What are my chances?

[BishopFaust]

I was skipped over so just reposting

I could definitely use some feedback on areas of improvement for my application!
Applied: UF (IS), Auburn, UGA, LSU

Cumulative GPA:3.83
Science: 3.75
Last 45: 3.84
Prereq GPA (some schools calculated this): 3.87

GRE:
155/154/3.5 (not an accurate representation of my writing level)

Veterinary:
392- Veterinary Technician at a shelter (current)
306- Surgical Technician Assistant at a shelter's spay and neuter clinic (current)
4- Shadowing hours when a vet came to treat colic at the barn I volunteer at
*700 hours isn't much but these were quality hours, all hands on and done within a year (I decided on vet med early my junior year)

Animal-
30- Public education at a wildlife hospital
55- Volunteering working with horses at a barn that does riding therapy for special needs kids (current)
12- Aiding special needs kids for riding lessons
36- volunteering at a shelter (Walking dogs, doing events, fundraising)

Research
195- Directed independent Organic Chem research on gene transfer agents (current)
40- Independent Field work tracking mammals on my campus (Current)
Also starting a new animal behavior research project (independent)

Extracurricular
888- Two leadership positions in my sorority. One executive board position overseeing a $100,000 programming budget, a board of directors, and chapter materials. The other assisting new member education, overseeing another team.
192- VP of a dance club- We raised money for local philanthropies, performed at local venues. I was in charge of membership.

Volunteer
81- Fundraising for various organizations, a LOT of event planning leading to raising $10K+.

Work
930- orientation leader at my college- heavy leadership position, worked with a team and helped 200+ students over the course of the summer.
306- Science tutor (bio 1/2)
1620- retail sales (I had been working since high school)
720- Server

Honors/awards
Honors program
Order of Omega Greek Honors Society
$1000 Honors program research grant
Panhellenic Scholarship award
Deans/Presidents list every semester

I want to pursue shelter medicine but I understand my application is lacking veterinary diversity. Any tips on where to get other veterinary experience? Having a hard time finding equine vets that would allow a shadow or wildlife animal hospitals that allow shadowing/hands on work.

Prefacing this with the fact that I am just getting through my first rounds of applications through VMCAS, so I'm not a expert perse. Your grades and GRE scores look good. 700 hours is nothing to sneeze at and I'm sure schools are looking for quality not quantity. But, if you are looking for more experience, I would check with local animal hospitals and/or clinics. Make connections with the staff and vets if possible. That's how I made my way into my first job at a local S&N clinic.
Otherwise I get a strong feeling of leadership from your post - I've been told this is also a great character trait to demonstrate when applying. I hope that helps!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sheltermed]

I'm not sure if anyone can definitively answer this, and I've probably even asked about it before, but... does it make a difference to adcoms WHY a GPA is low?

For example... Student 1 tanked a semester or two with a bunch of Cs, maybe Ds, ended up having to retake a prereq or two. Overall GPA ends up being a 3.0.

Student 2 has never tanked a semester, has gotten a lot of Bs with a few As thrown in. Overall GPA also ends up being a 3.0.

Does anyone know if or think that adcoms scrutinize transcripts closely enough to notice things like that? And if they do, do they even care? Or is a number a number no matter what?

 

[Ashgirl]

Hello everyone! I have lurked around for about a year now and I'm looking for a little advice and/or encouragement. I just completed my first round of applications to various vet schools in September and my first rejection letter came yesterday from Davis. Ultimately I knew Davis was a long shot but it still hurts to be rejected so quickly. I also applied to CSU, Cornell, OSU, MSU, WSU and Western. This is my first year of vet school applications and the rejection from Davis has me worried about the other schools. Should I be worried? I realize it impossible to know how I stack up compared to virtually thousands of other candidates, but I would love honest input from others with similar experiences.


28 yro female
BS in Biochemistry earned 2015

Cumulative GPA: 3.40
Science: 3.30
calculated overall GPA: 3.35 - 3.55 (ranges depending on the school)

I wish my gpa was a little higher. I worked full time while completing my Bachelor's while supporting my family financially for years which inadvertently caused my academics to suffer a little.​

GRE
Test date Verbal Verb % Quantitative Quant %
07/23/2016 155 68 149 35
08/17/2016 157 75 148 31

(Yikes, I know....unfortunately, I know this is my weakest aspect as candidate. I had very little time to study and prepare.)​

Veterinary/ Work:
over 40,000 hours of hands on experience on shelter, clinical, hospital, and emergency levels. ( I've worked in veterinary medicine or over 13.5 years....often working multiple jobs simultaneously).

Animal / Volunteer
Volunteered at Best Friends Animal Society, LA - Neonatal Ward (~25 hours)
Local animal S&N Nonprofit group (~200 hours)
Local church volunteer work (~200 hours)
Tutoring


Research
Entomology & Ecology - paper published in Ecology & Evolution (~4 semesters)

Extracurricular
Local rescue!
Rose Parade float decorator
Sew and sell stuffed plush squids (this lets me practice my surgical suturing techniques)
Math, Science and English tutor


Honors/awards
Dean's list for 4 years (undergrad/ AA)
President' Honor List for 2 years (undergrad/ AA)
Special Congressional Recognition Award
Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society Permanent Member since 2011

eLORs:
4 - From veterinarians that I have worked with for years at various facilities
1 - From a local 501 c3 non-profit animal rescue founder and writer that I have worked with for years.
1 - my research professor (and author of the published paper)

Hello there, and welcome to SDN!

Some thoughts:

Were all of your vet med hours in the same species? Do you also have horse, large animal, exotic experience? That amount of hours is impressive for sure, but surprisingly enough it won't be as great if you don't have diverse hours as well.

What is your IS? What is your last 45 GPA? From first glance, it appears like a few of the schools you applied to (UCD, Cornell, maybe others), can really put a focus on GPA, so if you have to apply again (and I definitely hope not!), you might want to see if you can ramp up your last 45 GPA and apply to schools that put emphasis on that (KSU, I think Minnesota? etc).

 

[katashark]

That is a rough approximation. I crunched the actual numbers for VMCAS but that is within +/- 5k of the actual number. I work two jobs when I'm not in school between a hospital and clinic, 5 days a week 14 hours a day. My undergrad took 4 years to complete even after transferring from a community college with an AS in Biology. No vacations for the past 8 years!

I suggest slowing down a bit before vet school starts, assuming you get in. Please don't burn out. Vacations and relaxing are good for you.

 

[hygebeorht]

Were all of your vet med hours in the same species? Do you also have horse, large animal, exotic experience? That amount of hours is impressive for sure, but surprisingly enough it won't be as great if you don't have diverse hours as well.

Depends. It's not an official part of the evaluation where I am. I talked to a person on the admissions committee, seems to be a common myth that more diverse experience is looked on more favorably. I mean, I think there is still value in diverse experience, but don't cry yourself to sleep if you don't have it.

 

[Ashgirl]

Depends. It's not an official part of the evaluation where I am. I talked to a person on the admissions committee, seems to be a common myth that more diverse experience is looked on more favorably. I mean, I think there is still value in diverse experience, but don't cry yourself to sleep if you don't have it.

It definitely depends! Based on the schools I applied to, most of them (at least 4 out of the 5) had a specific breakdown for every species based on a certain numbers of hours. So even if you had 80 thousand hours in small animal, if you didn't have any in horses, large, research, exotics, etc, you didn't get the points for those categories. Which, at the end of the day, could actually be a large dent in your application, especially if you were lacking in other areas as well. Though at the end of the day it is still dependent on which school you apply to.

 

[BishopFaust]

.

Hello there, and welcome to SDN!

Some thoughts:

Were all of your vet med hours in the same species? Do you also have horse, large animal, exotic experience? That amount of hours is impressive for sure, but surprisingly enough it won't be as great if you don't have diverse hours as well.

