Should I wait another year to apply?

[rubberducky5]

Hey everybody! I graduated from college in May with a dual degree in English and Religion and a minor in creative writing. So, it goes without saying that I have a few more pre-requisite courses to complete before I can apply to vet school. I had initially intended to apply in 2016 upon completion of the pre-requisite coursework, but the vet that I have been shadowing thinks that I should apply this year. After crunching the numbers, I could technically complete all of the classes, but I would have a pretty rigorous schedule. However, I would be willing to go through the craziness if that meant I'd have a shot at getting into school a year earlier.

Here are my stats and stuff--

Degrees:
Bachelors of Arts in Religion and English, Amherst College
cum laude

Cum. GPA: 3.78
Science GPA: 3.84


Veterinary Experience(will have by time of application)
Small--between 500 and 600 hrs
Large--between 150 and 200 hrs

Animal experience:
Horseback riding--225 hours
Pet sitting--250 hours
Started the emotional support pet program at Amherst college--100 hrs
Work at a Dairy farm--200 hrs

Letters of Recommendation:
Director of studies in the Amherst English Department
The vet I'm currently shadowing
Hopefully one of the Amherst Deans
Hopefully the other vet at the clinic I'm currently shadowing in

GRE: 156V; 154Q

I have a bunch of unrelated extracurriculars, jobs, and humanities research, but I don't know if that really matters or if it even makes it onto the application. Overall, I'm concerned that I may be rejected because I went from a humanities student last May to applying to vet school the following year. I'm also concerned that taking classes too fast may indicate that I'm rushing my education and not retaining what I'm learning in my science classes. Furthermore, I'm on the lower end of applicants when it comes to animal and veterinary hours. The hours themselves are incredibly valuable because the vet I'm shadowing is a great teacher/has let me do some medial procedures and I have gotten to help dehorn, castrate, and deliver calves at my job. Does that make up for being low on hours? My GRE is also pretty average. My IS is Michigan State and I'm still considering where else to apply.

Thank you so much for any help or suggestions you may have! I really appreciate it! Best of luck to everyone in 2015!

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[LetItSnow]

There's a "What are my chances?" thread that this would be appropriate for rather than starting another thread.

That said, I'm with your vet. If you think you can push hard and get the classes done - why wait? You have the grades, you have plenty of experience (more than I did, anyway) ..... unless there are other 'life reasons' to wait I would just apply. Worst case you don't get in, you've lost a bit of cash, and you're better prepared next time around.

I would not worry about rushing your education and retaining science material.

And, I was a theology major. So.

 

[Gwenevre]

A couple things I want to address right off the bat:
1) It doesn't matter if you had an Animal Science/Biology major in undergrad. People have gotten in with a fine arts degree, they just have to complete those prereqs like everyone else. So really, as long as you rock your prereqs in your last year, it doesn't matter that you were humanities -> pre-vet classes. And honestly, it's been discussed in other threads, but most of what you're supposed to "retain" for vet school, doesn't matter either. Undergrad (imo) is about setting yourself up to succeed by getting a study habit down so you're prepared for the rigor of vet school.
2) You have good experiences, and it looks like a lot of good letter writers.
3) All your extra-animal stuff counts. It makes you a well-rounded applicant. Captain of the soccer team? Put it down! Hobby is beer crafting? Put it down! Attended a week-long conference for underwater basket weaving? PUT IT DOWN. The application and admissions process is a conglomerate of all your experiences to see how your personality fits into vet school. You don't want to be just a vet student, you want to be a human being too. And human beings are amazing, diverse people. Schools like to see that kind of diversity in their classes.
4) Your GPA dang pretty spot on, and I wouldn't worry about your GRE

 

[rubberducky5]

Opps! Sorry LetItSnow. I saw the thread, but thought that it had gone dormant since it started in 2011. Thanks for the advice! Gwenevre, can you put high school merits down too or exclusively college?

 

[Gwenevre]

You can if you want to. I know some students have if they felt like their high school experiences have helped them develop, like they had a bunch of volunteering in high school or long-term leadership. I've heard some schools look, but most really want to hear what you've been doing in college, since that's the most recent and prevalent stuff.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

About the high school stuff: I was significantly involved in my community during high school, and that involvement dramatically decreased during college. I listed EVERYTHING, and I was told that "I have impressive community service experience" in my last interview. They look.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Keep in mind that many schools only allow you to have one or two prerequisites left the semester before you matriculate. Not sure what your timeline is for completing classes, but if you were planning on squeezing a lot in that last semester I would make sure that's okay with the schools you're looking at.

 

[rubberducky5]

Thanks for the advice pinkpuppy9 and Gwenevre! I did some stuff in high school that would probably help set me apart, so it's good to know that I can include that in the application. Thanks for the heads up LyraGardenia. I know that MSU allows students to apply with half of the pre-requisite courses completed which I will have done by August, but I really need to look into that when I look at other places to apply.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I say go straight to the horses mouth, and ask for a meeting with the admissions counselor at your top school(s). The ones I had experience with were very honest and straightforward. I was advised to wait a year. (Which wasn't what I wanted to hear, of course.) But I took their advice to heart and did everything they suggested (and them some) to bolster my application. To me, it was worth waiting because I applied this year and was accepted.

 

[lailanni]

I could technically complete all of the classes, but I would have a pretty rigorous schedule. However, I would be willing to go through the craziness if that meant I'd have a shot at getting into school a year earlier.

I'm also concerned that taking classes too fast may indicate that I'm rushing my education and not retaining what I'm learning in my science classes.

I wouldn't worry about rushing and not retaining undergrad science, you don't really use a ton of it in vet school.

What classes do you have left and how comfortable are you with the hard sciences?

My concern would be taking too many classes at once and as a result and doing poorly. Your app looks pretty good right now in the GPA department. I wouldn't want to bring down your GPA and last 45 GPA because you wanted to get in a little faster.

On the other hand, if you can squeeze in all the classes AND do it well, by all means go for it! But only you can decide how comfortable you are with that.

Do include all the extracurriculars/well rounded activities. They do look. I had a few questions at my interview on my non-vet related experience.

 

[rubberducky5]

Thanks Gemrrrl! I'll set up a meeting. lailanni, I have orgo and biochemistry left as well as two upper level bio courses. I think the upper bio course should be ok because I really love bio and have never gotten less than an A in a bio course. I am a bit concerned about orgo though.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Thanks Gemrrrl! I'll set up a meeting. lailanni, I have orgo and biochemistry left as well as two upper level bio courses. I think the upper bio course should be ok because I really love bio and have never gotten less than an A in a bio course. I am a bit concerned about orgo though.

If you like bio, I think that sounds like a difficult but reasonable course load. Upper level bio classes can be really fun if that's what you love. Same with biochem - some people hate it, some people love it.

Have you taken multiple sciences courses at once yet? That might give you an idea how challenging that load will be. I agree with lailanni that it wouldn't be a good idea if you think you'll struggle and that your GPA would drop. And that only you can judge whether that will be too much or not, based on your knowledge of previous semesters and your study habits and what else you'll be doing during those semesters.

What makes you concerned about orgo? Have you struggled in previous chem classes, or is it because people say it's such a hard class?

 

[rubberducky5]

Hi WillowLeaf. I have taken multiple science courses every semester since I started getting my pre-requisites. I have received good grades in chemistry, but it definitely does not come to me nearly as easily as it does to some people. I'm worried about orgo because I've heard horror stories about it and also because gen. chem hasn't exactly been a cake walk for me.