Introduce Yourself Here...

[heylodeb]

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Sorry about your horse! Horses seem to have a habit of becoming lame when we have all the plans in the world for them!

serisouly - this isn't the rant post so I won't go into detail - but this horse was MADE to event.... she's fearless, spot on, and an amazing mover.... well, when she's not head bobbing. *sigh* 👎

 

[twelvetigers]

heylo - Naw, it was in response to jamr0ckin's 30,000 hours of vet experience.

Let's be civil folks - we aren't here to judge each other. Only the adcoms can decide what they think of our applications, so let's just leave that to them.

 

[Evie1923]

I want to become involved with animal rescue teams that go out to disasters and help the animals that are hurt, sick, or abandoned due to circumstance.

I am actually involved in one of the Animal Response Teams (ARTs) in Ohio and it's been a wonderful experience. I've taken a Large Animal Rescure Course, FEMA courses and a Foreign Animal Disease Training course. This activity also exposed me to emergency management planning which is one of the areas I want work in with my DVM degree. Most states have ARTs or Veterinary Emergency Response Teams and from what I've seen they love to have volunteers, especially those with some type of veterinary medical experience!

 

[heylodeb]

heylo - Naw, it was in response to jamr0ckin's 30,000 hours of vet experience.

Let's be civil folks - we aren't here to judge each other. Only the adcoms can decide what they think of our applications, so let's just leave that to them.

haha - yeah - I just scanned back, somehow I missed that ENTIRE PAGE. This whole cutting back on caffeine thing is not treating me so well. 😴

 

[TJenks89]

Hello everyone!

I have been browsing this site for about 6 months now (starting during the time I started my VMCAs app) and I JUST registered. I am a first-time applicant to vet school and I am about to begin my final semester as a UGA undergrad. It's so nice to hear about other pre-vet/vet students, especially when they have similar issues that I do! You guys are wonderful. Atm, I'm not totally sure what I would want to do with a DVM degree (I initially wanted to do research), but I know FOR SURE I want to have a career in the veterinary field. I HOPE I GET INTO UGA THIS YEAAAAR!!!!! I think I will die of happiness if I do...

Here are my stats... (feedback from UGA vet students would mean a lot to me!)

GRE - 1280 (580v, 700q)
GPA - 3.51 as of now (cum), sci - roughly 3.4 or so?, last 45h - approx. 3.8
Vet experience - I have worked for the past year in an avian infectious disease research lab under a DVM/PhD. I also shadowed a vet for 6 months (10hr/week) during my senior year of high school.
Animal experience - 2 years (~30hr/week) at a boarding facility/doggie daycare, plus I worked for a year in the UGA small animal surgery lab. And I volunteer for a rescue.

 

[CatPartay]

Hi All,
Im 31 (so old) from NY..my last username was Kittenrescue,I had to change it because I cancelled the email account it was linked with. Anyways.. I am a non-trad junior at Mercy college majoring in Biology. I plan to apply the upcoming cycle. Here are my stats:
Cum GPA-3.22 (horrible because of stupidity 10 years ago)
Last 80 hours is 3.7
Science GPA around 3.7
GRE under 1000 ughhh Def taking that horrid test again
about 5,000 hours as a small animal vet assistant
10,000 hours animal experience ( varied )
I have 14 schools on my list that I would like to apply to, but I think my best chances are Ross with my horrible cum and GRE scores.🙁

 

[princesspeaches]

Hi everyone!

I'm 23, second time applicant. Was waitlisted at my in-state the first time around and rejected elsewhere. I used SDN when I applied in the Fall 2008, and came back to reading/occasionally posting this application cycle.

I got my BS in Molecular Biology in 2009 and went straight into an MS program in Toxicology, graduating this summer. (I feel like if adcoms read this website they'll know it's me, but I guess if they are taking that much of an interest in me that's a good thing!)

Stats for the interested:
GPA: Undergrad 3.3, Grad 3.6 (ish for both. No idea on science GPA since my undergrad was in semesters and my grad program is in the quarter system)
GRE: 1480
I don't remember what my experience hours were--like 1500 SA veterinary hours, 30 LA rescue experience and some other misc animal hours. And as for research? I don't even know anymore, my grad program is intense and I've been spending 50+ hours in the lab a week for months and months on end...

I'm interested in research (veterinary pharmaceutics maybe), lab animal medicine, and public health.

When I'm not obsessing over getting into veterinary school, I like skiing, knitting, and going to as many concerts as I can. (Going to see Girl Talk next month!) And making fun of my new city for being such a baby about a little snow!

 

[PeanutGallery]

Hello! I only started posting after I was accepted to Tufts, but I really wish I'd found SDN earlier - threads here were always showing up when I searched Google for pre-vet advice. Hopefully it's not too late to start contributing and learn some more.

I'm 21 years old and a Biopsychology major. I got attracted to vet med as a kid because I had dogs, but after working with birds I've fallen in love with avian medicine, possibly in research, pathology, public health, or any sort of work that lets me work with birds 😀

GRE - 1330 (550v/780q)
GPA - 3.58 (3.55 at time of applying), science cumulative similar, maybe slightly lower
Vet Experience - 700 hours (counting from college on); they're divided between an animal shelter and a zoo. I really loved both but outside of research, I see myself being a zoo vet more because you take control of politics rather than the other way around in a shelter 😛
Animal Experience - 400 + 10 hours/wk for one year and currently doing about 15-20-hours/wk for my thesis in auditory cognition in pigeons

Besides wanting to be a vet, I really like humor and run my college's satire magazine and like to play tons of video games in my spare time. I'm from South Texas, which is great for wildlife, and am a sort of amateur in birdwatching after landing an internship this summer where I basically did it for a living. I'm in the northeast now and really love the weather here, and although there aren't as many birds as SoTX, I've heard of enough different types of owls that I could probably settle for Massachusetts or somewhere near to live 😛

I'm really jealous of everyone who's already got lab animal experience, as I'm really interested in research, and maybe we can swap tips once I get around to posting more!

 

[ClaudeandLola]

I am going to pass on my stats (I haven't taken most of my sciences yet nor have I taken the GRE, so it isn't a great indicator of my application), but I thought I'd say a quick hello and introduce myself. I am a 24 year old nontraditional student, received my BA in 2009 in government (and double major in Spanish), didn't decide until I had worked in a non profit for a year that vet school was something I absolutely wanted to pursue. Now I'm working on ticking off my prereqs and building up my veterinary and animal experience at various jobs around where I live (including an awesome internship at a zoo health center!).

