My Unique Situation

[TheDixie]

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Hey everyone! I have a bit of a unique situation and was wondering if you guys have any insight. 🙂

I'm currently an Arkansas resident, and I'm in my 4th year at OSU. I'm graduating in the spring... in Art History.

I came to Stillwater initially to pursue pre-vet, but got discouraged after I got a C in Chem 1, so I made the rather drastic switch in majors. I decided last summer that I could not push away my desire to become a vet, so I started completing pre-vet requirements once again. I re-did Chem 1 and got an A, got a B in Zoology, and, unfortunately, a C in Physics 1 this past semester. 🙁 I'm trying not to get discouraged though, and I'm set to take Chem 2 next semester. As far as experience goes, I've got a summer of working for a vet under my belt, as well as 3 weeks this winter break working for a volunteer clinic.

I realize that having the art history major among other things might make things a bit tricky as far as getting into vet school. After I graduate in the spring, I intend on establishing my residency and work for a vet before I continue taking my pre-reqs.

However, I discovered Colorado's program the other day while surfing the internet, and I'm only lacking 3 classes to apply to their program. As my parents are requiring me to take out student loans after I graduate, I feel like establishing residency in Colorado as opposed to Oklahoma might be the better option (I really love the state of Colorado as well). However, recent applicant statistics should also be considered:

CSU:
Resident Applicants: 266
Residents Accepted: 75

OSU:
Resident Applicants: 116
Residents Accepted: ~75

I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do. After reading a bit on this forum about other peoples' multiple experiences with rejection, I'm kinda feeling a bit hopeless about one day living the dream. Would Colorado State, OSU, or something completely different be the best option? Potentially, what do you think my chances are, period? Do you guys have any suggestions or comments about my situation? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

Thanks!
Sarah

 

[ckd816]

Hello! Personally, I would stay put since you're already a resident in a state with a vet school. Some of us, including myself, have no in-state school and would be happy to be a resident in any vet school state. To be honest, most people agree that wherever you get into vet school will give you a good education so you shouldn't worry about which one to attend. Given that I haven't been through the application process yet, I would think you'd be best off focusing on finishing your pre-reqs and doing well in those and on your GRE/Bio GRE while getting experience. Also, I don't think your Art History degree will be a problem as many people on here have chosen degrees outside of the sciences but have been very successful! 🙂 You can always apply to schools other than OkSU as an out of stater and see what happens!

 

[TheDixie]

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, even though I'm attending OSU, I'm a resident of Arkansas. Actually, my parents house is about 5 minutes away from the Arkansas/Oklahoma border- Oh how I wish they would have lived over that Oklahoma line! I've got family and friends in Oklahoma, but I love Colorado. It's a really tough decision.

Also- I've been reading the forums about people doing research and attending academic conferences... Is this something I need to look into? I feel as though I should know the answers to these questions already, lol 🙂

 

[ckd816]

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, even though I'm attending OSU, I'm a resident of Arkansas. Actually, my parents house is about 5 minutes away from the Arkansas/Oklahoma border- Oh how I wish they would have lived over that Oklahoma line! I've got family and friends in Oklahoma, but I love Colorado. It's a really tough decision.

Also- I've been reading the forums about people doing research and attending academic conferences... Is this something I need to look into? I feel as though I should know the answers to these questions already, lol 🙂

Oh man, I can't read this late at night I guess! Maybe someone who had relocated to gain residency can weigh in here then to give you some advice! I'm out of state everywhere as well and I don't plan on moving to gain residency in a vet school state... yet. I guess it would just be up to you to decide if it's worth the move or if your chances are better where you are. Anyhow, good luck!

 

[Minnerbelle]

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, even though I'm attending OSU, I'm a resident of Arkansas. Actually, my parents house is about 5 minutes away from the Arkansas/Oklahoma border- Oh how I wish they would have lived over that Oklahoma line! I've got family and friends in Oklahoma, but I love Colorado. It's a really tough decision.

Also- I've been reading the forums about people doing research and attending academic conferences... Is this something I need to look into? I feel as though I should know the answers to these questions already, lol 🙂

Just remember that no matter where you move, you'll still be an Arkansas resident because of your parents until you are 24! very weird but very true. i think the exception might be if your parents have NOT claimed you as their dependent for at least 2 years or something like that on their taxes.

academic conferences is something that's totally unnecessary unless that's something you're interested in. research can definitely help as a *vet expereince* especially if the only experience you have already is in small animal clinics (you said you've worked at 2 clinics and i'm just making the assumption that they were small animal). you need diversified experience so look into getting experience in a different setting too. i think the recommended number is something like 400 hrs of experience each in 3 different fields (SA, LA, equine, wildlife, research, etc...).

don't worry at all about your art history major. if anything it'll help you stand out! actually, i think it'll give you the chance to write an edgy artsy personal statement😉. but do retake physics I, and try not to get anymore C's. If you're taking 3-4 courses/semester and getting an A, B, and a C, you're not showing that you're capable of handling a difficult curriculum. What they're looking for is a student that can handle taking 26 credits and passing them all!

as for your chances for vet school, it's kind of hard to say without your whole gpa, science gpa, last 45 gpa and gre scores. as you've probably seen in other threads, i think the consensus is that it's rather difficult without a 3.2 and an upward trend. there are some amazing applicants on here (e.g. look at sumstorm! who's had a lifetime of very impressive experiences AND a very mature outlook on vetmed who still got turned down by some vet schools) who have a hard time getting in with even a 3.4 gpa. there are def some applicants that get in with a 3.2 but usually they not only have AMAZING experiences, but it also takes them a couple if not a few tries to get in. not trying to be discouraging here, rather i think the message i think you should get is that yes it is possible if you want it enough, but sometimes it's not all that simple.

hunker down and put an end to your C's, get diversified and in depth unique experiences, rock the gre's and you definitely have a shot. good luck! and i hope you find that sdn is a great great resource and stick around.

