Acceptance rates of other applicants sharing your animal/veterinary experiences?

[TCVM808]

I was just wondering if others had fellow coworkers (or others with whom you shared your animal and/or veterinary experiences) apply to vet school this cycle.

At my small animal clinic we had three (including myself) pre-vets apply this year. Much to my delight, we were all accepted! I will be attending CSU, another girl is headed to UTK and the third to Edinburgh. We have problems with retention of new employees at our clinic (I know this is widespread), and with this recent success, I think our doctors should use this "acceptance rate" as a selling point to attract motivated pre-veterinary students. If nothing else, we pre-vets stick around longer than the typical employee. The three of us worked there for an average of 3 years.

I think we can all agree that we would not be where we are without the generosity of our mentors! Interestingly enough I have encountered more than one individual who has used the success of past pre-vets working under them to sell themselves or their programs. Since my volunteer work at a local sanctuary, the same internship position I once held has become exponentially more competitive. The curator has maintained a very good record of "getting people in" and I think that is for a combination of reasons. She screens very well, but also confers A LOT of responsibility and knows how to write a good LOR. Last I knew she had a "perfect record" meaning that everyone who worked with her for a significant amount of time (and most likely had her write a LOR) was admitted. And for those who might be curious, she is not a DVM, nor does she have any connections to a particular school....she has had past interns accepted to many various schools from Western to UW-Madison to CSU.

Of course all of this is not to say that those who have not written LORs or been involved with the vet school application process before should be discounted by pre-vet students! However, I think that pre-vets with multiple experience opportunities available should at least *consider* how much a person has been involved with vet school admissions in the past when deciding which to pursue. I bring this up only because I think it is one of *many* factors that can make or break an experience for aspiring pre-vets with precious little time.

So what are everyone else's experiences and thoughts?

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[clawsbeatskin]

Very interesting, TCVM808! One of my recommenders has a 100% success rate of writing LORs that lead to future acceptances. She is a CSU grad from the seventies...and to my knowledge, doesn't have any current connections. When I asked her to write my letter, she was adamant that I would get into vet school. It is true that I am waitlisted at CSU, and I've often wondered if her recommendation was the magic bullet, but I know of other applicants associated with her who have been rejected from CSU and accepted elsewhere. However, the volunteer position she offers wasn't competitive at all- I looked her up in the phone book, got her email address from the clinic, and sent her my resume and explained that I wanted to volunteer for the summer. That was it!

It's hard for me to believe that her influence in my application was the sole reason I was accepted. I added a TON of improvements to my application after being rejected last year. I mean, a lot. But if she truly was the reason I was accepted, well, great. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. Life is all about the people you meet and what you do with those relationships. I hate the term 'networking', but in this case, perhaps it helped me fulfill my dream!

At any rate, I think it is worthwhile to seek recommenders who know more than the average joe about what it takes to get into vet school. That can only work to your benefit.

 

[elkbrucellaguy]

I was just wondering if others had fellow coworkers (or others with whom you shared your animal and/or veterinary experiences) apply to vet school this cycle.

At my small animal clinic we had three (including myself) pre-vets apply this year. Much to my delight, we were all accepted! I will be attending CSU, another girl is headed to UTK and the third to Edinburgh. We have problems with retention of new employees at our clinic (I know this is widespread), and with this recent success, I think our doctors should use this "acceptance rate" as a selling point to attract motivated pre-veterinary students. If nothing else, we pre-vets stick around longer than the typical employee. The three of us worked there for an average of 3 years.

I think we can all agree that we would not be where we are without the generosity of our mentors! Interestingly enough I have encountered more than one individual who has used the success of past pre-vets working under them to sell themselves or their programs. Since my volunteer work at a local sanctuary, the same internship position I once held has become exponentially more competitive. The curator has maintained a very good record of "getting people in" and I think that is for a combination of reasons. She screens very well, but also confers A LOT of responsibility and knows how to write a good LOR. Last I knew she had a "perfect record" meaning that everyone who worked with her for a significant amount of time (and most likely had her write a LOR) was admitted. And for those who might be curious, she is not a DVM, nor does she have any connections to a particular school....she has had past interns accepted to many various schools from Western to UW-Madison to CSU.

