Impending sense of doom

[sumstorm]

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Well, that is a bit more dramatic than how I am actually feeling. 😱

Is anyone else getting pretty tired of just waiting? I was rejected by 3/4 OOS schools, leaving Penn, which doesn't seem likely. My IS is NCSU, which sounds like I won't hear till pretty late. I am finishing the last pre-req that NCSU requires (animal nutrition) but I am starting to get antsy.

I am at the point of just wanting to know, even if it is bad news. I was so upset when I didn't even get an interview at the other OOS's, but now it is starting to see less cruel to be rejected early than to wait and wait and wait!

My work hours were also reduced due to the economy...and I hurt my ankle on Monday, so now I can't run 😳

Argh!

 

[No Imagination]

Im with you. If i have to refresh SDN one more time... can't keep my mind or concentration on anything.

I was worked up, prepared and nervous right before my interviews, then, the night before complete apathy swept over me. It was like I didn't care - whats to be will be kind of crap.

Now, I long for the apathy, this waiting is driving me nuts.

Sorry to hear about your hours and ankle - if commiserating helps, I and I'm sure a few others will be happy to oblige.

If you, like me, need an active thread to keep our attention - Well, just start something, and only me an you will be allowed to yell at each other 😀 ... Back and forth... all day... long as it takes...

Good luck to you!!

 

[sumstorm]

LOL. My husband is a wonderful man, but he is tired of hearing about vet school plans.

And I am so distracted that I am not getting much done, even with more time off of work. I was running distances to occupy myself and help...but the ankle ruined that.

Or, I will start something, then get distracted and not finish it!

Part of it is that I just want to start making plans, even if it is just how to improve my application.

Good luck to you, as well!

 

[Skillet9886]

Ugh. This is a complete rant, but I am going CRAZY. This is the longest day of my life. I know my UF letter is coming today, but my mail comes super late in the afternoon. At this point I have completely convinced myself that I am not getting an interview. We'll see...in an hour.


Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread. I know you were talking about waiting for more than just this afternoon! 🙄 I'm just sitting here alternating between refreshing SDN and checking my mail. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts at this point. I just had to get that out of my system a little bit.

 

[sumstorm]

Ugh. This is a complete rant, but I am going CRAZY. This is the longest day of my life. I know my UF letter is coming today, but my mail comes super late in the afternoon. At this point I have completely convinced myself that I am not getting an interview. We'll see...in an hour.


Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread. I know you were talking about waiting for more than just this afternoon! 🙄 I'm just sitting here alternating between refreshing SDN and checking my mail. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts at this point. I just had to get that out of my system a little bit.

Sounds like the same sort of waiting I am doing! I would be hunting down my mail delivery person!

 

[littlelisa]

I just found www.zootoo.com it kept be busy for about 20 minutes, then I came back to refresh SDN for another few hours. I pretty much don't care about finishing my last semester of undergrad right now because it's impossible to concentrate. I would rather continuously check my email/phone/mail. I was thinking about starting a blog, otherwise I'm going to start posting worthless crap on here that no one wants to read simply because I'm frustrated with anxiety. Have I become crazy? Without a doubt.

Anyways...I totally feel your pain. I wish I had something, other than an impending sense of doom, to keep my mind busy right now.

 

[nyanko]

I haven't even reapplied yet and I already have that again. 😱

help....

 

[sumstorm]

CONGRATS! Skillet

 

[Skillet9886]

Thanks sumstorm (with an m)!

I was just about to come post here and say JK! I just had every possible scenario of things going wrong playing in my head over and over (including, but not limited to, them not getting all of my stuff/transcripts, my application being misplaced, crazy stuff), and it was starting to make me crack! But my interview's March 7. Now I have a good 2 weeks before the panic starts to set in for that.

I hope you guys who are waiting get good news too!

 

[PythonChick]

I am in the same boat as you!

I applied after my third year of undergrad, so I only applied to NCSU since it is my State school. Lurking around here and seeing so many people getting great news has only started to make my nerves a bit more frayed. I know it takes them a lot of time to go over so many applications but the wait is KILLING me. Like other people have mentioned, I am finding it hard to focus on much of anything.

