VIRMP 2026

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Hey! I’m applying for an Oncology specialty internship/residency. Would appreciate as much feedback as I can regarding my Personal statement! Let me know if anyone would be willing to read it.

Thank you in advance!
 
For those of us at pass/fail schools, what do we put in for GPA? The box is required, so I can't leave it blank,
 
Anyone have thoughts on LORs from specialists from school vs internship? I'm applying to anesthesia residencies and not sure if I should ask one of the anesthesiologists from school who wrote one of my letters for internship again or not. I helped with an anesthesia lab after graduation but haven't worked together since. The anesthesiologist at my internship left so we didn't work together long, but I'll probably still ask them. Thanks!
 
amcallidrmd said:
Anyone have thoughts on LORs from specialists from school vs internship? I'm applying to anesthesia residencies and not sure if I should ask one of the anesthesiologists from school who wrote one of my letters for internship again or not. I helped with an anesthesia lab after graduation but haven't worked together since. The anesthesiologist at my internship left so we didn't work together long, but I'll probably still ask them. Thanks!
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Go with whoever will write you the strongest letter, imo. I think your letters of rec from people in the specialty you’re pursuing are probably the most important part of a residency app packet. A bad or lukewarm letter is not something you want.
 
When are interviews typically held for SA rotating internship programs? Is there any benefit in applying to programs as early as possible, even if my application is not complete?
 
Nephrite said:
When are interviews typically held for SA rotating internship programs? Is there any benefit in applying to programs as early as possible, even if my application is not complete?
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A hilariously high % of applications are submitted/finalized within 72 hours of the deadline so most programs don't bother reviewing them until afterwards, with most interviews in Jan/Feb. Don't stress it. You can apply whenever you want, the program will get sent what you have already finished and then as the remainder of stuff (references etc) trickles in we get sent updated applicant packages.
 
Nephrite said:
When are interviews typically held for SA rotating internship programs? Is there any benefit in applying to programs as early as possible, even if my application is not complete?
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Interviews are typically between the application deadline (early Jan) and the applicant rank order list deadline (mid-Feb). For specific dates, you need to check with the particular program.

In general, there's no benefit to getting your application in early. I don't even seriously start looking at our applicants until the application deadline -- I don't want to have to keep downloading all the applications, I just want to do it once when I know it's finalized (other than the withdrawals).
 
Nephrite said:
When are interviews typically held for SA rotating internship programs? Is there any benefit in applying to programs as early as possible, even if my application is not complete?
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Most of my SA rotating interviews took place around the end of December through the middle of January. I also submitted my applications earlier on in the cycle as I as juggling a Spring NAVLE window and didn't want to overlap the stress of both too much. One of my good friends submitted his applications closer to the January deadline and still had plenty of interview offers from all over the place. Either way your application will get reviewed so don't stress the little things! Enjoy the ride, and good luck!
 
How many programs are people intending on applying to? I'm nervous that if I don't apply for enough I'll have to scramble.
 
zenarcade said:
How many programs are people intending on applying to? I'm nervous that if I don't apply for enough I'll have to scramble.
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Scrambling isn’t the end of the world.

The vast majority of people apply to less than 10 programs. Like 2025 VIRMP stats show approximately 87% of internship applicants did less than 10, 11% did 11-20 and 2% did 21+. A lot of people I know only applied to 3-5. I did more but I knew it was a reach/unlikely at many of the places I applied because I was a lower GPA applicant who was dead set on specializing.

Some people may take the approach that they want a match somewhere no matter what and others may be much more selective, but that’s definitely a personal opinion and neither option is right or wrong.
 
JaynaAli said:
Scrambling isn’t the end of the world.

The vast majority of people apply to less than 10 programs. Like 2025 VIRMP stats show approximately 87% of internship applicants did less than 10, 11% did 11-20 and 2% did 21+. A lot of people I know only applied to 3-5. I did more but I knew it was a reach/unlikely at many of the places I applied because I was a lower GPA applicant who was dead set on specializing.

Some people may take the approach that they want a match somewhere no matter what and others may be much more selective, but that’s definitely a personal opinion and neither option is right or wrong.
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I have a list of about 10ish places I'm most interested in, but they're mostly academic institutions so I'm worried they might be more competitive spots.
 
zenarcade said:
I have a list of about 10ish places I'm most interested in, but they're mostly academic institutions so I'm worried they might be more competitive spots.
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There is probably a higher chance of scrambling if your list is primarily academic programs unless you know you're a competitive applicant, just because they are usually smaller and more competitive like you said. Scrambling is for sure not the end of the world. It's a really stressful morning if you do have to scramble, but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. It isn't always a reflection on you as an applicant, it can definitely be simply due to how the algorithm worked out. There are popular private practice programs scrambling just the same every year, I think some academic institutions have had to scramble in recent years too?

