AVC c/o 2017!

Started by Escalla
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Daydreamer03710 said:
So I was wondering what people wear for anatomy lab, do they change into scrubs and different shoes or just wear their blue coats? Also is there special shoes we have to wear for anatomy lab?
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My class was evenly divided between coveralls, scrubs, and blue coats. The people who wore blue coats bought a spare one; they didn't wear their embroidered one. I wore coveralls most of the time, occasionally my spare blue coat. Everyone wore some type of rubber boot. If you have long hair don't forget a hair elastic.
 
Daydreamer03710 said:
So I was wondering what people wear for anatomy lab, do they change into scrubs and different shoes or just wear their blue coats? Also is there special shoes we have to wear for anatomy lab?
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For first semester (dog), I wore either scrubs or a lab coat - scrubs are preferable since your clothes don't get the anatomy smell in them. For second semester (horse/goat), I think the majority of people wore coveralls. Everyone wears rubber boots to lab.
 
Thanks guys! And do the scrubs have to be a certain color? I think someone asked that on the fb group but now I can't find it lol
 
Daydreamer03710 said:
Thank you! Sorry for all the last minute questions just getting nervous on my last week in the states 😱
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This is so me right now.

What does everyone typically wear for the Blue Coat Ceremony? Parents included.

Also, I had planned on having someone in the US get my mail but that sort of fell through...I'm going to ask my parents to get it but they spend their time divided between two different states....is there ANYWAY to get your mail in Canada without officially changing your address!?! Gah.

Should I wait to buy a dissection kit at school?

These are the things that run through my head in the wee hours of the night when I want to sleep 🙂
 
TooLove said:
This is so me right now.

What does everyone typically wear for the Blue Coat Ceremony? Parents included.
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I'm planning on wearing a skirt and blouse. I told my family to wear business casual/semi-nice, as in like khakis/slacks/skirts and button downs/blouses. Going to try to convince my boyfriend to wear a tie, but we'll see how that goes. :meanie:

I'll add one more question to the list: is there someplace we can check to make sure our loans have gone through to pay our tuition? I've looked around, but I can't seem to find anywhere to confirm this.
 
TooLove said:
What does everyone typically wear for the Blue Coat Ceremony? Parents included.

Also, I had planned on having someone in the US get my mail but that sort of fell through...I'm going to ask my parents to get it but they spend their time divided between two different states....is there ANYWAY to get your mail in Canada without officially changing your address!?! Gah.

Should I wait to buy a dissection kit at school?
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I'd wear business casual. Many people wore dresses - I wore suit pants and a nice top-thing and heels. I think I had my SO wear a tie, too.

Mail takes forever to get to school from the US. I'd advise you making all of your bills paperless where possible and maybe get a PO box in one state where a family member can empty it out every once in a while.

I'd wait to buy your dissection kit.

BlackDog17 said:
I'll add one more question to the list: is there someplace we can check to make sure our loans have gone through to pay our tuition? I've looked around, but I can't seem to find anywhere to confirm this.
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I look at my print out MPN - there should be a "dispersal date" somewhere at the bottom that shows when it is dispersed. You can always email Eileen MacVittie at the financial office and ask 🙂
 
Honestly these last minute things are going to be the death of me. I think I've thrown my hands up and yelled "that's it! I'm not going!!" at least half a dozen times already. On the plus side, I'm getting a strange sense of satisfaction watching my stuff shrivel up to nothing in those ziploc space bags 😀

I know we need to show proof of financial aid at the border, but what documents exactly are considered acceptable? Can I just bring a print out or do I need something official from the school?

Also what other fees can we expect to encounter at the border? I'm sure I will be paying for a study permit and vehicle import. And, where do I get a parking permit for school?

This might belong in the rant thread, but since I'm on a roll and people reading this thread are more likely to be making border crossings...... it is going to cost THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE DOLLARS (gotta get that extra $1 in there 🙂) for my bird at the border. Now, I have background in conservation biology so I completely understand the regulations with CITES and US Fish and Wildlife etc. and I'm all for it, it's important. Still, the profit margin on this must be astronomical for someone to come out to my car, peek in the carrier, say "yes, that is a live umbrella cockatoo you've got there", and stamp his passport. From there, they send us to the Canadian side where an import inspection costs NOTHING.

That is all.
 
TooLove said:
I know we need to show proof of financial aid at the border, but what documents exactly are considered acceptable? Can I just bring a print out or do I need something official from the school?

Also what other fees can we expect to encounter at the border? I'm sure I will be paying for a study permit and vehicle import. And, where do I get a parking permit for school?.
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I do love those space bags 😀

Proof of financial aid for me was a print out of my MPNs. Anything that shows that you took out the loan money. Also, bring your acceptance letter from the school because they want proof that you were accepted. It should show your class year ("accepted into the class of 2017" or whatever) which will allow you to get a 4 year study permit and not have to renew after 2 years. I think I just paid for a study permit, honestly.

