Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
sorry i meant to say 1350 hours of aquatic animal behavior research
-
CycleTrack and SDN are teaming up to make medical school admissions more transparent and accessible! Read the announcement to learn how we’re supporting the future of CycleTrack’s free application-tracking tools .
What are my chances?
Started by jtom
- Tags
- #prevet #whataremychances #whatshouldido abroad admissions advice advice needed animal science applicant applicant profile application application 2018 application advice application consultant applying applying to vet school average gpa bad gpa chance me chance of acceptance chance of admission chances chances 2017 class of 2022 cumulative gpa deciding discouraged dream dvm experience experience hours failed classes gap year gpa gpa advice grad applicant grades gre help in state in state vs out of state large animal leadership london low gpa low gpa chance new out of state out of state applicant perspecitive post bacc post-grad pre vet pre vet program pre-vet pre-veterinary prevet advice preveterinary repeated course repeated courses ross student svm texas a&m texas applicants undergaduate vet vet acceptance vet advise vet experience vet help vet hours vet med vet school vet school application veteinary veterinarian veterinary veterinary education veterinary experience veterinary school vmcas what are my chances
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
- Status
sorry i meant to say 1350 hours of aquatic animal behavior research
Quick question- are you retaking the GRE as a back-up, or are you thinking you won't have time to study and would just want to re-take it in July? I'm only asking because some schools take the average of your two scores.. so it might be better to just take it in July or in the summer if you think you will do a lot better then.
Your GPA looks good, and your experience is very diverse which is great! The only other experience I would possibly recommend if you want to get a mix of everything would be some lab animal or exotics but that's only if you are interested, because honestly your experience is fine as is. 🙂
Also, if you have any Mizzou questions as your cycle continues don't hesitate to PM me!
Are you done with your undergraduate degree and pre-reqs? If you can bring up your GPA a bit, it will help. Some schools offer one or two years masters programs that could help the GPA. For example, a classmate got into a really cool infectious disease masters program. It's not impossible to get in with your current GPA, but the higher the GPA, the greater your chances.
Depending on which school(s) you are looking to apply to, either get a solid chunk of experience with a good veterinary clinic, or get several good experiences with a variety of types of practices. Some schools value one significant experience while others want you to have a variety. Or, find a mixed practice to get multiple experiences in one place.
Your research should definitely be a bonus.
Do you have any clubs or volunteer work?
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I agree that your GPA could use a little boost. If you are not done with your pre req's, then make sure you do very well in the remaining classes. Your GPA is still doable for vet school (I had a similar one for undergrad). That being said, you need to offset your lower GPA with great experience and a solid GRE score. Try to use the GRE test prep materials that are available and do your best on it. For vet experience and from what I have been asked in interviews, most vet schools like to see an applicant with "well-rounded" experience with different veterinary practices. Their thinking is that it helps you get a better idea of what your interests are before you start veterinary school (A lot of students change their AOI in school too). Many vet schools will ask you about your leadership experience and volunteer work outside of school. If you are lacking in this area, consider helping around your community or become an active member in clubs, organizations, etc.
Hey guys! I'm only a second-year undergraduate, but I've been feeling a bit shaky lately. I need some advice on how to continue on this crazy pre-veterinary path...
I plan to apply to OKState (IS), Illinois (Home state), and Western.
Current Cumulative GPA: 2.9 (I've gotten three C's, one of which I might appeal to have changed; may or may not retake the other two courses).
I have no clue what my science GPA is since I've pretty much only gotten my gen ed's done.
I have yet to take the GRE, but I have read through some books to understand the basic format in order to better prepare myself.
I have a total of 232 animal hours, but that will increase drastically by the time I apply. I currently volunteer regularly at a kitten rescue, and that provides a steady minimum of 7 hours a week. I also volunteer with a local spay/neuter program for cats once a month, and that's 7 hours each clinic. I plan to start volunteering with the local humane society location in the coming weeks.
I only have 20 vet hours because I've done one shadow, but I plan to do more - as well as apply for a research position at my university's CVHS this coming summer.
I am a member of my university's pre-vet club, and I have numerous leadership positions under my belt; however, most of those are from high school, so I am unsure of their relevance, though they have helped me greatly since I graduated.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
I plan to apply to OKState (IS), Illinois (Home state), and Western.
Current Cumulative GPA: 2.9 (I've gotten three C's, one of which I might appeal to have changed; may or may not retake the other two courses).
I have no clue what my science GPA is since I've pretty much only gotten my gen ed's done.
I have yet to take the GRE, but I have read through some books to understand the basic format in order to better prepare myself.
I have a total of 232 animal hours, but that will increase drastically by the time I apply. I currently volunteer regularly at a kitten rescue, and that provides a steady minimum of 7 hours a week. I also volunteer with a local spay/neuter program for cats once a month, and that's 7 hours each clinic. I plan to start volunteering with the local humane society location in the coming weeks.
I only have 20 vet hours because I've done one shadow, but I plan to do more - as well as apply for a research position at my university's CVHS this coming summer.
I am a member of my university's pre-vet club, and I have numerous leadership positions under my belt; however, most of those are from high school, so I am unsure of their relevance, though they have helped me greatly since I graduated.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Your cumGPA is low, but you are still early in the game and it can be corrected if you evaluate your study habits and get help in classes you are having trouble with. Remember, as you accumulate more credit hours towards your GPA, your GPA becomes more and more difficult to change. It is best to correct it as early as possible while there aren't so many credits yet. The issue that I see is that you have a 2.9 with mainly gen-ed courses. Are you having difficulty adjusting to college work or study habits? Have you taken any science courses yet? Your experience is coming along okay. You should think about diversifying your experience with other species too (mixed animal, LA, zoo, etc.) if possible. Those hours are more important in your application than research hours. The minimum vet hours for vet schools is something like 500. However, a lot of applicants greatly exceed this requirement with hours in the thousands. Some vet schools do like to see research hours, but it is mainly a bonus to your application. The veterinary experience is a requirement and research hours are not going to make much of a difference if your animal/vet experience is not where it should be yet. You can possibly do research and vet work at the same time if you are really set on research, but make sure you get those quality vet hours in.
