Switching from career in Engineering to Vet Med?

[t3nchi]

Hi, I graduated with an EE degree from UT Austin. Finished 2nd year working but thinking about getting into the vet med field. Anyone ever made the transition? What do I need to do to make this transition?

I probably have to go back to school to finish some core classes that are required to entrace to vet schools. I have to study for the GRE, have all these volunteer hours and experience, apply etc.

Seems straightforward. Or is it.

I am thinking I should spend some time now trying to get to know what it's like to be a vet. I probably should try to volunteer at a vet clinic and see what vets do. Anyone volunteered in a vet clinic? What do vets do? Did you like it? Why?

Please share with me all your knowledge and experiences. Thanks!!

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[Angelo84]

You really need to work in a vet clinic (or shadow) to get a real taste for it. I would try to get a variety of expereince before you apply. If you are just trying to see if you like vet med talk to vet clinics in your area and see if you can come shadow for a day--that will give you some idea of the profession if you want to practice. If you don't want to practice there are many other options research, food industry, etc.

I have volunteered and worked with several different vets. All experiences were very different--I worked with small animal, large animal, alternative medicine, behavior/shelter, and at a zoo. Each setting was different and there are things I liked and didn't about each setting PM if you want info for a specific experience.

 

[soxbox]

hey there... well i was sort of in the same boat... i graduated with a BS in biomedical engineering/mechanical engineering... then went ahead and got my masters in it... it was probably my senior year of college I decided I really wanted to pursue vet school (and did the masters only because I could do it in one year and thought it wouldnt hurt my chances of getting into vet school)

so end of senior year I got a job as a vet tech in a small animal practice... I then worked for the next 5 years in some aspect of vet medicine... finishing with the last 2.5 years doing research.... I did have to go back last year and take my final pre-reqs... I had 4 classes left to take...

you can definitely do this in less than 5 years... but it was so easy once i was out of school to stay out of school, work, and bring home a paycheck and not have to worry about homework

if you have any specific questions, just PM me!! good luck!

 

[t3nchi]

bump if any more responses, sent PMs to the above 2 ppl so far. Thanks for responses!

 

[david594]

I graduated in May with a degree in computer science. Decided I wanted to go vet med and went all-out into it. Passed up the CS jobs and starting taking the rest of my pre-reqs through the continuing ed department of a state university. Found a animal clinic that would let me volunteer and that eventually turned into a job.

So now I am working and doing school. I expect to have the rest of my pre-reqs done for applying next fall. In some idealized world it will have been an extra 1 year of schooling then another year waiting. In reality i will still be taking coursework beyond just the prereqs next fall just in case I dont get in that year. So if I dont get in, I will have finished up a second bachelors in animal science when I go to apply the following year.

I figured if I took the CS job the money would have currupted me and I would never be able to give it up to go back to school. It also doesnt help that all the required courses are only offered during the day so I am limited to jobs that are NOT 9-5.

 

[ShelterGirl]

BSChE here ...

It is doable. I graduated in 1996, so that limits where I can apply since some schools have expiration limits on courses. Obviously I had a lot of chemistry, but needed to go back and take 3 more biology-related courses.

The hard part for me has been getting experience - in order to accumulate hours fast enough, I quit my former techie job and am now a broke vet tech. Volunteer first, *then* if you like it, go full-time.

A couple of folks last year made the switch, but I'm not sure they're still actively checking the forum. Good luck!

 

[utcvmwannabe]

I graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, worked for 3 years, and am now trying to get into vet school. I was lucky. I only had to take Biochem and Genetics. I had everything else in my undergraduate program. I recommend finding a clinic to work in. It is hard at first if you have no experience. Keep looking and you will find something.

 

[nyanko]

I graduated in May with a degree in computer science. Decided I wanted to go vet med and went all-out into it. Passed up the CS jobs and starting taking the rest of my pre-reqs through the continuing ed department of a state university. Found a animal clinic that would let me volunteer and that eventually turned into a job.

So now I am working and doing school. I expect to have the rest of my pre-reqs done for applying next fall. In some idealized world it will have been an extra 1 year of schooling then another year waiting. In reality i will still be taking coursework beyond just the prereqs next fall just in case I dont get in that year. So if I dont get in, I will have finished up a second bachelors in animal science when I go to apply the following year.

I figured if I took the CS job the money would have currupted me and I would never be able to give it up to go back to school. It also doesnt help that all the required courses are only offered during the day so I am limited to jobs that are NOT 9-5.

