Applying without a LOR from a vet?

[fluffyjadekitty]

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Does anyone know how often (if ever) an applicant gets accepted without any letters of rec from a vet? I know there are a few schools that don't absolutely require a letter from a vet so I'm hoping I might have a chance with those schools... I will have really good letters from other writers (PI from my research job, volunteer program coordinator), just...not a veterinarian. 🙁

Long story short, I didn't realize I wanted to go to vet school until last year and have been scrambling to get everything in. I'm a little short on hours and just started at a clinic full time in mid-July, which is why the vets there didn't feel they knew me well enough to evaluate me. I also volunteer, but haven't exchanged more than conversational small talk with the vets there. The idea of waiting until next year kills me when I know this is what I want to do. Is there even a slim chance of this working out?

 

[adams30]

There are many vet schools that specifically require you to have an eLOR from a vet. For most other schools, they say it is "strongly encouraged" to have an eLOR from a vet.

You are not the only person who has decided to apply late in the game, but honestly I don't think your application would be very strong from what you have described. I have not heard of anyone getting in without a letter from a vet and with little hours of experience that will just make your application weaker. The adcoms would wonder "how does this person REALLY know that they want to make this commitment to vet school and the profession with few hours of field experience and no relationships with veterinarians?"

I understand that waiting another year might be frustrating but the time will fly by fast and you can use it to strengthen your application for next cycle, such as working with veterinarians and really getting to know them so that they can write you a letter. It is expensive to apply but it is up to you if you want to go through with it.

 

[sunshinevet]

When did you ask the vets at your full time place for a letter? Just if you started there in mid july its now been two months which, at ~40hrs/week, is 320 hours. They should know you well enough to be able to write a letter of recc, if they WANT to write you a letter of recc. I would be a little bit worried that if you stay there another year, you might get to next app cycle and have a mild-at-best letter from them. So I would be really critically analysing why they might have said no...

 

[jmo1012]

Does anyone know how often (if ever) an applicant gets accepted without any letters of rec from a vet? I know there are a few schools that don't absolutely require a letter from a vet so I'm hoping I might have a chance with those schools... I will have really good letters from other writers (PI from my research job, volunteer program coordinator), just...not a veterinarian. 🙁

Long story short, I didn't realize I wanted to go to vet school until last year and have been scrambling to get everything in. I'm a little short on hours and just started at a clinic full time in mid-July, which is why the vets there didn't feel they knew me well enough to evaluate me. I also volunteer, but haven't exchanged more than conversational small talk with the vets there. The idea of waiting until next year kills me when I know this is what I want to do. Is there even a slim chance of this working out?

as long as you aren't applying to schools that require it, you have a chance. maybe contact the schools you're planning on applying to to ask how they feel about it?

my first gut reaction was to think "yikessss, no" but i'm pretty sure my acceptance from SGU came with LORs from a statistics prof and my boss (from the potato tissue culture lab and she was just a lab tech) because they were fastest. either way, good luck!

 

[fluffyjadekitty]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm got a lot of food for thought 😕

@sunshinevet I've been worried about this as well. It's a 3 doctor practice and I asked at the beginning of the month, so I guess their individual time with me was 1/3 of that--so at best, less than a 100 hrs of interaction each. Their advice to me was to wait another year to apply because they thought I had potential but not enough experience. I've been trying to convince myself that if they thought I'd make a terrible vet it would be a clearer NO, but I guess it's hard to say.

 

[Smilezz]

I applied last cycle without an LOR from a vet. 2 were from animal science professors and one was from the supervisor of the Large Animal Hospital at the vet school I applying, though. My GPA and and GRE scores were above average as well.

You can overcome lots of application hurdles with varied experiences and solid academics, no worries. I also had zero research experience. Tons of different kinds of applicants get in.

 

[rohchris]

hi guys,
is there a better way to say "I like to breed a dog"? my friend said breeding a dog might sound weird.. caring a dog? rearing? please help!

 

[nyanko]

Their advice to me was to wait another year to apply because they thought I had potential but not enough experience.

Can I ask why you decided not to take this advice?

 

[fluffyjadekitty]

@Smilezz Thanks! That's really encouraging to hear. I know that my stats will likely be very different, but it's encouraging that someone out there got in 🙂

@nyanko After much thought, I've come to realize that I will regret it if I don't take the chance in applying. I would rather apply and for sure not get in than spend a year wondering what would have happened if I had applied anyway. Another thing that I didn't mention is the vet based their advice off a comparison of my stats to their own when they applied and had an extremely difficult time getting accepted. It took at least 3 tries for them and based off that, I was told I didn't have much of a chance. However, we come from very different backgrounds with different experiences so I thought I would take that advice with a grain of salt.

 

[LetItSnow]

@Smilezz Thanks! That's really encouraging to hear. I know that my stats will likely be very different, but it's encouraging that someone out there got in 🙂

@nyanko After much thought, I've come to realize that I will regret it if I don't take the chance in applying. I would rather apply and for sure not get in than spend a year wondering what would have happened if I had applied anyway. Another thing that I didn't mention is the vet based their advice off a comparison of my stats to their own when they applied and had an extremely difficult time getting accepted. It took at least 3 tries for them and based off that, I was told I didn't have much of a chance. However, we come from very different backgrounds with different experiences so I thought I would take that advice with a grain of salt.

Eh. I don't really think there's any reason not to apply, so long as the cost of applying doesn't stretch you. But at the same time, without an eLOR from a vet - even though there are always people who are exceptions to the story - I wouldn't get your hopes very high.

The other advantage, though, is that if/when you don't get in, you can talk to the schools and find out what other things they would like to see improved upon.

 

[anutam]

From Tufts:
"Three letters of evaluation, one from each of the following areas:
A pre-veterinary, pre-medical or pre-health professions committee, or from a dean, advisor or faculty member in your major or who taught a required pre-professional science course.
A faculty member in your major or who taught a required pre-professional science course.
A veterinarian or research scientist with whom you have had considerable experience."

You have recommendation letter from your PI, so i believe you can apply there without letter from veterinarian. (Tufts has own application, not VMCAS one).

 

[fluffyjadekitty]

Thanks for the head's up! I previously crossed Tufts off because I thought I read that they required a letter from a vet, but I'm glad I'm wrong 🙂

 

[StartingoverVet]

Thanks for the head's up! I previously crossed Tufts off because I thought I read that they required a letter from a vet, but I'm glad I'm wrong 🙂

Tufts is a good choice. My biochem prof from UCLA (extension) applied there with fewer than 100 hours of vet experience and I doubt with a vet's rec, and got accepted. Of course having a PhD already probably helped his app🙂

Still I think that is a good choice to apply to (for other reasons as well).

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

hi guys,
is there a better way to say "I like to breed a dog"? my friend said breeding a dog might sound weird.. caring a dog? rearing? please help!

With proper English, maybe. "I like to breed a dog" would mean nothing to me if I was on an admission committee. How has breeding dogs affected your view of the profession? Are you prepared to discuss pet overpopulation? Shelter medicine? Essentially, defending the role of the breeder in a world with such an overflow of animals? How are you working to improve the breed as a whole? Just "liking" to breed means nothing (and frankly, comes off sounding bad).

I don't know if you're a native speaker, but you'll need to write better than that for your personal statement.