Of course all of this is not to say that those who have not written LORs or been involved with the vet school application process before should be discounted by pre-vet students! However, I think that pre-vets with multiple experience opportunities available should at least *consider* how much a person has been involved with vet school admissions in the past when deciding which to pursue. I bring this up only because I think it is one of *many* factors that can make or break an experience for aspiring pre-vets with precious little time.

So what are everyone else's experiences and thoughts?

When my boss was writing his "Impact Statement" for the Tenure & Promotion Committee at our University he included the fact that from our laboratory he has had several students go off for human medicine, denistry, and veterinary medicine.

This year two of us from the lab got accepted and are going to CSU. Two others were accepted at University of Washington and Uniformed Services University Medical School.

I think my boss wrote me a great LOR, but in his case he is not very familar with the vet school admissions process. So he really doesn't promote our success rate to potential students. But at the places were people from our lab applied he did have some connections mostly at USU, but he does know people at CSU and UW. So I don't know how much that helps...

I probably should have put more thought into pre-vet experiences and choosing a mentor with a high success rate, luckily though I happened to stumble upon one and things worked out great.

 

[loo]

This is a very interesting thread!

One of my best recommenders was a professional colleague of mine. Being a non-trad, a few of my undergrad professors had died or retired with no forwarding address. I called vet schools I was interested in applying to, explained my situation, and asked if I could substitute a LOR from a colleague in my field of work who could attest to my abilities--academic, etc. Most vet schools were ok with this.

My colleague's LOR came up as a topic of discussion at a few interviews. I was sorta embarrassed because I had no idea what he wrote! I had signed off, waiving access to the LOR. Evidently, quite a few interviewers were impressed, commenting on how refreshing it was to have a recommender comment on real-life professional practice and how I handled the rigors of dealing with people and keeping up on scientific advances. I just sat there like the village idiot, having absolutely no way to respond...

 

[banditalfi]

Of all my friends applying this cycle we have all been accepted. Two of us have worked at the emergency clinic that i work at now, though the other girl graduated a year ahead of me and so she left about a year ago (enchantingme3, in case you were wondering)... the clinic was by our school. One of the other girls briefly shadowed at the clinic and though the doctor did not write her a LOR for VMCAS, apparently he sent a (very helpful) letter to Penn saying he didn't know her all that well, but she came in a lot and was eager to learn and great, etc etc etc. The third girl had completely different experience... so I don't know why I'm talking about this...

Also, there was one girl from the emergency clinic I work at who is going to VA/MD next year...

 

[TCVM808]

I probably should have put more thought into pre-vet experiences and choosing a mentor with a high success rate, luckily though I happened to stumble upon one and things worked out great.

I was actually the same way. My choices of experiences with mentors having "good records with admissions" was not as pre-meditated as I may make it sound here. This pattern was something I began to take notice of after a few interactions with a particular advisor (really pompous, thought he could get anyone in , and gave me some advice I did not agree with ) and then later, in retrospect, as I was putting together my list of LORs.

This topic is just something I thought was worth bringing up for the current and future pre-vets reading these boards. You invest a lot in your pre-veterinary animal/veterinary experiences, and I don't think it would be out of line to ask what kind of experience particular person has had with vet school admissions in the past. Just yet another thing to consider...

 

[Habibti]

I was actually the same way. My choices of experiences with mentors having "good records with admissions" was not as pre-meditated as I may make it sound here. This pattern was something I began to take notice of after a few interactions with a particular advisor (really pompous, thought he could get anyone in , and gave me some advice I did not agree with ) and then later, in retrospect, as I was putting together my list of LORs.

This topic is just something I thought was worth bringing up for the current and future pre-vets reading these boards. You invest a lot in your pre-veterinary animal/veterinary experiences, and I don't think it would be out of line to ask what kind of experience particular person has had with vet school admissions in the past. Just yet another thing to consider...

Personal opinion, but: I don't think admissions should be treated as some sort of game where if you do 300 hours of A, 200 hours of B, and 600 hours of C, with this GPA and GRE score, you'll get in. Now, we're adding to the mix: If you work for X person, you'll be nearly guaranteed to get in. It seems terrible to use someone for entrance into vet school. 'Yeah, I only worked for her because she gets lots of people into vet school'. What boss wants to feel like a pawn in the game of getting into vet school? Shouldn't it be more about your passion, enjoyment, and exposure to the field than going through the motions to fulfill a formula?

