Posted on 01/19/2006 7:11:48 AM PST by P8ri0
I'm asking for help. My daughter is an A+ student in her senior year at the University of Illinois studying to be a veterinarian (College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences). She has been on the Dean’s List every semester and has been given academic scholarships every year. She has been recognized as a leading volunteer and has been ranked as one of the top students in her program. Her grades and achievement (objective criteria) could not be higher.
Here is the dilemma. After completing her application for Veterinary School at U of I, which included an essay, she has just been turned down for the next step, the interview. She was turned down based on her essay alone (subjective criteria). It cited that her essay was "not competitive enough".
Would anyone know what this means? Is this pc bs that favors "special circumstances"? This has been her dream since elementary school and now she is crushed. All that dedication and hard work. Doesn’t achievement count?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what can be done? I would like to somehow appeal and get her to the interview. Does anyone have any precedent that I could follow?
There are other schools.
These are very competitive schools and programs
If all the candidates have an A+ average, they have to use the essay.
The best plan is to apply to multiple schools. With those credentials, she'll get in somewhere, although maybe not her first choice.
It means she's probably not a great writer. Everyone has different gifts; your daughter obviously has many strong ones. But this doesn't sound like an affirmative action case. In those, there's usually hemming and hawing about how close a decision it was. Here, they're saying her essay simply wasn't competitive.
Hate to be a wet blanket, but that's how it sounds to me.
She may be in a situation where the competition into Grad spots are highly competitive. Choosing a different school is one option, the other is to see if there is a reapplication process, first, talking with some of the professors to see what the school's culture is like, thus, helping her with her essay.
Texas A&M has a good vet school. http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/
Shouldn't she be asking these questions of the U of I, rather than to an internet discussion forum?
On the basis of the facts you present, it is impossible to say whether this is PC garbage or not. I am sure there are internal regulations that the school must follow in evaluating applications; if your daughter does not have a copy of them, she could request one and see if there is an appeal procedure. The wisest course of action may be for her to make an appointment with someone at the school (if they permit such things; typically they do not) and ask what she can do in her assay or in her studies or activities to make herself more competitive. If she has the drive and the dream and has persevered this far, my money is on her to succeed.
By the way, no one is an A+ student. Occasionally someone might receive an A+ in a class, but that average is impossible, given that most professors don't even award that grade. Look into her actual grades.
She should 1) do some research to see what type of things are being particularly looked at - like how to write the essay she needs.
2) check out all the veternarian programs and apply to all that look decent.
3) to realize that it's harder to get into vet school than med school, but if she scopes out what sorts of things they are looking for in the essays.
4) sign up for a masters program in biology while she's waiting (I know this works for med school, not sure about vet school).
She might not get to go to her first choice program, but if she's as good a student as you say, she should be able to get in to a program.
Looks like she just got rejected for any number of reasons. It's ok - it happens. Apply to other schools. With her grades and credentials I am sure she will get into a fine school. Good luck.
There's a lot of politics involved.
I'm sorry for your daughter's disappointment. Given her achievements I believe there are numerous schools that would love to have her. There are Ag schools in most every state in the country. As was said earlier, she should apply.
Been through this process myself - although a slightly different result and circumstance. Talk to the board who reviewed her essay and ask them their criteria for grading and why her essay was rejected.
I agree with another of the comments posted here to your letter. Have her apply to a different school - there are plenty of great Vet programs around!
What is her undergrad study emphasis? Is she an animal science major, or majoring in some other field. Usually, the vet schools admit about 50 students per semester. They get like 500 applications. What is the cut for Large Animal/Small Animal vets?
It is a tough competition. She needs to go back to the committee and talk to them and find out why and then reapply next semester. When I was at Kansas State, one of the top Vet Schools in the Nation, some students had to apply 2-3 times to get in.
It is also based on personality. Vet work is not for the timid. Also, straight A's is no guarantee of success.
Have her apply to Tufts Vet School in Grafton, MA. Have her write an essay about the need to do a recount of the 2004 presidential vote and its impact on public health and animal welfare if Gore had won. She'll be a shoe-in.
As many who have responded point out ... there are many prestigious veterinary schools spotted around the country. Many, such as the University of PA School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts (Boston), etc., have outstanding reputations. Get busy applying I'm sure your daughter will find an excellent school that will be pleased to have her as a student.
Getting into Vet, Medical, Dentistry schools are very competitive and sometimes a lot of applicants have identical scores so they have to determine by another means who to admit -- this time it looks like it was an essay.
My son is in Grad School. He wanted to go to the OU grad school, but the first year he applied he was told there were better candidates so he came back for another year rather than take one of the other offers after meeting with one of the professors who has turned out to be his mentor. It worked, he became the #1 grad school candidate in his field, is on a full ride, gets paid to teach a class, is the GA for research to two professors, and has medical insurance. It would not have been possible if his professor hadn't taken the time to help him and explain what he could do in the next year so he would be admitted to the Grad School.
He decided to take that extra year to make him a much better candidate which it did as his GRE's scores went up considerably and some classes he took had a direct bearing on his field of study.
IMHO appealing is not going to do any good and would hurt her chances if she decided to reapply. If she is convinced this is the only vet school she wants to attend, then she needs to spend time on areas like writing so that she can reapply and be admitted. She does have a right to know the criteria that was used to determine who was admitted. IMO she needs to meet with a professor she trusts to get their honest opinion on what she should do.
I agree. She should have her faculty advisor inquire on her behalf, and then reapply next semester.
Remember, there were a lot of other students who were not admitted also. Her approach to the selection committee must be positive. That is best done through the faculty advisor.
I have a cousin who is a vet. Her credentials were impeccable but it took her three tries to get accepted to vet school. She got an MBA in the interim. Tell her not to be discouraged. Keep trying and she'll eventually realize her dream. By the way, I'm told acceptance into a vet program is more competitive than getting accepted into medical school.
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