Preparing for Veterinary School in College

The pre-veterinary track is not a major. Pre-veterinary is a track that an undergraduate chooses to be on regardless of their chosen major. Many of the veterinary school pre-requisite course requirements are built into the Science Concentrations of the B.S. in Animal Science, Biological Sciences, and other curricula at NC State University. In particular, the Veterinary Bioscience concentration within the Animal Science major covers all of the pre-requisites required for veterinary school.

Veterinary schools do not give special consideration to one major, so long as all of the prerequisite courses required for entry into veterinary school are completed. An incoming undergraduate at NC State can choose any major that is of interest to them that they will succeed in academically. Although it is recommended students consider a major that has a comparable curriculum to their preferred CVM pre-requisite requirements (i.e. math, biology, chemistry, anatomy, etc). To see the curriculum requirements for any major at NC State, visit this link.   

A minor does not necessarily improve your changes of getting into vet school, but can be a helpful way to take classes in a specific area that you want to learn more about. Some students choose a minor outside the field of veterinary medicine and instead study a foreign language or a subject they enjoy. Others use their minor to help strengthen their knowledge in a specific field (i.e., entomology).

A bachelor’s degree is not required for admission into all veterinary schools. An applicant must satisfy the required prerequisite coursework for their preferred CVM, and complete a minimum of seventy-two semester credits of classes at an accredited institution. However, most admitted students have completed three or more years of pre-professional course work, or have earned a degree at matriculation. Applicants with degrees do not receive preference over those who have not completed degrees.

Veterinary schools will accept transfer credits from community colleges in lower-division required science courses such as general biology or chemistry, statistics, humanities or social sciences, etc. However, most veterinary schools require all upper-division required science coursework, such as microbiology or biochemistry, to be completed at a four-year institution. Individual veterinary school websites should be visited to ensure an applicant is completing his or her coursework in an their preferred manner.

Courses required for admission to veterinary school may be re-taken and averaged into the cumulative GPA with the original grade received. Applicants must earn a C- or better in all required coursework or the class must be repeated. For more information on NCSU CVM’s policies, please visit the CVM admissions website found here

All required prerequisite coursework must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better, so these courses may not be taken as pass/fail. In regard to electives and all other non-required coursework, it is recommended that the pass/fail grading option be avoided as much as possible as GPA is a very important part of the application.

The amount of extracurricular activities and jobs that a student can sufficiently handle is dependent on the individual. A good way to ensure that you do not overwhelm yourself is to not over-commit to jobs and extracurricular activities early on. First, take a semester to assess how well you are able to manage classes alone, and then slowly add jobs or extracurricular activities based on your schedule and class workload. Remember that your classes and health as a student come first, so try to find a balance that works for you!

Students should be involved in extracurricular activities that interest them, but not so involved that their grades suffer. Having extracurricular activities on your resume will look good on a VMCAS, and demonstrate that you are a well-rounded individual. They are also a good outlet for students when school/life gets stressful.

NC State has over 600 general clubs. Of those clubs, several are specific to Pre-Veterinary interests include the Pre-Veterinary Club, Animal Science Club, Companion Animal Club, Herpetology Club, Dairy Science Club, Poultry Science Club, Beekeepers Club, and more!

Yes! Vet schools want to see that you have tried different areas as it diversifies your application and shows that you are truly interested in all aspects of veterinary medicine. You want to explore fields beyond your initial interests to show that you have fully delved into all aspects of veterinary medicine to understand the scope of the practice, and have made an educated decision about pursuing the field you’re most interested in. A competitive VMCAS applicant has explored specialty experiences including lab animal, food animal, exotic animal, and research experiences.

Contacting the managers that oversee the animal education units is a great way to get involved and learn about volunteer opportunities at the units. It can also be helpful to talk to faculty and other students who are consistently involved at the animal education units as they are generally knowledgeable of the volunteer or employment opportunities offered. For a list of the animal education units as well as a few other agriculture related units in the Raleigh area, please visit this link. 

The Office of Undergraduate Research is a great place to look for research opportunities! Use this link to explore research through NCSU and outside organizations.  You can also apply to do research with the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine through this link.

Utilizing on campus resources such as the Career Development Center for their resume expertise is one of the best ways to ensure your resume is competitive for whatever application you’re preparing. Find more about the Career Development Center and their Resume Workshops or individual career counseling sessions here.

Remember the 3 D’s- diversity, duration, and depth. While there is not a firm number of required hours per experience, a general guideline is to try to stay at an experience fo 80-100 hours worth of work- long enough to be able to articulate clearly why this type of opportunity/work environment/specialty is something you are not interested in doing in the future; as well as articulating any skills you gained. If it is a poor work situation or a mismatch between you and a supervisor that cannot be easily resolved, then it is ok to leave.

Pre-veterinary track students may either arrange a meeting in person by visiting 341 Riddick Hall, or may arrange a meeting/visitation day on-line via the VetPAC website’s appointment scheduler.

No, you do not have to finish all prerequisites before your junior year, but you should complete a majority of them by the end of your junior year/summer before senior year to apply for immediate matriculation. While a degree is not required, most applicants apply at the end of their junior year (during the summer) for admission following senior year, having finished most coursework.

When structuring your VMCAS application, be sure to highlight at least 200 hours of vet experience, secure 3 strong letters of recommendation (2 from vets/Ph.D. scientists), and ensure at least a 3.0 GPA for in-state students and at least a 3.4 for out-of-state students. Key sections include VMCAS Experiences, Academic History, and Letters of Evaluation, focusing on both academic strength and hands-on animal work.

Both VetPAC and CALS offer unique study abroad programs specifically designed for undergraduate, graduate, and pre-vet students interested in learning more about the world around us. VetPAC currently offers two study abroad programs: Introduction to Animal Behavior & Veterinary Physiotherapy in the United Kingdom and Wildlife Management & Conservation in South Africa. For more information on those, click here. 

Being a diverse vet school applicant doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything in the book. It’s important to focus more on depth over breadth, in addition to balancing undergraduate coursework. Find an opportunity that involves something you have a particular interest in (for example: working as a vet assistant at a small animal hospital), along with exploring something that sets you apart from the other candidates. Focus less on what those around you are accomplishing and more on what you are passionate about.

• As a first-year Animal Science pre-vet student at NC State, it’s important to focus on foundational, hands-on experiences to build animal handling skills and explore veterinary fields. There are many different opportunities you can take advantage of, including the VetPAC Internship, volunteering in CVM specialized programs like Canine College, and exploring local, small-animal, or large-animal clinics to start gaining required hours. Here are the best internships and experiences for first-year students:
  • VetPAC Leadership Internship: A beneficial internship opportunity for undergraduate students to network with professionals in the veterinary field. Pre-Veterinary students are provided the opportunity and challenge of developing and coordinating events, activities, and initiatives under the mentorship of VetPAC Program Director, Dr. Shweta Trivedi. You can also earn up to 2 credit hours of OCLE (On Campus Learning Elective) hours. 
  • Canine College Internship: Offered through VetPAC, this is a fantastic first-year internship focusing on the care, behavior, and enrichment of research dogs at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, providing hands-on experience and familiarity with lab animal medicine.
  • Museum Veterinary Medicine Internship: Also offered through VetPAC, this program provides exposure to exotic animal medicine, assisting with husbandry and health care for museum animals.

The VetPAC interns serve as an excellent resource to pre-veterinary students for providing information, answers, and guidance on pursuing veterinary medicine. Students can schedule a peer mentoring appointment to discuss topics related to: academic preparation, internship experiences, work experiences, campus life, building relationships with faculty, time management, etc.