Class of 2018...how you doin? ;)

[orca2011]

I have the breast-cancer edition pink, which is much brighter (and more of a true pink) than either the pearly one (super light) or the "raspberry" which is more muted and purple-y. (In case you're a pink connoisseur like myself

I ended up getting the raspberry and I love it. Definitely more of a purple but I think its a pretty color. For the OP who was originally debating between colors, I had also been considering the Caribbean blue, but once I saw it in person, I didnt like it as much.

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[StartingoverVet]

Yeah...after this semester I need like a year.

3rd year is like a year off.

 

[WillowLeaf]

I have amazon prime and so that will give you free two day shipping on most things. However it doesn't usually apply to used items. I personally like ebooks. Especially for the "find" function. I always find myself in a situation where I remember reading something with a certain phrase in the sentance and instead of flipping through pages to find it I can just type in a word or phrase and search that way

I rented an e-book once, which is a great idea because it's fairly cheap. Only problem is that I didn't check exactly how long the rental lasted... my e-book disappeared about 6 weeks into the term. Conveniently right when I needed to reference the book for midterms essays.

The "find" function is a life-saver.

 

[hedgehogcatcher]

...

 

[yogapony]

Getting exciiittteeeddd! Does anyone have any cross country road trip suggestions? We will be traveling from CA to NY... when plugging the route in to google maps, the route is almost straight.. I was thinking about curving the trip to hit Yellowstone.. but other than that.. I really don't know.. My husband and I are both CA born and raised.. not much traveling in the U.S. beside around CA and Hawaii so we would like some suggestions of must-sees while we make the long trek!

Buy a pass to the National Parks. It's $80 and gives you entrance to ALL of them. Drive across the country and hit as many as you can.

 

[kittyy]

I rented an e-book once, which is a great idea because it's fairly cheap. Only problem is that I didn't check exactly how long the rental lasted... my e-book disappeared about 6 weeks into the term. Conveniently right when I needed to reference the book for midterms essays.

The "find" function is a life-saver.

Oh geez, definitely check the rental terms in the future!!

 

[Squeaksmom]

Good to know re. ebook rental terms -- MacEwan does all of theirs on a per-semester basis, and I probably wouldn't have thought of it being different at other schools!

I can't believe how fast this is happening... there's already interest in our house! Looks like we might be moved by the end of the month, which would be okay since it would give us time to get settled and learn our way around Calgary over the summer. The really tough part is that we can't take all of our animals with us, since the community we want to move into has a lower cap on pets per household. Looks like we need to find homes for 2 cats.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Oh geez, definitely check the rental terms in the future!!

Yep. Lesson learned. I managed to finish that class without renting it again, and I let the instructor know that the website she was recommending only rented for half the term. It wasn't through the school, it was some other e-textbook website but I forgot which one. That's probably why it didn't match the term.

 

[Escalla]

@Cracker.Jack. and @Squeaksmom

You get stethoscopes at the white coat ceremony from the ABVMA. You can buy your own if you want I guess....but you won't need to. (I'm saving for an awesome one to start off clinics. )

Scrubs and coveralls you will be fitted for so don't buy any of those. Same with lab coats.

You can get some steal toe boots (rubber or Muck brand, I have 2 pairs - one for UCVM stuff and one for field trips) and comfy professional shoes for PSkills and SA stuff (I usually wear my cowboy boots or runners, this is more optional).

You could also get a thermometer and penlight. But you won't need that until later, it's all basic handling for the first few months.



You should PM me when you get settled in Calgary and we should grab coffee!

 

[Squeaksmom]

Thanks for the tips @Escalla ! A friend who just graduated actually just told me about the stethoscope thing, too. So exciting! I'll have to find my steel toed rubber boots... I know where my work boots are of course, but not the rubber ones off hand. I guess I should get a second pair for biosecurity like you say. I think I'll be wearing runners rather than "nice" shoes whenever I can get away with it, too!

We're actually looking in Airdrie as well right now. Have found a couple of places that look good on paper, but we'll see.... I totally agree that coffee is a good idea once everyone is settled, would love to put faces to screen names!

