WHAT EXPERIENCE DO I NEED FOR VETERINARY SCHOOL?
Experience working under the direction of a veterinarian, working directly with animals and/or working in a research setting long has been a valued qualification for veterinary school applicants. The weight given to experience has waxed and waned over time, and varies from school to school. VMCAS asks all applicants to report experience hours, specifying the type of experience, on their application.
Presently, many programs are reducing their required number of hours, or not specifying a set number. Nevertheless, all schools consider experience (type and quality counts, as well) when evaluating a candidate’s overall fit for their program. Even as minimum expected hours are decreasing or eliminated, schools do still take experience under consideration and many students log more than 1,000 hours before they apply to veterinary school.
