Feeling Discouraged-Seeking Advice

[katetu2]

I recently graduated from college last year, with a major in neuroscience. I was premed, and decided to take the veterinarian route this year. So I have lots of hours to catch up on.

Issue: I really messed up my senior year of college. Depression hit me so hard, and I failed multiple classes. I did well on my prerequisites, but I know vet schools mainly focus on the last 45 credits, which senior year dragged me down. Other than that, I got As in all upper level neuro classes, but failed mainly humanitiy classes senior year.

Is it even worth applying?

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[MintyMoose]

You will never know if you don't try. Of course schools do put emphasis on the last 45 and look for upward trends, but you have the ability to explain your situation and what caused your dip in grades. Also, keep in mind VMCAS absolutely obliterates your GPA. I'm not sure how many low grades you received but in my college career, I received 2 F's, a D, and a C. The rest were a mix of A's and B's (mostly A's). I totaled around 160 credits and my GPA was a 3.38 this cycle

 

[JaynaAli]

Not all schools emphasize or even consider a last 45 GPA. If your last 45 is poor but your pre-req and overall GPA is fine, you may still have a decent chance at some places. I am pretty sure my school (at least used to, I’m old and it’s been a while) only really consider pre-req GPA. But you’ll need to do the research and figure out how each school calculates GPA and which you have a shot at. It’s probably not hopeless but you’ll need to apply smart but I do I think you’ll have a lot of explaining to do in the explanation statement to address it and prove you’ve sorted out your issues, you’re dedicated and you can handle the rigor of vet school.

If you have GPA issues and low hours I’d definitely wait to apply. Vet med requires a LOT more hours than human med so be sure you’re competitive in that aspect.

 

[topanga_231]

I recently graduated from college last year, with a major in neuroscience. I was premed, and decided to take the veterinarian route this year. So I have lots of hours to catch up on.

Issue: I really messed up my senior year of college. Depression hit me so hard, and I failed multiple classes. I did well on my prerequisites, but I know vet schools mainly focus on the last 45 credits, which senior year dragged me down. Other than that, I got As in all upper level neuro classes, but failed mainly humanitiy classes senior year.

Is it even worth applying?

What I wish I had done last cycle when I was feeling like I was not sure if I had a chance or not-

I wish I had taken more classes prior to submitting my application to have my not as great undergrad grades not be included in the last 45 credits and started by applying to schools that looked at the last 45 credits most heavily. That is not true of every vet school, they all vary somewhat in what they’re looking for. Some will weigh experience more heavily too, but what that means also varies.

it is difficult to give more specific advice without knowing how many exp hours you have or what ballpark your gpa is in, or what your area of interest is etc.

If you have an in state school, you might start there and see what they advise you to do to give yourself the best chance of acceptance.

You could always just apply to a few schools, do file reviews if you are rejected, and then use that information for next years application. It certainly isn’t all or nothing, and the advantage here is you know what you need to start with - research and experience hours

 

[katetu2]

What I wish I had done last cycle when I was feeling like I was not sure if I had a chance or not-

I wish I had taken more classes prior to submitting my application to have my not as great undergrad grades not be included in the last 45 credits and started by applying to schools that looked at the last 45 credits most heavily. That is not true of every vet school, they all vary somewhat in what they’re looking for. Some will weigh experience more heavily too, but what that means also varies.

it is difficult to give more specific advice without knowing how many exp hours you have or what ballpark your gpa is in, or what your area of interest is etc.

If you have an in state school, you might start there and see what they advise you to do to give yourself the best chance of acceptance.

You could always just apply to a few schools, do file reviews if you are rejected, and then use that information for next years application. It certainly isn’t all or nothing, and the advantage here is you know what you need to start with - research and experience hours

Thank you so much for replying to my post. From the sounds of it, if you take some extra classes after undergrad, will they consider those as part of your last 45 credits? Or will there be a strong emphasis on your undergraduate grades still?

 

[katetu2]

You will never know if you don't try. Of course schools do put emphasis on the last 45 and look for upward trends, but you have the ability to explain your situation and what caused your dip in grades. Also, keep in mind VMCAS absolutely obliterates your GPA. I'm not sure how many low grades you received but in my college career, I received 2 F's, a D, and a C. The rest were a mix of A's and B's (mostly A's). I totaled around 160 credits and my GPA was a 3.38 this cycle

Thnks so much for replying. Have you gotten any results from your cycle?

 

[topanga_231]

Thank you so much for replying to my post. From the sounds of it, if you take some extra classes after undergrad, will they consider those as part of your last 45 credits? Or will there be a strong emphasis on your undergraduate grades still?

it really depends on the school. my undergrad was quite a long time ago, so i did have to retake courses and would have even if i had fabulous grades. if you look at my cumulative GPA, it will always be on the lower side because of my poor performance freshman/ sophomore year, so i have to build my schools list and the rest of my application to compensate for that. it is difficult to move *my* undergrad GPA because i have so many credits at this point, so for me, the last 45 thing is something i am focusing on. as i take more science classes and do well in them, i am also looking at schools that will look closely at science GPA's and value experience because that is my personal strong point.

i also will note too that some schools would not consider me as strongly because i do not have a lot of LA experience, despite 10K + hours in small animal, some research, some exotics. that's why i feel perhaps starting at your in state school, where you would ideally have the best chance and lowest cost, might be a good starting point.

i gained a lot from file reviews and learned a ton this cycle. I am still waiting to hear back from two schools. file reviews were a major silver lining in this tough process! i cannot recommend them enough. please message me any time if you'd like guidance, feedback etc. i also struggled in my undergrad and i empathize with what you've gone through, and recognize the resilience you're demonstrating here. happy to help!

 

[Georgethecat]

I recently graduated from college last year, with a major in neuroscience. I was premed, and decided to take the veterinarian route this year. So I have lots of hours to catch up on.

Issue: I really messed up my senior year of college. Depression hit me so hard, and I failed multiple classes. I did well on my prerequisites, but I know vet schools mainly focus on the last 45 credits, which senior year dragged me down. Other than that, I got As in all upper level neuro classes, but failed mainly humanitiy classes senior year.

Is it even worth applying?

If you follow the format in the What are my Chances section, it will be easier to give you more specific advice.

Best of luck!