Plan B

[HorseyVet]

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I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on what to do for the next year if one does not get accepted. I've heard a lot of mixed ideas from vets and students alike. Essentially I see a battle between doing what "looks good" for applying next year and doing things that actually will make one a better vet in the long run. Here's some I've considered/heard:

(1) I know a lot of people go to graduate school, which personally doesn't really interest me b/c I've already done a ton of research and basically am sick of it.

(2) There is a MS in Physiology program offered in my area which is out rightly designed for people who didn't get into human med schools. Here you take biochem and physiology with the first year med students...the idea being that when you apply again you have real med school grades for them to judge your performance. IMO, this is paying a lot of money for more letters behind one's name, plus it's intense enough that there's not a lot of time for shadowing.

(3) Get an RVT. Most people who applied to vet school have already taken the coursed needed to go directly into the clinical year of an RVT program. Personally I liked this idea b/c you will actually be learning medicine, won't go broke, and can work somewhere where you will get more responsibility and experience. Some places don't care if you've got an RVT or not, but I know tons of places that don't let someone who isn't touch an animal, especially AAHA hospitals. The problem w/ RVT is that its not fancy and I've heard some vets actually look down upon it.

(4) Work some where and beef up experience. (if you get rejected b/c of grades, this seems to do nothing for you)

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[birdvet2006]

The problem w/ RVT is that its not fancy and I've heard some vets actually look down upon it.

Any ideas? Thanks.

What do you mean that vets look down on people for being RVTs? I disagree! More RVTs/LVTs/CVTs are needed in the veterinary world. They are the hands and eyes of the practice - they see and do most everything, or should, with the animals. They allow vets to practice more efficiently.

My idea for "what to do if not accepted" is to apply to a vet school that has an ongoing admissions process (like Ross or St. George's) and go to vet school! Stop wasting your time waiting for the admissions committees to notice you, and start your adventures into the career already.

That was my philosophy, at least (well, I never was rejected from any school and never applied to the US schools, but it was *going* to be my philosophy). I happened to apply during the "non-admissions" time in the USA and I was accepted to several schools and I went. Who cares if they are overseas? It's part of the adventure!

 

[verbal_kint]

Work, Travel, Work, Travel, and reapply. 😀

 

[Bill59]

I think it depends on why you didn't get in. At some schools you can contact the associate dean of students (or whoever oversees admisstion) and get their recomendations about how you can improve your chances next year.

 

[legs1011]

I think this should be your first step! I don't have personal experience because I was fotunate enough to get in on the first try, but during my interviews I was always asked what I would do if I didn't get in, and at Penn, the students there keeping us company for the day told us that at Penn, the correct answer to that ? was to say that you were going to contact the dean of admissions and find out what you needed to correct to get in the next time around. This seems like a pretty good idea, esp if you have a few favorite places that you'd really like to go.
Otherwise, I would reccommend getting more experience, preferably in something slightly unique, and taking classes on the side if you need to boost your GPA. You could also move and establish residency somewhere if you really wanted to go to that state's school, I know a few people who have done this and it has paid off for them.

I think it depends on why you didn't get in. At some schools you can contact the associate dean of students (or whoever oversees admisstion) and get their recomendations about how you can improve your chances next year.

 

[mochavet]

Horseyvet - I'm in the same boat! Except I am on an alternate list and may not know for sure whether I get to start school this fall or not until possibly the end of summer. The waiting and uncertainty is really weighting me down 🙁 . But I think that if I don't get in I need to take a proactive stance and do whatever I can to beef up my application. I will probably quit my job I currently have that has nothing to do with vet med and get my RVT. That way I can stay sharp on my study skills, improve my last 45 credit GPA, and get a job working in a profession that suits me. Not to mention I'll be gaining tons of experience! That's what I'll probably do, but like Birdvet said, if you aren't tied to the States, go overseas and get on with it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[StealthDog]

I am waitlisted at two places, and plan to withdraw from one altogether because I wasn't super impressed... My weak spot is clinic experience, so if I don't get in, I'll probably try to get a job at a clinic somewhere. It stinks that they emphasize that so much for those of us who really don't *want* to work in a clinic... but ah well. Being waitlisted is so hard because I can't really plan for next year- do I need to look for an apartment? A roommate? A summer job or a full-time job that I'll have for a year? I don't know! *hides*

