University of Illinois c/o 2021 Applicants

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Any other places you would suggest?
(first time poster, long time lurker. hi everyone!)
There are pros and cons with all housing places. Honestly, what one person loves you may hate. Everyone will have to do a ton of Googling/touring and talk to landlords to find the best place for them.

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Any other places you would suggest?
(first time poster, long time lurker. hi everyone!)

I've lived at Stone Ridge Square Apartments for 3 years. A lot of vet students live here. Quiet place and they are pet friendly. They actually just recently put in a small dog park. I lived at Parkside Apartments during 1st year. They both have the same management. Parkside is nice enough, but you get more amenities at Stone Ridge. Both are in Urbana and about a 7 minute drive to school.
Stone Ridge filled up faster back when I was looking for apartments.
 
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I've lived at Stone Ridge Square Apartments for 3 years. A lot of vet students live here. Quiet place and they are pet friendly. They actually just recently put in a small dog park. I lived at Parkside Apartments during 1st year. They both have the same management. Parkside is nice enough, but you get more amenities at Stone Ridge. Both are in Urbana and about a 7 minute drive to school.
Stone Ridge filled up faster back when I was looking for apartments.
Great I will check those places out. Thank you!
 
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Got my OOS letter today! Alternate status. Pretty much what I was expecting at this point, so not too upset!
 
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I'm an IS alternate, any suggestions what I should do if I don't get in? I graduate undergrad in May.
 
I'm an IS alternate, any suggestions what I should do if I don't get in? I graduate undergrad in May.
If you are going to apply again, get more experience! After going through this admissions cycle, I feel like the name of the game is to do something unique to set yourself apart! Get some kind of experience that most people have not had and get experiences in areas that you lack in.
 
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I'm moving from the Place to Nantucket Grove just like batsenecal. The internet gets very spotty here at the Place and they don't tell you when they are coming for maintenance. (Last week or two they gave a range of three days they were planning to inspect our furniture for preparations for next fall so I had to cage my pets for those 3 days and they never left a note or anything saying they were here which made me pretty annoyed) The shuttle always breaks down so it's not reliable transportation so I think you would be better off living elsewhere. I heard from friends that maintenance at the Village isn't too good either.
 
If you are going to apply again, get more experience! After going through this admissions cycle, I feel like the name of the game is to do something unique to set yourself apart! Get some kind of experience that most people have not had and get experiences in areas that you lack in.
I've done equine, small animal, ER, wildlife, and alpacas. I'd love to volunteer abroad and get unique experience that way but I don't have the funds for it.
 
My personal recommendation is to avoid going east of Vine street, even though that's the cheapest area near school. It's cheap for a reason, it's like the epicenter of crime for Urbana, especially at Florida/Philo. The officer who came out for my car told me that anything from Vine to Philo is considered the 'bad' neighborhood of Urbana. I didn't realize it prior to renting here because it definitely doesn't look like a bad neighborhood other than being a bit old. I'm from the Detroit area, so it hasn't really phased me and I would stay if my sheltered roommates didn't go into full panic mode over my car being broken into :laugh: There are definitely a lot of vet students out this way who haven't had issues, but I want you to be aware that there is an increased risk out this way. The city of Urbana has an up to date crime map if you want to see more. Landlords definitely know this isn't the best area, but they won't tell you that obviously. It's not like you have a risk of being shot while walking your dog, but cars and homes definitely get broken into regularly.

Coming from experience, it is incredibly difficult to find a landlord here that is okay with more than two pets. I'm currently sneaking a third cat and a turtle, but do so at your own risk. I'm currently renting with Joel Ward homes, and I wouldn't recommend them only because his son seems to manage the students and he is clueless. However, I'm in a 3 bed 3 bath condo that's renting at $1326 a month total, so if anyone is interested in it, let me know.

I'm looking at one bedrooms now and I haven't seen anything below $600ish which sucks :arghh: As far as housing goes, there really isn't an excellent option for people with several pets who want to be within 10 minutes of the school. CCR realty doesn't enforce pet limits and they have a decent selection of places. Having looked for days though, there are few affordable options with more than one bathroom or that aren't just too small for that many cats.

Ack! Im renting a unit in the fairlawn apartment complex which is just east of vine. Do you know anyone who lives there? Or if there are problems in that complex?
 
Ack! Im renting a unit in the fairlawn apartment complex which is just east of vine. Do you know anyone who lives there? Or if there are problems in that complex?
That is a bit west of the problem and I have personally talked to vet students who have had no problems. Just be aware that you're a few blocks away from the bulk of the issues
 
Ack! Im renting a unit in the fairlawn apartment complex which is just east of vine. Do you know anyone who lives there? Or if there are problems in that complex?

