Total Application Rounds and Waitlist Success

[Pouches Rock]

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Hi, I was just wondering if people would be willing to say how many times they have applied and if they were put on waitlists describe that experience ie. for each waitlist experience school, rank, did you get offered a spot?

Thanks for the information I understand if its too sore of a topic. I am on a waitlist for the first time and I have small mental breakdowns pretty much all day.

 

[Biomajir]

This is my first time applying and I was wait listed at OKSU. I know how you feel, it really is one of the worst feelings. You really plan on going to vet school and it kinda keeps you going,and then to be in limbo is frustrating. I have spoken with a lot of the doctors at the clinic I work at and many of them were put on the wait list and got in that year. A few of them were wait listed and then got in the very next year. I say try not to worry about it, concentrate on making your grades as good as they can be. Lots of people on the wait lists get in, but if you don't the odds are that you will get in the next year if you improve your grades or whatever else you need to work on. It's very hard for me to stay sane thinking about it but there isn't much else you can do. Just remember that you will eventually get in.

 

[philomycus]

Last year was my 1st time applying. I was waitlisted at OKSU. I didn't get off the waitlist last year, but didn't even make the wait-list this year. It definitely varies from year to year from school to school. I don't think you can count on anything....just try to stay positive!

 

[turnandburn]

This is my second year applying and I'm waitlisted. I'm far enough down there is a good chance I won't be getting in, but still a chance I will be. If I do I won't be finding out until late summer... which seems light years away! At first I was pretty upset- I actually cried when I got my letter then spent a few days feeling pretty depressed. But then I made an appointment to talk to my advisor, who gave me advice on what to do for next year (should I be applying) and decided to get my butt in gear because sitting around worrying about it isn't going to get me in any faster!

I don't know what your position on the waitlist is or what your odds are, but my advice is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst! Try to find a non-vet related project or something to take your mind off of waiting!

Good luck to all waiting!

 

[Pouches Rock]

Thanks for the encouragement. This my first time applying and I was sure they were going to say no. I was actually thinking about this year as a year to go to the post mortem and get advice. Now that I might have a shot I am a nervous wreck. I spoke with admissions and they told me the total number on the list and that on average they have accepted between a certain range off list. My number is smack in the middle of that range. They also said it varies every year which I alternately use to bolster or ruin my chances.

Lately I have been torturing myself by visiting this years facebook group and counting how many of them are in state 😱.

 

[VAgirl]

I was actually thinking about this year as a year to go to the post mortem and get advice.

Just a random comment: I'm always surprised when I hear people say this. I was thinking about applying last year but just didn't think I was quite ready. I could have found a vet to write me a letter, but it wouldn't have been nearly as solid as the letter I did get. I had decent experience, but not the awesome experiences I've had in the past year which really really helped me define my focus. So it's just interested to me when people say this because my attitude was the exact opposite. I didn't want to risk applying until I was absolutely the best candidate that I thought I could make myself. On the opposite side of that, though, before I'd heard back from any schools I was really stressed because I kept thinking to myself, "If they don't accept me, I don't know what else I can do to make myself a good candidate!"

Ok, sorry, just a side comment. I don't think either way is better than the other, just different approaches! Best of luck to you with the waitlist! I'm rooting for you to get that admissions call! 🙂

 

[athenaparthenos]

Just a random comment: I'm always surprised when I hear people say this. I was thinking about applying last year but just didn't think I was quite ready. I could have found a vet to write me a letter, but it wouldn't have been nearly as solid as the letter I did get. I had decent experience, but not the awesome experiences I've had in the past year which really really helped me define my focus. So it's just interested to me when people say this because my attitude was the exact opposite. I didn't want to risk applying until I was absolutely the best candidate that I thought I could make myself.

Same here. Out of college I had absolutely no vet experience, though plenty of animal experience. I knew I wouldn't be a great candidate just yet. I went and got a job at a clinic and finished up my prereqs and got about 2000 clinic hours, which made me feel much more confident in my abilities. It's been 2 years now, but I applied this year as my first round and got in to 2/5 schools and waitlisted at a 3rd, so I think the waiting definitely helped!

I was waitlisted at WSU; it would've been nice if they had given us waitlist rankings. 🙁 I was really stressed when I got the letter. But luckily I got into my 1st choice a few weeks later, so it all worked out in the end.

