Class of 2020 Applicants

[ReilleysMom32]

Well, for one, I can't WAIT to get a hold of the survey they send out. Incredibly frustrating to re-enter all of your information AGAIN after the previous cycles.

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[deleted676737]

I am so, SO glad that I asked for 4 eLORs now... turns out that my advisor never finished hers. Whether or not it's because she forgot (despite the Thank You note and gift card I gave her) or it's a case of VMCAS glitching out and she just wasn't able to submit, I don't know. I was originally only going to ask for 3, but now I'm really thankful that I went with my gut on this and got a 4th. I may ask her tomorrow if something happened because... well, she's not the type to procrastinate and she insisted that she write me one; I didn't even have to request. That tells me that I had a potentially very strong letter on my hands, so I'm sad that it didn't work out for whatever reason.

Oh, man. Crisis averted?

 

[Cephal0pod]

I am so, SO glad that I asked for 4 eLORs now... turns out that my advisor never finished hers. Whether or not it's because she forgot (despite the Thank You note and gift card I gave her) or it's a case of VMCAS glitching out and she just wasn't able to submit, I don't know. I was originally only going to ask for 3, but now I'm really thankful that I went with my gut on this and got a 4th. I may ask her tomorrow if something happened because... well, she's not the type to procrastinate and she insisted that she write me one; I didn't even have to request. That tells me that I had a potentially very strong letter on my hands, so I'm sad that it didn't work out for whatever reason.

Oh, man. Crisis averted?

Definitely a close one. Bummer about potentially missing out on that letter, though.

Well guys, for better or for worse, we made it through the VMCAS phase of our application cycle! That is an accomplishment in and of itself, perhaps this year especially.

 

[deleted676737]

Definitely a close one. Bummer about potentially missing out on that letter, though.

Well guys, for better or for worse, we made it through the VMCAS phase of our application cycle! That is an accomplishment in and of itself, perhaps this year especially.

Yeah, it certainly sucks. But the backup eLOR is from a professor I've had 3 classes and have done 2 research projects and presented at a conference with, so hopefully it's just as much of an accolade as my advisor's might have been!

I'd say that just slogging through VMCAS this year was quite the ordeal, but my problems with it were so minor compared to everyone else's that I'd honestly feel bad.

We made it through! Somehow!

 

[ReilleysMom32]

Bourbon is in order

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Well, for one, I can't WAIT to get a hold of the survey they send out. Incredibly frustrating to re-enter all of your information AGAIN after the previous cycles.

Yeah the info rollover was definitely taken down just so they could sway more people into paying for the PTE.

I know the transcript verification is going to be incredibly slow over the next few weeks. However, I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this scenario:

One college mailed my transcripts last Wednesday (9/9) at 10:31AM CST to VMCAS. I had ordered it August 30th and the college didn't process and mail it out for 10 days. According to USPS, it SHOULD have arrived no later than today (9/15). Was being mailed from New Orleans. They have all their FAQ's saying that if it arrives after the 15th it's considered late, but I clearly wasn't the one holding up the transcripts. Everyone I've spoken with says not to worry, but it's hard not to when you've just dropped all this money.

Obviously, I should have ordered them earlier. To be fair, I was completely unaware of the moved-up VMCAS deadline until August 26th (was out of town also). What's the likelihood of them tossing my entire application because of something that essentially was out of my control? I checked back through my emails and I didn't receive any about the moved deadline this year. Definitely scrambled this cycle when I've always been on top of it.

Unfortunately, if the transcript is not in VMCAS's possession as of yesterday, it's considered late and will not be accepted, regardless of why is was sent late

I am so, SO glad that I asked for 4 eLORs now... turns out that my advisor never finished hers. Whether or not it's because she forgot (despite the Thank You note and gift card I gave her) or it's a case of VMCAS glitching out and she just wasn't able to submit, I don't know. I was originally only going to ask for 3, but now I'm really thankful that I went with my gut on this and got a 4th. I may ask her tomorrow if something happened because... well, she's not the type to procrastinate and she insisted that she write me one; I didn't even have to request. That tells me that I had a potentially very strong letter on my hands, so I'm sad that it didn't work out for whatever reason.

