u/WellingtonMalone

I’m applying to vet school this cycle and would love some advice on my remaining prerequisites/school choices.

Stats:
BS in Sociology + BS in Criminology from Virginia Tech
3.9 undergrad GPA, Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa
~3.7 current GPA (basically sGPA/last 45)
2,000+ veterinary hours (CSR + VA)
200+ surgical hours
200+ shelter medical care hours
10+ wildlife shadowing @ aquarium
60+ urgent care hour (just started as VA at urgent care)
• Misc additional shelter/wildlife/veterinary experience

Courses completed for vet school at a community college:
General Biology I & II + labs
General Chemistry I & II + labs
Physics I + lab
Microbiology + lab
Cell Biology
Medical Terminology

Remaining:
Organic Chemistry I & II
Genetics
Biochemistry

My target schools are VMCVM, NC State, UF, Texas A&M, UGA, and LIU.

I originally planned to take Organic I & II, Genetics, and Biochemistry at a local 4-year university because some of my target schools require/prefer certain upper-level courses to be taken at a 4-year institution.

However, I'm realizing that the 4-year university's fall course schedule doesn't work well with my work schedule, while my local CC has sections that fit much better. The CC is also significantly cheaper.
I'm also a little concerned because I already took Microbiology and Cell Biology at TCC, and I'm wondering if that could already affect my eligibility at some schools.

So, would you:
A) Take the remaining courses at the 4-year university to keep as many schools open as possible, despite the scheduling issues/cost?
B) Take them at the CC because it's much more affordable and fits my schedule, and accept potentially limiting my school list?

For those who have applied to UF, TAMU, VMCVM, NC State, UGA, or LIU, especially with CC coursework: what would you do? Am I overthinking the 4-year vs. CC issue, or is it worth rearranging my work schedule and paying more to keep certain schools open?

Hey,
I posted here before with my current stats and plans for applying to vet school (Fall 2027 cycle). I just got let go from my job unexpectedly, and I’m honestly panicking a bit.

I was right at the point where I was about to start shadowing two veterinarians at my clinic and, hopefully, ask them for recommendation letters for my application (planning to submit around September).

Now I’m scrambling because I’ve lost both the job and what felt like my main path to getting strong vet experience + LORs in one place.

I’m trying to figure out:

- Is it realistic to find a new vet assistant job and build enough rapport for recommendations before September?
- Or am I being unrealistic with that timeline?
- Has anyone else been in a similar situation and recovered their application timeline?

I’m willing to hustle and shadow anywhere I can, I just feel like I lost my footing at a really critical time.

Any advice or reality checks would really help right now.

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some feedback on whether I’m on track for veterinary school applications and what areas I should focus on improving before I apply. I’d appreciate honest feedback on strengths, weaknesses, or things I should prioritize before submitting applications.

Current GPA: • 3.89 cumulative GPA

Prerequisite courses completed ✅/in progress🅿️: • [General Biology I + lab]✅ • [General Biology II + lab]✅ • [General Chemistry I + lab]✅ • [General Chemistry II + lab]✅ • [Organic Chemistry I + lab]🅿️ • [Organic Chemistry II + lab]🅿️ • [Physics I + lab]✅ • [Cell Biology + lab]🅿️ • [Microbiology + lab]🅿️ • [Statistics]✅ • [English/Composition]✅ • [Biochemistry]🅿️

Veterinary experience hours:

Clinical experience: • 2,000+ hours as a Client Service Representative (CSR) and Veterinary Assistant in a veterinary clinic setting • Experience includes client communication, assisting with patient care, treatments, restraint, and general clinical responsibilities

Surgical experience: • 100+ hours as a surgical veterinary assistant

Shelter medicine experience: • 300+ hours as a Shelter Medical Care Coordinator/Kennel Staff member • Responsibilities include blood draws, administering preventatives, and following standard treatment orders/protocols

Additional experience/activities:

I’m currently a dual Sociology and Criminology major (Bachelor of Science for both) at Virginia Tech. Outside of veterinary experience, I’ve completed internships involving court-ordered mediation work and with the Blacksburg Women’s Center. I also volunteer with two local SPCAs and previously volunteered with Street Dog Coalition when they were in my area. I’ve tried to build experiences across both animal care and community-service settings.

Goal schools:

Some of my current goal schools include University of Pennsylvania, University of Georgia, University of Florida, Virginia-Maryland, University College Dublin, and University of Melbourne. I’m interested in schools with strong clinical exposure, hands-on learning opportunities, and supportive environments. I’d love any insight regarding competitiveness for these programs or experiences from current students/applicants.

Additional information:

I’m passionate about animal care and veterinary medicine, and I’m mainly trying to determine whether my experiences feel balanced enough and whether there are areas I should strengthen before applying.

Any feedback is appreciated!