what are my chances?? non traditional low GPA

[shelbyjjh]

24, F, non-traditional, 1st cycle

Applied: michigan (IS), colorado, minnesota, western, washington, wisconsin, tennessee, oregon, iowa
Waiting to hear: wisconsin, iowa
Denied: all 🙁
Waitlist: none

Overall GPA: 3.1
Science Prerequisite GPA: depending on school, for my IS (michigan) it is 3.35
Last 45 GPA: 3.41
Degree(s): BS in zoology

Veterinary Experience:
- small animal & exotics GP: 2170 hrs (current)
- wildlife: 90 hrs volunteering with veterinarian at rehabilitation center

Animal Experience:
- cat care volunteer at at-risk cat sanctuary: 100 (current)
- pet-sitting for chickens & turkeys: 264
- TNR: unsure, would have to calculate this (2 cats a month for summer 23-winter 24) (current)
- humane society volunteer: started in elementary school- high school

Research:
none, but i have donated my pet sugar gliders and rabbits stool samples a few times to my local university for a heat-shock protein study!! (very willing participants)

Extracurriculars/Awards:
- hammocking club vice president & secretary
- pre vet club (1year)
- spartan ski club
- deans list my last 2 semesters
- certificate from san diego zoo global academy (sanctioned thru one of my undergrad classes)
- IM soccer
- high school: color guard & varsity soccer

Non-Animal Employment:
-worked at a restaurant my last 2 years of high school, and summer after my freshman year of undergrad
- worked at an MLM (kinda, yikes) summer after my junior year of undergrad
- worked at a doggy daycare summer after my senior year of undergrad

LORs:
- vet from SA/exotic GP
- vet from wildlife rehabilitation center
- supervisor from cat sanctuary

Essay Questions/Personal Statement:
i wrote about how it has been a struggle finding a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about various exotic pet issues for my pets at home (reptiles, sugar gliders, rabbits, small mammals, etc) and how i would like to support my community in this way- and how i would possibly like to specialize so i can be on the forefront of research in exotic pet medicine. i also wrote about how after working in a GP clinic, i’m more passionate about client education regarding exotic pets, rather than working in a zoo. i touched on why my grades were SO BAD my first few years of undergrad (severe adhd, mental illness, etc) and how i learned from that, giving me an opportunity to learn how I study before going off to vet school.

Extra information
-i got my BS in 5 years from michigan state, then took a 6th year at my local CC to retake some courses for a better grade, added on micro, pathophys, etc.
-i did not work or get hours while taking classes in my first 5 years of undergrad (thought that was okay, oops!) but during year 6 i worked full time & volunteered while taking a full load

i will be adding for the next cycle: LA vet experience, merit badge counselor for boy scouts, fostering cottontails for the local wildlife rehab
Specific questions:
- i have briefly thought about a masters to boost my GPA, HOWEVER i really would not like to do this (for financial and mental health reasons) and would rather just add on a boatload of experience hours. i guess it depends on the school, but would this help me significantly?
- i am being encouraged to leave the SA/exotic practice i work at now to go to a different practice, for the purpose of having experience in multiple different clinics. me leaving my job would severely screw over my coworkers, as we are already short staffed and they rely on me quite a bit. is this something that schools are looking for?
- any different schools i should apply to this next cycle?

THANK YOU for any and all advice! only tennessee so far offers a file review, so advice from others going through the same thing is greatly appreciated!

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[Mr.Smile12]

I'm not sure if you are just describing your personal statement or an amalgamation of all the school-specific essays, but pointing out your negatives is usually not recommended in a personal essay. How did you show/describe/support your passions for client education (through your volunteering roles or working)?

I do think taking a little time to shadow or work in a different private clinic will reveal more about the differences in business practices and technologies. I can understand not leaving unless the other option pays much better or offers more.

 

[HorseObsessed]

I am curious-- did you say directly in your PS that you want to be on the forefront of research for exotics? Without research experience, that might have come off as a bit of a red flag.

 

[renacuaja]

i will be adding for the next cycle: LA vet experience, merit badge counselor for boy scouts, fostering cottontails for the local wildlife rehab
Specific questions
- i have briefly thought about a masters to boost my GPA, HOWEVER i really would not like to do this (for financial and mental health reasons) and would rather just add on a boatload of experience hours. i guess it depends on the school, but would this help me significantly?

These things are good to have but considering that the biggest thing that needs improvement in GPA, it won't make a huge difference. Considering that you have a lot of veterinary experience and extracurriculars these activities would be a drop in the bucket imo. Not to say they aren't personally worthwhile though.