What is your IS? What is your last 45 GPA? From first glance, it appears like a few of the schools you applied to (UCD, Cornell, maybe others), can really put a focus on GPA, so if you have to apply again (and I definitely hope not!), you might want to see if you can ramp up your last 45 GPA and apply to schools that put emphasis on that (KSU, I think Minnesota? etc).

Thank you for the warm welcome. I believe my last 45 was around 3.30 (ish). My IS options are Davis and Western. My animal experience includes all types - equine, exotic, small animal. I would say predominately small animal and exotic.
I definately agree about upping my overal /sGPA if needed.

I suggest slowing down a bit before vet school starts, assuming you get in. Please don't burn out. Vacations and relaxing are good for you.

I definitely appreciate your concern. The last 10 years have been really rough and I could definitely use a vacation.

 

[WildZoo]

Depends. It's not an official part of the evaluation where I am. I talked to a person on the admissions committee, seems to be a common myth that more diverse experience is looked on more favorably. I mean, I think there is still value in diverse experience, but don't cry yourself to sleep if you don't have it.

Doesn't NCSU specifically state on their website that they want you to have experience in at least 3 areas? I could be wrong but I seem to remember that from when I was applying.

ETA: That's not to say you're wrong, just that if that is how they feel then maybe they should update their website!

Another edit: the relevant portion of their admissions site:

1. Veterinary Experience A minimum of 400 hours of clinical, medical, agribusiness, health science or medical related scientific research experience is required by the time of application. However, supervised experiences in three or more different areas are highly recommended for a competitive application. Experience in three (3) different areas (small animal, large animal, research, food animal production, exotic, aquatic, wildlife, zoological medicine, etc.) of the veterinary medical profession is preferred. The work can be either paid or voluntary and must be completed under the supervision of a veterinarian (or PhD scientist if scientific research). Applicants will be evaluated on duration, level of duties, and diversity of the experiences.

https://cvm.ncsu.edu/education/dvm/admission/eligibility/

 

[WildZoo]

And I will say that I have seen lack of large animal experience be a detriment for multiple people for some schools (UF in particular comes to mind) especially if you're not absolutely outstanding in other categories.

 

[WildZoo]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I believe my last 45 was around 3.30 (ish). My IS options are Davis and Western. My animal experience includes all types - equine, exotic, small animal. I would say predominately small animal and exotic.

I don't know about Western's requirements (do they even offer a different IS tuition rate?), but Davis is pretty academically oriented in their evaluations, while they seem to put less emphasis on the quantity of experience. So I wouldn't use them as a comparison for how you may do with other schools that put more emphasis on other areas of the application!

 

[hygebeorht]

Doesn't NCSU specifically state on their website that they want you to have experience in at least 3 areas? I could be wrong but I seem to remember that from when I was applying.

ETA: That's not to say you're wrong, just that if that is how they feel then maybe they should update their website!

Another edit: the relevant portion of their admissions site:

https://cvm.ncsu.edu/education/dvm/admission/eligibility/

Interesting! Not required but preferred. Some faculty who review applications do not care as much, that is all I know for sure. But applicants will be best off adhering to the official guidance.

 

[BishopFaust]

Doesn't NCSU specifically state on their website that they want you to have experience in at least 3 areas? I could be wrong but I seem to remember that from when I was applying.

ETA: That's not to say you're wrong, just that if that is how they feel then maybe they should update their website!

Another edit: the relevant portion of their admissions site:

https://cvm.ncsu.edu/education/dvm/admission/eligibility/

I think it's amazing that (certain) schools require such varying levels of experience. While I appreciate the value inferred from having varying types of veterinary experiences, most students are juggling work and/or school while trying to maintain a high GPA and are lucky if a local rescue is willing to let them volunteer to clean kennels. I suppose this is just another way they make sure students appreciate various veterinary environments and to stay 'competitive'. I know these experiences are hard to come by for many students.

I don't know about Western's requirements (do they even offer a different IS tuition rate?), but Davis is pretty academically oriented in their evaluations, while they seem to put less emphasis on the quantity of experience. So I wouldn't use them as a comparison for how you may do with other schools that put more emphasis on other areas of the application!

Well that's some good news! I hope a few schools are more interested in other facets of my application.

Last time I checked Western was more expensive than Davis.

 

[WildZoo]

I think it's amazing that (certain) schools require such varying levels of experience. While I appreciate the value inferred from having varying types of veterinary experiences, most students are juggling work and/or school while trying to maintain a high GPA and are lucky if a local rescue is willing to let them volunteer to clean kennels. I suppose this is just another way they make sure students appreciate various veterinary environments and to stay 'competitive'. I know these experiences are hard to come by for many students.

I think it's really to make sure that students who are applying have had enough experience to know a bit about what they're getting into. If you spend all your time at one clinic, that's not giving you a broad enough view of vetmed to know much about it beyond the scope of that one clinic, and you're probably not going to end up working at that clinic as a vet. You may not end up even working at a clinic like it! So I think it's important, even if a school doesn't require diverse experience, to have some different experiences under your belt. But experience doesn't have to be hands-on to be valuable or to count for your application either. Plenty of people get hours just shadowing in different environments.

 

[WoolyMongoose]

Hi guys, brand new to the forum!

I'm currently trying to get into an speech-language pathology master's degree program, but the longer I think the more I think veterinary medicine is the way I should go. If I don't get into slp this year (and I kinda don't want to anymore) I'll be trying to get myself up to snuff for vet school. I have time to work on my app still, so all the suggestions are appreciated!

Undergrad GPA as of December 2014 graduation (class of 2015): 3.07
Non-vet-relevant, post-grad slp classes: 3.34

I've beaten my depression since taking those classes so I know I will do better on my science prereqs. Should I take extras beyond the minimum requirements to make up for my other deficiencies? I'm planning to apply to the VA-MD school (I'm in VA) and I'm not sure if I can afford an out of state school.

Gre scores: 163V/152Q/3.5 AW (just took it recently, AW may go up)

Vets experience is currently none. I want to volunteer or work part time at one of the vets in my area starting soon. Any ideas on the best kind of things to do to get in at a vets office? I don't want it to take 2 months to get in touch with someone like it did for my slp observation.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[Coopah]

Hi guys, brand new to the forum!

I'm currently trying to get into an speech-language pathology master's degree program, but the longer I think the more I think veterinary medicine is the way I should go. If I don't get into slp this year (and I kinda don't want to anymore) I'll be trying to get myself up to snuff for vet school. I have time to work on my app still, so all the suggestions are appreciated!

Undergrad GPA as of December 2014 graduation (class of 2015): 3.07
Non-vet-relevant, post-grad slp classes: 3.34

I've beaten my depression since taking those classes so I know I will do better on my science prereqs. Should I take extras beyond the minimum requirements to make up for my other deficiencies? I'm planning to apply to the VA-MD school (I'm in VA) and I'm not sure if I can afford an out of state school.

Gre scores: 163V/152Q/3.5 AW (just took it recently, AW may go up)

Vets experience is currently none. I want to volunteer or work part time at one of the vets in my area starting soon. Any ideas on the best kind of things to do to get in at a vets office? I don't want it to take 2 months to get in touch with someone like it did for my slp observation.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

Do you have any science prerequisites now? I ask because I was in a very similar situation. My first undergrad GPA was a 3.04 which is now up to a 3.28 after all of my science prerequisites besides physics. It isn't that high or that competitive 4 cumulative gpas but my science GPA is very competitive as well as my last 45 GPA. If you haven't taken many or any science classes you have a good opportunity to be very competitive. You are going to have to apply smartly. I'm not sure how VA - MD scores admissions but I know some schools value science GPA and last 45 GPA over cumulative GPA. Some schools don't even look at it all together.

First things first you gotta get your vet experience because that's how you're going to know if you really want to pursue this field or not.

