AVC c/o 2022 hopefuls

[DrAlex2022]

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Hey guys! Couldn't find a class of 2022 thread, so I thought I'd start one. I received an interview offer via email yesterday. I'm so excited!

 

[DaDappette]

Congrats! I'm currently in my first year at AVC, so if you or anyone else has any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Hey guys! Couldn't find a class of 2022 thread, so I thought I'd start one. I received an interview offer via email yesterday. I'm so excited!

 

[DrAlex2022]

Thanks! Do you like it so far? Are you Canadian?

 

[DaDappette]

I absolutely love it here (the Island and school), and to be honest I'm very grateful this is where I ended up at the end. No, I'm not Canadian- I am an international student from the US.

Thanks! Do you like it so far? Are you Canadian?

 

[DrAlex2022]

I absolutely love it here (the Island and school), and to be honest I'm very grateful this is where I ended up at the end. No, I'm not Canadian- I am an international student from the US.

It reminds me a lot of my hometown. I think we'd fit in really well there! I'm from the US as well.

 

[DrAlex2022]

I absolutely love it here (the Island and school), and to be honest I'm very grateful this is where I ended up at the end. No, I'm not Canadian- I am an international student from the US.

Do you happen to know how many applicants they have from the US and how many of those are offered interviews? I can't find a whole lot of admission stats

 

[DaDappette]

Do you happen to know how many applicants they have from the US and how many of those are offered interviews? I can't find a whole lot of admission stats

I don't know how many international applicants there were, but if I can find that number I will let you know. When I interviewed last year, there were 80 of us for 27 seats (there are also 41 Canadian seats). They don't have the best website when it comes to admission stats- I remember trying to find all that as well with little success.

It reminds me a lot of my hometown. I think we'd fit in really well there! I'm from the US as well.

Have you visited the island before, or will your interview be the first time?

 

[that redhead]

Happy to try to answer any questions regarding US students - graduated in 2015.

 

[AidanMcGowan]

A reddit thread on PEI was saying that during the winter, the island becomes miserable because of the cold and the winds, how bad is it really?

 

[DrAlex2022]

I don't know how many international applicants there were, but if I can find that number I will let you know. When I interviewed last year, there were 80 of us for 27 seats (there are also 41 Canadian seats). They don't have the best website when it comes to admission stats- I remember trying to find all that as well with little success.



Have you visited the island before, or will your interview be the first time?

Gotcha. No I haven't visited before. I'm going by pictures I've come across

 

[DrAlex2022]

I don't know how many international applicants there were, but if I can find that number I will let you know. When I interviewed last year, there were 80 of us for 27 seats (there are also 41 Canadian seats). They don't have the best website when it comes to admission stats- I remember trying to find all that as well with little success.



Have you visited the island before, or will your interview be the first time?

Wait, 80 international students interviewing for the 27 international seats, or 80 total interviewers for all seats?

 

[DaDappette]

Wait, 80 international students interviewing for the 27 international seats, or 80 total interviewers for all seats?

It is 80 international students interviewing for 27 seats. Canadian citizens have a different interview date in April for the remaining spots!

 

[that redhead]

A reddit thread on PEI was saying that during the winter, the island becomes miserable because of the cold and the winds, how bad is it really?

It's pretty rough, at least in my opinion. It depends where you're from - we had international students from Maine who were used to the weather and people from California and Florida who were wearing winter parkas in October. I'm from Maryland so I'm used to a cold winter and some snow but it was definitely a tougher winter than I'm used to. That wasn't what made the island miserable to me, though

 

[giuliannantonella]

Happy to try to answer any questions regarding US students - graduated in 2015.

Hi! I just received an interview invitation and I wanted to know if you have any tips for the day of, e.g. what questions to expect, what's best to wear, etc. Thanks!

 

[Rozzieray]

I'm applying here as well! My application is on hold at the moment, I got an email needing a detailed explanation on my summer classes, fingers crossed I get an interview invite though.

 

[that redhead]

Hi! I just received an interview invitation and I wanted to know if you have any tips for the day of, e.g. what questions to expect, what's best to wear, etc. Thanks!

SDN's interview feedback page (found here for AVC) was a huge help in preparing for my interview. I think all but a couple of the questions I was asked were on that page so I felt very prepared. I practiced talking out the answer to each - usually in the car on my way to school or work. I wasn't memorizing my answers verbatim, but practicing expressing the point I wanted to get across smoothly and succinctly.

