UFCVM c/o 2020 Applicants

[gummy bear]

I didn't get a response! I did send it on Saturday though, and yesterday was a holiday so maybe I'll get something today

I send it to her a few days ago and she replied to me the next day. If i were you I would resend it just to make sure. She said she was going to send out more information when its closer to the date.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ironvet]

I send it to her a few days ago and she replied to me the next day. If i were you I would resend it just to make sure. She said she was going to send out more information when its closer to the date.

I got one! Tuesday thank you!

 

[gummy bear]

I got one! Tuesday thank you!

woohoo ! February 13 here we come ~

 

[kat.gator]

Any other in state-ers get an interview for February 20th?

 

[Ironvet]

To current students.... How have you managed working and going to school?

 

[ktjc216]

To current students.... How have you managed working and going to school?

You don't lol, but in all seriousness it is very difficult to maintain a job working enough hours to support yourself while going to vet school. Some people do work but its usually no more than 8-12 hours a week, or a weekend shift every other week, etc. Enough to maybe cover the food bill for the week or for doing "fun" things. Also I've noticed in most cases the students that are working are working the same job they worked in undergrad, before getting into vet school. However there are some part-time research/lab tech positions available to vet students at UF. I personally choose not to work while in vet school. I went from working three jobs at once in undergrad to not working at all and I really enjoy the break. Vet school is really difficult due to the amount of material you are expected to learn in a short amount of time. Some days you are in class/labs from 8-5, and some weeks you'll have three finals to study for. Not having to worry about when I would have time to study because of work has been a huge relief. The time I would have spent working is now used for studying before exams, or for going to club meetings and gaining experience by volunteering with zoo med, colic team, and doing wet labs on the weekends. Also I feel like I can maintain a life outside of vet school, which is highly recommended to maintain your sanity! It is a personal preference if you choose to work, but I personally recommend you don't unless you truly enjoy the job and don't work more than 12 hrs a week. Because once you start you'll quickly realize how fast paced everything is and how there is so much for you to learn and be involved in. However, there are opportunities for you to work during the summer after your first year through research programs, externships, or summer clinic jobs to earn some extra cash.

 

[SamIAm79]

I was waitlisted for an interview and just got notified today that there was an opening on 2/20. Of course flights are expensive (I'm flying in from Indianapolis)... trying to figure out what time I should be there and when I will be leaving. I am also interviewing at Purdue, and they gave a decent itinerary for the day (info sessions and a dinner banquet, etc). Does UF have anything else going on that day or is it just the interview? I haven't received anything except the phone call this afternoon and then a confirmation email with the date/time of the interview.

 

[Ironvet]

I was waitlisted for an interview and just got notified today that there was an opening on 2/20. Of course flights are expensive (I'm flying in from Indianapolis)... trying to figure out what time I should be there and when I will be leaving. I am also interviewing at Purdue, and they gave a decent itinerary for the day (info sessions and a dinner banquet, etc). Does UF have anything else going on that day or is it just the interview? I haven't received anything except the phone call this afternoon and then a confirmation email with the date/time of the interview.

They have no sent out any information yet about interviews. When I received my confirmation Mrs. Chapparo stated more information I'll be sent out as the day gets closer! Hope that helps!

 

[ktjc216]

I was waitlisted for an interview and just got notified today that there was an opening on 2/20. Of course flights are expensive (I'm flying in from Indianapolis)... trying to figure out what time I should be there and when I will be leaving. I am also interviewing at Purdue, and they gave a decent itinerary for the day (info sessions and a dinner banquet, etc). Does UF have anything else going on that day or is it just the interview? I haven't received anything except the phone call this afternoon and then a confirmation email with the date/time of the interview.

You will have an hour for your interview and debriefing and then will be taken on a tour of the academic building and hospitals which usually runs around 45 minutes. There are also student panels that are tentatively scheduled for 11 am, 1, 4, and 6 pm which will have a first year, second year, and either a third or fourth year student who will answer any questions you have. The tour and panels are optional and family members can attend these with you. Also congrats on the interview!