 

[WoolyMongoose]

Do you have any science prerequisites now? I ask because I was in a very similar situation. My first undergrad GPA was a 3.04 which is now up to a 3.28 after all of my science prerequisites besides physics. It isn't that high or that competitive 4 cumulative gpas but my science GPA is very competitive as well as my last 45 GPA. If you haven't taken many or any science classes you have a good opportunity to be very competitive. You are going to have to apply smartly. I'm not sure how VA - MD scores admissions but I know some schools value science GPA and last 45 GPA over cumulative GPA. Some schools don't even look at it all together.

First things first you gotta get your vet experience because that's how you're going to know if you really want to pursue this field or not.

Thanks for the insightful reply! For my undergrad I had to take some chemistry courses. I got a B in the first one and had to withdraw from the second due to the professor being explicitly hostile to non-chemistry-majors despite her class being a general education requirement. I later took a lab-free chemistry course and did okay. I will need to retake the one I withdrew from to get into organic chemistry, but I plan to take it with a different professor. For my speech prereqs I took an intro biology course and got an A.

As for VMR, from what I can tell on their site they value science gpa and last 45 gpa.

I plan on using free time at work today to contact a few vets in my area, though I haveSan inconvenient constraint at the moment where I work 9 to 5 every day. So I'd only be able to get hours on weekends until I get out of this job lol.

Do vet schools even care about the gre if you did okay? In slp it's the make or break for a lot of people so I'm used to that.

 

[Coopah]

Thanks for the insightful reply! For my undergrad I had to take some chemistry courses. I got a B in the first one and had to withdraw from the second due to the professor being explicitly hostile to non-chemistry-majors despite her class being a general education requirement. I later took a lab-free chemistry course and did okay. I will need to retake the one I withdrew from to get into organic chemistry, but I plan to take it with a different professor. For my speech prereqs I took an intro biology course and got an A.

As for VMR, from what I can tell on their site they value science gpa and last 45 gpa.

I plan on using free time at work today to contact a few vets in my area, though I haveSan inconvenient constraint at the moment where I work 9 to 5 every day. So I'd only be able to get hours on weekends until I get out of this job lol.

Do vet schools even care about the gre if you did okay? In slp it's the make or break for a lot of people so I'm used to that.

It sounds like your in great shape then! Ace your prerequisites, get those hours and you'll be good to go! As for the GRE some schools really care about it and others don't. That being said I'm not sure any GRE score is make-or-break. I wouldn't worry about getting ours only on the weekends that's how I got all of mine. I was working full-time and going to school too so I got all my hours from an emergency vet that was open 24/7. Best of luck to you.

Edit: Make sure you take a general chemistry with a lab. Most schools require that. Double checks all your prerequisites to make sure they're exactly what you need.

 

[WoolyMongoose]

It sounds like
your in great shape then! Ace your prerequisites, get those hours and you'll be good to go! As for the GRE some schools really care about it and others don't. That being said I'm not sure any GRE score is make-or-break. I wouldn't worry about getting ours only on the weekends that's how I got all of mine. I was working full-time and going to school too so I got all my hours from an emergency vet that was open 24/7. Best of luck to you.

Edit: Make sure you take a general chemistry with a lab. Most schools require that. Double checks all your prerequisites to make sure they're exactly what you need.

Wow, thank you! That makes me feel a lot better. Heck, I haven't even 100% decided if this is the way I want to go (though my heart has decided, I need to know if I can actually handle being in person at surgery and not just watching surgery videos), and I already feel more confident about my application for this than I do my speech applications!

I absolutely will take classes with labs from here on out, but at the time it was the best for what I needed. And regarding observations/etc., I just emailed the emergency clinic in my area, so hopefully they get back to me and say I can shadow somebody!

EDIT: I just did the math and I'll have to take 37 credits to get all my prerequisites done. RIP my dreams of getting this app ready quickly. (Second sneaky edit: if I try hard I can get it all done in one year, but I have a question. The VA-MD school says you cannot finish courses past the spring semester of "the year of intended matriculation". Does that mean the year you want to join the school? Cause if I can stick to my intended timeline in theory, I'll be finishing classes in summer 2018 and then filling my application out in fall 2018 for starting in 2019...)

 

[finnickthedog]

Wow, thank you! That makes me feel a lot better. Heck, I haven't even 100% decided if this is the way I want to go (though my heart has decided, I need to know if I can actually handle being in person at surgery and not just watching surgery videos), and I already feel more confident about my application for this than I do my speech applications!

I absolutely will take classes with labs from here on out, but at the time it was the best for what I needed. And regarding observations/etc., I just emailed the emergency clinic in my area, so hopefully they get back to me and say I can shadow somebody!

EDIT: I just did the math and I'll have to take 37 credits to get all my prerequisites done. RIP my dreams of getting this app ready quickly. (Second sneaky edit: if I try hard I can get it all done in one year, but I have a question. The VA-MD school says you cannot finish courses past the spring semester of "the year of intended matriculation". Does that mean the year you want to join the school? Cause if I can stick to my intended timeline in theory, I'll be finishing classes in summer 2018 and then filling my application out in fall 2018 for starting in 2019...)

Basically, you don't need to have all your pre-reqs done before you submit your application but you can't still be taking pre-reqs in the summer right before you start. So if you were applying to start in 2019 you could be taking classes up until the end of spring semester in 2019. I think this is true for most schools although I believe some of them require a certain percentage of the pre-reqs be completed before applying though so if you consider applying sooner you'll want to check that with schools you're applying to.

 

[WoolyMongoose]

Basically, you don't need to have all your pre-reqs done before you submit your application but you can't still be taking pre-reqs in the summer right before you start. So if you were applying to start in 2019 you could be taking classes up until the end of spring semester in 2019. I think this is true for most schools although I believe some of them require a certain percentage of the pre-reqs be completed before applying though so if you consider applying sooner you'll want to check that with schools you're applying to.

Thanks Finnick! That makes sense.

After doing some more looking, along with the reminder that I don't HAVE to rush into vet school right away, I think I may try to get into my local vet tech program instead. I already meet nearly all the prerequisites anyway. Working as a tech will help me later if I decide to become a full vet anyway.

EDIT: After researching vet tech stuff all day, I love the idea of it but not the fact that they apparently often get misused to do literally everything in the office other than the things only vets can do. Sigh...I need to think more. Obviously.

 

[sheltermed]

Wow, thank you! That makes me feel a lot better. Heck, I haven't even 100% decided if this is the way I want to go (though my heart has decided, I need to know if I can actually handle being in person at surgery and not just watching surgery videos), and I already feel more confident about my application for this than I do my speech applications!

I absolutely will take classes with labs from here on out, but at the time it was the best for what I needed. And regarding observations/etc., I just emailed the emergency clinic in my area, so hopefully they get back to me and say I can shadow somebody!

EDIT: I just did the math and I'll have to take 37 credits to get all my prerequisites done. RIP my dreams of getting this app ready quickly. (Second sneaky edit: if I try hard I can get it all done in one year, but I have a question. The VA-MD school says you cannot finish courses past the spring semester of "the year of intended matriculation". Does that mean the year you want to join the school? Cause if I can stick to my intended timeline in theory, I'll be finishing classes in summer 2018 and then filling my application out in fall 2018 for starting in 2019...)

Just as a side note, a lot of people get queazy during their first few surgery observations. I certainly did, especially for a cat declaw. Don't be discouraged if this happens a few times--if you are able to handle it, it will stop happening as you experience more. Make sure you are hydrated and have eaten enough nutritious food that day!

 

[WoolyMongoose]

Just as a side note, a lot of people get queazy during their first few surgery observations. I certainly did, especially for a cat declaw. Don't be discouraged if this happens a few times--if you are able to handle it, it will stop happening as you experience more. Make sure you are hydrated and have eaten enough nutritious food that day!

Good point! At least I'm blessed with a strong stomach. Though sick animal smells are always pretty...intense, from what I remember from having a cancer kitty as a kid.

