Hi Everyone,
I will be applying this cycle and have some questions regarding how different experiences are distinguished, as well as how well rounded my application will be. For some background, I am 31 and currently just left a biomedical PhD position after 3 years to pursue this path. My grades and scores are as follows:
Biology BA: 3.9
Biochemical Toxicology MS: 3.9
Toxicology PhD (3 years): 4.0
GRE 314 (Verbal + Math), 99th percentile writing.
With regards to my experiences, I feel that most of them could be categorized in many different ways. For example, my research experience tallies to over 7,000 plus hours. The vast majority of my research utilized animals including mice, rats, rabbits, zebra fish, goats, sheep, and insects. During this time I not only was doing actual research, but was also feeding, cleaning, providing supportive care, giving medication, performing minor surgeries, injections, and performing euthanasia almost daily. In our animal facility on campus we had several veterinarians on site that we collaborated with here and there to provide support for our disease model animals. Given all that, it seems to me that these hours included aspects of animal, vet and research hours. So my question is, how do I account for all of this on the application? Can I list this experience as vet, animal and research? Having read the VMCAS guidelines it seems that they want an experience to count for only one category, but it doesnt seem as cut and dry with my situation.
Additionally, for the last few years I have maintained a small scale reptile breeding program out of my home, as well as a an informal sporadic reptile rescue. Currently we have 25+ reptiles in our home, ranging from boa constrictors, reticulated and burmese pythons, to sulcata tortoises and leopard geckos. I have spent anywhere from 10-15 hours a week, for the last 4 years cleaning, feeding, socializing, and providing medical care for all the animals. Sporadically we will come across an unwanted reptile in the community, rehabilitate it and find it a new home. So again my question is, how do I classify these hours? I know that some schools do not count animal hours for pets at home, but this situation seems much different than just having a dog or cat.I would really hope that I could count hours spent trying to give a Baytril injection to an angry 15 foot burmese python, as well as helping a large boa constrictor give live birth.
Here is the sum of my experiences:
Volunteer in small animal emergency vet clinic: 450 hours
Temporarily employed full time at county animal shelter: 400 hours
Animal Research: 7,000 hours
Volunteer ranch work with horses/cattle: 250 hours
Reptile breeding/rehabilitation: ~2500
Please let me know what you all think, I find it crazy that working with multiple different kinds of research animals every day for years wouldnt count as animal experience as well as research.
Thanks everyone! Sorry for the long post.
I will be applying this cycle and have some questions regarding how different experiences are distinguished, as well as how well rounded my application will be. For some background, I am 31 and currently just left a biomedical PhD position after 3 years to pursue this path. My grades and scores are as follows:
Biology BA: 3.9
Biochemical Toxicology MS: 3.9
Toxicology PhD (3 years): 4.0
GRE 314 (Verbal + Math), 99th percentile writing.
With regards to my experiences, I feel that most of them could be categorized in many different ways. For example, my research experience tallies to over 7,000 plus hours. The vast majority of my research utilized animals including mice, rats, rabbits, zebra fish, goats, sheep, and insects. During this time I not only was doing actual research, but was also feeding, cleaning, providing supportive care, giving medication, performing minor surgeries, injections, and performing euthanasia almost daily. In our animal facility on campus we had several veterinarians on site that we collaborated with here and there to provide support for our disease model animals. Given all that, it seems to me that these hours included aspects of animal, vet and research hours. So my question is, how do I account for all of this on the application? Can I list this experience as vet, animal and research? Having read the VMCAS guidelines it seems that they want an experience to count for only one category, but it doesnt seem as cut and dry with my situation.
Additionally, for the last few years I have maintained a small scale reptile breeding program out of my home, as well as a an informal sporadic reptile rescue. Currently we have 25+ reptiles in our home, ranging from boa constrictors, reticulated and burmese pythons, to sulcata tortoises and leopard geckos. I have spent anywhere from 10-15 hours a week, for the last 4 years cleaning, feeding, socializing, and providing medical care for all the animals. Sporadically we will come across an unwanted reptile in the community, rehabilitate it and find it a new home. So again my question is, how do I classify these hours? I know that some schools do not count animal hours for pets at home, but this situation seems much different than just having a dog or cat.I would really hope that I could count hours spent trying to give a Baytril injection to an angry 15 foot burmese python, as well as helping a large boa constrictor give live birth.
Here is the sum of my experiences:
Volunteer in small animal emergency vet clinic: 450 hours
Temporarily employed full time at county animal shelter: 400 hours
Animal Research: 7,000 hours
Volunteer ranch work with horses/cattle: 250 hours
Reptile breeding/rehabilitation: ~2500
Please let me know what you all think, I find it crazy that working with multiple different kinds of research animals every day for years wouldnt count as animal experience as well as research.
Thanks everyone! Sorry for the long post.