What are my chances?

[Osudairy]

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I called MSU and they said they use to require up to 270 hours of shadowing but not anymore but it's highly recommended to have at least 100. I'm already good on that but I'm still getting more.

I plan on joining clubs at the university I'm going to in the fall and I am so excited! I want a leadership role! 🙂

I plan on doing better there sinc do have a clean slate and new GPA but I will retake the classes if needed.

I'm worried about Organic Chemistry and Calculus. I'll be taking those in the same semesters and they're tough...

Remember to go above and beyond the requirements! So although MSU suggests at least a 100, keep in mind there will be applicants with thousands of hours! Also remember that although your new undergrad starts you over with a new GPA, vet schools calculate all grades in to one big cumulative GPA. They calculate it themselves from the grades on all your transcripts, not just the GPA listed on your most current one! Good luck to you! It's not an easy road but one that's worth it never is!

This is very true. When I applied, I had like 9000 animal experience hours (farm) and like 3000 hours vet experience from working as a veterinary assistant for ~3 years. Get as much experience as you can! Definitely join clubs and be an active participant on campus. Thinkpawsitive brings up a good point that veterinary schools calculate a cumGPA of your whole undergraduate career, even if you transfer schools. It is also good to keep in mind that schools also look at you science GPA, last 45 credit hour GPA, and required course GPA. I am not familiar with what GPA's MSU looks at mostly, but it is a good idea to check that out. I know OChem and Calculus can be difficult, but it can definitely be done! Just manage your time, study hard, and ask for help if you need it.

 

[ChinoandButters]

Does anyone have any advice on obtaining leadership skills as an undergrad? I graduate in about 2 months so I feel like its too late to join any clubs. I am getting a membership for a young adults farm bureau this week.

 

[Osudairy]

Does anyone have any advice on obtaining leadership skills as an undergrad? I graduate in about 2 months so I feel like its too late to join any clubs. I am getting a membership for a young adults farm bureau this week.

Any experience that you will assume a leadership-type role will work. I was a 4H adviser, tutored physics, participated in clubs, taught animal science classes (in grad school), and led a church band. Any kind of volunteer experience where you mentor others or are a part of decision making will work. Things going on in your community may give some opportunities.

 

[that redhead]

Does anyone have any advice on obtaining leadership skills as an undergrad? I graduate in about 2 months so I feel like its too late to join any clubs. I am getting a membership for a young adults farm bureau this week.

I'd focus more on community involvement versus campus-only involvement as it's a bit late for that now. Consider Big Brother/Big sister, tutoring and working with local volunteer groups.

 

[Osudairy]

Does anyone have any advice on obtaining leadership skills as an undergrad? I graduate in about 2 months so I feel like its too late to join any clubs. I am getting a membership for a young adults farm bureau this week.

What all leadership skills have you obtained throughout undergrad?

 

[ChinoandButters]

What all leadership skills have you obtained throughout undergrad?

Well I have been a peer tutor at a job and I have always trained new employees at every job I've had. I also take on leadership roles in any class projects.

 

[CelestialVeterinarian]

Thank you all for your support and help! It truly means a lot and I feel so inspired and encouraged to do better for myself!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Okay, I guess I'll post here as a means to continue procrastinating for the exam I should be studying for...

First time applicant, Animal Science major, will graduate May '17, applying this cycle (OMG)
I'm one of the exceptionally lucky individuals with no IS vet school:/

cumGPA: 3.84
sciGPA: 3.84
Last 45 GPA: 3.90 (this is making some educated-guess assumptions about how this semester finishes out🙂
GRE (Q/V/W): 153/155/5.0

Veterinary:
650 hours SA GP practice
400 hours holistic/rehab practice, mostly SA but equine acupuncture/shockwave as well
20 hours scribing for vets at endurance rides
an assemblage of Veterinary conferences that I've gone to with my mentor

Animal Experience:
4,100 hours as a barn employee, mostly general horse care but also taught riding/ground work for pony camp
1,000 hours horse/alpaca farm
100 hours raising chickens (reality is wayyy more hours than this but didn't know if I should include this...? but I LOVE chickens lol)
75 hours hippotherapy/therapeutic riding center
1.5 years spay/neuter voucher program, I qualify people for our vouchers. Since it's not direct animal handling I'll probably put this under volunteer, but it has been great for my communication skills. The stories I could tell lol.

Research: a heck of a lot of hours that will continue to accumulate until I graduate working on research dealing with insulin resistance in transition dairy cows. Everything from blood collection to placing catheters to liver biopsies to developing ultrasound protocols to running assays to staying up all night at the farm. Love my cows.

I recognize that I'm probably wayyyyy ahead of this game (but then not really because VMCAS opens in 3 months and I'll be away 90% of the summer), but I've already written my personal statement and had a few people read it. Aside for some tweaks I really like it. Writing is one of my *things*.

I think that my GRE scores of my weakest area right now...BUT I got a 6 month Magoosh subscription and plan to retake in May. Considering that my studying wasn't as intense as it could have been, I think there's definitely room for those to go up.

THE OSU CVM is my absolute #1. Will probably apply to 2-ish others.

Thoughts overall? 🙂

 

[Osudairy]

Okay, I guess I'll post here as a means to continue procrastinating for the exam I should be studying for...

First time applicant, Animal Science major, will graduate May '17, applying this cycle (OMG)
I'm one of the exceptionally lucky individuals with no IS vet school:/

cumGPA: 3.84
sciGPA: 3.84
Last 45 GPA: 3.90 (this is making some educated-guess assumptions about how this semester finishes out🙂
GRE (Q/V/W): 153/155/5.0

Veterinary:
650 hours SA GP practice
400 hours holistic/rehab practice, mostly SA but equine acupuncture/shockwave as well
20 hours scribing for vets at endurance rides
an assemblage of Veterinary conferences that I've gone to with my mentor

Animal Experience:
4,100 hours as a barn employee, mostly general horse care but also taught riding/ground work for pony camp
1,000 hours horse/alpaca farm
100 hours raising chickens (reality is wayyy more hours than this but didn't know if I should include this...? but I LOVE chickens lol)
75 hours hippotherapy/therapeutic riding center
1.5 years spay/neuter voucher program, I qualify people for our vouchers. Since it's not direct animal handling I'll probably put this under volunteer, but it has been great for my communication skills. The stories I could tell lol.

Research: a heck of a lot of hours that will continue to accumulate until I graduate working on research dealing with insulin resistance in transition dairy cows. Everything from blood collection to placing catheters to liver biopsies to developing ultrasound protocols to running assays to staying up all night at the farm. Love my cows.

I recognize that I'm probably wayyyyy ahead of this game (but then not really because VMCAS opens in 3 months and I'll be away 90% of the summer), but I've already written my personal statement and had a few people read it. Aside for some tweaks I really like it. Writing is one of my *things*.

I think that my GRE scores of my weakest area right now...BUT I got a 6 month Magoosh subscription and plan to retake in May. Considering that my studying wasn't as intense as it could have been, I think there's definitely room for those to go up.

THE OSU CVM is my absolute #1. Will probably apply to 2-ish others.

Thoughts overall? 🙂

Overall, your application seems competitive. Your GRE scores are around average so you can always stay to retake it and get a better score. Keep up with the vet experience hours and getting high grades.

It is really interesting that you have research on dairy cattle. I am completing a masters degree in dairy nutrition. Insulin resistance in transition cows is a great topic to look into. My adviser has some papers published on it. Keep up the good work.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Overall, your application seems competitive. Your GRE scores are around average so you can always stay to retake it and get a better score. Keep up with the vet experience hours and getting high grades.

It is really interesting that you have research on dairy cattle. I am completing a masters degree in dairy nutrition. Insulin resistance in transition cows is a great topic to look into. My adviser has some papers published on it. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for your insight!

I have been really lucky with my research involvement. Dairy nutrition/nutritional biochemistry is fascinating to me and I love working with the cows. I'll be spending this summer working on a really intense study and I'm seriously looking forward to it.

I see you are a OSU 2020-er...Ohio State? If so that's awesome. I'm absolutely in love with the school! Every time I'm there I want it more haha

 

[EastCoast94]

I'll try this out too. These are the numbers off the top of my head (as I don't have my whole "vet" binder at school!) This is gonna be super abbreviated and not too comprehensive. lol


Undergrad Degree: History w/ Teacher Licensure
GPA: 3.52 atm
Science GPA: ~3.5
Gre: 150/145/4 (may take one more time to get that math score up to average. I'm not too good at standardized tests so I'm fine with a 150. lol)

Last 45 hrs: N/A atm

Animal Experience (what I can think off at the top of my head while doing hw 😛):
~4,000+ hrs Equine experience (barn management, riding, competing, mustang training,)
~100 hrs Volunteering at dog shelters/wild horse rescue
~500 hrs Zookeeper (exotics, farm, teaching visitors)

Veterinary Exp:
~300 hrs at equine hospital
~100 hours with ambulatory equine
~300 hrs Small Animal/Imaging Center
~20 food animal
~70 hrs spending week at a vet school in summer "Vet School"

Research:
~30 hours Bird/Tick Research at University

Community Service
~200 (Philanthropy with Greek life, Children homeless shelter, aiding non profit dog rescue, senior citizen help, tutoring in and out of college campus, college mentor, community service with ROTC)

And I guess things that I have done with teaching that will help in the "human interaction" area, since that's now looked at just as highly as grades (or even more so):
~200 hours Middle/High School Observation
14 weeks of Semester of student teaching
3 years Tutoring in Russian and History
2 years College Menor to freshman

I know these numbers are right off the top of my head and not concrete, but any feedback would be great! I am applying this cycle and it would be great to get some input of "last minute" things I can do to give myself one last boost.

