What are my chances?

[LetItSnow]

My question is, does my current gpa and gre scores make me a competitive applicant? How about the animal/vet experience hours? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I think you're on track. Your GPA is reasonable, but I can't say I'm familiar with the applicant stats for those specific schools (you should be able to find that info online at each school). You've been building experience, but I agree with the suggestion to try and pick up a little more LA *veterinary* experience. That plus SA plus the raptor center stuff ought to be enough.

Make sure you're cultivating good relationships so you have three (or whatever minimum you need) outstanding references. They should be glowing, excited, etc. Not just "Yeah, I taught this person in orgo and they did fine."

Be involved in your school/community. Life isn't just about grades and building hours. Take a leadership role in something, be a volunteer at a soup kitchen, whatever. This one is just my personal opinion, but I think most people undervalue those kinds of things. Sure, grades and vet experience hours are king, but what you give back to your community can be what differentiates you from every other candidate that has good grades and lots of experience.

Best of luck!!!!

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[Brandon Hagar]

Hey everyone!
I feel like I have well built app, for applying to the next cycle in the fall, so I was wondering if there's anything I'm overlooking or overconfident in. (Be as upfront, blunt and critical as you please. I love constructive criticism!)

About me:
Michigan resident (Central Mi Univ. and 1 Semester at N Carolina State Univ.)
Graduating spring '15
Double major- Prevet Med and Speech-Language Pathology,
Minor in Biology
Planning on applying to Michigan State, University of Melbourne, LSU and possibly a few others

Graduating Cumulative GPA- 3.4-3.6 range
Science- 3.45 (could be better but always had positive grade trends)
Last 3 sem GPA- 3.85 (most likely)
Averaged a 15-17 credit class load, along with work and volunteering every semester.

GRE will be taken in the Spring

1. Small Animal Exp- 450-500 hours in a vet clinic and animal boarding facility
2. Large Animal Exp- I am currently working at am Equine Clinic as well as an Equine Dental Academy with 500 hours to date.

Volunteer-
100 hours- North Carolina Museum of Natural Science taking care of the living animals (clean, feed, bathe- rabbits, birds, snakes, amphibs, repts, including exotics.
5 Years with a rescue league helping foster, rehabilitate, train and make animal suitable for new home.
4 Years Elementary School kids mentor for 3rd and 4th graders

Research- 100 hours
Helped out professors at NCSU with 2 different trials;
1. Horse Nutritional Study on Fescue overseen by a PhD
2. Goat Nutritional Study on diet in a plot with a supplementation

Attributes-

• Internship during high school at Small and farm animal vet clinic and shadowed for a full year.
• Worked at a pet store during high school and college for 6 years
• 3 very good letters of recc. 2 DVMs and 1 boss (possibly a professor)
• Took and passed the MSU Veterinary Terminology online course
• Volunteer trip to South Africa working with WWF to help stop poaching of endangered species

Few other random things here and there that I missed, but wouldnt add much to what I already have.
Thank you again everyone!

 

[TooLove]

Hey everyone!
I feel like I have well built app, for applying to the next cycle in the fall, so I was wondering if there's anything I'm overlooking or overconfident in. (Be as upfront, blunt and critical as you please. I love constructive criticism!)

About me:
Michigan resident (Central Mi Univ. and 1 Semester at N Carolina State Univ.)
Graduating spring '15
Double major- Prevet Med and Speech-Language Pathology,
Minor in Biology
Planning on applying to Michigan State, University of Melbourne, LSU and possibly a few others

Graduating Cumulative GPA- 3.4-3.6 range
Science- 3.45 (could be better but always had positive grade trends)
Last 3 sem GPA- 3.85 (most likely)
Averaged a 15-17 credit class load, along with work and volunteering every semester.

GRE will be taken in the Spring

1. Small Animal Exp- 450-500 hours in a vet clinic and animal boarding facility
2. Large Animal Exp- I am currently working at am Equine Clinic as well as an Equine Dental Academy with 500 hours to date.

Volunteer-
100 hours- North Carolina Museum of Natural Science taking care of the living animals (clean, feed, bathe- rabbits, birds, snakes, amphibs, repts, including exotics.
5 Years with a rescue league helping foster, rehabilitate, train and make animal suitable for new home.
4 Years Elementary School kids mentor for 3rd and 4th graders

Research- 100 hours
Helped out professors at NCSU with 2 different trials;
1. Horse Nutritional Study on Fescue overseen by a PhD
2. Goat Nutritional Study on diet in a plot with a supplementation

Attributes-

• Internship during high school at Small and farm animal vet clinic and shadowed for a full year.
• Worked at a pet store during high school and college for 6 years
• 3 very good letters of recc. 2 DVMs and 1 boss (possibly a professor)
• Took and passed the MSU Veterinary Terminology online course
• Volunteer trip to South Africa working with WWF to help stop poaching of endangered species

Few other random things here and there that I missed, but wouldnt add much to what I already have.
Thank you again everyone!

I think your grades are about average for most applicants, and it's good that you have that upward trend. Spend a lot of time prepping for the GRE to get as high of scores as possible - if you can, that would help make your app stand out a bit more.

You definitely need to get more veterinary experience. If you look for the accepted applicants threads, you'll get an idea of what amount is appropriate. I would work on that before you apply, but don't let it compromise your grades or GRE scores.

 

[that redhead]

Hey everyone!
I feel like I have well built app, for applying to the next cycle in the fall, so I was wondering if there's anything I'm overlooking or overconfident in. (Be as upfront, blunt and critical as you please. I love constructive criticism!)

Like Toolove said, most applications benefit from more veterinary hours. Your hours are respectable, considering you have small animal and equine, plus some research thrown in. Work hard to rock the last grades that will go on your application (since 3.4 is on the lower end of average) and the GRE.

I would also broaden your pool of schools. Consider applying to those that would favor your stats, since they are pretty average. If your last 45 credits are strong, consider Minnesota or Kansas State. Also - why are you applying in Australia? Just curious

 

[kittyy]

Second time applying. Was waitlisted last year at Tennessee. Only listed ~40 hours veterinary experience last year on my VMCAS. Since then I have been working as a veterinary technician for 30-35 hours a week.

This year I have applied to Ohio State University (interviewed), Mizzou (interviewed), University of Florida (interview scheduled), University of Wisconsin-Madison (no response yet), University of North Carolina (no response yet), UC Davis (no interview invite, rejected)


21, Female, FL resident, AA and BS in biological sciences.


Academics:
Cum GPA: 3.84
Last 45: 3.69
Overall Science: 3.75
GRE: 155V, 156Q, 4.5W


Experience:
Veterinary:

(Small Animal) 600 hours working as a veterinary technician (as listed on my VMCAS, I have continued working since submitting my application and now about 1200 hours)
(Equine) 50 hours (as listed on my VMCAS, however I now have about 80)

Animal:
380 fostering (I started fostering litters of kittens years ago and this has ultimately turned into my own non-profit fostering organization. I have a website and I am partnered with the animal hospital that I work at to offer discounted veterinary care and free office visits to any pets being fostered that are sponsored by my organization. I had a chance to talk about this in detail in all of my interviews so far)

700 fostering for and working at a cat shelter


Research: None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester during my under grad studies.


Extracurricular activities:
Fostering organization: started my own fostering organization after realizing I cannot take in every cat that needs a temporary home. Our goal is to connect people who can provide temporary housing with animals who need it. We have a website with a donations portal and we are partnered with the veterinary clinic that I work at to offer discounted care and free office visits.

Spinning pottery (own my own pottery wheel, this has been a hobby of mine for years)

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (both small animal and work at the clinic I work at and have known me for over a year)
1 hospital manager (runs the clinic I work at, has known me for over a year)
1 professor (I took evolutionary biology with him during undergrad and continued to stay in touch with him after the class ended. He has known me for over a year)

 

[epivetlove]

Second time applying. Was waitlisted last year at Tennessee. Only listed ~40 hours veterinary experience last year on my VMCAS. Since then I have been working as a veterinary technician for 30-35 hours a week.

