<p>I am a junior interested in vetinary studies and certainly need help trying to find schools to apply to. I would prefer for them to be small (under 10,000) but good schools. I suffer from test anxiety so my gpa 2.92uw is low and I don't predict my standardized test scores will be strong, either. I have extremely strong ECs though with a lot of service so the rest of my app will be strong. with this info can anyone recommend a school (in new england) strong in animal studies but within my reach? (so far I'm definitely considering UVM)</p>
<p>Gryphon, I don’t have any first hand knowledge of pre-vet programs in your region of interest, but if UVM is on your list you might also look at University of New Hampshire. The entry stats are similar -over 70% acceptance - and it boasts multiple internship partners and educational opportunities at their Veterinary diagnostic lab. They have dairy and equine centers for hands on animal experience which is crucial to your resume when applying to vet schools.
UMASS Amherst is larger at around 20k students, but they, too, focus on maximizing student/animal interaction. Their program has a choice of concentration in animal biotech, equine studies, or livestock studies.
the University of Connecticut at Storrs offers work with all manner of livestock and they have a contractual agreement with Iowa State Vet school for 5 spots with reduced tuition. They also list internship opportunities at the local zoo, animal research centers and shelters.
No matter where you choose to apply, make sure you take as many science & math courses - the more challenging the better - while you are in hs. You’ll need a very strong science base should you choose to apply to vet school some day.</p>
<p>Hopefully some CCers more knowledgeable about specific programs at New England schools will jump in with some guidance. Good luck!</p>
<p>I don’t know of specific schools, but just have some general advice if you do plan to eventually apply to vet school (when you said “veterinary studies,” I wasn’t sure if you meant vet tech, vet school…). Wherever you do go, be sure to take full advantage of your professors, tutors, or any other study resources you can. Also, if you feel your test anxiety truly affects your performance, most schools have some sort of way you can be evaluated and have yourself confirmed to have a learning disability (or whatever they would call that). If you do, professors will make certain accommodations for you, which may include a quiet testing area away from classmates, longer testing times, etc. I say this only because a pre-veterinary course of study, the vet school application process, and vet school itself are not friendly to those who struggle with test-taking. The fact that you have only managed a 2.92 GPA in high school is worrisome, as people who make it into vet school have an average GPA of around 3.5 (and that is college GPA), as well as high GRE scores. I don’t mean to discourage you, but this is certainly an obstacle that you will have to work hard to overcome. I know a few people in my vet school class who have similar issues, and I definitely think that getting lots of hands-on experience in vet med helped outweigh their mediocre grades/test scores when applying to vet school. Vet school itself was also rough for them, but they were able to get by–granted, I think they had to work a lot harder than most people. Stick with it and good luck!!</p>
<p>[Binghamton</a> University - Academics: Schools and Colleges: Harpur Advising: Pre-Health: Curriculum: Veterinary](<a href=“http://www2.binghamton.edu/pre-health/curriculum/veterinary.html]Binghamton”>Veterinary Medicine | Pre-health | Binghamton University)</p>