WAMC 2nd Time Applicant

[FutureDrMP]

21, F, FL, Traditional, Second Application

Hello! This will be my second time applying. I originally applied to Colorado, tOSU, Cornell, and UF (IS school) and was denied. I got a file review from tOSU saying to get more leadership/volunteer hours and to find a way to raise my GPA. I am currently waiting on Cornell for a file review in May. I want to expand my application range this cycle and here are the schools I am considering so far:

UF, Colorado, tOSU, Cornell, Kansas State, North Carolina, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Texas A&M.


I am interested in exotics/zoo med, but I understand that a lot of that instruction occurs after vet school. I am trying to find more schools that are holistic, OOS friendly, and will have some kind of exotics track. At this point I cannot afford to apply to more than 8 schools.

I am graduating with my bachelors this spring, so I am already looking into using the summer and beyond to gain extra experiences and to look into potentially applying to a masters program.

Any advice is appreciated


Overall GPA: At the moment, 3.508. Hoping to end with a 3.53
Science Prerequisite GPA: Current 3.33. Hoping to end with a 3.42
GPA Explanation:
I was all A's and Deans List for the first 3 semesters of college, but I started to drop a bit in grades in my sophomore spring. I've gotten a few C's and have had to retake Orgo 1 (However I went from a D to an A), but after getting diagnosed and treated for my ADHD I am back to A's and B's.

Degree(s): B.S. Biology in the Pre-Vet and Zoology Track

Veterinary Experience:
- 950 hours of Veterinary Experience

• Worked as a Veterinary Assistant/Veterinary Technician at multiple small animal practices.
• Shadowed an equine veterinarian and a mobile small animal veterinarian.

Animal Experience:
- 1130 hours of animal experience

• Worked as a Kennel Technician at a small animal practice (No direct contact with veterinarians).
• Volunteered with horses for a special needs riding program.
• Zookeeping 101 Camp at Busch Gardens Tampa

Research: None

Extracurriculars/Awards:

• Member of my school's Pre-Veterinary Society
• Member of my high school FFA chapter. Held multiple officer positions including President.
• Sang in choir
• Danced for 15 years and competed nationally.
• Member of my high school Vet Assisting Program
• Certified Veterinary Assistant
• Bright Futures Scholar
• 6th place individual at the 2019 FFA Vet Assisting CDE
• Greenhand FFA Degree
• Valencia College Deans List Twice
• UCF Deans List 4 times
• Graduated HS with 3.5 unweighted GPA
• Pegasus Gold Scholarship at UCF

Non-Animal Employment:

• Event Coordinator at the Florida Veterinary Medical Association
• Sales Associate at Dover Saddlery

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[MintyMoose]

Howdy! Last year I was in a very similar situation as you. I was rejected from a multitude of schools and the feedback from tOSU was needing more volunteer/leadership hours and needing a higher GPA. My GPA was actually lower than yours is (cumulative around 3.4, science around 3.3). The route I decided to take was opting to extend my graduation a year and taking rigorous courses in non-animal science related subjects (ie. mycology, human toxicology, etc.). Additionally, I took up volunteering for buddy ball and gained leadership experience from an animal science club. I also got a bunch of certifications and got a job working with lab mice. Overall, your academics and achievements look good imo but I would recommend getting more veterinary hours. A see a lot of successful applicants with 2,000+ hours under their belt. I also recommend getting large animal experience! Best of luck!

 

[JaynaAli]

What are the factors influencing your school choices? Texas A&M only accepts a very low number of OOS seats (just 8 in 2022 though historically numbers were closer to 15-20 before that per their published stats) and the average GPA of their accepted OOS people is consistently between 3.8-3.9 With so few OOS seats, they’re going to be extremely competitive and TAMU’s guidelines say that grades are 30-38% of the admissions criteria. Similarly, NCSU also only accepts 23 OOS students and the average GPA of those OOS students is 3.8+. I don’t think your GPA of 3.5 is terrible, but it’s also not the strong point of your application and quite frankly I don’t think you’ll be super competitive at a place with such limited OOS seats and focus on GPA. Your in-state should be where you statistically have the best chance but I would probably look for schools that have more OOS seats, a less GPA focused selection formula, and a lower average OOS matriculated GPA to maximize your chances. If you have tons of money for apps and time to do the supplemental essays, then sure, apply to places like TAMU and NCSU, but I would consider really looking through school stats and requirements and applying to places you have the best chance. My point is to do a ton of research and make sure your applying smart to places you have a reasonable chance at.

(And also cost is really important as a factor to consider).

 

[FutureDrMP]

What are the factors influencing your school choices? Texas A&M only accepts a very low number of OOS seats (just 8 in 2022 though historically numbers were closer to 15-20 before that per their published stats) and the average GPA of their accepted OOS people is consistently between 3.8-3.9 With so few OOS seats, they’re going to be extremely competitive and TAMU’s guidelines say that grades are 30-38% of the admissions criteria. Similarly, NCSU also only accepts 23 OOS students and the average GPA of those OOS students is 3.8+. I don’t think your GPA of 3.5 is terrible, but it’s also not the strong point of your application and quite frankly I don’t think you’ll be super competitive at a place with such limited OOS seats and focus on GPA. Your in-state should be where you statistically have the best chance but I would probably look for schools that have more OOS seats, a less GPA focused selection formula, and a lower average OOS matriculated GPA to maximize your chances. If you have tons of money for apps and time to do the supplemental essays, then sure, apply to places like TAMU and NCSU, but I would consider really looking through school stats and requirements and applying to places you have the best chance. My point is to do a ton of research and make sure your applying smart to places you have a reasonable chance at.

(And also cost is really important as a factor to consider).

I've been goin through stats a lot, as well as peoples personal pros and cons of the schools. Thanks for the tips on TAMU and NCSU!! I know NCSU gives in-state tuition after the first year and that they are generally more affordable, so that's what put them on my radar. TAMU was a recent addition, I'm still trying to compare all the schools to each other. I'll keep doing my research though!!

 

[FutureDrMP]

Howdy! Last year I was in a very similar situation as you. I was rejected from a multitude of schools and the feedback from tOSU was needing more volunteer/leadership hours and needing a higher GPA. My GPA was actually lower than yours is (cumulative around 3.4, science around 3.3). The route I decided to take was opting to extend my graduation a year and taking rigorous courses in non-animal science related subjects (ie. mycology, human toxicology, etc.). Additionally, I took up volunteering for buddy ball and gained leadership experience from an animal science club. I also got a bunch of certifications and got a job working with lab mice. Overall, your academics and achievements look good imo but I would recommend getting more veterinary hours. A see a lot of successful applicants with 2,000+ hours under their belt. I also recommend getting large animal experience! Best of luck!

Thanks for the tips!!! I talked to an advisor about postponing graduation, getting a masters, or doing post-bacc classes, and he said a masters might be the best option, but I will definitely look into everything again!!

 

[Georgethecat]

Be aware that NC State requires that cum gpa, required courses gpa, and last 45 gpa be at least 3.4 to be considered. They average retakes.

 

[battie]

I know NCSU gives in-state tuition after the first year and that they are generally more affordable

There are several other schools where they allow easy residency change, such as Washington and Mizzou. To be fair, several of these easy change schools are going to be more competitive for this exact reason.

 

[FutureDrMP]

There are several other schools where they allow easy residency change, such as Washington and Mizzou. To be fair, several of these easy change schools are going to be more competitive for this exact reason.

Gotcha, thanks for the tip!