Accelerated Track for Vet School?

[coldicecream]

Hi everyone!
I'm asking this on behalf of my little sister. Is there a fast track program for high school students to apply to if they for sure know they want to become a veterinarian?

I wish I knew about the different 2+4 programs for dental school where you do 2 years of undergrad then go on to dental school (so long as you have the stats).

So do you guys know any for vet school? So far I only see the Iowa one.

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[JaynaAli]

None of the vet schools require a degree, as far as I know. A few may prefer them. In theory she cold bang out prereqs and start after 2-3 years of undergrad. A good number of applicants have only done three years of undergrad. I personally wouldn't recommend trying them all in two years unless you have significant gen ed credit from HS AP/concurrent enrollment courses...I think it's a whole lot to do all the heavy science pre-reqs in two years so it would be better imo to spread them out and make sure you get the best grades.

Some schools have an early admissions program where if you meet certain requirements right out of high school, they'll grant you conditional acceptance in a future class provided you continue to meet certain requirements. These programs didn't really allow you to 'skip' any classes, you still had to fulfill all pre-requisites. I did such a program quite a few years ago. The program I was in let me start vet school after three years of undergrad, but only because I made sure I met all the pre-requisites in three years.

I also did a separate program with my major that would allow my first year of vet school to "count" for my final year of animal science classes. So even though I started vet school without an undergraduate degree, I graduated with a BS after first year of vet school. I've heard of other schools doing this too, but it's more of a program the undergrad major does than something the vet school does, I think.

 

[ajs513]

Hi everyone!
I'm asking this on behalf of my little sister. Is there a fast track program for high school students to apply to if they for sure know they want to become a veterinarian?

I wish I knew about the different 2+4 programs for dental school where you do 2 years of undergrad then go on to dental school (so long as you have the stats).

So do you guys know any for vet school? So far I only see the Iowa one.

I know Mississippi State has one. I think Kansas State too? Double check that one. But also most vet schools don’t require a bachelors degree. I think only UC Davis requires one. I got into Penn without a Bachelors, and hypothetically could’ve gotten in after my junior year and skipped my senior year. Apparently a lot of people at schools with vet schools do that even if there’s not an accelerated program. But it’s much more competitive to get in without a bachelors. I really think I only got in because I was one required class short of graduating. I wasn’t 30 credits short.

 

[Mythical]

So do you guys know any for vet school? So far I only see the Iowa one.[/QUOTE]

Check out Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in MA. They have a program with Tufts. One of my professors did this program - undergrad at WPI straight through to Tufts for vet school.

 

[coldicecream]

Some schools have an early admissions program where if you meet certain requirements right out of high school, they'll grant you conditional acceptance in a future class provided you continue to meet certain requirements. .

Do you have any examples of these? thanks!

 

[coldicecream]

So do you guys know any for vet school? So far I only see the Iowa one.

Check out Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in MA. They have a program with Tufts. One of my professors did this program - undergrad at WPI straight through to Tufts for vet school.[/QUOTE]

I know Mississippi State has one. I think Kansas State too? Double check that one. But also most vet schools don’t require a bachelors degree. I think only UC Davis requires one. I got into Penn without a Bachelors, and hypothetically could’ve gotten in after my junior year and skipped my senior year. Apparently a lot of people at schools with vet schools do that even if there’s not an accelerated program. But it’s much more competitive to get in without a bachelors. I really think I only got in because I was one required class short of graduating. I wasn’t 30 credits short.

thank you!

 

[coldicecream]

on the websites, i also see applicants require veterinary experience. Does that include shadowing, or does it have to be hands-on stuff?

 

[ajs513]

on the websites, i also see applicants require veterinary experience. Does that include shadowing, or does it have to be hands-on stuff?

Shadowing is fine. However shadowing is usually not a ton of hours. Working as a tech typically gets you far more hours.

 

[SkiOtter]

Shadowing is fine. However shadowing is usually not a ton of hours. Working as a tech typically gets you far more hours.

