Wait and reapply??

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longhorn25

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I got accepted into Illinois (only place I got in) for the class of 2014 but am having some last minute nervousness about going. I live in Texas and love the south and don't want to leave my family and friends here (didn't get into aTm) but got really excited about Illinois' new curriculum while interviewing there.

I have a really low GPA and feel like I got a huge break getting into school anywhere at all, but basically I want you guys' opinions on if I should wait and reapply to Texas A&M or if I have no chance in hell and should just suck it up and go to Illinois (I always said I'd go wherever I could get in while I was applying)

GRE: 600 verbal; 690 quantitative
MCAT: 31
GPA: overall - 3.14; science - 3.15
Experience: 1400 hrs - ranch work; 3500 - small animal

sorry to make such a whiny post, but I'm kinda freaking out about leaving everyone here and paying OOS tuition at Illinois (37K). Thanks for your help guys!
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it frowned upon by adcoms to see that an applicant has turned down their offer(s) and not attend school the year they were admitted?
 
I'd go to Illinois. It's only 4 years ('only') and you can either be reapplying next year (with no guarantee of even getting in), or attending your first year of vet school next year.

Have you done a post-mortem with A&M yet? They're pretty heavy into the 'better GPA = better person' mindset. It's getting less over the years but they still weight it pretty heavily.
 
With that GPA I'd take what you were offered this year. Your total GRE is good (1290) but your Quantitative section isn't the most competitive. I think with your stats you should just be thankful for getting in OOS at all. I have friends with that GPA who never got in OOS or IS and are now in the Caribbean
 
Ah yes, I had a similar freakout about leaving Texas for Ohio and missing out on the cheap in-state vet school tuition. The fact of the matter is, Texas A & M weighs GPA pretty heavily. How many classes (even if you got straight A's) would it take to raise your GPA up to the 3.5 range or higher? Also, it would have to be lots of science classes since TAMU ranks science GPA just as heavily as cumulative GPA. If you have an undergrad degree/lots of credit hours, I'm guessing it would take quite a while. Those are years you could be spending in vet school.

At least that is how I looked at it.
 
You're not likely to see much of your family and friends or the South for the next 4 years anyway. You like Illinois and it doesn't seem like you have much of a chance of getting into A&M, so seems like a no-brainer to me.

Sounds more like cold feet than anything. Shut your eyes and take the plunge! We will all be shivering (literally in my case) with you the next 4 years!
 
A bird in hand is worth more than 28 in a gigantic, thorny, difficult-to-catch-birds-in bush. I'd personally go to Illinois, even if it meant leaving family for a little while.
 
I think many of us who did not get into our IS are going through the same emotions and thoughts you are. I know I am!

Have to leave friends and family (for me a bf of 4 years) I also have to move my horse and say goodbye to many of my pets. It is a hard move to make. Not to mention the sticker shock of OOS tuition.

But in my case I did not want to take the risk of another application cycle. Plus I too love my OOS school and I do think turning down an acceptance would look bad on next year's app.

My advice is to take your chance to be a vet and run with it. The first two years you get summers off to go home and work or see friends/family. So it isn't like you will never see home again.
 
Cold feet are normal! It is completly normal to have a 'what have I done' moment, whether your are going IS or OOS. Think of it this way; moving away from home, out of your comfort zone, is a great way to learn new things about yourself and the world you live in. There wilbe moments of homesickness, moments of frustration of unfamiliarity, but you will make friends, learn great things, and develop life long connections. And afterwards, you can return to TX, or go elsewhere. Heck, for the most part, you won't even have to spend the entire year away...come home for breaks! It will be a good experience. Take a deep breath, buy some extra minutes of call time, have some great celebrations with friends and family, and head to Illinois.
 
Do it!

It isn't as far or as overwhelming as it seems to you right now, in this moment. And if you pass up the opportunity, you might not get another one.
Plus, you will have a ton of fun living in a new place!

Being nervous about leaving is normal, but remember that nothing is permanent, and you will be so busy for the next 4 years you might not even notice.
 
I'd have to say you caught a lucky break getting into Illinois. Like BlackKat said with a GPA and GRE as such most people are not able to get into IS or OOS and they have to try for the Carribbean. At least with IL you'll still be in the states rather than in a foreign country. Take Illinois' offer, I think you'll be glad you did this time next year. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you 🙂
 
Adcoms do question, seriously, when you turn down an acceptance one year and reapply the next. It may mean you wont get in next year. Vet school is so hard to get into, I say take the acceptance and run!
 
Probably not constructive, but YAY Illinois! 🙂

Maybe constructive: I am from Illinois but have spent the past 3 years in Alabama, and have found it to be really not that bad. Yes, all of my family is in Illinois while I am here, but it works out to be about a 6 hour trip by plane from door to door and that is entirely doable for thanksgiving, christmas, spring break, etc. and really most of the time aside from those breaks, I have so much to do that I'm glad I'm forced to stay here and work rather than put it all off and go home.

That combined with the supposed adcom dislike of turning down offers, I say that being far away for 4 years is a pretty good option. It isn't like being in Europe with a 10 hour flight that costs who-knows-how-much, it is still doable to get home. Heck I've even done it for a weekend.

But really, YAY Illinois!
 
I'm not sure why you wouldn't go! You got into vet school! Congrats!

Not sure if this will be helpful for you, but it definitely helped my decision since I only had international acceptances and had considered turning them all down at one point to reapply to try to get in to a domestic school: Why did you apply there if you weren't seriously considering going to school there?
 
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