 

[Miranda]

I was waitlisted two years running at Tufts, and this year I was accepted (and also at Kansas, Glasgow, and Edinburgh!). My GPA was certainly the poblem with my application (its a sorry little 3.12). I just kept at it, varied my animal experience, and have taken several continuing ed courses that were relevant to vet med (and got A's in them). Sure enough, this year I got the love! After my first year not getting in, I talked to an admissions counsellor, which was great! At the time considering doing an MS; the counsellor's opinion was that if that really was my interest, then go for it, but if not, it doesn't make sense to go through it just to get into vet school.

In my experience, and considering all the people I know who are in or are trying to get into vet school, if you *know* you want to be a vet, you'll get yourself there eventually!

Good luck! 😀
Miranda

 

[HorseyVet]

In response to various people...

Yes, wait-listed does stink...I'm wait-listed/alternate at several schools and still waiting for a response from others. Crossing fingers.

About RVT...I mentioned possibly doing this if I didn't get in, and one of my interviewers pretty much said that it was stupid to do, and basically inferred that once you become a registered tech ppl only see you as that....this particular person thought that getting a MS was much better...still it's just one person's opinion. I still think it's a better use of time than many other options.

Personally...I'm pretty sure my experience isn't what could keep me out of school...I really have a bunch with just about everything lab/large/food/exotic/small/emergency/surgery etc...Honestly I think experience is fairly low-valued as far as admissions cares.

The problem with taking classes just to improve one's GPA is that it sort of becomes pointless after a while....GPA resurrection is impossible at a certain point. For example...I have almost 4 years of work that is all upper level/honors/intensive and from that my GPA is excellent....but I had severe medical issues one year and my GPA tanked....so my cum stinks and pretty much always will.

I asked a number of schools about how I would be viewed and the response from admissions was almost always "we just care about cumulative" and/or "we have like 2 points somewhere that you'll get for positive academic trend"

It's very frustrating.....I especially like the school that said "we don't care if you take nuclear physics or basket weaving, so long as you get an A"

Sorry that was kinda long….

 

[tygris]

Honestly I think experience is fairly low-valued as far as admissions cares.

Okay, so right off the bat, I'm going to have to label this as a wrong, wrong, WRONG statement. Experience is NOT low-valued in most admissions processes! And a variety of experience should earn you major points, assuming you spent a significant amount of time in each of them to have actually learned something... and also assuming that any questions asked of you in your interviews that included clarifying your experiences were answered in a way that convinced your interviewers that you did in fact LEARN something.

The problem with taking classes just to improve one's GPA is that it sort of becomes pointless after a while....GPA resurrection is impossible at a certain point. For example...I have almost 4 years of work that is all upper level/honors/intensive and from that my GPA is excellent....but I had severe medical issues one year and my GPA tanked....so my cum stinks and pretty much always will
I asked a number of schools about how I would be viewed and the response from admissions was almost always "we just care about cumulative" and/or "we have like 2 points somewhere that you'll get for positive academic trend"

Again, I'm going to have to disagree strongly with this one. I'm not sure where all you applied, but perhaps you should be thinking twice about applying to the same schools next year. Every school I interviewed at holds increasing academic trends as very important, and places significant emphasis on trends being just as important as overall GPA. This is why many schools factor in the most recent 45 credit hours, so that they can make sure they're looking at your most recent trends. As far as having a bad semester goes - believe me, I can relate. I had some personal issues the beginning of my junior year as an undergrad which made my GPA for that semester around a 2.5 - which had SERIOUS effects on my cumulative.

It's very frustrating.....I especially like the school that said "we don't care if you take nuclear physics or basket weaving, so long as you get an A"

I feel like a broken record here, but I would say no no no to this as well. This is why most vet schools have significant emphasis on science GPA's as well as overall cumulative GPA's. The reason they look at overall cumulative is so that they get a feel with how you function in non-science courses as well - the same reason undergraduate institutions have 'core requirements.'

