VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2024

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ajs513 said:
VMCAS doesn’t say that you can’t. And why wouldn’t you be able to? For example, one of the classes I listed for animal experience had me go out to farms to evaluate livestock for showing. We would get hands-on experience with cattle, goats, sheep, swine, and horses and judge them like you would at NESA. For my nutrition lab we would take care of and monitor the growth of different breeds of chickens. All of that definitely counted as animal experience since it was hands-on, the animals were alive, it wasn’t under the supervision of a veterinarian, and it wasn’t for research.
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For whatever reason I’m remembering that VMCAS said not to...but like I said, it’s been three years since i applied, so idk
 
mmmdreamerz said:
For whatever reason I’m remembering that VMCAS said not to...but like I said, it’s been three years since i applied, so idk
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I remember this too. Can't remember the reasoning (if there even was any given)

But yeah, its been awhile so maybe things have changed.
 
This is all VMCAS has these days regarding experience as far as I can tell. Nothing in there about not including classes or labs, and it was the same when I applied last year. Experiences
 
finnickthedog said:
I remember this too. Can't remember the reasoning (if there even was any given)

But yeah, its been awhile so maybe things have changed.
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Okay cool, at least I'm not crazy. I figured things just changed but I honestly couldn't remember the specifics.
 
Pretty sure it use to say on VMCAS to not use labs for basic classes as research experience? Since everyone will have those.

I’d probably put animal experience down from classes in my animal hours, especially if it was unique experiences. Would make sure to note it was from class though.
 
It did used to state we couldn't use classes for experiences (research or animal) because it would be double dipping (getting both experience and a grade out of it). I think someone used the logic that you wouldn't list classes taught by a veterinarians as vet experience, why would you use classes with animals as animal/research experience.
 
batsenecal said:
It did used to state we couldn't use classes for experiences (research or animal) because it would be double dipping (getting both experience and a grade out of it). I think someone used the logic that you wouldn't list classes taught by a veterinarians as vet experience, why would you use classes with animals as animal/research experience.
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Eh, to me it makes sense for research, but it is different for classes that involve live animal experience. You don't get to extrapolate what exactly was done in listing classes, but animal experience you delve into exactly what you did with animals for perspective. That's my opinion on it anyway.
 
Lupin21 said:
Eh, to me it makes sense for research, but it is different for classes that involve live animal experience. You don't get to extrapolate what exactly was done in listing classes, but animal experience you delve into exactly what you did with animals for perspective. That's my opinion on it anyway.
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:shrug:I don't disagree. The whole point of those ag classes is to be hands on to learn the animals.
 
batsenecal said:
:shrug:I don't disagree. The whole point of those ag classes is to be hands on to learn the animals.
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Not every school is going to have those classes though, or know what they entail. I think it makes sense to describe those classes and animal handling in the animal experience section. Even if schools don’t weight those hours the same as they would someone actually working on a farm or something, at least they know you have them.
 
Caiter92 said:
Not every school is going to have those classes though, or know what they entail. I think it makes sense to describe those classes and animal handling in the animal experience section
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I know, my undergrad only had 1 equine handling class (despite being in middle of nowhere NE). I agree that listing the hours and describing that they were from a class is a good way to do it.

All I was doing was stating what I/maybe others was told back when I started applying in 2014. I'm not disagreeing with using the hours.
 
Anybody have thoughts on listing experiences or employment for companies/locations that no longer exist? For example, I've been a groom/stable hand for a number of places that have gone out of business and are no longer at their previous addresses. I'm not sure how to list those.
 
batsenecal said:
You list them without the contact info. If you have space, you can mention they're no longer in business. But it's not a big deal.
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Gotcha, just realized I could do that on the form! Thanks!

Additionally, anyone know how to list a single experience for different organizations? I have ridden at numerous different horse barns, but it's all been the same riding, do I have to list each separately?
 
exotic birb said:
Ok I have a question. I studied Animal Science in undergrad at a school that had very hands-on labs. If the majority of my large animal experience comes from there (palpating cows, performing nerve blocks on horses, etc)-- can I list labs from my required coursework under the animal experiences section??
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I have the exact same question! My adviser said to absolutely put this! Do you think this makes up for not having vet hours with those animals? Those classes are ~a lot~ of experience with big animals and really confirmed that is NOT what I want to work with.
 
EB73674 said:
Gotcha, just realized I could do that on the form! Thanks!

Additionally, anyone know how to list a single experience for different organizations? I have ridden at numerous different horse barns, but it's all been the same riding, do I have to list each separately?
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I just put my most current barn. Technically I was at 2 barns at the same time, but one I was at once a week vs 2-3 times a week, so I put the one I was at more. But I didn’t list any of my previous barns.
 
