Advice on what schools to apply? If you've applied to Iowa, Lincoln, midwestern, or colorado? HELP.

[i love dogs]

Hello,
I was wondering if any of you could give me some input/ advice. 2 years ago I decided vet school was for me. Last year I was preparing to take my last few pre-requisites/GRE but didn't end up applying. TBH, I was working full-time while taking o-chem/ traveling far to take the class. No time to study. I ended up dropping the class to save my GPA from any more damage. Later, I took the GRE...did horrible on verbal and got discouraged. I had a HUGE downfall from there in terms of career...kind of fell into depression. I really really tried to look into other career options...I can't stress that enough. I just find myself coming back to vet school. At some point, I had put it in my head that "I didn't want that debt", "You don't even really get to work with animals.", "you're never going to make a good living", etc. I was soo close to applying to RVT school a few months ago BUT I JUST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I LOVE THE RESEARCH, THE KNOWLEDGE, THE FIELD...I JUST FEEL LIKE THIS IS WHERE I AM MEANT TO BE.

Anyways, now for the actual questions. I still have o-chem and biochem to take. I am also planning on retaking the GRE in hopes of getter a better score on verbal. For those of you who have applied to Iowa, Lincoln memorial, midwestern, or colorado...what have your experiences been? Specifically, if you didn't have a competitive GPA. Were you waitlisted? Have you been rejected? How many tries did it take you to be accepted? I have a pretty low cum gpa: 2.85. Like I said, I've been bummed out in the past because I know my application will already not be competitive because of my GPA. I have a ton of credits accumulated that getting my GPA to a 3.0 will take years. I understand that I may not have a chance at all but I have these school specifically in mind because they will at least look at my application. I just want to give vet school one last shot so any advice on your application stats/journey is highly appreciated. THANKS!

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[FrostySparrow]

I applied to Midwestern as a first time applicant. Below are my stats. I was initially placed on the alternate list and accepted off of it in May/Juneish. When I applied they stilled required the GRE, no longer a requirement. I honestly couldn’t imagine myself at ANY OTHER school. I love the campus, I love my peers, I love my faculty. I don’t regret putting all my eggs in that basket during my first cycle... my peers (current and future 2023ers) seem to have a variety of experiences that contribute to our overall diversity! Some have master degrees, some only have LA/SA/research experience, some are non-traditional/second careers, etc.
I did MWU because they’re IS for me and because I knew they’d at least consider me without a degree, I believe I have some peers who had similar GPA to yours as well and still got in!
If you think of specific questions feel free to message me!

19 yr old, Female, AZ resident, 1st time applicant

Applied: MWU-Glendale, Ross
Interview Invites: MWU, Ross
Wait-listed: MWU
Accepted: Ross
Attending: **edited** MWU!

Overall GPA: 3.90
Science GPA: 3.88
Last 45 GPA: 3.95

GRE (Q/V/W): 150/155/5

Degree: None! Was working on B.S. Biology minoring in Chemistry.

Veterinary Experience (~8000 hrs)
- 1500 hours vet tech at an AAHA accredited small animal ER/specialty hospital (and counting.)
- 5000 hours CSR/vet asst./vet tech at an AAHA accredited small animal/exotic/wildlife hospital.
- 1000 hours managing vet tech at a mobile, low-cost small/large animal/exotic veterinary clinic (and counting.)
- 330 hours intern at local humane society (community reach out, animal experience, veterinary experience, etc.)
- 240 hours CSR/vet tech at small animal clinic

Animal Experience (~5000 hrs)
- Volunteer for local Humane Society

Extracurricular:
- Hair and Makeup Board Position for my HS Theatre Department for 3 years (~1000hrs)
- Committee member for local SHOW organization

Research:
- None

Non-Animal Employment:
- None

Honors and Awards:
- All attending semesters on Dean's List
- National Honor Society
- President's Volunteer Service Award
- U.S. House of Representatives Award
- Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
- Heart of: Outstanding Young Leader Award

LOR:
- GP/ER/Exotic Veterinarian/practice owner worked for 3yrs
- GP Senior/Lead Veterinarian worked for <1yr
- GP/ER/Academic Veterinarian worked for 3yrs
- College Biology Prof
- College Environmental Science Prof
- Humane Society volunteer coordinator

Essay Questions/Personal Statement
I mainly talked about wanting to branch the divide in communication between veterinary professionals and clients; and how experience in shelter medicine has prepared me for a variety of clients. I stressed the importance of my interested in research, shelter medicine, and general desire to continue giving back to my community!

