If people cancel an interview they will start offering people on the interview waitlist an interview. Or if they don't find enough candidates they really want and offer them interviews, they'll start interviewing people from the interview waitlist.
Would like some feedback on the schools that I am thinking of applying to because of my LOW GPA. Do I stand a chance?.
Applying to (maybe 2years from now): Oregon State, Iowa State, Ross U, Saint George U, and Western U.
Overall GPA:. 2.86
Science GPA: 2.6 (still need to take Organic, Biochem, and microbio)
Last 45: (still need to take about 22 more units) currently is 3.14
Make sure those schools don't have GPA cutoffs. Just keep trekking and do well you will probably be ok in the end you still have a few prereqs and I know Iowa emphasizes the last 45 and science over cumulative. Also many schools have petitions for course removal and some don't look at courses more than 6-7 years old so check into that also. For your GRE you might just relax for now, there's a bunch of changes coming and schools are starting to drop that requirement so hold off on that til closer to application..
-During the summers (as a teen), I helped my grandfather tend to his farm (feeding cattle, pigs, cleaning horse stables) all was under his supervision so it wasn't professional/was over a decade ago. Should I include it?
VMCAS rules state nothing over 10 years old so this doesn't qualify any longer I don't believe.
-Would this go under animal or non-veterinary? I worked as an Education volunteer at my local aquarium for 300+ hours. I basically talked to the public about the animals in the exhibits and encouraged discussions about conservation/ sustainable fishing. I also was able to teach guests how to interact with the animals in our touch pools. I had to take a few classes from the aquarium to learn about the animals/anatomy/ how to properly handle them so I don't know if it counts as animal because of that? Besides the sting ray/ bamboo shark pools (I got to be inside), I was always outside of the tank talking to people (hence education volunteer)
Animal, you interacted with the animals often teaching guests how to interact in touch pools.
Non-Veterinary Experience:
- I own a small business on Etsy (selling hermit crab food). I started an instagram page (4 years now) to help advocate and educate new owners on how to properly care for them and my page got big. I saw the need for ready to serve hermit crab food (because the store bought food is crap) so I started my business and still continue to help people through multiple social media platforms giving advice. I feel really passionate about helping people and animalsI am very proud of this project but does it actually count? I did my own research on the nutritional needs for land hermit crabs and that is how I came up with my recipes. (business for over 1 year now)
Include this! It shows your other interests and who you are.
Research:
-Do internships count as research? I did an environmental steward internship where I got to collect data on invasive species and was able to help our campus steward come up with a plan to help remove them so we could increase the population of some of our native insect species that were being affected by invasive plant species. I also did general trail maintenance. Before I graduated, I did not know that I wanted to be a vet so I was really into the conservation type of research.
I also had to conduct my own research for a plant ecology course I took during undergrad. We had to make our own experiments and log them in a journal and at the end of the quarter, we had to write a short proposal (like if it were a thesis).
***All of these are plant/conservation related so that's why I am wondering if this counts? Would really appreciate your feedback!***
Count these. They all count animal related or not research is good use it to your advantage..
Awards/recognitions:
-Hispanic scholarship recipient
- I came out in a short documentary for one of the rescue dogs that I adopted. He was abused /lived with a homeless person. A rescue picked him up and contacted the rehab center that I work at. If the rehab center had not taken him in, he would have been euthanized. He was hopping on his RH leg for a month with a dislocated L hip. He had almost no muscle on his LH because he was hopping on it for so long. He needed an FHO surgery + rehab to be able to function again. I was only a kennel attendant at that moment. This guy literally changed my life and sparked my interest in veterinary medicine/animal rehab. I worked extra hard to learn how to help him out (physical therapy) and with my assistance, he is running around and having the most normal life possible for an FHO case. Because of this entire story, I was featured on this documentary for a pet resource center that just opened up. I don't know if this is even relevant? Or if I can/should include it? The last thing that I want is to sound cocky.
Count this. The point of VMCAS is to be cocky. Obviously not arrogant, but yes boast about your self, accomplishments, and everything in between. You are trying to prove that you deserve a place in that 150 size class from a pool of >1000 applicants. Keep trekking, get good grades in the remainder of your classes and I think you have a decent shot..
I'm excited to know I can include all of this in my app. I thought it would be more blank. I'm actually crossing my fingers that I can apply Jan 2019 at least for SGU , Ross, Oregon, and I think Iowa. I didn't know that these schools don't require micrbio and most only require one semester of organic and one semester of biochem. If I can get that done during 2018 I think I'm going to apply 2019 for sure ! I don't want to risk waiting too long and having to take science courses over again because I hit the 5-6 years old mark. 
You can only apply for Oregon and Iowa through VMCAS so applying Jan 2019 is not possible for these schools. Admission for these schools is only for Fall semesters of the year after application (VMCAS is open May-Sept, admission for Fall is the following year for example VMCAS 2017 closes Sept 15,2017 if accepted I won't start school until August 2018). SGU just came to my school and is not scrapping the GRE anytime soon that the rep was aware of. There is some studies out there suggesting the GRE may be biased and isn't a good indicator of vet school success. Schools such as Purdue, Va-Md, and Michigan scrapped the GRE for this cycle. Due to this is it possible that other schools may follow suit in the proceeding application cycles that's why I would watch the schools you're looking to apply to to see if they also scrap the GRE.