Oh, man. Crisis averted?

I think you guys should try to find out if VMCAS glitched. I saw somewhere (either here or the APVMA page, I can't keep track) that an evaluator insisted he submitted the letter. The applicant called VMCAS and they did have it, but it wasn't reflected on her application.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Yeah the info rollover was definitely taken down just so they could sway more people into paying for the PTE.

Noooo, they'd never do such a thing!

So now, the most important thing is for me to get through this final semester and graduate with a 4.0 from my primary university.

I cannot stand my Microbiology class. Love the lab, love the material, hate the professor's approach. It's a massive lecture hall class, and he's gone the path of least resistance to teach. Spends 15 minutes each class troubleshooting clicker software that doesn't work, uses pre-prepared lectures by the textbook company, uses online "smart/adaptive" homework through the textbook company, uses exams made by the textbook company. On the first day a pretty little rep from the publisher came to speak to the class to say why learning with their tools is far superior to "old" teaching methods.

I feel like the company just handed the professor a package and said, "This is all you need to teach." I think a lot of classes are moving in this direction, and it sucks.

I'm stressing about this class, and I really shouldn't be.

 

[thecatastrophist]

Noooo, they'd never do such a thing!

So now, the most important thing is for me to get through this final semester and graduate with a 4.0 from my primary university.

I cannot stand my Microbiology class. Love the lab, love the material, hate the professor's approach. It's a massive lecture hall class, and he's gone the path of least resistance to teach. Spends 15 minutes each class troubleshooting clicker software that doesn't work, uses pre-prepared lectures by the textbook company, uses online "smart/adaptive" homework through the textbook company, uses exams made by the textbook company. On the first day a pretty little rep from the publisher came to speak to the class to say why learning with their tools is far superior to "old" teaching methods.

I feel like the company just handed the professor a package and said, "This is all you need to teach." I think a lot of classes are moving in this direction, and it sucks.

I'm stressing about this class, and I really shouldn't be.

I have mixed feelings about this.

Tbh, as somebody who has taught, I'd say that I don't necessarily using the textbook company's powepoints or homework is necessarily a bad thing or lazy. Teaching is a time-consuming job. My students never realized that 3 or 4 times the amount of time it took to put into those things, and because I don't have access to many images, finding ways to illustrate my powepoints was a pain. I feel like my qualify lacked. Now, if I DID use a textbook company's slideshows, I'd rearrange it and add my own slides in too because honestly they're just a carbon copy of what's in the book, and that's not fair at all. But some of those images, diagrams, and animations are something I'd have really liked to have going through. Same things goes for homework. I honestly felt like I wrote ****ty homework that held nobody's attention. Throwing it online with more varied question formats is something more likely to keep most of my student's attention better and presents the material in a lot of different ways?.

Tests though? Absolutely not. It's a HUGE peeve of mine that teachers use prewritten tests. I'm not a fan of the way most questions are written and beyond that, I know better. So many other students have taken those that you can basically Google the question and get the answer. I will NEVER write an exam like that. And saying that these methods are "superior" is just damn egotistical. It makes a teacher's job easier in the sense that they can put their focus elsewhere, like in designing better labs, writing better tests, and offering more help to students. A good lecturer can still teach well without using their materials.

The idea that a textbook company would say that honestly makes me pretty mad.

 

[FeartheDogMonky]

I cannot stand my Microbiology class. Love the lab, love the material, hate the professor's approach. It's a massive lecture hall class, and he's gone the path of least resistance to teach. Spends 15 minutes each class troubleshooting clicker software that doesn't work, uses pre-prepared lectures by the textbook company, uses online "smart/adaptive" homework through the textbook company, uses exams made by the textbook company. On the first day a pretty little rep from the publisher came to speak to the class to say why learning with their tools is far superior to "old" teaching methods.

I feel like the company just handed the professor a package and said, "This is all you need to teach." I think a lot of classes are moving in this direction, and it sucks.

I'm stressing about this class, and I really shouldn't be.

