GRE Significance

[jmstroup]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and didn't see and recent threads about this, so I made my own. This isn't a "what are my chances" thread, but more "what should I do?"

I am an OOS at UGA and I really want to attend UGA for vet school (my in-state school is UCD, btw). The first time I took the GRE in Nov. 2013, the average score for At Large students at UGA was 308 and I got a 307.

For the incoming class of 2018 this year, the average GRE went up to 313. I have a low GPA: 3.30, been rising significantly since Junior year after it hit me how much I wanted to be a vet; science GPA is low because I placed out of biology so it doesn't in that GPA at all; but last 45 hours is about 3.56. At Large students' average is 3.7 for all of those this year...

I was thinking that getting a high GRE would outweigh my low GPA, so I decided to take the GRE again and got a 313. All of my practice tests (10+ from multiple sources) showed I could realistically make a 320+.

I've heard that if your GRE is good, then it's like a checkmark that you did well and then they would look more at experience and personal statement, etc. Is the GRE a deciding factor or a deal-breaker? Do y'all suggest taking it again in early September and trying to get the 320?

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[Fly Racing]

http://vet.uga.edu/admissions/statistics I see you found this Unfortunately, your new GRE puts you average for last year's class. If you think you can do a 320, then why not try for it? Don't be completely shocked if you get a similar or lower score than before. I don't mean to be discouraging, just honest. The UGA website doesn't indicate the priority of GRE vs GPA vs Others, but you could always call and ask.

Another thing to consider (depending on how important it is to you) is gaining GA residence. At quick glance, it doesn't look too difficult. You might even be eligible for instate in this application cycle. Even if not, if not accepted this year you could apply again next year as a resident.

 

[LyraGardenia]

I second the suggestion of gaining residency if at all possible, as UGA accepts very few OOS students. With a below average GPA, you'd have a tough time getting in OOS. Definitely call or email to find out how much emphasis UGA admissions places on GRE scores, but for most schools it's not a great amount, so I'd look more at getting a lot of experience hours from diverse sources, and making sure you have the best possible PS and LORs.

 

[jmstroup]

Thanks guys. I go here for undergrad and have a lot of experience with small animal, large animal, and wildlife vets. Two letters from vets that work here and one of them whom I did cheetah work with in South Africa is involved in the admissions process. I was the club volleyball captain and president for a couple years. So I feel like I have things that stand out compared to my GPA, but I'm still nervous about having the average GRE even tho it's pretty good (in-state students only have to get a 310 and GPAs of 3.5...).

As for getting residency, unfortunately it's not possible for me since I'm here for school. I already talked to the admissions guy here.

 

[Fly Racing]

Well, I'm going to get a little off topic from your original question if that is okay. You've obviously gathered a good base of information about applying, so thanks for doing that before posting. I just want to put out some other topics in case it might help you.

Have you decided between which is more important: Going to UGA or going to school ASAP? This makes a big difference in your decisions/planning. Obviously UGA is your first choice, but if you get into UCD or another school this year instead, are you happy to go there? You may want to think about how much time you want to invest in going to UGA. I'm guessing it would be very reasonable that you would make it into UGA in 2-3 years (applying as instate the 2nd cycle). It is also important to remember that it does take an average of 3 years to get in to vet school and since you have average to below average stats, this would be a reasonable time frame to expect. However, if it is more important to you to go to vet school as soon as possible, you can apply to more schools and carefully examine the schools admissions process to determine the ones you have good odds with. If you play your cards right, its not unreasonable to hope for an acceptance somewhere on your first application.

 

[jmstroup]

I definitely just want to go to vet school anywhere. If I happened to get into both UCD and UGA, it would be a very hard decision. I'm applying to about 7 schools overall