Online Animal Science?

[DLY303]

Hello Everyone!

I am curious if anyone here has completed their undergrad degree online? I am considering doing this possibly through Oregon State, but would consider other schools if I find something that is a better fit. I have already completed almost all of my general ed. requirements and lower division sciences. I have a 3.95 cumulative GPA, 4.0 science GPA.

Let me know if any of you have gone this route. I will most likely do my degree in Animal Science and would be entering as a second semester Junior. If I go through OSU, their online degrees appear on your transcript the same as the on-campus classes/degrees.

TIA!

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[GellaBella]

I haven't heard of anyone doing their entire undergrad degree online....how do you handle labs?? And for an animal science degree I think there is supposed to be a lot of hands on animal work (I don't know that for sure, my undergrad did not have an animal science program).

I think you should really look into contacting the vet schools you are interested in via email and asking how they would look at that sort of thing. You don't want to pay money to finish your online degree only to learn that they won't accept it or that its not looked favorably upon.

 

[BlacKAT33]

So, do you mean you have completed the pre-req courses online or at a 4 yr college/community college?

 

[StartingoverVet]

If you are done with your lab experience and
If the transcript does not indicate the classes are on-line and
If you are actually allowed to get a degree this way and
If you are disciplined enough to complete the course work on-line and
If everything you need to graduate is offered on line...

THEN I still say don't do it. Do you really think taking all of your classes on-line is going to prepare you for the real world and especially vet school. Personally I wouldn't want vet school to be the first time having to deal with the mundane concerns of a full time upper level schedule. Could it work for you? Perhaps. Still, I would think you would really be tossing the dice on that one.

Taking a few classes on-line. Ok. Taking them all? Sorry, for me we aren't ready for that yet. But I am just an old old old old person I guess.

 

[turquoisewolves]

I did a Bachelor Completion program for Animal Science through Kansas State. I finished my last 3 semesters through them to get the degree. On the Animal Reproduction class.....to fullfill my lab requirement I took a 1-week Artificial Insemination class that was setup through a community college.

I am an advocate of online programs. I think it is just one of the convienences of technology. SO far (and obviously I haven't gotten into vet school yet) but all of the vet schools I have talked to said that it looked good that I had the ambition to complete my degree from a distance and the self-discipline that it involves. BUT in my circumstances, I did it because I needed to move home to work my family's ranch...so in a sense while I was finishing up my academics I was getting "animal experience" every single day with my "real" job...so I think that helps my story.

ANyway, GOOD LUCK! Hope you find a program that fits!

 

[DLY303]

LOL, thank you guys. Some of you apparently misunderstand the situation though. I have worked with animals professionally for 20 years. I have extensive "hands-on" experience with animals including in a clinical (and research) setting. I have finished pretty much all of the typical pre-reqs including labs with a 4.0 (only one class did I receive a B and it was a Philosophy class). I should have been more clear when I said "lower division sciences". I mean that I haven't, for instance, done the genetics pre-req for CO State (my top choice for school), but I have done Chem. I and II, Bio I and II, Micro, etc... plus all the general ed. classes.

I only need about 45 hours to complete my Bachelor's degree. The reason for finishing it online would be convenience. I am recovering from serious illness and unfortunately, it would be easier for me to finish these last few semesters at home (just had 3 surgeries in the last year and a half), especially because the only school in state that offers animal science would be a daily 3-4 hour drive. Just not practical given my current situation.

I have taken a couple online classes while I was sick, but the majority have been in the classroom and again, I have completed almost all of my sciences w/labs (and have a science GPA 4.0). I would be taking mostly electives at Oregon State as I have already done the science sequences. FYI though- I read on their website that for distance education students, in some of the classes with lab requirements, you fly to Oregon to complete them on site. I may still opt to entirely finish my degree locally or do the remaining sciences here and the rest through OSU because they have some classes that I want to take that aren't even offered here. I think I will be a very competitive applicant considering my grades, EC's, and professional experience. I am not at all concerned about being able to handle a rigorous upper division course load and my health will not be an ongoing issue.

