What are my chances?

[britzen]

I’m really confused what you’re talking about when you refer to a 3.95 as a “low gpa”

I think what they are saying is that their cumulative gpa is "low" when compared to average OOS admitted student at Davis this year (3.63 for them vs. 3.93 for OOS Davis admits). Their last 45 gpa appears to be the same as the average OOS student (3.95 vs. 3.95).

OP, your stats seem strong enough to be in contention for an interview imo, but I didn't apply there so... I'm sure there is a UC Davis student lurking around who can add something about how GRE is factored in vs. GPA, or how other things are weighted on the application to determine who gets interviews and admitted. @Coopah maybe?

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[foofoofoo]

I’m really confused what you’re talking about when you refer to a 3.95 as a “low gpa”

My overall GPA is around 3.6 and isn't competitive compared to the average GPA for accepted OOS
3.95 is my last 45 units GPA, not overall, so I was pretty unsure.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

So I was the Alumnae Relations chair so my advisor was an alumni from my chapter who has a different full time job (she works for Ford) and advises my position on the E-board. I have worked closely with her over the past few years so she was someone I felt had a good idea of who I am as a person and thought it would be good to get a letter from her since one of my schools asked what I spent most of my free time doing and being an active member of my sorority was a big part of that essay plus I had a decent amount of leadership in that area so she could attest to my leadership skills since MSU's pre-vet club advisor hasn't attended a single meeting and hardly ever responds to emails in the past 3 years I've been involved.

Yes, Dr. Snider is still around and was one of my letters of rec but I just wasn't sure how good of a letter he wrote since I had only known him off-and-on for a year. Overall for MSU, their denial workshop was just disheartening as it basically was that if you don't have a rare ethnic background or a significant traumatic event in your life, it was very difficult to get in.

In that case, the sorority letter was probably fine..I still think I would try to get one that holds a bit more weight but that can be difficult!

I knew Dr. Snider really well and I know he wrote me a good letter, but if you feel he didn't for you maybe you could seek out a stronger one. Perhaps establishing a relationship with a LA vet will be good for both experience and a letter.

You're not alone, I was told the same thing. With that being said, it's not like their entire student body has those situations...people do get in (just not me, lol).

 

[Coopah]

Hi there. I am currently a senior and will apply vet school this year.
Unfortunately I am an international student and won't be able to get green card when I apply vet school. Davis is the one I really want to get in. I heard Davis is extreme strict on OOS, and I was wondering if I have tiny little bit chance to get in? MY other choice are Cornell, CSU, Ohio state, Tufts and UPenn.

My overall GPA: 3.627
My Science GPA: 3.64
My last 45 GPA : 3.95

GRE Verbal 163 93%
Quantitative 170 97%
Writing: 4.5

Vet Experience
480 hrs small animal vet clinic in China
440 hrs large animal dairy farm vet assistant in China
1200 hrs small animal vet clinic in U.S

Animal Experience
40 hrs Panda volunteer program
450 hrs animal shelter in China
380+ hrs milker in junior year
96 hrs research intern with dairy

Research experience
swine nutrition: 40 hrs
Epidemiology research 360 hrs

Letter of rec
1. Animal science research professor
2. Vet clinic veterinarian
3. Epidemiology research professor with a DVM and PhD degree.

I know that my GPA is a bit low as an international student, and my friend who got rejected by UC Davis show me the average GPA for OOS this year is about 3.93, last 45 is 3.95, and I felt really hopeless. The thing is I got perfect score on quantitative, I was wondering if this can fix my low GPA?

Thank you so much

Thanks for the tag @britzen! Hi there, your GPA looks really great actually. Davis only considers Science GPA and your last 45 both of which look really good. You also have a phenomenal quant score which is the other main thing they look for. You definitely should get an interview, unless you have bad letters of rec, and then it's completely dependant on how you do in the MMI. As long as you interview well I see no reason for you to be worried. I hope I see you at Davis!

 

[Coopah]

My overall GPA is around 3.6 and isn't competitive compared to the average GPA for accepted OOS
3.95 is my last 45 units GPA, not overall, so I was pretty unsure.

Oh, I also had a really crummy cumulative (way worse than yours actually) and they took me!

 

[Liontale]

My overall GPA: 3.5
My Science GPA: 3.56
My last 45 GPA : 3.90

 

[bryndiana.jones]

My overall GPA: 3.5
My Science GPA: 3.56
My last 45 GPA : 3.90

These all look pretty good. My overall is the same as yours and you have a higher science and last 45. You also need experience though. Check out the Successful Applicant Stats c/o 2022, I was one of the last to post. I applied to 10 schools. Got rejects from 5, accepted to 2, and waiting on interviews for 3 more.

 

[sonagi]

Hello fellow pre-vets/vet students!

I'm currently going into my second semester of sophomore year at Tufts undergrad. I wanted to gather some opinions on what I could do in the next year or so before the application cycle to help increase my chances of getting into vet school. I'm planning on applying to Tufts, UPenn, Cornell, Ohio State, Guelph, Michigan State, and V-M as of now. I posted in an on-going forum but only got one response so I decided to make a new post about it lol

Major: Biopsychology
Minor: Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies
Cum. GPA: 3.63

GRE: haven't taken, planning on taking during junior year after studying this upcoming summer.

Veterinary Experience:
- 619 hours SA as a Veterinary Assistant
- 15 hours SA shadowing

My first time shadowing/working in an animal hospital was during my freshmen summer break - when I contacted clinics near/in my hometown during my junior year of high school, they all declined saying they only took in students above or in undergrad. I've been working as a Veterinary Assistant every break & will be starting as a Vet Tech this upcoming summer. My only concern is that this is all at one clinic - I'm planning on sending out resumes this week to other vets to see if I could balance going to two clinics during the summer. The clinic I USED to shadow at is near my school but I disliked the practice & the vet seemed unwilling to teach me anything so I will (hopefully) be able to find another hospital near my school to gain experience during the school year as well.

Animal Experience
- 25 hours Pet Therapy Escort at a hospital (high school)
- 80.5 hours Animal Lab on campus
- Will be starting an animal husbandry part-time job this upcoming spring semester

Extracurricular Activities
- culture club, Event Planning/Peer Group Leader (expecting to join Executive Board this upcoming semester)
- Animal Welfare Club, Outreach Chair/Social Media Chair (Executive Board)
- Pre-Veterinary Society, Secretary (Executive Board)
- School newspaper, Staff Writer & Assistant Editor

My concerns:
- No LA/farm animal experience (is this necessary if you know you want to do SA?)
- gpa lol hopefully it'll go up to a 3.7/3.8 before I apply
- lack of animal experience (does anyone have tips on how to balance gaining animal experience while trying to gain clinical experience?)

Any suggestions or opinions would truly be appreciated, thank you so much!

 

[Skimble]

Hello fellow pre-vets/vet students!

I'm currently going into my second semester of sophomore year at Tufts undergrad. I wanted to gather some opinions on what I could do in the next year or so before the application cycle to help increase my chances of getting into vet school. I'm planning on applying to Tufts, UPenn, Cornell, Ohio State, Guelph, Michigan State, and V-M as of now. I posted in an on-going forum but only got one response so I decided to make a new post about it lol

Major: Biopsychology
Minor: Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies
Cum. GPA: 3.63

GRE: haven't taken, planning on taking during junior year after studying this upcoming summer.

Veterinary Experience:
- 619 hours SA as a Veterinary Assistant
- 15 hours SA shadowing

My first time shadowing/working in an animal hospital was during my freshmen summer break - when I contacted clinics near/in my hometown during my junior year of high school, they all declined saying they only took in students above or in undergrad. I've been working as a Veterinary Assistant every break & will be starting as a Vet Tech this upcoming summer. My only concern is that this is all at one clinic - I'm planning on sending out resumes this week to other vets to see if I could balance going to two clinics during the summer. The clinic I USED to shadow at is near my school but I disliked the practice & the vet seemed unwilling to teach me anything so I will (hopefully) be able to find another hospital near my school to gain experience during the school year as well.

Animal Experience
- 25 hours Pet Therapy Escort at a hospital (high school)
- 80.5 hours Animal Lab on campus
- Will be starting an animal husbandry part-time job this upcoming spring semester

Extracurricular Activities
- culture club, Event Planning/Peer Group Leader (expecting to join Executive Board this upcoming semester)
- Animal Welfare Club, Outreach Chair/Social Media Chair (Executive Board)
- Pre-Veterinary Society, Secretary (Executive Board)
- School newspaper, Staff Writer & Assistant Editor

My concerns:
- No LA/farm animal experience (is this necessary if you know you want to do SA?)
- gpa lol hopefully it'll go up to a 3.7/3.8 before I apply
- lack of animal experience (does anyone have tips on how to balance gaining animal experience while trying to gain clinical experience?)