My class was the biggest at 121 students, but I believe class of 2023 is expected to be bigger with a total of 156ish students that have accepted their seats.

 

[EngrSC]

Have you considered taking courses through UNE online? I would double check with the schools you plan on applying to that they accept online courses but it may not be a bad option if you need to keep working full time and your school is far. Also, it may be helpful for people to give you advice if you post your last 45 and science GPAs and your experience.

 

[deleted676737]

I was a first-time applicant accepted to ISU for the c/o 2020 with a 3.2 cum GPA (not quite as low as you, but still pretty below par), but my science and last 45 hours GPAs were higher. The good news for you is that ISU doesn't care about cumulative GPA past making sure that you make the 2.5 minimum to apply; after that, it's science GPA, last 45 hours GPAs, experience, eLORs, community service, etc. They were still doing interviews and considering GRE when I applied, both of which they are no longer doing, so keep that in mind. I would also point out, however, that the ISU science GPA is calculated a little differently from most schools in that only certain courses are used to determine it. Here's a list of those classes if you want to do a bit of self-calculation to see where you'd stand:

- General biology I, II w/ labs
- General chemistry I, II w/ labs
- Organic chemistry I w/ lab (Organic chemistry II no longer required)
- Biochemistry
- Physics I w/ lab
- Genetics
- Anatomy and/or physiology

I will say that I definitely had classmates who had GPAs around or even slightly below yours who did make it in, so it's not impossible by any stretch provided that the remainder of your application is really strong, especially if you happen to be IS or contract.

I also applied to, was waitlisted at, and eventually accepted to Midwestern but I honestly think that my interview played a large part in my being waitlisted (it was my first vet school interview; didn't really know what I was doing). Again, as I understand it, Midwestern is no longer considering the GRE.

Did not apply to LMU or CSU.

My stats are below if you want a peek. I would also caution you that the past two or three cycles since I applied have been much more competitive from what I've seen as more and more people are applying. While I did do a lot of prior research and chose my schools carefully based on my application's strengths, I admit that I think I got very lucky with where I applied and when; I don't know that I would have gotten in had I tried for c/o 2021 or 2022.

Like EngrSC posted above, we might be able to give you more targeted advice and suggestions if you post your other GPAs and show us what your experience looks like.

I cannot believe I'm actually posting in this thread! I thought I had absolutely no chance of getting into vet school with my past grades, but reading everyone's experiences inspired me so much that I just had to try. I didn't expect anything out of this cycle -- not even an interview, much less an acceptance!

The hours I list here are estimates; I don't have immediate access to VMCAS. I'll correct it and insert the exact numbers later.


23 years old, female, first-time applicant, Missouri resident

Applied: Mizzou, Iowa State, Glasgow, Midwestern
Rejected: None, surprisingly!
Interviewed: Mizzou (declined)*, Iowa State, Glasgow, Midwestern
Alternate: Midwestern, Glasgow
Accepted: Iowa State
Attending: Iowa State

* ISU has introduced a new program called the Home Base Iowa Initiative through which immediate family members of military veterans and active duty may receive resident tuition. It does require quite a bit of paperwork, but I was able to secure the discount. If any future applicants to ISU are reading, and you think that you may qualify, I'd urge you to consider at least trying this option; it could save you lots of money in the long run. As-is, the resident tuition at ISU wound up being several thousand dollars cheaper per year than the resident tuition at Mizzou, which is why I ultimately decided to decline my interview at Mizzou and withdraw my application.

Degree: BS in Biology, graduating May 2016

Cumulative GPA: 3.21
Science GPA: 3.42 - 3.61, depending on the school and what classes are counted
Last 45 Hours GPA: 3.60

GRE: Verbal - 158 (80%) / Quantitative - 153 (52%) / Analytical Writing - 5.5 (98%)

Veterinary Experience:
- 980 hours, holistic small animal GP
- 240 hours, small animal GP/emergency
- 50 hours, poultry production
- 80 hours, avian-exclusive clinic
- 60 hours, shadowing zoo veterinarian
- 16 hours, annual low-cost rabies vax and microchip clinic for 2 years
- 20 hours, wildlife rehabilitation/clinic
- 30 hours, equine
- 5 hours, large animal