 

[Osudairy]

Thanks for your insight!

I have been really lucky with my research involvement. Dairy nutrition/nutritional biochemistry is fascinating to me and I love working with the cows. I'll be spending this summer working on a really intense study and I'm seriously looking forward to it.

I see you are a OSU 2020-er...Ohio State? If so that's awesome. I'm absolutely in love with the school! Every time I'm there I want it more haha

Yep, I am class of 2020. I decided to get a Master's at OSU for the research/teaching experience before attending vet school. Looking back, I would do the same thing over again. It is a great school with a beautiful campus and many things to do.

I'll try this out too. These are the numbers off the top of my head (as I don't have my whole "vet" binder at school!) This is gonna be super abbreviated and not too comprehensive. lol


Undergrad Degree: History w/ Teacher Licensure
GPA: 3.52 atm
Science GPA: ~3.5
Gre: 150/145/4 (may take one more time to get that math score up to average. I'm not too good at standardized tests so I'm fine with a 150. lol)

Last 45 hrs: N/A atm

Animal Experience (what I can think off at the top of my head while doing hw 😛):
~4,000+ hrs Equine experience (barn management, riding, competing, mustang training,)
~100 hrs Volunteering at dog shelters/wild horse rescue
~500 hrs Zookeeper (exotics, farm, teaching visitors)

Veterinary Exp:
~300 hrs at equine hospital
~100 hours with ambulatory equine
~300 hrs Small Animal/Imaging Center
~20 food animal
~70 hrs spending week at a vet school in summer "Vet School"

Research:
~30 hours Bird/Tick Research at University

Community Service
~200 (Philanthropy with Greek life, Children homeless shelter, aiding non profit dog rescue, senior citizen help, tutoring in and out of college campus, college mentor, community service with ROTC)

And I guess things that I have done with teaching that will help in the "human interaction" area, since that's now looked at just as highly as grades (or even more so):
~200 hours Middle/High School Observation
14 weeks of Semester of student teaching
3 years Tutoring in Russian and History
2 years College Menor to freshman

I know these numbers are right off the top of my head and not concrete, but any feedback would be great! I am applying this cycle and it would be great to get some input of "last minute" things I can do to give myself one last boost.

I see you are non-traditional with the History degree. Nothing wrong with that. Your GPA seems competitive. I would take a look at your last 45 credits and calculate your GPA to see where you stand. Generally, it should be higher than your cumGPA. Many vet schools look heavily at this GPA. Your animal experience looks good, but you may want to consider more SA animal experience hours. Your number of veterinary hours are about average. I know that most schools require something like 400, but many students have thousands. However, quality > quantity. Research hours are a plus on many applications and helps to show you as a more well-rounded student. Your student teaching shows that you have leadership skills and vet schools (especially OSU during my interview) really want to see that.

Overall, keep getting good grades and get your quantitative score on the GRE up to a 150 or above. Take a look at your last 45 GPA. Keep getting more vet experience hours and volunteer as much as your schedule allows.

 

[EastCoast94]

Yep, I am class of 2020. I decided to get a Master's at OSU for the research/teaching experience before attending vet school. Looking back, I would do the same thing over again. It is a great school with a beautiful campus and many things to do.



I see you are non-traditional with the History degree. Nothing wrong with that. Your GPA seems competitive. I would take a look at your last 45 credits and calculate your GPA to see where you stand. Generally, it should be higher than your cumGPA. Many vet schools look heavily at this GPA. Your animal experience looks good, but you may want to consider more SA animal experience hours. Your number of veterinary hours are about average. I know that most schools require something like 400, but many students have thousands. However, quality > quantity. Research hours are a plus on many applications and helps to show you as a more well-rounded student. Your student teaching shows that you have leadership skills and vet schools (especially OSU during my interview) really want to see that.

Overall, keep getting good grades and get your quantitative score on the GRE up to a 150 or above. Take a look at your last 45 GPA. Keep getting more vet experience hours and volunteer as much as your schedule allows.

I actually have been wondering about the last 45 hours. I am student teaching for my last academic semester. But then after I graduate I will grab up bio chem and a few science electives. Do you know how the "last" 45 hours would work then? Since student teaching is Pass/Fail, the semester I'm in right now would technically be my last semester with grades. Would the school just then look at the "extra" semester I took with biochem/etc?

 

[Osudairy]

I actually have been wondering about the last 45 hours. I am student teaching for my last academic semester. But then after I graduate I will grab up bio chem and a few science electives. Do you know how the "last" 45 hours would work then? Since student teaching is Pass/Fail, the semester I'm in right now would technically be my last semester with grades. Would the school just then look at the "extra" semester I took with biochem/etc?

The last 45 credit hours is the GPA of the last 45 credits of normally graded classes that you took in your academic career up to applying to veterinary school and are calculated by vet schools individually. They take the whole semester they end on from what I understand. Again, VMCAS does not calculate this; they only calculate cumGPA, non science GPA, science GPA, and GPA by year. Some schools use it while others do not. Some schools also use variations of this (I.e. LMU uses the last 2 years of classwork). When you apply, you will have to take how schools use GPA's into consideration.

 

[Jota93]

Okay, I guess I'll post here as a means to continue procrastinating for the exam I should be studying for...

First time applicant, Animal Science major, will graduate May '17, applying this cycle (OMG)
I'm one of the exceptionally lucky individuals with no IS vet school:/

cumGPA: 3.84
sciGPA: 3.84
Last 45 GPA: 3.90 (this is making some educated-guess assumptions about how this semester finishes out🙂
GRE (Q/V/W): 153/155/5.0

Veterinary:
650 hours SA GP practice
400 hours holistic/rehab practice, mostly SA but equine acupuncture/shockwave as well
20 hours scribing for vets at endurance rides
an assemblage of Veterinary conferences that I've gone to with my mentor

Animal Experience:
4,100 hours as a barn employee, mostly general horse care but also taught riding/ground work for pony camp
1,000 hours horse/alpaca farm
100 hours raising chickens (reality is wayyy more hours than this but didn't know if I should include this...? but I LOVE chickens lol)
75 hours hippotherapy/therapeutic riding center
1.5 years spay/neuter voucher program, I qualify people for our vouchers. Since it's not direct animal handling I'll probably put this under volunteer, but it has been great for my communication skills. The stories I could tell lol.

Research: a heck of a lot of hours that will continue to accumulate until I graduate working on research dealing with insulin resistance in transition dairy cows. Everything from blood collection to placing catheters to liver biopsies to developing ultrasound protocols to running assays to staying up all night at the farm. Love my cows.

I recognize that I'm probably wayyyyy ahead of this game (but then not really because VMCAS opens in 3 months and I'll be away 90% of the summer), but I've already written my personal statement and had a few people read it. Aside for some tweaks I really like it. Writing is one of my *things*.

I think that my GRE scores of my weakest area right now...BUT I got a 6 month Magoosh subscription and plan to retake in May. Considering that my studying wasn't as intense as it could have been, I think there's definitely room for those to go up.

THE OSU CVM is my absolute #1. Will probably apply to 2-ish others.

Thoughts overall? 🙂

Sound application. Even though your GRE scores are good (higher than mines even), retaking it won't hurt. What do your extracurriculars look like, though?

And good luck this upcoming cycle!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Sound application. Even though your GRE scores are good (higher than mines even), retaking it won't hurt. What do your extracurriculars look like, though?

And good luck this upcoming cycle!

I'm going to Magoosh it for a few months and definitely retake. I think there def some room for approvement.

I'm a Biology TA and a tutor for the Chemistry department. And then the standard couple clubs, of course🙂

Thanks for your feedback! It's appreciated!

 

[bruja]

Hey guys ... posted this a few days ago, any advice?

I was pre-vet in undergrad, graduated with honors but decided to take a gap year to decide between applying to vet or grad school.
Decided on grad: I could work towards a masters and if I decided to apply to vet school, I assumed the masters would only help me. I am a TN resident but got a full ride to a UC school in their ecology & evolutionary biology department. I'm 2 quarters in and miserable - I'm doing computer science stuff (coding, bioinformatics) and it's not right for me/not relevant to my interests. Furthermore, we do not receive grades in my program for coursework (just pass/fail), so it has no effect on my GPA.
Do to unfortunate circumstances, my family has asked for me to return home to help with my grandmother. I know I cannot quit grad school and expect any vet school to consider my application. I'm wondering what admissions would think of me switching from my current master's to another program -ie one closer to home, more relevant to physiology, and with grades that would increase my GPA (which is 3.85)

Cheers!

 

[Skimble]

Hey guys ... posted this a few days ago, any advice?

I was pre-vet in undergrad, graduated with honors but decided to take a gap year to decide between applying to vet or grad school.
Decided on grad: I could work towards a masters and if I decided to apply to vet school, I assumed the masters would only help me. I am a TN resident but got a full ride to a UC school in their ecology & evolutionary biology department. I'm 2 quarters in and miserable - I'm doing computer science stuff (coding, bioinformatics) and it's not right for me/not relevant to my interests. Furthermore, we do not receive grades in my program for coursework (just pass/fail), so it has no effect on my GPA.
Do to unfortunate circumstances, my family has asked for me to return home to help with my grandmother. I know I cannot quit grad school and expect any vet school to consider my application. I'm wondering what admissions would think of me switching from my current master's to another program -ie one closer to home, more relevant to physiology, and with grades that would increase my GPA (which is 3.85)

Cheers!

