VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2025

[EB73674]

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Is anyone reapplying for the second time? Are you reusing some of your same answers from the last application or have you changed them entirely?

Me! Currently planning to reuse portions or main ideas, but editing things based on specific feedback I received. My essays seem to have generally been well-received, but my file reviews suggested honing in on more specific ideas and experiences, rather than writing shorter bits about more things. I also may update a few of my shorter essays with different experiences, such as changing the topics of my “discuss a time you (blank)” to be more recent. I have a few that I felt I wrote well and are still very applicable, so some I may just clean up or reword.

(But I’m also applying to literally twice the number of schools this time, so still PLENTY of writing to do!)

 

[battie]

(But I’m also applying to literally twice the number of schools this time, so still PLENTY of writing to do!)

I will say that you definitely can work smarter not harder! If two schools have very similar prompts, use the same essay between the two and tailor it so that it reflects each school. No sense in spending so much time that you don't really need to.

(Not that you won't do this. But I've seen applicants terrified that if they use an essay for two schools, they'll somehow find out and think the applicant is lazy. Not the case!)

 

[EB73674]

I will say that you definitely can work smarter not harder! If two schools have very similar prompts, use the same essay between the two and tailor it so that it reflects each school. No sense in spending so much time that you don't really need to.

(Not that you won't do this. But I've seen applicants terrified that if they use an essay for two schools, they'll somehow find out and think the applicant is lazy. Not the case!)

Oh definitely, I did that quite a bit last year too, no reason to spend a crazy amount of time on multiple essays that have the same prompt! I would have utterly lost my mind otherwise. Thanks for the reminder, I do tend to get a little overambitious with these things so the thinking isn’t wrong lol 😀

 

[Anirose24]

For like Oregon state which requires a letter from an employer, does anyone know if a tech supervisor (as opposed to the manager/owner) counts as an employer?

 

[SkiOtter]

For like Oregon state which requires a letter from an employer, does anyone know if a tech supervisor (as opposed to the manager/owner) counts as an employer?

Definitely contact the school themselves and ask if it would count.

 

[myrovna]

Hi all, sorry if this question is an obvious one. In the letters of rec section, it says first and last name but no spot for title. For the DVMs, should I put first name "Dr. John" and last name "Doe, DVM", or should it just be first name "john" last name "doe"?

I just put their first and last name and it was fine.


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[Sbattoch]

For like Oregon state which requires a letter from an employer, does anyone know if a tech supervisor (as opposed to the manager/owner) counts as an employer?

Where have you seen that Oregon state requires a letter from an employer? I don’t see that is stated on their website.

 

[Anirose24]

Where have you seen that Oregon state requires a letter from an employer? I don’t see that is stated on their website.

I swear I saw that somewhere but looked into it again after I asked and saw that they don't! So I don't know where I got that from lol.

 

[alleycat03]

I'm applying this year, but I have one more year left of undergrad to finish out my pre-reqs. This fall, I'm currently enrolled 10 credit hours. I don't mind it at all, but I was wondering if I should take anatomy/pysiology (most likely human) as well. The college I'm hoping to attend doesn't require it and I don't need the credits, but I was wondering if anyone else took those classes and found them useful for vet school or not. Thanks!

Since your name is ksbarrelracer, are you from/currently in Kansas? I only ask because I know many of the vet students at K-State (that I've talked to from tours and panels) have highly recommended taking an anatomy class before attending vet school. K-State has one through the animal science department (ASI 533 with Dr. Rozell) that many of the students recommended. Even though it is not required for my biology degree, I plan on taking it in the spring to get an animal science minor and to become at least a little bit familiar with animal anatomy before veterinary school. Obviously if it is going to be extremely expensive to you, do not do it, but it was something that almost every student recommended when we asked for advice during different vet student panels.

 

[Sami_21]

Random question: does anyone know if I need to re-send my transcripts if I am re-applying this cycle?