And on the bright side, scrambling is the only time you would have complete control over where you end up during the match process.
 
In the same vein, is there any way to determine which rotating internships are more competitive? I know academic programs are generally more competitive but is there any published data?
 
Nephrite said:
In the same vein, is there any way to determine which rotating internships are more competitive? I know academic programs are generally more competitive but is there any published data?
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There's no published data on how many applications each programs get each year, word of mouth/research is probably the best and only way to decide that. It's a little subjective, too.
 
How does your letter of intent for residency vs specialty internship differ?
 
Came to echo that scrambling isn't the end of the world. When I applied for rotating internships I made a "life decision" and only ended up ranking 1 program (an academic program) because it was in the same city my husband was being assigned for his job. On Match Day I didn't match, but that program somehow had I think 3 or 4 unfilled positions so I scrambled and contacted them ASAP and got a spot with them. That entire day and the following few days my phone and email were BLOWING UP with programs who didn't fill all their positions contacting me with available spots. So, even if you do have to scramble, it will still work out somehow.
 
Nephrite said:
When are interviews typically held for SA rotating internship programs? Is there any benefit in applying to programs as early as possible, even if my application is not complete?
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How does this differ with residency, especially if you have a certain program as your for-sure #1?
 
theanomalywithflaxenhaire said:
I'm applying for an SA rotating internship. What are my odds of actually getting matched to one?
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Overall match rate for internships is usually about 55%, but that would include people who maybe only applied to a few programs or were very selective. There are also a good number of programs that go unmatched and get filled via the scramble. Chances are high, especially if you’re open on location and other factors.

VIRMP publishes their stats annually so you can go back and view rates for every year.
 
JaynaAli said:
Overall match rate for internships is usually about 55%, but that would include people who maybe only applied to a few programs or were very selective. There are also a good number of programs that go unmatched and get filled via the scramble. Chances are high, especially if you’re open on location and other factors.

VIRMP publishes their stats annually so you can go back and view rates for every year.
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I'm only applying to 7 places because I want to do a non-academic internship with a high companion exotics caseload. Does that mean I'm less likely to get in?
 
Hello,
I'm currently a 4th year vet student from Davis who is applying to VIRMP this cycle (making finishing touches on my personal statement). My career goal is to do small animal + companion exotics either GP or ER and I'm pursuing an SA rotating internship (I'm only applying to non-academic hospitals with high companion exotics caseloads) to get a lot of cases under my belt quickly; I have no interest in specializing. Up until recently, I felt okay about applying, but now I'm having a whirlwind of self doubt with regards to if I'm a competitive applicant. I have okay grades (3.64 GPA) and am confident that my letters will be good (I already have my LOR writers confirmed) and I generally interview well, but I just don't know what to expect. Does anyone have any advice?
 
I don't know that I have amazing advice to give, it's a stressful time. You will match somewhere for a SA rotating, even if it involves scrambling, so try not to worry too much. Based on what you've said here, you sound competitive to me. I would just try to make your LOI as interesting/unique as possible
 
theanomalywithflaxenhaire said:
I'm only applying to 7 places because I want to do a non-academic internship with a high companion exotics caseload. Does that mean I'm less likely to get in?
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@supershorty might merge your other thread here, but yes and no. It's entirely depending on the algorithm and how the cookie crumbles and can be hard to predict. I was a fairly uncompetitive applicant and matched to my #1, but I did not pick anything super competitive. Others in my class went for strictly academic/competitive private practice internships and had to scramble, even if they were fairly competitive (in my opinion).

