Should I apply this year or take a gap year?

[ethereal_goldfish]

Hello everyone! I am currently a 3rd year undergrad at UC Davis majoring in Animal Science. I just need some advice/input on whether I should apply to vet school this coming year. Currently my GPA is a 3.30 (Not that great, I know). I got a couple C+ in general chemistry/organic chemistry.... Therefore, my last two years of undergrad, I'm really trying to raise my GPA as high as possible! I really want to go to UC Davis Vet School, but I know how tough it is to get in. I am currently debating on whether I should take a year off and apply next year or take a chance and apply this year. I have a lot of doubts about getting into UCD if I apply this year. I talked to the pre-vet advisor at my school and she really stressed getting as close to a 4.0 GPA when applying to any vet school, especially Davis.

Also, I am struggling with the getting letters of recommendation. Currently, I have one from my lab supervisor, but I can't seem to connect with a veterinarian! I have interned at at the UCD Vet teaching hospital, but those internships are so competitive that it's almost impossible to have the internship for more than 1 quarter! I've also went around Davis asking private practices if they take interns, and basically, they either said no, they don't accept internships/job shadows or they referred me back to the UCD Vet Teaching Hospital for internships! Anyway, it's been very frustrating and stressful. Any advice on how to successfully find an internship under a veterinarian? The last veterinarian I shadowed was before my freshman year in college in my hometown, but I doubt she would say yes if I asked since I do not go home very often.

This is why I am considering taking a gap year. However, I really do not want to take a year off from school (well, at least my parents do not want me too....). I am taking the GRE in June and again probably in August.

My EC include 500+ working in clinics and/or small animals, 60 hours working with dairy cattle, and 150+ in my research lab. Currently have an internship at the UCD VMTH and interning in my research lab.

Sorry for the long post, but any advice/opinions would greatly be appreciated! Thank you so much!

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[dovelover]

It sounds like you don't have a ton of vet experience at this point (although research experience is good too), and eLoRs are an essential part of your application. I find it kind of crazy that no one in the area takes shadows... did you specifically ask to shadow or did you ask to volunteer/intern? That may make a difference. Otherwise, you can try asking if anyone's hiring... even a kennel assistant position in a hospital will get your foot in the door. If you are able to get yourself enough experiences over the summer to be full time you will get a fair number of hours, and possibly a good enough relationship for a good eLoR, but I'll admit that if you don't have something lined up by now, the chances of getting something full time like that may be small. I'd keep doing what you can to find experience, and maybe wait and see how things go to make a final decision on the matter. However, all this being said, while the decision is up to you, I fully support the idea of taking a year off! I took two years off, and had some awesome experiences, and really matured a lot and don't regret it one bit. Most people I know who had time off before vet school don't regret it at all. You'll be able to hopefully get a bit more experience in and hopefully in a variety of areas, and assuming you are able to improve your GPA, it will be better reflected if you apply after a few additional semesters of classes. You may want to try posting a more specific details about yourself and your experiences in the "what are my chances?" thread to get some more specific advice.

EDIT: So you edited your response while I was writing mine and put in your number of hours... so some of what I said doesn't apply. But still, gap years are great!

 

[KCgophervet]

Question, if you have 500+ hours working in clinics/small animals why are you having problems finding a vet for a reference? That's a lot of hours right there - why not ask one of those vets?

But otherwise, yes take a gap year! Get some more experience, make some money (as much as you can save!), make your application the strongest it can be. Or if you want you can just throw caution (and a few hundred dollars) to the wind and try applying this cycle and if you don't get in, get some feedback on where exactly you need to improve for the next year.

Also second what @dovelover said about posting in the "what are my chances?" thread.

 

[ethereal_goldfish]

Question, if you have 500+ hours working in clinics/small animals why are you having problems finding a vet for a reference? That's a lot of hours right there - why not ask one of those vets?

