Successful Applicant Class of 2013

[stang21]

Played receiver for a year then moved to free safety. Also played some special teams.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TSUJC]

Ole84, with that GPA and all your experience I can't believe you didn't get accepted EVERYWHERE that you applied! Geez!

Congrats on Western and good luck with Davis!

 

[Pomona2006]

Agreed! If I had ANY money at this point I would bet it on you being accepted to Davis! (I just hope I'll be lucky enough to get into Davis as well!)

 

[Ole84]

Wow...thanks guys! Everyone on here looks pretty intimidating...Ive worked my sweet ass off. i really cant wait for everything, and im lookin forward to having a ton of fun. Im not a very serious person (I work hard....but i like to mess around a LOT) ....and i love beer. I cant wait to start meeting all you folks wherever we land. As long as you like taco truck, beer, and enjoy inappropriate humor....we can be friends

 

[LLIPPY]

Pomona and ole, is Davis your first choice? If so do you mind if I ask why? Just curious I guess cuz I was accepted to Western too and still waiting to hear from TN, I think PBL sounds great but scary! Any thoughts?

 

[Pomona2006]

I don't want to hijack, but to answer LLIPPY's question:

For various reasons, I believe that Davis would be my first choice, but it's hard being attached to a school knowing that there's no guarantee of acceptance. I'm big into shelter medicine but also into exotics & wildlife. Either way, Davis has excellent programs for both of those. The price difference is also significant in my decision (I'd like to avoid paying an extra 60k if I can). And being in Davis would put me closer to my sister (who will be starting a PhD at Berkeley).

As for PBL: PBL isn't something that terrifies me. I'm used to doing a lot of independent learning, but I know learning vet med PBL style would be a challenge. I think that what other Western students and alum have written on the Western thread is good stuff to think about. Otherwise, I am more comfortable with the area that Western is located in (as in I've lived in Claremont/Los Angeles for the past 7 years). A lot of my favorite places to eat and visit are here. There are pros and cons to each school.

In the end...all things considered...it might not be my decision. But I'll be sure to post in here once I hear from Davis.

 

[Ole84]

Pomona and ole, is Davis your first choice? If so do you mind if I ask why? Just curious I guess cuz I was accepted to Western too and still waiting to hear from TN, I think PBL sounds great but scary! Any thoughts?

Davis is my first choice, and here are the reasons. I loved the campus and the hospitals. The teaching hospital was amazing and a ton of cutting edge research is done right on campus. Davis has on site large animal facilities, as well as over 20 in house specialties found in the teaching hospital. I am also from the central valley of California, and would like to eventually come back, and Davis is a great place for us valley kids to learn in an area similar to where we wish to practice. The girls were pretty too.

Western looks like a great option, but the location is a major drawback. I.....HATE.....LA. Its too much for me, and the strip mall setting of Western is rough for me. Aside from the aesthetics of the place, the school seems like a wonderful place. The professors seem enthusiastic, and the students seemed great. I feel the PBL will be hard to adjust to, but the end product will be very valuable. Learning to solve complex problems w/o much input can be the difference between a good/bad doctor. I feel that I will be happy wherever i end up, as the building may suck, but its what is inside that matters. oh yah.....and the girls were pretty at Western too.

 

[stang21]

Wow...thanks guys! Everyone on here looks pretty intimidating...Ive worked my sweet ass off. i really cant wait for everything, and im lookin forward to having a ton of fun. Im not a very serious person (I work hard....but i like to mess around a LOT) ....and i love beer. I cant wait to start meeting all you folks wherever we land. As long as you like taco truck, beer, and enjoy inappropriate humor....we can be friends

Nice to hear someone else on here lives by the live hard play hard motto also. I also love beer and in the past few weeks since my acceptances, I have probably enjoyed a few too many. Such is life I guess.

 

[GeeQued]

Nice to hear someone else on here lives by the live hard play hard motto also. I also love beer and in the past few weeks since my acceptances, I have probably enjoyed a few too many. Such is life I guess.

Ill 2nd that one, unfortunately my acceptance came as finals rolled around. Minute my last final is done tomorrow I'm hitting the bars.

