Hi, I was wondering if anyone else had a change of heart after getting their bachelor's and wanted to switch to veterinary and if so how did you do it? I went to a great school for studying pre vet but was talked out of it and unfortunately I ended up with a totally unrelated degree, no science background really, and not great grades. Would I have to start completely over and get a second bachelors in a science, or would there be a more affordable way to do it, such as community college and extension classes for the required courses? Would my earlier grades make it completely impossible?
graduate reconsidering vet school?
- Thread starter baytb
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It totally depends on which schools you apply for and how you do in your pre-reqs. Some schools require certain classes be taken at 4 year universities, some classes are okay at community colleges, etc and so on. I graduated with my BA missing a few pre-reqs and I just took them as night/evening/online courses while working. Granted I only had like 7 to do and it took me about 3 years to finish them all in the route I took, but its doable. Some schools look at cumulative GPA's, some (like MN) only look at your last 45 credits and your pre-requisite coursework GPA.
Basically, you'll have to do some research into the schools you're interested in to find out what route you'll have to take.
On another note, you might want to start small, with a few of the lower level pre-reqs, and see how you feel about the science classes in general. Vet school is EXTREMELY science heavy and if it turns out you hate those kinds of classes, you might want to rethink your career choice. Also, have you shadowed vets at all? Make sure you know what you're getting into and work on obtaining experience in the field, both for your own sake and because you'll need the hours for vet school applications.
Hope that helps!
PS - You'll probably find more help/advice if you search the "Pre-veterinary" forum. Just FYI
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I graduated from undergrad with a GPA well below average and a degree in computer science before I decided to pursue veterinary medicine. I got a couple jobs working in the veterinary field and started taking the extra courses I needed. I was enrolled as a second bachelors student but never got the degree as I only took the classes I needed for my admissions requirements. Two years later I was starting veterinary school. Four years after that I was doing an internship and a year later I started a residency that I love.
You can't dwell on the past.
You can't dwell on the past.
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I am in the same boat you are, OP. I actually decided to enroll in a veterinary assistant online class to decide if I want to do this before taking the leap and spending all my money on finishing prereqs. I will start my externship at the end of this month which will help me really decide if I want to do this or not. (Plus I need all the vet experience I can get.) I earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Japanese language, 3.4 GPA overall. I did take some science classes and got Bs/Cs and I am a bit worried about that. I think I will try to finish the science pre-reqs and maybe re-take the 2 science classes I got Cs in. I don't want to take too long finishing my pre-reqs though and am worried about that too! OP, you should volunteer, take beginner science classes and see if this field is for you. Good luck to you, OP.