Just look on the bright si... Well at least they.... There must be research to supp.... Nope, I can't think of a good reason to use a publisher's material as the sole teaching guide and testing resource. Other than the school/professor put some cash in their pocket by agreeing to sell their soul.

I had an adjunct for Orgo 2 last semester that was awesome. She was unable to use her personal slides and said she was being forced to use the Chem dept's slides since she's not a full-timer. Nevermind the fact she had been teaching for 15+ years and worked in the industry for longer. She would project the slides and hold the "Next" button until it ended... turn off the projector... and went to the board for everything. All of us did better on average in the class and the ACS than the other classes.

Moral of the story: never use anything from a package. Unless it's Ramen. That stuff is awesome.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Thanks for the support, guys. I'm at work until 10:45 and then I'm going to call my evaluator and find out what happened. Worst case scenario, I can still apply to SGU on their website, but I hate to think of all the time and money wasted if that's my only option. I keep kicking myself thinking of ways I could have prevented this from happening (requesting a fourth evaluator, reminding him more often/earlier about the deadline, etc.).

 

[WildZoo]

I'm so sorry Lyra, hopefully you can work something out, especially if your evaluator thought he had submitted and it just didn't go through for some reason. I can't imagine how you must be feeling. Sending good thoughts and Internet hugs your way.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thanks for the support, guys. I'm at work until 10:45 and then I'm going to call my evaluator and find out what happened. Worst case scenario, I can still apply to SGU on their website, but I hate to think of all the time and money wasted if that's my only option. I keep kicking myself thinking of ways I could have prevented this from happening (requesting a fourth evaluator, reminding him more often/earlier about the deadline, etc.).

I don't want to sound harsh at all, but your evaluator agreed to write you a letter. Assuming the letter was never written (as opposed to a VMCAS glitch), your evaluator went back on his word. Asking more than 3 is a good idea, but if you asked three, you should get three. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. You can remind someone all they want, they'll still do it when they want to, if at all. I know life can get in the way for everyone, but if something happened, he should have told you. I truly hope it's a VMCAS thing.

I have mixed feelings about this.

Tbh, as somebody who has taught, I'd say that I don't necessarily using the textbook company's powepoints or homework is necessarily a bad thing or lazy. Teaching is a time-consuming job. My students never realized that 3 or 4 times the amount of time it took to put into those things, and because I don't have access to many images, finding ways to illustrate my powepoints was a pain. I feel like my qualify lacked. Now, if I DID use a textbook company's slideshows, I'd rearrange it and add my own slides in too because honestly they're just a carbon copy of what's in the book, and that's not fair at all. But some of those images, diagrams, and animations are something I'd have really liked to have going through. Same things goes for homework. I honestly felt like I wrote ****ty homework that held nobody's attention. Throwing it online with more varied question formats is something more likely to keep most of my student's attention better and presents the material in a lot of different ways?.

Tests though? Absolutely not. It's a HUGE peeve of mine that teachers use prewritten tests. I'm not a fan of the way most questions are written and beyond that, I know better. So many other students have taken those that you can basically Google the question and get the answer. I will NEVER write an exam like that. And saying that these methods are "superior" is just damn egotistical. It makes a teacher's job easier in the sense that they can put their focus elsewhere, like in designing better labs, writing better tests, and offering more help to students. A good lecturer can still teach well without using their materials.

The idea that a textbook company would say that honestly makes me pretty mad.

At my undergrad, nearly every class's exams were pulled from the same question bank that had been around for years. You could go on Koofers, see exams for the last 6 years, and see identical questions on your test.

I understand the need to normalize courses that are taught by several professors and several times a year (micro, chem, bio, etc.), but it has always irked me that I can pay tons of money for a professor to teach me with material that was written by a professor that is now retired. In my experience, my professors had no part in designing labs, homework, or lectures.

 

[rockatiel]

That's terrible, Lyra, I am so sorry.

 

[deleted676737]

Oh, @LyraGardenia, I am so, so sorry. Know that you have a fleet of SDN buddies with lots of e-hugs to spare. I can't even imagine how you feel right now...

 

[battie]

Bourbon is in order

Vodka and Capri Suns, friend. They are bomb.