 

[DocDVMD]

21 y.o. female, 1st time applicant, NY resident

Applied: CSU, Cornell, Michigan, OSU, UF, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, UPenn, Tufts
Interview: OSU, Illinois, Minnesota, Tufts
Accepted: Illinois
Rejected: CSU, Cornell, UF, Missouri, UPenn (??? still haven't heard)
Waitlisted: Michigan, OSU, Minnesota, Tufts

UG Degree: B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University, Cum Laude
GPA: 3.53
Science: Not sure
GRE: 1330 (600V, 730Q)

Veterinary Experience:
-550 research at Cornell vet school
-400 at AMC in NYC
-450 various small animal/exotics clinics

Research Experience:
-550 research at Cornell vet school... more now that I've been working F/T

Animal Experience:
-Tufts AVM program in high school
-50 farm animal
-puppy socialization for Guiding Eyes for the Blind

Honors/Awards:
-Dean's list most semesters
-graduated Cum Laude
-Morrison Award for academic achievement and leadership

Extracurricular:
-Pre-Vet Society President, Vice President, Publicity Committee (not all at the same time!)
-TA for animal genetics course
-peer counseling training
-intramural softball
-various stuff from high school
-hobbies: artwork, bass guitar

LORs
-PI for my lab at Cornell vet school (also a veterinarian)
-Animal Science professor
-collective letter from AMC
-my academic advisor (for Tufts)

Sheesh, could I BE on any more alternate lists?? I don't know whether to feel good or bad about myself as an applicant! I'm hoping to get off the alternate list at Tufts, it's my 1st choice And so the waiting continues...

 

[Ninnerfish]

Is anyone else struck by the randomness of adcom decisions? I've noticed more than a few cases where people with nearly identical stats had completely opposite outcomes from the same schools. Makes it frustrating for those of us trying to figure out just what it is they're looking for!

 

[DollyyLlama]

Is anyone else struck by the randomness of adcom decisions? I've noticed more than a few cases where people with nearly identical stats had completely opposite outcomes from the same schools. Makes it frustrating for those of us trying to figure out just what it is they're looking for!

yes.. i'm glad i didn't look at this thread before applying, would've psyched me out too much.

 

[kayakman28]

Is anyone else struck by the randomness of adcom decisions? I've noticed more than a few cases where people with nearly identical stats had completely opposite outcomes from the same schools. Makes it frustrating for those of us trying to figure out just what it is they're looking for!

My guess is that this is probably due to the essays and supplemental applications. Although, on paper, two applicants might be nearly identical (GRE, GPA, experience, etc) they can actually be quite different. Suppose Applicant 1 attended a small liberal arts college known for its Communication Department versus Applicant 2 who went Ivy League at a "Sciency" school. Yes this is a bit of a stretch, but it is possible...

Like I said, I think it's more of an essay issue. The personal statement can drive you crazy while writing it...one might have done a better job than another.

My advice: don't get bogged down by what you see on here. Yes...people with similar stats will have different outcomes by the Ad Coms. All you can do is focus on yourself and do what is best for you. Start working on writing up your app - all experiences/employment/ and those pesky essays!

 

[rachroo]

I think a really important piece of advice that I can give (but looking back in hindsight, realize that it's really hard not to do) is to not compare yourself to others.

There is more to an applicant than just numbers and while we often think the process is arbitrary, adcomm's have been selecting students (who, then in turn, become veterinarians) for years!!

 

[incendium04]

First-time applicant, female, 22, California resident
Applied: UC Davis, Western, Washington, Colorado, Mississippi, VA-MD, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Penn, Minnesota, Michigan
Interviewed: Iowa, Kansas, Western, Minnesota, Illinois, UC Davis
Accepted: Kansas, Illinois, Western, UC DAVIS (!)
Rejected: Washington, Colorado, Mississippi, VA-MD, Penn
Wait listed: Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan
Education: B.S. in Animal Science
Cum GPA : 3.58
GRE: 1300 (610v, 690q)

I'm going to UC DAVIS! That is, unless Minnesota decides to take me off the wait list which will require me to think very hard about where I want to go for 4 years....

Veterinary Experience
-3000 hrs at mixed animal emergency hospital (working graveyards, surgery shifts, whatever!)
-300 hrs at private small animal

Animal Experience
-1000 hrs fostering kittens
-1200 hrs large animal/poultry doing stuff like raising quail, broiler chickens, halter breaking horses, calving, lambing, etc
-200 hrs volunteering at a humane society

Other Experience
-Traveled to New Zealand as a volunteer in habitat restoration
-Researching Valley Fever in the Central Coast of CA
-Took an applied animal embryology course

Community/Extracurricular
-Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do
-Flute
-Photography

Recommendations
-2 vets from emergency hospital (both went to Kansas actually... though that was not my intent when I asked them!)
-1 professor who is helping me with my research project on Valley Fever in dogs

 

[blakberd]

25 y.o. female, 1st time applicant, MA resident

Applied: Cornell, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, LSU, UPenn, Tufts, Oklahoma, Purdue, Kansas, Iowa
Interview: Purdue, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Minnesota, Tufts
Accepted: Tufts, Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, Kansas, Oklahoma
Rejected: Cornell, UPenn
Waitlisted: Iowa, Mississippi, LSU

