Class of 2023 Hopefuls

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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mdog20 said:
Hi, first time applicant, long-time hopeful. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as far as narrowing down schools. I'm being pretty realistic here, and I know my grades aren't very competitive, but my experience is. I know that I am going to apply to LMU, Mid-Western, and probably UF (since it's my in-state). I feel like I should apply to 1 or 2 more schools, but i want to choose wisely. Basically my question is, what are some schools that I might have a better shot with, maybe that have more of a "holistic" view on applicants. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Post in the "What are my chances?" thread and people will help you there 🙂 It depends on your GPA, GRE, finances, and what kind of vet you want to be 🙂
 
Hi guys! Second time applying but this times with a Masters from University of Florida in animal science. Does anyone have any suggestions for schools that focus on last 45? So far I have UF (bc instate), LMU, Midwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Iowa
 
Madison2017 said:
Hi guys! Second time applying but this times with a Masters from University of Florida in animal science. Does anyone have any suggestions for schools that focus on last 45? So far I have UF (bc instate), LMU, Midwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Iowa
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I believe LSU and UMN do not look at cumulative GPA, only last 45.
 
Madison2017 said:
Hi guys! Second time applying but this times with a Masters from University of Florida in animal science. Does anyone have any suggestions for schools that focus on last 45? So far I have UF (bc instate), LMU, Midwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Iowa
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Michigan State is not last 45 focused, per se. They don’t care about your gpa as long as you have over a 3.0 prereq and last 36. Not saying you shouldn’t apply there, but just giving you all the info because they’re NOT gpa focused.
Kansas State is last 45. I don’t think Illinois is, I think they look at cumulative and science?
 
Does anyone feel like they're super behind on their application? GRE studying really put me behind and I'm currently working overtime at work. I'm hoping to get my app in by the first week of September but I have a lot of essays to write....
 
Dinashadow said:
Does anyone feel like they're super behind on their application? GRE studying really put me behind and I'm currently working overtime at work. I'm hoping to get my app in by the first week of September but I have a lot of essays to write....
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It’s definitley not ideal but I submitted my app both cycles around the 10th of September. I definitely would not recommend waiting until the last day to submit in case you have any problems.
 
Madison2017 said:
Hi guys! Second time applying but this times with a Masters from University of Florida in animal science. Does anyone have any suggestions for schools that focus on last 45? So far I have UF (bc instate), LMU, Midwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Iowa
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LSU, Kansas State
 
Dinashadow said:
Does anyone feel like they're super behind on their application? GRE studying really put me behind and I'm currently working overtime at work. I'm hoping to get my app in by the first week of September but I have a lot of essays to write....
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Yes me!!! I feel that everyday when I go to my summer class and waste my day doing homework instead of the app 😕
 
I have heard various things regarding this question .... do the VMCAS actually count pet ownership as animal experience?
 
PandaEnthusiast said:
I have heard various things regarding this question .... do the VMCAS actually count pet ownership as animal experience?
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It’s school dependent. Some schools want you to put it down because they’ll count it, others won’t. Be conservative with your hours and only count time where you actually were caring for your pet (feeding, medicating, not starting at age 3 when you were generally not actively caring for the pet, etc) and you’ll be fine. If a school doesn’t count pet ownership, they’ll just ignore that entry on your app.
 
SkiOtter said:
Look who’s winning the like competition so far????
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WildZoo said:
H y p o c r i t e
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giphy (6).gif
 
This is my first time applying, so I'm not really sure how to send my transcripts to VMCAS. I started a transcript request through studentclearinghouse.org and I'm stuck at the part where I have to enter the CAS Transcript ID. This isn't the ID for my VMCAS account, right? It looks like it's something that shows up on a transcript request form barcode, but I'm not sure where to get one of those... I've never done this before so I'm very confused lol

Also, on an unrelated note, does anybody have a list of schools that have a teaching hospital, and those that do not? I know UGA has one, but for most schools it's hard for me to see whether or not they have one, and if they don't have one, it doesn't explicitly say that anywhere on their website. So if someone could help out that would be great!
 
