UPenn c/o 2019 Applicants!

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Hey, peeps!

I thought that I'd get this thread going for those overachievers that are already working on their apps ;). I just went through the application process at Penn (I'm deferring for a year to get in-state tuition), so I should be able to help you guys out with any questions you may have.
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I'm considering applying to UPenn, but I have feel like all of the advice here on SDN says that if you want to do food animal medicine that you should consider other schools instead. I would like to focus on food animals, so this is important! Any current student opinions on this? Thanks!
 
I'm not food animal, but I have classmates who are and they seem to be getting by just fine. I'm not sure what they do during the year for experience (besides wetlabs) but many of them do externships during the summer. Several have done the ones through Zoetis. I think Penn itself offers some summer work as well (I think mainly with swine). Another classmate went to China and did research on dairy cows (I think). No, New Bolton is not in your backyard, but those interested seem to make it work. And there is plenty of food animal focus in lectures (most also happen to be my favorite lecturers so far) , so the material will be covered. And I think our Food Animal Club is fairly active and tries to get several wet labs a semester, but I don't think I'm on the email list anymore, so I probably miss the bulk of what they do.

Obviously, it's up to you whether you want to have closer proximity to the animals, which I won't lie, probably allows for more hands on opportunities. As for case load, I'm not entirely sure how many food animals we see in comparison to other schools. I think the numbers go up significantly higher during March Madness. The Food Animal Field Service website says ~13,000/year, but the majority of the caseload that actually visit NBC, is most likely equine. That being said, I have personally helped out with goats, alpacas, sheep and cows.

Not sure if that's at all helpful and wish I knew a little bit more information for you. =/
 
apizfoshizz said:
I'm considering applying to UPenn, but I have feel like all of the advice here on SDN says that if you want to do food animal medicine that you should consider other schools instead. I would like to focus on food animals, so this is important! Any current student opinions on this? Thanks!
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I think it depends...

If you want to be working out in Texas on big ranches, then you are not going to get the same experience as if you go to school in Texas for example.

But if you want to do food animal in the NE, then it is pretty relevant. Penn has the Marshak Dairy and the pig place (whatever that is called), so you can see sort of modern farm practices, and at New Bolton there is a nice mix of food animal (cows, sheep, alpaca) cases that reflects the variety that you would see in the area. Of course they see a larger horsie caseload, but it is not completely one-sided.

And in V14, they ended up with the same number of food animal as horse people in the graduating class (8 or something each.. don't really recall).

If you want a good veterinary education, Penn will be absolutely fine. If you are looking to get exposure to a lot of different types of large ranch/farm environments, meh., but that is not why you go to vet school IMO.
 
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Thanks for your input. I'll do some more research before I make a final decision.
 
Does anyone know how much weight UPenn puts on GPA and GRE? I have good GRE scores and last 45 GPA, but my science GPA and overall GPA are lacking.
 
calbear13 said:
Does anyone know how much weight UPenn puts on GPA and GRE? I have good GRE scores and last 45 GPA, but my science GPA and overall GPA are lacking.
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There is no answer to this question.
Penn likes candidates for many different reasons.
In general, they are looking for people who excel in some way....
There are people with hi gpas, lo gpas, lots of experience, little experience, young, old, even me.

If you are average all around, it might be tough to get in.
If you are mostly ok but something is really crappy, ... might be tough.
If you are outstanding in some way, but lacking in another... might be ok.

But really, Penn is probably one of the harder places to quantify who is a good candidate IMO.
 
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calbear13 said:
Does anyone know how much weight UPenn puts on GPA and GRE? I have good GRE scores and last 45 GPA, but my science GPA and overall GPA are lacking.
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I agree with what SOV has mentioned. A lot of the people that I've spoken to have generally done very well on either their GREs or have a good GPA (some also have both). I'm an example of someone who got in with a less-than-optimal GPA (3.4 cumulative, 3.3 science), but my GREs were good. :)
 
Hey guys! UPenn is on my shortlist, reading the last few posts has been helpful, can I bug you all with some questions?

Now, I know the general university is pretty good research wise, but how much emphasis does the DVM program put on research and/or lab animal med?

Those are my two areas of interest (and yes, I would totally do a dual DVM/PhD program, but I don't think I'm competitive enough)

I have like 4,000 hours of research experience, so I'm hoping they may look at that favorably...

They're one of my current list of 12 schools, but they're also the second most expensive...so for those of you paying that steep tuition...do you feel its worth it, or would you have rather gone somewhere cheaper?
 
HowIMetYourPet said:
Hey guys! UPenn is on my shortlist, reading the last few posts has been helpful, can I bug you all with some questions?

Now, I know the general university is pretty good research wise, but how much emphasis does the DVM program put on research and/or lab animal med?

