VMCAS Questions C/O 2017 (Post your questions here.)

[NStarz]

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I TRULY don't think that one semester is going to hurt you since you bounced right back up. I had a year of dropped classes and crappy grades due to being in and out of court for a year, and it didn't hurt me. I would write a short explanation, and not even worry about it. 👍

👍👍👍

I don't think it will hurt you, either. But I would explain it a bit 🙂

 

[irrelephant23]

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice guys! I think I'll touch on the subject just a bit, but not to write a big spiel for it.

Emiloo, the fact that your status is Veterinary Student makes me so happy! For a pre vet bully, you're pretty darn helpful!

 

[Emiloo4]

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice guys! I think I'll touch on the subject just a bit, but not to write a big spiel for it.

Emiloo, the fact that your status is Veterinary Student makes me so happy! For a pre vet bully, you're pretty darn helpful!

I tried to make mine an adequate explanation but not sound like I was making excuses. I truly thought it would be the one thing stopping me from getting in, it just looked terrible on my transcript, but I had a reason, and I spoke it, and I guess they still liked me 😀. Explain it, and then don't stress about it. Shiz happens, they know that, they just want to see that you can bounce back, which you clearly did.

 

[NStarz]

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice guys! I think I'll touch on the subject just a bit, but not to write a big spiel for it.

Emiloo, the fact that your status is Veterinary Student makes me so happy! For a pre vet bully, you're pretty darn helpful!

I'm waiting until I move to Cbus to change mine--still doesn't feel official!

 

[Emiloo4]

I'm waiting until I move to Cbus to change mine--still doesn't feel official!

Yeah I wasn't sure how I felt about changing it but "everyone was doin it" 🙄 so I thought I might as well. I was gonna wait until the first day of classes 🙂

 

[irrelephant23]

sniff sniff one day I hope to be able to change mine. THIS IS THE YEAR!

 

[LetItSnow]

Hmmmmm. Interesting. I guess I will think about this further then. I mean, I only have what? 3 months left.. 🙄 I suppose I can figure it out by then.

Thanks!

You can always call a school and get an opinion from someone who matters far more than me or Nstarz. 🙂

 

[zanydogz]

You can always call a school and get an opinion from someone who matters far more than me or Nstarz. 🙂

😱 LIS! You matter a FREAKIN TON...especially to applicants (I know you def helped me last cycle 😉). Actually, I should be thanking you for that so THANK YOU! 😀

 

[zanydogz]

sniff sniff one day I hope to be able to change mine. THIS IS THE YEAR!

Keep thinking positive! Good luck to you!!!!

 

[RetroUnicorn]

Anyone know if VMCAS sends you an email once an eLOR has been received? Or do you have to keep checking back at the current status?

 

[hai1983]

Anyone know if VMCAS sends you an email once an eLOR has been received? Or do you have to keep checking back at the current status?

You'll get an email.

 

[Emiloo4]

Anyone know if VMCAS sends you an email once an eLOR has been received? Or do you have to keep checking back at the current status?

You get an email about every little step an eLOR goes through lol. Even when they open the email 🙄. Don't worry, they are really good about keeping you up to date on what's happening with them.

 

[irrelephant23]

Keep thinking positive! Good luck to you!!!!

Thanks!

 

[orca2011]

Check your portal as well. I didn't get an email for one of mine, so I actually called VMCAS to verify because I didn't trust the portal. Hahaha.

 

[jemappellejane]

😱 LIS! You matter a FREAKIN TON...especially to applicants (I know you def helped me last cycle 😉). Actually, I should be thanking you for that so THANK YOU! 😀

Umm, yeah, LIS. You matter. Deal.

 

[LetItSnow]

Umm, yeah, LIS. You matter. Deal.

lol. Oh c'mon, I don't have esteem issues. I just try to consistently encourage people to call the schools when they have questions - I get the feeling a lot of folks are hesitant to do that, and the admissions people have been (at least in my experience, both before and during school) really willing to talk to applicants and give them guidance! (And Nstarz, obviously I respect your opinion - I didn't mean to suggest otherwise if it sounded that way.)

 

[Emiloo4]

lol. Oh c'mon, I don't have esteem issues. I just try to consistently encourage people to call the schools when they have questions - I get the feeling a lot of folks are hesitant to do that, and the admissions people have been (at least in my experience, both before and during school) really willing to talk to applicants and give them guidance!

Yeah I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised at how nice they all are. I would be a biznitch after dealing with a shiz load of people like myself

 

[LetItSnow]

Yeah I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised at how nice they all are. I would be a biznitch after dealing with a shiz load of people like myself

I imagine some pre-vets are no fun to deal with because they're calling about every little thing, or they're unpleasant, or whatever, but my experience doing tours and a couple pre-vet events last year is that most pre-vets are fun to be around because they're so excited about getting into school. I enjoy doing that kind of stuff - reminds me to keep things fun, which can get really hard when you look at your exam schedule.

