Successful Applicant Stats - Class of 2020

[imcmill]

Hey all! First of all, congrats to everyone posting on here! I have been lurking for a little while and made an account just for this! I was already preparing to begin applying again for the next cycle, but I'm here to show that you CAN get in with a lower GPA.

24 yr old female, first time applicant, NC resident

Applied: NC State, Wisconsin, Ohio
Interviews: None
Rejected: Wisconsin, Ohio
Accepted: NC State
Attending: NC State!

Degrees: Double Major B.S. Zoology and B.S. Business Administration (Marketing concentration)
Overall GPA: 3.48
Science GPA: 3.52
Last 45 credits: 3.39

GRE (Q/V/W): 158/156/3.5

Veterinary Experience:
Vet Assistant: ~2000 hours
Lab Animal Technician: ~450 hours
Equine Orthopedic Shadowing: 5

Research Experience:
None!

Animal Experience:
Wildlife Intern in CA: 240
Kennel Assistant: 200
Pet Sitting: ~200
Fostering Cats: ~200
Wildlife Rehab Course: 16

Non-Animal Employment:
Baby Sitting: 100
Coffee Shop: >5000 (working in various places since I was 16)

Extracurriculars / Etc:
NC Museum of Science wildlife camera trapping: 150
Habitat for Humanity Vietnam: 80
DIY Music Venue: 200
Salvation Army Volunteer: 30

Awards:
2015 Best Coffee Shop in Wake County
2015 Runner up Best Veterinary Practice Durham County
AP English
AP Calc
Dean's List most semesters
Cum Laude
Various grants for academic performance

LORs:
Owner/DVM of Vet Practice I worked for
My PI for the research lab
Manager at coffee shop I currently work at

Personal Statement:
I wrote about how my interests in different career paths growing up have ultimately helped me choose veterinary medicine over the others, how the vet practice I work at currently helped me overcome any romantic notions I had about vet med and I came out loving it even more, and how working full time while pursuing a double major has helped prepare me for such a vigorous program.

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[oldfarrier]

Non-trad Low GPA.
This may give some hope to anybody that didn't do so hot undergrad.
Non traditional 2nd time applicant. 34 Yr. old male applicant. NC resident.
Last year. Applied to 4. Waitlisted at 1.

This year
Applied: Cornell, North Carolina, Washington, Ohio, Virginia-Maryland, Colorado, UPENN, Michigan, Tufts.
Interview invites: Ohio, Tufts, Michigan, Virginia-Maryland, Washington
Attended interviews: Ohio, Tufts.
Rejected: UPENN
Waitlisted: none
Accepted: Cornell, North Carolina, Tufts, Ohio, Colorado(UAF program)
Attending: TBD

Degrees: Animal Science BS 2003.
Undergrad GPA: 3.02
Post bacc GPA: 3.97 for 33 credits
Cum GPA: 3.2
Science GPA: 3.29
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): 152/156/3.5 2014
157/153/4.0 2015

Veterinary Experience: 1000+ hours with different vets. Mainly equine. Mainly equine podiatry
Research Experience: None

Animal Experience: I think here is where I shined...
24,000 hours Professional Farrier (13 years of running my own business)
2,500 hours of large animal split between ranches in Montana and Dairy farms in VT
160 hours goat dairy
2000 hours working at horse farms, Breeding farms
1,400 hours Dog rescue foster parent

Employment:
Autobody shop
Nascar pit crew
Truck driver for harvesting company
Ranches
Horse farms
Farrier business
etc.

Awards:
Brett Memorial Scholarship 2 years

LORs:
2 Equine podiatry Vets (1 hall of famer)
2 Equine Vets Surgeon and Sports med.
2 Academic Phd.s Department Chair, and Associate Dean of Ag. and life.

Personal Statement:
I basically wrote about my indirect route to VetMed with my long term commitment to the animal industry. Highlighting my experiences and more recent course work.

My stats didn't improve much from last year, but the way I presented my application was completely different. Selling one's self with out sounding conceeded turned into an art. Also looking at the individual schools, and what they look for was key. After the first year, I avoided schools that first do an academic review, as I had found that a few school during my first application cycle never even opened my file due to some less attractive undergrad grades.

 

[wildlifeorzoovet]

excited to finally post here!
nontrad 41yo male, first time applicant, NC resident.

Applied: NCSU, Wisconsin
Accepted: NCSU, Wisconsin
Attending: NCSU

Degrees: BA, Psychology (Harvard); JD (UCLA); postbac certificate (Meredith)
Overall GPA: 3.59
Science GPA: 3.59
Last 45 GPA: 3.71

GRE (Q/V/W): 161 (80%)/170 (99%)/5 (93%)

Veterinary Experience:
300+ hrs intern at wildlife rehab hospital
~300hrs vet assistant at emergency clinic

Research Experience:
~400hrs lab technician at NCSU CVM lab (started as summer volunteer, then became paid part time position)

Animal Experience:
170hrs dog volunteer at SPCA
180hrs animal care volunteer at zoo
~100hrs animal care volunteer at tiger rescue

Other Employment:
Worked as an attorney on commercial real estate transactions for 5+ years.

Awards/Extracurriculars:
Nothing remarkable

LORs:
Postdoc researcher vet from NCSU lab
Vet owner of emergency clinic
Director of postbac program/physiology instructor

Personal Statement:
Discussed indirect path to vet med, decision to switch careers, specific steps taken to prepare myself for vet school, areas of interest in vet med (wildlife/zoo).

 

[JJ1019]

excited to finally post here!
nontrad 41yo male, first time applicant, NC resident.

Applied: NCSU, Wisconsin
Accepted: NCSU, Wisconsin
Attending: NCSU

Degrees: BA, Psychology (Harvard); JD (UCLA); postbac certificate (Meredith)
Overall GPA: 3.59
Science GPA: 3.59
Last 45 GPA: 3.71

GRE (Q/V/W): 161 (80%)/170 (99%)/5 (93%)

Veterinary Experience:
300+ hrs intern at wildlife rehab hospital
~300hrs vet assistant at emergency clinic

Research Experience:
~400hrs lab technician at NCSU CVM lab (started as summer volunteer, then became paid part time position)

Animal Experience:
170hrs dog volunteer at SPCA
180hrs animal care volunteer at zoo
~100hrs animal care volunteer at tiger rescue

Other Employment:
Worked as an attorney on commercial real estate transactions for 5+ years.

Awards/Extracurriculars:
Nothing remarkable

LORs:
Postdoc researcher vet from NCSU lab
Vet owner of emergency clinic
Director of postbac program/physiology instructor

Personal Statement:
Discussed indirect path to vet med, decision to switch careers, specific steps taken to prepare myself for vet school, areas of interest in vet med (wildlife/zoo).

Also a non-trad career change attending NCSU. Excited to see we have some "older" accepted students with some already committed to attending!

 

[DouglasFur]

Very excited to be posting here, I was worried I wouldn't even get an interview with my lower GPA. I re-took 2 quarters of Ochem and took Immunology and Animal Nutrition as a post-bacc to boost my GPA. I also diversified my experience before applying, adding in equine/large animal and wildlife.

25 year old female, WA resident, first time applicant

Applied: Washington State, University of Minnesota, University of Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Missouri
Interview: Washington, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois (declined interview)
Accepted: Washington, Minnesota, Michigan
Attending: Washington State!!!

I had originally applied to Wisconsin too but I found out they wouldn't accept my writing credits since they were all in Spanish (apparently that's not up to English writing standards???) so I withdrew my application before supplementals even came out, rather than re-take writing courses. Just a warning to check all your requirements very carefully with each school so you don't waste money on apps!

Overall GPA: 3.3-3.4, depending on the school
Science/Math GPA: 3.1
Last 45: 3.6
GRE: 165 (95%) V, 161 (80%) Q, 4.5 (80%) W

Degree: General Biology, Spanish minor (which has come in handy as we have a client who only speaks Spanish. This was also a good experience to talk about in interviews!)

Vet Experience:
5,600 hours as a Veterinary Assistant, Receptionist, and Supervisor at a single doctor practice; saw cats, dogs, and exotics
800 hours as a Kennel Assistant at a surgical clinic; saw cats and dogs
65 hours job shadowing at an equine clinic; saw goats, pigs, cows and donkeys too

Animal Experience:
60 hours as a volunteer at a feline rescue
120 hours as a volunteer at a wildlife rehab center

Research Experience:
176 hours as a summer intern studying the efficacy of various cancer drugs on breast/prostate cancer cell lines (high school)

Non-Veterinary Employment:
Sunday School Assistant/Teacher
Store Clerk at a pet supply store (summers)
Receptionist at a dermatology clinic (summer)
Worked at my swim team's cafe during summers too

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Deans List x3
California Scholarship Federation (high school)
Zumba!!!! Talked about this at my interview at Washington State and they loved how excited I got. If they remembered me as the Zumba girl, I'm okay with that. Also swim team and yoga
High school and college TA for biology classes
Various positions held in high school clubs

LORs:
Veterinarian/practice owner of the clinic where I'm the assistant/supervisor
Holistic veterinarian who works at my clinic frequently
Professor I had 2 vertebrate classes with and for whom I was a TA

Personal Statement:
I made a point that I did not want to be a veterinarian since I was 5 (props to those of you that did though!). I figured it would set me apart and I was able to briefly discuss how I came to that decision in a slightly different manner. I made sure to answer all the questions in the prompt; I believe there were 5 or 6 different questions and I really stuck to all those questions. I think my strongest point was discussing my love for the bond between people and animals and how as a veterinarian I could strengthen this through preventative treatments and client education. I actually thought client communication would be my least favorite part of vet med, and while it is sooooo frustrating sometimes, turns out it's one of my favorite components!

