WAMC-1st time, low GPA, decent experience; am i delusional??

[fabihzs]

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sorry for the long post ahead but i need advice!

i am graduating with my bachelors in biology, pre-vet track, this december and i constantly beat my self up over my terrible gpa: ~2.9

for context, i actually got my AA when i was 18 (dual enrollment) but long story short i went through many different major changes such as business, computer science, and nursing. I was a really lost 18-20 year old who didn’t know what they wanted to do with their life on top of a really toxic relationship that majorly consumed my thoughts, causing severe depression and anxiety. as this was going on, i kept scraping by classes with Cs as well as having an abundance of credits at the end of my degree (i think over 190 now?). I wanted to be a vet my entire life up until high school, where i kept being extremely indecisive every year, just to come back to the vet field!

I have been doing well in school the last year or so but my gpa doesn’t really move up much because i’m towards the end of my degree. I also am planning on doing a post-bacc on about 5 core science classes i got a C in. even after all of that, i can maybe get myself up to a 3.1 (assuming i get all As). I feel really hopeless sometimes because i find that i would have a pretty decent application by the time i apply but my gpa is absolutely ruining it to the point where schools won’t even look at me. do i have any hope?

here is a list of my extracurriculars, i am going to apply for the 2028 cycle to have more hours/experience as well.

- 4 months at current vet receptionist and technician job at an urgent care
- 3 years volunteering at my local animal shelter, mainly in the surgical area (where i gained lots of tech experience!) and monthly vaccine clinics
- currently an undergraduate research assistant at a pretty large lab at my university, we are sequencing DNA of 3 different amphibian species for a better read on their population genetics (and why they are declining!)
- volunteer at local horse stable
-fundraising coordinator for a science coed frat at my university
-(currently being planned) shadowing a wildlife vet (mainly works with sloths) in CR for about 15 days, most likely will happen in January after i graduate

I have also been applying to fall internships in my area that are animal related. Finally, I’ve worked as a server/bartender at one of my other current jobs for 4 years, with quite of few other non-animal related jobs prior.

i know this is the path for me and i am so passionate about animal care. i love communicating with clients and interacting with pets, i genuinely love my job and i want to be the doctor that helps others feel comfortable and cared for. do i have hope of getting into vet school or am i delusional?

 

[Ham-doctor]

Hello! I'm gonna return the favor with a long reply so you don't feel bad( kidding there are a lot of things that I think you need to hear). I definitely think you have a shot! Its hard to say since I don't know your exact hours, but i'm assuming you have a fair amount based on the time length you listed! That being said, yes, your GPA is low but GPA isn't everything. Lots of schools, such as oregon state ask for your course load in undergrad and ask for hours worked during concurrently for that exact reason as they know that not everybody has the luxury to simply focus on school. I do recognize that you cited mental health and while I don't want to add a value to that, I think incorporating a sentiment in your essays in the sense that you've experienced difficulties and learned/developed from those difficulties would be valuable especially in a field that has high mental health struggles, suicide and burn out rates. In addition, it seems that you have a lot of variety, which schools love. If you really want to maximize your chances, without taking additional time to work on your application(keeping in mind all experience until September deadline still can be used), I would highly consider using your university if available to proof read essays highlighting your journey, achievements and struggles with a key emphasis on how you overcame those struggles improving your health and potentially longevity in the field. Also consider applying to schools which are known to value experiences as much as academics. Keep in mind, in state is huge! You definitely got this and while I know it wasn't the answer I wanted, you do have so much time and there is no shame in taking more time to retake courses or do multiple cycles. Don't take rejection as not being good enough as your worth is not the acceptances especially in a application in which there are more qualified applicants than can be admitted! Best of luck, you will be a great doctor if you choose to be!

