Hey, I didn't really get vet experience until after Sophomore year, and I got accepted into school on the first try. There is definitely hope! I would start looking for opportunities in your home town (or wherever you will live during the summer) as the semester is almost over. I emailed just about every vet clinic that existed at home, and started volunteering at a newly opened clinic, where I now work. Do you have any volunteer experience with animals? That would be helpful to mention. I attached a resume for good measure. Sometimes vet clinics only had a "contact us" form, so in that case I mentioned that I could send my resume for them to see.
There are also many places that are already quite friendly to volunteers - for example, in my college town, there is an animal rescue and low cost spay/neuter clinic that has over 150 volunteers. You can work in animal care, as a vet tech assistant, medical ward assistant, etc. So look around for stuff like that.
My email to veterinary clinics was something like this:
"Dear staff of [Specific Animal Clinic Name],
I am emailing you to inquire about your policies regarding volunteering at your clinic. I am currently a [major - etc "Biology"] and pre-vet undergraduate at [university], and will be coming back home to [town] over my summer vacation. I would love to get some experience in different animal medical facilities over the summer, both to help increase the knowledge of the different fields I could go into, and make connections with individuals already in the discipline.
[Talk about any experience with animals/medicine here: 'I already have experience in the clinical setting - I volunteer 4-5 hours of my time each week to the [Animal Shelted and Spay/Neuter Clinic]. Much of this time is spent under the supervision of Dr. [Doctor Name]. My duties in the clinic include assisting in recovery, administering vaccinations, and filling prescriptions and local blocks (as well as other activities).] I can send my resume to you if you would like, and I urge you to please let me know about any opportunities you may have.
Thank you very much for your time,
Name
Phone #
Email"
As for scholarships, I have not seen many specifically for 1st years. However, your school may still provide them! I just received a grant for a few thousand for my first year, as well as a special loan that my school gives out to those with financial need (doesn't accrue interest during school, low rate). I'm not exceptional, but I do have financial need. Obviously, loans will make up a large part of the payment, but it does help. And, there are some online if you search. One of the biggest helps is to go to an in-state school, if possible, or a low cost out of state school. This is a helpful resource for getting an idea of the cheapest school for you to attend:
http://www.vinfoundation.org/apputil/project/defaultadv1.aspx?id=5327182&said=-1
As for the allergy shot... I don't have experience with that. :c But I know a family who has a cat, and the dad is severely allergic to their cat. He takes pills and is completely fine! I would talk to a doctor about your options - they will have more knowledge than us.
