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I don't know too much about the schools you're applying to, but it looks like you're in a decent place! Your GPAs are a little below average, but not bad. Your quantitative GRE score is a little low, which I think UC Davis looks at, but I don't know if you'd have time to take it again for this cycle. But that's great your scores improved from last time! You have a TON of experience, which is great! I'd say definitely be prepared to explain in interviews why you're wanting to move on to vet school after being a tech for so long. It sounds like all your experience is SA, so you might try for some LA or exotics experience for some variety. You've got some interesting extracurriculars, which is nice (my uncle has decorated Rose Parade floats and it sounds really fun!).Hello everyone! I'm back again looking for some advice. I went through my first round of applications last year with no success, so I'm back at it again and want to try to target my application towards schools that are likely (all digits crossed) to accept me based on my stats. My in-state is UC Davis, but I'm not sure if I am competitive enough to get in. I'm also looking at Cornell, CSU, and possibly Ross.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
28 yro female
BS in Biochemistry earned 2015
Cumulative GPA: 3.50*
Science: 3.30
calculated overall GPA: 3.35 - 3.55 (ranges depending on the school)
I worked full time while completing my Bachelor's while supporting my family financially for years which inadvertently caused my academics to suffer a little.
GRE
Test date Verbal Verb % Quantitative Quant %
07/25/17 - Q 151 V 158 AW - TBT
I re-took the GRE today and did much better than before! WOO.
Veterinary/ Work:
Low end estimate 30,000 / high end 40,000 hours of hands on experience in shelter, clinical, hospital, and emergency levels.
- GP - for 14 years, mostly 4-5 days a week x 10-12 hours a day almost no vacation time.
- Neonatal nursery - on/off for about 2 years
- Hospital - 2 years at 5 days a week/ 3-4 hours a day (swing shift) then 3 days a week for a year (same hours)
- Specialty - on call, I have accumulated ~40 hours since I started last month
Animal / Volunteer
Volunteered at Best Friends Animal Society, LA - Neonatal Ward (~25 hours)
Local animal S&N 501/Nonprofit group (~200 hours)
Local church volunteer work (~200 hours)
General home care for pets / Hospice care / In-home care for special needs animals
Tutoring
Research
Entomology & Ecology - paper published in Ecology & Evolution (~4 semesters)
Extracurricular
Local rescue
Rose Parade float decorator - 3 years
Sew and sell stuffed plush squids / small business on Etsy
Math, Science and English tutor
Honors/awards
Dean's list for 4 years (undergrad/ AA)
President' Honor List for 2 years (undergrad/ AA)
Special Congressional Recognition Award
Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society Permanent Member since 2011
Potential eLORs:
4 - From veterinarians that I have worked with for years at various facilities
1 - From a local 501 c3 non-profit animal rescue founder and writer that I have worked with for years.
1 - my research professor (and author of the published paper)
I've been told NOT to use so many eLORs this year. Is this the general consensus?
*re-calculated from last year, it was higher than I thought
It sounds like you're on the right track! If you can keep that 4.0 GPA that's awesome, and you should have a good amount of experience by the time you apply. If you can get a bit more LA/mixed animal experience for some variety that would put you in an even better place. As long as you rock the GRE, continue building relationships with vets and professors so you can get some strong LORs, and keep up the good work in your classes you should have a pretty strong application! Maybe consider doing some kind of unique animal internship or joining another club or two in order to set yourself apart.Hey everyone! So I will be starting my junior year at undergrad in August and will be applying for vet school may of 2018 for the next cycle. I wanted to get yalls opinion just to see if I'm headed in the right direction and see how my chances would be for applying. I currently still have a 4.0 GPA and I work at a small animal animal hospital and have 700+ hours working since November and I will continue to work there until graduation. I have about 12 hours shadowing a mixed animal vet and other animal experience hours through volunteering at a shelter. I will be taking the GRE this winter so I don't have a score on that but I bought the Kaplan GRE book and have started studying that. I'm also involved in my schools pre-vet club and have multiple service hours volunteering through my church. How does all this look towards applying and being accepted into vet school? Thanks in advance.
I don't know too much about the schools you're applying to, but it looks like you're in a decent place! Your GPAs are a little below average, but not bad. Your quantitative GRE score is a little low, which I think UC Davis looks at, but I don't know if you'd have time to take it again for this cycle. But that's great your scores improved from last time! You have a TON of experience, which is great! I'd say definitely be prepared to explain in interviews why you're wanting to move on to vet school after being a tech for so long. It sounds like all your experience is SA, so you might try for some LA or exotics experience for some variety. You've got some interesting extracurriculars, which is nice (my uncle has decorated Rose Parade floats and it sounds really fun!).
As far as the number of LORs, I've heard it's better to have three strong positive ones than, say, four strong positive ones and two generic ones. So if none of the schools you're applying to require six letters, and some of the letters might be slightly generic or redundant, you might want to cut those. Also keep in mind that some schools will only read three letters, and may not let you choose which three if you submit more (I'm not sure if that's the case for any of the schools you're applying to). However, I would advise asking at least four people for letters, in case something goes wrong with one and they aren't able to submit (been there, done that).
