TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine

Program Eligibility

Students with a minimum grade point ratio (GPR) of 2.90 overall or a 3.10 GPR for the last 45 semester hours completed have met the minimal qualifications to submit an application (A= 4.0 grade points per hour). However, meeting these minimal academic standards does not make the applicant competitive nor qualify for an interview. Only traditionally graded courses are considered when calculating the GPR for the last 45 hours. Typically, the last 45 hours are composed of upper division and science courses. At the time of application, any course work that is currently in progress will not be considered as a part of the GPA calculations. This course work will be reviewed by the Selections Committee during the review sessions when selecting applicants for entry into the College of Veterinary Medicine program. Only completed course work at the time of application will be used in GPA calculation. By state law, only coursework from accredited U.S. colleges and universities of higher education can be used for computation of grade point averages.

Enrollment in the College of Veterinary Medicine is limited. Priority consideration is given to qualified applicants who are residents of Texas and who are United States citizens or residents of Texas who live in the United States under a visa permitting permanent residence.

Applicants from other states who have outstanding credentials will also be considered for up to ten positions in each class.

Criteria in both the Academic Performance and the Professional Preparation areas are carefully evaluated and points assigned in each category to select the top 132 students and alternates each year. A total of 300 maximum points can be achieved in the Academic Performance and Professional Preparation categories depending on the applicant’s achievements in each area. The weighting of criteria and assignment of points may change from year to year as refinements are made by the Selections Committee. The Dean of the CVM usually makes notification to the final members of the new class in early March.

The criteria used for evaluating qualified applicants are as follows:

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE:

Academic criteria can count a maximum of 180 points or 60% of the 300 total points. Equal weighting of 40 maximum points is given to each of three GPA calculations: 1) Overall GPA, 2) Last 45 hours GPA and 3) Science GPA for a maximum of 120 points. The remaining 60 points in the academic category are derived from the applicant’s highest GRE score with 25 maximum points each for the Analytical and Quantitative sections and 10 points for the Verbal section. Applicants are reminded that course work taken during the Fall Semester at the time of application will not be considered for determining the qualifications for interview, but will be considered in the final selection by the Committee. A summary of the Academic Performance criteria and the maximum points that can be earned are as follows:

Overall GPA ..........................................40 points

Last 45 Credit Hours GPA ................... 40 points

Science Course GPA ............................ 40 points

GRE

Analytical ............................................ 25 points

Quantitative ......................................... 25 points

Verbal .................................................. 10 points

TOTAL ACADEMIC ......................... 180 points

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION CRITERIA:

Professional Preparation criteria count a maximum of 120 points or 40% of the total of 300 points. Scores for the criteria in this category may be adjusted from year to year but are applied equally for all applicants each year. The personal interview counts 30% or 40 points and consists of a thirty-minute interview with two members of the Selections Committee and a CVM faculty member. This interview is conducted blind to the applicant’s academic record to prevent any bias. Interviews are conducted from December through January of the academic year in which the application was filed. Filing an application does not automatically qualify an applicant for an interview. The interview process seeks to determine the applicant’s personal characteristics, verbal communication skills, motivation, dedication, maturity and basis of interest for a career in veterinary medicine.

Professional Preparation criteria are termed Academic Rigor and Course Loads count a maximum of 12 points each for a total of 24 points. These areas are very important and evaluate the rigor of the academic courses taken the semester course loads, course withdrawals, etc. Applicants are expected to select challenging courses and strong academic programs for preprofessional preparation. The next important areas are veterinary and animal experience, which count a combined maximum of 28 points and measure the applicant’s preparation and experience for veterinary medicine, as well as knowledge of the profession. Applicants are expected to have gained significant experience in some aspect of veterinary medicine, animal health and care, or biomedical research related to their career goal. Ideally, applicants will spend time working closely with veterinarians or other scientists to gain a broad and deep understanding of the role of the profession in today’s world.

Veterinary experience includes all work and volunteer experiences under the supervision of a veterinarian in a clinic, research laboratory or other setting. General animal experiences are those experiences both work and volunteer of caring and handling of animals at home, on a farm/ranch, FFA, and 4-H projects, kennel, animal shelter or other and not supervised by a veterinarian. Research experiences under the supervision of a veterinarian should be listed under Veterinary. The Selections Committee will evaluate all experiences and applicants should list experiences in both categories.

The remaining 28 points are calculated from the applicant’s personal evaluations, written communication skills, leadership and extracurricular activities and socioeconomic background. The socioeconomic background criterion is a State of Texas requirement according to HB 1641. Points in these combined categories may vary from year to year as adjustments are made by the Selections Committee in the overall Professional Preparation Criteria, but are applied the same for all applicants. Each applicant is required to submit three evaluation forms. These evaluations relate to personal values and include such criteria as integrity, character, leadership, diligence and dedication, maturity and motivation toward a career in veterinary medicine. The applicant should select evaluators who know them well and can evaluate the listed criteria over a significant period of time. Evaluations from relatives are discouraged and additional letters above the three selected evaluators by the applicant are not used in the selection process. At least one of the three evaluations should be from a veterinarian. As a part of the application, each applicant is required to write a personal essay or statement. It should assist the Selections Committee in determining the applicant’s interest and career goals in veterinary medicine, as well as an example of the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly in written form. A summary of the Professional Preparation criteria and the maximum points that can be earned are as follows:

