Successful Applicants c/o 2026

[futuredogtor614]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
27, Female, IL, non-traditional, 2nd application cycle

Applied: Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado
Interview Invites: Illinois
Waiting to hear: n/a
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois

Overall GPA: 3.31
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.14
Last 45 GPA: 2.81

GRE (Q/V/W): unsure. I took it for the first application cycle, but none of the schools I applied to required it this year.

Degree(s):
A.A.S. in Veterinary Technology
B.S. In Biological Sciences with a minor in Italian and Italian American Studies

Veterinary Experience:
ER externship - 304
GP #1 - 792
GP #2 - 2,376
ER - 2,160
Total: 5,632 hours, most of which I have been a CVT


Animal Experience:
PetSmart (I worked in the Pet Care department and was regularly handling/medicating animals and performing husbandry tasks) - 2192
PAWS volunteer - 32

Research:
A class where we isolated and did functional analysis of a gene in the Tetrahymena sp. - 128

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Volunteered as an animal trainer - 52 (I'm not sure why I put this here instead of under animal experience)
Volunteer Italian Peer Tutor - 80
Dean's list x2
Study abroad scholarship
President's list x6
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Phi Eta Sigma (Freshman National Honor Society)

Non-Animal Employment:
Pharmacy Technician #1 - 48
Pharmacy Technician #2 - 780
Italian Peer Tutor (paid) - 80
Total 908*

LORs:
ER DVM
The ER nurse manager at my current job
Genetics Professor - I never went to any office hours, so I had to look back and see which classes I did well in

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
For my personal statement, I wrote about my path to vet med, as I had initially been interested in becoming a pharmacist. I mentioned specific things that influenced my decisions. I mentioned that I currently want to work in small animal GP, but I know my interests may change and that I am open to specializing or moving to work with different species. I also mentioned the possibility of doing an internship at an ER/specialty center for the variety of cases and the knowledge I can gain from the specialists.
For my explanatory statement, I also mentioned my change of career path. I attended 4 different schools for undergrad, and I even worked in vet med for a year before deciding to get my bachelor's degree and apply to vet school. I also mentioned how my return to school to finish my degree was made more challenging in a few different semesters as I had multiple family members get sick and pass away. When it was clear their time in hospice was coming to an end, I spent many nights traveling back and forth between their houses and school. I included this to help explain my grades. I had a couple semesters where I had Ds, and even one where I got an F. I also had not realized this as I wrote them at different times, but there is some overlap between my explanatory statement and personal statement that I did not intend to do.

*Last year I had listed my employment with PetSmart under non-animal employment, and had a total of 3,100 hours. I had also had interview offers that year. I believe I changed where I listed it because I had thought about all of the animal handling that I had done while I worked there and figured animal experience was a better fit.

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[Brittnicole]

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Iowa State University Omega Tau Sigma

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[bellsandwhistles72]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 27, F, Colorado resident, non-traditional, first time applicant

Applied: Colorado State (rejected), Missouri (rejected), TAMU (rejected), Illinois, NC State
Interview Invites: Illinois
Waiting to hear: NC State
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Most likely Illinois!

Overall GPA: 3.76
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.76
Last 45 GPA: 3.95

GRE (Q/V/W): 162 (78%) / 155 (67%) / 4.0 (55%)
(but I did take it in 2016 so irrelevant and not even required for this year's applications)

Degree(s): B.S. in Animal Science (biotechnology/bioscience concentration)
B.S. in Chemistry
I also did a little over a year of grad school before withdrawing (see essay)

Veterinary Experience:
Shadow mixed animal veterinarian (very hands-on) - 60 hours
Veterinary Assistant at a large shelter organization - 2000 hours

Animal Experience:
Guest Ranch for branding week - 20 hours, LOVED that experience
Admissions/Intake Associate at animal shelter - 1680 hours
Animal Care/Adoptions Associate at animal shelter - 1440 hours
Equine Reproduction Study Assistant - 240 hours
Worker for NCAA Equestrian Team horse care - 640 hours
Also grew up with two horses and have my own dogs! I included these at an hour a piece because I thought they were important to include but didn't want them to count towards total hours.

Research:
GRA in an immunology lab - 1120 hours
Intern with a research institute abroad studying marine mammals - 210 hours
R&D intern with an animal health company - 440 hours
Food science lab assistant - 160 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Secretary/Member of my department's graduate student association - 156 hours
Secretary/Member of chemistry fraternity - 288 hours
Spanish Honor Society in HS - 36 hours
National Honor Society in HS - 52 hours
Peer Counselor in HS - 72 hours
Diver in HS - 240 hours
Community Relations member in HS - 144 hours
I also included my horse showing ribbons (the big year end ones) and the semesters I made Dean's List, as well as scholarships.

Non-Animal Employment:
Chemistry TA - 160 hours
Film Crew at movie theatre - 690 hours
Cashier at a tack shop - 320 hours

Volunteer Work:
Truly almost none (if anything it was all associated with my extracurriculars) but I did help in a human ER one summer between semesters

LORs:
I did three, as most schools recommended to only do the minimum required, not the max.
Lead veterinarian at the shelter I work at
Animal behavior technician also from the shelter, who had background working in zoological medicine as well
Undergraduate advisor and chemistry professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement (this year's was explain a defining moment, how you would contribute, and why you're a good candidate)
I wrote how my path to veterinary school has been far from straightforward and how I had been on a research oriented path first before I realized that while I liked my work at the lab bench I wanted to work hands-on with the animals. I had to briefly address my withdrawal from graduate school (mid-semester at that) and try to frame it positively without ignoring that it happened. I described my current full-time job and the things I've learned from it including soft and hard skills (with very short examples, more listed than described) and how it ignited my passion for veterinary medicine. I focused a lot on my work with people more-so than animals and how my work in pet intake really grew my communication skills.

 

[BiranM54]

Never been happier to post on a forum thread 🤣
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 23, female, United States/permanent residence in SC but don't yet qualify for SC residency, non-traditional, this was my first cycle.

Applied: CSU, WesternU, Mizzou, Penn, Tennessee, Wisconsin, UGA, Tuskegee, Mississippi, Midwestern, NCSU, Ohio, Oklahoma, Purdue, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois 😳 (cast my net wide because I couldn't handle the thought of doing it twice)
Interview Invites: WesternU, Tuskegee, Mississippi
Waiting to hear: alternate placement at UGA, Tuskegee, Mississippi, Midwestern, and Oklahoma
Accepted: WesternU!!! was called off Mississippi State's OOS alternate list this afternoon!!!
Attending: praying for Mississippi WesternU MISSISSIPPI!!

Overall GPA: 3.48 undergrad, 3.81 graduate
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.23 (I think? I might have calculated this wrong)
Last 45 GPA: 3.23 undergrad only, 3.84 including grad

GRE (Q/V/W): 163 (79%) / 160 (85%) / 5.0 (91%)

Degree(s): UMass Amherst: B.S. pre-veterinary sciences 2020, M.S. business & analytics 2021

Veterinary Experience:
1200+ hours - vet technician

Animal Experience:
400 hours - animal care intern, Zoo New England

Research:
n/a

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Dean's List, 4 semesters
softball, 4 years, high school + community teams
field hockey, 3 years, high school team
I'm probably forgetting things but I stupidly didn't save my application

Non-Animal Employment:
2000 hours - waitress, bus driver - majority during undergrad

LORs:
2 from DVMs, 1 from my undergraduate advisor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
starting undergrad as a computer science major and then finding my way back to vet med

 

[altRVT]

So happy to be posting here. Would love to help anyone that has similar stats to me so don't hesitate too DM me 🙂
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
31, F, California, Non-Traditional, 2 (2020 and 2021)

Applied: WSU (rejected), CSU (rejected), Illinois (rejected), Ohio (rejected after interview), WesternU
Interview Invites: Ohio, WesternU
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: Western U
Attending: Western U!

Overall GPA: 3.25
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.07
Last 45 GPA: with all my retaken classes, probably around a 3.5 now

GRE (Q/V/W): 151 (50%) / 143 (13%) / 2.5 (6%)-only took it once to see what it was about, did not want to take it again considering most schools did not require it

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science
A.S. Natural Science

Veterinary Experience:
7,500-at corporate GP as an RVT
6,800-at a very progressive city shelter working as a VA
84- volunteering in Costa Rica with Equine vets
200-GP

Animal Experience:
1,300- teaching anatomy and physiology at an RVT school (now I teach surgery class which I talked about in my interview)
240-volunteering at a zoo

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Dean's list 3 times while I was at CC
President's list another 3 times at same CC
AG council rep for vet club in undergrad- 2 years

Non-Animal Employment:
Sales associate in retail- 7 years

LORs:
Anatomy and Physiology professor
2 GP veterinarians
1 shelter veterinarian
PM from corporate GP

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote about the difficulties of being 1st generation and how as a veterinarian I will impact latinx communities on a local and global scale. I also wrote some about how I am passionate about mentoring my RVT students.

