WAMC 1st time applicant

[emac42]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi! My name is Emma, and I am rising senior at the University of Texas at Austin. I am a first time applicant and a Texas resident. Currently, I am interested in a wide range including GP, shelter, or zoo medicine. I am interested in TAMU, Colorado State, UF, NC State, UC Davis, and Tennessee. I will be receiving letters of recommendation from a writing professor, ornithology professor, GP manager, and a GP vet.


Cumulative GPA: 4.0
science GPA: 4.0
last 45: 4.0

Any degrees achieved: will get a BS Biology from UT Austin in Spring 2027

GRE results: did not take

Veterinary Experience: 723 total hours
- mixed animal (rural) — 50
- GP + exotics — 178.5
- GP — 461.5
- lab vet - 8
- large animal vet - 22
- big cat sanctuary - 3

Animal Experience: 170 total hours
- safe in austin (large animals with special needs)— 3
- austin farm sanctuary (cattle and water buffalo) — 3
- large animal volunteer (donkey and equine) - 40
- wildlife - 63.5
- shelter volunteer - 52
- deer breeding program - 2
- parrot aviary - 6

Research Experience:
- Australian conservation — 20

Awards/scholarships:
- Distinguished Scholar x2 (top 2% of class)
- National Merit Commended

Extracurriculars:
- VP of Periwinkle (club dedicated to providing summer camp to pediatric oncology patients)— 3 yrs
- Volunteer at Camp Periwinkle (summer camp for pediatric oncology patients - 70 hours
- IM Basketball — 2 yrs
- Pre-veterinary association — 3 yrs

Employment:
- Organic Chemistry TA — 1 yr (180 hours)

Final Comments:
I would really appreciate any advice on my current odds, ways to improve them, and schools which would be good fits based on my interests. Thank you!

 

[battie]

@supershorty can we move this?

 

[battie]

@emac42 can you fill in the following? It makes it easier to guide you. Don't forget your state of residency.


A short intro about you, where you are from, any previous application results, the school/s you are interested in, your current career interests.

Cumulative GPA:
science GPA:
last 45:

Any degrees achieved

GRE results: Q/V/W

Veterinary Experience:
-
-
-

Animal Experience:
-
-
-

Research Experience:

Awards/scholarships:
-
-
-

Extracurriculars:
-
-
-

Employment:
-
-
-

Summarize any concerns you have

 

[emac42]

Hi @battie ! I updated with the format. Sorry I didn’t know about it!

 

[battie]

I am interested in TAMU, Colorado State, UF, NC State, UC Davis, and Tennessee

TAMU is absolutely you're best choice, both in odds of acceptance and your long term goals. TAMU will give you financial freedom after graduation unrivaled with **maybe** the exception of NC State.

As long as you have the prerequisites, youd be able to apply to any school as long as your subjectives (essays, letters, etc) are good.

Add Texas Tech to your list as it is also an in state option for you.

I would really appreciate any advice on my current odds, ways to improve them, and schools which would be good fits based on my interests.

You're pretty solid tbh. With the loan changes, cost is by far your most important factor as you will only have access to 50k/yr and 200k total. So TAMU and TT should be your top goals. I don't think the schools that allow you to change to in state compare to the low cost that Texas residents pay for their schooling.

 

[emac42]

TAMU is absolutely you're best choice, both in odds of acceptance and your long term goals. TAMU will give you financial freedom after graduation unrivaled with **maybe** the exception of NC State.

As long as you have the prerequisites, youd be able to apply to any school as long as your subjectives (essays, letters, etc) are good.

Add Texas Tech to your list as it is also an in state option for you.



You're pretty solid tbh. With the loan changes, cost is by far your most important factor as you will only have access to 50k/yr and 200k total. So TAMU and TT should be your top goals. I don't think the schools that allow you to change to in state compare to the low cost that Texas residents pay for their schooling.

How many OOS schools would you recommend applying to?

 

[JaynaAli]

With your stats and a 4.0 GPA, I’d honestly probably just tell someone apply to their in-state(s) and NCSU and not bother applying to a ton of OOS in order to keep your costs as low as possible. A 4.0 and decent experience doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in, but your chances are good. Then if you don’t get in on your first attempt to the cheapest schools, you can cast a wider net the next time. But most pre-vets probably wouldn’t take that advice because they just want to get in somewhere and don’t really consider the long term costs of going OOS.

