Rejected and applying again, advice please =)

[Cherrywheat]

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Hi everyone! First off I'd like to say how much I love this forum, I lived on it while I was applying last fall. It still surprises me how supportive all the contributors are.

I applied last fall to be a LA vet with admittedly now a fairly weak resume. I'm about to graduate with a BS in biology only three years, so family and friends urged me to apply since they believed I had a "head start." I had ~100 hours of veterinary experience and a pretty fatalist attitude about the entire process (I was starting and finishing supplemental essays the night before they were due. I know. Terrible.) Not to mention several of the schools I applied to didn't like that I had several pre-reqs still waiting completion: North Carolina disqualified me for that in fact. I guess leaving A&P I and II, Physics I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II, and Biochemistry to my senior year was an unwise choice...

Not surprisingly, I was rejected out right from four out of five schools, but was invited to interview at University of Missouri and was then wait-listed. A couple weeks ago, I emailed about my status and they informed me all seats had been filled. I have not been outright rejected yet, but I figure my chance is about as good as my dog learning how to read and write.

Now that all the painful "Yes, I was rejected" process of telling my friends and family is over (it was actually the worst telling my boyfriend's family I was rejected--even his sister-in-law's parents were asking me about my progress, lol), I'm starting to plan how I'll work to make my resume much more competitive. The fatalist attitude has been replaced with a competitive, "let's do it right this time" attitude.

I would love it if I could get some advice or thoughts about my resume-building plan for this summer and fall, or just opinions on whether I even have a shot at getting into vet school this time. I figure if I start May 25th and aim for 30-40 hour weeks shadowing, volunteering, and working, best case scenario I can have 570-760 hours by October 1st.

My Plan (open to reinterpretation):
-Retake GRE to try and boost my score of 1270.
-Volunteer at Spring Farm Cares. They have a wide variety of LA and SA that should diversify my experience.
-Possibly also volunteer at the zoo near me? The zoo is pretty crappy and from experience with them in Junior High, I know I'll have zero contact with animals beyond the hedgehogs and little snakes they use for demonstrations. But it is exotics experience..
-Maybe volunteer at the nearby humane society. I know I'll get hands on experience there.
-Apply for a job at petsmart, or get a job cleaning stalls at a horse barn.
-Shadow a LA vet I shadowed briefly last summer, I already emailed her asking if I could start again this summer.
-Take more science classes next year to keep myself sharp.

Since I loved the successful applications thread, I'm using that format to give you my current stats, pre-improvement 🙂

About to be 2nd time applicant, 21 years old, Female, NY resident

Applied: Illinois, Iowa, Cornell, Missouri, North Carolina
Interview: Missouri
Rejected: All!

Degrees:
B.S. in Biology, SUNY Oneonta

Cum GPA @ time of application: Estimated ~3.7, have not taken my finals for my last semester yet.
Last 50: 3.63
Science: 3.73
GRE: 590V, 680Q, writing 5

Honors and Awards:
- SUNY Oneonta President's Scholarship
- Dean's List 4 out of 6 Semesters
- Provosts Award 2 Semesters
- Graduated in 3 Years
- AP Scholar Award
- Susan Sutton Award for Academic Excellence

Veterinary Experience:
- 105 hours experience SA
- 15-20 hours experience LA

Animal Experience:
- ~1 year experience on IHSA equestrian team
- ~3 years experience on Oneonta State Equestrian Team (non-showing)
- ~10 years experience riding and showing horses
- ~34 hours volunteering once a week at Therapeutic riding barn this school year
- ~30 hours Independent Study in Fish Parasitology

Other Work Experience:
- Summer part-time job as hostess/busser at cafe
- Pet-sitter/babysitter (back in HS though)

Extracurricular/Community Activities:
- Brief stint as Salvation Army Volunteer/Hope House Volunteer
- Trained and ran three 5k races and the Boilermaker 15k race, training to run the 15k again this summer

Letters of Recommendation
- Parasitology Professor
- SA Veterinarian
- Genetics Professor

Anyway, thanks for reading, I probably forgot some things but other than the grades most of this was off the top of my head..any feedback or advice would be appreciated!

