Research required?

[YankeesfanZF5]

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So I am in a pickle. I was offered a really awesome job working for my state's wildlife department as an intern (do habitat stuff, band ducks, tag fish etc.) I also applied for a NSF REU at my university. I have yet to hear back from the REU people but my organic chem professory said it was pretty much a sure thing for me but you never know! So do vet schools really care if you have research experience? The research I would be doing is green chemistry, so not really veterinary related. Should I hold out and wait and see if I get the REU or just take the job and apply for the REU again next summer. I am a sophmore right now. Thanks in advance!

 

[Eric888]

So I am in a pickle. I was offered a really awesome job working for my state's wildlife department as an intern (do habitat stuff, band ducks, tag fish etc.) I also applied for a NSF REU at my university. I have yet to hear back from the REU people but my organic chem professory said it was pretty much a sure thing for me but you never know! So do vet schools really care if you have research experience? The research I would be doing is green chemistry, so not really veterinary related. Should I hold out and wait and see if I get the REU or just take the job and apply for the REU again next summer. I am a sophmore right now. Thanks in advance!

Take the wildlife experience. Although research is definitely helpful, plenty of applicants have shown it is not a necessity for getting into vet school. A broad variety of veterinary/animal experiences is much more important and wildlife will be very good for your application and experience. You should also consider what you're most interested in and keep in mind you can apply in the future like you said.

 

[fredandcessna]

So I am in a pickle. I was offered a really awesome job working for my state's wildlife department as an intern (do habitat stuff, band ducks, tag fish etc.) I also applied for a NSF REU at my university. I have yet to hear back from the REU people but my organic chem professory said it was pretty much a sure thing for me but you never know! So do vet schools really care if you have research experience? The research I would be doing is green chemistry, so not really veterinary related. Should I hold out and wait and see if I get the REU or just take the job and apply for the REU again next summer. I am a sophmore right now. Thanks in advance!

Any experience is great to have and will look great on an application. I personally had absolutely NO research experience and was accepted to multiple vet schools. This was my first time applying, and while I did have quite a lot of other vet/animal experience, I had no research experience. It's all a balance - where I lacked in research, I made up in other areas. I think the wildlife route is the way to go! Not sure this helps, but I thought I'd put in my two cents! Good luck making a decision!

 

[Osudairy]

Take the wildlife experience. Although research is definitely helpful, plenty of applicants have shown it is not a necessity for getting into vet school. A broad variety of veterinary/animal experiences is much more important and wildlife experience will be very good for what you are trying to do. You should also consider what you're most interested in and keep in mind you can apply in the future like you said.

It is true that a broad animal/vet experience is more helpful to a veterinary school application rather than research if you are applying from undergrad. The main reason they really looked at my research is because I got a thesis-based Master's Degree. I do know that some vet schools do like to see research experience (Cornell comes to mind) and it does not have to be in the veterinary field (Mine was in nutrition). However, if you are lacking some in the vet experience, I would go for that. Not everyone is able to get wildlife experience to put on an application.