Thank you for replying
I also found out Western requires 2 physics labs and I only took one ): I struggled so much in physics it is not something that I can see myself pursuing only because I worked my ass off to get a B. I don't want to risk lowering my GPA even more lol /: so Western may be out of the picture.
With that being said where did you find the information about the GRE being tentative ?
MSU doesn't look at cumulative GPA, just science prereq and last 36 GPA, both of which have to be at least a 3.0 for them to look at your application. So as long as those GPAs are above a 3.0, they would at least look at your application. I do think they average repeated grades though instead of replacing (so they both would show up in the sci GPA and possibly the last 36 depending on when the first attempt was)
Coulda sworn they had been one of the ones who didn't replace
Hey there, I took almost all my pre reqs, except biochem, at my local community college. Including organic chem 1 and 2! Currently in my first year at Illinois. I wouldn't worry too much unless you want to apply to some schools that don't accept 2 year school credits (I didn't apply to these, don't remember who they are) so I just recommend searching the schools you want to apply to to make sure they'll take them.Thank you so much for replying ! This really helped a lot ! I think what I am going to focus on is taking science courses at my local cc so I can boost my science GPA/ last 45.
The thing about my GPA is that there are a good amount of C's and C+'s. I can't say that I didn't take college seriously because I did, however, I felt so lost. I Was first generation to attend a university and had no one up until my senior year of high school to introduce me to the world of higher education. I was new to moving away from home to go to college and it took me a lot of time to adjust to the setting as well as the workload in college. Some classes were harder than others and I felt mentally unprepared for it. However, I'm soooo ready to do my best to give myself a shot at my dream job! Anyways, thank you all for replying this really helped motivate me and give me some hope
good luck!
Just FYI none of you should ever be nervous to post on here. What some of us have to say may not be very encouraging and perhaps not what you want to hear, but we are all here to help and give advice. None of us want to bite your heads off and although sometimes we can be snarky none of us are intentionally ill willed or vicious. We are just giving advice off our experiences and what we know, you could apply and get in even if we all said it's doubtful. It all depends on the admissions cycle and committee you're dealing with that year.Hi I am also a low GPA first time applicant (soon). I still have to take ochem+lab /biochem. I am also really nervous to post on here because there are not many of us in this range. So far I have found Ross U, Saint G. U, Western U, Iowa, Oregon, and Colorado (for low GPA). Since you still have physics to take Western requires 2 semesters (full year) of lectures and labs (I unfortunately didn't know that). Like everyone on here always tells me, try to get your GPA up as much as possible! Unfortunately, I don't even think I will reach a cum of 3.0 but I hope to get a decent GRE test score. One of the vets that I work with now also told me that your GPA doesn't define how good of a vet you will be and that gave me hope that one school will look through my academics and give people like us a chance
Hi everyone! I need some feedback, specially with my GRE.
I am a 23 year old female, moving out to Indiana on August 10th, so hopefully I will be evaluated with the in-state cohort.
I was born and brought up in Puerto Rico. I graduated this year and will be a first time applicant.
Applying to: Cornell, Missouri, Purdue, UF, CSU, Iowa, NCS
Bachelors on Integrative Biology.
Cumulative GPA: ~ 3.9 VMCAS (3.88 transcript)
Science GPA: ~ 3.9 VMCAS
Last 45 GPA: 3.89 VMCAS
GRE: Q: 148 V: 152 W: (I still haven't received the scores)
Veterinary Experience (752)
- 664 Small animal clinic 664 hours
- 88 CPRC “Caribbean Primate Research Center” (I worked with non-human primates taking blood samples, giving them their vaccine shots and bathing the baby primates.)
Animal Experience (127)
- 104 Center of manatee Conservation (Prepared food and fed the manatees every morning. I also kept an eye to the quality of the waters)
- 15 Horses (It was a shelter for horses, so I helped with the cleaning of the cages and showering them)
- 8 Cattle farm (shadowing)
Research (986)
- 8. Poster presentation at the 25th Puerto Rico Neurosciences Conference
- 20. Poster presentation at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) in Long Beach, CA. It was for a whole weekend
- 360. REU Internship at San Jose State University, CA (I worked with mice to see the effects of inflammation on muscle mechanical properties)
- 88. CPRC “Caribbean Primate Research Center” (I also did research here. We used to do necropsies on the primates to determine the causes of morbidity and mortality).
- 510. Ecological research of the demography and photobiology of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornis.
Extracurricular: (514)
- Suture Workshop
- 240. Organic chemistry Tutoring
- 40. Veteran’s Hospital Department of cardiology and Surgery
- 68. Biology Tutoring
- 80. General Chemistry Workshop I helped with.
- 38. Salsa dance classes.
- 8. Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
- 40. Volunteer work needed for high school graduation.
