2013 applicant roll call

[Wolf Vet]

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Hey guys, lots of people are mentioning a long list of schools they'll be applying to (which is fine) just thought I'd mention:

I applied to bout 8 school this past cycle, and my interviewers noticed. They actually asked me why, and to explain why I selected EACH school! And of course, just saying good location or I panicked and wanted to boost my chances, probably isn't the response they want to hear. So just keep in mind your interviewers do get a list of how many and which schools you applied to besides them.

 

[VAgirl]

Hey guys, lots of people are mentioning a long list of schools they'll be applying to (which is fine) just thought I'd mention:

I applied to bout 8 school this past cycle, and my interviewers noticed. They actually asked me why, and to explain why I selected EACH school! And of course, just saying good location or I panicked and wanted to boost my chances, probably isn't the response they want to hear. So just keep in mind your interviewers do get a list of how many and which schools you applied to besides them.

I agree you should know why you applied to a school. But I don't think "location" is necessarily a bad answer, especially if it's one of several reason. Some people want to be near family, love a certain area or region of the country, or want to be in a certain place or type of place (city, maybe) because of SO's restrictions (job, school, etc.). Also, don't forget that certain locations can be desirable for certain programs. Ex: Kansas and Iowa (along with some other midwest schools, I'm sure) put you near the heart of livestock production, which can be great if you're interested in that; FL puts you near (relatively) to the ocean, so probably good for marine med.

Bottom line, I think everyone should have thought through why they apply to any given place, but I don't think anyone should be afraid to give their actual reasons. It's all about how you present it.

 

[VeganChick]

ROUND TWO, WOO-HOO! BRING IT ON!!

I'm still going back and forth about where to apply. Definitely VA/MD as that is my IS, but others are still up in the air. This year, I want to take more time to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses against what each school values more. For example, I got 'dinged' by UMinn in the first evaluation last year because my GPA didn't qualify for the cutoff. So, this year I am not going to apply there. I want to add in a Caribbean school to the mix, but not sure which yet, and am hemming and hawing about a European school.

In any case, ROCK ON, fellow applicants! Let's kick some VMCAS a$$!!

 

[david594]

Yeah, I'm really torn about what schools I am going to apply to. I think my decision is largely going to come down to which schools I would see myself being happiest at for 4 years.

definites:
Florida
UPEI


Possibles:
Tufts(in state)
Ohio
Michigan
Massey

I'm not even considering any non-accredited international schools. I have 2 jobs with plenty of hours and come next spring I will have the option of going full time at the small clinic I really like(which would work out perfectly if I don't get in anywhere). I guess I am just not phased by the possibility of having to reapply a second time if I only applied to 2 or 3 schools I really wanted.

 

[tastrophe]

::bump::

just thought this might be a good topic to bring back to the forefront, with the new admissions cycle upon us and all 🙂

 

[Catnapper]

Are any reapplicants out there freaking out as much as I am?

 

[LVT2DVM]

Are any reapplicants out there freaking out as much as I am?

Uhhh, YEP! I spent over 4 hours last night putting in my coursework. Just when you think they couldnt make it anymore labor intensive they figure out a way to put an extra box in there (entering the grades) And you'd think with all that clever technical stuff, the application could spit out your GPA based on your Overall, Science and Last 45 hours. But Ooooooo...Noooooo.....still have to break out the spreadsheet and do it myself. And Im still getting a security certificate error message each time the screen refreshes, which takes even more time. Ive spoken to tech support and they cant figure out why this is happening. But a fellow SDNer/friend is having the same problems, so its not just me.

Mostly though, Im freaking out over the $MONEY$.

10 VMCAS applications... $875.
9 supplementals... 550.
Transcripts....$50
Letter of Acceptance.....priceless

Not sure if that is what you where going for...but I had to vent.

 

[ZooNose]

Hi everyone! I'm a new applicant (non-trad), praying that I'll eventually be in a Class of 2013 somewhere! I don't have a state school to apply to (D.C. resident), so I've got my fingered crossed and am applying mostly to schools that take lots of OOS. I've had my eye primarily on Tufts for years, ever since my mom bought me my first "Tufts Vet Med" baseball cap when I was a kid.

