Canadian Vet Schools (WCVM, UCVM and OVC?)

[beancat]

Hi everyone! I am going into my final year of high school next year, so I am considering my choices for university. I am currently an Alberta resident and I really want to specialize in companion animals in the future. I have a few questions about the possible vet schools I can attend!

Between WCVM, UCVM and OVC, what are some of the main differences between the schools? Is there any one of them that specializes more in companion animals? Also is there a big difference tuition-wise?

Also, I am aware that OVC requires Ontario residency by living there for 12 months non post-secondary, and I am planning to spend a few summers there. What documents do I need to prove my residency? I've heard good things about OVC but is it really worth the effort/different than the others aside from the rankings (which I know are not important)?

This is a really clueless question on my part, but where do the alumni from these schools usually go? I would like to take care of my grandparents after I graduate, and the climate in Alberta is not very good for them... I would love to be able to move with them to somewhere warmer and more humid like Vancouver or US. How would I be able to get a vet job in places like that? Does the school I go to matter or is the place you work just a personal choice?

For undergraduate schools, does anyone have any input between the Animal Biology majors in UBC and UofA? Is it difficult to find volunteer positions if I undergrad in Guelph due to the large amount of people interested in vet?

Sorry if some of my questions are really obvious or immature, I am really just a bit clueless and lost right now... I am the first one in my family and friends to be interested in applying to vet school, so I am trying to do as much research as possible. Thank you all so much!

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[Coquette22]

You can go wherever you want in North America post-graduation, at least as far as licensing goes. All three schools are AVMA accredited so you could apply for licensure in any state or province.

 

[BIOMMMM]

Hey,

I'm currently an incoming phase 2 at OVC. I was an in province applicant so I can't really give you advice about the other schools/processes.

As far as OVC goes it's a great school, they don't really have a focus, but there are more people who go here that are interested in companion animal practice, so there is more emphasis put on CA practice. That being said, you have to know about both small and large by the time you're finished vet school , since you'll be licensed to treat both. No matter what vet school you go to you'll be learning about both.

Tuition as it stands here is ~$5000 per semester so ~$10,000 for domestic students. Usually this number goes up a bit each year. If your looking to compare between schools, you can usually find tuition prices for previous and past years on the schools website (usually in the financial section).

It is more difficult/competitive to find places to volunteer/work to gain veterinary or animal experience, in Guelph. However, it isn't impossible by any means to find experience, especially if you have a car and are willing to drive a little bit to get it. I also did my undergrad here (as did many of my friends currently in the program) and most of them got the majority of their experience in or around Guelph with no problem. Also keep in mind that for OVC, as it stands right now, does not consider experience very much in their application. You do need 3 LORs (2 from vets, 1 from another professional or a vet), but other then that, experience/lack of it is mostly used to flag applicants.

Once you get into OVC they have a lot of paid summer opportunities for you to gain experience at the teaching hospital here, which is a definite bonus once you're in. So you don't have to worry about jobs/experience during school.

As far as documents for residency requirements, I would get in touch with UoG admissions to find out exactly what you'll need.

Overall, OVC is a great school and IMO worth it to go here. However, the school you go to should really depend on you, where you want to live, whether you want to be away from your family etc.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Depending on where you live, you could only apply to maximum 2 of the schools (UCVM and WCVM if you live in Alberta).

UCVM is Alberta residency, WCVM is Western provinces, and OVC is Ontario. So unless you want to go to undergrad and then move to gain residency, you will need to figure out which school you would like to apply to most.

In terms of admissions, based on the stats I have seen OVC is more competitive academically. WCVM weighs your interview enough that even if you came in on the bottom of interviews academically, you can pull yourself into the final cut.

For clinics, UCVM has clinics outside of the hospital (being taught by others in the veterinary community), while WCVM has a teaching hospital. There is plenty of debate on which one of those is better, as there are pros and cons to both. I believe OVC has a teaching hospital as well.

