Veterinary Medicine Frequently Asked Questions

If you're currently a KU undergraduate student, send ane-mail to collegeadvising@ku.edu from your KU email address asking to add the appropriate PreHealth interest code to your student record.

• Warmth, compassion and genuine concern for people
• A well-informed passion for the profession
• Sincerity, honesty and integrity
• The ability to actively listen
• The ability to communicate clearly, through writing, talking and non-verbal cues
• Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
• Thoughtfulness, balanced by the ability to make difficult decisions
• Confidence, not arrogance
• A positive and enthusiastic outlook
• Awareness of current events and social issues
• Appreciation and respect for cultural diversity
• A desire to work hard
• Enthusiasm for learning
• Appreciation for science, both the process and the value of tested knowledge
• Comfort with uncertainty
• Patience
• Maturity
• Professionalism
• Humility - True gratitude for the help, opportunities and privileges one has received
• A sense of social responsibility - a demonstrated desire to serve those who need help

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has posted a similar set of Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students, with further explanation

Because major and degree aren't central considerations for admission, the best choice is the best fit for your academic and other career interests.

In general, any bachelor's degree and major is fine.

Some professional school majors would, however, take longer than four years to complete, together with added with premedical requirements.

It’s important to actively think about possible majors and degrees, however, it’s also fine to enter as exploring, and figure them out along the way.

​It depends on your interests, major, degree, transfer courses and placement, however, a typical first-semester schedule might include English, math or general chemistry I with lab, an introductory major course or molecular & cellular biology, a second-language or social science course, and a university or major orientation class. Here are some sample schedules:​

For a MATH 002-eligible B.A. Degree, Exploring Majors:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3 credit hours)
• MATH 002 Intermediate Algebra (3)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)
• Second-Language (3-5)
• UNIV 101 Orientation Seminar (2)

For a MATH 101-eligible B.A. Degree, Exploring Majors:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• MATH 101 College Algebra or MATH 104 Pre-Calculus (3-5)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)
• Second-Language (3-5)
• UNIV 101 Orientation Seminar (2)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.A. Degree, with an Anthropology Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5)
• ANTH 150 Becoming Human (3)
• Second-Language (5)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.S. Degree, with a Behavioral Neuroscience Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5)
• PSYC 102 Psychology Major Orientation Seminar (1)
• PSYC 104 General Psychology (3)
• MATH 115 Calculus I (3)​

For a MATH 115-eligible B.A. Degree, with a Biology Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3 credit hours)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5 credit hours)
• BIOL 105 Biology Major Orientation Seminar (1)
• BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology (4)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.S. Degree, with a Business Administration Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5)
• PSYC 104 General Psychology (3)
• MATH 115 Calculus I (3)
• BUS 110 1st Year Business Experience (1)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.S. Degree, with an Exercise Science Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3 credit hours)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5 credit hours)
• BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology (4)
• HSES 269 Introduction to Exercise Science (3)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.A. Degree, with a Psychology Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5)
• PSYC 102 Psychology Major Orientation Seminar (1)
• PSYC 104 General Psychology (3)
• Second Language (5)

For a MATH 115-eligible B.A. Degree, with a Spanish Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 130 General Chemistry I (5)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)
• SPAN 101 Orientation Seminar for Spanish & Portuguese (1)
• As placed, e.g., SPAN 324 Grammar and Composition (3)
• As placed, e.g., SPAN 328 Intermediate Spanish Conversation (2)

For a MATH 125-eligible B.S. Degree, with a Biochemistry Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 170 Chemistry  for Chemical Sciences I (5)​
• BIOL 105 Biology Major Orientation Seminar (1)
• BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology (4)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)

For a MATH 125-eligble B.S Degree, with a Chemistry Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• CHEM 180 Chemistry Major Orientation Seminar (.5)
• CHEM 170 Chemistry  for Chemical Sciences I (5)​
• MATH  125 Calculus I (4)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)

For a MATH 125-eligble B.S Degree, with a Chemical Engineering Major:

• ENGL 101 Composition, or as placed by English ACT score or credit (3)
• C&PE 111 Introduction to the Profession (2)
• CHEM 170 Chemistry  for Chemical Sciences I (5)​
• MATH  125 Calculus I (4)
• PSYC 104, SOC 104, SOC 160 or any KU Core Goal 3H (3)

Thoroughly review; don't take real tests for practice; do take practice tests.

We recommend finishing courses that cover test topics before taking an admissions test, however, it's fine to be finishing the last of those courses as you prepare for the test. Additional biology courses are helpful, but not absolutely necessary. 

If you finish all the core courses by the end of your sophomore year, you could take the admissions test early, perhaps in August before your junior year. Most people take the test in May or June at the end of their junior year. If you don't do as well as you need to in May or June, you can do more reviewing and practicing over the summer, and retake in August or September.

