Successful Applicant Stats - Class of 2019

[Lanith]

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[neocia]

21 year old, female, IL resident, BS in Biology, first time applicant.

Applied: Illinois, Wisconsin, Western, Iowa, UPenn
Interview: Illinois, Western, and Iowa
Wait-listed: Wisconsin
Accepted: Iowa, Western, Illinois!!
Attending: Not sure yet!

GPA: 3.79
Last 45: 3.80
Science GPA: 3.66
GRE (Q/V/W): 160, 164, 4.5

Veterinary Experience:
1200 hours SA clinic vet assistant
60 hours shadowing at feral cat/shelter clinic
60 hours exotic animal clinic shadowing

Research Experience:
100+ hours working with fish gill samples, studying NKA

Animal Experience:
1000 hours employed at dog shelter
60 hours taking care of reptiles at college’s tiny museum
90 hours volunteering at aquarium in marine mammal department
150 hours volunteering at zoo farm
100 hours volunteering at farm animal sanctuaries

Awards:
Dean’s List, Presidential scholarship, not too exciting here…
Pre-Vet club president 2014, treasurer 2015

eLORS:
3 veterinarians at the SA clinic I work for (yep, all 3 from the same clinic)
Animal shelter manager from the shelter I worked for
Orgo professor

Personal statement: Wrote about how nursing a sick goldfish back to health in high school inspired me to pursue a veterinary career. Not even kidding! Said goldfish is now seven years old and continues to inspire me; she is coming with me to vet school.

 

[lizlemon]

26, female, BA in Psychology/Linguistics, MS in Cognitive Psych, first time applicant.
I hope other nontraditional/unconventional applicants take some heart in my stats! They like some variety, so it's okay to not look exactly like what most folks post up on here I worried so much that I would not get in, without having held a job in vet med previously, or having had thousands of hours of vet experience otherwise. Turns out that wasn't the case, and they liked/understood my whole "story."

Applied: Wisconsin
Interview: n/a
Wait-listed:
Accepted: Wisconsin
Attending: Wisconsin

GPA: undergrad 3.79, grad school 3.69, post-bacc 3.55
Last 30: 3.81
Science GPA: 3.41
GRE (Q/V/W): I took it back in the day... Verbal 730 (=168 current scale), Quant 700 (= 155 current scale), Writing 6.0 (same)

Veterinary Experience:
50 hours equine
130 hours small animal

Research Experience:
Years' worth of (my own) cognitive psychology research as well as research in various psycholinguistic labs

Employment Experience:
Taught statistics
Worked in the electronic medical records industry
Various retail and customer-service related jobs

Animal Experience:
300 hours working as veterinary rad tech (only 60 hrs at time of vmcas, but we did get to update hours on a supplemental app later)
80 hours wildlife rehab volunteer
50 hours equine rescue volunteer
500+ hours professional horse training
10000+ hours (seriously, my whole life) of horse (and other animal) ownership, farm caretaking, et cetera
250 hours working in a pet store

Awards:
In grad school: several different prestigious research fellowships
In undergrad: departmental honors, honor society, dean's list, that kind of stuff

eLORS:
-Small animal vet with whom I shadowed ~120 hours
-Equine vet with whom I shadowed ~40 hours
-Member of my Master's thesis committee from graduate school (a professor of course)
-TA for a bio lab I took as a post-bacc (who conveniently also happened to be a DVM)

Personal statement: Explaining my personal story, and why vet med is for me. A good part of the statement revolved around the story of a horse euthanasia that occurred while I was shadowing. The rest of it explained my level of proven suitability for higher learning, and determination to succeed in veterinary medicine. If any nontraditional students are interested in more details about my PS, let me know via private message. I'll be happy to share more details, since I think it was a huge part of what explained my unique skills/abilities and helped convey to the committee that, though I may be lower on shadowing hours than many applicants, that I really had covered all my bases.

 

[Medicalbun]

23 year old, female, WI resident, BA in Biology, Second time applicant -- I originally applied two years ago and was wait listed at my favorite schools, rejected from a few, and turned down one acceptance because of financial reasons. Moved to Wisconsin and worked for a year (becoming a resident) before applying. I originally was from a school with no vet school, so applying OOS was my only option at the time. Highly recommend this route to anyone who is in a similar situation!

Applied: Wisconsin, Minnesota
Interview: Minnesota
Wait-listed: None
Accepted: Wisconsin, Minnesota
Attending: Wisconsin

GPA:3.63
Last 45: 3.5 ish
Science GPA: 3.83
GRE (Q/V/W): 157/156/5

Veterinary Experience:
5000+ hours working as a veterinary assistant at exotic/small animal hospital
100 hours small and large animal hospital volunteer
100 hours small animal hospital volunteer
~200 hours various small animal hospital volunteer opportunities, not regular.

Research Experience:
1000+ hours planning/executing/writing my own research thesis with influenza vaccinations in pigs
500+ hours internship dealing with climate change and zoonotic infectious pathogens. Presented on this research at the Conference for Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference.
100+ hours as an entomology graduate student's assistant
500+ hours as an intern developing an assay to detect botulinum neurotoxin in waterfowl with the National Wildlife Health Center.

Animal Experience:
500+ hours as a pet care specialist at PetSmart (working with birds, reptiles, fish, small mammals, cats. etc.)
300 hours volunteering at two local humane societies
6 years of horseback riding lessons

Awards:
Dean’s List, multiple scholarships

eLORS:
Exotic/Small Animal Clinical Veterinarian
Food Animal Health Veterinarian primarily involved in research
Committee letter combining multiple professors and managers from my multiple jobs.

Personal statement: I wrote about my love of research as well as clinical work and the large events that lead me to love each one, and how I can combine them in the future to form a career. I then wrote my supplemental diversity essays on working three jobs simultaneously while being a full time student throughout undergrad.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I haven't heard back from all of my schools yet, but I figured I'd post here. There is hope for anyone who feels they are in the 'average' area of GPA/GRE!

23 year old, female, MI resident, BS in Zoology, concentration in Zoo and Aquarium Science. Second time applicant. Last year, I applied to five schools and was flat out rejected by all. This year, I dropped to three of the same schools from last year and followed most of the file review advice. I entered this cycle expecting another round of rejections and wondering if I should have just waited so I could collect more experience hours, but I'm glad I didn't.

Applied: Michigan, Florida, Illinois
Interview: Michigan, Florida, Illinois
Wait-listed: Florida
Rejected: Michigan
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois!

GPA: 3.61
Last 45: To be honest, I don't have a number. I'll estimate that it's in the neighborhood of 3.5-3.6.
Science GPA: Depends on the school.....Michigan had me at a 3.2 last year (no significant changes were made), Illinois has me at a 3.48 this year.
GRE (Q/V/W): 158/154/4.5 (I did retake, and decreased all of my scores slightly, so I elected to only send out my first attempt)

Veterinary Experience:
500 hours as Walt Disney World's wildlife intern at time of application (responsible for all injured/orphaned/relocating wildlife on Disney property; assisting during zoo animal procedures)
10 hours shadowing equine vets (I questioned if I should even bother listing this, but it came up in an interview as a good thing)
500 hours as SA vet assistant (at time of application)
115 hours working with vet at a wildlife rehab center
260 hours as SA receptionist
6 hours shadowing SA vet (waaaay back in the day....I listed everything this year)

Research Experience:
400 hours collecting data at the Detroit Zoo regarding collection animal welfare (exhibit use, social interactions, sterotypy, etc)
*For my first application, I listed a class project I designed and completed regarding the nutrient requirements of bacteria found in local rivers. I did not list it this year due to VMCAS guidelines*

Animal Experience:
4 hours being trained to exercise pregnant sows for a project (this project was cancelled due to PED, but would have resulted in a more significant contribution to my app)
48 hours evaluating body scores, judging meat, taking temps on horses/dairy, brief exams on horse hooves, and using balling guns on cows (classroom experience, elected to list this)
40 hours raising broiler chickens for a class project (we designed their diets and cared for them daily)
55 hours showing dairy and horses for a novice show put on by a school club-I mentioned I was awarded third place in the horse showing
260 hours as amphibian department intern at Detroit Zoo-provided daily husbandry including meds; exhibit design and building

Employment Experience:
A lottttt of hours at a campus dining hall as a student supervisor-I cited this as leadership experience
1000+ hours as a child care provider

Community Experience:
I listed everything, including high school activities.

Awards:
Dean’s List, scholarships, and I listed my high school awards as well

eLORS:
Zoology adviser
Zoo vet at Disney
SA vet I had the most hours with
Dining Hall manager

Personal statement: I kind of just updated my essay from last year since all of my file reviews complimented my writing style and content. I have a hook as the first sentence of my statement, and I highly recommend trying to capture your readers with your first sentence. Illinois spent a good 10 minutes telling me that my essay was actually enjoyable to read. Avoid the "I've wanted to be a veterinarian ever since I was five" introduction if you can.

I kind of walked the reader through my life and how I had a desire to learn more about vet med at each stage and how I got my experience. I emphasized my compassion by touching on how I frequently dealt with geriatric patients at one of my clinics, talked about how I improved my second app, and why I want to be a DVM. I finished up with a quote from the veterinarian that euthanized my guinea pig, which is a quote that continues to inspire me. I did my best to show the reader that I'd be a good choice, and that I knew what being a veterinarian was about.

 

[dirtanddog]

27 year old female. Second time applicant. NY resident, went to undergrad in NJ, did my post-bacc in NYC. BS in Animal Behavior/Psych, post-bacc in Biochemistry
This will give hope to those who either messed up in undergrad or had low GPAs in general Experience, experience, experience!!!

Applied: Cornell, Tufts, Penn, VMR, CSU, Ohio, Ross, SGU, UGA, Michigan, UFL, Minnesota, Midwestern
Interview: Midwestern, SGU, Ross (withdrew from consideration), UPenn
Wait-listed: CSU
Accepted: Midwestern, SGU, UPenn
Attending: UPenn

GPA:3.16
Last 45: 3.2ish (?)
Science GPA: 3.18 (?)
GRE (Q/V/W): 720/680/3.5

Veterinary Experience:
Worked as a receptionist, then tech asst. then tech in a GP (started volunteering when I was 12, hired at 15 or 16, worked there for about 7 years)
Assisted in farm animal surgeries (mostly spay/neuter) at the university I went to (4 years)
spent the last 3 years as a vet asst. (then promoted to tech) in a 24-hour emergency/referral center

Research Experience:
4 years assisting in research for processing food wastes to minimize environmental contamination
1 year assisting in research with zebra finches & song-learning

Animal Experience:
10+ years doing private dog training
3+ years working at a dog rescue as a behavioral counselor - teaching training classes, private consults - mostly severe cases of aggression/fear, temperament testing & rehabilitating dogs
2+ years working at a doggy-daycare as a staff manager/dog walker
4 years working on the farm at my university caring for horses/pigs/sheep/goats/cows
Lots of hands-on work at the lab animal facilities at my university for 3 years
Animal transporter for dogs being pulled from the AC&C (1 year)

Awards:
Dean’s List almost every semester in undergrad after messing up freshman year

eLORS:
Head of the Biochemistry Department where I did my post-bacc
Professor of Ecology/Evolution who was one of my mentors at my first university
Veterinary Cardiologist
Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist
Hospital Director at the referral center where I work
Emergency/ICU Veterinarian

Personal statement: I started by talking about my development of interests in the animal world growing up on a farm in Ukraine, how that shifted when I moved to NYC. Talked about my experiences in college, talked a bit about my work as a behavioral counselor, talked about being invited to do a dog training lecture at a vet school and how that shifted my focus from animal behavior to veterinary medicine. Talked about going back for my post-bacc and working in emergency simultaneously, and making connections between what I was learning in my biochem classes and what I did as a tech in ER. Talked a bit about my rock climbing experiences and how the feelings of fear/uncertainty but also of how rewarding it is to complete challenging climbs is similar to my experience working in ER.

