WAMC- 3rd time applicant, competitive numbers/experiences(?)

[madrigal01]

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Hey all,

I guess this will be my third time applying. 23F. I got into Ross and St. George this cycle, but honestly with the current uncertainty with loans as someone who wants to specialize (as well as some personal things) I don't think I'm accepting either seat. Waitlisted for MS State, UGA, and LMU, not feeling very hopeful right now. Dream job is Aquatics, though I don't have experience in that field right now.

1st Cycle (2022-2023)
UF (In-State, denied without interview)
Oregon State (OOS, denied)
SGU (Accepted, declined seat to reapply)

2nd Cycle (2024-2025)
UF (IS, denied w/o interview)
MS State (OOS, Interviewed, waitlisted)
NC State (OOS, denied)
Illinois (OOS, denied)
LMU (OOS, interviewed, waitlisted)
UGA (OOS, waitlisted)
Oregon State (OOS, denied)
SGU (Interviewed, accepted -> decline seat?)
Ross (Interviewed, accepted -> decline seat?)

I feel like my scores and experiences are competitive (especially for an in-country school!!), but I can't even get an interview to my in-state so I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong. Only MS State does file reviews, so I guess I'll see what they thought application wise. Just feeling really discouraged right now and thought I'd get some advice on where to go from here.

Note: Had to quit my job in November to take care of my parents and haven't been doing anything in the field/to better my app since then. I don't know how/if that will affect applying this next cycle. Though I am taking Animal Anatomy, Animal Physiology, and Animal Nutrition online right now to get those pre-reqs for any school that requires them

Cumulative GPA: 3.75
science GPA: 3.58
last 45: 4.0

Any degrees achieved: B.S. Biology, University of Central Florida, Leadership Certificate

GRE results: Not taken

CASPER: 3rd Quartile

Veterinary Experience:
- 2000 hours Tech/Assistant at Small Animal GP
- 500 hours Reception at Small Animal ER

LORs:
-Vet from Small Animal GP
-Professor from TA position
-Professor that took me to South Africa

Animal Experience:
- 150 hours volunteering with Exotic Turtles and Tortoises (husbandry)
- 50 hours Wildlife Reserve in South Africa
- (planned for Summer 2025) 80 hours MARVET with Bottlenose Dolphins

Research Experience:
- Published one paper on Microplastic Abundance in Florida State Parks (not first author or anything)
- 50 hours collecting data on Microplastics
- 20 hours collecting data for Mangrove encroachment in intracoastal oyster beds
-100 hours collecting data on Queen Conch in Belize

Awards/scholarships:
- Provost Scholarship (Full ride to Undergrad)
- Study Abroad Scholarships x2
- Dean's List x4, President's List x3
-Degree awarded with Honors and Distinction
- Housing Leadership Awards x3
-Advocacy Initiative of the Year 2023 National Housing Conference

CE/Certificates/Conferences:
- Fear-Free Certified
- RECOVER Certified
- APVMA Symposium 2024
- VMX 2025 (~40 hours CE)
- (planned) IAAAM 2025


Extracurriculars:
- Residence Hall Association Executive Board Member (2 years), Dorm Council President (2 years), National Residence Hall Honorary (2 years)
- Dean's Leadership Council (2 years)
- Pre-Vet Society

Employment:
- Teacher's Assistant for Honors Symposium (2 years)
- Internship with Audubon Florida Climate Fellow for 1 Semester

Thanks for any help :,)

 

[vampyrica]

Hi! Best of luck re-applying. Your academic stats are pretty good (better than mine when I applied both times). I think you could benefit from additional animal hours as well. What did you write your previous PS about? A big thing I've noticed during both cycles I applied is that alot of people write about how they want to go into a specialty or niche field but have little to no experience in it. I think having those additional hours with the bottlenose dolphins will help back up your passion for pursuing aquatic medicine!

Make sure your LOR writers are able to confiendtly attest to your passion, work ethic, and personality! I found out during my first cycle from a file review that I had a weak LOR despite individuals I worked with for 2+ years and knew they could speak on the above topics. Maybe add 1 more LOR or switch up who you ask this upcoming cycle? but that is up to you!

