Explaining research paper on VMCAS app?

[milkmaid]

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Hi all, new member, first post here. I'm a senior applying to vet school this summer, did a research project last fall that was accepted to a research publication and my name's on the author list. Any insight on how to catagorize this (awards? animal experience?) and how to phrase this on VMCAS?

Thanks-

 

[nyanko]

If your research experience was under a Ph.D. scientist, you should put the hours you worked under veterinary experience. Unless you were a significant contributor (ie first author) on the paper I don't think I'd list it under awards/honors but do mention the publication in the description of duties.

 

[parietal]

I'd be sure to mention it in your personal statement as well.

 

[milkmaid]

It is as first author on the abstract, the complete paper hasn't been published yet but the abstract was accepted this spring.

nyanko - is it still considered vet experience if I've worked for a PhD who is not also a DVM? He has a DEA license and does more "vet" work than some vets, and taught at a vet school quite a few years, but I'd just put the other work in his lab under "animal experience" since he's not actually a vet... 😕

 

[david594]

VMCAS considers research experience under a PhD to be veterinary experience. (because its giving you exposure to a role that can be performed as a DVM)

 

[nyanko]

nyanko - is it still considered vet experience if I've worked for a PhD who is not also a DVM? He has a DEA license and does more "vet" work than some vets, and taught at a vet school quite a few years, but I'd just put the other work in his lab under "animal experience" since he's not actually a vet... 😕

It's veterinary experience.

In my opinion, lab experience should never be classified as animal experience unless you were an animal care technician only and didn't do actual research. The only two viable options for lab work as far as I'm concerned are veterinary experience or employment experience. If you can relate it to medicine, it's probably vet experience. If you can't, it's probably employment experience. Again this is just my opinion as a research-oriented person.

The vet schools will also feel free to ignore the classification you put things under on VMCAS and classify the experiences themselves based on your descriptions of them.

As a side note, if you did something for one semester and got a first author publication out of if you are like, the luckiest person in the entire world.

 

[GellaBella]

It's veterinary experience.

The vet schools will also feel free to ignore the classification you put things under on VMCAS and classify the experiences themselves based on your descriptions of them.

As a side note, if you did something for one semester and got a first author publication out of if you are like, the luckiest person in the entire world.

👍

agreed with everything here.

PS. not to hijack but Nyanko...how's the thesis coming along??

 

[ckd816]

As a side note, if you did something for one semester and got a first author publication out of if you are like, the luckiest person in the entire world.

I might be... I started working in a research lab at the end of July 2009. I helped out on various projects through December and then this January I started an independent project. I'm still finishing it up but will be submitting my paper to a journal in the next couple of months as a first author.

 

[nyanko]

PS. not to hijack but Nyanko...how's the thesis coming along??

Haha, a more appropriate place for that might be the "rant" thread.

Honestly, inspiration for it comes in bursts and so far everything I've written has been totally praised by my PI (not known for random praise at all) but I'm a little behind in the volume of writing. It takes me a lot longer to write than it does most people, it turns out, but once it's done I'm actually quite good at it.

Certainly explains why my GRE Analytical Writing score is crap. Time limits, blech...

Also I'm definitely my own worst critic, so I keep poking holes in my experiments and being like "Wow what crappy experiments and crappy data did I even DO anything and is this worth writing about???"

How's your dissertation? 😉

 

[milkmaid]

Lucky? maybe. It was a little more than a semester of work and then another semester of writing. I do know I don't want to do research or lab work after vet school - that is one thing I've gotten out of this job. 😛

So say I do try putting this in the honors/awards catagory. In that blank where I'm supposed to title the honor/award, what do I call this? I currently have it named "Author in X Journal" but that doesn't quite explain it either. Doesn't help that the entry box has a space limit. Maybe just say "published author" for the award title and then explain in the explanation box? What would y'all do?

 

[Minnerbelle]

Lucky? maybe. It was a little more than a semester of work and then another semester of writing. I do know I don't want to do research or lab work after vet school - that is one thing I've gotten out of this job. 😛

Seeing as my boss spent 3 yrs full time with 2 extra people doing experiments non-stop + 7 other co-authors, and a very conservative estimate of $25,000 in non-human labor costs to finally get a paper published... yes, lucky! if could have been a lot worse!

So say I do try putting this in the honors/awards catagory. In that blank where I'm supposed to title the honor/award, what do I call this? I currently have it named "Author in X Journal" but that doesn't quite explain it either. Doesn't help that the entry box has a space limit. Maybe just say "published author" for the award title and then explain in the explanation box? What would y'all do?

If you're going to go the honors/awards route, If it's a notable journal that it's getting published in, I would personally title it: "1st author publication in X" or simply "1st author publication" if you don't have space. If it's a journal that no one has ever heard of or it's a student publication, I would just title it "Scientific publication" or something like that. Then put the full citation for your paper in the description. Honestly though, I wouldn't do that until the paper itself is actually accepted. but it's your app, do with it whatever you want!

 

[GellaBella]

Haha, a more appropriate place for that might be the "rant" thread.

Honestly, inspiration for it comes in bursts and so far everything I've written has been totally praised by my PI (not known for random praise at all) but I'm a little behind in the volume of writing. It takes me a lot longer to write than it does most people, it turns out, but once it's done I'm actually quite good at it.

Certainly explains why my GRE Analytical Writing score is crap. Time limits, blech...

Also I'm definitely my own worst critic, so I keep poking holes in my experiments and being like "Wow what crappy experiments and crappy data did I even DO anything and is this worth writing about???"

How's your dissertation? 😉

Haha don't even get me started. I'm the same way. Now that I'm looking at all my data I'm like "why didn't I do that?? How could I have just let this go like this?" and dreaming up a million more experiments that shoulda/coulda/woulda been done. ugh.

Its going though. I need to get it out to my committee in the next 2-3 weeks so I'm writing like a fiend!! and trying to get the last experiments done. blah.

 

[zoogrl29]

Hi all, new member, first post here. I'm a senior applying to vet school this summer, did a research project last fall that was accepted to a research publication and my name's on the author list. Any insight on how to catagorize this (awards? animal experience?) and how to phrase this on VMCAS?

Thanks-

Did you ever figure this out? There is really no place to put this information.

 

[KCgophervet]

Did you ever figure this out? There is really no place to put this information.

I just mentioned it in the description of the experience. Like in the description for the experience where you worked for the lab I just wrote something to the effect of "and Co authored multiple publications" etc.

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