WAMC: Second cycle, non-trad, career changer

[miriam1216]

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29 y/o F, non-traditional, GA resident

Working on my second cycle. Rejected from 7/8 schools this cycle, still waiting on one (Dublin). Would love some school recommendations, but I'm seriously concerned about cost...

Previous essay topic: The skills/strengths I bring from my non-traditional background as a journalist, and how vetmed offered a career that journalism could not: one with a purpose, continued learning, education of others, and working at the intersection of compassion/science/curiosity.

Previously applied to: UGA, Ohio, Virginia-Maryland, Rowan, Dublin (5yr), Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow.
Likely reapplying to: Ohio, Virginia-Maryland, Rowan, Dublin, Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow (maybe will take one or more of the international schools off)
Potential adds: Iowa, Arizona, Ross, Tennessee, Michigan
***I am no longer eligible to apply to UGA unless I retake Biology 1/2 and Chemistry 1/2, due to recency requirements***

VMCAS-calculated GPA from this past cycle:
Cumulative: 3.47
Science: 3.08 (one D in a science class in undergrad, ugh)
Last 45: ~3.6
I have since taken 2 classes (two Bs, with an A in the lab portion for one) and am completing a third now

Degrees
B.A., Journalism; Minor in Biology

Veterinary Experience (~2300 by the time of application this cycle)
- Full-time assistant in small animal GPs: ~2200 hours
- Wildlife shadowing: 12 hours
- Emergency shadowing: 16.5 hours
- Small animal shadowing: 52 hrs
- Shelter vaccine clinic: 20 hours

Animal Hours (~120 hours)
- Cat sitter: 10 hours
- Cat rescue: 40 hours
- Dog walker: 70 hours
- I have a 4 y/o asthmatic cat who I have been administering meds to (pill and inhaler) since she was 6 m/o

Honors/Awards:
- Dean's List (final 2 semesters)
- Completed undergrad in 3 years
- National Scholastic Press Association Online Pacemaker (equivalent of a Pulitzer for high school newspaper)
- Awarded internship at redacted prestigious national newspaper through competitive university program
- Various state and national professional journalism awards
- Appearing on redacted national and international radio and television news programs
- Member of redacted prestigious membership organization for journalists: 3 yrs
- Member of National Press Club: 2 yrs

Extracurriculars: (in reverse chronological order)
- Mentor college journalists: 6 yrs
- Knitting: 5 yrs
- Member of professional-level volunteer adult choir: 3 yrs
- Host monthly dinners and happy hours for other women journalists: 4 yrs
- Attended several national professional journalism conventions/seminars
- Speaker at various journalism panels and events
- Member of newsroom DEI committee: 3 yrs
- Leadership of university club for LGBTQ Jews: 3 yrs
- Member of university choir: 0.5 yr
- Ambassador for university's school of communication: 2.5 yrs
- Attended three national high school journalism conventions
- Babysat niece: 3 yrs (~450 hours)
- Member of high school choir: 3 yrs
- Vice president of high school Gay-Straight Alliance: 3 yrs
- Member of high school dancing club: 3 yrs
- Member of high school show choir: 0.5 yrs
- Member of BBYO: 2 yrs
- Student newspaper reporter: 1 yr

Non-vet employment: (in reverse chronological order) (~25,000 hrs)
- Journalist: 7 years (~14,000 hours)
- Journalism internships: 1.5 yrs part-time (~1500 hours), 0.5 yr full-time (~2000 hours)
- Marketing internship: 0.5 yr part-time (~500 hours)
- Resident Assistant: 1 yr part-time (~1200 hours)
- Student newspaper editor-in-chief: 2 yrs part-time (~2000 hours)
- Program Associate: 0.5 yr part-time (~800 hours)
- Retail worker: 3 yrs part-time (~3000 hours)

 

[pp9]

VMCAS-calculated GPA from this past cycle:
Cumulative: 3.47
Science: 3.08 (one D in a science class in undergrad, ugh)
Last 45: ~3.6
I have since taken 2 classes (two Bs, with an A in the lab portion for one) and am completing a third now

How did one D pull your science GPA down that much? How many classes make up this science GPA and what do the other grades look like? Just trying to make the number make sense.

You have good experience, your GPAs are average to below average. The science GPA is outright low.

Personally I would be retaking courses to maintain eligibility for your IS because 1) cost 2) it would probably help your science GPA, especially if UGA does grade replacement.

Did you get any interviews anywhere?

Previous essay topic: The skills/strengths I bring from my non-traditional background as a journalist, and how vetmed offered a career that journalism could not: one with a purpose, continued learning, education of others, and working at the intersection of compassion/science/curiosity.

