Should I apply second time for c/o 2027?

[nireepoh]

I applied this cycle for c/o 2026 and got rejected from 8/10 of my schools. I got accepted to one, but it is by far the most expensive for me and I can't decide if it would be worth it to reapply to get a school closer to home & cheaper or to just go ahead and go to this school. I'm so grateful to have gotten one acceptance, I'm just not looking forward to being so much in debt if I could get in somewhere cheaper.

21 year old, female, AL resident, traditional student. Plan to go into mixed animal practice

GPA: 3.93
Science GPA: 3.9 (if I calculated it right)
Last 45 hours: 4.0

GRE: 310

Animal Experience:
~ 400 hours volunteering at animal shelters
~ 500 hours intern at a wildlife center - in charge of baby bird nursery

Vet Experience:
~400 hours working at a small animal hospital
had 400 hours at a mixed animal practice, but if I reapplied I'd have around 1,000 hours total

Research experience:
~100 hours in a professor's lab involving rearing butterfly colonies, DNA sequencing, and taking 3D images using a VHX microscope of butterfly scales

LORs:
I had 2 letters from 2 different vets at the mixed animal clinic and one professor. I'd probably get 3 from vets at this clinic next time

Extracurriculars:
Member of several clubs
captain of a club field hockey team (was also a captain all throughout high school and coached)
played DIII field hockey and lacrosse at a different college my freshman year
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I think my major weakness was extracurriculars/leadership, which I'm not sure how I would improve that since I will be graduating and not at school anymore. I wasn't super confident going in but I didn't expect to not get into my IS.... so now I'm a bit lost.

I got interviews at Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Mizzou. Got waitlisted from Mizzou and Mississippi, and rejected from the rest. If I reapplied I would reapply to Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi, NC State, and maybe a few others.

Any advice or help on if I should reapply or what you think my chances would be if I did would be greatly appreciated! I'm so scared to make the wrong decision here.

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[cmwells]

Hey!

So I also applied first time this cycle and also got rejected from Auburn as my IS, while getting accepted to a few different schools, which I have been deciding financially. If you wanted to reapply, an idea for extracurriculars (outside of school since you are graduating) could be volunteer positions with different organizations such as food pantries, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc. If you are aiming for leadership, involvement such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, tutoring, etc. could demonstrate those qualities too. I think your GPA is great! Another idea could be to diversify hours by checking if local zoos or aquariums allow shadowing or volunteering.

Overall, it's a tough decision and I completely understand because not getting into Auburn was a huge bummer for me as well financially. I would definitely compare costs, benefits of programs, and future plans in making the decision! For example, if you applied again but did not get into Auburn for a second time, would you continue reapplying? Just make sure to weigh all the different aspects and think about what you would be the happiest with for your future! Best of luck to you!!

 

[nireepoh]

Hey!

So I also applied first time this cycle and also got rejected from Auburn as my IS, while getting accepted to a few different schools, which I have been deciding financially. If you wanted to reapply, an idea for extracurriculars (outside of school since you are graduating) could be volunteer positions with different organizations such as food pantries, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc. If you are aiming for leadership, involvement such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, tutoring, etc. could demonstrate those qualities too. I think your GPA is great! Another idea could be to diversify hours by checking if local zoos or aquariums allow shadowing or volunteering.

Overall, it's a tough decision and I completely understand because not getting into Auburn was a huge bummer for me as well financially. I would definitely compare costs, benefits of programs, and future plans in making the decision! For example, if you applied again but did not get into Auburn for a second time, would you continue reapplying? Just make sure to weigh all the different aspects and think about what you would be the happiest with for your future! Best of luck to you!!

Thank you so much. I'm really sorry you didn't get in, but it makes me feel better just to hear someone else understands and knows kind of where I'm at. Thank you for the extracurricular ideas and ways to get a variety as well! My GPA apparently was the only good thing about my app

That's why this decision is so hard for me, I don't want to risk it all by reapplying with the very real chance I still don't get in, but if I did then it would obviously be worth it. I'd love Auburn but honestly just any of my top schools were all cheaper and had some other aspects I was really interested in (like the 2-2 curriculum). I would be happier at one of these schools, but would definitely be happier going to school this fall over not going at all or it taking another 2 years. It's so hard to choose between all of these things and having the uncertainty of waitlists as well...

