Plan B

I'm at 126 credit hours right now (not including the 18 credit hours I just finished this semester) so boosting my GPA is rather difficult. I could pick it up a little bit by fixing my abysmal second semester organic chemistry grade, but I'm not sure that I'd do any better if I took the class again. Orgo is the bane of my existence. Which is part of the reason why I only applied to vet schools that only required one semester of orgo.

My GRE is decent. My verbal score is really high. My quantitative score could definitely be better, but I suck at math (chemistry and math, definitely not my forte!) so I'm not sure that retaking it would help much.

Slightly off topic but in part of my dream last night I dreamed that I was told I would have to go back and retake some of my high school courses if I ever wanted to get into vet school . . . so I did. 23 years old sitting in a high school class again. It was frightening.

BlackDog17 said:

My GRE is decent. My verbal score is really high. My quantitative score could definitely be better, but I suck at math (chemistry and math, definitely not my forte!) so I'm not sure that retaking it would help much.

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My verbal score is the one that needs help. I got GRE vocabulary flash cards and I'm hoping I can pull it up!!

kernel said:

If I don't get in this cycle, I plan to go into a master's program that has absolutely nothing to do with veterinary medicine (it's a foreign literature program). I'm doing it for no other reason than simply, "I want to." It would be at no cost to me (scholarships). In fact, I would receive a small stipend, which would allow me to keep volunteering and shadowing on a more flexible schedule than that of the paid position that I currently have at a vet clinic.

I would also really like to take microbio post-bac, since I think adcoms would like it (many even require it) and if I do well, it will boost my sci GPA.

It's an unorthodox and maybe risky plan, but I'm going to see a rejection as a, "hey, here's some time to better yourself as an applicant, now go do cool things that interest you while you accrue more vet hours and boost your GPA!"


EDIT: Part of me posted this to show OP that there are a (scarce?) few of us that are considering unusual routes if we face rejection this cycle. However, I am also kindof phishing for responses from those who may think that deviating from biology/anything vet-med related graduate work when one is planning to re-apply down the road is The Worst Idea Ever. Maybe some of you have experience with this? Did it help you or did it complicate things? I don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

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I'm a little late to the party, sorry.
I like your plan B, love it in fact. Just because vet medicine is for you career-wise doesn't mean that you shouldn't have other interests, passions even. As long as your science grades are strong and you've taken plenty of upper level science courses, it shouldn't hurt you at all. Adcoms are flooded with applicants with MPHs and research experience, but few applicants who pursued something unrelated to science like a humanities or fine arts degree because they enjoyed it. I mean, isn't that what higher education is supposed to be about, at least a little bit? Do we (and by that I mean pre-professional and professional health students) only study science because it's a means to an end? At least for me, no, I really enjoy learning it. I also really enjoyed Latin Lit in undergrad, so I got a classics degree, instead of the (seemingly pre-req) BS in bio. My humanities background never hurt me a bit in my app cycle- I mean, I got in
I say follow your interests. You'll get where you need to be, and life will be more interesting. Of course, I hope you won't be needing a plan B!

CanHardlyWait said:

I'm a little late to the party, sorry.
I like your plan B, love it in fact. Just because vet medicine is for you career-wise doesn't mean that you shouldn't have other interests, passions even. As long as your science grades are strong and you've taken plenty of upper level science courses, it shouldn't hurt you at all. Adcoms are flooded with applicants with MPHs and research experience, but few applicants who pursued something unrelated to science like a humanities or fine arts degree because they enjoyed it. I mean, isn't that what higher education is supposed to be about, at least a little bit? Do we (and by that I mean pre-professional and professional health students) only study science because it's a means to an end? At least for me, no, I really enjoy learning it. I also really enjoyed Latin Lit in undergrad, so I got a classics degree, instead of the (seemingly pre-req) BS in bio. My humanities background never hurt me a bit in my app cycle- I mean, I got in
I say follow your interests. You'll get where you need to be, and life will be more interesting. Of course, I hope you won't be needing a plan B!

