CSU c/o 2016 Applicants

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CSU 2016 Vet Meet and Greets!

March 11 - Lets get together up in FoCo. Current residents should pick out some places to go and show others around.

April 8 - See YOU! at the Denver Zoo! Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can spend a fun day getting to know each other.

If you are/know someone who is already a student, drag them along so they can answer our questions and help us newbies get ready.

Not living in the Denver/FoCo area but still want to come? PM me and I can help make arrangements for your visit.

Be there! Or be a square! :)

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It's been a while since this thread has been bumped, so I thought I'd ask a question to fix that!

I'm from Boulder but am currently living in Austin, Texas and had a general question regarding housing in Ft. Collins. Can any vet students (or those familiar with the area) suggest the quieter, less undergraduate-student-filled areas to live around campus? I know most college campuses have those "areas" to avoid if you actually want to sleep at night.

Also, since I have to take a trip up to Colorado to look for housing, can anyone suggest a good rental agency that might do a few property showings when I'm up visiting? Really, any company that you've had a good experience with would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
Someone gave me these listing and advice, you might find it helpful.

I lived here sophomore year, and the twins lived here during their time at CSU too. http://www.glenmoordrive.com/

This is where I live now, and I love it! It’s getting more expensive though.
http://www.pavilionsco.com/

This is where Ashley lived while she was up here, and she seemed to like it. It’s really close to campus and relatively inexpensive.
http://www.landmarkapartments.net/?gclid=CJeJhPGEsK4CFQ40hwodfRKbBw

I would personally stay away from Rams Village and Rams Pointe, because they tend to get very expensive for what you are getting. The internet seems to be slow because of the amount of people streaming from their servers and the apartments are very “well loved” lets say haha.

Also here is another women who could help you out: http://www.nancy-walker.com/
I think she is the parent of one of the first year students






Also, did anyone else receive their eID number yet? If so have you tried applying for the scholarships through the school?
 
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Little Fish, thanks for those links! I am not sure yet if I want to live in an apartment complex though. I've been doing that here in Austin for the past 5 years and am kind of ready for a change. Does anyone have any experience with renting out basement units of peoples houses?

Also, did anyone else receive their eID number yet? If so have you tried applying for the scholarships through the school?

Oddly enough, I received an e-mail on Sept 30th on the year of my first application cycle to set up an eID. No idea why, as I ended up being rejected... Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I applied to (but didn't attend) undergraduate there forever ago? But anyway, I was able to use that original e-mail to set up my eID, and I received an e-mail last week that they had received my FAFSA info. I feel like I am certainly not in the norm though, but you might want to touch base with Janet anyway.
 
You might check out cragslist then for renting out basement apartments. That is where my mom has advertised hers in the past and it has worked out well. Also there is a supposably a website for the vet students who are looking for housing, but i dont know what that website is or what exactly they offer.
 
I rented from My House Inc http://www.myfortcollinshome.com/ through undergrad. They were fair enough but the places vary in niceness. They have everything from houses with yards, to condos, to townhomes. I got a house closer than the dorms to campus with three bedrooms and a yard for 550$ (my share). It was a lot, but I could wake up 5 minutes before class and still get there on time. They also don't charge pet rent.

I also have experience with Brant Realty http://www.thebrandtcompany.com/. I really liked this company when I was "shopping around". They seem fair and tended to have higher quality apartments to rent, but pet rent was almost always charged.

Nancy Walker is a realestate agent who is an aunt of one of us first years, I'm not sure if she can help you find rentals, she is really more of a first-time homebuyer's agent.

As far as areas to avoid in Fort Collins, the closer you get to campus the higer the likelyhood that you will be surrounded by undergrads. That said, I lived NEXT to campus and my house was still quiet enough to study in. I would avoid apartment complexes like Rams Village and Rams Park if you don't want to be surrounded by partying undergrads.

Craiglist can also be a mixed bag, just be really careful before you sign a lease.

Avoid Karen Furst Realty like the plague. I had a terrible experience with her where I had to get campus lawyers to help me get my money back.
 
