Questions for those who have been there

[surrealeuphoria]

Hello everyone. I am beginning a long journey and I am gathering all the resources I can to educate myself.

I am trying to overcome alot of doubt and am seeking some advice and personal expirence. I live in a small town, attend a community college, my parents have no degrees. I live with my mother on a small farm. She is on fixed income. I am enrolled in college and was excepted into the nursing program and soon realized it was not for me. The highlight of my life is working with animals. I live for it. As sad and dirty and disturbing it can be it gives me peace.

My goal is to become a vet. I am transfering to Eastern Kentucky University next fall to earn my Bachelor in Science. I plan to apply to every Vet school I can after that.

My question is...

#1 Cost. My family literally has no money for college. I am attending on grants. Is it possible for me to get loans to pay for this?
#2 The last year and 1/2 my grades have been A's and B's. Before that.. they were not so good. I have been spinning my wheels attending this community college since I've graduated high school. Now that I have direction I am motivated. I love Science and am excelling in those courses. Will my bad grades prevent me from having a chance?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

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[ccrose3]

I am still a pre-veterinary student, but have done quite a lot of research myself over the last year and so I hope I can provide some insight. My situation is somewhat similar to yours. My father doesn't have a college degree, and my mother didn't obtain one until I was out of high school; we were always what I would consider low income. Now in my late twenties, I wish I would have done a lot of things differently, including my grades in community college, but I have been able to learn from it and just move on.

First let me say it sounds like you are doing everything right, and I know that's hard to do when faced with extra challenges. However, it can be done. Obtaining extra loans to fill in the gap can be done, but unless you have a cosigner you need to have at least decent credit. Every lender has their own requirements, but most have told me having a score above 650 is most desirable and above 680 will probably get you a decent loan. Again, this can differ and especially with the market the way it is with loans the higher your score is, the better your chances are of not being turned down. Keep trying to get as much financial aid as possible. The amount you receive, if you qualify, increases with the cost of attendance (university is more than community college) and your year in school. Apply for every scholarship you can get your hands on.

My credit was not bad, but was limited. Therefore I took out 2 small credit cards about a year ago, and have been working on paying off another. In the summer I'm working 2 jobs and am taking next semester off to get a 3rd so that I can pay off debts and save money so that I don't have to work as much once school starts. If you have time on your side you can always balance school with full-time work and live modestly until you establish your credit, which takes about a year if you do everything right. I use less than 20% of my available credit or less, and after a year 2 of my secured cards are now unsecured cards, which is helping my credit rating.

I can't afford to work for free, so after gaining about a half a year of volunteer experience as a vet tech once/week I'm now actually getting paid. This is something I'll continue to do, as the hours are great (work less days per week over longer shifts), and emergency clinics pay a little better and offer more flexibility (they love people who will work evenings and weekends). Plus you get the experience required to get into vet school, in addition to doing what you love. Just be sure to get a few more volunteer positions here and there, maybe over the summers, to broaden your experiences. "Breadth" of experience often matters, so get a bit of time in with different species.

As for your grades current vet students are probably the best source of that. Applying as an in-state student is competitive, but MUCH less competitive than applying as an out-of-state student. My general feedback on my grade situation, (like yours, was bad in the first year or so then improved) was that what mattered was that I improved, what my overall GPA will be, what my science GPA will be, what my last 45 hours GPA will be, and that I am able to prove through work/volunteer experiences and in my essay that I am committed and prepared.

Contact the vet schools you are interested in, try to attend open houses, and keep up on this board, as there's a lot of good information on this subject. Good luck to you and I hope this helps.

 

[surrealeuphoria]

Thank you so much! It helps alot. Yeah, I am attempting to get on at a clinic but you know how it is, they don't really want to hire someone who is tied down with school.. I'm sure they wouldn't mind volunteer work though.

 

[BrumleyVet]

Contact the University and see if there is program for "first generation" students. I not only received a grant from them, but free tutoring in any subject for the rest of my undergrad. Also check with the department that you are majoring in (Biology/Chemistry/whatever). They usually have scholarships and grants only for those students in that major. When you go to a university instead of a c.c, you are awarded more money. The financial aid office looks at your FAFSA, and puts together a "package" of grants/scholarships/loans to cover what they have determined to be their cost of your school and related costs for the year. They budget for rent, food, books, and transportation. Have you been accepted for fall yet? If so, call the FA office and they will tell you what your "award" is. That should ease some fears.

Don't worry about your grades. Jump in with both feet and run! Good Luck!

 

[surrealeuphoria]

It will be fall of 09 when I transfer, I'm finishing up my associate here. It is frustrating finding an adviser that understands the program. Apparently, no one from my community college has ever wished to go to vet school. I am just going to start dailing direct with Eastern.

 

[ccrose3]

It will be fall of 09 when I transfer, I'm finishing up my associate here. It is frustrating finding an adviser that understands the program. Apparently, no one from my community college has ever wished to go to vet school. I am just going to start dailing direct with Eastern.

I had the same problem. However, if you mention "premed" they may be more understanding. Often the subjects and grade requirements to go into a premed or biomedical program from cc to university are the same. At our school they're actually lumped together.

As for the job, I can relate. You may also try to apply for a kennel tech or even a receptionist position. The odd thing is what regular day clinics don't want is exactly what a lot of ec's want: evening/weekend workers. They don't care that you're tied down to school, just that you're willing to work the shifts other people don't want. Many people I know, including those who have trained me, started out as kennel techs or receptionists to get their foot in the door and were just willing to do anything to try to get experience.

