Didn't get accepted, now what?

[Em Exotic VM]

I'm a senior at Ohio State University and applied to Vet School this summer. I applied to Ohio State, Iowa State, UW, University of Pennsylvania, and U of Illinois. I'm not feeling too confident about getting accepted anywhere because my grades aren't the best (I lost my dad my first year of college and received mostly Cs in my upper level courses and it KILLED my GPA). I received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday and I'm assuming there are 4 more coming soon. If I don't get accepted this year, I want to re-apply next year, but I'm honestly not sure what to do in the mean time. Do I retake some course I didn't do so well in, do I try to find more internships to gain more experience, do I get my Master's, do I find a job? I think I have enough experience, I've studied abroad in South Africa working with rhinos, interned at the Columbus Zoo and worked around gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, leopards, etc., volunteer at a primate sanctuary, worked at an animal hospital all summer, volunteer at a wildcat sanctuary, performed research last school year working towards naming a new species, hold leadership positions in both my sorority and the zoology club I'm a part of, the list goes on. I'm really at a loss for what I should do and would love some guidance!
(Also, my OSU gpa is a 3.26, cumulative from my last college and OSU is a 2.99, and my science GPA is a 2.97 for reference)

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[WildZoo]

The What Are My Chances thread would be the best place for this post (and the mods may move it there, we shall see)
First, try to keep your head up. A rejection from one school does not mean a rejection from all - it only takes one acceptance. However it is a good idea to look towards improving your application now, because that gives you more time than if you wait until you hear back from all the schools.
It sounds like you experience is solid. You gpa is likely what is holding you back. How were your GRE scores?
I would more heavily research the requirements of different schools, and look into ones that weight GPA less heavily in their admissions process - a 2.97 science GPA is just not going to do you many favors at most schools that focus on numbers. You can also look into retaking courses where you can to try to improve your GPA.

If you can, I would contact Iowa State to see about doing a file review. They will be able to give you a better idea of what led to the rejection.

Is Ohio your in state?

 

[genny]

I'm a senior at Ohio State University and applied to Vet School this summer. I applied to Ohio State, Iowa State, UW, University of Pennsylvania, and U of Illinois. I'm not feeling too confident about getting accepted anywhere because my grades aren't the best (I lost my dad my first year of college and received mostly Cs in my upper level courses and it KILLED my GPA). I received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday and I'm assuming there are 4 more coming soon. If I don't get accepted this year, I want to re-apply next year, but I'm honestly not sure what to do in the mean time. Do I retake some course I didn't do so well in, do I try to find more internships to gain more experience, do I get my Master's, do I find a job? I think I have enough experience, I've studied abroad in South Africa working with rhinos, interned at the Columbus Zoo and worked around gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, leopards, etc., volunteer at a primate sanctuary, worked at an animal hospital all summer, volunteer at a wildcat sanctuary, performed research last school year working towards naming a new species, hold leadership positions in both my sorority and the zoology club I'm a part of, the list goes on. I'm really at a loss for what I should do and would love some guidance!
(Also, my OSU gpa is a 3.26, cumulative from my last college and OSU is a 2.99, and my science GPA is a 2.97 for reference)

You can calculate out where your GPA could end up if you retake courses, but with a GPA that low it might not be possible to move it significantly. File reviews from the schools that reject you might give you a better idea of what the schools want you to improve. What's your backup plan? I'd start with working on things that can help improve your application and also help you if you end up going for your second choice career.

 

[supershorty]

Doing file reviews is always helpful to figure out what your next steps should be.

What is your last 45 GPA? You have an uphill battle with your GPAs, and you might be better off boosting your last 45 and then applying to schools that emphasize that more. You applied to some programs that are extremely competitive for OOS students - posting on the What Are My Chances thread, like suggested above, might help get you some recommendations for where to apply to have the best shot with your stats.

Not getting in on the first try doesn't mean you won't be able to get to and complete vet school, but you'll increase your odds if you tailor where you apply based on the strengths of your app. Chin up!

 

[Em Exotic VM]

Doing file reviews is always helpful to figure out what your next steps should be.

What is your last 45 GPA? You have an uphill battle with your GPAs, and you might be better off boosting your last 45 and then applying to schools that emphasize that more. You applied to some programs that are extremely competitive for OOS students - posting on the What Are My Chances thread, like suggested above, might help get you some recommendations for where to apply to have the best shot with your stats.