 

[Pouches Rock]

Just a random comment: I'm always surprised when I hear people say this. I was thinking about applying last year but just didn't think I was quite ready. I could have found a vet to write me a letter, but it wouldn't have been nearly as solid as the letter I did get. I had decent experience, but not the awesome experiences I've had in the past year which really really helped me define my focus. So it's just interested to me when people say this because my attitude was the exact opposite. I didn't want to risk applying until I was absolutely the best candidate that I thought I could make myself. 🙂

Actually I think that we have the same attitude. I've been in graduate school for the past few years trying to make myself more competitive. The vet that I worked for kept on urging me to apply but I have such a horrible undergrad GPA that I thought no matter what I did they would never let me in.

This year I decided to apply because I have definitely shown that I have the capacity for rigorous academic performance. I still thought they would say no because of my previous grades and I wanted to find out what feedback I would get. I am really happy that I have gone to graduate school because its been a wonderful learning experience.

 

[Whirr]

This has gotten kind of off-topic, but I think it's interesting to see the different approaches--apply even if you're not sure if you're strong enough, don't apply until you're the best you can be... I was in the latter group, and wasn't going to apply this upcoming year, until I started thinking "hey, if I apply this year even though I don't have as much experience as I think I need, if I don't get in I can figure out where to focus from the feedback AND I won't have to start from scratch for next application round!" Personally, I'm afraid if I don't get my rear in gear, especially since my husband and I are talking about having a child, I may never get around to applying; by telling myself I'll be applying this year, even if I hit August and decide not to until next year, I'm more focused on getting in shadowing hours. (Skipped class yesterday to do so, in fact!)

I don't plan on going back to school unless for some reason they tell me I need more "optional" classes, but I'd be surprised if that would make much of a difference at this point. My GPA is fine and I have 200+ academic credits in varied fields. Now, if I can just get a good vet recommendation...

To each their own! And now, back to your regularly-scheduled topic.

 

[slainte]

Pouches-
I am exactly in your same position. Aka- Applying early (still have one semester left in the fall for BS) and thinking this year was going to be a practice round. I totally did not expect to get waitlisted, esp. at OKSU since they dont interview OOS and my grades weren't where I wanted them (I guess I expected I'd need an interview to save me). I'm sure you are truly honored this surprise, as I am, but I just wanted to comiserate about this state of limbo we find ourselves unprepared for. 😳 I think about whether I will get in off the waitlist or not all day. Like whether I should re-lease my apartment or start looking at apartments in Oklahoma. Whether I should be taking out loans or not. Oh well, if I do get in at the last moment I'm sure it'll all work itself out... I mean its vet school what could be better than that!

Although I realize everyone has their personal style, this is kinda testiment to the effectiveness of applying early because as you can see from Pouches and myself, sometimes you may be happily surprised. Or if you get rejected you can take their advice to make your ap better and plus you'll look more dedicated the 2nd go around since you're sticking with it despite disappointment.

Sorry for this long rambling post! Just needed to get that off my chest I guess and put in my 2 cents! Thanks yall!

 

[critterfixer]

Just to give you some encouragement, last year I was waitlisted at both Illinois and Iowa. I was accepted off waitlist to Iowa in April (though I was outright accepted to UTK the same week and chose to go there). I forgot to remove myself from the waitlist at Illinois (seriously, just plain forgot as I got ready to move my family to Knoxville). Anyway, I was called the first week of AUGUST and offered a spot in their class.

So don't give up hope just yet. It really isn't over until class starts. Someone else must have taken that spot in Illinois offered up right before class started.

 

[Pouches Rock]

Thanks for the encouragement Critter Fixer.

It's stories like those that make me hopeful and excited that I could join the amazing people that make up this years accepted class. Unfortunately there are plenty of stories that support the opposite outcome. This is why I feel like my mood changes by the minute, second...50 msec!

PS. I just have to post that currently there are 66 members on the facebook group for my waitlisted schools 2012 class and about 5 of them could be OOS. I am IS so as of a month before acceptances are due half of the class could be filled up. I just wanted to say that somewhere that people would understand why I would go to this stalker level. My roomate has banned me from facebook but I still look🙂.