 

[Pugsforlove2014]

23 y/o female, second time applicant.
Applied: MSU, UofI, OSU
Interview: MSU, UofI (declined), OSU
Accepted: MSU, OSU
Attending: MSU (This was a really hard decision, I really loved OSU)
GPA: 3.55
Last 45: 3.88
Science GPA: ~3.5
GRE(Q/V/W): 156,157,5
On a side note, my first application cycle I only applied to MSU and busted butt my senior year and last summer to bring up my GPA.
Veterinary experience:
2,500 hrs veterinary assistant SA
200 hrs equine
50 hrs chiropractic
480 hrs emergency SA
10 hrs Neuro
10 hrs Oncology
I'm not gonna bother to write down the rest of it, it's pretty typical Pre-vet ECs.

 

[MustangJumperPony]

Hopefully this will help someone! These are probably very typical stats.

21 year old female, first time applicant, PA resident. I'm graduating this spring with a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Medicine (honors degree) and a minor in Biology.

Applied: Colorado, Cornell, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn
Interviewed: Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn
Wait-list: Cornell, Florida, Penn
Accepted: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri
Attending: Missouri

cGPA: 3.73
Science GPA: ranged from 3.66 (VMCAS) to 3.49 (Illinois)
Last 45 GPA: ~3.72

GRE (Q/V/W): 158/157/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
~900 hours volunteering at a small animal emergency vet clinic
900 hours+ working as a research assistant at an orthopedic research lab (small ruminants, pigs, and rabbits) - I split these hours between veterinary and research in VMCAS
~250 hours as a teaching assistant for anatomy (the course professor is a vet, and all labs/dissections were more or less under his supervision)
40 hours foal sitting critical/ICU foals
40 hours - volunteer veterinary service trip with VIDA
2 hours shadowing a vet doing pregnancy checks on cows (I included everything!)

Research Experience:
100 hours researching a new muscle disease in broiler chickens (genetics/pathology research)

Animal Experience:
2,000 hours working with/riding horses
250 hours working with calves at my school's dairy
200 hours working with livestock/poultry on my relative's farm
80 hours pet sitting (dogs, cats, horses)
15 hours volunteering at a local farm
30 hours taking "classes" at the zoo (it was a long time ago, but everything counts!)
I included pet ownership just because it was a drop-down option on VMCAS

Awards: dean's list, scholarships (including ones from my high school), stuff from the honors program, AP exam awards

LORs:
Vet at the small animal ER hospital (practice owner)
Vet/PI where I'm a research assistant
Vet/Professor that I TA for
Vet/Professor that I took several classes from

Personal Statement:
I basically just went through the evolution of my interest in vet med. I made sure to write about what I learned from each experience (skills learned/applied and my understanding of the profession). I also compared my experiences to each other (especially the differences between the human-animal bond in Central America vs. at home.

Diversity:
In any supplement that asked for diversity, I talked about studying music (elementary school through college), and how that helps give me a different perspective on science/vet med.

 

[Rainheart]

More Mizzou people!! Yay!!

 

[pirateslayme]

27 year old female. Second time applicant. NY resident, went to undergrad in NJ, did my post-bacc in NYC. BS in Animal Behavior/Psych, post-bacc in Biochemistry
This will give hope to those who either messed up in undergrad or had low GPAs in general Experience, experience, experience!!!

Applied: Cornell, Tufts, Penn, VMR, CSU, Ohio, Ross, SGU, UGA, Michigan, UFL, Minnesota, Midwestern
Interview: Midwestern, SGU, Ross (withdrew from consideration), UPenn
Wait-listed: CSU
Accepted: Midwestern, SGU, UPenn
Attending: UPenn

GPA:3.16
Last 45: 3.2ish (?)
Science GPA: 3.18 (?)
GRE (Q/V/W): 720/680/3.5

Veterinary Experience:
Worked as a receptionist, then tech asst. then tech in a GP (started volunteering when I was 12, hired at 15 or 16, worked there for about 7 years)
Assisted in farm animal surgeries (mostly spay/neuter) at the university I went to (4 years)
spent the last 3 years as a vet asst. (then promoted to tech) in a 24-hour emergency/referral center

Research Experience:
4 years assisting in research for processing food wastes to minimize environmental contamination
1 year assisting in research with zebra finches & song-learning

Animal Experience:
10+ years doing private dog training
3+ years working at a dog rescue as a behavioral counselor - teaching training classes, private consults - mostly severe cases of aggression/fear, temperament testing & rehabilitating dogs
2+ years working at a doggy-daycare as a staff manager/dog walker
4 years working on the farm at my university caring for horses/pigs/sheep/goats/cows
Lots of hands-on work at the lab animal facilities at my university for 3 years
Animal transporter for dogs being pulled from the AC&C (1 year)

Awards:
Dean’s List almost every semester in undergrad after messing up freshman year

eLORS:
Head of the Biochemistry Department where I did my post-bacc
Professor of Ecology/Evolution who was one of my mentors at my first university
Veterinary Cardiologist
Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist
Hospital Director at the referral center where I work
Emergency/ICU Veterinarian

Personal statement: I started by talking about my development of interests in the animal world growing up on a farm in Ukraine, how that shifted when I moved to NYC. Talked about my experiences in college, talked a bit about my work as a behavioral counselor, talked about being invited to do a dog training lecture at a vet school and how that shifted my focus from animal behavior to veterinary medicine. Talked about going back for my post-bacc and working in emergency simultaneously, and making connections between what I was learning in my biochem classes and what I did as a tech in ER. Talked a bit about my rock climbing experiences and how the feelings of fear/uncertainty but also of how rewarding it is to complete challenging climbs is similar to my experience working in ER.

First off congrats on those amazing acceptances! Also I was just curious where you applied on your first attempt? This is my first attempt and my GPA is around yours but only slightly lower. I just interviewed with ross and am just trying to get an idea of my chances. Did you apply to SGU and/ or ross the first time? Thanks!

 

[NagemM]

I get to write in this!!!! Finally after so many years of stalking SDN!!

22 yr old female FL resident, 1st time applicant, BS in Biomedical Sciences (grad spring 2015) from the University of Central Florida. Received AA from Valencia College May of 2012.
Applied: Auburn, LSU, UF, Glasgow, Edinburgh, University College Dublin
Interviewed: Glasgow, Edinburgh, UF
Waitlisted: None
Accepted: UF, Glasgow, Edinburgh
Attending: UF!!!

Overall GPA: 3.46
Science GPA: 3.13
Last 45 credits: 3.12
(^proof you don't need perfect grades to get in!)

GRE (Q/V/W): 157/152/4.5

Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal: 1810
Shelter Clinic: 460

Research Experience:
Lab Animal Care Technician for UCF transgenic animal facility: 750

Animal Experience:
Sea Turtle Rehab Internship: 600
TNR Clinic @ UF: 50
Zoo Animal Internship: 200
Wildlife Rehab Internship: 100
Wildlife Educator @ Disney's Animal Kingdom: 500
Dog Rescue Volunteer: 100
Agriculture class (LA): 81
Animal ownership: 100

Non-Animal Employment:
Waitress: 200
Laser tag facility: 1300

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Pre-Veterinary Society @ UCF's President (1 year) and Event Coordinator (1 year)
Pre-Professional Medical Society Director (1 semester)
Teaching Assistant for UCF's microbiology labs (1.5 years)
Dean's list a few times
President's list a couple of times
A few scholarships
Attended APVMA symposiums and NAVC conferences

LORs:
3- Vets I had worked for

Personal Statement:
Wrote about experience I had with a disorder in my legs that caused pain and eventual surgery and having to re-learn to walk. Related that fear to why I have a connection with animals and how they rely on veterinarians to make them feel better while they have no real understanding of the situation. Connected this to why I pursued Vet Med in the first place. Then wrote about my experience with research and microbiology at UCF and how I want to be on the forefront of the OneHealth movement to benefit both human and animal medicine.

 

[LoveFate]

23 yr old female PA resident, 1st time applicant.

Applied: UPenn, University of Illinois, Ontario Veterinary College, Missouri, Virginia-Maryland
Accepted:University of Illinois and Ontario Veterinary College
Attending: Undecided lol

Overall GPA: 3.45
Science GPA: 3.2
Last 45 credits: 3.8

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/152/4

Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Practice / avian and exotics: 4000+ hours
Large Animal/Research: 50 hrs

Research Experience:
Current employee working as a lab animal technician at a research facility
Personal research for determining microbial species in a Veiled Chameleon

Animal Experience:
Retail Pet Store Employee - ~500 hours
Equestrian Center Stablehand ~200 hours
Volunteer at various barns ~50 hours


Non-Animal Employment:
Resident Assistant for 2 years
Student Ambassador 2 years
Secretary for Veterans Dept on Campus - 6 months

Extracurriculars / Etc:
IHSA Western Team
Alpha Phi Omega - Co-ed Service Fraternity - Scouting Chair and General Member
Order of Omega - Greek Honor Society
Equine Club
RA Selection Committee

LORs: (lots of them because of the Cornell Supplement!)
SA Veterinarian
SA Veterinarian
SA Veterinarian
Cellular Biology Professor
Comparative Anatomy Professor

Personal Statement:
I discussed my alternative interests in veterinary medicine, such as research and exotics. I explained my interest in Immunology and Microbiology - as I considered for a long time to attain my PhD. I also described my ultimate interest in academia. Most of it consisted of my interest in future research projects and how they can be applicable to veterinary and human medicine.

 

[Kittenette]

I hope that my stats will inspire future applicants to apply despite low veterinary experience hours and OK academics/GRE. It IS possible!!! I applied to DVM and DVM/PhD programs.

22 yr old female NY resident, 1st time applicant.

Applied: Auburn, Cornell, CSU, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mizzou, Penn, Tufts, VMRCVM
Interviews: Auburn (declined), CSU (DVM/PhD), Illinois (DVM & DVM/PhD), Minnesota (DVM & DVM/PhD, declined), Mississippi (DVM & DVM/PhD, declined), Tufts (declined), VMRCVM (DVM & DVM/PhD)
Wait-listed: VMRCVM
Accepted: Cornell, CSU (DVM/PhD), Illinois (DVM & DVM/PhD)
Attending: CSU (DVM/PhD)

Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.5
Last 45 cr: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 159/152/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
Volunteer / shadow at small animal clinic with a vet - 80
House calls with that same vet - 3
Shadowing at a small animal veterinary hospital - 200
Lab Animal Pathology Externship - 100

Research Experience:
Biochemistry lab at my institution studying marine snails - 3000
Mouse genetics lab at a summer REU at Cornell - 500
Immunology lab at a summer REU at Penn - 500

Animal Experience:
Marine Biology Internship caring for aquatic animals - 250
Volunteer at a small animal shelter - 200
Volunteer at an equine barn at Cornell - 4
Pet ownership / dog sitting - 6000

Non-Animal Employment:
Medical receptionist / assistant - 500
Tutor for high school students - 100
Accounting Assistant / Work-Study - 1000

Extracurriculars / Etc:
1st major Biochemistry, 2nd major Studio Art, minor Biology
MBRS-RISE Program Scholar
Numerous departmental and research fellowship awards
Numerous research presentations at national conferences and symposiums
Salsa dancing for 4 years, choreographed group dances and have taught my peers
Honors in painting
SMDEP Internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (back when I thought I was pre-med)

LORs: (lots of them because of the Cornell Supplement and DVM/PhD app's!)
Vet from house calls/small animal clinic
Gen chem professor (also is my departmental major advisor)
Coordinator / advisor of my research program
Research PI at my institution
Research PI at Cornell
Research PI at Penn

Personal Statement:
I focused on my research/vet experiences throughout undergrad in a chronological manner, with memorable instances/take-home messages from each experience. Since the bulk of my experience was research-heavy, the challenge for me was to avoid coming off as an applicant who should only pursue a PhD.

