r/veterinaryschool

so i’m in the process of applying to vet schools right now. i am a lower gpa applicant - right now im at a 3.44.
- i have around 3000 vet hours including vet assistant, shadowing in high school, and currently working in an ER.
- i have over 2000 research hours, working in a lab since my freshmen year receiving graduate credits.
- i have 5 LORs - two from two vets, one from a professor, one from my lab PI, and another from the phd student i work under in my lab. I have a C- in general chemistry 2, and a C in general biology 2. besides that im a B-A- range student. im worried my gpa is too low.
I’m applying to around 15 schools, yes i know thats kind of crazy but im shortening the list as i go. realistically, what are my chances? should i wait and apply next year?
(i’ll have 2 pre reqs - biochem and physics 2 planned/in progress).
i’m just lost rn tbh 😫

Has anyone quit nicotine right before vet school?

Been vaping for almost a decade. Trying to quit/wean down now before vet school. It’s been about 2-3 months and I’m going insane. Gone from 50mg/ml vapes all the way down to 6mg/ml juice + 3mg zyn pouches. My mental health and cravings are worse today than they were a few weeks/month ago. All I can think about is nicotine and the more concentrated vapes. Constantly. I’m sleeping for hours on end when off and completely unproductive. Literally dreaming of geekbars. I’m so depressed and on edge 24/7!

How bad is it if I don’t quit now? Will I have an opportunity in vet school to quit, like a summer break or something like that? How terrible is it if I just wait until after vet school to quit… I don’t want to start school at a disadvantage with my mental health due to nicotine withdrawal, but am I an addict just making excuses right now?!? Of course I am!

Please tell me your thoughts and experiences.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between The University of Edinburgh and University College Dublin for veterinary school and would really appreciate input from current students or recent grads.

I’m especially interested in hearing about:

• Quality of education and clinical training
• Teaching style and student support
• Hands-on experience/opportunities
• Overall workload and stress level
• Cost of living and tuition differences
• Lifestyle and student life in Edinburgh vs Dublin
• Housing situation and transportation
• Social environment and work-life balance
• Internship/residency opportunities after graduation
• Overall happiness/regrets with your choice

If you attended either school, what do you think are the biggest pros and cons?
And if you had the choice again, would you still pick the same school?

Thanks so much — I’d really value honest opinions from people actually in the programs.

Hello everyone I just recently graduated college with a BS in Animal Science for pre vet with a GPA of 2.96 ( ik ik im stupid). I was thinking of taking classes over the summer to boost my gpa as a post bacc option but just looking at VMCAS and other competitive students I realize maybe im not cut out for this. My GPA is already a sign to admissions i'm not good enough intelligence and competitiveness wise for a rigorous program, seeing my fellow peers in my class accepted into schools with 3.8-3.9 made me realize maybe i'm not cut out for this program and it was such a far fetch idea to consider graduate with a degree i know it would be useless to consider applying to vet school with but also thinking i had a shot to improve and to get in too with compeititve candidates. All my life i wanted to care for animals have my own clinic, maybe its a sign my intelligence wasn't there for me to get that goal. Granted I could apply to island school but i feel embarrassed even considering it because I wasn't good enough for a state school.

All in all, is there any jobs to consider like big pharma companies to consider ? I'm at my ends meets with vet school knowing retaking pre reqs and or masters wouldn't make me good enough for any admissions just a laughing stock or a perfect example of " what not to do".

Hi everyone. I was recently admitted to St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine for the January 2027 term, but I was just offered the chance to start early in August 2026 instead. I have to make my final decision by 10 AM Central time tomorrow, and I am honestly really torn. Financially, either option is manageable, so that is not really part of my decision. My biggest concern is burnout and whether starting earlier would be a mistake mentally or emotionally. For context, I just graduated from undergrad last Thursday, and I am trying to decide whether it is smarter to start while I still have academic momentum or to take the extra months to genuinely rest and reset before vet school. For current vet students (especially SGU students), do you regret not taking more time before starting? Or did waiting make it harder to get back into school mode? How overwhelming is the first semester really? If you were in my position, which start date would you choose and why? I would really appreciate any honest opinions or advice because this decision suddenly became very real very fast! 😅

Hi everyone, I’m a rising third year in vet school so this is my last summer of my non-clinical year. The summer after my first year I moved to a new state and never got an externship, so to make up for it I did a short one the winter after… but I feel like it wasn’t enough compared to what my classmates did. Fast forward to this summer, I only have one externship secured, whereas my classmates have 2-3 lined up, and I feel like this summer is going to end up being a waste too. I tried cold-calling some clinics in my area but none of them have space for me. I feel so insecure about my abilities already, and I’ll be going into 3rd year with the least amount of experience in my whole class (especially with starting junior surgery this semester.) I’m not sure what to do and I feel like the 2 months of this summer that I don’t have an externship are completely wasted now. To make up (somewhat) I’m doing NAVLE prep in my own time and revisiting all my notes from my previous 2 years, but I genuinely don’t feel like it’s enough. Am I screwed?

