Didn't get into vet school. What do I do now?

[AceHydro]

looking for advice for myself, and hopefully others too.
Applied to Purdue and IS to Mizzou. rejected from both.
I don't have enough large animal experience to get hired at a large animal vet but I'd prefer not to work at my small animal clinic all year. I already have 2,500 small animal hours.
are there any masters programs you'd suggest? Or maybe go to another school for a year? Or anything else to do?
TIA

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[genny]

Step 1: file review with the schools that rejected you. This will tell you what those schools think you need to work on to make yourself a better candidate.

Step 2: Do those things.

Without knowing your full situation, it's hard to give advice for which path to take. People who are weak academically need to either retake classes or take more upper level science courses (like a masters degree) to show they can handle academic rigor. People who don't have enough diversity in veterinary experience need to volunteer at new places. People who have subpar letters of recommendation probably need to volunteer somewhere and really kick ass to get a better letter.

 

[AceHydro]

Step 1: file review with the schools that rejected you. This will tell you what those schools think you need to work on to make yourself a better candidate.

Step 2: Do those things.

Without knowing your full situation, it's hard to give advice for which path to take. People who are weak academically need to either retake classes or take more upper level science courses (like a masters degree) to show they can handle academic rigor. People who don't have enough diversity in veterinary experience need to volunteer at new places. People who have subpar letters of recommendation probably need to volunteer somewhere and really kick ass to get a better letter.

I plan to follow up with them, but cant do that until the end of April. I have a 3.4 GPA with 3 Cs in chemistry, with everything else A/Bs, so I'm not sure if retaking would help much. Hopefully my LOR were good, they were all vets that I've worked under for 4 years that were all excited to write them. I do plan on trying to get more large animal experience.

 

[diqsmt]

If you would like to boost your GPA, retake those chemistry courses that you got C.
I would suggest volunteering at places like horse barns, farms, and zoo.
That's what I did alongside my small animal clinic job, and I think it was enough!

 

[sbrider12]

You could also take some upper level classes like Virology, Immunology, Histology, Epidemiology, etc. via post-baccalaureate studies. This would boost your last 45 and science gpa's (even for the schools that don't readjust gpa for retaken classes).

My undergrad gpa was initally 2.90 when I completed my B.A., but I was accepted to multiple schools this cycle (many years later as a non-trad), with Iowa State giving me a 4.00 for their science pre-requisites. There may be some affordable city or state universities nearby that offer post-bac.

Basically everything @genny said

 

[supershorty]

There's a lot of information missing that would be helpful for us to be able to help you better. I second what @genny said about doing a file review when you can. What were your last 45 GPA and your science GPA? Your GRE scores? Your hours? A 3.4 cumulative is a little below average - if you're an applicant with a strong last 45 and science, and your GRE scores are good, you have a decent amount of options for schools that emphasize those stats where you might be more competitive.

 

[EngrSC]

Your LORs were from 4 vets in the same practice? I would expand a bit and have people from various aspects of your life write you letters. It’ll show that you’re more well-rounded. Most schools require an academic letter so if you go the post-bacc route to take classes I would try to establish a relationship with a professor.

 

[gfg23]

You could also take some upper level classes like Virology, Immunology, Histology, Epidemiology, etc. via post-baccalaureate studies. This would boost your last 45 and science gpa's (even for the schools that don't readjust gpa for retaken classes).

My undergrad gpa was initally 2.90 when I completed my B.A., but I was accepted to multiple schools this cycle (many years later as a non-trad), with Iowa State giving me a 4.00 for their science pre-requisites. There may be some affordable city or state universities nearby that offer post-bac.

Basically everything @genny said

woul you mind telling me what schools you got into? trying to figure out where to apply

 

[sbrider12]

woul you mind telling me what schools you got into? trying to figure out where to apply

Link to my "stats":

Successful Applicants c/o 2024

Don't ever tell yourself that you aren't good enough, that you're not worth it. Don't self-sabotage yourself. Applications do this to you and I was so close to taking another gap year because of all the stats I saw from successful applicants and what they've done. If you really want to be a vet...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Accepted: Iowa State, K-State, LSU, UMN, St. Georges, Tufts
Attending: UMN