 

[SkiOtter]

Random question: does anyone know if I need to re-send my transcripts if I am re-applying this cycle?

If they haven’t changed you don’t need to resend them. If you took classes since you submitted, you need to resubmit. Even if you took fall classes that you put on last years app, that transcript wasn’t sent to vmcas, it was sent to individual schools.
If you click the “check status” tab, it’ll show the transcripts that they have and the date they received them.

 

[Sami_21]

If they haven’t changed you don’t need to resend them. If you took classes since you submitted, you need to resubmit. Even if you took fall classes that you put on last years app, that transcript wasn’t sent to vmcas, it was sent to individual schools.
If you click the “check status” tab, it’ll show the transcripts that they have and the date they received them.

Thank you!

 

[rebster101]

Do you automatically get removed from the waitlist when you start reapplication?

 

[BigCats]

I hope everyone's doing well and chugging along! Writing all of these essays feels like pulling teeth for me- will definitely be hitting up the essay reviewers later on! How have y'all been holding up lately?

 

[SkiOtter]

Do you automatically get removed from the waitlist when you start reapplication?

Not unless you tell the school you want to be taken off the waitlist. Schools expect that you’ll be reapplying if you didn’t get an acceptance the cycle before so they wouldn’t remove someone just because they’re planning to apply again.

 

[Ladyfish]

I hope everyone's doing well and chugging along! Writing all of these essays feels like pulling teeth for me- will definitely be hitting up the essay reviewers later on! How have y'all been holding up lately?

I hope you're doing well too! I've got most of my application done, except the essays. Many have been written, but a lot of editing and such to make sure I'm happy with them. I have 3 classes left to finish which makes me anxious since I want to do well on them! But I'm also working full time as an LVT so quite busy but still happy! .... Sometimes I worry I don't have enough on my Achievements section. Not sure what kind of things to put there. 😵

 

[BigCats]

I hope you're doing well too! I've got most of my application done, except the essays. Many have been written, but a lot of editing and such to make sure I'm happy with them. I have 3 classes left to finish which makes me anxious since I want to do well on them! But I'm also working full time as an LVT so quite busy but still happy! .... Sometimes I worry I don't have enough on my Achievements section. Not sure what kind of things to put there. 😵

That’s great you’re keeping busy!! My internship this summer sadly got canceled and I’ve been staying away from volunteering too, so I’ve been horribly bored with nothing to do but try to work on my app. I definitely dug through my high school history for achievements- I feel like it’s so much harder to get anything considered an “achievement” in college haha.

 

[biomajor2019]

I haven’t seen anything, yet, but do any of you know if interviews are going to be online vs in person this year? I’m assuming online, but I want to have extra money to the side just in case.
My friend is applying to medical school and quite a few schools already announced interviews are to be online, this year.


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[SkiOtter]

I haven’t seen anything, yet, but do any of you know if interviews are going to be online vs in person this year? I’m assuming online, but I want to have extra money to the side just in case.
My friend is applying to medical school and quite a few schools already announced interviews are to be online, this year.


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Definitely keep the extra money aside just in case. If they are all online, you have some extra money on hand for either moving expenses/renting an apartment or reapplication, if needed.

 

[Dana_May_B]

I haven’t seen anything, yet, but do any of you know if interviews are going to be online vs in person this year? I’m assuming online, but I want to have extra money to the side just in case.
My friend is applying to medical school and quite a few schools already announced interviews are to be online, this year.


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Tufts has announced that they will be conducting interviews online, but thats the only school I've heard anything from about this.

 

[Dana_May_B]

Tufts has announced that they will be conducting interviews online, but thats the only school I've heard anything from about this.

And of course just as I say that, Virginia-Maryland legitimately just sent me an email saying all of their in person interviews are cancelled. I'm trying to see if this means they will hold online interviews, but I don't believe they will based on the wording of the email.

 

[biomajor2019]

And of course just as I say that, Virginia-Maryland legitimately just sent me an email saying all of their in person interviews are cancelled. I'm trying to see if this means they will hold online interviews, but I don't believe they will based on the wording of the email.

