WAMC: new school list c/o 2026 please help!

[Rhetrick19]

Hi! I applied this cycle for c/o 2025 and am wanting to plan where to apply to if I'm not accepted this round.

1st time applicant, 20 y/o female, traditional.
Iowa resident
School list: Iowa (IS), CSU (rejected), Kansas (rejected), Illinois (in phase 2 currently).

Academics:
Overall GPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.3 vmcas calculated
last 45: 3.55 (or somewhere around there?)

Awards:
President's list x2
Dean's list x2
Dean's scholarship
Top Iowa Assessment Reading
Honor roll throughout high school

Veterinary Experience:
-Vet assist/kennel tech at a small animal clinic: 2100 hours and counting
I assisted about 90% of the time and would help with kennels when needed.
-Shadow at mixed practice clinic: 220 hours and counting
-Shadow at large animal hospital: 15 hours
-Shadow zoo vet: 5 hours
-Assist wildlife vet on whale necropsy: 6 hours

Animal Experience:
-Weekend pet care at boarding facility: 600 hours
-Farm husbandry (cattle, goats, donkeys, and turkeys): 100 hours and counting
-Equine barn volunteer: 6 hours
-Aquarium volunteer (included smooth hound shark husbandry): 15 hours

Research:
-225 hours assisting on field research projects with great white sharks, whales/dolphins, and smaller shark species in South Africa.

Employment:
-Chemistry tutor: 300 hours
-Swim lesson instructor: 500 hours
-After school teacher at elementary school: 330 hours
-Dairy Queen manager: 1800 hours
-Signed with acting/modeling agency: 30 hours
-Daycare worker: 80 hours
-Hawaii Five-O actress: 40 hours

Volunteer:
-Building ecobricks: 15 hours
-Bean clean ups: 8 hours
-Volunteer at theatre club: 10 hours

Extracurriculars:
-Hiking
-Photography
-Traveling
-Yoga
-Show choir
-choir
-speech club
-football manager
-musical theatre for 8 years (4000+ hours)

COVID:
I was set up to do a study abroad veterinary program in Costa Rica during June 2020, but it was canceled.

If I'm not accepted this cycle I have a spot at ISU for their one year masters in biomedical science. I'm planning on doing this and working to get more diverse experiences. I need help choosing what schools would fit me the best. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[bird.nerd]

Hi! I applied this cycle for c/o 2025 and am wanting to plan where to apply to if I'm not accepted this round.

1st time applicant, 20 y/o female, traditional.
Iowa resident
School list: Iowa (IS), CSU (rejected), Kansas (rejected), Illinois (in phase 2 currently).

Academics:
Overall GPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.3 vmcas calculated
last 45: 3.55 (or somewhere around there?)

Awards:
President's list x2
Dean's list x2
Dean's scholarship
Top Iowa Assessment Reading
Honor roll throughout high school

Veterinary Experience:
-Vet assist/kennel tech at a small animal clinic: 2100 hours and counting
I assisted about 90% of the time and would help with kennels when needed.
-Shadow at mixed practice clinic: 220 hours and counting
-Shadow at large animal hospital: 15 hours
-Shadow zoo vet: 5 hours
-Assist wildlife vet on whale necropsy: 6 hours

Animal Experience:
-Weekend pet care at boarding facility: 600 hours
-Farm husbandry (cattle, goats, donkeys, and turkeys): 100 hours and counting
-Equine barn volunteer: 6 hours
-Aquarium volunteer (included smooth hound shark husbandry): 15 hours

Research:
-225 hours assisting on field research projects with great white sharks, whales/dolphins, and smaller shark species in South Africa.

Employment:
-Chemistry tutor: 300 hours
-Swim lesson instructor: 500 hours
-After school teacher at elementary school: 330 hours
-Dairy Queen manager: 1800 hours
-Signed with acting/modeling agency: 30 hours
-Daycare worker: 80 hours
-Hawaii Five-O actress: 40 hours

Volunteer:
-Building ecobricks: 15 hours
-Bean clean ups: 8 hours
-Volunteer at theatre club: 10 hours

Extracurriculars:
-Hiking
-Photography
-Traveling
-Yoga
-Show choir
-choir
-speech club
-football manager
-musical theatre for 8 years (4000+ hours)

COVID:
I was set up to do a study abroad veterinary program in Costa Rica during June 2020, but it was canceled.

