*edit* I forgot my ELORS! I know that these made a big difference. They all knew me really well and wrote great letters.

 

[PhatHippo49]

I second the above poster!!!

29 year old female, IL resident, 1st time applicant

Applied: Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois
Rejected: Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin
Interviewed: Illinois
Waiting to hear: Oklahoma (I will be declining if accepted)
Waitlisted: None
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois!!!!!!!

Academics:

A.A. in General Studies
B.S. Environmental Biology – May 2014
Cum GPA: 2.81 - this is not a typo lol! (It went to 2.9 after the fall semester)
Science GPA: 3.38
Last 45: ~3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): 156(70%)/152(49%)/4(54%) – Took it three times and got the same score ALL THREE TIMES!


Vet Experience:

~10,000hrs – Vet assistant/Office manager at mixed (SA, LA, Food) practice for 7 years. Vet assistants at this clinic did reception, tech, and kennel work.

~4hrs – St. Louis Zoo, observing amphibian surgery.


Animal Experience:

~1750hrs – On personal farm with cattle, sheep, pigs.
~3500hrs – Breeding, showing, selling poultry.
~2600hrs – Siamese cat breeding, fostering strays in personal cattery, raising orphaned kittens.
~1380hrs – Taking care of animals & aquaria at undergrad college.
~12hrs – Monitoring bluebird nesting sites for the National Bluebird Society.
~500hrs – cornsnake breeding & personal collection care.


Research:

Researched spider behavior over two summers – currently under review for publication with myself as 1st author.

Research intern at the St. Louis Zoo – collected social data on Grevy’s Zebra and Somali Wild Ass. Worked with zookeepers on a biological way to control the amphibian chytrid fungus in captivity.


Employment – not animal related:

TA for Biology, Environmental, & Microbiology classes.
USPS Rural relief carrier
I had a bunch of other menial jobs up to when I was employed at the vet clinic mentioned above – most were fast food or secretarial ( 2000-2006).


Honors/Awards:

4-H (1995-2002)-showing poultry, cats, and fine arts – too many to count, but I listed every trophy on my application.
Presidents list & Deans list
Outstanding Music Award in HS
Outstanding Environmental Biologist – at undergrad


Community Experiences:

Volunteer at CEFS Head Start – I mainly do odd jobs like planting flowers, putting together classroom exercises, face painting/balloon animals at the little “fairs” they have.

Secretary in undergrad’s Tri-Beta Biological Honor Soc.


Personal Statement:

I told a story about how I was working at the vet clinic one day and a cat came in with his family. He was very sick and eventually had to be euthanized after months of treatment. The fact that I was able to be there with him and his family when he passed meant so much to me. That was the day that I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian. Of course I want to help animals, but I also want to be there for both the pet and their family when there is nothing else that can be done. I feel that the relationship between a veterinarian and the client is just as important as the relationship with the pet. This experience drove me to go back to school to obtain my bachelors and apply to vet school.


Explanation Statement:

I took complete responsibility for my horrible grades when I was at CC right after high school. I then explained what I had done to change my circumstances and prevent it from ever happening again. I made no excuses.

I remember last year about this time I was crying as I was reading the successful applicant threads because I knew my cumGPA was so far below the competitive level. I can’t believe I am posting on here today! I was prepared to apply multiple times and maybe do a masters. I never thought I would get into my top choice!!!!!!! I just wanted to post on here to give support to non-traditionals that have really bad cum GPAs. I did not do any grade forgiveness. All of my bad grades were from the CC where I graduated with an AA and a cumGPA of 2.45. At my current school I have a GPA of 3.7, but the past brings that down a lot.


If anyone in a similar situation has any questions let me know!

Love your story and so happy for you!! Congrats

 

[Smudgen]

2nd time applicant (in 2013, applied to only Cornell (IS and alma mater) and rejected)
22 yo, female, NYS resident
Graduated magna in 2013, BS in biology - animal physiology

Applied: Cornell, Tufts, UGA, VMRCVM, Minn, Wisc, Guelph, Penn, and Ohio
Rejected: VMRCVM (no interview), Penn (just assuming)
Interviewed: Ohio, Tufts, Minn
Wait listed: Wisc
Accepted: Ohio, Tufts, Minn, Cornell, UGA
Waiting to hear: Penn and Guelph
Attending: Cornell!


Cum: 3.895 (VMCAS 3.82 - different because my school used A+'s which aren't allowed on VMCAS calculations)
Sci: 3.77 (VMCAS)
Nonsci: 3.96 (VMCAS)
Last 45: 4.0 ish (my school had A+'s so that technically gets me over a 4.0, but most schools don't count those)

GRE: V 166 (96%) Q 162 (84%) A 4.5 (78%) - taken twice - these are my best three scores from the two times I took it

Veterinary:
~380 as a kennel worker in a SA clinic
~100 working in low cost S/N and vax clinics abroad (mostly SA, a little LA)
~20 observing a zoo vet
~30 in local S/N clinics as an assistant
~100 as a vet assistant in a SA clinic (an ongoing experience - I stated that I anticipated working part time until Aug. 2014, giving me about 1200 hours before I would be entering vet school)

Animal:
~ 70 socializing research and teaching animals housed at my college
~ 50 hours walking dogs at the local shelter
~ 400 hours interning as a keeper intern at a zoo
I've also owned many pets, mostly special needs, although that didn't go on my VMCAS!

