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Hi everyone. I'm in a bit of an odd situation.
I was accepted into SGU SVM for January 2027 start. I no longer have the financial stability that initially let me believe attending SGU was possible; I will not have a cosigner for the private loans needed for SGU. I do, however, have the stability and cosigner to attend a cheaper school in the US - even out of state. The decision to not attend SGU is not made lightly and not 100% quite yet, but I'm preparing for another VMCAs cycle just in case.
So, my biggest worry is: I am on my 5th VMCAs cycle. I am friends with people who took 6+ cycles to get in, but I am worried: "what if I never get in?" [to a US school]. Did I waste my SGU seat, and is the chance to get into a US school with lower tuition / living expenses worth it?
My current stats are:
Schools I have applied to:
I'll admit I'm not confident that I'm choosing the schools that best suit my application, and would like some feedback. I do not think I ever understood holistic vs. low GPA-schools etc. and my actual chances at a school, just that I applied to schools that I could apply to. I also have let my C- in biochemistry hold me back from applying to many schools that require a C in it, and hope to earn an A in the retake.
Schools I have looked into for this cycle so far:
(not in order; green text are those I think I have the best shot at)
I'm aware my application needs some buffing and finetuning, which is one other reason why I feel I am not ready to attend SGU over applying to more US schools. I could do more. But, financial concern is the biggest issue. I made a list of schools with estimated COAs and ruled out any schools over ~$380k, and especially schools over $400k.
I have 3 meetings with schools I previously applied to where we will discuss my application. [LSU, Virginia-Maryland, and Purdue all offer review/feedback!]
I'm also very fortunate to work with veterinarians who genuinely support me and provide feedback. Without them, I would not have my research experiences or strong application essays. I will be looking for their guidance during this as well, but wanted to know the internet's thoughts. I'm open to and hoping for suggestions on how to improve my application and schools to apply to etc.!
I was accepted into SGU SVM for January 2027 start. I no longer have the financial stability that initially let me believe attending SGU was possible; I will not have a cosigner for the private loans needed for SGU. I do, however, have the stability and cosigner to attend a cheaper school in the US - even out of state. The decision to not attend SGU is not made lightly and not 100% quite yet, but I'm preparing for another VMCAs cycle just in case.
So, my biggest worry is: I am on my 5th VMCAs cycle. I am friends with people who took 6+ cycles to get in, but I am worried: "what if I never get in?" [to a US school]. Did I waste my SGU seat, and is the chance to get into a US school with lower tuition / living expenses worth it?
My current stats are:
- Associate in Science, Bachelor's in Animal Science with minors in Zoology and Microbiology. I have many nutrition courses because of this, and fulfilled NCSU's nutrition requirement before they dropped it last year.
- 3.42 cumulative GPA, 3.27 science GPA, 3.0 last 45 GPA (higher if I retake courses). My biggest academic downfalls are: C- in biochemistry, C+ in animal reproduction, and C in genetics. I'm currently planning on retaking biochemistry and genetics, and possibly reproduction. I am worried the last 45 GPA is a red flag that I cannot fully redeem while now being out of school, but also know of people who got in who were on academic probation right before they graduated (to clarify, I was never on academic probation or anything similar).
- >5000 hours of exotic animal GP/emergency, >4000 hours of small animal GP (2 clinics, one low-cost outreach), >500 hours of research (mostly wildlife with some exotics, goals to publish), ~100 hours of large animal (not veterinary) experience. I'm significantly lacking equine/large animal; I'm planning on gaining more experience but know I realistically will not be able to earn over 500 hours with the current timeline (September).
- I have 360 hours of animal volunteering (TNVR feral cats and helping on the "medical" team lead by a RVT - helping fosters determine whether the cat needs to be seen by a vet, helping fosters keep track of medication/prevention schedules and helping administering meds), but no "human" volunteering/community service (yet). I've attended 2 veterinary conferences (VMX) and help with my clinic's community outreach events. I hope to earn my fear-free certificate in at least birds, maybe dog/cat too.
- >3000 hours as a lifeguard and management, active participation in pre-vet clubs in undergrad, and active participation in many honor clubs in high school. I was president of the national art honors society and earned recognition, and also earned "Excellent Member" for my initiative in national honors society (both during high school). I earned President's List twice, and Dean's List twice undergrad. Rec-league volleyball, D&D, and writing are my major hobbies. I earned an "Exceptional Literacy" award for years of writing.
- I am working full-time (3+ years) and have LORs from the veterinarians I work with now, one from a veterinarian I used to work with, and the DVM I did most of my research with. Two of the veterinarians serve as adjunct professors at NCSU's vet school and one is a "big shot" in the exotic world, so I feel my LORs are strong in terms of who I'm asking.
- Personally I feel my essay was a bit weak up until last year, and am excited about this year's prompt; I have much more to highlight and hopefully can make my perspectives/experiences shine.
Schools I have applied to:
- NCSU; 4 times (in-state)
- LSU; 2 times
- Purdue
- Auburn
- VMCVM
- SGU
- OSU
- CSU
I'll admit I'm not confident that I'm choosing the schools that best suit my application, and would like some feedback. I do not think I ever understood holistic vs. low GPA-schools etc. and my actual chances at a school, just that I applied to schools that I could apply to. I also have let my C- in biochemistry hold me back from applying to many schools that require a C in it, and hope to earn an A in the retake.
