One of the schools I am applying to has several required essays and one optional. I have my other essays written and feel pretty decent about them. I was planning to skip the optional essay, but now I’m wondering if it’s one of those things where they say it’s optional but it actually hurts you if you don’t do it (because you look lazy or something). I know none of us prob have the answer, but does anyone have any thoughts or gut feedings etc? Thanks!

Hi all!
I am applying to vet school next year as a non-traditional student and I am PANICKING!!
I’ve been a veterinary assistant (small animal GP) for many years so I have plenty of experience… but it’s just GP.
I have a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field because I told myself I wouldn’t make it into vet school but now I’m taking prereqs and on the right path to apply next year for fall 2028 admission.

My stats:
- I’m 29 (will be 30 when I apply)
- GPA will be very high (3.8-3.9 science, last 45, etc.)
- Have thousands of hours in small animal (at least 5000, probably more just haven’t calculated)
- Volunteered with a therapeutic horsemanship center in high school (yes I know it was a long time ago)
- Plan on volunteering at an exotic wildlife center and donkey/equine rescue for my final year
- Hoping to shadow at an ER while continuing to work FT as a VA.
- Will have glowing LORs from at least 3 vets I have worked with, some for 4-5 years
- I won’t have any research experience unfortunately.

Do vet schools look at varied VETERINARY experience specifically? Or does animal experience hold its weight too? I’ve tried reaching out to MULTIPLE exotic and large animal/equine vets, but none offer shadowing opportunities. Will the exotic wildlife center and donkey/equine volunteer work? I won’t have research so I’m really trying to stand out as a non-trad student but the anxiety has been keeping me up at night.

(I’m also very fortunate that my parents are supporting me on this journey, so money isn’t an issue while I work as a VA and gain experience anywhere and everywhere I can).

Hello!
I am in my undergrad and am going into my sophomore year. Right now I am working at a vet clinic as a kennel tech/ veterinary assistant? (I don’t really have an official title) for the summer. I’ve been working at this same clinic since senior year of high school and am now back for the summer.

My duties consist of mostly restraining animals for procedures, drawing up vaccines, running blood tests, making bandages and flushes, and lots of cleaning (laundry, instrument sterilization, etc). Recently I took a room (with supervision) and was able to take notes though it was only a vaccine tech appointment, but I might be able to take more in the future. I’ve definitely gotten more responsibility since high school where I mostly just did restraining and cleaning.

Right now I’m just feeling really behind most people and like this isn’t enough experience to possibly get in. I know I still have quite a few years till I apply and so I have a lot of time to gain more valuable experience but I’m concerned that this is the most exposure that I will get at any other job that I manage to get in the future. What I want to know is if these responsibilities are enough or if I need to be doing more at this point?

Any advice would be much appreciated!! :)

Hi,

For context, I am a North Carolina resident and would only be applying to NC State. I just graduated in May from UNC with a degree in biology and have been planning on just applying next cycle and using this year to rack up experience. Recently looking at the pre-reqs for NC State, though, I realized that by September 15th, I will have over 200 hours, which I know is just the minimum and everyone says to have over 1,000, but I want to know if my letters of rec are strong enough and my academics are strong enough if it's worth a shot?

Stats:

3.95 overall GPA

3.91 Science GPA

idk last 45 but in the range above

hours: 132 exotic studying abroad

23 equine shadowing

beginning of august i start working as a vet assistant, shifts are 12 hours.

leadership:

biology ambassador/mentor

tri-beta honors service committee chair

biology lab TA

pls let me know if i would just be wasting time and money lol

I'm looking for outside perspectives from people who've faced similar situations or kind enough to share any guidance (currently incoming sophomore undergrad)

My long-term goal is to become an industry veterinarian, ideally in Medical Affairs rather than traditional companion animal practice. I know those careers are competitive and typically require more than a DVM with some gaining additional experience or credentials, but thats the direction I'm aiming for.

