WAMC- third time applicant, low(ish) gpa

[ewilli2]

Hi all! I'm a 25 F from VA. In the past I’ve only applied to two schools- VMCVM and UT, during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 cycles. This will be my third time applying, but I’m expanding my list of schools to 13. Just looking for some feedback on my chances (and whether any of the schools I’m considering aren’t a good option). I’m in the process of finishing up a masters degree, so I’m definitely feeling better compared to past cycles. But, you never know!
Applying to: KSU, LIUCVM, Mississippi State, Cornell, Ross, MSU, Tufts (I’m currently completing my masters here), University of Illinois, University of Penn, Midwestern, Mizzou, UF and VMCVM
Cumulative GPA: 3.49 undergrad (4.0 through my master’s program)
science GPA:
last 45: 3.39


Any degrees achieved
B.S. in Biotechnology
M.S. in Conservation Medicine
GRE results: Q/V/W
Not taking
Veterinary Experience:

• Around 4000 hours as a veterinary assistant
• Around 2400 hours in wildlife rehabilitation (as an intern)

Animal Experience:

• 156 hours dog walking/ volunteering at animal shelters
• Various other volunteer positions in animal shelters/ wildlife hospitals (without shadowing a veterinarian)

Research Experience:

• Undergrad research in microbiome analysis of frog species, I presented a poster at one of our school’s symposiums
• Currently completing a master’s case study (“thesis”) and involved in several research projects focused on bats (~900 hours since I’ll be working on multiple projects throughout the summer)

Awards/scholarships:

• Summa Cum Laude (HS)
• Dean’s list once in undergrad
• President’s List once in undergrad
• Science and Math scholarship in undergrad
• Cum Laude (undergrad)

Extracurriculars:

• Lots of HS honor society involvement
• Did ballet classes all four years of HS + recitals
• I was in a community service organization (APO) in undergrad all four years where we were involved in a variety of service projects in our community

Employment:

• Outback steakhouse (hostess for a year during undergrad)
• Aquatic attendant at my town’s water park during the summer one season
• Veterinary assistant for two years

Summarize any concerns you have
My main concern is my GPA from undergrad. It wasn’t the worst, but not the best. I’ve retaken a few of the courses I got C’s in at my local community college post-bacc while I was working. And going back to school has definitely helped me here, I’m just not sure how much.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, you guys are all so great!

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[MMLJT3]

Hello!
I would consider not applying to Illinois and Mizzou. Illinois is competitive for both IS and OOS applicants. They rely heavily on GPA.Mizzou only looks at your undergraduate GPA. I wouldn’t be too concerned about your cumulative GPA, but I think increasing your last 45 GPA would be most helpful! You have a good amount of veterinary experience and research- this is great! I would consider applying to LMU! I would also look into Iowa State and UMN- they both do grade replacements.

 

[ewilli2]

Hello!
I would consider not applying to Illinois and Mizzou. Illinois is competitive for both IS and OOS applicants. They rely heavily on GPA.Mizzou only looks at your undergraduate GPA. I wouldn’t be too concerned about your cumulative GPA, but I think increasing your last 45 GPA would be most helpful! You have a good amount of veterinary experience and research- this is great! I would consider applying to LMU! I would also look into Iowa State and UMN- they both do grade replacements.

Hi!

I was definitely on the fence about Illinois, so this actually really helped confirm taking it out would be the best choice. I did swap it out with UMN on VMCAS. Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[Georgethecat]

If the schools you are interested in consider your grad school grades, then your last 45 gpa should be a lot higher. Have you factored in the retakes at community college and masters program grades?

 

[ewilli2]

If the schools you are interested in consider your grad school grades, then your last 45 gpa should be a lot higher. Have you factored in the retakes at community college and masters program grades?

Hi! I believe I did this through the VMCAS GPA calculator. Although I thought it was giving me my cumulative GPA rather than the last 45. Is there a specific way to do this somewhere to see what the last 45 would be?

 

[Georgethecat]

You’ll probably have to look at your transcripts and go back til you’ve reached 45 credit hours. For a lot of people it’s 3 semesters. I’m pretty sure they look at the entire semester, so it could be technically more than 45 hours. For example 3 semesters @18 hrs per semester would total 54 credit hours

 

[ewilli2]

You’ll probably have to look at your transcripts and go back til you’ve reached 45 credit hours. For a lot of people it’s 3 semesters. I’m pretty sure they look at the entire semester, so it could be technically more than 45 hours. For example 3 semesters @18 hrs per semester would total 54 credit hours

Beautiful, that's actually really helpful to hear. Thank you so much!