Impending sense of doom

[bunnyslippers]

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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.

Even knowing how rough this admissions game is, I still can't help but feel like this too... and it hurts. I wish I knew what exactly schools are disliking about me. 🙁

 

[sambone]

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

For any SDNers who don't know, a Watson fellowship is super selective and only for incredibly motivated, original thinkers who devise their own year long research project involving study in foreign countries. It's for really, really, ridiculously smart people ===> sumstorm

 

[Pandacinny]

If your pre-reqs are kinda old, maybe that's part of what's holding you back? I dunno, sometimes there doesn't seem to be a good reason for acceptance or non-acceptance. I think that, as someone else said, there are so many people applying that even some great applicants aren't going to get in the first time.

I really wish there was an easy answer for you, too. Hopefully, though you'll get an acceptanc at your IS. I'm rooting for you!

 

[JKIM02]

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.

I know exactly how you feel. I didnt think much of this years application cycle because I didnt even think I was going to have a chance in hell considering i probably wasnt going to have my bachelors by sp09. I just thought that I would apply to see what it was like and have practice and if I didnt get in then ... "hey, Ill just go to school another year and apply again, no big deal... rite?" WRONG. I think I will be devastated if I dont get in anywhere this cycle and the thought of having to go through this entire process again scares/bugs the $%&* out of me. If I woulda known then what I know now I would have definitely applied to more schools...😡

oh well DocDVMD I hope you get into a school this year as well as everyone else that applied for this cycle on SDN.

 

[DocDVMD]

Thanks, JKIM02, good luck to you as well! It wouldn't be so tough if everyone else I know who applied has gotten in already! I'm happy for my friends, but I'm still thinking... what about me, I'm just as good!

 

[JKIM02]

Thanks, JKIM02, good luck to you as well! It wouldn't be so tough if everyone else I know who applied has gotten in already! I'm happy for my friends, but I'm still thinking... what about me, I'm just as good!

s e r i o u s l y... AAAA-greeeeed🙂

 

[sumstorm]

I really appreciate all the cheering up. I am feeling a bit calmer...maybe I can survive till I at least get the last two decisions. I wish I had more to occupy my time with....I need to find another vet to work with!

Sambone, thanks for the compliments...sometimes I think Watson's are more about the ability to stand on the narrow edge of insanity without toppling over. Really, it is an amazing program with a shockingly difficult application process. I was away during 9-11, which was really hard...and my grandfather died while I was in Australia. With all of that, I loved every minute of the work I did, and I learned so much more than I ever imagined. I wouldn't trade a minute, even having my wallet stolen and tearing my knee up.

If anyone has the chance to do a post bac fellowship, it can be well worth it. The Watson is just very unique and different.

 

[SHEEPRL]

WRONG. I think I will be devastated if I dont get in anywhere this cycle and the thought of having to go through this entire process again scares/bugs the $%&* out of me. If I woulda known then what I know now I would have definitely applied to more schools...😡

I second that!! I am on pins and needles waiting to see will I or wont I get in.

 

[bellacavallino]

I know that this may seem a little random...but I'm just responding to the posts about vet school applicant's not being sincere about their interest in LA/Food Animal Medicine.

To read about people doing this is very, very discouraging, especially someone, like myself, who truly is interested in LA Medicine and wants to contribute to the LA/Food Animal Vet industry. As I'm sure some of you know there is a HUGE shortage of LA vets. Veterinary medicine needs more LA vets. There are approximately 59,000 practicing vet's(all specialties) in the USA and only 8,500 are LA vets (part-time & full-time) (according to the AVMA). When you think about the amount of livestock(meat, dairy, etc etc) there are in the USA... even just commercial use... it's not enough. People using the shortage of LA vet's problem (and it is a huge problem) as a ploy/tactic to get into vet school is cheap and irresponsible. People like this are being selfish and not thinking the future of large animal veterinary medicine. This is a very serious issue, not "way" to get into vet school!
Read more about LA/Food Animal Shortage & Issues-
http://www.avma.org/fsvm/default.asp

UGH! sorry for the vent!🙂
PS- I don't mean to offend any SA people🙂 I think most people are honest when they are applying to vet school! Which is great!

