Successful Applicants c/o 2024

[Btwins1998]

22, female, Ohio resident, traditional, first time applying

Applied: Ohio State
Interview Invites: Ohio State
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: Ohio State
Attending: Ohio State!!

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): not required

Degree(s): BS in Animal Science (May 2020)

Veterinary Experience:
-450 hours at a small animal clinic (started out shadowing, then hired for kennel work and moved up to assistant)

Animal Experience:
-55 hours volunteering at local humane society one a week for a year
~20 hours working with sheep/lambs at my boyfriend’s farm
~8 hours working with cattle at a farm - mostly just deworming calves and helping run the chute
-40 hours dogsitting for a co-worker (over 2 years)
-some misc experiences handling large animals through classes (~100 hours total across species)

Research:
-300 hours in a food animal lab. Worked with rotavirus in gnotobiotic piglets

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Founded and was co-President for a pre-vet club
-Treasurer of PTK chapter (honor society)
- Coca Cola Scholar for the state of Ohio through PTK
-Newcomb Scholar two years (top 5 students in each class)
-GR Johnson Award (highest GPA Junior/senior)
-Knitting/Crafting club - I love to sew! One of my hobbies
-4 years of 4H with various animal related misc projects
-4 years of band (pep, concert/symphonic, and state fair band)

Non-Animal Employment:
-2600+ hours (over 3 years) in funding department at PRC-Saltillo. I worked directly with clients and developed great communication skills.

LORs:
-one from the practice owner (vet) at the small animal clinic I worked at
-one from my supervisor at PRC-Saltillo
-one from my pre-vet advisor/professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote about growing up as a twin and wanting to give back to my community through mixed animal practice. My diverse experiences helped a lot with writing essays and qualities I liked in vets I worked with. I’m a first generation college student as well so that helped my diversity factor.

I utilized the explanation statement to explain how the cost of higher education is a major factor in my decisions, especially having a twin in college at the same time. I didn’t always get to work at the clinic like I wanted since it didn’t pay as much as my full time job. I think this really helped to explain my situation a bit since I had low veterinary experience hours.

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[amyfrey]

So blessed to be writing on the board! I'm realizing in writing all of this, the incredible amount of time and work that went into my application-- but while I was working toward it, each step was so rewarding and enjoyable because I knew being a vet is what I was put on the earth to do. Future applicants, don't be discouraged! If you put in the work, it will happen! I was a non-traditional student who studied art and worked in restaurants, I didn't come out of the womb knowing this is what I wanted. I did all my science classes while working full time, balancing a husband, 2 dogs, and active church life. Anything is possible!

Feel free to message me if you have any questions or want more details!

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
30, female, California, non-trad, first time applicant

Applied: 1
Interview Invites: 1
Waiting to hear: n/a
Accepted: Western
Attending: Western

Overall GPA: 3.62
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.59
Last 45 GPA: 3.59

GRE (Q/V/W): 151/155/5, 41 (%) / 68 (%) / 92 (%)

Degree(s):
University of South Carolina: Bachelor's of Art History and Art Studio (2007-2011)
UCLA Extension: Pre-Med program, took pre-cal, some chem, some bio here, no degree (2014-2016)
Santa Monica College: took a year of German here for fun (2016-2017)
Pierce College: Pre-Vet, finished my pre-reqs here, never received a degree (2017-currently taking 1 last class)


Veterinary Experience:
2250 hrs in General Vet Practice as a tech/DA-- dogs, cats, and sometimes birds and tortoises
began shadowing, and eventually transitioned in to working for a vet, listed several different facilities/hospitals

138 hrs shadowing at an emergency specialty clinic

524 hrs on Pierce Farm (academic setting, supervised by a Vet)-- cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and donkeys

Animal Experience:
1260 hrs Petsmart adoption center-- in HS I worked at petsmart and helped in the adoption center (2006-2008)

Research:
none. Mentioned that I took a tour and shadowed 1 day at Cedar's Sinai Lab Animal Facilities.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
University of South Carolina:
Graduated from Undergraduate Cum Laude, Full Time Dean's Honor's List every semester
LIFE scholarship-- $20,000

Santa Monica College:
Help run and attend a non-official German club (2016 thru today)

Pierce College:
Full Time Dean's Honor List every semester
President's Honors
Attended Pre-Vet club
Farm Staff Volunteer

Non-Animal Employment:
Starbucks Night Shift Manager (2017-2018)
UCLA Head and Neck Surgery (for humans) Administrative Specialist (2013-2017)
Art Liaison (2013)
Restaurant General Manager (2011-2014)

LORs:
1. Otolaryngologist (human med)
2. Pediatric Otolaryngologist (human med)
3. Large Animal Vet, my pre-vet program director
4. GP DVM, CPH, MPH who attended Western that I currently work with/for

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?

I discussed how I would be practicing a combination of large and small animal general medicine and how this stemmed from growing up in the city during the year, and my grandpa's cattle ranch during school breaks. I was very honest and described the dysfunctional abusive household I grew up in from having two alcoholic parents. I thought it was important to be transparent and show who I really am, and used this essay opportunity to do so (as well as in my interview).

2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?

I discussed and broke down the components of the Veterinarian's Oath. Focused on discussion of research and client education.

3. Consider the breadth of society which veterinarians serve. What attributes do you believe are essential to be successful
within the veterinary profession? Of these attributes, which do you possess and how have you demonstrated these in the
past?

I broke it down into 3 attributes-- life long learning/curiosity, compassion/empathy (towards patients AND CLIENTS), leadership

 

[amsweeney]

Super proof that a super non-traditional applicant with super low vet hours and terrible GRE scores can get you into vet school! I applied to so many schools because I really had no idea what my odds would be. I'm glad it increased my odds, but in hind sight I wish I hadn't applied to a few. I have a strong background in academic research, which is the only reason I got interviews and my one acceptance. In hindsight, I should have waited to get more veterinary hours, but here I am

27, Female, NY resident, non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Cornell, NCSU, WSU, CSU, Michigan, Purdue, UF, Midwestern, Wisconsin, UI, ISU, UPenn
Interview Invites: Purdue, Midwestern, Michigan, University of Illinois
Waiting to hear back from: Michigan, Illinois
Waitlisted: Iowa
Accepted: Midwestern, Purdue
Attending: Most likely Purdue

Overall GPA: 3.48
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.1/3.2 ish?
Last 45 GPA: 3.58

GRE (Q/V/W): 152 (45%) / 152 (54%) / 4.5 (82%)

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology, Minor in Neuroscience

Veterinary Experience:
-Shadowed in a small animal hospital: 100 hours (yes that's correct!)
-Equine: All the hours I've seen the vet come and do work on my farm ~20 hours

Animal Experience:
-Grew up on a horse farm: 10,000+ hours
-Lease a horse/ take lessons (at different farm)- 500+ hours
-Equestrian team in undergrad: ~350 hours
-Dog/cat owner my whole life

Research:
-360 hours in Neuroscience lab in undergrad
-5,000+ hours in large Neuroscience lab with rodents as FT job

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Volleyball in HS
-Equestrian Team/ Club Treasurer/IHSA
-Excellence in Research Award
-2 first author papers; 1 in Scientific Reports, 1 in Journal of Visualized Experiments
-3 Co-author papers: 1 in SCIENCE, 1 in JCI Insight, 1 in Nature Communications

LORs:
-1 SA veterinarian
-1 Equine vet I've known almost my whole life
- Undergrad PI
-Current PI/boss

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) Future career- Wrote about growing up on a horse farm and wanting to specialize in equine reproduction/therio
2) How veterinarians contribute to society - Wrote how veterinarians impact mental health by helping our companion animals and how I want to give back & help the mental health of the vet field
3) Attributes to become a successful veterinarian - Confidence, patience, and resilience
-Other personal statements I wrote how a veterinarian dissuaded me from becoming a vet when I was young and naive and how since I continued through school I have always wish i stuck to that path and how going into research made me feel it was what I needed to do

 

[Okapi]

22, Female, NY Resident, Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Cornell, CSU, Penn, Tufts, RVC, Minn, SGU, WSU
Interview Invites: SGU, RVC, Tufts, CSU, Minn (declined)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, RVC, SGU
Attending: Tufts! (unless I get off the waitlist at CSU)

Overall GPA: 3.68
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.58
Last 45 GPA: 3.88

GRE (Q/V/W): 166 (89%) / 168 (99%) / 6.0 (99%)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science (May 2020)

Veterinary Experience: (didn't save my VMCAS so these are approximate)
Vet assistant at rural mixed practice (only SA side) ~400+ hrs (cont this year)
Assistant at equine performance clinic ~100 hrs
Extern at specialty equine hospital ~ 100 hrs
Shadowing at shelter hospital ~100 hrs
Shadowing at specialty hospital ~100 hrs
ER overnight assistant at specialty hospital ~150 hrs
Shadowing ambulatory equine vet ~4 hrs

Animal Experience:
Lifelong equestrian--lessons, showing, barn chores, etc ~3000+ hrs
Guide dog training ~70 hrs
Service dog training (full time foster) --I don't remember what I included to calculate this but probably ~400 hrs
Farm animal camp ~20 hrs
Farm animal handling through various classes ~50 hrs
Volunteer at a goat farm ~100 hrs

Research:
Dairy cattle genetics + breeding decisions ~20 hrs (at time of application--done this year ~150+ hrs)
Fertility of naked mole rats ~400 hrs
Lemur dietary analysis ~120 hrs
Self designed psychology research projects through high school research class ~250 hrs


Extracurriculars/Awards:
D1 varsity equestrian team (show manager 2 years, captain this year)
Merlin's Kids (service dog training club)
Big Red Leadership Institute
Dean's List 5 semesters
Pre-Vet Society
IHSA Academic First Team
400 Club member (2x)
All-Ivy academic award

Some high school things I included:
IEA equestrian team (captain final year)
Various honor society membership + leadership
AP Scholar with Distinction
National Merit Letter of Commendation
Excellence in Writing Award
LISC High Honors (for psychology research projects--both years I attended)

Non-Animal Employment:
Food service worker ~150 hrs
Math tutor ~80 hrs

LORs:
Mixed practice vet I've worked with for 3 years
PI for my repro research
Genetics professor (took 2 of her classes, TAed one, currently do research for her)
College equestrian team coach

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) talked about my desire to pursue surgery (mainly orthopedics) and how this was driven by personal experience with (human) orthopedic medicine and athletic injuries
2) how being a vet involves caring for both animals and the human clients and how vets have a unique opportunity to impact humans by connecting via a love of animals
3) empathy, determination, communication, humbleness. explained why these traits are important and how i've demonstrated them

 

[DVM2024]

22, Female, NY Resident, Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Cornell, CSU, Penn, Tufts, RVC, Minn, SGU, WSU
Interview Invites: SGU, RVC, Tufts, CSU, Minn (declined)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Cornell, Tufts, RVC, SGU
Attending: Tufts! (unless I get off the waitlist at CSU)

Overall GPA: 3.68
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.58
Last 45 GPA: 3.88

GRE (Q/V/W): 166 (89%) / 168 (99%) / 6.0 (99%)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science (May 2020)

Veterinary Experience: (didn't save my VMCAS so these are approximate)
Vet assistant at rural mixed practice (only SA side) ~400+ hrs (cont this year)
Assistant at equine performance clinic ~100 hrs
Extern at specialty equine hospital ~ 100 hrs
Shadowing at shelter hospital ~100 hrs
Shadowing at specialty hospital ~100 hrs
ER overnight assistant at specialty hospital ~150 hrs
Shadowing ambulatory equine vet ~4 hrs

Animal Experience:
Lifelong equestrian--lessons, showing, barn chores, etc ~3000+ hrs
Guide dog training ~70 hrs
Service dog training (full time foster) --I don't remember what I included to calculate this but probably ~400 hrs
Farm animal camp ~20 hrs
Farm animal handling through various classes ~50 hrs
Volunteer at a goat farm ~100 hrs

Research:
Dairy cattle genetics + breeding decisions ~20 hrs (at time of application--done this year ~150+ hrs)
Fertility of naked mole rats ~400 hrs
Lemur dietary analysis ~120 hrs
Self designed psychology research projects through high school research class ~250 hrs


Extracurriculars/Awards:
D1 varsity equestrian team (show manager 2 years, captain this year)
Merlin's Kids (service dog training club)
Big Red Leadership Institute
Dean's List 5 semesters
Pre-Vet Society
IHSA Academic First Team
400 Club member (2x)
All-Ivy academic award

Some high school things I included:
IEA equestrian team (captain final year)
Various honor society membership + leadership
AP Scholar with Distinction
National Merit Letter of Commendation
Excellence in Writing Award
LISC High Honors (for psychology research projects--both years I attended)

Non-Animal Employment:
Food service worker ~150 hrs
Math tutor ~80 hrs

LORs:
Mixed practice vet I've worked with for 3 years
PI for my repro research
Genetics professor (took 2 of her classes, TAed one, currently do research for her)
College equestrian team coach

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) talked about my desire to pursue surgery (mainly orthopedics) and how this was driven by personal experience with (human) orthopedic medicine and athletic injuries
2) how being a vet involves caring for both animals and the human clients and how vets have a unique opportunity to impact humans by connecting via a love of animals
3) empathy, determination, communication, humbleness. explained why these traits are important and how i've demonstrated them

If you don’t mind my asking, what made you choose Tufts over Cornell? I’m currently debating between the two and would appreciate some insight!

