C/O 2017 Applicants!

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ouijetaime said:
I know, I know, but really. Stupid essays. I hate essays. Writing a personal statement is going to be bad enough.
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:laugh: Oh ok I didn't want to leave you hanging if that was a legitimate confusion.

I for one would rather do essays than enter my courses 47 million times 😛
 
ouijetaime said:
I applied to NC State last year. Dear God, NEVER AGAIN!
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Absolute horror story (which yes, I guess was my fault for doing this, so there IS a LESSON to be learned c/0 2017)...........

So one day I finally decided to sit down and write my essays for NCState. It was my #2 school and I wanted the essays to be perfect. I couldn't use my mac due to their requirements, so I borrowed the BFs computer.... BF has one of those computers that if you hit backspace at the wrong time, or if you are not clicked in one of the essay boxes.... backspace means "Oh, you would like me to erase all of your hopes and dreams and send you back to the beginning of the application without saving a single word you just wrote in the last 3 hours?"
😡😡😡😡😡😡

The worst part? The essays were awesome, and once I had gotten out everything I wanted to say, it was hard to think of it all over again. I cried... hard. I called the BF and cursed him and his stupid computer out (no it was not his fault, but just wait until the stress of admissions makes you into a psycho lunatic... he jokes that he's over prepared for pregnancy mood swings after going through an admission cycle with me :laugh:)

WRITE YOUR ESSAYS ON A WORD DOCUMENT AND THEN COPY AND PASTE!
Yes, it was insanely stupid of me to not do this, and I even told myself to do it, but then the words were just flowing and I was writing some bad arse shiz and I got caught up. Went to delete a wrong letter on the 6th essay, and BOOM! Thought I was gonna die. The essays I wrote after that were written through tears, and turned out as absolute garbage. I knew there was no chance in the deepest part of hell for me to get in after that.
 
Emiloo4 said:
Absolute horror story (which yes, I guess was my fault for doing this, so there IS a LESSON to be learned c/0 2017)...........

So one day I finally decided to sit down and write my essays for NCState. It was my #2 school and I wanted the essays to be perfect. I couldn't use my mac due to their requirements, so I borrowed the BFs computer.... BF has one of those computers that if you hit backspace at the wrong time, or if you are not clicked in one of the essay boxes.... backspace means "Oh, you would like me to erase all of your hopes and dreams and send you back to the beginning of the application without saving a single word you just wrote in the last 3 hours?"
😡😡😡😡😡😡

The worst part? The essays were awesome, and once I had gotten out everything I wanted to say, it was hard to think of it all over again. I cried... hard. I called the BF and cursed him and his stupid computer out (no it was not his fault, but just wait until the stress of admissions makes you into a psycho lunatic... he jokes that he's over prepared for pregnancy mood swings after going through an admission cycle with me :laugh:)

WRITE YOUR ESSAYS ON A WORD DOCUMENT AND THEN COPY AND PASTE!
Yes, it was insanely stupid of me to not do this, and I even told myself to do it, but then the words were just flowing and I was writing some bad arse shiz and I got caught up. Went to delete a wrong letter on the 6th essay, and BOOM! Thought I was gonna die. The essays I wrote after that were written through tears, and turned out as absolute garbage. I knew there was no chance in the deepest part of hell for me to get in after that.
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Oh no!! Poor Em!!!! That blows!!!

Yes. Use Word.
 
Abney said:
Oh no!! Poor Em!!!! That blows!!!

Yes. Use Word.
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Honestly, I think it was one of the biggest melt-downs of my whole life... (besides the 4am police officer at my door once)
I think I freaked out more about these essays being deleted than actually getting IN to a vet school. I frackin LOST it! It stresses me out just thinking about it again :laugh:
 
Emiloo4 said:
Honestly, I think it was one of the biggest melt-downs of my whole life... (besides the 4am police officer at my door once)
I think I freaked out more about these essays being deleted than actually getting IN to a vet school. I frackin LOST it! It stresses me out just thinking about it again :laugh:
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I probably would have thrown shiz around the room like a crazy person :laugh:
 
Abney said:
I probably would have thrown shiz around the room like a crazy person :laugh:
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I have NO idea how I didn't owe him a new computer after that. I could have won an Oscar for my meltdown 🙄

Any other horror stories to help c/o 2017 learn from our mistakes?😀
 
fromthebox said:
👍👍

Emiloo I'm sorry for you, but not too sorry 😀 as you are headed to UF!
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lol thanks. I mean I can look back now and laugh and am SO happy about how everything turned out. UF is where I need to be anyway... but 😱.

