*LOW GPA + MESSY TRANSCRIPT ALERT!*
Honestly in full-on shock that I get to post here! First off to anyone that follows these threads like I did- IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU!! I mean this with my chest, my transcript was far from polished with academic probation after my first semester of undergrad, an odd up-and-down trend that ended on a down with a full semester medical withdrawal in my senior year (thanks undiagnosed-at-the-time ADHD mixed with other mental health struggles for all of the above), and random W's scattered throughout. There was even an F on my transcript (freshman Calculus) that I didn't retake.
I've spent half a decade scouring threads on this forum and other platforms searching for even a small glimmer of hope that this could happen for me and feel strongly about putting it out there that this dream really is possible even if your path is less than straightforward, it's an uphill climb but there are schools out there that will recognize the hard work you pour in and I'm living the proof that it really does only take one yes! SO many people told me I would never make it along this path and I'm beyond grateful that I didn't listen to them and kept pushing. My inbox is forever and always open to anyone who sees themselves in my story and wants or needs advice, support, or just to chat!
26/F, OH Resident, Non-traditional, 1.5th time applicant
0.5th cycle: Application not verified due to transcript issues and not fully complete in '21; to be candid, I kind of knew somewhere that I wasn't ready. Rejected from 3/4 schools automatically (WSU (lol why did I do this), tOSU, Michigan) then by my IS at the time, VA-MD
1.5th cycle (current):
Applied: tOSU (IS), Michigan State, Iowa State, Washington State, Oregon State, U of Arizona, Midwestern, Virginia-Maryland, Cornell, Colorado State, UPEI-AVC, LMU, Kansas State, Minnesota, LIU
Interview Invites: LMU (rejected from other 13 schools without interview- ISU doesn't interview)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Iowa State, LMU (both off the waitlist)
Attending: Iowa State!!!! ❤️💛
Overall GPA: 3.02 VMCAS
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.05 VMCAS (ISU science prereq GPA: 3.29)
Last 45 GPA: Something like a 3.1? (ISU calculated at 3.24 but I think they used grade replacement as there was a repeat course in the last 45)
CASPer: 4th quartile
Degree(s):
Bachelor's of Science in Animal Science, Pre-professional track
Concentration in LGBT+ Studies
Veterinary Experience: (~8k hours total)
-Veterinary assistant at a specialized shelter for animal victims of cruelty, neglect, and disaster; also deploy to operations in the field nationwide (1800 hours at the time of application)
-Overnight veterinary assistant with receptionist duties off-hours at an ER/ICU and specialty center (1300 hours)
-Veterinary assistant at a GP that had a heavy exotics and wildlife caseload (530 hours)
-Veterinary assistant/receptionist hybrid position at a single-doctor GP while a new practice was being established and getting off the ground (1360 hours)
-Veterinary assistant at a large GP clinic that saw exotics (760 hours)
-Veterinary assistant during undergrad part-time at a single-doctor GP clinic that saw exotics (1560 hours)
-Prep tech at a high volume spay/neuter and vaccine clinic for two years on weekends (430 hours)
-Working interviews at various clinics, including specialty (~20 hours total- yes, I counted all of these haha)
-Veterinary assistant with a holistic veterinarian that rented out a clinic where I worked occasionally for her business/clients (60 hours)
-Very brief stint working full-time at a random GP (40 hours)
-Team lead/veterinary assistant for a traveling preventative care van that traveled to underserved rural areas (150 hours)
Animal Experience: (~12k hours total)
-Volunteer at local humane society working with dogs, cats, and rabbits (60 hours)
-Dog foster for several different organizations, often for dogs part of hoarding and neglect cases that had never lived in a home environment (~600 hours between 4 orgs)
-Helping out with family pet sitting business, taking on clients myself during late high school and early undergrad (5200 hours)
-Independent pet sitting via Rover (350 hours)
-Horse girl in middle and high school, competed, helped teach beginner lessons, leased a horse, spent a lot of time at many barns (3200 hours, think I underestimated this but oh well)
-Hands-on lamb parturition course in undergrad (96 hours)
-Large animal labs in undergrad with cattle, poultry, and swine (50 hours)
-Full-time team member at an fish and exotic pet shop for a summer in undergrad (400 hours)
-Equestrian club in college (60 hours)
-Personal pet ownership, particularly reptiles/amphibian and aquarium hobbyism, including rehabbing and rehoming neglected exotic pets (100 hours- didn't want to overestimate this but it's been many years)
-Volunteering at a farm animal sanctuary (40 hours)
-Educator at a learning facility open to the public- handled teaching animals and gave spiels about them in high school (40 hours)
-Longtime volunteer at local animal shelter throughout middle and high school (1100 hours)
-Guinea pig foster for a local rescue throughout middle and high school- predominant caregiver (500 hours)
Research: ~1.2k hours total
-Participant in NCI's Werner H. Kirsten student cancer research program in high school, full-time for a summer then part-time for a full school year- presented multiple posters as first author (950 hours)
-Undergraduate research assistant in a behavioral neuroendocrinology lab studying biparental behavior and neuron morphology in California mice (180 hours)
-Research project for a class on burrowing behavior and tunnel preferences in rabbits (45 hours)
Extracurriculars:
-Member of hiking and outdoorsy club in undergrad that would go out on trips together (160 hours)
-Research study participant in a longitudinal NIMH study on -predisposition to mood disorders in students throughout undergrad (70 hours)
-Active member of the pre-vet society in undergrad x 4 years (120 hours)
-Academic Chair and Vice President for LGBT+ professional fraternity/member for 3 years of undergrad (620 hours)
-Attended lecture series on tumor retrovirology in high school (12 hours)
-Member of county-wide Women in Science + Engineering club in high school (300 hours)
-Student Pride VMC member (6 hours)
-JV and Varsity field hockey player in high school, played Summer and Winter leagues, coached elementary school aged girls in field hockey for a season (~800 hours total)
-Volunteer for organization serving unhoused/displaced LGBT+ youth (25 hours)
-Volunteer for HRC's National Silent Auction one year (8 hours)
Awards:
-President's Scholarship (merit) going into undergrad- lost this after the first semester for academic performance, but still listed it.
