UT Course Load Point System. Do I need to be concerned?

[hottchoclat]

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I am a bit concerned with the course load point system on the UT evaluation.
I am a non- traditional student of 37 years old, working full time and going to school part time.
I can only afford to take one or two classes at a time while I am working.
Is this going to hinder my charges of being accepted?

Stephanie

 

[LetItSnow]

I am a bit concerned with the course load point system on the UT evaluation.
I am a non- traditional student of 37 years old, working full time and going to school part time.
I can only afford to take one or two classes at a time while I am working.
Is this going to hinder my charges of being accepted?

I have heard that a couple schools get a bit specific about wanting to see you handle a full course-load. I suppose their thinking is that if you aren't handling a full load, your academic record doesn't really speak to your ability to handle the full vet school course load.

That said, I think most schools will look at the bigger picture. I only took 1-2 (typically 2) classes/semester while I did my UG and vet pre-reqs, and it was never brought up as an issue with my vet school. I am/was working a full-time professional job as well as parenting.

 

[Maddiegirl]

I worry about this too. I work full time as a paralegal and take classes at night. With my full time work schedule, I only have time for 2 science classes.

I've just stay focused on keeping my GPA high and supplementing my application with as much volunteer and shadowing experience that I can.

Hopefully, this is enough to overcome any questions about whether or not I can handle the full time academic load.

I feel like if I can work 40 hours a week without getting fired, keep my GPA very close to a 4.0, volunteer in what little free time I have, and not manage to choke anybody along the way, then I should be able to do well in vet school when I can devote all of my attention to studying.

 

[RackingHorse]

You are obviously not going to get the points that they give for taking bigger course loads. However, it will probably not be an issue as you are a full time worker (and parent?). I would just make sure that you mention in you're personal statement or somewhere on you're application that you were working a full time job while you were doing you're pre reqs.

 

[katryn]

I am a bit concerned with the course load point system on the UT evaluation.
I am a non- traditional student of 37 years old, working full time and going to school part time.
I can only afford to take one or two classes at a time while I am working.
Is this going to hinder my charges of being accepted?

Stephanie

If you're grades, GRE, and other stats are good, I wouldn't worry about it. I only had two semesters of undergrad that contributed any points to my pre-interview score at UT, and it didn't hinder me at all. As far as the "handling a full course load" goes, I think they look at each person's history individually on that one. If you can work full time, get experience, get good grades, and still find time to be a human being, you should be just fine. To a point it is about being able to handle a lot of school all at once, but it's also about being able to time manage in general, so taking 21 credit hours a semester isn't the only way to indicate that. But, if you have any doubts what so ever, drop Deb Shepard an email or phone call. She's super nice about helping to clear up any concerns you may have.

 

[jtom]

I am also apprehensive about this. I decided to become a veterinarian a few years after graduating . During college I did not work and I took 12-14 credits each semester, so I was a full time student but nothing aggressive. However, my major in college was biology so I took all my pre-reqs for vet schoo. I cant show schools I can take a full course load unless I took 18 credits of classes that do not fulfill any requirements. I have however worked very long hours for the past few years to gain experience (70 hrs a week) but am not sure if that will make up for it.

Unfortunately I cannot go back and change my schedule during college, I wish I could.

Not to hijack the thread but I think this is relevant to the OP as well, should I put in my personal statement the fact that I did not take more course per semester etc during undergrad because I did not decide to become a vet after graduating? It is clear based on my animal/vet experience that I did not get any until well after graduating so I do not know if I should explictly state it.

 

[katryn]

should I put in my personal statement the fact that I did not take more course per semester etc during undergrad because I did not decide to become a vet after graduating? It is clear based on my animal/vet experience that I did not get any until well after graduating so I do not know if I should explictly state it.

I wouldn't worry about explicitly stating it in your PS, unless it just really really flows well with the rest of what you're putting in it. And even then, a single sentence would probably suffice.
Like I said before, there's more than one way to show you can handle a full course load. And I can tell you even in the one semester that I took 17 hours of class, I never took 7 classes all at once, much less seven science based ones. I'm relying much more heavily on the skills I learned from juggling school/work/friends/family/volunteering/etc than I am on any skill I learned explicitly from school. It also seems like the ad coms know this, considering the number of non-trads that get in.