Freaking out and depressed.

[Jowu]

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I started doing most of my volunteers last year and now it's application time I do not think I have nearly enough hours.
I have about:

160 hours in Lab animal experience
200 hours in Clinic
112 hours in large animal experience
200 hours in animal shelter
50 hours in wildlife animal experience.

I saw this thread with everyone having 3000-5000 hours of experience. How do I even compete with them? I want to do more hours but at the same time I want to concentrate on pulling up my GPA before I apply this year.

Any suggestion??

 

[nyanko]

Experience is only part of the application. Please, take a deep breath and consider that.

 

[dgm]

No need to freak out. You have a nice variety of experiences, and admissions decisions are not based simply on who has the most hours of experience. If you aren't applying until next year, you do have time to get more hours, but you have more right now than I did.

 

[Jowu]

No I am applying this year (sending out my application around mid-dec)
Thanks for the support though...I do hope they would concentrate on how much I learned during those hours instead of how many hours.

 

[cowgirla]

No I am applying this year (sending out my application around mid-dec)
Thanks for the support though...I do hope they would concentrate on how much I learned during those hours instead of how many hours.

Out of curiousity, where are you applying?
Some schools require a minumum number of hours, but it's not a contest as to who can get the most. They look at variety, experience, etc, not "how long you stuck with it".

 

[dgm]

Ah, okay, that makes more sense. Still, I don't think you should freak out. You've racked up 722 hours across several different areas, that's not too bad... And you can't change it now anyways 🙂

 

[Jowu]

I am applying to WCVM. From what I've learned they do not have a minimum hours required.

 

[david594]

No I am applying this year (sending out my application around mid-dec)
Thanks for the support though...I do hope they would concentrate on how much I learned during those hours instead of how many hours.

Where are you applying? Canadian schools?

You would be about 2 months too late for any US school deadline.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I have similar hours compared to you and that is fine. At least you have experience in all areas. People who have thousands of hours usually have it in only one area where they worked. I have less hours of experience because i also only volunteered but i have a ton of lab animal experience because that is where i worked. Dont compare yourself to other people, variation is great and someone else could be thinking "wow that person has every area of experience and i only have small animal!!" you'd be surprised how many people only have one area of experience. Dont worry, we're all unique 😀

 

[Jowu]

ohhh, by the way, did any of you fill out the "special circumstances" area in application form even though there's nothing "special"? Or should I just leave it blank?

 

[HopefulAg]

WCVM = Western College of Veterinary Medicine?

They may have an exception I don't know about but, aren't you a bit late for this year? The VMCAS is closed.

 

[twelvetigers]

There's a Western in Canada, besides the one in Pomona. That's probably what they mean.

 

[HopefulAg]

Ah. Not familiar with Canadian schools at all.

 

[GellaBella]

Yup I'd love to have your experiences!

I have 0 Large Animal and 0 Small animal clinical experience.

what the heck have I been doing? well i've got 300 (and counting) with an exotics vet. and I've been involved in research on animals (turkeys, chickens, pigs, horses, rats, mice).

so while some oh my hours seem quite large, I still wish my experiences could be more varied. So keep your head up. Don't freak out yet you don't know how everythings gonna work out.

and even if you don't get in this year, its not the end of the world. Some of us will make it, some of us won't, but the way I look at is that this is what I want to do and I am still young. I am not in a huge rush. Eventually I'll get there and thats what matters

 

[168135]

I've only racked up about 300 small animal (250 from one clinic, 50 from another) about 100 from a no-kill shelter and the SPCA, and 4 hours of large animal experience over four years 😛 If they ask me why I don't have much experience, I'll flat out tell them that I've worked my butt off trying to get clinics in the city I go to school in and the town I'm from to let me job shadow or volunteer, but they jerk me around for a few monthes and then tell me they have no room for me 😛 I don't have a vehicle, too, which limits me.

I'm trying to be creative. If I can't get a research job this summer, my aunt and uncle live near a zoo and said I can stay with them. I have issues with zoos (I don't think it's right to keep wild animals in captivity) but I have to keep an open mind 🙂 There are TONS of animal-related internships available. There was a post about this a while back. I'll be digging up that post soon and applying to what I can.

I heard that vet schools look at research. I'm thinking of doing an honours thesis next year and I'm hoping that will count towards something.

Edit: I'm a Canadian student too. I'll be applying to the AVC next year. I was talking to a student who started this year, and they got rid of their minimum number of large and small animal experience (I think it was 40 hours of both minimum) In the application I guess, they ask you what experience you do have and don't put any emphasis on the hours.

 

[Adrift108]

I've only racked up about 300 small animal (250 from one clinic, 50 from another) about 100 from a no-kill shelter and the SPCA, and 4 hours of large animal experience over four years 😛 If they ask me why I don't have much experience, I'll flat out tell them that I've worked my butt off trying to get clinics in the city I go to school in and the town I'm from to let me job shadow or volunteer, but they jerk me around for a few monthes and then tell me they have no room for me 😛 I don't have a vehicle, too, which limits me.

