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Has anyone ever been rejected due to not enough volunteer or vet exp?
If you were rejected what did they tell you?
If you were rejected what did they tell you?
Has anyone ever been rejected due to not enough volunteer or vet exp?
If you were rejected what did they tell you?
My file review from CSU also said that I had a "limited" number of clinical hours (I had about 360 hrs). I feel that that was the only thing against me, considering both my GRE and GPA were very strong. 🙁
I didn't get into CSU last year and was told that my 190 hours of vet experience was what made me uncompetitive compared to the successful applicants. The person who did my file review told me to shoot for closer to 1,000 hours total before re-applying. I got up over 700 hours and was accepted this time around. In addition to helping with the vet experience requirement, I think the extra hours also meant the letter of rec from the vet I was working with was stronger because she knew me so much better.
I am planning to apply to OSU this October and am a little worried about my vet experience hours. I am not sure what counts and what doesn't. I probably have to call, but maybe some of you can give me pointers. My main question is how did you guys get your experience hours in, just shadowing or did you have jobs with the vets? I am shadowing now (up to 33 hours 😳) and will get in at least 100 hours. They recommend 1000 though for a competitive application. Not quite sure how to get that many. I could keep shadowing, but I am not actually doing anything, if you know what I mean. I have a job that has nothing to do with animals at all and was planning to keep it until I got accepted, but if need be, I could quit early for more shadowing time. Just not sure how much it matters. My grades are excellent (3.99) and I got a 1280 on the GRE 🙂. It's just vet experience I am lacking in. I have animal experience hours and volunteer hours no problem because I am a wildlife rehabber and volunteer at a local wildlife center as well as running my own non-profit wildlife center.
So, of course, I have a TON of wildlife experience. I am a licensed Category 2 rehabilitator and take in injured and/or orphaned bunnies, squirrels, opossums, groundhogs, bats, and songbirds. I have been a rehabber for 8 years and have my own non-profit wildlife rescue. I am not sure it counts as vet experience though, because it is under the direction of a vet but I only see the vet if the animal needs to be euthanized or needs surgery or something similar, other than that I am on my own. I have run catheters on cottontails with spinal trauma that weren't peeing on their own, I tube feed orphaned cottontails and opossums, I have splinted broken bones, tons of experience dressing wounds and treating infections, I dose meds. all the time, and other stuff like that. I guess my question is: is that vet experience, or just animal experience?
Anyone have suggestions? Did you guys get jobs in the vet office or just shadow. The vets are great about letting me shadow, but with school and work and rehabbing, I don't have that much time.
Thanks for the quick responses 🙂. I think it's safe to say I have my animal experience hours covered 🙂. I volunteered at a petting zoo caring for all kinds of exotics and farm animals (horses, a zebra donkey cross, camels, bobcat, serval cats, emus, a kangaroo, goats, prairie dogs, rabbits, etc.) for 2 summers before I got into wildlife rehab and then I have been rehabbing for 8 years. I easilly have over 10,000 animal experience hours. I rehab 150 animals a year on my own.
I guess I will keep up the shadowing and may have to quit my job earlier than anticipated to continue getting experience hours. I can't shadow too much in the summer because I won't give up rehabbing until I actually get into vet school, it will be hard enough to give it up for 4 years and with rehabbing and working full time, I have virtually no free time in the summer. I can hopefully shadow at the emergency vet clinic on Sundays in the summer instead of volunteering at the wildlife center this year and that will get me some more experience hours, but no where near 1000! They may be looking for someone to work weekends at the animal emergency clinic because one of the "vet techs" is quitting at the end of the month. They don't require you to be a registered vet tech to work as a tech there, so I could possibly get in there, which would be awesome, but would mean I would have to quit my regular job much sooner than expected and not sure about insurance.
Will do a search to get more ideas on vet experiences people have. An internship, even if unpaid would be great. I just want to do something, if you know what I mean.
Might have questions for you EllieGirl, especially as the time to apply gets closer. I went to a small college and lived at home, it is gonna be a huge change for me living in a dorm room (I am thinking I will probably live in the grad. dorm, but definitely far from decided). I am really leaning toward living alone because I am a big time studier and I need it to be QUIET! I think the grad dorm will be quieter than an apartment, but I could be wrong about that. Plus, living in a big city will be a change so staying on campus at least the first year might help get me used to it.
Oh and HUGE congrats to getting in 👍. How many times did you have to apply? I haven't talked to anyone that got in the first try 🙁.
Yeah, sounds like you have your animal experience covered. And it's unique and interesting too, which is a huge plus. If I were you, I would definitely exchange volunteering at the wildlife center (seeing as you have and will continue to gain plenty of wildlife experience already) for volunteering at a vet clinic. The emergency clinic sounds like a good idea, but just keep in mind that even though shadowing may not be as interesting as "doing" things, it is ALL vet experience and it's all valuable. Don't turn away an opportunity just because you won't be doing too terribly much hands-on stuff. Sometimes an experience is what you make of it. Plain old shadowing can be made a lot more interesting if you ask lots of questions and really get to know the vets you're working with. This is also good for when you need to ask for letters of recommendation
An unpaid internship is a fabulous idea. 240 of my 454 hours came from my unpaid internship this past summer. I did less hands-on stuff than a tech but more than someone who just shadows, and I made great relationships with the vets there. I went back during break and will be going back this summer as well.
I'm not sure how many vet students actually live in a dorm. Most live in apartments or houses off campus. That's not to say that a dorm is completely out of the question, but often living in an apartment is way cheaper and more convenient. I understand how you feel about being nervous moving to a big city. I too went to a very small community college and lived at home in a very rural area for my first two years of undergrad. I moved to Columbus in September 2009 for my junior year of college and I actually adjusted pretty well. I live in an apartment with two other people, both of whom I went to high school with. I was a little afraid the first week or so but I've gotten used to it and I really like living here. Ohio State is wonderful and I love going to school there. So you'll probably adjust better than you think.
This was actually my first time applying. It might seem like you've only spoken to people who have had to try multiple times, but if you look at OSUCVM's website at their 2014 class stats, 80% of that class were first-time applicants. So it can be done, and quite often is. Besides myself I know of at least five other people who have gotten in this cycle being their first try, and that's just in my small circle of friends here at OSU.
My vet experience hours need some major work! Everyone has such vast experiences. Will have to see what I can do about mine!
I didn't go to a well known school, I don't have vet experience, and I am horrible with interviews (I am already nervous about that part). Things working in my favor are that I am an excellent student, did decent on the GRE, have clearly dedicated my life to animals, and I have extensive experience dealing with the public. They might not be bringing their pets to me, but they care about the animals and want them to receive the best possible care and want to be kept informed about their animals. And I have experience keeping medical charts because I have to keep track of all the animals in my care. I was also a tutor in Anatomy and physiology, botany, and Genetics.
When and where are you planning to apply Bee?
I saw in one of your other posts that your dream job, like mine would be to be a wildlife vet! I only know of a couple centers with a full time vet, but hey we can dream! I am not sure if once I get in to vet school I will do wildlife type electives or small animal electives. I would LOVE to be a wildlife vet, but more realistically will probably be a small animal vet so it would probably be best to get as much experience in that as possible.