 

[zinhle]

26 Year-old, Female, 1st time Applicant, Florida resident.
Won't go into much detail but I loved reading these stats before Applying so here are mine

Applied: St. Georges, Kansas, Ohio, Purdue, Virginia Maryland, Missouri, UF
Interviews: St. Georges, Kansas (Declined) Ohio, Purdue, Missouri, UF
Rejected: Virginia Maryland
Waitlisted: Purdue
Accepted: St. Georges, Ohio, Missouri, UF
Attending: Ohio!

Degrees: Zoology

Overall GPA: 3.69
Science GPA: 3.67
Last 45: ~3.6

GRE (Q/V/W): 154 /161 /4

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal - 3200 -2 years full time vet tech + Volunteer UF Small Animal Hospital.
Equine - 180 -Palm Beach Equine Volunteer, Reid and Associates Equine Clinic volunteer
Wildlife - 240 - working with a wildlife Vet in South Africa.
Research Experience:
Nada.

Animal Experience:
Show jumper for many years.
Volunteer horse handler and ridding team member – horses and the handicapped + several other small volunteer events etc

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Officer at two Pre- Vet clubs
Traveled extensive my whole life, lived in several countries.
Lots of outdoor activities- Advanced scuba diver, Rock climbing, Hiking etc

LORs:
3 small animal veterinarians whom I had worked with.

Personal Statement:

About my background growing up in Colombia, how and why I felt in love with vet med, what I had learned from my volunteer/ work experience in the field.

 

[esrb22]

26 Year-old, Female, 1st time Applicant, Florida resident.
Won't go into much detail but I loved reading these stats before Applying so here are mine

Applied: St. Georges, Kansas, Ohio, Purdue, Virginia Maryland, Missouri, UF
Interviews: St. Georges, Kansas (Declined) Ohio, Purdue, Missouri, UF
Rejected: Virginia Maryland
Waitlisted: Purdue
Accepted: St. Georges, Ohio, Missouri, UF
Attending: Ohio!

Degrees: Zoology

Overall GPA: 3.69
Science GPA: 3.67
Last 45: ~3.6

GRE (Q/V/W): 154 /161 /4

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal - 3200 -2 years full time vet tech + Volunteer UF Small Animal Hospital.
Equine - 180 -Palm Beach Equine Volunteer, Reid and Associates Equine Clinic volunteer
Wildlife - 240 - working with a wildlife Vet in South Africa.
Research Experience:
Nada.

Animal Experience:
Show jumper for many years.
Volunteer horse handler and ridding team member – horses and the handicapped + several other small volunteer events etc

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Officer at two Pre- Vet clubs
Traveled extensive my whole life, lived in several countries.
Lots of outdoor activities- Advanced scuba diver, Rock climbing, Hiking etc

LORs:
3 small animal veterinarians whom I had worked with.

Personal Statement:

About my background growing up in Colombia, how and why I felt in love with vet med, what I had learned from my volunteer/ work experience in the field.

Congrats !!! And excited to see a fellow colombian attending osu this fall !!

 

[lilylilac]

27 yr old female, KY resident, 1st time applicant

I'm a fairly unique applicant, but hopefully my stats can still help some people!

Applied: Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn (IS), Penn, VA-MD, NCSU
Rejected: VA-MD, NCSU
Waitlisted: Penn
Accepted: Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn
Attending: Ohio State!!!!!


Degrees: BA, Biochemistry (2010); PhD, Pharmacology (2015)

Overall GPA: 3.65 (includes both degrees; 3.64 undergrad, 3.67 grad)
Science GPA: 3.61
Last 45 credits: probably around 3.65

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (60%), 160 (84%), 5.0 (93%)

Veterinary Experience:
200 hrs working with a veterinary pathologist
50 hrs shadowing small animal/exotics vet (updated school with 50 additional hrs in Dec)

Research Experience:
~11,000 hrs PhD dissertation research - endocrine disrupting effects of bisphenol A on the mouse uterus related to fibrosis and immune alterations, secondary project examining effects of arsenic/bisphenol A mixture on glucose tolerance and cardiovascular system
400 hrs computational biology project
400 hrs effects of anti-estrogen treatment on medulloblastoma growth in xenograft mouse model
440 hrs characterization of dopamine receptor subtypes in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes
650 hrs solar cell dependency on altitude and temperature, basically launched weather balloons with expensive equipment attached and chased them

Animal Experience:
400 hrs pet sitting
90 hrs high school advanced biology project examining the effect of different types of music on the respiratory rate of frogs

Non-Animal Employment:
Didn't list any because every job I've had was a research position

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Prestigious graduate fellowship awarded to 5-10 graduate students per year
3 first author publications, 1 other publication
Student travel award to attend Society of Toxicology national meeting
Student member - Society of Toxicology, The Endocrine Society, Society of Toxicologic Pathology
Graduated undergrad cum laude
Member, then secretary, then president of college's ultimate frisbee team
Member, Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity
Science Research Fellows honors program (undergrad)
Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemistry Honor Society
Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
Dean's List, 5 semesters (undergrad)
High school valedictorian
National Honor Society
Volunteer with high school youth group that went to Louisiana to clean up after Hurricane Katrina

LORs:
PI/advisor for PhD dissertation
Veterinary pathologist
Veterinarian I shadowed at SA/exotics clinic

Personal Statement:
I opened with how I was on a career path to an industry job after my PhD. However, I took a Drug Toxicology course and was enthralled by the anatomic pathology lecture. I then talked about how I had worked with a vet pathologist for my research and explained my research in general. I then talked about my shadowing experience in a clinic (what I saw, characteristics of a good vet). I talked about how my PhD and leadership positions will help me in vet school. I finished with how I haven't come to my decision to pursue veterinary pathology lightly and that it's what I really want for a career.

*Before anyone comments on me turning down my IS seat, there was a possibility that I would have had to pay OOS tuition. The Kentucky budget, if passed, would have decreased the number of IS seats for KY residents at Auburn. I was accepted, but when I made my decision on where to attend, it was still unknown if I would be paying IS or OOS tuition. Therefore, my decision was made with several other factors in mind as well.

 

[rockatiel]

27 yr old female, KY resident, 1st time applicant

I'm a fairly unique applicant, but hopefully my stats can still help some people!

Applied: Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn (IS), Penn, VA-MD, NCSU
Rejected: VA-MD, NCSU
Waitlisted: Penn
Accepted: Ohio State, Michigan State, Auburn
Attending: Ohio State!!!!!


Degrees: BA, Biochemistry (2010); PhD, Pharmacology (2015)

Overall GPA: 3.65 (includes both degrees; 3.64 undergrad, 3.67 grad)
Science GPA: 3.61
Last 45 credits: probably around 3.65

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (60%), 160 (84%), 5.0 (93%)

Veterinary Experience:
200 hrs working with a veterinary pathologist
50 hrs shadowing small animal/exotics vet (updated school with 50 additional hrs in Dec)

Research Experience:
~11,000 hrs PhD dissertation research - endocrine disrupting effects of bisphenol A on the mouse uterus related to fibrosis and immune alterations, secondary project examining effects of arsenic/bisphenol A mixture on glucose tolerance and cardiovascular system
400 hrs computational biology project
400 hrs effects of anti-estrogen treatment on medulloblastoma growth in xenograft mouse model
440 hrs characterization of dopamine receptor subtypes in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes
650 hrs solar cell dependency on altitude and temperature, basically launched weather balloons with expensive equipment attached and chased them

Animal Experience:
400 hrs pet sitting
90 hrs high school advanced biology project examining the effect of different types of music on the respiratory rate of frogs

Non-Animal Employment:
Didn't list any because every job I've had was a research position

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Prestigious graduate fellowship awarded to 5-10 graduate students per year
3 first author publications, 1 other publication
Student travel award to attend Society of Toxicology national meeting
Student member - Society of Toxicology, The Endocrine Society, Society of Toxicologic Pathology
Graduated undergrad cum laude
Member, then secretary, then president of college's ultimate frisbee team
Member, Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity
Science Research Fellows honors program (undergrad)
Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemistry Honor Society
Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
Dean's List, 5 semesters (undergrad)
High school valedictorian
National Honor Society
Volunteer with high school youth group that went to Louisiana to clean up after Hurricane Katrina

LORs:
PI/advisor for PhD dissertation
Veterinary pathologist
Veterinarian I shadowed at SA/exotics clinic

Personal Statement:
I opened with how I was on a career path to an industry job after my PhD. However, I took a Drug Toxicology course and was enthralled by the anatomic pathology lecture. I then talked about how I had worked with a vet pathologist for my research and explained my research in general. I then talked about my shadowing experience in a clinic (what I saw, characteristics of a good vet). I talked about how my PhD and leadership positions will help me in vet school. I finished with how I haven't come to my decision to pursue veterinary pathology lightly and that it's what I really want for a career.

