supershorty
Don't look so vexed, toots.
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VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2031
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hopefulexoticsdvm
Full Member
In addition to my Bachelor's degree I'm working towards the veterinary technician degree through Penn Foster. These courses are completely self paced, so how should I enter those into VMCAS? Should I put it as an interim course or list them under the approximate term I completed them in?
supershorty
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FYI: 2026-2027 school-specific threads will be going live en masse on 4/15 when the current cycle closes!
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apoptosis09
She/her • tOSU CVM c/o 2029
You should report them as in-progress if you haven't completed them yet, under the semester you expect to complete them. The completed ones should go under the semester they were completed if different from the semester they were started.
hopefulexoticsdvm
Full Member
Thank you!
Damn how has it already been a year since last years application cycle 😱
Bruh I'm about to be a third year it's crazy. I remember posting in these threads in 2020, 2022, and 2023. Insane.
yellowtrout
Full Member
For physics labs, my school (Univ. Washington) only does CR/NC grading. Is this acceptable for these schools? UF, WSU, UGA, Davis.
I've emailed admissions but I know they're swamped. So any insight is appreciated. Thank you!
I've emailed admissions but I know they're swamped. So any insight is appreciated. Thank you!
When writing experiences, should I write it as a resume where I highlight and list important technical skills performed/learned OR should I write sentences that capture concepts learned/what impacted me?
Doesn’t matter, just be consistent with whatever format you choose.
Gabs_22
Illinois c/o 2030
I did a little bit of both honestly. 1-2 sentences about skills and then 1-2 sentences about impact and soft skills.
cardamom23
Full Member
I would check with UW's Pre-Health advising department. They would know. I have known UW grads who go onto WSU CVM and beyond, so their Physics courses are sure to work.
TBD-ToBeDVM
Full Member
What do we think about the new personal statement prompt? I've seen some people posting about it on apvma. I'm still waitlisted for this cycle but mentally preparing for a reapplication over here.
I essentially wrote my personal statement this cycle answering this new prompt, and I think it makes for a much stronger essay! I think this prompt is probably what they've wanted all along.
Hi future DVMs! I am a proud Dad to a class of 2029 UFCVM student. Thru his process, I learned so much and offered my help to class of 2030 applicants to review all essays and offer any advice I was able to provide. I am not a Vet. But I am really good at cold reading an essay and telling you how it comes across to a cold reader. Since I found this experience very rewarding, I will offer this same thing to class of 2031 applicants. DM me and I can provide my email on where to send your essays. Thanks and good luck to all applicants. You got this!
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I love it. It sets up essays for clarity and strength.
I think this is a much more concrete version of previous personal statements. I like it a lot. Instead of just "why a vet" which a lot of people get stuck on, it asks for specific information that I think will help applicants write stronger essays from the get-go.
supershorty
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Threads are up and the 2026-2027 List of Programs is also up!
You could do either. I decided to write my experiences paragraph style reflecting on the experience/what I learned/how it impacted me - I think it gave a personal touch as well
yellowtrout
Full Member
Has anyone gotten acceptances to these schools using AP Biology credits/not taking biology at university? UF, UGA, WSU, Davis.
I decided post-undergrad that I wanted to pursue vet med, which is why I didn't retake bio at the university level. I got a 5 in it, and it's the only science pre-req I'm using AP credits for.
My target schools say on their websites that they accept AP credits, but I'm just paranoid so figured I'd ask
Thanks!
I decided post-undergrad that I wanted to pursue vet med, which is why I didn't retake bio at the university level. I got a 5 in it, and it's the only science pre-req I'm using AP credits for.
My target schools say on their websites that they accept AP credits, but I'm just paranoid so figured I'd ask
Ap credits, to be used, must appear on your college transcript. I used Ap chemistry and physics and was accepted to UF and UGA, but the credit appeared as transfer credit on my college transcripts!Has anyone gotten acceptances to these schools using AP Biology credits/not taking biology at university? UF, UGA, WSU, Davis.
I decided post-undergrad that I wanted to pursue vet med, which is why I didn't retake bio at the university level. I got a 5 in it, and it's the only science pre-req I'm using AP credits for.
