Application expenses

[FutureDVM02]

Best of luck to everyone who submitted or are submitting today!

Just wondering how many schools everyone has applied to and what have you spent so far in fees? I did 7 schools and spent over $2000.

I keep thinking about students who might be extremely limited to only going to their IS due to cost, or even being very selective in where to apply simply due to the cost of applying. It really makes me reflect on how difficult this process truly is and in so many ways other than just making yourself competitive.

Whats the average number of applications people usually put “out there”? I’ve seen random Reels or TikToks (lol) with people saying they applied to a dozen schools or more. My seven seems like a lot but I guess not. I wonder if those applying to that many have the means so they figure why not, or are they not as competitive so they have to cast a wider net? Or both?

Anyway, best of luck to everyone, really. May we all get the news we hope for.

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[oinkoink11]

I applied to 5 schools, my costs were around $1,400. I know that VMCAS offers a fee waiver but wow does the cost of applying make me LOL especially when schools seem to love promoting equity and inclusion. I would also much rather know the cost upfront rather than have all these supplemental fees roped in after… seems a little scummy to me. I will shut up now about this 🤓

Some people have others paying for applications and school and so 15 schools may be reasonable to them. Or maybe they are just trying to cast a really wide net if they know they may not be competitive in an important area. Or both. For me personally, cost was already planned but I did not want to have to take a bunch more prereqs aside from what I already had (looking at you, physics II) which limited me to a number of schools.

It’s a privilege to say “I’ll go to whatever vet school takes me.” And that’s totally okay as long as you’re aware of it! Like you said, not everyone has that option. Some people have families or other circumstances that don’t allow them to pack their bags and say adios. While this is a super stressful time for everyone, it’s also a time to be grateful for the opportunity to chase our passions/dreams. Not everyone gets it.

Good luck to everyone this cycle!! Our rejections/acceptances do not say anything about our worth in life. You are so much more than an electronic application to a school.

 

[FutureDVM02]

I applied to 5 schools, my costs were around $1,400. I know that VMCAS offers a fee waiver but wow does the cost of applying make me LOL especially when schools seem to love promoting equity and inclusion. I would also much rather know the cost upfront rather than have all these supplemental fees roped in after… seems a little scummy to me. I will shut up now about this 🤓

Some people have others paying for applications and school and so 15 schools may be reasonable to them. Or maybe they are just trying to cast a really wide net if they know they may not be competitive in an important area. Or both. For me personally, cost was already planned but I did not want to have to take a bunch more prereqs aside from what I already had (looking at you, physics II) which limited me to a number of schools.

It’s a privilege to say “I’ll go to whatever vet school takes me.” And that’s totally okay as long as you’re aware of it! Like you said, not everyone has that option. Some people have families or other circumstances that don’t allow them to pack their bags and say adios. While this is a super stressful time for everyone, it’s also a time to be grateful for the opportunity to chase our passions/dreams. Not everyone gets it.

Good luck to everyone this cycle!! Our rejections/acceptances do not say anything about our worth in life. You are so much more than an electronic application to a school.

You made a lot of really great points.

I didn’t look at the requirements for the VMCAS fee waiver because I figured I wouldn’t meet the criteria- luckily my parents are able to help me through this process and will help pay for vet school although some of the responsibility will be on me (most of it). But you’re right- the push is equal opportunity but not everyone has the same opportunity. I consider myself really fortunate to have been able to apply to the 7 I applied to, and am able to say I can go to any of those that would take me. BUT- there are other schools I was qualified to apply for but didn’t because I could never afford their OOS tuition. So even someone who has been blessed with the support I have still has limitations if that makes sense. Definitely puts things into perspective for sure. With the shortage of vets, you’d think the push would be to break some of the cost barriers, but then you’d have crowded programs and not enough staffing and all that so the cycle continues.

 

[phenomenology]

(looking at you, physics II)

I don't have much to add to this very considered conversation, but am just here to say I felt this in my BONES 🤣

 

[BunnyFluffy]

I applied to 7 schools, it was around $300-350 for supplemental application fees and $1,002 (lol at the extra two bucks) for the VMCAS fees. I am so very grateful I have a supportive family who all chipped in a little bit via graduation money from this May. I also understand that it costs money to pay the CAS system to host all these schools, and the schools have to make their money back from taking the time to look at the possible thousands of applicants that are out there these days. Even so, I'm not sure how I'll rope together this kind of money next year if I don't get in. My family is definitely not near the national poverty line, which from my understanding is how they give out the fee waivers. While I'm glad they have made those opportunities for students, I think it's hard for anyone these days to wrangle together a thousand dollars or more to gamble on getting into a vet school. Hell, I sacrificed replacing the breaks on my car for a little bit, because it was that or not applying to vet school.