And so far in all my soul searching I can't decide...I could cram all my prereqs into a year while I take on a part-time job at a clinic nearby (assuming someone would hire me) and then apply to vet school at age 26 so I could finish by 30, or I could finish a vet tech program and start working in something less terrible than my current job (in theory) the same amount of time. I know being a vet in actuality would be better money-wise in the long run but my parents are pressuring me to find a job so I can have insurance after I turn 26 and I'd have to be re-added onto their insurance...@_@ it's all so complicated. And this is not the right thread for this kind of rambling so I'm gonna stop there lol.

Edit: this whole thing was a weird obsession based way for my brain to tell me it's okay to dothings other than speech pathology. I think I may pursue computational linguistics as my real backup as I've genuinely considered that off and on for several years. Unfollowing this thread now. Thanks, everyone!

 

[Maineroot]

Male from Massachusetts, 21 years old, Graduating in Dec 2016. First time applying.
Cum GPA: 3.67 Science GPA: 3.5 Last 45 3.72
GRE Verbal - 154 (64%) Quantitative - 155 (59%) AW - 5.0 (93%)
LOR's - Wildlife/Exotic Veterinarian, Aquarium Veterinarian, Academic Adviser, Genomics Professor
PS: Talked about finding my love for medicine after care taking for my mother during cancer, how my transition to veterinary medicine began after my cat died from a completely preventable accident, and discussed my thrill for exotics and wildlife due to the breadth of knowledge required and how each case is a research endeavor. I also mentioned how I am excited to learn about small animal medicine because that is where the depth research is, but I focused on other areas of vet med prior to applying so I can explore all the field has to offer.

School's Applied to: Tufts (IS), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Cornell, Ohio, Glasgow

Vet Experiences
-Wildlife Hospital and Exotic Pet Clinic - 350 hours as an unlicensed vet technician, 850 hours as an intern
-Aquarium Medical Center Intern assisting vets with surgeries and medical procedures - 350 hours
-Sheep C-Section Shadow in Iceland -10 Hours
-Large Animal Medicine - 20 Hours
-Assistance as a vet tech at Museum of Science - 12 Hours
Total Vet Hours - ~1600 Hours

Research
50 hours working for a research veterinarian studying Caseous Lymphadenitis in sheep, and working with the same veterinarian studying moose parasitology. Research hours will continue to grow throughout the year.

Animal Experience
-Penguin Husbandry Internship at aquarium - 450 hours
-Lambing assistant during lambing season in Iceland 400 hours
-Secretary of Sheep husbandry club at University Farm 800 hours
-Livestock caretaker at local farm 1000 hours
-Livestock caretaker at farm education camp 250 hours
Total: 2900 hours

Other Employment
Resident Assistant for 2 years at College
LGBTQ Services Student Aid at College
Farmhand
Camp Counselor
Life Guard

Class Experiences
Pre-Med Zoology Major
Animal Science Minor
Honors College Member

Volunteer
3 years (1000 hours) in LGBTQ Services

Extracurriculars
Secretary of A Capella group for 3 years
Ultimate Frisbee Intramural team

Achievements
-Contributing Author of published genomics research
-Multiple Scholarships
-Deans List
-Service Award at Aquarium
-Full travel and lodging scholarship to attend and present at the National Collegiate Honors Conference
-Member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society

~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to be honest and discuss my strengths and weaknesses in this app. Also, Wisconsin is my top choice and it is OoS for me. My stats for their specific GPA criteria are: Pre-Reqs 3.5, Last 30 credits 3.65 . I am nervous about my pre req GPA for Wisconsin, so I would appreciate comments on that as well.

 

[sheltermed]

Male from Massachusetts, 21 years old, Graduating in Dec 2016. First time applying.
Cum GPA: 3.67 Science GPA: 3.5 Last 45 3.72
GRE Verbal - 154 (64%) Quantitative - 155 (59%) AW - 5.0 (93%)
LOR's - Wildlife/Exotic Veterinarian, Aquarium Veterinarian, Academic Adviser, Genomics Professor
PS: Talked about finding my love for medicine after care taking for my mother during cancer, how my transition to veterinary medicine began after my cat died from a completely preventable accident, and discussed my thrill for exotics and wildlife due to the breadth of knowledge required and how each case is a research endeavor. I also mentioned how I am excited to learn about small animal medicine because that is where the depth research is, but I focused on other areas of vet med prior to applying so I can explore all the field has to offer.

School's Applied to: Tufts (IS), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Cornell, Ohio, Glasgow

Vet Experiences
-Wildlife Hospital and Exotic Pet Clinic - 350 hours as an unlicensed vet technician, 850 hours as an intern
-Aquarium Medical Center Intern assisting vets with surgeries and medical procedures - 350 hours
-Sheep C-Section Shadow in Iceland -10 Hours
-Large Animal Medicine - 20 Hours
-Assistance as a vet tech at Museum of Science - 12 Hours
Total Vet Hours - ~1600 Hours

Research
50 hours working for a research veterinarian studying Caseous Lymphadenitis in sheep, and working with the same veterinarian studying moose parasitology. Research hours will continue to grow throughout the year.

Animal Experience
-Penguin Husbandry Internship at aquarium - 450 hours
-Lambing assistant during lambing season in Iceland 400 hours
-Secretary of Sheep husbandry club at University Farm 800 hours
-Livestock caretaker at local farm 1000 hours
-Livestock caretaker at farm education camp 250 hours
Total: 2900 hours

Other Employment
Resident Assistant for 2 years at College
LGBTQ Services Student Aid at College
Farmhand
Camp Counselor
Life Guard

Class Experiences
Pre-Med Zoology Major
Animal Science Minor
Honors College Member

Volunteer
3 years (1000 hours) in LGBTQ Services

Extracurriculars
Secretary of A Capella group for 3 years
Ultimate Frisbee Intramural team

Achievements
-Contributing Author of published genomics research
-Multiple Scholarships
-Deans List
-Service Award at Aquarium
-Full travel and lodging scholarship to attend and present at the National Collegiate Honors Conference
-Member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society

~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to be honest and discuss my strengths and weaknesses in this app. Also, Wisconsin is my top choice and it is OoS for me. My stats for their specific GPA criteria are: Pre-Reqs 3.5, Last 30 credits 3.65 . I am nervous about my pre req GPA for Wisconsin, so I would appreciate comments on that as well.

I think you have solid stats and some really great, unique experiences. I think Wisconsin may be a bit of a reach, mainly because you are OOS. I think you have a good shot at Tufts for sure. Many schools hold OOS students to a higher standard, but nothing is set in stone. Hopefully your PS and evaluations make you stand out!

 

[BishopFaust]

I think it's really to make sure that students who are applying have had enough experience to know a bit about what they're getting into. If you spend all your time at one clinic, that's not giving you a broad enough view of vetmed to know much about it beyond the scope of that one clinic, and you're probably not going to end up working at that clinic as a vet. You may not end up even working at a clinic like it! So I think it's important, even if a school doesn't require diverse experience, to have some different experiences under your belt. But experience doesn't have to be hands-on to be valuable or to count for your application either. Plenty of people get hours just shadowing in different environments.

Sure, and I absolutely appreciate the need for diverse veterinary experiences....I'm just empathetic to students trying to get those unique opportunities.

 

[cario12342]

Female from Michigan, 21 years old, Graduating in May 2017. First time applying.
Cum GPA: 3. 517 Science GPA: 3.34 Last 36 credits (MSU/Wisc): 3.83
GRE Verbal - 158 (80%) Quantitative - 156 (63%) AW - 4.0 (59%)

LOR's - Exotic Veterinarian, Feline Veterinarian, Behavior Specialist at Humane Society
PS: Talked about my interest in behavior modification, stress handling and how my positions as a receptionist and a resident assistant have helped me to work on my communication skills needed when being a vet.