 

[peanutbutterjelly]

Hey everyone, first time I've jumped on in over a year onto SDN. Just wanted to say congrats to everyone getting an interview (early or in February)! I won't be helping out with the interviews, but we are all really excited to have you come. Good luck!

 

[Bracco Pointer]

I'm also back on SDN after disappearing for over a year. I'll be helping with interviews on 2/13. Happy to answer any questions about the school, interviews, etc if I can.

 

[Ironvet]

I'm also back on SDN after disappearing for over a year. I'll be helping with interviews on 2/13. Happy to answer any questions about the school, interviews, etc if I can.

I will be interviewing on the 13th! Exciting!

 

[jcc3sa]

don't know if anyone's still waiting to hear back from the alternate interview list (I was originally denied, actually), but I just got a call from UF asking me to come interview, so there may still be calls going out.

 

[wildestdream]

Hey guys, I'm trying to make a decision as far as which school to go to--is anyone aware of UF's teaching style? i.e. mostly lectures, problem based learning, etc? I assume it is mostly lecture based, but I really am not sure. Thanks!

 

[ktjc216]

Hey guys, I'm trying to make a decision as far as which school to go to--is anyone aware of UF's teaching style? i.e. mostly lectures, problem based learning, etc? I assume it is mostly lecture based, but I really am not sure. Thanks!

It's lecture/lab based. Most classes are lecture based and will usually have one or two labs for the histology portion of the course. Other classes like anatomy and clinical skills are mostly lab based. UF teaches by system so after your general science classes in the beginning of first semester (molec cell, immuno, histology/embryology), you begin having your system classes. So neurology, ophthalmology, digestion, etc. are separate classes in which you'll learn the anatomy, physiology, and histology for each specific system. The first year is all learning the basics of what is normal and second year is learning what isn't. At the end of 2nd year you begin your clinical rotations (May - Dec.) and then are back in class until your clinics for the second half of 4th year. If your curious to see the individual breakdown of classes by year you can go to this site http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/dvm-curriculum/schedules-catalog/ and it will show class schedules for the current semester.

 

[owlrific0102]

Hey everyone, first time I've jumped on in over a year onto SDN. Just wanted to say congrats to everyone getting an interview (early or in February)! I won't be helping out with the interviews, but we are all really excited to have you come. Good luck!

Hi! I was wondering how stressful/casual the interview tends to be. If there are more ethical based questions or if it is more of getting to know the applicant? Not sure how much you're allowed to answer, but figured I'd ask. Thanks!

 

[FeenyFee]

It's lecture/lab based. Most classes are lecture based and will usually have one or two labs for the histology portion of the course. Other classes like anatomy and clinical skills are mostly lab based. UF teaches by system so after your general science classes in the beginning of first semester (molec cell, immuno, histology/embryology), you begin having your system classes. So neurology, ophthalmology, digestion, etc. are separate classes in which you'll learn the anatomy, physiology, and histology for each specific system. The first year is all learning the basics of what is normal and second year is learning what isn't. At the end of 2nd year you begin your clinical rotations (May - Dec.) and then are back in class until your clinics for the second half of 4th year. If your curious to see the individual breakdown of classes by year you can go to this site http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/dvm-curriculum/schedules-catalog/ and it will show class schedules for the current semester.

Besides the lecture and the lab, are there other required portions of the curriculum? Like a certain amount of hours working in the hospital?

 

[mgp11001]

Hi! I was wondering how stressful/casual the interview tends to be. If there are more ethical based questions or if it is more of getting to know the applicant? Not sure how much you're allowed to answer, but figured I'd ask. Thanks!

I'm not going to tell you about the questions but I had an early interview and it was about 45-50 minutes long with about the last 5 mins being questions, but there is nothing to worry about or stress about! I felt so comfortable in my interview and my interviewers understood I would be nervous and tried to make me forget about nerves almost instantley. I loved the whole process! Also the panel has two faculty and a student on it.