UG Degree: B.S. in Biology 2006, Cum Laude
GPA: 3.89
Science: 3.85
GRE: 1180 (530V, 650Q)

Veterinary Experience:
-1280 neuroscience research lab
-1950 physiology and imaging lab (w/a vet)
-130 SA clinic

Research Experience:
-480 undergrad research
-1280 neuroscience research lab
-1950 physiology and imaging lab (w/a vet)

Animal Experience:
-256 animal husbandry with research animals

Honors/Awards:
-Dean's list most semesters
-Graduated Cum Laude
-Honors program grad
-Sigma Xi
-Honors in high school

Extracurricular:
-Ski instructor
-Outdoor leader for college program
-TA General Biology
-Taught college classes for kayaking

LORs
-Academic adviser
-Professor I did undergrad research with
-Vet that I worked for in a research lab after college

 

[dreamvet]

just updating:

Accepted: Ross (turned down already), Iowa State, Virginia-Maryland
Waitlisted: Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan
Rejected: Illinoise, Auburn
Waiting: U Florida (in state!!!!!)

 

[twelvetigers]

Blackberd, any idea where you'll be attending? You have quite a list to choose from!

 

[blakberd]

I'm not sure yet...I didn't even think that I would get into one school because I didn't have as much clinical experience compared to everyone else!

I am leaning towards Univ of Minn, but I am waiting until Purdue and Tufts send me financial information on April 1st. There will be spots opening up at the other schools for everyone else!

 

[KittyRex]

Okay, this one goes out to all of the very non-traditional non-trads and all those who have had a rough start in academia (see note at bottom)!


Here goes… wow I feel so naked and exposed!

27 y.o. Female (at time of application), 1st time applicant

Applied: UC Davis, WSU, Colorado State, Ohio State, Missouri, UPenn, Cornell, Tufts
Interviews offered: UC Davis, Ohio State, Tufts, WSU (withdrew)
Rejected: Colorado, UPenn,
Accepted: Tufts, Ohio State, UC Davis, Cornell
Waitlisted: Cornell, Missouri (no interview)
Attending: UC Davis!!!!


Undergrad: BA Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with honors from tiny tier 1 liberal arts college

Overall Cum. GPA: 3.70
Last 45 hours GPA: 3.88
Cum. GPA while pursuing BA: ~3.84 (see note at end)


GRE: 620V, 690Q, 5W

Veterinary Experience (at time of VMCAS application):
- 660 hours as a vet tech at small animal general practice (was >2000 at time of UC Davis interview)
- 170 hours international experience working with a mixed practice vet and exotic/wildlife/zoo vet in Central America (worked with everything from Koatamundi to Brahman bulls )
- 90 hours as pre-vet intern at shelter hospital
-16 hours volunteer tech for street outreach service providing vet care to pets of homeless community (had just started at time of VMCAS submission)

Animal experience:
- >1600 hours equine experience (competitive training, stable hand, internship with breeder etc)

Honors and Awards:
- Graduation with honors/highest GPA in major
- Thesis on epigenetics and chromatin structure regulation
- 5 or so scholarships (Genentech, Dean's Scholarship, Osher Study Abroad etc)
- 2 community service awards
- published in a local Japanese newspaper

Research Experience:
- 500 hours working with cell culture/human therapeutic protein production (Genentech)

Employment Experience:
- Organic Chemistry Lab TA at my college
- Science TA for inner-city high school girls
- >10,000 hours retail/bicycle-mechanic/sales/pet store + other "making ends meet" jobs

Extracurricular/Community Service:
- 3 years as President of AMSA Premedical Chapter at 2 schools - yes, I am a converted premed - (Started Homeless Outreach program at my school, organized healthfair for medically underserved, organized tons of speaker series, group travel to conferences etc.)
- 1 year member of Pre-Vet Club
- 50 hours (human) Emergency Department volunteer at level 1 trauma hospital (I've seen some crazy ****! )
- Health conference coordinator, etc etc

LORs (VMCAS)
- Professor/Head of Biochemistry Dept. at undergrad school
- Veterinarian/medical director of shelter hospital
- Veterinarian/Owner of general practice SA hospital
(+ additional letters for Cornell)


NOTE: I wanted to post because I've had a very non-traditional path to vet school (in more than 1 sense) and I wanted to encourage people who maybe didn't have all of their educational opportunities laid out for them on a silver platter when they were young due to family hardships/immigration/or whatever reason. (just a sampling: I attended 13 schools by the time I reached the 9th grade because my family moved so much). I'm also a high-school drop-out (!) and I managed to take classes on and off at my local community college for four years (starting at age 15) with no-so-hot grades (including a couple Cs, many Ws and an F!) before taking a three year break then coming back with a vengeance to pursue my bachelors (all in all, including breaks, I have about a 10-year-long transcript at community college . you could say I was "ten-yeared" there! sorry.) Regardless, with a LOT of hard work, I somehow made it! I just kept telling myself that it's about the "distance travelled" and that I have overcome so much to be the first person in my family to graduate from college. It's been a rough road but I think it has cultivated a lot of strength, drive and compassion in me. And it has definitely made me appreciate my success/acceptances 10000x more! (which is maybe why I use so many exclamation marks in my posts )

Ok! Again, I feel super naked and exposed!!! But I do hope this encourages and inspires others who are/were in similar situations. If I can do it, so can you!!! Yay, Class of 2013 and beyond!

