VMCAS 2014 Questions

[Felixor90]

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I don't know if anyone has started a megathread for questions for the 2014 VMCAS application, but if not, lets start here.

My question: should I waive my right to see the recommendation letters? What do you guys think?

Edit: I meant to put 2015 in the title!

 

[yogapony]

I did. I've had professors who won't write letters unless you waive the right to look (but who ended up emailing me a copy of the letter anyway). I think it makes people more comfortable writing the letter, and I also happen to think that if you can't trust someone to write you a good letter, that you probably shouldn't be asking them for one in the first place.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

hi Felixor.. thanks for opening up the thread.

It's a myth that schools care about whether you waive your rights. For the most part, this has been a myth perpetuated by the applicant pool. This is a personal opinion. On the other side of the coin, however, evaluators sometimes feel that they can be less candid if you do NOT waive your rights.

Quick definitions:
Waiving your rights to view the eLOR = You cannot get access to your eLOR at anytime.
NOT waiving your rights = give you the option to request to view your eLOR only after you have been accepted and sit in school.

Hope this helps!

tw

 

[lhmhtd]

So excited to finally be applying! I have a question regarding animal experience. I adopted my dog 2 years ago, at which time she was feral and had obviously not had much, if any, human contact. I have spent the last 2 years working with her and she's come a long way. I have mainly employed positive reinforcement when training her. Since this is not like owning your standard labrador or something, and required lots of extra work on my part, should I list it under animal training/pet ownership?? Or leave it out? I don't want it sound like I'm trying to hard to fit in as many experiences as I possibly can.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

Pet ownership is a positive thing for a VMCAS application and can be included in animal experience.

tw

 

[NStarz]

So excited to finally be applying! I have a question regarding animal experience. I adopted my dog 2 years ago, at which time she was feral and had obviously not had much, if any, human contact. I have spent the last 2 years working with her and she's come a long way. I have mainly employed positive reinforcement when training her. Since this is not like owning your standard labrador or something, and required lots of extra work on my part, should I list it under animal training/pet ownership?? Or leave it out? I don't want it sound like I'm trying to hard to fit in as many experiences as I possibly can.

It depends on the school. Some schools will not look at pet ownership, others will. I would take a peek at the schools you are applying to, see what their policies are, and then go with the majority. Sounds like it would be a great experience to include.

 

[Swongy]

Hello everyone! 🙂

So excited the VMCAS finally opened up today!

Just one question (for now! haha) : When you complete the description of duties for each experience, should it be short and concise sentences. For instance, I would use the descriptions I wrote down on my resume/CV. Or, do they have to be really elaborate and extensive?

 

[NStarz]

Hello everyone! 🙂

So excited the VMCAS finally opened up today!

Just one question (for now! haha) : When you complete the description of duties for each experience, should it be short and concise sentences. For instance, I would use the descriptions I wrote down on my resume/CV. Or, do they have to be really elaborate and extensive?

I think it would be best to be as succinct as possible. I'm sure the admissions committees would appreciate it 🙂 That being said, don't leave anything out for the sake of brevity.

 

[Swongy]

@NStarz thanks so much! 🙂

 

[Felixor90]

I worked for a period of time in a multi-vet hospital. It was a mixed clinic and thus some days I got a bunch of exotic experience and other days it was just cat/dog experience. Should I combine both of these into one lump since it was all at one job, or should I individually input the experience separately since it was multiple vets.

Also, the hospital was tied to a research facility and we did all of their euthanasia and necropsies. This was for a cancer treatment trial so I'd like to put it under research. Is that ok? I helped with about 20 hours worth of necropsies/euthanasia so that'd be 20 hours for research experience that I should put separately right?

 

[Gwenevre]

Pet ownership is a positive thing for a VMCAS application and can be included in animal experience.

tw

Is there an hours limit for pet ownership?

 

[haley120892]

Anybody know how dual enrollment credits should be treated? Like do I need to put the schools that I got the credits down under the institutions attended section? I emailed them and am waiting for a reply, but I am curious if anyone else dealt with this. 🙂

 

[Frozenshades]

Anybody know how dual enrollment credits should be treated? Like do I need to put the schools that I got the credits down under the institutions attended section? I emailed them and am waiting for a reply, but I am curious if anyone else dealt with this. 🙂

It's always good to ask and I don't know for sure, but VMCAS has always previously said that transcripts from the original institution are necessary regardless of if the credit was transferred, so I'd lean towards saying you'd also list the original institution where you took the classes in that section of the application.

 

[haley120892]

I figured as much, most of them came from the local community college as I took the classes in high school and was able to get the appropriate credits for them.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

Hello everyone! 🙂

So excited the VMCAS finally opened up today!