Thank you for your encouraging words, turquoisewolves! I think my situation sounds similar to yours, other than I have had the added layer of health issues. I have talked to numerous Professors and Advisors about my situation and they have pretty much all told me that given my situation and the grades/course load I have been able to maintain that it will look quite good for me.

 

[StartingoverVet]

LOL, thank you guys. Some of you apparently misunderstand the situation though. I have worked with animals professionally for 20 years. I have extensive "hands-on" experience with animals including in a clinical (and research) setting. I have finished pretty much all of the typical pre-reqs including labs with a 4.0 (only one class did I receive a B and it was a Philosophy class). I should have been more clear when I said "lower division sciences". I mean that I haven't, for instance, done the genetics pre-req for CO State (my top choice for school), but I have done Chem. I and II, Bio I and II, Micro, etc... plus all the general ed. classes.

I only need about 45 hours to complete my Bachelor's degree. The reason for finishing it online would be convenience. I am recovering from serious illness and unfortunately, it would be easier for me to finish these last few semesters at home (just had 3 surgeries in the last year and a half), especially because the only school in state that offers animal science would be a daily 3-4 hour drive. Just not practical given my current situation.

I have taken a couple online classes while I was sick, but the majority have been in the classroom and again, I have completed almost all of my sciences w/labs (and have a science GPA 4.0). I would be taking mostly electives at Oregon State as I have already done the science sequences. FYI though- I read on their website that for distance education students, in some of the classes with lab requirements, you fly to Oregon to complete them on site. I may still opt to entirely finish my degree locally or do the remaining sciences here and the rest through OSU because they have some classes that I want to take that aren't even offered here. I think I will be a very competitive applicant considering my grades, EC's, and professional experience. I am not at all concerned about being able to handle a rigorous upper division course load and my health will not be an ongoing issue.

Thank you for your encouraging words, turquoisewolves! I think my situation sounds similar to yours, other than I have had the added layer of health issues. I have talked to numerous Professors and Advisors about my situation and they have pretty much all told me that given my situation and the grades/course load I have been able to maintain that it will look quite good for me.

Ok, you convinced me. I take back my comments....

As long as you convey the reason why as eloquently on your app you should be absolutely fine! Good Luck.

 

[Willowhand]

I'm not sure either way, but one difficulty you should consider is that of getting recommendations from professors who have never met you.

 

[DLY303]

Thank you, Startingovervet!

Willowhand- I do hear you on that and that is actually one of my concerns. I would think though that these Professors that teach online must have been asked to write letters before. I wonder if it would be seen negatively if I just asked them in advance how they handle that.

 

[Willowhand]

I'd be more concerned that they would not be able to write as strong a rec -even if they wrote great things about your work, there's no getting around the fact that they don't know you. But if that was the only problem (i.e. the vet schools you were applying to were okay with all the pre-reqs having been taken online) then you could probably find a way around that if you planned ahead. Perhaps taking most of the courses online, but taking one major pre-req in a smaller school where you can really get to know the profs. Or just applying to vet schools that don't require a req from a professor. Or just making sure that your other references speak well about personal characteristics that an online instructor would miss.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well. You're thinking ahead, and that's always a good sign

 

[twelvetigers]

A lot of the questions asked of an evaluator on an eLOR are pretty damned specific. I don't know how well these could be answered without having ever met you, let alone spent some significant time interacting...

 

[DLY303]

That's the thing though, I am already almost done with all my pre-reqs and I *did* take most of them on campus. I am only pretty much taking electives at this point (with I think only one exception for CSU as far as what I still need to take). I already have letters of rec. from some of my Professors that I have had in classes already (and I'm sure could get more that are willing to do so). I would only be doing a couple semesters at OSU online and taking things like animal nutrition, ornithology, etc... just what I need to finish a degree in Animal Science.

Really, as soon as I finish the last of the pre-reqs, I can apply. I don't even really need to finish my Bachelor's. I am just doing it because I want to (and obviously, I have better chances of getting in with it).