 

[epivetlove]

Just got our official first e-mail from the Dean's Office. One of the 2VMs posted our tentative schedules for first year. Really, really hoping I'm Group A! I'm excited to start in the fall, but I still feel like this summer is moving too fast!

 

[Karabiner13]

Just got our official first e-mail from the Dean's Office. One of the 2VMs posted our tentative schedules for first year. Really, really hoping I'm Group A! I'm excited to start in the fall, but I still feel like this summer is moving too fast!

I'm right there with you; book/supply list, financial aid stuff, pre-orientation course, getting paired with a 2nd year (big/little program), and our class schedule for the semester. Time is really flying. Luckily I'm giving myself some vacation time for a few weeks before school to get ready to move and settle in without having to work.

 

[jdjackson89]

I'm right there with you; book/supply list, financial aid stuff, pre-orientation course, getting paired with a 2nd year (big/little program), and our class schedule for the semester. Time is really flying. Luckily I'm giving myself some vacation time for a few weeks before school to get ready to move and settle in without having to work.

Just getting back from a mini vacation at the beach but I'm definitely taking a few weeks off from work too in order get my affairs in order before classes start. I'm excited! Anyone doing a cross country move? Any pointers on moving?

 

[NStarz]

I'm right there with you; book/supply list, financial aid stuff, pre-orientation course, getting paired with a 2nd year (big/little program), and our class schedule for the semester. Time is really flying. Luckily I'm giving myself some vacation time for a few weeks before school to get ready to move and settle in without having to work.

What do you guys have to do before orientation? We didn't have anything like that.

 

[Karabiner13]

What do you guys have to do before orientation? We didn't have anything like that.

The pre-orientation course is something on Carmen. It gives us all sorts of info from how to set up direct deposit for loan refund, to good study methods, meeting professors, and other things. I have a feeling that due to our orientation only being two days instead of three they decided to do this pre-orientation thing.

 

[NStarz]

The pre-orientation course is something on Carmen. It gives us all sorts of info from how to set up direct deposit for loan refund, to good study methods, meeting professors, and other things. I have a feeling that due to our orientation only being two days instead of three they decided to do this pre-orientation thing.

Interesting.

Good luck

Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime--and congrats on becoming a Buckeye!

 

[UFprevet12]

Summer is flying by. I can't believe it's June 20th already! I'm moving in 1 month! Ahh!

 

[Ashgirl]

Summer is flying by. I can't believe it's June 20th already! I'm moving in 1 month! Ahh!

I know, I can't believe it's almost July! Before you know it we will be going to orientation and then we will dive into our first week of classes... scary!

Speaking of orientation, all forms are turned in for our 4-day camp in August, and now I'm trekking through the online academic portion that once spanned 6-8 hours of lecture. Today I even received a book from our school on how to properly study in vet school. Even sifting through all these forms, books, and rules on vet school, there is a major part of me that still can't believe this is actually happening... Somehow I doubt this is going to go away anytime soon.

 

[epivetlove]

Does any 2018'er have a COA (tuition + cost of living) that is less than the unsub loan of $40,500?

 

[UFprevet12]

Does any 2018'er have a COA (tuition + cost of living) that is less than the unsub loan of $40,500?

I don't know. Some IS are above $40,500. But that's why they have the grad plus loan.

 

[epivetlove]

My COA is less than the $40,500, but I was curious about something...wanted to see if anyone was in a similar situation as me before I contacted our financial aid advisor.

 

[WulfpackChica]

My COA is below $40K... but just barely!

 

[Coquette22]

Even sifting through all these forms, books, and rules on vet school, there is a major part of me that still can't believe this is actually happening... Somehow I doubt this is going to go away anytime soon.

I'm two months into fourth year. It hasn't gone away yet.

 

[Frozenshades]

My COA is less than the $40,500, but I was curious about something...wanted to see if anyone was in a similar situation as me before I contacted our financial aid advisor.

