This is so true and how I've decided to look at my year off too! I just finished my undergrad at U of R so I don't have any more schooling to do and with so many credits (a non-science related degree program plus extra for the pre vet requirements) taking more classes would barely change my GPA.

Soo..I'm going to continue working at the SA clinic I've been employed at for almost two years now to continue to gain experience in the field. I know, from living in a city my whole life, that I need more LA experience so I've decided to volunteer at a therapeutic riding center which I hope will be so cool and rewarding all at once! For fun I'm going to read ALL sorts of books since I never had time nor did I ever feel like recreational reading during my UG (I finished reading A Dog's Purpose in less than 24 hours last week and would recommend for any dog lovers out there haha). I also want to foster rescues so bad but I will have to work on my mom with that one.

Other than that, I just want to relax and have fun with friends and family to make up for weeks spent studying and doing homework and working whenever I wasn't studying or doing homework. My best friend is moving to Calgary tomorrow to start her first big girl job so now I'll have time to visit her as well!

I guess even at the hardest times, if you dig deep enough, you can find positives in any situation! :)

Also on a random note...I've always thought being an event and wedding planner would be so fun (maybe I could do it on the side when I become a vet :)) so I have time to get my certificate in that too! Or maybe I'm just going crazy thinking of all the free time I'll have that I'm not used to haha....

A friend of mine got called off the waitlist today! She said she was wait listed for both schools, and she has until tomorrow to tell them. But I think now that she knows we'll be in it together she'll be at WCVM with me!

Darn Alberta waitlist! =(

But congrats to her! I'm hoping the BC waitlist moves . . . at all . . .

Did you say they call people who are on the waitlist?

Well it's official....I got accepted to WCVM!!! Congrats to all those that did as well. For those who didn't this was my fifth application and first interview. I moved from Alberta to Saskatchewan to increase my odds and leaving everything I knew behind paid off. Don't give up...persistence pays off!

I'm not sure about the other provinces, but yes for AB

Congrats groff00!!

If I didn't get in this year, I would have moved to SK as well! The odds are better. I heard there were 132 applicants this year from AB.

Well congrats on getting accepted as well. I guess we will be meeting each other soon. Yes I moved from Calgary to Regina art August...now just need to get reorganized for classes starting in August - so much to do.

Congrats groff! I hope I have nearly as much persistence as you to make it to vet school eventually!

Hey all who got in. I have been looking for places to rent in Sask for the last couple months now and have noticed it is pretty expensive considering rent in Edmonton is cheaper and Ed is a much larger city. So I am planning on renting an updated two or three bedroom basement suite for between $1200-1500 and am looking for a roommate. I can provide all newer (purchased within last 3 years) furniture if wanted, including bedroom furniture. I have a medium sized (50lbs) dog that is very calm and friendly. I would like to be in a place for August 1st. If anyone wants a roommate or knows someone that does please let me know!

Hey Moo,

I will be looking to rent with someone, but I have a bunch of furniture as well.

Hello! I'm also a first year WCVM student looking for roommates. I'd like to live in a nice place close to the school, with 2-3 other people. I'd like to move in sometime in mid or late August, so I would be okay with paying rent starting August 1. If anyone has a place lined up (or is looking at places soon) and needs a roommate let me know :)

Hi, does anybody know what that "special circumstances" section in the WCVM application is for? Thanks.

I am not exactly sure.

UCVM had one similar where you could explain if you had courses that had expired, why you think you should be considered - ie continuing to study or work in the field

I understood it as say if you failed a certain course or if you had a break between schooling or didn't take a full course load one year perhaps due to an illness, family circumstance, taking time off to travel abroad etc. just so they know why there are breaks between semesters or low marks or whatever the case is.

Like a whole house full of furniture? I have just about everything but sold all my living room furniture...

I will have a place lined up and need a roommate but it will only be me and one other person.

Gah... so long-time lurker, first time poster here. I'm wait listed (AGAIN!!!) and I've been considering applying to school in the states for next year, in addition to the WCVM. I know some of you have experience with this, but what I'm wondering is did you find it worthwhile? The tuition and costs are disgustingly high, but I'm at a loss for what else to do. Regardless I will be returning to university for some post-bacc classes to give my average a little bit of an edge, but I guess if I want to apply to the states I need to be thinking about studying for the GRE... any thoughts?

Welcome to the forum!

I too was thinking about writing the GRE and applying to the states, but lucky for me I won't have to!

Escalla has experience with the process (even declining an acceptance :( ) The OOS tuition was my biggest deterant for not applying. You can end up with a mortgage at the end of it all!

What province are you applying from? Waitlisted means you have a really good chance of getting accepted for next year (that's if the wait list doesn't move!) With your interview experiences you will be able to crack the code that gets you in ;) What is your GPA like?

