Questions about Vet school

[poox]

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1.) What is the competition level for Vet. admissions?
2.) Do schools generally weigh the MCAT more than GPA?
3.) Can I apply to Vet schools without a B.sc degree, or is this required? I know that, for example, you can apply to Pharm schools after only two years of undergrad work, and I was wondering if the same can be done for Vet schools
4.) Vet is 4 years of professional training. Is there any other training beyond this(residency?), or can you start working right away? What if you want to specialize?
5.) What is the average salary for a Vet?
6.) Job security: Heavily in demand or is it hard to find a job?
7.) Probably a stupid/weird question but which animals do Vet schools focus on? Is it a few specific ones, or is it a wide range? Are you expected to know the anatomy & physiology of all of them?
8.) Are you overwhelmed with the work load, or is it manageable?

Thanks!

 

[david594]

What country are you from? Since the MCAT isnt usually required in the US.

Competition level is pretty much on part with medical schools. Probably with a bigger focus on veterinary experience.

MCAT isnt really required for US schools. GRE is and is generally weighed more less heavily than GPA.

Most schools dont require a Bachelors.

You can start working right out of school. Internships (1year) and Residencies(2-4) are optional, but generally necessarily if you are seeking board certification. It varies depending on the specialty.

 

[DVMDream]

1.) What is the competition level for Vet. admissions?
2.) Do schools generally weigh the MCAT more than GPA?
3.) Can I apply to Vet schools without a B.sc degree, or is this required? I know that, for example, you can apply to Pharm schools after only two years of undergrad work, and I was wondering if the same can be done for Opt schools
4.) Vet is 4 years of professional training. Is there any other training beyond this(residency?), or can you start working right away? If you can start working right away? What if you want to specialize?
5.) What is the average salary for a Vet?
6.) Job security: Heavily in demand or is it hard to find a job?
7.) Probably a stupid/weird question but which animals do Vet schools focus on? Is it a few specific ones, or is it a wide range? Are you expected to know the anatomy of all of them?
8.) Are you overwhelmed with the work load, or is it manageable?

Thanks!

1) Competition to get into vet school is incredibly, incredibly high.
2) Vet schools do not take the MCAT you have to take the GRE. Each school has a different system for which they look at more. Most schools look at them fairly equally. Some care more about GPA. They also look at science GPA and last 45 credit hour GPA.
3) You only need to gain the pre-reqs that the schools you want to apply to require. In short, you do not need a bachelor's degree but most people who get accepted have at least a bachelor's.
4) You can start working immediately after vet school. Some people do internships to get more clinical experience. If you want to specialize in something that usually calls for an internship, a residency (can be 1 or the other but can be both), and then board certification (a test that you get to sit in on).
5) Average salary for a vet ranges from: (very low end) 45K-100+K (those making over 100K tend to be specialists) The amount you make also depends on where you work (SA, LA, private, corporate, public health, research, etc)
6) Veterinarians are in demand especially food/large animal vets and those interested in research/public health.
7) Vet schools focus on the basic small animal pets (dogs, cats) as well as large animals (equine, cow, pig, goat, etc) You will most likely see a wide variety of animals in vet school including exotics. Some schools have better programs geared towards certain animals (for example Colorado and large animals or University of Florida and their wildlife program)
8) Well, I am not in vet school yet, but hopefully you can ask me this same question this same time next year and I will be able to answer it.

 

[poox]

What country are you from? Since the MCAT isnt usually required in the US.

Hi David,

I am from Canada, but I am interested in reading information from students in the U.S. This is definitly news to me. Maybe it is the Canadian schools that require the MCAT.. I will definitly look into that!

Edit - I noticed you added more info in your message. Very interesting 🙂 Could you elaborate on the anatomy/physio question? Do you have to know this information inside and out for all the animals you study?

 

[poox]

1) Competition to get into vet school is incredibly, incredibly high.
2) Vet schools do not take the MCAT you have to take the GRE. Each school has a different system for which they look at more. Most schools look at them fairly equally. Some care more about GPA. They also look at science GPA and last 45 credit hour GPA.
3) You only need to gain the pre-reqs that the schools you want to apply to require. In short, you do not need a bachelor's degree but most people who get accepted have at least a bachelor's.
4) You can start working immediately after vet school. Some people do internships to get more clinical experience. If you want to specialize in something that usually calls for an internship, a residency (can be 1 or the other but can be both), and then board certification (a test that you get to sit in on).
5) Average salary for a vet ranges from: (very low end) 45K-100+K (those making over 100K tend to be specialists) The amount you make also depends on where you work (SA, LA, private, corporate, public health, research, etc)
6) Veterinarians are in demand especially food/large animal vets and those interested in research/public health.
7) Vet schools focus on the basic small animal pets (dogs, cats) as well as large animals (equine, cow, pig, goat, etc) You will most likely see a wide variety of animals in vet school including exotics. Some schools have better programs geared towards certain animals (for example Colorado and large animals or University of Florida and their wildlife program)
8) Well, I am not in vet school yet, but hopefully you can ask me this same question this same time next year and I will be able to answer it.