I cannot stand my Microbiology class. Love the lab, love the material, hate the professor's approach. It's a massive lecture hall class, and he's gone the path of least resistance to teach. Spends 15 minutes each class troubleshooting clicker software that doesn't work, uses pre-prepared lectures by the textbook company, uses online "smart/adaptive" homework through the textbook company, uses exams made by the textbook company. On the first day a pretty little rep from the publisher came to speak to the class to say why learning with their tools is far superior to "old" teaching methods.

If you want, I can send you my stuff when when I took micro. It's been four years, but the lectures were really good (if I still have them). The only problem I could see with that is that the professor is really only teaching you to take the tests by the company. So I don't know how much help they would be if I still have them.

 

[Jess Monster]

"There isn't any indication that PUBHBIO 701 and 702 are statistics courses."

Oh, the limits of PTE.

PUBHBIO = PUBlic Health BIOstatistics

Sure, the actual class title is something about study design in public health, but to fair, not a single statistics course I've taken at Ohio State has actually been officially called "statistics." It's just how they do. Oh well. At least all my transcript reviews are done now and hopefully I'm in line for verification.

 

[katashark]

"There isn't any indication that PUBHBIO 701 and 702 are statistics courses."

Oh, the limits of PTE.

PUBHBIO = PUBlic Health BIOstatistics

Sure, the actual class title is something about study design in public health, but to fair, not a single statistics course I've taken at Ohio State has actually been officially called "statistics." It's just how they do. Oh well. At least all my transcript reviews are done now and hopefully I'm in line for verification.

Maybe you can submit a syllabus? I had to send in a whole bunch to different schools to get my prerequisites approved because the titles were off.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Of course today is my evaluator's day off during the week (he's the sole doctor at his practice), and he's not answering his cell phone. I left a voicemail, and tried calling the clinic just in case anyone there knew anything, but no luck. Just tried calling VMCAS to see if they could see if it did actually go through on their end, but of course their system is currently down, so the rep just told me it would say "submitted" online if it did go through. After some prodding she did say they'll verify my coursework even if the third letter isn't in, but it's up to the schools whether or not they'll accept the late LOR, which I already knew. Jeez, you all weren't kidding about their customer service reps being incompetent.

 

[Jess Monster]

Maybe you can submit a syllabus? I had to send in a whole bunch to different schools to get my prerequisites approved because the titles were off.

Neither class is a pre-req, plus I only applied to Ohio State this year so I would hope they have a better handle on what those courses are than VMCAS.

It's just amusing. When VMCAS started doing transcript verifications, they'd randomly change course subjects I entered as well. Like they know better than the person who took the class and attended the university what subject it should be?

 

[katashark]

Neither class is a pre-req, plus I only applied to Ohio State this year so I would hope they have a better handle on what those courses are than VMCAS.

It's just amusing. When VMCAS started doing transcript verifications, they'd randomly change course subjects I entered as well. Like they know better than the person who took the class and attended the university what subject it should be?

They're all idiots.

 

[finnickthedog]

Anyone else been verified recently?
Just trying to see how things are moving/how much closer they've gotten to me.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I know the transcript verification is going to be incredibly slow over the next few weeks. However, I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this scenario:

One college mailed my transcripts last Wednesday (9/9) at 10:31AM CST to VMCAS. I had ordered it August 30th and the college didn't process and mail it out for 10 days. According to USPS, it SHOULD have arrived no later than today (9/15). Was being mailed from New Orleans. They have all their FAQ's saying that if it arrives after the 15th it's considered late, but I clearly wasn't the one holding up the transcripts. Everyone I've spoken with says not to worry, but it's hard not to when you've just dropped all this money.

Obviously, I should have ordered them earlier. To be fair, I was completely unaware of the moved-up VMCAS deadline until August 26th (was out of town also). What's the likelihood of them tossing my entire application because of something that essentially was out of my control? I checked back through my emails and I didn't receive any about the moved deadline this year. Definitely scrambled this cycle when I've always been on top of it.

