WAMC- first time applicant

[futurefishdr]

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Hi all! I’m 23F applying to vet school for the class of 2030.

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science GPA: 3.7
Last 45: 3.6-3.7

Degree:
AA in biological science
B.S in Biology: ecology and evolution expected by spring 2026

Veterinary Experience:
~2500 hours in a fear free small animal clinic that saw exotics. I was a vet assistant and pharmacy tech.
~1500 hours in a gp/emergency clinic, started off as receptionist but helped frequently in treatment and in the boarding/daycare department
~500 small animal rehabilitation. I assisted in water therapy, acupuncture, etc

Animal Experience (no vet):
~560 hours in wildlife rehab
~80 hours farm hours for an agriculture class. Idk whether to include this or not but I got to preg check a cow, sheep, and tend to chickens so it was very interactive

Research Experience:
Currently starting on a project with sea urchins in an ecology lab
Waiting to hear back from a summer research opportunity with sea otter surrogacy
I’m also going to be on a research team starting Fall 2025 looking at health markers in pinnipeds but I don’t know if I’ll be able to include that in my app due to timing

Awards:
Deans list

Extracurriculars:
Scuba club, snorkeling, whale watching, martial arts, professional artist, do reptile rescue work on my own time

Employment (not animal):
Worked as a barista, kava tender, retail over the years. Also sell art and do commissions

Scholarships:
Pell grant recipient
Middle class scholarship

Background:
First generation student from a low-income immigrant family. Raised by a single mom. Had to work part to full time every semester to help support my family. Bc of working, I’ve had to take a lighter course load multiple years to accommodate my work schedule so it’s taken me about 6 years to get my BS.

Concerns:
I have about 6 withdrawals on my transcript over the course of 6 years due to a series of health issues that I’ve overcome and have showed improvements since then. Combination of covid times, undiagnosed adhd, then a cancer scare that required surgery


I can only apply to 3 schools this year due to finances. My in-state school is Davis, then my other options are Washington State and Oregon since I’m trying to stay closer to home for my family.

 

[pp9]

Hi all! I’m 23F applying to vet school for the class of 2030.

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science GPA: 3.7
Last 60: 3.4
(Working on improving)

Degree:
AA in biological science
B.S in Biology: ecology and evolution expected by spring 2026

Veterinary Experience:
~2500 hours in a fear free small animal clinic that saw exotics. I was a vet assistant and pharmacy tech.
~1500 hours in a gp/emergency clinic, started off as receptionist but helped frequently in treatment and in the boarding/daycare department

Animal Experience (no vet):
~560 hours in wildlife rehab

Research Experience:
Currently starting on a project with sea urchins in an ecology lab
Waiting to hear back from a summer research opportunity with sea otter surrogacy
I’m also going to be on a research team starting Fall 2025 looking at health markers in pinnipeds but I don’t know if I’ll be able to include that in my app due to timing

Awards:
Deans list

Extracurriculars:
Scuba club, snorkeling, whale watching, martial arts, professional artist, do reptile rescue work on my own time

Employment (not animal):
Worked as a barista, kava tender, retail over the years. Also sell art and do commissions

Scholarships:
Pell grant recipient
Middle class scholarship

Background:
First generation student from a low-income immigrant family. Raised by a single mom. Had to work part to full time every semester to help support my family.

Concerns:
I have about 6 withdrawals on my transcript over the course of 6 years due to a series of health issues that I’ve overcome and have showed improvements since then. Combination of covid times, undiagnosed adhd, then a cancer scare that required surgery


I can only apply to 3 schools this year due to finances. My in-state school is Davis, then my other options are Washington State and Oregon since I’m trying to stay closer to home for my family.

Davis is a tough school to have as your IS, Oregon is a tough OOS choice based on how small the class is. With that said, I think your stats are decent to good and you have a good number of hours. I think you need to write an excellent personal statement and weave your background into that. You've got life experiences that are not that common in the applicant pool. For your concerns, I would write about those things in the explanation statement. You also don't actually have to use the explanation statement if you don't want to, but if you feel your GPA was taking hits during those difficult times, it might be worth it.