WAMC First Time Applicant!

[FutureDrMP]

Hello! I am a first time applicant and a senior this year in my bachelors.

21, F, FL, Traditional, First Application

Applied to: Cornell, Ohio, Colorado, and UF


Overall GPA: At the moment, 3.508. Hoping to end with a 3.53
Science Prerequisite GPA: Current 3.33. Hoping to end with a 3.42
GPA Explanation:
I was all A's and Deans List for the first 3 semesters of college, but I started to drop a bit in grades in my sophomore spring. I've gotten a few C's and have had to retake Orgo 1 (However I went from a D to an A), but after getting diagnosed and treated for my ADHD I am back to A's and B's.

Degree(s): B.S. Biology in the Pre-Vet and Zoology Track

Veterinary Experience:
- 820 hours of Veterinary Experience (I have achieved more since applying though)

• Worked as a Veterinary Assistant/Veterinary Technician at a small animal practice.
• Shadowed an equine veterinarian and a mobile small anima veterinarian.

Animal Experience:
- 1130 hours of animal experience

• Worked as a Kennel Technician at a small animal practice (No direct contact with veterinarians).
• Volunteered with horses for a special needs riding program.
• Zookeeping 101 Camp at Busch Gardens Tampa

Research: None

Extracurriculars/Awards:

• Member of my school's Pre-Veterinary Society
• Member of my high school FFA chapter. Held multiple officer positions including President.
• Sang in choir
• Danced for 15 years and competed nationally.
• Member of my high school Vet Assisting Program
• Certified Veterinary Assistant
• Bright Futures Scholar
• 6th place individual at the 2019 FFA Vet Assisting CDE
• Greenhand FFA Degree
• Valencia College Deans List Twice
• UCF Deans List 4 times
• Graduated HS with 3.5 unweighted GPA
• Pegasus Gold Scholarship at UCF

Non-Animal Employment:

• Event Coordinator at the Florida Veterinary Medical Association
• Sales Associate at Dover Saddlery

LORs:
- Veterinarian: Past Employer (Small Animal Practice)
- Employer: Executive Director of Florida Veterinary Medical Association
- Teacher: Evolutionary Biology Professor
- Employer: Past Practice Manager (Small Animal Practice)
- Julie Scardina: Past employee and ambassador for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
I talked in my personal statement about my experience with visiting different zoological facilities and how that inspired my love of animals. I discussed my passion for animal welfare, conservation, and the connection between animal and human health. I listed kindness as one of my strengths and noted my excitement at working with others who share the same passions as me.


Q: With Cornell and Colorado being the last schools I will hear from, I wanted to know if I actually have a chance at getting in since I have already been denied from my in-state UF and Ohio. I appreciate any and all feedback!

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[supershorty]

Hey @FutureDrMP, I’ll give you some feedback later when I have a moment, but we strongly recommend not posting your entire personal statement like this for a bunch of reasons. Consider editing it to just be a summary of what you talked about in it.

 

[FutureDrMP]

Hey @FutureDrMP, I’ll give you some feedback later when I have a moment, but we strongly recommend not posting your entire personal statement like this for a bunch of reasons. Consider editing it to just be a summary of what you talked about in it.

Thank you! I summarized my essay like you said. Thanks for the tip!

 

[abbielovescats]

Hi! From what I know about cornell and Colorado and when I applied 2 years ago, they are more focused on higher gpas and research. As well as those are more in state skewed for acceptance rates. Not saying it won’t happen since there are people that are admitted from out of state. Just may be a bit more challenging.
Your extracurriculars and hours are good. Your gpas are similar to mine when I applied and got accepted to 4 schools. I made sure to apply to places that were more out of state friendly and gpas matter less. Ohio state is a good one, I go there now, so def see where you can improve for that school when they give feedback . I also liked Michigan state, LIU, LMU.
I would also suggest just gaining hours and maybe even getting some volunteer hours that are not animal based. I did a lot of volunteering with the community which I think was good.
Make sure your personal statement isn’t too broad and really specific and you give specific examples in your life that support your claims.
Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[FutureDrMP]

Hi! From what I know about cornell and Colorado and when I applied 2 years ago, they are more focused on higher gpas and research. As well as those are more in state skewed for acceptance rates. Not saying it won’t happen since there are people that are admitted from out of state. Just may be a bit more challenging.
Your extracurriculars and hours are good. Your gpas are similar to mine when I applied and got accepted to 4 schools. I made sure to apply to places that were more out of state friendly and gpas matter less. Ohio state is a good one, I go there now, so def see where you can improve for that school when they give feedback . I also liked Michigan state, LIU, LMU.
I would also suggest just gaining hours and maybe even getting some volunteer hours that are not animal based. I did a lot of volunteering with the community which I think was good.
Make sure your personal statement isn’t too broad and really specific and you give specific examples in your life that support your claims.
Let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you so much for the feedback!! I'm already looking into ways I can get some volunteer hours or different job experiences if I don't get in this time. I'm also looking into my current universities Masters program for Biology, which would involve me doing some research, which I haven't done yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for these two, but I knew going in it doesn't always happen first time around. Here's to hoping though!! Happy holidays 😁

 

[abbielovescats]

Thank you so much for the feedback!! I'm already looking into ways I can get some volunteer hours or different job experiences if I don't get in this time. I'm also looking into my current universities Masters program for Biology, which would involve me doing some research, which I haven't done yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for these two, but I knew going in it doesn't always happen first time around. Here's to hoping though!! Happy holidays 😁

That sounds great! I had taken a gap year to gain more hours and things like that before applying so I get that!
I was going to do a masters program but decided not to after speaking to a vet school. They had said that my gpa was high enough and I had what you had. They seemed to think that to just increase my animal hours. Before spending more money, unless the grad programs will be paying you, I would make sure it’s financially beneficial. As well as most programs are 2 years so to finish you’d have to wait one more year if you don’t get it in this cycle.
I think it’s definitely possible this coming cycle, but really consider your options.
Happy holidays!

 

[jees]

Veterinary Experience:
- 820 hours of Veterinary Experience (I have achieved more since applying though)

• Worked as a Veterinary Assistant/Veterinary Technician at a small animal practice.
• Shadowed an equine veterinarian and a mobile small animal veterinarian.

Hey! Your application looks awesome. Just wanted to say, I would use caution when calling yourself a technician unless you have your license. Title protection is a very hot topic in vet med right now, and I would try to avoid any misconceptions.

 

[FutureDrMP]

Hey! Your application looks awesome. Just wanted to say, I would use caution when calling yourself a technician unless you have your license. Title protection is a very hot topic in vet med right now, and I would try to avoid any misconceptions.

Thank you! Yeah, I made clear that I was being trained as a technician under my hospital, but that I wasn't licensed. I know there's a lot going on right now. Thanks for the feedback!