Not getting in on the first try doesn't mean you won't be able to get to and complete vet school, but you'll increase your odds if you tailor where you apply based on the strengths of your app. Chin up!

My last 45 is a 3.26!

 

[Em Exotic VM]

The What Are My Chances thread would be the best place for this post (and the mods may move it there, we shall see)
First, try to keep your head up. A rejection from one school does not mean a rejection from all - it only takes one acceptance. However it is a good idea to look towards improving your application now, because that gives you more time than if you wait until you hear back from all the schools.
It sounds like you experience is solid. You gpa is likely what is holding you back. How were your GRE scores?
I would more heavily research the requirements of different schools, and look into ones that weight GPA less heavily in their admissions process - a 2.97 science GPA is just not going to do you many favors at most schools that focus on numbers. You can also look into retaking courses where you can to try to improve your GPA.

If you can, I would contact Iowa State to see about doing a file review. They will be able to give you a better idea of what led to the rejection.

Is Ohio your in state?

My gre scores were a 4.5 in writing, and a 300 cumulative! Not the best but it's okay. And yes Ohio is my state of current residency, but I grew up on a farm in Illinois and lived there up until I was 19!

 

[sheltermed]

received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday

I didn't realize they would send them out this soon. I'm wondering, how did you receive it? Via email, portal, snail mail?

 

[Em Exotic VM]

I didn't realize they would send them out this soon. I'm wondering, how did you receive it? Via email, portal, snail mail?

E-mail!

 

[supershorty]

My gre scores were a 4.5 in writing, and a 300 cumulative! Not the best but it's okay. And yes Ohio is my state of current residency, but I grew up on a farm in Illinois and lived there up until I was 19!

Definitely do file reviews... but you might want to retake that GRE and get your scores up. Your GPAs are not helping you - it's going to be that much more important to have outstanding GRE scores, letters of rec, and experience.

Edited to add: you might want to really think about taking a cycle off and using that time to take/retake classes to bring your last 45 up.

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

I tried dming but here is what I can say as someone who still hasn't gotten word back yet on schools.

I saw your issues you meantioned and mine are similar. I lost my grandfather who raised me ( mom was working full time and grandma was a nurse at the hospital), took care (babysat him and helped monitor which was a lot because he kept trying to get up without help or taking off his oxygen), and worked two jobs when not doing that, my house also flooded my junior year due to a pipe issue and I was out of it for a good time and bouncing from house to house.

My cum was a 2.57 now its a 2.89 on vmcas when averaged..I had to regroup. I retook my science courses while working 40hrs a week for a LA vet and applied but was rejected. Was told to get a masters which I had to fight to get into at UF and I did. My sci gpa for Iowa is 3.48..my last 45 is 3.39 ( not counting summer and fall of this year summer was a 4.0 semester) because I did this. Even as a non-thesis I've done published research and im doing ag extension work for the state.

My advice if you can is to work for a vet and retake the courses that are making your science low. OSU will count the new ones, Iowa will too. I believe in you and I know that being dealt a crap hand in life is not your fault. Keep fighting!

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

You can always apply to island schools that are AVMA accredited (such as Ross). They do rolling admissions so you can still apply and start sooner than waiting for a state school. I know some people don't like the idea of an island school but I work at a Veterinary school in the US as a Veterinary assistant and honestly love the island students that come for their final/clinical year. We also have residents and clinicians that went to Ross or SGU and are absolutely fantastic veterinarians.

With that said, if you're set on going to a school in the US and your main issue with your application is GPA I would recommend a master's. You can still retake these classes as a graduate student and it will prepare you for graduate level work. You can do a non thesis master's in a year.

BUT don't give up hope! You never know what the other applicants were like this year. Best of luck.

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I agree on the preparing for grad level work. I think doing a masters helped me to develop better time management with my ADHD and helped to prepare me. That being said the more downtime I have ( more written work vs tests) the more I lapse in that area.

 

[RedLauren]

I also didn’t get in the first time I applied because of my cGPA. I had taken so many classes that even after I retook everything I did poorly in it didn’t make much of a difference. But my Science and last 45 hour GPA went waaaaaaay up. My advice would be to either do a one year masters program or spend that year retaking classes. Some vet schools will only count the higher grade (or most recent grade) in the cGPA when a class is retaken. Some vet schools don’t count graduate course work in the cGPA. Some vet schools either don’t look at cGPA at all or don’t place much emphasis on it. So after you retake those classes the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to be strategic. I went from being flat out rejected by everywhere with no interviews my first time applying, to ultimately eight offers my second time. All because I retook some classes and was more strategic about where I applied. Do a little homework, and message me if you want some help. Best of luck.