 

[Hp48g]

If you don’t mind my asking, what made you choose Tufts over Cornell? I’m currently debating between the two and would appreciate some insight!

Also curious about this.

 

[Okapi]

If you don’t mind my asking, what made you choose Tufts over Cornell? I’m currently debating between the two and would appreciate some insight!

Also curious about this.

Absolutely. The short answer is that I go to Cornell for undergrad and for a variety of (mostly personal) reasons I do not want to stay here another 4 years.

Some more tangible reasons: I personally do not think I would learn well with the PBL format (I went to their info session where we do a practice one), and I really like the selectives program and long, flexible clinical year(s) at Tufts--it is important to me to have lots of time for externships/electives. I also like that the class size is smaller at Tufts, I have already met several really awesome faculty in the field I want to specialize in, and overall the school and administration seems super supportive (which is something I was looking for). I was very impressed with the facilities at Tufts (though Cornell's are also excellent, to be fair). Tufts is also much closer to family and friends (I live on Long Island and Ithaca is quite a hike). I am very excited to live in a more urban setting (planning on living in Worcester and commuting, plus the relatively easy access to Boston).

To be perfectly honest a lot of my decision was based on the experience I have had at Cornell the past four years. I would be happy to share more details via pm but I do not want to publicly say anything further. I will say that the vet school is lovely, the program seems great, and any personal feelings that I have towards Cornell/Ithaca do not reflect the success that other people would undoubtedly find there. I am very aware of the cost difference I will be taking on and luckily have some support from my parents to make up some of the difference. For my own life and mental health this is the better decision and it is something I have thought about extensively.

If either of you (or anyone else) has further questions feel free to message me!

 

[amsweeney]

Absolutely. The short answer is that I go to Cornell for undergrad and for a variety of (mostly personal) reasons I do not want to stay here another 4 years.

Some more tangible reasons: I personally do not think I would learn well with the PBL format (I went to their info session where we do a practice one), and I really like the selectives program and long, flexible clinical year(s) at Tufts--it is important to me to have lots of time for externships/electives. I also like that the class size is smaller at Tufts, I have already met several really awesome faculty in the field I want to specialize in, and overall the school and administration seems super supportive (which is something I was looking for). I was very impressed with the facilities at Tufts (though Cornell's are also excellent, to be fair). Tufts is also much closer to family and friends (I live on Long Island and Ithaca is quite a hike). I am very excited to live in a more urban setting (planning on living in Worcester and commuting, plus the relatively easy access to Boston).

To be perfectly honest a lot of my decision was based on the experience I have had at Cornell the past four years. I would be happy to share more details via pm but I do not want to publicly say anything further. I will say that the vet school is lovely, the program seems great, and any personal feelings that I have towards Cornell/Ithaca do not reflect the success that other people would undoubtedly find there. I am very aware of the cost difference I will be taking on and luckily have some support from my parents to make up some of the difference. For my own life and mental health this is the better decision and it is something I have thought about extensively.

If either of you (or anyone else) has further questions feel free to message me!

To add to this (im NY instate and was denied from Cornell so maybe I'm slightly bitter lol), being only an 1.5 from Cornell, we get a lot of their graduates around me. I have heard from 2 people that their last few years of recent graduates are not as clinically trained as well as graduates from other schools. One was a veterinarian, and the other is a friend that is now in vet school, both from completely different walks of life, and they both have heard the same. Some may not agree, and that's totally fine, its just what I have heard.

 

[Hp48g]

Absolutely. The short answer is that I go to Cornell for undergrad and for a variety of (mostly personal) reasons I do not want to stay here another 4 years.

Some more tangible reasons: I personally do not think I would learn well with the PBL format (I went to their info session where we do a practice one), and I really like the selectives program and long, flexible clinical year(s) at Tufts--it is important to me to have lots of time for externships/electives. I also like that the class size is smaller at Tufts, I have already met several really awesome faculty in the field I want to specialize in, and overall the school and administration seems super supportive (which is something I was looking for). I was very impressed with the facilities at Tufts (though Cornell's are also excellent, to be fair). Tufts is also much closer to family and friends (I live on Long Island and Ithaca is quite a hike). I am very excited to live in a more urban setting (planning on living in Worcester and commuting, plus the relatively easy access to Boston).

To be perfectly honest a lot of my decision was based on the experience I have had at Cornell the past four years. I would be happy to share more details via pm but I do not want to publicly say anything further. I will say that the vet school is lovely, the program seems great, and any personal feelings that I have towards Cornell/Ithaca do not reflect the success that other people would undoubtedly find there. I am very aware of the cost difference I will be taking on and luckily have some support from my parents to make up some of the difference. For my own life and mental health this is the better decision and it is something I have thought about extensively.

If either of you (or anyone else) has further questions feel free to message me!

Hey Okapi SDN settings won't let me message you, can you message me?

 

[jaboo]

Absolutely. The short answer is that I go to Cornell for undergrad and for a variety of (mostly personal) reasons I do not want to stay here another 4 years.

Some more tangible reasons: I personally do not think I would learn well with the PBL format (I went to their info session where we do a practice one), and I really like the selectives program and long, flexible clinical year(s) at Tufts--it is important to me to have lots of time for externships/electives. I also like that the class size is smaller at Tufts, I have already met several really awesome faculty in the field I want to specialize in, and overall the school and administration seems super supportive (which is something I was looking for). I was very impressed with the facilities at Tufts (though Cornell's are also excellent, to be fair). Tufts is also much closer to family and friends (I live on Long Island and Ithaca is quite a hike). I am very excited to live in a more urban setting (planning on living in Worcester and commuting, plus the relatively easy access to Boston).

To be perfectly honest a lot of my decision was based on the experience I have had at Cornell the past four years. I would be happy to share more details via pm but I do not want to publicly say anything further. I will say that the vet school is lovely, the program seems great, and any personal feelings that I have towards Cornell/Ithaca do not reflect the success that other people would undoubtedly find there. I am very aware of the cost difference I will be taking on and luckily have some support from my parents to make up some of the difference. For my own life and mental health this is the better decision and it is something I have thought about extensively.

If either of you (or anyone else) has further questions feel free to message me!

Just to give some perspective on the other side, I also went to Cornell for undergrad and am now a 2nd year vet student here. The undergrad culture and the vet school culture are NOTHING alike each other. We collaborate, we don’t compete for grades, and we are way more supportive of each other. I could not say the same about undergrad. I understand not everyone thrives here, but that’s just my 2 cents!

 

[wildhoneybadger]

Adding to the proof that you can get into vet school with a low GPA! I'm very excited to make this post as I was told by my advisors in undergrad that it would be impossible for me to get into vet school. I am non-traditional with a background in public health, but please feel free to reach out with any questions, as I couldn't have done it alone!!

25, Female, PA resident, non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Cornell, CSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn, Ross, VMCVM
Interview Invites: Penn, Ross (declined), Michigan (declined)
Waiting to hear back from: Wisconsin
Accepted: Penn
Attending: Penn!

Overall GPA: 3.28 (3.11 for undegrad and 3.93 for grad)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.09
Last 45 GPA: 3.93

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (60%) / 156 (60%) / 5.5 (98%)

Degree(s): BA in Biology (minor in Russian), MPH

Veterinary Experience:
-Being an interpreter+shadowing at a teaching hospital for an exchange program of Japanese students: 1050 hours
-Shadowing a research veterinarian doing infectious disease research: 50 hours

Animal Experience:
-Various pet sitting (birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs)- 1300+ hours
-Taking care of my family's chinchilla for 12 years

Research:
-global health communication research funded by UNICEF- 1040 hours by the time I submitted my application
-community intervention for Latino immigrants in mental health, substance use, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence- 1920 hours
-HIV/SIV research lab- 2080 hours
-undergraduate research in developmental biology and genetics- 1920 hours
-immunology lab on T cell regulation and NK cell signaling- 1920 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Fencing Team- Team captain and Sabre squad captain
-Flute Choir- treasurer
-2 co-author papers
-3 poster presentations at conferences (one was APHA)

Non-Animal Employment
- Japanese TA and tutor for 4 years of undergrad

LORs:
-1 exotic veterinarian
-1 PI I worked with in my MPH program
-1 PI I worked with in undergrad

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) Combining my interests in infectious diseases and public health, wanting to understand emerging infectious diseases by working with communities and animals living on the periphery of them, and taking a One Health approach. This interest was formed because I am a minority in multiple ways, I am passionate about social justice, and I want to have a career that combines my passion for social justice and my interest in infectious diseases.
2) Veterinarians contribute to society in many ways as animals contribute in many ways- in research, food safety, as companion animals, detecting drugs and explosives, and wild animal surveillance. In terms of how I would like to contribute, I repeated my career goal from my first essay.
3) I highlighted decision-making skills, having interpersonal communication skills, and having compassion. I stressed the importance of being respectful and understanding as veterinarians work with people of many different identities and career backgrounds.

 

[LonghornAggie]

24y/o, female, Texas resident, 3rd time applicant!!!! The third time really IS the charm!

Applied: 1st cycle - Texas A&M, UF and Missouri, 2nd and 3rd cycle - Texas A&M only (It's expensive to apply to multiple schools, so I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and keep trying for my IS school only)
Interview Invites: 1st and 2nd cycles - none , 3rd cycle - Texas A&M (Invited 12/10/19, Interviewed 1/3/20)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Texas A&M (2/14/20)
Attending: Texas A&M

Overall GPA: 3.46
Science GPA: 3.25
Last 45 GPA: 3.58

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (49%) / 156 (73%) / 4 (57%)

Degree(s):
UT Austin - Biochemistry BSA w/ minor in American Sign Language

Veterinary Experience:
-Banfield Veterinary Assistant (~4000hrs over 3 years) Started Summer 2016, worked part time my senior year, switched to full time after graduation
-Banfield Shift Lead (~1600hrs) Promoted at the end of 2018
-Large Animal Vet Shadow/Volunteer in Missouri (~100hrs over a couple of weeks)
-Emancipet Volunteer Veterinary Assistant (~100hrs)

Animal Experience:
-Volunteering
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (~350hrs)
Austin Pets Alive! Neonatal Kitten Bottle Feeder (~100hrs)
Travis County Search and Rescue Dog Training (12hrs)
Austin Zoo (~20hrs)
-Pet Ownership (~200hrs) - TAMU allows you to count 100 hrs per species with a maximum of 2 species, however I did use the description section to list all the exotics I have kept

Research:
2 research projects during a semester abroad in Australia (one on soldier crabs and one on the diversity of fish species in branching coral)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Hobbies: Piano, Weightlifting, Calligraphy, Wedding Planning - They want to know how you spend your free time!
-High School: Varsity Choir President, Show Choir, and Chamber Singers, Tri-M Music Honor Society
-State Top Ten Percent Scholarship
-College: Collegium Musicum Student Org Choral Ensemble member, section leader and manager, UT Austin Pre-Vet Association member and secretary
-Banfield Pet Hospital Austin-San Antonio Market Quality Champion

Non-Animal Employment:
Double Dave's Pizzaworks - Delivery Driver (~360hrs the summer after high school)

LORs:
I got evaluations from the 3 DVMs I currently work with at Banfield

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Explain your motivation to seek a career as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine as opposed to another animal or medical related field. Discuss how your experiences (both veterinary and non-veterinary) have exposed you to the variety of career options available to one holding a DVM degree.
--My initial motivation to pursue veterinary medicine (cliche love for animals and science) vs. my continued motivation to pursue veterinary medicine (protecting the human-animal bond), I then explained how my experiences have shaped my motivations
2. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.
--Resiliency gained from growing up in a military family and other personal characteristics that may contribute to the educational experience of others
3. Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.
-- I discussed how life in a military family (moved from AK->AZ->OK->TX), losing my mother at a young age, blending with a new step family shaped who I am. I also discussed being a 3rd time applicant and how I have grown during these application cycles.

 

[blueheeler]

24y/o, female, Texas resident, 3rd time applicant!!!! The third time really IS the charm!

