Is it true that people who get into vet schools have around 3.7~4.0 GPA?

[sjenn]

I hear that students need to get very high GPA!
(though there are always some exceptions)

And the higher GPA you have, you have better chance to get in.

How is that possible to get so high GPA in science courses (esp. ochem, biochem, physiology)?

And is it true that GPA weighs a lot?

I feel like schools mostly pick students based on GPA and GRE.

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[shortnsweet]

Go look at the successful applicants thread...you can see for yourself 🙂

 

[jriddle7]

Check out this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=970957

Loads of people get into vet school with < 3.70 GPA. GPA and GRE matter, sure, but they aren't everything.

 

[sjenn]

Exactly.

I looked at "Successful Applicants," and they had pretty much outstanding GPAs.

And it scared me

 

[Falina]

I just got accepted with a 3.5, and there are LOTS of other people on here with GPAs below 3.7. You just have to strengthen other parts of your application and apply to the right schools. It's very very doable. 🙂

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Plenty of people are accepted with lower GPAs.

 

[sjenn]

I will be taking my science prerequisites starting this summer or fall (my registration window has not open yet) at a CC.

My undergrad GPA is 3.5.

Not sure how I will do in science classes, but I am sure I won't get high GPA.

Sometimes I feel like I will waste my time studying for 3 years and I won't get into any vet schools.

Life is so hard 🙁

 

[Jamr0ckin]

I will be taking my science prerequisites starting this summer or fall (my registration window has not open yet) at a CC.

My undergrad GPA is 3.5.

Not sure how I will do in science classes, but I am sure I won't get high GPA.

Sometimes I feel like I will waste my time studying for 3 years and I won't get into any vet schools.

Life is so hard 🙁

Upper-level science classes are hard, but they are manageable. If they aren't, then you might have trouble with your classes in veterinary school.

I was accepted with a GPA of 3.18.

I was a mainly B student in the upper-level sciences.

 

[BlackDog17]

I will be taking my science prerequisites starting this summer or fall (my registration window has not open yet) at a CC.

My undergrad GPA is 3.5.

Not sure how I will do in science classes, but I am sure I won't get high GPA.

Sometimes I feel like I will waste my time studying for 3 years and I won't get into any vet schools.

Life is so hard 🙁

Well with that kind of attitude you won't!

With pretty much every pre-req, you get out what you put in. If you work hard, study, do the assignments, and ask for help when you need it, you will be fine.

A 3.5 GPA is adequate for most vet schools, as long as your experiences and GRE scores are decent.

 

[sjenn]

Well with that kind of attitude you won't!

With pretty much every pre-req, you get out what you put in. If you work hard, study, do the assignments, and ask for help when you need it, you will be fine.

A 3.5 GPA is adequate for most vet schools, as long as your experiences and GRE scores are decent.

I know 🙁

I'll do my best and want to think positive.

But life is not always so colorful.

Anyway, thanks everyone 🙂

 

[jriddle7]

I will be taking my science prerequisites starting this summer or fall (my registration window has not open yet) at a CC.

My undergrad GPA is 3.5.

Not sure how I will do in science classes, but I am sure I won't get high GPA.

Sometimes I feel like I will waste my time studying for 3 years and I won't get into any vet schools.

Life is so hard 🙁

What do you want us to say to you? A 3.5 GPA is fine. If you put in the hard work you can get through your science classes. You don't need to ace them to get into vet school, just buckle down and do your best. All of us here made it through the prereq science classes, we had to. And it doesn't get any easier once you get to vet school. Even if after 3 years you find out vet school isn't for you, it wouldn't be a waste of time by any means. Figuring this stuff out is a process.

Edit: Oh goodness, I type so slowwww.

 

[LetItSnow]

I feel like schools mostly pick students based on GPA and GRE.

Perhaps instead of "feeling like" you know how schools pick students, you should go become factually informed about how they do it.

You might feel better about the process if you educate yourself about it.

 

[deleted498041]

I was accepted with a GPA of 3.3, which I considered to be extremely low. You can get in with a lower GPA if your GRE is higher and vice versa. Don't commit to saying you won't do well in upper-level sciences, or it'll just be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Museum Nerd]

With some investigation you can look at schools that are less cum GPA and more focused on last 45 or GRE. Do your homework on the schools and be selective. Read the successful applicants stats and look at students that have similar stats as you do. If you haventy taken the GRE study and do very well. there are many schools that the average cum GPA is a 3.5-3.6 so you are right in the ballpark. I would take your pre reqs and do whatever it takes to do well in them. And as others have said you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself that you wont do well and just suck it up. If you think upper level science classes are impossible to deal with then you will not succeed in vet school with that attitude.