Interview .............................................. 40 points

Academic Rigor................................... 12 points

Course Loads ....................................... 12 points

Veterinary Experience ......................... 16 points

Animal Experience .............................. 12 points

Combined: Personal Evaluations/

Personal Essay/ Leadership/ Extracurricular/

Socioeconomic Background........... 28 points

TOTAL NON-ACADEMIC: ............... 120 points

QUALIFYING FOR AN INTERVIEW:

Criteria from both the Academic Performance and the Professional Preparation categories are used to determine the interview pool of applicants. The total scores from the three GPA categories, the GRE, course loads, veterinary and animal experiences and socioeconomic criteria for the entire applicant pool are used to determine the most qualified applicants for interview and further consideration. The number of applicants qualifying for interview may vary each year depending on the number and quality of the applicant pool. This means that an applicant may qualify for an interview one year and not another. The Selections Committee normally interviews the top 200 to 225 applicants each year, but may increase or decrease this number depending on the overall applicant pool.

FINAL SELECTION:

The total points earned and achieved by each applicant interviewed in both the Academic and Professional Preparation sections are totaled for the final score and the top 132 students determined. The names of these students are sent to the Associate Dean for Professional Programs to be presented to the Dean of the CVM who makes the formal offer of a position in the upcoming class. A list of alternates is also determined and a number of these applicants are given an offer each year due to deferrals and non-acceptance. The CVM and Selections Committee firmly believe that the selection process answers the three important selection questions and selects the best students based on their individual merit, achievements, and personal qualities to be a veterinarian.

Application for Admission

Texas A&M University uses an on-line electronic application through TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service). All applicants must apply through the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine website at:

http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/dcvm/admissions/application.shtm

This website will provide information, instructions and a direct link to the electronic application form.

All applicants, both Texas and non-Texas residents will be required to complete a Supplemental Form. Applicants must carefully follow the directions regarding where to send transcripts, personal evaluations, and other information.

1. Application forms are available on or about May 1, 200x.

2. A transcript from each institution attended must be included with the application. Transcripts released to students must be in a sealed institutional envelope with the registrar’s signature across the seal. In the spring, those students admitted to the program will be required to provide official, updated transcripts from each institution attended.

3. The deadline for submitting a completed application is October 1, 200x.

4. Applicants must take the GRE no later than September 30, 200x. Scores must be submitted directly to Texas A&M University using the institution code #6812. Failure to do so will disqualify the applicant for consideration during the current cycle. Since the GRE changed in October 2002, All applicants must take the new GRE before the September 30, 2004, Deadline and previous GRE scores cannot be used or considered.

Subject Prerequisites by Category

Life Sciences Category Credit hour

General Bio. With lab 4

General Microbiology 4

Genetics 3

Animal Nutrition or Feeds and feeding 3

Chemical / Physical Sciences Credit hour

And Mathematics Category

Inorganic Chemistry (with lab) 8

Organic Chemistry (with lab) 4

Biochemistry 3

Calculus or Statistics 3

Physics 8

Non-Science Category Credit hour

Composition and Rhetoric 3

Literature 3

Speech Communications 3

Technical Writing 3

2002 – 2003 Applicant Statistics

Total applications: 681

Applicant Demographics	Qualified Applicants		Interviewed Applicants		Offered Applicants
Total	TX	Non-Residents	TX	Non-Residents	TX	Non-Residents
	336	70	200	14	125	13
Men	87	16	48	7	30	7
Women	249	54	152	7	95	6
Average Age	24	25	23	24	23	24
Oldest	52	40	52	33	52	33
Youngest	18	20	18	20	18	20
Avg. GPA	3.4	3.42	3.58	3.74	3.65	3.74
Avg. Last 45 GPA	3.5	3.52	3.64	3.79	3.72	3.77
Avg. Science GPA	3.33	3.33	3.53	3.73	3.62	3.72
Avg.GRE	1715	1831	1776	1939	1813	1932

Enrolled Students	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
Total	128	132
Men	36	28
Women	92	104
Average Age	23	23
Oldest	36	41
Youngest	18	19
Avg. Overall GPA	3.52	3.66
Avg. GRE	1824	1845
Texas Residents	126	122
Non-Residents	2	10

2003 – 2004 Applicant Statistics

Total applications: 375

Applicant Demographics	Qualified Applicants		Interviewed Applicants		Offered Applicants
Total	TX	Non-Residents	TX	Non-Residents	TX	Non-Residents
	293	69	221	31	127	14
Men	92	12	71	6	40	3
Women	201	57	150	25	87	11
Average Age	23	23	23	24	23	22
Oldest	56	44	56	44	42	33
Youngest	18	20	18	20	18	20
Avg. GPA	3.43	3.48	3.53	3.77	3.63	3.85
Avg. Last 45 GPA	3.5	3.59	3.6	3.85	3.74	3.89
Avg. Science GPA	3.36	3.42	3.48	3.74	3.60	3.82
GRE
Avg.Verbal	480	505	491	541	497	505
Avg.Quantitative	635	638	651	667	664	658
Avg.Analytical	4.45	4.59	4.57	4.92	4.63	4.89

Enrolled Students	Fall 2002	Fall 2003
Total	132	132
Men	28	36
Women	104	96