I just keep telling myself that if I can get through next week, I am theoretically in the home stretch, since the next week is our spring break and I have a trip to occupy my attention and (hopefully) we will be getting letters late that next week (around the 13-14th if last years posts here are any indication.)

The problem is I have three tests and a lab report between now and the next weekend....

Anyway, I feel your pain!! We shall be strong together!!

 

[kiki1983]

This is my 3rd go-round with VMCAS and the whole application process... being rejected the past 2 years has been heartbreaking and it really tests your confidence, self-esteem, and determination....you ask yourself over and over: "why them and not me?...am I not smart enough?...why won't any school just give me the one chance I need?...etc..." Needless to say, this final year of applying has been so trying on my emotions! I have received one acceptance so far (to UCD in Dublin, Ireland), and I have yet to hear from Florida, Michigan, Western, and RVC (in London). I got my rejection letter from Kansas yesterday...and I had prepared myself for that letdown (the interview wasn't stellar).... I'm just soooooo over the whole process and then waiting for eternity to get any kind of news....yesterday, I ended up cracking from all of the stress and just started crying for like 20 minutes. I felt much better afterwards (the large margarita my mother made me didn't hurt either)....hah, I just want it to be done with already

 

[livefor32]

This is my 3rd go-round with VMCAS and the whole application process... being rejected the past 2 years has been heartbreaking and it really tests your confidence, self-esteem, and determination....you ask yourself over and over: "why them and not me?...am I not smart enough?...why won't any school just give me the one chance I need?...etc..." Needless to say, this final year of applying has been so trying on my emotions! I have received one acceptance so far (to UCD in Dublin, Ireland), and I have yet to hear from Florida, Michigan, Western, and RVC (in London). I got my rejection letter from Kansas yesterday...and I had prepared myself for that letdown (the interview wasn't stellar).... I'm just soooooo over the whole process and then waiting for eternity to get any kind of news....yesterday, I ended up cracking from all of the stress and just started crying for like 20 minutes. I felt much better afterwards (the large margarita my mother made me didn't hurt either)....hah, I just want it to be done with already

omg, I totally know what you mean! This is only my second time applying, but I feel like such a failure. After my first application cycle, I decided that I should get a Master's, allowing me to increase my experience and improve my grades. My research is focused around cows, giving me large animal experience, and my gpa in grad school is a 3.77. I thought this gave me an advantage over others, but apparently not. On monday I just got rejected from my IS school (VMRCVM) and it just killed me. I've worked so hard and so long and I feel like it's all been a waste. I know that people lie and cheat their way into vet school, and I feel like it's so unfair for the honest ones that do NOT get in (now, for the record, I'm not saying EVERYONE who gets in lies or cheats, but I know there are some select few). I literally just finished talking to my fiance, where I was crying and telling him how I felt like such a failure and how I felt so stupid. I wish one school would just give me a chance because I know I deserve it. I am 23 going on 24 and I worry that the further I go into my life, the harder it'll be for me to justify applying again. This is so hard and upsetting, but I guess we all have to move on. I'm going to focus on the awesome parts of my application, and try to work at improving my weaknesses. We all know we deserve this, we just have to prove it..somehow. And, although it's a little cliche, I just remind myself that it's THEIR LOSS!!

good luck everyone - keep in mind that there are many of us that share our pain

 

[livefor32]

I know that people lie and cheat their way into vet school, and I feel like it's so unfair for the honest ones that do NOT get in (now, for the record, I'm not saying EVERYONE who gets in lies or cheats, but I know there are some select few).

My example is this: there's a girl that goes to school with me that told all the vet schools she applied to that she wanted to do large animal, even though she knows that she only wants to do small animal. I was honest, saying I wanted to do small animal, and I can't help but think it hurt me.

 

[DocDVMD]

Agreed. It's so frustrating when I see others getting multiple acceptances that I know don't truly understand the profession, and I'm still waiting to hear back from somewhere! I know I have a great application, but it seems like people with similar/not as great statistics as me are getting in left and right. Before I jumped into this whole process I thought I would be lucky to get in anywhere on my first shot, but now I'm feeling like I'll be devastated if I don't get an acceptance and have to go through this whole process over again.

