Class of 2016 hopefuls: how are you doing?

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Just my 2 cents from my experience last year, try to have everything except perhaps your last review of the essays all done before classes start again in the fall I found that I had no time to do more, and was very glad that all I had remaining was last reviews of the essays. Also try to ask your Lors ASAP if you haven't my advisor did one of mine and she said that some of my peers waited until the last week to ask that didn't leave her anytime, and she didn't feel she was able to give the quality recommendation they may have deserved. Good luck to all of you and congrats to those that are already almost ready to submit!
 
I would ask LOR writers soon too because some are slow to get them in. I asked 2 of mine June 2nd and neither have submitted yet. So, since it's been a while I sent them an email asking if everything was going OK and to let me know if they were having any troubles with the site or anything. Glad I did, because one deleted the email because he didn't recognize it 🙁. He was expecting a .edu address and it has a .org. So, I'd recommend getting them going on them ASAP and then sending an email asking if they have any problems or questions a month or so later if you haven't heard anything. Will probably send the others a similar email in a couple weeks, but I don't want to make them feel rushed because there is plenty of time and I just asked them for the eLOR a few weeks ago. I am nervous about the one getting her eLOR in because she worked with me at the clinic and then left the clinic. She emailed me a couple weeks ago saying she hadn't forgotten about me, but still I worry. My biggest fear is that they won't send them in and I will be left scrambling the last couple weeks. There are still 70 days though, so I am trying not to worry yet.
 
LetItSnow said:
Animals are civilized. Kittens are just beasts that haven't yet bitten a vet. 🙂 🙂
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True that! I always laugh when you see kitties that are purring bundles of love during their kitten vaccine wellness visits, then about 2 months later when you spay them...LOOK OUT.
 
Marsala said:
Raimes-don't get down. This will be round 4 for me. I forked out for the Kaplan class and that was money well spent (so far) so I'm hoping that I get accepted rather than waitlisted this year. Chin up! This is the year of the underdog, I think.😀
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Marsala - I am rooting for you!!!!!!! You BETTER get in this year!! 🙂
 
Tambotie said:
Marsala - I am rooting for you!!!!!!! You BETTER get in this year!! 🙂
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Thanks, Tambotie! I sure hope so. I've done everything that they asked me to do in my file reviews, so hopefully it will pay off.
 
I was hung up in grammar limbo ...you'd or you...of course it is "you'd"....so you'd better get in 🙂 ... You have to get in...you have great stats and deserve it!!! You and several others on here exemplify PERSEVERENCE, DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT!!!
 
Aw, thanks...that's so nice of you! And don't sweat the grammar, lol.😀
 
Sorry to change the subject...and sorry if this has been brought up before..

But...

Marsala, are those chickens in a pool?!
 
Drwildlife are those clouded leopards??? 🙂 Love 'em! They are such beautiful cats! I "adopted" one from Smithsonian last year.....I even framed the picture of the clouded leopard they sent me!! 🙂)
 
Tambotie said:
Drwildlife are those clouded leopards??? 🙂 Love 'em! They are such beautiful cats! I "adopted" one from Smithsonian last year.....I even framed the picture of the clouded leopard they sent me!! 🙂)
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Yes, and they are actually the Smithsonian Cloudeds 🙂 I had an internship at their research center in June.
 
drwildlife said:
Sorry to change the subject...and sorry if this has been brought up before..

But...

Marsala, are those chickens in a pool?!
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Yes, apparently chickens can swim. I definitely learned something new!
 
drwildlife I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo jealous!!!! 🙂 That is awesome!!!! I wish I could have volunteered at the zoo...but they had a long list of hopefuls when I had inquired. I did wind up volunteering on weekends at the Waynesboro VA Wildlife Center instead (which was a 3 hour drive from my house)....and was in South Africa for a bit too!
 
That's awesome - about chickens swimming and going to South Africa. I would have never thought they were good swimmers with their little stick legs. The South Africa trip sounds amazing. I've always wanted to go volunteer at SANCCOB - the penguin place in Capetown. Maybe I'll be able to do it someday.
 
Tambotie said:
....and was in South Africa for a bit too!
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ahhh i love ZA! I was living in Cape Town for 3 months last summer interning at a nature reserve and local vet hospital. and obvvv i mostly wanted to go for the WC! lol. what were you there for??
 