I just got that email, too. I wonder what that wording means. I went to their website, and based on this link:

Home

www.vetmed.vt.edu

it seems they are canceling interviews, altogether. I don't want to assume, though!

 

[battie]

I just got that email, too. I wonder what that wording means. I went to their website, and based on this link:

Home

www.vetmed.vt.edu

it seems they are canceling interviews, altogether. I don't want to assume, though!

I read this more as only that in-person interviews are currently cancelled since in-person interviews are mentioned specifically. I would plan of having zoom/skype interviews at this point until they say *all* interviews are cancelled.

 

[SkiOtter]

I read this more as only that in-person interviews are currently cancelled since in-person interviews are mentioned specifically. I would plan of having zoom/skype interviews at this point until they say *all* interviews are cancelled.

Agreed. There are many ways for them to still make interviews happen even if they’re not in person. Interviews are a pretty important part of admissions decisions for a good number of schools so I can’t see them completely cancelling them.

 

[biomajor2019]

Agreed. There are many ways for them to still make interviews happen even if they’re not in person. Interviews are a pretty important part of admissions decisions for a good number of schools so I can’t see them completely cancelling them.

I'm glad you and batsenecal read it that way! I had a feeling I was interpreting wrong. I couldn't imagine them just not doing interviews, altogether, this year.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I read this more as only that in-person interviews are currently cancelled since in-person interviews are mentioned specifically. I would plan of having zoom/skype interviews at this point until they say *all* interviews are cancelled.

This is also how I read it. I’d be surprised if they didn’t do interviews in some form.

 

[Dana_May_B]

I've seen a couple people on facebook say they emailed the VMCVM admissions and turns out, interviews are legitimately cancelled. CASPer will be used in final admissions decision instead of the interview.

 

[EngrSC]

I've seen a couple people on facebook say they emailed the VMCVM admissions and turns out, interviews are legitimately cancelled. CASPer will be used in final admissions decision instead of the interview.

This makes me sad for y’all. After interview weekend I knew VMCVM was the best fit school for me ... not sure I would’ve felt that way otherwise.

 

[biomajor2019]

I've seen a couple people on facebook say they emailed the VMCVM admissions and turns out, interviews are legitimately cancelled. CASPer will be used in final admissions decision instead of the interview.

I saw this as well, and the admissions coordinator, Shelby, commented on the post and stated they will not be doing interviews of any kind, this year, and they will instead have the CASPer test scores take the interview’s place. I’m sad, but I understand safety precautions, for sure!


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[Sami_21]

I'm also trying to decipher how to interpret my animal experience hours. I've had pets all my life and did horseback riding lessons for a few years. How could I best represent these experiences into actual hours? Also, I've been raising a kitten since it was about a week old. Should I include this too? If so, should it be under kitten rearing or nursing?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I'm also trying to decipher how to interpret my animal experience hours. I've had pets all my life and did horseback riding lessons for a few years. How could I best represent these experiences into actual hours? Also, I've been raising a kitten since it was about a week old. Should I include this too? If so, should it be under kitten rearing or nursing?

personally, I didn’t include pet ownership...most people applying to vet school have pets.

 

[battie]

I'm also trying to decipher how to interpret my animal experience hours. I've had pets all my life and did horseback riding lessons for a few years. How could I best represent these experiences into actual hours? Also, I've been raising a kitten since it was about a week old. Should I include this too? If so, should it be under kitten rearing or nursing?

I agree that standard pet ownership is something that doesn't really need to be on the application. I don't personally really see it as being helpful or harmful to put on there, but if you do, be extremely conservative with whatever number you put. In the past, people have said admissions departments request a limit of 100 hours. The only exceptions I can think of are people who do 4H, FFA, are in a family where they work with animals for a living (ranching, breeding, showing, sale, etc).