Furthermore, perhaps it's not about how much clout someone has as about how well they pick the people that work for them. Perhaps they pick the people with the most passion and most promise, two qualities that vet school admissions are big on as well. Even a 95% correlation does not indicate causation. If they picked you, maybe it's because they thought you could be great and you worked hard for them to get a great LOR. And they let the vet school know how awesome you were.

I'm not saying that clout doesn't exist, because I'm certain that it does. But to pick your jobs based on possible clout? Seems a bit ridiculous.

edit: I generally see more of this fulfilling a formula on the pre-med forum than I do here, which is why I was slightly disappointed by the concept of cutting corners, and doing things for not-so-virtuous reasons.

 

[Steelmagghia]

At the same time, we've seen many people on here who are having issues with LORs because of the people they have picked to work with.
Ideally, it shouldn't have to be a consideration, but since vet school is SO competitive and LORs are very important, it is smart to think about that sort of thing.
It shouldn't be the only consideration, but I don't think anyone was suggesting that. It's just something to think about.

Personal opinion, but: I don't think admissions should be treated as some sort of game where if you do 300 hours of A, 200 hours of B, and 600 hours of C, with this GPA and GRE score, you'll get in. Now, we're adding to the mix: If you work for X person, you'll be nearly guaranteed to get in. It seems terrible to use someone for entrance into vet school. 'Yeah, I only worked for her because she gets lots of people into vet school'. What boss wants to feel like a pawn in the game of getting into vet school? Shouldn't it be more about your passion, enjoyment, and exposure to the field than going through the motions to fulfill a formula?

Furthermore, perhaps it's not about how much clout someone has as about how well they pick the people that work for them. Perhaps they pick the people with the most passion and most promise, two qualities that vet school admissions are big on as well. Even a 95% correlation does not indicate causation. If they picked you, maybe it's because they thought you could be great and you worked hard for them to get a great LOR. And they let the vet school know how awesome you were.

I'm not saying that clout doesn't exist, because I'm certain that it does. But to pick your jobs based on possible clout? Seems a bit ridiculous.

edit: I generally see more of this fulfilling a formula on the pre-med forum than I do here, which is why I was slightly disappointed by the concept of cutting corners, and doing things for not-so-virtuous reasons.

 

[TCVM808]

I certainly wasn't trying to advocate some formulaic approach, game playing or manipulation of one's mentors. I'm sorry that you read into it that way! The other considerations I alluded to most certainly include things like "passion, enjoyment, and exposure to the field." This thread was meant to touch on *one small aspect* of the veterinary school application process, and not encapsulate my entire thinking on the matter by any means. I don't believe that by taking into account the things I have mentioned one is necessarily cutting corners, but that's just my opinion.

...Furthermore, perhaps it's not about how much clout someone has as about how well they pick the people that work for them. Perhaps they pick the people with the most passion and most promise, two qualities that vet school admissions are big on as well. Even a 95% correlation does not indicate causation. If they picked you, maybe it's because they thought you could be great and you worked hard for them to get a great LOR. And they let the vet school know how awesome you were...

I think clout vs. selectivity of employees/volunteers was exactly what I was getting at with my example of the sanctuary curator. I totally agree with you on this point!

I just wanted to offer up some advice to pre-vets. I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with my thinking, but I do hope that it will resonate with and help some. I feel sorry for those I read about here and hear about in my daily life struggling with making the most of inadequate/difficult experiences and/or unresponsive mentors.

 

[david594]

I know one of the vets I work for now would be personally offended if I didn't apply to his alma matter. He is also very adamant about the fact that he can get pretty much anyone who works for him an interview there based on the connections he still has with the school. Even though he hasn't had any formal with ties with the school in 15 years. Although, not only did he do vet school there, he also went back a year or two later to do a 3 or 4 year residency.