 

[cmwells]

Thank you so much. I'm really sorry you didn't get in, but it makes me feel better just to hear someone else understands and knows kind of where I'm at. Thank you for the extracurricular ideas and ways to get a variety as well! My GPA apparently was the only good thing about my app

That's why this decision is so hard for me, I don't want to risk it all by reapplying with the very real chance I still don't get in, but if I did then it would obviously be worth it. I'd love Auburn but honestly just any of my top schools were all cheaper and had some other aspects I was really interested in (like the 2-2 curriculum). I would be happier at one of these schools, but would definitely be happier going to school this fall over not going at all or it taking another 2 years. It's so hard to choose between all of these things and having the uncertainty of waitlists as well...

Your GPA was definitely not the only good thing! Having research (especially with animals) and getting unique experiences such as working in a nursery definitely help you stand out!

What was the one school you got accepted to? Maybe weigh the pros and cons of it to see how it would fit into your financials and career goals! Also, do you know what quartile you are for Mississippi? I know their waitlist tends to move quite a bit! If you ever want to reach out about different opportunities in Alabama feel free to message me!

One last thing to if you do choose to reapply would be to go over your essays and make sure they help present you in a way that helps you stand out and show what qualities you have gained from your experiences that would help you in the veterinary field! I had 10+ people read mine, including 2 english professors, to provide as much feedback as possible.

 

[nireepoh]

Your GPA was definitely not the only good thing! Having research (especially with animals) and getting unique experiences such as working in a nursery definitely help you stand out!

What was the one school you got accepted to? Maybe weigh the pros and cons of it to see how it would fit into your financials and career goals! Also, do you know what quartile you are for Mississippi? I know their waitlist tends to move quite a bit! If you ever want to reach out about different opportunities in Alabama feel free to message me!

One last thing to if you do choose to reapply would be to go over your essays and make sure they help present you in a way that helps you stand out and show what qualities you have gained from your experiences that would help you in the veterinary field! I had 10+ people read mine, including 2 english professors, to provide as much feedback as possible.

That's why I'm even considering it, if my app was enough to make me competitive to get that many interviews, with a bit more experience and changing a few other things might get me that extra step.

I got accepted to LSU back in December. I'm truly not trying to discredit them or ANYTHING, it's just the farthest from home and like I said the most expensive for me. I am in the second quartile for Mississippi, which sounds good except each quartile is ~80 people and I don't think there's usually that many people in each quartile. I could be 81st or 160th so I'm not sure how much of a chance I have.

That's another thing I could change, I don't think my essay was bad I definitely think it could be improved though. I don't think I emphasized what makes me unique and I didn't have anyone besides my parents read over it. Ugh I just can't decide if these changes to my app would be good enough to give me a really good shot.

 

[WonderingStudent]

Have you been able to do any application reviews with the schools that rejected/waitlisted you? This is the best way to understand how to improve if you wanted to have the best chance for the next cycle. Your application looks good - you have diverse animal experiences (can always get more though! Such as veterinary experience with specialty practices - ER, Cardiology, Oncology) and your GPA is good.

I’m unsure how important more leadership experience is (and if that is the major weakness of your application). It wouldn’t hurt to do so to improve your application.

It’s up to you to weigh if you are willing to reapply with the possibility of being rejected from all schools because it’s obviously never a guarantee. There are definitely ways of improving your application.

 

[nireepoh]

Have you been able to do any application reviews with the schools that rejected/waitlisted you? This is the best way to understand how to improve if you wanted to have the best chance for the next cycle. Your application looks good - you have diverse animal experiences (can always get more though! Such as veterinary experience with specialty practices - ER, Cardiology, Oncology) and your GPA is good.

I’m unsure how important more leadership experience is (and if that is the major weakness of your application). It wouldn’t hurt to do so to improve your application.

It’s up to you to weigh if you are willing to reapply with the possibility of being rejected from all schools because it’s obviously never a guarantee. There are definitely ways of improving your application.

Unfortunately no, all the schools have said I can't request a file review until after April 15th, so that wouldn't help me make a decision... I would definitely do that if I do reapply. I wish I could get some idea what these schools think I could improve before the deadline.

I've been told by several schools the typical "there isn't anything wrong and you're still qualified" but it's frustrating because I don't know what to improve specifically. If I did nothing wrong, then I could fix the leadership and get more experience but that still wouldn't help me.