Other work:
~1700 as a pharmacy technician
~300 hours as a tutor and teaching assistant for biology and chemistry courses in college

Research:
None

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-vet Society member throughout college
Officer on my school's club field hockey team from freshman year through senior year
Other assorted clubs that didn't require many hours
TONS of leadership roles in high school clubs

Awards/Honors:
Dean's list every semester
Graduated magna cum laude
Large local scholarship awarded each year of my undergrad that helped me cover most of my expenses - based entirely on academic performance and demonstrated interest in vet med
TONS of small awards in high school

eLORS: 2 small animal vets, both Cornell grads (only one of these was on my VMCAS, the other was on my Cornell supp)
Academic advisor who was also my professor for an upper level bio class in which I did very well
Vet from Guatemala who I worked with when abroad
Lead zookeeper from the zoo where I interned
Professor I TA'd with (on Cornell supplement only)

***My Tufts app had a small animal vet, a professor (non advisor, taught me in 2 upper level bio labs in which I did very well), and my advisor/prof.


Personal Statement:

I think my PS matured a lot from last year to this. Last year I wrote about my early experience in a high kill shelter motivating me to be a vet and educate people about overpopulation and spay and neuter everything in sight. While I still want to do those things, I realize you can't focus entirely on that and nothing else. This year I wrote about how my focus is still education, but educating all people about how our actions impact all animals (pets, production animals, wild animals, zoo animals, etc.) and how to strengthen the human animal bond across the board.

Other notes:

I did a file review with Jenn Mailey at Cornell after my rejection last year and I essentially did everything she told me to. (Detailed in my post on "what are my chances" thread.) I highly recommend utilizing file reviews. I also realize I'm someone with strong academics and not very strong experiences, so if anyone wants to PM me to talk about that type of app or with any other questions, please do!!

 

[zooanimal]

I am so excited and so blessed to be posting here! Congrats to everyone else who is able to write here as a successful applicant!

1st time applicant
21 years old, female, GA resident
Graduating May 2014 from Georgia Tech, BS Biology

Applied: UGA, UF, Auburn, NC State
Rejected: none
Interviewed: UF, Auburn
Wait listed: none
Accepted: UGA, UF, Auburn, NC State
Waiting to hear: none
Attending: Not sure!!


Cum: 3.89
Sci: 3.77
Nonsci: 3.94
Last 45: 4.0
GRE: V 162, Q 155, A 5.0 - taken once

Veterinary:
~500 as a vet tech at two separate vet clinics
~50 shadowing an equine vet
~40 helping vet staff as a zookeeper
~250 doing a veterinary research project at the Georgia Aquarium
~50 shadowing small animal surgeries

Animal:
~ 400 as a bird keeper intern at Zoo Atlanta
~ 700 as a zookeeper at Zoo Atlanta
~ 1000 as a foster to humane society pets
~ 100 as a volunteer at the GA Aquarium
~ 250 as part of the equestrian team for a semester
~ 100 as misc. pre-vet club activities (shelter volunteer days, etc.)

Other work:
Worked as a waitress for a summer
Worked as a receptionist at an infectious disease clinic (for humans) for a year

Research:
One year of behavioral research on Asian small-clawed otters at the GA Aquarium
One year of molecular biology research in a zebrafish lab studying regenerative cell pathways
One semester of ecological research on wild mountain gorillas through Zoo Atlanta

Extra-curriculars:
Founder and president of Pre-Vet club on campus (president for 4 years)
Secretary in a microbiology honor society
Member of a biology honor society
Member of symphonic band on campus
Member of campus a cappella group
Member of equestrian team on campus

Awards/Honors:
Dean's list every semester, faculty honors several semesters (a 4.0 for the semester)
Will graduate summa cum laude in May 2014
Small scholarship each semester through a chemical company
Wellesley College book award for leadership

eLORS:
Curator at the zoo I worked at for several summers
Professor (veterinarian) I did research with
Academic advisor who also served as my pre-vet club's faculty sponsor


Personal Statement:
My personal statement had more to do with tying my love of music to my passion for vet school. I've been a musician all my life and it has taught me many lessons over the years that led me to and prepared me for my journey to vet school.

Other notes:

 

[UFprevet12]

Wow @zooanimal congratulations! You have a big decision to make. All of those are great schools! Pick Auburn so we can be classmates lol jk. No but pick the cheapest.

 

[zooanimal]

Wow @zooanimal congratulations! You have a big decision to make. All of those are great schools! Pick Auburn so we can be classmates lol jk. No but pick the cheapest.

Thanks, UFprevet12! I am kinda between UGA and NC State at this point. UGA is definitely the cheapest, but NC State has that thing where you can claim residency after a year and pay in-state tuition, and their out of state tuition isn't even as high as UF or Auburn. NCSU just has a really strong research and zoo med program, which is what makes me want to go there...I'm not sure though!! You will LOVE going to Auburn! So happy for you!

 

[gugoodoll]

Thanks, UFprevet12! I am kinda between UGA and NC State at this point. UGA is definitely the cheapest, but NC State has that thing where you can claim residency after a year and pay in-state tuition, and their out of state tuition isn't even as high as UF or Auburn. NCSU just has a really strong research and zoo med program, which is what makes me want to go there...I'm not sure though!! You will LOVE going to Auburn! So happy for you!

*cough*NC State*cough*

What? Who said that?

 

[zooanimal]

*cough*NC State*cough*

What? Who said that?

Hahaha I'm definitely leaning towards it, gugoodoll! It's your OOS too, right? Does the thought of taking out loans plus extra loans for the first year give you a slight panic attack? It worries me for sure....but I still love the school!

 

[gugoodoll]

Hahaha I'm definitely leaning towards it, gugoodoll! It's your OOS too, right? Does the thought of taking out loans plus extra loans for the first year give you a slight panic attack? It worries me for sure....but I still love the school!