I can't see a vet school looking poorly on you transferring, especially if you are able to explain your reasons for doing so. I know some vet schools don't even care if you finish your grad degree, but others require a letter from your university saying they are ok if you leave in the middle of the program to attend vet school.,

 

[bruja]

I can't see a vet school looking poorly on you transferring, especially if you are able to explain your reasons for doing so. I know some vet schools don't even care if you finish your grad degree, but others require a letter from your university saying they are ok if you leave in the middle of the program to attend vet school.,

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it.

 

[blacklighttiger]

First post! I'm not exactly sure where I stand, I've done research, talked to admissions officials, friends accepted into various medical school, and asked for general advice. I'm at a point in this path where I have no idea where I should go and what I should I enhance. I'm just hoping to be pointed in a "correct" direction which I know that can be subjective, but it's the best way I can put this. This isn't my first time applying and I honestly think I'm not in a competitive situation for my current application. I'm going off all of this from the top of my head, everything has been scattered over the years when it comes to experience. Here goes:

23 years old
Female
California Resident (Southern)
Looking to go into either Small animal or Large animal. My dream is to pursue exotics, specifically reptiles and birds.

B.S. in Biology, University of California, Riverside. Graduated 2015
Cum GPA: 3.025
Science GPA: 3.061
Final quarter: 3.111
Currently retaking the Physics series (All were C+), A in the first part and currently retaking the second for another A. I plan on retaking a general bio course (C-) and Microbiology (C+), and possibly gen chem (C) in summer of 2016. Maybe a new course too?

GRE (V/Q/W): 1st: 147/151/3.0 and 2nd: 150/150/4.0
I plan taking it again after heavily studying a GRE help book (like GRE for dummies or what not. I had an old 2014 Princeton edition, but I'm sure that's too old...).

Veterinary Experience:
- ~ 600hrs at a cat only clinic
- Recently started working in a small animal clinic, ~4 hrs
- I will be working with a house call vet very soon too. Beginning early March

I want to work with large animals too, however due to my location I’ve been unable to find a clinic within a 50 mile radius that isn’t mobile. After stabilizing my current work schedule I want to see if I can shadow some of the equine mobile vets for a day or two. Anything would really help. Same applies to exotic vets, but I think I have a prospective clinic looking to put me as a volunteer soon.

Animal Experience:
- ~150 hrs volunteering at a therapeutic riding center.
- ~10 hrs chameleon rescue (recently started working, the owner is putting me on a hobby style research project with hopes to publish a paper, very promising!)
- ~100 hrs cat sitting (if that counts :/)
- ~100 hrs Horse riding ranch
- ~20 hrs volunteering at Lange foundation
- ~200 hrs working at an animal research lab at

I think this is all that I can recall. I want to say there is something else, but right now I’m blanking.

Extra activities:
- 2yrs board member for Senryu Taiko
- Member in Cosplay Brigade (college club)
- Committee member for Poke-con (charity event held on campus)
- Member in Pre-Vet Club
- Art Mentor in GameSpawn (game design club)
- Working for the UCR Brain Game Center as a concept artist
- Misc volunteer work: civic associations center, One Voice, homeless lunch packing, World vision.

Job Experience:
- Office Assistant
- House-call Assistant
- Cat Practice Receptionist
- Freelance Art/costumes commissions (?)

Letters of Recommendation
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- Vet from home call practice, had 3yrs experience with her
- Head Tech at old practice(?) (I haven’t fully decided).


I am applying this year to: Western, Ross, and Midwest. I previously applied to Oregon State, Washington State, UC Davis, and Fort Collins. Any recommendations on where to apply?

My concerns:
- The majority of my experience is from one clinic, the Cat only clinic.
- Would it better to apply with a track for small animal due to my experience primarily being with small animal? I have been told to pursue Large animal since my current GPA will not cut for small animal. I have no idea if I should keep this mindset?
- I heard around that commission work can count as job experience? Could this be applied to the vet applications?
- Is it worth to throw my application into the running for the Fall 2017 term? It feels weak comparing my numbers with others so I don’t know if I should waste money :/

I’m honestly very scared for this next upcoming applications. I’ve increased my experience more and started to buff up the GPA, yet hoping these will help. I have a plan B: if I go through with applying and get rejected, Plan B is going up to Pierce College for their vet technician program and get RVT license (maybe apply in their Pre-vet program which from what I’ve read had led to good results, if I’m taking new classes I might as well). I personally don’t want to go back to schooling in such as way after graduating undergraduate, but that’s just a personal opinion on starting up full time schooling. (The classes I’m taking currently are considered part time)

Thank you so much! Any comments/thoughts will be amazingly helpful! C:

 

[flameshock]

It sounds like you're on the right track with GRE and GPA improvements. Quick question though, do your two elors from the game brain center have significantly different things to say about you? If not, I would consider substituting one for another individual. That's not to say you can't have recs from the same place (I had three from my UG) but they have to be unique (one was a teacher I TA'd for, one was organic and I ended up a student grader due to high performance, one was for classes/research).

 

[JJ1019]

First post! I'm not exactly sure where I stand, I've done research, talked to admissions officials, friends accepted into various medical school, and asked for general advice. I'm at a point in this path where I have no idea where I should go and what I should I enhance. I'm just hoping to be pointed in a "correct" direction which I know that can be subjective, but it's the best way I can put this. This isn't my first time applying and I honestly think I'm not in a competitive situation for my current application. I'm going off all of this from the top of my head, everything has been scattered over the years when it comes to experience. Here goes:

23 years old
Female
California Resident (Southern)
Looking to go into either Small animal or Large animal. My dream is to pursue exotics, specifically reptiles and birds.

B.S. in Biology, University of California, Riverside. Graduated 2015
Cum GPA: 3.025
Science GPA: 3.061
Final quarter: 3.111
Currently retaking the Physics series (All were C+), A in the first part and currently retaking the second for another A. I plan on retaking a general bio course (C-) and Microbiology (C+), and possibly gen chem (C) in summer of 2016. Maybe a new course too?

GRE (V/Q/W): 1st: 147/151/3.0 and 2nd: 150/150/4.0
I plan taking it again after heavily studying a GRE help book (like GRE for dummies or what not. I had an old 2014 Princeton edition, but I'm sure that's too old...).

Veterinary Experience:
- ~ 600hrs at a cat only clinic
- Recently started working in a small animal clinic, ~4 hrs
- I will be working with a house call vet very soon too. Beginning early March

I want to work with large animals too, however due to my location I’ve been unable to find a clinic within a 50 mile radius that isn’t mobile. After stabilizing my current work schedule I want to see if I can shadow some of the equine mobile vets for a day or two. Anything would really help. Same applies to exotic vets, but I think I have a prospective clinic looking to put me as a volunteer soon.

Animal Experience:
- ~150 hrs volunteering at a therapeutic riding center.
- ~10 hrs chameleon rescue (recently started working, the owner is putting me on a hobby style research project with hopes to publish a paper, very promising!)
- ~100 hrs cat sitting (if that counts :/)
- ~100 hrs Horse riding ranch
- ~20 hrs volunteering at Lange foundation
- ~200 hrs working at an animal research lab at

I think this is all that I can recall. I want to say there is something else, but right now I’m blanking.

Extra activities:
- 2yrs board member for Senryu Taiko
- Member in Cosplay Brigade (college club)
- Committee member for Poke-con (charity event held on campus)
- Member in Pre-Vet Club
- Art Mentor in GameSpawn (game design club)
- Working for the UCR Brain Game Center as a concept artist
- Misc volunteer work: civic associations center, One Voice, homeless lunch packing, World vision.

Job Experience:
- Office Assistant
- House-call Assistant
- Cat Practice Receptionist
- Freelance Art/costumes commissions (?)

Letters of Recommendation
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- Vet from home call practice, had 3yrs experience with her
- Head Tech at old practice(?) (I haven’t fully decided).


I am applying this year to: Western, Ross, and Midwest. I previously applied to Oregon State, Washington State, UC Davis, and Fort Collins. Any recommendations on where to apply?

My concerns:
- The majority of my experience is from one clinic, the Cat only clinic.
- Would it better to apply with a track for small animal due to my experience primarily being with small animal? I have been told to pursue Large animal since my current GPA will not cut for small animal. I have no idea if I should keep this mindset?
- I heard around that commission work can count as job experience? Could this be applied to the vet applications?
- Is it worth to throw my application into the running for the Fall 2017 term? It feels weak comparing my numbers with others so I don’t know if I should waste money :/

I’m honestly very scared for this next upcoming applications. I’ve increased my experience more and started to buff up the GPA, yet hoping these will help. I have a plan B: if I go through with applying and get rejected, Plan B is going up to Pierce College for their vet technician program and get RVT license (maybe apply in their Pre-vet program which from what I’ve read had led to good results, if I’m taking new classes I might as well). I personally don’t want to go back to schooling in such as way after graduating undergraduate, but that’s just a personal opinion on starting up full time schooling. (The classes I’m taking currently are considered part time)

Thank you so much! Any comments/thoughts will be amazingly helpful! C:

I'm new to the whole application thing. I only applied to one school this past cycle and I'm still waiting to get in, but I've been reading a lot on this forum. From what I have read from others, here is what I'd suggest and what I'd do if I were you.

Grades: Improve these in any way you can, especially the science/pre-req GPA. Good job improving the physics thus far.

