<p>Is it really as impossible to get in to vet school as "everyone" says? I hear all of these crazy statistics and stories of incredibly qualified candidates applying all of the place year after year and being turned down consistently. I'm not 100% certain that I want to go into veterinary medicine, but it's definitely something I'm thinking about. I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next year as a freshman. If I keep my grades up and continue to gain experience in the field (working with vets etc.), shouldn't vet school be a feasible option? How extraordinary are these people who get in?</p>
<p>I definitely want to explore the field more and continue with internships to gain exposure, and I'm thinking about possibly majoring in biology, but I don't want to be applying to vet school until I'm in my late 20s and graduated when I'm 30, which I hear in often the case. </p>
<p>The four students I know who are currently in vet school all enrolled immediately following undergrad. All were excellent students both in high school and college (in high school 1 was a val, 2 were top 5%, one was top 15%). All had extensive experience with animals both in high school and college. 3 worked for veterinarians during high school and the other lived on a farm and raised horses. Two did undergraduate research and I don’t know if the other two did. It’s not impossible to get in to vet school but students need to push themselves to excell.</p>
<p>It is important to apply to several vet schools. Of the 4 vet students I know, one had a direct admit from her freshman year, 2 were denied admission to at least one school, and I have no idea where the 4th applied- I just know she attends our state school.</p>
<p>It’s definitely not impossible. It is difficult and requires a whole lot of dedication however. From what I’ve seen, competitive applicants seem to have GPAs (including science GPA) in the 3.5+ range. That’s not to say that people don’t get in with lower, however, especially with really good vet/animal experience. It seems getting experience in lots of different aspects of vet med is important. While some people get 1000s of hours of experience in a particular area (working as a tech at a small animal hospital, for example), it seems that vet schools also want to see that you have exposure to a variety of different areas (large animal, shelters, research, etc.).</p>
<p>I think if you can obtain at least a 3.5, do respectable on the GRE, and get enough exposure to veterinary medicine that you know for certain what you are getting yourself into and can articulate that, then you should have a pretty good shot. Things like obtaining leadership roles, having interests outside of vet med, etc, also help. </p>
<p>Also, it’s definitely a big advantage to have a vet school in your state since most vet schools allot a majority of their seats to in state residents.</p>
<p>It is very difficult (a tougher admit than medical school), but it’s not impossible. My daughter was admitted on her first try. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.</p>
<p>Wow. I want to be a vet also. Seems really competitive! So working in shelters should be good?? Also, around my place, Animal Hospitals doesn’t allow volunteering.</p>
<p>Hey underdog. hopefully i can help as my sister was in a similar situation about 6 or so years ago. okay since youre going to UPENN, that’s a huge plus for you as far as applying to vet school since penn is arguably THE best. the biggest problem for my sister was her GRE score and GPA. it is true that they need to be incredibly high to even be considered, however dont count yourself out. if by the end of ur undergrad years you find getting into a US school isnt feasible, try out of country. My sister attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and now is currently completing her clinical rotations at UPenn. although ross is looked down upon by SOME (note i said SOME) stuck-up penn kids, you get the best surgical experience (because it doesnt have US restrictions) and despite being easier to get into, the training you get there is comparable and just as intense as a school like Cornell, Penn, Tufts or NC State; not to mention their graduates often outperform their US counterparts.</p>
<p>so i suggest you check it out, and i hope i was able to help,
TechGuy</p>
<p>PS Ross was recommended to my sister by the dean of admissions at penn when she initially went for her interview and found out she couldn’t get in. He said its the best out of country option and would rank in the top 7 in America. and did i forgot to mention, its on a tropical island =]</p>
<p>^Not currently the best option. Ross is not yet accredited by the AVMA, while there are colleges of veterinary medicine in both Canada and Europe that are. If you’re not able to gain admission to a DVM program in the U.S., I would explore the Canadian and European options before I would consider Ross.</p>
<p>^^students spend their last 3 semesters (theres 10 total) in an AVMA accredited vet school in the US. for clinicals and from what i have heard from other students (other than just my sister); ross kids are much better prepared than pretty much every other out of country school. don’t the the accredation thing bother you because the potential “obstacles” it presents can be fixed just by taking a test; you still can get licensure in all 50 US states and you take the same exams as everyone else.</p>
<p>^With all due respect, the fact that the DVM program at Ross is not accredited should tell you a great deal about why it’s easier to gain admission there than at an accredited college of veterinary medicine in the U.S., Canada or Europe. The AVMA has strict standards for accredited DVM programs that address faculty qualifications, academic instruction, clinical training and facilities. At this time, the program at Ross – which has been reviewed by the AVMA repeatedly – simply does not meet these standards. Spending 250k to attend a DVM program that is not accredited should give any rational applicant pause. There are better alternatives for most DVM applicants.</p>
<p>but isnt the whole “easier to gain admission” thing the point of the OP posting this thread? depending on which schools you are talking about, they can be just as competitive as US schools, in which case you are making a moot point.</p>
<p>You may want to look at Canadian vet schools. Canada has 5 vet schools for a population that is smaller than California.
