What are my chances?

[Coopah]

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Ohhh okay. See I've got a couple B's in prerequisites and one C, so I was debating retaking (prerequisites GPA 3.45 ish)

I think it depends on the school. Some schools will replace your grade, some will not. I suggest doing file reviews with the schools you got rejected from, or contact the admissions department for schools you are interested in and see if they recommend that, who will replace grades, and if they think it'll be a waist of time. But this is totally irrelevant because your getting into OkState!

 

[cdo96]

I think it depends on the school. Some schools will replace your grade, some will not. I suggest doing file reviews with the schools you got rejected from, or contact the admissions department for schools you are interested in and see if they recommend that, who will replace grades, and if they think it'll be a waist of time. But this is totally irrelevant because your getting into OkState!

Thank you- I wish I had your confidence. (Positive thinking I keep telling myself). If I don't get accepted, first round cuts go out late Jan, official decisions early March, I'll contact schools for file reviews and see what they say.

 

[Coopah]

Thank you- I wish I had your confidence. (Positive thinking I keep telling myself). If I don't get accepted, first round cuts go out late Jan, official decisions early March, I'll contact schools for file reviews and see what they say.

You'll do great! Don't worry @cdoconn! Believe in yourself and good things will happen.

 

[spencerwt]

Hey guys,
I've posted on here before, but just recently finished another semester and will be applying this fall and want to get some second opinions.
Graduated from Community College during high school with an Associates Arts, 74 credit hours with 3.7 GPA
UNC Chapel Hill, NC Resident, BS Biology and BA Chemistry double major, 72 credit hours with 2.49 GPA
Overall cumulative from both schools: 3.12
Science GPA: 3.13
Last 45: 2.54
Possibly to applying to NC State, St Georges, Georgia, Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial
Taking Biochem, calc 2, Physics 2, and possibly retaking Microbio this semester
Small animal clinic hours: 800+
Large Animal vet hours: 900+
Emergency Small animal: 200+
Taking the GRE in a couple months
Wondering how realistic my chances are of getting in anywhere this cycle, or if I should take a year to retake classes that I didnt do so hot in

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Hey guys,
I've posted on here before, but just recently finished another semester and will be applying this fall and want to get some second opinions.
Graduated from Community College during high school with an Associates Arts, 74 credit hours with 3.7 GPA
UNC Chapel Hill, NC Resident, BS Biology and BA Chemistry double major, 72 credit hours with 2.49 GPA
Overall cumulative from both schools: 3.12
Science GPA: 3.13
Last 45: 2.54
Possibly to applying to NC State, St Georges, Georgia, Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial
Taking Biochem, calc 2, Physics 2, and possibly retaking Microbio this semester
Small animal clinic hours: 800+
Large Animal vet hours: 900+
Emergency Small animal: 200+
Taking the GRE in a couple months
Wondering how realistic my chances are of getting in anywhere this cycle, or if I should take a year to retake classes that I didnt do so hot in

Do you have any prerequisites with less than a C? If so you will HAVE to retake those. Honestly, if so were you I would take a year off and retake classes and make sure to get A's in them. It is possible to get in with a low GPA, but the thing that stands out to me the most is your last 45 of 2.54. Most people with low GPAs who are accepted show an upward trend. You need to show vet schools that you can handle the rigors of veterinary school...

 

[supershorty]

Hey guys,
I've posted on here before, but just recently finished another semester and will be applying this fall and want to get some second opinions.
Graduated from Community College during high school with an Associates Arts, 74 credit hours with 3.7 GPA
UNC Chapel Hill, NC Resident, BS Biology and BA Chemistry double major, 72 credit hours with 2.49 GPA
Overall cumulative from both schools: 3.12
Science GPA: 3.13
Last 45: 2.54
Possibly to applying to NC State, St Georges, Georgia, Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial
Taking Biochem, calc 2, Physics 2, and possibly retaking Microbio this semester
Small animal clinic hours: 800+
Large Animal vet hours: 900+
Emergency Small animal: 200+
Taking the GRE in a couple months
Wondering how realistic my chances are of getting in anywhere this cycle, or if I should take a year to retake classes that I didnt do so hot in

I second @mmmdreamerz , I would wait and retake courses. Bring up that last 45 as much as you can.