Explanation Statement:
Although optional, I wrote an explanation statement that discussed my transition from art to science (this was suggested by someone on a vet school committee because he thought this was very interesting about me and would let me stand out). Basically, I was in an art program during high school and got accepted into a top art school with scholarship - but at the end of the day, I chose to attend a liberal arts college and to pursue a career in science/medicine because I wanted to learn more science and challenge myself in such a rewarding career. I also discussed family and financial hardship growing up, which allowed me to understand and handle making sacrifices.

For my Cornell supplemental essays, I wrote about a diverse range of things. I’d be happy to share my essays and PS as well as provide tips about the DVM and DVM/PhD application process to anyone interested! PM me

 

[futurehealervet]

I FINALLY get to post here!!!Congrats everybody! Just as a note to all prevets who check this thread 10 times a day like I did, sometimes this information can be helpful but if you're just getting stressed out LEAVE THIS PAGE!!!! This thread is a great resource but don't spend all your time making spreadsheets of the statistics of people who got into the schools you are interested in......because some people I know do that. Anyhoo, this thread did help me a lot and I hope this post helps all you other aspiring vet students and vets. Good Luck guys!!!!!

21 Year old, Female, NY resident, 1st time applicant

Applied: Cornell, Tufts, UPenn, CSU, Ohio, VMRCVM, RVC
Interviews: Tufts, UPenn, Ohio, RVC
Waitlisted: UPenn (withdrew application)
Rejected: CSU, VMRCVM
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, Ohio, RVC
Attending: ?????????????? (any advice...?)

Overall GPA: 3.9
GRE (Q/V/W): 162/166/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
Volunteer at Small Animal and Exotics Clinic - 800
Volunteer at Equine Clinic - 150
Shadowed Vet at Belmont Racetrack - 15

Research Experience:
Neuroscience lab on campus studying cortical circuitry in mice - 400

Animal Experience:
Took Equine A&P and Fitness on study abroad - 50
Wildlife Rehab Volunteer - 80
High School Internship at Bronx Zoo - 100

Community Activities/ Extra Curriculars (College Only)
SAT prep class teacher
biology tutor
premed student mentor
I listed a couple hobbies and high school ECs as well

LORs:
Two research PIs from my lab
vet from equine clinic
vet from SA clinic
advisor

Personal Statement:
Pretty basic story about my experiences and how I've grown from the application process

I owe a big thanks to everyone on this forum for being so supportive, its been great being a part of this group and I look forward to working with you guys in the future! Also, prevet people, I feel your pain. This process is GRUELING!!!!!!! Totally worth it though! Try not to let it consume you, plan out experiences ahead of time, and make time to have fun because college only happens once!

 

[Txvethopeful0913]

Shadowed Vet at Belmont Racetrack - 15

Drool, I'd kill for an experience like that!

 

[futurehealervet]

Drool, I'd kill for an experience like that!

Yeah, it was super neat and those horses are GORGEOUS!!!!

 

[Staffie]

29 yr old female UK resident (dual UK/US citizen)*, Molecular and Cell Biology major, 1st time applicant. I grew up and did my undergrad in the US but have lived in the UK for the past few years.

*I also qualify for Ohio residency based on the Forever Buckeye program.

I’m another example of someone with loads of research hours and not so much by way of veterinary experience. There’s more than one way to build a strong application!

Applied: RVC, Ohio State
Interviews: RVC, Ohio State (declined).
Accepted: RVC
Attending: RVC

Overall GPA: 3.53
Science GPA: 3.44
Last 45 cr: 3.87

GRE (Q/V/W):
164/165/5.0
750/740/4.5 (159/169/4.5 in current scale) – I retook it because RVC told me my March 2011 scores were too old.

Veterinary Experience:
UK Home Office Personal License Course (hands on course taught by a vet, required to use research animals in UK) – 22 hours
Small animal/exotics/wildlife practice volunteer – 170 hours (I've done loads more since applying)

Research Experience:
Neuroscience lab studying dementia – mouse lab – 3600 hours
Structure and motion lab – 570 hours
Neuroscience lab studying circadian rhythms – mouse lab - 2000 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at riding stables – 80 hours
EDIVET: Do you have what it takes to be a veterinarian course on Coursera (yes, I put this on my app) – 20 hours
Volunteer pub dog walker – 100 hours
Volunteer at riding stables (different one) – 140 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
Admin Assistant for a university department – 430 hours
Security Monitor at student dorms – 1100 hours
Laboratory Assistant in a zebra fish genetics and development lab – 1600 hours
Library assistant – 380 hours
Movie theater worker – 150 hours
Spanish language tutor in high school – 40 hours
Midway games operator at an amusement park – 350 hours

Honors and Awards
4 publications in scientific journals
UK Home Office Personal License holder
Foreign language proficiency
Finalist in an American history contest in high school
Quill and Scroll society in high school
Chemistry Olympiad participant in high school
Team Member of the Week at the amusement park

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Boxing (just for fitness! I do the training, but no sparring)
Peace Corps Volunteer – Health Education Sector – 27 months
Biology Lab Instructor - 1 semester
Nuclear Medicine Department Volunteer (in a human hospital)
National Honor Society (high school)
Habitat for Humanity (high school)
Candystriper at a hospital (high school)
Quiz Team (high school)
Newspaper staff and section editor (high school)
Softball team (high school)
Math team (high school)

LORs:
Current PI at work - dementia lab
Neurobiology professor from undergrad
Former PI - circadian lab
Small animal vet


As you can see, I was not afraid to list just about anything I could think of that I’ve done from high school onwards. I figured it couldn’t hurt to add it all in, even if it was stuff I did ages ago. They can always ignore something if they’re not interested. It worked out for me, getting interview invites for both my schools.

 

[Maddiegirl]

So clarify this for me here: I didn't put pet ownership on the application, because I read somewhere that schools don't count pet ownership as hours. Is this correct? I see people putting pet ownership hours and then I'm like damnit...I could have added 2-3000 hours to my application if that were the case!

I put some pet ownership hours on my application, but seriously underestimated the hours so it wouldn't look like I was trying to pad my hours. I'm a nontraditional student who is much older than the typical student, and I've had pets for over 20 years including horses and livestock. I put some of each on there, but I don't know how much the schools I applied to counted. I'm going to go and do some large animal shadowing to supplement my hours for this upcoming cycle.

Does anyone know if you can count the lab classes taken during undergrad as research experience?? That would be helpful if we could.

 

[Gwenevre]

I put some pet ownership hours on my application, but seriously underestimated the hours so it wouldn't look like I was trying to pad my hours. I'm a nontraditional student who is much older than the typical student, and I've had pets for over 20 years including horses and livestock. I put some of each on there, but I don't know how much the schools I applied to counted. I'm going to go and do some large animal shadowing to supplement my hours for this upcoming cycle.

Does anyone know if you can count the lab classes taken during undergrad as research experience?? That would be helpful if we could.

I don't think so. Unless you carried out a research project in the class and presented it or something out of the norm for UG lab classes.

 

[MustangJumperPony]

I've had pets for over 20 years including horses and livestock. I put some of each on there, but I don't know how much the schools I applied to counted. I'm going to go and do some large animal shadowing to supplement my hours for this upcoming cycle.

Does anyone know if you can count the lab classes taken during undergrad as research experience?? That would be helpful if we could.

Most schools won't count many hours for owning a cat/dog unless you did significant training with your pets (agility, training service animals, etc.). However, they will count as many livestock hours as you have. If you had ~20 years of owning livestock, include all of it.

I have never heard of anyone including lab classes as counting for research. Since everyone is required to take those courses, it is assumed that everyone has very similar experiences. If you took an advanced genetics lab or something where you did your own project, that might count.

 

[Puffins]

Does anyone know if you can count the lab classes taken during undergrad as research experience?? That would be helpful if we could.

As others have said, lab classes shouldn't be counted as research hours. That label is intended more for independent research or work done directly with profs in their lab outside of your standard prerequisites. However, VMCAS did add a "classroom experience" section this past cycle. I included some animal experience under it. I'm not sure if the type of experience you are talking about should be considered animal experience (ie, cell culture or other molecular stuff) but I thought I'd throw it out there in case it helps you out

 

[HowIMetYourPet]

There was a time when I didn't think I would ever post in this thread!!!!!!

23 yr old female, Ohio resident. B.S. in Biological Sciences (Molecular and Cell bio track). SECOND time applicant


1st cycle
Applied: Ohio State, VMRCVM, Washington, Illinois
Interviews: Illinois
Rejected: Ohio State, VMRCVM, Washington
Waitlist: Illinois
Accepted: no where
Attending: no where

Overall GPA: 3.38
Science GPA: 3.20
Last 45 cr: 3.4ish (maybe?)

GRE (Q/V/W):
157v/154q/4.0w

Second cycle
Applied: Ohio State, Illinois, Tufts, Michigan State, RVC, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Georges
Interviews: ALL 8
Rejected: NONE
Waitlist: Ohio State, Tufts
Accepted: Illinois, RVC, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Georges
Attending: ILLINOIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.42
Science GPA: 3.38
Last 45 cr: 3.7ish

GRE (Q/V/W):
157v/154q/4.0w
159V/155Q/5.5W (no idea how I managed a 5.5 in writing.......)


Veterinary Experience:
784 Small Animal
80 equine
110 Large Animal


Research Experience:
Undergrad research/RA now that I've graduated/Lab tech all through undergrad: ~7,000 hours (this is my life)

Animal Experience:
~15,000 hours Dog experience : I've shown dogs in AKC agility and conformation since I was 12 years old and I've been breeding my own dogs since I was 15....... raising litters of puppies plus being at dog shows every weekend for half your life adds up quick....
~1,000 riding horses

Honors and Awards
not really any

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Various dog training clubs and kennel clubs

LORs:
SA vet
Undergrad professor (A&P)
PI in my lab


Personal Statement:
I described one of the more difficult litters I whelped, when reviving a puppy I realized vet med was what I wanted to do. That combined with my research experiences led me towards lab animal medicine. yada yada yada.

 

[Pongidae]

24 year old male 1st time applicant Oregon resident

You all will probably not believe me, but I wanted to provide faith to those who have crappy GPA's or extenuating circumstances! My story to vet school is a rocky one, but I will get there!!

Overall GPA: 2.68
Science GPA: 2.5 undergraduate 3.0 post bacc
Last 45: 3.2

GRE (Q/V/W):
156/148/4.0

Applied: Washington, Oregon, Colorado
Interviews: None!
Rejected: All (technically)
Waitlist: None
Accepted: Colorado (VetPrep Program!!)
Attending: Colorado!