I grew up riding horses and I have had animals all my life. The two little kittens are Claude and Lola. They came to me very sick and motherless and my own wonderful veterinarians predicted the worst. Happily, with wonderful veterinary guidance, hard work on my part and a fighting will to live on theirs they grew into two healthy, beautiful cats. I count them as my first two animal saves. What a start!

Seriously, though--I'm starting with zero science background, totally from scratch. I'm so happy to have found this forum--I lack pre-vet camaraderie almost as much as veterinary hours 😉 Therefore you'll probably be getting a lot of questions from me over the next few years!
When I'm not studying or working I am running in parks, practicing the classical guitar and trying to keep up with my fellow graduated friends who don't have class the next day 🙂

 

[squibby]

Thanks gone2dogs for pointing out how we have become stat-quoting, pre-vet robots to the point where when asked about ourselves we can't talk about anything but our gpa and vet related experiences.

*shivers* Who have I become?!!

Here is some about ME:

I'm athletic. I like to snowboard and play soccer. I pole-vaulted, long-jumped, and sprinted in high school.

I like to sail, especially when there are whales around. 🙂

I have three tattoos: an orca, a string of three sanskrit words that are what Buddha taught are the three essential characteristics of our existence, and the last half of a Buddhist saying--wifey has the first half on her.

I always have tissues with me because I have a really bad allergy to dust mites, and am allergic to dogs and cats.

I'm a chapstick addict. I special order a certain brand of chapstick because they don't sell it in CA because it has menthol in it.

My favorite movies are: Velvet Goldmine and Party Monster

If you watch the music video "I'm not Your Toy" by La Roux, I want a posse of dancers to randomly appear and dance around me like they do for the singer in that video. It would make a good entrance, for anywhere looking cool is important.

My favorite places in the world: Cinque Terra, Italy; Kauai; Lake Tahoe; the Puget Sound, WA; New Zealand, and Alaska.

My dad has lived in two haunted houses. I've seen a ghost, (heard them more than anything), and seen a UFO.

Hidden talents: I can make myself burp on command and can puff out my stomach so it looks kinda like I'm pregnant.

That's me in a nutshell.

 

[vetme]

I'm a chapstick addict. I special order a certain brand of chapstick because they don't sell it in CA because it has menthol in it.

LET'S hear it for CHAPSTICK!!! it totally rocks!😀

I get panicky if I don't know where mine is every second...lol

 

[Shadow23]

Thanks gone2dogs for pointing out how we have become stat-quoting, pre-vet robots to the point where when asked about ourselves we can't talk about anything but our gpa and vet related experiences.

*shivers* Who have I become?!!

Ahhh so true! That is really sad actually. I don't think I've thought about what makes me ME in a long time. Hm let's see:

I hate traveling with a passion, and have never been outside the US, not even to Canada. Not sure where this comes from as I am not scared of flying. I am mildly scared of driving though. I get lost VERY easily.

Winter is my favorite season and I LOVE snow so much! For New Year's Eve my fiance and I built an igloo in our backyard (Boston had a huge snowstorm a few days before) and had champagne in it. Best night ever. 😍. Yesterday after the second huge snow storm we build a snowman and snowdog and started construction on the igloo again. Oh, and threw snowballs for our dog to catch, which is the most hilarious thing ever because she gets so confused when the snowball disappears.

I have a great 1yr old pit bull mix. She is my first dog ever and it is quite an experience! She has cool wispy terrier hair all over so we think she is mixed with a jack russell or fox terrier. I have a black cat that lives with my mom in NJ and his name is Shadow, hence my username.

23 is my favorite number for no particular reason - hence the 23 in my username. I am pretty excited to be turning 23 soon for this reason!

I have a pretty cool heritage - my dad is Italian, Canadian French, and Native American and my mom is Panamanian, Costa Rican, Jamaican, and Haitian (she was born in Panama). Despite my mom knowing Spanish fluently, I did not learn it and regret that.

Alright, off to work so I guess that's it for now! If anyone who remotely knows me in real life stumbled upon this site they would ID me in about 5 seconds. Ha.

 

[scb44f]

Thanks gone2dogs for pointing out how we have become stat-quoting, pre-vet robots to the point where when asked about ourselves we can't talk about anything but our gpa and vet related experiences.

*shivers* Who have I become?!!

Very true... I think I should give a little more about myself and not school.

Ironically, the first thing to know about me is even though I don't want to study engineering anymore, I want to finish my degree, so I put school at the top of my list, reducing any tendencies to procrastinate.

I like to stay organized with schedules and calendars, but my living space can be messy at first glance, until you understand that that's how I know where everything is 😀

Waking up to my cat cuddling me is awesome. Waking up to my cat trying to gnaw my face/arm off is not so awesome, but I put up with it because he's just so darn cute most of the time.

I am also a chapstick addict.

My close friends are guys. I can't think of any female friends that I see more than once every few months... Fortunately my SO is not the jealous type, and all my guy friends are either in relationships or gay (meaning we check out the dudes together😉) so it works out.

My most extensive experience in college was in Residential Life. I have been involved since my 2nd semester (so I'm going on my 5th year), and have been involved through 3 campus organizations, and 1 regional organization. This is where I became friends with all those guys ^.

I love to travel, by any means (except boat... I haven't done that enough to know).

I have a dog and a cat, both are black and white, and both were up for adoption at vet clinics where I was shadowing.

Fun fact: I can touch my nose with my tongue.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Bullet points on SOV:
* Old man
* UPenn V14 (undergrad at Penn as well - Wharton)
* Has 2 Italian Greyhounds and 1 DSH cat
* Spent 20ish years chasing the dough at Hedge funds.
* Flight instructor
* House owning snow-shoveler (that one is for BlacKat)
* Wife in grad school
* Moved from Calif.
* Dislikes anatomy, radial-ulna fractures (see IGs above), and stupid people
* Likes agility, NY Giants 🙂(), and listening to lectures from home
* Rides a motorcycle

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Thanks for the clarification.

