Science GPA

[VeterinaryLover]

What if you go through everything and but when it comes to your science GPA its really low....Do you think that I would still have a chance I still have 2 years to bring it up. But I doubt it will ever see a 3.0...

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[CanadianGolden]

While you may have a chance at admission, my concern is your ability to handle the vet school coursework. I know it generally includes developmental biology, cell biology, and biochemistry at least. Are you able to pinpoint why you did poorly and how you can improve? Can you take upper level courses and do well in them to improve your science GPA?

 

[VAgirl]

While you may have a chance at admission, my concern is your ability to handle the vet school coursework.

Admission committees will also ask you this question if you're invited to interview (I was asked this question at an interview, even after having completed and excelled in many graduate-level science courses). So it's a good idea to think about and have an answer to this question.

 

[VeterinaryLover]

While you may have a chance at admission, my concern is your ability to handle the vet school coursework. I know it generally includes developmental biology, cell biology, and biochemistry at least. Are you able to pinpoint why you did poorly and how you can improve? Can you take upper level courses and do well in them to improve your science GPA?

I haven't taken those courses yet. I am a C average student in my science classes. I had just finished my 2nd year...So I guess now I should just work even harder....

 

[david594]

If you have 2 years left and you doubt you can bring your science GPA up to a 3.0 that would imply that you got C's and D's in your first two years of sciences. Gen bio, gen chem, orgo and physics.

If that is the case I would personally redo some of those courses. Any chance your school has a summer session so you could start retaking some of them?

 

[CanadianGolden]

I haven't taken those courses yet. I am a C average student in my science classes. I had just finished my 2nd year...So I guess now I should just work even harder....

Right, but you will have to take them in undergrad and also in vet school. I hate to be blunt, but if you cannot manage at least Bs in introductory chem, organic chem, physics, etc. I think it is unlikely that you will be able to pass vet school classes, partially because it is like taking many science classes all at once. If you are able to vastly improve your grades in science classes over the next two years, you may be able to succeed in vet school, but it seems that some major changes need to occur.

 

[VAgirl]

If you are able to vastly improve your grades in science classes over the next two years, you may be able to succeed in vet school, but it seems that some major changes need to occur.

While I agree that it sounds like changes are in order, there are many of us who have done this. Even if you (OP) cannot manage to turn things around for yourself by the end of undergrad, it's not necessarily a lost cause. It just gets harder to repair GPA damage, so the earlier the "ah-ha, this is how you study/this is what gets me excited" moment happens, the easier it will be. But if you get your behind in gear, you should be able to do some serious GPA repair in the next 2 years. Upward trends are good.

 

[VeterinaryLover]

If you have 2 years left and you doubt you can bring your science GPA up to a 3.0 that would imply that you got C's and D's in your first two years of sciences. Gen bio, gen chem, orgo and physics.

If that is the case I would personally redo some of those courses. Any chance your school has a summer session so you could start retaking some of them?

I have ALL C's and one B in my science classes that I have taken so far.... Yea they do summer school...So taken them over for a better grade is what I shold do? (Doesn't the old grade stay on my transcript anyway???)

 

[VeterinaryLover]

I had did my science GPA and it had came out to a 2.3
I think that I might be able to pull it up. I thought that it was lower then that...

 

[CanadianGolden]

By the end of sophomore year, you have theoretically completed most of the science prereqs for vet school. Most people at my school, by the end of sophomore year, have taken Bio I & II (or, more likely, APed out), Chem I & II and labs, Physics I & II and labs, Calc I & II, Organic Chem I & II and labs, and Biochemistry and Cell Bio and labs (if needed for major). I think it is a problem that you have been through this many science courses and not yet learned what the best way for you to study is. Basically, the requirements you have left are Developmental Bio, Genetics, and maybe Microbiology if a school requires it. And maybe some English requirements. I just don't see how you can pull up your GPA for required courses without retaking them, or your science GPA unless you can take many upper levels and do very very well. Your university probably has general/distribution requirements too, so you'll have to find time for those while also taking lots of upper levels or retaking your prereqs. Can it be done? Maybe. But to me it seems that vet school would be very, very difficult to handle.

JMO.

 

[hoodle]

You could either take more advanced classes and do well in them, with the intention of then going back to up the prereqs. Or, you could retake the classes you JUST took.

If I were in your shoes, I'd have a hard time getting re-excited for a class I just got a C in. If I were convinced that now, everything was different... that I was ready and able to simply attack the class and get an A - I'd initiate taking more advanced classes which might be more fun, and could prove that I was capable of scientific thinking.

Be careful, though, going ahead and taking more advanced bio classes now. If you persist in doing badly in them (and averaging a 2.3 is NOT good), it will look like you CAN'T take those classes - that you are incapable of succeeding in the sciences. You'd be better off waiting to take relevant advanced bio/chem classes until you were sure you could handle the work and show yourself off well.

Have you considered taking time off? Maybe you could use a semester or a year to recenter yourself, figure out why you did badly, and prepare for turning your undergraduate record around.

 

[hoodle]

jinx!

 

[VAgirl]

I have ALL C's and one B in my science classes that I have taken so far.... Yea they do summer school...So taken them over for a better grade is what I shold do? (Doesn't the old grade stay on my transcript anyway???)

Yes, it stays on your transcript. But some vet schools replace the old grade with the new grade when they calculate your GPA. Other schools just average out the two grades (a C and an A would become a B). If you have almost all Cs, averaging would still help you, though. You can also figure out which policy each vet schools uses (averaging or grade replacement) and then select the schools you will apply to in part based on this fact.