 

[dogsandcoffee]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
21, female, NJ, traditional, 1st cycle

Applied: Penn, Tufts, Georgia (waitlisted), Cornell, Ohio State, VA-MD, Long Island, Glasgow
Interview Invites: Penn, Tufts, Ohio State, VA-MD, Long Island, Glasgow
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Penn, Cornell (off waitlist!), Tufts, Ohio State, VA-MD, Long Island, Glasgow
Attending: Penn!

Overall GPA: 3.87
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.84
Last 45 GPA: 3.92

GRE (Q/V/W): 157 (61%) / 153 (59%) / 5 (91%)

Degree(s): B.S. in Animal Science, Honors Program

Veterinary Experience:
small animal clinic, technician - 1100 hours

Animal Experience:
pet care assistant (my vet hospital has an attached boarding facility) - 600 hours
sheep handling/student mentor to freshman for 2 years - 200+ hours
horse barn employee - 150+ hours
lab classes within my major - 50 hours

Research:
genomics in a composite beef cattle population - 150 hours (publishing thesis this spring)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Delta Zeta Sorority - Vice President of Philanthropy, was also on philanthropy committee two years prior - 400+ hours
dance marathon - year-long philanthropic even: team captain for my sorority - 300+ hours, also worked with high schools across the state on external relations team for 2 years - 300 hours
pre-vet club - 50 hours
dean's list - 7 semesters
ASAS undergraduate scholar - every year
panhellenic achievement award - every year
Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society
multiple other scholarships within my major

Non-Animal Employment:
week of welcome leader - 40 hours (mentor to incoming freshman move-in weekend)

LORs:
veterinarian/hospital owner, academic advisor, thesis advisor, & professor within my major

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I've known that I wanted to be a vet since I was younger, but I wrote about one specific patient that really made this goal clear to me. I feel like it's really easy/common to say that you want to be a veterinarian when you grow up, but I really wanted to emphasize that working hands-on in a clinic made me fall in love with vet medicine even more than I ever thought. one of my favorite things about my job is also the relationships I've made with our clients (new and old) over time, so I talked a lot about that too!!

 

[flockofdoves]

Incredibly excited to be posting here! I've lurked here for the past few years and have DREAMED of the day I would get to join a group like this!

22 (almost 23), Female, California resident, Traditional, 1st-time applying

Applied: Davis, CSU, Purdue, Tufts, Cornell, UPenn, U Minnesota, Wisconsin, U of Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, LSU, UGA
Interview Invites: Davis, Purdue, Tufts, UPenn, U Minnesota, Wisconsin, U Illinois (declined interview),
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Davis, CSU, Purdue, Tufts, Cornell, UPenn, Wisconsin, LSU
Attending: DAVIS!!!


Cumulative GPA: 3.83

Science GPA: 3.79-3.81 depending on school

Last 45: 3.89 (actually 3.94 if my college would show spring 2020 grades.)

Any degrees achieved: I will graduate in May 2022 with a Biology degree (+ chem minor)


GRE results (Q/V/W): 158/160/4


Veterinary Experience: 2056 total
- Shadowing exotic/mixed animal vet (50hrs)
- Summer internship with (now retired) vet oncologist (100 hrs)
- Ongoing vet assistant internship with GP vet (currently 250 hrs)
- Remote vet assistant internship in Summer 2020 making client summaries for veterinary oncologist (200 hrs)
-Vet assistant at GP clinic (1089 hrs)
-100 ish hours shadowing equine vet in summer 2021
- 288 hours working at NEWC in summer 2021
-shadowing ambulatory large animal vet in fall 2021 (150 hrs)
-Vet assistant at ER hospital (200 hours)

Animal Experience (1140 total):
Cat shelter (500 hrs)
Rabbit rescue (300 hrs)
Part-time cattle farmhand (50 hrs)
Various cat/dog sitting (400 hrs)
Horseback riding helper at equestrian center (100 hrs)

Research Experience:
intern at USC molecular biology lab in high school- studied eye disk gene expression in fruit flies (~200 hrs)


Awards/scholarships:
- Smith College Presidential Scholarship
- National Latin Exam Perfect Score 2015
- Outstanding Performer Award (high school band)
- 3 time local clarinet competition winner
-Dean’s list 2021


Extracurriculars:
Vice president of orchestra
Co-president of pre-vet club
Orchestra assistant principal clarinet player (eventually principal)
Business Manager of orchestra
Pre-vet club treasurer
Fire & Safety chair in my house, then house treasurer
high school band (Wind Symphony)
high school orchestra- principal clarinet
Chemistry club in HS
Section leader in high school marching band
mentor to elementary school music students

Non-animal Employment (put under experiences):
Lifeguard at college pool (Spring 2020)
Lifeguard at mother beach (past summer 2014-2019)
Camp counselor at summer camp for high school girls (summer 2019)

Essays:

I wrote about a few pivotal moments in my vet journey that made me realize that I could do this and that made me want to do this/drew me to this field. I also folded in my experiences from my music/lifeguarding and how they informed my worldview. I also talked about my interest in rabbits/small animals +exotics and OneHealth (maybe mixed).

 

[lvl_tasha]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
24, Female, FL, Non-traditional (took a gap year to deploy to the middle east), applied twice (second times the charm)

Applied: UF & SGU
Interview Invites: UF & SGU
Waiting to hear: SGU
Accepted: UF!
Attending: Most likely UF because of the in-state tuition and close to home.

Overall GPA: 3.35
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.28
Last 45 GPA: 3.56

GRE (Q/V/W): Didn't take it/ not required

Degree(s): Bachelor in biology with a minor in chemistry

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal emergency at large hospital (compensated) - 6,000 (hrs)/ 3 years

Animal Experience:
Wildlife - 12hrs
Marine mammal - 56hrs

Research:
Laboratory assistant with sea anemones - 104hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Goat yoga
Relay for life captain for pre-vet society
Global finprint volunteer

Non-Animal Employment:
US Army- 6.5 years
A sales associate at rainbow- 1 year

LORs:
3 LOR from veterinarians, one the hospital manager, one an emergency & critical care veterinarian, and one from a staff veterinarian
For SGU I had 2 LOR and one from a professor from undergrad

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I did a video essay for UF and I focused on my experience making up for my GPA. I was a first generation student of immigrant indo-carribean parents. I self-funded my way through undergrad while maintaing my status in the army reserves, I multi-tasked and had leadership roles/big responsbility at a young age.

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[katiemcat]

I'm so happy to be able to post in this thread at last. Hopefully my story will be helpful to anyone applying next cycle. Congrats to everyone!

22, Female, Florida resident, Traditional, Second application cycle (I was devastated to be rejected my first cycle. Don't let it get you down. What's meant to be will be ❤️.)

Applied: University of Florida, University of Georgia (rejected), University of Tennessee (rejected), University of Arizona (rejected), Ross
Interview Invites: University of Florida, Ross
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: University of Florida, Ross
Attending: University of Florida 😍

Overall GPA: 3.55 (very strong upward trend)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.4
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): I have no idea whoops

Degree(s):
Bachelors in Biology
Minors in psychology and chemistry

Veterinary Experience:
-Veterinary assistant (General Practice) - (2000 hrs)
-Veterinary Technician (Municipal city animal shelter) - (500 hrs)

Animal Experience:
-Barn hand - ( 250hrs)
-Wolf preserve volunteer - (50 hrs)
-Animal Shelter volunteer - (200 hrs)


Research:
-Chemistry Lab Intern study on how to clean up oil spills - (200 hrs)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Pre-Vet club executive board member
-Graduated Cum Laude
-Fear free certified
-Licensed Euthanasia Technician

Non-Animal Employment:
-Biology teaching assistant - (500 hrs)

LORs:
Veterinarian GP
Veterinarian Shelter
Head of Biology Department (I had him as a professor and TAed for him)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I went into how I grew up fostering (in fact, abandoned, and abused) animals as my uncle was a veterinarian passionate about rescue and how I found myself in the world of veterinary medicine and more specifically shelter medicine. I talked about my want to improve the sheltering system, how animals are viewed and treated in society, and breeding practices.

 

[vfischeri]

So excited to post here officially! It's been a ride, but finally have a place to look forward to in the fall!

25, F, Illinois (although grew up in FL with family still living in FL), Non-traditional, 1st application cycle!

Applied: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State University, Kansas State University, Mississippi State University, University of Florida
Interview Invites: Illinois, Michigan State University (no interview), Kansas State University, Mississippi State University, University of Florida
Waiting to hear: Michigan State (alternate)
Accepted: Illinois, Kansas State, Mississippi State, UF
Attending: UF!!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.89
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.79
Last 45 GPA: 3.9

GRE (Q/V/W): Did not take the GRE as none of the schools I applied to required it!

