Successful Applicants c/o 2024

[Eclectic Teal]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
20, female, WA resident, traditional, 2nd time applying (I’ll put 1st cycle in parentheses, if there was a change). Cycle 1: Only applied to WSU, waitlisted
Cycle 2
Applied: WSU, Oregon, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Interview Invites: Glasgow, WSU, Edinburgh
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Glasgow, WSU
Attending: Glasgow!

Overall GPA: 3.65 (prev. 3.54)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.55
Last 45 GPA: 3.74 (3.6)

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (56%) / 164 (94%) / 4.0 (57%) (prev. 147/156/4.0)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science/pre-veterinary medicine (2019); Associates in Biology, Associates in Arts (2017)

Veterinary Experience:
260 as an assistant at small animal clinic with 1 vet
306 at mixed practice with 9 vets over the time period

Animal Experience:
-36 hrs of horse-specific volunteering (feeding, etc.)
-168 hours goat dairy internship- maintenance, kidding, milking; also worked with alpacas, LGDs, sheep
-10 hrs animal shelter- dog walking, socializing animals, answering questions
-3600 hrs with family farm/animal activities- chickens, dogs (including LGDs), cats, goats, horses, ducks, rabbits; every farm related chore or activity imaginable, including slaughter
-uncalculated hours from Animal Science courses (ag animals)

Research:
None, besides lengthy class papers (lab jobs didn’t count :/ )

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Dr. V. Line Estergreen Scholarship
-Member of pre-vet and wildlife clubs junior year of university
-Vice President Latin Dance Society
-Treasurer Yarn Club
~120 hrs of human volunteering (food bank, B&G club, events on campus, etc.)
-Postcrossing Member
-2500 hrs of various art mediums and crocheting in my free time; I collect hobbies
-754 hrs musician (flutist) over 9 years, including volunteering with elementary students, playing in 2 community bands, band competitions, rehearsals, many concerts, and practice time
-Graduated with honors for both my associate’s degrees and my bachelor’s, honor role almost every term of both degrees
-Member of knowledge bowl, math bowl, and science bowl teams back in high school
-Several individual and group FFA awards from competitions at state and regional events, fairs and from my chapter
-FFA Chapter Scholarship
-Letter in band from high school

Non-Animal Employment:
240 hrs Histology Technicial Assistant (present)
189 hrs Genetics Lab Assistant
27 hrs Residence Hall Ambassador
1920 hrs Sears cashier/merchandiser (see: indentured servant)

LORs: (prev. 3)
2 professors in Animal Science
1 lab manager from genetics lab job
1 mixed practice veterinarian
1 music director/volunteer supervisor I’ve known for years

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I spent a lot of time ruminating the past few years, and this cycle, so my essays don’t quite encompass changes since submitting the application.
Goals (essay 1): I wrote about how I had wanted to serve rural communities as a mixed practice vet; how I gained fulfillment from helping people AND animals (though I’ve often made the joke that as a kid I wanted to be a vet because I didn’t like people). I was around livestock and pets from infancy, growing up in rural communities in the US and Mexico. Discussed how cities would always have plenty of access to vets, but rural communities needed them more. Discussed the impact of my dogs' deaths on New Year’s '18/'19 and my increased commitment to alleviate suffering.
Roles (essay 2): While I still focused it on rural medicine, I also discussed their larger roles in society. However, in my interviews, I discussed my growing interest in other careers paths, besides private practice jobs. Over the past few months, I realized the role I always imagined myself in was not the only job where I would be happy. I would be happy in so many roles: teaching, doing research, advocacy, legislating, product development.
Traits (Essay 3): I discussed my love of learning and how the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know; how I adapted my studying to each course; my desire to share knowledge. I always offer help, include people in activities, making sure their ideas are heard. A lot of my jobs required clarifying communication between coworkers and clients, which could be stressful at times.

Explanation statement (Cycle 2): I had undiagnosed inattentive-ADHD, GAD, and mild-moderate depression. I only realized there may be some other problem once I got to university and was around pre-vet students (not related to various financial inequalities, inconsistent support system at home, working more hours than I was comfortable with). It was a bit frustrating to see them share old exams with answers or to pass around Adderall. Up to diagnosis a month after graduating, I didn’t understand why I I had to put so much effort into earning the same grades as my peers.
In a way, being waitlisted was one of the most significant things to happen to me. I have a greater understanding of other roles and the ways in which my traits would make me more or less successful in different career paths. If you ever feel uncertain about where you're going with vet med, spending a lot of time thinking, and listen to the podcast My Veterinary Life. I realized I don't need to touch animals every day, to work "on the front line", to have an impact on their lives. I need a purpose, a puzzle to solve, a cause to devote myself to. Once, I dreamed of being a mixed practice vet by the time I was 24. Now, I'm ready for wherever vet school leads me.
Edit: please do not offer unsolicited "financial advice." I am very aware of the cost of a veterinary education, particularly for schools I applied to, and frankly it begins to come across as patronizing when the nth stranger feels the need to comment on a very personal and thought out decision. NOMV exists because people in our profession experience negative/unsupportive environments; because people in our profession are type A and we struggle with our mental health. Do not trivialize a person's experiences or reasons, as you have not lived their life.

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[ajs513]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied:
20, female, WA resident, traditional, 2nd time applying (I’ll put 1st cycle in parentheses, if there was a change). Cycle 1: Only applied to WSU, waitlisted
Cycle 2
Applied: WSU, Oregon, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Interview Invites: Glasgow, WSU, Edinburgh
Waiting to hear: N/A
Accepted: Glasgow, WSU
Attending: Glasgow!

Overall GPA: 3.65 (prev. 3.54)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.55
Last 45 GPA: 3.74 (3.6)

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (56%) / 164 (94%) / 4.0 (57%) (prev. 147/156/4.0)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science/pre-veterinary medicine (2019); Associates in Biology, Associates in Arts (2017)

Veterinary Experience:
260 as an assistant at small animal clinic with 1 vet
306 at mixed practice with 9 vets over the time period

Animal Experience:
-36 hrs of horse-specific volunteering (feeding, etc.)
-168 hours goat dairy internship- maintenance, kidding, milking; also worked with alpacas, LGDs, sheep
-10 hrs animal shelter- dog walking, socializing animals, answering questions
-3600 hrs with family farm/animal activities- chickens, dogs (including LGDs), cats, goats, horses, ducks, rabbits; every farm related chore or activity imaginable, including slaughter
-uncalculated hours from Animal Science courses (ag animals)

Research:
None, besides lengthy class papers (lab jobs didn’t count :/ )

Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Dr. V. Line Estergreen Scholarship
-Member of pre-vet and wildlife clubs junior year of university
-Vice President Latin Dance Society
-Treasurer Yarn Club
~120 hrs of human volunteering (food bank, B&G club, events on campus, etc.)
-Postcrossing Member
-2500 hrs of various art mediums and crocheting in my free time; I collect hobbies
-754 hrs musician (flutist) over 9 years, including volunteering with elementary students, playing in 2 community bands, band competitions, rehearsals, many concerts, and practice time
-Graduated with honors for both my associate’s degrees and my bachelor’s, honor role almost every term of both degrees
-Member of knowledge bowl, math bowl, and science bowl teams back in high school
-Several individual and group FFA awards from competitions at state and regional events, fairs and from my chapter
-FFA Chapter Scholarship
-Letter in band from high school

Non-Animal Employment:
240 hrs Histology Technicial Assistant (present)
189 hrs Genetics Lab Assistant
27 hrs Residence Hall Ambassador
1920 hrs Sears cashier/merchandiser (see: indentured servant)

LORs: (prev. 3)
2 professors in Animal Science
1 lab manager from genetics lab job
1 mixed practice veterinarian
1 music director/volunteer supervisor I’ve known for years

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I spent a lot of time ruminating the past few years, and this cycle, so my essays don’t quite encompass changes since submitting the application.
Goals (essay 1): I wrote about how I had wanted to serve rural communities as a mixed practice vet; how I gained fulfillment from helping people AND animals (though I’ve often made the joke that as a kid I wanted to be a vet because I didn’t like people). I was around livestock and pets from infancy, growing up in rural communities in the US and Mexico. Discussed how cities would always have plenty of access to vets, but rural communities needed them more. Discussed the impact of my dogs' deaths on New Year’s '18/'19 and my increased commitment to alleviate suffering.
Roles (essay 2): While I still focused it on rural medicine, I also discussed their larger roles in society. However, in my interviews, I discussed my growing interest in other careers paths, besides private practice jobs. Over the past few months, I realized the role I always imagined myself in was not the only job where I would be happy. I had spent years of wondering whether being a mixed practice vet would check every box of what I wanted out of my job. I would be happy in so many roles: teaching, doing research, advocacy, legislating, product development. This is one of the most widely-applicable degrees you can get.
Traits (Essay 3): I discussed my love of learning and how the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know; how I adapted my studying to each course; my desire to share knowledge. I discussed always trying to offer help, to include people in projects or activities, making sure their ideas are heard. I discussed how a lot of my jobs required clarifying communication between coworkers and clients, which could be stressful at times.

Explanation statement (Cycle 2): I went through all of undergrad (starting when I was 16), all of my life, with undiagnosed inattentive-ADHD, GAD, and mild-moderate depression. I only realized there may be some other problem once I got to university and was around pre-vet students (not related to various financial inequalities, inconsistent support system at home, working more hours than I was comfortable with). It was a bit frustrating to see them share old exams with answers or to pass around Adderall. I thought that was the reason they did better but refused to do it because it felt wrong. Up to diagnosis a month after graduating, I didn’t understand why I I had to put so much effort into earning the same grades as my peers.
In a way, being waitlisted was one of the most significant things to happen to me. It definitely made me a different person, though I think I would have arrived at some of these conclusions even if I had been pulled off the waitlist. I have a greater understanding of other roles and the ways in which my traits would make me more or less successful in different career paths. If you ever feel uncertain about where you're going with vet med, spending a lot of time thinking, and listen to the podcast My Veterinary Life. I realized I don't need to touch animals every day, to work "on the front line", to have an impact on their lives. I need a purpose, a puzzle to solve, a cause to devote myself to. Once, I dreamed of being a mixed practice vet by the time I was 24. Now, I'm ready for wherever vet school leads me.

Out of curiosity, how come you decided to go to Glasgow? In tuition alone it’s an extra $80,000, plus an extra year.

 

[jaboo]

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: NO IDEA DUDE. Tufts in-state is still on par with other schools for cost so I have to figure out which one is actually cheapest. I have a spreadsheet

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!

I’ve gone to 2 out of 5 of your potential schools if you have any questions! (Wisc & Cornell)

 

[Eclectic Teal]

Out of curiosity, how come you decided to go to Glasgow? In tuition alone it’s an extra $80,000, plus an extra year.

Lots of reasons, honestly. I wanted a more diverse experience than staying at WSU. As someone mixed race who has lived in the area when all the students are gone, I don't want to stay. The curriculum and program set up of U.S. schools is mostly similar regardless of where you go, with smaller variation from school to school in terms of how it's presented. I like the case based courses, end of term exam set up; frequent exams feel like they encourage studying, then mind-dumping and forgetting (my experience/observation from undergrad). I'll have loans regardless of where I go. If I decide by the end that I still want to be a mixed practice vet, I still can. But accreditation across the world fits with my goal to live somewhere else one day.

 

[ajs513]

Lots of reasons, honestly. I wanted a more diverse experience than staying at WSU. As someone mixed race who has lived in the area when all the students are gone, I don't want to stay. The curriculum and program set up of U.S. schools is mostly similar regardless of where you go, with smaller variation from school to school in terms of how it's presented. I like the case based courses, end of term exam set up; frequent exams feel like they encourage studying, then mind-dumping and forgetting (my experience/observation from undergrad). I'll have loans regardless of where I go. If I decide by the end that I still want to be a mixed practice vet, I still can. But accreditation across the world fits with my goal to live somewhere else one day.

Okay. I hear everything you’re saying. I just want to make sure you’re aware that you’ll have an extra $125,000 in loans before interest, plus a year without a vet’s salary. I don’t want to scare you or drive this off topic because it’s a great accomplishment. But it’s important to be informed.

 

[Eclectic Teal]

Okay. I hear everything you’re saying. I just want to make sure you’re aware that you’ll have an extra $125,000 in loans before interest, plus a year without a vet’s salary. I don’t want to scare you or drive this off topic because it’s a great accomplishment. But it’s important to be informed.

I appreciate it. I've had well-developed spreadsheets on this for years. And this is definitely a decision that is a long time coming.

 

[Coopah]

Lots of reasons, honestly. I wanted a more diverse experience than staying at WSU. As someone mixed race who has lived in the area when all the students are gone, I don't want to stay. The curriculum and program set up of U.S. schools is mostly similar regardless of where you go, with smaller variation from school to school in terms of how it's presented. I like the case based courses, end of term exam set up; frequent exams feel like they encourage studying, then mind-dumping and forgetting (my experience/observation from undergrad). I'll have loans regardless of where I go. If I decide by the end that I still want to be a mixed practice vet, I still can. But accreditation across the world fits with my goal to live somewhere else one day.

I know it goes against normal standards but in this case I support you. If you can manage the debt load go for it. I wish you the best of luck. I wish you could go to the cheaper school and feel safe and supported but if that's not gonna happen I wouldn't want you to be there. As far as the education goes I think US is fine if you eventually want to move elsewhere but that's up to you.

Good luck and congrats!

 

[crazyshibalady]

Super excited I get to post here! I did not take the traditional route at all - got my AA, took a two year gap from school then returned as non-degree seeking to get my pre-reqs. Hopefully I give some hope to those with low GPA's but worked hard for their experience!

26, Female, FL resident, Non-traditional applicant, 2nd time applying

1st year -
Applied: Michigan State, UMN, Midwestern, CSU
Interview Invites: Michigan State (taken off interview waitlist 1 week before last interview date); Midwestern interview waitlist (never taken off)
Accepted: Waitlisted at Michigan State after interview (started at #62, then stayed at #3 for entire summer)

2nd year -
Applied: Michigan State, UMN, Midwestern, Purdue, UGA
Interview Invites: UMN, Midwestern
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: UMN, Midwestern
Attending: Midwestern!

