What are my chances?
Hi y'all, I am intending on applying to veterinary school for this upcoming 2026 application cycle, and I have a lot of uncertainty when it comes to who I am as an applicant. This uncertainty is due to being a non-traditional applicant, as after my undergraduate degree, I took a gap year to figure out other career options, which was followed by a 2-year master's degree, that will be completed by 2027. My first school of choice is UC Davis, as that is my in-state school; however, I will be extending my applications around the US such as Colorado State, Washington State, University of Georgia, and more.
I understand more veterinary schools are moving away from interviews due to the influx of applications, so I would like opinions on my stats. These are expected stats as I am using this upcoming summer to gain more experience. I am also open to discussing this in further detail.
GPA: 3.56 (Undergrad), 3.6 (W/ Masters)
Science GPA: 3.3 (Undergrad), 3.4 (W/ Masters)
Veterinary hours (900 hours):
Small animal clinic (650 hours), California wildlife (150 hours), South Africa Zoo (100 hours)
Animal hours (950 hours):
Marine mammals (450 hours), wild birds (300 hours), South Africa Zoo (50 hours), Horse caretaker (100 hours), FFA Livestock: Cows, Pigs, and Goats (50 hours)
Research (2,240 hours):
2022 Zoo animal welfare (320 hours), 2023 - 2024 REU Ruminant microbiome (720 hours), 2025 - 2026 Ocean bacteria and viruses (1200 hours)
Other:
2023 - 2024 Community outreach lead, San Diego and Mexico (600 hours), 2023- 2024 Teaching Assistant (500 hours), 2024 Medical Assistant (520 hours), 2025 Lowe's worker (480 hours), 2025 American Cetacean Society (50 hours)
Letters of Recommendation
Small animal veterinarian, Marine mammal veterinarian, California Dept of Fish and Wildlife veterinarian, a veterinary technician, and my research advisor