I'm gonna call in @PippyPony and @raf2769 to comment on Tufts and Penn. Can't recall anyone at Virginia Tech off the top of my head, and I believe @SandstormDVM goes to Iowa. The longer it's been since I applied the more out of the loop I feel on some of the school specifics.@WildZoo Tufts and UPenn are my top two. I'm considering Iowa state as well and possibly Virginia Tech. I'm still looking into a 5th school to apply to. Do you have other suggestions of where I may be more competitive?
@flameshock goes to VT.I'm gonna call in @PippyPony and @raf2769 to comment on Tufts and Penn. Can't recall anyone at Virginia Tech off the top of my head, and I believe @SandstormDVM goes to Iowa. The longer it's been since I applied the more out of the loop I feel on some of the school specifics.
From a general standpoint, your gpa is about average for accepted students at most schools. Are any of your veterinary experiences ongoing? I think that's where I would put my focus - getting more experience.
Thanks for the tag, dubzI'm gonna call in @PippyPony and @raf2769 to comment on Tufts and Penn.
Science GPA looks on the low side for Tufts, and you may be on the cusp for overall, too. However, I think they'll like that you went to Villanova and will probably view GPA a bit more favorably in light of the reputation of the school.Chances for this cycle?
Undergrad: Villanova University (recently named a top 50 college in the country)
cGPA: 3.5
sGPA 3.3
Last 45: 3.6
Have you taken a practice test with the writing component? Tufts is one of the few schools that actually does care about the writing score. Otherwise, quant looks a bit low (I don't quite remember the percentiles, but I think you'll want to try to get that up to closer to your verbal, at least). Verbal is within the median, I believe.major: biology
minors: classics and economics
GRE: practice test score v: 156 and q: 152... taking the real ones in a few weeks
So, 425 cumulative hours? That's on the low side, but I think that's similar to what I had at the time of application (I'd have to check). However, I was also employed and therefore was accumulating hours after the application cycle. Are any of your experiences still ongoing?Vet Experience:
300 hours as a veterinarian's assistant at a small animal hospital
75 hours shadowing a large/small animal veterinarian in Belize:
o Performed spays and neuters on a variety of livestock and domestic animals.
o Demonstrated basic suture skills and general understanding of tissue handling, suture patterns, and suture material.
o Administered vaccinations to dogs, cats, cows, horses, pigs, and sheep.
o Learned basic diagnostic and therapeutic management procedures of cows, horses, pigs, and sheep.
o Obtained basic understanding about the science of and applications to animal husbandry, feeding, growth, health, reproduction and breeding, and animal welfare issues.
50 hours of shadowing a conservation veterinarian in Belize:
o Trained, followed feeding schedules, and socialized with animals while practicing various enrichment and education techniques with keepers at the Belize Zoo.
o Discussed ecology, conservation, and general issues related to wildlife in Belize focusing on jaguar, jabiru stork, tapir, and howler and spider monkeys.
o Observed and assisted during a jaguar root canal operation.
o Discussed various wildlife research techniques and methods in relation to conservation.
Just wanted to say that I think it would be good to clearly delineate the work you did in the research lab when it comes time to describing that on your app. I think this is probably the right spot for it (vs research), but you still have exposure to a research environment, and that's potentially a richer story than a caretaker job elsewhere.Animal Experience:
o Worked for 3 months as an animal caretaker in a research lab and was responsible for the husbandry of mice, rats, and zebra fish
o 100+ hours volunteering at a local animal shelter
o 20 hours as a dog walker
I feel like Tufts will really like all of these things. Just like any other university with a liberal arts core...they appreciate well-rounded applicants who have interests and strengths outside of vet med. I'd imagine Penn is the same.Academic:
Dean's List multiple semesters
Track and Field All Academic Team every semester (I run D1 track at villanova)
Extra Curricular:
Outdoors Club
Student-Athlete Tutor
Do you know what you're interested in doing after school? And what is drawing you to Tufts & Penn?
Chances for this cycle?
Undergrad: Villanova University (recently named a top 50 college in the country)
cGPA: 3.5
sGPA 3.3
Last 45: 3.6
major: biology
minors: classics and economics
GRE: practice test score v: 156 and q: 152... taking the real ones in a few weeks
Vet Experience:
300 hours as a veterinarian's assistant at a small animal hospital
75 hours shadowing a large/small animal veterinarian in Belize:
o Performed spays and neuters on a variety of livestock and domestic animals.
o Demonstrated basic suture skills and general understanding of tissue handling, suture patterns, and suture material.
o Administered vaccinations to dogs, cats, cows, horses, pigs, and sheep.
o Learned basic diagnostic and therapeutic management procedures of cows, horses, pigs, and sheep.
o Obtained basic understanding about the science of and applications to animal husbandry, feeding, growth, health, reproduction and breeding, and animal welfare issues.
