I need advice about vet school

[PetVet]

I am an undergraduate right now finishing up my associate for Biology at a community college. I plan on moving to Georgia to attend Georgia State University.
If there is anyone who is currently or did attend GSU your advice would be much appreciated.
What are some things that GSU looks for in students who wish to attend--both at the college and vet school?
Can you explain to me what tests I need to take before thinking about applying for vet school? I have read some people talk about the GRE or GER I don't remember what it is and something about a VMAS?? I'm sure that is wrong, but any help explaining the process would be much appreciated.

Any other advice you think would help me, don't hesitate to add.
Thank you for your time.

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[twelvetigers]

Errm, well, for starters... I think the vet school is at the University of Georgia (UGA) and not at Georgia State University (GSU)...

Not that it matters where you... wait, what are you doing exactly? Getting a bachelors? Well, it doesn't really matter where your undergraduate degree is from - I'm sure GSU would be fine.

Whatever you are doing, make sure that you can establish residency in Georgia while you are there. No sense in paying out of state tuition if you are moving there for that reason specifically.

Secondly, look into the General GRE and the Biology GRE. These are the tests you'll need to take.

Edit: You seem a bit lost overall. There's nothing wrong with this - everyone starts figuring this stuff out somewhere - but please let us know if you're confused aobut anything in the process of applying. Specifically, do you have information about:

The pre-reqs required for UGA?
The difference between in state (IS) and out of state (OOS) tuition?
The things that VMCAS asks for, i.e. vet/animal experience?
Other vet schools to consider?

Just let us know. 🙂

 

[BuckleyGirl]

Hey PetVet!

Well, you're on the right path, just need some guidlines... 😀
Go here for all info about Vet Schools:
http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/vmcas.htm

Good luck!

 

[PetVet]

Sorry I meant to put the University of Georgia not Georgia State University. I get them mix up.

 

[twelvetigers]

Good, I was worried you were signed up to go the wrong place! I suppose it's an easy enough mistake to make.

Let us know if you have any more questions!

 

[PetVet]

Okay. Well, I am finishing up here where I'm at now. I will be done with this school by the summer of 2009 and will have a associate of biology. After that I am moving to Georgia where I am going to attempt to attend the University of Georgia. If I do not get in with my first attempt that is okay with me because I really want to be a resident before I start going full time--out of state tuition is crazy expensive. However, with the insurance policy my family has I will be taken off of it if I am not taking at least 6 hours of classes--so I have to take classes or not get sick at all (doctor, dentist, anything). I plan on only taking the minimum so that I can have a full-time job and be able to stay on the insurance plan until I am a resident of Georgia--which takes a year.
When do you have to start worrying about the GRE and the VMCAS if this is what I am doing now?

twelvetigers, I do know te pre-reqs for the Unversity of Georgia, it is just a matter of if I can get into it. Would it be easier to get in if I am a resident of Georgia rather than being out-of-state?
I also know the difference between the in-state and out-of-state tuition...its about a $20,000 difference! That is crazy!
I am not sure what the VMAS asks for except that you need to have three references I believe. They can to be animal related I think. I have been working for our local Amarillo SPCA which deals with dogs and cats--its a shelter. Also, when I move to Georgia I plan on finding a job at a vet's office (do you need vet experience to work at one??). I am also going to start volunteering at a vets office here until I leave. Other than needing to have three references, that is all I know about of the VMCAS.
Also, I am only want to attend the University of Georgia. I know this is a really bad idea, but I have family that lives in Georgia that I can live with instead of living in a dorm--its alot cheaper. However, only counting on one is school accepting me is probably a very bad idea. However, I am willing to take that chance---think its a good choice? Or should I aply to more than just one in case?

 

[LVT2DVM]

Whoaaa...slow down. Sounds like you have plenty of time. For now concentrate on finishing your AS and getting the best grades possible. As a 2 time rejected applicant of UGA I cant say I have the formula for a successful applicant, but with all my research, recommendations from successfuls and information from 2 file reviews, I can say its near impossible to get a OS spot at UGA. If you have you heart set on UGA, then moving and establishing residency is a very good start. Are you planning on getting your BS? How long after you get to GA do you estimate that will take? I only ask because some schools wont take GRE scores older than 3 years back and so I was gonna say you could take it and see how you do and then if you need to study up for a repeat you will have plenty of time. If you get a decent score (for UGA at least 1250 &4.0) then your golden and you wont have to take it again. But again dont take it too early. They only offer the Biology subject test 3 times a year so make sure you plan for that accordingly.

Depending on the facility and job description you do not need previous experience to work at a veterinary hospital. There are many entry level positions you can apply for. If you have a specific place in mind you may have to volunteer there until a position opens up but motivated volunteers make excellent potential employees and many get job offers from those experiences. You will want to try and get a broad range of experiences including things such as small animal medicine, large animal, food animal, equine,zoos and research. The Atlanta Zoo has some good volunteer programs. You dont have to work at all those places. Just some exposure that will afford you a good persective of what veterinary medicine can offer. It is also not a bad idea to have some unique experiences in an area that interests you. If you check out some other threads you will see people are into squirrels, bats and such and have unique research or interships in those areas. You will need at least one reference from a vet who knows you well enough to give an accurate representation of how successful you would be in the profession and as a student. UGA doesnt have a specific requirement for hours, but if you look at the successful applicant thread, it should give you a pretty good idea of what the average is.
Lastly, I dont think it is unrealistic to apply to only one school as long as you do your homework and are in turn realistic about how competitive your application is compared to others (see the school statistics webpage). While it happens frequently, if your absolutely counting on getting in your first cycle, then I would recommend you broaden your options a bit just to be safe. If you dont get in your first try, multiple file reviews are a good litmus test for what your weak areas are and how to fix them. Welcome to the madness!

