What prerequisites should I take?

Unlike medical school requirements, vet schools requirements vary greatly from school to school. Here are prerequisites for schools that Princeton students usually apply to, though it may be outdated. Always check the websites of the schools of your interest for updated prerequisite requirements. 

Source: https://hpa.princeton.edu/sites/hpa/files/2018hpa-vetschoolrequirements.pdf

The AAVMC also provides vet school prerequisite summaries on their website.

Some courses such as animal nutrition, animal science, communication, public speaking, microbiology with lab, etc. are not offered at Princeton. If you are interested in applying to schools that require them, you will have to take them elsewhere or contact the schools directly to ask what they recommend.

If you would like to apply to as many schools as possible, you should consider taking most if not all of the following courses at Princeton: 

  • General chemistry with lab (2 semesters)
  • Organic chemistry with lab (2 semesters)
  • Physics with lab (2 semesters)
  • Intro Biology with lab (2 semesters)
  • Biochemistry (1 semester)
  • Calculus (1 semester)
  • Statistics (1 semester)
  • Physiology (1 semester)
  • Genetics (1 semester)
  • Microbiology (1 semester)
  • English/Composition/Writing Intensive Courses (2 semesters)

Many schools also accept AP credit (4s or 5s) for chemistry, biology, physics, calculus, and english as long as it is on your official transcript, which Princeton transcripts do include. A few schools will accept one organic chemistry course instead of two and one advanced biology class instead of two or three. Schools also are usually open to a statistics course from any department. Some also provide options to replace courses. For example, they willl accept Junior/Senior independent work in lieu of the english requirement. Reach out to individual schools early to plan out your prerequisite coursework. You can apply to vet school missing up to ~12 credits (~3-4 prereqs), but this can also vary between schools.