WAMC: Non Trad, low cum, high last 45, most recent gpas

[hcampo]

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I would love to know the following for each school, especially for vets or vet students in the program: Is it worth it for me to apply? Do I have a decent shot of making it past the initial gpa round? Have you, or do you know someone who, has gotten into a specific program with these stats?

Any advice would be so helpful. I'm determined to apply smart this cycle and truly put my best foot forward. I think my last 45 gpa is very strong, and I hope to highlight that.

Schools applying to:
Washington State
Colorado State
Virginia-Maryland
Michigan State
Minnesota
St. George’s
Edinburgh
Iowa state
Lincoln Memorial (TN)
LSU

My application stats
*After Summer 2026 assuming A in bio II and comparative animal diseases*

VMCAS cum gpa: 2.645
VMCAS science gpa: 2.605

Replaced cum gpa: 2.941
Replaced science gpa: 2.937

Last 45 gpa: 3.404

(TAMU is my instate, but I don't meet the minimum 2.9 for cumulative or science gpa)
TAMU cum gpa: 2.749
TAMU science gpa: 2.739

Iowa prereq gpa: 3.215

Michigan prereq gpa: 3.033

Minnesota prereq gpa: 3.258

Virgina Maryland prereq gpa: 3.718

Any degrees achieved
BS Biochemistry from Loyola Marymount University
M. Agriculture Animal Science from Texas A&M (Fall 2026)

Casper: Last taken in 2024, top percentile (I understand I have to retake it again)
GRE results: Have not taken

Veterinary Experience:
- Veterinary Technician at 3 small animal hospitals, 1197 hrs at Marina Vet / 764 hrs at Pacific / 265 hrs at Southwood
-Kennel Technician at small animal er/gp hospital: 329 hrs, will continue working throughout summer and hopefully move up to a tech position
- South African Vet internship, worked with vet in game capture/wildlife medicine, preventative care for local strays, and pregnancy diagnosing for local cattle farms. 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week for 5 weeks. 250 hrs total.
- Shadowed small and exotic vet Spring 2024, 30 hrs
Total: 2835 hours

Animal Experience:
- Pet Sitting every summer in high school, roughly 100 hours per summer, 300 hrs total
-Service Dog Training: trained my own service dog to help with my PTSD, 100 hrs
-Pet ownership: 5 dogs, 1 turtle, fish. 75 hrs
-Aquarium Education Specialist: rotated between managing touch pools & teaching guests about the animals and giving educational talks about tanks; answering guest questions about animals, 262 hrs
- Volunteered at Polo barn for polo team at TAMU, feeding horses, 5.5 hrs
- Volunteer at Bryan Stock Horses of TX Show, arranging horses for ranch riding event, 6.5 hrs
-PreVet Society Handling Clinics: Equine, Small Mammal. Alpacas, Canine Catheter Placement, 23 hrs
- Equine show fitting internship, helping with stallion collection, foaling, grooming, and yearling training. 360 hrs

Research Experience:
Microplastic pilot research under Dr. Jim Landry, studied Santa Monica Beach Sediment, Great Lakes Beach Sediment, and microplastics in beach invertebrates using FTIR method that the lab developed. Presented at SoCal Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Annual Meeting (2018), Southern California Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting (2019), LMU Undergraduate Research Symposium (2018, 2019)
Spring 2018 - Spring 2020, total 606 hrs

Awards/scholarships:
- Total of $104,000 of merit scholarships at Loyola Marymount over 6 years (LMU Achievement Award, Seaver Annual Scholarship, Leavey Foundation Endowed Scholarship)

Extracurriculars:
- Texas A&M Pre Vet Society: Distinguished Member (Fall 2023, Spring 2024), 7th highest points collected out of 450 members in Spring 2024
- American Pre Vet Medical Associaltion at LMU: Founding chapter president Spring 2020-Spring 2023. Organized shadowing opportunities for club members, planned weekly meetings, planned events (virtual suture lab, alumni panel, guest vet speakers, trip to yearly symposium)
-Marians Service Organization: Member Spring 2018-Spring 2021, 2019 President,Service placements included: Itutors: Virtual tutoring for children in LAUSD (Spring 2021), Midnight Mission: Safe home for families escaping abuse (2018-2019), El Espejo: Middle school mentoring program (2019), 250 total service hours
- Division 1 Varsity Water Polo: Loyola Marymount, Varsity letters for 2018, 2019 seasons

Employment:
- Lion Express Supervisor: Took reservations and answered questions for on campus shuttle service as Supervisor, Managed 20+ students by organizing employee schedules, inspecting, and maintaining shuttle mechanics, and directly oversaw efficiency of shuttle service as Manager. Fall 2018 - Spring 2022
- Resident Advisor: Fall 2021 - Spring 2022, Directly counseled, advised, & implemented school policies for 47 first year residents, assigned overnight on call shifts 6+ times a month for entire building of 350 residents.