 

[bunnybinkies]

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums and feeling a little lost on how to prepare to apply. I decided only a few months ago that I want to pursue vet school. I thought about applying this fall, but I'm really doubting that I'll be ready until the 2018 cycle. Here's where I'm at:

21, female, Washington resident. WSU undergrad, and most likely applying only to WSU.
BS Psychology and Spanish for the Professions, double major. Honors College. Still a senior, finishing my degree online. Technically I finished all my classes last summer, but I'm not finished with my thesis. Ugh.
Cumulative GPA at WSU: ~3.85
Science GPA at WSU: 4.0
Don't know my last 45 yet. I think mostly As but two B+s
I've also taken classes at 3 (!) community colleges through Running Start (I moved while I was in the program) and during a summer break. Currently enrolled again at my local one to take prerequisites. Right now I'm taking Chem 2 and Physics 2, and possibly Physiology through WSU online. I can take Genetics this summer.
By the time fall rolls around, I will still need one more quarter of Physics, two quarters of O-chem, and a semester of Biochem. This is part of why I think I may need to wait until 2018.
Also I'm planning to take the GRE in a few months.

My biggest problem is I don't have enough vet/animal experience yet:
Shadowed 10 hours at a small animal & exotic clinic
Volunteered about 15 hours at animal shelters
Worked as a technical assistant in a reproductive biology lab for 8 months (research was on mice, but my exposure to it was limited)
Member of a puppy raising club for 8 months
Honors thesis is on human-animal interaction and animal-assisted therapy

Other: Research assistant in clinical psychology (might get listed as a co-author on a publication); peer tutor for 3 semesters in biology, chemistry, and statistics; various summer jobs working in hospitality; studied abroad for a semester in Costa Rica. Not sure if it's relevant but I'm half-Jamaican.

I'm trying to get a job as a vet assistant, but nothing's available at the moment in my small town. I wanted to set up regular shadowing at the clinic I was at but I've already asked them about work, and I don't want to come across as desperate!
I might be able to spend the summer in Seattle so I can find a full-time job at a clinic. That would get me close to 500 hours of vet experience. I would plan to shadow and volunteer over there as well to get more diverse experience. My dream is to work with rabbits 🙂
There's an opening here in town for a part-time job at a boarding facility in an animal shelter. I could probably get 400 hours of animal experience doing that. And I would like to start volunteering a few hours a month at an equine-assisted therapy center.

So long story short, I think I'm on the right track, but right now I don't have much done! I want to work hard over the next few months to get the necessary experience and finish my prereqs... I just don't know if it'll be enough to be ready to apply by September. I could really use some advice or guidance. Thanks!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Honestly, you have good GPAs so if you could take the GRE, fit all the prerequisites in by next spring, and get more vet experience by the time VMCAS is due (ideally at least 500 hours with some diversity in there) you could apply. That being said, if you take an extra year, it'll probably be a lot less stress on you. Whatever you do, don't sacrifice your GPA in a rush to apply!

 

[deleted806434]

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums and feeling a little lost on how to prepare to apply. I decided only a few months ago that I want to pursue vet school. I thought about applying this fall, but I'm really doubting that I'll be ready until the 2018 cycle. Here's where I'm at:

21, female, Washington resident. WSU undergrad, and most likely applying only to WSU.
BS Psychology and Spanish for the Professions, double major. Honors College. Still a senior, finishing my degree online. Technically I finished all my classes last summer, but I'm not finished with my thesis. Ugh.
Cumulative GPA at WSU: ~3.85
Science GPA at WSU: 4.0
Don't know my last 45 yet. I think mostly As but two B+s
I've also taken classes at 3 (!) community colleges through Running Start (I moved while I was in the program) and during a summer break. Currently enrolled again at my local one to take prerequisites. Right now I'm taking Chem 2 and Physics 2, and possibly Physiology through WSU online. I can take Genetics this summer.
By the time fall rolls around, I will still need one more quarter of Physics, two quarters of O-chem, and a semester of Biochem. This is part of why I think I may need to wait until 2018.
Also I'm planning to take the GRE in a few months.

My biggest problem is I don't have enough vet/animal experience yet:
Shadowed 10 hours at a small animal & exotic clinic
Volunteered about 15 hours at animal shelters
Worked as a technical assistant in a reproductive biology lab for 8 months (research was on mice, but my exposure to it was limited)
Member of a puppy raising club for 8 months
Honors thesis is on human-animal interaction and animal-assisted therapy

Other: Research assistant in clinical psychology (might get listed as a co-author on a publication); peer tutor for 3 semesters in biology, chemistry, and statistics; various summer jobs working in hospitality; studied abroad for a semester in Costa Rica. Not sure if it's relevant but I'm half-Jamaican.

I'm trying to get a job as a vet assistant, but nothing's available at the moment in my small town. I wanted to set up regular shadowing at the clinic I was at but I've already asked them about work, and I don't want to come across as desperate!
I might be able to spend the summer in Seattle so I can find a full-time job at a clinic. That would get me close to 500 hours of vet experience. I would plan to shadow and volunteer over there as well to get more diverse experience. My dream is to work with rabbits 🙂
There's an opening here in town for a part-time job at a boarding facility in an animal shelter. I could probably get 400 hours of animal experience doing that. And I would like to start volunteering a few hours a month at an equine-assisted therapy center.