But otherwise, yes take a gap year! Get some more experience, make some money (as much as you can save!), make your application the strongest it can be. Or if you want you can just throw caution (and a few hundred dollars) to the wind and try applying this cycle and if you don't get in, get some feedback on where exactly you need to improve for the next year.

Also second what @dovelover said about posting in the "what are my chances?" thread.

Thank you for the advice! A lot of my hours were from when I was in high school, and like I said, my internships are usually only 10 weeks long, which made it hard to made a connection with a vet (trust me, I would ask if I knew they would write me a strong letter of rec!).

 

[ethereal_goldfish]

It sounds like you don't have a ton of vet experience at this point (although research experience is good too), and eLoRs are an essential part of your application. I find it kind of crazy that no one in the area takes shadows... did you specifically ask to shadow or did you ask to volunteer/intern? That may make a difference. Otherwise, you can try asking if anyone's hiring... even a kennel assistant position in a hospital will get your foot in the door. If you are able to get yourself enough experiences over the summer to be full time you will get a fair number of hours, and possibly a good enough relationship for a good eLoR, but I'll admit that if you don't have something lined up by now, the chances of getting something full time like that may be small. I'd keep doing what you can to find experience, and maybe wait and see how things go to make a final decision on the matter. However, all this being said, while the decision is up to you, I fully support the idea of taking a year off! I took two years off, and had some awesome experiences, and really matured a lot and don't regret it one bit. Most people I know who had time off before vet school don't regret it at all. You'll be able to hopefully get a bit more experience in and hopefully in a variety of areas, and assuming you are able to improve your GPA, it will be better reflected if you apply after a few additional semesters of classes. You may want to try posting a more specific details about yourself and your experiences in the "what are my chances?" thread to get some more specific advice.

EDIT: So you edited your response while I was writing mine and put in your number of hours... so some of what I said doesn't apply. But still, gap years are great!

Thank you! I really appreciate your advice! It does seem like a gap year will be more advantageous for me. It's just that I never thought about taking a gap year as part of my post-undergrad plans (I've always envisioned myself going straight to vet school). So I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that not everything goes the way we want it to sometimes. But again, thanks for the input!

 

[LetItSnow]

10 weeks ought to be enough to write a letter of recommendation. You're not asking for a nomination for King of the World here, just a vet school recommendation. If I had someone work hard for 2.5 months, show responsibility, be there on time and stay until the last minute every day, contribute, ask good questions and show natural curiosity .... that would be plenty for me to write a recommendation. Heck, I'd do it after a month.

It doesn't take that long to assess somebody.

 

[ethereal_goldfish]

10 weeks ought to be enough to write a letter of recommendation. You're not asking for a nomination for King of the World here, just a vet school recommendation. If I had someone work hard for 2.5 months, show responsibility, be there on time and stay until the last minute every day, contribute, ask good questions and show natural curiosity .... that would be plenty for me to write a recommendation. Heck, I'd do it after a month.

It doesn't take that long to assess somebody.

Maybe you are right about this. I am just afraid that I'm not memorable enough, especially since many of the vets have to teach/guide the vet students as well. Plus, one vet (who was my dog's vet) that I shadowed was before I started college. It is probably my own fault that I didn't stay in touch much. But it doesn't hurt to try I guess?

 

[LetItSnow]

No, it doesn't hurt to try. Just be sure to ask if they can write you an excellent recommendation.

And, it's only May. Applications aren't due until ... when ... Oct 1? Right? Somewhere around there? Four months to build a relationship or further develop an existing one. Piece of cake.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Maybe you are right about this. I am just afraid that I'm not memorable enough, especially since many of the vets have to teach/guide the vet students as well. Plus, one vet (who was my dog's vet) that I shadowed was before I started college. It is probably my own fault that I didn't stay in touch much. But it doesn't hurt to try I guess?

I second the advice to ask the vets you worked with for 10 weeks. That seems like plenty of time for a vet to get to know you, and it doesn't hurt to ask whether they feel like they know you well enough to write a strong letter.