Applied: 1st cycle - Texas A&M, UF and Missouri, 2nd and 3rd cycle - Texas A&M only (It's expensive to apply to multiple schools, so I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and keep trying for my IS school only)
Interview Invites: 1st and 2nd cycles - none , 3rd cycle - Texas A&M (Invited 12/10/19, Interviewed 1/3/20)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Texas A&M (2/14/20)
Attending: Texas A&M

Overall GPA: 3.46
Science GPA: 3.25
Last 45 GPA: 3.58

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (49%) / 156 (73%) / 4 (57%)

Degree(s):
UT Austin - Biochemistry BSA w/ minor in American Sign Language

Veterinary Experience:
-Banfield Veterinary Assistant (~4000hrs over 3 years) Started Summer 2016, worked part time my senior year, switched to full time after graduation
-Banfield Shift Lead (~1600hrs) Promoted at the end of 2018
-Large Animal Vet Shadow/Volunteer in Missouri (~100hrs over a couple of weeks)
-Emancipet Volunteer Veterinary Assistant (~100hrs)

Animal Experience:
-Volunteering
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (~350hrs)
Austin Pets Alive! Neonatal Kitten Bottle Feeder (~100hrs)
Travis County Search and Rescue Dog Training (12hrs)
Austin Zoo (~20hrs)
-Pet Ownership (~200hrs) - TAMU allows you to count 100 hrs per species with a maximum of 2 species, however I did use the description section to list all the exotics I have kept

Research:
2 research projects during a semester abroad in Australia (one on soldier crabs and one on the diversity of fish species in branching coral)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Hobbies: Piano, Weightlifting, Calligraphy, Wedding Planning - They want to know how you spend your free time!
-High School: Varsity Choir President, Show Choir, and Chamber Singers, Tri-M Music Honor Society
-State Top Ten Percent Scholarship
-College: Collegium Musicum Student Org Choral Ensemble member, section leader and manager, UT Austin Pre-Vet Association member and secretary
-Banfield Pet Hospital Austin-San Antonio Market Quality Champion

Non-Animal Employment:
Double Dave's Pizzaworks - Delivery Driver (~360hrs the summer after high school)

LORs:
I got evaluations from the 3 DVMs I currently work with at Banfield

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Explain your motivation to seek a career as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine as opposed to another animal or medical related field. Discuss how your experiences (both veterinary and non-veterinary) have exposed you to the variety of career options available to one holding a DVM degree.
--My initial motivation to pursue veterinary medicine (cliche love for animals and science) vs. my continued motivation to pursue veterinary medicine (protecting the human-animal bond), I then explained how my experiences have shaped my motivations
2. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.
--Resiliency gained from growing up in a military family and other personal characteristics that may contribute to the educational experience of others
3. Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.
-- I discussed how life in a military family (moved from AK->AZ->OK->TX), losing my mother at a young age, blending with a new step family shaped who I am. I also discussed being a 3rd time applicant and how I have grown during these application cycles.

So happy for you!!!

 

[DaisysMom]

25, Female, Iowa, Non-traditional applicant, 1st time applicant
My story is unique because I was actually academically dismissed from Iowa State during my first time through undergrad. I came to Iowa State in 2013 with a dream to be a veterinarian. During my freshman year I went through a traumatic experience that resulted in a long-term struggle with mental health and ultimately, due to my grades, I was academically dismissed (see also: kicked out). I started working full-time at a church while attending community college and going to therapy to get my mental health under control. I finally re-applied to undergrad at Iowa State and was re-admitted in 2017 and shortly after, was fired from the church for "insubordination" after rescuing 3 dying puppies in Puerto Rico on a mission trip (yes, you read that right.) Luckily, everything happens for a reason and I was able to get a job at a veterinary clinic instead. From there, it has been a pretty traditional process for me. Through my story, I'd like to encourage anyone here that might be struggling with mental health to try seeking therapy or some other resource for help. Asking for help is the hardest part, once you do that, the therapy is easy and can really change lives.

Applied: Iowa State, Ohio State
Interview Waitlist: Ohio State
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: Iowa State
Attending: Iowa State!!

Overall GPA: 3.11 (Iowa State does not use this though)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.62
Last 45 GPA: 3.86

GRE (Q/V/W): Did not take

Degree(s): Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
SA Private practice clinic as kennel tech, then head kennel tech, and finally veterinary assistant: 2000+ at the time of application
Equine vet shadowing: 8 hours


Animal Experience:
Doggy Daycare attendant: 560 hours
Black-footed ferret caretaking with the National Fish and Wildlife service: 20 hours
Shelter volunteer: 100 hours

Research:
Lysosomal storage disease research: 500+ hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
TA for several undergrad science courses (2018-2019)
Deans List: Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019
Competitive co-ed volleyball (2017-2019)
Avid Kayaker (2017-present)
Mission trips to Nashville, Puerto Rico, and 2 trips within Iowa (2016-2017)
2016 2 mission trips within Iowa
Social sorority member (2013-2015)
Secretary of dorm hall (2013)
Social chair of dorm hall (2014)


Non-Animal Employment:
Associate Director of Youth Ministry: 2000(ish) hours

LORs:
-Professor that I TA'd for and did research with
-2 veterinarians from my clinic job, the owner and an associate
-My academic advisor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) Career goals essay: I wrote about wanting to be an emergency and critical care vet because of specific experience that I have with the field. My dad is a paramedic/firefighter and I wrote about a couple specific emergencies that I assisted with at my primary care clinic.
2) Contribution to society: I discussed my experience with a mission trip I took to Puerto Rico (the one that I was fired after) and how that impacted my journey. I want to go back to places like this to give back to the people and animals in the community. I also talked about my experience as a TA and my ability to break down complex material to people that might be less informed than I am and how I plan to use that in practice.
3) Qualities of successful vet: I talked about resilience demonstrated by my return to academia after my academic dismissal and struggle with mental health, and intellectual curiosity demonstrated by my experience in research.
4) Diversity: talked about my experience as a non-traditional student
5) Explanation statement about my academic dismissal which I sort of summarized at the beginning of this post.

 

[scs589]

I CANT BELIEVE I GET TO POST HERE! God is SO good!

21, Female, Alabama, traditional applicant, 1st time applicant

Applied: Mississippi State, Auburn
Interview: Mississippi State, Auburn
Waiting to hear/interview: Auburn
Accepted: Mississippi State
Attending: TBD!

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/156/5

Degree(s): Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
SA Private practice clinic as technician (1800+ hours)
Large animal veterinary technician (traveling) 50+ hours
Equine Rehabilitation Facility technician - 300+ hours

Animal Experience:
Horse back riding lessons
Family Farm
ADS undergraduate wet labs
Horse trainer

Research:
Organometallic Catalysis (Chemistry Department)
Simplistic amide synthesis for pharmaceuticals
Metacognition in undergraduate education

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Multiple scholarships
-Presidents lists
-Animal Science scholar
-Highschool Leadership Scholarship


Non-Animal Employment:
Resident Advisor 3+ years

LORs:
-Professor that I was extremely close to. Taught undergrad Therio
-2 SA veterinarians/Practice owners

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) Career goals essay: Wrote about them being multi-faceted based on industry needs and personal desire. Rural area LA ambulatory and equine rehabilitation based on personal experience.

2) Contribution to society: Mental contribution by putting owners at ease, physical by biosecurity and food eval/antibiotic withdrawal periods

3) Qualities of successful vet: Integrity, Collaboration, determination mostly
4) Diversity: talked about my experience as a Resident advisor being exposed to a large variety of people.

 

[SardonicWit]

OMG I actually get to post here! And... wow, my life looks super boring when reduced to all of this.

Non-traditional Female (you don’t really need my age, right? I’m in my 30’s), Texas resident, First time applying

Applied: Texas A&M
Interview Invites: Texas A&M (December 10)
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Texas A&M (February 14 – never thought I’d like Valentine’s Day!)
Attending: Texas A&M

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 168 / 167 / 5.5 (I have no idea about percentages, sorry!)

Degree(s): BS in Biology from Texas A&M

Veterinary Experience:
It came to about 4000 hours total, mostly various equine (general, plus some other stuff – a lameness specialist, quite a bit of repro, and then some dental, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc.). There was also a bit of small animal and bovine in there, but vet experience was definitely my weak area.

Animal Experience:
This actually came out at about 120,000 hours, mostly thanks to being a non-traditional student who ran a horse training facility prior to coming back to school. Again, primarily equine, but I also rehabbed quite a few “special needs” cats.

Research:
Nothing I claimed – I participated in several studies when I was training horses, and I alluded to that, but since I wasn’t involved with the publishing or anything, it didn’t seem appropriate to count it.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Lots of national equestrian awards and various scholarships. Not much in terms of school-related extracurriculars (I didn’t want to be that weird 30-something hanging out in school organizations). Instead I had extensive community service hours in a couple of therapeutic horsemanship programs (about 8-10 hours per week over several years), along with quite a few hours in programs to promote science education for children. Discussing high school stuff just seemed kind of ridiculous at my stage of life – I hit a couple of highlights (I was valedictorian of a very large, competitive high school, which doesn’t really bring anything in terms of benefits after the first year or so following high school graduation, so I whipped it out again, along with a few of the bigger scholarships), but that was it. And I did ballroom and swing dancing for a decade or so – figured that might make me look less geeky, or at least like a less boring geek?

Non-Animal Employment:
All of my employment was, essentially, animal related: the horse training facility, working at USEF, various positions at therapeutic riding centers, etc. Putting together my application was a massive project in trying to untangle animal-related job responsibilities (and therefore hours!) from non-animal-related ones (grant writing, curriculum development, ad design, etc.). It was kind of a nightmare.

LORs:
1. A vet I’ve worked with for a little over 15 years
2. My direct supervisor from one of my jobs at a large therapeutic riding center
3. The professor who actually talked me into finishing a biology degree and applying to vet school

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Okay this is almost embarrassing…
1. Explain your motivation to seek a career as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine as opposed to another animal or medical related field. Discuss how your experiences (both veterinary and non-veterinary) have exposed you to the variety of career options available to one holding a DVM degree.
-- My essay was basically “why I never wanted to be a vet,” so… yeah. I tried to write it from several other angles and they all felt fake, so I finally just went with the truth. I never did want to be a vet. Everyone told me not to be a vet. Heck, everyone had told me not to be a horse trainer. I was initially a pre-law English and philosophy major at SMU when I was “traditional college-aged.” But when you follow your passions and develop your talents… sometimes you end up somewhere unexpected. And I truly feel like this is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to do. (I guess I filled in with enough of my experiences and analysis of those experiences to support that and convince them to admit someone whose “purpose statement” essay was about why she had never intended to be a vet.)
2. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.
-- I wrote about a close relationship I developed with one of my lab partners, who is much younger and the first in her family to go to college, and about how much we ended up learning from each other’s (drastically different) backgrounds. Basically tied it back to the range of people I'd worked with in other aspects of life (training clients, special needs riders, wounded veterans, volunteers from various backgrounds, etc.).
3. Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.
-- I kind of used this area to focus on the special needs kitty rehab, since so much of my app screamed “equine.”

 

[peanut_butter11]

I CANT BELIEVE I GET TO POST HERE! God is SO good!

21, Female, Alabama, traditional applicant, 1st time applicant

Applied: Mississippi State, Auburn
Interview: Mississippi State, Auburn
Waiting to hear/interview: Auburn
Accepted: Mississippi State
Attending: TBD!

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 153/156/5

Degree(s): Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
SA Private practice clinic as technician (1800+ hours)
Large animal veterinary technician (traveling) 50+ hours
Equine Rehabilitation Facility technician - 300+ hours

Animal Experience:
Horse back riding lessons
Family Farm
ADS undergraduate wet labs
Horse trainer

Research:
Organometallic Catalysis (Chemistry Department)
Simplistic amide synthesis for pharmaceuticals
Metacognition in undergraduate education

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Multiple scholarships
-Presidents lists
-Animal Science scholar
-Highschool Leadership Scholarship


Non-Animal Employment:
Resident Advisor 3+ years

LORs:
-Professor that I was extremely close to. Taught undergrad Therio
-2 SA veterinarians/Practice owners

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) Career goals essay: Wrote about them being multi-faceted based on industry needs and personal desire. Rural area LA ambulatory and equine rehabilitation based on personal experience.

2) Contribution to society: Mental contribution by putting owners at ease, physical by biosecurity and food eval/antibiotic withdrawal periods

3) Qualities of successful vet: Integrity, Collaboration, determination mostly
4) Diversity: talked about my experience as a Resident advisor being exposed to a large variety of people.

Congrats!! When did you hear from them??

 

[blueheeler]

OMG I actually get to post here! And... wow, my life looks super boring when reduced to all of this.

Non-traditional Female (you don’t really need my age, right? I’m in my 30’s), Texas resident, First time applying

Applied: Texas A&M
Interview Invites: Texas A&M (December 10)
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Texas A&M (February 14 – never thought I’d like Valentine’s Day!)
Attending: Texas A&M

Overall GPA: 4.0
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 168 / 167 / 5.5 (I have no idea about percentages, sorry!)

