Undergrad Pre-Vet Volunteer/Experience/Shadowing Hours?

[beatles1964]

I recently attended a Cornell veterinary admissions open house and on the topic of pre-application hours of experience/volunteer animals (working directly with animals) they suggest around 400-500 hrs at the low end. They claim they've had highs of around 20,000 hrs of volunteer experience (each) of some applicants.

How many hours are sufficient on the average or what are some of the common hour ranges among accepted/or interviewed applicants?

Also, what kind of experience/volunteer work is this? Is it just vet/clinic shadowing, SPCA/Humane Society work, or larger (such as undergrad global volunteer trips with organizations like VIDA or WorldVets.org)?

What types of hours count the most in the eyes of the vet school admissions board?

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[clairbear]

If you look at the successful applicants threads from the past, you can see some of the experience hours and types that people have had:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494&highlight=successful+applicants

Most schools seem to have some sort of minimum because they want you to have enough knowledge of the field to know what you're getting into.

Veterinary experience hours count the most. Also, for you application, you'll need a letter of recommendation from a vet.

 

[Whyevernot55]

To add on: most schools have "minimum" requirements which vary widely. Some schools value a wide variety in your experiences (small animal/large animal/wildlife/etc), while some (coughPenncough) want you to have as many hours as possible in YOUR main field of interest.

In general, getting veterinary experience is highly valued - this is any kind of experience where you are being supervised by a vet. So - shadowing in a clinic/practice, working in one, working in research under a DVM, etc. You can get animal experience hours (working with animals w/o the supervision of a DVM) plenty of ways too - volunteering at shelters or rescues, at riding stables/barns, whatever else you can find. Things like VIDA and World Vets are popular, and currently being hotly debated on the thread for the upcoming trip.

Basically, schools want to see that you are truly committed to the field and willing to work your butt off to prove it. They want to know that YOU know what you're getting in to - not just that you like fluffy kittens! Like clairbear said, check out successful applicant stats to get a sense of what people have done in terms of vet/animal experience.

 

[NStarz]

They want to know that YOU know what you're getting in to - not just that you like fluffy kittens!

Oh darn. That's my motivations for entering the profession. Think they'll frown on that in my PS????? I love fluffy kittens. Cuddly puppies, too.

 

[Hopefully2013]

If you look at the successful applicants threads from the past, you can see some of the experience hours and types that people have had:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494&highlight=successful+applicants

Most schools seem to have some sort of minimum because they want you to have enough knowledge of the field to know what you're getting into.

Veterinary experience hours count the most. Also, for you application, you'll need a letter of recommendation from a vet.

That thread makes me so nervous I want to throw up. I'm not gonna have anywhere NEAR those amounts of hours the first time I apply (next fall). But I don't expect to get in the first time anyway... It would be nice but I won't have near enough experience hours, I'm sure.

 

[twelvetigers]

I feel the same way about GPA. What can ya do? Just get what you can and don't worry about the rest.

 

[farmgirl12]

I believe Ohio requires a minimum of 80 hours, but the average number of hours that their applicants had last year was 1736 hrs(Veterinary) and 2387 hrs (animal experience). I personally am no where's near that number of animal experience hours, despite living on a farm my entire life working with cows, horses, chickens, etc. (I did have my farrier write a letter, so I did get to count a whopping 800hrs of my life time with animals )I wouldn't let those figures bother you though, since I'm sure Ohio, like Cornell, had people with 10-20,000 hours apply which skews the average. I'm sure the number of hours varies from school to school too. I would focus more on getting good letters of recommendation from all of your experiences. These may help compensate for a lower GPA or GRE. These letters tell the admissions committee what your really all about. I believe Cornell likes you to have at least 250 hours working with the people who write the letters, since it takes time for someone to really get to know you. In short , while it's important to get as many hours as you can, don't forget the importance of depth in each of your experiences as it will make both asking and getting good letters of recommendation MUCH easier.

 

[kelly0814]

I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but I only have about 200 hours of veterinary experience, and maximum 300 hours of animal experience.

My veterinary experience is solely shadowing, and the vast majority was normal small animal practice (I also got a few hours in at an emergency and referral center, and literally 4 hours with an equine vet). My animal experience is mostly with birds because I'm doing my Honors research with them, and there are a few other hours due to volunteering at the animal shelter (no more than 8). That's pretty much it - I didn't start being interested in VetMed until sophomore year of college, so I didn't have much time to rack up hours; it seems to be enough, however, because I have an interview at Kansas.

All those stats really freaked me out too - it's actually one of the reasons that I decided not to apply to UPenn. I didn't want to waste the money applying if my application would only be glanced at (though when I emailed, I was told it would still be considered...I was still just too worried about it). I guess don't worry? Just get as much as you can, and hopefully it'll work out

 

[that redhead]

As others have said, veterinary experience (under a veterinarian or even a "health professional" like a PhD) is most valued. Animal experience (showing dogs, riding horses, working at a shelter, etc) is also vaulable but not as much as veterinary experience.

The thing about experience is that it should not come at the expense of your grades (this said by admissions people at VMRCVM, and I'm assuming other schools too). Getting thousands of hours and having a crappy GPA (coughmyselfcough) isn't going to do you much good. Trust me when I say I'd rather have less experience and a higher GPA than vice versa because anyone can go out and find an experience of some sort, but bringing up ones grades (and changing their lifestyle to form new habits to get those grades) is a lot more difficult.

So while I would certainly explore your options when it comes to experience (because it IS important), don't let your grades suffer as you go beserk looking for a place to get hours.