So long story short, I think I'm on the right track, but right now I don't have much done! I want to work hard over the next few months to get the necessary experience and finish my prereqs... I just don't know if it'll be enough to be ready to apply by September. I could really use some advice or guidance. Thanks!

This is pretty similar to my situation applying this year. I basically decided this is what I wanted to do the fall semester of the year before I was applying. The only differences are that I probably had closer to 100 hours of vet experience and had completed most of the prerequisites already. I think I ended up with around 700 hours, which was good enough for several schools.

So I think it is definitely possible to apply next cycle if you think you will be able to maintain your grades while finishing the prerequisites. Also, check that WSU would be okay with you taking so many prerequisites while applying.

One thing that I think helped me with my lower than average experience hours was that I got it in a variety of fields. Even if you just shadow other vets a few times, look into getting some experience in large animal, equine, zoo, lab animal, etc. The WSU admissions director definitely appreciated that when I met with her to review my application.

I definitely don't think you should feel rushed to apply. Sometimes I think waiting another year might have been better for me. So do whatever is best for you. I think you have a good chance if you do well on the GRE and get your hours up... if you decide you want to give it a shot this year 🙂 in the worst case scenario, if you get rejected from WSU this year, you could do a file review and get valuable advice applying for the next cycle.

 

[TrashPanda]

Hi everyone, I'm new to these forums and feeling a little lost on how to prepare to apply. I decided only a few months ago that I want to pursue vet school. I thought about applying this fall, but I'm really doubting that I'll be ready until the 2018 cycle. Here's where I'm at:

21, female, Washington resident. WSU undergrad, and most likely applying only to WSU.
BS Psychology and Spanish for the Professions, double major. Honors College. Still a senior, finishing my degree online. Technically I finished all my classes last summer, but I'm not finished with my thesis. Ugh.
Cumulative GPA at WSU: ~3.85
Science GPA at WSU: 4.0
Don't know my last 45 yet. I think mostly As but two B+s
I've also taken classes at 3 (!) community colleges through Running Start (I moved while I was in the program) and during a summer break. Currently enrolled again at my local one to take prerequisites. Right now I'm taking Chem 2 and Physics 2, and possibly Physiology through WSU online. I can take Genetics this summer.
By the time fall rolls around, I will still need one more quarter of Physics, two quarters of O-chem, and a semester of Biochem. This is part of why I think I may need to wait until 2018.
Also I'm planning to take the GRE in a few months.

My biggest problem is I don't have enough vet/animal experience yet:
Shadowed 10 hours at a small animal & exotic clinic
Volunteered about 15 hours at animal shelters
Worked as a technical assistant in a reproductive biology lab for 8 months (research was on mice, but my exposure to it was limited)
Member of a puppy raising club for 8 months
Honors thesis is on human-animal interaction and animal-assisted therapy

Other: Research assistant in clinical psychology (might get listed as a co-author on a publication); peer tutor for 3 semesters in biology, chemistry, and statistics; various summer jobs working in hospitality; studied abroad for a semester in Costa Rica. Not sure if it's relevant but I'm half-Jamaican.

I'm trying to get a job as a vet assistant, but nothing's available at the moment in my small town. I wanted to set up regular shadowing at the clinic I was at but I've already asked them about work, and I don't want to come across as desperate!
I might be able to spend the summer in Seattle so I can find a full-time job at a clinic. That would get me close to 500 hours of vet experience. I would plan to shadow and volunteer over there as well to get more diverse experience. My dream is to work with rabbits 🙂
There's an opening here in town for a part-time job at a boarding facility in an animal shelter. I could probably get 400 hours of animal experience doing that. And I would like to start volunteering a few hours a month at an equine-assisted therapy center.

So long story short, I think I'm on the right track, but right now I don't have much done! I want to work hard over the next few months to get the necessary experience and finish my prereqs... I just don't know if it'll be enough to be ready to apply by September. I could really use some advice or guidance. Thanks!

It looks like you've already gotten some good advice. Only applying to WSU is definitely smart and your high GPA will certainly help.

You still have time to decide to apply, and I suggest doing some serious thinking about waiting another cycle. Ten hours of veterinary experience is not only very far from what adcoms are looking for, but I think it's also not enough time to really determine if veterinary medicine is right for you. Of course, I don't know what exposure to the field you've had outside of what you've listed or what your background is like, but I suggest getting more experience. It's important not just for your application, but for you to really determine if the debt is worth it for you and to make sure you know what you're getting into (the good and the bad).

I'd also worry a little about you rushing to get experience, take the GRE, and finish pre-reqs, and turning yourself into an okay applicant this next cycle (and future cycles if your GPA suffers) when you could be an outstanding applicant in the following cycle.