I think you're being misguided by whatever schools are telling you all of this false information. Don't lose hope, because all of what you've said here is untrue. I'd say I'm the proof of that. I had a 3.2 cumulative GPA undergrad, and my science GPA was around a 3.1. Obviously I was a ***** my freshman year and made some mistakes that I regret. I had no expectations of getting into vet school my first couple of tries, so I enrolled in a rigorous MS program and have a 4.0 in my two years of graduate school. This year I got in, and into Michigan as an out-of-stater to boot.

Guess the bottom line is - don't be discouraged. This is a competitive field, as we all know, and you have to stick with it. Decide if starting school right now is what you want to do, and if so then apply to international schools. Otherwise, contact vet schools OTHER than whichever ones are feeding you this information and find out how you can improve your application.

 

[StealthDog]

I especially like the school that said "we don't care if you take nuclear physics or basket weaving, so long as you get an A"

No kidding- I had a school tell me that it didn't matter if you went to a community college or Harvard, they are considered the same quality of education. Why?? I understand not being able to give a rank to every undergrad school, but really, there *is* a difference between schools.

Good luck with everything!

 

[HorseyVet]

Okay, so right off the bat, I'm going to have to label this as a wrong, wrong, WRONG statement. Experience is NOT low-valued in most admissions processes! And a variety of experience should earn you major points, assuming you spent a significant amount of time in each of them to have actually learned something... and also assuming that any questions asked of you in your interviews that included clarifying your experiences were answered in a way that convinced your interviewers that you did in fact LEARN something.

The fact is experience is to a large extent gravy for a good GPA. If your GPA stinks pretty much all the experience in the world doesn't help....likewise if your GPA is great you can get away with less experience...and understanding of said experience from what I can tell....lol I know a dozen or so early accepted people from this year or last who from just idle converstation were CLUELESS about some really basic issues.

Every school I interviewed at holds increasing academic trends as very important, and places significant emphasis on trends being just as important as overall GPA. This is why many schools factor in the most recent 45 credit hours, so that they can make sure they're looking at your most recent trends.

Here again...good recent grades is nice...but if your applicant pool is composed of ppl w/ 3.7+ for 3 years of school then they will also get the points or w/e for recent GPA and Cum GPA, and will be better on paper than someone with a 3.7 for 4 years, and a Cum of less than 3.4. It's just numbers.

I think you're being misguided by whatever schools are telling you all of this false information. Don't lose hope, because all of what you've said here is untrue.

I'm only going by what the dean(s)/head(s) of admissions have said directly to me. I really can't think why that info would be false.

 

[mochavet]

Okay, this is getting a little out of hand. The main problem is that there aren't enough vet schools to meet the demand of the amount of people wanting to become vets. This allows the vet schools to be very picky and this bites for those of us who screwed up one or two years in undergrad and have a low GPA. Horseyvet - you are right in the fact that it is hard to compete if the applicant pool is made up of 3.8's and high GRE scores when you have a 3.2 and average GRE scores. That's the way it is. Those people worked hard and didn't screw up and deserve to get in, but, keep in mind that there are years where the applicant pool is not so academically gifted. This year is seems the applicant pools were very academically tough, but next year this may not be the case. This is when we get our chance and can show the ad coms how much experience we have and that we are persistant and that this is our sole purpose in life. You will get in, as will I, but it just may not be this year or even next. And, it sounds like most of us at least made it on an alternate or wait list, so they must think we have some potential. I am still hopeful that I will be starting vet school this fall, but if I don't, I have already set up two volunteering experiences for this summer and have looked at some classes to take this fall.

Plan B is just another door waiting to be opened. It is a second chance to make yourself look even better on paper. It is something everyone needs to design for themselves.

Okay, I'm done and I didn't mean to offend anyone if I did 🙂 .

