How many hours of experience did you have on your application for vet school?

[FutureVet96]

I currently only have 1,000 for animal experience (pet care technician for a pet hotel) and 20 from shadowing a small animal practice hospital. I know I need more hours, considering I'm about to enter college. Would my 1,000 hours of animal experience count even though it isn't veterinary related? How did you balance getting hours and going to school?

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[FrostySparrow]

I currently only have 1,000 for animal experience (pet care technician for a pet hotel) and 20 from shadowing a small animal practice hospital. I know I need more hours, considering I'm about to enter college. Would my 1,000 hours of animal experience count even though it isn't veterinary related? How did you balance getting hours and going to school?

Animal experience applies, they have places to put unrelated experience, animal experience (without a veterinarian), and veterinary experience (with a veterinarian).
I started gaining animal experience when I was 12, by volunteering at my local humane society. I also got veterinary hours here when I expanded volunteering into the low cost spay and neuter clinic. From there I was hired at a vet clinic where I obtained hours as receptionist, and vet asst... I've been at 3 other clinics since as a vet tech. I continue to volunteer when I can, but imo its much easier getting hours having the opportunity to work in those places.
Less to worry about volunteering, work, and school.
I volunteered in most of my spare time, it didn't have to be for long periods of time either. Getting a job at a vet clinic may work for you as it did for me.
It's good to remember to have some fun every now and then too! It'll make the years prior to applying a lot less stressful!
I had quite a lot of hours and was waitlisted, hours may not be the only thing to set you apart from other applicants! Research, extracurricular, etc. are important to maintain.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I currently only have 1,000 for animal experience (pet care technician for a pet hotel) and 20 from shadowing a small animal practice hospital. I know I need more hours, considering I'm about to enter college. Would my 1,000 hours of animal experience count even though it isn't veterinary related? How did you balance getting hours and going to school?

Check out this thread will give you an idea of people accepted.
Official Acceptances c/o 2021
Check out perspective schools website most have accepted stats of the incoming class. You have plenty of time to get hours so don't stress yourself out over it. Take time join clubs, make the most of your undergraduate experience.
My typical week currently consists of vet work on Monday afternoons and Tuesday 8-6. Classes in the AM M,W,F and all day TH I work my non vet job about 25hrs/wk when I'm not in class. I practice and teach a martial arts class T,TH night and Sa mornings. Sat afternoon is usually some sort of volunteering. Sunday is my day. It's the one day a week I get to sleep in so I do. I get up, since I live at home I go to breakfast with my family. If I have something due on Monday, my afternoon consists of studying and getting things done. Otherwise I'll do what I want ride my horse, hike, kayak, hang with friends. I stay very busy. Through the years this has all varied. It can get overwhelming and when it does it's important to take a step back and take the time you need to readjust even if it means just focusing on school for a time and you don't do extracurriculars. Some people can't handle doing all that I do and that's ok. You have to find what works best for you.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Check out this thread will give you an idea of people accepted.
Official Acceptances c/o 2021
Check out perspective schools website most have accepted stats of the incoming class. You have plenty of time to get hours so don't stress yourself out over it. Take time join clubs, make the most of your undergraduate experience.
My typical week currently consists of vet work on Monday afternoons and Tuesday 8-6. Classes in the AM M,W,F and all day TH I work my non vet job about 25hrs/wk when I'm not in class. I practice and teach a martial arts class T,TH night and Sa mornings. Sat afternoon is usually some sort of volunteering. Sunday is my day. It's the one day a week I get to sleep in so I do. I get up, since I live at home I go to breakfast with my family. If I have something due on Monday, my afternoon consists of studying and getting things done. Otherwise I'll do what I want ride my horse, hike, kayak, hang with friends. I stay very busy. Through the years this has all varied. It can get overwhelming and when it does it's important to take a step back and take the time you need to readjust even if it means just focusing on school for a time and you don't do extracurriculars. Some people can't handle doing all that I do and that's ok. You have to find what works best for you.

I saw the title and came here to link to the accepted students' stats thread but you already did

 

[SportPonies]

Like others have said, your prior experience counts.

Going into college, I had about 2,000 (thereabouts) hours of equine and other large animal (goats) experience on both a volunteer and riding/showing basis, and maybe like 8 hours of vet shadowing that I can't even remember if I put on my application.

I picked up most of my experience during school breaks. It's very important to get different types of experience (not just all in one place), and definitely start looking for vet jobs/shadowing/etc near the middle/end of the spring semester (or now!) because many schools require a minimum of a couple hundred hours of vet-based experience to be eligible for acceptance.

You'll be fine. You've got, theoretically, three years to get experience together, and you've got a good start on things! Just pick up things where you can, every little bit helps.

I was accepted my first round by several schools with ~600 hours of vet experience, ~4000 hours of volunteer (non-vet) equine and large animal experience, 12 hours of research in a human organ donation facility dissecting kidneys, ~2000 hours of RA stuff, and a sprinkling of other experiences here and there. Remember that they also do want to see a well-rounded person, so participating in non-animal related activities is important as well!

Also significant to note (since I didn't post in the accepted thread for 2021): I had a GRE in the 80th percentile, a slightly below average GPA for the schools I applied to at around 3.3, and also a really, really significant history and personal statement that probably helped seal the deal for me (especially considering my GPA).

((I probably should really go study for my final tomorrow instead of procrastinating on SDN))

 

[Florida_Future_DVM]

I decided on Vet Med late in college and was only able to get about 800 vet hours (almost exclusively small animal) and I had a hard time in the admissions process specifically because I was on the low hour side. Volunteer under a vet and try and get at least 1000 hours in 2 different areas on top of all the other application boosters (research, leadership, a job). Be sure to build a strong relationship with the vet for a good LOR Slater down the line (I volunteered a few hours a week at a clinic for 2 years so the vet knew me and my work ethic)

 

[hygebeorht]

2000+ IIRC

 

[DVMDream]

A lot. But while number of hours matters some, quality is what matters most. Quality and what you take away from the experiences.

 

[10999KL]

2000+ Animal Hours (companion animals, rodents, lagomorphs, avians)
2000+ Veterinary Hours (companion animals, caprines, equine, avians, wildlife, fish, porcine, rodents, lagomorphs)
64 Research Hours ( currently on an IACUC protocol for another project currently, but this was when my app was submitted)
300+ Employment Hours (non-animal related)

I balanced hours by working and going to school. I know not everyone can do it, but I worked either PT or even FT some semesters while taking 17-21 units every semester (and did well mind you). I was at PetSmart for 4 years, had a summer vet tech job, then started being a vet tech exclusively my senior year and now as a Graduate student.

Don't sacrifice your school though if you cannot do a crazy schedule. Utilize summer and winter as great opportunities to find jobs or even volunteer more regularly (I volunteer once a week during school along with work/school schedule, but I do it more than once a week during non-school months).

Hope this helps!