When crossing the border, they ask a bunch of questions about what you have - mainly alcohol/tobacco. I've seen plenty of people get checked for alcohol so make sure you don't have more than the permitted amount if you do bring any up with you.

You can get a parking permit at the gym front desk. The school gives you one week when classes start before they begin ticketing, so I wouldn't worry too much.

I always had my dog's paperwork ready to go and they never even looked at her, let alone asked for her paperwork 🙄
 
What is everyone doing about cell phones? (hope this hasn't been discussed too much already)
I have AT&T and was planning to do their 'Nation with Canada' plan, but it's a lot more expensive than I was expecting and was wondering if there are better options...
 
flyingdachshund said:
What is everyone doing about cell phones? (hope this hasn't been discussed too much already)
I have AT&T and was planning to do their 'Nation with Canada' plan, but it's a lot more expensive than I was expecting and was wondering if there are better options...
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Yep I just went through this. Turns out for me at least (and I have Verizon) it's pretty much the same to buy out my contract and get a Canadian number 🙁 So I've elected to cough up the extra to keep my phone and number as painful as it is. I'm interested to see what others are doing though.
 
TooLove said:
Yep I just went through this. Turns out for me at least (and I have Verizon) it's pretty much the same to buy out my contract and get a Canadian number 🙁 So I've elected to cough up the extra to keep my phone and number as painful as it is. I'm interested to see what others are doing though.
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I have Verizon and will be doing this too. It's an extra $30/month, but I'll still have unlimited texts and 1000 minutes per month. Only downside is that I won't be able to use the mobile data on my smartphone while in Canada. The upside is that for some unknown reason switching to this plan now allows me to create "Mobile Hotspots" anywhere in the U.S. - which basically means I'll be able to connect my laptop to the internet anywhere just by using my phone. Works for me. 😀
 
BlackDog17 said:
I have Verizon and will be doing this too. It's an extra $30/month, but I'll still have unlimited texts and 1000 minutes per month. Only downside is that I won't be able to use the mobile data on my smartphone while in Canada. The upside is that for some unknown reason switching to this plan now allows me to create "Mobile Hotspots" anywhere in the U.S. - which basically means I'll be able to connect my laptop to the internet anywhere just by using my phone. Works for me. 😀
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I got this plan exactly plus the data package (so I can use GPS on the drive). Then I'll cancel the data portion and use wifi...everyone has wifi these days 🙂
 
I have Verizon and use their nationwide + Canada. 1000 free nights and weekends sounds like a lot, but it really isn't (I don't get great internet service and can't Skype, though, so if you can Skype that's a lot cheaper). It's the single worst thing (other than leaving loved ones behind!) about coming to Canada.
 
that redhead said:
Pretty sure you have to have someone put it on you, but you can have the school assign you a professor if there isn't anyone you want/can use. There were a handful of people that went this route, so it's not like you'll be the only weird one 🙂
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Haha sorry that's what I meant 🙂 brain is fried from packing!
 
So what does everyone wear to class? Is it casual or do people dress up? I'm trying to decided what type of new clothes I need to buy lol
 
Daydreamer03710 said:
So what does everyone wear to class? Is it casual or do people dress up? I'm trying to decided what type of new clothes I need to buy lol
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Whatever they want (thank gods, if we had a dress code... Well, I'd survive, but I'd be totally miserable). I live in t-shirts and jeans and sneakers and hoodies. The lecture theatres can be chilly all year round so a sweater is probably a must. I have classmates who dress quite nicely, but it's because they want to. Showing up in a business suit might get a double take, but as long as all your important bits are covered, wear whatever makes you comfortable.

Escalla said:
Which anatomy text is AVC requiring? Just out of curiosity. 🙂
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Evans and De LaHunta is the required book for dissection. If you need extra resources, they also recommend the Dyce. I bought the Dyce for second semester since the large animal dissection guide sucked, and I've referred back to the Dyce quite a bit in second year. I like that it's got all the major species in it.
 
Coquette22 said:
Evans and De LaHunta is the required book for dissection. If you need extra resources, they also recommend the Dyce. I bought the Dyce for second semester since the large animal dissection guide sucked, and I've referred back to the Dyce quite a bit in second year. I like that it's got all the major species in it.
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Interesting! UCVM is requiring Dyce so it's good to hear that you have found it useful....it seems like most reviews on here are not that positive for it. There isn't a dissection guide/book listed though, so I'm kinda 😕 on their plan for anatomy.

Thanks Coquette!
 
Adding to the list of random last minute questions . . .

Are there printers on campus that the students can use? If so, how much do they cost to use?
 