 

[VeterinaryLover]

By the end of sophomore year, you have theoretically completed most of the science prereqs for vet school. Most people at my school, by the end of sophomore year, have taken Bio I & II (or, more likely, APed out), Chem I & II and labs, Physics I & II and labs, Calc I & II, Organic Chem I & II and labs, and Biochemistry and Cell Bio and labs (if needed for major). I think it is a problem that you have been through this many science courses and not yet learned what the best way for you to study is. Basically, the requirements you have left are Developmental Bio, Genetics, and maybe Microbiology if a school requires it. And maybe some English requirements. I just don't see how you can pull up your GPA for required courses without retaking them, or your science GPA unless you can take many upper levels and do very very well. Your university probably has general/distribution requirements too, so you'll have to find time for those while also taking lots of upper levels or retaking your prereqs. Can it be done? Maybe. But to me it seems that vet school would be very, very difficult to handle.

JMO.

The science classes that I have taken are Bio I&II includes lab in course, Chem I&II, Chem I&II Lab, Organic Chem I Lab....I will be taking in the Fall Geneitcs, Organic Chem I, Organic Evolution, General Ecology.... I am a General Biology Major...

 

[VeterinaryLover]

Yes, it stays on your transcript. But some vet schools replace the old grade with the new grad when the calculate your GPA. Other schools just average the two grades out (a C and an A would become a B). If you have almost all Cs, averaging would still help you, though. You can also figure out which policy the different vet schools use (averaging or grade replacement) and then select the schools you will apply to in part based on this fact.

ok

 

[rachroo]

I don't know that if I should be giving you advice, since I'm not applying to vet school until this application cycle starts up, but my school situation started out very similar to yours.

Concerning your science grades...I think you should really evaluate why you are getting the grades you are. Is it just science grades you are struggling with? Are you working too much? Are you having trouble with the basics? Are you not a good test taker? Once you figure this out, you can plan how to improve.

For me, there were several problems that contribued to my lower science grades my first few years of school. I figured out what they were and made changes to vastly impove those grades. I've been able to bounce back after having mulitple C's in my sciences from my first few years to getting pretty much straight A's in all my upper level sciences and pre-reqs like physics, microbiology, etc that I had left. It can be done...so you can do it!!

Also, realize that even with a slow start, you can bounce back. You may not get into vet school on your first try but you can always improve. Several people on this forum have been accepted with less than the "average" stats (3.5 GPA, 1200+ GRE, etc).

But I think the first thing you need to figure out is why you are struggling and then how to improve with what time you have left.

 

[CanadianGolden]

Concerning your science grades...I think you should really evaluate why you are getting the grades you are. Is it just science grades you are struggling with? Are you working too much? Are you having trouble with the basics? Are you not a good test taker? Once you figure this out, you can plan how to improve.

I really agree with this. If you don't know WHY you're doing badly, you're just going to keep doing the same thing over and over and getting the same grades, which is extremely unproductive.

 

[hoodle]

I don't know that if I should be giving you advice, since I'm not applying to vet school until this application cycle starts up, but my school situation started out very similar to yours.

Concerning your science grades...I think you should really evaluate why you are getting the grades you are. Is it just science grades you are struggling with? Are you working too much? Are you having trouble with the basics? Are you not a good test taker? Once you figure this out, you can plan how to improve.

For me, there were several problems that contribued to my lower science grades my first few years of school. I figured out what they were and made changes to vastly impove those grades. I've been able to bounce back after having mulitple C's in my sciences from my first few years to getting pretty much straight A's in all my upper level sciences and pre-reqs like physics, microbiology, etc that I had left. It can be done...so you can do it!!

Also, realize that even with a slow start, you can bounce back. You may not get into vet school on your first try but you can always improve. Several people on this forum have been accepted with less than the "average" stats (3.5 GPA, 1200+ GRE, etc).

But I think the first thing you need to figure out is why you are struggling and then how to improve with what time you have left.

This is REALLY good advice. read it, pay attention, and do what rachroo says!

 

[lailanni]

And I always like to point out the Caribbean schools as an option. Their average is around a 3.0, so there's certainly hope!

Getting a tutor can help too. I had to do that with part of chem and I did quite well because of it.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, my school offered free tutoring for quite a few classes - I got help with Physics II. It was a wonderful help, and I'm still friends with the guy that was my tutor.

I think that you need to really buckle down and nail the rest of your science courses come hell or high water, and if you try your best and still don't do well, you might have a problem. Not to be discouraging, but... if you can't learn HOW to learn, so to speak... you won't ever be able to handle vet school.

You still have two years though, so give it a shot and you might surprise yourself.

 

[vesselj]

I have a question too regarding this topic. Currently, I'm about to enter my third year in CC (OChem basically and some other classes to stay fulltime), with a GPA of about 2.8 - 2.9. This is actually a major improvement in my GPA and even with two part-time jobs (One being good for vet experience), my study habits have greatly improved and talking to current OChem students (only one instructor here), I feel I can do well with a few tweaks in my current study habits.

However, I'm worried a bit. I can do really well next year and after I transfer I feel after readjusting my habits, but I'll still probably only graduate with a degree with a GPA of about 3.2 - 3.3 (I'll transfer with 70 semester units from CC). Assuming I do well after transfer, would admissions people at vet schools take notice in the sharp change in grades or more just the cumulative? My major is General Bio, too, and I'm in Cali.