As FutureDVM02 also mentioned, the cost of schools is what kept me from applying to more. OOS is so high for some of these schools, and I keep seeing more and more people agree that the DVM degree isn't worth the potential half a mil in loans people have to take out now. I wish there were more grants or scholarships available for students, because many I've seen seem to be school-specific or just non-existent. Additionally, I'm having to retake some classes to try and make myself more competitive, and that's an extra 7k not even included in the cost of getting into vet school.

I'm just so grateful I even have the chance to do this. My best friend lives off of disability and while they've been rooting for me to get into vet school from our high school years, I feel guilty even having the kind of disposable money to apply. Here's hoping that we all get to have our dreams come true this year!

 

[oinkoink11]

I consider myself really fortunate to have been able to apply to the 7 I applied to, and am able to say I can go to any of those that would take me. BUT- there are other schools I was qualified to apply for but didn’t because I could never afford their OOS tuition. So even someone who has been blessed with the support I have still has limitations if that makes sense.

Privilege is always on a sliding scale, I completely get what you mean. But man it is so crazy how much some schools are able to charge for tuition!!

I talked a lot about being grateful and privileged and so on and so forth but it does not take away from the fact that we all worked hard for this moment regardless of our financial, social, familial status etc. This is a big accomplishment and boy was it a pain in the ass 🤣 I honestly want to hear from the people who applied to a ton of schools and had to write all those supplemental essays… are you guys okay??

I don't have much to add to this very considered conversation, but am just here to say I felt this in my BONES 🤣

I will fight on site whoever made physics II a requirement

 

[FutureDVM02]

I don't have much to add to this very considered conversation, but am just here to say I felt this in my BONES 🤣

Yep- I didn’t even think about the 3 extra humanities I “needed” to get the requirements met for a few desirable schools- that cost an extra $3800. And a summer class that was $1500 I ended up withdrawing from- the professor was a nightmare, she retired at the end of the summer and my second attempt I got an A.

And 100% on the big unspeakable- having to do this again. Let’s not put that out there. It’s not happening.

 

[phenomenology]

I will fight on site whoever made physics II a requirement

Honestly still unsure why physics is a requirement at all; no vet student/vet I've spoken to seems to think the principles are used much except in the contexts of cardiology/respiratory systems (and I feel this was covered sufficiently in physiology?!) and then further if you wanna specialize in cardiology/radiology/etc. It seems like an unnecessary hoop to jump through. Why am I deriving instantaneous velocity/max height of the trajectory of a freaking ball!!!

 

[battie]

Honestly still unsure why physics is a requirement at all; no vet student/vet I've spoken to seems to think the principles are used much except in the contexts of cardiology/respiratory systems (and I feel this was covered sufficiently in physiology?!) and then further if you wanna specialize in cardiology/radiology/etc. It seems like an unnecessary hoop to jump through. Why am I deriving instantaneous velocity/max height of the trajectory of a freaking ball!!!

The argument is that physics helps to teach us how to study and think critically. And having the undergrad course(s) helps to make physio easier when in vet school.

Whether or not someone believes this actually works out is obviously opinion.

 

[pp9]

people saying they applied to a dozen schools or more.

I'd say it's not unheard of for people to apply to this many or more, but not common. The people that do this probably want to cast their net really wide to get the best chance at acceptance - makes sense initially, however a lot can go wrong and I would guess these people are wasting a lot of money for the sake of saying 'they really tried' to get in.