I'm trying to be creative. If I can't get a research job this summer, my aunt and uncle live near a zoo and said I can stay with them. I have issues with zoos (I don't think it's right to keep wild animals in captivity) but I have to keep an open mind 🙂 There are TONS of animal-related internships available. There was a post about this a while back. I'll be digging up that post soon and applying to what I can.

I heard that vet schools look at research. I'm thinking of doing an honours thesis next year and I'm hoping that will count towards something.

Edit: I'm a Canadian student too. I'll be applying to the AVC next year. I was talking to a student who started this year, and they got rid of their minimum number of large and small animal experience (I think it was 40 hours of both minimum) In the application I guess, they ask you what experience you do have and don't put any emphasis on the hours.

I actually volunteered at a zoo, assisting the senior veterinarian this past summer, and racked up nearly 300 hours. I've gotta say though, not many people get to volunteer at big zoo clinics because of liability issues but if you do find an opportunity, even if its not in the back clinic go for it (I know you disagree with the idea of zoos). I gained experience working with animals most other pre-vets may never see in regular shadowing/volunteering positions, and I think it can really set you apart with such a diversified experience (I got to make meds for sumatran tigers!😀). Take plenty pictures if you can.

 

[168135]

I was thinking about this recently... is it better to have thousands of hours in one clinic/shelter/ect or a have some hours from different places?

I have 250 hours from one clinic, 40 from another, and I'm waiting to get into a third to job shadow for at least a couple of days. So is it better to have 350 from one clinic, or 350 over three for example?

I actually volunteered at a zoo, assisting the senior veterinarian this past summer, and racked up nearly 300 hours. I've gotta say though, not many people get to volunteer at big zoo clinics because of liability issues but if you do find an opportunity, even if its not in the back clinic go for it (I know you disagree with the idea of zoos). I gained experience working with animals most other pre-vets may never see in regular shadowing/volunteering positions, and I think it can really set you apart with such a diversified experience (I got to make meds for sumatran tigers!😀). Take plenty pictures if you can.

I know that if I decide to go away and do something with that zoo for example, I could probably only go for a couple of weeks because I do have to make money this summer to pay rent 😛

 

[BlacKAT33]

I was thinking about this recently... is it better to have thousands of hours in one clinic/shelter/ect or a have some hours from different places?

I have 250 hours from one clinic, 40 from another, and I'm waiting to get into a third to job shadow for at least a couple of days. So is it better to have 350 from one clinic, or 350 over three for example?

I dont know about all schools. But i've talked to people from VA-MD and UPenn, they both like a variety of hours better than thousands in one area. But they also want 300-400 in each area, not 50. But you know, its not possible to be perfect! lol some areas of mine (reptiles, LA) i have less than 100 hrs. They will just have to deal lol

 

[Minnerbelle]

I was thinking about this recently... is it better to have thousands of hours in one clinic/shelter/ect or a have some hours from different places?

I have 250 hours from one clinic, 40 from another, and I'm waiting to get into a third to job shadow for at least a couple of days. So is it better to have 350 from one clinic, or 350 over three for example?

It's definitely better to have hundreds of hrs from different places than thousands from one place.

But if you're only going to have 350 total, I think it's best if at least 250 came from one place, and maybe dabble a little for the rest. Though personally, i would make sure that those are in DIFFERENT types of experiences (SA, LA, Exotics, Emergency, wildlife, etc...). I heard somewhere on here before that some vet schools look for 3 different areas where you've worked at least 400 hrs each. But that's just the ideal.

But really, if you can really say from your experiences that you understand what it takes to be an X type of vet, a Y type of vet, and a Z type of vet with conviction, then that's all that matters. Of course more hours is great, but there are people who work 1000 hrs as a kennel assistant (which is NOT a bad thing at all, and sometimes it's just a rite of passage) who doesn't get to see very much of vet med. If you can get really meaningful experience in a few hundred hours, all the better. You just don't want to come across as inexperienced and naive.

 

[Minnerbelle]

But you know, its not possible to be perfect! lol some areas of mine (reptiles, LA) i have less than 100 hrs. They will just have to deal lol

Yep. I have extensive exp in a few areas... but i have almost 0 LA VET experience. I have a few hundred hours of LA animal care experience... I guess that's better than no LA experience.

 

[DVMDream]

Yep. I have extensive exp in a few areas... but i have almost 0 LA VET experience. I have a few hundred hours of LA animal care experience... I guess that's better than no LA experience.

It definetly is because I have 0 LA experience and it is making me nervous. If I don't get accepted, that would be the reason why.

 

[primatevetjess]

It definetly is because I have 0 LA experience and it is making me nervous. If I don't get accepted, that would be the reason why.

Don't worry guys, that alone will not do you in. I had absolutely no hours with large animals, neither vet or animal experience.

 

[DVMDream]

Don't worry guys, that alone will not do you in. I had absolutely no hours with large animals, neither vet or animal experience.

This just made me feel sooo much better! Thanks! 😀