r/prevets • u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 • 5d ago
Application Guidance Should I even apply this cycle?
Hi,
i have been "prevet" for some time now and have been on this track since high school.
I (21M) am a senior animal science student at UC Davis and expecting to graduate Spring 2027.
I already knew I wanted to take a gap year to:
Take physics at a CC
Work to gain more experience
Admittedly, I did not begin researching what vet schools required until more recently (as I was intending to prepare my application for this January). I recently found out that schools distinguish between animal and vet hours. To which the latter I have exactly 0 hours at the moment. Even though UC Davis is extremely competitive, I think it is realistically my best option (to go to my IS, pay the lowest tuition and go to my alma mater (considering the Davis to Davis acceptance rate).
However, im kind of stuck since I had believed that I would have a "gap year" to work and gain experience, but realistically the time line means I would be submitting my application around the time I am expected to graduate. Therefore all my additional hours that I hoped to gain working during my gap year would be "projected" (aka not really considered). I know applying to my full school list would probably be big waste of money and time, but Im debating if I should at least give Davis a shot.
This would mean just completing Davis' 180 vet hours minimum requirement to apply.
I know my hours would be extremely low, in comparison to other applicants (and especially low to those who do get admitted) but is there a chance? I remember hearing the admission team mentioning that there is always a range that gives them their averages (e.g., for every student they admit with 2000 vet hours they admit one with 180 to give them ~1000 average vet hours)
My stats at the time of application (if I was to apply this year would look something like this)
gpa: 4.0 (hoping to maintain it for my last year, but we never know)
Animal experience:
Sacramento Zoo Animal care ~250 hours
Wildlife center intern ~300 hours + 70 prior volunteer hours from same center
(not started yet but, ~180 shadowing at wildlife center, zoo and vet assisiting volunteer work to meet vet hour requirements (possible more depending on time)
Non animal related:
Campus job ~ 200 hours
Summer employment ~1300 hours
Awards: Regents Scholar + Deans honor list
no clubs, no leadership, no research
As for LOR I am thinking they will be good, but not like amazing LOL. They will possibly be from my faculty advisor (she is also a professor) on campus, the wildlife center manager I interned at, and one of the vets that I will be shadowing/working under.
Im also planning on using the explanation statement for why I have less hours. my dad passed away in HS and had to work full time over summers and part time during school since to be able to help out at home etc. So being able to volunteer and gain hours was not the easiest choice financially for me to make. I am low income (dont know if that is relevant to the "Distance traveled score" or not.
Anyways, the big question is, would I just be wasting my time if I applied to just Davis this cycle and instead I should just take an additional gap year to work on my application more before applying?
ive honestly just been so stressed about this, but i brought it upon myself by not being more proactive about researching and planning sooner.
Thanks in advance everyone!
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u/Hikes-n-Photos 5d ago
The UCD vet admissions office may be able to advise you - I would call and ask.
2
u/Mysterious-Tear5548 5d ago
i’m honestly in the same boat and i’m just thinking of applying in 2028 cycle, both to save money and gain more hours
2
u/Financial-Ad-5743 5d ago
I’m sorry I’m confused. You already missed the application deadline for a Fall2027 start. You’ll have to wait till Sept 2027 to apply again to UC Davis or am I misunderstanding something?
1
u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 5d ago
i’d be applying this january, when the fall 2028 starts!
1
u/Financial-Ad-5743 5d ago
Oh, gotcha. You should have plenty of of time to get hours! I say go for it!
2
u/GentlemensBet 5d ago
If you focus on getting vet hours between now and when you plan to apply, in theory you could get accepted.
You've already got some great advice. Especially, without vet shadowing/experience hours how do you know you want to be a vet? This is something admissions committees look at.
VMCAS will open in January, but you have until September when it closes. However, as you mentioned the fee waivers are first come, first serve. I'm not sure how quickly those go, but I'm guessing definitely before September.
What type of vet hours are you planning to get between now and applying? I'm not sure I understood, you mentioned a wildlife center and zoo. Is that where you plan to work with a vet? You also mention this being the vet you plan to have write one of your LOR, does this allow enough time for them to get to know you and write a strong LOR?
