AVC/UPEI c/o 2025 Applicants

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Mel13

Mel13

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Hey guys! Couldn't find a sub for 2025 applicants so figured I'd make one. How is everyone doing?
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If anyone has questions about going to AVC as a US student, I'd be happy to help! Probably most useful in answering questions about making the transition and the school itself; it's been a long time since I actually applied/interviewed so I'm sure my information in that realm is out of date. Good luck :luck:
 
Anyone know when we should hear about interviews? I received an email saying my application was complete and reviewed so just wondering how long after it takes to hear back.
 
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mcevet123 said:
Anyone know when we should hear about interviews? I received an email saying my application was complete and reviewed so just wondering how long after it takes to hear back.
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For Canadian applicants it's usually the Thursday or Friday before St. Patrick's day! Last application cycle it was a little delayed (about a week) because of COVID!
 
I am doing alright so far. I got an email this morning from UPEI saying I had to send them an explanation letter because some of my prereqs (english, stats) was taken awhile back (had a slight break between my undergrad due to personal reasons) and they said that if my letter is accepted and my application is high ranked I'll be able to get an interview or qualify for one if someone declines their offer for one. So, it can go either way, but now I'm trying to prep for the possibility of an interview anywhere in general.

I have never done an interview (MMI) like this and I get pretty nervous when I'm on the spot. So, whether or not I get a chance at UPEI, I want to start preparing myself in case I do get a chance for a future MMI.
 
Chiblits said:
I am doing alright so far. I got an email this morning from UPEI saying I had to send them an explanation letter because some of my prereqs (english, stats) was taken awhile back (had a slight break between my undergrad due to personal reasons) and they said that if my letter is accepted and my application is high ranked I'll be able to get an interview or qualify for one if someone declines their offer for one. So, it can go either way, but now I'm trying to prep for the possibility of an interview anywhere in general.

I have never done an interview (MMI) like this and I get pretty nervous when I'm on the spot. So, whether or not I get a chance at UPEI, I want to start preparing myself in case I do get a chance for a future MMI.
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Here's to hoping you get the chance! I applied last year and did not even get an interview. My grades were not high enough. I've been doing better and I am really wishing I get a shot at it, although I am also quite nervous when put on the spot as well. It is nerve racking, but also super exciting!
 
Hi there!
So for my whole life I have been wanting to attend the WCVM but recently I have been quite discouraged about my odds of getting in. I was just told that to get my gpa up to a competitive point I will need another three years of a full course load (5 classes per semester) with at least 85 percent in all of them which is really stressing me out. I am currently sitting somewhere around 75% and it just seems unattainable. I started looking around for fun and I saw that AVC accepts other Canadian residents and it seems slightly less competitive but I haven’t met anyone that has attended the school. Do people enjoy it? Is there a stigma graduating from a place AVC compared to the WCVM?
I should mention I am 4 years into my degree but moving slower than others.

Thank you!
 
CaseyI said:
Is there a stigma graduating from a place AVC compared to the WCVM?
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Only the stigma of becoming one of us filthy Maritimers 😉

/Atlantic Canadian bitterness.

In seriousness, don’t worry about the reputation of schools. What matters is that the school you choose is accredited and will prepare you well for practice and the NAVLE - check the NAVLE pass rates and look into what current students/alumni say about the curriculum and teaching methods and decide if you think you’ll do well there. From what I’ve heard, even alumni of recently-accredited schools there used to be a stigma against (like Ross and SGU) are now looked down on by very, very few vets. I highly doubt anyone - even from Saskatchewan - would think less of you if you graduated from AVC. Thank you for the laugh (not at you! It’s a good question) - this question just captures so well the quintessence of what Atlantic Canada feels the rest of Canada thinks of us, lol.
 
Viscernable said:
Only the stigma of becoming one of us filthy Maritimers 😉

/Atlantic Canadian bitterness.