The good news is you have about eight months until applications are due, so I suggest working on experience and seeing how things go in a few more months.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that vet schools will want at least one recommendation letter from a veterinarian, and it'll be tough to get a really strong one if you haven't spent a lot of time with someone. Just something else to think about.

 

[bunnybinkies]

This has all been such good advice! I agree that though I could potentially apply this cycle, I'd certainly be a better applicant if I waited a year. And I know how important it is to keep my GPA high. I'll see how much experience I can get over the next few months, but I won't rush. I basically finished my degree in 3 years (this is my "4th year" now), so I don't feel too pressured to apply as soon as possible. And I'd be ecstatic to get into WSU -- don't get me wrong, I love it there -- but I also wouldn't mind getting more competitive so I could apply to a couple other schools. Just in case I decide later on I don't want to spend another 4 years in Pullman 😉

I think one of my challenges is figuring out how to get vet experience in my little town. I'm really considering moving for the summer, but obviously I want to start getting more experience before then. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

[battie]

And I'd be ecstatic to get into WSU -- don't get me wrong, I love it there -- but I also wouldn't mind getting more competitive so I could apply to a couple other schools. Just in case I decide later on I don't want to spend another 4 years in Pullman 😉

I think one of my challenges is figuring out how to get vet experience in my little town. I'm really considering moving for the summer, but obviously I want to start getting more experience before then. Do you guys have any suggestions?

1) When considering other schools to apply to, remember that OOS tuition is often twice as expensive as IS. I will graduate with 225k in debt cause I'm OOS, whereas I would have graduated with less than 125k had I been accepted IS. Living in Pullman four more years is definitely worth it in that regards.

2) How small is small?

 

[TrashPanda]

This has all been such good advice! I agree that though I could potentially apply this cycle, I'd certainly be a better applicant if I waited a year. And I know how important it is to keep my GPA high. I'll see how much experience I can get over the next few months, but I won't rush. I basically finished my degree in 3 years (this is my "4th year" now), so I don't feel too pressured to apply as soon as possible. And I'd be ecstatic to get into WSU -- don't get me wrong, I love it there -- but I also wouldn't mind getting more competitive so I could apply to a couple other schools. Just in case I decide later on I don't want to spend another 4 years in Pullman 😉

I think one of my challenges is figuring out how to get vet experience in my little town. I'm really considering moving for the summer, but obviously I want to start getting more experience before then. Do you guys have any suggestions?

If you can't get vet experience, more animal experience would still be helpful in the meantime. I'm sure WSU has a pre-veterinary club- find out and take advantage! @PrincessButterCup might be able to give some advice about finding experience around Pullman.

 

[bunnybinkies]

1) When considering other schools to apply to, remember that OOS tuition is often twice as expensive as IS. I will graduate with 225k in debt cause I'm OOS, whereas I would have graduated with less than 125k had I been accepted IS. Living in Pullman four more years is definitely worth it in that regards.

2) How small is small?

That was definitely my biggest reason for why I was only going to apply to WSU. I'm pretty sure that's still what I'll do. I was looking at UC Davis, since they allow to switch to IS after the first year, but I know that's an incredibly competitive school.

It's about 35,000 people. Which is not terribly small, but I'm 3 hours away from any major city. Unfortunately, I'm not living in Pullman this year, so those opportunities are a bit out of reach 🙁

 

[battie]

It's about 35,000 people. Which is not terribly small, but I'm 3 hours away from any major city. Unfortunately, I'm not living in Pullman this year, so those opportunities are a bit out of reach 🙁

If you haven't already tried, you could whip up your resume and take it to all of the clinics in town. Explain why you're there. Dress nicely as if you're interviewing. Going in person can only really help. I'm not sure if you've tried this yet, though.

 

[bunnybinkies]

If you haven't already tried, you could whip up your resume and take it to all of the clinics in town. Explain why you're there. Dress nicely as if you're interviewing. Going in person can only really help. I'm not sure if you've tried this yet, though.

At the exact moment you commented, I got a call back from a clinic I dropped my resume off at last week. Now I have an interview for regular shadowing! Life is so funny sometimes. 🙂

 

[coffeelauren]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

 

[Coopah]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

I volunteered at an emergency clinic on the weekends for ten hours a day which makes for 20 hours a week. It was rough on my schedule but it racked up hours fast.

 

[deleted806434]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

If you are going to have plenty of time this summer to shadow or work at a vet clinic, I would definitely recommend not doing it now if your academics would suffer. Not sure what year in school you are, but I think you should be able to get plenty of hours only doing if over the summer if that works better for you 🙂 That's what I did for the most part (although I volunteer a few hours per week in a shelter clinic).