 

[No Imagination]

I was honest, saying I wanted to do small animal, and I can't help but think it hurt me.

You need to massage your answers a bit. "Right now, based on my current experiences, I can see myself going into and enjoying small animal medicine. But I can not wait to have the opportunity to work more with large animals. There are so many opportunities for a LA vet, I'd very much like to find my niche in that field. While doing my Masters work with Cows, It became apparent that there is so much research still to be done".

You didn't lie (unless you hate LA)
You showed the adcomms that you are familar with several aspects of veterinary medicine.
You showed them you are open to new opportunities
You showed them you are excited
You hinted that you may want to keep doing research

As opposed to "I love working with small animals, and really don't see myself going into LA vet work" - or something along those lines.

You can keep your ethics intact and still sell yourself.

 

[2BaVet]

I feel like I'm going to explode!! I keep refreshing SDN every other minute instead of studying for my exam tomorrow.. I just want to hear back from all of the schools so that I can continue with my life.. Otherwise it seems like I'm going to fail this semester! 🙁

 

[SFgeckos]

I know the same feeling...The truth is, there just aren't enough available "slots" for every potential qualified applicant to be accepted each year.

According to statistics, the average applicant gets in after THREE tries. Sure, some applicants get in on their first try, but the majority don't. Don't give up hope, just work hard and keep the dream alive! At least that's what I've been telling myself =)

 

[eventualeventer]

So you're saying it won't count against me if I said that I love cats and dogs but really could not see myself doing small animal practice?

I'm already giving myself ulcers about applying this summer. Good luck to all of you '13ers.

 

[sumstorm]

I know the same feeling...The truth is, there just aren't enough available "slots" for every potential qualified applicant to be accepted each year.

According to statistics, the average applicant gets in after THREE tries. Sure, some applicants get in on their first try, but the majority don't. Don't give up hope, just work hard and keep the dream alive! At least that's what I've been telling myself =)

Hey, can you give me a citation for that stat?

 

[tpad40]

I'm already giving myself ulcers about applying this summer. Good luck to all of you '13ers.

I totally got an ulcer in September during the home stretch of app submitting. At that point I pretty much felt dumb, incompetent, and unqualified. And btw, go eventers!! 👍

I know that people lie and cheat their way into vet school, and I feel like it's so unfair for the honest ones that do NOT get in

This seems a little harsh. It is a *huge* mistake to lie on your application (and also grounds for dismissal if they ever found out), and I find it hard to believe that people can actually lie and cheat their way in. They can and will ask you about everything! I am LA and I was asked many questions directly related to that - my opinions on horse slaughter, my knowledge of the field, my post-school goals within LA medicine. If I had checked lab animal medicine because I thought it would look good they would have undoubtedly asked me questions about that and I would have been pretty clueless - and that would have been very transparent! At all interviews I went to this year, every "hot" interviewer knew my file very very well and it would have been impossible to let any discrepancy slide by them.

On the other side, I am super sorry you have not heard good news yet. I say yet because it WILL happen if you want it enough - which you obviously do! I wish you the best of luck and I hope you get the good letter soon!

 

[livefor32]

This seems a little harsh.

Yes, I agree - probably a little harsh, but I guess i'm a little bitter 😉. I think the majority of the people that are accepted definitely deserve it, so I don't mean to offend anyone or dimish the hard work done by others. I think a lot of us are just left with the question "why them and not me?"

 

[sumstorm]

I don't know...someone on here said they didn't include some of thier grades from a particular college because they weren't good and there weren't any pre-reqs in that....which I thought we were required to submit all college work for VMCAS. I don't know if it is lieing or cheating... but something still doesn't jive with that, to me. Or maybe I just read VMCAS wrong and we only have to submit info for schools that have pre-reqs.

 

[tpad40]

Yes, I agree - probably a little harsh, but I guess i'm a little bitter 😉. I think the majority of the people that are accepted definitely deserve it, so I don't mean to offend anyone or dimish the hard work done by others. I think a lot of us are just left with the question "why them and not me?"