(cross-posted from SDN)

Hi all, it's me (again). I made a post here a while back and have essentially narrowed my choices down to UC Davis (IS based on residency) and Auburn (IS due to military).

For the past month(-ish?) I have been pretty set on Auburn. Placed a seat deposit. Told everyone that I am 99.5% Auburn, 0.5% Davis. Planning to invest ~$35k in housing on Wednesday. With the start of school looming ever nearer, I keep getting this nagging feeling that I'm making the wrong choice. I can't tell if this is just me being afraid of moving somewhere totally different from home (new culture, new climate), the truly negligible "school rankings" getting in my head, the feeling that I'm being pulled in different directions by people/events in my personal life, or a combination of everything.

Here are the relevant parts of my previous "Help Me Decide: Vet School X vs Y" post:

Currently, my interest is in mixed animal general practice.

UC Davis is my instate. After attending their admitted student day I felt that the faculty and my potential future cohort were all very friendly and personable. Although they track (small animal vs large animal), it seems that there are still plenty of opportunities/electives/externships that align with my interest in mixed animal medicine. As far as “reputation” is concerned, the program speaks for itself. This is seemingly the obvious choice.

However, my husband (who is active-duty military) is currently stationed in Gulf Port, Mississippi and projected to be there until 2029. Him and I have been doing long distance for about 8 months now and I gotta be honest, it’s quite ****ty. Auburn is within driving distance to him (~4 hours). Realistically, this means visiting once a month maybe? Not ideal, but definitely more time than we’ve been able to do now living on opposite sides of the country. He has VERY selflessly, graciously, compassionately offered to transfer his GI Bill benefit to me. According to Auburn’s Veteran Affairs Center, this means that I qualify for in state tuition. That said, this would make Auburn the more cost-effective option than Davis (especially when cost of living is taken into account). ** ETA: Calculated this out to an approximately $40,000 difference after four years. Most people (myself included) have preached about choosing the more affordable school above all else.

The Auburn campus is beautiful and the city itself is a comfortable size. Not too metropolitan but not too remote either. My in-laws live in Mobile (~3 hours from campus). I really wish I could have attended their admitted student day to meet the class of 2030 cohort but unfortunately it was the day after Davis’s. I did have the opportunity to tour the CVM in January and the students and faculty were so kind.

As an aside, I do have animals that would be moving with me (2 horses). The mule is, unfortunately, *quite* ancient and I wouldn’t feel justified uprooting her, hauling her somewhere 2+ days away, and forcing her to adjust to a place that gets as humid as the South does. Comparatively, Davis is a reasonable distance away from where she is currently boarded (~5 hours) with similar weather.

Now for some additional context that was not included in my first post:

My parents are both experiencing health issues. They live in California and travel for them would be difficult - which means visiting them only on the occasional holiday (naturally, with being busy while in school). Perhaps TMI but relevant to my decision-making struggle, my dad had a massive heart attack last year and is now facing a recent Parkinson's diagnosis. It feels incredibly selfish of me to deliberately move out of state to be closer to my husband, when Davis would be a much more reasonable option to be close to family that can't travel (especially in the event my dad has another health emergency).

I am also riddled with guilt that I will be leaving my mule behind. She is in great hands at her current boarding facility with friends that have selflessly offered to look after her while I'm in school, but again she is ancient and chances are it'll be an inevitable goodbye that I can't be there for (overly sentimental, I know).

And yet, the idea of choosing UC Davis feels selfish because I would be making the "logistically easier" choice over my partner. He has said time and again that he will support my decision regardless of where I choose. But I know that deep down he's rooting for Auburn. And even this isn't a "close" option (4 hours of driving is still 4 hours of driving). And of course, there is the present uncertainty regarding the state of the world and military matters.

If circumstances were different... I know I'd be choosing UC Davis. Auburn didn't even make the list until last minute (I wasn't able to confirm with admissions beforehand if my coursework would be accepted but I decided to shoot my shot). I have made countless pros and cons lists, up to the most irrelevant details (like the fact that I absolutely despise the color orange but hey, at least Auburn's got a Bucc-ee's) and I still feel so unsure if I'm making the right decision.