Overall GPA: 3.18
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.52
Last 45 GPA: 3.64

GRE (Q/V/W): 148 (30%) / 146 (31%) / 4.0 (59%) - took it twice and basically got the same score, this test sucked lol

Degree(s): AA only - non-degree seeking student

Veterinary Experience:
~12,000 hrs small animal GP (about half as a Veterinary Assistant and the other half as a Practice Manager)
~140 hrs equine at race track

Animal Experience:
~1750 hrs dog grooming facility
~240 hrs pet sitting
~12 hrs Tomorrow's Rainbow assisting with ponies
~7 hrs volunteer at cat shelter
~30 hrs cow/swine/poultry on farm in Brazil during visit to in-laws

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
~75 hrs travel soccer team
~360 hrs high school soccer team
~25 hrs volunteer at assisted living facility
~160 hrs volunteer with Women's Club doing various events within the city
~35 hrs volunteer at church during holiday's serving food
~240 hrs camp counselor

Non-Animal Employment:
~7000 hrs barista at juice bar
~450 hrs bartender at a restaurant

LORs:
DVM that I worked with x3
Medical Director

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Spoke about my goals to work as a small animal GP and then potentially specializing in internal medicine. I went on to tie in my current experiences to why I wanted to pursue this route. I worked hard to write about my strengths and to not put anything about excuses as to why my cGPA wasn't great or why I potentially did not have really diverse experience. I have had some really invaluable experience at my current practice where I am able to challenge myself and grow my leadership skills.

 

[ApacheZoomie]

I appreciate it. I've had well-developed spreadsheets on this for years. And this is definitely a decision that is a long time coming.

Just FYI from a European here, you will never make as much as a veterinarian anywhere in Europe (or in the world for that matter) as you would in the US. Plus income (and other) taxes and cost of living may be higher depending on where you'd go. So, you may want to add that to your calculation in regards to how long it will take you to repay your loans, and how much it will all cost you in the end.

 

[Hp48g]

I remember reading these posts several years ago when I discovered SDN and thinking I would never be posting one. I feel really fortunate that I am able to do so now! Thank you to the whole SDN veterinary and pre-veterinary community for all the information and help with this crazy process.

41, Male, CO resident, Non-traditional applicant, 1st time applying

I graduated from a small liberal arts college at age 22 with a degree in economics, went back to do science pre-requisites starting at age 36, took them plus some other upper level science at a community college and 2 different state universities.

Applied:
University of Arizona
Colorado State University
Cornell
University of Georgia
University of Illinois
Iowa State University
Kansas State University
Lincoln Memorial University
Michigan State University
Midwestern University
University of Missouri
University of Pennsylvania
University of Tennessee
Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
University of Wisconsin
Interview Invites: Midwestern, Kansas State, Tennessee, Colorado State, Tufts, Illinois (declined), Penn (declined), Lincoln Memorial (declined), University of Arizona (declined)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Midwestern, Kansas State, Tennessee, Colorado State, Tufts
Attending: COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY!

Overall GPA: 3.59
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.93
Last 45 GPA: 3.93

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (60%) / 160 (86%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): BA Economics, bunch of post bacc non degree seeking coursework (science pre-requisites)

Veterinary Experience:
~2800 hours vet assistant in small animal clinic plus some shadowing with various SA specialists

Animal Experience:
~1100 hrs volunteering in veterinary clinic of local shelter
18 year history of owning many dogs and a variety of medical adventures with them (the number of hours here isn't important but my experiences as a client informs my perspective as a doctor and helping families navigate medical decision making that is appropriate for their values and budget while of course prioritizing the wellbeing of their pet)

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
A couple of awards from the shelter I volunteered at

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked for several years for a local non profit organization, started and still run my own business for over a decade

LORs:
DVM that owned clinic where I worked
Professor that I took several science courses from
Director of veterinary counseling and support service who I have known for over a decade

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Goals (essay 1): Wrote about a patient who was treated at the clinic I worked at that had several somewhat complex problems which took a team of doctors to assess and treat. Talked about his dedicated owner and how nice it is to have a long standing trusting relationship with a client and how that relationship helps both clinician and client during challenging times. Discussed that my experience with this patient and others like him attracts me to GP work because of the diversity of conditions, pets and people you see, but that specialty medicine is also attractive because of the significant difference you can make.
Roles (essay 2): Discussed the role of standing at the interface of humans and animals and protecting both. Included some personal experiences in the clinic involving zoonotic disease and the Dr. having to keep the patient safe and the community safe by interfacing with local health department. Discussed that I see myself in a clinical role while realizing that my experience and education from this day forward will no doubt expose me to a variety of things that may take me in new directions.
Traits (Essay 3): I discussed the traits I think are important in a clinical veterinarian and how diverse they are (to include ability to diagnose and understand often complex phenomena coupled with an ability to communicate effectively with clients of varying backgrounds). Continued on about some of the traits I think are important regarding self care for veterinarians.

 

[mfelix8]

22 yr old female Traditional, hispanic NY resident, 1st time applicant
I always read these posts, it feels crazy to be actually posting here!

Applied: Cornell University, Tufts University, Midwestern University, SGU, Lincoln Memorial University, and Western University
Interview Invites: Tufts, Midwestern, SGU (withdrew app after interview), LMU, WesternU
Accepted: LMU, Western, Midwestern
Waitlisted: Tufts
Attending: Midwestern University! (Maybe Tufts if I get off the waitlist though)

Overall Undergrad GPA: 3.62 | Science undergrad GPA: 3.56 | Last 45 GPA: 3.96

GRE (Q/V/W)-: 146Q (23%) /148V(37%) / 3.5 (39%) (I HATE this stupid test)

Undergrad Degree: BS Biology (May 2019)

Veterinary Experience:
Veterinary Assistant/receptionist at mixed animal practice: 2,000+ hours & counting
Shadowed Large animal vets (same practice): 10 hours
Medical Technician at animal shelter: 720 hours
Shadowed surgery and assisted with pre-op (same shelter): 20 hours
Receptionist at ER/referral center: 928
Shadowed specialists (opth/ortho): 17 hours
Shadowed small animal vet: 61 hours
Shadowed Exotics vet: 10 hours
Shadowed Equine vets: 44 hours

Animal Experience:
Oklahoma ASB - Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteer: 60 hours
Your Pet Experts Animal Care Associate: 500 hours
Animal Care Intern Humane Society: 200 hours

Extracurriculars:
Captain/coach of Albright’s women rugby team
Albright Track & Field Hurdler
VP of Sigma Kappa Sorority
Tri Beta Secretary
Member of AED

Awards:
Eastern Penn Rugby Union Student Leader of the Month May 2019
Departmental Distinction in Biology May 2019
Dr. Fredericka Heller Biology Award May 2019
Sojourner Citizenship Award 2015
Premier Designs Scholarship 2015

Research:
Senior thesis research (Diagnostic Imaging in small animal ER vet med ): 150 hours
Field research study abroad (Species richness of Birds in Costa Rica): 84 hours
Research Assistant (Physical Chemistry- Glass composition/properties): 225 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
I've been working since I was 14 years old in various random places
Dominos Pizza, Justice, McDonalds, Outback Steakhouse, Applebees

LORs:
Shelter medicine vet (UT alumna)
Academic advisor/senior thesis advisor
Rugby faculty advisor
Research advisor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
VMCAs Essays - Mainly talked about my three goals for essay 1 & 2

1. I talked about wanting a shelter med career in mixed animal (maybe SA/exotics or SA/LA) given my experiences at the shelter I worked at and my dedication to service.
2. To travel to other countries/areas that are underserved.
3. To promote the values of diversity and inclusion as a minority in hopes of impacting/inspiring the future generation of vets & increasing the diversity

Essay 3: I mainly discussed my experiences in depth so that I am providing explicit examples of the attributes I am talking about (empathy and communication skills). I also touched on how important it is to be empathic to our clients and patients alike. I spoke about the mental health of the patient given my exp working at a shelter with stressed animals. Lastly, I mentioned the importance of taking care of ourselves!

** For anyone applying or reapplying and wanting someone to vent to/ask for help or anything - feel free to reach out!! Also follow my IG page dedicated to all things vet med - @thestudentdogtor **

 

[LittleSparrow]

Age: 23, Gender: female, State/Country of Residence: SC, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant: traditional, # of times you've applied: 2nd time applicant

Applied: UGA, Florida, Illinois, NC State, Kansas State, Tufts
Interview Invites: Florida, Illinois, Kansas State, Tufts. (Georgia and NC State don't interview)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: UGA (contract seat), Illinois, Kansas State, Tufts
Rejected: NC State
Waitlisted: Florida
Attending: Not sure yet. Really struggling between UGA and Florida if I get pulled of the waitlist.

Overall GPA: 3.85
Science Prerequisite GPA: ??
Last 45 GPA: ??

GRE (Q/V/W): 160 (80%) / 156 (61%) / 4.0 (59%)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Total: 1196 hrs
Student Extern at a wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center - 440hrs at time of app
Hospital Assistant at a small animal hospital - 756hrs

Animal Experience:
Total: 1108 hrs
Hospital Assistant at small animal hospital - 610 hrs
Techniques courses from undergrad (dairy and beef cattle, horses) - 108 hrs
Pets Hotel Associate at Petsmart - 250 hrs
Volunteer at the Humane Society - 80 hrs
Volunteer with a cat rescue - 60 hrs

Research:
Undergraduate Research Assistant for my repro professor - 54 hrs
Volunteer for a different project with the same professor - 8 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Co-leader of the Conferences and Events team for Cru
Co-leader of the Special Operations team on a mission trip with Cru
Sigma Alpha Omega Sorority
Secretary for Mu Alpha Theta in high school
Spanish National Honor Society
Beta Club
Student Room Leader for my church's annual youth retreat
Volunteer on my church's production team
Dean's List 4 semesters
President's List 2 semesters
Palmetto Fellows Scholar
Greenville County School's Golf Scholarship
AP Scholar with Honor
Erskine Fellow
Duke TIP Scholar

Non-Animal Employment:
Cashier at Surf Style
Stock Associate at Hollister

LORs:
Professor of my Horse Techniques course
Professor I did research with
Vet from small animal clinic
Research Director from wildlife clinic

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Wrote a lot about my goals to work as a zoo or wildlife veterinarian and my interests in conducting research in public health. I talked a lot about how veterinarians can contribute greatly to conservation efforts and play a big role in human health as well as animal health. Some specific goals I mentioned were contributing to breeding programs and researching zoonotic diseases.

 

[peanut_butter11]

Age: 23, Gender: female, State/Country of Residence: SC, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant: traditional, # of times you've applied: 2nd time applicant

Applied: UGA, Florida, Illinois, NC State, Kansas State, Tufts
Interview Invites: Florida, Illinois, Kansas State, Tufts. (Georgia and NC State don't interview)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: UGA (contract seat), Illinois, Kansas State, Tufts
Rejected: NC State
Waitlisted: Florida
Attending: Not sure yet. Really struggling between UGA and Florida if I get pulled of the waitlist.

Overall GPA: 3.85
Science Prerequisite GPA: ??
Last 45 GPA: ??

GRE (Q/V/W): 160 (80%) / 156 (61%) / 4.0 (59%)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Total: 1196 hrs
Student Extern at a wildlife hospital and rehabilitation center - 440hrs at time of app
Hospital Assistant at a small animal hospital - 756hrs

Animal Experience:
Total: 1108 hrs
Hospital Assistant at small animal hospital - 610 hrs
Techniques courses from undergrad (dairy and beef cattle, horses) - 108 hrs
Pets Hotel Associate at Petsmart - 250 hrs
Volunteer at the Humane Society - 80 hrs
Volunteer with a cat rescue - 60 hrs

Research:
Undergraduate Research Assistant for my repro professor - 54 hrs
Volunteer for a different project with the same professor - 8 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Co-leader of the Conferences and Events team for Cru
Co-leader of the Special Operations team on a mission trip with Cru
Sigma Alpha Omega Sorority
Secretary for Mu Alpha Theta in high school
Spanish National Honor Society
Beta Club
Student Room Leader for my church's annual youth retreat
Volunteer on my church's production team
Dean's List 4 semesters
President's List 2 semesters
Palmetto Fellows Scholar
Greenville County School's Golf Scholarship
AP Scholar with Honor
Erskine Fellow
Duke TIP Scholar

Non-Animal Employment:
Cashier at Surf Style
Stock Associate at Hollister

LORs:
Professor of my Horse Techniques course
Professor I did research with
Vet from small animal clinic
Research Director from wildlife clinic

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Wrote a lot about my goals to work as a zoo or wildlife veterinarian and my interests in conducting research in public health. I talked a lot about how veterinarians can contribute greatly to conservation efforts and play a big role in human health as well as animal health. Some specific goals I mentioned were contributing to breeding programs and researching zoonotic diseases.

Hey! Could you PM me?? I'm in a situation a lot like yours and just wanted some insight.

 

[RedLauren]

I remember reading these posts several years ago when I discovered SDN and thinking I would never be posting one. I feel really fortunate that I am able to do so now! Thank you to the whole SDN veterinary and pre-veterinary community for all the information and help with this crazy process.

41, Male, CO resident, Non-traditional applicant, 1st time applying

I graduated from a small liberal arts college at age 22 with a degree in economics, went back to do science pre-requisites starting at age 36, took them plus some other upper level science at a community college and 2 different state universities.

Applied:
University of Arizona
Colorado State University
Cornell
University of Georgia
University of Illinois
Iowa State University
Kansas State University
Lincoln Memorial University
Michigan State University
Midwestern University
University of Missouri
University of Pennsylvania
University of Tennessee
Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
University of Wisconsin
Interview Invites: Midwestern, Kansas State, Tennessee, Colorado State, Tufts, Illinois (declined), Penn (declined), Lincoln Memorial (declined), University of Arizona (declined)
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Midwestern, Kansas State, Tennessee, Colorado State, Tufts
Attending: COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY!