Helloo, looks like all of you have been posting for quite some time now... I am actually a Canadian student and my home school requires the MCAT, that school is obviously my first choice, second is Glasgow I looked and fell in love,
Is anyone else applying international?
Also... I have many hours of experience I have volunteered at a wildlife rehab that takes everything, a strictly raptor rehab, I have milked cows, I work at a petting farm, we have horses, cows, llamas, chickens, turkeys (turkeys are really great by the way I would definitely get a pet turkey if I ever had a little farm), and I also worked at 2 separate vet clinics, one of them for 2 years and one of them for a summer. Compiling the number of hours I spent doing all of this stuff is sure going to be a task... my only worry is my marks!!
My home school looks at my last 2 full time semesters and specific pre-requisites which I think I will be okay for but I was wondering if anyone knows where to find stats of the students admitted to Glasgow for this September, I want to know if I have a chance
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed that the application year for something I have wanted for FOREVER has finally come, its a bit scary! I'm sure you can all sympathize 0.o
 
One more thing! My cumulative average over my whole BSc so far is 70% (I had a bad second year 🙁 ) does anyone know of American schools that accept MCAT marks and that would take more recent grades into account over my screw up of a second year??🙁
 
Okay... but you still have to take the GRE, right?

ETA: Okay, I guess you don't. Huh. Well, there you go - a few schools do take MCAT scores in lieu of GRE scores. *eyebrows*
 
Just had a brief panic attack that my LOR writers will forget about me and not submit my LORs. And that I don't have enough time to finish all of the supplemental apps. EEEEEk. This is real! :laugh:
 
Howister said:
Just had a brief panic attack that my LOR writers will forget about me and not submit my LORs. And that I don't have enough time to finish all of the supplemental apps. EEEEEk. This is real! :laugh:
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You will be surprised how quickly it all comes together in the end. Most of us have had those moments of panic!!! Just keep in touch with your LOR writers and give them hints that you'd REALLY like them to submit early. It is real and it seems like such a big deal, but as with most things, if you stay organized and confident that it can be done, it will be done!

Best of luck 🙂
 
petdrhpful2015 said:
You will be surprised how quickly it all comes together in the end. Most of us have had those moments of panic!!! Just keep in touch with your LOR writers and give them hints that you'd REALLY like them to submit early. It is real and it seems like such a big deal, but as with most things, if you stay organized and confident that it can be done, it will be done!

Best of luck 🙂
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My LOR writers get increasingly frequent reminder emails as the date gets nearer if they haven't submitted yet. 🙄 Actually the two vets I'm currently working for get me popping into the office and announcing that "this is your weekly reminder. Write my g-d recommendation" because I can get away with that. :laugh:
 
So far I have 0 eLORs complete 😡. I have been sending reminders and am getting worried because the one didn't respond. The others told me they'd get it in soon. Apparently our definitions of soon are different, because it's been over a week. Trying to remain calm. I do have a new vet that I could ask for an eLOR if the one that isn't responding falls through, but she just started working at the clinic where I work and I don't think she knows me well enough to write one. She is super nice and she must think I am a decent tech because she is always asking me specifically to hold for her and get animals out and she likes to tell me everything that's going on with them, so I think she would write one if I needed one. We'll see. Trying to remain calm!
 
squirrelsrule said:
So far I have 0 eLORs complete 😡. I have been sending reminders and am getting worried because the one didn't respond. The others told me they'd get it in soon. Apparently our definitions of soon are different, because it's been over a week. Trying to remain calm. I do have a new vet that I could ask for an eLOR if the one that isn't responding falls through, but she just started working at the clinic where I work and I don't think she knows me well enough to write one. She is super nice and she must think I am a decent tech because she is always asking me specifically to hold for her and get animals out and she likes to tell me everything that's going on with them, so I think she would write one if I needed one. We'll see. Trying to remain calm!
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Really, remain calm! I know it doesn't seem like it yet but there is SO much time left. This time last year I hadn't even asked for my LORs yet. I didn't ask until the end of August. My LORs came in time (2 a week before they were due and 1 a couple days before they were due) but that all came. If these people think enough of you to write you a recommendation, they will get done! Try and relaaaxxx.😉
 
One eLOR complete 👍. Just 3 to go. So glad at least one has submitted theirs already.
 
I actually found a list of schools that accept the MCAT
The reason I have not taken the GRE is because this is my first application round and my home school is the University of Guelph (Ontario Veterinary College), for resident applicants they want the MCAT 🙁 so for this year I am applying where I can to schools that accept the MCAT, if I do not succeed I will be writing the GRE next summer and applying to more schools... yaaay 😀
I noticed that Glasgow wants an academic reference, I never became very familiar with any of my professors, do academic references need to be professors? Can they be high school teachers or lab technicians?
 
