WCVM/UCVM C/O 2021

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Sally and Z

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Hi guys, not much going on yet but thought I would start a thread for this year!

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Hey everyone, how are the applications going so far?
 
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I haven't done much besides fill out my name and address so far so not too tricky yet! chs621 are you applying at UCVM and WCVM?
 
Thanks SAR! I do have one Calgary question (though it is totally too early for it). I can sort of imagine what might be on the MMI part of the interview because there is so much info out there for the med school version but I am very lost as to the essay. I know you guys can't tell topics or anything as far as I know, but would you be able to give just some tips on how you prepared for potential essay questions? I'm not sure how to go about it as I haven't known anyone who had an interview at UCVM and really am not too sure what to do to help for that portion! Thanks for any tips!

How is school going? What kind of things are you guys covering so far?
 
I haven't done much besides fill out my name and address so far so not too tricky yet! chs621 are you applying at UCVM and WCVM?

I'm almost done my app for WCVM and so far it's going good! I find the hardest thing is trying to fit the answers into 200 words. I'm just applying at WCVM, how about you??
 
I'm almost done my app for WCVM and so far it's going good! I find the hardest thing is trying to fit the answers into 200 words. I'm just applying at WCVM, how about you??
I'm applying at both. The 200 word limit is definitely a challenge to fit everything into!
 
Hello everyone! I am a third time WCVM applicant and am wondering if you guys think that there is some advantage to changing up the application or keeping it the same as previous years, adding the additional experience of course?

Hope the application writing is going well!
 
Hi sunrise91! I've heard there's no real advantage to changing it up besides adding the additional experience. It's only what I've heard through the grapevine so I'm not sure if that's actually the case or not.

What province are you guys from? I'm applying for the first time from SK and as an Aboriginal Equity student. My average isn't the greatest so I'm basically expecting the worst but hoping for the best!
 
Ya, I guess they won't look at all your previous applications and compare to see if they have changed lol.

I recently moved to SK but I will still be applying as a BC resident this round. My average is not super high either, so I am also praying for the best.
 
Good luck to everyone this year!

I will not be applying until next fall. With the hit that 1st year took to my GPA I decided to spread out my pre-reqs to focus on getting it back to a competitive level. As you can probably assume, I am BC pool applicant.

Sally, I can't remember, how many times have you applied now?
 
One serious application attempt, the first I knew I didn't have much shot yet but did it to get the practice I guess and just see where I landed? So twice! Last year I had an interview at WCVM and that went well so I moved up quite a bit but I was pretty near last for grades in my provincial pool and the interview only counts for 40% so I'm doing one more year of classes this year, which will hopefully bump out my worst year and help quite a bit on that side of things! We shall see I suppose! I guess that's a more detailed version of that story than was needed!

Has everyone else applied previously or is it the first time for some of you?
 
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I'm in first year at UCVM as well! If you have any questions about UCVM applications, the program, or anything else, ask away!! If you were at Vet-U-Can on Saturday you might have seen myself and @SARdoghandler at the How to Get Into Vet School station ;)
 
Thanks SAR! I do have one Calgary question (though it is totally too early for it). I can sort of imagine what might be on the MMI part of the interview because there is so much info out there for the med school version but I am very lost as to the essay. I know you guys can't tell topics or anything as far as I know, but would you be able to give just some tips on how you prepared for potential essay questions? I'm not sure how to go about it as I haven't known anyone who had an interview at UCVM and really am not too sure what to do to help for that portion! Thanks for any tips!

How is school going? What kind of things are you guys covering so far?

There's not a whole ton you can do for prep for the essay, really. To be honest, I did not prep at all for it. That said, I do know people who would give themselves 'mock' topics and practice writing the essay in the word limit (750) and time limit (1 hour). If you are a good writer and good at organizing your thoughts - I honestly wouldn't worry about it. If that's a weaker area for you then you might want to practice organizing your thoughts in a similar situation. Let me know if that's helpful advice or not and I can see if I can pool anyone else in our class for thoughts! @awesomenessity might have some thoughts too.

