Non-Traditionals -- How Many Pre-Reqs?

[PippyPony]

Question for all the non-traditional/post-bac applicants in the house...

How many pre-reqs did you have completed at the time of your application? I'm trying to determine whether it would be possible to pull off an application this fall, despite the fact that I'll only be about 50% through my science pre-reqs at the end of the fall 2014 semester.

I'm curious about this because I'm...shall we say..."getting up there" in years, and so don't want to wait to apply for longer than I have to. Otherwise, I may be thinking about retiring by the time I get out of vet school (maybe not quite, but sometimes it feels like that )

For some additional context, I think I could be done with my lower-division bio, chem & math courses and have one semester of organic chem under my belt by the end of fall semester this year (so, would be sending in an updated fall transcript after the application deadline), but wouldn't have more than that complete. I've got a good GPA from a well-regarded liberal arts school for my undergrad work, and have straight 4.0 in the post-bac science courses that I've taken so far, so I feel like I've done an ok job so far of proving I can handle the work at a rigorous program. It's just a question of how much of a leap of faith the schools are willing to take on the remaining 50% or so of the classes.

Anyone out there who applied mid-pre-reqs?

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[epivetlove]

I'm a non-trad, but I had all of my pre-reqs complete. I just wanted to mention that, depending on the school, you can only have a few pre-reqs remaining in the Spring semester prior to intended matriculation. I would just make sure to research each school you're interested in to see how many you can get away with not completing prior to application submission. Though your application will look better with the more pre-reqs you've completed (and done well in). For example, A&M rewards applicants that have completed all pre-reqs with 6 additional points toward admission (A&M uses a point system to determine admission). Some other schools may be the same.

Good luck!

 

[LetItSnow]

Question for all the non-traditional/post-bac applicants in the house...

How many pre-reqs did you have completed at the time of your application? I'm trying to determine whether it would be possible to pull off an application this fall, despite the fact that I'll only be about 50% through my science pre-reqs at the end of the fall 2014 semester.

I'm curious about this because I'm...shall we say..."getting up there" in years, and so don't want to wait to apply for longer than I have to. Otherwise, I may be thinking about retiring by the time I get out of vet school (maybe not quite, but sometimes it feels like that )

For some additional context, I think I could be done with my lower-division bio, chem & math courses and have one semester of organic chem under my belt by the end of fall semester this year (so, would be sending in an updated fall transcript after the application deadline), but wouldn't have more than that complete. I've got a good GPA from a well-regarded liberal arts school for my undergrad work, and have straight 4.0 in the post-bac science courses that I've taken so far, so I feel like I've done an ok job so far of proving I can handle the work at a rigorous program. It's just a question of how much of a leap of faith the schools are willing to take on the remaining 50% or so of the classes.

Anyone out there who applied mid-pre-reqs?

I had two classes left; physics II and some upper level bio or chem thing. I forget.

My gut says that it would be difficult to pull it off if you'll only be halfway through by the end of Fall 2014. That leaves you two semesters (Spring 2015, Summer 2015) to get the pre-reqs done****, which, based on pre-requisites for various courses, seems unlikely. I mean, chem 1->chem 2->orgo->biochem is a pretty set path in most schools, isn't it? Physics 1/2 you can, of course, fit in anywhere. And the low level bio stuff you can parallel with the chem stuff. And genetics ... meh.

So, I guess the answer is 'maybe' depending on what you mean by 50% completed. But I think it'd be awfully hard.

**** Assuming they allow you to use the summer before you matriculate and don't require you to be done by the end of spring before you matriculate. I don't know. I'm under the impression most schools won't let you carry open pre-reqs into summer, but I don't really know any more.

 

[twelvetigers]

Some schools have a limit to how many required courses you can still be taking - generally something like two, when the rule exists. You really need to look specifically at each school you are considering.

 

[CanHardlyWait]

I had finished my bachelors degree, but still needed to take Physics 1 and 2, retake Organic Chem 2 (D the first time around) and take Biochem at the time of my app. My GPA was really good, especially in the sciences even including the D in Organic, so I don't know if that played a role. I purposely planned it that way, taking a year between graduation and application, so I could work full time and focus on Physics with a low class load (math is my enemy). I did not purposely repeat Organic tho
I'm non trad even for the non trads. I didn't start college at all until my late 20's, so the bachelors I finished before applying was my first and it was in the humanities so I didn't need Physics to graduate. Not sure if this helps you...

 

[Milos1133]

I did the same thing, and depending on which schools you are applying to and what prereqs they require, I think it'd be possible for you...as long as you take summer classes, and load up your fall semester. I made a spreadsheet on Excel to organize what schools required what, and which ones I'd be able to apply to soonest. It turned out to be really helpful. I had a business degree previous to deciding to go to vet school, and had to start from scratch, so it took a while. The application isn't due until October and a lot of schools don't make a decision until after December, so you could always send them your updated transcript with the fall semester grades to improve your chances. I'm of the opinion that if you want it bad enough, there's generally a way to make it happen. You just have to think outside the box. Good luck!