Anyone have a comprehensive list of Holistic Schools?

[Khaoslucario]

Hey everyone,

I hope you're doing well! I'm currently in the process of researching vet schools and was wondering if anyone has a comprehensive list of schools that are known for their holistic application approach. I'm particularly interested in programs that consider various aspects beyond just academic achievements.

If you have any insights, personal experiences, or know of schools that prioritize holistic applications, please share them here. Your input will be incredibly valuable as I navigate through the application process.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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[Little Red Rats]

As I have learned, most schools are holistic. Just received my fifth rejection today out of seven schools and my cumulative gpa is a 3.98. Schools prefer hours over grades!

 

[lianguine]

I feel like a lot of schools that say they are holistic still have high GPA expectations for OOS students just because they have to choose from so many. Cornell comes to mind, although that shouldn't be a complete deterrent. I don't know about every school, but from the ones I did the most research on last year I would say Michigan and Western are pretty holistic.

I'll link a google doc that has a list of holistic schools at the bottom:
VET SCHOOL APPLICANT RESOURCE

 

[champagneproblem]

I feel like a lot of schools that say they are holistic still have high GPA expectations for OOS students just because they have to choose from so many. Cornell comes to mind, although that shouldn't be a complete deterrent. I don't know about every school, but from the ones I did the most research on last year I would say Michigan and Western are pretty holistic.

I'll link a google doc that has a list of holistic schools at the bottom:
VET SCHOOL APPLICANT RESOURCE

do you have a copy of this? the link isn't working for me

 

[oinkoink11]

The island schools, Iowa, Lincoln-Memorial, Ohio State, Dublin, Western, Michigan, and Virginia-Maryland come to mind. Schools that offer grade replacements, C-‘s as acceptable grades for pre-reqs, or look more heavily into last 45 credit gpa should be on your radar.

If you want to chat more as a low GPA applicant feel free to shoot me a message. I applied this cycle with ~3.1.

 

[VHug4772]

The island schools, Iowa, Lincoln-Memorial, Ohio State, Dublin, Western, Michigan, and Virginia-Maryland come to mind. Schools that offer grade replacements, C-‘s as acceptable grades for pre-reqs, or look more heavily into last 45 credit gpa should be on your radar.

If you want to chat more as a low GPA applicant feel free to shoot me a message. I applied this cycle with ~3.1.

What schools did you end up applying to? I have a similar GPA and I applied to a total of 8 schools.

 

[oinkoink11]

What schools did you end up applying to? I have a similar GPA and I applied to a total of 8 schools.

LMU, Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia-Maryland!

 

[VHug4772]

LMU, Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia-Maryland!

Nice! I also applied to LMU, Iowa, and Ohio! Can't wait to see where we end up!

 

[PixelPenguinz]

[LMU, Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia-Maryland![/QUOTE]

I wouldn’t call the last three schools holistic per se. Yes, they consider experiences nearly as much as grades but they still consider your GPA in ranking. For example, VMRCVM weights your academics at sixty percent. So if your GPA isn’t competitive, the odds aren’t in your favor, especially when there’s so many applicants

 

[Cowsrcool]

The island schools, Iowa, Lincoln-Memorial, Ohio State, Dublin, Western, Michigan, and Virginia-Maryland come to mind.

LMU and Iowa- definitely
-Dublin requires a 3.2 and a bachelors degree in a relevant science field for their 4-year graduate entry and they’re not very holistic from what I know but their 5 year program is.

It’s super difficult to pinpoint truly “holistic” programs these days, as programs like CSU are holistic in their review but they receive SO MANY applications it’s like throwing a dart at a board in the dark and also blindfolded on whether or not you have a chance. Many schools are moving towards this idea of “holistic” review but still consider gpa/grades at SOMEEEE point in their assessment along the way

 

[PixelPenguinz]

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Many schools are moving towards this idea of “holistic” review

I disagree a bit with this. They’re getting so many applicants that a lot of schools are using metrics (GPAs, hours, etc) to decide whether to even read your application. But I think someone with a low GPA is more likely to get into a school without a teaching hospital.