Yeah I'm dreading having to take out GradPlus loans, but it's better than the alternative of paying 100K+ over the course of 15-20 years in extra tuition + interest (if I chose a different school, that is)! It's like ripping off a bandaid and letting your wound heal faster than slowly peeling it off and letting it fester : o)

 

[fractiousfeline]

I've finally heard back from all my schools and am super excited to be able to post here!!

1st time applicant
Female, 21 years old, FL resident
Graduating in May 2014 with a BS in Biology from the University of Florida

Applied: UF, NCSU, Wisconsin, RVC (London)
Rejected: RVC
Interviewed: UF
Accepted: UF, NCSU, Wisconsin
Waiting to hear: none
Attending: Wisconsin!

Cumulative GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (V/Q/W): 156 (69%)/157 (71%)/4.5 (73%)

Veterinary Experience:
1140 working as a kennel tech/lab tech/receptionist at a SA hospital (family owned, 1 vet practice)
370 working as a receptionist at a SA hospital (6 vet practice)
140 volunteering with a mobile equine vet
12 shadowing in Neu-Isenburg, Germany
4 shadowing in Harare, Zimbabwe

Animal Experience:
300 taking vet assisting classes in high school
12 volunteering at local animal sanctuaries
840 traveling abroad in Southern Africa (camping, going on safaris, and observing African animal behavior) - this was also just a great international experience in general and it gave me a LOT to write about in my essays.

Research:
None (this might have hurt me when applying to NCSU... I hear they're big fans of research) :/

Other Employment:
960 doing clerical work/tax returns for a certified public accountant
480 as a cashier at Publix Super Market

Honors and Awards:
Phi Kappa Phi honor society
UF Anderson Scholar
Dean's list each semester
President's honor roll a few semesters
6 different scholarships
5 high school academic awards
Softball Coaches Award in high school

Extra-Curriculars:
Pre-vet club member
Vice president for an animal club at UF
75 hours volunteering at Give Kids the World (vacation village for terminally ill children)
Varsity softball all 4 years of high school, captain junior and senior year
Travel softball freshman and sophomore year

eLORs:
SA vet where I worked as a tech
Mobile equine vet
UF genetics professor

Personal Statement:
I explained how I had started college as an architecture major, how I quickly determined that it was definitely not for me, and how I came to the decision to pursue veterinary medicine as my career (I had originally wanted to become a vet when I was younger, and architecture was just a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of things). I outlined my veterinary experiences, discussed my belief in the importance of the doctor-client relationship and client communication, and talked about my trip to Africa and Germany and how shadowing vets in each place has made me want to explore how cultural differences may influence practices in veterinary medicine. I closed by summarizing the aspects of the profession that I have grown to love and that I am ready to embrace the challenges that will come with each new day as a veterinarian.

I am beyond excited to be a part of the class of 2018! Congrats to everyone who has been able to post on this thread!

 

[wildchild210]

So grateful and excited that I'm able to post here! I spent countless hours reading other stats so I'm paying it forward. I am proof that it is possible to get an acceptance with a low GRE!

1st time applicant, 21yo female, Illinois resident
BS in Animal Sciences expected May 2014, AS in Biology

Applied: Illinois, Mizzou
Interviewed: Illinois, Mizzou
Wait listed: Mizzou (ETA: Mizzou offered me a seat on 4/15)
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: ILLINOIS!!

Overall GPA: 3.64
Science GPA: 3.46

GRE: 149 V, 145 Q, 4.0 AW <--BLAH
took it twice.. first time was even worse

Vet Experience:
-1800 hours working as a vet assistant at SA clinic
-490 hours working as a tech assistant/kennels at another SA clinic
-250 hours shadowing 2 different equine vets

Animal Experience:
-55 hours working at a poultry farm
-45 hours from my school's farm animal handling class
-6000 hours working/riding at a horse boarding barn (I know it seems like a ridiculous amount but I started helping out there when I was 10 up until a year ago)

Research:
-200 hours helping a PhD student with a nutrition study involving dairy calves

Employment:
Quiznos subs ~2 years

Extra-curriculars:
-VP of Poultry Club
-Pre-Vet Club
-Equestrian Club
-Marching band/pep band in High School
-Danced in a folk dance group
-Participated in an ethnic/cultural pageant

Awards/Honors:
- Tau Sigma HS
-Dean's List
-Phi Theta Kappa HS
-Scholarships

LORs:
1. DVM from SA clinic where I worked as a vet assistant
2. Equine DVM I shadowed
3. Academic Advisor/Poultry Club Faculty advisor

Personal Statement:
I basically talked about my experiences and gave examples on what I learned from that experience and how that would make me a good vet. I also talked about my cultural/heritage involvement with the dance group and the pageant how that compares to veterinary medicine. I spent a lot of time on it and I think it turned out quite nicely

Advice to future applicants:
Not writing these in any particular order just what comes to mind!
-Use this forum to your advantage, especially with the PS! I had many of the readers edit it and their comments were extremely helpful.
-When writing my PS, I tried to think of something that was unique/special about me and talked about it (my cultural background). I think it's what helped me get interviews, because it was the first thing they asked about in my Mizzou interview.
-I completed most of my prerequisite classes at a community college and then transferred to a 4 year state school. This allowed me to get good vet experience that would be even harder to find at school now. Most people looked down on me going to CC for taking the "easy route", but I don't think schools minded at all.

 

[Kyoht]

@wildchild210 do you enjoy poultry as well? At my interview I think I scared them when I said that I was crazy about poultry lol! Wooo we are classmates!!!

 

[wildchild210]

@wildchild210 do you enjoy poultry as well? At my interview I think I scared them when I said that I was crazy about poultry lol! Wooo we are classmates!!!

