Getting into Vet School

Veterinarian school is one of the most prestigious and difficult professional schools. It is harder to be accepted into a vet school than a medical school. There is a very limited number of spots available at vet school. Therefore, future veterinarians have to go above and beyond to make them stand out from all of the other applicants.

Grades are a huge factor for determining who to accept into a vet school. Although having a 4.0 GPA would be incredibly beneficial, it is not completely necessary. Vet schools look at grades, classes, and extracurriculars (to see how busy they were and how much free time them had) to indicate intelligence, study habits, and dedication to drive and succeed. Vet school is incredibly difficult from start to finish, so they are looking for students that are willing to put in the extra effort to accomplish their work efficiently and effectively.

Each vet school has a varied list of prerequisite classes that need to be taken in order to be accepted. You do not need a science major directly related to science or the healthcare field. As long as you take the required classes, you can qualify for application to a vet school. For example, I went on a few college visits over the past year and have also toured a few vet schools. I have met a student that majored in English and another in Journalism that were accepted into the vet school.

Experience is one of the main things that vet schools look at. They look through your high school and college undergraduate years to see if you have had experience working with animals and people, internships, shadowing opportunities, etc. They want to see if you have gotten a sense of what a veterinarian is like before actual vet school. Most vet schools require a minimum hours working, volunteering, or shadowing at a vet clinic or other related business. These amounts vary. For example, when I toured Iowa State's vet school, they only required 50 hours of working with animals. It was a drastic difference from Mizzou that required 400 hours. They preferred at least 100 hours with small animals, 100 hours with large animals, 100 hours with equestrian, and 100 hours with exotic animals.

Vet schools typically require applicants to take the GRE or MCAT and have multiple letters of recommendation as well.

Getting into vet school is a struggle and results in lots of stress and anxiety, and being in vet school isn't much easier. However, if you are doing what you love, it can be totally worth it. Besides, who wouldn't love spending your entire life working working animals and keeping them alive and well.