Need a little bit of help/advice

[bschliewe]

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Hi everyone, I need a little advice and some recommendations. So, I am ready to apply to medical school and some other medical grad programs, but since I was young I always wanted to be a vet. I have been surrounded by animals my whole life and really feel that I would be happy to continue that in a medical aspect. I do not think I would be happy as a MD/DO.

I am a Wisconsin resident, and I would not apply this year, as I don't think I could get LORs and enough experience by October. I was a Biology major and graduate in 2007. I have all of the prereqs done, and did ok in them, but my GPA is not that great. If schools count retakes, then my GPA would by 3.3ish. I know that is low for vet school, but here is my pre-req breakdown:

Bio 1 & 2 = A,A (and have a lot of other comperative anatomy, embyology, ect. classes with A's and B's)

Chem 1 &2 = B, B+

Organic 1 = B

Biochemistry = A

Physics 1& 2 = B+, B

English 1 & 2 = A,A

Genetics = B+

Statistics = I have a B in undergrad statistics, but I have an A in Graduate level Biostatistics.

So, even though my GPA is low, I don't think retaking any classes would be worth it, as the 3 or 4 C's I have are not really in classes that I feel an adcom would look at closely, and are definately not prereqs.

Also, I will be finishing my MPH this coming semester, and have a 4.0. I have a lot of epidemiology classes and statistics classes with that.

My EC'S
-2 NCAA Division 1 athletic sports in college (this made GPA suffer a bit)
-I also had 2 part time jobs in college as a personal trainer and cocktail waitress.
-Invertebrate research for a year
-currently doing American cancer society research - will be about a years worth
- temporary work last year for an exotic/wildlife vet. I had a lot of hands on experience here (2 months) bottle fed baby monkeys daily, helped give vaccinations and medications, and he taught me quite a bit.
-was a horse trainer for a summer in college before I moved for MPH
- Volunteer with horses and the handicapped for a few hours a week
- about to start volunteering with my dog at hospitals as soon as he takes and passes his therapy dog evaluations.
- I have a lot of other human medical experience, volunteer work, and random little things. I have about 150 physician shadowing hours.
-also have a graduate certificate in Biomedical Informatics

I want to do large animal/equine, and I really enjoy the epidemiological work involved with my MPH, and could also see myself being very happy as a DVM/MPH.

So, basically I want to know what I can do with my GPA? I don't really have money to retake anymore classes, but I know it is low. As for the GRE, I am taking it at the end of August. I have taken several practice tests and have consistently scored above 1300, and am getting close to 1400.

What else can I do to help me get in? I will take the next year to shadow some vets and try and get vet LORs, but is there anything else anyone recommends? I feel like my app needs to be extremely solid to make up for that GPA, and I need to apply intelligently.

Thank you all for any help you can give me, I really appreciate it!

 

[nyanko]

If you want to do large animal/equine, you should start getting good veterinary experience in large animal/equine areas right now if you want to apply for the next cycle. 3.3 cumulative is moderately low but not a killer, and if you can get an above average GRE score* it will probably not be terribly much of a factor at all, assuming the GPA trend is upward. The lack of experience in the area you say you're interested in is probably the largest red flag in your app right now, provided you can come up with a good compelling reason in your PS/explanation as to why you switched from human to vet med after graduation - "I really love animals!" won't cut it. 😉


*The composite total is not what matters; the percentiles are what matters. If you're assuming a 1350 composite there is a WORLD of difference between, say, a 600Q/750V and a 750Q/600V.

 

[zpinkpanther]

Welcome!

I would say that getting more experience would be very helpful for you. Even if your GPA isn't great, you did well in the pre-reqs, and your science GPA is probably better than your cumulative. Also, having a 4.0 in your MPH will show that you're qualified to handle grad level work, so it seems that that might outweigh the undergrad GPA. Also, if you look back on some of the successful applicant threads, there have been quite a few people to get in with 3.3's or lower. I think most have had experience, GRE scores, or good graduate work to strengthen their apps.

That being said, I think that applying to vet school (or med school really) is sometimes just a crapshoot, and all you can do is do your best to make your app stand out. I think that working with a vet (especially large animal, if that's where your interests are) would be a better use of your time than any more schoolwork.

Good luck!

