Advice needed

[mydogpops]

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Rejected again after 2 interviews in the past 2 years. I am worried most that my place in life won't change much for my application next year.

Things I've accomplished
Bachelors in science
Masters in forensic toxicology
5 years small animal work
1 year equine volunteer work

So now what's things can I do to make my application better. Try to get a job in forensics while also working in the vet field. Get a job in equine. I can't really do anything else in the way of school so I have to improve somewhere else.

Suggestions

 

[gone2dogs]

Have you had file reviews? And if not, do it this year!!! As I just posted in the successful applicants thread, I was a third timer and I own my eventual acceptance to doing the file reviews and doing as close to exactly what they said each year. They can give you a much better idea of where your application is weak, so you can work more specifically! Good luck, and keep at it if this is what you really want!

 

[goldielocks137]

I definitely second doing file reviews. In addition to improving your app, you can bring it up next year in your interviews. I had quite a few more interviews this year than I did last year, and I owned up to being a second time applicant, told the interviewers that I'd contacted schools to ask what could be improved on, and then outlined exactly how I'd followed the suggestions given to me. The interviewers all seemed very impressed with my effort and my improvement

 

[LetItSnow]

In addition to improving your app, you can bring it up next year in your interviews. I had quite a few more interviews this year than I did last year, and I owned up to being a second time applicant, told the interviewers that I'd contacted schools to ask what could be improved on, and then outlined exactly how I'd followed the suggestions given to me. The interviewers all seemed very impressed with my effort and my improvement

Yes.

For the "tell me about a time you failed" interview question I used not getting in last year as my example. Talked about meeting with the admissions director. Talked about organizing her advice into a prioritized list of things I could accomplish in the next 9 months. Talked about the life rearrangements I had to make to meet the objectives on the list. Etc.

I think the answer went over well, though I guess it's hard to be certain.

 

[Robdude]

It took me four years.....

14 rejections, four interviews, one (accredited) acceptance.

You can go to the reviews but they'll probably say the same thing they stay to everyone else....

"Your GPA is good, but it could be better. Take more difficult, high level, science courses and get A's"

"Your GRE is good, but it could be better. Consider studying, retaking it, and scoring much higher."

"Your experience is good, but it could be better. Try to diversify your experience and log more hours."

etc, etc....

At least, that's what they told me for the last four years.

You can certainly apply to a LOT of schools next year. Most schools publish some information about what process they use for evaluating applications. You can also see the stats for the current class. Applying to schools that value the strong points of your application will probably help.

 

[sumstorm]

We had one applicant get in last year on year 7 of applying.

 

[heylodeb]

My file review at UCD was very helpful. I followed her advice to a 'T' as well and I believe that is why I got an interview this year. I also asked her what I shouldn't do. That was helpful information! (She told me not to retake the GRE, not to take any more classes)

SO I guess my advice is to follow everyone ele's advice. 😀

 

[twelvetigers]

I didn't find my file review all that helpful... it was a bit... er, cryptic? But, I realized a few flaws on my own. First, I re-evaluated my letter of reccomendation writers and decided that someone must have written a mediocre letter since my file score was so low. So, I switched things up and found a new writer that I knew would tell the committee why they NEEDED to accept me. You want someone with 100% faith that you will be a benefit to the profession, and you want them to state that in your LOR with some passion.

Next, I looked at my personal statement with a very critical eye. I wrote a new one, and I had like a million people read it. 🙂 I did NOT write a summary of my experiences this time. I talked about the most important experiences, and about how they sparked my interest in more specific areas of vet med. I also very carefully defended my interest in pathology, with or without a PhD, and made it clear that I would really consider my options during school to make sure it was right for me.

Now, there's not a magic formula for a PS, but unless you have at least a dozen critical eyes on it, you might not be presenting yourself as well as you could. Take advantage of this forum and participate in the annual 'PS tradeoff' that inevitably happens each summer.

Finally, I practiced interviewing quite a lot. You don't have to do mock interviews the whole time (though I certainly recommend doing at least one)... I got a lot of practice answering questions for my mom, my husband, a good friend. Despite knowing them all really well, you still get anxious when answering the interview-type questions. You can realize in advance that you would rather phrase something differently, or if an answer you were planning to give actually sounds a bit naive or silly. It was really helpful, and allowed me to be 'myself' during the interview instead of an anxious mess.

Anyway... I definitely think you should do a file review wherever you can (some schools will do them over the phone too). But, you should also look at your application with a critical eye on your own.

Good luck... it definitely sucks, but if it's worth it to you in the end, then you should go for it.

 

[LetItSnow]

It took me four years.....

14 rejections, four interviews, one (accredited) acceptance.

You can go to the reviews but they'll probably say the same thing they stay to everyone else....

Wow. They were *very* specific about the strengths and weaknesses of my application, so it was extremely useful.

Provided the school isn't hard to get to for the file review, it seems like a minimal investment of time for what might be a very strong return.

ETExplain: Sigh. Robdude, my apologies for the "you have more experience with file reviews than I do" wording. I absolutely did NOT mean for that to sound as condescending as it could be interpreted. Deleting that line just because it's poorly worded and can be misunderstood.