WAMC - where to apply?

[WSUalumDVMhopeful]

Hello! This year will be my second year applying as a first generation college student. Last year, I applied to WSU (WA-IS), Arizona, and Oregon. I was rejected from WSU and Az and waitlisted at Oregon. My stats are as follows:

cGPA: 3.52
SciGPA: 3.37

Graduating with B.S. in Animal Science May 2022, Honors College student

Veterinary Experience: ~4900 hours by the time apps are due
2400 at small animal private practice GP
2000 at specialty hospital (1000 as ER assistant and 1000 as Onco assistant)
400 at wildlife clinic
~60 various seminars, lectures, etc. by veterinarians

Animal Experience: ~1031 hours
170 fostering for a cattle dog rescue
30 volunteering at a humane society
456 as a kennel tech for a dog/cat boarding facility
111 with hands-on lab experience during my animal science classes (large animal/equine mixed)
24 as a stablehand at a horse ranch
~240 pet-sitting

I didn't include pet ownership - should I add this to my app this year?

Research Experience: ~400 hours
360 as an unpaid lab tech at WSU's veterinary school studying R. equi under a WSU veterinary school professor
~40 virtual research for my Honors Thesis - should I include the time I spent writing the thesis, as well?

Non-Veterinary/Animal Employment Experience: ~1343
~180 as a classroom assistant teaching STEM curriculum to underserved, minority students in my community during a summer program
168 as a sales representative for a local Lavender farm
270 as a waitress for a Chinese restaurant
725 as a cashier/ice cream scooper for a local farm stand

Extracurriculars: thousands of hours lol, including:
Chi Omega sorority for 3.5 years
Pre-Vet club for 4 years
The Women's Network feminist club for 1 year
Recreational volleyball/painting
Honors College mentor for 1 year
Residence Hall government for 1 year
Emerging Leaders leadership courses/certificate
Link Crew in high school
Student to Student in high school
Choir in high school 4 years
Volunteering for Adopt-a-Block, Make a Wish, Relay for Life, senior communities

Achievements:
Dozens of scholarships, President's Honor Roll in college several semesters, Academic Letters in high school, Vet Med Clerk license, choir awards

I know that I need to expand my list of schools, but I haven't taken Ochem II or Physics II, so that really limits my options. I am willing and planning to take Physics II to open up my options. My current ideas of where to apply next year include:

WSU, Oregon, Arizona, Ohio, and Illinois. Potentially Kansas?

I would love to apply to Mississippi and Michigan, but, unfortunately, they require Ochem II and Physics II lol. I do not want to apply to island or overseas schools at this time.

If anyone could help, please comment any ideas of how to improve my app and what schools I could/should add to the list with my stats. Thank you so much!

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[BlackCatsRuleTheWorld]

Were you offered interviews at any of those schools? Are file reviews available for you? You have a lot of great experiences so I wonder if your interview (if you had them), essays or LORs are holding you back at all. I would really work on your essay, how you describe your experiences on the app, and think about your LOR choices.

I would also add Iowa State to your list - no ochem II or physics II required The rest of your list looks really good!

 

[Georgethecat]

Definitely ask WSU for a file review. You are a well rounded candidate for sure. Unfortunately it probably came down it being a very competitive year. But it would be good to rule out any issues with your LOR's and essays. Best of luck to you in the coming cycle!

 

[WSUalumDVMhopeful]

Were you offered interviews at any of those schools? Are file reviews available for you? You have a lot of great experiences so I wonder if your interview (if you had them), essays or LORs are holding you back at all. I would really work on your essay, how you describe your experiences on the app, and think about your LOR choices.

I would also add Iowa State to your list - no ochem II or physics II required The rest of your list looks really good!

No interview at WSU or Arizona. I had a file review at WSU and they basically said, yes your cGPA puts you in our tier one, but since my pre-requisite GPA was around 3.27, they rejected me for that 🙃 They wouldn’t give any feedback on my essays or LOR, but I do have to say, I was never really impressed with my personal statement because it felt too general. That’s something I’ll be putting my energy into this cycle, for sure. I will be doing a file review with Arizona in March! I will look into Iowa, thank you!

 

[WSUalumDVMhopeful]

Definitely ask WSU for a file review. You are a well rounded candidate for sure. Unfortunately it probably came down it being a very competitive year. But it would be good to rule out any issues with your LOR's and essays. Best of luck to you in the coming cycle!

I had a file review at WSU and they basically said, yes your cGPA puts you in our tier one, but since my pre-requisite GPA was around 3.27, they rejected me for that 🙃 They wouldn’t give any feedback on my essays or LOR, but I do have to say, I was never really impressed with my personal statement because it felt too general. That’s something I’ll be putting my energy into this cycle, for sure. I wondered if there was a red flag in my LORs somewhere, even though they all came from people I had positive experiences with, but WSU leaves that as a mystery haha. And thank you.

PS - love your username! I have a kitten named George, too!

 

[Georgethecat]

I had a file review at WSU and they basically said, yes your cGPA puts you in our tier one, but since my pre-requisite GPA was around 3.27, they rejected me for that 🙃 They wouldn’t give any feedback on my essays or LOR, but I do have to say, I was never really impressed with my personal statement because it felt too general. That’s something I’ll be putting my energy into this cycle, for sure. I wondered if there was a red flag in my LORs somewhere, even though they all came from people I had positive experiences with, but WSU leaves that as a mystery haha. And thank you.

PS - love your username! I have a kitten named George, too!

Kittens named George are the best!

Sending positive vibes for your waitlist at Oregon.

Sorry to say that's not much of a file review at WSU Good luck with revamping your personal statement. Have people from different parts of your life read over it. You might be surprised at how others see you. They can help remind you of leadership roles you've had etc. You've got plenty of time between now and the Sept deadline to work on it, take a break from it and come back to it with fresh eyes. You've got pretty good diversity in your vet hours. maybe try to shadow a large animal vet on your days off from your regular job. Doesn't have to be a ton of hours, just to show you've made the effort and have seen what it's all about.