VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2030

Veterinary School Application Advising Ad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Replacements will also vary based on what schools you apply to. Some schools will take the higher grade, some the most recent attempt (whether it’s higher or not), and some schools will average the two grades together. Schools should say on their sites what their policy is and if not, I would recommend emailing individual schools you're interested in to see what their policies are.
 
There is also an Excel file where you can calculate your VMCAS GPAs, but the application service will not do grade replacements. As mentioned, individual schools can make their own calculations where grade replacement is possible.
help.liaisonedu.com

Calculating Your VMCAS GPAs

help.liaisonedu.com help.liaisonedu.com
 
I'm planning the programs I'm applying to this cycle within my budget (I can only swing 4) and I'm getting pretty anxious bc of the current state of everything. I started to heavily consider applying to an international school but the logistics of getting my reactive 85lb rottweiler to another country sounds stressful and expensive af. On top of that, she's addisonian so I don't want her to undergo unnecessary stress. But god, the tuition is so much cheaper internationally and it seems more stable over there lol
Otherwise my other 3 options are my in-state (Davis), Washington, and Oregon. I'm trying to stay on the west coast since it's closer to home and only blue states so my 4th option is up in the air
Maybe Canada? But I hear it's extremely competitive for international students and the prerequisite requirements are unnecessarily confusing
 
futurefishdr said:
logistics of getting my reactive 85lb rottweiler to another country sounds stressful and expensive af.
Click to expand...
There’s also the unfortunate portion that some places have breed specific laws. Like in Ireland she would have to be leashed and muzzled at all times in public. Not sure what other countries have in terms of BSL towards rotties (I know a lot are more towards pitties vs rotties)
 
Is there any advantage in having your VMCAS application turned in before September 15th?
 
Koffeekat said:
Is there any advantage in having your VMCAS application turned in before September 15th?
Click to expand...
Unless your school has rolling admissions/interviews, or you need a cost waiver, no. I would not wait until the last second as they’ve had server overload issues in the past, but otherwise no.
 
_rae_ said:
Unless your school has rolling admissions/interviews, or you need a cost waiver, no. I would not wait until the last second as they’ve had server overload issues in the past, but otherwise no.
Click to expand...

A day or two beforehand would be okay?
 
Koffeekat said:
A day or two beforehand would be okay?
Click to expand...
I would say weeks before that. The first time I applied the payment system was down and I was unable to pay for 3 schools the night apps closed. It also takes a while for your application to be verified. In order for schools to review your app, it needs to be verified. If you have something wrong, VMCAS will bounce the application back to you. Don't risk the stress and just apply a minimum of 2 weeks early if you can.
 
vampyrica said:
I would say weeks before that. The first time I applied the payment system was down and I was unable to pay for 3 schools the night apps closed. It also takes a while for your application to be verified. In order for schools to review your app, it needs to be verified. If you have something wrong, VMCAS will bounce the application back to you. Don't risk the stress and just apply a minimum of 2 weeks early if you can.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks! I'm trying to wait it out a little bit, because I'm hoping to be accepted to LMU's spring semester (and to hear before the September 15th deadline for other apps). But I definitely prefer not to wait until the last minute for things for reasons like this.
 
vampyrica said:
I would say weeks before that. The first time I applied the payment system was down and I was unable to pay for 3 schools the night apps closed. It also takes a while for your application to be verified. In order for schools to review your app, it needs to be verified. If you have something wrong, VMCAS will bounce the application back to you. Don't risk the stress and just apply a minimum of 2 weeks early if you can.
Click to expand...
Agreed. With verification of transcripts, etc, I felt nervous even with submitting two weeks ahead of time, so I’d suggest applicants submit 2-3 weeks before the deadline to allow for correction of errors if need be.
 
SkiOtter said:
There’s also the unfortunate portion that some places have breed specific laws. Like in Ireland she would have to be leashed and muzzled at all times in public. Not sure what other countries have in terms of BSL towards rotties (I know a lot are more towards pitties vs rotties)
Click to expand...
Ugh yeah. They aren’t restricted in Scotland which is where University of Edinburgh is and I was considering but still, getting her over there would be a pain.
The other part is affordability bc I don’t want to put her in a flat with no yard and rent prices are insane across the world (looking at you London)
 
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
 
blacklabrador2025 said:
It seems wrong to leave it blank
Click to expand...
Leave it blank. If there is nothing glaring you need to use it for, do not use it. The VAST majority of applicants will not need that section and keep it blank. They don’t want to hear excuses for a poor grade or low hours. If there was a *reason* for a lower grade, like personal issues while taking that class, you use it for explaining that and telling adcoms how you learned from that and what you are doing differently to avoid that situation in the future and show that you have moved past that episode and that they don’t need to be concerned about a repeat of that in vet school.
 
blacklabrador2025 said:
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
Click to expand...
I left mine blank! And was accepted to many schools
 
blacklabrador2025 said:
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
Click to expand...