Degree(s): BS in Biology from Texas A&M

Veterinary Experience:
It came to about 4000 hours total, mostly various equine (general, plus some other stuff – a lameness specialist, quite a bit of repro, and then some dental, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc.). There was also a bit of small animal and bovine in there, but vet experience was definitely my weak area.

Animal Experience:
This actually came out at about 120,000 hours, mostly thanks to being a non-traditional student who ran a horse training facility prior to coming back to school. Again, primarily equine, but I also rehabbed quite a few “special needs” cats.

Research:
Nothing I claimed – I participated in several studies when I was training horses, and I alluded to that, but since I wasn’t involved with the publishing or anything, it didn’t seem appropriate to count it.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Lots of national equestrian awards and various scholarships. Not much in terms of school-related extracurriculars (I didn’t want to be that weird 30-something hanging out in school organizations). Instead I had extensive community service hours in a couple of therapeutic horsemanship programs (about 8-10 hours per week over several years), along with quite a few hours in programs to promote science education for children. Discussing high school stuff just seemed kind of ridiculous at my stage of life – I hit a couple of highlights (I was valedictorian of a very large, competitive high school, which doesn’t really bring anything in terms of benefits after the first year or so following high school graduation, so I whipped it out again, along with a few of the bigger scholarships), but that was it. And I did ballroom and swing dancing for a decade or so – figured that might make me look less geeky, or at least like a less boring geek?

Non-Animal Employment:
All of my employment was, essentially, animal related: the horse training facility, working at USEF, various positions at therapeutic riding centers, etc. Putting together my application was a massive project in trying to untangle animal-related job responsibilities (and therefore hours!) from non-animal-related ones (grant writing, curriculum development, ad design, etc.). It was kind of a nightmare.

LORs:
1. A vet I’ve worked with for a little over 15 years
2. My direct supervisor from one of my jobs at a large therapeutic riding center
3. The professor who actually talked me into finishing a biology degree and applying to vet school

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Okay this is almost embarrassing…
1. Explain your motivation to seek a career as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine as opposed to another animal or medical related field. Discuss how your experiences (both veterinary and non-veterinary) have exposed you to the variety of career options available to one holding a DVM degree.
-- My essay was basically “why I never wanted to be a vet,” so… yeah. I tried to write it from several other angles and they all felt fake, so I finally just went with the truth. I never did want to be a vet. Everyone told me not to be a vet. Heck, everyone had told me not to be a horse trainer. I was initially a pre-law English and philosophy major at SMU when I was “traditional college-aged.” But when you follow your passions and develop your talents… sometimes you end up somewhere unexpected. And I truly feel like this is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to do. (I guess I filled in with enough of my experiences and analysis of those experiences to support that and convince them to admit someone whose “purpose statement” essay was about why she had never intended to be a vet.)
2. Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.
-- I wrote about a close relationship I developed with one of my lab partners, who is much younger and the first in her family to go to college, and about how much we ended up learning from each other’s (drastically different) backgrounds. Basically tied it back to the range of people I'd worked with in other aspects of life (training clients, special needs riders, wounded veterans, volunteers from various backgrounds, etc.).
3. Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented.
-- I kind of used this area to focus on the special needs kitty rehab, since so much of my app screamed “equine.”

AHHHH I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!

 

[scs589]

Congrats!! When did you hear from them??

They called IS on Thursday (2/14) and OOS Friday 2/14

 

[rizabethhh]

22, Female, New Jersey, relatively Traditional (graduated in 3.5 yrs), 1st-time applicant

Applied: SGU, Virginia-Maryland, Auburn, Purdue, Penn
Interview Invites: SGU, Auburn, Purdue, Penn; Virginia Maryland interview waitlisted(not given interview)
Waiting to hear: NONE
Accepted: SGU and Purdue, waitlisted at Penn
Attending: Purdue!!

Overall GPA: ~3.58
Science Prerequisite GPA: ~3.55
Last 45 GPA: ~3.52

GRE (Q/V/W): 148 (37%) / 154 (53%) / 4 (57%)

Degree(s): General Biology Degree

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - TOTAL- ~528 (+ the hours I was working at my job at the time of submitting my application
Veterinary Assistant- ~230 hours(plus more hrs bc I worked there after submitting my application and still work there); assisted with animal care in the hospital as well as entering appointments and taking histories for the doctors; the doctors have been letting me do more and more as I get closer to going to vet school; they love teaching new things there
Avian Care Intern- 16 hours; spent 2 or 3 of the days on my internship observing surgery and assisting with it
HS Senior Internship- ~280 hours; observed veterinarians in practice and assisted when necessary; this was very minimal hands-on experience

Animal Experience:
Experience - TOTAL- ~4320 hours
Dog walking/sitting interactions over 250hrs
Avian Care Intern- ~530 hours; worked with wild raptors and baby birds, assisted in their rehabilitation to help release them back into the wild; observed basic surgeries and helped provide basic medical care
Kennel/Room Attendant- ~ 1440 hours; maintained pack dynamics among groups of dogs of differing sizes and play levels
Animal Care Intern at Philadelphia Zoo- ~100 hrs; prepare animal husbandry and better the quality of life for the animals (this by far was my least favorite experience)
Dog Foster Parent- ~2000 hours; provide care, training, and a home for dogs until they find a home

Research:
NONE- I had zero interest in research

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - TOTAL- ~300 hours (plus more cause softball was a HUGE time commitment)
VP of Organizational Development for my sorority- ~150 hours in the position(2 semesters); I was in the sorority for 3 years. I was responsible for running the conduct board and providing sanctions/justifications where needed. I was also responsible for planning social events and risk management for such events.
Softball- played softball my first 2 years in college; it then became too much and the coach didn't understand the academic commitment I needed.

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - TOTAL- 520 hours
General Biology TA- ~240 hours; assisted freshman not biology major biology students with labs and teaching them the class material
Camp Counselor for ages pre-K to middle school- ~280 hours ( this was only 1 yr while in undergrad; I had worked for this 4 years prior as well)

Awards:
"Deans List" (GPA above 3.4 for all courses per semester) 6 semesters (plus my 7th and final fall semester I was awarded as well)
Clemintine Hopp Scholarship- awarded for good merit and academics
LORs:
1. Professor/Independent Study Advisor
2. Professor/Academic advisor
3.Head Advisor of my Avian Internship
4. Professor/Professional School Advisor
5. Veterinarian at practice I was working at for a few months

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
I talked about my past experiences and why they have led me to where I was applying today. I discussed how releasing the birds back into the wild and working with my current vet have been so insightful and have given me a broad sense of wanting to give back.
2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
I talked about how I wanted to not only give back to the pets but to give back to the owners as well. Being a vet is not so much an animal career as it is a people's career. People think going into the field will never have to interact with people and that is completely wrong. You interact with the owners more than interacting with the pets themselves. By curing the pets, the owners are cured as well.
3. Consider the breadth of society that veterinarians serve. What attributes do you believe are essential to be successful within the veterinary profession? Of these attributes, which do you possess and how have you demonstrated these in the past?
I said confidence, integrity and compassion, and open-mindedness. These are qualities that vets should possess. Confidence in dictating what their case is, otherwise lose the owners' trust. Integrity and compassion in being honest with a client when an animal isn't well or is sick. Open-mindedness to different people's backgrounds and ideas of how medicine should be/work (traditional medicine ect.

OVERALL!!! To everyone looking to go to vet school, do not give up. I applied my first round and got in and I was beyond thankful. I didn't think I was going to get in and had a mini panic attack when I heard people were getting calls from the college was my top choice.
I thought I would never get in but somehow I made it happen. It doesn't even feel real. I am so excited to start my journey this fall, good luck to everyone!

 

[amsweeney]

See

22, Female, New Jersey, relatively Traditional (graduated in 3.5 yrs), 1st-time applicant

Applied: SGU, Virginia-Maryland, Auburn, Purdue, Penn
Interview Invites: SGU, Auburn, Purdue, Penn; Virginia Maryland interview waitlisted(not given interview)
Waiting to hear: NONE
Accepted: SGU and Purdue, waitlisted at Penn
Attending: Purdue!!

Overall GPA: ~3.58
Science Prerequisite GPA: ~3.55
Last 45 GPA: ~3.52

GRE (Q/V/W): 148 (37%) / 154 (53%) / 4 (57%)

Degree(s): General Biology Degree

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - TOTAL- ~528 (+ the hours I was working at my job at the time of submitting my application
Veterinary Assistant- ~230 hours(plus more hrs bc I worked there after submitting my application and still work there); assisted with animal care in the hospital as well as entering appointments and taking histories for the doctors; the doctors have been letting me do more and more as I get closer to going to vet school; they love teaching new things there
Avian Care Intern- 16 hours; spent 2 or 3 of the days on my internship observing surgery and assisting with it
HS Senior Internship- ~280 hours; observed veterinarians in practice and assisted when necessary; this was very minimal hands-on experience

Animal Experience:
Experience - TOTAL- ~4320 hours
Dog walking/sitting interactions over 250hrs
Avian Care Intern- ~530 hours; worked with wild raptors and baby birds, assisted in their rehabilitation to help release them back into the wild; observed basic surgeries and helped provide basic medical care
Kennel/Room Attendant- ~ 1440 hours; maintained pack dynamics among groups of dogs of differing sizes and play levels
Animal Care Intern at Philadelphia Zoo- ~100 hrs; prepare animal husbandry and better the quality of life for the animals (this by far was my least favorite experience)
Dog Foster Parent- ~2000 hours; provide care, training, and a home for dogs until they find a home

Research:
NONE- I had zero interest in research

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - TOTAL- ~300 hours (plus more cause softball was a HUGE time commitment)
VP of Organizational Development for my sorority- ~150 hours in the position(2 semesters); I was in the sorority for 3 years. I was responsible for running the conduct board and providing sanctions/justifications where needed. I was also responsible for planning social events and risk management for such events.
Softball- played softball my first 2 years in college; it then became too much and the coach didn't understand the academic commitment I needed.

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - TOTAL- 520 hours
General Biology TA- ~240 hours; assisted freshman not biology major biology students with labs and teaching them the class material
Camp Counselor for ages pre-K to middle school- ~280 hours ( this was only 1 yr while in undergrad; I had worked for this 4 years prior as well)

Awards:
"Deans List" (GPA above 3.4 for all courses per semester) 6 semesters (plus my 7th and final fall semester I was awarded as well)
Clemintine Hopp Scholarship- awarded for good merit and academics
LORs:
1. Professor/Independent Study Advisor
2. Professor/Academic advisor
3.Head Advisor of my Avian Internship
4. Professor/Professional School Advisor
5. Veterinarian at practice I was working at for a few months

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
I talked about my past experiences and why they have led me to where I was applying today. I discussed how releasing the birds back into the wild and working with my current vet have been so insightful and have given me a broad sense of wanting to give back.
2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
I talked about how I wanted to not only give back to the pets but to give back to the owners as well. Being a vet is not so much an animal career as it is a people's career. People think going into the field will never have to interact with people and that is completely wrong. You interact with the owners more than interacting with the pets themselves. By curing the pets, the owners are cured as well.
3. Consider the breadth of society that veterinarians serve. What attributes do you believe are essential to be successful within the veterinary profession? Of these attributes, which do you possess and how have you demonstrated these in the past?
I said confidence, integrity and compassion, and open-mindedness. These are qualities that vets should possess. Confidence in dictating what their case is, otherwise lose the owners' trust. Integrity and compassion in being honest with a client when an animal isn't well or is sick. Open-mindedness to different people's backgrounds and ideas of how medicine should be/work (traditional medicine ect.

OVERALL!!! To everyone looking to go to vet school, do not give up. I applied my first round and got in and I was beyond thankful. I didn't think I was going to get in and had a mini panic attack when I heard people were getting calls from the college was my top choice.
I thought I would never get in but somehow I made it happen. It doesn't even feel real. I am so excited to start my journey this fall, good luck to everyone!

See you in the fall

 

[rizabethhh]

See
See you in the fall

OMG yess!! see you there

 

[LowGPAButStrongPassion]

27, Male, CA Resident, 2nd-time applicant

1st Time:
--Applied: UC Davis, Virginia-Maryland, & Iowa State (Flat out denied from all)
2nd Time:
--Applied: Virginia-Maryland, Midwestern, WesternU, Ross, Iowa State, LMU, and St. Georges
Interview Invites: WesternU
Waiting to hear back from: LMU
Waitlisted: n/a
Accepted: WesternU
Attending: I am staying in Cali!!!!!! WesternU
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[VMCAS Raw GPA’S]
Overall GPA: 2.50
Cumulative Undergraduate Science GPA: 2.35
Last 45 GPA: 3.27
Fun Facts: I had 4 W’s, 5 F’s, 12 D’s, and 20 C’s on my transcripts!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRE (Q/V/W): 144 (16%) / 135 (3%) / 2.5 (7%)
Degree(s): B.S. in Biology
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterinary Experience:
~4.5k hours mostly in small animal medicine

Animal Experience:
~4.1k hours include dog walking, stable attendant, animal shelter etc.
Research:
~536 hours in a biochemistry lab during undergrad. (hated it but it can help!)
Extracurriculars/Awards:
My 5 WOW’s in my opinion

1. Founding President of two organization
2. Student Rep for AAVMC Student Panel
3. Helped with a Podcast with AAVMC DIveristy on Air
4. Coordinator for UC Davis Health Conference
5. Finally made the Dean’s list my last year of Undergrad ahaha.