 

[david594]

This is where all the other parts of the application comes into play though. Its easy for someone to write in their personal statement about how they want to be an LA animal vet. But if they lack the experience to back that up, do you really think an ad-com is going to take them seriously? Same with once an individual gets an interview, if the person claims to want to pursue LA medicine, they will be asked some LA specific questions for them to demonstrate their understanding of the field. And after sitting through one admissions interview, it would be pretty hard to BS ones way through that if they didn't legitimately know the field.

I know a week before my interview a vet told me to claim I wanted to go into public health for that reason. "We need more public health vets, you will be a shoe-in if you claim that."

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I knew that sometimes claiming that if you were going into XYZ medicine, it would be taken into consideration with admissions.

David, you are right about having to have backup to what you present your going into.

I was curious though, HOW MUCH, does it matter when you project a thesis with all of your evidences/points to back it up (what vet experience you have/knowing about/ect)? Will you really get accepted more to the other applicant?

I worry, because I want to do wildlife and I don't think it is in die need/popular. Have you personally heard of more rejections from peoples interest in this? I will have most wildlife/animal experiences.

 

[bellacavallino]

For the schools that conduct interviews, it's great b/c you can weed people who are just "BSing". But at the same time some schools don't have interviews so I'm not really sure how they would ask the specific Q's about the the LA field. :/ Then again I haven't applied to vets school yet, so I'm just going on the the fact that a lot of my friends are in vet school, vets, or are pre-vet.🙂
But the thing that bugs me is that people in this forum/ outside of this forum giving advice to others or using this issue (LA vet shortage) as a tactic to get into vet school, when the applicant has no interest in LA medicine. As I said before...I think it is selfish, irresponsible, and shows a lack of compassion towards the health of animals (Which is the reason why we're all here right??) Dogs & cats aren't the only one's who need vets, the "big guys" (cows, sheep, pigs, llamas, horses, alpacas etc etc) need help too and are just as important as the "little guys"!

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[VAgirl]

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.

No, I'm 99% sure it said that last year, too. Because my gut reaction when I read that advice was, "Um...no, that's not right." And I didn't even look at the VMCAS app for this cycle, so the only info I had was from last cycle.

 

[Pandacinny]

But at the same time some schools don't have interviews so I'm not really sure how they would ask the specific Q's about the the LA field. :/

They wouldn't, but how would you communicate a specific interest in LA to those schools? The only way would be through your personal statement. At that point, the adcoms would read through your experience and still see that you have no large animal experience to back up your PS, so they'd probably ignore the claimed interest in LA.

Frankly, I think everyone is making too big a deal about this. I'm sure many people who seem very committed when they enter school end up changing their minds and pursuing something else just because vet school exposes you to so much. For all you know, some presumed small animal person who's barely got any LA experience when they enter school will end up becoming a LA vet and you'll decide it's not what you want to do and go into clinical pathology or public health.

If someone has plenty of large animal experience to back up an interest in large animal work, then it's perfectly fine to talk about that at interview. Same with small animal, public health, lab animal, or any other specialty. The only way it could possibly be unethical is if they know from experience that they hate LA and would never like to do it again. Even then, if you DO honestly want to work with large animals, your experience and sincerity will speak for itself at interview and in the experience section on VMCAS. Nobody gets in with a crappy application just because they say "Oh, but I'm willing to work with cows!"

The real lesson here is to not make ANY claims your experiences don't back up. If you're interested in public health, don't tell them that at interview unless you have the knowledge or experience to support that interest. Their very next question is going to be "What's your experience with that?" and you need to have an answer.