 

[Emiloo4]

I imagine some pre-vets are no fun to deal with because they're calling about every little thing, or they're unpleasant, or whatever, but my experience doing tours and a couple pre-vet events last year is that most pre-vets are fun to be around because they're so excited about getting into school. I enjoy doing that kind of stuff - reminds me to keep things fun, which can get really hard when you look at your exam schedule.

Yeah I definitely would like to be involved with the admissions process next year. I know all the current students sure made it all a LOT easier everywhere I went. 👍

 

[NStarz]

lol. Oh c'mon, I don't have esteem issues. I just try to consistently encourage people to call the schools when they have questions - I get the feeling a lot of folks are hesitant to do that, and the admissions people have been (at least in my experience, both before and during school) really willing to talk to applicants and give them guidance! (And Nstarz, obviously I respect your opinion - I didn't mean to suggest otherwise if it sounded that way.)

😛 Pshhhh. You didn't have a problem respecting my opinion with the whips in the closet...

 

[LetItSnow]

😛 Pshhhh. You didn't have a problem respecting my opinion with the whips in the closet...

I have no idea what you're talking about. 😉

 

[happymochii]

I made the Dean's List at my school several times and I wanted to put that under Honors/Awards on my application. The thing is though, each honor/award only has one date, and since I made it several times I was wondering if I should list them separately or just put all the dates I made the list in the description box. What do you guys think?

 

[twelvetigers]

List it as one entry and then mention each of the times you made the list. Otherwise, it would probably be obnoxious to read. 🙂

 

[zanydogz]

List it as one entry and then mention each of the times you made the list. Otherwise, it would probably be obnoxious to read. 🙂

👍 Unless they specified otherwise, one entry is fine. Seriously.

 

[happymochii]

👍 Unless they specified otherwise, one entry is fine. Seriously.

haha that's what I was thinking, and I certainly do not want to be obnoxious either. Thanks guys

 

[LetItSnow]

haha that's what I was thinking, and I certainly do not want to be obnoxious either. Thanks guys

Hehe. Always following the guiding rule of "include everything, but don't look like a douche doing it."

 

[happymochii]

I just realized VMCAs allows you to put some high school information on your application, including the Honors/Awards section. It also said (ie. scholarships), so I was just wondering if it was just strictly scholarships you received for college? Because at first I thought we shouldn't include ANY high school stuff, but am I wrong?

edit:: i really do ask a lot of questions, don't i? -____-

 

[Emiloo4]

I just realized VMCAs allows you to put some high school information on your application, including the Honors/Awards section. It also said (ie. scholarships), so I was just wondering if it was just strictly scholarships you received for college? Because at first I thought we shouldn't include ANY high school stuff, but am I wrong?

edit:: i really do ask a lot of questions, don't i? -____-

I included everything from high school 👍

 

[Bracco Pointer]

I have a similar situation to Irrelephant's earlier posts about a "bad semester" and would like some opinions. My first semester as a college freshman I failed chem 1. Not dropped. Failed. I followed it up with almost 2 years of straight As (including retaking the failed course), until I got Bs in Orgo and Physics.

Should I mention it in my explanation statement? My advisor says yes (since adcoms see it anyway), but I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for bad study habits. Does the turnaround in my grades speak for itself, or do I need to acknowledge it? "Yes, I was a dumb freshman. I know this now." 🙂

Advice, suggestions welcome.

 

[Emiloo4]

I have a similar situation to Irrelephant's earlier posts about a "bad semester" and would like some opinions. My first semester as a college freshman I failed chem 1. Not dropped. Failed. I followed it up with almost 2 years of straight As (including retaking the failed course), until I got Bs in Orgo and Physics.

Should I mention it in my explanation statement? My advisor says yes (since adcoms see it anyway), but I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for bad study habits. Does the turnaround in my grades speak for itself, or do I need to acknowledge it? "Yes, I was a dumb freshman. I know this now." 🙂

Advice, suggestions welcome.

Personally? I don't see the point in mentioning it. Like you said, your grade trend speaks for itself. What did you get the second time you took it? I would be prepared to explain if you are questioned, but I'm not sure it's necessary in your explanation section. You can always put it in there in a way that doesn't sound like an excuse though. I mean it is what the damn section is for I guess lol. It definitely won't hurt to have it in there with a short explanation.

Holy self contradiction lol.

 

[LetItSnow]

I have a similar situation to Irrelephant's earlier posts about a "bad semester" and would like some opinions. My first semester as a college freshman I failed chem 1. Not dropped. Failed. I followed it up with almost 2 years of straight As (including retaking the failed course), until I got Bs in Orgo and Physics.

Should I mention it in my explanation statement? My advisor says yes (since adcoms see it anyway), but I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for bad study habits. Does the turnaround in my grades speak for itself, or do I need to acknowledge it? "Yes, I was a dumb freshman. I know this now." 🙂

Advice, suggestions welcome.

I'm on the fence about mentioning it, because I think your grades after that speak for themselves. If I were you, I'd call a handful of schools (even ones you aren't going to apply at) and ask their directors of admissions for an opinion.