 

[Pomona2006]

So proud of you KittyRex! And yay for non-trads!

 

[sambone]

Congrats on your Davis acceptance/general success KittyRex! I'm even more psyched for you now that I know that you're 27, same as me! Gotta love taking the "scenic route" to vet school

 

[starlene45]

Haha, if y'all have met KittyRex in person then you know why all those schools found her so irrisistable , she's UH-MAZING! Congrats girl!

Non-trad here, too... Waiting on Monday's UC Davis decision before posting here!! (see dreams thread for hilariously awful UC Davis decision anxiety dream if you want a giggle at my expense...)

 

[guppy73]

Totally awesome story, KittyRex--I am humbled.

Davis will be lucky to have you!!!!

 

[Pomona2006]

24 at time of application, Female, Non-Traditional, 1st Time Applicant, CA resident (raised in NY)

Education:

• Undergrad - B.A. in Psychology from Pomona College (top 10 liberal arts college)
• Grad - Some Grad School in Psychology but left after Fall 2007 term was completed
• Post-Bac - Local CC and Distance Ed through UC Berkeley, CSU, and UNE

Applied: CSU, Western, UC Davis
Rejected: CSU
Interviewed: Western, UC Davis
Accepted: Western, UC Davis
Will be Attending... UC Davis

GPA (cum): 3.80 / Undergrad: 3.72 / Grad & Post Bac: 4.0
Science GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0
GRE: 1260 (Q: 700 / 72%; V: 560 / 77%; A: 5.5 / 90%)

Vet Experience (at time of application):

*** remember that I submitted my VMCAS 9 months after changing fields ***

• 530 Shelter Work (mostly SA, exotics, and wildlife but we accept anything and everything)
  • 198: Volunteer (surgery prep/recovery)
  • 332: Intern at Shelter (vaccinations, treatment, intake, euthanasia, assist in surgery, etc)
• 50 Vet Team in Central America (mix of dogs, cats, pigs, cows, horses, and goats)
  • Perform spay & neuter surgeries, all types of injections & catheters, vaccinate, exams, recovery

Animal Experience:

• 50 Animal Care Volunteer @ Zoo
• 110 Shelter – socialization, mobile outreach, photography, walk animals
• 8 Emergency Rescue Effort (SA, LA, equine, exotics, you name it, it was there!)
• 25 Horseback riding
• 150 Wildlife Rescue / Rehab (turtles, rabbits, and birds)
• 300 Caring for classroom boa constrictors & feeder rats
• 25 Farm Summer Camp (woohoo!)
• 1060 Pet Sitting (SA & exotics)
• 7500+ Caring for my own Exotics (please take with a grain of salt, of course)

Jobs during/since College:

• Researcher - Evaluations of non-profits (psych related)
• Research Assistant (Psychology)
• Mental Health Counselor for patients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder at In-Patient Hospital
• Head Lifeguard at pools in NY and CA
• Swim Instructor
• Photographer for newspaper
• TA for Various Psych Profs
• Student Discussion Leader for Human Sexuality Course
• Substitute Teacher for 3rd-5th grade

Extracurriculars

• College:
  • LOTS of Psych Research
  • College Tour Guide
  • Orientation Adventure Leader
  • Applied Child Psychology Internship @ Children’s School
  • Alumni Panelist for Career Week and Financial Planning Seminar
• High School (includes jobs):
  • Captain of Varsity Ski and Swim Teams (qualified for sectionals, states, junior olympics, etc.)
  • Student Founder of Westchester Environmental Student Council
  • TONS of environmental research and presentations at conferences
  • Asteroid Discovery
  • Internship with State Assemblywoman
  • Talent Shows
  • Wind Ensemble
  • Amnesty International
  • Student Representative at Boys & Girls Club
  • Fundraising for LOTS of organizations
  • Fine Dining Restaurant Hostess & Web Developer

