VMCAS 2014 Questions

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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BlueGoose said:
I don't know if this will help, but this link has info on the VMCAS GPA. I know this page was mentioned on here earlier, but I didn't see anyone post the link.

https://portal.vmcas.org/vmcasHelpPages/frequently-asked-questions/vmcas-gpa/

According to this, they don't calculate just one GPA, they do several calculations. It is sort of depressing, as my "primary" is from my bachelors degree and doesn't take into account anything I have done in the last 10 years. Unfortunately that also includes my freshman year where I did less than stellar in all of my classes. I know one of the schools I'm applying to only includes credits from the last 8 years, but it still is depressing to look at the numbers VMCAS uses. I'm a little afraid that even though this school calculates their own, my app will get passed over based on the VMCAS numbers. I've seen a couple posters say not to worry about these numbers, but in my case, the VMCAS puts me barely at a 2.8. If I go by the last 8 years, its a 3.4. Quite a jump.

I do have a separate question myself. For awards, I noticed the FAQ said anything you've received, including in high school. Does this mean I should include items like National Honor Society and military awards? I had planned to include everything but that seems to be a lot in my case as I've been out of high school a very long time.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. The school won't blow you off because of a VMCAS-calculated number if they do their own calculation.

I bet I was out of high school longer than you, and I included everything. :) (It felt a bit silly, tbh, but that's what the school recommended. Pretty sure the exact words were "Of course include it. Why not?") If they don't find an entry valuable, they'll ignore it. They aren't going to be punitive about it unless you're being total absurd ("So then there was the time I won the neighborhood Monopoly tournament....").
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LetItSnow said:
I wouldn't worry about it too much. The school won't blow you off because of a VMCAS-calculated number if they do their own calculation.

I bet I was out of high school longer than you, and I included everything. :) (It felt a bit silly, tbh, but that's what the school recommended. Pretty sure the exact words were "Of course include it. Why not?") If they don't find an entry valuable, they'll ignore it. They aren't going to be punitive about it unless you're being total absurd ("So then there was the time I won the neighborhood Monopoly tournament....").
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But my skill at monopoly shows that I'd be successful at the financial/business side of owning a practice someday. Don't insult monopoly, it's a valuable talent!
 
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LyraGardenia said:
I think the instructions for that section explain it pretty well. The way I think of it is interviews are for elaborating on your application and answering any questions schools have about why you would be a good candidate for admission, while the explanation statement is for addressing anything that might keep you from getting an interview in the first place. This is different from the personal statement in that the PS tends to be more creative, discussing why you want to be a vet, and is more about selling yourself.

Some examples of what an explanation statement could be about include reasons for poor grades and how you turned that around, elaborating on any time you took off from school/work and why, any hardships you faced that affected your academic performance, or further explanation of any past disciplinary/legal troubles. It should be more formal and not involve sob stories or being defensive, but it's space to address anything that didn't really fit anywhere else (but as the instructions say, it's NOT for PS overflow!). If you've had a pretty standard pre-vet route, no glaring errors in your application, and you feel like you've addressed everything you need to, you're probably fine leaving it blank. I think the majority of applicants leave it blank, and if nothing came to mind to address when you read the instructions, it's probably best to not overthink it.
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Wow thanks so much for the great information! Now I know exactly what I should say. There were two occasions where I did not do as well as I intended (B's but still, I'm pre-vet and, like all of us, a little crazy) but the next class in the series I was able to bump myself to a solid A. I guess I should draw attention to the fact that I understand the grades are not ideal and then show how I've improved in that short space of time? How does one start that kind of thing? Would there be an intro, conclusion, etc? Is it a first person type deal?
 
bthomp19 said:
Wow thanks so much for the great information! Now I know exactly what I should say. There were two occasions where I did not do as well as I intended (B's but still, I'm pre-vet and, like all of us, a little crazy) but the next class in the series I was able to bump myself to a solid A. I guess I should draw attention to the fact that I understand the grades are not ideal and then show how I've improved in that short space of time? How does one start that kind of thing? Would there be an intro, conclusion, etc? Is it a first person type deal?
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I wouldn't be using the explanation statement to discuss why you received two B's. A lot of people get B's and get into vet school, people get C's and get into vet school, some people have even failed courses and been accepted to vet school. If you have a ton of withdrawals or a bunch of poor grades (not B's, not even a C or two) I would explain that (maybe you had a family member pass away or you were really sick). But do not use the explanation statement to talk about your two B's. It isn't necessary.
 