 

[Cyndia]

Besides the lecture and the lab, are there other required portions of the curriculum? Like a certain amount of hours working in the hospital?

We have a clinical skills course that requires you to do one four hour weekend shift in the small animal hospital, and one in the large animal hospital each semester. Aside from that, at least in the first two years, I can't think of any other 'required' hours in the hospital. That being said, the majority of us are involved in clubs, try to get into extracurricular wet labs that let us do cool things, volunteer for on call shifts with surgery club or large animal to come in and observe emergencies, volunteer in zoo med, participate with things like Operation Catnip, etc., so you will probably be around the hospital a good bit. That's purely up to you though, I certainly have a few classmates that don't do much aside from study.

Also - one of the biggest draws of UF for me was the fact that we go into clinics so early. I've heard from a lot of upperclassmen that things just click better once you return to the classroom. It's also great that we're in the classroom the semester we take the NAVLE, so it's pretty conducive to studying, as opposed to many other schools where you are on clinics at the time.

 

[FeenyFee]

We have a clinical skills course that requires you to do one four hour weekend shift in the small animal hospital, and one in the large animal hospital each semester. Aside from that, at least in the first two years, I can't think of any other 'required' hours in the hospital. That being said, the majority of us are involved in clubs, try to get into extracurricular wet labs that let us do cool things, volunteer for on call shifts with surgery club or large animal to come in and observe emergencies, volunteer in zoo med, participate with things like Operation Catnip, etc., so you will probably be around the hospital a good bit. That's purely up to you though, I certainly have a few classmates that don't do much aside from study.

Also - one of the biggest draws of UF for me was the fact that we go into clinics so early. I've heard from a lot of upperclassmen that things just click better once you return to the classroom. It's also great that we're in the classroom the semester we take the NAVLE, so it's pretty conducive to studying, as opposed to many other schools where you are on clinics at the time.

So a total of 8 weekend hours in the hospital a semester?

For the extracurriculars, are there fees that students have to pay? Are these opportunities open to all students?

 

[Lulu19]

Hi! I was wondering how stressful/casual the interview tends to be. If there are more ethical based questions or if it is more of getting to know the applicant? Not sure how much you're allowed to answer, but figured I'd ask. Thanks!

The interviews at UF tend to be quite relaxed and more conversational rather than being under the microscope. Every interview is different, but you should be prepared to possibly answer some ethical questions, personal questions or maybe even questions about the profession in general. There's a link someone posted earlier in this thread that will give you sample questions people were asked in years prior here on SDN. That's what I used to prepare when I interviewed and it made a 100% difference having some idea of what think about before going in there. It might also be a good idea to read up on current events and just have an opinion formed on certain controversial matters. The best bit of advice I could give is to be honest with your answers even if you think it's not something they want to hear. There are no right or wrong answers. Just be able to defend yourself and stick to it if that's how you feel. You're not supposed to be an expert on anything, they just want to get to know you. Have fun with it

 

[Ironvet]

I'm also back on SDN after disappearing for over a year. I'll be helping with interviews on 2/13. Happy to answer any questions about the school, interviews, etc if I can.

I'm not going to tell you about the questions but I had an early interview and it was about 45-50 minutes long with about the last 5 mins being questions, but there is nothing to worry about or stress about! I felt so comfortable in my interview and my interviewers understood I would be nervous and tried to make me forget about nerves almost instantley. I loved the whole process! Also the panel has two faculty and a student on it.

question: do they ask about your application and your experiences? And this interview is considered "closed or open" file

 

[Ironvet]

We have a clinical skills course that requires you to do one four hour weekend shift in the small animal hospital, and one in the large animal hospital each semester. Aside from that, at least in the first two years, I can't think of any other 'required' hours in the hospital. That being said, the majority of us are involved in clubs, try to get into extracurricular wet labs that let us do cool things, volunteer for on call shifts with surgery club or large animal to come in and observe emergencies, volunteer in zoo med, participate with things like Operation Catnip, etc., so you will probably be around the hospital a good bit. That's purely up to you though, I certainly have a few classmates that don't do much aside from study.

