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Hmm, I hope this too can be an inspiration for some:
GRE: 610Q 490V
YES! There is hope for me....maybe?
Hmm, I hope this too can be an inspiration for some:
GRE: 610Q 490V
great job! and congrats! but your gpa probably doesn't instill a sense that it can be done for most folks!! you look like you were an acceptance from the start!!!
Overall GPA: 3.94
Science GPA: 3.96
Last 45 hours: 3.96
Vet school prereqs: 4.0
GRE: 740 Quant, 600 Verbal, 5.0 Analytical
First time applicant, CA resident
Applied to: UC Davis, Oregon, CSU, WSU, Penn, Tufts
Rejected: Penn, CSU
Accepted: WSU, Tufts, won't hear from Davis until later, but I had a great interview
Undergrad: A.S. Biology, B.S. in chemistry (graduating in June)
Experience: 2+ years small animal hospital, summer wildlife work, 120 hours equine, 1/2 a quarter of research (non-animal related)
I think posting in here may give some people with low GPAs like myself hope.
majors: BS in Animal Science and BS in Poultry Science (graduating this May)
Overall GPA: 3.223 (127 GPA hours)
Last 45 GPA: 3.7
Science GPA: low 3.0
GRE: 800Q, 540V, 5.0A
Animal Experience: countless hours with horses growing up, worked with wallabies in Australia for six months, took care of tigers and other large (and small) carnivores at a carnivore rescue near town for six months, lots of farm and poultry experience through my majors
Vet Experience: Worked with small animal vet for 6 years throughout high school and start of college, worked with dairy vet for a couple days, worked with a poultry vet in a necropsy lab and out in the field
Recommendations: One from the small animal vet, one from the department head of Poultry Science (I had just gotten an A+ in their course) and one from a poultry vet from NCSU's vet school who I had just had a course with
Other Activities: Played on NCSU's Ultimate Frisbee team througout college(10 hours a week at least of practice and tournaments out of state most weekends)
This is the first time I applied.
UCDavis: rejected
UPenn: accepted
LSU: ??
NCSU: ??
I had a 2.5 GPA going into my junior year, but worked my butt off to make it up to a 3.2. I took 20 hours over last summer session and got >4.0 GPA. My advisor for Animal Science never thought I would get into vet school. I got a D in OChem 1 and failed OChem 2 the first time I took them, but went back and made an A+ and B+ the second time.
So considering the last note that was just written, I may get the same response (about the GPA), but until I finally got my acceptance letter from MN today (after 3 rejection letters in a row), it made me really nervous to read this thread because of everyone with 1000s of hours of vet experience. So anyways, as I'm THRILLED to actually be able to post on this thread:
GPA: 4.0 capped on a +/- grading scale (both general and science)
GRE: Verbal: 610
Quant.: 800
Writing: 6.0
Research Experience: 9 months in a research lab working with Black Widows (and running my own experiment for my Honors Thesis)
Sounds decent, until:vet experience: I have worked/volunteered at a vet's office for 8 summers: 5 as a kennel assistant (which some have said don't count as vet experience), 1 as a grooming assistant and 2 shadowing vets and techs. Through the shadowing experience I had about 325 hours, and if the other summers were added in it'd be right around 1000 (but again, many have mentioned that kennel assistant work doesn't "count" as much). No formal large animal experience, although I do own a horse. In case you can't tell, I was DEFINITELY concerned about my experience after reading the posts on this thread (i.e. people who have worked for clinics for 4 years now, not summers, but years).
So for all my fellow people concerned about number of hours of experience, it can be done!!!!
Thanks for saying that, Cyrille104 -- after the rejection letters I was definitely doubting myself! And no, I went to a University all four years -- although it is Arizona State University and, love it though I do (and I do!), I would understand some thinking that a caveat. What I figure (aside from not realizing how truly difficult it is to get into vet school) is that the three I was rejected from were Cornell (#1 in the country, I'm out of state, obviously difficult to get into), UC Davis (really doesn't accept out of state students, and specifically tells you if you're out of state you should have AT LEAST 3500 hours of experience -- something I probably should have read before I spent the money to apply...) and CSU (had I done the WICHE program, I may have had a better chance there, but I didn't, so again I was applying as an out-of-state student).Your statistics are great, I'm extremely surprised that you got 3 rejection letters. Is there some caveat that you didn't mention? (junior college or something)
When did you retake Orgo 1 and 2? Also, would it be possible for you to put me in contact with the person in poultry science you worked with at NCSU? I've gone to college out of state, but if I'm not accepted plan on moving back to NC (where I am a resident) and working there and hopefully getting in there next year. Any help would be great!
400 zoo (husbandry, large african mammals)
Thanks for the nice jab at Edinburgh KittenKiller
I highly recommend going to the AAVMC's website and individual colleges' websites. Talk to vets, advisors...just do your best.
While folks that post here have done outstanding jobs, it's isn't likely to be representative of all successful applicants. An applicant is more than some grade scores and an amount of experience hours. It's not easy to compare---'thousands of hours...' isn't very detailed; it could be 1,000 to anything like 10,000.
My main point for future applicants is that you can't compare straight up to someone else's records.....for all you know, they could be older and already have a done a Masters, grew up on a horse farm with 30 broodmares, or had another career. Try your hardest to make yourself into a well balanced, stable, educated person and apply. Be willing to apply again too, because it's a crazy competitive process. But have confidence!!! You try to do your best, so be proud of it. If you want some good internship ideas, then maybe I could hook you up.
I've given up trying to understand vet schools...their behavior boggles my mind
Hello there. Could you please share some of some cool internship ideas? I am currently finishing up my undergrad at UC Davis. I would love to find out about this. My name is Jennifer, by the way.
Hey could you guys post how many credits you took your last few semesters and what type of classes...
Could I also request successful applicants to list whether or not they just came out of college, and if they didn't, then also say how long they've been out and what they have been doing in the meantime? It's a little nerve wracking to see people with these thousands of hours of vet/animal experience, until I learn that they've been out of college for some time (any amount of time).
My GPAs below are real, I'm posting to give hope to those who, like myself, never imagined they would be applying to vet school after graduating and therefore never strove for more than a "B" average! I worked myself to the ground the past few years to make up for those low GPAs, and even though my instate school refused to look beyond them, other schools gave me a chance =)
Undergraduate:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
BS Biology, May 2004 (missed my Chemistry minor because of one "C-")
GPAs:
Overall - 3.15
Required Sciences - 3.06
Last 45 hours - 3.32
GRE:
Verbal – 610
Quantitative – 750
Writing – 6.0
Experience:
Research – two years in a cardiovascular research lab
Small Animal – one year as a vet tech
Exotic/Wildlife – one year as a vet tech
Volunteer:
One year at an animal shelter
Currently for a low income spay/neuter program
2nd time applying (1st time rejected from NCSU, Penn, VA-MD)
Applied:
NCSU (instate), Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois
Interviewed & Accepted:
Mississippi , Illinois
Rejected:
NCSU (instate)
Still have no clue:
Kansas
Wow... alonepear was c/o 2011.
Sometimes I wish these old timers would stop in and tell us how life is treating them!
me too. Oh wait....