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bthomp19 said:
Wow thanks so much for the great information! Now I know exactly what I should say. There were two occasions where I did not do as well as I intended (B's but still, I'm pre-vet and, like all of us, a little crazy) but the next class in the series I was able to bump myself to a solid A. I guess I should draw attention to the fact that I understand the grades are not ideal and then show how I've improved in that short space of time? How does one start that kind of thing? Would there be an intro, conclusion, etc? Is it a first person type deal?
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A couple of B's are not the kind of thing you need to address in an explanation statement. The schools will see that you improved. The explanation statement is, for example, for someone who had a traumatic experience that caused them to withdraw from all of their classes for a semester, or who had to take a year off to deal with health problems. Unless you have some serious life issues that impacted some part of your application in that way, you very likely don't need to put anything in the explanation statement.
 
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I have a few questions concerning the VMCAS application.

#1- Do I have to put in the average number of hours a week for everything? I ask because I have been working at a vet clinic for 4 years but my weekly hours vary a lot. During the summer I work full time but during the school year I only work a day or two a week. Can I just put the total number of hours I have worked there?

#2- If I add someone as an evaluator and they do not complete the evaluation in time, do schools see that I asked them and they didn't do it or do they just see the completed evaluations?

#3- I have asked and have 3 completed LOR's, one from the vet I have worked with 4 years, one from my biology professor and one from my supervisor at the zoo where I interned and who I did a research project with. I have asked my advisor to do one too but he just retired and has not responded yet . Do I need more? Does it look bad to only have 3? I think they will be good recommendations but I am worried I don't have more. I believe all the schools I am applying to say you can have up to 6. There are other people I can ask but I don't think they will be as good as the 3 I already have. Also, is it ill advised to have a vet assistant do one? I have worked with the same vet assistant for 4 years and she knows me very well.

#4- I am sure this question has been asked many times before but I am so confused as to what to put for pet ownership and how many hours to put for this. I have owned pets all my life, including some exotics, and have also cared for a dog with cancer and my current dog needs monthly IM shots and daily medication. What is recommended to put for the number of hours in this category?

Thanks for any help or advice!
 
AussieDr said:
#2- If I add someone as an evaluator and they do not complete the evaluation in time, do schools see that I asked them and they didn't do it or do they just see the completed evaluations?
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I second this question, as I'm having trouble getting my main professor to complete his eLOR and he's moved out of college town and retired.
 
I am planning to take a course share class in Spring 2015 that's not been set up yet. I have no idea what the course title, prefix or number will be or how it will show on my transcript. How do I enter it in my planned courses?
 
DVMDream said:
But do not use the explanation statement to talk about your two B's. It isn't necessary.
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Seriously. If you use the explanation statement to talk about two whole lousy B's, they're just going to think you're loony tunes. Like for real. Take a step back and ask yourself if two Bs amidst a big tower of As is <really> something that should be 'explained'. That's just crazy talk.

AussieDr said:
#3- I have asked and have 3 completed LOR's, one from the vet I have worked with 4 years, one from my biology professor and one from my supervisor at the zoo where I interned and who I did a research project with. I have asked my advisor to do one too but he just retired and has not responded yet . Do I need more? Does it look bad to only have 3? I think they will be good recommendations but I am worried I don't have more. I believe all the schools I am applying to say you can have up to 6. There are other people I can ask but I don't think they will be as good as the 3 I already have. Also, is it ill advised to have a vet assistant do one? I have worked with the same vet assistant for 4 years and she knows me very well.
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In my opinion, it's way, way better to have 3 super solid rock star LORs than 3 super solid rick star LORs and a mediocre fourth. Put differently, you want all your LORs to rock and not be diluted out by one mediocre one.
 
Haha. Yeah okay, you are both definitely right! I have most certainly been overwhelmingly fortunate so far and most likely will not need to add anything in there. I would prefer not to be looney toons :p. Everyone in my undergrad right now who is pre-vet is just so weird and competative it's hard to step back and actually take pride in my grades and progress. It's so easy to pick apart every single less-than-perfect letter on my transcript. Thanks for the perspective!!
 