 

[kernel]

I looked at "Successful Applicants," and they had pretty much outstanding GPAs.

And it scared me

You have the sift through the thread, but you'll find that there are plenty of us who don't have outstanding GPAs 🙂 👍

 

[shortnsweet]

Exactly.

I looked at "Successful Applicants," and they had pretty much outstanding GPAs.

And it scared me

There should be thread for every year--they gave me hope when I was applying. It is for sure possible. I was only a 3.4, and I know many people who were around a 3.0 as well.

 

[wildowl]

There should be thread for every year--they gave me hope when I was applying. It is for sure possible. I was only a 3.4, and I know many people who were around a 3.0 as well.

3.2 here with a very very sad science gpa here.. Those with really great GPAs and GREs have a little bit of wiggle room but even then it is never a guarantee. Having great experiences that make you stand out will help, especially if you did poorly in undergrad like me 😳

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

There are also a lot of people that have 3.7-4.0 GPAs and great SAT scores that DON'T get in, because that's all they really have.

Grades do not make up for veterinary experience, unique jobs/internships/whatever, people skills, etc.

I got in with a 3.4 GPA, only 100-200 hours of veterinary (i.e. clinical) experience....but I had thousands of research hours at various institutions, from wildlife conservation to organic chemistry, a few publications, etc. That is what made me unique. If you have lower than average grades, you need to find ways to make yourself stand out.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

And none of this "life is so hard" business. You are lucky enough to be in college. Some people, especially girls in many countries, don't even get that chance. You are lucky to be smart enough to get a 3.5 GPA. Not everyone is. You are able to go back to school for a *second* degree - not everyone has that opportunity either. Some people have to work to support their family, they have health problems and learning disabilities, they can't afford it, or they aren't smart enough. You are blessed.

I'm not trying to purposefully be a dick, but step back and think about how lucky you are before saying "life is so hard."

 

[DVMDream]

There are also a lot of people that have 3.7-4.0 GPAs and great SAT scores that DON'T get in, because that's all they really have.

Grades do not make up for veterinary experience, unique jobs/internships/whatever, people skills, etc.

I got in with a 3.4 GPA, only 100-200 hours of veterinary (i.e. clinical) experience....but I had thousands of research hours at various institutions, from wildlife conservation to organic chemistry, a few publications, etc. That is what made me unique. If you have lower than average grades, you need to find ways to make yourself stand out.

By SAT scores, I believe WTF is saying GRE scores. 🙂

I also had just under a 3.5 GPA applying to vet school and a slightly lower science GPA. It is doable you just have to work for it.

 

[BlackDog17]

And none of this "life is so hard" business. You are lucky enough to be in college. Some people, especially girls in many countries, don't even get that chance. You are lucky to be smart enough to get a 3.5 GPA. Not everyone is. You are able to go back to school for a *second* degree - not everyone has that opportunity either. Some people have to work to support their family, they have health problems and learning disabilities, they can't afford it, or they aren't smart enough. You are blessed.

I'm not trying to purposefully be a dick, but step back and think about how lucky you are before saying "life is so hard."

👍👍👍👍👍

If life is "so hard" because you have to get good grades, you are in for a harsh dose of reality as you grow up. 🙄

 

[wildowl]

And none of this "life is so hard" business. You are lucky enough to be in college. Some people, especially girls in many countries, don't even get that chance. You are lucky to be smart enough to get a 3.5 GPA. Not everyone is. You are able to go back to school for a *second* degree - not everyone has that opportunity either. Some people have to work to support their family, they have health problems and learning disabilities, they can't afford it, or they aren't smart enough. You are blessed.

I'm not trying to purposefully be a dick, but step back and think about how lucky you are before saying "life is so hard."

👍👍 Wish someone else could tell this to the undergrads I teach because they sure as heck don't listen to me.

 

[CanHardlyWait]

And none of this "life is so hard" business. You are lucky enough to be in college. Some people, especially girls in many countries, don't even get that chance. You are lucky to be smart enough to get a 3.5 GPA. Not everyone is. You are able to go back to school for a *second* degree - not everyone has that opportunity either. Some people have to work to support their family, they have health problems and learning disabilities, they can't afford it, or they aren't smart enough. You are blessed.