School is pretty great (at least in my opinion) but some people are starting to feel the stress. We've covered a ton! Completely through MSK in anatomy and heading into neuro. Lots of clinical skills are already done too and we have our first serious round of midterms over about the next 2 weeks =)
 
I also didn't study for the essay at all... kind of forgot about it to be honest. Like SAR said, as long as you can organize your thoughts coherently with good grammar you should be good to go! This applies for the whole MMI process but knowing a little bit about current events in vet med or "hot topics" e.g. animal production systems, cosmetic modification of animals, etc etc would be a good idea. I would read over the CVMA official statements on things to give you a nice overview of what CVMA thinks are important topics... just remember that CVMA does not actually regulate veterinary policies so these statements are just what they think should happen in the future.
 
Hello everyone! I am a third time WCVM applicant and am wondering if you guys think that there is some advantage to changing up the application or keeping it the same as previous years, adding the additional experience of course?

Hope the application writing is going well!
Have you interviewed before?
(Sorry I know I've seen you on the threads before but I can't remember exactly how it turned out for you)

I would say definitely add the new experiences, but otherwise keep it the same if the same still applies. Do you still want to be a vet for the same reasons? Or have your new experiences opened your eyes to more reasons you want to be a vet? If you could find a way to show how you have improved from last year, that would be ideal. :)

If you haven't interviewed before, then your academics were the main concern, and it wasn't anything else in your application holding you back. If you did interview, what was the feedback you were given?
 
One serious application attempt, the first I knew I didn't have much shot yet but did it to get the practice I guess and just see where I landed? So twice! Last year I had an interview at WCVM and that went well so I moved up quite a bit but I was pretty near last for grades in my provincial pool and the interview only counts for 40% so I'm doing one more year of classes this year, which will hopefully bump out my worst year and help quite a bit on that side of things! We shall see I suppose! I guess that's a more detailed version of that story than was needed!

Has everyone else applied previously or is it the first time for some of you?
Good job on the interview! :) Do you have a preference for WCVM vs UCVM?
How many 1st year courses are you in this year? I was talking to Heather today and she said that typically they want to see a max of 3 introductory courses in your most recent year if you are going to drop your oldest year.
 
Have you interviewed before?
(Sorry I know I've seen you on the threads before but I can't remember exactly how it turned out for you)

I would say definitely add the new experiences, but otherwise keep it the same if the same still applies. Do you still want to be a vet for the same reasons? Or have your new experiences opened your eyes to more reasons you want to be a vet? If you could find a way to show how you have improved from last year, that would be ideal. :)

If you haven't interviewed before, then your academics were the main concern, and it wasn't anything else in your application holding you back. If you did interview, what was the feedback you were given?

The first year I applied I had just graduated from a 5 yr degree and managed to snag an interview, although I was ranked very low. My feedback was to improve my GPA, work on speaking skills, and acquire more small animal experience. I ended up getting a sweet job at a clinic and decided to focus on improving the experience and speaking skills. However I narrowly missed a interview last year, so I'm really hoping to get one this year.

My experiences since my first attempt haven't changed my reasons for becoming a vet, but definitely solidified them! You are right about showing them how I have improved, I will have to put some thought into that and rework some of my application. Thank you for the input :)
 
Good job on the interview! :) Do you have a preference for WCVM vs UCVM?
How many 1st year courses are you in this year? I was talking to Heather today and she said that typically they want to see a max of 3 introductory courses in your most recent year if you are going to drop your oldest year.
Yes, I'm taking all higher level courses because I know they don't want people just taking easy intro courses for several years to bump up their grades. I find them easier actually too because they're a lot more interesting, which makes them easier to me!
 
Yes, I'm taking all higher level courses because I know they don't want people just taking easy intro courses for several years to bump up their grades. I find them easier actually too because they're a lot more interesting, which makes them easier to me!
Perfect, just wanted to make sure. I would hate for someone to put in all the work and then find out they don't qualify.