-University Honors program going into undergrad- same as the above.
-Dean's list one semester
-LOTS of academic high school awards that I won't go into. I was kind of ridiculous and took like 9 AP courses/graduated with a 4.6 weighted GPA and there's like at least 6 that I listed.
-Cancer Research Internship Award from high school
-A couple meritorious service awards from high school
-Varsity letter in high school for field hockey
-CDL licensure
-STOP THE BLEED and CPR/BLS certified
-Fear Free and Fear Free Shelters cerified
-Certificate of completion for a non-credit medical terminology course
-Also listed NIH poster presentations here
Non-Animal Employment:
-Student bus driver (obtained CDL-B with passenger endorsement through training program for students) throughout undergrad (1500 hours)
-Worked at a frozen yogurt place briefly in high school (150 hours)
LORs:
-Supervisor at my current job in shelter med (RVT)
-Supervisor's boss/head of our medical team (DVM) from current job who is a boarded pathologist and now a professor at a vet school
-Vet that worked with me closely at the clinic that saw a heavy exotics and wildlife caseload and observed me with exotic patients
-Professor from the single course I retook post-bac in Summer '23 and made an A in, which was online (hey, never hurts to ask!)
Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
-Personal Statement: My PS went over two anecdotes of cases concerning patients presenting with similar conditions, one at an older-fashioned clinic I worked for throughout undergrad and the other at a high-tech, state of the art clinic that saw many exotics and had wealth of specialized equipment and diagnostics designed for exotic patients years later. I described how the patient at the clinic with more basic treatment was able to be successfully treated and the patient at the more modern, better-equipped clinic was too far gone to help.
I bridged this into discussing how the greatest variable predicting patient outcome isn't necessarily the scope of advanced resources allocated to each individual case, but timely baseline access to care in general (and discussed how this is particularly pertinent to exotic patients, which often present moribund after their condition has deteriorated greatly and there is nothing left to be done due to barriers such as finances and distance blocking owners' ability to seek medical attention for their pets). I then went on to describe how my intended aim professionally will be to help address the unmet need for accessible care for companion exotics.
-Diversity: Honestly forget the essay questions for most of the 15 schools, but for the diversity one that most schools have I touched on how I'm a very visible gender non-conforming lesbian and how being a recipient of implicit and explicit discrimination in my personal and professional life has driven me to be more conscious of my own internal biases and pushed me to advocate for inclusive and diverse environments wherever I've landed. Also mentioned my work and study in and surrounding the community and how presentations like mine are more common among support staff than veterinarians themselves from my observations + my drive to take up space that way. Closed out by discussing how my intended career goals were in community practice and my interest in conversations and study surrounding providing for underserved populations in collaboration with classmates and faculty of diverse backgrounds depending on the specific school's prompt.
-Explanation statement: I really spoke from the heart on this and described how I really just skated by as a gifted kid in high school and subsequently had my world crash down around me in college when I lost everything I'd ever worked for. I described how it felt to be at rock bottom and the decision I had to make on whether or not to slink away with my tail between my legs or come out swinging. I chose the latter and made Dean's list my next semester with academic probation still on my record. I then went into how the rest of my academic performance was turbulent with no discernable pattern (would have a really good 17-credit science heavy semester and then randomly get a C- taking just one freshman-level course as a senior) and how I realized it was due to the undiagnosed ADHD after graduation and REALLY put in the work to do better once I knew what to fix. I made sure to emphasize that I'm currently thriving in my professional life and was able to make an A in that single course I got a C- in before while working full-time and volunteering because I'm now treated and understand myself way, way better. I also said that my resiliency was the main thing I could always rely on and that I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world even if they're rough around the edges because they've taught me that I can bounce back from absolutely anything, which is invaluable to me and will serve me well as a veterinary student.
