What are my chances?

[Coopah]

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Posted to another thread, but I figured I'd post here as well. Looking for some advice about what to do while I wait!:

Found out on Monday that I was waitlisted IS at VMCVM and OOS at UW-Madison. Interviewing this weekend at UIUC, and waiting to hear back from from MSU (interviewed in January, told I won’t hear back until after 3/1). I applied to 5 schools, but so far only a firm no from one (Mizzou- not surprised based on the responses here!). Should I still be hopeful, or should I plan on applying to RUSVM/applying again next cycle? My stomach is doing somersaults!

Always be hopeful also always prep for the next cycle!

 

[SkiOtter]

Interviewing this weekend at UIUC

ps interviews are monday, not this weekend 😉
GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[tinynest]

ps interviews are monday, not this weekend 😉
GOOD LUCK!!!!

Thank you! And yes- the interview's on Monday! I'm just traveling to Illinois from Maryland on Sunday. 😛

 

[SkiOtter]

Thank you! And yes- the interview's on Monday! I'm just traveling to Illinois from Maryland on Sunday. 😛

I just didn’t want you to show up Sunday and be like

 

[tinynest]

I just didn’t want you to show up Sunday and be like

Lol! I feel like that a lot of the time, anyway!

 

[vetschoolapplicant4295]

Applied this cycle, 22 y/o F, NJ resident.

Applied: Auburn, Mizzou, Ohio State, Midwestern, Ross, VAMD, Minnesota, Tufts
Interviews: Auburn (waitlisted/ unranked) Ross, Midwestern
Denials w/o interview: Mizzou, OSU, VADMD, Minnesota, Tufts
Acceptances: Ross
Waiting to hear: Midwestern

Graduated with a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Animal Science

Cum GPA: 3.37 (VMCAS), 3.47 (Undergrad GPA)
Cum science: 3.35 (VMCAS), 3.47 (undergrad)
Cum last 45: unsure but a bit higher- probably around a 3.5/3.6


GRE: V/Q/W:
first time: 150/151/4.5
second time: 149/154/4.5

Veterinary hours
small animal practice veterinary assistant (compensated) 1680 hours
small animal emergency/ critical care veterinary technician (compensated) - 1238 hours (current employer)

Animal hours:
dairy calf management- 28 Hours - received academic credit
Boer goat management- 42 hours- received academic credit
Dorset sheep management- 28 hours- received academic credit
livestock classic- 28 hours- received academic credit


Research
reproductive research lab- 168 hours

Employment (non-animal related)
architectural assistant- 690- early in undergrad

Extracurriculars
Pre veterinary/ animal science club

I had pretty strong letters of recommendation from what I can remember, and I wrote strong essays. I fell in love with Auburn but their waitlist is unranked and only time/ luck will tell. In the mean time I'd like to come up with some ideas as to what I need to do to improve my application/ figure out what schools look at applications more holistically if I need to reapply. I plan to do file reviews for at least a few of the schools I applied to initially, definitely with Auburn. Its possible I may get accepted to Midwestern and I was accepted to Ross, but I may reapply this coming cycle. If anyone has any schools that they recommend applying to that were not on my list this past cycle please feel free to let me know (particularly schools who place strong emphasis on experience, interviews, essays, LOR etc. not just numbers) Just in a little bit of a weird spot and feel kind of stuck! Thank you!

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Applied this cycle, 22 y/o F, NJ resident.

Applied: Auburn, Mizzou, Ohio State, Midwestern, Ross, VAMD, Minnesota, Tufts
Interviews: Auburn (waitlisted/ unranked) Ross, Midwestern
Denials w/o interview: Mizzou, OSU, VADMD, Minnesota, Tufts
Acceptances: Ross
Waiting to hear: Midwestern

Graduated with a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Animal Science

Cum GPA: 3.37 (VMCAS), 3.47 (Undergrad GPA)
Cum science: 3.35 (VMCAS), 3.47 (undergrad)
Cum last 45: unsure but a bit higher- probably around a 3.5/3.6


GRE: V/Q/W:
first time: 150/151/4.5
second time: 149/154/4.5

Veterinary hours
small animal practice veterinary assistant (compensated) 1680 hours
small animal emergency/ critical care veterinary technician (compensated) - 1238 hours (current employer)

Animal hours:
dairy calf management- 28 Hours - received academic credit
Boer goat management- 42 hours- received academic credit
Dorset sheep management- 28 hours- received academic credit
livestock classic- 28 hours- received academic credit


Research
reproductive research lab- 168 hours

Employment (non-animal related)
architectural assistant- 690- early in undergrad

Extracurriculars
Pre veterinary/ animal science club

I had pretty strong letters of recommendation from what I can remember, and I wrote strong essays. I fell in love with Auburn but their waitlist is unranked and only time/ luck will tell. In the mean time I'd like to come up with some ideas as to what I need to do to improve my application/ figure out what schools look at applications more holistically if I need to reapply. I plan to do file reviews for at least a few of the schools I applied to initially, definitely with Auburn. Its possible I may get accepted to Midwestern and I was accepted to Ross, but I may reapply this coming cycle. If anyone has any schools that they recommend applying to that were not on my list this past cycle please feel free to let me know (particularly schools who place strong emphasis on experience, interviews, essays, LOR etc. not just numbers) Just in a little bit of a weird spot and feel kind of stuck! Thank you!

I would recommend applying to schools like Iowa who emphasize the last 45 credit hours. So do some research and find out which schools those are- I know MI doesn't care about GPA as long as you meet their cut off. I would try and diversify your veterinary experience if at all possible to outside small animal medicine. Also do you have animal hours outside of school? What about extracurriculars from high school, just general things of what you do in your free time? Part of VMCAS which I think applicants sometimes forget is this is bacically the only way schools can evaluate you as a person-they need a full picture. Did you used to be a camp counselor? Great it's leadership experience. It shows you have other skills like relating to the lay person etc. VMCAS says to go back 10 years so do it even if it doesn't seem relative to vet med it is-plus if the schools don't care about it they will scroll past. Definately follow through with those file reviews as they will be your best indicators for what to improve on. Goodluck 🙂

 

[Freckless]

I would recommend applying to schools like Iowa who emphasize the last 45 credit hours. So do some research and find out which schools those are- I know MI doesn't care about GPA as long as you meet their cut off.

How exactly do you find this sort of information? I’ve been trying to search for these types of things and I’m not sure where to start or how to start searching that because my last 45 aren’t the greatest so I’d like to apply to schools that don’t emphasize the last 45 hours. (Also do you mean MI as in Michigan or Mizzou?)

 

[MixedAnimals77]

How exactly do you find this sort of information? I’ve been trying to search for these types of things and I’m not sure where to start or how to start searching that because my last 45 aren’t the greatest so I’d like to apply to schools that don’t emphasize the last 45 hours. (Also do you mean MI as in Michigan or Mizzou?)

Your last 45 according to your post is better than your cum or science which is why I mentioned it and MI as in the state Michigan. As far as finding out like Iowa tells you exactly how they break down their application it's just hunting around their website-maybe @SkiOtter has more insight on this?

 

[SkiOtter]

Also do you mean MI as in Michigan or Mizzou?