LORs:
One veterinarian
2 Science Professors

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I am more than willing to share my essays. Talked about maturity, growth, perseverance, and determination. Oh and interested in US Army.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OKAY GUYS. I still can’t believe that this moment has finally become a reality. I do not have the magic for what go me in. I also feel like I cant share my detailed journey by typing it out. I am going to be doing a 3 part series by April 15th on my YouTube channel. Yes, the 15th because by then some of you guys will want to start working on your application and all I can say is apply smart.

Part 1: GPA & Essays
Part 2: GRE & LOR
Part 3: Experience

Be patience. And work hard. I want to leave you guys with this, I posted it on Facebook:

“I really want to add, I made significant changes in order to get this acceptance. I dropped out of CSUF and I transferred to Cal Poly Pomona where their motto is “Learn by Doing”. That is what worked best for me. I really needed my family’s support in finishing my Bachelors in Science at the time so I moved back home. I also learned to balance school, work, and personal life. I made changes. Please know it is never too late to change for the better. Being aware of your playing field is so vital. During my last two years of undergrad, I did not fail another class nor did I repeat another class. It felt so great yet so strange. I knew I was capable and I have now channeled my inner strength to prepare me and help me get through veterinary school. Time will pass you in one way or another so always work on being the better version of yourself. VALUE ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS YOU WITH NOTHING TO GAIN. #Patience #HardWork #Perseverance “

If you want to follow my journey, please follow all my social media at @arturomunozcid

THANK YOU FOR READING and check out my YouTube Channel:

 

[savanagandy]

22 y/o female, NC resident, traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: NC State, Florida, Iowa, Auburn, Virginia-Maryland, Ohio, Mississippi, LSU, Tennessee, LMU, Ross
Rejected: NC State, Ohio
Waitlisted to Interview, then Rejected: Virginia-Maryland, Florida
Interview Invites: Auburn, Mississippi, Tennessee, LMU, Ross
Waitlisted: Iowa, Mississippi
Accepted: Auburn, Tennessee, LMU, Ross, LSU
Attending: Auburn!

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.4
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): 157 (64%) / 155 (68%) / 5.0 (92%)

Degree(s): BS Biology, minor in Public Health

Veterinary Experience: (I don't remember exact numbers or what I put on the application, so these are roundabout estimates)
- Banfield Pet Hospital (Veterinary/Surgical Technician) - 2,000 hours
- Cabarrus Animal Hospital (Veterinary/Surgical Technician) - 2,000 hours
- Tryon Equine Mobile (Veterinary Technician) - 640 hours
- Carolina Raptor Center (Medical Intern) - 200 hours
- Carolina Raptor Center (Volunteer) – 200 hours
- Cabarrus Spay Neuter Clinic (Surgical Technician) – 8 hours

Animal Experience:
- Tryon Equine Mobile (shadow) - 160 hours
- Echo Lake Morgans and Saddlebreds (farm hand) – 25 hours
- Gastric Ulcers in the Equine Athlete presentation (attendee) – 3 hours
- Carolina Raptor Center (raptor transporter) – 60 hours
- Humane Society of Watauga County (volunteer) – 25 hours
- Alpaca Fecal Lab (attendee) – 5 hours
- Alpaca Convention (volunteer) – 4 hours
- Horse Protection Society (volunteer) – 200 hours
- Pet/farm sitting – 98 hours
- Kitty City (volunteer) – 100 hours
- Wings of Eagles Ranch (volunteer) – 25 hours

Research: none!

Extracurriculars/Awards:
- Cum Laude
- Dean’s List 2x
- Chancellor’s List 2x
- Pre-Vet Club all 4.5 semesters
- Division One Volleyball Player freshman year
- Habitat for Humanity service trip (volunteer)
- Costa Rica mission trip (volunteer)
- Pigeon Key Foundation marine research trip

Non-Animal Employment:
- Server at Texas Roadhouse

LORs:
1. Owner/Lead Veterinarian at small animal clinic I work at
2. Associate Veterinarian at small animal clinic I work at
3. Associate Veterinarian at small animal clinic I work at
4. Lead Veterinarian/Manager at large animal/equine mobile clinic I worked at
5. Pre-Health Advisor
6. Organic Chem I & II/Biochemistry Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I went through a lot throughout undergrad between choosing to quit my collegiate sport in pursuit of my admittance into vet school, my parents' divorce and remarriage to other people, an abusive relationship, toxic roommates, and my own immaturity in being able to deal with it all in a positive manner, thus resulting in me having to take an extra semester of undergrad. I basically took an entire semester off, failed some classes, withdrew from others, destroyed the remaining positive relationships I had in my life, and turned to self-sabotaging behavior, yet I was able to overcome and finish strong. I mainly focused on how the trials I have faced the past have caused me to mature and shaped me into a better person that is resilient and able to fight through challenges. My advice is to just be honest and take responsibility - I just owned up to the inconsistencies in my application and I think it paid off! I'm living proof that you don't need a 4.0 or a perfect track record to get into vet school

 

[dogtor27]

I am SO happy that I FINALLY get to post this on here! I have been looking at threads like this for 2 years now and I feel so blessed to be able to say that I am going to vet school in the fall! If you have any questions please let me know!

22, Female, Louisiana resident, Traditional applicant, 1st time applicant

Applied: LSU, Tuskegee, Ohio State, Kansas State, Missouri, VMRCVM
Waitlisted to Interview: Kansas State and VMRCVM
Interview Invites: LSU, Tuskegee, Ohio State (zoom interview), and Missouri
Waiting to hear: none
Waitlisted: Ohio State (#45)
Accepted: LSU, Missouri, Tuskegee
Attending: MISSOURI!

Overall GPA: 3.84
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.71
Last 45 GPA: 4.00

GRE (Q/V/W): 145 (19%) / 144 (22%) / 4.0 (57%) <-- PROOF that you can get in with LOW GRE scores!!

Degree(s): BS in Agricultural Science (majoring in Animal Science with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine)

Veterinary Experience: 858 hours total
- Small Animal Clinic: 720
- Belize Study Abroad: 110
- Dog Therapy Assistant: 14
- LSART Pet Evacuation/Shelter Training: 8
- Animal Disaster Relief Wellness Clinic: 6

Animal Experience: 0 hours total
- NONE (besides owning a dog which I did not put on my application haha)

Research: 150 hours total
- Human-Animal Bond/ One Health-One Medicine: 150

Extracurriculars/Awards: 2,249 hours total
Extracurriculars: 2,249 hours
- Online Medical Terminology Course: 80
- MANRRS: 48
- Pre-Vet Club (President): 96
- High School Basketball (Team Captain): 2025
Achievements:
AWARDS
- National Dean’s List (all 4 years)
- Household Pet Evacuation Training Certification
- Household Pet Shelter Training Certification
- One Health Symposium Poster Competition Award (1st place)
- Chemistry Symposium Research Award (2nd place)
- The Chancellor’s Report: Student Spotlight
SCHOLARSHIPS
- Blessed to be a Blessing Scholarship
- Study Abroad Scholarship
- “Each One Teach One” Scholarship
- Joshua Hayward Scholarship
- Bobby Phills Chancellor-Dean Scholarship
- NAHBCU Title III Administrators Scholarship
- Four Paws Cremation Services Academic Opportunity Award
HONORS
- Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honors Society
- Gamma Sigma Delta Honors Society
- National Institute of Science

Non-Animal Employment: 1,258 hours total
Employment: 560 hours
- Fit Blendz Nutrition Café: 560
Volunteer: 698 hours
- Church volunteer: 536
- Assisting the College of Ag Dean: 72
- Allied Health Program: 90

LORs: 5
- Two letters from SA veterinarians that I interned with
- One from a veterinarian that was also my professor
- One from a veterinarian that was my professor/mentor (as well as the chair of the agricultural sciences department)
- One from my church pastor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1.) I gave a short story about how my childhood got cut short and I found happiness though animal science as a young teenager. I then went on to talking about my interest in small animals, shelter medicine, as well as conducting research on the human-animal bond (One Health/One Medicine).
2.) I wrote about how veterinarians contribute to educating and protecting the health of animals and humans. I talked about how veterinarians are also teachers, role models, and active members of the community and how I want to contribute to society.
3.) The three main attributes I wrote about were: compassion, effective communication, and the development of tough skin. Those were qualities that I believe have affected me personally and that I thought I could give examples of based on my own undergraduate career.

 

[EngrSC]

@savanagandy Hey, we met at LSU! Congrats on making your decision! Bummed we won’t be classmates but hopefully our paths cross again in the future!
Also, your stats are super impressive despite what you went through!

 

[dogtor27]

Hi all, so excited to post this! My story is a little unique in that I applied to vet school in order to become a better researcher. I only applied to two schools and I was sure they had dual DVM/PhD programs beforehand. One I didn't even get an interview and the other I was accepted without an interview.

25, Female, Missouri, non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University
Interview Invites: 0
Waiting to hear: 0
Accepted: LSU
Attending: LSU

Overall GPA: 3.56
Science Prerequisite GPA: VMCAS: 3.56 calc by LSU: 3.72
Last 45 GPA: 3.98

GRE (Q/V/W): 154 / 154 / (can't remember sorry)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science from Texas A&M University, M.S. Agriculture Missouri State University

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - like 100-ish hours
also had time shadowing a dermatologist (MD not DVM)
Animal Experience:
Experience -literally tons (I didn't go back and count but anything from performance horses to raising broilers)

Research:
Experience - again, LOTS of time including my own thesis project from my M.S.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - (hrs)

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - (hrs)

LORs:
Two PhD's (one of which was my advisor)
One Vet who I was close to while at TAMU he had taught me a lot just from coming out and taking care of my own animals even though I never shadowed him

Essays: As far as the essays go, I feel like I was just honest. I knew my situation was unique and some would potentially like that I wanted to be a DVM to enhance my potential as a researcher while I'm sure some thought the spot should go to someone who spent their life wanting to practice in a clinic. I think that was made apparent by my acceptance to one and lack of an interview invitation to the other!

My advice for the essays is to try to be genuine. It's easy to sound fake when the prompts are somewhat simple but find your own opinion on the matter and know your audience but don't write for them. After all, you want your "voice" to come through rather than sounding cookie cutter.

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you apply to your in state school (Missouri)? Congrats on getting into LSU!!

 

[dogtor27]

22, Female, Ohio Resident, Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Illinois, Purdue, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Cornell, UPenn
Interview Invites: Illinois, Ohio, Missouri
Will Interview soon: Illinois (declining)
Rejected: Michigan, Purdue, Cornell, Wisconsin, UPenn
Alternate: Iowa
Accepted: Missouri, Ohio
Attending: Not sure yet!

Overall GPA: 3.73
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.68-3.73
Last 45 GPA: 3.75

GRE (Q/V/W): 148 (30%)/ 152 (54%), 3.5

Degree(s): B.S. in Zoology (May 2020)

Veterinary Experience:
Experience: around 2,700ish hours
Vet assistant at a spay/neuter clinic and shelter: 2,500ish
Shadowed equine vet: 25 hours
Shadowed large animal vet: 25 hours
Shadowed exotic/wildlife vet: 50 hours
Shadowed small animal GP vet: 100 hours

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at large animal rescue: 200 hours
Volunteer at therapeutic horse riding center: 40 hours
Walking dogs at local shelters: 20 hours
Volunteer at wildlife rehabilitation center: 25 hours
Raised quail in high school
Foster for kittens, puppies, and heartworm positive dogs going through treatment

Research:
Maybe around 100 hours total
class project on salamanders
Behavioral research project on squirrels


Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-vet club-various leadership positions such as VP and President
Honors College
Biological Scholars Program
State funded STEM Scholarship
Volunteer for fundraising events at place of employment
Volunteer basketball coach for middle school girls
Captain of Volleyball team in high school
Art Awards in high school
Travel volleyball for 3 years
Volunteer at reading camps for 3rd graders

Non-Animal Employment:
NONE

LORs:
1 professor I had many biology classes with
1 veterinarian from where I work
1 manager of shelter where I work

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Talked a lot about seeing the lack of people able to afford vet care and wanting to provide low-cost care in the future, especially for people in rural areas.
2. Talked about how multifaceted vet med is and how vets do so much more than the average person realizes.
3. Talked about vets needing to be effective communicators and how important it is for them to be able to work with and understand many types of people (basically talked a lot about the importance of diversity).

We might be classmates if we both decide to go to Missouri!! Congrats on your acceptance!