Hey another person who basically did what I did (I've got a CS degree too!). I worked full time as a vet tech for a year though before going back to school so that I could be a resident of the state I was going to go in. And I did end up getting that second bachelors in Molecular Biology and Microbiology because I chickened out on actually applying to vet school last year.

 

[Olddodger]

Hi all,

Just another perspective...

I graduated with a MechE way back when with very so-so grades. Did a masters (unrelated) later on with a 4.0. When I started playing around with the idea of going to vet school, I took a couple of years off work to get another degree (biology/minor in chemistry), which I will just be finishing up in December with close to a 4.0 for 60+ credits (hopefully a 4.0, but don't want to jinx it). My target school was UF, and they have a rather lengthy list of specific pre-recs.

In the process, I TAed, did reseach, both bio and chem (earned some recognition for the chem research), made the honor society and have tons of letters of rec. GRE was ~1300. Some, but not a ton, of vet experience (including fostering and some shadowing).

But I just recently decided to forgo vet school, for a number of reasons. First, UF was really the only option due to my FL residency. Despite my desire, I refuse to go +200k into debt at this stage of my life to go out of state. It really is impossible to amortize the cost of school and living expenses to go to an out of state school considering the very average earning power once out of vet school.

Despite all of my recent accomplishments, after some research, I found that I was a VERY marginal canidate for UF because of my past grades (20 years ago), and found that there was no practical way to make up for it (even with a recent 4.0) due to the mechanistic nature of the UF admissions criteria. I was in contact with a few others with similar situations, and so far, none have overcome the hurdles.

It was a tough call on my part, but sometimes the facts are just the facts, and no amount of wishful thinking or desire will overcome them. I know some will chastise me for "well, you must not have wanted it enough", and I can assure you that was not the case.

My advice to non-trads like myself who are considering it is to REALLY take a look at the benefit/cost side of the equation. If you REALLY, REALLY hate what you're doing, and either are OK with a GIANT amount of debt, or can make the in-state thing work for you, then go for it. If you have less than a 3.0 from undergrad, it's going to be a tough road no matter how much effort you throw at it.

Just my $0.02, YMMV....

Oldie

 

[bakaduin]

Hi all,

Just another perspective...

I graduated with a MechE way back when with very so-so grades. Did a masters (unrelated) later on with a 4.0. When I started playing around with the idea of going to vet school, I took a couple of years off work to get another degree (biology/minor in chemistry), which I will just be finishing up in December with close to a 4.0 for 60+ credits (hopefully a 4.0, but don't want to jinx it). My target school was UF, and they have a rather lengthy list of specific pre-recs.

In the process, I TAed, did reseach, both bio and chem (earned some recognition for the chem research), made the honor society and have tons of letters of rec. GRE was ~1300. Some, but not a ton, of vet experience (including fostering and some shadowing).

But I just recently decided to forgo vet school, for a number of reasons. First, UF was really the only option due to my FL residency. Despite my desire, I refuse to go +200k into debt at this stage of my life to go out of state. It really is impossible to amortize the cost of school and living expenses to go to an out of state school considering the very average earning power once out of vet school.

Despite all of my recent accomplishments, after some research, I found that I was a VERY marginal canidate for UF because of my past grades (20 years ago), and found that there was no practical way to make up for it (even with a recent 4.0) due to the mechanistic nature of the UF admissions criteria. I was in contact with a few others with similar situations, and so far, none have overcome the hurdles.

It was a tough call on my part, but sometimes the facts are just the facts, and no amount of wishful thinking or desire will overcome them. I know some will chastise me for "well, you must not have wanted it enough", and I can assure you that was not the case.

My advice to non-trads like myself who are considering it is to REALLY take a look at the benefit/cost side of the equation. If you REALLY, REALLY hate what you're doing, and either are OK with a GIANT amount of debt, or can make the in-state thing work for you, then go for it. If you have less than a 3.0 from undergrad, it's going to be a tough road no matter how much effort you throw at it.

Just my $0.02, YMMV....

Oldie

You seem like a great candidate Oldie, what was the harm in just applying? I know people who have gotten into UF with some GPAs on the lower end of the spectrum and you seem like you really would have had a good shot. I know what your saying about UF focusing a lot on GPA but you never know if you dont try! YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[david594]

Lets be fair. From a dollars and cents point of view switching from engineering to vet medicine is pretty much a horrible idea. Unless you are going to do a specialty the engineering salery will be pretty comperable to vet medicine.