 

[cowgirla]

Isnt is auburn that has a contract with Arkansas? Or am I thinking of a totally different school.
Still, might be worth looking into before you go through the hassle of attempting to change your residency.

 

[deleted266066]

Just remember that no matter where you move, you'll still be an Arkansas resident because of your parents until you are 24! very weird but very true. i think the exception might be if your parents have NOT claimed you as their dependent for at least 2 years or something like that on their taxes.

Is this true for all states/schools? I'll be 22 in a couple weeks, and plan on changing my residency after I graduate this May. Tufts told me that as long as I get all my stuff taken care of by the end of the summer (get an MA license, register to vote in MA, have my name on an apartment contract all at least a year before matriculation in September of 2011, and not be a full time student for at least 5 months before applications in November) then I would be able to apply as an in state resident. I would then be 23 by the time I would matriculate. My parents are still claiming me as a dependent for 2009 but not 2010 because I've already pretty much moved out of the house, and next summer I'm cutting myself off financially from them. Also, my parents are moving from Virginia to Ohio next summer (and I'm not going with them), so I'm not sure how that plays a role.

 

[snapcall]

Isnt is auburn that has a contract with Arkansas? Or am I thinking of a totally different school.
Still, might be worth looking into before you go through the hassle of attempting to change your residency.

I do remember reading that Arkansas has a contract with some school, but apparently it's not Auburn (from their website):

Approximately 95 students are admitted to the professional program each year. Forty-six are Alabama residents. Forty-two are contract students (40 from Kentucky and two from West Virginia) through the Southern Regional Education Board contract. The remaining are nonresident/noncontract students.

It appears that a few schools have contracts with Arkansas, albeit none of them set aside a large number of seats (from a thread earlier this year http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=647662):

Mizzou - 1 spot
OkSU - 1 spot
LSU - 9
Mississippi State - 1 (I think)
Tuskegee - 1

To the OP: We should start a club for pre-vets with unrelated undergrad majors who hate physics! 😛 I'm in a somewhat similar position to yours, minus the whole residency debacle. I can't offer too much advise since I only decided fairly recently to pursue a career in vet med myself, but good luck! And stick around these forums, people here are very knowledgeable and helpful.

 

[sumstorm]

Is this true for all states/schools? I'll be 22 in a couple weeks, and plan on changing my residency after I graduate this May. Tufts told me that as long as I get all my stuff taken care of by the end of the summer (get an MA license, register to vote in MA, have my name on an apartment contract all at least a year before matriculation in September of 2011, and not be a full time student for at least 5 months before applications in November) then I would be able to apply as an in state resident. I would then be 23 by the time I would matriculate. My parents are still claiming me as a dependent for 2009 but not 2010 because I've already pretty much moved out of the house, and next summer I'm cutting myself off financially from them. Also, my parents are moving from Virginia to Ohio next summer (and I'm not going with them), so I'm not sure how that plays a role.

You are correct, every STATE has it's own residency requirements. Also, some states allow schools to determine residency (though that is the exception, not the norm.) So, the 'short' answer is 'it depends' and 'do your research' on everywhere that you are interested in. Residency and financial independence for federal student loans (EFC) are completly seperate issues in many states. So, you have to look at the residency for the states you are interested in living/attending in to figure out what your status is. For example, I am an NC resident (1 year residency for work purposes plus licence, insurance, etc) but I found out that I was considered a resident because my husbands company transferred him 'permenantly' to NC even before then based on some technicality meant to attract highly skilled workforce. I was also considered a resident for Indiana because Purdue could declare me as such from attending through high school, parents still residing there, having a certain type of HS diploma, having been gone for less than a decade, maintaining land ownership there, and having uninterrupted bank accounts (I have no idea why all of that was important for them determining that I was considered IS, and I found it bizarre, but that was what I was told while applying.)

 

[Minnerbelle]

oh huh, i really only looked into figuring out if i qualified for california residency so i just assumed that's how it was everywhere... oopsies totally pulled that one out of my donkey. i swear i didn't mean to confuse you!

*big disclaimer: never trust ANYTHING anyone on this site says unless it's backed by credible evidence and you take the info as a guide to find your own answers...*

 

[twelvetigers]

In Oklahoma, you need to work full time in the state for a year (school or no school, they don't care, but you must work full time)... you must be filed independent and NOT under your parents, and you need to have a driver's license in the state. I think that's all, more or less. Age is not important.

OKSU (since Ohio tends to be the more common 'OSU' on this forum) gives very good acceptance odds to IS students, so it would be a good idea for you to pursue residency if possible. Don't worry about a couple of Cs... just try your best not to get any more, and remember that anything below a C has to be repeated. OKSU doesn't look at last 45, but they do look at the average of your required courses.

I recommend going to see Tina Meinkoth or Robin Wilson once the spring semester has started - they always have time for a visit, and they can definitely tell you what you should do to improve your application in terms of experience, grades, and classwork. And they're both very nice. 🙂 Send me a PM if you need their emails.

 

[laitmanvet]

I had many questions too about establishing "in state" residency. I grew up in NJ, went to college there and my parents still live there. However for the past 2 yrs I have been living in Phila PA going to grad school and working. After talking to a woman in the Tufts admin office (where there are NJ contract seats) she convinced me to convert to PA residency.
According to people at UPenn, I needed to prove I paid PA taxes, I had a PA driver's license, I had a bank account in PA and that I lived here for over a year for reasons other that education.
(That's the list from what I remember)

But while I've heard every state is different, I think these basic requirements are all the same.