WAMC Should I wait another year to apply?

[rkcarter007]

So I started kind of late to the prevet game so my biggest weakness is my lack of hours. I have really awesome diverse experiences but not many hours to show.

The only school I plan on applying to is CSU since i’m a resident.

Here are my stats:
GPA 3.7
GRE not needed for csu

Veterinary Hours
120 Hours shadowing multiple drs at private practice
22 Hours shadowing ER dr
24 Hours shadowing shelter dr

Animal Experience
30 hours breeding mice for science project
50 hours pet sitting
10 hours working for dog walking company
30 hours rehabilitating a freshwater turtle at school
40 hours at a farm animal rescue
150 hours working on a kangaroo joey rescue in Australia
20 hours at a marine mammal rescue

Research
150 hours in an organic chemistry lab

I would love to apply this year but I’m worried my hours are too low. I have another research job and animal volunteer position lined up so I’m wondering if I should just wait until next year.

Would love any feedback on what I need to improve!

Thx

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[BigCats]

Honestly if you're only applying to one school you might as well go for it this year- worst case, you've spent like $200 and time constructing your application and you'll know what to improve on for next year, best case, you get in! Especially since the stakes are pretty low cost-wise and you already have your fallback plans lined up, I can't imagine it would be a bad thing to apply and see what happens. Someone else can chime in if they disagree but I'd definitely be applying this year if I were you!

 

[WildZoo]

I agree there's less of a problem with applying with lower hours if you're only going to apply to your IS. Side benefit that if you don't get in, you can do a file review with them and hear straight from them what you need to improve on.

My concern is not really with the application itself, but just a consideration of whether you really know what you're getting into. That's important not just for the school in evaluating your application, but also just for your life. The worry I have with lower experience hours is that those applicants may only have a surface understanding of what veterinary medicine is and what that path and career will look like. It's not just about meeting some arbitrary number goal.