how do I become a vet after the army?

[Orion8]

I very recently got out of the army and in the last 2 years I've gotten myself together and found what I want to do with the rest of my life. Problem is that I have a late start and I had horrible grades in high school. I'm still 21 and I'm very focused on becoming a vet but I have limited options in Fayetteville, NC. Given my current situation, what steps do I take to reach my goal? Are online schools acceptable?

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[Gwenevre]

Welcome to SDN!
Online classes are an option for some of the prerequisites needed to get into vet school, but not all. Some classes you'll need to take have labs, and it's difficult to measure chemicals on a computer. Your best bet is to talk to someone in admissions at NCSU to see where you need to get started. Vet school doesn't care about your high school grades, it's your college grades that matter. Yes, college. Which means you'll have to get into a community college to start taking prerequisite classes, like Bio 101, 102, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbio, Physics, and others depending on your vet school's prerequisites. Some schools require you to take upper level classes at a 4 year institution, so keep that in mind.
In addition, you'll need to take the GRE, which is the college equivalent of the SATs. You won't have to take those for a couple of years though, depending on how long it takes to complete those prerequisite classes.
You should also start spending time with a veterinarian, if you haven't already. Shadowing and volunteering is the most common way to get started.
Making it to vet school from the ground up is a long trek. Hopefully some more of the non-traditional students will pop in here and lend their expertise as well, but I think I covered the basics.

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm the only person who wanted to say "You're automatically a vet after getting out of the army"?

C'mon, people.

Anyway, Gwen pretty much covered it. Given your current situation, the steps you take are: 1) Investigate the vet-school pre-reqs by visiting the websites of a variety of vet schools, starting with your In-State school, 2) Investigate the industry by spending some time with a few different types of docs, 3) Understand that its a long play to get into vet school, not something you decide today and apply tomorrow.

You'll need somewhere between 250 and several thousand hours of experience (working, shadowing, volunteering, whatever) in the industry. Most people probably apply with at least 400+. You'll need decent GPAs (at least 3.5 range is best). You'll need some recommendation letters from people, including at least one or two veterinarians.

I don't really know what getting out of the army has to do with it that would be unique to anyone else getting in (as far as preparation for vet school), but maybe @Armymutt25A has some thoughts on that. With regard to limited opportunities .... I dunno. Assuming you're talking about pre-requisite classes, the best thing you can do is make a list of all the classes you need to apply to the schools you're interested in, and then start researching where you can take them, making sure that the classes you're looking at fulfill the pre-requisite requirement. I had an excel spreadsheet with all the pre-requisites, arranged in the order I had to take them (chem 1 -> chem 2, etc). It made it nice and easy for me to track my progress (which helps keep you from getting depressed at the process), as well as making sure I didn't miss anything.

 

[Orion8]

I'm the only person who wanted to say "You're automatically a vet after getting out of the army"?

C'mon, people.

Anyway, Gwen pretty much covered it. Given your current situation, the steps you take are: 1) Investigate the vet-school pre-reqs by visiting the websites of a variety of vet schools, starting with your In-State school, 2) Investigate the industry by spending some time with a few different types of docs, 3) Understand that its a long play to get into vet school, not something you decide today and apply tomorrow.

You'll need somewhere between 250 and several thousand hours of experience (working, shadowing, volunteering, whatever) in the industry. Most people probably apply with at least 400+. You'll need decent GPAs (at least 3.5 range is best). You'll need some recommendation letters from people, including at least one or two veterinarians.

I don't really know what getting out of the army has to do with it that would be unique to anyone else getting in (as far as preparation for vet school), but maybe @Armymutt25A has some thoughts on that. With regard to limited opportunities .... I dunno. Assuming you're talking about pre-requisite classes, the best thing you can do is make a list of all the classes you need to apply to the schools you're interested in, and then start researching where you can take them, making sure that the classes you're looking at fulfill the pre-requisite requirement. I had an excel spreadsheet with all the pre-requisites, arranged in the order I had to take them (chem 1 -> chem 2, etc). It made it nice and easy for me to track my progress (which helps keep you from getting depressed at the process), as well as making sure I didn't miss anything.

I added the army thing to let people know that I have little to no experience with civilian education, I should've clarified. Thank you for the advice.

 

[LetItSnow]

I added the army thing to let people know that I have little to no experience with civilian education, I should've clarified. Thank you for the advice.

I wouldn't worry about that. The nature of pre-reqs is that you'll ease into it with relatively easier classes first. So if it goes well - great. If not, you know you need to make adjustments.

 

[K9Mechanic]

I would suggest getting a job in a vet clinic asap. You'll either love it or hate it. If you hate it, at least you haven't committed much time by taking classes. Additionally, you'll need thousands of hours of vet experience to be competitive.

 

[Teepster87]

Fellow vet here (USMC). First thing I did before starting college was getting a verification letter from the VA saying I was eligible to use the G.I. bill. I did 2 years at community college and then transferred to a university. My advice would be (if you're financially able) to hold off using your GI Bill for a semester or 2. Look into a fee waiver for veterans in NC that would cover tuition/fees, and work part time for support. I wish I had held off using my GI Bill on community college, but I needed that BAH to get by. It would have been nice to have saved those 2 years of benefits to pay for 2 years of vet school!

PM me if you've got any specific questions that I might be able to help with.

