Anthropology Major

[DJD27]

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So I ended up in a fairly inapplicable major for what ya'll are going into (liberal arts school), but I figured I would ask anyway. I grew up on a dairy and have had a kind of late renaissance about what I want to do with my life- and that's stick around here. I have been planning on optometry but I think a career as a vet might work better for me. I've got a 3.63 cumulative GPA right now but uh yeah, many of my courses have absolutely nothing to do with animals.

How problematic is this?

 

[Whyevernot55]

Well, a little more background on your vet/animal experience would be helpful to know about.

LOTS of us were not science majors. I was an english major the first time around. I have spent the last three years getting my pre-reqs for vet school, which is likely what you'll have to do to get the required courses. You will also need experience working in veterinary medicine - animal experience is a good start, but you will need to spend lots of time in a vet clinic.

If you do your research both in old threads here, and on the AAVMC website, you will find the answers to all of your questions.

 

[Jessi Chris]

I don't believe having a non-science (non-chemistry, biology, animal sciences etc. at least) major will hurt your chances. It makes you stand out as an applicant if anything.

Do very well on your prerequisite biologies and chemistries, get a competitive GRE score, and seek out quality vet/animal experiences.

I know of a vet that majored in dance and others that majored in education and English. You'll be fine with an anthropology major.

 

[DJD27]

A lot of the optometry pre-reqs overlap. In fact the only additional vet pre-req is genetics. Having lived and worked for years on the dairy, I'm sure that counts at least in part as animal experience- will it be an issue that my "advisors" are family though? Obviously I need to establish a more well-rounded "animal base" so to speak, but if I intend to go into large animal practice, how crucial is it to have a lot of experience on the other side of things?

I also start working at a agricultural health lab in the next couple of weeks as an intern, this is helpful no doubt. I also have plenty of connections to local DVMs so maybe I should start looking into job shadow type stuff with some of them.


Also, what is "lots of time" at a vet clinic? For optometry, the general required hours of job shadowing is 30 hours, which definitely doesn't seem like lots of time to me. A ballpark estimate would be helpful.

 

[BHantler]

I was an Anthro major. Granted I took Physical Anthro classes but as long as you can get in all the required classes you should be fine. A friend of mine is going to UPenn and was a business major. If you want more detail send me a PM.

 

[breenie]

A lot of the optometry pre-reqs overlap. In fact the only additional vet pre-req is genetics. Having lived and worked for years on the dairy, I'm sure that counts at least in part as animal experience- will it be an issue that my "advisors" are family though? Obviously I need to establish a more well-rounded "animal base" so to speak, but if I intend to go into large animal practice, how crucial is it to have a lot of experience on the other side of things?

I also start working at a agricultural health lab in the next couple of weeks as an intern, this is helpful no doubt. I also have plenty of connections to local DVMs so maybe I should start looking into job shadow type stuff with some of them.


Also, what is "lots of time" at a vet clinic? For optometry, the general required hours of job shadowing is 30 hours, which definitely doesn't seem like lots of time to me. A ballpark estimate would be helpful.

1. UW-Madison loves homegrown gals and guys from dairies. That's just my state, but most adcoms will consider that useful and valuable animal experience. Don't worry that it was your family.

2. Research often counts as veterinary experience. VMCAS can answer some questions about that. Sounds like a great opportunity!

3. In terms of shadowing, it depends on what else you're doing. If you're doing research and work in a clinic, a ton of shadowing probably wouldn't be necessary (but surely helpful!). If you are relying mostly on shadowing, I would shoot for a few hundred hours. A pain, I know, but that's why having a job makes it a lot easier. 😉 Not everyone needs thousands of hours, but do your best to get as much as you can. There's another thread about this.

 

[moosenanny]

You said that optometry pre-requisits almost entirely overlap with vet pre-reqs (with the exception of genetics). Be careful - schools have slightly different required courses, so be sure to look them up on each individual school's website.

Also, 30 hours certainly won't cut it. Your experience thus far will count for sure, but vet schools like to see hours spent directly with a veterinarian, and in a variety of fields (small animal, large animal, equine, etc.) As for a goal of how many hours, obviously the more the better, but competitive applicants seem to have a few hundred to about a thousand. If your GRE and/or GPA are lower, you can use the number of experience hours you have to help balance and boost your overall application.

There is a thread where successful applicants share their statistics. It might help for you to read what other pre-vets did to get experience, and how many hours they had . . .

 

[Willowhand]

From what I have heard, having a non-science major is not a problem as long as you fulfill all the pre-reqs. And having something different can make you stand out 👍

I concentrated in Biology and Theatre, and my interviewers were all a lot more interested in the Theatre than the Bio. I love the arts, and following that (un-vet-related) passion gave me something a little different --and hopefully memorable-- that I could discuss enthusiastically in interviews. I think that was one the stronger points of my app.

 

[Chees493]

I have a B.A. in cultural anthropology and I had multiple acceptances. Granted, I graduated in 2003 and took 2.5 years (while working full time) to complete prereqs. If you want it bad enough you can make it happen.

 

[david594]

Also, what is "lots of time" at a vet clinic? For optometry, the general required hours of job shadowing is 30 hours, which definitely doesn't seem like lots of time to me. A ballpark estimate would be helpful.

30 hours with a vet probably won't get you anywhere in the application process. 300 hours would put you probably a little on the low side of average, but enough to be considered. 3000+ is pretty common for anyone who has worked full time.

 

[that redhead]

I know where I go to school, the "pre-anything" courses are pretty much all the same, so you probably have gotten a lot already completed. Make sure to double check every school you apply to though: there are other non-science requirements like communication/public speaking, statistics, etc.

Growing up and working on a dairy will definitely count as animal experience. However, no matter what field you intend to pursue, admissions people seem to appreciate a variety of experiences. You will also need hours working directly with a veterinarian, so I think calling up your local DVM connections is a good start. Good luck!