Veterinary Experience:
120 Small Animal
22 Exotic


Research Experience:
Research experience both in Malaysian Borneo and at the Cincinnati Zoo. I developed my own projects and presented my research at the American Society of Primatologists.

Animal Experience:
10,000 Hrs as a pet store manager
900 hrs as zoo employee


Non-Animal Employment:
1 year Work as a project coordinator for a state wide foster care pilot program designed to improve outcomes for older foster youth
1 year as a policy specialist for a national non profit focusing on federal child welfare policy reform
1 year as biological anthropology teaching assistant and lab curator



Honors and Awards

• Proclamation from Ohio's Attorney General for my commitment to improving the lives of foster youth.
• Invitation to White House and recognition from the Office of the Vice President for my work to improve foster care.
  
• Departmental Honors for my research work.
• Miami Senior Service Award for my leadership and commitment to serving the school and community.
• Best Paper in Biological Anthropology award for an examination of a fossil hominin
• Spark Action top 24 under 24 national youth changemakers award.
  
• Outstanding Young Leader Award
• Featured in local and national media. ABC, NBC

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Statewide and Federal child welfare advocacy
2 years appointment on a national policy council advising the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary and Assistant Secretary on federal child welfare policies.
President Ohio Youth Advisory Board
Appointment at 19 by Ohio Governor to serve on task force to improve youth outcomes in Ohio.

LORs:
Undergraduate Research Adviser
Veterinarian I worked with
Organic Chemistry Professor
Director of a non profit I worked with

Personal Statement:
I described my childhood, growing up always loving animals but being in a home where animals were abused to punish me. I discussed how I later entered foster care and being forced to drop out at 10th grade. I then discussed how I almost gave up this dream until I went to Borneo. It was there I decided that I couldn't allow others to define my success. Though people told me I couldn't become a veterinarian due to my rocky education and poor performance early on in college I decided I had to. I ended talking about my goals as a vet and how great it was to graduate with my bachelors degree, a feat only achieved by less than 3% of foster youth. After overcoming a 97% failure rate anything is possible.

Just thought I would mention this funny anecdote. I was at the White House when I got my two denial e-mails from schools. I was invited due to my accomplishments. I sat next to Jamie Foxx even!! The irony was hilarious. Who gets invited to the White House and denied entry into vet school? I got a call back from Colorado a month later telling me that they have 10 spots saved for those who have overcame particularly challenging odds and are positioned for success. That's me!! I am so thankful, not only do I get to go to CSU, but I will get in state tuition. I couldn't think of a better deal.

 

[Maddiegirl]

I don't think so. Unless you carried out a research project in the class and presented it or something out of the norm for UG lab classes.

Thanks! This is pretty much what I thought. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on including something I should have with my labs.

Most schools won't count many hours for owning a cat/dog unless you did significant training with your pets (agility, training service animals, etc.). However, they will count as many livestock hours as you have. If you had ~20 years of owning livestock, include all of it.

Cool! I had no idea they would count all the livestock hours! This is great! I raised calves when I was younger. Kept horses, goats, sheep and chickens over the years! This is fantastic!

As others have said, lab classes shouldn't be counted as research hours. That label is intended more for independent research or work done directly with profs in their lab outside of your standard prerequisites. However, VMCAS did add a "classroom experience" section this past cycle. I included some animal experience under it. I'm not sure if the type of experience you are talking about should be considered animal experience (ie, cell culture or other molecular stuff) but I thought I'd throw it out there in case it helps you out

I did include all my lab hours in my classroom experiences, and it does make sense that they shouldn't be included as research since it is not truly independent research. Thanks for the input.

 

[JLCG]

Ok so I am a non-traditional first time applicant. I decided to switch career paths during my doctorate

Female, 27 years old, I am from Arkansas, live in Arizona, and somehow dont qualify for in state anywhere....

Applied: University of Tennessee, University of Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma State University
Interviews: All except OkSU bc they dont interview
Accepted: UT, UF, OkSU
Waitlisted: Auburn
Attending: University of Florida!!!!!

Degrees: BS in Biological Engineering, PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Spring 2015 Grad)
GPA: 3.5 Undergrad and 3.7 Grad
Science GPA: 3.0 ish for undergrad
Last 45 GPA: 3.0 ish for undergrad

GRE (V/Q/W): 158/163/4.5

Veterinary Experience:
- 500 hrs Mouse Research: I listed this as vet experience even though they say not to list research here. I have conducted several mouse studies in which I give injections, perform colonoscopies, and perform terminal surgeries all on my own. It was performed under a PhD.
- 200 hrs in two different small animal hospitals as a volunteer. One observing surgery and the other as a treatment tech.
- 50 hrs in Humane Society spay/neuter and in-patient clinic

Research Experience:
- 10,000 + hours from a few different labs. I have been a researcher for 7 years and I am finishing a my Ph.D. right now.

Animal Experience:
-150 hrs as a volunteer at a local no-kill shelter
- 200 hrs dog training for therapy dog certification for 2 of my dogs
- 50 hrs pet therapy work in hospitals, schools, and other community events

Work Experience:
- lab technician and manager
- sales associate

Awards and Honors:
- Full scholarships in Undergrad including a prestigious state one
- Several fellowships in grad school
- Several 1st place wins for presenting my research
- Several opportunities to present at conferences
- Scientific publications

Community Activities:
- Member of several student clubs
- Member of several professional research organizations
- Mentor to several undergraduate and high school students in the lab
- student representative for our graduate program committees

ELORS:
- 2 from my graduate school advisors, and one from a vet I volunteer with

Personal Statement:
I talked about what caused me to change career paths, what led me to veterinary med, and then how I plan to use my doctorate to contribute to vet med!

 

[Kore13]

21F, 1st time applicant from NY. Only decided I wanted to do this ~2 years ago and have been rushing to do pre-reqs and vet hours ever since.

Applied: Cornell, UPenn, Illinois, KSU, LSU
Interviews: KSU, LSU, Illinois
Accepted: LSU, KSU, Illinois
Rejected: Cornell, UPenn
Attending: LSU!!! <-that is clearly Mike the tiger

Degrees: BA in Biology, Scholars program minor
GPA: 3.76
Science GPA: 3.63
Last 45 GPA: 3.76

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

Veterinary Experience:
-24 hours shadowing a mobile equine vet
-205 hours shadowing a small/exotics vet - heavy bird/reptile caseload
-147 hours split between two vets at a small animal hospital
-66 hours assisting a vet on spay/neuter days at the animal shelter I volunteer with
***Everything italicized (aka the vast majority of my vet hours) was done between June and August of 2014. I was panicked that admissions would take this as a negative, but I wrote in my personal statement about how working this schedule, where I was constantly immersed in vet med, reinforced my desire to go to vet school and made me realize I thrive with an intense environment/schedule. If I'd worked this much at any of my other jobs I would have been miserable, but this barely felt like work.

Research Experience:
High School - for a 3 year science research course. Wrote papers and presented posters at WESEF for both of these
-64 hours doing a hospital database study of recurrent Hep. C in (human) liver transplant recipients using older donors
- 400 hours in a pharmaceutical research lab validating the water T-maze as a new measure and assisting with various projects - work was with mice
Undergrad
-53 hours assisting a graduate student in my neuropsychology lab with a study on the other race effect
-35 hours assisting same graduate student with investigating disconinuous administration of the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices
-30 hours at time of application, now more - my own project along with another undergrad on the effect of strength training on head injury in athletes and non-athletes

Most of my research is with humans, and a lot of it is psych research and has nothing to do with medicine. This was another worry of mine but I guess it wasn't a problem.

Animal Experience:
-239 hours as an animal care intern at the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park. Basically worked as a zookeeper. I shadowed the vet a little bit, but not enough to put this under vet experience, though I mentioned it in my description of the experience.
-60 hours volunteering at a professor's alpaca farm. Our pre-vet society helps him with monthly medical care since the herd is too big for him to do it himself.
-420 hours fostering puppies at my home, and helping family friends who foster pregnant mothers and the subsequent puppies.

Work Experience:
-294 hours as a cashier/server at a non-chain fast food restaurant.

Awards and Honors:
High School
-AP Scholar with Distinction
-Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation
-APA award for T-maze project
-4th place behavioral science at WESEF for T-maze project
-U.S. Public Health Service Outstanding Student Award for Hep. C project
-National Honor Society
-National English Honor Society
-Smith Book Award
-High Honor Roll every semester
Undergraduate (slacking on the honors here)
- Dean's list every semester except one
- member of my university's scholar's program

Community Activities:
High School
-Varsity and JV Field Hockey
- Stage Crew
- Orchestra
Undergraduate
-University and City rugby teams
-Pre-vet society treasurer
-my hometown ambulance corps FA/CPR

ELORS:
- 1 from the small animal vet I spent the most time with @ the two vet practice
-1 from the small/exotics vet
-1 from ambulance corps captain (he sent me a copy, it made me cry with how nice it was)
-1 from alpaca farm professor. I had never actually taken his class, but I needed an academic eval from someone in my department for the Cornell app and I wasn't close with anyone besides my neuropsych advisor (not the right department for my bio degree ): ). Alpaca professor heard my plight and offered to write one, so I gave him my transcript and a brief list of all my accomplishments/schedule for each semester including work and extracurriculars, and he wrote what I'm assuming must have been a pretty good letter. -


Personal Statement:
I talked about how I hadn't decided on vet med until sophomore year of college. I had spent my life changing my mind about professions, but my choices always had some element of medicine or animals in them. I couldn't decide because I wanted to do everything. I found the pre-vet society sophomore year and started researching the profession and realized this was how I could have every profession I'd wanted (marine biologist, emergency surgeon, safari guide, epidemiologist, etc.) because vet med encompassed so many things. How working my crazy summer getting in all the vet experience I had to catch up on, along with ambulance shifts, made me sure I was cut out for the job, etc.

I cannot tell you how many times I was hysterically crying during this process about not having enough experience hours. I was convinced I didn't have enough (thanks Cornell Pre-Vet Day admissions presentation with your tales of applicants with 10,000 hours), but even with my meager hours and the fact that most of my life experiences are centered around humans, I did it! I thought I was going to to get rejected from everywhere, and to my incredible disbelief I got three interviews and three acceptances. I'm still not sure any of this really happened. So to all the vet-med late bloomers, there is hope!!!

 

[bluepandavet]

I'm an international applicant so OOS everywhere.
22yo female first time applicant BS Animal Science and chemistry minor finished in 3 years
Interviewers were impressed that I came to this country when I was 15 alone with no English background and had published a couple papers.

Applied: Oregon, Illinois, LMU, KSU, WesternU
Rejected: KSU, Oregon, WesternU
Accepted: Illinois, LMU
Attending: Illinois

Overall GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.3
Last 45: 3.8ish

GRE: (Q/V/A) 144 (I'm ESL)/156/4


Veterinary Experience:
300 hrs in small animal +ER
300 hrs internship in Hawaii with exotic and small animal vets
200 hrs with opthalmology specialist

Animal Experience:
I put as none...why? because I was dumb... :/
But in reality I have experience with pandas and primates along with pet ownership

Research Experience:
500 hrs pharmacy organic chemistry lab and I made a new compound that has never been discovered before
300 hrs primate microRNA and viral cancer research (ongoing)


LORs:
Small animal vet
Lab director/graduate school professor from the pharmacy lab
Professor from reproduction class (I got to really know him well)
Professor from animal disease class (I also got to know her in personal level)

 

[rharp7]

Female, 21 years old, first time applicant from NC.