 

[nyanko]

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[Cherrywheat]

Iowa State sent me an email saying I can request a review starting May 16th, but I haven't done research into getting reviews from any of the others. That is a really good idea, I'll have to look into that! I know about the GRE format change, I was thinking about taking it before August so I can avoid having to re-buy a prep book and learn the new format.

 

[Daktari Tumbili]

Sounds like you have a good plan for getting more veterinary experience (SA and LA) which is crucial in proving to the admission committee that you know what vet med is all about and are prepared for what is ahead. Do a file review and ask how they felt your LORs were. When you start to shadow make it a point to get to know the vets well so they can potentially write you stronger LORs. Search around for a vet assistant job as I think paid experience has a little more weight than shadowing.

 

[Halebug]

I think that you have a pretty good application. Besides your experience hours I think your application is def competitive so I would look back on some of the other parts of your application that may have caused them to turn you down...for example your personal statement and supplemental essays. I think sometimes people forget that those are the parts of the application that make you really unique...everyone will have volunteer hours, and working hours, and all that other stuff, but your written statements are all yours to make yourself stand out!

I also think if you are planning to track large animal that you need a lot more large animal hours...try to look at it from their point of view. If you don't have all that many large animal hours they assume you don't have enough passion for it to get more and/or don't know enough about it to really make the decision to do that for the rest of your life. Not to mention a lot of people think saying they want to be a large animal vet will get them accepted because there is such a shortage and I am sure they get sick of people doing that (not saying you are just saying that could be the vibe they are getting).

Also...I had the same experience as you at a local zoo. I did an internship and was only involved with the small contact animals. I recommend talking to someone about working with the zookeepers...I told them I was interested in vetmed and that I wanted to just shadow the keepers. The thing is they were so happy to have someone to talk to and work with that I got some really amazing experiences with them! I know it really sucks to get rejected from schools and that it is even HARDER telling people about it...keep your head up! You are on the right track! Good luck with this application cycle!

 

[Cherrywheat]

Do a file review and ask how they felt your LORs were. When you start to shadow make it a point to get to know the vets well so they can potentially write you stronger LORs. Search around for a vet assistant job as I think paid experience has a little more weight than shadowing.

Thank you, I just took your advice and emailed Illinois, Cornell, and Missouri about application reviews, asking specifically about my essays, experience, and LORs. The vet assistant job may be a bit more difficult but it's definitely worth looking for. I have four emails out right now to a veterinarian and the 3 colleges, so I'm just sitting on my hands and waiting anxiously now 😳

 

[Cherrywheat]

I also think if you are planning to track large animal that you need a lot more large animal hours...try to look at it from their point of view. If you don't have all that many large animal hours they assume you don't have enough passion for it to get more and/or don't know enough about it to really make the decision to do that for the rest of your life. Not to mention a lot of people think saying they want to be a large animal vet will get them accepted because there is such a shortage and I am sure they get sick of people doing that (not saying you are just saying that could be the vibe they are getting).

Also...I had the same experience as you at a local zoo. I did an internship and was only involved with the small contact animals. I recommend talking to someone about working with the zookeepers...I told them I was interested in vetmed and that I wanted to just shadow the keepers. The thing is they were so happy to have someone to talk to and work with that I got some really amazing experiences with them! I know it really sucks to get rejected from schools and that it is even HARDER telling people about it...keep your head up! You are on the right track! Good luck with this application cycle!

I hadn't even thought of that for the zoo! They might be up for it, but I don't know, it's a pretty miserable little zoo...they have snow leopards that pace incessantly in exhibits about as large as my dorm room, an exhibit with just a bald eagle and a white tailed deer in it, another exhibit with a wolf hybrid and a husky (not even kidding, apparently they're friends and they thought the two justified their own exhibit), and just within the past year and a half both of their tigers died of kidney disease, along with a sea lion, and one of the bears. Yet they somehow recently got the funding to get two lions.... *twitch* Variety of experience is still so valuable though that I'm considering it, especially if I can avoid the hedgehog and snake zoomobile route and get in with the zookeepers.