*Before anyone comments on me turning down my IS seat, there was a possibility that I would have had to pay OOS tuition. The Kentucky budget, if passed, would have decreased the number of IS seats for KY residents at Auburn. I was accepted, but when I made my decision on where to attend, it was still unknown if I would be paying IS or OOS tuition. Therefore, my decision was made with several other factors in mind as well.

I was reading about the KY budget situation in the Auburn thread, and that is really dicey! At least they told you the situation now to help you decide. Also, I think Ohio is one of those schools you can try to establish residency in the state to get IS tuition, so this may work out in your favor money wise. It is something to check out. Congrats!

 

[lilylilac]

I was reading about the KY budget situation in the Auburn thread, and that is really dicey! At least they told you the situation now to help you decide. Also, I think Ohio is one of those schools you can try to establish residency in the state to get IS tuition, so this may work out in your favor money wise. It is something to check out. Congrats!

Oh I know. The IS tuition was definitely a factor that I took into account.

 

[AnimalDoc87]

28 year old, female, 3rd time applicant, NC resident

Applied: NCSU, Tenn, Wisconsin, LMU
Interviews: LMU and Tenn.
Waitlists: Tenn, Wisconsin, and NCSU ( my IS and dream school)
Accepted: LMU
Attending: LMU, unless a miracle happens and I get off of NCSU's waitlist

Degree: B.S. in Biology (2010)

Cumulative GPA: 3.72
Science GPA: 3.81
Last 45: 3.9

GRE: Q 159 (75%); V 156 (71%); AW 4.0 (56%)

Veterinary Experience:
~6000 hrs as vet assistant at small animal hosp.
~20 hours shadowing a mixed animal vet
~10 hours shadowing equine only vet

Animal Experience:
~100 hrs volunteering at wildlife rehab center
~300 hrs pet-sitting (dog, cat, plus exotics)
*also grew up on a swine farm that gave me hundreds of hours of food animal experience. Also have owned chickens, ducks, and cows.

Research Experience:
~100 hours in undergrad working under a Phd - plant genetics

Other Employment:
Office Assistant while in college
Gas Station Attendant in H.S. and college summers

Extracurriculars/Etc:
Volunteer at museum
Mountain Biking Club
Honor Society
Several clubs in H.S.

LORS:
2 small animal vets whom I have worked with
1 professor/pre-vet advisor who also holds a DVM

Personal Statement: I just wrote about my experiences and what they taught me about the profession as well as how they solidified that vet med was the right career choice for me. Also discussed how I wanted to use my DVM.

 

[heyyimhayley]

*Before anyone comments on me turning down my IS seat, there was a possibility that I would have had to pay OOS tuition. The Kentucky budget, if passed, would have decreased the number of IS seats for KY residents at Auburn. I was accepted, but when I made my decision on where to attend, it was still unknown if I would be paying IS or OOS tuition. Therefore, my decision was made with several other factors in mind as well.

Totally relate here. I had a similar issue with ISU. The past few years they've had 5 seats for CT residents with reduced tuition, but similarly to you guys, if the current proposed budget passes, those seats will be gone, and I'd be paying OOS tuition. There's still a chance it'll be put back in the budget (this actually happened last year), but I didn't want to give up a spot at my dream school if there was a good chance I wouldn't even have reduced tuition at ISU.

 

[zinhle]

Congrats !!! And excited to see a fellow colombian attending osu this fall !!

yay where in Colombia are you from?

 

[zinhle]

27 yr old female, KY resident, 1st time applicant



*Before anyone comments on me turning down my IS seat, there was a possibility that I would have had to pay OOS tuition. The Kentucky budget, if passed, would have decreased the number of IS seats for KY residents at Auburn. I was accepted, but when I made my decision on where to attend, it was still unknown if I would be paying IS or OOS tuition. Therefore, my decision was made with several other factors in mind as well.

I chose Ohio over my Instate as well -with the Instate tuition after one year and the recruitment scholarships Ohio gives it was not a big difference over 4 years.

 

[owlrific0102]

21 year old female, Massachusetts resident, 1st time applying!


Applied: UPenn, Florida, Cornell, Tufts, NC State, Georgia, VAMD
Interview Invites: UPenn, Florida, Tufts
Interviewed:UPenn, Florida, Tufts
Wait listed: Cornell, NC State, Georgia, VAMD
Rejected: None!
Accepted: UPenn, Florida, Tufts (3 for 3 with interviews I'll take it!)

Attending: UPenn!!!

Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.92
Last 45 credits: 4.0

Degrees: BS in Biology, Chemistry Minor, Psychology Minor

GRE (Q/V/W): 155/155/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
Ambulatory Mixed Animal Practice Shadow: 100
Tufts Wildlife Clinic Internship: 450
Tufts SA Emergency Hospital O.R. Volunteer: 350

Research Experience:
BBP Research with Crayfish: 180 hours
BP-3 Research with C. elegans: 150 hours

Animal Experience:
Cat Shelter/Humane Society Volunteer: 32
AgDiscovery Kentucky: 200
AgDiscovery Florida: 210
Miniature Horse 4-H: 2500
Standard Horse 4-H Club: 100
Poultry 4-H Club: 2100
Horse Riding Lessons: 40
Pet Sitting: 2020
Explorng Veterinary Science 4-H Camp: 20
Owner

Non-Animal Employment:
Tutor: 300
Summer Nanny: 1440
Babysitting: 1000
Swim Instructor: 150
Lifeguard: 900
Camp Counselor (3 different camps over 4 years): unsure of hours
Lacrosse Coach (for a high school summer league): 150

Extracurriculars / Etc:
High School Varsity Sports - Lacrosse (4 yrs and Capt.), Field Hockey (3 yrs), Cross Country (2 yrs), Indoor Track (4 yrs), and Basketball (1 yr)
Dance: Pointe, Jazz, Tap (12 years)
Division I Lacrosse at two different colleges

Awards:
High School Most Athletic Female Award
MAAC Scholar Athlete (3 yrs)
MAAC Academic Award (3 yrs)
MAAC All-Academic Team (3 yrs)
Deans List High Honors (3 yrs)
Tribeta Biological Honors Society
Phi Sigma Research Honors Society
Departmental Honors (declared)
IWLCA Academic Honor Roll (2 yrs)

LORs:
Academic Advisor
Ambulatory Vet
Tufts Wildlife Vet
Tufts SA Head Vet Tech
Non-Animal Employer (Summer Nanny)

Personal Statement:
I talked about my personal experiences with examples from working with veterinarians and explained how although not everything is fun and games I know the extent of a veterinarians job and still want to pursue the career. I also spoke about how the ambulatory vet I worked gave me clarity into which field I want to go into.

 

[esrb22]

yay where in Colombia are you from?

Cartagena and you ?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

21 year old female, Massachusetts resident, 1st time applying!


Applied: UPenn, Florida, Cornell, Tufts, NC State, Georgia, VAMD
Interview Invites: UPenn, Florida, Tufts
Interviewed:UPenn, Florida, Tufts
Wait listed: Cornell, NC State, Georgia, VAMD
Rejected: None!
Accepted: UPenn, Florida, Tufts (3 for 3 with interviews I'll take it!)

Attending: UPenn!!!

Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.92
Last 45 credits: 4.0

Degrees: BS in Biology, Chemistry Minor, Psychology Minor

GRE (Q/V/W): 155/155/4.0

Veterinary Experience:
Ambulatory Mixed Animal Practice Shadow: 100
Tufts Wildlife Clinic Internship: 450
Tufts SA Emergency Hospital O.R. Volunteer: 350

Research Experience:
BBP Research with Crayfish: 180 hours
BP-3 Research with C. elegans: 150 hours

Animal Experience:
Cat Shelter/Humane Society Volunteer: 32
AgDiscovery Kentucky: 200
AgDiscovery Florida: 210
Miniature Horse 4-H: 2500
Standard Horse 4-H Club: 100
Poultry 4-H Club: 2100
Horse Riding Lessons: 40
Pet Sitting: 2020
Explorng Veterinary Science 4-H Camp: 20
Owner

Non-Animal Employment:
Tutor: 300
Summer Nanny: 1440
Babysitting: 1000
Swim Instructor: 150
Lifeguard: 900
Camp Counselor (3 different camps over 4 years): unsure of hours
Lacrosse Coach (for a high school summer league): 150

Extracurriculars / Etc:
High School Varsity Sports - Lacrosse (4 yrs and Capt.), Field Hockey (3 yrs), Cross Country (2 yrs), Indoor Track (4 yrs), and Basketball (1 yr)
Dance: Pointe, Jazz, Tap (12 years)
Division I Lacrosse at two different colleges

Awards:
High School Most Athletic Female Award
MAAC Scholar Athlete (3 yrs)
MAAC Academic Award (3 yrs)
MAAC All-Academic Team (3 yrs)
Deans List High Honors (3 yrs)
Tribeta Biological Honors Society
Phi Sigma Research Honors Society
Departmental Honors (declared)
IWLCA Academic Honor Roll (2 yrs)

LORs:
Academic Advisor
Ambulatory Vet
Tufts Wildlife Vet
Tufts SA Head Vet Tech
Non-Animal Employer (Summer Nanny)

Personal Statement:
I talked about my personal experiences with examples from working with veterinarians and explained how although not everything is fun and games I know the extent of a veterinarians job and still want to pursue the career. I also spoke about how the ambulatory vet I worked gave me clarity into which field I want to go into.