 

[futurevet_11]

I'm a senior at Ohio State University and applied to Vet School this summer. I applied to Ohio State, Iowa State, UW, University of Pennsylvania, and U of Illinois. I'm not feeling too confident about getting accepted anywhere because my grades aren't the best (I lost my dad my first year of college and received mostly Cs in my upper level courses and it KILLED my GPA). I received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday and I'm assuming there are 4 more coming soon. If I don't get accepted this year, I want to re-apply next year, but I'm honestly not sure what to do in the mean time. Do I retake some course I didn't do so well in, do I try to find more internships to gain more experience, do I get my Master's, do I find a job? I think I have enough experience, I've studied abroad in South Africa working with rhinos, interned at the Columbus Zoo and worked around gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, leopards, etc., volunteer at a primate sanctuary, worked at an animal hospital all summer, volunteer at a wildcat sanctuary, performed research last school year working towards naming a new species, hold leadership positions in both my sorority and the zoology club I'm a part of, the list goes on. I'm really at a loss for what I should do and would love some guidance!
(Also, my OSU gpa is a 3.26, cumulative from my last college and OSU is a 2.99, and my science GPA is a 2.97 for reference)

I would try to get your GPA's that are under 3.0 up to at least a 3.0! You're not far off, so you can just retake one or two classes to help boost your GPA a bit if you don't want another full workload. It seems like you do have quite a bit of experience! If there isn't something your interested in getting your masters in, you can take another year and try to build your application and if you don't get in next year, then get your masters. If I was you, I'd retake some of the upper level courses that you got C's in and then I'd get a job someplace that would be able to provide me with a good letter of rec for the next cycle!

Also, schools like Ross have rolling admission if you want to try and go to vet school right after your undergrad. They also have a January class, if you wanted to go next spring.

 

[Em Exotic VM]

I tried dming but here is what I can say as someone who still hasn't gotten word back yet on schools.

I saw your issues you meantioned and mine are similar. I lost my grandfather who raised me ( mom was working full time and grandma was a nurse at the hospital), took care (babysat him and helped monitor which was a lot because he kept trying to get up without help or taking off his oxygen), and worked two jobs when not doing that, my house also flooded my junior year due to a pipe issue and I was out of it for a good time and bouncing from house to house.

My cum was a 2.57 now its a 2.89 on vmcas when averaged..I had to regroup. I retook my science courses while working 40hrs a week for a LA vet and applied but was rejected. Was told to get a masters which I had to fight to get into at UF and I did. My sci gpa for Iowa is 3.48..my last 45 is 3.39 ( not counting summer and fall of this year summer was a 4.0 semester) because I did this. Even as a non-thesis I've done published research and im doing ag extension work for the state.

My advice if you can is to work for a vet and retake the courses that are making your science low. OSU will count the new ones, Iowa will too. I believe in you and I know that being dealt a crap hand in life is not your fault. Keep fighting!

You are amazing!!! <3 Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, it honestly means so much to hear from someone who understands as well!

 

[deleted955210]

I'm a senior at Ohio State University and applied to Vet School this summer. I applied to Ohio State, Iowa State, UW, University of Pennsylvania, and U of Illinois. I'm not feeling too confident about getting accepted anywhere because my grades aren't the best (I lost my dad my first year of college and received mostly Cs in my upper level courses and it KILLED my GPA). I received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday and I'm assuming there are 4 more coming soon. If I don't get accepted this year, I want to re-apply next year, but I'm honestly not sure what to do in the mean time. Do I retake some course I didn't do so well in, do I try to find more internships to gain more experience, do I get my Master's, do I find a job? I think I have enough experience, I've studied abroad in South Africa working with rhinos, interned at the Columbus Zoo and worked around gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, leopards, etc., volunteer at a primate sanctuary, worked at an animal hospital all summer, volunteer at a wildcat sanctuary, performed research last school year working towards naming a new species, hold leadership positions in both my sorority and the zoology club I'm a part of, the list goes on. I'm really at a loss for what I should do and would love some guidance!
(Also, my OSU gpa is a 3.26, cumulative from my last college and OSU is a 2.99, and my science GPA is a 2.97 for reference)

First off: you are clearly awesome, keep it up.