In seriousness, don’t worry about the reputation of schools. What matters is that the school you choose is accredited and will prepare you well for practice and the NAVLE - check the NAVLE pass rates and look into what current students/alumni say about the curriculum and teaching methods and decide if you think you’ll do well there. From what I’ve heard, even alumni of recently-accredited schools there used to be a stigma against (like Ross and SGU) are now looked down on by very, very few vets. I highly doubt anyone - even from Saskatchewan - would think less of you if you graduated from AVC. Thank you for the laugh (not at you! It’s a good question) - this question just captures so well the quintessence of what Atlantic Canada feels the rest of Canada thinks of us, lol.
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Thank you for the reply! I didn’t want to sound rude or anything, it’s just being from BC the only vet school I’m told I can go to is WCVM so I just don’t know much about any of the other ones.
Also does anyone have any tips for if I do want to take the GRE. I haven’t really heard anything about it so I don’t know much about it.
 
Haha one more question for everyone! Sorry about all these questions. How do people deal with the international fees? I’m worried about having so much debt that it will weigh on me for the rest of my life. I’m very lucky that I have not had to take out any loans yet so I’m not sure how all of that works. Thanks again!
 
CaseyI said:
Haha one more question for everyone! Sorry about all these questions. How do people deal with the international fees? I’m worried about having so much debt that it will weigh on me for the rest of my life. I’m very lucky that I have not had to take out any loans yet so I’m not sure how all of that works. Thanks again!
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I think that's a question only you can answer. I know I personally couldn't bring myself to apply to any other schools and pay international fees, but I also came into vet school with a significant amount of undergrad debt. I will say, typically you would apply for government student loans with your province, which often involves some grants. Then, if it's not enough, you would apply for a student line of credit (I've found TD and Scotia to have the better offers, depending on how much you need). Government loans don't have to be repaid until a certain amount of time after graduation, while with lines of credit you'll have to pay the interest monthly throughout school.
 
Has any international students heard yet about interviews? I know from previous years' threads that it was around this time that they received interview invites and I'm driving myself crazy now!!
 
CaseyI said:
Haha one more question for everyone! Sorry about all these questions. How do people deal with the international fees? I’m worried about having so much debt that it will weigh on me for the rest of my life. I’m very lucky that I have not had to take out any loans yet so I’m not sure how all of that works. Thanks again!
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The same way anyone deals with the exorbitant debt burden that comes from most schools for most people: figuring out a budget for before, during and after vet school, planning ahead to know how much to expect your monthly payments to be and compare to your possible starting salary as a vet, understanding what kind of lifestyle you want to live and seeing if it’s even remotely compatible to the aforementioned considerations and...deciding if it’s actually worth it for you, either literally or figuratively (or both!)
 
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WanderLust99 said:
Has any international students heard yet about interviews? I know from previous years' threads that it was around this time that they received interview invites and I'm driving myself crazy now!!
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WanderLust99 said:
Has any international students heard yet about interviews? I know from previous years' threads that it was around this time that they received interview invites and I'm driving myself crazy now!!
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I just got an invite!
 
Y’all, I’m convinced there’s been some kind of accident. I didn’t even submit my supplemental fee and have a not-so-competitive gpa and somehow received an invite today? I’m also an international applicant in the US. Does anyone know when they send out decisions though? I can’t remember if it was in February or earlier...
 
youstinatutti said:
Y’all, I’m convinced there’s been some kind of accident. I didn’t even submit my supplemental fee and have a not-so-competitive gpa and somehow received an invite today? I’m also an international applicant in the US. Does anyone know when they send out decisions though? I can’t remember if it was in February or earlier...
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I was accepted with a sub-3.0 cumulative GPA; the courses I selected to fill their requirements were such that I had a better GPA for required courses.

Imposter syndrome is rampant in this profession, from interviews, through vet school and all the way into practice. Nip it in the bud now. This wasn’t an accident or a mistake!
 