I guess my second piece of advice is to just not panic about it. You either match or you don't. If you don't you can still scramble to get an internship. Even competitive programs have to scramble to fill spots every year, so scrambling doesn't mean something was wrong with your app or you weren't a good applicant. It just means that the algorithm could not work you into your chosen program. It's far less likely that you don't match somewhere because you were ranked super low/weren't ranked at all by the program, especially with your decent/good GPA and reportedly good LORs and interviewing skills.
 
reyofsunshine said:
Does anyone have insight on what to include in the section for "Publications, research, or other pertinent experience"? What counts as pertinent experience? I guess I'm struggling to decide what to put in here that's not on my CV already
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I am having trouble figuring this out as well. What are others writing here? Just bullet point listing research positions/publications/posters (i.e. seems like just copy/pasting CV), or writing a short blurb alongside each point? For rotating internships, would this be a good place to include speciality externships?
 
pp9 said:
@supershorty might merge your other thread here, but yes and no. It's entirely depending on the algorithm and how the cookie crumbles and can be hard to predict. I was a fairly uncompetitive applicant and matched to my #1, but I did not pick anything super competitive. Others in my class went for strictly academic/competitive private practice internships and had to scramble, even if they were fairly competitive (in my opinion).

I guess my second piece of advice is to just not panic about it. You either match or you don't. If you don't you can still scramble to get an internship. Even competitive programs have to scramble to fill spots every year, so scrambling doesn't mean something was wrong with your app or you weren't a good applicant. It just means that the algorithm could not work you into your chosen program. It's far less likely that you don't match somewhere because you were ranked super low/weren't ranked at all by the program, especially with your decent/good GPA and reportedly good LORs and interviewing skills.
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I'm not applying to academic internships but since I want to do my internship at a place with a high companion exotics caseload, the private practice internships I'm applying to are probably competitive. I'm applying to AMC Schwarzzman, DoveLewis, Red Bank, Ocean State Vet Specialists, BluePearl Clearwater, and Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital (Ohio). What are your thoughts?
 
theanomalywithflaxenhaire said:
I'm not applying to academic internships but since I want to do my internship at a place with a high companion exotics caseload, the private practice internships I'm applying to are probably competitive. I'm applying to AMC Schwarzzman, DoveLewis, Red Bank, Ocean State Vet Specialists, BluePearl Clearwater, and Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital (Ohio). What are your thoughts?
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I mean, you’re applying to places that other people with similar interests are also likely going to be interested in too, in addition to the pool of applicants who don’t care as much about the exotics. We can guess yes or no in regards to your chances all day, but in the end it’s just a guess. The only thing you can control in the match is where you apply and how you rank them, and spending hours agonizing over your chances isn’t very productive. Apply then wait and see, and then adjust the plan and find a plan B in the scramble if you need to.

It’s the same type of advice we give to prospective pre-vets. It’s hard to wait but that’s all you can do.
 
I was wondering if anybody could provide some clarification on the timeline of applying in regards to LORs. On VIRMP, it says that the deadline for applications to be submitted is January 5th at 9:00 PM, but it also says that LORs will continue to be processed after the deadline. If this is the case, how do programs receive the LOR if they are submitted after the deadline? My impression was that as soon as you apply, they receive your full application including LORs. Also just so that I am completely understanding the timeline, do I need to hit "apply" for each program that I am applying to PRIOR to January 5th at 9:00 PM? For example, if I am applying to 8 programs, do I go through and click "apply" for each of them prior to that deadline? I have the programs that I am interested in sitting in my "favorites" tab right now, but have not actually applied to any yet as I am still waiting on 2 LORs. And should I only click "apply" once my application packet is 100% completed? I am just confused about when I should actually apply vs. how LOR are received by programs if they are submitted after the deadline. Then after I apply I have until mid-February to submit my final ranking, is that correct? Thanks in advance!
 
lynne8832 said:
I was wondering if anybody could provide some clarification on the timeline of applying in regards to LORs. On VIRMP, it says that the deadline for applications to be submitted is January 5th at 9:00 PM, but it also says that LORs will continue to be processed after the deadline. If this is the case, how do programs receive the LOR if they are submitted after the deadline? My impression was that as soon as you apply, they receive your full application including LORs. Also just so that I am completely understanding the timeline, do I need to hit "apply" for each program that I am applying to PRIOR to January 5th at 9:00 PM? For example, if I am applying to 8 programs, do I go through and click "apply" for each of them prior to that deadline? I have the programs that I am interested in sitting in my "favorites" tab right now, but have not actually applied to any yet as I am still waiting on 2 LORs. And should I only click "apply" once my application packet is 100% completed? I am just confused about when I should actually apply vs. how LOR are received by programs if they are submitted after the deadline. Then after I apply I have until mid-February to submit my final ranking, is that correct? Thanks in advance!
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Yes you need to have actually applied to those programs by the application deadline.

You applying is completely separate from your references getting filled out. When you apply, automatically everything that you have finished (including submitted references) it sent to the program. If something is not completed, it simply tells us it hasn't been finished yet in that section of your packet. So if after the deadline a reference still isn't there, we get told that and will check back for when it is submitted.