 

[Truth74]

I'm right there with ya, Catnapper.

It seems like this time around, I'm stressing more. I've changed my descriptions about 4 or 5 times. ( Does this sound right? Can I fit something else in there, without going over the limit? Do I sound sappy?)

Oh, to wish that you didn't care so much about every letter in every sentence.

And, I haven't even started forming the personal statement, yet. I'm still in the "weeding out 20 years of stuff I could talk about" stage.

*sigh*

 

[LVT2DVM]

Oh, to wish that you didn't care so much about every letter in every sentence.

*sigh*

If for no other reason than to get to meet you Truth, I hope I get an Interview at IL. YOU CRACK ME UP!

 

[Truth74]

If for no other reason than to get to meet you Truth, I hope I get an Interview at IL. YOU CRACK ME UP!

Oh, come on. I'll be a let down in person. Seriously, I'm lame. But it would be great to have a bunch of us repeaters just roll those one timers out of their seats at Illinois.

 

[pyxystyx]

Hey all! First time-applicant (and extremelly nervous about it)...

CA resident, applying to:
UC Davis
Western
Wisconsin
RVC

...and possibly one or two of the Scotland schools. (I would be SO thrilled to have an excuse to re-locate somewhere on the other side of the pond. 😀 )

...anyone else have personal statement writer's block?

 

[Catnapper]

...anyone else have personal statement writer's block?

And how! This is round 2 for me, and I still have it...only worse, because after the first round of rejections, I know how much every little knit-picky thing you say/write can count against you.

 

[LucyLoo]

And how! This is round 2 for me, and I still have it...only worse, because after the first round of rejections, I know how much every little knit-picky thing you say/write can count against you.

Just curious, what kinds of things did you get hit on?

 

[CBRGrl]

Round two for me too and let me officially send out grand props to everyone else who's been through the forrest before too; here's hoping we're all alittle stronger for it! VMCAS here we come!

 

[ferral]

...anyone else have personal statement writer's block?

OMG YES. 😱

 

[ferral]

You are wrong 😛 You just need to show that you didn't get any out of state help with your expenses, which is not a problem if you are like most people living off of loans.

Awesome. 😀 Thanks reefervet!
Then I shall be adding Ohio to my list


(b.t.w. sorry for the consecutive posts...catching up on my midnight applications anxiety and SDN stalking)

 

[Catnapper]

LucyLoo (et al!) - I think my #1 mistake last year was not playing up everything that I've done to try to get into vet school. The angle of my PS last year was that I'm interested in feline medicine, and I asked about tracking (i.e.: specializing in school) in my interviews, which, hindsight being what it is, I think was a mistake...comments on my application indicated that I did not have a good enough understanding of what it means to be a vet, which I'm interpreting as "you're too narrow in your goals."
The other comment I got (which blew me away, because, of all of the comments, I totally disagreed with it), was that I had not demonstrated that I could handle the rigor of the vet school program. I've done most (if not all) of my prereqs full-time while working full-time. I'm guessing that I simply didn't advertise my workload enough throughout the application/supp. apps.
My advice? Pretend you've just been told that you haven't done enough to go to vet school, get mad about it, and tell them just how much you've worked for this!! --And

 

[pyxystyx]

Okay... finally made up my mind. Hope I don't change it again later! 😀

This is (hopefully) my final list, taking into consideration the VMSAR I just got in the mail.

Davis
Western
RVC
Glasgow
Wisconsin
Tuskegee

There... now if only I could figure out how the HECK to actually apply to Tuskegee!!! Anyone else having trouble with their website?

Everyone in this thread is awesome, btw. 😀

 

[gone2dogs]

OK, after much debating and lurking, I thought I'd go ahead and expose myself😛. I'm a non-traditional first time applicant this year. I was going to wait a year knowing I am short on vet experience, but my friends and family convinced me that it was worth trying this year! So what the heck...

I will be applying to only CSU (in state) this year, but will expand my list if (when!) I go for round 2 next year! I am feeling very demoralized looking at other schools, as I am missing more prereqs for some of them and some (like Kansas...) sound really inflexible on old classes. Do they honestly want me to retake all those classes?