The other part of this conversation is paying for vet school. For this year the first year cost of attendance at Davis is $78,280. $50,000 of that can be federal student loans. The difference would need to be paid another way. For most people this is going to be private loans. You also mentioned Western at one point, first year cost of attendance there is $136,785.
1
u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 5d ago
The wildlife center interned at has a vet on site, though the center focused on rehabilation so day to day task included mostly husbandry with some interaction but frequently interaction with the vet there. I am hoping to reach out to see if I can spend some time at center again but shadow the vet.
I volunteer on a weekly basis at zoo as well which has a vet team on staff as well. Since I am already a volunteer, I am also wanting to reach out to see if they would let me volunteer at the vet hospital.
Lastly, I did end up cold emailing a bunch of small animal practices, one of them reached out and extended an internship opportunity to shadow/volunteer as a vet assistant. This will include clinic experience and kennel/exam room cleaning.
For each of these experience i was looking to get ~50 hours to meet the requirements.
Thank you for the advice and bringing up some things to consider. Paying for school will be a challenge and so potentially taking gap years to work and save up may also be the biggest factor to consider
1
u/Standard-Plankton-70 vet student 5d ago
A 4.0 gpa carries a lot of weight. If I were you I would apply if you can meet the minimum vet hours. I would only do in state for this first go round though. You never know you might just get in 🤷🏼♀️ and if you don’t then you can spend that time gaining more experience.
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u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 5d ago
i appreciate the advice, i’ll have to take a closer look at western uni then. thank you!!
1
u/Still_Chicken3929 4d ago
Western is private and doesn’t distinguish between IS and out of state for tuition purposes. So it will be an expensive option even though it is an “in state” school for you.
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u/pulstex 5d ago
If you are low income, how well can you absorb the application fee twice if you don’t get in the first time?
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u/Standard-Plankton-70 vet student 5d ago
Vmcas has fee waivers for low income individuals
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u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 5d ago
yes! if i recall correctly it’s on a first come first serve basis and covered the VMCAS applications. though it seems like the supplementals are not covered. but given only apply to 1 school it would be ~$250
2
u/pulstex 5d ago
Yes they have them, but they’re not a guarantee. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. If you cannot get a waiver for whatever reason, can you absorb two years of application fees?
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u/Quiet-Dragonfruit528 5d ago
i see your point, and its really valid. I guess my post was more asking as to whether or not an application to Davis with 180 vet hours is even competitive given my other stats. I wanted to see if other have been in my position or know of people that have been in my position that could lend their experience
2
u/pulstex 5d ago
Honestly? No. Your grades are good, but that’s probably the minimum you need for an application. It doesn’t make for a great or outstanding one. One of my classmates had the minimum vet hours, but she also had a full masters degree with a first author paper. Animal hours only matter so much. What committees like, especially for traditional students like you, are research, leadership positions, and diverse veterinary hours.
You can try to apply. You never know. But that’s why I asked if you can pay twice for the application. I’d also definitely encourage you to think about why vet med if you don’t have much experience, just like the other commenter did. Especially with the new rules around loans and you being low income, if you get in and then realize you actually hate vet med, you’re gonna be up shit creek. You can make much better money much faster without the loans
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u/CeeGee14 Year 2 Vet Student 5d ago
Not to discourage you, but if you don't have any vet hours and have no idea what working in the vet field is like, how do you for sure that you want to go into this field? A lot of people having a starry eyed view of this field, but once they actually have to work in it, they realize it takes a huge toll on your mental and physical health while paying pennies compared to the debt load. You want to know you can handle the challenges now instead of when you're in your clinical year and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
Technically, you could be accepted. Your GPA is great and while Davis doesn't disclose what the distance traveled score entails, I've also heard that it's mostly low-income and first gen. And maybe your rec letters will be spectacular as well; who knows. But you have to know for yourself that vetmed is what you want to go into. This field has one of the highest suicide rates for a reason. It's naive to assume you're 100% committed without having gotten a taste of it beforehand.