OSU Vet School

[JCVet99]

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Hi all, I'm applying to the Ohio State Vet school next year and was just wondering if anyone had any tips or knowledge about the whole process specifically with OSU.

 

[HorseyVet]

Several people in this forum have applied to OSU and/or had to make the choice between OSU and another school. I would be sure to search the forum for those threads from last application cycle.

That being said. If the breakdown is still the same, it's 10% GRE, 35% GPA and 55% interview. How that works is if you have the minimum GPA (=3.0, but if in state *sometimes* they will look at a 2.8 and up, but you need to so some special things for that), and the minimum GRE (1000 or 1100 I forget) then you are granted an interview. The "interview" score however is based on a lot of other things then just what they get out of you in that hour, such as a "grading" of your recomendations, etc. Look at the "interview" score as the "subjective" score.

They have a very ridgid way of evaluating GRE and GPA. Basically whatever the min is, counts as a zero and then it scales up from there. So if you have a 3.0, you will receive a 0% of the 35% component for the GPA section.

I hope that gives you someplace to start. If you have more questions after reading the old posts, let us know.

 

[ginkogirl]

How that works is if you have the minimum GPA (=3.0, but if in state *sometimes* they will look at a 2.8 and up, but you need to so some special things for that), and the minimum GRE (1000 or 1100 I forget) then you are granted an interview.

Wow I did not know that! So are you saying that they grant interviews to everyone who meets their GPA and GRE standards? If so, does only OSU specifically interview based on these criteria alone or do other schools do it as well?

Lisa

 

[HorseyVet]

Wow I did not know that! So are you saying that they grant interviews to everyone who meets their GPA and GRE standards? If so, does only OSU specifically interview based on these criteria alone or do other schools do it as well?
Lisa

That break down is only for OSU. I'm not 100% sure if the automatic interview is the case for both and and out of state application, but I know they *have* to interview instaters that meet the GPA and GRE minimums.

Mind though that (especially for OSU) doing well on the interview really can't override a not-so great GPA/GRE. If an even medicore GPA/GRE student does medicore in the interview, they will still "beat" a student with a great interview and a low GPA/GRE. Also the interview isn't a wholistic sort of thing.

Every little thing is broken down into points. I think you can have a max of 7-8 points per LOR. After that it's like 2-5 points max for "leadership," community service, academic rigor, etc. One of the aspects they also look at is "GPA trend"....which is kinda goofy if you ask me that even bother....a person with an excellent trend (say a crumby 1-2 years then excellent 2-3 years in upper levels, but poor overall GPA) may get those 2-5 points in the interview...there's no way that's going to override the fact that that person may only get 10% of the 35% GPA break down. Likewise, a person with a great 1-2 years in the easier classes, but average or medicore grades in the harder classes, isn't not going to still be a "better" applicant if they loose those 2-5 points.

Another thing (which was sort of amusing to me)....they refuse to publish the breakdown of what you are graded on in the interview, but if you meet with them they will sit there with their grading flow chart, breakdowns and all and delineate them. I remember after hearing how the interviews were graded (this was about a year before applications) I asked (innocently/ignorantly) "oh can I have a copy of this" to which the adcom curtly informed me how secret they were and how displeased they were for me asking.

Yet another FYI (especially for out-of staters)....OSU *has* to take 97 people from Ohio....this means if they have to take some middle range GPAs from instates that they look to boost the overall GPA for the class by only taking non-residents with super GPAs.

 

[ginkogirl]

Thanks for the info, HorseyVet! Although I am not applying to OSU specifically, it's definitely helpful to hear details about how they rank applicants because I'm sure other schools use similar methods. Knowing this gives me hope that I'll actually be able to use that suit I bought for interviews, lol

Lisa

 

[traxomatic]

i'm starting at osu in a few weeks! i was an out-of-state resident...i can tell you that they will bring up your grade trends at the interview (they actually were looking at my transcripts in mine). they also ask you very specific questions on your interview, so don't write down fluff on their supplemental apps. the interview is an hour (which was much longer than my other interviews), but i think the time flew by. both of my interviewers were extremly nice. i didn't know that about the points with gpa/gre, though...that's interesting.

 

[JCVet99]

Thank you for all of your help HorseyVet. That information is invaluable and I appreciate it. It is also very encouraging as my G.P.A was not stellar at a 3.15 but definitely had an upward trend as I started in Intl. Business and switched to Pre-Veterinary halfway through. GRE is ok, 690 Q but 450 V (which I mistimed even after getting 610-700 on all the practice tests). I am basically hoping to get an interview this year and plan on putting another app. next year which a boosted GRE and a ton of experience. Thanks again for your reply.

