I am entering my freshman year in college and am want to pursue veterinary medicine. What is the average GPA I need to maintain to enter a good vet program after graduation?

Hi Canaan - I would say there isn't one particular GPA that you need to maintain in order to gain admittance to veterinary school. Most schools do not have a requirement that you must be above a certain number, but in general it will need to be as close to a 4.0 as possible. The pool of students applying along with you will be extremely competitive and having a high GPA will be an asset during the application process.

Your grades are not the only factor they consider. I would recommend starting to volunteer at your local animal shelter, humane society, or with a rescue group. Try to keep track of the hours that you volunteer, as that information will be valuable on your application. Also, working at a local veterinary hospital will give you experience that is required for many veterinary college applications. You may want to gain experience in multiple veterinary environments, eg small animal, equine, large animal/farm, research, etc.

If you have an opportunity, try to attend an information session being presented by a veterinary school. May schools will hold sessions close to you in Baltimore, DC, or at nearby universities (University of Maryland will frequently host them). The closest veterinary colleges to Baltimore are the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, VA and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. If you are a Maryland resident you will have the best chance of admission at the VD-MD CVM as they are required to accept 30 MD residents each year.

Here is a link to some additional information from VA-MD CVM http://www.becomeavet.vetmed.vt.edu/admissions/requirements.

Good luck!