I called the schools I applied to and explained my situation (similar to yours but I first ordered transcripts back in July and the processor didn't send them so I reordered and they were mailed 9/8). The schools were cool and said if my app doesn't get verified due to the transcripts with VMCAS, they don't care. I can send the transcripts directly to them and they will deal with it. The lady from Wisconsin actually said, "Don't worry. You are done, go party!"

 

[LyraGardenia]

The lady from Wisconsin actually said, "Don't worry. You are done, go party!"

Why am I not surprised someone from Wisconsin would say that?

Still haven't heard anything from my evaluator, which irritates me. I'm trying to stay calm, because there's not much I can do until I hear from him. The girl I talked to at the clinic said she'd mention it to him first thing tomorrow.

On a weird note, did anyone else get an email from "CASPA"? It looks like the welcome email from VMCAS, and even includes my VMCAS ID number, but it's about this other application service. I Googled it and I guess it's the one for PA schools??

 

[SummerTheLynx]

Why am I not surprised someone from Wisconsin would say that?

Still haven't heard anything from my evaluator, which irritates me. I'm trying to stay calm, because there's not much I can do until I hear from him. The girl I talked to at the clinic said she'd mention it to him first thing tomorrow.

On a weird note, did anyone else get an email from "CASPA"? It looks like the welcome email from VMCAS, and even includes my VMCAS ID number, but it's about this other application service. I Googled it and I guess it's the one for PA schools??

@LetItSnow have you finally decided to compete with vmcas, and make a better application in your spare time?

 

[LetItSnow]

@LetItSnow have you finally decided to compete with vmcas, and make a better application in your spare time?

I wish! I don't even have time to do the fact-finding necessarily to figure out if it's even possible. I'm not clear on the relationship between AAVMC and VMCAS. I really don't know anything about the 'politics' (so to speak) behind VMCAS: I just know their implementation sucks, they repeatedly fail to implement things in a timely fashion, they don't deal with bugs well, and all their explanations sound extremely suspicious. About the only thing I've ever felt they do well is customer service - and while I have no personal experience this application cycle, it sounds like even that has gotten worse.

 

[Minnerbelle]

So now, the most important thing is for me to get through this final semester and graduate with a 4.0 from my primary university.

I cannot stand my Microbiology class. Love the lab, love the material, hate the professor's approach. It's a massive lecture hall class, and he's gone the path of least resistance to teach. Spends 15 minutes each class troubleshooting clicker software that doesn't work, uses pre-prepared lectures by the textbook company, uses online "smart/adaptive" homework through the textbook company, uses exams made by the textbook company.

Well hey, at least this crappy teaching method at least allows you to get a 4.0. Whatever learning you're missing out of from poor teaching I'm sure really won't affect you much in vet school.

The exams in the science courses I had in undergrad were wretched. Like all handwritten free response that were graded quite harshly. If the exams were bad, the lab reports were worse, and labs were not optional in any of the courses. Maybe 2 people in the class got a solid A in each course. I did not get a single solid A until my senior year. I learned a ton, and it was intellectually very stimulating, but it caused quite a bit of stress trying to get good grades for vet school.

For example, the following are all questions from microbio and genetics exams, each 70 minutes long. The entire exam was like this, and my hands would hurt so badly by the end of it that it always felt like I physically couldn't finish it. It was 70 min of pure hell, furiously writing.

Each question in the pictures are worth 5-6% of the exam each. The amount of writing and quick thinking necessary was insane.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Well hey, at least this crappy teaching method at least allows you to get a 4.0. Whatever learning you're missing out of from poor teaching I'm sure really won't affect you much in vet school.

The exams in the science courses I had in undergrad were wretched. Like all handwritten free response that were graded quite harshly. If the exams were bad, the lab reports were worse, and labs were not optional in any of the courses. Maybe 2 people in the class got a solid A in each course. I did not get a single solid A until my senior year. I learned a ton, and it was intellectually very stimulating, but it caused quite a bit of stress trying to get good grades for vet school.

For example, the following are all questions from microbio and genetics exams, each 70 minutes long. The entire exam was like this, and my hands would hurt so badly by the end of it that it always felt like I physically couldn't finish it. It was 70 min of pure hell, furiously writing.

