need help classifying experience

[sheltervet]

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For the VMCAS application, what exactly is considered "academic
experience" in regards to including it as an entry in the veterinary or
animal experience list? I sent this question to VMCAS, and they just regurgitated the
instructions on their website...hopefully others who are working on their applications
will have some actual advice!

I'm struggling with how to classify some of my experience, mainly because
several of my experiences that are related to animals or veterinary
medicine did not actually entail physically handling animals.

For example, I did a three credit independent study under the guidance
of a veterinarian (who is also a professor), with my study focusing on a topic
in the field veterinary public health. Would this be an academic
experience that I could list under "veterinary experience?" I also took
a course from the same professor focusing on the epidemiology of
zoonotic diseases...should this be listed under "veterinary experience?"

Another example: I took a course (including a laboratory) in
mammalogy; the course focused on many aspects of mammals, including
physiology, anatomy, evolution, and ecology...is this an academic
experience that could be listed under "animal experience?" We didn't
handle any live animals...just a whole lot of dead specimens!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[turtlturtlturtl]

hey there...sorry, i don't have any real advice for ya, just wanted to commiserate. talk about vague directions, vmcas!

 

[Angelo84]

Hi guys,
The directions may have change from last year but this is what I did. I only put live animal vet related stuff in the vet section (volunteering or working), in the animal section I put stuff that was not related to directy to vet med, ie field work such as work with turtles. I did not put any of my course work in the vet/animal fields I just listed it as course work and then mentioned some of the more hands on aspects of it in my personal statement. So I mentioned showing sheep and taking laboratory animal which involved working with rats weekly and ended with us castrating the males so we could take our pair home without having lots of baby rats!

Good luck!

 

[Pigsfoot]

wouldn't it be that since these were courses you took-they would be just under your course listings as zoology or whatever the course was named? The way I understood it-the experience sections for veterinary, animal and employment are for us to list those things, not classes we took..? Unless it was a class through say, a shelter-then i guess i'd classify that under volunteer or employment, depending on what your individual situation was for that.