Tufts c/o 2025
- Thread starter Lucolly
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I honestly didn't really appreciate the tone and assumption that I have done nothing with my life since graduation. I hope that the rest of you guys get nicer emails lol. They did say they are still sending out interviews and waitlist interviews as well as rejections but if ur like me and have been taking classes, working part time , and didnt list every dumb activity you have done in your life you may get the same response I did lol. Lesson learned. Include everything possible in your application. Because otherwise they think I sat on my ass and did nothing instead of thinking maybe I just didn't include some stuff...
Just know you are not alone. When I first applied last year to 5 schools, I didn’t list anything non animal related. This year I did, and it was asked about in EVERY interview I have had so far. Now ya know🤷♀️
That sucks I’m so sorry. You got into 2 other schools, though, right? So all hope is not lost, Tufts just wasn’t the school for you and you’re going to have an absolutely amazing time elsewhere?
And so many of us get rejected multiple times before acceptance, so try to stay positive!
I have some ideas of places you may want to try to get in touch with for opportunities in the Boston area. Is that around where you are? You could try getting experience at an Aquarium, or a wildlife rehab center. I worked at Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaice plains and they will definitely consider non RVTs to help in their clinic area if you want more experience with cats and dogs. There are alot of research facilities that require help with projects especially during the summer if you are interested in birds, or wildlife. You can do it! Don't get discouraged. I'm sure they didn't mean for the email to discourage you or intentionally hurtful.
I would def write an email to get some feedback on what to do with your time during your gap year while you wait to reapply! I'm trying to figure that out too while I wait for some news. -.-
I have a good amount of experience imo. And I worked for a wildlife rehab center. I just did it all before I graduated. So they feel my experience is old i guess. But I would def love more experience and places. I did apply to angels . Ive applied to tufts hospitals even. But the moment I say I want to be a vet everyone rejects me because it means I'm not in it for the long haul to be a tech or assistant lol.
I'm not so much discouraged as mad /upset haha. I just really didn't want to move but guess I'll have to. Maybe I can rack up experience and then transfer to tufts later on. Or maybe I'll love it somewhere else who knows.
I'll drop a very quick version of my stats if it helps anyone else at all :
Degree : biomedical engineering
Honors : cume laude graduate
tau alpha pie engineering honors society
3.75 GPA
3.9 GPA in post bac prerequisites
Dual language /dual citizenship.
700 hours wildlife and exotic internship
900 hours therapeutic horse riding center - large animals
50 hours shadowing vet -couldnt do more cause covid shut down everywhere.
1200 hours in research on bone mechanics at the veterinary school in another country (2 summers 4 months at a time )
500 plus hours working at a pet shop (more now but this was at time of application)
That's awesome! I was just letting you know since in a few of your posts you talked about wanting to gain more experience with cats and dogs, so I wasn't sure if you needed some places to try. At least you got an acceptance and I'm sorry you are mad haha
Haha no I appreciate it. And if u do know a good dog and cat place dm me! I'm a little south of Boston.
Currently, I live in NC, so I guess I don't know many other good places to look other than Angell. I have some friends in the area that work in veterinary clinics near the Malden area, but honestly, I think if you just keep reaching out eventually someone will let you at least shadow.
Yeah I agree, the way they responded back to sarahlee seemed rather informal
It wasn't a formal rejection. It was a rather long email. He basically listed what I did wrong , how my application hasn't changed since he met me 2 years ago , and then said hed rather be straight forward and I will not be getting an interview.
There's nothing wrong with trying a new location! For undergrad, I rejected a full ride to my state school so that I could go somewhere else 400 miles away. I've moved four times in the past three years. I don't regret it at all. I'll probably head back home to New England at some point in my life, but the things I experienced and learned by living away from home were priceless, and I don't regret my decisions at all.
I've moved a lot over the years. Different countries etc. I only have my parents and siblings here so if I move away I'm really leaving everyone. But its a 3.5 hour drive back to mass so not to bad .
Yea I feel like rejections should go out first like obv they allready know who they dont want so why make people wait.