Just one question (for now! haha) : When you complete the description of duties for each experience, should it be short and concise sentences. For instance, I would use the descriptions I wrote down on my resume/CV. Or, do they have to be really elaborate and extensive?

No question that short and concise is the way to go!! 🙂

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

It's always good to ask and I don't know for sure, but VMCAS has always previously said that transcripts from the original institution are necessary regardless of if the credit was transferred, so I'd lean towards saying you'd also list the original institution where you took the classes in that section of the application.

All college level and above coursework should be reported at the institution which awarded the original credit. Therefore you should enter the college that awarded the dual enrollment credit in the "Institutions attended" section and the courses should be listed in coursework at that institution during the sessions in which they were earned.

There is no academic status for “in high school”, so choose Freshman for the academic status and Not Applicable for the classification description.

tw

 

[jcc4]

When filling out the description of our vet experience, do you just list the name of 1 veterinarian even though the practice you were at had multiple doctors?

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

If you worked with multiple doctors, you can list them as such: Drs. Smith, Jones, Johnson. Save some space. This way, if a school wants to contact the place where you received your experience, they will know who to talk to.

tw

 

[ADM1220]

What categories (vet experience, animal experience, employment, research) would these scenarios fall under?
1. I worked alongside my vet doing an equine clinical drug trial. We did a boatload of lameness exams and took rads. I was paid a stipend by the company running the trial.

2. I worked directly for the company running the drug trial (the company paid me). The trial was overseen/designed by vets. My job was to review the work of two vets to ensure accuracy.

3. My husband and I own a farrier business. He does the farrier work, I keep the books/management stuff. I also assist him on calls as needed, especially if a client has a particularly difficult to handle horse.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tori_luvs_dogz]

I work at my in-state's vet school as a kennel assistant. Do you think this counts as animal experience or veterinary experience? I talk to vet students and vet techs, but I never really get to talk to the doctors. My boss is a vet tech. Soo... animal or veterinary? Thanks in advance!

 

[wildchild210]

What categories (vet experience, animal experience, employment, research) would these scenarios fall under?
1. I worked alongside my vet doing an equine clinical drug trial. We did a boatload of lameness exams and took rads. I was paid a stipend by the company running the trial.

2. I worked directly for the company running the drug trial (the company paid me). The trial was overseen/designed by vets. My job was to review the work of two vets to ensure accuracy.

3. My husband and I own a farrier business. He does the farrier work, I keep the books/management stuff. I also assist him on calls as needed, especially if a client has a particularly difficult to handle horse.

Thanks in advance!

In regards to 1 and 2, it looks like VMCAS wants any research listed as research, even if it was with a veterinarian. As for the farrier business I would put it as animal.

 

[Netanel791]

i have a question regarding LOR.
Does anyone know if there is a specific criteria for which my professor/employer can go by? I have looked at the schools I'm interested in and none have any specific criteria for LOR.
Please get back to me asap.
Thanks guys!

 

[DVMDream]

i have a question regarding LOR.
Does anyone know if there is a specific criteria for which my professor/employer can go by? I have looked at the schools I'm interested in and none have any specific criteria for LOR.
Please get back to me asap.
Thanks guys!

VMCAS will send an email to your LOR that includes the evaluation and criteria they need to fill out. Just put in your LOR's to the VMCAS website and they will send the information your LOR writer needs.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

I work at my in-state's vet school as a kennel assistant. Do you think this counts as animal experience or veterinary experience? I talk to vet students and vet techs, but I never really get to talk to the doctors. My boss is a vet tech. Soo... animal or veterinary? Thanks in advance!

If you are supervised by a veterinarian, it's veterinary experience. . otherwise, it is animal experience.

 

[haley120892]

This was mentioned previously in this thread, but I didn't see a reply and I am curious. Is there a limit on how many hours you should claim for pet ownership?
I have had multiple pets my entire life, but quantifying that is a bit difficult and I don't want to downplay it if it is something that they look at.

 

[wildcatj]

This was mentioned previously in this thread, but I didn't see a reply and I am curious. Is there a limit on how many hours you should claim for pet ownership?
I have had multiple pets my entire life, but quantifying that is a bit difficult and I don't want to downplay it if it is something that they look at.

I would err on the very low side myself, but just my opinion. I would count active hours of caring for pets. So walking, actually feeding, etc. Not just hours they exist in your house.

 

[WillowLeaf]

This was mentioned previously in this thread, but I didn't see a reply and I am curious. Is there a limit on how many hours you should claim for pet ownership?
I have had multiple pets my entire life, but quantifying that is a bit difficult and I don't want to downplay it if it is something that they look at.