 

[sumstorm]

Just a side note, some schools average original grades with retake grades, which might influence the GPA. Also, fewer vet schools than med schools, meaning less options for applications, and some of your pre-reqs may have expired for some schools.

 

[bschliewe]

nyanko, thanks for the great advice. I will get on finding some equine/LA vets to shadow ASAP. I am going home to Wisconsin in a few weeks for some vacation time and have set up to meet with 2 equine vets to discuss getting into the field.

Also, you did bring up a good point about switching from medicine to vet. However, I guess if I don't apply to med school it won't be a problem. I have just realized that I have always loved science, anatomy, life sciences in general, and have always had the desire to work in animal care. I would rather spend the next 4 years in school preparing for a career I love rather than preparing for one I would merely tolerate.

zpp, you are right about the crap shoot thing. However, from looking through the vet forums it seems less true for vet school. EVERYONE has a great GPA. I didn't really know what I wanted in college, and when I realized I wanted vet school, my advisor said my GPA was too far gone and I should retake classes and hope to get into a DO school. But, the past is over and all I can do is move forward, so thank you for the well wishes and I will just keep on working hard to improve my app.

Sumstorm, do you know what schools those are by any chance? I called WI and they replace the grades, but I am going to apply to other schools. I don't think I will have any problems with the grades expiring, as they are all within the last 3-3.5 years. Thanks for the info though, I appreciate the help 🙂

 

[nyanko]

I didn't really know what I wanted in college, and when I realized I wanted vet school, my advisor said my GPA was too far gone and I should retake classes and hope to get into a DO school. But, the past is over and all I can do is move forward, so thank you for the well wishes and I will just keep on working hard to improve my app.

Ugh, another bad advisor story, sorry you had to deal with that one. Pre-health advisors at so many schools are just so clueless about vet school, it's really sad to be honest.

A good thread you could check out is the Successful Applicant thread. There were some from previous years as well, and you can see from those threads that every application has strengths and weaknesses, and while GPA is very important to a lot of schools, most of them can see past it as long as the rest of the application is pretty stellar.

 

[david594]

What else can I do to help me get in? I will take the next year to shadow some vets and try and get vet LORs, but is there anything else anyone recommends? I feel like my app needs to be extremely solid to make up for that GPA, and I need to apply intelligently.

Thank you all for any help you can give me, I really appreciate it!

So now for my crappy advice....

Your from wisconsin. You want to go to veterinary school. You have minimal animal experience. You have low a low undergrad GPA. You have an MPH with great grades.

I say play up your strengths and apply this year. Public health is a very real part of veterinary medicine and I think if you were to apply right now saying you are interested in Public health, instead of Large Animal medicine, you would appear to be a more competitive applicant. Especially if you think you could nail the GRE like your practice tests.

Maybe just apply to university of Wisconsin. Whats really the worst that could happen? Yours odds as an in-state student aren't that horrible. It will at least familiarize you with the process for next time around. And if you get an interview, but not accepted, its still going to help.

And if you get in, Sweet! Then go study large animal medicine, its not like you would be somehow stuck with public health if you talked about that as being your big interest on your application.

At least that is what I would do with my $200 if I were in your shoes. I see no reason you should really wait a year to apply to minimally your in-state school.

 

[bschliewe]

David, I was thinking of that, and I think you are right. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. So if the deadline is October to get everything, no applicants are reviewed before then? As in, it is not like med school admissions and if you have lower stats you need to apply the first day possible to have a chance? If there is not a rolling admissions type progress I think I could get a lot out of my strengths to get handed in by October.

My only draw back in this strategy would be LOR's. I do have a few I can get for public health from my professors/researchers, and maybe the Dean of my program. But I still feel like I should have one from a vet, or maybe a DVM/MPH? I am actually going home to Wisconsin at the end of this month(live in South FL right now) and I live very close to Madison so I may try and get a meeting with someone from admissions.

From anyone who knows about other schools, are there anymore I should apply to that see an MPH and a path towards DVM/MPH as competative?

 

[twelvetigers]

You HAVE to have at least one review from a vet. 🙁

No rolling admissions in vet school - everything goes 'in' on October 2nd and starts there, no matter if you submit today or Oct. 1st.

