Veterinary medicine is a scientific field. Therefore you will be taking LOTS of science classes whether you think it makes sense or not! A Bachelor's degree is actually NOT required for admission into veterinary school, but it does improve your chances of getting in if you are working towards completing your degree. Most schools only require that you have 60-90 credits of undergraduate course work to be admitted. Another thing to note, vet schools will say they have "minimums" to get in, these will most likely not get you into vet school. Vet schools say they require a 2.5-3.0 minimum GPA to apply, but the average of accepted students usually ranges from 3.4-3.7. Try to set your standards high!
You can major in anything you want and still apply to vet school AS LONG as your have all the pre-reqs done. The standard pre-reqs for vet schools are
-General Chemistry 1 + 2 (with labs)
-Organic Chemistry 1 + 2 (with labs)
-Biochemistry (some schools require a lab some don't, usually 1 semester will suffice)
-Biology 1 + 2 (Basic level bio class)
-Microbiology with Lab
-Physics 1 + 2 (with labs)
-English/Writing (3 credits)
^^ These are the core pre-reqs for MOST schools-some require more
Additional pre-reqs:
-Algebra or Calculus (Calculus looks better since it is higher level course)
-Genetics
-Animal Nutrition (some schools)
-Upper level Science Courses
-General Electives (3-12 credits)
-Every school is different
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT WHAT EACH SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY WANTS!! DON'T ASSUME IF YOU MEET ONE SCHOOL'S CRITERIA YOU'LL MEET ANOTHER. PLEASE PLEASE CHECK EACH SCHOOL'S REQUIREMENTS.
Applying is expensive!!!! Don't waste your money and chance on a school because you didn't check ahead of time! Also if schools require Algebra and you only took Calculus, don't assume that's acceptable, contact the school and ask. Schools are good at getting back to you in a timely manner. If you are unsure your animal nutrition class will meet their expectation, then ASK. Especially if it is a vet-tech nutrition class, some schools like Florida and North Carolina will NOT accept it (as of 2013).
It is not solely your adviser's responsibility to make sure you are taking all the classes that you need to take. Keep track of this yourself as well and plan out your years/semesters in advance to make sure you will get all your pre-reqs done on time. Most schools will only allow you to have 1-2 remaining pre-reqs that you can take in your last Spring semester. They specifically say that NO pre-reqs can be taken the summer before vet school starts. So get them done early!
Obviously it is important to get GOOD grades in your pre-reqs. These classes let schools know that you can handle the rigorous science curriculum in veterinary school. You do NOT need a 4.0 GPA to get in to vet school. If you have a 4.0 KUDOS TO YOU, that's amazing! If you do not then that is okay because your GPA is only a FRACTION of your application. But with some schools they will use your GPA and GRE scores as the first screening of your application, and if they are not good enough, your application will not make it to the next step :( And I certainly received a few rejections because of this!
These pre-req classes are CHALLENGING and you WILL find yourself thinking "maybe I'm not cut out for this-this is way too hard." I felt like this several times during my freshman and sophomore years! DO NOT GIVE UP! I HIGHLY recommend tutoring and getting a tutor ASAP, the moment you start to feel lost in a class. Ask your professor for help-they will help you! There are lots of resources available to you so that you can do well but it is up to you to use them!
You should definitely strive for A's and B's for obvious reasons. A couple of C's are ok! If you feel that you are doing worse than that and will not be able to pull off at least a C, then WITHDRAW. C is usually the lowest grade a school will take for a pre-req (some say C-). A couple W's on your transcripts will not hurt you. The first time I took Physics I KNEW it wasn't going to end well-and I withdrew.
Some people think that if you take a class twice and received an F in the first time and an A in the second time that schools will only take the A-NO. Most schools average ALL of your classes, whether retaken or NOT. This is why it is sometimes better to withdraw from a class so it does not affect your GPA for the worse.
This all seems complicated, I know. Just do your best-you do need to prove that you can handle these classes but there are also other parts of your application: animal experience, job experience, research experience, veterinary experience, personal statement, honors/awards, GRE scores, that will all be taken in to consideration as well.
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