Class of 2023 Hopefuls

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CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Schools in other countries are still allowed, right?
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Yes, but cost makes it a barrier.

For example, tuition for 4 years at my province sponsored school is just over $40,000 CAD total. International/US schools are more than that per year. I myself would just choose a different career if I was unable to make it into my provincial school, because I can’t justify paying over 4x the amount.

I do know 5 or 6 Canadians studying internationally right now, though. 🙂. Often they decided to go international after they tried to get into their provincial school several times.
 
So.... I know this is kind of a vague question since I'm not taking the time to post all of my exact stats right now..... but would you say it's possible at all for someone to be accepted the first time they apply with a low cum GPA, low science GPA, average last 45, and around 1,000 vet hours? Family has a farm and I have lots of animal hours..... but my GPA stats pretty much suck. I'm above a 3.0 but not by much. I guess I'm asking because I don't know if I want to sink thousands of dollars into applying to like 12 schools if there isn't much hope for me this round.

*edit* feel like I need to add more specifics. I estimate my stats will look something like this after I'm done with the summer classes I'm taking right now. Cum: 3.2
Science : 3.2
Last 45: 3.4
GRE: Q 150 / V 155 / Writing 5.0


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vethopeful_2 said:
So.... I know this is kind of a vague question since I'm not taking the time to post all of my exact stats right now..... but would you say it's possible at all for someone to be accepted the first time they apply with a low cum GPA, low science GPA, average last 45, and around 1,000 vet hours? Family has a farm and I have lots of animal hours..... but my GPA stats pretty much suck. I'm above a 3.0 but not by much. I guess I'm asking because I don't know if I want to sink thousands of dollars into applying to like 12 schools if there isn't much hope for me this round.

*edit* feel like I need to add more specifics. I estimate my stats will look something like this after I'm done with the summer classes I'm taking right now. Cum: 3.2
Science : 3.2
Last 45: 3.4
GRE: Q 150 / V 155 / Writing 5.0


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Look into Michigan State. It’s a more expensive OOS but they don’t care at all about gpa beyond making sure you have over a 3.0 science and last 36.
 
SkiOtter said:
Look into Michigan State. It’s a more expensive OOS but they don’t care at all about gpa beyond making sure you have over a 3.0 science and last 36.
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Ok! I'll add it to my list. I think I heard something about another school having a same system (Illinois? Iowa? Not sure). Anyways, thanks for the info


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vethopeful_2 said:
Ok! I'll add it to my list. I think I heard something about another school having a same system (Illinois? Iowa? Not sure). Anyways, thanks for the info


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Illinois once you make it into interviews they don’t look at your gpa for admissions decisions, but GPAs ARE used to see who makes it into file review and then interviews.
 
vethopeful_2 said:
Ok! I'll add it to my list. I think I heard something about another school having a same system (Illinois? Iowa? Not sure). Anyways, thanks for the info


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Iowa emphazies a lot on last 45 but the last 2 years they have seen a lot of waitlist movements so I'd look at their stats to see what the average last 45 has been to determine if you want to apply there or not.
 
vethopeful_2 said:
So.... I know this is kind of a vague question since I'm not taking the time to post all of my exact stats right now..... but would you say it's possible at all for someone to be accepted the first time they apply with a low cum GPA, low science GPA, average last 45, and around 1,000 vet hours? Family has a farm and I have lots of animal hours..... but my GPA stats pretty much suck. I'm above a 3.0 but not by much. I guess I'm asking because I don't know if I want to sink thousands of dollars into applying to like 12 schools if there isn't much hope for me this round.

*edit* feel like I need to add more specifics. I estimate my stats will look something like this after I'm done with the summer classes I'm taking right now. Cum: 3.2
Science : 3.2
Last 45: 3.4
GRE: Q 150 / V 155 / Writing 5.0


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Don’t forget that there’s a “what are my chances thread?” You can get feedback there from past applicants that may not be looking at the ‘23 thread. What kind of experiences do you have?
 
Polocrosse2017 said:
I'll be watching!
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giphy.gif
 
mmmdreamerz said:
Don’t forget that there’s a “what are my chances thread?” You can get feedback there from past applicants that may not be looking at the ‘23 thread. What kind of experiences do you have?
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Ahhh I totally forgot about that thread. I'll go transfer my original post over there after class. Thanks for reminding me!

