Help Getting into Vet School...a bit lost.

[Anguti89]

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I am currently going to community college in California, I'm in my second year...and have one more, so I will soon be transferring to a four year university in 2012. I want to become a vet but I'm a bit lost on to what to do. I do have several questions that I hope someone can help me with.

1) Would it make a big difference if I transfer to a school that does not have Vet school rather than a school that does? For example, I want to pursue by bachelors in biology, possibly get my masters, I am thinking of transferring to UC San Diego or UC Santa Barbara. Would it better for me to transfer to UC Davis, where it does have a vet school? Would my chances be better?

2) Would getting my certificate as a veterinary assistant help my chances of getting into vet school?

3) I have done an internship working with larger animals, cows, and horses, pigs, in a somewhat farm setting, and did 60 hours. I am currently volunteering at a Veterinary Office, of course cleaning and handling some animals. I have been lucky to be able to also watch several surgical procedures done on animals. How many hours do you recommend to volunteer before applying to vet school? Also, I may have an interest in working with exotic animals, do you think it would look bad to also maybe volunteer at a zoo?

4) I am an A's and B's kind of student, I currently have a 3.6 gpa. Do you think I'm on track to being a good candidate for vet school? Do you have any other suggestions to what I can do to increase my chances?

Thanks! 🙂

 

[OneDay81]

1) It won't directly help or hurt you. You may find that a university with an associated vet school is good for networking (which can be helpful when it's time to submit letters of recommendation) and I think most of them usually have ag programs, so it will be easier to get your animal nutrition and/or animal sciences classes that you may need for prereq's without having to take distance learning courses. You may also be able to shadow at the vet hospital or labs at the school. Other than that, I don't think there is any advantage...

2) It can benefit you by helping you to get a job at a vet hospital to rack up veterinary experience hours, but it won't help you directly in the application process. That is, if you got a vet assistant certificate just so you could list it on your vet school application but never actually put it to use, it would not be beneficial. Your GPA is good so you don't need the extra coursework to help bring that up, so really it is a matter of wanting to put in the time and money to get the certificate and then actually putting it to use.

3) Some schools have a minimum number of hours that they want (you can find that out by looking at the schools you are interested in) but otherwise there is no minimum. Get as many hours as you can. Seriously. And having zoo hours will not affect you negatively. If you can get hours shadowing the zoo vet, then you can add that to your vet hours on the application versus your animal hours.

4) Your GPA looks good! Have you started studying for or taken the GRE yet?

 

[Otterdog]

Hi! I'm mostly a lurker here, but I have found these forums really useful. There's a lot of people here with awesome advice and all kinds of experience in different aspects about getting into vet school. I highly recommend looking around at all the threads and don't be afraid to ask questions! Everyone I've met on here is extremely nice and helpful.

As to your questions:

1. I'm pretty sure that most, if not all, vet schools expressly state that they give no preference to students currently attending their college. So, go to whichever college interests you in regards to your major, or what is more convenient/cheapest/closer for you.

2. Not really. I would check into your state laws about certification requirements for Vet assistants. Many states do not require any formal training to be a vet assistant, and some people can land a job as such with enough experience, if they can find an opening at a clinic. It's a great way to earn experience hours and meet vets and others in the field. Veterinary Technicians, on the other hand, usually do require certification/registration; but I still don't think having this certificate would increase your chances. Shadowing vets, volunteering at clinics, or a paid position at a clinic would reflect just as well on your application. I've actually heard that people who are vet techs that apply to vet school have a harder time getting in; they expect you to know more and grill you in interviews, or they might wonder if you're just getting into vet school for the pay raise. Either way, certification takes time, and personally I feel that the time could better be used getting great grades, gaining varied experience, or otherwise beefing up your application.

3. In short: get as much experience as you can, in as many different fields as you can. In fact, seek out the crazy and different experiences. This will set you apart from other applicants. From what I've seen, most vet school applicants will have several thousand hours of small animal experience. Many will have hundreds to thousands of hours of large animal experience too. But if you can put something distinct or unique on your application, not only will it open up your own interests and be a lot of fun, it will interest the adcoms.

4. A 3.6 GPA is good. I do think that you're on the right track. Keep those grades up, especially as you get into your upper level courses and pre-reqs. Challenge yourself - you want to show adcoms that you can handle a full load of courses. Don't overdo it at the expense of your grades, of course, but show them that you can handle the stress of vet school. Get more experience (which you're doing well at), get involved in your community, and learn anything you can. And have fun!

 

[moosenanny]

Since you're currently in CA, I'm assuming you'll at least look at Davis. I am a current first-year student -- I've posted this before on other threads, but I thought I'd repost it here for you: it's the statistics compiled for my entering class. It will give you a rough idea of stats you should aim for, especially the one regarding number of animal/vet hours:

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/studentprograms/class_2014/pdfs/app_stats_2014.pdf

Also, be sure to look up each school's individual pre-requisite requirements! They vary from school to school, and you can't apply unless you've done everything the school asks for . . .

Good luck! And if you have any more specific questions about Davis, I'd be happy to try to answer them. PM me!

 

[cwazy cat lady]

Regarding question number 1, aren't some schools that have graduate vet programs able to offer early entry to their own undergrads? I kinda thought some state schools did. That would be a plus for being at the very school... just a thought I had.

Do NOT follow my meandering course toward vet school... it's too time-consuming... 🙂

 

[nyanko]

UC Davis does not have an early entry program. (There are schools that have such things though..I think psilovethomas is applying for one)

 

[blackangussteak]

.

 

[Nechochwen]

WSU has an early acceptance program after three years of undergrad. You would still be working towards a BA, then after getting accepted into the program, during your first year of vet school, you receive credit that transfers back to your BA, so you can officially get your BA.

LSU has a similar program, but because my credits,from a different university, were aimed at a plain biology degree and not animal sciences, I wasn't able to take advantage of it.

It's weird to not be getting a BS, but there are a lot of people that aren't.

 

[sofficat]

Hey! Welcome! Here are some very short winded answers to your 4 questions.
1- go to college- any college, it doesn't matter
2- no
3- get as many hours as you can... a variety is good too. Strive for 1000 hours of vet experience (not just animal)
4- You're awesome. Go for it.

Lurk around other threads too... there are a lot of questions answered, some you not have even thought of yet 🙂

 

[psilovethomas]

I am applying to one of Michigan State's early admit program. In order to apply, you must be a member of MSU's Honors College and have a 3.2 GPA.
http://cvm.msu.edu/student-information/dvm-program-admissions/veterinary-scholars-admission-pathway
There is another early admit program:http://cvm.msu.edu/student-informat...uction-medicine-scholars-admissions-pathway-1
For both programs, you must have completed 50% of the prerequisite courses at the time of your app.