University of Queensland

[Bullettime]

Anyone from or know of anyone that is studying at UQ's vet sci program? How are they liking it? Sounds amazing, just that it isn't AVMA accredited yet, which has me in two minds. Any input at all is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!

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[theunraveler]

the reason why we are not accredited is becoz we dun have enuff toilets

on a more serious note we are not accredited becoz we lack facilities and i think the bone of contention is that our campus is divided into St Lucia and gatton with most of the students in st lucia but the bulk of the animals in gatton...i think its becoz of this thats y we are not accredited but however the school wants to move to gatton in 2009 but then again they've been saying it for years that it has become a running gag ...

it is quite a good school, its in the Go8 and its a state uni so its quite prestigious...first semester is all foundational stuffs u will learn biochem, histo, bio, animal handling n husbandry

 

[Bullettime]

I believe the school is going to move to Gatton in 2009 or from what i have heard 2010 at the very latest. UQ's rep's have told me that they would then be looking towards getting accredited, but i don't know how long that process might be...anyone have any idea of how long the accredation process takes (including from when the application is filed, to the site visit, to the result)? Also, what happens if you are a graduate from a class that at the time is not yet accredited, but a few years later, or even a year later let's say, the school gets accredited. Would that still mean one would have to write all the examinations (BCSE, CPE and NAVLE) for north America? Or would we exempt from doing so, and would only have to write the NAVLE? If not, what happens if we do post-grad work (a masters,certificate, diploma or a DVSc) at an accredited school, could we then just sit the NAVLE?

Thanks!

 

[Bullettime]

I'm hearing people saying things like UQ's vet sci program is "easier" than sydney's or melbournes. I have no idea what "easier" means since it still is a fully operational vet school. Does anyone who has heard this before care to explain further?

Thank you.

 

[chris03333]

I'm hearing people saying things like UQ's vet sci program is "easier" than sydney's or melbournes. I have no idea what "easier" means since it still is a fully operational vet school. Does anyone who has heard this before care to explain further?

Thank you.

The words "vet school" and "easy" do not belong in the same sentence ever...

 

[theunraveler]

I'm hearing people saying things like UQ's vet sci program is "easier" than sydney's or melbournes. I have no idea what "easier" means since it still is a fully operational vet school. Does anyone who has heard this before care to explain further?

Thank you.

i suppose this came from the fact that UQ is alot "kinder" to its own students. for example lets say u come from another uni and wanna do vet u probably need a GPA of 6 to do it but if u are from UQ u probably need 5.75 or so

having said that, entering vet is still not easy since the cohort is small (about 100 students) and many ppl from QLD and all over the world apply to the uni each year. even if u get 5.75 u may not get a place.

 

[theunraveler]

I believe the school is going to move to Gatton in 2009 or from what i have heard 2010 at the very latest.

it has become a bit of a joke...this move to gatton...they talk about it like 3 yrs ago and still not moving yet. the last time i went to gatton i dun recall the place looking like its ready for a vet students yet so i highly doubt it

UQ's rep's have told me that they would then be looking towards getting accredited, but i don't know how long that process might be...anyone have any idea of how long the accredation process takes (including from when the application is filed, to the site visit, to the result)? Also, what happens if you are a graduate from a class that at the time is not yet accredited, but a few years later, or even a year later let's say, the school gets accredited. Would that still mean one would have to write all the examinations (BCSE, CPE and NAVLE) for north America? Or would we exempt from doing so, and would only have to write the NAVLE? If not, what happens if we do post-grad work (a masters,certificate, diploma or a DVSc) at an accredited school, could we then just sit the NAVLE?

Thanks!

accreditation has more to do with facilities than actual teaching so until we move to gatton we are unlikely to get accredited

i have no idea about the last part...u can try emailling AVMA

 

[Bullettime]

Unraveler
Thanks for your earlier responses. How has your vet sci experience at UQ been thus far? What year of the program are you in? Are you from QLD originally? How is the Int'l population in the vet sci program like? Any recommendations of where to stay in and around St.Lucia? How are the vet sci facilities at St.Lucia? I hear they're getting old and dysfunctional, hence the move to Gatton.