 

[JCVet99]

Thank you traxomatic as well and good luck this year!

 

[greenivy]

Hi, I'm a second-year at OSU, and it seems to me as if OSU has a priority of diversifying their student population. I started as a non-resident, (qualify to pay resident tuition this year, yay!) and my GPA was less-than stellar, but I got in the first time I applied. I think good people skills are important too. OSU is awesome, good luck! 🙂

 

[painthorse111]

Hey greenivy- how many years before you qualify for in-state tuition at OSU? I am out of state and from all the schools on my list, they have the highest tuition, so I was just wondering. Also, when you say that they prioritize diversifying, does this mean they currently have a very diverse student group?
~Thanks

 

[greenivy]

Hi 🙂 it only takes one year to establish residency for OSU. It's a pretty straight-forward process, and the difference in tuition is ENORMOUS.
Part of the supplemental app for OSU is an essay on what you have to add to the diversity of the student body. I came in as a single parent, and there is another single parent in my class. There are several other non-trads, married students, older students, and career-changing students. Granted, there are a lot of a certain type of students (white female) in my class, but I think that this simply represents the majority of the applicants. I don't know if that satisfactorily answers your question about diversity...

 

[CookieBear]

Shoot. I didn't realize that at OSU, you could apply for in-state residency, and not necessarily be married to the $50k is it? tuition for all your time there.

Not that I'm competitive enough to get in there, though. Without checking out their stats, if they're taking 97 in-staters, how many seats can they possibly offer to non-Ohio folks? Gotta be 10, or less... unless Ohio has an even bigger class?

I think it was Kansas that specifically reminds you that you WILL pay non-resident tuition for your whole four years, on their supplemental.

 

[greenivy]

Yet another FYI (especially for out-of staters)....OSU *has* to take 97 people from Ohio....this means if they have to take some middle range GPAs from instates that they look to boost the overall GPA for the class by only taking non-residents with super GPAs.

my GPA was less-than-stellar (3.23 overall; 3.34 at one institution and 1.92 [gasp!] at the other), and I was a non-resident applicant, so don't let horseyvet scare you too much

 

[greenivy]

I am basically hoping to get an interview this year and plan on putting another app. next year which a boosted GRE and a ton of experience. Thanks again for your reply.

In terms of types of experience to look for, at the end of one of my interviews at OSU, I asked the interviewer what would make my application stronger, and he suggested food animal experience (I had plenty of SA experience). Something to think about...

 

[painthorse111]

Yeah, that was exactly what I was wondering about with the diversity question. I am very happy to hear that it only takes 1 year to establish residency at OSU- I was very worried about the tuition for that school! Another question, does the school have tracks (e.g. small animal vs. large animal) for the last 1/2 years? Thanks again!

 

[UKYWildcat]

Yeah, that was exactly what I was wondering about with the diversity question. I am very happy to hear that it only takes 1 year to establish residency at OSU- I was very worried about the tuition for that school! Another question, does the school have tracks (e.g. small animal vs. large animal) for the last 1/2 years? Thanks again!

No, Ohio State does not track. You have two selectives and your off quarter that you can try to get into your particular area of interest but that's as much "tracking" as you'll get.

 

[youthman]

Cool, I will definitely be applying to OSU then.

 

[snoopy69]

I just finished the supplemental for OSU's vet school and I didn't see any essay about diversity. All my application had was 2 pages, the first was like a general info page--address, ssn, etc...and the 2nd was one where you had to further describe your extracurricular activites, work experience, etc.. Did I miss something????

 

[snoopy69]

Has anyone had any contact with the lady who answers the phone at OSU's admissions office. Every damn time I call she is so condascending and rude to me. Ahhh!!

 

[mysterypie]

Actually you,re wrong. OSU accepts 140 students every year. Indeed, 97 are in state but that leaves 43 at large. I think they hold approximately 10 spots for West Virginia residents since they are a contract state, but that is still quite a few out-of-state students per class.

I would try not to jump to conclusions when deciding which schools you should include in your application list. You might miss on on somewhere that could be a great fit for you just because you thought you couldn't get in there. Call up the schools or get your hands on the 2005 Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements handbook. You can order it from Amazon and it is incredibly helpful for getting all the admissions requirements together in one place. There is a section for each of the 28 U.S. schools as well as most of the other AVMA accredited veterinary schools in the world.

This was my bible during the application cycle! It saved me a lot of headache and long-distance phone calls 🙂