First, congrats!!!! Can I ask though why you would attend Penn instead of Tufts your IS? Mainly since UF and Tufts actually are both cheaper than U Penn.

 

[rockatiel]

22, LA resident, first time traditional applicant, female

Applied: Ross (withdrew), Mississippi State, LSU (IS)
Interview: LSU, MS State
Waitlist: LSU
Accepted: MS State
Attending: MS State

Cumulative: didn't matter for my schools, because they don't look at cGPA, but for reference it was 3.4
Prereq: schools calculated all different. LSU says 3.7 and MS didn't tell me lol
Last 45: 3.8

GRE: 148 Q/152 V 4.0 W

EC

-Student government for 2 years
-vet tech club
-blue key honor society (recently just became president)
-Thousands of hours of shelter work in adoptions and admin, served as the parish-wide (county for the Yankees ) spay-neuter voucher program chair
- 800 hours mixed animal
-research experience and writing a thesis

Honors

-Thesis honor student at my school
-deans list
-president's list
-honor roll
-board of directors for my shelter
-recently was interviewed by a parish wide newspaper to talk about my acceptance to an OOS school

Personal statement: I talked about a family pet who had hip problems and how I admired the vets who saw her through her last days. I went into my college experience with honors and the vet tech stuff and how that solidified my interest in vet med and then I talked about shelter work and my rural background and how I'd like to practice in underserved areas such as where I grew up. I expanded on those topics and my college experience for my LSU supplemental.

Looking back I think I should have waited to apply. My experience hours are very minimal and I think that's what hurt my chances at my IS. I have a lot of decisions to make on accepting my OOS offer because it will leave me in more debt. Just to put it out there for everyone, make yourself the best you can be and don't apply until you feel ready.

**ETA I did a folder review with LSU even though I will still be attending Mississippi State.

I was told that honestly, there was nothing wrong with my application. Typically at LSU, alternates are very competitive applicants but whether they get offered a seat initially or not depends on the competitveness of the other applicants, respective of IS, OOS, or AR contract. In my year there were a ton of 4.0 LA residents. This bumped me down into the alternate zone. I told myself going into the review that if I was close I was going to forfeit my OOS seat at MSU and try to get into my IS again because of the tuition difference.

Thing is, LSU does things very numerically. You're assigned a score for everything: academics, other components, and interview. While alternate scores are typically a point to a half a point below the cutoff, the pools typically get more competitive than less through the years. And because I had no red flags, there was really not much I could make up points in. So even though I was "painfully close" in their words, there's no guarantee that trying again would get me in.
Additionally, I had already sunk over $800 into moving to Mississippi with the class deposit and getting housing.

If LSU is your IS, absolutely apply. Your chances there are greater than chances anywhere with half of those interviewed getting in. However keep in mind, their evaluation process is very non-holistic. They told me they try to eliminate personal opinions of applicants as much as possible by doing this. So if you're a strong interviewer like me but weak in other areas, this system might not work well for you as interview is only 10 percent of the evaluation.

 

[thinkpawsitive]

Ending this app cycle on a bittersweet note but thought I'd get my stats out there.

22, LA resident, first time traditional applicant, female

Applied: Ross (withdrew), Mississippi State, LSU (IS)
Interview: LSU, MS State
Waitlist: LSU
Accepted: MS State
Attending (for now): MS State

Cumulative: didn't matter for my schools, because they don't look at cGPA, but for reference it was 3.4
Prereq: schools calculated all different. LSU says 3.7 and MS didn't tell me lol
Last 45: 3.8

GRE: 148 Q/152 V 4.0 W

EC

-Student government for 2 years
-vet tech club
-blue key honor society (recently just became president)
-Thousands of hours of shelter work in adoptions and admin, served as the parish-wide (county for the Yankees ) spay-neuter voucher program chair
- 800 hours mixed animal
-research experience and writing a thesis

Honors

-Thesis honor student at my school
-deans list
-president's list
-honor roll
-board of directors for my shelter
-recently was interviewed by a parish wide newspaper to talk about my acceptance to an OOS school

Personal statement: I talked about a family pet who had hip problems and how I admired the vets who saw her through her last days. I went into my college experience with honors and the vet tech stuff and how that solidified my interest in vet med and then I talked about shelter work and my rural background and how I'd like to practice in underserved areas such as where I grew up. I expanded on those topics and my college experience for my LSU supplemental.

Looking back I think I should have waited to apply. My experience hours are very minimal and I think that's what hurt my chances at my IS. I have a lot of decisions to make on accepting my OOS offer because it will leave me in more debt. Just to put it out there for everyone, make yourself the best you can be and don't apply until you feel ready.

I'm in a similar predicament. One OOS acceptance, one OOS wait list, but rejected from my IS (and dream school). Struggling with making the commitment to my OOS acceptance because of the increase in debt, distance, and just giving up how I imagined myself at the other school. Good luck in your final decision! At least you are still in the running for your IS!

 

[rockatiel]

I'm in a similar predicament. One OOS acceptance, one OOS wait list, but rejected from my IS (and dream school). Struggling with making the commitment to my OOS acceptance because of the increase in debt, distance, and just giving up how I imagined myself at the other school. Good luck in your final decision! At least you are still in the running for your IS!

Thanks! I honestly can see myself at MS and I really enjoyed it there but I don't think the debt difference can justify that. But it's a acceptance. Ugh.

 

[owlrific0102]

First, congrats!!!! Can I ask though why you would attend Penn instead of Tufts your IS? Mainly since UF and Tufts actually are both cheaper than U Penn.

Thanks!!! Mostly Tufts as an IS isn't really that much cheaper than an OOS for me. The IS tuition reduction actually all depends on the government and what they want to give. So it could be as much as $5,000 off OOS tuition or it could be way less and you don't know until after you commit (according to the fin aid ppl). UFl is actually the cheapest of the three for me to go to but I fell in love with UPenn when I visited over the summer and it kinda just clicked that this is where I need to be at this point in my life. Also, UPenn has a metropolitan campus and a rural campus which I really like - its the best of both worlds.

I've also gone to college in New England (NH and in CT), have grown up 15 mins away from Tufts and have worked there over three years or so. At this point I really want to branch out and mix it up from the rural life lol (I'm from a very tiny town where everyone knows each other). I felt like UFl was very rural as well and the program didn't jump out to me. When you do some number crunching UPenn isn't as bad as they make it sound (that $80k estimate) if you stick to a budget. I also won't need my car for UPenn which will cut insurance costs and gas. And in my opinion a few thousand difference in tuition isn't worth it to forgo my top pick. I rather live on a more strict budget than go somewhere else and be able to throw cash around. I think it ended up being a $6,000 difference between UPenn and UFl for me. Also, UPenn is driving distance from my home where as I would need to get on a flight from UFl. If I had gotten into NC State where you can get IS tuition the last three years for like $16k then that would have made a huge difference and I would have had to heavily consider that. Also, I feel like UPenn has a very close knit class especially with the mentor/mentee system they have.

Hope that answers your question!

 

[WardenN7]

Soooo excited to be posting here!

22-year-old female, Louisiana resident, first time traditional applicant.

Applied: LSU
Interview: LSU
Accepted: LSU
Attending: LSU!!!

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Last 45 credits: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 156 (64%) /163 (92%)/5.0 (93%) (Note - LSU doesn't care about the written section.)

Veterinary Experience:
SA Veterinary Assistant: ~4,000 (for a very large and well-regarded hospital, with a lot of advanced procedures, especially in dentistry. Also some exotics)

Research Experience:
None!

Animal Experience:
Kennel tech for the same clinic as above: ~1,000
Horseback riding: 200
Pet-sitting (various species): 100

Non-Animal Employment:
None.

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Volunteer for an organization that helps combat human trafficking: 200
Volunteer for an after-school tutoring program for at-risk youth: 1,000

Awards:
Chancellor's Honor Roll (2)

LORs:
5 different vets for the hospital I work for. Two of them are very closely affiliated with LSU's vet school and have a lot of pull (one is a faculty member), and I've worked there 5 years so they know me extremely well.