I have no idea about the tuition of UCVM (you can Google that yourself) but at the moment WCVM is just SLIGHTLY cheaper than OVC. They are all so similar I wouldn't personally put a ton of weight on that. However, I think the cost of living in Ontario would be higher than Saskatchewan.

Alumni can go wherever they want, where the school is recognized. I have been told by some practice managers I work with that the clinics in provinces with vet schools really like to hire people who didn't go to that vet school in order to keep a variety of experiences in their employment force. Any of the schools will give you a good veterinary education.

I will admit, I know WCVM significantly better than any of the other schools because it is the only one I can apply to at this moment. I was originally wanting to move to Guelph to get my undergrad/residency there after high school but made the choice to stay home. I am glad I made that choice, because your grades will have to be good, especially for OVC. The stress of moving across Canada, living on my own for the first time, and etc would have made 1st year a lot harder than it was. I would say now if I had moved my grades would not have made the cut.

There are threads going for the incoming class of AVC, OVC, WCVM/UCVM. Take a look through those and join in on the conversation!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'll probably be more helpful regarding WCVM

 

[beancat]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm really surprised and happy on how thorough they are!

@BIOMMMM:
OVC has been a dream school for me since I did a research internship in Toronto last year and heard about it! I didn't know they didn't consider experience as much though. How was your undergrad experience at Guelph and could I ask what you majored in? How academically competitive is it in science majors? Also, how was the city of Guelph like?

@BeautifulBritishColumbia:
I think I'm in a similar situation right now as you were before because to apply for OVC I have to move next year. What were your plans for getting the Ontario residency? I want to apply for OVC in third year, but it seems really difficult to stay a the full non post-secondary 12 months there before then. Do you know if I can still apply to WCVM and UCVM if I get Ontario Residency?

Also, I'm assuming you're from BC haha (because then I would totally understand wanting to stay at home), do you have any experiences with undergrad schools there? Is it really competitive? BC is such a great place to live and even just spending my time there for a few years of undergrad would be so nice. How are the vet/animal opportunities there? I'm thinking of applying for UBC, Simon Fraser and Guelph for undergrad next year!

 

[Caia]

Do you know if I can still apply to WCVM and UCVM if I get Ontario Residency?

Unless there are special circumstances, usually not. You would have to speak with admissions to know for sure.

 

[BIOMMMM]

My undergrad was amazing and I really enjoyed it. I majored in Biomedical science. I really liked the bio-med program because you can essentially model the last two years of your undergrad after the first year and a bit of med/vet school is set up, you can also go in a more research based direction if you want as well.

There are only 100 spots per year for the major, mainly because once you're an upper year the class sizes are considerably smaller and meant for more one on one interaction. So it is a bit more competitive to get into and remain in the program. That being said, the atmosphere among the other bio-med students is a lot more relaxed, since a lot of them apply to med/dental/etc. so you're not all going for the same thing.

In contrast the animal bio program really puts you in a niche and I've heard some pretty nasty rumours about how cut throat some of the pre vets can be. I wasn't in the major so I can't confirm, but there are to many stories about the program for me not to believe some of them. It is an easier program to get into though as are most of the other bio science majors.

I'd imagine if you had an 80+ average you would be able to get into any science program at UoG (other then maybe bio-med as it has a higher cut off), its also very easy to transfer majors or apply to bio-med in upper years if you wanted.

I'm going to be honest though, there are some cons about going to Guelph with the intent on going to OVC as well:
1) You will be here for ~8 years depending on whether you get in after 3/4 year, more if you want to do an internship/residency here.
2) You are surrounded by pre-vets, and vet students. While its very nice to be around people going after the same goal, having to watch the current vet students walk around can really stress you out and cause your self some unnecessary grade anxiety. Pre-vets can also be competitive, and getting into vet school will sometimes be all you talk about or can think about.

