Accepted with a low GPA...?

[Kiwi210]

For those of you who had a lower GPA as an undergrad, what was it that got you accepted into vet school and where did you get accepted?

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[AE373]

For those of you who had a lower GPA as an undergrad, what was it that got you accepted into vet school and where did you get accepted?

Applying smart... I did a lot of research on Schools that place less emphasis on grades or do grade recalculation... I also have years of varied experience and did a masters... Feel free to PM me

Also, try posting your stats on the what are my chances thread... You can get a lot of great feedback... And checking the accepted students stats 🙂

 

[WulfpackChica]

Also, look at the "Successful Applicants Stats" Threads.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ts-class-of-2018.1044809/page-4#post-15199115

 

[epivetlove]

I completed a Master's. Not only to boost my GPA (namely Last 45), but because it was a subject I was highly interested in and I will need it for my dream job. Getting a Master's is not a cure all, so only take the time and money if you're interested and if you truly think it will help.

I was accepted to Texas A&M with a 3.34 cumulative, 3.16 science, and 4.0 Last 45 Hours. But I also interviewed well, had extensive experience, decent GRE scores, as well as great LORs. As AE373 said--Apply smart. Strengthen other areas of your application if you know your academics will be weak.

 

[BlackDog17]

Apply smart. Can't stress that one enough. You're just wasting time and money if you apply to schools that are going to reject you immediately, so make sure you do your research, find schools that place less emphasis on grades and more emphasis on the strengths in your application. Make absolutely certain that you meet the requirements for each school you apply to. You don't want to have your application thrown out because the minimum required grade in a course was a C and you had a C- or something like that.

Do your best to beef up the other areas of your application. Get a lot of varied experience, take the GRE multiple times if you need to, write a killer personal statement, retake classes that you did poorly in if you can.

For me personally, I really believe my interview was what got me in. I was offered one of the last interview slots, and I received the offer only two weeks in advance, so I went into it fairly certain that I'd been given an interview that someone else had declined. I knew I had to rock that interview if I had any hope of getting in, and I guess I must have done it because I received an early admission offer a week later! I started preparing as soon as I got the interview offer and that made a big difference. At the end of it the interviewers told me they were really impressed with my answers and how well prepared I was.

 

[Kiwi210]

In general, what are some of the schools that place a less emphasis on grades?

 

[Ashgirl]

Well I don't know if there are schools that place a much lower emphasis on grades (though there is some variation), it's more of what GPAs they do emphasize. Some only count the last 45 credits, some look at science more, some weight cumulative more, and some look at all three. Most schools have it listed on their websites what they take into acoount.

 

[AuburnVet]

At auburn, less than a 3.5 cumulative won't get you an interview if you're out of state.

 

[ducktoller]

the uk schools are generally good with accepting people anywhere from 3.2 onwards. They don't have a specific formula but it's always worth a try to apply to a couple of them as backups

 

[DVMDream]

the uk schools are generally good with accepting people anywhere from 3.2 onwards. They don't have a specific formula but it's always worth a try to apply to a couple of them as backups

I wouldn't apply anywhere as a "backup". You need to research the schools you apply to first and be sure you are going to be happy there. UK school curriculum is much different than US school curriculum. Also, moving to a different country is no small task. Don't apply to a place with the idea of "this is just for backup", you should have thoroughly researched each school that you apply to and be sure you would be happy with attending that school.

Also, I know some UK schools the minimum GPA for applying is a 3.4, whether they will accept someone with less than a 3.4, I don't know. But, at least Edinburgh, has on their website that minimum cumulative GPA is a 3.4 and minimum science GPA is a 3.0.

 

[Cyndia]

My undergrad GPA was pretty lousy, and so I had an overall GPA slightly lower than the 3.4 required minimum, but was still accepted to the RVC, Glasgow, and UCD, as well as was waitlisted at UF. However, I have a masters with a very high last 45 GPA, so that probably counterbalanced the low undergrad GPA. I do agree with DVMD that you shouldn't just consider schools abroad as a backup, because it is a big deal moving to a new country, and the academic system takes time to adjust to. Thoroughly research any of the schools you might want to apply to and consider if you would be happy there for several years, otherwise you'll just be wasting money applying.