I also got in interview (as an international applicant)! Congrats everyone! Does anybody know what the interview is gonna be like? Is it MMI or traditional? Any tips on how to prep?
 
mcevet123 said:
Anyone know when we should hear about interviews? I received an email saying my application was complete and reviewed so just wondering how long after it takes to hear back.
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I also got an email but mine stated that my application was completed and ready for review, but not that it had been reviewed. They also said in the e-mail that if they need anything further, they’ll be in touch. Is that the same e-mail that you received?
 
question for anyone who has been through AVC interviews in the past - any advice on what questions are typically asked? Are the questions only about our individual experience in vet med? thanks!
 
Arielll6 said:
I also got in interview (as an international applicant)! Congrats everyone! Does anybody know what the interview is gonna be like? Is it MMI or traditional? Any tips on how to prep?
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schoolhopefull said:
question for anyone who has been through AVC interviews in the past - any advice on what questions are typically asked? Are the questions only about our individual experience in vet med? thanks!
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I interviewed in 2011 so hopefully someone else who has been through it more recently will chime in. However, it was a behavioral-style interview (“tell us about a time when...”) and they didn’t ask anything about my application directly. They might ask me to expand on something I brought up in the course of the interview.

I used SDN’s interview feedback page to prepare. I printed all of the questions people said they’s been asked and outlined options for answers for each of them. The majority of the questions I was asked were on the list but there were a few that weren’t. Overall laid-back, conversation-style 🙂
 
Both years I interviewed I got the same questions, very general. What do I think I'll enjoy about being a veterinarian, what are some challenges I will face, how should we handle those challenges, and what my main interests are. Some people I talked to got very specific questions about their experience, so I think it depends on who interviews you.
 
Will they only contact you if you are selected for an interview or will they let you know if you were not successful in getting an interview?
 
nsaggie said:
Will they only contact you if you are selected for an interview or will they let you know if you were not successful in getting an interview?
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You should be getting an email either way.
 
I received an interview invitation as an international student as well on 10/21. I haven't heard anything further about actual scheduling yet. Congrats everyone!
 
I still haven't heard back about anything... My friend received an interview. Does that mean I am no longer a running applicant?
 
Just heard back officially for my interview date, November 30th. Good luck everyone!
 
Hey all! I’m a first year vet student at AVC - I’m domestic, but feel free to ask me any questions! I have international friends who I can ask about that process. 🙂 You can also message me directly if you’d like!
 
IndigoHimmy said:
Hey all! I’m a first year vet student at AVC - I’m domestic, but feel free to ask me any questions! I have international friends who I can ask about that process. 🙂 You can also message me directly if you’d like!
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I just applied last month for September! I’m sure I’ll continue to have many questions, but my first one is - how did you stay positive but realistic while waiting for March? I’m finding this so difficult as I’m finished my courses in December, and will just be waiting around for a response.
 
Hopeful_futuredogtor said:
I just applied last month for September! I’m sure I’ll continue to have many questions, but my first one is - how did you stay positive but realistic while waiting for March? I’m finding this so difficult as I’m finished my courses in December, and will just be waiting around for a response.
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Also a domestic first year here. 🙂
I applied 3 times before getting in, each year getting further into the admission process. My main piece of advice is:
1) Once your application is in, stop thinking about it. Don't compare your stats to other people's.
2) Start working on next year's application. You probably have an idea of what your weak points are, so work on those while waiting. The added experience/knowledge will be useful even if you get in.
3) Do something non-vet related! When you get into vet school, your whole life becomes engulfed in it, so start building good self care habits now. Find time for your hobbies. Learn to budget. Learn to cook. Anything, really.
4) Start making a plan for if you don't get it. Will you work, go back to school, or do something completely different? Start looking at your options because as someone who's lived through it, I can say the rejection hits so much harder when you have nothing else to look forward to.

Feel free to private message if you have any other questions. 🙂
 
Questions for any current international students who might be on the thread. How much is tuition? I have a paper that says it’s 28k but then another source says 65k? Also, how was the process of applying for the student visa and finding a place to live? Thank you in advance!!!
 