Applied: NCSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Ross
Interview: Tennessee, Ross
Wait-listed: Georgia
Accepted: NCSU, Tennessee, Ross
Attending: NCSU

GPA: 3.96
Last 45: 4.0
Science GPA: 3.97
GRE (Q/V/W): 153/154/4.5

Veterinary Experience:
400 hours working as a vet assistant at a SA practice
250 hours shadowing at a SA practice
200 hours shadowing at a mixed animal practice
50 hours shadowing at wildlife rehabilitation center

Employment Experience:
Resident Director
Student Tutor
Wildlife Rehabilitation Summer Camp Counselor

Animal Experience:
1250 hours at wildlife rehabilitation center
50 hours volunteering at humane society
450 hours pet-sitting
1 month (~300 hours hands on time) wildlife rehabilitation in New Zealand
2000+ hours horse ownership and training

Awards:
President of Alpha Chi, College Chapter
Honors Program
Dean’s List all four years of undergrad

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Competition Rock Climbing Team
Student Ambassador
American Sign Language
Equestrian Club
10 years of playing the violin
13 years of playing the piano

eLORS:
Small Animal Veterinarian I worked for
Large Animal Veterinarian I shadowed
Wildlife Rehabilitation Instructor
Pre-Vet Professor

Personal Statment:
Focused on the development of my interest in wildlife medicine through my time at the wildlife rehabilitation center and my travels to New Zealand.

 

[swiniazycie]

22 year old female, first time applicant. Here's some more hope for those lower GPA folks. I'm graduating in May with two science majors, so maybe that's why schools were ok with me. I also showed a general upward trend.

Applied: NCSU, Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Tuskegee
Interview: Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Tuskegee
Rejected: NCSU
Accepted: Ohio, Missouri, Arizona
No Word: Tuskegee
Attending: ... I've almost decided.

Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.4?

GRE (Q/V): 148/151


Veterinary Experience:
100 hours avian only clinic
500 hours SA paid
500 hours equine/food/rural medicine
300 hours rural SA / some exotics
50 hours pre-vet trip in Latin America

Animal Experience:
50 hours SA/FA/Equine teaching High School kids (gross)
80 hours therapeutic horse riding lessons (I just assisted and helped take care of the horses)
50 hours turtle rehab
80 Food Animal and teaching/presenting to the public about agriculture myths
300 hours Beekeeping (4 hives over lots of years)
3,000 hours "farm" (mainly pigs/chickens) very low estimate of just my high school years / summers

Research Experience:
300 hours swine research

Non-Animal Employment:
-TA for upper-division science course

Extracurricular Activities/Awards:
3 "small" scholarships
Dean's List (2 semesters? idk I'm not very impressive.)
Regional Speech Winner / Went to State level in High School (it was a big deal then, iunno. It was in persuasive / controversial speeches. I won money?)
Coed Fraternity--very active, multiple positions/officer
Worked at the county fair in HS, State fair in college. Both agriculture booths
Some other random high school stuff

eLORs:
One from research, Ph.D.
One from rural vet
One from academic advisor

Personal Statement:
I started off with an "attention grabbing" detail story of a really labor-intensive farm call and ended with an internal dialogue / realization of what I believed veterinary medicine really is a combination of "1, 2, 3." Went to explain how I have been faced with multiple scenarios where I have had "1, 2,3" and also when I've seen veterinarians faced with situations and they've had to respond with "1,2,3."

I personally loved my personal statement, I just described it extremely vague on purpose.

 

[lhmhtd]

Aw, so proud of all you guys! Hope this is me next year

 

[SummerTheLynx]

22 year old female, first time applicant. Here's some more hope for those lower GPA folks. I'm graduating in May with two science majors, so maybe that's why schools were ok with me. I also showed a general upward trend.

Applied: NCSU, Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Tuskegee
Interview: Ohio, Missouri, Arizona, Tuskegee
Rejected: NCSU
Accepted: Ohio, Missouri, Arizona
No Word: Tuskegee
Attending: ... I've almost decided.

Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.4?

GRE (Q/V): 148/151


Veterinary Experience:
100 hours avian only clinic
500 hours SA paid
500 hours equine/food/rural medicine
300 hours rural SA / some exotics
50 hours pre-vet trip in Latin America

Animal Experience:
50 hours SA/FA/Equine teaching High School kids (gross)
80 hours therapeutic horse riding lessons (I just assisted and helped take care of the horses)
50 hours turtle rehab
80 Food Animal and teaching/presenting to the public about agriculture myths
300 hours Beekeeping (4 hives over lots of years)
3,000 hours "farm" (mainly pigs/chickens) very low estimate of just my high school years / summers

Research Experience:
300 hours swine research

Non-Animal Employment:
-TA for upper-division science course

Extracurricular Activities/Awards:
3 "small" scholarships
Dean's List (2 semesters? idk I'm not very impressive.)
Regional Speech Winner / Went to State level in High School (it was a big deal then, iunno. It was in persuasive / controversial speeches. I won money?)
Coed Fraternity--very active, multiple positions/officer
Worked at the county fair in HS, State fair in college. Both agriculture booths
Some other random high school stuff

eLORs:
One from research, Ph.D.
One from rural vet
One from academic advisor

Personal Statement:
I started off with an "attention grabbing" detail story of a really labor-intensive farm call and ended with an internal dialogue / realization of what I believed veterinary medicine really is a combination of "1, 2, 3." Went to explain how I have been faced with multiple scenarios where I have had "1, 2,3" and also when I've seen veterinarians faced with situations and they've had to respond with "1,2,3."

I personally loved my personal statement, I just described it extremely vague on purpose.

It's okay, you can admit to the world u decided on Mizzou

 

[swiniazycie]

It's okay, you can admit to the world u decided on Mizzou

Shh. It's not official until I tell my mom. (or fill out my paperwork and or post on Facebook )

 

[Rainheart]

Loving all the Mizzou people Seriously!

 

[Felixor90]

I wasn't gonna post in here, but I figured it would be encouraging for the lower GPA people.
I'm a 25 year old male (24 at the time that I applied) first-time applicant.

Applied: UFlorida (Instate), UWisconsin, UIllinois, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State
Interview Offered: Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Kansas
Rejected (no interview): Florida, Wisconsin
Accepted: Michigan State
Wait listed: Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas
Attending: Michigan State!

Overall GPA: All the schools calculated it differently. UF: 3.2 Illi: 3.1 Iowa: 3.0 Kstate: 3.3 Michigan: N/A
Science GPA: 3.4ish depending on the school
Last 45 credits: 3.3-3.5 depending on the school. Iowa and Michigan were the highest ones at around 3.5

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/159/4

Veterinary Experience:
~50 hours volunteering as a surgery tech at cat spay/neuter events with a local shelter
~2500 hours working as a vet tech for a small animal/exotics hospital. I was the "floater" tech that worked with all the vets depending on which one needed help so I subdivided them in the application as follows (each vet was very different so the VMCAS folks suggested I listed them differently even though it was all at one place) :
~ 1/3 small animal
~ 1/3 exotics with emphasis on guinea pigs, ferrets, turtles, and reptiles. This vet is also very pro-vitamin therapy and herbal remedies when used to supplement modern medicine. I wrote about this for my MSU supplemental.
~ 1/3 exotics with emphasis on birds, large cats, and wildlife
~120 hours working as a temp tech at another place

Note: the 50 hours that I volunteered at spay events was with 15+ vets. I used this experience for Michigan's supplemental because it really diversified my exposure to vets. Yes they were all doing the same procedure, but nobody did it the same and it was amazing to see one of them do it "blind" (i.e. by making a tiny incision, scooping out the uterine horn, doing everything outside, then putting everything back in).

Research Experience:
~50 hours assisting a vet with rat necropsies for a cancer clinical trial. VMCAS told me I could pick whether to put it under research or vet so I picked research since it's where I was lacking.
~40 hours dissecting animals for a vertebrate anatomy and biomechanics lab at my undergrad

Animal Experience:
~500 volunteering at a local shelter
~1200 working as a personal tech pet sitter (basically pet sitting sick animals that needed medication). I was tempted to put some of these hours into vet experience since I often had to speak with the client's vet but decided against it because it was too iffy.
~10 hours of farm animal at the APVMA symposium at Iowa State. I took all the handling labs/info sessions so I figured I would put it here since my large animal experience was pretty lacking.
~160 hours volunteering with the Dumond Conservancy for Primates. Lots and lots of handling owl monkeys. <3

Non-Animal Employment:
I only put down my Papa Johns experience (~2000 hours). I was probably too busy focusing on the other sections because I somehow managed to not put down my multiple hours of running my dad's business and expanding it tremendously. Oh well!

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Cellist for a community orchestra. Lots of free concerts for underprivileged schools with no art programs, etc.
Cellist for my undergrad's symphony orchestra.
Volunteering with the Pre-Vet club.
Tutor at my undergrad for Biology II.
Walked at March of Dimes every single year since I started college.

LORs:
1) The small animal vet that I got most of my SA experience working for.
2) One of the exotic vets I worked for (the vitamin therapy one)
3) My orgo 1 professor (this was important because Orgo was the only class I failed and he included the fact that I was his top student when I repeated the class. I'm sure that helped!)
4) My parapsychology professor
5) My comparative vertebrate anatomy professor. I also helped teach the lab and dissected all the animals for her research lab

Personal Statement:
I started off by writing about how hard my parents worked to save my life when I was a kid (I grew up in a third world country) and how that has taught me to never give up and fight for my goals. I then moved on to talk about my experiences working for different veterinarians and how that makes me diverse. I finished by talking about how I love music and the arts and how it has strengthened certain values and traits that are useful for being a successful veterinarian. For the schools that required a diversity statement as part of their supplemental, I wrote about how I was introduced into music and how it has shaped me to be a better leader and overall member of society. If anyone wants a copy of either one, send a PM.

Edit: I have no clue why it says there's an attached file. O.O

 

[calmae]

I wasn't gonna post in here, but I figured it would be encouraging for the lower GPA people.
I'm a 25 year old male (24 at the time that I applied) first-time applicant.

Applied: UFlorida (Instate), UWisconsin, UIllinois, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State
Interview Offered: Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Kansas
Rejected (no interview): Florida, Wisconsin
Accepted: Michigan State
Attending: Most likely Michigan. I've withdrawn from all the other schools except Iowa and I might forfeit my deposit if Iowa calls me later on.

Overall GPA: All the schools calculated it differently. UF: 3.2 Illi: 3.1 Iowa: 3.0 Kstate: 3.3 Michigan: N/A
Science GPA: 3.4ish depending on the school
Last 45 credits: 3.3-3.5 depending on the school. Iowa and Michigan were the highest ones at around 3.5

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/159/4

Veterinary Experience:
~50 hours volunteering as a surgery tech at cat spay/neuter events with a local shelter
~2500 hours working as a vet tech for a small animal/exotics hospital. I was the "floater" tech that worked with all the vets depending on which one needed help so I subdivided them in the application as follows (each vet was very different so the VMCAS folks suggested I listed them differently even though it was all at one place) :
~ 1/3 small animal
~ 1/3 exotics with emphasis on guinea pigs, ferrets, turtles, and reptiles. This vet is also very pro-vitamin therapy and herbal remedies when used to supplement modern medicine. I wrote about this for my MSU supplemental.
~ 1/3 exotics with emphasis on birds, large cats, and wildlife
~120 hours working as a temp tech at another place

Note: the 50 hours that I volunteered at spay events was with 15+ vets. I used this experience for Michigan's supplemental because it really diversified my exposure to vets. Yes they were all doing the same procedure, but nobody did it the same and it was amazing to see one of them do it "blind" (i.e. by making a tiny incision, scooping out the uterine horn, doing everything outside, then putting everything back in).