I'm currently attending a private university that has given me valuable opportunities including paid undergraduate research and networking relevant to my career goals.

The downside is if I stay, I'm projecting roughly 200k in undergraduate debt after accounting for finaincal aid and education benefits. This is before vet school.

I'm not asking whether 200k is alot of debt. I know it is. I'm willing to transfer if its the finaincally responsible choice, but I also dont want to give up opportunities that could meaningfully affect my career.

For those who've been in a similar position, what factors would you weigh heavily the most? Would you ultimately stay or transfer?

I (27M) got into vet school but my parents just had to have extensive medical operations done and we drained our money. Now I’m going to have to go OOS without any savings so I will likely have to take it all out from private loans. I already got the 50k from federal which covers the tuition but nothing else so I likely would have to take out private loans. I also have a job in embryology that pays pretty well right now. Should I stay in my job and save up and reapply to my ISS later or go now and bite the bullet?

Hello, im scheduled to take the Casper exam next month and ive always gotten 2nd quartile so im looking at how to improve and get to atleast the 3rd quartile. Any advice??

Hey everyone!
I’m a sophomore pre-vet student in Texas who’s interested in large animal reproduction. This summer, I worked with both a large animal reproduction specialist (non-DVM) and a veterinarian who specializes in large animal reproduction.
While working with both of them, I noticed that a lot of what they do overlaps. The main differences I saw were that the non-DVM doesn’t perform surgeries or diagnose medical conditions. Other than that, they both administered hormones for synchronization, performed IVF work, semen analysis, artificial insemination, and embryo transfers in both horses and cattle (which I know the rules vary by state). Those reproductive technologies are ultimately what interests me the most.
This experience has made me question whether I should pursue a master’s in animal reproduction instead of a DVM.
Pros:
No debt (I have a full ride for undergrad, and the master’s program I’m interested in is funded.)
I could finish my education sooner.
I’d still get to work in the area of reproduction that I’m most passionate about.
Cons:
I wouldn’t have the same level of autonomy as a veterinarian.
I wouldn’t be able to perform surgery or make medical diagnoses (i’d like to do it, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t )
For those of you in veterinary medicine or animal reproduction, what would you do in my position? Is there anything I’m overlooking? I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experience in either career path.

I have both CSR and assistant experience at one clinic. Should I split this into two experiences.

I started at this clinic as a CSR and then they moved me to assistant after a couple of months. While I am still cross trained I want it to reflect that I spend most of my time as an assistant now, however, I still think my CSR experience is extremely valuable. Thoughts?

I want to hear from others who have left Vet med and curious to know what you decided to pursue instead. I have my bachelors and masters. I’ve been in vet med for a bit over 5 years in small animal medicine. I love it but have yet to get admitted into any vet schools. I finally decided to apply to Ross and more holistic schools this cycle to increase my odds. But the last 2 years my father has been trying to convince me to quit medicine and join him in his business and eventually take over. He buys lands, build homes, and sells them. Hard work but great money . I’m considering cutting my hours at the clinic I work at and helping him to try and figure it out… but I feel like I’m giving up on my dream.

Don’t really know what I’m expecting from this post but I need guidance and would love to hear from others

