Where should I apply and WAMC?

[brownedelish]

Schools I want to apply to/home state: Colorado/CSU
OOS include Florida state, tufts, UC Davis, A&M (still making the list)

Degrees: BA in Neuroscience from CU

cGPA: 3.43
Science GPA: 3.3 (much better in last few semesters)
Last 45 GPA: 3.8

GRE: 90th percentile verbal, 60th percentile quantitive, 81st percentile writing

Vet Experiences: Small animal vet shadowing, wildlife clinic shadowing

Animal Experiences: local shelter volunteering, daily reptile and raptor care with current job

Honors/Awards: dean's list last few semesters

Letters of recommendation: 3; one from vet, one from prof, one from current AmeriCorps employer

Background info: currently doing a year with Maryland Conservation Corps through americorps. Was pre-med for four years before switching tracks to vet med.

Questions
1. Which schools would be more accepting of a non-traditional like me?
2. Should I worry about my lack of vet experience? I have lots of medicine experience due to being a pre-med for so long, but not much vet, especially due to COVID and the clinics I was shadowing at closing down for a while.
3. Should I mention my medical experience in my application at all? Would it help me in any capacity?

Thank you all so much in advance for your help!!

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[DVM2024]

Hey! How many hours of experience do you have for vet/animal? Also, I would probably remove UC Davis from your list of schools. They interview only 50 OOS applicants out of 900+ based solely on GPA, quantitative GRE score, and LORs. Your cGPA will almost definitely keep you from getting an interview. (I speak from experience, I applied with a cGPA of 3.96 and quant GRE percentile of 72% but didn't get an interview... don't want you wasting an application fee like I did). This isn't a knock on you at all, your application is otherwise quite strong, and there are many other schools with a much more holistic approach to OOS applicants. (And yes, for sure mention your medical experience!!! It will make you stand out). Best of luck!!!

 

[brownedelish]

Thanks for the feedback about UC Davis, I had no idea it was that low! I have around 150-200 hours of vet experience in the two areas I mentioned.

 

[c0smopolitan]

Take my recommendations with a grain of salt since I have no personal experience applying to these schools- but I know Texas A&M and Florida to be incredibly competitive. For reference, here are Floridas most recent admission statistics, and here are Texas A&M's. Florida accepted 26 OOS students in their class of 2023, and Texas A&M 11. Floridas OOS average cumulative/science/last 45 was ~ 3.67/3.6/3.73, while Texas A&M was 3.87/3.83/3.88. Personally, given their low OOS acceptance rate, and high academic admission statistics, I would reconsider them as apart of your list and replace them with a school(s) that have a higher OOS acceptance rate and focus a bit more on points of your application that are strong, such as your last 45.

 

[brownedelish]

Definitely good to know, I’ll reconsider those for sure - thank you. Any suggestions on schools i should add to my list?

 

[c0smopolitan]

Definitely good to know, I’ll reconsider those for sure - thank you. Any suggestions on schools i should add to my list?

It’s important for you to start doing some research on schools- their averages, OOS seats, tuition costs, etc. I personally made a spreadsheet of all the schools I was eligible to apply to based on the courses I took, and my cumulative GPA (which alone was a limiting factor). I then saw which of those schools did grade replacement vs grade averaging since I had retaken many of my science courses and did well, I knew this would work out in my favor. I applied to only (except for one) schools that did grade replacement. From there, I calculated my own science GPA for each school and compared it to their average to make sure I would still be competitive. I ended up with a list of 5 schools, 1 was my in-state. I recommend you find a research system that works for you to see where you’re going to be most competitive. Some schools weigh last 45 more heavily, some don’t look at cumulative GPA at all, some have minimum hour requirements, etc. But I think it’s important for you to do this research since everyone has different factors that are important to them, such as location, OOS tuition cost, etc. I’d imagine if you came back here with a narrowed down or new list of schools and asked for an opinion again, people would have no problem helping out.

 

[that redhead]

Schools I want to apply to/home state: Colorado/CSU
OOS include Florida state, tufts, UC Davis, A&M (still making the list)

Degrees: BA in Neuroscience from CU

cGPA: 3.43
Science GPA: 3.3 (much better in last few semesters)
Last 45 GPA: 3.8

GRE: 90th percentile verbal, 60th percentile quantitive, 81st percentile writing

Vet Experiences: Small animal vet shadowing, wildlife clinic shadowing

Animal Experiences: local shelter volunteering, daily reptile and raptor care with current job

Honors/Awards: dean's list last few semesters

Letters of recommendation: 3; one from vet, one from prof, one from current AmeriCorps employer

Background info: currently doing a year with Maryland Conservation Corps through americorps. Was pre-med for four years before switching tracks to vet med.

Questions
1. Which schools would be more accepting of a non-traditional like me?
2. Should I worry about my lack of vet experience? I have lots of medicine experience due to being a pre-med for so long, but not much vet, especially due to COVID and the clinics I was shadowing at closing down for a while.
3. Should I mention my medical experience in my application at all? Would it help me in any capacity?

Thank you all so much in advance for your help!!

Minnesota and KSU are two that I remember favoring last 45. Maybe also ISU and Michigan? But maybe a current student could chime in and confirm those last two.

You’re taking a risk applying with so few vet hours, especially with your human medicine hours. Everyone is going to want to know why you’ve made the switch and how you know vet med is right for you a human med with so (comparatively) little vet experience. Your human med experience can still help you write quality essays on communication, working with the public, etc, but I would really focus on why you’ve chosen to switch.

 

[brownedelish]

Thanks everyone! I took @c0smopolitan’s advice and did a ton of research - i think I have a pretty good list now, but still have a few questions.

thanks @that redhead! I know it’s definitely a risk, and I’ll keep that in mind for sure.

Here’s my new list: tufts (reach, I know), CSU (my state school), Michigan, Iowa state, Illinois, VA/MD, and missouri.

• I would have liked to add minnesota, Kansas, and Ohio, but I’m missing the microbio and public speaking/communication prerequisites for all 3. Would it be worth it to take these courses online I can cast a wider net to increase my chances?

 

[brownedelish]

Bump?

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Imo it's not worth paying for an extra course to apply to a few more schools especially when it costs to apply to them and go to interviews for them. Especially if you didnt get into them or didnt end up attending them.

However its ultimately your decision and theres no right or wrong decision with it.

 

[WildZoo]

You can look into whether those schools allow you to take pre-reqs in the summer before matriculation and if any online classes that they accept would be offered during that time. That way you could wait and only take those courses if you end up getting accepted.

On another note, those three schools are also going to be on the more expensive side anyway, and you have other options on your list that have a lower cost of attendance. So you can look at it as having to pay more to apply to schools that you would then have to pay more to attend.

 

[battie]

Here’s my new list: tufts (reach, I know), CSU (my state school), Michigan, Iowa state, Illinois, VA/MD, and missouri.

Hi! Colorado resident that is now a fourth year at Illinois. Besides your hours and your lower science GPA, you look okay for Illinois, pending your essays and your letters (which make up 50% of the decision to get to interview). Your Americorp experience will be a highlight.

As you go through this cycle, consider getting more vet experience as you are able to. Hard in the current atmosphere. But if your area opens up and a local shelter or something like that needs the help, that would be a good place to start. It may be a while until that can happen however.

 

[EngrSC]

@brownedelish You could apply to K-State and VMCVM with public speaking and micro as "pending". Like you could put them in VMCAS as planned for Spring 2021 as long as you don't have a bunch of other prereqs to take. Both K-State and VMCVM send out interview invites in November so that may be enough time for you to register for those courses for Spring semester if you get an interview