AVC Applicants c/o 2015

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Calling all AVC applicants... come say hi!

A little bit about me...
Nova Scotia resident
21 years old
BSc with honours in Biology
4th year student
1st time applying

Decided I wanted to be a vet in grade 12... I didn't own any animals growing up because my family moved around a lot. Our family aquired a cat when I was 15 and I started keeping fish. A personality test told me that I was suited to be an animal breeder :laugh:. Vet was #5 on the list, but I liked the idea of vet tech more. I started volunteering at a clinic and realized that vets do cooler things than techs... and here I am!

Haven't submitted my application yet, but I'm hoping to at the beginning of next month. I'm having difficulty describing my duties in a professional manner so I've made an appointment with the writing centre at my university.

I'm getting so nervous :scared:

So yeah... hi!

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Florida resident
23 years old
finally finishing my BS in Biology -prevet
I've been in school forever
2nd time applying to AVC - interviewed and waitlisted last year

There was no "aha!" moment for me as far as wanting to be a vet. I liked the idea of medicine, but being a GP or specialist didn't really appeal to me, so I thought about dental school and veterinary school. Dental school didn't seem as exciting and fast-paced as veterinary school and I'm so not a sit around all day kind of person. So I started getting experience in private practices and fell in love with every aspect of the profession.

I've done most of the app for AVC, just finished my VMCAS today. Since AVC doesn't require their supplemental be submitted until a litte later I'm not stressing too much about it as of right now.

Don't be nervous, and try not to let the waiting drive you absolutely insane. It's hard.
 
I'm applying there as well (Maryland resident). The biggest appeal was that the GPA they consider is that of selected pre-reqs which really good for me with my crappy cumulative. I'm most concerned about the fact that my genetics class was during a semester where I did not take a full course load. I'm hoping my letter of explanation to be included in the supplemental packet makes up for it:xf: I'm basically done with their supplemental and have to send it off but its nice that they offer you a little longer than the Oct 1 deadline of most everywhere else.

Anyway, good luck guys!
 
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Hello all!

Nova Scotia resident
BSc (Honours) Biology
Fourth-year student
Applied last year (first time) - accepted and deferred until 2011

I've always been interested in vet med, but for the longest time I thought I couldn't be a vet because a) I was very shy with strangers and b) I didn't want to do only dog and cat medicine. Birds are my passion, and I thought it would be really hard to get into avian medicine because the field is so small. But over the past few years I've come out of my shell and discovered that there are more places than I thought where I could work with birds. For example, working SA for pay but doing wildlife medicine in a rehabilitation setting works quite nicely for my boss/mentor/friend (although since she runs the rehab centre by herself, it takes up a lot of her life!) I could definitely see myself doing something like that.

When I applied last year, the application process was fine, but I was TERRIFIED of actually doing the interview. I was so stressed out the week before it happened! It turned out to be much less scary than I had thought it would be. If anyone has any questions about applying or interviews, I'd be happy to help if I can.

Good luck to everyone applying! Hope to see you next fall!
 
Hi everyone!

roughleggedhawk, I remember you from when I stalked the AVC thread in the spring! If I get an interview, I might hit you up for advice :p I have a pretty good idea of what to expect though.
 
Hi guys,
I am 99.9% sure that I am applying this year to AVC (VMCAS not yet submitted and supplemental sitting here in an envelope...already sent GRE scores). Third year applicant but never yet here :) I like the way they figure GPA but only counting extracurriculars the last 5 years really hurt me I think, so we shall see.

GOOD LUCK everyone!
 
Roughleggedhawk....I know you :) We met this summer at Helene's:D Do you know who I am yet?

1st time applicant
New Brunswick resident
Non trad, 27 years old (after Oct. 14)
B.Sc with Animal Science major (Graduated in 2007)

Currently at Dalhousie for upgrading the pre reqs that have expired.
 
scarcelyheard, you're stalking AVC applicants?! :) Seriously though, I'd be happy to help.

Lab Rat, I know exactly who you are! You should head up to the rehab center again soon if you can, we've got tons of raptors in-house right now.
 