Degree(s): Bachelors of Science in Biology (no minor)

Veterinary Experience:
Veterinary Assistant - GP - two different practices (4594 hours)
Veterinary Technician (non-credentialed) - GP/lead sx tech (2318 hours)

Animal Experience:
Medical Data Entry Volunteer for local rescue (130 hours)
Cat Socializer for local feline only shelter (20 hours)
Zoo Animal Care Volunteer - *this technically did not actually make it onto my VMCAS application as I began volunteering after application was submitted, but I tried to discuss it during interviews when possible* (100 hours)

Research:
Undergraduate Microbiology Research Lab + 1 publication (400 hours)
Summer Research Intern @ Kansas State University CVM (360 hours)
Undergraduate Genetics Research Volunteer (6 hours)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Dean's List for all semesters in undergrad
Research award from undergrad Biology department
Departmental honors
Summa Cum Laude
President of Biology club (200 hours)

Non-Animal Employment:
Retail (1600 hours)
Laboratory/Teaching Assistant (510 hours)

LORs:
Veterinarian from GP practice that I worked in the first two years after undergrad
Veterinarian from GP practice that I worked in for the past year
Research Mentor from undergrad (Had a professor, TA'ed for, and did 2 years of research + publication)
Theology Professor from undergrad - mostly to serve as a character reference

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

I wrote about how I was initially terrified of studying science & doing scientific research when I started college (I didn't think I was smart enough to do research) - then learned to enjoy the process during undergrad & was able to use it to help inform my role as a veterinary assistant/technician. I also discussed recognizing that science can only get you so far in vet med - being a vet is about caring for the person holding the leash, too - and that means trying to be flexible & sensitive to financial constraints, cultural differences, etc.

 

[jestradawg21]

23 (22 when I applied), Male, Georgia resident, semi-trad (took a gap year before applying so already had my Bachelors), 1st cycle
Graduated from the UGA Warnell School of Forestry with a wildlife science degree

Applied: UGA, Lincoln Memorial University
Interviewed: LMU
Accepted: UGA (no references called), LMU
Attending: UGA!

GPA:
3.7 cumulative when applied, 3.72 final
3.48 pre-req science when applied, 3.57 final
3.89 final 45 when applied, 3.92 final

GRE:
(315 overall) 157 V, 158 Q, 4.0 AW

Vet Hrs:
750 at a small animal clinic Worked as kennel tech but spent a lot of my time assisting in treatment room and observing treatment and surgeries.
140 hrs at the UGA vet teaching hospital. Was just an orderly but was told it counts as vet hours.
76 hrs as an undergrad student volunteer with the UGA Large Animal Critical Care Team. Attended rounds on days I was signed up to be on call and generally restrained/observed treatment when I was called in.

Research Hrs:
480 hrs with the US Geological Survey the prior summer as a biological science tech. Position was to trap and collect data on grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
400 hrs with the UGA Deer Lab during summer break as a biological field tech. Captured and collected data on deer fawn in north GA.
64 hrs as a student volunteer at SCWDS during one college semester. Helped sort and examine ticks for data on tick and dogs in Chad, Africa. Also got to do some supervised PCR assays and gel electrophoresis.

Extracurriculars:
Probably could have done more clubs while in college.
94 hrs with Warnell Pre-vet Club. Attended meetings and guest lectures. Served as secretary for a year.
1092 hrs with the Boy Scouts of America. All before starting college. Became an Eagle Scout.
480 hrs with my high school cross country team. Varsity last two years. Consistently attended practices and meets all four years of high school.

Awards and Scholarships:
Graduated Cum Laude
Eagle Scout. Noted only 4% of scouts achieve this rank.
Presidential Scholar my fall 2020 semester.
Deans list my spring 2020 semester.
Always maintained my Zell Miller Scholarship.
Awarded a $1000 scholarship from Warnell. Given to a a student who demonstrates an interest in the sustainable management and conservation of natural resources.

Essays:
Centered them around how I wanted to work in conservation medicine. Talked about being a good candidate because that sector needs vets for the one health concept and my background and education with wildlife and vet medicine means I have a good understanding of this and how vets are invaluable in maintaining wildlife population health, and by extension, domestic animal and human health. That's the gist of it I guess. I think my desired career field helped set me apart from the majority of applicants who want to be a GP vet

LOR:
One from a UGA professor who was my undergrad advisor and hired me for the deer project.
The head vet from the small animal clinic I work at.
Another UGA professor who I took my Natural History of Vertebrates and Mammalogy courses with.

 

[eagerbeaver91]

I'm so excited to be posting in here!!
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
30, F, FL, Non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: UF, NCSU, U. of Arizona (rejected), Midwestern (waitlisted to interview), Oregon State (rejected), U. Illinois (rejected)
Interview Invites: UF
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: UF, NCSU
Attending: UF

Overall GPA: 3.48 [3.2 from primary institution back in 2013, retook several classes and completed missing prerequisites at local 4 year university in the past 2 years]
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.31
Last 45 GPA: 3.98

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%)
did not take

Degree(s): B.S. Brain & Cognitive Sciences from MIT

Veterinary Experience:
veterinary technician at a general small animal practice (450)
volunteer at a holistic vet practice [small animal & equine] (100)
receptionist at a specialty veterinary hospital (1500)
shadowed an equine vet (15)
veterinary assistant at a general small animal practice (1300)


Animal Experience:
Doggy Daycare Attendant (120)
Kennel Technician (180)
Volunteer for local animal rescue while in college (130)


Research:
Data Mining for the Study of Early Childhood Development (130)
Analysis of Scene-Selective Regions of the Brain (140)
Speech Analysis for the Human Speechome Project (260)
How Does the Activity of Neurons in the Striatum Change When Learning a New Task? [worked with rats] (290)
Investigating the Role of Noradrenaline and Acetylcholine in Low Odor Detection [worked with rats] (240)


Extracurriculars/Awards:
treasurer & secretary of college living group
co-director of MIT InnoWorks [ran a free science summer camp for disadvantaged middle school students]
member of Student Minority Ambassador Recruitment Team
Board Member on Student Advisory Committee for Diversity in Admission
FFA and HOSA in high school
went to a magnet high school and was in the veterinary assisting program

Dean's List
Honorable Mention for Outstanding Research
a couple of scholarships
Valedictorian of my high school

Non-Animal Employment:
career in math education company [started as a part time instructor and worked my way up to assistant director] (7 years- something like 12,000 hours)
private tutor (1800)
student assistant for a couple of departments at MIT (500)
instructor at summer camp [taught a course about amphibians to five- and six-year-olds] (80)
summer retail job (135)

LORs:
1. Veterinarian from first clinic I worked at back in 2013 (I only worked for him for about 10 months, but we kept in touch this whole time, and he offered to write me a recommendation letter as soon as I told him I was going to apply)
2. Veterinarian from holistic practice I volunteered at
3. Public Speaking professor
4. President of math education company I work for
5. Director of Operations of math education company I work for

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I have a somewhat chaotic history with veterinary medicine...lots of leaving and re-entering the field over the past 10+ years. I suffered from major imposter syndrome at MIT, which led to some mental health issues and ultimately left me too fearful to pursue veterinary medicine. I had a very wonderful career in education where I had lovely bosses who gave me the opportunity to flourish and re-build my confidence, but while I was happy in my career, veterinary medicine was always on the back of my mind. My mom got into a very scary car accident at the end of 2019, and it was a pivotal moment in my life where I realized tomorrow isn't guaranteed and I finally decided to just go for it.
My personal statement mostly focused on how MIT gave me the skills to be a great scientist, but my career in education taught me how to be an effective communicator and leader, and how a combination of those skills has made me confident that I can be a great veterinarian.

 

[Loganisle]

I'm still in a bit of disbelief over this placement at MSU. I was certain I'd be wait listed. I'm so happy to be an example of a non-traditional without the best grades (in the beginning) for someone else out there.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
48, Female, FL, non-traditional, Second cycle applying

Applied: Iowa State, Univ MN, Univ WI, St George's Univ, Lincoln Memorial Univ, South Dakota State (through MN), Michigan State Univ, VA-MD
Interview Invites: SGU, MSU
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: SGU, MSU
Attending: MSU

Overall GPA: 2.79
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.4
Last 45 GPA: 3.4

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%) Didn't take.

Degree(s): BS Business Admin

Veterinary Experience:
Appx 500 volunteer/shadowing
Appx 2000 pd vet tech

Animal Experience:
- Large animal
Training, and showing horses - 30 yrs

- Farm animal
Raising goats, sheep, chickens

- Small animal
Showing and breeding Shelties - 17 yrs
Showing and breeding Scottish Folds - 7 yrs

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Recreational soccer league - 3 yrs
Car clubs member & coordinator- 8 yrs
Kick boxing - 1 yr

- Awards
Scholarship after high school
Military awards & medals
Titles earned through dig and cat show hobbies

Non-Animal Employment:
- Military retiree with 23 yrs - human resources, customer service, travel planning, finance, health services
- Business owner since 2020 - communications and marketing

LORs:
Veterinarian
Chief Master Sergeant in USAF (Supervisor)
Science Professor
Cattery partner (business/hobby)
Master Seegeant in USAF (Coworker)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Military experiences, what I learned, and related them to his it purpose me for vet school and a Veterinarian career.