I got in at a non-profit spay and neuter clinic. Non-profits are often understaffed and overwhelmed. I was a volunteer and hired because they needed staff so badly, and needed me to do a job that wouldn't require someone holding my hand (for insurance purposes they needed to employ me). There's no doubt in my mind I would not have gained the experience I did in a for-profit environment in such a short time. Now I still want to work one day a week at this clinic because I believe in what they do, but I have the skills needed to get hired in a regular tech position at much better pay.

 

[SweeTeaPie]

Don't worry about your grades. Jump in with both feet and run! Good Luck!

I hate to be a bit of a downer, but grades are, perhaps somewhat unfortunately, a very important factor. There are some schools that put a 25% weight on your GPA when looking at your application. So while you can't necessarily erase the grades you got in the past, you can at least work as hard as you can to try and make up for them. At least now that you have a goal ahead of you, you can raise the bar a bit higher for yourself. Good Luck!

 

[Bill59]

If you're a Kentucky resident, your in-state school will be Auburn. You mentioned applying to every school you can, which is fine, but since finances are a concern, realize that out of state tuition will increase cost substantially in most cases. Also getting accepted is usually easier as an in-state applicant.

 

[surrealeuphoria]

If you're a Kentucky resident, your in-state school will be Auburn. You mentioned applying to every school you can, which is fine, but since finances are a concern, realize that out of state tuition will increase cost substantially in most cases. Also getting accepted is usually easier as an in-state applicant.

Yes, Auburn is my goal. It fits into everything I really want, not to mention the studies out of that school amaze me! I looked at the prices for Out of state students compared to in state and wow.

I hate to be a bit of a downer, but grades are, perhaps somewhat unfortunately, a very important factor. There are some schools that put a 25% weight on your GPA when looking at your application. So while you can't necessarily erase the grades you got in the past, you can at least work as hard as you can to try and make up for them. At least now that you have a goal ahead of you, you can raise the bar a bit higher for yourself. Good Luck! Yesterday 10:38 PM

Also, I would consider my GPA pretty good for totally failing out at the beginning of my college career. It's a 3.2... not great but alot better. If I can raise this do you believe it will overshadow those wretched grades?

I really appreciate these prompt replies.

 

[ccrose3]

Also, I would consider my GPA pretty good for totally failing out at the beginning of my college career. It's a 3.2... not great but alot better. If I can raise this do you believe it will overshadow those wretched grades?

I really appreciate these prompt replies.

Here's a link the the admissions statistics at Auburn: http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/index.pl/2002-2003_admissions_summary__statistics

Your best bet is to speak to an advisor there. Every vet school is a little different, and there are no certainties. I know people that got in with a 3.4 and people who were waitlisted with a 3.6. GPA is a very big factor, but it's not everything. However, you do have to have a good GPA to get in anywhere, any way you look at it. If you still have another year before you apply to vet school you still have time to keep increasing your grades. If you don't get in on your first try be sure to get feedback and just continue to improve. I would definitely try to get in touch with an advisor at Auburn though; they will probably be your best source of information and advice for that school.

 

[BrumleyVet]

What I meant about the grades was that you should let that keep you from going after your dream at this point. "Jump in with both feet" meant that you are going to be getting into the really intense classes and getting good grades there will be what you need. Yes, a 3.2 isn't perfect, but it's workable.

If you can't find an advisor, call a Vet School in your area and they usually have someone available who can help you. My advisor is so far out of the loop that we (other pre-veters) have gone straight to the school for guidance.

 

[Emio]

Yes, Auburn is my goal. It fits into everything I really want, not to mention the studies out of that school amaze me! I looked at the prices for Out of state students compared to in state and wow.


Also, I would consider my GPA pretty good for totally failing out at the beginning of my college career. It's a 3.2... not great but alot better. If I can raise this do you believe it will overshadow those wretched grades?

I really appreciate these prompt replies.

i think that's pretty remarkable, actually. you're likely to get asked about that first year, so be prepared with a well spoken response without sugar coating it, as well as be able to explain what you've done differently to pull the GPA up.

definitely keep working to get it even higher though. keep up the good work!

 

[surrealeuphoria]

Thank you all for help. I think I have alot of self doubt I must overcome. I still have quite alot of time considering I am still working on my AS. Just a few more classes and I'll have it then I'll begin working on my BS at Eastern.

From my understanding (I'm talking to my adviser tomorrow) the Pre-vet program there prepares the student for Auburn.

I hope to gather all the info I can early on so I'm not in the dark when I do start applying.

 

[ri23]

i think that's pretty remarkable, actually. you're likely to get asked about that first year, so be prepared with a well spoken response without sugar coating it, as well as be able to explain what you've done differently to pull the GPA up.

definitely keep working to get it even higher though. keep up the good work!

I agree, getting up to a 3.2 is very impressive and schools definitely notice positive trends. Though watch any freshman forgiveness programs that you may have had, as some schools won't accept that and will still factor in your original grades.

 

[GoCougs2012]

Don't worry about old grades, as long as you're getting great ones now! I too had no idea what I was headed for in community college and was an average student, especially in science. Then I gradually found my path, transferred to a university and did great. I'm now about to start vet school after being accepted first try. Just do the best you can with the time you have, get awesome grades and diverse experience, and they'll overlook the past. These people understand that many people take time to find their way in college, they only care that you are ready for a tough curriculum now.
Hope that helps!