I don't literally stalk them... that'd be creepy... I just checked that thread waaay too much for my own good :p
 
Roughleggedhawk....I'm actually planning on heading over this weekend sometime. My last few weekends have been crazy but I'm looking to head out either Saturday or Sunday morning!

I'm looking forward to seeing the new residents:)
 
1st time applying.
Newfoundland applicant (I can't be the only one here. Come out lurkers)
B.Sc. (hons) in Behavioural Neuroscience
24yo

Currently upgrading some old pre-reqs at MUN while I volunteer in both LA/SA settings and am studying for the GRE.
I'm gonna grab one of those few Newfie seats at AVC :xf: :)
 
Does anyone know how many deferrals there were from the last cycle from NS??
 
Hello all,

I was accepted last app. cycle, and though I decided to go elsewhere I thought AVC looked like a great place. If any of you have questions about the application process, interview, etc. I would be happy to answer them if I can. Good luck!
 
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Got some help with my supplemental yesterday... yay!

Now I have a question about residency!

On the undergrad application form it says:
Province of Legal Residence (where you graduated from high school, where your parents live, or where you have lived for greater than or equal to 12 months while NOT a student at any post-secondary institution)

If I didn't get accepted, my plan was to move to PEI to work and gain residency. I would also like to take a course or two at UPEI while I'm there. If I understand this right, if I take a course I can't gain residency and I will still be considered a NS resident if I apply?

If that's the case, why does NS have so many darn applicants? Does it just happen to be that more Nova Scotians want to be vets than in any other province? Or, for example, if someone from PEI decides to to go NSAC, are they considered a NS resident when they apply, which increases the number of applicants from NS?

Also, do I have to be living in PEI for at least one year when I apply, when I'm accepted or when school starts? If I move in June 2011, I will still be a NS resident when I apply. But in June 2012, when decisions are made, I'll be a PEI resident. So will I be competing for a NS spot or a PEI spot?

I won't have to worry about this stuff if I'm accepted, but I just wanted to know if any of you have any insight on this. I'll probably have to contact AVC about this. I really don't want to move to PEI if I'm not allowed to take courses and if it's going to take me two app cycles to gain residency. If that's the case, I'll probably apply to other programs instead of wasting two years of my life trying to gain residency and get in.

I hope that was all somewhat clear!
 
Got some help with my supplemental yesterday... yay!

Now I have a question about residency!

On the undergrad application form it says:
Province of Legal Residence (where you graduated from high school, where your parents live, or where you have lived for greater than or equal to 12 months while NOT a student at any post-secondary institution)

If I didn't get accepted, my plan was to move to PEI to work and gain residency. I would also like to take a course or two at UPEI while I'm there. If I understand this right, if I take a course I can't gain residency and I will still be considered a NS resident if I apply?

If that's the case, why does NS have so many darn applicants? Does it just happen to be that more Nova Scotians want to be vets than in any other province? Or, for example, if someone from PEI decides to to go NSAC, are they considered a NS resident when they apply, which increases the number of applicants from NS?

Also, do I have to be living in PEI for at least one year when I apply, when I'm accepted or when school starts? If I move in June 2011, I will still be a NS resident when I apply. But in June 2012, when decisions are made, I'll be a PEI resident. So will I be competing for a NS spot or a PEI spot?

I won't have to worry about this stuff if I'm accepted, but I just wanted to know if any of you have any insight on this. I'll probably have to contact AVC about this. I really don't want to move to PEI if I'm not allowed to take courses and if it's going to take me two app cycles to gain residency. If that's the case, I'll probably apply to other programs instead of wasting two years of my life trying to gain residency and get in.

I hope that was all somewhat clear!

Here's my understanding of these, from what I've read..