Thanks for the help!

 

[theunraveler]

Unraveler
Thanks for your earlier responses. How has your vet sci experience at UQ been thus far? What year of the program are you in? Are you from QLD originally? How is the Int'l population in the vet sci program like? Any recommendations of where to stay in and around St.Lucia? How are the vet sci facilities at St.Lucia? I hear they're getting old and dysfunctional, hence the move to Gatton.

Thanks for the help!

vet experience
so so...nothing special, lots of work, lots of bitching about subjects and forming cliques. animal handling is always fun...i'm first year

i am from singapore , the international population is probably less than 30 and mainly from surrounding countries like samoa, fiji, singapore ...etc

well i dun have any personal fancy for accoms so i can sleep anywhere as long as its cheap but living near uni is expensive although it gives u the advantage of saving on transportation and allows u to sleep more.

yes old and dysfunctional...
juz last month, one of the lecturers room suddenly stank of decomposing flesh. apparently some critter got into the partition of the wall and died there. the whole place looks dull and creepy.

 

[Bullettime]

yes old and dysfunctional...
juz last month, one of the lecturers room suddenly stank of decomposing flesh. apparently some critter got into the partition of the wall and died there. the whole place looks dull and creepy.

Wow, that does not sound appealing. I knew it was getting old and in need of some touching up...but yikes!
Are many of the aussies fresh out of high school? Or do some of them hold a bachelor's degree or higher? Any students from North America in your class?

Thanks again!

 

[theunraveler]

Wow, that does not sound appealing. I knew it was getting old and in need of some touching up...but yikes!
Are many of the aussies fresh out of high school? Or do some of them hold a bachelor's degree or higher? Any students from North America in your class?

Thanks again!

its a diverse bunch, there are young ppl fresh out of high school and there are older students and some already have family and kids

I know there are a few from america in my class

 

[theunraveler]

animal dissection lab

this is ur new god!!!

 

[Hollycozza]

ooh you have chairs with backs to sit on while dissecting. V swish

We have a few stools we can sit on but they're usually tucked under the desk. Probably often a bit blood spattered too.........

I went to the vet students' conference @ UQ in Summer but we didn't really go into many of the facilities, it is interesting to see them.

 

[Bullettime]

Looks nice, the dissection lab reminds me of when we did dissections in undergrad...probably reeks of formaldehyde.I saw the concept plans for the new school at gatton. Looks amazing!! Staff at vet sci admin told me the move should take place by '09 at some point, with hopefully avma accreditation following suite. The campus looks awesome too, so tropical. Well, i think that pretty much settles where I'm going!

 

[Bullettime]

Hey unraveler
Have any idea how the honours process works for the BVSc at UQ?

Thanks

 

[theunraveler]

honors is part of the degree, juz need to get high marks for it

 

[Bullettime]

I hear that a prof grigg was going to be talking to vet sci students today (thursday) about the avma and other such matters with UQ and vet sci in general...any chance anyone attended said talk?

 

[theunraveler]

went for a short while but couldnt be bothered to stay all the way...basically they juz outline the plan for gatton sch and the $$$ needed.

 

[Bullettime]

unraveler
how big is your class (Class of 2011')? How many int'l's in the class?

 

[theunraveler]

about 130 students, approximately 20 internationals

 

[Bullettime]

How did you go abouts finding accommodation? Recommend any places in particular? On-campus residences are exuberantly expensive and they don't let you stay in them over the winter recess. Any areas surrounding St.Lucia that are worth looking into?