Overall GPA: 3.59
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.93
Last 45 GPA: 3.93

GRE (Q/V/W): 155 (60%) / 160 (86%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): BA Economics, bunch of post bacc non degree seeking coursework (science pre-requisites)

Veterinary Experience:
~2800 hours vet assistant in small animal clinic plus some shadowing with various SA specialists

Animal Experience:
~1100 hrs volunteering in veterinary clinic of local shelter
18 year history of owning many dogs and a variety of medical adventures with them (the number of hours here isn't important but my experiences as a client informs my perspective as a doctor and helping families navigate medical decision making that is appropriate for their values and budget while of course prioritizing the wellbeing of their pet)

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
A couple of awards from the shelter I volunteered at

Non-Animal Employment:
Worked for several years for a local non profit organization, started and still run my own business for over a decade

LORs:
DVM that owned clinic where I worked
Professor that I took several science courses from
Director of veterinary counseling and support service who I have known for over a decade

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Goals (essay 1): Wrote about a patient who was treated at the clinic I worked at that had several somewhat complex problems which took a team of doctors to assess and treat. Talked about his dedicated owner and how nice it is to have a long standing trusting relationship with a client and how that relationship helps both clinician and client during challenging times. Discussed that my experience with this patient and others like him attracts me to GP work because of the diversity of conditions, pets and people you see, but that specialty medicine is also attractive because of the significant difference you can make.
Roles (essay 2): Discussed the role of standing at the interface of humans and animals and protecting both. Included some personal experiences in the clinic involving zoonotic disease and the Dr. having to keep the patient safe and the community safe by interfacing with local health department. Discussed that I see myself in a clinical role while realizing that my experience and education from this day forward will no doubt expose me to a variety of things that may take me in new directions.
Traits (Essay 3): I discussed the traits I think are important in a clinical veterinarian and how diverse they are (to include ability to diagnose and understand often complex phenomena coupled with an ability to communicate effectively with clients of varying backgrounds). Continued on about some of the traits I think are important regarding self care for veterinarians.

CONGRATS!! You’ll love the program and you’ll love it here - everyone does

 

[LadyKaltag]

Age: 27, Gender: Female, State/Country of Residence: Illinois, Traditional applicant, # of times you've applied: 3!

Applied: Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri
Interview Invites: Illinois only
Accepted: IL, WI, IA
Rejected: IN, MU (both interviewed me last round)
Attending: IL

Overall GPA: 3.9 (out of 4)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
Last 45 GPA: 3.9

GRE (Q/V/W): 160 (73%) / 169 (99%) / 5.5 (98%)

Degree(s): Bachelor's of Science in Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Vet assistant (small animal) - 1000+ hours
Shadowing (small animal) - ~200 h
Shadowing (equine) - 21 h

Animal Experience:
Kennel work - ~1100 hours
Dog walker - 1640 h
Volunteering at Equine Rescue - 120 h (I think this helped a lot in lieu of equine veterinary!)
Pet ownership - ~700 h
Fostering cats - 420 h

Research:
none :I

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Dean's list, Summa Cum Laude graduate, Valedictorian, various honors societies

Non-Animal Employment:
etsy shop owner (2012-present)
Petco (a few months there)
Lab aide (4 semesters)
Hobby Lobby framer (4-5 months)

LORs:
-Vet at my place of work
-Leader of Equine veterinary rescue
-Biology teacher in undergrad (x2)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Career goals: Small animal + exotic pets, group practice
Contribute to society: food safety, working animals, wildlife rehab, zoo animals, pets as helpful to people, zoonoses, animal welfare as a whole
Attributes: dedication, attention to detail, empathy, patient, works in groups
Personal statement: I love bio classes, esp. certain more relevant ones, rat sx in physiology at North Central, I enjoyed shadowing and vet assistant work,
Diversity essay: I encourage it, understanding of language issues, I'm hard of hearing, arts and engineer parents/influences/interests

 

[als52698]

21, Female, MD, Traditional, First-Time Applicant

Applied: Ohio State, Michigan State, Midwestern, Purdue, Cornell, VAMD, Penn, Iowa, Oklahoma, LMU, Ross-- way to many but hey.
Interview Invites: Midwestern, VAMD, Penn, LMU, Ross (declined interview)
Waitlisted: LMU, Iowa, Oklahoma
Accepted: Midwestern, VAMD, Penn
Attending: Penn

Overall GPA: 3.59
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.63
Last 45 GPA: 3.73

GRE (Q/V/W): 1st V 144 (22%) / Q 156 (60%) / A 4 (57%)
2nd V 149 (41%) / Q 151 (41%) / A 4.5 (81%)

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

Veterinary Experience:
General Practice- 105 hours
Emergency/ General Practice- 240 hours
Equine vet- 120 hours
Exotic Vet (surgery)- 8 hours
General Practice: 55 Hours


Animal Experience:
Doggy Daycare- 75 hours
Sheep Showing- 30 hours
A.I. certification- 16 hours
Groomer Assistant- 275 hours
Quail Farm- 575 hours
4-H Beef- 190 Hours
4-H Dairy- 600 hours
FFA Dairy- 21 hours
FFA Market Hogs- 450 hours
Animal Shelter (mainly exotics)- 125 hours


Research:
Student Research on laying hens productivitiy in differing conditions- 245 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
DTA Treasurer- 58 hours
Dairy Princess- 350 hours
D3 Lacrosse- 1083 hours
Cheerleading- 1680 hours
Spanish Honor society- 41 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
School Athletic Department- 150 hours
Sheetz Employee- 1975 hours

LORs:
Coach
Emergency Vet
General Practice Vet
Science Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. Discussed my love for mixed practice and emergency medicine and how I want to be the reliable, local veterinarian that creates friendships with clients beyond medicine
2. Explained how vets are involved in every aspect of animal health including wildlife, companions, production, and zoo animals and how that affects the general public
3. Discussed the importance and my experience of teamwork/collaboration, communication, and professionalism

TAKEAWAY: I never expected to be accepted first try-- let alone to two of my top choices. Don't sell yourselves short.

 

[Red147]

25, F, Louisiana Resident, Non-Tradition (but came from STEM so an easy shift), First time applying

*I want to start by saying I heavily debated not posting this because personally I poured over admitted students forums too much. I do think they are helpful when taken with the understanding that our applications are PAGES long and it's hard to summate the applicant in this one format! So to any of you anxiety ridden applicants like I was- take a peek, take a breath and then just put your best foot forward. I did not think I would get in at all….and here I am with 4 acceptances. You just never know.

Applied: Midwestern, LSU, CSU, Minnesota, WSU, UTenn, Cornell, Missouri
Rejected: UTenn, Cornell, Missouri, Midwestern (was waitlisted for interview for a long time)
Interview Invites: LSU, CSU, Minnesota, WSU
Waiting to hear: None!
Accepted: LSU, WSU(pullman), Minnesota, CSU(I was accepted to the Vetprep program and waitlisted to the regular DVM program) (pulled off the regular DVM waitlist to CSU April 16th)
Attending: LSU
*WSU tuition was very close in cost due to getting instate after a year so would have been a good choice but LSU overall ended up being a bit cheaper for me

Overall GPA: 3.4*
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.2-3.6 * depends on how schools felt about psychology as science
Prerequisite GPA: 3.26-3.4 *depending on the school (I did have 5 Cs in prereq courses but made up for it with all As in my senior and upper level science classes)
Last 45 GPA: 3.76 < what saved me I think lol

*I never took less than 18 credit hours and several semesters took 20+ (highest being 24 which was also my highest GPA) That came up as a strength in some of my interviews.

GRE (Q/V/W): 159 (80%) / 160 (76%) / 4.5(81%)

Degree(s): B.S Chemistry, B.S. Psychology 2017

Veterinary Experience:
Vet tech (SA general practice with some good surgery loads)- 4K+ hours

Animal Experience:
Kennel Tech (same place as above) - 1K
Kitten Foster - 80hrs
Horse Trainer - 400hrs ( i have horse experience that goes back until I was 8 but I only actively trained toward the end of all of that)

Research:
Research working on Gold Nanoparticles - published, and presented 1K+ hours (my senior thesis)
Research working on Social Psychology experience - presented 1K+ hours (senior thesis number 2)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Volunteer Crisis Counselor Crisis Text Line (4hours/week for a few years)
Volunteer at Children’s hospital ER
President, Student life coordinator, etc. for the Honors Student Council
Honors Program graduate
Honors in Chemistry
Honors in Psychology
Award from Chem, Psych, and Honors department
Full Merit Tuition Scholarship
Co founder of a Club
First Year Student Mentor
Organizer of a few academic conferences
Presented talks and research all four years at national conferences
Few other odd and end things


Non-Animal Employment:
Taught Sunday School at my Synagogue
Waitress at local pizzeria
Work study
A few other summer jobs
Paid Research Assistant


LORs:
Chemistry Professor and Research Advisor
SA Vet (worked for)
SA Vet (practice owner)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Mainly about my desire to research and how vets cover a large area of science dealing with people, animals, food production etc. Please feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss this more.

I am more than willing to talk to people about my experience applying feel free to reach out to me!

 

[Lisagk]

I can't believe I get to write my post! I'm so happy and feel so lucky! I honestly cannot believe I somehow got accepted somewhere. I had a really really rocky undergraduate career (have since worked my butt of making it up since I graduated), but if anyone is in the same boat, I'm happy to talk about how I beefed up my application to compensate for it.

25, F, NY resident but currently working in Michigan, Non-traditional applicant, 2nd time applying

Applied: Michigan, LIU, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgia, UTennessee, Virginia-Maryland, Colorado, Tufts, UPenn, Ohio State (lol considering it was my second time applying, I wanted to maximize my chances)
Interview Invites: Michigan, LIU, Minnesota
Waiting to hear: none
Waitlisted: Minnesota & Wisconsin
Accepted: Michigan & LIU
Attending: Most likely Michigan

Overall GPA: embarrassingly low... if you really want to know it to give you hope, please PM me... because I definitely did not think I had any hope of getting in and here I am!
Science Prerequisite GPA: can vary depending on how I calculate this but in general - 3.25
Last 35 GPA: 3.77
Last 45 GPA: 3.48

GRE (Q/V/W): 157 (76%) / 162 (80%) / 5.5 (98%)

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Vet Assistant in GP hospital that treats domestics, exotic mammals, and birds - (~800 when I submitted VMCAS)
Shadow at Laboratory of Animal Medicine at my University - (6 hours)

Animal Experience:
Club executive board member that served underserved animal conservation/sanctuaries/rescues through volunteering, fundraising, and outreach - (~200 hrs)
Bird Specimen Preparation volunteer for the natural history museum at my university - (~200 hours)
Animal Caretaker at Petco - (40 hrs)
Volunteer for a therapeutic horse riding center taking care of the horses and helping the disabled children ride the horses - (40 hrs)

Research:
Lab tech/lab manager for a genetics lab at an R1 university that studies mutations and gene regulation in yeast and fruit flies - (120 hours when I submitted VMCAS, still working there today)
Lab tech for a neuroscience lab at an R1 university that studies the neuronal circuit of breathing in mice - (640 Hrs)
Lab tech to the same genetics lab listed above but as a lower position tech - (5440 hrs)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Volunteer leader for a student organization empowering middle school aged girls into becoming more interested in STEM - (12 hrs)
Volunteer for Habitats for Humanity - (20 hrs)
Campus Farm volunteer
Pre vet club

Non-Animal Employment:
Private violin teacher - (30 hrs)
Lab assistant for an introductory biology class at university

LORs:
PI from the research lab I work at
Two SA veterinarians from the animal hospital I work at
three from science professors in classes where I received As and developed professional relations with

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote about my strong background in both research and clinical medicine and emphasizing the importance of using both skills in the hospital setting.

 

[Future_equine_vet]

International applicant, so if anyone has any questions about the process, PM me

21, Female, Ontario, Canada, Traditional applicant, 2nd time applicant in US, 3rd time applicant in Canada

Applied: Cornell, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Louisiana State, Wisconsin-Madison, OVC
Interview Invites: Illinois, Michigan State
Waiting to hear: None
Rejected: None!
Waitlisted: Cornell, Michigan State
Accepted: Illinois, Iowa State, Louisiana State, Wisconsin-Madison, OVC!!
Attending: OVC!!!

Overall GPA: 3.58
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.47-3.74 (depending on the school)
Last 45 GPA: 3.78
Last 30 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 161 (76%) / 152 (54%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): BSc in Biomedical Science (US equivalent to a BS)

Veterinary Experience:
Equine Vet Assistant - 1316 hrs
Small Animal Vet Assistant - 150 hrs, 108 hrs, 105 hrs (3 different clinics)

Animal Experience:
Cat Foster Parent - 42 hrs
Foal Watch - 48 hrs
Farm Sanctuary Volunteer - 92 hrs

Research:
Lab Assistant - 6 hrs (at time of application)
Equine Research Assistant - 560 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Cheerleading Team - 768 hrs
Cheerleading Coach - 54 hrs (at time of application)
Note Taking Volunteer - 36 hrs
Orientation Week Volunteer - 48 hrs
Lots of awards (ex: Dean's List, Rookie of the Year, MVP, etc.)

Non-Animal Employment:
French Tutor - 60 hrs

LORs:
2 from equine vets I worked with
1 from research supervisor
1 from cheer coach
2 from 4th year profs I knew very well

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I talked about my unique exposure to aspects of equine medicine that are very hard to get, my experience with being on a varsity sports team in undergrad, and my overall passion for veterinary medicine.

 

[5Hs5Ts]

International applicant, so if anyone has any questions about the process, PM me

21, Female, Ontario, Canada, Traditional applicant, 2nd time applicant in US, 3rd time applicant in Canada

Applied: Cornell, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Louisiana State, Wisconsin-Madison, OVC
Interview Invites: Illinois, Michigan State
Waiting to hear: OVC
Rejected: None!
Waitlisted: Cornell, Michigan State
Accepted: Illinois, Iowa State, Louisiana State, Wisconsin-Madison
Attending: Not sure yet!! Help me decided! I want to do equine

Overall GPA: 3.58
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.47-3.74 (depending on the school)
Last 45 GPA: 3.78
Last 30 GPA: 4.0

GRE (Q/V/W): 161 (76%) / 152 (54%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): BSc in Biomedical Science (US equivalent to a BS)

Veterinary Experience:
Equine Vet Assistant - 1316 hrs
Small Animal Vet Assistant - 150 hrs, 108 hrs, 105 hrs (3 different clinics)

Animal Experience:
Cat Foster Parent - 42 hrs
Foal Watch - 48 hrs
Farm Sanctuary Volunteer - 92 hrs

Research:
Lab Assistant - 6 hrs (at time of application)
Equine Research Assistant - 560 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Cheerleading Team - 768 hrs
Cheerleading Coach - 54 hrs (at time of application)
Note Taking Volunteer - 36 hrs
Orientation Week Volunteer - 48 hrs
Lots of awards (ex: Dean's List, Rookie of the Year, MVP, etc.)

