Advice on contacting admissions offices and visiting vet schools?

[HelloNello]

.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[tuckervet]

I think this is absolutely acceptable, but that you should contact the school first to make an appointment (phone or e-mail) and be clear about what you want. As an undergrad, I met with someone in admissions at Cornell because it was close to me, and my adviser recommended it. I called Cornell for an appointment essentially asking for pre-vet advice, since no one at my undergrad was familiar with the process. They met with me, told me about the school and selection process, and gave me some feedback on how I stood at that time and offered some suggestions for becoming more competitive. I followed her lead though...I had my transcript and resume with me, but waited until she asked if I wanted her to look over them.
I had multiple similar meetings with an admissions person at UPenn. they were very helpful!

 

[katryn]

Visiting the admin office while visiting a school is the logical place to start with setting up a formal tour. If you are just driving by on your own and walking around, you might still want to stop in and ask any questions you might have about the campus.

As far as the stat review goes, if you have not applied at all yet, there is no harm in asking the undergrad liason to review your grades, experience, etc to see if you are on the right track. If you currently have an application in at the school you are visiting, leave it for after the application cycle. Asking for a review in the middle of the process probably won't look bad, but it won't put you that much ahead of the game. If you do want to get a review I would definitely suggest making an appointment with the appropriate person, and this may have to wait until after application season, due to sheer busyness.

As far as auditing classes....I'm guessing from context that you mean having a school review your classes to make sure they accept all the prerequisites you have taken. This is never a bad idea, but again, if you haven't actually applied yet, it would be polite to do this after the schools application period is over. And most schools are happy to do this if you just contact the admin office and have them bump you to the appropriate person.

 

[ImNotThatGirl]

yeah, i think it's a really good idea to get with an admissions counselor or advisor, etc to have them review your stats before you apply. that way you'll know what you can work on or where you stand before you even submit your application.
when i was in undergrad at michigan state, the vet school also encouraged us to submit a VMCAS application the year before we plan on graduating. that way, you can get experience completing your VMCAS app, and if you don't make it in your 1st time, then you know what you can work on during your senior year of college and you can try again, and you don't have to waste a year of your life waiting on vet school. i didn't take them up on it back then, but now i wish i would have.

 

[jl123]

definitely do it!! well depending on the school, but if you call and make an appointment you can probably meet an admissions counselor or someone on the committee and also take a tour. i did it for two schools this summer. they asked me to bring my transcripts, scores, resume, etc to review. one of the people i met was on the admissions committee, and she even offered to read and help me with my ps, she was really nice and generous with her time! i was told that since she met with me/got a glimpse of any of my application she of course wouldn't be able to review my application or help make the final decision. so they're definitely fair in that way, and it's probably even better because they really do take the time to help you without the concern that they're helping you "cheat"

they were also very honest about where you stand, answer questions about the admissions process, etc etc.

 

[rosyreef]

I met with admissions counselors at Ohio State and Cornell and they were both really helpful. I brought along my resume and had my GRE percentile stats available. We basically discussed what veterinary/animal experience I had, what my plan was to do with the degree, etc. It was kind of like an informal interview but it was really helpful and I felt a lot better after discussing it with them because they gave good advice. Also, I'd bring along any questions you have about the program because they'll definitely answer those for you as well.

 

[sumstorm]

Call first! Not all schools will review an application, and not all schools allow impromptu tours. Ours doesn't.