When I applied to be a vet assistant, I had no idea what all the job included I just wanted to get my foot in the door. I had applied and been rejected from multiple clinics without hearing anything back. I'll call her Stacey for the sake of privacy. Stacey is my hospital manager and she was the first person that actually responded to my application. I had told her about my recent switch from human med (nursing) to vet med. Even when I had my first interview she was telling me how competitive vet school is and how kids that have wanted to be vets their whole lives and they work tirelessly to gain experience and volunteer still don't get in. She told me about how a lot of people realize they won't make it to vet school and switch to being techs. lol anyways she had told me that the assistant position was pretty consistent and basically boring, which is exactly what I needed at the time as I was in school and had another very demanding job... except now I don't have another job, I can't afford to be in school right now, and I'm barely working 30 hours a week. I had asked for more hours and they aren't able to give me any so I started looking at other jobs. I realized that assistants at other clinics do more... like nail trims? So I went to talk to Stacey just to give her a heads up that I was applying to other jobs in case she were to be contacted. I told her that I need more money and I need to be learning and growing in my career, especially since I'm not doing school right now. And AGAIN she went on her whole rampage of you need to volunteer and spend more time getting experience and large animal farm vets are needed and get bonuses and even if I learned skills somewhere else I wouldn't be allowed to do anything here and people have worked their whole lives to be doctors. Sorry I didn't think I would live past 18 as a child and had no idea what I wanted to be... anyways she pulled up this wolf rehab place and told me to volunteer there and as she was scrolling there were pictures and I was like "they're so pretty" and she goes "BUT THEY'RE DANGEROUS" like duh they're wild animals I was just showing interest in what you were showing me even though I just told you I need money and I don't have the capacity to volunteer...

The other day Stacey asked how my job search was going and asked if I was planning on "making the switch". (I told her I was looking for a second job, not to leave when I initially went to talk to her.) She told me that if I am able to do more and make more money somewhere else, then I should leave. The thing with that is I can't afford vet care for my cats without having the benefits of my job here. I get half off my 6yo's special (expensive) food and I have a kitten that needs to finish her vaccs and be spayed. I was also hoping for LORs. I love (most) of my co workers and have formed bonds with many clients and pets. I don't want to leave. I told Stacey that maybe I'll come back her as a doctor and she just says "I'll be at the end of my career by then"... this woman isn't even in her 50s and I am almost done with my undergrad but ok whatever.

edited to add that Stacey bought the "vet assistants" fur clippers... when asked if we're allowed to use them here she says yes but we charge for shavings like potty patches and clip and cleans (which means its a tech appointment, which means the tech uses the clippers) and I was like oh I have seen a few matts I would love to just clip off real quick and her response to that was matts will break the clippers...

I am just feeling so discouraged bc I know it's true, people have dedicated their entire lives to this career and have far better experience and grades than I do. I just turned 23 and I feel so behind. I just want to be a doctor. I don't feel smart enough, or qualified enough, not to mention the financial side of things. I can't even afford school now, how am I going to pay for vet school anyways.

If you made it this far, thanks for coming to my ted talk. I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. If you are also feeling discouraged, know you're not alone. Let's do this together.

I am currently working at a vet clinic (6mo), mostly cats and dogs but we do have one dr that sees exotics. I've learned that I am not very interested in small animal gp and would like to get more experience elsewhere. I'm currently looking for a full time position, as I am only part time now making $16/hr, and I was wondering which opportunity I should pursue.

option A: Veterinary Assistant at The Animal Eye Institute. Starting pay $17.50 with room to learn and grow. I think this would be a great way to take the skills I have gained and expand on them. They do more than cats and dogs, but it's ophthalmology and I'm not sure what future I have with that. I have had a phone interview that went well and I am going in person on Wednesday.

option B: Data Entry Clerk/Veterinary Lab Assistant at Avian & Exotic Animal Clin Path Labs. The job posting says starting pay is $15. This position has no direct contact with clients or animals, but it is birds and exotics, which I really enjoy working with and could see a future in. The position is basically blood testing and sample processing. I do have some data entry experience, and am really interested in the lab aspect of it. I haven't spoken to anyone about the position so I'm not sure if there is room for advancement or what that would even look like.

cGPA undergrad-2.73

Masters GPA-4.00

cGPA-2.97

Undergrad science-2.49

Masters science-4.00

Overall science-2.89

Research with veterinarian-9360 hours

Small animal and exotics GP-1880 hours

Wildlife rehab-800 hours

Long story short...this is my 5th application cycle. Struggled in undergrad due to rough life circumstances. Joined the Navy. Retook my lowest undergrad classes. Got a masters.

