WAMC - 1st time non-traditional applicant

[happyyellowturtle]

Weakness:
I was not pre-vet in college and only discovered my passion and love for vet med after a couple gap years, so my veterinary and animal experiences really only span this past year.
Strength:
Definitely my academics, a somewhat decent amount of diverse veterinary/animal experiences, and while not vet med related, I do also have a wide variety of life experiences (including research, pretty extensive volunteering and extracurricular involvement, and numerous employment experiences). I also have quite strong professional writing skills, as well as interview skills.

25F, MN Resident, 1st Cycle

Current School List: Arizona, CSU, Cornell, Davis, LSU, Georgia, Midwestern, Minnesota, NC State, Oregon, Penn, Tennessee, WSU, Western, Wisconsin

Cumulative GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 3.97
Last 45: 3.98
Degree: BS in Biology and Chemistry (double major)

Veterinary Experience: 2710 hrs
2000 hrs Small Animal GP Veterinary Assistant
300 hrs Small Animal/Exotics Emergency Veterinary Assistant
250 hrs Large Animal Shadowing (50% Equine / 50% Cattle)
150 hrs Small Animal/Exotics Emergency Shadowing
10 hrs Exotics Shadowing

Non-Veterinary Animal Experience: 700 hrs
450 hrs Animal Shelter Volunteer
150 hrs Zoo Animal Interpreter
100 hrs Farm Sanctuary Volunteer

Research: 555 hrs
400 hrs Genetics Research with 3 presentations
120 hrs Biology Research with 1 presentation and 1 university-published report
35 hrs Peer-reviewed scholarly article published in university undergraduate journal

Non-Veterinary/Animal Employment: 7200 hrs
2400 hrs Youth with a Mission
1000 hrs Summer Camp Counselor
960 hrs Nursing Assistant
840 hrs Medical Scribe
700 hrs Online Tutor
410 hrs Chemistry Lab + Lecture Teaching Assistant
350 hrs University Dining Center
280 hrs Personal Care Assistant
260 hrs Math Grader

Non-Veterinary/Animal Volunteering: 1500 hrs
600 hrs Red Cross
470 hrs Church Youth Group Leader
250 hrs Youth After-School Program
120 hrs Food Bank
60 hrs Senior Living Facility
50 hrs University Art Museum

Extracurriculars: 8965 hrs
College: 3815 hrs
1800 hrs NCAA D2 Sport
1000 hrs Campus Ministry (1yr member + 3yrs leader)
300 hrs Chemistry Tutor
250 hrs University Honors Program
150 hrs Biology Lab Teaching Assistant
120 hrs Undergraduate Journal Chief Editor
90 hrs Elementary Science Outreach Teacher
75 hrs Athletes Ministry
30 hrs Student Hearing Panel Member
High School: 5150 hrs
1200 hrs 1st Varsity Sport (Captain senior year)
1200 hrs 2nd Varsity Sport (Captain senior year)
900 hrs Junior Varsity Sport
750 hrs Youth Group Member
480 hrs Summer Camp Leadership Program + Junior Camp Counselor
280 hrs Fellowship of Christian Athletes (2yrs member + 2yrs leader)
140 hrs Student Council
100 hrs National Honor Society (Executive council member)
100 hrs Student Volunteering Club

Awards and Scholarships:
College
Dean's List x8 semesters + Latin Honors
University Honors Program
Department of Chemistry Honors Program
Senior Honor Society
2 Research Program Awards / Grants
6 University Scholarships
Departmental Achievement Award
Red Cross Hometown Hero Award
High School
MN Senior Students of Excellence
Academic Excellence x4 yrs + Presidential Academic Excellence
National Honor Society and Executive Council Member
All-Conference x4 + All-Conference academic x8
Captain x2

LORs:
(I will not be using all 5 of these for every school but I want options since preferences vary by school)
2 DVMs from Small Animal GP (2000 hrs Veterinary Assistant)
1 DVM from Emergency Hospital (300 hrs Veterinary Assistant and 150 hrs Shadowing)
Science Professor who I had for 2 semesters and then was a laboratory teaching assistant for 2 semesters
Non-Science but still STEM Professor who I had for 2 semesters and then was a grader for 2.5yrs

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[mw1356]

i haven’t heard of vet schools being concerned about when you get vet hours, and the fact that you’ve gotten almost 3k (and with several different types of animals/practices) in that short of a time period is super impressive! i applied this year with similar grades but way fewer hours of vet experience and got multiple acceptances. as long as you make sure to write strong essays i wouldn’t worry much 🙂

 

[indysadventures]

Seconding the advice given above, focus now on making sure that you’re meeting all prerequisite requirements, gaining strong LORs, and writing outstanding essays. I think you’ve got a great shot, especially with an IS of Minnesota. In my experience, UMN is very non-trad applicant friendly- I’m a non-trad and will be attending UMN! 🙂 UMN does offer advisory sessions as well, I’d suggest you get in touch with them to go over your resume and your plans for your application. They were very helpful!

Considering your stats, I’d also consider eliminating some schools on your list that are very expensive, like Midwestern and Western. Honestly, I’d cut the list even more, try to get it to 10-12 to save yourself some money. It will also help you have more time to tailor your supplemental essays to each school. I applied to 11 schools and wrote over 25 individual essays! It adds up!