Could certain classes be considered "experience"?

[cvt]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I may be taking Herpetology next semester, and I'm just wondering if I could use that as reptile/amphibian experience. The herp professor has many reptiles and amphibians housed at the school, and during the course of the class the students are able to handle the animals learn how to care for them.
Of course I'm going to try to gain experience with exotics in another setting, but I figure anything that can add to that experience is a bonus, right?

 

[twelvetigers]

If you track the hours actually spent handling the animals, I think it would be fine to count it as animal experience.

 

[Allthingsequine]

I counted a meat science course I took last year as animal experience on my application. I debated for a long time about whether I should or not, but finally decided all the time I spent wrestling live sheep (and cows and pigs, though they weren't quite as fun as the sheep) in an attempt to estimate their carcass value had to count for something!

 

[HopefulAg]

I counted a livestock reproduction, equine training, and wildlife class (worked at our wildlife center for class credit) all as animal experience.

 

[BlacKAT33]

ive been told to count any type of animal experience unless they say "do not count class work" I think I only had a couple places say that though.

 

[PrimalMU]

I would count it only if it turned out to be a significant number. If you count up your hours and find that you've only spent 5-6 hours handling animals for the class, then its probably not worth it, in my opinion.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I would count it only if it turned out to be a significant number. If you count up your hours and find that you've only spent 5-6 hours handling animals for the class, then its probably not worth it, in my opinion.

I would completely agree if this experience was with SA or LA, but since this is reptiles I would still add it if there were only a few hrs. Most people dont have reptile experience (unless they want to work in that field) so it would be really unique. But, I'd only add it if you did more than just handling. If you have a list of skills besides holding them and cleaning cages that I would add it if it was only 5-6 hrs.

 

[GellaBella]

will you get to do experiments with the animals? If so you may be able to count it as vet experience, otherwise prob just animal experience (which is still good!)

I took an Anatomy and Physiology of Neural Systems course where we did non-terminal brain surgeries on rats....eventually followed by terminal surgeries to excise the brains. So we got training in anesthesia and did the entire brain surgeries ourselves. Eventually we got to design our own experiments with the rats, again performing both terminal and non-terminal surgeries. I counted that as vet experience.

 

[cowgirla]

I counted my Repro class--came to about 50 hours. I figured all that time with my hand up the cow's butt ought to count for something! I'm not a big bovine person, I took the class for the equine parts of it!

 

[sumstorm]

I didn't count any of my classes except my honors research (turtle trapping and tissue sampling)

I didn't put the hours I worked on the family farm (at one point I thought I did, but I didn't) which was hours a day of animal care...I also didn't count pet care of the rescue/rehab parrots that my parents did, or the decade we kept reptiles as pets. I did include livestock competitions, humane society work that was under a non profit. I didn't want to seem like I was scraping at every possible moment, but I also didn't want to include pet experience (as per direcitons.)

So, personally, unless you learn more than routine care that would be provided to pets or unless you are given the responsibility for maintaining the collection, I wouldn't have counted it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't, just a different perspective.

 

[cvt]

So, personally, unless you learn more than routine care that would be provided to pets or unless you are given the responsibility for maintaining the collection, I wouldn't have counted it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't, just a different perspective.

That's basically what I was thinking. We wouldnt be doing any type veterinary related work on the animals. However, I also figure that knowing how to care for these types of animals, even if it is just routine care, is still necessary. Also, some of the species that I'd be able to handle are not common and I probably will have no other, countable, opportunities to handle them again.

I suppose I'll just figure it out when the time comes.

 

[HopefulAg]

We wouldnt be doing any type veterinary related work on the animals.

Well veterinary experience isn't the only portion of the experience section.


To me, experience is experience. I wouldn't count every hour that I've ever possessed an animal (IE owning a dog) but even if you spend only 5 hours taking care of a cow or something, you're that much better off than had you not done so.

I don't think being a master of animal handling is the goal here, just to see that you've actually had some experience with animals.

Anyhow, I assume the class isn't your only source of animal experience, so I don't see the harm in supplementing that experience to show you have some idea of being around that animal.

 

[cowgirla]

Well veterinary experience isn't the only portion of the experience section.


To me, experience is experience. I wouldn't count every hour that I've ever possessed an animal (IE owning a dog) but even if you spend only 5 hours taking care of a cow or something, you're that much better off than had you not done so.

I don't think being a master of animal handling is the goal here, just to see that you've actually had some experience with animals.

Anyhow, I assume the class isn't your only source of animal experience, so I don't see the harm in supplementing that experience to show you have some idea of being around that animal.

Let's see, I sleep ten hours a night, and I've owned a dog for 2 years...that's 7,000 hours of canine experience!

Heh.

Like I said, I listed my repro class. I've had a dozen other classes where we handle the animals, but that was the only one I really felt like "I" was doing the work...collecting the stallions, AI'ing the mares, AI'ing the cows in the schools dairy center. (if it wasn't for me, there wouldn't be any babies in the dairy center!). Did a lot of the work on my own time, under the professor, who also wrote my LOR for me.
(BTW, apparently mares are like human females...they all go into heat at the same time!)

I listed the experience because it's not something I get to do everyday. There was no point in me listing my equine management courses-- yes, I handled the horses, but I've been doing that every day for 15+ years, so the numbers just don't compare.

If it's something new, list it.
If you have more experience elsewhere, in that species, don't. 🙂

 

[PigsRock]

If it's something new, list it.
If you have more experience elsewhere, in that species, don't. 🙂

Why not list it? What can it hurt? The head of admissions at VMRCVM told us that we should be listing hours with our horses, our dogs, etc. from when we were old enough to be responsible for them. However, she did tell us about an applicant that would have been working with animals eight hours a day since they were in diapers. Bad idea.

Anyway, I listed pretty much everything. As long as you can make it a "quality" experience you should be rewarded for it.

 

[sumstorm]

this is where they need to clarify the entire 'pet' thing. anyone who cares about their animals and raises reptiles knows quite a bit about reptiles...same with parrots...but if they were your pet.... it somehow magicaly isn't suppose to count.

Also, for me, 5 or 10 hours of reptile handling in pet care did nothing compared to 12 hour days of animal presentations of reptiles, amphibians, etc.

Though, I do think it can work against you. If you have handled reptiles for five hours...how much of that do I really believe you retained three years later? Does it start to look like you are trying to rack up hours/diversity of experience? I think, if I had done it, I would have done it as a seperate 'variety of experience' category...or possibly 'classroom experience.' I didn't count the rats in grade school either, thought I learned enough to maintain/breed them to maintain a feeding program for my own reptiles.

I guess it depends on your application, your experience, and whether or not you really feel it contributes to who you are as an applicant. Balancing between grasping for experiences and explaining the experience you do have.