Just general thoughts on this - did you actually explain why you want to make the switch to vet med? Like really, really explain it? Most people miss the mark on this entirely in their PS in my experience as a proofreader. This is arguably even more important for those pursuing vet med as a second career. I mean looking at your mini-CV here, you've been waist-deep in the journalism world for years and years, you look to be the perfect candidate for a journalism career. Where did the interest for becoming a vet pop up? You have to convince these adcoms that vetmed is the right choice for you, and that you are a good fit for the field. There's more to it than 'I have experience hours!'

And for my opinion which gives me the opportunity to ramble....idk why you think your career as a journalist has nothing to do with purpose, education of others, etc. It absolutely has everything to do with all that you mentioned, although I could see that writing in certain sectors might not be as fulfilling as others? I don't know if this would have had any affect on your application but my initial knee-jerk reaction to this sentence here was why you felt your first career of informing the masses had nothing to do with...well, informing the masses. Was this proofread by multiple people aggressively? It just strikes me as an odd thing to say about a career that can hold so much weight in society, particularly in modern times.

 

[miriam1216]

How did one D pull your science GPA down that much? How many classes make up this science GPA and what do the other grades look like? Just trying to make the number make sense.

You have good experience, your GPAs are average to below average. The science GPA is outright low.

Personally I would be retaking courses to maintain eligibility for your IS because 1) cost 2) it would probably help your science GPA, especially if UGA does grade replacement.

Did you get any interviews anywhere?


Just general thoughts on this - did you actually explain why you want to make the switch to vet med? Like really, really explain it? Most people miss the mark on this entirely in their PS in my experience as a proofreader. This is arguably even more important for those pursuing vet med as a second career. I mean looking at your mini-CV here, you've been waist-deep in the journalism world for years and years, you look to be the perfect candidate for a journalism career. Where did the interest for becoming a vet pop up? You have to convince these adcoms that vetmed is the right choice for you, and that you are a good fit for the field. There's more to it than 'I have experience hours!'

And for my opinion which gives me the opportunity to ramble....idk why you think your career as a journalist has nothing to do with purpose, education of others, etc. It absolutely has everything to do with all that you mentioned, although I could see that writing in certain sectors might not be as fulfilling as others? I don't know if this would have had any affect on your application but my initial knee-jerk reaction to this sentence here was why you felt your first career of informing the masses had nothing to do with...well, informing the masses. Was this proofread by multiple people aggressively? It just strikes me as an odd thing to say about a career that can hold so much weight in society, particularly in modern times.

I have a total of 13 science/math classes, 10 from undergrad and 3 post-bacc. I had AP credit for Bio 1 and 2. It means that it would be super difficult to raise my GPA, even if I retake evolution or genetics
Chem 1 - B+, 4 credits
Chem 2- B+, 4 credits
Cell bio- B+, 4 credits
Evolution- D, 3 credits
Genetics- B-, 5 credits (also a huge pull down for me)
Orgo 1- A-, 3 credits
Orgo 1 lab- A, 1 credit
Orgo 2- B, 3 credits
Orgo 2 lab- B+, 1 credit
Neuro- B, 3 credits

Post bacc:
Biochem- B, 3 credits
Physics 1- B, 3 credits (I got in a really bad car accident and bombed the final, I had a 96 going into it)
Physics 1 lab- A, 1 credit

I don't think UGA does grade replacement, but I would be curious to know otherwise. However, retaking the courses to reapply would mean taking four classes with labs in person, as UGA requires labs to be done in person. Doing that while working full time is not possible. I can barely keep up with one class a semester right now.

I got two interviews at UC Dublin. Still waiting to hear.

I'd love your thoughts on my statement if you'd be willing. I think I did address that, and I did have multiple people aggressively read it (but nobody here). Summarizing my essay in one sentence here was tough, but I wasn't saying journalism had no purpose, education, etc. It was about feeling like I was removed from any real impact. I got into journalism to make a difference, but I didn't feel like I was.

 

[pp9]

Some thoughts:

1. Looked around on their website - UGA does average grades.

2. I'd reach out to UGA and ask, just to be sure, that they aren't trying to use your evolution credit to fulfill their generic upper level bio requirement (this goes for any school that would use this credit for a 'generic science' prereq). If they are, then this course is automatically disqualifying you because you got less than a C in it. I don't think it's terribly common for schools to do this when they could use satisfactory grades for the same requirement (your cell bio/neuro/genetics), but it's happened before. In the few cases I've heard of, it is usually resolved with a conversation and pointing out that you do meet this requirement with other courses, but you've lost your window to try this for this cycle.

3. Verifying that you actually met the basic prereqs for the US schools based on the info you've provided (this is not an exhaustive check, I just quickly glanced because it does seem you could be missing courses):

• UGA requires 8 credits in physics and you appear to only have 4. They also require gen chem labs which you don't have listed here (unless your school combo'd the lecture and lab under one course, and UGA accepted that? if that's the case, I'd recommend you get this in writing from each/every school that approves a course for you).
• Ohio requires microbio, physio, and a communications course, it appears you have not taken micro or physio?
• VMCVM also requires microbio, as well as a medical terminology and a communications course (you probably meet the comm requirements with the journalism degree, but double check)
• Rowan also requires microbio

4. I started undergrad with a lot of AP credits. They can be helpful but can also burn you. Just because you have them does not mean you can't take bio I/II at a community college for a graded credit. I almost did that when I was 5/5 for rejections my first cycle. It's worth considering, especially because...

