How did you do it?

[Alie1996]

I am a career changer. I got a BA in Sustainable Agriculture and I worked mostly with animals after college I’m now working as a vet assistant. I really want to go to veterinary school but I’m already 20k in debt and I still have 2 years worth of prerequisites to take before I can apply.
It seems insurmountable. Incurring more debt just to have the slim chance of being admitted. Most my my income already goes towards paying off debt and living expenses.
How did you career changers do it? Is there any hope for me?

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[skipper28]

I was in a similar situation. I worked as a vet assistant while taking prerequisites to prepare to apply to vet school after being out of school for a few years. Granted, I only had a handful of prereqs to take because I majored in a science in undergrad, and I was fortunate to find a post-bacc program near me that offered evening classes and allowed me to take only the courses I needed. But I was able to do it without incurring any more debt - I worked full-time and had roommates which kept my cost of living fairly low. That said, I understand your situation might be different, and your concern about the debt is valid.

I would recommend doing your research on post-bacc programs and/or universities where you can take the prereqs at the lowest cost possible (state schools, community colleges, etc.). My understanding is that it doesn't really matter where you take them, though you might consider contacting a few vet school admissions offices to confirm. Once you have those done, if you can, I would highly recommend moving to a state that has a state school and applying as an in-state applicant. That will both increase your chances of being admitted and decrease the cost of tuition significantly.

Hope that helps.

 

[Alie1996]

I was in a similar situation. I worked as a vet assistant while taking prerequisites to prepare to apply to vet school after being out of school for a few years. Granted, I only had a handful of prereqs to take because I majored in a science in undergrad, and I was fortunate to find a post-bacc program near me that offered evening classes and allowed me to take only the courses I needed. But I was able to do it without incurring any more debt - I worked full-time and had roommates which kept my cost of living fairly low. That said, I understand your situation might be different, and your concern about the debt is valid.

I would recommend doing your research on post-bacc programs and/or universities where you can take the prereqs at the lowest cost possible (state schools, community colleges, etc.). My understanding is that it doesn't really matter where you take them, though you might consider contacting a few vet school admissions offices to confirm. Once you have those done, if you can, I would highly recommend moving to a state that has a state school and applying as an in-state applicant. That will both increase your chances of being admitted and decrease the cost of tuition significantly.

Hope that helps.

I have taken as many of the prerequisites from the local community college as I can. Now I need to find a state school for the rest of them. Unfortunately, I live 4+ hours drive from any state school.
Thankfully I live in Washington so I have WSU for in state once I do complete my prerequisites. It’s mostly a logistical challenge trying to figure out how to get credits from a state school when I live so far away or incurring the costs of moving closer (finding a new job, apartment, cost of living goes up, etc).

 

[skipper28]

I have taken as many of the prerequisites from the local community college as I can. Now I need to find a state school for the rest of them. Unfortunately, I live 4+ hours drive from any state school.
Thankfully I live in Washington so I have WSU for in state once I do complete my prerequisites. It’s mostly a logistical challenge trying to figure out how to get credits from a state school when I live so far away or incurring the costs of moving closer (finding a new job, apartment, cost of living goes up, etc).

Gotcha. Well, that's great news that you already live in a state that has a vet school! But now I understand that moving closer to a state school to take those prereqs feels like a big risk or perhaps is not feasible for financial reasons. Could you stay put and try to save up more money before making the move - maybe take on another part-time job? I imagine waiting another year to apply isn't the most appealing idea, but if it will help you get there, one year isn't a whole lot of time in the scheme of things. Alternatively, have you checked to see if any of the state schools that offer the prereqs also offer tuition reimbursement for employees? Maybe you could look for a job at the university and get help paying for those prereqs? Just throwing around some ideas. Good luck!

 

[Polocrosse2017]

Also see if any of your remaining pre-reqs can be taken online and if your state school would accept those. You might find a reasonably prices option for some of your classes that way.

 

[=w=]

I recommend working in a university hospital, most school have tuition wavier for their full time employee.

 

[JustPaws]

I worked as a tech and did classes part time. First, I took out big personal loans trying to do it at a real university and it made it easier to live, but was sooo expensive that way. Then I switched to community colleges to limit costs and even had to drop them occasionally due to finances. Still got in, now a vet and my loans will be paid off quickly as I have a spouse who can pay bills while my salary will go to loans.