Tips while preparing for vet school

[gpmom]

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Two years ago I graduated college with a double business degree. I am now following my life long dream (since I was 5 years old) of applying to vet school. I have started working towards a biology degree and should have it completed in a year and a half to two years. I have been working in a vet's office for the past year. I have been able to log around 3000 hours so far. I'm mainly kennel, but I have gotten to see and do a lot of really exciting things.

My top schools are NC State and Tufts University.

For those who have applied to school and have been accepted what are some tips you would give someone who is working towards applying? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[LetItSnow]

Two years ago I graduated college with a double business degree. I am now following my life long dream (since I was 5 years old) of applying to vet school. I have started working towards a biology degree and should have it completed in a year and a half to two years. I have been working in a vet's office for the past year. I have been able to log around 3000 hours so far. I'm mainly kennel, but I have gotten to see and do a lot of really exciting things.

My top schools are NC State and Tufts University.

For those who have applied to school and have been accepted what are some tips you would give someone who is working towards applying? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

My first tip would be to ditch the biology degree and focus only on the pre-reqs that you need to get into vet school. Put together a list of requirements for the schools you may want to apply to and go from there; there's no need for another bachelor degree.

Second tip: Take the long view. Building up hours and completing classes can take a while. You're obviously well on the way there, though. But don't fall apart if you don't get accepted the first time around; it's not unusual.

It sounds like you've generally got a plan in place, though, so I suspect you won't need a ton of pointers. 🙂

 

[bbeventer]

My first tip would be to ditch the biology degree and focus only on the pre-reqs that you need to get into vet school. Put together a list of requirements for the schools you may want to apply to and go from there; there's no need for another bachelor degree.

Second tip: Take the long view. Building up hours and completing classes can take a while. You're obviously well on the way there, though. But don't fall apart if you don't get accepted the first time around; it's not unusual.

It sounds like you've generally got a plan in place, though, so I suspect you won't need a ton of pointers. 🙂

👍 I concur with what LIS said.

 

[Museum Nerd]

If NC State is one of your top schools i would try and get experience in some other areas. When i applied it was "recommneded" that you have experirence in three areas, so see if you can add large animal or research, or exotics. I believe NCSU also "suggested" 2 of your 3 letters be from vets so it could give you another opportunity to get a letter from another vet. Make sure you keep track of all of your honors, awards, etc.... it was one of the best pieces of advice i got. I had everything list on a one page going all the way back to the start of high school. Also since this will be the first year of some pretty major changes in the VMCAS you might want to create a user id and look at it. It doesnt cost any money ( or did in previous years) to open an account. Not sure if you are OSS for both schools or not but the two schools you listed are very GPA driven for their out of state students so make sure you do very well in your pre reqs. The year you apply make sure you start your applications early for both schools. NC had 6 essay questions on the supplimental and Tufts doesnt go through the VMCAS and it had 3 long essays and 3 short if i remember correctly.

 

[hygebeorht]

All of the advice given has been solid so far. I definitely agree with broadening your experience if NC is a goal.

Keeping track of your activities, awards, hours...very helpful when you sit down to fill out that application. Also hunt down contact information for the places you've worked if it's not easy to come by. VMCAS has wanted it in the past. Definitely create an account and check it out! Work on it over the summer. Trying to finish it all near the end is not a winning strategy.

Have you taken the GRE yet? If not, studying up a bit for it is good. I don't think you necessarily need an official course or book, but brushing up those basic algebra skills with a cliff's notes book or some such is a good start. There are free practice tests online. Use them to get an idea of timing. It's sad to run out of time. (I did and took a major hit from all those guessed answers once. Rookie mistake.)

I also feel that a polished application and well-written essays are VERY important (like a previous poster said, NC requires quite a few on its supplemental). It's you opportunity to shine, and all the work you've done should not be badly represented. (Full disclosure: I make some of my money helping people craft their application essays and proofreading applications.)

Good luck in the process! I am excited to attend NC this fall 🙂