WAMC- applying next cycle

[coha_bound]

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Hello!

Just wanted to see if I have a shot at being accepted next cycle or if I should plan on taking another gap year. 🙂

Background: Did not even remotely consider vet med until after graduation. I started college wanting to go the biomedical research route, ideally working at at government institution like the CDC or NIH. Then the 2024 election happened. 🫠 So yeah amidst the ensuing mild agoraphobia from being non-binary in a very red area I did a career reset. Started seriously considering wildlife rehabilitation more as a career since I loved the internship I had done at one the previous summer. Got an internship at the Carolina Raptor Center the following summer that solidified that love even more. Jump to this past summer, and I realized that, while I love rehab, it's not quite science-heavy enough for me, especially at smaller rehab centers. Even in looking at rehab fellowships I kept being drawn to what the descriptions were for vet student externships and internships lol. So I got an assistant position at a surgical clinic and I'm really loving it; I think vet med is definitely the path for me, especially considering it's a lot of overlap between education and medicine (which is what drew me to rehab to begin with.)

Oh, and not to mention the companion rodent nutrition business I've been running since 2020 that's netted over $600k and I presented about at a TEDx event. That's also a driving factor.

I'm currently taking some prereqs that I didn't take in my undergrad and completing UIUC's companion animal nutrition course (mostly because that stuff fascinates me, but also because it'll help with my business and boost my science GPA a bit)

With that out of the way, here's my stats:

Cum undergrad GPA: 3.69
(Should be at least 3.7 with prereqs done)

Science GPA: currently 3.52,
(should get to at least 3.6 with prereqs done)

Science prereq GPA: 3.61
(Only courses explicitly stated as prereqs by most schools; again, including upcoming prereqs)

Last 45: 3.9

Like I said I had a rough junior year (especially that fall), but even still I got at least B-s in all my classes. The only C on my transcript is from gen chem 1 lab because I had a lab partner that never came to class and I blew off some of the assignments.

Experience:

Vet:
~60 at CRC shadowing contracted vets (raptor medicine)
Hopefully around 500 at surgical specialty clinic (small animal)
Hoping to shadow at my state's pathology lab and maybe (probably) get some large animal shadowing experience

Total: Currently 160, hoping for closer to 600 by the time I apply

Animal (including wildlife education, which was usually done with ambassador animals):

~100 hours in high school at a local nature center
~175 hours volunteering at a local humane society socializing cats
~500 hours at a local wildlife rehab center (all species except bears and deer; still volunteering there so I'd expect another 300-400 hours before applying)
~250 hours at the Carolina Raptor Center (raptor only clinic)
~100 hours at a nature center near my college (also did lots of wildlife education/husbandry training, especially with birds of prey)

Total: Currently about 1050, closer to 1400 by applying

Research:
About 200 hours in a drosophila neurology lab; wasn't able to complete my own project since my advisor switched institutions but had set-up pretty much ready to go
2x Goldwater applicant

I'm still exploring colleges, but I'm very interested in schools with raptor programs like UMN, UCD, and Auburn (although Alabama kinda scares me as a trans person 🙃). Cornell, Tufts, and UPenn also have raptor clubs and strong wildlife programs. I'm not dead set on wildlife med, but it's for sure a possibility. I'm also interested in pathology and internal medicine as specialties. Not sure how much I'd love exotic practice as like a full-blown career as much as it's influenced my decision to go to vet school. Nutrition would be awesome but I hear it doesn't pay well like at all. I'm in PA so my only in-state option is a private Ivy League 🫠

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. ☺️

 

[beans2020]

I wouldn't apply until you have at least ~500 vet hours. It would be great too if you could have some at places other than the one surgical clinic - my concern is that an ad com panel will look at your application and not be confident that you fully understand what you are getting into as a vet since you haven't had as much experience as other applicants and you are changing your career. Your grades are solid - I would try to apply to places that have an average admitted GPA similar to yours. That is another pro of getting more experience before applying - right now on paper you appear to be a pretty average applicant - neither your grades or hours really stand out. That wouldn't be an issue except that vet school is SO competitive I'm afraid you wouldn't make it as far because other applicants may outshine you in the grades or experiences department. Your experience with your nutrition business will help with that and so will your essays and LORs as long as they are outstanding. I hope that helps a little bit!

As a side note, Mizzou also has a raptor program but we don't see any exotics beyond the raptors. You can change your residency from OOS to IS and get cheaper tuition 2nd - 4th year here so if costs are a concern for you, you may want to consider them. Illinois has a wildlife clinic and sees exotics as well but I don't really know much else about them.

 

[coha_bound]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, being at the lower end as far as raw vet hours goes is what's scaring me the most. 🙁 Do you think they might weigh those hours more heavily since I'll be at that clinic for over a year by the time I apply? Like, I've had more time to reflect on that experience versus someone who got 500 hours in one summer, you know?
And yeah I just did an advising session with UF and they recommended at least 3-4 fields of exposure, so I want to at very least try and get some large animal shadowing in to complement my wildlife hospital and SA clinic background. 🙂

Also totally forgot to mention I did a bit of zoo med shadowing when I was in Guatemala doing an environmental education project for a local zoo. Only about 10 hours, but also entirely in Spanish. I'm sure being bilingual is pretty common among applicants in this admissions environment though. 🙃

Hard agree with getting good LORs and a stellar essay going. The UF advisor also sort of suggested that that's going to be my best bet, too. I'm hoping my non-traditional journey, nutrition background, and species of interest might make me stand out a bit more. I guess I just have to hope they'll look past my mid-tier metrics to actually read it.

Noted about Mizzou and Illinois! I'll look into them some more.

Again, thank you so much for the feedback! 🙂

 

[beans2020]

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, being at the lower end as far as raw vet hours goes is what's scaring me the most. 🙁 Do you think they might weigh those hours more heavily since I'll be at that clinic for over a year by the time I apply? Like, I've had more time to reflect on that experience versus someone who got 500 hours in one summer, you know?

Not necessarily. It probably depends on what all you've done during your experience. It's really hard to say, though - two people may read and review the same application differently.
And you are very welcome!