Colleges in MI

[americana-lover]

Hey everyone! I was just wondering if anyone knew of a great vet college in the lower part of Michigan, I do know that Michigan State is really good, but I dont think I will get accepted, because of my low GPA. It's my dream to get to MSU, but I need to have a back-up college, any ideas?

 

[michickenwrangler]

Michigan State is the only vet school in Michigan. However, you can get your pre-vet done at most of the 4 year universities. Baker College also offers a vet tech course at several of their locations.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

For your undergrad degree, go to a school that is affordable! With vet school comes some heavy loans! I went to a small, yet affordable school (scholarships helped a lot!) in south jersey. It is not a well known college, but I did well there and participated in lots of animal related activities and was still able to get into Cornell's vet program.

Once you start applying for vet schools, being an in-state resident will probably help you a lot. I didn't have an in-state school in NJ unfortunately.

 

[americana-lover]

Thanks for the info! I did some info on Cornell, and it looks so amazing! Are there any classes I can take in high school that will make me stand out when I apply? Like, should I take a special business elective? So far Ive just been taking art classes, becuase I also love art. Next year I'll take a more professional elective, but I dont know if my school offers any for a soon-to-be-vet. Any ideas?

 

[michickenwrangler]

Biology, chemistry and related classes, especially AP.

I taught at the high school level for a few years and one of the local vets came to talk about college and his experiences. He said that taking Anatomy in high school was a big help.

4-H animal experience will be helpful as well and 4-H has scholarships. If you are involved with horses in anyway, several horse organizations in Michigan offer scholarships too. A boy from our 4-H group is now attending Grand Valley State in Grand Rapids and received a scholarship from 4-H. He is studying chemistry.

It would also be helpful to talk to younger, local vets.

Where are you in Michigan? PM me if you don't want it on here.

 

[americana-lover]

Thank you so much for all the info! Its helping me a lot!

Im in the lower half of Michigan , on the outskirts of Novi.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Really? I grew up in Farmington Hills.

Carol Geake DVM is the only vet I know in the area and I'm sure she is retired, she's got to be close to 70 by now. She had her practice on 8 mile right near Maybury State Park.

We used to use the vet in Farmington near Grand River and Orchard Lake Rd, but I have no idea who is practicing there now.

Novi has urbanized a lot since I was a teenager in the 90s, it was still fairly rural then apart from the mall/shopping area. Do you know if there is a 4-H office near you? You could try Googling 4-H Oakland County Michigan although iirc, I think it's further north in the Holly area.

Does your high school offer a job shadow program or career fair? I attended Farmington High on Shiawassee Rd and back in the 90's, they used to offer stuff like that, but they may have changed in the era of budget cuts. Due to liability reasons, you probably wouldn't get a lot of hands-on work with animals, more likely you'd be cleaning kennels and organizing files, but it would give you a very good idea of how vet offices are ran.

But since OCC and Oakland U and even Schoolcraft CC and Washtenaw CC are within easy commuting distance for you, look into their pre-vet program. What you may be able to do is take some basics for your 100 and 200 level courses at OCC, then transfer to a 4 yr university for your 3rd and 4th year before applying for vet school.

I kow this is anathema for Michiganders to mention but ... Ohio State DOES have a very good vet program and Columbus isn't terribly far from you (we lived for a few years in a Columbus suburb before moving back to Michigan). Obviously too far for daily commutes, but you could still come back to Michigan on weekends.

Keep your options open. Good luck

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Vet schools didn't look at all at my high school academics, though having a background in the sciences did make it easier to understand my science classes in college. I had quite a few art classes under my belt in high school though so take then if you like them and do well in them! Having a decent gpa is important to getting into a good college and getting scholarships as well.

What the vet schools DID look at was animal experience throughout high school and college, so it is important to volunteer as much as possible and also see if you can get a job in a vet hospital as an assistant.

Let me know if you have other questions. I'd be happy to help answer them!

4h is another great idea. Lots of opportunities there!

 

[americana-lover]

Thanks for all the info! My grandparents live in Toledo, so maybe I could live with them and attend OSU. Would that count as a student who lives in the state? I applied at my local Animal Shelter to volunteer, but there is a waiting list

I think Im number 50 or somthing! I guess the art classes are good, because they help my gpa!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I think most schools want to see that you have set up residence for a year or two. You don't have to worry about that so much now. You could always move the the state after college for a year or two and work to save money. In fact, that's probably the best course to take (saving money) because once you start school any money you have helps to pay bills without using loans!