Brief overview of some experiences (I want to practice mixed animal medicine in case that matters) :

-Current vet assistant/tech at internal medicine and urgent care practice for a year (made sure to mention that I also work in collaboration with several other specialties under the same roof)
-my grandparents own a farm with beef cattle and horses so I have LA hours
-currently shadowing LA vet
-two student externships at small animal general practices
-lots of pet sitting
-sea turtle nest excavation
-humane society volunteering
-spay/neuter clinic volunteering that's associated with above ^ shelter
-hundreds of community service hrs on army base where husband works
-leadership experience (within military family organizations and coaching kid sports team in previous years)

Thats what I can think of at this moment



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After my file reviews, I was told by one school that my only vet LOR was pretty weak. The writer is super sweet and I know he gave me a good review. The main complaint I think was that it didn't emphasize hands-on experience enough.

I know that my current boss (who is also a vet) will be observing me doing hands-on work this summer and will be writing me an updated LOR. Should I forgo re-asking the first vet for a LOR? Unsure how to tackle it.
 
johnnaboo said:
After my file reviews, I was told by one school that my only vet LOR was pretty weak. The writer is super sweet and I know he gave me a good review. The main complaint I think was that it didn't emphasize hands-on experience enough.

I know that my current boss (who is also a vet) will be observing me doing hands-on work this summer and will be writing me an updated LOR. Should I forgo re-asking the first vet for a LOR? Unsure how to tackle it.
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You can have LORs from both of them, but you should probably use the newer vet's LOR if asked which one should they read 🙂
 
Ever since I saw "dual citizenship" mentioned in Ohio State's class profile, I thought it would be cool to add that i have triple citizenship to my VMCAS application. I now found out that 2 citizenships is the max amount you can add, and I kind of feel like it a shame because it would add a little bit to my application. How do I fit it in to my application somewhere else? Or should I just let it go?
 
M&D said:
Ever since I saw "dual citizenship" mentioned in Ohio State's class profile, I thought it would be cool to add that i have triple citizenship to my VMCAS application. I now found out that 2 citizenships is the max amount you can add, and I kind of feel like it a shame because it would add a little bit to my application. How do I fit it in to my application somewhere else? Or should I just let it go?
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I think thats neat and definitely the kind of random thing that can make you stick out when they are reading thousands of applications. I vote find a way to add if possible.
 
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Hello! I have a question about the experience section. I work at a vet's office and do research only during the school year, so I have gaps in time when I'm not working at those places during summer and winter break. Do I have to create 4 different sections for the experience (one for each semester that I've worked), or can I just put it all into one experience and write that it was during the school year? I've seen people say that you have to split it up, but then other people have said that some schools prefer them lumped together, so I am just a tad lost🙂
 
cbucks said:
Hello! I have a question about the experience section. I work at a vet's office and do research only during the school year, so I have gaps in time when I'm not working at those places during summer and winter break. Do I have to create 4 different sections for the experience (one for each semester that I've worked), or can I just put it all into one experience and write that it was during the school year? I've seen people say that you have to split it up, but then other people have said that some schools prefer them lumped together, so I am just a tad lost🙂
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Personally, I lumped all of mine together. So for example: conducted research synthesizing benzonitrite derivatives for antibiotic use during spring and fall semesters.

Then start and end dates are your first and last true dates. Then just put in the hours I put in so say it was 80 hours over a year.

Unfortunately vmcas isn't set up very well when recording time especially if it's here and there if you ask me
 
I'm just getting ready to open my VMCAS account now... and already have a question for anyone who knows! I need to acquire transcripts from my three (yay transferring...) undergrad schools for transcript entry. Should I send out requests for transcripts to go to VMCAS at the same time or do I have to wait until I've already completed transcript entry on my own first?
 
EquusObsessed said:
I'm just getting ready to open my VMCAS account now... and already have a question for anyone who knows! I need to acquire transcripts from my three (yay transferring...) undergrad schools for transcript entry. Should I send out requests for transcripts to go to VMCAS at the same time or do I have to wait until I've already completed transcript entry on my own first?
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You can request them now. They just use them to verify what you entered at the very end after you've submitted your app.

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britzen said:
You can request them now. They just use them to verify what you entered at the very end after you've submitted your app.

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Thank you! It’s going to be a pain to get transcripts from my original undergrad school (they are notoriously slow with paperwork) so I’m glad that I only have to do it once! Luckily the other two are within driving distance and both are usually much faster if you send requests in person (current school and a community college where I took some summer classes).
 
EquusObsessed said:
I'm just getting ready to open my VMCAS account now... and already have a question for anyone who knows! I need to acquire transcripts from my three (yay transferring...) undergrad schools for transcript entry. Should I send out requests for transcripts to go to VMCAS at the same time or do I have to wait until I've already completed transcript entry on my own first?
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Because you transferred, make sure to only list classes where you originally took them, even if they appear as transfer credits on your other transcripts!
 
