Has anyone been admitted to a vet school after failing at a different vet school?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I know of a person but it was kind of a sketchy situation and not one I would say yes this is a common thing.
I would be sure to ask yourself though what is going to be different the second time? What tools are you going to have or need in order to succeed a second time. Is it worth it? I would just make sure to heavily consider all factors before jumping head first in again.😊 good luck!
 
Not common, but someone in my first year class failed out and then went to and graduated from a Caribbean school…Ross I think? I don’t know further details about their time at either school though, because they weren’t someone I was friends with. But I agree with everything Mixy said.
 
For Ross students this is not uncommon. If you have the money you can be admitted to St Matthews without losing credits. I would see if there is a thread on here because loans are private and difficult to get, but not impossible. I PM’d you with the video link to someone that flunked out in 7th semester and then went to SGU and was very successful. The support at Ross in non-existent so there is plenty different at other schools.
 
As someone who was dismissed themselves a few years ago, I’ve looked into this a little bit, but ultimately decided to no longer pursue vet med.

From what I’ve read/seen/been told, it is possible, but not very likely. A lot will depend on where you choose to apply; there are a good number of vet schools who outright refuse to consider students previously dismissed from another vet school (off of the top of my head, I know Mississippi State is one of them and they even state as much on their admissions website). Overall, it does seem to be the case that the Caribbean schools are more forgiving and are more willing to offer second chances than US schools. Of course, then you have to weigh the costs of that education on top of however much money you spent during your time at your previous vet school (and potentially undergrad, too, if you needed loans for that). A lot certainly rides on personal circumstances, but it may or may not be financially doable or even advisable and that’s something that you’ll need to evaluate yourself; for me, I cut my losses and moved on. I’m considering grad school in another field (provided that I snag a state government job offering tuition assistance that I’m currently interviewing for, ha).

Also important, like @MixedAnimals77 stated above, is to consider what it was that caused you to founder academically to that degree in the first place. Were you dealing with physical and/or mental health issues? Family or other personal problems? Did you bite off more than you can chew with extracurriculars and/or work on top of school? Or were you simply overwhelmed by the material and weren’t able to pull the grades you needed (it happens)? Whatever the case may be, have you thought through what caused the failure and are you prepared to ensure that it does not happen again? You’ll need to demonstrate to any schools you apply to that you have/are actively taking the steps to addressing what caused you to slip last time.

In your position, I would directly reach out to the vet schools you’re interested in and ask if they would possibly consider someone previously dismissed from another vet school for admission. I suspect you may get a good number of nos, but if you do find a school that would be willing to consider your application and work with you, do your damnedest to show them that you’re over that past failure. Ask them if there are any steps that you can take toward that aim, whether that be taking additional upper-division science courses, seeking help for any health issues, or whatever the case may be.

Basically, yes: people have done this before, but there are additional hurdles you’ll likely have to clear and you’ll need to be sure that you’re applying to schools that won’t simply discard your application once they notice the prior dismissal. This may require additional sunk costs in both time and money. It’s up to you whether or not that is worth it.
 
St. Matthew's is not accredited by the AVMA, fyi.

If anyone chooses to apply there, make sure you check on their accreditation status (don't know if they are aiming for it in the future.)

If you graduate from a foreign school that does not have accreditation, you will have to pass additional exams to be licensed in the United States. My understanding is that the process is difficult, time consuming, and expensive.

(Not saying it's not a potential option, but think it through if that is the path you choose.)
 
Not common, but someone in my first year class failed out and then went to and graduated from a Caribbean school…Ross I think? I don’t know further details about their time at either school though, because they weren’t someone I was friends with. But I agree with everything Mixy said.
St. Matthews. But yep.
 
I know someone who was dismissed from a US school, and subsequently accepted to a different US school a few years later. They worked in the ICU at the second school for at least a year, not sure what other things they may have done to help their application the second time around, but just another anecdote that it's possible.
 
Top