I'm really hoping SGU can stop neglecting your app soon 😡
 
Emiloo4 said:
I have NO idea how I didn't owe him a new computer after that. I could have won an Oscar for my meltdown 🙄

Any other horror stories to help c/o 2017 learn from our mistakes?😀
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Make sure all of your stuff makes it to every school :cry: Something like half of my experience and awards didn't make it to a chunk of schools I applied to last year, and WSU told me that was one thing that made me less competitive (even though I got an interview and waitlisted. And they wouldn't let me correct it because I found out so late in the cycle)
 
Emiloo4 said:
Absolute horror story (which yes, I guess was my fault for doing this, so there IS a LESSON to be learned c/0 2017)...........

So one day I finally decided to sit down and write my essays for NCState. It was my #2 school and I wanted the essays to be perfect. I couldn't use my mac due to their requirements, so I borrowed the BFs computer.... BF has one of those computers that if you hit backspace at the wrong time, or if you are not clicked in one of the essay boxes.... backspace means "Oh, you would like me to erase all of your hopes and dreams and send you back to the beginning of the application without saving a single word you just wrote in the last 3 hours?"
😡😡😡😡😡😡

The worst part? The essays were awesome, and once I had gotten out everything I wanted to say, it was hard to think of it all over again. I cried... hard. I called the BF and cursed him and his stupid computer out (no it was not his fault, but just wait until the stress of admissions makes you into a psycho lunatic... he jokes that he's over prepared for pregnancy mood swings after going through an admission cycle with me :laugh:)

WRITE YOUR ESSAYS ON A WORD DOCUMENT AND THEN COPY AND PASTE!
Yes, it was insanely stupid of me to not do this, and I even told myself to do it, but then the words were just flowing and I was writing some bad arse shiz and I got caught up. Went to delete a wrong letter on the 6th essay, and BOOM! Thought I was gonna die. The essays I wrote after that were written through tears, and turned out as absolute garbage. I knew there was no chance in the deepest part of hell for me to get in after that.
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Oh my goodness I experienced the same thing, somewhat - I definitely had several strokes of inspiration while staring at the little prompt boxes. I wrote them in there and copied them to a sticky note on my desktop for safety, though. 🙁 That suck suck sucks to lose them.
 
Trilt said:
Oh my goodness I experienced the same thing, somewhat - I definitely had several strokes of inspiration while staring at the little prompt boxes. I wrote them in there and copied them to a sticky note on my desktop for safety, though. 🙁 That suck suck sucks to lose them.
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What sucked the most was not remembering everything I wrote and once it was out of my brain, I just couldn't find it again 🙄.
 
Abney said:
Make sure all of your stuff makes it to every school :cry: Something like half of my experience and awards didn't make it to a chunk of schools I applied to last year, and WSU told me that was one thing that made me less competitive (even though I got an interview and waitlisted. And they wouldn't let me correct it because I found out so late in the cycle)
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👎annoyed:

Did it get cut off your VMCAS or something?😕
 
Emiloo4 said:
lol thanks. I mean I can look back now and laugh and am SO happy about how everything turned out. UF is where I need to be anyway... but 😱.