GRE: You had only a minor verbal improvement but a decent writing improvement. I ordered a set of notecards online (500 of them) and studied vocab. I also ordered a test prep book from whoever issues the test. I found it VERY useful. I found several words on the test from those vocab words. Spend the summer studying vocab and taking practice tests to get this section up. For the math, figure out what sections it is that you don't understand and practice or ask someone how to improve. Many times you can rule out answers right away if you know how to look at the question. Honestly I really only studied about a week for the test because I'm good at standardized tests and math...but the book greatly improved my writing score because I knew how they graded. The flash cards absolutely helped my verbal score. It came with 2 online practice tests, which I felt were a good indication of how I'd do and where I was going to be pressed for time.

Veterinary Experience: Definitely get some variety. Start now. If your dream is to work with exotics and you have no exotics experience this looks really bad. That would be a huge red flag to me. Get whatever large animal experience you can get. Quality over quantity. I relocated from SoCal so I know large animal can be difficult. Think outside the box. Find a community college that lets you volunteer for credit, which makes places a little more keen to take you as a volunteer. Exotics in SoCal shouldn't be too hard. Lots of people with huge tortoises out there and all kind of other non-traditional pets.

I hope this helps and that some of the more seasoned people correct anything I may have said that is incorrect. Good luck!

 

[thinkpawsitive]

First post! I'm not exactly sure where I stand, I've done research, talked to admissions officials, friends accepted into various medical school, and asked for general advice. I'm at a point in this path where I have no idea where I should go and what I should I enhance. I'm just hoping to be pointed in a "correct" direction which I know that can be subjective, but it's the best way I can put this. This isn't my first time applying and I honestly think I'm not in a competitive situation for my current application. I'm going off all of this from the top of my head, everything has been scattered over the years when it comes to experience. Here goes:

23 years old
Female
California Resident (Southern)
Looking to go into either Small animal or Large animal. My dream is to pursue exotics, specifically reptiles and birds.

B.S. in Biology, University of California, Riverside. Graduated 2015
Cum GPA: 3.025
Science GPA: 3.061
Final quarter: 3.111
Currently retaking the Physics series (All were C+), A in the first part and currently retaking the second for another A. I plan on retaking a general bio course (C-) and Microbiology (C+), and possibly gen chem (C) in summer of 2016. Maybe a new course too?

GRE (V/Q/W): 1st: 147/151/3.0 and 2nd: 150/150/4.0
I plan taking it again after heavily studying a GRE help book (like GRE for dummies or what not. I had an old 2014 Princeton edition, but I'm sure that's too old...).

Veterinary Experience:
- ~ 600hrs at a cat only clinic
- Recently started working in a small animal clinic, ~4 hrs
- I will be working with a house call vet very soon too. Beginning early March

I want to work with large animals too, however due to my location I’ve been unable to find a clinic within a 50 mile radius that isn’t mobile. After stabilizing my current work schedule I want to see if I can shadow some of the equine mobile vets for a day or two. Anything would really help. Same applies to exotic vets, but I think I have a prospective clinic looking to put me as a volunteer soon.

Animal Experience:
- ~150 hrs volunteering at a therapeutic riding center.
- ~10 hrs chameleon rescue (recently started working, the owner is putting me on a hobby style research project with hopes to publish a paper, very promising!)
- ~100 hrs cat sitting (if that counts :/)
- ~100 hrs Horse riding ranch
- ~20 hrs volunteering at Lange foundation
- ~200 hrs working at an animal research lab at

I think this is all that I can recall. I want to say there is something else, but right now I’m blanking.

Extra activities:
- 2yrs board member for Senryu Taiko
- Member in Cosplay Brigade (college club)
- Committee member for Poke-con (charity event held on campus)
- Member in Pre-Vet Club
- Art Mentor in GameSpawn (game design club)
- Working for the UCR Brain Game Center as a concept artist
- Misc volunteer work: civic associations center, One Voice, homeless lunch packing, World vision.

Job Experience:
- Office Assistant
- House-call Assistant
- Cat Practice Receptionist
- Freelance Art/costumes commissions (?)

Letters of Recommendation
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- UC Riverside Professor (UCR brain game center)
- Vet from home call practice, had 3yrs experience with her
- Head Tech at old practice(?) (I haven’t fully decided).


I am applying this year to: Western, Ross, and Midwest. I previously applied to Oregon State, Washington State, UC Davis, and Fort Collins. Any recommendations on where to apply?

My concerns:
- The majority of my experience is from one clinic, the Cat only clinic.
- Would it better to apply with a track for small animal due to my experience primarily being with small animal? I have been told to pursue Large animal since my current GPA will not cut for small animal. I have no idea if I should keep this mindset?
- I heard around that commission work can count as job experience? Could this be applied to the vet applications?
- Is it worth to throw my application into the running for the Fall 2017 term? It feels weak comparing my numbers with others so I don’t know if I should waste money :/

I’m honestly very scared for this next upcoming applications. I’ve increased my experience more and started to buff up the GPA, yet hoping these will help. I have a plan B: if I go through with applying and get rejected, Plan B is going up to Pierce College for their vet technician program and get RVT license (maybe apply in their Pre-vet program which from what I’ve read had led to good results, if I’m taking new classes I might as well). I personally don’t want to go back to schooling in such as way after graduating undergraduate, but that’s just a personal opinion on starting up full time schooling. (The classes I’m taking currently are considered part time)

Thank you so much! Any comments/thoughts will be amazingly helpful! C:

My advice is to certainly start working on your vet hours, seems like you're on the right track with improving your GPA which will also be a barrier. Are the hours you gained with the reference you list as a house call vet you worked with for three years included in what you've listed?

 

[heyyimhayley]

Veterinary Experience: Definitely get some variety. Start now. If your dream is to work with exotics and you have no exotics experience this looks really bad. That would be a huge red flag to me. Get whatever large animal experience you can get. Quality over quantity. I relocated from SoCal so I know large animal can be difficult. Think outside the box. Find a community college that lets you volunteer for credit, which makes places a little more keen to take you as a volunteer. Exotics in SoCal shouldn't be too hard. Lots of people with huge tortoises out there and all kind of other non-traditional pets.

This is what I was about to say. Telling them you want to go into large animal or exotics without any experience in either is a red flag. It's great to say that you're looking forward to exploring your options in veterinary school, but you want to have a feel for what that kind of veterinarian actually does before you say it's your dream. Try volunteering at a zoo or aquarium? Shadowing a large animal or exotics veterinarian?

With the hurdle that your GPA is, unless you can get your last 45 and sciences up to a 3.6-3.7, your experience needs to be stellar.

However! I did notice that you said you're applying to Ross, Midwestern and Western... I think you're definitely competitive for those 3 schools as is. Improvements could always be made, but if you think you'd be happy at one of those 3 schools, then I think it's definitely worth it to apply this year!

 

[Osudairy]

This is what I was about to say. Telling them you want to go into large animal or exotics without any experience in either is a red flag. It's great to say that you're looking forward to exploring your options in veterinary school, but you want to have a feel for what that kind of veterinarian actually does before you say it's your dream. Try volunteering at a zoo or aquarium? Shadowing a large animal or exotics veterinarian?

With the hurdle that your GPA is, unless you can get your last 45 and sciences up to a 3.6-3.7, your experience needs to be stellar.

However! I did notice that you said you're applying to Ross, Midwestern and Western... I think you're definitely competitive for those 3 schools as is. Improvements could always be made, but if you think you'd be happy at one of those 3 schools, then I think it's definitely worth it to apply this year!

LMU might be a potential school too. Their stats indicate an average GPA of 3.22 or so.

 

[Skimble]

My concerns:
- The majority of my experience is from one clinic, the Cat only clinic.
- Would it better to apply with a track for small animal due to my experience primarily being with small animal? I have been told to pursue Large animal since my current GPA will not cut for small animal. I have no idea if I should keep this mindset?
- I heard around that commission work can count as job experience? Could this be applied to the vet applications?
- Is it worth to throw my application into the running for the Fall 2017 term? It feels weak comparing my numbers with others so I don’t know if I should waste money

Obviously your GPA is low for vet school. Retaking classes you didn't do well in and getting A's would be ideal. You may want to look at schools that do grade replacement, so your old grade wouldn't be factored in at all.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the bolded part. Some vet schools ask what your main area of interest is, but you can't just say you want to do LA if 1) you don't have any LA experience and 2) you aren't really interested in LA. They will want you to demonstrate why you are interested in LA medicine, and if you aren't really interested in it, you will have a hard time proving that. Also, vet school is vet school, no matter if they do tracking or not. I don't believe they accept people with lower GPA's just because they are interested in LA or lab animal. You could of course say "I'd like to explore wildlife while I'm in vet school as it's an area I may be interested in, but I just haven't had the opportunity to gain experience in that area yet." I'm not sure who told you that, but no, you should definitely not keep that mindset. If a school asks you what your areas of interest are, tell them honestly and be able to explain why you are interested.

 

[heyyimhayley]

Obviously your GPA is low for vet school. Retaking classes you didn't do well in and getting A's would be ideal. You may want to look at schools that do grade replacement, so your old grade wouldn't be factored in at all.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the bolded part. Some vet schools ask what your main area of interest is, but you can't just say you want to do LA if 1) you don't have any LA experience and 2) you aren't really interested in LA. They will want you to demonstrate why you are interested in LA medicine, and if you aren't really interested in it, you will have a hard time proving that. Also, vet school is vet school, no matter if they do tracking or not. I don't believe they accept people with lower GPA's just because they are interested in LA or lab animal. You could of course say "I'd like to explore wildlife while I'm in vet school as it's an area I may be interested in, but I just haven't had the opportunity to gain experience in that area yet." I'm not sure who told you that, but no, you should definitely not keep that mindset. If a school asks you what your areas of interest are, tell them honestly and be able to explain why you are interested.