Fairlawn is right by the Urbana High School I believe. I have worked there for the Park District and the area itself seems pretty safe from what I have experienced working in that area the past three years. I do know there is at least one or two first years who I believe are part of the 2021 fb page that currently rent there so I'd definitely recommend asking on fb if you're looking for more details! :)
 
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I saw on the website that we can get our rabies shots at McKinley in August. Would the current students recommend this? Or do they like run out of vaccines/are too busy with other vet students etc?
Also if we got it through there, does anybody know the cost? Would it be covered by the student health insurance?
 
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I saw on the website that we can get our rabies shots at McKinley in August. Would the current students recommend this? Or do they like run out of vaccines/are too busy with other vet students etc?
Also if we got it through there, does anybody know the cost? Would it be covered by the student health insurance?

You can get them through Mckinely but they are not covered by student insurance. Also, you will need to ensure that you start your sequence of shots right away because they MUST be complete by mid October when you start your clinical rotations. You cannot start rotations without completing the series and if you don't do your rotations, you fail. My insurance covered them so I did them over the summer.
 
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It looks like UChicago does them for about $200/shot, for anyone in the Chicagoland area.
 
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I saw on the website that we can get our rabies shots at McKinley in August. Would the current students recommend this? Or do they like run out of vaccines/are too busy with other vet students etc?
Also if we got it through there, does anybody know the cost? Would it be covered by the student health insurance?

I got mine there to work in the wildlife clinic about two years ago and they were quick about it. It was $280 per shot (you get a series of 3) I was able to submit the cost to my insurance company and get reimbursed for them! It depends on your insurance though obviously
 
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Does anyone know if I can pay my deposit in person? I don't have checks and I don't like the idea of putting $500 in cash in the mail. I'll be in Champaign all day tomorrow.
 
Does anyone know if I can pay my deposit in person? I don't have checks and I don't like the idea of putting $500 in cash in the mail. I'll be in Champaign all day tomorrow.

No idea, but I bet a money order would work as well.
 
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Does anyone know if I can pay my deposit in person? I don't have checks and I don't like the idea of putting $500 in cash in the mail. I'll be in Champaign all day tomorrow.
You'll have to ask the people in charge, we can't answer that for them :)
 
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I'll call tomorrow! Thanks for the advice, I'll ask about a money order as well.
 
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I'll call tomorrow! Thanks for the advice, I'll ask about a money order as well.

You might want to consider getting checks anyway. Renting apartments, paying utilities, etc. can all be tough without them. Even if you have an online bill pay option, that can take a while to set up and take effect. Though money orders are a good (but not free) substitute most of the time.
 
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You might want to consider getting checks anyway. Renting apartments, paying utilities, etc. can all be tough without them. Even if you have an online bill pay option, that can take a while to set up and take effect. Though money orders are a good (but not free) substitute most of the time.
Plus, all the club dues and swag you're going to want to buy...you'll need checks for nearly all of it:p
 
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I plan on getting them when I open my new bank account in Champaign! Those are all very good points! Just don't want to order checks for bank accounts that'll be closed in a few months.
 
Update: I called and they are fine with me dropping off cash :highfive:
 
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After we mail in the deposit for acceptance, do we get any sort of confirmation that we've accepted the offer? If not, what is the best way to check?
 
After we mail in the deposit for acceptance, do we get any sort of confirmation that we've accepted the offer? If not, what is the best way to check?
I don't recall receiving a receipt or confirmation, but it could be my memory. You can always call.
 
After we mail in the deposit for acceptance, do we get any sort of confirmation that we've accepted the offer? If not, what is the best way to check?

I just called them to confirm. They also said they aren't cashing checks until mid April-ish
 
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Anyone else send their response/check certified? Doesn't that give you receipt that it was received? I'm extra paranoid and still can't believe I was accepted. Most days I have to look at my letter several times to try and convince myself it's real. :happy:
 
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I have lived at Fairlawn Village the past year and love it. The units have washer/dryer and small dishwasher included. They also have no breed restrictions, which is why I ended up there since I have 2 pit mixes. Their max is 2 pets but I had a cat with me for most of the year (just didn't tell them) and no one cared/said anything.
 
Does anybody know about establishing residency in Illinois??? I'm OOS and I know it's possible but is it very difficult?


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Does anybody know about establishing residency in Illinois??? I'm OOS and I know it's possible but is it very difficult?


You need to make half the cost of attendance from what I understand. So you'd have to have an earned household income of 25,000 a year basically. The only people in my class even considering trying are married with a spouse who has a real job.

It's pretty difficult.
 
Does anybody know about establishing residency in Illinois??? I'm OOS and I know it's possible but is it very difficult?