Personal Statement:
I'm not crazy about it in retrospect but it got the job done, haha. I wrote about my misconceptions about the VMED field and how working at the clinic helped me to dispel them.

I'm incredibly excited. My parents started taking me to the LSU SVM open house when I was like 9, so it's been my dream school for ages. Super grateful for the opportunity to attend.

 

[LKatMG]

I can finally post here since I've heard back from all of the schools I applied to as of this morning. This is gonna be long, sorry y’all.

20 year old female, first time applicant, TX resident
Applied: Texas A&M (IS), Colorado State University (DVM/MPH program specifically), Wisconsin, NCSU
Interviewed: TAMU (other three do not currently interview)
Waitlisted: N/A
Rejected: NCSU
Accepted: CSU (DVM/MPH), TAMU, Wisconsin
Attending: ???

Degree: B.S. in Zoology with a minor in Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University (graduating May 2016)

TAMU doesn’t include +/- grades in their GPAs, so the GPAs that TAMU calculated are in parentheses.
Overall GPA: 3.98 (4.0)
Science GPA: ~3.98 (4.0)
Last 45 credits: 4.0 (4.0)

GRE(Q/V/W): 155 (60%) /166 (96%)/5.5 (98%)

Veterinary Experience:

• Veterinary Technician at an Animal Control facility in Texas - ~830 hours. This job was a hoot and a half and I got to sedate/medicate/skin scrape/vaccinate/draw blood on/intubate animals, help with necropsies, work on cruelty cases, work with feral animals, etc. I highly recommend you all find a local animal control/shelter to get some experience at.
• Some shadowing of small animal private practice vets (a few in TX and a few in CO)
• Various labs put on by veterinarians on different topics (equine lameness evaluations, myofascial palpation, etc.)

Research Experience:

• This one sort of doubles as veterinary experience – helped with a USDA study on dairy calf welfare under the supervision of a DVM/(PhD in progress). I mainly drew blood from Holstein calves and collected fecal samples
• I guess I also did an honors thesis on bats as vectors of viral zoonotic diseases and the impact this has on public health and conservation, but it was a literature review, not original research.

Animal Experience:

• Pet sitting – ~200-300 hours (I know, everybody pet sits – mine included caring for geriatric animals, medicating pets, caring for random animals like tortoises/lizards/birds/horses, and sometimes clicker training animals… I’m a weird pet sitter)
• Showed hogs (also learned how to show sheep and cows)
• Some special dissection days that I went to for a class I was in – we dissected emus, pinnipeds, and some native CO wildlife
• Volunteered at a raptor rescue as part of a city-wide volunteering day
• I was an officer in the Pre-Vet Club for three years (more on this later) and every year we put on a huge event called Pre-Vet Day. I ran the exotics lab, a bird/reptile handling lab, and helped in a lot of the other activities we put on (sheep necropsies, ruminant digestion labs, horse handling, etc.)
• Volunteered at adoption events (puppy time!)
• Volunteered at Doggie Olympics (I mostly judged events and helped out the competitors, which is honestly more fun than hanging out with the dogs!)
• Volunteered at a wolf dog sanctuary a few times
• Took a class on humane livestock handling, so I had a few hours from that as well as experience designing low-stress chute systems for cattle
• Socialized/trained lab rabbits on campus
• I also bred and raised leopard geckos in middle/high school (reptiles are my faves)
• I think I mentioned horseback riding lessons from when I was a wee child on there as well, mostly so the adcoms knew that I have in fact seen a horse before
• Some experience working with beef and dairy cattle for my animal nutrition class (only Wisconsin heard about this, since it started after I submitted my VMCAS application but before their supplemental was due)

Non-Animal Employment:

• RA on campus for 2.5 years (I have some great stories from this, by the way, but more importantly this really honed my ability to be empathetic and considerate to others. I’m also decently nifty in a crisis now, too.)
• Worked the front desk at a residence hall on campus (started the same semester I applied)

Extracurriculars/Doodads:

• Officer in the school’s Pre-Vet Club for 3 years (and a member the year before that). I was Newsletter Editor, Community Outreach Coordinator, then President. We’re a pretty big club on campus (~200 members) and Pre-Vet Club is one of my favorite things. I have a lot of random experiences here and there that came from being a part of this club, too – for example, every Valentine’s Day we do a heart dissection with some of the anatomy professors.
• Some suture clinics here and there (I can stitch a mean banana).
• Tutored for: introductory physiology class, introductory biology lab. I also TA for the undergraduate anatomy class now (never mentioned it on my applications because I didn’t start TAing until this semester).
• Coordinated a food drive for the Pre-Vet Club – we collected over 500 lbs worth of food.
• Volunteered to help out at a Cat Care Conference that CSU veterinary students put on every year (which is great not only because I got to meet a ton of cool cat ladies/dudes, but also because they let me watch the lectures because I volunteered)
• Volunteered to clean up leaf litter/trash from public parks and from the homes of elderly people who were unable to do so themselves
• (Accidentally) Taught CPR classes around south Texas with a lady my mom worked with.
• Guest Services volunteer at the Texas State Aquarium.
• Volunteered in food and supply drives for the local cat rescue – collected nearly $1000 in one day for them.
• Volunteered directing traffic/general help for a Halloween 5K race that a local hotel puts on every year.
• I’ve done standup a few times and wasn’t booed off the stage!
• I have also competed in National Novel Writing Month a few times (I used to do it every year, but dialed it back when I got busier) and “won” it every time (the goal of NaNo is to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month – there’s no real verification process, hence the quotation marks around “won”).
• I also mentioned a few odds and ends from high school, mostly because I felt like it. I tutored AP US History, founded/was president of the Physics Club, was president of Speech & Debate, and was VP of the Creative Writing Club. I also did IB in high school, though I doubt anyone cared about that.

Awards:

• Dean’s List every semester (I should graduate Magna Cum Laude)
• Had a poem and a short nonfiction piece published in a magazine a few years ago.
• Had a species account submitted for publication for Cornell’s Neotropical Bird website (now if they would get around to publishing it, that would be nice).
• Phi Beta Kappa (only 123/3600 students in my class were invited to join, or so I was told in the email when they asked me to be in it)
• Golden Key (lmao)
• Some Scholarships
• Mentioned some Speech & Debate competitions from high school – I competed in radio broadcasting and placed 7/30 in one tournament and 11/51 in another.

LORs:

• Head Veterinarian at the Animal Control facility I worked at for ~3 years
• Herpetology professor
• Former boss (actually my old Residence Director who supervised me during my second year as an RA)

Personal Statement:
I wrote it about scabies (I’m only half kidding, but seriously – nothing gets me excited like my scabies babies).

Other Essays:
I know this is a weird section, but since I got into a dual degree program I thought I’d mention it, since I had to write what was essentially a personal statement (but public health related!) when I applied to the DVM/MPH. The prompt for this one was HUGE (4 part prompt that took up about a page) and I think the character count was ~5000? Anyway, I wrote this essay about my relationship with diseases, including the time my mother almost died of an infection and the CDC was called out to investigate. I talked again about my love for educating others, as well as how I liked that public health requires very holistic/big picture type thinking. I built the whole essay around an old Italian proverb that I found (“Illness tells us what we are”) and ended it by saying that public health tells us what we can be.

Anyway, if any of you in the future have questions about dual degree essays or even supplemental application essays, feel free to PM me. I love writing and I’m always down to help other people workshop ideas.

Hey! Have you decided on a school yet!?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[vetmedhead]

Hey! Have you decided on a school yet!?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I have! I'm going to CSU's DVM/MPH program.

I'll edit that into the post real quick.

 

[LKatMG]

Love seeing everyone's success stories

 

[LKatMG]

I have! I'm going to CSU's DVM/MPH program.

I'll edit that into the post real quick.

That's awesome! Congrats!!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[cmd01]

First time applicant, 25yo from CA

Applied: UC Davis, Western, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, VA-MD
Interviews: Western, VA-MD
Declined Interview: Yeah, right...
Rejected: UC Davis, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin
Accepted: Western, VA-MD
Waitlisted: None
Attending: VA-MD

Degrees: B.S. in Zoology

Overall GPA: 3.0
Science GPA: 2.8
Last 45 credits: 3.0

GRE: V: 165 Q: 151 W: 5.5

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal: 1,622
Aquatic animal: 518

Research Experience:
Long term ecological research lab
Parasitology lab

Animal Experience:
Small animal: 84
Aquatic animal: 1,536
Wildlife: 128

Non-animal Employment:
Whole Foods
Docent
Tutor

Extracurriculars/Etc:
Algal curatorial intern
Board member for grant organization
Dean’s List for a quarter

LORs:
Veterinarian from humane society (1 year)
Aquatic veterinarian (2 years)
Former boss (4 years)

Personal Statement:
I treated my PS like a cover letter for a job. I focused on the qualities that make the vets I work with such stellar veterinarians—specifically, I addressed how I meet (or am still acquiring) these qualities. I also addressed my GPA upfront, and treated it as a learning experience.

And yes, I am SO EXCITED about attending VA-MD!!!

