Class of 2026 Hopeful, average GPA and good experiences

[lynne8832]

South Carolina resident, 20 years old, 1st time traditional applicant

Schools I plan to apply to: UGA (contract seat opportunity), Auburn, UPenn, Mississippi State (contract seat opportunity), Florida, Colorado State, Lincoln Memorial, LSU (?), Missouri, Tufts (?)

Cumulative GPA: 3.75
Science GPA: Have not calculated yet (I know each school calculates it differently, right?)
Degree: Bachelors of Science in Animal and Veterinary Sciences with Pre-Veterinary and Sciences Concentration (graduation December 2021)

GRE: Taking May 22nd

Courses I am taking this semester (spring 2021):
Animal Reproduction and Lab
Animal Physiology 2
Biochemistry
Sociology
Contemporary Issues in AVS
Research Project
Undergraduate TA for Animal Health course

I am graduating early (this December) and will also be taking Cell Biology for Auburn!

Veterinary Hours:
Veterinary Assistant at Small Animal Hospital: 1,045 hours
Relief Veterinary Assistant at AAHA Accredited Small Animal Hospital: 88 hours
Intern at Small and Large Animal Mobile Clinic: 37 hours

Animal Hours:
Equine (riding lessons, leasing, showing, teaching lessons, etc.): 3,000 hours
Small Animal (dog/cat/rabbit pet sitting): 450 hours
Large Animal (dairy cattle/horse pet sitting): 45 hours
Intro to Animal Science Lab (course at college- basic husbandry of sheep, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, horses): 20 hours
Swine (course at college- went to farm weekly to care for pigs): 45 hours
Rabbits (domestic rabbit rescue volunteer/caretaker): 115 hours
Raccoons (bottle feed baby raccoons, administer 100 distemper vaccines to rescued raccoons): 20 hours

Research:
Veterinary Pseudoscience and Pet Care Misconceptions Creative Inquiry (undergraduate research): 80 hours
1 credit hour towards degree last semester
2 credit hours towards degree this semester (ongoing)

Employment:
Waitress/Deli Counter Employee: 700 hours
Babysitter: 345 hours
Tutor: 47 hours

Achievements and Awards:
South Carolina Life Scholarship (2018-2021 - entire undergraduate career)
John C. Shelley Memorial Scholarship (2019-2020- departmental scholarship)
Albin S. Johnson Memorial Scholarship (2020-2021- departmental scholarship)
Dean's List (5/5 semesters)
American Red Cross CPR/AED Certified
American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid Certified
Human Subjects Protections Course Certified (for research project)

Extracurricular:
High School FFA Secretary (1 year)
High School FFA Vice President (1 year)
IHSA Equestrian Team Show Member (2 years)
IHSA Equestrian Team Treasurer (1 year)
Women in Animal and Vet Sciences Living Learning Community Member (1 year)
Women in Animal and Vet Sciences Living Learning Community Mentor (2 years)
Pre-Veterinary Club Member (2 years)

I also have a job at a different small animal hospital for this coming summer as well as a 2 week long externship at an equine hospital and surgical center this summer!

Any feedback/opinions/advice are SO appreciated!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WildZoo]

I think you have a pretty solid application! You probably already know these things but a few points for you

- Finish up strong. Your GPA is great, make sure you continue that good work in your last few classes so that your last 45 GPA is great too, and you show you're doing well in upper-level courses

- I would focus your experience energy on diversifying. More large animal hours, or some experience with less traditional species. Not just to make your application look good but also to broaden your exposure. But of course if you want to do small animal GP and that's what your essays will focus on, it makes sense to have most of your experience there.

- make sure you have strong, positive letters lined up

As far as your school list goes, I'm curious about a couple of the ones you have on there (and a couple you don't). Penn for instance would end up being close to $400k in cost of attendance, whereas Illinois has a similar OOS acceptance rate to Penn and is going to be significantly less expensive. Colorado is also going to be in the more expensive half of schools for you and has a very low OOS acceptance rate. Also keep in mind yearly tuition increases - Missouri does allow a switch to IS status after the first year, but they recently have been increasing their tuition 3-5% per year.

Looking at schools where you're likely to stay under $300k for total cost of attendance, I would look into Davis, NC State, Purdue, Ohio State, TAMU, and/or Illinois, and maybe reconsider Penn, Colorado State, LSU, and Tufts. You could consider Washington State as well, though like NC State they are on the lower end for OOS acceptance rate. Not sure how many schools total you are looking to apply to though And of course I would cross-reference the financial bit with where your application seems to match up well. NC State does information sessions I think, so that might be worth looking into. I do know they like to see diverse experience, so even more reason to focus on that area of your application if you decide to apply there.

 

[Georgethecat]

Your stats are very solid, gpa and vet experience hours, and assuming you score mid range for UGA on the GRE (310 ish) you stand a very good chance for getting a contract seat at UGA and Miss State.

Considering the cost differential between a contract seat at UGA/Miss St and the majority of the out of state schools, personally I'd focus your efforts on the contract school applications and maybe a couple of the cheapest OOS schools. Odds are that you should get one of the contract seats, but if it doesn't work out then ask for a file review and go from there.

Comparing Costs (info from school websites and VIN):

School Tuition COL Total Cost
UGA $89,118 $79,932 $169,050
Miss St $108,992 $82,080 $191,072
NC State $106,520 $98,054 $204,574
WSU $145,836 $65,688 $211,524

Looking past WSU you're looking at a significantly higher price tag than one of your contract seat schools. Plus adding in more travel costs etc. From either UGA or NC State, you're looking at being able to drive home for the holidays. Miss St is probably driveable, just a longer drive. Since you're not trying to overcome a weak part of your application (gpa, hours etc), financially I think it would be smart to focus on your cheapest options. When you graduate, you'll be thanking yourself. If the 1st application cycle doesn't work out, you can reevaluate. For now I'd focus on putting together the best applications possible for your contract schools. Make sure your essays and letters of recommendation are strong. Also by applying to a limited number of schools this cycle you'll be saving money on the VMCAS fees and the heartache of having to decide if you can afford one of the pricier OOS schools that you mentioned in your initial post.

Best of luck!