Each question in the pictures are worth 5-6% of the exam each. The amount of writing and quick thinking necessary was insane.

View attachment 196226

View attachment 196227

View attachment 196228

I feel much better knowing that I'm not the only person who still has all of her undergrad stuff. I still have some high school stuff hanging around

 

[Caiter92]

Well hey, at least this crappy teaching method at least allows you to get a 4.0. Whatever learning you're missing out of from poor teaching I'm sure really won't affect you much in vet school.

The exams in the science courses I had in undergrad were wretched. Like all handwritten free response that were graded quite harshly. If the exams were bad, the lab reports were worse, and labs were not optional in any of the courses. Maybe 2 people in the class got a solid A in each course. I did not get a single solid A until my senior year. I learned a ton, and it was intellectually very stimulating, but it caused quite a bit of stress trying to get good grades for vet school.

For example, the following are all questions from microbio and genetics exams, each 70 minutes long. The entire exam was like this, and my hands would hurt so badly by the end of it that it always felt like I physically couldn't finish it. It was 70 min of pure hell, furiously writing.

Each question in the pictures are worth 5-6% of the exam each. The amount of writing and quick thinking necessary was insane.

View attachment 196226

View attachment 196227

View attachment 196228

This is how all my exams were as well, and probably the reason all intro chem, physics, and biol classes were graded on a curve at my undergrad (where still only the top 5% ended up with an A). The averages for the class were around 50-60 (one of my ochem classes had an average of 30... ), largely because so many students couldn't finish the tests.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Well hey, at least this crappy teaching method at least allows you to get a 4.0.

Well that's the thing, this crappy teaching method has nothing to do with my current GPA. Most of my undergrad classes (nutritional sciences/biochemistry) mirrored the format of your posted example and were quite difficult (low overall class averages); I don't mind that type of testing.

I have to take this Microbiology class (MIC205 and 105L) to fulfill the vet school pre-req. This is the only class in my entire undergrad career that's taught this way. It's just a straight up joke, no other way to describe it.

There should be pretty corporate signage on the lecture hall door that says "The following class is brought to you by McGraw-Hill."

 

[Minnerbelle]

I feel much better knowing that I'm not the only person who still has all of her undergrad stuff. I still have some high school stuff hanging around

Lol I only have a handful of old papers/exams in my file little file tub that I had shoved in there for some reason. I have one little folder that does also have a few essays and such from middle school, none from high school. All of my worldly belongings I owned prior to last year of vet school fit in my car with my "memory box" of things with sentimental items only filling a small box, so I really don't keep much stuff at all. Since I haven't had to move after school, I have a ton of vet school stuff sitting in piles though.

I was going through it this week to look through my cat's medical records, and was like ooh what's this? And found a handful of exams that gave me bad flashbacks from undergrad. Shudders, I really don't think I could go through that again. First three years of vet school was a cakewalk compared to those years. Incidentally, I also then went through my vet school apps folder and it was super embarrassing looking at all the supplemental essays. On one of them I had written about how needing to continue to live with my cheating ex because I couldn't afford not to made me a better more forgiving person... like omg wtf. I wrote like most of my supplemental essays the day they were due so for the schools that I didn't care too much about, so I totally blocked them from my memory. I find them again every few years and it's embarrassing every time.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Well that's the thing, this crappy teaching method has nothing to do with my current GPA. Most of my undergrad classes (nutritional sciences/biochemistry) mirrored the format of your posted example and were quite difficult (low overall class averages); I don't mind that type of testing.

I have to take this Microbiology class (MIC205 and 105L) to fulfill the vet school pre-req. This is the only class in my entire undergrad career that's taught this way. It's just a straight up joke, no other way to describe it.

There should be pretty corporate signage on the lecture hall door that says "The following class is brought to you by McGraw-Hill."