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Wow, thanks for the positive feedback! That's really encouraging to hear. I agree with your reasoning wholeheartedly, of course. I want to LEARN, MAN ! Anyway I'm glad to know that there are others on the vet-med path who also have a passion for language / arts/ humanities.
I would not be upset if I had to go with plan B. As January draws nearer, I've been being more realistic with myself about the likelihood of getting an acceptance to vet school. Either way, I guess, I'll find happiness

kernel said:

Either way, I guess, I'll find happiness

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This is how I've been feeling lately! If I get accepted that will be amazing, but if I don't I'm kindof looking forward to being close to my family for the next year. Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey

prevetdreamer said:

:Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey

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love this

prevetdreamer said:

Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey

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Ain't that the truth!

prevetdreamer said:

This is how I've been feeling lately! If I get accepted that will be amazing, but if I don't I'm kindof looking forward to being close to my family for the next year. Happiness isn't a destination, it's a journey

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Word. And being able to understand and embrace that idea... Well, it just makes life a lot more exciting!!

I reapplied this year, so I'm living my Plan B from last cycle. I moved back to Louisiana (sorry, Texas, it's not you, it's me -- well, actually it was mostly you...), have an awesome job related to the vet med field I want to pursue, and am trying to save some money for tuition/living expenses.

If I don't get in again this time, I'll probably keep up with what I'm doing now. My unimpressive GPA (cumulative) is as good as it's going to get; I also have close to 200 credit hours. I did well in my recent years/pre-reqs, so I've made my peace with it. GRE score is fine too, so I don't anticipate retaking that beast. I really do love my job so if I am there another year while applying a third time, even if I'd rather be in vet school, I won't be too sad about it.

I met with an advisor at the university near home last week about getting a second bachelor's in biology. it's definitely doable, but I'm not sure I want to take another calculus class or two and a couple general education requirements. I'm considering just taking upper level bio classes as a non degree student, but I haven't really decided yet. getting a second bachelor's would be pretty cool, but at the same time I probably don't need it and it would be a lot of work. just wondering if anybody else has been in a similar position or has any advice on the issue? thanks guys

The only reason I chose to do an all-out second bachelor's is because my university did not offer any sort of post-bacc program. So I had to at least pretend to be seeking a second degree. I looked into what I would need to actually get the second degree, and it turned out that I only needed 30 additional hours as long as all the required courses were there - so it ended up being about 32 hours of new courses to complete the degree requirements. And that's what I did. But I wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't feasible to do in a year, mostly because I don't think adcoms are going to be impressed by the degree... they want to see good grades in upper-level classes. If you can get that without the degree, I don't think that's a problem.

My first degree was zoology, and the second was microbiology, FWIW.

My "Plan B" is to get a full time position at an animal shelter as an animal control officer. I'm in the interview process right now for a couple jobs. Its just frustrating as I'm waiting on Wisconsin which doesn't tell you until MARCH! I got in to Edinburgh, but its just a matter of financing it that is the problem.

I'd like to improve my GRE scores and take microbiology at night school while working full time.

Has anyone else considered the Peace Corps as their plan B? A professor once told me that vet schools would be more likely to accept someone returning from Peace Corps service because it shows dedication since the minimum volunteer length is two years, but I'm not sure if that is actually true. I would definitely be interested in doing some sort of livestock management or food safety work with the Peace Corps, but I'm concerned about being out of school for so long, especially if it's not going to give me an edge with the adcoms.

Is there anyone here who has gone this route?

I think most people see the PC as an honorable thing to do and that you would learn a ton and have a lot of interesting things to talk about. At the same time, I think it's an incredibly tough program and you would have to be super passionate about it completely apart from vet school and adcoms in order to even make it through.

First part of Plan B:





Second part will be finding a better job than the unstable and poor-paying gigs I'm currently working. I've been bouncing around trying to find work that a) is relatively steady and b) pays me in money instead of the occasional ice cream or sandwich, but so far have come up empty-handed. I'll probably retake the GRE and apply to grad and/or physicians assistant school. Maybe find a job in the medical field somewhere.

