What do I do?

[iloveanimals1234567891022]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

supposed to graduate around a 3.58 and now i’ll most likely be graduating around a 3.4. i’ll have 2 c’s, an f, and an f* from an academic integrity violation in a history class.

basically i got really sick, didn’t go to the doctor immediately, panicked because i needed documentation, edited a doctor’s note, got caught, admitted it, and now i’m getting an f* for the course. genuinely one of the dumbest impulsive decisions i’ve ever made and i regret it heavily.

outside of that, i have a ton of experience:

small animal, large animal, wildlife/exotics, surgery/anesthesia exposure, research, leadership, volunteering, study abroad, etc. i’ll also have strong letters of recommendation.

be brutally honest, what are my chances for vet school now? how bad does an f* look? would a master’s help? has anybody here gotten in with an f* before? i’m trying to figure out whether i should still apply this cycle or focus on rebuilding first.

feeling pretty devastated right now and trying to be realistic about my future. some words of encouragement would be nice 🙁

 

[stinkyfreddy]

Hi, I think you should really sit down and first research which schools accept students with your GPA, if they do holistic reviews of applicants, and apply to your IS ( if any). I suggest you look at the accepted student class statistics in the schools you're interested in to see if they accept students who look like you! If you think you have a great shot at any schools, I would apply. But it would also depend on this:

• If you have any personal goals of finishing vet school before a certain timeframe in your life
• If you dont mind doing a masters and delaying your app to vet school
• And most importantly, I would make an advising appointment with the admin office of the schools you're most interested in and discuss your case and honestly get some professional feedback towards if you should apply or not.

As for the academic integrity violation first off- this is a pretty crazy experience to talk about in your Explanation statement. I think it is a positive thing that you admitted it and that you took the necessary steps to ensure you do the right thing after realizing that. Sure, it is horribly wrong and doesnt make you look like an A-list candidate, but everybody has challenges and we all learn from them. But I would honestly look for pro feedback from the schools to really see if it would be smart to invest in the application right now.

As for the masters, I would say it will look a lot better. But I would also be cautious because I think that kind of violation would also affect a masters application. Like it would affect everything professional and academic honestly, so thinking about it like if it would not affect your experience of getting a masters would be a little naive. I would also reach out to schools/programs you're interested in for the masters to also give you input.

Do your letters of recommendation know about this violation? This would be key because they can also offer you advice from a professional POV.

If you end up doing the masters, I think you would definitely redeem yourself as a student at a professional level. But, I also think if you want to ball and try vet school apps, you have to be really strategic about it but definitely possible!

Yes people with Fs and C'shave gotten into vet school.

As for what are your chances: Its hard to tell if you dont share your stats with hours, but if you have a lot of those experiences I say yes you do have a good chance. It is all about how strategic you are for your application essays, especially your explanation one.

SUMMARY (sorry I rambled): Yes, assuming you have lots of hours in these experience areas I think you have a good chance. Your GPA is low-average i think, which is not bad. My recommendation would be to reach out first to your recommenders or some professor/academic person of trust to discuss this question knowing the academic integrity part of your story. Then, I would research the schools to see admitted class statistics and see which ones accept students with your stats. Reach out to any school to discuss any pertinent questions about your case and get pro feedback on your candidacy before applying. While you're doing this, start on your Explanation Statement to really dive in to this violation and focus on your growth and what you learned that will help you throughout vet school. Don't dwell on the negative. If you think deep down you're not ready for this, do the masters.

PS: I would ignore schools who DONT offer advising sessions like UPenn for example. LSU offers advising and it is pretty thorough. Idk about any others but reach out!

 

[purrlywhites]

I have gotten an F* in a general chemistry class, so it was a prerequisite. It was during COVID, I cheated on my final exam so I failed the class right at the end, over ONE question that the professor also had on our homework. I accessed our homework system but that ended up notifying the professor that I was on it during the exam. It was in my freshman year of college so I don’t know if that changes things, but I still got into schools my first and second try. The only reason I applied again is to get into a cheaper schools, which I did! (USU, Nevada resident contract). I also owned up to my mistake in the explanation statement and was not asked about it any further. My first few file reviews told me that it’s not a big deal because I explained it honestly. I honestly think it did not affect my application at all, because I still got decent chances with a 3.46 cGPA and 3.3 sciGPA. Within two apps, I got waitlisted at WSU, Iowa, Rowan, LMU-Harrogate, LIU, and accepted to Utah, Bristol, and LMU-OP. I was at the top of LIU and LMU waitlists which is where I ended up getting accepted my first cycle. I’m also not the best interviewer which may have hindered my UAZ chances, but I still got an interview there too! You sound a lot like me as an applicant overall, so just make sure you get lots of revisions on your PS and essays and interview practice in 🙂

 

[battie]

how bad does an f* look?

Doesn't look great. But you did take responsibility for the event, which is great. Something to describe in the explanation statement, including steps you would take in the future to not have this happen again.

would a master’s help?

Don't know. And I always tell people to only do a masters you would use if you never got into vet school.

has anybody here gotten in with an f* before? i

You can always assume yes to these types of questions because there are so many students getting per year and no one is perfect.

What sets them apart is how they handle the situation.