Admission Anxiety

[KSU2015]

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Hi! Sorry if this is a rant!
So I know most of us Pre-Vet students are type A kind of people and worry about admission to vet school- if we are serious about it! But I just wanted to get advice about anxiety. I am an OOS student everywhere 🙁 I am applying as a junior with decent stats- 3.5ish gpa and a good number of vet hours. I don't know what happened this past few weeks but I am driving myself insane. I think a lot of it has to do with the NY times article. I will do anything to achieve my dreams- so if going out of the country is the only option I will be fine with the debt. But realistically, I would love to get in a year early which would save me paying for a forth year of undergrad and would allow me to finish a year early. It is fairly common at my school to get in as a junior. I know thinking so far ahead into the future is a little nuts but this stuff keeps me awake at night! I couldn't think of a better audience that would potentially understand how I am feeling. I just get nervous next year I won't get in. I know as a junior I should be only "practicing" by applying early. But this is my absolute passion and I want it to work out perfectly so badly! So basically, I am applying in the fall and I just hope I have a shot at gaining admission. The VMCAS opens in 2 months and 28 days- I know I am a crazy person And I would just love advice to keep myself sane and have a give chance of gaining admission. THANK YOU GUYS! You are truly amazing.

 

[orcagirl]

Hi! Sorry if this is a rant!
So I know most of us Pre-Vet students are type A kind of people and worry about admission to vet school- if we are serious about it! But I just wanted to get advice about anxiety. I am an OOS student everywhere 🙁 I am applying as a junior with decent stats- 3.5ish gpa and a good number of vet hours. I don't know what happened this past few weeks but I am driving myself insane. I think a lot of it has to do with the NY times article. I will do anything to achieve my dreams- so if going out of the country is the only option I will be fine with the debt. But realistically, I would love to get in a year early which would save me paying for a forth year of undergrad and would allow me to finish a year early. It is fairly common at my school to get in as a junior. I know thinking so far ahead into the future is a little nuts but this stuff keeps me awake at night! I couldn't think of a better audience that would potentially understand how I am feeling. I just get nervous next year I won't get in. I know as a junior I should be only "practicing" by applying early. But this is my absolute passion and I want it to work out perfectly so badly! So basically, I am applying in the fall and I just hope I have a shot at gaining admission. The VMCAS opens in 2 months and 28 days- I know I am a crazy person And I would just love advice to keep myself sane and have a give chance of gaining admission. THANK YOU GUYS! You are truly amazing.

There's no way to not stress about it. It's what you do with that stress that keeps you sane. I just threw myself into everything before I applied and I kept it all up after I applied to help with the anxiety. There's a chance you'll get admitted, but there's also a chance you won't. It's all about who applies that year. Also take that article with a grain of salt. It stressed me out for a while, but honestly, if you are smart about where you apply and how you live when you get into school, you should be okay overall. There are some OOS schools (if you don't have any) that have competitive tuition rates, whether there OOS is low like Wisconsin or you have the opportunity to apply for residency after a year like NCSU and Mizzou and Ohio. I make an excel file of all the schools and what tuition would cost me for four years (assuming I get in-state at those that allow it). I only applied schools I could "afford" to go to based on that and other factors. There are ways to minimize your debt, though those schools might be a little more competitive.

 

[goldengirl90]

Hi! Sorry if this is a rant!
So I know most of us Pre-Vet students are type A kind of people and worry about admission to vet school- if we are serious about it! But I just wanted to get advice about anxiety. I am an OOS student everywhere 🙁 I am applying as a junior with decent stats- 3.5ish gpa and a good number of vet hours. I don't know what happened this past few weeks but I am driving myself insane. I think a lot of it has to do with the NY times article. I will do anything to achieve my dreams- so if going out of the country is the only option I will be fine with the debt. But realistically, I would love to get in a year early which would save me paying for a forth year of undergrad and would allow me to finish a year early. It is fairly common at my school to get in as a junior. I know thinking so far ahead into the future is a little nuts but this stuff keeps me awake at night! I couldn't think of a better audience that would potentially understand how I am feeling. I just get nervous next year I won't get in. I know as a junior I should be only "practicing" by applying early. But this is my absolute passion and I want it to work out perfectly so badly! So basically, I am applying in the fall and I just hope I have a shot at gaining admission. The VMCAS opens in 2 months and 28 days- I know I am a crazy person And I would just love advice to keep myself sane and have a give chance of gaining admission. THANK YOU GUYS! You are truly amazing.

