<p>Sorry, it cut off my title for some reason >_<</p>
<p>Anyway</p>
<p>George Mason has offered to put me in their Modern Minds program, which means if I apply, I don’t have to pay for admission or write an essay, and they’re giving me “priority admission consideration.” And I already have credits from other programs I’ve taken part of in the summer. They’ve also mentioned admitting me into their honors program.</p>
<p>However, I’m leaning towards becoming a vet, and George Mason doesn’t offer any animal sciences programs. I know the first few years of college are kind of just reviews and basic course work, but I’m not sure if it’s better to get into a college that will put you in their advanced programs, or get into a college that does have animal sciences even if it means sacrificing the favors George Mason would give me. </p>
<p>Is there even a point in trying to attend a college with an animal science program as an undergrad? Like, if I attended, would I even be taking the animal science course? Or is that more for graduates? And is there really much of a difference in taking an animal science course at George Mason versus taking one at Florida State, for example? </p>
<p>I’m not sure what I should do. Please help!</p>
<p>I live in NJ. As far as courses go, GM has animal science classes, just no programs like Florida State does. I would be able to get a BS in Biology from GM, but not a BS in Animal Sciences or Zoology like at University of Florida. As far as I know, though, the BS in Bio from GM would still get me what I need to meet the requirements for a graduate vet program from Florida or another vet school.</p>
<p>As far as I know, there aren’t really any vet leaning colleges in NJ. Cost is an issue as I have a single parent and am pretty much expected to get myself through college. But GM is also offering financial aid. At the same time, however, my dad does live in Florida so if need be, I could live with him if I go to UF.</p>
<p>This Wikipedia article gives you an overview. One problem is that most vet schools (25 out of 28! ) are public schools that hold very few seats open for out of state students. It is a real obstacle for students in states such as yours that don’t have a vet school!
[Veterinary</a> school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Veterinary education - Wikipedia”>Veterinary education - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>So you need to do more research into this profession, in part because you should try to discover what else you could do that would be as fulfilling without having to get a DVM degree.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be a vet technician or any of the similar jobs you mentioned. I appreciate your attempt to put me on the right path, but I already know it’s hard to be a vet. I also know that it’s harder to get into out of state school, but New Jersey does have contracts with certain schools which reserve seats for residents. Furthermore, I’m planning on becoming a large animal vet and I have tons of hand on experience with animals, both of which are things vet schools are looking for. I’m also a pretty solid student. </p>
<p>My question with George Mason is will being an honor student and getting a Bio degree from there help me increase my chances of getting into a vet school, or should I try and aim for a school like Florida right away instead of saving it for my graduate school?</p>
Depends on the vet school. Generally their requirements are more strenuous than those for med school. Some require things like animal nutrition and vertebrate physiology. </p>
<p>vintagelego, the odds are unfortunately stacked high against you wherever you go; I am fairly certain NJ has no agreements with vet schools, and it has no vet school of its own. If you decide to attend GMU, establishing VA residency, perhaps by taking a year off after graduation from college, would give you a good shot at Virginia Tech. </p>
<p>(1) Figure out where you want to go to vet school and look at their admissions requirements. Make sure that the offerings at GMU line up with those you need for vet school. Each vet school has different requirements.</p>
<p>(2) Find out what sorts of animal handling and vet med experiences are available in and around George Mason. You’ll need several hundred hours of both, preferably dealing with both small and large animals. (Regardless of your specialty, you’ll be trained in both in vet school.) This is usually much easier to do at places like vet schools like Ohio State or Cornell, but it is doable at other colleges as well. Given the proximity of GMU to DC, you might want to consider interning at the National Zoo.</p>
<p>In response to the NYT article BeanTownGirl posted, it should pointed out that many of those complaining about limited job options in vet medicine are those looking to practice small animal medicine in large cities. There are quite a few job opportunities open to those who want to practice large animal medicine or who’re willing to work in more rural areas. In fact, my home state of NC offers scholarships to those willing to work on chickens, sheep, and the like after graduation, because they are desperately in need of people in those areas.</p>
<p>I wasn’t suggesting you substitute being a vet tech for being a veterinarian! I was saying that your undergraduate education can easily lead you into alternate career paths such as as a scientist (zoologist, wildlife biologist, agriculture), public health, medical researcher (lots of crossover between human and animal medical science).
Do try to follow your dreams but keep your mind open to other possibilities that involve science and animals!</p>
<p>I did some research and discovered that the program in which NJ purchases seats to compensate for the lack of vet schools in state was discontinued as of 2011… which is unfortunate…</p>
<p>I do live 15 minutes from Philly. Do you personally believe it would be worth trying to get into a school in Philly and then obtaining residence and trying for University of Pennsylvania? Or do you think my chances would be better in Virginia?</p>
<p>Once you obtain a DVM, does it really matter much where you got it so long as you go into a field of higher demand?</p>
<p>I know going as an undergrad wouldn’t constitute as residency, but if I can get into a PA school and then bunk during my last year of undergrad with some of my friends who live in Philly, would it increase my chances of getting into University of Penn? Or should I just try to go to Virginia, considering Virginia Tech seems easier to get into?</p>
