Masters vs Post-Bacc classes

[serendipity14]

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Hi everyone! I’m a BS graduate with the goal of going to veterinary school. Unfortunately, I had some rough semesters in undergrad, and I graduated with a 3.13 cGPA. I took two science classes after graduation and did good in them, but they only boosted me a little bit since I have a degree already. My science GPA is a 3.0, my last 45 is a 3.28, and my last 30 is a 3.63. With financial reasons and GPA consideration, I just wanted some advice if continuing post-bacc classes would be the best route based on my stats or if I should try to do a masters program. Insight from anyone who has done either or and how it has helped them would be awesome too! I was looking into NC State’s Animal Science Masters if I was to go that route. Thank you so much!

 

[EngrSC]

What is your BS in?

I was a non-traditional applicant and I chose to take post-bacc classes vs a graduate degree. My original degree was in an unrelated field (engineering) so I needed to take pretty much all of my prereqs. My cGPA was lower than yours so I enrolled as a second degree student and took more upper division courses in the biological sciences than I needed to. My cGPA came up a little bit but by the time I applied to vet school my last 45 GPA was a 4.0. I worked really hard to make sure the rest of my application was strong to make up for my sad cGPA.

If your BS is in the biological sciences and you've already satisfied your prereqs, I'm not really sure which avenue (post-bacc vs masters) is most appropriate. I would probably reach out to my top choice vet school(s) admissions department and see what they recommend. Good luck!

 

[genny]

Hi everyone! I’m a BS graduate with the goal of going to veterinary school. Unfortunately, I had some rough semesters in undergrad, and I graduated with a 3.13 cGPA. I took two science classes after graduation and did good in them, but they only boosted me a little bit since I have a degree already. My science GPA is a 3.0, my last 45 is a 3.28, and my last 30 is a 3.63. With financial reasons and GPA consideration, I just wanted some advice if continuing post-bacc classes would be the best route based on my stats or if I should try to do a masters program. Insight from anyone who has done either or and how it has helped them would be awesome too! I was looking into NC State’s Animal Science Masters if I was to go that route. Thank you so much!

Do the schools that you plan to apply to do grade replacement, or average the two grades? If they do grade replacement and you know you can improve a poor grade in a previous class, it might be worthwhile to retake some of your prereqs with lower grades.

Otherwise, it might be more beneficial to go for an advanced degree. If you don’t succeed in getting into vet school, what’s your backup plan? And which degree would help you get there?

 

[serendipity14]

What is your BS in?

I was a non-traditional applicant and I chose to take post-bacc classes vs a graduate degree. My original degree was in an unrelated field (engineering) so I needed to take pretty much all of my prereqs. My cGPA was lower than yours so I enrolled as a second degree student and took more upper division courses in the biological sciences than I needed to. My cGPA came up a little bit but by the time I applied to vet school my last 45 GPA was a 4.0. I worked really hard to make sure the rest of my application was strong to make up for my sad cGPA.

If your BS is in the biological sciences and you've already satisfied your prereqs, I'm not really sure which avenue (post-bacc vs masters) is most appropriate. I would probably reach out to my top choice vet school(s) admissions department and see what they recommend. Good luck!

My BS was in Biology so I’ve completed all the prereqs! That’s a good idea, it might differ from each school so I didn’t even think about reaching out to schools. Thank you so much!!

 

[serendipity14]

Do the schools that you plan to apply to do grade replacement, or average the two grades? If they do grade replacement and you know you can improve a poor grade in a previous class, it might be worthwhile to retake some of your prereqs with lower grades.

Otherwise, it might be more beneficial to go for an advanced degree. If you don’t succeed in getting into vet school, what’s your backup plan? And which degree would help you get there?

Schools that I’m really interested in average the two but I was also looking into Michigan State since they replace. I’m just struggling to see which option would help me more in the long run. Truthfully, I never really considered a back up plan. I’ve looked into other careers before but I would try to work with animals in some way/shape/form no matter what I do, I genuinely just couldn’t see myself doing anything else! So, in that regards, the Masters of Animal Science would maybe be my best bet. Thank you for your advice!!