MI is the postal abbreviation for Michigan. MO is Missouri. MN is Minnesota. MS is Mississippi.

 

[SkiOtter]

Your last 45 according to your post is better than your cum or science which is why I mentioned it and MI as in the state Michigan. As far as finding out like Iowa tells you exactly how they break down their application it's just hunting around their website-maybe @SkiOtter has more insight on this?

If a school doesn’t say it specifically on their website you can just email them and ask.

 

[vetschoolapplicant4295]

Your last 45 according to your post is better than your cum or science which is why I mentioned it and MI as in the state Michigan. As far as finding out like Iowa tells you exactly how they break down their application it's just hunting around their website-maybe @SkiOtter has more insight on this?

I don't really have any animal hours outside of school other than employment because I've gained my veterinary hours through employment, I was figuring out a new path in life and was taking time to focus on my academics rather than stressing my grades by trying to do too much while I was adjusting. I'll definitely add some more extra curricular activities if I have to apply another cycle, I just am having a tough time finding the information about the schools and the last 45 hours and what not, my last 45 hours are better- that was someone else asking a question in response to your original reply... Thanks!

 

[LJV118]

2nd time applicant, 23 y/o Male, Minnesota resident
Cum GPA: 3.65
Cum science: 3.74
Cum last 45: 3.93

B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry


GRE: V/Q/W:
156/159/4.5

Veterinary hours
Small animal practice veterinary assistant (compensated) 2300 hours (current)
- Two different practices
Shadow large animal veterinarian – 4 hours

Animal hours:
Kennel tech – 700 hours
Dog adoption support – animal humane society – 75 hours
Mammal nursery intern – wildlife rehabilitation center – 450 hours
Performing necropsies at wildlife rehabilitation center – 20 hours (current)

Employment (non-animal related)
Meat market – 1000 hours
Sales associate at leather apparel store – 120 hours
Note taker for student with learning disabilities – 24 hours

Extracurriculars
Pre-health professions club
Chemistry club
Baseball team
Polar plunge
Various volunteering at school
Intramural volleyball/football

* These are not the stats I applied with last year, but updated with what I have done since being denied.

Planned LOR’s from one small animal veterinarian, wildlife veterinarian, manager at rehabilitation center, and possibly a professor. Have gone through one application cycle for the Class of 2022, applied to Minnesota, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Ohio state. Denied at Wisconsin and Ohio State, wait listed at ISU, interviewed then denied from Minnesota (in-state). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DVMoftheFuture]

2nd time applicant, 23 y/o Male, Minnesota resident
Cum GPA: 3.65
Cum science: 3.74
Cum last 45: 3.93

B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry


GRE: V/Q/W:
156/159/4.5

Veterinary hours
Small animal practice veterinary assistant (compensated) 2300 hours (current)
- Two different practices
Shadow large animal veterinarian – 4 hours

Animal hours:
Kennel tech – 700 hours
Dog adoption support – animal humane society – 75 hours
Mammal nursery intern – wildlife rehabilitation center – 450 hours
Performing necropsies at wildlife rehabilitation center – 20 hours (current)

Employment (non-animal related)
Meat market – 1000 hours
Sales associate at leather apparel store – 120 hours
Note taker for student with learning disabilities – 24 hours

Extracurriculars
Pre-health professions club
Chemistry club
Baseball team
Polar plunge
Various volunteering at school
Intramural volleyball/football

* These are not the stats I applied with last year, but updated with what I have done since being denied.

Planned LOR’s from one small animal veterinarian, wildlife veterinarian, manager at rehabilitation center, and possibly a professor. Have gone through one application cycle for the Class of 2022, applied to Minnesota, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Ohio state. Denied at Wisconsin and Ohio State, wait listed at ISU, interviewed then denied from Minnesota (in-state). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

So it looks like based on your previous posts that you did a file review. Your GPA seems like it's improved, which is great, especially if you retook the classes you were told to retake. It looks like you were also told to improve the diversity of your experiences. Based on that, I'd say try to add more large animal vet hours and/or add other vet experiences to get more diversity. 4 hours large animal vet experience and 20 hours wildlife animal experience is not going to cut it. Given that you were interviewed then denied at your IS, I'd also say that practicing your interview skills may be helpful. Are you adding more hours at the wildlife center? It seems odd to have a recommendation, and especially to have multiple recommendations, from an experience that was only 20 hours.

 

[cameronluna]

Does anyone have any experience with contacting tOSU for a file-review? In the denial Email it stated to contact admissions through Email and the admissions team will provide a written file-review starting February 1st. I’ve Emailed 2 times already and have not heard back. Should I just call the office at this point? I understand the office is extremely busy, but I haven’t even received an acknowledgment Email.

 

[Coopah]

2nd time applicant, 23 y/o Male, Minnesota resident
Cum GPA: 3.65
Cum science: 3.74
Cum last 45: 3.93

B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry


GRE: V/Q/W:
156/159/4.5

Veterinary hours
Small animal practice veterinary assistant (compensated) 2300 hours (current)
- Two different practices
Shadow large animal veterinarian – 4 hours

Animal hours:
Kennel tech – 700 hours
Dog adoption support – animal humane society – 75 hours
Mammal nursery intern – wildlife rehabilitation center – 450 hours
Performing necropsies at wildlife rehabilitation center – 20 hours (current)

Employment (non-animal related)
Meat market – 1000 hours
Sales associate at leather apparel store – 120 hours
Note taker for student with learning disabilities – 24 hours

Extracurriculars
Pre-health professions club
Chemistry club
Baseball team
Polar plunge
Various volunteering at school
Intramural volleyball/football

* These are not the stats I applied with last year, but updated with what I have done since being denied.

Planned LOR’s from one small animal veterinarian, wildlife veterinarian, manager at rehabilitation center, and possibly a professor. Have gone through one application cycle for the Class of 2022, applied to Minnesota, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Ohio state. Denied at Wisconsin and Ohio State, wait listed at ISU, interviewed then denied from Minnesota (in-state). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You should apply to Davis. You're stats fit with oos applicants. Just a suggestion!

 

[LJV118]

So it looks like based on your previous posts that you did a file review. Your GPA seems like it's improved, which is great, especially if you retook the classes you were told to retake. It looks like you were also told to improve the diversity of your experiences. Based on that, I'd say try to add more large animal vet hours and/or add other vet experiences to get more diversity. 4 hours large animal vet experience and 20 hours wildlife animal experience is not going to cut it. Given that you were interviewed then denied at your IS, I'd also say that practicing your interview skills may be helpful. Are you adding more hours at the wildlife center? It seems odd to have a recommendation, and especially to have multiple recommendations, from an experience that was only 20 hours.

Yeah I also had an internship at the rehab center working with the mammals over the summer which was about 450 hours if you didn’t see that. I’m definitely going to try to get quite a few more large animal hours this summer as well. What type of interview prep do you recommend?

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Does anyone have any experience with contacting tOSU for a file-review? In the denial Email it stated to contact admissions through Email and the admissions team will provide a written file-review starting February 1st. I’ve Emailed 2 times already and have not heard back. Should I just call the office at this point? I understand the office is extremely busy, but I haven’t even received an acknowledgment Email.