 

[battie]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

I did my hours exclusively during breaks because I went to a school in a town of ~5000 people and the vets were pretty saturated with people in the clinic. So my only option was to do it when I went home for breaks.

 

[deleted676737]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

Most of my hours (just over 2,000) were done over school breaks. If you don't have much else in the way of commitments, you could potentially rock out a LOT of time shadowing/volunteering/working at a clinic or two this summer.

 

[cdo96]

Most of my hours (just over 2,000) were done over school breaks. If you don't have much else in the way of commitments, you could potentially rock out a LOT of time shadowing/volunteering/working at a clinic or two this summer.

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

 

[deleted676737]

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

I don't see why it'd be an issue unless you're a paid employee and, like you mentioned, there's a non-competetion clause. I volunteered with a zoo vet and also had some smaller stints at other clinics during my free time while still working with my regular GP vet. You could always ask if you're unsure, but again... I can't imagine it being a problem.

 

[cdo96]

I don't see why it'd be an issue unless you're a paid employee and, like you mentioned, there's a non-competetion clause. I volunteered with a zoo vet and also had some smaller stints at other clinics during my free time while still working with my regular GP vet.

Yeah I wouldn't be a paid employee*. I really want to shadow an emergency clinic, there's one 10 minutes from my house, and I think it'd be really cool to see how things varied over there.

*edited because I implied that I was a vet which I am not

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

Highly doubt it, especially if it was a completely different area of vet med.

One of the SA GP doctors I shadow told me flat out he thought my time was better spent going and shadowing the equine surgeon on one of the days we had planned to shadow. He is completely supportive of getting a range of experience.

 

[singhb09]

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

Varied experience can go a long way. Pretty sure that's what carried me through this cycle since my stats aren't very impressive, so I'd so definitely look to diversify as much as possible!

 

[coffeelauren]

I volunteered at an emergency clinic on the weekends for ten hours a day which makes for 20 hours a week. It was rough on my schedule but it racked up hours fast.

Oh, yikes, that's a lot! I would love to spend time at an emergency clinic if they'd have me haha

 

[coffeelauren]

I did my hours exclusively during breaks because I went to a school in a town of ~5000 people and the vets were pretty saturated with people in the clinic. So my only option was to do it when I went home for breaks.

Yeah, I kind of feel that. This town is mostly just the university, and since we have a vet school, there are more than enough pre-vet kids to go around...

 

[coffeelauren]

If you are going to have plenty of time this summer to shadow or work at a vet clinic, I would definitely recommend not doing it now if your academics would suffer. Not sure what year in school you are, but I think you should be able to get plenty of hours only doing if over the summer if that works better for you 🙂 That's what I did for the most part (although I volunteer a few hours per week in a shelter clinic).

I'm planning on taking a single class over the summer, so I am also hoping I'll have time! (Although I really need a job...we'll see...). Also, I'm a sophomore, so I definetly have some time at least haha

 

[battie]

I'm planning on taking a single class over the summer, so I am also hoping I'll have time! (Although I really need a job...we'll see...). Also, I'm a sophomore, so I definetly have some time at least haha

Only about 10% of my hours weren't paid. I got most of my hours as a on-the-job trained veterinary assistant. So that's an option there; you can earn money and hours at the same time.

 

[TrashPanda]

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

I'd be shocked if he had a problem with it (unless you know he tends to be unreasonably hypersensitive). In fact you might want to ask if he can recommend any vets for you to shadow- he may have some good suggestions, and a connection might help you get your foot in the door. Getting more diverse experience is a good thing, and as a vet, I'm sure he knows that.

 

[coffeelauren]

Only about 10% of my hours weren't paid. I got most of my hours as a on-the-job trained veterinary assistant. So that's an option there; you can earn money and hours at the same time.

Money + hours would be ideal. Between rowing and my internship right now, I feel like I'm working two jobs that I dont get paid for haha

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Hey guys, I was just curious how you all find time/how much time you spend per week volunteering/shadowing/working towards vet/experience hours? I'm trying to fit it into my schedule this semester, and I just don't see any way I can get more than about 100 hours this semester, and those are all from my Clydesdale internship, which is animal, not vet.

I'm really pretty low on vet hours, but between my pretty heavy course load this semester, tutoring/study time, and my extracirriculars (Rowing being the main time suck here...), I just don't think I can fit more than the internship right now.

Before my senior year (this year), I pretty much just worked every break from school and weekends. Spring semester of my junior year, I only had class four days a week so I shadowed an equine vet on my day off. Doing that all of that , I was able to apply with about 1200 veterinary hours which I accumulated in about 2 years time. I was also really involved with research throughout undergrad, though, so I think that experience really added to my application. This year I've only had class 3-4 days a week, so I've picked up a lot more hours at the clinic. The application process is already behind me, and I'm hopeful I won't have to re-apply, but if I were to have somehow bombed all my interviews and actually have to re-apply, I've definitely added a good chunk of hours/experience to my resume.