Some pros:
1) They have everything designed for a smooth transition and application process from UoG to OVC. Other schools have some difficulty having things approved in time for applications, and generally they have less readily available information about the application process.
2) We have a phenomenal future vet club that helps with interviews and application advice
3)There are summer research opportunities that you can apply for that allow you to work with vets in the programs (you can use these vets as references, they don't all have to be clinic veterinarians)
4) You get to be around similarly minded people (this is both a pro and a con)
5) Guelph is a wonderful city and I love it!

If you haven't I would really recommend coming for a tour/open house or something if you're seriously considering moving far away from home to come here. It will really help you get a feel for the place, you can also arrange for a tour of OVC while your here as well, but that has to be arranged separately.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

 

[CalliopeDVM]

[QUOTE="beancat, post: 17760808, member: 771734] Do you know if I can still apply to WCVM and UCVM if I get Ontario Residency?

[/QUOTE]

Only if you reestablish your residency in Alberta again, unless you are a "dependent student"......which includes things such as whether you live with your parents, if it has been less than 4 years since you completed high school, if you are married, etc.
OVC does say "12 months' worth of summers MAY suffice", so you should contact them before deciding that's what you plan on doing, and they'll tell you how to verify it.

OVC is a great school (recently ranked in the top 5 in the world, and yes, I'm a graduate from there). Once you pass your Board Exam (NAVLE), you will be eligible to work in the US, Canada, England, Australia, NZ, or Holland -- provide you can get any appropriate visas and pass the local state/province exam.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm really surprised and happy on how thorough they are!

@BeautifulBritishColumbia:
I think I'm in a similar situation right now as you were before because to apply for OVC I have to move next year. What were your plans for getting the Ontario residency? I want to apply for OVC in third year, but it seems really difficult to stay a the full non post-secondary 12 months there before then. Do you know if I can still apply to WCVM and UCVM if I get Ontario Residency?

Also, I'm assuming you're from BC haha (because then I would totally understand wanting to stay at home), do you have any experiences with undergrad schools there? Is it really competitive? BC is such a great place to live and even just spending my time there for a few years of undergrad would be so nice. How are the vet/animal opportunities there? I'm thinking of applying for UBC, Simon Fraser and Guelph for undergrad next year!

If you stay through the entire summer and work (no school), Guelph with let you add your summers together to get 12 months. That would have meant after 3 years of undergrad, you could get Ontario residency. I don't think you can apply to both schools though; you really have to make your choice and stick to it unless you want to go gain residency somewhere else. Even just in the WCVM applicant pool people jump provinces to apply from less competitive ones.

I do, I am currently doing my undergrad in my hometown. I'll shoot you a PM to talk about specifics because I'm not quite comfortable with putting all of that personal info on a public forum.

 

[SocialStigma]

OP, I'm an OVC '15 graduate (applied as an Ontario resident) who will be moving to the US this summer for a residency. I didn't go to Guelph for undergrad and had no issues applying to OVC. BIOMMMM has already addressed all your questions so I don't think I have anything more to add, but feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!

 

[beancat]

@BIOMMMM: Thanks for the really detailed answers! I was definitely considering the animal bio program at first, since I wanted to learn about animals starting from undergrad. But now hearing this story, it sounds kind of scary... Maybe I should consider biomed instead as well or biochem? I totally get what you're saying about everyone talking about getting into vet school. I'm currently going to an academic and science focused high school, so everyone just talks about studying and work nonstop. It does get really tiring! Also, I think I'll go for a tour of OVC this summer to check it out myself.

@CalliopeDVM: Yeah, I think I have two chances to apply for all three schools while being a dependent student? I'm still emailing the schools to confirm, but hopefully it will be alright.