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Yep, as far as I'm aware, the only students who have ever been approved for a residency switch were married prior to coming here. I have a classmate who expects to be approved after she gets married, whenever that's happening.
 
Anyone else send their response/check certified? Doesn't that give you receipt that it was received? I'm extra paranoid and still can't believe I was accepted. Most days I have to look at my letter several times to try and convince myself it's real. :happy:
I think I made sure mine was certified or first class mail because I was paranoid if it got there or not. You fill out a slip at your post office with your address and it will come back stamped when it is has been received!
 
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Since we won't hear back from the school until May, I was wondering does U of I have any immunization requirements before matriculation? I will be traveling a lot in summer so just want to get prepared early
 
Since we won't hear back from the school until May, I was wondering does U of I have any immunization requirements before matriculation? I will be traveling a lot in summer so just want to get prepared early

All the basics plus rabies. The only vaccine I needed to get was for rabies. If you've been going to school, you should be good to go.
 
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All the basics plus rabies. The only vaccine I needed to get was for rabies. If you've been going to school, you should be good to go.
Thank you!
I am sorry if this has been asked before, but would U of I cover the rabies shots or do we need to get it before August? I am still checking with my insurance company if the rabies will be covered, but if the school will sponsor it then I don't need to worry about it!
 
Thank you!
I am sorry if this has been asked before, but would U of I cover the rabies shots or do we need to get it before August? I am still checking with my insurance company if the rabies will be covered, but if the school will sponsor it then I don't need to worry about it!

Lol. I wish. It was $260-300 a pop and I'm on the school insurance. They need to be done before second quarter starts in October because that'll be when you start your first year rotations.
 
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Do any current students have opinions on the Surface Pro? The school mentioned that surface pros/4K screens make working with the Dino software difficult.. like the text gets super small or something weird. Does anyone know if that is an easy fix? Or should I consider getting a different laptop?
 
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Lol. I wish. It was $260-300 a pop and I'm on the school insurance. They need to be done before second quarter starts in October because that'll be when you start your first year rotations.

Bummer. Just heard back from insurance company this afternoon, it's not covered. And it's over $1,000 total at my current school.
 
Do any current students have opinions on the Surface Pro? The school mentioned that surface pros/4K screens make working with the Dino software difficult.. like the text gets super small or something weird. Does anyone know if that is an easy fix? Or should I consider getting a different laptop?

I use a surface pro three and have had no problems. Honestly, any problems that occur happen because the school's software is older than we are, not because of our computers.
 
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I have lived at Fairlawn Village the past year and love it. The units have washer/dryer and small dishwasher included. They also have no breed restrictions, which is why I ended up there since I have 2 pit mixes. Their max is 2 pets but I had a cat with me for most of the year (just didn't tell them) and no one cared/said anything.

Great! Thanks
 
Do any current students have opinions on the Surface Pro? The school mentioned that surface pros/4K screens make working with the Dino software difficult.. like the text gets super small or something weird. Does anyone know if that is an easy fix? Or should I consider getting a different laptop?
I have the Surface Pro 4 and I love it! I just went to our IT office at the vet school and they fixed Dino for me within 5 minutes (the screen came up super small like you said).
 
I have the Surface Pro 4 and I love it! I just went to our IT office at the vet school and they fixed Dino for me within 5 minutes (the screen came up super small like you said).

Ah yay that makes me so happy. I've been wanting to get one for a while now! Thank you!
 
Bummer. Just heard back from insurance company this afternoon, it's not covered. And it's over $1,000 total at my current school.
You could potentially wait until your loan is disbursed so you don't have to pay out of pocket. Completely up to you, just make sure you time everything correctly so you can proceed to your rotation quarter. The second vaccine is one week after the first, and the third vaccine is 3-4 weeks after the first.

This reminds me that I really need to get a titer done.
 
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The way PP described it is very doable. I started my series the first Tuesday of the quarter and was able to get it done by September.
 
When do guys you think we can expect to get a financial aid letter? Does that come with the information they're going to send us in May?
 
When do guys you think we can expect to get a financial aid letter? Does that come with the information they're going to send us in May?

That's something you'll have access to when you get your enterprise login to start registering for classes, etc. I don't remember if that was a part of that packet in May. Do be advised there are not a ton, if any, scholarships given out to first years. I haven't heard of anyone in my class receiving anything. The first time I saw the scholarship page was just a few months ago. Most of your financial aid package will most likely be loans.
 
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Okay! I figured it would basically be all loans, I just had no idea when to expect aid from FAFSA since I've never taken out any loans before.
Thank you!
 
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Congrats everyone!
 
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Just mailed in my declination letter. Good luck to everyone in the fall! :)
 
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