Non-Animal Employment:
French Tutor - 60 hrs

LORs:
2 from equine vets I worked with
1 from research supervisor
1 from cheer coach
2 from 4th year profs I knew very well

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I talked about my unique exposure to aspects of equine medicine that are very hard to get, my experience with being on a varsity sports team in undergrad, and my overall passion for veterinary medicine.

isn't OVC fickle? I'm second time applicant there, just barely got scraped out by the mmi last year. would you go in Canada given the opportunity?

 

[Future_equine_vet]

isn't OVC fickle? I'm second time applicant there, just barely got scraped out by the mmi last year. would you go in Canada given the opportunity?

I live in Ontario, Canada, so that's the equivalent of my instate and it's about $60,000 cheaper per year. That's definitely my #1, but I need to choose a school in the States before the April 15th deadline

 

[5Hs5Ts]

I live in Ontario, Canada, so that's the equivalent of my instate and it's about $60,000 cheaper per year. That's definitely my #1, but I need to choose a school in the States before the April 15th deadline

also in Ontario. I'm looking at RVC otherwise but yeah the UK is 50000 more per year than OVC. have you looked into Ontario funding for international vet programs?

 

[Future_equine_vet]

also in Ontario. I'm looking at RVC otherwise but yeah the UK is 50000 more per year than OVC. have you looked into Ontario funding for international vet programs?

Are there any other options aside from OSAP?

 

[5Hs5Ts]

Are there any other options aside from OSAP?

Sorry I meant funding options for Ontario students generally not just governmental loans. OSAP, student LOC and private support are all I've seen. have you done a financial analysis for international tuition if you have to go to the states?

 

[meovi15]

Age: 22
Gender: M
State/Country of Residence: New Jersey/USA
Traditional/Non-traditional applicant: Traditional
# of times you've applied: 2

Applied: Penn, LMU, VAMD, Western, Midwestern, Iowa State
Interview Invites: Penn, LMU, VAMD, Western, Midwestern
Waiting to hear: None

Accepted: Penn, Western, Midwestern


Attending: Penn

Overall GPA: 3.4

Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.2

Last 45 GPA: 3.9

GRE (Q/V/W): 54(%) / y 53(%) / z 7(%)

Degree(s): BS Small Animal Science at Delaware Valley University


Veterinary Experience:

Small Animal GP- 3000 (hrs)
Small Animal Emergency- 1500 (hrs)


Animal Experience:

Farm Assistant on an Amish farm- 50 (hrs)
Dog/cat handler at an animal adoption center- 280 (hrs)


Research:

Lab Assistant at university SAL- 80 (hrs)


Extracurriculars/Awards:
A Capella club (beatboxer )- 60 (hrs)
Pep Band (bass player) - 50 (hrs)
Pre-vet club (all 4 years) - 84 (hrs)
Biology club (all 4 years) - 84 (hrs)
Italian Club - 50 (hrs)
Penn VETS (Veterinary Exploration Through Science) Summer Program - 1 week


Non-Animal Employment:
Philadelphia Phillies HOF Club Stand Attendant - 1140 (hrs)
Grocery Store Cashier- 500 (hrs)
Soccer Referee - 200 (hrs)

LORs:

Title of recommender: 2 veterinarians, 1 professor (took for microbiology and virology), and another professor who is also a vet (took for clinical pathology, senior seminar and small animal research techniques).

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
My essays mainly conveyed my passion/interest in the research + pathology field after taking my upper division courses during undergrad, I also talked about the varying qualities doctors posses and that I have worked on/improved throughout working in the veterinary field.

 

[jlw988]

22 years old, Female, Florida resident, Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: UF
Interview Invites: UF
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: UF
Attending: UF!!! Go Gators!

Overall GPA: 3.87
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.77
Last 45 GPA: 3.7

GRE (Q/V/W): N/A

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science from University of Florida

Veterinary Experience:
Wildlife Center Vet Intern (Volunteer) - 372 hours
Small Animal Practice (Paid Kennel Tech) - 1200 hours
Small Animal Shadowing - 50 hours
Equine Ambulatory Volunteer - 40 hours
Equine Hospital Volunteer - 40 hours
Operation Catnip (large monthly feline spay/neuter clinic) - 70 hours
Humane Society Volunteer Vet Tech - 500 hours
South Africa Volunteer Trip - 100 hours

Animal Experience:
Wildlife foster (squirrels and opossums) - 225 hours
Humane Society volunteer/foster -1200 hours
UF Dressage Rider - 24 hours
SPCA volunteer - 40 hours
Therapeutic riding center - 175 hours
Stablehand Employee- 65 hours

Research:
Assisted my professor and her grad students in studying muscle composition/meat quality in cattle and swine - 100 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-Vet Club member
Equestrian Team member and Treasurer
Dean's List
I have been riding horses for pleasure for over 10 years. I did not include this in animal experience because it would have totaled over 10,000 hours and skewed the hours.

Non-Animal Employment:
None.

LORs:
Humane Society vet
Wildlife center vet
Research professor
Manager from my SA kennel job

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

Wrote about my interest in wildlife and shelter medicine as well as the importance of community and global involvement within vet med. Also talked about why I transferred schools midway through my Bachelor's.
For my diversity essay, I talked about growing up in a mixed-religion household and also my experiences as a first gen student.


I highly encourage future applicants to consider a wildlife internship or volunteer position. If you don't have a traditional wildlife hospital nearby, look into volunteering with local sanctuaries where you can foster baby squirrels, opossums, and birds. There is always a dire need for fosters during baby season, and it is a very diverse and eye-catching experience to have on your application!

 

[SakuraBlush]

Hello! It's great to see the great news of acceptance (especially in this crazy time). I hope all of you are safe and well!

The summary of my veterinary journey: a person who was once afraid of animals decided to become a veterinarian. As a child, I developed fear of animals after my family Boxer (Coco) knocked me over by accident. Yes, I was that girl crying at the petting zoo and running away from anything with four legs. After Coco passed away from cancer (rest in peace, boo), I slowly conquered my fear when my family adopted a Shih Tzu and a Yorkie. My Shih Tzu crossed the rainbow bridge a few years ago, but my Yorkie remains with me today (15 yrs old and feisty as ever).

Anyways, my original intent in post-bacc was to improve my grades for medical school but was encouraged to explore other options. My decision to become a veterinarian came after a pitbull puppy cuddled next to me during a cold, winter night of volunteering. I literally told the puppy, "I will protect you no matter what."

25 yrs old, Female, First Generation, California Resident, Non-traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: UC Davis, WesternU, Auburn University, University of Georgia, Michigan State, Lincoln Memorial, Tufts, Colorado State, Oregon State, Midwestern, Iowa State, University of Missouri, Washington State, Ross University, St. George University (I wanted this to be my first and last time applying... but I didn't apply intelligently )
Interview Invites: Ross University, St. George's University, WesternU
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: Ross University, St. George's University
Waitlisted: WesternU, Oregon State
Attending: St. George's University at the moment

Overall GPA: 3.24; combination of undergrad GPA (3.11) and post-bacc GPA (3.78)
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.22
Last 45 GPA: 3.54

GRE (Q/V/W): 157 / 151 / 4.0 (I know, my verbal and writing ain't so good)

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology, Minor in Entomology; Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Veterinary Experience:
1. Part-time veterinary technician/receptionist at a small animal practice - 510 hours reported on VMCAS (current)
2. Intern at a small animal/exotic clinic - 210 hours
3. Volunteer at a small animal clinic - 400 hours
~ 1300 hours (as of now)

Animal Experience:
1. Volunteer and intern at a city shelter - 384 hours
2. Volunteer at a wildlife center - 64 hours
~ 450 hours

Research:
Entomology - Biological control of citrus pests via suppression of Argentine ants

Oh boy, where do I start? For two years (starting at the end of sophomore year), I assisted a graduate student in field and laboratory research of suppressing Argentine ants, vitality of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), and parasitism of two ACP parasitoids. I would run through orange fields, collecting insects on randomly selected orange trees and monitor ant activity (I used a clicker and counted ants climbing on trees). We would take the collected insects, identify them (extremely tedious), sexed the ACP, and recorded our findings. In the laboratory, we examined the longevity of ACP and its parasitoids in different temperatures. There was an independent project I worked on, but it ended up being tossed because the results were inconclusive.
~ 1560 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards:
1. Volunteer for non-profit that bakes cakes for foster children or people of underserved communities - 3 hours (current)
2. Volunteer for a club that focused on improving literacy rate in local elementary schools - 60 hours
3. Peer mentor for first-year/transfer students during undergrad - 144 hours

Non-Animal Employment:
1. Part-time math/science tutor for all grade levels (current)
2. Part-time peer advisor for pre-veterinary students in post-bacc program

LORs:
1. Veterinarian from my internship at the small animal/exotic clinic
2. P.I. of my undergraduate research
3. Post-bacc professor that taught animal physiology, microbiology, and endocrinology classes

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Volunteering and working in the field made me realize the importance of human-animal bond. Without them, our human culture is non-existent. What I ultimately desire is operating a practice which I can teach the future generations and educate the public on animal health (based off my mentoring and veterinary experiences).
In terms of what type of veterinarian I want to be, the answer: I don't know Although students put down their intended focus (small animal, large animal, wildlife/zoo), it doesn't necessarily mean that's our final choice. What my mentors told me was veterinary school remains a part of our journey in discovering our niches, so explore your options in school!

 

[St3phni]

Hello everyone!! I'm SOO excited to be posting here ^-^ I come from a customer service background so, for anyone that needs to hear this, it IS possible to make it into vet school as a veterinary receptionist ^0^ ~ ~ If any future applicants scouring the forums with a similar background need any advice or encouragement or have any questions, please feel free to PM me! I remember stressing out during both of my two rounds of applications (what with feeling inadequate since I didn't have any vet assistant/RVT/research experience) so I'd love to be of assistance to anyone else in need.

27, Female, California, Traditional applicant, 2nd time applicant

Applied: UC Davis, Western University, Midwestern University, Washington State University, Michigan State University, Colorado State University, Cornell
Interview Invites: Western University, Midwestern University
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: Midwestern University, waitlisted for Western University (but I turned it down)
Attending: Midwestern University

Overall GPA: A little above 3.5ish (I didn't save my VMCAS and I've been out of school for 6 years so I don't remember exactly.)
Science Prerequisite GPA: Don't remember
Last 45 GPA: ???

GRE (Q/V/W): 156 (60%) / 159 (83%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): BS Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Veterinary Receptionist - 2 years

Animal Experience:
Animal husbandry volunteer at a science center - 2 years
Spay/Neuter clinic volunteer at an animal shelter - 2 months

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Tennis
Dean's List as an undergraduate for 2 semesters

Non-Animal Employment:
Freight Forwarder - 2 years

LORs:
1 LOR from a veterinarian
1 LOR from my hospital manager
1 LOR from my tennis coach
1 LOR from my supervisor at the science center

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Question#1 - There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
I wrote about how my own experiences with my animals and my belief that there needs to be more veterinarians that focus on emergency exotics shaped my decision on entering the veterinary field.

Question#2 - In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
I wrote about how veterinarians can teach the public about animal health.

Question#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?
Communication, multitasking, and accountability.

 

[stuckintheponyphase]

21, Female, Florida, Traditional, 2nd cycle

Applied: Cornell University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, Iowa State University, Midwestern University, University of Missouri, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University
Interview Invites: Midwestern University, University of Missouri, University of Florida
Waiting to hear: none
Accepted: University of Florida, Midwestern University, Oklahoma State University
Waitlisted: Cornell University, Iowa State University, University of Missouri, North Carolina State University
Attending: University of Florida

Overall GPA: 3.81
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.71
Last 45 GPA: 3.62

GRE (Q/V/W): 163 (83%) / 155 (69%) / 3.5 (41%)

Degree(s): BS Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:
Volunteer UF Small Animal Hospital - (130 hrs)
Veterinary technician at a small animal hospital - (180 hrs)
Shadow mobile equine veterinarian - (5 hrs)
Shadow small animal hospital - (24 hrs)
Intern mobile equine, small, food, and exotic veterinarian - (540 hrs)

Animal Experience:
Equestrian competing on USEF AA circuit - (6564 hrs)
Volunteer humane society - (20 hrs)
Student in hands on animal science courses - (320 hrs)
Pre-vet club service events - (12 hrs)

Research:
Intern equine genetics lab - (368 hrs)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-vet club
Dean's List (6 semesters)
Bright Futures Scholarship

LORs:
Equine, small, food, and exotic veterinarian
Research professor
Animal science professor (young horse training course)


Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
I wrote about my personal experiences in the equestrian community and how they led me to pursue specializing further after veterinary school.

2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
I wrote about One Health and industries and that I hope to contribute to the sport horse industry and equestrian community.

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?
Strong interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and maintaining composure in stressful situations.

 

[CombinedDriving67]

Bare with me- I forgot to save my VMCAS application so I'm trying to remember all this lol.

26, Female, MA resident, Non-traditional applicant, 2nd application

Applied: Missouri, Michigan, Colorado, Tufts, Washington, Illinois
Interview Invites: Missouri, Tufts
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: Missouri, Tufts
Attending: Tufts!!!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.79
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.75
Last 45 GPA: 3.8
(I was very consistent in college haha.)

GRE (Q/V/W): 152 (45%) / 156 (73%) / 5.0 (92%) <-- I suck at math but proof you can still get in!

