C o l l eg e o f S ci en ces & H eal t h Pro f es s i on s
Pre -Pro f es s i o n al Pro g rams
P RE -V ETERINARY
Updated 3/2016
R O S S U N I V E R S I T Y V E T E R I N A RY M E D I C I N E
ACADEMIC COURSEWORK
REQUIREMENTS
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Brittany Wampler
Coordinator,
Pre-Professional
Health Programs
Main Classroom 218
b.wampler@csuohio.edu
Appointments:
216-687-9321
Veterinary science involves working
with animals as patients and working
with others to aid in the holistic care of
animals. Veterinarians are responsible
for treating and diagnosing disease,
preventing disease, providing care to a
wide range of animals or specializing in
the care of one species, and working
with animal owners regarding best
practices of care.
Being Pre-Veterinary at Cleveland State
University is not a major. Most preveterinary students choose to major in
Biology, but you can choose any major
and complete the prerequisites for
veterinary school.
HELPFUL
WEBSITES:


CSU Pre-Professional
Programs:
www.csuohio.edu/
sciences/preprof
Association of American
Veterinary Medical
Colleges: www.aavmc.org

Veterinary Medical
College Application
Service: https://
portal.vmcas.org

Ross University School of
Veterinary Medicine:
http://www.rossu.edu/
veterinary-school/

The Ohio State University
College of Veterinary
Medicine:
www.vet.osu.edu
Cleveland State University is fortunate
to have a partnership program with
Ross University School of Veterinary
Medicine, an American Veterinary
Medicine accredited institution outside
of the United States. Ross University
SVM is located on the island of St. Kitts.
Course Number
Course Title
BIO 200/201/202/203
Intro Biology I/II/Labs
CHM 261/262/266/267
General Chemistry I/II/Labs
CHM 331/336
Organic Chemistry I/Lab
PHY 221 OR 231
College Physics I/II Biomed Apps
BIO 306 OR CHM 402
Biochem/Molec Bio or Biochem I
BIO 308/309 or 310/311
Cell Biology or Genetics
ENG 101
English Composition
Math 147 or 167 or 168 or Choose at least one of:
Statistics, Pre-Calc I/II, Calculus
181
I
Nine semester hours of
electives. Choose at least
one from approved list.
Comparative Anatomy, Med
Terminology, Microbiology,
Nutrition, Physiology, Foreign
Language, Public Speaking,
Introduction to Business
In addition to the requirements
outlined, students are also required to:
Additional Course Recommendations: Please review other
school requirements as the average applicant applies to
4-7 veterinary programs.

Maintain an overall Grade Point
Average of 3.2 or higher

A Grade Point Average of 3.00 or
The above list is not comprehensive for all veterinary
higher in all courses designated by
schools and programs. Each school may have slightly
RUSVM as pre-requisites for admission different requirements and it is the responsibility of the
student to take prerequisite courses according to the
No F, D, or C- grade in any prerequisite course designated by RUSVM schools they plan to apply to.

(all pre-requisite coursework must
have been completed within the past ten years)

A score in the 25th percentile or better in each category of the Graduate Record Examination (in the
case of multiple attempts, the highest score is taken from each section)
Ross University and Cleveland State University recommend that a student earn their baccalaureate degree
from Cleveland State and apply for the partnership at the end of the third year. Students will work with the
Coordinator for Pre-Professional Health Programs regarding prerequisites and outside of the classroom
experiences. Should a student want to apply to other veterinary medical schools, students need to
research prerequisite courses and requirements.
ABBREVIATED
TIMELINE
FRESHMAN YEAR




Maintain a strong GPA.
Attend pre-health meetings
on campus to get involved.
Get to know professors in
early biology and chemistry
courses.
Explore careers in
veterinary medicine and
develop Plan B options
through extensive
research.
SOPHOMORE
YEAR



Maintain a strong GPA.
Pursue meaningful
experiences through
related activities, including
shadowing experiences.
Develop relationships with
faculty, mentors, and
veterinarians that could
serve as references.
JUNIOR YEAR





Maintain a strong GPA.
Consider who you will ask
for letters of reference and
schedule meetings to ask
them specifically.
Write your Personal
Statement and have at
least 3 people review it.
Plan a timeline/study
schedule for the GRE and
sign up for a test date
during the spring or
summer.
Familiarize yourself with
VMCAS application site,
instructions, and processes.
SENIOR YEAR




Maintain a strong GPA.
Continue to pursue
meaningful experiences
related to veterinary
medicine.
Complete the application
process through VMCAS,
including secondary
applications.
Prepare for interviews.
A P P LY I N G T O V E T E R I N A RY S C H O O L
The application process to
veterinary school is a rigorous
one. Being that there are only 30
veterinary schools to apply to,
students need to be competitive
in order to get admitted.
Most veterinary schools accept
the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
as the entrance exam to
veterinary school.
All of the veterinary schools use
the VMCAS system for
applications. It is a centralized
system where students complete
the first application. The
application opens each year in
early May. Application deadlines
are set by the institutions, but all
applications must be in VMCAS
by mid-September each year to
be considered. It is important to
follow all directions and
deadlines carefully.
The actual application itself
contains many parts. You should
start as early as possible to give
yourself as much time as
possible to complete the
application.
Below are the main components
of the application:





Academic Record/
Transcripts
Extracurricular/Work
Experience/Publications
Test Scores (GRE)
Personal Statement (5000
character limit)
Letters of Reference
After you submit your
application, you will be expected
to complete any secondary
applications for the individual
institutions that you applied to.
Schools will then invite you to
interview. You will be expected
to discuss your motivation for
veterinary medicine, personal/
professional goals, and
assessment of current health
issues. You are usually provided
with information about the
school’s interviewing process.
You can get help with all areas of
the application —reviewing your
personal statement, GPA
calculation questions, mock
interviewing—through the
College of Sciences and Health
Professional Pre-Professional
Programs.
GAINING EXPERIENCE
Student organization
involvement/leadership,
volunteer work, research
experience, job shadowing—
there are so many options when
it comes to creating a wellrounded resume. In addition to
the coursework, veterinary
schools want to see wellrounded and committed
applicants.
Most veterinary schools require
at least one letter of reference
from a current veterinarian and
therefore shadowing is
paramount. You can shadow one
veterinarian or several. In
addition, students often have
1200+ hours of veterinary or
animal experience to portray
their commitment to the field.
What is the best way to find
someone to shadow? Please see
the helpful tips below for tips
and tricks when it comes to
finding a veterinarian to shadow.

If you have a relationship
with your family
veterinarian, start by asking
that person!





Conduct an online search of
vets in the area.
Call the office and get an
email address so you can
send a professional email
(in the form of a shortened
cover letter) along with your
resume.
When you email, make sure
to state your intent. How
long do you want the
shadowing experience to
last? What do you hope to
achieve through the
experience?
Treat any interaction like an
interview. Be professional
at all times.
Even if the vet says no or
not at this time, thank them
and let them know you
would like to shadow in the
future if an opportunity
arises.
Please keep in mind, you need to
be successful in the classroom
while also seeking out the
opportunities you find to be
most rewarding. There is no
specific recipe for success in this
area and you need to be
selective in what you do to add
to their application.
Make sure to plan carefully and
early. Also, think about how the
people you meet through all of
your experiences could help you
as you apply to veterinary
schools. You never know who
you interact with that can have a
positive (or negative) impact on
your candidacy for veterinary
school.
If you have additional questions
about shadowing or other
experiences, visit the
Coordinator for Pre-Professional
Health Programs !