Ehhh depends on how much the practice allows you to shadow. I was shadowing 3 days a week and I could have found a second clinic to shadow at too if I had wanted to be full time 4-5 days a week shadowing. If OP’s sister needs a job that pays, definitely could go the vet assistant route. But with no vet experience and being a high schooler, it’s much less likely to find somewhere to hire her.

OP, I’d say shadowing is definitely fine, especially since she’s in high school. Before she commits to any path, she needs to make sure this is what she wants and most places won’t hire a high schooler. Shadowing was the bulk of my experience and here I am, a vet student. And if she can’t shadow much during the school year, just doing summers is fine too.

 

[DVMDream]

Shadowing is fine. However shadowing is usually not a ton of hours. Working as a tech typically gets you far more hours.

You don't need to be a tech to get vet experience hours.

You can just shadow or volunteer and still get plenty of hours, though it can be difficult to find shadowing positions due to some underlying legal issues with having people around a vet clinic.

 

[DVMDream]

on the websites, i also see applicants require veterinary experience. Does that include shadowing, or does it have to be hands-on stuff?

Yes, vet experience hours are required and it is recommended to get them in various areas.... small animal (dog/cat/ +/- exotic pets), equine (horses), large animal (cows, sheep, goats, pigs, etc).

I would strongly urge your sister to get experience prior to diving head first into "I know for sure I wanna be a vet".... it is likely vastly different than what she is expecting it to be.

Also, encourage her to explore more than just veterinary medicine, I wish someone had encouraged me to look at something more than just vet med and I "knew" I wanted to be a vet from the time I basically knew what a vet was. I wish I had known or been encouraged to look into what else is out there.

 

[ajs513]

You don't need to be a tech to get vet experience hours.

You can just shadow or volunteer and still get plenty of hours, though it can be difficult to find shadowing positions due to some underlying legal issues with having people around a vet clinic.

Yea that’s what I mean. If you’re actually working as a tech, you don’t run into the issue of 1) not being wanted around for long hours because you’re not really helping and 2) not being able to stay because you aren’t making money and have another job. Working allows you to really be helpful, make money, and stay for the entire day for several days a week. When I shadowed I was really only able to reasonably do it one or two days a week.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Wsu and csu also have 7 year programs

 

[ajs513]

Ehhh depends on how much the practice allows you to shadow. I was shadowing 3 days a week and I could have found a second clinic to shadow at too if I had wanted to be full time 4-5 days a week shadowing. If OP’s sister needs a job that pays, definitely could go the vet assistant route. But with no vet experience and being a high schooler, it’s much less likely to find somewhere to hire her.

OP, I’d say shadowing is definitely fine, especially since she’s in high school. Before she commits to any path, she needs to make sure this is what she wants and most places won’t hire a high schooler. Shadowing was the bulk of my experience and here I am, a vet student. And if she can’t shadow much during the school year, just doing summers is fine too.

Yea I agree. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with shadowing. It’s just more difficult to make that work to get hundreds/thousands of hours than it is when you’re working. Shadowing is especially great to get experience that will transfer to getting a paid job, and also for experiencing different specialities that mainly hire certified techs. Also depends on what state you live in.

 

[JaynaAli]

Do you have any examples of these? thanks!

Just Google 'Vet school early admissions program"?

 

[britzen]

I think I've heard that VMCVM has some type of program...

I think it guarantees you an interview as a 3rd year, but not necessarily acceptance? I don't really know the details to be honest.

An email or call to the admissions office should be able to give her the info she needs.

 

[supershorty]

Minnesota has a program like that for students who know they want to go into food animal medicine. It's called VetFAST.

Veterinary Food Animal Scholars Track

 

[Polocrosse2017]

Just to verify Kansas State, Mississippi State and Purdue have early admissions programs for sure. I know Oklahoma State does but only for in-state residents. Not sure about others. I'm in the one at Kansas State and will be in the next application cycle. I had to get all my prerequisites, keep a 3.3 average in my sciences and take the GRE (no minimum score, just take it). I am finishing my second year undergraduate and have 2 prerequisites to go after this semester (3 hours of English and biochemistry). I could have done it in 2 years but had no desire to do that. I'm taking my time, enjoying undergraduate school and very happy the pressure is off. I really enjoy my school and know it will help to go in not burned out. In this program I get my BS after my second year of vet school.