50 hours of shadowing a conservation veterinarian in Belize:
o Trained, followed feeding schedules, and socialized with animals while practicing various enrichment and education techniques with keepers at the Belize Zoo.
o Discussed ecology, conservation, and general issues related to wildlife in Belize focusing on jaguar, jabiru stork, tapir, and howler and spider monkeys.
o Observed and assisted during a jaguar root canal operation.
o Discussed various wildlife research techniques and methods in relation to conservation.
Animal Experience:
o Worked for 3 months as an animal caretaker in a research lab and was responsible for the husbandry of mice, rats, and zebra fish
o 100+ hours volunteering at a local animal shelter
o 20 hours as a dog walker
Academic:
Dean's List multiple semesters
Track and Field All Academic Team every semester (I run D1 track at villanova)
Extra Curricular:
Outdoors Club
Student-Athlete Tutor
@WildZoo Tufts and UPenn are my top two. I'm considering Iowa state as well and possibly Virginia Tech. I'm still looking into a 5th school to apply to. Do you have other suggestions of where I may be more competitive?
19yo, Female, AZ resident, 1st time applicant
Applying to: MWU-Glendale*
*Yes, only one I'm applying to due to personal family complications/medical restraints.
AGEC-S from community college, will not be entering with an official B.S. if accepted this cycle.
Cumulative GPA (not including PF/including): 3.87/3.89
Science GPA (not including PF/including): 3.83/3.86
Last 45 GPA (not including PF/including): 3.83/3.91
These do not include 3 courses (Ochem 1/2 & Principles of Biochem), which I will be taking this Fall/Spring.
I don't know if they'll even factor my online Penn Foster courses into my GPAs so I've included what they would be with/without those being considered.
GRE: 150Q, 155V, 5W
Veterinary Experience (~7900 hrs)
- 5300 hours CSR/vet asst./vet tech at an AAHA accredited small animal/exotic/wildlife hospital.
- 2000 hours managing vet tech at a mobile, low-cost small/large animal/exotic veterinary clinic (and counting.)
- 330 hours intern at local humane society (community reach out, animal experience, veterinary experience, etc.)
- 240 hours CSR/vet tech at small animal clinic
Animal Experience (~6000 hrs)
- 6000+ hours volunteer experience for my local humane society (doesn't nearly include my hours for fostering pregnant dogs/litters of puppies for 4 months at a time, parvos, etc. - was done prior to undergrad, started when I was 12yo)
Extracurricular:
- Hair and Makeup Board Position for my HS Theatre Department for 3 years.
(I'm noticeably weak in this area, my extracurricular was predominantly theatre and volunteering for local shelter)
Research:
- N/A, for my B.S. senior capstone I opted to do Fieldwork Experience, which I did at my place of employment (the AAHA hospital)
(I have no research experience, however this is where I would like to expand upon in vet school, so it does look weird I didn't try to get any
Work Experience:
- N/A, all work experience has been animal/veterinary related.
Honors and Awards:
- All attending semesters on Dean's List
- President's Volunteer Service Award
- U.S. House of Representatives Award
- Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
- Heart of (hometown name here) Outstanding Young Leader Award
LOR:
- Veterinarian from the practice I've spent the majority of my time at. Washington State graduate, family friend.
- Veterinarian from newer practice I started working at, from Israel.
- My HS biology teacher, mentored me through college courses, has a MS in Biology
- Humane Society volunteer coordinator that helped me start volunteering when I was ~ 12yo.
Hey I'm really not sure who to ask but I just took my GRE today and was unhappy with my score: 153V 154M
My GPA could also be better 3.36, last 45 is 3.62. I know its not that high but Brown University only has A, B, C, no credit (no pluses and minuses) which can really bring down your GPA. I also have my master's from Brown in biotechnology (4.0) and I want to know how much weight that will carry as an applicant.
I have about 1,000 hours of animal experience.
2 vet references (large and small), 2 professors from Brown (also worked inter labs), and a vet-tech/shelter coordinator (fostered kittens).
I have many extracurriculars including D1 athlete, working at shelters, etc.
I'm planning on retaking the GRE in 3 weeks and studying for about 20hr/week. I feel like my chances of getting into vet school are contingent on my GRE scores. I don't know anyone in the vet field that can give me advice on this matter so literally anything will help. I'm really hoping to get into UPenn (IS) but will gladly go anywhere that will accept me. If someone could tell me my chances of getting accepted anywhere that would be great.
Thanks!
How many hours of veterinary experience do you have? And what is your sGPA?
Your app looks solid! Great hours and GPA's. GRE is a little low but your other stats will probably offset it, though not sure how much emphasis MW puts on it.
Side note: 7,900 hours of vet experience seems really high. That would mean almost 4 years of full time work. Not saying you don't have that! Just know someone is probably gonna look at it and say "19 years old and 7,900 hours? Hmmm."
I'm feeling a little discouraged lately and am questioning how my stats look. Any advice and encouragement is warmly welcomed!