Forgive me if my view of on call is incorrect, but the vets I know, when they're on-call, are on call (let's say) for maybe 3 days straight, yet they may never get called in or have to deal with any cases. Conversely, if they do deal with cases, it's often over the phone and not actively in a clinic. Much of the time they are sleeping, shopping, doing personal stuff. So would you have counted all 72 hours as "veterinary hours"? Or just hours you were called in? Because that would certainly add up, but that does not mean they were truthful veterinary hours.

And while I certainly don't have the right to call you a liar or exaggerator as I don't know you, it still seems impossible that while you were in junior high you were working 50+ hour weeks. (And let's say you didn't start working 50+ hour weeks until you were out of high school, say 17 - that would mean you had to have worked 60+ or 70+ hour weeks every year thereafter...)

I just know of many people who would see 30,000 hours of vet experience on top of 5,000 hours of animal experience written in an application would immediately leap to "PADDING!" (or some other form of serious doubt). I hope you've informed your references as to exactly how many hours you logged for their experiences in case adcoms choose to verify.

However since you did work those hours I'm sure you've left adcoms in no doubt about your hours and they will see you for the go-getter you are.

Maybe those antibiotics you prescribed yourself for a illness you tested yourself for gave you superhuman strength.

Once again, thank you for showing your concern. I appreciate all the mental effort you've exerted to attempt to make me sound like a liar or an idiot. It is refreshing. Now, let's address the issues you've presented this time.

I understand how the vets take on-call where you work, but lets remember there are 50 ways to skin a cat. In the practice I work at, the techs take the call, and call the doctor if necessary. We don't share call with other hospitals and we don't route all our calls to the emergency hospital 1 hour away. So, I field questions and arrange after-hours meetings to see the vet. The on-call tech does the after-hours checks for the hospitalized patients as well.

I actually came up with that number along with the practice owner of the clinic I work at, so he honestly reflects the same idea that I do... I've worked a helluva lot of hours.

Also, while I reserve your right to abject to my amount of hours based on your minute knowledge of myself and the practice I work at, I take offense to the personal attack at the end of your statement. I've been nothing but civil and have answered your questions. Please give me the same respect I'm showing you, despite whether or not the other deserves it.

 

[chyactnate]

I'm a chapstick addict. I special order a certain brand of chapstick because they don't sell it in CA because it has menthol in it.

ME 2!!! I am obsessed with chapstick. I dont even know how many I have, they are all over the place in my house, at school, the barn, bags, etc. I cannot live with out it..hhaa..

Anyways I will tell more about me than just my stats like in my previous post.

My favorite thing in the world is to ride horses, I have 4 horses right now (3 thoroughbreds and a yearling quarter horse).

I would love to go to Italy this summer, and maybe Vegas. I do LOVE to travel, but I hate driving anywhere that takes longer than 2 hours.

I once travelled 4 hours to get ice cream, just to do it at the end of a summer semester with some friends.

I have two crazy dogs that are hilarious (1 english mastiff, and 1 jack russel cross).

I am obsessed with Post It notes, I have them everywhere!!

I LOVE muscle cars, and currently own a 1970 Chevelle. It was the first car that I bought when I was 19, and still have it today. I dont know anything about cars or how to fix them, but I love driving that car on a summer day (dont drive it in the winter because I live in Mass).

I hate the cold and want to move to a nice warm/hot climate!!

I love photography, I mainly do horses, but anything that captures my eye I will try and get photos of.

Okay that is enough about me

 

[dweens]

Hi Everyone!

I guess I am one of those lurkers and it’s about time I introduce myself, this is my first post!

I am another career changer; I am a 26-year-old female, first time applicant. I am lucky enough to have not been too far into my career (2 years) before deciding to follow my dream. I graduated from a small liberal arts college in 2006 with a B.A. in history and international relations. I went from there and worked at a major fashion company for 2 years where I quickly realized how unfulfilling it was. I decided to try an anatomy and physiology course at night before quitting my job, to see if I was even capable to doing science classes (I completed absolutely zero sciences in college, unless you count astronomy). Well I loved it, did well, and the rest is history. I quit my job and went back to school full time, while working at a barn in my area, and shadowing veterinarians at a small animal hospital, and veterinary oncology clinic. I also worked as a volunteer at an Equine hospital for a few months, and as a veterinary assistant as a small animal practice.

I am also a high school rowing coach. I rowed in college, and now love coaching kids. I still row and have recently started running half marathons.

SDN has been so amazing! You all have really saved me from a lot of anxiety. Just knowing there are other people out there feeling the same way I do has gotten me though some tough moments. THANK YOU! I hope to get to know you better, now that I am no longer lurking in the shadows of SDN.

 

[goldnretrivrgrl]

This is a great thread! I'm a 22 year old senior at Penn State, majoring in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Biology. I'm graduating in May and attending vet school this fall. I have a golden retriever named Shadow (original, I know) and he's 13 years and 7 months old. I also love rats. My rat, Abby, is my avatar and I know she's looking down from rattie heaven right now and wondering why I'm on SDN and not reading the organic chem chapters assigned for this week. So I guess here are some random factoids!
-Oranges are my favorite fruit, especially this time of year
-I can't wait until spring! Winter is getting less and less fun as I get older. I miss the warmth
-I'm really a terrible dancer. I look like an idiot when I try 😳
-Cats make me sneeze so I usually have to take allergy medicine when I'm at the vet's office. It's not too bad unless I happen to touch my eyes after I've been touching a cat.
-I love reading and am currently on a huge Stephen King kick. I mentioned that at my Ohio interview as the tail end of the "Tell us about yourself" question and my interviewer laughed and said she likes his books too. I think that helped me get in

 

[futurevet3000]

This is a thread to get to know one another, not to criticize each other. I don't mean to harp on it, since others have already, but let's just all get along. Jamr0ckin, you have every right to defend yourself, and I think its exceptional that you have logged so many hours, makes my vet experience look silly, so job well done.

Anyway, since I too felt the need to just spit out stats, here is a little more about me...