If I didn't get accepted, my plan was to move to PEI to work and gain residency. I would also like to take a course or two at UPEI while I'm there. If I understand this right, if I take a course I can't gain residency and I will still be considered a NS resident if I apply?
I don't think you can take any courses at all while racking up the 12 months to gain residency. But remember that you wouldn't be allowed to use the grades you obtain anyhow unless you were enrolled in 3 courses


If that's the case, why does NS have so many darn applicants? Does it just happen to be that more Nova Scotians want to be vets than in any other province? Or, for example, if someone from PEI decides to to go NSAC, are they considered a NS resident when they apply, which increases the number of applicants from NS?
NSAC (offering an animal science bachelors) probably contributes to the larger applicant pool.. also just general population.. and perhaps Dal Med is so hard to get in to.. If a PEI resident goes to NSAC for 4 years, they'll still be a PEI resident, unless they spend each summer working in NS for 3-4 years (adding up to the 12 months)

Also, do I have to be living in PEI for at least one year when I apply, when I'm accepted or when school starts? If I move in June 2011, I will still be a NS resident when I apply. But in June 2012, when decisions are made, I'll be a PEI resident. So will I be competing for a NS spot or a PEI spot?
A NS resident. Pretty sure the residency is "locked" on Nov 1 when apps are due.. So to apply as a PEI resident for the next applicant cycle (2011apps for 2012 admission) you'd need to move to PEI before November 1 of this year..


I'm pretty confident about these answers, but obviously you need 100% confidence for something so important and with that I can't really help.
Anyhow this is what you should expect to hear :)


Gaining residency is a long process.

Good luck with whatever you do
 
Good luck to you all! I'm in the class of 2014. Been studying my butt off already, but it's worth it. So many muscles to learn!
I was a:
Non-trad over 30 second time applicant (but applied 4y ago)
NS resident
Re-took 11 pre-reqs at SMU last year
Wanted to be a vet when I was 18, but didn't follow through due to finances and tried to be happy doing other careers

It's great here. The US students seem to love it too. I can answer any questions you have. Also, if you get an interview, make sure you check out the link at the top of the page for interview questions. Mine were all in there.
 
Thanks New Foundlander and hello again, mhlaur!

Yeah... so I was talking with my mom and, to make a long story short, if I don't get into AVC, I can't afford to move to PEI AND pay off my student loan/line of credit unless I find a really cheap place to live and a job that pays quite a bit more than minimum wage.

I'm going to meet with someone at the university to discuss loans and my future...

Most people here just bat an eye at OOS and international tuition and there is no way they're all independently wealthy... the government and the banks must be helping them out. I want to learn their secrets!!!

Because if I don't get accepted, I either have to choose another program that I hate (like a masters... I really don't want a masters!) or live with my parents until I pay off my debt (I don't get along with my mom very well... so the thought of that is SCARING ME).

If my future still looks bleak after talking to someone at the university, I'll have to apply for something else... and I really don't have the time to fill out applications for admittance in September.

Haha, this should probably go in the "rant here" thread.

95% of people on here are making things work despite the high costs of schooling and I don't want to believe I'm in that 5% that's doomed.
 
*pokes head into thread*

Oh, hello all. Yes, I'm back after a very busy summer, and with the AVC app deadline looming, I'm back on SDN. Just what my coursework needs, another distraction. :laugh:

So, vital stats:
23 years old
Dal student
3rd year BA (Double Major - Biology and Microbiology & Immunology)
Applied last year, got an interview, rejected due to lack of extracurriculars.

I'm doing everything I can to boost my ECs, while hoping the grades that got me an interview last year can do it again this year.

Putting together my application for this year, trying to put down every. Single. Thing. I've ever volunteered for. If they want to ignore it, they can, but I'm still writing it down! (Neurotic? Me? Noooo. No more so than any other pre-vet.)
 
*pokes head into thread*

Oh, hello all. Yes, I'm back after a very busy summer, and with the AVC app deadline looming, I'm back on SDN. Just what my coursework needs, another distraction. :laugh:

So, vital stats:
23 years old
Dal student
3rd year BA (Double Major - Biology and Microbiology & Immunology)
Applied last year, got an interview, rejected due to lack of extracurriculars.

I'm doing everything I can to boost my ECs, while hoping the grades that got me an interview last year can do it again this year.