 

[hannahchild]

SOOOOOO HAPPY that I get to post here finally! I've always loved helping other pre-vet students, so hopefully this helps some future applicants. My GPAs were much higher my first time applying (overall 3.71) since I ended up taking biochem, both orgos, and both physics all online during my senior COVID year. One piece of advice: use this as a tool rather than to compare yourself. Coming from someone who constantly compared stats/hours with other applicants, it does you no good! Every applicant is different and brings a variety of experiences to the table. I know my grades aren't beautiful, but I really believe that my unique experiences and LORs made me stand out. Also don't let the number of hours that I have under my belt scare you - I had to work all throughout high school and undergrad to make ends meet financially.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
23, Female, Florida resident, traditional applicant, 2nd time applying
Applied: UF, LMU, Colorado State, Oregon State, Cornell, Wisconsin, Auburn, Tennessee
Interview Invites: UF, LMU
Waiting to hear: LMU
Accepted: UF
Attending: UF

Overall GPA: 3.59
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.29
Last 45 GPA: 3.31

GRE (Q/V/W): Did not take

Degree(s): Bachelors of Science in Animal Sciences, specialization in Animal Biology with a minor in International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

Veterinary Experience:
1900 hours at one GP as part-time technician
330 hours at another GP over summer as a full-time kennel tech
1200 hours at an urgent care hospital as full-time technician, also lead on many shifts
120 hours at an ER hospital as a part-time ICU/ECC overnight technician
40 hours externing at an ER hospital in Georgia
50 hours shadowing traveling equine sports doctor in Ocala
100 hours shadowing multiple wildlife vets in South Africa during a study abroad trip through EcoLife over 3 weeks
150 hours volunteering in anesthesia, zoo med, and oncology at UF Small Animal Hospital

Animal Experience:
120 hours interning at Marathon Wild Bird Center
1000 hours managing my pet sitting business in Gainesville (50+ families with medical and behavioral cases)
850 hours as a marine biologist assistant in high school

Research:
150 hours - Faciola Ruminant Nutrition Lab
100 hours - Sleeper Lab (DMD project with golden retrievers through UF's Small Animal Hospital)

Extracurriculars:
Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarship Mentor (mentored first generation freshman students at UF for 2 years)
TriGators Triathlon Club
Alpha Zeta Honors Fraternity (worked my way up with positions to become president my senior year)
Books to Bots (founded this international project that sends science-based books to my homestay family in Botswana)
UF Pre-Vet Club
TA for Principles of Animal Nutrition course for 2 semesters
UF EMPOWER member (women's workout club on-campus)

Awards:
Graduated Cum Laude from undergrad
Received multiple scholarships over my 4 years of undergrad through my college for great grades and involvement
University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Top 10 Senior Award
Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarship Recipient (full scholarship for all 4 years of undergrad for first generation students)
Take Stock in Children 2+2 Scholarship awarded in high school

Non-Animal Employment:
570 hours as a customer care rep at my local aquarium in high school

LORs:
2 Veterinarians (1 from GP/ER and 1 from ER at a different hospital)
1 Professor (I got an A in the course, TA'd for 2 semesters, assisted with his grad students in his ruminant nutrition lab)
1 Advisor (I was president of a co-ed agricultural fraternity through my college and she was our advisor)
1 Manager (I worked as a customer service rep and marine bio assistant for 4 years in high school)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
My personal statement included all of my "greatest hits". I started off talking about how being awarded a full scholarship to UF as a first gen student opened many opportunities for me. I talked about transitioning from GP to ER, and how ER medicine really intrigues me with the fast-paced, outside-the-box thinking. I also elaborated on my time in Botswana and South Africa when I studied abroad and how being culturally immersed set me up to become a versatile, resourceful veterinarian.
I medically withdrew from two courses during undergrad due to physical and mental ailments (both chemistry-related courses) and discussed this in my explanation statement. I made a point to tie in how these experiences allowed me realize how important work-life balance is in the profession.

 

[yogivet]

Hey friends! Congrats to everyone posting here, and good luck to future applicants! If anyone has any questions or would like to connect, hmu!

For future applicants, take a deep breath and just focus on making sure that the true you comes through your application. Get excited about the opportunity to tell your story! You can do this!! Much love : )

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
23, Female, Illinois, Traditional (with one gap year), 1st time applicant

Applied: University of Illinois, University of Florida, Michigan State, University of Minnesota, NC State, Colorado State, Washington State, Cornell, University of Wisconsin, Purdue
Interview Invites: Illinois, University of Florida, Michigan State, Minnesota
Waiting to hear: NC State
Accepted: Illinois, University of Florida, Michigan State, Minnesota
Attending: Illinois or UF (still deciding)

Overall GPA: 3.61
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.43
Last 45 GPA: 3.82

GRE (Q/V/W): did not take!!

Degree(s): Biology Major, Ethics Minor

Veterinary Experience:
500 hours as a veterinary assistant at a GP and alternative medicine clinic (including some equine assisting)
100 hours as a veterinary assistant at a different GP while in senior year of undergrad
200 hours as a veterinary intern at my first GP

Animal Experience:
900 hours as a wrangler at a ranch (all equine work)
200 hours as a wildlife rescue intern animal keeper
300 hours as a wildlife interpreter at Shedd Aquarium
years of horse back riding experience & equine care, starting when I was 6

Research:
500 hours as a research assistant and independent researcher at a biomimicry lab (working on publications currently)
200 hours as a research assistant on an urban pollinator study
100 hours as a research intern on a marine probiotic research study at Shedd Aquarium

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Service Learning - Volunteer chemistry tutor during undergrad at an inner city high school
Western Equestrian Club Team member & athlete
Member of Phi Sigma Pi honors fraternity
Member of Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Pre-medical Society
Deans List
Cum Laude Graduate
Outdoors Club Member
Photography Club Member and Co-Founder

Non-Animal Employment:
Bartending
Waitressing
Yoga Instructor
Cafe employee
Swim Instructor

LORs:
1. Veterinarian and Mentor at the GP/Alternative Medicine Clinic
2. Biology Professor and Research Mentor (taught me in a class and also was the head of the biomimicry lab I was involved in, oversaw my biology thesis.)
3. Ethics Professor (oversaw my ethics thesis, and also guided me in my volunteering)
4. Joint letter written by the Barn Manager and Herd Health Manager at the ranch where I was a wrangler!

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I structured my personal statement to illustrate my breadth and depth as a candidate by portraying each species that I worked extensively with. For each animal, I would discuss the ways in which I helped them in their road to recovery, as well as the ways in which the species helped me to grow into who I will be as a future veterinarian. I closed the statement with explaining that I am truly passionate about a career in veterinary medicine, because I am excited to continue to impact the animals around me, as well as to continue being impacted by them every step of the way.

 

[umbrezon]

Just wanted to say congrats to all who was accepted here and good luck to future applicants! Don't give up even if you've heard rejections, I was sure that I was out after multiple rejections and got an acceptance letter today. And don't stop getting experience while you're waiting!

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
21 female, North Carolina resident, traditional, first time applicant

Applied: Ohio State University, NC State, Auburn, UT Knoxville, LMU
Interview Invites: LMU
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: LMU
Attending: LMU!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.55
Science Prerequisite GPA: unsure but likely a bit lower than my overall, probably about 3.45-3.5
Last 45 GPA: 3.5-3.6

GRE (Q/V/W): did not take

Degree(s): Graduating with a BS in Biology this May 2022 from Western Carolina University

Veterinary Experience:
Approx 1350 hours working in general practice since high school. This general practice saw pretty much everything that walked through the door, we saw dogs and cats primarily but also saw lots of birds, small rodents, wildlife (owls and deer mostly), and occasionally reptiles.
Approx 80 hours working in an ER clinic starting a couple of months ago (not included on my application as this was during my waiting period)

Animal Experience:
Approx 400 hours volunteering at a local animal shelter
Approx 100 hours in girl scout camps when I was younger, riding and working with horses

Research:
Approx 50-60 hours working in an aquatic research lab on campus with small arthropods and fishes

I have other research experiences that I accumulated over this year while I was waiting to hear back that I won't include as it wasn't a part of my application.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
T. Ray Gibbs Scholarship
Mildred Miller Fort Scholarship
Deans List and Chancellors list for varying semesters throughout high school
I'm an Honors College student at my university, so I'll be graduating with an Honors degree (basically means I completed research/extra projects in my classes over the last four years).

Non-Animal Employment:
Approx 435 hours tutoring lower-level biology courses
Also worked at Hardee's when I was 16 but did not include this on my application as I forgot to - definitely include this when you're applying and add everything!

LORs:
1. Practice owner and veterinarian of the clinic I've worked at since high school
2. Associate veterinarian at the clinic I worked at
3. Professor who is also a DVM that I took Animal Physiology with and completed one of my honors projects with about fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles.

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Mostly, I did start off that I have had an interest in animals from a young age and that I wanted to understand the different features of varying species. I talked about how my experiences shaped my thoughts about vet med, how elective college courses I have taken taught me the importance of wildlife medicine, and how it connects to conservation and the environment (which I am passionate about). I talked about how I wanted to become a wildlife veterinarian and help animals who have been impacted by environmental changes and focus on wildlife rehabilitation.

 

[mac502]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:

22, Female, PA, Traditional, first time applicant



Applied: Ohio State, Penn, Michigan State, Long Island, Virginia-Maryland, Tufts

Interview Invites: Penn, Michigan State, Long Island, Virginia-Maryland, Tufts

Waiting to hear: Waitlisted for Penn, Michigan State, Virginia-Maryland, Tufts

Accepted: Long Island University

Attending: ??