University of Prince Edward Island
Univerity of Montreal (French)
University of Guelph
University of Saskatchewan
University of Calgary</p>
<p>They just opened a new vet school at the University of Calgary. Most schools have a few slots open for Americans and Canadian schools are fully accredited and the equivalent of US schools, they are NOT considered foreign vet schools.</p>
<p>^An applicant to a DVM program is seeking to be trained as a medical doctor. It’s difficult to get into vet school for a reason – the program of instruction is long, intense and academically demanding. If an applicant is not admitted to an accredited program, the reason lies with the applicant’s lack of qualifications, not the school. The problem with Ross is that it admits many applicants to its DVM program who do not have what it takes to complete the education required of a medical professional. This is certainly NOT to say that every student at Ross is incapable of becoming a competent veterinarian – but the fact that many are not DOES impact the overall quality of the program and is a reason, in addition to the absence of any meaningful faculty research activity, that the program remains unaccredited.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of someone who got into Cornell? I just graduated from high school, am currently working the whole summer at a vet Clinic, and will be attending UCLA in the fall… What do I need to do to get in?</p>
<p>Do you think going to a “ranked” undergrad school like Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, or University of New Hampshire sets you up better to get into vet school than going to a school like Oregon State University or University of Maine (both considered third tier). Both Oregon State and Univ. of ME have good animal sciences and biology programs with prevet emphasis. They also have Honors Programs. My daughter is smart with a weighted GPA in high school over 4.2 and a 32 on her ACT, but she likes the state schools for the location and cost.</p>
<p>I am having the toughest time trying to choose a major for college. I live in Ohio and am hoping to stay local. There are a few different colleges with multiple programs that I am interested in. My parents have recommended that I look into the pre-professional programs because it will lead me right into grad school and then into a career immediately after graduation. I know most Ohio colleges have multiple pre-professional programs like Walsh, [Pre-Professional</a> Programs | Pre-Professional Degree | Pre-Professional Majors](<a href=“http://www.walsh.edu/programs.htm]Pre-Professional”>http://www.walsh.edu/programs.htm) , but I am not sure which one to focus on. I am worried that if I get into a major that it will be too late to switch to another if I dont like it. I am not excited about spending the next 6 years of my life in college which is making this decision even harder. Is there a point when it is too late to pick a major? I am planning to attend my Freshman year without a major but just focus on the pre-requisites.</p>
<p>Many schools do not permit a student to designate a major until sometime during the sophomore year. Vet school requirements (like pre-med, pre-pharm and pre-dent requirements) can be completed in 2 very intense years. (It’s the chem courses that are the bottle-neck. The required 4 semesters of chem are in sequence and cannot be shortened.)</p>
<p>You have time to try a variety of gen ed classes before committing to a major.</p>