Class of 2016...It's almost our turn!!!!!!

[rubygirl]

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I see study opportunities everywhere, sadly. I'd love to look at whether the shotgun approach actually pays off. Deep down I have a suspicion that the acceptance rate isn't significantly different for the folks who apply all over versus just a few schools. But I was a one-school applicant, so it's entirely possible that's just bias.

G'luck this cycle, Rubygirl! I was like you: everyone kept telling me how sure they were I'd get in my first time. It was weird. But things went better the second time around, so stay hopeful.

im not sure what you mean by study opportunities here, they are all really good schools, i want to eventually practice mixed animal with a food animal focus, al of these schools can offer me that, may be some more then others, but do you mean that some of the programs are lacking in some aspect of there education??? Also i wouldnt really call 11 schools the shotgun approach, 5 schools proved to be all waitlists, and its not that i dont have the academic record, i have a 3.7 total, 3.8 science and around there for the last 45 credits, thousands of experience hours and average GREs, if applying to more schools meens that the right acceptance committee reads my application and likes me on paper then thats what it takes. i was CRUSHED getting 4 waitlists, and not moving off of any of them, so yes i am going to pay more, write more essays and apply to more schools if thats what it takes.

 

[Bearby]

I was told by our amazing Pre-Vet Club advisor that if you apply to more than 6 (or 8 in a few situations) you actually hurt your chances. Schools want to know that you want to go there, not that you just want to go anywhere (even if that is the case!) And since both of the schools that I interviewed at (all that I applied that held interviews) asked why I wanted to be there and if the school was my first choice and what I knew about it, I definitely think he had a point.

I agree with the above statement too that its a huge waste of money. It seems like most of the people that get accepted get accepted to multiple, the people that get waitlisted get waitlisted at multiple - that tells me that the schools have similar criteria and if you are going to get in, you will get in.

For the people with less hours - I'd also recommend keep getting them even after you send your VMCAS in and keep track. That way if your lack of experience comes up in the interview (or even if it doesn't) you can tell them that you have continued to work at it. (And on the pessimistic side of things, if you have to reapply (hopefully you don't!), you won't have wasted the time that you could have been improving your next application.)

Just a note. I applied to 10 schools this past cycle, got interviews at 3, declined one interview, and was accepted at the other two schools. One of my interviews asked me what other schools I applied to. I gave them a list...and still got in. Last year I applied to 3 schools, got an interview at one, and was waitlisted. I know that I haven't posted on the stats page but let me tell you that my GPA is not something that I'm proud of...not by a long shot.

One of the admissions committees told me that they cannot see what other schools you apply to, but obviously that doesn't mean they can't ask you. I don't think that applying to more schools hurts your chances of getting in, but make sure you apply to schools that have something you want and that your stats fit...or at least mostly fit...with what they're looking for.

And yes, continue to get experience after you submit your VMCAS. You can even send updates to the schools you applied to around the time you send in Fall transcripts to show that you are putting in the effort to make yourself a stronger candidate.

 

[LetItSnow]

im not sure what you mean by study opportunities here, they are all really good schools

Relax! You misunderstood me and/or I misled you. I wasn't at all criticizing any of the schools you chose to apply to, or your desire to apply to so many.

I meant: I see an opportunity to study whether applying to so many schools actually improves one's odds of getting in (as opposed to applying to only a couple), or whether statistically it really just means you spend more money unnecessarily. If I knew the answer, I wouldn't ask the question. 🙂

Regarding whether some schools are better than others; I'm in that camp that thinks that your competency will be 99% determined by how much you put into it, not the school you attend. So in that sense, sure, applying to lots of schools makes sense.

 

[TigerWillow]

Just a note. I applied to 10 schools this past cycle, got interviews at 3, declined one interview, and was accepted at the other two schools. One of my interviews asked me what other schools I applied to. I gave them a list...and still got in. Last year I applied to 3 schools, got an interview at one, and was waitlisted. I know that I haven't posted on the stats page but let me tell you that my GPA is not something that I'm proud of...not by a long shot.

One of the admissions committees told me that they cannot see what other schools you apply to, but obviously that doesn't mean they can't ask you. I don't think that applying to more schools hurts your chances of getting in, but make sure you apply to schools that have something you want and that your stats fit...or at least mostly fit...with what they're looking for.

And yes, continue to get experience after you submit your VMCAS. You can even send updates to the schools you applied to around the time you send in Fall transcripts to show that you are putting in the effort to make yourself a stronger candidate.

