What do I need to fix to get in?

[clparsnick]

I'm going into my third application cycle this year for vet school and it's getting to be super draining. I can't seem to get past the waitlist. So if anyone has any recc based on my stats below I would love to hear it!

Vet experience:
-I am currently an LVT who works in a low cost clinic and have over 5,000 hours.
-Wildlife internship at Cornell -240 hours
-Have hands on experience from my labs which were directly supervised by veterinarians in large, exotic, lab and small animal- 223 hours
-surigcal assistant - 160 hours
-Cattle acupuncture- 3 hours

Animal experience:
Helping restrain animals during rabies clinics- 15hrs
( dont have as much experience here since I was always working directly with a veterinarian during most of my experience during college)
Not sure if cleaning kennels and vivariums at school would count.

Certifications-
LVT
Wildlife rehabilitator class I
Fear free certified


Non animal related employment-
Tim hortons- 6 years
The children's place- 3 years
Swim instructor/lifeguard- 2 years

Volunteer-
Rabies clinics
Pet emergency fundraisers
Volunteer swim coach/lifeguard
Science in bloom


Extracurricular-
President of music and drama club where I was treasurer, costumer and stage manager of several productions.
Life science club
Vet technicians club



I will be doing a couple days of interning with a local large animal vet in June *fingers crossed* and am currently signed up to volunteer at a wildlife hospital in june as well.

Overall GPA 3.43
Last 45 3.70
Science ?? Not sure how to calculate that

I did take second half gen chem and physics at a community college.
I am currently trying to currently fix my transcripts as it says I have 3 labs that are still in progress for some reason. My school also combines lab and lecture grades so I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not?

GRE.
Quant 140
Verbal 152
Analytical writing 3.0
(I know this is bad , so I am planning on retaking my GRE this summer)

I was thinking about applying to OVC, Virginia-Maryland, Michigan, maybe Penn?

I am currently on the waitlist for OVC, but doubtful I will get off. So I'm honestly not sure what to think, I'm not sure if it's because I went to a small private school who doesn't have the credentials of a large state school? I know my GRE is a problem but I'm working hard to fix it. Sorry to ramble, I put alot of stuff up on there. But any advice would be appreciated. Also my IS is Cornell so I dont think I'll be applying there unless I do really really really well on my GRE this year.

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[Lisagk]

If you are consistently getting interviews each cycle, but getting placed on the waitlist, I would take a look at your interview skills. Clearly, you have the grades and experience for the schools to take interest in you and think that you can academically and technically succeed in their program, which is why you got the interview. What do you do to prepare for interviews? Do you practice mock interviews with trusted people to gain feedback on the impression you give and the way you articulate yourself?

 

[Lisagk]

Also, I'm sorry the process is so draining! It's hard to put your best efforts and not receive your desired outcome.
I think retaking your GRE and getting a high score will definitely help. I heard that the average GRE score for admitted students to UPenn was around 320? A lot of other school's GRE average around 305-310. Your GPA looks great, especially your last 45. I doubt admissions would ding you for taking physics and chem II from a community college, but double check with the schools you are applying to that they will accept those credits. For example, Michigan State will not accept community credits for biochemistry. Going to a small private college doesn't hurt you as long as it's an accredited school. I went to a large public school and looking back wish that I went to a smaller school just for increased faculty contact. Your school combining lab and lecture grades should not hurt you as long as your transcript is clear that those are combined. If not, you can contact the school with the syllabus so that they know it is a combined grade.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

 

[clparsnick]

Also, I'm sorry the process is so draining! It's hard to put your best efforts and not receive your desired outcome.
I think retaking your GRE and getting a high score will definitely help. I heard that the average GRE score for admitted students to UPenn was around 320? A lot of other school's GRE average around 305-310. Your GPA looks great, especially your last 45. I doubt admissions would ding you for taking physics and chem II from a community college, but double check with the schools you are applying to that they will accept those credits. For example, Michigan State will not accept community credits for biochemistry. Going to a small private college doesn't hurt you as long as it's an accredited school. I went to a large public school and looking back wish that I went to a smaller school just for increased faculty contact. Your school combining lab and lecture grades should not hurt you as long as your transcript is clear that those are combined. If not, you can contact the school with the syllabus so that they know it is a combined grade.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

I think I will try and contact the schools I am applying to about the combined grades. I know alot of fellow students who had problems with their credits transfering when trying to transfer to the larger state schools and they had to start all over again. (I personally think they do it on purpose so we dont leave). Right now they are refusing to fix my transcripts and have provided me with a letter to explain how our grading is done. So I may email those schools ahead of time with that letter now and make sure it won't be an issue when I apply. I'm just worried since they have so many people applying if they see any problems with my transcripts they'll just throw it away if they dont want to take the time to deal with it.