There's probably not a lot. TAMU is one of, if not the cheapest, vet school.

 

[Cracker.Jack.]

Does any 2018'er have a COA (tuition + cost of living) that is less than the unsub loan of $40,500?

I do! But I'm going to a Canadian school, so tuition is much more subsidized--->cheaper. At most, I've put my total cost of the year at $25,000, and that's if I really overspend on everyday costs ($875/month). Really, I expect my spending to be less and the year to be around $23,000, which is putting everyday spending on food, gas, clothes, etc at $575 a month. Luckily, I've gotten almost $7000 in scholarships this year so I'm putting my tuition + cost of living total at $16000.

 

[epivetlove]

Yeah...I didn't know if maybe there was any IS students for NCSU, Georgia, or Iowa...Those are listed as cheaper than TAMU for IS. Not sure how reliable that data is, but it's on VIN's Cost of Education map. -shrug-

 

[epivetlove]

I do! But I'm going to a Canadian school, so tuition is much more subsidized--->cheaper. At most, I've put my total cost of the year at $25,000, and that's if I really overspend on everyday costs ($875/month). Really, I expect my spending to be less and the year to be around $23,000, which is putting everyday spending on food, gas, clothes, etc at $575 a month. Luckily, I've gotten almost $7000 in scholarships this year so I'm putting my tuition + cost of living total at $16000.

Canada doesn't count. At least for my purposes.

 

[Cracker.Jack.]

I figured not. But I am curious what other Canadians are putting their yearly costs at?

 

[WillowLeaf]

My COA is under $40,000. Looks like it's pretty similar to TAMU over all 4 years.

 

[epivetlove]

My COA is under $40,000. Looks like it's pretty similar to TAMU over all 4 years.

Did you already receive your financial aid package?

 

[WillowLeaf]

Did you already receive your financial aid package?

Yep. I was offered the unsubsidized loan.

 

[epivetlove]

Yep. I was offered the unsubsidized loan.

And it was just up to the COA, correct?

 

[WillowLeaf]

And it was just up to the COA, correct?

Whoa. My estimated COA on the award package is higher than the COA that the college says on its website. Sorry, I'm not helpful after all, my COA is slightly higher than the unsub loan now. I guess they haven't updated the website yet, there's still an "estimate" for last year. Not exactly an estimate at this point.

 

[epivetlove]

Whoa. My estimated COA on the award package is higher than the COA that the college says on its website. Sorry, I'm not helpful after all, my COA is slightly higher than the unsub loan now. I guess they haven't updated the website yet, there's still an "estimate" for last year. Not exactly an estimate at this point.

Haha, no problem! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled and grateful that my school is affordable considering, but I had originally budgeted for the full $40,500 due to some personal and medical costs for first year that I don't plan on having for the remainder of my vet school career. I'm sure it'll all work out, though.

I noticed TAMU hadn't updated their page yet either (still has c/o 2018 application stuff--haha). But they did update tuition and such. They have their priorities straight.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Haha, no problem! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled and grateful that my school is affordable considering, but I had originally budgeted for the full $40,500 due to some personal and medical costs for first year that I don't plan on having for the remainder of my vet school career. I'm sure it'll all work out, though.

I noticed TAMU hadn't updated their page yet either (still has c/o 2018 application stuff--haha). But they did update tuition and such. They have their priorities straight.

Well, this website is still the estimate for class of 2017. Like from two application cycles ago, I guess...

Maybe there's a way you can increase the cost of attendance estimate if it's due to medical costs and stuff? Good luck!

 

[equineconstant]

Not sure if any of you have looked into half.com but I get all of mine there. Shipping is usually pretty quick and I havent had an issues with the quality of booms I received. I've bought brand new biology books that are normally around the $200 price range frequently for $100 or less. I think I got Dyce and my dissection guide on there together for like $125 total.

I like using BigWords.com. It searches multiple sites, like half.com and amazon at once.

 

[UFprevet12]

Got my class schedule today! Excited/nervous/scared!