I agree with wildcat, to estimate hours that you're actually doing something with the animals, like feeding, training, medical care, walking. For my application, I put down a pretty low estimate and then used the description box to say why I thought it was a valuable experience and describe some things I did (like medicating, doing glucose curves, giving insulin injections, spending extra time at the clinic watching their ultrasounds and surgeries and stuff). I thought that would be more useful to the ad coms than the exact number of hours that I spent doing it.

 

[Panderson]

I am very confused by the VMCAS GPA. Is this something that all schools do now, or will begin to adopt in the future? I am not applying for at least two more years... But I just did the VMCAS calculation and it made me kind of sad. Lol.

 

[LyraGardenia]

I am very confused by the VMCAS GPA. Is this something that all schools do now, or will begin to adopt in the future? I am not applying for at least two more years... But I just did the VMCAS calculation and it made me kind of sad. Lol.

From my understanding, some schools just look at the VMCAS GPA, whereas others will calculate their own. Each school varies as to whether they'll exclude grades from a certain number of years ago, whether they include all attempts at repeated courses when calculating GPAs, etc. As far as I know, it will continue to be that way, VMCAS just kind of helps the schools out if they don't want to calculate it themselves. If you have questions about how a specific school calculates GPAs, it's best to look on their website or contact them directly. It can be kind of confusing, but it helps because you can look for the school whose way of calculating/weighing things will present you in the best light!

 

[swiniazycie]

Is anyone having a problem inputting grades? I can input 2-3 courses before the VMCAS portal crashes on me and I have to close and restart everything before I start again. Any suggestions?

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

Is anyone having a problem inputting grades? I can input 2-3 courses before the VMCAS portal crashes on me and I have to close and restart everything before I start again. Any suggestions?

Please contact the VMCAS hotline: 617-612-2884.. that's something we need to know about unless it's a local issue!

tw

 

[Netanel791]

VMCAS will send an email to your LOR that includes the evaluation and criteria they need to fill out. Just put in your LOR's to the VMCAS website and they will send the information your LOR writer needs.

Thank you so much!
But what if my LOR is a hard copy and not through VMCAS?

 

[DVMDream]

Thank you so much!
But what if my LOR is a hard copy and not through VMCAS?

All LOR's are through VMCAS unless you are applying to a non-VMCAS school.

You will have to look into VMCAS or call them if you can not get your letter writer to submit to VMCAS.

 

[Netanel791]

Alright thank you
My letters are hard copy. I'll just have to ask my contacts to submit and use the VMCAS

 

[AussieDr]

I am having a problem inputing my classes and grades. My school has an interim term every year between Fall and Spring semester. The VMCAS site says to enter classes as they appear on your transcript. So it should be 2011 Fall Freashman, 2012 Interim (it starts in January), 2012 Spring Freshman and then 2012 Fall Sophomore. But when I enter them in order, it always puts the interim after all of that and after 2012 Sophomore Fall, even though it was Freshman year.

So it looks like this-
2011 Fall Freshman
2012 Spring Freshman
2012 Fall Sophomore
2012 Interim Freshman

I don't want that! That is confusing to people looking at it and it is not as it appears on my transcript like it says to do. Is it something I am doing wrong or a glitch in the way it's set up? If I put the year for Interim as 2011, it keeps it in order but Interim actually started 2012.
Thanks!

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

I am having a problem inputing my classes and grades. My school has an interim term every year between Fall and Spring semester. The VMCAS site says to enter classes as they appear on your transcript. So it should be 2011 Fall Freashman, 2012 Interim (it starts in January), 2012 Spring Freshman and then 2012 Fall Sophomore. But when I enter them in order, it always puts the interim after all of that and after 2012 Sophomore Fall, even though it was Freshman year.

So it looks like this-
2011 Fall Freshman
2012 Spring Freshman
2012 Fall Sophomore
2012 Interim Freshman

I don't want that! That is confusing to people looking at it and it is not as it appears on my transcript like it says to do. Is it something I am doing wrong or a glitch in the way it's set up? If I put the year for Interim as 2011, it keeps it in order but Interim actually started 2012.
Thanks!

Have you contacted the Student Hotline or emailed VMCAS? 617-612-2884 or [email protected]

tw

 

[AussieDr]

I contacted VMCAS by email, this was their reply for any of those who may have the same issue-

"Thank you for contacting VMCAS. You are correct that your Freshman interim
session should be listed for 2012, not 2011. The VMCAS system simply orders
sessions in such a way that the Interim appears after the Fall and Spring
semesters. This will neither affect your application’s verification, nor your
application’s legibility for the schools to which you’re applying. Your
original transcript is available to those schools, as well as your coursework."


I have another question- Do the people doing your eLORs see any of your application?

Thanks!