The company I rent from now is www.kevco.com - they've been OK. Pretty prompt about getting things fixed if needed, etc. and they have a HUGE listing online that you can check out, especially if you're not in the Fort Collins area. That said, since they do have all of their properties listed online, the good ones go fast and they definitely vary in quality.

The other company I know of (apart from www.thebrandtcompany.com, which was already mentioned) is www.touchstone-property.com - I have a few friends that have rented from them for the past four years and it seems to have worked out well for them. Again, they have an incredibly large list online, which is nice for out of towners.

Hope this helps...
 
I rented from My House Inc http://www.myfortcollinshome.com/ through undergrad. They were fair enough but the places vary in niceness. They have everything from houses with yards, to condos, to townhomes. I got a house closer than the dorms to campus with three bedrooms and a yard for 550$ (my share). It was a lot, but I could wake up 5 minutes before class and still get there on time. They also don't charge pet rent.

I also have experience with Brant Realty http://www.thebrandtcompany.com/. I really liked this company when I was "shopping around". They seem fair and tended to have higher quality apartments to rent, but pet rent was almost always charged.

Nancy Walker is a realestate agent who is an aunt of one of us first years, I'm not sure if she can help you find rentals, she is really more of a first-time homebuyer's agent.

As far as areas to avoid in Fort Collins, the closer you get to campus the higer the likelyhood that you will be surrounded by undergrads. That said, I lived NEXT to campus and my house was still quiet enough to study in. I would avoid apartment complexes like Rams Village and Rams Park if you don't want to be surrounded by partying undergrads.

Craiglist can also be a mixed bag, just be really careful before you sign a lease.

Avoid Karen Furst Realty like the plague. I had a terrible experience with her where I had to get campus lawyers to help me get my money back.

The company I rent from now is www.kevco.com - they've been OK. Pretty prompt about getting things fixed if needed, etc. and they have a HUGE listing online that you can check out, especially if you're not in the Fort Collins area. That said, since they do have all of their properties listed online, the good ones go fast and they definitely vary in quality.

The other company I know of (apart from www.thebrandtcompany.com, which was already mentioned) is www.touchstone-property.com - I have a few friends that have rented from them for the past four years and it seems to have worked out well for them. Again, they have an incredibly large list online, which is nice for out of towners.

Hope this helps...

Thanks to you both! I've booked a trip to visit Ft. Collins and look for housing toward the end of March so I just hope there are some good properties available still!
 
Just wanted to add - as far as places to stay away from, pretty much anywhere within walking distance of campus. However, it's not as bad on the east side of town as it is on the north and west side - a lot of "sophomore housing" is located on the west side (Ram's Village, Ram's Pointe, Rams Park etc)- I lived in Ram's Pointe soph year of undergrad and hated it because it was SO loud. In any case, directly west of campus (elizabeth to taft and the immediate surrounding areas) tends to be much louder, as do the (mostly crappy) rental houses on the streets directly east of Laurel. If you get a little bit further away, it's not bad at all- I'm about 1.5 miles away right now and haven't had any issues with noise, partying, etc. and I can still bike to school if I want to.
 
My status says I'm "admitted" on the portal and it has for several weeks now, but I haven't received my official letter from the admissions office yet. Has anyone else??? Just curious.

Oh, and my friend that also got in can't log in to her portal page now. She said it's been like that for the last 3 days. I can still log in, but I'm wondering if anyone else is running into this problem.

Thanks!
 
My status says I'm "admitted" on the portal and it has for several weeks now, but I haven't received my official letter from the admissions office yet. Has anyone else??? Just curious.

Oh, and my friend that also got in can't log in to her portal page now. She said it's been like that for the last 3 days. I can still log in, but I'm wondering if anyone else is running into this problem.

Thanks!

I have not received an official letter either, but I did get an email with my EIdentity. I was able to use the EIdentity to log into my account as well as set up my pre-registration. I was also under the impression that we would get an official letter of acceptance. I have been obsessively checking the mail. As for your friend who cannot log in, I would have them email Janet. I just checked and I can access my portal.

I did, however, get a vaccination/health form from the university, but it did not include any specifics for the DVM program like rabies which I thought was curious.
 