YES!! Chickens rock! U of I has a new-ish poultry facility that pumps out research like crazy. Can't wait to meet you, classmate

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

@wildchild210 do you enjoy poultry as well? At my interview I think I scared them when I said that I was crazy about poultry lol! Wooo we are classmates!!!

YES!! Chickens rock! U of I has a new-ish poultry facility that pumps out research like crazy. Can't wait to meet you, classmate

Oh my gosh, I have found my people! I love poultry!
So cool that you guys will be classmates!

(although I'm very behind on studying for my avian diseases test on friday, so I'm not feeling too kindly towards chickens at the moment )

 

[wildchild210]

Oh my gosh, I have found my people! I love poultry!
So cool that you guys will be classmates!

(although I'm very behind on studying for my avian diseases test on friday, so I'm not feeling too kindly towards chickens at the moment )

Haha ddoc I had no idea you loved poultry!! Wherever you go to school you will have to spread the poultry love

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

Haha ddoc I had no idea you loved poultry!! Wherever you go to school you will have to spread the poultry love

Yep! My poultry science major is the best thing in the world! (also I love that there is a !)

 

[wildchild210]

Yep! My poultry science major is the best thing in the world! (also I love that there is a !)

Über jealous of your poultry science major just so ya know

 

[farmgirl1992]

1st time applicant, 22yo
BS in Animal Sciences and BS Environmental Science (May 2014)

Applied: Mizzou, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, UPenn (IS), Colorado, and Tufts
Interviewed: Mizzou, Ohio, Florida, UPenn, and Tufts
Wait listed: Wisconsin and Colorado
Rejected: None! (big surprise to me)
Accepted: Mizzou, Ohio, Florida, Upenn and Tufts
Attending: Penn! Although I loved Mizzou =)

Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.6 (VMCAS)-didn't do so hot in Orgo/some early Bio classes but my Environmental Science courses counted!
Last 45: 3.77
GRE: 163 V (91%), 164 Q (89%), 5.0 AW (93%)

Vet Experience:
-600 equine
-550 small animal
-120 large animal
-10 holistic
-8 exotic

Animal Experience:
-10,000+ hours of living on a farm plus horseback riding
-couple thousand of hours teaching riding
-couple thousand of hours of random livestock stuff (showing, judging, jobs)
-intern at an Aquarium
-TA for Animal Science courses

Research:
-500 helping my professor with ruminant research and sample processing
-120 wildlife research center intern

Employment:
I've had over 15 jobs-camp counselor, wreath maker, ice cream server, working for my school, RA, etc...

Extra-curriculars:
-An absurd amount...President of a club, in a lot of other volunteer/animal related activities, etc

LORs:
1. LA vet
2. Equine vet
3. Livestock PhD
4. Professor I did research with PhD
5. ANSC Professor with DVM
6. Club advisor PhD

I think I did well because I was "well-rounded", nothing I had was especially great but nothing was awful either. I also had experience with a diversity of species and highlighted this in my PS. Since I got in to all the schools I interviewed at I obviously interview well, so that might have put me over the top. I definitely recommend thinking about whether or not you are good at interviews into consideration when determining where to apply. Please feel free to PM me if you have questions or advice!!! =)

 

[Knl1991]

1st time applicant
22 year old female, SC resident
Major: Biology

Applied: Mississippi State University, VMRCVM, Midwestern University, University of Missouri, UGA, and St. George's University
Rejected: MSU, VMRCVM, Midwestern, Missouri, UGA
Interviewed: Mississippi State University, Midwestern, SGU (I was moved onto the second part of the admissions process for UGA that dealt with the requirements of GPA, if that means anything)
Wait listed: Nowhere
Accepted: SGU
Attending: SGU

Overall GPA: 3.54
Science GPA: 3.37
Last 45: 3.83

GRE (Q/V/W): 151/149/3 (Took it twice, same score each time. I don't do well writing under pressure)

Vet Experience:
~4,300 at Banfield (started of as a Pet Care Assistant and then when I was 18 became a Vet Assistant)
~30 shadowing a research veterinarian at Uniformed Services University

Animal Experience:
~44 at a zoo
~274 animal care of lab rats at school

Research:
None


Extra-curriculars:
Tri-Beta in undergrad


Awards/Honors:
Dean's list - 2 times
President's list- 2 times
Freshmen Honors-first semester
5 different scholarships
Tri-Beta
(Was invited to Blue Key but never filled the app out)

LORs:
1. DVM from Banfield that took me under her wing
2. Boss from Banfield
3. Advisor (also took one of his classes)
4. Professor and supervisor of animal care

Personal Statement:
I put it off until September so it probably could have been much better. I talked about my experience in Banfield and how I was 16 when I started there and what I have been able to learn. My emphasis as a vet will be preventive care and early socialization. Preventive care because there are so many cases that we deal with everyday where the pet and owner is suffering as a result of something that could have been easily prevented. Early socialization is important to me because we adopted a Giant Schnauzer, 2 years old at the time, in 2007 that we soon found out had aggression issues. Because of his aggression issues and size, many people fear him and do not realize he is a most lovable dog once he becomes familiar with someone.

I know the main reason I wasn't accepted into MWU and MSU was due to my interview, I was very nervous for both of them and left out an important part in an answer. I really don't do well in interviews, my nerves get the best of me I guess. Whereas with SGU it was like having a conversation and didn't even seem like an interview. I know some people may look down on SGU but I'm just glad to be going to vet school.

 

[UFprevet12]

Here goes nothing.. finally decided to suck it up and post my stats. This is for the people who suck at the GRE like me.