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

I contacted VMCAS by email, this was their reply for any of those who may have the same issue-

"Thank you for contacting VMCAS. You are correct that your Freshman interim
session should be listed for 2012, not 2011. The VMCAS system simply orders
sessions in such a way that the Interim appears after the Fall and Spring
semesters. This will neither affect your application’s verification, nor your
application’s legibility for the schools to which you’re applying. Your
original transcript is available to those schools, as well as your coursework."


I have another question- Do the people doing your eLORs see any of your application?

Thanks!

No. Evaluators do not have access to any of your application.

Tw

 

[tori_luvs_dogz]

If the school I want to get into's application deadline is earlier than the VMCAS application due date, do I need to submit my VMCAS application before my school's deadline? Also, will the school get my information from VMCAS immediately, or do I need to submit my VMCAS a few weeks before my school's deadline? thanks

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

If the school I want to get into's application deadline is earlier than the VMCAS application due date, do I need to submit my VMCAS application before my school's deadline? Also, will the school get my information from VMCAS immediately, or do I need to submit my VMCAS a few weeks before my school's deadline? thanks

This totally depends on what school we're talking about here. ALL the VMCAS schools have the same deadine: October 2nd, 2014 at 1pm Eastern Time. The ONLY exceptions to this rule are as follows:

• Foreign schools that accept applications directly to the school (usually not-US applications)
• Iowa State Residents applying to Iowa State must submit their application through VMCAS by September 2nd.
• Schools that do not use VMCAS may have different deadlines, and are not entitled to any of the VMCAS application documentation. Please contact them directly.

Hope this helps. If the school you're referring to does NOT fall into one of the above exceptions, please let me know.

tw

 

[haley120892]

What type of term should I select when filling in my dual enrollment credits? Would it be unit of simply semester?

 

[bam15]

I have a question about LORs. Most schools say they need three, but VMCAS accepts six. Can we send out more letters than three? I work in a four DVM practice and was planning on getting letters from all of them and then two from professors.

 

[Gwenevre]

Yes, you can submit up to six. I did last year and I plan on doing it again.

 

[Ashgirl]

I have a question about LORs. Most schools say they need three, but VMCAS accepts six. Can we send out more letters than three? I work in a four DVM practice and was planning on getting letters from all of them and then two from professors.

Yep, you can submit up to six. There are a few schools that you need to select a certain amount to submit on their supplementals (for example, Ohio State has you select only three to submit), but they usually have this on their website if you are worried about it.

 

[DVMDream]

I have a question about LORs. Most schools say they need three, but VMCAS accepts six. Can we send out more letters than three? I work in a four DVM practice and was planning on getting letters from all of them and then two from professors.

Like Ashgirl said, you can submit 6, but some schools specify a specific number they will look at (usually 3). On their supplemental application you have to list the letters you want them to read. Colorado did that when I applied a few years ago, don't know if they still do that now or not.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

I have a question about LORs. Most schools say they need three, but VMCAS accepts six. Can we send out more letters than three? I work in a four DVM practice and was planning on getting letters from all of them and then two from professors.

Please remember that veterinary schools have differing requirements for letters of recommendations (LORs). VMCAS accepts six to accommodate these varying requirements. Be sure to check the requirements of each school to determine their individual requirements. While most schools require a min. 3 evaluations, some (like Colorado) may also have additional evaluation requirements (like PPI).

tw

 

[bam15]

Thanks! Next question- I will be receiving two bachelor degrees in the spring rather than a double major, and I also have two minors. There is only room for one minor per degree. So I just listed two separate degrees and assigned a minor to each one. Is this the easiest way? Should I call VMCAS for advice?

 

[WildZoo]

Thanks! Next question- I will be receiving two bachelor degrees in the spring rather than a double major, and I also have two minors. There is only room for one minor per degree. So I just listed two separate degrees and assigned a minor to each one. Is this the easiest way? Should I call VMCAS for advice?

I'm in the same boat! I would say call and ask. Mine splits up nicely where my majors are Bio and Writing, my minors are Chem and Lit. So it's simple enough to put the Chem minor with the Bio degree and the Lit minor with the Writing degree.

 

[swiniazycie]

When you are entering your course titles on VMCAS does it need to be the FULL title or should it be shortened exactly like it is on the official transcript?
example: 'Organic Chemistry I' vs 'Org Chem I'? I was doing full course titles and then I ran into the problem of one class having a title that was too long to fit.

 

[WillowLeaf]

I have a question about LORs. Most schools say they need three, but VMCAS accepts six. Can we send out more letters than three? I work in a four DVM practice and was planning on getting letters from all of them and then two from professors.

It's a good idea to check with the schools you're applying to. One of the schools I applied to said that I could submit more than three, but they would randomly select which three to consider and would not read the rest. It doesn't hurt to ask the admissions committees to be sure you know the requirements.