Should I Apply This Year?

[jadefire94]

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I'm a prevet student at WashU in St. Louis, and I'm a Junior, struggling to decide whether or not I should apply next summer - the reason being I probably won't get in and if I take a gap year, the vet schools can see my senior year grades and extra vet experience.

So here are my stats (I realistically estimated how everything would be by next summer)

Major: Spanish
Minor: Biology
GPA: 3.35
GRE: unknown (haven't taken it yet)

Vet Experience:
-300 hours of small animal experience
-100 hours equine experience

Animal Experience:
-250 hours volunteering at animal shelter
-100 hours zoo experience

I have three people in mind to write my letters of recommendation, and I'm hoping to get a good GRE score since I'm a very good test-taker, but I'm afraid that my GPA and vet experience is too low for me to apply next cycle anyway. If I wait, my senior year will increase my GPA, and I'll have even more experience and better chances of getting in. But I've heard of people getting in with even lower GPAs, so should I just try and see what happens? Or would it be a waste of my time and money?

Thanks; I appreciate any input! 🙂

 

[WildZoo]

There's a What Are My Chances thread stickied to the top of the pre-vet forum, you should post this there 🙂

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

I have three people in mind to write my letters of recommendation, and I'm hoping to get a good GRE score since I'm a very good test-taker, but I'm afraid that my GPA and vet experience is too low for me to apply next cycle anyway.

I can't speak to the GPA issue, but I'm willing to bet I'm one of the members here that applied with the lowest experience hours. I rekindled the vet dream rather recently and spent the summer racking up what I could; I only have 110 SA / 21 LA hours. We all hope for holistically-viewed applications, and we all have strengths and weaknesses.

Go post in the thead WildZoo recommended, and you're welcome to check with me anytime to see if I made the cut with really low experience hours.

 

[ImAVet]

I'm a prevet student at WashU in St. Louis, and I'm a Junior, struggling to decide whether or not I should apply next summer - the reason being I probably won't get in and if I take a gap year, the vet schools can see my senior year grades and extra vet experience.

So here are my stats (I realistically estimated how everything would be by next summer)

Major: Spanish
Minor: Biology
GPA: 3.35
GRE: unknown (haven't taken it yet)

Vet Experience:
-300 hours of small animal experience
-100 hours equine experience

Animal Experience:
-250 hours volunteering at animal shelter
-100 hours zoo experience

I have three people in mind to write my letters of recommendation, and I'm hoping to get a good GRE score since I'm a very good test-taker, but I'm afraid that my GPA and vet experience is too low for me to apply next cycle anyway. If I wait, my senior year will increase my GPA, and I'll have even more experience and better chances of getting in. But I've heard of people getting in with even lower GPAs, so should I just try and see what happens? Or would it be a waste of my time and money?

Thanks; I appreciate any input! 🙂

I say go for it. You should bust your bum the rest of this school year to get A's and high B's and recruit as many vet and animal hours as possible. I know people that have gotten in with a 3.0. Since you are a good test taker that should compensate for your semi-low GPA. Remember, you will also be submitting your Senior Fall grades as well so you have that chance to raise your GPA. If they see an increasing trend in your grades, you should be fine, especially if you have been doing very well in your last 45 semester hours. Alot of schools look at the person as a whole (being a well rounded individual), not just GPA and GREs. I'll tell you this, I have an average GPA 3.5 and LOW GREs (terrible standardized test taker) and have received two interview offers so far. SA: 402 Wildlife/exotics: 240+ Equine: 100+. I say keep working hard, or even harder, and apply! Definitely take on leadership roles if you haven't already and try committing to community-based opportunities. I think you will be fine 🙂

 

[alohacat319]

If money is a problem and you can realistically only apply once, you could always wait a year to strengthen your ap, otherwise, I say go for it!