WAMC: First time applicant, strong hours, decent GPA

[whaleofasale]

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Hey guys!

I am in-state at Mississippi State University. Other schools applying to are LSU, Florida, UPenn, Davis, UW Madison, and Illinois.

GPA 3.78 overall, 3.84 science

Vet experience hours (741 total):
small animal GP - 572 (hands-on)
Zoo - 16 (shadow)
disease - 40 (shadow)
exotics - 32 (shadow)
Large animal - 82 (hands-on)

Animal Experience (497 total):
small animal/kennel: 58
zoo/exotic: 440

Research (647 total):
amphibian conservation work - 318
disease work - 96
senior thesis independent research (studying amphibians again) - 233

other work experience (~400):
Optometric Technician - 400

Leadership:
student ambassador
teaching assistant for multiple courses (ochem, ecology, etc.)
senator for my college in school's student government association
pre-vet club exec board

I am taking a gap year, so hoping by the time I apply I'll have at least 1000 vet hours and at least 200 more research while finishing up my thesis + working at my clinic. Honestly, I'm wondering what I should do during the next semester + summer to strengthen my application further (beyond keeping a decent GPA). I know mine is pretty good, but below the average for many OOS admissions -- there's not much I can do to raise it now though. I'm mostly worried about MSU since that's my in-state and cheapest option lol.

Thank yall!

 

[stinkyfreddy]

What is your major in? I think what you're planning (getting more vet/animal/research hours) is the way to go. getting hobbies outside of vet med/curriculum would be another thing you should try. in the research area, do you have a chance to present your work/publish?

 

[catsandsnakes]

I would definitely continue to get more veterinary hours! It's good that you have some variety, albeit <40 is less than an average work week so I'm not sure how "quality" those hours would be seen as. If you're willing/able to travel during the summer, internships can be a fun way to experience different parts of the field! I did two different wildlife internships and got great veterinary experience through them.

Your GPA is good, and the research experience and leadership roles you have seem strong. You might've just not listed them, but if you don't have any volunteer hours I would strongly encourage getting those.

I am a bit unsure about your reasoning for picking some of the schools on your list. UC-Davis is notoriously difficult for OOS students to get into. My understanding is that UW-Madison, Florida, and UPenn are also quite competitive. I would recommend checking out the class statistics for those schools to see what their average admitted OOS GPAs are and how many OOS seats they have compared to how many students apply.

 

[TukusTeten]

Your stats are honestly very similar to what mine were for my cycle, although you definitely have more leadership experience than I did. I ended up being accepted into UPenn and LSU, so I think you’ll do well depending on the applicant pool. I agree with what catsandsnakes said about UW Madison and UC Davis being very competitive for OOS, but definitely go for it if you really like these schools. Previous class statistics for AVMA-accredited universities can be found in VMSAR, so you can check that website out (it also has a lot of other helpful information).

To strengthen your application during the summer, I would recommend doing something more niche (if you can access it). Like put more hours into a hobby of yours, get more involved in your community, or find an internship for the summer that will prepare you for a veterinary career. Something like this could help you stand out even more.

 

[whaleofasale]

I would definitely continue to get more veterinary hours! It's good that you have some variety, albeit <40 is less than an average work week so I'm not sure how "quality" those hours would be seen as. If you're willing/able to travel during the summer, internships can be a fun way to experience different parts of the field! I did two different wildlife internships and got great veterinary experience through them.

Your GPA is good, and the research experience and leadership roles you have seem strong. You might've just not listed them, but if you don't have any volunteer hours I would strongly encourage getting those.

I am a bit unsure about your reasoning for picking some of the schools on your list. UC-Davis is notoriously difficult for OOS students to get into. My understanding is that UW-Madison, Florida, and UPenn are also quite competitive. I would recommend checking out the class statistics for those schools to see what their average admitted OOS GPAs are and how many OOS seats they have compared to how many students apply.

Honestly, I just like those schools and have the prerequisites for them. I've looked at the stats, but just figured I may as well put myself out there because you never know! I'm taking the GRE for other back-up grad programs, so if I do well will probably apply to Illinois with that (I think they factor that in with GPA if you submit scores for initial app rankings). I'm also considering Colorado State, Utah, Arkansas, Auburn, Virginia-Maryland, and Arizona, but obviously that's a huge list and I'm not looking to drop hundreds (or even thousands) on app fees. I do have over 300 volunteer hours so not super concerned about that bit, though obviously I can always get more.

Thanks for your response!!

 

[whaleofasale]

What is your major in? I think what you're planning (getting more vet/animal/research hours) is the way to go. getting hobbies outside of vet med/curriculum would be another thing you should try. in the research area, do you have a chance to present your work/publish?

That's the plan. I will certainly present at the end of the semester + at a conference over the summer, and hoping I'll be able to publish as well. I am also co-author on a paper being published in the next year or so, though not sure if it will be up before I apply. Should I put "pending publications" on there? That one is being submitted by my PI.

 

[stinkyfreddy]

That's the plan. I will certainly present at the end of the semester + at a conference over the summer, and hoping I'll be able to publish as well. I am also co-author on a paper being published in the next year or so, though not sure if it will be up before I apply. Should I put "pending publications" on there? That one is being submitted by my PI.

Well honestly I wouldn't really put a pending publication. Just mention it in your experiences section under the research area when you describe what your science is about.

I would also try to really get the most of these experiences that you have right now because it shows that you really strive to do your best in every opportunity that is presented to you.

As for the grades, you're not bad at all so I wouldn't stress about the fact that you can't do much about it, because you can't. So this is why I think going above and beyond for the rest of the things you're doing is what is most important in your case.

Context: I applied this year and got accepted, but I wanted to tell you my perspective w context because there are other people who can give their own two cents based on their experience.

 

[JaynaAli]

If you’ve submitted a paper and it’s accepted but not out, I would definitely list it. Even something out for review is fine, imo. People in academia will realize how much work that entails. I wouldn’t even be mad about seeing something as Manuscript in preparation, target journal xyz…that’s not uncommon for residents and vet students to do on their CVs so I wouldn’t have a big issue with it if a pre-vet did it. But where it becomes sketchy is if all you have is “manuscript in preparation” with nothing to show (especially if it’s multiple)…that makes me worried you’re inflating things and exaggerating what’s been done. Not saying you are/would be, but that would be my concern. But if accepted to a journal I’d list for sure.

I wouldn’t call your hours as they are right now strong, I’d say they’re average to low average right now. With 1,000 more in a year it would be even better. The diversity you have is a good thing but I do wish you had more than just a couple hours in some of them; boosting those may be beneficial in addition to just general hours boot. Overall I think you have a realistic/good chance, I’d just make it a priority to really research the schools you apply at and try to pinpoint the places that will value your best assets (meaning not everyone looks at a science GPA, others may prioritize prereq GPA or a last 45…but if your science gpa is your strong point, applying to those schools that do factor in science specific gpa into their algorithm may be worth considering).