 

[Cowsrcool]

I disagree a bit with this. They’re getting so many applicants that a lot of schools are using metrics (GPAs, hours, etc) to decide whether to even read your application. But I think someone with a low GPA is more likely to get into a school without a teaching hospital.

That’s exactly what I mean is that schools are labeling their process as “holistic” but in order to get to the “holistic” part they require you to fall into a certain gpa or hour category already. So double edged sword and makes it hard to tell if any schools are even actually holistic- like holistic seems to be some sort of buzzword now thrown around by every schools website lol

 

[oinkoink11]

LMU and Iowa- definitely
-Dublin requires a 3.2 and a bachelors degree in a relevant science field for their 4-year graduate entry and they’re not very holistic from what I know but their 5 year program is.

It’s super difficult to pinpoint truly “holistic” programs these days, as programs like CSU are holistic in their review but they receive SO MANY applications it’s like throwing a dart at a board in the dark and also blindfolded on whether or not you have a chance. Many schools are moving towards this idea of “holistic” review but still consider gpa/grades at SOMEEEE point in their assessment along the way

In my opinion a 3.2 is a low GPA compared to the average applicant and I know people who attend that barely made the minimum cutoff because they had ample (well rounded) experience. But def if you’re a non-trad with no science degree it’s not a great option. However I think that can be the case with almost every school, even those that are known to be “not-holistic” such as Penn or Tufts. There’s always a couple of outliers.

But yes I do agree with you and looking at gpa is an important factor considering how rigorous vet school is. It would be more of a red flag if they didn’t. Wish there was a golden answer or explanation but that would ruin the surprise I guess!

 

[thenontraveler]

Arizona, LMU, Iowa, and Michigan come to mind. I am currently a first year at Arizona and my cGPA was 3.06. so definitely lower than average. My prereq GPA for them was a 2.84 (lots of old classes I couldn't retake factored into this) but my last 45 was 3.24 and my science was a 3.48 and I had plans to retake my lowest class grades if I didn't make it in. I had 21k hours though in various categories, so that really helped a lot.

 

[lianguine]

do you have a copy of this? the link isn't working for me

It looks like the owner deleted it :/

Someone gave me this link which is a newer version, but it’s not filled out like the previous one. Hopefully it’ll be updated as time goes on!

Here's the link: Vet School Pros/Cons List

 

[goldenbear2024]

That’s exactly what I mean is that schools are labeling their process as “holistic” but in order to get to the “holistic” part they require you to fall into a certain gpa or hour category already. So double edged sword and makes it hard to tell if any schools are even actually holistic- like holistic seems to be some sort of buzzword now thrown around by every schools website lol

This is so true lol so frustrating.

 

[pp9]

This thread bothers me, lol. Applicants hear the term 'holistic' and assume that academics won't be a hurdle for them at that school. GPA is always a factor at every school at some point in the process.

The definition of holistic in this context is that an entire application is evaluated - grades, experience, letters, etc. It is absolutely an admissions buzzword and imo is meaningless and a marketing tactic. All schools consider experiences, essays, etc. in addition to academics, and therefore are 'holistic' by that criteria.

 

[leopardgecko]

Everyone above has super valid points. I think most schools are looking for specific students to fill their seats and it changes each year depending on the applications. So even if a school is deemed holistic it is still a gamble depending on who else applys and their stats. Even if someone has the same as you they might do a deal breaker with the essay, letters of recommendation, etc which in a way depends on each year.

 

[thenontraveler]

I think when people think holistic, it is schools that don't put academics as like 75% of the admission decision. It is still a factor in ALL admissions. And shouldn't be assumed that just because a school stops looking at your GPA after a point that it won't come into play at all. Just it is slightly less of a factor. So definitely anyone going through the process should keep that in mind. If you have below a 3.0 it will be INCREDIBLY difficult to get accepted. Does it happen? Yes. But if you compare the number of people with super low GPA to the number of people with above average GPA then you will find it is a VERY small amount of the incoming classes. And usually I have found those people have unique experiences, want to go into a highly in demand field (LA I am looking at you), or insanely high qualifications of other sorts that make them stand out.
And with every vet school getting thousands of applications a year, it is really hard for them to not look at something to distinguish who will survive and who will not at some point in the process. And GPA or experience hours can definitely be that divide.