My biggest suggestion would be to have really strong essays and a really strong LOR. If you are being interviewed and then waitlisted, do you believe you are a strong interviewee or do you feel you could benefit from more practice prior to your interviews? I hope you're able to be lifted off a waitlist!

 

[_rae_]

I don't know if it's necessarily the main thing that would stop you from getting in, but if you want to do aquatics you need to show them you have experience with aquatics. If UF is your in state, see if you can get in as a volunteer with one of the aquariums. I don't know which one you're closest to but the Florida Aquarium has an Animal Care and Health Volunteer position. I got to volunteer with the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts in a similar volunteer position. I was able to manage a once a week shift with them in addition to a once a week shift with the Audubon while working a full time job, but I'm also a crazy person and know that can be difficult.

If you say you want to do large animal but only have small animal experience, they're going to question how you know you want to do small animal. If you want to specialize but only have GP experience, they're going to question how you know you want to do specialty.

 

[Cowsrcool]

Hi! You have a great app but overall what you lack is diverse veterinary experiences. Also most places don’t count reception as “vet experience” that would be animal experience as you aren’t working hands on in the same way as being a vet assistant or tech. I was told this by MANY schools. When compared to other applicants your “animal hours” are actually on the “lower”- mid level range. I recommend getting experience with every species, whether you want to work with them in the future or not. Call around to large animal vets, food animal vets, equine, mixed, etc.. and see about shadowing to increase those hours overall in diverse experiences. I’ve gotten advice from various admissions reps that experience in 1 place is not a red flag but it’s not helping you show that you have diverse and thorough knowledge of the broader field. Otherwise, you have great stats and interesting insights and experiences just keep expanding!! But honestly you are never guaranteed to be accepted next time so if you would be not ok with not getting in next cycle, I’d consider Ross or SGU (I know people who have transferred out of both successfully if it really doesn’t work out)

 

[madrigal01]

Hi! You have a great app but overall what you lack is diverse veterinary experiences. Also most places don’t count reception as “vet experience” that would be animal experience as you aren’t working hands on in the same way as being a vet assistant or tech. I was told this by MANY schools. When compared to other applicants your “animal hours” are actually on the “lower”- mid level range. I recommend getting experience with every species, whether you want to work with them in the future or not. Call around to large animal vets, food animal vets, equine, mixed, etc.. and see about shadowing to increase those hours overall in diverse experiences. I’ve gotten advice from various admissions reps that experience in 1 place is not a red flag but it’s not helping you show that you have diverse and thorough knowledge of the broader field. Otherwise, you have great stats and interesting insights and experiences just keep expanding!! But honestly you are never guaranteed to be accepted next time so if you would be not ok with not getting in next cycle, I’d consider Ross or SGU (I know people who have transferred out of both successfully if it really doesn’t work out)

Interesting, I've never heard that about reception so thanks for the perspective! I'll definitely look into something with equine/LA and see if I can get some hours there. If I moved reception down to animal hours do you think that puts me in a higher range?

 

[pp9]

Also most places don’t count reception as “vet experience” that would be animal experience as you aren’t working hands on in the same way as being a vet assistant or tech. I was told this by MANY schools.

This strikes me as odd. Out of all of the prevets with reception experience that have ever posted on SDN, APVMA, or even Reddit (myself included), I don't think I've ever seen someone say that they were told it should be recategorized as animal experience. If that many schools are telling you this, they need to petition VMCAS to change the guidelines.

If your boss is a vet, it's objectively vet experience by VMCAS definition. It is experience in a clinical setting under veterinary supervision. Reception hours are not as impactful as assistant or tech hours, but neither are kennel hours (in the setting of a vet clinic) and those are also considered veterinary by VMCAS definition. I guess the only caveat to that would be in a setting where you weren't supervised by a vet (such as a corporate practice, vs. a privately owned small animal practice), but I would doubt that a school would be that nitpicky over it.

I personally wouldn't recategorize this one - if the schools want to change how they interpret things, that is up to them (as it always is). At the end of the day, which category you put it under probably isn't going to break your application, especially when you are following VMCAS guidelines and not trying to overstate hours or make stuff up.

I got into Ross and St. George this cycle, but honestly with the current uncertainty with loans as someone who wants to specialize (as well as some personal things) I don't think I'm accepting either seat.