Since this is my first post, a quick bio: I graduated from college 10 years ago with double majors of Chemistry and Physics, earned a MS in Physical Chemistry 5 years ago (research in biophysics) and have been teaching high school chemistry (including AP) for 5 years. I also worked in the computer industry after college doing chemistry/materials analysis type stuff.

Embarrassingly (since I have 2 degrees in chemistry!), I just took biochemistry this summer which I really enjoyed, and took the GRE last week. Things are falling into place... except my personal statement. Reading other posts on this thread I guess I am not alone!

Good luck everyone!

 

[CBRGrl]

This is my second time around the application carousel and I'm definitely feeling a lot better about this cycle. Last year I only applied to my IS school, so this year I've decided to lay all my cards on the table.
Ill be applying to:

CSU (IS)
Cornell
Davis
NCSU
UF
maybe Sydney?

Good luck to everyone!!

 

[BrumleyVet]

So gone2dogs, how about starting a "tutoring" thread for those of us struggling!??!!

Good luck from another non-trad.

 

[turnandburn]

Minnesota for sure- since I'm IS. 😀

Iowa... maybe??? Still deciding!!! 😕 Running out of time!

 

[TongueFuCal]

UF
Penn
Cornell
Michigan
possibly UC davis

 

[Pomona2006]

I'm a first time non-trad applicant

My list is short...

Western
Davis
Colorado

I live in CA (moved here from NY 6 years ago), so I'm hoping to stay here...

 

[wildvet]

This is my second time around applying. I had applied early to my IS school as a junior last year, made it all the way to the interview and fumbled it. Now I'm a senior and reapplying! 😳

This time, lesson learned, I'm applying to more schools besides IS (although I'd like most to get into my IS school to save money!). Anyway, here's my list:

Illinois
Kansas State
Wisconsin
Minnesota

 

[TongueFuCal]

good luck at madison, I grew up in WI🙂

 

[BayleeVet2B]

UGA (SC contract), Mississippi (SC contract), UF, UTK, Auburn

First time...

 

[philomycus]

I'm officially done with everyhting. Woo hoo!

3rd time and chose UF, CSU, UGA and OK state. Looking at Ok state's statistics last year, I was above their average in every category???? Argh! I don't get it. But I do get I have no control over it and will contniue to apply until I get in. Period.

 

[DogLover824]

third time for me hoping it will be lucky, i got interviews at both Missouri and Iowa last year and was wait listed at Missouri so this year i am applying to :

Missouri
Iowa
Kansas
UF
Mississippi
NCSU

 

[Malhi]

I am completely non-traditional. I was a graphic designer but am now finishing up prereqs. Almost done with applications due around the 2nd! 👍
I am applying to-
U of I
UPenn
Tufts
Wisconsin
Michigan
VMRCVM
Minnesota

🙂 First time applicant!

 

[turnandburn]

I'm officially done with everyhting. Woo hoo!

3rd time and chose UF, CSU, UGA and OK state. Looking at Ok state's statistics last year, I was above their average in every category???? Argh! I don't get it. But I do get I have no control over it and will contniue to apply until I get in. Period.

Haha, I'm skipping work tomorrow to get mine finished and submitted.

It seems like every time I look at it I find something I want to change. 🙄

 

[Kimberly5]

I am a first-time traditional applicant, and am applying to 5 schools:

Florida (IS school)
Auburn
Colorado
UC Davis
Cornell

I tried to narrow my schools down to the ones I really wanted to go to. Some of my decisions were based on location (UC Davis and Colorado). I have a lot of family that has graduated from Auburn, including my brother and father, so I spent a lot of time there growing up. Hopefully this will be my first and only application year!

 

[sambone]

Im a non-trad applying for the first time.....wimped out last year.
Applying to 7 schools:

cornell
tufts
kansas
ohio
wisconsin
msu
penn


for the most part, I chose based on OOS acceptance rates and cost. then interest in specific programs.

 

[Catnapper]

...and I've adjusted my list. Now it's:

Western
Tufts
UTK
Wisconsin
Mississippi State
Ross
Davis (when pigs fly, but they're my in-state)
Cornell (don't have a snowball's chance, but they have a kitteh health center!!)