 

[dogtor27]

23 years old, female, Arkansas resident, somewhat traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Missouri, Kansas
Interview Invites: Missouri, Kansas
Rejected:
Waiting to hear:
Waitlisted:
Accepted: Missouri and Kansas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Attending: Missouri (99% sure!) I want to do zoo med/exotics so K State would be amazing for that, but gaining IS residency at Mizzou after the first year and the 2+2 program is pretty hard to pass up!

Overall GPA: 3.9 (undergrad), 4.0 (Masters)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 160 (73%) / 161 (88%) / 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s): BS in Biomedical Engineering, MS in Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
Experience: ~300 hours total
Majority was small animal private practice and local shelter
but also ~90hrs zoo veterinary internship, 20hrs equine, 20hrs large animal
I decided late in biomedical engineering that veterinary medicine was what I wanted to do so I had limited time to get hours. I had fewer hours than a lot of applicants but I feel like it was a pretty diverse range! This was the area of my app that I was most self conscious of though for sure

Animal Experience:
Experience - (1000 hrs)
~100 hours at my zoo internship (half the internship we were zoo keeper interns)
~ 12 hours monitoring sheep during lambing season/bottle feeding lambs/giving ewes vaccinations
~ 10 hours through classes with horses and cattle
Some was owning a dog (yep, I included this) and also included that I have a lot of reptiles as pets and have had to give medicated baths, antibiotic injections, and things like that
Also a LOT of pet sitting for cats/dogs, pocket pets, and reptiles and I was a dog walker for a local shelter


Research:
Cardiovascular biomechanics research for my undergraduate honors thesis 3D printing force transducers to measure force capabilities of chordae tendineae
Also did tissue engineering research looking at decellularizing muscle tissue as part of a freshman honors research colloquium

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Several scholarships, president of engineering sorority (also secretary and recruitment chairwoman previously), founded chapter of biomedical engineering honor society, research awards from freshman research colloquium, member of engineering honor society,


Non-Animal Employment:
Ambassador for college of engineering, graduate assistant for college of engineering during masters, engineering peer mentor

LORs:
1 letter from my anatomy and nutrition professor who is a vet
1 letter from my adviser for my graduate assistantship who I've worked with for several years in undergrad and grad school
1 letter from the vet for my zoo internship
1 letter from a local SA vet I have the bulk of my SA hours with

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

I talked a lot about how engineering trains you to solve problems that you maybe haven't seen before and I think that that is really important in vet med. I also talked about how doing a masters in animal science after having done undergraduate in engineering for me was a way to help make sure that vet med was what I wanted to do since I decided late in my undergraduate career. I got a lot of the medical side from biomed but the understanding of the field from my masters! It helped make me 100% confident that this was where I needed to be and what I wanted to pursue and I was very grateful for that!

Future classmates??? If you decide to go to Missouri!! Congrats!!

 

[broughtonz]

21, Female, Alabama, Traditional applicant, 1st time applicant

Applied: Western U, CSU, WSU, Auburn, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Edinburgh
Interview Invites: Western U, Minnesota, Edinburgh, Auburn
Waiting to hear: Auburn (interview in March for IS)
Accepted: Edinburgh
Attending: Edinburgh!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.5
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): I don't remeber most of my GRE stats, but my verbal was a 157

Degree(s): B.S. in Biological Sciences

Veterinary Experience:
3 different clinics as a vet technician (~3500 hours)

Animal Experience:
ADS classes with hands on labs
UPenn Summer VETS program
Fostered a sick cat and her new born kittens


Extracurriculars/Awards:
Sigma Alpha Lambda Honors Society
Dean's or Preseident's List 6/8 semesters


Non-Animal Employment:
Supplemental Instructor for Ecology

LORs:
2 vets that own private practices
1 USDA vet
1 Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I grew up in a very poor part of Alabama, and the lack of education about animal welfare and health is very obvious. For most of my essays I talked about how I wanted to make a difference in communities like mine.

 

[Rdejr]

33 M, WI, Non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: UW-Madison, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois
Interview Invites: Missouri, Illinois
Rejected: Iowa, Wisconsin
Waitlisted:Missouri
Accepted: Illinois
Going to accept Illinois

Overall GPA: 3.45
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.2
Last 45 GPA: 3.3

GRE (Q/V/W): 153(50%)/158(6_%)/4.6(8_%)

Degree(s):AAS vet technology(75cr), BS biology (150 cr)

Veterinary Experience:
Total over 10000 hours
100 hours large
40 hours exotic
2 years lab animal
40 hours equine
rest small animal
All hours completed as CVT

Animal Experience: Did not list

Research: Did not list with addendum about military research

Extracurriculars/Awards:4H instructor 4 years, did not list any awards with addendum

Non-Animal Employment: 16 years military service, no other listed

LORs:
1 Vet/ bosss with 4 practices
1 vet coworker
1 military commander/ Nurse practitioner

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
My time in the Army and the differnt jobs i performed. Dont remember much of the rest.

 

[WonderingStudent]

22, F, NY, Traditional, 2nd time applying

Applied: Iowa, Michigan, Midwestern, UPenn, PEI, Purdue, RVC, Sydney, Tufts, U of Edinburgh, U of Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington

Interview Invites: Midwestern, UPenn, PEI, RVC, Tufts, U of Edinburgh, U of Illinois

Waiting to hear:

Accepted: Midwestern, PEI, Sydney, Tufts, U of Illinois, Wisconsin

Waitlist/Alternate: Iowa (accepted from alternate list), RVC (pulled from the waitlist and was offered acceptance 4/3)

Attending: Tufts

Overall GPA: 3.7
Science GPA: 3.81
Last 45 GPA: 3.67

GRE (Q/V/W): 165 (86%) / 154 (64%) / 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s): BA in Psychology

Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Experience - 3428 hrs
- General Practice
- Emergency Hospital

Equine Experience - 2336 hrs
- Mobile Vet
- Horse Rescue

Animal Experience:
Experience - 238 hrs
- Volunteering at local Animal Shelter
- Helped with running a PTSD support group with canine companions

Research:
Experience - 0 hrs

Extracurriculars:
Experience - 2424 hrs
- Quidditch Captain + Player
- Certified EMT
- Chapter Leader of a mentoring program for Middle schoolers

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - 360 hrs
- Computer Science Teaching Assistant
- CPR Instructor

LORs:
Two veterinarians
My Animal Physiology Professor
My Major Advisor
Owner of the Horse Rescue where I volunteered

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Wrote about working for a mobile equine veterinarian and how the differences from my previous small animal experience made me shift my goals to be an equine veterinarian.
2. One Health and how it applies to the animal shelter that I volunteer at. Additionally, I wrote about working animals and my experiences with them and the importance of speaking to the community about public health topics.
3. I linked the qualities of patience, empathy and leadership to my experiences as an EMT and living on a horse farm for the summer.

Suggestions: Add imagery; paint a picture to catch the readers attention. Link your own experiences and what you’ve learned from them to what you want to say.

Message me if you have any questions about my personal essay/supplementals! Happy to help.

 

[magsiemay]

We might be classmates if we both decide to go to Missouri!! Congrats on your acceptance!

Thank you! Same to you!

 

[tanlemur]

22, Female, International (Asia), Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Western, Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Ohio, Cornell, Missouri, Penn, RVC, Edinburgh
Interview Invites: Western (declined), Missouri, Penn, RVC, Edinburgh
Waiting to hear: None.
Accepted: Missouri, Penn, RVC, Edinburgh, Cornell and Wisconsin
Attending: NO IDEA!

Overall GPA: 3.85
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.76
Last 45 GPA: 3.82

GRE (Q/V/W): 166 (89%) / 157 (76%) / 4.5 (81%) Not the best verbal but I wasn't going to drop more money on this expensive test.

Degree(s): BS in Biology and BA in Music (c/o 2020)

Veterinary Experience: (not that many compared other successful applicants)
SA hospital - 245 hrs
Zoo vet hospital shadow -450 hrs

Animal Experience: (again, not that many compared to others)
Horseriding (when studying abroad) - 40 hrs
Equine Assisted Therapy - 160 hrs
Animal care volunteer - 4 hrs
Animal care volunteer -80 hrs (this was from high school)

Research:
Undergraduate research on songbirds - 270 hrs (did this for two semester, not sure if it's because of research or the people in my lab, but I decided I don't like research)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Research Mentor - 20 hrs
Percussionist (when studying abroad) - 24 hrs
Club member of horseriding club - 24 hrs
Vice president of a newsletter - 300 hrs
Volunteer math tutor (when studying abroad) - 30 hrs
Dean's list for three semesters in college
Biology honor society
Science Olympiad awards (from High school)
Math league placement (from high school)

Non-Animal Employment:
Student coordinator for a music event - 30 hrs
TA - 360 hrs
MD shadowing - 480 hrs
Specimen management volunteer at a herbarium - 360 hrs
Science demonstrator at a natural history museum - 105 hrs (this was from high school)

LORs:
Anatomy Professor
Vet I shadowed
Latin Professor (kind of random, but I was really struggling at the beginning of her class and managed to get an A at the end. Thought she could speak for my academic ability)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. I wrote about to end suffering of animals and educate the public about proper animal care. At the end I stated that I would like to open a SA clinic with a wildlife rescue/rehab.
2. Vets provide direct and indirect care for their surrounding communities by a myriad of endeavors in different specialties. I kind of tied back to the goal mentioned in the first essay as my way of contributing to the society.
3. Effective leadership (communication and cooperation) and humility.

Overall, I think I probably didn't stand out too much on paper since my number of hours are relatively low, which is probably why I was rejected by many of the vet schools I applied to. However, I would encourage everyone who is applying in the future to 1) get as much diverse experience as you can, 2) try to make the most out of your limited veterinary/animal experience, and 3) be able to talk about it at the interviews if invited. I was accepted by all four schools who gave me interviews, therefore I think the ability to talk about your experience, what you learned from it (even if you don't have that much), and your understanding of the veterinary field is the key once you get to the interview stage.

Additionally, make sure your essays really voice your own aspiration and desire instead of trying to hit all the buzzwords. I also spent a lot of money on applying and taking the GRE; in hindsight, I think one should research on every school that you have the prereqs for, and apply strategically. I was really thinking it would be the equivalent of winning a 5m lottery ticket if I get into even ONE school (given my hours and being international), but now I have troubles picking from SIX!! Do everything you can in your power, and let the adcoms do their job!

 

[Seawolf420]

24, Female, New York resident, Semi-Traditional applicant, 1st time applicant
I've been stalking this thread for 3 years, and I feel so fortunate to be able to post here after everything I've gone through! Future people reading this thread, please message me if you have any questions!

Applied: Cornell, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, VAMD, UPenn, LIU, LMU, SGU, Ross (withdrew app), Wisconsin, Dublin
Waitlisted to Interview:
Interview Invites: VAMD, LMU, UPenn, LIU, SGU
Waiting to hear:
Waitlisted:
Accepted: UPenn, VAMD, Wisconsin (was waitlisted #10 OOS) LIU, SGU, Dublin
Attending: UPenn?!

Overall GPA: 3.44
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.44
Last 45 GPA: 3.97
Graduate GPA: 3.97

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 / 154 4.0/4.5?

Degree(s): BS in Marine Science, minor in Environmental Studies. M.A in Earth & Environmental Sciences, concentration on Microbial Ecology

Veterinary Experience: 4000hrs
- Small Animal Clinic: 4000+hours


Animal Experience: 200 hours total
- Horseback riding- 50hrs
-Assisting a breeder/kennel attendant- 150hrs

Research: 650-750 hours total
- Undergraduate: Foraging and dietary behaviors of 2 crab species in varying benthic environment
-Graduate: Microcystis (cyanobacterial) seasonal abundances in Brooklyn' Prospect Park-400-500hrs?

Extracurriculars/Awards: 3000+ hours total
Extracurriculars: 3000+hours
-Marching Band- 1500 hrs
-Pep Band- 1000hrs
-Intramural Sports Captain- Volleyball and Softball
-Black Belt Kung Fu- 700hrs
- Marine Science Club- 400hrs

Achievements:
AWARDS
- Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence
SCHOLARSHIPS
- Ambulatory Scholarship
- Leddy Memorial Scholarship for Musicians
HONORS
- Dean's List (5-6 semesters)


Non-Animal Employment: 500hrs
Physical Therapy Aide

LORs: 5
-2 Practice Owners/DVMs
-1Mixed animal/Government Vet
-1 S.A. Vet
-1 Oceanographer/ Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Talked about being homeless in my late teens after my mother's death. I tried to really emphasize what being resilient meant to me, and how I believed that being even keeled and calculated is why I was able to pick myself up and continue on with life.
Also discussed my research interests and experience with marine species; lots of handling for cool skates, rays and other fishes!

 

[battie]

MIssouri is the cheapest option I think but I don't see myself living there (inconvenient to fly in and out), plus I am afraid of racism in the midwest.