I'm not trying to invalidate your concerns by saying this, but I don't understand this. Personal reasons aside, you are going to be in some big debt if you end up OOS too. Island schools are sometimes comparable to OOS schools cost-wise. There are plenty of island students on these threads that can give you a realistic idea of what housing will actually run you. Ross looks like it could be pretty comparable to Oregon and UGA for example, but you'd have to do some leg work to figure out the housing costs in each area.

You may not be doing anything 'wrong' for UF to pass you up, sometimes you just aren't standing out enough, they don't vibe with your essay, etc. I would stop applying to schools you don't want to go to (it's a waste of time and money), try to diversify your veterinary experience, revamp your essays, and check in with your LOR writers.

 

[madrigal01]

This strikes me as odd. Out of all of the prevets with reception experience that have ever posted on SDN, APVMA, or even Reddit (myself included), I don't think I've ever seen someone say that they were told it should be recategorized as animal experience. If that many schools are telling you this, they need to petition VMCAS to change the guidelines.

If your boss is a vet, it's objectively vet experience by VMCAS definition. It is experience in a clinical setting under veterinary supervision. Reception hours are not as impactful as assistant or tech hours, but neither are kennel hours (in the setting of a vet clinic) and those are also considered veterinary by VMCAS definition. I guess the only caveat to that would be in a setting where you weren't supervised by a vet (such as a corporate practice, vs. a privately owned small animal practice), but I would doubt that a school would be that nitpicky over it.

I personally wouldn't recategorize this one - if the schools want to change how they interpret things, that is up to them (as it always is). At the end of the day, which category you put it under probably isn't going to break your application, especially when you are following VMCAS guidelines and not trying to overstate hours or make stuff up.


I'm not trying to invalidate your concerns by saying this, but I don't understand this. Personal reasons aside, you are going to be in some big debt if you end up OOS too. Island schools are sometimes comparable to OOS schools cost-wise. There are plenty of island students on these threads that can give you a realistic idea of what housing will actually run you. Ross looks like it could be pretty comparable to Oregon and UGA for example, but you'd have to do some leg work to figure out the housing costs in each area.

You may not be doing anything 'wrong' for UF to pass you up, sometimes you just aren't standing out enough, they don't vibe with your essay, etc. I would stop applying to schools you don't want to go to (it's a waste of time and money), try to diversify your veterinary experience, revamp your essays, and check in with your LOR writers.

Thank you for clarifying, the first part also striked me as odd but it guessed it was possible that I made that much of an oversight so idk

The second part... yeah that's fair. Would you believe me if I said I genuinely was okay with going there when I submitted? I'm well aware what it looks like to apply to those schools and then not take the offer. As far as the loans go, I know that on paper the cost for OOS and Caribbean schools are the same, but it's dealing with the public vs private loans that has me really leaning against it. Georgia would probably put me in the 375k range, but I know that as an in-country school the entire cost of attendance could be paid for with public loans at about 9% interest and possibly (cause who the hell knows what's going on with the DOE stuff 🙄) with an IBR. Caribbean schools only let you borrow half of tuition with public and the rest are private, which means a solid $250k at interest rates of >15% and no IBR.

Also as mentioned, both of my parents are disabled and I'm really terrified of the lack of access I'd have to them on an island should there be an emergency. I know the same may be true for in-country vet schools with exams/clinics and everything but I really can't get past imagining the worst case scenario thinking about Ross and St. George.

Thank you for replying! Let me know if you have any other insight 🙂

 

[JaynaAli]

Caribbean schools only let you borrow half of tuition with public and the rest are private, which means a solid $250k at interest rates of >15% and no IBR.

I’m not saying your reasons not to attend aren’t valid, but I don’t think this part is true? I’ve known lots of island grads and been around SDN a long time and I’ve never heard this. The amount probably exceeds the amount for the first line direct unsubsidized loans, but as far as I know the island schools are still eligible for the same gradplus loans you’d also use at any stateside school. Gradplus covers the full cost of attendance after the allotment from the direct unsubsidized. I’d recommend you look into it more. I looked at SGU’s website and it says they are eligible for both direct and gradplus, which together cover full cost of attendance.