If you DO mention it, though, the right way to do it is to acknowledge it: "I failed to adapt quickly to my first semester of college." And then bury them with positive: "After that, I made changes in my study habits and lifestyle necessary to master my academic workload. Because of those changes, I was able to succeed academically and produced an blah blah blah GPA blah blah blah."

You get the idea. Acknowledge the weakness but focus on the subsequent success.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

Thanks, Em and LIS! I got an A the second time. Of course, I know it's perfect material for interviews, so I'm prepared to answer questions. I have a couple other things that I'd like to expand on in my explanation statement, but I'll see how I could fit it in.

 

[happymochii]

does ucdavis put a lot of emphasis on the hours of vet/animal experience? i know the average is around 3000 which is absolutely CRAZY and i know i have no where near that much. Does anyone know anybody that got in with substantially less hours?

 

[bbeventer]

does ucdavis put a lot of emphasis on the hours of vet/animal experience? i know the average is around 3000 which is absolutely CRAZY and i know i have no where near that much. Does anyone know anybody that got in with substantially less hours?

Davis Student Stats

So vet hours are slightly over 3k. Everything is a balancing act. If you have factors of your application to out weigh your lack of vet hours than that will be beneficial to you, but if you lack a great GPA and GRE as well as vet hours, then I would say it may be a hurdle.

 

[Lupin21]

So, I was putting in my Poultry experience, but then wondered if I should click the food animal box or the exotic/avian. Any thoughts?😕

 

[happymochii]

Davis Student Stats

So vet hours are slightly over 3k. Everything is a balancing act. If you have factors of your application to out weigh your lack of vet hours than that will be beneficial to you, but if you lack a great GPA and GRE as well as vet hours, then I would say it may be a hurdle.

thanks bb! Sorry i just realized I posted my question in the VMCAs thread, not the UCDavis thread. My mistake! But I appreciate your help 😛

 

[LetItSnow]

So, I was putting in my Poultry experience, but then wondered if I should click the food animal box or the exotic/avian. Any thoughts?😕

At a guess, I'd say Food Animal. The 'help' section for that page doesn't offer any guidance?

 

[zanydogz]

So, I was putting in my Poultry experience, but then wondered if I should click the food animal box or the exotic/avian. Any thoughts?😕

I would go with food animal. I took exotic/avian to be like parrots, macaws, ostriches, toucans, etc. Hope that helps some.

 

[orcagirl]

So, I was putting in my Poultry experience, but then wondered if I should click the food animal box or the exotic/avian. Any thoughts?😕

I think last year they had an other. Or since they are boxes you might be able to check both.

 

[bbeventer]

So, I was putting in my Poultry experience, but then wondered if I should click the food animal box or the exotic/avian. Any thoughts?😕

I would defiantly say food animal experience.

 

[hai1983]

I would defiantly say food animal experience.

The use of "defiantly" made me 🙂

 

[bbeventer]

The use of "defiantly" made me 🙂

What can I say, android auto correct sucks at life.

 

[hai1983]

What can I say, android auto correct sucks at life.

I figured it was auto correct. It's still funny. 🙂

 

[prevetdreamer]

So, I have done a couple of courses with labs, and I was planning on counting the labs in my hours since they are for LA and I definitely need more LA on my application. My question is, Since the professors for these classes are veterinarians and they did run the labs, teach us procedures, and supervise us when we did procedures, can I count these as vet hours? What about when I was just observing a procedure, but we didn't actually get to try the procedures ourselves?

 

[prevetdreamer]

also, for my riding team, I was secretary for my last year. should I include that along with the animal experience explanation or should I put it under something else? maybe the community activities? ha can you tell I'm entering my experiences? lol

 

[Lupin21]

I would defiantly say food animal experience.

I agree with you all and have labeled it as food animal. Thanks!!

 

[texguyincali]

If this is already on the thread i apoloigize, I didnt see it though. I am getting certified in pet cpr/first aid in 2 weeks. Where would I put that? I dont think it would be under coursework. Maybe awards? But being awarded a certification isnt an 'award' per se. So I dont know where to put it in.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

Texguy, if you work directly with live animals then animal experience. If you only worked in hypothetical/training situations, then I'd say community activity section.

 

[irrelephant23]

also, for my riding team, I was secretary for my last year. should I include that along with the animal experience explanation or should I put it under something else? maybe the community activities? ha can you tell I'm entering my experiences? lol

Sounds like an honor/award to me 🙂 It legit took me forever to do the community and awards sections. I haven't started animal and vet because i dont have 5+ hours to spare trying to figure out my wording. I'm not going to have peace until after I submit these apps.

If this is already on the thread i apoloigize, I didnt see it though. I am getting certified in pet cpr/first aid in 2 weeks. Where would I put that? I dont think it would be under coursework. Maybe awards? But being awarded a certification isnt an 'award' per se. So I dont know where to put it in.

I'd say awards for this too. You were awarded a certification. If you don't feel comfortable with that, then community will work as well. They're going to put it whereever they want anyway. The award section just helps it stick out.

 

[equineconstant]

Okay, I definitely put "Dr." for my evaluator's title. Like, I hit the back button and saw that that field said "Dr." So why does the chart of my evaluators say "Ms."?