College Question

[beanersmysav]

Well as High School winds down for me this year finally I'm trying to decide on multiple colleges, and I know that I want to study to get my DVM. I know this means I have about as much school in front of me as I do behind, so far the colleges I'm looking at are University of Florida, and Cornell University. Both great schools which I hope I could be accepted to, but the thing with taking the classes is I see on their website it says a good 20% of weither you get in or not depends on your experience working with or at vet offices. I don't have any near me to work at however so will this effect my chances of getting in?

[latazyo]

vet school is just like med school or dental school

you go to an undergrad college for 4 years and major in anything and then you apply to get into vet school which is grad school

I'm not sure where you got that info, but it seems completely false (the bit about needing to work in a vet's office before getting accepted)

[Artemis]

Hey hon-

Cornell sounds more impressive than U of F (no offense to any U of F grads out there) Cornell just has that certain snooty coolness to it ;)

Start as Pre-vet, and get your undergrad degree in that, then you gotta go to vet med school, which is grad school, as latazyo said. If you get this undergraduate degree, and have good grades, (and do well on your GRE's, which are like SAT's to get into graduate school) then you probably wont HAVE to have work experience to get accepted into the grad program. This however, is a question you can get answered with more certainty from your student advisor while you are still an undergrad.

In terms of getting a job post-education, You dont HAVE to work in a vet's office to land one, but nowadays a lot of places hiring look most favorably upon candidates who have both the necessary sheepskins AND related work experience.

Plus you gotta pay the insane tuition somehow, right!

Congrats on graduating HS! College rules.... Just remember, its all about balance, so dont go too crazy freshman year! ;)

Artemis

[Removed_2815]

I can answer from a Canadian perspective. Basically, in Canada, veterinary school is very competitive, more so than medical school in most cases (less spots available per number of applicants). The one university in Ontario with a DVM program requires that the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) be written! Volunteer time in a vet's office is not only beneficial in most cases, but is also sometimes required before one can apply. Take the Atlantic Veterinary College for instance, there are standardized forms that must be filled out (sort of like a Letter of Recommendation) by a person with a Degree in Veterinary Medicine - in whose office you will have volunteered your time for a minimum period (set by the university). These are requirements that must be met before you are even considered, i.e. with these schools that I have mentioned, your application gets tossed out if this requirement has not been met.
You mention that the website says 20% of whether or not you get in depends on your experience. There's your answer, that's not a joke. They, like most schools, will likely have a scoring scenario in which 20% of your score deals with previous work experience (just like your grades, your interview, essays, letters of recommendation, etc, will have a fixed percentage of value on the application).
Essentially, since it is so competitive, you will have to look for a way to set yourself apart from everyone else. There is no such thing as a guaranteed acceptance and the highest grades mean squat if your essay sucks or you have no previous experience, etc.
It's a lot of work but if you have your goal in mind now then you are much better off.
I know all of this sounds discouraging, but it's not supposed to be easy or else everyone would have a degree in medicine (veterinary or otherwise). *insert cheesy 'you can do anything you set your mind to' line here*
I have done all of the volunteering years ago and have my letters of recommendation all tucked away ready for the application process - I'm getting my Master's degree first though, I start in a few months...
Best of luck to you.
Regards,
R

[Artemis]

wow- I dont know if vets in the states have to take the MCATs or not. I know the human medicine folks do. Again, for whatever program you enter, you will have a student advisor who will be able to answer these questions for you, too.

Very enlightening RM, sounds a bit different up there, and quite intense! Maybe the reason Im getting so much flack in the cham forum about vets is the canadian vets are actually better than the ones we have here in the states.

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Artemis
wow- I dont know if vets in the states have to take the MCATs or not.
I think it's specific to the school. The Atlantic Veterinary college does not require the MCAT to be written (I am sure it couldn't hurt - provided a good score is attained). With the university in Ontario (Guelph), the competition has become so intense that requiring the MCAT is just another prerequisite designed to weed the number down and ensure only the best and most dedicated students will make it through.
Cheers,
Ryan

[TexasAggie04]

Gotta put in a plug for my own University. Texas A&M is a great undergraduate school, and our Vet school is one of, if not THE, best in the nation. I also can't say enough about the atmosphere and spirit of the school. If you have any questions, PM me.

[beanersmysav]

hey everyone thanks for the answers and advice. I know I need my first 4 yrs of school before applying to vet school but I'm still unaware of where I might be able to work to get my experience while waiting for my first 4 years to go buy. I've decided I'm going to take Liberal Arts & Science: Mathematics & Science in a community college near where I live so I can see how i like studying the basics. Then from there I'll choose a good college. Truthfully I slacked a bit in high school spent my first 2 years partying and didn't get serious until half way through 11th grade where i started making honors. I do feel this may hurt my chances getting int oa good univ. so I decided I'll show how good my grades will be in college now that I'm serious about school work before applying to a good college (preferably somewhere on the east coast)

TexasAggie funny you mentioned it because I've definatly thought alot about Texas A&M in the past when I was thinking of furthering my football career, but now that my knee doesn't seem to be letting me ever play again I must stick to my other love, reptiles and stay eastward for atleast my first four years of college to be closer to my grandma who I hope will atleast see me get through my first 4 years which is why i want to go to a florida or new york college because she lives both places at different times of the year so I'd get to see her often which is my main concern.