I am sitting at work right now writing this (slow day for appointments). I hate when its slow, unlike some of my fellow vet assistants, I prefer a busy day filled with emergencies and lots of diagnostic workups!
I am a vegetarian, but do not preach vegetarianism. I simply inform people that they should research where their meat is coming from.
I love to be outside doing anything... winter time means snowboaring and running in freezing temperatures. Summer means riding lots of horses and still running.
I run with my purebred mutt, who is the best running partner in the world. He clocks 3 miles every other day.
This is all I talk about lately, but I am just overly excited (and feel free to roll your eyes, I would if I were you). My boy and I are going to vet school together (well its highly probable). He is the best, and I am a very very lucky girl. Made this whole process of applying that much easier, even though he might not agree (I am high strung and a worry wart)... thank you Edinburgh for accepting us both 😀
hurray for the UK!

 

[laitmanvet]

I've been on SDN for almost a year but here goes...

I'm 25 (so considered non-trad) and originally from NJ. I grew up there and completed my undergrad there. Soon after undergrad I moved to Philly for grad school and soon after that got a job in the city in research. I completed my thesis a little over a year ago and am still working in the same lab.
I did a research project undergrad working with ruminant parasites and loved it! My original plan with my graduate degree was to go into biotech/pharm/gov't research. At work I use mice extensively in my research and quickly became more interested in their clinical presentations than the basic science behind it...which is (among other reasons) why I decided on vet school. It happened to be a nice coincidence that I moved from a state with no vet school (NJ) to PA, which has Penn.
I LOVE skiing. This is the only reason I like winter. In college I got in about 20-30 days on snow every yr. (Hopefully I'll be going this weekend.) I also really like travelling. I've been lucky enough this yr alone to make it to 3 different countries in Europe. My friends are already counting on me going to RVC so they can come over and visit for the Olympics. (Which I admit does sound like an awesome idea.)

This is my second year applying...and with 1 interview, 3 rejections, and 2 no word yet I'm starting to think about what to do in the next yr. If I don't get in again I think I'm gonna make the move I had planned on earlier to biotech/pharm/gov't, do some re-vamping of my application, and figure out when to apply again.

 

[deleted266066]

.

 

[midnight89]

I refuse to be in an LDR for ANOTHER 4+ years.

I completely understand this as I am now edging on 4 years in a long distance relationship, and while it has been doable I certainly do not want it to go on for another 4 years. My boyfriend is currently applying to law schools right now, and we're trying to work it out so he's applying to areas close to where I applied to vet school so we have the option to hopefully be near each other next year and beyond. We'll see how it works out...

As for me! I'm 21 and from NY but I'm attending undergrad in New England. I'll be graduating this May with a BS in Animal Science.

At home I have 2 dogs, a black lab and a pointer mix who was rescud from a high-kill shelter. They share the house with 3 cats (2 of which belong to my sister) and 2 birds (cockatiels). I miss all of them a ton when I'm away at school, and I hope to eventually get my own pet while I'm in vet school.

Aside from veterinary medicine, I love music. I played the oboe for eight years and I also love to sing. I'm also a bit of a video game addict...not terrible as I don't have any systems myself except for a DS, but my boyfriend has an xbox and a wii and I tend to go over and play those for hours. I also like reading when I have the time (obsessed with Harry potter).

I am incredibly excited to graduate and move on to the next chapter in my life in vet school!

 

[clairbear]

I'm a sophmore at a college in Pennsylvania and will be applying for class of 2017 to hopefully Penn, Ohio, Mizzou, and another school or two yet to be determined. I run on my school's cross country team, have a work study job, and commute an hour to school which takes up way to much time. I'm pretty much going to have no life this semester unfortunately except for running with my friends, but at least I'm getting a bunch of yucky classes out of the way when I'm not so busy with the team. I have goats and two dogs, one thats pretty big and one that's tiny.

Veterinary experience-I shadow when I have time at a small animal vet and I have a bit of experience there and at another place I shadowed at in high school. I should be able to get large animal experience in the summer though which I'm so excited for.

Research-I have none, but I should have some after I do my research project at school.

Animal experience-I raise and breed a small herd of goats for 4-h and Boer goat shows which I love. I've helped milk dairy cows before, helped out with feeding and fitting my friends' pigs and sheep, and I should get experience with beef cattle and horses this summer because the vet that said I could shadow her said I would have to help out on her family's farm first to make sure I was able to handle the big animals good enough.

 

[DrKsomeday]

Ummm....
- Non-traditional pushing 35
- Two degrees but apparently that’s not enough to get into my IS school
- Received my rejection letter last night. 3rd time thanks KSU
- Tons of vet experience in small animal, large animal, rescue, shelter medicine, even spent three years at a zoo working in the vet department. One year paid as the Vet Tech even though I’m not licensed.
- Work at a great small animal clinic but less than part-time as I have a “big kid” job that pays too much to give up. I love the clinic and it’s my 2nd family. I’m considering tossing the big kid job for half the pay just to be at the clinic daily.
- No kids but I want them and feel that I’m picking between two lives. Probably just an excuse because childbirth scares the crap out of me.
- I own a small 10 acre farm that I bought about 2 years ago. I love my farm but don’t get to spend enough time doing what I want with it. I have one llama, four goats, chickens, ducks, and dogs and cats.
- Husband is a non-trad student which has been hard. He’s finishing up this May. He’ll be an engineer soon so that will make my life a million times easier.
- As for my day job I pretend to be a semi-sorta engineer and conduct energy audits and that kind of thing. I pretty much loath that fact. It’s noble work, saving the environment yada, yada it just seems so boring. I do however enjoy cashing my pay check.
- I have a license to sail any ship in the world, but I’ve never used it. LAME…
- I attended a service academy, it was hard but I learned a lot.
- I recently lost my chapstick and man did it tick me off. I can hardly walk-out of a drug store without stocking up. My office desk has at least 10 types all half used. My co-workers think it’s funny that I ALWAYS have chapped lips!
- I am probably certifiable.