 

[tygris]

To both mochavet and HorseyVet-
I again have to emphasize that I was in your boat with screwing up my undergrad GPA. HorseyVet, I didn't mean to sound harsh in my reply towards you, in fact it was quite the opposite - I was feeling very irritated towards the admissions folks who discouraged you like that. If that came across as negativity towards you, I sincerely apologize!
With that said... I don't doubt that the info you've received from these admissions departments is true for *those schools*... however, I do not feel that they are general rules all around.
Those of us with sucky undergrad GPA's (as I said, I had a 3.2 cum, and less than a 3.1 science GPA) *can* get into the top schools in the country and I am proof of that. You just have to stick with it and you have to give it 3-4 years of applications if you want to stay in the US... and you have to improve the weaker parts of your application, even if the weakest part are the grades (e.g. do the 4.0 M.S. like I did).
This is my third year of apps and the first year I've gotten in to anywhere. Last year I only had one interview, which ended in a rejection. My first year - all rejections.
Mochavet is right to say that being waitlisted or even interviewed is a good sign. It means that you are qualified to be there, they just can't take everybody.
My advice to you would be to apply to some of the schools that have more wholistic outlooks on veterinary students... the schools that are more concerned with taking people who would be good VETS rather than taking people who would be good vet STUDENTS (i.e. they care more about things other than your GPA/GRE scores). As far as I know, Colorado and Michigan are the best for this sort of thing. Maybe there are others out there in this forum that know of other programs that are similar.
My other advice to you would be to retake your GRE's if you haven't already done so. I was above average on my first time taking them, but I *still* took them 3 times just to show that I was committed to improvement.
Just out of curiosity HorseyVet - which schools told you all of this discouraging information?
And just so you know - last year, when I went in for a consultation after being rejected from Ohio State, they asked me "is the goal to be a vet or to go to Ohio State?" and when I said "to be a vet," they suggested international schools. Well, IN THEIR FACES seeing as how Michigan is tied with Ohio State for rankings.
So don't lose hope!!!

 

[mochavet]

Tygris - What did you get your M.S. in and did you have time to work while you were in the M.S. program? I do have an opportunity to work with a vet that consults with a large pork producer in Iowa. The company he works for would likely give me a part-time postion working with the vet while I got my M.S. in genetics and immunology (and pay for my schooling). I haven't taken them up on this deal yet because I wasn't sure if that is what I wanted. It seems like your M.S. route got you into vet school so maybe I will consider this option more heavily now.

 

[legs1011]

Don't want to cause more mayhem here, but ... I also took 1 year to get a masters, and I too, had a so so GPA (3.33cum) but 3.6 in last 45 hours, and my science GPA was fairly low, like a 3.2 due to one early science course which screwed my GPA, and I am from ct, which has no vet school, and has no contracts, so I was really disadvantaged in that area! But, I have TON of experience, horse, dairy cows, small animal orthopedics, managing farms, research and intensive care work, so I personally think that is what got me in more than anything and this was my first time applying.
I was also told by Tufts that it didn't matter that I went to an ivy league school, they blatantly told me that they would rather have seen me go to a community college and get all A's, but personally, since I am a student there now, I think that is more of a scare tactic for them, they like to weed out the people who are easily discouraged, so don't be!!! I also was kind of ballsy with my applications, I wrote a poem instead of an essay for my personal statement because I was an English major as an undergrad, and it didn't fit the VMCAS application format so I had to ask all the schools if I could send it seperately, and at UPENN they told me they didn't want my poem, they wanted an essay, so me being the stubborn person that I am, sent the poem anyway and I got in! So, I say stick to your guts, if you want it badly enough you will make it happen, and don't let the admissions people discourage you! I also think good reccommendations help A LOT. I was aksed in each of my interviews how I picked the people who wrote letters for me because apparently they made an impression, so if you can work on getting some really good letters that will help you too! I really honestly have no idea how I got in on the first try, I wasn't expecting to, but those are the things that I THINK helped me to get in judging by my interviews and the schools that I got into. If I didn't get in I was planning on working for a year and re-applying, personally I would stick to US schools, the overseas schools will take you an extra year to get liscenced anyway, so mine as well try the us schools one more time, but that's just my opinion!

Tygris - What did you get your M.S. in and did you have time to work while you were in the M.S. program? I do have an opportunity to work with a vet that consults with a large pork producer in Iowa. The company he works for would likely give me a part-time postion working with the vet while I got my M.S. in genetics and immunology (and pay for my schooling). I haven't taken them up on this deal yet because I wasn't sure if that is what I wanted. It seems like your M.S. route got you into vet school so maybe I will consider this option more heavily now.

