What is a good amount of experience to have?

[Laurren]

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So far, I have (by hours):


1,500+ hours in a veterinary clinic

350 on an alpaca farm, and showing alpacas

5,300+ in a dog kennel

1,000+ Showing dogs and training them. I am also an AKC certified handler.

300 on an entrepreneurship of breeding Siamese Fighting Fish to distribute to people interested in owning a Betta and pet stores

1,200+ in a dog groomers

And I start my freshman year two days (however, since I'll be going to college through the summers, I'll be finished a lot faster).

Can someone point out my weaknesses and give me pointers as to what I should be working on? It's my goal to have a minimum of a 3.7 GPA, so I'm going to be very studious. It would really help me if I could have some suggestions.

 

[wildcatj]

I'm not sure what type of of veterinary experience you have but that's where it really counts to have variety. Try to get small animal, large animal and equine if you can. And if you can find some zoo, wildlife, lab animal, public health, etc that would be good too. As far as hours go you're well on your way to having plenty, just make sure you have the variety in veterinary experience and not just animal.

 

[Laurren]

I am really fond of zoo medicine, however, there is a zoo here, but it isn't exactly "exotic." More like a zoo the hillbillys take their kids to in order to see some goats and possibly a wolf. I tried to get into an internship with them, but they wanted to make me sign a six month, 40-hours a week contract, with MAYBE $50 pay once a week, that was the only way I could have a lot of interaction with the animals. :/

 

[kakurubird]

And even if you're comfortable with your number of hours, don't stop getting experience, even if you only are adding during breaks. I'm pretty aure no admissions dolla wpuld be okay seeing a break of years in terms of time between applying and most recent experience.

 

[Siomai]

Had the same fear as you. I am a non-traditional though but I ad to take classes to the school near my work which is not known nor have strong pre-vet academic foundation. I did most of the legwork to ensure I complete all pre-requisites AND some! I focused more on my grades and trying to get DIVERSIFIED experience!

THis is my fist cycle and I got into three schools and I am giving feedback to the school so they can have a better pre-vet group support. So its not the school, it will depend on you. High Grades. HIGH GRE. As such, stay where you get that full rise scholarship so you can reduce your loan.

 

[Siomai]

my response was for her other thread.sorry for going off topic....dont know why it posted here

 

[Museum Nerd]

and research....even if it isn't animal. I believe that any research done under a PhD counts in the Vet experience column on VMCAS application.

 

[wolfspeaker]

and research....even if it isn't animal. I believe that any research done under a PhD counts in the Vet experience column on VMCAS application.

Is that true even if the PhD isn't a DVM? Or only if they are also a DVM?

 

[pooter]

Quantity-wise, you're doing very well . . . so long as you plan to tell the adcoms that you want to go into small animal medicine. But, if you're thinking of zoo vet/exotics/large animal/something else, you'll eventually need experience in those areas so that you can show a "demonstrated interest" (basically, that you know what the field is like and you want to do it anyway). Diversification is also good. Your alpaca and fish experience will help you out there, but since those hours weren't done with a vet, they won't help you as much as an actual veterinary experience. If this is your first semester of undergrad, you've got plenty of time. All schools weight things differently; some want very diverse experience, others focus more on quality hours in the field you want to go into, so there's no set number of hours that can guarantee you a spot.

 

[tropictuco]

and research....even if it isn't animal. I believe that any research done under a PhD counts in the Vet experience column on VMCAS application.

I think that might depend on the school. I specifically asked Auburn and they said DVM only. But maybe it's different for other schools.

 

[pooter]

I think that might depend on the school. I specifically asked Auburn and they said DVM only. But maybe it's different for other schools.

The schools that have a research requirement will generally accept research with a PhD. VMRCVM doesn't even require that the research itself be animal related or medically oriented. I did basic science research on grain beetles and they accepted it. VMCAS just doesn't have a good category for classifying these experiences.

 

[krh696]

Right now I currently work as a kennel person/technician in training at a small animal hospital. All of my hours are at this one hospital, but I see many people who have hours at more than one hospital. one of my coworkers and good friend started working at another hospital a few months ago and i have visited so I am familiar with the people who work there, would it be better if I shadowed there a couple days too just to get hours at a different hospital as well and see how different hospitals run and how different doctors work?