 

[Zoebeau]

21 year old female, 1st time applicant, NC
And proof you don't always get accepted in state but will OOS!

Applied: NCSU, Tennessee, UGA, VA-MD, Lincoln-Memorial, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State
Interviewed: Lincoln-Memorial, Ohio State, Tennessee
Waitlisted: UGA, Wisconsin
Denied: VA-MD, Michigan, NCSU
Accepted: Lincoln-Memorial, Ohio State, Tennessee
Attending: TENNESSEE!!!!! <3

Overall GPA: 3.89
Science GPA: 3.87
Last 45 credits: 3.89

GRE (Q/V/W): 152 (48%) /144 (22%)/4.0 (56%) *LOW SCORES*

Veterinary Experience:
400 hours internship at mixed animal (literally any animal you can imagine)
200 hours of assistant at that same practice
200 hours volunteering at very large busy small animal practice
1000 hours work at another large small animal practice

Research Experience:
Sea turtle nesting research internship 100 hours

Animal Experience:
Pre-vet- 100 hours
therapeutic riding center- 25 hours
ecuador animal behavior trip- 100 hours
environmental company studying bats 25 hours
hedgehog breeding- 50 hours
humane society- 100 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
Two years as a waitress at two different restaurants
Campus recreation supervisor

Extracurriculars / Etc:
French club
Tennis team
Track team
Girl scouts
Miracle league
Sorority
Pre-vet
Order of Omega
French honor society
HEELing Hounds


LORs:
Veterinarian at first practice (UGA)
Veterinarian at last practice (OSU)
Academic advisor
Professor I did research with for sea turtle nesting

Personal Statement:
I wrote about my personal story on how my father pushes me to be the best I can be and wanted me to be a physician, and after a family incident I wasn't sure if I was meant to be a veterinarian, but how my father wouldn't want me to give up and I found a clinic after having to give up an incredible internship and this clinic showed me how I was meant to be a vet.

 

[YearlingsEatPeople]

24 year-old female, Kentucky resident, 1st time applicant.

Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, UMN, and UPenn
Interview: UMN and UPenn
Accepted: UMN and UPenn
Attending: None (delaying due to cost)

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

GRE (Q/V/W): 157/160/4

Degrees: B.S. animal science from Cornell, M.S. equine nutrition (defending tomorrow!)

Veterinary Experience:
Shadowed at small animal clinic: 240
Shadowed large animal vets: 20

Research Experience:
Aflatoxin exposure of Hatian people: 2 years
M.S. research thesis on threonine requirements of growing horses: 2 years full-time
Technician for research on equine laryngeal hemiplagia: off and on for 2 years

Non-Animal Employment:
Feed store retail associate: 1 year

Extracurricular Activities/Awards:
Guiding Eyes for the Blind at Cornell secretary and puppy sitter
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ambassador
Freshman Orientation leader
Prospective student host
Cornell Animal Research and Education volunteer
Cornell polo player
Tacoma polo club player and groom
Oxley Equestrian Center facilities assistant
Block and Bridle member
FFA president
4-H competitor
Poster Symposium 1st place poster
Dean's list 3 semesters
High school (back when I was successful): valedictorian, Washington State Honors Award, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, Washington Association of Secondary School Principals' award for academic excellence, Phi Beta Kappa's High School Outreach Award

LORs:
Current graduate research advisor
Undergraduate academic advisor
GEB president
Undergraduate research advisor
Veterinary resident I spent 10 hours shadowing (small animal vet I shadowed went AWOL)

Personal Statement:
I discussed what led up to the decision to pursue a DVM/PhD and research clinical nutrition, including childhood inclinations and philosoophies about the role of vets and nutrition.

Conclusion:
First off, check out my grades and GREs. I shouldn't have even bothered applying to UC davis, and I understand why I didn't get in to Cornell. I also had very little veterinary experience and basically no LOR from a vet. I don't have any outstanding awards or internship experiences. I don't really have any of the typical markers of someone that got in to UPenn or UMN. I think my recent grades, undergraduate institution, interview skillz (thank you FFA), and ability as a scientist (as evidenced by entrance into graduate school and LORs) pulled me through. It was such an incredible honor to be accepted to two great (but expensive) schools, but I have chosen to spend $0 earning a PhD. Perhaps some day down the road I will apply again.

 

[thinkpawsitive]

22 year old, NC resident, first time applicant
Applied: NCSU, UGA, Virginia Maryland, Purdue
Interview: Purdue
Waitlisted: UGA
Denied: Virginia Maryland, NCSU
Accepted: Purdue, UGA (pulled off waitlist 4/11)
Attending: UGA!!!

Cum GPA: Time of application: 3.90, After Fall Transcript: 3.87
Science GPA: 3.86 remained about the same after fall transcript
Last 45 GPA: 3.87 remained about the same after fall transcript
GRE: 159/Q, 160/V, 4.0/A

3 eLORS
1 from a small animal veterinarian who acted as my mentor
1 from the PhD scientist I assisted with research
1 from the advisor for the Student Alumni organization at my college that I served on executive council for

Veterinary Experience:
700 hours at a mixed practice clinic (small animals, small exotics, birds, small ruminants) as a veterinary assistant (***see note at end)
140 hours at a non-profit spay and neuter clinic as a clinic assistant

Research Experience:
100 hours assisting with genetics research doing PCR on song sparrow DNA

Animal Experience:
140 hours doing husbandry as a program animals intern at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (native NC wildlife - mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates)
130 hours volunteering at an animal shelter

Involvement:
6 months in Northern Italy through a full immersion study abroad program
Pre-Veterinary Society - Treasurer
Student Alumni Associates - Executive Fundraising Chair
Zeta Tau Alpha - Activities chair
Phi Kappa Phi - top 10% honor society
Rho Lambda - women's greek honor society

Work Experience:
Sales Associate at a wedding dress shop
Hostess

Personal statement: Mostly attested to how my interests in mixed practice and exotic work began when I interned with wildlife and grew when I then became employed at a mixed practice. Spoke about how I had first intended to major in Psychology and how my strengths with people will not be lost on the communication and empathy needed to be a successful veterinarian. Also touched on how working in genetics research gave me an appreciation for the non-clinical aspects of vet med.

***note what I said above for personal statement is what I wrote in my "what are my chances thread" once upon a time. However, after going to my NCSU review session I discovered that they thought my academics, GRE, experience, and letters of recommendation were all good. The main flaw to my application was that I referred to the practice I work at currently as a "mixed animal practice" because that is what we refer to it as here) and stated that because I have enjoyed my time working there I could see myself as a mixed animal vet. However, because we see small animals, exotics, smaller farm animals/small ruminants, wildlife, and occasional zoological species, but not the traditional large animals such as cattle and horses - the committee felt that my career goals did not match up to my experience because they felt my clinic more qualified as small animal exotic than as mixed practice, when I said I wanted to do mixed animal. SO LEARN FROM THIS - be very careful how you are phrasing things.

 

[jcc3sa]

However, after going to my NCSU review session I discovered that they thought my academics, GRE, experience, and letters of recommendation were all good. The main flaw to my application was that I referred to the practice I work at currently as a "mixed animal practice" because that is what we refer to it as here) and stated that because I have enjoyed my time working there I could see myself as a mixed animal vet. However, because we see small animals, exotics, smaller farm animals/small ruminants, wildlife, and occasional zoological species, but not the traditional large animals such as cattle and horses - the committee felt that my career goals did not match up to my experience because they felt my clinic more qualified as small animal exotic than as mixed practice, when I said I wanted to do mixed animal.

That seems like an unbelievably petty DQ to me... I actually just lost a little respect for their program

 

[Lupin21]

That seems like an unbelievably petty DQ to me... I actually just lost a little respect for their program

I have to say, when I first read it as mixed then didn't see cattle/horses, I too raised an eyebrow. It shows a lack of full understanding of the profession. Even though it seems minor, these things do matter.

 

[Lupin21]

I have to say, when I first read it as mixed then didn't see cattle/horses, I too raised an eyebrow. It shows a lack of full understanding of the profession. Even though it seems minor, these things do matter.

Also because I know some will still fight this thought process, let me give an example of why it is important. If the hospital is advertising itself as a mixed practice, there are potential clients that are going to call expecting to be able to make an appointment for their cattle or horse. It is in a sense, false advertising. But if you call yourself a small animal/exotics with small ruminant focus, it rings true and lets the potential clients know exactly what to expect. So while it sucks and is a mouthful to say, there is a reason behind terminology.

 

[thinkpawsitive]

Also because I know some will still fight this thought process, let me give an example of why it is important. If the hospital is advertising itself as a mixed practice, there are potential clients that are going to call expecting to be able to make an appointment for their cattle or horse. It is in a sense, false advertising. But if you call yourself a small animal/exotics with small ruminant focus, it rings true and lets the potential clients know exactly what to expect. So while it sucks and is a mouthful to say, there is a reason behind terminology.