 

[turtle36]

As I have learned, most schools are holistic. Just received my fifth rejection today out of seven schools and my cumulative gpa is a 3.98. Schools prefer hours over grades!

Coming from someone with 6 years of experience and a ~3.3 plus a masters degree, this is not been true in my experience.

 

[Cowsrcool]

Coming from someone with 6 years of experience and a ~3.3 plus a masters degree, this is not been true in my experience.

It’s crazy how cycle to cycle it’s so different. Last cycle seemed like they were definitely favoring experiences and a LOT of non trad/lower GPA success stories were prominent in a lot of threads. This year it’s the exact opposite it seems from the literal same schools 😂 it’s such a crapshoot

 

[turtle36]

It’s crazy how cycle to cycle it’s so different. Last cycle seemed like they were definitely favoring experiences and a LOT of non trad/lower GPA success stories were prominent in a lot of threads. This year it’s the exact opposite it seems from the literal same schools 😂 it’s such a crapshoot

lol well last year I was getting a masters which was recommended the cycle before that. Thanks for the advice UF! got me literally nowhere<3333

 

[DVM882029]

Everyone above has super valid points. I think most schools are looking for specific students to fill their seats and it changes each year depending on the applications. So even if a school is deemed holistic it is still a gamble depending on who else applys and their stats. Even if someone has the same as you they might do a deal breaker with the essay, letters of recommendation, etc which in a way depends on each year.

I would like to emphasize a part of this: My husband has given me invaluable advice when reviewing my essays and meaningful experience writing prompts. There have been a few comments I had written to which he's said a variation of "We should take this out because someone might not like it" - meaning: I can write a great essay (or essays). They likely won't be the dealbreaker reason that I get accepted BUT they could be a reason I'm rejected. I did work to reword things, and drafted many different iterations of my writing prompts after his feedback and many others reading them.

 

[katiemcat]

It’s crazy how cycle to cycle it’s so different. Last cycle seemed like they were definitely favoring experiences and a LOT of non trad/lower GPA success stories were prominent in a lot of threads. This year it’s the exact opposite it seems from the literal same schools 😂 it’s such a crapshoot

Schools are starting to focus more on academics again due to a decline in NAVLE pass rates it seems.

 

[turtle36]

Schools are starting to focus more on academics again due to a decline in NAVLE pass rates it seems.

Isn’t this more a result of COVID-19 though? The 2024 graduates are the first true “covid” graduates and I’m sure that was more responsible for the drop than the applicants chosen.

 

[katiemcat]

Isn’t this more a result of COVID-19 though? The 2024 graduates are the first true “covid” graduates and I’m sure that was more responsible for the drop than the applicants chosen.

I can’t say much as this is just word of mouth / observation, but there was a certain class where they used more “holistic” admissions and said class had a record number of repeaters/dismissals as well. For classes after that, admissions seemed to implement way more GPA barriers. In regards to Covid affecting NAVLE passes, I guess we will see with the class of 2025’s scores as they were fully in person.

 

[Cowsrcool]

Schools are starting to focus more on academics again due to a decline in NAVLE pass rates it seems.

they absolutely are. Not to say there aren’t outliers in every process, but it seems HIGH gpa is a strong factor for most schools this cycle (and not that it necessarily shouldn’t be, just an observation!)

 

[pp9]

Isn’t this more a result of COVID-19 though? The 2024 graduates are the first true “covid” graduates and I’m sure that was more responsible for the drop than the applicants chosen.

Schools are starting to focus more on academics again due to a decline in NAVLE pass rates it seems.

Truly, all of vet school (save for anatomy, certain labs, and clinics) could be 100% remote, and you wouldn't be worse off for it. They are just high-level science courses. NAVLE studying is 100% remote - you don't need in person classes/review sessions to pass the NAVLE. As a result, I don't see how COVID affects a NAVLE pass rate. I truly don't.

If someone can give me data that directly supports how COVID caused a record number of students to fail a test that 90%+ of its takers have passed on the first try for twenty years, I'm all ears. The test did not change, curriculums did not suddenly stop teaching large amounts of relevant information, and students did not forget how to study because they were doing classes remotely.