For my riding lessons, I put solely the hours I was actually working with or caring for horses. Training for a show? I put those hours down. Leisurely riding for funsies? Nah, I didn't put that down (cause it's no different than playing fetch with my dog).

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I agree that standard pet ownership is something that doesn't really need to be on the application. I don't personally really see it as being helpful or harmful to put on there, but if you do, be extremely conservative with whatever number you put. In the past, people have said admissions departments request a limit of 100 hours. The only exceptions I can think of are people who do 4H, FFA, are in a family where they work with animals for a living (ranching, breeding, showing, sale, etc).

For my riding lessons, I put solely the hours I was actually working with or caring for horses. Training for a show? I put those hours down. Leisurely riding for funsies? Nah, I didn't put that down (cause it's no different than playing fetch with my dog).

Similarly, I was a hardcore horse girl in a previously life...I didn’t include riding stuff as much as hours spent working/caring for horses in various jobs I had.

 

[SkiOtter]

I'm also trying to decipher how to interpret my animal experience hours. I've had pets all my life and did horseback riding lessons for a few years. How could I best represent these experiences into actual hours? Also, I've been raising a kitten since it was about a week old. Should I include this too? If so, should it be under kitten rearing or nursing?

I included some pet ownership on my app but I put very low hours and included it because some dogs needed a lot of special stuff at different points in life (broken leg with PROM exercises, meds 5x daily, etc). I also put horseback riding lessons because some of the horses I rode required some special stuff too. Or I’d be caring for multiple horses for 14 hours at an IHSA show. I’d definitely put the kitten down as a separate experience though since that does require extra work. I can’t remember which school has said they want pet ownership on there, but I remember there was one in past years that did.
If you’re going to put general ownership, lowball the hours and start it from the time you played a big role in their care (like, playing with the dog at age 6 doesn’t count, but feeding the dog and taking them for walks at 10).

 

[Sami_21]

Great! Thank you guys for all the input. Ya'll had some good suggestions. I really appreciate it!

 

[Viscernable]

Canadian schools (at least Atlantic Canadian) don’t have 4-hour courses; all our courses, with it without lab, are 3 hours per semester. Has anyone had trouble with schools accepting these (3 hour with lab) as fulfilling 4 hour prerequisites?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Canadian schools (at least Atlantic Canadian) don’t have 4-hour courses; all our courses, with it without lab, are 3 hours per semester. Has anyone had trouble with schools accepting these (3 hour with lab) as fulfilling 4 hour prerequisites?

As long as you have the lab, I think it matters less about the actual credit numbers.

 

[SkiOtter]

Canadian schools (at least Atlantic Canadian) don’t have 4-hour courses; all our courses, with it without lab, are 3 hours per semester. Has anyone had trouble with schools accepting these (3 hour with lab) as fulfilling 4 hour prerequisites?

If you have any concerns, definitely reach out to the individual schools and get in writing that it’s acceptable. Like 3m said, it likely won’t matter much about the actual number of credit hours. It’s definitely always best to confirm with the school though, just so they’re aware of the discrepancy when they go to look at apps 🙂

 

[biomajor2019]

For those of you who have applied to University of Florida, how did you respond to this essay question? Did you focus on one or two activities you enjoy and why, or did you discuss 4-5 activities and just briefly explain why you enjoy each one? I don't know why I'm struggling with this one! lol!

Please describe to the Admissions Committee any non-extracurricular activities, hobbies or other skills NOT INCLUDED in the VMCAS experiences section. Examples include: arts/music, outdoor or exercise activities, travel or leisure pursuits that you participate in to alleviate stress, promote self-wellness, and personal development.

 

[BigCats]

For those of you who have applied to University of Florida, how did you respond to this essay question? Did you focus on one or two activities you enjoy and why, or did you discuss 4-5 activities and just briefly explain why you enjoy each one? I don't know why I'm struggling with this one! lol!