I'm really hoping SGU can stop neglecting your app soon 😡
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Me too!
Apparently all the zen and patience I had was wasted on being waitlisted at Western. Now I am terribly impatient. 🙄

I lost a supplemental essay for western to time-out of the app window.
That's happened to me a couple times, once during an exam for online Biochem! It made me re-log in with 2 min left of the exam time and all of my answers were gone, I just had to stare at it as the minutes clicked past. :scared:
 
Emiloo4 said:
👎annoyed:

Did it get cut off your VMCAS or something?😕
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I don't know. They think it might have been a computer glitch? Which is so weird because MN had it all when I did my file review with them...... It is just really unfair. The whole thing. It makes me want to run into traffic......:help:
So.... moral of the story I will be annoying as fug to the schools this year.......
 
fromthebox said:
Me too!
Apparently all the zen and patience I had was wasted on being waitlisted at Western. Now I am terribly impatient. 🙄

I lost a supplemental essay for western to time-out of the app window.
That's happened to me a couple times, once during an exam for online Biochem! It made me re-log in with 2 min left of the exam time and all of my answers were gone, I just had to stare at it as the minutes clicked past. :scared:
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Blah! Did we take the same biochem?! :laugh: That happened to me too... worst feeling trying to remember which answer to click while the clock mocks you.
 
Abney said:
I don't know. They think it might have been a computer glitch? Which is so weird because MN had it all when I did my file review with them...... It is just really unfair. The whole thing. It makes me want to run into traffic......:help:
So.... moral of the story I will be annoying as fug to the schools this year.......
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👍
 
Can't figure out whether to include pet ownership as animal experience...none of my schools clearly states one way or the other. Right now I think I'll just leave it out; that's probably the default, right?

EDIT: My schools being LSU, Missouri, UPenn, Cornell, and VMRCVM, in case anyone knows specifically.
 
equineconstant said:
Can't figure out whether to include pet ownership as animal experience...none of my schools clearly states one way or the other. Right now I think I'll just leave it out; that's probably the default, right?

EDIT: My schools being LSU, Missouri, UPenn, Cornell, and VMRCVM, in case anyone knows specifically.
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I would just add it and just be clear about what that entailed in the explanation section. Some people will tell you it doesn't count, but people who had successful cycles before me stressed heavily to put every little thing. (I even put that I took care of emus when I was 8 at summer camp - actually came up in an interview). It might not 'count,' but the committees do read everything, and I think it's better to have it there just in case than to not. It's definitely not going to disqualify you by listing it.
 
mooshagen said:
I would just add it and just be clear about what that entailed in the explanation section. Some people will tell you it doesn't count, but people who had successful cycles before me stressed heavily to put every little thing. (I even put that I took care of emus when I was 8 at summer camp - actually came up in an interview). It might not 'count,' but the committees do read everything, and I think it's better to have it there just in case than to not. It's definitely not going to disqualify you by listing it.
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Agreed. A really good friend of mine listed her scrapbooking of all things....... She got in, and if that didn't hurt her then listing pet ownership shouldn't either. And agreed, as long as you don't try to "spin" it into something else.
 
mooshagen said:
I would just add it and just be clear about what that entailed in the explanation section. Some people will tell you it doesn't count, but people who had successful cycles before me stressed heavily to put every little thing. (I even put that I took care of emus when I was 8 at summer camp - actually came up in an interview). It might not 'count,' but the committees do read everything, and I think it's better to have it there just in case than to not. It's definitely not going to disqualify you by listing it.
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So then...if I took horseback riding lessons during all of 6th grade, should I list that under animal experience?
 
tvo21 said:
don't know how to answer that without coming off like an arrogant person...or is that how they want us to come off? Like selling ourselves? Maybe I am over thinking it. :shrug:
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It's certainly possible to sell yourself without being arrogant about it. Use vocabulary appropriate to your current education (don't thesaraus some crazy words to better describe your awesomeness, is what I'm sayin'), speak openly about the characteristics that make you you, and plainly about the achievements you've earned. You're supposed to be selling yourself!

(PS - be prepared to do all of this in person once you get your interviews 😉 That's probably the harder part!)

Abney said:
We have time people it'll be ok. Lol. Though I do get the waiting on other people frustration. That bugs me.
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Seriously guys. It's only June. You'll be alright.

equineconstant said:
Can't figure out whether to include pet ownership as animal experience...none of my schools clearly states one way or the other. Right now I think I'll just leave it out; that's probably the default, right?

