Class of 2022 Hopefuls

[LyraGardenia]

Has anyone here ever done any type of file review with OSU? I just scheduled mine earlier, and it'll be on wednesday (via phone because OOS). I've never had one before.

Do you mean Ohio, Oklahoma or Oregon?

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[Devastating]

Do you mean Ohio, Oklahoma or Oregon?

lol sorry, Ohio. I'm so used to using that acronym I didn't think about it.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Has anyone here ever done any type of file review with OSU? I just scheduled mine earlier, and it'll be on wednesday (via phone because OOS). I've never had one before.

I had a friend who did one over the phone and she said it was really helpful.

 

[ahallowell]

Just in case there are still people out there needing to take the GRE, Magoosh has a 20% sale on study packages. Just purchased the 6 month. Pretty excited. Thanks for the recommendation @mmmdreamerz


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[TrashPanda]

Just in case there are still people out there needing to take the GRE, Magoosh has a 20% sale on study packages. Just purchased the 6 month. Pretty excited. Thanks for the recommendation @mmmdreamerz


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And if you miss that sale, there will definitely be more. I think their prices went up since it looks like it's about $120 with this sale- I remember seeing $99 (on sale) for the six-month premium and I paid $79.20 last year during an especially good sale. Unless you're in a rush, you may want to wait for a better deal because their study packages are almost always on sale. Definitely don't pay full price!

I'm also a Magoosh fan and ended up scoring very well on the GRE- feel free to ask for help/advice/whatever.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Just in case there are still people out there needing to take the GRE, Magoosh has a 20% sale on study packages. Just purchased the 6 month. Pretty excited. Thanks for the recommendation @mmmdreamerz


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My pleasure...glad you decided to get it! Standardized tests were never my favorite thing and I felt like it really helped me a lot so I always recommend it. I also downloaded the vocab app on my phone which was helpful. Have fun killin' the GRE

 

[ahallowell]

My pleasure...glad you decided to get it! Standardized tests were never my favorite thing and I felt like it really helped me a lot so I always recommend it. I also downloaded the vocab app on my phone which was helpful. Have fun killin' the GRE

I took the GRE over five years ago and it was miserable so I'm excited to see that there are other options that are affordable to help improve scores. Studying from a book did not help me at all. I also downloaded the apps! Thanks again!


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[wallydo]

Has anyone here ever done any type of file review with OSU? I just scheduled mine earlier, and it'll be on wednesday (via phone because OOS). I've never had one before.

Hi Deva! I did one not this cycle, but the cycle prior when I was denied at OSU via phone. It was helpful in that some of the issues with my application were a little challenging to fix and therefore I knew I might not be a competitive applicant there so I didn't apply to OSU this time around. I had thousands of hours of SA veterinary experience and not enough LA. They really wanted more LA experience, community outreach that wasn't animal related, and a higher cumulative GPA. Unfortunately, my cumulative GPA wasn't going up much due to a rough first year, so I focused on my IS and other schools that looked at last 45/science GPA. I think they give really genuine and realistic feedback which is something to appreciate. I wish you all the best with your file review.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I took the GRE over five years ago and it was miserable so I'm excited to see that there are other options that are affordable to help improve scores. Studying from a book did not help me at all. I also downloaded the apps! Thanks again!


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Yes! Not only does it really help, but the price isn't insane (especially when you get the sale!). I took it the first time after studying from a book and didn't feel like it helped much. Magoosh was great!

 

[safthegiraffe]

Which schools focus more on last 45 GPA?

 

[TrashPanda]

Which schools focus more on last 45 GPA?

If you search, quite a few threads will come up. That's just a search for threads with "last 45" in the title- you can change the parameters for more hits.

 

[Devastating]

Hi Deva! I did one not this cycle, but the cycle prior when I was denied at OSU via phone. It was helpful in that some of the issues with my application were a little challenging to fix and therefore I knew I might not be a competitive applicant there so I didn't apply to OSU this time around. I had thousands of hours of SA veterinary experience and not enough LA. They really wanted more LA experience, community outreach that wasn't animal related, and a higher cumulative GPA. Unfortunately, my cumulative GPA wasn't going up much due to a rough first year, so I focused on my IS and other schools that looked at last 45/science GPA. I think they give really genuine and realistic feedback which is something to appreciate. I wish you all the best with your file review.