Research Experience:
~50 hours assisting a vet with rat necropsies for a cancer clinical trial. VMCAS told me I could pick whether to put it under research or vet so I picked research since it's where I was lacking.
~40 hours dissecting animals for a vertebrate anatomy and biomechanics lab at my undergrad

Animal Experience:
~500 volunteering at a local shelter
~1200 working as a personal tech pet sitter (basically pet sitting sick animals that needed medication). I was tempted to put some of these hours into vet experience since I often had to speak with the client's vet but decided against it because it was too iffy.
~10 hours of farm animal at the APVMA symposium at Iowa State. I took all the handling labs/info sessions so I figured I would put it here since my large animal experience was pretty lacking.
~160 hours volunteering with the Dumond Conservancy for Primates. Lots and lots of handling owl monkeys. <3

Non-Animal Employment:
I only put down my Papa Johns experience (~2000 hours). I was probably too busy focusing on the other sections because I somehow managed to not put down my multiple hours of running my dad's business and expanding it tremendously. Oh well!

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Cellist for a community orchestra. Lots of free concerts for underprivileged schools with no art programs, etc.
Cellist for my undergrad's symphony orchestra.
Volunteering with the Pre-Vet club.
Tutor at my undergrad for Biology II.
Walked at March of Dimes every single year since I started college.

LORs:
1) The small animal vet that I got most of my SA experience working for.
2) One of the exotic vets I worked for (the vitamin therapy one)
3) My orgo 1 professor (this was important because Orgo was the only class I failed and he included the fact that I was his top student when I repeated the class. I'm sure that helped!)
4) My parapsychology professor
5) My comparative vertebrate anatomy professor. I also helped teach the lab and dissected all the animals for her research lab

Personal Statement:
I started off by writing about how hard my parents worked to save my life when I was a kid (I grew up in a third world country) and how that has taught me to never give up and fight for my goals. I then moved on to talk about my experiences working for different veterinarians and how that makes me diverse. I finished by talking about how I love music and the arts and how it has strengthened certain values and traits that are useful for being a successful veterinarian. For the schools that required a diversity statement as part of their supplemental, I wrote about how I was introduced into music and how it has shaped me to be a better leader and overall member of society. If anyone wants a copy of either one, send a PM.

Very cool personal statement . Being a wisconsin applicant that was also rejected, I think that the reason we were both probably rejected there was due to a lack of interest in dairy medicine? Just thought I would give you my input since you seem like an amazing candidate in all other aspects. And I might be trying to make myself feel better about being rejected as well . Best of luck to you wherever you end up going.

 

[Felixor90]

Very cool personal statement . Being a wisconsin applicant that was also rejected, I think that the reason we were both probably rejected there was due to a lack of interest in dairy medicine? Just thought I would give you my input since you seem like an amazing candidate in all other aspects. And I might be trying to make myself feel better about being rejected as well . Best of luck to you wherever you end up going.

Thanks! Yes I definitely agree that some schools have their niches and primarily look for students that want to study that particular area of the profession. I recently heard that UF is super into equine due to being so close to Ocala. If I had known that before, I probably wouldn't have bothered applying (ok not really since they're my IS but I would have been less hopeful haha). Wisconsin was a long shot for me anyway so it wasn't very surprising when I got rejected. We all end up where we're supposed to be, though.

 

[calmae]

Thanks! Yes I definitely agree that some schools have their niches and primarily look for students that want to study that particular area of the profession. I recently heard that UF is super into equine due to being so close to Ocala. If I had known that before, I probably wouldn't have bothered applying (ok not really since they're my IS but I would have been less hopeful haha). Wisconsin was a long shot for me anyway so it wasn't very surprising when I got rejected. We all end up where we're supposed to be, though.

I totally agree!

 

[WillowRosenberg]

I am a 24 year old female (23 at time of application) and I am a first time applicant. I graduated from undergrad in 2013, and used the time before applying to get more experience (and make some money).

Applied: Iowa (contract), Tufts, Cornell, Upenn, Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, UCDavis, LSU, Ohio, Virginia, Midwestern, Wisconsin, Tennessee
Interview Offered: Iowa, Tufts, Upenn, Kansas, Illinois (declined interview), Minnesota (declined interview), LSU (declined interview), Midwestern, Tennessee (declined interview)
Rejected (no interview): Colorado, UCDavis, Ohio, Virginia (alternate for interview)
Accepted: Tufts, Kansas, Iowa, Midwestern
Wait listed: Cornell, Upenn, Wisconsin (declined seat)
Attending: Tufts!!! Unless Cornell gets back to me, in which case, I will have a difficult decision to make, as I liked both schools a lot!
Overall GPA: 3.7
Science GPA: 3.4-3.5ish
Last 45 credits: 3.8
GRE (Q/V/W): 157/163/5.0

Veterinary Experience:
~Participant in Tufts AVM program (I split up the hours between the this and animal experience)
~1600+ hours working as veterinary assistant at a feline only practice
~ 60 hours volunteering as a surgery clinic assistant at a shelter's spay/neuter clinic
~20 hours shadowing zoo veterinarian
~20 hours shadowing SA veterinarian

Research Experience:
~10 hours working on internship project at a zoo, where I researched equine, reptile, and amphibian diseases.
~280 hours working as a field research intern for a zoo, working on a population survey of burying beetles.

Animal Experience:
~Participant in Tufts AVM program
~20 hours volunteering at a therapeutic riding center
~370 hours as animal care intern at a zoo
~40 hours taking care of monarch population at my undergrad's greenhouse
~60 hours volunteering at shelter
~20 hours volunteering at the same shelter, this time at their spay/neuter clinic acting as clinic assistant
~5 hours as a participant on a behind-the-scenes tour at a zoo I worked at


Non-Animal Employment:
- Student fundraiser for undergrad's call center
- TA for Ecology course at my undergrad
- Worked two summers as a summer intern at an environmental testing laboratory, mainly helping the microbiologist run aquatic toxicity tests, but also helped chemists as well
- Customer sales associate at a uniform store

Extracurriculars / Etc:
As a big birder/birdwatcher, I have participated in birding walks in my state and report rare sightings to a local listserv
Played clarinet as member of my undergrad's Symphonic Band, section leader senior year
Listed the clubs I was a part of in high school: Art club, JETS, Yearbook club
Was a swimmer on my high school's team
Volunteer at local food bank
Played clarinet in community band for a couple years in high school

Honors/Awards:
Graduated cum laude
Dean List every semester in college
Member of Golden Key Honor Society
Listed bunch of awards and scholarships received in high school
Member of National Honor Society
High Honors in high school


LORs: (A lot because of Cornell)
1) One of the veterinarians I work for at the feline only practice
2) The professor I TA'd for at undergrad
3) My prevet advisor
4) The assistant curator at one of the zoos I interned at
5) One of the techs I worked for at the shelter clinic I volunteered at

Personal Statement:
I started off by using a quote from one of my favorite theology professors (I am a theology minor and wanted to include how that will help shape my veterinary career) discussed how to discern one's vocation. I discussed how I came to decide fully that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I then discussed different experiences that I have had, highlighting the ones that have shaped my professional goals. I discussed my experience working at the SA practice I currently work at. I ended by summarizing how veterinary medicine is my calling.

 

[v0712]

22 yr old female NY resident, 2nd time applicant --- my first application cycle was terrible because, unbeknownst to me, I had a negative LOR from a vet (and great friend) I trained under for ~3 years!!! --needless to say, it was a complete fluke and that person is going through some stuff...so despite 4 other great LORs, schools mostly rejected me last year.. ANYWHOO.. God gives you what you need at the right time!!! So finally here it goes!! My hard work has paid off and schools realized that the letter was the furthest thing from the truth!!

Applied: Cornell, UPENN, NCSU, Illinois, Tennessee, Purdue, Mississippi, VMRCVM & Auburn.
Interviewed: All except wait listed for VMRCVM interview- never got off, so technically rejected
Accepted: Cornell, UPENN, Purdue, Tennessee, Illinois, Mississippi, and Auburn
Wait listed: NCSU =( my dream school and place I want to live!
Attending: Not sure!!! Hoping to be pulled off NCSU's list -- not very likely but a girl can pray!! hah. Looking into UT/Purdue more! Any input is welcome =)

Overall GPA: 3.91 (worked very hard and gave up many football games to study! Had to make up for freshman year grades that were not so great) -- B.S in Biology
Science GPA: 3.89?
Last 45 credits: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 162/160/5.5 --- not sure if the numbers matter much, so for those that want %'s : 84th/84th/98th

Veterinary Experience:
~300 hours LA internship (unpaid, but fell in love so did not care!)- AIed equines, castrated, assisted equine neurectomy, dentals, uterine culture and biopsy, intravaginal/rectal US and palpate, stitch SPL tube, injections and blood draws, rads and many other things with various large animals. --very blessed to have found a vet that let me do so much hands on work!
-394 hours volunteering in exotic clinic as vet assistant/shadowing, scrub in on surgeries, tech training
-600+ hours volunteering/shadowing in various small animal vet hospitals
-120 hours working ER as vet assistant/tech, paid
-25 hrs (had just started) working in SA clinic at which I previously shadowed, paid finally! =)

Research Experience:
-70 hours flamingo research at zoo under professor
-160+ hours miniature horse research at stables under professor
- 7 hrs observing/helping with swine research through the med school under vets and MD cardiologists
-70+ hours self-designed research sponsored by ANTECH on M. haemofelis

Animal Experience:
-100 stable hand volunteer- cleaning stalls, grooming horses, administering medications
-90 assistant trainer of yearling at large facility-- talk about learning discipline standing in a pen in 100 deg SC weather lunging a horse all day! (among other things)
-150 small farm- equine, avian, canine, and feline, and wildlife
-115 farm hand-equine, bovine, ovine, porcine, avian, canine, small ruminants (rabbits)
-200 farm hand- equine, avian, canine, feline
-72 fostering dog
-140 pet sitting
-250+ volunteer at shelter, assistant to adoption coordinator and shelter manager, socialized cats and dogs
-400 horseback riding and volunteering at camps
-100 TNR programs from HS and rehab ferals through my local SA clinic currently

Honors/Awards:
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Dean's list every semester -- President's list (4.0) all but freshman year
Recognized for achievement on the National Latin Exam in HS
Scholarship for academic performance and financial need in college (soph year?)

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked in HS as caterer/baker

Extracurriculars / Etc:
-Pre-vet club co-chair (service chair) and helped re-found the club—fundraisers, shadow/volunteer opportunities
-notetaker for student with a disability
-tutored biochemistry/organic chem/microbio
-participate in 5K runs for charities
-travel soccer two teams in HS
-cheerleading in HS
-assistant/receptionist at occupational therapy practice on breaks and mostly in HS
-babysat on college breaks etc
-french club
-fundraising for shelters

LORs:
LA vet (from internship)
SA vet (most of my volunteering and now employed)
SA ER vet (former employer)
Chemistry prof/dept head

Personal Statement:
Had a concussion from cheerleading in HS that was initially very difficult to overcome-- affected my math/science grades etc-- but described how I overcame it completely and worked harder than heck to achieve those grades and re-wire my memory! Then went through a progression of my experiences (chronological, but more of a story of how I came to be the person I am today, rather than boring descriptions..) and ended it with my LA internship where I realized my dream of working with mixed animals in a practice and also contributing to research (preferably equine or zoonotic diseases).

