Struggling

[BCL801]

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[genny]

You can fail a class or two and still get into vet school. But not if you give up. You'll probably need to write an explanation statement, and the rest of your grades will need to show an upward trajectory. Admissions committees are made up of people, who understand that life doesn't exactly go as planned. Resiliency is one of those qualities they like to see in future veterinarians. You can do this! Think of this as one of those situations you talk about in vet school interviews about how you overcame a problem!

 

[Mythical]

Please seek out help for depression if you haven’t done so already. Taking care of your mental health is so important now, in vet school, and really for life. It will hopefully help you get your motivation back, too.

 

[BigCats]

Can you medically withdraw from the classes you’re struggling with? At my undergrad, you could get a medical withdrawal for one or multiple classes if you had extenuating physical or mental health issues, even if it was after the normal drop deadline. That way you’d have a bit more of a clean slate when it comes to GPA- one less thing to worry about 🙂

 

[max_wildlife]

Hello, I am currently a sophomore pre-veterinary student and I am struggling. I did pretty well for my first year of undergrad last year finishing with a 3.57 GPA. This semester has been a different story however. In the first month of school I had an unexpected surgical procedure and I went into a big depression after. Long story short, I had to withdraw from my organic chemistry class and I am possibly going to fail two classes (philosophy and a communications class). In addition, I am going to receive a C in my animal physiology course. I have always been a good student and never received a grade lower to a B so this is all kind of been devastating and really has crushed my spirit. I know that I 1000% want to attend veterinary school but this semester has me seriously scared for applying in two years. I have found myself extremely unmotivated to do any work because of this. I don't want to make excuses but this has seriously been the lowest moment in my life mentally. Basically, I was just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation or had a similar experience and do you have any recommendations. I don't mean to bring any negativity to this community but could just really use some help or words of encouragement. Thank you if you read this far 🙂 I am very appreciative.

Hey there, you're not alone! I had to withdraw from organic chemistry twice, got a C in Bio I and had to withdraw from Bio II! I had plentiful Cs - I scraped by Gen Chem II with a C as well as philosophy and a music theory class. Please don't freak out about getting lower than a B. I still ended up getting into three out of the four vet schools I applied to for co 2025. I'm not traditional - I took a long gap between undergrad and vet school - but I was able to pull my GPA together within like 3ish years of deciding to apply (2017ish?), and when I got in, my cumulative was still only around a 3.4. You will be okay.

Being unmotivated isn't unusual either! If you're feeling unproductive, try to take a truly restful break and do something you really enjoy, even if it's something small.

 

[Nannarnaluk]

You are not alone! Many people in vet school failed a class or two and/or got some Cs. What is most important is your growth, as a person, academically, and professionally. Absolutely seek help and counsel from people you trust. You must take care of you *first* everything else will come easier when you have done what is needed to be healthy all the way around. Be mindful that you don't have to do everything "by the book". You can take longer to do undergrad, you can do a masters, take a gap year (at any time) to work, intern, etc. Vet schools want to see how you developed yourself as a person and future professional. Grades are just a part of a bigger picture.

I have not been accepted to vet school so far. I also had serious health and family crisis during my freshman and sophomore years of undergrad. I made sure that my essays on applications highlighted my growth from those experiences and I have had good feedback from veterinary professionals on my essays' strengths.

 

[lis1127]