Those are my two areas of interest (and yes, I would totally do a dual DVM/PhD program, but I don't think I'm competitive enough)

I have like 4,000 hours of research experience, so I'm hoping they may look at that favorably...

They're one of my current list of 12 schools, but they're also the second most expensive...so for those of you paying that steep tuition...do you feel its worth it, or would you have rather gone somewhere cheaper?
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How much emphasis is hard to quantify? I know they are trying to increase the exposure, but I wouldn't say it is any big part of the program.
But more importantly, there are a ton of opportunities to get further involved at research at Penn. I don't think anyone who wants to get more involved has any trouble finding researchers to work with. I had no particular interest and got sucked into the research environment myself.
Also, you can transfer into the VMD/PhD program after getting there, so if you hit it off with a clinician/researcher it may still work out for you.

As for cost.... um, kind of hard to say much positive there.
 
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If your area of interest is in research/lab animal and that's where the bulk of you hours are, I think it will help. They do ask how many hours you have in your area of interest on the supplemental application. I also know of at least two classmates that are very interested in lab animal medicine and they seem to be doing fine. And like SOV said, the research opportunities are endless. I wanted to try it out and chickened out (probably more because I don't really understand the whole proposal thing part for the NIH program, and I specifically wanted to try to something related to prions)

As for whether it's worth it financially, it's hard to really say yes or no. I'm IS, but you can't really compare two schools without going through the programs simultaneously. There are many things I love about Penn and there are things I dislike. Does it justify the cost? :shrug: That being said I ended up realizing I wanted to be a city and kind of just felt more at home there when I interviewed/toured. I'm all for going where it's the cheapest and don't think it's bad advice, but I also place importance on the environment/location. I think it's important to be happy where you're located because school sucks enough, so you don't want to hate/be miserable where you're living on top of that. Do I think I would have been happy at other schools (some somewhat cheaper). Some yes, and some no. I kind of just picked where I felt the most comfortable. All schools will give you the education you need. I'm just trying to keep my costs down in other places (ie: I pack pretty much everyday, only buy coffee if I have a gift card, live with roommates, don't eat/order out too frequently, etc).
 
HowIMetYourPet said:
Hey guys! UPenn is on my shortlist, reading the last few posts has been helpful, can I bug you all with some questions?

Now, I know the general university is pretty good research wise, but how much emphasis does the DVM program put on research and/or lab animal med?

Those are my two areas of interest (and yes, I would totally do a dual DVM/PhD program, but I don't think I'm competitive enough)

I have like 4,000 hours of research experience, so I'm hoping they may look at that favorably...

They're one of my current list of 12 schools, but they're also the second most expensive...so for those of you paying that steep tuition...do you feel its worth it, or would you have rather gone somewhere cheaper?
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I'm afraid I can't be much help along the lines of what it's actually like to attend Penn since I haven't started yet ;). I can tell you that if you're willing to defer for a year after being accepted that the school may allow you to defer to become a PA resident to get in-state tuition. That's what I'm doing this year, and it'll save me around 40k on tuition. Whether or not that's something you're interested in, it's a nice option to have. On that vein, it's pretty easy to get involved with lab work at the school. I'm working as a lab tech at Penn during my year off; I just had to send a lot of emails out to PIs.
 
Hey guys!! I just realized I never thanked you all for your replies! So...Thanks!! They were very helpful!!

I have another question for you all.... I have decided to apply to UPenn, and I'm looking at the supp app. It asks me my area of interest and for my #hrs there....well, my interest is Lab Animal Medicine..... On VMCAS I listed my lab animal hours under Research (since VMCAS said anything research should be research, even if its also vet) and so I'm not sure what I should put on the Supp. I have 360hrs of solid animal work (not shadowing, but me myself and I doing work with the animals) and a TOTAL of 7000 hours of research experience.... although its not direct animal work.... should I put down just the animal work, or all of my research experience? I think I'm going to go ahead and e-mail them, but I thought I'd ask here too :)
 
HowIMetYourPet said:
Hey guys!! I just realized I never thanked you all for your replies! So...Thanks!! They were very helpful!!

I have another question for you all.... I have decided to apply to UPenn, and I'm looking at the supp app. It asks me my area of interest and for my #hrs there....well, my interest is Lab Animal Medicine..... On VMCAS I listed my lab animal hours under Research (since VMCAS said anything research should be research, even if its also vet) and so I'm not sure what I should put on the Supp. I have 360hrs of solid animal work (not shadowing, but me myself and I doing work with the animals) and a TOTAL of 7000 hours of research experience.... although its not direct animal work.... should I put down just the animal work, or all of my research experience? I think I'm going to go ahead and e-mail them, but I thought I'd ask here too :)
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I think probably whatever you would consider to be working with lab animals is what they would be looking for, probably not all of your research
 
HowIMetYourPet said:
Hey guys!! I just realized I never thanked you all for your replies! So...Thanks!! They were very helpful!!