It's possible what other people are talking about job placement after graduation? I'm not an expert on this really, but I've heard there's more demand. I've also heard that you need a high GPA for the small animal internships. This wouldn't have anything to do with getting into vet school though and the grades that matter for those placement are your vet school grades, not undergrad.. so I think she's confused. Jilary is 100% right.

 

[Rozzieray]

Hey everyone I thought I'd post my stats here until I can get a file review in June. So any feed back will be 100% appreciated!
22 female (I'll be a second time applicant shooting for the 2017 cycle)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science Pre-Vet (May 2016)
Minor: Entomology
B.S. NREM Wildlife Biology and Pre-Vet Science (May 2017)


Undergraduate Cum. GPA: 3.2
Science GPA: 3.0 (I still have to add in last semesters grades)
Last 45 GPA: 3.1


GRE:
Verbal: 149
Quant: 146
Retaking this for sure cause I did not pace myself too well


Animal Experience
16 Hrs AQHA horse inspection
28 Operation Catnip
300 hrs at internship with LA/SA clinic
3 hrs Palpating Cows (through ANSI course)
Foal Team
Mare Project

Vet Experience
530 hrs. Doing a internship at a LA/SA clinic (Same one in animal experience but these hours were directly with the Vet)
14 hrs. working at Operation catnip
2 hrs Equine (Floating Teeth)

Non animal Experience
4+ yrs. Sales Associate/Temp Key Holder at Charlotte Russe
2+ years Support Specialists at Jcpenney

Research Experience
1 semester researching salmonella levels on different eggs

Volunteer Experience
300 hrs St. John's Medical Center in the OR (Robotics Division)

I am doing two internships this summer one with a vet for 2 months and then another with the Big Cat Sanctuary. So my hours will increase slightly there. I do have some additional animal experience from the courses I have taken I'm not 100% sure how or if I should add that the next time.

 

[TheNerdiestRedneck]

Hey there guys. This will be fairly long because I want to paint a full picture to get some words of wisdom.

I am a junior in college, and I have wanted to be a vet since I was very young. I know that there is more to being a vet other than just loving animals, I understand that the schooling is difficult and expensive, and that the career itself doesn't pay the best, and can have its ups and downs. Over the years I've considered all of these things, and I am still determined that I want to become a vet.

My issue is my undergrad GPA. It is currently at 2.6 at my primary college, though classes I have taken at a community college bring it to about a 2.8. I know that this is pretty bad, trust me, it causes me to have breakdowns on a regular basis. Which brings me to explaining my grades, actually. I have dealt with fairly severe issues with anxiety and depression for about 6 years now, and when I started college, it got much, much worse. I was determined that I could handle it myself, but considering how it has been affecting my grades, I recently got a therapist to see if that could possibly help some. I don't want to use that as an excuse for my grades, but I do recognize that it contributes. My other big problem is chemistry. I was allowed to take a class at the college I attend now when I was a junior in high school, and for some reason they decided to not advise against me taking college level chemistry. Long story short, I got a D in one semester and failed the second (I was determined to try again, which they again didn't advise against). What they didn't tell me was that these classes would count towards my GPA if I attended full-time (the classes were free besides the lab fee, and no indication was made that they counted towards a GPA). So I carried that burden with me as soon as I started college. I then struggled with gen chem again, took it again to get a B, then was able to get B's in two higher level chem courses. I unfortunately got a D in O chem last semester and will be re-taking it in the fall. I just don't seem to have an aptitude for it, and the endless hours I spend trying to do well takes away from my biology classes, so I end up getting C+/B- range in those. I will probably be able to get my GPA to a 3.0 by the time I graduate, but I doubt I'll be able to get it higher than that.

Due to all of this, I have decided to take off probably 4ish years before applying to vet school. I'm going to take a couple of my pre-reqs after I graduate (to try and focus more on doing well in my remaining biology courses), take a few animal science courses since my college doesn't offer any but entomology and marine biology, and be able to take my time studying hard for the GRE. I also want to take this time off because I just simply need a break, and I want to try to get my mental health issues to a more manageable level before adding the pressure of vet school. I will also obviously work and try to get some varied experiences to help with my application. I have also considered doing a Master's in something, but honestly doing that would put me way more in debt than I can handle, especially since I will be paying off all of my loans by myself (and I go to a private college, so, yikes).

A rough summary of my stats thus far:

Cumulative GPA: ~2.8

Not going to bother calculating last 45 or science GPA's until I'm done with most of my classes


Animal experience:

So far 2000 hours as an assistant at a small animal/exotic animal hospital

5 hours as an assistant at a non-profit, low cost clinic (I just started here this week, I'll be working at both hospitals for a while)

150 hours internship at an equine clinic. Plan on doing another internship next J-term, hopefully at a zoo or with a livestock vet

~20 hours shadowing a livestock vet

~40 hours taking care of lab mice for professors in the biology department

I also grew up on a farm with a large variety of animals, rode horses, raised and showed livestock for 6 years with 4-H, and have been petsitting for people for 10 years. I would like to do Agvocacy work in my county once I graduate, too.


Other work experience:

Worked at an independently owned pet store for 3 years

Currently work as an office assistant for the secretary for the STEM departments


Other things:

Vice President of Fellowship for two semesters for a chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity

Member of Pre-Health Society

~40 hours doing research with one of my professors. I plan to continue doing this and will probably have ~200 hours by the time I graduate

I dunno if they care about things you did quite a while ago, but I have won a few art related competitions, and I self-published two books when I was 14 (haven't had time to continue, unfortunately).


So what do ya'll think? Thoughts? Words of wisdom?

 

[that redhead]

Hey everyone I thought I'd post my stats here until I can get a file review in June. So any feed back will be 100% appreciated!
22 female (I'll be a second time applicant shooting for the 2017 cycle)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science Pre-Vet (May 2016)
Minor: Entomology
B.S. NREM Wildlife Biology and Pre-Vet Science (May 2017)


Undergraduate Cum. GPA: 3.2
Science GPA: 3.0 (I still have to add in last semesters grades)
Last 45 GPA: 3.1


GRE:
Verbal: 149
Quant: 146
Retaking this for sure cause I did not pace myself too well


Animal Experience
16 Hrs AQHA horse inspection
28 Operation Catnip
300 hrs at internship with LA/SA clinic
3 hrs Palpating Cows (through ANSI course)
Foal Team
Mare Project

Vet Experience
530 hrs. Doing a internship at a LA/SA clinic (Same one in animal experience but these hours were directly with the Vet)
14 hrs. working at Operation catnip
2 hrs Equine (Floating Teeth)

Non animal Experience
4+ yrs. Sales Associate/Temp Key Holder at Charlotte Russe
2+ years Support Specialists at Jcpenney

Research Experience
1 semester researching salmonella levels on different eggs

Volunteer Experience
300 hrs St. John's Medical Center in the OR (Robotics Division)

I am doing two internships this summer one with a vet for 2 months and then another with the Big Cat Sanctuary. So my hours will increase slightly there. I do have some additional animal experience from the courses I have taken I'm not 100% sure how or if I should add that the next time.

You need to get that GPA up before you do anything else. Vet schools are going to want to know that you can succeed in even tougher classes and at this time, your GPA isn't going to convince them. (Take it from someone who applied with approximately your same numbers and was rejected everywhere but AVC, which calculates applicant GPAs differently.)

 

[that redhead]

Hey there guys. This will be fairly long because I want to paint a full picture to get some words of wisdom.

I am a junior in college, and I have wanted to be a vet since I was very young. I know that there is more to being a vet other than just loving animals, I understand that the schooling is difficult and expensive, and that the career itself doesn't pay the best, and can have its ups and downs. Over the years I've considered all of these things, and I am still determined that I want to become a vet.

My issue is my undergrad GPA. It is currently at 2.6 at my primary college, though classes I have taken at a community college bring it to about a 2.8. I know that this is pretty bad, trust me, it causes me to have breakdowns on a regular basis. Which brings me to explaining my grades, actually. I have dealt with fairly severe issues with anxiety and depression for about 6 years now, and when I started college, it got much, much worse. I was determined that I could handle it myself, but considering how it has been affecting my grades, I recently got a therapist to see if that could possibly help some. I don't want to use that as an excuse for my grades, but I do recognize that it contributes. My other big problem is chemistry. I was allowed to take a class at the college I attend now when I was a junior in high school, and for some reason they decided to not advise against me taking college level chemistry. Long story short, I got a D in one semester and failed the second (I was determined to try again, which they again didn't advise against). What they didn't tell me was that these classes would count towards my GPA if I attended full-time (the classes were free besides the lab fee, and no indication was made that they counted towards a GPA). So I carried that burden with me as soon as I started college. I then struggled with gen chem again, took it again to get a B, then was able to get B's in two higher level chem courses. I unfortunately got a D in O chem last semester and will be re-taking it in the fall. I just don't seem to have an aptitude for it, and the endless hours I spend trying to do well takes away from my biology classes, so I end up getting C+/B- range in those. I will probably be able to get my GPA to a 3.0 by the time I graduate, but I doubt I'll be able to get it higher than that.

