How to get into vet school

[shuvball1]

So, for my scientific and technical writing course I have to write a manual or "how-to" that is 5-7 pages long. My school doesn't have any information for pre-vets when they have the pre-med meetings so I decided to write my paper on how to get into vet school. When I'm done, I'll hand it over to the pre-med advisor and hopefully it will help some future pre-vets. I thought this might be a good thread to start on here since many of us have just gone through the process successfully. Is there anything you wish you would have known as a freshman in college? Any words of advice about the journey? Any mistakes you've made? Hopefully we can have some fun with this, I know a lot of us are still anxiously awaiting news from schools, so maybe this can be a bit of a distraction.



I'll start: I wish that I would have been as focused on my school work freshman year as I was Soph-Sr year. My grades weren't bad, but it certainly would have helped if some of my pre-req grades from freshman year were a little higher.

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[Hobiecat1642]

Try to take it one semester at a time--obsessing over the big 4/5 year time line of undergrad and and the application process will make you cuckoo. Don't take major science pre-reqs over the summer if you can help it (my mistake). Also, know your school-specific pre-reqs by heart, call the school if you have any questions.

 

[chordy4]

make sure you know the requirements for vet school...

sounds really simple, and i had been looking at pre-vet reqs all throughout high school, but i didn't realize that i needed a whole YEAR (3 quarters) of physics, or a whole YEAR of math...it would have made a lot of sense finishing the last quarter of calc series straight out of HS and AP calc..same goes for physics. instead, it was two years later and i was trying to dredge up all that info

also, to find a useful/good adviser and start getting experience early!! freshman year may be a little overwhelming, but at least try to do some volunteering

 

[Steelmagghia]

make sure you know the requirements for vet school...

sounds really simple, and i had been looking at pre-vet reqs all throughout high school, but i didn't realize that i needed a whole YEAR (3 quarters) of physics, or a whole YEAR of math...it would have made a lot of sense finishing the last quarter of calc series straight out of HS and AP calc..same goes for physics. instead, it was two years later and i was trying to dredge up all that info

also, to find a useful/good adviser and start getting experience early!! freshman year may be a little overwhelming, but at least try to do some volunteering

This should be in there like twice. Also, start looking at veterinary school websites so you know what they're wanting.
Oh, and get some experience working with a vet as soon as possible. I know a couple of kids at my school who are in their senior year and just NOW looking at working with vets.

 

[VetDJ]

really...don't take major science pre-reqs over summer. I don't completely agree.

Hmmm...I would actually recommend the complete opposite ...esp. O-Chem. Taking these courses over the summer was the best thing that I ever did.

But to each their own..I had my own circumstances why that was the best option for me.

 

[LVT2DVM]

Don't take major science pre-reqs over the summer if you can help it (my mistake).

For me this was opposite, I specifically took difficult science courses over the summer so I could take them one class at a time without minimizing my course load (which can give you deductions at some VS) and it gave me the ability to concentrate on one class and do well. I took General chem I & II concurrently over the summer with great success because what you learn in the first semester overlaps the second chapter per chapter (theory wise) and it was better than trying to recall all those equations.

A major boo boo I made was as a HS senior and not college. I applied to pre-vet program at VA Tech but was offered a seat as an agriculture student (pre-vet filled up) which I declined because NO ONE told me once I got there I could change my major. My counselor SUCKED and my parent didnt go to college! I figure most students are aware of this option nowadays but just in case...

 

[wi girl]

I think the argument about taking pre-reqs as summer courses is that it doesn't show you can handle an intensive science curriculum (ie multiple science classes at once). NOT that I agree, but I know some pre-vets and pre-meds who are having problems getting in because they did well in summer classes, but because they only were taking those, you're really expected to do better; a lot of their file reviews say "why didn't you take more of these courses in the semester, and together? we don't feel you've demonstrated an ability to handle the large course load."

A lot of this depends on circumstances, though. If you're a bio/chem major, you shouldn't take pre-reqs during the summer, because WHAT are you going to take during the year - these are classes for your major! )) If you're a history/drama/etc major, and have OTHER requirements you need to take, then summer classes might be for you, and vet schools will see that.

This is all anecdotal though ...

 

[wivet2011]

It makes sense that they would want to see that you can handle an intense course load since that's what you'll face in vet school. But don't let that stop you from taking something like O-chem over the summer if you feel you'll do better. There's all kinds of reasons for why someone would do it (different instructor teaching the course, doesn't mesh with schedule any other semester, etc). I took summer courses (genetics and writing...never could get them to fit in a normal schedule), but I still took 17-18 credits every semester... I just took more upper level classes that weren't pre-reqs because they looked interesting.