This year I have applied to Ohio State University (interviewed), Mizzou (interviewed), University of Florida (interview scheduled), University of Wisconsin-Madison (no response yet), University of North Carolina (no response yet), UC Davis (no interview invite, rejected)

I think, given the fact that you've been granted multiple interview invites, it's safe to say that you are a competitive applicant. Just continue doing what you're doing, and if by chance you aren't accepted anywhere, do a file review with those schools that offer them. They'll be able to give you more precise information on why you weren't admitted, especially if it has something to do with the interview portion.

Good luck!

 

[Meowmix1712]

Alright, been trolling this forum for months and, thanks to a push from my parents and one of the doctors I work for, I decided to get serious about applying.

I graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Zoology, double major General Biology. I realize I'm pushing it as far as how long I've been out of school lol.

But here is the big thorn in my side... BAD GPA... I mean real bad. 2.68 bad. Science GPA isn't much better and last 45 is about the same. Retaking classes doesn't seem like an option at this point. Obviously I've limited my list of schools to those w/o a min GPA or 2.5 and better.

On the plus side, I did an internship at Big Cat Rescue (exotic cats + civets, genets, binturongs, cavies) for 670 hours, have been working at a small animal clinic for 2500 hours to date, and just about to start volunteering at the California Wildlife Center which I'm aiming to have between 96 to 192 hours for their 6 month req (depending on if I can work 8 hours a week instead of their min 4hrs). Initially I was going to wait until next year's application period and try to get some volunteering done at a friend's equine ranch with donkeys, goats, pigs, lambs etc., but that's always an option in the event I miss out this year.

Huge aim of mine is to go big on the GRE. I am confident about the verbal part (I'm a novelist, pretty big vocab and language understanding), but gonna be studying big-time on the math part! Lots of the subjects come back to me as I look at them but still nerve wracking. No set date on that yet but it's high on the priority list.

I have 3 LoR lined up from the vets I currently work for, one of which being my mentor and the reason I'm going for it! I'm confident in those.

Being a writer, I feel pretty good about my PS too. Just started bullet pointing (which turned into paragraphing) last week and so far so good. I'm a little afraid I might turn it a tad too autobiographical but I'm counting on it standing out a lot.

So there it is! What are my chances!? =)

 

[ChittyBang]

Alright, been trolling this forum for months and, thanks to a push from my parents and one of the doctors I work for, I decided to get serious about applying.

I graduated in 2008 with a B.S. in Zoology, double major General Biology. I realize I'm pushing it as far as how long I've been out of school lol.

But here is the big thorn in my side... BAD GPA... I mean real bad. 2.68 bad. Science GPA isn't much better and last 45 is about the same. Retaking classes doesn't seem like an option at this point. Obviously I've limited my list of schools to those w/o a min GPA or 2.5 and better.

On the plus side, I did an internship at Big Cat Rescue (exotic cats + civets, genets, binturongs, cavies) for 670 hours, have been working at a small animal clinic for 2500 hours to date, and just about to start volunteering at the California Wildlife Center which I'm aiming to have between 96 to 192 hours for their 6 month req (depending on if I can work 8 hours a week instead of their min 4hrs). Initially I was going to wait until next year's application period and try to get some volunteering done at a friend's equine ranch with donkeys, goats, pigs, lambs etc., but that's always an option in the event I miss out this year.

Huge aim of mine is to go big on the GRE. I am confident about the verbal part (I'm a novelist, pretty big vocab and language understanding), but gonna be studying big-time on the math part! Lots of the subjects come back to me as I look at them but still nerve wracking. No set date on that yet but it's high on the priority list.

I have 3 LoR lined up from the vets I currently work for, one of which being my mentor and the reason I'm going for it! I'm confident in those.

Being a writer, I feel pretty good about my PS too. Just started bullet pointing (which turned into paragraphing) last week and so far so good. I'm a little afraid I might turn it a tad too autobiographical but I'm counting on it standing out a lot.

So there it is! What are my chances!? =)

Your GPA is gonna be a hurdle. Sorry. The fact that your science and last 45 is also low is gonna be an even bigger hurdle. (My cumulative GPA, while higher than yours, kept me from being considered by most US schools).

If I were you, I'd consider applying outside of the US - Caribbean, Europe, Australia, New Zealand - and study for the GRE as if your life depended on it. Also, talk to admins at various schools to see if they feel you're competitive. You're gonna have to make yourself REALLY stand out in other areas to make up for the GPA issue. Getting in with a low GPA is gonna be hard, but it's possible if you apply smart. Good luck!

 

[kittyy]

I think, given the fact that you've been granted multiple interview invites, it's safe to say that you are a competitive applicant. Just continue doing what you're doing, and if by chance you aren't accepted anywhere, do a file review with those schools that offer them. They'll be able to give you more precise information on why you weren't admitted, especially if it has something to do with the interview portion.

Good luck!

Thank you! I did a file review last year with the University of Florida (I didn't even get an interview with them last year) and they told me to focus only on my veterinary experience, specifically small animal, since it was so low. So that's what I've been doing... Right now as pretty much everyone here knows things are kind of at a stand still and I'm just waiting to hear back...

 

[that redhead]

But here is the big thorn in my side... BAD GPA... I mean real bad. 2.68 bad. Science GPA isn't much better and last 45 is about the same. Retaking classes doesn't seem like an option at this point. Obviously I've limited my list of schools to those w/o a min GPA or 2.5 and better.

I'm going to be brutally honest with you here...you must go back and redo at least your pre-reqs that aren't As or Bs. It would be even better to do some upper level science courses to prove you have what it takes. Schools give a 2.5 cut off but it is so, so rare that they even take someone with remotely that low of a GPA. Vet school is science classes all day every day and if you can't manage the tough sciences in undergrad, why would adcoms think you can handle vet school? Even with a stellar GRE and nice experiences, you have an extremely slim chance of getting an interview.

That all being said, I made it in with a 2.9. It is doable! I would advise you to redo those pre-reqs, take some upper level sciences and apply at that point. It's not going to be fun, but it will help your chances exponentially. Good luck!

 

[Meowmix1712]

That all being said, I made it in with a 2.9. It is doable! I would advise you to redo those pre-reqs, take some upper level sciences and apply at that point. It's not going to be fun, but it will help your chances exponentially. Good luck!

What were the rest of your stats like? GRE and vet experience etc? Think you could PM me your personal statement?

I expected replies like yours; took courage for me to even post on here since I know how competitive it is. But I'm not discouraged one bit

 

[that redhead]

What were the rest of your stats like? GRE and vet experience etc? Think you could PM me your personal statement?

I expected replies like yours; took courage for me to even post on here since I know how competitive it is. But I'm not discouraged one bit

If you search "successful applicant" threads, you can browse tons of stats, mine included I think I finished with ~1300 GRE, thousands of vet experience hours plus other various things like TAing, animal experience, etc. I honestly don't have my PS any longer, haha!

I'm sure you expected a reply like mine, as I've been in a similar scenario and only ever was told not to bother. From the other side of the scenario, I'm glad I took the time to change my academic "lifestyle" and learn how to deal with those classes. It isn't enjoyable to hear these things. So I don't mean to actively discourage you, I just think you need to put in the time to show adcoms that you can master these tough classes. Having good experience only goes so far when the majority of the next three years will be hard class after hard class. [I don't even know what your grades were in your pre-reqs, but you do need at least a C in all pre-reqs (many will not accept a C-)].

 

[Meowmix1712]

Never anything below a C. I just generally got more C's than anything else. Did get a B in animal physiology, B- in microbiology, but C in calculus and chemistry, for example. I'm the unfortunate type of student that bombs the first test and fights my way back up, mainly due to poor study skills until my last few semesters. But I digress =) I don't foresee being discouraged from applying this go-around as, from reading up on this forum, you simply never know! My own boss (vet) had to apply 5 times.

