Class of 2023 Hopefuls

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
CoffeeQuestionMark

CoffeeQuestionMark

WSU c/o 2023
Verified Member
7+ Year Member
Veterinarian
Contest Winner!
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Messages
6,832
Reaction score
9,781
Members don't see this ad.
Good afternoon ladies, gents, and future vets, and welcome to the start of the 2018-2019 application cycle.

Whether or not you've been here before, know all the ropes, are brand new, hell maybe you're not even applying this cycle... Come join, bask in the lushessness that will be the class of 2023.

We're rebellious, but we have cookies.

StayingPositive2017 said:
Good luck c/o 2023!
Leaving this here for easy access :naughty: :heckyeah: :naughty:
2023 Statement Readers
Click to expand...

CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Right there with ya.

Support and advice for reapplicants
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Good luck everyone!!! I just started my application and was wondering if anyone knows what kind of achievements fall into the “awards” vs “honors” categories?
 
gabynicolex said:
Good luck everyone!!! I just started my application and was wondering if anyone knows what kind of achievements fall into the “awards” vs “honors” categories?
Click to expand...
I put my ski awards from high school in awards and I think they say to put scholarships too (or maybe that’s a separate category idk). And honors is like deans list, university honors, etc.
vmcas has a really nice help website that has descriptions for everything on the application.
 
I all ready have so many questions... I'll just start with one. At my school, we have very few majors. You can for example major in biology, but not in biochemistry. When filling in courses in VMCAS, you put the course code, the course titel and the subject. For example: ENG 101 as the course code, college writing I as the titel, but is the subject then "writing" or "english"? They are both options in the dropdown. The same goes for genetics; I took it within the biology department because there is no genetics department at my school, but is the subject then "biology" or "genetics"?
 
M&D said:
I all ready have so many questions... I'll just start with one. At my school, we have very few majors. You can for example major in biology, but not in biochemistry. When filling in courses in VMCAS, you put the course code, the course titel and the subject. For example: ENG 101 as the course code, college writing I as the titel, but is the subject then "writing" or "english"? They are both options in the dropdown. The same goes for genetics; I took it within the biology department because there is no genetics department at my school, but is the subject then "biology" or "genetics"?
Click to expand...
It should be the subject and the class and not the department it’s under (so writing and genetics). My genetics class was under the bio department (so it was BIOLOGY 305) but the subject was genetics. If you’re ever unsure from the course title where it should go, list the subject as the department and vmcas says they’ll fix it when verifying.
For the title section, you need to make sure it matches what’s written on your transcript EXACTLY. even if it’s not the official full class title. For my psych class, the course was called “Psychology As A Natural Science” but was just called “As Natural Sci” as the title on my transcript. If it varies from what your transcript says, it could be kicked back by vmcas and you’d have to edit it before they can verify your transcripts.
 
What is the "student reported GPA from primary school" ? I am a college graduate, so is that the cumulative GPA I see on my transcripts?
 
SkiOtter said:
It should be the subject and the class and not the department it’s under (so writing and genetics). My genetics class was under the bio department (so it was BIOLOGY 305) but the subject was genetics. If you’re ever unsure from the course title where it should go, list the subject as the department and vmcas says they’ll fix it when verifying.
For the title section, you need to make sure it matches what’s written on your transcript EXACTLY. even if it’s not the official full class title. For my psych class, the course was called “Psychology As A Natural Science” but was just called “As Natural Sci” as the title on my transcript. If it varies from what your transcript says, it could be kicked back by vmcas and you’d have to edit it before they can verify your transcripts.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that helps a lot!!! How about pass/fail classes? I took calculus as a pass/fail summer STEM whatever, and the grade is "S" - Will they be able to understand that S=Sufficient? Also, at my school we had to take this pass/fail "intro to university life" class called ASC101 = Arts and Sciences 101, but that's not an option in the subject dropdown of VMCAS, so what do I do?
 
