WAMC c/o 2027 (High GPA, Low Hours)

[Bolouri]

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Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
I’m a 22-year-old Florida resident who just graduated from the University of Florida and it is my first time applying!

Cumulative GPA: 3.94
Science GPA: 3.91
Last 45: 3.96

Any degrees achieved: B.S. in Biology with a minor in Women’s Studies

GRE results: Not taking the GRE

Veterinary Experience:
- Veterinary tech volunteer at a humane society: 63 hours
- Veterinary tech volunteer at a low-cost clinic: 174 hours
- Veterinary assistant at a small animal clinic: this is my current job, I estimate I will have around 490 hours by September 15

Animal Experience:
- Volunteer at humane society (small animal): 46 hours
- Volunteer at sheep farm (large animal): 322 hours

Research Experience:
- Research assistant doing remote research on animal behavior and welfare: 26 hours

Extracurriculars:
- Pre-vet club member: 3 semesters
- Recreational ballet

Employment:
- Tutor for at-risk children aged K-12 (work-study): 152 hours (2 semesters worth)

LORs:
- One from a vet I worked with at the low-cost clinic I volunteered at
- One from my supervisor at the sheep farm
- I’m going to get one more letter from either a vet or the manager at my current job. I am worried about this since I just started this job at the beginning of June and I’m not going to ask for the letter until the beginning of August because I wanted them to get to know me a little more before I ask for a letter.
- I don’t really have anyone else that I could ask for a letter. I TA-ed with a grad student for microbiology lab but it was for one semester only and it was during Spring 2021. I could also ask the manager at the low-cost clinic I volunteered at but I’m already asking a vet that works there so I don’t know if I should ask for letters from 2 people from the same experience.

Schools I’m applying to:
- UF (in-state/dream school), LSU, Colorado, NC State, Purdue, University of Tennessee, University of Arizona, and Michigan.
- I chose these schools based on location, whether they require GRE/Casper (I don't have time to take a test), and cost.

Concerns:
I feel like I have the opposite problem as most people since I have a high GPA but I have low experience hours and extracurriculars. I decided I wanted to pursue vet school about 2 years ago so that is why my experience and hours are so limited. I want to know what my chances are of applying with such low hours. I am worried about my LORs since I only have 2 as of right now and my 3rd one is going to be very last minute. I also want to know how else I can improve my application for the next cycle since I think my chances of getting in this cycle are pretty low so I want to improve as much as I can for the next cycle. Thank you!

 

[flotus]

Get an LOR from a professor!

Even if the letter is not personal, you have a great GPA. I would go back and ask a professor from an intense course like biochem, or one where you got an "A". Per my micro professor and the head of our bio dept, it is literally faculty's job to write rec letters for professional school and most of them have a generic template. Often, they will ask for some personal information from you as well to make the letter more specific. Of course, it is best to establish a relationship with a professor before asking because they can write a more thoughtful letter instead of something so generic but it is not required. However, a professor letter is important and they can say something veterinarians and research coordinators can't: "My course was challenging and (your name) handled it well. Her test scores were (blank) when the average was (blank). I think (your pronouns) can handle the rigor of vet school" Also, a lot of schools require that letter from a prof.

I can't truly speak on your hours bc I am a first time applicant. I know my friend had ~900 during the last cycle and was rejected from her IS because she lacked hours but had a great application and interview otherwise. I think it is really competitive rn and schools narrow down a lot of great applicants based off of their experiences. Places are hiring all over, can you take a second job maybe at a mixed or large animal practice just to get a few extra, diverse hours in the next month or two?

 

[aepudvm26]

You also need to make sure that if your LOR are not going to be mostly vets, that these reccomenders can attest to the fact that you actually know what you are getting into (academically, industry wise, etc). I would also recommend making sure that your personal statement is sure to mention your knowledge of the industry and your commitment to pursuing the degree. I would encourage you to reflect more on your past experiences and anyone that can attest to your leadership/character would certainly be a great addition as many applicants have a high GPA like you and LOR and experiences are how you stand out. Best of luck!

 

[Bolouri]

Get an LOR from a professor!

Even if the letter is not personal, you have a great GPA. I would go back and ask a professor from an intense course like biochem, or one where you got an "A". Per my micro professor and the head of our bio dept, it is literally faculty's job to write rec letters for professional school and most of them have a generic template. Often, they will ask for some personal information from you as well to make the letter more specific. Of course, it is best to establish a relationship with a professor before asking because they can write a more thoughtful letter instead of something so generic but it is not required. However, a professor letter is important and they can say something veterinarians and research coordinators can't: "My course was challenging and (your name) handled it well. Her test scores were (blank) when the average was (blank). I think (your pronouns) can handle the rigor of vet school" Also, a lot of schools require that letter from a prof.

I can't truly speak on your hours bc I am a first time applicant. I know my friend had ~900 during the last cycle and was rejected from her IS because she lacked hours but had a great application and interview otherwise. I think it is really competitive rn and schools narrow down a lot of great applicants based off of their experiences. Places are hiring all over, can you take a second job maybe at a mixed or large animal practice just to get a few extra, diverse hours in the next month or two?

Hi, thanks for replying! I will definitely be contacting a few of my profs and seeing if any one of them can write me a letter. I thought that I had to be really close to a prof before asking for a letter so that is why I didn't ask for one since I was never particularly close to any of my profs.

As for my hours, I am planning on applying to a few internships that focus more on exotic animals in hopes that that will help diversify my experiences a bit but I'm not sure if I'll be able to set something up before the application is due.

Thanks for your help and advice!

Edit: Do you think it would be better to ask my physiology prof who had a much harder course in which I did much better in compared to the rest of the students or ask a prof who is involved in UF's vet school and who I've had in two different veterinary-focused courses but those courses were not as hard compared to the physiology course and almost all the students did really well in? I hope this made sense lol

 

[Bolouri]

You also need to make sure that if your LOR are not going to be mostly vets, that these reccomenders can attest to the fact that you actually know what you are getting into (academically, industry wise, etc). I would also recommend making sure that your personal statement is sure to mention your knowledge of the industry and your commitment to pursuing the degree. I would encourage you to reflect more on your past experiences and anyone that can attest to your leadership/character would certainly be a great addition as many applicants have a high GPA like you and LOR and experiences are how you stand out. Best of luck!

Thanks for the reply! The sheep farm that I worked at was actually UF's sheep unit that worked very closely with UF's vet school and my supervisor knows a lot of the vets that work there so hopefully, he'll be able to write me a good letter! I'm pretty stressed about my personal statement so I appreciate your advice.