I have already received great advice here and on SDN. So, to be honest, I don't know what else I am looking for or if there is anything else to be said that will provide me with better clarity. I genuinely understand how lucky I am to have these choices, but at present, I just feel torn.

I have reached out to my instate and finally got an answer about my two previously declined applications. 3.22 GPA will not get me into UGA. They love everything outside of my application but the 3.22 won't work. Their average GPA acceptances this year was a 3.77. So, lost cause because in no way would I be able to bring my GPA that high.
While I am happy to have been accepted to LMU because getting accepted in any veterinary program is an absolute accomplishment, the price itself is just so astronomical. That being said, it's my one shot.

Those of you who attend or have attended LMU CVM, do you enjoy the school itself? Do you feel their program worked well for you, and you enjoyed your time there? Whether the classes, the professors, the clinicals. Etc etc. Please, everything you can throw at me.

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pls help ur girly out, na reject yung mga pinropose ko sa thesis adviser namin kasi daw medj complicated and matagal ang process baka maging cause of delay ko. wala nako maisip na topic, and so far wala pa sya pinopropose sa akin na pwede ko gawin. i think iniisip pa nya ano pa pwede ko maging thesis pero nanghihingi pa sya ng 3 possible topic of interest namin. pls suggest kayo kahit ano huhuhu tuyong Tuyo na talaga utak ng taong ito talaga pls pls pls

I am starting pre-vet school this fall obviously with the intention of going to vet school and becoming a vet. I know I have a long time before I would do any cutting, but was anyone else nervous to cut open animals before they started? I’m starting to have some self doubt about this career path like if I can handle it, but im wondering if that’s a normal feeling to have before starting. I wouldn’t say I get nauseous at the sight of blood or anything like that, but just the mere thought of some of the things I could be having to do kind of freaks me out.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

UPDATE: I ended up ordering a pack of gardening sleeves! They are affordable, breathable, skintight, have thumb holes and UV protection. Perfect to protect me from both scratches from patients and from the sun on my walk to work. Thank you to everyone who commented, especially u/ajsb1 for recommending compression sleeves and starting me down the roll-on sleeves path!

Hello everyone! First time posting to this subreddit. 💙 I was wondering if you all could share any recommendations you have for long sleeve under scrubs that are suitable for very hot weather. If possible, I prefer more form-fitting/compression style shirts for sensory and mobility reasons. (Bonus points if it has a thumb hole!)

For context, I moved a few months to a new city with incredibly hot and humid summers to start my first veterinary assistant job. Like, average summer temps ranging from 90-100° with nearly 100% humidity. Muggy to the max. Think swamp weather.

As I’m sure you all understand, I like to wear long sleeves to protect my skin from scratches and miscellaneous fluids while restraining cats and dogs during procedures and exams. I have very sensitive skin and get raised marks and hives whenever I am scratched by anything or anyone. I take antihistamines to reduce this reaction, but even the max recommended dose doesn’t make it go completely away. With a long sleeve undershirt, I normally end my shift without any marks or hives.

However, this week is our first heat wave of the warm season, and I’m realizing the shirts I wore during the colder months just suffocate me and turn me into a pool of sweat before I even get to work. I’ve looked online and Under Armour seems like the best option for what I’m looking for, but I’m a broke pre-vet student so money is tight and I would like to avoid dropping nearly $50 for one shirt if I can.

If anyone has any shirts they’ve tried that fit this criteria, or any other recommendations for working in this field while trying to beat the heat, please let me know! I’d love to hear what you all have to say. Thank you for reading this and for any advice you give. 💙

I grew up with cats but developed cat allergies when I left home for college. I take allergy meds and plan to get allergy shots.

Am I stupid for wanting to be a vet? Frankly I don’t really care about the allergies because I love cats so much. I don’t currently have cats of my own, but just wondering if other people have allergies and how you dealt with them.

posted something similar to r/Veterinary but the more words of wisdom the merrier :)

i’m (F22) starting vet school in the fall. for context, i lived with my parents throughout undergrad to save money in my hometown that i grew up in. i’ve always been super motivated academically and professionally and i have huge goals in vet med - but kind’ve at the expense of my personal life. I didn’t really date successfully but i did try and put myself out there. unfortunately i was met with a lot of rejection through the process which is natural. But in the latter half of my undergrad and now that i’ve graduated, I see many of my classmates (at least on the outside) successfully make plans about having jobs, going to graduate school, moving in with their partners, etc. Meanwhile, despite ending undergrad successfully from a school standpoint, I had falling outs with friends, didn’t keep a stable successful relationship, and i’m looking at another 4 years of school ahead of me and beyond, knowing that I want to do a PhD or a residency and specialize and always continue learning.

