Chances getting into vet school

[tiffy44]

Hello I'm wondering if anyone can give me advice on my application. My overall GPA is 2.65, I failed intro to chem and chem 1 in the past and just passed Organic chemistry 1(1st try) and in the process of taking organic chem 2 now (aiming for an A or B). I Know my GPA is horrible and will be the reason I don't get into vet school. I am improving my grades over time and I'm hoping that counts.
I have 9,000 hrs of vet tech experience at a day practice, and 200 hours at an emergency veterinarian clinic as a vet tech (currently still working). I have about 2,000 hours volunteer experience at nonprofit wildlife sanctuary getting hands on experience with exotic animals (primates, bears, tigers, lions skunks, macaws, and much more). Also did an internship at a wildlife rehabilitation and education center and ended with about 400 hours in a span of 11 weeks. Then about 20 hours shadowing an equine veterinarian, and have been a member of the Prevet society at my university for the past 2 semester.
I am in the process trying to find research hours over the summer, and studying for the GRE.
Does anyone have similar experience, or what do they think my chances are with getting in?
Thanks so much for all your help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted676737]

Do you have any specific schools you're interested in? What state are you a resident of?

I'm also assuming that you repeated your gen chem 1 class if you failed it on the first go-around and passed it on the retake, correct? If not, you need to do that as most vet schools will not accept any prerequisites in which you have earned below a C- or even a C in some cases, which will mean an auto-rejection. Whether or not the two attempts will be averaged or the retake replaces the previous grade depends on the particular school.

A 2.65 cumulative GPA, while not impossible to overcome, will undoubtedly make things difficult for you. Precisely how difficult will depend on 1) what schools you choose to apply to, as some do not consider cumulative GPA past ensuring that you meet a minimum to be eligible or at least don't weigh it as highly in their evaluations process, 2) what your last 45 hours GPA will look like, as upward trends are always a good sign, and 3) exactly how much you're able to bring up that GPA, which is itself a function of how many credits you've already amassed (ie. it's mathematically easier to raise a GPA comprised of 60 credits versus 120 credits); there’s always the option of doing a masters or post-bacc program to get it higher if necessary.

You might want to consider applying strategically to those schools that do not look at cumulative GPA, or at least not past making sure you meet whatever minimum cumulative GPA they require. Ross and SGU are both known for taking somewhat less academically strong candidates. ISU only requires that you meet a minimum 2.5 cumulative to apply (though their science GPA calculation can be brutal since only very specific courses are counted) and KSU requires a 2.8 in the prerequisite courses. LSU and UMN also weigh science and last 45 GPAs more heavily. I'm sure that there are a couple more examples I'm not thinking of. That said, OOS admissions at some of these schools can be rough, with some intense competition for relatively few seats, so keep that in mind. I believe Illinois also has a first year grade forgiveness program that might be worth looking into if you had exceptional circumstances that caused the low grades, though I might be remembering wrong (I'm sure @batsenecal and/or @SkiOtter could chime in on this).

If you're applying to any schools that still look at the GRE, then your performing well on that would also help.

ETA: Your experience numbers are pretty good, both in diversity and in quantity, so I wouldn't focus as much effort into that at this stage. Just work on dragging your GPA up as much as possible and really rocking the remaining prerequisites to get a good, solid upward trend going.

 

[EngrSC]

My cGPA from undergrad was 2.7ish and I’ve been accepted this cycle. However, I originally studied engineering and took 84 science credits as a post-bacc student, did great, and brought my cGPA up to a 3.1. I am evidence that you CAN get into vet school with a crap GPA, BUT I think you have some work to do to get there. You’ll open many more doors if you take post-bacc classes or get a masters and get your cGPA up to a 3.0 and have a strong last 45. Also, definitely use the explanation statement if you have any extenuating circumstances that prevented you from doing well. I used it to discuss medical issues I had as an engineering student, what I did about it, and what I do now to manage them. If you go this route, you need to show adcoms that you’re past it, so to speak, which can be in the form of excelling academically.

I think you’re on the right track with your experiences - diversify, diversify, diversify. I stressed the importance of communication in my essays (I’m definitely going into clinical medicine) and was able to show my strength in this area via volunteering with rescue groups as a home visit/adoption coordinator and as a caseworker that provides funding to dogs in need of non-routine treatment. I think these experiences helped me tremendously so I would highly recommend if you think you’re heading into some form of clinical medicine where you will be interacting with clients.