Whether you decide to review and practice on your own, with friends, or through a commercial preparation course, give yourself at least 300 hours over five months for the MCAT, 200 hours over four months for the DAT or OAT, or 100 hours over two months for the GRE to work all the way through a comprehensive review guide or series, and to take at least five full-length, computerized practice exams. 

Do take lots of practice tests, but don't take a real test for practice! All of your scores are released, and can be considered for admission.

In general, if you scored lower than average for admission, you have indications you can do significantly better, and you are motivated to thoroughly review and practice, then signs point to re-taking. 

Here are some further considerations: 

• Looking at your past history, how have you tended to perform on standardized tests?
• How well did you prepare? Did you thoroughly review and take practice tests?
• How did you score on practice tests?
• How did you feel the actual test went for you? Were you sick? Were you overly anxious? Did you run out of time before answering all the questions?, etc.
• Do you feel your scores accurately represent your ability?
• How competitive are the other aspects of your candidacy? Grades, activities, recommendations, etc.
• Are there important contexts for interpreting your scores? Are you disadvantaged, coping with a learning disability, a first-generation college student, was English your second language?, etc.
• Where would you like to go to school? Admissions guides usually list average test scores for accepted candidates. Schools also have different policies for how they will use the scores from multiple tests.
• What was your overall performance? Dental schools usually use the academic average, but differ in how they use the perceptual ability score. Optometry schools usually use the academic average. And, medical schools usually use the total of the section scores.
• Are there individual scores which might be seen as significant weaknesses?
• What happened to other people who re-took the test with similar initial scores? In general, those who scored lower than average tend to improve, while those who scored higher than average, often score lower on a re-take.
• How thoroughly would you prepare for a retake?
• What opportunities would you miss out on by re-taking the test? Would your time, effort and money be better spent strengthening other aspects of your candidacy, or do you really need an improved score to be competitive?
• Do you want to retake the test? Are you energized enough to do the preparation and practice necessary to improve your scores?
• And, if you do decide to take the test again, don't fall into the trap of studying just for the test you already took. It's important to re-review for all the topics that could be sampled!

Most professional schools require at least three letters, and many medical schools have a limit of five.

Many require two letters from faculty, including at least one from the natural sciences.

Many dental, optometry and osteopathic medical schools require at least one letter from someone in the profession.

Aim for both depth, substantial letters from people who know you well, and breadth, people who've supervised you in different kinds of courses and activities. One might, for medical schools, get two letters from faculty, including at least one from natural sciences, one letter from a healthcare experience supervisor, and additional letters from a physician or surgeon who mentored you, supervisors of other research, social service, leadership, internships, tutoring, study abroad, or employment activities. A few medical schools want three faculty letters, including two from natural science subjects.

Many schools prohibit letters from family, friends, neighbors, relatives, your elected representatives, or people who cannot speak for your abilities after high school.

Most schools ask for a letter from a health sciences committee or advisor, because they want to make sure you don't go around a central evaluation system, if it exists. Like most large, public universities, there are far too many candidates at KU for a central evaluation by a single advisor or committee. So, you should seek letters from people who've directly supervised you in the classroom and profession-related activities.

Not being accepted gives you the opportunity reflect, and deeply consider whether to re-apply or shift toward a different career path.

If you decide to re-apply, talk with representatives from admissions offices.

In most cases, a "How can I strengthen my candidacy?" approach is more constructive than "Why wasn't I accepted?" Because there really are more qualified candidates than seats, there are often no satisfying answers to "why" questions.

For those with similar qualification to many who were accepted, it's not a satisfying answer, however, many accepted candidates are re-applicants who've had more time to learn, gain experience and mature. Often, the judgment of selection committee members is more "not-yet-ready" than "will-never-accept."

If you want to strengthen your qualifications, you can consider re-taking the admissions test, re-taking undergraduate science courses, taking additional science courses, and/or applying to formal post-baccalaureate (post-bac) programs geared toward helping candidates strengthen their qualifications. The National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) has posted an excellent introduction to post-bac programs in their Resources for Students, and there's a new common application for programs, PostBacCAS.

It's also helpful to continue strengthening other aspects of your candidacy by getting additional shadowing, volunteering, service, working and research experience.

Many re-applicants are accepted! For example, at the KU School of Medicine, one-fourth to one-third of the seats usually go to re-applicants.

If medicine or veterinary medicine, and you're not accepted as a re-applicant, you may want to consider applying to international schools.

If you decide to pursue other careers, the University Career Center can help you clarify your career values and goals, and apply for related internships, jobs and graduate programs.