Haha I think I would rather take the GRE, as I'm having minor panic attacks about the MCAT here and there (I write August 18th)... I hear the GRE isn't as bad, stupid OVC
 
laurentian1 said:
I actually found a list of schools that accept the MCAT
The reason I have not taken the GRE is because this is my first application round and my home school is the University of Guelph (Ontario Veterinary College), for resident applicants they want the MCAT 🙁 so for this year I am applying where I can to schools that accept the MCAT, if I do not succeed I will be writing the GRE next summer and applying to more schools... yaaay 😀
I noticed that Glasgow wants an academic reference, I never became very familiar with any of my professors, do academic references need to be professors? Can they be high school teachers or lab technicians?
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I think if they are asking for an academic reference, they will want something from College, not high school. I could be wrong, but I don't think a high school reference will look to good.
 
thaowey said:
ahhh i love ZA! I was living in Cape Town for 3 months last summer interning at a nature reserve and local vet hospital. and obvvv i mostly wanted to go for the WC! lol. what were you there for??
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Hey, I was volunteering with African Conservation Experience at one of their various projects, Tambotie Wildlife Care Centre. 🙂 I was about 3 hour from Johannesburg and near a town called Mookapong! It was a game capture school / wild life rehabilition center ... it was one of the newer projects going on there.
 
squirrelsrule said:
I think if they are asking for an academic reference, they will want something from College, not high school. I could be wrong, but I don't think a high school reference will look to good.
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I figured... I just remember that the instructor at my MCAT prep course said his friend used a high school physics teacher and actually got into med school LOL

I have one prof, who I will be taking another class with this semester he always remembered me and would always say hi when he ran into me around school I'm not sure why but I think it had to do with how myself and my friend were the only 2 people who always showed up to class and I also think we had the best marks or at least close to maybe I could ask him, this is scary!
 
Tambotie said:
I had no idea chickens could swim either!!
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That's awesome! I didn't know the ones at the farm I work on tend to avoid the water, they would rather fly over it than go into it (there is a little not very deep pond in their enclosure)
Our gnarly old turkey that is like a million years old enjoys walking through the little pond when it gets really warm out though LOL
 
laurentian1 said:
I figured... I just remember that the instructor at my MCAT prep course said his friend used a high school physics teacher and actually got into med school LOL

I have one prof, who I will be taking another class with this semester he always remembered me and would always say hi when he ran into me around school I'm not sure why but I think it had to do with how myself and my friend were the only 2 people who always showed up to class and I also think we had the best marks or at least close to maybe I could ask him, this is scary!
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There is always the exception. The other thing to consider is that possibly it was AP physics and the applicant did awesome in the class and since it was AP, it would transfer to college credit in most cases. So, technically it was a high school professor, but really it translated over to college level work if that makes sense.

I had a hard time asking the vets to write me a letter since I didn't know them as well as I'd like, but the academic eLORs were super easy to ask for. I was usually top in my science classes and I was also the PSEO (went to college in high school) student so I stood out since I was so young. Plus I went to a small school so there weren't ever more than 30 people in my class and I had the same professor for quite a few classes.
 
I finally just asked my first eLOR writer. I'm planning on asking 2 more tomorrow. Vt allows 4 so I'm trying to firm up who I want for sure to write my last one. So nervous!

The people I'm asking are all pretty dependable though, I'm hoping they'll get them in fairly quickly and I won't need to fret too much.

How's everyone else doing with their LOR writers?
 
Second eLOR turned in today :soexcited:. It was the vet I was nervous wouldn't actually do one too, so that was nice! She was awesome and seemed to really like me, but she left the clinic and I hadn't been able to contact her so I was a little nervous, but today she submitted it 🙂. So, just two more to go, and I know I can get them to submit them, although now I am not sure I want to use the one professors. I am pretty sure the two vet letters will be good so I think it would be better to send two letters from vets and just one professor eLOR than 2 professor eLORs and 1 vet eLOR. Haven't made my final decision yet.

Working on my PS some more, I am still not happy with it. I will probably be working on it until I hit the submit button and even then won't be 100% pleased with it.
 
Last night's application nightmare: email from my strongest academic eLOR writer that he had to decline to write my LOR (after just sending an email that he'd get them in on time!) because he was too busy and he was in China or something.

I love having stress-related nightmares! 🙄
 
With two months until the deadline remaining I'm not even considering worrying about whether the LOR writers will come through. I gave them over two months to complete them and fully expect that they will use most of the time. I'll start checking back after Labor Day.

The PS is a different story. I'm on version three or four now. I'm boring myself more with each revision. I hope it's actually improving and I'm just getting tired of my own story at this point. I really want to wrap it up in the next week or so now that school's out until September.

Hope everyone is hanging in there!
 
Hi everyone!

C/O 2016 hopeful. Thought I would introduce myself. I've been lurking SDN for a while now. Texas resident. 1st time applying. I'm so excited yet anxious and nervous at the same time for this application cycle. I hope everyone hears good news during interview and acceptance time. :xf:

Speaking of LOR's. I met with my advisor yesterday to ask him to be a LOR. He sent me an email this afternoon saying it was in the mail (for A&M) this afternoon. I did not expect him to complete it so soon. So, 1 down, 2 to go!

Anyway, its great to meet everyone! good luck!
 
