So I am applying to the Vet program at OSU and need to send in a letter of petition in order for them to look at my application. This is because I have a 2.996 (which is really good for my major - bioengineering, but not for the 3.0 min that OSU has set) So here is my question, Has anyone here had to write a similar letter? and if so did it get you an interview? did they even look at your application? I am going to be talking with my step mom tonight and ask her the same questions but I was curious as to the response I would get here.

On a side note, good luck to all those applying. I am 2 things away (personal statement and this stupid petition letter) from being done and getting my requests for references sent out. I look forward to reading the posts on this forum. :)

I dont know anything about the success of letters of petition, but Id imagine you would want to have a faculty member from the department attest to the fact that your GPA is high for your major... if not as a separate LOR then as an enclosure to your letter of petition. Good luck!

Actually, I just wrote a petition to OSU to see if they would consider my application despite the fact that I need to take one last prerequisite in Spring quarter (which I'm sure you know they don't usually allow). The weird thing is I didn't hear back from them for two weeks so I called and they receptionist said that they don't consider petitions until after they've received your whole application and can review you qualifications and then decide. I think she thought I was petitioning about grades. They do this because if your application is great in other areas they will probably let you interview once they've considered everything.

Now, in my case I told her why I was petitioning and that I needed to know their response because otherwise I was not going to bother to apply. So I was on hold forever and finally she put me through to the Dean who, yeah! approved my petition :)

I would definately suggest writing a formal letter of petition. If you are an Ohio resident they will most likely grant you an interview because your GPA is so close to a 3.0 and also because they interview nearly 90% of their in-state applicants. I would also bet on having to apply without knowing whether you will even be considered for the reasons I stated above. If I were you, I would consider calling and seeing if you can talk to Dr. Saunders, especially because you GPA rounds to a 3.0.

Thank you so much, I will definitly give them a call :o)

Typically, OSU will not interview you your first year if your GPA is below a 3.0, (even as a resident) they make you go through an exit interview and make recommendations from there.

I don't know about OSU but I had to write a petition letter to Kansas State in order to exempt the biochemistry lab requirement (UVA did not have a biochem lab associated with the course in the biology department). I just explained while although I hadn't taken a course I had gained the nessecary experience through other means (other lab courses that I had taken, working in a research lab, a very challenging lecture course, etc). They got back to me in about a week saying that I was approved (I sent my check that day!).

Your situation is quite different and I wish you luck. But I think that PAThbrd had a good idea to reference someone that could attest to your qualifications. Ultimately, you just want to prove to them that you are a good candidate.

Sorry about bumping this old thread, but I was curious...

To the original poster (or anyone else that had to petition at Ohio), how did it turn out? I know someone that had to do this and he said that OSU called him really early on and said that there were too many people petitioning and applying in general such that they weren't really looking at the needing-to-petition group, and thus he didn't get an interview.

If anyone knows what happened with the petitioning for OSU, please post.

Thanks