Putting together my application for this year, trying to put down every. Single. Thing. I've ever volunteered for. If they want to ignore it, they can, but I'm still writing it down! (Neurotic? Me? Noooo. No more so than any other pre-vet.)
I'm pretty curious (and worried) about how they rank the ECs
Did they give you any details about what they want?

on the sup app it gives you categories
A. Employment
B. Voluntary community service
C. Other voluntary (i.e. unpaid) activities including sports, games, clubs, committees, performing arts, hobbies, etc.
If you put down mostly employment, maybe just one significant (non-animal) short-span volunteer activity, and then some other minor hobbies/sports, are you going to get punished with a 0.5/5 on the EC or something?

I know I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to the 5% EC, but I'd like to know how much of one.. I am assuming EC is a bit more crucial for NS applicants than for NL.. but still, i'm a bit worried that this 5% will be the death of me
 
I'm pretty curious (and worried) about how they rank the ECs
Did they give you any details about what they want?

No, unfortunately. All I was told was that I had less points in the extracurricular category than the other applicants (they didn't specify less animal experience, just less extracurriculars). They said they look at both how many activities you have and how long you've spent with each one. They also told me I was close to the cut-off so I'm hoping with a couple more under my belt (summer job, more time with on-campus societies) that should push me over the line this year. :oops:

-----

As to why NS has so many applicants... I'm guessing it's just down to population.
PEI Population: 136,000
NB Population: 750,000
NL Population: 511,000
NS Population: 940,000

And the effective population for NB might be smaller, actually, because of language. Do Francophone New Brunswickers go to U de Montreal?
 
My problem is that I have TOO many extracurriculars. The only have As and Cs. I just started volunteering for an organization that is a B. I'm going to have < 20 hours by the time I apply. I'm debating whether to include it.

Yes, it's a B. Yes I'm currently in it. Do I include it because of those? Or do I include a C that I'm not currently in but have a couple hundred hours in? :p
 
Scarelyheard: Have you received your GRE scores/percentiles in the mail yet? I haven't gotten mine and I'm beginning to get worried that they dissappeard!
 
Scarelyheard: Have you received your GRE scores/percentiles in the mail yet? I haven't gotten mine and I'm beginning to get worried that they dissappeard!

I was told by a little bird that AVC will allow late GRE scores this year.

no need to worry
 
Last year, I didn't even take my GRE until mid-December, my scores didn't get to AVC until late January. We were told that December 15 is the "unofficial" GRE date, but they'll accept them until Feb 1 without penalty.
 
I'm not really concerned about them getting in on time as I know they will be accepted as late as February. So, even if I take it now it'd make it there on time. What I do have a paranoid feeling is that somehow my test got cancelled or something equally bizzar. They haven't even appeared on my online GRE profile yet (I took the test August 31).

I'm wondering (for Canadian students) how long does it normally take to receive your percentiles?
 
I'm back! Summer was crazy busy. I applied and was waitlisted last year after my interview. I was t aware of this EC thing. Hopefully everything I did this summer will boost that. This school was awesome and I was so I pressed an disapponted by not getting in last year. Especially since they said they move quite a bit through their waitlist. Apparently last year that was not the case. Best of luck!!!
 
When I paid for the GRE test online, it didn't charge me for the tax so I got a letter in the mail stating that I needed to pay $15.** in taxes before I could get my scores. Mom put a cheque in the mail AUGUST 5th, and it either still hasn't cleared or it got lost in the mail. I can't access my online account. I'm going to have to call them and pay using my credit card.

I emailed Jack about re-taking it and this is the response I got:

"Although the deadline is December 15th we will accept a final official result up to February 28th. The score used will be the highest one day test result."
 
I hate dealing with ETS. I also hate that there's no way to get them to send you the test scores so you can then send them to AVC. I have an inherent mistrust that if I ask other people to send them, they won't get there. I have the same hang up with my transcripts. I understand why they do it, it's just frustrating. Last year I e-mailed AVC about 6 weeks after my grades were supposed to be sent, only to be told, nope they never got them. Had to call ETS and badger them to resend them.:rolleyes: I'm a vet school applicant, I'm already neurotic, please don't make it any worse!
 