Animal Experience:
- 40 hours, horse riding
- 140 hours, volunteering at therapeutic horse riding facility
- 100 hours, pet-sitting
- 50 hours, working with rats in Immunology lab (I know including educational experience on VMCAS is poo-pooed, but a few schools were interested in it)
- 5 hours, working with sea turtles in Costa Rica
- 200 hours, volunteering at various animal shelters
- 40 hours, fostering dogs/cats
- 10 hours, deer aging at a meat processing plant in cooperation with MSSU Biology Club and MO Department of Conservation

Research Experience:
- 200 hours, ran the statistical/analytical tests (ANOVAs, t-tests, regressions) for two related ecology studies dealing with leaf decomposition and amphipod mortality; I also created and gave oral presentations over both at the 2015 Missouri Academy of Science

Employment experience:
- 4000 hours, general manager at local Mexican restaurant
- 600 hours, working one summer at another restaurant
- 1400 hours, biology/chemistry tutor

Extracurricular/Community Service:
- Helped build computer lab for a rural Costa Rican primary school, 2010
- Joplin tornado cleanup, 2011
- MSSU Spanish Club, 2011-2013
- MSSU Biology Club, 2013-2015
- Volunteered as an organizer for MSSU Foreign Language Field Day, 2011
- Gave tours to visiting high school students during MSSU Tutor Day, 2014 and 2015
- Senior division judge for the area of Cellular, Molecular, and Microbiology for the Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair, 2015
- Web design and programming (HTML, CSS, XML, PHP)
- Hobbyist translation work (Spanish, Japanese, a little Mandarin Chinese)
- Flute and violin as hobbies

Awards:
- Employee of the Month
- Dean's List a couple of semesters
- MSSU Foreign Language Performance Award, 2011-2012
- MSSU Emerging Leader Award, 2011 (only 60 incoming freshmen per year are given this award; I don't know, it was a big deal at the time)
- A few small scholarships

eLORs:
- PhD I did my research experience under; I also took multiple classes of his, so he knew me pretty well
- Psychology professor; she was the one who nominated me for the Emerging Leader award
- Veterinarian at the holistic clinic

Personal Statement: While I was pretty proud of it at the time, in hindsight I think it could've been better. Basically, I constructed the entire thing as a bit of a metaphor of sorts. I started out by explaining how, following my decision to switch majors from Spanish to biology, I absolutely fell in love with the problem-solving aspects and challenges of vet med as a result of my first shadowing experience. From then on, I addressed a few of my more major vet experiences and gave an example of one or two major insights they each gave me, and how I wish to incorporate those lessons I learned into my own practice. I also briefly mentioned my proficiency in Spanish and Japanese, as well as my experience in management and customer resolution, as very real assets should I choose to pursue private practice (not my first choice of career, but hey!). I closed by discussing my newfound interests in epidemiology and data collection. It does sound tacky and all over the place from the fly-by description, but everyone I asked to proofread seemed to love it and even commented on how well it all flowed, so I guess it couldn't have been that awful.


Long story short about the rather odd set of GPAs... when I first began undergrad under my Spanish major, I tested into 300-level Spanish classes right from the get-go, but quickly found myself overwhelmed and, honestly, not yet mature enough to handle the material. I wound up with two Ds the fall semester of my freshman year (Honors English Composition and Spanish) and one the spring semester (a history course). So I had quite the rocky start academically. Once I'd switched over to biology/pre-vet, my grades began improving drastically. I think Immunology and Genetics are the only biology classes I've pulled lower than an A in, I aced Physics, and I earned a 3.8 GPA in one 19 credit semester packed with nothing but hard upper-division sciences. So, yeah, definite upward trend. Schools seemed to eat that up.

That being said, I ultimately decided that -- while I could have potentially brought my GPA up a lot by retaking the Ds for As -- it wasn't going to be worth the time and money because they weren't sciences, let alone pre-reqs. So I instead focused my energies on really nailing upper-division sciences, and I am SO glad that that was the route I took. It was definitely harder, but it seems to have paid off a lot more than the alternative of simply padding my GPA with repeated courses likely would have.