You might hate vet school then. It's pretty horrible teaching when it comes to lectures all around at most schools (same complaint from multiple people in many schools). First year courses tend to not be that bad since they tend to have professors that are there specifically to teach, but beyond that, teaching from clinical faculty is often not so good... since giving lectures on pathophysiology and such is so not on their priorities list. And exams too. They're pretty bad. I never went to class except for a few well taught courses since all most lecturers did was read off the PowerPoint they sometimes didn't even write themselves, and I could do that faster by myself in the comfort of my apt.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Lol I only have a handful of old papers/exams in my file little file tub that I had shoved in there for some reason. I have one little folder that does also have a few essays and such from middle school, none from high school. All of my worldly belongings I owned prior to last year of vet school fit in my car with my "memory box" of things with sentimental items only filling a small box, so I really don't keep much stuff at all. Since I haven't had to move after school, I have a ton of vet school stuff sitting in piles though.

I was going through it this week to look through my cat's medical records, and was like ooh what's this? And found a handful of exams that gave me bad flashbacks from undergrad. Shudders, I really don't think I could go through that again. First three years of vet school was a cakewalk compared to those years. Incidentally, I also then went through my vet school apps folder and it was super embarrassing looking at all the supplemental essays. On one of them I had written about how needing to continue to live with my cheating ex because I couldn't afford not to made me a better more forgiving person... like omg wtf. I wrote like most of my supplemental essays the day they were due so for the schools that I didn't care too much about, so I totally blocked them from my memory. I find them again every few years and it's embarrassing every time.

That's how I feel about my first explanation statement!

 

[emilygee]

I submitted September 8th and I just got verified so if anyone wanted to know how fast they're moving.

 

[finnickthedog]

I submitted September 8th and I just got verified so if anyone wanted to know how fast they're moving.

Seriously? grumblegrumblegrumble
I submitted Sept. 1st and I have not been verified yet.

Has anyone else who submitted after me been verified?

 

[LyraGardenia]

I finally got ahold of my evaluator (or rather, the receptionist at the clinic who asked him about it and relayed the message), and apparently he tried to submit Tuesday night, but it wouldn't go through and he gave up after 45 minutes. I'm still annoyed at the total lack of communication from him about it, but it's good to know he didn't just forget. I'll have to contact my schools tomorrow, I'm working all day today and just called there on my break. He's willing to send them the letter if they'll work with me. I'll be seriously pissed at VMCAS if the schools say no. I'm nervous because Mizzou, my IS, is on their list from last year of schools that won't accept a late evaluation under any circumstances. I don't even know if I want to plead with the other schools if I can't apply IS.

 

[thelemonzest]

Seriously? grumblegrumblegrumble
I submitted Sept. 1st and I have not been verified yet.

Has anyone else who submitted after me been verified?

I submitted 8/28 and was verified 9/14; hopefully they'll get to yours soon.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I finally got ahold of my evaluator (or rather, the receptionist at the clinic who asked him about it and relayed the message), and apparently he tried to submit Tuesday night, but it wouldn't go through and he gave up after 45 minutes. I'm still annoyed at the total lack of communication from him about it, but it's good to know he didn't just forget. I'll have to contact my schools tomorrow, I'm working all day today and just called there on my break. He's willing to send them the letter if they'll work with me. I'll be seriously pissed at VMCAS if the schools say no. I'm nervous because Mizzou, my IS, is on their list from last year of schools that won't accept a late evaluation under any circumstances. I don't even know if I want to plead with the other schools if I can't apply IS.

Have you talked to VMCAS about it? You're definitely not the only one who has had evaluators who couldn't submit this year

 

[battie]

For example, the following are all questions from microbio and genetics exams, each 70 minutes long. The entire exam was like this, and my hands would hurt so badly by the end of it that it always felt like I physically couldn't finish it. It was 70 min of pure hell, furiously writing.

Each question in the pictures are worth 5-6% of the exam each. The amount of writing and quick thinking necessary was insane.

View attachment 196226

View attachment 196227

View attachment 196228

That second picture, I had those EXACT SAME questions on my tests. Not even kidding.

This is how all my exams were as well, and probably the reason all intro chem, physics, and biol classes were graded on a curve at my undergrad (where still only the top 5% ended up with an A). The averages for the class were around 50-60 (one of my ochem classes had an average of 30... ), largely because so many students couldn't finish the tests.