My target schools say on their websites that they accept AP credits, but I'm just paranoid so figured I'd askThanks!
You should always submit well before the deadline because the server historically can’t handle the big push, but especially if you’re using AP credits. I had a whole thing happen where my AP credits were not titled correctly on my transcript, and I had to call my undergrad and get an official letter sent to all of my schools because my VMCAS got kicked back to me. It was no big deal and I was accepted to 3/5 schools, but it took time.Has anyone gotten acceptances to these schools using AP Biology credits/not taking biology at university? UF, UGA, WSU, Davis.
I decided post-undergrad that I wanted to pursue vet med, which is why I didn't retake bio at the university level. I got a 5 in it, and it's the only science pre-req I'm using AP credits for.
My target schools say on their websites that they accept AP credits, but I'm just paranoid so figured I'd askThanks!
yellowtrout
Full Member
Thank you so much! That is reassuring. My AP credits do appear on my college transcript. They are graded as "P." I don't see a place on VMCAS to enter my AP scores- I know some schools, like WSU, require 5s. Do you remember how you handled this? TY!
yellowtrout
Full Member
Good to know!!
I didn’t apply to WSU, but I was able to match the AP courses to pre-reqs when it was time to add programs. Cornell accepts 4s and 5s, as did my home university, so I had to send my AP scores once I was accepted.
Sparker
NCSU c/o 2030
Just to double what HorseObsessed is saying- I got into UGA with a 5 in AP biology, and I had to send the scores through CollegeBoard to some schools, but I don't remember which ones. If you want to be 100%, you can email the schools. They usually reply fairly quickly this early in the cycle.
mmelancholy
New Member
Should experiences be in order of most importance? If there a way to order them?
Generally experiences should be in order by year.
When I was applying, there was a function in the application that allowed you to “star” the five experiences you felt were most important. For me, I highlighted my vet experience, my volunteer work, and my resident assistant position. I don’t know if that function is still usable in the newer iterations of the application.
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That function is not available. VMCAS will automatically order by recency, no matter how you put in your experiences.
That's a bummer, I liked that function.
I know:/ not sure if last cycle was the first they removed it, but it would have been nice.
Most of them say on the website. I recall TAMU, Ohio state, and Virginia Maryland have limits but I didn’t have any problem emailing admissions my undergraduate gpa and then my current prerequisites with a letter of intent. If you’re interested in a school that has a limit you may as well ask to see if they will accept your old coursework
melon_soup
New Member
Applying for the second time here. I just graduated undergrad but didn't end up taking Physics II or Statistics. Looking through the VMSAR, that seems to be a popular prerequisite, is it worth it to take it this upcoming fall? Or should I just stick with the handful of schools that don't require it.
Additionally, this past semester I passed Cell Biology with a C. I got through the rest of my classes in undergrad with a A or B and I was curious if it was worth it to retake it?
Additionally, this past semester I passed Cell Biology with a C. I got through the rest of my classes in undergrad with a A or B and I was curious if it was worth it to retake it?
Not worth it to retake a singular C.
Whether it’s worth it to take common prereqs or not will depend on where you’re wanting to apply, your stats, costs, and all that. Might be worth it, might not.
Whether it’s worth it to take common prereqs or not will depend on where you’re wanting to apply, your stats, costs, and all that. Might be worth it, might not.
What JaynaAli said. I only applied to schools that didn’t require physics 2 cause I just didn’t have time to take it, and I got into 4/5 schools to which I applied. Just look at the schools you are interested in and qualify for to determine if you want to take it or not. I knew the class would ope up a ton more schools for me, but I was confident in my application and could see myself at any of the schools on my list. Good luck!
TBD-ToBeDVM
Full Member
If I shadowed at a clinic with 5+ doctors and shadowed most of them throughout my time there, for the supervisor spot in VMCAS would it be better to put the veterinarian that is the clinic owner or the veterinarian I spent the most time shadowing?
Doesn’t matter
Edit to clarify further: I think UGA is the only school that has a reputation for calling your experiences. For nearly every other (if not every other) school, they ask for a supervisor but the schools usually do absolutely nothing with that information.