That all being said, if you are interested in traveling or going abroad, it can be a really great experience. For myself, I went abroad to the RVC to do my masters. It was ideal for me at the time, because my GPA was the weakest part of my application so I knew I needed a post-graduate degree, I wanted to travel, and the one year commitment to the masters program wasn't as daunting as a 4 year commitment to veterinary school. I did really well in the masters which boosted my GPA, and allowed me to familiarise myself with the differing academic system. I also was able to see what life abroad was like for a year, and it turned out that the lifestyle really suited me and I adjusted well, so it was an easy enough decision to apply for veterinary schools here in the UK/Ireland.

Also - if you're considering going out of the country, SGU or Ross could also be options to consider. They tend to place slightly less emphasis on grades. However, with them and with any other school, if your GPA is less than stellar, I would still focus really hard on making the rest of your application really competitive.

 

[503372]

.

 

[kenggy]

I got into CSU with a cumulative gpa of 3.0 and a science and last 45 of 3.2. With that being said my first two years of college I was in high school and I was only 15-16 and I graduated with my B.S. at 19 so that May have factored in.

CSU also takes into account how much you were working during undergrad and I did work 25-32 hours a week. I also commuted 45 minutes each way but I did not include that info in my application.

I did not make excuses for my grades because I had no excuse and I think that helped that I owned up to just being immature. I also had nothing below a B for my science classes.

It's all how you present yourself. I think CSU has a min cumulative of 3.0 so I just made the cut off.

You can pm me if have any questions.


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[BlackDog17]

I did not make excuses for my grades because I had no excuse and I think that helped that I owned up to just being immature. I also had nothing below a B for my science classes.

This is a big one. Adcoms are not oblivious, and they will see right through any excuses you try to make. If you had a real reason for academic struggle - say, you had an undiagnosed learning disability or there was a family emergency that made you lose focus - that's a good thing to talk about in your explanation statement and the schools will take it into account. But if it was just a matter of failing to apply yourself or not having your priorities straight, then it's better to admit that you were wrong.

And whatever you do, don't use the "I had a bad professor" excuse.

 

[ducktoller]

oops I replied a little too fast. I definitely did not mean 'backup' as in "apply to schools on a whim", but other schools apart from your first choice. I apologize if it was interpreted as so - I think all schools deserve excellent credit no matter where they are/how they accept people.
But yes, I agree with everyone in saying that you should take a look at the curriculum for each school you are applying to; you are going to graduate with a similar level of expertise in all schools, enabling you to go into practice, but some have minor differences in what they teach and how they teach.

Kiwi what year are you currently in? I know it sounds like a daunting task, to have to ace your courses and raise your gpa all you can until application time.. but I think its definitely do-able.
I would suggest creating a spreadsheet of the courses and grades you already have- then you can see if taking one or two additional summer courses will be beneficial to your grades.

 

[that redhead]

No school is actually lenient about grades. Historically, SGU and Ross have been more forgiving of poor grades (with decent GRE and experience to fill the gaps) but they're able to be more selective now that they're accredited and more people are applying. I applied with a 2.8 cumulative, and I did my best to apply smartly; I was only accepted to AVC because they use different classes to calculate GPAs.

I'm of the opinion that there is not much you can truly do to overcome a low GPA except to take more (upper level science) classes and pump your last 45 up as high as you can manage. Schools certainly like to see other factors if you have a low GPA (like a lot of vet experience, meaningful non-vet stuff, etc) but if you can't show them that you have recently mastered how to be a successful student, they aren't going to be interested.

 

[ivory11]

I haven't read everyone's replies, so sorry if I may sound repetitive! 🙂 I focused a lot on my strengths and really made them stand out. I have a lot of veterinary hours so I capitalized on that along with my extracurricular activities. And like I saw someone say, definitely look at the schools that focus more on experience vs grades. My cumulative was a 3.5 and science was about 3.2. Just to give you an idea 🙂

 

[ljones2211]

At auburn, less than a 3.5 cumulative won't get you an interview if you're out of state.

Actually, I had a 3.3 and was given an OOS interview at auburn 🙂 not called off the wait list...but still!