I am definitely most concerned about getting more LA experience. During my interview, one of the vets mentioned my desire to be an LA vet and she said something to the effect of, "As you well know, there is a shortage of LA vets..." Now I bet with my lack of hours she thought I was trying to use the shortage to my advantage. Frankly I am unsure if I will eventually be a large animal vet or an equine vet, I would prefer the second but I am being truthful in my applications because I would probably not have enough clients as an exclusively equine vet.

 

[NStarz]

I would also keep in mind that there is a big difference in terms of veterinary vs. animal experience. Adcoms regard the first more highly in terms of admissions. It seems like many of the 'to do' items on your list would qualify as animal experience. While getting experience at a zoo (albeit a poorly run one, as it sounds) would be great experience for you personally, you'd probably be best spending your time getting quality veterinary experience. (ie, with veterinarians--zookeepers are not veterinarians). Instead of just volunteering at the humane society walking the dogs/socializing the cats, see if you can spend a day with the veterinarian (if there is one).

I think your GRE and grades are solid, so I'm not sure I would focus more of my time (if I were in your position) studying for and taking the GRE. Focus on the veterinary experience, especially on large animal. If you haven't experienced more than 10 hours of a profession (LA vet), it's difficult to say that you would be able to personally sacrifice 4 years of your time and $200,000 in debt to achieve that goal.

Keep your chin up! I think you'll be able to present a competitive application this year!

 

[Breezyte]

I would also keep in mind that, as my pre-vet adviser told me, it is a lot harder to turn someone down in person. Show up with your resume when you drop it off, then at least someone has seen your face and associates you with a potential pre-vet and not just an anonymous email. However it may be hard to get employment at a vet when you know that you will (hopefully! 😀) be leaving to go to vet school!
Good luck, otherwise everything else seems good!

 

[Tator17]

I think that you have a pretty good application. Besides your experience hours I think your application is def competitive so I would look back on some of the other parts of your application that may have caused them to turn you down...for example your personal statement and supplemental essays. I think sometimes people forget that those are the parts of the application that make you really unique...everyone will have volunteer hours, and working hours, and all that other stuff, but your written statements are all yours to make yourself stand out!

👍

This. Your applications seems very strong. If you're taking care of the LA experience portion, I think this would be the next place to turn your attention.

 

[PocoCalypsoQH]

Right off the bat, I would not spend any time retaking the GRE or taking any more classes beyond pre-reqs and what you need to graduate. Your GRE is very competitive and your grades look great. The number one thing is that if you are saying that you want to do large animal, you need WAY more LA hours than SA hours and it is absolutely ESSENTIAL that you have your LOR from a vet be from a LA vet that you have worked with.

I was basically in the same boat as you the first time I applied. I had a lot more SA hours (because they are a lot easier to get) and I had my vet LOR from a SA vet. The file reviewer flat out told me that the admissions committee would not accept someone who said they wanted to do LA without a letter from a LA vet that you have shadowed/worked with. By the time I got accepted, I had about 400 LA and 40 SA shadowing hours, so it's not like like you need a thousand hours or anything, but you do need to get enough that you can get a great LOR from the vet.

Volunteering is also good in general no matter if it is SA, LA, or not related to animals at all. I think it kind of shows what kind of a person that you are...that you are willing to help those in need even if you aren't benefiting monetarily. On the volunteering vs paid thought, I would say it is basically impossible to get a paid LA vet experience, so I would take whatever you can get.

 

[twelvetigers]

I think the number of classes you had left to complete may have hurt you the most. With that problem out of the way, get some solid vet hours and work hard on the PS and supplementals this year. With those, I think you might have better luck!

I would not take time doing the GRE again unless a school that you desperately want to apply to requires it.

 

[that redhead]

If it were me, I wouldn't re-take the GRE, especially since they'll be changing the format. I don't think its worth your time, sicne your GPA is very strong and your GRE is solid.

I would pick one or two places to gain experience. As mentioned above, veterinary experience is more "valuable", if you will, than just animal experience. So maybe shadow the LA vet and then volunteer at the shelter, for example. I think this would serve you better than scattering yourself to all of these places for a month or so, or volunteering there until October but with fewer hours.