I agree to shadow a few vets. I was lucky in hs to have a pre-vet program where I got to work with a vet all year. I also have a vet mentor I work for each summer. I'm a vet tech for him but since he is a travelling equine sports medicine vet he teaches me as we go. So tell your sister #1 shadow vets and decide if this is what she really wants to do, #2 get people ECs not just animal ECs. Working as a camp counselor and working in a hospice helped me. #3 Keep grades up in hs. #3 pick a school that you can afford and get good grades in. Debt is not good if it can be avoided or minimized. #4 Pick a major that you can get the prerequisites in but will also give her a good plan B if she decides not to go to vet school. If the school that meets the above has an early admissions program apply for it.

 

[Cephal0pod]

Since the hive mind has already made you a good list of programs that are out there, I'm going to just join the crowd recommending that your sister be sure to explore her options.

Note -- I am not trying to discourage her. I understand wanting to get through undergrad and get to vet school ASAP. I too was sure that I wanted to be a vet when I was in high school, and I stayed on that path.

But, there is a ton of value in having those ~4 years of undergrad to make sure, get experience, and explore your options.

A lot of personal growth happens during undergrad - part of that is figuring out what you actually want to do with your life, and what options are out there.

 

[altadama]

Usually a lurker, but wanted to toss my two cents in on a few things here.

1. Absolutely, 100% do not want to discourage anyone. But the things we "know" we want to do in high school are not necessarily the right path. I know for some people it is, but I think having some time in undergrad to explore other options is super important. I "knew" I wanted to be a vet in high school but when I got to college, I started to question it. I shadowed in human pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, worked in a lesson barn, tried research and learned a lot about what I did and did not want in a career. Ultimately I went to vet school, but exploring other options is really what made me really know this is what I wanted almost more so than my experiences within veterinary medicine and that type of exploration might not be available if she chooses an accelerated pathway. People change and there are fields out there she may not even be aware of yet as a high school student that she might fall in love with down the road. Becoming a vet should be a marathon, not a sprint.

2. Even if vet med is what she wants, there are so, so many aspects of veterinary medicine and rushing head first might wind up costing opportunities to delve into different areas. I "knew" I wanted to be an equine vet in high school, through college, and even when I graduated and decided to work for a few years instead of applying to vet school. Fast forward, I took a job at a lab and I fell in love with primates and I am most likely going to wind up in lab animal medicine. Never in a hundred million years would high school me have even considered being involved in animal research or working with primates. Again, interests and perspectives change and it might be worth taking the extra time to grow up and get to know more about what she wants...and also to just enjoy being young! Remember, marathon not a sprint! 🙂

3. Regarding the working vs. shadowing thing. Considering she's in high school, a paid job would likely be hard to come by. But also, shadowing is much lower commitment and gives more freedom/flexibility to say "hey, this isn't working for me" and go try something else be it a different clinic, a different aspect of vet med, or a different field altogether. When you start working you become a little more "stuck". So I absolutely would advocate for at least starting with shadowing. Another thing is when you start working suddenly you're cleaning exam rooms, checking people out, restraining patients, putting in bloodwork forms, answering phones etc. All 100% great experience...but it does wind up limiting your time to talk to the doctors and spend time getting their perspective about the pros and cons of the field. When you're shadowing, people aren't relying on you to be somewhere or do something in quite the same way.

Anyways...I know this stuff doesn't necessarily answer the question about accelerated program but I hope it provides some food for thought regarding whether or not an accelerated path is the way to go or not. Best of luck to your sister whatever she decides! 🙂 I just really tend to advocate for slowing down, trying everything, and getting some more life experience before committing to the long and costly path that is vet school.

 

[okurrrrr31]

Your sister can also try and apply to one of the AVMA accredited programs in the UK (i.e. Edinburgh's Dick Vet School and RVC). These are both 5 year programs and you come out with a BVM&S which is equivalent to the DVM/VMD in America. The thing with UK education is they don't do an undergraduate degree and then graduate school, they go right into the schooling out of high school. So this saves American students 3 years of tuition in the long run.