Very detailed and helpful info, thank you!

 

[Devastating]

Forgot to update on how the Ohio State phone file review went. It was originally set for last Wednesday, but had to be rescheduled to Friday.
The consult itself was short and sweet. The interviewer first went over my Cumulative, Sci, Last 30hr GPAs, and GRE scores, and how each of them compared to applicant/admitted averages. GRE was good so she did not recommend retaking. I was told that they wouldn't recommend I do anything about the Cumulative GPA, since it's understandably unlikely to change at this point, so she disregarded that area and only noted that I should focus on Science and Last30.

In the subjective section, I was told that my diversity/breadth of vet & animal experience was great, but they want to see improvement in depth/quality--interestingly, they specifically suggested more "hands-on" vet experience, since the majority of my hours came from shadowing. Lastly, she recommended stronger/more personal references, because apparently my DVM LOR was pretty generic. Everything she noted during this review was marked on a "Post-Application Consult Record," which she emailed to me on Monday. It contains all the information regarding the applicant scoring system, and all the individual components that are taken into consideration (those which need improvement as discussed will be marked). There is a section for interview components also (interpersonal skills, knowledge of the profession, etc.), and it seems to list some of the general interview questions.

Overall, super informative, really pleased that I did this. It made me very happy to know that pretty much all their recommended improvements are already in progress (my grades from this year, my program and upcoming externship, even new references) so I just need to keep going

 

[kayed12]

I think I know what advisor you're talking about and absolutely do not listen to them. If it is who I am thinking of, they are only interested in seeing people go into animal production (which is a great field if that interests you) but tells all the vet med junkies they will never get in with anything less than perfect grades, one of a kind vet experiences, and extracurriculars out the wazoo. I got into 2 schools and waitlisted at another 2. I had a 3.5 gpa and a 3.3 science gpa. I had a decent amount of vet hours and research experience, but my application certainly wasn't one of the crazy spectacular ones. So don't let anyone psych you out!

Quick question. When you say research... Is this animal related research? For instance, I work in research for breast cancer. It is research but not at all animal related.
Additionally, would these be placed differently on the application if they were animal related or not? Thank you for your input. I am preparing to apply my first time this round

 

[cdo96]

Quick question. When you say research... Is this animal related research? For instance, I work in research for breast cancer. It is research but not at all animal related.
Additionally, would these be placed differently on the application if they were animal related or not? Thank you for your input. I am preparing to apply my first time this round

There's a really nifty flowchart somewhere on the vmcas website! Basically if it's research it gets classified as research. Period. Regardless if vet, animal, or neither! It has its own category!

 

[kayed12]

And if you miss that sale, there will definitely be more. I think their prices went up since it looks like it's about $120 with this sale- I remember seeing $99 (on sale) for the six-month premium and I paid $79.20 last year during an especially good sale. Unless you're in a rush, you may want to wait for a better deal because their study packages are almost always on sale. Definitely don't pay full price!

I'm also a Magoosh fan and ended up scoring very well on the GRE- feel free to ask for help/advice/whatever.

This sounds great! Any idea what times of the year they go on sale?

 

[tbirdd123]

This sounds great! Any idea what times of the year they go on sale?

Also a big fan of Magoosh!
I got the six-month one for ~$90 on a new years sale, so I'm sure if you just keep checking and watch the prices you can get a good deal.

 

[TrashPanda]

This sounds great! Any idea what times of the year they go on sale?

Yeah, what tbird said- you just have to check. I think if you sign up for emails or a free trial (they'll give you one week before charging you), they'll let you know when there's a sale.

 

[kayed12]

Hello again! I would like to get your opinions on a dilemma I have...