 

[theunraveler]

How did you go abouts finding accommodation? Recommend any places in particular? On-campus residences are exuberantly expensive and they don't let you stay in them over the winter recess. Any areas surrounding St.Lucia that are worth looking into?

the school will help u find accom...and yes those on campus residence aka colleges are very expensive and dun let u stay over the summer breaks

u can try the suburb of Taringa, Toowong, West End, Auchenflower, Indooroopilly...these are the more popular ones

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

In 2010 Melbourne's vet program (which is already accredited in the US and Canada) will be changing from a 5-year BVSc to a 4-year graduate entry DVM.

 

[Bullettime]

Unraveler
Are you an Australian PR or are you Int'l?
How did first semester go?

 

[theunraveler]

Unraveler
Are you an Australian PR or are you Int'l?
How did first semester go?

international student
sucks...i think i failed one of the subject VETS1022

EDITED: didnt fail anything this semester...which is always good

 

[Bullettime]

Good stuff. Glad you made it through everything!
How's second semester going?
I'm trying to get my visa stuff figured out. Looks like it's going to be a pain.
Where did you end up staying when you first came to Brisbane? Gotta figure out accommodation too, and that's turning out to be a real pain.

 

[theunraveler]

u have ur offer letter for vet science?

i had frens already here so i bunk in with them for a few days before finding my accomodation. if u dun have frens, then stay in college for a few days

 

[Bullettime]

Ya have had my offer letter for a few months now. Already paid the deposit. Just trying to figure out a place to live. Would like to have something in hand before i arrive, but don't want to pay the exorbitant fees that they are asking for. Are you staying around the uni or brisbane for the summer break?

 

[theunraveler]

i am going back to my country for summer...most likely

find ur accoms here but do it at least 2-3 week before the semester starts in feb

http://www.accommodation.uq.edu.au/offcampus/accommodation/propsearches.html

 

[Bullettime]

Hey any word if they got those plans finalized for the Gatton move? Dr.Griggs told me that they'd be finishing them up and then start applying for AVMA accreditation. How's second semester going? Congrats on making it through first semester!!

 

[theunraveler]

Hey any word if they got those plans finalized for the Gatton move? Dr.Griggs told me that they'd be finishing them up and then start applying for AVMA accreditation. How's second semester going? Congrats on making it through first semester!!

no word...

second semester is good so far, lots of smelly dissection. i was told by ppl that in previous year they had ppl feeling sick, puking or faint becoz of the smell but strangely not this year

 

[Bullettime]

how's second semester coming along? What's happening with the equine influenza? Heard about the large funding donation given to the uni about their equine center!

 

[theunraveler]

how's second semester coming along? What's happening with the equine influenza? Heard about the large funding donation given to the uni about their equine center!

2nd semester is good...getting more intense now. no idea about EI , they had alot of lectures and talks on EI but i skipped all of them so i am out of the loop. i only know there wont be any horse prac for awhile

no idea about any donation stuffs, i dun care about this sort of admin stuffs anyway. not like knowing it is gonna help me pass my exam at the end of the year

 

[Bullettime]

how did 2nd semester end for you? Made it through it all?
Any idea how 4th and 5th years are organized at UQ? Are they both clinical years where we spend most of our time at clinics and with patient contact? Or are we still in lecture halls and in labs? Couldn't find much info on it on the web.

 

[Bullettime]

Unraveler you have any more pics of the campus/course etc. that you could post somewhere?

 

[theunraveler]

personally no

but if u go facebook and do a search for "UQ Vet" or "university of queensland vet" i think there shld be more

 

[Snakegal]

In 2010 Melbourne's vet program (which is already accredited in the US and Canada) will be changing from a 5-year BVSc to a 4-year graduate entry DVM.

I am planning on applying to Melbourne (and Sydney) for entry in 2009. If Melbourne changes, will I still get a BVSc or a DVM?