 

[VelcroSky]

1) I'd say it's important to try for both breadth and depth in experience. It's great to have thousands of hours of experience but if it is all in one field then it might not be as useful. I actually only had about an average number of hours (about 2000) but I had experience in SA hospitals, wildlife rehab, and LA/farm animal. I think it really helped my cause.

2) Find out what kind of letters of recommendation your schools are looking for. Many only accept 3 letters, but others will take as many as you can give. In total I had 6 letters and I cherry picked which ones to go to which schools based on what they were looking for.

3) Prepare for your interviews. Make lists of possible questions. Does the school do behavior based interviews or are they just shooting the poop? Then come up with general answers to the questions. Don't memorize a speech for each one but make sure you know the points you want to make sure that you want to hit. What qualities do you want to make sure your interviewers know? You have the ability to steer the conversation and keep it focused on your strengths so take advantage of that. It also helps to get input from people. I got together with my father who is very good with this sort of stuff or maybe you have a pre-health adviser or whoever. Also, if you have multiple interviews, learn from them as they come. My first interview was only so-so but I spent a lot of time analyzing what could have been done better and then my next two interviews went much better.

4) Round out your application. Address the areas that you are weak on. Don't just focus on your pre-reqs and experience hours. Look into extra-curricular activities. I think it is good to look like a very well rounded person. I'm a non-trad and I one thing that helped me a lot was the fact that I had a lot of management experience. I found an article that MN had cited in their literature as the basis for changing to the behavior based interview and it basically said that vet schools were admitting a lot of technical wizards that were completely inept in other areas, (such as interpersonal, business, out-of-the-box thinking, etc...) and that they should start looking for people that have more than that one dimension.

5) Study for you GRE's! This can offset you GPA. For me the most useful thing was memorizing the 1000 most often used vocab words. That alone helped me get a very high verbal score.

Anyway, all of these things helped me overcome a less than stellar GPA. Hope this helps.

 

[wi girl]

It makes sense that they would want to see that you can handle an intense course load since that's what you'll face in vet school. But don't let that stop you from taking something like O-chem over the summer if you feel you'll do better. There's all kinds of reasons for why someone would do it (different instructor teaching the course, doesn't mesh with schedule any other semester, etc). I took summer courses (genetics and writing...never could get them to fit in a normal schedule), but I still took 17-18 credits every semester... I just took more upper level classes that weren't pre-reqs because they looked interesting.

Ah, so much more eloquent wivet! This is exactly what I meant -- I guess my examples were people who didn't take additional courses during the year. Essentially if you take a summer course, be able to explain why w/o saying "oh, I wanted to take it by itself". Have a specific reason, as wivet mentioned.

 

[shuvball1]

Thanks for all the responses! I'm so excited about writing this paper because I really think it would be helpful for somebody to have all this information, because I certainly didn't and had to do all of it on my own. It seems my school (especially the new/current pre-med advisor) is very ignorant about vet applications. I'm just really hoping this will help somebody in the future, it's so nice to be able to write papers for classes that are actually useful!

-Another thing I think is key... find unique non-animal experiences!!! Vet schools have loved these on my interviews! I am a D1 athlete and that has been a huge asset and topic in my interviews. Also, I went to Italy with a class over spring break my soph year. This was only minutely mentioned in my application, but it has been talked about in 3/4 of my interviews thus far. Talk about everything you have done on your application, even if you don't think it's that big of a deal, the adcoms like to see that you're well rounded. (When the schools brought up my trip to Italy, I also told them about my planned 6 week backpacking trip to Europe this summer, I can't wait!!! )

 

[VelcroSky]

Will you post your paper when you are done with it Shuvball?

 

[ElvisMarie6]

My advice would be to contact the pre-vet advisor at the school you are applying to and don't just rely on the advice from the pre-vet advisor at your current university/college. Mine was not completely up to speed and I feel I would have had a better chance getting in on the first try if I would have contacted CSU directly. Also getting involved in volunteer organizations that have to do with people not just animals looks good on your app!

 

[nyanko]

I must be the only person who thought the summer courses were MORE intense. I took organic chem I and II both over the same summer while I was getting my first BS (Computer Science) and it was extremely challenging. Having to learn all of that information in 6 weeks for each class was not easy, regardless of what other courses I was taking.

 

[shuvball1]

Yep, I'll post it. It should be a few weeks. We have a rough draft due tomorrow and the final copy will probably be due a week and a half later. I'll post it once I get the final feedback on it and I decide I'm completely happy with it. Although I'm not a NJ resident, most people at my school are, so it'll probably have some NJ info in it, but hopefully it will be helpful for everyone!