Having LA vet experience I think would make the biggest difference out of the three. However--- raising last 45 GPA and science GPA would make by far the most significant impact. You applied to several schools that cut OOS students initially based on GPA.

i wrote about how it has been a struggle finding a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about various exotic pet issues for my pets at home (reptiles, sugar gliders, rabbits, small mammals, etc) and how i would like to support my community in this way- and how i would possibly like to specialize so i can be on the forefront of research in exotic pet medicine.

1. It is important to find the balance between saying you have a path you want to pursue in vet med while at the same time showing admissions that it's not going to be "specialty or bust" especially in something like exotics where a good number of exotics interested pre-vets end up in small animal practice AND that you can get through several classes with other species that aren't your primary interest.

2. If you mention you want to be involved in research you need research experience to back it up.

3. It's important that you tell a story/stories about the "why" behind this path. Make your focus on experiences you've had in the clinic rather than personal pets. Pets might be a way to segue into a story (I actually took this approach myself) but they should not be the focus. Being a diligent pet owner is very different from the day-to-day experience of a vet.

i touched on why my grades were SO BAD my first few years of undergrad (severe adhd, mental illness, etc) and how i learned from that, giving me an opportunity to learn how I study before going off to vet school.

Don't write about this in your personal statement-- it should only be focused on why you want to be a veterinarian.

You don't know the kind of background whoever is reading your application has on mental illness. You can mention this in the explanation statement but there is a balance between being open and oversharing. I think that something that is succinct and ends on a positive note is best. "During my first few years of undergrad I had to learn how to manage ADHD/other conditions while at the same time transitioning into a more difficult course load and adulthood. It took me XX time but my improved habits and coping skills prepared me to successfully manage a full-time course load while at the same time working full-time and volunteering.

- worked at an MLM (kinda, yikes) summer after my junior year of undergrad

I wouldn't include this unless it was an actual salaried/hourly position or you generated significant revenue. I think for most it would be a red flag.

- i am being encouraged to leave the SA/exotic practice i work at now to go to a different practice, for the purpose of having experience in multiple different clinics. me leaving my job would severely screw over my coworkers, as we are already short staffed and they rely on me quite a bit. is this something that schools are looking for?

I think working in a different domain like equine or LA or lab would make a difference. If going from one SA practice to another though, the difference would be negligible.

At this point this is unsolicited advice but I wouldn't be worried about screwing over your coworkers as long as you provide notice. If they're really short staffed then you can give 1-2 months notice as a courtesy. If you feel the need to leave the practice for any reason don't stick around out of obligation. At the end of a day private practice is a business.

Overall:
With some changes I see no reason you couldn't be a successful applicant. It's evident how much work you've put in towards this path and I hope this cycle is the final big push. One of my interviews with an SGU grad that had a residency and was boarded told me that the worst/hardest part on this path for him by far was the application process.

 

[abrew13]

i will be adding for the next cycle: LA vet experience, merit badge counselor for boy scouts, fostering cottontails for the local wildlife rehab
Specific questions:
- i have briefly thought about a masters to boost my GPA, HOWEVER i really would not like to do this (for financial and mental health reasons) and would rather just add on a boatload of experience hours. i guess it depends on the school, but would this help me significantly?

I was in a very similar position as you were in (low GPA with significant veterinary and animal experience, and 9 rejections) my first application cycle. When my advisor asked what my next steps were to improve my application, I also said that I planned to get more hands-on experience because I hadn't given graduate school much thought. The advice that was given to me (which I am eternally grateful for) was that if my GPA was the factor that led to all of my rejections, no amount of additional experience would overshadow that. I had already shown that I could handle the work, but I had not shown that I could handle the harder course load that vet school would entail.

Now that I am almost finished with my masters degree and have been accepted to my top choice program, I can say without a doubt that graduate school made a difference that extra experience would not have. Even though my cGPA didn't shift that much (I was already well over 130 hours when I started grad school, so it is hard to budge too much), my last 45 GPA went from a ~3.15 to a ~3.90. Schools weigh trends very heavily, and if you can show a positive trend with post-bacc courses or a graduate degree it can make up for a lower cGPA.

If the GPA boost is what you need to improve your application, and it sounds to me like you know that is what you need, then the GPA boost is what you need to focus on.

**Edited to say: I know it might sound daunting to commit to more school, but you have a very strong application in so many areas. A few more classes or a masters degree could be the difference you need to show an admissions committee you can handle it.

 

[shelbyjjh]

I am curious-- did you say directly in your PS that you want to be on the forefront of research for exotics? Without research experience, that might have come off as a bit of a red flag.