Any suggestions or opinions would truly be appreciated, thank you so much!

Different schools feel different about the variety of your vet experience. UPenn doesn’t care if you only have SA experience as long as that is the field you currently want to go into. Other schools want you to have experience in 2-3 areas (SA, LA, wild life, exotics, zoo, equine, food animal, lab animal, etc.)

I wouldn’t worry about animal experience as long as you are getting good quality vet experience. I think the animal experience is more for people who did something interesting with animals that isn’t vet or research related, like if you helped rescue elephants in Thailand or worked with pangolins in a non-vet setting.

I think you are on the right track. Keep doing well in classes, especially upper level sciences. Study for the gre. Get good vet experience. Also, consider the costs of the schools you wish to apply. Save money wherever you can.

 

[sonagi]

Different schools feel different about the variety of your vet experience. UPenn doesn’t care if you only have SA experience as long as that is the field you currently want to go into. Other schools want you to have experience in 2-3 areas (SA, LA, wild life, exotics, zoo, equine, food animal, lab animal, etc.)

I wouldn’t worry about animal experience as long as you are getting good quality vet experience. I think the animal experience is more for people who did something interesting with animals that isn’t vet or research related, like if you helped rescue elephants in Thailand or worked with pangolins in a non-vet setting.

I think you are on the right track. Keep doing well in classes, especially upper level sciences. Study for the gre. Get good vet experience. Also, consider the costs of the schools you wish to apply. Save money wherever you can.

Thank you so much for your input! Really appreciate it <3

 

[Enzo07]

Hi friends!

I've posted here in the past but am in more of a position now to ask for advice. I'll list my stats and then my concerns. I'm a current senior graduating in May with my Bachelor's, taking at least 1 gap year.

Major: Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences
Cum. GPA: 3.36
Science GPA: ~3.17 (I think? Not 100% what would be included)
Last 45: Still in progress but will be 3.15 + whatever GPA I get this semester from 15 credits. (not great I know)
In-state: NY

GRE: 149V (43%), 154Q (55%), 4.5AW (82%)

Veterinary Experience:
- 214 hrs SA veterinary assistant (current PT job) --> est. to be around 600+ maybe by the time of application if i applied this year?)
- 140 hrs intern at SA shelter clinic
- 100 hrs intern at equine clinic, also w/ambulatory vet

Animal Experience:
- 480 hrs intern at wildlife rehabilitation center
- 125 hrs volunteering for cat adoption center
- 46 hrs dog sitting/walking
- 24 hrs research aquarium volunteer (not sure if this would go under research, i literally just cleaned tanks)
- 40 hrs dog sitting
- 17 hrs dog kennel tech (still ongoing)

Extracurricular activities:
- Spent semester abroad in Australia, not sure if this goes here?
- Pre-Vet Club
- Intramurals
- When in Australia: Beach Volleyball Club, QUEST (exchange student club), aquarium volunteer

Letters of Rec likely if applied this year:
- SA vet I currently work with
- Wildlife rehab supervisor
- Academic advisor/professor

My concerns:
- Low GPAs/GRE scores: hoping my variety of experience will help balance this out and I'll try to pick schools that don't heavily weigh academics but we'll see.
- Low experience numbers: again, hoping the variety helps balance this out, but you can only make up so much for lack of strength somewhere with a different category.

I was going to take 2 gap years because I don't feel 100% confident in my application applying this year and wasting all the time/money just to get denied. However, I'm already feeling burnt out with school so I'm not sure I'll want to go back in 2 years, despite a vet being all I've ever wanted and still want to be. So I'm thinking about maybe applying for a couple schools tailored to my application this year and hope for the best, but don't want to if my chances are so so so slim. Obviously finances are slim as with many of us on here.

Any help appreciated, or let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Rat-a-tat]

Hello all!

I am brand spankin' new to this forum (though have been stalking it for quite some time) and wanted to snag some advice from some of you who are farther along in this process than I am.

I am 27 years old, completed a BA 5 years ago in a non-science-related field, and have recently-ish decided that veterinary medicine is the career path I was meant to follow. I am currently taking pre-reqs at the nearby extension school while working at a small animal practice and in a research lab. My main question is one I'm sure many have asked - given my list of animal-related experience (below), what kind of experiences do you think I should look for in order to fill in any experience gaps that schools may want me to have?

Current experience includes:
-4 years volunteering at local ASPCA adoption center
-Many many years horseback riding and volunteering barn work/horse care
-2 years as essentially an assistant equine manager at an equine-assisted therapy facility
-1 year (so far) as a vet tech (clinic and surgery) at a small animal practice (cats & dogs only) (roughly 30hrs/wk)
-1 year (so far) as a research assistant in cognitive psych lab working with/caring for African Grey parrots
-Tons of pet sitting
-Owner of 2 incredible ratties (EDIT: now 1, one of my boys passed 3 days ago from a very nasty UTI that grew resistant to any and all antibiotics. He would have been 2 yrs old this day next month. This has been a real bummer of a week.)
(I know pet ownership doesn't count as vet experience, but considered I'd add it as it's some pocket pet experience and it has involved frequent medicating - including administering injectable medications frequently, running urinalyses, taking temps and vitals, etc.)

I'm about to write up an application to my local aquarium's internship program (the specific internship is "Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Necropsy Intern" which I would be suuuper stoked to get).

Any suggestions on things I can add in a few hours per week or for a brief few weeks during the year to fill in experience gaps would be awesome!

Thank you so much!

 

[lovevetlife11]

Please Please Please - if you have anything helpful, please share it. I am a bit lost but I refuse to give up on this dream.

As a little kid, I always gravitated towards the sciences. I couldnt pick between being a neurologist or a Vet. I adored animals and I always felt so at ease with all sizes that I obsessed about being a Vet for a long time. Somewhere along the way I was introduced to the business world and became totally jaded. I thought money was success and I now know its not. Passion and compassion is success. I cant practice either of them in the corporate american I live in. SO with being said, I am going back to what my young self knew and I am going to become a vet no matter what.

The challenge is that my GPA is a 2.49 and I cannot get into any Post-Bacc programs that would help me achieve this. They require a GPA of 3.0. I find it a little unfair to judge a person on a GPA that was 5 years old and also does not reflect what I am passionate about. I didnt care about school when I was younger and I didnt care about the consequences. Needless to say I do now... like a lot. Anyways in order to get into Vet school (Pre-reqs aside) I would need to raise the GPA to a 3.0 (bare minimum at a competative school) which after doing some math I found out is about 25 classes getting a B+ or a A- in all of them. THAT IS GOING TO TAKE FOREVER! Not to mention that it is going to be expensive as well.

So my question isnt whether or not its doable. I know it is but I wanted to see if anyone knew about programs that consider more than just a GPA. Or a program where a Low GPA is ok. Additionally, is anyone familiar with how studying to become a vet in other countries is like? I was looking at London as they are more hands on.

I just need a little help and guidance to get a plan going. Please dont tell me that its going to be an uphill battle and I should think of something else. I have 2 business degrees and work with a great company. I have something now but this is a dream. Please let me know if you have anything that can help.

Thank you so much

 

[smallowls]

I had a low undergraduate gpa and went back to school at 27 years old. I started a post-bacc program at Oregon State University. Their minimum gpa is a 2.25. I would advise you to look at more schools and their requirements. You can also start at a community college, as many prerequisite courses are lower division anyway. Another way to get in would be as a non-degree-seeking student at a university. They don't require the same as if you were pursuing another bachelor's degree. I am aware that there are pre-medical post-bacc programs, but I entered as a post-bacc student and created my own plan, not in a structured program. I think that may be the difference for you.

 

[clemson2020]

I posted on this forum earlier, but now that I have a more accurate idea of what my stats will be like I am interested in my chances of getting into the following schools: UF, UGA, Auburn, LSU, Penn, and Tennessee. (UF is in state)

I am currently a sophomore at Clemson, but I will have all my prerequisites but one done by the end of this semester. I am looking to apply during the next application cycle and graduate early if I get accepted.

Current GPA: 4.0 (including general bio, chemistry, physics I and II, microbiology, organic I, etc.)