 

[Hobiecat1642]

Yeah, I took two semesters of Gen Chem in 8 weeks--and it was hell. But I also had a terrible teacher who didn't want to be there, etc. So it depends on the class and the circumstances--I can definitely see how it can be helpful. I didn't mean to imply that I thought it looked bad, I just meant that it can be more difficult.

 

[Hobiecat1642]

My advice would be to contact the pre-vet advisor at the school you are applying to and don't just rely on the advice from the pre-vet advisor at your current university/college. Mine was not completely up to speed and I feel I would have had a better chance getting in on the first try if I would have contacted CSU directly. Also getting involved in volunteer organizations that have to do with people not just animals looks good on your app!

I agree. Some advisors are great with vet stuff, some are not. In my experience, many know everything about med school admissions and potentially next to nothing about vet school admissions. For example, many vet schools don't want composite committee letters, whereas for pre-med students this is apparently a huge requirement.

 

[VAgirl]

I think the moral of the story on summer courses is that applicants should be aware that schools might have views on whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Students can probably get additional info on how individual schools view it from the admissions office. Regardless, students should still do whatever works best for them. But I think it's always good to make your choices fully informed of potential consequences.

 

[shuvball1]

Hobiecat, that's exactly how my school is, all they know is pre-med. My advisor kept asking me about who was going to write a composite letter. Then she kept asking me to give her my LOR's so that she could mail them. I had to keep explaining to her that I wasn't doing a composite letter and that my LOR's had to be done online (I didn't mention however that I would not let her touch my apps to save my life ). I had no help from my advisor all through school, which was tough, but certainly not impossible!

 

[Tsuky2008]

Hobiecat, that's exactly how my school is, all they know is pre-med. My advisor kept asking me about who was going to write a composite letter. Then she kept asking me to give her my LOR's so that she could mail them. I had to keep explaining to her that I wasn't doing a composite letter and that my LOR's had to be done online (I didn't mention however that I would not let her touch my apps to save my life ). I had no help from my advisor all through school, which was tough, but certainly not impossible!

Same here, no one at my school is actually a pre-vet advisor. We have two or three "pre-professional" advisors, but none of them know much of anything about the veterinary application process. They're absolutely NO help, and they all look at me funny when I tell them I want to apply anywhere else in addition to my in-state school.

 

[loo]

Make sure the folks you ask to write you a letter of recommendation can do a good job! (Especially if the class or experience you had was a few years ago) You want someone who will accurately sing your praises!! Sit down and talk to them beforehand and ask them if they feel comfortable writing a decent evaluation. Show them your personal statement, transcript(s), etc. It shows you respect your evaluator.

You should always check the box that keeps you from gaining access to the recommendation, thereby allowing the recommender to be honest in their evaluation of you.

You don't want a lukewarm evaluation...or god forbid, bad one!

 

[ElvisMarie6]

You should always check the box that keeps you from gaining access to the recommendation, thereby allowing the recommender to be honest in their evaluation of you.

I actually was told the complete opposite. The pre-vet advisors at CSU told me they dont pay attention to whether or not you waive your rights to read your LORs. They said it would be valuable to not waive your rights in case you don't get in and can therefore read your LOR in your post mortem interview!

 

[VAgirl]

So you can't read your LORs if you don't get in and checked the waive rights to see LOR box? Hmm...

I agree with talking with the folks writing your references so they can remember fully how great you are. I would add that I think it's important to follow that up with an information packet of things that would be helpful to them. For my previous boss, I sent him my current resume and a summary of all the projects I worked on for him (including discussion of positive feedback from our customer on my work). For my professors, I sent them a paper or presentation I had written for their class as well as my resume. It's always good to do this, even if they know you really well because it lets them see other accomplishments of yours they might not have known about (with the resume) and give them a hard copy to look at and remember what you did for them. Specifics are what make recommendations memorable, so you really want to help our your recommender's memory as much as possible!

After all their help, of course you need to send a thank you. A note will work. I chose to send them thank you cookies (I had to use a bakery with franchises spread around the country because only one of my references was local, but this could be a less expensive move if your references live near you or are your current profs).

 

[VelcroSky]

I actually was told the complete opposite. The pre-vet advisors at CSU told me they dont pay attention to whether or not you waive your rights to read your LORs. They said it would be valuable to not waive your rights in case you don't get in and can therefore read your LOR in your post mortem interview!

Hmm...I've always heard that it is very important to waive your right to view it for the same reason the previous poster stated.