Our normal bio classes aren't horrible for the most part. Our newish anatomy professor is horrible; her average on anatomy tests is 40, give or take, and has been for three or four years. She subbed in our molecular class for about five weeks when the professor went into kidney failure. She failed an entire senior class on a test. Highest was a 63%. We revolted, to say the least.

Our organic chem professor is the absolute worst staff member here. Consistent 60-70% fail rate in organic I and II. When I went to talk to him about what I was doing wrong during the semester, he told me, "I don't know how you study so I can't help you." Exact words, even after I described my study habits and told him how much I was studying. Didn't give me any worth while advice until the end of the semester. When I went to talk to the dean about the situation, he told me that they keep him cause they can't get anyone to replace him in podunk Nebraska and that the people who get As in his classes scored in the top 5% of the MCAT. I was like, "Wouldn't you want fifty people who score decently on the MCAT than 5 that score fantastic?"

 

[heyyimhayley]

I submitted September 8th and I just got verified so if anyone wanted to know how fast they're moving.

oh.... I submitted the 3rd and haven't yet. Ugh should I be worried?

Seriously? grumblegrumblegrumble
I submitted Sept. 1st and I have not been verified yet.

Has anyone else who submitted after me been verified?

I was the 3rd, and no I have not. Comforting to know you haven't either.

 

[Jess Monster]

.... and that the people who get As in his classes scored in the top 5% of the MCAT. I was like, "Wouldn't you want fifty people who score decently on the MCAT than 5 that score fantastic?"

It sounds like those people score highly in spite of his teaching.

 

[battie]

It sounds like those people score highly in spite of his teaching.

That's the general consensus: These kids would do well regardless of who was teaching them.

All in all, he is the sole reason we have not had a 4.0 student come out of our pre-health professions department in fifteen years or so. I feel bad for those kids who ace Developmental Bio, Molecular, Physics, and all these other classes, but then scrap by with a C or low B.

 

[Cephal0pod]

I submitted September 8th and I just got verified so if anyone wanted to know how fast they're moving.

Oh dang! I submitted September 6th and have not been verified yet. I wasn't expecting to be verified for at least another week, I wonder if it will be sooner than I had thought.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Oh dang! I submitted September 6th and have not been verified yet. I wasn't expecting to be verified for at least another week, I wonder if it will be sooner than I had thought.

I hereby stamp you:

Better?

 

[Cephal0pod]

I hereby stamp you:

View attachment 196236

Better?

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

My freshman Gen Chem class staged a revolt. The teacher didn't teach class. She gave out 5 minutes worth of questions from the textbook and then left class. We complained so she was forced to stay in class so she yelled at us about how she had better things to do, then sat silently staring at us until her 25 minute minimum was met. She didn't grade tests either. Everyone got a C. Then you went to her office and kissed her ass. If you did that well, your grade went up to an A. I hated it and argued with her that I had the right answers, my mother was an organic and inorganic chemist. I wouldn't get as many points, so I ended the class with a B first semester and C second. My boyfriend at the time stopped even trying on the tests and tried to train me to say:

"Dr. Sudjata G_____, you are an amazing professor! Would you please explain to me how I should have answered this question to get full points?... Oh thank you for helping me. I couldn't have done this without your help! Thank you so much!"

I'm sure there were 3 thank yous in there somehow. Anyway, he got the A, I got pissed.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I hereby stamp you:

View attachment 196236

Better?

You should just pass those out to all of us. Along with some good drinks!

 

[battie]

THEY HAVE MY TRANSCRIPTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M IN LINE TO BE VARIFIED!!!!!!!!!!

 

[deleted676737]

THEY HAVE MY TRANSCRIPTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M IN LINE TO BE VARIFIED!!!!!!!!!!

As excited as you sound about this, I don't think you've got nearly enough smileys in that post.

No, but seriously, that is awesome to hear! I'm glad everything worked out for you in the end!

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

THEY HAVE MY TRANSCRIPTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M IN LINE TO BE VARIFIED!!!!!!!!!!

VMCAS ninja'd.

 

[Devastating]

How long might it generally take to get verified if your transcripts/materials were already received early on? Couple weeks? I finished essays and submitted on the due date