See if you could get in touch with minority students that currently attend Mizzou to see their perspectives. A lot of college towns in the midwest have a far more tolerant outlook in general due to the inherent increased diversity that comes with a large university. According to the AAVMC public data, their vet med student body is 12-13% minority.

For what it's worth, I grew up in CO and saw far more outwardly racist stuff in Denver than I have while living in the midwest. Theres definitely mitigating factors like an increased population density difference and maturity differences between high school idiots and professional students. So take it for what you will.

 

[Snooky11meli]

21, Female, Alabama, Traditional applicant, 1st time applicant

Applied: Western U, CSU, WSU, Auburn, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Edinburgh
Interview Invites: Western U, Minnesota, Edinburgh, Auburn
Waiting to hear: Auburn (interview in March for IS)
Accepted: Edinburgh
Attending: Edinburgh!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.6
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.5
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): I don't remeber most of my GRE stats, but my verbal was a 157

Degree(s): B.S. in Biological Sciences

Veterinary Experience:
3 different clinics as a vet technician (~3500 hours)

Animal Experience:
ADS classes with hands on labs
UPenn Summer VETS program
Fostered a sick cat and her new born kittens


Extracurriculars/Awards:
Sigma Alpha Lambda Honors Society
Dean's or Preseident's List 6/8 semesters


Non-Animal Employment:
Supplemental Instructor for Ecology

LORs:
2 vets that own private practices
1 USDA vet
1 Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I grew up in a very poor part of Alabama, and the lack of education about animal welfare and health is very obvious. For most of my essays I talked about how I wanted to make a difference in communities like mine.

Yay! We’re going to be classmates!

 

[LowGPAButStrongPassion]

CLASS OF 2024!! #Groups
Hi everyone, if you are attending WesternU CVM in the Fall for the class of 2024, Admissions Team called me this morning stating that admission doesn't create a Facebook Group. So I got the ball rolling and started our group, join here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/199260441436877/?tn-str=*F


CLASS OF 2024 CVM IN THE US: If you have been accepted to the class of 2024 from any veterinary school, I am inviting you to join this group:

Log into Facebook | Facebook


**I need help with planning and managing these groups so please let me know if you are interested! Let get as prepared and build the best support system among us, the future of vet med!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S GOOOOO 2024!!!!!!!!!!

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT DOWN BELOW OF OTHER GROUPS FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 TO HELP BRING AWARENESS TO YOUR FUTURE CLASSMATES. Thank you!

 

[pizzaandpuppies]

Absolutely honored for the opportunity to post this!!!
Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
21, Female, IL, Traditional, first-time applicant
Applied: I went a little crazy on applications- Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Purdue, Washington, Colorado, Auburn, Wisconsin, Oklahoma
Interview Invites: Auburn, CSU, Kansas, Illinois
Waiting to hear: Waitlisted at Iowa, Auburn, CSU, and Oklahoma
Accepted: Illinois, Kansas
Attending: Still deciding ahhhhhh both are amazing schools

Overall GPA: 3.5
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.3
Last 45 GPA: I can't remember I think 3.4 or 3.3?

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%) 149/150/4.5

Degree(s): Bachelor of Science pending 2020 - Equine Science first two years, Biomedical last two

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - (hrs)
SA emergency 1000
Equine Research 1000
LA general 150
Spay/neuter clinic 700
Animal Experience:
Experience - (hrs)
Fostering pregnant feral cats 60
pet sitting 60

Research:
Equine 1000

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Microbiology TA- 200
Deans list 2016
3 academic scholarships

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - (hrs)
CycleBar- 500
LORs:
3 vets, One nonanimal related employer, Microbiology Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Discussed my goals to be mixed animal general/emergency practitioner in a rural area, attributes I believe vets have (grit, resilience, and passion), and discussed ethics and one health initiative, diversity experiences from traveling to other countries. For KSU I added a personal statement about how I grew up under a non-profit my family founded/runs.

 

[futuresadvm97]

CLASS OF 2024!! #Groups
Hi everyone, if you are attending WesternU CVM in the Fall for the class of 2024, Admissions Team called me this morning stating that admission doesn't create a Facebook Group. So I got the ball rolling and started our group, join here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/199260441436877/?tn-str=*F


CLASS OF 2024 CVM IN THE US: If you have been accepted to the class of 2024 from any veterinary school, I am inviting you to join this group:

Log into Facebook | Facebook


**I need help with planning and managing these groups so please let me know if you are interested! Let get as prepared and build the best support system among us, the future of vet med!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S GOOOOO 2024!!!!!!!!!!

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT DOWN BELOW OF OTHER GROUPS FOR THE CLASS OF 2024 TO HELP BRING AWARENESS TO YOUR FUTURE CLASSMATES. Thank you!

Hey! What is the general class of 2024 page called? I couldn’t find it for some reason. Thank you in advance!

 

[LowGPAButStrongPassion]

Hey! What is the general class of 2024 page called? I couldn’t find it for some reason. Thank you in advance!

Check this link

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

 

[LowGPAButStrongPassion]

Check this link

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

 

[roboblu]

This is bananas.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
23, Female, IL, traditional, first-time applicant

Applied: Illinois, Cornell, Penn, Michigan, Ohio
Interview Invites: Illinois
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: Illinois
Attending: Illinois gimme that in-state tuition!

Overall GPA: 3.06 undergrad, 3.07 graduate
Science Prerequisite GPA: Somewhere around 3.06 - I really only took science/math courses in college
Last 45 GPA: Uhhh, also around 3.0, I think?? I was a consistently average student but I still got in somewhere giiiiirl

GRE (Q/V/W): 158 (67%) / 161 (88%) / 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s): B.S. Biology 2019, B.S. Chemistry 2019, M.A.S. Chemistry 2019

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal emergency - 2000 hrs
Small animal internal medicine - 1000 hrs
Equine surgery - 10 hrs

Animal Experience:
Shelter med. animal husbandry - 1500 hrs
Environmental quality intern at a zoo - 300 hrs ... kind of debatable whether or not this is animal experience, but potato, potahto I'm going to be a vet

Research:
Briefly involved in an organic synthesis lab during my first year in UG, ~100 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
- Full tuition merit-based scholarship/scholars program
- Dean's list, spring 2016
- A variety of clubs/teams - swim team (captain), sorority (resident advisor), acapella choir (director - this is the embarrassing one), American Chemical Society chapter (treasurer), a club for women in the sciences (founder/president), student government (science college senator), university president's student advisory committee, etc.. Although my extracurriculars don't relate to vet med (my school didn't have a pre-vet or any kind of animal science program), I rose to a leadership position in every club that I joined, which I had hoped would reflect well on my interpersonal skills/demonstrate some level of responsibility
- Selected participant for a small, NSF-funded field school in the arctic (short, 3-week summer program)
- National commended scholar
- High school valedictorian

I did NOT mention any high school clubs/experiences aside from the field school. I was a huge band/orchestra geek and was too lazy to list out all of the groups I was in ... I figured my sick oboe skills would not be the breaking point of my application

Non-Animal Employment:
- Swim team coach - 200 hrs
- Swim lessons instructor - eh I don't remember how many hours but I taught lessons for like 6 years
- Lifeguard - ~200 hrs
- Worked in my college's admissions office for 5 years - ~1200 hours
- Sales rep in a toy store ... don't remember the # of hours but I do remember how much I hated working there

LORs:
A criticalist I had worked with in the ER, my supervising doctor/mentor (internist), and the professor who taught my favorite college course (class size of 2 so we got to know one another very well during the semester)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Focused on three main themes:
-I take pride in my work, and my desire to pursue good, careful, detail-oriented work brings me satisfaction in an otherwise emotionally draining field
-I am a fast learner, and use each and every new experience, good or bad, to learn and grow into a more competent professional
-I enjoy working with people, and I am skillful at adapting my communication depending on the audience. I feel most at home in a workplace that I can use to connect with coworkers and clients

I wrote these points at the top of the google doc I used to write all of my essays. It helped me to keep my message focused throughout my application.

In my explanation statement, mentioned several barriers to my education - depression, my dad getting cancer, and the fact that I was working like 45 hrs/week on top of school to support myself financially. I was very careful to write what I learned from each experience and how they have made me a stronger, more capable candidate for vet school - I did NOT mention how tired/sad/frustrated I was during difficult times, or how badly I felt like I had messed things up. Ha. My proofreader had to strike a lot of self-deprecating material from my application - not the time or place to be mean to yourself! You're going to be a vet, dang it!

 

[Snooky11meli]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied

26, Female, CA, Non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: UC Davis, Washington, Oregon, Western, Ross, U of Edinburgh

Interview Invites: WSU, Western, Ross, U of Edinburgh (Oregon doesn’t interview OOS)

Waiting to hear: None

Waitlisted: Oregon and Washington

Accepted: U of Edinburgh, Western and Ross

Attending: U of Edinburgh!!



Overall GPA: 3.6

Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.6

Last 45 GPA: 4.0 (my first few semesters we’re at an online school while I was working and living in LA so my grades were terrible then! I even failed computer science... like who does that?!)



GRE (Q/V/W): 158 / 153 (eye roll at the vocab section lol) / 4



Degree(s): B.S. Biology 2018 (emphasis in vertebrate biology)



Veterinary Experience:

Small animal/exotic clinic- 900 hrs

Small animal neurology specialty - 500 hrs (still working here)

Zoo medicine- 600 hrs

Wildlife rehab center- 300 hrs



Animal Experience:

Wildlife rehab assistant- ~200 hrs

Zoo animal care intern at an AZA accredited zoo- ~ 500 hrs

Bird banding workshops



Research:

-I won a grant to pursue a research project studying native endemic Hawaiian wetland birds that are affected by rising sea levels.

-I was a research assistant to a PhD student studying the same birds I did (many many hours in waders in a hot sticky wetland)

-worked with a veterinarian at USGS wildlife health lab studying wildlife disease in Hawaii and other pacific island ecosystems



Extracurriculars/Awards:

- Dean's list, all three years at my university (I transferred from a CC)

-living in Hawaii for undergrad meant extracurricular was anything from surfing, diving, hiking, to camping.

-I also mentioned that I am also fluent in Spanish and French

- I was a STEM tutor and I also worked with a STEM program reaching out to young girls in elementary-high school.



High school felt like it was so long ago so I just mentioned random skills I still had and that I was a tri-sport varsity athlete at a D1 high school.



Non-Animal Employment:

- Bartender baby! For 3 years

-Professional Soccer referee for US Soccer (yes I even reffed some of the school I applied to lol)

-STEM tutor

-Nanny

-Model/Actress (I took a few years off from college to live in LA and work when I was signed with some agencies, it’s not as fun or glamorous as you think lol)





LORs:

-one of my favorite professors that taught most of my animal biology classes

-the vet I worked with at the zoo

-the vet/researcher I worked with at USGS

-my organic chemistry professor (this guy taught me what it means to study hard)



Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

Focused on a few themes:



-I spoke on how I left the academic world after I was signed to an acting and modeling agency when I was younger. I talked about how living in the world that seems so glamorous took a toll on my mental health. I had to learn how to manage and take care of my mental health at a young age ranging from eating disorders to depression and diagnosed ADHD. I really debated talking about that because that little voice will always tell you to not share these obstacles in your life but I ultimately decided to be and open book about it.



-I spoke about how I have a really random background and job skill set. I touched on that I have experienced many things and nothing has touched my heart or pushed me like VetMed.



-I spoke about my background as a Mexican-American and how I am currently becoming more politically involved to help create legislation to help young female minorities come into STEM at a higher rate.



*A SMALL PIECE OF ADVICE*

Enjoy this ride because life is so short and you never know where you might end up! Also it’s okay to cry your eyes out for a few weeks after your in state rejects you LOL

 

[#LetsDoThis]

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you apply to your in state school (Missouri)? Congrats on getting into LSU!!

Sure! Mizzou doesn't have a PhD program. They only facilitate a Master's program! Believe me, if I could have gone somewhere to pay in-state tuition I definitely would have!

 

[dogtor27]

Sure! Mizzou doesn't have a PhD program. They only facilitate a Master's program! Believe me, if I could have gone somewhere to pay in-state tuition I definitely would have!

Im probably going to go to missouri over my in state school (LSU)

 

[PreciousMoments2024]

24, Female, Georgia Resident, Traditional, 2nd Application Cycle

First Cycle-
Applied: UGA, tOSU, Michigan State, NCSU, Auburn, LSU, VAMD, UT, UF, Penn
Interview Invites: Auburn
Waitlist: LSU

Second Cycle-
Applied: UGA, tOSU, Auburn, Mizzou, ISU, Cornell
Interview Invites: Auburn, Mizzou
Waiting to hear: None
Waitlisted: ISU
Accepted: Auburn, Mizzou, UGA
Attending: UGA (Go Dawgs!!!)