I have been volunteering for a vet (since Jan '17) where I am mostly just observing/cleaning. The clinic is so busy with many volunteers that sometimes the vet does not even remember my name...or any of our names.... I can tell he knows my face and appreciates my work but often forgets my name (he is always rushing around and not bothering to really know the volunteers). He really is a great vet, just so consumed in his own work.

Now, I just landed a full time paid position at another vet. This just happened TODAY! Since I will be there full time and since its a MUCH SMALLER clinic, I would have a better opportunity to get to know the vet much more. It is already April... Its getting very close to the September due date.

I really don't know what to do for LORs... If I asked the first vet, we would have a longer standing relationship... But if I attempted to ask the second vet, he would have only known me as a full time employee for about 4 months... Is that even enough time to get to know someones capabilities? I know he has written many LORs before. Any thoughts?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Hello again! I would like to get your opinions on a dilemma I have...

I have been volunteering for a vet (since Jan '17) where I am mostly just observing/cleaning. The clinic is so busy with many volunteers that sometimes the vet does not even remember my name...or any of our names.... I can tell he knows my face and appreciates my work but often forgets my name (he is always rushing around and not bothering to really know the volunteers). He really is a great vet, just so consumed in his own work.

Now, I just landed a full time paid position at another vet. This just happened TODAY! Since I will be there full time and since its a MUCH SMALLER clinic, I would have a better opportunity to get to know the vet much more. It is already April... Its getting very close to the September due date.

I really don't know what to do for LORs... If I asked the first vet, we would have a longer standing relationship... But if I attempted to ask the second vet, he would have only known me as a full time employee for about 4 months... Is that even enough time to get to know someones capabilities? I know he has written many LORs before. Any thoughts?

Why not ask for an LOR from both?

 

[deleted806434]

Hello again! I would like to get your opinions on a dilemma I have...

I have been volunteering for a vet (since Jan '17) where I am mostly just observing/cleaning. The clinic is so busy with many volunteers that sometimes the vet does not even remember my name...or any of our names.... I can tell he knows my face and appreciates my work but often forgets my name (he is always rushing around and not bothering to really know the volunteers). He really is a great vet, just so consumed in his own work.

Now, I just landed a full time paid position at another vet. This just happened TODAY! Since I will be there full time and since its a MUCH SMALLER clinic, I would have a better opportunity to get to know the vet much more. It is already April... Its getting very close to the September due date.

I really don't know what to do for LORs... If I asked the first vet, we would have a longer standing relationship... But if I attempted to ask the second vet, he would have only known me as a full time employee for about 4 months... Is that even enough time to get to know someones capabilities? I know he has written many LORs before. Any thoughts?

Congrats on the new job! Other people might disagree, but if you do a really good job at the new clinic, I think 4 months is plenty of time. Just make sure you still give the vet plenty of time to write the letter. Also I would assume the full-time work would probably end up with way more hours than the volunteering (correct me if I'm wrong), so you will likely know the new vet better if that's the case. I would be a little concerned about a potential LOR coming from your current vet because it seems like they don't know you that well, but if you choose to go with them just make sure they are willing to write you a positive letter and it will probably be fine.

If it makes you feel any better, the vet that wrote my LOR was someone that I only spent the full summer with before applying. Obviously this wasn't ideal, but it's what I had to work with and the letter ended up doing the job just fine

 

[Coopah]

Hello again! I would like to get your opinions on a dilemma I have...

I have been volunteering for a vet (since Jan '17) where I am mostly just observing/cleaning. The clinic is so busy with many volunteers that sometimes the vet does not even remember my name...or any of our names.... I can tell he knows my face and appreciates my work but often forgets my name (he is always rushing around and not bothering to really know the volunteers). He really is a great vet, just so consumed in his own work.

Now, I just landed a full time paid position at another vet. This just happened TODAY! Since I will be there full time and since its a MUCH SMALLER clinic, I would have a better opportunity to get to know the vet much more. It is already April... Its getting very close to the September due date.

I really don't know what to do for LORs... If I asked the first vet, we would have a longer standing relationship... But if I attempted to ask the second vet, he would have only known me as a full time employee for about 4 months... Is that even enough time to get to know someones capabilities? I know he has written many LORs before. Any thoughts?