Other options are looking into schools that allow sophomores to apply to vet school at the end of the semester before rising junior summer. These students have to have very competitive GPAs and 80th percentile on each GRE component to be taken usually.

 

[DVMDream]

Your sister can also try and apply to one of the AVMA accredited programs in the UK (i.e. Edinburgh's Dick Vet School and RVC). These are both 5 year programs and you come out with a BVM&S which is equivalent to the DVM/VMD in America. The thing with UK education is they don't do an undergraduate degree and then graduate school, they go right into the schooling out of high school. So this saves American students 3 years of tuition in the long run.

Other options are looking into schools that allow sophomores to apply to vet school at the end of the semester before rising junior summer. These students have to have very competitive GPAs and 80th percentile on each GRE component to be taken usually.

Yeah but UK high school is more equivalent to the first 2 years of US college. Our education is seriously lacking in the early years compared to theirs.

 

[coldicecream]

thank you!!!
this is all super helpful!
Yes, I shadowed in high school for dentistry to make sure that was my path, so only seems right to have her do it. Over the summer, I will have her shadow a couple clinics and bring her with me to volunteer at an animal shelter I go to.

 

[KCgophervet]

Same for #2 (though I originally was thinking small animal vet). PS feel free to pm me about lab animal medicine things 😀 love finding more of us on here

Usually a lurker, but wanted to toss my two cents in on a few things here.

1. Absolutely, 100% do not want to discourage anyone. But the things we "know" we want to do in high school are not necessarily the right path. I know for some people it is, but I think having some time in undergrad to explore other options is super important. I "knew" I wanted to be a vet in high school but when I got to college, I started to question it. I shadowed in human pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, worked in a lesson barn, tried research and learned a lot about what I did and did not want in a career. Ultimately I went to vet school, but exploring other options is really what made me really know this is what I wanted almost more so than my experiences within veterinary medicine and that type of exploration might not be available if she chooses an accelerated pathway. People change and there are fields out there she may not even be aware of yet as a high school student that she might fall in love with down the road. Becoming a vet should be a marathon, not a sprint.

2. Even if vet med is what she wants, there are so, so many aspects of veterinary medicine and rushing head first might wind up costing opportunities to delve into different areas. I "knew" I wanted to be an equine vet in high school, through college, and even when I graduated and decided to work for a few years instead of applying to vet school. Fast forward, I took a job at a lab and I fell in love with primates and I am most likely going to wind up in lab animal medicine. Never in a hundred million years would high school me have even considered being involved in animal research or working with primates. Again, interests and perspectives change and it might be worth taking the extra time to grow up and get to know more about what she wants...and also to just enjoy being young! Remember, marathon not a sprint! 🙂

3. Regarding the working vs. shadowing thing. Considering she's in high school, a paid job would likely be hard to come by. But also, shadowing is much lower commitment and gives more freedom/flexibility to say "hey, this isn't working for me" and go try something else be it a different clinic, a different aspect of vet med, or a different field altogether. When you start working you become a little more "stuck". So I absolutely would advocate for at least starting with shadowing. Another thing is when you start working suddenly you're cleaning exam rooms, checking people out, restraining patients, putting in bloodwork forms, answering phones etc. All 100% great experience...but it does wind up limiting your time to talk to the doctors and spend time getting their perspective about the pros and cons of the field. When you're shadowing, people aren't relying on you to be somewhere or do something in quite the same way.

Anyways...I know this stuff doesn't necessarily answer the question about accelerated program but I hope it provides some food for thought regarding whether or not an accelerated path is the way to go or not. Best of luck to your sister whatever she decides! 🙂 I just really tend to advocate for slowing down, trying everything, and getting some more life experience before committing to the long and costly path that is vet school.

 

[Polocrosse2017]

I agree with not rushing. The early admissions program I'm in says you can do all 4 years undergrad or enter vet school early. That flexibility is good. I've been able to explore business, be President of my frat and work in the physics dept. I was lucky that it all made me know that I want to be a vet but also know I'm not as sure what my specialty is going to be. I need to try more things. Don't rush but have her do what is best for her.