I would call. If their admissions people get nearly the number of emails that ours do it very well could have gotten accidentally buried.

 

[cameronluna]

I would call. If their admissions people get nearly the number of emails that ours do it very well could have gotten accidentally buried.

Thanks! I’ll give the office a call

 

[DVMoftheFuture]

Yeah I also had an internship at the rehab center working with the mammals over the summer which was about 450 hours if you didn’t see that. I’m definitely going to try to get quite a few more large animal hours this summer as well. What type of interview prep do you recommend?

Oops I missed that. Did you work directly with the wildlife veterinarian? Some of your wildlife hours might count as vet experience if that's the case. I don't have too many recommendations on interview prep, so hopefully others can chime in. Often colleges have career centers that will do mock interviews, so that is always a good option. I think Minnesota does a behavioral interview, so it might be helpful to go through your experiences and think about what they highlight about you and your qualities. I'm sure there are lists of common behavioral interview questions you can find. Think about how you'd address those questions if they were actually asked in an interview.

 

[FrightyDog]

This has been an ongoing question for me the past year. Here are my “stats”

Male * Hispanic * Interested in exotic medicine (not necessarily zoo)* Southern California resident*
Overall GPA: 3.01 when applying with only 10 units of classes left.
Degree: Animal Science w/ Pre-Vet Option and Zoology minor
Clinical Experience: 600 hours as compensated VA at this time at Banfield and 500 hours at local clinic (over 1200 when I apply)
Research Experience: None
Work Experience (animal related)- Reptile and Tropical Fish Store + Animal Exhibitor for Reptile Zoo (one summer)
Work Experience (non animal related): In-N-Out Burger for 4 years
Extracurricular Groups: None

These stats above has me terrified for vet school. I am working on volunteering/getting hired at an exotic pet clinic called Greek and Associates which is the most popular vet here in SoCal for exotics. I don’t think I have good chances anywhere. I want to go to Western so I can save a lot of money living and eating at home. Any advice? Should I just give up? I am somewhat interested in a masters program regarding reptiles, but not really. My back up is to become an educator of some sorts.

 

[JustPaws]

This has been an ongoing question for me the past year. Here are my “stats”

Male * Hispanic * Interested in exotic medicine (not necessarily zoo)* Southern California resident*
Overall GPA: 3.01 when applying with only 10 units of classes left.
Degree: Animal Science w/ Pre-Vet Option and Zoology minor
Clinical Experience: 600 hours as compensated VA at this time at Banfield and 500 hours at local clinic (over 1200 when I apply)
Research Experience: None
Work Experience (animal related)- Reptile and Tropical Fish Store + Animal Exhibitor for Reptile Zoo (one summer)
Work Experience (non animal related): In-N-Out Burger for 4 years
Extracurricular Groups: None

These stats above has me terrified for vet school. I am working on volunteering/getting hired at an exotic pet clinic called Greek and Associates which is the most popular vet here in SoCal for exotics. I don’t think I have good chances anywhere. I want to go to Western so I can save a lot of money living and eating at home. Any advice? Should I just give up? I am somewhat interested in a masters program regarding reptiles, but not really. My back up is to become an educator of some sorts.

Q:"Why should I apply to vet school"
A: 1. Because it is the career you see yourself doing above all others, you keep coming back to it, and you don't find happiness doing other jobs/careers. 2. Because you need a DVM to do ____fill__me___in____. 3. You have a high tolerance for bull**** 🤣

Edit: was moved to what are my chances

 

[FrightyDog]

LOL true, but is it possible with my stats

 

[Coopah]

This has been an ongoing question for me the past year. Here are my “stats”

Male * Hispanic * Interested in exotic medicine (not necessarily zoo)* Southern California resident*
Overall GPA: 3.01 when applying with only 10 units of classes left.
Degree: Animal Science w/ Pre-Vet Option and Zoology minor
Clinical Experience: 600 hours as compensated VA at this time at Banfield and 500 hours at local clinic (over 1200 when I apply)
Research Experience: None
Work Experience (animal related)- Reptile and Tropical Fish Store + Animal Exhibitor for Reptile Zoo (one summer)
Work Experience (non animal related): In-N-Out Burger for 4 years
Extracurricular Groups: None

These stats above has me terrified for vet school. I am working on volunteering/getting hired at an exotic pet clinic called Greek and Associates which is the most popular vet here in SoCal for exotics. I don’t think I have good chances anywhere. I want to go to Western so I can save a lot of money living and eating at home. Any advice? Should I just give up? I am somewhat interested in a masters program regarding reptiles, but not really. My back up is to become an educator of some sorts.

Last 45 and science GPA?

 

[ajs513]

LOL true, but is it possible with my stats

There’s no one answer for whether or not your stats will get you into vet school. Or rather, it’s difficult to establish a cutoff (above a school’s minimum) where you can say “no, you won’t get in.” I can definitely tell you that you should get more experience if possible. This year’s average was 1200 hours of vet, 1200 hours of animal, and 150 hours of research experience. The average GPA is always a little over a 3.5. Get interesting experience. Something that someone on an admissions committee would see and think “wow, I want to talk more about that with them in person.” It’s tough to pull up a lower GPA, but it can be done. I can also tell you that no one goes to Western to save money. It’s one of the most expensive vet schools without question. When I was there for an interview, the financial aid counselor said that the average graduate leaves with around $300,000 of debt. That’s much higher than average. I would do some research on which schools cost what for tuition and cost of living if cost is really important to you.

As far as figuring out how to get in, apply to at least a few schools and make sure that the ones your applying to make sense. Do they fit your budget, what academics do they look for, how many out of state students do they take, etc. For academics, some schools like Iowa state only look at last-45 and science GPA. If those are around average but your cGPA is a 3.0, go with schools that don’t look at cGPA. If you did really well on the GRE, apply to schools that look at that. Schools like Mississippi State wouldn’t make sense because they don’t require the GRE and don’t just look at last-45 GPA. I got an interview with a 3.0 VMCAS GPA but my point is it’s less of a sure thing. Schools like TAMU and UF don’t make sense to apply to because most of their students are residents, so you really need good stats to get in out of state. NCSU also isn’t an option because their OOS cutoff is a 3.4. Do research like that to figure out what your best options are. In the meantime, just keep trying to strengthen your app in any way you can. Retake classes, get experience, etc. Whatever you can do to help it, give it a shot.

 

[FutureFelineVet]

This has been an ongoing question for me the past year. Here are my “stats”

Male * Hispanic * Interested in exotic medicine (not necessarily zoo)* Southern California resident*
Overall GPA: 3.01 when applying with only 10 units of classes left.
Degree: Animal Science w/ Pre-Vet Option and Zoology minor
Clinical Experience: 600 hours as compensated VA at this time at Banfield and 500 hours at local clinic (over 1200 when I apply)
Research Experience: None
Work Experience (animal related)- Reptile and Tropical Fish Store + Animal Exhibitor for Reptile Zoo (one summer)
Work Experience (non animal related): In-N-Out Burger for 4 years
Extracurricular Groups: None

These stats above has me terrified for vet school. I am working on volunteering/getting hired at an exotic pet clinic called Greek and Associates which is the most popular vet here in SoCal for exotics. I don’t think I have good chances anywhere. I want to go to Western so I can save a lot of money living and eating at home. Any advice? Should I just give up? I am somewhat interested in a masters program regarding reptiles, but not really. My back up is to become an educator of some sorts.