Also - one of the biggest draws of UF for me was the fact that we go into clinics so early. I've heard from a lot of upperclassmen that things just click better once you return to the classroom. It's also great that we're in the classroom the semester we take the NAVLE, so it's pretty conducive to studying, as opposed to many other schools where you are on clinics at the time.

So does UF do clinical all four years or just 1 and 4? And the time in the hospital does that consist of hands on work or more observational?

 

[Cyndia]

So a total of 8 weekend hours in the hospital a semester?

For the extracurriculars, are there fees that students have to pay? Are these opportunities open to all students?

I think just 8, but it's very possible I'm forgetting something... I'm sure someone else will chime in about that.

As for the extracurricular stuff, they are open to all students though usually things are capped at a certain number, or you sign up for shifts, etc. There's usually a very large demand for the wetlabs, so some of the clubs pick students for the labs on a participation/points based system (I.e. you get a point for attending meetings in most clubs, helping out with certain events, fostering gets you points for the shelter med club, etc). Occasionally there are more advanced wetlabs that you have to be an upperclassmen to participate, but the majority are open to first and second years. There are clubs for every specialty and species you can think of, it's entirely up to you how involved you'd like to be, but you'll definitely get a lot of opportunities for more hands on experience.

In regards to fees, the wet labs and other things don't usually cost any money, except that most clubs require you to be a dues paying member to participate in their wetlabs. Dues are pretty cheap for most clubs (think the 10-20 dollar per year range).

 

[mgp11001]

question: do they ask about your application and your experiences? And this interview is considered "closed or open" file

Mine was open, my interviewers did ask a lot of questions about what I had talked about on my application.

 

[Cyndia]

So does UF do clinical all four years or just 1 and 4? And the time in the hospital does that consist of hands on work or more observational?

Our actual times when we are on clinics are from May of our second year until January of our junior year, then January until May of our senior year.

The clinical skills course I mentioned is a fairly new addition to the curriculum, and is part of our didactic years. It consists of a once a week lab for your first two years. The goal of it is to bring everyone up to speed on basic skills and client interactions, and they just built a fancy new clinical skills lab which has a ton of cool models. We've done a huge variety of things, including practicing drawing blood on models, placing catheters on models, bandaging large and small animals, learning basics of the computer program they use in the hospital (cornerstone), practice interactions with a fake client (literally we had to talk to a random person in a clinic room and go over an estimate etc, and were critiqued on it), practicing physicals on live dogs including specific labs on orthopedic exams and neuro exams, practicing drug calculations, etc.

During our weekend shifts we are with 2 - 3 other students and a technician, and it's a combination of watching and some hands on stuff - we're given a sheet with things they want us to do, first year it was more basic things like demonstrating placing a catheter on a fake arm, etc, second year we are asked to do more stuff and I was allowed to demonstrate a few things on live animals. We were also taken around and talked through all of the cases currently in that hospital, and if any emergencies came in, we were allowed to watch and stay as long as we wanted (my last large animal shift we had a downed alpaca come in, and I was able to see someone place an over the wire catheter, which I thought was really cool). If you're interested in getting more hands on experience, I'd say clubs are the best way to get it, but you'll get some stuff through the clinical skills course.

 

[ktjc216]

So does UF do clinical all four years or just 1 and 4? And the time in the hospital does that consist of hands on work or more observational?