Work Experience: (368)
- 160 Summer Job with the local government
- 48. Low Cost Pet Mobile Vaccination
- 160 Lab assistant
Honors and Awards:
- Accepted abstract and granted a travel scholarship to attend and present at SACNAS, Long Beach, CA.
- REU Program scholar, RUMBA program at San Jose State University
- Dean’s list (2012-Present)
- “Who’s who among students in American Universities and Colleges”, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars University of Puerto Rico Chapter (2014-2015)
- Editing of an Organic Chemistry school writing book.
- Acknowledgement in a PhD thesis for my work done at the ecology lab.
- Accepted and attended at the school specialized on theater “José Julián Acosta” (middle school)
- Accepted and received piano and choir classes at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, San Juan, P.R. (elementary school)
Clubs/Organizations:
- Member of the Pre-Vet Student Association (08/2014-Present)
- Member of Airam, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (08/2015-Present) {An organization for students who want to be doctors}
- Representative of the Natural Sciences Faculty at the General Student Council of my university (08/2016-Present)
LOR:
- DVM who I worked with
- Biology professor
- Organic chemistry professor
- Research PI
It is hard to do without final or at least less credits out. GPA is on the low end, and add the minimal veterinary experience right now, and you would obviously have a harder go of it. Post again when you have your final grades for this semester and you will get a better answer I imagine. Also not having the GRE makes it harder, but with some schools getting rid of this other criteria point, your GPA may be more in the spotlight if you go for those schools. Otherwise if you crush it, that would be a help. Kill this semester and keep getting quality hours is the best I can say at this point.
You didn't say what you're long-term goal is; make sure your 'experience' supports that. You listed 13 hours small animal - if you're planning on telling the admissions folks you want to be a SA vet (for instance), they're going to raise an eyebrow. People always talk about getting variety (and you should, and you have), but it's just as important that you have experience to back up your goal. Check with UMN VMC about volunteering and see if they have opportunities: I got a few hundred hours volunteer experience there before applying there before attending there.... It looks pretty nice if you can get an LOR from someone at VMC.
FYI the personal statement changed this cycle to three 1000 character (including spaces) prompts, so it's a lot more limited. Just mentioning this because you may not be aware of this change since you aren't applying yet and might not have looked into that portion in depth yet. There is the explanation statement though still.
so class is about to start I just wanted to ask this first, why are you struggling with chemistry? That’s definitely a good starting point, understanding where you’re struggling and why. Unfortunately chemistry doesn’t just go away in vet school. So far, I’ve noticed a lot of chemistry in my classes this year (heck, we’re currently going over osmosis and fluid laws in physiology right now) and it all builds on each other.
That makes sense... have you tried tutoring yet? I know a lot of schools have tutoring programs for some of your basic sciences/ core classes. I did ochem 2 tutoring and it changed my grade from a D to a high B in a couple weeks. I wouldn't give up just because of that, but if you take it again, you need to keep it in mind. I can't tell you that you should or shouldn't apply, but you do need to seriously think about it.
I personally can't really tell you what your chances are, but most (if not all?) schools require a C or C- in the prereqs, which I think these two are prereqs pretty much everywhere, if I'm not mistaken, with a good portion requiring both orgo I and orgo II.
I have taken all the pre-req classes. I got a B in orgoII and D in orgoI. My major issue is the grading system and how it varies on the professor since some grade a lot harder than others. I am a resident of Texas with 5+ years (so roughly 43,800 hours of animal experience lol) as a full-time veterinary technician of a small animal practice (cats and dogs only). No research experience or other animal experience besides owning cats and dogs and brief exotic animal experiences.
usually if you ask, professors will be accommodating and will be willing to meet one-on-one at other times in addition to you attending their regular office hours
See what finnick and Ski have already mentioned about the pre req grade stuff. You'll definitely have to go back and retake at least those two chem classes, as well as probably pre-calc (for most schools on the latter, though I know Illinois doesn't require it). In regards to your experience, I just wanted to add some thoughts. All your full time tech experience is certainly great, but you'll definitely want to get other animal experience, preferably in large animal. I can't speak for sure, but I feel like after a certain amount of experience (in the thousands) at a small animal clinic, it's all viewed basically on the same level, so I'm not sure that 40k hours of experience with no large animal experience would put you above someone with 2000 hours at a small animal clinic and 2000 hours working with large animals.
lol I totally took that comment at face instead of using my brain when I responded.
I do not know, so cum GPA doesn't matter?
I remember there being a discussion on this somewhere else. In my experience, the community college I went to (junior college) was MUCH MORE rigorous than any of the four year universities I attended. I've spoken to other students who have had similar experiences. All of my lower-division science prerequisites were taken at a junior college. While some schools may look at grades in this way, it did not affect me one bit in the application process. In fact, I might say that those who attended the junior college I attended might be at a disadvantage. The number of drop-outs in my classes sometimes reached up to 50% due to the fail rate on exams (much more difficult exams than those I have ever taken at a high-level four-year university). There were definitely pre-vet students in my classes. In other words, the name of the universities I attended did not seem to play a role in the application process, at least in my experience.