Why not ask the vet your currently working for if he would write you a letter before you leave? VMCAS will open soon enough that it shouldn't be too much of a problem

 

[wallydo]

Why not ask the vet your currently working for if he would write you a letter before you leave? VMCAS will open soon enough that it shouldn't be too much of a problem

I agree with Coopah! Your current vet could write you a letter and then depending on how well getting to know your new vet goes, you could end up with a second letter strengthening your application! However, if for some reason the experience doesn't work out exactly as intended, you will have a letter from your former vet. Best of luck applying this cycle and with your new position.

 

[kayed12]

Congrats on the new job! Other people might disagree, but if you do a really good job at the new clinic, I think 4 months is plenty of time. Just make sure you still give the vet plenty of time to write the letter. Also I would assume the full-time work would probably end up with way more hours than the volunteering (correct me if I'm wrong), so you will likely know the new vet better if that's the case. I would be a little concerned about a potential LOR coming from your current vet because it seems like they don't know you that well, but if you choose to go with them just make sure they are willing to write you a positive letter and it will probably be fine.

If it makes you feel any better, the vet that wrote my LOR was someone that I only spent the full summer with before applying. Obviously this wasn't ideal, but it's what I had to work with and the letter ended up doing the job just fine

Thank you so much for your input!! I agree with you regarding my current vet, he has good intentions to help future vets but doesn't take the time to know us. Again, thank you so much!

 

[kayed12]

Why not ask the vet your currently working for if he would write you a letter before you leave? VMCAS will open soon enough that it shouldn't be too much of a problem

Thank you! This leads to my second issue... I don't think I should completely leave my first vet yet... I've only been there for four months so far. I am hesitant to leave now and then ask him for a letter. Do you think it would be worthless to stay and at least attend 1 shift a week as a volunteer... I still want to keep the connection if I can... Hope this makes sense.

 

[EastCoast94]

Hey Everyone! I will be applying for the second time (waitlisted at two schools but will be reapplying in the event they fall through lol)- if anyone has any questions, PM me

 

[Coopah]

Thank you! This leads to my second issue... I don't think I should completely leave my first vet yet... I've only been there for four months so far. I am hesitant to leave now and then ask him for a letter. Do you think it would be worthless to stay and at least attend 1 shift a week as a volunteer... I still want to keep the connection if I can... Hope this makes sense.

If you can make it work that's fine. But make sure you put in quality hours.

 

[wallydo]

Thank you! This leads to my second issue... I don't think I should completely leave my first vet yet... I've only been there for four months so far. I am hesitant to leave now and then ask him for a letter. Do you think it would be worthless to stay and at least attend 1 shift a week as a volunteer... I still want to keep the connection if I can... Hope this makes sense.

One additional thing to consider... when asking him to write a letter, be sure to ask that he can write a *strong* letter of recommendation. If he doesn't know your name and doesn't have anything overwhelmingly positive to say about you, it may be better to ask your new veterinarian. A generic letter could potentially hurt your application.

 

[Coopah]

Also for those of you who have started writing drafts or outlines of your essay questions feel free to pm me if you would like feedback.

 

[cdo96]

One additional thing to consider... when asking him to write a letter, be sure to ask that he can write a *strong* letter of recommendation. If he doesn't know your name and doesn't have anything overwhelmingly positive to say about you, it may be better to ask your new veterinarian. A generic letter could potentially hurt your application.

I would also add, not only is a strong LOR important but also a good one. I asked something along the lines of "would you feel comfortable writing me a strong, positive LOR for vet school". (You don't want them to make it negative) idk, it worked for me?

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Eek it just hit that application season is coming up. After about 10 years of imagining this it is crazy that it is coming up so quickly.

 

[cdo96]

Also for those of you who have started writing drafts or outlines of your essay questions feel free to pm me if you would like feedback.

You can also PM me as well, I'm really good at writing, but I'm just gonna warn you in advance that I won't get to it until after my last final May 12th. But I'm having surgery this summer and won't be working so I'm gonna be suuuuper free!