If I'm not accepted this cycle I have a spot at ISU for their one year masters in biomedical science. I'm planning on doing this and working to get more diverse experiences. I need help choosing what schools would fit me the best. Thanks!

As a second time applicant who had a similar situation last year, I think you have very cool experiences! Something I learned from this program is list EVERYTHING about yourself - hobbies, clubs, scholarships, even minor achievements/ leadership roles (I didn’t think it would be important that I raised chickens with my stepdad but apparently it was lol!). Did you list the Costa Rica program in your application?
Your sGPA is on the lower side so doing the 1 year of biomedical science would be a great way to booster that AND increase your last 45! It also would look good for your IS school if not accepted there (I think you have a good chance though!). If you could do file reviews I think it would be the most helpful in your case - a lot of things I needed to improve on were essays (Literally said “i love animals 🤪”), strong LORs, and describing what I learned from my experiences etc. so that’s also something to think about

 

[Rhetrick19]

As a second time applicant who had a similar situation last year, I think you have very cool experiences! Something I learned from this program is list EVERYTHING about yourself - hobbies, clubs, scholarships, even minor achievements/ leadership roles (I didn’t think it would be important that I raised chickens with my stepdad but apparently it was lol!). Did you list the Costa Rica program in your application?
Your sGPA is on the lower side so doing the 1 year of biomedical science would be a great way to booster that AND increase your last 45! It also would look good for your IS school if not accepted there (I think you have a good chance though!). If you could do file reviews I think it would be the most helpful in your case - a lot of things I needed to improve on were essays (Literally said “i love animals 🤪”), strong LORs, and describing what I learned from my experiences etc. so that’s also something to think about

Thank you so much! I had a few pre-reqs left so I’m hoping to raise my gpa a bit there I did mention my costa rica trip on vmcas! Thanks for the help!!

 

[battie]

I see that you're in phase 2 at Illinois. If you're pretty confident in your letters, the application questions, and the illinois essay question, you may have a shot left for phase 3. Illinois was my final school to hear from overall and was my on acceptance the year I applied. Otherwise, I had 1 waitlist (K-State) and 6 rejections. I was a third cycle applicant at that time.

The masters program will most likely help you I would think. There's a decent chunk of people in my class with advanced degrees. If you do end up going that route, definitely make it your focus and 4.0 it. This will separate you not just from the people who only have a bachelors, but may even separate you out from the other advanced degrees. Obviously YMMV due to the difference in your application cycle, but you get my point.

If you are not accepted, definitely do file reviews to rule out any glaring holes in your application. You look pretty middle of the road/solid according to your numbers above. So if you're rejected from every school you'll want to make sure there wasn't an obvious fix.

Hopefully you'll hear about interview invites this week or next from Illinois. I got mine January 15 the year I applied.

 

[Rhetrick19]

I see that you're in phase 2 at Illinois. If you're pretty confident in your letters, the application questions, and the illinois essay question, you may have a shot left for phase 3. Illinois was my final school to hear from overall and was my on acceptance the year I applied. Otherwise, I had 1 waitlist (K-State) and 6 rejections. I was a third cycle applicant at that time.

The masters program will most likely help you I would think. There's a decent chunk of people in my class with advanced degrees. If you do end up going that route, definitely make it your focus and 4.0 it. This will separate you not just from the people who only have a bachelors, but may even separate you out from the other advanced degrees. Obviously YMMV due to the difference in your application cycle, but you get my point.

If you are not accepted, definitely do file reviews to rule out any glaring holes in your application. You look pretty middle of the road/solid according to your numbers above. So if you're rejected from every school you'll want to make sure there wasn't an obvious fix.

Hopefully you'll hear about interview invites this week or next from Illinois. I got mine January 15 the year I applied.

thank you! I appreciate this!

 

[soccer123!!]

thank you! I appreciate this!

I may be in same situation, but how would grad schools grades help, because those grades would not show up til next year. If I apply again wouldnt I have to show my senior year ungraded grads?

 

[Rhetrick19]

I may be in same situation, but how would grad schools grades help, because those grades would not show up til next year. If I apply again wouldnt I have to show my senior year ungraded grads?

I believe you'd still show your senior year grades. For the schools I applied to this year my Fall 2020 grades were factored in. Part of the reason I want to pursue a masters is because I'm interested in research and one health so I think it'd give me some great opportunities there . If that's not for you though I know a lot of people who just re-take classes or get a ton of experience!

 

[soccer123!!]

Thanks, I’m waitlisted at mizzou and still waiting on Washington, Penn an NC State.