How Do I Make My Application Stronger?

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vetinterestedinVM

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26yo (human) male nurse here.

Here's what I have:
-B.A. in Philosophy (GPA~2.55)... a long story, but to put it succinctly, I was pressured to do an "early college" program at 15 by my parents, and pretty much tanked my GPA by getting As in some classes and Fs whenever I didn't feel like showing up... and now it's the academic equivalent of a felony.
-2 years active duty Army, honorable discharge
-BSN with a minor in Biology (GPA ~3.94), which includes several upper-level biology classes
-2 years working as a (human) nurse.

I'm considering a few things, and I'd LOVE for some constructive feedback and some help expanding the following list:
-Go to farrier school (5 week course), and begin establishing myself/practicing as a farrier
-Use the farrier background to dynamically shadow an equine vet
-Transition to a job clinical/research nursing, to prove that I am competent in a research setting

I'm really at a loss as to what I can do besides this. I'm an experienced pet owner, I've managed a horse boarding stable, but I'm having trouble parlaying my current skillset into something that would make me look more credible.

I'm currently looking at both Missouri CVM and Texas A&M... I'm looking to do grade forgiveness through Missouri, or Texas Academic Fresh Start (after my 10 years is up).

For my PS, I intend to explain that I have a devotion to service and during my military career I was touched by the everyday work of nurses and mid-levels (I don't think I was treated by a physician my entire time in), and wanted to transition into a role where I could help people. It wasn't until I did well in Chem/OChem/Phys during my BSN, that I realized that roles where I helped BOTH people AND animals (i.e., as a veterinarian) were even a remote possibility for me.

Thoughts? :)

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You may want to post in the "what are my chances" thread if you're lookingg for feedback.

Really the best way to see which schools are good to apply to is by calling your programs. As you've mentioned, some schools do grade forgiveness for older academic records (I think Illinois has a similar thing that you can petition for). Talking to an academic adviser from the school itself will help put things into perspective.

BUT, if I were to suggest anything, it'd be to get plenty of shadowing experience in! Research experience is valuable, but you should also have some experience in a clinical setting too.
 
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Ma'am, you are an angel in disguise. I had NO idea about Illinois. Thanks for the tip...
 
26yo (human) male nurse here.

Here's what I have:
-B.A. in Philosophy (GPA~2.55)... a long story, but to put it succinctly, I was pressured to do an "early college" program at 15 by my parents, and pretty much tanked my GPA by getting As in some classes and Fs whenever I didn't feel like showing up... and now it's the academic equivalent of a felony.
-2 years active duty Army, honorable discharge
-BSN with a minor in Biology (GPA ~3.94), which includes several upper-level biology classes
-2 years working as a (human) nurse.

I'm considering a few things, and I'd LOVE for some constructive feedback and some help expanding the following list:
-Go to farrier school (5 week course), and begin establishing myself/practicing as a farrier
-Use the farrier background to dynamically shadow an equine vet
-Transition to a job clinical/research nursing, to prove that I am competent in a research setting

I'm really at a loss as to what I can do besides this. I'm an experienced pet owner, I've managed a horse boarding stable, but I'm having trouble parlaying my current skillset into something that would make me look more credible.

I'm currently looking at both Missouri CVM and Texas A&M... I'm looking to do grade forgiveness through Missouri, or Texas Academic Fresh Start (after my 10 years is up).

For my PS, I intend to explain that I have a devotion to service and during my military career I was touched by the everyday work of nurses and mid-levels (I don't think I was treated by a physician my entire time in), and wanted to transition into a role where I could help people. It wasn't until I did well in Chem/OChem/Phys during my BSN, that I realized that roles where I helped BOTH people AND animals (i.e., as a veterinarian) were even a remote possibility for me.

Thoughts? :)
So, you have a BSN along with a minor in Biology and have a 3.94? If that is the case and that GPA includes your last 45 semester hours or 68 quarter hours, then you should consider talking to or applying to UC Davis. We only require 180 hours of vet experience as we believe that asking candidates to have a bazillion hours does not make them a better vet student and more importantly we recognize that it penalizes those students that have to work to support themselves during school. Gives us a call - all the best
 
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