On the right track? I know everyone asks this...

[Els9547]

Ok, so I know everyone asks this question....but I just found this site and thought it might be a great opportunity to get some advice...

I'm 20, a rising senior at my school, currently a 3.5 GPA (I had a not so hot first semester my freshman year (had a health issue that needed surgery and the school was NOT very helpful/understanding with missed class time) but I have had two 4.0's a 3.8 and a 3.9 since and luckily was only taking one biology class that first semester so my biology GPA is still wonderful.

I have a lot of outside animal experience (have shown/trained/assisted with minor vet work on horses for almost 10 years) as well as humane society volunteer work, have worked as a technician at a small animal clinic and am now employeed at an emergency clinic. Studying for the GRE, planning on taking that this spring. I already have my letters of recommendation lined up and have a personal statement in the works.

The only thing I am concerned about is the lack of clubs/leadership stuff. My school is heavily orientated towards business and nursing majors but there aren't a whole lot of clubs for the Biology kids, not to mention I probably would be able to make the times for the meetings. Also, I have the opportunity to do some research with sea turtles this summer, but I don't want to overload things. I might just be being paranoid, but it is soooooo competitive these days, you have to look for anything to stand out. ANY advice or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[twelvetigers]

I think you're freaking out about nothing.

I'd give my left foot for your credentials, basically.

Clubs are nice, but not THAT important. The really important things are experience, grades, GRE, personal statement, and recommendations. Since you have all those bases covered... honey, please. Stop worrying about it!

 

[HopefulAg]

I think you're in pretty good shape.

And if you ever want to, ya know, swap GPAs, I'm here for ya.

 

[LadyHitokiri]

Clubs/extracurricular activities are a good way to showcase who you are as a person other than just someone who works with animals and goes to school. I know that some vet schools don't really care about clubs as much but they definitely want you to be able to talk about your experiences as a leader, team member, volunteer, etc. As long as you prove those qualities elsewhere, then that's alright I think.

By lack of clubs, do you mean you haven't done any or that you've barely done any? My suggestion is that if you can't find a club at your school, join some type of community group such as a mentoring program at a local school, or volunteering at a homeless shelter. Even if you go twice a month, that's something!

Since you don't have much time (like the rest of us!) then I'd just recommend joining one thing right now, and then maybe switch to something else for the summer (if you can). If not, then just be aware that some vet schools prefer some extracurriculars/community involvement. I know that the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign Vet school looks for specific qualities like if someone is in Habitat for Humanity, or is the Treasurer of the Writer's Club, or something like that. It can be anything you want to do! Have fun with it!

 

[Els9547]

Thanks everyone,
By not being involved I mean my name is technically on the membership list for the Pre-Vet club but I haven't been able to actually ATTEND the rabies clinic's or many of the other activities. I don't really hold a leadership position within the club, I'm just a member. I have some leadership from my horse experience, we had teams and organizations for different things and I was really involved in a lot of those. Basically, I didn't know how much of a factor it would be...I'm planning on applying to NCSU as my main school (in-state for me) and Univ. of Penn and Tufts (that one I know is probably a long-shot but it's kind of always been one of those schools I just HAD to try to apply to, just to see)

 

[elefante7]

Also, I have the opportunity to do some research with sea turtles this summer

You got my attention with that. What kind of research will you be doing?

Also, I agree with the others that a large involvement in clubs is not really that important.

 

[Els9547]

Sorry for the late reply...exams..lol. It would be research involving the collection of sea turtle eggs and nesting habits here in Wilmington. I am not really sure exactly what it involves, I haven't gotten much information yet..