Research or Retake Classes?

[Zerda]

Hello everyone. I'm feeling a little defeated after receiving my 12th rejection of this cycle. I wasn't going to be surprised if I didn't get in, as I started the vet path late and don't have a lot of experience. However, the closest I got to any positive feedback from schools was a waitlist for an interview at OSU, which shocked me a bit to be honest. It kind of hurt to not even be granted an interview when I applied to so many schools. Obviously though, I want to gain as much experience as possible this summer so I can get the best chances next cycle. I am torn between doing research and retaking classes this summer, as I'll likely only have time enough for one. Here are some of my current stats for context:
Current GPA (retakes replaced): 3.58 (162 credits, current senior planning to graduate in May)
Last 45: 3.74
About 900 vet hours
About 400 animal hours (~270 wildlife 65 shelter 65 large animal)

I may have an opportunity to participate in research either at CSU or at a lab in Nebraska this summer. I think this would be valuable as I don't have any experience in research at all. However, I was also thinking of retaking some classes this summer. I have 2 B-, and a C+ that are dragging down my prerequisite GPA a lot. Does anyone have advice on what would be a better use of my time? If it’s research, how many hours should I aim for? And if it's classes, should I defer graduation until the end of summer so they show up on my undergrad GPA, or would that reflect negatively on me? Thanks in advance for listening to my rant/questions.

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[supershorty]

What’s the breakdown of your veterinary experience hours? Are all 900 in the same area of vet med?

Your GPAs are fine, assuming your science GPA is along the same lines.

Do you have an in-state school and did you apply to it?

 

[Zerda]

I have about 20 hours volunteering as a vet assistant for Street Dog Coalition, 30 shadowing a wildlife vet, 40 shadowing a small animal GP vet, 1 hour assisting with the gelding of an alpaca, and the rest are working as a vet assistant at a small animal/some exotics clinic. My in-state is a 2+2 program with Nebraska and Iowa- they calculated my last 45 as 3.72 and science prerequisites as 3.24. I was denied there. I'm hoping as well with the new requirement this coming cycle for 9 credits of advanced biology classes and getting an A in biochem I can add 12 credits of 4.0 to that science. VMCAS calculated my science for last cycle at 3.42 with retakes averaged (with retakes replaced it's about 3.65)

 

[ks1034]

Hello everyone. I'm feeling a little defeated after receiving my 12th rejection of this cycle. I wasn't going to be surprised if I didn't get in, as I started the vet path late and don't have a lot of experience. However, the closest I got to any positive feedback from schools was a waitlist for an interview at OSU, which shocked me a bit to be honest. It kind of hurt to not even be granted an interview when I applied to so many schools. Obviously though, I want to gain as much experience as possible this summer so I can get the best chances next cycle. I am torn between doing research and retaking classes this summer, as I'll likely only have time enough for one. Here are some of my current stats for context:
Current GPA (retakes replaced): 3.58 (162 credits, current senior planning to graduate in May)
Last 45: 3.74
About 900 vet hours
About 400 animal hours (~270 wildlife 65 shelter 65 large animal)

I may have an opportunity to participate in research either at CSU or at a lab in Nebraska this summer. I think this would be valuable as I don't have any experience in research at all. However, I was also thinking of retaking some classes this summer. I have 2 B-, and a C+ that are dragging down my prerequisite GPA a lot. Does anyone have advice on what would be a better use of my time? If it’s research, how many hours should I aim for? And if it's classes, should I defer graduation until the end of summer so they show up on my undergrad GPA, or would that reflect negatively on me? Thanks in advance for listening to my rant/questions.

I would definitely say research. My gpa is 3.42 but I have significant research time with a few publications and I got into 2 schools this cycle. I also have a few thousand veterinary hours. think your gpa is fairly competitive and adding to your application through more vet experience and research would be your best bet.

 

[JaynaAli]

I would not personally retake classes you got a B- and C+ in. Many, many people get in with a C or two (or more), myself included. Before you do retake them, make sure you know how the schools you apply for handle retakes…by that I mean do retakes replace the previous grade, are they averaged (in which case I certainly wouldn’t waste your time retaking), etc. Make sure you know the potential impact because each school can handle retakes differently.

Whether research is the best use of your time is another question. It certainly can’t hurt. Getting exposure to different aspects of vet med might also be something to consider, since your hours are very small animal focused.

 

[Zerda]

Thank you all for your advice. I agree that retaking classes probably isn't the best use of my time. I do have some questions though. How many hours of research should I am for to prove I have experience in it?