I'm not trying to purposefully be a dick, but step back and think about how lucky you are before saying "life is so hard."

👍
I knew I liked you🙂 Are you coming back to Blacksburg this fall? I'd love to meet you.
(I really hope that doesn't sound creepy.)

 

[cs5910]

And none of this "life is so hard" business. You are lucky enough to be in college. Some people, especially girls in many countries, don't even get that chance. You are lucky to be smart enough to get a 3.5 GPA. Not everyone is. You are able to go back to school for a *second* degree - not everyone has that opportunity either. Some people have to work to support their family, they have health problems and learning disabilities, they can't afford it, or they aren't smart enough. You are blessed.

I'm not trying to purposefully be a dick, but step back and think about how lucky you are before saying "life is so hard."

WTF - 👍👍👍👍

 

[psilovethomas]

👍👍👍👍👍

If life is "so hard" because you have to get good grades, you are in for a harsh dose of reality as you grow up. 🙄

👍👍

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

By SAT scores, I believe WTF is saying GRE scores. 🙂

I also had just under a 3.5 GPA applying to vet school and a slightly lower science GPA. It is doable you just have to work for it.

Sorry yes, GRE. It's been so long since I've taken those things I forget

👍
I knew I liked you🙂 Are you coming back to Blacksburg this fall? I'd love to meet you.
(I really hope that doesn't sound creepy.)

Yes indeed! SDN party! I heard an Irish pub sprang up after I left. Woot!

And again, I don't mean to be nasty with the whole "life's so hard" thing. It's just a huge pet peeve of mine because a lot of people (including me sometimes) ignore how good we have it and say it offhandedly because we get wrapped up in our own small problems.

 

[ViaBea]

I can definately vouch for what everyone's saying. My own GPA is around a 3.7, I have above average GRE scores, I'm involved in a lot of activities, I've always had a job in college, and I had about 800 hours of vet experience, but I didn't get in to any of the 4 schools I applied to.

However, I straight up suck at interviews which all of the schools I applied to required and my vet experience was pretty much only small animal when I applied and a bit of research.

It may be harder if you have lower grades, but its still doable. I know people with lower grades and scores than me got in to the same schools I applied to, but they stood out in ways that I couldn't (and didn't blow their interviews).

You just have to try your hardest to get good grades and stand out in other ways as well.

 

[lei325]

I had a 3.4 GPA with a moderately good GRE score and LOTS of work experience. It's possible.

 

[CanHardlyWait]

Yes indeed! SDN party! I heard an Irish pub sprang up after I left. Woot!

Yeah, there is an Irish Pub on Main St. I've never been. We tried to go on New Years day to watch the Michigan vs Carolina bowl game but they were closed due to pluming issues. Must have been a crazy New Years Eve Party gone awry. But I'd love to check it out. I'll be here all summer-PM me when you get to town.

Oh, and so I'm not entirely hijacking this thread: I agree that grades, while important are not the only factor in getting into vet school. I think it was LIS who suggested the OP look more into the process to calm his/her nerves about the process. That's great advice.
Also great advice is to stop whining now about how hard life is. Whatever your circumstance, someone has it worse than you. (For example I just found out from a friend in an MPH program that in VA alone up to 30% of the population doesn't have adequate/sanitary waste removal plumbing systems in their house. Thus they have human waste cesspools on their property.) What matters is not the cards life has dealt you, but how you play them. Buck up, OP and start walking the walk! You can do this if you want it!

 

[cs5910]

Buck up, OP and start walking the walk! You can do this if you want it!

WELL SAID!! 👍👍👍

 

[ellsworth]

Undergrad 2.73
Grad 3.67

It's not hopeless even with a terrible undergrad gpa I got in. My GRE was good and a I went and did stuff between undergrad and grad school that made me a more competitive applicant.

 

[Jessperk]

I'm rocking a 3.4 and I got waitlisted at MSU and accepted at Tuskegee by the skin of my teeth. My GRE scores were just okay, but I had work experience, an internship, research project, and honors under my belt.

It's not impossible to get in with a lackluster GPA, but it did cost me. LSU is my contract school and it would have been much cheaper to go there. I think I was rejected from LSU because my GPA was not high enough.