Explanation Statement
Throughout my high school years, I endured the trauma of being sexually molested. The fear of shattering my family kept me silent, but the impact of the abuse was profound. It led me to seek solace out of state for my undergraduate studies, hoping to distance myself from the haunting memories. The aftermath of the abuse manifested in various forms - physical ailments like insomnia, night terrors, and hypervigilance, mental struggles including anxiety, panic attacks, and depression, and academic challenges such as lack of focus, attendance issues, and difficulty processing information. It wasn't until Spring 2019, when I was diagnosed with PTSD after a severe crisis, that I began to confront my trauma through therapy. Despite my efforts, the road to recovery was tumultuous, exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward to today, after years of therapy, medication, and the support of my service dog, I can proudly say that my academic performance is no longer hindered by my past trauma. With a strategic selection of courses for my master's program, I am demonstrating my academic prowess and determination to succeed. I urge the committee to recognize the resilience I have cultivated through my struggles, viewing my graduate program grades as a true reflection of my potential in the field. My journey has equipped me with the strength and skills needed to thrive in the demanding environment of veterinary medicine. Despite the challenges that lie ahead, I am confident that my resilience and perseverance will guide me toward a successful career as a veterinarian.

 

[indysadventures]

Hi - let me first say that I think you should be so proud of your resilience and commitment despite the challenges you’ve faced. While you always have a shot, especially at more holistic schools or those that grade replace, I still think your GPAs are on the low side and you should continue to take courses, perhaps some upper level biomedical courses, to both continue to bump your GPA and show commitment and preparedness in case this year doesn’t work out. I worry that despite your upward trend, your last 45 is likely not quite high enough to help you over the hurdle of GPA screening at several of your schools.

Have you gotten in touch with schools? Many are amicable to being contacted by applicants and will give excellent advice. I think Minnesota’s admissions team is both kind and realistic when discussing options with potential applicants.

I’d also encourage you to consider redacting some of the personal information you have posted here. You never know who is on the internet, and while we all often post things that in a small world like vet med can be identifiable, I want to make sure you’re protecting yourself. Also, while I think that your explanation statement is nuanced and authentic, I’d caution against broaching topics that are very personal. You are always welcome to- it is your application of course - but sharing so much may backfire if you get a reader who isn’t empathetic or worse, sees it as a concern. I don’t think anyone should face judgment when talking about their truths with SA, but I just want to give you that heads up. Mental health is a big issue in our field as you know, and that can affect how reviewers interpret personal stories about struggles with mental health.

Best of luck, I hope you find the success you so clearly deserve!

 

[JaynaAli]

This doesn’t address your question about schools or your chances (that will take more time than I have right now) and is fairly nit picky, but I do want to say that I really don’t love the phrasing “with a strategic selection of courses for my masters” in your explanation statement. I’m not sure what exactly you mean by that, but to me one interpretation is that you’ve picked and chose classes you knew you’d do well in, and makes me wonder what/how you’ll do when you can no longer pick and choose your courses and just have to take everything they tell you and you can’t selectively choose courses. Perhaps that’s not what you meant at all and for all I know you chose hard courses, but I think it would be a stronger statement to just say your performance in your masters work shows that you’ve figured things out and can succeed and scrap that “selective” part to avoid any potential negative interpretation.

In my opinion your last 45 is fair/average, not necessarily what I’d consider strong, but the plus side is that it is a definite improvement from your cumulative and earlier work. I don’t say that to be negative, average is still good/competitive, but higher would be even better if there’s stuff you can do it get it even higher. I’d love to see it in the 3.7-3.8 range+ to be the most competitive, but I don’t mean to downplay your work to get it where it is!

I’ll try to come back tomorrow or some other time soon to give my thoughts on schools and your other questions when I have more time.