First of all, know that you're not alone 🙂 All of us that are applying or about to apply are stressed about getting in, worried for our futures, etc -- and this is okay! If we weren't worried at all, that probably would mean we weren't aware of what we're getting ourselves into! 😉

A few pointers:

1. Take one thing at a time, and don't get ahead of yourself. Sometimes I get so caught up reading articles and forums, stressing about my future, that I neglect to study for my current classes when I should. 😳 Don't make this mistake! Focus on one class at a time, one exam at a time, and so on. Getting A's now is much more important than spending hours reading about doom-and-gloom and getting all worried.

2. Try to accept that even if you don't get in this year, it may be for the best. Often, having that "It's this or die" mentality is what drives us crazy. Have realistic expectations and accept the fact that an alternative plan could work out just as well. On a related note -- think VERY carefully before you decide to go overseas to study. I know you want to "pursue your dream at all costs," but if going overseas is financially a terrible option, your dream won't exactly be a dream come true (i.e., if you're struggling with debt until you're 50 years old.)

If your main point is to get some feedback on your chances -- we'd need more details before we can give advice. Your 3.5 is good, but not fantastic when it comes to out-of-state. Most out-of-state GPA averages that I've seen (and correct me if I'm wrong!) are higher than a 3.5. The good news is, you have a whole year to bring that GPA up even higher! Also, rocking the GRE will really help your chances, so focus on that as well.

For now, just try to keep calm, stay focused, and enjoy the process... or at least as much as that's humanly possible.

 

[Rainheart]

First, I just want to say good luck to you! It is hard not to stress, and besides, stress is good to have.

My few pointers...

1. Try to get as much of the application done as soon as you can. It takes a long time to enter your grades and experiences. Also contact your letters of recommendation writers as soon as it opens as well. Look into the supplemental applications, too, to see what is required of you and get to work on those essays.

2. Like Goldengirl said above, don't fret if you don't get in as a junior. I'm not sure where you go to school, but it is actually pretty uncommon for a junior to get admitted. And, I know that at least for VMRCVM, my IS school, if you get in as a junior, that is binding and you HAVE to go. I'm not sure what others schools policies are. Though, don't get discouraged if you don't get in. Do file reviews with every school you applied to to see how to make your application better for the next cycle.

3. Apply smart- only apply to schools that if you got in you know you would go. Also, look at your overall stats. Your GPA is decent, but we aren't sure about your GRE scores or experiences. So see how each school ranks yours stats and apply to those that you feel you would have an advantage at.

Good luck to you!

 

[cs5910]

You aren't alone! I think all of us felt like that before applying... But now that we've been accepted, its a whole new set of stresses and anxiety! Then once we start next year, an even newer set. It never ends, its all about how you handle it!

 

[KSU2015]

Thank you for the replies and support everyone! I will continue to read these posts over and over! So I go to Kansas State University and many students apply as juniors. It is not binding but you do skip your senior year and get your degree after your first year of veterinary school. I have taken all my pre-reqs at KSU so I will not have to take the GRE. I know to many people this sounds amazing!! While it is on one hand, my GPA will be looked at with more weight- but thats okay. I like everyones ideas to start the application early. I am happy I don't feel like a psycho anymore for having my personal statement and experiences already written down in Word documents. I will try to be calm and know that some higher power has a plan for me! I will also focus on my classes I am taking right now because that is so important. Thank you for the advice and I have faith everything will work out especially with the help of this forum!

 

[hopefulinva]

TBH, my biggest source of stress during the application cycle was this website.

I would read the What Are My Chances thread every time someone posted something new and I would panic myself into a frenzy comparing my stats to everyone else's. It got to the point where every time I'd call my mom, she'd start off the conversation by telling me if this was something I had read on "those darn forums," I needed to shut the computer and give myself a break. Even if I actually was just calling to say hello. 😉

There's obviously a lot of support available on this forum as well, but if you find that it's becoming largely a source of anxiety, it might be for the best to stay away for a little while!

 

[cs5910]

TBH, my biggest source of stress during the application cycle was this website.

I would read the What Are My Chances thread every time someone posted something new and I would panic myself into a frenzy comparing my stats to everyone else's. It got to the point where every time I'd call my mom, she'd start off the conversation by telling me if this was something I had read on "those darn forums," I needed to shut the computer and give myself a break. Even if I actually was just calling to say hello. 😉

There's obviously a lot of support available on this forum as well, but if you find that it's becoming largely a source of anxiety, it might be for the best to stay away for a little while!

