Ask an accepted veterinary student anything

[mooshagen]

Hi guys! It would have been awesome to know about this site when I was in high school. I have seen similar threads like this for med school, but I figured some of you may have questions about vet school. I have been accepted to two schools so far, and as someone who never thought she had a shot, I would love to provide encouragement and answer anybody's questions. Hear from you soon!

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[FantasyVesperia]

I also plan to hopefully get accepted to Veterinary school!

What kinds of science and math classes did you take in high school?

 

[Cephal0pod]

Thank you for doing this! Was this your first application cycle? I've heard it's fairly common for people to not be accepted their first time around. Also, how many animal xp and veterinary xp hours did you have when you applied? Is there anything in particular that, looking back, you wish you had known at our age?

 

[mooshagen]

I also plan to hopefully get accepted to Veterinary school!

What kinds of science and math classes did you take in high school?

The advice would be to take as many math and science classes as possible. I followed this, but also stuck to what interested me and what my strengths were. For example, I did not like chemistry, nor was I good at it, so I did not take AP Chemistry and just stopped at Honors Chem. Another example would be that in theory you could take both AP Calculus and AP Statistics; I only took AP Calculus. Any and all extra math and science classes help you get into a college when you are applying saying you want to go into the sciences/pursue veterinary school afterward. What I took: Accelerated Biology, AP Biology, Honors Chemistry, AP Physics, all math through AP Calculus AB, and Human Anatomy and Physiology.

 

[mooshagen]

Thank you for doing this! Was this your first application cycle? I've heard it's fairly common for people to not be accepted their first time around. Also, how many animal xp and veterinary xp hours did you have when you applied? Is there anything in particular that, looking back, you wish you had known at our age?

Hi Cephal0pod! No problem - I am glad I am in a position to be able to help. Yes, this was my first application cycle. And you are very right (and it is very realistic to think and know) that it is fairly common for people to not get accepted their first cycle. The majority of people who apply are not successful their first cycle. I read a statistic somewhere recently that I think quoted that only 43% of applicants get an interview during their first cycle.

I have been riding horses since I was 10, so I had a ton of hours from that (about 13500). My approximate total number of animal experience hours was 15,000. My total veterinary experience hours figure was 950. Typically, people have more than this, but I think what helped me was that my experience was varied. For example, I worked in an emergency small animal clinic and two privately owned animal clinics as well. I also worked with an ambulatory equine vet and in an equine hospital. All of my experiences except one were unpaid, which I think shows dedication. However, not everybody can be lucky enough to be able to work without getting paid (for various financial reasons).

My biggest piece of advice may be about getting hours. I got most of my hours in two years. This last summer, I worked about 50 hours a week and it was a crazy (especially on top of studying for the GRE). I might recommend starting to get these hours earlier, but at the same time, I don't truly regret putting mine off. 1) I found that people were more willing to let me help out when I was in college, and 2) I lived my life in high school - I was a kid, and I wasn't so stressed about all this stuff. I think it's important to realize you don't have to do everything right now while still being cognizant of your end goal. I would recommend taking a GRE during your junior year of college so that you have time to retake it in the summer before applying.

 

[Cephal0pod]

Thanks for your answers I ride/work with horses too, do you think that having a large amount of hours with horses/large animals helped set you apart as an applicant? I've heard that having experience with equine/large animal stuff is looked highly upon. Also, how many schools did you apply to, and how did you decide which schools?

 

[mooshagen]

Thanks for your answers I ride/work with horses too, do you think that having a large amount of hours with horses/large animals helped set you apart as an applicant? I've heard that having experience with equine/large animal stuff is looked highly upon. Also, how many schools did you apply to, and how did you decide which schools?

I don't think that having a large amount of riding experience set me apart too much. Applying wanting to go into equine sets you apart a bit, as many students apply wanting to go into small animal. A thing to recognize is that equine and large animal are considered different things. Equine is equine, but large animal generally means cows and farm animals. Large animal/farm animal experience is looked VERY highly upon, but this experience is hard to get. I would have loved to have some of that on my application! They like to see that you have explored multiple facets of vet med, not just what you believe you would like to go into.

I applied to six schools (5 US and 1 UK), and most were based on statistics of how likely it was that I get in. I would highly recommend basing where you apply on released statistics. Some people get rejected year after year, and it can be because they applied to statistically very hard schools to get into. Vet school is vet school. Everyone is going to end up with a degree afterward and make themselves an excellent veterinarian if they have the drive, so in my opinion - getting in is the most important thing regardless. Schools post recent class statistics on their websites. They tell you what schools their students went to undergrad at, what their GPA's were, how much experience they had, what their GRE scores were, etc. I looked at those to see which schools I would "fit" to best. I also applied to 1 or 2 long shots, just because you never know! I got interviews at both my long shots, so I guess it didn't hurt!