As for attire: I wore a full (pants) suit to my interview- kind of a "soft" navy with a white blouse and gray, low-heeled boots. I wore a small amount of make-up (I wear zero make-up otherwise) and a stainless steel beaded necklace. There were two other people there on my day - one girl was wearing similar to me, the other wore a dress with a silly hat that all seemed a bit too casual in my opinion. Don't forget the weather, either! There was snow on the ground when I was there and it was chilly so I had brought some snow-friendly shoes and a warm coat. You will get a tour of the inside of the building but you won't be traipsing across campus so no need to get out the crampons.

Overall, a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere at AVC. I know it's easy to say just relax and be yourself but that is some of the best advice I can offer 🙂 The general tips on navigating life apply: be on time, be friendly/polite and dress appropriately. Good luck and let me know if I can answer any other questions for you 🙂

 

[Coquette22]

A reddit thread on PEI was saying that during the winter, the island becomes miserable because of the cold and the winds, how bad is it really?

It's ****ing terrible. I'm a Nova Scotian. I thought it would be similar. I was wrong. Oh how wrong I was. Windchills of -30C in Jan/Feb are not uncommon. It snows. A lot. There's nothing to do between October and June (okay, besides Burger Love in April). If I ever set foot on that sandbar again, it'll be too soon. The year redhead and I graduated there was 18 feet of snow*. And in case you're like "That's okay I love to ski!" Nope. No hills. Sandbar, remember? Classes were constantly being rescheduled due to snow days and UPEI has the annoying tendency not to announce closures until 9 or 10AM, so all the vet students are already there. **** PEI.

Loved my school, my profs and my classmates though.

*except SOMEONE bailed on me and buggered off back to the USA...

 

[labrat9]

Hi All!

International applicant from the US here.

I have not heard anything from UPEI. I stalked some SDN threads from last year, and it seems as though most people were notified about interviews by now. I was told that if someone declines an interview, you could be offered one.

The set date is on the 19th, I'm wondering, is it rude to follow up with the international coordinator and ask about interview status? It is a considerable amount of travel for me and I would need to take off from work in advance.

thank you!

 

[DaDappette]

Hi All!

International applicant from the US here.

I have not heard anything from UPEI. I stalked some SDN threads from last year, and it seems as though most people were notified about interviews by now. I was told that if someone declines an interview, you could be offered one.

The set date is on the 19th, I'm wondering, is it rude to follow up with the international coordinator and ask about interview status? It is a considerable amount of travel for me and I would need to take off from work in advance.

thank you!

Personally, I don't think it's rude. I think it's important to know your current status, especially if some planning (e.g.: airport or travel, hotel reservations, schedule time off, etc.) needs to be done. The amount of times I e-mailed Sharon Gotell about little things, to even questions about the interview day, was probably a good number (whoops?), and she was always happy to help me with all of my questions and concerns.

 

[labrat9]

Personally, I don't think it's rude. I think it's important to know your current status, especially if some planning (e.g.: airport or travel, hotel reservations, schedule time off, etc.) needs to be done. The amount of times I e-mailed Sharon Gotell about little things, to even questions about the interview day, was probably a good number (whoops?), and she was always happy to help me with all of my questions and concerns.

Thank you for your opinion!

I'm sure she understands the plight of international students, especially. The flights are kind of expensive two weeks out, but I could make it work. My greater concern is taking time off from work.

I'm assuming you were also international since you were in contact with Sharon. Are you from the states? How was traveling to and from the island?

 

[DaDappette]

Thank you for your opinion!

I'm sure she understands the plight of international students, especially. The flights are kind of expensive two weeks out, but I could make it work. My greater concern is taking time off from work.

I'm assuming you were also international since you were in contact with Sharon. Are you from the states? How was traveling to and from the island?

Yes, I applied as an international student from the states. My flight to the island for my interview was horrible- but that was because my original departing flight from home was delayed on the tarmac. When I landed in Canada for my connecting flight, it had just left and there wasn't another flight to the island for several days. My mom and I were able to get the last two seats on another flight somewhere else, but then we had to drive 2.5 hrs to the hotel and arrived at 2am the morning of my interview. Oh well. We flew out of Charlottetown uneventfully, but our connecting flight was delayed several hours.

As for traveling to school, I took two days to drive here ~15 hrs, and I really enjoyed the trip. My plan is to fly home in the winter and drive my car home in the spring.

 

[NeedleDrivers]

New SDN member here! I too received an email on October 19th to interview at AVC. I will be driving with my Fiance. We are in NY and it will take about 14 hours. We are thinking of stopping at Rhode Island for the night then taking a 10-hour drive to upei from there. Is there anything we should expect during our travels? We thought about flying out of Syracuse, but my god, the flight was over a grand for some reason?