Don't overthink it! Don't give yourself extra work that won't help you.
 
SkiOtter said:
Leave it blank. If there is nothing glaring you need to use it for, do not use it. The VAST majority of applicants will not need that section and keep it blank. They don’t want to hear excuses for a poor grade or low hours. If there was a *reason* for a lower grade, like personal issues while taking that class, you use it for explaining that and telling adcoms how you learned from that and what you are doing differently to avoid that situation in the future and show that you have moved past that episode and that they don’t need to be concerned about a repeat of that in vet school.
Click to expand...
Just going to reiterate this.

I would internally question the judgment of an applicant if they used that section to try and excuse away something that was NOT a major life circumstance affecting their performance. I am not an adcom member, so my opinion does not matter (I have done interviews in previous years for my program, but never reviewed applications). But I would side-eye someone if they used the explanation statement for something trivial.
 
supershorty said:
Just going to reiterate this.

I would internally question the judgment of an applicant if they used that section to try and excuse away something that was NOT a major life circumstance affecting their performance. I am not an adcom member, so my opinion does not matter (I have done interviews in previous years for my program, but never reviewed applications). But I would side-eye someone if they used the explanation statement for something trivial.
Click to expand...
SkiOtter said:
Leave it blank. If there is nothing glaring you need to use it for, do not use it. The VAST majority of applicants will not need that section and keep it blank. They don’t want to hear excuses for a poor grade or low hours. If there was a *reason* for a lower grade, like personal issues while taking that class, you use it for explaining that and telling adcoms how you learned from that and what you are doing differently to avoid that situation in the future and show that you have moved past that episode and that they don’t need to be concerned about a repeat of that in vet school.
Click to expand...
Agreed here. I've seen more than a few people want to use the explanation statement for things along the lines of 'I had to work part time/full time while in school, so that's why I don't have a 4.0' or 'There were no vet clinics near campus that would take me, so that's why I don't have a lot of experience hours' or, my personal favorite 'I was rushing sororities that semester so didn't have much time for class/studying' lol (true story).

blacklabrador2025 said:
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
Click to expand...
It does feel weird to leave things blank but I appreciate that you are aware that you are fortunate enough to not have a strong reason to fill it out.
 
blacklabrador2025 said:
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
Click to expand...
Kind of devil's advocate here - I completely agree that you shouldn't use the explanation statement for something trivial. However, when I was applying to vet school, my advisor strongly recommended not leaving it blank. He said that the explanation statement was your opportunity to tell the admissions committees something about yourself that isn't listed anywhere else. So you don't have to feel limited to using it to explain why a grade wasn't the best or about a hardship you had - you could use it to explain something about yourself/why you pursued the experiences you did/why you'd be a good vet, etc. If you have an advisor/mentor, especially someone who is more familiar with your application, I would suggest potentially going to them and talking to them about what might be a good topic for your explanation statement.

I was in a similar place to you when I applied, and I wrote my explanation statement about how I used my time to purposefully explore different aspects of the veterinary field, what that taught me, and why that would make me a good vet.

(All of that being said, people do get into vet school without writing an explanation statement! I'm just passing on what I was told because I know that advise has helped multiple people get in 🙂
 
beans2020 said:
Kind of devil's advocate here - I completely agree that you shouldn't use the explanation statement for something trivial. However, when I was applying to vet school, my advisor strongly recommended not leaving it blank. He said that the explanation statement was your opportunity to tell the admissions committees something about yourself that isn't listed anywhere else. So you don't have to feel limited to using it to explain why a grade wasn't the best or about a hardship you had - you could use it to explain something about yourself/why you pursued the experiences you did/why you'd be a good vet, etc. If you have an advisor/mentor, especially someone who is more familiar with your application, I would suggest potentially going to them and talking to them about what might be a good topic for your explanation statement.

I was in a similar place to you when I applied, and I wrote my explanation statement about how I used my time to purposefully explore different aspects of the veterinary field, what that taught me, and why that would make me a good vet.