I have started researching what my local community college has for upper level classes and there are a couple that may count, so we shall see how this plays out!

 

[that redhead]

Never anything below a C. I just generally got more C's than anything else. Did get a B in animal physiology, B- in microbiology, but C in calculus and chemistry, for example. I'm the unfortunate type of student that bombs the first test and fights my way back up, mainly due to poor study skills until my last few semesters. But I digress =) I don't foresee being discouraged from applying this go-around as, from reading up on this forum, you simply never know! My own boss (vet) had to apply 5 times.

I have started researching what my local community college has for upper level classes and there are a couple that may count, so we shall see how this plays out!

A close friend of mine got in on his seventh try - where there's a will there's a way! Best of luck

 

[zooanimal]

Ok, I was nervous to post all this, but can someone give me an indicator of my chances?
GPA: 3.89
Science GPA: 3.65
Last 45 hr GPA: 3.91
GRE Verbal: 161
GRE Quant: 155
GRE Writing: 5.0

Want to be a zoo/wildlife vet. Worked at a small animal clinic ~500 hours, shadowed a horse vet ~50 hours, did a research project at the Georgia Aquarium with a vet ~250 hours, time with Zoo Atlanta vets while working as a keeper ~50 hours.

Other: Worked as a research student at Zoo Atlanta on primates ~200 hours, worked in a zebrafish biomedical research lab ~400 hours, worked as a zookeeper at Zoo Atlanta 3 summers (animal experience) ~1000 hours, fostered Atlanta Humane Society dogs/cats for 2 years.

Extracurricular, other: president of pre-vet club, secretary of a microbiology honor society, member of equestrian team for a year, worked as an office assistant at an infectious disease clinic (humans), member of an a cappella group on campus and symphonic band (these don't really have to do with anything but I guess show that I'm involved?)

Letters of Recommendation from:
-Veterinarian I did research with at the Georgia Aquarium
-Curator at Zoo Atlanta
-Professor/Advisor on campus

My concerns are that I don't have as much veterinary experience as it seems that everyone else does. It all adds up to ~850 hours, because most of my time was spent as a zookeeper. I felt that the time I spent working at Zoo Atlanta was useful, because I learned a lot about the field I want to go into, but it seems like a lot of people have thousands of hours of vet experience. Any input would be great!

I applied to UGA, UF, Auburn, and NC State.

 

[krrogers15]

Hello,

I have always wanted to be a veterinarian every since I was 5 years old.

Right now I am a junior in college and am planning on applying for veterinary school this coming summer/fall. My current GPA is a 3.84, I take between 18-19 credits per semester. I am in the honor program currently working on my honors thesis. I have done volunteer work at animal shelters and a canine rehab and fitness center. I have done internships at a small animal veterinary hospital with general medicine and a specialist in orthopedics, and at a zoo. I am currently doing an internship at a mixed animal practice working with both small and large animals. So I currently have 500 veterinary hours plus 200 hours animal experience. I have had some leadership opportunities such as being a peer mentor, tutor and president of a club on campus. I am waiting to hear back on a job opportunity at the small animal practice that I did the internship with. I have two recommendations from veterinarians. I have not taken the GRE yet but plan on it very soon.

So based on the information that I have provided what do you think my chances are? What do you think I can improve on? Also what is considered a good GRE score for those of you who may have taken it or gotten into vet school?

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[epivetlove]

It would be more appropriate to post this info in the stickied "What Are My Chances?" thread which is at the top of the page. Keeps the forum tidy.

 

[epivetlove]

Ok, I was nervous to post all this, but can someone give me an indicator of my chances?
GPA: 3.89
Science GPA: 3.65
Last 45 hr GPA: 3.91
GRE Verbal: 161
GRE Quant: 155
GRE Writing: 5.0

Want to be a zoo/wildlife vet. Worked at a small animal clinic ~500 hours, shadowed a horse vet ~50 hours, did a research project at the Georgia Aquarium with a vet ~250 hours, time with Zoo Atlanta vets while working as a keeper ~50 hours.

Other: Worked as a research student at Zoo Atlanta on primates ~200 hours, worked in a zebrafish biomedical research lab ~400 hours, worked as a zookeeper at Zoo Atlanta 3 summers (animal experience) ~1000 hours, fostered Atlanta Humane Society dogs/cats for 2 years.

Extracurricular, other: president of pre-vet club, secretary of a microbiology honor society, member of equestrian team for a year, worked as an office assistant at an infectious disease clinic (humans), member of an a cappella group on campus and symphonic band (these don't really have to do with anything but I guess show that I'm involved?)

Letters of Recommendation from:
-Veterinarian I did research with at the Georgia Aquarium
-Curator at Zoo Atlanta
-Professor/Advisor on campus

My concerns are that I don't have as much veterinary experience as it seems that everyone else does. It all adds up to ~850 hours, because most of my time was spent as a zookeeper. I felt that the time I spent working at Zoo Atlanta was useful, because I learned a lot about the field I want to go into, but it seems like a lot of people have thousands of hours of vet experience. Any input would be great!

I applied to UGA, UF, Auburn, and NC State.

You should be competitive enough for interviews. Your amount of experience is fine, since you have a higher GPA to balance it out. It also helps that your experience is varied. Just keep gaining more hours and if you don't get an acceptance, be sure to do a file review at those schools that offer them. They'll be able to tell you, specifically, what you can work on for next cycle.

Good luck!

 

[zooanimal]

Great, thanks so much! Does getting an interview indicate good chances of admission? I know it depends on how your interview goes, of course...but I wasn't sure if most schools take about half their applicants for interviews or if it is more selective than that. I have a couple OOS interviews but my IS (UGA) doesn't do interviews, so that's where my concerns about my stats come in.

 

[epivetlove]

Great, thanks so much! Does getting an interview indicate good chances of admission? I know it depends on how your interview goes, of course...but I wasn't sure if most schools take about half their applicants for interviews or if it is more selective than that. I have a couple OOS interviews but my IS (UGA) doesn't do interviews, so that's where my concerns about my stats come in.

I think chances of acceptance are going to vary by school. You have to consider how many people are interviewed vs. total number of accepted (such as 150 OOS interviewed for 30 spots or 200 interviewed for 15 spots-these are completely arbitrary numbers, btw). I'm sure the schools have that information listed on their sites.

 

[krrogers15]

Hello,
I have always wanted to be a veterinarian every since I was 5 years old.

Right now I am a junior in college and am planning on applying for veterinary school this coming summer/fall. My current GPA is a 3.84, I take between 18-19 credits per semester. I am in the honor program currently working on my honors thesis. I have done volunteer work at animal shelters and a canine rehab and fitness center. I have done internships at a small animal veterinary hospital with general medicine and a specialist in orthopedics, and at a zoo. I am currently doing an internship at a mixed animal practice working with both small and large animals. So I currently have 500 veterinary hours plus 200 hours animal experience. I have had some leadership opportunities such as being a peer mentor, tutor and president of a club on campus. I am waiting to hear back on a job opportunity at the small animal practice that I did the internship with. I have two recommendations from veterinarians. I have not taken the GRE yet but plan on it very soon.

So based on the information that I have provided what do you think my chances are? What do you think I can improve on? Also what is considered a good GRE score for those of you who may have taken it or gotten into vet school?

Thanks,
Kristina

 

[anesthtc]

Hello,
I have always wanted to be a veterinarian every since I was 5 years old.

Right now I am a junior in college and am planning on applying for veterinary school this coming summer/fall. My current GPA is a 3.84, I take between 18-19 credits per semester. I am in the honor program currently working on my honors thesis. I have done volunteer work at animal shelters and a canine rehab and fitness center. I have done internships at a small animal veterinary hospital with general medicine and a specialist in orthopedics, and at a zoo. I am currently doing an internship at a mixed animal practice working with both small and large animals. So I currently have 500 veterinary hours plus 200 hours animal experience. I have had some leadership opportunities such as being a peer mentor, tutor and president of a club on campus. I am waiting to hear back on a job opportunity at the small animal practice that I did the internship with. I have two recommendations from veterinarians. I have not taken the GRE yet but plan on it very soon.