You can find my stats in the Class of 2023 accepted thread, this was my first cycle applying and I was accepted to Ross and waitlisted at Western this cycle with a 2.82 overall (for Western, probably more like a 3.0/3.1). It’s possible, but difficult. I was just really limited to what schools I could apply to. For me, I didn’t really want to spend the time or money retaking more courses or getting a master’s, it wasn’t worth it to me in my situation. That being said, getting a master’s or retaking courses are both good routes to go, especially if you’re interested in possibly applying to your IS (Davis).

Western is pricey, but honestly most out of state/private schools are unfortunately. If you could save some money by living at home, that would definitely help. I really loved Western, but the COL ended up being more reasonable for me in St. Kitts so I decided to go with Ross instead of waiting to hear from Western.

If you want to increase your chances, get as much varied experience as you can and be sure to do well on the GRE and get strong letters of rec. I think those aspects of my profile helped me out a lot. Good luck to you!

 

[Manders221]

I'm hoping to apply to U of M and UW-Madison this summer (I'm IS at both schools), but I'm starting to get really worried about my numbers. I talked to my advisor at school today and she was reassuring in that she thought I had a good chance but then I compare myself to statistics here and get worried real fast.
GPA:
Cumulative: 3.79
Science: 3.67 (Let's just say my freshman year was rough)
Last 45: 3.86

GRE: 152V/156Q/4

Undergrad Degree: BS in Animal Science with an emphasis in companion animals

Veterinary Experience (~1000 hours):
Veterinary Assistant at a humane society ~900 hours
Veterinary Exam Assistant at a humane society (Same humane society, I quit my job there to make time for school and now volunteer instead) ~50 hours
Shadowing hours at local vet clinic ~20 hours
Observation hours while I worked as a horse wrangler at a day camp ~20 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at local humane society while in high school ~300 hours
Animal caretaker at same humane society summer after high school ~100 hours
Volunteer at animal rescue while in freshman year of college ~20 hours
Horseback riding ~1000 hours (this is a super rough estimate)
Horse wrangler at summer camp ~500 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards
Campus Ministry ~50 hours
Pre-Vet Club + Pre-Vet Club associated wet labs/pre-vet symposium ~20 hours
Volunteer at therapeutic riding center ~10 hours
Internship raising service dogs through my college ~1000 hours (again, rough estimate, I live and train with a dog 24/7 for a whole year)
IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) ~100 hours
Horseman's Association ~10 Hours
Dean's List (So far, all years)
Honor's Society
In high school I was involved with yearbook, the yearly musical, I was a 4.0 honor's student, made top 10, and graduated cum laude.

Research
So far none, however as part of my honor's program I will have to complete a 2 credit class before graduation next may that revolves around an URSCA research project.
I also work as a lab assistant in a plant laboratory. I work in the gel electrophoresis lab and prepare chemicals for the electrophoresis process as well as take pictures of the gels once they've been read and clean up equipment in the lab (not sure if this counts here or not but I probably have around 50 hours)

Non-Animal Employment
Lab Assistant as mentioned above ~50 hours
Student Technician at Technology Services ~100 hours
Wall Coverings Employee at Menards ~400 hours
Waitress ~1000 hours


Currently my only plans to add before submitting my application are hopefully gain a few more shadowing hours at a clinic (it would probably end up being small animal) and ask around for research opportunities. But these are both up in the air at this point.

 

[Lupin21]

I'm hoping to apply to U of M and UW-Madison this summer (I'm IS at both schools), but I'm starting to get really worried about my numbers. I talked to my advisor at school today and she was reassuring in that she thought I had a good chance but then I compare myself to statistics here and get worried real fast.
GPA:
Cumulative: 3.79
Science: 3.67 (Let's just say my freshman year was rough)
Last 45: 3.86

GRE: 152V/156Q/4

Undergrad Degree: BS in Animal Science with an emphasis in companion animals

Veterinary Experience (~1000 hours):
Veterinary Assistant at a humane society ~900 hours
Veterinary Exam Assistant at a humane society (Same humane society, I quit my job there to make time for school and now volunteer instead) ~50 hours
Shadowing hours at local vet clinic ~20 hours
Observation hours while I worked as a horse wrangler at a day camp ~20 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at local humane society while in high school ~300 hours
Animal caretaker at same humane society summer after high school ~100 hours
Volunteer at animal rescue while in freshman year of college ~20 hours
Horseback riding ~1000 hours (this is a super rough estimate)
Horse wrangler at summer camp ~500 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards
Campus Ministry ~50 hours
Pre-Vet Club + Pre-Vet Club associated wet labs/pre-vet symposium ~20 hours
Volunteer at therapeutic riding center ~10 hours
Internship raising service dogs through my college ~1000 hours (again, rough estimate, I live and train with a dog 24/7 for a whole year)
IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) ~100 hours
Horseman's Association ~10 Hours
Dean's List (So far, all years)
Honor's Society
In high school I was involved with yearbook, the yearly musical, I was a 4.0 honor's student, made top 10, and graduated cum laude.

Research
So far none, however as part of my honor's program I will have to complete a 2 credit class before graduation next may that revolves around an URSCA research project.
I also work as a lab assistant in a plant laboratory. I work in the gel electrophoresis lab and prepare chemicals for the electrophoresis process as well as take pictures of the gels once they've been read and clean up equipment in the lab (not sure if this counts here or not but I probably have around 50 hours)

Non-Animal Employment
Lab Assistant as mentioned above ~50 hours
Student Technician at Technology Services ~100 hours
Wall Coverings Employee at Menards ~400 hours
Waitress ~1000 hours


Currently my only plans to add before submitting my application are hopefully gain a few more shadowing hours at a clinic (it would probably end up being small animal) and ask around for research opportunities. But these are both up in the air at this point.

Looks good. I would keep working on diversity of veterinary experience if you can, but the rest will be up to you to represent yourself well on paper. Start thinking about what you have both in your non-veterinary experience and personality wise that will be great things to bring to not only this incoming class, but to the profession. 🙂

 

[supershorty]

I'm hoping to apply to U of M and UW-Madison this summer (I'm IS at both schools), but I'm starting to get really worried about my numbers. I talked to my advisor at school today and she was reassuring in that she thought I had a good chance but then I compare myself to statistics here and get worried real fast.
GPA:
Cumulative: 3.79
Science: 3.67 (Let's just say my freshman year was rough)
Last 45: 3.86

GRE: 152V/156Q/4

Undergrad Degree: BS in Animal Science with an emphasis in companion animals

Veterinary Experience (~1000 hours):
Veterinary Assistant at a humane society ~900 hours
Veterinary Exam Assistant at a humane society (Same humane society, I quit my job there to make time for school and now volunteer instead) ~50 hours
Shadowing hours at local vet clinic ~20 hours
Observation hours while I worked as a horse wrangler at a day camp ~20 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at local humane society while in high school ~300 hours
Animal caretaker at same humane society summer after high school ~100 hours
Volunteer at animal rescue while in freshman year of college ~20 hours
Horseback riding ~1000 hours (this is a super rough estimate)
Horse wrangler at summer camp ~500 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards
Campus Ministry ~50 hours
Pre-Vet Club + Pre-Vet Club associated wet labs/pre-vet symposium ~20 hours
Volunteer at therapeutic riding center ~10 hours
Internship raising service dogs through my college ~1000 hours (again, rough estimate, I live and train with a dog 24/7 for a whole year)
IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) ~100 hours
Horseman's Association ~10 Hours
Dean's List (So far, all years)
Honor's Society
In high school I was involved with yearbook, the yearly musical, I was a 4.0 honor's student, made top 10, and graduated cum laude.