Overall GPA: 3.752

Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.6

Last 45 GPA: 3.89



GRE (Q/V/W): N/A



Degree(s): Biological Sciences major, Psychology minor



Veterinary Experience:

Veterinary Assistant - ~2,500 hours



Animal Experience:

Wildlife Rehab - ~600 hours

Large Animal Sanctuary - ~50 hours

Kennel job - ~600 hours





Research:

Psychological linguistics - ~75 hours

Microbiology research - ~200 hours



Extracurriculars/Awards:

• Deans list all semesters of college
• Intramural soccer
• President of Biology honor society
• Historian of Chemistry honor society
• Inducted into psychology honor society
• Teaching Assistant for Microbiology
• Research Assistant in Psychology

Non-Animal Employment:

Hostess - ~4,000 hours



LORs:

3 Vets

1 Professor

1 Wildlife rehabber

 

[cqs]

22F, New Mexico, Traditional Applicant, 1st Cycle

Applied: Oregon St, Washington St, Colorado St, Midwestern, UW Madison, Cornell, UPenn, U Illinois, U Arizona
Interview Invites: Midwestern, U Arizona (declined), U Illinois (declined), U Penn (declined)
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: Oregon St, Washington St, Colorado St, Midwestern, UW Madison, Cornell
Attending: CSU!

Overall GPA: 3.92
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.7-3.8 (not sure)
Last 45 GPA: not sure!

GRE (Q/V/W): did not take

Degree(s): BS in neuroscience

Veterinary Experience:
1500 hours as an oncology and general practice vet assistant
100 hours shadowing equine vets
50 hrs shadowing another gp clinic

Animal Experience:
included volunteering at cat shelter, petsitting, riding on college equestrian team, riding horses before that

Research:
500 hrs doing neuroscience research w/ mice (resulted in poster/presentation/publication)
200 hrs doing psychology research on opioid use

Extracurriculars/Awards:
extracurriculars: leadership positions for STEM educational outreach club, co founder of russian literature club
awards: 1/2 tuition merit scholarship for undergrad, summa cum laude, phi beta cappa, included some research funding i got, national merit finalist

Non-Animal Employment:
part time job in college as front desk assistant, a couple high school jobs too

LORs:
dvm oncologist, comparative literature professor, phd neuro researcher

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
i wrote about how research science with the mice informed my perspective on the reciprocity between human and vet med. then discussed my career goals of innovating more affordable treatment options via use of translational medicine

 

[juri179]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
21, female, CT, traditional applicant, 1st cycle
Applied: Cornell (denied), Michigan State (denied), UPenn, tufts, CSU, Iowa, Illinois, UGA
Interview Invites: Upenn, Tufts, Illinois
Waiting to hear: Heard back from all but waiting to see if I get pulled off any waitlists. I was waitlisted at UPenn, Tufts, Iowa, UGA and Colorado
Accepted: Illinois!
Attending: Illinois!!!!! Unless, I get any offers from the waitlisted schools

Overall GPA: 3.90
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.80
Last 45 GPA: 3.95

GRE (Q/V/W): I don't remember the exact numbers but I think 58%/54%/4
Degree(s): Molecular and Cellular Biology (honors program)

Veterinary Experience:
Experience -
600 hours at the time of application at a feline-only practice (vet assistant)
200 hours at a small animal general practice (vet assistant)
90 hours as a kennel tech at a small animal practice


Animal Experience:
Experience -
~50 hours from lab courses in undergrad (horses, pigs, sheep, chicken, cows)

Research:
Experience -
~100 working with sheep, researching the effect of maternal diet on offspring development

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience -
Alpha Phi Fraternity: I held a leadership position as director of academics
HuskyTHON: a dance marathon fundraiser for Connecticut Children's Hospital
Pre-Vet Club
Paws and Claws club
Big Brother Big Sister
Intramural basketball
TA for introduction to microbiology for one semester

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience -
Worked 3 summers at Dairy Queen

LORs:
Title of recommender (Vet? Manager? Supervisor? Vet tech?)
One letter was from the veterinarian I worked with the most, another was from my honors thesis supervisor/ advisor, and the third was from the professor who I was helping out with research

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Summary of what you wrote about
I wrote about everything that led to the decision of becoming a veterinarian. I also explained how feline medicine was the most interesting to me and why it was so important to me to continue my education in that. I explained how my veterinary experience and animal experience hours got cut short from COVID (was going to intern at a zoo but it got canceled from covid, had to stop working for a bit summer 2020).

What waitlist rank are you for Iowa?

 

[Halocat]

I am so honored to be able to post here. Congrats to those accepted and for those not who did not get in this cycle stay strong, I believe in you all. For those planning to apply, I hope seeing my stats helps you and good luck!
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
22, Female, PA, Traditional, 1st cycle applying

Applied: Tufts, Cornell, UTenn, Virgina-Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, LMU, Ohio, UPenn, NC state, Purdue, LIU, UofA, Michigan and Midwestern (a lot I know I just really wanted to get in and not have to apply again lol)

Interview Invites: Tufts, Purdue, Illinois, UTenn, LMU, Michigan (reception), Midwestern, LIU, UofA and VM

Waiting to hear: Waitlisted at VM and Michigan (declined waitlist spot)
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, LMU, Iowa, LIU, Illinois and Midwestern
Attending: Cornell!!!!

Overall GPA: according to VMCAS 3.8 (higher due to transfer credits, at my undergrad school 3.78)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.59-3.74 depending on school
Last 45 GPA: 3.87

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%): Didn't take but took the CASPER test

Degree(s): BA in Veterinary science

Veterinary Experience: Vet assistant 2 small animal clinics and worked with Exotics vets abroad in Australia and Costa Rica.
Experience ~1050 (hrs)

Animal Experience: Wildlife rehab center
Experience ~200 (hrs)

Research: With a veterinarian working on a preventative treatment for postpartum disease in dairy cows (Honors thesis)
Experience ~420 (hrs)

Extracurriculars/Awards: 3 clubs with 3 officer positions, 2 honor societies and I also included high school sports teams. Dean's list all semesters and 2nd place in a research competition. I also listed a few scholarships.

Volunteer Experience - Coaching, firehouse (high school), and Organic Chem TA 385(hrs)

Non-Animal Employment: Worked guest services at a ski resort and as a lifeguard
~1350 (hrs)

LORs:
Title of recommender (Vet? Manager? Supervisor? Vet tech?)
Academic advisor (also a vet)
Research mentor (also a vet)
Professor/ Club advisor (also a vet)
A vet from a Small Animal Clinic I worked with for 2 summers

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I just wrote about how I believe it is not one moment that steered me to vet med but a series of events continuously reassuring me. I wrote how these experiences expanded my definition of vet med beyond just treating a sick pet in a clinic opening my eyes to the larger impacts of veterinarians.

 

[Fluffywombat72]

I am overjoyed to be posting on this forum.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
23, Female, CA, traditional, first time applicant


Applied: Get ready ya’ll (I wanted to increase my chances of getting in as much as I could) UC Davis, Western U, CSU, Oregon, tOSU, UMN, VAMD, MSU, Mississippi, WSU, LMU, Iowa, UGA, UPenn, UW Madison, Illinois, UoA, Midwestern
Interview Invites: Mississippi, Western U
Waiting to hear: Mississippi
Accepted: Western U, Iowa
Attending: Iowa State!!!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.11
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.01 (VMCAS) 3.37 (Iowa Prereq)
Last 45 GPA: 3.64

GRE (Q/V/W): 148 (28%) / 154 (63%) / 4.5 (80%)

Degree(s): Bachelors of Science in Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Vet assistant at GP - ~3000 hrs
Receptionist at GP - ~ 900 hrs
Kennel tech at GP - ~1020 hrs

Animal Experience:
Wild Parrot Rehabilitation volunteer - 428 hrs
Farm animals (goats, cows, pigs, turkey) - ~300 hrs
Animal Shelter - 350 hrs

Research:
Animal behavior lab - ~200 hrs
-handing live rattlesnakes in the field and in lab setting
-hands on experience with assisting with rattlesnake transmitter surgical extraction
-assisted with collecting venom while rattlesnake is anesthetized


Extracurriculars/Awards:
Dean’s list for two semesters

Non-Animal Employment:
Cashier at Nothing Bundt Cakes - 756 hrs
Undergrad Campus Bookstore - 40 hr
Turkey leg stand at Seaworld San Diego - 200 hrs


LORs:

1. Head veterinarian at the GP clinic I work at
2. Professor of the Herpetology course I was enrolled in, who was also my PI of the research lab I was a part of
3. Another professor that taught the Zoology and conservation ecology course
4. Head volunteer supervisor at the wild parrot rehabilitation center

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I started my personal statement by describing the time I witnessed a pit bull attacking a clinic cat in front of my eyes. I talked about how this experience led me to develop a crippling fear of dogs and how I was about to give up my childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian. I ultimately described how I overcame my fear and grew stronger from this scary experience. I revisited my “why” and made sure to talk about why I wanted to pursue veterinary medicine in the first place and how my life experiences had only confirmed my passion for vet med. I emphasized that although I found that I have a sensitive heart, I recognized my sensitive heart to be my strength.

