Should I apply to a lot of schools this cycle?
I apologize I’m a wordy individual and my anxiousness is not helping and also I’m just going to put a trigger warning up here as I have some implied sensitive content about myself in my circumstances which is appropriate labeled below. ⚠️
So I am getting a bit anxious about applications this cycle and I’m wondering if it’s really worth the money to apply to as many schools as I’d like with my current gpa and I’d just like some advice. Below I’m putting my stats and please be honest with me.
I have graduated with a total gpa of 3.62 at my school. My total gpa is 3.67. My major (biology) gpa was 3.46, but my total science gpa is around a 3.5 due to high physics grades and extra chemistry grades. My prerequisite gpa jumps depending on school but the range is from 3.5 to 3.8. My final 45 hours gpa is a 3.97.
For experience, I have worked at a pet store and farms for around 3 years combined and have around 2000+ hours with animals ranging from small to large to exotic. I have interned at two mixed practice vets for 300 hours and one of them is writing me a recommendation. I was hired as a vet tech after graduation and have gotten 300+ hours from my new clinic and will be there until I get into vet school. A vet at this clinic is also writing me a recommendation. Volunteer hours are around 600. I have around 300 from high school since I participated in like 10 extracurriculars and most of them were volunteer work. In college I was apart of a cultural club and environmental club as well as the president of our pre-vet club senior year which gives me around 300 more.
For recommendations I’m getting them from those two vets, my research professor, the professor I’m closest with, my supervisor for my radio manager job that I did for 4 years at school and my minor professor since I have a second minor is creative writing that isn’t science related. I have so many because the vet schools I’m applying to are asking for a wide variety of recommendations.
For jobs I have worked at a pet store for 2 years, a shearing farm 1 year, at various vet clinics for 3 years, as a radio manager for 4 years and a biology, chemistry and basic music tutor for 1. I also have a variety of clubs to list.
For some circumstances I most definitely plan on using that section since I have a lot of them. I’m just warning what I’m going to say might be a bit sensitive for some people, so proceed with caution. ⚠️ Freshman year was rough on me and I had come from one of the only unsatisfactory high schools in the country (US) and my state and it still is so I made some bad grades first semester and have retaken to improve some of them. My second semester was rough but it got better. In my second year I suffered from some pretty severe anxiety and ended up being diagnosed with autism and to add to it my dog I’ve had since I was 6 died. In the year after I moved in with some people and we had a very severe falling out with them and ended up almost doing some things to myself that I will not dive into but I ended up going to the doctor and was diagnosed with a form of mood disorder (they’re treating me for MDD) and I got ok some meds that have helped me and my grades improved drastically. But in the summer I ended up withdrawing from an important class due to health issues involving thrombocytopenia and medical anorexia. And during this time I also lost one of my best friends, one of our goats who I had raised since he was a baby. For the most part my mood improved that year though as I used my bad events for motivation and my senior year grades are almost perfect. My only hiccup (and I should say it was probably a big one) during my final semester. The day after my honors research presentation in the last month of school my mom suddenly died and I’ve been having to handle her estate for the last few months due to her being mentally ill and having no will. I also have been having some issues this summer during the application cycle as I am dealing with a possible endometriosis diagnosis due to a large cyst on my ovaries and an unknown eye condition that is being monitored.
I apologize for the lengthy post but I just wanted to cover all basis, to get an idea of my chances. I also apologize for the sensitive content, I’m sure not everyone enjoys that on a Monday.
Btw the schools I’m looking to apply are: UF, Clemson, LM, NCS, and VMVC.
Please let me know what you think and thank you for any advice.