WAMC first time applicant, strong hours, low/mid GPA

[ch3rryb0mb]

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Hey everyone! I’m applying this upcoming cycle and would love some outside perspective on my school list + how competitive I realistically am. I’ve looked through all the class profiles, but I’d love advice from people who’ve applied recently or who go to these schools. My main priority is attending a school that has a teaching hospital, but I recognize that my GPAs are not the most competitive and there are gaps in my application.

My Stats​

• Cumulative GPA: 3.45
• Science GPA (VMCAS): 3.39
• Prereq GPA (estimated): ~3.3–3.4
• Last 45 GPA: ~3.7–3.8
• Degree: B.S. Biological Sciences (2024 grad)
• State: California

Experience​

• ~2,500+ current small animal GP hours (blood draws, treatments, anesthesia monitoring, client comms, etc.). Some of this experience (probably 400ish hours) was spent as a CSR.
• Starting new job in small animal Internal Medicine + ER in the coming weeks
• ~400 hours wildlife rehabilitation internship under DVM supervision (primarily raptor/avian patients)
• ~800-900 animal hours (**I worked at a dog daycare/boarding facility in college)
• No research
• Limited extracurriculars/leadership
• Strong LOR potential from multiple veterinarians + a hospital manager/RVT

Concerns​

• Early COVID-era grades lowered my science GPA
• Limited leadership/ECs outside of work
• Some schools’ admitted GPAs look intimidating
• Currently no exotics or large animal experience

My Current School List​

Top choices (teaching hospital, curriculum fit):

• UC Davis (IS)
• Washington State
• Oregon State
• Michigan State
• Colorado State

Rest of the list:

• Iowa State
• Minnesota
• Virginia–Maryland
• Ohio State
• Illinois
• Georgia
• LSU
• Kansas State
• Missouri
• Mississippi State
• Oklahoma State
• Tennessee
• Midwestern

I ended up removing Western and Arizona from my list due to cost and their distributive model. I kept Midwestern since it seems that their students are given more structured learning and hands on experience despite the lack of an actual teaching hospital. I do not want to attend any island schools or foreign schools due to lack of teaching hospitals, cost, and distance. Here are my questions:

1. Are there schools I should remove based on my stats?
2. Which schools on this list are the most realistic for someone with a 3.39 sci GPA + strong last 45 + solid vet hours?
3. Are any of these apps “wasted money” given my profile?
4. Should I drop Midwestern or keep it as safety?
5. Any OOS-friendly schools I should consider adding?
6. Is my experience well-rounded enough, or should I add anything ASAP?

Thanks so much, any honest feedback is appreciated!