Degree(s): Bachelor of Professional Studies in Management
Specialization in Equine Business Management
Certificate in Equine Reproductive Management

Veterinary Experience:
Shadowing Mobile Vet- 22
Shadowing SA/Exotics- 52
Vet Assistant SA/Exotics- 500
Vet Tech SA- 1550
Shadowing Equine Vet- 32

Animal Experience:
Assistant Broodmare Manager- 715
FEI Groom- 520
Equine/Dairy Internship- 650
Stable Hand- 910
Dog Daycare- 2560
Kennel Worker- 5020

Research:
zero, zip, nada, goose eggs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
College Equestrian Team
Equine Ambassadors Club
Various High School Sports (field hockey, track, softball)
Scholarships from College
Coach's Award

Non-Animal Employment:
Nothing, actually. Every job I've had since I was 16 involved animals.

LORs:
Vet I currently work with
Professor from undergrad who was also my adviser
Professor from undergrad that taught me in most of my science-related equine classes
College barn manager who was also my riding instructor/professor/boss (it was a small school)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I can't really remember but I talked about the human-animal bond, the importance of veterinarians in public health among the usual things people think of, and the importance of accepting change in a field where new information is constantly coming out. I think my personal statement was about how I didn't want to limit myself to a career right now as I wanted to explore new things. However, I did say I was currently interested in small animal or equine and I had a special interest in nutrition and reproduction.

 

[battie]

Attending: Not sure yet!

I'm a 3rd year at U of I that has no interest in going into equine med but was active as a member in our AAEP chapter! You're welcome to contact me with questions

 

[doctor-who]

SOME INSPIRATION FOR REPEAT APPLICANTS AND AVERAGE GPAS + APPS!

What better time than during a quarantine to finally stop procrastinating and write this? Sorry in advance for the insanely long post.

23, F, California Resident, Traditional, 2nd time applicant

1st round
Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Western, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan
Rejected: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan
Interview Invites: Western
Waitlist: Western (unranked, never pulled off)
Accepted: None!

Overall GPA: 3.41
VMCAS Science GPA: 3.26
Last 45 GPA: 3.68

GRE (Q/V/W): 162 (80%) / 158 (80%) / 4.2 (82%)

2nd round
Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Western, Washington, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, RVC, AVC, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Rejected: Western (after interview!), Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Edinburgh
Interview Invites: UC Davis, Western, Washington (declined), Kansas, Minnesota (declined), Ohio (declined), RVC, AVC, Glasgow
Waitlisted: Cornell (unranked - declined), U Wisconsin-Madison (OOS #16 - declined), AVC (unranked - declined)
Accepted: UC Davis, Kansas, RVC, Glasgow
Attending: UC DAVIS!!!

Overall GPA: 3.39
VMCAS Science GPA: 3.26
Last 45 GPA: 3.58

GRE (Q/V/W): 162 (80%) / 158 (80%) / 4.2 (82%) - same GRE, didn't need to retake

Degree(s): BS in Animal Science from UC Davis at the time of my second application
Currently working on a Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensics from the UF CVM

Veterinary Experience: 848 hrs
Veterinary clinic for pets of people experiencing homelessness - 120 hrs
International Student Volunteer trip to South Africa working with cheetahs - 80 hrs
Small Animal Hospital - 84 hrs
UC Davis VMTH Foal Team working in the NICU - 100 hrs
Spay Day volunteer - 4 hrs
UC Davis VMTH Rehab Department - 160 hrs
Shelter Spay/Neuter Clinic - 260 hrs
VCA as a Doctor's Assistant - 40 hrs at the time of application

Animal Experience: 1362 hrs
Animal camp counselor working with exotics - 168 hrs
Shelter adoption facility - 80 hrs
Rabbit rescue volunteer - 40 hrs
Shelter Kitten Internship - 24 hrs
Farmhand work (farm animals + exotics) - 400 hrs
Pet sitting - 300 hrs
Fostering dogs with medical needs - 350 hrs

Research: 300 hrs
Cattle Emission Study - 168 hrs
Equine Phytoestrogen Repro Study - 40 hrs
BRSV Study - 26 hrs
Literature Review Research Project with a professor - 45 hrs
Kitten Ocular Disease Study - 21 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards: 4777 hrs - (note how most of these are from high school or hobbies!)
Vet Aide Club - 12 hrs
LGBTQIA Center volunteer - 80 hrs
President of High School Ambassadors - 20 hrs
Crafts for Change Club President/Creator - 120 hrs
Human Relations Camp Counselor - 585 hrs
Softball JV Captain - 1200 hrs
Volleyball JV - 1200 hrs
Vice President of High School Recycling Club - 60 hrs
Creative Writing - 500 hrs
Crafts/Crocheting - 1000 hrs
-------------------------------------
Dean's List Winter Quarter 2018
Dean's List Spring Quarter 2018
Jacket of Excellence 2015
CSF Delphian Honor Society 2012-2015
High School Class Rank #9 out of 550 students
NCTE Achievement Award in Writing 2014
Scholar Athlete Award 2011-2012

Non-Animal Employment: 1003 hrs
Silicon Valley Comic Con manager - 468 hrs
Convention worker - 300 hrs
Private tutor in biology - 45 hrs
Boys and Girls Club tutor - 90 hrs
Babysitting - 100 hrs

LORs:
Companion Animal Science Professor
Production Animal Science Professor - I also worked with him in the Cattle Emission Study
Veterinarian - Rehab department of the UC Davis VMTH. I also worked as a farmhand for her property and farm-sat (?) for 2 weeks
RVT - from my shelter Spay/Neuter internship
Companion Animal Science Professor - I also completed a research project with her for a class (therefore it did not count towards my research experience hours) on the effects of stress on male piglet reproduction
Program Director of Silicon Valley Comic Con - I asked for this letter to round my application out since I knew that she could attest to my leadership skills (I was a manager for this company)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote an explanation statement, which I think really boosted my application. My mom was diagnosed with cancer right around the time of my first application cycle. Then, as she was going through chemotherapy and surgery, I received all of my vet school rejections. I made sure to emphasize my perseverance and how I got through that dark period. In addition, I was diagnosed with cancer right before the second application cycle! I did submit everything before my own surgery, but it was still a bit of a turbulent time. My other essays addressed the veterinarian's oath and how I plan to uphold it. I specifically mentioned my interest in veterinary forensics, which is also something that helped me stand out. If you want more details or help crafting your essays, you can always message me and I'll do my best to help. And now for some bullet points!

• As you can see, during my first application cycle, my grades were low-average. Though my experience was highly variable (companion, food, equine, exotics, research, etc.), my hours were also low-average. After doing several file reviews, I was told that while I was a semi-strong applicant, I was just one of many semi-strong applicants competing with even stronger applicants. The only real recommendation I received was to take more upper division science classes and prove that I could handle them since my science GPA was low. This was definitely the plan! However, when my mom was going through all of her cancer stuff, I needed to be there with her, so I was constantly traveling back and forth between school and home while trying to balance my research job and study. My grades slipped a bit and I no longer had that upward trend that most vet schools favor. I was in that deep dark hole where I kept telling myself that I'd never be a vet because I was too dumb, and that I should stop trying. But!
• It was also my mom who inspired me to keep going. I pulled myself together, registered for an online immunology class during my last quarter of undergrad, got an A+ in that immunology class, got an A+ in my microbiology lab course (I had gotten a C in the lecture course when I was feeling low during a previous quarter - slight upward trend, right?), maintained all 5-6 of my internships/jobs (though I really REALLY wanted to quit), registered for the Veterinary Forensics Graduate Certificate Program with the University of Florida CVM, got a job at a VCA as a Doctor's Assistant, joined a new research project on Kitten Ocular Disease, and graduated on time. As of right now, I'm working full time at VCA and enrolled in my Veterinary Forensics courses. If I did not get in a second time, I planned to continue with my VCA job and extend my Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensics into a Masters degree by taking more courses.
• From 8 flat-out rejections to 9 interview invites (3 of which I had to decline), it was an incredible difference. Some of the biggest factors that made this difference probably included my explanation statement, the uniqueness of the Veterinary Forensics program, and how I showed my dedication to the field. I'm not saying that the explanation statement should be used as a crutch or an excuse. Rather, it should be used as a tool to demonstrate your ability to overcome hardship and face the tough realities of life. Nor should the Veterinary Forensics program be enrolled in just because it's new and cool. I made sure to mention in my essays that watching tv shows about animal cruelty as a tiny child inspired me to become a veterinarian in the first place, and now I'm working on coming full circle with it.
• Other things I did that helped me: I rewrote all of my experience descriptions to emphasize my contribution to the project/company/organization as well as what I learned from the experience. This was a tip that I heard that was specific to Michigan State, but I believe that it helped me with all of the other schools as well. Another school-specific tip that might have helped me with other schools was to add EVERYTHING (this was a Washington State tip). Everything from high school, no matter how small, was added, as well as hobbies. However, I made sure to only add hobbies that were meaningful to me, not just watching Netflix in bed with a pint of ice cream (great hobby!). For example, I listed crafting since I've done it for so many years and I created a club in high school, Crafts for Change, where we made crafts and donated the proceeds to a charity/organization of our choice. I also wrote about the importance of mental health (especially for veterinarians!) and how crafting really helps me in that regard. Connect ideas, talk yourself up, and mention (almost) everything!
• Something I didn't add was experience I gained during classes. Classes I took for my Animal Science major included a lot of experience working with farm animals and conducting research, but I've heard that you're not supposed to list this, so I didn't. Experience should be something you sought out yourself to do, and something that was not for a grade. However, if you know people who listed class experience and were fine, then go for it! I just wanted to explain why I didn't.
• I also had the maximum amount of letters of recommendation from people who truly cared about me and my path to being a veterinarian. As someone who did not stand out grades-wise, I needed as much reinforcement of my personal attributes as I could get.
• Apply to as many schools as you feel comfortable enough to and that you can afford. There's a lot of debate on this, but that's my take.
• I'd like to reiterate that my cumGPA and my last 45 GPA were both lower in my second cycle and my science GPA stayed the same. I didn't believe it before, but after succeeding the second time, I do think that at least a good chunk of the decision comes from how we represent ourselves outside of our numbers.
• Let me also mention that I had 6 Cs on my transcript. It was the quarter system, so this is equivalent to 4 semester Cs. 3 Cs in general chemistry, 2 Cs in organic chemistry, 1 C in microbiology. This held me back for schools that calculated their own prerequisite science GPA. For example, my VMCAS science GPA was 3.26, but for Iowa and Michigan, my science GPA was around 2.7-2.8. I shouldn't have applied to Iowa, as I didn't apply to Michigan again for this reason, but I think I had calculated my Iowa science GPA in a very creative way and convinced myself that it would be a 3.0. But on a positive note, all 9 schools that invited me to interview as well as Cornell and U Wisconsin-Madison who don't interview (11 out of my 15 schools) looked past these Cs and moved me to the next stage. I've been told by multiple people that you can't get into vet school with 2-3 Cs. Yes. You. Can. Obviously it played a huge part in the mass rejections I received my first cycle, but it's clearly not the end.
• That being said, getting rejection after rejection in the first application cycle was the absolute worst. After working towards becoming a veterinarian since I was in kindergarten, I just wasn't good enough. Every single one of my friends (and other people I knew who were applying my round) got in. Many of them got into UC Davis, my dream school (we were all UC Davis undergraduates). I felt worthless and dumb. I spent endless hours on SDN scrolling through the previous Successful Applicants pages, looking for lower GPAs and reapplicants. What did they do to get in? How did they do it? How do I do it?! Many of my sad posts are still floating around on last year's threads.
• For all of you who are feeling that way now, I really empathize with you and hope that this post helps a bit. You can always message me as well! It's okay to take some time to be sad and to eat too much ice cream, but remember pick yourself up again and keep going. It's not a question of IF you will be a vet, it's WHEN you will be a vet. And if, at the end of the day, you decide that you really don't want to be a vet anymore, that's completely fine too. You're not a failure in any way.
• I'm sure I'm leaving things out, but since this post is already irritatingly long, it's just as well. Be well, be safe! My inbox is always open.

 

[Coopah]

SOME INSPIRATION FOR REPEAT APPLICANTS AND AVERAGE GPAS + APPS!

What better time than during a quarantine to finally stop procrastinating and write this? Sorry in advance for the insanely long post.

23, F, California Resident, Traditional, 2nd time applicant

1st round
Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Western, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan
Rejected: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan
Interview Invites: Western
Waitlist: Western (unranked, never pulled off)
Accepted: None!

Overall GPA: 3.41
VMCAS Science GPA: 3.26
Last 45 GPA: 3.68

GRE (Q/V/W): 162 (80%) / 158 (80%) / 4.2 (82%)

2nd round
Applied: UC Davis, Cornell, U Wisconsin-Madison, Western, Washington, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, RVC, AVC, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Rejected: Western (after interview!), Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Edinburgh
Interview Invites: UC Davis, Western, Washington (declined), Kansas, Minnesota (declined), Ohio (declined), RVC, AVC, Glasgow
Waitlisted: Cornell (unranked - declined), U Wisconsin-Madison (OOS #16 - declined), AVC (unranked - declined)
Accepted: UC Davis, Kansas, RVC, Glasgow
Attending: UC DAVIS!!!