I just hope I get good news this month.

Is or has anyone thought about getting a vet tech certification via one of the online programs? Has crossed my mind a few times but I'm still waiting on 2 schools and playing with the idea. Just thinking...

My plan B Is a little different. I will complete my bachelors this year, after only four years, two of which were through the high school, so if I do not get in this cycle I was going to postpone my graduation and take more upper division science classes since i only have the bare minimum to graduate and get into vet school.

Showmanship1 said:

My plan B Is a little different. I will complete my bachelors this year, after only four years, two of which were through the high school, so if I do not get in this cycle I was going to postpone my graduation and take more upper division science classes since i only have the bare minimum to graduate and get into vet school.

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That's sort of what I did last year (only I applied as a third year and didn't attend college in high school unless AP classes count). I was waitlisted and told to take more upper-level sciences courses. I'm assuming you would get the same advice.

In addition to taking more upper-level science courses, I also added on a minor and double-major, started volunteering in a research lab, improved my GRE scores, earned more experience, and took on some more leadership roles. I hope my hard-work pays off this year! If I don't get in, my plan B is to attend graduate school.

WannaBeVet said:

Is or has anyone thought about getting a vet tech certification via one of the online programs? Has crossed my mind a few times but I'm still waiting on 2 schools and playing with the idea. Just thinking...

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What would you do with it? And if it's accepted in your state, i think these programs also require that you complete the 'practical' part of it under the guidance of a vet. If you're already working for a vet and they want you to become certified via this route and will mentor you for the practical part, AND you want to work as a CVT as a backup plan then maybe it might be worth it. But if it's just to put it on your application for bet school that you got certification (and never used it), it's def not worth it imo

Minnerbelle said:

What would you do with it? And if it's accepted in your state, i think these programs also require that you complete the 'practical' part of it under the guidance of a vet. If you're already working for a vet and they want you to become certified via this route and will mentor you for the practical part, AND you want to work as a CVT as a backup plan then maybe it might be worth it. But if it's just to put it on your application for bet school that you got certification (and never used it), it's def not worth it imo

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I was looking at San Juan College or PennFoster for the online programs. And no, I'm not thinking of it as padding for my resume - more like I am pretty certain I will not get in this cycle and need to make some sort of money in the gap between cycles. I am already working at 1 vet office and in the process of getting hired at another. I am sure between the 2 I can get the practical hours in very easily. But I am not sure if this is a good plan...I know in NJ CVTs make around 14/hr and there is no way I can continue just as a vet assistant.

Ugh just wish I knew my last 2 decisions, would make life a little less stressful!

twelvetigers said:

The only reason I chose to do an all-out second bachelor's is because my university did not offer any sort of post-bacc program. So I had to at least pretend to be seeking a second degree. I looked into what I would need to actually get the second degree, and it turned out that I only needed 30 additional hours as long as all the required courses were there - so it ended up being about 32 hours of new courses to complete the degree requirements. And that's what I did. But I wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't feasible to do in a year, mostly because I don't think adcoms are going to be impressed by the degree... they want to see good grades in upper-level classes. If you can get that without the degree, I don't think that's a problem.

My first degree was zoology, and the second was microbiology, FWIW.

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thanks for the advice TT! I only need 30 credit hours as well, but taking extra math classes and gen eds is really putting me off. I can be accepted there as a non degree student, which would give me more flexibility in being able to take 3 or 4 upper level bio classes that I actually want to take. while getting a second degree might seem more fulfilling to me at the time, I agree the adcoms probably won't care about it very much. I'm definitely leaning towards the non degree right now. thanks again

So I was an alternate at UTCVM for last cycle and it was because my interview score was just a wee bit below average for acceptance... I also had absolutely no small animal experience but well over 6000 LA experience hours. I think that had a role in me not getting in for this year.
So I got a job as a tech at a SA clinic, worked for three months, numbers were down and they needed to cut employee expenses. Meaning me. Which is totally understandable.
Luckily though (as I had just signed a lease about 2 weeks prior to getting laid off) I had done an unpaid internship at a local equine hospital for about 3 months. I got offered a paid internship for this breeding season.
If I don't get in this year, I'm probably screwed. AKA I have no plan B at the moment.
Since I graduated, I thought it would be nice to keep learning so I enrolled in an animal nutrition course through the mail.