Tah-dah!!

 

[karmapple]

Okay, I'll add my list too.

Texas A&M (in-state)
Kansas
Ohio
Western

First time applying! (Hopefully the last?)

 

[eringobraugh]

2nd time applicant Yikes!
Davis
Western
Colorado
Oregon
Washington
Wisconsin
Michigan
UPenn
Purdue
Mississippi

Good luck everyone!

 

[rachroo]

I'm a first timer!

I applied to:
-Ohio (IS)
-MSU
-Iowa
-Western
-Minnesota
-Missouri

I will be applying to:
-SGU
-...and maybe Ross

 

[Rusty27]

.

 

[sambone]

Lat time I checked the AAVMC numbers, the average # of applications per person was something like 3.2. Based solely on this site, it seems like people are applying to more schools in general. Any thoughts? I applied to 7 because I feel totally uncertain about my chances (Esp. when I compare myself to the super applicants that seem to be drawn to SDN) , but sometimes I wonder if looking at this site makes me way more paranoid than I need to be.

 

[RockStarKDub]

Just wanted to pop in and say good luck everyone!!! Hopefully I'll get to meet some of the Florida applicants at spring interviews 🙂

GO GATORS!

 

[Pistol Pete]

This is my first year to apply to multiple schools:
Auburn
UT
Miss State
K State
Missouri

I applied last year as a junior to a couple of schools and made the alternate list....does anyone know if schools take the prior years alternate list and assuming grades remain good ...let those folks in first....I sure hope so😍!

This process has worn me out....submitted my app tonight and got the confirmation....expecting the first good night of sleep in 2 weeks.

Pete

 

[rachroo]

Based solely on this site, it seems like people are applying to more schools in general. Any thoughts?

Just a guess, but the population who uses SDN may not be representative of all the vet school applicants.

I applied to 7 because I feel totally uncertain about my chances (Esp. when I compare myself to the super applicants that seem to be drawn to SDN) , but sometimes I wonder if looking at this site makes me way more paranoid than I need to be.

Haha, I was just thinking about this today!! I feel like a mouse in comparison to all these great SDN'ers who have gotten in!! Just a question for all you vet school students--do you think SDN stats are representative of your vet school classes as a whole?

I agree about this site...I've become more paranoid in the process....but I also feel so much more informed. Hehe, is it just us two who are more paranoid by being on this site? 😉

 

[Sherman01]

First time around applying, I applied to Washington State University and the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I am from Washington and go to WSU for undergrad so that's were I want to get accepted to (best chance).

 

[Malhi]

I do feel a little paranoid. I think I am a good candidate. But reading last year's stats makes me really nervous. Sometimes I feel the admission process is so random.

Especially since this going to be my one and only time applying!

Good Luck everyone!👍

 

[LVT2DVM]

Final list for me...7:

UGA (contract)
Oklahoma (contract)
VMRCVM
Kansas
Iowa
Wisconsin
Missouri

Uhmm, 7 schools, 7th application.....hope this is my lucky number!

 

[sambone]

haha - yeah, I was totally addicted to the accepted students stats thread...I kept waiting for someone with stats like mine to pop up, so I could get some relief! but alas.....here I am, thinking I should probably put in a Peace Corp/Americorp/Teach for America application for next year 😀

 

[david594]

My final list is:
PEI
Florida
Ohio
Michigan
Colorado

I am not applying to my instate school(tufts) and if I don't get in I will be working and taking classes for another year. Cutting my classes down to part time will still let me finish an Animal Science degree by the end of the next cycle. And at my weekend job I am moving up from a pion "ER tech" where I do nothing to an "ICU nurse" where I get to do everything. 🙂

 

[VAgirl]

Final list for me...7:

UGA (contract)
Oklahoma (contract)
VMRCVM
Kansas
Iowa
Wisconsin
Missouri

Uhmm, 7 schools, 7th application.....hope this is my lucky number!

Yay for Kansas and Iowa making your list, LVT2DVM! I think those are really smart choices for you.

 

[bunnyslippers]

One day before the deadline I've finally settled on applying to 9 schools. That seems like so much, but I'm determined to get in this cycle!