Masters program/general questions before vet school?

[Thatdweeb]

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hello everyone! I am trying to figure out how much a masters degree may help me get into vet school. I understand this is not a staple, however my overall GPA(without doing it through VMCAS) is 2.7 in Biology (I have a lot of transfer classes which are As and Bs that don’t calculate in my schools final gpa) which I know is quite low on average. I was considering doing a masters since I’ve read it might help make up for a little portion of the grades.

Also, I am mostly looking at Texas A&M and know it’s extremely competitive and is wondering my options or if anyone has any advice on that program specifically. Thanks!

 

[PrincessButterCup]

hello everyone! I am trying to figure out how much a masters degree may help me get into vet school. I understand this is not a staple, however my overall GPA(without doing it through VMCAS) is 2.7 in Biology (I have a lot of transfer classes which are As and Bs that don’t calculate in my schools final gpa) which I know is quite low on average. I was considering doing a masters since I’ve read it might help make up for a little portion of the grades.

Also, I am mostly looking at Texas A&M and know it’s extremely competitive and is wondering my options or if anyone has any advice on that program specifically. Thanks!

Is that 2.7 gpa your overall science or just biology? How is your overall gpa?

I applied twice to WSU. My cumulative was about 3.5, my science was 2.8 (the first time - whoops) and about 3.2 (second time, after retaking a few classes). During my second file review they recommended that I go and do a master's degree before reapplying. (It was less of a suggestion and more of a "if you don't do this you're not going to be competitive", but there were a lot of particulars to consider, so it's definitely not advice that will apply to everyone.) They wanted to see me perform well in upper level science classes under a heavy credit load to gauge my ability to do well in their curriculum.

Anyway, my advice: don't go into a program that is going to make you pay your own way. Find one that will waive tuition at the very least - some places will pay a stipend if you TA, but money tends to be more limited for MS students. Pick something that you are genuinely interested in. If you don't get into vet school or decide not to pursue it, your graduate degree can open other career options for you - make sure it's something you like!

 

[TAMU_DVM2022]

hello everyone! I am trying to figure out how much a masters degree may help me get into vet school. I understand this is not a staple, however my overall GPA(without doing it through VMCAS) is 2.7 in Biology (I have a lot of transfer classes which are As and Bs that don’t calculate in my schools final gpa) which I know is quite low on average. I was considering doing a masters since I’ve read it might help make up for a little portion of the grades.

Also, I am mostly looking at Texas A&M and know it’s extremely competitive and is wondering my options or if anyone has any advice on that program specifically. Thanks!

Are you looking at TAMU for a possible MS degree? I did both my undergrad and graduate work at TAMU and I'm starting vet school at TAMU in the fall. I 100% recommend the biomedical sciences graduate program that's through the vet school! They have a thesis option and a non-thesis option. I did non-thesis as I really have no interest in research, but doing a thesis can expose you to other possible career options. Initially I went into the program with the sole goal of raising my GPA (which I did, mainly my last 45 hours but that GPA is highly rated for TAMU) but I got so much more out of the program than I would've imagined. It's an excellent way to meet professors and get a feel for the school itself. While in the program, you have to create a graduate committee that helps guide you through the program. My committee was composed of 3 DVM's at the vet school. Not all the students in the program are going for vet school so they chose many of the wonderful PhD professors in the college for their committees, but having DVMs on my committee helped me land many unique opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. Additionally, the advice they can offer is priceless.

I'm not saying TAMU's graduate program or even the biomedical sciences MS are the only options (TAMU also offers MVPH/MPH, MS in animal science, biology, etc.) for getting into TAMU's vet school, but after my experiences I highly recommend it if your goal is to raise your GPAs and find new ways to stand out in your application.

 

[hygebeorht]

I did a master's program right before I applied successfully.

If Colorado is at all in your sights, or even if not, consider their plan B master's program (I am not sure if they call it that anymore). At the time I was there, you could do a degree in biomedical sciences or toxicology. A motivated student could do it in one year, but it typically took 1.5 years. I knew at least one student who had bum grades from previous coursework who did the program to fix the GPA and was finally successful on the next application cycle.

Not everyone needs to do that, and it costs real money. But if you are thinking about CO it could also help you gain residency, I think.

 

[Cbabcock22]

I had a not so stellar undergrad GPA (don’t know specifics off the top of my head but my last 45 was like a 3.0). This is going to be my third application cycle. I am getting my biomedical sciences masters degree @ Iowa State, in hopes that this will make me a more competitive applicant for vet school. The program is expensive for OOS, but it does offer some advantage if you apply to the vet school. I also saw yesterday that they got a PhD program in population Sciences approved and that sounded really interesting to me so I’m keeping my mind open concerning what I do after my masters. I’ve gotten to a good point where vet school isn’t the end all be all, as long as I can get a well paying job working with animals in some aspect & be happy 🙂

 

[SkiOtter]

I’ve gotten to a good point where vet school isn’t the end all be all, as long as I can get a well paying job working with animals in some aspect & be happy 🙂

If you can see yourself doing something other than vetmed, EXPLORE THAT OPTION FURTHER.