 

[livefor32]

For the schools that conduct interviews, it's great b/c you can weed people who are just "BSing". But at the same time some schools don't have interviews so I'm not really sure how they would ask the specific Q's about the the LA field. :/ Then again I haven't applied to vets school yet, so I'm just going on the the fact that a lot of my friends are in vet school, vets, or are pre-vet.🙂
But the thing that bugs me is that people in this forum/ outside of this forum giving advice to others or using this issue (LA vet shortage) as a tactic to get into vet school, when the applicant has no interest in LA medicine. As I said before...I think it is selfish, irresponsible, and shows a lack of compassion towards the health of animals (Which is the reason why we're all here right??) Dogs & cats aren't the only one's who need vets, the "big guys" (cows, sheep, pigs, llamas, horses, alpacas etc etc) need help too and are just as important as the "little guys"!

That was my point in my original post. I just don't think it's fair. I know that I want to do SA, and I know there's a shortage of LA vets, but I'm not going to misrepresent my intentions. The particular girl I was referring to in my originals posts has a lot of LA experience, so I'm sure she can answer the questions and form opinions. I think that interviewers are able to weed out a lot of BSers when it comes to LA vs SA, but there are definitely some out there that can get through. It's unfortunate that people do this because they're taking advantage of a terrible situation, and they're taking away spots from worth-while candidates!

 

[bellacavallino]

Thank you livefor! Finally, I think someone is getting my point!

Its not even really the point that the "system" weeds these people out, its that people encourage others to do such things or people try to use this themselves...bleck ...I'm tired of ranting about this. 🙂 And it is a big deal!!! The shortage if LA vets is a BIG deal. Sorry.

 

[philomycus]

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 ...

Right there with ya. My Master's degree is from 2000. My GPA is 3.4 My last 20 hours or so is a 3.9. I know how you feel. I spent about $1000 on applying to 4 schools. It is expensive.

The large animal vet I worked with over the summer applied 6 times before he got in, and ended up being the president of his class at the top of his class.

I'll be 35 next month. I know where you are coming from. I interviewed 2 years in a row and didn't get in. This is the first year I have earned an straight-out interview (not a alternate). And I know that after my interview this year, the reality is I still may not get in.

There are people on here that are right there with you. If the expense of applying is getting to you (I know it's getting to all of us...) then if you have to apply next year, just pick one or two schools to apply to. I had an education course that I had to take for my teaching certificate. One single class I've taken at that 4-yr school. I still listed it and still sent the transcripts- at $10 a pop. It's not relevant at all, but I didn't want to risk not listing it, it's wasn't worth it.

I guess I'm rambling at this point, but I finally decided to post on here because that "Impending Sense of Doom" is getting stronger for me too, but I can't let it win.... you can't either.

 

[livefor32]

I haven't heard back from all the schools I applied to, but I know better than to get my hopes up. This is only my second time applying, and my first time interviewing. I'm going to finish my master's this summer, but I'm worried that the more I live my life, the harder it'll be to apply again. I am planning on getting married next summer ('10), and I've been told I can get a job paying ~$80,000/year. I'm worried that if I do take that job, it'll be hard for me to justify leaving the money and my future husband to go back to school and acquire debt. However, reading other posts gives me hope. I'm only 23, but I have felt like my time is running out. However, reading about people in their 30s that are still applying makes me feel better. Hopefully I'll be able to get in, but I know there's a point where you have to draw the line. I just don't like being told I can't do something that I know I'm perfectly capable of doing, and doing well!

 

[Catnapper]

sumstorm & livefor32: I'm in my second round of rejections. I'll be 35 this summer...if I'm lucky I'll be 40 by the time I get in. So I think I win this forum's granny award. I, like sunstorm, can't apply to many of the schools because of the antiquity of my classes (although I'm taking biochem now, apparently I'd still have to retake gen. chem. for some of these schools, which, I suspect, is an easy way for them to exclude the dinos). My frustration in all of this is that the adcoms keep spinning this "we're-looking-for-leadership" broken record (and I have one school I really want to get into in mind, here, but I suspect its ubiquitous), but when I meet the current students, they're 22-year-olds straight from frat row who can barely string a remotely professional-sounding sentence together. Now, maybe their GRE scores blow mine out of the water, or they grew up braiding zebra hair. But as polished "leaders"? Really?