Its funny had I just graduated this year, based on the feedback it would mean I could have gotten an interview but the reason I didn't was the 2 year gap. It seems a lot of you guys also took time to complete prerequisite after college. I do hope you all get interviews regardless. Keep me updated. I'll keep checking this forum , to see how things are going for you all. ❤
I'm sure since you've moved a lot you don't need to hear this. When I moved away from home, I didn't know a single soul. My parents helped me move and then said good luck, bye! I was in a new state with no car and not a single familiar face - I met new people and made great connections I wouldn't have otherwise made. It was actually quite refreshing to start a new social and professional network from the ground up. I have a whole web of people from friends to pre-vet buddies to veterinarians in this area that have massively supported my endeavors and I'm sure will continue to do so down the road. (By the way, I must have missed it, where did you get accepted?)
Sometimes life doesn't hand you what you think you want, but you take what it offers anyway and realize it's even more than what you could have originally hoped for. I don't see different as bad, I see it as a new opportunity. Especially when you don't have any anchoring ties to your current residence (like a SO who can't come with you, or a family member you need to care for).
Also, I found out that it's very, very hard to get vet tech/vet assistant jobs in New England. I knew certified vet techs that were volunteering at animal shelters because they couldn't find jobs. Where I live currently in PA, vet hospitals will hire anyone with interest in a heartbeat because they really need the extra hands. I was hired at the first place I applied to with zero paid vet experience. Heck, I didn't even have to interview! I can't say that's the same elsewhere in the country, but New England is a very difficult place to get experience in without prior connections.
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That is actually positive in my viewpoint. Means that they care enough to let you know exactly why instead of a generic reply. I will say, my advice to applicants is always to include what makes you tick outside of veterinary medicine. We have a very depressing job in many aspects and mental health is at the forefront these days as our suicide rate is rather abysmal. Schools want applicants that are otherwise well rounded and have interests outside the field to maintain sanity.
You sound like you have some interesting experiences, so that is the key to anything you try in life. You have to draw in everything you've acquired over the years and apply them accordingly. I wish you luck in your future endeavors though, as it sounds like you have an acceptance!!
Thats the thing I have a so who can't come with me. Lol thats why I'm so scared.
I got accepted to liu and waitlisted at Cornell.
Thank you. And boy if you're a tufts admissions person I didnt mean to sound ungrateful. I do appreciate the straight forward and the fact that I don't have to agonize over it anymore. And depending how things go wherever I end up , transferring is always an option down the road. So who knows maybe I will end up at tufts if its meant to be.
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Haha! You can rest easy. I have no affiliation with Tufts, just been around these parts a while and have some insight into the whole process of going from thinking about being a vet, to pursuing it, to the agony of applying, the more intense agony at times being accepted and going through 4 years of professional schooling then out the other side.
Phew * wipes sweat from brows * 😅
I'm always a little scared someone is secretly reading this and putting pieces together like "yup thats applicants 736 Allright, boy is she in trouble , did you read what she said ???" LOL.
Also I would really love to hear from any very non traditional applicants on how they filled in their "gap" years since I was somewhat insulted with my use of the time. 🥲 not for any real reason just out of shear curiousty as to what most people do with their life lol
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Heh. Make no mistake, there is little anonymity these days and eyes are everywhere, but I feel like everyone should always conduct themselves as a decent human being anyway. You did not come off badly, just as a frustrated person trying to understand what went wrong.
I am non traditional in that I was raised on a Hereford ranch and had thoughts of being a vet as a kid, but then never really pursued schooling as no one in my family pushed education. I wound up doing arts for 10 years, then deciding to pursue vet med at 28 having never gone to college before. I got my pre reqs done in a couple years, made a decision for finances to move and gain residency for a year as well as additional experience by working a rural mixed animal practice. I put all my eggs in a single basket and luckily, and mostly thanks to my previous experiences, gained acceptance. I was valued for what I could bring to the profession as someone with a very different set of experiences in life, which really boiled down to I know how to interact with humans.