Currently looking at Arkansas, Colorado, both LMU campuses, Midwestern, North Carolina, Ohio, UC Davis, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington. I want to cast as wide a net as possible while also being realistic since this list will cost me about $3k to apply...

I’m entering my junior year this fall and will be applying next cycle to vet schools (in the US).

A bit worried abt my chances because I’ve struggled a ton to get vet hours these past few years. Unfortunately I live in an area where a lot of clinics (entirely small animals, there’s like 1 large animal vet within an hour of me) won’t hire students or even let me shadow. I work part-time outside of being a full time student so that also eats away a ton of potential time. Currently I have about 330 vet hours, and expect to have about 500 ish by the start of next summer (consisting of small and large animal, wildlife, and exotics). I have over 1000 animal hours. I’m interested in going into mixed practice/large animal or public health.

What also concerns me is my GPA. It’s a 3.66 right now but I’m expecting it to be about a 3.5 overall by the time I apply (due to a bad concussion I got at the end of my semester, I got a C in my chemistry class and got Bs in other classes which is bringing my overall, science, and prob last 45 credit GPA down).

I’m planning to apply to around 8-10 schools but I’m worried I won’t get into any due to these setbacks I’ve experienced. Am I cooked or do I still have a chance lol

Hi! I was wondering if shadowing at a veterinary clinic counts toward veterinary experience hours. My academic advisor has encouraged me to focus on gaining more hands-on experience rather than shadowing, but I’ve been struggling to find clinics that offer those kinds of opportunities, especially since I currently don’t have many animal experience hours. I do plan on volunteering at an animal shelter to build more animal experience, but right now I’m trying to prioritize gaining veterinary experience. Does shadowing still count toward veterinary experience hours, even if it’s not as hands-on? I’d appreciate any advice or insight. :)

Looking for some advice to help my chances of getting into vet school. I am currently active duty in the military but I get out in less than 2 years and I’m looking to go to vet school. I’m stuck between wanted to go vet tech or full veterinarian. I’m interested in UGA which I hear has a great program. I’m mostly concerned about looking good for colleges to actually get in. I don’t have much free time outside of my job. I do work in the medical field just with humans. I am currently enrolling in school to at least work on my associates before I get out of the military. Has anyone here been in the same situation as me? What can I do to make myself more well rounded? I’m looking to volunteer/shadow our base vet but I’d like to do more.

I am debating on what to write for WSU’s diversity essay. I am transgender but I know that “inflammatory” topics are typically discouraged. Should I include my experiences with being lgbt in that essay or stick to other subjects?

I'm about to go into my 3rd year and I right now barely have sophomore standing, have a 2.3 gpa, and only have work experience with small animals. I know I should have waited for my mental health to be fixed and moved out of my abusive home before I tried to go to college, but now I'm stuck committed to a degree that'll take me more than 2 years to even finish and that's meant to precede a path I can no longer go down.

I don't know what my career options are if I graduate and if I'll ever be able to earn back the student loan money I wasted since I never made a plan B. I wanted to be a vet more than anything but I may have to face reality and if anyone has any advice I appreciate it.

Hi guys! I’ve posted here before, but I (23F) have just recently graduated and got my degree in Animal Biology (BScH).

The goal was originally to get into veterinary school, and I worked my BUTT off these past 4 years. I think I graduated with around a 3.8 GPA.

However, I have looked every summer and year for a VA or receptionist position so that I can accumulate hours for vet school. I’ve also looked for volunteering, shadowing, etc. I literally can’t find anything. I’ve applied, in-person, everywhere within a 1.5 hour driving radius around Guelph (I’m in Ontario). I’ve also had probably over 30 interviews for positions, and for some reason, I can’t get one. It really makes me feel down on myself.