 

[Cyndia]

Ahhh so I have absolutely no idea what to do now. I got into UF and I'm sooo thrilled over it, but I've already sent in a deposit to UCD and am already living in Dublin. UF was my top choice in the US, but I'd kind of given up on it, so I've gotten very settled over here in Ireland (serious boyfriend, lots of friends, long term lease, was just about to take the test for an irish license and purchase a used car this coming month, etc). If I decided to leave, of course I would find a way to figure out logistics, but I'm in so much turmoil over the decision of whether or not I should go. Career wise, I think UF is the better choice for what I'd like to do, but personal life wise, UCD is the better choice. Does anyone have any suggestions about it? I have to make the decision myself, but I'm just curious what people think.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Ahhh so I have absolutely no idea what to do now. I got into UF and I'm sooo thrilled over it, but I've already sent in a deposit to UCD and am already living in Dublin. UF was my top choice in the US, but I'd kind of given up on it, so I've gotten very settled over here in Ireland (serious boyfriend, lots of friends, long term lease, was just about to take the test for an irish license and purchase a used car this coming month, etc). If I decided to leave, of course I would find a way to figure out logistics, but I'm in so much turmoil over the decision of whether or not I should go. Career wise, I think UF is the better choice for what I'd like to do, but personal life wise, UCD is the better choice. Does anyone have any suggestions about it? I have to make the decision myself, but I'm just curious what people think.

Is there a big difference in tuition? What is it about UF that makes it better for your career?

Of course I haven't even started vet school yet so I don't know for sure, but almost everyone I've talked to has said that a DVM is a DVM (or whatever equivalent of a DVM a school gives) and that you don't have to go to any certain school depending on your career interests. And that you can make opportunities for yourself outside of school if your school doesn't focus enough on your career interests. And that it's important to be happy outside of school and to have a good balance between your personal life and school/career.

But, if you could be just as happy after getting settled at UF, and if UF has something that's really beneficial to your career, then maybe UF is a good choice. I have no idea which is better so I'm just throwing out thoughts. Good luck making that decision!

 

[Cyndia]

Is there a big difference in tuition? What is it about UF that makes it better for your career?

Of course I haven't even started vet school yet so I don't know for sure, but almost everyone I've talked to has said that a DVM is a DVM (or whatever equivalent of a DVM a school gives) and that you don't have to go to any certain school depending on your career interests. And that you can make opportunities for yourself outside of school if your school doesn't focus enough on your career interests. And that it's important to be happy outside of school and to have a good balance between your personal life and school/career.

But, if you could be just as happy after getting settled at UF, and if UF has something that's really beneficial to your career, then maybe UF is a good choice. I have no idea which is better so I'm just throwing out thoughts. Good luck making that decision!

The tuition is actually nearly identical since I'm OOS, so money sadly won't be the easy deciding factor. There is a difference in loans since it's a second bachelors at UCD versus UF, but I haven't quite figured out how that will impact me moneywise.

As for why I like UF so much, I think the main draw for me is that, however unrealistic it may be, I'm still very interested in exotics and aquatics, which Florida is so great for. I'm also the type of person that is usually happy wherever I end up, so I know I would probably be happy after getting settled at UF - though I am a little nervous about moving back to a college town after living in London/Dublin. I loved college town life in undergrad, but I think I've changed a good bit since then. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I think a big part of why I want to stay is the boyfriend - while we have a very solid relationship, I worry that if things didn't work out for some reason, I would really regret my decision. But the opposite is also true, I don't want to regret ending things with him and leaving if for some reason I end up disliking UF.

Anyways... thanks for the thoughts! I still have about 30 hours before I have to give my decision, so I'm going to keep chatting with as many friends/vet students/vets as possible about it and hopefully that will open up some new points I haven't thought of that might make the decision easier. If there are any current students/alumni of UF/UCD floating around that have thoughts on their own programs, I would love to hear from you! Both pros and cons, please feel free to message me.

 

[DVMDream]

The tuition is actually nearly identical since I'm OOS, so money sadly won't be the easy deciding factor. There is a difference in loans since it's a second bachelors at UCD versus UF, but I haven't quite figured out how that will impact me moneywise.