So clinical skills is not the same as clinics. For your first and second year you have clinical skills once a week in which you learn how to retrain, draw blood, place catheters, write soaps, use cornerstone, etc. Basically everything you will need to be able to do while on clinics. Then each semester you'll have one weekend shift in the large and one in the small animal hospital, where you'll follow a tech and work on the skills you've learned in class and watch any interesting procedures that are happening that day. I find clinical skills very helpful since I had very little hands on experience in small animal, so it's been nice being able to learn how to place an IV catheter and not having to figure it out on day one of clinics. Now once your finish your second year then you start your clinical rotations where you will work in the required services and choose your elective services. You'll finish your second year classes early May and will start clinics, and be on clinics until you start your third year classes in January. You'll have the summer following third year to do any externships you want before you start your 4th year classes in the fall. This is the time where you'll be studying and taking the NAVLE, and from what I've heard students like not having to worry about clinics while studying for their boards. Finally, your spring semester of your fourth year you'll be back on clinics until you graduate in May. Its a different system than most but I love being able to go into clinics earlier because I'm more of a hands on learner.

 

[Ironvet]

So clinical skills is not the same as clinics. For your first and second year you have clinical skills once a week in which you learn how to retrain, draw blood, place catheters, write soaps, use cornerstone, etc. Basically everything you will need to be able to do while on clinics. Then each semester you'll have one weekend shift in the large and one in the small animal hospital, where you'll follow a tech and work on the skills you've learned in class and watch any interesting procedures that are happening that day. I find clinical skills very helpful since I had very little hands on experience in small animal, so it's been nice being able to learn how to place an IV catheter and not having to figure it out on day one of clinics. Now once your finish your second year then you start your clinical rotations where you will work in the required services and choose your elective services. You'll finish your second year classes early May and will start clinics, and be on clinics until you start your third year classes in January. You'll have the summer following third year to do any externships you want before you start your 4th year classes in the fall. This is the time where you'll be studying and taking the NAVLE, and from what I've heard students like not having to worry about clinics while studying for their boards. Finally, your spring semester of your fourth year you'll be back on clinics until you graduate in May. Its a different system than most but I love being able to go into clinics earlier because I'm more of a hands on learner.

Yeah that sounds great! Thanks so much for the insight

 

[FeenyFee]

Our actual times when we are on clinics are from May of our second year until January of our junior year, then January until May of our senior year.

The clinical skills course I mentioned is a fairly new addition to the curriculum, and is part of our didactic years. It consists of a once a week lab for your first two years. The goal of it is to bring everyone up to speed on basic skills and client interactions, and they just built a fancy new clinical skills lab which has a ton of cool models. We've done a huge variety of things, including practicing drawing blood on models, placing catheters on models, bandaging large and small animals, learning basics of the computer program they use in the hospital (cornerstone), practice interactions with a fake client (literally we had to talk to a random person in a clinic room and go over an estimate etc, and were critiqued on it), practicing physicals on live dogs including specific labs on orthopedic exams and neuro exams, practicing drug calculations, etc.

During our weekend shifts we are with 2 - 3 other students and a technician, and it's a combination of watching and some hands on stuff - we're given a sheet with things they want us to do, first year it was more basic things like demonstrating placing a catheter on a fake arm, etc, second year we are asked to do more stuff and I was allowed to demonstrate a few things on live animals. We were also taken around and talked through all of the cases currently in that hospital, and if any emergencies came in, we were allowed to watch and stay as long as we wanted (my last large animal shift we had a downed alpaca come in, and I was able to see someone place an over the wire catheter, which I thought was really cool). If you're interested in getting more hands on experience, I'd say clubs are the best way to get it, but you'll get some stuff through the clinical skills course.

Were you in clubs your first year? How many clubs would you recommend being in?

 

[Ironvet]

At the end of an interview I am assuming the interveiwer may ask if we have any questions, I was wondering what questions are appropriate to ask at that time?

 

[wildestdream]

At the end of an interview I am assuming the interveiwer may ask if we have any questions, I was wondering what questions are appropriate to ask at that time?

You can find some examples if you search online, but any further things you might want to know about the program are a good place to start.