 

[birdvet2006]

the overseas schools will take you an extra year to get liscenced anyway

Not true! If you go to an AVMA accredited school, you can practice right after you graduate (like me). Yes, I spent another year here (5 year curriculum) but I would have rather been here than working on a MS degree that I didn't want or just working at home ("in limbo"). I feel I gained a lot of "other" / "world" experience during that first year. Plus, there are now AVMA accredited schools that will take you directly into 2nd year (like Murdoch). There are schools that will take your application outside of October of each year (the Australian schools and perhaps Massey, as their school year starts in the northern hemisphere's spring time).

Also, Ross and St. George's students and other non-AVMA accredited schools now have the PAVE as an option instead of the CPE (clinical proficiency exam). This saves a lot of time, and I bet they're able to practice right after they graduate.

Just my $0.02.

 

[mochavet]

I would love to go overseas and I actually submitted an application to Murdoch in December. I haven't heard a single word from them yet and am wondering if the app got lost in the mail or something. Oh well, I have now decided to just focus on State schools anyway. I am married and my husband has an excellent job right now. Plus I have two large dogs and a guinea pig that I'm attached to and am not willing to part with or make them travel for 36 hours in the belly of a plane. My situation doesn't really allow for overseas schooling but it is an excellent and exciting option if you can do it. Plus, it seemed to me that Murdoch was cheaper than going to an out of state school. It's something like $24,000 per year at Murdoch as opposed to $35,000 per year at some out of state schools (or even some private schools).

 

[tygris]

Tygris - What did you get your M.S. in and did you have time to work while you were in the M.S. program? I do have an opportunity to work with a vet that consults with a large pork producer in Iowa. The company he works for would likely give me a part-time postion working with the vet while I got my M.S. in genetics and immunology (and pay for my schooling). I haven't taken them up on this deal yet because I wasn't sure if that is what I wanted. It seems like your M.S. route got you into vet school so maybe I will consider this option more heavily now.

I am getting my M.S. in Biology this summer. The degree with technically say "Biology" but my focus is in reproductive endocrinology and animal behavior in a zoo setting (captive cheetahs, to be specific).
I didn't have time to "work" while in my MS, but I am doing my thesis research at the zoo that I've worked at since 2003. I have been there part-time since the summer before my 4th year undergrad, and have spent the last 2 years on my M.S.... so I have kind of a unique situation in that my grad work also counts as animal/research experience, especially because my research is quite independent - I'm not just doing labwork for a sub-project for a PI, I'm doing my own project.
I'm sure the M.S. route played a large role in my route to vet school, yes. But I also had significant amounts of experience in small animal, large animal, exotics, wildlife, and zoo vet medicine - on top of the research experience. I also had some pretty darn good recommendations, which I feel played a major role as well.
The way I see it is... if the weakest part of your application is your GPA, then you should be demonstrating to the vet schools somehow that you are capable of surviving and doing extremely well in a rigorous academic program, aka graduate school. But this is just my opinion and what seems to have worked for me... 🙂
Hope that helped!

 

[HorseyVet]

Horseyvet - you are right in the fact that it is hard to compete if the applicant pool is made up of 3.8's and high GRE scores when you have a 3.2 and average GRE scores. That's the way it is. Those people worked hard and didn't screw up and deserve to get in, but, keep in mind that there are years where the applicant pool is not so academically gifted. This year is seems the applicant pools were very academically tough, but next year this may not be the case.

The trend in general is an increase in the academic qualifications of the applicant pool....meaning it's likely to continue to increase rather than decrease.

I think "deserve" is a little strong here....I know a large population of people who do not take difficult courses outside of the required courses, until after they apply, in order to manipulate their GPA. More than a few people I know are currently completing all of their biology requirements not covered in vet pre-reqs b/c they didn't want to risk doing poorly in them. Also there seems to be a lot of manipulation of which classes one takes to complete the pre-reqs...many schools have two divisions of micro and biochem, one designed for chem/bio majors and the other for nursing/PT/etc...these courses on their face aren't comparable but there isn't a solid way to account for which one took in the admissions process.