I totally understand...I felt that way right up until this weekend 😱 It is definitely a very frustrating process!!!!

In other professional/grad schools (Med, Law, for example) a LOT more weight is put on scores. Basically you plug your LSAT and your GPA in and bingo (of course, not always the case). In some ways, this is great, because it is a lot easier to predict where/how to be competitive. However, as one of the GPA-not-my-best-feature-candidates I appreciate the "entire applicant" method - although it does sometimes feel very random!!!!!!

 

[twelvetigers]

I haven't even reapplied yet and I already have that again. 😱

help....

You and me both, nyan.

 

[Pandacinny]

Oh man, everyone, I know exactly how you feel. I was accepted to my IS school this year and am excited about it, but this was my THIRD time applying. I was so hopeful I'd get in the first year, but I just got denial after denial. Last year, I got an interview IS for the second time and thought maybe I'd have a chance, but still no go. By the time this year came along, I was just so discouraged and thought I'd for sure be denied again, but luckily I stuck it out and wasn't.

Something that really helped me when I was feeling down was talking to current vets about how they got in. I'm especially close to two who didn't get in until their third tries, either. One was about my age (I'll be 25 when school starts) and the other was in her 30s and had gotten a masters and worked as an RVT between undergrad and vet school. They're both very successful, happy practitioners now with families. They've spent the past three years assuring me that, 20 years from now, none of this will matter. Nobody will know or care that I didn't get in for a few years and I won't care so much either. Also, Livefor32, one of those vets was a MD resident and could not get into VMRCVM no matter how hard she tried. She ended up going to an OOS school and loved it. (The other got into her IS school and says that she has no idea what she did that third year that made them let her in. 😛)

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, don't give up hope. Call your schools and ask what made them turn you down. Get definite feedback on your interview - I know from experience that sometimes you thought it went really well when, in actuality, you totally bombed it. Also, don't compare yourself too much to the "superstar" applicants with 3.89 GPAs, 10,000 hours of varied experience, 3 published papers, and their own helicoptor. It just doesn't do you any good.

 

[twelvetigers]

Also, don't compare yourself too much to the "superstar" applicants with 3.89 GPAs, 10,000 hours of varied experience, 3 published papers, and their own helicopter. It just doesn't do you any good.

So what you're saying is... I should go buy a helicopter?

Thanks for the pep-talk, Panda. We appreciate the encouragement!

 

[DocDVMD]

I agree with getting application/interview feedback, but when I got feedback from my IS school, it was completely unhelpful because I was told my application was very good, and there's no reason I didn't get in! 😡

 

[rouxeny]

.

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[sumstorm]

The unfortunate thing for me is that I haven't had ANY interviews. I can't even get a straight answer from Purdue on why I didn't even get an interview. I was well ABOVE mean on EVERY aspect on thier checklist except GPA, where I was 0.1 below for OOS applicants.

Waiting to talk to Cornell, put off asking any more of Purdue till after April 15th. IL booted me before any consideration (due to a car accident, my GRE was rescheduled to 1 day after thier acceptance criteria for GRE.) Waiting on Penn, and NCSU (which doesn't do interviews.)

I have the 6 figure hours in animal experience and vet experience. I have worked with LA, SA, zoo, wildlife, and marine. I have performed more necropsies than I ever cared to (part of my job at the zoo and for NOAA.) I think there are other things that make me really stand out as a candidate...but I am not getting ANY bites. My distant degree (2001) and GPA (3.4) are my biggest draw backs. I have taken courses the past 3 semesters (with a 3.9 for 14 credits with a few more in the current term.) Oh, the reason my GPA is a 3.4 is that I worked 40-50+ hours throughout undergrad while attending a high ranking liberal arts college full time. According to Purdue my eLORs were all nearly excellent.

So, why are people getting in with worse GPAs and less experience? It seems so very random.

I will be 30 years old this summer, with an older husband. I don't think I will get more than 2 shots at the application cycle, especially in this economy. I have shared some of the great and terrible things that have happened in the past decade....but some days I just don't feel like I can get a break. I am trying to stay optimistic and hopeful, especially for NCSU.