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How do we feel about listing high school science fair projects? I dosed mice with caffeine daily for a few months (with teacher and vet oversight of course!) and ended up with a few awards at the fairs I presented my project at. One of the awards was from the American Association for Lab Animal Sciences, so it's kinda applicable to veterinary stuff? However, this wasn't in an actual lab or anything, just in my garage, which makes it sound kind of sketchy.... If I do list it would it go under animal experience? Or research?
 
allykd said:
How do we feel about listing high school science fair projects? I dosed mice with caffeine daily for a few months (with teacher and vet oversight of course!) and ended up with a few awards at the fairs I presented my project at. One of the awards was from the American Association for Lab Animal Sciences, so it's kinda applicable to veterinary stuff? However, this wasn't in an actual lab or anything, just in my garage, which makes it sound kind of sketchy.... If I do list it would it go under animal experience? Or research?
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I'd mention it.

I'm not sure about which section, though.
 
Hi I have a question regarding the experiences section. I volunteered a couple of times for an organization that provides vet care to pets belonging to homeless people. I only did this twice and each time I worked with a different vet which makes it difficult to list their name and contact info on the application. I was going to list the volunteer coordinator but I was wondering if I would still be able to list this as vet experience, which it is cause we would give shots, treatments etc, even if I don't put down a vet that I worked with??
 
pirateslayme said:
Hi I have a question regarding the experiences section. I volunteered a couple of times for an organization that provides vet care to pets belonging to homeless people. I only did this twice and each time I worked with a different vet which makes it difficult to list their name and contact info on the application. I was going to list the volunteer coordinator but I was wondering if I would still be able to list this as vet experience, which it is cause we would give shots, treatments etc, even if I don't put down a vet that I worked with??
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Any of that will work.

If it were me I'd put the volunteer coordinator down as the contact, and I'd put it under veterinary experience. That's the most clear, honest approach. Sometimes when things don't fit the boxes perfectly, you just have to make do.
 
Is it appropriate to list the fact that my school does not have a second writing class for non English majors (it's either an accelerated 1 semester version which I have credit for, or for people who have trouble with the English language, a 2 semester slow course) but rather offers second writing requirements through a wide range of university classes (ie. biology second writing requirement) and explain that I have fulfilled the requirement in the explanation statement. I have already talked to schools and they have said that this is okay, just want to make sure where to put this on the application.
 
pirateslayme said:
Hi I have a question regarding the experiences section. I volunteered a couple of times for an organization that provides vet care to pets belonging to homeless people. I only did this twice and each time I worked with a different vet which makes it difficult to list their name and contact info on the application. I was going to list the volunteer coordinator but I was wondering if I would still be able to list this as vet experience, which it is cause we would give shots, treatments etc, even if I don't put down a vet that I worked with??
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I have the same sort of situation and I did what LetItSnow mentioned and just listed the volunteer coordinator as the contact. I also put "supervised by various volunteer veterinarians" or something like that in the description.
 
SummerTheLynx said:
Is it appropriate to list the fact that my school does not have a second writing class for non English majors (it's either an accelerated 1 semester version which I have credit for, or for people who have trouble with the English language, a 2 semester slow course) but rather offers second writing requirements through a wide range of university classes (ie. biology second writing requirement) and explain that I have fulfilled the requirement in the explanation statement. I have already talked to schools and they have said that this is okay, just want to make sure where to put this on the application.
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Makes a lot of sense to just put a brief note in there for clarification.
 
So this question is part-hypothetical, part for myself. It might be a dumb question, but I haven't seen it addressed before anywhere and I've been wondering for a while. If you work as a receptionist at a vet clinic, does that count as vet experience? At the last clinic I worked at I was trained on working the front desk, but it was a small clinic with only 6 employees other than the vet, so we were all kind of jacks-of-all-trades, e.g. you could be in the back cleaning cages, and then have to run up to the front to answer the phone or check someone out, and then be helping in an appointment, etc. So I counted all of my hours there as vet experience, because there were never large blocks of time where I wasn't working closely with the vet and/or with animals.

At the clinic I'm working at now, however, receptionist and tech duties are clearly separated. Some people are trained on both, but each day you're working, you'll either only be a receptionist or only be a tech, although we can occasionally step in to help each other if things are busy. So far I'm only working as a tech, so obviously that's all vet experience. However, our receptionists only minimally work with animals (taking them back to put in cages or bringing them up when they're going home, walking a dog over to the scale on the way into the exam room, etc.), and talk to the vets a lot about client questions, but don't really work alongside the vets like us techs do. So does that count as vet experience? It's obviously still in a clinic environment, but mostly the administrative side of things -- answering phones, filing papers, handling money, etc.