29 years old. Non-traditional. North Carolina resident (originally from New Hampshire though). 4th time applicant this cycle (YIKES!)
B.S. in Biomedical Science and Microbiology minor in 2013
Overall GPA: 3.28
Science: 3.16 – 3.24 (depending how you calculate it)
Last 45: 3.49
GRE: V 149, Q 151, AW 4
Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Clinic: ~ 5000 (as a veterinary assistant at 2 animal hospitals)
Small Animal/Bird/Wildlife/Exotic Clinic: ~6000 (worked here for 4 years)
State's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab: ~300 (as a Microbiology lab assistant)
Avian Only Clinic: 20 hours (and counting!)
Small Animal Rehabilitation Clinic: 12 hours
Animal Experience:
Kennel and Doggie Daycare Supervisor: ~10,000+
Horseback Riding for 15+ years
Barn/lesson Volunteer at a Therapeutic Riding Center: ~200
SPCA Barn Volunteer: ~30
Wildlife Center Volunteer: ~20
Fostering/socializing stray kittens last summer and this summer. I successfully rehabed a stray kitten with contracted tendons in her front legs who could not walk or stand over this summer.
Research:
Evaluated the quality of drinking water at the public water works for a semester for my Aquatic Microbiology class
Work Experience:
Library Assistant
TA for General Microbiology lab during my undergraduate
Rock climbing teaching assistant
Awards:
Dean's List for 2 semesters
Canine CPR and First Aid Certified
Extracurricular:
Agility, nose work, and obedience with my rescued boarder collie mix
Equestrian Team in high school
Fish keeping
Choir Singer for 10+ years
Traveling (I've traveled internationally extensively)
Swimming/rock climbing/mountain biking/kayaking/camping, ect.
LOR:
DVM/practice owner that I currently work for
Associate DVM that I currently work with
Training director/agility instructor/facility owner that knows me very well for 2+ years
(I've been out of touch with all of my professors and think they'll just write a generic letter if I ask them at this point)
I didn't do so well my first couple years of college (I was homeschooled prior to college and also had a speech disorder which made the transition to college hard for me) but my grades significantly improved my senior year. I feel pretty ashamed of my below-average GPA and GRE and worry that's my biggest downfall when I apply to vet school (again) this cycle. I was originally planning on retaking a few of my prerequisites that I got C's in over this summer but, unfortunately, my finances kept me from taking more than one class at a time. Instead, I've focused on getting more veterinary experience in areas other than general practice when my work schedule allows.
Side note: I also stutter and being able to work as a veterinary assistant and communicate with clients and the DVM's has been one of the biggest challenges I've had to overcome and the greatest accomplishment in my life. I attended a two-week intensive speech therapy program after finishing my undergraduate and now devote a couple nights a week hosting conference calls to fellow alumni of the program where we give each other feedback and advice on our fluency skills.
My first time straight out of undergrad, I applied to Tufts and Penn State only. The last couple times I applied only to NC State (first try I was considered OOS, second try I was IS.)Where have you applied in the past?
I'm feeling a little discouraged lately and am questioning how my stats look. Any advice and encouragement is warmly welcomed!
29 years old. Non-traditional. North Carolina resident (originally from New Hampshire though). 4th time applicant this cycle (YIKES!)
B.S. in Biomedical Science and Microbiology minor in 2013
Overall GPA: 3.28
Science: 3.16 – 3.24 (depending how you calculate it)
Last 45: 3.49
GRE: V 149, Q 151, AW 4
Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Clinic: ~ 5000 (as a veterinary assistant at 2 animal hospitals)
Small Animal/Bird/Wildlife/Exotic Clinic: ~6000 (worked here for 4 years)
State's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab: ~300 (as a Microbiology lab assistant)
Avian Only Clinic: 20 hours (and counting!)
Small Animal Rehabilitation Clinic: 12 hours
Animal Experience:
Kennel and Doggie Daycare Supervisor: ~10,000+
Horseback Riding for 15+ years
Barn/lesson Volunteer at a Therapeutic Riding Center: ~200
SPCA Barn Volunteer: ~30
Wildlife Center Volunteer: ~20
Fostering/socializing stray kittens last summer and this summer. I successfully rehabed a stray kitten with contracted tendons in her front legs who could not walk or stand over this summer.
Research:
Evaluated the quality of drinking water at the public water works for a semester for my Aquatic Microbiology class
Work Experience:
Library Assistant
TA for General Microbiology lab during my undergraduate
Rock climbing teaching assistant
Awards:
Dean's List for 2 semesters
Canine CPR and First Aid Certified
Extracurricular:
Agility, nose work, and obedience with my rescued boarder collie mix
Equestrian Team in high school
Fish keeping
Choir Singer for 10+ years
Traveling (I've traveled internationally extensively)
Swimming/rock climbing/mountain biking/kayaking/camping, ect.