Biggest suggestion: do what you can but don't burn yourself out. Grades should always be priority!

How much vet experience do you have/ when are you planning on applying?

 

[mmmdreamerz]

So I'd really like to spruce/ diversify up my experience this summer. I know non-competition clauses are a thing, but do you think my GP would be upset if I shadowed elsewhere during my spare time? He's my main LOR and I reaaaally don't want to make him upset, but different experience would be kewl

I can't imagine he'd be upset if your explain that you what to diversify your experience!

 

[coffeelauren]

Before my senior year (this year), I pretty much just worked every break from school and weekends. Spring semester of my junior year, I only had class four days a week so I shadowed an equine vet on my day off. Doing that all of that , I was able to apply with about 1200 veterinary hours which I accumulated in about 2 years time. I was also really involved with research throughout undergrad, though, so I think that experience really added to my application. This year I've only had class 3-4 days a week, so I've picked up a lot more hours at the clinic. The application process is already behind me, and I'm hopeful I won't have to re-apply, but if I were to have somehow bombed all my interviews and actually have to re-apply, I've definitely added a good chunk of hours/experience to my resume.

Biggest suggestion: do what you can but don't burn yourself out. Grades should always be priority!

How much vet experience do you have/ when are you planning on applying?

I don't have much! I've only been pre-vet for a couple semesters, actually. I have around 25 vet hours and they're all just spay neuter clinics at shelters and such (I've moved around a lot the past year. like 3 times.) And I have close to 300 animal experience hours, most of which are with horses. I also have Rowing as an extracirricular, and I've been heavily involved in that for around 5 years.
But I probably won't apply until the 2019 or 2020 cycle.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I don't have much! I've only been pre-vet for a couple semesters, actually. I have around 25 vet hours and they're all just spay neuter clinics at shelters and such (I've moved around a lot the past year. like 3 times.) And I have close to 300 animal experience hours, most of which are with horses. I also have Rowing as an extracirricular, and I've been heavily involved in that for around 5 years.
But I probably won't apply until the 2019 or 2020 cycle.

Yes, you will definitely want to get some more experience, and a little more variety. 🙂

 

[coffeelauren]

Yes, you will definitely want to get some more experience, and a little more variety. 🙂

I have really low amounts of hours in a couple interesting things: Tiger sanctuary volunteer, Cow reproductive research, etc. But like less than 10 hours for each.... But yeah I need some regular veterinary experience hours- have just had difficulty finding a place and the time to shadow...

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

I have really low amounts of hours in a couple interesting things: Tiger sanctuary volunteer, Cow reproductive research, etc. But like less than 10 hours for each.... But yeah I need some regular veterinary experience hours- have just had difficulty finding a place and the time to shadow...

One thing to consider is that having just a few hours in a million things could suggest that for some reason you cannot hold down a position.

Just keep trying, eventually you will get one. Took me 1.5 years to get my current job, despite applying everywhere I could. What helped me was simply getting ~40 hours of shadowing at a clinic. That small amount of shadowing was just enough experience to get my foot in the door and have my application looked at seriously, and I was hired within a few months. The first position is always the hardest. 🙂

 

[coffeelauren]

One thing to consider is that having just a few hours in a million things could suggest that for some reason you cannot hold down a position.

Just keep trying, eventually you will get one. Took me 1.5 years to get my current job, despite applying everywhere I could. What helped me was simply getting ~40 hours of shadowing at a clinic. That small amount of shadowing was just enough experience to get my foot in the door and have my application looked at seriously, and I was hired within a few months. The first position is always the hardest. 🙂

Yeah, you're right- it does look kind of weird. In reality, I did those things last semester, and then moved home for the summer, and then moved to a new school for fall, etc. My main thing is I worked about 25-30 hours a week as a stable hand last summer, which helped me get my current internship 🙂

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I don't have much! I've only been pre-vet for a couple semesters, actually. I have around 25 vet hours and they're all just spay neuter clinics at shelters and such (I've moved around a lot the past year. like 3 times.) And I have close to 300 animal experience hours, most of which are with horses. I also have Rowing as an extracirricular, and I've been heavily involved in that for around 5 years.
But I probably won't apply until the 2019 or 2020 cycle.

You definitely have time, though...