So all in all, being an alternate makes life...more interesting. You can't plan anything so I was "homeless" for a couple of months while I first started at the SA clinic. Couchsurfing and sleeping on friend's floors, living out of suitcases and having toothbrushes stored in everyone's bathrooms...

But it'll all work out. I'll rock this interview and get my butt to Knoxville.

And most every vet said work experience was more important than more schooling.

prevetdreamer said:

thanks for the advice TT! I only need 30 credit hours as well, but taking extra math classes and gen eds is really putting me off. I can be accepted there as a non degree student, which would give me more flexibility in being able to take 3 or 4 upper level bio classes that I actually want to take. while getting a second degree might seem more fulfilling to me at the time, I agree the adcoms probably won't care about it very much. I'm definitely leaning towards the non degree right now. thanks again

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I only needed one weird gen ed thing to make it work - otherwise, it was mostly stuff like advanced micro, advanced cell molec, pathogenic micro, etc. so it kinda filled the upper division thing nicely in itself. So maybe it just worked out better for me after all the classes I had already taken.

WannaBeVet said:

I was looking at San Juan College or PennFoster for the online programs. And no, I'm not thinking of it as padding for my resume - more like I am pretty certain I will not get in this cycle and need to make some sort of money in the gap between cycles. I am already working at 1 vet office and in the process of getting hired at another. I am sure between the 2 I can get the practical hours in very easily. But I am not sure if this is a good plan...I know in NJ CVTs make around 14/hr and there is no way I can continue just as a vet assistant.

Ugh just wish I knew my last 2 decisions, would make life a little less stressful!

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This is sorta the route I took. I'm a non-traditional student and changing careers ... I have a ton of rescue experience under my belt but didn't have much vet experience. About a year and a half ago I started a tech program thinking it would enable me to get a job in a vet hospital and it worked ... I ended up in an AMAZING hospital. The tech program is interesting and it's a decent amount of work but it's not too bad. Now I realize I don't really need it but since I'm half-way through it I figure I may as well finish. If I don't get into vet school the first time around I can make more money as an RVT than as a vet assistant. AND being an RVT opens up other opportunities ... like working in a specialty hospital (in San Diego they generally only want RVTs or people with a crapload of experience). I think doing a tech program is very dependent on what your goals are. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions

prevetdreamer said:

I met with an advisor at the university near home last week about getting a second bachelor's in biology. it's definitely doable, but I'm not sure I want to take another calculus class or two and a couple general education requirements. I'm considering just taking upper level bio classes as a non degree student, but I haven't really decided yet. getting a second bachelor's would be pretty cool, but at the same time I probably don't need it and it would be a lot of work. just wondering if anybody else has been in a similar position or has any advice on the issue? thanks guys

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As my plan B last year/application improvement move, I am about to finish second bachelor's (BS) in biology with a biotechnology certificate/minor. First degree was a BA in business management with a minor in studio art. I'm well rounded . The critisim I recieved last cycle was that I had only taken lower level science courses part time and not demonstrated I could handle a vet school course load. I had to take a full load of upper level courses to demonstrate I could. That left me with only needing to take two additional classes this spring to graduate, and another two to get the biotech certificate.

I made this decision because I live in an extremely active center for coorporate biotech research in addition to being near two significant medical research universities. If I fail to get accepted this cycle, I intend to get a job at one of these as a lab tech to pay down my student loans over the next year before I reapply. If I ultimately fail to get into vet school, I intend to finish a masters/phD in cell biology. I am really interested in cell reprogramming and tissue culturing.