There's printers in the library, and I think one in a small lab in the AVC building, but I'm not sure on that one. Printing is 11 cents a page for black and white, 50 cents for colour. There's a machine in the library that you can deposit money into and it adds to your student account. Then you can print as many pages as you want up to that amount of money. The money stays on your account until you use it. So if you deposit $2.00, you don't have to use it all at once.
 
I just have a quick question about the list if stuff we need in our car. Do we put everything on that list like clothes, shoes, toothbrush or is it just big stuff like computer, printer and things.
 
I've never been asked for any kind of list of my items in the multiple times I've crossed the border, both to and from school. The first time I went up, I made sticky notes for my general containers with labels like "toiletries" or "school stuff-pens, printer ink, notebooks", etc. I think if you're going to make a list, stick to the big things like electronics or valuables. And while I hate to tell you not to make the list (because then you'd be asked haha), I'll just say not to stress too much about it 🙂
 
I was not asked for a list at the border but I had one just in case. It was NOT detailed by any means. Clothes, shoes, toiletries, personal items, linens, etc. I did specifically list electronics but I didn't bother putting the serial numbers.

On another note...I just arrived at my apartment on PEI!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
 
In one week we will be heading into our second day of classes!😱

I finally logged into my UPEI email account and I got an email from my professor telling me who all my buddies are! I know of my 4th year buddy. We had the same mentor and the vet used to speak very highly of him.
 
Lab Rat83 said:
In one week we will be heading into our second day of classes!😱

I finally logged into my UPEI email account and I got an email from my professor telling me who all my buddies are! I know of my 4th year buddy. We had the same mentor and the vet used to speak very highly of him.
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That's weird, I don't see anything about it in mine!


Daydreamer03710 said:
How do we log into our email accounts?
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If you go to avc.upei.ca and scroll down to the very bottom of the page there's a link called "Student Email". It's run through Gmail, so you can also go to Gmail and just type in your upei username plus @upei.ca and it should come up.
 
TooLove said:
Where do we find our username?!
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First letter of your first name and then your whole last name. There should also be a PIN number in your acceptance paperwork that will allow you to login to Moodle for the first time, if you haven't already.
 
TooLove said:
Thanks! Settled in yet BlackDog? 🙂
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lol, not really. The important stuff is unpacked and put away but I'm procrastinating on organizing things in favor of spending time with my family. I'll probably regret that as soon as school starts and I realize I don't know where to find the school supplies I packed. 😛

How about you? I'm surprised we haven't run into each other yet!
 
BlackDog17 said:
lol, not really. The important stuff is unpacked and put away but I'm procrastinating on organizing things in favor of spending time with my family. I'll probably regret that as soon as school starts and I realize I don't know where to find the school supplies I packed. 😛

How about you? I'm surprised we haven't run into each other yet!
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I know! I'm sure we'll bump into each other soon enough...stop over if you like! 😛

I'm pretty much good. My mother didn't really have a choice, I was unpacking it all whether she liked it or not! I didn't bring a lot of stuff either so I guess that helps 🙂

Question....do we have to lunch at school on Friday? My dad is coming into town just for the ceremony and he was looking forward to eating out somewhere. He was bummed when I said dinner is with the ceremony.
 
TooLove said:
Question....do we have to lunch at school on Friday? My dad is coming into town just for the ceremony and he was looking forward to eating out somewhere. He was bummed when I said dinner is with the ceremony.
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Nope, shouldn't have to stay for lunch if your dad wants to go out (I honestly don't remember what I did, haha) but it might be a nice time to chat with classmates. The ceremony dinner is a nice one though, if that's what he's worried about.

I see pub crawl got pushed back to Friday after all too - woohoo 🙂
 
Coquette22 said:
I wish they'd send that email to the upper years. It'd be nice to get a heads up before the first day on who our new buddy is.
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I'm ridiculously excited about having a first year buddy. I want the list before Monday so I can put a treat in my buddy's mailbox.

I'm on the Island now, 4 days earlier than planned. One of my kitties has a mass on her face, potentially fibrosarcoma 🙁 She has surgery at the VTH on Friday. If anyone needs any help with settling in I'm available. I'm trying to keep busy so I'm not obsessively worrying about her.
 
Good luck! I hope everyone has a good first day. Try not to feel too overwhelmed and remember to breathe 🙂
 
ky261682 said:
Good luck! I hope everyone has a good first day. Try not to feel too overwhelmed and remember to breathe 🙂
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👍

And you have a three hour anatomy lab today. It's a lot to deal with on your first day. Just remember, no one's watching you and you can leave for five minutes to take a break. I'm not sure if you've been following what other people have been saying about anatomy on the general 2017 thread, but if so, they're right. Try to get a reasonably skinny dog of moderate size. We had a pretty good size shepherdy type with not a lot of extra fat on her, she was great. Another group had a huge fat lab. I can't tell you how much more time they spent just cleaning fat. :barf:
 
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