School's Applied to: Mich State (IS), Wisconsin

Vet Experiences
-Wildlife Rehab - 390 hr as intern
-Exotics clinic receptionist - 1000 hr
-Equine Fertility Specialists - 10 hr, shadowing
-Random shadowing at several small animal vet clinics - 30 hours.
Total Vet Hours - ~1350 Hours

Research
1290 hours working for a research lab studying insects and toxicology.
30 hours research in chicken feed efficiency

Animal Experience
-Doggy Daycare, watched dog pack - 1200
-Humane Society Dog Trainer - 950
-Teaching Assistant at Univeristy for a Horsemanship course - 45 hr
-Worked as stable hand - 50 hours
-Alpaca Ranch, worked with vaccinating - 20 hours
-Shadowed zookeepers - 30 hours
-Puppy raiser for Leader Dogs for the Blind - 30 hours (I own her for first year of life, but only included monthly required training sesssions)
Total: ~2300 hours

Other Employment
Resident Assistant for 2 years


Class Experiences
Zoology Major

Extracurriculars
Random Acts of Kindness Club - secretary 1 year

Achievements
-Deans List

~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to be honest and discuss my strengths and weaknesses in this app. Also, MSU is my top choice and it is IS for me. My SIS score runs about 886.

I think you have a strong application, especially for your in-state. You have some unique experiences which definitely count for something, and your GPA & GRE scores are decent. I think minimum SIS for MSU is 790, which you probably already know. I'm pretty sure you have a good shot there, and probably other places as well! Not a whole lot of people can say they worked at exotics clinics or for equine fertility specialists.

Just received word that I was denied. I really felt that I would at least get an interview, as it's my IS and they seemed to interview most IS applicants last year. Any advice on how to improve my application? I've emailed about meeting for a file review, but they said they don't start until February...but I'd really prefer to get started fixing things now so I can stop being miserable about my denial.

 

[sheltermed]

Just received word that I was denied. I really felt that I would at least get an interview, as it's my IS and they seemed to interview most IS applicants last year. Any advice on how to improve my application? I've emailed about meeting for a file review, but they said they don't start until February...but I'd really prefer to get started fixing things now so I can stop being miserable about my denial.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that! I haven't experienced it (yet), but I'm sure to within the next couple of months.

Is it possible that you didn't talk about veterinary medicine enough in your personal statement? Just from your short description I wasn't sure. I'd be willing to look at it if you'd like. I haven't been accepted (or rejected) anywhere yet, so I'm certainly no authority on these things, but I still might be able to help.

Are you certain that your evaluations were all positive? Those can also make a difference.

I'm also wondering about your exotics receptionist experience--did that have much animal/veterinary interaction? Since that was your biggest experience, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't seen as veterinary enough?

Last thing I could think of would just be your academics...almost everyone can improve those in some way, but I didn't see yours as bad by any means. It gets increasingly more competitive every year, so perhaps they had a really high number of highly competitive applicants and it was just a bit of the luck of the draw. I really think it can be a crap shoot sometimes. Your science was on the lower side--does MSU consider that number in particular? I forget which GPA(s) they consider the most.

Anyway, I know it hurts, it must feel awful right now...I'm bracing myself for it as well (and believe me it will happen to me--I'm basically a straight 3.0 student in all GPA categories and my GRE is average at best)...but I'm certainly not prepared to give up, and neither should you! SO many applicants take 2 or 3 or even more tries to get in. You have a whole year now to improve upon your application, get some more quality experiences and make some more connections. You may still hear positively from Wisconsin as well, but remember they're extra competitive since you're OOS. Anyway, don't give up. If this is your dream, if this is what you were meant to do...then you'll do it! It just must take some extra time and effort, which never hurt anyone! It certainly didn't for me!

Sent from my SM-G935V using SDN mobile

 

[cario12342]

Certainly not giving up, but it does really suck to hear. I know it takes a lot of applicants a couple tries to get in, but I was really hoping for that interview! Didn't expect anything past that. I emailed VMCAS for a pdf copy of my application so hopefully I can go over it and it'll help me figure out what needs to be fixed for next cycle. And hey, at least now I have a really good start on it? Haha trying to look at the silver lining here.

I can't imagine my LORs being negative, I suppose it could be possible, but I know the two doctors pretty well and they seemed genuinely excited to write them. My last letter of rec was from a supervisor I have known for 6+ years but now lives in Germany. She messed up the time line, so I know she didn't submit until hours before the application was due - it's possible her recommendation wasn't the most thought out. But I really hope that wouldn't be the breaking point!

As for my position at the clinic, I don't have as much animal experience as I would like, but I have learned a great deal more about how clinics function, vaccine policies, medications, euthanasias etc. than I have ever learned when just shadowing. I'm positive I included that in my application, but maybe I didn't make it clear enough. I'll have to read it once I get the pdf.

My academics I think are decently average for an IS MSU student. I am lower in the science GPA but just slightly higher in last 36 credit GPA and GRE. Inputting the stats into their SIS calculator lands me at the same number as the average accepted applicant of last year. Obviously there is still room for improvement and I know I didn't do the best in my Microbiology (got a 2.5) so I could look at retaking that course even though it really wouldn't affect my GPA so much since it's only a 3 credit class.

I honestly think they only straight up denied about 40 IS applicants last year without interview however I know they've changed some things since this is only their 2nd year of interviewing. Would hate to be one of the 40, when over 200 IS people apply just seems so close yet just out of my reach. Feel kind of like I'm disappointing the clinic, as they just had 5 other employees between this and last accepted into Michigan State.

 

[sheltermed]

Certainly not giving up, but it does really suck to hear. I know it takes a lot of applicants a couple tries to get in, but I was really hoping for that interview! Didn't expect anything past that. I emailed VMCAS for a pdf copy of my application so hopefully I can go over it and it'll help me figure out what needs to be fixed for next cycle. And hey, at least now I have a really good start on it? Haha trying to look at the silver lining here.

I can't imagine my LORs being negative, I suppose it could be possible, but I know the two doctors pretty well and they seemed genuinely excited to write them. My last letter of rec was from a supervisor I have known for 6+ years but now lives in Germany. She messed up the time line, so I know she didn't submit until hours before the application was due - it's possible her recommendation wasn't the most thought out. But I really hope that wouldn't be the breaking point!

As for my position at the clinic, I don't have as much animal experience as I would like, but I have learned a great deal more about how clinics function, vaccine policies, medications, euthanasias etc. than I have ever learned when just shadowing. I'm positive I included that in my application, but maybe I didn't make it clear enough. I'll have to read it once I get the pdf.

My academics I think are decently average for an IS MSU student. I am lower in the science GPA but just slightly higher in last 36 credit GPA and GRE. Inputting the stats into their SIS calculator lands me at the same number as the average accepted applicant of last year. Obviously there is still room for improvement and I know I didn't do the best in my Microbiology (got a 2.5) so I could look at retaking that course even though it really wouldn't affect my GPA so much since it's only a 3 credit class.

I honestly think they only straight up denied about 40 IS applicants last year without interview however I know they've changed some things since this is only their 2nd year of interviewing. Would hate to be one of the 40, when over 200 IS people apply just seems so close yet just out of my reach. Feel kind of like I'm disappointing the clinic, as they just had 5 other employees between this and last accepted into Michigan State.

Your application sounds like it was mostly just fine. Like I said, sometimes it can really be a crap shoot. Lots of really qualified applicants get denied all the time.

I wouldn't worry about disappointing the clinic...I'm afraid of that too, but there's no doubt they know how tough it is.

It will probably be tough to pinpoint what was "wrong" with the application. Could have been nothing, could have been a few small things that added up, anything really. I would try not to agonize too much over it until you have your file review, which will really be your best source of information.

If I can help in any way, even just to talk (I'm likely going to be in your position soon, after all - and even if I'm not) -- I'm here! Glad you're not giving up!

Sent from my SM-G935V using SDN mobile

 

[WildZoo]

Sure, and I absolutely appreciate the need for diverse veterinary experiences....I'm just empathetic to students trying to get those unique opportunities.