Like yourself, I've also had issues (specifically family issues) that led to me actually separating from my family about 2-3 years ago. My family caused my depression and anxiety, and to make matters even worse, I was suddenly thrown into a situation where I had to now start both working and studying full-time. Needless to say, this took quite a hit on my GPA. I haven't been accepted into vet school yet as this is my first cycle, but since then, my grades have really improved. I've also taken up a research position and am now working on my senior thesis. I've found two jobs related to animals that I really love. While I know these things might all seem like resume builders, I actually really love the things I'm doing right now, especially my research. So I would focus on your mental health (because you're going to want to be in good mental health condition when you start vet school) and just doing things that you are passionate about. Also I think it's super important to remind everyone that your rejections do not define you. Always prioritize yourself and your health first. For example, I applied to UC Davis, which had been my dream school until now. I got rejected, and I actually appealed the rejection, referencing my improvements and mental health conditions. I actually got a response back that because my GPA is below UC Davis' standards (but above their requirement), they wouldn't take a look at my app, even if my GPA was due to extenuating circumstances that I had no control over and mental health issues. So the reason why I say that UC Davis is no longer my dream school is because I am a HUGE mental health advocate and I strongly dislike how UC Davis seems to have very little regard for mental health, which tells me that our values do not match and that is not a school I should be going to anyways. So like I said, prioritize yourself and your own values first, and don't let any rejection define you in the end. I know from experience that this is all easier said than done. It took me about 3 years or more to get to the state I'm in today, which isn't always 100% still, but take everything one step at a time. Give yourself time to relax. Good luck!!

 

[jmiam2]

Hello, I am currently a sophomore pre-veterinary student and I am struggling. I did pretty well for my first year of undergrad last year finishing with a 3.57 GPA. This semester has been a different story however. In the first month of school I had an unexpected surgical procedure and I went into a big depression after. Long story short, I had to withdraw from my organic chemistry class and I am possibly going to fail two classes (philosophy and a communications class). In addition, I am going to receive a C in my animal physiology course. I have always been a good student and never received a grade lower to a B so this is all kind of been devastating and really has crushed my spirit. I know that I 1000% want to attend veterinary school but this semester has me seriously scared for applying in two years. I have found myself extremely unmotivated to do any work because of this. I don't want to make excuses but this has seriously been the lowest moment in my life mentally. Basically, I was just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation or had a similar experience and do you have any recommendations. I don't mean to bring any negativity to this community but could just really use some help or words of encouragement. Thank you if you read this far 🙂 I am very appreciative.

On the VMCAS application there is a whole section called the explanation statement where you can discuss why you may have gotten a bad grade in a class why you withdrew from a class. Most schools are transitioning to a holistic approach in that they don’t just look at your GRE and GPA they look at your experiences your explanation statement your LORs everything. They want a student who is well rounded and has the clinical skills needed to become a good vet not just book smart kids. Make sure you get your hours and start logging them in a notebook. Make sure to shadow or work with a vet. Get experiences with all animals not just cats and dogs. Look into the schools you may want to apply to and look at their requirements and their admission review style. Grades matter for sure but it’s not 100% of what counts. I’m also worried about orgo but from what I have been told in my own post is that you really don’t use it in vet school it’s just a class you have to get through so even if you get a C it’s fine. I found that the experiences (volunteering at a shelter and an aquarium and shadowing) and seeing how different it is being a vet vs undergrad made it so much easier for me. I too am struggling a lot. I am going on year 6 of undergrad because I changed my major junior year. I am suffering from burn out and I have to just keep reminding myself that it’s hard, I’m not going to understand everything perfectly and that it’s just undergrad, it’s just classes I have to muddle through. Take any opportunity you can to be in a clinical setting I’m telling you it’s the thing I look forward to the most because I’m learning things I’m actually going to use and need to know for vet school, orgo isn’t part of that it’s just a class I have to pass. Keep your head up. We can get through this together.

 

[cp210]

As many others have said, you are not alone! At the beginning of my undergrad, I sustained a traumatic brain injury. Even after taking a year and a half off to recover, I still found school really difficult. I ended up failing two courses and withdrawing from many others. I finished with a 3.09 GPA, which was devastating for me at the time. Later, I went back to school to complete a pre-health post-bacc. Throughout that program, I struggled with mental health and ended up with a couple C+s and withdrawing from Orgo II. I ultimately earned a 3.54 GPA. I think my cumulative GPA is around a 3.22, but I will be starting at a great program this fall. The most important thing that you can do right now is take care of yourself and not give up. I know how hard that can be when you have such high expectations for yourself, but we have to accept that sometimes things don't go as planned. Everything that jmiam2 said is spot on. Stay strong and feel free to DM me if you want to talk more or have any questions. You've got this!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yes, check the policies on medical withdrawals. Take care of yourself... that is paramount.