WAMC - 2nd time applicant (lower science GPA, but high experience) please help :)

[zestyzebra2595]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

WAMC - 2nd time applicant

Hello! this fall will be my second application cycle. Last cycle I only applied to Texas A&M which is my in state and did not receive an interview invite. This cycle I will be applying to Texas A&M again, as well as WSU, CSU, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, LMU, Iowa, LSU, Virginia-Maryland, Oregon, and Arizona (and maybe a few others). Trying to stick to some of the cheaper out of state schools (except CSU).

I am a 30 year old female non-trad student. I completed my Bachelor's in Animal Science in 2019, then took a break through covid, then decided to give human med a try, did that for a few years, then long story short found my way back into vet med and realized I never should have abandoned my dream of going to vet school. Since Jan 2025 I have been retaking classes that have expired and/or classes I previously did not do well in. My undergrad grades were not the greatest, but my human med associates grades are stellar and I have received an A in every class I have retaken post grad. One of my pitfalls from last cycle I think was only taking 1-2 classes at a time (I work full time), but this semester I am taking 18 hours of all STEM classes while still working full time to show I can handle a high work load.

Cumulative GPA: 3.5
science GPA: 3.2
last 45: 4.0

Any degrees achieved
BS Animal Science
Associates of Science

GRE results: not taken, do not plan to take

Veterinary Experience:
- Kennel Tech at ER for a year
- Technician Assistant at GP for a year
- Vet tech in Er for 8 years
- Vet sonographer for 3 years
>15,000 hours total

Animal Experience:
- Worked with cows and horses during undergrad
- pet sitting various small animals as well as horses
- pet ownership
>1,000 hours (mainly cats and dogs, but have decent mixed animal and exotic experience)

Research Experience: none 🙁

Awards/scholarships:
- Biology scholarship (undergrad)
- Presidents list (undergrad)
- Valedictorian (occupational school associates)

Extracurriculars:
- Pre-Vet club Ag Council Rep
-Pre-Vet Club President
- Local TNR captain
-Jiu Jitsu
- Kitten Rescue volunteer

Employment:
- Vet ER's (kennel tech, Technician, Sonographer)
- Vet GP (tech assistant)
- Vet IM specialist (vet assistant)
- sonographer (human med)

I realize my science GPA is my weaker link, but hoping 3.2 is at least somewhat competitive alongside my other stats! I will be taking more STEM classes during the fall and spring, but obviously those will not count for this upcoming application cycle. I am committed and continuing to work on it though! Just need some reassurance that things are looking somewhat decent for this app cycle <3

 

[pp9]

A 3.2 science is unfortunately below average/low. You might be able to 'make up' for it at schools that only look at last 45 and science/prereq (assuming your prereq GPA is nearly the same as your science?). A 3.5 cGPA might not be high enough to balance it out.

Also, with you having repeated courses and gotten a 4.0 in the last 45, it sounds like your repeats are much better than the initial attempts. I'm assuming the 3.2 and 3.5 are GPAs that include all attempts. I'd be looking at schools that replace grades/look at the highest score rather than average if possible. Bonus points if some of those schools also only look at last 45/science. Michigan State checks those boxes, though it is typically not one of the cheaper schools for OOSers.

 

[Tech_Penguin]

I believe Oregon is GPA heavy and has a low seat to applicant ratio for OOS