WAMC this cycle - 1st time applicant

[Cheesedreams]

Hi guys! I'm a senior biology major entering my last semester and stressing about applications. I'm a 21 y/o PA resident applying to UPenn, Ohio, and Michigan. I'm pretty open when it comes to possible career options, except I'm 90% sure I don't want to go into small animal GP. My main interests have been zoo med and pathology, though.


Cumulative GPA: 3.55
science GPA: 3.44
last 45: 3.58

Degree: B. S. in Biology. Graduate Dec 2019.

GRE results: Q 155 (56%)/V 157 (76%)/W (haven't gotten this back but Upenn doesn't look at it anyway)

Veterinary Experience:
-460 hrs as a veterinary assistant at a SA clinic (this is current experience)
-310 hrs as an intern at a zoo's animal hospital (I was responsible for husbandry/treatments of hospitalized animals, setting up for procedures, processing lab samples, assisting/performing necropsies, etc.)
-50 hrs shadowing at a different SA clinic


Animal Experience:
-3,000+ hours working at a horse boarding stable cleaning stalls and basic animal husbandry
-400 hrs as a member of my local Pony Club
-300 hrs doing pony rides
-~100 hrs dog walking/sitting

I did not include pet ownership here but I have owned dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish my entire life and have owned a horse for 8 years now.

Research Experience:

-250 hrs currently working on my senior capstone project, an environmental toxicology study using zebrafish embryos

Awards/scholarships:
-Dean's list, 3 semesters
-3 scholarships
-Inducted in my school's biology honors society as well as Pi Sigma Pi (another honors society)

Extracurriculars:
-Treasurer of my school's Pre-Vet Society
-Vice President of my school's Equestrian Club
-Was the section leader in my high school's concert, jazz, and marching bands
-Was a lead in my high school's musical
-I've been riding horses for 9 years
-Participated in litter clean-up days around my city

Employment (Non-animal):
-Student manager for my school's catering service for 2.5 years
-TA for a physiology lab this semester (but there are some lab animals involved with this so maybe not non-animal haha)

I guess most of my employment has been animal related...lol

LORS:
SA DVM that I have worked for for a year now, she's been a mentor for me
Certified vet tech that was my main supervisor at the zoo
Biology professor/advisor, he also oversees the Pre-Vet Society so we know each other very well


I feel like I have a pretty weak application because I don't have much/super varied veterinary experience and of course my grades aren't fantastic . I have maintained 2-3 jobs at a time throughout undergrad and it has definitely impacted my grades- I'm a solid B student. As far as my lack of experience, I'm prepared to use the time after graduating to get some solid LA experience, as LA vets in my area are super busy and not very open to taking on a shadow so it has been a struggle. Of course, my SA hours will continue to increase as it is my current place of employment. Am I totally screwed?

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[SkiOtter]

OSU, and MSU

There are three OSUs and two MSUs. Which ones.

 

[Cheesedreams]

There are three OSUs and two MSUs. Which ones.

Sorry, Ohio State and Michigan State

 

[battie]

I'm pretty open when it comes to possible career options, except I'm 90% sure I don't want to go into small animal GP.

This sucks, but at this time GP is one of the number one employers of veterinarians simply because people can afford to pay their bills on those salaries. You're interested in arguably the two most competitive specialties in the industry. If you couldn't do either of these, would you be okay with small animal GP at that point?

Also, for what it's worth, you could consider Illinois on your list. We have a lot of wildlife/zoo med going on between the WEAMS department, wildlife epi lab, and wildlife clinic.

 

[Cheesedreams]

This sucks, but at this time GP is one of the number one employers of veterinarians simply because people can afford to pay their bills on those salaries. You're interested in arguably the two most competitive specialties in the industry. If you couldn't do either of these, would you be okay with small animal GP at that point?

Also, for what it's worth, you could consider Illinois on your list. We have a lot of wildlife/zoo med going on between the WEAMS department, wildlife epi lab, and wildlife clinic.

I guess that's what I meant by 90% sure I didn't want to do small animal GP, I don't hate it by any means but I would like to at least try to go into wildlife/large animal med if I can. I've been told by other vets that telling vet schools that I'm open to career options (emphasizing zoo med/large animal) is a smart move because soo many people go into SA GP (obviously for good reason, as you've pointed out!). Most of my experience is with small animal and I do love my job!

Also, I will look into adding Illinois to my list, thanks! (I'm kinda restricted with finances)

 

[SkiOtter]

emphasizing zoo med/large animal) is a smart move because soo many people go into SA GP

I feel like I’ve heard so many more people say they want to do zoomed than people who say they want to do GP

 

[battie]

emphasizing zoo med

At least for Illinois, I would say about 30-40% of entering first years express interest in zoo/wildlife med during interview day/orientation week. But you definitely have the background to back it up! So you wouldn't be alone in wanting zoo med, but you've certainly are able to talk about it in an interview as a potential career route. Keep yourself open for sure, but don't bland yourself out either. Admissions committees know plenty of students change between interview day and graduation.

I absolutely, 100% recommend being open to other areas of vet med and expressing that. Our associate dean tells a story about a 4th year switching from ophtho to equine halfway through 4th year after spending years networking in ophtho. So keeping your options open is always a good idea.

 

[Cheesedreams]

At least for Illinois, I would say about 30-40% of entering first years express interest in zoo/wildlife med during interview day/orientation week. But you definitely have the background to back it up! So you wouldn't be alone in wanting zoo med, but you've certainly are able to talk about it in an interview as a potential career route. Keep yourself open for sure, but don't bland yourself out either. Admissions committees know plenty of students change between interview day and graduation.

I absolutely, 100% recommend being open to other areas of vet med and expressing that. Our associate dean tells a story about a 4th year switching from ophtho to equine halfway through 4th year after spending years networking in ophtho. So keeping your options open is always a good idea.

Thank you for this perspective! I’m glad to hear that my background with zoomed is strong enough to be able to express my interests. Pathology is a bit more tough because I don’t have experience in the field so I feel like I shouldn’t even emphasize this interest. I also don’t want to put myself in a tiny box because I want to explore all of the possible career options!