Make sure to get good grades for your science classes. Okstate's cutoff for overall GPA is 2.8, so you need to start doing better. We have issues with people not doing well first year, so grades and rigor are something that they look at pretty strongly. Also, you need vet experience hours. You have access to the school, so start setting up shadowing hours and get diversity.
You also need to have some good experiences outside vet med, so extracurriculars that help show you are yourself a diverse person is an excellent thing. Good luck! 🙂
First off, thank you for your reply. I haven't taken many science courses yet. I've taken the basic math and English credits, along with BIOL 1114 and Gen Chem (both of which I got B's in). I'm good at science, and I'm majoring in Biochem and Molecular Biology. I was involved in Big Brothers, Big Sisters in high school and plan to sign up again through the Stillwater office. I forgot to mention that I am also on foal team, but those are animal hours. Diverse, but not technically in the community service category.
What do you mean by rigor, exactly? Do they look at my grades by semester, and consider the difficulty of classes, as well as the courseload? I have yet to take less than 16 hours in a semester.
Thank you so much for your honesty. I don't want to make excuses, but I am currently in the midst of neurologist appointments. I've been displaying a myriad of symptoms over the last 14 months, and my husband and I are trying to get to the bottom of things. Going through the diagnosis process while going through my undergrad has definitely made things more difficult; however, I am trying my best, and am still doing fairly well. Not as well as I would like, but I am trying. Like I mentioned earlier in this comment (in my reply to Lupin), I am also on foal team. I plan to get more diverse experience over semester breaks, and possibly working for TurningPoint ranch next semester. Would you suggest I work more on diversifying my animal hours over getting research experience? Also, how should I go about getting vet hours? I've shadowed with Small Animal Internal Medicine over the summer, and I liked it. I'd like to experience more of the world of veterinary medicine, though I'm pretty sure I am not interested in owning my own practice (or working in someone else's, for that matter).
I am sorry to hear that you are going through health problems. My gf is currently undergoing blood work and neurology appointments for a suspect autoimmune disease. It definitely is not the greatest time. As for your question about diversifying vet hours, I would work on gaining a broad vet experience over doing research. Don't get me wrong, research is good for your application, but it is mainly the cherry on top. When I was looking for hours, I simply went around to the local veterinarians and asked them if they would mind allowing me to shadow them. A lot of clinics get asked this question frequently, so it should not be an odd request or anything. I was fortunate in finding a vet that was mixed animal and hired me on as a vet assistant. You mentioned you are not looking for private practice? Why is that? Have you looked into shadowing other options such as corporate practices or even helping research vets then?
I wish the both of you the best.
So vet hours > animal hours > research? There are quite a few animal clinics in the immediate area because of the veterinary college. I have contacted several, but that was in my first semester. I'm thinking about sending out another batch of emails, followed by an in-person introduction and hand in of my resume. I just don't want to seem too pushy. I am fine with working in a private practice to get experience, but as far as my career goals go, owning a practice is not in my plans. The financial aspect of it is frightening, and with the potential of a life-altering diagnosis (sorry for the dramatics), I am not sure I would be able to handle it. I am hoping to become a professor or an assistant professor at a university veterinary college, as well as working in the teaching hospital.
Okay, so a ranking like that is not so easy. The experience required for vet schools is veterinary experience. The schools also look at your animal experience and take that into consideration because the whole profession revolves around being able to work with animals. The more experience, the better. As for research, it really depends on the school that you are wanting to apply to. Some look more heavy than others at research, but I believe the general consensus is that research is a bonus to your application. No one knows the exact formula for how these are all computed into a score, but that is my take on it.
When I was trying to find a clinic to shadow, I dropped off a resume in person usually. I would also follow up with a phone call if they have not gave you an answer after a week. This does not seem too pushy. In fact, it shows the veterinarian that you are devoted and are excited about the opportunity and he/she will be more willing to spend time on you.
I meant that I would bring in my resume. Do you suggest I bring in a resume first, then follow up? Another piece of advice I've gotten in the past was to email ahead of time, then follow up with a resume on hand. All of that side, your response make a lot of sense, and I will definitely take your advice. Thank you so much!
Yes, you can email/call ahead of time just to see if they are interested in letting people shadow. If so, then take in your resume and introduce yourself if you talk to the veterinarian. Then, I would follow up with a phone call a week or so after you turned in your resume to show that you are still interested and to remind them sometimes (the vet I worked ran a very busy clinic and sometimes forget to read resumes).
Yeah, I haven't looked around much here but I am worried that it's difficult.... If someone had a job as a vet tech would all those hours count as vet experience? Just curious.
Absolutely. I mentioned in a previous post that I was hired as a vet assistant for 2 years before vet school. All of those hours counted. VMCAS defines vet hours as work in which you supervised by a veterinarian.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
yes, rigor in regards to course load and level. Sounds like you've got that going on! Vet hours are definitely the next thing for you as long as your gpa improves and you do well in your science courses. Quality is better than quantity, so what hours you do get should really solidify your understanding of the profession and should lead you into your personal statement of what makes you think vet med is for you and what you can bring to the table as well.
Awesome! Thanks so much for your help.
I am a pretty unconventional, just getting on the road, potential vet school applicant. I am 27, went to a top 20 undergrad and majored in political science and history (cumGPA 3.5), and subsequently went to a top 20 law school (3.1). I am a licensed attorney and have been in practice for 2 years, making a little over $100K a year. I despise my chosen profession.
I have always had a lifelong passion for animals and have been thinking pretty heavily about vet school for the past couple years. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and foster sick cats/dogs in my free time. My question is twofold, both logistical and pragmatic. I have little science background, outside of first year honors classes in biology and physics and calculus (and none were particularly strong/ GPA probably in the high 2s between the 3).