 

[Gwenevre]

Have you checked out the Factors When Choosing a School thread? And I'm biased towards Purdue

 

[v0712]

Have you checked out the Factors When Choosing a School thread? And I'm biased towards Purdue

Yes I have!! I am still torn and going mad haha. I don't blame you, Purdue's program was awesome!

 

[Gwenevre]

Yes I have!! I am still torn and going mad haha. I don't blame you, Purdue's program was awesome!

Well if you have any questions about Purdue or the area feel free to hit me up

 

[worstsidekick]

I'm a 1st time applicant from TX (22 years old), but I attended Penn State UPark for my undergraduate years. My GPA was not so stellar due to an incredibly rough first semester, but there is hope! Average applicants can still make it!

Applied: Texas, Florida, Colorado (and Oklahoma but they wouldn't take my genetics requirement...)
Interviews: Texas and Florida
Accepted: Texas and Florida
Rejected: Colorado
Attending: Texas! Can't beat that in-state tuition.

Degrees: BS in Animal Science with a minor in Equine Science
GPA: 3. 46
Science GPA: 3.44
Last 45 Hour GPA: 3.65

GRE (V/Q/W): 160/152/4

Veterinary Experience:

• Summer Internship with Peterson & Smith (about 600 hours)
• Shadowing a Small Animal Vet (about 100 Hours)
• Shadowing an ambulatory equine vet (about 100 hours)
• Scribing for a competitive trail ride (about 10 hours)

Research Experience:

• One semester of the PSU Equine Research Team

Animal Experience

• I've worked as a barn hand and working student since I was fifteen (and continue to do so now), so I have extensive equine experience. (about 1000 hours)
• Worked at a summer riding camp (about 500 hours)
• Helped at a small beef operation (10 hours) where we tagged a bunch of calves and I got to castrate a couple! (banding and the old fashion way)
• Competed at ASAS academic quadrathalon (had a practicum component)
• Part of the Penn State Horse Judging Team
• Bull Clipping for Block & Bridle
• I also listed Pet Ownership

Work Experience

• Worked as a barista for two years
• Worked for the Penn State Bio labs for a year (no research, just a lot of setting up labs)

Awards & Honors

• NESA Overall Champions
• Employee of the semester (barista gig)
• D. Bruce Stauffer Scholarship
• Dean's List Spring 2012-Fall 2014
• FMEC Show Team Scholarship
• FMEC Owner's Scholarship

Community

• Block & Bridle

Evaluates

• Professor/Horse Judging Couch
• One of the vets I worked with at Peterson & Smith
• My summer camp employer
• And for VMCAS I also listed the small animal vet I shadowed

Personal Statement

• I focused a lot on trying to convey my passion and dedication for veterinary medicine. I mentioned my bad first semester and how I was able to grow and recover from that and how it would help me in the future, and also tied in how I've been able to apply classroom concepts in the internships and jobs I've had through the years. (The beginning and end of my essay started with "Never ever give up!", and perseverance really doe spay off!!)

 

[apizfoshizz]

I am 23 year old, female, second-time applicant from NH. I received three waitlists and four rejections last cycle. For this cycle, I improved my GPA (and graduated college!), gained some more/diversified vet and animal experience, and applied smarter. I have no IS school, and the first cycle I applied only to schools that took a lot of OOS students, regardless of where the school was. This time, I applied to schools in states with a strong dairy industry and good food animal programs. It worked out for me this time around


Applied: Iowa State, Purdue, Michigan State, and U of Illinois
Interview Offers: all of the above
Accepted: U of Illinois and Michigan State
Wait listed: Iowa State, Purdue
Attending: Michigan State!!

Degrees: B.S. In Biomedical Science, with a minor in Dairy Management, graduated magna cum laude in 2014

Overall GPA: 3.63
Science GPA: 3.45
Last 45 credits: 3.8-3.9
GRE (Q/V/W): 154/156/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
~250 hours working as a tech for two mixed animal vets
~7 hours shadowing cow surgeries with the university vet
~1500 hours working with two SA vets in an AAHA accredited clinic
~100 hours interning at a SA clinic that practices holistic medicine as well as conventional
~15 hours observing necropsies with the university vet


Research Experience:
~350 hours conducting independent research on dairy cow colostrum, as well as assisting on two other studies with a grad student from my university.

Animal Experience:
~550 hours working on an organic dairy farm
~80 hours preparing and showing dairy cows
~100 hours working on a conventional dairy farm (for a class)
~440 hours working at a zoo (preparing animal diets and attending to the petting zoo, as well as educating the public)

Non-Animal Employment:
-5000 hours working in customer service at a local grocery store.

Extracurriculars / Etc:
-Little Royal Heifer Show, 2 times
-Undergraduate Research Conference (poster presentation)
-North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge
-Pre-vet club

Honors/Awards:
-Dean's list 7 out of 8 semesters
-Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship recipient

LORs:
1. My minor advisor, professor, and research mentor
2. One of my dairy professors, with whom I took many classes and had lots of outside of the classroom experience with.
3. My major academic advisor, and also a veterinarian.
4. A small animal veterinarian that I worked under for about a year.


Personal Statement:
I began my personal statement with an anecdote about my dog's emergency foreign body surgery. I used this story to explain how I have been able to think from both a doctor's point of view and a client's point of view. I then linked in to when I began developing my interest in veterinary medicine and explained some of my experiences, what I learned from them, and how that will make me be a better doctor. I also spoke about my development in dairy medicine (a change from small animal) and the importance of keeping an open mind during your education. I ended by finishing the anecdote about my dog and stating my interests.

 

[ThreeLeggedDogs]

I am a 25 (24 at time of app) year old female CA resident. First time applicant, and proof that GPA isn't everything if you apply smart! K-State and MSU are great options if you're concerned about your cGPA but have a strong last 45 or high GRE score. I didn't really think I had a shot at Davis (but applied because it is my IS) or Illinois (but had a letter of rec from their former dean)so figured it couldn't hurt. WSU was also a reach, but they're holistic in their admissions approach and tuition is so cheap that I had to apply.

Applied: UC Davis, Kansas State, Washington State, Michigan State, and U of Illinois
Interview Offers: K-State, MSU
Accepted: K-State, Michigan State
Wait listed: None
Attending: K-State!!

Degrees: B.S. in Animal Biology, emphasis in Immunology

Overall GPA: 2.993 (How annoying is that?) VMCAS GPA was more like 2.88 though.
Science GPA: ~2.9
Last 45 credits: 3.53 (last 2 quarters were both ~3.9 with a heavy science course load, so big upward trend in my grades)
GRE (Q/V/W): 159/163/4.5

Veterinary Experience:
~500 hours volunteering at a SA clinic over 3 years
~80 hours SA at UC Davis VMTH
~40 hours dentistry/oral surgery at UC Davis VMTH
~40 hours equine surgery at UC Davis VMTH
~25 hours spay/neuter clinic
~40 hours SA/cattle VIDA trip to Nicaragua
~16 hours beef cattle
~2000 hours veterinary pathology lab (current place of full time employment), mainly working on tissue and devices from preclinical research studies. My job is really weird and really cool, probably helped me a lot.

Research Experience:
~600 hours in an immunology lab, coauthored a published manuscript on a novel immunofluorescent assay

Animal Experience:
~600 hours volunteering at the SPCA
~40 hours wildlife rehab
~Lots of horses

Non-Animal Employment:
Years of childcare/lifeguarding/swim instruction jobs
A few other part time lab and office jobs

Extracurriculars / Etc:
-Snowboard club
-Pre-vet club
-Went to a fine arts magnet high school

Honors/Awards:
-Dean's list...just 2 quarters

LORs:
1. Pathologist at work (very well known and super nice guy, former U of Illinois CVM dean, former president of AAVMC many years ago)
2. SA vet/practice owner I worked under for 3 years
3. Research mentor

Personal Statement:
Mainly focused on my interpersonal and communication abilities as well as interest in diagnostics (I want to do small animal medicine) I compared evaluating an explanted device at work and determining why it failed to following a complicated case at the clinic. Discussed how my own unique looking dog (he has 3 legs) has allowed me to interact with lots of people because they're always curious about the missing leg. The SA clinic I've volunteered at is in a lower income area and so I've learned a lot about working with owners through difficult situations, and I think it was important to illustrate that I have a realistic understanding of some of the challenges of the profession.

I also wrote a short explanation statement taking responsibility for my poor grades in my first couple years of college and described how ultimately I was able to find a study method that worked really well for me.

In short, if you had too much fun in your first few years of college like me, there's still hope! Do well on the GRE, do something unique with your time, and do your research and apply to schools that value the strong points of your application. Also, be realistic but don't listen to unnecessary negativity: I was told by my school's pre-health advisor that I had no chance at getting in anywhere but *possibly* the Caribbean schools.

 

[k80rigs]

Well I guess I should get around to doing this....still haven't really decided on a school despite paying a deposit. If I get pulled off the waitlist to others I will be screwed! Anyone who currently goes to any schools I was waitlisted/paid a deposit on could definitely message me and help me make my decision easier
I'm a 22 year old female applicant from California, attended UC Davis for undergrad. Didn't apply to Davis (cue the omg you're so dumb) but I really couldn't see myself going there for another 4 years, especially since they changed their vetmed program about two years ago and colleagues agree with me that they don't like the way it is heading I just didn't want to be stuck regretting it.
That said, here goes.....

Applied: Kansas State, LMU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Tufts, Auburn
Interview Offers: Kansas State, Iowa State, LMU, Auburn, Tufts (declined interview)
Accepted: Kansas State, LMU
Wait listed: Iowa State, Oklahoma
Attending: paid the deposit for KState.....

Degrees: B.S. in Animal Science with an emphasis on Equine Science

Overall GPA: 3.41
Science GPA: 3.09
Last 45 credits: 3.7
GRE (Q/V/W): 160/155/5

Veterinary Experience:

• 1500 hours working at 2 different small animal GP clinics....working as a technician. Placing catheters, monitoring anesthesia, intubating....okay this is sounding like a resume I'll stop
• 100 hours working as a tech in a vet-directed research project, looking at lung microbial flora in calves with BRSV
• 120 hours as an intern under a equine DACT inseminating, palpating mares, embryo transfer, and collecting stallions..among other therio related tasks that I'm too lazy to list.
• 40 hours working in the UC Davis Large Animal ICU

Research Experience:

• I listed none in this spot, because I think they applied more so to other areas. But I have worked in research related facilities and environments!