 

[vetmedhead]

Yeah, you're right- it does look kind of weird. In reality, I did those things last semester, and then moved home for the summer, and then moved to a new school for fall, etc. My main thing is I worked about 25-30 hours a week as a stable hand last summer, which helped me get my current internship 🙂

Whether or not they look weird depends a bit on the experiences themselves, too. I had a lot of stuff that was only a few hours but was also pretty explicit about having volunteered with places on large city-wide volunteer days or on a limited basis related to their busy season etc. I had a lot of non-animal/veterinary volunteering as well that was sometimes <10 hours but the hours were low for obvious reasons like "helped with annual food drive" or similar things where I definitely wouldn't have been able to get a ton of hours unless I did it several years in a row.

 

[deleted765155]

Posting for my girlfriend:

Please, tell me how I can improve. I am applying this upcoming cycle. I have yet to take the GRE, currently studying for it.

Female, White, 23
State of Residence: North Carolina
Undergraduate Institutions:

1. St. Andrews University (Freshman year) - cGPA 3.9
2. University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Sophomore year - May 2016) - cGPA 3.426

Undergraduate Degree: B.S. in Biology
Last 45: ~ 3.7

One W in Parasitology
One F in Algebra 1 - Retook for a C+
Got a B+ in Calculus, and A's in both algebra based physics 101 and 102

1. Intercollegiate Horse Show Association - 3.5 years

• Social Chair - 2 years

2. Small Animal / Exotic Vet Assistant @ Hospital 1 - 1500 hours, 1 year
3. Small Animal / Exotic Volunteer then Vet Assistant @ Hospital 2 - 1500 hours, 3 years
4. Small Animal Hospital Volunteer - 200 hours, 4 months
5. Equine Veterinarian Lameness and Repo Specialist Unpaid Vet Assistant - 300 hours, 2 years
6. Equine Veterinarian Assistant Paid - 400 hours, 6 months
7. Therapeutic Horsemanship Program - 100 hours, 6 months
8. Farm Employment (pony parties, farm animal care) - 1000 hours, 4 years
9. Stable Hand (trained and showed horse, farm work) - 4000 hours, 5 years
10. Emergency Hospital Ortho Surg Shadower - 250 hours, 6 months
11. Sea Turtle Rescue Volunteer - 100 hours, 4 months
12. Bird Rescue Volunteer - 80 hours, 3 months
13. Toxicology Research with Clownfish - 700 hours, 1.5 years

• 1st author poster presentation at regional conference

14. Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders Alumni Mentor - 200 hours, 2 years
15. Study Abroad Curacao Environmental Science Research - 70 hours, 2 weeks
16. Tiger Rescue Volunteer - 45 hours, 1 week
17. Wild Life Sanctuary in Costa Rica - 45 hours, 1 week
18. HIGH SCHOOL - FCCLA State and National Competition Winner - Raised $10,000 for breast cancer research - 2 years, 500 hours

 

[coffeelauren]

Whether or not they look weird depends a bit on the experiences themselves, too. I had a lot of stuff that was only a few hours but was also pretty explicit about having volunteered with places on large city-wide volunteer days or on a limited basis related to their busy season etc. I had a lot of non-animal/veterinary volunteering as well that was sometimes <10 hours but the hours were low for obvious reasons like "helped with annual food drive" or similar things where I definitely wouldn't have been able to get a ton of hours unless I did it several years in a row.

Mine are just because i moved out of state 🤣But the mine thing is just the tigers... I do miss having that sanctuary around, it was a neat place....haha

 

[vetmedhead]

Mine are just because i moved out of state 🤣But the mine thing is just the tigers... I do miss having that sanctuary around, it was a neat place....haha

That's still totally valid though! On your timeline of experiences I feel like I would notice if all of your experiences switched from being in TN to being in WA, for example, even if there was a transition between the two.

 

[cdo96]

Posting for my girlfriend:

Please, tell me how I can improve. I am applying this upcoming cycle. I have yet to take the GRE, currently studying for it.

Female, White, 23
State of Residence: North Carolina
Undergraduate Institutions:

1. St. Andrews University (Freshman year) - cGPA 3.9
2. University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Sophomore year - May 2016) - cGPA 3.426

Undergraduate Degree: B.S. in Biology
Last 45: ~ 3.7

One W in Parasitology
One F in Algebra 1 - Retook for a C+
Got a B+ in Calculus, and A's in both algebra based physics 101 and 102

1. Intercollegiate Horse Show Association - 3.5 years

• Social Chair - 2 years

2. Small Animal / Exotic Vet Assistant @ Hospital 1 - 1500 hours, 1 year
3. Small Animal / Exotic Volunteer then Vet Assistant @ Hospital 2 - 1500 hours, 3 years
4. Small Animal Hospital Volunteer - 200 hours, 4 months
5. Equine Veterinarian Lameness and Repo Specialist Unpaid Vet Assistant - 300 hours, 2 years
6. Equine Veterinarian Assistant Paid - 400 hours, 6 months
7. Therapeutic Horsemanship Program - 100 hours, 6 months
8. Farm Employment (pony parties, farm animal care) - 1000 hours, 4 years
9. Stable Hand (trained and showed horse, farm work) - 4000 hours, 5 years
10. Emergency Hospital Ortho Surg Shadower - 250 hours, 6 months
11. Sea Turtle Rescue Volunteer - 100 hours, 4 months
12. Bird Rescue Volunteer - 80 hours, 3 months
13. Toxicology Research with Clownfish - 700 hours, 1.5 years

