Vet School-Bad grades

[sportschickaza]

So im a junior currently and my grades have been really bad. I've gotten 2 Fs multiple Ds and multiple Cs. But I've had terrible anxiety since high school although I just recently got an official diagnosis. It's gotten so bad I've even had to go to the emergency room for terrible chest pains and go to a cardiologist. I know they heavily consider grades when applying to vet school but will they also consider my medical reasons? Now that I have my diagnosis my grades are already improving but Im afraid it might be too late. Does anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted676737]

Some schools may consider it should you choose to share it on the explanation statement, but unfortunately I still think you're going to have quite the rough road ahead.

Are your poor grades in science courses? Have you taken the GRE yet? How's your experience looking? How is your cumulative GPA? Science? Last 45 hours? It's hard to give exact, really helpful advice without knowing about some of your other qualifications you've got or neat things you've done.

It's not hopeless, but as a junior you've inevitably racked up lots of hours at this point, so even a major increase in academic performance may not be enough to make any sort of significant change to your GPA.

 

[Ashgirl]

So im a junior currently and my grades have been really bad. I've gotten 2 Fs multiple Ds and multiple Cs. But I've had terrible anxiety since high school although I just recently got an official diagnosis. It's gotten so bad I've even had to go to the emergency room for terrible chest pains and go to a cardiologist. I know they heavily consider grades when applying to vet school but will they also consider my medical reasons? Now that I have my diagnosis my grades are already improving but Im afraid it might be too late. Does anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

I don't know your specific GPA, but I always like to think that it's never too late. HOWEVER, it's not going to be easy, and it's going to be a long road to apply to vet school, and then it might even be a battle to get through vet school.

You will need to retake any pre-req that you got a C- or lower on (gen chem, bio, etc.). You also need your last 45 credits GPA to be very very strong (3.5 or higher is helpful). I would also look at schools and apply as smartly as possible (i.e. Apply to schools that only look at last 45 GPA, don't apply to those who weigh everything on grades).

As for your question, yes, they will probably consider your medical reasons, however, you will need to show an upward trend in your GPA, to show that you've overcome your issue the best you can, otherwise they may think you can't make it through the extreme stressful courseload that is vet school.

 

[that redhead]

So im a junior currently and my grades have been really bad. I've gotten 2 Fs multiple Ds and multiple Cs. But I've had terrible anxiety since high school although I just recently got an official diagnosis. It's gotten so bad I've even had to go to the emergency room for terrible chest pains and go to a cardiologist. I know they heavily consider grades when applying to vet school but will they also consider my medical reasons? Now that I have my diagnosis my grades are already improving but Im afraid it might be too late. Does anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

The most important thing is having your health and personal life under control before you apply. Vet school is excellent at bringing out the worst in everything at the wrong moment - even people with no previous struggles managing their mental health find themselves facing anxiety, depression, etc. Although it sounds like you're making strides in the right direction, vet schools will want to see sustained strong academic trends. If you aren't earning As right now, I'd suggest taking some time off from school until you're certain you can swing those As. I don't know what your GPA is, but it sounds as though your best bet at this point is to ace your last 45 credit hours and apply to schools that favor that trend.

There is a place on the application to explain anything you feel has affected your performance, including medical reasons such as your own. Unfortunately, you are far from the only person to struggle with mental health and apply to school - in that way, at least you know others have applied successfully with a similar story. On the other hand, you'll need to really prove you're ready with as close to 4.0 last-45-GPA as you can possibly manage.

The last thing I will bring up is to consider the career ahead of you. Being a veterinarian in any capacity leaves ample opportunity for things like anxiety and depression to crop up and fester. We as a profession struggle with mental health and suicide; it's a true elephant in the room that we are only now really beginning to discuss. Just keep that in mind moving forward.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I don't want to sound horribly negative. I like to be helpful. So take from this story what you will:

I knew a vet who had horrible anxiety. I worked with her during her first 3 years out of vet school at a large multi doctor practice. She was diagnosed and started treatment during Sophomore and Junior years of undergrad. She had not had quite the grade struggles you did, but she was obsessive about grades. Even when she thought about suicide her Freshman year, she had decided not to because "There wasn't time, I had to study for a test on Monday." (Her words )

She got treatment, she studied hard, but she was never completely cured. She said she struggled through vet school (got in with a PS about overcoming anxiety) and was late for or missed tests due to nervous vomiting. She had to pass on her first few surgeries because she had chewed the tips of her fingers bloody. But she did make it! She got hired at one of the clinics she did rotations with (where I met her).

