WAMC c/o 2027

[_rae_]

I applied for the class of 2025 and got rejected from Tufts (no interview), and auto-rejected from Illinois and Iowa due to a transcript error (remember your college classes you took in high school kids!). I moved to Massachusetts this past year and took an extra gap year to gain experience. I'm originally from Vermont, so I didn't have an in state school my first application cycle. I currently work at Angell Animal Medical Center. Here's my stats:

Cumulative GPA: 3.64
Science GPA: 3.64 (I'm pretty sure I calculated this right but it could be marginally higher or lower due to human error)
Last 45: 3.42 (Again, potential here for human error but the difference should be marginal)

Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Music, minors in biology and chemistry

GRE: Don't plan on taking since all but a few schools are phasing it out

Veterinary Experience:
40 hours of general practice shadowing
~1500 hours of oncology practice and counting (attendant, paid position)

Animal Experience:
200+ hours of personal pet sitting business (might not include this as I have other experiences that suit the application better)
~750 hours of shelter volunteer experience
~40 hours of wildlife rehab volunteer experience
~200 hours of exotic lab animal care (work study at school)
~100 of equine/chicken care volunteer experience

No research experience

Awards/Scholarships:
(Undergraduate school) Leadership Scholarship
(Undergraduate school) Alumni Promise Scholarship
(Undergraduate school) Freshman Scholars scholarship
(Undergraduate school) Elite Honors Scholarship
SAMARA Fund Scholarship (LGBTQ+ activism based)
Alchemist Scholarship
National Honors Society (in high school, might take this out)
(Undergraduate school) Cole Family Scholarship
Five semesters of President's List (GPA 3.5 or above)
Two semesters of Dean's List (GPA 3.25-3.49)
(Undergraduate school) Biology Departmental Award
(Undergraduate school) Student Affairs Division Award
(Undergraduate school) Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Lonel Woods Lavender Award

Extracurriculars:
Outright Vermont - Volunteer work as an events assistant, from high school
Tons of music festivals from high school, can expand on those if they should be included but right now I'm trying to avoid high school if it's not relevant
Musical Theater Organization - mic chief, sound designer, set crew
Department of Theater and Dance - spotlight operator
Institute of Music Business and Entrepreneurship - event assistant for school TEDx event
Residence Life RA Councilmember

Employment:
Ben & Jerry's - 4 years as scooper and shift lead
Grocery store - 8 months as a cashier and the customer service associate
Residence Life RA - 3 years during undergrad
B&N College Bookstore - temp for one month, but ran the entire textbook sale after some unfortunate Covid callouts

When I first applied, one of the reasons Tufts rejected me was I was lacking experience in the field. I've definitely got much better experience, but I worry it's not varied enough. Specialty work is definitely something I feel will make me stand out a bit and I've done some work in our ER so I've been exposed to more than just cancer patients, but I'm still worried that minimal large and large animal experience will hurt me. I know my GPA is very average, but I'm worried it's not competitive when I'm lacking research. I'm also just someone who second guesses themself, even though looking at my achievements written out like this, I'm so very proud of myself.

I'm also struggling on where to apply. I know I will not be applying to the island schools; it isn't for me and I know it. My current "these look interesting list" is as follows: Tufts (IS), University of Prince Edward Island, UPenn, Wisconsin-Madison, Washington State, Royal Dick School, and Royal Veterinary College. I'm open to other suggestions but due to a variety of reasons, anything in the southern part of the United States is not feasible. Thanks for taking the time to look!

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[BlackCatsRuleTheWorld]

Just quickly, WSU has "tiers" based on applicant GPA and is pretty competitive for OOS because of their low tuition. For Tufts I would definitely recommend reaching out to their admissions committee - they should be able to look over your resume etc and provide you with realistic advice.

Some other schools to consider adding - Iowa, Minnesota, WesternU. Rest of your list looks good to me

 

[HeelerMom]

Include your dog sitting business hours and anything else you can remember! You may not think it’s important, but I see it differently. To me that experience tells me you are responsible, seeing that people trusted you with their pets. I got in to WSU as a non-traditional student my first time applying. Their admissions told me to add everything! To the point I even added the fact that I helped shovel snow for an elderly neighbor. Even though I graduated HS in 2001, I still added activities like leadership positions and sports I played. The more you add, the better idea they have of you and the type of individual you are.