 

[kaydubs]

In addition to being addicted to this SDN forum & wanting to become a veterinarian:

-I'm a South Korean adoptee, but I've lived in the states for almost 22 years. I'm the oldest girl, but 2nd child of 4 adopted children.
-I'm quite shy and introverted but in recent years, I've gotten better at being more of a people person. I'd still take animals & books over parties & people any day. 😉
-I love reading - in addition to my favorite young adults novels & authors which I may read forever, I've been reading a lot of animal books lately, particularly cognitive ethology. I can't support the thinking that animals are automatons (sorry Descartes...).
-I drink Coca cola & water (still trying to kick the soda habit) rather than alcohol 🙂
-I do love to travel - I want to see the world! As much as I am happy to curl up in my room at home & read a book, I'd love to travel to just about anywhere.
-I love music(listening more than playing but I still keep up with my violin). I would really love to learn how to play a horn especially a saxophone 😍
-I tend to be a workaholic & an overachiever (as I'm sure most of you can relate to this sometimes self-defeating characteristic).
-For some reason, I can watch the Food Network almost 24/7 especially Rachael Ray...
-I'm a huge chocoholic, I DESPISE shopping (unless forced or threatened), and collect lip gloss like it's my hobby (I love Bath & Body Works scents).


Oh, and I love long walks on the beach especially at night If anyone ever has questions or would like to chat, feel free to message me 😀

 

[turquoisewolves]

Why hello all.....
I started out as a long-time lurker about a year and a half ago and have sense started talking a little bit more.... gradually 🙂

-26 year old non-trad
-Animal Science B.S. 2007 then started working on my family's cattle ranch since then while attempting to build my own herd. I also do medical transcription on the side, which I really enjoy.
-My animals are my world (3 dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a horse)
-introverted and shy describes me...
-I love working in the outdoors which includes a lot of dirtbike riding along with recreation such as skiing and riding horses
-My main hobby is painting/drawing
-I love to read, just recently finishing up a Tolstoy phase and back into animal-related books with "Animals in Translation" currently.
-Hate shopping...even for groceries.
-2 animal related tattoos (one when I graduated high school, the other college...and hoping to get a third as a tribute to vet school..just haven't entirely decided on what)
-I drive a pickup and a 66 mustang and hope to get a motorcycle one day.
-Alcohol of preference=tequila
-I really like tv series on DVD....MASH is probably my favorite

This thread was a great idea. It is fun to see what everyone's interests are outside of school and application "talk"

Nice to meet you all!

 

[psilovethomas]

Thanks gone2dogs for pointing out how we have become stat-quoting, pre-vet robots to the point where when asked about ourselves we can't talk about anything but our gpa and vet related experiences.

Guilty😳. Let me rectify.
I'm a 20 year old at Michigan State University and was born and spent most of my life in the DC suburbs after moving around for many years. I had an itch to get out of DC, and so I did, and have never regretted my decision.
I don't drink, party or smoke, which kind of puts me in what I feel is the minority of college students. I'm the youngest of three children and have two dogs, Biscuit, a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, and Queso, an obese chihuahua. I enjoy hanging out with my roommate and friends, visiting my SO on the weekends, talking to my hamster, Wendy, and learning everything and anything about veterinary medicine.
I love my car and put a lot of time into keeping it in good condition. It's my pride and joy and I would love to keep it as long as possible, hopefully until I finish vet school. I'm a Subaru enthusiast and dream about owning an Impreza WRX STI. One day!😍 But for now, I'm happy with my Forester.

 

[tigerlily726]

Hiya!

Another introvert/infrequent poster here...but feel its only fair share a little about myself in exchange for SDN wonderfulness 🙂

I'm a senior at small liberal-arts college on the east coast, Bio major w/ a French minor, and first time applicant. I've wanted to be a vet since I was a kid and was lucky enough to get two lovely Christmas presents from OSU and Edinburgh! Feeling ecstatic and relieved but still waiting to see how things go with the IS.

At home, I've got three lovely cats (Kit Kat, Kiera and Scruff), two horses (Sierra, a Paint Horse, and Freddie, a Quarter Horse), and a red-ear slider named Sammy.

Besides hanging out with those guys, I'm a big-time reader (who also has serious issues w/ Descartes ideas about animals 😛), like getting into absurdly deep conversations with my roommates at ridiculous hours of the day, love traveling, and enjoy riding, tennis and, when the weather and my winter break cooperate, a little cross-country skiing.

...and of course stalking SDN

 

[light10]

👍👍 For heylodeb, g2d and everyone else who made this thread not about stats. Everyone is much more interesting, and unique, outside of gpa/gre/experience 😀

I'm currently finishing my PhD which pretty much covers my current life. ha. Actually, I've been blessed to have done my PhD work in a 'work hard, play hard' type lab but this dissertation writing thing is definitely putting me exclusively in the work hard category. I love anything outside, especially camping, hiking up mountains and prancing in circles with horses (i.e. how my boyfriend describes dressage ). I hate sitting still, watching movies and am generally impressively terrible in my knowledge of anything movie, music or pop culture related. I'd give you examples, but I usually don't even know why people are laughing so hard when I try to say something on these topics 😳. I do love bar trivia nights, though!

 

[squibby]

LET'S hear it for CHAPSTICK!!! it totally rocks!😀 I get panicky if I don't know where mine is every second...lol

I am also a chapstick addict.

ME 2!!! I am obsessed with chapstick. I dont even know how many I have, they are all over the place in my house, at school, the barn, bags, etc. I cannot live with out it..hhaa..

- I recently lost my chapstick and man did it tick me off. I can hardly walk-out of a drug store without stocking up. My office desk has at least 10 types all half used. My co-workers think it’s funny that I ALWAYS have chapped lips!

Yay! I am in such good company here!

Oh, and threw snowballs for our dog to catch, which is the most hilarious thing ever because she gets so confused when the snowball disappears.

I can totally picture it. So cute.

I also love rats. My rat, Abby, is my avatar and I know she's looking down from rattie heaven right now and wondering why I'm on SDN and not reading the organic chem chapters assigned for this week.

Aren't they the best pets ever? Such personalities they have!

-I also love junk food in general (anything with melty cheese.. pizza.. yum!), which amuses people since I'm fairly health conscious and the food in my house is mainly organic/low fat/low sodium etc.

👍

-Alcohol of preference=tequila

👍 (but it makes me slutty/flirty, which is better than vodka or rum which make me belligerent)

 

[Niteangel]

This thread is very appropriate!👍

About me! (non-vet)

-I am from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa.
-BS in Biology
-Master's in Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS)
-One cat named Auron (named from a character in Final Fantasy 10)
-When I am not at school/work I LOVE to keep fit. I recently ran in the Broad Street Run (10 miler) for the first time (2hrs 13min!) My goal is to get that down by 5-10 minutes each year until I get to a more "respectable" time 🙂 I am on a Dragon Boat team in the summer and this year I plan on joining a local women's soccer team in the spring
-My husband and I were married in St. Thomas, USVI this past June
-I currently work in a research laboratory working with an animal model for Chronic Daily Headache/Migraine (Essentially, I give rats headaches)
-Growing up I once had (at the same time) 7 cats, a rabbit, a guinea pig, 2 rats, a mouse, 14 hamsters (started as 2!) and 2 gerbils!