Also, the 200k in loans doesnt seem as bad when you consider having 35-40 working years ahead of you as would be the case for someone making the switch in their 20's versus the 10-15 working years ahead of you as would be a person in their 40's making the switch(oldie's case).

One of the things I learned in engineering school is that less than 50% of the people who start out doing engineering are still in it 10 years after they graduate. I cant say I have heard of too many people getting the DVM and leaving the field shortly after.

 

[Olddodger]

Lets be fair. From a dollars and cents point of view switching from engineering to vet medicine is pretty much a horrible idea. Unless you are going to do a specialty the engineering salery will be pretty comperable to vet medicine.

Also, the 200k in loans doesnt seem as bad when you consider having 35-40 working years ahead of you as would be the case for someone making the switch in their 20's versus the 10-15 working years ahead of you as would be a person in their 40's making the switch(oldie's case).

Hi Dave,

Right you are. My current earning power is in the $120-130k range. Taking another 4 years off puts me almost a half mil in the hole, minus the 200k for school. Then the 1st four years of practice is in the 60k-85k/yr range.A specialty tweaks those numbers a bit, but they work out to be in the same order of magnitude when you figure opportunity cost.

I just hit 40. I really, really wanted to do it, and I think I have the brainpower/drive to do well, but I can't make the numbers work out. It was fun getting the other degree, though...

Oldie

 

[Electrophile]

Hi there Oldie...I'm just a couple years older than most of the other first years (took 3 years to do a masters in biology), but even just a few years difference, I can totally tell the difference in maturity level. I think that would greatly improve your chances. And really, I understand running the numbers game, really, I do...but life's too short to be in a field where you really aren't happy. A colleague of my faculty adviser from grad school finally finished her PhD in zoology when she was like 56 or so and she's now one of the leading members of her field in her 70s. My father was all set to start medical school...but then he found out my mom was pregnant with me...and passed on it for a "safer" option. I think he's always regretted it. You have one life to live...no regrets!

 

[david594]

Hi Dave,

Right you are. My current earning power is in the $120-130k range. Taking another 4 years off puts me almost a half mil in the hole, minus the 200k for school. Then the 1st four years of practice is in the 60k-85k/yr range.A specialty tweaks those numbers a bit, but they work out to be in the same order of magnitude when you figure opportunity cost.

I just hit 40. I really, really wanted to do it, and I think I have the brainpower/drive to do well, but I can't make the numbers work out. It was fun getting the other degree, though...

Oldie

Now consider the year you take off to finish pre-reqs and being optimistic that you get in the first time you apply. So now your are up to 2 extra years before hand. 4 years of vet school and then possibly 1-2 years of basicly non paying internships afterwards.

My math came up with basicly a half million in the hole versus the job offers in my degree. I figure by just skipping the "real" jobs entirely I wont be currupted by the high paying jobs.

 

[rosh325]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums but am a lost soul who would love some advice from persons in the field. It's a long post (have to explain history), sorry.

I graduated in 2007 from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in psych and a minor in Bio. I have always been a "pre-med" student, since my mother is an RN and my uncle a surgeon. They always pushed medicine and so Vet med was frowned upon. My GPA was a 3.22, my science gpa lower (3.1), my mcat a 32Q (9phys, 11 verbal, 12 bio). I have never been 100% about medicine, and in fact, feel much more comfortable/optimistic when I think of a future in vet med vs. the MD.

Given some family problems, I am currently on my "year off" after graduating, but am unemployed, trying to find jobs as a lab tech in a bio lab.

Here is my question: If I was to finally shut my parents up (in my head), what will I need to do in terms of getting into vet school? I already have the pre-reqs given my pre-med tract, but at this point my animal experience is quite limited. What jobs are there for this kind of experience? Volunteering is great but with student loans and a lack of insurance, I can't afford not to work. Plus my letters of recommendation are for medicine from two labs I have worked in.

I hope that in a personal statement or interview I could convey the parental ban on vet med as a limiting factor in my lack of experience.

Would racking up "last minute" experience be viewed negatively

Sorry for the long post but any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bakaduin]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums but am a lost soul who would love some advice from persons in the field. It's a long post (have to explain history), sorry.