What makes the rejection all the more sweet is that the people with whom I work (well, not all of them) get off on telling me that I'm too stupid/ignorant/unqualified/etc. to get into any kind of graduate program. So each year I don't get in is yet another year they get to gloat & I get to feel like an abject failure for being in my mid-30s' & in a mindless, meaningless, dead-end job, barely able to make ends meet. And yes, I know I should be grateful I have a job. 🙄
This whole app process has made me miserable for a solid two years, now. I'm wondering if I'll ever see the payoff.

 

[EqSci]

At one of the places I interned at, we had a 4th year vet student come do one of her rotations for a few weeks. She had to be at least in her late 50's. She was the most energetic and enthusiastic person, and I have no doubt she'll be successful.

Don't give up!

 

[Pandacinny]

Thank you livefor! Finally, I think someone is getting my point!

Its not even really the point that the "system" weeds these people out, its that people encourage others to do such things or people try to use this themselves...bleck ...I'm tired of ranting about this. 🙂 And it is a big deal!!! The shortage if LA vets is a BIG deal. Sorry.

I couldn't agree more. However, I wasn't referring to the shortage of LA vets as "too big a deal", I was referring to everyone's reaction about "liars" in interviews taking spots from "better" candidates.

Schools pick good candidates because they're good candidates. Again, no bad candidate will get in just because they say they're interested in LA. Nobody is accepted solely on the basis of what they *think* they might want to do once they graduate. Adcoms aren't idiots - they know that half the people who come in saying they want to do one thing will end up someplace completely different anyways.

 

[livefor32]

well i guess we all have different opinions!

 

[Pandacinny]

Ugh, sorry if that came off as harsh. I had a weird meeting about possible lay-offs in my company at work today, so it's made me a little cranky.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you just can't worry about whether or not other people are lying about their interests. It happens and there isn't much you can do about it. All you can really do is work on your own application. Worrying about whether other people have honest intentions only leads to stress and anger. I really don't think anyone who's been denied needs to feel any more stressed or upset than they already (and understandably) do.

Adcoms narrow down students based on a host of different variables and I doubt that potential future interest is the biggest one. I also think that they make final acceptance choices by posting applicant's names on a wall, closing their eyes, and throwing darts at them. Or at least, it sure seems that way sometimes. 🙄

 

[2BaVet]

I also want to point out that there also other cases where the person wants to do one thing but his/her experience points to an other thing and thus he/she is forced to choose that.. That's what happened to me.. I'm actually more interested in LA, but where I live, it's very hard to gain that experience.. So I ended up with hundreds of hours of small animal and not enough LA.. So I had to say that LA was my second choice and SA first because that's what my experience reflects.. I think they would laugh at me with their certain "parts" if I said LA.. I know I will go into mixed practice but I think it will be largely LA but I just couldn't say that in my application b/c of lack of experience.. *sigh*

 

[livefor32]

you just can't worry about whether or not other people are lying about their interests. It happens and there isn't much you can do about it. All you can really do is work on your own application.

i definitely agree! i think that it's unfortunate that people misrepresent their intentions on purpose, but there is really nothing i can do about that!

Sorry to hear about the work meeting - hopefully there wont be any layoffs!

 

[Pandacinny]

Thanks! I'm not worried too much about myself. I'm planning to switch jobs soon anyways. I just hope that none of my coworkers lose out.

 

[sumstorm]

I'm with Pandacinny... a huge cut in hours has me even more on edge and way too much time to think.