For those that are attending UPEI: How is the pathology department? Do you have the ability to assist professors in research during semesters off?

 

[DaDappette]

New SDN member here! I too received an email on October 19th to interview at AVC. I will be driving with my Fiance. We are in NY and it will take about 14 hours. We are thinking of stopping at Rhode Island for the night then taking a 10-hour drive to upei from there. Is there anything we should expect during our travels? We thought about flying out of Syracuse, but my god, the flight was over a grand for some reason?

For those that are attending UPEI: How is the pathology department? Do you have the ability to assist professors in research during semesters off?

Welcome to SDN!

Hey, our states are neighbors (PA). Plan for traffic. There is always road construction in CT and MA, and it can get pretty bad depending on the time of day. When I drove up in August, once I was out of MA, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way from what I can remember. I have only done this drive one way so far, but you'll have to stop at the border crossing, but that should not take too long (cars in front of me only took minutes, but I got my study permit at the border, so I took longer). When driving off of the island over Confederation Bridge there is a $46.50 CAD toll (~$36 USD) to account for.

Over a grand 1 ticket?? Wow. I flew out of Newark and my round trip ticket was less than $550. At first I thought you meant that was a combined price for you and your fiancée, but then I looked up flights myself. You would think it would be cheaper than that.

I haven't done much with the pathology department except for going to pathology rounds (my faculty mentor is a pathologist here, and I love her rounds in our microscope room), and I have not attended gross pathology rounds yet. I'll send her an e-mail and find out about assisting with pathology research later today.

 

[DrAlex2022]

Yes, I applied as an international student from the states. My flight to the island for my interview was horrible- but that was because my original departing flight from home was delayed on the tarmac. When I landed in Canada for my connecting flight, it had just left and there wasn't another flight to the island for several days. My mom and I were able to get the last two seats on another flight somewhere else, but then we had to drive 2.5 hrs to the hotel and arrived at 2am the morning of my interview. Oh well. We flew out of Charlottetown uneventfully, but our connecting flight was delayed several hours.

As for traveling to school, I took two days to drive here ~15 hrs, and I really enjoyed the trip. My plan is to fly home in the winter and drive my car home in the spring.

Omg that is literally my worst nightmare. I've only flown once before. It was a direct flight and I wasn't alone. For this trip. I'll be by myself and I have 2 connecting flights. I'm legit having stress dreams about it.

 

[KayBay999]

Got an email today and was placed on the alternate list. Fingers cross!!

 

[imdyinscoob]

Just found out I got on the alternate list, better than flat out rejected I guess!

 

[labrat9]

I was also placed on the alternate list!

Kind of encouraging! It's exciting to hear that we werent flat out rejected lol.

Does anyone know how this works? Are alternates interviewed separately (after someone declines their spot? I'm guessing)

 

[DaDappette]

For those that are attending UPEI: How is the pathology department? Do you have the ability to assist professors in research during semesters off?

My faculty mentor got back to me and said that "several professors in the department of Pathology and Microbiology do hire students for summer research projects over the summer. Each summer is different, depending on who has available funding."

I was also placed on the alternate list!

Kind of encouraging! It's exciting to hear that we werent flat out rejected lol.

Does anyone know how this works? Are alternates interviewed separately (after someone declines their spot? I'm guessing)

I am not 100% sure, but I think all of the international interviews are done on one single day- meaning someone has to decline their interview spot early enough for them to go to the next person on the alternate list. I believe my class was the first to transition to a single interview day for everyone. Before last year interviews used to be spread out over several weeks but this was changed due to many weather cancellations and the school closing down. You can always e-mail Sharon to verify any details.

Good luck to everyone on the alternate list!

 

[Rozzieray]

Got my rejection email 🙁

 

[that redhead]

New SDN member here! I too received an email on October 19th to interview at AVC. I will be driving with my Fiance. We are in NY and it will take about 14 hours. We are thinking of stopping at Rhode Island for the night then taking a 10-hour drive to upei from there. Is there anything we should expect during our travels? We thought about flying out of Syracuse, but my god, the flight was over a grand for some reason?

For those that are attending UPEI: How is the pathology department? Do you have the ability to assist professors in research during semesters off?