Even if curriculums had gaps (and they probably all do, mine sure did), dedicated study would fill those in. The commercial study aids (Zuku and VetPrep) are literally guaranteed because they are that confident you'll pass if you use their service.

And from a more personal perspective, people were blaming COVID for a myriad of things starting with the c/o 2020, who missed a short 3 months of clinics before graduating. COVID became an easy scapegoat to blame, as opposed to facing the realities of what was most likely the real reason(s) for the decline in pass rates.

I can’t say much as this is just word of mouth / observation, but there was a certain class where they used more “holistic” admissions and said class had a record number of repeaters/dismissals as well. For classes after that, admissions seemed to implement way more GPA barriers. In regards to Covid affecting NAVLE passes, I guess we will see with the class of 2025’s scores as they were fully in person.

A lot of it is definitely word of mouth. I'm curious if the school you are referring to here is in the Midwest (maybe DM me...things could get spicy, lol).

 

[vampyrica]

Truly, all of vet school (save for anatomy, certain labs, and clinics) could be 100% remote, and you wouldn't be worse off for it. They are just high-level science courses. NAVLE studying is 100% remote - you don't need in person classes/review sessions to pass the NAVLE. As a result, I don't see how COVID affects a NAVLE pass rate. I truly don't.

If someone can give me data that directly supports how COVID caused a record number of students to fail a test that 90%+ of its takers have passed on the first try for twenty years, I'm all ears. The test did not change, curriculums did not suddenly stop teaching large amounts of relevant information, and students did not forget how to study because they were doing classes remotely.

Even if curriculums had gaps (and they probably all do, mine sure did), dedicated study would fill those in. The commercial study aids (Zuku and VetPrep) are literally guaranteed because they are that confident you'll pass if you use their service.

And from a more personal perspective, people were blaming COVID for a myriad of things starting with the c/o 2020, who missed a short 3 months of clinics before graduating. COVID became an easy scapegoat to blame, as opposed to facing the realities of what was most likely the real reason(s) for the decline in pass rates.


A lot of it is definitely word of mouth. I'm curious if the school you are referring to here is in the Midwest (maybe DM me...things could get spicy, lol).

I guess one could argue that being stuck at home due to COVID could have caused mental health issues and decreased motivation which led to underprepared test takers. For someone who needs to be in a hands-on learning environment or who studies best at school, a coffee shop or anywhere that isnt their own home, that could have contributed to the failing rates.

However, that being said, that would be a personal reason why students failed the NAVLE and not a direct results of the school and curriculum.

 

[JaynaAli]

I agree with pp9, students have been utilizing lecture capture and digital learning methods for far longer than Covid. When I was a resident and teaching in didactic courses, fewer and fewer students were attending lectures each year because they could just watch it on 2x speed at home later on. Even when I was a vet student and lecture attendance was more customary, a large chunk of the class would not pay attention in class and would play games or shop or do whatever on their laptops because you could watch it back later. Sure, not all classes are meant to be taught online so Covid could have had an impact as people scrambled to shift courses to an online format, but as someone who went through vet school and took the NAVLE, I’d argue that clinics has the biggest impact on your education related to NAVLE since you’re putting it all together on clinics, so I’d have expected classes of 2020-2022 to have been more severely affected by COVID and a lack of clinical opportunities more so than later classes like c/o 2024 who were like first years the covid year and back in person for labs and clinics the rest of their times. The trend is worsening recently, not directly associated with covid times. It may very well be a factor but I think it’s probably a minor one. I’m not sure if it’s just a shift in accepted student demographics or if there’s more going on inside the schools (such as so many fields with an exodus of specialists from academia into private practice), but the test is very consistent year after year because of its standardization, so something is up. Time will help figure out what that is. But also, NAVLE prep like the programs VepPrep and Zuku have always been very self-motivated and you do them on your own time, so that also would have been available during Covid years too.