 

[ziggyandjazzy]

I was planning to take a year off after undegrad but I think I'm going to apply this fall! Wow so much to learn. And I need to take the GRE ugh. Anyone know what Oregon values more and less for admissions? That's my in-state.

 

[greeneyegal92]

Well i guess I've given up for c/o 2021 so on to preparing for c/o 2022 applications! 3rd go around for me and my last, too much to do a 4th time! Advice to first time applicants this go around start preparing your applications now or very soon!! It's alot of work if you're doing it right! And good luck to all I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of me on various boards

 

[Rozzieray]

Well i guess I've given up for c/o 2021 so on to preparing for c/o 2022 applications! 3rd go around for me and my last, too much to do a 4th time! Advice to first time applicants this go around start preparing your applications now or very soon!! It's alot of work if you're doing it right! And good luck to all I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of me on various boards

I second this! I'm a second time applicant myself and the biggest struggle was getting the transcripts and my LOR in on time. I'll be rooting that you get in! 3 is lucky number.

 

[Vet_Squared80]

Well i guess I've given up for c/o 2021 so on to preparing for c/o 2022 applications! 3rd go around for me and my last, too much to do a 4th time! Advice to first time applicants this go around start preparing your applications now or very soon!! It's alot of work if you're doing it right! And good luck to all I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of me on various boards

What specifically would you prepare ahead of time. I have copies of all my transcripts for inputting into VMCAS, I have my LOR all lined up and ready to go and I have started working on the three question prompts for the application. Since I haven't applied before, I don't know what to expect or what to pre-prepare.

Also, VMCAS says the application opens in May 2017, but there is no date. Do you know? I thought it was May 15, but couldn't find that definitively anywhere so now I'm not sure where I got that date.

Good luck on getting in this next round!

 

[MSUCVM2021]

Well i guess I've given up for c/o 2021 so on to preparing for c/o 2022 applications! 3rd go around for me and my last, too much to do a 4th time! Advice to first time applicants this go around start preparing your applications now or very soon!! It's alot of work if you're doing it right! And good luck to all I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of me on various boards

On top of working on your personal statement (or 3 questions), taking your GRE, and getting your transcripts, one thing that really helped me as I was completing my VMCAS application was to have all of my experience and awards/honors entered into a spreadsheet. This made it very easy to transpose everything (date, hours, title, description, etc.) from the spreadsheet to VMCAS. I applied last cycle and started on the spreadsheet sometime around February/March. By having everything organized in the spreadsheet it made it easy to add activities that I forgot the first, second, and even third time I added entries. This prevented me from having to delete and re-enter items in the VMCAS system.

 

[PigFarmer25]

What specifically would you prepare ahead of time. I have copies of all my transcripts for inputting into VMCAS, I have my LOR all lined up and ready to go and I have started working on the three question prompts for the application. Since I haven't applied before, I don't know what to expect or what to pre-prepare.

Also, VMCAS says the application opens in May 2017, but there is no date. Do you know? I thought it was May 15, but couldn't find that definitively anywhere so now I'm not sure where I got that date.

Good luck on getting in this next round!

I would also start writing out your experiences! You will have to describe your vet experience, animal experience, research experience, extracurriculars, work, etc. so you can start writing out what you did and who with (they ask for their contact info) for all of these.

Oh sorry! Someone just wrote this lol well now you know how important it is

 

[Coopah]

Also, for those of you that want help proofreading or just someone to give feedback on your Personal Statement (questions) I'm free. Just shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to look over what you have and provide feedback. If you don't have a draft just yet I can help hash out ideas and concepts. Best of luck to all of you!

 

[Coopah]

I would also start writing out your experiences! You will have to describe your vet experience, animal experience, research experience, extracurriculars, work, etc. so you can start writing out what you did and who with (they ask for their contact info) for all of these.

Oh sorry! Someone just wrote this lol well now you know how important it is

Yes! This is very important. It took the most time because I would look at it and be like, are they even going to read this? So start early to make sure you do a good job! People do read it lol.

