WAMC: 23F second time applicant, low gpa, pursuing masters

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aks1123

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hello! i am a 23F texas resident, recently graduated and going into my non-thesis masters program this august! I am interested in shelter med, community med, and possibly emergency.
unfortunately i started gaining hours later than most due to COVID, and waited until i was fully vaxxed to even seek out opportunities; my advisor also told me i only needed 300-500 hours, which is obviously incorrect, but for most of undergrad i worked a food service job on top of school, volunteering, and during summers a 2nd job at a shelter. i only really have small animal hours and a handful of large animal from labs, as it has been difficult for me to find time to gain any, but im also not super motivated for it since im strictly interested in small animal (im afraid this will be the nail in my coffin). I have 3 C's to my name (both ochem's, microbio; terrible professors) but my school doesnt allow us to re-take those courses since its technically "passing".
This past cycle I was accepted to Ross' VetPrep, but im not willing to take out a personal loan and it just seemed too risky to accept on the first cycle. instead im pursuing a one year nonthesis masters in a brand new program, which is super exciting.

applying to: TAMU & TTU (IS), NC state, Kansas State, Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, Tufts, Ross
cGPA: 3.41
sGPA: 3.27
last 45: 3.45
GRE: none, most of the schools im applying to wont even look at it anyways.

Vet XP: 336 total
- expected to be somewhat past 600 by the time applications are due since I now work at a clinic
- 138 hrs shadowing at a clinic; not a lot of hands-on experience
- the rest is from & will be from the clinic i work at now, much more hands on and im learning technician duties!

Animal XP: 388 total
- 200 hrs as fostering coordinator for our school's feral cat coalition
- 94 hrs as a summer caretaker at a shelter
- 40 hrs volunteering at a different shelter
- the rest is me doing kennels at the clinic; i dont include them into my vet hours since the vet is not there and im not doing tech stuff.

Research XP: 43 total
- various studies on dog preferences for scents in toys, water bowl sleeves to improve water intake, sponsor's toy vs competitor's for puppies.

Awards/scholarships:
- merit scholarship every year
- deans list one semester
- presidents list one semester

Extracurriculars:
- 3000+ hours color guard, 8 years (HS and college), includes all marching and indoor seasons.
- ~150 hrs in a service-based sorority. i was on exec for one year as the secretary, where i kept track of attendance, meeting topics, and coordinated meetups with other chapters.

Employment: idk the hours
- one summer as a barista
- 2 years chipotle
- one summer at a shelter (94hrs)
- now at a small animal clinic!

I also want to add that I didn't go into undergrad completely on-board with vet med, i originally wanted to do something with shelters and behavior. i solidified my interests through working with rescues and shelters and eventually veterinarians. i think my hesitance also led me to having low hours.

Additionally, I got diagnosed with ADHD halfway through my senior year of college. debating whether or not i want to bring this up in my explanation statements/anywhere else/at all?? im hoping now that im doing a masters i can prove that, with medication and counselling, i actually am able to make better grades and be a more desirable candidate.
 
Hey just wanted to pop in and say that NCSU requires out of state students to have at least a 3.4 GPA in ALL three GPA categories, they do not wiggle on this and will simply throw your application out if you don't meet this requirement. Just wanted to make sure you knew that before applying to them since it looks like your sGPA is below that requirement. (also double check this on NCSU's website as I haven't checked to see if this changed this cycle or not. But it has been like this for the past multiple cycles)
 
In addition, NCSU is arguably one of the most competitive (if not the most competitive) schools on your list based number of applicants to the number of seats. Would recommend reconsidering applying there even if you meet the GPA threshold.
 
Hey just wanted to pop in and say that NCSU requires out of state students to have at least a 3.4 GPA in ALL three GPA categories, they do not wiggle on this and will simply throw your application out if you don't meet this requirement. Just wanted to make sure you knew that before applying to them since it looks like your sGPA is below that requirement. (also double check this on NCSU's website as I haven't checked to see if this changed this cycle or not. But it has been like this for the past multiple cycles)
i just double checked and you are right! i wondered if they would wiggle if i was in classes for grad school to see how i do there, but if they’re super strict on it i think i’ll reconsider my application
 
i wondered if they would wiggle if i was in classes for grad school to see how i do there
They would not. They have no reason to. And if they did for you, they would have to do so for everyone.
 
i wondered if they would wiggle if i was in classes for grad school to see how i do there
They will not. They get thousands of applicants every year. They have no need to make exceptions when there are hundreds of people who are, by their measures, more qualified without requiring exceptions.

i only really have small animal hours and a handful of large animal from labs, as it has been difficult for me to find time to gain any, but im also not super motivated for it since im strictly interested in small animal (im afraid this will be the nail in my coffin).
This attitude very well could be the nail in your coffin, so I encourage you to shift your mindset. Even if you think you want to do small animal medicine, there is a lot to be learned from experiencing other areas of vet med. From an admissions perspective, applicants with diverse hours are more likely to truly understand what the field entails (as much as anyone can prior to being a practicing veterinarian) than people who spend all of their time in one area. I knew I didn't want to do equine medicine, but I learned an enormous amount on my externships with equine practices about the diagnostic process, sports medicine, and client communications. Every area of medicine has something it can teach you.

Because your GPAs are average to below average, it's going to be that much more important for you to excel and be outstanding in other areas - that includes your experience hours (which, at your current estimate, will also be lower relative to the average applicant when you plan to apply), your letters of reference, and your essays. If you're not going to be able to do that, it might be a better use of your time and money to wait a year, beef up those experience hours and retake courses as you're able to pull those GPAs up, and *then* consider applying at that time.
 
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