Helping a friend who was dismissed from vet school reapply?

[aellos]

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Hey guys! I`m currently trying to help craft a list for my friend who was dismissed from vet school (one of the island schools) a few years or so ago due to failing a few courses (they were in year 3 or so I believe). They understand what happened and had a lot of family and other issues going on at the time and think they`re ready to reapply this cycle. They`re just extremely worried about how the dismissal will affect their application. They`ve called some schools and they said they`ll still look at their application but they`re not sure which school would actually give them a chance.

They wanted to apply to St. Matthews as they think they`ll have a better shot, but both my doctors and I are very hesitant and recommend going that route due to them not being accredited by the AVMA and needing PAVE or ECFVG which are an added expense and extremely hard (we have a doctor that took the ECFVG) before taking the NAVLE. Also, they mentioned the shock of going to the island for the first time being an issue, however, they think if they had to go again, it would be better as they have had prior experience. I warned them that it still may be a difficult time even with the prior experience but I also can't say anything as I have never been to vet school and have never had to go to school outside the country.

I know people have been dismissed and readmitted, though it is rare. I was just wondering if there are schools that outright reject these students or schools that may be a little more sympathetic? Also, are our worries about St. Matthews valid or should we suggest taking that route if it is a viable one?

Thank you all!

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I cannot speak for schools that may or may not be more sympathetic for readmittance. In reality I think it'll be a difficult road for your friend regardless when you're one fish in a pool of 500+ similarly qualified applicants. If the schools they called said they will consider their application then they will consider it, but your friend will have to utilize the explanation section for sure.

I do think your concerns about St Matthew's are 100% valid. I would also encourage them not to pursue that route. Considering their hesitation with reintegrating into island life I would encourage them to not even apply to island schools. However if they're 100% convinced that is the way to go, if they're interested in speciality they could work their way back into the US via academic institutions that sponsor internationals for internship and residency. Its competitive just like everything else so not guaranteed. However, to work outside of academics ever they would have to do pave or ecfvg then pass navle which is expensive, difficult, and time consuming.

If they're wanting to pursue vetmed in a foreign country because they think it would be easier to get back in, I would encourage them to apply to avma accredited schools abroad first such as the ones in the UK that way they still have the option to take navle.

 

[battie]

I was just wondering if there are schools that outright reject these students or schools that may be a little more sympathetic?

I was a student who ended up having to retake first year and go through the readmissions process. However, I did this the summer immediately after the spring I failed out. So I did not have any sort of gap in my veterinary education. So I may not have the best perspective. Just some considerations:

1. From my understanding from the island students I knew at my school (did their clinical rotations at our school), the island schools are extremely forgiving of failing some classes and allowing term repeats. I know of an island student who failed her clinical year at a different school and was allowed to repeat that year at my school. The admissions committees at the state side schools are aware of this heavy forgiveness as they evaluate island students for placement in their 4th year and know the rates of repeats amongst island students. With that being said, the fact your friend was released from an island program overall is not good.

2. How forgiving other programs are will depend strongly on the a) extenuating circumstances that lead to the poor grades and therefore dismissal and b) how well your friend presents themselves. They have literally one of of worst case scenarios when applying. Your friend needs to set up legit meetings with the admissions departments to discuss their extremely unique circumstances. A short email chain is absolutely not something I would use on whether not to spend 1k+ on reapplying to vet school.

Also, are our worries about St. Matthews valid or should we suggest taking that route if it is a viable one?

100% valid. Just because you spend the time and money to get through the program does not guarantee they'll become a practicing doctor like it does at any accredited school. Depending on how your friend's meetings with other schools goes, I would still be hesitant to suggest this route. I would be inclined to suggest your friend find a different career rather than go to St. Matthews.

Also got to keep in mind finances. Your friend has potentially sunk 150-200k at this point. The federal government won't continue to let them borrow forever and I do not believe St. Matthew's is even able to accept federal loans.