2nd time applicant
25 year old female, FL resident

Major: Animal Science, graduated from UF May 2012

First Cycle
Applied: UF, LSU, NC State
Waitlisted: LSU
Rejected: UF, LSU, NC State

Second Cycle
Applied: UF, Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, VMRCVM, Miss State
Interviewed: Auburn and Ohio State
Rejected: UF, Ohio State, VMRCVM, Miss State
Wait listed: LSU
Accepted: Auburn
Waiting to hear: LSU
Attending: AUBURN!!!

Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.54
Last 45: 3.65
GRE (Q/V/W): 150 (41%), 151 (49%), 3.5 (35%)
Took it three times and even took the Kaplan course and still sucked! I HATE THAT TEST!

Vet Experience:
4700 hours - small animal clinic vet tech
300 hours - volunteer at UF small animal hospital (in the ophthalmology, radiology, oncology, zoo med, and anesthesiology departments)
40 hours - operation catnip
35 hours - shadowing a small animal vet (before I got a job as a vet tech)


Animal Experience:
360 hours - animal care intern at the Palm Beach Zoo
150 hours - pet sitting for clients and friends
50 hours - volunteer at small animal shelter
30 hours - volunteering at retirement home for horses

Research:
30 hours - mockingbird research project

Employment:
3 years working as a receptionist at a market research firm
3 years working at a sub shop in high school

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-vet club for 2 years, historian for a semester
Exotics animal club for 1 year
Phi Theta Kappa honors society
I also mentioned my hobbies, which include Crossfit and competing in Crossfit competitions (we talked a lot about this in my Auburn interview).

Awards/Honors:
Graduated Cum Laude
Presidents list 2 times
Dean's honor list 5 times

LORs:
3 vets that I work for (all at the same clinic)

Personal Statement:
I talked about an experience that made me realize why I want to be a vet and talked about how I got my experiences and what I have learned from them.

I'm so excited to finally be going to vet school and making my dream come true1!! Auburn here I come!!

 

[Bumblebinks]

1st time applicant
22 year old female, FL resident

Major: Biology, graduating from UCF this Spring ‘14

First Cycle
Applied:UF, Auburn, Purdue
Waitlisted:Auburn
Rejected:Purdue (no interview)
Attending: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!

Overall GPA: 3.52
Science GPA: 3.28
Last 45: 3.6
GRE(Q/V/W): 157, 159, 4.5
GRE made up for my lower-than-average GRE. Suck it up, take a prep course (I took Magoosh online and LOVED IT. Seriously raised my score by ten points for math) and take advantage of the opportunity of an easy test.

Vet Experience:
Shadowing: around 450 hours when I applied, now it’s around 600. Just going to small animal clinics, Brevard zoo, etc.

Animal Experience:
315 hours- as a volunteer at Back to Nature Wildlife refuge

Employment:
3 years working as a Resident Assistant, came to about 3000 hours working. Seriously cannot emphasize how much I learned about leadership, teamwork, communication, feedback, crisis response, etc. Made me stand out!

STEM Major Mentor- 1 year. About 100 hours.

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-Vet Club at UCF
Committees while an RA; planning national conferences, training new RAs, conducting interviews, etc.

Awards/Honors:
RA of the Year, random stuff from RA (sense a theme? Lol)

LORs:
1 veterinarian (UF Alum)
1 Former Supervisor (talked about teamwork, communication skills, leadership, etc
1 Volunteer Coordinator from BTN

Personal Statement:
Talked about realization that being a vet is just as much about helping people as it is helping animals. Personal challenges with school were also a topic, as I had a professor tell me I “wouldn’t graduate with a biology degree”.


I can’t stress enough how much this process is not about the numbers, at least for UF. They really care about how as an individual, and how you view the field. Get a unique job (like RA) that will help you develop these skills!


GO GATORS!!!!

 

[98cats]

1st time applicant
22 year old female, FL resident

Major: Biology, graduating from UCF this Spring ‘14

First Cycle
Applied:UF, Auburn, Purdue
Waitlisted:Auburn
Rejected:Purdue (no interview)
Attending: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!

Overall GPA: 3.52
Science GPA: 3.28
Last 45: 3.6
GRE(Q/V/W): 157, 159, 4.5
GRE made up for my lower-than-average GRE. Suck it up, take a prep course (I took Magoosh online and LOVED IT. Seriously raised my score by ten points for math) and take advantage of the opportunity of an easy test.

Vet Experience:
Shadowing: around 450 hours when I applied, now it’s around 600. Just going to small animal clinics, Brevard zoo, etc.

Animal Experience:
315 hours- as a volunteer at Back to Nature Wildlife refuge

Employment:
3 years working as a Resident Assistant, came to about 3000 hours working. Seriously cannot emphasize how much I learned about leadership, teamwork, communication, feedback, crisis response, etc. Made me stand out!

STEM Major Mentor- 1 year. About 100 hours.

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-Vet Club at UCF
Committees while an RA; planning national conferences, training new RAs, conducting interviews, etc.

Awards/Honors:
RA of the Year, random stuff from RA (sense a theme? Lol)

LORs:
1 veterinarian (UF Alum)
1 Former Supervisor (talked about teamwork, communication skills, leadership, etc
1 Volunteer Coordinator from BTN

Personal Statement:
Talked about realization that being a vet is just as much about helping people as it is helping animals. Personal challenges with school were also a topic, as I had a professor tell me I “wouldn’t graduate with a biology degree”.


I can’t stress enough how much this process is not about the numbers, at least for UF. They really care about how as an individual, and how you view the field. Get a unique job (like RA) that will help you develop these skills!


GO GATORS!!!!

WOOO!! A fellow RA! Haven't seen much of that (haven't seen it at all, actually) on here!