starfish229 said:
Also, on an unrelated note, does anybody have a list of schools that have a teaching hospital, and those that do not? I know UGA has one, but for most schools it's hard for me to see whether or not they have one, and if they don't have one, it doesn't explicitly say that anywhere on their website. So if someone could help out that would be great!
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The only ones I know of that do not have a teaching hospital are Lincoln Memorial University and Western University (in California). Midwestern (the other newest one) DOES have some sort of hospital, but they’re a new school so iirc they’re semi limited with theirs (someone correct me if I’m wrong).
The schools that do have teaching hospitals, most of the time won’t have a clinician for every single specialty possible, just FYI.
 
SkiOtter said:
The only ones I know of that do not have a teaching hospital are Lincoln Memorial University and Western University (in California). Midwestern (the other newest one) DOES have some sort of hospital, but they’re a new school so iirc they’re semi limited with theirs (someone correct me if I’m wrong).
The schools that do have teaching hospitals, most of the time won’t have a clinician for every single specialty possible, just FYI.
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Tuskegee doesn’t either.
 
This is my third year applying...Since last year I have taken an online animal nutrition class and received an A. Started a second job but nothing else has really changed. Last year I had an interview at MSU and completely went into anxiety overload and just bombed the interviews which was very discouraging but I am trying again and hopefully this year I can keep myself calm if I get any interviews. That was the hardest part of this entire thing for me because my mind just went blank during most of the MMI interviews so I need to figure out how to overcome this for next year. :whoa::xf:
 
mlew18507 said:
This is my third year applying...Since last year I have taken an online animal nutrition class and received an A. Started a second job but nothing else has really changed. Last year I had an interview at MSU and completely went into anxiety overload and just bombed the interviews which was very discouraging but I am trying again and hopefully this year I can keep myself calm if I get any interviews. That was the hardest part of this entire thing for me because my mind just went blank during most of the MMI interviews so I need to figure out how to overcome this for next year. :whoa::xf:
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PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I cannot stress practicing interview skills enough. Many colleges have a career center or SOMEONE who will help you with interview skills or offer mock interviews, usually even to graduates. If you can practice MMI with them, great. If not, regular interview skills will still help a lot, especially for any schools you apply to who DON’T do MMI.

Have you done file reviews at each school you applied to that offers them? That’s your first step if you haven’t. They are your BEST resource for what you need to change to gain an acceptance.
 
SkiOtter said:
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I cannot stress practicing interview skills enough. Many colleges have a career center or SOMEONE who will help you with interview skills or offer mock interviews, usually even to graduates. If you can practice MMI with them, great. If not, regular interview skills will still help a lot, especially for any schools you apply to who DON’T do MMI.

Have you done file reviews at each school you applied to that offers them? That’s your first step if you haven’t. They are your BEST resource for what you need to change to gain an acceptance.
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Yes I did a file review for all of the schools. Most of them said to go over my essays again or that the pool was just super competitive this year. Not sure if taking the gre's again will benefit me so I am looking at mostly schools who dont require them. I didn't do horrible but my ISS is UPenn so it's really hard to get at the level you need to be to look good there.

Sent from my XT1650 using SDN mobile
 
mlew18507 said:
Yes I did a file review for all of the schools. Most of them said to go over my essays again or that the pool was just super competitive this year. Not sure if taking the gre's again will benefit me so I am looking at mostly schools who dont require them. I didn't do horrible but my ISS is UPenn so it's really hard to get at the level you need to be to look good there.

Sent from my XT1650 using SDN mobile
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When you practice for your interviews, I’d highly recommend practicing with someone you don’t know very well. This is where the majority of people’s anxiety comes from, I think - talking formally to a new person. Have a few experiences / anecdotes in your back pocket ready to go but don’t stress too much about having an answer for every single potential question. There’s no way to predict what they will be. Get used to confidently talking to new people and practice transforming ideas into logically sound arguments.

