Preparation

[ylrebmik]

What kind of "stuff" did you guys do to get ahead of the game early? - certain experiences, activities, etc. that helped for applying for vet school or undergrad.

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[pressmom]

I find that the people who are doing best in my classes are those that took classes above and beyond the pre-reqs. A lot of people have already had human or animal anatomy/physio, immunology, medical microbiology, biochemistry, etc. It really helps. I wish I had had time to take more than I did.

 

[rexosaurus]

I am with pressmom on this one. although i am not yet admitted (silent prayer for this year*), i have my B.S. and made it a point to take as many upper division bio classes that i thought would apply to vet med. i.e. cell bio, comparative physio, immunology, bacterial pathology, biochem 1/2, etc. that info will really help (so i've been told), and i can't imagine it will hurt! also, to get a variety of experience while you have time! i can't stress how important that is! small animal/large animal, exotic, shelter, emergency, lab, etc. i'm not saying you have to get all of this done, but a variety is key. also, if you state in your personal statement that you want to do conservation medicine, you better have some experience to back it up! umm.. what else? be well rounded. have a life outside animals! i think that is all you can do to prepare. in the mean time, be yourself!

 

[Kara31191]

This is a great thread. I had this question also and I am happy to see that I have all of undergrad to get ahead of the game in terms of experience and classes.

 

[ylrebmik]

Thanks.

What type of things did you guys do outside of school and classes to make applications look amazing?

 

[pressmom]

I would recommend doing at least one activity in depth--like being an officer in a club or captain of a team sport (club or intramural) or a serious band, whatever. Then do a couple of smaller activities. In undergrad, I was editor of a couple of sections of the school daily newspaper and lobbied Congress. (I was poli sci then.) When I returned to school, I was in the Companion Animal Club and Habitat for Humanity (in addition to volunteering in wildlife rehab, at the shelter, shadowing at an all-exotics clinic, and working as a vet tech.)

 

[rexosaurus]

i've always been really active, so in college i was involved with snowboarding and swimming (not for the college, just to keep myself active). i was also part of the Association for Pre-Health Professions and the Libertarian club at my university. it is important to be involved with something, whatever it may be. if you work, this may be a limited aspect of your application, but the adcoms take that into account when looking at your application.

 

[philomycus]

I have been lucky to referee soccer at the international level. Sometimes I feel if you can control 22 people who don't speak English from killing each other, you can do almost anything!

 

[Kara31191]

HAHA. You are all very funny!

What about taking formal piano and guitar lessons? Would that be something that would count, or would I have to be part of a group or program in Undergrad?

 

[ShelterGirl]

I definitely think musical skills count! I listed bands & orchestras that I belonged to, but you could say something like "played piano for the past x years."

As for me, I've run 2 marathons. Not fast, mind you, but still - it's something I'm probably the most proud of and took a ton of effort and determination to achieve.
I also listed some of the volunteer work I've done as a post-college grown-up, such as coaching Junior Achievement programs and doing work at animal shelters.

 

[JerseyisCutest]

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[Hollycozza]

Yeah I think those 2 things would count. I listed reading as a hobby because I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading--I know I'm a huge dork--and fitness/nutrition because I have spent most of my college career really learning about nutrition, diets, and exercise because I did some modeling type things. I did NOT, however, include the modeling stuff or that I had won Miss Photogenic at a pageant (or even did a pageant, though if you actually won first place I can see where you'd want to add that) because my advisor told me that last year, a girl from my school was interviewed for OSU and was basically torn apart for being a bartender while in school. They kept asking her if she really thought this contributed to her future vet career. Although I don't bartend (b/c I don't drink), that is definitely the best paying job in town you can get without a degree or something similar. This is a huge party town and bartenders can take home sometimes $200 a night, so I totally get why she was doing it but they were NOT impressed to say the least. She did not get in, in fact, and was a pretty darn competitive applicant. I do believe that winning that title and doing the model stuff contributed to my future career because of several reasons, but I don't know if the adcom would agree.

Just thought I'd suggest what you might not want to add too, just in case

I can't believe her job in hospitality went against her that seems most unfair!

 

[JerseyisCutest]

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[david594]

I do believe that winning that title and doing the model stuff contributed to my future career because of several reasons, but I don't know if the adcom would agree.

Im intrigued, how does winning a title in a beauty pagent contribute to your future career as a vet?(genuine question)

Also, 3rd party info on how some girl got chewed out for being a bartender may not be the most reliable source. We dont know the questions she was asked, how she responded, or what even brought up the subject.

 

[JerseyisCutest]

oopsy, posted twice.