 

[WildZoo]

1st time applicant
22 year old female, FL resident

Major: Biology, graduating from UCF this Spring ‘14

First Cycle
Applied:UF, Auburn, Purdue
Waitlisted:Auburn
Rejected:Purdue (no interview)
Attending: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!

Overall GPA: 3.52
Science GPA: 3.28
Last 45: 3.6
GRE(Q/V/W): 157, 159, 4.5
GRE made up for my lower-than-average GRE. Suck it up, take a prep course (I took Magoosh online and LOVED IT. Seriously raised my score by ten points for math) and take advantage of the opportunity of an easy test.

Vet Experience:
Shadowing: around 450 hours when I applied, now it’s around 600. Just going to small animal clinics, Brevard zoo, etc.

Animal Experience:
315 hours- as a volunteer at Back to Nature Wildlife refuge

Employment:
3 years working as a Resident Assistant, came to about 3000 hours working. Seriously cannot emphasize how much I learned about leadership, teamwork, communication, feedback, crisis response, etc. Made me stand out!

STEM Major Mentor- 1 year. About 100 hours.

Extra-curriculars:
Pre-Vet Club at UCF
Committees while an RA; planning national conferences, training new RAs, conducting interviews, etc.

Awards/Honors:
RA of the Year, random stuff from RA (sense a theme? Lol)

LORs:
1 veterinarian (UF Alum)
1 Former Supervisor (talked about teamwork, communication skills, leadership, etc
1 Volunteer Coordinator from BTN

Personal Statement:
Talked about realization that being a vet is just as much about helping people as it is helping animals. Personal challenges with school were also a topic, as I had a professor tell me I “wouldn’t graduate with a biology degree”.


I can’t stress enough how much this process is not about the numbers, at least for UF. They really care about how as an individual, and how you view the field. Get a unique job (like RA) that will help you develop these skills!


GO GATORS!!!!

So good to see that someone with less than 1000 hours of vet experience can get into UF - gives me hope for when I apply!
Congratulations!

Edit: If I may ask, what were your percentiles for the GRE?

 

[pinkpuppy9]

So good to see that someone with less than 1000 hours of vet experience can get into UF - gives me hope for when I apply!
Congratulations!

Edit: If I may ask, what were your percentiles for the GRE?

Is it a thing that you have to have >1000 hours to get into UF?

 

[Njnealon]

Is it a thing that you have to have >1000 hours to get into UF?

I think it may be quality rather than quantity of experience. Is it diverse? What did you do (ie research or drawing blood, assisting animals versus cleaning at a shelter) I personally applied and was accepted with over 1000, (close to 3000) but i did close to 2000 of kennel work. But I know other people that were Surgery techs, and other specialized things, and they got in with less hours. Either way, if you can meet minimum requirements while proving to them you have a broad enough experience to understand what vet Med is about you will be fine!

 

[allygator13]

Waited forever to post this because I didn't really feel like I deserved to. Still kind of don't, but oh well

1st time applicant
23 year old female, VA resident

Major: Double majored in Biology and Chemistry, graduated December 2013

Applied: UC Davis, Western, VMRCVM, NCSU, UF, Auburn, LSU, Ross, SGU
Rejected: UC Davis, NCSU, UF, Western after interviewing
Waitlisted: VMRCVM, Auburn, LSU
Accepted: Ross, SGU
Attending: SGU? Not sure yet! Really hoping to get off a waitlist, also considering relocating and applying again next year.

Overall GPA: 3.594
Science GPA: 3.66
Last 45 hour GPA: 3.74
GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (61%) / 157 (73) / 5.0 (93%)

Vet Experience:
~2 hours observing treatment of reptiles
~550 hours working as a vet assistant at a veterinary emergency center
~85 hours shadowing at two separate day practices

Animal Experience:
~50 hours volunteering at Richmond SPCA
~90 hours volunteering in Panama helping with sea turtle and manatee conservation

Employment:
Hostess at Baker's Crust for a summer
Cashier at Target for six months

Research:
None

Extracurriculars:
Was on the planning committee for a community event for the emergency center I worked at
Teaching assistant for an Organic Chemistry lab at school for a semester
Pre-Vet Club for two years
Circle K Service Club for one year
Student then teacher at the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts for a total of 14 years

Honors and Awards:
Dean's list 5 semesters
Member of Golden Key National Honor Society
Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Youth America Grand Prix - won 2nd and 3rd place at ballet competitions

LORs:
Organic Chemistry professor I TA'ed for
3 vets

Personal Statement:
Began talking about my path to deciding to attend vet school then talked about my experiences from both day practices and emergency and how they compare. Talked about my future goals of wanting to help with conservation efforts of endangered species.

 

[UFprevet12]

Waited forever to post this because I didn't really feel like I deserved to. Still kind of don't, but oh well

1st time applicant
23 year old female, VA resident

Major: Double majored in Biology and Chemistry, graduated December 2013

Applied: UC Davis, Western, VMRCVM, NCSU, UF, Auburn, LSU, Ross, SGU
Rejected: UC Davis, NCSU, UF, Western after interviewing
Waitlisted: VMRCVM, Auburn, LSU
Accepted: Ross, SGU
Attending: SGU? Not sure yet! Really hoping to get off a waitlist, also considering relocating and applying again next year.