First, if I spent two or three years attending a local CC taking night classes and crushing out a year each of bio, chem, O-chem, and physics, and then subsequent classes in genetics, biochem, physiology, statistics, would AdComs generally accept the classes as satisfying their prerequisites?
Second, for other nontraditional applicants, what was your experience like?
I know being a vet isn't all playing with puppies and kittens, and that's not why I would leave my relatively comfortable career behind. Appreciate everyone's commentary, even if it is just "yeah, go back to college, old man! Way to think it through the first time!"
I have always had a lifelong passion for animals and have been thinking pretty heavily about vet school for the past couple years. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and foster sick cats/dogs in my free time. My question is twofold, both logistical and pragmatic. I have little science background, outside of first year honors classes in biology and physics and calculus (and none were particularly strong/ GPA probably in the high 2s between the 3).
First, if I spent two or three years attending a local CC taking night classes and crushing out a year each of bio, chem, O-chem, and physics, and then subsequent classes in genetics, biochem, physiology, statistics, would AdComs generally accept the classes as satisfying their prerequisites?
Second, for other nontraditional applicants, what was your experience like?
I know being a vet isn't all playing with puppies and kittens, and that's not why I would leave my relatively comfortable career behind. Appreciate everyone's commentary, even if it is just "yeah, go back to college, old man! Way to think it through the first time!"
Hey guys,
I'm not really sure if this is the place for this, but I was hoping to get a few questions asked.
I'm currently a second semester freshman at UF and I've wanted to be a veterinary since I was a kid. I already have around 500 hours and I work at UFCVM in a research lab (started my first semester).
Last semester, I got a C, and a B+ and ended with a GPA of 3.33. This semester I'm taking Chem and Bio, as well as 5 other classes (only ends up being 14 credits), but hit a brick wall at the beginning of the semester. At first I thought it was just laziness coming out of break, but I lost all my motivation/work ethic and just recently realized it was more than just laziness, but came down to some other underlying problems, however, I fear it's too late to do well this semester in the two classes that are extremely important (Bio and chem) and it's possible I'll have to drop chem or will only get by with a C+, B-. I'm hoping to get at least B's in both but I'm extremely far behind. As these are prereqs and I didn't do that great last semester, is this going to take a toll on my application in the future? I'm trying to improve my problem I have now and it should be better by next semester, but if I do badly freshman year is it hard to make up? I know the classes are only going to get harder, and it worries me.
Thanks for any input.
I'm not really sure if this is the place for this, but I was hoping to get a few questions asked.
I'm currently a second semester freshman at UF and I've wanted to be a veterinary since I was a kid. I already have around 500 hours and I work at UFCVM in a research lab (started my first semester).
Last semester, I got a C, and a B+ and ended with a GPA of 3.33. This semester I'm taking Chem and Bio, as well as 5 other classes (only ends up being 14 credits), but hit a brick wall at the beginning of the semester. At first I thought it was just laziness coming out of break, but I lost all my motivation/work ethic and just recently realized it was more than just laziness, but came down to some other underlying problems, however, I fear it's too late to do well this semester in the two classes that are extremely important (Bio and chem) and it's possible I'll have to drop chem or will only get by with a C+, B-. I'm hoping to get at least B's in both but I'm extremely far behind. As these are prereqs and I didn't do that great last semester, is this going to take a toll on my application in the future? I'm trying to improve my problem I have now and it should be better by next semester, but if I do badly freshman year is it hard to make up? I know the classes are only going to get harder, and it worries me.
Thanks for any input.
One or two B's in pre-reqs or a W won't kill your application. My first semester of freshman year, I ended up with a GPA of 2.8 (and a fat F in chem 1). As long as you get it figured out and improve after that, you've got a good shot. One bad semester can be overcome, and a few B's aren't the end of the world. 🙂. I'd recommend looking at the underlying cause of your drop in grades - burnout, etc. Also, while some classes get "harder" they all are different, and may come more naturally to you.
You may want to be wary of CC classes. Some schools only except certain prereqs from four year institutions. In addition, some of the science classes you took early on may be "expired" in the sense that some have to be taken within 5-7 years of applying due to advancements in that area or potential to have forgotten information. The good news is that many universities let you attend without an intent to complete a degree. The fact that you have a law degree is probably going to work in your favor. Vet schools do not have pre req majors so you only have to worry about your prereqs that are required.
You also don't have (or at least have not mentioned) any veterinary experience. You need to get shadowing/work hours with a certified veterinarian. And it needs to be a wide variety of animals. Most schools post their recommended hours in veterinary/animal/research that they prefer to see. You might get a reprieve on the research aspect since you are not a traditional applicant and are changing careers.
My biggest recommendation is simply looking at all the schools and finding the schools you'd be most interested applying to. After that, contact the school and make and advising appointment in person or over the phone. They will tell you what they want.
Hi there. So I don't want this to come off badly in any way, but I really want to give my opinion. I have MANY friends that are practicing lawyers (so they did the same thing as you. They went through undergrad ($$$), law school ($$$), taking and passing the bar, and they are now all lawyers at different law firms. Needless to say they have a LOT of debt). If you went to a top 20 undergrad school, I imagine that came with a hefty price tag. Additionally if you went to a top 20 law school, I'm sure that also comes with another hefty price tag. Hey, a lot of us are non-trads (myself included) but I have no debt. I know many of my other friends who started late in the game and have some debt from undergrad, but not an exorbitant amount. But hey for all I know, you have a millionaire in your family who paid off all your debt.
I totally get your love for animals and wanting to pursue vet school, but have you thought it through 1000% and really looked into it heavily? The average salary for a vet just out of vet school is about $65,000. However it can be as low as $40,000 depending on where you live (and what animals you choose to work with). It takes A LONG time to get to the application process, even if you have a bachelors. It takes longer for those who don't have the sciences courses done already. Same with you I had no science courses done, and it has taken me four years to finish everything (this is going to school full time taking 15 units each semester, and working part time while also volunteering).