(All of that being said, people do get into vet school without writing an explanation statement! I'm just passing on what I was told because I know that advise has helped multiple people get in 🙂
Click to expand...
Similarly, I was advised by a school admissions officer to utilize the explanation statement for “anything that was not covered appropriately on my application.” She specifically referenced our conversation and how much out of school learning I’d done before choosing to go back to school, and how writing an explanation statement highlighting my unique learning style and drive, while acknowledging my high pending prerequisites (up to 5 at several schools), may help to really encourage reviewers to give me the benefit of the doubt.

I also had another admissions person tell me to use it but make sure that I kept it on topic so it didn’t feel like a second attempt at a personal statement. I do agree with this- it’s okay to not have any noticeable weakness in your application!

Following this, I worked hard to keep my explanation statement on point, but I did write one and I *think* it helped - but I also could just be thinking it was a nice placebo for my nerves. Just as likely, it could’ve had absolutely zero effect on any decisions, and I doubt it was the deciding factor for anything.

I do think explanation statements are not necessary for all, not everyone has something worth noting in this segment and that’s okay! But - if there’s a hole somewhere in your app that you can’t necessarily explain away anywhere else, imo it’s worth addressing AS LONG AS addressing it reflects on growth, your strengths, and how you turned bad into good.

From what I gleaned, a well-written, mature, accountability-focused explanation statement won’t hurt you- at most, someone might roll their eyes. But keep it short, sweet, focused, and action-oriented - what you learned, how you grew, etc.

Maybe I shouldn’t have, maybe it helped, maybe it hurt- who knows? I go back and forth. My advice would be, if an immediate topic doesn’t spring to mind, or if the topic will risk making you look like a less mature/capable applicant, avoid it.
 
Last edited:
Question as a non traditional student -- On my application last cycle I lumped my military career into one entry under Employment (not animal related). I know in resumes its typically recommended to divide your career up either by duty stations or by rank and I was wondering if I should break it similarly so I can better show growth and leadership experiences.

The only reason why I was thinking I shouldn't divide it up is that my career doesn't have any animal related experiences and as such wasn't as pertinent as something more animal adjacent would be. Now on my second application cycle I'm wondering if its worth pulling it apart and highlighting the duties and experiences that show critical thinking, interpersonal, instructional, and leadership challenges and skills.

I don't want to appear like I'm padding my application with information the committees aren't going to care about.

Thanks!
 
Horseshoes&Handgrenades said:
Question as a non traditional student -- On my application last cycle I lumped my military career into one entry under Employment (not animal related). I know in resumes its typically recommended to divide your career up either by duty stations or by rank and I was wondering if I should break it similarly so I can better show growth and leadership experiences.

The only reason why I was thinking I shouldn't divide it up is that my career doesn't have any animal related experiences and as such wasn't as pertinent as something more animal adjacent would be. Now on my second application cycle I'm wondering if its worth pulling it apart and highlighting the duties and experiences that show critical thinking, interpersonal, instructional, and leadership challenges and skills.

I don't want to appear like I'm padding my application with information the committees aren't going to care about.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
As a non-traditional applicant, I absolutely split jobs into their varying roles under research, employment, etc. I think it’s important to help show multifaceted roles, leadership, etc. just make sure the hours line up appropriately to the best of your ability, but I don’t think this is “padding” your application! You did it, make sure they know it!
 
Horseshoes&Handgrenades said:
The only reason why I was thinking I shouldn't divide it up is that my career doesn't have any animal related experiences and as such wasn't as pertinent as something more animal adjacent would be.
Click to expand...

Your military experience is more worthwhile than a lot of animal experiences out there. Adcoms are very aware that life experience can be much more worthwhile depending on what it is.

Absolutely divide it out to show your growth and contributions to your roles!
 
blacklabrador2025 said:
Hi everyone! This might be a silly thing to ask about, but what can I write about in my explanation statement? I feel like I've been pretty blessed in my upbringing and in my undergrad, and I don't think there are any substantial setbacks I could write about. It seems wrong to leave it blank, but writing about having a hard time finding large animal experience or struggling in organic chemistry seems predictable & unimportant compared to the hurdles than so many other applicants have overcome.
Click to expand...
I left it blank. Looking back maybe I should have utilized it (broke my neck in a car accident in undergrad)? But the advisor at my school said “not to make excuses” so I just didn’t. But if you have a significant, life altering event that affected your application definitely include it. But if you don’t have one I would leave blank.
 