If your ultimate plan B is not in biology, I am not sure it would be worth the extra time and money to get a second bachelors. But then again, I'm someone that likes to finish all things possible, so I definitely understand the impulse to finish it if you're close.

dvmdreamer said:

As my plan B last year/application improvement move, I am about to finish second bachelor's (BS) in biology with a biotechnology certificate/minor. First degree was a BA in business management with a minor in studio art. I'm well rounded . The critisim I recieved last cycle was that I had only taken lower level science courses part time and not demonstrated I could handle a vet school course load. I had to take a full load of upper level courses to demonstrate I could. That left me with only needing to take two additional classes this spring to graduate, and another two to get the biotech certificate.

I made this decision because I live in an extremely active center for coorporate biotech research in addition to being near two significant medical research universities. If I fail to get accepted this cycle, I intend to get a job at one of these as a lab tech to pay down my student loans over the next year before I reapply. If I ultimately fail to get into vet school, I intend to finish a masters/phD in cell biology. I am really interested in cell reprogramming and tissue culturing.

If your ultimate plan B is not in biology, I am not sure it would be worth the extra time and money to get a second bachelors. But then again, I'm someone that likes to finish all things possible, so I definitely understand the impulse to finish it if you're close.

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Ultimately, if I don't get into vet school I'll probably just continue on as a technician at my clinic. so I thinking the second degree thing isn't going to be very helpful. Thanks for the insight

I kind of don't want to wait to ask the schools for a file review in order to start improving my application, I'm still going to ask but I am going to start improving now....

my GPA is around a 3.5
my gre scores were verbal 152 and math 150

veterinary hours:
at time of application 3500 as a technician/kennel person at a small animal clinic

animal hours
7 hours with a equine therapeutic riding center
2 hours on a dairy farm
2 hours at an equine clinic
2 hours on a farm with sheep, donkey and miniature pony
200+ petsitting cats and dogs


I have already bought more gre books and I'm going to retake it in about 3 months after studying., my veterinary hours at the small animal clinic is up to 4000 now..i also plan on going back to the farm with the sheep and donkey for more hours and I would like to get hours volunteering at a wildlife center..is there anything else anybody thinks i should start doing to get ready for june?

Thanks

krh696 said:

I kind of don't want to wait to ask the schools for a file review in order to start improving my application, I'm still going to ask but I am going to start improving now....

my GPA is around a 3.5
my gre scores were verbal 152 and math 150

veterinary hours:
at time of application 3500 as a technician/kennel person at a small animal clinic

animal hours
7 hours with a equine therapeutic riding center
2 hours on a dairy farm
2 hours at an equine clinic
2 hours on a farm with sheep, donkey and miniature pony
200+ petsitting cats and dogs


I have already bought more gre books and I'm going to retake it in about 3 months after studying., my veterinary hours at the small animal clinic is up to 4000 now..i also plan on going back to the farm with the sheep and donkey for more hours and I would like to get hours volunteering at a wildlife center..is there anything else anybody thinks i should start doing to get ready for june?

Thanks

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You're definitely on the right track with what you want to do for improvements. Definitely get some more veterinary experience in other areas. Your number of hours are great, but you definitely need to get some other types of veterinary experience. And right choice on retaking the GRE. I would say give yourself 3 good months of regular studying.

krh696 said:

I kind of don't want to wait to ask the schools for a file review in order to start improving my application, I'm still going to ask but I am going to start improving now....

my GPA is around a 3.5
my gre scores were verbal 152 and math 150

veterinary hours:
at time of application 3500 as a technician/kennel person at a small animal clinic

animal hours
7 hours with a equine therapeutic riding center
2 hours on a dairy farm
2 hours at an equine clinic
2 hours on a farm with sheep, donkey and miniature pony
200+ petsitting cats and dogs


I have already bought more gre books and I'm going to retake it in about 3 months after studying., my veterinary hours at the small animal clinic is up to 4000 now..i also plan on going back to the farm with the sheep and donkey for more hours and I would like to get hours volunteering at a wildlife center..is there anything else anybody thinks i should start doing to get ready for june?