 

[farmgirl1992]

So I saw another one of your posts where you talked about your GPA, a 3.5 is NOT a bad GPA. Especially if you are still a freshman. Yes, you should probably work on getting it a little bit higher but it probably isn't a big deal. If I were you I would stop stressing about grades, which school you want to go to, etc. I would work hard, do the best you can, and enjoy the journey. College is a great time to try new things, join fun clubs, meet new people, and all that. So while you are studying your butt off also make sure to work on other parts of your app (vet experience, finding good eLORs) and have some fun. If it helps, I had a little too much fun my freshman year and had a 3.2 or a 3.3. I was still able to get my GPA up to a 3.65 (even with a C in Orgo 2!) and got in to several great vet schools =).

 

[allygator13]

So I saw another one of your posts where you talked about your GPA, a 3.5 is NOT a bad GPA. Especially if you are still a freshman. Yes, you should probably work on getting it a little bit higher but it probably isn't a big deal. If I were you I would stop stressing about grades, which school you want to go to, etc. I would work hard, do the best you can, and enjoy the journey. College is a great time to try new things, join fun clubs, meet new people, and all that. So while you are studying your butt off also make sure to work on other parts of your app (vet experience, finding good eLORs) and have some fun. If it helps, I had a little too much fun my freshman year and had a 3.2 or a 3.3. I was still able to get my GPA up to a 3.65 (even with a C in Orgo 2!) and got in to several great vet schools =).

Agreed. I applied this past cycle with a 3.58 and got 6/8 interviews and was accepted at Ross and SGU. After doing a file review with UF they told me my grades were definitely competitive and moved me to the second portion of the application review. The biggest thing hindering my application was my lack of diverse veterinary experience because all my experience was small animal. So definitely work on everything and don't worry if you have a 3.5!

 

[Bernsters83]

Yup

 

[Kyoht]

You don't get in with a low GPA be it overall or last 45. You have to show you can cut it and the GPA is an important indicator. Perhaps you could make a large endowment to a school to have them overlook your GPA?! haha

I agree that you have to show that you can "cut it" to get in. However, GPA isn't everything at every single school. People do get in with low GPAs. At the time of application my GPA was 2.8 and I was accepted on my first cycle. I am a non-trad and my bad grades were from a very long time ago. I know others on here with low GPA's as well.

I am not brushing off the importance of a high GPA, however, it can be possible if you apply smart and excel in other ways. Still a hard road though.

 

[brightimpressio]

I'm not sure if this has been said, but make sure to study hard for your GREs! I've got a "lower" GPA and a smaller (although diverse) amount of vet shadowing hours, but I studied really hard for the GRE and I think it helped. I know that UF cares a lot about GREs; just make sure to check the formula that the schools use to determine who they choose to be in the class.

 

[that redhead]

I guess it's tough to define what a "low" GPA really is. Oftentimes it depends on the school as some place a lot more emphasis on grades than other. There are people on here and in life who say they have a low GPA if they have a 3.3...which to me would fall more into the "below average" category but not necessarily low. I think if you've got a 3.3 to 3.5 and have a decent GRE, solid letters, varied/meaningful experience and rock your interview...you've got a good shot. It always felt like a slap in the face to see people cry about their 3.3 when I'd dug myself a much deeper hole.

The further away you get from a 3.3, the more GPA matters and the less you can truly make up for it with other factors (at least in my opinion/experience with a 2.9). Hovering around a 3.0 seems to depend the most on what your last 45 and pre-req GPA are (school dependent, as always) because schools want to know that you've changed your ways and can handle vet school. Sub-3.0 and you need to have a good excuse and/or a decent chunk of time between yourself and those grades.

Like kyoht said, it's certainly possible, but it's an uphill battle that requires a lot of time, effort and dedication.

 

[lotl101]

I have a 3.4 but science/prereqs around 2.9 so yeah pretty low. I called myself the Queen of C+s in my Pre-Vet Society. I'll be going to RVC in the fall. My saving grace was a mega GRE score (upper 90s percentile on english, mid 70s maths), varied experience, and a strong personal statement. Also I interview really well in the MMI format to the point that a few of the interviewers went out of their way to compliment me during the lunch afterwards. I wasn't accepted right away, but had to interview for my spot, and had 3 waitlist positions elsewhere. My letters were also spiffing (one of my recommenders asked if I would mind her writing it, she approached me rather than the other way around). Leadership experience is also something that can help. I had two eboard positions and an award winning thesis, community service and other extracurriculars. Look for schools who look for vets not numbers.