No I completely understand why the committee felt the same as you! I should have found a different way to phrase it in my application. The vet I work under is a mixed animal vet though and does see horses, but not too much livestock. Because of our location our large animal patients arent numerous and he only does them on farm calls. So the majority of what we see in clinic, and therefore what I help with, is the small ruminants, pigs, chickens, regular dogs/cats, exotics, etc. so I should have found a different way to categorize my experience. My note in my post was certainly not to complain but to help future applicants to be very careful in how they are presenting their experience and goals! And how important those things are as you pointed out

 

[Lupin21]

No I completely understand why the committee felt the same as you! I should have found a different way to phrase it in my application. The vet I work under is a mixed animal vet though and does see horses, but not too much livestock. Because of our location our large animal patients arent numerous and he only does them on farm calls. So the majority of what we see in clinic, and therefore what I help with, is the small ruminants, pigs, chickens, regular dogs/cats, exotics, etc. so I should have found a different way to categorize my experience. My note in my post was certainly not to complain but to help future applicants to be very careful in how they are presenting their experience and goals! And how important those things are as you pointed out

This was more in regards to jcc's post after yours. I think you explained yourself very well in your post. Congrats on getting in!

 

[rockatiel]

This kind of makes me want to schedule a file review with LSU anyways. It may help someone if I know I made a mistkae somewhere.

 

[orca2011]

This kind of makes me want to schedule a file review with LSU anyways. It may help someone if I know I made a mistkae somewhere.

I did a file review with Penn even though I was accepted elsewhere. It ended up working well for me. I mainly did it to find out if i made some sort of major mistake while interviewing so that I can avoid making that mistake in the future. I see no harm in asking, but others have disagreed with me in the past.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I have to say, when I first read it as mixed then didn't see cattle/horses, I too raised an eyebrow. It shows a lack of full understanding of the profession. Even though it seems minor, these things do matter.

Would that really be a good reason to reject someone though? I agree it does show the OP might not know the proper terminology for something that is very commonly said in the field, but still. To me it kind of sounds like one of those 'You didn't stand out in our pool, but we also don't have a solid reason to have rejected you either' instances. I mean...the practice saw small farm animals. It's not like a cat/dog practice was being referred to as mixed. Granted, I don't know how nitpicky NCSU is, but that reasoning sounds like what I heard in a few of my file reviews during my first cycle. I eventually heard "Honestly, there are no real red flags on your file, you just didn't stand out enough." Just a thought. Also, schools do enough recategorizing of experiences that you would think this wouldn't have been cited as a reason for rejection. Think about all of the instances of categorizing kennel work as veterinary experience or washing glassware as research. Bigger fish to fry IMO

Also sucky because it sounds like your superiors refer to the practice as mixed, @thinkpawsitive . I'm glad you did get in elsewhere, though!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I don't know, it still seems a bit harsh to me. Especially since people apply to vet school maintaining interests in areas they have no experience in (zoo med/wildlife med for example)....

Part of me understands it, but part of me still thinks it's kind of strange. I would eye-roll at someone who said they wanted to be a zoo/wildlife vet yet had no zoo/wildlife medicine experience. It's like someone saying they want to be a vet with no veterinary experience. The OP does have some livestock experience though, which makes it a little different in my eyes.

 

[Lupin21]

Would that really be a good reason to reject someone though? I agree it does show the OP might not know the proper terminology for something that is very commonly said in the field, but still. To me it kind of sounds like one of those 'You didn't stand out in our pool, but we also don't have a solid reason to have rejected you either' instances. I mean...the practice saw small farm animals. It's not like a cat/dog practice was being referred to as mixed. Granted, I don't know how nitpicky NCSU is, but that reasoning sounds like what I heard in a few of my file reviews during my first cycle. I eventually heard "Honestly, there are no real red flags on your file, you just didn't stand out enough." Just a thought. Also, schools do enough recategorizing of experiences that you would think this wouldn't have been cited as a reason for rejection. Think about all of the instances of categorizing kennel work as veterinary experience or washing glassware as research. Bigger fish to fry IMO

Also sucky because it sounds like your superiors refer to the practice as mixed, @thinkpawsitive . I'm glad you did get in elsewhere, though!

You have proven my point though. People blend together and it is hard to pick out the ones to put into the class. So when something that is seemingly this small as far as terminology goes, it can put you into the didn't make the cut pile just like a LOR that didn't quite come off right or any number of things. The people reading these files are going through them at a decent clip, so something like the OP had in her application that gave pause was just enough to be put into the rejection pile. While it is unfortunate, that is what happens when hundreds of applications must be sifted through.

 

[vet3542]

22 year-old female, Massachusetts resident, 1st time applicant.

Applied: Tufts, AVC, Iowa, Ohio, UPenn, Missouri, Tennessee, and Auburn
Denied: Ohio, Missouri, UPenn
Interview: Tufts, AVC, Iowa, Tennessee, and Auburn
Waitlisted: Tennessee and Tufts
Accepted: AVC, Iowa, and Auburn
Attending: Auburn

Overall GPA: 3.50
Science GPA: 3.49
Last 45: 3.66

GRE (Q/V/W): 156/155/4

Degrees: B.S. pre-veterinary/animal science

Veterinary Experience:
400 hours assisting with an equine vet
416 hours volunteering in the Tufts Small Animal ER and ICU
312 hours with my professor (who's a vet) working with our school beef herd
60 hours mixed practice shadowing
40 hours small animal shadowing
30 hours with a vet that focused on equine acupuncture and chiropractic work

Animal Experience:
650 hours raising dairy calves
75 hours working on a dairy farm
36 hours for an Artificial Insemination course
3 years working at a horse barn

Research Experience:
2 years spent looking at the effects of estrogen on a novel RNA binding protein. Did a lot of cell culture, RNA isolations, qPCR, etc

Non-Animal Employment:
Was a nanny for a summer

Extracurricular Activities/Awards:
President of the Animal Science Peer Mentor group
Member of the Pre-Vet club
Deans list

LORs:
Equine vet I worked for
Professor that's a vet
Research professor
Animal Science professor

Personal Statement:
It's kind of hard to sum up but I talked about how my own horse's mindboggling case proved to me that I love the problem solving nature of vet med. I also talked about a few of my more exciting experiences and how they've shaped my future goal to be a large animal vet and shaped my understanding of the profession.

 

[jcc3sa]

You have proven my point though. People blend together and it is hard to pick out the ones to put into the class. So when something that is seemingly this small as far as terminology goes, it can put you into the didn't make the cut pile just like a LOR that didn't quite come off right or any number of things. The people reading these files are going through them at a decent clip, so something like the OP had in her application that gave pause was just enough to be put into the rejection pile. While it is unfortunate, that is what happens when hundreds of applications must be sifted through.

I could understand that for an applicant with credentials that put them "on the fence", but given the comprehensive stat page that NC State makes available for comparison this person "should" have been at the very top of the pile, especially as an IS applicant (they didn't even make it onto the waitlist??). I agree that proper terminology is especially important on the owner's behalf since they need to accurately advertise their services to potential clientele, but I can't imagine denying an IS applicant with a stellar application for such a minor word choice blunder. I wouldn't be surprised by this if it were a rejection for a job, a residency, or an internship (in which case a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the field is required), but this person hasn't even started vet school. To me, this would be like rejecting a med school applicant for stating that they shadowed a radiologist, when in fact they specifically shadowed an interventional radiologist, citing that they lack an understanding of the profession. Of course they don't understand all the minutia of the profession and its customs regarding specialty designations; that's the point of going to school. At the end of the day, though, I didn't do the file review and am not on the admissions committee so I won't pretend to be privy to all of the information that went into the ADCOM's decision. I think a large part of the reason I'm bothered by this is because thinkpawsitive's tuition will now be $50k/yr instead of $18k/yr, but I suppose it isn't any of my business.

Sorry about the rant... I should probably go get a life.

 

[VetMedVetMed]

No I completely understand why the committee felt the same as you! I should have found a different way to phrase it in my application. The vet I work under is a mixed animal vet though and does see horses, but not too much livestock. Because of our location our large animal patients arent numerous and he only does them on farm calls. So the majority of what we see in clinic, and therefore what I help with, is the small ruminants, pigs, chickens, regular dogs/cats, exotics, etc. so I should have found a different way to categorize my experience. My note in my post was certainly not to complain but to help future applicants to be very careful in how they are presenting their experience and goals! And how important those things are as you pointed out

WOW. Can't believe that was the reason for NCSU to not accept you.. That's ridiculous. It seems there is more to the story on their side that they probably aren't telling you. I'm so sorry about that, that truly is heartbreaking. I do appreciate you writing this though because it probably will help a lot of future applicants.

 

[FeartheDogMonky]

I guess I should respond to my own post. Here's proof that there's more to getting accepted than super stellar grades and GRE. I took the shotgun approach (not recommended), but I wanted to give myself the best odds for my first cycle because you never know what the schools want that given year.