 

[AceHydro]

So excited to finally be in this group!!

23, female, Missouri resident, traditional 3rd time applicant

Applied: Mizzou, Illinois
Interview Invites: Mizzou, Illinois
Accepted: Illinois, Waitlisted #1 at Mizzou and pulled off
Attending: Mizzou!!!

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.63
Last 45 GPA: 3.93

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%): real bad so I didn’t submit

Degree(s): BS in Biology

Veterinary Experience:
SA: 4000 hrs total. Vet assistant 6 years, 2 local clinics, specialty clinic, vet school academy program
Equine: 50
Food animal: 75

Animal Experience:
Experience - (hrs)
Humane society: 750
Equestrian team: 750
Dairy nutrition research center: 1300

Research:
Research tech at dairy nutrition research center - 1300
Validating use of FitBark trackers on cattle - 50

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-vet club +leadership
Professional sorority + leadership
Equestrian team
Various high school clubs and sports

Non-Animal Employment:
Steak N Shake - high school

LORs:
4 current/former vets at SA clinic
Biology professor for 3 of my courses

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
evolution of why I’ve wanted to be a vet from just having love of animals to finding certain things I was drawn to that can be applied to vet med. also discussed being a 3rd time applicant and the ups and downs of the process

 

[IvyMoose]

So excited to share as well... it was definitely a rocky application cycle for me <3 Hoping others can get good info off of my experience.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:

22, M, FL/USA, Traditional (with one gap year between undergrad and supposed start date), only applied this cycle


Applied: Arizona (placed on interview waitlist, rejected), UF (placed on interview waitlist, rejected), Cornell (rejected), Minnesota (waitlist, relinquished seat after deadline), Tufts, Penn
Interview Invites: Minnesota, Tufts, Penn
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Penn, Tufts
Attending: Penn (with master’s at Tufts)

Overall GPA: 3.71
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.58
Last 45 GPA: 3.85

GRE (Q/V/W): Did not take

Degree(s): B.S. in Chemistry, A.A. in Liberal Arts

Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Hospital, Private Practice – 392
Wildlife Hospital – 280

Animal Experience:
None :/

Research:
Undergrad researcher, geology – 760
Undergrad researcher, chemistry – 96
Lab Intern, ocean research – 280


Extracurriculars/Awards:
Student Activities Council President – 460

I forgot many of my extracurriculars, so I emailed Tufts, UPenn, and UF asking if I could update my application. They all said that I could not update my VMCAS application, but I could send in a word document with a list of my extracurriculars to be added to the applicant portal, which may or may not be reviewed.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program – 56
Choir Member – 234
Private Lessons Student – 99
Caterer / Events preparer – 420
University Housing Chair – 320

Non-Animal Employment:
Student Dining Hall Manager – 1596
Student Counselor – 800

LORs:

1 - Hospital Director of a wildlife hospital I volunteered at for 2 years

1 - Dean of my college with whom I have had close contact with for my senior year

1 - Instructor in my undergraduate field with whom I have had 3 semesters of classes

1 - Senior Research Scientist I worked with for two years

1 - Veterinarian at the small animal clinic I current work at

5 total

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Summary of what you wrote about

I wrote about how not much focus is on wildlife and conservation medicine as it should be: we are churning out veterinarians in dozens of schools yet many people want to go right into small animal private practice. I commented on the need to revitalize veterinary education, centering conservation medicine, since our ecosystems are at peril and are in need of veterinarians’ skill sets to help preserve what we have left.

Given the above, it’s ironic (and somewhat unfortunate) that I chose Penn and not Tufts given my strong interest in wildlife… things change so quickly when you apply and when you hear back it still shocks me to where I ended up committing O_O

 

[Tgoss14]

22, M, Ohio, Traditional applicant, first time applicant:

Applied: Ohio State(IS), LMU, Purdue, Michigan State, Missouri, Illinois
Interview Invites: Ohio, Missouri(waitlisted), LMU, Illinois(waitlisted)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: LMU, Illinois
Attending: Illinois

Overall GPA: 3.80
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.73
Last 45 GPA: 3.81

Did not take GRE

Degree(s): associates and BS in zoology

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal GP assistant (1,500)
Small animal ER assistant (100)
Same ER shadowing (150)
Equine shadow (70)
Loop abroad exotic/wildlife(70)
Big Cat dental shadowing (30)

Animal Experience:
Experience 150 hours at a rescue!

Research:
Experience: none!

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-vet club, pre-health professionals club, 4 years of HS basketball and summer basketball, some clubs in HS as well, Various scholarships and awards from HS and college

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - worked as a janitor helper at my hs during summer of 2018/2019

LORs:
6 veterinarians - 2 from my Loop Abroad trip, 2 from my GP (owners of the clinic), 2 from the ER I shadowed and worked at

Essay Questions/Personal Statement: I talked about my hardships and how I can contribute to the profession based on my experiences!

 

[Yaya_Cat]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 29 F Michigan resident, Traditional applicant second time applying.

Applied: RVC, Oregon, Wisconsin, Tufts, St. George, MSU, Western
Interview Invites: St. George, MSU, Western
Accepted: St. George, Western, MSU Go Green!
Attending: MSU 💚

Overall GPA: 3.11 Undergrad, 3.78 Graduate
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.11 Undergrad, 3.78 Graduate
Last 45 GPA: Unsure (Probably around 3.7 tho)

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%) (I took it in 2017 but I did not include it in this cycle, not needed)

Degree(s): BS Biology w/ minor in Film Studies. MA Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - 1000+ total: Small animal shadowing, vet receptionist (100 hrs), and vet assistant at an emergency/critical care part time

Animal Experience:
Experience - 1000+ total: Farmer, Kennel attendant, volunteer at local Zoo, humane society,

Research:
Experience - 500+ Working in a parasitology lab with amphibians and reptiles.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - Show producer/editor for on campus TV station (2 years) , Fencing (3yrs), Muggle Quidditch Club President/captain/event coordinator (4 yrs) (Awarded best multicultural event), Bollywood Dance team member (1.5 yrs), Pre vet society member (2 yrs).

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - 3 years IT helpdesk experience. 2 years customer support, 3 years as an office assistant.

LORs:
Title of recommender: I got 2 recommendations from Graduate school professors (One is an Immunologist and the other a Parasitology professor that I did my lab experience with) One letter from my current boss and 2 letters from Vets (One emergency and one GP).

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

I wrote about how caring for animals when I was younger helped me push through difficult situations I had growing up in poverty and about how much satisfaction I felt when I would help out at my local clinic growing up. I also mentioned how important it was for me to be able to encourage others within my community to pursue their passions whether it be vet med or not. But also wanting to be part of the diversity you see in vet med.


------------------------------------------

I am so excited to be doing this and I hope that my stats can encourage others with a GPA on the lower end. I first applied in 2017 and I could only afford to apply to 3 schools (barely). I didn't even apply to my in state school the first time because so many had told me that it was almost impossible to get in without a perfect gpa. When I didn't get accepted the first round, many told me to forget my dream, maybe go into nursing. I stuck to my plans and got more experience and was fortunate enough to be able to get my masters paid for by my current employer. While the masters definitely helped in the GPA area, I feel like getting a lot of diverse experience as well as having so many diverse extracurriculars helped a lot. While most of my full time job experience was non veterinary, being able to earn a decent income in IT allowed me to be able to use more of my free time shadowing, working at clinics on weekends, and continuing my education. It really is hard to just "shadow" when you have to work to take care of yourself so the majority of my shadowing was done after I completed undergrad. I pretty much emailed every vet clinic in a 20 mile radius, attached my CV and begged them to let me shadow. 😅 For my interviews I used the big interview website to practice common interview questions. But if you cannot get access to that software, recording yourself and reviewing your answers to common questions is the best way to prepare and build confidence. MSU did not have interviews this cycle and we all had to take a Casper test. But my other interviews were very conversational and dare I say Fun? I went into them being very honest about who I am and that seemed to work out very well. Hope this helps someone!

 

[picacat123]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
23, Female, Florida, Non-traditional applicant, 1st time applying

Applied: UF, MWU, Western, Cornell, CSU
Interview Invites: UF,MWU, Western
Waiting to hear: n/a
Accepted: MWI, UF
Attending: UF! 🧡💙

Overall GPA: 3.53
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.51
Last 45 GPA: 3.66

GRE (Q/V/W): 158 (65%) / 159 (82%) / 5.0 (92%)

Degree(s): Bachelor's in Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
Assistant at a small animal and equine holistic clinic - 320
Kennel tech at a small animal GP - 840

Animal Experience:
Farm assistant at four different horse barns - 898 total
Kennel tech at a cat/dog boarding facility - 1040

Research:
Lab manager for a lab in the UFCVM - 1200

Extracurriculars/Awards:
TA'd for an animal science class in undergrad - 36

Non-Animal Employment:
Sales associate at a couple of retail stores - 828 total
Transcriptionist - 288
Crew member for sports arena - 160

LORs:
Title of recommenders
1 vet I worked with at the GP clinic
1 DVM/PhD I worked with in the lab
1 former employer for an animal but not vet-specific job

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I basically wrote about how different experiences in the field challenged my viewpoints, but ultimately made me a more diverse, open-minded individual. I also said that while I was content being in a supportive role, I knew I would find happiness and fulfillment as a veterinarian. I think the diverse experiences in my application really made me stand out.