I also second your opinion about classes getting more interesting each year. I absolutely love the bio courses I am in this year compared to last year haha. I guess the basics can only be so exciting
 
The first year I applied I had just graduated from a 5 yr degree and managed to snag an interview, although I was ranked very low. My feedback was to improve my GPA, work on speaking skills, and acquire more small animal experience. I ended up getting a sweet job at a clinic and decided to focus on improving the experience and speaking skills. However I narrowly missed a interview last year, so I'm really hoping to get one this year.

My experiences since my first attempt haven't changed my reasons for becoming a vet, but definitely solidified them! You are right about showing them how I have improved, I will have to put some thought into that and rework some of my application. Thank you for the input :)
Have you done anything like Toastmasters? I went to a few sessions of the campus club last year and it was helpful even just watching others present.
That's great about the vet clinic! What are you doing there?
 
Have you done anything like Toastmasters? I went to a few sessions of the campus club last year and it was helpful even just watching others present.
That's great about the vet clinic! What are you doing there?

I have done Toastmasters, I was part of it for about a year and it was super helpful. At the clinic I was working as a kennel attendant, basically responsible for kennelled animals and keeping an eye on the recovering ones while helping out the techs or vets. I got a lot of hands on experience which was awesome. However, I decided that instead of staying in BC and doing another year to improve my GPA, I moved to SK planning on working for a year and then potentially doing another year of school while applying as a SK resident. I am finding it tricky to find an animal related position here, especially since I do not know anyone and have no contacts in SK. How is school going for you? Your in your 2nd year right?
 
Sunrise91, If you're in Saskatoon, I hear the SPCA is hiring Animal Care Attendants!
 
Hi everyone,

I was looking for some advice on writing the personal statement for my WCVM application.
 
Yes, I'm taking all higher level courses because I know they don't want people just taking easy intro courses for several years to bump up their grades. I find them easier actually too because they're a lot more interesting, which makes them easier to me!

Hey Sally, I'm also working on getting rid of my worst year at the moment by taking another year of classes! I was wondering if you had any insight on how many classes they would like us to take? Last I spoke to Heather she said one might be okay taking 4 classes per semester but that the committee would prefer to see 5 per semester.. Have you heard anything regarding this? I know people who have done an additional year taking 4 per semester and have been successful :bored:
 
Hey Sally, I'm also working on getting rid of my worst year at the moment by taking another year of classes! I was wondering if you had any insight on how many classes they would like us to take? Last I spoke to Heather she said one might be okay taking 4 classes per semester but that the committee would prefer to see 5 per semester.. Have you heard anything regarding this? I know people who have done an additional year taking 4 per semester and have been successful :bored:
I'll break in to answer this just because I was talking about this with Heather pretty recently.

It is all done automatically on a case-by-case basis. You don't have to submit a request for them to drop grades, they immediately look over it and choose if they want to grant it when you submit your application.

They really want to see 5, though she did also tell us in certain cases four was accepted. You have to "earn" the class drop in a way. That is the same reason they will accept no more than 3 1st year introductory classes in your fifth year as well.

If I was you I would definitely take 5 in each semester. Are you in 4 or 5 right now?

BTW welcome back to the thread! What application # are you on now?
 
I have done Toastmasters, I was part of it for about a year and it was super helpful. At the clinic I was working as a kennel attendant, basically responsible for kennelled animals and keeping an eye on the recovering ones while helping out the techs or vets. I got a lot of hands on experience which was awesome. However, I decided that instead of staying in BC and doing another year to improve my GPA, I moved to SK planning on working for a year and then potentially doing another year of school while applying as a SK resident. I am finding it tricky to find an animal related position here, especially since I do not know anyone and have no contacts in SK. How is school going for you? Your in your 2nd year right?
Awesome! So this year are you still applying BC pool then? And then next year SK if you don't get in?
I know at least 1 other person that moved over to Sask this summer to start working on residency. :) Have you looked at trying to get hired at the VMC? It is probably pretty popular but if you have experience you could be competitive. A vet I work for also used to work at the Dairy Barn there, you could try that for some more large animal experience.