EquusObsessed said:
I'm just getting ready to open my VMCAS account now... and already have a question for anyone who knows! I need to acquire transcripts from my three (yay transferring...) undergrad schools for transcript entry. Should I send out requests for transcripts to go to VMCAS at the same time or do I have to wait until I've already completed transcript entry on my own first?
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Request all now. I had 8 transcripts, and that was the number one thing MSU admissions told me to do. Request my transcripts early
 
SoFlogirl93 said:
Hey all,
So currently I'm sitting on a waitlist for LMU...but starting to face the fact that I may not get off and will have to reapply. The good news is that I got accepted into their Veterinary Biomedical Master's Program for this year so I'm hoping that will give me an up on my application. (LMU is my #1 choice I fell in love when I interviewed). Anyways, I wanted to give some of my stats to see what you all think.
25 yr old applicant, possible 2nd time applicant
-BS Biology
-Will be getting my MS degree in Veterinary Biomedical Sciences this year
-Overall GPA: 3.38
-Science and last 45 was probably around the same
-GRE: Q 146/ V 149/ 3.5 ; this test was honestly the death of me. I took it 4 times and only went up 1-2 points each time. I honestly thought that was gonna be my downfall (it might've been). I HATE that stupid test lol quite frankly I want to do whatever I can to avoid taking it again.

Veterinary experience: Most of my experience is limited to small animals and a little bit of exotics and I realize I probably could have diversified my experience a bit more.. unfortunately I have to work a lot to pay the bills so there wasn't much time to add anything else in this year :/ Note: All of this experience was at time of application a year ago.
-Current Job: 3,290 hours as a vet tech at a small animal emergency clinic I've been at for 4 years now. (Hours have gone up to around 5,000 now)
-220 hours as a vet assistant at a small animal GP
-360 hours as an intern at a sea turtle hospital
-8 hours at a dairy farm performing rectal exams on cows

Animal Experience: 1600 hours as a kennel tech at SA hospital
-70 or so hours at wildlife rehabs
-240 hours as a volunteer at sea turtle hospital (currently still here so hours have gone up as well)

Work experience: receptionist, and server at multiple restaurants

Research:
130 hours observing vervet monkeys (field research)
290 hours working in a sea turtle research lab (field and lab research)

Extracurriculars:
Not much besides for I was creative director for my colleges pre-vet club for a year lol

I want it to work out for LMU but I am open to other schools that may give me a chance as well if I have to reapply. If you took the time to read this, thank you!!
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I really, really, really want you to get off the waitlist. It seems like they called a number of people off during the summer in previous years so there's still hope! However, I am super excited that you got into the Master's program. They said at the interview that going through their Master's program is really helpful for getting a spot. I hope to meet you either way!
 
Unicornslive said:
I really, really, really want you to get off the waitlist. It seems like they called a number of people off during the summer in previous years so there's still hope! However, I am super excited that you got into the Master's program. They said at the interview that going through their Master's program is really helpful for getting a spot. I hope to meet you either way!
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Thanks!! I'm really hoping so as well. I still have a sliver of hope left!!
 
LandosSweetStach said:
Does anyone have advice on where to put publications? I feel putting them under awards/achievements is off, but didn't want them to get lost in the description of the experience. I'm only second author but did receive a grant to go overseas and do the research, so I guess I can list it under both experiences and awards?

Cheers for the advice!
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I’m not sure, but if you post it in this thread: VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2023 you might get more of a response.
 
SkiOtter said:
Because you transferred, make sure to only list classes where you originally took them, even if they appear as transfer credits on your other transcripts!
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Thanks! I did see that in the VMCAS help guide (I was too nervous to actually open the application the day it opened... so I read through the entire help website instead). My current school was very vague about where those transfer credits went (they don't show up in the grade calculations for my GPA) and only a handful transferred in directly, while the rest just counted as 'credits' towards graduation. As annoying as this was when trying to fit my sciences and gen eds into three years, it's useful now because it forces me to enter them under the correct school.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
Yes, but cost makes it a barrier.

For example, tuition for 4 years at my province sponsored school is just over $40,000 CAD total. International/US schools are more than that per year. I myself would just choose a different career if I was unable to make it into my provincial school, because I can’t justify paying over 4x the amount.