You also have only been actually practicing law for 2 years. I would definitely not (if I were you) quit now and start the road to vet school. That is definitely not enough time to make sure you don't want to be a lawyer. You would want to work in the field for at least 10 years I would say. You also can go into many different types of law as well. Criminal, bankruptcy, environmental, FDA, public health law, and even animal law. For example, I know a now retired lawyer who was a parter at the largest law firm in the country. He helps the humane society and had while he was in practice. He is on the board and helps them with all legal issues, rescuing, etc.
Maybe it is specifically where you work that you don't like? Maybe if you worked at a different law firm or did a different kind of practice that you really enjoyed, you would love it! I am not saying that you cannot be a Vet, but I am saying think very long and hard about it. Make sure you exhaust ALL of your options as a licensed lawyer since you have the ability to do many many things with that degree. Also, being a lawyer does not mean you can't work with animals. You can do anything you want! If you felt the need, you could always work as a vet assistant or even volunteer. Like I said you can still work with animals too by working as a lawyer. The question is really, why do you want to be a vet? Do you want to do surgery? Do you want to be able to diagnose the patients? There is massive debt that goes into being a Vet. I am saying all this because I just would want to make sure you think really long and hard about this before adding another $150,000-300,000 + in debt to what you already have. Also in vet school, you are there for four years, and you most likely would not work. So these figures are for tuition and health fees/books. This does not include cost of living.
Also it may take longer than you think to get your prerequisites done. You need a LOT of courses. Have you looked at the list on the aavmc website of all of the courses needed for each school? The other thing is each course has a prerequisite you have to take first before you can take that class. So for example, you can't take biochem until you take General Chemistry, then Ochem. Each class lasting for a semester, meaning you could only get two chemistry courses in per year unless you take one in the summer if offered online. Also taking all science courses at once will be difficult since you will want all A's in them. So that might mean it might take longer for you. Most people average about 15-16 units per semester at least, because in vet school you are taking 20-25 units each semester.
I haven't even mentioned getting vet experience yet. The average applicant has about 3,000 hours working under the supervision of a Vet. This does not mean you have to also have 3,000 hours. You can have less, but schools really look into your hours and quality of those hours. They look at diversity of experience as well. This is really important, and takes a couple years to build up these hours.
Again I am not saying any of this to be mean or unsupportive. It is just the facts. The cost of tuition for vet school rises every year, and it keeps getting more and more competitive.
Last edited:
I'm actually just curious to know what drew you to law in the first place. What got you so excited about that particular field that you decided to pursue it initially? I'm not going to question your interest in veterinary medicine or try to persuade you not to pursue it (you sound like you have thought about this a lot, and regardless I know from experience that it is nearly impossible to talk someone out of pursuing a passion). However, if you know what drew you to law initially, you may be able to combine that passion with your passion in veterinary medicine. There are many veterinarians that work in helping to craft policy/legislation that is important to animals and their welfare, and there are other interesting applications of law throughout vet med.
I guess what I'm saying is that you might consider this less of a chance to drop one career completely in pursuit of another and instead add a career onto your current one in a way that is meaningful to you and improves upon the experiences you would have practicing in just one career or the other.
In regards to pre-req classes: it depends on the school. Some are fine with you taking most/all of your pre-reqs at CCs, while others have specific requirements that certain classes must be taken at a 4 year (for example, all upper division classes). Your best bet is to put together a list of schools you're interested in and follow up with them to see what their requirements are.
Appreciate the perspective on classes and vet experience. Think the best route is, as you say, to contact some schools and speak to an actual admissions rep. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
What a great post. Really touched on some major points. I think you're right in that a lot of my malaise in my career stems from my current practice and firm (I prefer litigation to transactional work). And, you're right, I am sitting on about $100K of student loans from law school (I won the genetics lotto, and my old man is the millionaire who footed the bill for private school undergrad). Adding another $200K to that in terms of 4 years of vet school would be rough.
You presented the facts in a no-nonsense manner; not to demean, but to inform. It's the exact same advice I give to any prospective law students. I wish we had more folks like you entering the legal profession. Thanks, again, for such a tremendous post.
I was less drawn to law school out of passion and more out of "well, I got in to a top 20 law school and I read and write and speak fairly well, so why not give it a go?" My father (also an attorney) highly recommended it. Turned out to not be my cup of tea. Perhaps you're right in terms of a perspective change being in order. Less of a "giving one thing up" as opposed to "adding something to it." If any of you end up working as vets in the Chicago area, let me know and I will gladly volunteer at your practice.
Hi everyone!
This may be a little different as I'm a Canadian graduate student that is planning on applying to OVC, but here goes!
Third time applicant, Female 23 y.o., BSc. Animal Biology graduated 2014, MSc. Thesis in Companion Animal Nutrition - will graduate 2017, applying next year/cycle.
Applying to: OVC.
Contemplating also applying to: SGU, Ross, Edinburgh, Melbourne
Prereq %: 84.5
Last 2 year%: 82.2
(Note: this does not include my graduate degree and grad courses- I've only taken one so far (3 are required for my MSc. program) and I got a 94% in it)
Even though it is not required at OVC anymore...MCAT score: 25
I'm not sure how to correctly convert this into a US GPA, but my Canadian overall GPA (which isn't really a system that is used here, we use % and letter grades) is 3.67 - *Please keep in mind that this is likely different than the US grading system - I'm also not planning to apply to any US schools*
Veterinary:
~1500 hours working at a small animal/avian exotic clinic - still working as vet assistant/receptionist roughly 9 hrs / week
~1700 hours working as an on-call surgery technician at the veterinary school
~400 hours working at canine rehabilitation centre as a vet assistant / receptionist
~ 700 hours working at small animal practice in high school
Animal Experience:
~ 40 hours of artificial insemination on a poultry flock
~396 hours working as a groom at an equine show jumping stable
Research:
~ 480 hours in undergrad performing research in clinical nutrition lab - publishing a lit review and presenting a study at a conference this year.
