WAMC c/o 2028 traditional, first time applicant

[Danalittle]

Hi everyone! I'm applying this cycle and would love any constructive advice. I'm a 21 year old female MA resident, so Tufts is my instate option.

Cumulative GPA: 3.66
Science GPA: 3.59
Last 45: 3.8

I still have to finish this semester (hopefully gonna finish strong lol), and I'm taking some summer community college classes to try to bump up my GPAs.

Veterinary experience
250 hours in GP that also saw exotic species
250 hours in a specialty hospital where I worked with urgent care, surgery, and internal medicine
And then I'm currently working as a veterinary assistant and I hope to have 1000 hours there by the time I submit

Animal experience
500 hours working at dog rescue
70 hours volunteering at exotic animal sanctuary
40 hours with lab animals (I realized here that lab animal medicine is NOT for me lol)
16 hours in a sea turtle hospital (I started volunteering in february 2020 then I couldn't go back when the pandemic hit)

Edit: forgot to add research experience

About 60 hours research into bacteria in soil
About 150-200ish hours research in bacteria and antibiotic resistance
About 60ish hours neuron research in nematodes
And then maybe like 30 hours in literature research related to Charles dickens

I know that I could use some more diverse experiences, but I am STRUGGLING. I have reached out to some equine vets near me to try to volunteer/shadow. I have also applied for some diverse internships and been rejected from all of them (what a confidence booster). I'm also mostly interested in SA, but I do want to explore the profession. I'm planning on reaching out to some farms/sanctuaries to volunteer at over the summer, but I'm not sure if it will make a difference since it would be animal experience and not veterinary experience. I'm also interested in applying for some internships related to animal welfare because I'm interested in shelter medicine, but again I'm not sure if this would help at all since it's not veterinary experience.

Right now I plan on applying to Tufts, Ross, St. George, WesternU, Long Island, Arizona, RVC, Cornell, possibly Michigan, and Iowa. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to diversify my experience, or which schools would play to my strengths?

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[goldenretrieverenergy]

I think your GPAs are competitive. Improving them over the summer like you suggested can’t hurt, but overall I think your last 45 being high shows a positive trajectory in grades which is what a lot of schools like to see. Your research is awesome and should help you to stand out. Definitely highlight that on your application. I think getting experience with large animals or equine would be helpful to your application as a lot of schools do like to see diversity of experience, but I wouldn’t stress too much if that’s not possible for you this application cycle. Most of my experience is in ECC and I made it very clear on my application that I wanted to pursue ECC, and the vets writing my letters of rec were either criticalists or ER doctors. So basically, try to show that you have quality experience in your area of interest (if you have a strong interest), as I do believe many schools will ask what you’re interested in; don’t be the person who says they’d like to pursue equine but has zero equine experience. FWIW, I got into Arizona with only small animal experience. Make sure you also include extracurriculars on your application to help show that you’re well-rounded. Additionally, I always think it’s a good idea to gain some community service/volunteer experience that pertains to helping people. Volunteering at farm sanctuaries still sounds like a good idea. Having that animal husbandry experience and an idea of how to care for larger animals and that comfortability around them will be helpful to you in school and definitely plays into diversity of experience. My understanding is that schools like to see well-rounded applicants with diverse experience, but diverse experience doesn’t mean you have to have shadowed every type of vet, but rather that you have experience around different types of animals, and quality veterinary experience that has given you a strong introduction to the profession. And remember, you have research experience which many applicants won’t have. That’ll help you stand out. They are looking for an indication that you know what you’ll be getting yourself into (as ominous as that sounds lol.) Overall I think you’ll be a good applicant! Also make sure your letters of rec are solid. Quality over quantity is like the golden rule when getting your LORs

 

[Danalittle]

I think your GPAs are competitive. Improving them over the summer like you suggested can’t hurt, but overall I think your last 45 being high shows a positive trajectory in grades which is what a lot of schools like to see. Your research is awesome and should help you to stand out. Definitely highlight that on your application. I think getting experience with large animals or equine would be helpful to your application as a lot of schools do like to see diversity of experience, but I wouldn’t stress too much if that’s not possible for you this application cycle. Most of my experience is in ECC and I made it very clear on my application that I wanted to pursue ECC, and the vets writing my letters of rec were either criticalists or ER doctors. So basically, try to show that you have quality experience in your area of interest (if you have a strong interest), as I do believe many schools will ask what you’re interested in; don’t be the person who says they’d like to pursue equine but has zero equine experience. FWIW, I got into Arizona with only small animal experience. Make sure you also include extracurriculars on your application to help show that you’re well-rounded. Additionally, I always think it’s a good idea to gain some community service/volunteer experience that pertains to helping people. Volunteering at farm sanctuaries still sounds like a good idea. Having that animal husbandry experience and an idea of how to care for larger animals and that comfortability around them will be helpful to you in school and definitely plays into diversity of experience. My understanding is that schools like to see well-rounded applicants with diverse experience, but diverse experience doesn’t mean you have to have shadowed every type of vet, but rather that you have experience around different types of animals, and quality veterinary experience that has given you a strong introduction to the profession. And remember, you have research experience which many applicants won’t have. That’ll help you stand out. They are looking for an indication that you know what you’ll be getting yourself into (as ominous as that sounds lol.) Overall I think you’ll be a good applicant! Also make sure your letters of rec are solid. Quality over quantity is like the golden rule when getting your LORs

Thank you so much!! This was such helpful feedback and so encouraging 🙂 Congrats on getting into Arizona too!