Two quick questions about Vet School Application

[Wisco]

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Hi,

Two quick questions, first, I am looking into research positions at my college and was wondering does it matter if the research is not animal related? An example is a position working with maize tissue cultures. And second, my college has an advanced biology/chemistry program that would meet all the requirements for vet school but the curriculum is substantially harder, thus I would not obtain as high of a GPA compared to taking the regular courses separately. From reading other posts I am pretty sure the suggestion will be too take the courses that I can obtain the higher GPA but just wanted to make sure. Thanks for your time and this forum has been a huge help with preparing for applying to vet school.

Mike

 

[su_grad2007]

From what I've heard and what I'm experiencing I would suggest the easier courses so that you can get a higher GPA.

 

[cyrille104]

I think it depends. What makes the program harder? If it's the level of student that you are competing against, I would say don't bother, because they don't reward anyone for competing against higher-level students at more competitive schools, so they probably won't reward you for competing against smarter students in a separate program.

If it's the curriculum within the same classes as the regular program, I would also say don't bother, because they don't really care what the curriculum of each individual class is.

However, if it's the curriculum of the program as a whole that is different, as in you are taking different classes, it may be worth it. I majored in chemistry, and several schools have told me that they expect a lower GPA for chemistry majors because it is notoriously difficult. If you're taking higher-level chemistry classes like quantum and analytical, you might be ok.

Then again, better not risk it. Just go for the higher GPA.

 

[OceanAngel]

Hi,

Two quick questions, first, I am looking into research positions at my college and was wondering does it matter if the research is not animal related? An example is a position working with maize tissue cultures. And second, my college has an advanced biology/chemistry program that would meet all the requirements for vet school but the curriculum is substantially harder, thus I would not obtain as high of a GPA compared to taking the regular courses separately. From reading other posts I am pretty sure the suggestion will be too take the courses that I can obtain the higher GPA but just wanted to make sure. Thanks for your time and this forum has been a huge help with preparing for applying to vet school.

Mike

Technically, if schools are in accordance with the VMCAS and the VMCAS stays true to itself, any kind of research should be counted as veterinary experience as long as it is conducted with either Ph.D. scientist or a vet. At any rate regardless of the area you put your experience under, research experience is a wonderful attribute to your application. It shows that you have explored areas outside of clinical medicine and can often show you a different side of veterinary medicine as a whole. Good luck!

 

[ginkogirl]

Hi,

Two quick questions, first, I am looking into research positions at my college and was wondering does it matter if the research is not animal related? An example is a position working with maize tissue cultures. And second, my college has an advanced biology/chemistry program that would meet all the requirements for vet school but the curriculum is substantially harder, thus I would not obtain as high of a GPA compared to taking the regular courses separately. From reading other posts I am pretty sure the suggestion will be too take the courses that I can obtain the higher GPA but just wanted to make sure. Thanks for your time and this forum has been a huge help with preparing for applying to vet school.

Mike

In regards to the research with or without animals question, it probably depends on several factors. Bottom-line probably is research with animals is better than research without, but research without animals is better than no research at all. I'm part of the undergrad research program at my school, and what OceanAngel said is true, at least some vet schools consider research without animals to still be "veterinary expierence." In short, any research expierence is looked upon highly. It also depends on what you would be doing in the respective labs. Would one just be cleaning glassware and/or helping a grad student with menial tasks while the other would allow you to actually design and carry out experiments? In that case, the actual research would probably win out over the grunt work. This case was exactly why I chose to work in a non-animal lab over one using animals, and I not once have I regreted my decision.

Hope this helps,
Lisa

 

[Wisco]

Thanks for all the useful replies. One more question, when people post their stats they say " science gpa...", is that just prereq. science classes or all science classes you took in your undergraduate. I am an animal science major so would all my an. sci classes count for the "Science GPA"? Thanks.

Mike

 

[RazorDoc2010]

Typically, a "Science" GPA only includes those chemistry, biology, physics-type classes. I wouldn't include animal science courses when you calculate a "Science" GPA, but that could just be me personally. My engineering classes are basically in-depth physics and chemistry but I didn't include them. Hope that helps...

 

[Wisco]

Oh ok, so my Animal Science classe would only count for cum. GPA?

 

[cyrille104]

Oh ok, so my Animal Science classe would only count for cum. GPA? Dang, I wouldve had a really high Science GPA if it included an. sci classes.

Each school calculates it based on what they think is appropriate. It varies by school - some only include the most basic of science classes, and other include everything in any math/science department at your school. I don't think they'll ask you to calculate it without telling you how, but if they do, I would ask.

 

[seaturtlegirl]

Hi - a little advice from what I have heard from others....

THE GPA IS CRUCIAL!!!! Some schools make their initial cuts based upon GPA and GRE scores alone! Anything you can do to ensure the maximum GPA is a "no-brainer"...

As for the research, any is good, I would think. However, animal related stuff is always a plus. It also depends on the schools you are interested in, and what is important to them!

Good Luck!