 

[gumtree]

Yeah just came in to echo that a good GPA is not necessary, it's about the combination of all of the things that each vet school looks at (GPA, GRE, vet experience, interview, personal statement, other things that make you unique, etc.). Also keep in mind that different schools value different things more or less.

I also wanted to say that although I completely agree with what WTF and others have said about not complaining about how your life is "so hard", I can sympathize with you, OP. I remember thinking that it was simply impossible for me to ever get into vet school with all of the requirements there were. There were many times when I doubted myself and questioned whether this was something that I really wanted for myself, but now that I've been accepted I'm so glad that I stuck with it through all of the crap (studying for the GRE, retaking ochem, rewriting my personal statement a million times..). It's easy for those of us who have been accepted into vet school or are already out of it to say "it's doable! Look at me!" because we've already lived it. For all of us that had mediocre grades, GRE scores or experiences hours that WERE accepted, there are THOUSANDS of others who never made the cut or who gave up on that dream. That's the unfortunate reality of it.

 

[twelvetigers]

I had a 3.0 bishes.

Gotta find another way to impress them, that's all. I think you are in good shape with a 3.5, though.

 

[LetItSnow]

Have to admit, I'd love to have my hands on application/matriculation data. I'd like to see if (and/or how much) correlation there is between gpa and number of attempts it takes to get in.

 

[devyn]

I had a 5.0 and 25,000+ hours experience..... I was pretty much a shoe in.... what can I say......

Life is so hard 🙁

you might as well just give up now.... I mean what the feck is the point..... if life is already "so hard" now the road to vet school and beyond is not going to be much easier.....

 

[LetItSnow]

I had a 5.0 and 25,000+ hours experience..... I was pretty much a shoe in.... what can I say......

I can imagine how your interview went (or would have gone? did you interview?). "Please! Please! Stop swearing at us with your bad pseudo-gaelic invectives and we'll let you in!'

 

[devyn]

I can imagine how your interview went (or would have gone? did you interview?). "Please! Please! Stop swearing at us with your bad pseudo-gaelic invectives and we'll let you in!'

No interview 😛 But seeing as they all swear the same way I do over here it would have gone quite well thankyouverymuch.......

don't be jeal of my amazing swearing abilities old crotchety man

 

[thedrjojo]

you pre-vetties got it easy... it seems the GPA requirement is a bit tougher for med school, but the volunteer/exposure experience isn't quite as arguous (which for me, it was easier to get a 3.9 GPA, finding time to volunteer was more difficult...)

 

[felinelvr44]

you pre-vetties got it easy... it seems the GPA requirement is a bit tougher for med school, but the volunteer/exposure experience isn't quite as arguous (which for me, it was easier to get a 3.9 GPA, finding time to volunteer was more difficult...)

Yes indeed. We have it incredibly easy.

 

[psilovethomas]

you pre-vetties got it easy... it seems the GPA requirement is a bit tougher for med school, but the volunteer/exposure experience isn't quite as arguous (which for me, it was easier to get a 3.9 GPA, finding time to volunteer was more difficult...)

..............................................

my boyfriend was accepted to one of the best medical schools in the country with a ~3.7 and NO experience. That would never happen in vet med.

I was accepted to vet school with a ~3.7 and 2500 hours of experience, which is more or less the norm.

This thread just shows that there are exceptions to the 3.6-3.7 accepted average GPA. Those who fall below the average have many redeeming qualities and offer a lot to the diversity of vet med, and will make excellent veterinarians. If vet schools only admitted 3.7 and above GPAs, we would just be a bunch of med school gunners. One or two in my class is enough for me to deal with, thank you.

typical med student looking down on vet student 🙄

not to mention our required undergrad courses are often more extensive than those of pre meds...which is why our average may be lower

 

[jriddle7]

you pre-vetties got it easy... it seems the GPA requirement is a bit tougher for med school, but the volunteer/exposure experience isn't quite as arguous (which for me, it was easier to get a 3.9 GPA, finding time to volunteer was more difficult...)

We have it easy? You do realize that there are ~28 (give or take) vet schools compared to ~140 med schools in the United States, right? Right?

Not splitting hairs with an applicants / open seats ratio, but us pre-vet students certainly don't have it "easy". Getting into vet school is at LEAST as competitive as getting into med school. I'm sure med school is also very hard to get into, but for goodness sake, don't walk into the pre-vet forum and downplay everyone's accomplishments. I worked my ass off to get to where I am. Seriously, what kind of response are you expecting with that remark?