My status says I'm "admitted" on the portal and it has for several weeks now, but I haven't received my official letter from the admissions office yet. Has anyone else??? Just curious.

Oh, and my friend that also got in can't log in to her portal page now. She said it's been like that for the last 3 days. I can still log in, but I'm wondering if anyone else is running into this problem.

Thanks!



I haven't received anything from the admissions office either. I called last week, though, and they'd received stuff from the CVMBS and said that I was enrolled. So I assume it's just a waiting game now--for financial aid, vaccinations, and etc.
 
Has anyone heard anything about Blue Ridge Apartments? noise level?
 
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Has anyone heard anything about Blue Ridge Apartments? noise level?

I have heard that they are very noisy especially in the spring when the huge pool in the middle is useable. I haven't lived there myself.
 
I haven't received anything from the admissions office either. I called last week, though, and they'd received stuff from the CVMBS and said that I was enrolled. So I assume it's just a waiting game now--for financial aid, vaccinations, and etc.

I have not received an official letter either, but I did get an email with my EIdentity...I did, however, get a vaccination/health form from the university, but it did not include any specifics for the DVM program like rabies which I thought was curious.

Thanks guys...makes me feel much better knowing that I'm not the only one! I'm not really sure if anyone has received the "official letter" though. The "New Veterinary Student" page still isn't updated from the 2011 information, so I'm sure they're just pretty swamped getting things ready for us.
 
So, I'm going to digress a small bit. Currently, I'm finishing up my Bachelors in Biology and I'm taking Immunology (human-based of course) and was wondering if anyone knew how related Veterinary Immunology is and if it's comparable to what we'll be taking next fall? I think a few 1st year students were hanging around this message board.. or anyone that know of people in the program.

I really like the class and was hoping that a lot of it's similar; that much easier when I have to study it again next fall. Well, back to studying! Second test is on Friday. Have a good day everyone.
 
So, I'm going to digress a small bit. Currently, I'm finishing up my Bachelors in Biology and I'm taking Immunology (human-based of course) and was wondering if anyone knew how related Veterinary Immunology is and if it's comparable to what we'll be taking next fall? I think a few 1st year students were hanging around this message board.. or anyone that know of people in the program.

I really like the class and was hoping that a lot of it's similar; that much easier when I have to study it again next fall. Well, back to studying! Second test is on Friday. Have a good day everyone.

I'm not really understanding your question. Are you asking if a human immunology course is similar to vet school immunology (first-year material)? Or are you asking if it's worth it to take a second undergraduate immunology course called "veterinary immunology" on top of the one you've already taken?

If the former: yes, human immuno is very much applicable to vet immuno. The first-year immunology course is very very basic immunology, so while you get vet examples (parvo puppies for viral response, strangles for bacterial response, etc...) the content in terms of immunology concepts are the same as human immuno. Same ole cytokines and cell types at least for the immuno class. Once you get into hematology and clin path type stuff, we get lots of animal specific differences, but not so much for basic immuno.

So along those lines, if you're asking the latter... I don't think it's necessary at all to take a second course. Immuno isn't even a required pre-req for CSU, and our class averages for immuno exams my year were all like above 90%. Unless the curriculum's changed starting this year and it's all of the sudden super hard or something, I wouldn't sweat it. If there's a really cool vet immuno course that you're really interested in and want to take, definitely go for it. But quite honestly, that's not the class I'd try to get a competitive edge on.
 
Minnerbelle,
Would you mind giving us noobs an overview of what you thought of first-year courses. I am curious as to how difficult 20 something credits will be. Coming from 16-18 credithours, this sounds very over whelming. I think you are from out of state, so your undergrad was probably different, but what did you think about the transition from UG to vet school. Hardest class for you?
 
Minnerbelle,
Would you mind giving us noobs an overview of what you thought of first-year courses. I am curious as to how difficult 20 something credits will be. Coming from 16-18 credithours, this sounds very over whelming. I think you are from out of state, so your undergrad was probably different, but what did you think about the transition from UG to vet school. Hardest class for you?