Overall GPA: 3.60
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.54
Last 45 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 152 (54%) / 151 (41%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s):
MPH (May 2020)
B.S. Animal Science (May 2018)
A.A. English Equestrian Studies (May 2018)

Veterinary Hours:
- Internship at Georgia Department of Agriculture's Meat Inspection Services, shadowed some public health veterinarians (22 hours)
- Veterinary Assistant with equine veterinarian (560 hours at time of app, still working here)
- Veterinary Assistant with small animal emergency clinic (770 hours at time of app, still working here)
- Veterinary Assistant at a VCA general practice (800 hours)
- Veterinary Assistant at VCA general practice in Ohio (320 hours)
- Shadowing at another VCA GP in Ohio (87 hours)
- Taking hands-on classes with food animal and equine veterinarians (128 hours)

Animal Experience:
- Kennel Assistant/Shift Leader at a VCA in Ohio (2400 hours)
- Pet Pal at Hancock County Humane Society (60 hours)
- Classes and barn duty at the Animal Science Farm with my school (worked with dairy and beef cattle, swine, sheep, goats, alpacas, and llamas and includes a swine production and management class) (162 hours)
- Summer camp horse-back riding instructor/barn help (440 hours)
- Classes out at the English Equestrian Farm for school (1600 hours)
- Volunteer, wrangler, and horse-back riding instructor at a Girl Scout Camp for summers and some weekends (1750 hours)

Research
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
- Endowed Scholarship (March 2016): $400 given to one equestrian studies or pre-vet student entering their junior or senior year with a GPA of 3.0 or greater.
- UF Trustee's Scholarship (August 2014-May 2018): $16,000 per year based on academic performance
- BLS certified through the Recover Initiative (March 2019)

Non-Animal Employment:
- Internship at the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Meat Inspection Services, completed research papers on microbial testing within the department and on swine erysipelas incidence over the summer of 2019 (230 hours)
- Line Cook at Red Lobster in Ohio (1800 hours)
- Freshman mentor for the students in the english equestrian program (280 hours)

LORs:
- MPH Professor (he’s also an MD)
- SA vet I worked closely with at VCA in Georgia (UGA grad)
- Equine vet I currently work for (Auburn grad)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
- Spoke about wanting to work in large animal/preventative medicine and wanting to eventually own my own ambulatory practice in a rural community. Incorporated my MPH into this, talking about all I had learned and could apply to my future career.
- Discussed food safety, control of zoonotic disease, client education, research in human AND veterinary medicine, and promoting science based practices.
-Spoke about patience, compassion, ability to learn new skills quickly, and humility. Followed up with specific examples from my jobs when I have demonstrated these traits.

 

[hiellen]

Another low GPA'r here! I had a 3.06 cGPA for my BS in bio. I got into the field, worked while doing an online tech program and graduated with a 3.98. I applied so so so stupidly my first time and got all rejections. Listen to others on this site that tell you to apply smartly! I applied to a lot of schools this second time because I didn't want to wait any longer and I didn't have any cost concerns so I applied anywhere that I met the cut-offs. So again, not too smart but it worked! Don't do what I did haha.


28 y/o female, Georgia resident, Non-Trad, 2nd time applicant

Applied: UGA, Lousiana, Auburn, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Ross, St. George
Interview Invites: Auburn, Minnesota (declined)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: UGA, Auburn, Ross, St. George (VFP program), Iowa-waitlisted
Attending: UGA

Overall GPA: 3.38
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.44 (this was all over the place, this is partially my vet tech grades which most schools don't factor in)
Last 45 GPA: 3.59

GRE (Q/V/W): 150 (37%) / 156 (76%) / 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s): Bachelor in Biology, Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology

Veterinary Experience:
SA clinic-~5000 hrs at time of application (still working at)
SA/exotics emergency clinic- 1260hrs
LA (mostly equine) ambulatory practice intern-150hrs

Animal Experience:
I put my personal pets because UGA told me to since I have horses, donkeys, goats, potbelly pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats- 5000 hrs
Horseback riding since I was 14- stopped competing a few years ago, ride for pleasure now- 3000hrs
Fostering bottle baby kittens and ferals- 320 hrs
volunteer with miniature horses going to nursing homes- 20hrs at time of application
volunteer with US Pony Club as an instructor- 15 hrs
stablehand at a show barn- 1300hrs
stablehand/instructor- 800hrs
intern at wildlife center- 340hrs
intern at Zoo Atlanta- 420hrs
sales associate at Pet Supermarket- 775hrs


Research:
during my bachelors- research on gopher tortoises and their burrows- 42 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
RVT licensing
Graduated with presidential honors from the vet tech program
Presidents Honor Roll throughout vet tech program
UG- biology club and honors club

Non-Animal Employment:
pharmacy technician at a compounding pharmacy (through high school and UG) -6500hrs

LORs:
-owner of the SA clinic I work at- DVM, UGA grad- I've known him for about 4 years
-DVM at SA clinic I work at, UGA grad
-DVM at equine clinic I shadowed with (she also works on my horses)
-Dean of the vet tech program, took a few classes with

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Obviously I'm not as strong in the academics portion, (it doesn't look terrible here but some schools calculated my science at a 3.00) so my experiences are what I had to sell myself with. I did write about how I'd matured, using my grades as evidence. I said I'd like to work SA and focus on feline med and used some of my encounters to reason why I wanted to focus on this. I also wrote about how I'd like to be able to help the community with TNR of feral cats and with fosters caring for bottle babies.

 

[JJ Bittenbinder]

Very excited to post here I didn't seriously commit to applying for veterinary school until second semester junior year of undergrad (so didn't start getting hours until then). You don't have to know immediately what you want to do to get accepted! I took a gap year to beef up my hours and finish some pre-reqs.

22, Female, MA resident, Traditional, First application

Applied: PEI, Tufts, Cornell, Wisconsin, NC State, Georgia, Florida
Interview Invites: PEI, Tufts
Waiting to hear: NC State (waitlisted)
Accepted: PEI, Tufts, Cornell, Wisconsin, Georgia
Attending: Cornell very difficult decision.

Overall GPA: 3.73
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.65
Last 45 GPA: I don't remember, I think it was ~3.7-3.75

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (49%) / 166 (97%) / 6 (99%) ; I was so worried my quant would sink me. I was advised not to re-take it and I'm glad I didn't.

Degree(s): BS in Biology

Veterinary Experience:
~1325 hrs counting what I accumulated through the end of 2019
Shadowing in small animal clinic during undergrad- 87
Shadowing at large animal hospital- 14
Shadowing emergency- 24
Vet tech at small animal hospital- applied w/ 252 hrs, by December had ~1000
Internship at wildlife rehab clinic- ~200

Animal Experience:
984 hrs
Zoo intern during high school- 112
Worked with herps in undergrad- 270
Did workstudy in animal care w/ research animals- 450
Beekeeping- 152 (club president)

Research:
I did research every summer because I needed a paying job. Would recommend.
1440 hrs
Herp research- 440; working on publishing a paper literally 5 years in the making lol, research sucks sometimes
2 summers of dev bio research- 840
Study abroad research on African elephants- 160

Extracurriculars/Awards:
1041 hr
Awards: cum laude, biology honor society, music scholarship
Extracurriculars:
Instrumentalist in orchestra all 4 years- 525
Tech theatre for 2 shows- 96
Social organization service chair- 240 (organized 800+ hours of service for members, raised 21k for charity), my school is weird and doesn't have sororitys but basically has sorority-lite specific to our school
Volunteered at local community health clinic for like 3 years thinking I wanted to be pre-med before I changed my mind- 180 hr

Non-Animal Employment:
480 hr
Writing tutor- 360
Tennis instructor- 120

LORs:
Small animal veterinarian I shadowed in undergrad who owns some practices
Professor I did research with
Pre-med/Pre-vet health advisor (went through PAC)
Wildlife biologist that used to be my lab manager that I did a lot of research with

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Talked about the moment I realized I wanted to be a vet between the first and second semesters of my junior year. Wrote about how it combines all my passions (education, research, community outreach, and working with animals). Talked about how I'm not sure which kind of vet med I want to do but that I want to make an impact through community service and/or research.
2. Listed a bunch of ways vets have an impact locally and abroad, emphasizing their key role in managing the human/animal interaction in an increasingly urbanized world. Also mentioned their role in animal advocacy, research, livestock management, etc. Talked about main traits I have that would make me a good vet and how I have exhibited them.
3. Talked about 2 main important characteristics: intellectual curiosity and then compassion & empathy with some others mixed in. Talked about specific instances where I have demonstrated these qualities.

Wow, weird that my whole life is in one forum post lol.

Happy to answer any questions about supplementals, writing process, or anything else, and to look over any future applicants work!

 

[jobackborseman]

Don't ever tell yourself that you aren't good enough, that you're not worth it. Don't self-sabotage yourself. Applications do this to you and I was so close to taking another gap year because of all the stats I saw from successful applicants and what they've done. If you really want to be a vet and this is your passion, you do what it takes to get that acceptance. Also what I learned from this process is that find out what field you want to be in as a vet, so that you actually have stories to tell and write about (but it's also ok to not know; just make sure to mention it).

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
23 Male, CA, Traditional (First gen, low-income), first-time applicant

Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, Michigan State, Oregon State, Mizzou, WSU
Interview Invites: UC Davis, MSU, Mizzou, WSU
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Oregon State, Mizzou
Attending: Mizzou most likely c:
-UC Davis rejected me solely because I performed poorly on their MMIs and they only use that to determine your acceptance
-WSU waitlisted after interview
-MSU declined interview

Overall GPA: 3.64
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.5
Last 45 GPA: 3.8-3.9
-I had 2 C+'s in college and was never asked about it, so a few bad grades aren't the end of the world as long as you show an upward trend

GRE (Q/V/W): 157 (64%) / 148 (37%) / 4.5 (81%) ya this test isn't that important tbh

Degree(s): B.S. Animal biology and psychology

Veterinary Experience:
Vet assistant at small animal hospital, Banfield (1716)
Kennel attendant (74)
Vet tech volunteer for pets of the homeless (12)
Clinic scribe for pets of the homeless (16)
Shadowed a vet behaviorist (5)
Volunteered at a small animal hospital during Chinchilla day (6)
Vet assistant intern at small animal hospital (204)
Community medicine intern at UC Davis (36)
Dermatology intern at UC Davis (40)

Animal Experience:
Animal care volunteer at zoo (88)
Rover (72)
Kitten intake intern at shelter (16)
Animal care tech at UC Davis VMTH (220)
Daily calf intern (60)
Animal shelter volunteer (112)
Dog showcase volunteer (60)

Research:
RA for a prairie vole lab that studied monogamy/pair-bonding in relation to neurobiology (140)
Undergraduate research on canine behavior and owner attachment (54)
Lab research intern at an aquatic toxicology lab (190)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Coordinator of the vet med team for UC Davis' Prehealth Conference (270)
Staff volunteer for conference (60)
Event coordinator for a college music club (26)
Attended a behavior symposium (8)
Tutored an adult ESL learner (30)
Relay for Life (100)
Tri-city food bank volunteer (100)
Adult CPR (5)
Dean's Honors list several times
Psi Chi - honor society in psychology
Some high school scholarships

Non-Animal Employment:
N/A

LORs:
2 from the vets I currently work with
1 from my research mentor
1 from my psych professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1) There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
-Talked about two things and why I'm interested in both and how they interconnect: shelter medicine and surgery. I used specific examples from my experiences to tell my story. Shelter medicine --> I gained a lot of exposure to that field from my position as a coordinator in the conference and also some of my volunteer work. Surgery --> my position as a RA at the prairie vole lab allowd me the opportunity to do cool things, such as extracting brains from prairie voles, brain slicing, etc.

2) In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
-Again, use specific examples to tell a story. I talked about advocating for the patient and educating clients using my vet assistant experiences. I talked about the importance of infectious diseases and how I'm interested in learning more about that. Since I'm interested in shelter medicine, I talked about my purpose to reduce overpopulation and euthanasia.

3) What attributes do you believe are essential as a vet...which do you possess an how have you demonstrated these in the past?
-I mean, you kinda have to tell a story in all of these essays or else you're going to sound boring and repetitive. I focused on three attributes: patience, adaptibility, and being an empathetic communicator. If you haven't worked at a small animal hospital, you're in for a treat because you definitely need to be patient and empathetic to a lot of people. Also talked about my tutor experience and related my ESL learner to myself (since I grew up learning two languages and was actually placed in ESL during my childhood).

Please take my stats with a grain of salt. I don't think they're superb in any way, but maybe a few interesting experiences here and there set me apart. In the end, if you get that interview, there's your chance to tell your story and fight for who you are. You have to believe in yourself. I spent basically my whole college working towards getting into vet school, but I sacrificed a bit too (social life, networking, etc.), which I kinda regret because grades aren't everything.
If you need any advice, please don't hesitate to ask me. I was also in your shoes