I thought she was awesome as a human being. She was also super intelligent and a pretty good veterinarian. She did though have to figure out how to not let her anxiety get the better of her. She dipped her fingers in no chew spray or wrapped them in no chew vet wrap if a big surgery was coming up. She sometimes took awhile to get to the surgery suite because she would read and reread and reread and reread the protocols. She constantly debated whether she should have chosen another career. She felt she wasn't fair to her clients or patients and nearly quit many, many times.

Last I heard, she was still practicing. She's on yet another medication protocol and it seems to help more. She knew she would never be free but she was ok with constantly fighting herself. She also left our practice in part to get away from the emergency cases and the highly technical surgeries and works more as a routine GP.

It can be done. She recommended to the tech with a minor anxiety issue to find something else and said a high stress job and anxiety were a horrible combo, but again do with it what you will.

It can be done. Is it worth torturing yourself? Will you be solid for your patients and clients? Will you be happier in vet med or outside of it? You deserve to be happy, so just think about what gets you there before you wrestle your future.

Best wishes, luck, and happiness to you!

 

[sportschickaza]

Thank you all for your replies! Right now my gpa is 2.6
It is improving though, and I'm considering graduate school to help it more. My anxiety usually comes with test taking (which is what causes my grades to be so low). Im looking into registering with disabilities so that I can have more time for taking tests. I believe that will help me. I also still have quite a few science courses to take that can hopefully help raise my science gpa if I do well.

Does anyone know which schools favor last 45 gpa over overall gpa?

 

[that redhead]

Thank you all for your replies! Right now my gpa is 2.6
It is improving though, and I'm considering graduate school to help it more. My anxiety usually comes with test taking (which is what causes my grades to be so low). Im looking into registering with disabilities so that I can have more time for taking tests. I believe that will help me. I also still have quite a few science courses to take that can hopefully help raise my science gpa if I do well.

Does anyone know which schools favor last 45 gpa over overall gpa?

Well you do have a long road ahead of you, but when I was gearing up to apply to vet school I had a 2.65 GPA. I managed to bring it up to a 2.98, so it can be done! Retake any pre-reqs you got a C or worse in and take higher level science courses outside the pre-reqs to prove you can handle the rigor - IF you can get an A in them.

Minnesota and Kansas State are two that come to mind who like a strong last 45; there may be a few more out there too. Do your research, apply broadly and you do have a chance.

 

[Jess Monster]

... and I'm considering graduate school to help it more.

Keep in mind that graduate school is also a stressful academic environment, for many people it's more stressful than undergrad and the expectations are raised when it comes to your academic performance (failure to maintain a 3.0 and a few C's will get you dismissed from many programs). Plus, grad school usually carries the risk of having a higher debt burden. That might affect how you apply to vet schools in the future (like, going out of state and incurring OOS tuition might not be an option post-grad school).

 

[StartingoverVet]

=(failure to maintain a 3.0 and a few C's will get you dismissed from many programs).

I don't know any vet program where this is true.

Failure to maintain a 2.0 , and a few D's will get dismissed is more accurate.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Minnesota is a good choice for people who started out with poor grades but showed dramatic improvement in the last 45. check with @LetItSnow

But as others have said, make sure you really have this conquered before proceeding.

 

[epivetlove]

I don't know any vet program where this is true.

Failure to maintain a 2.0 , and a few D's will get dismissed is more accurate.

I believe she's referring to graduate programs, not veterinary programs.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I believe she's referring to graduate programs, not veterinary programs.

which are not at all comparable to being in vet med. Maybe i missed the point, but....