I’ve got a similar situation. My first undergrad degree I had a really low gpa— because I was a lost woodland spirit and didn’t study. After doing a stint in the military, I discovered that I wanted to become a vet so I went back to school to complete all the prereqs. I was excited to go back and bring my grades up. Unfortunately for the first three semesters a family member or friend passed away right before finals. Obviously that wrecked my grades.
I thought showing a massive improvement in the remaining semesters (~40 hrs) would have sufficed in combination with a lot of clinic, animal, and work experience. I reached out to vets/advisors to see if they thought I had a strong application. They all said I did. I got rejected from five and waitlisted on one. (cGPA 3.1, last 45 ~3.5)

It hurt at first, but I realized that I’m still a bad*** and if vet schools can’t see it then they are truly missing out.

If I don’t get in this year, I’ve decided to get a masters or do a wildlife internship before reapplying. If I still don’t get in after that, then I’ll probably write a best-selling novel about disabled female veterans taking down alien poachers on Io. (Gotta have a dream!)

As others have stated, doing a file review is a good idea. Only retake courses if they recommend it, otherwise improve your last 45/science GPA by taking interesting/useful science courses.

You can do it.




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[BravesFan]

I'm a senior at Ohio State University and applied to Vet School this summer. I applied to Ohio State, Iowa State, UW, University of Pennsylvania, and U of Illinois. I'm not feeling too confident about getting accepted anywhere because my grades aren't the best (I lost my dad my first year of college and received mostly Cs in my upper level courses and it KILLED my GPA). I received a rejection letter from Iowa State yesterday and I'm assuming there are 4 more coming soon. If I don't get accepted this year, I want to re-apply next year, but I'm honestly not sure what to do in the mean time. Do I retake some course I didn't do so well in, do I try to find more internships to gain more experience, do I get my Master's, do I find a job? I think I have enough experience, I've studied abroad in South Africa working with rhinos, interned at the Columbus Zoo and worked around gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, leopards, etc., volunteer at a primate sanctuary, worked at an animal hospital all summer, volunteer at a wildcat sanctuary, performed research last school year working towards naming a new species, hold leadership positions in both my sorority and the zoology club I'm a part of, the list goes on. I'm really at a loss for what I should do and would love some guidance!
(Also, my OSU gpa is a 3.26, cumulative from my last college and OSU is a 2.99, and my science GPA is a 2.97 for reference)

I fell in the same boat as you except I really did not have a good excuse for earning bad grades early on - I just didn't care. I had very little direction early on in college and it took a lot of growing up for me to realize what I really wanted to do in life. Like you, my cumulative GPA is relatively low for a doctorate-level program and that hurt me with some schools without a doubt.

What I did, and you might need to look into, is apply to schools that place more emphasis on your prerequisite GPA, last 45 hour GPA, and GRE scores, like Louisiana State, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Kansas State (there might be some more out there too). It seems that schools such as these care more about who you are now, not who you were. This helped me tremendously as I am definitely not the same person I was 10 years ago when I was earning crap grades and was happy about them because I thought passing was good enough.

Since refocusing my life and goals I have earned around 54 hours of 4.0 GPA work, pushing my last 45 GPA to a 4.0 (obviously) and my prerequisite GPA to a 3.86-3.96 depending on the program. My GRE is a 310 (v156/q154/4.0). So far I have had one interview with a corresponding acceptance and two more interviews left to go.

The most important thing is to not give up. I am a working adult so going back to school full-time or doing internships was largely out of the question for me, so I focused on methodically raising my grades to a point where I was comfortable throwing myself into the mix. That said, if you CAN continue school full-time and do internships, I can't see that NOT helping - I'm just letting you know what I did

Best of luck!

 

[SkiOtter]

What I did, and you might need to look into, is apply to schools that place more emphasis on your prerequisite GPA, last 45 hour GPA, and GRE scores, like Louisiana State, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Kansas State (there might be some more out there too).

FYI this is no longer true for Michigan State. They do not require the GRE and admissions said they don’t really care about GPA beyond it being at least a 3.0 or above in last 36 and science prereq. If you are below a 3.0 in either gpa, your application is not even looked at.