Yeah my stats are def not what I wish they were. Ive been really doing well now (decided right about the time I was graduating that I shoulda followed my dream). Since I have kinda a weird story and not the perfect GPA I wanted to increase my chances... hence the whole applying to more than 6. Applying to like or 5 might be ok for people with 3.9 science and reg gpas, I just dont have that🙁

 

[EllieGirl89]

Yeah my stats are def not what I wish they were. Ive been really doing well now (decided right about the time I was graduating that I shoulda followed my dream). Since I have kinda a weird story and not the perfect GPA I wanted to increase my chances... hence the whole applying to more than 6. Applying to like or 5 might be ok for people with 3.9 science and reg gpas, I just dont have that🙁

It's not about applying everywhere you CAN, IMO, but applying where you have the best shot. For what it's worth, I did not have a 3.9 CGPA, and most certainly had nowhere NEAR a 3.9 math and science GPA. I applied to a grand total of one school, my in state, and got in.

If your GPA is low, applying to a bazillion schools doesn't necessarily increase your chances of getting in, simply because some of those schools are going to weigh very heavily on numbers. If your strong point lies elsewhere, like in unique vet experience, wonderful essays/personal statement, etc., you'd do well to just look into the schools that weigh more heavily on those things. Check out the successful applicants threads here and look into those members who have similar stats to yours and see where they're getting in.

Good luck!

 

[squibby]

One of the admissions committees told me that they cannot see what other schools you apply to, but obviously that doesn't mean they can't ask you.

That was a lie.
In my Ohio interview they had a list of what schools I applied to right in front of them, and asked me: "You've got ten schools here... Why Ohio?"

 

[deleted387118]

That was a lie.
In my Ohio interview they had a list of what schools I applied to right in front of them, and asked me: "You've got ten schools here... Why Ohio?"

It may even depend on the school. Some schools, like K-State, give the interviewers your entire VMCAS packet - it looked exactly like what I printed out for my own reference. Others schools, (I can't remember who said they had an interview like this), use one or more person who knows nothing about you going in.

 

[TigerWillow]

It's not about applying everywhere you CAN, IMO, but applying where you have the best shot. For what it's worth, I did not have a 3.9 CGPA, and most certainly had nowhere NEAR a 3.9 math and science GPA. I applied to a grand total of one school, my in state, and got in.

If your GPA is low, applying to a bazillion schools doesn't necessarily increase your chances of getting in, simply because some of those schools are going to weigh very heavily on numbers. If your strong point lies elsewhere, like in unique vet experience, wonderful essays/personal statement, etc., you'd do well to just look into the schools that weigh more heavily on those things. Check out the successful applicants threads here and look into those members who have similar stats to yours and see where they're getting in.

Good luck!

thanks so much Elliegirl89!! Do schools take in consideration your last 45 sem gpa? I decided pretty late about becoming a vet (something I always wanted to do) yet gpa suffered in my soph and jr year of school, what with finding myself and personal issues. However i've been doing really well now in upper division bio courses.


Btw I got my degree a year ago, work two jobs 40 hrs per week,go to school parttime, volunteer at vets, and die on Sundays from exhaustion lol. My friends think I'm buried under the bridge in town.

 

[EllieGirl89]

thanks so much Elliegirl89!! Do schools take in consideration your last 45 sem gpa? I decided pretty late about becoming a vet (something I always wanted to do) yet gpa suffered in my soph and jr year of school, what with finding myself and personal issues. However i've been doing really well now in upper division bio courses.

Yes, many schools take into consideration your last 30/45 credit hours! It bodes very well for you if you've been rocking out higher-level science courses!

 

[squibby]

My friends think I'm buried under the bridge in town.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a song about that...


note: Please excuse my useless post. I think the two cycles I went through took out of me any potential for serious discussion.

 

[TigerWillow]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a song about that...


note: Please excuse my useless post. I think the two cycles I went through took out of me any potential for serious discussion.

You mean I'm not original and subconsciously stole from RHCP? Damn 😡

 

[LetItSnow]

Btw I got my degree a year ago, work two jobs 40 hrs per week,go to school parttime, volunteer at vets, and die on Sundays from exhaustion lol.

Sounds like you're right on track then. 🙂

Except you really need to put Sundays to better use. 😉

 

[squibby]

You mean I'm not original and subconsciously stole from RHCP? Damn 😡

Maybe they wrote it about you...

 

[TigerWillow]

Maybe they wrote it about you...

Can I use that in my app?

And LetItSnow, during the summer I'll be working BOTH Saturday and Sunday for the vaccine clinic, so will have to find a different time to die from exhaustion 😛