 

[sumstorm]

Optimistic, that individual is in vet school now...the information was given out to a pre-vet applicant on this board when they were asking about whether or not some courses from some school would count against them... the person advised them not to include the info, since it wasn't part of thier degree and didn't include pre-reqs. I will have to see if I can find it. Not to point fingers....just because I was floored by it.

 

[tpad40]

Sumstorm (spelled it right!), I have read a lot of your posts and from what I see, it baffles me that you have not gotten an interview. (BTW...did you write your PS on an elephant named Mae Perm or something like that? I rememebr reading one way back when were were all bright eyed and bushy tailed hitting the submit button!!!). I really hope that something will pull through for you (goooo NCSU!! ). You really seem like a great candidate!

 

[sumstorm]

I found it. The following is a quote. I won't post the writer, but thier profile says they are in vet school, admitted last year:

"very good advice from others so far... I would just add that if the language classes are all you took at the other school and there's nothing else you need on that transcript, why bother mentioning that you took the classes at all? I took some math classes at a community college to freshen up before I started my undergrad (took 4 years off between high school and college) and didn't include them in my educational experience because they weren't a pre-req. and the grades weren't stellar.... just a thought "

 

[sumstorm]

Yes, that was my hook in my PS. Mae Perm is an elephant used on the Jumbo Express in Thailand. I worked with Dr. Prasit to treat domesticated elephants in the hill tribe villages north of chaing mai. Mae Perm means 'mostbeautiful luck' in Thai.

Lots of unique experience. I admit my frustration is getting to me. I really want to get into NCSU....then at least I would live within 5 hours of my husband. I just keep thinking that they don't decide till pretty late, so I have to keep my hopes up.

 

[tpad40]

See! That PS was so good that I can remember it clearly, it stuck with me.

I definitely remember reading it and thinking....I'm screwed!

 

[sumstorm]

Lol

One of the questions I asked Purdue and Cornell is if they had read the PS, because I feel like I stand a much better chance with the PS/interview, but haven't had an affirmative yet, so not sure if I am getting booted out due to that.

Oh, in case your wondering...my skills aren't old either. I have worked animal field since graduation, and part of my career for the 5 years following graduation was designing lab sessions using the zoo for bio/chem/physics/problem solving courses at the state college.

 

[EqSci]

Well, they completely re-did (hmm, yes I realize that's not a word lol) the VMCAS thing this year apparently. So perhaps on the old one it wasn't specified that you needed ALL transcripts from ALL colleges whether important or not?

ETA: Oops, sorry, I don't know how that happened. That was in reference to the student who is in vet school who didn't put all her coursework on the VMCAS.

 

[sumstorm]

EqSci, no idea...I wondered that too....but if so, it really might change the game for some people. In the thread that was on, I did not for the OP that VMCAS says all have to go on.

 

[sambone]

I found it. The following is a quote. I won't post the writer, but thier profile says they are in vet school, admitted last year:

"very good advice from others so far... I would just add that if the language classes are all you took at the other school and there's nothing else you need on that transcript, why bother mentioning that you took the classes at all? I took some math classes at a community college to freshen up before I started my undergrad (took 4 years off between high school and college) and didn't include them in my educational experience because they weren't a pre-req. and the grades weren't stellar.... just a thought "

If you took classes at a college/univ. before undergrad, but didn't actually use those credits towards your bachelors, then they are not required on the VMCAS app. I did that and every other school I applied to except Cornell and Tufts told me they did NOT want those transcripts sent in or included on their supplemental. (Although everything including and after undergrad is definitely required.)

Back to the topic of this thread, I can't help but wonder if one of your references is hurting you, Sumstorm. I know that you've said your references were excellent, but is it possible that one of them is raising a red flag? People can be horrible and spiteful sometimes. I just think when things aren't adding up, there's gotta be an explanation.

 

[sumstorm]

sambone, I can only go based on what my rejections have said, which is that the eLors are between 'very good' and 'excellent'

I do worry about that...not due to spitefullness, but due to my eLors being busy people who may not be the best writers. I know at least one was excellent (I have a copy of it), but the others I can't really examine.