Research
So far none, however as part of my honor's program I will have to complete a 2 credit class before graduation next may that revolves around an URSCA research project.
I also work as a lab assistant in a plant laboratory. I work in the gel electrophoresis lab and prepare chemicals for the electrophoresis process as well as take pictures of the gels once they've been read and clean up equipment in the lab (not sure if this counts here or not but I probably have around 50 hours)

Non-Animal Employment
Lab Assistant as mentioned above ~50 hours
Student Technician at Technology Services ~100 hours
Wall Coverings Employee at Menards ~400 hours
Waitress ~1000 hours


Currently my only plans to add before submitting my application are hopefully gain a few more shadowing hours at a clinic (it would probably end up being small animal) and ask around for research opportunities. But these are both up in the air at this point.

How are you in-state at 2 schools?

 

[SkiOtter]

How are you in-state at 2 schools?

My guess was military? But was also curious

 

[mmmrc]

Hi everyone, finally took the GREs so i figured it was about time to post!

Cumulative GPA: 3.73

Science GPA: 3.8 (I'm taking organic chemistry lab and biochemistry this semester so they're not included)

Last 45: 3.74 (also not including this semester)


GRE: 159 V, 151 Q, 4.5 AWA


Veterinary experience:

~100 as an intern in a cat-only hospital

~400 as a veterinary assistant in a mixed-animal clinic

I have a full-time job lined up (at an emergency 24-hour clinic) after graduation, so between graduation to the time I apply I'm expecting to have at least 560 more hours (and then working throughout the year so I'll update my application with current hours)

Total: ~1060 hours


Animal experience:

~1000 hours as lab assistant taking care of cephalopods

~10 hours at an animal sanctuary

~200-300 hours pet sitting

Total: ~1350 hours


Research experience:

~200 hours of lab time throughout the past 2 years

340 hours: I won a research grant to study the microbiome in the reproductive system of cephalopods


Rewards/achievements/what not:

Dean’s List for 6 out of 7 semesters so far

New England Scholar

Recipient of a Undergraduate Research Fund award


Extracurriculars:

Pre-vet club: 4 years

Academic sorority: 4 years

Sleep away summer camp counselor for adults with disabilities: 8 years (2 months each year)


Letters of recommendation:

A joint letter from two of the veterinarians I worked under

A letter from my PI

A letter from my Orgo 2 professor

I'm applying to Tufts (absolute top choice/ride or die), Ohio, and Iowa. I also have no in-state school (booooo).

I know I'm forgetting a lot here but I'm concerned with my GRE Quant score... my advisor recommended I wait to see how this semester plays out before deciding if I should retake it or not. I don't totally follow that belief, because I think it's low enough to retake, any input?

 

[mht2k3]

My guess was military? But was also curious

I'm not sure if this is their specific case, but wisconsin treats you as in-state if you graduated from a wisconsin high school, and your parents are residents of wisconsin no matter how long you have been out of the state.

 

[ajs513]

Hi everyone, finally took the GREs so i figured it was about time to post!

Cumulative GPA: 3.73

Science GPA: 3.8 (I'm taking organic chemistry lab and biochemistry this semester so they're not included)

Last 45: 3.74 (also not including this semester)


GRE: 159 V, 151 Q, 4.5 AWA


Veterinary experience:

~100 as an intern in a cat-only hospital

~400 as a veterinary assistant in a mixed-animal clinic

I have a full-time job lined up (at an emergency 24-hour clinic) after graduation, so between graduation to the time I apply I'm expecting to have at least 560 more hours (and then working throughout the year so I'll update my application with current hours)

Total: ~1060 hours


Animal experience:

~1000 hours as lab assistant taking care of cephalopods

~10 hours at an animal sanctuary

~200-300 hours pet sitting

Total: ~1350 hours


Research experience:

~200 hours of lab time throughout the past 2 years

340 hours: I won a research grant to study the microbiome in the reproductive system of cephalopods


Rewards/achievements/what not:

Dean’s List for 6 out of 7 semesters so far

New England Scholar

Recipient of a Undergraduate Research Fund award


Extracurriculars:

Pre-vet club: 4 years

Academic sorority: 4 years

Sleep away summer camp counselor for adults with disabilities: 8 years (2 months each year)


Letters of recommendation:

A joint letter from two of the veterinarians I worked under

A letter from my PI

A letter from my Orgo 2 professor

I'm applying to Tufts (absolute top choice/ride or die), Ohio, and Iowa. I also have no in-state school (booooo).

I know I'm forgetting a lot here but I'm concerned with my GRE Quant score... my advisor recommended I wait to see how this semester plays out before deciding if I should retake it or not. I don't totally follow that belief, because I think it's low enough to retake, any input?

A lot of schools are starting to not accept the GRE so you may not even need to retake it depending on which schools you want to apply to. Based off of the searching I did for this cycle, i would recommend getting your scores to around 157 each if you can. The test itself isn’t too much money in the grand scheme of things, so if you’re applying to a lot of schools that require it/your top choices require it then it’s worth retaking. 151Q is below average for all test takers and well below average for vet schools. Your GPA is in a very good place so I don’t think the GRE will be make or break, but if you can bring it up then you won’t have to worry. Again, that all depends on which schools you pick though.

Your experience is very good, but just bring up your vet experience since it’s below average. Once you put in the experience from the emergency hospital you’ll be in a good place. I do understand though that interesting/unique experience is more important than the quantity of experience though, so your mileage may vary. It does sound like you have some interesting experience across all three types.

 

[SkiOtter]

I'm not sure if this is their specific case, but wisconsin treats you as in-state if you graduated from a wisconsin high school, and your parents are residents of wisconsin no matter how long you have been out of the state.

That’s so weird. Cool, but just strange

 

[Coopah]

Hi everyone, finally took the GREs so i figured it was about time to post!