I graduated in 2007 from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in psych and a minor in Bio. I have always been a "pre-med" student, since my mother is an RN and my uncle a surgeon. They always pushed medicine and so Vet med was frowned upon. My GPA was a 3.22, my science gpa lower (3.1), my mcat a 32Q (9phys, 11 verbal, 12 bio). I have never been 100% about medicine, and in fact, feel much more comfortable/optimistic when I think of a future in vet med vs. the MD.

Given some family problems, I am currently on my "year off" after graduating, but am unemployed, trying to find jobs as a lab tech in a bio lab.

Here is my question: If I was to finally shut my parents up (in my head), what will I need to do in terms of getting into vet school? I already have the pre-reqs given my pre-med tract, but at this point my animal experience is quite limited. What jobs are there for this kind of experience? Volunteering is great but with student loans and a lack of insurance, I can't afford not to work. Plus my letters of recommendation are for medicine from two labs I have worked in.

I hope that in a personal statement or interview I could convey the parental ban on vet med as a limiting factor in my lack of experience.

Would racking up "last minute" experience be viewed negatively

Sorry for the long post but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Youd certainly have to get a job in a veterinary clinic. Most people start in the kennel and work their way up to a technician though some places are willing to start you at the latter. Compared to Med school, Vet school is very big on experience and there really is not a way around it. Theres a chance that you are missing some prereqs depending on what school you apply to (ex. Intro to Animal Science, Nutrition, Speech, Vertebrate Zoology). You'd also likely have to take the GRE depending on where you applied to. That all being said it is certainly an attainable goal if you put your mind to it!

 

[david594]

Chances are to get experience you will have to find yourself a paying job in whatever and then do some volunteer work to get animal experience. Not too many vet clinics will want to hire someone with no experience as they are paying for all your training time. Once you rack up a few hundred hours volunteering you will stand a much better chance of getting hired to an vet tech type job. Even better is if you can find a place that will let you volunteer in a role that will eventually lead to employment.

 

[bakaduin]

Not too many vet clinics will want to hire someone with no experience as they are paying for all your training time.

In my personal experience I have found that many clinics will be ok to hire you as kennel help without experience and let you slowly work your way up to assistant/tech.

 

[Olddodger]

Hi all,

Here's an idea. I have three cats, so when I took them into my vet for their annual checkups, I told him my situation, and he was glad to help.

Spending $300 at your local vet is a great way to smooze for a job, or at least get pointed in the right direction...

Best,
Oldie

 

[Electrophile]

Hi there Rosh! My brother used to go to Wash U. I was accepted there for undergrad, but didn't want to do Army ROTC to pay for it!

Are you instate in Missouri? If you really bumped up the hours of experience (especially in farm/large animal), you could possibly have a shot at Mizzou. That's what they are really looking for. I had slightly better undergrad GPA (a 3.3) at Mizzou and a masters and I still wasn't a super strong candidate until I got a decent amount of large animal hours in.

 

[rosh325]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Things are so confusing. If you look, I have 3 posts, one in the MD, one in the DO, and one here about chances. Its really hard b/c I can see myself doing vet, but that means I have to stop moving "forward" with the DO or MD, which is kind of scary in and of itself. I really do appreciate all the help though. I had to take my dog to the vet at 1am last night (She's fine now), but I could definitely feel at home with animals

 

[Electrophile]

I was pre-med for a long time, switched to pre-law for about 4 years, and then switched to my original calling of pre-vet not too awful long ago. Imagine yourself at 65. Which would you prefer to be doing? That's what made me switch from law. I would have been excellent at it, but I wouldn't have been happy in it longer than 10-15 years or so, I think. C'mon, just come to Mizzou. You know you want to! ;-) Honestly though, I am technically a student ambassador now, so I could give you a tour if you'd like to check it out! Though our med school is excellent too, so either way.

 

[rosh325]

I was pre-med for a long time, switched to pre-law for about 4 years, and then switched to my original calling of pre-vet not too awful long ago. Imagine yourself at 65. Which would you prefer to be doing? That's what made me switch from law. I would have been excellent at it, but I wouldn't have been happy in it longer than 10-15 years or so, I think. C'mon, just come to Mizzou. You know you want to! ;-) Honestly though, I am technically a student ambassador now, so I could give you a tour if you'd like to check it out! Though our med school is excellent too, so either way.

