Let's Go to Grad School! featuring a Current Vet Student and an Admissions Counselor

This isn't photoshopped - Tufts actually cared for a baby giraffe last year.

Over the past few weeks, the Tufts Pre-Vet Society, a group for which I currently serve on the e-board, has been very busy. We recently hosted a discussion/Q&A panel with our former president, Michelle, who graduated from Tufts last year and is currently a first-year student at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, many members of our group attended a presentation by Ford Barnet, an admissions counselor at Cummings, organized through Health Professions Advising. Although many questions from these discussions focused on logistical matters or Tufts-specific issues, there was much to glean from the seminars that can be generalized to anyone interested in attending graduate school. (This may be due to my tendency to observe situations through the lens of a Career Center employee, but the themes are translatable nonetheless.) So, here’s a quick recap of some major points from both events that anyone planning on pursuing a graduate program should know about.

School comes first. When talking about the application process, Ford emphasized that academics are of the highest importance. Grades, quite frankly, are what show a graduate program how prepared you are for the next level of academic rigor. It’s also important to take classes that will prepare you for whatever graduate program you choose to enter; Michelle strongly recommended to attendees of the discussion that we take courses in microbiology and immunology, even if they are not required by our major, because they will cover the basics of graduate-level courses. On a somewhat-related note, Ford also mentioned that taking unique coursework could be helpful as well, in the sense that it could give you a new perspective on your field of interest, or even simply offer an interesting conversation piece during an application interview.

Gap year? Think about it. With the increasing trend for students to take a gap year, it’s no surprise that this subject was brought up at both events. Kelly has blogged extensively about the idea of taking a gap year, and you should definitely check out her posts (here and here) for a great read on the pros and cons of taking a year off from school. Michelle actually graduated a semester early (after fall 2013), and she worked for a few months before matriculating at Cummings the following September. She said that she definitely gained valuable experience from her work, but eventually she got burnt out from working long hours. Michelle also now knows many people that took a year (or several) off for different reasons, be it to work, travel, or start a family. Overall, she concluded that everyone is different, but a gap year is definitely something to consider. Ford had similar remarks, and added that taking a gap year would only be detrimental to an application if someone applied after having taken a gap year, and they could have submitted the same application a year earlier. In other words, from an admissions standpoint, it’s important to do something during a gap year – think of it less as “a year off” and more as time to do something you’ve always wanted to do or to gain valuable experience that will strengthen you as an applicant and an individual.

Seek information. Ford and Michelle were both extremely helpful and accessible, and they both invited everyone to stay in touch and/or reach out with any questions. Although it’s possible that they’re both just exceptionally nice people, you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to people for advice, be they friends of yours that are currently enrolled in graduate programs or graduate faculty you meet or find online. Ford mentioned that he was particularly impressed by one girl who took the initiative to contact him as a freshman to begin building a rapport with him. It’s never too soon or inappropriate to reach out into the world for information. (Does this sound familiar? Remember informational interviews? They work for choosing a graduate program as well as choosing a major/career. Check out some review here.) One of the reasons why the Pre-Vet Society and Health Professions Advising hosted these events in the first place was to allow students to gain a better understanding of what it’s like to be a Tufts Vet student. I learned so much about vet school and preparing for my future in general just by showing up to these events (and of course paying attention and listening). Whenever you can, take advantage of any opportunity to broaden your horizons.

Usually, I write these kinds of posts about events hosted by the Career Center. However, these events are just a few examples of the myriad resources that relate to career development even if you don’t think they do. Of course, the Career Center can easily be your mothership for these types of resources (they do have a whole webpage about applying to grad school), but be sure to make use of indirect channels as well.

Until next time,

Sean Boyden

Tufts University ‘17