Due to all of this, I have decided to take off probably 4ish years before applying to vet school. I'm going to take a couple of my pre-reqs after I graduate (to try and focus more on doing well in my remaining biology courses), take a few animal science courses since my college doesn't offer any but entomology and marine biology, and be able to take my time studying hard for the GRE. I also want to take this time off because I just simply need a break, and I want to try to get my mental health issues to a more manageable level before adding the pressure of vet school. I will also obviously work and try to get some varied experiences to help with my application. I have also considered doing a Master's in something, but honestly doing that would put me way more in debt than I can handle, especially since I will be paying off all of my loans by myself (and I go to a private college, so, yikes).

A rough summary of my stats thus far:

Cumulative GPA: ~2.8

Not going to bother calculating last 45 or science GPA's until I'm done with most of my classes


Animal experience:

So far 2000 hours as an assistant at a small animal/exotic animal hospital

5 hours as an assistant at a non-profit, low cost clinic (I just started here this week, I'll be working at both hospitals for a while)

150 hours internship at an equine clinic. Plan on doing another internship next J-term, hopefully at a zoo or with a livestock vet

~20 hours shadowing a livestock vet

~40 hours taking care of lab mice for professors in the biology department

I also grew up on a farm with a large variety of animals, rode horses, raised and showed livestock for 6 years with 4-H, and have been petsitting for people for 10 years. I would like to do Agvocacy work in my county once I graduate, too.


Other work experience:

Worked at an independently owned pet store for 3 years

Currently work as an office assistant for the secretary for the STEM departments


Other things:

Vice President of Fellowship for two semesters for a chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity

Member of Pre-Health Society

~40 hours doing research with one of my professors. I plan to continue doing this and will probably have ~200 hours by the time I graduate

I dunno if they care about things you did quite a while ago, but I have won a few art related competitions, and I self-published two books when I was 14 (haven't had time to continue, unfortunately).


So what do ya'll think? Thoughts? Words of wisdom?

It's do-able, if you can bring your grades up and demonstrated that you have a firm hold on your mental health issues. A lot of students are accepted who have similar struggles, but vet school, and being a veterinarian, will only amplify the triggers. I think it's great you're planning to take off a bunch of time - I'd recommend it, strongly - just make sure that before you start doing pre-reqs you are 100% prepared to ace each and every course. This means finding out why you haven't been succeeding, addressing that first, and then returning to the academic world. I've been there: thinking, "This semester I'm going to work harder/do better/whatever!" and then it doesn't happen and you're looking at another GPA-tanking semester of grades. Another thing - do not give experiences the priority right now. You need the grades, and those need to come before more hours. More hours will not save a poor GPA on their own.

 

[TheNerdiestRedneck]

It's do-able, if you can bring your grades up and demonstrated that you have a firm hold on your mental health issues. A lot of students are accepted who have similar struggles, but vet school, and being a veterinarian, will only amplify the triggers. I think it's great you're planning to take off a bunch of time - I'd recommend it, strongly - just make sure that before you start doing pre-reqs you are 100% prepared to ace each and every course. This means finding out why you haven't been succeeding, addressing that first, and then returning to the academic world. I've been there: thinking, "This semester I'm going to work harder/do better/whatever!" and then it doesn't happen and you're looking at another GPA-tanking semester of grades. Another thing - do not give experiences the priority right now. You need the grades, and those need to come before more hours. More hours will not save a poor GPA on their own.

I really appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately the experiences I'm getting now aren't just for vet school applications, I have to work for financial reasons. Not working while in school isn't an option for me, I just have to push through it for the next year and a half.

 

[that redhead]

I really appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately the experiences I'm getting now aren't just for vet school applications, I have to work for financial reasons.

Gotcha. Just make sure that when you go back for classes that you're able to devote enough time. Good luck 🙂

 

[vetmedhead]

Would it better to apply with a track for small animal due to my experience primarily being with small animal? I have been told to pursue Large animal since my current GPA will not cut for small animal. I have no idea if I should keep this mindset?

I'm not really sure what you mean by the bolded part. Some vet schools ask what your main area of interest is, but you can't just say you want to do LA if 1) you don't have any LA experience and 2) you aren't really interested in LA. They will want you to demonstrate why you are interested in LA medicine, and if you aren't really interested in it, you will have a hard time proving that. Also, vet school is vet school, no matter if they do tracking or not. I don't believe they accept people with lower GPA's just because they are interested in LA or lab animal. You could of course say "I'd like to explore wildlife while I'm in vet school as it's an area I may be interested in, but I just haven't had the opportunity to gain experience in that area yet." I'm not sure who told you that, but no, you should definitely not keep that mindset. If a school asks you what your areas of interest are, tell them honestly and be able to explain why you are interested.

I 100% agree with Jilary here - if you have a passion for something, you need to be honest about. It is very easy to tell when someone truly loves something and when someone is just saying they love something because they think it will make them unique enough to be accepted into veterinary school. You are already unique - everybody is. I can say, however, that people tend to pick up on the insincerity about your interests and I think it can be off putting.

Also, vet school is vet school and they don't have different GPA cutoffs for different career interests. I know many LA practitioners and veterinary students who are interested in LA who are among the most intelligent people I know, and quite a few of the career paths related to LA are quite competitive as well. Whoever told you this is also encouraging a bit of a toxic mindset - there is not some magical base level of intelligence that's required for you to be successful in one area of interest vs another, and I think this line of thinking encourages you to deny yourself some great opportunities because you think you aren't "cut out for it".

I also agree that your hours should match up with your interests. The only time I've seen them differ significantly (e.g. interest in dairy cattle, but only 50 hours of experience with cattle as opposed to 1000 in SA) is when someone tries out an experience for the heck of it just before applying and falls head over heels in love with it. Usually they explain the disparity in the explanation section (I will say that this is fairly rare and I think I've only seen 1 person have that happen).

 

[vetmedhead]

I also want to take this time off because I just simply need a break, and I want to try to get my mental health issues to a more manageable level before adding the pressure of vet school.

Some other people have already discussed strategies for improving your GPA, so I'm going to skip that, but I wanted to say that taking time off to manage mental health issues is a really great choice! It's awful trying to deal with mental health stuff in addition to all of the stresses of applying/attending school/professional school and I think some time to just get things in order is really beneficial.

With that being said, professional school will definitely challenge you mental health wise and when you do eventually apply I encourage you to contact schools you are considering applying to and ask them what sorts of mental health support systems they have in place. Many schools have psychologists/counselors/therapists who work specifically with veterinary or professional students or they have on-campus resources to direct you to some people to talk to throughout professional school. It was definitely something I thought about when I applied this round and knowing about the support staff in place at each school helped me feel better about my ability to handle veterinary school.

 

[deleted676737]

Hey everyone I thought I'd post my stats here until I can get a file review in June. So any feed back will be 100% appreciated!
22 female (I'll be a second time applicant shooting for the 2017 cycle)

Degree(s): B.S. Animal Science Pre-Vet (May 2016)
Minor: Entomology
B.S. NREM Wildlife Biology and Pre-Vet Science (May 2017)


Undergraduate Cum. GPA: 3.2
Science GPA: 3.0 (I still have to add in last semesters grades)
Last 45 GPA: 3.1


GRE:
Verbal: 149
Quant: 146
Retaking this for sure cause I did not pace myself too well


Animal Experience
16 Hrs AQHA horse inspection
28 Operation Catnip
300 hrs at internship with LA/SA clinic
3 hrs Palpating Cows (through ANSI course)
Foal Team
Mare Project

Vet Experience
530 hrs. Doing a internship at a LA/SA clinic (Same one in animal experience but these hours were directly with the Vet)
14 hrs. working at Operation catnip
2 hrs Equine (Floating Teeth)

Non animal Experience
4+ yrs. Sales Associate/Temp Key Holder at Charlotte Russe
2+ years Support Specialists at Jcpenney

Research Experience
1 semester researching salmonella levels on different eggs

Volunteer Experience
300 hrs St. John's Medical Center in the OR (Robotics Division)

I am doing two internships this summer one with a vet for 2 months and then another with the Big Cat Sanctuary. So my hours will increase slightly there. I do have some additional animal experience from the courses I have taken I'm not 100% sure how or if I should add that the next time.

The first thing that came to mind is that you haven't adequately proven that you can handle the hard science classes you'll be taking in vet school. I'm of the mind that a low cumulative GPA can be overcome (I was accepted first try with a 3.21) if there is a significant upward trend and the science/pre-req grades are generally solid. It isn't that your cumulative GPA is a 3.2 that concerns me so much as it is that your other GPAs aren't any better, suggesting that you haven't been able to perform consistently well in science classes and that, if anything, you've had a downward trend. How are your pre-req grades? I would seriously advise retaking any where you earned below a B, if you can afford to, as well as finishing out your last few semesters on a very high note. Aim for as close to 4.0 as you possibly can. If you can't do near straight As from now on, I'm afraid that your only feasible option may be to do a masters or post-bacc. You need to prove that you can handle a rigorous science-based curriculum and the impression that your current application is giving is that you can't. There are ways to fix it, but they may be expensive and time-consuming. Only you can decide if those avenues are worth it. If you had things going on in real life that impacted your ability to do well in class, I'd recommend using the Explanation Statement to alert admissions committees to it, but I think you still are going to struggle to find much success during the application cycle.

I agree that a GRE retake is in order, especially with the low-end GPAs. Your current numbers aren't doing you any favors.