~ 100 hours in undergrad collecting data, restraining animals for a nutrition study on cats
Will have more hours to add for my MSc. project when it gets started.
Extracurriculars:
~15,000 (probably even more) of competitively riding and showing horses for 11 years.
~60 hours assisting special needs athletes in bocce tournaments
~ 60 hours of continuing education - veterinary lecture series, equine anatomy workshop, pet nutrition symposiums
Do I have what it takes??
I had a few questions... How do you keep track of your hours? How to do make sure you're not forgetting an experience when it comes down to putting it on your application?
Thanks everyone!
This may be a little different as I'm a Canadian graduate student that is planning on applying to OVC, but here goes!
Third time applicant, Female 23 y.o., BSc. Animal Biology graduated 2014, MSc. Thesis in Companion Animal Nutrition - will graduate 2017, applying next year/cycle.
Applying to: OVC.
Contemplating also applying to: SGU, Ross, Edinburgh, Melbourne
Prereq %: 84.5
Last 2 year%: 82.2
(Note: this does not include my graduate degree and grad courses- I've only taken one so far (3 are required for my MSc. program) and I got a 94% in it)
Even though it is not required at OVC anymore...MCAT score: 25
I'm not sure how to correctly convert this into a US GPA, but my Canadian overall GPA (which isn't really a system that is used here, we use % and letter grades) is 3.67 - *Please keep in mind that this is likely different than the US grading system - I'm also not planning to apply to any US schools*
Veterinary:
~1500 hours working at a small animal/avian exotic clinic - still working as vet assistant/receptionist roughly 9 hrs / week
~1700 hours working as an on-call surgery technician at the veterinary school
~400 hours working at canine rehabilitation centre as a vet assistant / receptionist
~ 700 hours working at small animal practice in high school
Animal Experience:
~ 40 hours of artificial insemination on a poultry flock
~396 hours working as a groom at an equine show jumping stable
Research:
~ 480 hours in undergrad performing research in clinical nutrition lab - publishing a lit review and presenting a study at a conference this year.
~ 100 hours in undergrad collecting data, restraining animals for a nutrition study on cats
Will have more hours to add for my MSc. project when it gets started.
Extracurriculars:
~15,000 (probably even more) of competitively riding and showing horses for 11 years.
~60 hours assisting special needs athletes in bocce tournaments
~ 60 hours of continuing education - veterinary lecture series, equine anatomy workshop, pet nutrition symposiums
Do I have what it takes??
I had a few questions... How do you keep track of your hours? How to do make sure you're not forgetting an experience when it comes down to putting it on your application?
Thanks everyone!
Your experiences are great. I see really no problems there besides animal experience only being in poultry and equine. Vet schools will ask about leadership experience and want to know how you handle stress. Your GPA is competitive (for US schools) provided that the conversion is pretty close. However, I cannot speak for school requirements in Canada. Hopefully someone on SDN can give better insight into that.
As for keeping track of your hours, I had a journal with a running tab on how many hours I was logging in clinics, animal experience, and EC. I added these all up at the end. However, some experiences that I had (family farm) over many years I just had to give an educated guess to the amount of hours. Good houskeeping will help you went tallying up your hours when you apply.
Phew. I'm so glad you liked my post and appreciated it. I was a little worried as some people may not want to hear that honesty, or some could get defensive and take what I said the wrong way. I just wanted to give some information about this field, and also some insight into other possible avenues for you in your current field. I am in no way telling you or anyone else what to do. I hope that this was helpful, and I really do wish you all the best in everything you do.
Last edited:
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
2nd time applicant, Female, 24 yrs old, BSc in Biology, graduated in 2014.
Applying to: Cornell, NCSU, and OSU
Considering applying to UC Davis
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 4.00
Last Two Years: 4.00
GRE: 93 percentile
Veterinary Experience:
~5000 hours as a tech/assistant between two different emergency clinics
~5000 hours as a tech/assistant between two different small animal day practices
Animal Experience:
~1000 hours as an assistant at a wildlife rehab center
Research:
~500 hours as a summer research intern at Emory
I applied back in fall of 2013 when I had a third of the hours I have now and was wait listed at Cornell and out right rejected from Wisconsin (lack of large animal experience). I have been/am working on trying to find that large animal experience.
Applying to: Cornell, NCSU, and OSU
Considering applying to UC Davis
Overall GPA: 3.98
Science GPA: 4.00
Last Two Years: 4.00
GRE: 93 percentile
Veterinary Experience:
~5000 hours as a tech/assistant between two different emergency clinics
~5000 hours as a tech/assistant between two different small animal day practices
Animal Experience:
~1000 hours as an assistant at a wildlife rehab center
Research:
~500 hours as a summer research intern at Emory
I applied back in fall of 2013 when I had a third of the hours I have now and was wait listed at Cornell and out right rejected from Wisconsin (lack of large animal experience). I have been/am working on trying to find that large animal experience.
The only thing that I would suggest is what you already said; large animal experience. Also, maybe some other animal experience besides wildlife would help too. Other than that, your GPA and GRE should not give you a problem. What were your actual GRE scores?
Reposting this.. Two years later. STILL want to be a vet (tried being a teacher: oh heck no).
Female, 24 (applying to c/o 2022, 26 at time of application), Underrepresented Minority, Graduated 2013
Applying to NCSU (in state). Any other suggestions? I think that's my best shot/possibly only.
Education: BA in Geoarchaeology from Hamilton College (small LAC in upstate NY), 2 quarters at OSU for geology MS
cGPA: 3.1 (upward trend)
Last 45 GPA: 3.4ish
Most of my courses were archaeology/geology/chemistry and did well in my MS classes (3.7 GPA)
The prereqs for vet school I have are:
Intro chem: C+ (freshman year)
Bio 1: C+ (freshman year)
Biochemistry: B+
Organic Chemistry 1: A-
Organic Chemistry 2: B+
Calculus: B
Note: I had a ton of medical issues in college. Not an excuse, but I'll mention it probably. College was not a good time for me.
