I've seen stats for several people who have been accepted to Oregon State, but they've been mostly OOS applicants. As an Oregon resident, I'd like to know where I stand. As I've announced all too many times recently, OSU will be the only school I apply to this cycle...
Anyway, I really didn't start getting my vet-related ish together until this past Thanksgiving. I'm doing everything I can this summer and plan to rack up many of my hours this summer (tech work, shadowing and volunteer/animal related experience).
I also plan to retake the GRE in August, and to be prepared this time around
Here's what I have so far:
22 year old Female, Oregon resident, first time applicant
Double majoring in Ecology & Organismal Biology and French
cumGPA: 3.45ish
sciGPA: 3.2ish (I know, I know... I'm taking a term of physics this summer and I still have biochemistry and animal physiology this fall to try to rescue myself some)
GRE scores: 155V 152Q 4.5W
Employment:
- 300 hours in a wine wholesale warehouse. it is what it sounds like
- one summer working as a cheese counter person at a high-end gourmet grocery store
- one summer (~150 hours) as a chaperone/program assistant for college-aged international students visiting the US for the first time
- one academic term (~30 hours) as a peer mentor for new international students
- one academic year (~200 hours) as a computer lab attendant/technology assistant
- about 2 years (~800 hours) as a sound engineer/admin assistant for a student-run audio and events crew.
- 160 hours as a kennel attendant in a large emergency veterinary clinic
-
300 hours (and counting!) as a vet tech in a large emergency veterinary clinic this is my current job and i work about 25 hours per week
Volunteer work:
- one summer as an office person/shadower in a pediatric oncology clinic
- sporadic involvement (~50 hours) at a homeless shelter
- ~50 hours at a cat rescue (this was recent but I left because it was crazy and I didn't like the work environment or the coordinator)
- 25 hours (and counting - currently doing this) caring for animals on a toy ranch (we have everything, you name it: horses, cattle, riding steers, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits...)
Shadowing:
- 50 hours (and counting, still doing his about 8 hrs per week) shadowing a vet at the busy emergency clinic where I work. She actually has a history in large animal medicine, and has been provided me with lots of insightful info... I'm interested in pursuing cow stuff now and have been searching frantically for someone who will allow me to shadow them.
---> I've just asked the exotic specialist at the clinic if I can shadow her and will begin in early August.
Other stuff:
- I have my brown belt in Tae Kwon Do. I won't be able to get my black belt by the application due date, but I certainly plan on doing so before the next cycle
- played goalkeeper on my high school's varsity soccer team all 4 years
- 2 years goalkeeper in club soccer
- I've ridden horses on and off for the better part of 3 years, both English and Western.
- I am fluent in French and have passed two exams administered by the French ministry of education that certify my proficiency
-AP scholar in high school blah blah.
- In high school I was crazy about drawing portraits. I think I'm pretty decent. I had my stuff on display at school once. Meh.
I may decide to include stuff about my family in my explanation statement. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder when I was 13/14, have struggled tremendously with depression, and will likely get tested for ADHD this summer.
My elder brother has severe Asperger's syndrome, which has deeply affected my life. I ended up transferring colleges at the beginning of my senior year just to get some time away from my family and it's been... a rocky ride to say the least.
Okay everyone, give it to me straight!
Some days I look at all of my stats and want to cry and eat a tub of ice cream because I feel so hopeless and ashamed. I do have my optimistic days though, where I tell myself that it can only get better from here!