<p>I was just wondering, which colleges will help me to be prepared for veterninary school?</p>
<p>Upenn, Tufts, and Cornell are top schools with good vet schools.</p>
<p>Pre-vet, like pre-med, isn’t a major but rather a set of courses you take so you can apply to graduate school. The three schools mentioned above have good advising and preparation for the vet-school path.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that Penn and Cornell, unlike Tufts, have their veterinary hospitals on campus and not quite a distance away.</p>
<p>Although not required, it is often a very good idea to attend a university with an attached veterinary school. Failing that, a land-grant university with a decent animal science program also works; it is not necessary to major in animal science or even in the sciences at all, however. For one, vet admissions requires several hundred hours of animal handling experience (e.g. the average at UC Davis is over 3,000 hours), and having experience with both small (most pets) and large animals (livestock) is looked upon favorably. For another, vet schools sometimes require specialized pre-reqs (e.g. NC State requires animal nutrition) that are not offered at all schools. </p>
<p>[A</a> complete list of vet schools can be found here.](<a href=“http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/colleges_accredited/colleges_accredited.pdf]A”>http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/colleges_accredited/colleges_accredited.pdf)</p>
<p>I recommend working at a local vet clinic before college, if you don’t already. Many people start out pre-vet until they see what it actually entails. I dropped pre-vet when I realized I could never euthanize a pet, for instance, even though I know it is sometimes necessary. There is nothing glamorous about removing maggots from the backside of a dog or dealing with a car accident victim. You will be bitten, scratched, and urinated and defecated on, with often little thanks for your trouble - make sure it’s something you can handle.</p>
<p>Cornell has an amazing program, great reputation. Most of the vets at The Animal Medical Center in Manhattan, one of the best animal hospitals in the world, are Cornell grads. </p>
<p>Cornell, UPenn and Tufts are very selective. Virginia Tech has a good reputation and is less selective so you may want to look at them as well. I know a few students that have attended VT for their vet program. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Is it possible to just major in Biology in undergrad, and go to veterninary school for grad school?</p>
<p>Yes. It is very possible to major in Biology and go to vet-school. You can even major in Art History. All that you have to do is </p>
<p>a. show an interest when you apply </p>
<p>and </p>
<p>b. make sure you take the required classes (e.g. like biology, chemistry, etc.). The University should have individuals to advise and help you along the way and tell you what courses you need to take. Or, you can always look at the graduate programs of some top schools and see what classes they require.</p>
<p>At the vet school that is part of the flagship university in our state (and on the same campus), the most common major of incoming vet students was biology, with animal sciences close behind. The large majority of accepted students obtained their undergraduate degrees from the same public flagship university, where there was extensive pre-vet advising and an active pre-vet club, membership in the latter being strongly advised. Further, there are opportunities for undergraduates to get in many of the required animal handling opportunities through associated Ag programs and university-run farms that serve the Ag and Vet schools.</p>
<p>In other words, it may be a good idea to investigate the pre-vet programs at the vet schools you ultimately want to attend. If you are considering attending a public vet school, you should be aware that some have requirements that a large percentage of accepted students be residents of that state. That makes it much harder for a student who is not a resident of the state to gain admission.</p>
<p>Some programs have more developed large animal programs than others. Some have well-developed equine programs, others don’t. You probably want to do some research way ahead of time.</p>
<p>Working for a vet ahead of time is a good idea, as is job-shadowing at a vet school if that is possible.</p>
<p>EDIT: Also, remember that vet school is expensive, and many vets do not make a lot of money, so consider the price tag of some of the private schools that were mentioned above for undergraduate work. If a large amount of loans is involved for the undergraduate degree, it could make for some crushing debt by the time vet school is finished.</p>
<p>Thanks alot:)</p>
<p>Iowa State.</p>
<p>is Carnegie Mellon good for biology too?</p>