Same Old "Worried About Acceptance" Story..

[SeekonDestroy]

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Hi there. New here! And to all this.. never been apart of a forum. I'll spare you my life sob story as I'm sure you've heard/read it all before (be warned: it's nothing different). That being said let's jump into the first thread I'm sure everyone posts: I'M WORRIED ABOUT GETTING ACCEPTED TO VET SCHOOL.

I am a 24 year old transfer/non-traditional student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls majoring in equine science with the drive to go to vet school. My anxiety comes from the fact that I have attended community colleges sporadically and inconsistently since high school earning hit or miss grades until I got in to UWRF this semester. Starting my second semester at a school I love I am ready to pursue my lifelong dream but am wondering if my academic past is going to haunt me. It's finals week next week, but I'm afraid even these marks might hurt.

Here's the thing that gets me: I hear about these stories about people who "started from the bottom" (i.e. homeless) and are now doctors, lawyers, what have you.. That means I can do it, right?

I'd love to hear from anyone with insight and/or experience- especially if you were the mediocre person like me just trying to make it (extra props if you did!). Thanks in advance!

 

[JaynaAli]

I'd suggest reading through the "What Are my Chances" thread at the top of the forum to get a good idea of the spread of experiences/grades people are applying with, and also search the forum for successful applicant stats threads, too. Many people have overcome obstacles and low grades to be accepted into vet school, it just takes hard work and dedication. Use the search function of the forum and you'll learn a lot. If you search for something and can't find it, then ask and hopefully someone can help you out.

 

[ChittyBang]

...That means I can do it, right?

Yes, you can 👍

 

[anesthtc]

Hi there. New here! And to all this.. never been apart of a forum. I'll spare you my life sob story as I'm sure you've heard/read it all before (be warned: it's nothing different). That being said let's jump into the first thread I'm sure everyone posts: I'M WORRIED ABOUT GETTING ACCEPTED TO VET SCHOOL.

I am a 24 year old transfer/non-traditional student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls majoring in equine science with the drive to go to vet school. My anxiety comes from the fact that I have attended community colleges sporadically and inconsistently since high school earning hit or miss grades until I got in to UWRF this semester. Starting my second semester at a school I love I am ready to pursue my lifelong dream but am wondering if my academic past is going to haunt me. It's finals week next week, but I'm afraid even these marks might hurt.

Here's the thing that gets me: I hear about these stories about people who "started from the bottom" (i.e. homeless) and are now doctors, lawyers, what have you.. That means I can do it, right?

I'd love to hear from anyone with insight and/or experience- especially if you were the mediocre person like me just trying to make it (extra props if you did!). Thanks in advance!

I personally know a doctor who grew up on welfare and was homeless for a period of time as a child. She put herself through school and now she has her own practice. So you're right in saying that it can be done. But I won't mince words at all: she worked HARD and sacrificed a lot to get there. Growing up she put all her time into studying and trying to do well in a mediocre inner-city school (everyone carried knives, people got jumped regularly to and from school, etc.), and while she didn't earn the best grades, she kept working for her dream to become a doctor. At one point she was working 3 jobs to fund her discounted education in community college, and eventually she scavenged enough prerequisites to qualify. She had to spend several more years working menial jobs to earn enough money to support further education, but eventually she felt she had enough to apply. After several rejections she decided she had to do more than the average applicant and personally show up to each college and meet the deans personally. One of the universities was so impressed by her dedication that they offered her an interview right there, and after hearing her story they accepted her.

I'll save you the details of how she started her own practice, but I think the important thing to remember is that there are so many ways that you can become a veterinarian. Sure your stats may not be ideal, but this field is quite forgiving in the sense that they will take people will low stats who demonstrate an unrelenting drive to become a veterinarian. Look at the previous accepted class stats and note that several have their lowest accepted GPA below a 3.0. I'm sure those people were extremely worried about their stats, but it's clear they turned that worry into motivation to improve their application in other areas. Incorporate your mistakes into your narrative and use them to show how far you've come.

 

[SeekonDestroy]

Thank you to all who replied! I was worried I would get some negative (realistic or not) feedback and while studying on Friday night I am more motivated than ever after these words!

 

[Kyoht]

I took classes at a community college from 2002 to 2011! I have the common sob story of not being focused during these years which resulted in a extremely low GPA. Even though my science GPA is a 3.7 and my last 45 hrs are about the same, I have already been cut very early from two schools this cycle. While this is understandable, it still stings a bit. I don't want to get you down or anything, but as a low cumGPA applicant I can say that it is hard on me so far. I still have three schools to hear from and if I don't get in this cycle I am trying again. I would advise you to look into the schools that do not look at the cumGPA if yours is super low (a thing that I wish I had done). If I get in this cycle I am definitely posting my stats on here to hopefully give a little support to the people who are trying to make up for their less than stellar past (my cumGPA is SUPER low 🙁).

 

[pp9]

Don't be discouraged. When I find myself in the fetal position thinking "How could I ever have thought I'd have a chance? I'm a joke compared to those geniuses on SDN" I occasionally come across a poster who applied 3-4 cycles in a row before being accepted. Sure, it'd be great to get in (and start your career sooner, for that matter) on your first try. But no one will think less of you for getting in later. Veterinary school is tough to get into. Some of us might have to put in more work by repeating courses or balancing 3 vet jobs at once to bump up those hours. But it will be worth it in the end.

I am an average applicant across the board this cycle- about 400-500 vet hours (wildlife, small animal), GPA's hovering around a 3.6 with my science being a 2.9-3.41. One rejection so far, no interviews, and feeling pretty down. But then I realize some of these applicants have been able to get 3000 hours of experience and earn better grades than I did. If I do not get in this cycle, you will surely see me sitting in lecture halls (yay -_-) and harassing LA vets to let me shadow them. Don't give up! I certainly won't. I haven't been dreaming about this since I was 6 just to throw in the towel after one try 🙂

/end attempt at inspirational speech