GRE: 158 Q (69th percentile), 161 V (88th), 5.0 Writing (93rd)

Experience (will all be completed by the end of this summer):

Equine vet: 20 hrs
Small animal practice: 500 hours
Large animal vet: 100 hours

Other animal experience:

A decent amount of handling and techniques experience with large animals through my major. I'd estimate at least 100 hours.
Research: several projects dealing with a variety of large animals, estimating 100+ hours by the end of this semester

Other extracurricular activities:
Treasurer of a club
Chemistry tutor

What areas can I improve on to make my application as competitive as possible? I will not be devastated if I do not get accepted this cycle, but saving a year of tuition would be a nice bonus. I am in the process of requesting letters of recommendation now, and I am confident they should be fairly good. I took the GRE once and I could definitely take it again before I apply, but if I don't have to I would like to save my money. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[emgibbs]

I would say your odds of getting in seem decent. You have a stellar GPA and I would not bother taking the GRE again if I were you, your scores are fine and most schools do not put too much weight on that anyhow. Definitely work on acquiring more hours. If you have the chance to, I would volunteer somewhere with an organization you are passionate about. Might be the little bit extra to push your application past equally qualified competition. Best of luck to you

 

[Vet_Squared80]

Please Please Please - if you have anything helpful, please share it. I am a bit lost but I refuse to give up on this dream.

I had a low undergraduate gpa and went back to school at 27 years old. I started a post-bacc program at Oregon State University. Their minimum gpa is a 2.25. I would advise you to look at more schools and their requirements. You can also start at a community college, as many prerequisite courses are lower division anyway. Another way to get in would be as a non-degree-seeking student at a university. They don't require the same as if you were pursuing another bachelor's degree. I am aware that there are pre-medical post-bacc programs, but I entered as a post-bacc student and created my own plan, not in a structured program. I think that may be the difference for you.

This is what I did as well. I looked at programs that allowed lower cumulative GPAs, or didn't require them at all. Fortunately, my in-state (Michigan State) doesn't require a cumulative GPA, so it was much easier for me to raise my grades into the accepted range (minimum 3.0). I took classes at the local community college that fulfilled pre-requisite requirements for applying, but also took some fun classes I knew I could do well in. This raised my GPAs above the 3.0 threshold. I went from a very low (less than 1.0) cumulative GPA, to acceptance into vet school. It didn't happen overnight, but I really wanted this so I was willing to put in a little elbow grease to get what I needed. My other suggestion would be to ask the schools you're planning on applying to, how many years they go back when calculating. Some schools take the calculations provided by VMCAS. Others do their own calculations, eliminating duplicates or classes over a certain number of years old. Many don't post this info online, so just ask once you have your list of where you want to go. That might give you a better picture of your overall GPA. Good luck!

 

[smallowls]

This is what I did as well. I looked at programs that allowed lower cumulative GPAs, or didn't require them at all. Fortunately, my in-state (Michigan State) doesn't require a cumulative GPA, so it was much easier for me to raise my grades into the accepted range (minimum 3.0). I took classes at the local community college that fulfilled pre-requisite requirements for applying, but also took some fun classes I knew I could do well in. This raised my GPAs above the 3.0 threshold. I went from a very low (less than 1.0) cumulative GPA, to acceptance into vet school. It didn't happen overnight, but I really wanted this so I was willing to put in a little elbow grease to get what I needed. My other suggestion would be to ask the schools you're planning on applying to, how many years they go back when calculating. Some schools take the calculations provided by VMCAS. Others do their own calculations, eliminating duplicates or classes over a certain number of years old. Many don't post this info online, so just ask once you have your list of where you want to go. That might give you a better picture of your overall GPA. Good luck!

Yes, I forgot about that. Some schools (Illinois is the only one I can think of right now) will allow you to petition for them to ignore your earlier academic record. This didn't work for me because there were a few classes that I didn't want to retake from undergrad. Also, after you complete your post-bacc work, I would recommend applying to the schools that give more weight to your last 45 gpa than your cumulative gpa. My goal with post-bacc was to get 45 credits (actually 60 for me because I am on quarters) of solid academic performance before applying.

 

[Lerrn]

I have a few concerns about when I apply to vet school. I think I will be applying in 2019 as long as I can figure out scheduling stuff. I currently work full time (4am-12:30pm ) and go to school full time in the afternoons, so this limits when I can go volunteer and get experience. I do currently volunteer at a LA and SA clinic on Saturday's but I only get a few hours in each week (I have about 100 hours now, and plan to go there until I go to vet school). I was thinking about volunteering at a wildlife rehab center on Sundays, but when would I do my homework and study? So my concern is that I wont have enough experience because of my work schedule, and how do schools view working full time and going to school full time?

GPA: 3.85
Science GPA: 4.0
GRE: I have not taken it yet
I really want to get into Tufts since that is my IS school.

 

[Console46]

Hi,
I am wondering what my chances are to get into vet school on my first try. I am a junior at Penn with a 2.85 cum. Obviously not good, but do schools take into account where you go for undergrad?
Haven't taken GRE yet, plan to take it this summer. I am a male who plans to do large animal.
Extracurriculars: Army ROTC, 2-year captain of varsity sport, held 2 exec. positions within fraternity.
Experience: 500 hours vet experience by time of application. 1000+ hours other animal related experience including farm work, dog training, and kennel hand.

1. Basically I plan to get my GPA up to at least a 3.0. Ive done the math and I can do it if I grind. If I do that what do you think my chances are?

2. What do you recommend for me to do in order to beef up my application before I apply and if I get rejected?

Thanks!

 

[Coopah]

I have a few concerns about when I apply to vet school. I think I will be applying in 2019 as long as I can figure out scheduling stuff. I currently work full time (4am-12:30pm ) and go to school full time in the afternoons, so this limits when I can go volunteer and get experience. I do currently volunteer at a LA and SA clinic on Saturday's but I only get a few hours in each week (I have about 100 hours now, and plan to go there until I go to vet school). I was thinking about volunteering at a wildlife rehab center on Sundays, but when would I do my homework and study? So my concern is that I wont have enough experience because of my work schedule, and how do schools view working full time and going to school full time?

GPA: 3.85
Science GPA: 4.0
GRE: I have not taken it yet
I really want to get into Tufts since that is my IS school.

Hi there! I feel your pain about the scheduling problems. I too worked full time then did school at night and volunteer on the weekends. I usually managed my homework during work tbh, or just before bed. There's always time you can squeeze it in if you really want. Personally it sounds like you have time on the weekends yet since you're only going for a few hours on Saturday? I realize it's not ideal, but if that's what you want to do then that's what you gotta do lol. It's going to suck for a while but if you can do it, then do it. If you need to push off for a year that's fine too. I would also apply to places outside of Tufts (not that it's not amazing, it is) because since it's private the IS tuition is pretty high. I don't actually know if you want to or not just a suggestion. Good luck!

 

[flameshock]

Hi,
I am wondering what my chances are to get into vet school on my first try. I am a junior at Penn with a 2.85 cum. Obviously not good, but do schools take into account where you go for undergrad?
Haven't taken GRE yet, plan to take it this summer. I am a male who plans to do large animal.
Extracurriculars: Army ROTC, 2-year captain of varsity sport, held 2 exec. positions within fraternity.
Experience: 500 hours vet experience by time of application. 1000+ hours other animal related experience including farm work, dog training, and kennel hand.

1. Basically I plan to get my GPA up to at least a 3.0. Ive done the math and I can do it if I grind. If I do that what do you think my chances are?

2. What do you recommend for me to do in order to beef up my application before I apply and if I get rejected?

Thanks!

First off, where do you want to apply? What does your science and last 45 gpa look like? While some schools will take evaluate the 'rigor' of an institution, it is a very small component (I want to say < 5% even if they care).

Obviously the most important thing you can a do is try and get the best grades you can. I would also work on trying to raise your number of veterinary hours and make sure that they are across multiple areas of the profession. Volunteer activities to show community service would probably be a good idea as well.

 

[LetItSnow]

Hi,
I am wondering what my chances are to get into vet school on my first try. I am a junior at Penn with a 2.85 cum. Obviously not good, but do schools take into account where you go for undergrad?
Haven't taken GRE yet, plan to take it this summer. I am a male who plans to do large animal.
Extracurriculars: Army ROTC, 2-year captain of varsity sport, held 2 exec. positions within fraternity.
Experience: 500 hours vet experience by time of application. 1000+ hours other animal related experience including farm work, dog training, and kennel hand.

1. Basically I plan to get my GPA up to at least a 3.0. Ive done the math and I can do it if I grind. If I do that what do you think my chances are?

2. What do you recommend for me to do in order to beef up my application before I apply and if I get rejected?

Thanks!