 

[emac42]

With your stats and a 4.0 GPA, I’d honestly probably just tell someone apply to their in-state(s) and NCSU and not bother applying to a ton of OOS in order to keep your costs as low as possible. A 4.0 and decent experience doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in, but your chances are good. Then if you don’t get in on your first attempt to the cheapest schools, you can cast a wider net the next time. But most pre-vets probably wouldn’t take that advice because they just want to get in somewhere and don’t really consider the long term costs of going OOS.

I really appreciate this insight! If we take the long term costs out of the picture, do you have any OOS recommendations for me?

 

[JaynaAli]

I really appreciate this insight! If we take the long term costs out of the picture, do you have any OOS recommendations for me?

Your in-states and NCSU are my recommendations because you do need to consider the costs.

The federal loan cap is 200k. Cost of TAMU and TxTech as instate is under or right at tha limit. NCSU is like 215k cost of attendance for OOS, which seems doable without having to take private loans by scrimping or working in summers. All the other schools will likely need you to taking private loans unless you have savings, a benefactor, get scholarships, etc. so I’d try to avoid going to those places. This page from VIN ranks school costs so you can sss which are cheapest. COST OF EDUCATION TOOLKIT - Vet School Bound

I quite frankly won’t recommend other places because I think it would be a disservice when your stats should be good enough to secure a really affordable option. To recommend others would be akin to medical malpractice in a way. Maybe other people are willing to do so but I’m not.

 

[_rae_]

I quite frankly won’t recommend other places because I think it would be a disservice when your stats should be good enough to secure a really affordable option. To recommend others would be akin to medical malpractice in a way. Maybe other people are willing to do so but I’m not.

I’m someone who typically is a little looser with the idea of “go to the cheapest school”, but even I agree with Jayna here. You have in state options with some of the cheapest tuition in the country and the stats to get in. To apply out of state (with the exception of NCSU) would be shooting yourself in the foot in regards to your financial stability for the rest of your life.

 

[Sparker]

100% agree with JaynaAli & battie- TAMU and TT are your best options, financially, but also bc, I assume, they're the closest to your support system. I also applied to CSU and UTK as an OOS, and even though I reallyyyy loved both programs, neither of them could beat IS tuition and closeness to my support system at NCSU for me. All of these programs are equally great, but TAMU and TT are the best for Texas residents.

Besides what schools to apply to, here are my recs on what to do over the summer to strengthen your app:
~Try to get your vet experience to 1000hrs. Bonus if you can get the large animal over 100hrs.
~Try to get more animal experience hours. I would focus on shelter, wildlife, or equine since that's different from your vet hours and you already have a footing in those fields. You have a great variety, but just based on hours, it doesn't seem like you have a long term, quality animal experience.
~Get started on your personal essay early, make sure you're paying attention to the new prompt, don't make loving animals the only reason you want to become a vet, and get multiple people to read over it and provide feedback.

 

[emac42]

I’m someone who typically is a little looser with the idea of “go to the cheapest school”, but even I agree with Jayna here. You have in state options with some of the cheapest tuition in the country and the stats to get in. To apply out of state (with the exception of NCSU) would be shooting yourself in the foot in regards to your financial stability for the rest of your life.

Okay! Thank you so much. I don’t have any family who has attended vet school, so I am really trying to figure out how to set myself up for success. Does applying itself hurt me? If I just want the security of an acceptance, could I apply broadly with the plan of staying in state?

 

[emac42]

100% agree with JaynaAli & battie- TAMU and TT are your best options, financially, but also bc, I assume, they're the closest to your support system. I also applied to CSU and UTK as an OOS, and even though I reallyyyy loved both programs, neither of them could beat IS tuition and closeness to my support system at NCSU for me. All of these programs are equally great, but TAMU and TT are the best for Texas residents.

Besides what schools to apply to, here are my recs on what to do over the summer to strengthen your app:
~Try to get your vet experience to 1000hrs. Bonus if you can get the large animal over 100hrs.
~Try to get more animal experience hours. I would focus on shelter, wildlife, or equine since that's different from your vet hours and you already have a footing in those fields. You have a great variety, but just based on hours, it doesn't seem like you have a long term, quality animal experience.
~Get started on your personal essay early, make sure you're paying attention to the new prompt, don't make loving animals the only reason you want to become a vet, and get multiple people to read over it and provide feedback.

These are my post-summer stats unfortunately. Am I in a bad spot for hours then?

 

[_rae_]

Does applying itself hurt me?