LOR:
DVM/practice owner that I currently work for
Associate DVM that I currently work with
Training director/agility instructor/facility owner that knows me very well for 2+ years
(I've been out of touch with all of my professors and think they'll just write a generic letter if I ask them at this point)
I didn't do so well my first couple years of college (I was homeschooled prior to college and also had a speech disorder which made the transition to college hard for me) but my grades significantly improved my senior year. I feel pretty ashamed of my below-average GPA and GRE and worry that's my biggest downfall when I apply to vet school (again) this cycle. I was originally planning on retaking a few of my prerequisites that I got C's in over this summer but, unfortunately, my finances kept me from taking more than one class at a time. Instead, I've focused on getting more veterinary experience in areas other than general practice when my work schedule allows.
Side note: I also stutter and being able to work as a veterinary assistant and communicate with clients and the DVM's has been one of the biggest challenges I've had to overcome and the greatest accomplishment in my life. I attended a two-week intensive speech therapy program after finishing my undergraduate and now devote a couple nights a week hosting conference calls to fellow alumni of the program where we give each other feedback and advice on our fluency skills.
I started working full time when I was 15 and the managing tech position is a part time job I've head for that entire time, which probably explains why it's so high, that's also a rounded up number. I'll be getting my time cards from over the years to ensure accuracy (this all was estimated between me and my bosses) so I'll definitely be sure to skim through those carefully. Thank you so much for the help!
How do you work full time when you are 15? I thought federal law limits you to work about 20 hours a week maximum for anyone under 16
The first time I applied immediately post-graduation to Tufts and Penn State as I was living in NH at the time and had no IS school. Tufts gave me a file review over the phone and said that my GPA was on the low end for OOS applicants and recommended that I get more veterinary experience (I had only been working at an animal clinic for 2 months at the time I applied so I feel that the LOR that I asked for from one of the DVM's was not the strongest). I took a two year gap year where I moved down to NC and eventually landed a job at another veterinary clinic down here. I applied to NC state for my second attempt as an OOS student and didn't realize that my GPA was below their cutoff (stupid me for not double checking!). I did not get a file review at that time. I applied once again to NC state last year as an IS applicant and got to their second round of application reviews before getting rejected again. I did have an individual review session where I was told to retake my GRE, get more varied experience, and boost up my last 45 credit hours if possible (I met the minimum GPA requirement though).Reading this I had a few questions:
Where have you applied in the last four cycles and how far have you gone in the process? Did you interview anywhere? Were you wait listed? Did you have a file review(s) available to you and did you take advantage of it/them? If so, what did the admission people suggest as areas of improvement?
Is your GPA reflective just of coursework you completed in 2013 and earlier? If not, what have your grades looked like since then?
I'm gonna call in @PippyPony and @raf2769 to comment on Tufts and Penn. Can't recall anyone at Virginia Tech off the top of my head, and I believe @SandstormDVM goes to Iowa. The longer it's been since I applied the more out of the loop I feel on some of the school specifics.
From a general standpoint, your gpa is about average for accepted students at most schools. Are any of your veterinary experiences ongoing? I think that's where I would put my focus - getting more experience.
Thanks for the tag, dubz
Science GPA looks on the low side for Tufts, and you may be on the cusp for overall, too. However, I think they'll like that you went to Villanova and will probably view GPA a bit more favorably in light of the reputation of the school.
Have you taken a practice test with the writing component? Tufts is one of the few schools that actually does care about the writing score. Otherwise, quant looks a bit low (I don't quite remember the percentiles, but I think you'll want to try to get that up to closer to your verbal, at least). Verbal is within the median, I believe.
So, 425 cumulative hours? That's on the low side, but I think that's similar to what I had at the time of application (I'd have to check). However, I was also employed and therefore was accumulating hours after the application cycle. Are any of your experiences still ongoing?
I think they'll like the work in Belize. They're really big on international experiences. I'm sure you've looked into this, but there are tons of opportunities to do similar things while in school -- they placed a really big emphasis on it during the interview day. A lot of Tufts vets also go on to work internationally.
Just wanted to say that I think it would be good to clearly delineate the work you did in the research lab when it comes time to describing that on your app. I think this is probably the right spot for it (vs research), but you still have exposure to a research environment, and that's potentially a richer story than a caretaker job elsewhere.
Are any of these still going on at the moment? Overall these hours look a bit low as well (although I'm probably a bad person to comment on animal experience because mine were skewed from years of horseback riding, so I'd try to get feedback from others on this front).
I feel like Tufts will really like all of these things. Just like any other university with a liberal arts core...they appreciate well-rounded applicants who have interests and strengths outside of vet med. I'd imagine Penn is the same.
Overall I think you have a decent shot -- just try to nail the GREs and bump up those hours a bit more if you can.
Do you know what you're interested in doing after school? And what is drawing you to Tufts & Penn?
UPDATED!
21 year old, Female, New York resident, 2nd time applicant
Applying to: Cornell (IS), Illinois, VAMD, Purdue, Minnesota, Mizzou, LMU, WSU?, Colorado?, St.George's?