I hate dealing with ETS.

Haha then you'll love this! Despite the fact that I registered for my most recent GRE test with my current address, they still sent my scores to my old address. Now, something got screwed up that my two score reports (one from 2007 that I didn't even prepare for) are on completely different files. I had to request to have the two files merged (because I can't access to my new file) which takes 7 - 10 business days. So in summary, I wrote my GRE August 31 and still don't have my percentiles and won't have them for at least another week. That's more than a month and a half!

Once, I get this mess all straightened out I'll have them confirm that my score report has been sent to AVC.
 
Has anyone sent in their app. yet? My goal is to finish it this weekend and get it mailed on Tuesday.
 
I typed it too. It's easier to keep track of your word count that way.
 
I was checking over my application and I realized I didn't fill out my highschool information. It's asking me for my provincial student id. What the heck is that and where do I find it?

I wanted to get this in the mail tomorrow. Hopefully I can leave that blank? :xf:
 
I'm pretty sure you can leave that blank, scarcelyheard. The online application form doesn't even have a space for "provincial student id", so I think you'd be fine to omit it. I don't think I put anything on that line on my application.

Besides, they shouldn't care all that much about your high school anyway.
 
I'm pretty sure you can leave that blank, scarcelyheard. The online application form doesn't even have a space for "provincial student id", so I think you'd be fine to omit it. I don't think I put anything on that line on my application.

Besides, they shouldn't care all that much about your high school anyway.

Yeah, you can leave Provincial ID blank. You do need to fill in your high school though. I left it blank last year, and they called to find out what it was.
 
Okay, question..

App deadline says "Must be postmarked no later than Nov 1"
Technically, does that mean if I send it on Oct 30 and it gets there Nov 2nd, it will still be okay?

I don't plan to leave it late.. I'm gonna get it shipped off tomorrow or Wed..
But I'd like to know how close I am cutting it..

I assume postmarked means the date it is marked as entering the mail system? not the date of arrival..

anyone confirm?
 
Okay, question..

App deadline says "Must be postmarked no later than Nov 1"
Technically, does that mean if I send it on Oct 30 and it gets there Nov 2nd, it will still be okay?

I don't plan to leave it late.. I'm gonna get it shipped off tomorrow or Wed..
But I'd like to know how close I am cutting it..

I assume postmarked means the date it is marked as entering the mail system? not the date of arrival..

anyone confirm?

Yes, postmarked means the date on the envelope. If you're concerned, make sure to ask the post office to stamp it when you drop it off.
 
Thanks coquette, just making sure :thumbup:

For the app, I need a secondary observer to tell me I am including everything necessary in my app package.
Yes i know there's straightforward directions on the AVC site.
I'm playing the paranoid game, wherein I seek redundant easy-to-find information to confirm my beliefs. :D

So...
$50 app fee,
filled out supp app
filled out regular app form

and I've requested a transcript be sent from my university
and I'll be writing the GRE at a later date.

I'll be okay then, right ? :eek:
 
Looks okay to me :) Only difference is that I included my transcript in a sealed envelope.

Note to self: I took one course from the most expensive univeristy in the maritimes. I have to remember to get them to send a transcript :p
 
Oh lordy. They got my application. Just got an email reminding me to send my other transcript! This means my supplemental got read. Oh lordy.
 
I'm allowed to panic a little bit right now. If I don't get higher than a 60 in biochem, no interview for me! Actually, I'm not too concerned about that... biochem is the best taught chem course that I've had :p
 
Oh definitely, a little panic. Just make sure to spread it out. ;)

AVC confirmed they have everything from me. So I'm good until I have to sent in my Fall 2010 transcripts after exams in December.
 
I'm allowed to panic a little bit right now. If I don't get higher than a 60 in biochem, no interview for me!
why do you say this ?
does AVC as a rule not allow sub-60 marks to count?
or are you just presuming that it would bring your ranking down enough>?
 
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