There's more information needed. With what you said, your odds are sub-par purely based on GPA. But, it also depends on where you apply, since difference schools evaluate GPAs and give weights to the various GPAs differently.

No, they will not take into account where you go (if you meant in the sense of "wow, this person went to a tough undergrad, let's cut them some slack!"). They crunch the numbers and rate you accordingly.

If you get up to a 3.0, your chances are still somewhat below average just because that GPA is below average. But again, it depends on where you apply - if you apply somewhere that weighs the last-45 credits heavily, and you get a 4.0 there ... then you look like a much better candidate. If your pre-req GPA is similarly high, you might look a lot better than your overall GPA.

Couple things (aside from GPA) would improve your application from where I'm sitting:

1) More vet hours. 500 is acceptable, but probably somewhat below average. The animal-related experience doesn't count as much as you'd like it to.

2) Community Service type of extracurriculars. Captaining a varsity sport is ... ok. Exec positions within a fraternity is great. But something very "give back to my community" oriented could help sell yourself.

The ROTC background should speak well for you.

 

[LetItSnow]

I have a few concerns about when I apply to vet school. I think I will be applying in 2019 as long as I can figure out scheduling stuff. I currently work full time (4am-12:30pm ) and go to school full time in the afternoons, so this limits when I can go volunteer and get experience. I do currently volunteer at a LA and SA clinic on Saturday's but I only get a few hours in each week (I have about 100 hours now, and plan to go there until I go to vet school). I was thinking about volunteering at a wildlife rehab center on Sundays, but when would I do my homework and study? So my concern is that I wont have enough experience because of my work schedule, and how do schools view working full time and going to school full time?

GPA: 3.85
Science GPA: 4.0
GRE: I have not taken it yet
I really want to get into Tufts since that is my IS school.

You may need to take the long view, then, and delay applying while you build experience if you are unable to gain experience while doing school and working.

Give priority to school and keeping your GPA up. You can't "fix" that, whereas you can always get more experience down the road if needed. So don't sacrifice your grades.

I was working full time, gaining experience, and doing my pre-reqs all at once as well (and additionally starting a family). So I feel your pain. Not a lot you can do other than excellent time management and maybe recognize that it might take you another year or two of building experience before you're really ready to be a strong applicant.

FWIW, I volunteered in our vet school's rehab service 1 morning/week, spent another 1 morning/week in a SA clinic shadowing, and volunteered in wildlife rehab 1 evening/week (gave up social Friday nights to do that). Went to school part time. Worked full time. It was hectic.

Just don't sacrifice the grades. Those count.

 

[snakevet8]

First post on the forums! Finally applying this year!

Major: Biology
Cum. GPA: 3.36
Science GPA: ~3.19 (Still in progress have 13 credits for this semester and 6 over the summer)
Last 45: ~3.2 (Still in progress 17 credits this semester & 6 over the summer)
In-state: FL
Side note: I go to an honors college and I will be publishing a thesis before I graduate with my B.S.

GRE: Taking in May

Veterinary Experience:
- 472 hrs SA/Exotics/ER veterinary assistant/receptionist @ AAHA Accredited multi-dr specialty hospt. (current FT job) expected to be between 1600-1800 by sept.
- 2010 hrs vet assistant/receptionist at SA clinic
- 40+ hours with SA Oral Surgeon (just started, still shadowing)
- 20+ hours with SA Ultrasound Criticalist (DACVECC) (just started, still shadowing)
- 75+ hours with LA vet (will resume shadowing in the summer)
- 270+ hours with marine vet (still working)
- 40 hours shadowing exotics vet
- Also going to start shadowing SA orthopedic surgeon should have ~50-100 hours by the time I apply
- Possibly going to shadow a shelter/ER vet

Animal Experience:
- 36 hours volunteering at a nature center
- 15 hours volunteering at an animal shelter
- 117+ hrs dog sitting/walking (on-going)

Research:
- 50 hours in a marine research lab working with temperature-sex determination in hatching green & leatherback turtles
- 350+ hours in a marine research lab working on making RIs for hatching green & leatherback turtle BW

Extracurricular activities:
- Pre-Vet Club
- Marine Biology Club
- HOSA

Letters of Rec:
- SA GP Vet OR ER vet
- SA Oral Surgeon
- Academic professor/advisor
- LA vet (possibly)
- Marine vet
- Research PI (He's the head researcher at the facility)
*Probably only going to submit 4 or 5 but these are my options.

Concerns:
- Low GPA
- Most of my experience is SA
- Basically no volunteer hours

 

[cloudsofjupiter]

Hi everyone! I'm very excited to be applying for the first time this upcoming cycle- planning to apply to Cornell, UPenn, Tufts, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Virginia-Maryland, and possibly a few others. Looking for areas to improve my application, any advice is greatly appreciated

NY resident
Female, 24
B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience with minors in Biological Anthropology and Evolutionary Studies

Cum GPA: 3.59
Sci GPA: 3.53
Last 45 GPA: 3.50

GRE: 160v (86%), 157q (66%), 4.5a (82%) -- took this November 2014, probably taking it again in May

Veterinary Experience:
1,400 hours at a SA clinic as an assistant- working full time currently so this number will be increased by time of application
300 lab animal- worked in a research position where I worked with a DVM and LVT to maintain the health of our mouse colony*
50 hours shadowing at an emergency clinic- mostly SA but saw a couple exotics

Animal Experience:
600 hours at SPCA walking and training dogs
50 hours petsitting cats, bunnies, rats, mice

Research Experience:
3,500 working as a research technician in a lab studying axon regeneration
500 volunteering in a lab in undergrad studying the prevalence of Lyme disease in built environments

Extracurriculars:
Delta Epsilon Mu National Professional Pre-Health Co-Ed Fraternity- member for 3 years, served as Education Chair, Public Relations Chair

Honors/Awards:
Graduated Cum Laude
Nu Rho Psi Neuroscience Honor Society Inductee
Undergraduate Research Award in Biological Anthropology
Selected to give a presentation at ENDO 2017- The Endocrine Society annual meeting for an abstract submitted on my lab project regarding treatment strategies for mice with growth ******ation

Letters of Rec:
Research PI from the lab I worked in
DVM from SA practice - probably going to ask two DVMs from this practice
Thinking of asking the trainer from the SPCA

Concerns:
GPA- wondering if I should try to take a couple classes this summer/fall to try to improve the last 45
Variety of experience in both veterinary and animal disciplines
*For the lab animal experience, I mainly worked with the LVT, she would asses the health of the animals and consult with the DVM regarding the treatment plan, but I only had email correspondence regarding certain issues with the DVM. Is it okay to count this under veterinary experience? I was responsible for carrying out treatments on the mice on a daily basis, including performing subcutaneous and IP injections, administering oral medications, using a tonometer to test for IOP, expressing bladders, treating wounds, and sedation and anesthetic monitoring of mice- I also took a lab animal surgery course to be approved in these disciplines

 

[Ashgirl]

First post on the forums! Finally applying this year!

Major: Biology
Cum. GPA: 3.36
Science GPA: ~3.19 (Still in progress have 13 credits for this semester and 6 over the summer)
Last 45: ~3.2 (Still in progress 17 credits this semester & 6 over the summer)
In-state: FL
Side note: I go to an honors college and I will be publishing a thesis before I graduate with my B.S.

GRE: Taking in May

Veterinary Experience:
- 472 hrs SA/Exotics/ER veterinary assistant/receptionist @ AAHA Accredited multi-dr specialty hospt. (current FT job) expected to be between 1600-1800 by sept.
- 2010 hrs vet assistant/receptionist at SA clinic
- 40+ hours with SA Oral Surgeon (just started, still shadowing)
- 20+ hours with SA Ultrasound Criticalist (DACVECC) (just started, still shadowing)
- 75+ hours with LA vet (will resume shadowing in the summer)
- 270+ hours with marine vet (still working)
- 40 hours shadowing exotics vet
- Also going to start shadowing SA orthopedic surgeon should have ~50-100 hours by the time I apply
- Possibly going to shadow a shelter/ER vet

Animal Experience:
- 36 hours volunteering at a nature center
- 15 hours volunteering at an animal shelter
- 117+ hrs dog sitting/walking (on-going)

Research:
- 50 hours in a marine research lab working with temperature-sex determination in hatching green & leatherback turtles
- 350+ hours in a marine research lab working on making RIs for hatching green & leatherback turtle BW

Extracurricular activities:
- Pre-Vet Club
- Marine Biology Club
- HOSA

Letters of Rec:
- SA GP Vet OR ER vet
- SA Oral Surgeon
- Academic professor/advisor
- LA vet (possibly)
- Marine vet
- Research PI (He's the head researcher at the facility)
*Probably only going to submit 4 or 5 but these are my options.