I don't worry more about misrepresentation of intentions....heck, what you want to do may change in school. I was more frustrated about the differences in reporting of education, awards, etc. I feel like there is a lack of fidelity in reporting 'standards' of the schools and the VMCAS...and I feel that if a school's standards are different than VMCAS, they should either adjust it using secondary applications, or not use the VMCAS system.

That, and VMCAS itself doesn't keep a solid set of answers to questions. So they give different info depending on which representative you talk to. Also, for me at least, there isn't nearly enough space to cover some of my jobs, and that is if I just summarized my responsabilities in single words. How do you cover 12 months of travel in 7 countries with different focuses every few weeks in just a few sentences?

The system just seems problematic. Do you report all post-secondary or not? Do you list research fellowships as jobs/experience/awards? It is an Award...but it was also an experience. Argh!

Yes, guess I am still grumpy....and I even had a 10 hour work day.

 

[nyanko]

Yeah, saying you want to go into an underserved area is not a golden ticket into vet school. My interests (and this is NOT likely to change at all) and experiences are in research, and I want to go into academia, which has a lot of need. I still didn't get in on my first try, because there were better applicants (even if most of them do want to go into small animal medicine - their applications were simply better than mine).

 

[No Imagination]

Do you list research fellowships as jobs/experience/awards? It is an Award...but it was also an experience.

List them as both. I was awarded a (supposedly) prestigious internship through Harvard School of Public Health, and it had a lot of lab animal work attached to it (under a vet).

I listed the award for the internship, and the lab work as experience. I stated clearly in the experience section that it was under the internship. I was asked about the work I did, but don't think they cared that I listed it twice.

I mean, its no different then listing a Publication under "Awards", and the work you did for the publication under "Experience".

 

[livefor32]

i definitely understand what everyone is saying and for the most part, agree with it all. i don't necessarily think saying you want to do LA is your ticket into vet school, but i'm sure there are some instances where it helps. i was just annoyed because this girl i work with was telling everyone that she was saying one thing, but wanted to do another, just so she would get into school. i guess i'm more annoyed with the way she presented it rather than the actual action...if that makes sense!

 

[sumstorm]

No Imagination...I specifically asked about that, and was told that it should only be listed under experience.

This is my frustration. If VMCAS tells one person 'yes, you must report the course you failed at TGIF U even if it didn't apply to your degree, pre-reqs etc' but then tells another candidate 'you don't have to report that AS you got with all Cs at TuEZ CC if it isn't related to your pre-reqs and BS' then your changing the standards for the candidates.

Here is what VMCAS told me, quoted from emails to and from VMCAS:

I have several honors/awards that are also listed in other areas of
the application. Do I also list these in honors/awards?

For example:
TJ watson fellowship: 1 year of stipend funded international animal research
granted after a highly competitive application process.

Biodiversity Education Grant: an intensive certification process by the World Wildlife Fund focusing on cross-program
biodiversity education which involved a competitive application process, a stipend and travel award, and the display of an international trade exhibit worth $17,000.

You should not list any experiences twice under two different categories. You should list any of these that have to do with animals, in animal experience, not honors and awards.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us using the information provided below.
Thank you,

 

[LVT2DVM]

The large animal vet I worked with over the summer applied 6 times before he got in, and ended up being the president of his class at the top of his class.

What school finally accepted him? Just curious.

 

[No Imagination]

Sumstorm,

I'm floored by their response.

Am I not supposed to list a publication just because I also got (animal) experience while researching for it?

I'm betting that you got a pre-fabricated response from them. Not sure if they still have office hours, but I am going to call them tomorrow, because that is ridiculous.

I put in 3 years of lab and animal research - you mean to tell me that VMCAS expects you to pick the experience OR the publication/award - What about grants and my dissertation? Sorry, repeating myself, but come on.

I will be calling them in the morning, let you know what if anything they say.

 

[rara avis]

.