I'm not quite sure how helpful that would be since how you do your first year really depends heavily on your background, your study skills, and how fast you adjust. Some people will go in and feel like first-year is the hardest thing they've ever experienced. For others, it's a breeze. And the courses that you do well in vs not will also depend on what type of learner you are too. For what it's worth though, the "core first-year professors" really really care about their teaching and are wonderful. If you need the help, they are there to provide it. The rest are kind of like scratch tickets. Several are very disappointing. Several are great, but you only have them for a few lectures here and there so it's like winning a $10 prize.

I did come from out of state, and my UG culture was waaaaaay different from the culture at CSU... so I'm not sure what to say about that.
 
I'm not really understanding your question. Are you asking if a human immunology course is similar to vet school immunology (first-year material)? Or are you asking if it's worth it to take a second undergraduate immunology course called "veterinary immunology" on top of the one you've already taken?

If the former: yes, human immuno is very much applicable to vet immuno. The first-year immunology course is very very basic immunology, so while you get vet examples (parvo puppies for viral response, strangles for bacterial response, etc...) the content in terms of immunology concepts are the same as human immuno. Same ole cytokines and cell types at least for the immuno class. Once you get into hematology and clin path type stuff, we get lots of animal specific differences, but not so much for basic immuno.

So along those lines, if you're asking the latter... I don't think it's necessary at all to take a second course. Immuno isn't even a required pre-req for CSU, and our class averages for immuno exams my year were all like above 90%. Unless the curriculum's changed starting this year and it's all of the sudden super hard or something, I wouldn't sweat it. If there's a really cool vet immuno course that you're really interested in and want to take, definitely go for it. But quite honestly, that's not the class I'd try to get a competitive edge on.


Yeah, mine was a little confusing. I was meaning the similarities between human and veterinary immunology. That helps a lot. My immunology class is pretty in depth right now, so it's nice to know much of it is applicable to the veterinary immuno next fall. Just curious mainly. Thanks for the heads up!
 
Okay, now that I have seen the areas and looked around at apartments, I have more questions about housing and where to live. I looked at the Prospect Plaza apartments, right on campus/edge of campus, and they seem really reasonable. Any thoughts on this one? The woman said it wasn't bad and the undergrads who live there, are there to study since its so close to classes (still not sure about the noise)

I also looked at apartments on Laporte. They were fine, but parking is limited, yet close to Old Town.

Apartments on Alford Street?? Didn't know about the area, but eveything looks bad at the end of winter. And last, Parker street - seemed fine as well.

I didn't know if anyone had looked at these apartments/lived there/heard anything about them. I do not need to be in walking distance, just want something reasonable.
 
Okay, now that I have seen the areas and looked around at apartments, I have more questions about housing and where to live. I looked at the Prospect Plaza apartments, right on campus/edge of campus, and they seem really reasonable. Any thoughts on this one? The woman said it wasn't bad and the undergrads who live there, are there to study since its so close to classes (still not sure about the noise)

I also looked at apartments on Laporte. They were fine, but parking is limited, yet close to Old Town.

Apartments on Alford Street?? Didn't know about the area, but eveything looks bad at the end of winter. And last, Parker street - seemed fine as well.

I didn't know if anyone had looked at these apartments/lived there/heard anything about them. I do not need to be in walking distance, just want something reasonable.

I had friends that lived in Prospect Plaza. They loved how close it was to class and the price. If you lived there you would be RIGHT next to the buildings that our classes will be in. It is even coser than the dorms. They also have furniture included if you are interested. The downsides that I noticed were that the units have green carpet and the kitchens aren't really updated. There are also no laundry machines in the unit, but the front office of the complex has a laundromat, so you can walk there with your stuff. My friends also had trouble with an upstairs neighbor that vacuumed at odd hours, so there may be an issue with sound-proofing? One of my friends also had her bike stolen, so they kept them inside after that, but this can be a problem anywhere you leave your bike outside overnight.

I don't know anything about the other places you mentioned, but the closer you live to old town, the more you pay for the location.
 
Hi, I was wondering if there might be any current students following along that might be able to answer some questions for incoming students. Also, I know for a few other schools they have facebook groups started for the incoming classes. Would anyone be interested in creating/joining one of those?
 