Awards

• College to Present:
  • Outstanding Volunteer @ Shelter
  • Distinction in Senior Thesis (did a huge thesis that involved flying around the country studying racial profiling in US airports post 9/11)
  • Presented Senior Thesis at American Psychological Association’s National Convention
  • Presented Research at Western Psychological Association's Annual Conference
  • Dean’s List (every term post-bac)
  • National Society for Collegiate Scholars
  • Psi Chi (National Honors Society in Psychology)
  • Pomona College Scholar (kind of like Dean’s list but with different requirements)
  • Grand Prize in Photography Contest
• High School:
  • Scholar Athlete Award
  • National Scholar Athlete
  • High Honor Roll (every term)
  • National Honor Society
  • 1st Place in NYSSMA Music Showcase Festival
  • Certificate of Merit for a Young Writer’s Contest (photography piece with poem)

LORs

• Vet at Shelter
  
• Professor - 2 post-bac science courses
• Professor & Thesis Advisor from Undergrad in Psych (after 7 years, he knows me better than anyone in the science/vet world so far!)
  

Other stuff...

• I lived in Ecuador for 5 months, I speak Spanish, and I am frequent traveler. I stressed how I planned to use my degree to provide services to animals in developing countries
• I have my own photography business

I wish I could say this is a dream come true, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be possible to get into vet school (much less UC Davis) 15 months after leaving grad school in psychology with none of my science prereqs filled and NO vet experience! Also...keep in mind that I was accepted into UC Davis with 5 prereqs in progress! I never thought they would let me in with so many requirements left to fill, but hey, anything is possible folks!

PM me if you're interested in reading my Personal Statement...

 

[lenmaca]

Pomona, I think your personal statement is wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

 

[ZooNose]

My Personal Statement is attached...

Pomona - your personal statement should be required reading for future applicants. It was excellent.

 

[ckd816]

Ugh... As many times as I've read this thread, today in my head the title said "Stressful Applicant Class of 2013"

Anyway, congrats on the new acceptances everyone! Pomona, I really enjoyed your PS as well. My dad has made a huge impact on my appreciation of animals too. He used to do things like wake me up in the middle of the night to come see a baby bird that he found on the ground... Haha. Congratulations!

 

[elefante7]

Pomona, I think your personal statement is wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

Agreed!!! Awesome PS, Pomona!

 

[CatVet2Be]

Pomona2006, what part of Ecuador did you live in and what led you to go there? The reason I'm asking is that I grew up in Ecuador and I hardly ever come across people who have even visited, or know where in the world it is!
By the way, your ps is great! And congrats on Davis!

 

[Pomona2006]

Wow, thanks to all of you for the positive comments regarding my personal statement! It means a lot to me! Believe it or not...my father hasn't even read my PS yet. I was actually planning to send it to him if I got in. I guess he'll get to read it after all!

CatVet2Be - I lived mostly in Quito, a month or so in Capelo (small town East of Quito), a few weeks on the coast in some of the more impoverished areas, as well as a few weeks in the Amazon and Cloud Forests. That was all for study abroad in a cultural immersion program - lived with host families and took classes 100% in Spanish. After the program was over I visited the Galapagos as a resident of Ecuador (which is a ton cheaper than it is for tourists)...and I am dying to go back! Ecuador is as much a home to me as is the US.

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[KittyRex]

Congratulations, Pamona!

You and I should totally join the UC Davis Chapter of IVSA!
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Clubs/IVSA/default.html

 

[Pomona2006]

Congratulations, Pamona!

You and I should totally join the UC Davis Chapter of IVSA!
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Clubs/IVSA/default.html

Absolutely!!!

 

[StayingHopeful]

21 y.o. female, 1st time applicant, CA resident

Applied: UC Davis, CSU, WSU, UTennessee, UPenn, UF, NCSU, The OSU
Interview: UC Davis, WSU, UTennessee
Had to withdraw based on pre-reqs: NCSU (business), The OSU (biochemII)
Rejected w/o interview: UPenn, UF
Waitlisted: CSU, WSU
Accepted: UC Davis (IS - found out today! ) , UTennessee

UG Degree: B.S. Anthropology & Human Biology - Graduating this May
GPA: 3.96
Last 40 hours: 4.0
GRE: 1380 (610V, 770Q, 4.5) – I am a big advocate of Princeton Review!