 

[fabihzs]

Hello! I'm gonna return the favor with a long reply so you don't feel bad( kidding there are a lot of things that I think you need to hear). I definitely think you have a shot! Its hard to say since I don't know your exact hours, but i'm assuming you have a fair amount based on the time length you listed! That being said, yes, your GPA is low but GPA isn't everything. Lots of schools, such as oregon state ask for your course load in undergrad and ask for hours worked during concurrently for that exact reason as they know that not everybody has the luxury to simply focus on school. I do recognize that you cited mental health and while I don't want to add a value to that, I think incorporating a sentiment in your essays in the sense that you've experienced difficulties and learned/developed from those difficulties would be valuable especially in a field that has high mental health struggles, suicide and burn out rates. In addition, it seems that you have a lot of variety, which schools love. If you really want to maximize your chances, without taking additional time to work on your application(keeping in mind all experience until September deadline still can be used), I would highly consider using your university if available to proof read essays highlighting your journey, achievements and struggles with a key emphasis on how you overcame those struggles improving your health and potentially longevity in the field. Also consider applying to schools which are known to value experiences as much as academics. Keep in mind, in state is huge! You definitely got this and while I know it wasn't the answer I wanted, you do have so much time and there is no shame in taking more time to retake courses or do multiple cycles. Don't take rejection as not being good enough as your worth is not the acceptances especially in a application in which there are more qualified applicants than can be admitted! Best of luck, you will be a great doctor if you choose to be!

thank you for the reply, i really appreciate you taking the time to respond to me !

 

[dew5]

Delusional, no. But... applicants who get into vet school with a low GPA are an exception; not the norm. Those who do get accepted with low GPAs usually excel in other areas, such as veterinary experience. Not to downplay the experience you currently have - I can tell you have a decent amount of hours and general exposure to the veterinary field. Volunteering at the shelter and working at an urgent care for a few months do not exactly "stand out" as extraordinary experiences, although it's a solid foundation to build on. Your research experience might give you a slight edge, depending where you apply, but I think you need to be really strategic/realistic about where.

That said, where are you considering applying? Do you have an IS school? I see that you're planning to retake some courses. If you can raise those C's (I strongly recommend that you prioritize improving your GPA above all else) consider schools that do grade replacement. Are you open (and more importantly, financially able) to attend island or private schools? These are the schools that tend to favor a "holistic" review process/consider those with less-than-competitive GPAs. But with the current student loan situation, I absolutely would not/cannot in good conscience recommend any of these schools to someone who doesn't have the financial means to do so (a ridiculously wealthy support system, military benefits, etc.).

 

[fabihzs]

Delusional, no. But... applicants who get into vet school with a low GPA are an exception; not the norm. Those who do get accepted with low GPAs usually excel in other areas, such as veterinary experience. Not to downplay the experience you currently have - I can tell you have a decent amount of hours and general exposure to the veterinary field. Volunteering at the shelter and working at an urgent care for a few months do not exactly "stand out" as extraordinary experiences, although it's a solid foundation to build on. Your research experience might give you a slight edge, depending where you apply, but I think you need to be really strategic/realistic about where.

That said, where are you considering applying? Do you have an IS school? I see that you're planning to retake some courses. If you can raise those C's (I strongly recommend that you prioritize improving your GPA above all else) consider schools that do grade replacement. Are you open (and more importantly, financially able) to attend island or private schools? These are the schools that tend to favor a "holistic" review process/consider those with less-than-competitive GPAs. But with the current student loan situation, I absolutely would not/cannot in good conscience recommend any of these schools to someone who doesn't have the financial means to do so (a ridiculously wealthy support system, military benefits, etc.).

hey thanks for taking the time to reply! my IS school is UF, i plan on applying there, western U, Ross, LMU, and LSU for the 2028 cycle. if you have any other recs for schools to apply to i’d love to hear! I plan on applying for 2028 to get my hours up to the 1000s because i currently only work about 26 hrs a week, I will transition to the full 40 when im graduated. My clinic also has a 24hr ER that i would like to transition to when i am full time. the doctors i work with really recommend it for vet school, plus, our ER sees both dogs and cats as well as exotics, so it adds a bit of diversity.

I am going to start retaking classes right after I graduate, I am just going to try to do most at a community college since i’m paying out of pocket, hence, retaking my 5 worst science classes.

finally, I don’t really care about how much debt i get into for school because my partner will be paying for all other living expense, and later on i plan on pretty much just throwing my entire salary for a couple of years to pay off debt. I an open to both islands schools and foreign schools as long as it’s AVMA accredited.

 

[dew5]

hey thanks for taking the time to reply! my IS school is UF, i plan on applying there, western U, Ross, LMU, and LSU for the 2028 cycle. if you have any other recs for schools to apply to i’d love to hear! I plan on applying for 2028 to get my hours up to the 1000s because i currently only work about 26 hrs a week, I will transition to the full 40 when im graduated. My clinic also has a 24hr ER that i would like to transition to when i am full time. the doctors i work with really recommend it for vet school, plus, our ER sees both dogs and cats as well as exotics, so it adds a bit of diversity.