I do know 5 or 6 Canadians studying internationally right now, though. 🙂. Often they decided to go international after they tried to get into their provincial school several times.
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On a different note though... I'm considering three overseas schools (Edinburgh, RVC London, and Dublin) because they are all less expensive than my in-state school by far. I will have to look more thoroughly into cost of living and traveling there, but in terms of tuition, it's not always more expensive to study abroad!
 
EquusObsessed said:
On a different note though... I'm considering three overseas schools (Edinburgh, RVC London, and Dublin) because they are all less expensive than my in-state school by far. I will have to look more thoroughly into cost of living and traveling there, but in terms of tuition, it's not always more expensive to study abroad!
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What's your IS? Don't forget to consider all the state side schools that let you gain residency!
 
EquusObsessed said:
On a different note though... I'm considering three overseas schools (Edinburgh, RVC London, and Dublin) because they are all less expensive than my in-state school by far. I will have to look more thoroughly into cost of living and traveling there, but in terms of tuition, it's not always more expensive to study abroad!
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Careful with that. They may appear less expensive at first glance but cost of living in some of those places is astronomically high. If you’re looking to study in the U.K. you also need to factor in cost of traveling home (several grand if you want to go home more than once year), RENT, the yearly health care tax, cost of applying for your tier 4 visa, and the financial requirement to even get your visa approved in the first place. On top of this the RVC’s deposit to accept your seat is over $5,000 and due in may before you even get your financial aid. They’re fantastic schools but you should think long and hard about these things before you apply.
 
SkiOtter said:
My guess is UPenn. That’s the highest one I can think of for IS
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Ding ding ding! I live in PA. UPenn is exorbitantly expensive, and I absolutely don't want to live in the city. So I'm applying to several OOS schools (NC State, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, amongst others), and hoping I can get in somewhere that I can change residency. I'm also very flexible about relocating and don't particularly care if I stay in PA. If I don't get in first round, I suppose I'll relocate to one of the states with a school I'd like to attend and reapply as a resident.

Edit: To clarify, it's not all cities I'm opposed to... but UPenn is in the center of Philly, and apparently not in the greatest part of Philly (according to friends who live in other parts of Philly). I'm would prefer to live somewhere more rural, or at least not in the center of quite such a large city.
 
EquusObsessed said:
If I don't get in first round, I suppose I'll relocate to one of the states with a school I'd like to attend and reapply as a resident.
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If it comes to this, would you then take a gap year before reapplying? I assume you’d need to be in a state for 12 mo before applying and not the start of the school year you’d be entering in, but I’m not sure
 
SkiOtter said:
Would you then take a gap year before reapplying? I assume you’d need to be in a state for 12 mo before applying and not the start of the school year you’d be entering in, but I’m not sure
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Currently, if I don't get in first round, my tentative plan is to look for a working student position somewhere (as evidenced by my profile photo, I'm an equine person) since they sometimes allow for some form of housing, and determine if I will be able to gain residency before reapplying. I'm not opposed to taking a gap year, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it.

I need to re-read the residency requirements for the schools. The rules and laws can be a little difficult to figure out sometimes.
 
EquusObsessed said:
On a different note though... I'm considering three overseas schools (Edinburgh, RVC London, and Dublin) because they are all less expensive than my in-state school by far. I will have to look more thoroughly into cost of living and traveling there, but in terms of tuition, it's not always more expensive to study abroad!
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Yes, but I am directly talking about Canadian schools. Our tuition is much lower than US schools, especially after factoring in currency exchange rates. 🙂. To my knowledge not a single school is more expensive than any international school.
 
EquusObsessed said:
Currently, if I don't get in first round, my tentative plan is to look for a working student position somewhere (as evidenced by my profile photo, I'm an equine person) since they sometimes allow for some form of housing, and determine if I will be able to gain residency before reapplying. I'm not opposed to taking a gap year, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it.

I need to re-read the residency requirements for the schools. The rules and laws can be a little difficult to figure out sometimes.
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I'm not sure where you're applying or what your stats look like but CA has IS tuition after a year and their residency requirements are super easy 😀
 
Coopah said:
I'm not sure where you're applying or what your stats look like but CA has IS tuition after a year and their residency requirements are super easy 😀
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Thanks! CA is a bit far but then again, so are Scotland, Ireland, and England. I was primarily looking on the east coast, but maybe I'll look into it. I've just never been west of the Mississippi, whereas I have at least been to London for a week!
 
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Got another question for you all regarding VMCAS- I wasn't able to get a clear answer off the help site: If you took a summer class in the summer following sophomore year, are you considered a sophomore at that time? Or a Junior? I can't tell which I should categorize myself for the transcript entry.
 