Overall GPA: 3.594
Science GPA: 3.66
Last 45 hour GPA: 3.74
GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (61%) / 157 (73) / 5.0 (93%)

Vet Experience:
~2 hours observing treatment of reptiles
~550 hours working as a vet assistant at a veterinary emergency center
~85 hours shadowing at two separate day practices

Animal Experience:
~50 hours volunteering at Richmond SPCA
~90 hours volunteering in Panama helping with sea turtle and manatee conservation

Employment:
Hostess at Baker's Crust for a summer
Cashier at Target for six months

Research:
None

Extracurriculars:
Was on the planning committee for a community event for the emergency center I worked at
Teaching assistant for an Organic Chemistry lab at school for a semester
Pre-Vet Club for two years
Circle K Service Club for one year
Student then teacher at the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts for a total of 14 years

Honors and Awards:
Dean's list 5 semesters
Member of Golden Key National Honor Society
Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Youth America Grand Prix - won 2nd and 3rd place at ballet competitions

LORs:
Organic Chemistry professor I TA'ed for
3 vets

Personal Statement:
Began talking about my path to deciding to attend vet school then talked about my experiences from both day practices and emergency and how they compare. Talked about my future goals of wanting to help with conservation efforts of endangered species.

I'm rooting for you to get off that Auburn wait list so we can be classmates!!

Btw you so deserve to post here! You've been accepted to TWO schools so far and that's AWESOME!

 

[allygator13]

I'm rooting for you to get off that Auburn wait list so we can be classmates!!

Aw, thank you, I am too! Auburn is my #1 choice! I've been in love with that school for almost four years now! It's amazing

 

[WildZoo]

Is it a thing that you have to have >1000 hours to get into UF?

My comment was more about a significant number of people having >1000 hours of experience in general, not specifically about UF's requirements UF is my IS so someone with similar stats to mine getting in was encouraging, that's all.

 

[Njnealon]

Chemistry major? wow!!! That's intense!! Kudos to you for doing so well in a hard discipline!! Congrats on your acceptance

Waited forever to post this because I didn't really feel like I deserved to. Still kind of don't, but oh well

1st time applicant
23 year old female, VA resident

Major: Double majored in Biology and Chemistry, graduated December 2013

Applied: UC Davis, Western, VMRCVM, NCSU, UF, Auburn, LSU, Ross, SGU
Rejected: UC Davis, NCSU, UF, Western after interviewing
Waitlisted: VMRCVM, Auburn, LSU
Accepted: Ross, SGU
Attending: SGU? Not sure yet! Really hoping to get off a waitlist, also considering relocating and applying again next year.

Overall GPA: 3.594
Science GPA: 3.66
Last 45 hour GPA: 3.74
GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (61%) / 157 (73) / 5.0 (93%)

Vet Experience:
~2 hours observing treatment of reptiles
~550 hours working as a vet assistant at a veterinary emergency center
~85 hours shadowing at two separate day practices

Animal Experience:
~50 hours volunteering at Richmond SPCA
~90 hours volunteering in Panama helping with sea turtle and manatee conservation

Employment:
Hostess at Baker's Crust for a summer
Cashier at Target for six months

Research:
None

Extracurriculars:
Was on the planning committee for a community event for the emergency center I worked at
Teaching assistant for an Organic Chemistry lab at school for a semester
Pre-Vet Club for two years
Circle K Service Club for one year
Student then teacher at the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts for a total of 14 years

Honors and Awards:
Dean's list 5 semesters
Member of Golden Key National Honor Society
Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Youth America Grand Prix - won 2nd and 3rd place at ballet competitions

LORs:
Organic Chemistry professor I TA'ed for
3 vets

Personal Statement:
Began talking about my path to deciding to attend vet school then talked about my experiences from both day practices and emergency and how they compare. Talked about my future goals of wanting to help with conservation efforts of endangered species.

 

[allygator13]

Chemistry major? wow!!! That's intense!! Kudos to you for doing so well in a hard discipline!! Congrats on your acceptance

Aw thanks! I surprisingly did better in my chemistry classes than most of my bio classes haha

 

[bluesails]

STILL CANNOT BELIEVE I AM WRITING THIS. I've been lurking on SDN for years and I can't freaking believe I did it!!!

1st time applicant, 21 y/o female
International student from the Philippines whose parents live in China now.

Applied: Davis, CSU, Cornell, Georgia, Penn, RVC, Tufts, VMRCVM, WSU
Rejected: CSU, WSU
Interviews: Davis, Penn, Tufts, VMRCVM
Interviews I declined: Davis (Only because I could not make the interview date and there was no way around it. I'm sad about this, but moving forward.)
Waitlisted: Cornell, Georgia
Accepted: RVC (Offer w/o Interview), VMRCVM, Tufts, Penn - and Cornell off the waitlist.
Attending: TUFTS. Declined Cornell and Penn for everything I want in one vet school.

Academics:
BA from liberal-artsy Ivy League
Biology Major (concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
English minor (conc. Creative Writing)
cGPA: 3.71
Science GPA: Probably around 3.6 depending on calculation
Last 45: Don't know yet (still in senior year)

GRE: V168, Q164, W4.0

Veterinary Experience:
100 hours at humane society with their in-house vet
360 hours externing at equine referral practice
30 hours at a small animal clinic in China
15 hours doing spay-neuter clinics for another shelter
200 hours riding along with my horse's vet in the Philippines
25 hours shadowing small animal vet near school
60 hours riding along with a racetrack vet in the Philippines
Total: 790

Animal Experience:
110 hours of animal care and helping with adoptions at humane society
~400 hours intercollegiate equestrian team
200 hours of managing macaque enrichment at wildlife rehab in the Philippines
110 hours, instructor at therapeutic riding center
~3000 hours horse ownership, training, competition
Total: 3820

Research:
Dabbled in research in the ecology & evolution dep't at my school (lizard ecology)

