Post-bacc vs grad school for vet school

[tryingtofigureoutmylife]

Hey everyone, I am in need of some advice as to my options at the moment. I'm in bit of a dilemma as far as my academics are concerned.

A little background:

I am a post graduate with a BS in Biological Science. I graduated August 2017. During undergrad I lacked productive time management and effective study skills so as a result my GPA suffered the consequences; it is a 2.8 cumalative. Science gpa is most likely the same, if slightly not lower. My goal was to attend veterinary school, however I know I have no chances atm. I decided to take a gap year to work in the field and get a good feel if this is what I really want to pursue as a career so I was able to land a vet assistant position as an emergency hospital, which, needless to say, has been an eye-opening and awesome experience. After landing that job I decided to retake classes, as well as, take additional upper-level science courses as a non-degree seeking student. I think I have figured out better ways to study but my grades do not reflect this. Last semester I took 9 credits and worked full-time but only as overnight shifts (lasts 12 or more hrs), which takes its toll on sleep big time. My grades were 2 C+'s and a B (the same grades I received when I took these courses the 1st time). This semester I decided to cut back on my work schedule and take 16 credit hrs. So far I'm most likely going to end up with 4 A's and a B or C (yikes!) cause I just need more to add to my collection... My question is should I continue to take (and spend out of pocket money) on upper level science courses with these grades with the hopes of getting into vet school or should I pursue a graduate degree so my money (would need to take out loans) is at least spent on a somewhat promising career. I'm open to the possibilities of research with an MS I just don't know which programs I should apply for given I have no research experience at all (I hope to gain some prior though), but I've been looking into biotechnology programs because they seem rather diverse, constantly growing and evolving, and in demand.

Additional thoughts/concerns:

I'm leaning more towards obtaining an MS (for security) and if I do really well is it worth attending vet school with the added debt? Also, is it possible to get into grad school with my GPA?
Moreover, I know a lot of people have differing opinions on this but is a vet career worth it with the debt to salary pay ratio (given no specialization/residency) and the work-life balance? I want to have money/time to travel and eventually settle down with a family. I enjoy having a sense of purpose and stimulating my mind but not if it engulfs my entire life.
Lastly, idk if I want to be consumed in school for the majority of my 20s but I guess I'll see it goes.

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[ajs513]

Moreover, I know a lot of people have differing opinions on this but is a vet career worth it with the debt to salary pay ratio (given no specialization/residency) and the work-life balance? I want to have money/time to travel and eventually settle down with a family. I enjoy having a sense of purpose and stimulating my mind but not if it engulfs my entire life.
Lastly, idk if I want to be consumed in school for the majority of my 20s but I guess I'll see it goes.

People with experience with taking a masters or post-bacc can add their opinions on that. I just want to address the last part you mentioned. If you want a good work/life balance and want to be able to travel, it’ll be difficult. The debt to income ratio can be 3:1. That’s VERY high. If you work somewhere where the salary is higher, then that ratio is only a little lower. Given where I live, I know many vets who earned 6 figures in their first jobs (salary+production). I’ve also heard of a lot of vets on here who don’t make that. It just depends on where you live, which field you go into, etc. The fact of the matter is that you’re going to be paying your debt off for a long time. Even over 10 years your loans will likely be around $3,000 a month, if not a good amount higher. That’s just for vet school. If you have to add a masters or post-bacc classes onto that, your debt will be higher by possibly tens of thousands of dollars. Is it worth it to end up making $80,000 while having $400,000 of debt from undergrad, a masters, and vet school? Maybe you don’t have undergrad debt, but that debt from a masters and vet school can easily be $300,000+.

Again, other people can tell you how realistic it is to get into vet school if you do REALLY well in a masters program, or whether or not doing that is a good idea at all. But if you’re concerned about money, it can be very difficult and is for a lot of people. I know vets who are married to wealthier people and have the ability to travel and have a great life. I also know vets who are single or married to people with lower-paying jobs and they essentially live to work/work to live. Years down the road once debt is paid off things can be lucrative and you can support a family and have a great life. But before then, it can be tough. No one goes into this field because you’ll make a ton of money. Most people (myself included) go into it because it’s just what they really want to do and they love it regardless.

 

[Cobyology]

I'll give my input because I was in a similar situation. Had a 3.00 cumulative GPA with a lower (can't remember numbers) pre-req GPA. I was told by the vet schools to do upper level science post-bacc work. So I did two 12 semester credits of pre-req work in the classes in which I had the lowest grades (some upper level, some lower courses). I got an A in 21/24 of those credits, and a B in the final 3 (up from a C in undergrad...F biochemistry).

This got me interviews, and I was eventually waitlisted, so that pushed me to start an MPH, because I also wanted a back-up plan in case I didn't get in. About to graduate with my MPH in May, I currently have a 3.75 GPA but we will see where that ends up.

With that being said, given your situation, I recommend a full year of post-bacc courses, given that most schools will look at your pre-req/science/last 30-45 credits (if you are certain that you want to do vet school - I knew I didn't want to do anything but this). I also want to say that I worked full-time during all of this to show that I can handle the rigor.

If you have any questions or just want to talk further, feel free to PM me!