 

[LivesintheLibrary]

Fellow vet here (USMC). First thing I did before starting college was getting a verification letter from the VA saying I was eligible to use the G.I. bill. I did 2 years at community college and then transferred to a university. My advice would be (if you're financially able) to hold off using your GI Bill for a semester or 2. Look into a fee waiver for veterans in NC that would cover tuition/fees, and work part time for support. I wish I had held off using my GI Bill on community college, but I needed that BAH to get by. It would have been nice to have saved those 2 years of benefits to pay for 2 years of vet school!

PM me if you've got any specific questions that I might be able to help with.

I very recently got out of the army and in the last 2 years I've gotten myself together and found what I want to do with the rest of my life. Problem is that I have a late start and I had horrible grades in high school. I'm still 21 and I'm very focused on becoming a vet but I have limited options in Fayetteville, NC. Given my current situation, what steps do I take to reach my goal? Are online schools acceptable?

I think everyone has done a great job covering what needs to be covered. But to both of you, thanks for your service and happy Memorial Day!

 

[ResoluteMike]

Fellow vet here (USMC). First thing I did before starting college was getting a verification letter from the VA saying I was eligible to use the G.I. bill. I did 2 years at community college and then transferred to a university. My advice would be (if you're financially able) to hold off using your GI Bill for a semester or 2. Look into a fee waiver for veterans in NC that would cover tuition/fees, and work part time for support. I wish I had held off using my GI Bill on community college, but I needed that BAH to get by. It would have been nice to have saved those 2 years of benefits to pay for 2 years of vet school!

PM me if you've got any specific questions that I might be able to help with.

I would highly recommend not touching the G.I. Bill until vet school if you can do it. Even maxing out your financial aid in undergrad is almost certainly going to be cheaper than using Grad Plus loans later for vet school.

 

[sorasea]

Hello! Chiming in because I know someone from Fayetteville who went to FTCC and later transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill. I know of at least one program that streamlines the process of doing 2 years at FTCC, Wake Tech, Durham Tech, etc. and transferring to a UNC system school to finish your undergrad degree. And if I'm not mistaken, FTCC has programs geared towards the Fort Bragg military community (the person I know of was a military brat herself). I'd look into talking to advisors at that college. Also, if you managed to transfer to a 4-year public university in the Triangle (e.g. UNC-CH, NCSU) after community college, you might be able to commute there from Fayetteville if you're currently living at home. It's a 1.5 hr drive which is kind of crazy but doable/not unheard of and could save you from needing to use your GI Bill till vet school.

Everyone's general advice above sounds really great. As others have said, your high school grades won't matter at all, but the moment you start taking college classes, you should be focused on getting good grades. I'd also read some of the past "Successful Applicants" thread on this forum to get an idea of what numbers and types of veterinary experience to aim for as you start out, especially for the vet schools you're interested in (e.g. NCSU, which is probably your in-state school).

 

[Orion8]

You guys have been so helpful I truly appreciate the guidance. You guys are great. I'm glad I found this site. I'll keep posting on this thread if I have issues or make progress.

 

[that redhead]

Hello! Chiming in because I know someone from Fayetteville who went to FTCC and later transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill. I know of at least one program that streamlines the process of doing 2 years at FTCC, Wake Tech, Durham Tech, etc. and transferring to a UNC system school to finish your undergrad degree.

Just to clarify, most veterinary schools do not require a degree for application. Some people recommend that non-trads only pursue the prerequisite courses to save money. Finishing a degree isn't a bad idea necessarily, just not always the best path for the intended outcome.

but the moment you start taking college classes, you should be focused on getting good grades. I'd also read some of the past "Successful Applicants" thread on this forum to get an idea of what numbers and types of veterinary experience to aim for as you start out, especially for the vet schools you're interested in (e.g. NCSU, which is probably your in-state school).

Great advice - remember the bolded! Poor coursework will follow you and it's best to do it well the first time around.

 

[Orion8]

Just to clarify, most veterinary schools do not require a degree for application. Some people recommend that non-trads only pursue the prerequisite courses to save money. Finishing a degree isn't a bad idea necessarily, just not always the best path for the intended outcome.



Great advice - remember the bolded! Poor coursework will follow you and it's best to do it well the first time around.

Interesting advice. Once I jump into this that's all I'm focusing on. Not giving up long term goals for short term comfort. I love the picture btw. I was born and raised in queen annes county maryland. Keep being awesome.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I would highly recommend not touching the G.I. Bill until vet school if you can do it. Even maxing out your financial aid in undergrad is almost certainly going to be cheaper than using Grad Plus loans later for vet school.

This! Plus there is no tuition limit for the Chapter 33 GI Bill (Post 9/11). It's based on months/days certified. So you will get a lot more out of it if you wait until graduate school to use it.

 

[ResoluteMike]

This! Plus there is no tuition limit for the Chapter 33 GI Bill (Post 9/11). It's based on months/days certified. So you will get a lot more out of it if you wait until graduate school to use it.

Kind of. This only applies to state schools. Private schools have a cap of $17,500, so schools like Western would still run up close to 6 figure debt. It also means choose your state of residency carefully.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

Kind of. This only applies to state schools. Private schools have a cap of $17,500, so schools like Western would still run up close to 6 figure debt. It also means choose your state of residency carefully.

The cap does suck. I think OOS tuition has just gotten so out of control for everyone. I don't know how anyone can afford it.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I'm the only person who wanted to say "You're automatically a vet after getting out of the army"?

C'mon, people.

.

nope... I opened this thread just to say that.

sorry I have nothing else to add OP. Good luck.