• 1st author poster presentation at regional conference

14. Seminar for Tomorrow's Leaders Alumni Mentor - 200 hours, 2 years
15. Study Abroad Curacao Environmental Science Research - 70 hours, 2 weeks
16. Tiger Rescue Volunteer - 45 hours, 1 week
17. Wild Life Sanctuary in Costa Rica - 45 hours, 1 week
18. HIGH SCHOOL - FCCLA State and National Competition Winner - Raised $10,000 for breast cancer research - 2 years, 500 hours

Her experience is good! Almost 4200 hours of diverse vet experience, ~5400 hours of animal experience. Last 45 hours GPA is strong, but I'm a little confused on her cumulative GPA, she has it by school, VMCAS will combine them, and the cumulative GPA is the combination of all classes you took at every school. Also, what is her core/ prerequisite GPA?

Overall, she seems strong to me. Getting a good, strong GRE score will only help her.

 

[TrashPanda]

Mine are just because i moved out of state 🤣But the mine thing is just the tigers... I do miss having that sanctuary around, it was a neat place....haha

I wouldn't worry too much about having a lot of small experiences. I think it's important to have at least one longish-term experience because 1) you'll probably be able to learn and experience more that way and 2) it's very helpful for recommendations. But small ones are fine too, and I don't think adcoms would immediately jump to negative conclusions.

For both vet and animal experience, I had one experience of 400-500 hours over the course of a couple of years, and then a bunch that ranged from 2-150 hours. I only had one open-file interview, and I was asked several questions about some of my shorter-term experiences. My interviewers seemed genuinely interested, and I think having a variety of experiences made my application more impressive and definitely improved my understanding of the veterinary field.

In an ideal world, we'd all apply with tons of hours in every possible category, but unfortunately, that's just not possible for most people. In VMCAS, you can click "temporary" as opposed to part-time/full-time/etc. for each experience. I also briefly explained a couple things (specifying that a position was seasonal or that I stopped volunteering somewhere when my schedule changed), but I don't feel it was strictly necessary.

 

[deleted765155]

Her experience is good! Almost 4200 hours of diverse vet experience, ~5400 hours of animal experience. Last 45 hours GPA is strong, but I'm a little confused on her cumulative GPA, she has it by school, VMCAS will combine them, and the cumulative GPA is the combination of all classes you took at every school. Also, what is her core/ prerequisite GPA?

Overall, she seems strong to me. Getting a good, strong GRE score will only help her.

Those are the GPAs specific to each of those schools, sorry. When they are factored together, the total cGPA is ~ 3.6.

Prereq GPA is 3.45

 

[vetmedhead]

I wouldn't worry too much about having a lot of small experiences. I think it's important to have at least one longish-term experience because 1) you'll probably be able to learn and experience more that way and 2) it's very helpful for recommendations. But small ones are fine too, and I don't think adcoms would immediately jump to negative conclusions.

For both vet and animal experience, I had one experience of 400-500 hours over the course of a couple of years, and then a bunch that ranged from 2-150 hours. I only had one open-file interview, and I was asked several questions about some of my shorter-term experiences. My interviewers seemed genuinely interested, and I think having a variety of experiences made my application more impressive and definitely improved my understanding of the veterinary field.

In an ideal world, we'd all apply with tons of hours in every possible category, but unfortunately, that's just not possible for most people. In VMCAS, you can click "temporary" as opposed to part-time/full-time/etc. for each experience. I also briefly explained a couple things (specifying that a position was seasonal or that I stopped volunteering somewhere when my schedule changed), but I don't feel it was strictly necessary.

Agree here. Depth and breadth are both important for demonstrating an understanding of the field. Not every experience must be a 500+ hour one but you also can't just have fifty 10 hour experiences either. A combination of the two is good, and shows that you understand the variety of things you can do in the field but also recognize a few areas you're really interested in and have spent more time learning about.

 

[cdo96]

Those are the GPAs specific to each of those schools, sorry. When they are factored together, the total cGPA is ~ 3.6.

Prereq GPA is 3.45

Okay! Cool! Both of those are slightly low, depending where she plans on applying. But a good GRE score can always help.

 

[deleted765155]

Okay! Cool! Both of those are slightly low, depending where she plans on applying. But a good GRE score can always help.

Thank you so much for your help!