I'm taking Animal Nutrition, Statistics, Microbiology, and a few other classes in the summer/fall. I have committed myself to killing them. Getting all A's will be
#1 priority.
GRE: 162 (V), 158 (Q)
Vet Experience
-120 hours at a shelter (doing intake exams, medicating, surgery support)
-70 hours at an equine emergency/routine care mobile practice
-20 (and growing..) hours at a mobile ruminant vet (on admissions board, been shadowing since December)
-Hoping to get experience at an emergency vet or in private practice
Animal Experience
-1080 hours on college equestrian team
-500 hours as a working student at a barn
-500+ hours fostering
-1000+ hours training/showing agility dogs
-Raised chickens for 10 years
-Raised waterfowl for 3 years
Other Stuff
-Will have been a high school chemistry teacher for 2 years at time of application, through a program called Teach for America (tried this because someone said if you can do ANYTHING other than vet med, do that)
-2 years as secretary at Communications and Development
-2 years as TA/research assistant in archaeology lab
-2 quarters as research assistant in geology lab, prepping samples for Ar/Ar dating
-2 summers at National Parks leading education programs
-2 years on rugby team
-Captain of equestrian team for 3 semesters and held various other e-board positions before
PS will be about how I've tried everything else that could possibly make me happy and I'm back to vet med. This is 100% what I want to do, I've matured so much that I'm actually happy it took me so long because now I know I will be 100% prepared for anything that comes my way.
Female, 24 (applying to c/o 2022, 26 at time of application), Underrepresented Minority, Graduated 2013
Applying to NCSU (in state). Any other suggestions? I think that's my best shot/possibly only.
Education: BA in Geoarchaeology from Hamilton College (small LAC in upstate NY), 2 quarters at OSU for geology MS
cGPA: 3.1 (upward trend)
Last 45 GPA: 3.4ish
Most of my courses were archaeology/geology/chemistry and did well in my MS classes (3.7 GPA)
The prereqs for vet school I have are:
Intro chem: C+ (freshman year)
Bio 1: C+ (freshman year)
Biochemistry: B+
Organic Chemistry 1: A-
Organic Chemistry 2: B+
Calculus: B
Note: I had a ton of medical issues in college. Not an excuse, but I'll mention it probably. College was not a good time for me.
I'm taking Animal Nutrition, Statistics, Microbiology, and a few other classes in the summer/fall. I have committed myself to killing them. Getting all A's will be
#1 priority.
GRE: 162 (V), 158 (Q)
Vet Experience
-120 hours at a shelter (doing intake exams, medicating, surgery support)
-70 hours at an equine emergency/routine care mobile practice
-20 (and growing..) hours at a mobile ruminant vet (on admissions board, been shadowing since December)
-Hoping to get experience at an emergency vet or in private practice
Animal Experience
-1080 hours on college equestrian team
-500 hours as a working student at a barn
-500+ hours fostering
-1000+ hours training/showing agility dogs
-Raised chickens for 10 years
-Raised waterfowl for 3 years
Other Stuff
-Will have been a high school chemistry teacher for 2 years at time of application, through a program called Teach for America (tried this because someone said if you can do ANYTHING other than vet med, do that)
-2 years as secretary at Communications and Development
-2 years as TA/research assistant in archaeology lab
-2 quarters as research assistant in geology lab, prepping samples for Ar/Ar dating
-2 summers at National Parks leading education programs
-2 years on rugby team
-Captain of equestrian team for 3 semesters and held various other e-board positions before
PS will be about how I've tried everything else that could possibly make me happy and I'm back to vet med. This is 100% what I want to do, I've matured so much that I'm actually happy it took me so long because now I know I will be 100% prepared for anything that comes my way.
Last edited:
It is good that your GPA is an upward trend. However the 3.1 cumGPA is going to make it hard for you. Your MS GPA may help you with some schools. Some schools use the MS GPA and some do not. NC State is a difficult school to get into even with in-state status. Plus, they do not conduct interviews so it is solely from what you have on paper plus LOR's. If you don't get in this cycle, you may want to consider retaking classes (especially pre-reqs) that you got sub-par grades in. That should help your GPA overall. You may want to check out this link here. It shows all vet school stats including average GPA of students admitted.
Your animal, research, and leadership experience are very good. You definitely want to get more vet experience hours. Schools have a minimum of 400-500 hours upon applying. A lot of students apply with 1000's of vet school hours. However, quality is better than quantity. Schools like to see a broad range of disciplines and quality hours in which you did more than just watch. I hope this helps. Good luck!
If I were you, I would retake some classes. I think thats what some schools are going to tell you. I would definitely obtain some more vet experience as well, as some schools really do want to see experience numbers in the thousands, especially NCSU. Your animal experience is good! GREs are good! I think you have a lot of cool non-vet related things on your application you should definitely play up! I think if I were you, I would also consider schools out of the US. Check out the successful applicant threads as well from previous years! There are some people on there who have your GPA or lower with similar hours. Good luck to you! 😀
Thanks so much! I'm lucky to have gotten a window into the admissions process at NCSU because of the vet I shadow. He's told me a lot about them. I'm hoping with their commitment to diversity and me getting A's in my remaining prereqs, I'll be able to show them that I belong there. I reeeeaaaaally don't want to retake chem 1 because I teach it to high schoolers now.
By the time of application, I hope to have at least 500 vet hours. I know it's not excellent, but being non-trad and needing to pay off debt before I go back to school, I'm hoping it'll work.
Question - would my research in geology/archaeology count as research for VMCAS? I didn't know if it HAD to be animal related research. Because I've done a lot of non-animal research, and even wrote part of a published paper in Journal of Archaeological Sciences.
No it definitely doesn't have to be animal related! You should definitely mention that! I think it will really help!