I am going to start retaking classes right after I graduate, I am just going to try to do most at a community college since i’m paying out of pocket, hence, retaking my 5 worst science classes.

finally, I don’t really care about how much debt i get into for school because my partner will be paying for all other living expense, and later on i plan on pretty much just throwing my entire salary for a couple of years to pay off debt. I an open to both islands schools and foreign schools as long as it’s AVMA accredited.

I think you have a great plan for increasing your depth and breadth of veterinary experience as well as course retakes. Look into schools like UMN that weigh last 45 GPA more heavily. Iowa State is one school I can think of off the top of my head that considers grade replacement. Anecdotal recommendation, but Mississippi State is a stateside school that has historically admitted low-GPA applicants. For each of these schools, you’ll want to verify if you meet the minimum GPA requirement upon completing your course retakes.

I understand where you're coming from, and having a partner cover living expenses definitely puts you in a better position than without. That said, I wouldn't completely dismiss the amount of debt you'll take on. Even if you devote all of your salary to repayment after graduation, large student loan balances can still take an exceptionally long time to pay off (more than just the “couple years” you have stated/expect) - especially considering interest accrual and the likelihood of private loan expenses due to the current loan cap. New grad veterinarians don't usually make enough to wipe out that kind of debt quickly, especially once interest is factored in.

 

[vampyrica]

sorry for the long post ahead but i need advice!

i am graduating with my bachelors in biology, pre-vet track, this december and i constantly beat my self up over my terrible gpa: ~2.9

hello, i was also a low-gpa applicant. my gpa was a bit higher than yours but not alot (3.1). this GPA you list, is it cumulative? science? last 45? these are all critical to know because you may not qualify to apply to certain schools.

hey thanks for taking the time to reply! my IS school is UF, i plan on applying there, western U, Ross, LMU, and LSU for the 2028 cycle. if you have any other recs for schools to

while i always recommend applying to your IS, @katiemcat used to volunteer for interviews at UF and unfortunately, they are quite strict on their GPA requirement. additionally, LSU requires a 3.33 minimum GPA to apply so you would not be able to apply there unless you re-take classes. i would heavily prioritize schools that do: grade replacement if you are planning to retake classes, have a strong emphasis on your strongest GPAs and have holistic admissions. this will require quite a bit of research but it will be worth it in the end to apply to schools that give you the best chance possible.

Iowa, Michigan, and Mississippi are three that have been mentioned before are both low GPA friendly, and that do grade replacement.

 

[katiemcat]

hello, i was also a low-gpa applicant. my gpa was a bit higher than yours but not alot (3.1). this GPA you list, is it cumulative? science? last 45? these are all critical to know because you may not qualify to apply to certain schools.


while i always recommend applying to your IS, @katiemcat used to volunteer for interviews at UF and unfortunately, they are quite strict on their GPA requirement. additionally, LSU requires a 3.33 minimum GPA to apply so you would not be able to apply there unless you re-take classes. i would heavily prioritize schools that do: grade replacement if you are planning to retake classes, have a strong emphasis on your strongest GPAs and have holistic admissions. this will require quite a bit of research but it will be worth it in the end to apply to schools that give you the best chance possible.

Iowa, Michigan, and Mississippi are three that have been mentioned before are both low GPA friendly, and that do grade replacement.

Yeah I will say our internal GPA cut is usually around 3.5 ish. The year I was interviewing they made exceptions for 15 people with outstanding experience below this cutoff to still interview, but I think only one of them got accepted and their GPAs were >3.0. I’m unsure if they did the exception this this cycle because they didn’t mention doing it again.

If you can get >3.0 and can afford it I would still say apply but you’re really going to need to sell yourself in other areas and go into it cautiously optimistic. I’ve been told they are very interested in increasing the number of large animal students - but based on your experiences it doesn’t seem like your area of interest.