Again, thank you everyone. I really wish I knew about these forums when I was an undergrad as it most definitely would have helped. I have been doing some really hard thinking/self discovery. The pre-med environment at Wash U, while great, certainly left me burnt out and very unsure of myself. There were maybe 20 pre-vet students there and as a white male, I was in the minority. I am certainly willing to work hard for this and do what I need to do. I love animals, and owe so much to them. Animals have saved me during depression and anxiety and have always been there when the family was fighting. They do so much for us and ask for so little in return.

So as we know, I need animal experience (as my only experience up until now is with my own pets/friends pets). I will start looking for vets to shadow and try to see if I can get a job in the kennel. Seeing how I know nothing about the field, would a masters program (or phd) for animal science be the route to go? Maybe the vet tech route? Does anyone know how these things are looked upon by vet schools for those who have made the switch?

Electrophile, I am actually back in Saint Louis for the next week or so and I would love to visit Mizzou and even talk to someone in admissions about my next move. Feel free to PM if you are still willing to help.

Thank you everyone for all your support.

 

[Angelo84]

You basically just need the pre req courses so if you have most of them and a decent GPA I wouldn't try to do a whole other degree. To finish up the classes you may not have taken you should probably do a post bacc. Otherwise just get your experience hours up in a variety of different areas of vet med. The easiest way to do this is to volunteer--if you can afford to. Many vets are willing to have people volunteer/shadow even if they can't afford to pay you.

Good luck.

 

[Electrophile]

So as we know, I need animal experience (as my only experience up until now is with my own pets/friends pets). I will start looking for vets to shadow and try to see if I can get a job in the kennel. Seeing how I know nothing about the field, would a masters program (or phd) for animal science be the route to go? Maybe the vet tech route? Does anyone know how these things are looked upon by vet schools for those who have made the switch?

I think they are open to people who change their minds because a lot of people do, but they do want to see you put in the hours to show you're now committed. So shadowing serves several purposes: general animal handling, making sure that vet medicine as a whole is what you want to do, and gaining a breadth of experience in stuff you may not have familiarity with. I wouldn't say don't do a masters cause it hardly ever hurts, but you probably wouldn't absolutely need it, per se. I never took a single animal science class and even though I got some large animal experience, I'm not super comfortable handling cattle and pigs and whatnot. But you get over it to get the job done, ya know? If you got a masters or PhD in animal science, it'd probably be helpful if you wanted to do large animal because a lot of it is reproduction for cattle, pigs, etc.

What I would do if I were you is to find a mixed practice vet to shadow and then see if they'd eventually hire you as a tech. Pay wouldn't be stellar, but you'd get those shadowing hours in quick. The nice thing with mixed practice is you get your small animal, equine, and large/food animal all in one, maybe some exotics too. Plus, especially at Mizzou and in other more rural states, they keep telling us over and over: there is a BIG shortage of large animal vets. So if you are open to being a large animal or mixed practice vet, they are going to be much more likely to accept you than if you say you just want to do small. And if you're like me and like variety (even though I'm a city girl), doing some large animal and equine would be a good mix than just doing the usual with the cats and dogs.

 

[vpanopou]

What I've basically read is that engineering to veterinary medicine is a BAD idea.
I'm in Biomedical Engineering at IIT, because I thought I could get a pretty good background on the bio and the medicine part.

Is that not a good idea? or should I stick with it and do other things on the side?

 

[david594]

What I've basically read is that engineering to veterinary medicine is a BAD idea.
I'm in Biomedical Engineering at IIT, because I thought I could get a pretty good background on the bio and the medicine part.

Is that not a good idea? or should I stick with it and do other things on the side?

If you truely want to be a veterinarian then anything to veterinary medicine is a great idea.

The financial side of it may not make sense in some situations, but that is very much a personal decision.

 

[akitavet]

I did a BS in Chemical Engineering. I didnt like the work I did on my 3 internships, so I went to grad school so I could do more sophisticated and bio-related work. I started in a PhD program and stayed there 3 years, hating every minute except maybe lunch. I considered vet school after about 2 years, but was scared of the student loans. I decided after 3 years to leave with an MS and took a job at a biotech startup. After about 4 or 5 months in that job, I really decided that I couldnt live my life doing something that I didnt want to do. I was tired of being a cog in a wheel that was run by a bunch of idiots, and that has ALWAYS been my experience in engineering. Its a wonder these companies accomplish anything at all! Anyway, so I decided to go to vet school. I stayed at that job for a little bit more time and started to look at what I needed to do as far as experience and prereqs. For the schools I applied to, all I needed was 2 classes. I had a lot of bio with my program, so it wasnt totally unrelated. I took a job as a vet tech and was in WAY over my head. All I knew about was handling show dogs, not dealing with fighting pit bulls with broken bones or feral cats or anything like that! I learned a lot. The technicians I worked with were terrible to me, saying things like "you have all this education and you havent learned anything!" Helps if they teach you something...I had NO experience and they made me a veterinary nurse and then yelled at me when I didnt know how to do the things they didnt teach me. Moral of that story is that it really helps to have people who are eager to teach you things. I left that job and took another tech position at a smaller clinic. Its MUCH MUCH better. I also did a little bit of equine vet stuff and I am currently interning at the zoo. I sent my application in this year and here's hoping!

