Should I apply this cycle?
Hi everyone! I’m trying to decide whether I should apply this upcoming vet school cycle or wait another year, and I’d really appreciate honest feedback.
I’m currently a junior in college with around a 3.8 GPA (3.97 last 45, 3.76 science). By the time I apply, I’ll have completed most/all prerequisites depending on the school.
My experiences by the end of summer:
• ~600 hours as an animal assistant/intern at a small animal clinic
• 160 hours Wildlife rehabilitation with vet
• Years of equine handling experience but only 20 ish hours equine vet
• 100 hours in bioengineering research
• Leadership/student organization involvement (president of animal shelter volunteering club at my college, weekly science class after school program for elementary-high school students 4 hours per week)
• 250 hours shelter volunteering (wildlife, small animal, critters)
Letters of recommendation (to be determined)
• small animal vet
• 2 academic (ochem and physiology prof)
I’m also trying to balance the financial/time cost of applying this cycle versus strengthening my application first. Academically I think I’m in a decent spot (3.8 GPA with a strong upward trend and recent upper-division science A’s), but I’m worried I don’t have as many veterinary hours or as much diverse animal experience as many applicants I’ve seen online.
I’d really appreciate honest feedback from current applicants/vet students/vets about whether applying now seems reasonable or if waiting a cycle would be smarter.