Veterinary Experience: I don't remember the hours, so here are very rough guesses
~2000 in an avian/exotics clinic
~500 in a small animal clinic

Research Experience:
-none listed, some in high school that I mentioned in my interview at Davis briefly
-a weakpoint in my application

Animal Experience:
~350 hours volunteering at a Game & Lion park in South Africa
~50 hours volunteering at a hippotherapy (horseback riding therapy for children with disabilities – not rehabbing hippos)

Honors/Awards:
-Dean's list each semester (7)
-Phi Eta Sigma
-Lambda Alpha
-Phi Beta Kappa

Extracurricular:
-Pre-Vet club President
-TA for Intro Bio
-Tutoring both on and off campus
-various clubs and activities that relate less to VetMed

eLORs:
-Pre-Vet club advisor (who also had me in her class and lab) – DVM
-My major advisor – not a DVM
-My current boss (Avian & Exotics clinic) – DVM
-My previous boss (Small animal clinic) – DVM

 

[Shanomong]

Applied: UC Davis, CSU, WSU, UTennessee, UPenn, UF, NCSU, The OSU

I"m always curious about how people choose the schools they apply to. I had to pick one, and it had to be in a well populated area b/c of my husbands career.... so I picked UPenn (other reasons factored in too... reputation, proximity to our life in NY, and now the more I learn about it the more I love it)

Anyway, StayingHopeful, just curious, why this list to apply to? Like, why UPenn but not Cornell? Just based on stats, or number of OOS's normally accepted? I would have loved to apply to schools with no interview, it takes so much of the stress out of it... plus less travel expense. If I could have applied anywhere I would have done Cornell, UPenn, UF, Georgia, Tufts, basically all of the east coast schools, and all of the no interview schools.

 

[StayingHopeful]

I'm sharing this because I used to wonder the SAME things about how people chose where to apply when I was trying to pick schools. I will post it, but I just hope nobody takes anything personally because this is just from what I have seen/heard/been told and I don't know if it is all totally accurate. Here's the breakdown of why I picked the schools I picked:

UC Davis: IS, close to family and SO
CSU: I love colorado and it's a great school (and doesn't interview, like you said)
WSU: I was told by my advisor and boss that they are good at exotics (a lot of wildlife, raptors esp) - it has a GREAT hospital, which I was impressed by when I visited.
UF: I was told by my advisor and boss that they are good at exotics
UTennessee: I was told by my advisor and boss that they are good at exotics - and I was VERY impressed with their exotics facilities and professors when I was there to interview!!
UPenn: Good school in a city.
Ohio: Good school in a city, and I have family in Columbus.
NCSU: Good school and I'm in GA and have been to NC and liked it.

I actually sent my VMCAS app to Cornell, planning on applying, but I applied undergrad for the school of Ag, and decided not to go there (strictly based on weather - GREAT SCHOOL!! but I'm a CA girl, and I can't take deep winter). They were the only school that asked me where I turned down undergrad offers, so I figured that would have blown my chances, so I didn't apply. If I couldn't take the winters 4 years ago, then I didn't think I could take them now - plus, I really want to be closer to my family, which is all in CA.

 

[primatevetjess]

Ok, so I honestly didn't think I'd get accepted, because my application has a few major downfalls (IMO). But since I did, I'm going to post this to maybe give hope to others.

27 year-old female, 1st time applicant, California resident

Applied: UC Davis, OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, UPenn, Purdue
Offered Interview: OSU, UC Davis, Minnesota (declined)
Rejected w/o Interview: Colorado, UPenn, Purdue
Waitlisted: Wisconsin
Accepted: OSU, UC Davis, Michigan
Attending: UC Davis!

UG Degree: None. That's right, I don't have a degree.
Cum GPA: ~3.7
Science GPA: ~3.6
Last 45 GPA: 3.94
GRE: 1220 (520V, 700Q)

Veterinary Experience
-250 hours shadowing at a small animal general practice
-1400 hours as a small animal emergency veterinary technician
-100 hours volunteering in the Wildlife Waystation hospital (zoo animal)
-200 volunteering (with lots of hands on) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dept. of Comparative Medicine (lab animal)

Animal Experience
-400 hours as a summer intern at Carnivore Preservation Trust (zoo animal)
-450 hours as a paid summer zookeeper at Wildlife Waystation (zoo animal)
-I have other stuff from high school, but didn't list it because it was too long ago for me to accurately remember!!

Other Employment
I only listed the three most recent since I've been working for the last 12 years, and have had a million jobs.
-3500 hours as a nightclub waitress
-480 hours as a game tester at Nintendo of America (temp job)
-~3000 hours as a Supervisor for CrossMedia Services (internet ad company)

Honors/Awards
(At Los Angeles Pierce College)
-Part time Dean's honor x 2
-Full time Dean's honor x 2
-President's honor
-Phi Theta Kappa member (Honor society for 2 year colleges)

LORs
-Pre-vet academic advisor
-Small animal emergency vet I worked for
-Director of Comparative Medicine at Cedars-Sinai (DVM)


Now here's a little info about my journey. I started college right after high school, when I was 17, at Virginia Tech. I wasn't as focused as I should have been, and got lots of B's. I struggled with depression and some other problems, and then landed in a hospital bed with meningitis. After recovering from that, I decided that I wanted to travel and do new things and meet new people for awhile. So I dropped out, moved to New Jersey, then to Washington, and finally to California. After and endless parade of meaningless jobs, I finally decided to go back to school and enrolled in the local community college a few years ago as an RVT major, thinking I was too old and not smart enough to be pre-vet. But that didn't make me happy either, so I made the switch to pre-vet. I have completed >50% of my pre-reqs at said community college, with all A's and one B (stupid Ochem II!). In that time I also got married (last summer ). It's been hard as an independent adult with a full-time job and a household to maintain. But getting that acceptance email from UC Davis made all of the hard work and sacrifice 100% worth it!