I mean, so am I. I never was able to get large animal experience, which certainly didn't help my application. You just have to do what you can. Vet schools have to have some way to separate out applicants, experiences just happen to be one part of it, and the amount that it matters depends on the school. That's why it's so important to do your research and try to tailor your application to the schools you're wanting to apply to.

 

[Florida_Future_DVM]

Just received word that I was denied. I really felt that I would at least get an interview, as it's my IS and they seemed to interview most IS applicants last year. Any advice on how to improve my application? I've emailed about meeting for a file review, but they said they don't start until February...but I'd really prefer to get started fixing things now so I can stop being miserable about my denial.

While you're GRE score is solid, I would work on improving your GPA because it is just average as well as trying to get as much hands on experience as possible. They may not have classified your receptionist experience as quality hours which would leave your application lacking in the veterinary experience side. If you get more experience over the next year, I can't see why you would be denied!

 

[WildZoo]

Certainly not giving up, but it does really suck to hear. I know it takes a lot of applicants a couple tries to get in, but I was really hoping for that interview! Didn't expect anything past that. I emailed VMCAS for a pdf copy of my application so hopefully I can go over it and it'll help me figure out what needs to be fixed for next cycle. And hey, at least now I have a really good start on it? Haha trying to look at the silver lining here.

I can't imagine my LORs being negative, I suppose it could be possible, but I know the two doctors pretty well and they seemed genuinely excited to write them. My last letter of rec was from a supervisor I have known for 6+ years but now lives in Germany. She messed up the time line, so I know she didn't submit until hours before the application was due - it's possible her recommendation wasn't the most thought out. But I really hope that wouldn't be the breaking point!

As for my position at the clinic, I don't have as much animal experience as I would like, but I have learned a great deal more about how clinics function, vaccine policies, medications, euthanasias etc. than I have ever learned when just shadowing. I'm positive I included that in my application, but maybe I didn't make it clear enough. I'll have to read it once I get the pdf.

My academics I think are decently average for an IS MSU student. I am lower in the science GPA but just slightly higher in last 36 credit GPA and GRE. Inputting the stats into their SIS calculator lands me at the same number as the average accepted applicant of last year. Obviously there is still room for improvement and I know I didn't do the best in my Microbiology (got a 2.5) so I could look at retaking that course even though it really wouldn't affect my GPA so much since it's only a 3 credit class.

I honestly think they only straight up denied about 40 IS applicants last year without interview however I know they've changed some things since this is only their 2nd year of interviewing. Would hate to be one of the 40, when over 200 IS people apply just seems so close yet just out of my reach. Feel kind of like I'm disappointing the clinic, as they just had 5 other employees between this and last accepted into Michigan State.

I would just do whatever you can now until the file review in February. Definitely finish out your degree strong to keep that upward trend going. If you can take and do well in higher level science courses in your last semester, that will look really good. You can try retaking the GRE, see if you can bump up your quantitative score. And then see if you can get some more experience, maybe just shadowing more in a more typical small animal private practice setting, or wherever will allow you to see the day to day life of a vet more - most of your hours are wildlife/exotics, so maybe they're looking for a bit more depth in the other areas. I'm really just spit balling ideas here, because honestly it depends so much on the individual school. Was the wildlife rehab under the supervision of a veterinarian? The last thing I can think of is making sure your personal statement is really solid.

 

[ahallowell]

Hello everyone. I'm a second-time, non-traditional applicant looking to apply for the class of 2022. Looking for feedback on the below so I can better improve my chances...

Female from Philadelphia, 25 years old. Graduating in August 2018 with a Masters of Science in Food Safety. Graduated undergrad in 2013.

Cum GPA 3.6
Last 45 - 3.85
Prereq GPA - varies by school but mainly 3.4-3.63

GRE 153 Verbal 155 Quantitative 4.5 AW - this expired so I will have to retake, which is fine! Any study material suggestions? I keep hearing about Magoosh?

LORs - Large Animal Vet, Graduate Professor (helping me with my applied project), Undergrad Advisor (known for 7 years), hopefully food safety inspection veterinarian...

Schools: Ohio State, Colorado State, Cornell, Minnesota, UPENN (IS), Virginia-Maryland

Focus: Public Health/Food Safety, Large Animal

Vet Experience
- Small Animal Clinic - 350 hr
- Penn Vet ES Volunteer - 100 hr
- Philadelphia Zoo - 80 hr
- Large Animal Clinic - 200 hr
- USDA FSIS Volunteer (still waiting to get approval) - 60 -100 hr

Animal Experience
- Kennel - 800 hr
- Philadelphia Zoo - 350 hr
- Research with Fence Lizards - 400 hr
- Research with Equine - 50 hr
- Friends Cattle Farm - 100 hr

Research
2080 hours working for USDA studying elimination of E.Coli O157:H7 in fermented sausage (1 publication)

Other Employment
Working as a Food Safety Specialist for a leading corporation

Extracurriculars
Executive member of a division one club field hockey league where I manage 125 teams.
Student athlete
Pre-vet club
Equine research team
Philanthropic organization to fight against pediatric cancer

Achievements
- Deans List
- NFHA Academic Squad
- Animal Biosciences Scholarship
- Honorable Mention in Literacy Research

Hoping that I develop a strong personal statement about my previous/current experiences in industry and government and how that relates to skills of a successful veterinarian. Also, will touch on future goals of becoming a veterinarian for the government (USDA-FSIS, USDA-APHIS, CDC-EIS)

PS good luck to all those who are in the current application cycle! Stay positive.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[calvin89]

I was skipped over so just reposting

I could definitely use some feedback on areas of improvement for my application!
Applied: UF (IS), Auburn, UGA, LSU

Cumulative GPA:3.83
Science: 3.75
Last 45: 3.84
Prereq GPA (some schools calculated this): 3.87

GRE:
155/154/3.5 (not an accurate representation of my writing level)

Veterinary:
392- Veterinary Technician at a shelter (current)
306- Surgical Technician Assistant at a shelter's spay and neuter clinic (current)
4- Shadowing hours when a vet came to treat colic at the barn I volunteer at
*700 hours isn't much but these were quality hours, all hands on and done within a year (I decided on vet med early my junior year)

Animal-
30- Public education at a wildlife hospital
55- Volunteering working with horses at a barn that does riding therapy for special needs kids (current)
12- Aiding special needs kids for riding lessons
36- volunteering at a shelter (Walking dogs, doing events, fundraising)

Research
195- Directed independent Organic Chem research on gene transfer agents (current)
40- Independent Field work tracking mammals on my campus (Current)
Also starting a new animal behavior research project (independent)

Extracurricular
888- Two leadership positions in my sorority. One executive board position overseeing a $100,000 programming budget, a board of directors, and chapter materials. The other assisting new member education, overseeing another team.
192- VP of a dance club- We raised money for local philanthropies, performed at local venues. I was in charge of membership.

Volunteer
81- Fundraising for various organizations, a LOT of event planning leading to raising $10K+.

Work
930- orientation leader at my college- heavy leadership position, worked with a team and helped 200+ students over the course of the summer.
306- Science tutor (bio 1/2)
1620- retail sales (I had been working since high school)
720- Server

Honors/awards
Honors program
Order of Omega Greek Honors Society
$1000 Honors program research grant
Panhellenic Scholarship award
Deans/Presidents list every semester

I want to pursue shelter medicine but I understand my application is lacking veterinary diversity. Any tips on where to get other veterinary experience? Having a hard time finding equine vets that would allow a shadow or wildlife animal hospitals that allow shadowing/hands on work.