 

[hcampo]

Hi - let me first say that I think you should be so proud of your resilience and commitment despite the challenges you’ve faced. While you always have a shot, especially at more holistic schools or those that grade replace, I still think your GPAs are on the low side and you should continue to take courses, perhaps some upper level biomedical courses, to both continue to bump your GPA and show commitment and preparedness in case this year doesn’t work out. I worry that despite your upward trend, your last 45 is likely not quite high enough to help you over the hurdle of GPA screening at several of your schools.

Have you gotten in touch with schools? Many are amicable to being contacted by applicants and will give excellent advice. I think Minnesota’s admissions team is both kind and realistic when discussing options with potential applicants.

I’d also encourage you to consider redacting some of the personal information you have posted here. You never know who is on the internet, and while we all often post things that in a small world like vet med can be identifiable, I want to make sure you’re protecting yourself. Also, while I think that your explanation statement is nuanced and authentic, I’d caution against broaching topics that are very personal. You are always welcome to- it is your application of course - but sharing so much may backfire if you get a reader who isn’t empathetic or worse, sees it as a concern. I don’t think anyone should face judgment when talking about their truths with SA, but I just want to give you that heads up. Mental health is a big issue in our field as you know, and that can affect how reviewers interpret personal stories about struggles with mental health.

Best of luck, I hope you find the success you so clearly deserve!

Thank you so much for your response! The gpa is a real hole to dig out of, according to the spreadsheet I made, it'll take 60 credits of straight As to get it to a 3.0 . Unfortunately, I only have one semester left in my masters and no more money haha. But I have been prioritizing (and essentially only taking) graduate level biomedical science classes for the entirety of my masters program so I'm hoping that holistic schools see that in light of my undergraduate grades.

If the fall of 2026 goes as planned, my last 45 will be a 3.698 . Do you think that will help? Do you think I would even be given an oppertunity to show my fall grades? I absolutely love Minnesota's program and its very very high on my list. I do appreciate your concern and feedback in my personal statement and will be redrafting! Thank you again 🙂

 

[hcampo]

This doesn’t address your question about schools or your chances (that will take more time than I have right now) and is fairly nit picky, but I do want to say that I really don’t love the phrasing “with a strategic selection of courses for my masters” in your explanation statement. I’m not sure what exactly you mean by that, but to me one interpretation is that you’ve picked and chose classes you knew you’d do well in, and makes me wonder what/how you’ll do when you can no longer pick and choose your courses and just have to take everything they tell you and you can’t selectively choose courses. Perhaps that’s not what you meant at all and for all I know you chose hard courses, but I think it would be a stronger statement to just say your performance in your masters work shows that you’ve figured things out and can succeed and scrap that “selective” part to avoid any potential negative interpretation.

In my opinion your last 45 is fair/average, not necessarily what I’d consider strong, but the plus side is that it is a definite improvement from your cumulative and earlier work. I don’t say that to be negative, average is still good/competitive, but higher would be even better if there’s stuff you can do it get it even higher. I’d love to see it in the 3.7-3.8 range+ to be the most competitive, but I don’t mean to downplay your work to get it where it is!

I’ll try to come back tomorrow or some other time soon to give my thoughts on schools and your other questions when I have more time.

If you have time tomorrow that would be so amazing! Thank you for all the advice you've given so far. I never thought about that line coming across that way, and I definitely want to reword it. What I want to convey is that, despite having a lot of autonomy for what classes I take for my degree I choose to take a majority of graduate level biomedical sciences classes (biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, molecular evolution, animal nutrition, virology, physiology, animal diseases) to prepare for vet school. I will absolutely be redrafting!

If the fall of 2026 goes as planned, my last 45 will be a 3.698 . Do you think that will help? Do you think I would even be given an opportunity to show my fall grades? And no, I don't take that as a negative. I truly appreciate your honesty and use it as fuel to make sure I get the best grades possible in my last semester of grad school!

I've just gotten to the point where I need to either be in vet school or working a job to start paying off my loans and taking 1 class at a time instead of being a full time student. I'm hoping to get a job in veterinary pharmaceuticals between graduation and starting vet school as unfortunately being a vet tech won't keep a roof over my head and pay my student loans. I'm so ready to start vet school, its like an itch I can't satisfy. I just want to start and prove to everyone, and myself, that I am not a product of my circumstances and despite this being hard, I can do it because it's my passion and calling in life.

Thank you again for your advice and I truly would appreciate any more advice you have the time to give!

