When to apply?

[popcorncat]

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Hi,
I am in my first year of undergrad right now, but didn't know what I wanted when I came in to this year. So most of the classes I took don't apply to my major (Biology, which I very recently decided). This means I have most of the electives out of the way, but I have only taken one prerequisite bio course and zero chemistry. By the looks of things it is hard for me to tell if I will have completed my major in only four years. So here are my questions...
1) When do most people apply to vet school? After their junior year or after their senior year? Because I will definitely not be able to after my junior year...
2) Do people who finish undergrad in four years have an advantage over those who take 5 years to finish when applying to vet school?

 

[aspiringDVM]

Hi,
I am in my first year of undergrad right now, but didn't know what I wanted when I came in to this year. So most of the classes I took don't apply to my major (Biology, which I very recently decided). This means I have most of the electives out of the way, but I have only taken one prerequisite bio course and zero chemistry. By the looks of things it is hard for me to tell if I will have completed my major in only four years. So here are my questions...
1) When do most people apply to vet school? After their junior year or after their senior year? Because I will definitely not be able to after my junior year...
2) Do people who finish undergrad in four years have an advantage over those who take 5 years to finish when applying to vet school?

Hi there, and welcome to the forum! I would say that the majority of people apply after their junior year in college. Many schools allow you to finish up at least some classes during the semesters after you've submitted your application but before you actually enroll in vet school (this varies according to school and whether or not your remaining classes are prerequisites or not). Also, some schools will accept you even if you don't have a bachelor's degree as long as you've completed the prerequisites (again, this is extremely variable).
As for taking five years instead of four to graduate college, I doubt this would bring you down too much as long as you had a good reason (deciding on your major late, wanting that extra year to really prepare yourself for vet school), did well in your classes, and maintained a challenging course load (other people might have different opinions on this point). If I were you I'd look up the prerequisites for the vet schools you're interested in and then go talk to your academic advisor about strategically planning your schedule. Good luck!

 

[No Imagination]

Since your a freshman, let me also throw out there, beside good grades, and a decent consistent work load, don't wait too long to start getting good experience.

If you shadow/volunteer, def. try to get a diverse experiences(as opposed to 2000 hours of volunteering with 1-2 vets and only 1 type.

If your lucky enough to get a job as an assistant or tech, then all that diverse experience will probably be harder to get (if you like your job, I wouldn't quit just to get more diversity), if you need to choose I mean.

Right now, your main goal should def. be your grades!

 

[NittanyKitty]

1) Most of my "pre-vet" classmates applied after their junior year, but I'm applying this coming cycle, after I graduate. Several of us decided over the summer to take a year to work and focus on applications, which is totally cool. The average age of starting vet school students isn't 21, so being a bit older when you apply is okay.

2) I'd also say that having taken five years of school instead of four also won't matter. As long as you have your pre-reqs done, your GRE taken, and acceptable scores in both, that extra year shouldn't be a big deal. If they happen to bring it up, you'll be able to explain that you decided on the career path later in your college career and needed additional time to finish. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[JulieB361]

Hi, I'm not sure what your actual situation is, but why don't you think you will be able to complete all of your classes in 4 years? Have you met with an advisor to lay out a plan? Many freshman are just fulfilling general requirements during their first year anyway. I did not decide to go to vet school until my junior year and was still able to complete all but 2 of my pre-reqs with my completely unrelated major and minor in 4 years. I had to take 2 semesters with 18 credit hours, but it was possible. I also had to apply to vet school after my senior year, so I took one year off to work and take the last few pre-reqs.

If in the end you need the extra year, I really doubt that it will hurt you as long as you can demonstrate that you had reasons to do so. Vet schools want to see that you can handle stress, so the only way that it would hurt you would be if you took light course loads and weren't staying busy with something else like working or shadowing. Hope this helps!

 

[popcorncat]

Thanks to each of you for the input!

Here is my situation...I'm a student at Indiana University, and they don't offer a specific pre-vet program, but they work closely with Purdue so that students are informed as to which courses they need to take to get in to Purdue's program. At this point I haven't really looked at any other schools, primarily because of my financial situation...in-state tuition looks a lot better than anywhere out of state, but also because it's still early for me (although I know its never too early to start looking)....but anywhos, the guidelines for Purdue say that I still need eight more semesters worth of biology/microbiology/genetics courses...that's why I'm concerned--I don't know which ones if any that I can double-up on in one semester. That's for my advisor to answer though, who I'm seeing next Monday.

As for getting experience, I'm starting when I'm back home this summer by (hopefully) shadowing a vet in my town who I have already contacted, along with getting some volunteer hours in at the humane society. What would you recommend as far as getting more diverse experience..with exotics...farm animals, etc...I don't know of any place in my area who work specifically with those types of animals, but there is a zoo in my area, and I assume where there's a zoo, there's a vet who works with exotics. Right?