The Vet side of me
-This is my second year applying to UPenn (IS) First time applying to Tufts, NCSU, and CSU
-After vet school I plan to do a residency in Pathology or Lab. animal medicine
-After residency and board certification and a few years working in Lab. Animal/Research, I eventually want to work for the USDA or NIH (the regulatory side of Lab. Animal Science)

This was a great way to get to know what everyone is interested in! Good luck everyone🙂

 

[Buttercup50]

Hello everyone,

I am new and I must admit I am an avid lurker. I sincerely apologize. I am not shy, just lazy and wary of the internet. You guys all seem like nice people and deserve to know what a creeper I am so that its out in the open and we can all be friends 🙂 .

Soooo on with the introduction! I am a first time applicant and I applied to 7 schools. I had invites to interview at 4 and I am still waiting on hearing anything from the other 3. Among all of my lurking I have become obsessed with checking the UPenn stats about interview invites, acceptances and rejections all because I have yet to hear anything so far and it has been my dream for as long as I can remember.

I most interested in pursuing career in food animal/ mixed practice veterinary medicine. However most of my vet experience lies in small animal practice/ er small animal hospital.

My username is in reference to my favorite movie The Princess Bride and the name of my dog (looong story but it has nothing to do with the rapper).

I am thankful to everyone that posts on here. I am hoping later is better than never as far as introducing myself. I don't really know how to do anything except lurk so thats why I dont have an avatar.. hopefully I can figure that out soon.

Thanks again you guys and good luck to everyone. Everyone on here deserves to hear from the school of their dreams. You are all really good people!

 

[168135]

-Was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. Most relatives are still there, but my family moved many times and hopped across/back over the pond growing up. While making for interesting conversation when I first meet people, I hated it as a kid. My SO knows that I want to ideally find a job in a place and STAY THERE rather than carting my family around lol. I did pick up French along the way easily since I was young, as well as was exposed to a variety of cultures, on the plus side? My parents actually just moved, again, this time from VA to OH in August. They're crazy.

You were born in NS??? ME TOO! (Well, I'm still here...)

If you're comfortable telling me where you're originally from, PM me. I'm curious! Plus, Nova Scotia is a small place... for example, my best friend in grade 6 turned out to be my 9th cousin... and my dad used to work with my school's recruiter's father.

 

[twelvetigers]

Squibby's super cool introduction has made me want to play!

I agree with leaving out stats overall - my GPA and GRE don't define me as a person. If they did, I'd be pretty damn insulted after the eight rejections I've suffered so far, each probably (if not certainly) given out before anyone read about my experiences or glimpsed at my PS.

However, if they did bother to read that section, they would see that...

- I have about 104 hours of animal experience (not counting pet ownership, of course)
- I have one (long) summer of research with tick borne disease (F. tularensis!)
- I have two years working at a SA clinic and doing everything
- I have also traveled for two weeks to Central America to perform spays and neuters and provide other veterinary care to pets in impoverished or isolated areas
- I shadowed a LA vet for a summer, and I shadowed a SA/acupuncture vet in Montana for two weeks
- I did a pre-vet internship at the teaching hospital through the university I attend
- I shadowed clinical pathology rotations for a few hours one summer (~15)
- I worked for 2 years at an Antech lab located in the vet school
- I was an unofficial lab manager for one summer (I was supposed to do research, but ended up doing POs and paperwork instead)

Of all these experiences, my time at the diagnostic lab probably meant the most to me. I have loved seeing all the different aspects of vet med, but it really solidified my interest in microbiology, pathology, and clinical diagnostics in general. It's very frustrating to know that the only way to become a pathologist is to first get a DVM or DO/MD, the latter two I have little or no interest in.

Anywho, I'm 25 and I have been married for 4 years. I met my husband in high school. I owe him a lot - he's amazing and makes dealing with this stuff so much easier for me.

We have three pets - two black DLH kitties and a Pembroke Corgi. She has two different colored eyes (blue/brown) and was featured in my first avatar on the forum. 🙂 We live in a house in a nice neighborhood and I love it here, though we do plan to move out of Oklahoma someday.

No kids - waiting until I finish vet school/residency/whatever. Hopefully, we don't have to wait forever.

I will have two degrees come May - a B.S. in Zoology (which I finished last May) and a B.S. in Microbiology.

My favorite movie is Amelie (but I also have a soft spot for Rocky Horror Picture Show) and my favorite bad at this moment is either Vampire Weekend, Franz Ferdinand, or Ben Folds. I love AltNation on satellite radio. I also enjoy reading classic books - Tolstoy, Dickens, Hemingway, Salinger, Austen - and I hope I can feel 'caught up' someday since I spent most of my adolescence reading Stephen King.

I have pink hair - just for fun, and probably not permanent, but I do rather enjoy it. It will be brown soon for my hopeful interview(s?) but probably won't stay that way. Maybe I'll try purple...

Most of my friends are dudes - I call them my 'mantourage.' 🙂

I'm very picky about keeping my textbooks in perfect condition. I lent my biochem book for one of said 'dudes' last semester, and it came back with worn corners and a bent cover.... NOT pleased.

This process has been difficult, but I remain a steadfast optimist and all around cheerful person. I like to joke around, and I never take anything too seriously, though I do complain a lot. 😉

Oh, and I only use Burt's Bees. No chemicals! I'm allergic to something found in Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex, etc. and it makes my lips puff up.

 

[squirrelsrule]

Since I am guilty of spitting out stats everywhere, let me also post more about me 🙂.

As is mentioned in my stats, my animal experience is almost all from wildlife rehab. I LOVE wildlife rehab, it is my life, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have wild babies in my life! I rehab injured and/or orphaned cottontails, squirrels, opossums, groundhogs, bats, and songbirds. Cottontails are my favorite animals, they are amazing creatures! There is nothing cuter than a little eyes closed cottontail 😍.