Verbal: 163 Quant: 164 Writing: 5.0
This is the last cycle I can use these particular scores in so hopefully it'll work out this time.
Thanks so much for the info! I definitely will. I'm really hoping not to retake classes because I have such a limited time to take them. I will actually be taking microbiology as a night class while teaching full time. Unfortunately I won't be applying to international schools because I know I would never go because of the money, my dogs, and my family.
Ah ok, understandable 🙂. Yeah having to retake classes is more time/money/energy and it sucks 🙁. You may not even have to! I would do really well in Micro and hopefully the schools you apply to see you have been improving in prereqs and upper levels. I think the one thing people often forget when applying to vet school is to make yourself stand out as an individual. Don't just try to play up your vet/animal experience...everyone has that in common. Focus on the other experiences that makes you, you and figure out how those interests will make you a great addition to the veterinary profession. While vet hours and grades/gpa do count for a great deal of consideration, getting into vet school is a bit of a game, and you have to play the game.
That is a pretty good score so I have no comment about that.
I left a career and managed to get in without having to go back to school full time for years. I did have math and gen-chem done though. I started working on pre-reqs may 2014 (5 credit hour summer course, YUCK) while working 20hrs/week (non-vet) and shadowing a vet. Then fall '14 I took 2 classes, worked part time still and did a vet assistant volunteer thing. Then in spring I was full time student and got vet hours. Took a new job summer '15 and worked full time (non-animal) from August until now finishing up the last 2 pre-reqs commuting 2.5 hours one way for a 1 credit lab every week. So I did 6 months part time and 6 months no work and applied about a year after I decided to pursue it. I only had about 500 hours or so vet experience. It all depends on how bad you want it and how well you can present yourself. It also depends on where you want to go and what's required. Law students can read lots of material and law school isn't easy, but can you handle the science aspect of it? I think you should try a different firm while you get some pre-reqs. You can still pursue vet while also pursuing a better law path. Worse case is you wasted some $ on community college pre-reqs. And 27 isn't old. My age won't start with a "2" when I start school 😛
Hey guys! This is my first post, so please bear with me while I get used to the forum. I am currently a second semester sophomore Biology major with every intention of going to vet school after graduation. I will probably be applying the summer of 2018 since I just started my science courses last semester. My overall GPA is a 3.89, but my main concern is that I withdrew from my General Chemistry I course last semester because I was getting a C+. I got an A in the lab and am currently retaking the course and have an A. I know how bad withdrawing from an entry-level course is but I wanted to do well so that I could have a solid foundation for future courses. My experience includes:
Veterinary Experience:
-1,000 hours as Veterinary Assistant in Small Animal Practice (and continuing)
-100 hours shadowing a mixed animal vet (mainly large animals)
Animal Experience:
-50 hours and growing as a volunteer at an animal shelter
-10 hours and growing as a volunteer at a horse rescue
I work weekends at a small animal vet clinic and plan on volunteering at either a wildlife rehab this summer or getting an internship at a zoo to gain more experience.
Clubs/Extracurricular Activities:
-Animal Friendly Organization President
-National Honors Society and Dean's List
I know I still have a LONG way to go, academically and regarding experience, but if you guys could give me any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. In addition, does anyone know what schools value experience over GPA and vice versa?
I am a NJ resident so we obviously don't have an in-state school, or any contract seats which makes getting accepted that much harder.
Veterinary Experience:
-1,000 hours as Veterinary Assistant in Small Animal Practice (and continuing)
-100 hours shadowing a mixed animal vet (mainly large animals)
Animal Experience:
-50 hours and growing as a volunteer at an animal shelter
-10 hours and growing as a volunteer at a horse rescue
I work weekends at a small animal vet clinic and plan on volunteering at either a wildlife rehab this summer or getting an internship at a zoo to gain more experience.
Clubs/Extracurricular Activities:
-Animal Friendly Organization President
-National Honors Society and Dean's List
I know I still have a LONG way to go, academically and regarding experience, but if you guys could give me any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. In addition, does anyone know what schools value experience over GPA and vice versa?
I am a NJ resident so we obviously don't have an in-state school, or any contract seats which makes getting accepted that much harder.
Hi everyone! So I'm applying in the 2017 cycle after taking a gap year. I wanted to post what my stats will look like by the time I submit my application (aiming for Sep. 1st to allow as many experience hours as possible)
USF B.S in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Psychology
Applying to UF (IS), NC, Washington, Georgia and Auburn.
GPA
Overall - 3.85
Science - 3.7ish (lowest grade was a B- in orgo 1)
Last 45 - 3.9
GRE
Q/V/A - 147 (28%)/150 (45%)/4 (56%) 🙁
This is definitely my weakest area. I bought a Magoosh package and plan on retaking in the summer to hopefully get it up. I struggle with my test anxiety when it comes to standardized testing for some reason.
Vet Experience
850 hours SA Vet Tech
32 hours shadowing SA
50 hours shadowing Shelter Ortho Surgeon
50 hours shadowing Equine Vet
LOR'S
SA Vet I work for
LA Vet I shadowed
Surgeon I shadowed
Animal Experience
200 hours of animal husbandry @ an big cat sanctuary
120 hours of doggie daycare
800+ hours riding, working as a stable hand, summer camp counselor, cleaning tack and general stable duties
Other Work Experience
200 hours of retail
Other thingys
Tour guide at big cat sanctuary
Scholarships
HOBY award from high school
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Member of Phi Eta Sigma Academic Fraternity
Questions
1. If I improve on my retake of the GRE, should I submit my first scores? Or do I even have a choice? I think improvement is a good sign and I still think even if I do better it will be the weakest part of my app..
I really appreciate any comments or suggestions!! Thank you in advance!
USF B.S in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Psychology
Applying to UF (IS), NC, Washington, Georgia and Auburn.
