Non-Traditional Vet School Applicants c/o 2026

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I'm a non-trad also applying this year! 28 years old, was discouraged from this path during undergrad due to a mediocre GPA, and recently found my way back and decided to go all in. So excited/nervous!!
 
Not a current applicant but I'm also a non-traditional student. So proud of you all for making it here! There's definitely an extra layer of difficulty pursuing this path as an older student and I just wanted to pop in to say that I'm rooting for all of you!! :biglove:
 
BlackCatsRuleTheWorld said:
I'm a non-trad also applying this year! 28 years old, was discouraged from this path during undergrad due to a mediocre GPA, and recently found my way back and decided to go all in. So excited/nervous!!
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@BlackCatsRuleTheWorld , my respect goes out to you for finding your way back and going all in! I'm excited for you!

Also, as the mother of a black cat, I must say, I love your username!
 
EngrSC said:
Not a current applicant but I'm also a non-traditional student. So proud of you all for making it here! There's definitely an extra layer of difficulty pursuing this path as an older student and I just wanted to pop in to say that I'm rooting for all of you!! :biglove:
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@EngrSC , my respect goes out to you, fellow non-traditional student!

What were some of the difficulties you've encountered as a non-traditional student?

I think most of mine dealt with pregnancy (and its complications), childbirth, childrearing, and trauma, so my personal obstacles have pertained to new motherhood and trauma more-so than to my age itself, but in spite of everything, I'm so excited to be here!
 
Like EngrSC, I am also a non-trad vet student. I applied last year and am blessed to have had my choice of schools!

Congrats on making it this far, making the decision to pursue vet school after having a whole other career, family, etc. isn't easy! There is a whole other set of struggles that come with getting all the prereqs, vet hours, and extracurriculars while trying to "adult".

There are plenty non-trads on here with their own success stories - check out my thread from last cycle if you haven't already - Non-Traditional Vet School Applicants c/o 2025 to read about the concerns and struggles of our peers. I'm happy the non-trad thread continued to this cycle - it's important to know you're not alone during this process!

If you have any questions or simply need to vent about anything, my door (or inbox) is always open!
Best of luck this application cycle to everyone! 🥳
 
sheepcowdoghorse23 said:
Like EngrSC, I am also a non-trad vet student. I applied last year and am blessed to have had my choice of schools!

Congrats on making it this far, making the decision to pursue vet school after having a whole other career, family, etc. isn't easy! There is a whole other set of struggles that come with getting all the prereqs, vet hours, and extracurriculars while trying to "adult".

There are plenty non-trads on here with their own success stories - check out my thread from last cycle if you haven't already - Non-Traditional Vet School Applicants c/o 2025 to read about the concerns and struggles of our peers. I'm happy the non-trad thread continued to this cycle - it's important to know you're not alone during this process!

If you have any questions or simply need to vent about anything, my door (or inbox) is always open!
Best of luck this application cycle to everyone! 🥳
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omg @sheepcowdoghorse23 , your thread was actually my inspiration for making this one! I'm honored to have you post! Thank you so much!
 
g0rang2 said:
@EngrSC , my respect goes out to you, fellow non-traditional student!

What were some of the difficulties you've encountered as a non-traditional student?

I think most of mine dealt with pregnancy (and its complications), childbirth, childrearing, and trauma, so my personal obstacles have pertained to new motherhood and trauma more-so than to my age itself, but in spite of everything, I'm so excited to be here!
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I don't have any human children but pursuing vet school definitely required a lot of sacrifice on my spouse's part. As a pre-vet student I continued working in engineering while I moonlighted as a vet assistant and took classes so I had long days and definitely wasn't as present in my marriage. It was definitely a point of contention at times but thankfully he understood how important this was to me and stuck by me. And now being a vet student we've lost my income and live 4 hours apart (my husband is career military so couldn't move with me to school). Money is pretty tight after we had been sitting pretty comfortably for some time.

Now that I'm in vet school I have additional stressors that many of my 20-something classmates don't. I've been completely financially independent of my parents for years (some of my classmates are as well but I am a little envious of those that have even a little help!) and we own a house in another state that we have renters living in. We also have pets and a house-worth's of stuff from owning 2 houses so it just isn't realistic for me to live with roommates at this stage in my life (so I definitely pay more for housing than many of my classmates do).