I actually did not talk about wanting to do research, but I did talk about how I might be interested in specializing. I will just stick to talking about how I want to work with exotic pets without going into specifics!

 

[shelbyjjh]

These things are good to have but considering that the biggest thing that needs improvement in GPA, it won't make a huge difference. Considering that you have a lot of veterinary experience and extracurriculars these activities would be a drop in the bucket imo. Not to say they aren't personally worthwhile though.

Having LA vet experience I think would make the biggest difference out of the three. However--- raising last 45 GPA and science GPA would make by far the most significant impact. You applied to several schools that cut OOS students initially based on GPA.


1. It is important to find the balance between saying you have a path you want to pursue in vet med while at the same time showing admissions that it's not going to be "specialty or bust" especially in something like exotics where a good number of exotics interested pre-vets end up in small animal practice AND that you can get through several classes with other species that aren't your primary interest.

2. If you mention you want to be involved in research you need research experience to back it up.

3. It's important that you tell a story/stories about the "why" behind this path. Make your focus on experiences you've had in the clinic rather than personal pets. Pets might be a way to segue into a story (I actually took this approach myself) but they should not be the focus. Being a diligent pet owner is very different from the day-to-day experience of a vet.


Don't write about this in your personal statement-- it should only be focused on why you want to be a veterinarian.

You don't know the kind of background whoever is reading your application has on mental illness. You can mention this in the explanation statement but there is a balance between being open and oversharing. I think that something that is succinct and ends on a positive note is best. "During my first few years of undergrad I had to learn how to manage ADHD/other conditions while at the same time transitioning into a more difficult course load and adulthood. It took me XX time but my improved habits and coping skills prepared me to successfully manage a full-time course load while at the same time working full-time and volunteering.


I wouldn't include this unless it was an actual salaried/hourly position or you generated significant revenue. I think for most it would be a red flag.


I think working in a different domain like equine or LA or lab would make a difference. If going from one SA practice to another though, the difference would be negligible.

At this point this is unsolicited advice but I wouldn't be worried about screwing over your coworkers as long as you provide notice. If they're really short staffed then you can give 1-2 months notice as a courtesy. If you feel the need to leave the practice for any reason don't stick around out of obligation. At the end of a day private practice is a business.

Overall:
With some changes I see no reason you couldn't be a successful applicant. It's evident how much work you've put in towards this path and I hope this cycle is the final big push. One of my interviews with an SGU grad that had a residency and was boarded told me that the worst/hardest part on this path for him by far was the application process.

AMAZING advice, thank you so much!!

 

[shelbyjjh]

I was in a very similar position as you were in (low GPA with significant veterinary and animal experience, and 9 rejections) my first application cycle. When my advisor asked what my next steps were to improve my application, I also said that I planned to get more hands-on experience because I hadn't given graduate school much thought. The advice that was given to me (which I am eternally grateful for) was that if my GPA was the factor that led to all of my rejections, no amount of additional experience would overshadow that. I had already shown that I could handle the work, but I had not shown that I could handle the harder course load that vet school would entail.

Now that I am almost finished with my masters degree and have been accepted to my top choice program, I can say without a doubt that graduate school made a difference that extra experience would not have. Even though my cGPA didn't shift that much (I was already well over 130 hours when I started grad school, so it is hard to budge too much), my last 45 GPA went from a ~3.15 to a ~3.90. Schools weigh trends very heavily, and if you can show a positive trend with post-bacc courses or a graduate degree it can make up for a lower cGPA.

If the GPA boost is what you need to improve your application, and it sounds to me like you know that is what you need, then the GPA boost is what you need to focus on.

**Edited to say: I know it might sound daunting to commit to more school, but you have a very strong application in so many areas. A few more classes or a masters degree could be the difference you need to show an admissions committee you can handle it.

Ugh this is not the answer I wanted… but nevertheless if this is something that really made a difference for you I should consider 😅 thank you so much for the help!

 

[abrew13]

Ugh this is not the answer I wanted… but nevertheless if this is something that really made a difference for you I should consider 😅 thank you so much for the help!

Believe me, it wasn't the answer I wanted either at that point, but it has been the most valuable experience I have had. Aside from the fact I got into vet school with it, I have learned so much, found a much more specific area of interest that I had barely considered beforehand, and if I hadn't gotten in this cycle I would have a degree and passion outside of veterinary medicine to fall back on. Even better, if you can find an assistantship to pay for additional schooling, you'll have an additional year or two to save money for vet school.

Whatever path you end up taking, good luck!!