Animal Experience:

• 30 hours working in the UC Davis swine facility: got to castrate, ear notch, teeth clip little piglets, collect boars, inseminate sows...
• 500 hours working at the UC Davis Nutrition and Pet Care Center...essentially a specific pathogen free cat colony with ~700 cats. ( I swear i'm not a crazy cat lady)
• 80 hours working at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, instructing grade schoolers how to correctly handle and interact with SA, LA and exotics
• 1800 hours (that's being conservative) working at full service hunter jumper barns as a working student, exercising/training horses, giving meds, giving lessons, etc.
• Misc. random hours from helping out at horse shows and horse auctions

Non-Animal Employment:

• 550 hours at Kohl's throughout HS/freshman year of undergrad
• 375 hours at Tilly's during HS

Extracurriculars / Etc:

• Was president of one of the UC Davis equestrian teams for 3 years, member for 4 years
• Member of the Vet Aide club for 4 years
• Horseback riding since I was a wee toddler...I included horse ownership here since I already had a place for all my horse-related experience.

Honors/Awards:

• Dean's List for 3 quarters...I didn't really include a lot of stuff since HS mostly because I couldn't remember any. I'm relatively average I'm afraid.
• Most Improved Horse award for one of the equestrian teams!

LORs:

• Equine DACT, DVM with whom I worked with for 2+ years...the adcom at LMU actually commented saying that they knew her personally, which was cool.
• Professor/advisor (PhD) in the department of Animal Science, has won Princeton teaching awards
• Supervisor at the UC Davis Nutrition and Pet Care Center
• Professor (PhD) for my Animal Behavior class

Personal Statement:

• This one really hit home for me. I talked about how my experience at the h/j barn in San Diego really helped shaped me as an individual, and in particular, the knowledge that one horseman had to share with me. He always believed in me and thought I could achieve lofty goals if I put my mindset to it. He also was a truly great horseperson, and I really respected him. Unfortunately, right as I was about to hit submit on my VMCAS, he passed away due to lung cancer. I put a little addendum into my PS and sent it off...KSU made a comment on it, and expressed their sincere apologies. At least it's good to know adcoms actually read those suckers we spend so much time on!

But anyways. If anyone wants to help me decide if I should just accept at KSU and ignore Iowa and Oklahoma....or to spew what they think is so great about those schools, that would help out immensely!

 

[MouseWrangler]

25 year old, female, Ohio resident

Applied: 19 schools - WAY too many on the advice of my advisor
Interview Offers: Illinois (declined), Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota (declined), Mississippi State (declined), Ohio State, Purdue (declined), Tennessee
Accepted: Kansas State, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Ohio State
Wait listed: None (but wait listed for an interview at VMRCVM and denied)
Attending: The Ohio State University

Degrees: BS in a general science program, MS in anatomy, not a degree but I am also an RLATG

Overall GPA: 3.41
Undergrad GPA: 3.56
Post-bacc GPA: 4.00
Graduate GPA: 3.57
Science GPA: 3.31
Last 45 credits: 3.82
GRE (Q/V/W): 159/155/4
MCAT (V/P/B/W): 8/8/10/M

Veterinary Experience:

• 300 hours shadowing/assisting an equine vet seeing mostly horses but also dogs, cats, cows, pigs, goats, and deer.
• 46 hours shadowing at a small animal emergency care center

Research Experience:

• 4325 hours as a research technician leading studies on mouse models of Parkinson's disease, generated a brand new mouse model of PD as my master's thesis (also listed this under employment on my VMCAS)
  • Publication in JoVE
  • Poster presented at OMV-SfN
  • PI presented my poster at SfN in 2013
  • Several of my undergraduate students have presented posters with me as a co-author
• 880 hours studying effects of scopolamine and nicotine on serial pattern learning in rats
• 80 hours enrolling children (yes, human children) in various studies at a children's hospital emergency room

Animal Experience:

• 31 hours volunteering as a surgical assistant at a shelter that trains dogs to become service dogs

Non-Animal Employment:

• 10 months tutoring for an online tutoring service in the subjects biology (all levels), science (grades 4-8), mid-level math (grades 7-8), and anatomy & physiology (all levels)
• 140 hours beta-testing an online textbook/prep course for anatomy & physiology
• 170 hours working in a medical school morgue cleaning tables, preparing cadavers for dissection and cremation
• 30 hours each summer for 4 years at a 1 week country music concert - got promoted to gate leader last summer

Extracurriculars / Etc:

• Pre-vet society
• Judged a few science fairs
• Volunteered at a Science Olympiad
• Lots of random activities from my time as a med student
• Played high school girls lacrosse and boys ice hockey
• Vegetable gardening for a stress reliever
• Certified advanced open water SCUBA for over 10 years

Honors/Awards:

• Graduated cum laude
• Dean's list awards

LORs:

• My master's program director
• My PI that I have worked for
• A vet from the SA emergency center
• An equine vet I spent most of my vet experience with

Personal Statement:

• My personal statement was about how I decided vet med was the right place for me. I started out in human med and it talked about how/why I switched to vet med. I knew I had a big barrier to overcome in explaining why I left med school and switched to vet school and it looks like it worked! I'm going to vet school!

 

[mckenna310]

22 year old female California resident, first time applicant. I graduated in 2014 but took the year "off" to do Physics (couldn't cram it in during undergrad) and work and earn some $$ and experience at a wonderful little small animal hospital.

Applied: UC Davis, U Penn, Oregon State, Colorado State, Washington State, Ross, SGU
Interviewed: UC Davis, Ross, SGU
Accepted: Oregon State, Ross, SGU
Waitlisted: UC Davis
Attending: Oregon State!

Degrees: BS in Equine Science, minors in Biology and Business
GPA: 3.9
Science GPA: 3.8?
Last 45 credits: 3.9
GRE (Q/V/W): 155/159/4

Veterinary Experience:

• About 450 hours at small animal hospitals (at time of app)
• About 50 hours equine

Research Experience:

• Nonezo

Animal Experience:

• 6,000+ hours caring for/riding my own horses
• 3,000 hours working as a trail guide - mostly horses but we also had farm animals, poultry, rodents, reptiles, etc
• 500 hours pet sitting (dogs, cats, rats, geckos, etc)

Non-Animal Employment:

• Notetaker at my undergrad school

Extracurriculars / Etc:

• Long time competitive equestrian
• 2x Captain of my college's hunter jumper team, where at the end of the year we brought college owned horses to compete at the state's top AA horse show
• Tri Beta Biology Honor Society member
• USEF/USHJA member

Honors/Awards:

• Graduated Summa Cum Laude
• Dean's list
• Equine Dept Certificate of Merit 3x
• CRC Press Chemistry Award
• MVP Hunter Jumper Team
• Heath Prize in Chemistry
• USHJA Amateur Affiliate Sportsmanship Award Nominee

LORs: (yes maybe 6 was overkill!)

• Small animal veterinarian that I shadowed
• Chemistry professor at my college
• Equine veterinarian for my college (also my professor)
• Coach of my riding team at college (also my professor)
• Head of the Equine Department at my college
• Manager at the small animal clinic I'm at now

Personal Statement:

• My personal statement was about how I had always loved animals but had begun college studying business as I had been discouraged from anything science related when I struggled in high school science classes. I went on to describe how after succeeding in undergrad science classes, I saw an amazing equine necropsy and it was the inspiration to decide to switch my field of study and go for it all the way. I described some experiences that have given me an idea of the kind of vet I do and do not want to be, and talked about how though I have always loved horses, I was still open and excited for whatever the future holds for me!

 

[GoldenGirl28]

30 year old female Illinois resident
Non-traditional applicant
1st time applicant

Applied: Illinois (IS), Tufts, Missouri, Wisconsin, Virginia-Maryland
Interviewed: Illinois, Tufts, Missouri
Waitlisted: Wisconsin at #42 on OOS list
Accepted: Illinois, Tufts, Missouri
Attending: ????? (My husband is also an attorney and we’re waiting to see what job offers he has by April 15)

Degrees:
-B.A. Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington, 2006
-J.D. Health Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 2011
-Pre-Med Post-Bac from Loyola University Chicago, 2012-2014

GPA:
-Cum Undergrad: 3.89
-Cum Law School: 3.04
-Cum Post-Bac (Science GPA) which is also last 45 credits: 3.78
-Total Cum (undergrad + law school + post-bac): 3.57

GRE:
-Verbal: 163 (92%)
-Quant: 159 (74%)
-Writing: 4.5 (80%)

Veterinary Experience:
-3,120 hours working as small animal vet tech in Chicago
-58 hours shadowing a dairy cattle vet in Madison, WI
-53 hours shadowing equine vets in Chicago suburbs
-32 hours volunteering as shelter surgical tech at Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago

Research Experience:
-1,050 hours designing and authoring published study and undergraduate honors thesis examining reported reasons for obtaining an HIV test, focusing on the roles of anxiety and perceived risk.
-180 hours conducting a Health Impact Assessment of local utility company’s proposed metering system and whether it was likely to disproportionally affect the health of low-income individuals.
-25 hours doing legal research on case law on related to informed consent for abortion for law professor’s published article.

Honors:
-Graduated magna cum laude in undergrad
-Phi Beta Kappa
-Psychology departmental honors

LORs:
-Small animal veterinarian I worked for as a vet tech for 2 years
-Physics 101 & 102 professor
-General Chemistry 101 & 102 professor

Personal Statement:
-I discussed my non-linear journey to veterinary medicine, including an interest in HIV prevention, a detour through law school, a summer in South Africa and 2.5 years living abroad in Cambodia.

 

[natjoygreg]

So happy to be posting here!! I'm a 23 year-old NY state resident & 1st time applicant. I graduated from SUNY Cortland with a bachelors in biology this past May.

Applied: Cornell, UPenn, LMU, VMRCVM and Purdue
Interviewed: LMU and Purdue. Waitlisted for an interview at VMRCVM (didnt get off it).
Accepted: LMU and Purdue.
Wait listed: Cornell
Attending: Most likely Purdue! Unless I get off Cornell's waitlist...then i'll have to decide between true love (Purdue) or money (Cornell)

Overall GPA: 3.87
Science GPA: 3.85
Last 45 credits: 3.9

GRE (Q/V/W): 152/157/4.0 (hated every moment of this test)

Veterinary Experience:
~650 hours of small animal experience
~100 hours of large animal experience (bovine)
~25 hours of zoo experience (just started when application was due!)

Research Experience:
~400 hours with the Cornell summer scholars program (Plant pathology) at the agricultural research station in Geneva NY (I hadn't decided between plants and animals at this point lol)
~150 hours of research on Planaria predation (Dugesia dorotocephela) with an undergraduate professor

Animal Experience:
~600 hours volunteering at my local humane society

Honors/Awards:
-Graduated Summa Cum Laude
-Dean's list every semester
-President's list 3 semesters (all A- or above)
-Honor societies: Beta Beta Beta, Phi Kappa Phi (scholar of the year 2014)

Non-Animal Employment:
-More hours than I can count working at my family's bowling alley throughout high school and college breaks
-Peer tutor 2 semesters: intro chem, genetics, zoology
-Supplemental Instruction Leader 6 semesters (like a tutor but available for whole class sessions): chem and zoology
-Painter at Binghamton University during the summers

Extracurriculars / Etc.:
-Biology club
-Volunteering at local church
-Intramural sports in college
-Varsity soccer and track throughout high school

LORs:
-undergraduate professor and research advisor
-3 small animal vets
-1 Large animal vet
-supervisor at the humane society

Personal Statement:
I pretty much focused on veterinary medicine being (at least to me) the intersection of 3 of my greatest loves: animals, people and science. I talked about how I came to separately love these things (growing up on a farm, being raised in the bowling alley, my college courses...) and how I believe I can integrate them together to become the best vet I can be.

Congrats to everyone who was accepted and good luck to future applicants!