 

[DVMDream]

you pre-vetties got it easy... it seems the GPA requirement is a bit tougher for med school, but the volunteer/exposure experience isn't quite as arguous (which for me, it was easier to get a 3.9 GPA, finding time to volunteer was more difficult...)

You might want to stick to the WW threads, because this could get ugly saying that we have it "easy".


Anyway, just to add... I applied the first time with very close to a 3.7 GPA and was waitlisted at one school, after that my GPA dropped to a 3.49 and I applied the following 2 years with that GPA. My GRE scores weren't horrible, ok verbal and I didn't get along but my quantitative score was a 710. I also applied with around 5,000 hours vet experience the first year and by the third year I was near 10,000 hours of vet experience. I had one C from all of undergrad and one withdraw that was no fault of my own. It worked out for me eventually; I just had to work on other aspects of my application and I had to really try to sell myself. I think my main problem was lack of confidence and I have never been good about "selling myself." The application really is like a sales pitch about yourself.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Ok, stop getting your panties in a bunch, guys. Hold up.

What jojo was saying was that while med schools may be less forgiving of GPA than vet schools, that we (vet students) have to take on lots more in terms of gaining experience - which he admitted was HARDER than just earning good grades. I take that as a compliment to our field that we consider the" whole applicant."

The "have it easy" was sarcasm at best, hyberbole at worst (I hope). He went on to say we actually have it tougher than medical students in terms of experience requirements. Things tend to come off wrong here on the interwebz because we have no context or tone with which to read into things.

Relax. Jojo's a good guy. Unless he had a huge Jekyll and Hyde personality change recently, I highly doubt that he meant what you guys are interpreting it as.

 

[Escalla]

You can tell it's a sore spot with the pre-vet population.

Nicely said, WTF.

 

[LetItSnow]

No interview 😛 But seeing as they all swear the same way I do over here it would have gone quite well thankyouverymuch.......

don't be jeal of my amazing swearing abilities old crotchety man

You kidding? There's no jealousy. I want to buy you a few drinks just to hear the stream of invectives.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

You can tell it's a sore spot with the pre-vet population.

Nicely said, WTF.

It is. At the risk of fanning any residual flames, vet people tend to sometimes slip into a bit of an inferiority complex. We feel like our profession is overlooked, especially in terms of schooling and debt (and yes, sometimes it is).

So, it's natural to react whenever we feel like we are being threatened or looked down on. I mean come on, how many times have we all griped about people who think vet school is a 2 year program and stuff like that? 😛 We're a sensitive bunch, and it's not wholly without merit. But sometimes we overreact a little bit. Myself included!

Most people in the medical field that I've talked to have a huge amount of respect for veterinarians.

 

[hygebeorht]

Yeah, you're right WTF, many of us on the vet side of things are too touchy. 🙂

I don't mind ignorance or digs as much as I used to. I actually think catching flak from med folks is probably good for keeping my ego in check. I mean, one of the (minor) reasons I prefer vet med is because I'd be completely insufferable as a physician. :shudder: I need to trim down my unfortunate tendency toward arrogance and superciliousness, not encourage it! 🙂

Also, for jojo: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=arguous 🙂

Finding time while in school to get hours was definitely challenging, that much I'll agree on. If I only had to take classes and get As, it wouldn't have been half as difficult.

 

[twelvetigers]

My GPA is not the norm, either. But if you want to know about my hours (all 4000 of them), or my trip to Central America, or my amazing LORs, you just let me know.

 

[devyn]

Yeah, you're right WTF, many of us on the vet side of things are too touchy. 🙂

I don't mind ignorance or digs as much as I used to. I actually think catching flak from med folks is probably good for keeping my ego in check. I mean, one of the (minor) reasons I prefer vet med is because I'd be completely insufferable as a physician. :shudder: I need to trim down my unfortunate tendency toward arrogance and superciliousness, not encourage it! 🙂

Also, for jojo: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=arguous 🙂

Finding time while in school to get hours was definitely challenging, that much I'll agree on. If I only had to take classes and get As, it wouldn't have been half as difficult.

🙄

not sure you will be any less insufferable as a veterinarian.... people do not enjoy being approached with condescension in any profession.... seeing as you already patronise your peers - it is pretty clear to predict how you might interact with someone you see on a lower intellectual level than you...

and adding smileys to every line of your post does not take away your overall tone of superiority 🙂