 

[nyanko]

Your application sounds great to me and you sound like you'd be super fun to hang out with from it! Congratulations!

 

[WildZooVet]

Just an up-date and a plea for help making a decision! I almost feel like I should just flip a coin

Female, 25, first time applicant

Undergrad: UC Davis, B.S. in neuroscience, physiology and behavior

undergrad GPA: 3.22
masters GPA: (3.5 at time of application- will hopefully graduate with >3.8)
science GPA: 3.15 (about)
GRE: 680Q, 720V 4.5W

Applied: Tufts, Cornell (PhD/DVM program), Davis (PhD/DVM program), UF, UT, Missouri, University of Edinburgh, RVC in London and Western.

Rejected: Cornell. Tufts, UF, UT

Interviewed: Western, RVC, Missouri, Davis (but, just for the DVM)

Waitlisted: Missouri, Davis (#1)

Accepted: Edinburgh, RVC, Western

SOO many hours (40-60 hours/wk x 21months) of research (elephants and horses for my masters)
3 months working as a research assistant in an avian nutrition and immunology lab
7 months full time as a veterinary assistant in a small animal clinic
A couple years working at the Dog/Cat shelter for the colony pets at UC Davis
About 30 hours of zoo vet experience
Community service with a wildlife sanctuary and a homeless pet clinic

I also worked 20-40 hours all through college at various jobs including being working at a pub in Ireland and being a waitress in New Zealand.

I played hard in undergrad, was unfocused and lacked direction. I spent six months backpacking through SE Asia and another year living and studying in New Zealand. It took me an extra year to graduate from undergrad. All that being said I wouldn't take back a minute of it.
I do feel that the past two years in grad school has given me a much better idea of specifically why I want to go to vet school and what I want to do afterward. It's been kind of a crash course in becoming an adult.

I am definitely counting my chickens before they have hatched, but, as the #1 alternate at Davis I fell like I have a fair shot at getting in. The thing is even if I do get in I'm not sure if I should go there or to the 4 year program in Edinburgh. My interests are in wildlife/zoo medicine and research. Any advice, thoughts......

 

[copticvet9]

19 y.o. Male, 1st time applicant (Will be 20 when I start this fall! lol)

Applied: UGA
Accepted: UGA
Attending: UGA! lol

UG Degree: BS in Animal Science (will not graduate with this degree until after 1st year of vet school)
GPA: 3.69
Science: 3.67

GRE: 470V, 640Q, 3.5 AW

Veterinary Experience:
->600 hours at small animal hospital
Animal Experience-
- 30 Hours in Animal Practicum course with various farm animals

Employment Experience:
- 320 hours Laboratory assistant in Pathology Department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. (Same as research experience)

Extracurricular:
-Very active leader and member in my church- Elementary Sunday school teacher, Deacon leader, event organizer for children.

Honors/ Awards
- Published in Pediatric Pathology journal as primary author from research at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

LORs
-2 vets from the small animal hospital I work at
-Doctor I worked under at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
-Organic Chemistry professor
- An older friend (used to be my sunday school teacher at school in high school) Who is a doctor at the CDC, but knew me on a much more personal level

 

[IvyLynx]

woo! young applicants unite!

 

[hopefulvet21]

I am definitely counting mu chickens before they have hatched, but, as the #1 alternate at Davis I fell like I have a fair shot at getting in. The thing is even if I do get in I'm not sure if I should go there or to the 4 year program in Edinburgh. My interests are in wildlife/zoo medicine and research. Any advice, thoughts......

Well I would say as the #1 alternate you absolutely have a good chance of getting accepted to Davis. Edinburgh and Davis are both excellent schools, and I think both are very well renowned for research especially. I don't know that much about Davis, but I know Edinburgh has the Roslin Institute (where Dolly the sheep was cloned!) and is about to finish a 100 million pound expansion right on the vet school campus. Edinburgh also treats all the animals at Edinburgh zoo, so there's plenty of opportunity there too. On the other hand, Davis would probably be cheaper as well if it's your in-state. Looking at how much you've traveled, do you want to continue traveling a lot more? If so, I would suggest Edinburgh. They have a research lab in Kenya and a bunch of students went to study acupuncture in Beijing this past september. But since, you've traveled a lot already, maybe you'd just be content to go to Davis and save money. I think you'll get the same great education at either one. good luck!