 

[clparsnick]

If you are consistently getting interviews each cycle, but getting placed on the waitlist, I would take a look at your interview skills. Clearly, you have the grades and experience for the schools to take interest in you and think that you can academically and technically succeed in their program, which is why you got the interview. What do you do to prepare for interviews? Do you practice mock interviews with trusted people to gain feedback on the impression you give and the way you articulate yourself?

The first cycle I did not prepare really at all and I think it really affected my performance. It was a behavioral style interview (LMU) and I'm certainly not used to talking and analyzing myself in that manner. They said it didnt affect their decision and that I did fine during my interview but I dont believe them. When I asked for a review they said my GRE math was lower then avg. My second interview at OVC was MMI format which I did do alot to prepare for and I honestly felt that I crushed it. My experience gave me an insight into alot of the scenarios, which really helped. OVC does score 30% of their decisions based on interviews, but they did not send out the interview scores this year which really sucks. I also didnt realize they dont take animal experience into account at all when making a final decision just grades and interview score. With the way they calculated it my application grade for them was about a 3.5 so probably lower then the other students.

 

[ajs513]

I would strongly recommend applying to schools that don’t look at the GRE at all. Penn looks at it and our mean for the class of 2023 was around a 315. I’ve found the GRE to be a little more difficult to dramatically improve upon than the SAT. It can be done, but I think it would be easier to pick schools that don’t look at it.

Your experience and academics sound good. You shouldn’t have a problem there. I would look at your essays and practice for your interviews, since it’s likely that the problem is somewhere in there.

 

[Lisagk]

The first cycle I did not prepare really at all and I think it really affected my performance. It was a behavioral style interview (LMU) and I'm certainly not used to talking and analyzing myself in that manner. They said it didnt affect their decision and that I did fine during my interview but I dont believe them. When I asked for a review they said my GRE math was lower then avg. My second interview at OVC was MMI format which I did do alot to prepare for and I honestly felt that I crushed it. My experience gave me an insight into alot of the scenarios, which really helped. OVC does score 30% of their decisions based on interviews, but they did not send out the interview scores this year which really sucks. I also didnt realize they dont take animal experience into account at all when making a final decision just grades and interview score. With the way they calculated it my application grade for them was about a 3.5 so probably lower then the other students.

Definitely practicing your interview skills with trusted people should help the next time you get a behavioral style interview. Congrats on crushing the OVC MMI! Without knowing how you answered questions, it's hard to give personal feedback.

I think I will try and contact the schools I am applying to about the combined grades. I know alot of fellow students who had problems with their credits transfering when trying to transfer to the larger state schools and they had to start all over again. (I personally think they do it on purpose so we dont leave). Right now they are refusing to fix my transcripts and have provided me with a letter to explain how our grading is done. So I may email those schools ahead of time with that letter now and make sure it won't be an issue when I apply. I'm just worried since they have so many people applying if they see any problems with my transcripts they'll just throw it away if they dont want to take the time to deal with it.

I'm sorry your college is being difficult with transcripts. How is the grading done there that they are refusing to fix it? Another thing to do is to email admissions of the schools you are applying to and see if your college transcript style or whatever is the issue will hinder admissions.

If you are insistent on applying to schools that require the GRE, Magoosh is great in preparing and improving your score.

 

[Lisagk]

I agree with @ajs513 about taking a look at your essays. Have multiple trusted people read it over. I had my first drafts absolutely eviscerated by my friends, but it made them better.

 

[clparsnick]

I would strongly recommend applying to schools that don’t look at the GRE at all. Penn looks at it and our mean for the class of 2023 was around a 315. I’ve found the GRE to be a little more difficult to dramatically improve upon than the SAT. It can be done, but I think it would be easier to pick schools that don’t look at it.

Your experience and academics sound good. You shouldn’t have a problem there. I would look at your essays and practice for your interviews, since it’s likely that the problem is somewhere in there.

I've been doing tutoring weekly and have been spending about an hour each day studying. The first time I took it I didnt study at all since it was in the middle of my semester (I tried to take it in the summer but lightning hit our building and power went off, so only time I could reschedule was during the semester). I have been trying to avoid applying to GRE schools, I think LMU was the only one I applied to my first cycle that required it. I'm really hoping I can pull it together this summer since I have alot more time due to covid cutting my work hours in half. I know if I do well it will open up my options alot. But I think I will wait to get my new scores and then decide if I'll actually apply to those schools or not? I'm not 100% sure at this point.

 

[clparsnick]

I agree with @ajs513 about taking a look at your essays. Have multiple trusted people read it over. I had my first drafts absolutely eviscerated by my friends, but it made them better.

Yeah my first cycle I did meet with an academic advisor at my school and they did help me with the grammar and structure. Although I didnt do that my second cycle so my essays probably suffered. I know there is a tutoring company in my area who can consult with you on coconstructing your graduate essays so I may see if they can help me make them better. But I'm not sure if it would be a good idea or not?