All GPAs aren't created equal. Personally think it would interesting if they did a GPA breakdown according to the level of course you took...sort of like how in HS you sometimes get more GPA weight for AP courses (ah...I remember the days when I brought home a 4.75). If the concern really is "can you handle vet school curriculum" they're largely not accurately assessing it.

Some studies already seem to be pointing to the problems, but I don't think anyone want to touch it b/c you really can't w/o bringing up the gender issue.

Anyway, yeah. It's a game and it can very very frustrating.

Horsey

 

[zufuss]

I've got a lowly gpa (3.33). Over 2,000 hours at a small animal clinic. Been working the past 1.5 years doing research. I have tons of varied animal experience on the side (Really tons...animal welfare, mixed animal, other research, and shadowing at wildlife facilities). I previously had a 1180 on the GRE's. but this year bumped them up to 1420. I didn't get interviews anywhere...for two years!

This was my third year applying. I only got an interview at Penn and VA-MD. Rejected from 4 others. So I am in the holding pen (hah) at PENN, and VA-MD rejected me. I may still not be getting in this year! Although I sure hope I get the call from PENN.

Anyway...Just goes to show you can really work your behind off and not make it where you wanted to. This year getting 2 interviews was a pretty boost though. 3 of my rejection letters from other schools placed heavy emphasis on "Your academic record was not competitive". Well duh. I guess they didn't take a very good hard look at all the things I have been doing since...bummer. Anyway I'm being proactive, not reactive. I'm going to defer to PENN if I get the call, and have already lined up a new full time job in a different sector of VET MED back in a clinical setting.

Either way, the longer I am out, the more I start to realize that I am still rather enjoying the work I am doing and the break I am getting from school. When I was in college I was all freaked out: "What am i going to do if I don't get into vet school straight out?" I've gotten to know a lot of vet students and been working with quite a few of the professors at VA-MD and gotten to hang out at the school quite a bit. Vet School is a lot of work, and while I know I would have done well going right into it, I've learned quite a bit on my own having been forced out into the real world against my will

All I can say is keep at it. Even If it takes a year or two. or three...or four! Also when I was first applying I thought Small animal was what I wanted to do. No doubt in my mind. That has changed quite a bit since. I can't believe just how much more there is to a DVM than small, mixed, larger animal clinical work.

 

[frozen_canadian]

Best of luck to all those applying. When I was applying, I noticed that a lot of people were not getting accepted with mediocre GPAs, even though I thought they were excellent canditates - well rounded, sociable, tons of experience etc. I thought that placing so much emphasis on GPA was short sighted. However now that I am actually in vet school, I realize how hard it is. You must be able to handle the work load, and proving this academically prior to admission is very important. GPA isn't everything, but vet school is a ton of work. And sad as it is, if you can't do the book work, you're not going to pass. Just my thoughts.

 

[HorseyVet]

Best of luck to all those applying. When I was applying, I noticed that a lot of people were not getting accepted with mediocre GPAs, even though I thought they were excellent canditates - well rounded, sociable, tons of experience etc. I thought that placing so much emphasis on GPA was short sighted. However now that I am actually in vet school, I realize how hard it is. You must be able to handle the work load, and proving this academically prior to admission is very important. GPA isn't everything, but vet school is a ton of work. And sad as it is, if you can't do the book work, you're not going to pass. Just my thoughts.

That's the thing though, that not in all cases is cum GPA a measure of ability to do work... I'm not sure if my case is special (from talking to admissions folks I sort of gathered that it was not common, but also not uncommon either)...my GPA in 4 years of upper level science/honors/intensive classes at 20+ credits/term is over 3.7 (haven't recomputed for a while)...but my cum sucks b/c of a year I was severely ill and two C's I got when I was 13 (yes 13...) the last 4 years should indicate that I can do the work, but my cum apparently says I can't.

It's funny how you have to pay to retake certain classes after 10 years, but they don't fall off your GPA...

blah...my exam I have today has put in a worse mood about this than usual
sorry for the grumpiness

 

[tygris]

I'm not sure if I asked before, but in case not - where all did you apply Horsey? This is bugging me now, I feel like you should be in by now. Privage message me if you wish!

