Need advice about vet schools..

[KittenRescue]

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Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any advice...
Here is the deal, I am a non-traditional student aka old! (30) and I am trying to figure out what to do. I will be done with my pre reqs at the end of the spring semester for Ross, being that they dont require orgo 2 and physics 2 and some other classes that state school require, therfore I would be able to apply for entrance in sept 2011, now if I stay an extra year at my school to finish up pre reqs for state schools and also finsih my degree that would set me back a year at least, and then what if I dont get in to any school but ross? My state school is cornell. I feel like I will have wasted a whole year.. and I am not getting any younger. By the end of spring I will have over 100 credits. My gpa is 3.9 now and I have about 2,000 hours of Small animal hospital exp. only. I am thinking of this now because I am an ocd planner and want to start preparing. Any advice of anykind would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thank you!

 

[mhlaur]

I'm not American, but I am old (38) and just starting vet school this year. If you have great vet experiences and references, I think you should wait the year to apply to Cornell or OOS schools to save tons of money. One more year is no big deal. Your GPA should be good enough to get you into a US school. I think you can transfer after one year at Ross, but still lots of extra cost and hassle involved. Have you written the MCAT/GRE yet?

 

[RunTheWorld]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any advice...
Here is the deal, I am a non-traditional student aka old! (30) and I am trying to figure out what to do. I will be done with my pre reqs at the end of the spring semester for Ross, being that they dont require orgo 2 and physics 2 and some other classes that state school require, therfore I would be able to apply for entrance in sept 2011, now if I stay an extra year at my school to finish up pre reqs for state schools and also finsih my degree that would set me back a year at least, and then what if I dont get in to any school but ross? My state school is cornell. I feel like I will have wasted a whole year.. and I am not getting any younger. By the end of spring I will have over 100 credits. My gpa is 3.9 now and I have about 2,000 hours of Small animal hospital exp. only. I am thinking of this now because I am an ocd planner and want to start preparing. Any advice of anykind would be greatly appreciated!!!! Thank you!

I would definitely wait a year to apply to a state school. You have an awesome GPA and a lot of experience, so if you have good GRE scores and if you get a little more experience over the year with other types of animals you'll be in a great position. I'm pretty sure Ross is an extra semester anyways, so you wouldn't really be a full year behind. I think it would definitely be worth it to wait (30 isn't that old! haha!)

 

[KittenRescue]

Hi Mhlaur.
I have not taken the GRE yet, I was planning on doing it next summer if I was going to wait to apply to state schools. If I apply to Ross for sept 2011 I will have to take it before then.... I am so scared I will do horrible. I want to sign up for a pre gre class of sorts.

 

[RunTheWorld]

I wouldn't wait until next summer! You should try to take it earlier, then if you don't like your score you can always retake it later.

 

[parietal]

I'm also a non-trad (33). There are LOTS of us in vet school, so don't worry too much about feeling old!

I would highly recommend that if you want to start in fall 2011 you look at the AVMA-accredited international vet schools (Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) instead of Ross. Most don't require as many prereqs as U.S. schools. Ross is problematic for many reasons, and with your stats you have plenty of other options.

Otherwise, taking an extra year and applying in the U.S. isn't a bad thing either. I was all gung ho to apply for Fall 2013 but ended up waiting a year for a variety of reasons. I'm REALLY glad I did. It made me a better, more confident candidate and gave me a chance to do things personally that I really enjoyed. I know when I hit 30 I felt like I had to go as quickly as possible to catch up, but a little perspective can be a wonderful thing.

Good luck!

 

[KittenRescue]

HI Paritel,
Yes I feel like I have gotten no where at 30, so I am in a panic. I will actually be 31 in dec. lol
Thanks for the advice I will look into those international schools.
I hope I can keep up my GPA with orgo 1 and orgo 2 to go. I have heard horror stories...lol
It is nice to hear I am not the only one in my thirties...
Where I work there are 2 vets younger then me (25 and 27) and 1 my age.. It makes me feel very behind!!

 

[shortnsweet]

I'm also a non-trad (33). There are LOTS of us in vet school, so don't worry too much about feeling old!

I would highly recommend that if you want to start in fall 2011 you look at the AVMA-accredited international vet schools (Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) instead of Ross. Most don't require as many prereqs as U.S. schools. Ross is problematic for many reasons, and with your stats you have plenty of other options.

Otherwise, taking an extra year and applying in the U.S. isn't a bad thing either. I was all gung ho to apply for Fall 2013 but ended up waiting a year for a variety of reasons. I'm REALLY glad I did. It made me a better, more confident candidate and gave me a chance to do things personally that I really enjoyed. I know when I hit 30 I felt like I had to go as quickly as possible to catch up, but a little perspective can be a wonderful thing.

Good luck!

You also don't need the GRE for a lot of the abroad schools. Look into Glasgow, Dublin, Edinburgh etc. They are all accredited and you wouldn't have to worry about transferring. I forget exactly what the pre reqs are, but it's worth taking a look at the websites...you could probably get in somewhere this cycle. Also...30 isn't old...i'm young at 23 for my class...most are between 24-32. The costs also end up being either even or less than a bunch of OOS schools...just a thought.

