WAMC - Where should i move to and not screw myself over

[buttersthecat]

Cumulative GPA: 3.13
science GPA: 3.19
last 45: 3.8

Any degrees achieved
Biological Sciences Bachelor and MS

Veterinary Experience:
- 50 hours exotic hospital shadow
-10 hours behavioral vet shadow
-20 hours wildlife vet shadow (in field immobilizations, 1 rural surgery)
-108 hours veterinary shadow at a zoolgical species survival center (mostly surgery and immobilizations) (hoof stock, cranes, sea turtles)
-468 hours small companion animal clinic (vet assistant)
Animal Experience:
-Hoof stock keeper intern for 3 months
- Like a million dog/cat walking/sitting hours
-Pig sitting

Research Experience:
Completed a thesis master's in conservation genetics, field experience
Assisted PhD student when i was an undergraduate with genomic studies for about a year
Participated in a 1 week field school studying biodiversity in Gabon, Central Africa
Awards/scholarships:
- TOPS (full ride) during undergraduate

Extracurriculars:
- President of my graduate school's Biology Graduate Student Association- organized fundraisers and get togethers

Employment:
-Graduate assistant teacher since Jan 2022
-Vet assistant for 6 months in 2019
-Curatorial/Research assistant at LSU museum of natural science for 1 year
-STEM Scholar summer camp, assisting incoming STEM freshmen as a graduate assistant teacher


Summarize any concerns you have:
Second time applicant
I am about to graduate from my master's program. After that, I plan to move out of Louisiana (grew up here) and gain more vet hours. I'm thinking of working as a hospital keeper at a zoo or as a hospital vet tech/assistant. I also want to volunteer at a wildlife rehab wherever I go. I'm specifically looking for a job that counts as vet hours but could also be a new beginning if I decide I do not want to go to vet school. (I've been working towards this for years, but after my master's program, I am so burnt out with school.) I want to take a year, figure some stuff out, and then apply again if I think I'm ready.

I basically don't want to move anywhere I don't have a chance of getting into the instate vet school because of my low cumulative/science GPA. My low GPA is almost entirely due to health issues as a freshman; I wrote in my application about how this affected my grades and that you can see my health improving with my grades. When I applied to LSU (in-state) last cycle, the advisor said they moved me into an academic review category, saw that my last 45 hours GPA was really good and corresponded with my improving health, and moved me out of that pile. However, I did not even get on the waitlist (which really stung).

I really don't know what to do other than get more vet hours and make sure I still want to go to vet school after taking a year out of school. LSU advisor had really positive things to say about my application, but she guessed it didn't really stand out.

States I am especially interested in/have friends there: California and Georgia (I know Davis is a long shot, is Western worth it?)

Or is LSU my best shot?

TLDR: want to move out of Louisiana but not to a state where I have no chance of getting in with my low GPA

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[battie]

States I am especially interested in/have friends there: California and Georgia (I know Davis is a long shot, is Western worth it?)

Or is LSU my best shot?

You need to evaluate for the schools that factor last 45 GPA and advanced degree GPAs. You might need to do the leg work to find those schools by emailing them the academics they prioritize.

As far as UGA, Davis, and Western specifically, it's up to you in they're worth it. Western is a private university, so you'll get no preference as a CA resident. It's all hellaciously expensive. I wouldn't recommend on cost alone.

I would say you should consider states where you may be alone tbh based on what your research shows.

I'm specifically looking for a job that counts as vet hours but could also be a new beginning if I decide I do not want to go to vet school. (I've been working towards this for years, but after my master's program, I am so burnt out with school.)

I would caution against this a little bit. Working in the vet industry as a not-doctor or RVT/CVT/LVT is financially not worthwhile. I argue even technician work isn't worthwhile if you're not making the livable wage for your area. My overnight techs are paid 30+/hr at my current job, which isn't bad. But I know other ERs pay their techs 20/hr and it's not worthwhile. Assistants are even worse off and I don't recommend it as a permanent career.

If you're looking for a backup plan, there's nothing wrong with finding something completely different. You have a master's degree that could potentially take you in different directions. Use it!

My backup plan was working for the residence life department at my undergrad and not using my bio bachelor's degree for anything relevant.

 

[DogtorAsh]

Hi! I have similar stats to you; I'm finishing my master's, and I have a 3.8 last 45 GPA, a 3.19 science GPA (as the VMCAs calculate, which is just every science class), and a cumulative GPA of 3.12. I have decent experience, but after I graduate from my master's program, I plan to work as a vet assistant and get more vet experience hours. Do you have any advice for getting into vet school? its been a rough experience, and I'm not sure how to succeed. Thanks!

Overall the biggest advice I can give is be realistic and apply smart. Really look into those schools that value last 45 (Iowa's a good one for example) and try and see which ones value masters degrees. I feel like Mississippi state would, they definitely wanted to talk about my masters during my interview. Don't apply to schools that are ridiculously competitive unless you want to give it a shot (schools like tOSU can be a crapshoot because they get a ton of applications but they can sometimes be more holistic and they give you instate tuition after first year). Don't apply to schools you won't hit the GPA cutoffs for (a great example of this is NCState, they have a cutoff for OOS at 3.4 in all 3 categories).

What I did that seemed to make a significant difference in my application was looking at the classes I did poorly in and retaking them. I know you said you're tired of school so maybe just take that break for now/graduate and get working in the field and then retake some of the classes that were pulling your other GPAs down. I did this to kind of tailor my application for Iowa and went from getting on the waitlist where I was 236/264 to getting outright accepted because they take the higher grade and replace it, not just average it, so I focused on their science pre-reqs and last 45.

Since you said you were burnt out I definitely recommend taking a break from school/applying to give yourself a mental break. I applied one year where I was literally forcing myself to and I think it was only to my detriment when I should have just taken a step back and focused on other things. I definitely think you need more hours in something in the field because that tends to be what we have to do when we have lower GPAs is compensate with more hours.

If you are set on moving somewhere I would just look into the state residency laws and specifically the school's residency laws because they can be different. Sometimes trying to get a job at a vet teaching hospital can actually help get around these residency laws (NCstate gave me residency almost immediately because I was working for a state funded university for example). I would just hate for you to move somewhere and screw your chances of applying anywhere because you're caught in the middle between 2 states.

Lastly, I know this feeling all too well, I was burnt out after undergrad, got denied everywhere I applied and had NO idea where I was going from there. I ultimately look back on these years positively because I experienced and met so many amazing people. Working in specialty actually made me fall in love with it when before I thought I wanted to be a small animal GP vet. Sometimes this path is neither straight nor short to our end goals, but I believe in you! It took me ultimately 4 times to get in, but now I'm heading to vet school this week and starting in less than a month!! ♥️ Let me know if you have any more questions, if you ever want to talk/etc. My inbox is open!!