How hard is it to get into veterinary school if you are from out of state? I'm from Connecticut and it appears that there are no vet schools that serve our population. On the school websites, they say that there is only a limited amount of room for non-residents. It just seems unfair that there is no school for my state.
No Veterinary Schools in my State
- Thread starter Clairea11
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Since there are only 28 schools (and two states have two schools) there are a lot of people in similar situations. Some move and gain residency in a new state to improve their odds. Others just apply lots of places and deal with it... A few schools allow you to gain residency after the first year. It's mostly just... Something that a lot of unfortunate souls have to deal with.
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You won't be able to establish residency in a different state from your parents unless you are over 24, a graduate student, or can make a really really really really good case for being financially independent from them. Even then, most states simply won't let you establish residency while you're a full time undergraduate student.
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You can be a full time student in some cases, but you might have to work full time too. Insanity, basically. 😉 You also have to file as independent. I dontthink you have to be a certain age to do that, but you have to file separate from parents at age 24 no matter what, so that's probably where that comes in.
Different states have different rules, so it really depends on where you'd want to go in the first place.
Different states have different rules, so it really depends on where you'd want to go in the first place.
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Many states will not let you become a resident if you are there solely for education. Most requirements I have read say something along the lines of: To be a resident you must reside in the state 12 months prior to matriculation in a noneducational manner.
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I would say don't even bother trying to gain residency. There are ten thousand hoops and its a giant pain in the butt. Instead, I would focus my energy on bringing my grades up to a 3.5 or above. Getting very good grades will make it easier to get into a vet program outside your state. Do research on what schools accept lots of OOS students- ohio, kansas, mississippi...some others. Apply to the schools that let in lots of out of staters and don't bother with the ones who never look at out of staters unless your grades are AMAZING (above a 3.7- ie colorodo, washington, davis). really, it just come down to getting vet experiences over the summer and winters and getting your grades higher. As long as you do both, you should have a shot at getting in somewhere.
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I guess there's two schools of thought on this forum, which I think both work but it really depends on what your priorities are whether you choose one of the other. The first was just described above. Applying to as many places as you can that's reasonable with your stats during your senior year, and hope that it works out out of state. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but it can be very expensive and heart wrenching... and if you don't get in the first time around, it can be very expensive x2 or x3.
The other approach is to finish your pre-reqs and really focusing on just maintaining a competitive gpa, and then taking a year or two after college to gain residency + diversified experience. Especially in your case, since you said you had a late start as a pre-vet, I would suggest this latter option. It really takes A LOT to get most of your pre-reqs in 2 years (if you're applying your senior year, you don't want to leave like 6 pre-reqs for your last year in college), maintain a good GPA, rock the gre's, and get thousands of hours of diverse animal/vet experiences. The application process is very involved to begin with, and if you're still trying to get through a lot of important prereqs your senior year, either your application or your gpa is going to suffer. (actually just thinking about what you'll have to do in order to apply your senior year is making me want to vomit).
If you just focus on your academics during college (and maybe get some experience), you're on really good footing to get some quality experience while you establish residency in the state that has your dream vet school. Then when you do apply a year or two out of college, you'll be READY! I personally deferred applying for 2 years to gain research experience and I don't regret it at all. This is my first application cycle, and I don't think it could be going any better. I think it helped going into interviews with a "pssht, I know I'm the sh**, you'd be crazy not to take me!" attitude as opposed to the "
please please please? I know I'm not as qualified as some of the other applicants, but I think I'm about or a little above average???" (which is how i would've been 2 years ago)I was able to raise my gpa from a 3.4 to a 3.59 in just my senior year so the gpa adcoms saw when I finally did apply was much higher than they would've seen had I applied earlier. And honestly, I feel soo much more mature at 24 than I did at 22, and have gained a lot more perspective on not just vet med, but life as well. That, and at 24, where I live = my residency. Otherwise, I'd have to go with my parent's residency... which is on the other side of the globe.
Lots to think about, but I wouldn't worry too much about it now. If you find that you ARE ready to apply your senior year, go for it. If not, the worst that can happen to you is that you decide to wait another year or two. Just think about the investment you'll have to put into each option in about a year (there's not much you can do right now anyway).
good luck on this terrifying yet super exciting journey!
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To echo shortnsweet, ISU does have a contract with Connecticut. It looks like there's generally 5 seats, so it may be pretty competitive but I don't know for sure. Also, ISU's a great school and Ames is a great town. I may be a little biased since I lived there in the past and love Iowa, but it would be something to look into, in addition to the other suggestions.
http://vetmed.iastate.edu/academics...ions/contracts-and-state-cooperation-programs
http://vetmed.iastate.edu/academics...ions/contracts-and-state-cooperation-programs
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To be considered a resident at my undergrad school, you have to live in the state for a year, be "financially independent", and not be claimed by your parents on their taxes. You must only go to school part time for that year, as well. I haven't become a resident yet, but the advisor says that since I'm doing everything I need to, I should be fine. I don't think it's been a difficult process. I'm hoping that since I'll have lived in Oregon for almost 4 years by the time I apply for vet school and I'm a resident at my undergrad, that I'll be considered a resident by the vet school too. I guess I never really looked into whether or not that counts.
I think one of the people in my pre-vet club is from California and she goes to my undergrad as a non-resident but she's applying to Oregon as a resident.
I think one of the people in my pre-vet club is from California and she goes to my undergrad as a non-resident but she's applying to Oregon as a resident.
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I've been on my own at a young age, and yet I didn't get the status of financially independent until I was married. Regardless of whether a family wants to contribute to your education or not, the government assumes that parents carry the burden of tuition. There are a few ways to be financially independent, and frankly, unless you happen to fall under those categories, they're just not worth pursuing. They are:
- Be 24 years old -- I guess year by year you'll get closer to this one.
- Be married
- A US Armed Forces veteran
- Enrolled in a graduate or professional program-- hey hey!
- An orphan or ward of the court (divorce your parents)
- have a baby.
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I'm pretty sure that there are two students from Connecticut in my class. Connecticut doesn't have any kind of contract with Wisconsin, but I thought I'd let you know it is certainly possible to find places that will take you.
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Big difference between being declared independent for financial (ie loan/college funding) reasons and establishing residency. Every state has it's own regulations on what determines residency, so it would have to depend on what states you are interested in. I successfully established residency in several states, 2 while I was in undergrad (two different undergrads.) I could not get out of EFC (expected family contributions) but my parents have not claimed me on taxes since I was 16. So the two are not the same thing, and aren't even necessarily linked. And neither has much to do with residency.
BTW, we have at least one CT student in my class.