Concerns:
- Low GPA
- Most of my experience is SA
- Basically no volunteer hours

Hey there! Welcome to SDN!

Your experience is incredible. Seriously, it's very impressive and maybe you could add in a smidge of equine but otherwise it looks great! How do you foresee the in progress credits going? If your last 45 GPA is strong, I would apply to schools that put emphasis on that. If you could rock the GRE, that could help too. Otherwise, I would really try to apply smartly at schools that did not emphasize GPA/looked at the applicant more as a whole.

 

[snakevet8]

Hey there! Welcome to SDN!

Your experience is incredible. Seriously, it's very impressive and maybe you could add in a smidge of equine but otherwise it looks great! How do you foresee the in progress credits going? If your last 45 GPA is strong, I would apply to schools that put emphasis on that. If you could rock the GRE, that could help too. Otherwise, I would really try to apply smartly at schools that did not emphasize GPA/looked at the applicant more as a whole.

My remaining credits should be strong as long as I stay on top of everything. I'm hoping I kill the GRE too! I'm definitely applying to schools strategically.

 

[Rat-a-tat]

Hey guys - I had originally posted this in its own thread because it's a call for advice and not a "what are my chances?" question, but the admin moved it into this thread and it promptly got overshadowed by a bunch of posts that were posted at the same time, so thought I'd repost the question in hopes that it'll be seen this time around. Would love your thoughts:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello all!

I am brand spankin' new to this forum (though have been stalking it for quite some time) and wanted to snag some advice from some of you who are farther along in this process than I am.

I am 27 years old, completed a BA 5 years ago in a non-science-related field, and have recently-ish decided that veterinary medicine is the career path I was meant to follow. I am currently taking pre-reqs at the nearby extension school while working at a small animal practice and in a research lab. My main question is one I'm sure many have asked - given my list of animal-related experience (below), what kind of experiences do you think I should look for in order to fill in any experience gaps that schools may want me to have?

Current experience includes:
-4 years volunteering at local ASPCA adoption center
-Many many years horseback riding and volunteering barn work/horse care
-2 years as essentially an assistant equine manager at an equine-assisted therapy facility
-1 year (so far) as a vet tech (clinic and surgery) at a small animal practice (cats & dogs only) (roughly 30hrs/wk)
-1 year (so far) as a research assistant in cognitive psych lab working with/caring for African Grey parrots
-Tons of pet sitting
-Owner of 2 incredible ratties (EDIT: now 1, one of my boys passed 3 days ago from a very nasty UTI that grew resistant to any and all antibiotics. He would have been 2 yrs old this day next month. This has been a real bummer of a week.)
(I know pet ownership doesn't count as vet experience, but considered I'd add it as it's some pocket pet experience and it has involved frequent medicating - including administering injectable medications frequently, running urinalyses, taking rattie radiographs, taking temps and vitals, etc.)

I'm about to write up an application to my local aquarium's internship program (the specific internship is "Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Necropsy Intern" which I would be suuuper stoked to get).

Any suggestions on things I can add in a few hours per week or for a brief few weeks during the year to fill in experience gaps would be awesome!

Thank you so much!

 

[Lupin21]

Hey guys - I had originally posted this in its own thread because it's a call for advice and not a "what are my chances?" question, but the admin moved it into this thread and it promptly got overshadowed by a bunch of posts that were posted at the same time, so thought I'd repost the question in hopes that it'll be seen this time around. Would love your thoughts:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello all!

I am brand spankin' new to this forum (though have been stalking it for quite some time) and wanted to snag some advice from some of you who are farther along in this process than I am.

I am 27 years old, completed a BA 5 years ago in a non-science-related field, and have recently-ish decided that veterinary medicine is the career path I was meant to follow. I am currently taking pre-reqs at the nearby extension school while working at a small animal practice and in a research lab. My main question is one I'm sure many have asked - given my list of animal-related experience (below), what kind of experiences do you think I should look for in order to fill in any experience gaps that schools may want me to have?

Current experience includes:
-4 years volunteering at local ASPCA adoption center
-Many many years horseback riding and volunteering barn work/horse care
-2 years as essentially an assistant equine manager at an equine-assisted therapy facility
-1 year (so far) as a vet tech (clinic and surgery) at a small animal practice (cats & dogs only) (roughly 30hrs/wk)
-1 year (so far) as a research assistant in cognitive psych lab working with/caring for African Grey parrots
-Tons of pet sitting
-Owner of 2 incredible ratties (EDIT: now 1, one of my boys passed 3 days ago from a very nasty UTI that grew resistant to any and all antibiotics. He would have been 2 yrs old this day next month. This has been a real bummer of a week.)
(I know pet ownership doesn't count as vet experience, but considered I'd add it as it's some pocket pet experience and it has involved frequent medicating - including administering injectable medications frequently, running urinalyses, taking rattie radiographs, taking temps and vitals, etc.)

I'm about to write up an application to my local aquarium's internship program (the specific internship is "Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Necropsy Intern" which I would be suuuper stoked to get).

Any suggestions on things I can add in a few hours per week or for a brief few weeks during the year to fill in experience gaps would be awesome!

Thank you so much!

You have good animal experience, but I note the only veterinary is the tech for small animal. This is where you would probably need to seek out shadowing equine, food animal, lab animal, etc vets. If the necropsy work is under a vet, that would also be excellent. The more aspects of the veterinary field you show a knowledge of, the more attractive of an applicant you are. So while animal experience is terrific, you have to show an understanding of what role the vet actually plays. Good luck on your aquarium internship. Sounds cool.

 

[migc]

Hey guys - I had originally posted this in its own thread because it's a call for advice and not a "what are my chances?" question, but the admin moved it into this thread and it promptly got overshadowed by a bunch of posts that were posted at the same time, so thought I'd repost the question in hopes that it'll be seen this time around. Would love your thoughts:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello all!

I am brand spankin' new to this forum (though have been stalking it for quite some time) and wanted to snag some advice from some of you who are farther along in this process than I am.

I am 27 years old, completed a BA 5 years ago in a non-science-related field, and have recently-ish decided that veterinary medicine is the career path I was meant to follow. I am currently taking pre-reqs at the nearby extension school while working at a small animal practice and in a research lab. My main question is one I'm sure many have asked - given my list of animal-related experience (below), what kind of experiences do you think I should look for in order to fill in any experience gaps that schools may want me to have?

Current experience includes:
-4 years volunteering at local ASPCA adoption center
-Many many years horseback riding and volunteering barn work/horse care
-2 years as essentially an assistant equine manager at an equine-assisted therapy facility
-1 year (so far) as a vet tech (clinic and surgery) at a small animal practice (cats & dogs only) (roughly 30hrs/wk)
-1 year (so far) as a research assistant in cognitive psych lab working with/caring for African Grey parrots
-Tons of pet sitting
-Owner of 2 incredible ratties (EDIT: now 1, one of my boys passed 3 days ago from a very nasty UTI that grew resistant to any and all antibiotics. He would have been 2 yrs old this day next month. This has been a real bummer of a week.)
(I know pet ownership doesn't count as vet experience, but considered I'd add it as it's some pocket pet experience and it has involved frequent medicating - including administering injectable medications frequently, running urinalyses, taking rattie radiographs, taking temps and vitals, etc.)

I'm about to write up an application to my local aquarium's internship program (the specific internship is "Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Necropsy Intern" which I would be suuuper stoked to get).

Any suggestions on things I can add in a few hours per week or for a brief few weeks during the year to fill in experience gaps would be awesome!

Thank you so much!

Seconding what Lupin said, I would try to gain more experiences under a veterinarian. Animal experience is great but vet experience is better! Try shadowing a large animal/equine/exotic vet for even just a few hours a month and it will add up.
I owned hamsters for a while and I listed this on my application. I didn’t list owning dogs/cats but I listed ownership of exotic species like hamsters, fish, and geckos. I can’t say for sure that it had a positive effect on my app but it doesn’t hurt to show that you have experience handling exotic species.

 

[clover818]

Straight off the bat, I am feeling very discouraged and confused...

I'm a freshman in community college. So far half my grades are A's and the other half are B's (Got a B in algebra and trigonometry, I feel like vet schools will frown upon that). Right now my GPA is a 3.5. I am getting general ed out the way, so this upcoming spring semester I will take chemistry and pre-calc (and yes I will take other courses like calculus, physics, microbiology, organic and inorganic chem, etc).