School is going much better for me this year than last haha (yes I'm in second year). I had such terrible studying habits coming out of high school that I finished year 1 with 77%. Luckily I've picked up my socks enough that if I keep my current grades up I'll hopefully be competitive for a 2nd round interview next year. As I mentioned earlier, I chose to extend my pre-reqs into 3 years because I knew I wouldn't be competitive this year.
 
@BeautifulBritishColumbia, where are you going that you get a percentage instead of a GPA? How do they convert that to GPA for your applications? Super curious haha
I'll message you regarding the school. :) Try to keep myself somewhat anonymous haha.

We have both a % grade and a 9 point scale GPA. % is on the transcript, and from my understanding WCVM uses those exact percentages to calculate the admissions averages.

Before there was % on our transcripts they had a conversion formula to get our GPA to their GPA (or so I have read on previous threads). Since there isn't a ton of universities that they get applications from, I guess they ran a pretty tight ship.

How's school going for you?
 
I'll message you regarding the school. :) Try to keep myself somewhat anonymous haha.

We have both a % grade and a 9 point scale GPA. % is on the transcript, and from my understanding WCVM uses those exact percentages to calculate the admissions averages.

Before there was % on our transcripts they had a conversion formula to get our GPA to their GPA (or so I have read on previous threads). Since there isn't a ton of universities that they get applications from, I guess they ran a pretty tight ship.

How's school going for you?

Oh that's super interesting. I know where I came from we only have GPA on our transcripts, so I wonder how they consolidate that between schools!

School is going well! We just got our first round of midterm marks back and I'm feeling pretty good! Anatomy quiz could have been better but what can ya do :p Now we just have a TON of projects due this month and then onto finals :eek:
 
Anatomy quiz could have been better but what can ya do :p Now we just have a TON of projects due this month and then onto finals :eek:

Take your anatomy mark and shove it. :mad:

Kidding, kidding. Awesomenessity and I are good friends at UCVM (for anyone who may be worried hahaha). As you can probably tell, vet school is going a bit rougher for me. At least for physiology and anatomy! Still awesome though and no regrets ;)
 
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Little note for BC applicants, because I feel like it is worth sharing and I will forget.
In many months from now when you guys are having interviews, I predict they will ask about cropping/docking, particularly after the docking ban just went into effect
 
Pretty good! There's been some class drama but nothing too excessive I think! For the most part we all get along quite well :)
 
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Hi everyone,

I was looking for some advice on writing the personal statement for my WCVM application.

Hi peach312! For my statements I basically just answered the questions they asked. I found it easy to go over the 200 word limit so I tried to keep it concise.
 
Has anyone taken Physics online through the Athabasca University? I'm starting it in January and I'm a little worried about it since math-y type courses aren't my strong point.
 
I haven't, but I just enrolled in open studies there to take some classes towards getting a BComm :) So I guess that makes us schoolmates? :p Good luck!!!
 
Hey Sally, I'm also working on getting rid of my worst year at the moment by taking another year of classes! I was wondering if you had any insight on how many classes they would like us to take? Last I spoke to Heather she said one might be okay taking 4 classes per semester but that the committee would prefer to see 5 per semester.. Have you heard anything regarding this? I know people who have done an additional year taking 4 per semester and have been successful :bored:
I think basically there is no guarantee that they will take the other year. Regarding 4 vs. 5/term, Heather has said that 4 is fine but not if you have only ever done 4 at a time because they want to know that everyone can handle a full course load. If your whole undergrad was 5+5 terms and you do an extra year of 4+4 that seems to be ok as far as I've heard. So yes, after confirming a few times (really don't want to be wasting the year!), I'm confident that years with 4/semester are considered as well. They are always very careful to say that they can't ever guarantee that a year will be dropped though, just to protect from situations where it isn't for some reason. They always say it is case by case but will just give you a "most likely", which I think is the best they can do so I'm going with that as my final answer.
 
