I'll just echo what pretty much everyone else has already stated. Yes, you should try to keep your GPA as high as possible; it's the absolute hardest part of the application to change once established, and you'll find that, unfortunately, one really poor grade can destroy it readily, and it takes many good ones to bring it back up again. I learned this hard way, and while my science and last 45 GPAs are actually rather good, my cumulative never quite recovered from my bad first year (I was a Spanish major before switching to biology/pre-vet, had undiagnosed mental health issues, got some Ds... it's a long story).
That being said:
Don't go killing yourself for a 4.0. Seriously. I mean, obviously, the higher the GPA, the easier of a time you'll have come application time. But don't sacrifice your sanity for it. It sounds like you're very eager to get started on your pre-vet journey, and that's awesome, but I want to reiterate what everyone said about having fun, too. Most people will only get one good shot at undergrad - don't spend it locked away in your room studying all day and night. I did that, and I regret it now, not only because it didn't make enough of a difference on my academic performance to justify it, but also because I missed out on a lot of stuff. I never go drinking. I really don't go out to eat or hang with friends much. I was (and am) basically always working. Don't do it this way. You're likely to burn out rather quickly, and, well... if you're burning out that badly during undergrad, just imagine how burnt out you'll be during vet school! But, yes, people do get into vet school with GPAs <3.7. Heck, if that weren't the case, I'd be
screwed. The "unofficial" academic cutoff at most schools ranges from 3.0-3.4, generally, even if the website claims that they'll take GPAs as low as 2.5 or 2.75. But I absolutely do not advocate winding up that low; very few people manage to get admitted with sub-3.0 GPAs - it takes a LOT of experience and a LOT of gumption to overcome that - and it's not worth the gamble. So if you want to be in a good spot, stay north of 3.0. If you want to be really competitive, 3.5+ is pretty ideal given that the rest of your application is strong.
The good news is that you don't have a GPA yet, so once you start, you'll have a completely blank slate - make the most of it!
I would say to definitely start getting some solid veterinary experience now! You'll have less stress come later when you're starting to apply, and you'll hopefully have a decent amount of both depth and variety to fall back on, both of which are valued highly by a lot of schools. Generally, at least several hundred hours is sufficient, but I would personally am for 1000+ if possible.
Good luck and, most importantly, do remember to enjoy yourself.
EDIT: Oh, and if you can, take the steps to minimize your debt now. Vet school alone may very well leave you knee-deep in $100,000+ in loans; you'll want to avoid having undergrad debt on top of that if at all possible. Go to the cheapest school you're accepted to, work during school if need be, take full advantage of any scholarships/grants... basically everything
@DVMDream said. You will thank yourself later.