But on the flip side managing a career while preparing to apply to vet school has made me pretty adaptable and resilient. Many of my classmates have struggled with the curriculum during these covid times and I've surprisingly been pretty fine (stressed but not overwhelmed). I've found that I also compartmentalize pretty well since I'm used to juggling many things simultaneously. Somehow I manage to work part time in my school's clin path lab and ride my horse 2-3 days/week and still do pretty well academically. But sweet Jesus, having to do our taxes (residents of and owning a house in another state) and dealing with car trouble earlier this year while in vet school had me like :bang:
 
g0rang2 said:
Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to create a thread for all of my fellow non-traditional applicants of this year!

I'm a 33-year-old single mom on the west coast looking forward to hearing about all of your admissions journeys!
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Thanks for starting the 2026 non-trad thread! Another 33-year-old here 🙂
 
thankdog said:
Thanks for starting the 2026 non-trad thread! Another 33-year-old here 🙂
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Not sure what exactly makes someone a non traditional student (I’ll be applying for the third time this year) but if anyone has applied before, I need some advice. I’m on a waitlist at 1 school currently. I’ve not received any ranking to know where I’m at but at this point I haven’t heard anything. I was wanting to take a couple summer course to help with my GPA, they don’t start until the end of June so I don’t need to register just yet, but at that point, is it worth doing the classes and thinking I won’t hear anything??
 
Also a current student (c/o 2024) that is non-traditional (aka I have a super active toddler and a completely unrelated first career). Feel free to reach out anytime with questions about applying, balance, or life in general! You’ve all got this!
 
I'm a 33 year old applying to vet school for the first time (hey-hey all you '87 kids out there!). I've been a zookeeper for the past 15 years and intended on getting into vet med when I started out...but then life happened and next thing I know I'm one of the old timers at work and honestly ready to advance to the next level. My grades weren't stellar as an undergrad but I'm hoping my master's degree and extensive animal experience through work will make up for that a bit!
 
tigerchuffs said:
I'm a 33 year old applying to vet school for the first time (hey-hey all you '87 kids out there!). I've been a zookeeper for the past 15 years and intended on getting into vet med when I started out...but then life happened and next thing I know I'm one of the old timers at work and honestly ready to advance to the next level. My grades weren't stellar as an undergrad but I'm hoping my master's degree and extensive animal experience through work will make up for that a bit!
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Zookeeper sounds like an awesome experience. Did you have one type of animal you worked with or several?
 
Namissbaltimore said:
Zookeeper sounds like an awesome experience. Did you have one type of animal you worked with or several?
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It's been quite a fun career for sure. I have worked with nearly everything you could name over the past few years. I have the most experience with large felids and marine mammals, which I will miss for sure but I'm ready to "level up."
 
Namissbaltimore said:
36 year old single mom. third time applying here.....
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Wow! I have a lot of respect for you as a single mom while going thru all of this. My mom was a single mom and got her Bachelor's and Masters in Nursing after my sister & I moved out of the house and I know what she's gone thru so I can't imagine having a kiddo at home and doing it too. Props to you! 🙂
 
tigerchuffs said:
Wow! I have a lot of respect for you as a single mom while going thru all of this. My mom was a single mom and got her Bachelor's and Masters in Nursing after my sister & I moved out of the house and I know what she's gone thru so I can't imagine having a kiddo at home and doing it too. Props to you! 🙂
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Thanks. He’s and angle so very helpful.
 
tigerchuffs said:
I'm a 33 year old applying to vet school for the first time (hey-hey all you '87 kids out there!). I've been a zookeeper for the past 15 years and intended on getting into vet med when I started out...but then life happened and next thing I know I'm one of the old timers at work and honestly ready to advance to the next level. My grades weren't stellar as an undergrad but I'm hoping my master's degree and extensive animal experience through work will make up for that a bit!
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this is great! I was an aquarist for several years. I think the husbandry and medical case management experience you get from zoo/aquarium work is so helpful and comprehensive. Being with the animals every day and helping make their care decisions with the vet team is such a cool perspective.

Are you interested in becoming a zoo/wildlife vet?
 
Hey all! I was a 2025 applicant and l am so grateful to say I will be attending Iowa State University CVM in the fall! I wanted to offer a little bit of hope for my fellow non-trad students with lower GPA's.