My science grades are definitely not all perfect, either, though. While I had no issues achieving As in biology and physics classes, I was pretty much a straight B student in chemistry, with the two exceptions of Gen Chem 2 and Biochem (ugh), where I earned Cs. If anything, I thought that getting those two Cs would completely negate what little case for admission I may have had -- especially biochem because had I just gotten an A, my last 45 hours would have been quite a lot higher -- but they clearly didn't. Long story short, I was having issues with adjusting to a new set of medications at the time, and I was having a really hard time focusing in lecture as well as getting adequate sleep; ultimately, I didn't disclose this to any admissions committees because it's really not an excuse. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have impacted my ability to have what is, by all accounts, a successful vet school application cycle.

It's crazy to think that I went from nearly failing out of high school (an even longer story that I won't tell here) to getting accepted to veterinary school. I never would have anticipated such a massive achievement back then. I know I don't have the best grades, GREs, or experiences, but I am proud of how far I've come. I can only hope that even greater things await!

 

[i love dogs]

Have you considered taking courses through UNE online? I would double check with the schools you plan on applying to that they accept online courses but it may not be a bad option if you need to keep working full time and your school is far. Also, it may be helpful for people to give you advice if you post your last 45 and science GPAs and your experience.

Thanks for the info! I’ll email/research if these schools accept UNE courses that would be AWESOME !! but sounds too good to be true. Do you know if it’s competitive to enroll in these courses? I just need ochem and biochem. I’m assuming ochem needs to be done in person since a lab is required but it’s an option for biochem!

 

[i love dogs]

I was a first-time applicant accepted to ISU for the c/o 2020 with a 3.2 cum GPA (not quite as low as you, but still pretty below par), but my science and last 45 hours GPAs were higher. The good news for you is that ISU doesn't care about cumulative GPA past making sure that you make the 2.5 minimum to apply; after that, it's science GPA, last 45 hours GPAs, experience, eLORs, community service, etc. They were still doing interviews and considering GRE when I applied, both of which they are no longer doing, so keep that in mind. I would also point out, however, that the ISU science GPA is calculated a little differently from most schools in that only certain courses are used to determine it. Here's a list of those classes if you want to do a bit of self-calculation to see where you'd stand:

- General biology I, II w/ labs
- General chemistry I, II w/ labs
- Organic chemistry I w/ lab (Organic chemistry II no longer required)
- Biochemistry
- Physics I w/ lab
- Genetics
- Anatomy and/or physiology

I will say that I definitely had classmates who had GPAs around or even slightly below yours who did make it in, so it's not impossible by any stretch provided that the remainder of your application is really strong, especially if you happen to be IS or contract.

I also applied to, was waitlisted at, and eventually accepted to Midwestern but I honestly think that my interview played a large part in my being waitlisted (it was my first vet school interview; didn't really know what I was doing). Again, as I understand it, Midwestern is no longer considering the GRE.

Did not apply to LMU or CSU.

My stats are below if you want a peek. I would also caution you that the past two or three cycles since I applied have been much more competitive from what I've seen as more and more people are applying. While I did do a lot of prior research and chose my schools carefully based on my application's strengths, I admit that I think I got very lucky with where I applied and when; I don't know that I would have gotten in had I tried for c/o 2021 or 2022.

Like EngrSC posted above, we might be able to give you more targeted advice and suggestions if you post your other GPAs and show us what your experience looks like.

Hey thanks for the response!! I will post my science gpa after I get off of work. I really look forward to anyone’s feedback. I’ll post all my stuff too so you guys can give me some advice!

 

[i love dogs]

Hi! This year as my first round of applications, I only applied to CSU as an OOS student. I was waitlisted, but was pulled off mid April.

My GPA (~3.6) and GRE scores (150Q; 153V; 3.5W) were pretty average, maybe below?

I think what made me competitive were my diverse animal/vet experiences, as Im pretty sure I did pretty poorly in my interviews. During my undergraduate, I volunteered at an emergency clinic, a small animal clinic, and an equine reproduction lab (not all at once). I did practicums (200hrs each) at a marine mammal rescue centre and at a laboratory medical centre. I did an intense internship at a wildlife rehab centre during first year’s summer, and one at a wolf sanctuary in Colorado last summer. I completed directed study projects in my fourth year, one to develop an SOP for identifying lameness in dairy cows and another in exploring whether laboratory rats experience nausea after anesthetic exposure (still need to write my paper). I also did an undergraduate thesis project in my last year that involved establishing and releasing a cat owner survey, doing a literature review and writing my thesis paper.