What I am also really worried about is my experience. I have no volunteer or work hours so far. I took a vet science course in high school (did really well) but I am not sure if that counts. I'm saving up for a car, so I often struggle with transportation. There is no vet clinic or animal hospital where I am from, so I will most likely need to travel down to México (not sure if vet schools will accept that) or travel to other towns where there is vet clinics.

I know I do not come from the best background, I really do. I feel really behind and desperate with my limited resources. Am I really in a horrible start?

 

[Cmac92]

Most (95%) of my veterinary experience came in the 9-10 months leading up to my application. So don't feel like you're behind now! Getting involved on campus with volunteer organizations or getting plugged into a research group (what I did in undergrad) are also things that admission's committees look for. You're GPA is off to a good start, so keep that up! Focus on your grades and don't panic that you're not actively involved in vet xp right now. You're just starting out and have plenty of time!

I know what it's like to feel like the deck is stacked against you, but believe me when I say that you'll be fine. You have a plan and a goal, so just stay focused and realize you have plenty of time! Life is tough sometimes, but you'll be fine!

 

[Coffee<3Cats<3&Ratties<3]

Hey !
Honestly, you sound a lot like I did. I was not one of those student who had worked with a vet since they were like 5 lol. I wasnt able to get any vet experience until the summer after high school and it was minimal at that. My first semester I got 50/50 As and Bs and thought that vet school wasnt going to happen. However, after that first semester, I worked my butt off and got my GPA up to a 3.92. I also tried to beef up my application with extracurriculars, like being a teaching assistant, doing research, and taking animal classes. During the summers I worked 40 hours a week at my paid job and another 20-30 hours at a vet clinic to bring my vet hours up. I just got accepted to Tufts veterinary school and Lincoln Memorial, and got waitlisted for Kansas, Cornell, and Missouri. So its defintely possible but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Id start as soon as possible and do as much as you can. You also dont have to apply right after college so you can always build up vet experience during a gap year. Hope this helps !

 

[britzen]

Straight off the bat, I am feeling very discouraged and confused...

I'm a freshman in community college. So far half my grades are A's and the other half are B's (Got a B in algebra and trigonometry, I feel like vet schools will frown upon that). Right now my GPA is a 3.5. I am getting general ed out the way, so this upcoming spring semester I will take chemistry and pre-calc (and yes I will take other courses like calculus, physics, microbiology, organic and inorganic chem, etc).

What I am also really worried about is my experience. I have no volunteer or work hours so far. I took a vet science course in high school (did really well) but I am not sure if that counts. I'm saving up for a car, so I often struggle with transportation. There is no vet clinic or animal hospital where I am from, so I will most likely need to travel down to México (not sure if vet schools will accept that) or travel to other towns where there is vet clinics.

I know I do not come from the best background, I really do. I feel really behind and desperate with my limited resources. Am I really in a horrible start?

I would say focus on your classes and GPA for now over experience.

If you can find some animal or veterinary experience now, go for it, but remember that it is much easier to get experience after graduation than it is to try and raise your GPA after 4 years of school. Six months of full time work after graduation at a vet clinic = 1040 hours of veterinary experience.

The average GPA for admitted students at some vet schools is at or below your current GPA of ~3.5, so you shouldn't be too stressed about that. Keep working to try to bring it up if you can, but plenty of people get into vet school with similar GPAs. The average GPA for lots of programs is just a little bit higher, maybe around a 3.6, so maybe aim to get your GPA to a 3.65 or 3.7 if you want to be an above average applicant.

Remember that posted admissions statistics are giving you the average GPA of admitted students, which means that about half of the admitted students have gpas below that point. GPA is just one factor to your application, and there are other areas that matter too, including recommendations, essays, test scores, and experience.

And, many people (not just veterinary school applicants) have worse GPAs their freshman year compared to later on. Admissions committees will look favorably upon someone whose grades consistently approve or who finish strong. In fact, some schools only look at the GPA for the last 45 credits a student has taken because they feel that recent grades are a better indication of students current potential.

Case in point: My veterinary mentor got a 2.9 her freshman year and got a number of C's in required prerequisites, so was worse off than you are now. She had to take extra classes and absolutely kill it academically later to make up for her rough start but she eventually got into vet school. It took longer and was more stressful than it would have been had she gotten a better GPA her freshman year, but it didn't stop her from achieving her goal.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Everyone has touched on what I would say, but I’ll just hop in and give my first semester grades:

My absolute highest grade first semester was 80% (Cutoff for an A- at my school). The rest of my marks were between 70% and 78% (B- to B+). I only had 1 A my entire first year. I’m in year 3 now and my GPA is up enough that I have a shot again, though I no longer have any buffer to screw up another class. You can recover from a terrible semester/year. Just focus on learning from what went wrong and how you can improve your studying/writing habits in the years to come.

 

[Meo1991]

For those who are interested, I'll offer a little advice and my experience.

I am a first year vet student (in-state) at Mississippi State University. I graduated from undergrad at the University of Southern Mississippi with a mediocre GPA (total~3.0). I don't know the last 45 hours gpa or my total science gpa, but either way, my gpa was not competitive. I had extensive experience with animals though. I used to show horses and work in stables, cleaning stalls when I was in high school. In college, I worked at a small animal clinic as a kennel technician for almost two years, volunteered at a local stable cleaning stalls and exercise riding, and also worked at another stable cleaning stalls- I was too busy, part of why my GPA was crap. In the summers, I worked for my aunt and uncle at their pet grooming business, bathing and drying dogs mostly. I didn't apply straight out after I graduated undergrad. I waited until the next application cycle. In the meantime, I worked at another small animal clinic as a vet tech. I got an interview at Mississippi State, which I was surprised, given my GPA was so poor. I did not get accepted though. I talked to admissions a few months later and they said the problem was my GPA of course, so I re-took courses at a local university. I applied again and received another interview, but I still wasn't accepted. They told me the same thing that my GPA was not up to par. So I had heard about a great pre-professional program at Mississippi College. They have a non-thesis master's program in Biology Medical Sciences geared towards people wanting to go to professional school- medical, dental, PA, vet, etc. I applied and got in to the master's program in the Summer of 2016. The curriculum offers a variety of first year medical school level courses, and some are very applicable to veterinary medicine- like physiology and histology. The curriculum requires a minimum 33 hours, and you have to take 3 medical school level courses, as well as a 1 hour seminar class. Most people take about a year and a half to do the program, but I completed it in 11 months, not exactly ideal but I did what I needed to do. My final GPA from Mississippi College was ~3.4. I was accepted into Mississippi State as an alternate this past year. My first semester in vet school has not been too bad! My GPA is 3.8 currently.

Going to Mississippi College for my masters was the best decision for my academic career. I highly recommend this program for any healthcare pre-professional student! If anyone has any questions, I'm totally willing to answer them!

 

[starfish229]

I graduated in May with a BS in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, but I did not feel confident at all to start vet school right after undergrad like most of my classmates. All of senior year was pretty discouraging for me, seeing mostly everyone around me apply, get accepted, and then commit to vet schools all while I wasn't really doing anything... but senior year was actually my best academically. The problem is, even with my highest semester gpa's being senior year, it wasn't enough to bring up my cumulative gpa a considerable amount. I just joined a facebook group for pre-vet students applying to vet school, and I'm seeing so many posts about how their gpa isn't high enough and then people commenting on those posts comparing their gpa's. But they're all higher than mine. I have a 3.225 cumulative gpa. And I already graduated, so I can't really bring it up at all. I guess I could take summer classes at my community college, but would that combine with my 3.2 from another school? Anyway, when I'm at work (I work full time as a vet assistant) I feel really confident in myself and my abilities, but when I joined that facebook group today, it instantly made me feel so discouraged. When I compare myself with everyone on there, and everyone I went through undergrad with, I am so far below them, or so it feels. I don't have any recent leadership experience because college made my anxiety really bad, and I struggled to get involved with things or even to just leave my dorm room. I never did 4H or FFA because I didn't grow up in a farming family. I don't have vet parents. I don't have a wealthy family that could sign me up for horseback riding. So all I really have going for me is my mediocre gpa and my 1000+ hours of experience in a veterinary hospital. My eLORs will be really good I can tell you that - the doctors I work with are incredible. But that's it. I'm having a really hard time finding experience with large/wild/exotic animals, and I didn't get involved in research in college. I simply didn't know that was a thing people did... (my department sucked in that respect, and my adviser didn't know **** about advising.)
I feel like I'm putting myself down a lot right now, but that's just how I'm feeling. I'm not really asking for people to make me feel better about my situation, but I would really really love advice for how to make my application stronger. What are some ways a graduate can get more leadership experience? What are some ways I can still work my full time job (35-40 hrs/week) plus add on more animal experience to make myself well-rounded? Are there any leadership conventions I can try to attend? Are there any post-grad opportunities in national clubs or anything? I was in Sigma Alpha in college, could I possibly get more involved with them as an alumnus? I want to do whatever possible to get myself into vet school. (But I don't have a ton of money so I can't really do volunteer things like in thailand or africa that cost thousands of dollars...)
Please help!!