I first attended college in 2009 and failed out, took a long time to make my way back to school but I finally received my bachelors this year! This was my first application cycle and I applied to 10 schools. I was denied from 8, waitlisted at 2 and shortly after decisions were released I was accepted off the waitlist at Iowa! As a non traditional 29 year old student, I was told by numerous professors to pick a different career and that schools wouldn't even consider me because of my previous grades. Despite the discouragement- I went for it and I am so happy I didn't listen to those people.

My cGPA is below a 3.0, Science and last 45 were 3.6-7. So for you people will low cumulative GPAs there is hope! My biggest piece of advice is apply to as many schools as possible and don't give up! If there is someone with similar circumstances/grades, I'd be happy to talk about what schools I chose to apply to or answer any other questions (If you are in the non-trad facebook group you have probably seen my post there).
 
BlackCatsRuleTheWorld said:
this is great! I was an aquarist for several years. I think the husbandry and medical case management experience you get from zoo/aquarium work is so helpful and comprehensive. Being with the animals every day and helping make their care decisions with the vet team is such a cool perspective.

Are you interested in becoming a zoo/wildlife vet?
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That's awesome! Were you at a zoo/aquarium as an aquarist? I am definitely hoping the experience will be beneficial! I know the work juggling ability definitely will be - haha! I'm not sure what area of vet med I want to go into. Honestly I'm open to just about anything, I wouldn't mind going back to a zoo but I definitely am interested in branching out. How about you?
 
tigerchuffs said:
That's awesome! Were you at a zoo/aquarium as an aquarist? I am definitely hoping the experience will be beneficial! I know the work juggling ability definitely will be - haha! I'm not sure what area of vet med I want to go into. Honestly I'm open to just about anything, I wouldn't mind going back to a zoo but I definitely am interested in branching out. How about you?
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Yes I was an aquarist at an AZA aquarium 🙂 I'm currently thinking about small animal/exotic GP, possibly shelter med, but plan to go in with an open mind. For sure work juggling/time management/task prioritization is a great transferable skill 😀
 
Hello,

I am a 32yr old non traditional student (accepted on second application thank god..). I have worked in pre-clinical toxicology research for 8 years after I got my BS (which I had <3.0 cGPA). I luckily work for a university so I was able to do all my pre-reqs for free with a tuition waiver since I was working full time. I also had access to LAM vets whom I was able to shadow and help me with my application. I am just so relieved I was able to get into a school honestly.
 
Hey all,

26, married for 6 years now, and have an MS in Animal Sciences. I applied last app cycle to UC Davis only, made it to the holistic review, but was rejected before being offered an interview. 🙁 Trying again this cycle to UC Davis only (as long as I can get an interview I have high hopes for getting accepted!), but will look to other schools after this cycle (probably Western).

My experiences are all over the place, but a good portion in academic research. Currently working full-time in computer science to pay the bills (and hopefully create a small savings for vet school debt)! So many struggles to list off, but the biggest one is probably the looming veterinary school debt. I've never had financial support from my parents for college (or living expenses for that matter), so I worked through undergrad, grad, and now full-time while trying to fill all the pre-reqs, volunteer hours, etc. My husband has been so supportive and helpful, but he struggles to come to terms with the amount of debt we'll be in from my career.
 
Hey all,
I'm kind of non-tradional, but traditional, so I am not sure if I really fit in here. But I'm a First Gen college student, low gpa (3.08), high vet hours, and a Licensed Veterinary Technician. I have a AAS in Veterinary Science Technology and will be finishing my BS in Biology December 2021. This is my first time applying; But I am applying to 20 school, BUT I GOT INTO SGU YESTERDAY!!!!!
 
KendraD_DVM said:
Hey all,
I'm kind of non-tradional, but traditional, so I am not sure if I really fit in here. But I'm a First Gen college student, low gpa (3.08), high vet hours, and a Licensed Veterinary Technician. I have a AAS in Veterinary Science Technology and will be finishing my BS in Biology December 2021. This is my first time applying; But I am applying to 20 school, BUT I GOT INTO SGU YESTERDAY!!!!!
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Yay congrats!!! You're gonna be a vet!!!!!
 
KendraD_DVM said:
Hey all,
I'm kind of non-tradional, but traditional, so I am not sure if I really fit in here. But I'm a First Gen college student, low gpa (3.08), high vet hours, and a Licensed Veterinary Technician. I have a AAS in Veterinary Science Technology and will be finishing my BS in Biology December 2021. This is my first time applying; But I am applying to 20 school, BUT I GOT INTO SGU YESTERDAY!!!!!
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Yay! I’m curious did you get straight into the DVM program or the FTV track? I got accepted yesterday for the FTV track!
 
