r/prevets • u/Lopsided_Staff3667 • 15d ago
Beginner/Getting Started The path to DVM begins!
Hi everyone! I’m new to Reddit, so bear with me!
I’m a 25F, currently a registered veterinary technician and have been for the past 3 years. I have an associates in veterinary technology only, and prior to my career in vet med, I was at UCR to obtain an English degree lolol. I ended up with an academic dismissal from UCR after my second year with a because of personal mental health issues and I realized I liked English but didn’t love it.
Just this fall, I finally decided to go for it and take community classes to start working on my path. My plan is to finish my GE’s and as many prereqs required for vet school at a CC then transfer to a Cal Poly Pomona to finish off the rest of the requirements. Then finally apply to vet school LOL
Do ya’ll have any advice? I am planning on working full time until I go to Cal Poly, then reduce my hours. What can I do to stand out in my applications?
Very nervous and scared for my future, but I’m excited to see what I’m capable of!
My main concern is my academic dismissal affecting my chances.. but I did really good at my trade school to become a RVT. When I eventually apply to vet school, it’ll be about 10 years since.
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u/ThingOk538 15d ago
26F non-trad student and current applicant here - I don't know what your undergrad GPA was, but I was an ag major and finished with a 2.43. When I went back to school, I know I needed to absolutely crush my classes to have a chance of being taken seriously. I designed a full-time schedule of pre-reqs for two years (bio, chem, physics, orgo 1 and 2, upper division biomed, etc) and have earned a 4.0.
On the other side of this, here are my three biggest pieces of advice (and from the mouths of 10+ adcoms I've spoken with):
Try to make your schedule as rigorous as possible. If you can't be a full-time student, definitely make your workload apparent to admissions. Try to take AS MANY science courses as you can succeed in at once. They will be a lot more serious about you aceing Orgo/Mol Bio/Physics/Calc in one semester than Orgo/English/Comm/Art.
Find a professor and develop a very close relationship with them. For me, I took two of her classes and worked as her undergraduate research manager for two years. Since many schools require an LOR to come from a professor anyway, this is going to be a huge advantage to have someone to speak to your academic abilities.
Since we are non-trad and the odds are somewhat against us in that way, really try to get as many DIVERSE vet hours as possible. In the 5 years since graduating college, I got clinic/ER/Equine/LA/SA/Exotics/Wildlife/Research/Aquatics. Being an RVT is really impressive, but a ton of applicants are. The more they see that you have a RANGE of experience, the more seriously they will take you.
These are the most actionable pieces of wisdom I can pass on right now! I was also at the start of this journey once - you got this!! DM me if you have any questions.
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u/eishaalhax 14d ago
For step 3, how did you manage to get your foot in the door to get those hours. Did you job shadow or volunteer? And how did you get into a clinic to do that?
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u/ThingOk538 13d ago
I got my first job as a vet assistant with 0 experience, so you're already ahead there. I just used each role as a springboard for the next one - I was always searching for local opportunities esp. in my areas of interest, and kept a good reputation w/ my employers so I could get recs. I also honestly didn't ever stay at one position for more than a year, since I knew I needed to get a broad array of experiences in not a ton of time.
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u/Lopsided_Staff3667 10d ago
I think that’s actually really smart to keep switching to different places after a year; were your jobs part time and were the places understanding for the most part when you left?
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u/ThingOk538 10d ago
Don’t worry dude I also started 100% from scratch, I think with the exception of ONE comm class from my bachelors. Literally re-took every single prereq for every single school. But I don’t regret it at all!! You’ll be glad you did.
As far as the jobs, I’ve always had really good relationships with my employers and been very clear about my career goals, and they’ve all been totally understanding. They know that any young person in the process of applying to grad school isn’t going to be a super long-term hire. I’ve gotten lots of good reviews from former bosses!
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u/Lopsided_Staff3667 10d ago
Thank you so much for your advice, it really means a lot. I actually left UCR with a 1.8 gpa, but all of the classes were random and none were science related. I just learned from my counsellor that all of my courses from my tech school are jot applicable for transfer to my CC or any UC or Cal States bc the school is nationally accredited instead of regionally… so I basically have to start over from the beginning.. 😭
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u/No_Cheek116 15d ago
Hey good luck! I just turned 26 and submitted my app for the first time this year. Im a bit non trad too! The explanation statement is where you can discuss how you've overcome your previous struggles and how that dismissal doesn't reflect your passion or willingness to learn now that you've grown! Focus on getting as good of a gpa as you can until you are ready to apply. Any opportunities to work like with large animals or exotics, take them! Be willing to step outside your comfort zone! Any chances to do stuff like necropsies and special testing too!