You might laugh at that, but communication is the biggest key to what we do. I have had to deal with a great variety of personalities from my previous job, and I find that means I easily find common ground and can help clients understand pretty much anything. Plus, I love having a life outside this job when I get home. I have to unwind somehow, and that involves a more creative lifestyle including writing and photography and reading and of course, enjoying the outdoors.
omg sorry I'm so glitchy all the time. Does anyone know if there's an app for this forum?
But I'm not super non-traditional, I'm 28. My lifestyle is. I usually do fieldwork in the summers. I opted for grad school and got my masters. Prior to that I worked at the wildlife clinic where I cut my teeth. During that time I also worked as a barista and stage manager. I interned for different organizations and made cash writing with my journalism degree.
I also tap into having two cultures; I'm also a dual citizen and have taught both my other language and esl at different times.
It's kind of what you make of it. I might still not get in and if that's the case I'm probably going to stay at the pathology lab and work a field season. And not sure what I'll do after that. I usually find something interesting though, not fond of being bored
I agree with pippy that this is definitely a question for the admissions committee. Speaking broadly, redoing prerequisites that you weren't as successful in the first time around may be of value - if that's something that the vet school mentions would help strengthen your application. I took histopath and neuroendocrine courses in undergrad and found both exceptionally useful for veterinary school though, and as a bonus they are both hard science classes so if that's something you're looking to demonstrate success in on future applications, they could help.
Zooarchaeology sounds bomb though. What is that class about? Please take it and forever have an excellent conversation topic to bring up (and also teach me zooarchaeology)
I always say the goal isn't to not fail, or even to fail better, but rather to fail differently every time. You're not repeating the same mistakes and even if you aren't necessarily "improving" you are learning with each attempt.
My cat is widely known as an expert in several subjects thanks to me teaching them to him as a way to study. He is a terrible student though
aww hahah my husky went to grad school with me. he was a puppy then, so he 'helped' by shredding all of the peer reviewed papers he thought were useless toward my thesis :') let's just say he thought a lot of papers were useless. like a whole binder's worth. 🙃
and honestly maybe he was right, because i never re-downloaded them and my paper and defense passed so 🤷♀️
I've lost track of how many times or where I've said the same things over and over again so I'm just writing it here in case it's not already in this thread.
I'm not VERY non traditional, but I'm also 28. After undergrad in 2014 I worked on the Cape for a summer as a lifeguard and hostess to earn enough money to survive during an unpaid internship in Ramona, CA. I left for Ramona in October of that year and spent 6 months rehabbing/husbandry for 33 cats, 10 bobcats, 1 pygmy hippo, 2 mountain lions, 3 bears, and 1 coyote as well as rehab animals such as raptors, skunks <3 , opossums, reptiles, etc. After that internship I moved back to MA and did diamondback terrapin conservation on the Cape. Once terrapin season ended I stayed on to rescue cold-stunned sea turtles. By the time winter cold-stun ended, it was now 2016. Starting 2016 I began work at BU as an aquarist for medical research and animal science center. I also did an internship rehabbing the same sea turtles as well as New England seals at the National Marine Life Center. That ended in May 2016. After that internship I continued with my job at BU and come September or so did the NEWC course for the MA State Rehabbers License. Finished the course, passed the exam. Then it was 2017 and I was 25 and hit my quarter life crisis. I decided that I ultimately wanted to be a veterinarian and so after reaching out to about 75 vets, researchers, professors, and rehabbers asking for advice on how to reach my goals, it was recommended to me that I go back to school to increase my GPA. So I started a Masters Program at BU in 2018 while working full time, and I retook 5 of my pre-requisites. Also starting in 2018 I began shadowing veterinarians in equine, small animal, wildlife, laboratory and exotic. My Masters Degree ended in September 2020 and my manuscript was published in October. I finally left my job as an aquarist this past November to become a lab assistant in a rodent behavior lab where I collect data on the intuitive decision process and perform cranial surgery for CScope.