So based on the information that I have provided what do you think my chances are? What do you think I can improve on? Also what is considered a good GRE score for those of you who may have taken it or gotten into vet school?

Thanks,
Kristina

Pretty good academically. You should work on cranking out some vet hours. 500 is respectable, but putting yourself in the thousands is a safer bet. I'd also recommend getting hours at several different locations. While it's nice to be able to come to the same place and be comfortable there, it's much better to have experiences from 5 hospitals vs 1 or 2. Gives you more to talk about and a better idea of what kind of environment you want to work in.
Putting yourself in the 90th percentiles on GRE is good for getting attention. 80th percentiles are pretty safe.

 

[wildcatj]

Hello,
I have always wanted to be a veterinarian every since I was 5 years old.

Right now I am a junior in college and am planning on applying for veterinary school this coming summer/fall. My current GPA is a 3.84, I take between 18-19 credits per semester. I am in the honor program currently working on my honors thesis. I have done volunteer work at animal shelters and a canine rehab and fitness center. I have done internships at a small animal veterinary hospital with general medicine and a specialist in orthopedics, and at a zoo. I am currently doing an internship at a mixed animal practice working with both small and large animals. So I currently have 500 veterinary hours plus 200 hours animal experience. I have had some leadership opportunities such as being a peer mentor, tutor and president of a club on campus. I am waiting to hear back on a job opportunity at the small animal practice that I did the internship with. I have two recommendations from veterinarians. I have not taken the GRE yet but plan on it very soon.

So based on the information that I have provided what do you think my chances are? What do you think I can improve on? Also what is considered a good GRE score for those of you who may have taken it or gotten into vet school?

Thanks,
Kristina

Grades look great, and your experience is pretty good. I didn't have any equine or large animal experience when I applied and I did just fine (and your GPA is a little higher than mine). If you can try to get a little large animal/equine to round out your experience, but otherwise just keep accumulating hours. I would aim for 75th percentile on your GRE, but definitely get higher if you can. I think that would be ok with the rest of your stats though.

 

[krrogers15]

Grades look great, and your experience is pretty good. I didn't have any equine or large animal experience when I applied and I did just fine (and your GPA is a little higher than mine). If you can try to get a little large animal/equine to round out your experience, but otherwise just keep accumulating hours. I would aim for 75th percentile on your GRE, but definitely get higher if you can. I think that would be ok with the rest of your stats though.

Thanks. My lowest grade is a B+ (not in science courses), and I only have four of those the rest are A's. With the way I have been doing academically I could end up getting at a 3.9 GPA at graduation time. Technically I could graduate a semester early but I am planning on taking another 19 credits with more recommended classes. I want to be a mixed animal veterinarian. At the internship that I have now I have exposure to the large animal/equine aspect, I even get to go on farm calls.

Where did you apply?

 

[wildcatj]

Thanks. My lowest grade is a B+ (not in science courses), and I only have four of those the rest are A's. With the way I have been doing academically I could end up getting at a 3.9 GPA at graduation time. Technically I could graduate a semester early but I am planning on taking another 19 credits with more recommended classes. I want to be a mixed animal veterinarian. At the internship that I have now I have exposure to the large animal/equine aspect, I even get to go on farm calls.

Where did you apply?

You can see all my specific stats in the successful applicants thread from last year: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ant-stats-of-2017.970957/page-2#post-13629445
I posted where I applied there too.

 

[bam15]

Hi everyone! Very nervous to post, but I am applying this fall and wanted some opinions!


Virginia Tech Class of 2015
B.S. Biological Sciences
B.S. Animal and Poultry Sciences (Livestock Emphasis)
Minor Chemistry
Minor Leadership and Social Change


Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.5


GRE Quan 158
GRE Verbal 157


Experience:
Small Animal Clinic 1100 (three summers working 40 hours per week in a prestigious, busy animal hospital)

The only formal LA work I have is in class. I have halter broken cattle, feed cattle, raised my own litter of pigs, and am generally proficient and comfortable with all livestock.

I have been a TA for an Intro to Animal Science course for the past four semesters, I have been a TA for four leadership classes, and I TA a freshman Bio class.

I lead service trips- I have gone lead trips, mostly focusing on construction to Oklahoma, New York, The Dominican Republic, W. Virginia, Tennessee, I also led a weekly trip to the local Humane Society.

I am an RA on campus.

I have been a speaker at numerous leadership conferences

I put together science/education events for kids aged 8-12 starting with a few kids, and now we have +400 kids coming to an event this weekend about math and we do events across the region now. I have applied for and won +$20,000 in grants for this program.

I did Bio-Fuels research or a semester? Long enough to learn that I hated it haha


My GPA is my major downfall, but I have challenged myself academically- you won't find any "fluff" classes in my transcript. I have accomplished a tremendous amount of things in my three years in undergrad, I am a great writer, I am a great leader, I will have exemplary letters of rec (I am on a first name basis with the dean of the college of science and regularly go to dinner parties at his house with professors in the department, I trained for a marathon with one of my professors, I dog sit for the dean of the college of engineering, and the vets at my animal hospital love me). I know that I can rock any interview I walk into- but that is just the issue, I need to get there first!

So my question- do you think my other experiences can help out with my GPA?

I also have NO IDEA where to apply! I know I am applying to VMRCVM, but outside of that I have no idea.

 

[gumtree]

Hi everyone! Very nervous to post, but I am applying this fall and wanted some opinions!


Virginia Tech Class of 2015
B.S. Biological Sciences
B.S. Animal and Poultry Sciences (Livestock Emphasis)
Minor Chemistry
Minor Leadership and Social Change


Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.5


GRE Quan 158
GRE Verbal 157


Experience:
Small Animal Clinic 1100 (three summers working 40 hours per week in a prestigious, busy animal hospital)

The only formal LA work I have is in class. I have halter broken cattle, feed cattle, raised my own litter of pigs, and am generally proficient and comfortable with all livestock.

I have been a TA for an Intro to Animal Science course for the past four semesters, I have been a TA for four leadership classes, and I TA a freshman Bio class.

I lead service trips- I have gone lead trips, mostly focusing on construction to Oklahoma, New York, The Dominican Republic, W. Virginia, Tennessee, I also led a weekly trip to the local Humane Society.

I am an RA on campus.

I have been a speaker at numerous leadership conferences

I put together science/education events for kids aged 8-12 starting with a few kids, and now we have +400 kids coming to an event this weekend about math and we do events across the region now. I have applied for and won +$20,000 in grants for this program.

I did Bio-Fuels research or a semester? Long enough to learn that I hated it haha


My GPA is my major downfall, but I have challenged myself academically- you won't find any "fluff" classes in my transcript. I have accomplished a tremendous amount of things in my three years in undergrad, I am a great writer, I am a great leader, I will have exemplary letters of rec (I am on a first name basis with the dean of the college of science and regularly go to dinner parties at his house with professors in the department, I trained for a marathon with one of my professors, I dog sit for the dean of the college of engineering, and the vets at my animal hospital love me). I know that I can rock any interview I walk into- but that is just the issue, I need to get there first!

So my question- do you think my other experiences can help out with my GPA?

I also have NO IDEA where to apply! I know I am applying to VMRCVM, but outside of that I have no idea.

I think you'll be fine. I got in with your GPA and not nearly as much leadership experience as you have listed.

 

[that redhead]

Hi everyone! Very nervous to post, but I am applying this fall and wanted some opinions!


