A quandary (<--too much GRE studying)

[nuttymutts]

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So I've been (kind of obsessively) reading this forum lately and decided to post about my situation to see if anyone had advice for me.

I guess I'm a 'non-traditional' applicant - 26, female, and have been working for 4 years. I live in BC but am a dual - with US - citizen.

Basically I always wanted to become a vet and tried to get as much animal/vet experience as possible through high school and university. I started out strong in university..but then got some not-so-great grades (damn you o-chem) and little by little started thinking I had to let the dream of vet school go. By the time I graduated I was feeling so done with school that I just wanted to get out of there and work for a year before even thinking about more school (at this point I was thinking grad school since I knew my grades weren't competitive enough for WCVM).

I got a really cool job right out of university as a research tech with sea lions and 1 year before going back to school quickly became....where I am now, almost 4 years later.

I never quite let the dream of vet school go though - I applied to WCVM last year and was basically told that my grades weren't competitive enough and that short of redoing my entire undergrad, there was no point in applying again.

This year I applied to Murdoch on somewhat of a whim. I was thinking there was no way I would get in but since I had all the pre-reqs, I gave it a shot...and...I GOT IN!!!!

Fast forward about 8 hours (this is last week) and I'm sitting there still in shock but now it's about the tuition...45k/year over 5 years plus living in one of the most expensive cities imagineable...plus the more minor expenses of flights home and importing my dogs.

Anyway - now onto the quandary -

I never thought to apply to the US schools or the schools in the Caribbean. Now that I got into Murdoch I'm thinking that maybe I do have a shot at some other schools - that would be 4 yr programs and save that extra year of tuition plus going halfway across the world. By the time I heard from the US schools, though, it would be too late for Murdoch (start date Feb 2013). SGU and Ross are different I guess since I could find out much earlier from them. I signed up for the GRE for June so that I at least have a complete application...but I'm really at a loss for what to do, or for whether I even have a chance at the US schools (maybe I should have put this into the "what are my chances" thread).

From my (somewhat annoying) calculations from percentages to gpa I think my gpa is only around 3.3. My science credits and last 45 credits, etc. are all pretty close to that. Depending on required courses it's sometimes as low as 3.2.
For experience I have:
Animal + Vet:
1900 hours as research technician with marine mammals (about 200 of those hours with the aquarium vet)
1300 hours at SA clinic
640 hours as research technician at WCVM doing a bison reproduction study (320 of those hours doing U/S, electroejaculation of bison with vet)
64 hours volunteering at SA emergency clinic

Just animal:
320 hours doing undergrad thesis on humane euthanasia methods for lab mice
640 hours working at biotech company doing in-vivo research with tumour growth kinetics in mice
740 hours as technician at the university animal care centre (taking care of research pigs, sheep, etc.) - some shadowing the university vet
320 hours on dairy farm
240 hours volunteering with non-profit SA rescue
Countless hours as a foster home for dog/cat rescues
Countless hours of dog training (to the national level in agility 😀)

Sorry this is so long. Do I suck up the huge debt and accept Murdoch, thinking that that might be my only chance to go to vet school? Do I try to defer Murdoch so that I can apply to the US schools? Give my deposit to Murdoch and then apply to SGU and Ross since I would find out early enough from them? Obviously the decision is ultimately mine but maybe you guys have some much needed advice for me...

 

[Wildlife woman]

Maybe defer? If they will let you at least you can look back with no regrets if you don't get in anywhere else next cycle

 

[bipolarbear123]

It sounds like you're having a lot of doubts, so if I were you, I would try applying to other schools. You could compensate for your low GPA with awesome GRE scores, and maybe you could take extra classes at a university to boost your cumulative GPA that you could write about in your explanation section on VMCAS. Your vet experience with marine mammals is unique (that's what I want to do!), so it does make you stand out. If you can pull a high GRE score and boost your overall GPA, you might have a shot (note... I haven't applied in any cycles yet, so maybe I'm wrong)

 

[Emiloo4]

Your gpa is on the slightly below average end, but definitely not unheard of in acceptance pools. A huge factor for you will be what you get on the GRE. It can really boost your chances with a lower gpa. I have to say I was expecting you to come out with a gpa much lower than that... Of course that's if your calculations are correct. You have good experience so I wouldn't count you out at all. I have no advice for whether to go this year or not ( and congrats by the way!! 🙂 ) but that's my opinion on the states side of admissions. I won't say it will be simple for you, but it's not impossible.

 

[bunnity]

Would US schools be that much cheaper for you?

 

[nuttymutts]

They would be by about 75k because of that extra year in Australia. Although once you're already in $300k of debt what's another $75k, right?

 

[PetPony]

I'm sorry, but I think that's a bad way to think about it. Yes, $300,000 is already a lot, but once you start paying it off, I think you'd be happy to not have those extra $75,000 to worry about..

 

[abbercadaver]

I vote deferring, applying to US schools, and seeing where that takes you.

The Murdoch program is one where once a minimum of 1 year at university is completed (the prereq's to enter the program), and then you get entrance to the 5 year veterinary program, correct? I don't mean this badly, but it seems that if you've had 4 years of university, you're already 'overqualified' for a position at Murdoch. Even if you weren't able to defer, I bet you could reapply (when you decide you're REALLY ready for such a huge monetary commitment) and get accepted again. 🙂

Like Emiloo said, for the US, your GPA is not particularly terrible. With a stellar GRE score, your awesome animal/vet experience (and maybe a little more if you can squeeze it in?), and a good personal statement (many people overlook the importance and weight of a really really good PS) you have a fighting chance!

Of course, you don't have an in-state school here, so you would have to do your research on schools who look at more of the whole picture and less of JUST the GPA. Many rank GPA and GRE similarly, so for those, you'd still have a good chance if you do really well on the GRE.

Less debt is definitely better! Flights from AU are crazy expensive, an extra year of school and living expense debt, and the high cost of living there would be enough to make me think very hard on whether it was something I want to do or not.

Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

They would be by about 75k because of that extra year in Australia. Although once you're already in $300k of debt what's another $75k, right?

It's another 25% is what it is. You should take an hour to sit down with some loan calculators. Figure out what your monthly payment would look like with all that debt. Figure out what your likely, realistic salary will be. Mock up a budget.

Then decide if you really want all that debt.

In the end, you're going to find out that you'll come out ahead by deferring a year and applying to schools where you'll come out with less debt.

You're still very young - deferring a year is no big deal.

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from doing what they really, really want, but if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't even be considering the Murdoch option. At all. Just too much debt.

 

[SnowyRox]

With your stats, I would turn down Murdoch and reapply next year. Not sure how you heard of applying to Australia without considering USA or Caribbean (or Europe). It will definitely take some research on your part to find the best fit for you, but you can do it. I know Western (the US one in California) loves non-trad students.

I would pick the US or UK before I went to the Caribbean, but Ross (and SGU? I forget) is accredited now, so it is a decent school.

Think of your cost: income ratio. You don't want to be dirt poor when you're 65 and hoping to retire sometime in the distant future (well, at least I don't!)

 

[orcagirl]

Some US schools (like Ohio, though it's pretty competitive) actually let some students know fairly early. I know by Christmas time I had two acceptances and another interview.