Other Experiences:
Went on a foreign study research program in my junior year for Tropical Research in Ecology. It was NOT fun and games - more of a research writing workshop than anything else. We did mini independent projects every 10 days and wrote it up for publication with our Bio department. I made it clear that this experience was all about science writing and field research skills.
Also went to Cornell's Intro to Vet Med summer program

Honors/Awards:
Third Honor Group (top 35% undergrad GPA) - 1 yr
Second Honor Group (top 15% undergrad GPA) - 1 yr
IHSA All-Academic Award, Second Team (GPA above 3.5) - 2 yrs
Graduated Salutatorian, assorted other high school awards

Employment:
Trained and employed as a Dean's Office Student Consultant at my undergrad
Wrote young adult fiction book reviews for a bookstore magazine

Extracurriculars:
Pit singer for mainstage musical production
Women in Science peer mentor - 1 yr
A cappella group all through undergrad, President this year
Wrote for a couple of student publications
Co-chair of the Pre-Vet society; helped revive it
Similar stuff in high school (singing, writing)

eLORs:
Vet at the equine referral practice where I externed
Biochem professor / mentor for pre-vet society
Professor for my upper-level ecology classes and my foreign study program
For Cornell: added a vet at the humane society and my riding instructor

Personal Statement:
I opened the essay talking about my first time shadowing an equine vet in the Philippines, and the unique feeling of community I fell in love with. I then talked a little more about my unique experiences in the US and in Asia, and how they taught me very different things about vetmed. Led up to how much I love the variety of facets of the vet profession and the different kinds of personalities in vets that I've met. And mentioned how I like equine and IVM as career goals but am open to a lot more.

Again, can't believe this is happening!!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

My comment was more about a significant number of people having >1000 hours of experience in general, not specifically about UF's requirements UF is my IS so someone with similar stats to mine getting in was encouraging, that's all.

Oh okay, gotcha!!

 

[FrozenScot]

I decided it was about time I posted here, so this is for those of you who might not have much in the way of experience.

1st time applicant, 21 y/o, female
Alaska resident currently bumming off my grandparents in Arkansas

Applied: WSU, Edinburgh, RVC, Glasgow, Dublin, Massey, Murdoch
Rejected: WSU, RVC
Interviews: Glasgow
Interviews I declined: Glasgow (I got into my number one)
Accepted: Edinburgh, Dublin, Massey, Murdoch
Attending: Edinburgh, my number one choice!!

Academics:
Graduated Magna Cum Laude December 2013 from small private school in Pennsylvania
Overall GPA: 3.89
Science GPA: somewhere around 3.75
Last 45: somewhere around 3.75
GRE: V163, Q161, W4.0

Veterinary Experience:
180 at various small animal clinics
20 at a large animal clinic
Total: 200

Animal Experience:
~200 hours volunteering at humane society
~600 hours babysitting people's pets
Total: 800 (there might have been more, but I can't recall it off the top of my head)
Honors/Awards:
Deans list every semester
Graduated Salutatorian in high school
Most Entertaining on my high school cross country team (I'm especially proud of this one )
Various other high school awards

Employment:
Maintenance Assistant at my old high school for a summer
Kitchen Assistant at the boarding school I took classes at in high school for 2 years

Extracurriculars:
Member of Phi Eta Sigma (honors fraternity)
Clarinet in Band (high school)
Cross Country Team (high school)
Civil Air Patrol (I was really close to getting my pilot's license but then I graduated high school and my flight instructor moved)

eLORs:
Vet at the practice I shadowed at for the majority of my hours
My advisor at university
My favorite biology professor at university

Personal Statement:
To be honest I don't think my PS was all that good, but I guess it worked. I just talked about how, while I had always thought I wanted to be a vet, I had sort of forgot why that was until I started shadowing vets again. I then went on about my adult decision to pursue veterinary medicine and my understanding of the profession. Like I said, it wasn't that good, but it must have been good enough for me to get in.

 

[Doxie13]

Is it a thing that you have to have >1000 hours to get into UF?

I was accepted to UF and I only had a little over 500 hours when I applied. At my interview I told them that since applying I have gotten hired to work at an ER. I also had research experience working with mice and salamanders.

 

[Bumblebinks]

So good to see that someone with less than 1000 hours of vet experience can get into UF - gives me hope for when I apply!
Congratulations!

Edit: If I may ask, what were your percentiles for the GRE?

I'm not sure, UF just said higher than 155 was "competitive". I think if you go to the GRE website it shows the percentiles

 

[Doxie13]

So good to see that someone with less than 1000 hours of vet experience can get into UF - gives me hope for when I apply!
Congratulations!

Edit: If I may ask, what were your percentiles for the GRE?

I did not do too hot on my GRE. I got around the 60th percentile for the reading and in the 70s for quant. So GRE is definitely not the BIGGEST thing.
Like I said I also only had about 500 hours of experience between two small animal clinics.

What I did have going for me was:

- I received a research grant from USC

- the research that I did counted as animal hours of experience (my research was on mice and salamanders)

- I am published in the undergraduate research journal at my school

- I played a D1 sport and had a lot of conference academic awards for that. For example, I was an Academic All-American

- I volunteered at Nemours Children Hospital as well as the Spartanburg Miracle League.

- My GPA was about a 3.8 upon graduating

- I estimate my science GPA was around a 3.5

- I actually went to 3 different schools during undergrad (thought this would raise a red flag but I was able to explain it in my interviews)


LORS:

- 1 from my advisor

- 1 from a vet

- 1 from my research mentor

- 1 from an undergraduate professor

- 1 from my collegiate softball coach


Applied: Mississippi State, Auburn, UF

Interviewed: Mississippi State, Auburn, UF

Waitlisted: Auburn

Accepted: Mississippi State, UF