 

[Meo1991]

I graduated in May with a BS in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, but I did not feel confident at all to start vet school right after undergrad like most of my classmates. All of senior year was pretty discouraging for me, seeing mostly everyone around me apply, get accepted, and then commit to vet schools all while I wasn't really doing anything... but senior year was actually my best academically. The problem is, even with my highest semester gpa's being senior year, it wasn't enough to bring up my cumulative gpa a considerable amount. I just joined a facebook group for pre-vet students applying to vet school, and I'm seeing so many posts about how their gpa isn't high enough and then people commenting on those posts comparing their gpa's. But they're all higher than mine. I have a 3.225 cumulative gpa. And I already graduated, so I can't really bring it up at all. I guess I could take summer classes at my community college, but would that combine with my 3.2 from another school? Anyway, when I'm at work (I work full time as a vet assistant) I feel really confident in myself and my abilities, but when I joined that facebook group today, it instantly made me feel so discouraged. When I compare myself with everyone on there, and everyone I went through undergrad with, I am so far below them, or so it feels. I don't have any recent leadership experience because college made my anxiety really bad, and I struggled to get involved with things or even to just leave my dorm room. I never did 4H or FFA because I didn't grow up in a farming family. I don't have vet parents. I don't have a wealthy family that could sign me up for horseback riding. So all I really have going for me is my mediocre gpa and my 1000+ hours of experience in a veterinary hospital. My eLORs will be really good I can tell you that - the doctors I work with are incredible. But that's it. I'm having a really hard time finding experience with large/wild/exotic animals, and I didn't get involved in research in college. I simply didn't know that was a thing people did... (my department sucked in that respect, and my adviser didn't know **** about advising.)
I feel like I'm putting myself down a lot right now, but that's just how I'm feeling. I'm not really asking for people to make me feel better about my situation, but I would really really love advice for how to make my application stronger. What are some ways a graduate can get more leadership experience? What are some ways I can still work my full time job (35-40 hrs/week) plus add on more animal experience to make myself well-rounded? Are there any leadership conventions I can try to attend? Are there any post-grad opportunities in national clubs or anything? I was in Sigma Alpha in college, could I possibly get more involved with them as an alumnus? I want to do whatever possible to get myself into vet school. (But I don't have a ton of money so I can't really do volunteer things like in thailand or africa that cost thousands of dollars...)
Please help!!

I would definitely consider graduate school. You're not going to be able to retake enough courses to get your GPA up. Take a look into my comment above about my experiences. I will say I could not work during graduate school because I was full time and the curriculum is too intense to have a job. Many people all over the country have applied and gotten in to the medical sciences graduate program at Mississippi College. Seriously consider it. It's worth the time and money.

 

[Coopah]

I graduated in May with a BS in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, but I did not feel confident at all to start vet school right after undergrad like most of my classmates. All of senior year was pretty discouraging for me, seeing mostly everyone around me apply, get accepted, and then commit to vet schools all while I wasn't really doing anything... but senior year was actually my best academically. The problem is, even with my highest semester gpa's being senior year, it wasn't enough to bring up my cumulative gpa a considerable amount. I just joined a facebook group for pre-vet students applying to vet school, and I'm seeing so many posts about how their gpa isn't high enough and then people commenting on those posts comparing their gpa's. But they're all higher than mine. I have a 3.225 cumulative gpa. And I already graduated, so I can't really bring it up at all. I guess I could take summer classes at my community college, but would that combine with my 3.2 from another school? Anyway, when I'm at work (I work full time as a vet assistant) I feel really confident in myself and my abilities, but when I joined that facebook group today, it instantly made me feel so discouraged. When I compare myself with everyone on there, and everyone I went through undergrad with, I am so far below them, or so it feels. I don't have any recent leadership experience because college made my anxiety really bad, and I struggled to get involved with things or even to just leave my dorm room. I never did 4H or FFA because I didn't grow up in a farming family. I don't have vet parents. I don't have a wealthy family that could sign me up for horseback riding. So all I really have going for me is my mediocre gpa and my 1000+ hours of experience in a veterinary hospital. My eLORs will be really good I can tell you that - the doctors I work with are incredible. But that's it. I'm having a really hard time finding experience with large/wild/exotic animals, and I didn't get involved in research in college. I simply didn't know that was a thing people did... (my department sucked in that respect, and my adviser didn't know **** about advising.)
I feel like I'm putting myself down a lot right now, but that's just how I'm feeling. I'm not really asking for people to make me feel better about my situation, but I would really really love advice for how to make my application stronger. What are some ways a graduate can get more leadership experience? What are some ways I can still work my full time job (35-40 hrs/week) plus add on more animal experience to make myself well-rounded? Are there any leadership conventions I can try to attend? Are there any post-grad opportunities in national clubs or anything? I was in Sigma Alpha in college, could I possibly get more involved with them as an alumnus? I want to do whatever possible to get myself into vet school. (But I don't have a ton of money so I can't really do volunteer things like in thailand or africa that cost thousands of dollars...)
Please help!!

If your last year was the best academically then what's your last 45 GPA? Plenty of school focus on that and science GPA. I had a worse cumulative GPA and I still was a competitive applicant because I had those two factors working for me.

 

[starfish229]

If your last year was the best academically then what's your last 45 GPA? Plenty of school focus on that and science GPA. I had a worse cumulative GPA and I still was a competitive applicant because I had those two factors working for me.

My last 45 credits gpa is a 3.54. I got a C+ in genetics. The rest were A, A-, B+ and B. And all hard classes too- histopathology, physiology, orgo 1 and 2, physics 1 and 2, microbiology

 

[Coopah]

My last 45 credits gpa is a 3.54. I got a C+ in genetics. The rest were A, A-, B+ and B. And all hard classes too- histopathology, physiology, orgo 1 and 2, physics 1 and 2, microbiology

Do you know what your science GPA is?

 

[vethopeful_2]

I graduated in May with a BS in Pre-Veterinary Medicine, but I did not feel confident at all to start vet school right after undergrad like most of my classmates. All of senior year was pretty discouraging for me, seeing mostly everyone around me apply, get accepted, and then commit to vet schools all while I wasn't really doing anything... but senior year was actually my best academically. The problem is, even with my highest semester gpa's being senior year, it wasn't enough to bring up my cumulative gpa a considerable amount. I just joined a facebook group for pre-vet students applying to vet school, and I'm seeing so many posts about how their gpa isn't high enough and then people commenting on those posts comparing their gpa's. But they're all higher than mine. I have a 3.225 cumulative gpa. And I already graduated, so I can't really bring it up at all. I guess I could take summer classes at my community college, but would that combine with my 3.2 from another school? Anyway, when I'm at work (I work full time as a vet assistant) I feel really confident in myself and my abilities, but when I joined that facebook group today, it instantly made me feel so discouraged. When I compare myself with everyone on there, and everyone I went through undergrad with, I am so far below them, or so it feels. I don't have any recent leadership experience because college made my anxiety really bad, and I struggled to get involved with things or even to just leave my dorm room. I never did 4H or FFA because I didn't grow up in a farming family. I don't have vet parents. I don't have a wealthy family that could sign me up for horseback riding. So all I really have going for me is my mediocre gpa and my 1000+ hours of experience in a veterinary hospital. My eLORs will be really good I can tell you that - the doctors I work with are incredible. But that's it. I'm having a really hard time finding experience with large/wild/exotic animals, and I didn't get involved in research in college. I simply didn't know that was a thing people did... (my department sucked in that respect, and my adviser didn't know **** about advising.)
I feel like I'm putting myself down a lot right now, but that's just how I'm feeling. I'm not really asking for people to make me feel better about my situation, but I would really really love advice for how to make my application stronger. What are some ways a graduate can get more leadership experience? What are some ways I can still work my full time job (35-40 hrs/week) plus add on more animal experience to make myself well-rounded? Are there any leadership conventions I can try to attend? Are there any post-grad opportunities in national clubs or anything? I was in Sigma Alpha in college, could I possibly get more involved with them as an alumnus? I want to do whatever possible to get myself into vet school. (But I don't have a ton of money so I can't really do volunteer things like in thailand or africa that cost thousands of dollars...)
Please help!!