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I think whomever can best validate your experiences.
cardamom23
Full Member
Yes to what has been said before. I will add that picking someone who you feel knows you and your story and goals best will be the best option. I have been on and off at one clinic for two years and finally feel aligned with asking a doctor there who i have now had hands on experiences with and has made me feel that there is a mentorship type relationship there.
A couple of the schools I applied to had 7 - 10 year limits and I had to retake some stuff. From what I remember, Minnesota and CSU were def on that list.
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Hi all! Sorry if this has been asked before, I just keep getting mixed reviews!
When entering experiences into VMCAS or TMDSAS, is it best to separate based on role or organization? For example, if I was Sophomore Class President then eventually Student Body President in high school, would you recommend adding them each individually or clumping them under something like "Student Government"? I can see how grouping them might make it easier to skim, but I don't want to lose out on the extra room in the description to define what I actually did.
I have been told to just "pick a method and stick with it" but I wanted to see if there was anyone who had a strong opinion either way!
When entering experiences into VMCAS or TMDSAS, is it best to separate based on role or organization? For example, if I was Sophomore Class President then eventually Student Body President in high school, would you recommend adding them each individually or clumping them under something like "Student Government"? I can see how grouping them might make it easier to skim, but I don't want to lose out on the extra room in the description to define what I actually did.
I have been told to just "pick a method and stick with it" but I wanted to see if there was anyone who had a strong opinion either way!
supershorty
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Those are separate roles, so I would list them separately.
caffeinated-equestrian
New Member
Horsey folks - I am unsure about how to present my horse experience on VMCAS. For the 2025-2026 cycle, I listed all of my horse experience under animal experience. I got rejected/waitlisted from every school I applied to last cycle. A few schools gave me feedback and said I "didn't have enough extracurricular activities". I have some other smaller hobbies, but riding is how I have spent the bulk of my time outside of work/school for most of my life. But if I list it as an extracurricular activity instead of animal experience, it makes it look like I have quite little large animal experience. 
I just wish some things could count toward more than one category or that the people reading would dig a little deeper. For context, I have taken lessons, leased and showed horses, been a working student, and was President of my university's IHSA team over the course of the last 17 years.
I just wish some things could count toward more than one category or that the people reading would dig a little deeper. For context, I have taken lessons, leased and showed horses, been a working student, and was President of my university's IHSA team over the course of the last 17 years.
CeeGee14
U.C Davis c/o 2029
You can't double dip, but you can split your hours into extracurriculars and large animal experience. You could put being president of the IHSA and showing hours as extracurricular and everything else into large animal hours, etc.Horsey folks - I am unsure about how to present my horse experience on VMCAS. For the 2025-2026 cycle, I listed all of my horse experience under animal experience. I got rejected/waitlisted from every school I applied to last cycle. A few schools gave me feedback and said I "didn't have enough extracurricular activities". I have some other smaller hobbies, but riding is how I have spent the bulk of my time outside of work/school for most of my life. But if I list it as an extracurricular activity instead of animal experience, it makes it look like I have quite little large animal experience.
Not to be a downer, but I got the impression that me being a life-long horsey person was a very unimportant part of my app during the last cycle. I listed close to 10,000 hours of horse experience (7800 under riding and 2200 under working in barns). It wasn’t asked about in interviews and I found no place to mention it in essays. If I had to guess, I’d say this type of experience is quite common for vet students, so I would try to think about what other things that make you a little more unique that you could put on your app. I think when they’re looking for extracurriculars they really are looking for who you are outside of animals.Horsey folks - I am unsure about how to present my horse experience on VMCAS. For the 2025-2026 cycle, I listed all of my horse experience under animal experience. I got rejected/waitlisted from every school I applied to last cycle. A few schools gave me feedback and said I "didn't have enough extracurricular activities". I have some other smaller hobbies, but riding is how I have spent the bulk of my time outside of work/school for most of my life. But if I list it as an extracurricular activity instead of animal experience, it makes it look like I have quite little large animal experience.
Frustrating if true! That’s just my impression from interviews!
That being said, I bet you can sell some of your ihsa stuff as a valuable extracurricular experience! Just take every opportunity to SELL YOURSELf!!!
Edit: this is not to say that my experience was/ will be the same as yours, just that whatever experience you have, you really have to sell it to show how it makes you a better vet and student.
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