I have another question for you all.... I have decided to apply to UPenn, and I'm looking at the supp app. It asks me my area of interest and for my #hrs there....well, my interest is Lab Animal Medicine..... On VMCAS I listed my lab animal hours under Research (since VMCAS said anything research should be research, even if its also vet) and so I'm not sure what I should put on the Supp. I have 360hrs of solid animal work (not shadowing, but me myself and I doing work with the animals) and a TOTAL of 7000 hours of research experience.... although its not direct animal work.... should I put down just the animal work, or all of my research experience? I think I'm going to go ahead and e-mail them, but I thought I'd ask here too :)
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Just send an e-mail (or call) to Penn and ask. No one is going to know the answer to the question but Penn's adcom, and they really don't like people to "interpret" their policies on SDN.

But, if not, just do whatever you think is most justifiable in your own mind, and if they ask about it, you have a reasonable response. (but still, I say contact them... they are very nice).
 
can any Penn students describe what the ICVM 1 course is like?
 
karry smith said:
can any Penn students describe what the ICVM 1 course is like?
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Mainly lectures that begin to introduce you to some clinical stuff like SOAPs, how to do a PE etc. You have labs that go over it as well. Then in the second semester its more large animal related and you have a hands on day out at NBC and do blood draws, PEs etc.
 
Hi guys, I'm a second year applicant and I'm applying to Penn as well. I've worked at both of their hospitals(Ryan and New Bolton) and I think both places are incredibly amazing. Penn is definitely my dream school does anyone have any advice on how to get accepted there?
 
jwolf22 said:
Hi guys, I'm a second year applicant and I'm applying to Penn as well. I've worked at both of their hospitals(Ryan and New Bolton) and I think both places are incredibly amazing. Penn is definitely my dream school does anyone have any advice on how to get accepted there?
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Not particularly. Did you apply to Penn last year? If so, did you do a file review? If so, I'd follow any advice they gave during that session.
 
Yes, I did have a file review with them. I believe I addressed everything they said was wrong the first time. They wanted me to improve my GRE math score which I did (I received a 160 this time) and I gained more diverse experiences (1,000 more veterinary hours with an equine chiropractor and a small animal emergency clinic). The first time I applied I did not have a lot of veterinary hours and they said that was my greatest downfall. However that has since been remedied. Hopefully I'll make it in then. Good luck to everyone else as well :)
 
Does any one know when UPenn begins to contact applicants for interviews?

Thanks in advance! :)
 
Swongy said:
Does any one know when UPenn begins to contact applicants for interviews?

Thanks in advance! :)
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I'm pretty sure last year they started in January and it definitely went all the way into March. They added an extra week of interviews last year though because so many people couldn't make it to theirs due to the snow.
 
Last year they contacted the students interviewed over the first few weeks in early december...december 12th specifically (clearly I wasn't too excited or anything), and then sent out batches of interview invites every few weeks!
 
Does anyone know if they reject some applicants before interviews start (IE-the least competitive applicants from the pool), or does pretty much everyone who doesn't get an interview get rejected at the end of the cycle?
 
I've heard that they occasionally reject applicants earlier in the cycle...you can see it in the "official rejection" threads from previous years. However it seems like the vast majority do not hear until the end of the cycle.
 
I applied to Penn last year and didn't get a rejection letter until the day of the last interviews. I was since told that I almost got an interview. Other people I knew who applied received their rejection letters about a month before I did. Another woman I know got called for an interview the day before the final interview a few years ago and was accepted. Apparently someone cancelled their interview last minute and she was able to take their spot. So yes, they do let some people know earlier, but it's still pretty close to the end of the interview process.
 
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I didn't get a rejection email until March 19th. The waiting was horrible.
 
Thanks for weighing in! I actually just got an email from the adcom today saying that my application is complete, and they included some details about the upcoming cycle as well. They said they plan to interview from December to February (which seems markedly earlier and faster than last year's cycle, or am i wrong?), and that they'd try to inform less competitive candidates of their rejections before then. Just praying I'm not one of the ones who gets an early rejection email! :nailbiting:
 
Orwell90 said:
Thanks for weighing in! I actually just got an email from the adcom today saying that my application is complete, and they included some details about the upcoming cycle as well. They said they plan to interview from December to February (which seems markedly earlier and faster than last year's cycle, or am i wrong?), and that they'd try to inform less competitive candidates of their rejections before then. Just praying I'm not one of the ones who gets an early rejection email! :nailbiting:
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You're not wrong, that seems MUCH earlier! Last year I think they interviewed WELL into March! omg...here come the nervessss
 
Orwell90 said:
Thanks for weighing in! I actually just got an email from the adcom today saying that my application is complete, and they included some details about the upcoming cycle as well. They said they plan to interview from December to February (which seems markedly earlier and faster than last year's cycle, or am i wrong?), and that they'd try to inform less competitive candidates of their rejections before then. Just praying I'm not one of the ones who gets an early rejection email! :nailbiting:
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I didn't get any email from Upenn yet! I submitted everything and haven't gotten any confirmation email or anything... :( I'm worried now!
 
got my email saying they've received everything. Looks like they're starting in December this year. I can't wait XD
 
jwolf22 said:
got my email saying they've received everything. Looks like they're starting in December this year. I can't wait XD
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I got the email as well, somehow the day before I got the email saying VMCAS was verified.
 