TBH it really does not matter. Most places aren't going to be going through applicants in detail until after the deadline specifically because they don't want to wade through a bunch of unfinished packets.
 
One issue that I have constantly faced throughout my journey is self-doubt and comparing myself to others. While I'm not recommending that you assume you're the best and need no improvement, I strongly recommended that you don't under-value your experiences and what you have accomplished so far.
It's hard to comment on exactly how the match will go for someone as it can be quite unpredictable. In general, private practices don't tend to put as much emphasis on grades as academic positions. If your LOR are very good and you interview well you should do fine.
I remember when I first found out my GPA and class rank for the match I had a massive break down... Throughout school I had zero intention of specializing and didn't want to stress about high grades. It wasn't until 4th year that I decided I wanted to do more. I debated pulling out of the match since my grades and class rank were kind of abysmal. Flash forward a few years later and I've landed a residency. It was definitely harder to overcome my grades when being considered for positions, but I had a lot of amazing mentors who backed me up with great LOR.
My advice is that if this is something that you really want to do, don't drop out! I suspect you'll match with one of the places you rank, but even if you don't you should be able to scramble. I like to tell myself that what is meant to be is what will happen.
 
theanomalywithflaxenhaire said:
I'm not applying to academic internships but since I want to do my internship at a place with a high companion exotics caseload, the private practice internships I'm applying to are probably competitive. I'm applying to AMC Schwarzzman, DoveLewis, Red Bank, Ocean State Vet Specialists, BluePearl Clearwater, and Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital (Ohio). What are your thoughts?
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I'm a Bluepearl Tampa Bay alumni actually (before Tampa/Brandon and Clearwater split into two separate programs). CLW is a smaller program still, not sure what kind of apps they are seeing these days. They are a tight knit group so your interview will have to be good.

Otherwise you've picked some more well-known, and generally more competitive, PP internships. Again your GPA is fine, and if your written portions are as good as you say you may have no issues at all. But for someone like me and the stats I had during my VIRMP days, I would not have stood a chance at AMC or DoveLewis, in my mind those are two of the most competitive PP programs. I don't know a ton about the other three you've mentioned.
 
theanomalywithflaxenhaire said:
I'm not applying to academic internships but since I want to do my internship at a place with a high companion exotics caseload, the private practice internships I'm applying to are probably competitive. I'm applying to AMC Schwarzzman, DoveLewis, Red Bank, Ocean State Vet Specialists, BluePearl Clearwater, and Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital (Ohio). What are your thoughts?
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No one here is going to be able to tell you definitively yes or no. Your application seems reasonably competitive, from what you've said, but a lot depends on your LOI, your LORs, and how you interview.

My understanding is that AMC heavily prefers to take interns from within the pool of people who did externships there, so be aware that if you didn't, it's possible that you will have an uphill battle there.
 
TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo said:
Yes you need to have actually applied to those programs by the application deadline.

You applying is completely separate from your references getting filled out. When you apply, automatically everything that you have finished (including submitted references) it sent to the program. If something is not completed, it simply tells us it hasn't been finished yet in that section of your packet. So if after the deadline a reference still isn't there, we get told that and will check back for when it is submitted.

TBH it really does not matter. Most places aren't going to be going through applicants in detail until after the deadline specifically because they don't want to wade through a bunch of unfinished packets.
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so at what point should we remind our recommenders to finish their references? is there some kind of hard deadline that they should be completed by, or does it vary by program?
 
reyofsunshine said:
Does anyone have insight on what to include in the section for "Publications, research, or other pertinent experience"? What counts as pertinent experience? I guess I'm struggling to decide what to put in here that's not on my CV already
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Anyone have any idea what to put? I can’t imagine we’d copy things from the CV? I don’t have research or publications.
 
reyofsunshine said:
so at what point should we remind our recommenders to finish their references? is there some kind of hard deadline that they should be completed by, or does it vary by program?
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The deadline is a hard deadline. If you agree to write a LOR you need to get it done on time. We (letter writers) get periodic reminders from VIRMP until we submit the LOR.

That said, in order to try and not penalize the applicant for the tardiness of the LOR writers, if an LOR is submitted after the deadline, it will still be processed by VIRMP. And a day or two late is usually not going to be a problem. But at some point, each program is going to start their ranking process. At that point if an LOR is missing we (programs) are going to move forward anyway.
 