Here is the accepted student stats for the class of 2029:

https://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/wordpress/files/2025/11/UFCVM-Admissions-Information-Class-of-2029-FINAL.pdf

 

[fabihzs]

I think you have a great plan for increasing your depth and breadth of veterinary experience as well as course retakes. Look into schools like UMN that weigh last 45 GPA more heavily. Iowa State is one school I can think of off the top of my head that considers grade replacement. Anecdotal recommendation, but Mississippi State is a stateside school that has historically admitted low-GPA applicants. For each of these schools, you’ll want to verify if you meet the minimum GPA requirement upon completing your course retakes.

I understand where you're coming from, and having a partner cover living expenses definitely puts you in a better position than without. That said, I wouldn't completely dismiss the amount of debt you'll take on. Even if you devote all of your salary to repayment after graduation, large student loan balances can still take an exceptionally long time to pay off (more than just the “couple years” you have stated/expect) - especially considering interest accrual and the likelihood of private loan expenses due to the current loan cap. New grad veterinarians don't usually make enough to wipe out that kind of debt quickly, especially once interest is factored in.

thank you for the advice on the schools, i will look into them!

and i definitely agree about the debt. I would love to go to UF as it is an amazing school but also because it’d be about 100k cheaper than any other school. however, in my position i cannot be picky so i kind of have accepted that i am okay with out of state/private college debt if that is the school that gives me a chance! i’m glad to say that i have no undergrad debt and i have a great support system with both my partner and my family.

also, if my GPA doesn’t go up enough by the time the CC class retakes are over, I am open to retaking other classes only offered at a 4yr, it’s just that the price difference per credit is about double so i am definitely gonna just try to keep it at a CC if i can.

 

[fabihzs]

hello, i was also a low-gpa applicant. my gpa was a bit higher than yours but not alot (3.1). this GPA you list, is it cumulative? science? last 45? these are all critical to know because you may not qualify to apply to certain schools.


while i always recommend applying to your IS, @katiemcat used to volunteer for interviews at UF and unfortunately, they are quite strict on their GPA requirement. additionally, LSU requires a 3.33 minimum GPA to apply so you would not be able to apply there unless you re-take classes. i would heavily prioritize schools that do: grade replacement if you are planning to retake classes, have a strong emphasis on your strongest GPAs and have holistic admissions. this will require quite a bit of research but it will be worth it in the end to apply to schools that give you the best chance possible.

Iowa, Michigan, and Mississippi are three that have been mentioned before are both low GPA friendly, and that do grade replacement.

Hello, the GPA that i have listed is cumulative. I believe my science and last 45 GPA are higher but I am not exactly sure by how much.

 

[fabihzs]

Yeah I will say our internal GPA cut is usually around 3.5 ish. The year I was interviewing they made exceptions for 15 people with outstanding experience below this cutoff to still interview, but I think only one of them got accepted and their GPAs were >3.0. I’m unsure if they did the exception this this cycle because they didn’t mention doing it again.

If you can get >3.0 and can afford it I would still say apply but you’re really going to need to sell yourself in other areas and go into it cautiously optimistic. I’ve been told they are very interested in increasing the number of large animal students - but based on your experiences it doesn’t seem like your area of interest.

Here is the accepted student stats for the class of 2029:

https://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/wordpress/files/2025/11/UFCVM-Admissions-Information-Class-of-2029-FINAL.pdf

I actually love livestock, I’ve just been having trouble finding experience for it in my area! that’s why i’ve been volunteering at a horse ranch for now to kind of get my foot in the door. My future goal is to do mixed animal practice 🙂

but i have quite a few friends that are attending UF this upcoming fall who had mentioned the GPA cut off. UF is definitely my top choice if i were to get in but i understand that my chances are extremely slim.

 

[katiemcat]

I actually love livestock, I’ve just been having trouble finding experience for it in my area! that’s why i’ve been volunteering at a horse ranch for now to kind of get my foot in the door. My future goal is to do mixed animal practice 🙂

but i have quite a few friends that are attending UF this upcoming fall who had mentioned the GPA cut off. UF is definitely my top choice if i were to get in but i understand that my chances are extremely slim.

I would recommend retaking any pre-reqs you’ve done less than ideal in. They seem to really like that. If you can get your GPA up a little it will help a lot. If you’re in Florida (I assume you are) a lot of ambulatory large animal vets love taking on students. I’m in Tampa rn but there were many out in Tallahassee and Gainesville when I lived there. Being mixed animal will also likely help you a bit. Feel free to PM me if you ever want advice !