 

[sumstorm]

Just a side note, you will NEED to double up science courses and/or take semesters that are all science to prove you can hack the heavy science courseload in vet school.

I think you will probably be able to do it at IU....they tend to offer enough classes (might be harder in small schools where course conflicts could come up.) Don't forget the more random stuff (does Purdue still require Speech?) and look at OOS tuition. NC state is relatively cheap (and I think other might be relatively cheap as well.) Very few people can really hang thier hat on one school. Also, since IU participates in the IUPUI system, you can probably cover courses in the summer as well. IUPUI might not be so great to other schools, but for Purdue it is considered of the same calliber as the university (I grew up in Indiana, been a few years, but I know the education system relatively well, as I am still helping younger cousins through it.)

Also, somewhere on here is a thread about schools that you can get IS tuition after a year.

The last time I checked, Indy Zoo required $ to intern or observe there. That may have changed, but don't be suprised if it hasn't. I interned at Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria...its a drive, but might be viable for a summer or for a school holiday. There are several other zoos in Indiana (which also use vets, generally vets who have thier own clinic and contract with the zoo) that might be viable as well (but require a drive.)

Also, find a large animal vet to observe, variety counts. Ummm....if you are able to get into Eli Lilly's lab animal stuff, you might be able to get some observable days with a lab vet. If you can get time to head west, Illinois in Urbana-champaign has a dog lab where they test dog kibble. The vet there is pretty awesome and has a good sense of humor.

Good luck!

 

[twelvetigers]

Purdue requires calc - I know this because I crossed it off my list for that reason. Oh, math.

any wildlife rescues in the area? Those can be great for some volunteer experience as well.

 

[aspiringDVM]

Purdue requires calc - I know this because I crossed it off my list for that reason. Oh, math.

Off topic, but how on earth did you manage to get through physics with no calc? I can't imagine.

 

[DVMorBust]

I know our university had 2 physics sequences - calc-based and non-calc=based. Granted, the latter was harder from a physics perspective, but you didn't need the calc to take it.

 

[nyanko]

Yeah, non calc based physics is icky. It's basically a ton of algebra and memorization. 😴

 

[shortnsweet]

Here is my situation...I'm a student at Indiana University, and they don't offer a specific pre-vet program, but they work closely with Purdue so that students are informed as to which courses they need to take to get in to Purdue's program. At this point I haven't really looked at any other schools, primarily because of my financial situation...in-state tuition looks a lot better than anywhere out of state, but also because it's still early for me (although I know its never too early to start looking)....but anywhos, the guidelines for Purdue say that I still need eight more semesters worth of biology/microbiology/genetics courses...that's why I'm concerned--I don't know which ones if any that I can double-up on in one semester. That's for my advisor to answer though, who I'm seeing next Monday.

Mmm you're going to HAVE to double up...no matter what major you do, pre vet, bio, or even english...you can't get by taking one class each semester...
I go to a small liberal arts school where there is also no pre -vet major, but usually schools have some sort of health related advisors, clubs, etc. I would investigate those and have a nice sit down with your advisor. You CAN fit in all the classes, you just need to learn how to budget your time and while not overloading yourself, still have a challenging schedule. My best suggestion would be start looking at the fall semester classes and see if you can start your chem sequence this upcoming year, along with a biology class or two. That should put you back on track for finishing everything 🙂 Good Luck!!

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, I took trig based physics. If I could go back and take calc right after trig and THEN take the calc based physics, I would. There were schedule conflicts at the time, and now (over a year out of Physics II) I would rather rot than go back to a math course. Anything but math. Lol.

 

[ckd816]

I also did not decide I was definitely going to shoot for vet school until mid-spring of my freshmen year... I hadn't started a single chemistry, biology, or remotely science related course and I will have no problem finishing in 4 years. Also, I only took 27 credits during my freshmen year so I was already behind! I've taken 17 and 18 credit semesters since then, but either way it'll work out. I had to withdraw last semester due to a large variety of reasons so that'll technically mean it took me 4 and a half years to get my degree, but still 8 semesters of coursework. Just try not to overload! I tried to overcompensate since I knew I had catching up to do and it probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had since it had been a couple years since I had taken and science or math. Anyway, good luck!

 

[nyanko]

as a chronically indecisive person who changed majors 4 times and got 2 bachelors degrees, I can't help but get the giggles at you guys acting like the middle of freshman year is really really late to decide to go to vet school.

 

[LivestockDoc]

as a chronically indecisive person who changed majors 4 times and got 2 bachelors degrees, I can't help but get the giggles at you guys acting like the middle of freshman year is really really late to decide to go to vet school.

I'm with you, Nyanko. I started college in 1984, and didn't complete a Bachelor's until 1991 from another school. I've continued to take classes off and on ever since. I like to learn! When I apply this summer, I have no doubt that the length of time it took me to complete my Bachelor's, as well as the length of time I have been taking college classes (25 years now) will be completely irrelevant. It's the GRADES that matter.