 

[indysadventures]

Thank you so much for your response! The gpa is a real hole to dig out of, according to the spreadsheet I made, it'll take 60 credits of straight As to get it to a 3.0 . Unfortunately, I only have one semester left in my masters and no more money haha. But I have been prioritizing (and essentially only taking) graduate level biomedical science classes for the entirety of my masters program so I'm hoping that holistic schools see that in light of my undergraduate grades.

If the fall of 2026 goes as planned, my last 45 will be a 3.698 . Do you think that will help? Do you think I would even be given an oppertunity to show my fall grades? I absolutely love Minnesota's program and it’s very very high on my list. I do appreciate your concern and feedback in my personal statement and will be redrafting! Thank you again 🙂

Most schools don’t allow for Fall course submissions, so unfortunately it wouldn’t help you with this cycle. That being said, that last 45 sounds much more promising - and at worst, you could probably improve it even a bit more if this cycle isn’t successful.

Have you reached out to UMN’s admissions office? They’re really helpful and will often meet with students over zoom to review applications. They were very helpful for me.

I noticed you mentioned your student loans in another post- I’m assuming you’re aware of the recent changes to federal student loans? I love UMN, but unless it’s your in-state or you can avoid private loans, I’d reconsider because OOS tuition is pricey.

Lmk if there’s any other questions you have.

ETA: if you have schools on your list that do allow for fall grades to be considered, then it could help! But UMN, CSU, WSU, and VMCVM won’t take grade updates for the fall unless they changed their policies since I applied.

 

[Sparker]

I don't know what the minimum GPA for Texas Tech is, but if you qualify, you should consider applying there as well, since it is another in-state option for you. Also, just a reminder that pet ownership does not count as animal experience.

I urge the committee to recognize the resilience I have cultivated through my struggles, viewing my graduate program grades as a true reflection of my potential in the field.

I feel like this sentence is a bit "pushy" for lack of a better term. All committees have rules on how heavily they can consider graduate program coursework and grades. Just make sure you have multiple people read over your explanation statement once you've edited it; you want it to be as effective as possible.

 

[CeeGee14]

You may want to reconsider applying to Washington State, especially since you're OOS. Since they're one of the few schools that let you become IS after your first year, competition is intense. Washington State also reserves seats for WICHE students and students from certain states that don't yet have a vet school, so that just increases the competition.

And like Indy said, OOS tuition for some of these schools-Minnesota, CSU, St. George's, etc-are pricey. They are going to push you over the 200k limit for the new student loans and since you said that you currently already have student loans, I suggest you sit down and crunch the numbers about what taking on that debt would realistically be like before spending hundreds of dollars on applying.

 

[hcampo]

I don't know what the minimum GPA for Texas Tech is, but if you qualify, you should consider applying there as well, since it is another in-state option for you. Also, just a reminder that pet ownership does not count as animal experience.

I feel like this sentence is a bit "pushy" for lack of a better term. All committees have rules on how heavily they can consider graduate program coursework and grades. Just make sure you have multiple people read over your explanation statement once you've edited it; you want it to be as effective as possible.

Thank you so much! And yes, unfortunately Texas Tech has the same 2.9 cumulative gpa requirement

 

[hcampo]

You may want to reconsider applying to Washington State, especially since you're OOS. Since they're one of the few schools that let you become IS after your first year, competition is intense. Washington State also reserves seats for WICHE students and students from certain states that don't yet have a vet school, so that just increases the competition.

And like Indy said, OOS tuition for some of these schools-Minnesota, CSU, St. George's, etc-are pricey. They are going to push you over the 200k limit for the new student loans and since you said that you currently already have student loans, I suggest you sit down and crunch the numbers about what taking on that debt would realistically be like before spending hundreds of dollars on applying.

Yeah, I totally understand this and am honestly freaking out about it. But I don't know what to do. I don't know anything about private loans or anything at all. Because I don't qualify for my in state's requirements, every single school I apply to will be over the federal loan limit. I find myself spiraling a lot, so I'm trying really hard to just focus on one battle at a time, beginning with getting accepted. Once I'm in, hopefully I'll be able to figure something out. Even more hopeful is that the BBB is overturned but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon.

 

[indysadventures]

Yeah, I totally understand this and am honestly freaking out about it. But I don't know what to do. I don't know anything about private loans or anything at all. Because I don't qualify for my in state's requirements, every single school I apply to will be over the federal loan limit. I find myself spiraling a lot, so I'm trying really hard to just focus on one battle at a time, beginning with getting accepted. Once I'm in, hopefully I'll be able to figure something out. Even more hopeful is that the BBB is overturned but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon.