Cumulative GPA: 3.73

Science GPA: 3.8 (I'm taking organic chemistry lab and biochemistry this semester so they're not included)

Last 45: 3.74 (also not including this semester)


GRE: 159 V, 151 Q, 4.5 AWA


Veterinary experience:

~100 as an intern in a cat-only hospital

~400 as a veterinary assistant in a mixed-animal clinic

I have a full-time job lined up (at an emergency 24-hour clinic) after graduation, so between graduation to the time I apply I'm expecting to have at least 560 more hours (and then working throughout the year so I'll update my application with current hours)

Total: ~1060 hours


Animal experience:

~1000 hours as lab assistant taking care of cephalopods

~10 hours at an animal sanctuary

~200-300 hours pet sitting

Total: ~1350 hours


Research experience:

~200 hours of lab time throughout the past 2 years

340 hours: I won a research grant to study the microbiome in the reproductive system of cephalopods


Rewards/achievements/what not:

Dean’s List for 6 out of 7 semesters so far

New England Scholar

Recipient of a Undergraduate Research Fund award


Extracurriculars:

Pre-vet club: 4 years

Academic sorority: 4 years

Sleep away summer camp counselor for adults with disabilities: 8 years (2 months each year)


Letters of recommendation:

A joint letter from two of the veterinarians I worked under

A letter from my PI

A letter from my Orgo 2 professor

I'm applying to Tufts (absolute top choice/ride or die), Ohio, and Iowa. I also have no in-state school (booooo).

I know I'm forgetting a lot here but I'm concerned with my GRE Quant score... my advisor recommended I wait to see how this semester plays out before deciding if I should retake it or not. I don't totally follow that belief, because I think it's low enough to retake, any input?

Looks good to me. Just curious why those schools? I'm also from New England so no IS and wanted to go to Tufts, but after their admissions briefing and I saw how bloody expensive it was I looked elsewhere. Mainly schools that let you switch to IS after the first year to save money. Ohio does but I think they jacked up their first year price so much it doesn't matter anymore? Someone from there please correct me. Others are Washington, North Carolina, Davis, and I know I'm missing one and can't remember. Your stats are good enough for Davis at the very least I can no longer speak for the other schools as I've been out of the game too long now.

Anyways good luck to you!

 

[skaggs123]

Hello! I plan on applying this upcoming cycle for c/o 2024! I go to school in Arizona and I'm technically an Arizona resident for tuition purposes but 2 years ago my parents moved to Virginia so I'm hoping that VMCVM will consider me an instate resident. So far this is what my stats are going to be!

Going to Apply: Midwestern, Michigan state, Mississippi state, and VMCVM

Overall GPA: 2.9 😢
Science GPA: ~3.85
Last 45 credits: ~3.85

Major: Microbiology B.S Veterinary science Minor

GRE Not going to take this round. Only applying to schools that don't require GRE and have low to non gpa requirements.

Veterinary Experience:
Currently a technician at a small animal clinic:~2500 hours
Large animal shadowing~150 hours


Research Experience: None

Animal Experience:
Local animal shelter volunteer: ~250 hours
Farm animal care for goats, donkeys, and cows:~500 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked part time/full time at starbucks for 5 years.

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Vida club
I'm a ballet dancer

LORs:
Clinic owner
2 vets at the clinic. I might try and get a LOR from my professor who is also a DVM. We will see if I can stand out 😉

Personal Statement: My first semester of college was medically retroactive withdrawn because I suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts. I should've taken a break after that semester but I didn't because I'm a first generation college student and I didn't want to seem like a failure, hence the supper low cumulative gpa. I've been around farm animals my whole life and I knew from the get go that I would be in the veterinary field.I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian(hopefully pathologist) after reading a book called The Demon in The Freezer for a summer assignment for my preap biology class.
I actually don't know what else to add for a personal statement. This was thought of as I was writing so it doesn't make sense lol. I'm hoping that the schools I apply to can see the BIG change in gpa and will consider that a growth on my part. I regret not getting help sooner but I've learned from it.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

Hello! I plan on applying this upcoming cycle for c/o 2024! I go to school in Arizona and I'm technically an Arizona resident for tuition purposes but 2 years ago my parents moved to Virginia so I'm hoping that VMCVM will consider me an instate resident. So far this is what my stats are going to be!

Going to Apply: Midwestern, Michigan state, Mississippi state, and VMCVM

Overall GPA: 2.9 😢
Science GPA: ~3.85
Last 45 credits: ~3.85

Major: Microbiology B.S Veterinary science Minor

GRE Not going to take this round. Only applying to schools that don't require GRE and have low to non gpa requirements.

Veterinary Experience:
Currently a technician at a small animal clinic:~2500 hours
Large animal shadowing~150 hours


Research Experience: None

Animal Experience:
Local animal shelter volunteer: ~250 hours
Farm animal care for goats, donkeys, and cows:~500 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked part time/full time at starbucks for 5 years.

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Vida club
I'm a ballet dancer

LORs:
Clinic owner
2 vets at the clinic. I might try and get a LOR from my professor who is also a DVM. We will see if I can stand out 😉

Personal Statement: My first semester of college was medically retroactive withdrawn because I suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts. I should've taken a break after that semester but I didn't because I'm a first generation college student and I didn't want to seem like a failure, hence the supper low cumulative gpa. I've been around farm animals my whole life and I knew from the get go that I would be in the veterinary field.I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian(hopefully pathologist) after reading a book called The Demon in The Freezer for a summer assignment for my preap biology class.
I actually don't know what else to add for a personal statement. This was thought of as I was writing so it doesn't make sense lol. I'm hoping that the schools I apply to can see the BIG change in gpa and will consider that a growth on my part. I regret not getting help sooner but I've learned from it.

These are just some prep things that may be beneficial for your essays and/or interviews. Just some things to think about.

1. You mention a history with depression. That is a major issue in vet med right now, and something talked about in all my interviews-they want to make sure you can cope. An AVMA article I read said that vet suicide rates are 5x higher than the national average, if I remember the numbers right.

2. If you mention wanting to be a pathologist, they may ask "why?". I'm not familiar with that book so if is pathology/veterinary themed, it likely will be a poor thing to reference in any "why do you want to be..." questions. Have you talked to a pathologist before? Shadowed one? I work in a path lab and ill tell you it takes a certain kind of person to do that. If you work for a large corporate lab, the focus is quantity over quality and there will be a disconnect between you and the patients. Actually, that's true for all of pathology..the only whole animals you see are dead ones. The labs that focus more on quality are really quite special but again, we don't get to put faces to the names or voices of vets and techs and pets we work with.

Not saying this to be discouraging, and hopefully I'm just saying things you already know, but in between now and when you apply I might reflect on that and build a stronger case for "why". Also any work you can get with a veterinary pathologist before then should make you really stand out.

 

[skaggs123]

These are just some prep things that may be beneficial for your essays and/or interviews. Just some things to think about.

1. You mention a history with depression. That is a major issue in vet med right now, and something talked about in all my interviews-they want to make sure you can cope. An AVMA article I read said that vet suicide rates are 5x higher than the national average, if I remember the numbers right.

2. If you mention wanting to be a pathologist, they may ask "why?". I'm not familiar with that book so if is pathology/veterinary themed, it likely will be a poor thing to reference in any "why do you want to be..." questions. Have you talked to a pathologist before? Shadowed one? I work in a path lab and ill tell you it takes a certain kind of person to do that. If you work for a large corporate lab, the focus is quantity over quality and there will be a disconnect between you and the patients. Actually, that's true for all of pathology..the only whole animals you see are dead ones. The labs that focus more on quality are really quite special but again, we don't get to put faces to the names or voices of vets and techs and pets we work with.