1. a portion of these applicants did not check the academic requirements for each school/can't meet them all in the required timeframe, so won't pass the initial cut whether it be GPA, missing a specific class, etc. There are also a lot of outdated/incorrect resources out there that people are using instead of going directly to the schools for their information (I'm lookin' at you, AAVMC). This is somewhat preventable, but with 32+ schools to keep track of, it's easy for you to miss something. Money wasted.
2. not everyone actually completes the supplementary applications/completes them correctly, whether it be overwhelmed with deadlines, forgot/missed the supplementary app, didn't follow directions, etc. Money wasted.
3. They actually meet the requirements for all of the schools AND completed all the supplemental apps, but decide not to interview for whatever reason (can't miss work, can't miss school or reschedule exams, can't afford it, the interview day conflicts with a school you'd rather interview at, etc). Money wasted, although for this one, I get that stuff happens and you may not be able to predict that you can't interview.
4. You do everything right, AND can attend all interviews you get. I'd guess this is the minority of people who cast huge nets.

The next step is even more expensive than applying: the cost of interviewing. I think a lot of people forget about this part in the rush of applying, or underestimate how expensive it can be. I'm not sure what schools are doing virtual interview options these days, but not all are. Even if you get the fee waiver, no one is paying your way to fly somewhere. I'd hope schools would be willing to virtually interview those that can't afford to travel, but that would be up to the admissions committees Most applicants probably can't 'afford' it (meaning the application/interview process is a financial burden), so where do you draw the line?

 

[DVM882029]

Honestly still unsure why physics is a requirement at all; no vet student/vet I've spoken to seems to think the principles are used much except in the contexts of cardiology/respiratory systems (and I feel this was covered sufficiently in physiology?!) and then further if you wanna specialize in cardiology/radiology/etc. It seems like an unnecessary hoop to jump through. Why am I deriving instantaneous velocity/max height of the trajectory of a freaking ball!!!

Physics actually comes into play if you specialize, cardiology (and other specialties involving ultrasound) use physics pretty heavily (EKGs are vectors!) plus surgery (ex: fracture repair, plate size, etc) with forces on the body/bone.

For me, this year I applied just to my IS as my husband and I had talked about. If I'm rejected, next year I'll apply to a lot of schools (probably 6-10). We are very lucky that we can afford to apply pretty freely without worrying about cost, but that being said I still want to apply smartly because of the cost associated with the application. With hard work and a bit of luck, I'll only have to go through a couple of cycles. It's so daunting.

 

[PlumPoppy]

Just wondering how many schools everyone has applied to and what have you spent so far in fees? I did 7 schools and spent over $2000.

This is my third cycle, so I'll do a breakdown out of curiosity. I'm grateful that I've been able to receive a fee waiver each year, and the Merck Animal Health Diversity Fee Waiver. Honestly, if these resources weren't available, I could not afford to have applied to all of these schools.

My first and second cycles, I applied to 4 schools each. So including supp application fees, that's $581 and $551, respectively. (I applied to diff schools each time.) This cycle, money has been really tight, so I was only able to apply to the 2 schools under waivers. So that was $135 in supplemental fees. I originally planned to apply to 6 schools this cycle, so that would've been....$987. It sucks, but that's just the game applying so many times unfortunately.

Overall, that's $1267 and 6 different schools total that I've spent over 3 years, which isn't that bad I guess. It really shouldn't be that way just for APPLYING to school, especially for an economically disadvantaged student.

I know that VMCAS offers a fee waiver but wow does the cost of applying make me LOL especially when schools seem to love promoting equity and inclusion. I would also much rather know the cost upfront rather than have all these supplemental fees roped in after… seems a little scummy to me. I will shut up now about this 🤓

No because it does seem this way! This is the biggest drawback for me applying each year. Why on earth does a supplemental application fee need to be $100? (This was my previous IS school, one of the poorest states in the country!!!) In the worst case, this is intentional. Less people applying, less applications to sift through! Best case, the school is using this money for something good.

This is on top of the ever-changing prerequisites that previous posters mentioned. It's been a struggle to keep up. I can't afford to go back to school JUST to take cell biology to keep applying and spend more money. 😢

 

[mn1309]

I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling out here lol. As a non-traditional 3rd time cycle single full-time veterinary assistant applicant, it’s rough. I had an extremely generous offer from someone to pay for five schools for me ($745 total). But I paid the almost $500 in supplemental fees on my own which are currently sitting on my credit card generating interest 🙃 If I hadn’t gotten the offer to cover my application fees I wouldn’t have applied a third time. I also wasn’t able to re-apply to some of the schools I applied to previously because of changing pre-reqs and no funds/time to go back to school for MORE classes.