Schools I have looked into for this cycle so far:
(not in order; green text are those I think I have the best shot at)
- NCSU - Of course, I can't rule out my in-state. Competitive, but at least I'll be evaluated more leniently (GPA requirements are lower, don't even have to meet all 3 requirements) than an OOS applicant. They average retaken courses (to my knowledge). My pre-requisite GPA is a 3.34, a 3.5 if I get A's in biochemistry and genetics.
- OSU (Oregon) - Could be really beneficial for me that they do not average GPAs between the first and retaken course, and only use the higher/most recent grade for calculations. They had 46 seats for OOS '29 but their cumulative and last 45 GPAs are 3.76 and 3.82 respectively. A bit more expensive.
- UF - Dependent on retaking biochemistry, but also big downside is that their website says only microbiology taken at a 4-year university is allowed. I minored in microbiology at my 4-year university but took the course "introduction to microbiology" with a lab at my community college. So, I would need to retake a course that no other school has an issue with. (Fingers crossed they drop this requirement by the time VMCAs programs are available).
- UGA - Average admission cumulative GPA is anywhere from a 3.5-3.6, so I don't feel as intimidated as I do from other schools. However, I did find a brochure from them that lists 3.7 as their average cumulative GPA and cannot find statistics on OOS GPAs. Also dependent on retaking biochemistry.
- LSU - Average admission cumulative GPA of class '29 is 3.56 and that's for OOS! I also just really enjoy their program and professors I have met, and have a meeting to discuss my application. They had 47 seats for OOS for '29.
- VMCVM - While they average the repeated grades for the sake of the last 45 and cumulative GPAs, they drop the lower grade for calculating pre-req. GPA (if the course is considered a pre-req.). I also understand they have a very holistic approach and ignore GPA/grades if the applicant passes the initial academic review process. The average cumulative GPA of class '29 is 3.59, with 33% repeat applicants. I could not find statistics on OOS. My pre-req GPA is 3.82 without retaking biochemistry; a 4.0 if I retake biochemistry. But almost as expensive as SGU according to the COA pdf.
- Clemson - Although the cumulative GPA requirement is 3.4, their other requirements aren't outlandish but I also cannot find OOS statistics - likely with them being a newer school. I would need 100 community service hours, which I'm planning on getting regardless of if I apply to Clemson.
- Iowa - Low GPA requirements, but higher average science (3.62) and last 45 (3.74) GPAs. Couldn't find specific OOS statistics, but infographic makes it seem there are not many seats outside of the midwestern states. They only use the most recent grade between repeated courses for calculating GPAs. Also dependent on retaking biochemistry.
- TAMU - Relatively lower GPA requirements but require last 45 GPA to be 3.1; I'm not sure how they calculate (average retaken courses vs. drop the lower grade) and would need to contact admissions before applying. There is some info on the website, but I want to make sure I understand it correctly. Also dependent on retaking biochemistry. Higher average GPAs (cumulative 3.8, last 45 3.85, science 3.7) and only 3% of seats are OOS. My last 45 GPA would be 3.3 if lower grades are dropped, but under 3.1 if not.
- UT - 25 OOS seats; 3.6 cumulative GPA for all students, 3.75 cumulative GPA for OOS. They average the GPAs of repeated courses. The required OOS cumulative GPA is 3.2. They require cellular biology and I need to confirm whether I meet this requirement; also dependent on retaking biochemistry.
- Ohio - Require 3.2 cumulative, 3.0 science, and 3.0 last 30 hours GPAs. Average cumulative 3.6, science 3.5, and last 45 3.7 GPAs (class of 2027). Cheaper schooling; technically can try to establish residency after year 1 but tuition/cost will not change lol. More holistic (50% interview, 30% experiences etc., 20% academic). Also dependent on retaking biochemistry. Unsure how they handle repeat courses. My last 30 GPA is 3.0; 3.16 if repeated courses are averaged; 3.34 if lower of the repeated courses is dropped.
- USU - 2.9 cumulative GPA but 3.1 math/science GPA. Cheaper, but no teaching hospital planned. Require a AAMC preview exam, which could be beneficial for me/a holistic review. Unsure how they calculate GPAs with repeated courses, but they accept C- for prerequisites. Also newer school and no available class statistics. My pre-req math/science GPA would be a 3.1 if they do not average or drop repeat courses; 3.3 if they average repeated courses; and 3.6 if they drop the lower grade.
- Mississippi - So I have a list that isn't available to me atm, and I cannot remember why I did not include this school. 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA, accepts C- in biochemistry, and seems relatively affordable. I have seen other people say Mississippi is more holistic.
I'm aware my application needs some buffing and finetuning, which is one other reason why I feel I am not ready to attend SGU over applying to more US schools. I could do more. But, financial concern is the biggest issue. I made a list of schools with estimated COAs and ruled out any schools over ~$380k, and especially schools over $400k.
I have 3 meetings with schools I previously applied to where we will discuss my application. [LSU, Virginia-Maryland, and Purdue all offer review/feedback!]
I'm also very fortunate to work with veterinarians who genuinely support me and provide feedback. Without them, I would not have my research experiences or strong application essays. I will be looking for their guidance during this as well, but wanted to know the internet's thoughts. I'm open to and hoping for suggestions on how to improve my application and schools to apply to etc.!
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