 

[StartingoverVet]

You really just need to do your research. Get the VMSAR book, or check out the info on-line.
EVERY school is slightly different, and there is no hard fast rule.

for example... a lot of people would say Penn cares A LOT about GPA, but that is not true. They let people in with lower GPAs, if the rest of their app stands out.

ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL views applications to some extent holistically... Negatives in one area can be balanced out by positives in another. As long as you above the cut-offs for those schools that list them, then there is no one thing you can say about any successful applicant.

Do YOUR research. Learn the schools requirements, and info they publish inside and out and then make an informed decision. General questions like this are not helpful because the 2.8 GPA person who gets accepted at one school is probably the exception because they are exceptional elsewhere in their app. It is not like the school lets in a lot of those. Outliers are outliers for a reason.

 

[leighg]

I have a 3.4 but science/prereqs around 2.9 so yeah pretty low. I called myself the Queen of C+s in my Pre-Vet Society. I'll be going to RVC in the fall. My saving grace was a mega GRE score (upper 90s percentile on english, mid 70s maths), varied experience, and a strong personal statement. Also I interview really well in the MMI format to the point that a few of the interviewers went out of their way to compliment me during the lunch afterwards. I wasn't accepted right away, but had to interview for my spot, and had 3 waitlist positions elsewhere. My letters were also spiffing (one of my recommenders asked if I would mind her writing it, she approached me rather than the other way around). Leadership experience is also something that can help. I had two eboard positions and an award winning thesis, community service and other extracurriculars. Look for schools who look for vets not numbers.

I know this reply is years later, but I'm currently in your situation. I'm going to be a junior in my undergrad and I currently have a 2.95. This being said, I am extremely involved in my school and community and go on several large service trips a year. I just switched to pre vet from pre optometry so I'm still on track, but I lack the animal experience and vet shadowing. I have many things lined up for shadowing and experience though and am hoping to end with at least 1000 hours in both categories with a huge variety of experiences in each. I am also already beginning my studies for the GRE. I plan on taking a gap year or two after college to work for non profits and will be going to the dominican republic to volunteer to spay and neuter strays starting next summer as I get connected with the program throughout this year. Do you have any advice?

 

[LetItSnow]

I know this reply is years later, but I'm currently in your situation. I'm going to be a junior in my undergrad and I currently have a 2.95. This being said, I am extremely involved in my school and community and go on several large service trips a year. I just switched to pre vet from pre optometry so I'm still on track, but I lack the animal experience and vet shadowing. I have many things lined up for shadowing and experience though and am hoping to end with at least 1000 hours in both categories with a huge variety of experiences in each. I am also already beginning my studies for the GRE. I plan on taking a gap year or two after college to work for non profits and will be going to the dominican republic to volunteer to spay and neuter strays starting next summer as I get connected with the program throughout this year. Do you have any advice?

Well. You have to play to your strengths - which you are doing - but you have to shore up your weaknesses.

2.95 is pretty low for acceptance. I'm by no means the 'expert', but generally when people have a 3.2+ I feel like "ok, you can focus on a well-rounded application, target your application to the right schools, and you've got a reasonable chance."

At < 3.0, though, I think you need to consider doing something to change it or to show that it shouldn't be a concern. You've got two years left .... you need to start getting A's. Not B+'s, but A's. You really, really want to move your GPA upwards. Don't fall into the trap of telling yourself that you're extremely involved and you'll have 1000+ hours experience and that will make it all ok. At the end of the day, you have to prove to the schools you can cut it academically.

Positive side is that you have half your undergrad career left, so you have plenty of time to do that. If you were to get straight A's from here on out you'd have roughly a 3.5 GPA, right? So do that. Figure out what it will take for you to go from B's to A's. Then implement.

People get in with < 3.0 GPAs, but they are rare. Don't count on it.