In terms of experience, I think you're definitely in range. The two internships + Big Cat Sanctuary sound really neat, and I'd imagine that that latter opportunity especially will make great talking points during interviews and perhaps in your personal statement, as well.

That being said, I agree with that redhead that concern numero uno really ought to be on repairing those GPAs. A wealth of diverse experiences, while great for showing that you've explored many different facets of the profession and know what you're getting into, can only help you out so much. If your cumulative GPA was a 3.2 but you had a ~3.7 in sciences and last 45, it'd be a different story. But having very below-average GPAs all across the board is going to make things difficult. Not impossible, mind, but difficult.

 

[mgarr003]

Hey everyone I would really appreciate some feedback since I am planning on applying to at least 1 vet school this year, my IS. I don't feel I am a very competitive applicant which is why I am viewing this application cycle as more of a trial run and trying to figure out how I can improve my stats so I can get accepted to some of my more desired schools next applicant cycle (2017). This may not be entirely comprehensive but what I can currently think of.

Degree(s): B.S. Biology (May 2017)
Minor: Chemistry

Undergraduate Cum. GPA: 3.55
Science GPA: 3.5-3.6 (depending on this semester)
Last 45 GPA: 3.5


GRE:
Taking it in May but I feel pretty good about it


Vet Experience
500 hrs vet assistant as SA clinic
30 hrs shadowing SPCA clinic vet
10 hrs shadowing equine vet
10 hrs shadowing Emergency clinic triage vet

Animal Experience
450 hrs conservation education presenter at Walt Disney World (exotic animals, birds, reptiles, etc.)
250 hrs SA clinic receptionist
115 hrs zoo volunteer
100 hrs SPCA animal care volunteer
100 hrs aquarium stranding response team volunteer (saving beached animals and shadowing autopsies)
80 hrs aquarium invertebrate/small species volunteer
45 hrs pet sitting
25 hrs barn maintenance (including bathing, feeding, and cleaning up after large animals)
Thousands of hours pet ownership

Non animal Experience
6 month internship as Walt Disney World Resort Concierge
2 yrs Call Center Supervisor/Team Leader
3 yrs Panera Bread Associate Trainer
1 yr restaurant server

Research Experience
Hoping to get a summer internship with local medical school in immunology or cancer biology department, otherwise none (outside upper level biology and chemistry courses)

Volunteer Experience
Blood Drive volunteer
Alzheimer's Walks & Local Marathons Volunteer
Art Museum Volunteer
Tutor

I know my GPA is pretty average (hoping high GRE scores will make up for that) and my vet experience hours are low so I am looking to increase those in the following months as well as expand them across a few different fields (exotic, LA, lab animal). I also need some decent research experience which I have been constantly seeking but its difficult as my school is not known for its research opportunities. Any feedback would be appreciated!!!

 

[Osudairy]

Hey everyone I would really appreciate some feedback since I am planning on applying to at least 1 vet school this year, my IS. I don't feel I am a very competitive applicant which is why I am viewing this application cycle as more of a trial run and trying to figure out how I can improve my stats so I can get accepted to some of my more desired schools next applicant cycle (2017). This may not be entirely comprehensive but what I can currently think of.

Degree(s): B.S. Biology (May 2017)
Minor: Chemistry

Undergraduate Cum. GPA: 3.55
Science GPA: 3.5-3.6 (depending on this semester)
Last 45 GPA: 3.5


GRE:
Taking it in May but I feel pretty good about it


Vet Experience
500 hrs vet assistant as SA clinic
30 hrs shadowing SPCA clinic vet
10 hrs shadowing equine vet
10 hrs shadowing Emergency clinic triage vet

Animal Experience
450 hrs conservation education presenter at Walt Disney World (exotic animals, birds, reptiles, etc.)
250 hrs SA clinic receptionist
115 hrs zoo volunteer
100 hrs SPCA animal care volunteer
100 hrs aquarium stranding response team volunteer (saving beached animals and shadowing autopsies)
80 hrs aquarium invertebrate/small species volunteer
45 hrs pet sitting
25 hrs barn maintenance (including bathing, feeding, and cleaning up after large animals)
Thousands of hours pet ownership

Non animal Experience
6 month internship as Walt Disney World Resort Concierge
2 yrs Call Center Supervisor/Team Leader
3 yrs Panera Bread Associate Trainer
1 yr restaurant server

Research Experience
Hoping to get a summer internship with local medical school in immunology or cancer biology department, otherwise none (outside upper level biology and chemistry courses)

Volunteer Experience
Blood Drive volunteer
Alzheimer's Walks & Local Marathons Volunteer
Art Museum Volunteer
Tutor

I know my GPA is pretty average (hoping high GRE scores will make up for that) and my vet experience hours are low so I am looking to increase those in the following months as well as expand them across a few different fields (exotic, LA, lab animal). I also need some decent research experience which I have been constantly seeking but its difficult as my school is not known for its research opportunities. Any feedback would be appreciated!!!

Your GPA's are pretty sound. However, could you shed some light on why your last 45 GPA isn't your highest overall? Most people with a 3.5 cum GPA have around a 3.7-3.9 last 45 GPA. Some vet schools look at the last 45 to, hopefully, see an upward trend in your grades as you progressed through school. This shows that you have a good handle on your study habits and time management.

I would study hard for the GRE and get a score over average. Test prep courses are great for improving scores.

I would keep adding hours to animal experience as you can. I believe some years VMCAS specifically mentioned not to enter pet ownership as animal experience. I know I did not count mine. Your veterinary hours are very SA heavy. I would definitely suggest boosting your hours in LA or exotics. Keep in mind that 500 hours is the min requirement for some vet schools, but many people that apply have thousands of vet hours. That being said, quality is better than quantity. You rather have 50 hours of solid volunteering with participation and practice rather than 100 hours of just standing and watching. Your work at Disney World and aquariums does make for some unique aspects to your application.

As for research, it is less of a necessity and more of an extra to your application. IMO, if you can use that time for vet/animal experience hours, I would do that instead. Those are the most important hours to get and are valued more than research hours. I know a few people that did not have research experience and got into vet school just fine.

 

[mgarr003]

Thank you for replying!

As far as my last 45 hour GPA goes, I was not sure whether re-taken courses got factored into that as well. I received a D+ in Biochem the first time I took it and an A the second time I took it, but going back 45 hours the D falls into that last semester cutoff for the 45 hours(just barely). Does the D not count that since it was re-taken? Otherwise it won't go up until I've taken my remaining classes, I have about 15 credits left to take (1 semester), and then my last 45 will be about a 3.7-3.8.

I am definitely trying to get more vet hours, especially in LA and exotic, hoping to gain some more of that this summer at the least shadowing.

Thank you for the tip about research! It was something I was really stressing over not having any true research experience. I really appreciate your feedback!

 

[Osudairy]

Thank you for replying!

As far as my last 45 hour GPA goes, I was not sure whether re-taken courses got factored into that as well. I received a D+ in Biochem the first time I took it and an A the second time I took it, but going back 45 hours the D falls into that last semester cutoff for the 45 hours(just barely). Does the D not count that since it was re-taken? Otherwise it won't go up until I've taken my remaining classes, I have about 15 credits left to take (1 semester), and then my last 45 will be about a 3.7-3.8.

I am definitely trying to get more vet hours, especially in LA and exotic, hoping to gain some more of that this summer at the least shadowing.

Thank you for the tip about research! It was something I was really stressing over not having any true research experience. I really appreciate your feedback!

VMCAS will factor all coursework into your GPA, including the courses you repeated. If you have a D+ the first time and get an A the second time, both grades will go towards you GPA calculation for VMCAS. However, it depends on the vet school how this information is used and how your GPA is calculated for a specific school. That is where researching what schools to apply to comes in.

 

[jcc3sa]

As for research, it is less of a necessity and more of an extra to your application. IMO, if you can use that time for vet/animal experience hours, I would do that instead. Those are the most important hours to get and are valued more than research hours. I know a few people that did not have research experience and got into vet school just fine.

I am definitely trying to get more vet hours, especially in LA and exotic, hoping to gain some more of that this summer at the least shadowing.

Thank you for the tip about research! It was something I was really stressing over not having any true research experience. I really appreciate your feedback!

"Favored" hour categories seem to vary quite a lot between schools. Schools like Cornell, UC Davis, UPenn, and Tufts seem to prefer with applicants with significant research exposure, whereas schools like CSU, OSU, and UF seem to heavily prefer clinical experience. As @Osudairy pointed out, that's where researching specific programs becomes very important.

 

[coffeelauren]

Hi guys, I know I'm long long way from applying (only my first year in college) but I just wanted to check in an see if I'm on the right track in terms of GPA combined with experiences (the hours are really low, but as I said I just started college, and only recently decided to give vet school a shot)

GPA: 3.72
Awards: dean's list

animal experience:
a few hours at the animal shelter
about 8 hours at a tiger rescue sanctuary

Vet experience (I'm not sure if this counts as vet experience. Definitely was not working with a veterinarian most of the time. Mostly included doing lower level vet tech tasks while volunteering):
13 hours at a low cost spay/neuter facility
7 hours at the humane shelter's community hospital

Some of my plans for the future include...
I should have a job working as a stable hand when I'm home from school this summer
I also hope to find a veterinarian to shadow at least a few times this summer
In a year or two I will hopefully spend a semester abroad in Norway. Not sure how that will look to schools....

That's all I've got for now! Let me know if I'm on the right track here?