I’d encourage you to take a look and learn at least a bit. The problem with private loans (alongside predatory rates, lack of deferment options, and rigid payment schedules) is that they will be based on credit scores and there is a possibility that many people will get to their 3rd and 4th years, when they need to rely on these loans even more, and be denied because of credit worthiness due to high debt load. This is why federal loans (and grad plus federal loans rip) are guaranteed as long as you don’t have anything really bad in your credit history. I think it’s really unfortunate to have to look ahead but this is an instance when I would. Private loans are a nightmare. The worst outcome would be getting into an expensive program and then having to leave after accruing monumental debt because you could not secure loans.

 

[CeeGee14]

Yeah, I totally understand this and am honestly freaking out about it. But I don't know what to do. I don't know anything about private loans or anything at all. Because I don't qualify for my in state's requirements, every single school I apply to will be over the federal loan limit. I find myself spiraling a lot, so I'm trying really hard to just focus on one battle at a time, beginning with getting accepted. Once I'm in, hopefully I'll be able to figure something out. Even more hopeful is that the BBB is overturned but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon.

Would it be possible for you to retake classes and raise your GPA to meet the GPA requirement for your two IS? Not only would tuition be cheaper but your odds would be higher since these two schools take a huge majority of Texas residents.

I totally get just wanting to get accepted. I've been there. But it's going to hurt worse once you get that acceptance and find out that you can't financially attend that school. It sucks and I'm sorry, but this is what we're at right now. Like Indy said, you do not want to be in the position where you have a DVM's worth of debt without the earning potential of one.

 

[hcampo]

Would it be possible for you to retake classes and raise your GPA to meet the GPA requirement for your two IS? Not only would tuition be cheaper but your odds would be higher since these two schools take a huge majority of Texas residents.

I totally get just wanting to get accepted. I've been there. But it's going to hurt worse once you get that acceptance and find out that you can't financially attend that school. It sucks and I'm sorry, but this is what we're at right now. Like Indy said, you do not want to be in the position where you have a DVM's worth of debt without the earning potential of one.

So I've already getting my graduate degree in December. I've changed my degree plan basically every semester to try and keep taking classes, but the university is finally saying I need to graduate. Also meeting the minimums will likely not do anything, at least according to the professors that work at the vet school (I am getting my masters from tamu and take a lot of classes in the vet school). TAMU is very very gpa focused, I have been told multiple times that if I just meet the minimums that I will not be offered an interview. Texas Tech is similar. Believe me, I've tried really hard. I've taken over 60 credits for my masters program and I'm still here. Its a devastating spot to be in, which is why I'm focusing on out of state schools.

 

[hcampo]

I’d encourage you to take a look and learn at least a bit. The problem with private loans (alongside predatory rates, lack of deferment options, and rigid payment schedules) is that they will be based on credit scores and there is a possibility that many people will get to their 3rd and 4th years, when they need to rely on these loans even more, and be denied because of credit worthiness due to high debt load. This is why federal loans (and grad plus federal loans rip) are guaranteed as long as you don’t have anything really bad in your credit history. I think it’s really unfortunate to have to look ahead but this is an instance when I would. Private loans are a nightmare. The worst outcome would be getting into an expensive program and then having to leave after accruing monumental debt because you could not secure loans.

Learning about private loans doesn't worry me as much, as my dad does work in the financial industry and can help me understand. I have looked into Juno and hopefully am able to use that. But I hear you, I do. Its just a really hard spot to be in.

 

[hcampo]

For anyone who's willing to help me out, heres the link I use to calculate my cumulative, science, and specific school gpas. As you can see, I've taken A LOT of classes, so moving my gpa takes a lot of credits. I appreciate everyone's input so much, even if its a hard pill to swallow <3

 

[indysadventures]

What are the Qs you’ve had recently on your transcript? Are those late drops?

 

[hcampo]

What are the Qs you’ve had recently on your transcript? Are those late drops?

Yes, late drops. The reason I needed to Q drop and/or withdraw from the semester was because I turned 26 and was kicked off my parents insurance, leaving me without medication or therapy. As soon as the insurance was figured out, I was able to get good grades again. I guess should add that to my explanation statement huh.