32-year-old male, 1st time applicant, FL resident
Applied: Auburn, Mississippi, UF, Midwestern, UCD, Edinburgh, LMU, UTK, Illinois, Mizzou
Interviews: UTK, LMU, UCD, Illinois, Midwestern (Declined), Edinburgh (Declined)
Rejected: Auburn, Mississippi, Mizzou, UF
Waitlisted: None
Accepted: UTK, LMU, UCD, Illinois (4 for 4 baby)
Attending: UTK

Degrees: B.S. in Biology

Overall GPA: 3.4
Last 45: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.2

GRE (Q/V/W): 148/152/3.5 (Took it during Spring Break with 4 days to "study" with an Orgo 2 midterm right after the break as well. Do not recommend it, clearly, look at my scores. Oops )

Veterinary Experience:
4000 hours- working at SA/Exotic practice
300 hours- Vet staff volunteer technician at SoFL Wildlife Center
40 hours- Volunteer technician for US Army Veterinarian in Kosovo/Macedonia

Animal Experience:
60 hours- SoFL wildlife animal care
30 hours- SA/equine rescue
200 hours- Police Working Dogs
40 hours- Sacramento Zoo
100 hours- Military Working Dog assistant
80 hours- Eastern Gray Squirrel research project
40 hours- private horse stable volunteer

Extracurricular/Awards:
Police Dept. Letter of Commendation
Dean's List
TriBeta Honor Society
Multiple Military Awards
John Philip Sousa Band Award
President of my university's Student Veteran Association

Non-Animal Employment:
14+ years- US Army
5 years- Police Officer in CA
3 years- PADI Divemaster with an academic SCUBA diving program
1 year- Student Veteran Coordinator for my school

LORs:
DVM- SA/Exotic Veterinarian/Medical Director
DVM- Wildlife Veterinarian/Medical Director
PhD- Biology/Animal Behavior/Evolution Professor

Personal Statement:
Needless to say, it was personal. I had a lot of life experience to cram into the small space available. I did my best to focus on the highlights of my life and careers that pointed me towards VetMed, while also pointing out what separates me from other applicants.

These last few years were rough: academic, professional and personal challenges, but I made it. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going."

 

[BeamingLight]

@FeartheDogMonky Is UCD University College Dublin or University of California Davis?

 

[FeartheDogMonky]

@FeartheDogMonky Is UCD University College Dublin or University of California Davis?

Dublin. I grew up in CA and had no desire to go back to that coast.

 

[danimalll]

25 year old female, 1st time applicant, PA resident


Applied: UPenn, Iowa State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Lincoln Memorial, Western
Interviews:Iowa State, Michigan State, Lincoln Memorial, Western
Rejected:UPenn, Ohio State
Waitlisted: Iowa State, Michigan State
Accepted:Iowa (off of the waitlist on 4/4/16 – before the deadline!), Lincoln Memorial, Western
Attending:Iowa

Degrees:Masters of Laboratory Animal Science (2014), B.S. in Biology with a minor in Psychology (2012)

Overall GPA:3.55
Last 45:3.40
Science GPA:3.64
--these are Iowa’s calculations

GRE (Q/V/W):Only took the old GRE and my scores were: 670/460/4.0
(calculated as the new GRE it is apparently 152/151/4.0)

Veterinary Experience:
480 hours- Laboratory Animal Practicum at a large biomedical research institution with lots of species
500 hours- Shadow at small animal hospital
72 hours- Volunteer at UPenn Ryan Veterinary Hospital

Animal Experience:
384 hours- Internship at Philadelphia Zoo
140 hours- Costa Rica trip with Ecology Project International to help endangered Leatherback Seaturtles

Research Experience:
3600+ hours- Research assistant in a lab with cats and rats
460 hours- laboratory technician in neurobiology lab

Extracurricular/Awards:
College volleyball player
Project Appalachia alternative spring break in WV – 2 years
Science Olympiad Volunteer during college for a few years
Tutor for high school students during college
Orientation Leader
Biology Departmental Award
Laboratory Animal Technician Certification from AALAS
Science & Math National Honor Society (Sigma Zeta)
Biology National Honor Society (Beta Beta Beta)
Psychology National Honor (Psi Chi)
Dean’s List – 5 semesters
President’s List – 1 semester
Graduated Cum Laude from undergrad

Non-Animal Employment:
700 hours- Restaurant hostess
440 hours- Summer playground program supervisor

LORs:
DVM- Lab animal veterinarian from my current job
VMD- Lab animal veterinarian from MLAS practicum
PhD- Spinal Cord Research Center Director

Personal Statement:
Just a big story about why I want to be a lab animal vet. I started out with an awesome descriptive story about unique tasks at my job with lab animals. I explained my masters degree, my current job, my practicum. I included animal welfare etc, how it is a privilege to work with lab animals, really cool experiences I’ve had, and how I’ve been able to contribute to major medical advances. I had lots of people help edit it and I absolutely love my final draft. I am going to keep it forever!

 

[lhmhtd]

Bump. I know more ppl have been accepted since the 9th! Those of us obsessively checking this are waiting to see your stats

 

[yugen]

26 year old female, first time applicant, MD resident

Applied: Penn, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Kansas, VMCVM, Colorado, Midwestern, Tufts, Florida, Illinois, Washington State
Interviews: Minnesota, Michigan State, K-State, Illinois
Rejected: Penn, Ohio State, Colorado, Tufts, Washington, VMCVM, Florida, Midwestern
Waitlisted: Minnesota (#16)
Accepted: Michigan State, Illinois, K-State
Attending: Michigan State

Degrees: B.A. in biology with minors in neurosciences and philosophy

GPA
Cumulative, current: 3.27 <-- two years ago this was a 3.09! I seriously didn't think I'd get in ANYWHERE.
Science pre-requisite: 3.50
Last 45, current: 3.53

GRE: taken once
V: 161 (87%)
Q: 158 (72%)
A: 5.0 (93%)

Veterinary Experience
- ~700 hours with wildlife vet
- ~2000+ small animal vet experience, working as a tech
- ~100 hours with equine vet

Animal Experience
- ~40 volunteer at a horse rescue when possible
- ~+1000 worked at a herpetology captive breeding center throughout high school

Research
- 1.5 years microbio research (paid)
- 5 months of cell laboratory work (unpaid)
- 4 months of public health research (paid)
- 2 months of ecology and animal zonation research (unpaid)

Employment
- server and hostess at a brewery
- pet care associate right out of high school at the local pet store

Awards/ Honors/Extracurricular
- dean's list at least three times, competitive biology research fellowship, bioethics club, philosophy club, undergraduate SGA event leader, intramural soccer, outdoor club and rock climbing, biology tutor

Letters of Recommendation
- wildlife vet (DVM)
- professor (DVM)
- a small animal vet (DVM)

Personal Statement:
It would be interesting to do a review of my file for some of the schools I didn't make it into to see what they thought about my personal statement; it was super bland in my opinion. It was simply a clear and concise statement of purpose for my career that fell easily under the character limit. No catchy anecdote or story to reel them in with; just stated the facts.

I also filled out the explanatory clause in VMCAS for health issues I struggled with.


Thanks everyone at SDN for the awesome sense of community and support throughout this cycle! Y'all made the difference. <3

 

[Teepster87]

29 yr old male, CA resident, 1st time applicant.

Applied: UC Davis, Colorado, Michigan State, VMCVM
Interviews: UC Davis, Michigan State, VMCVM (declined)
Rejected: UC Davis (after interview)
Waitlisted: N/A
Accepted: Michigan State, Colorado
Attending: Michigan State

Overall GPA: 3.89
Science GPA: 3.9
Last 45 credits: 3.95

GRE (Q/V/W): 154/158/4.0 (I think?)

Veterinary Experience:
200 Hours shadowing in a SA clinic
250 Hours LA
130 Hours shadowing a lab animal vet
120 Hours LA/public health with the USDA. I was really hoping to get more last summer but the bird flu died down before I could get cleared to work.

Research Experience:
100 Hours doing sample prep, making whole mount slides of mammary glands, and quantifying structures. Was interning under a PhD student doing a pilot study about the effects of alcohol on breast cancer development.
200 Hours using a scanning electron microscope to analyze hair diameter.
100 Hours studying kidney disease in obese rats. Did a lot of PCR and running of gels.

Animal Experience:
7000 Hours training and utilizing Military Working Dogs
400 Hours rodent colony management
100 Hours volunteering in an animal shelter

Non-Animal Employment:
5000 Hours of Law enforcement in the United States Marine Corps
1500 Hours in construction
80 Hours as a group tutor for general chemistry

Awards/ Honors/Extracurricular:
Not really anything for extracurriculars. I’ve got a wife and 2 kids and barely any time as it is.
Departmental Citation
Dean’s List/President’s List for most terms
Awarded scholarship for being in the top 4% of my class entering university
Chemistry Student of the Year at community college
Various military awards

LORs:
Lab Animal Vet I shadowed
Professor I took 2 classes (and did very well with), and I interned with one of his PhD students
Supervisor/ Lab manager where I worked in her lab and rodent colony

Personal Statement:
I really stuck quite closely to the prompt. I don’t think my writing is anything special. Talked about my late start getting into vet med, an injury that ended my military career and how I overcame that, and my wide range of interests in the field.