The reason flights are so expensive is because their airport is miniscule - gate 1a, gate 1b. It's about the size of the DMV at home. They also are only seasonally international, meaning if you're flying there in the off-season, you're going to have a connecting flight - I flew out of Dulles a few times and usually connected through Montreal or JFK. Every single time I flew there, it was on a prop plane (like 12 passengers). I'm sure they land actual sized jets during the summer/tourist months but definitely not in the off-season.

The biggest factor to consider is WEATHER, be you flying or driving. Heavy snow, bad wind, winding smaller roads up toward the island and on island itself will make the going slower and they are not always great about keeping up with the plowing. Flying would be slightly easier but you can obviously still encounter weather delays that way too. Just be very aware of the forecast prior to leaving. Whenever I drove from the DC area, we'd stop half way in Portland, ME 🙂

 

[NeedleDrivers]

Welcome to SDN!

Hey, our states are neighbors (PA). Plan for traffic. There is always road construction in CT and MA, and it can get pretty bad depending on the time of day. When I drove up in August, once I was out of MA, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way from what I can remember. I have only done this drive one way so far, but you'll have to stop at the border crossing, but that should not take too long (cars in front of me only took minutes, but I got my study permit at the border, so I took longer). When driving off of the island over Confederation Bridge there is a $46.50 CAD toll (~$36 USD) to account for.

Over a grand 1 ticket?? Wow. I flew out of Newark and my round trip ticket was less than $550. At first I thought you meant that was a combined price for you and your fiancée, but then I looked up flights myself. You would think it would be cheaper than that.

I haven't done much with the pathology department except for going to pathology rounds (my faculty mentor is a pathologist here, and I love her rounds in our microscope room), and I have not attended gross pathology rounds yet. I'll send her an e-mail and find out about assisting with pathology research later today.

Could you elaborate more on the study permit? Is this different from a student visa? I'm very interested in pathology and am eyeballing a future residency (my fiance might kill me with all this schooling!)

What would you describe the cost of living as? Here in Ithaca, everything is expensive but the quality of life is pretty good (aside from the blistering -15F cold in January) Also, I see that students take vet public health in their first year. Did you find that course helpful? I currently hold an MPH and I am hoping the vet pub health class encompasses biosecurity measures across different farm geographies and not just describing primary secondary tertiary healthcare..

 

[NeedleDrivers]

My faculty mentor got back to me and said that "several professors in the department of Pathology and Microbiology do hire students for summer research projects over the summer. Each summer is different, depending on who has available funding."

Oh thank you so much! I'm hoping to be able to continue research efforts while in a DVM program. I'm feeling pretty excited and nervous for this interview, I've been practicing with my future mother-in-law.

 

[DaDappette]

Could you elaborate more on the study permit? Is this different from a student visa? I'm very interested in pathology and am eyeballing a future residency (my fiance might kill me with all this schooling!)

What would you describe the cost of living as? Here in Ithaca, everything is expensive but the quality of life is pretty good (aside from the blistering -15F cold in January) Also, I see that students take vet public health in their first year. Did you find that course helpful? I currently hold an MPH and I am hoping the vet pub health class encompasses biosecurity measures across different farm geographies and not just describing primary secondary tertiary healthcare..

To study in Canada you need a Canadian study permit, which is what you apply for either online or in person at the border, and then the study permit that is issued to you acts as your Canadian student visa. So they're pretty much one in the same. Study permits are needed if your education will span longer than 6 months, or something like that.

You're on an island, so cost of living is slightly higher (at least to what I am used to). Rent can vary. I know some people paying $400-800 month (CAD) on rent (I pay $500) and sometimes rent includes all utilities, sometimes it does not. My advice is to find one that covers your utilities, especially heat. My rent does not cover electric, and my electric is heat, but my roommates and I are prepared for the increase in price during the winter. Currently we each pay around $50-70 each for electric. With the current exchange rate, the price of most things is pretty comparable (except for chicken, chicken is expensive), but that rate can change quickly. Gas is also more expensive. I'm used to filling up my tank for ~$30 USD, but here I'm paying ~$45-55 USD. I can go into more if you need me to, but for now I'll leave it as that.

They changed the curriculum around a little bit for my class, and we do not have Veterinary Public Health until the first semester of second year, so unfortunately I cannot comment on it. That is always something you can ask about while here on your interview day, or you can send an e-mail about unless someone else here can tell you about it.

I'm feeling pretty excited and nervous for this interview, I've been practicing with my future mother-in-law.