 

[david594]

You HAVE to have at least one review from a vet. 🙁

No rolling admissions in vet school - everything goes 'in' on October 2nd and starts there, no matter if you submit today or Oct. 1st.

Except for The OSU. They do some form of rolling evaluation process. So the sooner you submit, the sooner you will get an interview offer if you are going to get one. Which can lead to being accepted sooner.

 

[twelvetigers]

But Ohio also wants TWO letters of recc. to be from vets. 🙄

 

[oregonhopeful]

Do it. Apply this year. if for no other reason than you'll be that much more prepared next year when it really matters. view it as a practice round and you might get in anyway.

 

[Shanomong]

In the spirit of applying this year (I had a failed attempt last year, got in this year) I agree that the "practice" round helps a lot. If you don't get in, they'll meet with you afterwards and tell you exactly why, and exactly what to do to fix it.

As for the vet experience, I was at my new job only about 2 months and i got a recommendation from a vet there. And he was actually someone I barely worked with, we just hit it off personality-wise. Is there any way you can start somewhere, like, tomorrow? You could still nab a LOR in that amount of time.... And as long as you submit their info to ELOR before the deadline, they have like an extra 2 weeks (double check me on the length of time...) to submit their actual letter... so you could wait a bit to ask them without rushing them too much to write it. And if you can't get it, I say just give it a shot with an MPH as your vet reference.... worst case scenario doesn't change.

Not sure where in South Florida you are, but a friend of mine is leaving Hollywood Animal Hospital to head off to UF this week, I think her last day is Wednesday. So they're probably hiring 😀. Of course that would require staying there and not going back to Wisconsin for some length of time...

 

[nyanko]

And as long as you submit their info to ELOR before the deadline, they have like an extra 2 weeks (double check me on the length of time...) to submit their actual letter... so you could wait a bit to ask them without rushing them too much to write it.

Er, where did you get this information?

 

[rileyroo]

And as long as you submit their info to ELOR before the deadline, they have like an extra 2 weeks (double check me on the length of time...) to submit their actual letter...

Er, where did you get this information?

i have heard this is wrong that the eLORs had to be submitted by the VMCAS deadline, but after reading the instructions in vmcas, i saw this:

"Please note that you can submit your completed application, including your three registered evaluators, to VMCAS prior to your evaluators submitting their eLORs"

It doesn't give a timeframe though.

 

[Shanomong]

Er, where did you get this information?

The evaluators are sent the info after you submit their email, and it gives them a deadline. One of them told me the date, and I remember it being a length of time after our submission date, just don't remember exactly how long...

Someone my friend asked actually didn't submit it for a month, and ended up having to mail a physical copy, but they still accepted it. I don't recommend trying that route though 😛

 

[bschliewe]

Thanks for all of the great input. I am going home in 2 weeks and an admissions counselor for WI has agreed to meet with me to go over everything so we can see if I would be competitive for this cycle. I explained my situation to her and she was so helpful. She said that they have no problems working with me to help me become a great applicant.

She was also going to work on putting me in touch with a few recent graduates who are DVM/MPH and any others that would be willing to meet with me.

I am amazed at how nice people are in the pre-vet world. LOL. Even though it is more competitive than medical school, it feels a lot less cut throat and everyone is nice. So, thank you all for being so helpful and encouraging 🙂

I will keep this thread updated on what the WI counselor says/recommends in case any others find themselves in a similar situation.

 

[bschliewe]

So, I had a meeting with a Wisconsin admissions counselor last week and it went great. I wanted to update, in case anyone was interested in Wisconsin.

She said my MPH and public health experience will help me out quite a bit, especially if i spin it like I want to be a food animal veterinarian. They are very focuses on diversity there, and anything that makes someone stand out is a big plus.

I feel like I will be already to go to apply, but just need a vet letter of rec. Being in South Florida currently, there are quite a few equine vets, and two have said I could shadow them. I explained that I am applying in October and really need to get some shadowing experience in LA, and they seemed willing to help me out.

Do you think asking for a letter after only a few times of shadowing is appropriate? One seemed really nice and willing to help me with anything.

I feel like I am rushing to get everything done, but hey, I feel that I have a good shot. Plus I have all of my experience/work/ EC's/ explanation statements typed out from my med school app.

If anyone wants more in depth information on WI, just let me know. They seem to be one of the schools that really looks at the whole applicant.