Virginia Tech Class of 2015
B.S. Biological Sciences
B.S. Animal and Poultry Sciences (Livestock Emphasis)
Minor Chemistry
Minor Leadership and Social Change


Overall GPA: 3.3
Science GPA: 3.5
Overall GPA: 3.5


GRE Quan 158
GRE Verbal 157


Experience:
Small Animal Clinic 1100 (three summers working 40 hours per week in a prestigious, busy animal hospital)

The only formal LA work I have is in class. I have halter broken cattle, feed cattle, raised my own litter of pigs, and am generally proficient and comfortable with all livestock.

I have been a TA for an Intro to Animal Science course for the past four semesters, I have been a TA for four leadership classes, and I TA a freshman Bio class.

I lead service trips- I have gone lead trips, mostly focusing on construction to Oklahoma, New York, The Dominican Republic, W. Virginia, Tennessee, I also led a weekly trip to the local Humane Society.

I am an RA on campus.

I have been a speaker at numerous leadership conferences

I put together science/education events for kids aged 8-12 starting with a few kids, and now we have +400 kids coming to an event this weekend about math and we do events across the region now. I have applied for and won +$20,000 in grants for this program.

I did Bio-Fuels research or a semester? Long enough to learn that I hated it haha


My GPA is my major downfall, but I have challenged myself academically- you won't find any "fluff" classes in my transcript. I have accomplished a tremendous amount of things in my three years in undergrad, I am a great writer, I am a great leader, I will have exemplary letters of rec (I am on a first name basis with the dean of the college of science and regularly go to dinner parties at his house with professors in the department, I trained for a marathon with one of my professors, I dog sit for the dean of the college of engineering, and the vets at my animal hospital love me). I know that I can rock any interview I walk into- but that is just the issue, I need to get there first!

So my question- do you think my other experiences can help out with my GPA?

I also have NO IDEA where to apply! I know I am applying to VMRCVM, but outside of that I have no idea.

Your grades will be a bit on the low side for VMRCVM (you have two "overall" GPAs listed, so I'll assume the 3.3 is your cumulative), although it's great that you have a strong science GPA. VMRCVM weighs grades pretty heavily - 50% if it's the same from when I applied a few years ago.

I also think you could use more diversity of experiences for any school you apply to. You have a lot of good community experiences with leadership and all, and while 1100 vet hours is solid, it's all at one place. You don't have any other veterinary experiences in large animal, research, equine, etc, which I think could come back to hurt you with a lower cumulative GPA.

That all being said, I would apply pretty broadly. Look at programs that accept a decent number of OOS students and focus on science or pre-req or last 45 (not sure how your last 45 are, though).

 

[WildZoo]

Hey guys! I'll be applying in the fall and I just wanted to get some advice on what I could do to improve my application with the time I have left. Thanks!

20, Female, FL resident, University of Pittsburgh undergrad

Majors – Biological Sciences and English Fiction Writing

Minors – Chemistry and English Literature

Graduating Spring 2015

I’ll have enough credits to get two separate degrees, a BS in Bio and a BA in Writing, which is exciting for me but may not mean anything to vet schools

Applying:

Florida, Penn, NCSU, UTK


Academics:
I started undergrad with 37 credits from AP/IB exams and have averaged 16 credits per semester
Cum GPA:3.7
Last 45:3.68 (this will obviously be different when I actually apply and will not include the semester where I got a C in organic chem 2)
Overall Science: 3.5
GRE:Taking in April


Experience:
Veterinary: 320

170 as a volunteer in clinic/surgery at two different shelters (this is ongoing ~6 hours/wk)

50 at a private practice small animal hospital

100 as a hospital intern at the National Aviary (also ongoing until May ~18 hours/wk)


Animal: 270

200 as a cat care/dog walking/foster volunteer at the same two shelters

65 as a keeper assistant at a zoo (split between mammal and bird areas)

5 at a wildlife rehab center

I'm also planning on applying for a 6 week internship at a wildlife sanctuary this summer, which will provide mostly animal experience but should provide some vet experience too.

Research:None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester so far

Not sure if we can even include awards prior to undergrad but:

Honors College Full Tuition Merit Scholarship

National Merit Semifinalist

International Baccalaureate Degree

AP Honors Scholar


Extracurricular activities:
Fiction writing: This is my biggest extracurricular, and obviously my second major. So far I’ve had two short stories published in the last year and a half.

Book Clubs: I’ve been a member of both the SciFi and Dystopias book clubs here for multiple semesters

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (one from one of the shelters I’ve worked at for 2 years, one from the National Aviary)

1 science professor/advisor (haven’t decided who this will be yet)

1 literature professor (I’ve had 4 classes with him and he knows me better than anyone else here)

 

[anesthtc]

Hey guys! I'll be applying in the fall and I just wanted to get some advice on what I could do to improve my application with the time I have left. Thanks!

20, Female, FL resident, University of Pittsburgh undergrad

Majors – Biological Sciences and English Fiction Writing

Minors – Chemistry and English Literature

Graduating Spring 2015

I’ll have enough credits to get two separate degrees, a BS in Bio and a BA in Writing, which is exciting for me but may not mean anything to vet schools

Applying:

Florida, Penn, NCSU, UTK


Academics:
Cum GPA:3.7
Last 45:3.68 (this will obviously be different when I actually apply and will not include the semester where I got a C in organic chem 2)
Overall Science: 3.5
GRE:Taking in April


Experience:
Veterinary: 320

170 as a volunteer in clinic/surgery at two different shelters (this is ongoing ~6 hours/wk)

50 at a private practice small animal hospital

100 as a hospital intern at the National Aviary (also ongoing until May ~18 hours/wk)


Animal: 270

200 as a cat care/dog walking/foster volunteer at the same two shelters

65 as a keeper assistant at a zoo (split between mammal and bird areas)

5 at a wildlife rehab center

I'm also planning on applying for a 6 week internship at a wildlife sanctuary this summer, which will provide mostly animal experience but should provide some vet experience too.

Research:None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester so far

Not sure if we can even include awards prior to undergrad but:

Honors College Full Tuition Merit Scholarship

National Merit Semifinalist

International Baccalaureate Degree

AP Honors Scholar


Extracurricular activities:
Fiction writing: This is my biggest extracurricular, and obviously my second major. So far I’ve had two short stories published in the last year and a half.

Book Clubs: I’ve been a member of both the SciFi and Dystopias book clubs here for multiple semesters

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (one from one of the shelters I’ve worked at for 2 years, one from the National Aviary)

1 science professor/advisor (haven’t decided who this will be yet)

1 literature professor (I’ve had 4 classes with him and he knows me better than anyone else here)

if i were you i'd pick up a full time summer job at a veterinary clinic. your vet hours are on the low side, and it's not really something that you want interviewers using to question your drive to be a vet. you're going up against people with thousands of vet hours. you've still got some time so make sure you use it well.

 

[WildZoo]

if i were you i'd pick up a full time summer job at a veterinary clinic. your vet hours are on the low side, and it's not really something that you want interviewers using to question your drive to be a vet. you're going up against people with thousands of vet hours. you've still got some time so make sure you use it well.

I've tried that last summer and couldn't get a job anywhere. The problem seems to be that most places don't want to hire someone knowing that they'll be leaving in 3 or 4 months. I think I could increase the amount of time that I work at the shelter though. If I went every weekday that they're open it would bring me to 20 hours a week over the course of the summer.
If you have suggestions for the kinds of places I could apply, I would appreciate that!

 

[orca2011]

Hey guys! I'll be applying in the fall and I just wanted to get some advice on what I could do to improve my application with the time I have left. Thanks!