Thanks

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Your GPA is a great start. Have you calculated you Sci GPA (call schools you're interested in and see what they factor as science courses)? Have you calculated your last 45 credit GPA? Also, it never hurts to retake the GRE to get an even better score (yours is probably good as is, but it doesnt hurt you to do even better).

I would second wildcatj, more experience but different areas is a must. if your in school, contact researchers and see if you can volunteer in their lab... and if you find a researcher thats a DVM, it even better. If you can find large animal veterinary experience (equine or production) or some veterinary exotics experience (zoo or specialty practice). Maybe get your foot in the door at some small animal specialty or emergency practices? You have a LOT of experience in small animal preventative medicine, so explore the field!

One point of advice I got from minnesota, was that they wanted more volunteer experience... so that never hurts too (but maybe emphasize veterinary based volunteer?)

Honestly, I wish I had you GPA... so you are miles ahead of me there! Hm, maybe consider how you write up your applications. My mentor had to apply 2 times and went to a seminar at Michigan State, and they emphasized that how you write about yourself can be VERY important too.

I hope your luck turns around soon! You have a heck of good start on your stats, so you cant be far off! You can do it

My small animal clinic knows a number of specialty practices, there is a opthamalogy center center for horses and I think they will let me shadow them...the farm that I was on for a couple hours is run by a DVM that I used to work with, I would be feeding the sheep and cleaning out the stalls of the donkey and sheep...

Well, I guess I'm coming this a little late in the game, but here I am. I don't even know where to start. Mer.

XiLove said:

Well, I guess I'm coming this a little late in the game, but here I am. I don't even know where to start. Mer.

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Definitely not too late! welcome to the party As much as it sucks, you really need to sit down and be honest with your application and identify what areas you need to/can improve. I'd definitely recommend posting your stats in the "what are my chances" thread, if you are comfortable with that. I'll be posting mine, but I think I want to wait until after this semester so I have a more complete picture of my application. Also, try to stay positive! I know this whole process is a bit soul sucking, but think of this as an opportunity to make yourself even more amazing! Let us know if you have any questions!

prevetdreamer said:

Definitely not too late! welcome to the party As much as it sucks, you really need to sit down and be honest with your application and identify what areas you need to/can improve. I'd definitely recommend posting your stats in the "what are my chances" thread, if you are comfortable with that. I'll be posting mine, but I think I want to wait until after this semester so I have a more complete picture of my application. Also, try to stay positive! I know this whole process is a bit soul sucking, but think of this as an opportunity to make yourself even more amazing! Let us know if you have any questions!

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Soul sucking is such a great description

BarkyLove said:

....but I was curious what everyone's Plan B is if they don't get in this cycle. Or what you guys have done in previous cycles that didn't get in the first time round.

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Great question, and a lot of good plans from people.

I am somewhat different from many of you all as I am in my '50's and starting a new career after my kids are done college. I am getting a BS in biology, minors in chemistry and animal science. Closed my old business and also worked scads of hours with 2 vets in the last year and a half.

But, I think what I would do is to:

1. Continue on with the biology education, which I have become very interested in, and get a masters next year
2. Continue part time vet work, which I really like
3. Apply one more cycle, and
4. At the same time apply to several bio, microbio, biochem, and genetics PhD programs with the aim of getting into vet research.

Not hating the stipends the PhD programs have for the years your ink-stained fingers are turning pages in the midnight oil! And, be working toward another degree in a vet related field that benefits the patients we are all looking to help. Plus, I'd buy back some of the horses I sold to start on this path 3 years ago and be doing something with living, breathing, sweating animals in the meantime.