Hi, I was wondering if there might be any current students following along that might be able to answer some questions for incoming students. Also, I know for a few other schools they have facebook groups started for the incoming classes. Would anyone be interested in creating/joining one of those?
Hi and welcome! Minerbelle is the main current student to ask you questions to. There is already a FB group http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/188163221261495/ If you PM me your full name I can add you!
 
Hi and welcome! Minerbelle is the main current student to ask you questions to.

Anyone's more than welcome to ask me questions about first-year experiences and such, but Alaskagrad is probably the better person to ask since he's much more up to date about info about the new first-year curriculum changes and stuff. PM him if he doesn't answer right away, since I'm not sure how often he checks the boards, and PMs should send him an email (which all vet students check like mad people in order to procrastinate)
 
Anyone's more than welcome to ask me questions about first-year experiences and such, but Alaskagrad is probably the better person to ask since he's much more up to date about info about the new first-year curriculum changes and stuff. PM him if he doesn't answer right away, since I'm not sure how often he checks the boards, and PMs should send him an email (which all vet students check like mad people in order to procrastinate)

Thank you Minnerbelle and Fireflysushi- I am actually just an alternate right now but would like to see what everyone else is talking about and figure out housing if I should happen to get accepted, I don't want to be behind everyone else. I did request to join the facebook group if you don't mind, thanks again!
 
I'd like some advice on where to live. My fiance works in Boulder, so we are trying to decide whether to live in Loveland or SE Fort Collins. Loveland cuts down on her commute considerably, but it also means school will be 30 minutes away for me. Is it absolutely necessary to be close to school, or is it just a convenience?

Thanks guys
 
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I'd like some advice on where to live. My fiance works in Boulder, so we are trying to decide whether to live in Loveland or SE Fort Collins. Loveland cuts down on her commute considerably, but it also means school will be 30 minutes away for me. Is it absolutely necessary to be close to school, or is it just a convenience?

Thanks guys

So I'm not going to CSU, but I visited last month and was told that it doesn't matter for your first three years, but you need to be within 15 minutes your fourth year for emergencies during your clinicals. However, I was also told that you can stay in the hospital or at a friends house if you're on call. Someone who actually goes there can correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Accepted off of the wait list! Absolutely amped. Does anyone have any idea when orientation is supposed to be? Have people already found places to live? Excited to meet everyone!
 
Congrats swj- August 13th for Orientation. Class starts the 20th. What are you interested in?
 
My original interest was in exotics and wildlife, specifically marine. I spent 6 months living on the Galapagos and absolutely fell in love with marine mammals. Obviously rado isn't the best spot to be studying marine medicine, but I'm hoping the wildlife aspect comes into play somewhere along the line. My other interest is in neuroscience and possibly oncology. To be honest I'm still freaking out about getting in so I can't even get my thoughts straight.

What are your interests?
 
I'd like some advice on where to live. My fiance works in Boulder, so we are trying to decide whether to live in Loveland or SE Fort Collins. Loveland cuts down on her commute considerably, but it also means school will be 30 minutes away for me. Is it absolutely necessary to be close to school, or is it just a convenience?

Thanks guys
I second what Orca says. I also wanted to mention that I live in Loveland and will be here probably through vet school. I work in Fort Collins at the Foothills campus and it only takes me about 20 min to get there and about 25-30 min to get to Longmont which is then probably 15-20 min from Boulder. Hehe confusing, sorry. I think commuting isn't so bad if you live by one of the main roads ie. Lincoln, Wilson, Taft.

Congrats Swj!!!
 
I think they make weekly or bi-monthly trips to the Denver aquarium that you may be able to attend. I'm interested in the food animal and equine side.
 
Just gave up my OOS spot b/c of cost.. Sad to let it go, but happy for the next waitlister to get called up!
 
Does anyone have any idea of what number they are getting to on the alternate list? I know they don't really give numbers in the initial letter, but just wondering if they do later on ....
 
Does anyone have any idea of what number they are getting to on the alternate list? I know they don't really give numbers in the initial letter, but just wondering if they do later on ....
Nope no number from what I have been told. It is more of a this-LA-person-dropped-out-lets-fill-their-spot-with-another-LA-person thing based on my understanding.
 