Please describe to the Admissions Committee any non-extracurricular activities, hobbies or other skills NOT INCLUDED in the VMCAS experiences section. Examples include: arts/music, outdoor or exercise activities, travel or leisure pursuits that you participate in to alleviate stress, promote self-wellness, and personal development.

I’m doing mine on a couple broad categories (ex. nature, exercise) with a few specific examples for each and explaining what I get out of those activities. I took a vet careers course this spring taught by the UF pre-vet advisor where one of the assignments was to choose three wellness activities to start incorporating into your life and then say which one you liked the best and why, so I don’t think you can go wrong with however you want to format it!

 

[EB73674]

Rando question for anyone that has any thoughts (and this may not be the right thread for this) - do we think there's any DOWNSIDE to getting my CVT certification before vet school? I am able to qualify to take the VTNE this fall via on-the-job training for over 2 years, and getting my CVT would 1) allow me to be more useful in my hospital, 2) get a pay raise to be able to possibly start saving or even paying off undergrad loans before starting vet school, and 3) actually allow me to see my own vaccine appointments and do client consultations. The preparation course is covered by my clinic, and I've been saving a little at a time to actually pay for the VTNE test itself. I'm not certain I'll be finished by the time applications are due to be able to list it as a certification, but it could certainly be a talking point for interviews.

My question - I would be spending minimal money on this venture, and it would increase my earning potential this year and allow me to serve my hospital better. Is there any downside to adding this to my app? My only concern would be that it might appear I'm splitting my focus without proper explanation.

 

[Okapi]

Rando question for anyone that has any thoughts (and this may not be the right thread for this) - do we think there's any DOWNSIDE to getting my CVT certification before vet school? I am able to qualify to take the VTNE this fall via on-the-job training for over 2 years, and getting my CVT would 1) allow me to be more useful in my hospital, 2) get a pay raise to be able to possibly start saving or even paying off undergrad loans before starting vet school, and 3) actually allow me to see my own vaccine appointments and do client consultations. The preparation course is covered by my clinic, and I've been saving a little at a time to actually pay for the VTNE test itself. I'm not certain I'll be finished by the time applications are due to be able to list it as a certification, but it could certainly be a talking point for interviews.

My question - I would be spending minimal money on this venture, and it would increase my earning potential this year and allow me to serve my hospital better. Is there any downside to adding this to my app? My only concern would be that it might appear I'm splitting my focus without proper explanation.

I don't see how there could be any downside to this imo. I mean, just the pay increase alone makes it seem worth it if it's really not costing you much to take the test, and I would think actually doing client consults would be invaluable experience. I can't guarantee it will help your application, but I can't see how it could possibly hurt.

I think the typical advice of "don't go to tech school in order to get into vet school" is because it doesn't necessarily help you get in and is therefore a waste of individual time and money, not that vet schools look down on applicants who are CVTs. Since you already have the training, seems like a fine idea.

 

[SkiOtter]

Rando question for anyone that has any thoughts (and this may not be the right thread for this) - do we think there's any DOWNSIDE to getting my CVT certification before vet school? I am able to qualify to take the VTNE this fall via on-the-job training for over 2 years, and getting my CVT would 1) allow me to be more useful in my hospital, 2) get a pay raise to be able to possibly start saving or even paying off undergrad loans before starting vet school, and 3) actually allow me to see my own vaccine appointments and do client consultations. The preparation course is covered by my clinic, and I've been saving a little at a time to actually pay for the VTNE test itself. I'm not certain I'll be finished by the time applications are due to be able to list it as a certification, but it could certainly be a talking point for interviews.

My question - I would be spending minimal money on this venture, and it would increase my earning potential this year and allow me to serve my hospital better. Is there any downside to adding this to my app? My only concern would be that it might appear I'm splitting my focus without proper explanation.

The only reason we generally don’t recommend it on here is because people would spend a good deal of money to get this certification because they think they should go to tech school and spend a bunch of money to get experience that way, which doesn’t make sense to spend. If you can get it for minimal money because your job will pay for the course, go for it. Get that extra pay!

