WAMC First time applicant (mediocre/low GPA)

[DressageEnthusiast]

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Cumulative GPA: 3.46
Science GPA: 3.40
Last 45: 3.44
GRE: Did not take

Any degrees achieved: Set to graduate with B.S. Animal Science with minor in equine studies in May of 2026
Applying to: VMCVM (in-state), UCDublin(5 year program due to missing prereq), Cornell, UC Davis, Bristol, Liverpool

Veterinary Experience:
- Shadowing Dog/Cat Veterinary Dentistry Specialist - 150hrs and gaining more this summer
- Shadowing Small Animal ER - 87hrs and gaining more this summer
- Extern at Equine Surgical Clinic - 82 hrs

Animal Experience:
- Personal horse ownership/riding ~2000hrs
- IDA riding team at my college ~120hrs
- Volunteer Injured/Orphaned Wildlife Transporter ~50hrs

Employment:
- Stablehand at boarding barn (also assisted with shows and clinics) ~200hrs

Research Experience:
- 48hrs environmental science study of crayfish at my previous school - research was not published due to the research site being destroyed by beavers partway through the project...

LORs:
- One from DVM professor I am close with + taught me in a lab setting
- One from DVM advisor
- One from DVM Veterinary Dentistry specialist
All 3 are Cornell DVMs, with one being a Cornell double grad

Awards/scholarships:
- Deans list from 2021-2022 (shoutout orgo for killing that streak)

Extracurriculars:
- Fencing team (recreational)

Concerns:
Aside from the borderline GPA, it took 5 years to graduate (not due to failing classes or gap year- I transferred schools and changed majors), will vet schools be concerned about this?
In all honesty, I'm prepared to be denied and take a gap year to increase/diversify my hours and take the prereq I need for Dublin because that will also allow me to apply to a few other vet schools next cycle. The missing prerequisite wasn't required for my degree and unfortunately, it came down to either not taking that prereq before I graduate and being able to apply to some schools or having to wait till fall of 26' to graduate and not apply till next cycle anyways. I figured it was worth graduating "on time" in spring '26 and going through the application processes now (especially since I've had my eye on Dublin for a while) just for a chance to get familiar with it (and stave off my family's prodding 🙄). But maybe I'm just too harsh on myself? Who knows

EDIT: For anyone reading, it turns out that I had miscalculated my GPA when I first posted this thread- I actually had a few more A's in my transcript than I thought! Stuff can get lost when you are a transfer student. I did not catch this until the night of the VMCAS submission and was able to submit to Liverpool after learning that I actually met their GPA requirements. On top of that I gained vet hours between the time of posting and applying so that I had ~150 in small animal ER, ~300 small animal dentistry and the ~80 from the previous year's equine extrernship (total of around 500hrs). I was still rejected from all the USA schools but accepted to Liverpool and Bristol (AGEP/4-year) and am waiting to hear back from Dublin.

 

[supershorty]

To be quite honest, I don't think it's going to be a good use of your money to apply this cycle. Your GPAs are below average. Your hours are very low. I'd be concerned, from the ad com perspective, that you haven't had enough exposure to vet med to truly understand the field or that you'd be able to handle the rigor of veterinary school. You're likely to be a more competitive applicant if you can make sure that you do really well in the remaining coursework that you have (since you have what, 2 more semesters of courses before you graduate) to get that last 45 GPA up and get significantly more hours. And then when you have done so, focus on applying to your in-state and programs that emphasize last 30/last 45 GPA.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but IMO, it's better to apply when you've done everything to maximize your chances of success.

 

[DressageEnthusiast]

To be quite honest, I don't think it's going to be a good use of your money to apply this cycle. Your GPAs are below average. Your hours are very low. I'd be concerned, from the ad com perspective, that you haven't had enough exposure to vet med to truly understand the field or that you'd be able to handle the rigor of veterinary school. You're likely to be a more competitive applicant if you can make sure that you do really well in the remaining coursework that you have (since you have what, 2 more semesters of courses before you graduate) to get that last 45 GPA up and get significantly more hours. And then when you have done so, focus on applying to your in-state and programs that emphasize last 30/last 45 GPA.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but IMO, it's better to apply when you've done everything to maximize your chances of success.

This is about what I expected to be honest. I was looking at UC Davis since I know that they don't look at cumulative/weigh the last 45 heavier.
Before next cycle, do you think it would be worth it to do a masters program to get my GPA up/prove I can handle graduate courses? Or am I better off really going for tons of hours (ie working full time at a clinic) as opposed to spending more time in school?

 

[supershorty]

I was looking at UC Davis since I know that they don't look at cumulative/weigh the last 45 heavier.

UC Davis is extremely competitive for OOS students, and weighs academics very heavily. That would not be a good program for you to apply to.

No, I don't think a master's is likely to be helpful - some schools won't even consider coursework from a master's until that degree is conferred. I recommend focusing on getting a 4.0 for the remaining coursework you have and getting as many hours as possible. With your numbers, it should not be an either/or situation of either academics or more hours. You will need improvements in both for you to be a competitive applicant.

 

[Cowsrcool]

Hi! I agree with shorty 100%. I think you need employment experience in the veterinary field. Have you looked into jobs at clinics? Your hours are ok but nothing that will outweigh your lower GPAs. I’d recommend taking a year or two to 1) gain more experience hours working within the veterinary field- not just shadowing. And 2) retaking prerequisites that are low grades in order to boost your GPAs. As someone who did a masters, don’t waste your time! If you have prerequisites that are Cs - retake them. Work at getting all As in your remaining courses to boost your last 45. And then once you’ve done all of this- apply SMART. Cornell and Davis are not good options, as Cornell specifically is GPA focused and even though Davis is more “holistic” they receive so many applications that it’s hard to even break through that. Look into programs that will get the best results from your application
- programs that do grade replacement if you do retake courses. Some schools average retakes, which won’t boost your gpa as much as a replacement would.
-programs that are more “holistic” (I say in quotes bc most schools have SOME kind of gpa cutoff but some are higher than others) in that they won’t just cut your application for being below a certain GPA before seeing LORs, essays, experiences, etc..
- what is your in state? And would you move states in order to qualify for a different in state school that would better fit your application? Could be something to look into~
-and a plus would be to get involved in something OUTSIDE of vet med. schools want to see well rounded ness as well and I see you do fencing? Maybe consider picking up another hobby as this will further benefit you IN vet school when you need other hobbies to stay sane lol but this isn’t CRUCIAL 🙂

Overall, I don’t think you are absolutely not cut out for vet school, but I think taking time to prove to schools that you can succeed in veterinary academic vigor(high grades in science courses), you understand the field you are trying to go into (work experience hours), and are a competitive applicant overall (deeper connections- better LORs, essays ,etc) will make you stand out!

 

[DressageEnthusiast]

Hi! I agree with shorty 100%. I think you need employment experience in the veterinary field. Have you looked into jobs at clinics? Your hours are ok but nothing that will outweigh your lower GPAs. I’d recommend taking a year or two to 1) gain more experience hours working within the veterinary field- not just shadowing. And 2) retaking prerequisites that are low grades in order to boost your GPAs. As someone who did a masters, don’t waste your time! If you have prerequisites that are Cs - retake them. Work at getting all As in your remaining courses to boost your last 45. And then once you’ve done all of this- apply SMART.

Thanks for letting me know this- virtually all the other low-GPA pre-vets I'm friends with have been instructed to/are planning to do some kind of master's because they've been told it will impress vet schools. I wonder why so many people have been told this when it isn't true? (Two more years of tuition to the school, perhaps?... 🙄)

Do you think vet schools would look down at me for re-taking "harder" courses by themselves? When I was still trying to get done in four years my advisor steered me away from taking stuff like ochem over the summer because she said vet schools would be suspicious if I was taking the difficult classes without a full course load. Since I'm already going to be taking another prerequisite class post-graduation should I try to space them out or do them all together?

Overall, I don’t think you are absolutely not cut out for vet school, but I think taking time to prove to schools that you can succeed in veterinary academic vigor(high grades in science courses), you understand the field you are trying to go into (work experience hours), and are a competitive applicant overall (deeper connections- better LORs, essays ,etc) will make you stand out!

Thank you- I looked into getting a job in clinics both near school and at home. The issue I ran into was that the clinics by my school weren't willing to hire students (wanted full time employees and with so many long labs+IDA my schedule wouldn't have worked with their hours) and the clinics back home didn't want me because I would only be there for breaks (although one of the vets I've shadowed with implied that she'd really like me to work under her so I'm planning to apply there after I graduate).