 

[jpeterman13]

yes, definitely wait a year. With your GPA/experience, you'll have many more opportunities that will be more worthwhile. And I know that they say that you "get done sooner" at Ross, but it's literally only like 6 months early. You'll find a lot of American students at Edinburgh. They have a GEP program which is 4 years(as opposed to their traditional 5 year program). But I definitely think that you'd have a great shot at US schools for sure.

 

[VeganSoprano]

With your stats you have absolutely no reason to be considering Ross unless you really want to go there. Your GPA is good enough that the GRE is unlikely to make any difference even if you don't do well. I'm only a couple of months younger than you so I understand the pressure that comes with being a "geriatric" pre-vet, and I work at a teaching hospital so I've also had to get used to working with doctors who are younger than I am. I just remind myself of the other things I have done in my life. They may not feel like much sometimes but they've made me who I am and I have no reason to feel insecure. The same is true for you.

Honestly, with your stats and maturity you should be able to expect multiple acceptances from AVMA accredited schools. It's worth waiting an extra year for this.

And you can do as I do and take inspiration and comfort from the example of my friend's mom: she graduated from vet school in 2007 at age 47 and became a grandmother the following year, and couldn't be happier with her life as it is now.

 

[su_grad2007]

Yeah for 30 somethings! 🙂 I'll be 30 when I start vet school if I get in this time. I also sometimes feel behind. But most of the time I'm glad I've made the choices I've made. I've had a lot of great experiences and I also know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing else I want to do in this world besides be a veterinarian, in part because I took the time to try other things.

I figure my age is going to go up no matter what. I would rather it go up working towards my dream of being a vet, than not.

I would say, finish your prereqs and apply to the schools your really want to go to.

 

[lunajett]

Here is the deal, I am a non-traditional student aka old! (30) and I am trying to figure out what to do.

and I am not getting any younger.

Old?! You think YOU'RE old?! Honey, I'm 43 and starting my first year this summer. I know you feel old compared to all the 22 yr olds doing this, but believe me, you're not. You've got tons of time. So like others have said, take the extra year, finish your pre-reqs for state schools, and keep Ross as a back-up. Which, with your GPA and assuming you do even average on the GRE, you should not need. But don't wait till next summer to take the GRE, you want to allow plenty of time to retake if needed. I'd get a good prep book, maybe take a class, and plan on trying GRE next spring. If you bomb (which I highly doubt), you can still study for a few more months and take it next summer, well before apps are due.

There are tons of threads on here about us old-timers pursuing vet school, so dig up some of those and I think you'll feel a lot better. Trust me, you are far from alone. Maturity and life experience IS a good thing for many of the adcomms, they don't want a whole class of 20-somethings. And you will have some advantage graduating in your 30's - clients will immediately take you more seriously just because you *look* like you must have more experience. They won't know you're a fresh graduate! Working as an assistant at an emergency hospital, I can't tell you how many clients immediately called me "doctor" when I walked in the room, just because of my age. (Or maybe I just look super-smart and confident, but I think it's more likely the wrinkles and few grey hairs!) Meanwhile, these poor interns that look about 15 get no respect!

 

[lunajett]

I figure my age is going to go up no matter what. I would rather it go up working towards my dream of being a vet, than not.

Exactly. I'll always remember a few years ago, before I had really decided to pursue vet school. I was talking about it with one of the vets I was working with, and I said something like "Eh, it's crazy, I'd be pushing 50 by the time I graduated" and he said "You know, you're gonna be 50 anyway. Might as well be 50 and doing something you love." 👍

 

[VeganSoprano]

I second that. Maturity is a *huge* advantage when it comes to building trust in clinical practice. I remember once we had a client request an appointment with the "oldest male vet" in the practice. Well, she got what she asked for. What she didn't realize was that although this guy was well into his 40's, he had actually graduated less than 2 years before! The male doctor who looked about 12 was actually over 30 and had graduated 3 years prior. Silly people. But if she what she really wanted was an amazing doctor, she definitely got one. I think it's an advantage if you've learned the art of navigating the world as a full-fledged adult prior to professional school. That way you're not learning how to be an adult professional *and* how to be a good vet all at once. The differences even out within a couple of years, but until then it's definitely noticeable.

 

[that redhead]

Take the extra year. Get your pre-reqs done and start looking for some non-SA experiences. I think it's worth it, especially since your GPA is so high.

 

[KittenRescue]

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your advice and taking the time to post, you are all so encouraging!! I think I will def wait the year to apply to state schools, I just have to make sure to keep my GPA up. I started looking into dates for the GRE and some prep classes, I cant believe how expensive they are! Anyone take one that worked for them? I am thinking about taking it during winter break, this way if I do horrible I can take it again in the spring/summer. I realized no matter what I have to apply next cycle for the following year so I should def get a move on it..
Thanks so much again!!

 

[breenie]

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your advice and taking the time to post, you are all so encouraging!! I think I will def wait the year to apply to state schools, I just have to make sure to keep my GPA up. I started looking into dates for the GRE and some prep classes, I cant believe how expensive they are! Anyone take one that worked for them? I am thinking about taking it during winter break, this way if I do horrible I can take it again in the spring/summer. I realized no matter what I have to apply next cycle for the following year so I should def get a move on it..
Thanks so much again!!

They don't really help much. Get a book and do the practice exams, you'll be fine. You can always retake it.