Overall, I'd say make your plan B's be something else that you would love. This will be my 3rd career. The first I loved, but is limited physically to people under 40 realistically. The second I chose to make a lot of money in part. I ended up hating every day of it. This one will be for me. I encourage you all to plan for yourselves, too.

All the best.

Good luck, NMCowboy!

One of my classmates is in her late 40's and she is an amazing addition to our class. It's an admirable thing to pursue your passion after 2 entirely different careers

I'm rooting for you all!

My plan B is to do Teach for America. Although its not veterinary related, its something I am passionate about. I might be interested in eventually going into academia in veterinary medicine, so this would be a good way to get some experience under my belt. It will also help build my communications skills, and let me save some money. I will still have summers to get some more animal experience as well. My GPA is decent, but I think I would take the GREs again. If I get placed in a state with a vet school I might consider working for a couple years and changing my residency.

I hope this will help someone. Last year I did not get in and I did my plan B, which was of course to reapply the next cycle. This is what I did:

First, I graduated and got my Bachelor of Science (I was an Animal Science major). I was lucky enough to still have a job waiting for me back in my hometown as an assistant in a small animal clinic. So, I was working (though not as much as I would have liked...) but regardless, it was a job and more vet hours.

During the summer, I took one of those Kaplan GRE classes, because the reason I did not get in was from my GRE scores (I knew it and I went to review my application and was told that by admissions). The course was really expensive ($1000!!) and I had to drive over an hour away (that is just one way) twice a week for a month to go to this class. But, it was helpful and I got my GRE score up. It still isn't a great score and I don't think it ever will be just because I don't do well with those types of exams. It was as good as it was going to get. 154Q 149V 4.0A

My GPA was good, 3.7 cGPA. I'm not sure what my Last 45 and Science are without sitting down and actually calculating them.

So after I retook the GRE in August, I applied and waited. Also, my boss told me I could enroll in some Vet Tech courses so I can start doing vet tech stuff around work. So, I started those classes in January.

So that was my plan B and it worked out really well! I posted my stats on the successful applicant page if anyone wants more details about it.

Camelidcrazy,

Thank you for the kind words.

Royal811 said:

First part of Plan B:

Second part will be finding a better job than the unstable and poor-paying gigs I'm currently working. I've been bouncing around trying to find work that a) is relatively steady and b) pays me in money instead of the occasional ice cream or sandwich, but so far have come up empty-handed. I'll probably retake the GRE and apply to grad and/or physicians assistant school. Maybe find a job in the medical field somewhere.

I just hope I get good news this month.

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I just wanted to thank you for giving me a laugh I desperately needed this morning!

My Plan B is kind of all over the place right now. I'm already working as a non-certified vet tech for over a year and a half and we deal with domestic small and "domestic" exotics. I really have no interest in large animals and probably would be unhappy pursuing anything related to them even though vet schools want to see it, so I've been thinking about looking into volunteer options at the desert animal museum (which is more like a zoo). I figured I can expand my knowledge of animals I do want to work with while gaining volunteer hours. I also was thinking about occasionally volunteering at my sister's high school, which is also where I went so the teachers know me. As far as academics are concerned, I think my GPA is pretty good at an overall 3.6 and a science 3.8 but my GRE will probably be taken for a third time to boost that stupid verbal. I've also been toying with the idea of getting a master's in molecular and cellular medicine that's available at my original school, but that will take years to complete and I would like to settle down with my fiance and start a family before I'm 30 if possible. I know I do want to take calculus so I can apply to more schools and also sign language because it really fascinates me and we actually have a deaf woman come into the clinic and I feel so awkward not being able to communicate with her. I just want to learn stuff again. You forget how much you miss it when you've been out of the game for a couple years.

But like I said, my Plan B is a little scattered right now.

To everyone who's said things like "I got a job at a clinic" or as a vet tech...how? What do you do at your job, and what initial qualifications did you have?

I've done a few important upper level biology classes, and I have a couple hundred hours of volunteer experience with a vet, but I feel completely unqualified for a paid job in a clinic. I would love to get one, but I just don't know enough to feel comfortable sucking up so many resources as an employee.