 

[Pandacinny]

LVT2DVM, I know you weren't asking me, but a vet I know who got in on her third try was accepted to Tuskegee. She was an RVT for years before becoming a DVM, so it's a little like your situation. She loved her time at "'Skegee" and recommended that I apply there if I didn't get into VMRCVM again this year.

 

[sumstorm]

Ok, so at least I am not the only one frustrated by that. If you like, I will forward you the actual email from them! By the way, I called twice with the same question and got the same answer. I was flabbergasted, because most of my awards and honors weren't 'here's a plaque, good job!' they were 'good job, here is an opportunity to do more!' And because my interest has always involved animals, nearly everything relates to animals.

Sorry....that is part of why I am so frustrated. I thought perhaps I should list them as an award and say somethilng like 'further information listed under TJ Watson Fellowship in animal experience.'

Here is the whole email from them, received 9-18-08:

Summer,

You should not list any experiences twice under two different categories. You should list any of these that have to do with animals, in animal experience, not honors and awards.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us using the information provided below.
Thank you,
VMCAS Customer Service
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
1101 Vermont Ave, NW #301
Washington, DC 20005
[email protected]
(Toll Free) 877-862-2740
John

 

[No Imagination]

You should not list any experiences twice under two different categories. You should list any of these that have to do with animals, in animal experience, not honors and awards.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us using the information provided below.

Ok, maybe its just the way my mind works, but the way i would have read that (perhaps because it is in my benefit is this)

You should not list any experiences twice under two different categories.

Fine, you DONT list experience 2x under any category- You list experience under experience.

However - You got the award before the experience (You were awarded the Watson for doing X, Y, Z) - You list it.

Then After you got the award, you did the following experience.

Maybe I am way off, or stretching things too much -

But if I didn't list my pubs, the adcomms would be "What the hell has this guy been doing for the last 3 years? He ran some assays - cut up some mice... no pubs? Posters? Presentations?

Calling in the AM

 

[sumstorm]

I was concerned that it would be considered 'double-dipping' or such, especially after that email back from VMCAS. Just wish I could send in a CV. It would be much easier.

 

[jenk]

Ok, maybe its just the way my mind works, but the way i would have read that (perhaps because it is in my benefit is this)



Fine, you DONT list experience 2x under any category- You list experience under experience.

However - You got the award before the experience (You were awarded the Watson for doing X, Y, Z) - You list it.

Then After you got the award, you did the following experience.

Maybe I am way off, or stretching things too much -

But if I didn't list my pubs, the adcomms would be "What the hell has this guy been doing for the last 3 years? He ran some assays - cut up some mice... no pubs? Posters? Presentations?

Calling in the AM

I also worked in a lab and had some pubs. I put my research experience as Vet experience and put the pubs in the "explanation section" after the personal statement. And my PI, who wrote my letter of Rec for me, listed the pubs in her letter. OH, and of course, I wrote in a sentence in my personal statement that I had pubs....so they CAN"T miss it.

Make sure you put your pubs in places where they'll SEE it!!!

Also, if there's supplemental application, make sure you sent them copies of your pubs. And I also sent them my CV.

 

[twelvetigers]

This is just a thought, but... will schools like, throw out your application because you did something that you technically shouldn't on VMCAS? Like, you list pet ownership as animal experience. Does that make you look stupid or somehow negate the rest of your application? If you "double list" something in a non-blatant way, would it really hurt you?

 

[david594]

This is just a thought, but... will schools like, throw out your application because you did something that you technically shouldn't on VMCAS? Like, you list pet ownership as animal experience. Does that make you look stupid or somehow negate the rest of your application? If you "double list" something in a non-blatant way, would it really hurt you?

Probably not. But at the same time I always wonder what ad-coms think of the 20 year old applicants claiming to have 40,000 hours of animal experience.

 

[twelvetigers]

If you spent 2 hours a day caring for your pets starting at age 8 and you are now 20, that's only 12,000 hours. So yeah, 40,000 hours for a 20 year old is pretty ridiculous.