KendraD_DVM said:
I got accepted straight into the DVM program!
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Ahh I was curious cause I have a lower gpa as well and was accepted into the FTV program (no shame, just another pathway to the same end goal, and I’ll take it) hope I didn’t come of as nosey, I was just curious
 
bryanna said:
Ahh I was curious cause I have a lower gpa as well and was accepted into the FTV program (no shame, just another pathway to the same end goal, and I’ll take it) hope I didn’t come of as nosey, I was just curious
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You're fine, I have about 4000 vet hours from mixed animal gpa and emergency, and 4/5 of my LORs were from vets. Two I had as teachers from my vet tech college, one who let me shadow since I was 9 that turned into assistant and now tech, one from the emergency clinic I worked at, and the last LOR was from my Senior Seminar Professor which the seminar was "Animal Borne Diseases" which I think helped me A LOT. Plus, my LVT license on top I think helped. Congratulations btw!!! We're both going to be vets!
 
I am also a non-traditional applicant/student. I am a 55 year old physician who practiced medicine for 20 years. I sold my clinic 5 years and I have been raising dairy goats and working in regenerative agriculture since then. I am now applying to vet school to focus on food animals in order to work with animals on regenerative ranches.
 
Pamcar said:
I am also a non-traditional applicant/student. I am a 55 year old physician who practiced medicine for 20 years. I sold my clinic 5 years and I have been raising dairy goats and working in regenerative agriculture since then. I am now applying to vet school to focus on food animals in order to work with animals on regenerative ranches.
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This is amazing! I'm sure it will be very cool to compare all you know in human medicine to veterinary medicine. What kind of medicine were you in with people?
 
tigerchuffs said:
This is amazing! I'm sure it will be very cool to compare all you know in human medicine to veterinary medicine. What kind of medicine were you in with people?
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I am a pediatrician. My assumption is that there will be many similarities on the histological level and some on the organ system level, but things will get very different from there. Also a lot of chemical and physiological differences.
 
I am a non-traditional applicant who worked as a tech for 10 years before getting bachelors and applying for vet school. my first time applying was last year and I got into the Vet-Prep program at CSU. This program is great for non traditional students. You get a masters in one year and you go into the veterinary program automatically the following year! it has really helped me ease into the rigor of vet school.
 
Castlebuiltwithroses said:
I am a non-traditional applicant who worked as a tech for 10 years before getting bachelors and applying for vet school. my first time applying was last year and I got into the Vet-Prep program at CSU. This program is great for non traditional students. You get a masters in one year and you go into the veterinary program automatically the following year! it has really helped me ease into the rigor of vet school.
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Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your story - that sounds awesome!!
 
BlackCatsRuleTheWorld said:
I'm a non-trad also applying this year! 28 years old, was discouraged from this path during undergrad due to a mediocre GPA, and recently found my way back and decided to go all in. So excited/nervous!!
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I'm in exactly the same boat. same age, same GPA struggle. We've got this Blackcats.
 
Non-traditional 26 years old! LVT for three years, went back to school full-time during pandemic. This is my first cycle applying and I don't have a bachelor's degree, only associate in veterinary technology. Hopefully I can convince them to let me join despite this!
Applied to 8 schools this cycle: Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Virginia-Maryland, Cornell, Ross, Colorado. So far only Ross has offered an interview!
 
Just went on a stat hunt at UF and realized they’ve never had anyone older than 45 accepted in the last 4 years. I’m toast.[emoji24]
 
zoogrl29 said:
Just went on a stat hunt at UF and realized they’ve never had anyone older than 45 accepted in the last 4 years. I’m toast.[emoji24]
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You might be the one to break that trend!

But really I wouldn't look too deeply into that. You never know how many 45+ applicants they've had!
 
BlackCatsRuleTheWorld said:
You might be the one to break that trend!