If I have experience abroad, what do I put for contact info? Should I put the Spanish phone number?
 
ajs513 said:
Whichever phone number leads to someone who can vouch that you took part in the experience, if necessary.
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okay, I know it would lead to that person but I can't guarantee that those people would answer an American phone number or if they can even get calls from those phone numbers!
 
justwannabeavet said:
okay, I know it would lead to that person but I can't guarantee that those people would answer an American phone number or if they can even get calls from those phone numbers!
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I don’t think that that’s something you really need to worry about at the moment. To my knowledge they usually don’t even contact these places. By providing the number for the organization, you’re doing your part. The rest isn’t really your problem.
 
batsenecal said:
"Make up" isn't really the phrase I would use. Vet experience is completely different from animal experience. I rode horses for 7 or 8 years, but that didn't really tell me the day in the life of an equine veterinarian.
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Sorry, I should have rephrased. I know they want a breadth of experience and I reached out to a few big animal veterinarians and had no luck with that, but I also didn't exactly enjoy working with them in class, and while I know being that type of veterinarian isn't the same as studying them in lab, I was hoping they would see on my application that I hadn't just not bothered being exposed to those types of animals at all. Sorry, I really am clueless about all this.
 
justwannabeavet said:
Sorry, I should have rephrased. I know they want a breadth of experience and I reached out to a few big animal veterinarians and had no luck with that, but I also didn't exactly enjoy working with them in class, and while I know being that type of veterinarian isn't the same as studying them in lab, I was hoping they would see on my application that I hadn't just not bothered being exposed to those types of animals at all. Sorry, I really am clueless about all this.
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You're good! This is why you ask questions. And if you were asked in an interview as to why all the animal experience without any of the congruent vet experience, you have a good answer as to why.
 
justwannabeavet said:
Sorry, I should have rephrased. I know they want a breadth of experience and I reached out to a few big animal veterinarians and had no luck with that, but I also didn't exactly enjoy working with them in class, and while I know being that type of veterinarian isn't the same as studying them in lab, I was hoping they would see on my application that I hadn't just not bothered being exposed to those types of animals at all. Sorry, I really am clueless about all this.
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I was exactly the same way in undergrad. I didn’t put much effort into finding large animal vet experience because I knew I didn’t want to go into that field, but I had research and animal experience with large animals/livestock. In my interviews and essay questions I talked about what I learned from that experience and why my heart was in small animal medicine. I also told my interviewers that I’m open to learning and I’m going to give my all to new experiences so that I don’t miss any hidden interests. E.g. LA, exotics, wildlife, etc. They seemed to like that answer and appreciate that I understood that there’s value in different experiences even if they’re not my favorite.
 
Has anyone found information for the supplemental applications (or if there even are any) for western, RVC, or St. George’s?
 
justwannabeavet said:
Has anyone found information for the supplemental applications (or if there even are any) for western, RVC, or St. George’s?
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Unless anything has changed, there wasn't a supplemental when I applied to St. George's last year. Not all schools have them, but you can always email admissions to double check!
 
Will VMCAS give us a reported GPA before we submit our application?
 
For the second personal statement question regarding what veterinarians contribute to society / how would you contribute, would it be a bad idea to discuss points of what veterinarians don't contribute and how I plan to contribute what veterinarians have been lacking? >:
 
Fragaria said:
For the second personal statement question regarding what veterinarians contribute to society / how would you contribute, would it be a bad idea to discuss points of what veterinarians don't contribute and how I plan to contribute what veterinarians have been lacking? >:
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What things are you thinking of that vets don’t contribute/are lacking?
 
SkiOtter said:
What things are you thinking of that vets don’t contribute/are lacking?
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I KNEW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO ASK D:

In my area, we have these health fairs and public health forums where people can come and ask questions regarding anything health-wise. There's all types of doctors there to help educate people, but one of the biggest and most common questions some people have is related to pets! I used to help coordinate some of these events, and I've always asked the local veterinarians if they'd like to come out but I've always been turned down. I think it's sad because this is a great opportunity to educate people! Most of the people that come tend to feel more trustworthy of the doctors that attend these public forums (we survey them after the event). I just think there should be more effort on public education, and with the rise in vaccine hesitancy (and people giving "pet advice" online) I think it's pertinent that veterinarians come to these types of things to educate the misinformed.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, I'm not saying that veterinarians don't educate in any shape or form, I just feel that there is a serious lack of public education regarding pet care that could be easily remedied!
 
