Med to Vet: do I have a chance?

[CW 2010]

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Hello,

I am usually posting on pre-med forum because that's what I am/was going for. But! A long forgotten dream of becoming a veterinarian crossed my mind after realizing how close I was to applying and making a final decision on what to do in life.

Here is my story. I would love to get some feedback if I stand a chance at getting into Vet School.

So, I have a foreign B.S. in Zoology (that was evaluated) and a Masters in Biology (from the U.S.). As Med Schools require 60-90 undergrad cr hrs, I have completed about 70 (including prereqs, minus Physics II) with a 3.92 GPA. I haven't taken the MCAT or the GRE yet. I work as a patient care tech in a cardiac unit at a local hospital. Does having a rescued cat count as animal care experience? (I am just joking!). If I start volunteering at a local pet hospital or animal shelter, take the GRE and the remaining classes (few humanities and social sciences), do you think I could get in???

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[ChittyBang]

Make sure you'd want to work in vet med first as it's very different from human. And you'll do that by getting into a clinic/hospital and getting to work. I have worked in both fields and totally prefer the veterinary environment. Just make sure before you start making plans to apply.

 

[that redhead]

I think your chances are decent, especially with such a strong GPA. I think your plan - to gain experience, take the GRE and complete any pre-reqs - is the right one. But I would focus more on veterinary experience (working directly with a veterinarian) than the animal experience aspect. You may want to give yourself an extra cycle to gain experience in a couple of fields of vet med to see if it's really for you.

 

[LetItSnow]

I don't see why you wouldn't have any chance. You probably need to get veterinary experience hours (like, a couple hundred of them.....), but you already know that.

 

[tropictuco]

I decided last July that I wanted to be a vet, and here I am about to attend in August. I just hit the ground running with taking my remaining prereqs last fall and acquiring 400 vet hours (I happened to have a little of that already). I have a similar GPA to you. I also had 2000 animal handling hours, though (all research). Check to see if the schools you're thinking of applying to will let you submit your hours late. Auburn let me submit an updated number at the interview (in March). That made a huge difference.

As far as waiting a cycle, I think that's a tough decision. I was going to wait because I didn't think there was any way my vet experience was enough. But when I sat down with the admissions office at Auburn, they didn't even know my grades or anything but I guess could tell by my demeanor that I was ready. And they told me so. They said it was my decision but they thought I was ready. So it's really something personal but I am obviously glad I decided to apply this cycle.

 

[tropictuco]

Sorry, double post.

 

[hygebeorht]

It helps to already have coursework in the field. It took me 2.5 years of continuous classes between deciding to become a vet and entering vet school. Feels like such a short time, but also such a long period of time, too. Very weird.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I'll be honest, but it sounds like this is a rash decision stemming from your nervousness over the MCAT and medical school applications.

Please consider this very seriously. Do you know what the job market is like in the veterinary field right now? Do you know how atrocious the debt to salary ratio is? Starting salaries are around 50-60k with a debt load of 140k+. This is not a field you should go into lightly.

Please do your research and get as much clinical experience as you can if you choose to go this way. You may find that your lifelong dream is actually a very taxing, underappreciated, and difficult job in reality. I'm not saying this to drive you away; I'm saying it to make you slow down and not throw everything away to pursue a field you have no experience in simply because it sounds like a fun idea.