For my first few interviews I read over hundreds of potential interview questions and practiced a response for each one. For the last 3 or 4 I completely winged it and the outcome was no different. Almost none of the questions I read over were asked.

Prepare, but don’t psych yourself up by
over preparing.
 
RedLauren said:
When you practice for your interviews, I’d highly recommend practicing with someone you don’t know very well. This is where the majority of people’s anxiety comes from, I think - talking formally to a new person. Have a few experiences / anecdotes in your back pocket ready to go but don’t stress too much about having an answer for every single potential question. There’s no way to predict what they will be. Get used to confidently talking to new people and practice transforming ideas into logically sound arguments.

For my first few interviews I read over hundreds of potential interview questions and practiced a response for each one. For the last 3 or 4 I completely winged it and the outcome was no different. Almost none of the questions I read over were asked.

Prepare, but don’t psych yourself up by
over preparing.
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Yes, definitely. This is why I suggested a career center because ideally they’d have people you wouldn’t know :laugh:

OP, if your undergrad doesn’t have a career center, see if anyone has a willing friend/family member or if your parents have friends you don’t know as well who would be willing.
 
Anyone know what most schools do when you re-take a failed class. Average of the 2 grades or take the better one when considering science gpa?
 
mdog20 said:
Anyone know what most schools do when you re-take a failed class. Average of the 2 grades or take the better one when considering science gpa?
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It varies, each school's policy should be listed on their website, or you can email or call them if it's not clear!
 
mdog20 said:
Anyone know what most schools do when you re-take a failed class. Average of the 2 grades or take the better one when considering science gpa?
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Depends on the school. Some will average, some will take the better one, and I think some will take the most recent grade (whether it’s the better one or not). Your best bet is to contact the individual schools you’re interested in and ask what their policies are.
 
Well, hi everyone. This will be my third application cycle, but my last app cycle was for 2014. Since then, I’ve finished a second bachelors degree in nursing and been an icu nurse for 2.5 years. But, I’m still left with this hole in my heart that was left by vet med. So, after completing a very frustrating first semester in grad school for my NP, I’ve decided to follow through what what *i* really want to do instead of what everyone else thinks I should do. I’m not getting a lot of support from family or my SO, but some of my dearest friends have been wonderfully supportive.

I’m anxious... Scared... And excited. This has been my dream for so so long. ❤️

But, Holy Shiza has the vmcas changed in five years!
 
forks4spoons said:
Well, hi everyone. This will be my third application cycle, but my last app cycle was for 2014. Since then, I’ve finished a second bachelors degree in nursing and been an icu nurse for 2.5 years. But, I’m still left with this hole in my heart that was left by vet med. So, after completing a very frustrating first semester in grad school for my NP, I’ve decided to follow through what what *i* really want to do instead of what everyone else thinks I should do. I’m not getting a lot of support from family or my SO, but some of my dearest friends have been wonderfully supportive.

I’m anxious... Scared... And excited. This has been my dream for so so long. ❤️

But, Holy Shiza has the vmcas changed in five years!
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That’s so exciting! Where are you applying?
 
RedLauren said:
That’s so exciting! Where are you applying?
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Due to some family obligations/constraints, I’m only applying IS (Tennessee) this year. I already have a bunch of educational debt so LMU is definitely out of the picture!

I may be crazy, but I’m so excited!
 
forks4spoons said:
Due to some family obligations/constraints, I’m only applying IS (Tennessee) this year. I already have a bunch of educational debt so LMU is definitely out of the picture!

I may be crazy, but I’m so excited!
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Good luck!! I'm about to be a 3rd year at UTK 😀
 
Hi! Random question, but I was thinking about dyeing my hair light brown (naturally dark brown/black) and was wondering if this is something I should hold off on until after interviews? Or will they not care? Thanks! 🙂)
 
rawreo said:
Hi! Random question, but I was thinking about dyeing my hair light brown (naturally dark brown/black) and was wondering if this is something I should hold off on until after interviews? Or will they not care? Thanks! 🙂)
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Light brown is still a natural colour, so I'm not sure how it could be held against you. I rolled up to interviews with ginger hair (I'm naturally brunette) and had no issues.
 
batsenecal said:
Five dollars says we'll get the, "Can I interview with [insert crazy color] hair?" Or "Will my tattoo be a problem?" questions before October 15th.