B.S in Animal Science, Minor in Business May 2017 from Cornell
Cumulative GPA: 3.42
Science GPA: ~3.3
Last 45 GPA: 3.75
GRE: taking again in about a week (last year I got 154 V 157 Q and my practice test scores have been improving since then so fingers crossed!)
Veterinary Experience (~1750 hrs)
- 1300 hours shadowing, then working as a vet assistant and receptionist at an AAHA accredited small animal hospital (and counting...)
- 200 hours volunteer at equine emergency hospital
- 200 hours vet assistant at small animal clinic in a rural, low-income area
- 50 hours took a class taught by a veterinarian about dairy cattle health, learned how to perform physical exam/take blood/deliver calves/etc
Animal Experience (~7100 hrs)
- 7000+ hours equestrian/horse show groom/working in horse barns (it's actually way more than that but I'm not including hours from when I was really little lol)
- 60 hours volunteer at wildlife rehab center (and counting...)
- 30 hours taking care of pigs/sheep/chickens/goats for a class
Research:
- 30 hours working on a primate behavior study
Extracurricular:
- Varsity athlete in college (took up 15-25 hours of my week, depending on if we were in season or not)
- Sorority member, was very involved in philanthropy events
- Pre-Vet club
- Teaching assistant for two classes
Work Experience:
- Office assistant at a medical office for about 2 years, made lots of phone calls (people skills!!!)
- Librarian assistant for a year
- Student caller for my school's annual fund (again, people skills!!)
Honors and Awards:
- Four semesters on Dean's List (final 4 semesters)
- Two-time Ivy League champion for my sport
- "Team Player" award from my team (for exhibiting high sportsmanship and leadership qualities)
- Various awards and scholarships from high school
LOR:
- Veterinarian from the practice I've spent the majority of my time at. He's a Cornell graduate and has been my mentor since high school.
- Veterinarian from rural small animal practice
- My pre-vet advisor and professor for two classes that I took
- My coach: she'll be able to speak well about my leadership and personal qualities
I don't think anyone has responded to you yet, and I could always just FB message you, but either way ...
I think your app is really solid for schools that put emphasis on last 45. Of the schools you listed, I'm not 100% on which do, but you could always look that up.
Most of my knowledge lies with Cornell, as I'm sure yours does--has your cumulative GPA gone up since last cycle (I'm assuming so due to the last 45)? A 3.4 is obviously below average for them, but they accept people in the 3.0-4.0 range (I'm sure you know all this, just trying to be encouraging lol), and I think as a second-time applicant, along with some really compelling/unique essays, you could have a decent chance with them as well since you're IS. Cornell really likes translatable skills--so if you have a unique hobby, like something artistic for example, try to take that and relate it to how it would make you a better vet. They also love the verbal section of the GRE for some reason, and the director of admissions recommends 70th+ percentile. I've seen people with high verbal scores but pretty mediocre stats otherwise get in. Supposedly verbal scores correlate with success in their program.
A lot of what I've said is probably stuff you've already heard, so I'm sorry if it's a bit redundant. I know that if it were me, I'd just want someone to reaffirm the things that I already know to give me some extra hope
You got it this cycle!! Your last 45 is great and you have some great experiences. I think you're applying to more this cycle than last(?), so of course that increases your chances as well. I'm rooting for you!!
For your GRE score I would not worry too much about it for ISU and Missouri as it only accounts for a small percentage of your total evaluation especially because your GPA high. CSU I would be slightly concerned as an out of state applicant about your GRE score just because of the high volume of applicants that are OSS applying there. I cannot speak to your other schools, I would imagine NC would be similar to CSU due to the high volume of OSS applicants. I would check with the schools and see when the deadline is to get them scores. If you truly think you can do better the second time go for it. If not it will probably be a slight hindrance for some schools but your GPA is good which helps offset it.Hi everyone! I need some feedback, specially with my GRE. I am planning on retaking it, but since my first attempt was on July 29th I have to wait 21 days to retake it. I think that would be on August 20th. Thank you so much in advance!!
I am a 23 year old female, moving out to Indiana on August 10th, so hopefully I will be evaluated with the in-state cohort.
I was born and brought up in Puerto Rico. I graduated this year and will be a first time applicant.
Applying to: Cornell, Missouri, Purdue, UF, CSU, Iowa, NCS
Bachelors on Integrative Biology.
Cumulative GPA: ~ 3.9 VMCAS (3.88 transcript)
Science GPA: ~ 3.9 VMCAS
Last 45 GPA: 3.89 VMCAS
GRE: Q: 148 V: 152 W: (I still haven't received the scores)
Veterinary Experience (752)
- 664 Small animal clinic 664 hours
- 88 CPRC “Caribbean Primate Research Center” (I worked with non-human primates taking blood samples, giving them their vaccine shots and bathing the baby primates.)
