WAMC: Should I apply?

[Amy.Claire1]

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Hi! I’m a first time applicant interested in mixed animals. I will definitely be applying to Michigan State because that is my in-state school, but I’m not sure where else I should apply. I don’t know if my application is competitive enough for me to apply to any out of state schools or if that would be a waste of money. I’m looking for any advice on schools I should apply to or ways to improve my application. I’m first generation and I don’t have much guidance. Please be brutally honest 🙂

Cumulative GPA: 3.74
science GPA: 3.67
last 45: 3.7

Any degrees achieved:

I will have a B.S. in Animal Science

Veterinary Experience:

• Around 1200 hours at a small animal general practice

Animal Experience:

• Around 150 hours with large animals

Research Experience:

• 60 hours with small animals
• 250 with large animals

Awards/scholarships:

• Dean’s list each semester
• Scholarship from a cultural organization

Extracurriculars:
I’m in a few different clubs and hold leadership positions in them.

 

[prevetstudent22]

Hi! I can’t provide much advice but I have a very similar gpa and vet hours as you and I’m applying this cycle. I’m also applying to my in state and then lots of others. If you’re financially able, you could consider western university, Missouri, Auburn, Virginia Maryland, LMU, etc. I’m trying to apply to more holistic schools. Feel free to message me privately if you’re interested in trading essays or discussing schools!

 

[DogtorAsh]

Hi! I personally think your GPAs are competitive! You might potentially be dinged on diversity of experiences and possibly on other breadth and number of extracurriculars (since you didn't list them I really can't make a determination on them though). I was a low GPA-non trad student and it took me 4 applications to get in and I would have killed to have your GPAs. I did get into Michigan state this past cycle with lower GPAs (I have a lot more experience though but lol that's the double edged sword of not getting in 3 times....)

My recommendations are ONLY apply to schools you would be willing to go to. So if you don't want to move to a super far away state then don't waste the money.
Second, make sure to check the school's OOS seat ratio if you do want to apply to them. For example while you are technically qualified GPA wise to apply to NCSU (they require over 3.4 for all 3 GPA categories for OOS) they have SOOOO few OOS seats that it is incredibly competitive and they tend to take a lot of people who have close to 4.0's in all categories.
Third, any of the schools you want to apply to I would read some of the forums on here from the past years about them. For example, a school might say they have "become more holistic" in their application review but some of them still have GPA cut offs to help narrow the applicant pool. While I think you would potentially make it through most of those with your GPAs, I would just make sure you have all the information! 🙂
Fourth, make a list of things that are important to you for vet school! While I had the privilege (lol...) of reapplying 3 times, it helped me narrow down what I really wanted in a vet school; I would highly recommend trying to set some 'must haves' for you now. Are you looking to specialize? Are you interested in a particular curriculum? Do you require a vet teaching hospital on campus? How far are you willing to move away? How much are you willing to pay (all the OOS schools cost something different, and there are a few schools where you can get instate tuition after the first year, but this makes them way more competitive to get into)?

Lastly, I would make sure your essays are TOP NOTCH. Make sure they all have a point to get across, make sure they are engaging and try to stay away from cliches like "I have always wanted to be a vet"--not to say you can't say this, but it gets incredibly repetitive for admissions staff. You want to try and make your essays memorable! Try not to rush through your application and make sure you give yourself enough time to submit and see if any issues come back from VMCAS for verification (DO NOT LEAVE IT TO LAST MINUTE).

I wish you the best of luck! 🙂

 

[thenontraveler]

Hi! I personally think your GPAs are competitive! You might potentially be dinged on diversity of experiences and possibly on other breadth and number of extracurriculars (since you didn't list them I really can't make a determination on them though). I was a low GPA-non trad student and it took me 4 applications to get in and I would have killed to have your GPAs. I did get into Michigan state this past cycle with lower GPAs (I have a lot more experience though but lol that's the double edged sword of not getting in 3 times....)

My recommendations are ONLY apply to schools you would be willing to go to. So if you don't want to move to a super far away state then don't waste the money.
Second, make sure to check the school's OOS seat ratio if you do want to apply to them. For example while you are technically qualified GPA wise to apply to NCSU (they require over 3.4 for all 3 GPA categories for OOS) they have SOOOO few OOS seats that it is incredibly competitive and they tend to take a lot of people who have close to 4.0's in all categories.
Third, any of the schools you want to apply to I would read some of the forums on here from the past years about them. For example, a school might say they have "become more holistic" in their application review but some of them still have GPA cut offs to help narrow the applicant pool. While I think you would potentially make it through most of those with your GPAs, I would just make sure you have all the information! 🙂
Fourth, make a list of things that are important to you for vet school! While I had the privilege (lol...) of reapplying 3 times, it helped me narrow down what I really wanted in a vet school; I would highly recommend trying to set some 'must haves' for you now. Are you looking to specialize? Are you interested in a particular curriculum? Do you require a vet teaching hospital on campus? How far are you willing to move away? How much are you willing to pay (all the OOS schools cost something different, and there are a few schools where you can get instate tuition after the first year, but this makes them way more competitive to get into)?

Lastly, I would make sure your essays are TOP NOTCH. Make sure they all have a point to get across, make sure they are engaging and try to stay away from cliches like "I have always wanted to be a vet"--not to say you can't say this, but it gets incredibly repetitive for admissions staff. You want to try and make your essays memorable! Try not to rush through your application and make sure you give yourself enough time to submit and see if any issues come back from VMCAS for verification (DO NOT LEAVE IT TO LAST MINUTE).

I wish you the best of luck! 🙂

I second all of this. I am non trad. So I had to really limit what schools I was willing to move to based off my life circumstances. And I ONLY applied to schools I actually wanted to go to. This trend of people applying to literally everywhere because they can seems incredibly wasteful money wise and also really can ruin the chances of someone who actually wants to go there. Especially when it comes to schools that send out limited interviews. For example, if you don't want to move to Oklahoma, maybe consider not applying and let someone who actually wants to go get a chance.
It was incredibly frustrating to be denied and see people who already know they don't like a specific vet school get interviews, I would have taken that spot if given the chance.
Luckily I was accepted my second round, but I think more people should be putting in a lot of soul searching before mass applying. I think that would help reduce the amount of people who post about "I got accepted to XYZ school, can someone tell me anything about it?" Do that research before you waste your money and time.

**Stepping off the soap box**

That being said, I think you have solid GPAs for being able to apply to schools you are interested in. Really invest in great essays and continue to build your experience (some schools allow for an update in December). You got this 🙂