Improving Applications. HELP!

[natalieises]

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Ok. So here's the deal. This year was my second year applying and I am on two waitlists. Neither of these look very promising at this point unless a miracle occurs. I wanted to get advice on the best way to boost my application. I am following up with schools I applied to, but I think everyone here knows a lot about improving apps!

Here's a breakdown of my stats. I know some aren't amazing, but please stick to things I can actually do to help, not focus on how I suck lol.

B.S. in Health Sciences Grad GPA: 3.30
GRE: V 500 M 710 A 4.0

Experience:
Roughly 1600 hours in small animal vet clinic(one with one vet, current place 10 vet hospital) (currently working full time as a vet assistant)
About 200 zoo vet
About 1000 zoo keeper
About 200 hours as a stable attendant with horses/ponies
Various horse riding classes
Grew up with all kinds of exotic pets and horses

Other Work:
2 years as a server
1 year at a pet store
Couple different retail store jobs

Last year after I got waitlisted I debated back and forth about whether to do a one year masters program in science. Basically a year program with higher level bio classes, etc.

I ended up doing an internship at a zoo for 4 months, and then in october came to my current job as a vet assistant.

I'm wondering now if that was the best choice for my application or not. I know that I am very happy with that decision as it has definitely given me some amazing experiences. But at this point, what would be the best route? I know my grades aren't stellar. I would love to get some more experience in zoos or in an emergency clinic. Please help!!! I would love any and all suggestions. Especially from those of you who have been through this before. Thanks in advance!

 

[Caninerepro]

I had a 3.4 undergrad, so I did do a one year MS, which I am just finishing up. Myself I give that program all the credit for my successes, as it allowed me to show schools exactly how I would do in a fairly similar level program to first year at vet school. In a nutshell, a 3.92 last 45 credits (grad and undergrad) and 710/630 on the GRE must have made up for my poor prior performance. You may want to try the GRE one more time and look at taking a few more upper division science classes to augment your BS and give them some more good stuff to look at. My MS really won't make me a better vet, I just used it to get some 500+ level classes (dissection, a year of physiology, plus some various undergrad sciences et.) in -- it's what the program is really designed for. Looks like you are OK on experience. Why not try a semester of extra classes? Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[JustCats]

Did you get a file review from the schools that declined you last year?

 

[natalieises]

I got a file review from Purdue after getting waitlisted last year but it was not very helpful at all. I asked if I could meet with someone and they just sent me this one page summary of my stats. It didn't really say what kept me from being accepted, just showed me where I was among the applicants, how well I did on my interview/LORS/etc. I'm currently setting up some reviews that should be much more informative, but in the mean time I've been looking at one year M.S. programs.

 

[JustCats]

How is your personal statement?

I'm thinking that if you're on the waitlist, they think your stats are pretty good or they would reject you. Maybe you need something in your personal statement to differentiate you from the other applicants.

I got a file review from Purdue after getting waitlisted last year but it was not very helpful at all. I asked if I could meet with someone and they just sent me this one page summary of my stats. It didn't really say what kept me from being accepted, just showed me where I was among the applicants, how well I did on my interview/LORS/etc. I'm currently setting up some reviews that should be much more informative, but in the mean time I've been looking at one year M.S. programs.

 

[xl3000]

This won't be enough on its own, but shadowing a beef/dairy/small ruminant/swine/poultry vet for a day would be a good way to get some exposure to livestock and production medicine.

 

[cRose]

It seems like the only area that could use bolstering is your GPA. I am jealous of your GRE score! 🙂I would take some upper level classes and improve your GPA. I'm not convinced that it would really matter whether or not those courses are attached to a degree. I myself took 2 years off to get a master's degree and have been waitlisted at ohio state this cycle, and a friend of mine took only a year to take a few continuing ed. courses and was also waitlisted then got in off of the waitlist, 2 cycles ago. It's still up in the air as to whether the same will be true for me 😳

Sorry...back to the present subject: the moral of my rambling is that if it would be cheaper for you to take a handful of courses without paying tuition for a master's program, you might want to consider that. You also might want to look into the possibility of getting a teaching assistantship from the school you choose if you decided to for a degree-- those often come with a huge discounts on tuition plus a stipend, not to mention loads of leadership experience to slap on that VMCAS application.

P.S. I'm still crossing my fingers that you get off of that wait list this cycle 😀

 

[natalieises]

Thanks cRose! I'm still holding out some hope to come off the waitlist, but I'm preparing for the upset and applying to some masters programs now so I at least have some options come August. Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Get a one year m.s. in bio, volunteer at a local zoo, and find part time work or shadowing at an emergency clinic

2. Get a job in zoo keeping

3. Get an internship in animal care/zoo keeping/ zoo vet hospital/ or aquarium

So far I'm leaning toward #1 because it seems the best step for right now, but who knows!

 

[jglovicz]

I agree that a M.S would be helpful (I'm currently finishing my 2 year MS and was offered admission at 2 schools and waitlisted at 3). Look around at possible 1 year MS offerings, but I wouldn't rule out a 2 yr MS if you can't find a 1 yr (I am walking away from the experience with 5 quarters of TAing, 2 years of experience working with mice--something I hadn't done previously, a handful of conference presentations, and hopefully 2 published papers). I have no doubt that my MS made all the difference in my 2nd application cycle. The other thing you will have to consider is that many schools may already have passed their application deadline (although some places may do rolling admission). Good luck!

 

[Caninerepro]

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/bms/planB.htm

This is a link to the program I am doing. Applications have already closed, in fact they are about to announce the class of 2010, but the class list is a pretty good sample program of study to follow for showing ad coms how you can do, and also an excellent warm up for first year. I have been told by those who did the program before me that while initially the fellow members of their entering vet school classes scoffed at the fact that they had done a MS program like this, after about two weeks in, as they were struggling with classes they had never taken before, the former MS students were sailing through easily and pretty much able to focus on the one or two classes they had not taken before during their first year. It made the entire first year relatively a breeze they claim.

Myself I am actually the GTA for the grad level dissection class, as I took the course as an undergrad. Because of this, not only do I get my tuition paid for, but I am getting ready to start vet school with a total of 13 credits of undergrad and grad level anatomy, including two years of teaching the classes! Not a bad warmup I think. I am in a fairly similar position with physiology -- I have seen the first year physio tests, and my grad school classes were even tougher. So for those of you who are a bit unsure of your abilities to hack vet school (I certantly was!) or who need to shore up a weaker undergrad that you might have liked, there are several similar programs at schools throughout the US. I am not sure if a pure Bio MS will help you as much as a A&P ''anatomy and physiology" MS or an MPH might, but any extra classes will help, and look great on your transcript for next year's application cycle.

 

[firelily]

Caninerepro, that MS-B program seems like a really helpful thing to do. I've been looking into other 1 year programs but I haven't really been able to find many that would be really good for pre-vet prep (although maybe I'm just not looking hard enough).

I'd love to find something closer to me (upsate NY), but I just searched at SUNY Albany where I'm currently taking some post-bacc courses and I don't think they have 1 year MS programs. I wish these things were offered more places! At this point in my life it would be so much easier to not have to move and figure out where I'd be getting the money for rent. You're lucky you got all your tuition paid for...I'm guessing that doesn't happen for many of the MS-B students.

 

[flyhi]

You could look at the Drexel program - there is a one year and two year option. It's much closer to you....

 

[Perfbird]

What about these masters programs? These are 2 year, but just LOOK at those courses! Tell me that isn't the same as a 1st year vet student.

http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/vetsci/Default.asp
http://www.clemson.edu/avs/graduate/index.html
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/MajorDetail.aspx?id=346