Currently procrastinating statistics so I will do my best to answer your questions! (I'm currently a grad student - you don't have to take statistics as a vet student lol) .. relevant background: I'm a dual degree student and so I've only completed the first 2 years of the DVM curriculum and won't be returning until I'm done with graduate school. that said, if you're class of 2027, I may be joining your class during your 3rd year! PLEASE keep in mind that this is MY experience and that it's far from the same for everyone. also, I was a member of the class whose entire first year was online (meaning anatomy labs online....lol). other classes will have what I believe will be a vastly different experience because they will have had their first year in person.
Can any current students tell me some pros and cons of learning this way?
The pros and cons are going to vary from person to person based on your learning style. For me, the biggest pro is getting to learn the material on my own - this isn't a pro for everyone, but it's ultimately the crux of the curriculum. that said, a pretty big con for me is that I did not have to attend classes to do well on quizzes/exams. I learned all of the material on my own and watched class recordings after the fact and did just fine. you're not "supposed" to skip class obviously, but you're ultimately an adult and no one can really tell you what to do, lol. I attended most labs, but frankly 8 out of 10 times they were not overly helpful for me. I call those things cons because when I entered vet school, I signed up for something that would challenge me, but I can't say that I was very challenged in the first 2 years. I imagine things will be more engaging for me in the 3rd and 4th years because they involve hands-on skills (surgery and associated skills) and the application of classroom material. there will be an additional layer of challenge for me in 3rd/4th years, I think, because I will have been out of the DVM curriculum for 3+ years, so I will need to get reaccustomed to the clinical side of things and relearn some stuff.
What kind of material would one class typically cover?
Classes are divided into systems - for example, nervous system, cardiovascular system, cutaneous system. These classes are usually 3 weeks long, but there are a few that are only 2 weeks. They go by quickly as I'm sure you can imagine. First year classes are "normal" in-depth anatomy & physiology, second year classes are "abnormal." In the first week of first year classes, there's a lot of background information, cellular/molecular basis of things that will help you understand the material. it's a bit hard to understand "normal" without giving some aspects of abnormal, so you will get a bit of disease examples in first year to understand how systems function normally. second year is focused on disease processes. that said, you will get a few days of "normal" review in your second year classes - in MY experience, I didn't need to remember a lot from first year to do well in the second year courses. second year is a whole lot denser than first year, but it's doable. the didactic curriculum is certainly not inclusive of everything you'll need to know as a vet, but it's largely inclusive of everything you'll need to know for the NAVLE (as I've gathered from taking a NAVLE review class and from practice questions).
Is there anything else unique about MSU's structure?
you MUST be self-motivated. in-person/virtual classes are discussions based on the preparation ("prep") material assigned to you the night before (although it's usually available to you at least a few days in advance). if you want to know what's going on in class, you NEED to do your prep work. prep work can involve a series of lectures to listen to/watch, papers to read, textbook chapters, etc. those are usually accompanied by a short quiz that's due the morning before class. that said, the prep lectures are usually plenty, and although textbook chapters are assigned, in MY experience they haven't been necessary to understand the material and can USUALLY be treated more as supplementary material that you can read if you are curious to dive deeper into the topic. professors will also often include material actually marked as supplementary for your perusal.
Do you feel adequately prepared?
Can't say either way given my circumstances. My understanding is that the class of 2022 (inaugural class of the new curriculum) had around 20 students (out of ~115) fail the NAVLE last year during their first (fall/winter) go, with the pass rate increasing significantly after their second (spring) try. My understanding is also that this may have been across the board at other vet schools because of COVID interrupting their earlier studies - don't know that for a fact, but it's what we'd been told by administration.
Are you able to take any electives? Anything else?
No electives in the didactic curriculum. Once you reach clinics, you are able to customize your schedule to a certain extent. There are required, on-campus rotations, and there are several blocks with which you can either choose option on-campus rotations or do externships. I can't speak to 3rd or 4th year curriculum much, although I'm sure my former classmates and upperclassmen who have remained in the DVM curriculum would be happy to provide information.
Feel free to ask follow up questions! I may not get to them right away but will respond when I can. best of luck!