Hi! Sorry you keep getting skipped over... it's probably bc your app looks really solid, lol. Honestly your GPA, leadership, volunteering... all very impressive. A couple notes: I'd be thoughtful in calling yourself a veterinary technician. I say this carefully because I know some states do not require you to have any kind of license to be an actual technician, and others do. I'm not sure of the specifics and I'm not sure of the regulations in your state, but I think vet schools may be sensitive to labels like that, so before you say "technician" I'd check the regulations. I'd also make sure that if you have vets from the places you work writing your LORs, they're also planning to use the term "technician." Super nit-picky, I know, but you don't want to rub adcoms the wrong way by saying "technician" if "assistant" is the more appropriate term to describe your position. Again, not at all insinuating you're wrong in using the term, just something to check out and consider.
The other thing is (and I know Florida is a big state so don't know how feasible this actually is), there are many big horse shows that happen in Florida (many northerners head down there for the entire winter to do the show circuits in FL). It might be worth seeing if you can go to some shows, get a feel for it, perhaps volunteer for the show (to be there in an "official" capacity that you could put on your application). It may also be a good place to meet some equine vets in person (better chance than an email to show how personable you can be, and perhaps have better luck getting a shadow opportunity). At the very least, this would give you exposure to more large animal stuff, and perhaps an opportunity for some veterinary experience if you're lucky.
Otherwise, I think you look really strong. Continue to get vet experience hours in your current positions. If you think your writing ability wasn't reflected well in your GRE score, many sure your personal statement really stands out and is strong when it comes time for that. Keep up the good work!

 

[Florida_Future_DVM]

Hi! Sorry you keep getting skipped over... it's probably bc your app looks really solid, lol. Honestly your GPA, leadership, volunteering... all very impressive. A couple notes: I'd be thoughtful in calling yourself a veterinary technician. I say this carefully because I know some states do not require you to have any kind of license to be an actual technician, and others do. I'm not sure of the specifics and I'm not sure of the regulations in your state, but I think vet schools may be sensitive to labels like that, so before you say "technician" I'd check the regulations. I'd also make sure that if you have vets from the places you work writing your LORs, they're also planning to use the term "technician." Super nit-picky, I know, but you don't want to rub adcoms the wrong way by saying "technician" if "assistant" is the more appropriate term to describe your position. Again, not at all insinuating you're wrong in using the term, just something to check out and consider.
The other thing is (and I know Florida is a big state so don't know how feasible this actually is), there are many big horse shows that happen in Florida (many northerners head down there for the entire winter to do the show circuits in FL). It might be worth seeing if you can go to some shows, get a feel for it, perhaps volunteer for the show (to be there in an "official" capacity that you could put on your application). It may also be a good place to meet some equine vets in person (better chance than an email to show how personable you can be, and perhaps have better luck getting a shadow opportunity). At the very least, this would give you exposure to more large animal stuff, and perhaps an opportunity for some veterinary experience if you're lucky.
Otherwise, I think you look really strong. Continue to get vet experience hours in your current positions. If you think your writing ability wasn't reflected well in your GRE score, many sure your personal statement really stands out and is strong when it comes time for that. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for the feedback!! I will definitely be looking into any local horse shows.

Florida does not require licensing for technicians, and my job title is technically Veterinary Technician but I know the specific titles are sort of a gray area. I debated back and forth on what I should put and I decided on 'Veterinary Technician' and 'Surgical Technician' because I did have full technician responsibilities in both areas (which I clarified in the description section). I am definitely hoping there is not penalty if they think this is incorrect and in retrospect I should have called the admissions offices to ask their opinions on it.

 

[WildZoo]

Thank you for the feedback!! I will definitely be looking into any local horse shows.

Florida does not require licensing for technicians, and my job title is technically Veterinary Technician but I know the specific titles are sort of a gray area. I debated back and forth on what I should put and I decided on 'Veterinary Technician' and 'Surgical Technician' because I did have full technician responsibilities in both areas (which I clarified in the description section). I am definitely hoping there is not penalty if they think this is incorrect and in retrospect I should have called the admissions offices to ask their opinions on it.

Yeah, I had that issue as well. Since Florida doesn't require licensing I also had technician as one of my job titles, but I listed myself as an assistant on my application. It likely won't be too much of a problem, they are aware that different states have different regulations, UF in particular should be understanding about it since they'll know about the state regulations! I wouldn't worry about it too much.

As far as your experience goes I agree you should put some more work in finding some more large animal experience. You may do well without it but I've seen UF being more picky about that in the last few years.

 

[futurevet2089]

Hello! first time applicant here (applying fall 2017). My plan was to only apply to my in-state, Illinois, but I'm thinking maybe wisconsin too? Any suggestions of where I might be more likely to be accepted (besides carribean/international schools)?

Graduated from University of Pittsburgh in may 2016.
Cum GPA 3.3
Last 45 - 3.54
Science GPA 2.95
I know my GPAs all kind of suck...hoping my verbal and quant GRE scores might make up for it a little??

GRE
Verbal- 161 (88%)
Quant- 162 (82%)
Writing- 3.5 (42%)

LORs - Veterinarian who i shadowed and now work with, Former research PI, professor

Schools: Illinois (IS), wisconsin

Vet Experience- 800 hours total (but will likely be closer to 2,000 by the time I apply)
-Shadowing SA vet for surgeries- 400
-Working at same SA vet- 400 (and counting-currently work there full-time)

Animal Experience- 700 hours total
- working in children's zoo (goats, sheep, deer, kangaroos)- 400
-volunteering at animal shelter- 100
-petsitting- 100
-pet ownership- 100 (should i even include this??? i know it's up for debate but i do spend a lot of time training my dog)

Research- 1580 hours total
-humanities research project- 150
-identifying bug larvae for stream health project- 300
-plant bio research (same lab)- 350
-microbiology science education research- 480
-soil biogeochemistry research- 300

Other Employment
-After-school program instructor for girls science program
-Summer camp instructor for STEAM education program
-Various food service jobs

Extracurriculars
-president of pre-vet club for 1.5 yrs
-director/co-founder of summer camp for refugees & immigrants for 4 yrs
-member/tutor for school organization that tutors immigrant families for 4 yrs

Achievements
- Deans List (only last semester)
- various research awards and presentations
-full tuition scholarship for undergrad
-graduated Cum Laude

I'm interested in going into small animal surgery or possibly behavior but I know my vet experiences are lacking in diversity- literally all my hours are from the same clinic. I live in the city though so it's hard to find anywhere to shadow a LA vet, and i've tried emailing the zoo multiple times with no luck. Any advice for getting some more (preferably free- not interested in going abroad or anything) diverse experiences??

Thanks in advance everyone!!!

 

[WildZoo]

Graduated from University of Pittsburgh in may 2016.

Sorry this isn't advice, but I'm a Pitt grad too! H2P!

 

[14gsp93]

Looking for some advice on my application! I applied to VAMD, LMU, Purdue, UofI, IS, CSU, WSU, and Guelph this round and am currently waiting to hear:

Cumulative GPA:3.23
Science: 3.38
Last 45: 3.4

(Had to retake genetics and orgo 2)

GRE:
153/150/4
Veterinary:
4000+ hrs- Veterinary Technician/Surgical Assitant Small Animal Hospital
~200 hrs - Large Animal Technician
~200 hrs- Wildlife Rehabilitation Techinician

Animal-
40- Volunteering at horse barn

Research
2000+ hrs Microbiology Research on Gut Microbiome of Horses GI Tract and Laminitis
500 hrs Skin Microbiome Research specifically looking at causes of acne

Extracurricular
Pre-Veterinary Club Treasure 1 yr
Pre-Veterinary Club Member 4 yrs
Little/Big System for Animal Science Majors 2 yrs
Pianist (solo, theatrical, group) 20 yrs (no typo, I've played since I was 3)
Oboe (concert band) 7 yrs
National Honors Society 2 yrs
Softball 10 yrs
Cross Country 6 yrs

Volunteer
Volunteer Group that raised donations for different charities and provided services to elderly in town (lunches, lawn services, ect.)