 

[sumstorm]

Sambone, VMCAS told me I had to include courses I took during HS at college (my jr-sr years were at a school on a college campus) even if none of them applied to my degree or to the pre-reqs. I had to include foreign languages that didn't apply to my degree, graduation, fellowship, or anything else...classes I took for 'fun.'

 

[DocDVMD]

From talking to some VIPs in the vet world and personal experience, I really do think the whole vet application process is a bit arbitrary. Even the higher-ups complain about it, yet they aren't able to reach a good solution (if there even is one). There truly are too many good applicants for too few slots, but I firmly believe if you really want it, somebody sometime will see it and recognize that you will be a fantastic addition to their school!

I tend to be very optimistic and I believe that everything works out for the best! It is frustrating though in the meantime.

 

[JustCats]

The decision-making process seems so random that it puts knots in your stomach. It's hard to figure out how to improve your chances when you already have so much going for you. I can't believe you haven't been accepted yet. 🙁

sambone, I can only go based on what my rejections have said, which is that the eLors are between 'very good' and 'excellent'

I do worry about that...not due to spitefullness, but due to my eLors being busy people who may not be the best writers. I know at least one was excellent (I have a copy of it), but the others I can't really examine.

 

[sambone]

hmmmm. I really think it's best to talk to the schools, and not VMCAS b/c the people answering the VMCAS arent totally clear on the details sometimes. I was definitely told by them not to include that coursework. I applied to 7 schools - 5 of those told me not to include that info, and the other 2 didn't care that it wasn't in my VMCAS app - just so long as I included it on their supplementals. But it's definitely required if you used those courses for credit towards your bachelors (i didn't).

 

[sumstorm]

Thanks everyone...time for me to get over it and get my spirits back up.

NCSU still hasn't posted IS, so there is still a chance (please please please!)

I somehow doubt I will get an interview invite to Penn. My interest is pathology and epizootics, and Ithink they are past those interviews.

It would be easier if I had a bad GRE to blame....and then I would focus my attention on studying!

 

[sumstorm]

Sambone, what would you have done if even one of those schools insisted on all credits taken at any accredited college?

This doesn't clear it up at all, but here is the official VMCAS statement (which does contradict what they told me about the classes I took during HS)

Q: Do I have to report all postsecondary schools attended in the Academic Coursework section?

A: YES. You must list every class you have taken after high school as they appear on your transcript. If you took classes during high school for college credit, and they appear on your college transcript, then you must list them as well.

Top


Q: Do I need to list graduate, professional, or technical schools?

A: YES. You must list the school's information in the Enrollments section. List the courses taken at a graduate, professional, or technical school in the academic course work section.

Q: How do I list transfer courses?

A: If you transferred from one school to another, the credits earned at the first school may appear as transfer credit on the second school's transcript. In this case, you would not associate the courses with the second school. A good rule of thumb is to associate courses with the transcript that shows the course grade and credit, and not only the credit. You must provide transcripts for each postsecondary institution, regardless of whether the credits transferred. Be sure to list all schools you attended in both the Previous Professional & Undergraduate Enrollments & Institutions Attended sections.

 

[sambone]

The decision-making process seems so random that it puts knots in your stomach. It's hard to figure out how to improve your chances when you already have so much going for you. I can't believe you [sumstorm] haven't been accepted yet. 🙁

I feel the same way. Especially with the Watson fellowship.

 

[sambone]

Sambone, what would you have done if even one of those schools insisted on all credits taken at any accredited college?

Tufts and Cornell had me just include it on their supplementals and submit transcripts from that coursework, but they didn't insist on me including it in the VMCAS app.

If they had wanted it on VMCAS, I would have included it.

 

[rachroo]

sumstorm: I'm not an ad-comm but to me you have a good GPA and your experiences would make you stand out!

What schools did you apply to? Maybe at school XYZ there are 100 OOS applicants for 20 interview spots, etc?

Good luck, I'm rooting for you!

 

[sumstorm]

I applied to Illinois, Purdue, Penn, Cornell, NCSU.

I am limited in where I can apply because my pre-reqs are expired for some schools.

NCSU does say all postsecondary schools have to be reported.

I am not sure how many adcoms know what a Watson is.