Getting the Grades

I've received two questions from pre-vets regarding grades, so I figured I'd address the issue and help give a little insight!

Question 1: I've failed two classes since I started college. Do you think I'll be able to get into a vet school?

Absolutely! Failing a course or two is not the be-all end-all, so don't sweat it too much. I can speak from personal experience because I failed O-chem 1 (I typically don't blame professors for my grades but this was genuinely the professors fault - he would test us over like 10 chapters of reading each week and his questions consisted of fill in the blank sentences that came from minute details in the readings...but he never actually taught O-chem!) Even though I had a few bad grades, I still was offered interviews to 3 out 4 of the schools I applied to. So nope, you don't have to straight A's. You do however need to make sure that dedication and hard work shows through on your application. If you can only manage mostly B's and a few A's and are putting in time and effort to get experience outside of school, then you're on the right track! Vet schools look at the big picture - experience, grades, personal statement, etc. I would however suggest aiming for at least a 3.4 and definitely work to get the highest GPA possible during your last 45 hours (they often look at that separately). Even if you have killer experience, chances are low that you'll get accepted with a GPA less than a 3.0 (possible, but unlikely). And of course check with your schools of interest to see the average (or minimum) GPA of accepted students!

Question 2: I was recently accepted into the class of 2018 and my main concern is how I will keep my GPA up with such a heavy load. Do you have any tips for an over-achiever like me?

Hello fellow over-achiever! Congrats on the acceptance :) I honestly don't have tons of advice on this subject because it's really up to you to just study your butt off, but I do think that setting a schedule and staying organized is the most important key to success. For me personally, my calendar and endless to-do lists are a major way that I stay on top of things and I don't know if my grades would be as high as they are without the organizational and time management aspect. Cramming is not an efficient way to commit things to long term memory, and obviously a lot of what you learn in vet school (especially third year) should really be stored long term. Make sure you plan plenty of time to study for exams (I recommend at least a week in advance if possible). Just keep on top of things and that will take you a LONG way! You can also check out my post on keeping your sanity, which refers to using flashcards (yeah..I used to HAND WRITE all my flashcards...yikes) and I still do use them, but I use studyblue.com instead. So if that works for you I definitely recommend it! Remember that in the end, grades aren't everything (C=DVM) UNLESS you want an internship/residency after graduation. You definitely need competitive grades if you're going that route. I can tell you this though (at least for KSU) - as long as you put the effort in to learn the material, then 98% of the time you will be successful on exams. Persevere and you'll do great...good luck!