It hasnt been an easy road, and I may not get in this year simply due to my lack of diversity in experience (its almost all small animal and research) even though I have about 7000 hours. I still think its way worth it. I absolutely love it. I cant wait to be a vet!

 

[Olddodger]

What I've basically read is that engineering to veterinary medicine is a BAD idea.
I'm in Biomedical Engineering at IIT, because I thought I could get a pretty good background on the bio and the medicine part.

Is that not a good idea? or should I stick with it and do other things on the side?

Hi Vpan,

It really depends on your situation, and like any good engineer, you should really look at the cost/benefit side of the equation.

If you are young, with a relatively decent GPA, your chances are actually above negligible. You can work as a vet tech/volunteer part time with little earning power lost. Time is on your side.

Vet schools are incredibly persnickety about their quals. In human med, you get a lot of "oh my God, I only have a 3.9 and a 38 MCAT" from the trad students, when in reality if you have a 3.5 and a 30 MCAT, you're going to get in SOMEWHERE in the US (allo), even if it's Billy Bo Jim Bob's Tackle Store and Medical School (pssst, people still call you "Doctor", no matter where you graduate from). Even as a grad from Billy Bo's, your earning potential is pretty good, and if you are tops in your class, you can still get the competitive residencies. Here in Florida, we have a LOT of choices for human med: UF, USF and FSU with FAU and UCF warming up, all with nice, in state discounts. For those with a fat wallet, there's always UM.

OTOH, I have seen a number of young people, with impeccable quals get turned away from the vet schools that really left me scratching my head.

Your choices are MUCH more limited in vet med, and the classes are much smaller. Chances are if DO you get in somewhere, it will be out of state, and you will pay top dollar, to the tune of something north of 200k. The earning power is NOT great unless you specialize, and even then you're going to be locked into a high traffic demographic that can support your specialty.

Unlike human med, the tolerance for the non-trad with less than perfect grades is close to zero. It is recoverable, but you will incur significant time/expense in making it happen with a less than average chance of success.

That being said, if you have the time, effort, money, desire, willing spouse and gumption, then by all means, do it.

Oldie

 

[Pigsfoot]

I have to disagree, I have heard of plenty non-trads and trads alike with less than stellar GPAs who have gotten into vet med. It just really depends on the situation and other factors, like experience and diversity. At least at some schools.

I work with medical students and residents, and there are actually several people who have switched from engineering. especially biomed. There are lots of surgeons who do this and it makes lots of sense because there is so much technology involved. there is for veterinary surgery too. Maybe you can get a job as a rep with a medical instrument company and do the vet clinic circuit. I bet that would be some neat experience to get your feet wet in the vet world.

 

[bakaduin]

. Chances are if DO you get in somewhere, it will be out of state, and you will pay top dollar, to the tune of something north of 200k. The earning power is NOT great unless you specialize, and even then you're going to be locked into a high traffic demographic that can support your specialty.

Unlike human med, the tolerance for the non-trad with less than perfect grades is close to zero. It is recoverable, but you will incur significant time/expense in making it happen with a less than average chance of success.

-I disagree with all of this. Plenty of non-traditionals get in with less than perfect GPAs and GREs because they have very diverse applications with varying life experiences.

-I dont know why you think your more likely to get in out of state then in state when most schools accept more in state applicants than out of state applicants. That just doesnt make any sense.

-Earning power all depends on where you live. If you live in rural Tennessee (just picking a random state) and the people in your community are just as likely to put there dog down with a shot gun then pay a few grand for surgery then of course you wont earn much. But there are also plenty of cities where you can have a pretty good earning power. Of course medical doctors, on average, make more money. But money isnt everything, and you certainly can make enough as a veterinarian to live pretty comfortably.