I'll throw another $5 into the pot that @SkiOtter is the first with the "Use the search button" line.
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It’s in the compendium!!!!! People don’t know how to use it!!!!! THERES A WHOLE THREAD ABOUT IT.
 
Hi! (Hopefully this question isn't anywhere else; I've used the advanced search and can't find anything for this specific issue, but if there is and I've missed it please don't hate me :laugh:)
I took the GREs and I actually did well on them - my application isn't necessarily weak, but my scores certainly help make it stronger. Thus, I would like for as many schools as possible to see them, but I do know that some schools don't require them anymore. For the schools that don't require them, I've seen two different messages on their websites: one kind basically says "we don't require the GREs anymore," (often this is in bold/red text/large font size; I've seen this for Iowa State, OSU, etc.) and the other kind says "we don't require the GREs and we won't consider them either" (I've seen this at Michigan State).
Obviously for the schools don't require and won't consider GRE scores it's pointless to send them, but is there any value to sending them to the schools that don't require them but don't outright say they won't consider them? As in, will they consider them even though they say they don't require them? Or will sending them the scores after they say that they don't require scores will annoy them because you're giving them information they don't necessarily want or need?
Thanks for the help!
 
spottedfeatherik said:
Hi! (Hopefully this question isn't anywhere else; I've used the advanced search and can't find anything for this specific issue, but if there is and I've missed it please don't hate me :laugh:)
I took the GREs and I actually did well on them - my application isn't necessarily weak, but my scores certainly help make it stronger. Thus, I would like for as many schools as possible to see them, but I do know that some schools don't require them anymore. For the schools that don't require them, I've seen two different messages on their websites: one kind basically says "we don't require the GREs anymore," (often this is in bold/red text/large font size; I've seen this for Iowa State, OSU, etc.) and the other kind says "we don't require the GREs and we won't consider them either" (I've seen this at Michigan State).
Obviously for the schools don't require and won't consider GRE scores it's pointless to send them, but is there any value to sending them to the schools that don't require them but don't outright say they won't consider them? As in, will they consider them even though they say they don't require them? Or will sending them the scores after they say that they don't require scores will annoy them because you're giving them information they don't necessarily want or need?
Thanks for the help!
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I would contact the schools individually. My guess would be that it wouldn't be a benefit to send the scores. But that is a guess.
 
rawreo said:
Hi! Random question, but I was thinking about dyeing my hair light brown (naturally dark brown/black) and was wondering if this is something I should hold off on until after interviews? Or will they not care? Thanks! 🙂)
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I think that's fine too. Although I have my natural hair still, I have the right section of my hair shaved off and no one ever said anything to me. I was accepted to 3 schools last year so unless you looked unruly, I don't think anyone minds.

Sent from my SM-G920T using SDN mobile
 
How much stuff do people include from high school? I didn't make deans list or honors in college, but i did in high school so I'm including those under "awards" and I'm including my AP scholar award as well as a french award where I placed nationally, but what about extracurriculars and community service stuff? I was a competitive cheerleader (don't judge) throughout high school and captain of the cheer squad, did a lot of theater, worked on the school newspaper, and coached disabled youth at the YMCA on weekends but none of these a) are animal related or b) carried over into college so worth listing or no?
 
grebes4lyfe said:
How much stuff do people include from high school? I didn't make deans list or honors in college, but i did in high school so I'm including those under "awards" and I'm including my AP scholar award as well as a french award where I placed nationally, but what about extracurriculars and community service stuff? I was a competitive cheerleader (don't judge) throughout high school and captain of the cheer squad, did a lot of theater, worked on the school newspaper, and coached disabled youth at the YMCA on weekends but none of these a) are animal related or b) carried over into college so worth listing or no?
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Put everything. Shows you have a life outside of vetmed.
 
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