Gaining 1000+ hours in the course of a year?

[pomeranian]

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Hello everyone,

I'm about to start my senior year of undergrad this fall, and I've been prevet for a while but I still don't have that many animal/vet hours, mainly due to being busy juggling school, work, and leadership positions for other extracurriculars as well. I haven't counted my hours but I'd estimate it to be around 100 =X. If I apply the fall after my senior year, and I want to have at least 1000 hours by then, I would basically be having to do that all in a year. I feel like many of you have obtained hours over the course of many many years. I was wondering if anyone has gotten 1000+ hours in just one year? If so, was it very stressful and were you able to do it while taking classes as well? Also, would it look bad to the adcom that I'm doing it "last minute"?

 

[WolvesDragon55]

I just applied with around 600 veterinary hours, which was all I was able to get between summer after freshman year and end of my junior year, including some shadowing during the semester. I have heard that it is more about quality than quantity, but to aim for around 500. Getting 1000 in a year seems overwhelming, though if you could get a job working at a clinic or hospital you may be able to get them in. When it is unpaid volunteer work it is a bit harder (if you want to have a paying job on top of it).

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

I agree with what WD said. I just wanted to add I've been able to get 400 hours alone in a summer, so I would aim for maybe 100 hours each semester (which I have found is reasonable with school work) and then really try hard for 400 that last summer when you apply. It's not 1000, but 700 is a good amount if it's great experience!

 

[Lab Vet]

One of your goals in obtaining veterinary experience is to develop a positive relationship with a clinician that will result in a strong letter of recommendation. I fully support what others have mentioned when it comes to the 'experience issue.' It's quality that matters, not quantity. That being said, think of any other relationship that you've built over the course of your lifetime. You can't build a relationship with a person without investing time in it. Put yourself in the clinician's shoes. If you only spent 50 hours with a person, would you really know enough about him or her to write a solid letter of support for their application to veterinary school? I, personally, would not. When folks talk about 'hours,' exposure to the profession matters, but equally as important is your level of responsibilities and what you are doing during those hours. Shadowing a clinician is valuable (you get to learn and see a lot). That being said, watching a procedure and attempting to do this same procedure on your own are two completely different balls of wax. Aside from what a school wants to see, make sure that YOU want to do what you are watching being done. Try to get away from the mindset of 'what does an admissions committee want to see in my application.' Instead, make a conscious effort to shift this frame of reference to 'what do I want to learn about veterinary medicine?' 'What aspects of the field can I learn about in the time that I have available to me?' 'What contacts can I capitalize upon to help get me there?' In the end, vet school admissions committees want to ensure that they are admitting students who want to be there and know what they're getting into. In no way am I insinuating that you don't, I'm just advocating that you try to move away from the 'hours quantity' mentality towards a more holistic view of your preparation for your application year.

 

[pomeranian]

Ok thanks for the advice guys! I understand that quality > quantity. I was just concerned that I might need both quality AND quantity to stand out as an applicant because I have a pretty average GPA (haven't started my last 45 yet though) and I haven't taken the GRE yet.
WolvesDragon55 - Thanks for sharing. Jw, were you able to get into any schools?

 

[EngrSC]

I'm a non-trad and I was able to rack up 700 vet hours in 1 year while working full time in another field, doing volunteer work, and going to night school. It hasn't been particularly easy but totally do-able. I lived to tell about it, I'm not burnt out, and I'm still charging forward!! You can do it 😉

 

[Frozenshades]

Ok thanks for the advice guys! I understand that quality > quantity. I was just concerned that I might need both quality AND quantity to stand out as an applicant because I have a pretty average GPA (haven't started my last 45 yet though) and I haven't taken the GRE yet.
WolvesDragon55 - Thanks for sharing. Jw, were you able to get into any schools?

Take anther year if you must. You'll be in for a whole new set of problems if you spend all your time working and muck up your GPA.

 

[bunnity]

You would have to work 20 hours a week for 50 hours of the year with no days off. Or, full time in the summer and cut back accordingly during the year.

Low hours is a lot easier to fix than a low GPA.

 

[hygebeorht]

Agree with bunnity, but if you can do those 20hrs/week and keep your grades up, it is doable. I did it. My 4.0 went to a 3.9, but I'm not losing sleep over it.

I would put in 10 hours on a weekend (either in one day so I got a day off to study etc. or five hours on each day) and 2 hours a day during the week. It flew by.