 

[hw13]

I’m so grateful to be able to post this… My story is very unique, and I’ve faced so many setbacks to get here (some of which I included in my application but won't include here for privacy). In 2020 I was an alternate for a PhD program in biology education and then COVID hit. I was rejected from all other PhD programs I applied to that year. In 2021, I applied to vet school for the first time, and was rejected without interview from all but my in-state, where I was waitlisted. I just want to say that if this is really what you want to do, go all in and go for it! Persistence and determination truly pays off!

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 24, F, Nebraska, Non-traditional, 2nd application cycle

Applied: Nebraska/Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Tufts, Georgia
Interview Invites: Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, Illinois (declined)
Waiting to hear: Georgia
Accepted: Nebraska/Iowa State, Missouri (alternate), Kansas State (alternate)
Attending: undecided

Overall GPA: 3.74 undergrad, 3.6 masters
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.52 (was a 3.23 my first application cycle)
Last 45 GPA: 3.68 (was a 3.59 my first application cycle)

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%) 154 V, 153 Q, 4.0 AW (took for PhD admissions in 2019, only needed to submit for UGA)

Degree(s): B.A. Biology/Health Communication, mathematics minor
M.S. Biomedical Sciences (will graduate May 2022)

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal- kennel assistant, volunteer shadower, eventually vet assistant work ~1500 hrs (all through the same clinic)

Large animal shadowing ~ 8 hrs (shadowed two vets for a day and went on farm calls with them)


Animal Experience:
Dog 4-H ~ 2350 hrs (trained/competed with two dogs for seven years)
Dog sitting ~60 hrs
Animal shelter volunteer ~30 hrs

Research:
Biology education research through a summer research program (resulting in authorship on publication) - 495 hrs

Use of virtual reality technology to reduce communication apprehension in public speaking- 360 hrs

Social Penetration Theory as a lens to examine mentoring in summer undergraduate research experiences (communication studies capstone research)- 240 hrs

Interpersonal communication ethnographic research project on my grandfather’s life- 200 hrs


Extracurriculars/Awards:
College cross country/track- 4250 hrs
Tri Beta- 60 hrs
Lambda Pi Eta (served as an officer for two years)- 70 hrs

High school Winter Guard International- 1080 hrs
High school marching band- 900 hrs
High school cross country- 1400 hrs
High school track- 800 hrs

Church mission trips- 200 hrs
Vacation Bible School teacher- 20 hrs

Numerous awards from Dog 4-H showing

Non-Animal Employment:
Covid-19 screener- 670 hrs

LORs:
2 undergraduate professors (one in biology and the other in communication studies), my masters degree major professor, 1 veterinarian that I work for

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
How showing a dog with many health issues sparked my interest in the profession, lessons from working in a clinic in high school/early college, having doubts and questioning the profession/almost leaving it entirely, my adventures into non-vet med research, realizing a biology education research career was a poor fit, shadowing/assisting in a clinic to gain a better and more mature understanding of the profession, how my research endeavors will help me, and briefly touched on my career goals in the veterinary field.

Did you ever hear back from UGA??

 

[snuggs114]

Did you ever hear back from UGA??

Yes- OOS rejection. I just never updated this thread!

 

[vet_student]

Congrats to everyone who has been accepted to vet school - y'all are so amazing!

My friend Kaitlin and I are starting a podcast called Vetted as we enter vet school at UPenn and tOSU - we are trying to create community - focused on reaching other vet school applicants. We are starting with an episode series on how to navigate the VMCAS and then exploring other topics in the future.

If you are willing to share, we would love to hear your advice/tips on the following:

1) How did you decide what to write about? What story did you end up choosing?
2) How did you showcase your diverse experiences?
3) How did you manage to differentiate the personal statement from your supplemental essays?
4) How did you make the personal statement specific to your school of choice? If not, how did you keep it generic, yet detailed enough?
5) What was the most challenging part of writing the personal statement for you? How did you overcome it?
6) Did we forget anything? What else comes to mind?

If you'd like to share excerpts of your statement, we would love to be able to use that to help others as well.

Email us at: [email protected] or feel free to comment on this thread. You all are so awesome, and we're excited to share your story and tips!

 

[cvids]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
23, F, Canada, Traditional, 1st time applicant
Applied: MSU, PEI AVC, Illinois, USask WCVM, Glasgow, Kansas State, RVC, Edinburgh, Purdue (denied), St-Georges, Massey, Virginia-Maryland (denied), Ross
Interview Invites: MSU, PEI AVC, Illinois, USask WCVM, Glasgow, Kansas State, RVC, Edinburgh, St-Georges, Massey, Ross
Waiting to hear/Waitlisted: PEI AVC, Edinburgh
Accepted: MSU, Illinois, USask WCVM, Glasgow, Kansas State, RVC, St-Georges, Massey, Ross
Attending: USask WCVM!!!

Overall GPA: 3.71
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.75
Last 45 GPA: 3.75

GRE (Q/V/W): NONE

Degree(s):
DEC in Health Sciences
B.Sc in Psychology with a Minor in Multidisciplinary Studies in the Sciences

Veterinary Experience:
Veterinary Assistant at a Small Animal Clinic - 250 hours
Veterinary Epidemiology Research Tech - 640 hours
Online Veterinary Experience - 6 hours

Animal Experience:
Laboratory Animal Attendant in research facilities- 375 hours
Medical Volunteer at a Cat Rescue - 150 hours

Research:
Behavioural Ecology/Primatology Research - 300 hours
Academic Journal Author and Editor/Reviewer - 50 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Competitive Figure Skater - too many hours
VP Finance of a school association - 200 hours
iGEM - 100 hours
Entrance Scholarships, Research Scholarships, Dean's List, Sports awards...

Non-Animal Employment:
Camp Counsellor - 1500 hours
Figure Skating Coach - 700 hours

LORs:
1 x DVM from GP clinic
1x DVM/PhD from Veterinary Epidemiology Research
1x PhD Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I discussed my passion for research why I wanted to explore ONE HEALTH as my future and related it back to my previous research experiences and discussed why clinical/GP is not my cup of tea. Specific is terrific so I made sure to tell a story instead of listing every experience I ever did. I think what made me stand out was: my love for research, my understanding of how vets in that space work and letting the reviewers get to know me through my storytelling.

 

[morganf585]

Hi Everyone! I’ll be going to Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall to complete my Dual DVM/MBA. LMU was my first choice because of its clinical year setup, and I am so excited to be attending this summer and in the fall to start my vet school journey. Growing up so close to Cornell, I was not upset to not get accepted despite it being my instate school. LMU fits my personality so much better, and despite it costing more, I believe it will still be a better financial decision in the long run (for many different reasons). Now I get the opportunity to stay close to Knoxville for another 3 years and I can’t wait! Here is my application information:

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 21, F, New York Resident, 2nd application cycle.

Applied: Year 1: Cornell, UTK, Arizona, LMU, Ohio, Virginia-Maryland (Waitlisted).
Year 2: Cornell, UTK, LMU, Ross, Virginia-Maryland.
Interview Invites: Ross, LMU
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: Ross, LMU
Attending: LMU

Overall GPA: 3.48
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.2
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): N/A did not take

Degree(s): BS-Animal Science UT-Knoxville from Fall 2018-Fall 2020.

Veterinary Experience: 1800 hours
Experience - Shelter medicine (50hrs). Small animal GP (500hrs), ER (1000hrs) Internal Medicine (100hrs), and surgery (50hrs). Large Animal Ambulatory (100hrs).

Animal Experience: 2250 hrs
Experience - Equine rehab (700hrs), Beef cattle handling (700hrs), LACs handling (100hrs), Swine handling/ farrowing (250hrs), Dairy Cattle handling (200hrs), Poultry (50hrs), Sheep/goat handling (50hrs), Dog grooming (200hrs). {Handling experience low estimate based on farm animal experience at home and in extracurricular activities}

Research: None
Experience - 0

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - Sigma Alpha member 5 semesters, SA philanthropy chair, Block and Bridle member 5 semesters, Pre-Vet club member 5 semesters, first year student mentor 1 semester.
High school 3 sport athlete, county all star in two sports, team captains, AP scholars with honors, NHS member.
Volunteered with zoos, Ronald McDonald house charities, youth sports coaching in summer camps, animal shelter dog and cat care shifts.

Non-Animal Employment: Landscaping, Weed trimmer, Lawn mower
Experience - 1200 hours

LORs:
Year 1: 1 undergrad advisors, 1 coach, 1 landscaping supervisor.
Year 2: 2 undergrad advisors, 1 DVM, 1 landscaping supervisor.