LORs (I went ham): a clinic vet, a gynaecologist I worked for in high school, one of my bosses, a laboratory vet, my supervisor for my directed studies, and a professor.

I think my experiences and LORs really pulled me up, so I would say try to explore as many aspects of animal care and veterinary medicine there is !! That way you learn what area of medicine you are passionate about (mine is laboratory animal medicine) and can also show to them that you’ve explored different areas and have a diverse animal experiences under your belt.

You can message me if you like! Would love to chat

Will definitely message you

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Hello,
I was wondering if any of you could give me some input/ advice. 2 years ago I decided vet school was for me. Last year I was preparing to take my last few pre-requisites/GRE but didn't end up applying. TBH, I was working full-time while taking o-chem/ traveling far to take the class. No time to study. I ended up dropping the class to save my GPA from any more damage. Later, I took the GRE...did horrible on verbal and got discouraged. I had a HUGE downfall from there in terms of career...kind of fell into depression. I really really tried to look into other career options...I can't stress that enough. I just find myself coming back to vet school. At some point, I had put it in my head that "I didn't want that debt", "You don't even really get to work with animals.", "you're never going to make a good living", etc. I was soo close to applying to RVT school a few months ago BUT I JUST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I LOVE THE RESEARCH, THE KNOWLEDGE, THE FIELD...I JUST FEEL LIKE THIS IS WHERE I AM MEANT TO BE.

Anyways, now for the actual questions. I still have o-chem and biochem to take. I am also planning on retaking the GRE in hopes of getter a better score on verbal. For those of you who have applied to Iowa, Lincoln memorial, midwestern, or colorado...what have your experiences been? Specifically, if you didn't have a competitive GPA. Were you waitlisted? Have you been rejected? How many tries did it take you to be accepted? I have a pretty low cum gpa: 2.85. Like I said, I've been bummed out in the past because I know my application will already not be competitive because of my GPA. I have a ton of credits accumulated that getting my GPA to a 3.0 will take years. I understand that I may not have a chance at all but I have these school specifically in mind because they will at least look at my application. I just want to give vet school one last shot so any advice on your application stats/journey is highly appreciated. THANKS!

Just as a point of helping you save money I would recommend against applying to CSU as they explicitly state on their website that few people are admitted with a GPA below 3.2 and undergo early file review to even determine if you move on. Perhaps look into a school that better fits your stats. Applying smartly is half the process. Good luck!

 

[J.Bed]

Thanks for the info! I’ll email/research if these schools accept UNE courses that would be AWESOME !! but sounds too good to be true. Do you know if it’s competitive to enroll in these courses? I just need ochem and biochem. I’m assuming ochem needs to be done in person since a lab is required but it’s an option for biochem!

I believe UNE offers online lab with their Ochem, but still check with your schools.

Anyone can get into their courses, they’re offered starting twice a month. They’re 16 weeks self paced so you need to be good at planning or you’ll end up cramming at the end.

I just finished their biochem and let me tell you, that was the HARDEST class I’ve taken in all of my prereqs. I do think it was mostly because it was online. However, the book is just jam full of information and I felt it was at a level slightly above my capabilities so I was always looking up words and rereading paragraphs. Assignments are easy, discussion post and two responses, and then case questions. 4x during the course for both of those. There are also 4 unit exams then 2 proctored exams that each cover 2 units. Some of the questions were quite specific and the tests seemed unnecessarily difficult (but not impossible).

Basically, it was rather overwhelming but there’s videos on YouTube you can find and if you have the time, grab the book early and start going through some of it prior to your class. It’s survivable but I wouldn’t count on it to help boost gpa.

 

[AuntieD]

I was accepted (after interview) to midwestern on my first application cycle. (Class of 2023) My GPA was lower around a 3.34 (C's in a few upper science courses) but i had over 10,000 veterinary hours so i think that helped me out alot. I also felt really strong coming out of my interview.

 

[Nalra095]

I personally don't think you should apply to CSU. They are one of the schools with THE most applicants each year and its pretty difficult to get in especially if you're OOS from colorado. And like someone else mentioned above, it makes it even more difficult with a sub 3.0 GPA. If possible, I think you should retake some of the science courses that you didn't do so well in and try to get a better grade and so your "average" grade for that course is brought up. This would also help with your last 45 unit GPA, since some schools like KSU look at that.