Have you tried asking to shadow (not intern) for a half day at a clinic? Maybe the Davis area is different because it's so close to a vet school, but some clinics will take on a shadow for a half day, and then the vets can decide whether to allow the shadow to come back. You could also see if you can find a paying job as an assistant, kennel assistant, or receptionist so you can earn money and spend more hours there than you would as a shadow. There would be plenty of time over summer to get to know a vet well before the application is due.

I think LORs might need to be submitted by early September now, if it's the same as it was last year. Still plenty of time though.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Thank you! I really appreciate your advice! It does seem like a gap year will be more advantageous for me. It's just that I never thought about taking a gap year as part of my post-undergrad plans (I've always envisioned myself going straight to vet school). So I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that not everything goes the way we want it to sometimes. But again, thanks for the input!

It certainly can't hurt to apply this year because if you get in, it's 1 year faster that you'll be earning a doctor's salary, and it's 1 year ahead of the curve in terms of tuition hikes. Financially it will help you out to start earlier provided that you get into your in state.

But I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to take a gap year. I was in a similar situation as you. I always planned on going to vet school right after UG, but then felt that maybe my app wasn't as strong as it could be when I started the application process late junior year. it worked out well for me in the end. I raised my cumulative gpa from a 3.4 to 3.6 my senior year, and then worked full time in research for 2 years. Not only did that get me into my dream school, it opened up a lot of doors for me once in vet school (including a job with flexible hours as well as $14k in various scholarships). All of these opportunities and awards really put me in a great place should I ever decide to pursue a residency. It was so scary when I first made the decision to take a gap year (which turned into 2 yrs due to job contract), but I don't regret that decision one bit.

 

[Cyndia]

I was in a similar spot where I always wanted to go to vet school straightaway, but didn't think my app was strong enough because of my GPA. I didn't actually apply, and a very small part of me does wish I'd at least tried since it might have saved me time and money. So I'd say if you're deadset on going and can afford the application fees, you have nothing to lose by trying this cycle. Then, if you don't get in, your choice is made for you and you can go into your gap year. In addition, after the cycle is over you can request a file review and find out which parts of your application need the most work, and you can try to improve it as much as possible before reapplying.

If you do end up taking the gap year though, really try to make the most of it. One thing to keep in mind if you intend to reapply the upcoming cycle after you graduate, is that you really don't end up having all that much time to improve your application before the deadline in October. So plan ahead and really think about what you want to do in your time off. I myself took two years off so that I'd have time to really buff up my application - I spent a bit over a year completing a masters abroad, and then spent part of my second year working in research and traveling a little bit more before I start school this fall. I'm absolutely so happy with my choice because it definitely improved my application enough to get me into vet school, and I've had some really incredible experiences which have taken my life in a completely different direction than I would have expected.

Also willow makes a good point about shadowing - a lot of clinics will turn you away if you ask to volunteer or intern, simply because of the liability issues. You won't really be allowed to do much except watch, but if you instead just ask to shadow for a day, they're more likely to say yes, and if it goes well you can enquire about coming back for another day or two, and eventually turn it into a more regular thing.

 

[ethereal_goldfish]

Thank you everyone for your advice! I am starting to think that taking a gap year is not such a bad idea! I will definitely try to apply this year to see how things go. If I don't get in, then I'll at least know how the process works and can (hopefully) be a stronger applicant the year after. Again, thanks everyone!

 

[LetItSnow]

One thing to keep in mind if you intend to reapply the upcoming cycle after you graduate, is that you really don't end up having all that much time to improve your application before the deadline in October. So plan ahead and really think about what you want to do in your time off.

The best thing to do is just not stop building up your application. Keep right on accumulating experience and networking and doing community service and research and .. whatever the things are that make you a good applicant. Don't stop just because you applied. Then you waste 4-6 months while you sit around waiting that you could have gained anywhere from 100 to 600 hours or so. If you don't get in, big deal - you're already on track for the next go-around.