Work
Panera Bread 2.5 yrs
Small Animal Technician 3.5 yrs
Bed and Breakfast 5 yrs

Honors/awards
Dean's list 4 semesters
John and Abigail Adams Scholarship 4 yrs
Ascension Farm Scholarship 3 yrs
Community Foundations Scholarship 4 yrs


Interested in pursuing Clinical Research geared more towards Small Animal Medicine. I'm missing a few things but this was the majority of my application. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[MinaVet]

Hey everyone!

I'm hoping that yall can provide me with some words of wisdom and guidance.. Here's my story..

I am 20 years old majoring in biology my GPA is a 2.89 and I had a horrible sophomore year due to family reasons. I have retaken MANY classes to make up for the bad year I had but as you can see my GPA isn't anywhere near where it needs to be and probably won't be graduating on time. I haven't taken the GRE yet.
I am VERY VERY VERY worried about my chance of getting accepted )):

 

[katashark]

Hey everyone!

I'm hoping that yall can provide me with some words of wisdom and guidance.. Here's my story..

I am 20 years old majoring in biology my GPA is a 2.89 and I had a horrible sophomore year due to family reasons. I have retaken MANY classes to make up for the bad year I had but as you can see my GPA isn't anywhere near where it needs to be and probably won't be graduating on time. I haven't taken the GRE yet.
I am VERY VERY VERY worried about my chance of getting accepted )):

Have you gotten any experience? So are you a junior or senior now? It's seriously fine to not graduate in 4 years. It's also fine to take time off after graduation in order to get experience, take a breather from school, get life together, etc. A GPA won't crush your chances, but you do need to show an upward trend in your grades, get very good experiences, do well on the GRE and make yourself stand out in some way. Get good letters of recommendation. I also had a bad sophomore year and I had a letter of recommendation that discussed my academic abilities as well as others from veterinarians. It's not over.

 

[MinaVet]

Have you gotten any experience? So are you a junior or senior now? It's seriously fine to not graduate in 4 years. It's also fine to take time off after graduation in order to get experience, take a breather from school, get life together, etc. A GPA won't crush your chances, but you do need to show an upward trend in your grades, get very good experiences, do well on the GRE and make yourself stand out in some way. Get good letters of recommendation. I also had a bad sophomore year and I had a letter of recommendation that discussed my academic abilities as well as others from veterinarians. It's not over.

I am in my junior year and my mother owns her own practice and I've been working there since it opened about 2 years ago, the schools I reached out to basically told me that she can't write my letter of rec since she is related by blood )): I am going to try and shadow at some other local clinics

 

[katashark]

I am in my junior year and my mother owns her own practice and I've been working there since it opened about 2 years ago, the schools I reached out to basically told me that she can't write my letter of rec since she is related by blood )): I am going to try and shadow at some other local clinics

You should also try to get experience in other areas of vet med if you want to/are able to. And yeah, usually family members should not write letters of recommendation. Your GPA is low, but you want to do well in the rest of your classes. Try your best to show an upward trend in grades.

 

[OtterMayhem]

Just wanted some advise on my grades and what not!
Biology 1: D -> B
Biology 2: B
Calculus: C+
Statictics: B
Gen Chem 1: C
Gen Chem 2: C
Orgo 1: Most likely a B maybe an A if I can ace the final
Physics 1: C
Physics 2: B
Animal Science: A
Animal Nutrition: A

I'm really not happy with how my science grades have turned out. I would have hoped to have more A's in the mix. Since I'm so close to an A in orgo 1, I hope to have an A in orgo 2 next semester. This semester I withdrew from 2 courses. I still have 4 other courses I am taking, I have A's in 3 of them(business management, health psych and ani sci) and a B in orgo as of now. At the end of this semester I should be at a 3.1 GPA which I'm pretty worried about. I'm a Junior and still have some more science classes I need to take and ace. I have a good amount of small animal vet hours and I'm working on trying to get some large animal vet experience. I also am taking other elective classes and am a business minor. I have been having a bit of an upward trend but the withdrawals scare me a bit. If all goes as plans I should be at a 3.3 when I graduate. Recommendations? Thanks in advance!!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Just wanted some advise on my grades and what not!
Biology 1: D -> B
Biology 2: B
Calculus: C+
Statictics: B
Gen Chem 1: C
Gen Chem 2: C
Orgo 1: Most likely a B maybe an A if I can ace the final
Physics 1: C
Physics 2: B
Animal Science: A
Animal Nutrition: A

I'm really not happy with how my science grades have turned out. I would have hoped to have more A's in the mix. Since I'm so close to an A in orgo 1, I hope to have an A in orgo 2 next semester. This semester I withdrew from 2 courses. I still have 4 other courses I am taking, I have A's in 3 of them(business management, health psych and ani sci) and a B in orgo as of now. At the end of this semester I should be at a 3.1 GPA which I'm pretty worried about. I'm a Junior and still have some more science classes I need to take and ace. I have a good amount of small animal vet hours and I'm working on trying to get some large animal vet experience. I also am taking other elective classes and am a business minor. I have been having a bit of an upward trend but the withdrawals scare me a bit. If all goes as plans I should be at a 3.3 when I graduate. Recommendations? Thanks in advance!!

My biggest suggestion would be to look at how you're studying. My second suggestion would be to do whatever you have to do to get as many A's as possible from here on out. Rock the GRE. When were you planning on applying? How much experience do you have?

 

[ohgeez89]

.

 

[OtterMayhem]

My biggest suggestion would be to look at how you're studying. My second suggestion would be to do whatever you have to do to get as many A's as possible from here on out. Rock the GRE. When were you planning on applying? How much experience do you have?

I plan to apply for 2022!
Small Animal Practice: ~1,200 hrs
ER vet: ~400 hrs
Veterinary Surgeon: ~5hrs

Once this semester ends I plan on studying for the GRE, shadowing my small animal vet and a large animal vet and volunteering at a high volume spay and neuter clinic.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[mmmdreamerz]

GPA: 3.54
GRE (Verbal): 152
GRE (Quantitative): 158
Veterinary Experience: 800 hours, including:

• Army Medic (medical training with animals)
• Army Medic (care of training dogs)
• Local Farm (summer employment)
• Dog Walking (assistant)

Extracurricular Activities:

• Rugby team (Captain, MVP 2 years)
• Alpha Chi Sigma (Professional Chemistry Fraternity)

Other Factors:

• Army Ranger, 3 tours in Afghanistan
• Indian American, first generation born in the US

I'm applying to CSU and VA-MD. I live in Washington, DC, so nothing seems to count as IS. CSU is the dream (would definitively accept if I got a spot). Any thoughts on my chances? Interview decisions come out on the 16th.

Also, full disclosure, I realized I had a mistake in one of my essays (not the main essay though, if that helps). Pretty much left the end of a sentence hanging. Not sure how much that will hurt me.

First off, thank you for your service!

Your GPA and GRE scores are decent and 800 hours of experience isn't bad. You don't have a lot of variety with different species, but honestly I think your experience in the army will definitely help you stick out! I'd say you have a good chance at interviews!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I plan to apply for 2022!
Small Animal Practice: ~1,200 hrs
ER vet: ~400 hrs
Veterinary Surgeon: ~5hrs

Once this semester ends I plan on studying for the GRE, shadowing my small animal vet and a large animal vet and volunteering at a high volume spay and neuter clinic.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I highly recommend Magoosh for studying for the GRE. If I were you, I'd want to get as high of scores as possible because your GPA is on the low end. What do your science and last 45 GPAs look like?

 

[cdo96]

[
Veterinary Experience: 800 hours, including:

• Army Medic (medical training with animals)
• Army Medic (care of training dogs)
• Local Farm (summer employment)
• Dog Walking (assistant)

• One thing that's standing out to me right now is that you counted Dog Walking as veterinary experience? Could you elaborate? (Because it sounds like simply dog walking/ pet sitting and that would be animal experience, not veterinary)
  
  
  Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile