WAMC - first time applicant, pretty low GPA, building exp

[Choupie]

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Hello! I'm a first-time applicant and I'm looking to start my applications next year, since my application needs some serious work. I wanted to see if anyone had any advice for me! I am from Maryland and I currently have a Bachelors degree in Biology. I realistically am an A/B student (5 more Bs than As, so possibly B average?) I've been searching around for holistic schools and was interested in: Ross, LMU, Western U, VMCVM, University of Missouri, LSU.

Cumulative GPA: 3.11
science GPA: 2.64
last 45: 2.82

Any degrees achieved
Graduated Spring 2025 with a B.S
Major: Biology

Veterinary Experience: ~550 hours (I am not too concerned about this, because I will have more experience by next year)
- 540 hours: CSR at a Small Animal Emergency vet hospital (The job title is vet assistant, but I'm doing strictly front desk responsibilities.)
- <10 hours shadowing a Small Animal GP vet

Animal Experience: ~ 6,408 hours
- 5,351 hours: Dog grooming
- 200 hours: Volunteering at animal shelter (Dogs and cats of all ages)
- 250 hours: Riding horses and Volunteering at the stables (Also helped with riding events for kids)
- 607 hours: Pet Care Associate (Caring for reptiles, rodents, fish and birds at a pet store)

Research Experience:
126 hours in undergraduate research. Research was done apart of the course and results found could be published.

Awards/scholarships:
- Deans list (2 semesters, 2nd college)
- Merit-based scholarship (Freshman year of 1st college)

Extracurriculars:
- Pre-Vet Club
- Art Club
- Cross Country Club
- Tri-M Music Honor Society
-Volunteering at events to distribute meals
-Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society

Employment:
- Currently working an emergency vet, but a different vet assistant job is in the works to where I can learn assistant tasks and work directly under vet supervision.
-Cashier at supermarket
-Pet care associate
-Dog and Cat Groomer

I'm highly concerned about my GPA, in all fields, but mainly Science GPA. My GPA started off really strong at the start of my college journey. Then financial constraints started getting into the way, my parents had split up, and I was still living under their care. I had gone to 4 colleges in total (one a community college) due to finances and the advice of my parents (separately!). When I was at the 4th college, I had failed and retaken orgo 1 and 2 , which tanked my cGPA down to a 2.1, and also hurt my Last 45 GPA. My advisor at the time said that I should seek other careers than veterinarian, like tech school, but it isn't my desire to be a tech. So, I locked in after that, took some therapy, went to libraries to study and was able to raise my cGPA to a 3.1. But that's still so very low, and only one of the 3 GPAs that barely reaches over the minimum for 3.0. I was thinking about taking some post-bacc classes in hopes of raising it a bit, or even investing in a masters program for an M.S degree so I can at least use it towards the DVM program. If you have any advice, please let me know!

 

[vampyrica]

making a note here so i can respond later. i applied with a 3.11 cGPA and got into a dual degree program. give me a few and ill chime in

 

[stinkyfreddy]

following from vampyrica's reply, it is possible but it doesn't mean it will be easy. those are not competitive GPA numbers especially for the science component. Not because of the number itself, but schools see it as a metric to say how well you can handle hard courses you will have to inevitably endure in vet school (this is feedback based on what I've been told from school admissions themselves (talking about LSU specifically).

As to your explanation, I think this is key in your application. You will have to deal with the GPA numbers regardless, but providing that explanation will help you a lot. I would suggest, as you said, to take post-bacc courses really hard science ones, like maybe immunology, anatomy, or anything you can find that will really test you because it will show how you can overcome especially with hard courses. As for the Master's I would really think about it. If you're 100% sure you want DVM, I would not invest in a Masters with the current financial situation you have/federal loan bill. Retaking post-bacc courses seems right for you, and it will also might boost your application in such a way that you wouldn't have to invest in the masters.

You can also try to apply to internships and post bacc programs to see where that takes you!!

those are my 2 cents. Im also starting my page so I can help other prevent students in their applications!! you can DM me and im more than happy to help you out!!

 

[pp9]

Are these GPAs calculated with your course fails/retakes averages, or with the retake replacing the failing grade? What grades did you get in the courses the second time around? You say you have a B average but with your GPAs and retakes, it's hard to know what you mean by that. To dip below a 3.0, you've got more C's (or lower) than you have As/Bs generally.

Either way, your academics will make things tricky. Based on what you've written here, I am not sure the rest of your app is as stand-out as it would need to be to keep you afloat in the process. Never say never, of course, but you're going to have some challenges. This is kind of an unspoken/unwritten 'rule,' but having a downward trend as you progress through undergrad can be a red flag. You needed to have gotten/need to get As, maybe Bs, in the science courses you repeat tbh.

Things to consider:
1. Only applying to schools that use the grade from the second attempt at the course as opposed to averaging both attempts. That might help you bump those GPAs.
2. Make sure you understand the requirements for each school so you aren't wasting money. For example, Mizzou's 3.0 cGPA minimum is after all course attempts are averaged. VMCVM has their policy worded weirdly so I would clarify how they would calculate your stuff. If you still meet their minimums, then great! I just can't tell based on what you've got written here.
3. The rest of your app needs to be more competitive if you don't bump these GPAs significantly. You don't have a lot of hours, I see you plan to get more, but you might need to have extensive experience to help yourself stand out. Like several thousands of hours. Your LORs and personal statement/any supplemental essays need to knock readers socks off.
4. Repeating any courses you have a C or less in (even if you've already repeated them) and still only applying to schools that take the most recent or highest attempt might be your best bet at the end of the day. Please do some thread searching regarding the master's degree - this is not something I recommend unless you are interested in an alternate career pathway that requires a master's. Not all schools weigh a master's heavily, some don't consider it at all (Mizzou does not look at anything but undergrad courses/GPAs). However, there are some schools that weigh a master's quite heavily (Michigan always comes to my mind for this - your master's GPA can make up your entire last 45 GPA).
5. Sit down and meticulously read through each school's website/requirements, contact the admissions office for clarifications as needed, and calculate what your GPAs would look like for each school based on their prereqs and how they handle repeated courses. That is the best way to know which schools you have the best numbers at.

Stinkyfreddy alluded to using the explanation statement to explain your GPA issue, personally I would think long and hard about that. I'm not saying you shouldn't, as that is a personal decision, but a lottt of applicants go through some serious personal hardships and maintain competitive applications. Not every personal challenge is going to compel an adcom at the end of the day. I am not sure this is one that I would recommend 'explaining' but again that is entirely up to you. I still think you're going to need to repeat courses and get those GPAs up no matter what you decide, as there are several schools that won't even read your app thoroughly if you don't make the initial academic cutoffs.

 

[vampyrica]

Hello, I have returned! I will break this down piece by piece because I have spent so much time as a low GPA applicant researching schools that I could probably pull all the information at the drop of a dime if somebody asked me to:

• With the GPA's you have posted, you do not qualify for any of those programs. Your sGPA is the primary disqualifier. Majority of schools (holistic or not) will have a 2.8-3.0 minimum GPA requirement. Some have h igher but I have never seen lower except for Iowa State which has a minimum cGPA of a 2.5 cGPA. With the schools you have selected, you do not meet the minimums.
• I say this with absolutely zero ill intention behind my words: but nothing here is sticking out to me. These are all very traditional experiences that I would say atleast half of all applicants have. What do you wish to do with your DVM? If it is not GP or ECC, then you don't have the experience to reinforce your understanding and desire of that specific field. If GP or ECC are your current goals, then you have the ability to write some strong essays with the experience you have already gained. Are there any summer research/internship opportunities you could take advantage of to further enhance your application? Could you perhaps volunteer at the Baltimore aquarium and gain some aquatic experience?
• Please do not get a Masters degree if you do not genuinely want it. I will speak more on my personal experience in a moment, but these new loan limitations will screw you over if you solely get a Masters for the sake of getting into vet school. Only get one if you would rely on it as a back-up if vet school doesn't work out. As for the post-bacc classes, those would certainly help raise your last 45 and sGPA. You can also enroll as a non-degree seeking student at a local university and enroll in whatever classes you want to help boost those GPA's as well. Unfortunately at this point, that cGPA is not really going to budge so you must focus on your science, last 45 and pre-requisite GPA.

I was a 2x applicant. First cycle I had a 3.22 undergrad GPA but because I had 8 C's and 3 D's on my transcript, VMCAS calculated it to be a 3.16 cGPA. My sGPA was much lower, probably around a 2.8 and my last 45 credits was just about a 2.75. I did not qualify for any of the 12 programs I applied for and did not do nearly enough research which schools would be more accepting of my stats. Second time around, I chose 9 "holistic"/low-GPA friendly schools (with the exception of Mizzou and UWM which to this day IDK why I applied..) and was accepted into 3, waitlisted at 1 and rejected from 5. Here is what I would recommend as someone who was previously in your shoes:

1. Take those extra classes. It will be costly, so I recommend trying to pay out-of-pocket if possible. I paid for my non-degree grad classes out of pocket by saving 30-40% of my paychecks. This is not feasible for everyone and I understand that completely! In that case, you will have to get creative and find classes that you can comfortably afford.
2. Schools I recommend you look into: Iowa State University, Colorado State University Vet Prep program, keep LMU, keep your IS VMCVM, keep Ross. Add Mississippi State University, and keep Western. LSU and Mizzou are iffy and I would advise you to do further research on whether or not you can meet their minimums to qualify. Mizzou likes experiences, but their avg OOS GPA is much higher compared to the GPAs you and I have. (Trust me, I applied and was rejected as well.)
3. Diversify your experiences. Have a vaccine clinic coming to town? Ask to volunteer. Is there mobile vet in your area? Ask to help out. Dental or specialty clinics within a 30 min drive from you? Email and ask if you shadow or if you can help out.

As someone previously mentioned: Explanation Statement. My reasoning for my low GPA was due to medical complications that occured my junior year of undergrad. I moved campuses and my GPA dropped from a 3.56 to a 3.32 in just one semester...and then in the spring it dropped even more. If you had something occur that will give some insight as to what happened to your GPA. If you do choose to write an explanation statement, use it as a place to demonstrate growth and not as a section to write a novel. It should be concise and straight to the point. No fluff, nothing extra. "A happened, which resulted in B, so in order to fix it/how I moved forward was C, which allowed me to D and continue to pursue my goals"

I am happy to chat more if you need a low GPA buddy to yap with 🙂

 

[vampyrica]

Oh! and UAZ!