Not saying this to be discouraging, and hopefully I'm just saying things you already know, but in between now and when you apply I might reflect on that and build a stronger case for "why". Also any work you can get with a veterinary pathologist before then should make you really stand out.

Thank you for the feedback!
I've shadowed our schools vet pathologist and I really enjoyed it. I absolutely love lab work and could sit on my butt with my eye in a microscope all day . That being said, I do enjoy the connection between patients and myself as a tech. Like I said I really haven't thought these questions through yet but I really enjoy the feedback and will keep these in consideration when I'm writing it all out.

About depression. It sucks, BUT the reason why I've done so well these past few years is because I recognized my problem and I fixed it. I attempted suicide my freshman year and failed. Theres a reason why I'm still here. I get sad just like everyone else, but I'm aware of the signs when I know something is not right. Vet suicide rates are high because of the debt to pay ration. I am VERY VERY VERY fortunate that when I graduate I will be in $0 in debt. Depression is why my grades were bad, but I grew and matured and I can only hope that these schools can see that I'm not my depression.

Edit to add
I am not going to be talking about suicide in my application.

 

[tinynest]

Vet suicide rates are high because of the debt to pay ration.

Not to cut you down or derail the conversation, but there are a lot of other factors that contribute to mental illness in the veterinary community. Burn out, compassion fatigue, client expectations vs. the actual costs of veterinary care, lack of work/life balance, low salary compared to the cost/time put into education, access to controlled substances...these all unfortunately play a role in the issues that plague the profession. As someone who has also struggled with depression, I would strongly encourage you to look at some of the studies recently published by the CDC and the AVMA about this issue. If vetmed is truly the path you want to take, it's important to line up all the resources you'll need before the big stressors hit.

 

[skaggs123]

Not to cut you down or derail the conversation, but there are a lot of other factors that contribute to mental illness in the veterinary community. Burn out, compassion fatigue, client expectations vs. the actual costs of veterinary care, lack of work/life balance, low salary compared to the cost/time put into education, access to controlled substances...these all unfortunately play a role in the issues that plague the profession. As someone who has also struggled with depression, I would strongly encourage you to look at some of the studies recently published by the CDC and the AVMA about this issue. If vetmed is truly the path you want to take, it's important to line up all the resources you'll need before the big stressors hit.

Yes, there's a lot that goes into the factors of the high suicide rate in veterinary medicine. My reply just listed a small factor of it but I don't want to discredit the other factors that play a big role.
Vetmed is 110% what I want to do with my life. Personally, I handle stress extremely well now that the chemical imbalance in my brain is closely monitored, haha. Vet school will be tough, but I believe that I'm strong enough to succeed.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

Not to cut you down or derail the conversation, but there are a lot of other factors that contribute to mental illness in the veterinary community. Burn out, compassion fatigue, client expectations vs. the actual costs of veterinary care, lack of work/life balance, low salary compared to the cost/time put into education, access to controlled substances...these all unfortunately play a role in the issues that plague the profession. As someone who has also struggled with depression, I would strongly encourage you to look at some of the studies recently published by the CDC and the AVMA about this issue. If vetmed is truly the path you want to take, it's important to line up all the resources you'll need before the big stressors hit.

Yes, there's a lot that goes into the factors of the high suicide rate in veterinary medicine. My reply just listed a small factor of it but I don't want to discredit the other factors that play a big role.
Vetmed is 110% what I want to do with my life. Personally, I handle stress extremely well now that the chemical imbalance in my brain is closely monitored, haha. Vet school will be tough, but I believe that I'm strong enough to succeed.

A lot of this would actually be moot in pathology. Compassion fatigue is a little different of a story because, even though you are often diagnosing bad things, since you don't actually see the patients.. again, disconnect.

But you are very fortunate to be in your situation indeed 🙂
I think you have a good shot. I may also consider talking to an advisor, if you have one? In order to work through what of your life experiences you can add to what you've written out. These are not schools I applied to, but if they don't look at one thing, they have to look really hard at something else. Essays, personal letters are things that you have the most control over between now and then. But your experiences, there isn't much time to diversify those. Really try to add in as much as you can to extracurriculars-admissions likes to see that you have a life outside of school. When I did a review with WSU, they said even put things on there like hobbies (some schools may be different). Community service events look great, team sports look great.

You mentioned shadowing the pathologist-again, if you are able to get those hours to a point where it would make sense to put it on the application, that's going to help you stand out.

 

[Coopah]

Hello! I plan on applying this upcoming cycle for c/o 2024! I go to school in Arizona and I'm technically an Arizona resident for tuition purposes but 2 years ago my parents moved to Virginia so I'm hoping that VMCVM will consider me an instate resident. So far this is what my stats are going to be!

Going to Apply: Midwestern, Michigan state, Mississippi state, and VMCVM

Overall GPA: 2.9 😢
Science GPA: ~3.85
Last 45 credits: ~3.85

Major: Microbiology B.S Veterinary science Minor

GRE Not going to take this round. Only applying to schools that don't require GRE and have low to non gpa requirements.

Veterinary Experience:
Currently a technician at a small animal clinic:~2500 hours
Large animal shadowing~150 hours


Research Experience: None

Animal Experience:
Local animal shelter volunteer: ~250 hours
Farm animal care for goats, donkeys, and cows:~500 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked part time/full time at starbucks for 5 years.

Extracurriculars / Etc:
Vida club
I'm a ballet dancer

LORs:
Clinic owner
2 vets at the clinic. I might try and get a LOR from my professor who is also a DVM. We will see if I can stand out 😉

Personal Statement: My first semester of college was medically retroactive withdrawn because I suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts. I should've taken a break after that semester but I didn't because I'm a first generation college student and I didn't want to seem like a failure, hence the supper low cumulative gpa. I've been around farm animals my whole life and I knew from the get go that I would be in the veterinary field.I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian(hopefully pathologist) after reading a book called The Demon in The Freezer for a summer assignment for my preap biology class.
I actually don't know what else to add for a personal statement. This was thought of as I was writing so it doesn't make sense lol. I'm hoping that the schools I apply to can see the BIG change in gpa and will consider that a growth on my part. I regret not getting help sooner but I've learned from it.

I had similar stats to you, I just want to put out there maybe you should apply to Davis too. They don't even look at cumulative GPA. Just last 45 and science and those look great. Do well on the GRE, get good letters of rec and you'll be competitive.