Edit: I forgot to answer the question. I think I will give myself two or three cycles. If not, I think I would like to work in a hospital. There are some cheap phlebotomy courses nearby, and if I got started in that maybe I could save up to go into a different field within human medicine. Or I could see how many of my credits transfer into a nursing degree.

Rwwilliams said:

I got hired last year as an 18 year old (youngest they'd hire) with no real job experience and definitely no clinical experience. All of my training was done on the job and they paid me for it. This is where all of my experience with a veterinarian came from and both of my LoRs that were from DVMs were from this job. You just have to put yourself out there and apply to a lot of places. I applied to 30+ and heard back from a grand total of two.

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I agree with this. I applied to a Craigslist posting offering my services as a volunteer (the ad mentioned needing help with things like cleaning, packing instruments, etc., all of which I knew I'd be capable of learning). I volunteered for a few Wednesdays and then they decided to hire me and are now training me from scratch. For me it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time and also proving how badly I was willing to work just to volunteer. Because I don't have any clinical experience beyond this clinic, however, at this point, and because I'm not a fully trained veterinary assistant, I still offer to volunteer and have received a lot of interested parties. I've also had a lot of clinics simply not call me back. You simply have to apply everywhere and work your way into a paid position, if you don't have the clinical background. Otherwise I'd say don't bank on paid work in the veterinary field until someone's willing to pay you to train you or until you have enough experience to apply to tech/assistant-related jobs.

Naturalist said:

To everyone who's said things like "I got a job at a clinic" or as a vet tech...how? What do you do at your job, and what initial qualifications did you have?

I've done a few important upper level biology classes, and I have a couple hundred hours of volunteer experience with a vet, but I feel completely unqualified for a paid job in a clinic. I would love to get one, but I just don't know enough to feel comfortable sucking up so many resources as an employee.

Edit: I forgot to answer the question. I think I will give myself two or three cycles. If not, I think I would like to work in a hospital. There are some cheap phlebotomy courses nearby, and if I got started in that maybe I could save up to go into a different field within human medicine. Or I could see how many of my credits transfer into a nursing degree.

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I was hired at a Big corporate vet clinic with limited vet hours. I had previously worked as a kennel attendant in a private practice from age 14-16 and from 16-20 I worked for a big corporate pet products store. The company I work for now has an excellent training program. I now can do pretty much everything a LVT can do: blood draws, IV catheters, dental prophy, X-ray, cystocentesis, lab work, inducing anesthesia, monitoring/ prepping & assisting in surgery, initial physical exams, SOAP notes etc. We regularly hire with the intention of training this person to be a fully functional " vet assistant" with all the skills of a LVT. This can be a state by state thing though.. Luckily I live in a state that does not forbid non-licensed techs from doing certain technical skills.

Wow, thank you all for the great advice! I live in Florida too! I will definitely give things another shot once the semester ends and I don't have four night labs.

I really did not expect so many people to hire people without any clinical experience, and to train them too. That's awesome. Man, this network is incredible!

Rwwilliams said:

This is exactly my experience. While I'm not a sx nurse, I've been offered but don't have the availability, I can do pretty much everything else mentioned above and those are all things I'm expected to do. I live in Florida, so I'm allowed to do that with no restrictions. Generally, the clinic I work at hires more complete newbies than RVT/LVTs.

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I'm thinking we probably work for the same place lol. We also hire lots of complete newbies. There are just not as many LVTs in my area. And those that do apply are used to making several dollars more than what the company will offer them so they turn the job down. Leaving lots of positions open for prospective vet students lol

i started working for my small animal clinic at 16 and all throughout high school and and college i was a kennel person while learning to restrain animals, take x-rays, fills prescriptions, but i would only work 3 days a week because of my school schedule but then during my last semester of college during the summer they moved me to every day of the week and then when i graduated they started training me so I'm a tech part of the time and kennel part of the time now at age 23