Horseshoes&Handgrenades said:
Question as a non traditional student -- On my application last cycle I lumped my military career into one entry under Employment (not animal related). I know in resumes its typically recommended to divide your career up either by duty stations or by rank and I was wondering if I should break it similarly so I can better show growth and leadership experiences.

The only reason why I was thinking I shouldn't divide it up is that my career doesn't have any animal related experiences and as such wasn't as pertinent as something more animal adjacent would be. Now on my second application cycle I'm wondering if its worth pulling it apart and highlighting the duties and experiences that show critical thinking, interpersonal, instructional, and leadership challenges and skills.

I don't want to appear like I'm padding my application with information the committees aren't going to care about.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Army reservist here-

First off, congrats on applying! I would separate by rank if your responsibilities changed (ie e1 vs. e5 will look very different). Absolutely put the different roles and responsibilities you had, include examples of leadership (if you’re army, think NCOER/OER). I was a 12W in the army and switched over to ROTC after, and absolutely separated those. Military careers are often times diverse in their roles, and it’s hard to quantify that in one small blurb
 
Has anyone tried sending transcripts from Parchment to VMCAS only to see a box that says "
Please enter SCHOOL'S UNIQUE TRANSCRIPT barcode ID"?

What does this mean????
 
Koffeekat said:
Has anyone tried sending transcripts from Parchment to VMCAS only to see a box that says "
Please enter SCHOOL'S UNIQUE TRANSCRIPT barcode ID"?

What does this mean????
Click to expand...
On VMCAS go to the colleges attended section and select order transcript under the school you need. Select Parchment and it will give you a unique ID to copy/paste!
 
rant— honestly one of the big things holding me back from wanting to apply for the third time is asking for LORs. i know a lot of this is just my own anxiety making a mental block for me but it’s hard for me to imagine asking a professor for a letter for a second time when we don’t keep in contact and it has been nearly two years since her class. and similarly, i can ask a veterinarian who i haven’t worked for in over a year for a THIRD letter and it just feels so defeating to do that. the alternative is who i currently work for but i truly don’t feel confident that they would write me a strong letter. it would be one thing if i just submitted on my own but involving other people, especially people who i admire, for the third time is just daunting to me.
 
If I have a ton of service hours (~500 hours) from high school with a specific organization, I should put that down, right? Even though I parted on iffy-to-bad terms with the new management that came in shortly before I left? And would it be weird/a red flag to mark them as no contact? The new management has very little experience with me, and my last time volunteering with them was in 2021.
 
TBD-ToBeDVM said:
If I have a ton of service hours (~500 hours) from high school with a specific organization, I should put that down, right? Even though I parted on iffy-to-bad terms with the new management that came in shortly before I left? And would it be weird/a red flag to mark them as no contact? The new management has very little experience with me, and my last time volunteering with them was in 2021.
Click to expand...
You should definitely include it in your experiences!! As for the no contact, I am not 100% sure how that would look. Maybe there’s a way you could explain the situation somewhere in the application?
 
It’s exceedingly unlikely they’ll bother to contact someone from a non veterinary related volunteer position you held in high school. Just put it on the list and move on. Click no contact if you want to but I think you’re worrying about something insignificant.
 
TBD-ToBeDVM said:
If I have a ton of service hours (~500 hours) from high school with a specific organization, I should put that down, right? Even though I parted on iffy-to-bad terms with the new management that came in shortly before I left? And would it be weird/a red flag to mark them as no contact? The new management has very little experience with me, and my last time volunteering with them was in 2021.
Click to expand...
Just a question if you can possibly reference contacting the previous management who you did work for and had a good working relationship with. Just a thought. Good luck to you.
 
TBD-ToBeDVM said:
And would it be weird/a red flag to mark them as no contact? The new management has very little experience with me, and my last time volunteering with them was in 2021.
Click to expand...
I had 2-3 experience that I had marked as no-contact on my application. I put them down as no contact because the manager I had put down no longer works there and the current management at that facility did not meet me before I left, therefore they would not be able to vouch for me. It is okay to mark something down as no contact because there is a variety of reasons to do so.
 
vampyrica said:
I had 2-3 experience that I had marked as no-contact on my application. I put them down as no contact because the manager I had put down no longer works there and the current management at that facility did not meet me before I left, therefore they would not be able to vouch for me. It is okay to mark something down as no contact because there is a variety of reasons to do so.
Click to expand...
Agreed - I chose no contact for a positive, recent experience that I knew the rescue owner was dealing with some health issues and didn’t want to bother her. I honestly had a bunch of experiences that weren’t contactable, but that was merely because I’m 33 and had a lot of stuff where I couldn’t even tell you contact info to begin with. I made sure my most integral experiences had contacts, and aside from that didn’t really worry about it.
 
