Pre-Veterinary Program

Freshmen year

• Attend Intro to Veterinary Professions workshop and social
  • Meet with pre-vet advisor/learn pre-vet requirements
  • Talk to pre-vet upperclassmen to get a reality check
• Think about a major and minor courses of study
  • Review veterinary school admission requirements and develop a pre-vet course of study
  • Plan a tentative schedule for the next 3.5 years
  • Apply to the Honors Program or Honors-in-Major Program (if desired)
• Develop study skills
  • Maintain excellent GPA (>3.5!)
  • Get GRE or MCAT Student Manual
• Attend The University Day Campus Picnic and Student Activities Fair
  • Begin extracurricular activities
  • Participate in pre-vet club
• Work/volunteer/shadow in veterinary, medical and/or animal industry/biotechnology
  • University
  • Regional veterinary practices
  • Consider what you will do this summer
• Subscribe
  • To veterinary and/or medical journals
    • JAVMA, NEJM, Nature, Science, etc
  • Read interesting books about health, medicine and veterinary medicine
    • Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity. By: Eric Chivian, Aaron Bernstein
    • Get Into Veterinary School: Insights by an Admissions Expert – For U.S. and Canadian High School, College and Returning Adult Students. By: Joseph M. Piekunka
    • Vetting: The Making of a Veterinarian. By: Dr. Pete Freyburger
    • All My Patients Have Tales: Favorite Stories from a Vet's Practice. By: Jeff Wells
    • A Brief History of Disease, Science and Medicine. By: Michael T. Kennedy MD
    • Veterinary Medicine: An Illustrated History. By: Robert H Dunlop, David J. Williams

Sophomore year

• Continue to:
  • Work/volunteer/shadow in veterinary and medical field
  • Meet with pre-vet advisor to discuss your program
  • Fine-tune your college schedule
  • Read interesting books and journals in the veterinary and medical fields
  • Maintain excellent GPA
• Plan for any special junior-year program (e.g., study abroad, national exchange, honors, UROP, IROP, etc.)
  • Consider participating in research
  • Consider what you will do this summer
• Study for GRE/MCAT (summer before junior year if you will take the exam early)
  • Apply for GRE/MCAT (if you will take it early)
  • Check veterinary schools' entry requirements and average GRE/MCAT scores to see if you should retake the exam

Junior year

• GRE/MCAT
  • Study for GRE/MCAT (if not yet taken)
  • Apply for GRE/MCAT (if not yet taken)
  • Take GRE/MCAT:
    • August before junior year
    • April of junior year
    • August after junior year
    • Scores must be reported to veterinary schools by application deadlines – allow at least three weeks for scoring and reporting!
• Continue to:
  • Work/volunteer/shadow in veterinary and medical field
  • Meet with pre-vet adviser to discuss your program
  • Fine-tune your college schedule
  • Read interesting books and journals in the veterinary and medical fields
  • Maintain excellent GPA
• Gather information about veterinary schools
  • Go to Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges website (aavmc.org) for links to specific schools
    • Start to narrow down list of schools to which you plan to apply and make sure you have taken courses required by each school
  • Get applications through Veterinary Medical Colleges’ Application Service (VMCAS) – Applications are available June 1
  • Check individual school admissions websites for supplemental applications
  • Begin preparing VMCAS essays
  • Request reference letters
  • Obtain/send/review transcripts
  • Apply for Early Acceptance Program (optional; see details for specific veterinary schools)
• Visit nearby schools in which you are interested
• Consider what you will do this summer

Senior year

• Continue to:
  • Work/volunteer/shadow in veterinary and medical field
  • Meet with pre-vet adviser to discuss your program
  • Fine-tune your college schedule
  • Read interesting books and journals in the medical and veterinary field
  • Maintain excellent GPA
• Take GRE/MCAT in August to improve scores or if not yet taken
• Apply to Veterinary School
  • VMCAS Applications are due Oct. 1
  • Complete supplemental applications (See specific requirements for veterinary schools) and confirm that schools have received your application materials & letters
• Interview at veterinary schools (typically scheduled for January–March)
  • Complete financial aid forms
    • Graduate and Professional School Financial Aid Service (GAPSFAS)
    • Look for local, state, national scholarships and awards
    • NH Postsecondary Education Commission Award: currently Tufts and Cornell Universities
  • If wait-listed, send letter confirming interest
• Consider what you will do this summer (keep options open)
• ACCEPT OFFER (Generally May 15)
• Consider and/or accept additional offers; withdraw previous acceptances
• Thanks:
  • Write to thank references and tell them of your success
  • Thank pre-vet adviser for all of his/her help with lavish gifts

The pre-veterinary curriculum involves a rigorous set of core sciences established for entrance into most professional schools, students are able to go beyond the core requirements. The program is very flexible and tailored to individual student interests. The goal of the curricula is to cultivate the “One Health” concept, which can lead to numerous career opportunities in the medical, veterinary and health sciences, from ecosystem integrity to the biodiversity and health issues that impact us all.

The electives listed are just an small example of the diversity in educational opportunities at UNH and across all disciplines and majors. Visit the course catalog for more options.

• Animal Rights and Societal Issues
• Coastal Ecology and Bioclimates
• Ethical Issues in Health Management and Medicine
• Field Marine Biology and Ecology
• Greek and Latin Origins of Medical Terms
• Health Management and Policy Critical Issues
• Human Genetics
• Infectious Diseases and Health
• Law, Medicine, and Morals
• Medical Anthropology: Illness and Healing
• Methods of Therapeutic Riding
• Psychobiology