That's the thing though, that not in all cases is cum GPA a measure of ability to do work... I'm not sure if my case is special (from talking to admissions folks I sort of gathered that it was not common, but also not uncommon either)...my GPA in 4 years of upper level science/honors/intensive classes at 20+ credits/term is over 3.7 (haven't recomputed for a while)...but my cum sucks b/c of a year I was severely ill and two C's I got when I was 13 (yes 13...) the last 4 years should indicate that I can do the work, but my cum apparently says I can't.

It's funny how you have to pay to retake certain classes after 10 years, but they don't fall off your GPA...

blah...my exam I have today has put in a worse mood about this than usual
sorry for the grumpiness

 

[zufuss]

I definately disagree. Anything 3.0+ in undergrad is a b-b+.

Not to mention that fact that alot of people just screw up their first year (Kind of like me 🙂 ) Anyway getting a 2.9 and a 3.0 my first year in terms of gpa really screwed me over for my last 3 years. I made deans list semester after semester my 3 years (usally 3.5-3.7). That still wasn't enough to recover from freshman year unfortunately.

The heavy emphasis on grades is unfortunate really. But there really just isn't anything you can do about it. Especially after you graduate.

 

[frozen_canadian]

Ok, I agree with that. If you have shown that you can carry a full course load and maintain a high GPA, this should be taken into consideration. Particularly if you only had a bad first year. But I think vet school is just so competitive, that GPA is one of the 'easy' screening factors - it is an easy way to compare a lot of applicants without having to read their whole application.

 

[HorseyVet]

I'm not sure if I asked before, but in case not - where all did you apply Horsey? This is bugging me now, I feel like you should be in by now. Privage message me if you wish!

lol...maybe after all of the verdicts are in for this year. I'm reluctant to open my mouth these days b/c every time I do I seem find my foot in my mouth.

I can say that I applied to K-state, which doesn't seem to follow the GPA-or bust trend as rigorously as other schools....after interviewing there I really fell in love with the place, I can't tell if it was just a big show or not but I really got a great impression from them and that what they look for in a candidate is more wholistic/realistic....unlike other schools, all their students seemed really on par with my ideas about what a vet should be like...just a great vibe in general
...now watch, I'll say this and get my rejection letter tomorrow...

it's the new zoonosis….foot IN mouth disease

P.S. I checked the FAQ and apparently I am in fact to stupid to figure out how to add an avatar....can someone help....hope that's not on the vet school checklist

 

[ibeziris]

Just wanted to add in my two cents here… I definitely can sympathize with those people who have had a bad semester/year in school. I had three awful years of low grades with one term of nearly straight F’s. I did have a medical excuse, but I was extremely worried that my cum. GPA would get me outright rejected from any school I applied to.

I voiced my concerns to the pre-vet advisor at my school, and she was very reassuring. My GPA for my last two years in college was a 4.0, and I double-majored in biological science and natural sciences (math & biochemistry concentration) taking the maximum number of credits possible each term. The pre-vet advisor told me that I wouldn’t have any problem with the academic portion of my application because of my positive academic trend, and because the vet schools really only look at grades in upper-division science courses. She would definitely disagree with the statement that an A in basket-weaving would look as good as an A in nuclear physics.

While I was extremely skeptical that a school would be willing to overlook all of my F’s, she was right. I got accepted to Colorado State this year on my first try. As tygris mentioned, Colorado is one of the schools that takes a more holistic approach to evaluating applicants, so that may have played a huge part in it. I can’t be sure. I just know that those people who don’t think that vet schools pay attention to positive academic trends should be more optimistic because they definitely paid attention in my case.

 

[mochavet]

Just wanted to share a story with everyone...

One of the vets that wrote me a recommedation letter this year told me this story. When he applied to vet school (the second time) he didn't even make the alternate list. He decided to call the admissions people to see how far from the alternate list he was and if there was anything he could do to increase his rank. They told him he was 2 pts. away from the alternate list and if he got his degree he would receive those points. He got his degree and later that summer they called him and asked if he was still interested in going to vet school. He went of course. He said that there were six of them who got in that year without even making the alternate list. Now, two own their own small animal clinics, one is a board certified surgeon, and one is a world renowned swine consultant (one died and the other never admitted who they were).