Animal Experience (127)
- 104 Center of manatee Conservation (Prepared food and fed the manatees every morning. I also kept an eye to the quality of the waters)
- 15 Horses (It was a shelter for horses, so I helped with the cleaning of the cages and showering them)
- 8 Cattle farm (shadowing)
Research (986)
- 8. Poster presentation at the 25th Puerto Rico Neurosciences Conference
- 20. Poster presentation at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) in Long Beach, CA. It was for a whole weekend
- 360. REU Internship at San Jose State University, CA (I worked with mice to see the effects of inflammation on muscle mechanical properties)
- 88. CPRC “Caribbean Primate Research Center” (I also did research here. We used to do necropsies on the primates to determine the causes of morbidity and mortality).
- 510. Ecological research of the demography and photobiology of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornis.
Extracurricular: (514)
- Suture Workshop
- 240. Organic chemistry Tutoring
- 40. Veteran’s Hospital Department of cardiology and Surgery
- 68. Biology Tutoring
- 80. General Chemistry Workshop I helped with.
- 38. Salsa dance classes.
- 8. Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
- 40. Volunteer work needed for high school graduation.
Work Experience: (368)
- 160 Summer Job with the local government
- 48. Low Cost Pet Mobile Vaccination
- 160 Lab assistant
Honors and Awards:
- Accepted abstract and granted a travel scholarship to attend and present at SACNAS, Long Beach, CA.
- REU Program scholar, RUMBA program at San Jose State University
- Dean’s list (2012-Present)
- “Who’s who among students in American Universities and Colleges”, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars University of Puerto Rico Chapter (2014-2015)
- Editing of an Organic Chemistry school writing book.
- Acknowledgement in a PhD thesis for my work done at the ecology lab.
- Accepted and attended at the school specialized on theater “José Julián Acosta” (middle school)
- Accepted and received piano and choir classes at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, San Juan, P.R. (elementary school)
Clubs/Organizations:
- Member of the Pre-Vet Student Association (08/2014-Present)
- Member of Airam, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (08/2015-Present) {An organization for students who want to be doctors}
- Representative of the Natural Sciences Faculty at the General Student Council of my university (08/2016-Present)
LOR:
- DVM who I worked with
- Biology professor
- Organic chemistry professor
- Research PI
Hey everyone! I am asking the following questions for my wife, so please bare with me. We are both applying to our in-state program (I am a pre-med and she is pre-vet), but she hit a bump in the road this semester and I wanted to see if there are any tips/advice that I can give her.
Long story short, she finished her associates degree when she was 22 and worked in a hospital as a medical coder. Now she is getting her BS degree in Animal Science and has been doing great in all of her classes. Her mom received some bad news this semester, and my wife devoted a lot of time to care for her. In doing all of that, her grades dropped and she received 2 C's in Physics and Orgo I. If I'm not mistaken, her GPA was around a 3.75 (I honestly can't remember at the moment). After talking with her she agreed to take the semester off and focus on her GRE, mental health, and gaining more animal experience. These are her stats so far that I can remember:
Applying to: Florida, Michigan, Auburn, Arizona, MSU, and University of Wisconsin.
Cum GPA: 3.6 (after C's)
Science GPA: 3.2-3.3ish
Last 45: She still has Orgo II and Biochem and 20-30 hours of her BS degree left to finish
GRE: Taking it this Fall
Vet Experience: 1,000 small animal, 100 large animal.
Extra Curricular's: A lot of involvement with a local ministry, SGA rep during college, helped to host a telethon for leukemia patients at St. Jude's Hospital.
LOR's: -Small animal vet she works with
-Two of her Professor's at her University
-A gentleman that assist with the admission process at the vet school she is applying to.
What are her chances of getting into vet school? I feel so helpless because she doesn't have any friends that are vets that can give solid advice. Other than retaking the C's in Physics and Orgo, what else does she need to work on? Thank you guys!
That is correct. She is applying next year and her in-state school is Auburn. Awesome. Michigan will be a big move for us, but you gotta do, what you gotta do lol. Also, will the GRE be a determining factor? She took a practice test a while back and scored relatively high, but she believes that it won't help that much.Two C's aren't going to break her chances if the rest of her application is decent. There is a section of the application that is used to explain any issues like what you describe. I'm assuming she isn't applying until next year. Which school is her in-state school? Her cGPA is competitive for most schools, although science is on the low side. Michigan State only looks at last 36 credits + science GPA so if she can do well next year she should be in good standing with them.
Some schools, Michigan state included, don't even look at the gre anymore so it wouldn't help much there unfortunately.That is correct. She is applying next year and her in-state school is Auburn. Awesome. Michigan will be a big move for us, but you gotta do, what you gotta do lol. Also, will the GRE be a determining factor? She took a practice test a while back and scored relatively high, but she believes that it won't help that much.
Thank you so much for the reply. I could have sworn I replied to this comment, but I must have been sleep deprived lol. Other than good grades, etc... Is there anything that vet schools look for specifically on an application? I'm not gonna lie, becoming a veterinarian seems crazy hard. Applying to medical school seems easy now, compared to what you guys go through lol.Some schools, Michigan state included, don't even look at the gre anymore so it wouldn't help much there unfortunately.