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Hi peach312! For my statements I basically just answered the questions they asked. I found it easy to go over the 200 word limit so I tried to keep it concise.
Thanks chs651. Would you say you tried to answer the questions in a format and/or way that made you stand out?
 
Thanks chs651. Would you say you tried to answer the questions in a format and/or way that made you stand out?

Not really! I did list my community involvement and animal experience in point form though. I have various experience and couldn't get it all in there under 200 words without using point form.
 
I'll break in to answer this just because I was talking about this with Heather pretty recently.

It is all done automatically on a case-by-case basis. You don't have to submit a request for them to drop grades, they immediately look over it and choose if they want to grant it when you submit your application.

They really want to see 5, though she did also tell us in certain cases four was accepted. You have to "earn" the class drop in a way. That is the same reason they will accept no more than 3 1st year introductory classes in your fifth year as well.

If I was you I would definitely take 5 in each semester. Are you in 4 or 5 right now?

BTW welcome back to the thread! What application # are you on now?

Thanks for the response :) Yes currently doing 4 this semester but will be doing 5 next semester. Hope I didn't screw up by taking 4 this time around! I guess we'll see what happens.. This will be round 3 for me! Well I guess more like 2 since my first application was just to test the waters :wideyed: Hope your semester is going well! Almost done yay :clap:
 
I think basically there is no guarantee that they will take the other year. Regarding 4 vs. 5/term, Heather has said that 4 is fine but not if you have only ever done 4 at a time because they want to know that everyone can handle a full course load. If your whole undergrad was 5+5 terms and you do an extra year of 4+4 that seems to be ok as far as I've heard. So yes, after confirming a few times (really don't want to be wasting the year!), I'm confident that years with 4/semester are considered as well. They are always very careful to say that they can't ever guarantee that a year will be dropped though, just to protect from situations where it isn't for some reason. They always say it is case by case but will just give you a "most likely", which I think is the best they can do so I'm going with that as my final answer.

Thanks for the response! I've only ever done 4 + 4 and will be doing a 4 + 5 this year so I guess we'll see what happens... Time to write Heather another annoying email :p
 
And... Good first impression. I should have posted this here....

Hi there! I am totally new to this, its a rather long story, but I am finally on a pathway I know I always should have been on. Although, sometimes life happens. Now just over 30, I am starting my schooling towards getting into WCVM. Actually, this is both the goal of myself, and my husband. I am stoked to see there are others over 30 getting accepted.

So, as a rule here, it seems I am in a strange spot being a BC resident - but that hasn't scared me or my husband off - in anyway. While we are a little older, our commitment and grades are solid.

What scares us, is the ability to get enough volunteer experience to stand out. We have spent most of our years from high school working (and a little getting diplomas in fields that don't actually interest us). That being said, we have very little volunteer experience. I had about 40+ hours at the Vancouver Aquarium for work experience in high school (back long long ago) and about 60 hours with the SPCA a couple years ago. Recently, we have made our work more flexible to allow us to start building more volunteer time. Currently, we are back working with the SPCA by fostering. So far we have working with an older feline, and now we are rehabilitating 6 feral kittens - and we will continue with this. We are also hitting up our local vet clinic to gain in-clinic experience. While this helps, we will only get about 2 months of time at the clinic due to them helping other vet/vt hopefuls.

What we are curious about, is what the statistics on hours and experience look like for those from BC standing a chance. Would anyone be able to give us some info? We want to do our absolute best, but we also have to work to pay our bills - if this means we need to starve in order to get more volunteer time... so be it. This means the world to us.

TL;DR: If you are from BC, and you got in to WCVM, what did your experience look like?

Thank you :cat:
 
Thanks for the response :) Yes currently doing 4 this semester but will be doing 5 next semester. Hope I didn't screw up by taking 4 this time around! I guess we'll see what happens.. This will be round 3 for me! Well I guess more like 2 since my first application was just to test the waters :wideyed: Hope your semester is going well! Almost done yay :clap:
Squishes are you still in Victoria? Or did you move already.
 
@Cek Welcome to the forums! :) Disclaimer before I even begin: I have not been accepted to vet school.