Man, I don't see why any school would want that, though. Hah. I doubt most of them do, but of course my IS has to be the oddball... 🙄

 

[sumstorm]

If you spent 2 hours a day caring for your pets starting at age 8 and you are now 20, that's only 12,000 hours. So yeah, 40,000 hours for a 20 year old is pretty ridiculous.

Man, I don't see why any school would want that, though. Hah. I doubt most of them do, but of course my IS has to be the oddball... 🙄

Ummm...I am not sure if this was aimed at me....but I am a bit older than 20, and I grew up on a working farm. Not sure if hogs, beef cattle, lambs, dairy goats, and a production flock are really considered pets.

Do people really spend 2 hours/day caring for pets like dogs/cats? I have a household of 8 and actual husbandry doesn't take me that long. Interacting, sure, but wouldn't count that.

 

[DVMorBust]

Ummm...I am not sure if this was aimed at me....but I am a bit older than 20, and I grew up on a working farm. Not sure if hogs, beef cattle, lambs, dairy goats, and a production flock are really considered pets.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't aimed at any people growing up on farms. Farm animals aren't pets like dogs and cats (or the more traditional small animals).

I of see it as what type of interactions you have with them - if the vast majority is interaction solely because they're in your house and/or you're having fun with them (playing with rats, taking dogs for walks, etc.), they it's the regular pet care and you shouldn't put that on your VMCAS. If the majority of the time you interact with them is necessary to work towards a larger goal (and here I'd put anything from raising seeing eye dogs to being a competitive rider to working on a farm), it's animal experience beyond the normal 'pet' experience.

 

[No Imagination]

Calling in the AM

Friggin VMCAS is closed today for a "staff retreat" - Will not be able to get them until Monday.

I can't wait till I have a high powered/paying job so I and the rest of the office can go on retreats, completely close down a business so I can practice falling backwards with my eyes closed to show my complete and unwaivering trust in my coworkers. Glad the economy isn't effecting them -

Ohh, and I saw a copy of my PS that my interviewers had, remember that whole "Formating issue is only on your end, will look alright for the vet school", yeah, load of BS as well.

Ill let you know what I find out on Monday I guess

ERghh

(yeah, im a bit annoyed)

 

[Pomona2006]

Ohh, and I saw a copy of my PS that my interviewers had, remember that whole "Formating issue is only on your end, will look alright for the vet school", yeah, load of BS as well.

Ohhh...you just struck a nerve with me! I cannot tell you how pissed that makes me!

Grrrr!

 

[Pistol Pete]

This is just a thought, but... will schools like, throw out your application because you did something that you technically shouldn't on VMCAS? Like, you list pet ownership as animal experience. Does that make you look stupid or somehow negate the rest of your application? If you "double list" something in a non-blatant way, would it really hurt you?

A reasonable assumption would be ...no, but having listened to the various stories and posts on SDN, paranoia becomes a fulltime room-mate. Between VMCAS, school criteria for interview invites, school preferences for accepted candidates, # of seats, etc...it is like walking through a field of land mines never knowing which one is going to blow you into the next application cycle.

Many devoted and dedicated folks on this forum that deserve a shot at their dream vocation. Here is hoping everyone gets their chance.

 

[W2BVet]

A reasonable assumption would be ...no, but having listened to the various stories and posts on SDN, paranoia becomes a fulltime room-mate. Between VMCAS, school criteria for interview invites, school preferences for accepted candidates, # of seats, etc...it is like walking through a field of land mines never knowing which one is going to blow you into the next application cycle.

Many devoted and dedicated folks on this forum that deserve a shot at their dream vocation. Here is hoping everyone gets their chance.

Thanks Pistol Pete for those kind words.

 

[sumstorm]

Yeah, this was my first time applying...and I was kind of terrified of the double dip based on some things said at an NCSU info session.

If I have to do it again, I will definitly handle it differently. Learning experience, eh?