20, Female, FL resident, University of Pittsburgh undergrad

Majors – Biological Sciences and English Fiction Writing

Minors – Chemistry and English Literature

Graduating Spring 2015

I’ll have enough credits to get two separate degrees, a BS in Bio and a BA in Writing, which is exciting for me but may not mean anything to vet schools

Applying:

Florida, Penn, NCSU, UTK


Academics:
I started undergrad with 37 credits from AP/IB exams and have averaged 16 credits per semester
Cum GPA:3.7
Last 45:3.68 (this will obviously be different when I actually apply and will not include the semester where I got a C in organic chem 2)
Overall Science: 3.5
GRE:Taking in April


Experience:
Veterinary: 320

170 as a volunteer in clinic/surgery at two different shelters (this is ongoing ~6 hours/wk)

50 at a private practice small animal hospital

100 as a hospital intern at the National Aviary (also ongoing until May ~18 hours/wk)


Animal: 270

200 as a cat care/dog walking/foster volunteer at the same two shelters

65 as a keeper assistant at a zoo (split between mammal and bird areas)

5 at a wildlife rehab center

I'm also planning on applying for a 6 week internship at a wildlife sanctuary this summer, which will provide mostly animal experience but should provide some vet experience too.

Research:None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester so far

Not sure if we can even include awards prior to undergrad but:

Honors College Full Tuition Merit Scholarship

National Merit Semifinalist

International Baccalaureate Degree

AP Honors Scholar


Extracurricular activities:
Fiction writing: This is my biggest extracurricular, and obviously my second major. So far I’ve had two short stories published in the last year and a half.

Book Clubs: I’ve been a member of both the SciFi and Dystopias book clubs here for multiple semesters

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (one from one of the shelters I’ve worked at for 2 years, one from the National Aviary)

1 science professor/advisor (haven’t decided who this will be yet)

1 literature professor (I’ve had 4 classes with him and he knows me better than anyone else here)

GPA wise, I think you have a shot at Penn (didn't apply to the others so I can't really speak for them...I do know that NCSU has like 3 ways to calculate OOS GPA and if you're below one of them, you're rejected). My overall GPA was lower but last 45th was a bit higher. No idea how my GRE scores compare now. I think Verbal was around the high 70 percentile and Quant was in the 60s and writing in the 90s.

As for as animal/vet experience, I was around the same hours as you and was granted interviews at many of the schools I applied too and accepted to 4 of them. I updated schools throughout the process of any new experiences and made it clear on my VMCAS application that I would continue gathering hours while I waited to hear back. I would definitely try to get more hours and in more areas. Try to contact some equine/food animal vets and try to get some shadowing hours in there. Also contact referral hospitals. Might still be small animal, but you'll still be seeing another part of the field. I will say that I believe my job as a Lab Assistant all throughout college helped make up for my lower end of vet/animal hours.

 

[that redhead]

Hey guys! I'll be applying in the fall and I just wanted to get some advice on what I could do to improve my application with the time I have left. Thanks!

20, Female, FL resident, University of Pittsburgh undergrad

Majors – Biological Sciences and English Fiction Writing

Minors – Chemistry and English Literature

Graduating Spring 2015

I’ll have enough credits to get two separate degrees, a BS in Bio and a BA in Writing, which is exciting for me but may not mean anything to vet schools

Applying:

Florida, Penn, NCSU, UTK


Academics:
I started undergrad with 37 credits from AP/IB exams and have averaged 16 credits per semester
Cum GPA:3.7
Last 45:3.68 (this will obviously be different when I actually apply and will not include the semester where I got a C in organic chem 2)
Overall Science: 3.5
GRE:Taking in April


Experience:
Veterinary: 320

170 as a volunteer in clinic/surgery at two different shelters (this is ongoing ~6 hours/wk)

50 at a private practice small animal hospital

100 as a hospital intern at the National Aviary (also ongoing until May ~18 hours/wk)


Animal: 270

200 as a cat care/dog walking/foster volunteer at the same two shelters

65 as a keeper assistant at a zoo (split between mammal and bird areas)

5 at a wildlife rehab center

I'm also planning on applying for a 6 week internship at a wildlife sanctuary this summer, which will provide mostly animal experience but should provide some vet experience too.

Research:None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester so far

Not sure if we can even include awards prior to undergrad but:

Honors College Full Tuition Merit Scholarship

National Merit Semifinalist

International Baccalaureate Degree

AP Honors Scholar


Extracurricular activities:
Fiction writing: This is my biggest extracurricular, and obviously my second major. So far I’ve had two short stories published in the last year and a half.

Book Clubs: I’ve been a member of both the SciFi and Dystopias book clubs here for multiple semesters

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (one from one of the shelters I’ve worked at for 2 years, one from the National Aviary)

1 science professor/advisor (haven’t decided who this will be yet)

1 literature professor (I’ve had 4 classes with him and he knows me better than anyone else here)

Your veterinary hours are really the weak point, both in quantity and diversity (they're all essentially small animal hours). I agree that you should give a vet clinic another shot, or at least increase your hours at the shelter with the vet. I think it's important that you have some kind of large animal or equine in there, but I believe Penn will accept less diversity if all of the experience is the field you intend to practice in.

 

[WildZoo]

GPA wise, I think you have a shot at Penn (didn't apply to the others so I can't really speak for them...I do know that NCSU has like 3 ways to calculate OOS GPA and if you're below one of them, you're rejected). My overall GPA was lower but last 45th was a bit higher. No idea how my GRE scores compare now. I think Verbal was around the high 70 percentile and Quant was in the 60s and writing in the 90s.

As for as animal/vet experience, I was around the same hours as you and was granted interviews at many of the schools I applied too and accepted to 4 of them. I updated schools throughout the process of any new experiences and made it clear on my VMCAS application that I would continue gathering hours while I waited to hear back. I would definitely try to get more hours and in more areas. Try to contact some equine/food animal vets and try to get some shadowing hours in there. Also contact referral hospitals. Might still be small animal, but you'll still be seeing another part of the field. I will say that I believe my job as a Lab Assistant all throughout college helped make up for my lower end of vet/animal hours.

Yeah NCSU has a 3.4 requirement for overall, science, and last 45 for OOS, so right now I'm ok (as long as I calculated everything correctly). I tend to do really well on standardized tests and I'm starting my GRE studying now, so I'm not too worried about that.

Thanks for the advice. I should have almost 600 hours by the end of the semester if all goes well, and then I'll have to figure out what to do over the summer. I guess I'll focus on looking around for an opportunity to at least shadow a large animal vet.

Your veterinary hours are really the weak point, both in quantity and diversity (they're all essentially small animal hours). I agree that you should give a vet clinic another shot, or at least increase your hours at the shelter with the vet. I think it's important that you have some kind of large animal or equine in there, but I believe Penn will accept less diversity if all of the experience is the field you intend to practice in.

I didn't realize that the aviary would still be seen as small animal? I guess if it is only split into small vs large that is true, since birds are small, but I thought exotics were a different category, especially since the aviary is a zoo. At any rate, thanks for the advice.

 

[that redhead]

I didn't realize that the aviary would still be seen as small animal? I guess if it is only split into small vs large that is true, since birds are small, but I thought exotics were a different category, especially since the aviary is a zoo. At any rate, thanks for the advice.

I could definitely see it counting as exotics in that case. I think the large animal and/or equine is definitely worth trying for, though. Good luck

 

[erin25]

/

 

[erin25]

/

 

[epivetlove]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you in advance for reading this post. I've been reading through many of the pre-vet threads, and would appreciate some input on my current situation.

To summarize: I've spent the past few years of my life preparing for medical school (hospital internships, shadowing, etc.) and have taken the MCAT and completed all necessary pre-reqs. I haven't applied yet, and was actually getting ready to start studying for the MCAT again, until I recently had a life changing epiphany. I've ALWAYS had a passion for animals. ALWAYS. I just never indulged myself in thinking that I wanted to professionally work with animals. I don't know why, but my entire life I've always had the mindset of going to medical school and becoming a human doc, but as I've gained more life experience, I've started to question "Why?".