 

[clparsnick]

Definitely practicing your interview skills with trusted people should help the next time you get a behavioral style interview. Congrats on crushing the OVC MMI! Without knowing how you answered questions, it's hard to give personal feedback.



I'm sorry your college is being difficult with transcripts. How is the grading done there that they are refusing to fix it? Another thing to do is to email admissions of the schools you are applying to and see if your college transcript style or whatever is the issue will hinder admissions.

If you are insistent on applying to schools that require the GRE, Magoosh is great in preparing and improving your score.

Thank you, I had alot of help the second time around. All of the vets and other techs would set up our own MMI stations during downtime. It really helped me think under pressure and I would also practice answers everyday to and from work in my car to myself. I didnt think I realized how hard interviews were the first time I took them and so it really threw me off and made me realize I do need to practice. I thought before that I was good at interviews but apparently not as good as I thought . Also I'm not sure why they are refusing to fix it, they never even gave me an explanation. Our lectures are worth 60% of the final grade and labs are worth 40% so whatever was in place for my lecture grade should also be in place for the lab grade because they combine it at the end of the semester. I figured I would have to email the schools and ask them, as I didnt even know it was an issue until OVC emailed me this year and asked about it. So it was likely like that last cycle when I applied but didnt know.

 

[clparsnick]

Also thank you everyone for the advice. I've been trying really hard to improve in the areas where I'm lacking. I think I will definitely work on my interview skills as well as trying to get that GRE score up for this cycle. Most importantly I think I'll try and wow them with my essays this year because honestly in previous cycles I really didnt stress that much about them.

 

[battie]

Hi, I also took 3 cycles to get into schools, with stats not as good as yours. You're welcome to message me!

I would highly recommend looking at your school list, particularly using the AAVMC data on how many people apply per school. Look at which schools favor your strong points, and then look at how many OOS they take and how many people apply. My fave example is U if I (my school) vs CSU (my in state). They both have similar number of OOS students (~45% of the class). However, CSU gets 15 applicants/seat, while Illinois gets 9 applicants/seat. From a statistical perspective, an OOS student is more likely to get into Illinois, all other things being equal. Use these kinds of points to tailor your school list of schools you'll have a higher chance of getting into.

 

[ajs513]

I've been doing tutoring weekly and have been spending about an hour each day studying. The first time I took it I didnt study at all since it was in the middle of my semester (I tried to take it in the summer but lightning hit our building and power went off, so only time I could reschedule was during the semester). I have been trying to avoid applying to GRE schools, I think LMU was the only one I applied to my first cycle that required it. I'm really hoping I can pull it together this summer since I have alot more time due to covid cutting my work hours in half. I know if I do well it will open up my options alot. But I think I will wait to get my new scores and then decide if I'll actually apply to those schools or not? I'm not 100% sure at this point.

That’s good. It sounds like you’re taking the steps you need to take. My main reason for ditching the GRE is that many many schools are moving away from it. I don’t know off the top of my head which schools do and don’t accept it, but if it hasn’t become the majority that don’t consider it by now, it’s nearly there. My advice then is if you take it again and don’t get the score you want, ditch it. It’s not worth it. Your efforts would then be better served on other points of your application.

 

[clparsnick]

Hi, I also took 3 cycles to get into schools, with stats not as good as yours. You're welcome to message me!

I would highly recommend looking at your school list, particularly using the AAVMC data on how many people apply per school. Look at which schools favor your strong points, and then look at how many OOS they take and how many people apply. My fave example is U if I (my school) vs CSU (my in state). They both have similar number of OOS students (~45% of the class). However, CSU gets 15 applicants/seat, while Illinois gets 9 applicants/seat. From a statistical perspective, an OOS student is more likely to get into Illinois, all other things being equal. Use these kinds of points to tailor your school list of schools you'll have a higher chance of getting into.

I actually never thought to do that! I honestly was really looking at schools I met the requirements for the first cycle. Second cycle I only applied to 2 schools since I was very confident about ovc (turns out my school did not have the seats there that they advertised.. just my luck) so I didnt even really do any research into other schools in terms of statistics. I've been doing a little more research this year, but I still never thought to look at the seats for OOS compared to IS along with numbers of applicants. I would definitely love to message you more about that, thank you so much for the tip!

 

[battie]

Not a problem!

 

[clparsnick]

That’s good. It sounds like you’re taking the steps you need to take. My main reason for ditching the GRE is that many many schools are moving away from it. I don’t know off the top of my head which schools do and don’t accept it, but if it hasn’t become the majority that don’t consider it by now, it’s nearly there. My advice then is if you take it again and don’t get the score you want, ditch it. It’s not worth it. Your efforts would then be better served on other points of your application.

I know the number is growing each year. It honestly seemed like an easier/cheaper option then me retaking classes over the summer. I know it may well be something I need to work on but I also think I need to take a better look at how I'm "marketing" myself to admissions staff. I tend to simplify alot of the work I did and assumed alot of it would speak for itself, but I think I may need to change my approach.