When I interviewed for this job they said they would train me on both reception and tech, but so far that hasn't happened -- I don't know if they forgot, or just like us to get really comfortable at one job before learning the other, or what. I want to learn reception because I like knowing how all aspects of the clinic work and interacting with clients, but if it wouldn't count as vet experience, that makes me less eager.
 
It still counts as vet experience. You don't have to be working directly with an animal and being a receptionist in a vet hospital is still very important experience
 
Just thought I would throw it out there that I was in a small practice as a receptionist, similar situation where there was a lot of overlap but I was mainly a receptionist at the time... asked Davis specifically if I could list this as vet experience and they said it didn't count. You may want to check with the schools that you are interested in to see how they look at it. I ended up dividing my reception and vet assistant hours on my app (reception- animal exp... vet assistant- vet exp).
 
Never mind! Question answered! Lol
 
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onisteverina said:
Just thought I would throw it out there that I was in a small practice as a receptionist, similar situation where there was a lot of overlap but I was mainly a receptionist at the time... asked Davis specifically if I could list this as vet experience and they said it didn't count. You may want to check with the schools that you are interested in to see how they look at it. I ended up dividing my reception and vet assistant hours on my app (reception- animal exp... vet assistant- vet exp).
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Regardless of what Davis said I would still put it down as veterinary experience. Other schools (some? many? most?) will count it that way. And it's completely reasonable. If it doesn't count as veterinary experience, I'm not sure why it would count as animal experience - that's just weird to me.

So long as you do your best to find the category that fits the best, nobody in their right mind is going to 'dock' you points or anything. They may just choose to not give you credit or re-assign the hours to a different category .... but people get REALLY bent out of shape trying to figure out if something should go in category X or category Y, and I think that in general if you just do your very best to pick the one that makes the most sense, you're going to be fine. It's the people that get all sketchy and try and claim that their 6 months of giving their CKD cat subq fluids at home is "veterinary experience" that looks bad.

As an aside, I think Davis is being weird. Vet med is more than just "medicine" - the business aspect is pretty important. So they ought to count that. Ah well.
 
Hey sorry for all my questions but regarding the experiences I was also wondering if I can still list something as vet experience even if I interacted more with the vet techs than I did with the doctors.
Also does any one know if there is anywhere on the application where I can mention the continuing educations (CEs) I have attended. I was hoping I could list these since I have attended quite a few of them.
 
I've been volunteering in a vet hospital for nearly three years, under the technicians, but I still list it as vet experience because the cases are headed by the resident vets and interns.
 
If I did receptionist work at a vet hospital would you classify it as vet or animal experience?
 
pirateslayme said:
If I did receptionist work at a vet hospital would you classify it as vet or animal experience?
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Read the discussion just up-thread. :p It looks like the conclusion is vet experience, but contact the schools you're applying to to see what they say/how they'll value it.
 
Tante said:
I am planning to take a course share class in Spring 2015 that's not been set up yet. I have no idea what the course title, prefix or number will be or how it will show on my transcript. How do I enter it in my planned courses?
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Good question! You might have better luck if you call the VMCAS hotline - I had to for a similar question and they were really helpful. Their number is 617-612-2884. Let us know what you hear!
 
LetItSnow said:
Regardless of what Davis said I would still put it down as veterinary experience. Other schools (some? many? most?) will count it that way. And it's completely reasonable. If it doesn't count as veterinary experience, I'm not sure why it would count as animal experience - that's just weird to me.

So long as you do your best to find the category that fits the best, nobody in their right mind is going to 'dock' you points or anything. They may just choose to not give you credit or re-assign the hours to a different category .... but people get REALLY bent out of shape trying to figure out if something should go in category X or category Y, and I think that in general if you just do your very best to pick the one that makes the most sense, you're going to be fine. It's the people that get all sketchy and try and claim that their 6 months of giving their CKD cat subq fluids at home is "veterinary experience" that looks bad.