Fragaria said:
I KNEW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO ASK D:

In my area, we have these health fairs and public health forums where people can come and ask questions regarding anything health-wise. There's all types of doctors there to help educate people, but one of the biggest and most common questions some people have is related to pets! I used to help coordinate some of these events, and I've always asked the local veterinarians if they'd like to come out but I've always been turned down. I think it's sad because this is a great opportunity to educate people! Most of the people that come tend to feel more trustworthy of the doctors that attend these public forums (we survey them after the event). I just think there should be more effort on public education, and with the rise in vaccine hesitancy (and people giving "pet advice" online) I think it's pertinent that veterinarians come to these types of things to educate the misinformed.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, I'm not saying that veterinarians don't educate in any shape or form, I just feel that there is a serious lack of public education regarding pet care that could be easily remedied!
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So.... veterinarians do those things every day and get paid for it. We talk about parasites, vaccines, zoonotic diseases, and improving health to people who are actually paying for our time and expertise. And some of those paying people don't even believe us about certain topics. I can see why veterinarians would turn down the chance to talk to people for free on their days off about stuff that people give us a hard time about on a daily basis. I think if you write an essay saying that veterinarians aren't contributing to public health education enough, you'll either get laughed at for naivety, or they'll assume you don't really know about the profession.

But I do think you could still make a good essay about it, if you leave out the part about veterinarians turning you down (since that sounds like a dig at the profession) and instead make it about your own passion for educating the public and about your interest in public health. Emphasize the positive, and how you see yourself contributing once you become a veterinarian.
 
genny said:
So.... veterinarians do those things every day and get paid for it. We talk about parasites, vaccines, zoonotic diseases, and improving health to people who are actually paying for our time and expertise. And some of those paying people don't even believe us about certain topics. I can see why veterinarians would turn down the chance to talk to people for free on their days off about stuff that people give us a hard time about on a daily basis. I think if you write an essay saying that veterinarians aren't contributing to public health education enough, you'll either get laughed at for naivety, or they'll assume you don't really know about the profession.

But I do think you could still make a good essay about it, if you leave out the part about veterinarians turning you down (since that sounds like a dig at the profession) and instead make it about your own passion for educating the public and about your interest in public health. Emphasize the positive, and how you see yourself contributing once you become a veterinarian.
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These events aren't free for the doctors that participate, they're compensated for their time! But I understand what you're saying. I'm not trying to say that they don't contribute at all, because I know they do. I wouldn't use that event as an example for my reasoning, I'm trying to word what I mean but having trouble getting to the actual point. D:

I guess what I feel isn't actually a negative point, because veterinarians ARE involved in public health education, but as a personal goal I would like to contribute to society by becoming more proactive at the local community level and possibly work my way up to a regional/national standpoint to better educate pet owners nationally. I think the negative points I've seen are really more geared at the actual pet owners for being irresponsible when there's a perfectly good tool in their local community eager to help and educate. :annoyed:

Does that make sense at all? I'm just having trouble getting my thoughts together without stressing over it @____@
 
Fragaria said:
These events aren't free for the doctors that participate, they're compensated for their time! But I understand what you're saying. I'm not trying to say that they don't contribute at all, because I know they do. I wouldn't use that event as an example for my reasoning, I'm trying to word what I mean but having trouble getting to the actual point. D:

I guess what I feel isn't actually a negative point, because veterinarians ARE involved in public health education, but as a personal goal I would like to contribute to society by becoming more proactive at the local community level and possibly work my way up to a regional/national standpoint to better educate pet owners nationally. I think the negative points I've seen are really more geared at the actual pet owners for being irresponsible when there's a perfectly good tool in their local community eager to help and educate. :annoyed:

Does that make sense at all? I'm just having trouble getting my thoughts together without stressing over it @____@
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Also keep in mind that in some communities, veterinarians do these events that you describe. Vets from multiple vet schools do short newscasts with local stations, vets from my hometown will go to health fairs, some of which are pet specific.

So I would recommend phrasing it like you would like to contribute like this in communities lacking these resources.
 
Fragaria said:
as a personal goal I would like to contribute to society by becoming more proactive at the local community level and possibly work my way up to a regional/national standpoint
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Yes, this is what you should put in your essay. And you can use your experience with the health fairs as an example of how you'd like to contribute. It's supposed to be about you and your amazing plans.
 
batsenecal said:
Also keep in mind that in some communities, veterinarians do these events that you describe. Vets from multiple vet schools do short newscasts with local stations, vets from my hometown will go to health fairs, some of which are pet specific.