Anyways, I've volunteered with animals as long as I can remember, in many different capacities. Most recently, I've been working with various rescue groups and shelter animal medicine, which I think is what really sparked this change of heart. I adopted a senior, special needs pit bull last year who was used as a bait dog, backyard breeder (her docs estimate 12+ litters), she recently had to have a total ear canal ablation and bulla osteotomy due to MRSA and Pseudomonas infections (her ears were horrifically cropped off), and beat cancer among many other things. Anyways, working with her and many different vets and hospitals has been an eye opening experience for me, in combination with my recent shelter animal medicine experiences. So I'm at the point where I'm highly debating a career switch, and gearing towards applying to vet school.

Here are my various credentials/experiences:

Undergrad: BS in Molecular and Developmental Bio, GPA 3.3, graduated in 3 years (in 2011).
Grad School: MS in Global Health, GPA 3.9, graduated in 1 year. I took a couple zoonotic classes here which REALLY captivated me.
MCAT: 30 (I think only 2 schools accept MCAT...Cornell and Western)
Haven't taken the GRE

I think you're on the right track if you truly do want to make the career switch, though know that you'll be fincially better off as a human doctor, so really consider if you would be happy to go that route while working with animals on the side. Your grades are decent, but you should try and calculate a true cumulative, as well as a science (or pre-req) GPA. You may have to take some other courses such as animal science and animal nutrition. Those are usually universal to all the US vet schools. Definitely get more experience and at multiple clinics. The more exposure to the field, the better. It'll also help to cement the decision to switch from human to veterinary medicine. I'm sure someone else can offer some more input, but that's my 2 cents! Good luck!

 

[erin25]

Great, thanks so much for the feedback. I completely agree about taking a couple of animal science classes. I am fully aware of the discrepancies between human med and vet med; I'm not worried about it. Money is not a deciding factor for me, just want to be happy and love what I do!

I think you're on the right track if you truly do want to make the career switch, though know that you'll be fincially better off as a human doctor, so really consider if you would be happy to go that route while working with animals on the side. Your grades are decent, but you should try and calculate a true cumulative, as well as a science (or pre-req) GPA. If may have to take some other courses such as animal science and animal nutrition. Those are usually universal to all the US schools. Definitely get more experience and at multiple clinics. The more exposure to the field, the better. It'll also help to cement the decision to switch from human to veterinary medicine. I'm sure someone else can offer some more input, but that's my 2 cents! Good luck!

 

[JaynaAli]

Do you think my main weakness is my vet experience, and that I need to immediately build upon that in order to get a vet eLOR?

I definitely think your lack of vet hours is the weak point of your application. Many many vet students have thousands of hours in different aspects of vet med. While the shelter program and your Africa stuff are cool unique experiences, your application would greatly benefit from several hundred more hours in general private practice or something similar like a specialty clinic or emergency med. Shelter med can be quite different from general practice because of the owners you have to deal with, which is a huge aspect of vet med. Make sure it is really what you want to do. I'd also seriously consider the debt to income ratio of vet med compared to human med as mentioned above as well. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, we just want you to be aware of what you're in for if you choose to pursue vet med instead of human med. Good luck!

Edited to add: I now see your reply that you know the differences, which is great. Get on those vet experience hours and I think it'll help you decide if that is what you want to do.

 

[erin25]

Thanks so much for your reply. One of my closest friends is an ER vet, so I've definitely heard a lot of the downsides and difficulties involved in dealing with clients and hardships when it comes to your patients (obviously I haven't experienced it first hand, and I'm not claiming to know exactly what its like or how it feels; I've just heard a lot of his rants!). I do know that I need that actual experience to be able to add to my application. My question is; is it OK for those hours to be in progress upon application? Say I gain some sort of position with a private practice/clinic/hospital etc. in the near future, and have a hundred hours or so by the time I apply. As long as I continue that position after application, would that balance it out? Especially since I have over a thousand hours of animal experience? I know it may be a subjective question, but I do appreciate your input as well as anyone else. Thank you!!

I definitely think your lack of vet hours is the weak point of your application. Many many vet students have thousands of hours in different aspects of vet med. While the shelter program and your Africa stuff are cool unique experiences, your application would greatly benefit from several hundred more hours in general private practice or something similar like a specialty clinic or emergency med. Shelter med can be quite different from general practice because of the owners you have to deal with, which is a huge aspect of vet med. Make sure it is really what you want to do. I'd also seriously consider the debt to income ratio of vet med compared to human med as mentioned above as well. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, we just want you to be aware of what you're in for if you choose to pursue vet med instead of human med. Good luck!

Edited to add: I now see your reply that you know the differences, which is great. Get on those vet experience hours and I think it'll help you decide if that is what you want to do.

 

[JaynaAli]

I'd think if you make it clear on your app that you're still gaining more it would be okay (and certainly better than nothing!), but just get as many hours as you possibly can in the time between now and whenever you apply. I think that's the weak spot of what you posted right now, but luckily that's one of the easier things to get compared to someone who has to do something like raising a low GPA.

 

[TheComfyCat]

. My question is; is it OK for those hours to be in progress upon application? Say I gain some sort of position with a private practice/clinic/hospital etc. in the near future, and have a hundred hours or so by the time I apply. As long as I continue that position after application, would that balance it out? Especially since I have over a thousand hours of animal experience? I know it may be a subjective question, but I do appreciate your input as well as anyone else. Thank you!!

Some schools have minimum requirements for vet hours, so just make sure you have enough hours for each school you apply to. Generally speaking, though, animal hours don't really make up for a lack of vet hours (except maybe for Western).

Hopefully those vet experience hours will help you decide whether or not vet med is really for you.

 

[that redhead]

Thanks so much for your reply. One of my closest friends is an ER vet, so I've definitely heard a lot of the downsides and difficulties involved in dealing with clients and hardships when it comes to your patients (obviously I haven't experienced it first hand, and I'm not claiming to know exactly what its like or how it feels; I've just heard a lot of his rants!). I do know that I need that actual experience to be able to add to my application. My question is; is it OK for those hours to be in progress upon application? Say I gain some sort of position with a private practice/clinic/hospital etc. in the near future, and have a hundred hours or so by the time I apply. As long as I continue that position after application, would that balance it out? Especially since I have over a thousand hours of animal experience? I know it may be a subjective question, but I do appreciate your input as well as anyone else. Thank you!!

Yes, your hours can be "in progress" but 100 hours with work in progress will not be enough to tide you over in adcom's eyes, especially since your GPA is average or even slightly low. The good news is, you have a lot of time before applications are due and can crank out some solid hours before then. I'd recommend diversity if you can, but don't stretch yourself too thin.

Vet med applications differ very strongly from human med applications in that experience working with a professional in the field is valued a lot more. In human med I see people get in with <50 hours of shadowing; it seems to be more of a numbers game than anything. Working directly with a vet demonstrates that you have been exposed to the field and have likely had the chance to recognize some of the tough points of vet med (euthanasia, clients with little or no money for treatments, etc). Not that your animal experience hours are worthless, but you really need to be able to say, "Look, I've spent time in a veterinary setting and I have an idea of what the job is going to entail." This is especially important in your case as you're making a switch between fields - admissions committees are going to want to know for darn sure that you're making an informed decision.

Overall, you stand a chance if you put in the work to get those hours. You may want to look through the forum and find previous "Successful Applicant" threads for an idea of people's hours. Good luck!

 

[Scarlettmorgana]

I had a long message posted here. Since I can't delete this is all I could do. I got the problem fixed and thanks to anyone who considered my situation!

 

[Swongy]

Hello everyone!!

I am a female NYS resident, college graduate. I am traditional in the sense that I have not had previous majors and/or life-changing moments. I am currently taking 2 years off so gain some more experience and work on my GREs.

Just looking for some general input. all advice is greatly valued!

Education:
Undergrad in Biology
cum GPA: 3.87
science GPA: 3.79
last 45 credits GPA: 3.92
GRE: just took them (literally, just came home from the exam- ha!) 150 V, 156 Q, still waiting for the AW. NOW, this is where I am contemplating about taking them again. I've read that most schools, in order to be competitive, require at least a 75% + on the GRE for each section. I haven't received the percentile grades yet, but I am pretty banking on taking them again, just to help me sleep better at night during admissions.