Also, in regards to schools choosing grades bs experience, I think what people sometimes forget is that there are anywhere from like 2000-4000 applicants for like 120-150 seats in most programs. The schools are getting so many apps they often have the luxury of choosing students who have BOTH high grades AND tons of experience to fill their classes. And I think it’s pretty reasonable for places to switch what they’re looking for in those applicants with less strong apps based upon prior demographics…oh students aren’t doing as well academically in classes, better shift to pursuing those with better GPAs. Or we’ve done that and it’s two years later and people are complaining these students have good grades but don’t have enough clinical skills, so let’s go back and focus on more hours. It’s a natural ebb and flow. Annoying as an applicant, for sure, but I also think that’s why file review feedback is often vague.

 

[turtle36]

just jumping in to say I didn’t mean to start discourse about Covid, I thought I was just echoing a common sentiment! Please don’t think I’m making excuses for anyone 🙃

 

[VHug4772]

Truly, all of vet school (save for anatomy, certain labs, and clinics) could be 100% remote, and you wouldn't be worse off for it. They are just high-level science courses. NAVLE studying is 100% remote - you don't need in person classes/review sessions to pass the NAVLE. As a result, I don't see how COVID affects a NAVLE pass rate. I truly don't.

I definitely agree with you! Being remote shouldn't heavily affect grades or NAVLE results. However, I think this may also be dependent on how the curriculum is structured. For example, WesternU has lots of group work that would be impacted by being remote to some extent. I'll also add that for me personally, I definitely benefit from going to lectures in-person compared to remote learning. But I ended up adjusting fairly well - just my preference to be in person!

 

[pp9]

I guess one could argue that being stuck at home due to COVID could have caused mental health issues and decreased motivation which led to underprepared test takers. For someone who needs to be in a hands-on learning environment or who studies best at school, a coffee shop or anywhere that isnt their own home, that could have contributed to the failing rates.

However, that being said, that would be a personal reason why students failed the NAVLE and not a direct results of the school and curriculum.

I definitely agree with you! Being remote shouldn't heavily affect grades or NAVLE results. However, I think this may also be dependent on how the curriculum is structured. For example, WesternU has lots of group work that would be impacted by being remote to some extent. I'll also add that for me personally, I definitely benefit from going to lectures in-person compared to remote learning. But I ended up adjusting fairly well - just my preference to be in person!

Maybe, but then we’d probably be seeing other professional schools having these dramatic drops in boards pass rates in the same time frame and I don’t think we are. At least not to the degree where accreditation is at risk for multiple schools like it is for us right now, and certainly not a consistent downward trend like vet med has been seeing over the last 4ish years (at some schools). I think med schools did have a drop in Step 1 pass rates in the last year or two, but the exam scoring method was also changed somehow. @Mr.Smile12 Just curious if you have any input or can correct me if I'm wrong.

just jumping in to say I didn’t mean to start discourse about Covid, I thought I was just echoing a common sentiment! Please don’t think I’m making excuses for anyone 🙃

We never miss a chance to derail a thread!

 

[Cats4Lyfe]

As I have learned, most schools are holistic. Just received my fifth rejection today out of seven schools and my cumulative gpa is a 3.98. Schools prefer hours over grades!

I know this is an older post, but I am curious how many vet and animal hours you had at the time of your application

 

[katiemcat]

Maybe, but then we’d probably be seeing other professional schools having these dramatic drops in boards pass rates in the same time frame and I don’t think we are. At least not to the degree where accreditation is at risk for multiple schools like it is for us right now, and certainly not a consistent downward trend like vet med has been seeing over the last 4ish years (at some schools). I think med schools did have a drop in Step 1 pass rates in the last year or two, but the exam scoring method was also changed somehow. @Mr.Smile12 Just curious if you have any input or can correct me if I'm wrong.

We never miss a chance to derail a thread!

This is a great point. I’ve actually discussed this with one of my college roommates who is in her final year of medical school now. Their step 1 rates have remained pretty stagnant, in fact in 2020 her school in particular had one of the highest pass rates it’s ever had (98%).

 

[battie]

This is a great point. I’ve actually discussed this with one of my college roommates who is in her final year of medical school now. Their step 1 rates have remained pretty stagnant, in fact in 2020 her school in particular had one of the highest pass rates it’s ever had (98%).

My cousin is in her first year of residency (the old internship year). She said they haven't really seen this as far as she knows.