 

[cdo96]

What specifically would you prepare ahead of time. I have copies of all my transcripts for inputting into VMCAS, I have my LOR all lined up and ready to go and I have started working on the three question prompts for the application. Since I haven't applied before, I don't know what to expect or what to pre-prepare.

Also, VMCAS says the application opens in May 2017, but there is no date. Do you know? I thought it was May 15, but couldn't find that definitively anywhere so now I'm not sure where I got that date.

Good luck on getting in this next round!

Experience!!!!!! Get that semi organized!!! Vmcas/ adcoms prefer it in reverse chronological order, meaning you'll enter your most recent first (I think). Don't be like me and enter in all of the experience and then realize you forgot one and have to restart and re-enter all of them. This happened twice for me!

 

[cdo96]

Super bummed about no PS this year! I was looking forward to reading them!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Super bummed about no PS this year! I was looking forward to reading them!

2022 should probably still start a thread for their three questions? I imagine writing help would still be needed?

 

[PigFarmer25]

Experience!!!!!! Get that semi organized!!! Vmcas/ adcoms prefer it in reverse chronological order, meaning you'll enter your most recent first (I think). Don't be like me and enter in all of the experience and then realize you forgot one and have to restart and re-enter all of them. This happened twice for me!

I had to do this 3 times it was so annoying! I'd recommend having someone who knows you well look over your list written in a word document of some sort to make sure you have all of your experiences on the list before you start entering them in your application!

 

[TrashPanda]

I would also start writing out your experiences! You will have to describe your vet experience, animal experience, research experience, extracurriculars, work, etc. so you can start writing out what you did and who with (they ask for their contact info) for all of these.

Oh sorry! Someone just wrote this lol well now you know how important it is

YESSSSSSS (to all the advice so far, but especially this).

You only have 600 characters including spaces for the description of each experience (title/dates/etc. are separate) and adcoms absolutely do read them. Especially since there's no PS this year, I think they'll be even more important than ever. They're a pain in the butt to write well, but they do make a difference.

I second the advice to put everything in a spreadsheet organized by date. Only enter them into VMCAS when you're happy with them.

As for what else to do, it's not too late to get experience if you still need it! You don't have to submit until September so you still have ~4.5 months, plus some supplementals are due later and you can always bring up new experiences at interviews.

Speaking of interviews, it's waaaaay early, but if you're afraid you don't interview well, there are plenty of books on the topic. I found that books on med school interviews carry over well (especially for MMI).

If you have any doubts about pre-reqs or anything like that, now is a good time to contact admissions offices and check. Also make sure you've read admissions websites for where you're applying to check that you're eligible and you really do want to apply- a surprising number of applicants end up not meeting eligibility requirements or realizing that they applied to schools they have no intention of attending. The What Are My Chances thread can also help with this.

Don't feel like you have to start anything now- you really don't. But doing things slowly over the next few months (especially while you're hopefully excited about applying and not worn out from it yet!) is a lot less stressful than waiting until the last minute.

 

[vetmedhead]

This thread is making me glad that I am an excel junkie and had everything typed up, sorted, and filtered on a spreadsheet when I applied

 

[vetmedhead]

Also, applying is stressful. You don't have to open the application the day it opens. If the VMCAS app goes online when you have finals DON'T YOU DARE OPEN IT UNTIL YOUR FINALS ARE FINISHED. Nobody needs app stress on top of finals stress.

 

[MSUCVM2021]

This thread is making me glad that I am an excel junkie and had everything typed up, sorted, and filtered on a spreadsheet when I applied

I felt the same way! I created two spreadsheets, one for experiences and another for awards/honors. If anyone wants an example I believe I still have both of my spreadsheets I would be more than happy to share.

 

[tbirdd123]

Random question for those who applied last cycle, what are your thoughts on including academic awards from high school (ex. college book awards, math awards, etc.)?

Edit: For perspective I'm currently a junior in college, so these would be ~3-4 years old

 

[Coopah]

Random question for those who applied last cycle, what are your thoughts on including academic awards from high school (ex. college book awards, math awards, etc.)?

EVERYTHING! lol seriously, put down everything.