 

[Osudairy]

Hi guys, I know I'm long long way from applying (only my first year in college) but I just wanted to check in an see if I'm on the right track in terms of GPA combined with experiences (the hours are really low, but as I said I just started college, and only recently decided to give vet school a shot)

GPA: 3.72
Awards: dean's list

animal experience:
a few hours at the animal shelter
about 8 hours at a tiger rescue sanctuary

Vet experience (I'm not sure if this counts as vet experience. Definitely was not working with a veterinarian most of the time. Mostly included doing lower level vet tech tasks while volunteering):
13 hours at a low cost spay/neuter facility
7 hours at the humane shelter's community hospital

Some of my plans for the future include...
I should have a job working as a stable hand when I'm home from school this summer
I also hope to find a veterinarian to shadow at least a few times this summer
In a year or two I will hopefully spend a semester abroad in Norway. Not sure how that will look to schools....

That's all I've got for now! Let me know if I'm on the right track here?

I understand you are early in the game, but these are my observations. Your GPA thus far is competitive. Make sure to do well in your science and pre-req classes. Also keep in mind the GRE. I started looking over material for it by the end of my sophomore year and it really helped me. There are many test prep organizations that can help you and your school may even offer one there.

You definitely want to start building up vet and animal experience hours early on and continue through school. The rule of thumb with VMCAS is that in order to be considered vet experience, it must be under the supervision of a veterinarian. You weren't supervised by a vet at the spay/neuter clinic or the hospital? Animal experience can include 4-H, FFA projects, shelter volunteering, horse stables, etc. IMO, I would start shadowing veterinarians this summer and get as much experience as possible. You also want animal experience too. Getting the job as a stable hand is a good idea, but is there a way you can also shadow a local veterinarian? That would probably be the best thing.

 

[m24ca]

Wow. It's pretty active in here. I didn't get much last time I posted, and things have changed since.

Cum GPA: 3.2ish
Science GPA: 3.2ish
Last 45: 4.0

Founder and President of the Pre-Vet Club
Student Body Rep for the Career Services Advisory Board

Vet Experience:
1000 hours SA
400 LA

Animal:
1000 hours

Work Experience:
4 years as an electrician, including crew leader


I failed out of school 6 years ago as a pre-vet, which murdered my cumulative and science GPAs. I restarted school a while ago, and it's now been about 60 hours since starting again and I haven't had below a 4.0. Last semester was 12 hours of sciences/15 hours total, this semester is 15 hours of sciences/18 hours total. Assuming I get all A's (I'm on track) I will have a 3.2 science and cumulative by the end of this semester. I test very well and will be preparing for the GRE this summer.

A&M is my in-state. I'm worried that the combo of low cumulative and low science are going to hurt my chances, even with a strong last 45. I am also looking at Mizzou, which has 6 year grade forgiveness and is affordable. I saw a discussion above schools emphasizing research vs. clinical experience, and I was wondering if anybody had any input on which to flesh out to be more competitive for A&M.

Thanks for yall's time.

 

[coffeelauren]

I understand you are early in the game, but these are my observations. Your GPA thus far is competitive. Make sure to do well in your science and pre-req classes. Also keep in mind the GRE. I started looking over material for it by the end of my sophomore year and it really helped me. There are many test prep organizations that can help you and your school may even offer one there.

You definitely want to start building up vet and animal experience hours early on and continue through school. The rule of thumb with VMCAS is that in order to be considered vet experience, it must be under the supervision of a veterinarian. You weren't supervised by a vet at the spay/neuter clinic or the hospital? Animal experience can include 4-H, FFA projects, shelter volunteering, horse stables, etc. IMO, I would start shadowing veterinarians this summer and get as much experience as possible. You also want animal experience too. Getting the job as a stable hand is a good idea, but is there a way you can also shadow a local veterinarian? That would probably be the best thing.

I found a GRE workbook I've been looking at 🙂 And at the clinic and shelter hospital I have only briefly met veterinarians. usually was just washing surgical equipment, creating vaccines, cleaning kennels, and occasionally moving dogs back and forth from the hospital to the shelter (they're in the same parking lot). I am hoping I can shadow a veterinarian and get the stable job while I'm home for the summer. Thank you so much for replying!

 

[Osudairy]

Wow. It's pretty active in here. I didn't get much last time I posted, and things have changed since.

Cum GPA: 3.2ish
Science GPA: 3.2ish
Last 45: 4.0

Founder and President of the Pre-Vet Club
Student Body Rep for the Career Services Advisory Board

Vet Experience:
1000 hours SA
400 LA

Animal:
1000 hours

Work Experience:
4 years as an electrician, including crew leader


I failed out of school 6 years ago as a pre-vet, which murdered my cumulative and science GPAs. I restarted school a while ago, and it's now been about 60 hours since starting again and I haven't had below a 4.0. Last semester was 12 hours of sciences/15 hours total, this semester is 15 hours of sciences/18 hours total. Assuming I get all A's (I'm on track) I will have a 3.2 science and cumulative by the end of this semester. I test very well and will be preparing for the GRE this summer.

A&M is my in-state. I'm worried that the combo of low cumulative and low science are going to hurt my chances, even with a strong last 45. I am also looking at Mizzou, which has 6 year grade forgiveness and is affordable. I saw a discussion above schools emphasizing research vs. clinical experience, and I was wondering if anybody had any input on which to flesh out to be more competitive for A&M.

Thanks for yall's time.

You basically hit on the weak spot; your cumGPA and SciGPA. Failing out of school would definitely be detrimental to your cumGPA. If extenuating circumstances were involved, you can put that in your explanation statement on VMCAS. Just keep getting A's to increase it as high as you possibly can.. You definitely have an upward trend in grades and that is what vet schools look for when a lower GPA is present. You want to do very well on the GRE to offset the lower GPA so start preparing early and put time into studying.

What are your animal experiences? Are they diverse? Vet hours (I'm assuming this is what you meant by clinical experience) are a requirement of vet schools and they generally like to see a diverse amount of hours among different practice types (SA, LA, shelter, etc.). Quality is better than quantity here. Research hours are, generally speaking, a bonus to your application. Some vet schools value them while others do not as much. However, I cannot speak directly for TA&M and I hope someone can shed light on that for you. This is where doing your research on vet schools comes into play.

 

[Osudairy]

I found a GRE workbook I've been looking at 🙂 And at the clinic and shelter hospital I have only briefly met veterinarians. usually was just washing surgical equipment, creating vaccines, cleaning kennels, and occasionally moving dogs back and forth from the hospital to the shelter (they're in the same parking lot). I am hoping I can shadow a veterinarian and get the stable job while I'm home for the summer. Thank you so much for replying!

No problem. Make sure you make time to go through the problems in the GRE book. You definitely want to get into a practice that will give you more hands-on experience rather than just busy work. That is what everyone means by "quality is better than quantity". I understand finding a vet to accept shadows can be difficult depending on location, availability, etc.

 

[Soon2bedogtor]

I have the opportunity for a promotion at my job at a nursing home to be manager of all the CNAs under the Directer of Nursing. Would this be considered a leadership role?

 

[jackattack460]

First time applicant, Female 20 y.o., Biology/Chemistry double major, will graduate May 2017, applying this cycle (will graduate with a double major in three years of undergrad)
Applying to: Illinois (IS), Iowa State, Wisconsin and Mizzou

cumGPA: 3.82 (right now), probably will be a ~3.7 when applying to vet school (projecting to get a B in O. Chem II and Univ. Physics II), I'm not sure how much they look at overall course grades/course load but I've never gotten below a solid B in any class and have always taken at least 17 credits (with 21 being the most in one semester)
sciGPA: 3.64
Last 45 GPA: 3.89
Taking the GRE on April 9th and then probably retaking in July

Veterinary:
~900 hours mixed animal (50/50 LA/SA) veterinary assistant (still working this job - getting about 25 hours a week in)
75 hours at a small animal exclusive practice
40 hours shadowing dairy exclusive veterinarian
Have attended various veterinary conferences with the vets that I work for concerning dairy medicine - calf care, mastitis, nutrition, and a couple more

Animal Experience:
450 hours dairy farm internship at a 1500 head dairy doing everything from calf care to health checks to milk quality
~1000 hours volunteering at a humane society (HW testing/FIV/FeLV testing animals, administering meds, etc.)
200 hours volunteering at an equine rescue & rehab center
300 hours volunteering at a therapeutic riding center (helped care for horses, exercised horses when necessary, and also helped with the disabled kiddos!)
~15,000 (probably even more) of competitively riding and showing horses for 10 years. I taught lessons to beginners, trained/sold young horses, showed at the national level in jumpers, was a USEF recognized high school equestrian athlete for the four years in high schools

Research:
~500 hours doing research over the summer at Purdue University with equine respiratory disease. Got to make a poster and present at two conferences

Extracurriculars:
Honors Program (currently working on honors thesis about why there are significantly more male veterinarians in the food animal field)
Pre-Vet Club - President
Tri Beta Honors Society
General Biology TA
General Chemistry Grading Team

I'm definitely going to one more "big" experience before applying (this summer). I've applied to do research at a couple of swine facilities and also with beef cattle (dairy work is my absolute love in life but I feel like I should get more experience with other food animals also!). If not, I'll be working on a dairy farm all summer.

Feel free to tear me apart and offer some suggestions 🙂

 

[tmss011223344]

3.33 overall gpa 3.5 science gpa
I know that it is in no way equivalent but I haven't taken the GRE yet: MCAT: 22
1350 hours of medical research
no veterinarian experience (working on it)
a lot of human medical experience (used to want to be a human doctor)