I felt the same way, but my interview wasn't as... scary, for lack of a better word, as I thought it would be. I was interviewed by two people and the only thing that was a little unnerving was that only one of them spoke to me, the other interviewer just sat there the entire time. I think he asked me one question at the very end. We only had 15 minutes, and I felt as if that was not enough time and I got cut off, but it worked out in the long run for me. My classmates have had varied experiences from their interviews.

I'm sure you'll do great.

 

[NeedleDrivers]

Got my rejection email 🙁

Aw darn Rozzieray🙁, but don't give up hope!! All you need is one Yes to be future Dr.Rozzieray!

 

[that redhead]

For those that are attending UPEI: How is the pathology department? Do you have the ability to assist professors in research during semesters off?

The path people (both clin and anatomic) at UPEI are generally the awesomest group of people. Not sure what you mean by "semesters off" but if you're thinking summer or even part time during school I'm sure they'd be able to find you something to get involved in. They love it when students are interested in path 🙂

 

[AidanMcGowan]

Who exactly does the interviewing? Professors?

 

[NeedleDrivers]

@that redhead That is so relieving to hear! I also noticed the MVSP for DVM students. Do you know of colleagues who participated?

and @AidanMcGowan you make a good point, I only know that there are two people from adcom who are in the room. I am assuming they are faculty of the school?

 

[DaDappette]

Who exactly does the interviewing? Professors?

[USER=884515]@AidanMcGowan you make a good point, I only know that there are two people from adcom who are in the room. I am assuming they are faculty of the school?[/USER]

Two faculty members from the AVC conduct your interviews. I had one of the many pathologists and a doctor from the teaching hospital (I don't think he was a professor for any classes, just an instructor at the hospital) for mine.

 

[DrAlex2022]

Anybody staying at the suites of euston? Kinda sketchy reviews, but inexpensive compared to the other options.

 

[NeedleDrivers]

Anybody staying at the suites of Euston? Kinda sketchy reviews, but inexpensive compared to the other options.

I decided to go through Airbnb because of the cost and proximity to the school. However, my friend a few years back was staying at the Euston, and she says that it was comfortable and just enough for her and the people working there really wanted to make sure her stay was enjoyable.

 

[DrAlex2022]

I decided to go through Airbnb because of the cost and proximity to the school. However, my friend a few years back was staying at the Euston, and she says that it was comfortable and just enough for her and the people working there really wanted to make sure her stay was enjoyable.

That's good. Reviews seem to be mixed. Obviously, all I need is a roof over my head for a good price, so I'm not going to be picky!

 

[NeedleDrivers]

Does anyone know if the decisions are made solely on interview & MBTIperformancee or a culmination of interview/MBTI/GPA/GRE? I am assuming that since we all got this far they just want to make sure we know what we are getting ourselves into and have enough experience to be competent and successful in the field of VetMed?

 

[labrat9]

To other alternates: I was very confused about how they establish a waitlist without an interview, and what they do if a seat becomes available.

She said that there are approximately 50 people on the alternate list currently, and they do late interviews in June, after the April 15th deadline for students to claim their seat.

Good luck everyone!

 

[DrAlex2022]

I interview on Saturday. Does anybody know if uber/lyft is a thing in PEI or will I need a cab to get to my hotel from the airport.

 

[Coquette22]

You will need a cab. I don't think Uber or Lyft are things in Charlottetown.

 

[giuliannantonella]

How was everyone's interview today??

Sent from my SM-G930T using SDN mobile

 

[DaDappette]

Hope everyone had a good time during their interview day- and on the off chance anyone had me as your ambassador... I hope I wasn't too bad of a tour guide. 🤔

Good luck to everyone!

 

[DrAlex2022]

I feel like I did really well with the interview. I had THE nicest interviewers! Then I walked around Charlottetown. I ended up walking like 3 miles because I kept wanting to see more, so I just kept exploring. I'm kind of in love with the town. Lol

 

[DrAlex2022]

Also, all the ambassadors were AMAZING! My ambassador, Hannah, definitely made it a low-stress day! 🙂

 

[NeedleDrivers]

I feel like I did really well with the interview. I had THE nicest interviewers! Then I walked around Charlottetown. I ended up walking like 3 miles because I kept wanting to see more, so I just kept exploring. I'm kind of in love with the town. Lol

Yay! I'm so excited for you!!

I felt like all the individuals I encountered were so nice and really enjoyed being part of the AVC community. My interview went really well, considering I was the very last person. I was fortunate enough to have two pathologists interview me, and they both were really enthusiastic about the program and their current projects.

Thank you to all the Ambassadors! I know it was a chilly, long, stressful day, but you all were so great at keeping us applicants calm lol!