Applicants must complete the required courses at an accredited college or university.The Faculty Committee on Admissions reviews the following subjective criteria in accordance with the “holistic review” process employed by the College. Candidates are considered academically qualified for review if they meet the following minimum academic standards at time of application: Cumulative GPA - 3.41. Veterinary Experience A minimum of 200 hours of clinical, medical, agribusiness, health science or medical related scientific research experience is required by the time of application. Experience can be obtained in any area of the veterinary medical profession (small animal, large animal, research, food animal production, exotic, aquatic, wildlife, zoological medicine, etc.). The work can be either paid or voluntary and must be completed under the supervision of a veterinarian (or PhD scientist if scientific research). Applicants will be evaluated on the ability to demonstrate how the experience helped shaped his or her understanding of the profession by description of experience and level of duties.2. Animal Experience All other animal related experiences will also be evaluated, such as working with livestock, breeding/ showing dogs or similar, working at a zoo, aquarium or pet shop, equestrian activities, volunteer time at an animal shelter/rescue, etc., and these should be included in the “Animal Experience” section of the VMCAS application.Unlike veterinary experience, there is no minimum contact time required for animal experience. However, please note that this category doesn’t include companion pet ownership.While applicants are expected to obtain veterinary and animal experience on their own, NC State University’s Pre-College Programs offer opportunities in a variety of disciplines – each aimed at helping students prepare for college while experiencing NC State life. Disciplines include agriculture, cultural education, design, engineering, leadership, math, science, technology, and writing. Some current programs are excellent experience opportunities in veterinary medicine.3. Educational Experience Consideration will be given to academic excellence, the course load per term, employment concurrent with school attendance, and participation in intercollegiate athletics. This will also include evaluation of accomplishments such as honors, awards and advanced degrees.4. Evaluation Forms/Recommendations Three (3) recommendations are required using the VMCAS Electronic Evaluation system (eLOR). Each evaluator should include a written narrative that supports his or her overall evaluation of the applicant. Applicants must submit letters through the eLOR system. Although VMCAS allows a maximum of 6 submissions, NC State only requires 3 letters of recommendation and prefers to only receive 3 letters per applicant.It is highly recommended that two recommendations (2) are submitted by veterinarians or PhD scientists with whom the applicant has worked in a veterinary or research setting. The letters must describe the nature of the work relationship. The third letter can be from an academic advisor, employment supervisor or other evaluator of the applicant’s choosing who has some working knowledge of the applicant. Applicants should not ask relatives to submit letters on their behalf