Awards:
Dean's list all four years, every semester

Vet Experience:
- 2300 hours at a small animal clinic as a veterinary assistant. most tasks involved those of a vet tech
- 100+ hours at a mixed animal practice
- 1000 hours at a zoo hospital as a vet tech intern

Research Experience:
- 1000 hours doing some biological research, working with african trypanosomes- involved a lot of mice work and lab techniques
- 400 hours volunteering at a horse farm

Animal Experience:
- 500+ hours working as an animal care taker and educator at a petting zoo
- 800+ hours dog and cat sitting/grooming/walking

Extracurricular:
- secretary and member of animal service club on campus
- member of culinary cuisine club
- volunteer at a park conservancy club

I will be applying to my IS (Cornell), as well as about five other schools: UPenn, NCSU, Ohio, Illinois, St. Ross.

Thanks again and in advance for all advice!!

 

[cadisestrama]

Hello everyone!!

I am a female NYS resident, college graduate. I am traditional in the sense that I have not had previous majors and/or life-changing moments. I am currently taking 2 years off so gain some more experience and work on my GREs.

Just looking for some general input. all advice is greatly valued!

Education:
Undergrad in Biology
cum GPA: 3.87
science GPA: 3.79
last 45 credits GPA: 3.92
GRE: just took them (literally, just came home from the exam- ha!) 150 V, 156 Q, still waiting for the AW. NOW, this is where I am contemplating about taking them again. I've read that most schools, in order to be competitive, require at least a 75% + on the GRE for each section. I haven't received the percentile grades yet, but I am pretty banking on taking them again, just to help me sleep better at night during admissions.

Awards:
Dean's list all four years, every semester

Vet Experience:
- 2300 hours at a small animal clinic as a veterinary assistant. most tasks involved those of a vet tech
- 100+ hours at a mixed animal practice
- 1000 hours at a zoo hospital as a vet tech intern

Research Experience:
- 1000 hours doing some biological research, working with african trypanosomes- involved a lot of mice work and lab techniques
- 400 hours volunteering at a horse farm

Animal Experience:
- 500+ hours working as an animal care taker and educator at a petting zoo
- 800+ hours dog and cat sitting/grooming/walking

Extracurricular:
- secretary and member of animal service club on campus
- member of culinary cuisine club
- volunteer at a park conservancy club

I will be applying to my IS (Cornell), as well as about five other schools: UPenn, NCSU, Ohio, Illinois, St. Ross.

Thanks again and in advance for all advice!!

Hi Swongy! Your stats are great! Your GPA is super high and you have a lot of experience hours that are pretty diverse too. You GRE is a little low since I think the 75% is usually in the high 150's - low 160's. HOWEVER, the GRE is only one part of your application. Though it would definitely be better to retake it. I think you have a very good chance for Ohio and Illinois, at least, and definitely Cornell. Your stats are better than mine and I received interview invites from both Ohio and Illinois. I was rejected from Cornell, but your stats are much better than mine and you are IS so I feel that your chances of getting into Cornell are very high. I'm not sure about NCSU and St. Ross since I didn't appply to St. Ross and I don't know how NCSU decides its OOS students since they only take a few... and there are a lot of OOS applicants. Just keep/continue getting experience and I think you have a very good chance of getting in for the c/o 2019 cycle.

 

[that redhead]

@Swongy, I would apply next cycle - your stats look great

 

[Swongy]

Thank you so much @cadisestrama and @that redhead !!

 

[dovelover]

Hey guys! I'll be applying in the fall and I just wanted to get some advice on what I could do to improve my application with the time I have left. Thanks!

20, Female, FL resident, University of Pittsburgh undergrad

Majors – Biological Sciences and English Fiction Writing

Minors – Chemistry and English Literature

Graduating Spring 2015

I’ll have enough credits to get two separate degrees, a BS in Bio and a BA in Writing, which is exciting for me but may not mean anything to vet schools

Applying:

Florida, Penn, NCSU, UTK


Academics:
I started undergrad with 37 credits from AP/IB exams and have averaged 16 credits per semester
Cum GPA:3.7
Last 45:3.68 (this will obviously be different when I actually apply and will not include the semester where I got a C in organic chem 2)
Overall Science: 3.5
GRE:Taking in April


Experience:
Veterinary: 320

170 as a volunteer in clinic/surgery at two different shelters (this is ongoing ~6 hours/wk)

50 at a private practice small animal hospital

100 as a hospital intern at the National Aviary (also ongoing until May ~18 hours/wk)


Animal: 270

200 as a cat care/dog walking/foster volunteer at the same two shelters

65 as a keeper assistant at a zoo (split between mammal and bird areas)

5 at a wildlife rehab center

I'm also planning on applying for a 6 week internship at a wildlife sanctuary this summer, which will provide mostly animal experience but should provide some vet experience too.

Research:None

Awards:
Dean's list/honor roll for all but one semester so far

Not sure if we can even include awards prior to undergrad but:

Honors College Full Tuition Merit Scholarship

National Merit Semifinalist

International Baccalaureate Degree

AP Honors Scholar


Extracurricular activities:
Fiction writing: This is my biggest extracurricular, and obviously my second major. So far I’ve had two short stories published in the last year and a half.

Book Clubs: I’ve been a member of both the SciFi and Dystopias book clubs here for multiple semesters

eLORS:
2 veterinarians (one from one of the shelters I’ve worked at for 2 years, one from the National Aviary)

1 science professor/advisor (haven’t decided who this will be yet)

1 literature professor (I’ve had 4 classes with him and he knows me better than anyone else here)

I realize you posed like 2 weeks ago, but when I saw your experiences I just had to comment...
I used to work as a vet tech in the hospital at the National Aviary . I'm guessing I probably don't know you though since I left at the beginning of last August and you've only been there for about 100 hours so far. I got into 3 vet schools & waitlisted at UF with my primary vet experience coming from the aviary (granted, I had about 1500 hours as an intern there when I applied--I kinda just never wanted to leave). If you're getting a recommendation from Dr. Fish, that will be pretty powerful. She's pretty well known in her field and has written many many vet school recommendations (which I believe is something they ask on the eLOR). Especially at UF... last year I'm pretty sure I only got an interview there because it just so happened that she had graduated with a member of the admissions committee there, and he emailed her to ask about me right before they sent out the interview invites... (Now don't go telling people I told you all of this, because then I'll be embarrassed )

I will say this though, I applied to both NCSU and Penn last year with a slightly better GPA than you, excellent math and pretty good verbal GREs, and probably a bit more vet/animal experience than you'll probably be able to build up before the application deadline, and I didn't get in to either. (technically I withdrew my app from Penn, but it wasn't looking good...) While there are of course other more subjective factors that will be considered and you should certainly still apply if you want to, you may want to consider adding another couple of schools to your list. NCSU is extremely competitive for OOS. GPAs that are average at most schools are on the low end for them. Just because you meet the minimum doesn't mean you're competitive. And if I recall correctly they want you to have good solid vet experience (~300 hours I think) in three different areas. If you have a strong interest in going there, I would forgo your plans for the wildlife sanctuary this summer since you already have exotics/zoo experience and really concentrate on upping your SA vet hours and getting some LA/equine vet hours (not having any of that was a weakness in my app). As for Penn, well, I couldn't really tell you what they look for beyond the fact that I've heard the seem to prefer depth over breadth in experience, and they like it when you have research... other than that, they're kind of secretive and vague about their whole admissions process, which was part of the reason they were at the bottom of my "I want to go to--" list, despite being my IS school. Not that I want to turn you away. There are in fact plenty of people who like Penn. I just don't know any of them... (in real life, at least)

I think you'll have a pretty good chance at UF, especially given that it's your IS. I don't know anything about UTK. If I were you I'd look into adding a couple more schools to my list to improve my chances.

Have fun at the aviary!