What Improvements Do I Need?

[kat3ros3]

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I've been lurking this forum for a while, and I was wondering if some people would just take time to look at my stats thus far. I feel somewhat subpar compared to many on this site, and I was hoping to find advice. My school's pre-vet advisor is somewhat lacking, and I'd like to be as well prepared as possible.

I'm a sophomore at a competitive small liberal arts college.
Major: Biology (hopefully with a Chem. and Studio Art minor)
Current GPA: 3.4 (low for personal reasons)

Leadership:
Former Treasurer and Current President My College's Equestrian Club
Lab TA
Lab Animal Caretaker

Extracurriculars:
Member of a Sorority
Ride and Compete on the Local Horse Show Circuit

Veterinary Experience:
Equine: 50 hours
Mixed Practice: 150 hours

I'm trying to get a job as a vet tech for the summer and shadowing another equine veterinarian this summer in addition to possibly taking an online class, studying for the GRE, and showing my horse.

I'm interested in University of Penn., Colorado, Auburn, Cornell, and Ohio State.

Am I on the right track? Any recommendations?

 

[LetItSnow]

Am I on the right track? Any recommendations?

Sure, you're on the right track. Your experience hours are still low, but you have a plan in place for that, so no worries. Your GPA is not amazing but won't hurt you - so try hard to keep it at least where it is now and don't worry about that.

This might be an oddball suggestion, but.... find something *INTERESTING* to do in the next few summers before you apply. Get really involved in a soup kitchen. Find some sort of animal/veterinary overseas adventure to participate in. Organize a group of people that makes/delivers meals for new single mothers.

Assuming you get the vet tech / shadowing hours you're talking about, and assuming you keep your GPA up, I'd focus on some interesting extracurriculars - something that suggests you're interested and involved in the community around you, not just some personally fun activity.

Alternatively, you could try and get involved in a longer-term research project.

Mostly, you just need to keep on keepin' on. So long as you're diligent about plugging away and building experience, you should be positioned well.

 

[kat3ros3]

I'm about to wrap up my sophomore year.
My plan is to do some research at school before I graduate; I just need to track some down. 🙄
I'm also making an attempt to start an equestrian team, so I'm not sure if that would count as an interesting experience.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm about to wrap up my sophomore year.
My plan is to do some research at school before I graduate; I just need to track some down. 🙄
I'm also making an attempt to start an equestrian team, so I'm not sure if that would count as an interesting experience.

Yeah, I saw that after I posted so I removed my 'sophomore' comment. Sorry. My bad.

And yes, that absolutely counts as interesting.

 

[PocoCalypsoQH]

I agree with the finding something interesting thing. I think it is important to have a couple things that you can put on your application that will make you stand out and be memorable to the admissions committee. For instance, I did a long weekend workshop assisting a veterinarian working with bison since I am interested in food animal and I also participated in a study abroad program. Volunteering is also something that is important too; makes you look like you're a better person, lol. I volunteered at a therapeutic riding program and at the humane society. Your GPA is fine, but i wouldn't let it get any lower. I got in with a 3.4 cumulative but my last 45 credits was a 3.7 and my required coursework was a 3.6. Basically it sounds like you are on the right track though. If you can get a paid position in a clinic that would be awesome, but don't hold out too long because paid or not it would be good to get at least a couple hundred more hours.

 

[kat3ros3]

I am definitely planning on getting my GPA up; I've been dealing with a few personal issues that have unfortunately resulted in a lower GPA than I am capable of. I will be definitely in a clinic regardless of pay or not. I do volunteer with the Humane Society (at least 8 hours of service is mandatory with my sorority).
I'm just struggling to find anything "interesting". Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was ahead in my major until after the study abroad deadline had passed. Research is a definite thing that I am going to do. How would I go about finding other things to make me stand out? My college has been less than helpful.

 

[futurevet3000]

I'm about to wrap up my sophomore year.
My plan is to do some research at school before I graduate; I just need to track some down. 🙄
I'm also making an attempt to start an equestrian team, so I'm not sure if that would count as an interesting experience.

Equestrian team alone is good outside animal experience, and the fact that you're trying to start one is even better... I hope that works out for you, was one of the more memorable things I did in college. If you're used to showing on your own though, IHSA is quite different, but fun!

 

[CurrySpice]

I am definitely planning on getting my GPA up; I've been dealing with a few personal issues that have unfortunately resulted in a lower GPA than I am capable of. I will be definitely in a clinic regardless of pay or not. I do volunteer with the Humane Society (at least 8 hours of service is mandatory with my sorority).
I'm just struggling to find anything "interesting". Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was ahead in my major until after the study abroad deadline had passed. Research is a definite thing that I am going to do. How would I go about finding other things to make me stand out? My college has been less than helpful.

Did you talk to your study abroad office? Often some of the less popular programs stay open past the deadline!!!

GPA is definitely somewhere you can improve.

I did a mock interview and the interviewer kept grilling me about my ECs. I shadow several hours a week, run (as a hobby but do race), volunteer at the humane society, am part of Bio Club, and go to church. I'm relatively busy, but she was getting annoyed that I don't do more? I will be applying partway through my gap year, so hopefully that will be a moot point by then.

I was simply surprised how much she cared about my ECs. I mean, they're important, but I wouldn't think vet schools would care that much how I spend my free time. Maybe they do or maybe my mock interview was not representative. Something to chew on...