Thanks,

-Snakegal

 

[keyingredient]

I've been wondering this same thing... If you start out in the BVSc program and it changes to DVM, can you get the DVM instead? To find out, I first posted my question through Melbourne's website as they have a utility for such purposes and the response I got was vague and noncommittal so I called them up. On the phone, the lady I spoke with denied that they had any plans to change anything and that she would have no idea if hypothetically they did offer the DVM if a person could change degree names mid-stream. She was clearly surprised that I was asking about a switch to the DVM. I didn't know what to think after that but that was a few months ago and at that time they weren't divulging any bit of information. I'll be anxious as to people's response to this question!
Cheers!

 

[freyamaxine]

I've been wondering this same thing... If you start out in the BVSc program and it changes to DVM, can you get the DVM instead? To find out, I first posted my question through Melbourne's website as they have a utility for such purposes and the response I got was vague and noncommittal so I called them up. On the phone, the lady I spoke with denied that they had any plans to change anything and that she would have no idea if hypothetically they did offer the DVM if a person could change degree names mid-stream. She was clearly surprised that I was asking about a switch to the DVM. I didn't know what to think after that but that was a few months ago and at that time they weren't divulging any bit of information. I'll be anxious as to people's response to this question!
Cheers!

Melbourne is not changing to a graduate program to 2011, or 2011. Ages away! so they probably have not even thought much about the program structure yet.

Using common sense though, you would continue on with the degree that you originally enrolled in. Even if you fail a year and end up in classes with people in the new degree you will still graduate with your original degree.

In 2008 Melbourne uni is changing all of there undergrad degrees (except a few such as vet) and they have told us that we will still graduate with the degree that we enrolled in.

I hope that helps.

 

[keyingredient]

Hi... Thanks for the info. Perhaps it is common sense that you would graduate with the degree you started with but what I'm hoping is that one may be able to change if they want to mid-course. If a student fulfilled all of the requirements for the new degree even if they started in a BVSc program it would be nice if you were able to change. I am aware of the equivalent degree "names or letters" to the DVM but most Americans are not and I think the majority of American students would choose the letters DVM simply so they wouldn't have to explain that although it is a bachelor degree it is still equivalent... not the same as an American bachelor degree and so on... Perhaps I'm wrong but in just the time I've been working on applying to vet schools in Oz I've had to explain to everyone that it is equivalent to a DVM and that I would be able to practice and so on... even my professors acted a bit doubtful like I must've read something wrong and that I should make sure and so on. I'll be proud and happy if I'm able to go to an Australian school (I hope, I hope, I hope) but I'm guessing that is just a little issue that will probably come up again and again.
Cheers!

 

[freyamaxine]

keyingredient, I am not sure if Melbourne is even changing its degree title to DVM.

I am just going off the fact that it is not called Vet Med over here but Vet Science, so it might be something like DVS.

And if you are coming to Australia for schooling you should be proud to tell everyone that you went to Australia. As an Australian it makes me kinda angry that something would be ashamed to tell others that they did schooling in Australia, we have a great education system and Melbourne uni is one of the best universities in the world.

 

[keyingredient]

Whoa freyamaxine! Look, you misunderstood what I said! Did you read the part about "I would be proud and happy to go to an Australian school"? I have been to Australia, my husband lived there for a year and his entire maternal side of the family all live around Perth (they came from England 35 years ago). When I visited Australia (Perth) I loved it so much that I wanted to pursue school over there once I found out that there were AVMA accredited schools. I am not even pursuing school in the US because I WANT to go to Oz and I would be delighted to tell my future employers and clients that I went there. I have already been telling many people here that I'm hoping to move there to go to vet school. The only thing I was saying is that most Americans do not know that BVSc = DVM. The "B" really throws some folks off. The response I've gotten so far from pretty much everyone is that they don't understand why it is a bachelor degree... then they point out that I already have a BS and an MS so why would I want to get another bachelor degree. Yes, Australia is a completely different country and should have their own conventions and if I go there I expect to attend under their rules and conventions. I'm fine with explaining and I will be just as proud of the letters BVSc, or BVMS as I would be of DVM or VMD but my only point was that if given the choice I would choose DVM just so I wouldn't have to explain. Call me lazy! I also recall a recent post about an American that had been accepted to Melbourne and they were having a difficult time with federal financial aid because in Oz it is undergrad. I don't know how they made out but according to that post even the financial aid person at Melbourne was unsure about saying that it was equivalent so the student could get the benefits available to US grad students. I'm applying through Australearn and I asked them about financial aid because in Oz it is undergrad and they were not sure if I would get grad school aid or undergrad - a huge difference! They seemed to have no idea and also seemed like no one else ever asked! There seems to be quite a bit of confusion even amongst people you might think would be "in the know".

