WAMC-2nd Time Applicant, Division I Athlete

[Penny$29]

22, F, NY, Traditional, Second-time applicant. I am a senior finishing up my final semester and I am looking to re-apply. I got waitlisted at Tufts, interview waitlisted at UPenn, and rejected from Cornell and VMCVM.

Applying to: Tufts, UPenn, Cornell, LIU, Kansas, UMN, Illinois

Cumulative GPA: 3.78
science GPA: 3.58
last 45: 4.0

Any degrees achieved: B.S. Biology; Spring 2024

Veterinary Experience:
- Small animal clinic in Maryland-320hrs
-Small animal clinic in NYC-400hrs (got a return offer to work here, will be working part time and hopefully at another clinic closer to home on Long Island)
-Shadowing an equine vet-14hrs

Animal Experience:
- None

Research Experience:
- None

Awards/scholarships:
-IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll
-Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
-Dean's list for 4 semesters

Extracurriculars:
-Division I athlete on scholarship(Lacrosse)
-Member of Athlete Ally, Empowering Female Athletes and Tri Beta (biological honor society)
-Peer mentor (mentor to freshmen student athletes help them with housing, classes and adjusting to college in general)

Employment (non-veterinary):
-Hostess at Seasons 52
-Lacrosse coach for my town program

LORs:
-Advisor who is a biology professor and runs our health professions applications
- Comparative vertebrate Anatomy professor
-Religion professor who is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met and was influential in shaping my college experience
-2 vets from the clinic in Maryland and 1 from the vet I work for in NYC

Volunteer
-None

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
In my file review with Tufts I was told my personal statement was a weak point of my application. I wrote about how I went from being unpaid at my first veterinary job to earning a paid position and a return offer. I honestly haven't had the time to sit down and think about what I want to write about, but I am really unsure what I am going to do. Based on the feedback I got from Tufts, I am going to scrap my essay from last year and start from scratch.

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[JaynaAli]

Your GPAs seem fine. Your vet experience hours are on the lower side but not too bad…more will certainly help though. More breadth in experience hours certainly wouldn’t hurt. I was thinking as I read through that I wondered if your essays were the issue, so I’d definitely spend time thinking about the prompts, being sure you’re answering the questions asked, and making sure you have trusted people read them for feedback.

Also, from your post it seems like you’re probably from the north east, but you’ve got some of the most expensive OOS schools on your list. I’d encourage you to think about other options that may be cheaper too. I understand if you don’t want to leave family or other things, but you have some different geography on the list so maybe be sure you’re aware of the cost of some of those programs.

 

[battie]

I honestly haven't had the time to sit down and think about what I want to write about, but I am really unsure what I am going to do. Based on the feedback I got from Tufts, I am going to scrap my essay from last year and start from scratch

Be sure to actually answer the prompt. A lot of people get stuck on telling a specific story that doesn't actually address whatever the essay prompt is.

 

[Penny$29]

Your GPAs seem fine. Your vet experience hours are on the lower side but not too bad…more will certainly help though. More breadth in experience hours certainly wouldn’t hurt. I was thinking as I read through that I wondered if your essays were the issue, so I’d definitely spend time thinking about the prompts, being sure you’re answering the questions asked, and making sure you have trusted people read them for feedback.

Also, from your post it seems like you’re probably from the north east, but you’ve got some of the most expensive OOS schools on your list. I’d encourage you to think about other options that may be cheaper too. I understand if you don’t want to leave family or other things, but you have some different geography on the list so maybe be sure you’re aware of the cost of some of those programs.

Hopefully I'll be getting 300-400 more hours of small animal experience this summer. I am hoping to try and get some more equine shadowing hours as well after I graduate. My essays were definitely the issue, so once I am finished with finals I am really going to start brainstorming and drafting. I am from Long Island, so I would preferably like to stay on the east coast, but I am not opposed to traveling if it means I have a better shot at getting into a school. Are there any schools that you would reccomend based on my stats? I can't guarantee this, but if all goes well my overall GPA at the end of the semester should be a 3.8, my science GPA should be around a 3.65 and my last 45 GPA should be a 4.0. I really appreciate the advice, thank you so much!

 

[Georgethecat]

Agree with above posts. It's likely your lack of vet hours and essays were your weak points. If Cornell and VMCVM offer file reviews, do them. Never hurts to get another perspective on your application.

Your grades are very good. I'd apply to any schools that you meet the pre-req's for, especially the more affordable schools. Cram in as many hours as you can this summer. There are definitely ways to sell your D1 athlete experience as valuable.

Your most affordable options are: NC State, WSU, Mizzou, Cornell, Purdue, FL, etc.

Best of luck!

 

[Penny$29]

Agree with above posts. It's likely your lack of vet hours and essays were your weak points. If Cornell and VMCVM offer file reviews, do them. Never hurts to get another perspective on your application.

Your grades are very good. I'd apply to any schools that you meet the pre-req's for, especially the more affordable schools. Cram in as many hours as you can this summer. There are definitely ways to sell your D1 athlete experience as valuable.

Your most affordable options are: NC State, WSU, Mizzou, Cornell, Purdue, FL, etc.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much! I set up a file review with Cornell for the end of May. This helps a lot I really appreciate it!