There is no set formula; they want to see that you have had quality experience that has given you a realistic view of what the veterinary profession entails. They also want to see variety, since the profession is so massive and has many niches. You will need a veterinary reference for your application, so it would be good to work enough hours with a vet that you could get that.
As stated on the WCVM website "The amount of animal and veterinary experience will vary from one applicant to another, because some individuals are more perceptive than others and some experiences might be more useful than others. For example, a student might gain more experience as an employee at a veterinary clinic versus being an observer at a veterinary practice. Gaining a range of insights is the prime reason for emphasizing experience. Some applicants will be able to obtain these insights after minimal exposure, while other applicants may need more time and exposure." This link might help you out, if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/admissions/apply/non-academic.php

In one of the threads from the past years everyone posted their stats: grades, experience, etc. I don't remember which year, but that would be a good thing to go look at.
As an anecdotal n=1 sample size, my hours currently look roughly something like this: ~3000 hours working with horses (hunter/jumper show barn, draft/carriage horses), ~400 hours small animal vet clinic, ~20 hours with an equine surgeon, ~120 hours working at a wildlife rehab centre, ~110 hours bird banding, and a measly 2 hours working with sheep. As you can see, I am sorely lacking in production animal experience. I am moving for the summer to get more hours in that area.

I would definitely suggest you work on getting more direct vet experience (whether large or small). You should also get some large animal experience if you do not have any. Lack of large animal experience (or lack of knowledge about large animal/production animal medicine/issues) is one of the most frequent pieces of feedback given to BC applicants that I have heard. Lots of barns are happy to have some free help, and working there gives you lots of hands-on experience.
Since money is a concern, you could also see about trying to get a part time animal-related job. I've been able to afford to do a little more traveling for some of my experiences because of the money I earned working at a clinic.

Tagging Noodle who is a first year. I can't remember any of the others who got in off the top of my head. @noodle3 @SunnyAntia (I think?)
 
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BBC has some pretty good advice! Do you have to report the number of hours you spent doing a particular activity for WCVM? For UCVM we don't have to other than beginning and end dates. I only had ~125 hours of equine veterinary experience, ~9 hours of poultry experience, and some other non-hands on volunteer work like sitting on a board of directors for a Canadian breed registry and volunteering with a group that works with high school students to inspire them to pursue science careers. Plus an uncountable number of hunter/jumper competitor hours :lol:. So I was definitely light on the volunteer hours but I don't think UCVM looks at that as critically as WCVM does. In fact, on our application it says they don't use it to determine whether or not you get in at all, it is more for their own interest to see what background their future students have. So take my experience with a grain of salt!
 
BBC has some pretty good advice! Do you have to report the number of hours you spent doing a particular activity for WCVM? For UCVM we don't have to other than beginning and end dates. I only had ~125 hours of equine veterinary experience, ~9 hours of poultry experience, and some other non-hands on volunteer work like sitting on a board of directors for a Canadian breed registry and volunteering with a group that works with high school students to inspire them to pursue science careers. Plus an uncountable number of hunter/jumper competitor hours :lol:. So I was definitely light on the volunteer hours but I don't think UCVM looks at that as critically as WCVM does. In fact, on our application it says they don't use it to determine whether or not you get in at all, it is more for their own interest to see what background their future students have. So take my experience with a grain of salt!
I don't think you do, actually. I've never looked at the form, but I remember people saying that you just have to fill out what you've done in 200 words. Maybe some of this year's applicants could jump in? @Sally and Z @chs621

@Cek I didn't mention this since you were focused on animals, but non-animal volunteer (and particularly leadership) experience is pretty important for WCVM. Since you had several other careers, see if you can find a way to tie those into your vet school app. For example, I have worked 4 years at a gas station, and have a lot of experience with customer service and training/managing other staff members/trainees, which I will put in my application.

Lol, yeah it was hard to guesstimate the numbers for that. Only got to show the circuit once because of costs, but the barn slave life is not for the faint of heart. :laugh: Have you been able to keep riding since vet school started?
 
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