GPA
Overall - 3.85
Science - 3.7ish (lowest grade was a B- in orgo 1)
Last 45 - 3.9
GRE
Q/V/A - 147 (28%)/150 (45%)/4 (56%) 🙁
This is definitely my weakest area. I bought a Magoosh package and plan on retaking in the summer to hopefully get it up. I struggle with my test anxiety when it comes to standardized testing for some reason.
Vet Experience
850 hours SA Vet Tech
32 hours shadowing SA
50 hours shadowing Shelter Ortho Surgeon
50 hours shadowing Equine Vet
LOR'S
SA Vet I work for
LA Vet I shadowed
Surgeon I shadowed
Animal Experience
200 hours of animal husbandry @ an big cat sanctuary
120 hours of doggie daycare
800+ hours riding, working as a stable hand, summer camp counselor, cleaning tack and general stable duties
Other Work Experience
200 hours of retail
Other thingys
Tour guide at big cat sanctuary
Scholarships
HOBY award from high school
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Member of Phi Eta Sigma Academic Fraternity
Questions
1. If I improve on my retake of the GRE, should I submit my first scores? Or do I even have a choice? I think improvement is a good sign and I still think even if I do better it will be the weakest part of my app..
I really appreciate any comments or suggestions!! Thank you in advance!
Your grades are great!🙂 I would definitely take the GRE again, though. I completely understand how you're feeling...I myself am a very anxious standardized test taker (I had to take the SAT 4 times!!!). Magoosh REALLY helped me and I improved my scores A LOT. Make sure to download the flashcard vocab app on your phone as well! Your hours are kinda low for NC state and UF, but since you're IS for Florida, that may help. 🙂 Also, it looks like your LOR writers are all vets. You should try to get a professor or a dean to write you a letter as well. Some schools even require that so I would make sure you have all categories of LOR each school requires. Additionally, I think you should try and get in some volunteer/community service hours outside of vet med. This is important because vet schools want to see a well-rounded applicant.
About the GRE scores, I think you are required to send all scores, but I would check for each school. Some schools take your highest GRE score while others average all your GRE scores together (I know Purdue does this). Try to limit yourself to taking the GRE one more time because it looks bad to take it more than 2 times.
That's my advice 🙂
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Thank you so much for your advice. I think I will definitely try to up my hours! Do you think the level of diversity in my vet experience is good? I unfortunately never really maintained contact with any professors and they would't even remember who I was 🙄 Maybe I will ask my volunteer coordinator from the big cat sanctuary to write me a letter.
Looks like you have SA, equine, and exotic experience. I think that's great!😀 I think getting more hours for you is the biggest thing to work on. I mean, if you have the opportunity to get some experience in food animal medicine that would be great but, don't sweat that. I have zero food animal experience. I guess the more diverse the better, but again, I think getting the hours in is the most important, no matter where it is. Have you thought about summer internships? 🙂 Thats a good way to get a lot of hours along with a new experience.
And yeah, getting a volunteer coordinator would be good! Its just a good idea to have diverse evaluations so that vet schools are able to see you as a great applicant from multiple perspectives. A vet will be able to speak about you from a different angle than would a professor or a former employer. That's why its a good idea to have some diversity in your rec, so you come across as a more well-rounded person 🙂.
Your GPA is fine. I see no reason to worry about that so far. Make sure you do well in your core courses and you will be fine. I know your half way through, but your animal experience could definitely use a boost. Also, keep getting as much QUALITY vet experience as possible. You are doing great with those hours so far. Keep in mind that many students apply with vet and animal experience in the thousands'.
As for your question about GPA vs. experience, it really depends on the school. If you scroll up on this post, you will find a link I posted which shows average accepted GPA's for each school so you can kind of infer from that which schools look at experience more. However, it is still good to do your research on school-specific requirements when you are ready to apply. The fact that you have no IS school does not necessarily mean that it will be extremely difficult to get accepted to an OS school. Just do your research and you will find it makes deciding on what schools to apply to so much easier.
Hi! So I am currently a sophomore in my undergrad, and I only need to take biochem lecture and ochem lab until I'm done with my prerequisites for vet school. I got C's in three of my prereq classes (please don't doubt my ability, I used to deal with bad anxiety attacks that altered my ability to perform in school), and I plan on retaking the lectures in those classes. I feel like I need way more hours as far as volunteering goes, especially during the school year. Do you guys think I have enough time? I would like to apply next summer but I feel like that is not enough time to get everything taken care of. Thoughts?
20 years old, female, Kansas State University
Cum GPA: 3.5
Science GPA: 3.0
Veterinary Experience:
100 hours of shadowing at a clinic and counting
50 hours at a vet hospital and counting
Work Experience:
telefund caller for KSU vet school (I call alumni asking for donations to support the vet school)
sales associate at American Eagle
Olive Garden server
Volunteer:
hometown zoo for 2 years in high school and will start up again this summer
starting at another zoo in my college town
humane society
Internships:
I plan on doing a non-paid summer internship for a wildlife conservation park
I did an internship in high school with african elephants at the zoo I volunteered at
Others:
I am part of my school's pre-vet club, was in microbiology and wildlife society club
I have "adopted" animals from my hometown zoo
I do random philanthropy events for my school
I plan on becoming a pre-vet ambassador for my school next year
20 years old, female, Kansas State University
Cum GPA: 3.5
Science GPA: 3.0
Veterinary Experience:
100 hours of shadowing at a clinic and counting
50 hours at a vet hospital and counting
Work Experience:
telefund caller for KSU vet school (I call alumni asking for donations to support the vet school)
sales associate at American Eagle
Olive Garden server
Volunteer:
hometown zoo for 2 years in high school and will start up again this summer
starting at another zoo in my college town
humane society
Internships:
I plan on doing a non-paid summer internship for a wildlife conservation park
I did an internship in high school with african elephants at the zoo I volunteered at
Others:
I am part of my school's pre-vet club, was in microbiology and wildlife society club
I have "adopted" animals from my hometown zoo
I do random philanthropy events for my school
I plan on becoming a pre-vet ambassador for my school next year
- Status