Is the 2012 CSA portal still active for those who got accepted (ie, you're able to still check the materials received page) or is it closed for everyone?
 
Okay so the list for books and supplies was sent out. Do any of the older students have good recommendations on books/supplies we should definitely get and ones (like those listed options under "recommended") that are good to have or we can do without?

Also, do most students order their books thru the vet hospital store or do some of you use amazon/other choices? I imagine some books you probably can't find thru generic places like that.

I'm sending this from my phone so hopefully you guys can see what I'm getting at--it's hard to proofread on here!
 
Okay so the list for books and supplies was sent out. Do any of the older students have good recommendations on books/supplies we should definitely get and ones (like those listed options under "recommended") that are good to have or we can do without?

Also, do most students order their books thru the vet hospital store or do some of you use amazon/other choices? I imagine some books you probably can't find thru generic places like that.

I'm sending this from my phone so hopefully you guys can see what I'm getting at--it's hard to proofread on here!

Check out Vet Text Survey which is a survey of CSU students about all the recommended books and whether they thought it was helpful (or if they didn't get it and wish they'd had). There are a ton of books that the school "recommends" that are so not worth buying because it's not like you're ever going to look at them. Professors list resources that you can find information about the course subject in, just in case you want to look. But that's about it. Unless it's a book that you're going to look at all the time, you can easily find a copy in the main library, vet library, or even the cube library.

If you're going to get a brand new copy of the the latest edition, then vet text (if you order before the deadline) is actually cheaper for the most part than other sources. If you're going to look for the just overthrown edition or a used book, other sources might be the way to go.

Just get the cheap and crappy dissection kit that they offer. Does its job and you won't feel bad when it gets lost/stolen/whatever. Don't do the "well I'm going to invest in nice ones that will follow me all through vet school and beyond" because you're never going to use it later.
 
Check out Vet Text Survey which is a survey of CSU students about all the recommended books and whether they thought it was helpful (or if they didn't get it and wish they'd had). There are a ton of books that the school "recommends" that are so not worth buying because it's not like you're ever going to look at them. Professors list resources that you can find information about the course subject in, just in case you want to look. But that's about it. Unless it's a book that you're going to look at all the time, you can easily find a copy in the main library, vet library, or even the cube library.

If you're going to get a brand new copy of the the latest edition, then vet text (if you order before the deadline) is actually cheaper for the most part than other sources. If you're going to look for the just overthrown edition or a used book, other sources might be the way to go.

Just get the cheap and crappy dissection kit that they offer. Does its job and you won't feel bad when it gets lost/stolen/whatever. Don't do the "well I'm going to invest in nice ones that will follow me all through vet school and beyond" because you're never going to use it later.

So much good information! I really appreciate it and that does help a lot. I know I never used a lot of my books during undergraduate because they'd just post lecture notes that covered the class, so that helps.

I did notice the letter saying lecture notes would be available soon and we could order them. Is this something I should do before class starts up or even do at all?
 
So I know I could probably find other ways to get this question answered as well, but everyone seems pretty knowledgeable here: how do we eventually access our email account through the school? I have my user name and password that I access RamWeb with, but I didn't know if this is what I used for my email account or some other username (e.g. [email protected], or etc)?

Everyone's summer going well?
 
Hey guys,

So I know most of you applied last year and I was wondering if I could ask for some advice. I applied for the class of 2017.

So today I found out that my PPI eval was never received by CSU although I sent it Sept. 30 (before the due date). I emailed Janet Janke about the situation and her reply was that they can no longer accept materials and that it won't affect my application. However, I feel like it will weigh negatively.

Did any of you guys have a situation similar to this or know if the PPI eval is crucial to admissions. Did anyone get in with missing this part of the application?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks y'all!
 
Barky,
I don't think that it will affect you too poorly. There is a girl in my class that didn't have an eLOR submitted on time. I can't remember if they let her send it late, or if she just had enough LORs without it, but she was admitted. Don't let it stress you out too much! Good luck!
 
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