And outside of all my animal stuff I do a lot of photography (landscape, wildlife, and astrophotography) which is what I wrote my tufts essay on. I also do some woodworking (rarely, but my dad and I built my couch) and handy work around my parents house. I love puzzles and art so in my essays I wrote about how a veterinarian is more than just a doctor for animals but is an artist that uses the puzzles presented to them in the form of an animal and becomes an artist who understands structures, functions, and answers to make decisions that best solve the problems in an animals life.
You are incredibly impressive! I am one year younger than you and have not done half of what you have accomplished. I really hope you get an interview and achieve your goals =)
I am 27 and during high school, I participated in a vocational program where I learned a lot about the environment, animals, and plants. Which led to me doing an externship at Angell Animal Medical Center my senior year, where I did vet assistant stuff in their clinic. I moved to NC for undergrad, where I participated in a variety of different experiences. I mentored elementary and high school students through their SAY program. I was the safety officer for the fencing club. I did an internship at a small and large animal privately owned zoo. I volunteered at a local raptor center and worked as a kennel technician. I got promoted to a veterinary "technician", but technically that is not my actual title and I monitor anesthesia for cats and dogs. During my summers I went back to MA and I did some more work at Angell and shadowed the exotic veterinarian there. I loved my undergrad years, but I always did too much. I was not great at managing my time which resulted in a lower GPA. After I graduated I continued to work at the hospital I was hired at., started volunteering at a local wildlife center, where I would help with animal care and feeding, and I started working at Charles River. I work a lot, but I haven't published any papers, nor have I worked much on proving myself from an academic standpoint. I applied this year because my coworker and I decided to apply together and help each other through the process. I feel the need to prove myself more academically, which I feel is why I have gotten all rejections thus far, which is fair enough you know? Outside of animals, I love hiking, yoga, I've tap danced for over 14 years, I play loads of video games. (My favorite being Binding of Isaac) So my science GPA is around 2.7 which is pretty terrible, and that's about it haha. I just feel strongly about things working the way they are meant to and if I put in the effort and improve my weaknesses I will be met with success. And I feel this is true for everyone, so I'm slightly Non-traditional maybe...ha
Looks like uve done a lot ! That's very impressive and I hope they see that ! I actually have done more than my app presents after graduating. I run my own buisness to make safe products for exotic animals. I never mentioned that in my app. Idky. I guess at the time I figured they would laugh at me. Im not an overall confident person lol. The only things I'm confident about is my knowledge on exotics.
I also craft a lot, but haven't had the mental energy to go back to doing true art. I used to do art all the time and my goal was to actually dual major in it. But my engineering degree took over. Mostly I really felt that I needed to take a break from the work load after college. I commuted all 4 years and my professor would often question why I was still st campus at midnight because I'd get there at 7 am. After 20 credits every semester and working my butt off plus every off semester doing some sort of unpaid internships.. I really just wanted my time after graduation to be easier. Finish whatever prerequisite I had. Get an easy job . And not worry much about anything else. But I find that schools don't care about your mental state. It's all about the go go go , train train train, world. You have to be doing something at all times. If there's anything I learned from this is that they dont want gaps at all. In your app. Like you should always have an explanation for what you have been doing with your time. Lol
Which is good because it looks like you have a solid explanation on what you've been doing.
I also do some photography. Mostly nature and my pets . I have a whole instagram dedicated to my hedgehog. And boy that takes a lot of time. But I wouldnt say im a profesional at it or anything special. Just something for fun.
Yeah you weren't kidding the other day- literally exact same undergrad story! Took on too much and didn't manage time wisely resulting in a 2.7!
That's a pretty varied history too, though. Tons of great experiences and career advancement!
When I applied last year I hadn't retaken the pre-requisites yet and therefore didn't get in. If you retake some classes to raise your GPA a little and show an increasing trend, I bet that whatever happens to me this year will happen to you (hopefully that consists of me getting in otherwise this will be bullshirt advice!)
.... I may or may not be playing skyrim right now.