EDIT: My schools being LSU, Missouri, UPenn, Cornell, and VMRCVM, in case anyone knows specifically.
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VMR definitely accepts pet ownership on their application, but they define it as pets for which you were the sole caretaker. Basically, if you footed the bills you can count the hours. (They will double-check them if they're suspiciously high; and if they're too high {like 3 hours a day with your goat from the time you were 5 years old} they'll chuck out your application entirely)

I think the consensus we've reached on another thread on here was better to include the hours for those schools that accept them, and allow the schools that don't to ignore them. They won't mark you off for putting them on there.
 
hopefulinva said:
VMR definitely accepts pet ownership on their application, but they define it as pets for which you were the sole caretaker. Basically, if you footed the bills you can count the hours. (They will double-check them if they're suspiciously high; and if they're too high {like 3 hours a day with your goat from the time you were 5 years old} they'll chuck out your application entirely)

I think the consensus we've reached on another thread on here was better to include the hours for those schools that accept them, and allow the schools that don't to ignore them. They won't mark you off for putting them on there.
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So since my parents paid for everything, that means I still shouldn't put it?
 
equineconstant said:
So since my parents paid for everything, that means I still shouldn't put it?
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The paying the bill thing was just a rule of thumb VMR's adcom put forth, the idea being that the animal isn't really "yours" unless you're the one responsible for its care - completely.

I think what they were really trying to get at was the hours don't count if you're not the sole caretaker. A 6 year old may walk and feed a puppy, but no one in their right mind would put a 6 year old completely in charge of another living thing, so VMR wouldn't appreciate those hours being counted.

If you feel differently, it's ultimately up to you to decide what goes on your application; if you can make a case for your care of Fido in your teens, go for it.
 
hopefulinva said:
I think what they were really trying to get at was the hours don't count if you're not the sole caretaker. A 6 year old may walk and feed a puppy, but no one in their right mind would put a 6 year old completely in charge of another living thing, so VMR wouldn't appreciate those hours being counted.

.
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I beg to differ on this bit. We had people surrender their 6 month corgi mix puppy to the shelter because their 3 yr old child wasn't taking care of it. They were 100% serious. There are some weird ones out there. Spent like an hour with one myself today...
 
orca2011 said:
I beg to differ on this bit. We had people surrender their 6 month corgi mix puppy to the shelter because their 3 yr old child wasn't taking care of it. They were 100% serious. There are some weird ones out there. Spent like an hour with one myself today...
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Agreed.
 
mooshagen said:
Absolutely! Why would you not?! 🙂
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and I put down 8 years of horseback riding experience. I handled horses but also participated in theory classes and things such as that at my stables.

Do I remember some of this stuff? No lol. I remember listening to some intense one about bone structures and deformities. Wish that one was still in my brain somewhere
 
Should we be listing awards and activities as far back as 8th or 9th grade if they are significant/impressive? What about things like being SCUBA (PADI) certified? Does that type of thing belong on the application?
 
Kibo said:
Should we be listing awards and activities as far back as 8th or 9th grade if they are significant/impressive? What about things like being SCUBA (PADI) certified? Does that type of thing belong on the application?
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HS and up. anything that makes you unique is good too! I put down I was a professional tap dancer. I got a hoot out of talking bout that one in my interviews.
 
Kibo said:
Should we be listing awards and activities as far back as 8th or 9th grade if they are significant/impressive? What about things like being SCUBA (PADI) certified? Does that type of thing belong on the application?
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Yes - HS and after!! Don't make mountains out of molehills, but do include things that you put time and effort into, even if you don't think they were very impressive. In my app, I really wanted reviewers to see me as a well-rounded person with hobbies and passions outside of vet med. I felt like this helped to indicate my generally inquisitive personality, and showed that I have stress outlets unrelated to vet med. It seems like this quality is becoming more important in applicants as awareness about mental health/stress in vet students increases.
This is a bit of a tangent, but one school's supplemental app gave me free reign to discuss why I should be admitted. Since my general VMCAS essay had already covered my passion for animal medicine, I decided to completely leave it out of the supplemental essay. Instead I discussed some of my hobbies and tried to flesh out who I was as a person, not just as a student. The interviewer for that school mentioned that it was a good idea.

