Texas A&M c/o 2020 Applicants

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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Ah! Can't believe c/o 2020 is already applying! Time really does fly.

I'm happy to answer any and all questions about the school and/or the process. I'm not sure if there have been any changes since I applied 2 cycles ago, but I'll do my best to help. 🙂

Good luck future Aggie vets!
 
Hi there! I'm also applying this cycle, pretty nervous/excited/scared/hopeful all at once. I can already tell you I will be a hot mess come December.
 
ME!!! I still have days when I regret not doing my undergrad in CS but hopefully I'll get to spend a different 4 years there!
 
Does anyone know what to do if you have "interrupted" activities for TMDSAS? For example, I'm currently studying abroad so I have volunteer/vet experience from before the time I left and I'm going to pick up where I left off with the same vet in July. So should I make this two entries into "vet experience" (aka one before I left and one after I returned)?
 
animalrie said:
Does anyone know what to do if you have "interrupted" activities for TMDSAS? For example, I'm currently studying abroad so I have volunteer/vet experience from before the time I left and I'm going to pick up where I left off with the same vet in July. So should I make this two entries into "vet experience" (aka one before I left and one after I returned)?
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I worked for the same hospital over multiple summers/winter breaks, so I was just going to list it as one experience and then in the description list the times when I worked. I think since we have to enter in hours it probably doesn't matter how much chronological time it spans.
 
Sorry if this was answered on a previous TAMU thread, but when the TMDSAS says "list activities in multiple sections," should we actually do that? Like if I was employed by a hospital, does that go under "vet experience" and "employment"?
 
superkelpie said:
Sorry if this was answered on a previous TAMU thread, but when the TMDSAS says "list activities in multiple sections," should we actually do that? Like if I was employed by a hospital, does that go under "vet experience" and "employment"?
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Yes!

(multiple overlaps are a good thing, so utilize it where you can) 🙂
 
Hmmm. So the 2016 TMDSAS handbook says to list veterinary experience "from beginning of college to present." Does that mean that nothing from high school counts?
 
superkelpie said:
Hmmm. So the 2016 TMDSAS handbook says to list veterinary experience "from beginning of college to present." Does that mean that nothing from high school counts?
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You might want to call and ask about that. High school stuff was fair game for my cycle
 
superkelpie said:
Hmmm. So the 2016 TMDSAS handbook says to list veterinary experience "from beginning of college to present." Does that mean that nothing from high school counts?
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I also so this on the section overview instructions: "List all veterinary supervised experiences in which you have participated." Unlike research and healthcare activities it does not specify during/after college...I thought they wanted to know ALL vet experience, including high school.
 
animalrie said:
I also so this on the section overview instructions: "List all veterinary supervised experiences in which you have participated." Unlike research and healthcare activities it does not specify during/after college...I thought they wanted to know ALL vet experience, including high school.
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Yeah I saw that too--it's weird that in the 2016 handbook here they specify from college onwards (and only for vet experience, not animal experience). I called the admissions office earlier about this but they didn't pick up so I'll probably try again tomorrow.
 
superkelpie said:
Yeah I saw that too--it's weird that in the 2016 handbook here they specify from college onwards (and only for vet experience, not animal experience). I called the admissions office earlier about this but they didn't pick up so I'll probably try again tomorrow.
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Let us know what you find out!
 
Just spoke to Yolanda--she said it's a mistake on the TMDSAS handbook and to include experiences from high school!
 
Crickietoosh said:
Do you think we could do the same for awards and stuff? Thankss
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I think this just applies to vet experience, but I didn't ask her about awards. I asked about research, and she told me that is strictly from beginning of college, so I would guess that awards would be the same?
 
superkelpie said:
I think this just applies to vet experience, but I didn't ask her about awards. I asked about research, and she told me that is strictly from beginning of college, so I would guess that awards would be the same?
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I second that. I think with most things they don't really care what you did before college but vet is a special case because they just want to know that you've had enough experience in the field to know it's what you want to do with your life.
 
The only things not related to experience that I remember putting for high school were my class rank, class size, and SAT/ACT scores. That information was fun to track down since I had been graduated from high school for 7 years at that point. 🙄
 
epivetlove said:
The only things not related to experience that I remember putting for high school were my class rank, class size, and SAT/ACT scores. That information was fun to track down since I had been graduated from high school for 7 years at that point. 🙄
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Lol I know what you mean, I graduated from high school 9 years ago. I can't figure out my class size even after calling the school and public records, so I just guesstimated 700...=S
 
What kind of stuff do y'all think they are wanting us to discuss in the "unique experience" essay? The prompt is: "Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented."
I can't tell if this is a chance to explain low grades, special circumstances, etc. I feel like everything that is relevant will have already been discussed in my personal statement and descriptions of activities.
 
animalrie said:
What kind of stuff do y'all think they are wanting us to discuss in the "unique experience" essay? The prompt is: "Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented."
I can't tell if this is a chance to explain low grades, special circumstances, etc. I feel like everything that is relevant will have already been discussed in my personal statement and descriptions of activities.
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This is the optional essay, right? I'm struggling with what to do with the "Personal Characteristics" essay--how exactly is that different from the personal statement?
 
animalrie said:
What kind of stuff do y'all think they are wanting us to discuss in the "unique experience" essay? The prompt is: "Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented."
I can't tell if this is a chance to explain low grades, special circumstances, etc. I feel like everything that is relevant will have already been discussed in my personal statement and descriptions of activities.
Click to expand...

I think those two essays just give a chance to go into more depth about one specific quality or experience that will help you stand out from crowd.