So I would recommend phrasing it like you would like to contribute like this in communities lacking these resources.
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genny said:
Yes, this is what you should put in your essay. And you can use your experience with the health fairs as an example of how you'd like to contribute. It's supposed to be about you and your amazing plans.
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Thank you both so much for helping me! <3
 
DishonorOnUrCow said:
Does anyone know if the sample CSU supplemental is representative of the essay types that they normally ask? I found this: http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/dvm-sample-application.pdf
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When I attended the virtual vet school fair in June I asked the CSU rep what general questions they ask in their supplemental application. She said that the questions would be focused on why you want to go into vet med, why are you diverse, a third (that I can't remember im sorry :/), and that there would be a place to explain life challenges. With that said, it looks like the CSU supplemental you posted has questions similar to the topics the rep talked with us about at the virtual fair. I would assume the answer to your question is yes? But I can't be positive. I hope this helps a little bit 🙂
 
omgitsallyd said:
When I attended the virtual vet school fair in June I asked the CSU rep what general questions they ask in their supplemental application. She said that the questions would be focused on why you want to go into vet med, why are you diverse, a third (that I can't remember im sorry :/), and that there would be a place to explain life challenges. With that said, it looks like the CSU supplemental you posted has questions similar to the topics the rep talked with us about at the virtual fair. I would assume the answer to your question is yes? But I can't be positive. I hope this helps a little bit 🙂
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Thank you, that does help a bit 🙂 I also "attended" that fair but it was during work, so I would miss answers here and there. I really liked CSU's presentation, at least the parts that I listened to!
 
DishonorOnUrCow said:
Thank you, that does help a bit 🙂 I also "attended" that fair but it was during work, so I would miss answers here and there. I really liked CSU's presentation, at least the parts that I listened to!
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hahah "attended" lol but I completely agree! I thought their presentation was one of if not the best. I'm assuming you're applying to CSU this cycle? Best of luck to you if you are! 🙂
 
In the Transcript Entry area at the bottom it says "Some programs to which you are applying have prerequisites. Please enter coursework that fulfills these prerequisites." then it lists the schools I said I want to apply to and their pre reqs. Is there a place where I am supposed to go thru each schools pre-requisites and type in the exact class I took that fulfills the pre-req? Or do the schools go thru my transcript to determine this or what? I don't see a place in VMCAS to somehow tell the schools which courses I took fulfills which pre reqs.
 
Hp48g said:
In the Transcript Entry area at the bottom it says "Some programs to which you are applying have prerequisites. Please enter coursework that fulfills these prerequisites." then it lists the schools I said I want to apply to and their pre reqs. Is there a place where I am supposed to go thru each schools pre-requisites and type in the exact class I took that fulfills the pre-req? Or do the schools go thru my transcript to determine this or what? I don't see a place in VMCAS to somehow tell the schools which courses I took fulfills which pre reqs.
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The supplemental section has asked me to designate courses for some schools. If you add programs and go to "program materials," some supplementals are directly through VMCAS, like Oregon. I had to select classes that I believed to fulfill requirements. Other schools like WSU are a completely separate supplemental portal.
 
Hp48g said:
In the Transcript Entry area at the bottom it says "Some programs to which you are applying have prerequisites. Please enter coursework that fulfills these prerequisites." then it lists the schools I said I want to apply to and their pre reqs. Is there a place where I am supposed to go thru each schools pre-requisites and type in the exact class I took that fulfills the pre-req? Or do the schools go thru my transcript to determine this or what? I don't see a place in VMCAS to somehow tell the schools which courses I took fulfills which pre reqs.
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SkiOtter said:
Have you input all of your classes and finalized yet? I think it’s in the supplemental part on vmcas for each school, but you have to completely be done inputting classwork.
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Thanks DishonorOnUrCow
So when I goto a program and click on prerequisites it says "You have not added any coursework yet", which I have, but I haven't finalized any of my transcripts, I assume once I finalize then I can enter prerequisites?
 
Hp48g said:
Thanks DishonorOnUrCow
So when I goto a program and click on prerequisites it says "You have not added any coursework yet", which I have, but I haven't finalized any of my transcripts, I assume once I finalize then I can enter prerequisites?
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yes. you need to finalize.
 
Hp48g said:
Thanks DishonorOnUrCow
So when I goto a program and click on prerequisites it says "You have not added any coursework yet", which I have, but I haven't finalized any of my transcripts, I assume once I finalize then I can enter prerequisites?
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Yes, you have to finalize your transcripts before you can assign prerequisites.
 
Hp48g said:
Thanks DishonorOnUrCow
So when I goto a program and click on prerequisites it says "You have not added any coursework yet", which I have, but I haven't finalized any of my transcripts, I assume once I finalize then I can enter prerequisites?
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Yes, you probably have to finalize first. I did that step a while back so that's probably why I've been able to designate classes.
 
On the topic of prereqs-- has anyone heard whether or not schools care if you list/designate more than the required classes? For example, I designated both biochem courses when only one course is required. Does it just confuse the reviewer or could it potentially help?
 
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