5. the recency requirement is a thing at more than one school on your list, so you wouldn't be eligible for those schools either without repeats going forward. Bio I/II and chem I/II are requirements at every single school afaik so if you will not repeat those, you will need to look for schools that don't have a recency requirement...and I'm not sure that there are any to be honest. You might actually be at a stopping point unless there is a school(s) out there that doesn't care about course age. The annoying part is that not every school spells out their criteria so you're going to have to do some legwork and probably contact multiple schools.

6. I am happy to read your PS, but I do think you've got more pressing issues to work through if you don't get an acceptance at Dublin/don't accept the offer.

 

[miriam1216]

Some thoughts:

1. Looked around on their website - UGA does average grades.

2. I'd reach out to UGA and ask, just to be sure, that they aren't trying to use your evolution credit to fulfill their generic upper level bio requirement (this goes for any school that would use this credit for a 'generic science' prereq). If they are, then this course is automatically disqualifying you because you got less than a C in it. I don't think it's terribly common for schools to do this when they could use satisfactory grades for the same requirement (your cell bio/neuro/genetics), but it's happened before. In the few cases I've heard of, it is usually resolved with a conversation and pointing out that you do meet this requirement with other courses, but you've lost your window to try this for this cycle.

3. Verifying that you actually met the basic prereqs for the US schools based on the info you've provided (this is not an exhaustive check, I just quickly glanced because it does seem you could be missing courses):

• UGA requires 8 credits in physics and you appear to only have 4. They also require gen chem labs which you don't have listed here (unless your school combo'd the lecture and lab under one course, and UGA accepted that? if that's the case, I'd recommend you get this in writing from each/every school that approves a course for you).
• Ohio requires microbio, physio, and a communications course, it appears you have not taken micro or physio?
• VMCVM also requires microbio, as well as a medical terminology and a communications course (you probably meet the comm requirements with the journalism degree, but double check)
• Rowan also requires microbio

4. I started undergrad with a lot of AP credits. They can be helpful but can also burn you. Just because you have them does not mean you can't take bio I/II at a community college for a graded credit. I almost did that when I was 5/5 for rejections my first cycle. It's worth considering, especially because...

5. the recency requirement is a thing at more than one school on your list, so you wouldn't be eligible for those schools either without repeats going forward. Bio I/II and chem I/II are requirements at every single school afaik so if you will not repeat those, you will need to look for schools that don't have a recency requirement...and I'm not sure that there are any to be honest. You might actually be at a stopping point unless there is a school(s) out there that doesn't care about course age. The annoying part is that not every school spells out their criteria so you're going to have to do some legwork and probably contact multiple schools.

6. I am happy to read your PS, but I do think you've got more pressing issues to work through if you don't get an acceptance at Dublin/don't accept the offer.

2. I made it through the prereq stage at UGA (and all the other schools I applied to this cycle). They let me know I met their requirements in Jan (I believe).

3. I’m currently taking physics 2. If I got into Ohio or VMD, I would’ve taken the last few prereqs (micro, medical terminology, physiology) this spring/summer since they allow that. None of the schools raised a flag for gen chem, and my undergrad did combine them. I already confirmed I met comms course requirement with Ohio prior to applying

4. I understand that, but UGA requires labs taken in person and I wasn’t going to take bio 1/2 online because of that.

5. I’ve confirmed the recently requirements everywhere except Iowa (since I’m just now starting to think about applying there.

I appreciate the thoughts! I did a TON of legwork prior to applying ensuring I met the requirements at every school, as I didn’t want to waste money.

 

[pp9]

5. I’ve confirmed the recently requirements everywhere except Iowa (since I’m just now starting to think about applying there.

So what schools will you actually be able to apply to next cycle? Iowa does have a 10-year expiration in place. There are a few schools that allow you to petition for that expiration to be reconsidered, though...

 

[miriam1216]

So what schools will you actually be able to apply to next cycle? Iowa does have a 10-year expiration in place. There are a few schools that allow you to petition for that expiration to be reconsidered, though...

As far as I can tell based on my research (which I plan to confirm individually with each school prior to re-applying), Iowa is the only real question mark, I would reach out to them to confirm eligibility. "Any required science course taken more than 10 years ago may be subject to review and the applicant may be asked for further information or to repeat the course."

I didn't realize LMU had the 10-year requirement, so removing that from my list.

 

[miriam1216]

Michigan is another potential option, as long as I take physiology this summer and confirm eligibility with them.