Not sure which schools put heavier weight on it
Lot of experience! I'm not sure about the relative difficulties because as has been discussed before it has more to do with the availability of vet schools versus med schools. But all in all I believe you should be proud if you get into either .Thank you so much for the reply. I could have sworn I replied to this comment, but I must have been sleep deprived lol. Other than good grades, etc... Is there anything that vet schools look for specifically on an application? I'm not gonna lie, becoming a veterinarian seems crazy hard. Applying to medical school seems easy now, compared to what you guys go through lol.
I know each school is different and each application year is different but I am curious what the public thinks my chances are of getting in. I took the GRE's Twice last year and got pretty much the same score both times. I got a C in an prep chemistry class and in Chemistry 1 and from then on all A's and B's. ( I had a rough freshman year). I am taking an Animal Nutrition class to be able to apply to Purdue and North Carolina.
I applied last year to UPenn, Michigan, Tufts, Virginia-Maryland, and Colorado with no success. This year I am applying to all plus Purdue and North Carolina.
24 years old. Pennsylvania resident.
Graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology and Minor in Chemistry.
Overall GPA: 3.4
Science: 3.41
Last 45: 3.62
GRE: V: 148; Q: 144; W: 3.0
Veterinary Experience:
Small Animal Hospital: ~ 1200(as a veterinary assistant)
Small Animal Clinic: ~200
Animal Experience:
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: ~350
Assistant Groomer: ~416
Equine Worm Tester and Lesson Volunteer at a Therapeutic Riding Center: ~122
Wildlife Center Volunteer: ~335
Work Experience:
Veterinary Assistant (at small animal hospital)
Laboratory Assistant (at a microbiology lab)
Equine Worm Tester caring of animals at a Therapeutic Riding Centerr
Research:
Undergraduate research with professor on Antibacterial Properties of Turmeric and presented at PA State Capitol
Undergraduate research on Lyme Disease Prevalence in Dog Breeds
Extracurricular:
Horse and Rider Club President in College
Aerial Silks Dancer
Brazian Jiu Jitsu
Summer VETS Program at UPenn
Awarded Who's Who Among Students in 2016
Deans list fall 2015
Honors list spring 2016
Thanks so much =)
I am applying to Virginia, Michigan and now Purdue and they don't require GRE scores. that's weird about NC state because looking at their average GRE scores they seem to be a little more lenient with their GRE score range and my scores are close.. My plan is to take the GRE's again next summer if I don't get accepted anywhere this year. The problem with other VET experience where I live is that the only other vet experience I can get is large animal. I should look into that. thanks for the info =]I'd recommend getting more diverse veterinary experiences. Unless you think you can raise your GRE significantly, I'd focus on places that are not looking at GRE anymore (Michigan State, Virginia, someplace else I forget?). NC-State is going to be tough for you honestly. There were people last year not getting in with near perfect GPA/GRE scores.
nah. Not worth it. You've shown you learned by your continued grades.Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice on my application and specifically whether or not to use the VMCAS explanation statement. I am a post-bacc student and my stats are as follows:
Cum. GPA = 3.59
Science GPA ~ 4.0
Last 45 = 4.0
GRE: 160V/160Q
My transcript from my 4-year degree (graduated in 2009) shows 2 F's and 1 W from summer/winter session courses, each from separate semesters during 2007 and 2008 where that was the only course I was enrolled in. None of the courses are science prerequisites -- all core for my BS degree. Basically, my time management sucked back then for accelerated online courses and I didn't complete them. I have had nearly a 4.0 in the 100 credit hours since then and A grades in all my prerequisite science courses. Should I use the statement to explain these grades? They stand out like a sore thumb, but at the same time I wonder if my grades since then and the 10 years that have passed have redeemed myself enough on their own.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts or input!
Definately not use the explanation statement. I would however encourage you to apply to Davis, and other schools that like Last 45 and Science GPA. Two others that come to mind are Iowa and Kansas. And of course your IS. Where are you thinking of applying?Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice on my application and specifically whether or not to use the VMCAS explanation statement. I am a post-bacc student and my stats are as follows:
Cum. GPA = 3.59
Science GPA ~ 4.0
Last 45 = 4.0
GRE: 160V/160Q
My transcript from my 4-year degree (graduated in 2009) shows 2 F's and 1 W from summer/winter session courses, each from separate semesters during 2007 and 2008 where that was the only course I was enrolled in. None of the courses are science prerequisites -- all core for my BS degree. Basically, my time management sucked back then for accelerated online courses and I didn't complete them. I have had nearly a 4.0 in the 100 credit hours since then and A grades in all my prerequisite science courses. Should I use the statement to explain these grades? They stand out like a sore thumb, but at the same time I wonder if my grades since then and the 10 years that have passed have redeemed myself enough on their own.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts or input!