 

[PixelPenguinz]

I think people are forgetting med schools still use the MCAT and have several standardized tests after while vet schools have removed the GRE and only have one test post-grad. Also, with undergrad colleges going SAT/ACT optional, the NAVLE could potentially be the first major standardized test vets will take in a couple years

 

[battie]

first major standardized test vets will take in a couple years

Kind of. Several schools have a standardized milestone/capstone test at the end/beginning of years 2/3/4 depending on the school that doesn't change much year to year and is a requirement to pass. They're supposed to be "mini NAVLEs" so to speak.

Not standardized across vet schools like Step 1/2 are across med schools. But consistent enough to mimic it at least in depth of knowledge expected.

I actually encourage vet students go over to pre-allo and pre-osteo to see those thread discussions. 60% of med school applicants don't get acceptances per year. Of the 40% remaining, half of them (so 20%) get 1 acceptance and the other half get multiple. @Goro could potentially correct me there. Med schools also seem significantly less forgiving of students who are re-applicants than vet schools.

 

[pp9]

the NAVLE could potentially be the first major standardized test vets will take in a couple years

This will be true for some vet students, but that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to passing or failing the NAVLE. Once you take it, you’ll understand why. Sure, it’s standardized, but otherwise is no where near comparable to the GRE and ACT. Those tests do not test your knowledge on specific things, the NAVLE tests you on 4 years of specific material.

 

[Cowsrcool]

I’m honestly curious about how lower navle scores are correlating with other benchmark type data at schools… for example are low pass rates also coupled with higher rates of students dropping out/ failing out? you’d think this would be the case but maybe not? Anyone have any inside scoop on this?

 

[JaynaAli]

I’m honestly curious about how lower navle scores are correlating with other benchmark type data at schools… for example are low pass rates also coupled with higher rates of students dropping out/ failing out? you’d think this would be the case but maybe not? Anyone have any inside scoop on this?

Can’t say I have any inside scoop, but I will say that my classmates who did not pass NAVLE on their first attempt were not the very bottom of the class, rank and GPA wise. I think we had like 10-15 people have to retake it and all but one passed the second time. And the person who didn’t did pass on try two did get it on their third attempt. Granted, this was nearly ten years ago, but if you’d have asked me who in my class I thought might fail and who actually failed, there wasn’t as much overlap as you’d think.

 

[battie]

I’m honestly curious about how lower navle scores are correlating with other benchmark type data at schools… for example are low pass rates also coupled with higher rates of students dropping out/ failing out? you’d think this would be the case but maybe not? Anyone have any inside scoop on this?

My. Biggest. Soapbox. Ever.

Attrition rates are not published anywhere I can find. And I would love to see them.

 

[battie]

I was bottom of my class and passed NAVLE on my first try by about 30 points

 

[Goro]

Kind of. Several schools have a standardized milestone/capstone test at the end/beginning of years 2/3/4 depending on the school that doesn't change much year to year and is a requirement to pass. They're supposed to be "mini NAVLEs" so to speak.

Not standardized across vet schools like Step 1/2 are across med schools. But consistent enough to mimic it at least in depth of knowledge expected.

I actually encourage vet students go over to pre-allo and pre-osteo to see those thread discussions. 60% of med school applicants don't get acceptances per year. Of the 40% remaining, half of them (so 20%) get 1 acceptance and the other half get multiple. @Goro could potentially correct me there. Med schools also seem significantly less forgiving of students who are re-applicants than vet schools.

My learned colleague is correct in the bolded info.

For reapplicants, med schools will want to see improvement for things that were lacking (say, shadowing or clinical exposure).

 

[pp9]

I was bottom of my class and passed NAVLE on my first try by about 30 points

I was in the the last 30 of my class (or something) and passed on my first try as well, no idea what my score was. The two friends of mind that failed on their first tries were also somewhere near me in class rank. Definitely hit or miss, one of them for sure did not study very well (I think she did like 10% of vetprep or something? Do the vetprep).

I’m honestly curious about how lower navle scores are correlating with other benchmark type data at schools… for example are low pass rates also coupled with higher rates of students dropping out/ failing out? you’d think this would be the case but maybe not? Anyone have any inside scoop on this?