So, after dragging my feet for a while, I finally started asking my professional buddies for LORs this week. So far 1 shelter DVM and 1 academic LOR confirmed! I'm going to ask my boss tomorrow with some cookies I baked for him. It's not a bribe if he knew all along that he'd have to write me a stellar letter 😉. Bad news is that I used baking powder instead of baking soda, but I think they still taste delicious....

The personal statement is another story. I'm all friggin' over the place! I need to find a way to write down the points I want to make and then make them melt together like a boston cream pie. Apparently I have baking on the mind now.
 
CorporateFatCat said:
So, after dragging my feet for a while, I finally started asking my professional buddies for LORs this week. So far 1 shelter DVM and 1 academic LOR confirmed! I'm going to ask my boss tomorrow with some cookies I baked for him. It's not a bribe if he knew all along that he'd have to write me a stellar letter 😉. Bad news is that I used baking powder instead of baking soda, but I think they still taste delicious....

The personal statement is another story. I'm all friggin' over the place! I need to find a way to write down the points I want to make and then make them melt together like a boston cream pie. Apparently I have baking on the mind now.
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Haha, can't go wrong with cookies! And I haven't written my personal statement yet either. I'm been brainstorming a ton and have some good ideas but I have wayyy too much I want to put in with such a tight word count!
 
CorporateFatCat said:
The personal statement is another story. I'm all friggin' over the place! I need to find a way to write down the points I want to make and then make them melt together like a boston cream pie. Apparently I have baking on the mind now.
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Don't be afraid to give up some of those points you feel you need to make. Or, put differently, organize/group/prioritize them.

Obviously you want to pack maximum content into it, but it's important that it be cohesive and readable. If you defeat that just to get more 'stuff' in there, you'll hurt yourself overall.

I was really peeved at how much I had to leave on the cutting room floor, but in the end 5000 characters just isn't much.
 
How is everyone doing? Getting excited as the deadline gets closer? I can't believe it's the middle of August already, time is flying by! My original goal was to get my VMCAS application in by the middle of July, but oh well 🙂. I am finally pretty happy with my PS, just have some minor changes to make and possibly add a little more to it and then it will be done 👍. Been struggling with the awards and honors section 🙁. My awards are almost all academic and it is pretty redundant. I graduated valedictorian, so really what's the sense in listing academic excellence award each year when it's based on GPA. Also made the Deans list each semester, but graduated Summa Cum Laude so that's kinda a given. If I don't list that stuff, though, then I won't have anything to list 🙁. I graduated from college in 3 years, and 2 of those years were while I was in High School. Needless to say, I didn't have much free time to play sports or do other stuff that would earn me awards.

I am feeling a little more confident about this round overall, though. I feel like I have a good idea of what is expected now and I think I meet everything and exceed most, so we'll see how it goes. Experience hours are still my weakest point, but I am up to 727 hours and will have 800 hours even when I apply at the end of the month.
 
squirrelsrule said:
Been struggling with the awards and honors section 🙁. My awards are almost all academic and it is pretty redundant. I graduated valedictorian, so really what's the sense in listing academic excellence award each year when it's based on GPA. Also made the Deans list each semester, but graduated Summa Cum Laude so that's kinda a given. If I don't list that stuff, though, then I won't have anything to list 🙁. I graduated from college in 3 years, and 2 of those years were while I was in High School. Needless to say, I didn't have much free time to play sports or do other stuff that would earn me awards.
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I would absolutely list all of you academic awards, just condense them somewhat. (Such as: Dean's List, 2008, 2009, 2010 for example) Just because something is a given doesn't mean you shouldn't list it. The extra-curricular awards are water under the bridge - don't fret about them.
 
I am almost done with my VMCAS application, still trying to work on my personal statement (which isn't going too well yet) and waiting on two letters of rec. Almost done with my supplemental apps as well, I was blessed that ALL the schools I am applying to have pretty easy ones with no multiple essay questions!
I am also waiting on my grades from this semester, which have taken over a week longer to get to us than usual...it's pure torture, as my o-chem 2 grade could cover a whole range of letters depending on the final!
 
i'm still working on my PS too...so hard to write!!! ahhh

oh and btw, i have a Q: what is the general "policy" on mentioning a vet's name? should we just say "a doctor...." or "Dr. LastName..."??
 
thaowey said:
i'm still working on my PS too...so hard to write!!! ahhh

oh and btw, i have a Q: what is the general "policy" on mentioning a vet's name? should we just say "a doctor...." or "Dr. LastName..."??
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I mentioned three veterinarians in my PS, two of whom wrote me LORs. When I mentioned them for the first time I used "Dr. Firstname Lastname" and from then on just "Dr. Lastname."
 
I have to LORs requested, neither have begun on them yet, and I still need to ask some other victims. *sigh*
 
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