 

[tryingtofigureoutmylife]

I'll give my input because I was in a similar situation. Had a 3.00 cumulative GPA with a lower (can't remember numbers) pre-req GPA. I was told by the vet schools to do upper level science post-bacc work. So I did two 12 semester credits of pre-req work in the classes in which I had the lowest grades (some upper level, some lower courses). I got an A in 21/24 of those credits, and a B in the final 3 (up from a C in undergrad...F biochemistry).

This got me interviews, and I was eventually waitlisted, so that pushed me to start an MPH, because I also wanted a back-up plan in case I didn't get in. About to graduate with my MPH in May, I currently have a 3.75 GPA but we will see where that ends up.

With that being said, given your situation, I recommend a full year of post-bacc courses, given that most schools will look at your pre-req/science/last 30-45 credits (if you are certain that you want to do vet school - I knew I didn't want to do anything but this). I also want to say that I worked full-time during all of this to show that I can handle the rigor.

If you have any questions or just want to talk further, feel free to PM me!

Thanks for your reply!
I honestly didn't think of any career options outside of vet med until now. And really only because my gpa sucks, I'm getting older, I'm afraid of the debt load, and the potential burnout. I'm going to apply this year to get a file review so I can reassess my goals realistically. I was in contact with a few vet schools about my options and 2 of the 3 said to do well in a post-bacc so maybe I should just stick it out. It's less costly and I don't have to take out loans for it. However, I will have to take the rest of the upper level classes online (and some are exclusively only online). Do you think online courses are frowned upon? I planned on focusing on my last 45 and right now I'm at 25 credit hours, but I don't want to use the 2 C's so I'll probably take 2 extra courses.

Also, how did your interviews go if you don't mind me asking? And what prohibited your official acceptance after them?

 

[Cobyology]

Thanks for your reply!
I honestly didn't think of any career options outside of vet med until now. And really only because my gpa sucks, I'm getting older, I'm afraid of the debt load, and the potential burnout. I'm going to apply this year to get a file review so I can reassess my goals realistically. I was in contact with a few vet schools about my options and 2 of the 3 said to do well in a post-bacc so maybe I should just stick it out. It's less costly and I don't have to take out loans for it. However, I will have to take the rest of the upper level classes online (and some are exclusively only online). Do you think online courses are frowned upon? I planned on focusing on my last 45 and right now I'm at 25 credit hours, but I don't want to use the 2 C's so I'll probably take 2 extra courses.

Also, how did your interviews go if you don't mind me asking? And what prohibited your official acceptance after them?

Those are all serious and valid concerns. I don't know how old you are, but I'm currently 26, so I won't graduate vet school until 30. But I know that the later graduation will be 100% worth it.

I don't think online classes would be frowned upon, but don't quote me on that. I just recommend contacting the schools and making sure they will accept the course.

As for my interviews, my interview with Minnesota 2 years ago was slightly above average. They told me that my grades also were just below average (at about a 3.4 pre-req GPA and similar last 45 credits). I think they also said more diverse experiences
Last year I was waitlisted at my IS (Wisconsin) and Michigan State. This year, my MPH grades weren't in yet (I had just started that Fall). Michigan said my interview was average, but that I needed to improve my diversity of experiences (I had 8000+ hours of small animal veterinary, ~100 large animal, but no research). Wisconsin said that i just needed to get over the hill. I added research and non-veterinary animal experience (along with better grades). I think this cycle I was around 3.5-3.6 pre-req and 3.8 last 45 semester, and this was all enough to get me in!

 

[tryingtofigureoutmylife]

Those are all serious and valid concerns. I don't know how old you are, but I'm currently 26, so I won't graduate vet school until 30. But I know that the later graduation will be 100% worth it.

I don't think online classes would be frowned upon, but don't quote me on that. I just recommend contacting the schools and making sure they will accept the course.

As for my interviews, my interview with Minnesota 2 years ago was slightly above average. They told me that my grades also were just below average (at about a 3.4 pre-req GPA and similar last 45 credits). I think they also said more diverse experiences
Last year I was waitlisted at my IS (Wisconsin) and Michigan State. This year, my MPH grades weren't in yet (I had just started that Fall). Michigan said my interview was average, but that I needed to improve my diversity of experiences (I had 8000+ hours of small animal veterinary, ~100 large animal, but no research). Wisconsin said that i just needed to get over the hill. I added research and non-veterinary animal experience (along with better grades). I think this cycle I was around 3.5-3.6 pre-req and 3.8 last 45 semester, and this was all enough to get me in!

Awesome! Well, congrats! I'm about to move to a city with lots of research opportunities so I'm crossing my fingers to get one. I'm sure there will be loads of competition. Btw, I'm 23. I think a little life experience will help me apply myself better in all aspects.

 

[Teepster87]

I planned on focusing on my last 45 and right now I'm at 25 credit hours, but I don't want to use the 2 C's so I'll probably take 2 extra courses.

When they calculate last 45 they use whole semesters up to the point that 45 credits has been reached. So you could have your semester of 9 + 16 + 12 + 12. It's 49 credits, but they won't just cherry pick some courses from.that first semester of 9 credits.