Overall GPA: 3.39
VMCAS Science GPA: 3.26
Last 45 GPA: 3.58

GRE (Q/V/W): 162 (80%) / 158 (80%) / 4.2 (82%) - same GRE, didn't need to retake

Degree(s): BS in Animal Science from UC Davis at the time of my second application
Currently working on a Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensics from the UF CVM

Veterinary Experience: 848 hrs
Veterinary clinic for pets of people experiencing homelessness - 120 hrs
International Student Volunteer trip to South Africa working with cheetahs - 80 hrs
Small Animal Hospital - 84 hrs
UC Davis VMTH Foal Team working in the NICU - 100 hrs
Spay Day volunteer - 4 hrs
UC Davis VMTH Rehab Department - 160 hrs
Shelter Spay/Neuter Clinic - 260 hrs
VCA as a Doctor's Assistant - 40 hrs at the time of application

Animal Experience: 1362 hrs
Animal camp counselor working with exotics - 168 hrs
Shelter adoption facility - 80 hrs
Rabbit rescue volunteer - 40 hrs
Shelter Kitten Internship - 24 hrs
Farmhand work (farm animals + exotics) - 400 hrs
Pet sitting - 300 hrs
Fostering dogs with medical needs - 350 hrs

Research: 300 hrs
Cattle Emission Study - 168 hrs
Equine Phytoestrogen Repro Study - 40 hrs
BRSV Study - 26 hrs
Literature Review Research Project with a professor - 45 hrs
Kitten Ocular Disease Study - 21 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards: 4777 hrs - (note how most of these are from high school or hobbies!)
Vet Aide Club - 12 hrs
LGBTQIA Center volunteer - 80 hrs
President of High School Ambassadors - 20 hrs
Crafts for Change Club President/Creator - 120 hrs
Human Relations Camp Counselor - 585 hrs
Softball JV Captain - 1200 hrs
Volleyball JV - 1200 hrs
Vice President of High School Recycling Club - 60 hrs
Creative Writing - 500 hrs
Crafts/Crocheting - 1000 hrs
-------------------------------------
Dean's List Winter Quarter 2018
Dean's List Spring Quarter 2018
Jacket of Excellence 2015
CSF Delphian Honor Society 2012-2015
High School Class Rank #9 out of 550 students
NCTE Achievement Award in Writing 2014
Scholar Athlete Award 2011-2012

Non-Animal Employment: 1003 hrs
Silicon Valley Comic Con manager - 468 hrs
Convention worker - 300 hrs
Private tutor in biology - 45 hrs
Boys and Girls Club tutor - 90 hrs
Babysitting - 100 hrs

LORs:
Companion Animal Science Professor
Production Animal Science Professor - I also worked with him in the Cattle Emission Study
Veterinarian - Rehab department of the UC Davis VMTH. I also worked as a farmhand for her property and farm-sat (?) for 2 weeks
RVT - from my shelter Spay/Neuter internship
Companion Animal Science Professor - I also completed a research project with her for a class (therefore it did not count towards my research experience hours) on the effects of stress on male piglet reproduction
Program Director of Silicon Valley Comic Con - I asked for this letter to round my application out since I knew that she could attest to my leadership skills (I was a manager for this company)

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I wrote an explanation statement, which I think really boosted my application. My mom was diagnosed with cancer right around the time of my first application cycle. Then, as she was going through chemotherapy and surgery, I received all of my vet school rejections. I made sure to emphasize my perseverance and how I got through that dark period. In addition, I was diagnosed with cancer right before the second application cycle! I did submit everything before my own surgery, but it was still a bit of a turbulent time. My other essays addressed the veterinarian's oath and how I plan to uphold it. I specifically mentioned my interest in veterinary forensics, which is also something that helped me stand out. If you want more details or help crafting your essays, you can always message me and I'll do my best to help. And now for some bullet points!

• As you can see, during my first application cycle, my grades were low-average. Though my experience was highly variable (companion, food, equine, exotics, research, etc.), my hours were also low-average. After doing several file reviews, I was told that while I was a semi-strong applicant, I was just one of many semi-strong applicants competing with even stronger applicants. The only real recommendation I received was to take more upper division science classes and prove that I could handle them since my science GPA was low. This was definitely the plan! However, when my mom was going through all of her cancer stuff, I needed to be there with her, so I was constantly traveling back and forth between school and home while trying to balance my research job and study. My grades slipped a bit and I no longer had that upward trend that most vet schools favor. I was in that deep dark hole where I kept telling myself that I'd never be a vet because I was too dumb, and that I should stop trying. But!
• It was also my mom who inspired me to keep going. I pulled myself together, registered for an online immunology class during my last quarter of undergrad, got an A+ in that immunology class, got an A+ in my microbiology lab course (I had gotten a C in the lecture course when I was feeling low during a previous quarter - slight upward trend, right?), maintained all 5-6 of my internships/jobs (though I really REALLY wanted to quit), registered for the Veterinary Forensics Graduate Certificate Program with the University of Florida CVM, got a job at a VCA as a Doctor's Assistant, joined a new research project on Kitten Ocular Disease, and graduated on time. As of right now, I'm working full time at VCA and enrolled in my Veterinary Forensics courses. If I did not get in a second time, I planned to continue with my VCA job and extend my Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Forensics into a Masters degree by taking more courses.
• From 8 flat-out rejections to 9 interview invites (3 of which I had to decline), it was an incredible difference. Some of the biggest factors that made this difference probably included my explanation statement, the uniqueness of the Veterinary Forensics program, and how I showed my dedication to the field. I'm not saying that the explanation statement should be used as a crutch or an excuse. Rather, it should be used as a tool to demonstrate your ability to overcome hardship and face the tough realities of life. Nor should the Veterinary Forensics program be enrolled in just because it's new and cool. I made sure to mention in my essays that watching tv shows about animal cruelty as a tiny child inspired me to become a veterinarian in the first place, and now I'm working on coming full circle with it.
• Other things I did that helped me: I rewrote all of my experience descriptions to emphasize my contribution to the project/company/organization as well as what I learned from the experience. This was a tip that I heard that was specific to Michigan State, but I believe that it helped me with all of the other schools as well. Another school-specific tip that might have helped me with other schools was to add EVERYTHING (this was a Washington State tip). Everything from high school, no matter how small, was added, as well as hobbies. However, I made sure to only add hobbies that were meaningful to me, not just watching Netflix in bed with a pint of ice cream (great hobby!). For example, I listed crafting since I've done it for so many years and I created a club in high school, Crafts for Change, where we made crafts and donated the proceeds to a charity/organization of our choice. I also wrote about the importance of mental health (especially for veterinarians!) and how crafting really helps me in that regard. Connect ideas, talk yourself up, and mention (almost) everything!
• Something I didn't add was experience I gained during classes. Classes I took for my Animal Science major included a lot of experience working with farm animals and conducting research, but I've heard that you're not supposed to list this, so I didn't. Experience should be something you sought out yourself to do, and something that was not for a grade. However, if you know people who listed class experience and were fine, then go for it! I just wanted to explain why I didn't.
• I also had the maximum amount of letters of recommendation from people who truly cared about me and my path to being a veterinarian. As someone who did not stand out grades-wise, I needed as much reinforcement of my personal attributes as I could get.
• Apply to as many schools as you feel comfortable enough to and that you can afford. There's a lot of debate on this, but that's my take.
• I'd like to reiterate that my cumGPA and my last 45 GPA were both lower in my second cycle and my science GPA stayed the same. I didn't believe it before, but after succeeding the second time, I do think that at least a good chunk of the decision comes from how we represent ourselves outside of our numbers.
• Let me also mention that I had 6 Cs on my transcript. It was the quarter system, so this is equivalent to 4 semester Cs. 3 Cs in general chemistry, 2 Cs in organic chemistry, 1 C in microbiology. This held me back for schools that calculated their own prerequisite science GPA. For example, my VMCAS science GPA was 3.26, but for Iowa and Michigan, my science GPA was around 2.7-2.8. I shouldn't have applied to Iowa, as I didn't apply to Michigan again for this reason, but I think I had calculated my Iowa science GPA in a very creative way and convinced myself that it would be a 3.0. But on a positive note, all 9 schools that invited me to interview as well as Cornell and U Wisconsin-Madison who don't interview (11 out of my 15 schools) looked past these Cs and moved me to the next stage. I've been told by multiple people that you can't get into vet school with 2-3 Cs. Yes. You. Can. Obviously it played a huge part in the mass rejections I received my first cycle, but it's clearly not the end.
• That being said, getting rejection after rejection in the first application cycle was the absolute worst. After working towards becoming a veterinarian since I was in kindergarten, I just wasn't good enough. Every single one of my friends (and other people I knew who were applying my round) got in. Many of them got into UC Davis, my dream school (we were all UC Davis undergraduates). I felt worthless and dumb. I spent endless hours on SDN scrolling through the previous Successful Applicants pages, looking for lower GPAs and reapplicants. What did they do to get in? How did they do it? How do I do it?! Many of my sad posts are still floating around on last year's threads.
• For all of you who are feeling that way now, I really empathize with you and hope that this post helps a bit. You can always message me as well! It's okay to take some time to be sad and to eat too much ice cream, but remember pick yourself up again and keep going. It's not a question of IF you will be a vet, it's WHEN you will be a vet. And if, at the end of the day, you decide that you really don't want to be a vet anymore, that's completely fine too. You're not a failure in any way.
• I'm sure I'm leaving things out, but since this post is already irritatingly long, it's just as well. Be well, be safe! My inbox is always open.

Welcome! congrats!

 

[Mythical]

Congratulations on your acceptances but even more on your determination and hard work. These qualities are going to really help you not just in vet school but in work and life!

One thing I think is important to highlight is your excellent GRE quant score. I don’t know how much they are weighted at Davis, but I remember from talking with some admissions people at other schools that doing really well on the GRE - especially the quant portion - could make up for some less than stellar grades.

 

[doctor-who]

Congratulations on your acceptances but even more on your determination and hard work. These qualities are going to really help you not just in vet school but in work and life!

One thing I think is important to highlight is your excellent GRE quant score. I don’t know how much they are weighted at Davis, but I remember from talking with some admissions people at other schools that doing really well on the GRE - especially the quant portion - could make up for some less than stellar grades.

Thank you very much! Oh that reminds me - I wanted to share that I did take the GRE twice because of that stupid quant score. The first time I took it, my quant score was around 50%! The GRE gives you a random assortment of questions that get progressively harder depending on how you're doing. However, in my first try, I got all the weird theoretical questions, such as "if z is a number between 1-1000, what is a and b?" Absolutely no idea how to do those, especially in a timely manner. And I got a LOT of those! My verbal and written scores were both 80% and 82%, and I knew that quant mattered the most, so I retook it.

I was supposed to study a lot in the month between my two attempts, but I honestly procrastinated and didn't really. BUT - remember how I said that the GRE will generate random questions? THIS TIME, I got a LOT of algebra questions, and let me tell you, out of all the math, I can actually do algebra. Hence my 80% score on the second round. This is more evidence that the GRE is not a great way of measuring academic success, but is more a "luck of the draw" kind of test. So don't get discouraged when looking at my quantitative score. I'm not great at math (really). I think I just got lucky! Same written score (82%), slightly different verbal (it was 157 instead of 158, which was 76% instead of 80% - big percentage difference for a small numerical difference), but every single school I applied to took the highest GRE scores from each category, so it didn't really matter.

Also yes, I think it definitely did help with all the Cs in chemistry! I know that Cornell especially values GRE scores, and Davis values the quantitative score the highest. Different for every school though! Thank you again!

 

[kcope1599]

20, Male, Virginia, Traditional, 1st time applicant

Applied: Virginia-Maryland, The Ohio State, Iowa State, Mississippi State, and University of Florida
Interview Invites: 3, (Iowa State doesn't interview)
Waiting to hear: 0
Accepted: Virginia-Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa State
Attending: Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

Overall GPA: 3.92
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.8
Last 45 GPA: 3.88

GRE (Q/V/W): N/A

Degree(s): Animal & Poultry Sciences, BS

Veterinary Experience:
Small animal clinic- 600 hrs
Mixed Animal Vet- 20 hrs
Veterinary Pathologist-2 hrs

Animal Experience:
Shelter Work- 100 hrs
Cat Rescue- 30 hrs
Ranch Work- 20 hrs
Pardoned Presidential Turkey Care- 100 hrs
Pre-Veterinary Club work- 30 hrs
Pet Sitting- 200 hrs

Research:
Poultry Immunology Research- 100 hrs
Entomology Research- 200 hrs

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Pre-Veterinary Medical Association
Library Volunteer
Many community service projects
American Society of Animal Science Undergraduate Scholar

Non-Animal Employment:
Summer Intern with non-profit organization

LORs:
2 small animal veterinarians
Adviser/Research PI

 

[becomingdoctornia]

25, female, North Carolina resident, Non-traditional applicant, 1st time applying

Applied: NCSU, LMU
Interview Invites: LMU (canceled interview, which was scheduled for the end of this month)
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: NCSU
Attending: NCSU!

Overall GPA: 3.28
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.15
Last 45 GPA: ~3.00

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (50%) / 155 (69%) / 4.0 (59%)

Degree(s): Bachelors of Science in Animal Science, minor in Poultry Science 2016

Veterinary Experience: ~4100hrs
Small animal clinic Animal caretaker, promoted to Vet Assistant, started working here in high school - (~3000hrs)
Small animal clinic Vet Assist/Kennel Attendant (~450hrs)
Equine Repro Vet Assistant (~650hrs)

Animal Experience: ~3000hrs
Sport horse farm groom on breeding side, working with mares and foals (~1000hrs)
Thoroughbred breeding farm in KY - (~1000hrs)
Prestage Farms summer intern at sow farm - (350hrs)
Livestock Extension agent intern - (280hrs)
Foaling intern during undergrad - (~150hrs)
Volunteer in arthropod zoo at museum (~125hrs)

Research: No research experience

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Deans list x4
Collegiate Poultry Judging team member, 4th place at national competition
Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program
Institute for Future Ag Leaders
Kentucky Equine Management Internship

Non-Animal Employment:
Catering waitstaff- (~1500hrs)

LORs:
1. Small animal veterinarian
2. Equine veterinarian
3. Academic Advisor/Professor/Club Advisor


Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Tried to use my experiences as supporting evidence where possible, incorporated undergrad class choices, internships, and even my non-animal experience to show transferable skills from catering (ie customer service, attention to detail) to veterinarian medicine!

**** Also, NCSU has a space to explain events or circumstances that impacted academic performance. I was very, very hesitant to write anything here because I did not want it to come off as me looking for excuses, but I did have a string of unfortunate things happen to me all in one semester and my grades honestly were impacted. I decided to write a brief explanation of events and then something saying that I grew from and am in a better place after these events. Who knows if I would have gotten the same decision without writing this statement, BUT I wanted to include this in my post in case others were worried about the same thing as me.

I'm going to NCSU in the fall too!

 

[cffry]

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
26, Female, California/USA, Non-traditional, 1st time applicant

*NOTE: Before you go any further, I wanted to give a little shoutout to all the people working so, so hard trying to get in. YOU CAN! Anybody is free to message me to elaborate on my application, or to get some feedback on theirs. I went to 8 (EIGHT) colleges for my prerequisites. All it takes is resiliency and patience.

