First time applicant, 22 years old, male, NY resident
B.S. in Animal Science, 2010, Cornell University
Applied: Cornell, UPenn, Tufts, Ohio State, UW-Madison, and Michigan State
Rejected: UPenn
Interview: Ohio State and Tufts
Waitlisted: Cornell
Accepted: Ohio State, Tufts, UW-Madison, Michigan State. Later accepted to Cornell off the waitlist
Attending: Unsure
Cum GPA: 3.55
Last 45 hours: 3.55
Science GPA: ~3.7
GRE: 1320 (530 V, 790 Q, 5.0 A)
Veterinary Experience:
-800 hours SA Holistic hospital as veterinary assistant
-450 hours LA clinic as a ride-along passenger
-200 hours as research assistant in entomology (insects) lab studying moth pathogens
Animal Experience:
-700 hours on dairy farm
-1500 hours on home egg farm
Other Employment:
-1500 hours as tree surgeon
-1200 hours as deckhand
-30 hours as note-taker
Extracurricular/Community Activities:
-Boy Scouts of America
-Active in local church for years. Lots of community events.
-very brief member of pre-vet club
-mission trip to New York City to feed the homeless
-Cornell Christian Fellowship
Letters of Recommendation:
-2 from DVMs at the small animal hospital I worked at
-1 from my research professor
-1 from dairy farm owner
-1 from my Animal Physiology professor
Awards and Honors:
-Dean's List all semesters except for 2 in Junior year
-Eagle Scout
Some other notes about my application:
During my Junior year my GPA was an average of 2.80. It's possible to turn your GPA around after one bad year if you try. Make sure you can talk about it though, because there's a good chance it will come up in an interview.
Also, don't be put out if you can't get LoRs from the vets you worked with. Both of the vets I shadowed at the large animal clinic refused to write a letter for me when I asked them. This was a serious setback for me because my main interest is production animal medicine. I won't go into the reasons why they wouldn't write for me, but this is what I learned from it: Nobody knows you better than yourself. If somebody you meet along the way thinks you are not of the caliber to pursue a career as a veterinarian, know that it's only their opinion. Thank them for it then move on. You know what you're capable of achieving so go out and prove them all wrong.
Recommendations for future applicants:
Read this book. It's written by a former Cornell University CVM director of admissions. It gives you the perspective of the admissions committee which, in my opinion, was invaluable when I applied.
http://www.amazon.com/Get-Into-Vete...4899/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299705652&sr=8-1
Google Books has a preview of a few of the chapters too, if you're deciding if it's worth it. Don't buy it though; get it from a library if you can.
Get large animal experience, even if it's not what your main interest is in.
Undergrad is a great opportunity to get research experience. Ideally in a veterinary related field, but anything biomedical is helpful. It doesn't have to be a serious commitment and even just a few hours a week will give you a new perspective and make you a stronger applicant.
I'm willing to talk about my application too. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I had serious doubts I would get into vet school this year, but I was accepted to more schools than not! So don't count yourself out yet!
Hi guys.
2.86-3.5 Seriously because Tuskegee Counts Animal Sci course and lets you pick electives .