I realize this took place in the 80's, but I thought it was a good story anyway. Just goes to show great vets are made of more than just good grades!

 

[tygris]

Well, I don't know if I agree with you about Kansas, because I applied there all three years that I've applied and didn't get so much as an interview. But maybe they just didn't like me 😛
As far as avatars go... go to the "User CP" link up near the top of your page, and then click "Edit Avatar" on the panel on the left-hand side 🙂

I can say that I applied to K-state, which doesn't seem to follow the GPA-or bust trend as rigorously as other schools....after interviewing there I really fell in love with the place, I can't tell if it was just a big show or not but I really got a great impression from them and that what they look for in a candidate is more wholistic/realistic....unlike other schools, all their students seemed really on par with my ideas about what a vet should be like...just a great vibe in general
...now watch, I'll say this and get my rejection letter tomorrow...

it's the new zoonosis….foot IN mouth disease

P.S. I checked the FAQ and apparently I am in fact to stupid to figure out how to add an avatar....can someone help....hope that's not on the vet school checklist

 

[wishes]

Since everyone else is posting I guess I'll put in my two-cents as well.
Someone suggested retaking the GRE if you scored low and I also think this is an excellent suggestion. Compared to taking classes, it requires relatively less money and time although you definitely need to put time in studying to improve your scores. Go to the bookstore and buy a good GRE study book. The best thing in the world that I found was the flip-o-matic vocabulary word book (about $12 at any major bookstore or online). I also used the Barron GRE prep book for the mathematical section. The writing section is less important.
I completely disagree that once you are a R.V.T. that you are branded for life and can never break away to attend vet school. I have been an R.V.T. for four years now and I had no problem getting into veterinary school when I applied for the first time this year. Still, I am not necessarily sure that it would be worth your time and money to enter an R.V.T. program, especially if you already have clinical experience. Most R.V.T. programs are two years long. I do think clinical experience is very important and the more varied the better in terms of large animal, small animal, emergency, etc.
There is no way around the fact that grades are important, however one bad year is much easier to explain then a trend toward poor or mediocre grades all the way through college. Schools look at transcripts for trends and also pay close attention to the last 45 credit hours. If you feel grades are a concern, it might help to take a few classes, even at a community college. While they may not affect your overall GPA much, they can show that you are able to get good grades in challenging classes. Absolutely the subject matters! Try to pick classes that are prerequisites for veterinary schools, even if they are not necessarily required for schools that you are considering.
Lastly, do something that makes you a little unique. Volunteer in your community or take a missions trip to a foreign country. While service orientated activities are often correlated with medical school applicants, they are becoming more and more important for veterinary school as well. I believe that this is especially true if you are weak in other areas.
I hope this helps and that it is not just more of the same.
If you have to reapply, apply to a variety of schools. Try to focus on schools that match your academic abilities and your experience background.
Good Luck!!

 

[mokadet]

I'm also in a similar situation to zufuss and horseyvet. I went to a very competative undergraduate school (UVA) and did well (especially by UVA standards) 3 out of 4 years. But that one year (for me it was second year) is now severely haunting me. The most frustrating part is that it is so difficult to "fix", not just retake a test or get more experience. This is my second year applying and last year when I went back to talk to admissions counselors about my application I collectively got "wow, your app looks good except for those few grades... I guess take more classes to increase your overall GPA(?)"

This year I'm on two waitlists. I also applied to Ross and was accepted. I am planning to pay the deposit at Ross to hold a spot, but am still not sure if I want to go down there. Now that I know that I am very close to getting in to a US school it is hard to walk away. But, at the same time, if I wait out another app cycle and still don't get in I will be even more frustrated.

As far as schools looking at experience I've found that it varies greatly, but overall I have found that schools are willing to overlook lack of experience if you have a great GPA, but even if you have amazing experience they will hardly ever overlook a poor GPA (say somewhere between a 3.0 and a 3.3).