Getting into Vet School
Have you been wondering what the vet schools are looking for during the selection of new students? Do you want to apply to one of the vet schools and be accepted the first time instead of on the third or fourth time? Are you tired of being rejected by the vet schools?
The good news is that there are specific strategies that can be used to get into vet school. There are three primary strategies you need to get into vet school.
Strategy #1: Get All A's
The first strategy is excellent grades in the pre-requisite courses and in all your courses.
But if you're an average student, how can you get excellent grades? What is needed to get you from average to straight A? The answer is easier than you think: enroll in a memory class or take an in-depth home study course on memory.
You may not realize just how important this is to your future in vet school until you actually set foot in the classroom. However, the advantages to this are many. Having a great memory means you remember people's names and faces. How important is that to your patients when you have a vet practice of your own? How important is knowing the names and faces of those in the community pet and animal care programs?
Another advantage is that the changes that occur in your brain when you take a memory course affect your brain for all future learning. After practicing the techniques, it becomes easy for you to visualize every concept in your head that you are learning in class. This cuts down on the amount of studying you have to do because when you re-read your notes; you imagine the picture that you created in your mind when you first heard it in class.
Strategy #2: Join and Volunteer
The second strategy that should be used to get into vet schools is to JOIN. Join the local organizations related to wildlife preservation, animals, and pet owners. Go to their meetings and participate in their events. The more you know about these organizations, the more knowledgeable you will become about how things are run in your community. You'll have inside information that goes a long way in your career, and you'll be making a difference as well.
You could volunteer at the local dog and cat nonprofit organizations or become a volunteer at the zoo. What about the local wildlife foundation? Can you become a member of the Audubon Bird Club, help out in a rescue organization, or volunteer one afternoon a week at a veterinarian's office? The key is to get involved. The more you do before you get your veterinary degree, the better you will be prepared for practice.
Strategy #3: Be a Project Coordinator and a Do-er
Vet schools are also looking for do-ers. Your third strategy is to DO GOOD in the animal world. Volunteer. Start a program that helps someone or a specific group of pet owners or their animals. You might write a short book that includes interviews of local veterinarians or professors at vet schools about a topic. You might interview them and make recordings available to the public.
Vet schools are big on those who have made efforts to help their community. To keep their high standards and prestige for the profession, it's important to show that you have made a difference, are in the process of making a difference and will continue to make a difference. Just think outside the box to get started.
For example, you could start a Read to Rover program at the library, as was done in Sacramento, CA. One day a week for one hour, children were allowed to come to the library and read a book to a loving dog that listened to their every word. The dog didn't care if the children mispronounced words. He was just there to listen. The program is very popular and children line up for the chance to Read to Rover. The children are helped because their reading improves.
Vet schools look for those who are smart, get high grades, AND who have good solid character traits. Are you a do-er in the community or do you just study and hang out with your friends? Are you someone who starts projects to help others? If so, the vet schools will want you.
Here's another example. You can organize a pet first aid class in your community. By doing this, you will get familiar with some of the professors at the vet schools in the area. You could organize a donation day for pet food for the homeless with your local food stores or pet stores.
Of course, you will have to finish those projects that you start. The way to think about this is to think about the young children in grade school who develop a passion about feeding the hungry or inventing a gadget to help humanity. The media loves to report on these children because they are setting an example to others. The child that started the campaign against swearing will go far in life and no doubt get accepted in any school he decides to apply to, vet school or not, simply because he stands out from the rest. He intends to make a difference and he's not going to wait until later. That's admirable.
Ask yourself now, "What can I do now to stand out from the rest? How can I help society with the animals now?" By asking yourself this question over and over, it forces your mind to create an answer. And then the next step is to carry out your project. Get local awareness for your efforts. Make a difference before you enter any of the vet schools and you'll make a difference after vet school ends, in the profession.
The one last thing you will need to do to get into vet schools is apply and don't be afraid to list your accomplishments.