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Year 1: Don’t have copies saved to remember exactly but revised for year 2.

Year 2: I included a Benjamin Franklin quote at the beginning of my personal statement to lead into my introduction and tied in the meanings behind his words throughout the paragraph to do something different. It brought out my quirky love for literature, history and philosophy while addressing my hardships, my experiences, my personal development, and my thought processes. It also showed that I am more than just a body and mind that fits the qualities of a veterinarian. I am a person who loves other things outside of the profession too and those things are also important. Was honest about my GPA (slightly slacking off first two semesters and having Cs in gen chem) and that I prioritized rigor of curriculum to fit bachelors degree requirements into 5 regular semesters and 2 summer semesters to finish early. Also prioritized being as active in clubs as possible in my condensed education. Discussed my reasons for condensing education into half the time was to save money. I discussed the breadth of veterinary reach in society by including OneHealth principles and various reaches vet med has in law, education, humane medicine and politics.

Hardship essay: discussed my grandmother dying, father having strokes, seizures and leg amputation causing unexpected trips home to deal with family will/inheritance discussions. Discussed transition to online learning from pandemic and the mental health struggles of having my father in the hospital during the uncertainty of covid and having to be the decision maker for all of his medical emergencies. Also having the inability to get internship and job opportunities with veterinarians during the summer before my first application cycle due to covid restricting employers during social distancing and quarantines. The veterinarian I had worked with my entire high school career passed away unexpectedly, leaving me with no veterinary recommendations my first application cycle, and a veterinarian who I had only worked with for 6months for my second round.

I’m so excited to be apart of the class of 2026!

 

[Bonfuturedvm]

Suuuuper late to the party but here it goes!
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
22, Female, Texas Resident, Traditional Applicant, first time applying
Applied: Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Oklahoma State (waitlisted, no interviews for OSS applicants)
Interview Invites: Texas A&M, Kansas
Waiting to hear: None!
Accepted: Kansas
Attending: Kansas!

Overall GPA: 3.8
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.77
Last 45 GPA: 3.9

GRE (Q/V/W): 149 (%) / 151 (%) / 3.5 (%)
I took the GRE twice and HIGHLY recommend NOT doing that! It's too expensive a test and I hardly improved plus it stinks to go through multiple times 🙁
Degree(s): B.S in Animal Science with a Pre-Vet emphasis

Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Clinic hours- 2,000ish (don't quote me on it its been almost a year since I applied but I worked in 2 different clinics since I was 17)
Large Animal Hours- mostly from jobs working during undergrad ~100 hours
Animal Experience:
SA Experience - 5000 hours (kennel tech experience + personal pets and FFA in high school)
LA Experience ~ 100 hours (helping with FFA projects but never had animals of my own)

Research:
Experience - literally none

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Member of my Universities Honor College, Pre-Vet club, National Society of Leadership and Success ~ 200 hours (I wasn't super involved, pretty much joined clubs and kept up membership, I needed to work during undergrad so it was hard to keep up out of school activities)

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - I spent 1 month as a server about 3 years ago and realized I hated it and applied at a local clinic which I still work at now

LORs:
Local Animal Hospital Supervisor who is also a long-time supporter of my dream to be a vet, both Vets I work with at a local small animal hospital that I knew for about a year and a half at the time of my application, I did not have an instructor write me a LOR because at the time of my application my school was still conducting a majority of our classes online and while I think I could have gotten a LOR from my advisor I chose not to because I didn't feel like it would be as personal compared to the other people I had already asked. (try not to do that, I know now how important a LOR can be from a professor or advisor so do your best to establish a good relationship with them early on!)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
SOOO many essays, just about every school I applied to had supplemental essays on top of the VMCAS or TMDSAS essays so it was a struggle going through all of them. For my main essay on VMCAS I wrote about my "defining" moment. I talked about a complicated case we had at my previous job and how it was something that we never encountered since we focused primarily on preventative care and referred emergency cases to our sister hospital. It was way more in-depth than any type of veterinary medicine I had seen before (at that point I was just shadowing) but I focused on how the client-veterinarian relationship I had experienced made me decide that I wanted to be in the position to educate, empathize and care for the owners we see just as much as we do with the pets. I had such an amazing experience and tried to involve myself in the whole process of this pet's treatment from beginning to end and it was very rewarding to me to see a good outcome. I also talked about how I would want to offer shadowing experience to other young adults interested in the industry in the hopes of giving them a meaningful experience as I had. For other essays that asked about what made me unique, I talked a lot about playing club volleyball in high school and how I thought it helped develop my communication skills as well as teamwork skills. I also mentioned how I suffered an injury my senior year and was forced to quit because of it, and how it made me more appreciative of the opportunities I had even though I could no longer be a part of them.
I'm not gonna lie though, I am not a writer and I feel like some of my essays were to my detriment. TAMU included in my file review that I lacked leadership roles compared to the other applicants they had which I felt was due to me having to work during undergrad rather than participate heavily in my school's clubs/organizations. When I was accepted to KSU I was over the moon that my dream was finally coming true but I am not ashamed to say I cried when I found out I was rejected from the school I had always wanted to go to (TAMU). While it was hard for me to learn that staying in-state was out of the question I am beyond blessed to have been given the chance to attend KSU. I just got back from visiting the area and the school and I have grown to love the program tremendously even though classes haven't started yet. I figured I would add that part in case anyone was in the same position of not making it in their top choice because there is always a reason for why things turn out the way they do.

 

[beepboppinaround]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 22, F, CT, Traditional, one

Applied: UF, UW-Madison, Illinois, PEI, Kansas, Ross, Washington State, Missouri, Ohio, Edinburgh, Minnesota
Interview Invites: UF, Illinois, PEI, Ross, Edinburgh, Minnesota
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: UF, Illinois, PEI, Edinburgh, Ross
Waitlisted: Minnesota, Kansas (waitlisted for interview, eventually denied)
Attending: Edinburgh!

Overall GPA: 3.67
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.63
Last 45 GPA: 3.75

GRE (Q/V/W): 154 / 158 / 4

Degree(s): B.S. Pathobiology

Veterinary Experience:
Small GP - 1400 hrs
Emergency Small/Exotic- 2000+ hrs
Necropsy student - 700 hrs


Animal Experience:
Farm animal husbandry - 12 hrs
Equine husbandry+training - 21 hrs

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Science fraternity
Pre-vet club

Non-Animal Employment:
Dunks - 1000 hrs

LORs:
1 from a vet at the GP, 1 vet from emergency clinic, 1 pathologist from necropsy (was also my TA)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote about my vet experiences and how they influenced my passion for vet med. TBH it could've been better but it got me in haha.

I applied to a lot of schools as I knew I did not want to reapply. Though, my top picks were UF and Edinburgh to begin with and I got into both. Apply smart, but also apply where you'd want to go and make your app genuine! I had very good experiences with all of my interviews, and I feel like they definitely strengthened my prospects as a candidate. Despite my lack of research and large animal experience, I got in!! Good luck everyone!

 

[andydoctor]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
21, female, CT, traditional applicant, 1st cycle
Applied: Cornell (denied), Michigan State (denied), UPenn, tufts, CSU, Iowa, Illinois, UGA
Interview Invites: Upenn, Tufts, Illinois
Waiting to hear: Heard back from all but waiting to see if I get pulled off any waitlists. I was waitlisted at UPenn, Tufts, Iowa, UGA and Colorado
Accepted: Illinois!
Attending: Illinois!!!!! Unless, I get any offers from the waitlisted schools

Overall GPA: 3.90
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.80
Last 45 GPA: 3.95

GRE (Q/V/W): I don't remember the exact numbers but I think 58%/54%/4
Degree(s): Molecular and Cellular Biology (honors program)

Veterinary Experience:
Experience -
600 hours at the time of application at a feline-only practice (vet assistant)
200 hours at a small animal general practice (vet assistant)
90 hours as a kennel tech at a small animal practice


Animal Experience:
Experience -
~50 hours from lab courses in undergrad (horses, pigs, sheep, chicken, cows)

Research:
Experience -
~100 working with sheep, researching the effect of maternal diet on offspring development

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience -
Alpha Phi Fraternity: I held a leadership position as director of academics
HuskyTHON: a dance marathon fundraiser for Connecticut Children's Hospital
Pre-Vet Club
Paws and Claws club
Big Brother Big Sister
Intramural basketball
TA for introduction to microbiology for one semester

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience -
Worked 3 summers at Dairy Queen

LORs:
Title of recommender (Vet? Manager? Supervisor? Vet tech?)
One letter was from the veterinarian I worked with the most, another was from my honors thesis supervisor/ advisor, and the third was from the professor who I was helping out with research

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Summary of what you wrote about
I wrote about everything that led to the decision of becoming a veterinarian. I also explained how feline medicine was the most interesting to me and why it was so important to me to continue my education in that. I explained how my veterinary experience and animal experience hours got cut short from COVID (was going to intern at a zoo but it got canceled from covid, had to stop working for a bit summer 2020).

I’ve since gotten accepted off the waitlist to UPenn and Colorado! I’ll be attending UPenn. So anyone on waitlists keep hope!!!