Did anyone else find the WSA a little funny--I think because it was translated from French to English, some of the wording was quirky. How did interviews go for everyone? 🙂
 
Cassafrass said:
Did anyone else find the WSA a little funny--I think because it was translated from French to English, some of the wording was quirky. How did interviews go for everyone? 🙂
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My interview isn't until Monday, how was it for you? What kind of questions did they ask.. any advice??
 
passionvet said:
My interview isn't until Monday, how was it for you? What kind of questions did they ask.. any advice??
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It was two other people, open file--they'd clearly read about my experiences etc...they were both warm and friendly and it was low pressure. The feedback on this site regarding their interview questions was right on point so I recommend looking them over. They asked what I thought would be easiest and hardest about the job, how my experiences have confirmed it's the right profession for me etc.
 
Cassafrass said:
It was two other people, open file--they'd clearly read about my experiences etc...they were both warm and friendly and it was low pressure. The feedback on this site regarding their interview questions was right on point so I recommend looking them over. They asked what I thought would be easiest and hardest about the job, how my experiences have confirmed it's the right profession for me etc.
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Did you know beforehand who would be interviewing you?
 
Just finished my first vet school interview! Definitely feeling stressed, but the interview itself went fine
 
Hi Everyone! Hope your interviews went well! For future interviewees, here was the list of questions I was asked (Yup, those are all the questions!). The interview was 15 minutes, 20 minutes maximum. Hope this helps!

What is so appealing about being a Veterinarian? Why did you choose to pursue Veterinary Medicine?

What’s a challenge you’ve personally encountered within the veterinary industry?

What is a challenging thing veterinarians need to overcome in the industry? (based on my answers I was then asked if I have personally encountered this situation in the profession or seen a veterinarian struggle?)

How do/will veterinarians contribute on a national, global, international, etc. level?
 
WanderLust99 said:
Questions for any current international students who might be on the thread. How much is tuition? I have a paper that says it’s 28k but then another source says 65k? Also, how was the process of applying for the student visa and finding a place to live? Thank you in advance!!!
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I believe I have been paying about 25-28k (USD) per semester throughout my 4 years for tuition/fees. I personally found applying for my visa very quick and easy. I printed the forms, filled it out and actually applied for the visa at the border crossing I was driving through. I was approved in about 30 minutes, and my visa was approved for 4 years, plus an extra few months after graduation incase I wanted to make the transition to work in Canada. I know other people who applied online, it took forever to hear back from the government, and most of their visas were only approved for a year, so they have to reapply yearly.

As for housing, it can be tricky, especially with pets. My first year I didn't have housing figured out until about 3 weeks before moving to PEI (didn't help I was pulled off the waitlist, so you'd probably be able to find something sooner)- but many students will stay with the same place all 4 years if they like their accommodations/landlord. Our landlord was nice enough to give me and my roommate a video tour when we were interested. You'll find places that are decently priced, and many places that aren't. Start early enough and you will be fine. I also advise finding a place where electric/heat is included in your rent. Mine isn't, and in the winter our heating bill can be $200+ (electric heat).
 
Chiblits said:
I am doing alright so far. I got an email this morning from UPEI saying I had to send them an explanation letter because some of my prereqs (english, stats) was taken awhile back (had a slight break between my undergrad due to personal reasons) and they said that if my letter is accepted and my application is high ranked I'll be able to get an interview or qualify for one if someone declines their offer for one. So, it can go either way, but now I'm trying to prep for the possibility of an interview anywhere in general.

I have never done an interview (MMI) like this and I get pretty nervous when I'm on the spot. So, whether or not I get a chance at UPEI, I want to start preparing myself in case I do get a chance for a future MMI.
Click to expand...
Are you an international student?
 
Anyone know when admissions decisions are sent out? I presume sometime in early January?
 
It seems like decisions have been sent out around the 13-17 the past few years
 
Sent in update transcripts..and now we wait...I was okay but now it's getting close and it's like waiting for Christmas lol
 
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