But really I wouldn't look too deeply into that. You never know how many 45+ applicants they've had!
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Actually, they post that info on UF’s website. They had A LOT. The ages last year went to 62! It’s very clear that 45 is the stopping age point when looking over the last 5 years. I’ve been told over the years I’m too old by employees of schools and that they just discard my app, but I’ve never seen it in the stats so clearly before. I hope they just stop the agism trend all together because we are all ready for this more than ever. We are financially more secure, have grown children, and know exactly how to handle all kinds of obstacles we encounter. [emoji122][emoji122]
 
zoogrl29 said:
Actually, they post that info on UF’s website. They had A LOT. The ages last year went to 62! It’s very clear that 45 is the stopping age point when looking over the last 5 years. I’ve been told over the years I’m too old by employees of schools and that they just discard my app, but I’ve never seen it in the stats so clearly before. I hope they just stop the agism trend all together because we are all ready for this more than ever. We are financially more secure, have grown children, and know exactly how to handle all kinds of obstacles we encounter. [emoji122][emoji122]
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Oh, interesting! Is that your IS/did you apply anywhere else?
 
zoogrl29 said:
It’s my IS and only UT (I lived in TN a while and it’s another place I feel at home).
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Shame on Florida! Do they realize how much of the state’s economy depends on the over-55 crowd??

I know CSU is crazy expensive even for in state people, but if it is an option for you, please consider. We have people who started vet school in their 50s here and are thriving.
 
zoogrl29 said:
Actually, they post that info on UF’s website. They had A LOT. The ages last year went to 62! It’s very clear that 45 is the stopping age point when looking over the last 5 years. I’ve been told over the years I’m too old by employees of schools and that they just discard my app, but I’ve never seen it in the stats so clearly before. I hope they just stop the agism trend all together because we are all ready for this more than ever. We are financially more secure, have grown children, and know exactly how to handle all kinds of obstacles we encounter. [emoji122][emoji122]
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Sending you good vibes!!! I hope they change this trend STAT because it’s downright ageist and goes against their own values.
 
Mythical said:
Shame on Florida! Do they realize how much of the state’s economy depends on the over-55 crowd??

I know CSU is crazy expensive even for in state people, but if it is an option for you, please consider. We have people who started vet school in their 50s here and are thriving.
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I lived in Denver when I started applying 6 years ago and it’s sooooo expensive to live in Ft Collins. All the money I made selling my house in Green Wood Village would be gone just finding a shack in the woods. I actually had my application all set for there and deleted it at the last minute. I wish they’d had the pre-vet MS program before I left because I’d probably be in a different boat right now! I deleted thinking about snow days and traffic on 25[emoji3063].
 
thankdog said:
On an unrelated note.. looks like there was a 5.5% increase in applicants this cycle. At least it wasn’t another 19% like last year… 😬
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Thanks for sharing! I was bracing myself for when these stats came out
 
Sooo… playing devil’s advocate. What if the older applicants to UF just weren’t strong applicants? Definitely not saying what faculty have said to you is right @zoogrl29, but what if they only had 1 or 2 45+ applicants in those years?

We had a 50-something gal in my class that decided not to continue with the program after first year. It’s not at all impossible to get into vet school as an older applicant, especially now that many schools are evaluating applications more holistically.
 
EngrSC said:
Sooo… playing devil’s advocate. What if the older applicants to UF just weren’t strong applicants? Definitely not saying what faculty have said to you is right @zoogrl29, but what if they only had 1 or 2 45+ applicants in those years?

We had a 50-something gal in my class that decided not to continue with the program after first year. It’s not at all impossible to get into vet school as an older applicant, especially now that many schools are evaluating applications more holistically.
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You could be right, but when the age stops at a specific number, it’s suspicious. Also, I’m one of those “not so strong of applicants” with a 3.8 GPA in grad school (MS in Life Sci-Parasitology and a second in Forensic Serology/DNA ), 4 peer reviewed publications, and strong LORs (one of my pictures in a pub made it to the cover of Cell). I have hundreds of thousands of hours in vet med including SAM, zoo, and research (I’ve been in the field from age 19). I can’t think of much more to do except get a PhD and I will definitely be doing that next.
 
Pamcar said:
I am a pediatrician. My assumption is that there will be many similarities on the histological level and some on the organ system level, but things will get very different from there. Also a lot of chemical and physiological differences.
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Good luck with your application! Your experiences must be so unique! I am also an MD but international. I was considering pediatrics after med school but ended up going for a Ph.D., postdoc, and now I am junior faculty. Throughout my research, I realized I was carrying enormous guilt for using animals to benefit humans, so now I want to become a vet and do clinical vet research to help often overlooked animals, like mice, rats, rabbits, etc. Did you by any chance apply to UC Davis? I was told there was one more MD applying this cycle.
 
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