Getting a B in many graduate programs takes incompetence. Getting a B in vet school takes a ton of hard work. As does a C as well.

 

[dyachei]

which are not at all comparable to being in vet med. Maybe i missed the point, but....

Getting a B in many graduate programs takes incompetence. Getting a B in vet school takes a ton of hard work. As does a C as well.

I guess it would be hard to get C's across the board and get a 2.0. But usually when you have a 2.0, you have several D's because some classes are easier and some are much harder, even in vet school. So while in theory C's across the board are fine, I doubt this happens much in practice

 

[DVMDream]

which are not at all comparable to being in vet med. Maybe i missed the point, but....

.

The OP is discussing graduate school as an option, Jess Monster was responding to that.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I guess it would be hard to get C's across the board and get a 2.0. But usually when you have a 2.0, you have several D's because some classes are easier and some are much harder, even in vet school. So while in theory C's across the board are fine, I doubt this happens much in practice

agreed.
Although I do know one student at Penn who was trying really hard to just get Cs across the board.
I remember she was kind of upset when she got an A in a class. Felt it was a waste of her time to have studied.

 

[StartingoverVet]

The OP is discussing graduate school as an option, Jess Monster was responding to that.

Ah. I see. Thanks.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

which are not at all comparable to being in vet med. Maybe i missed the point, but....

Getting a B in many graduate programs takes incompetence. Getting a B in vet school takes a ton of hard work. As does a C as well.

Hell, I must be as incompetent as **** then

But really.....most graduate programs in the hard sciences are no cakewalk. Most of the science graduate classes I know are just as hard as vet school classes (if not harder, especially in terms of immunology and cell biology). And while graduate students obviously take fewer classes that veterinary students, they make up for it with research hours/work which can be extraordinarily taxing. Here, falling below a 3.0/B average puts you on probation, and if you don't raise it by the end of the next semester, you're out. They don't mess around.

Keep in mind that graduate school is also a stressful academic environment, for many people it's more stressful than undergrad and the expectations are raised when it comes to your academic performance (failure to maintain a 3.0 and a few C's will get you dismissed from many programs). Plus, grad school usually carries the risk of having a higher debt burden. That might affect how you apply to vet schools in the future (like, going out of state and incurring OOS tuition might not be an option post-grad school).

Very true. I don't know if MS programs are easier, but my PhD is proving to be much harder in terms of effort and time investment (and managing my anxiety) than my DVM ever was.

 

[Red Eyes]

So im a junior currently and my grades have been really bad. I've gotten 2 Fs multiple Ds and multiple Cs. But I've had terrible anxiety since high school although I just recently got an official diagnosis. It's gotten so bad I've even had to go to the emergency room for terrible chest pains and go to a cardiologist. I know they heavily consider grades when applying to vet school but will they also consider my medical reasons? Now that I have my diagnosis my grades are already improving but Im afraid it might be too late. Does anyone have any advice or similar experiences?

Hi! Just wanted to chip in, my grades haven't been that great but my last 45 and gre are decent. From what I've seen from looking into different schools, these schools have those two specific criteria as a large portion of their admissions qualifications: UCD, UMinnesota, MichiganSU, KSU, and maybe UPenn (can't tell how much they weight everything). Also, the newer schools like Midwestern have relatively low class stats, so that can be to your advantage. I'm applying right now so I may be completely wrong, but I think (hoping) a poor overall/science gpa can be overcome if you have other things to indicate you're intellectually capable of handling the curriculum. Also, it would help to emphasize strengths/differences in your applications that most other applicants may not have

 

[sportschickaza]

Thanks for all your input guys!

 

[Doktor Timo]

I want to echo that redhead and say that in addition to asking yourself "can I do this?" make sure you're also asking "should I do this?" Only you can answer that question for yourself, but veterinary medicine is a profession with a disturbingly high prevalence of mental health issues. Unless you're taking new steps now to manage your anxiety, it's very unlikely it's going to get better once you're in vet school. Don't let your personal health become a secondary priority to your career.