I am not sure if this question has been addressed before but I am a non traditional student with 300 credits over the span of 15 years. Most of my poor grades are from over 10 years ago. With this said my cumulative GPA is very hard to raise because the amount of credits I have. I have a 2.9 cumulative GPA but a 3.5 last 45 and a variable science GPA ranging anywhere from a 3.0 to a 3.6 depending on the school. Has anyone gotten in with this type of situation. I am taking a grad class this summer along with 4 other upper division science c classes and have tons of varied vet experience including research abroad. I am retaking the GRE this summer. I was denied admission to every school I applied to this year and many said it was my cumulative GPA. Also I have taking a large number of online classes at different school due to having to work full time. Most of the schools said it wasn't a problem but is it generally a red flag. I would like some input from other non traditional students that have had this type of situation.
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I'm considered a non-traditional student, but not by too many years (I'm 26). Have you looked into schools that replace grades such as Mississippi and Ohio? This is assuming that the classes from over 10 years ago have been repeated by now--I imagine they must have since many schools won't consider grades older than 10 years--which could swing in your favor! Look into schools that also weight Last 45 and pre-req GPAs higher, such as Michigan, Minnesota, and Kansas.
Just do really well in your upcoming classes and rock the GRE--some schools really like the GRE, especially when you have high Quant and Writing scores.
As a low-cGPA/sciGPA applicant, I'm here to say that it can be done! Just make sure to apply smart and really sell yourself in all areas, not just academics. Good luck! 🙂
Just do really well in your upcoming classes and rock the GRE--some schools really like the GRE, especially when you have high Quant and Writing scores.
As a low-cGPA/sciGPA applicant, I'm here to say that it can be done! Just make sure to apply smart and really sell yourself in all areas, not just academics. Good luck! 🙂
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LSU is another school that doesn't look at cumulative GPA and only looks at last 45 credit and prerequisite GPAs.
Idk if you interviewed any place other than LMU, but if you did, make sure you ask about how your interview went. That's another area you can always practice and improve! Trying to improve a cGPA is like throwing pebbles at a mountain (trust me, I know)... So any areas that you can actually practice and make a difference in are awesome!
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Illinois does have a grade forgiveness. I got in this year with a GPA of 2.81, however, I did not use the grade forgiveness. I am instate so I'm pretty sure that's why I didn't get cut because of my GPA.
If you make it past the GPA cut point then they look at your experience. If they like what they see then they offer an interview. The cool thing about Illinois is that your academic portion of your application is no longer considered after you are offered an interview. Experience/statement/eLORs is 75% of decision and the interview is 25%. I had massive amounts of experience, research, great eLORs, leadership, etc - the only bad thing about my application was the cGPA (from long ago).
I doubt you would get an interview without grade forgiveness if you are out of state. There are a lower number of IS people who apply so it is easier to get past the first cut with a low GPA if you are IS.
If you make it past the GPA cut point then they look at your experience. If they like what they see then they offer an interview. The cool thing about Illinois is that your academic portion of your application is no longer considered after you are offered an interview. Experience/statement/eLORs is 75% of decision and the interview is 25%. I had massive amounts of experience, research, great eLORs, leadership, etc - the only bad thing about my application was the cGPA (from long ago).
I doubt you would get an interview without grade forgiveness if you are out of state. There are a lower number of IS people who apply so it is easier to get past the first cut with a low GPA if you are IS.
Thank You! Yeah my last 30 Credits I have a 4.0 and last 45 like a 3.5 or 3.6. My science GPA is from a 3.3-3.6 depending on the school but VMCAS calculates it really low. I am hoping to go to a school down south. I really wanted to apply to Auburn but they flat out said they would not look at my application unless my cumulative GPA is over a 3.0. It is so frustrating cause I have over 300 credits and most are from 15 years ago. It is very hard to get my cumulative up anymore without spending more and more money. I am hoping to apply to Georgia with a strong GRE score. LSU, Mississippi, TN, oklahoma but we will see! I am going to apply to a bunch of schools. Kansas also told me they wanted me to be in school activities. That frustrated me because I am taking graduate level online classes at different schools and working full time. I ride in my free time which is very little now a days! I am from MN, love it there but cannot tolerate the cold. I have so much experience and other strong points like research and life experience than some 4.0 students don't have. It is ridiculous if you ask me.
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Don't bother with UGA if you're OOS, they are extremely selective.
Unfortunately (and I say this as someone who applied with a similar cumulative GPA), you can't afford to be too choosy at this point. MN would be a great place to apply since you're IS and they like last 45.
Unfortunately (and I say this as someone who applied with a similar cumulative GPA), you can't afford to be too choosy at this point. MN would be a great place to apply since you're IS and they like last 45.
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Hey now, it's only cold for like 6 months out of the year! 😛
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Agreed, you really can't afford to be choosy. I would apply to MN anyway--it's honestly probably your best shot. If you've lived there once, you can live there again. Also, you're going to be inside in class/studying all day anyway.
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I agree with everyone about UGA. They really really focus on your cGPA. They don't interview either, so no way to win them over. I was IS, had a 3.99 last 45 GPA, over 3000 hrs of vet experience, excellent eLORs and a decent GRE (verbal great, quant avg). But my cGPA from 10 yrs ago stunk. They flat out rejected me. I'm the opposite of you though, I wanted to get out of the south, lol! Focus on schools that look at your last 45.
Yeah will do. I am going to apply to UMN. I am from MN. I will also apply to LSU since they look at just the last 45. My Iowa review was actually very good. They said I just need to raise my GPA a little bit but they said I was a strong candidate!
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Michigan is another school that doesn't seem to look at cGPA. They just use science pre-req and last 3 semester GPA in their formula.
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