Hey y'all! I have worked on my family farm every summer since childhood (with pay), this farm is purely crop based and I have only cared for a handful of farm animals here over the years. How would I list this on VMCAS? I am trying to determine whether this is employment or not since it is my family?
 
addminus422 said:
Hey y'all! I have worked on my family farm every summer since childhood (with pay), this farm is purely crop based and I have only cared for a handful of farm animals here over the years. How would I list this on VMCAS? I am trying to determine whether this is employment or not since it is my family?
Click to expand...
You were paid. It would definitely count as employment 🙂
 
addminus422 said:
Hey y'all! I have worked on my family farm every summer since childhood (with pay), this farm is purely crop based and I have only cared for a handful of farm animals here over the years. How would I list this on VMCAS? I am trying to determine whether this is employment or not since it is my family?
Click to expand...

I worked in family pet stores starting at 10yrs old. Definitely put it under employment. You can even be snazzy and split it between hours worked with crops and hours worked with critters.
 
Hey guys! Thanks for the help on my last post🙂 Another question, how important do you think order of LoRs are? I am debating on putting another vet vs. my Organic Chemistry 2 professor as my third and the other will be my fourth.
 
addminus422 said:
Hey guys! Thanks for the help on my last post🙂 Another question, how important do you think order of LoRs are? I am debating on putting another vet vs. my Organic Chemistry 2 professor as my third and the other will be my fourth.
Click to expand...
The order makes no difference.
 
Anyone know why Utah isn’t on VMCAS yet bc I thought they were supposed to be. Jk I just emailed them they said they’re working on it
 
Last edited:
addminus422 said:
Hey guys! Thanks for the help on my last post🙂 Another question, how important do you think order of LoRs are? I am debating on putting another vet vs. my Organic Chemistry 2 professor as my third and the other will be my fourth.
Click to expand...

Between two applicants that are equitable, a good letter will tip one to an acceptance over the other.
 
purrlywhites said:
Anyone know why Utah isn’t on VMCAS yet bc I thought they were supposed to be. Jk I just emailed them they said they’re working on it
Click to expand...
It is confusing. Might be worth a call to the school and find out if it is a school you are interested in. Good luck to you.
 
Does it matter what classes you select to fulfill general prerequisites? For example, if a school requires a social science course, does selecting your medical ethics class to fulfill that requirement look better than selecting sociology 101?
 
Koffeekat said:
Does it matter what classes you select to fulfill general prerequisites? For example, if a school requires a social science course, does selecting your medical ethics class to fulfill that requirement look better than selecting sociology 101?
Click to expand...

Of the courses that satisfy the requirement, you pick the one with the highest grade and the highest difficulty. So if classes 201 and 401 both satisfy the prerequisite and 401 is an A, you pick 401. However, if 401 is a C and 201 is an A, you pick 201.
 
Koffeekat said:
Does it matter what classes you select to fulfill general prerequisites? For example, if a school requires a social science course, does selecting your medical ethics class to fulfill that requirement look better than selecting sociology 101?
Click to expand...
I picked the gen eds I had the best grades in or I thought best aligned with my application. My undergrad degree was in music so for my arts course I picked gender, sexuality, and music pre-1800, because I thought it best represented my interest in humanities and diversity. (Also agree with Battie who posted while I was typing, this was a 300 level course I had a 3.7 in, versus the 100 level I had a 3.3 in)
 
battie said:
Of the courses that satisfy the requirement, you pick the one with the highest grade and the highest difficulty. So if classes 201 and 401 both satisfy the prerequisite and 401 is an A, you pick 401. However, if 401 is a C and 201 is an A, you pick 201.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks! Then what if they just require 3 hours of O Chem, but I took O Chem I and II and had a better grade in II? Can I select O Chem II to fulfill the requirement?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2029
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
544
Views
57K
amm1
A
addie.ed
DVM-PhD c/o 2030 Applicants
Replies
3
Views
369
addie.ed
addie.ed
Mr.Smile12
VMCAS 2026 opens! Webinars!
Replies
1
Views
646
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
L
Reapplicant advice (c/o 2030 hopefuls)
Replies
1
Views
314
juggling-zebra0831
J
supershorty
OVC 2025-2026 (c/o 2030 hopefuls)
Replies
0
Views
974
supershorty
supershorty
Top