As an aside, I think Davis is being weird. Vet med is more than just "medicine" - the business aspect is pretty important. So they ought to count that. Ah well.
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It has been a long week (first week of vet school).. and now that you mention it.. I think that I did list the reception experience as work experience, not animal.. which I guess would make more sense for what I was saying before. My dilemma was that I was getting paid for reception, and (initially) not paid if I switched to assistant.. so I definitely wanted clarification from Davis (my IS and hence, my priority) before I continued working in a paid position that wasn't going to count toward vet experience.. and after asking for clarification, I wasn't going to ignore their response. I personally shaped my application to suit what my IS wanted because that was my first choice.. even if other schools would have considered reception as vet experience.. but anyway, I didn't even end up there :)

And yea.. I do think that reception duties are super important.. way more client interaction that I had working as a tech. Not sure why they don't agree.
 
ok so I hope I picked the right thread. LOL I'm working on my personal statement, last minute I know but with summer classes, work .... anyway. I was homeschooled until my college years obviously and I'm not sure if I should mention this in my personal statement or kind of avoid it. I don't know how vet schools feel about homeschooled students. I usually get mixed reactions either people expect me to be a genius or not know anything. Just curious if anyone has a similar experience or any advice.
Thanks
 
Pixiepetunia said:
ok so I hope I picked the right thread. LOL I'm working on my personal statement, last minute I know but with summer classes, work .... anyway. I was homeschooled until my college years obviously and I'm not sure if I should mention this in my personal statement or kind of avoid it. I don't know how vet schools feel about homeschooled students. I usually get mixed reactions either people expect me to be a genius or not know anything. Just curious if anyone has a similar experience or any advice.
Thanks
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Is there a specific reason to mention it? Is it important in telling the story of why you want to go to vet school, what you know about the field, what your goals are, etc?

If so, then you should mention it. If not, then why would you?
 
I think I am over thinking the experience section but I have one more question. At the SPCA I had a variety of roles most of which was vet experience. However there was a period of time I would take pictures of the animals up for adoption and post it on their website. I was interacting with the animals obviously but I wasn't doing anything to care for the animals. Would this be animal experience or some other experience? I figured animal but just wanted to be sure.
 
Pixiepetunia said:
ok so I hope I picked the right thread. LOL I'm working on my personal statement, last minute I know but with summer classes, work .... anyway. I was homeschooled until my college years obviously and I'm not sure if I should mention this in my personal statement or kind of avoid it. I don't know how vet schools feel about homeschooled students. I usually get mixed reactions either people expect me to be a genius or not know anything. Just curious if anyone has a similar experience or any advice.
Thanks
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If you're applying to Florida, Georgia, or Iowa State, they all have supplemental application essays having to do with diversity. That might fit really well into a diversity essay - it definitely sounds like a unique educational experience. However, if you do decide to talk about it, you might consider also talking about your people skills to distance yourself from the harmful stereotype of homeschooled kids not being social.
 
Here's a question...one of the classes I took was a self paced class that you could enroll in at any time, and then you had a year to complete. On my transcript it doesn't state a term, just the dates I took the class (5/30/2013-5/30/2014). What term should I list this under for VMCAS?
 
I've submitted my VMCAS about 2 weeks ago and have 3/4 of the elors done. When will schools begin to receive my application? None have yet...
 
jcc4 said:
I've submitted my VMCAS about 2 weeks ago and have 3/4 of the elors done. When will schools begin to receive my application? None have yet...
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I believe they should as soon as your transcripts are verified.
 
So I entered my summer classes in a couple months ago... I am done w those and have the grades, but it won't let me enter them bc I can't uncheck the "in progress/planned coursework" option. Any suggestions?
 
lhmhtd said:
So I entered my summer classes in a couple months ago... I am done w those and have the grades, but it won't let me enter them bc I can't uncheck the "in progress/planned coursework" option. Any suggestions?
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you have to delete the summer in progress/planned and re-enter them as a regular completed course
 
Figures... Thanks Gwen
 
lhmhtd said:
Figures... Thanks Gwen
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I know, I had three semesters worth of courses to do that with. I mentioned it to the VMCAS Staff person that ghosts this thread now and then, hopefully it'll be changed for next year.
 
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Does anybody know if you can add evaluators after you submit the application? I have been working with another vet a lot and would love to add her!
 
haley120892 said:
Does anybody know if you can add evaluators after you submit the application? I have been working with another vet a lot and would love to add her!
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I added two evaluators after submitting, but my application hasn't passed verification yet so I'm not sure if that matters.
 
Mine is verified, but i clicked everything and it acted like it would allow it...so I am wondering if I should just give it a try.
 
Yeah I tested it by sending a junk evaluation email to myself and then removing it, haha.
haley120892 said:
Mine is verified, but i clicked everything and it acted like it would allow it...so I am wondering if I should just give it a try.
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So it will work? That's awesome!
 
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