Applied: MWU, UW-Madison, Iowa, Oregon, Colorado, Auburn, Ross, SGU, Cornell, UMN, Mississippi, UAZ
Interview Invites: Ross, UAZ
Waiting to hear: -none-
Accepted: UAZ
Attending: UAZ

**Yes, I had 11 rejections. However, once I went UAZ for my interview, I realized how perfect of a fit it was for me, and it turns out that they feel the same. Post-interview, I knew UAZ was the perfect vet school for me.

Overall GPA: 2.91
Science Prerequisite GPA: ~2.7
Last 45 GPA: ~2.8

GRE (Q/V/W): x (4%) / y (26%) / z (57%) - I obviously bombed it

Degree(s): B.S. Agribusiness and Food Industry Management (May 2020)

Veterinary Experience:
Volunteered at 2 small animal clinics during my first year of college (~200 hours)
Worked at 4 small animal/exotic/mixed clinics (continuing, ~20,000 hours)
Equine vet that would come do emergency calls and preventative care for my own horses (~20 hours)
Manager of Operations of a mobile spay/neuter truck (~500)

Animal Experience:
Competitively showed Arabian horses for 12 years (~a billion)
4-H (~1,000 hours)
Delegate at the United States Youth National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (~20 hours)
Showmanship demonstration clinic (~10 hours)

Research:
None

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Youth National Hunter Seat Equitation Champion
10 National Top Tens
Deans List x 2
Black belt in karate
Certificate of Competency in Medical Terminology/Medical Administrative Assistant
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Reserve Champion (got me a scholarship)
Region 14 English Champion
Handler of Honor Champion
Rider of Supreme Honor Champion
Horseman of Supreme Merit Champion
High school golf team + First Place Putting Contest
Scholar Athlete

Non-Animal Employment:
None

LORs:
Veterinarian, personal friend - I grew up living next door to her, she's like a mentor
Veterinarian, currently working with x2
Professor - from my Agribusiness major

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
There are many career choices in veterinary medicine. What are your future career goals and why?
Talked about my interest in histopathology and genetics. Also talked about how I have an affinity for mixed animal medicine, incorporated examples of my time working with the farm animals at one of my community colleges.

In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
Talked heavily about my time being the manager of a mobile spay and neuter truck that served low-income communities.

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 posses and how have you demonstrated these in the past?
Gosh this one is hard to write with a character limit, isn't it? I discussed the team-building skills I have learned by moving from a VERY small animal hospital to a larger one that's AHAA accredited. Also talked about dealing with difficult clients that builds on my communication skills.

 

[sbrider12]

I remember, back in 2015, reading these types of threads on this forum to see if my dream was possible. Now, here I am!

When I graduated from my primary undergrad I had a 2.84 GPA, but when I went back to school (non-traditionally) with a clear goal, I maintained a 4.00 GPA. Hopefully, individuals can see from my successful application that it's never too late to reinvent yourself.

I applied to an astronomical number of programs, as I was keen to "get started" and had no idea what my chances were. I do not recommend this as it was a logistical nightmare (confirming various aspects of my non-trad application per program), though I do think there is merit in applying to a number of options.


30, male, California, non-trad, first-time applicant


Applied: Auburn, Colorado State, Cornell, UC Davis, Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, K-State, LSU, Michigan State, Midwestern, UMN, Mississippi State, UPenn, Purdue, Ross, St. Georges, Tufts, Western
Interview Invites: UC Davis, K-State, Midwestern, UMN, Mississippi State (withdrew prior), Ross (withdrew prior), St. Georges, Tufts, Western
Waiting to hear: I was waitlisted at UC Davis and Midwestern, but was never contacted
Accepted: Iowa State, K-State, LSU, UMN, St. Georges, Tufts
Attending: UMN

Overall GPA: 3.25
Overall Science: 3.67
Baccalaureate Science: 3.13
Post-Baccalaureate Science: 4.00
Last 45 GPA: 4.00

GRE: Q 163 (82%) / V 161 (88%) / W 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s):
University of California, Santa Barbara: Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, 2012
No Degree but attended California State University, Long Beach from 2016-2019 for the overwhelming majority of pre-vet prereqs

Veterinary Experience (at the time of application):
480 hrs at Small Animal Vet Hospital as an employed Vet Assistant/Kennel Assistant
270 hrs at the same Hospital as above as a volunteer

33 hrs with the non-profit World Vets as a Pre-Vet Student in Nicaragua - primarily surgery prep
"The International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program student program by World Vets"

56 hrs at Small Animal and Exotics Vet Hospital as an Observer (shadowing)


Animal Experience:
I only listed Veterinary and Non-Animal Experience. I did not list pet ownership.

Research:
None currently.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Various Team Sports and Training Muay Thai
2018: ACS Polymer Chemistry Award (CSULB dept of Chem and Biochem): top student in school for Organic Chemistry
2017: Admission to Membership: Mensa (SRA Non-Verbal Reasoning Test - Raw Score 44 - Percentile Rank 99)
2007: School Finalist 2006-07 National Hispanic Recognition Program: Based on GPA in HS and my racial background
2006: School Winner AMC 12: top score in my HS for a test from the Mathematical Association of America

Non-Animal Employment:
2016-Present: Volunteer Data Entry at my father's private practice Pediatric Medical Group
2014-2016: Account Executive at an electronics manufacturer
2013-2014: Marketing Coordinator at same electronics manufacturer
2013-2013: Associate at same electronics manufacturer
2012-2013: Volunteer Data Entry at my father's private practice Pediatric Medical Group (while I, unsuccessfully, applied to become a Police Officer)
2008-2008: Convenience Store at UCSB

LORs:
Veterinarian & Owner of Small Animal Vet Hospital where I am employed
Veterinarian who attended the same World Vets program
President & Owner of the electronics manufacturer I worked at
Organic Chemistry Professor that nominated me for the departmental award
Organic Chemistry Lab Instructor who only awarded two students an A in her lab
General Chemistry Professor who taught my summer session (15 weeks of material in 6 weeks, lab and lecture four days a week)


Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

I'm going to be very brief in answering this section because it's my opinion that you should write your essays to be 100% genuine and unique to your own story. I promise you that my essays were much better than they'll seem based on the responses below.

1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
General goals, because having specific goals prior to school would be premature, for me.
2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
Spoke about direct treatment and zoonotic infections.
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?
Resourcefulness and Communication Skills

BIG SHOUTOUT TO MY DOG, ZEUS, MY PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, SIBLINGS, FRIENDS, AND GIRLFRIEND, ALICE, WHO ALL SUPPORTED ME GREATLY DURING MY APPLICATION PROCESS

 

[LJV118]

24 year old, Male, Minnesota resident, traditional, 2nd time applicant (took gap year between applications)

Applied: Minnesota
Interview Invites: Minnesota
Accepted: Minnesota
Attending: .....Minnesota!

Overall GPA: 3.51
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.58
Last 45 GPA: 3.93

GRE (Q/V/W): 159 (72%) / 156 (73%) / 4.5 (82%)

Degree(s): Bachelor of Science: Biology major, chemistry minor

Veterinary Experience:
- Veterinary assistant at two different small animal clinics (~3000 hours combined)
- Performing necropsies at wildlife rehabilitation center (90 hours)
- Shadowing large animal vet (4 hours)

Animal Experience:
- Boarding staff at small animal clinic I assisted at (700 hours)
- Mammal nursery intern at wildlife rehabilitation center (380 hours)
- Squirrel nursery crew leader at wildlife rehabilitation center (70 hours)
- Dog adoption support, Animal Humane Society (90 hours)

Research:
- None

- Extracurriculars/Awards:
- Stayed active with intramural sports and as a member of biology/chemistry club in undergrad
- Dean's list each semester (besides freshman year)
- Played baseball freshman year until injury ended that.


- Non-Animal Employment:
- Meat market employee
- Sales associate at leather store
- Driver for Instacart
- Note taker for student with learning disabilities

LORs:
- Veterinarian who owned main clinic I work for
- Office manager for that same clinic
- Manager at Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
PM if you want info on them

First application (2 years ago) Applied to UMN, Iowa State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, was denied OSU and Wisco, waitlisted at ISU (never made it off) and denied after an interview at UMN. Did a file review with UMN (which I highly recommend if you have been denied anywhere) and took their advice to retake some classes, get more diverse experiences, and prepare more for the interview. I still felt like a really average applicant going into this application cycle, but I really think them seeing that I took their recommendations and followed through with them helped my chances. If anyone has any questions on specifics let me know!!

 

[Wolfie<3]

I remember, back in 2015, reading these types of threads on this forum to see if my dream was possible. Now, here I am!

When I graduated from my primary undergrad I had a 2.84 GPA, but when I went back to school (non-traditionally) with a clear goal, I maintained a 4.00 GPA. Hopefully, individuals can see from my successful application that it's never too late to reinvent yourself.

I applied to an astronomical number of programs, as I was keen to "get started" and had no idea what my chances were. I do not recommend this as it was a logistical nightmare (confirming various aspects of my non-trad application per program), though I do think there is merit in applying to a number of options.


30, male, California, non-trad, first-time applicant


Applied: Auburn, Colorado State, Cornell, UC Davis, Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, K-State, LSU, Michigan State, Midwestern, UMN, Mississippi State, UPenn, Purdue, Ross, St. Georges, Tufts, Western
Interview Invites: UC Davis, K-State, Midwestern, UMN, Mississippi State (withdrew prior), Ross (withdrew prior), St. Georges, Tufts, Western
Waiting to hear: I was waitlisted at UC Davis and Midwestern, but will not be waiting to hear from these schools
Accepted: Iowa State, K-State, LSU, UMN, St. Georges, Tufts
Attending: UMN

Overall GPA: 3.25
Overall Science: 3.67
Baccalaureate Science: 3.13
Post-Baccalaureate Science: 4.00
Last 45 GPA: 4.00

GRE: Q 163 (82%) / V 161 (88%) / W 4.5 (81%)

Degree(s):
University of California, Santa Barbara: Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, 2012
No Degree but attended California State University, Long Beach from 2016-2019 for the overwhelming majority of pre-vet prereqs

Veterinary Experience (at the time of application):
480 hrs at Small Animal Vet Hospital as an employed Vet Assistant/Kennel Assistant
270 hrs at the same Hospital as above as a volunteer

33 hrs with the non-profit World Vets as a Pre-Vet Student in Nicaragua - primarily surgery prep
"The International Veterinary Medicine (IVM) Program student program by World Vets"

56 hrs at Small Animal and Exotics Vet Hospital as an Observer (shadowing)


Animal Experience:
I only listed Veterinary and Non-Animal Experience. I did not list pet ownership.

Research:
None currently.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Various Team Sports and Training Muay Thai
2018: ACS Polymer Chemistry Award (CSULB dept of Chem and Biochem): top student in school for Organic Chemistry
2017: Admission to Membership: Mensa (SRA Non-Verbal Reasoning Test - Raw Score 44 - Percentile Rank 99)
2007: School Finalist 2006-07 National Hispanic Recognition Program: Based on GPA in HS and my racial background
2006: School Winner AMC 12: top score in my HS for a test from the Mathematical Association of America

Non-Animal Employment:
2016-Present: Volunteer Data Entry at my father's private practice Pediatric Medical Group
2014-2016: Account Executive at an electronics manufacturer
2013-2014: Marketing Coordinator at same electronics manufacturer
2013-2013: Associate at same electronics manufacturer
2012-2013: Volunteer Data Entry at my father's private practice Pediatric Medical Group (while I, unsuccessfully, applied to become a Police Officer)
2008-2008: Convenience Store at UCSB

LORs:
Veterinarian & Owner of Small Animal Vet Hospital where I am employed
Veterinarian who attended the same World Vets program
President & Owner of the electronics manufacturer I worked at
Organic Chemistry Professor that nominated me for the departmental award
Organic Chemistry Lab Instructor who only awarded two students an A in her lab
General Chemistry Professor who taught my summer session (15 weeks of material in 6 weeks, lab and lecture four days a week)


Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

I'm going to be very brief in answering this section because it's my opinion that you should write your essays to be 100% genuine and unique to your own story. I promise you that my essays were much better than they'll seem based on the responses below.

1. There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
General goals, because having specific goals prior to school would be premature, for me.
2. In what ways do veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
Spoke about direct treatment and zoonotic infections.
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?
Resourcefulness and Communication Skills

BIG SHOUTOUT TO MY DOG, ZEUS, MY PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, SIBLINGS, FRIENDS, AND GIRLFRIEND, ALICE, WHO ALL SUPPORTED ME GREATLY DURING MY APPLICATION PROCESS

Congrats!!!!!! So awesome reading these stories. Just a random question; what made ya choose UMN over everything else?

 

[sbrider12]

Congrats!!!!!! So awesome reading these stories. Just a random question; what made ya choose UMN over everything else?

You can find a lot of similar positive aspects at many schools, but here is just a short list off the top of my head:

• Great graduate network (med school, public health school, CIDRAP, etc.) for interdisciplinary studies
• Great location (Twin Cities metropolitan area provides a large and varied caseload)
• Interesting clubs (as with most schools)
• Enjoyed my application process with them the most (tied with Iowa State, Tufts, and K-State)
• Teaching Hospital
• Raptor Center
• Local Zoos and other wildlife/exotic opportunities

I also really liked Iowa State, K-State, and Tufts. LSU seems great, but it's probably the school I know the least about. St. Georges was the first school to accept me, and I will always be grateful for that.

It would have been nice to have in-state tuition at UC Davis, but that's not my only criteria when it comes to choosing a school.

Also, I enjoy the Midwest (was assigned to the Midwest & Canada region during my previous employment and spent time in MN multiple times) and, importantly, have family & relations there.

In the end, I choose the place I feel I will be most happy at, and the place I feel I was meant to be.


Edit: Also, I recently got accepted to their DVM/MPH program!!! Which was a big part (did not mention this earlier because I did not want to jinx it).

 

[TrashCat]

I can’t believe that I got accepted and get to post here This is seriously so exciting.

I’d say the biggest takeaway from my application is: it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Really, though. I got rejected from 3 out of 4 schools I applied to, AND got waitlisted at my dream school. Still got in!! It can happen. Don’t give up!