Plus, if you include these things in the "show" part of your app, you won't have to take up words talking about them in the "tell" part. 😀
 
Another question about childhood animal experience.

So, I grew up on a chicken farm and we also raised some beef cattle, pigs, goats and the like. I put it down in Animal Experience under "Farm Hand" lol, but went on to explain that I had been a kid (age range from 9 to 13 yrs old) and only put down 100 hours. I grew up on the farm and did chores just like any other kid. We lost it when I was 13 to bankruptcy, so the hours don't continue past that. I feel that the experience of growing up there has a lot to do with who I am now, so I wanted to include it even though I was really young.

The number of hours doesn't seem like it would matter too much, so I put down an arbitrary number that is obviously low. Does that seem ok??? 🙄
 
pigsatuga said:
Another question about childhood animal experience.

So, I grew up on a chicken farm and we also raised some beef cattle, pigs, goats and the like. I put it down in Animal Experience under "Farm Hand" lol, but went on to explain that I had been a kid (age range from 9 to 13 yrs old) and only put down 100 hours. I grew up on the farm and did chores just like any other kid. We lost it when I was 13 to bankruptcy, so the hours don't continue past that. I feel that the experience of growing up there has a lot to do with who I am now, so I wanted to include it even though I was really young.

The number of hours doesn't seem like it would matter too much, so I put down an arbitrary number that is obviously low. Does that seem ok??? 🙄
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I think you should definiely include that. You actually did the work and it helped you gain an understanding and as you said, sort of shaped who you are today. And it is something you can definitely support to adcoms when they ask. The high school and up thing has more to do with rewards I would say in general. Obviously everyone shouldn't be putting thousands of hours for owning turtles since they were little, but working on a chicken farm (and actually doing the work) I think should count toward something. Like I said, being able to support your claim to adcoms is what matters IMO. That experience shaped you. Definitely worth noting with a "low abitrary number" 👍

And sorry to hear y'all lost it 🙁. Always makes me sad when small farmers go under.
 
OwlandPussycat said:
I felt like this helped to indicate my generally inquisitive personality, and showed that I have stress outlets unrelated to vet med. It seems like this quality is becoming more important in applicants as awareness about mental health/stress in vet students increases.
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I was asked about this during my interview at kansas! The lady asked what I liked to do to relieve stress, and I just sat there thinking "Um, I have spent the last 3 years studying my butt off so what do you mean relieve stress?" I also run and do yoga so I was able to talk about that.
 
irrelephant23 said:
I was asked about this during my interview at kansas! The lady asked what I liked to do to relieve stress, and I just sat there thinking "Um, I have spent the last 3 years studying my butt off so what do you mean relieve stress?" I also run and do yoga so I was able to talk about that.
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I got asked that question in all 4 of my interviews 👍. Being well rounded is a great thing, don't be worried about what it is you do, they just want to make sure you have an outlet to keep your sanity 🙄.
 
Emiloo4 said:
I got asked that question in all 4 of my interviews 👍. Being well rounded is a great thing, don't be worried about what it is you do, they just want to make sure you have an outlet to keep your sanity 🙄.
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Excuse me. I work really hard not to be well rounded. Carbs are my nemesis!

I'm kidding! I know well rounded is a good thing!
 
abbercadaver said:
Abs, where all are you applying this year?
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Ah abbers. That is such a loaded question lmao. I'm not 100% yet. Definitely WSU and OSU, interviewed and/or waitlisted at both. K-state and U of M because I got interviews there, Auburn and Tuskegee for entirely different reasons. And there are others I'm considering but I certainly want to try to keep the list shorter than last year 🙄
 
UF UF UF!!! 😀
I could be your "big" 😉
 
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