 

[LetItSnow]

I was simply surprised how much she cared about my ECs. I mean, they're important, but I wouldn't think vet schools would care that much how I spend my free time. Maybe they do or maybe my mock interview was not representative. Something to chew on...

Not being on an app committee, you need to take my thoughts with a grain of salt, but.... my experience matches what your mock interviewer said.

During my interview - which was purely behavioral - I used only two veterinary/animal-related experiences to answer the questions. That's out of maybe ... 8-9 questions? I forget.

I met with the interviewer a few months later and one of her comments was that both the interviewers were pleased that I drew on non-veterinary experiences, and that I didn't go back to the same well over and over (i.e. I used widely differing experiences).

All that to say that I suspect you and your mock interviewer are on the right track....

Don't let that sidetrack you, though: You still need to be prepared to address straight-up vet questions like "why do you want to be a vet?" or "why do you want to attend this school?" or even some of the "tell me what you think the biggest issue facing vet medicine is today?" stuff.....

 

[EveyG]

I just wanted to weigh in and echo what everyone else is saying. When I had my file review at Colorado one of the things I was told would make my application more competitive is more extracurricular activities NOT related to animals. There are a million people (maybe not that many) out there who are going to have a lot of animal related experiences on thier app. I was told flat out that this is boring and so 'old hat' to reviewers. Go completely outside the box and do something that has nothing to do with animals at all. Volunteering in a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving or volunteering to help with Toys for Tots will only require one or two days' worth of time and give you something else to put on your app. I know sororities in general do a lot of community service, so keep track of every thing that you and your sisters do to benefit the community and put them in your app.
As far as getting research experience, I work at the CDC and I acquired the job by looking into summer internships with the government at USAjobs.gov. Unfortunately, the job openings are closed now but if you are willing to move somewhere for the summer there are plenty of bioscience companies that hire interns for the summer- some I can think of are Inviragen and Invitrogen. You can also approach some of your science professors and ask them if they need any non-paid help around the lab. Some of the best opportunities I have gotten have been from working as a volunteer which evolved into a paid job.
You are on the right track though. Take it from someone who graduated undergrad with a 3.1- you can get in with a 3.4, just buckle down and show them what you're made of these next 2 years! 😀

 

[kat3ros3]

I completely forgot about my upcoming interesting experience. I plan on going to Barbados to do research on green monkeys my senior year for my January term. 😀 Aside from that, I also have the opportunity to study marine biology in the Bahamas for three weeks next summer. I may do both of those, particularly if it would help fill out my application.
And do high school experiences count as well? I did a medical mission trip my senior year of high school that was wonderful.
A big thank you to everyone for being so helpful. 🙂

 

[pooter]

You seem to be on track, although bumping that GPA back up certainly wouldn't hurt. Remember, though, it's also about who you know. Try to build good relationships with faculty and with vets. You'll need two strong vet recommendations for Ohio and at least one (two is much better) academic rec for Penn.

And high school experiences definitely count. Get in the habit of counting *everything,* not just what seems directly applicable and not just what you've done in the past two years. In one of my interviews I got to talk about learning interpersonal communication skills from the Vagina Monologs. And I got in.

 

[LetItSnow]

In one of my interviews I got to talk about learning interpersonal communication skills from the Vagina Monologs. And I got in.

Heh. In a "tell us about a time you've had to apologize to someone" interview question I used an incident from a couple years ago when I had to apologize to my (then) 5-year-old son.

Anyway.... @OP: pooter's advice about who you know was something the rest of us forgot that is really important: start cultivating relationships that will lead to excellent letters of recommendation. Good on pooter for adding that.

 

[Halebug]

These suggestions are exactly what I would suggest. And I definitely agree that EC are VERY important. I was specifically asked to discuss non-animal related experiences and I really struggled with it. When thinking of doing things non-animal related fall back on some hobbies...for example I am really into scrap booking and got together a group that scrap booked with each other. Whether it is art or sports or anything...there is always something to get involved with when it comes to hobbies! If your school does not have a pre-vet club consider starting one.

I agree with everyone that you are definitely on the right track! I think something that I found really helpful was to get experience in the same field but at different locations...for example I shadowed a bunch of different small animal clinics. I loved seeing how each place had their own way of doing things and discussing with them why they prefer their certain techniques.

 

[Daktari Tumbili]

I second the 'do something interesting' suggestion! In my application I talked about my experience volunteering in Kenya with children and how it taught me more about life and myself than I could ever learn in any textbook, classroom, or job here in the US. I believe this unique experience was key in showing the admission committee who I am as a person and really set me apart as an applicant who would bring diversity to the school.

 

[tuckervet]

My school's pre-vet advisor is somewhat lacking, and I'd like to be as well prepared as possible.
I'm interested in University of Penn., Colorado, Auburn, Cornell, and Ohio State.

Am I on the right track? Any recommendations?

I also went to school at a small liberal arts college, and did not have an advisor that could help with preparing to apply to vet schools. However, my advisor suggested that since they couldn't help me prepare for the process, that I find someone who could...such as at a nearby vet school. This was excellent advice, and I ended up meeting with the dean of admissions at two vet schools (UPenn and Cornell) during my sophmore and junior years of college. They were very helpful, reviewing my stats and offering suggestions of what to do before applying.
The summer and early fall might be the best times to contact someone (if there is a vet school near enough that you can go visit) because they aren't too busy then (as opposed to waiting until they are in the middle of the chaos from a current application cycle, when they'll have much less free time for someone preparing for the future). I think this is a resource that not many people think of (or have access to), but that can be very helpful.