I think its great you included everything from college ! I really wish I did that. Like you I did mentoring mostly tutoring . I was the electronics tutor and class representative. My grades in high school sucked so during college I focused excessively on grades. I had a lot of work study jobs during school. Mostly all revolving around electronics, teaching assistant , lab manager etc. Nothing i felt would be exciting for vet school lol. I did some research on breast implants to, and electronic bikes for a few professors, that was a weird semester. But I also have no publications or papers to show for it. In fact most of the research projects I was involved in got scraped at some point or another so there is literally noo evidence 🤣 so I totally get it
Yeah, I appreciate your advice! Please keep in touch with what happens even if it is a private message! We are one of the same girl, and it seems I'm following pretty closely to what you've done. I am still debating what type of master's programs to apply to. I was thinking of for right now just retaking my worst prerequisites, and applying to vet school again with updated grades and grad school programs at the same time. And then if I fail to get in I will be working on a master's (in something...) I am really interested in microbiology and was considering immunology, but I am all over the place with that aspect of things because I like a lot of aspects of science
If you decide to not accept the offer at LIU and try again next year, I 100% advise including all this extra stuff in your application. You want to make the application the best representation of your experiences, personality, and knowledge and that business stuff is cool! You'll have about a year to try something new, too before acceptances and approx 9 months before you have to submit anything. Go put yourself out there and pick up a new hobby or get back into art. Find something that inspires you that isn't animals so that you always have that ability to have a stable mental health outside of school, but can do the go go go train train train while in school. Healthier that way, in my opinion.
Yeah it sounds you did a lot of really cool things and perhaps undersold yourself by not including them in your application
I really enjoy reading all your stories and experiences. Id say not to many people our age have done as much as we all have. And that's important to remmeber ! Its an accomplishment just getting this far. Often im embarrassed by how many short term jobs I've had , and its why I never talk about it. But thats kind of how life goes when ur trying to get lots of different experiences.
At this point I probably will , just to get a head start, then see how things go and possibly transfer. Luckily transfer applications aren't due until June and it would be June 2022... so there's loads of time to improve until then. And also just smash my app with every bit of information until I overwhelm them . Everyone I've talked to has been sort of pushing me towards accepting by telling me how there is no guarantee ill ever get in anywhere again (thanks people so supportive 🤣) but there is some truth to that with how competitive this whole thing is. That being said if u haven't allready maybe apply to liu because I think less people apply there so higher acceptance rate.
I know I'm a nobody and not an admission coordinator. But I'd like to say that I am for one impressed with each and every one of you. Regardless of grades you all have so much great experience and its not easy to get !
Well, they are correct. But they also could be wrong. If you take the time to truly improve your application (email/call every forking clinic you possibly forking can- prove to the people that sent you that rejection email that you HAVE done more and show that you have a continuous desire to improve) and include everything you've done in your life on your application, your chances of getting in will be exponentially higher. If they're exponentially higher, you're that much more comparable and highly competitive with all the other applicants. Take a look at the successful c/o 2025 thread and see how you compare. Get to that level if you can within a year, and you'll probably be pretty all set.
Besides, who is to say you'll be accepted to transfer? Life is full of if's. But it can be more full of confidence if you prove that you've done your best to get to where you want to go.
But, like I said the other day. You might have a stellar time at LIU and you'll forget any of this even happened because that is where you're meant to be. I suppose you'll find out how much you like to gamble.
!! you fence? what do you fence? My favorites are foil and sabre, epee was a little too heavy for me.
Not to seem unsupportive (and I'm not sure if anyone else has told you this already) but I would NOT rely on transferring schools. It mostly depends on if the class has the space to take any students which there's no guarantee of (I know there hasn't been any space in my class). Also I'm not 100% sure on this, but I know you have to provide a reason for wanting to transfer so I believe it has to be an extenuating circumstance. Not saying it's not possible! But I don't want you having your heart set on transferring, especially if you didn't know the chances
Sorry to change the topic, but does anyone know if we will be receiving more interview invites or rejections anytime soon? Lol I hate the radio silence
You will. Because my incredibly unformal rejection said so lol
I’m so sorry that happened to you like that. Makes it a harder blow.
Lol thanks. On the bright side the rest of you have hope. I took one for the team. They mentioned they have waitlist interviews to go out, and rejections. But that they aren't meeting anymore. Aka they have made their decisions about everyone allready.