 

[Ironvet]

You can find some examples if you search online, but any further things you might want to know about the program are a good place to start.

I did search online a little and most of them were more tailored to job interviews. And I don't think it's appropriate to ask about general school questions, curriculum, tutition ect since they have the info sessions for that

 

[Gwenevre]

I did search online a little and most of them were more tailored to job interviews. And I don't think it's appropriate to ask about general school questions, curriculum, tutition ect since they have the info sessions for that

If it helps, I asked Illi about their repro and therio department, since repro was a high interest of mine.

 

[wildcatbells]

Does attending your interview via Skype hinder your chances AT ALL???

 

[Ironvet]

Are you able to bring in pen and paper to write down your interviewers name for thank yous?

 

[Lulu19]

Are you able to bring in pen and paper to write down your interviewers name for thank yous?

You will be getting a folder with their names and other information so you don't have to worry about remembering.

 

[Ironvet]

You will be getting a folder with their names and other information so you don't have to worry about remembering.

Oh wow that's cool! Do you get that before or after your actual interview session?

 

[SchatziLife]

Are the 13th and 20th divided between IS and OOS or are there mixes of both interviewing on each day?

 

[owlrific0102]

Are the 13th and 20th divided between IS and OOS or are there mixes of both interviewing on each day?

I think they are IS/ OOS....not sure though I'm OOS and have mine on the 20th

 

[Ironvet]

I think they are IS/ OOS....not sure though I'm OOS and have mine on the 20th

I think so as well I'm IS and I'm on the 13th

 

[CeiKay]

Are the 13th and 20th divided between IS and OOS or are there mixes of both interviewing on each day?

I was assigned the 20th and am OOS but had to move mine so I'm on the 13th now!

 

[Ironvet]

Ah 1 week! The nerves and the excitement!

 

[Ironvet]

Does anyone know how many IS applicants are being interviewed this year?

 

[kat.gator]

I emailed admissions and they said that both dates are a mix of in state and out of state. I'm an in state student and have an interview on February 20th.

 

[SchatziLife]

Thanks for all of the responses, everyone!

 

[Ironvet]

Hey, has there been a printable schedule on when there is tours and info sessions besides just what information was giving in the email? Like how long the tours and info panels last ect?

 

[peanutbutterjelly]

Hi! I was wondering how stressful/casual the interview tends to be. If there are more ethical based questions or if it is more of getting to know the applicant? Not sure how much you're allowed to answer, but figured I'd ask. Thanks!

It's incredibly casual. To be honest, I think I would have felt better if I prepared less! Lol. Depending on your interest, they'll probably ask you one ethical question. My interest was in zoo medicine, so I got asked one, almost off-handedly (casual interview like I said) towards the end as a side-note/question. My interview last year was on Valentine's Day, so we actually spent a healthy amount of my 50 minutes talking about where my boyfriend and I should go to for dinner that evening! If I was going to weigh the portion of questions they did ask, I would say all get to know you and one ethical...for me anyway.

 

[peanutbutterjelly]

Are the 13th and 20th divided between IS and OOS or are there mixes of both interviewing on each day?

You'll get the folder before your interview during your check-in

 

[peanutbutterjelly]

question: do they ask about your application and your experiences? And this interview is considered "closed or open" file

We had 3 interviewers: one faculty, one fourth year student and one affiliated veterinarian. Only the affiliated vet had seen my file, the other two had not. I mostly got asked the "typical" interview get-to-know you questions. For me, nothing about my experiences - only the things I chose to bring up, but I know other people had questions about things they did. I knew my application inside and out, but I didn't get asked about it.

 

[peanutbutterjelly]

At the end of an interview I am assuming the interveiwer may ask if we have any questions, I was wondering what questions are appropriate to ask at that time?

If you have a particular field of interest, it may be good to ask about specific programs or anything that UF does with that that you may want to know more about. Remember you're interviewing your schools as much as they are interviewing you!