Ahhh, welcome to the club!!!! :)

I have quite a bit of experience with the American side of things, so feel free to ask any questions! I was in the biological sciences faculty for two years at the University of Calgary, hated it and didn't do well (at all!) and decided the U.S. was a better choice. Transferred to the University of Minnesota, Crookston and re-took everything for my biology degree and added on a B.Sc. in Equine Science with emphasis in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I applied to 5 American schools this past cycle and was accepted to one, but ended up declining my acceptance a couple of weeks ago. Here are my thoughts on the process:

• If you have enough money, go for it! But definitely research how much it will cost you to apply, fly down there to interview and then the cost of attendance for four years.
• The GRE is a b*tch, but doable -- more money to add to the overall cost of applying to a U.S. school though.
• Not all schools will actually accept International applicants, so make sure you double check with the school.
• The only thing other than cost that really turned me off from attending Kansas State was how long their school year is (I found this in undergrad too). While vet schools up here end at the end of April/beginning of May and start back late August/early September, in the U.S. they are a few weeks late getting out and head back a few weeks earlier than we do -- which might make it difficult to compete with Canadian vet students for summer jobs at clinics. (That's just my take on it though).

Really, the biggest thing is the cost. It is more than 4x the cost to go to school in the U.S. than here and loans for Canadian students studying vet med abroad from the feds caps at $95,000 -- so finding funds is difficult.



Anyways, that's just my experience and a lot of why I ended up deciding to decline my acceptance to K-State and decided stick it out with the waitlist at WCVM and re-apply next year if required. If you any questions though, feel free to ask! :)

:)

I'm applying from SK... I've applied and interviewed 4 times. I'd say I agree with you about having a better chance, but I've been wait listed several times two separate occasions and the year between I actually ranked worse. Such is the subjectivity of the process. I managed to speak with Dr. Grahn this year, and he was very helpful since I've not really had a lot of negative feedback (which I have to tell you, is incredibly frustrating because they aren't really able to give me concrete reasons why I'm not successful.) Since the applicants are getting more competitive, he suggested I return to school and take a few easy classes to give my GPA a bit of an edge, since my interview scores have been quite good. Hopefully that will give me the handful of points I need to get off the wait list and into the class. He did also tell me it is possible for even the bottom ranked person getting an interview to be accepted, but it really depends on the applicants each year who are interviewing. At least I have some answers now.

Also, thanks for all the offers to answer questions about applying in the US. I think after speaking with Dr. Grahn and actually having something solid to go off of for next year, I'm going to wait and see how my application pans out this year. Now that I have a reason, I also have a game plan. ;)

Hey thenuttyclub...I was wondering how many applicants applied from Sask this year? I am moving there in August and applying as a resident and Im curious to the amount of people there compared to BC (where I applied from this year)
Thanks!

It's good to have a plan! And yes, going back taking a full course load, but of easy courses that you know you can ace would be the best option if your interview scores are already awesome.

Well... I know there are significantly less applicants here (population should make that obvious,) but as to the actual number this year I'm not sure. I think the SK ratio is about 3:1 for applicants to seats, as opposed to roughly 6:1 for AB/BC.
In all honesty, the best place to move contrary to popular belief is Manitoba. They receive far fewer applications from what I've been told in the last couple of years, and it's just not as competitive for that reason.
That being said, moving to gain acceptance might help you, but there are a lot of people who do it and at some point the SK quota is going to be filled with people who came from other provinces. I don't know at what point they will draw the line or look at the fact that you've moved here just to gain entry and wonder whether you're going to stick around after your degree. That's not to renege on your plans, but it's definitely something to think about. I have a few friends in the college and I know there are a good chunk of their "SK" classmates who came from other provinces, but the college also has to think about the future of Saskatchewan professionals.
Maybe that helps you out. If nothing else, it's food for thought.

OK great thanks!!

Is anyone else having a tough time finding housing??

Hey thenuttyclub, was it easy to get ahold of Dr. Grahn? How did you go abouts doing it?

Did anyone else register for the One Health experience?

I was wondering if anyone could answer a question: can you take less than 5 courses a semester once you have finished the prereqs? Or do you just have to take one full year of full semesters with 5 courses in each just to show you can handle it? Or do they prefer your whole undergrad with 5 courses a semester until you finish?

They will look at your best year in which you had a minimum of 8 courses (fall and winter semesters), and your cumulative GPA. Just keep in mind, the fewer classes you take, the longer it takes to get your degree, and the greater the number of years they average it out. I did my first degree over 6 years, and had spring and summer courses (which don't count in your best year). I don't know how they worked it out after I did my second degree. But I have zero years in which I took 5 courses in fall AND 5 in winter. I'm not encouraging it, I'm just saying that it is conceivable. I had a really difficult time with course selection at my first uni (ie courses only offered every other year and only during winter semester etc.) so when I went back I took random courses just to fill my schedule.

hi . What's the oldest student in your class ? Is there anybody older then 30 ? thanks

I'm 31 and I'm not the oldest. There's a few of us in the over 30 crowd.

Officially done our first semester!!! Best feeling in the world!!

Hello, long time creeper - finally decided to just get an account and post!

I was just curious as I looked at the stat page ..
Is anyone an Aboriginal student? I noticed they have spots for 2 Aboriginal students. I wonder if they put your marks and interviews scores against all the rest of the applicants, or if they just compare to just the other Aboriginal students?

Hi chs621. I'm Mi'kmaq but from the East Coast so I'm not allowed to apply to WCVM. As far as I understand though, those seats are set aside for Aboriginals so you won't be competing with the entire applicant pool. Good luck with your application.