Would it be worth it for me to apply this cycle?

[kthopefullydvm]

Hi everyone! This may be a long post, so I apologize in advance. I am going to be a senior in undergrad this fall and I'm not sure whether I should apply to vet school this cycle or not. When I started college, my plan was to apply after my junior year so I would hopefully not take any time off after college. However, with the pandemic hitting so hard last summer I was unable to expand on my vet experiences which lead to some self-doubt and worry. Several months ago I decided to wait and apply next year to not waste my money and time. My parents are pretty against me taking a gap year, but if I have to do it I will. The one thing that has somewhat changed my mind is my new job. I was recently hired at a cat only clinic to work as a vet assistant. The vets there were telling me that with my current experience I should try to apply this year because they think I could get in. They were extremely nice and willing to help with my application and I'm pretty confident that I could get a LOR from at least one of the vets there once I have worked for a little bit.

These are my biggest concerns:
Is it too late for me to start my application? I made a VMCAS account when applications opened but I haven't done anything. I know that I would have to inform my LOR writers pretty much now if I wanted to apply this cycle.
I don't know if I could write a strong personal statement about my story, experiences, and why I want to be a vet.

My top schools are UNL/Iowa (I live in NE so this is my in-state), Kansas, Missouri, and Purdue. I think if I were to apply this cycle I would only apply to my IS.

Cumulative GPA: 3.99
science GPA: ~3.98
last 45: ~3.98

Any degrees achieved: graduating in 2022 w/ bachelors in biology, minors in psychology and chemistry

GRE results: not required by any of my schools

Veterinary Experience:
- Medical intern/volunteer at local humane society (300 hrs)
Upcoming:
- Vet assistant part-time at cat clinic (expecting at least 250 hrs by time of application)
- Possibly may also be hired at SA/exotics clinic as vet assistant part-time (expecting around 200 hrs as well)

Animal Experience:
- Volunteer at therapeutic riding stable (1000 hrs)
- Doggy day care (200 hrs)
- Pet sitting (100 hrs)
- Horseback riding (15 hrs, this was when I was around 10-11 I took a couple lessons, not sure if it still applies)
- Vet exploring program (10 hrs, toured different animal/vet facilities my freshman year of high school)

Research Experience:
- Not sure if this would count but in the Honors program at my school, we do a research project and present it at our research fair. It is more literature based instead of science, but last year I was nominated for an award at the research fair. I researched LGBTQ+ immigrants last year and environmental racism this year.

Awards/scholarships:
- 3 scholarships from my high school district
- 3 college scholarships
- All-state choir member
- President's list (5 semesters)
- Dean's list (1 semester)
- Academic achievement award from my school for getting a 4.0 during covid semester

Extracurriculars:
High school:
- President of Japanese club
- FCCLA
- Concert choir/show choir
- Mock trial
College:
- Choir, 2 a capella groups
- Academic chair/secretary/alumni chair of sorority
- Secretary of environmental club (will be the president this coming year)
- Honors program
- Worship arts
- Spotlight (cabaret type show)
- Self-taught piano player
- Apple teacher certified
- Various online certifications I did last summer (preventative care, beef quality assurance, etc.)
- Volunteering at blood drive and a 5K fundraiser (with my sorority)

Employment:
- Cashier at farm supply store (300 hrs)
- Cashier at hardware store (900 hrs)
- Babysitting (100 hrs)
- Biology and psychology tutor, supplemental instructor for organic chemistry (current)

Any feedback that you may have is very appreciated!!

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[battie]

Is it too late for me to start my application?

Absolutely not! My 2nd and 3rd cycle, I turned in my VMCAS the night of. You can definitely get your application put together over the next few months and submit.

My top schools are UNL/Iowa (I live in NE so this is my in-state), Kansas, Missouri, and Purdue. I think if I were to apply this cycle I would only apply to my IS

Your hours are below average, but your numbers are on point. I attended undergrad in NE and know several people who went through the UNL/Iowa program. @ResoluteMike may be able to give you a better idea, but I think it would be worthwhile for you to try to apply seeing as the application pool for this program is so small.

With that GPA just get a decent MCAT and go to med school. Same debt but you'll make 4-5x as much. Or just work 2 days a week make 150k and volunteer at shelters in your free time vs 80k as a vet working FT

Are you replying because this individual double posted in pre-med? If so, your reply does make sense. If not, a lot of pre-vets that are in the midst of the application cycle have already considered this.

 

[ResoluteMike]

You don't need a ton of veterinary hours. Good breadth and understanding of what you can do with vet med is plenty. I had about 400 hours total of veterinary experience with most of it emergency at my current clinic and Nebraska Equine. You can try and reach out to Dr. Kreikemeier at UNL for lab animal or reach out to the vets at UNMC for a tour. Sounds like you are going to have plenty at one clinic in order to get good references, so you are doing great.

With your stats you should only be applying to the UNL PPVM program. It is in-state and I am confident you will get an interview. The way they score applications, your GPA is going to rank you pretty highly and it is extremely likely you would get in. Typically only 60-70 people apply and only 50ish actually qualify for the 27 spots available. I heard last year there was about 100, but even with that many the odds of getting in are way better than the single digits rates for out of state students. You can try to contact Dr. McFee at UNL and see if she is willing to send a current copy of the slides from the application workshop they do every spring.

I also can't say enough about the program. The instructors there are amazing and you will be doing stuff that Iowa State students don't. The PPVM program has a Facebook page that has a lot of posts about things that they are doing.

PM me if you want to chat more about the program.

ibnalkamil1990 said:
With that GPA just get a decent MCAT and go to med school. Same debt but you'll make 4-5x as much. Or just work 2 days a week make 150k and volunteer at shelters in your free time vs 80k as a vet working FT

Are you replying because this individual double posted in pre-med? If so, your reply does make sense. If not, a lot of pre-vets that are in the midst of the application cycle have already considered this.

Small animal GP in Omaha is doing a lot better than 80k from what I have been hearing once they are up to speed and on production. Main thing is go in-state. Vet med isn't worth it at 300k debt.


PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[kthopefullydvm]

Thank you both so much for your feedback! This has definitely made me feel better. I am going to start working on my application soon!

PM me if you want to chat more about the program.

I will definitely be contacting you if I have any questions soon! Thank you again!