 

[EB73674]

The only reason we generally don’t recommend it on here is because people would spend a good deal of money to get this certification because they think they should go to tech school and spend a bunch of money to get experience that way, which doesn’t make sense to spend. If you can get it for minimal money because your job will pay for the course, go for it. Get that extra pay!

Awesome, thanks so much Ski & Okapi! I figure that was the answer, but I hadn’t seen anyone in my particular situation, so wasn’t sure! Getting all my ducks in a row to send in tomorrow for the test eligibility!

 

[genny]

For those of you who have applied to University of Florida, how did you respond to this essay question? Did you focus on one or two activities you enjoy and why, or did you discuss 4-5 activities and just briefly explain why you enjoy each one? I don't know why I'm struggling with this one! lol!

Please describe to the Admissions Committee any non-extracurricular activities, hobbies or other skills NOT INCLUDED in the VMCAS experiences section. Examples include: arts/music, outdoor or exercise activities, travel or leisure pursuits that you participate in to alleviate stress, promote self-wellness, and personal development.

Step 1: figure out why they're asking the question. Vet med has a suicide problem, so they're asking about self-care to make sure that you're doing it already. Or that you have interests outside vet med, since it's important to be able to step away from the job.
Step 2: address the reason they're asking the question in your answer. They specifically mention stress and self-wellness. ISU had something similar when I applied, and I wrote about roller derby and baking. The character limit kind of determined how many things I could discuss and still address their point. I find it helpful to just jot down all the ideas first, then turn them into coherent sentences and paragraphs, then have someone else help pick the ones that sound best.

 

[raegan117]

I have question about the second VMCAS essay (In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?). I initially thought that admissions would want to hear more about what I hope to contribute and why since it might give more insight into who I am, but after reading around on the internet, I'm not quite sure anymore. Should I focus more on discussing all the ways that vets contribute to society or more on how I hope to contribute? Or should I address both equally? I appreciate your help!

 

[battie]

I initially thought that admissions would want to hear more about what I hope to contribute and why since it might give more insight into who I am, but after reading around on the internet, I'm not quite sure anymore. Should I focus more on discussing all the ways that vets contribute to society or more on how I hope to contribute?

Dont answer how you *think* admissions would want you to. Answer the question in a way that is unique to your story.

To that end, you dont have enough characters to describe *all* that vets contribute to society. So pick what you think is important to answer the question. It's open ended for a reason so that you can have a lot of creative licence.

 

[EngrSC]

I have question about the second VMCAS essay (In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?). I initially thought that admissions would want to hear more about what I hope to contribute and why since it might give more insight into who I am, but after reading around on the internet, I'm not quite sure anymore. Should I focus more on discussing all the ways that vets contribute to society or more on how I hope to contribute? Or should I address both equally? I appreciate your help!

I focused on what I personally hoped to contribute. I also worked with a vet that is on a vet school’s admissions committee and she told me One Health is the cookie cutter answer right now and not to fall into that trap 🙂

 

[hachamor_persists]

@EngrSC that's a bummer about OneHealth. My experience and goals are in line with OneHealth and I've introduced many non-veterinary, biomedical folks to OneHealth (read: "talked at many disinterested...folks about OneHealth" 😳). Is just throwing out the buzzword without back-up the main issue, or should I likely focus on another contribution entirely? (I was debating between a few different directions for that essay)

 

[WildZoo]

@EngrSC that's a bummer about OneHealth. My experience and goals are in line with OneHealth and I've introduced many non-veterinary, biomedical folks to OneHealth (read: "talked at many disinterested...folks about OneHealth" 😳). Is just throwing out the buzzword without back-up the main issue, or should I likely focus on another contribution entirely? (I was debating between a few different directions for that essay)

It's putting it out there without backup. If you have the experiences and knowledge to really talk about it in a deep way then it's fine. It's the essays that speak vaguely about it without touching on specific, personal involvement that are going to get an eyebrow raise (and that goes really for anything in these essays).