WAMC c/o 2027

[Hugo17]

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23, Male, NE, traditional, first time applicant

Hi! This is my first time applying after graduating from undergrad last spring (2021). Hoping to get in this cycle but we'll see. I know things will change but right now I'm mostly interested in potentially working with small animals with interests in surgery and behavior.

My current school list: UNL/ISU (in-state), VA-MD, Ohio state, WSU, KSU, Mizzou ,UW- Madison, and Illinois. I also really shouldn't be doing it because unrealistic but Glasgow and Edinburgh are also on the list😅.

Cumulative GPA: 3.55
science GPA: 3.17
last 45: 3.71

Any degrees achieved: BA Anthropology: Global Health and the Environment @ Washington University

GRE results: Didn't take

Veterinary Experience:
- SA clinic shadowing at small, medium, and large gp practices ~30 hrs
- SA certified vet assistant at 11 doc practice ~ 1600 hrs. Current gig
- Equine gp clinic shadowing ~ 1 day
- Intern at equine reproduction company ~ 540 hrs
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Animal Experience:
- Shelter/Humane society volunteer (cats, dogs, snakes, and birds) ~ 60 hrs
- Cat rescue ~ 16 hrs
- Nutrition lab intern at a zoo ~140 hrs

Research Experience:
- Contraceptive efficacy research related to a captive primate population at AZA institutions ~ 200 hrs

Awards/scholarships:
- I made deans list twice

Extracurriculars:
- Very casual IM soccer ~ 4 hrs
- Tutor group (Exec member) ~ 216 hrs
- Bachata dance group member ~ 32 hrs
- Pre-vet club member (didn't do much) ~ 3 hrs

Non-Animal Related Employment:
- Sophomore peer mentor ~ 58 hrs
- Peer notetaker ~ 54 hrs
- Medical library assistant ~ 290 hrs

LORS:
- My 4 year academic advisor
- 3 vets from SA practice I work at
- Vet from equine reproduction internship
- Research PI/ supervisor (PhD)

Concerns: That my science GPA is one big, waving red flag and that my general animal experience is low. I have retaken one of the two classes that I got C+ in (curse you intro bio) and got an A so maybe that will help. I'm worried that my science GPA combined with my major will get me written off by schools.

I also know my school list is probably not the best. I tried to base the list primarily on COA but also on factors specific to me (shot myself in the foot way back and never took Orgo 2. Would be a pain to go back through the whole sequence). Any suggestions?

 

[BlueCats]

I think you have a shot. I had a fairly similar GPA but more experience and got lots of rejections last cycle (8/10). Ultimately I did receive 2 acceptances from LIU & Ross. You might have a better shot at those international schools so I think it’s a good idea to include them. Maybe consider adding some other schools who accept low GPA students.

Also make sure you are truly willing to move abroad. I know at least one person who got accepted abroad and then decided not to go and to apply again. So don’t waste your money unless it’s something you really want. Also you can only have 5 LORs so keep that in mind. Some schools will only look at three letters regardless.

 

[stressy.depressy]

Seconding the advice above to do some soul searching and make sure you would really want to move abroad before applying to the UK schools. If you get in and then reapply instead of going, you’ve basically just made a donation to those schools.

It’s always good to cast a wide net, but if cost of applying is a concern and you’re looking to strike some schools from your list I would start with WSU - it’s one of the more competitive schools for OOS students, because of the in-state tuition after a year they just get more OOS applicants than most. Last year I believe they told me over 2000.

 

[cecetot]

I think you have a shot. I had a fairly similar GPA but more experience and got lots of rejections last cycle (8/10). Ultimately I did receive 2 acceptances from LIU & Ross. You might have a better shot at those international schools so I think it’s a good idea to include them. Maybe consider adding some other schools who accept low GPA students.

Also make sure you are truly willing to move abroad. I know at least one person who got accepted abroad and then decided not to go and to apply again. So don’t waste your money unless it’s something you really want. Also you can only have 5 LORs so keep that in mind. Some schools will only look at three letters regardless.

You can actually have 6 max! I’ve got 6 LORs as well !

 

[kcapplicant]

If the cost of applying to UK schools is a concern, you can apply to them via UCAS rather than VMCAS. UCAS costs a flat $30 fee to apply to multiple schools, 4 maximum. It does require the effort of applying via an additional system, though IMO UCAS is much more straightforward than VMCAS.

 

[Hugo17]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I'm still not quite sure if I would commit to going to a UK school but since I'm not more than 50% against it and I can kind of see myself doing it, I think I can justify at least applying to them (financially at this moment).

If the cost of applying to UK schools is a concern, you can apply to them via UCAS rather than VMCAS. UCAS costs a flat $30 fee to apply to multiple schools, 4 maximum. It does require the effort of applying via an additional system, though IMO UCAS is much more straightforward than VMCAS.

I didn't know about this! Earlier in the cycle I had briefly looked into UCAS but saw somewhere that schools had stated that North American applicants are supposed to apply via VMCAS

 

[kcapplicant]

I didn't know about this! Earlier in the cycle I had briefly looked into UCAS but saw somewhere that schools had stated that North American applicants are supposed to apply via VMCAS

It depends on the school. Edinburgh and Bristol don't mind either way. Glasgow says US applicants "should" apply via VMCAS, but they still offer interviews to those who apply via UCAS. RVC explicitly orders US applicants not to use UCAS.

I don't know why the universities care one way or the other, and if an applicant is desperate to go to Glasgow/RVC I assume it would be safer to apply via VMCAS. But if the financial aspect of applying is a serious concern, you can add Glasgow/RVC to a UCAS application to Edinburgh/Bristol at no extra cost.