 

[Cowsrcool]

Thanks for letting me know this- virtually all the other low-GPA pre-vets I'm friends with have been instructed to/are planning to do some kind of master's because they've been told it will impress vet schools. I wonder why so many people have been told this when it isn't true? (Two more years of tuition to the school, perhaps?... 🙄)

I promise you a masters is not going to increase your chances of getting in just bc you got a masters. I applied with a masters because I was super interested in research but it truly had no basis on my application (I was basically told this by admissions). They like masters degrees because they show your ability to handle high level coursework. If you can show this without a masters- do it! If repeating courses for higher grades shows this- do that instead.

Do you think vet schools would look down at me for re-taking "harder" courses by themselves? When I was still trying to get done in four years my advisor steered me away from taking stuff like ochem over the summer because she said vet schools would be suspicious if I was taking the difficult classes without a full course load. Since I'm already going to be taking another prerequisite class post-graduation should I try to space them out or do them all together?

I personally retook ochem 2 and physics 1 over a summer with nothing else post my senior year of undergrad and had no issues. Yes schools want to see rigor but if you will get an A vs get a C, get the A. In the grand scheme, retaking those courses and doing better shows upward trend and you can use your explanation statement for this if needed. I think yes, if you took ALL your upper level science classes over the summer on their own it would look suspicious to a committee but one or two retakes for better grades shouldn’t be a nail in your coffin.

 

[indysadventures]

Thanks for letting me know this- virtually all the other low-GPA pre-vets I'm friends with have been instructed to/are planning to do some kind of master's because they've been told it will impress vet schools. I wonder why so many people have been told this when it isn't true? (Two more years of tuition to the school, perhaps?... 🙄)

Do you think vet schools would look down at me for re-taking "harder" courses by themselves? When I was still trying to get done in four years my advisor steered me away from taking stuff like ochem over the summer because she said vet schools would be suspicious if I was taking the difficult classes without a full course load. Since I'm already going to be taking another prerequisite class post-graduation should I try to space them out or do them all together?

Thank you- I looked into getting a job in clinics both near school and at home. The issue I ran into was that the clinics by my school weren't willing to hire students (wanted full time employees and with so many long labs+IDA my schedule wouldn't have worked with their hours) and the clinics back home didn't want me because I would only be there for breaks (although one of the vets I've shadowed with implied that she'd really like me to work under her so I'm planning to apply there after I graduate).

I’ve heard the opposite from schools re: Master’s degrees, at least those I’d talked to…. Undergraduate coursework is the way to go, including advanced biomedical coursework. I had a lot of success with UC Berkeley extension and I actually thought the value was reasonable.

I agree with what others have said here. I think waiting a year will benefit you. Focus heavily on bringing up your GPA in your final semesters as well as increasing/diversifying your in-clinic experiences.

Agree as well re: school focus, I would not apply to Cornell OR UCD with your stats and being OOS. Depending upon your GPA and experience progress next year, I’d consider schools that will consider grade replacement and/or heavily weigh last 45, experience, etc.

In my experience, this includes the likes of VMCVM (your IS, so that’s good), Michigan State, Ohio State, UMN. UMN still has a really high GPA academic screen, but it is possible depending on how your final semester pans out. Depending on what you can get your GPA to, it *might* be worth it to apply to WSU, but you want to make sure you can get past their academic review. CSU is holistic but they receive so many applications that it is difficult to predict admittance, and you’ll want to make sure you have their prerequisites complete (including good performance on advanced biomedical undergraduate work).

Schools that I know HEAVILY focus on GPA (especially for OOS) include: Cornell (60% of final consideration, I believe), Davis, Wisconsin, UPenn, and Tufts (both of these a bit more holistic than the former four but still very GPA-focused). Davis also has some really strict prerequisite requirements that actually steered me away from applying there.

 

[pp9]

Thanks for letting me know this- virtually all the other low-GPA pre-vets I'm friends with have been instructed to/are planning to do some kind of master's because they've been told it will impress vet schools. I wonder why so many people have been told this when it isn't true? (Two more years of tuition to the school, perhaps?... 🙄)

Quoting myself here because lazy and we've talked about the ins and outs of getting a master's extensively in multiple threads:

It's a longstanding myth that a master's degree will help you (significantly) in vet school admissions. At best, your master's will count as your last 45 and contribute to science (if applicable) and cGPAs (school dependent). I don't believe there is a single school that grants 'bonus points' to those with a master's. So in that regard, it's no different than repeating or taking additional courses, but then you also need to be specifically choosing schools that weigh a master's heavily in the last 45.

