Im a 3rd year college student that just changed her major from computer animation to pre-professional biology. I want to become a vet. Im 21, and it seems that nomatter what I do, I can't get the grades I want/need. I just took biology 1, and recieved either a b or a c in it, which i think is a problem. I also recieved a "d" in statistics which is a class that Ive never studied more for. A "d" was the best I could do. I want to go to vet school, cause I love animals I really do. My father is ecstatic that Im going into some sort of medical profession, but still keeps on trying to convince me to be a doctor.I can't talk to him about the problems I've been having because he never gives solutions, just says " theres no excuse" and Im ruining my future with anything less than all a's. I've thought about going to tech school instead but I don't think it would make enough of a salary for a comfortable living. Im slightlu unsure about how and if i would get into vet school. My G.P.A has gone from a 3.5 to a 3.1 in two short semesters, due to a f I received in a programming class that I took as a supplement to my prior degree, and might go lower due to my statistics grade. Im unsure about everything I'm doing and wondering if I'm even intelligent enough for this profession.Is this normal? Is this career for me?
completely lost pre vet student
- Thread starter lcm
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I'm sorry that you're going through all this. It's always difficult when you're giving your best and it doesn't seem to be getting the results you want. Does your school have a pre-vet/pre-health advising program? If so, they may be able to direct you to some additional resources and/or give you advice on whether retaking a course would help or hurt you. Do you feel like you got a good grasp on the BIO 1 material? That's a very important foundational class and if you're having trouble with major concepts, it might be good to retake it (maybe with a different prof). Also, take advantage of all office hours and tutoring centers your school has. Most professors are nice and helpful. I got a tutor to get through physics 2 and ended up with a B+. Who knows what I would've gotten without the tutor? Probably some flavor of C.
People have gotten in to vet school with lower GPAs. There are some people here who can attest to that. But you really need to have all your other ducks in a row: varied experience and a stellar GRE score. Don't give up on your dream, you're just going to have to buckle down really hard and use all the resources available to you. Good luck!
People have gotten in to vet school with lower GPAs. There are some people here who can attest to that. But you really need to have all your other ducks in a row: varied experience and a stellar GRE score. Don't give up on your dream, you're just going to have to buckle down really hard and use all the resources available to you. Good luck!
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Sorry to hear about your situation.
I'd take some time to figure out what the issue is that is causing you to not reach your academic potential. You might seek your school advisor or see if your school has a career development center - they often have advisors, therapists, etc... that may be able to help figure out what is holding you back.
You don't want to jump right into more coursework and run the risk of making your bad grades a trend. MANY students have overcome poor grades & gotten into vet school ... but you'll need to figure out how you can start earning A's to get that gpa where it needs to be. G'Luck.
I'd take some time to figure out what the issue is that is causing you to not reach your academic potential. You might seek your school advisor or see if your school has a career development center - they often have advisors, therapists, etc... that may be able to help figure out what is holding you back.
You don't want to jump right into more coursework and run the risk of making your bad grades a trend. MANY students have overcome poor grades & gotten into vet school ... but you'll need to figure out how you can start earning A's to get that gpa where it needs to be. G'Luck.
I feel I know the material pretty well actually, I understand the genetics aspect really well, and I take the tests, and then I feel great about them, and then I see the results and go 'ugh!" then I look over my test and say wow.. I knew that, what the heck?! The hardest thing about sta was that there isnt really any school help cause its not part of math according to them so its put in its own subject area. Thus there are no study group sessions, and the tutor they have is a student who half the questions you ask for help in she doesnt know how to do. I took these classes in a six week summer b course which I thought I could handle because I've gotten good grades and pretty much breezed through bio classes that I took that werent part of the degree. Whats worse, is when I saw I had to take statistics, I thought " wow, this will be easy, because the statistics questions on the CPT are common sense, its all graphs and stuff" and my family agreed with me, then after it was too late, they all tell me.. yeah, thats the hardest class ever, I dont know anyone who hasnt had to take that at LEAST twice, so I was thinking, math is my weakest area to begin with, some honestly might have been nice. The funny thing is, everyone in the class including myself formed study groups and spent days upon days going over the material, and most actually failed, many of which who were taking the class for the fourth consecutive time. Does everyone have these problems?
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I'm in kind of the same situation as you, switched from engineering to biology in my third year. It was hard for me because I was so used to the one type of classes I had been taking for so long and then suddenly switching to a completely different subject that requires different ways of studying. I think you have to change study habits and find the one that works. In engineering you can get along well just by doing the homework and studying by yourself. In biology I learned that if you want to do well you have to study with others, explaining the things you're learning to other people. It just takes a little while to get used to a new major.
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I would definitely suggest re-taking them in a regular semester... I took orgo over the summer and it was much harder than I expected simply because it was so intense. I don't remember a thing from the course, either. A semester-length course gives you more time to absorb and digest the information, which is often all that you'll need for it to click.
Good luck! Getting into vet school is not as impossible as people make it sound sometimes. If you really want it, you can have it!
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No, you are no screwed! I also wanted to let you know that there is no pre-vet major. You can go to vet school with a history major, business major, and even a computer major. Most vet schools require that you complete the required classes. If this new major is giving you grief and you are worried about your GPA, then stick to your previous major and take the extra classes. I would not worry about that stats class. Re-take if you can but unless it's a required class, it's gonna be okay. Make sure that when you have your interview you address each grade lower than a C. I got a C in two required class and I was just honest about them. I told them that I worked really hard for those C's and it was the best grade I could get. It sounds like you are very determined and that's half the battle! Like others said build your application with everything else like lots of varied experience, great GREs, great LOR, and a solid personal statement.
Good luck with everything!
Good luck with everything!
thanks a lot guys.. haha if only I could explain this to my dad who expects me to be a genious. What schools did you guys get accepted to? Im thinking of UF cause its the only one in Florida from what I've seen, but I hear its really difficult to get into, my dads trying to ship me off to st. george in the carribean, not sure I want to be so isolated for four years though.
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I don't know if all schools are like this, but LSU only looks at your last like 45 hours for GPA, not all of them... so if you can take more classes so that the bad grades (D) are "bumped" off you would still be ok. Just check with the school that you want to apply for. Good luck!
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Sorry, I forgot to say they also look at just the GPA for required courses, but statistics and the other one you made an F in are probably not required courses (also depends on the school you want to go to)
Your best bet given that you are entering your junior year would be to figure out what schools you want to apply to and take the classes that you need. Maybe avoid schools that want stats as you usually need a C or higher in a required class. The programing class should not hurt you too much. It will count for your cumulative GPA but not for your science or prereq GPA. One other thing to watch out for is any schools that only allow you to have one or two outstanding prereq's to complete in the spring of your senior year (assuming you want to go straight to vet school after undergrad). It sounds like you may likely need to take a few prereq's each semester. Good luck!