There are definitely whispers about certain schools but it's all hearsay until proven otherwise. Interestingly, there have been a few instances of students going online (Reddit, SDN, other) and blasting their schools on alleged cheating rings in the last few years as well, which I am also very curious about.

It should be somehow mandatory that all schools publish their attrition rate, and a breakdown of reasons for losing students. Students voluntarily leaving is very different from academic dismissal. If you're at all concerned, it isn't a bad idea to ask a school to provide their academic dismissal policy if it isn't already available online. You could also probably ask a school their attrition rate. When I was touring schools/interviewing at schools, one of the most common questions (often asked by a parent) was how many students failed out each year. Illinois told us ~5% will fail first year, that held true for my class.

Also just randomly want to throw out that it wasn't that long ago that some vet schools accepted the MCAT in place of the GRE. There also used to be a veterinary version of the MCAT (VCAT) many moons ago. The fewer requirements, the less weeding of a pool each school can do. IIRC from my undergrad days, the MCAT is a huge weeder for pre-med students, to the point where some students actually don't bother applying to med school after getting their scores back. We're in an interesting dichotomy - requirements for admission are less rigorous now, but academic competition for a seat has seemingly increased in the last two years.

 

[battie]

llinois told us ~5% will fail first year, that held true for my class.

Was even better with 2020, only 3 of us failed to 2021. No one failed from 2021 to 2022 at first year. 1 person failed second year and did not return (one of the 2020 repeaters). 1 person failed from 2021 to 2022 at the end of third year. The numbers seemed pretty consistent

It should be somehow mandatory that all schools publish their attrition rate, and a breakdown of reasons for losing students.

It should be a COE accreditation standard that <10% of students repeat/academically fail. But then several schools would anecdotally would lose their accreditation, such as the island schools. Anecdotally, these schools also accept a higher proportion of folks that are lower academically by US school standards. But without an actual data analysis, we would not see any actual correlation obviously. I've only met one poor island taught doctor.

 

[JaynaAli]

The school I went to would pretty consistently lose about 10% of their first year class due to grades. And if you were kicked out first year, you were out for good. Attrition rates were much lower the other three years (maybe losing 1 a yr and they’d usually let those students drop down a class after first year). I have no clue if things have improved over the past decade though…I think there has been a lot of turnover and the more “difficult” courses like physiology and anatomy that were the main reasons people got kicked out have new instructors. But at the time, it felt like they didn’t really care all that much because they’d just fill in the empty spots with island transfers (who usually paid OOS tuition vs many of the expelled students who were IS paying less…not saying it was on purpose or malicious, but it is interesting). I mean the school offered some resources like tutors but still, 10% was a lot. I hope it’s better. But we did have a really high NAVLE pass rate (the usual 98-99%) after the first year weeding.

 

[VHug4772]

This is definitely a multifaceted issue, and it can be challenging to identify a single factor contributing to lower-than-average NAVLE pass rates. It would be interesting to see how the removal of GRE requirements, attrition rates, the pandemic, and different teaching styles have impacted student outcomes - especially since there are new veterinary schools opening each year. I feel like these are all really important considerations when deciding which school to go to, so I really appreciate reading everyone's input!

 

[battie]

I'll be interested how many of these schools will pass accreditation with the new AVMA jobs report. Much less incentive now to open new schools by the AVMA

 

[Little Red Rats]

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I know this is an older post, but I am curious how many vet and animal hours you had at the time of your application

I had about [emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]],[emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]] hands-on veterinary hours between large animal, small animal, and exotics. None of my file reviews said I needed more experience. Ultimately I believe it was because I mentioned my history of an eating disorder on all of my applications thinking that doing so would make me a stronger applicant when all it did was make me look like a red flag. Currently getting my master’s in veterinary public health at tOSU and will be applying again for the [emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]]]][emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6][emoji6]][emoji[emoji[emoji6]][emoji[emoji6]]]]]] cycle. The program director emphasized during my interview for my master’s admissions that we will ensure there are no red flags on my second application as he is convinced that was what resulted in my rejections after reviewing my master’s application.