Please don't take offense. I really didn't mean to offend anyone (I really thought I was being careful to make sure I didn't....) I'm applying to Melbourne for 2009 so this subject is genuinely of interest to me.

Thank you for your replies and information!

 

[cocomisk]

Hey keyingredient,

I think your post may have been referring to me. I was having a problem with a financial aid person saying I was only eligible for undergrad stafford loan amounts. I am happy to report that I got them to realize their mistake fairly quickly. The confusion, I believe, lies in the idea that Melbourne gets a lot of international students including US students, so they know the financial aid process well. However, most of the students they get are going for a normal bachelor's degree right out of high school. As we all know, US students can't really go to vet school overseas RIGHT out of high school...we require a few years of pre reqs. I think because Melbourne is so newly accredited (2007) that they have not had many US students entering their vet program and they didn't realize that I had already completed a bachelor's degree - they assumed I was a normal US student entering a bachelor's program right out of high school. As long as you have completed a 4 year degree, you DEFINITELY qualify for grad loan amounts at Melbourne. All that really happened in my situation was a couple weeks of panic. In the end, they realized I did qualify and no hasty actions (cancelling my loan) were taken. I think as more US students apply for vet school there, they will get any and all confusion worked out.

Good luck on your 2009 acceptance!

 

[keyingredient]

Thanks for the follow-up! I was wondering if I was accepted if I would have trouble with financial aid!

Cheers!

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

The only thing I was saying is that most Americans do not know that BVSc = DVM. The "B" really throws some folks off.

http://www.russellvilleanimalclinic.com/inside/vets/vets.html

Here is a website of an American who graduated from Murdoch Vet school in Western Australia (AVMA accredited) and now works in Arkansas. Maybe you should email him and ask if he has had any difficulty with having a BVMS. My guess would be no.

Think about this.. Americans have a habit of wanting to call everything a "doctorate". US and Canadian Medical schools used to grant the MB (bachelor of medicine) before they switched to the md. US law schools used to (Canadian law schools still do) grant the LLB degree instead of a JD.

A more recent example would be physical therapy. 15 years ago they used to all be bachelors degrees BSPT, then they switched to masters, MSPT, and now they are all changing to DPT (doctorates). Guess what.. at the end of the day... you're still just a physical therapist. someone who graduated with a BSPT 15 years ago is equally trained as a 2007 DPT grad! They are all entry level degrees in physical therapy. The schools just like to call them Doctorates because they can get more applicants (who wouldn't want to say they had a "doctorate").. and they can charge more tuition for them (its all about $$).

So.. really. Its not a big deal. The Australian schools are extremely well respected, not to mention they are (Sydney, Melbourne, Murdoch) (and Massey if you want to go to NZ) accredited by AVMA. So it really doesn't matter. You would probably have a better experience and grow more as a person by going abroad for school anyways, and since its AVMA approved its legally no different than going to another US state.

Also.. check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Professional_degree

FYI: you're still called "Dr." if you have a BVSc or BVMS

 

[Snakegal]

I'm applying to Melbourne for 2009...

I'm also applying to Melbourne for 2009 (and Sydney). I know I'll have a ton of questions as I go through the application process. Right now I'm trying to finish up my MS.

Maybe we can keep tabs on each other throughout the application process. Are you only applying to Melbourne?

Laters...
-Snakegal