Am I nontraditional? Is that good?

[starboardzor]

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Good evening everyone. This is my first post and I hope I'm not wasting space here..

I'm 27 and I've spent the last six years enlisted in the Navy. Two years ago I decided to pursue my life-long dream of going to veterinary school. I enrolled in a community college and started volunteering in animal care at a museum and science center one day a week. While active duty, working 50+ hours a week and going to school many nights a week I've since graduated from my CC with a 3.8 GPA in general science and will be transferring to a four year college this fall after I'm discharged. I'm an Alabama resident and will be applying to Auburn and others.

I feel like I have what it takes after all of this....I've lived a very stressful last couple years and I've managed it well, advancing in my job all with good grades and even squeezing in 300 hours of volunteer work all while serving, not to mention going through a divorce. Do veterinary schools appreciate experiences like this?

So I guess my question is for the less traditional applicants: do you think schools appreciate older applicants who have unique life experiences and skills? How are some ways you've used your non-traditional experiences to your advantage when applying? Do you think it made you stand apart? What were some of the greatest challenges you faced trying to gather the necessary animal experience?

I'm going to admit... I feel odd taking volunteer jobs next to 19 year old college students while the women I know my age are married with kid #1. But maybe everything happens for a reason!

 

[Fly Racing]

Absolutely! It's a good thing. Not only do you have good grades while keeping other commitments, you having a unique background to get attention! Plus, being a serviceman/women often makes people like you before you even meet them 🙂 Get those prereqs done, keep the grades up and you're golden!! If you can get them done in the next year, definitely apply this year.

 

[LetItSnow]

Do veterinary schools appreciate experiences like this?

Indirectly. I think the straight-up answer is that yes, it will give you a leg up. But not necessarily in the way you're thinking about it. The schools aren't going to look at you and say "Oooo... look at all these challenges! Look at all this person has dealt with! Accept this person over someone younger!"

There's no way around the fact that your application has to beat out the competition.

But it does give you that much more to draw on when it comes time to write your personal statement and rock your interview. For some of the younger candidates, it can be hard because they might not have as much life experience to pull from to put together interesting, varied, and appropriate answers.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced trying to gather the necessary animal experience?

Time. Trying to work a full time job, go to school, and raise a family is enough on its own. Trying to find time to shadow, volunteer, etc. ... that was burdensome. But it's been worth it so far!

 

[OH Bunny Girl]

I feel odd taking volunteer jobs next to 19 year old college students while the women I know my age are married with kid #1.

I totally understand what it feels like to be in this boat. I am a non-trad and will turn the big 3-0 just before I start vet school this fall. And ALL of my friends from undergrad are now married, with houses and babies and careers, and I am embarking on a new adventure. So don't give up! And the plus to taking shadowing positions is that everyone (clients included) will think you're younger than you are. I think talking to clients gave me additional motivation that I never thought I would get or need!

Use your PS to expand on your non-trad challenges, but don't rely on that to push your application through. And since you are older you have had more opportunities for leadership experience and community engagement, so include everything!!!

 

[Psorophoraferox]

While active duty, working 50+ hours a week and going to school many nights a week I've since graduated from my CC with a 3.8 GPA in general science

Damn. 👍👍

My experiences are similar, minus the military. Unfortunately I found that when I started at my four-year school and began taking the upper-level science courses, I couldn't maintain my 50+ hours a week work schedule AND my grades. You may be able to, of course, but if at all possible have a fall-back plan for finances (savings, loans, etc.) in case you find your grades are suffering. I was lucky enough to have saved enough during my first few years of school that I've been able to work part-time for the last few -- and have had a job that's okay with that. Another issue was that (because they have a lot of non-trad students who work weekdays) classes at my CC were routinely offered at night/on weekends/online, but my four-year school has offered ONE night class and ONE online class out of everything that I needed for my degree. I asked my advisor about weekend classes and she looked at me like I had a third head. Again, YMMV, but it's something to keep in mind.

High grades are so important. While being a well-rounded candidate or having interesting life experiences is also beneficial, that doesn't really kick in until later in the application review process. Grades are an easy weed-out tactic for vet schools; if they don't think you can handle a rigorous science-based academic program, most will toss your app in the rejection pile without a second look. I know this from personal experience. 😎 However, if your grades, GRE, and veterinary experiences are competitive enough to keep your app in consideration, your military record, employment history, and all the rest will definitely be a boost. Like others have said, because you're non-trad, you have a much greater variety of experiences to draw on when writing your personal statement or answering interview questions, and vet schools DO like having a diverse class. You will stand out -- in a good way.

Keep getting as much veterinary and animal experience as you can. Even if it's only a little bit each week, those hours add up! Volunteer or paid doesn't matter; experience is experience. And everything does happen for a reason. Every now and then I feel the "I'm sooooo behind!" worries, but I'm well on the path to doing what I want to do in life. So what if I'm taking a different route than other people did? It's working for me, and I'm happy with where I am now, and that's what matters.