 

[shee-p]

I'm not sure if this goes here, but I need some serious advice and honesty. Would I be stupid to turn down an acceptance from an OOS school if I were to get called off in hopes of getting into my in-state next cycle? The reason I want to get into my in-state is due to cost and location. OOS tuition scares me to no end. A&M is only an hour away from home. My mother frequently gets sick and my sister has severe depression, so I would like to be as close as possible to them in case anything were to happen. I know there is no guarantee that I would get into my in-state next cycle as well... I honestly only applied to OOS schools, because I felt pressured by friends for not having a 'back-up." I feel very guilty being on these waitlists knowing that other people want it more than I do. I won't be able to do an application review with A&M until May 10th, but I honestly believe my interview is what killed my chances. I did very bad, but I feel like I could do better if I were to have a second chance. What do y'all think I should do? Thank you for your time! Here are my stats:

22 years old, female, Texas resident, first time applicant, first-generation, Hispanic

Applied: Texas A&M, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, UC Davis, Virginia, Oklahoma
Interview invites: A&M
Waitlisted: Oklahoma, Wisconsin (#92)
Rejected: UC-Davis, Virginia (interview waitlisted), Oregon, NCSU, A&M (post-interview)

Cumulative GPA: 3.67
Last 45 GPA: 3.87
Science GPA: 3.76 (VMCAS); 3.71 (TMDSAS)

GRE (Q/V/W): 156Q 156V 4.0A

Degree: B.S. in Animal Science at TAMU

Veterinary Experience
Veterinary assistant at small animal/exotic clinic (~300 at the time of app, but I kept working in case I didn’t get in. I have approx. 1,100 hours as of now)
Shadowing at small animal ER (106 hours)
Shadowing at equine hospital (19 hours)

Animal Experience
Internship at wildlife rehabilitation center (119 hours)
Pet ownership (100 max hours allowed by A&M)

Extracurriculars
Pre-Vet Society throughout college
Band throughout college

Non-Animal Employment
5 semesters as a resident advisor

Honors/Awards
11 academic scholarships
Distinguished Member in Pre-Vet Society
2 Reslife awards
Dean’s Honor Roll
Magna Cum Laude - college
Summa Cum Laude - high school
Over 15 awards from band throughout high school

Community Service
Football and softball concession stands (32 hours)
Big Event (8 hours)
Voices for Children (6 hours)
TAMU Vet School Open House Volunteer (7 hours)

Letters of Recommendation
Veterinarian from work
2 supervisors from working in reslife

 

[DVMoftheFuture]

I'm not sure if this goes here, but I need some serious advice and honesty. Would I be stupid to turn down an acceptance from an OOS school if I were to get called off in hopes of getting into my in-state next cycle? The reason I want to get into my in-state is due to cost and location. OOS tuition scares me to no end. A&M is only an hour away from home. My mother frequently gets sick and my sister has severe depression, so I would like to be as close as possible to them in case anything were to happen. I know there is no guarantee that I would get into my in-state next cycle as well... I honestly only applied to OOS schools, because I felt pressured by friends for not having a 'back-up." I feel very guilty being on these waitlists knowing that other people want it more than I do. I won't be able to do an application review with A&M until May 10th, but I honestly believe my interview is what killed my chances. I did very bad, but I feel like I could do better if I were to have a second chance. What do y'all think I should do? Thank you for your time! Here are my stats:

22 years old, female, Texas resident, first time applicant, first-generation, Hispanic

Applied: Texas A&M, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, UC Davis, Virginia, Oklahoma
Interview invites: A&M
Waitlisted: Oklahoma, Wisconsin (#92)
Rejected: UC-Davis, Virginia (interview waitlisted), Oregon, NCSU, A&M (post-interview)

Cumulative GPA: 3.67
Last 45 GPA: 3.87
Science GPA: 3.76 (VMCAS); 3.71 (TMDSAS)

GRE (Q/V/W): 156Q 156V 4.0A

Degree: B.S. in Animal Science at TAMU

Veterinary Experience
Veterinary assistant at small animal/exotic clinic (~300 at the time of app, but I kept working in case I didn’t get in. I have approx. 1,100 hours as of now)
Shadowing at small animal ER (106 hours)
Shadowing at equine hospital (19 hours)

Animal Experience
Internship at wildlife rehabilitation center (119 hours)
Pet ownership (100 max hours allowed by A&M)

Extracurriculars
Pre-Vet Society throughout college
Band throughout college

Non-Animal Employment
5 semesters as a resident advisor

Honors/Awards
11 academic scholarships
Distinguished Member in Pre-Vet Society
2 Reslife awards
Dean’s Honor Roll
Magna Cum Laude - college
Summa Cum Laude - high school
Over 15 awards from band throughout high school

Community Service
Football and softball concession stands (32 hours)
Big Event (8 hours)
Voices for Children (6 hours)
TAMU Vet School Open House Volunteer (7 hours)

Letters of Recommendation
Veterinarian from work
2 supervisors from working in reslife

It’s really a personal decision. I do think that trying to get in to your in-state school is smart, especially because neither Oklahoma nor Wisconsin are one of the cheaper OOS schools. You need to personally assess if you are willing to pass up a potential acceptance with the risk that you will never be accepted. I would also be prepared to possibly not reapply this upcoming cycle, as it is possible that what you thought was the issue with your app isn’t what was the issue and it will take more time to fix. As far as I know, vet schools do not know if you receive an acceptance and turn it down nor do they look poorly upon second time applicants, so that aspect will not affect applying again.

 

[Lupin21]

Hi guys. I posted it in the welcome thread, but the reason we created a separate forum is so you can post your own individual threads to ensure people see it and you get responses. I moved the old thread here for people to peruse.

Good luck and carry on as always! lol

 

[cbucks]

As far as I know, vet schools do not know if you receive an acceptance and turn it down nor do they look poorly upon second time applicants, so that aspect will not affect applying again.

I do remember having to answer a question about if I had previously been accepted/attended veterinary school. I can't remember if it was a general VMCAS question or if it was in the school-specific supplementals, but there's a chance that schools will ask!

 

[Nova11Athena]

21yr old Female Texas Resident looking to apply this May.

Interested in A&M, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma

Cumulative GPA: 3.1
science GPA: 2.9
last 45: 3.2

Any degrees achieved

Will have a bachelors in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in May

GRE results: Q/V/W

150/152/4

Veterinary Experience:

Working as a Technician at a small animal clinic approximately 6,000 hours


Animal Experience:

Fostered dogs since I was 10yr old through a no kill shelter. Approx. 10,000 hours
-

Research Experience:

None

Awards/scholarships:

None besides HS

Extracurriculars:

Volunteer at exotic animal sanctuary


Employment:

Worked at small animal clinic since I was a senior in HS

Non animal experience:

2 years at a restaurant

 

[WildZoo]

21yr old Female Texas Resident looking to apply this May.

Interested in A&M, Kansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma

Cumulative GPA: 3.1
science GPA: 2.9
last 45: 3.2

Any degrees achieved

Will have a bachelors in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in May

GRE results: Q/V/W

150/152/4

Veterinary Experience:

Working as a Technician at a small animal clinic approximately 6,000 hours


Animal Experience:

Fostered dogs since I was 10yr old through a no kill shelter. Approx. 10,000 hours
-

Research Experience:

None

Awards/scholarships:

None besides HS

Extracurriculars:

Volunteer at exotic animal sanctuary


Employment:

Worked at small animal clinic since I was a senior in HS

Non animal experience:

2 years at a restaurant

As lupin said above, the purpose of this new subforum is so that everybody can make their own threads and be sure to get responses 🙂 I've linked the intro post below

WAMC Forum

 

[Lupin21]

Actually, just to make it less confusing, I will lock this thread. It contains so much good info for perusing I want it here, so it will now be a sticky thread to be used for reference, but no more replies will be allowed. If you are one of the people that posted and didn't get a response or want more advice, please restate your stats in your own thread.

Cheers!