WAMC - 2nd time applicant, Master's Student, Arkansas

[primefox]

23-year-old Female
Arkansas
2nd time Application

Previously applied during my undergraduate, looking back on it now, I had NO experience besides research and my application (personal statements/essays) were trash. I played sports my entire undergrad, so I had minimal time to get opportunities with vets. I got an opportunity to get my master’s after undergrad and took it while getting a job at a clinic that does exotics, emergency and companion animals.

Applying: UPenn, OSU, KSU, LSU, Cornell, UTennessee, CSU

GPA: 3.6
Science GPA: 3.6
Last 45: 3.8

Degrees:

• B.A in Biology
• Master of Science in Statistics and Analytics with a Biology emphasis

Vet Experience: 870 hours

• Shadowing: 70 hours (in high school)
• Veterinary Assistant (Exotic and Companion clinic/Emergency clinic): 784 hours (current)
• Drive through clinic: 16 hours

Animal Experience: 636 hours

• Bird Rehabilitation facility: 12 hours (current experience)
• Different Bird Rehab facility: 60 hours
• Animal Caretaker at Vet Clinic: 504 hours (at current clinic that I am now VA)
• Doggy Daycare: 60 hours

Research Experience: 2,386 hours

Graduate Research: 260 hours
Researching Chronic Wasting Disease in relation to historical data with White Tailed Deer (looking at susceptibility): 260 hours

Summer after Undergrad (working for University of Arkansas): 440 hours

• Field technician on researching the effect of feral hogs on ground nesting birds (280 hours)
• Field Technician on different land management's effects on birds (160 hours)

Undergrad Research: 1,686 hours

• Monitoring Avian Producibility and Susceptibility (MAPS), banding wild songbirds (90 hours)
• Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN) is a game-camera-focused national project where game cameras are placed in urban spaces in cities to photograph wildlife present (96 hours)
• Children’s Eternal Rainforest (Remote) analyzed and monitored animals through game cameras placed in Costa Rica; dealt with large number of pictures and data (1500 hours)

Employment:

• Graduate teaching assistant: 2 years during Master’s (biology and human anatomy)
• Teaching assistant (undergrad): 2 years, Environmental Biology
• Lifeguard in high school

LORs:

• 2 DVMs that I work with every day
• 1 Undergrad Professor that I have pet sit for her exotic animals

Extracurriculars:

• LGBT clubs
• Pre-Vet clubs (undergrad and graduate)
• Soccer (NCAA D3, all 4 years during undergrad)
• Lacrosse (NCAA D3, 3 years during undergrad)
• Esports (lol, NCAA D3, 2 years during undergrad)
• Environmental Concerns Committee Chair

Achievements/Scholarships:

• Impact Scholar (undergrad)
• Honor Roll (2019-2023)

I have submitted my apps, but I am just getting increasingly nervous. I know I do not have much variety in my vet hours but I am hoping that my variety in research kind of helps that out. Being OOS for everywhere, I just did not know if anyone has had similar experiences or stats to me and just where they are at.

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[JaynaAli]

I think you’ll be fairly competitive. More hours certainly wouldn’t hurt, but 820 is a decent number. Your GPAs are fairly average. I’d have lots of people read your statements and make them the best they can be to help you stand out.

Which OSU? Oklahoma? There’s also Ohio and Oregon OSUs, but if I remember right OkState has (or at least used to have) contract seats for Arkansas people, which should help your chances there and at other contract schools. If you aren’t applying to all the places Arkansas has contract seats, I’d recommend you do so, since those will likely be your best chance at acceptance and should be lower cost options. UPenn and Tennessee are some of the more expensive schools for OOS students if I remember correctly, so make sure you realize what those programs will cost and have a plan for how you’re gonna pay for it or if the cost just isn’t worth it.

 

[primefox]

I think you’ll be fairly competitive. More hours certainly wouldn’t hurt, but 820 is a decent number. Your GPAs are fairly average. I’d have lots of people read your statements and make them the best they can be to help you stand out.

Which OSU? Oklahoma? There’s also Ohio and Oregon OSUs, but if I remember right OkState has (or at least used to have) contract seats for Arkansas people, which should help your chances there and at other contract schools. If you aren’t applying to all the places Arkansas has contract seats, I’d recommend you do so, since those will likely be your best chance at acceptance. UPenn and Tennessee are some of the more expensive schools for OOS students, so make sure you realize what those programs will cost and have a plan for how you’re gonna pay for it or if the cost just isn’t worth it.

Sorry, Oklahoma! Arkansas has contract seats with them and LSU (I think Mizzou and Tuskegee do too). Thank you for the advice!