This is kind of a complicated answer if I'm understanding the question correctly. If you apply with full effort (your grades are good, your experience is good, you put good effort into essays, and get good letters of recommendation), no. When we say "don't apply just to apply", we mean people who are still actively putting effort into fixing deficiencies in their applications. Applying when you aren't ready doesn't necessarily ding your chances of getting in later, but it's a waste of your money and the vet schools' time, and they do keep track of who applies year to year.

If I just want the security of an acceptance, could I apply broadly with the plan of staying in state?

Again, this is ultimately up to you. What happens if you apply broadly, get into a place like UMN (my school) which historically has a high OOS cost, but not your in state. Would you decide to go despite our advice? If the answer is no, why bother even applying? You're essentially donating money to the school. Do not apply to schools if you have no intent on going; that's how you get the heartbreak of wanting to be a vet but not being able to accept a seat because it's in a different country/you can't afford it/it's too far from your support system/etc.

Am I in a bad spot for hours then?

You didn't ask me this but I'm here typing anyway lol. More experience is never bad, but I don't think you're necessarily in a bad spot. I think it depends on how accurate these numbers end up being and if they're guaranteed positions or not.

 

[emac42]

You didn't ask me this but I'm here typing anyway lol. More experience is never bad, but I don't think you're necessarily in a bad spot. I think it depends on how accurate these numbers end up being and if they're guaranteed positions or not.

Here is my current breakdown:
Shadowing / Veterinary hours: 520
mixed animal — 50
shadowing dog/cat/exotics — 178.5
lab vet shadowing — 8
GP — 261.5
large animal vet — 22

Animal / Volunteer hours: 132.5
SAFE in Austin — 3
Austin Farm Sanctuary — 3
large animal volunteer — 20
wildlife — 3.5
shelter volunteer — 52
deer — 2
big cat sanctuary — 3
bird aviary — 6
amateur bird watching — 40

Grand total: 652.5 hours

I am attending an Australian pre-vet program which will result in 60 wildlife veterinary + animals hours (I will have to see how it actually breaks down when I attend) and 20 conservation research hours. I will be working at GP for as much as a I can along the summer where I will anticipate at least 200 more hours. I will also be volunteering at a donkey/equine rescue where I’d anticipate at least 30 more hours. I will be shadowing a large animal vet for hopefully at least 20 more hours.

 

[Georgethecat]

Setting yourself up for success would be going to your in state options. Even NCSU is approx $30 more expensive than Texas Tech. Do your absolute best to ensure that your personal statement and essays are top notch. Same for getting strong letters of recommendation. With a 4.0 gpa and a moderate # of hours of varied experience, you stand a good chance of getting in to one of your IS options.

Applying broadly costs money, time, mental energy, and emotional energy. What would you do if you got into a very expensive out of state school? For example CSU is $370k as compared to $186 Texas Tech and $202 TAMU.

COST OF EDUCATION TOOLKIT - Vet School Bound

New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Toolkit is here to help.A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an internship or residency, or even take a...

vetschoolbound.org

If you aren't successful with your IS options or NCSU, get file reviews and consider applying to a few more OOS options that allow for residency change after the first year. Also keep working on expanding your vet hours this year while you are waiting to hear if you are accepted. That way you won't be scrambling next xummer trying to increase your hours.

Best of luck.

 

[Sparker]

Here is my current breakdown:
Shadowing / Veterinary hours: 520
mixed animal — 50
shadowing dog/cat/exotics — 178.5
lab vet shadowing — 8
GP — 261.5
large animal vet — 22

Animal / Volunteer hours: 132.5
SAFE in Austin — 3
Austin Farm Sanctuary — 3
large animal volunteer — 20
wildlife — 3.5
shelter volunteer — 52
deer — 2
big cat sanctuary — 3
bird aviary — 6
amateur bird watching — 40

Grand total: 652.5 hours

I am attending an Australian pre-vet program which will result in 60 wildlife veterinary + animals hours (I will have to see how it actually breaks down when I attend) and 20 conservation research hours. I will be working at GP for as much as a I can along the summer where I will anticipate at least 200 more hours. I will also be volunteering at a donkey/equine rescue where I’d anticipate at least 30 more hours. I will be shadowing a large animal vet for hopefully at least 20 more hours.

I agree with what _rae_ said, you're not in a bad spot with either your current hours or your projected hours. But, still consider my recommendations, the more *quality* hours, the better.