 

[lailanni]

I'd heartily agree with whoever mentioned getting some outside interests - besides school/vet stuff.

I do think it can help your application stand out if you have some neat outside interests, community involvement, hobbies, something that you really enjoy doing outside of the vet world. Something that shows you're not just a science robot.

I know it helped me - I'd say about half my interview was technical/ethical and the other half was about my hobbies/extracurriculars - that was the half that the interviewers seemed to really get into and enjoy.

And your non-vet hobbies will save your sanity when you've just had too, too much science. Dang science!

 

[PlantersPunch]

I'd heartily agree with whoever mentioned getting some outside interests - besides school/vet stuff.

I do think it can help your application stand out if you have some neat outside interests, community involvement, hobbies, something that you really enjoy doing outside of the vet world. Something that shows you're not just a science robot.

I know it helped me - I'd say about half my interview was technical/ethical and the other half was about my hobbies/extracurriculars - that was the half that the interviewers seemed to really get into and enjoy.

And your non-vet hobbies will save your sanity when you've just had too, too much science. Dang science!

I especially agree with this since I had to write about what I would do for a year *not related to animals* if I got into vet school but had to defer for my Tufts application.

At first I didn't think this held too much importance to the application, but when it was brought up in my interview and talked about for half an hour, I was glad I had something to write truthfully about.

It's also good to have something to say when/if you're asked in your interview what you would do if all the vet schools burned down!

 

[CanadianGolden]

When you check the box for LOR, you are waiving your RIGHT to see it. The writer of the LOR, or an interviewer who has read the LOR, can choose to show it to you. You just can't require them to show it to you.

 

[kekemapa04]

When I spoke with my IS school last year before applications began, she recommended that you have all your transcripts sent directly to you and then put them into manila envelopes and send them so you can keep track of them and know that they were sent. She also recommended you keep in contact with the admissions people all throughout applications just to be sure they have everything. It sure saved my sanity to send all the extra stuff for apps together in one packet (supplementals, transcripts, money) and I think it makes it easier for them as well.

Great idea for a paper!! Our pre-vet advisor is a joke at my school and it would have been so nice to have something like this!!!

 

[ri23]

When I spoke with my IS school last year before applications began, she recommended that you have all your transcripts sent directly to you and then put them into manila envelopes and send them so you can keep track of them and know that they were sent. She also recommended you keep in contact with the admissions people all throughout applications just to be sure they have everything. It sure saved my sanity to send all the extra stuff for apps together in one packet (supplementals, transcripts, money) and I think it makes it easier for them as well.

Great idea for a paper!! Our pre-vet advisor is a joke at my school and it would have been so nice to have something like this!!!

I would check and make sure that is alright with individual schools. Some want them mailed directly from the school and won't accept them if mailed from the student.

 

[kekemapa04]

I would check and make sure that is alright with individual schools. Some want them mailed directly from the school and won't accept them if mailed from the student.

I applied to 12 schools and none of them had a problem with this, but I remember hearing that Auburn was picky about that. It is always in your best interest to contact all the schools you will be applying to though to figure out how they prefer you to do things.

 

[enchantingme2]

Haha! this thread is great I wish I had it 4.5 years ago! I remember going completely blind throughout undergrad (at the time we had a really really poor pre-health advisor who said that if you were pre-vet she could not help you and not to bother talking to her....ouch). Anyways, most of what I want to say has been said so I will just add a touch...

1. start as early as possible on everything!...that way if roadbumps come along the way (as in not knowing you needed a course or two, or in my case knowing NOTHING) you have time to fix it.

2. get a lot of different animal experience- i worked at a SA emergency clinic, SA practice, children's zoo, wildlife refuge, and large exotic cat refuge. the different experiences definately made my application better

3. DO RESEARCH!! Even if you do not plan on doing it for your profession, your research experience says a lot-AND if you do not know what you want to do, the potential/possibility of going into research (where we definately need more vets) really helps a lot

4. Make sure to mention other aspects of your college career completely not veterinary related....if you don't have any work on that its a great destressor. I also had a second major in Classics... vet schools definately like to see something different then bio/chem and my interviewers found it interesting that I chose such a different major.

5. During interviews, dress professionally and wear comfortable shoes. Also, show your excitement about your career choice. Being professional is important, but don't let that mask your enthusiasm.

7. Make friends with your potential schools' admissions office, they can helpy you A LOT

6. Make sure to mention the SDN, it helped me survive!!

I am sure to add stuff as it pops in my head! good luck on this paper it sounds fantastic! I think you should actually publish it for all Career Development Centers/pre-health advisors since it sounds like a lot of us have had poor advising!