 

[Cephal0pod]

I don't think that having a large amount of riding experience set me apart too much. Applying wanting to go into equine sets you apart a bit, as many students apply wanting to go into small animal. A thing to recognize is that equine and large animal are considered different things. Equine is equine, but large animal generally means cows and farm animals. Large animal/farm animal experience is looked VERY highly upon, but this experience is hard to get. I would have loved to have some of that on my application! They like to see that you have explored multiple facets of vet med, not just what you believe you would like to go into.

Good to know! I'll keep that in mind. When I applied to the college I'll most likely be going to next year, I had originally listed zoology as my major of choice. Lately I have been leaning towards switching to animal science. It would allow me to get more hands on experience with actual animals than majoring in zoology would (at this school, at least), and I feel that it might be a good way to go so I can get some experience with cows and other farm animals. And I'm just interested in it in general. Do you think this would be a good idea? What did you major in?

I applied to six schools (5 US and 1 UK), and most were based on statistics of how likely it was that I get in. I would highly recommend basing where you apply on released statistics. Some people get rejected year after year, and it can be because they applied to statistically very hard schools to get into. Vet school is vet school. Everyone is going to end up with a degree afterward and make themselves an excellent veterinarian if they have the drive, so in my opinion - getting in is the most important thing regardless. Schools post recent class statistics on their websites. They tell you what schools their students went to undergrad at, what their GPA's were, how much experience they had, what their GRE scores were, etc. I looked at those to see which schools I would "fit" to best. I also applied to 1 or 2 long shots, just because you never know! I got interviews at both my long shots, so I guess it didn't hurt!

Congratulations on your acceptances and interview offers!!! I have been stalking the class admitted profiles for a few schools, I will continue to keep an eye on them for the next few years. About the GRE: how hard is it really/what did you think of it? I've heard some people say it's terrible, and others say it's not too bad.

I hope I'm not bombarding you with too many questions Thanks again for doing this!!

 

[mooshagen]

Not at all. I am happy to help. I suggest majoring in whatever you like! Anyone will tell you this, however, I would suggest sticking to some science, just because the more science you take (and you will already be taking a lot to fulfill your vet school pre-reqs) will prepare you more for vet school. I would have probably majored in Animal Science if the school I chose had it. I think the hands on experience it would give you would be excellent. You will probably end up taking a bit of Zoology classes doing that as well, so you will definitely still have the chance to learn more about Zoology (and maybe minor in it if you want) if that is something you think you are interested in. I myself majored in Biology. I believe the most popular major applying to vet school is Animal Science, so in terms of sticking out, I don't think it will help you. But I do think it prepares you very well for hands on knowledge and being very comfortable with the field/knowing what to expect. I think that would be a fine choice! Major in whatever you believe you will do the best in (because GPA matters) while still enjoying what you are learning. And don't worry about what you listed on any applications. There will be plenty of time to change your major and stuff once you start college!

I hated the GRE. It was the worst part of my application. It is hit or miss as you said though. Some people really don't find it to be that bad. I just suggest taking it early so you can find out how you feel about it and prepare with enough time to take it again if you need to. It will never be counted against you for taking it more times if you need to! The GRE tests on a lot of vocabulary, writing, and math - usually people do the worst on vocabulary. Reading novels in the summers, etc should help with this! I was never a big reader, so that could be part of it, haha.

 

[Cephal0pod]

Thanks for the advice! And insight about the GRE, haha I have a couple more questions about a few different aspects of the application process, mainly the interview portion. How was your experience with that? How did you prepare? Was it a fairly uniform ordeal among the schools you applied to/were offered interviews to, or did certain schools ask more unique questions, etc?

 

[mooshagen]

The interviews got easier the more I went to. Mostly, they are pretty uniform. They seem to have gone away a bit from questions like "So - why is your GRE score so low?" Those questions don't really help anyone. And they obviously already want you there (they asked you to interview), so there really was no point when schools used to ask things like that. Ethical questions have gotten big - "You have a client who cannot pay - what do you do?" - things like that. Also, they always want you to be aware and able to talk about current events that affect vet med. My only interview that was different from the rest was Western's. Their interview is closed file (so they know nothing about you). None of their questions are veterinary related. Instead they are all behavior related and really just focusing on who you are as a person. I really liked their interview. It was low stress! For the first interview, I prepared by talking to people who had interviewed there before and in all honesty, I googled questions people had posted online as having been asked by that school before. I also made sure I knew my application well and had friends ask me some questions, etc. After the first interview, I really just made sure I knew my application because I felt like getting actual interview practice was more effective than just looking at questions at that point.