Anyone help here? Grade point, internships, work experience etc. What is the minimum needed to have a chance? Thanks.
What does it take to get into Vet school?
- Thread starter ketelmeister
- Start date
Our farm veternarian back home at one time was offered to come back to ISU to be a profesor, but turned it down, anyways back to my comment.. He at one time had a prevet student working with him for experience/internship and she tried twice to get into the ISU Veternarian program but lost out both times. She had good grades and good experience, but from what I have been told she lived in the wrong state. She was from Iowa, and other students who applied from out of state were accepted, and I believe the second time she tried she ended up being the first alternate or something to that sort, and I believe that my veternarian knew someone on the board too, and he tried to get her in but got outvoted. So lesson for today is out of state resident = more tuition money and better chance to get into vet school. My best advice is work your butt off and get great experience
All I know is its tougher to get into vet school than medical school. This is overall and nationwide. (meaning ISU vet school may not be as tough as Harvard med school.....but probably not too far off)
Vet schools have set class sizes each year. Schools often have arrangements with states without vet schools for a specific number of spots for each class. For example, ISU has a deal with South Dakota.
As far as getting in, you need a high GPA in Pre-Vet or related science major (e.g. Biology) while completing the pre-req courses. Anything less than 3.7 makes it difficult. Once you have completed pre-req courses, you can apply, even without a B.S. Be prepared to reapply in case you don't get in the first time. Also, experience is beneficial and you will need to interview well. A recommendation will help make sure you get solid consideration, especially if you a bit shaky in another area of your application. Admissions are subject to diversity consideration.
As far as getting in, you need a high GPA in Pre-Vet or related science major (e.g. Biology) while completing the pre-req courses. Anything less than 3.7 makes it difficult. Once you have completed pre-req courses, you can apply, even without a B.S. Be prepared to reapply in case you don't get in the first time. Also, experience is beneficial and you will need to interview well. A recommendation will help make sure you get solid consideration, especially if you a bit shaky in another area of your application. Admissions are subject to diversity consideration.
Thanks for the update, balken. My 14 year old daughter has expressed an interest in attending Iowa State for the Vet school. One question: If the Pre-Vet Med student doesn't get accepted, where can they go, and what can they do with that B.S.???
Thank you!
Thank you!
I have often wondered the same thing.
I had a couple of friends in high school that were 4.0 the whole way through. Got to ISU and had 3.5+ and DIDN'T get into Vet school there. I don't think they were straight Pre-Vet Med as a major however, so maybe they got a job in something major related when they were rejected.
I have heard that there is an extreme shortage of large animal vets and if you can make it through you can pretty much work where ever you want and write your own ticket.
My wife is in vet school here. She did well in animal science pre-vet at ISU and got a good GRE score. As has been mentioned, state of residence also plays a role. It is easier to get in to ISU if you are from Iowa as they take a very large number of in-state students. They also have some arrangements with other states. My wife is from South Dakota and got one of the 5 student spots from that state. They are also starting a program with Nebraska.
I'm thinking that experience is actually a bit overrated. My wife has told me about some people with a lot of experience who have been denied twice. It also sounds rather cut-throat, as someone else mentioned. Much more so than law school at Drake.
Basically, I'd say the key is to make the grades in some pre-vet (animal science or biology) field.
Someone asked earlier what could be done with those if you don't get in - I know one friend from undergrad who did biology and decided not to do vet school. She has done hospital lab work and is now interning at a pharmacy.
I'm thinking that experience is actually a bit overrated. My wife has told me about some people with a lot of experience who have been denied twice. It also sounds rather cut-throat, as someone else mentioned. Much more so than law school at Drake.
Basically, I'd say the key is to make the grades in some pre-vet (animal science or biology) field.
Someone asked earlier what could be done with those if you don't get in - I know one friend from undergrad who did biology and decided not to do vet school. She has done hospital lab work and is now interning at a pharmacy.
Iowa State actually holds the Nebraska contract now. This is the first year that 25 Nebraska students will attend the first two years of vet school in Lincoln and the last two at Iowa State, but ISU has held the contract for 3 years, I believe.
Our class is 120 students, 60 residents and 60 non-residents. I believe the freshman class is 145 students with 25 attending UNL for their first two years.
The ISU CVM website will probably be able to answer your question better than I could hope. Here is a breakdown of how students are selected:
College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University
A good friend of my wife was pre-vet and didn't get in. She wound up having to spend another 2 years at DMACC getting a vet tech degree just so she could work in a vet clinic. Not that I'm an expert in the subject but I think I would major in biology and try to get into both vet-med and regular med school just in case you couldn't get into a vet program.
My dad went, and he had a 4.0 in high school, and something like a 3.5 in college. He said vet school is a lot harder to get into than med. He even had some guys drop out of vet, because it was too hard, to go to med school. He is now a rural vet.
This basically confirms my suspicions that grades and test scores trump experience. Heres the breakdown from the link:
GPA: 35%
GRE: 20%
Coursework Rigor: 15%
Admissions Committee Review (other): 30%
A couple of clarifications from my above post. Pre-vet is not actually a major, but rather a special track you can take in any major. It identifies you as one pursuing a course in vet med and has includes the pre-req courses for vet school. Most of the pre-vet majors when I was in school were An Sci. So, if you don't get into vet school, you pursue whatever career you would like given your major. I had a some friends that did not get in after graduating. One went to grad school and got in a year later, one went to grad school and ended up completing a PhD. Another ended up starting his own plumbing business.
I forgot you have to take the GRE. Also, you no longer interview, but rather write an essay about yourself and your interest in vet school.
I forgot you have to take the GRE. Also, you no longer interview, but rather write an essay about yourself and your interest in vet school.
Next year's incoming freshmen had to go through an interview process which is the first in a long time...
I know someone who flunked out of ISU's vet college, sat out of school for a year, and then got into Iowa's med college.
It is easier to get into med school then vet school.
That being said I would go to med school since they make a lot more.
It is easier to get into med school then vet school.
That being said I would go to med school since they make a lot more.
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