Thank you sooooo much! 🙂 That was really nice and informative. Good luck with the application process

 

[PrimalMU]

Edit - I noticed you added more info in your message. Very interesting 🙂 Could you elaborate on the anatomy/physio question? Do you have to know this information inside and out for all the animals you study?

Yes. While you don't have to know the anatomy and physiology to the same depth as you would in human medicine (after all, human doctors practice on one species, veterinarians potentially practice on 20+ species), you still have to know it well enough to be able to practice medicine.

 

[gilch]

I would like to add that in addition to GPA and GRE requirements, veterinary and animal experience is a must. Most competitive applicants have >500 hours vet experience (working with a veterinarian or PhD in a non client capacity) and a very large number of animal hours (working with animals in any other capacity). It's not just 4 years of intense study; veterinary students are preparing for a life working with animals in some capacity or another so in depth experiences are a sign to adcoms that you are prepared for the challenges. Diverse experiences are a huge plus to any application.

Another note about the MCAT--some schools will take that instead if you are applying to both med school and vet school.

 

[poox]

I would like to add that in addition to GPA and GRE requirements, veterinary and animal experience is a must. Most competitive applicants have >500 hours vet experience (working with a veterinarian or PhD in a non client capacity) and a very large number of animal hours (working with animals in any other capacity). It's not just 4 years of intense study; veterinary students are preparing for a life working with animals in some capacity or another so in depth experiences are a sign to adcoms that you are prepared for the challenges. Diverse experiences are a huge plus to any application.

Another note about the MCAT--some schools will take that instead if you are applying to both med school and vet school.

Ah that is interesting, but wouldn't that hurt you more than help you? By taking the MCAT, you are basically telling them that you are also interested in Medicine as well(and may potentially be using Vet as a back up instead)

How are the interviews? Do they test to see how you reason through ethical situations?

 

[moosenanny]

Interviews vary from school to school (this is pretty much true of every individual application element). I would suggest looking at "Interview Feedback" on this website for specific questions that each school has asked this cycle and in previous cycles. Some interviews are behavioral (how you would respond in hypothetical situations), and some are not. Most seem to judge ethics, either directly or indirectly. Some are "open" and some are "closed" (this refers to whether or not the interviewers have seen your application file or not).

To answer this question about interviews, as well as others you may have, it is a good idea to look up individual vet school websites and explore them fully. Most of them do an okay-to-great job of explaining their interview philosophy and what they look for in competitive applicants . . .

 

[gilch]

Ah that is interesting, but wouldn't that hurt you more than help you? By taking the MCAT, you are basically telling them that you are also interested in Medicine as well(and may potentially be using Vet as a back up instead)

How are the interviews? Do they test to see how you reason through ethical situations?

I honestly never thought about whether the MCAT could hurt or help--never gave any consideration to med school. I would guess it would make no difference. The GRE just covers Math and Verbal skills--2 US schools want the Bio GRE as well. So the GREs are easier, I believe, than the MCATs which cover several more subjects--OChem and Physics. So unless you are trying to keep your options open (I don't think there is anything wrong with that 🙂) I wouldn't bother studying for a harder test. Anybody else have a better answer?

Interview methods vary considerably by school. Some do strictly behavioral, some just want to clarify experiences, some want to see how you interact with others-Mini Multiple--but most are kind of a conglomerate. Some schools do not interview at all!

Edit--just saw moosenanny's post--those are awesome suggestions! Sorry for being redundant!

 

[DVMDream]

Most competitive applicants have >500 hours vet experience (working with a veterinarian or PhD in a non client capacity) and a very large number of animal hours (working with animals in any other capacity).

What do you mean by non client capacity? I just had a physiology test so it is possible that something obvious could just be going completely over my head.

 

[Whyevernot55]

I can't believe no one has said it yet! Check out the AAVMC website for pretty much ALL of the info you'd ever need - there is a ton of good, basic information, as well as links to all the individual vet schools.

http://www.aavmc.org/index.html

 

[aspiringDVM]

What do you mean by non client capacity? I just had a physiology test so it is possible that something obvious could just be going completely over my head.

I'm guessing Gilch meant that you are not solely working with the vet in the role of pet owner/ client, ie taking your dog to the vet would not count as veterinary experience.

 

[SocialStigma]

OVC at Guelph requires the MCAT for Canadian applicants. I'm not sure about the other Canadian schools, but I know that OVC has a 40:40:20 weighting for GPA: prereqs GPA:MCAT.

So the MCAT is weighed less heavily than the GPA of your last 2 full-time semesters and the GPA of the 8 prereqs required by OVC.

If you check out the OVC website, they have some pdfs of stats from previous DVM years to show the # of applicants vs. # accepted, their averages, their MCAT scores, etc.

And you can apply to OVC in your 3rd year of undergrad, you only have to finish 4 full-time semesters (aka 2 years of undergrad).

 

[Coquette22]

I am from Canada, but I am interested in reading information from students in the U.S. This is definitly news to me. Maybe it is the Canadian schools that require the MCAT.. I will definitly look into that!