 

[rachroo]

I'm actually going to be asking one of the doctors I've worked with for a LOR in the next few months for this application cycle. He is a fantastic vet and did fantastic in vet school. I have heard him joke around that everyone he's ever written a letter for got into vet school. He has given me great advice and has told me he'd think I'd make a great vet, he'd hire me after vet school if they were looking for another vet, etc, etc.

What worries me, is that I pretty much have a GPA and even if he writes me the best possible LOR in the world, it won't help because a) many schools have a formula they use w/GPA and GRE scores to decide who's LOR/personal statement/interivew they read or b) the ad-comms will choose someone who has a high GPA and a great LOR vs. someone w/a low GPA vs. a great LOR.

 

[VAgirl]

I'm actually going to be asking one of the doctors I've worked with for a LOR in the next few months for this application cycle. He is a fantastic vet and did fantastic in vet school. I have heard him joke around that everyone he's ever written a letter for got into vet school. He has given me great advice and has told me he'd think I'd make a great vet, he'd hire me after vet school if they were looking for another vet, etc, etc.

What worries me, is that I pretty much have a GPA and even if he writes me the best possible LOR in the world, it won't help because a) many schools have a formula they use w/GPA and GRE scores to decide who's LOR/personal statement/interivew they read or b) the ad-comms will choose someone who has a high GPA and a great LOR vs. someone w/a low GPA vs. a great LOR.

Try not to stress too much. Do the best you can, put it all out there, and you'll see what happens. I think there are enough of us lurking around with low GPAs who managed to get in (adcoms saw other pluses) that you shouldn't let it psych you out too much. You never know what they'll see in your app, especially if you play up your strengths (and have good answers to explain your weaknesses). Good luck!!

 

[mdnghtdnc]

I'm actually going to be asking one of the doctors I've worked with for a LOR in the next few months for this application cycle. He is a fantastic vet and did fantastic in vet school. I have heard him joke around that everyone he's ever written a letter for got into vet school. He has given me great advice and has told me he'd think I'd make a great vet, he'd hire me after vet school if they were looking for another vet, etc, etc.

What worries me, is that I pretty much have a GPA and even if he writes me the best possible LOR in the world, it won't help because a) many schools have a formula they use w/GPA and GRE scores to decide who's LOR/personal statement/interivew they read or b) the ad-comms will choose someone who has a high GPA and a great LOR vs. someone w/a low GPA vs. a great LOR.

Yes, you never know what will happen... I only had a GPA of 3.19 when I applied, and had three excellent LORs with a variety of experince which included a wildlife program in Africa, a small animal practice, and an emergency center which delt with exotics. Hang in there and if you want it badly enough... anything is possible. Focus on schools that are more reseptive to not looking at only GPA at first but ones that are looking for more rounded students.

 

[dpcdoc]

I believe it is far more important to ask someone who knows you well and will highlight your talents write your LOR, than to have your LOR written by someone based on their alma mater or past record of acceptances. Each applicant is unique in his or her own way and your letters of recommendation should support all your attributes. I had none of my letters written by Vets or even anyone in the veterinary field. Three physicians I worked with/for wrote my letters and they were the professionals I felt were in the best position to speak about my potential as well as my past success. Just my .02 and best of luck to you.

 

[VetMed555]

One of the doctors I worked for told me the same thing: everyone he recommended got in. I got in, thus, I contributed another number to his record . NOBODY from my clinic applied this year. Sometimes I felt so alone working with 1,000 girls (this is a dramatization) who wanted to be vet. TECHS. However, I think it was nice to not think about the whole application process and to be able to come to work and just let go of the whole psychosis associated with vet. school admissions.

 

[VAgirl]

I believe it is far more important to ask someone who knows you well and will highlight your talents write your LOR, than to have your LOR written by someone based on their alma mater or past record of acceptances.

I agree with this.

I had none of my letters written by Vets or even anyone in the veterinary field.

Really?? I thought every school required at least one letter from a vet. This is actually the requirement that stressed me out the most (being non-traditional and not having had a typical vet clinic work experience since college). That's interesting to know. Though I think it's important to note that the vast majority of vet schools require at least one vet req.

 

[twelvetigers]

I have a GPA too... I got an interview with it. I didn't get in, but I did get past the inital GRE/GPA iron gate. There is hope!