WAMC: First Time Applicant, Very Unsure

[endera11]

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Hi, everybody! This is my first post on SDN, so apologies if this is in the wrong thread!! Also, additional apologies in advance for the block of text I am about to post.

I am a first time, first generation applicant graduating undergrad with a BS in biomedical sciences in Spring 2027. That said, my science GPA and last 45 GPA are reflective of my last year’s course work. I have completed all of my undergraduate pre-reqs, and will take my last 2 upper division pre-reqs in the Fall 2026 semester. I am from California, so my IS school is UC Davis. My primary question is whether it would be worth it for me to even try applying to veterinary school for matriculation in Fall 2027, or if I should take a gap year to strengthen my application. I made the decision to pursue vet med late junior year in university, so my veterinary experience hours are LOW. My plan is if I do apply to vet school this year, I am going to take the entirety of this summer and get as many hours as possible before Sep. 15, and I hope to have a minimum of 700 veterinary hours by that date. I am most interested in UC Davis, Washington State, Colorado State, and Oregon State. However, I am really open to going anywhere that accepts me, so no school is off limits (lol). As for current career interests, I am really loving shelter medicine. Surgery also appeals to me, and I plan on doing a residency+internship after vet school.

Cumulative GPA: 3.739
science GPA: 3.56
last 45: 3.61
I plan on raising these GPAs in my last two semesters (Fall 2026 and Spring 2027).


Any degrees achieved: BS in Biology (concentration of biomedical sciences) in Spring ‘27

GRE results: Not taking

Veterinary Experience:
-128.5 hours (and counting) volunteer veterinary assistant in a shelter. Very hands-on: shaving, vaccines, microchips, ear tipping, scrubbing, restraining for the doctor and tech for anesthesia and intubation, and post-op recovery. Got to watch different surgical procedures: an amputation, enucleation, bladder stone removal, and cryptorchids.
-Starting a volunteer/internship/shadowing opportunity at an equine vet at the end of April.
-Another shadowing/internship/volunteer/job related to veterinary hours. I am thinking of either a veterinary ophthalmologist or emergency medicine. Just anything to get me to the 700 hour range!

Animal Experience:
-29.5 hours volunteering at an animal shelter walking dogs.
-About ~5000 hours of equine experience. I have been leasing a horse for the past 6 years, horse-sitting, taking riding lessons, mucking stalls, and assisting in teaching beginner riding lessons.
-Around ~400 hours of petsitting (dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, reptiles)
-12 hours of wildlife rehab care
-Pet ownership

Research Experience:
-18 hours for a comparative morphology poster

Awards/scholarships/Achievements:
-Dean’s Honor List
-Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (Community College)
-Won awards for a science fiction short story I wrote (not sure if I should include this)
-Attended a program that my local FBI office hosted for 100 selected high school students (also not sure if I should include this since it was high school, which was a very long time ago)

Extracurriculars:
-Chinese Language Club (currently learning to speak mandarin)
-AVMA AWJAC (animal welfare contest)
-Playing piano
-Minority Association of Pre-Med Students Club (no pre-vet club at my university)

Employment:
-360 hours SPED paraeducator
-~1600 hours Barista
-~400 hours petsitting
-~240 hours bobarista

LORs:
-One from the veterinarian at the animal shelter who I have been working with closely and who has taught me so much!
- One from my cell biology professor who I got to know well over the semester and learned a lot from.
-One from my organismal biology lab professor who was really happy with my end-of-semester research proposal, and who I also got to know and build a rapport with over the semester.

Anyways - so sorry for the long block of text and thank you for anybody who takes the time to read all of it!! Overall, I feel most insecure of my achievements and veterinary hours. I know for sure I need to build those up, but I’m still not sure if my goal of 700 is even competitive. I would be grateful for any advice, and if applying this year is something feasible for me! Thank you again so much!!!

 

[dew5]

Welcome to SDN!

I'll start off with saying that you have a decently strong standing in regard to cumulative GPA. Davis is also my IS school - even though I was accepted this cycle, I'll be the first to say their admissions process really is a gamble, even as an IS applicant (partly due to the sheer number of applicants that are also IS). They take two GPAs into consideration when calculating initial ranking: science GPA and last 45 GPA. Your science GPA is trending on the average side so I would suggest finishing out your last year of undergrad STRONG. Within their criteria they also consider a distance traveled score. Although Davis doesn't explicitly disclose what goes into calculating this unique score, presumptively, being first-gen would positively contribute to that score.

Some things to consider regarding other schools on your list: Oregon State accepts a relatively low number of OOS students compared to other schools. Washington State is competitive for OOS applicants because of the ability to get IS tuition after the first year. Out of all of the US veterinary schools, Colorado State consistently receives some of the highest number of applicants. If possible, I would suggest applying to other OOS schools that accept a higher number of OOS students (Mississippi State is one school that comes to mind). Statistically, widening your net may give you better odds here, just based off the schools you have on your list currently.

Regarding your animal hours, take heed to the fact that anything falling under the umbrella of "pet ownership" (i.e. leasing a horse) will not hold as much weight as other animal experiences (such as helping teach beginner riding lessons).

If you find yourself in a position to reapply, I recommend continuing to expand upon your veterinary hours - diversify if possible (seems like you are already on the right track with your plans to shadow an equine vet).

Let me know if there is anything here you'd like me to clarify or expand upon. Best of luck!