 

[WildlifeSaver]

Stayinghopeful!!!!!!!!!!!!! You got in and at Davis!! I told you that it would happen!! You must be soo excited. I am happy for you.

 

[OncoBanana]

OK, so I'm a total lurker here, but I feel like somebody's gotta represent those of us with less than stellar stats that made it in.

28 yr old female @ time of application, CA resident, raised in Michigan, second time applicant (Rejected from UCDavis and Michigan State last year)

Applied: UCDavis, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa, Washington, Minnesota, and Ohio State
Interviewed: Ohio, UCDavis
Rejected without interview: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa, Washington, Minnesota
Rejected AFTER interview: Ohio State (that stung a little)
Accepted: UCDavis (my #1)
Attending: UCDavis (this may be an obvious statement )

UG degree: History, with a minor in psychology, from a small liberal arts school in Michigan, circa 2002.
Overall GPA: 3.5ish
Science GPA: 2.9 at last calculation - I may have just passed the 3.0 mark after I aced my micro class, but I'm not sure. And frankly, now I don't care.

GRE: 1330 ( 660 V / 670 Q), 5.5 Writing

Veterinary Experience:
Approximately 12,000 hrs (nope, that's not a typo... I have been working for a loooooooooooong time)
-a small animal general practice (2 years)
-a small animal surgical practice (2 years)
-a small animal oncology practice (1.5 years)
-a small animal medicine/oncology practice (1 year)
At all of the above jobs I've been doing technician work. Started off with basic stuff like restraint & blood draws, then on to IV catheters & anesthesia, dentals, surgical assisting, and then at the specialty surgical place I got to do some cool stuff, like scrubbing in and assisting with orthopedic stuff like TPLO surgeries (once a total hip replacement! scary and cool), arthroscopy, etc. It was fun but not really my thing - anesthesia's either boring or scaring the pants off me. I worked at an oncology practice while I was doing a postbacc program in southern california (fight on!) and got pretty bad grades... mostly because of lack of preparation and the fact that I hated everything about LA aside from my job. It was a completely awesome experience, I got to do a ton of stuff besides just chemo like bone marrow aspirates (still scary every time!!) and tru-cut biopsies. Anyway, escaped LA at the first possible opportunity and moved back up to northern cal, went to work for the medicine practice as an internal medicine/oncology nurse, which is what I'm still doing. I do a lot of chemo, assisting in ultrasounds & endoscopy, xrays, blood draws, catheters, and heavy client communication. I love it. I'm super stoked about the clinical stuff in school and can't wait to really get my hands dirty. Uhmm, I talk too much about things I'm excited about. Obviously.

Oh, and I also volunteered for the Marine Mammal Center for about 2 years, one night a week, on the animal care crew.

Other employment experience is almost nil unless you count jobs in college, which included: a safety administrator for a large auto manufacturer, a writing tutor, and a sales clerk at a boutique sex toy store (seriously - I can talk to anybody about anything because of that last one)

Honors/Awards/Extracurriculars:
-started a LGBT organization at my tiny midwestern school
-Dean's list a bunch of times, magna cum laude for my BA

LORs:
-the CEO/medical director of the oncology practice I worked for
-the doctor I work with now, oncologist/internist - I haven't read it, but I know his letter was amazing
-the surgeon I primarily worked with (who almost forgot to submit it by the deadline..... )

I think my personal statement and LORs were a big factor in getting an interview, and I prepared hard for my UCD interview- and it went very well. They asked fair but hard questions - pretty specific to my experience. (Ie, what chemo protocol for k9 mast cell tumor dz?) So basically - for anyone out there who is wondering - it's not a death sentence to get a C. (Or 3 C's, for that matter!) Anybody that wants to read my personal statement, send me a message and I'll forward it your way.

 

[nyanko]

Yay for 28 year old second-time applicants with a possibly not-quite 3.0 prereq GPA!

(that will be me this upcoming cycle..)

 

[TurtleLover]

Yay for 28 year old second-time applicants with a possibly not-quite 3.0 prereq GPA!

(that will be me this upcoming cycle..)

If UC-Davis doesn't take you next year...they are stupid! And I will have to fly out there (or hopefully I'll be at Western and won't have to fly there) and give them a few choice words, lol. Hope youre doing well in grad school there.

 

[OncoBanana]

it can be done! hang in there!

 

[CatVet2Be]

a sales clerk at a boutique sex toy store (seriously - I can talk to anybody about anything because of that last one)

That's awesome. You must have some great stories from that!

 

[OncoBanana]

That's awesome. You must have some great stories from that!

i do. too bad i can't tell most of them without making people *really* uncomfortable.