WAMC- Planning to apply in 2021-2022 cycle, a bit early but would like input/feedback on current prep

[flockofdoves]

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Hello fellow veterinary medicine pursue-ees,


I'm currently in my second year of undergraduate at Smith College and am planning on applying to vet schools in the 2021-2022 cycle. It may be a bit early to ask this in this forum, but I wanted some feedback on what my chances are for veterinary school based off of what I'm doing now to prepare.

Cumulative GPA: 3.76 (so far)
science GPA: 3.72 (so far)
last 45: I don't know yet, probs around a 3.80???

Any degrees achieved:

I will graduate in 2022 with a Biology degree (w/a chem minor)

GRE results: I'm prepping now and plan to take the GRE this summer/next summer.

Veterinary Experience:
- Shadowing exotic animal vet (50hrs)
- Ongoing summer internship with vet oncologist (currently 100 hrs)
- Ongoing part time vet assistant internship with primary care vet (currently 240 hrs)

Animal Experience:
- Cat shelter (500 hrs)
- Rabbit rescue (200 hrs)
- Part time cattle farm hand (40 hrs)
Various pet sitting (will be much higher when I apply) - 400 hrs

Research Experience:
intern at USC molecular biology lab in high school- studied eye disk gene expression in fruit flies (~200 hrs)


Awards/scholarships:
- Smith College Presidential Scholarship
- National Latin Exam Perfect Score 2015
- Outstanding Performer Award (high school band)
3 time local clarinet competition winner

Extracurriculars:
- Orchestra assistant principal clarinet player & vice president/social chair of orchestra
- Pre-vet club treasurer
- Fire& Safety chair in my dorm
high school band (Wind Symphony)
high school orchestra- principal clarinet
Chemistry club in HS
Section leader in high school marching band
mentor to elementary school music students

Employment:
- Lifeguard at college pool (just started)
- Lifeguard at mother beach (past 5 summers)
- Camp counselor at summer camp for high school girls



Summarize any concerns you have

I worry that I have too much diversity within my hours.

I split my time between Western MA where I go to college and Los Angeles, which is where I'm from, so I worry that it may look like I cannot commit to one thing when in reality I do many different jobs/volunteering/shadowings.

What do you think????

 

[blueheeler]

I was accepted into two veterinary schools with GPAs similar to yours. Your grades are fine. Make sure you can maintain them in your upper-level science courses. As for the GRE, I recommend using magoosh (if you can afford it) + the manhattan prep 5 lbs of GRE practice problems. I studied for about a month using those two things and got a 312 (Q+V). Academics are very important for your in-state school (UC Davis?). What schools are you planning on applying to?

Have you considered getting some large animal or farm animal veterinary experience? It doesn't have to be a lot. I only had about ~50 hours of equine vet experience when I applied. By the end of those 50 hours, I KNEW I did not want to be an equine vet, and I was able to articulate that to my interviewers if/when the topic came up. Also, it doesn't appear that you cannot commit to one activity from my perspective tbh. I attended college 1.5 hours away from where I live, so my veterinary/animal experiences were split between the two cities.

Do you have any community service/volunteer activities? Veterinary schools want well-rounded applicants. I'm sure you have already heard that.

Definitely include your experiences w/ band on your application. It shows that you have a life outside of vet med! I included every award (all-region, all-district, solo and ensemble etc.) I received for band throughout high school. For my solo and ensemble awards, I included the piece I played, the instrument I played (I play multiple), the level of difficulty of the piece, and the score I received from the judge into the description of the awards on my VMCAS app. I didn't receive any awards for band in college, but I included how many pieces of music we played each semester and how many concerts we had each semester into the description of the activity on my VMCAS app as well. Just giving you something to consider doing for your application! Consider adding any hobbies/leisure activities you participate in into your VMCAS app as well. I included the time I spent making jewelry into my VMCAS app.

Other than that, I think your application looks solid to me! 🙂

 

[flockofdoves]

Thank you very much for your feedback!

I'm planning on applying to Davis, Western, CSU, Purdue, Michigan State, Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Tufts, and UPenn.

 

[JJ Bittenbinder]

Hi! I think blueheeler gave you a lot of good advice. I wanted to say that I don’t think diverse experience is a bad thing (in fact it is preferable), and I think it’s a good idea to try large animal like blueheeler said.

Mostly I just wanted to pop in to say yeaaah clarinetists represent!! I like to claim that we’re the best people, I have no data to back up this claim though 🙂

I also included in my personal essays that I did play music, I think it adds an interesting aspect to how you work with people because it requires a listening ear and discipline, among other things.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Thank you very much for your feedback!

I'm planning on applying to Davis, Western, CSU, Purdue, Michigan State, Auburn, Texas A&M, LSU, Tufts, and UPenn.

I got into vet school with similar GPAs (3.7-3.8 range), and if you stay on the path your on and keep plugging away at getting experience, I don’t think you need to apply to this many schools. I mean, if you have the money, then spend it how you want, but it gets expensive with all the fees and travel. Consider applying to IS school, schools you want to go to, and schools that match your strengths. Some people with low GPAs apply widely, but at this point I don’t think you need to to be successful.

 

[deleted955210]

So I feel a bit dumb asking this... but what does WAMC mean? I see it everywhere on this forum.... even after googling and searching for about an hour, I still have no idea what it means. 🙁

 

[deleted955210]

So I feel a bit dumb asking this... but what does WAMC mean? I see it everywhere on this forum.... even after googling and searching for about an hour, I still have no idea what it means. 🙁

Finally found this: "What are my chances" = WAMC. This site is a bit overwhelming!