Advice needed! Philosophy major changing life paths

[jrolsen]

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Reading through the other "non-traditional" students' threads my background isn't quite as obscure, but it isn't typical and I need some advice. I'm currently a junior and a philosophy major at Northwestern University. Since I started school thought i'd have a job in the business world, but this year decided that I don't want that and decided to pursue my lifelong dream of being a vet. My problem is my grades aren't up to pre-vet standards (3.2 - my freshman year was not stellar), and I have essentially no pre-reqs done yet. I have however worked in an animal shelter for the past year and am working at a vet clinic this summer, so I will get some experience. Can anyone offer me some advice on if becoming a vet given my situation is feasible, and if so, offer me some advice? This is a great forum and I look forward to hearing your comments - good or bad 🙂

 

[Poppy327]

My situation was somewhat similar to yours. I was pursuing my degree in Business Management, but decided my Junior year of college to go to vet school. I was able to take all of my pre reqs by having a heavy course load and taking summer classes, and I am still graduating on time with degrees in Business Management and Integrated Sciences. So yes, doing your pre reqs is possible, you just have to work really hard and not be afraid of a heavy academic load.

Where we are not similar is that I didn't have any animal / vet hours as a Junior, so I spent almost every weekend before the application cycle getting those hours. So you are at an advantage there.

I applied as a Senior in college for the first time this past application cycle with only ~500 hours (all veterinary) and was accepted to CSU, Ohio, and was asked to interview at Tufts (but turned it down as CSU was my school of choice). However, I had a solid GPA with a 3.95 Cumulative GPA.

There is definitely hope for people who change their mind half way through school. In my opinion, I would focus on getting your pre reqs done and getting good grades in them and studying hard for the GRE. Schools didn't seem to worry much about my low hours . Good luck!

 

[firstattempt1]

your current GPA is decent... work hard to build a solid pre-req GPA... most schools will weigh your pre-req and last 45 GPA more than your cumulative... also use the next two years to gain solid experience and build relationships with vets who will write good letters for you....

there is no reason why you can not get into vet school if you use your time wisely for the next couple of years....

 

[jrolsen]

Thanks so much for the responses guys, it was very helpful

 

[Red74]

I will share my son's experience with you. He too was a Philosophy major and added Animal Science as a minor his sophomore year in college. He decided at the end of his junior hear he wanted to go to vet school. He graduated in May of 2009. For the last 2 years, he has taken his science pre reqs at a local college while working at an animal hospital ablut 30 hours a week. Last October, he applied to 3 schools. He will be attending UGA CVM in September. In his personal statement, he played up his non traditional major to his advantage. He did well in his science courses and the GRE. He even took the GRE Biology which is no longer required but looks good (if you do well) on the application. He had 5 strong LORs - 2 from vets he works for, one from a genetics prof, one from a philosophy prof and one from the ED of a visually impaired non profit he volunteered for. So my advice - get varied animal and vet experience (the more the better). Do well in your science courses and your GRE. Get strong LORs and write an impressive personal statement. On the application, include awards and leadership roles in the appropriate section. It can be done, just stay with it.

 

[Minnerbelle]

You really have nothing to worry about at this point! It's probably actually a blessing that you haven't taken any of your pre-reqs and that it's your freshman year grades that pulled your gpa down. A 3.2 isn't the worst thing in the world to begin with (it's not a gpa that will get you into vet school, but there are people who have gotten in despite a gpa that low). Vet schools love to see upward trends, so if it really is your first year or two of college that really brought down your gpa, then it's really not that bad. If you rock all your pre-reqs from here on out, then you definitely have a shot! If I were you I'd try to raise your gpa if at all possible to at least a 3.4 and do really well on your gpa, but I think that should be doable. There are also schools that look at pre-req and/or science gpa separately, so you should also do your research and apply wisely to increase your odds. Good luck!

 

[jrolsen]

Red -

That sounds a good bit like my situation so it was great to hear. Did you son attend a community college to fulfill the pre-reqs? I'm debating on whether it would be a better idea to try to take a fifth year here at Northwestern, or graduate with my degree in philosophy and try to register for the classes at another university.