I have a boston terrier, a rat terrier, and a bunny. The bunny isn't really a pet though, I mean he is but I just got him for the cecotrope donations he gives for the wild cottontail babies.

Besides rehabbing, I love going bird watching with my Boston Terrier. I also love hiking, camping (although I rarely do that now that I am always rehabbing in the summer), and swimming.

I am a certified scuba diver, although I haven't gone scuba diving anywhere but Lake Erie on our practice dive during the class. I would love to go someday though! I got the certification to be eligible for the internship at six flags, but they closed 2 weeks before I turned 18 🙁.

I am not a huge fan of travel, unless it involves wildlife. I am going to Florida this weekend to swim with the manatees and go kayaking 🙂.

Some weird things about me: I hate listening to music! I am a super picky eater.

In school, I love Math and Science classes. Geography is OK, history is tolerable, and I HATE English! I think if vet school had English classes I would be seriously reconsidering, that's how much I hate it!

 

[deleted266066]

.

 

[kaydubs]

-I hope to get a motorcycle one day.!

Me too 👍😍

 

[kaydubs]

I have pink hair - just for fun, and probably not permanent, but I do rather enjoy it. It will be brown soon for my hopeful interview(s?) but probably won't stay that way. Maybe I'll try purple...

Oh, and I only use Burt's Bees. No chemicals! I'm allergic to something found in Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex, etc. and it makes my lips puff up.

If I get a vote, I say PURPLE 😀 And Burt's Bees is awesome (sorry about your allergy...🙁)

I am going to Florida this weekend to swim with the manatees and go kayaking 🙂.

👍So jealous!!👍

 

[168135]

Haha yes I think you mentioned you were form NS more than once on here I noticed there were a few other fellow nova scotians in SDN also. I was born in Halifax - lived in Anandale (sp?) for 6 months then we trekked off to Ontario... and then moved again and again etc. Used to go back and visit yearly to see family but haven't had a chance to go back in a few years now.

My parents' stories of growing up there are always amusing since there is a never ending "small world" phenomenon with them; my mom's parents were high school teachers and she met MANY people over the years who were taught by one or both of them. Also, one time while my dad's car was parked up in Vermont on a road trip (his license plate had a reference to Acadia U), a random old guy came up to him and was like "heyyy I went there!". They start talking and it turns out he knew one of my dad's best friend's parents or something. I'm sure they have a bunch of other stories I haven't heard about or just don't remember.

Sure it's not Allendale? That's where my mom's side of the family grew up. I'm related to at least half of that area 😳

 

[canis13]

This seems like fun to join. I've been semi-absent from SDN for the last couple of weeks b/c my boyfriend was visiting, but this seems like a fun way to get back in the swing of SDN-ing (especially now that I have an interview to obsess over!)

- 22 years old (23 in March) and a dude (and gay, if you couldn't figure that out)
- I'm 5'4" (and my older sister is 3 inches taller than me...the source of family jokes for years)
- graduated with a bachelors degree in psychology (neuroscience) in May, and just finished a post-bacc semester at Penn, so this is the first time I will not be in school in 17 years (19 if you count pre-school)
- current plans are to intern with USDA/APHIS's Area Veterinarian-In-Charge (AVIC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming...will hopefully head out there after my Tufts interview, assuming the guy doesn't bail on me
- career plans are to work in veterinary public health and/or internationally. ideally i'll have a sweet job with the WHO, CDC, or USDA that includes traveling to lots of awesome places around the world, but I'll keep up my clinical skills by working at spay and neuter clinics on my days off (spay and neuter clinics are where I have the most experience so far).
- grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and am a HUGE Phillies fan. Oswalt + Lee + Hamels + Halladay = unbeatable this year
- went to boarding school in southern Vermont where I had to milk cows before class 6 days a week (only for 1 semester though...other semesters I did other work jobs, including kitchen duty & cleaning classrooms). went to college in Portland, Oregon.
- Vermont is where my heart lies, and I fully intend on settling down there one day, and I hope I can make my career match my ideal location
- I used to have 8 facial piercings, including my lip and my eyebrow, but now I'm down to 5 (decreased the amount of metal in my ears). still debating with myself about whether to take out my piercings for my interview...all of the advice I've gotten says to take out my face jewelry, but I've had piercing since I was 16, and it just feels like a part of who I am.
- love being outdoors and participating in any activity that involves the outdoors. right now I'm enjoying snowboarding season.
- the title of my senior thesis was "Testosterone and 17β-estradiol in Male Cynomolgus Monkeys Self-Administering Ethanol", but for our college's senior yearbook thing, we got to make up joke titles for our thesis, so mine was "Drunk monkeys get more boners"
- I have 2 cavalier king charles spaniels at home, but since I've been gone for so long, they're mostly my mom's dogs now (especially charlie, our 9 year old ruby, who has turned into the biggest mama's boy ever, and kind of doesn't care that I exist anymore...oh well).
- planning to adopt a pitbull as soon as my life settles down a little bit. I also want a tuxedo cat. the rest of my animals will be whatever stray wanders across my path.
- addicted to HGTV and sunflower seeds

 

[168135]

Ooo, I want a cool introduction too!

I'm an aquarius!

I was born in Town With Boring Name, moved to Tar Pond Central, moved to Texas, moved back to Tar Bond Central, moved back to Town With Boring Name... and... well... I'm still in Nova Scotia (the point I was trying to make, without giving too much info away, was that I moved... a lot... and always ended up back in the same place)

I'm not married and I cannot see myself getting married anytime soon. I've got at least a year and a half to go in my long distance relationship. We'll be dating for 3 years this March. He's a computer science major, yet he does not know how to make my printer work on my laptop.

I'm allergic to weird things: shower water in certain areas, Golden Graham Squares (which they don't make anymore), the skin off peaches and Amoxicilin.

I have the strangest dreams. I can see, touch, taste, smell and feel things in all of my dreams.

No-bake cherry cheese cake is my favorite food of all time. Did I mention I am a vegetarian?

I get sick fairly easily.

I'm a biologist. I've loved every biology course I have taken, and I've done well in all of them.

I suck at chemistry.

Right now, I'm doing an honours thesis involving trematode identification. I don't think I would mind doing a masters on the subject, but we'll see.