The intangibles are the eLORs and your personal statement. The schools that rejected you can provide feedback, but maybe retooling your PS might help. You're more likely to get a good LOR from someone who knows you well, so its worth cultivating those relationships. Send your PS to a variety of people you trust to provide you good feedback.

 

[sumstorm]

I'd also suggest that if LA is where your interests lie, try to get experiences with an LA vet; sanctuary farms and herd health are often operated by very different drivers.

I'd agree that having quite a few stumbling block pre-reqs to finish probably hurt you.

 

[Cherrywheat]

Thank you everyone for replying, cause wow, I didn't expect so many helpful responses =)

I'm still torn about the GRE issue...I didn't prepare much for the verbal, and as for the quantitative, I glanced at the book the night before, got freaked out about the math and went to bed. Now I'm fresh out of calculus based physics 2, expecting a B+/A-, and I feel like the quantitative would be much better. But honestly I would rather not take it. The GRE isn't exactly a bunch of laughs and a puppy.

I really thought before that it was a fairly even split between veterinary and animal experience, and it does change my perspective on my plan to know that veterinary experience is vastly more important.

I will need to read up on the topics concerning supplemental essays and the PS, because although I didn't think my PS was bad, I really did no research into what exactly schools are looking for.

My next issue is just to decide which schools I'll apply to again of my first-round schools: Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, Missouri, and Cornell. I don't really want to apply to Cornell again, since I've been told that noone from my SUNY school has ever been accepted to their vet program. A kind gentleman at a wedding recently too cornered me and told me that my 3.7 was at the low end of scores Cornell accepted, and that I needed the backing of someone important, like a politician, to get in. That was sweet.
I imagine I'll be pressured to apply to Cornell again anyway though b/c my family is so hopeful that I'll go to school nearby.
I will apply to Missouri again, since I got an interview and wait-listed when I had a weaker resume.
I don't think I should apply to NC since I don't believe they take many OOS'ers?..
As for Illinois and Iowa, I haven't decided. I may add Ohio and Penn as they take more OOS applicants.

 

[PendantWorld]

I will need to read up on the topics concerning supplemental essays and the PS, because although I didn't think my PS was bad, I really did no research into what exactly schools are looking for.

My next issue is just to decide which schools I'll apply to again of my first-round schools: Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, Missouri, and Cornell. I don't really want to apply to Cornell again, since I've been told that noone from my SUNY school has ever been accepted to their vet program. A kind gentleman at a wedding recently too cornered me and told me that my 3.7 was at the low end of scores Cornell accepted, and that I needed the backing of someone important, like a politician, to get in. That was sweet.

I wouldn't rule out Cornell just yet... I am not the only SUNY graduate that is a member of the incoming class, and I know of a couple CUNY students entering as well (though I don't know about any stats from your school in particular). My GPA (at the time of application) was a 3.67, so obviously not impossible there either. I certainly didn't have a politician backing me either! I did have a Cornell alum write one of my LORs, but I wouldn't say that that was what made the difference. I think the big thing that you had going against you were your low number of hours and your incomplete pre-reqs, but all the advice on this thread has been very sound so far and I don't have much to add.

 

[lareinesoleil]

I would also keep in mind that, as my pre-vet adviser told me, it is a lot harder to turn someone down in person. Show up with your resume when you drop it off, then at least someone has seen your face and associates you with a potential pre-vet and not just an anonymous email. However it may be hard to get employment at a vet when you know that you will (hopefully! 😀) be leaving to go to vet school!
Good luck, otherwise everything else seems good!

That's often true, but don't give up, because one of the places I work at LOVES that I'm available only in the summer when they're busier anyway and dealing with people taking vacations, and I won't be sitting there getting paid to do nothing during the slow winter months. So use that to your advantage when applying 😀

 

[Psorophoraferox]

But honestly I would rather not take it. The GRE isn't exactly a bunch of laughs and a puppy.

What?? I was promised a puppy! I want my money back!