Personally, I had already mentioned studying abroad earlier in the application, so I chose to discuss a unique encounter during my trip - something I knew that was an original experience and one that has had a long-lasting effect on me.

I think for the personal characteristics essay, it seemed like an opportunity to demonstrate well-roundedness as a person. Pretty much all vet schools I interviewed at wanted to see that yes you are committed to be academically competent, but that you have a life and enjoy other things too.

If I remember correctly there is an actual explanation of grades section on the supplemental application on the A&M website (not TMDSAS), so these essays are really more just like, hey, see how I'm different and cool and someone you should bring to interviews because I have a unique perspective on things in the world. Unless they've gotten rid of the supplement this year...
 
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superkelpie said:
@ameropean_chelsea Thanks for the tips! Do you think they care whether the unique experience essay ties into vet med at all?
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I did for mine, but I don't think you necessarily have to. I would just say you should probably find some way to demonstrate the relevance of the experience - whether that's vet med or something else significant in your life.
 
If I took the AP Psychology exam in high school but did not submit it to my transcript for undergrad, may I have the College Board send my score to A&M for Psychology credit? Has anyone else run into this?
 
Moogalin said:
If I took the AP Psychology exam in high school but did not submit it to my transcript for undergrad, may I have the College Board send my score to A&M for Psychology credit? Has anyone else run into this?
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Definitely call Admissions to confirm that one.
 
Entering everything is taking me forever, I haven't even gotten to the personal stmt part😕 Anyone else feeling the same?
 
Crickietoosh said:
Entering everything is taking me forever, I haven't even gotten to the personal stmt part😕 Anyone else feeling the same?
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I feel the same!

On another note, does anyone know whether repeat coursework is averaged or replaced with the original course? For example, I received a C+ in Orgo 1 and retook it and received an A. Is that considered a B+ or an A?
 
I think I read somewhere that A&M averages and does not replace. I'm almost in the exact same situation, C and A in Orgo 1....🙁+pity+
 
Crickietoosh said:
Entering everything is taking me forever, I haven't even gotten to the personal stmt part😕 Anyone else feeling the same?
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Take your time!
I had to check and double check and triple check every single thing, and I still think there were mistakes! I started brainstorming for essays between quadruple checks. Then I when I was tired of brainstorming, I re-checked. When I was tired of checking, I brainstormed. Eventually it all got done, but definitely take advantage of the time you have and don't rush! I think it shows when you take the time to really explain experiences and make sure everything aligns appropriately.
Take ice cream/coffee/netflix breaks when you must. You don't want to fry your brain before you get in!
 
How are y'all writing descriptions of your experiences? I just want to list them ("assisted in surgeries, restrained animals, blahblahblah") to stay under the word limit and get as much info in as possible...
 
animalrie said:
How are y'all writing descriptions of your experiences? I just want to list them ("assisted in surgeries, restrained animals, blahblahblah") to stay under the word limit and get as much info in as possible...
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There really isn't space to do much else:shrug: I do think using verbs is good as it sounds more proactive. For all my descriptions I've stayed 100% professional and as intelligent as I could manage. But for the leisure part I lightened up and even included some subtle humor... is that frowned upon? Or how closely do they even look into these things?
 
So what's the consensus on high school experiences? TMDSAS seems to only want them put in for vet/animal experience sections but people in the c/o 2020 applicant thread are talking about adding those in. Personally, I feel like almost nothing we could have done in high school (except for those vet/animal experiences) should be relevant but if every other applicant has it in theirs, I don't want to leave mine out...
 
animalrie said:
So what's the consensus on high school experiences? TMDSAS seems to only want them put in for vet/animal experience sections but people in the c/o 2020 applicant thread are talking about adding those in. Personally, I feel like almost nothing we could have done in high school (except for those vet/animal experiences) should be relevant but if every other applicant has it in theirs, I don't want to leave mine out...
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I'm doing HS for vet/animal experience and nothing else, since TMDSAS explicitly has in their instructions for everything else "from beginning of college to present." VMCAS, on the other hand, asks for all experiences including high school, which is why people in the c/o 2020 thread are chatting about it.
 
Crickietoosh said:
I think I read somewhere that A&M averages and does not replace. I'm almost in the exact same situation, C and A in Orgo 1....🙁+pity+
Click to expand...

That's always been my understanding.

animalrie said:
What kind of stuff do y'all think they are wanting us to discuss in the "unique experience" essay? The prompt is: "Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented."
I can't tell if this is a chance to explain low grades, special circumstances, etc. I feel like everything that is relevant will have already been discussed in my personal statement and descriptions of activities.
Click to expand...

I did both. I explained why I got my only C (in Pharmacology) and how I planned to rectify that in the future, and I talked about my hearing loss and how it affected performance in school and life in general, and again, how I dealt with that. Or, well, technically am still dealing with...
 
Haven't submitted my supp yet but planning to soon--does anyone know how the admissions office links the check/money order to our application? Do you just write your name in the "for" section of the check? Thanks!
 
Is anyone else having issues accessing the "Animal Experiences" portion of the supp?
 
@superkelpie That is a relatively new portion. I had issues with it last round. I'd call someone Monday to see if it is on their end, they may still be tweaking it!
 
Round two of applications. Almost finished with everything and hoping to submit this weekend. Good luck everyone.
 
Hi,

How long does the TMDSAS application takes to change their status from submitted to received?
 
I believe it won't change until after the deadline. From my understanding TAMU doesn't do rolling admissions and starts processing applications after the Oct. 1st deadline
 
Anyone know when TMDSAS stopped working on Chrome ? It was working when I started my apps earlier this summer and now I have to download Firefox to finish... +pissed+
 
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