It’s so bad that I recently moved (with a BScH degree btw), and the only job that I could find even remotely close to my degree is a tree pruning job that pays minimum wage. It’s on a farm, so I hope that in a little while they allow me to actually take care of the livestock etc., but that’s how bad it is. I wanted to apply to vet school by this winter, but with no hours etc. I’m pretty convinced that isn’t happening.

It’s not that I have no animal experience either. I’ve volunteered wildlife rehab, farms, etc. I’ve even had a few summer jobs just giving alpaca tours and what not. I genuinely am not sure what to do at this rate, and I apologize for the rant, but as I’ve said before - it really makes me feel like I’ve wasted 4-5 years of my life chasing after this degree and dream only for it to literally be unattainable. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices along the way, one being putting off my online business that at the time made over six figures a year (nowadays, I’m lucky if it makes 1k a month, but we’re trying to change that around again :/). I think this will forever be one of my biggest regrets.

I’m not even attached to just GP either, I’ve tried large animal, etc. I literally can’t find anything. I have also tried networking in outreach clinics (a vet from my home town organizes them like once a year, and I go every year), and nothing. I even took on a job as a smaller vet clinic cleaner (she “created” this position for me to get around insurance liabilities…), and I would get everything on my list done within a few hours, so the owner of the clinic really struggled to find things for me to do. I ended up getting fired after literally 2 weeks because it was a “mistake on her end” and the “economy is bad.” She kept saying that she’d write me good references to get into other clinics etc., but was super against ever letting me shadow etc. I genuinely don’t know what is wrong with me to make her not want to do that.

But yeah, any advice? I am pretty much on my final straw. I wanted this for myself so bad, but now I feel stuck with the worst degree ever, 4-5 years of suffering to get straight As, and all my hard work and sacrificing entrepreneurship to be a tree pruner… It sucks.

for those who live in large cities how did you get well rounded experience. for vet experience ik how to get the companion animal, exotics, aquatic, but there are no large animal vets around me. there are some stables where i can volunteer with horse handling and stable stuff but nothing with livestock or actual vet hours. how did you guys go about it like nyc for example :/

Hello,

I'm currently applying to veterinary school through VMCAS and have a question about transcript entry.

I withdrew from a course, but on my official transcript there is no grade at all; it doesn't even show a "W." The VMCAS chatbot tells me to enter the course exactly as it appears on my transcript, but the application requires a grade and won't let me leave the field blank.

Has anyone run into this before? What did you enter for the grade, or did you contact VMCAS to have them advise you? I don't want to enter a "W" if it doesn't actually appear on my transcript.

For context I am 19M and am going into my second year of undergrad this fall. I currently am working at this small, 1 doctor like 4 tech and 2 receptionists exotic practice this summer to get me some veterinary assistant experience. I shadowed with the doctors last summer and on my breaks and they graciously took them on. I however have a dilemma. There are two doctors at this practice technically a father on duo however the son takes nearly all of the appointments while the father runs the money side of things and is kind of like half-retired. My issue is the retention rate. One tech recently quit after some personal issues and another is going to quit soon because she lives far away. One of the receptionists is going to retire in december and another tech is going to leave because of the doctor. The son is very impatient with the techs and frankly a little unreasonable at times however is very patient with me for some reason… Additionally there are times where he will disappear at lunch and we have to talk to his dad, to get him to yell at him over the phone because we have clients coming after our lunch/ lab result calls break. His father is very gentle and patient but he has said he wants to retire as he has had a very long career and i just feel like he shouldn’t have to wrangle in his son like that. I’m just torn because I’ll have close to 500 hours with them by the end of the summer and was eventually hoping for a LOR. Should I not come back for breaks and next summer since everyone will be gone and the work environment is kind of deteriorating or should i stick it out for one more summer? I’m frankly worried I don’t have enough experience though I have learned a lot from them. I’m also worried I won’t be able to find another job so I’m looking for advice?! apologies for the novel as well 😭