WAMC c/o 2028: very non-traditional, need help w experience categories

[Laroca]

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Hello!

33yo Nurse Practitioner, female, resident of Saipan (U.S. island near Guam). First-time applicant for c/o 2028.
I REALLY want to go to Tufts. Their focus on shelter medicine and global health is ideal for me, and it is in close proximity to family that can help with my kids.

Cumulative GPA: 3.76 (3.96 grad + 3.56 undergrad)
science GPA: I am retaking science courses through UNE online over the next two semesters, because mine are all +10 years old
last 45: TBD

Any degrees achieved: B.S. in Nursing, M.S. in Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner

GRE results: Not sure (this was +10yr ago), but not planning to take again.

*Veterinary Experience:
-180hr "pop-up" spay/neuter clinic, hands-on as tech/assistant and main coordinator (possibly more if we get more vets visiting)
-We have no veterinarian living here, so it is a bit challenging to get hands-on vet experience unless visiting vets are coming. However, I can also get 200-400 hours at a rescue clinic (no vet so services are limited).

*Veterinary Experience or Animal Experience? Please advise what counts as veterinary vs. animal experience. Thank you!

+1,000 hours Program Development Coordinator for new community spay/neuter clinic: meeting with veterinarian mentors and government officials to establish need, co-wrote proposal to secure gov't funding, assist w/ hiring staff, clinic development and launch, building volunteer program. I worked directly with veterinarians for much of this.

+3,000 hours as Co-Founder of dog rescue: adoptions/foster coordinating, media appearances, networking and building community partnerships, planning animal care, building core team and volunteers, fundraising events.

200 hours coordinating visiting veterinarian groups, planning visits, clinic flow, partnerships with local government. Worked directly with veterinarians for this.

200 hours as medical foster for sarcoptic mange dogs

100 hours policy work: working to revise and push through legislation related to animal welfare, including speaking at Public Hearing

*Animal Experience:
-250hr College Equestrian Team
-5,000hr Horse Trainer: retraining off-the-track Thoroughbreds and other challenging horses for new careers
-20h Shark Redirection: Freediving with spearfishers to chum for tuna and redirect aggressive sharks

Research Experience:
-Stray dog survey

Awards/scholarships:
-Multiple nursing scholarships
-Have given +20 lectures on human medical issues
-Developed an interpreter training program for human medical issues

Extracurriculars:
-Freediving +100ft deep (Indonesia)
-Scuba certified (the Philippines/Guam)
-Yoga teacher certified (India)
-Traveled extensively, 1yr backpacking Southeast Asia and some South/Central America

Employment:
-Over 9,000 hours as Nurse Practitioner
-Completed nurse practitioner fellowship at top cancer center in country
-4,000 hours registered nurse
-2,000 hours nursing assistant

Summarize any concerns you have
-I feel that my spay/neuter program development and dog rescue experience is relevant - but does it count as veterinary experience or animal experience?
-If not vet experience, do I have enough given my other experiences?

-Will UNE Online Prereqs hurt my chances? The college here does not offer what I need.

-Any other Tufts-specific tips?

 

[max_wildlife]

Hey @Laroca!
I'm starting my second year at Tufts, and also a non-trad background. I spoke with an admissions person last year when I was working on some savma things, and she said they're looking to diversify the student body in terms of age, experience etc, so I think they'll love the initiative you've put into the spay/neuter program you've been working on. And that you're an NP. That's awesome.

The admissions people are genuinely helpful, and I think your experience is unique enough that it may be worth emailing Patti in admissions asking how to classify your program development work for Tufts. Since you're working directly with a vet, even though it isn't clinical per se, it would be worth clarifying with them. I'd work on getting some hands-on veterinary medical experience with vet supervision where you can. Some of my peers got in with like, 500 hrs.

The 3000 hrs in dog rescue and policy work I'd put as animal experience.

As a heads up, Tufts didn't care that many of my pre-reqs were over 10 years old; I did have science classes that were 'younger' from my Master's, showing that I didn't really need to retake Bio 1 and 2, for example, but worth asking them about that too if you haven't already. I'd also double check about UNE. The first time I applied, they weren't a fan. The second time I applied, they were fine with it. I imagine that means they're still fine with it, but always good to double check.

 

[Laroca]

Hey @Laroca!
I'm starting my second year at Tufts, and also a non-trad background. I spoke with an admissions person last year when I was working on some savma things, and she said they're looking to diversify the student body in terms of age, experience etc, so I think they'll love the initiative you've put into the spay/neuter program you've been working on. And that you're an NP. That's awesome.

The admissions people are genuinely helpful, and I think your experience is unique enough that it may be worth emailing Patti in admissions asking how to classify your program development work for Tufts. Since you're working directly with a vet, even though it isn't clinical per se, it would be worth clarifying with them. I'd work on getting some hands-on veterinary medical experience with vet supervision where you can. Some of my peers got in with like, 500 hrs.

The 3000 hrs in dog rescue and policy work I'd put as animal experience.

As a heads up, Tufts didn't care that many of my pre-reqs were over 10 years old; I did have science classes that were 'younger' from my Master's, showing that I didn't really need to retake Bio 1 and 2, for example, but worth asking them about that too if you haven't already. I'd also double check about UNE. The first time I applied, they weren't a fan. The second time I applied, they were fine with it. I imagine that means they're still fine with it, but always good to double check.

Hi!

Thank you SO much for replying. It is great to hear from you and a bit about your background. I am relieved to hear what you are saying. I have reached out to admissions at Tufts and will await their reply. I'll ask for their input regarding classifying my program development work - that is great advice.

Oh WOW it is nice to hear they didn't care about outdated prereqs! Some schools were very strict on that. I will double check on that and UNE.

Thank you so much! This sounds more manageable now. Hopefully I can find a way to get more hands-on experience!

 

[Laroca]

Change of plans here. Tufts Admissions said they would not allow the online prerequisites. I asked for clarification, but have been researching and reaching out to many other schools and absolutely fell in love with Oregon State University and the surrounding area. The Director of Admissions has been very kind and helpful, and it looks like a great area to raise kids. This is now my top choice school! Would love to hear about anybody's experience here!