GPA first year

[Sb7044]

So I'm almost done with first year of vet school and my GPA this semester dropped a little bit and I'm ending up with a lower GPA first year than I would have liked. I'm not currently dead set on pursuing a specialty currently but I would still like the option open if I decide to later on. Do I still have a chance to recover and graduate with a competitive GPA? What is a 'good standing' internship wise, anything above a 3.5? Should it even be something to worry about this early? Just overthinking lol

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[SocialStigma]

Class rank matters more than GPA for specialty matching. Having said that, it also depends on the specialty..as a student I was told that being in the top 10-25% of my class was ideal for matching to surgery. Not sure how true that is but it can't hurt to be in the top 50% and I'd imagine having a 3.5 would put you within that range.

 

[britzen]

I've been told by a mentor that you should aim to be in the top 20% of your class to be competitive for residency.

It is not impossible to get a residency if you're not up there though. I think @nyanko has talked about this before in other threads?

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[JaynaAli]

You really want things as high as possible. It’s possible to match without great stats but you will have a harder time. I had a 3.2 and was just below 50% on my class rank. (Side note: at the place I did my residency a student with a 3.2 was like bottom 15% of her class so grade inflation is real folks, which is why class rank matters). I ranked a lot of places for internship and matched very low on that long list (to a practice I had visited which I 10000% think helped). But I matched to an internship, got a residency, and now I’m boarded. A lot of places won’t consider you if you don’t have outstanding stats but visit places, talk to people, apply smartly, and it can be done.

My main advice is to continue to work hard and give yourself an upward trend. That will be the best way you can “make up” for a sub-par period. Luckily, if you’re only one semester in, there’s still more time to change things than if you were a third year. I had Cs first year. Second year I had mostly Bs with some As, and by third year I had more As (but still plenty of Bs). But it showed progress that my only Cs were back in first year. But I also think stressing about grades only makes it more stressful, and if you aren’t even sure you want to specialize, I would just focus on doing the best you can do, make connections, and not focus too hard on the exact numbers.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

To hijack the class rank/residency discussion.

What generally is a class rank that is competitive for the academic or more competitive private practice internships? Is it similar to residency, or is it a little more relaxed?

 

[JaynaAli]

To hijack the class rank/residency discussion.

What generally is a class rank that is competitive for the academic or more competitive private practice internships? Is it similar to residency, or is it a little more relaxed?

Basically the same if not even more competitive for “top” internships, in my opinion. I feel like letters of recommendation can influence residency applications more than they do an internship application just on the basis of familiarity with specialists writing the recommendations. GPA/Rank is still really important for both, but the top programs are always going to get so many applicants that they have to set a relatively arbitrary GPA cutoff for who even gets their application reviewed.

 

[nyanko]

Yeah, class rank is definitely a bigger issue than GPA. A 3.5 at one school is not the same relative to others in the class as a 3.5 at another school or even at the same school between different classes, and people know that. It kind of sucks if yours is one of the schools known for having a higher average GPA - my GPA really wasn't bad (3.4-3.5 range) but I was a bit under 50% in class rank. But then being in a different academic setting for residency, I see that they graded clinics much more harshly at my vet school than we do here. Things are just so different from place to place.

Anyway just as other people said do the best that you can. If you do realize you want to specialize, then you need to make connections in the field you want to go into and go the extra mile in that field, but you will need recommendations and good relationships and knowledge in other fields too so don't limit yourself.

I say all of these things because they are some of the mistakes that I made, and things were harder for me because of it.

 

[DrinkWater95]

A little bit off topic but thought it best to post here opposed to make a new thread (please correct if you think I should make a new thread).
How much do leadership roles (i.e. being an executive club member and holding formal positions to liaison between staff and students) influence intern/residency matching?

 

[JaynaAli]

A little bit off topic but thought it best to post here opposed to make a new thread (please correct if you think I should make a new thread).
How much do leadership roles (i.e. being an executive club member and holding formal positions to liaison between staff and students) influence intern/residency matching?

I think they're nice to see, but they are pretty common experiences that many of the top applicants will also have. Obviously it's better to have a leadership position in the organization than to just be a member. But even then, lots of applicants have these leadership positions, so it would be best if you have something to 'show' for the experience. For example, I was an officer in a small ruminant club, and I didn't do anything there. I mean I worked the booth at open house and helped with meetings and stuff as needed, but I was also president of the pathology club and organized meetings, arranged speakers and wetlabs, helped with Show and Smell rounds, came up with a fundraiser idea that brought in $X, etc. So if you do list/talk about these things, play up what you actually accomplished and what makes that experience unique.

 

[Minnerbelle]

A little bit off topic but thought it best to post here opposed to make a new thread (please correct if you think I should make a new thread).
How much do leadership roles (i.e. being an executive club member and holding formal positions to liaison between staff and students) influence intern/residency matching?

When it comes to extraxurriculars, just like with applying to vet school and really anything else in life, I think it matters a lot more that you do something PRODUCTIVE in something you are passionate about, rather than for the sake of checking a box. There are so many clubs in vet school with so few consistently interested members that being an officer in and of itself doesn’t mean much. There are so many ways to show initiative and/or leadership that don’t involve being a club officer. Though if you are interested in a residency in a particular field, especially for those you apply straight from vet school without an internship, it makes sense to be actively involved with those clubs. Being in a leadership position where you can bring in and get to know guest lecturers and faculty early on, and set up wetlabs and such is a great idea.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

So I'm almost done with first year of vet school and my GPA this semester dropped a little bit and I'm ending up with a lower GPA first year than I would have liked. I'm not currently dead set on pursuing a specialty currently but I would still like the option open if I decide to later on. Do I still have a chance to recover and graduate with a competitive GPA? What is a 'good standing' internship wise, anything above a 3.5? Should it even be something to worry about this early? Just overthinking lol

My GPA was definitely well below a 3.5 and I matched to my top choice internship. My class rank was also unimpressive, and I was flagged for that even though I still matched where I wanted to go. If you want a rotating internship, you WILL get one. Apply/rank smart, and if not you can always scramble. Scrambling =/= failure on your part.