+1000!!!

My parents/friends/boyfriend want to block SDN on my computers haha

 

[cs5910]

TBH, my biggest source of stress during the application cycle was this website.

I would read the What Are My Chances thread every time someone posted something new and I would panic myself into a frenzy comparing my stats to everyone else's. It got to the point where every time I'd call my mom, she'd start off the conversation by telling me if this was something I had read on "those darn forums," I needed to shut the computer and give myself a break. Even if I actually was just calling to say hello. 😉

There's obviously a lot of support available on this forum as well, but if you find that it's becoming largely a source of anxiety, it might be for the best to stay away for a little while!

+1000!!!

My parents/friends/boyfriend want to block SDN on my computers haha

 

[Rainheart]

Thank you for the replies and support everyone! I will continue to read these posts over and over! So I go to Kansas State University and many students apply as juniors. It is not binding but you do skip your senior year and get your degree after your first year of veterinary school. I have taken all my pre-reqs at KSU so I will not have to take the GRE. I know to many people this sounds amazing!! While it is on one hand, my GPA will be looked at with more weight- but thats okay. I like everyones ideas to start the application early. I am happy I don't feel like a psycho anymore for having my personal statement and experiences already written down in Word documents. I will try to be calm and know that some higher power has a plan for me! I will also focus on my classes I am taking right now because that is so important. Thank you for the advice and I have faith everything will work out especially with the help of this forum!

No GRE... never heard of that before, but I didn't go to undergrad anywhere near Kansas, lol. You still might want to consider taking it since every other school requires a GRE basically.

 

[KSU2015]

Yes it a strange policy. I will take my GRE the next year when I applying during my senior year to multiple schools. During this first admission process I will only apply to KSU. The idea is they know exactly how difficult your science classes are because you took all of them at KSU. I will let you know next year if it was a good or bad thing that I did not take it 😉

 

[Lupin21]

Thank you for the replies and support everyone! I will continue to read these posts over and over! So I go to Kansas State University and many students apply as juniors. It is not binding but you do skip your senior year and get your degree after your first year of veterinary school. I have taken all my pre-reqs at KSU so I will not have to take the GRE. I know to many people this sounds amazing!! While it is on one hand, my GPA will be looked at with more weight- but thats okay.

So I take this to mean that you will only apply to KSU. This definitely ups the nervousness as you are banking everything on one school. I can honestly say this because it's what I did, but I still had to take the GRE. It worked out for me in the end as I was accepted, so good luck and my best advice is to emphasize what truly makes you unique as an individual. Most of the applicants are going to have excellent GPA's and plenty of experience hours. It is the personality and life experiences you will have to offer the incoming class that gets you the interview and acceptance. In the meantime, just relax and when the application cycle opens, really make sure you look at it in its printed form and see how it reads. I made sure mine wasn't just stats, but read like a short story. Use the explanation boxes for each section to your advantage.

 

[orcagirl]

Yes it a strange policy. I will take my GRE the next year when I applying during my senior year to multiple schools. During this first admission process I will only apply to KSU. The idea is they know exactly how difficult your science classes are because you took all of them at KSU. I will let you know next year if it was a good or bad thing that I did not take it 😉

Be sure to have people that have helped many students get into vet school look over your application and tell them to be honest with you about it. If you start early, you'll have plenty of time to revise it to fit what the school is looking for and to match who you are. Also be sure to save EVERYTHING in a document. This is important in case it gets removed from the VMCAS (like a system crash or something) and then you'll have it to tweak if you don't get in the first time. You'd hate to have to start completely from scratch in that case.

 

[dovelover]

+1000!!!

My parents/friends/boyfriend want to block SDN on my computers haha

Yeah I had to keep myself off SDN for a few days last week. My head was in a weird place and I didn't need other people's anxiety contributing to it haha

 

[Littlehamsterz]

I would say that you shouldn't go on this website until acceptances are near. There is no point in driving yourself insane over information that isn't relevant to your particular application nor is there is a point in driving yourself crazy by comparing yourself with other people who have vastly different applications even if the numbers are similar. Apply and hope for the best. Keep your mind off of it, and you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

Don't fret if you don't get in as a junior. Just allow yourself to be surprised if you do. You'll feel 1000X happier by not meditating on applications 24/7.

 

[KSU2015]

Thank you everyone for all the advice and support 🙂 I will try to not be on SDN every waking minute of my day. Hopefully, this journey will all work out in the end. Good luck to everyone- we can do this!