 

[JerseyisCutest]

...

 

[ylrebmik]

The fact that they tore her apart completely insults me. I'm going to have to pay for college COMPLETLY on my own and going to need a job and that's just ridiculous what they did.

 

[rexosaurus]

for what its worth, i don't think all colleges will ridicule an applicants prior jobs in the same manner. for instance, i cocktailed at a local college bar for awhile in undergrad. i had a great time, met some great people, and made some great money. and, like several of you, paid my way through undergrad as well, so this was a great situation for me. i was asked about my experience in my michigan state interview last year, and what kind of skills it granted me that would apply to vet med. i simply explained that it allowed me to interact with people of all walks of life, and consequently i interact very well with people from very many backgrounds. (does that not apply?!) anyway, that was it. no further questions, no bantering, nothing.

 

[ylrebmik]

good.

 

[Foofur]

Hey all!
Preparing for the application and preparing for vet school are two very different things.
For the application process:
Keeping your grades high is very important! You could have all the animal experiences in the world, but unless you've got the grades, the committees will not be accepting. I do not agree with the admission processes for professional schools, however there is not much we can do. Like others have mentioned, taking classes that are "similar" to the vet classes are also a great way to prepare (for both the application process and vet school itself).

Any experience can be considered "relevant" in your application, it is simply a matter on how you tweak your essay or interview questions. I was a teacher (a mild deviation from my life long goal of vet school). I really played up how being a teacher would make me an excellent veternarian. I also had several years of working at a vet clinic, two years riding, research experience etc. Play your strenghts!

I am a first year vet student, and so far the only thing that has really helped me be "prepared" is knowing.. dog breeds! It is hard to actually prepare for vet school until you are there. I have old notes from other students, and I even had a lot of the text books before I started! It is so hard to be prepared for this! Be prepared for stress, but if you have the passion... then it is totally worth it!

 

[ylrebmik]

awesome thanks.

yeah, right now I'm narrowing down my choices for undergrad so I've got plenty of time but I was looking for things I could do during hs to really get ahead

 

[bakaduin]

Because as a title holder usually, we see this especially in something like a Miss (State) or Miss USA, you MUST know how to talk to/deal with people well. You must know how to intelligently speak and answer questions. I think we can all agree these are good qualities of a vet.........I think there was a thread a while back where people kept talking about how you had to have good people skills..........in fact, I was just lectured to about this by one of the vets where I volunteer, so I know I'm not crazy. You don't have to agree with me, but this is one thing I can definitely make a case for.

Damn, someone should have told Miss Tean South Carolina she would need to speak intelligently to win the competition.(This is just a joke and anyone who has seen the YouTube video will understand)

 

[JerseyisCutest]

Damn, someone should have told Miss Tean South Carolina she would need to speak intelligently to win the competition.(This is just a joke and anyone who has seen the YouTube video will understand)

Such as, I still laugh , such as, when I watch that, such as. If that was me I think I would have just left the building after that.

Then again, she's blonde what did you expect?

(I'm blonde too so no one take offense! )

 

[Beagingese]

Like many others I took a lot of bio classes above and beyond the basic requirements. I actually went through the Perdue VMSAR book, picked ~8 schools that I thought I might apply to, listed out all their requirements and took them all. Now many I took at community colleges (basic speech, business, economics) but that way I had everything I might need. That also meant that I was in school pretty much continuously throughout the year. I also worked and did school...so the time commitment and time management skills were there. I was used to being busy, busy, busy and sleep-deprived (at least to an extent). Additionally, experience, experience, experience. The more true veterinary experience you can get the better. Seeing how it works in real life makes it easier to apply what you are learning in vet school from day one. Cuz it's a little dry...for a while. Some classes bringing clinical stuff...but you're still doing book work for a looooonnnng time. So the more you see, the more you apply and the easier the book stuff is to learn because you know how it works out in a real life veterinary setting. Plus you then have great examples for personal statements, essays and interviews.

 

[VAgirl]

To the comments about mentioning on applications bartending, beauty pagents, or other any other non-vet related thing... My thought on this is that we all have done things that are unrelated to vet med. I cannot imagine adcoms having preconceived notions as to which activities are great and which are terrible. Instead, I think what matters is whether or not you own your life choices and whether or not you can talk intelligently about why these experiences helped make you the great person you are today. Even better if they've helped inspire you on your current path in some way.

This is my first time through the vet med admissions process, but I've gone through interviews for graduate programs and for full-time jobs (I finished undergrad several years ago). How you present your experiences and what you've learned from each experience is often the most important thing.