I love to try new things. I didn't let my fear of public speaking stop me from joining the drama club. Turns out I LOVE being on stage. Also, the only reason why I decided to an honours thesis is because I met the grade requirement. If you've got the grades, why not give it a shot and see what happens? I like it... and then I hate it... and then I like it again... but I don't regret doing it.

I am somewhat of a neat freak. My super small apartment is so cluttered that it is currently driving me bananas.

Because I moved around a lot, I wasn't allowed to have animals growing up. We got our first cat when I was 15 and I kept fish when I got a chance. Due to my lack of space and lack of cash, I acquired three gerbils (Mac, Hawk and Beeg). I cannot wait until I'm in the position to get a dog!

... did I do a good job? I donno.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm an aquarius!

Are you sure? They recently changed all those around. (And added a new one?) I was a Virgo and now I'm a Leo. Weird!

I think it's bunk anyways, but it's still strange.

 

[Shadow23]

Are you sure? They recently changed all those around. (And added a new one?) I was a Virgo and now I'm a Leo. Weird!

I think it's bunk anyways, but it's still strange.

Whaaat?! I used to be a Cancer and now I am a Gemini! I don't follow astrology either, but I still feel - I dunno - sorta like a part of my identity was taken away or like I've been lied to and just found out the truth. It's strange how your perception of your identity works, even related to something you don't believe in.

 

[NStarz]

Just found this out:::::the new signs only apply if you are born after 2009! So all the 2010 babies reading their horoscopes will be really confused, but we're still good 😉

 

[Shadow23]

Just found this out:::::the new signs only apply if you are born after 2009! So all the 2010 babies reading their horoscopes will be really confused, but we're still good 😉

*PHEW* my identity is still intact!

 

[DVMDream]

I am also guilty of stat spitting, so here is fun stuffs...

• I'm 22 years old.
• I have 2 amazing dogs: Cassie (an australian shepherd) and Snickers a.k.a my Doodle Bugger (a 13 year old border collie)
• I have an 11 year old black DSH... P.J. If you ask my sisters they will tell you her name is Moukiey.
• The above pets are "family" pets. I have my own kitten: Na' Vi. She looks a bit like a Russian Blue and is the funniest thing in the world! 😍
• I have 3 sisters and no brothers; I am used to living with and being around girls.
• I love to sing in the car really loudly to music even though I suck at it
• I love to go hiking anywhere. It is so much fun and nothing is as rewarding as making it to the top! Or in case of the lava tubes: to the end. 🙂
• I have recently started to try reading again and am having a very slow start at it. I used to love reading but since I have gotten older I seem to not do as much of it so I am trying to find some good books to read (open to any good suggestions)
• I can solve a Rubik's Cube in about 3 minutes.

That is all I can think of now. I am not very good at talking about myself. 😛

 

[LMMS]

Good to see that folks have decided that stats aren't all they're made of! And now a little 'bout the non-vet me...

36 YO SWF.

I used to be a Leo; but, as of this morning, I'm a Cancer thanks to the Earth's rotation. Don't know if I'm going to comply. Thank goodness I'll always be a Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiac!

I have a bachelors in psychology, a masters in biopsychology, and walked away from a PhD program in behavioral neuroscience the day I discovered that the health and welfare of the animals was more important to me than the research.

Born and raised in NJ, but have lived/worked in PA, AL, WI and MD.

First generation American on my father's side. I'm one of those 'Greek-Americans' and am very happy my father was not a restauranter!

Several of my best friends are gay or bisexual. They call me 'straight but not narrow'.

I have a 13-year-old cat who really is my furry child.

I have a 8 month old niece who amazes me every time I see her.

I had a really cool internship with the US Army during grad school where we tested drugs on Blackhawk pilots.

Music is my 'thing'. I'm an old concert and marching band geek - I play the piano, flute and several percussion instruments. I was drum line captain in high school and woodwind section leader in college.

I've been an overnight radio station DJ and have DJ'ed in clubs.

I 😍 beer!

I'm a Seinfeld level cerealholic - Cheerios, Chex, Cap'n Crunch, and Frosted Flakes are favorites.

I love watching cartoons.

Man vs. Food entertains the crap out of me.

I used to run, but can't any longer because my orthopedist won't let me (eventually, I'm going to need a knee replacement).

Finally, I'm a bit of a sports nut:

I worship the NY Yankees (third generation fan) but all of baseball is near and dear to my heart.

The NJ Devils make the ice a beautiful place for me.

The NY Giants and Green Bay Packers are my football boys. Yes, I'm well aware they're in the same division. It's just hard not to be a fan when you live is WI - it's a religion!! I even own a cheese head! 😀

 

[deleted266066]

.

 

[HopefulAg]

* Rides a motorcycle

Whoa, I didn't know that. What kind?

 

[bluewinks]

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a while and finally decided to create an account. I'm a 24-year-old female living in the midwest. I graduated a couple years ago and received a BS in psychology and zoology. I've wanted to be a vet ever since I can remember. Unfortunately, I finished college with a lousy 2.8 cumulative GPA. I gave up on myself pretty early in my college career, and every C that I received in science courses only confirmed my suspicions that I wasn't smart enough for vet school. By the time senior year rolled around, I had convinced myself that I would be happy with any sort of job, and I really didn't want another job working with animals because I figured it would just remind me of what I couldn't accomplish. I got a job working with the marketing department at a non-profit organization, and within a few months I was completely bored and uninterested in the work, and my mind began to wander back to veterinary medicine. I recently acquired a new job working with lab animals at a research facility, and I couldn't be more excited! I've only been there for a few weeks, but I absolutely love it!

I spoke with an adviser at the local vet school, and she recommended that I return to undergrad full-time for a year to complete nothing but hardcore upper level science classes and get A's in them.

This sounds so much easier said than done. I still don't really know how to study. I'm afraid that this is my last chance to improve my grades for vet school, and if I fail at this I don't know what I will do. I've never taken o-chem, biochem, or the GRE. I got a D in genetics. I've also got this new full-time job to throw in the mix. I don't know if I'd be able to handle full-time school with a full-time job, and I don't want to quit the new job to go back to school because if school doesn't work out then I've got nothing. ahhh!! These are the things I worry about when I think about my future. 😱

Have any of you been in a situation like this? How did you manage a full-time job with school?

This site is awesome, by the way. I look forward to contributing more. 🙂