Nope, not Canadian schools in general. AVC at UPEI requires the GRE. OVC at Guelph requires the MCAT, and from what I've read, the western schools don't require a test at all, but someone is welcome to correct me on that.

 

[DVMDream]

I'm guessing Gilch meant that you are not solely working with the vet in the role of pet owner/ client, ie taking your dog to the vet would not count as veterinary experience.

Lol. That makes sense now thanks! For some reason I could not seem to figure out exactly what was being said...stupid test has fried my brain.

 

[gilch]

I'm guessing Gilch meant that you are not solely working with the vet in the role of pet owner/ client, ie taking your dog to the vet would not count as veterinary experience.

absolutely 😀.

 

[CBRGrl]

Yes. While you don't have to know the anatomy and physiology to the same depth as you would in human medicine (after all, human doctors practice on one species, veterinarians potentially practice on 20+ species), you still have to know it well enough to be able to practice medicine.

I dont quite agree with this. One, because physiology is generally similar between species (humans included), so human doctors dont get more detailed physiology just because they are treating humans. Other classes, such as anatomy or metabolism, will teach you species-specific things, but in generall, physiology is taught at the cell level so a lot of it is the same..believe me, vet school does not just give you a broad overview, it's VERY in depth about ALL of the species you will be treating.

For this reason I think that vet school might be a bit harder than medical school at the beginning of the curriculum, because you're having to learn the anatomy...etc of a lot of very different species (carnivore versus a ruminents for example). It's not just a broad overview, by the end of your second year you wil be intimately familiar with the innerworkings of domestic pets (dogs, cats) equidae, cattle and other, smaller, ruminants (plus exotic animals if you choose to take the electives). Just my 2cents!

 

[dgm]

I dont quite agree with this. One, because physiology is generally similar between species (humans included), so human doctors dont get more detailed physiology just because they are treating humans. Other classes, such as anatomy or metabolism, will teach you species-specific things, but in generall, physiology is taught at the cell level so a lot of it is the same..believe me, vet school does not just give you a broad overview, it's VERY in depth about ALL of the species you will be treating.

I'll go on record saying that Penn's physiology is not "VERY in depth". It seems like a pretty general overview to me. I'm sure there is way more detail we could be learning. Of course, I have no idea way to compare this to what other vet schools, or med schools for that matter, are teaching.

 

[thnythe]

Nope, not Canadian schools in general. AVC at UPEI requires the GRE. OVC at Guelph requires the MCAT, and from what I've read, the western schools don't require a test at all, but someone is welcome to correct me on that.

This is correct. Neither UCVM nor WCVM require a standardized test score.

Also poox, note that if you're applying in Canada you are limited to your province of residence (definitions for which are provided on vet school websites). I realize you mentioned special interest in info on US schools, but if you are a Canadian resident I would recommend trying to stay in Canada for financial reasons... unless money is not an issue, then apply to where you'd like!

 

[deleted266066]

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[david594]

It's actually statistically harder to get into vet school than med school, so it's much more likely that someone would use med school as a BACK UP to vet school.

Ok, lets see some numbers that actually support this.

I've looked it up in the past and when I did the numbers for med school were actually harder. Something like 43% of students being accepted to med school each year versus 46% for vet school.

Here is the med school data:
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table17-fact2009mcatgpa98-09-web.pdf

Overall Acceptance rate for class of 2013 was 43.5%, 2012 was 42.7%, 2011 was 42.0%.

Vet school data can be found here: http://www.aavmc.org/students_admissions/VMCASStatistics2008.htm
Overall acceptance for class of 2011(newest data) is 45.6%

 

[DVMDream]

Ok, lets see some numbers that actually support this.

I've looked it up in the past and when I did the numbers for med school were actually harder. Something like 43% of students being accepted to med school each year versus 46% for vet school.

I was thinking that it would be somewhat similar in numbers. I was reading part of the pre-allo forum the other day (dangerous I know) but it seems like a lot of med schools easily get 3000+ applicants. I guess the only real benefit to applying to med school is that you have more options and can apply to more schools but I would have still thought that acceptance rates would be fairly similar amongst med vs. vet school just because of the enormous amount of people attempting to get into med school when compared to vet school.

 

[eringobraugh]

There was a thread about this a few years ago actually...
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=578125

 

[HopefulAg]

Nevermind, I type slow...or y'all too fast!

 

[BlacKAT33]

I guess the only real benefit to applying to med school is that you have more options and can apply to more schools

This is what i think. For med schools, there are a BILLION choices of schools. if you know you have low stats you can easily apply to all "easier" schools that aren't as prestigious and may have lower avg stats. You also have the option of going DO instead of MD. Once you switch to DO the avg stats really go down.

For vet, there arent many schools. Yes, less people apply to them than med. But for lower stat people there aren't as many choices. All the schools are competitive and only a few have lower stats. and in my experience, since i did not have nutrition or public speaking, i couldn't apply to the few schools that had lower stats. I just prayed that my experience would outshine my stats.