23, F, MD Resident, Traditional applicant although I did take 2 years off since undergrad, First cycle

Applied: VMCVM, Tennessee, Ohio, UPenn
Interview Invites: VMCVM
Waiting to hear: None
Accepted: VMCVM
Attending: VMCVM!!!

Overall GPA: 3.56
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.31 <--- Hahahaha. Wow
Last 45 GPA: 3.76

GRE (Q/V/W): 153 (49%) / 156 (73%) / 5.5 (98%)

Degree(s):
-Bachelor’s in Biology
-A few undergrad credits after graduation from community colleges

Veterinary Experience:
Veterinary Assistant at small animal practice (4000 hrs) -- full time for 2 years, part time for last year in college
Shadowing vet at shelter (16 hrs)

***After submitting application, e-mailed w/ update: Shadowing equine vet (8 hrs)

Animal Experience:
Volunteer at Animal Shelter (1000 hrs)
Dog Sitter (21 hrs)

Research:
Intern and Research Assistant (2000 hrs) – Started as an intern summer before junior year, then continued the project on my own thereafter during the school years through winter break of senior year. My project focused on crayfish – field collection & laboratory data entry, then my continued research was in the lab focusing on genetics (dissection, DNA extraction, PCR, cloning, electrophoresis, analyzing sequencing data) & poster presentation

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Co-President of College Women’s Leadership Group
Co-Founder and VP of College Health Professionals Club
College Student Government Association Senator
Junior Year College Class Treasurer
GSE Member
BBB Member and Treasurer
Dean’s List
College Honors Program Graduate
College Biology Freshman Award (Book award)
College Biology Junior Award (Scholarship for research)
Varied college academic scholarships (3)
Bioscience academy (HS)
Top 5% (HS)
AP Scholar with Distinction (HS)
Honor Roll (HS)
Editor-in-Chief Yearbook (HS)
Varsity Pom Squad (HS)
Varsity Softball Team & Captain (HS)
NHS (HS) – Organized a supply drive for local animal shelter & personally delivered supplies

Non-Animal Employment:
Retail clothing store (136 hrs)
Volunteer at homeless shelter (30 hrs)

LORs:
Chief of Staff (Veterinarian)
Veterinarian
Veterinarian
Research advisor/Professor of Biology
Volunteer coordinator at shelter
Professor of Physics

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
My essays focused a LOT on the importance of practicing vet med before all else because I believe experience is what makes a good vet. I gave many personal stories from my own experience – both related to my veterinary experience and in extracurriculars/life. But I emphasized that no matter what I actually end up doing in my career, I want to directly help pets and strengthen the human-animal bond. I thought the most important role vets play is liaison between animals and humans – one health! Discussed my main goal was to fulfill this role and bridge the gap between species. I mentioned wanting to make vet care more affordable/accessible & possibly owning a low-cost vet clinic. Then discussed how vet med is evolving and the work I do may change but the goal should remain the same. I want to spread the mentality of feeling responsible for the lives of animals. As far as attributes, I focused on perseverance, creativity, and empathy. I again gave examples from my own experience for each trait.

My explanation statement explained an incomplete grade I had (because my school transcript shows an I and the grade instead of just the grade) & talked about my weakest semester. A very close family member passed away RIGHT before exams that semester. Also discussed why I took time off from school before applying.

 

[JJ Bittenbinder]

Congrats @TrashCat, so exciting!!!

 

[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: I have not decided yet, PLEASE HELP!!

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.

I have decided to attend The University of Missouri CVM!!

 

[SouthernVet2024]

I did it! So excited!!!

Age:22, Gender: Female, State of Residence: Georgia, Traditional, First-time applicant

Applied: Virginia Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, UGA, Auburn, Tennessee, U of Florida, Mississippi State, Ross, St. George, Purdue, Midwestern
Rejected: Virginia Maryland, Missouri, Michigan State
Interview Invites: Auburn, U of Tenn, U of Florida, Midwestern, Purdue, Mississippi State, Ross, St. George, Ohio (declined due to interview date conflict),
Waitlisted: Tenn, Iowa
Waiting to hear: None, (declined St. George before the decision came)
Accepted: University of Florida, Auburn, UGA, Mississippi State, Purdue, Ross, Midwestern
Attending: UGA!!!!

Overall GPA: 3.78
Science Prerequisite GPA: VMCAS: 3.78; *individual school calculations varied
Last 45 GPA: 3.94
GRE (Q/V/W): 147(26%) / 142(16%) / 3(15%). Standardized testing has always been my nemesis but thankfully it did not stop me from reaching my goal!

Degree: Bachelor of Science- Poultry Science

Veterinary Experience:
Summer Internship: National Aviary Hospital- 440 hrs
World Vets International Veterinary Medicine Program (Otavalo, Ecuador) - 70 hrs
Animal Clinic(s)- Small animal private practice- 228 hrs
Gelding Clinic- 6 hrs

Animal Experience:
4-H Therapeutic Riding & Activity Center- 48 hrs
Poultry Science Laboratory Experiences- 156 hrs
Oktibbeha County Humane Society- 16 hrs

Research:
Poultry science research- 200 hrs

Extracurriculars:
CALS Ambassador- Senior year
College student-athlete: Mississippi State Cheerleader- 4 years
Sorority- 4 years
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Certification- 20 hrs
Poultry Science Club member/Officer- 600 hrs

Awards:
President’s List 4 semesters; Dean’s List 2 semesters
Academic Excellence Scholarships
Golds Gym Scholarship
Spirit Group Leaders Scholarship
Multiple scholarships awarded from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Key Club Scholarship

Non-Animal Employment: N/A

LORs:

• Director/Lead vet from my summer internship
• Director of Spirit & Fan Engagement
• Poultry Science Professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
For the VMCAS general essays:
-I talked about my potential career pathways and how my academics were essential to me and that they had a significant impact on my journey to become a veterinarian.
-Discussed how as a vet, I have the responsibility of helping patients and clients, but that the job goes beyond the walls of private practice.
-I talked about the linking together of human and veterinary medicine.
-I discussed my communication skills, strong leadership, etc. I focused on my undergraduate experiences and my positive attributes that I have gained through these experiences; authentic, ability to make compassionate connections, and my time management skills since I had a very busy schedule balancing cheerleading practice and game, sorority obligations, course load, club meetings, research, and personal time.
** There were numerous supplemental application questions for all the schools I applied to as well!

*To prepare for interviews:

• I reviewed the practice questions from SDN for each school
• I worked with the Career Center at my school and had a mock interview
• I worked closely with the vets I had my summer internship with and had mock interviews with them as well.

 

[becomingdoctornia]

I can't believe I get to post in this forum! Congratulations to my fellow Class of 2024 Candidates

23, F, NC Resident, Non Traditional (I took 2 gap years after college), 1.5 Times

First Cycle
Applied: Ohio, Michigan, NC State
Interview: None
Rejected: Ohio, Michigan
I pulled my application from NC State before I heard back. I had an issue with one of my prereqs so I knew I wasn't going to be able to accept an offer there

Second Cycle
Applied: Tuskegee and NC State
Interview Invites: Tuskegee
Accepted: Tuskegee and NC State
Attending: NC State

Overall GPA: 3.46
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.12
Last 45 GPA: 3.76

GRE (Q/V/W): 151 (42%) / 151 (52%) / 3 (17%)

Degree(s): BS in Psychology w / a Spanish minor

Veterinary Experience: 5220 hrs
SA: 4900 hrs. LA: 240 hrs. Equine: 50 hrs. Exotic: 360
Vet Assistant in small animal private practice.
Shadowing in large animal and equine
Vet tech in small animal and exotics
Vet Camp during high school

Animal Experience: 2214 hrs
Volunteering at animal shelters
Helped train service dogs
Pig farrowing volunteer

Research: 400 hrs
Muscular dystrophy lab assistant
Swine lab assistant

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Deans List last 4 semesters
Wildlife study abroad trip to Australia
Multicultural certification
Scholarship Pageant Winner
Executive board for college mentors for kids
PreVet Club

Non-Animal Employment:
In college: Phone representative for a storage company and tutor for student athletes my last 2 years
Post grad: Vet assistant at a small animal practice for 2 years

LORs:
PreVet Advisor
Doctor at small animal practice where I was a tech
High school teacher

 

[GreenTeaPython]

Congratulations to those who have heard happy news already! Please post your stats to help other applicants as the acceptances roll in. The format from years before is posted below.

Age, Gender, State/Country of Residence, Traditional/Non-traditional applicant, # of times you've applied
Male, 23, California resident, traditional, first time applying.

Applied: Oregon State, UC Davis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Colorado State University, Tufts, Cornell
Interview Invites: UC Davis (waitlisted after interview ), Tufts (turned down interview)
Waiting to hear:
Accepted: Oregon State, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Attending: Oregon State

Overall GPA: 3.9 something
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.85
Last 45 GPA: 3.85

GRE (Q/V/W): x (%) / y (%) / z (%)
75% / 91% / 92%

Degree(s): BS Global Disease Biology

Veterinary Experience:
Experience - (hrs) 500~ish
Behavioral observation and medical care of research calves
Experience working in veterinary diagnostics (IFA, Hemagluttination tests)

Animal Experience:
Experience - (hrs) 400~ish I think
Dairy goats care, wildlife rehabilitation, more cattle experience,

Research:
Experience - (hrs) - 200-300~ish?
Work in zoonotic disease epidemiology research, led to two publications.

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Experience - (hrs) Various small scholarships, Dean’s list a few quarters, two research publications

Non-Animal Employment:
Experience - (hrs)

LORs:
Title of recommender (Vet? Manager? Supervisor? Vet tech?) Former science professor (DVM), PI of lab I worked in (DVM), PI of other lab I did an internship for, other science professor

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
Summary of what you wrote about - Focused a lot on One Health and veterinarians’ importance in maintaining the safety of human-animal interactions as well as biomedical research since that was a good chunk of my experience (I honestly forgot what most of the questions were)
[/QUOTE]

 

[mo309]

I am so very happy to be able to write this I also would be happy to help with anyones essays/apps for this cycle, just message me if ya want!!

21/f, Rhode Island resident, Traditional applicant, first time applying

Applied: Colorado State, Cornell, Tufts, Michigan State, VA-MD, PEI, Guelph, Wisconsin, Illinois
Interview Invites: Waitlisted to interview at VA-MD, Colorado State, Tufts, Michigan, PEI, Guelph, Illinois (declined my interview)
Waiting to hear: Waitlisted at Cornell and Wisconsin
Accepted: Colorado State, Tufts, Michigan State, PEI, Guelph
Attending: Colorado State!

Overall GPA: 3.59
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.52
Last 45 GPA: 3.68

GRE (Q/V/W): 83% / 49% / 92%

Degree(s): Dual major in Biology and Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Also in my college's Honor's Program.

Veterinary Experience: veterinary shadowing/interning, two part-time jobs as a vet assistant (at a GP/exotics and ER facility), short-term shadowing/internships in equine and large animal, intern with a zoo veterinarian
Experience 1556 hours

Animal Experience: years of horseback riding, exotic pet ownership, wildlife rehab internship, pet sitting, shelter volunteer, worked with goats and alpacas at a local farmers market
Experience - 750ish hours

Research: Literature review research on canine cognition, video coding for human-animal interaction videos
Experience - 150 hours

Extracurriculars/Awards: high school sports, NCAA Division I soccer through college
Experience - 1480 hours

Non-Animal Employment: worked part-time at my family's restaurant since the age of 14- waitress, cook, hostess, server
Experience - 3186 hours

LORs: 4
Title of recommender: I received 2 from veterinarians - one I had interned with and then worked for, and one who I actually lived with over the course of a summer to intern at his clinic next door. I also received one from the professor I do research for and one from another professor who runs a very hands-on animal learning lecture and lab class that I took.

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:

For my essays I focused on telling a story rather than reiterating what I had already said in my app. I focused on small moments within vet med that really explained my love for it in different facets. I tried to combine what I was doing in undergrad with what I hope to do in the future and sound optimistic but realistic in terms of knowing how the field really is. I think it was my essays that really helped my application along as they definitely brought a really personal touch to my application.

 

[kittylady03]

finally decided to post here!
21 year old female, Rhode Island resident, traditional applicant (first-gen student), 1st time applying

Applied: Tufts, Minnesota, UPenn, Purdue
Interview Invites: Tufts, Minnesota
Waiting to hear: -
Accepted: Tufts, Minnesota
Attending: Tufts!!!

Overall GPA: 3.74
Science Prerequisite GPA: 3.63
Last 45 GPA: 3.88

GRE (Q/V/W): 158 (67%) / 155 (68%) / 4.0 (57%)

Degree(s): B.S. in Animal Science, Psychology minor

Veterinary Experience:
mostly shadowing experiences, AVM program at Tufts, volunteer at a low-cost spay neuter clinic, shadowing clinics in Egypt, extern at an emergency equine hospital (104 hours at time of application, 115 hours over January break that Tufts added to my app)

Animal Experience:
multiple animal shelters, worked at an equine stable, dog walking, pet sitting, volunteer at local zoo (228 hrs)

Research:
biomedical research, animal nutrition research with dairy cows, honors senior thesis project (154 hrs at time of application)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
Sigma Alpha professional agricultural sorority, involvement in University's Honors Program, Middle Eastern Cultural Association (820 hrs)
also had many scholarships and Dean's List multiple semesters (except the semester of orgo 1 lol)

Non-Animal Employment:
a lot of food service jobs, University libraries, undergraduate TA for a cell culture lab (2,224 hrs)
my parents' also own a small coffee shop that I've "worked" at since I was six (I didn't add these hours but mentioned this in my essays)

LORs:
I think I went a little crazy here: pre-vet advisor, research advisor, veterinarian at low-cost spay neuter clinic, English professor. not sure if the English professor's LOR helped, but I knew her since my freshman year and she definitely knew all about my passions in vet med

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I believe what helped me stand out was I focused a lot on my goals of practicing vet med in Egypt. I discussed how I have personal family ties there, and how a recent trip opened my eyes to the realities of their vet med field. I also wrote about how I hoped to be a driving force in improving their clinics and the quality of medical care for all animals.
for the supplemental questions, I talked about my family dynamic, my cultural background, and the family business. I tied everything together by showing why I am who I am because of all this.