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that many of us are in the same boat as you. I have similar stats and worry myself sick some days when I think about it too much. I've just come to the point where I realize I have to continue to do the absolute best that I can in my classes, and to not let my worries control my success. There are only so many factors you can control at this point. I'm choosing to really beef up my resume with volunteer experience so that I will stand out, and I think serving others is a great way to keep your spirits high and priorities in line. I just wanted to respond to your comment to let you know that you should be proud of yourself for even making it this far. Not many people can endure year after year of hard upper level science classes AND work full time. So try to keep your head up! I know it's hard. But I'm rooting for you


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[starfish229]

Do you know what your science GPA is?

I think it’s a 3.32 ... I’m not totally sure cause some classes like psych or forensics I wasn’t sure whether they counted for my science gpa or not. Roughly a 3.32 though from what I calculated. Most of my classes from undergrad were science so it’s not much better than my cumulative gpa

 

[starfish229]

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that many of us are in the same boat as you. I have similar stats and worry myself sick some days when I think about it too much. I've just come to the point where I realize I have to continue to do the absolute best that I can in my classes, and to not let my worries control my success. There are only so many factors you can control at this point. I'm choosing to really beef up my resume with volunteer experience so that I will stand out, and I think serving others is a great way to keep your spirits high and priorities in line. I just wanted to respond to your comment to let you know that you should be proud of yourself for even making it this far. Not many people can endure year after year of hard upper level science classes AND work full time. So try to keep your head up! I know it's hard. But I'm rooting for you

Thank you! I do see some people similar to me on here, but I feel like the majority are people with way better everything than me and it makes me feel horrible about myself. I never really felt that way until I saw what mostly everyone else is like and now I can’t help but compare myself to them in every way.

 

[Coopah]

I think it’s a 3.32 ... I’m not totally sure cause some classes like psych or forensics I wasn’t sure whether they counted for my science gpa or not. Roughly a 3.32 though from what I calculated. Most of my classes from undergrad were science so it’s not much better than my cumulative gpa

So psych wouldn't count. Only physical sciences mostly and any animal science courses you took. Chemistry, physics, biology ect.

 

[jaboo]

Alright, so since I may have to apply a THIRD application cycle (grumble grumble), I've decided to post my stats. Let me know what you think I could improve on. Currently waitlisted IS at Cornell and OOS at Wisconsin.

To preface: I've taken the GRE 3x now and have concluded that I just suck at both taking and studying for standardized tests (same score first 2 times, worse score last time taken). I didn't decide on becoming a vet until sophomore year of college. I also changed my major to biology that year and I hadn't taken a bio class since 8th grade (so I had a lot of catching up to do and bio classes are curved--hence low GPA). I'm also from a low-income family so a lot of hours I could have used to accumulate experience was used to work so I could pay for tuition/rent. I would have liked to work in a clinical setting for my gap year, but few to none of those jobs are paid if you're not a LVT. So I did what I could.

Academics:
BA in Biological Sciences from Cornell, completed May 2017

GPA: 3.34
Science GPA: 3.16
Last 45 GPA: 3.56

GRE Scores:
V: 157 (75th percentile)
Q: 159 (73rd percentile)
W: 5.0 (93rd percentile) <- the one score Cornell doesn't care about!

Vet Experience:
SA clinic in my hometown, owned by a Cornell alumni (240 hrs)
Wildlife Health Clinic (130 hrs)

Animal Experience:
Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy trainer and sitter (320 hrs)

Research:
Student researcher in a neuropsychology lab focusing on neural mechanisms of social behavior in prairie voles (involved animal handling; over 200 hrs)
Current lab tech in Cornell Vet School Research building, studying reproduction and carrying out bovine IVF (mentored by a DVM/PhD; idk like 500 hrs at time of application)

Volunteer/Extracurricular Experience:
Treasurer/House Manager/Alumni Mentor for a co-ed chemistry fraternity, member since freshman year of college

Employment:
Wegmans (grocery chain) for 6 years, started in high school and worked during breaks and holidays while in college
Library assistant in a small library in my dorm freshman year of college
Worked at my college's career center as a resume critiquer/student advisor for 3 years in college

My LORs:
SA vet that I interned with, Cornell alum
Undergrad faculty advisor
Undergrad research advisor from neuropsychology lab
Mentor from current job, current Cornell Vet clinician and researcher (DVM/PhD)

 

[MixedAnimals77]

.

Dude youre GRE scores are awesome imo! Someone else will bring this up, but what did committee review say last time you applied? GPA could be better-have you considered a master's program? I'm not sure what schools you applied to but apply to those where you can show your strengths of your application more so more focus on your last 45 vs your cummulative. Also I know you're working trying to provide for yourself but definately work on getting those hours up and varied would help in all categories. Really hoping you get pulled off the waitlist!

 

[Skimble]

Alright, so since I may have to apply a THIRD application cycle (grumble grumble), I've decided to post my stats. Let me know what you think I could improve on. Currently waitlisted IS at Cornell and OOS at Wisconsin.

To preface: I've taken the GRE 3x now and have concluded that I just suck at both taking and studying for standardized tests (same score first 2 times, worse score last time taken). I didn't decide on becoming a vet until sophomore year of college. I also changed my major to biology that year and I hadn't taken a bio class since 8th grade (so I had a lot of catching up to do and bio classes are curved--hence low GPA). I'm also from a low-income family so a lot of hours I could have used to accumulate experience was used to work so I could pay for tuition/rent. I would have liked to work in a clinical setting for my gap year, but few to none of those jobs are paid if you're not a LVT. So I did what I could.

Academics:
BA in Biological Sciences from Cornell, completed May 2017

GPA: 3.34
Science GPA: 3.16
Last 45 GPA: 3.56

GRE Scores:
V: 157 (75th percentile)
Q: 159 (73rd percentile)
W: 5.0 (93rd percentile) <- the one score Cornell doesn't care about!

Vet Experience:
SA clinic in my hometown, owned by a Cornell alumni (240 hrs)
Wildlife Health Clinic (130 hrs)

Animal Experience:
Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy trainer and sitter (320 hrs)

Research:
Student researcher in a neuropsychology lab focusing on neural mechanisms of social behavior in prairie voles (involved animal handling; over 200 hrs)
Current lab tech in Cornell Vet School Research building, studying reproduction and carrying out bovine IVF (mentored by a DVM/PhD; idk like 500 hrs at time of application)

Volunteer/Extracurricular Experience:
Treasurer/House Manager/Alumni Mentor for a co-ed chemistry fraternity, member since freshman year of college

Employment:
Wegmans (grocery chain) for 6 years, started in high school and worked during breaks and holidays while in college
Library assistant in a small library in my dorm freshman year of college
Worked at my college's career center as a resume critiquer/student advisor for 3 years in college

My LORs:
SA vet that I interned with, Cornell alum
Undergrad faculty advisor
Undergrad research advisor from neuropsychology lab
Mentor from current job, current Cornell Vet clinician and researcher (DVM/PhD)

Can you retake any science classes you didn't do as well in? I think Cornell averages the two grades instead of replacement, yes? I'd also recommend doing file reviews.

 

[jaboo]

Dude youre GRE scores are awesome imo! Someone else will bring this up, but what did committee review say last time you applied? GPA could be better-have you considered a master's program? I'm not sure what schools you applied to but apply to those where you can show your strengths of your application more so more focus on your last 45 vs your cummulative. Also I know you're working trying to provide for yourself but definately work on getting those hours up and varied would help in all categories. Really hoping you get pulled off the waitlist!

Thanks Mixey! I was told last cycle that if I could bring up my GRE scores a bit, that would help. I did try to bump those up by retaking it last summer--and failed miserably. Got the same verbal score and a worse quant score. They also recommended getting a bit more clinical hours, so I managed to go to the Wildlife center a few times while working FT at my current job. Those were the 2 big things.

Can you retake any science classes you didn't do as well in? I think Cornell averages the two grades instead of replacement, yes? I'd also recommend doing file reviews.

I don't know the answer to that. I did retake one intro bio course because the curve bit me in the ass so hard that I got a D+. Retook and I got a B+. The other one I did poorly in was also an intro course, I think I got a C+. I could retake that if needed, but from what I heard from my file review, they seemed to think bumping my GRE scores would better serve me.