Potentially applying c/o 2020, help?

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Conflagration

Avatar from MeluuArts of dA.
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Hello! Thanks for reading.

My brain is imploding at the thought of trying to jam all of my pre-reqs between now and May 2016.

You see, I started as a biochemistry major, and everything and its third's cousin's uncle blew up. My father had a virus attack his heart in December 2012; and has been dealing with related medical issues since.

So, I switched to math, and I decided against vet med (and pretty much any health profession) for a while. I've been doing well in math classes, but I want to try to get into vet med again.

Well, I'm not going to lie, my grades could be a lot better, considering how competitive DVM admissions are.

I have AP credit for the Basic Biology and two semesters of Gen Chem, along with two semesters of American History and Stats. The only pre-reqs I've actually taken are my English classes (Freshman Comps I got two C's, and Brit Lit I got a B, and an honors class that could substitute for an English that's an A) and I got a C in Organic I.

So, the tl;dr of this is:

I had a craptastic start to college. Got a 2.7 my first semester and got fat C's in Orgo I and English I.
English is not my forte (I'm diagnosed with an ASD), so the second semester of English also got a C.
My math classes have buffed my sGPA to a somewhat respectable ~3.28; I have a cGPA of ~3.3. (Upward trends y'all. Not enough credits to leave my first semester behind yet.)
I'm a rising junior with NC residency.
I've taken a practice GRE (Kaplan run) with 158/161 V/Q with no prior studying. I test well and I feel like I would kick the GRE until it cried if I needed to.
I have some research in a non-biology field. (I've done a presentation for the History of Statistics, and was offered to write an article about it. Haven't counted the hours.)
I still have both physics, Organic II, Biochem, Genetics, Micro, and Animal Nutrition left.

I'm taking the physics classes this year, along with Orgo II in the spring (and perhaps Micro as well if I didn't have too many classes left).

My worry is that if my higher level English classes don't substitute for the composition courses, I have around a 2.5 for a pre-req GPA. (A in Stats taken at my uni, B for Calc I and A's for Calc II and III, and I don't know which one of those they'll take either.)

So, people who applied to NCSU, do you know what they prefer when it comes to credits in the pre-requisite GPA? Do I honestly have a chance for the next cycle, starting June 2015? I've owned animals for a while, but I need to start clocking hours as well. I've observed vets doing basics for my dogs, but that's about it.

I'm also thinking of applying to UF as well, so a perspective from them or anywhere would be loved!

Thank you so much! This is the longest post on Earth, I'm sorry. ^^;

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You might try posting in the "what are my chances" thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-are-my-chances.820748/ Even though you're a year out from applying, you can still get advice there on how to improve your chances! But I can tell you to work on doing the best you can in the rest of your prerequisites, and if you're planning on sticking with the math major, take as many extra upper-level science classes as you have room in your schedule for (anatomy, physiology, etc.). Schools like to see that you've gone above and beyond, and it will help prepare you better for vet school. Keep those upward trends going, and look into which schools focus on your last 45 credit hour GPA and science GPA. I know Illinois even has the option to ignore your freshman year grades, although you would have to retake any prereqs you took that year. I'm not familiar with NCSU's policies, but you could try emailing them and seeing which English and math class they will count for your prereq GPA. In any case, there's space on the VMCAS app for an explanation statement in which you could explain how your father's health concerns affected your academic performance. It's definitely possible to get into vet school with a 3.3 GPA.

Those are quite respectable practice GRE scores, and I think practice tests tend to be harder than the actual test, so it doesn't sound like that will be an area of concern for you. Your major concern aside from acing the prereqs you've got left should be getting as much veterinary experience as you can over the next year! I know UF recommends having at least 500 hours of vet experience by the time you apply, so the sooner you can get your foot in the door and start shadowing/working at a vet clinic, the better! It sounds like you haven't shadowed a vet at all yet, so you may even end up changing your mind about vet med again once you see a typical day at a clinic. Animal experience without a vet present is also great, but vet experience is more valuable. Some schools will consider pet ownership, some not so much, but it's something to put on your app, especially if you've spent time training your pets, taking care of them throughout medical issues, etc. Just saying "I spend two hours feeding, walking and cuddling Fido every day" isn't as helpful.
 
Well, thank you!

I have just signed up for a volunteer slot at a local zoo, it's a small place that runs almost entirely on donations. I was also thinking about getting into the ASPCA of the county as well, because as interesting as exotics are, it's unlikely that I would be employed on a solely exotic practice.

I will repost on that thread, thank you! :)
 
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