People with low GPAs need to be extremely strategic with school choice. When you are banking on a master's to get you in, you need to be even more strategic.

I am under the impression that a master's degree is applied to the last 45 and cGPA (and probably the VMCAS science GPA, depending on what the degree was in), but many schools don't specify this on their websites. So I would verify. And this is exactly why a master's is not the admissions hack many people think it is.

IMO admissions people are telling applicants to get a master's because it's a way to add on high-level course credits that (in theory) will have higher GPAs. So yes, that helps your cGPA, last 45, and sGPA, but so would repeating prereqs/other courses. And by repeating prereqs, you are boosting the prereq GPA too. Because again, a master's otherwise does not in and of itself get you extra consideration for any school afaik.

I think the obvious thing to say is that pushing a master's is a school's way of scamming you out of tuition, but you could be getting the master's from anywhere. And said tuition dollars don't go to the vet school that is (supposedly) telling you to get one, even if you completed it at the same institution. Repeating courses is also giving the schools tuition, so either way, you're spending money.

I myself only just learned that some schools will outright ignore a master's, or not consider the coursework unless the degree is completed (WAMC- Multiple Applications).

Do you think vet schools would look down at me for re-taking "harder" courses by themselves? When I was still trying to get done in four years my advisor steered me away from taking stuff like ochem over the summer because she said vet schools would be suspicious if I was taking the difficult classes without a full course load. Since I'm already going to be taking another prerequisite class post-graduation should I try to space them out or do them all together?

Idk, you could argue either way. Not all schools openly state they consider 'academic rigor,' even though it probably matters to most to some degree. Sometimes all that is referring to is the type of school (community college vs. 4-year university), sometimes they are looking at how you scheduled your semesters.

You could email the schools you're looking at and see what they'd recommend. Personally I'd rather ensure I have the best chance at getting the highest grade in the class, rather than putting myself in the same position that caused me not to do as well (referring to a heavy course load). Some would say that taking particularly challenging courses (examples:, biochem, genetics, physics) solo would be a wise thing to do, if you can schedule accordingly.

For repeating courses, having just 1-2 courses at a time is kind of self explanatory, unless you are having to retake a lot of classes and that endeavor takes you 1-2+ years to do because you're only taking one at a time. There are nuances to this when it comes to applicants that already have careers or other demands of them that aren't applicable to the average student.

 

[indysadventures]

PPs advice is all excellent, OP. Just wanted to add my two cents as someone who just went through this…..

So, as a non-traditional student I have to give some of my advice with an asterisk, because I did complete a traditional degree awhile ago from a 4-year school, and I did take a heavy course load, albeit in humanities.

But, all my prerequisites were either at my local CC or online with UC Berkeley extension, and I had schools expressly encourage me to spend the least money and go somewhere I felt comfortable. This includes the likes of Cornell and Penn, which I feel like get brought up alongside the likes of Davis when discussing caring about prestige. I got into both of those schools with my courses being according to this plan, including OChem at my community college. I will say, Davis was the ONLY school on my list that was not going to accept some of my classes, so I didn’t apply.

Again, maybe there was a prestige element I wasn’t subject to because of my older degree from Penn State. But, I felt very encouraged to take the most affordable and flexible route and I don’t think schools judged me at all for that. Some schools do ask you to list out your course load credit averages, and that feels more like the judgment on difficult would come from, but I also think they would not judge summer classes the same way, and why not take ochem somewhere less stressful?

To put it another way, I have an acquaintance who is a chemistry PhD and teaches at a local private high school. She encouraged me to go to my CC because she said that the rote memorization often taught in “weed out” classes doesn’t teach you the underlying mechanisms of orgo and prepare you as well for biochem. She wasn’t wrong, I learned so much and felt very adequately prepared for biochemistry!

ETA because I forgot: as PP said, your best bet is going to be to contact schools individually to ask these questions. I encourage everyone I know to reach out and get to know admissions people, because I think the advice I was provided as I prepared my application was priceless. It also helps you feel out a school’s vibes and if you feel like you’ll be competitive (i.e., if it’s worth the time and money to apply!).