Still waiting to hear something! Application has been verified. :)
 
I think I'm being dumb, but what does this line from the acknowledgement email mean exactly:
"Those applicants whom we believe are less academically qualified will begin to hear from us as soon as we can determine their comparative ranking with other applicants."?

Do they mean hear back like rejections?
 
Beagleholly said:
I think I'm being dumb, but what does this line from the acknowledgement email mean exactly:
"Those applicants whom we believe are less academically qualified will begin to hear from us as soon as we can determine their comparative ranking with other applicants."?

Do they mean hear back like rejections?
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Yes, last year they sent out a very early wave of rejections....that's probably what they're talking about.
And yeah I got my confirmation of everything received today! Yay! Let the wait begin! Last year I didn't get my rejection til March! Ugh!!
 
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I got my confirmation today. Last year I also didn't get my rejection letter until March..it was the last one I received and it was a frustrating wait.
 
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Could you tell me if I'm qualified to apply?


I'm a pre-vet student (biology major, chemistry minor) in my 3rd year- application time is coming up quick! My overall GPA isn't the best.. it's a 3.67 (same for my science GPA). I'm in the general honors society and the biology honors society at my college. I'm treasurer of the biology honors society and I'm an active member of the biology club. I haven't taken the GRE yet, I'm scheduled to next month. My extra curricular activities are:

  • working (20-40 hrs a week) at animal hospital as a veterinary assistant (wildlife and small animal practice)
  • volunteered at multiple animal shelters (cat and dog)
  • participate in fundraiser walks (breast cancer, allergy, suicide awareness)
  • volunteer occasionally at the local soup kitchen
  • volunteer at wild life sanctuary
  • volunteer with children at medical hospital
  • going to South Africa for 2 weeks in December to volunteer (rehabilitating wild animals and building community)
  • going to UPenn for Summer Vet 2 week program
  • shadowing a local veterinarian during surgeries
  • fostered kittens for a total of 9 months
  • pet ownership 20 years
  • certificate: wild life and animal nutrition
  • sea turtle rescue
  • 50 hours shadowing equine veterinarian
Do you think I have what it takes? Feedback- negative and positive- would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
animaluver2016 said:
Could you tell me if I'm qualified to apply?


I'm a pre-vet student (biology major, chemistry minor) in my 3rd year- application time is coming up quick! My overall GPA isn't the best.. it's a 3.67 (same for my science GPA). I'm in the general honors society and the biology honors society at my college. I'm treasurer of the biology honors society and I'm an active member of the biology club. I haven't taken the GRE yet, I'm scheduled to next month. My extra curricular activities are:

  • working (20-40 hrs a week) at animal hospital as a veterinary assistant (wildlife and small animal practice)
  • volunteered at multiple animal shelters (cat and dog)
  • participate in fundraiser walks (breast cancer, allergy, suicide awareness)
  • volunteer occasionally at the local soup kitchen
  • volunteer at wild life sanctuary
  • volunteer with children at medical hospital
  • going to South Africa for 2 weeks in December to volunteer (rehabilitating wild animals and building community)
  • going to UPenn for Summer Vet 2 week program
  • shadowing a local veterinarian during surgeries
  • fostered kittens for a total of 9 months
  • pet ownership 20 years
  • certificate: wild life and animal nutrition
  • sea turtle rescue
  • 50 hours shadowing equine veterinarian
Do you think I have what it takes? Feedback- negative and positive- would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Didn't you already post this in the What Are My Chances thread and get responses there? It's generally frowned upon to post the same thing in multiple threads. That thread is specifically for questions like yours.
 
WildZoo said:
Didn't you already post this in the What Are My Chances thread and get responses there? It's generally frowned upon to post the same thing in multiple threads. That thread is specifically for questions like yours.
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sorry
 
i'm sure it's way too early, but any news? no, i'm not feeling impatient at all...:bullcrap:
 
I think I heard sometime in December or early January about my interview, but it looks like they're doing them earlier this year. If I happen to hear anything I'll let you guys know :)
 
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Yes the earliest they send out invites is typically December...from my understanding they are interviewing more people per interview day so that the interviews do not go so late into application season, but I don't think they will be sending out the first round of invites any earlier than previous years!
 
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