 

[BIOMMMM]

@BIOMMMM: Thanks for the really detailed answers! I was definitely considering the animal bio program at first, since I wanted to learn about animals starting from undergrad. But now hearing this story, it sounds kind of scary... Maybe I should consider biomed instead as well or biochem? I totally get what you're saying about everyone talking about getting into vet school. I'm currently going to an academic and science focused high school, so everyone just talks about studying and work nonstop. It does get really tiring! Also, I think I'll go for a tour of OVC this summer to check it out myself.

@CalliopeDVM: Yeah, I think I have two chances to apply for all three schools while being a dependent student? I'm still emailing the schools to confirm, but hopefully it will be alright.

No problem, I'm happy to help!

I mean I wouldn't let my story completely deter you from the animal bio program if thats what you'd really like to take, its just something to consider, you can always find a way to avoid those types of people! I can't say anything about the bio-chem program but this link will get you to a description of all the B.Sc. programs at Guelph https://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/undergraduate/current/c10/c10bsc.shtml
it'll give you an idea about course requirements for each program. The first year of bio-med and bio-chem are essentially the same (as are most biology based programs) its really more about what focus you'd like to have in the last couple years of your degree. If you'd like to focus on medicine bio-med would be the better choice as most of those courses are restricted to programs for which they are required, whereas you have access to a lot of biochem courses regardless of major.

The good thing though, as I mentioned earlier is that it is very easy to switch majors should you change your mind. Minors are also always an option! As well your major doesn't matter at all for most (I think pretty much all) vet schools, they just have a pre-req that you have to take to apply, so you have lots of time to weigh your options and figure out what you would like to take!

 

[Futuredvmmom]

My undergrad was amazing and I really enjoyed it. I majored in Biomedical science. I really liked the bio-med program because you can essentially model the last two years of your undergrad after the first year and a bit of med/vet school is set up, you can also go in a more research based direction if you want as well.

There are only 100 spots per year for the major, mainly because once you're an upper year the class sizes are considerably smaller and meant for more one on one interaction. So it is a bit more competitive to get into and remain in the program. That being said, the atmosphere among the other bio-med students is a lot more relaxed, since a lot of them apply to med/dental/etc. so you're not all going for the same thing.

In contrast the animal bio program really puts you in a niche and I've heard some pretty nasty rumours about how cut throat some of the pre vets can be. I wasn't in the major so I can't confirm, but there are to many stories about the program for me not to believe some of them. It is an easier program to get into though as are most of the other bio science majors.

I'd imagine if you had an 80+ average you would be able to get into any science program at UoG (other then maybe bio-med as it has a higher cut off), its also very easy to transfer majors or apply to bio-med in upper years if you wanted.

I'm going to be honest though, there are some cons about going to Guelph with the intent on going to OVC as well:
1) You will be here for ~8 years depending on whether you get in after 3/4 year, more if you want to do an internship/residency here.
2) You are surrounded by pre-vets, and vet students. While its very nice to be around people going after the same goal, having to watch the current vet students walk around can really stress you out and cause your self some unnecessary grade anxiety. Pre-vets can also be competitive, and getting into vet school will sometimes be all you talk about or can think about.

Some pros:
1) They have everything designed for a smooth transition and application process from UoG to OVC. Other schools have some difficulty having things approved in time for applications, and generally they have less readily available information about the application process.
2) We have a phenomenal future vet club that helps with interviews and application advice
3)There are summer research opportunities that you can apply for that allow you to work with vets in the programs (you can use these vets as references, they don't all have to be clinic veterinarians)
4) You get to be around similarly minded people (this is both a pro and a con)
5) Guelph is a wonderful city and I love it!

If you haven't I would really recommend coming for a tour/open house or something if you're seriously considering moving far away from home to come here. It will really help you get a feel for the place, you can also arrange for a tour of OVC while your here as well, but that has to be arranged separately.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

 

[Futuredvmmom]

HI I just read your post from last summer! If you're still on the forum I was wondering where I could find out about the future vet club you mentioned and also the summer research opportunities for students hoping to apply to Guelph next year. Thanks.