As for why I like UF so much, I think the main draw for me is that, however unrealistic it may be, I'm still very interested in exotics and aquatics, which Florida is so great for. I'm also the type of person that is usually happy wherever I end up, so I know I would probably be happy after getting settled at UF - though I am a little nervous about moving back to a college town after living in London/Dublin. I loved college town life in undergrad, but I think I've changed a good bit since then. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I think a big part of why I want to stay is the boyfriend - while we have a very solid relationship, I worry that if things didn't work out for some reason, I would really regret my decision. But the opposite is also true, I don't want to regret ending things with him and leaving if for some reason I end up disliking UF.

Anyways... thanks for the thoughts! I still have about 30 hours before I have to give my decision, so I'm going to keep chatting with as many friends/vet students/vets as possible about it and hopefully that will open up some new points I haven't thought of that might make the decision easier. If there are any current students/alumni of UF/UCD floating around that have thoughts on their own programs, I would love to hear from you! Both pros and cons, please feel free to message me.

@Emiloo4 is at UF... maybe she can give you some good info on the program there.
@devyn as you already know, is at UCD, I am sure she could give you some good info about UCD.

I don't know about UCD, but I know at Edinburgh that even though they consider the program to be a Bachelor's program over here, the US loan department still considers it a health professionals/doctorate program and you can get the proper amount in loan money to cover tuition and cost of living.

Good Luck with your decision!

 

[devyn]

@Emiloo4 is at UF... maybe she can give you some good info on the program there.
@devyn as you already know, is at UCD, I am sure she could give you some good info about UCD.

I don't know about UCD, but I know at Edinburgh that even though they consider the program to be a Bachelor's program over here, the US loan department still considers it a health professionals/doctorate program and you can get the proper amount in loan money to cover tuition and cost of living.

Good Luck with your decision!

yes we are talking via PM for the last hour or so.....

and loan amounts work the same

 

[DVMDream]

yes we are talking via PM for the last hour or so.....

and loan amounts work the same

 

[Cyndia]

I don't know about UCD, but I know at Edinburgh that even though they consider the program to be a Bachelor's program over here, the US loan department still considers it a health professionals/doctorate program and you can get the proper amount in loan money to cover tuition and cost of living.

Good Luck with your decision!

Really! I thought the loans were different, though to be honest, I know absolutely nothing about loans since it's my first time taking them out. When I first filled out the FAFSA for UF, I was told I'd get Stafford loans of about 20k. I resubmitted it after I decided on UCD, and then they told me I'd only get about 12.5k in loans. I'm not sure if they've changed something, if I messed up something, or if I am talking about something completely different?

 

[DVMDream]

Really! I thought the loans were different, though to be honest, I know absolutely nothing about loans since it's my first time taking them out. When I first filled out the FAFSA for UF, I was told I'd get Stafford loans of about 20k. I resubmitted it after I decided on UCD, and then they told me I'd only get about 12.5k in loans. I'm not sure if they've changed something, if I messed up something, or if I am talking about something completely different?

On the FAFSA, you fill it out as though you are attending a professional program. Don't mark undergrad. Even though the school considers it undergrad, for FAFSA purposes, it is not.

 

[Cyndia]

I didn't realise that.. thanks for letting me know!

 

[DVMDream]

I didn't realise that.. thanks for letting me know!

You're welcome!

 

[Sillouetta]

Just got our Book/Supply list! Anyone have any suggestions on the best place to get coveralls and rubber overshoes?

 

[TheComfyCat]

I'm glad undergrad is finally finished. Now I'm just dreading having to move across country with my pets.

 

[UFprevet12]

I'm glad undergrad is finally finished. Now I'm just dreading having to move across country with my pets.

I'm dreading the 10 hour drive with my cats and birds. Especially with one of my cats that goes crazy in the car. I'm hoping acepromazine will do the trick but so far it hasn't on our test runs. It's going to be a fun drive.