Non-traditional applicant with abysmal first attempt at college...

[Rabbit82]

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So, I'm a bit of a non-traditional student.

I graduated from HS in 2000 and am just now (December) obtaining my bachelor's (Biology). Starting out, I made a LOT of mistakes in the college department. I was young, immature, had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I chose a school (on the basis of the fact that it was my father's alma mater) that was a horrible fit for me. In the year and a half after I graduated from high school, I lost two friends to suicide, was involved in a serious car accident, a relative passed away, and another relative (newly diagnosed with mixed dementia) moved in. I'd also never had to study before, and honestly, I didn't know how. I did not handle things as well as I should have, and spent years withdrawing from pretty much everything I signed up for. In a few instances, I forgot to withdraw and failed. Needless to say, my GPA was pretty horrifying... as was the subsequent realization that I wanted to go to veterinary school! I took some time off and went back in 2006, managing a 3.6 GPA at my current school. (It's not perfect, but it's a far cry from where I was before.)

Are there any schools you know of that are more forgiving of such circumstances? I know that some programs (*cough* VA/MD *cough*) blatantly state that they have a "no forgiveness" policy.

I've accepted the fact that I am going to be a tough sell here in the states, given my abysmal cumulative GPA. (I haven't calculated it yet... I'm doing this dead last to avoid freaking out while I'm in the throes of essay tweaking.) If I can't get in here, I'm hoping I'll be able to talk one of the Caribbean schools into taking a chance on me.

 

[twelvetigers]

Read all of this thread, but special attention to page 5, post 205.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494

 

[Rabbit82]

Thank you!

I'll be honest, while I'd started reading a few of the acceptance threads at one point (I've been lurking for a while), I hadn't made it quite that far. I found myself slipping back into "see... you don't have a 3.9 average, thirty extracurriculars, or 9000 hours of extremely varied veterinary experience... you're doomed!" mode and checked out. (A lot of those stats are pretty intimidating!) Looks like I should have persisted, as there do seem to be a handful of less traditional applicants in the mix as well.

 

[Fenlie]

Don't feel like that. I too was a non-traditional applicant that did poorly in college in the beginning. I chose my first college, when I was 18, based on location because the city was a fun place to live. Well, it was too fun, and ended up on academic probation and pretty much being told that I didn't have the grades to continue in the biology degree path. Sadly I believed them and switched my major, switched schools and started a career in something else that I had no interest in and lost 6 years of my life to being miserable. Finally I got the courage to quit my career and return to what I originally was interested in. I went back to school and did so much better. Now I'm a first year vet student, and I feel much more confident in myself.

Just be ready to give a short explanation about that part of your life because it did come up at just about every interview I had. But I stressed that I am not the same person as I was back then, look at all I have accomplished since, and I don't think I was ready at that point in my life, but I am definitely more mature now and know what I want. I didn't go into too much detail, but I just talked about how I have changed since then and especially about what I learned from that period in my life.

Good luck

 

[crittergal]

Read all of this thread, but special attention to page 5, post 205.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494

Hi, I'm crittergal aka post 205 😀 I consider myself a living example that GPA and past performance have little bearing on being a vet school flunkie or, conversely, vet school smarty pants.

Yes, you can do it. Be stubborn and doggedly persistent, fix what you can, accept responsibility for your blunders, and don't give up. Feel free to PM me if you need a one-on-one cheerleader or have any questions.

 

[twelvetigers]

You're famous now. 🙂

 

[Maddiegirl]

Read all of this thread, but special attention to page 5, post 205.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689494

12T - Thank you for pointing out that earlier post! It totally inspired me to keep pushing forward!

Critter- Thank you for your courage in sharing such a personal journey with us!!

 

[SaintSamson]

Maddie.

I'm glad I saw this post. I've been absent from the forum awhile (was in AK doing research with reindeer... not much in the way of internet up there!)
I too am a non-trad with a truly horrific first attempt at college. Because I'm so stubborn, it took 2.5 years for me to leave my first school, and 3 years to finally get accepted full time at a university (that is really good and really forgiving, thank goodness). I'm now in my first semester at that school, feeling a bit overwhelmed but plowing ahead. I also had a rocky personal life and absolutely no idea how to study (and an undiagnosed learning disability) during my first few years, and it took a bit to recover from that. I'm retaking almost everything, and according to my advisor, it'll be about 3 years until I graduate. (I was really hoping for 2, but oh well)
Now that we have our heads and our lives more clear, I know we can both do it. 🙂 I'll be rooting for you!
and thanks twelvetigers and critter 🙂 It's nice to be reminded that there is hope for us slow maturing people!

 

[Maddiegirl]

SS -

Good luck to you on your journey. Yes, it definitely took me a long time to grow up and figure out what I wanted to do with myself. I'd rather know for sure, like I do now, than jump into something unprepared for the sacrifices ahead. Nothing worth having is ever easy and I'm ready for the hard road ahead.