Sometimes it hits me that maybe one day I’ll have achieved everything I wanted in my veterinary career but at the cost of my personal life. Perhaps not ever finding “the one”, keeping friendships, or having a family. Especially with finding a relationship - with how female dominated vet school is, the limited time to do other things, and the number of my incoming classmates already going in with long term partners, I guess it makes me nervous.

I’m wondering if anyone has had similar experiences and any words of wisdom on finding the balance between growing their personal and professional life? I don’t want to force anything in my life, but I do want to be happy personally and have a family and friends to share the joy of my career with.

I’m a third year vet student interested in specializing- particularly surgery. I’m trying to figure out where and when to do my offsite externships… should I focus on doing externships where I can get the most experiences, places with rotating internships/surgery residencies (to network), surgery heavy practices…? Etc. just looking for some guidance on the topic!!!

Hello, to whoever sees this, hopefully youre having a marvelous day. I was wondering how or if some veterinary student are dealing with the tuition cost. I have a small student loan currently and am not looking to get into more debt. I am a first generation student in college and any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone. I have an assignment about canine pregnancy nutrition and the needs in macronutrients during each pregnancy stage . I would also like to accompany the mothers diet with the ways that those macros help certain embryo system development . If you have any reference / textbook / article recommendations or any advice I’d be more than happy to read them .

Hello all

I have finished my first year of vet school. I have all A’s and B’s, and never was in danger of failing.

However, this semester has been…kind of shameful. For most of my exams, I crammed the night before or the day or two before, often staying up all night with a short morning nap before the exam. Or skipping an entire day of lecture / labs to study ho until an exam. I did this during finals week to an extreme. I had 5 finals, where I basically did an all nights with a nap, rinse and repeat. I otherwise barely reread the lectures before. I aced two finals, maintained my performance in one, and had a slight dip on another but not enough to alter my grade. A few in my class are seriously suspicious when I mention I do things this way, with some flat out thinking I’m lying to make myself look smart because of how much info one test will cover.

I am succeeding with this method, and I’m retaining information, more or less. I couldn’t tell you ALL the ins and outs of the hundred bacteria species we covered this semester or the clinical symptoms for them , but I feel like I have an overview and reading for a few minutes or googling something is usually like “oh yes, I remember this”. My tests are usually 85+ in scores if not mid to high A’s. I did this a good bit last semester too, and when I see content (like anatomy) I generally still remember it or quickly understand what’s being referred to. I don’t know the vertebral formulas or every little detail on things but again a quick review usually helps when I need it. We had a neurological exam we had to do in front of an instructor this semester, again I crammed neuro, and I was still able to make a perfect score

Suffice to say, this has had a pretty profound impact on my mental health. It reached a point where I’d cram like this, and I’d be pretty depressed or lethargic, like completely disengaged with any class content, atleast up until the next exam, so it fed into a cycle. Like having days spent in bed or doing nothing related to vet school What’s worse, was the last month I really didn’t go to class much at all..I’m also terrified that there was so much in the -ology classes that I hardly retained things. We have a capstone exam that we aren’t supposed to study for in August and I’m afraid I won’t pass. I reached a point going into finals and just told myself to survive and reset for next semester because of how underwater I felt…well I survived and maintained (one final I made a C 79 despite acing both previous exams - my only cumulative final )

My parents say “well your grades are awesome” when I say I’m worried about this and that “clearly you are doing the rights things even if handling it this way. Just adjust next semester on a regular study schedule and you’ll be fine as a doctor” I kind of want to quit but I’m too deep in since I’m out of state. I completely pivoted my career to do this so I’d essentially have nothing and no prospects with my shitty biology degrees otherwise. I’d probably consider taking my own life if I quit, this was kind of my last chance to do something with my life

Am I the only one that crammed like this? I feel like I don’t belong because all my classmates do it different but generally I’m scoring higher despite it. I don’t want to get into details but I had some serious mental health challenges this semester ( not due to the self care) and I do feel proud I survived and made good grades. But on the other hand it’s kind of terrifying…

Hi all! I was wondering if you guys could tell me which vet schools have a diverse community both in and outside the vet school and which don’t. I will be deciding which school to do my clinicals at in the fall and I would preferably want a school that has a supportive environment and not much discrimination as a women of color. If you are comfortable sharing the school names of course or can pm me!