 

[twelvetigers]

I just wanted to add that pre-reqs are often the same for many vet schools. Since you are taking the biology GRE for Georgia, you might consider applying to OKSU as well when the time comes. WE actually take a good number of out-of-state residents and the tuition isn't as high as it could be. Of course Georgia is and will be your first choice, it's just good to have options.

About your VMCAS letters of recommendation - one MUST be from a veterinarian. The other two should most likely be from another vet, an advisor, a professor, a boss, or someone you've volunteered with in a relevant field. Basically, someone who knows you well and can speak kindly of you, but not your BFFL or grandma or whatnot.

Don't worry about the GRE or VMCAS specifically until about March of the year you'd like to apply. The VMCAS is due October 1st every year. Biology GREs are in April, October, and November. I took the November one and it was fine. The general GRE you can take pretty much anytime at a local testing center, just plan to finish it by September or so. It's good to study and take it over the summer, I think.

In short, keep on chuggin'. You're on the right track, just make sure you get that vet experience and keep good grades. Oh, and stick around on here - it's good luck, you know. 🙂

 

[PetVet]

Haha. Thank you. Thanks for all of your help, everyone.
I was wondering if you don't mind me asking, are you a DVM already or are you in vet school? (Just so you know I'm asking both of you--twelvetigers and LVT2DVM)
Or, twelvetigers, do you work for OKSU?? That is Oklahoma State University, yes? I was just wondering because you said "you might consider applying to OKSU as well when the time comes. WE actually take a good number of out-of-state residents and the tuition isn't as high as it could be."
"Don't worry about the GRE or VMCAS specifically until about March of the year you'd like to apply." Do you mean don't apply till I apply for vet school or when I apply to attend UGA?

Also, since you know more about this than I do (haha), if I can not get into UGA could I apply at a community college (specifically Perimiter) and have those credits transfered fully?

 

[LVT2DVM]

Nope. Im neither a vet student or DVM (yet...lots of back story you'll have to search my previous posts). I'll be applying this year to UGA and some other schools.

(Sorry not to speak for you twelvetigers) I think 12Tigers was referring to registering to take the GRE the March of the year you make your first application for vet school which is usually due in October.

You should contact UGA about what undergrad credits will transfer. Best to get info right from the source. Ask to talk to the pre-vet undergrad advisor, if they have one (I would think they would) As far as the vet pre-reqs, as long as its an equivalent course, they can be taken at any college. But the upper division courses like Biochem, Micro, Genetics and Cell Bio are not available at most Comm Colleges. Sometimes micro, but some vet school wont accept 200 level Micro.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, that's what I meant with the GRE. Don't worry about it until you are closer to the time you'll be applying, unless you're desperate to give it a try right away.

Oh, I say "we" and I guess that's a bit silly. I do work for someone at the vet school and I've worked in and around there for several years now. I also did my undergrad at OKSU. So, I said we even though I'm not a vet student there, though I'd like to be eventually. But yes, it's Oklahoma State, and I think "we" take about 25 out of state students every year, which isn't bad.

 

[pressmom]

I haven't read all the responses, so maybe someone has mentioned this, but I wouldn't move there unless you are sure you can get GA residency. It isn't a very OOS friendly school. They go some years accepting no one that is OOS that isn't contract. On the years they do accept people, it is often only 1 or 2. I really like the school and like Athens (my ex when to law school there), but I'm not in-state nor am I contract, so I didn't waste my money. Just FYI.

 

[PetVet]

pressmom, I plan on becoming a resident while I am there. It is fine with me if I am not accepted the first year there in Georgia because then I can claim residency after that and save money up for school.

 

[projekt]

Credits transfer easily around University System of Georgia colleges. The more colleges you attend, however, the more you transcripts you need to collect for your vet school application, as they want the original transcript from the school where you took the course.

 

[lenmaca]

Also, when I move to Georgia I plan on finding a job at a vet's office (do you need vet experience to work at one??). I am also going to start volunteering at a vets office here until I leave.

If you plan on moving directly to Athens, Georgia and not another nearby county, I can tell you that getting a job at a veterinary clinic around here is pretty hard for the most part, unless you know someone. I looked around for one when I first moved here and I found one position that would take about a 30 minute drive back and forth. I didn't find this very practical. You may be more lucky than me though and find something easily.
I've found that the good thing about Athens is that it's easy to get experience through volunteer work. There is a wildlife zoo that accepts applications for volunteers, and if you choose to enroll in the university and take some classes, then the animal and dairy science classes offer hands-on experience at the university's horse, dairy, swine, sheep, beef, and poultry units. If you can make do on minimum wage, then even working for some of the university's farms may be be a good idea.
Also, the pre-vet club often e-mails its members about open positions for the vet school, but I've found those extremely hard to get into as you also have the vet students vying for those positions (so I hear, I may be misinformed about that) and some of them require overnight hours which can be tough with classes.
I would definitely try to get as much small animal/veterinary experience as you can before you move to Athens as I've personally found that it is easier to get large animal experience while you are here.
My advice to you would be to join some of the clubs, whether it's the pre-vet club or the dairy science club so that you can volunteer with them and get the heads up on job openings. I would also research joining UGA's foal team or looking into an animal/dairy science internship.

Hope this helps.

 

[PetVet]

If you plan on moving directly to Athens, Georgia and not another nearby county, I can tell you that getting a job at a veterinary clinic around here is pretty hard for the most part, unless you know someone.

Well, I am not going to be living in Athens. I will be making a hour drive there and back from where I will be staying. It sounds crazy, but I don't mind it. I will be living in Convington, Georgia with my fiance. Since I will be living in Covington I think I would have a better chance at a vet job there than I would have in Athens.