My CV and letter of intent are uploaded, I've applied for the programs I want... now I just sit and stress about my LORs being submitted before the deadline I guess.
 
zenarcade said:
My CV and letter of intent are uploaded, I've applied for the programs I want... now I just sit and stress about my LORs being submitted before the deadline I guess.
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All my stuff is also in & now I just sit here & refresh my email waiting for something to magically appear from programs 🤣
 
At what point is it appropriate to check in with my LOR writers (none of my LORs are submitted yet). Obviously I'll wait until after the holidays, but I'm a bit nervous with the deadline coming up...
 
zenarcade said:
At what point is it appropriate to check in with my LOR writers (none of my LORs are submitted yet). Obviously I'll wait until after the holidays, but I'm a bit nervous with the deadline coming up...
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They get many reminders from VIRMP automatically. It's reasonable to send a reminder a week out, IMO, but they're already getting emails to that effect.

Take a deep breath. They'll get them done.
 
I agree with shorty, I’d probably send a one week reminder but at this point, if they haven’t done them already, they’re probably gonna do it on like the last day no matter what you do. But it’ll get done.
 
JaynaAli said:
I agree with shorty, I’d probably send a one week reminder but at this point, if they haven’t done them already, they’re probably gonna do it on like the last day no matter what you do. But it’ll get done.
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When I was applying for rotating internships, one of my references didn't submit until 15 min before the deadline. I about had an aneurysm from the stress 😂
 
supershorty said:
When I was applying for rotating internships, one of my references didn't submit until 15 min before the deadline. I about had an aneurysm from the stress 😂
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When I was a fourth year, I’d tried to get a residency without having to do an internship (for those who might be reading this and thinking that’s weird, that is somewhat common in pathology though clin path has shifted/was shifting and does like clinical experience more now, plus Path residencies are out of the match). That was unsuccessful but it was like mid to late November before I heard back from all the places I’d applied. So I didn’t decide to even apply for an internship match until like two or three weeks before the app deadline. Luckily I had some awesome letter writers who understood this was a pivot/plan B and they got it done and supported the shift.
 
Emailing all of my LOR writers today as still none are submitted... I know that's pretty common, but it's hard not to tweak out about it from stress.
 
Hello lovely people. I have one application left that I can submit. I've already applied to my other 9 choices. At this point, I'm just kind of going out on a limb and trying to choose a placeholder as my last choice. So far, I'm considering Purdue, Virginia-Maryland, and U-Penn. What're yalls thoughts?
 
freedom1414 said:
Hello lovely people. I have one application left that I can submit. I've already applied to my other 9 choices. At this point, I'm just kind of going out on a limb and trying to choose a placeholder as my last choice. So far, I'm considering Purdue, Virginia-Maryland, and U-Penn. What're yalls thoughts?
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What do you mean by this? Are you applying to 1 more program as a program you'd actually consider ranking, or are you just doing it because you have 1 spot left? You don't *have* to use all of your apps if you don't have 10 programs.

IIRC you're applying for rotating, of those 3 you listed, I'd maybe not prioritize Purdue as my understanding from a resident friend there is that their ECC department is in flux to some degree and rotating interns are going to be the ones to bear the brunt of that. But that's based on hearsay.
 
If we have someone who we submitted as a letter writer but they haven't finished their reference by the deadline, is it advisable to remove them from our application? Does it look bad to have on your application that there's someone who never submitted your LOR?
 
reyofsunshine said:
If we have someone who we submitted as a letter writer but they haven't finished their reference by the deadline, is it advisable to remove them from our application? Does it look bad to have on your application that there's someone who never submitted your LOR?
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I don't think the programs even see incomplete references? It's been a few years since I've been on that end of it, but I can't recall seeing anything like that when I was looking at apps. Even if it was visible, as long as you have the minimum you'll be fine. I would never think that an incomplete reference is a reflection of the applicant, I'll always assume the writer dropped the ball

freedom1414 said:
Hello lovely people. I have one application left that I can submit. I've already applied to my other 9 choices. At this point, I'm just kind of going out on a limb and trying to choose a placeholder as my last choice. So far, I'm considering Purdue, Virginia-Maryland, and U-Penn. What're yalls thoughts?
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I'd only be applying to programs I truly wanted to get a spot in. Without knowing specifics of those programs, if you are truly just ranking them to fill the spot it probably doesn't matter though (unless the ECC thing for Purdue is true, because that sounds like a nightmare).
 
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