EquusObsessed said:
Thanks! CA is a bit far but then again, so are Scotland, Ireland, and England. I was primarily looking on the east coast, but maybe I'll look into it. I've just never been west of the Mississippi, whereas I have at least been to London for a week!
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I am also from the East Coast, but I'm a Cali girl now 😎
 
EquusObsessed said:
On a different note though... I'm considering three overseas schools (Edinburgh, RVC London, and Dublin) because they are all less expensive than my in-state school by far. I will have to look more thoroughly into cost of living and traveling there, but in terms of tuition, it's not always more expensive to study abroad!
Click to expand...

I'm also applying to all four of these schools! Dublin by far is the most expensive tuition wise and for living cost, but I didn't think the other three were so terrible!
 
EquusObsessed said:
Got another question for you all regarding VMCAS- I wasn't able to get a clear answer off the help site: If you took a summer class in the summer following sophomore year, are you considered a sophomore at that time? Or a Junior? I can't tell which I should categorize myself for the transcript entry.
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At the time of you starting the class how many credit hours did you have? If you had completed 30 to 59 credit hours you were a sophomore. If if you completed 60 to 89 credit hours at the time of starting the class you were a junior.

Also, Lupin21 created a lovely thread just for questions like this. Please see: VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2023
 
RedLauren said:
At the time of you starting the class how many credit hours did you have? If you had completed 30 to 59 credit hours you were a sophomore. If if you completed 60 to 89 credit hours at the time of starting the class you were a junior.

Also, Lupin21 created a lovely thread just for questions like this. Please see: VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2023
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Thanks! I’ll go check out that forum, and if it goes by credit hours then I’ll have to change all of them haha... I transferred after my freshman year, but by the end of sophomore year I had enough credits to be a junior, and by the end of junior year (this last semester) I have enough credits to actually graduate. Thanks again- I never would have thought of the credit hours thing.
 
EquusObsessed said:
Thanks! I’ll go check out that forum, and if it goes by credit hours then I’ll have to change all of them haha... I transferred after my freshman year, but by the end of sophomore year I had enough credits to be a junior, and by the end of junior year (this last semester) I have enough credits to actually graduate. Thanks again- I never would have thought of the credit hours thing.
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You’re welcome! And yeah I think it says the credit hour rule in the VMCAS handbook. Good luck applying!
 
Random question about the VMCAS experience entry if anyone knows? If I've done both volunteer (non paid) shadowing at a vet clinic while also being paid to work in kennels and do weekend patient care.. would I put those down as two separate experiences? Or just one experience as it all took place in the same clinic?
 
maria1313 said:
Random question about the VMCAS experience entry if anyone knows? If I've done both volunteer (non paid) shadowing at a vet clinic while also being paid to work in kennels and do weekend patient care.. would I put those down as two separate experiences? Or just one experience as it all took place in the same clinic?
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I put mine down as one experience. Then I think you can pick volunteer and paid? If not I remember I put something like shadowed and worked...
 
MixedAnimals77 said:
I put mine down as one experience. Then I think you can pick volunteer and paid? If not I remember I put something like shadowed and worked...
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Okay, thank you! I was just thinking if I did put them down as two separate experiences, I'd have more space to go into detail about my time there as I'd have 600 characters to explain each. I'm not sure if that's allowed though since they were both at the same clinic, but they are two very different experiences?..
 
maria1313 said:
Okay, thank you! I was just thinking if I did put them down as two separate experiences, I'd have more space to go into detail about my time there as I'd have 600 characters to explain each. I'm not sure if that's allowed though since they were both at the same clinic, but they are two very different experiences?..
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I believe, and vmcas could verify this over the phone, that you can split up experiences if you want to, but the hours must be split, with no overlap.
For example: I was trained in a specific skill for a specific number of hours at one job. I listed it separately in my experiences and subracted those hours from the experience hours for that job.
Simplified:
10hrs for skill
90 hrs for job
100 hrs total
 
CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Why is that??
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Welllll long story short but I live in Canada and there's this dumb rule where if I want to apply to a school in a different province, I need to gain residence of that province (live there for a year without being in school). So the Ontario Vet college is my only option in canada and I say its my ONLY option in general because the tuition is loads cheaper than I'd pay anywhere else. So international schools are kind of like a last resort at this point although my parents said they would help me out, I just can't imagine asking them to dish out ~400k over 4 years for me to go international. We'll see what happens but at the end of the day, at this point I really would do anything to become a DVM. It's been a dream for a while.
 
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