5th year of undergraduate

[mcm5892]

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Hi all, I'm new here so sorry if this has been asked, I couldn't really find what I was looking for.

Long story short, how detrimental for getting into vet schools is it to stay for a 5th undergraduate year?

I am a junior right now.

I would be taking a low credit load per semester (13-14) but that would ensure a high GPA and I would be working at a farm as well as a vet assistant at a SA clinic.

I currently have been working at the farm since my freshman year and my B.S. curriculum requires large animal experience as well.

Thanks in advance!

MattCM

 

[PetPony]

I was told 14 hours isn't bad. I kept making myself take more and it didn't end so well. Lesson learned. Don't take a completely full course load your first semester of college when high school was a joke to you and you have no clue how to study.

But yea. People here told me that number of hours would be ok. 🙂

 

[bunnity]

What is low/average/high in terms of credit hours really varies by the school you're at so I'm not sure if anyone can really accurately answer that part for you. 14 credits would have been a full course load at my school but most classes were considered 3 credits whereas at other schools most classes are considered 4 credits.

I am not sure if an adcom would care about the 5 year thing, but wouldn't it be way cheaper to do it in 4 years and then take a gap year to work?

 

[mcm5892]

I was told 14 hours isn't bad. I kept making myself take more and it didn't end so well. Lesson learned. Don't take a completely full course load your first semester of college when high school was a joke to you and you have no clue how to study.

But yea. People here told me that number of hours would be ok. 🙂

haha first semester of college I definitely took it easy! I'm actually taking 16 credits next spring and I'll see how that goes. Last fall semester I tried 18, it was terrible and my GPA plummeted, I don't want to see that happen again

 

[primatevetjess]

Taking an extra year doesn't matter. It took me a total of... 6? 7? years. Something like that. With several years break in between. There are lots of different pathways to vet school 🙂

13-14 hours is fine, especially if you're working. I had a couple of semesters with way less than that, but was working full time and volunteering. They took that into consideration.

 

[mcm5892]

What is low/average/high in terms of credit hours really varies by the school you're at so I'm not sure if anyone can really accurately answer that part for you. 14 credits would have been a full course load at my school but most classes were considered 3 credits whereas at other schools most classes are considered 4 credits.

I am not sure if an adcom would care about the 5 year thing, but wouldn't it be way cheaper to do it in 4 years and then take a gap year to work?

Trying to finish in 4 years at this point would mean I have to take a higher course load which is going make it difficult to get a high GPA, and I'm also working part time.

 

[Minnerbelle]

How many pre-reqs do you have left, and how much of a difference in credit hours/semester and more importantly gpa do you think would occur if you were to cram it into 1 yr?

 

[Emiloo4]

I have to take a higher course load which is going make it difficult to get a high GPA, and I'm also working part time.

One of the reasons they want to see a high course load is to make sure you can handle the heavy load of veterinary school classes. So getting a good GPA with limited courses won't prove as much unfortunately. Just be careful how much you limit it is what I'm saying. They do take into consideration your job as part of your work load though 👍
And I also did a fifth year (changed my major late) and worked for 2 years before applying. I wouldn't worry about that part.

 

[dvmdreamer]

I think it depends on the school how much the course load matters. The fifth year doesn't matter. But I know that at Mizzou, for example, they figure average courseload into your academic score, which can count up to 6 points (18 credits/semester avg=6 points, 12 credits/semester avg=0 points). And concurrent employment does not count into this figure AT ALL for them. If you take 12 credit hours while working 40 hours a week, someone with an equivalent GPA who took 15 credit hours and didn't work at all still ranks above you in the academic evaluation.

However, GPA counts heavier than courseload, and most schools weigh your last three semesters or 45 credits heavier than the rest, so making sure that you get a high GPA during this period is critical.

 

[OwlandPussycat]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I spent 5.5 years in undergrad. I think it depends on why you take longer than the standard 4 years. If you take a 5th year because you've failed classes and had to retake them, or because you've taken a light course load while not doing anything on the side, it might reflect badly.
In my case, I took extra time because I took extra classes outside of what was required in my major. I also, when faced with choosing between one heavy semester or two light semesters, chose to split my classes into two light semesters. But since I was also working and volunteering on the side, I don't think it reflected badly on my application.
Bottom line - I don't think it's bad to take extra time. It's your reasons for taking extra time that will be looked at.

 

[Maschka1]

I think I should start by saying- its all a crap shoot! lol No really, I dont think there is a magic, cookie cutter formula for getting in to vet school except do your best and get lots of experience.

I just got an acceptance letter and I only have 1 semester at 15 credits, the rest are around 12. I did work the whole time and was heavily involved in other activities. In addition, I have 200+ undergrad credits and only 1 B.S. degree (although I am 3 credits away from a degree in bio, and 9 from chemistry). I don't know if I really want to do the math for how long I have been in school, because I am currently working on a M.S. degree and those credits are on top of the already 200+. I will say, its generally easy to get more experience or take a few full time semesters (to prove you can do it) then it is to pull up a crumby GPA. I guess my advice would be to do what you need to so that you get the best grades possible.

If you get a rejection your first app cycle for not taking a rigorous enough course load, spend the next year taking 18 credit semesters or start a masters program. It wouldn't be hard to fix, IMO.

oh, and one more thing. make sure you have fun!!! 😀

 

[mcm5892]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I'll take everything into consideration 🙂

 

[bbeventer]

I took 5 years in undergrad. Some of that was because I transferred from a CC and no matter who well you plan it not everything transfers, and also I wanted another year to finish my research. I don't really think having a lower course load really hurts you to much, I took 19hrs my freshman year, but after that averaged around 14hrs.

eta: Like the above poster said, make sure you have fun in UG.

 

[BlackDog17]

I don't think taking an extra year will hurt you, as long as you maintain a decent course load. It seems to be a common thing nowadays for students to take more than 4 years to finish undergrad.

I personally took an extra year and a half to finish undergrad. There were some extenuating circumstances involved, but I also had to retake a couple of courses (namely organic chemistry 🙄).

 

[swingnsave]

a family friend graduated early (3 1/2 yrs), with lots of experience and a decent gpa for the high course-load she took. She was rejected from 5/6 schools and wait listed on the other.
I think it just depends on the schools you want to apply to and the, lack for a better word, "competition" for that year. I don't think taking an extra year will necessarily look bad. Just make sure you have a good reasoning and are working, getting experience, etc.

 

[Trematode]

I took an extra year to try to boost my GPA. I took the minimum course load I could get away with (12 credit hours/semester... which is 3 courses). Any less for me and my courses would not have counted in my case.

I know a few people who have taken extra years when their plan A's have failed. If there are courses that you are interested in taking, if it will benefit your app and if you have the money to do it, go for it.