M&D said:
Thank you, that helps a lot!!! How about pass/fail classes? I took calculus as a pass/fail summer STEM whatever, and the grade is "S" - Will they be able to understand that S=Sufficient? Also, at my school we had to take this pass/fail "intro to university life" class called ASC101 = Arts and Sciences 101, but that's not an option in the subject dropdown of VMCAS, so what do I do?
Click to expand...
*If I remember correctly, there's an S option on the grades and they know what that means. I had a few S/U courses. There's a help button to instructions that should help with the ASC, maybe someone else remembers better than I do how to enter those things
 
  • Like
Reactions: M&D
M&D said:
Thank you, that helps a lot!!! How about pass/fail classes? I took calculus as a pass/fail summer STEM whatever, and the grade is "S" - Will they be able to understand that S=Sufficient? Also, at my school we had to take this pass/fail "intro to university life" class called ASC101 = Arts and Sciences 101, but that's not an option in the subject dropdown of VMCAS, so what do I do?
Click to expand...
Contact vmcas.
 
starfish229 said:
What is the "student reported GPA from primary school" ? I am a college graduate, so is that the cumulative GPA I see on my transcripts?
Click to expand...
Hahaha I remember being so confused about that because to me primary school=elementary school and I was like wtf why do they want that they didn’t even give us GPAs:smack: but yeah Mixy is right, it’s just your college GPA
 
First time applying! I've started applications the past two years but life has always gotten in the way. Good luck to everyone! 😍
 
Hey guys! What is the best way to enter your experience descriptions in VMCAS? Should I enter them as a paragraph or list them so they are easier to view?
 
Moanswoptr said:
Hey guys! What is the best way to enter your experience descriptions in VMCAS? Should I enter them as a paragraph or list them so they are easier to view?
Click to expand...
You only get a limited amount of characters so probably paragraph is best
 
Moanswoptr said:
Hey guys! What is the best way to enter your experience descriptions in VMCAS? Should I enter them as a paragraph or list them so they are easier to view?
Click to expand...
I did a paragraph but other people have done list form. Whichever format you choose, just make sure to keep it consistent throughout your app
 
CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Questions are repeats from last year but with 500 more characters.
Uhh anything wrong with editing last year's essays?
Click to expand...
I might be careful about this. There's nothing wrong with workshopping essays that you feel really speak to you, but it can also be productive to try to write something new and see how you feel about it. You're a different person now than you were just last year and sometimes that year's time can make a huge difference in how you come across in applications and in how you want to present yourself on paper to the schools. Consider trying out a couple of versions (edited from last year, totally new ones, etc) and running them past people you trust and seeing which ones they pick as the best and which ones feel right to you.
 
Hey everyone, I'm a first time applicant this year! Anybody else applying to any of the UK schools? I'm applying to all four of them. Good luck everyone!! 😍
 
I'm having a really hard time with the personal statement/ questions aspect of the application. There are so many different things that have influenced me and motivated me to pursue this career that I think I'm having a hard time condensing everything into a cohesive paragraph.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
vethopeful_2 said:
I'm having a really hard time with the personal statement/ questions aspect of the application. There are so many different things that have influenced me and motivated me to pursue this career that I think I'm having a hard time condensing everything into a cohesive paragraph.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Word vomit everything and then revise and revise and revise and revise? There’s also a list of readers who can help you with the revisions
 
My transcript reports my GPA as 3.628 but VMCAS only allows a 3 digit GPA, should I round up to 3.63 or down to 3.62?
 
vethopeful_2 said:
I'm having a really hard time with the personal statement/ questions aspect of the application. There are so many different things that have influenced me and motivated me to pursue this career that I think I'm having a hard time condensing everything into a cohesive paragraph.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
Write a couple different versions that focus on different influences and then have one of the readers help you decide which feels most authentically you!
 
As an aside for all of you applying, please please PLEASE write your essays in a word document or something and save them in multiple (different) locations. I have known a few people who lost a ton of work because their computers blew up or something right before the deadline and it's a position that always sucks to be in. Email essays to yourself, save them on Google Drive, whatever - but make sure you can access them if for whatever reason you can't get to your computer.
 
vetmedhead said:
As an aside for all of you applying, please please PLEASE write your essays in a word document or something and save them in multiple (different) locations. I have known a few people who lost a ton of work because their computers blew up or something right before the deadline and it's a position that always sucks to be in. Email essays to yourself, save them on Google Drive, whatever - but make sure you can access them if for whatever reason you can't get to your computer.
Click to expand...
Google drive is amazing because it auto saves. 10/10 highly recommend
 
vetmedhead said:
As an aside for all of you applying, please please PLEASE write your essays in a word document or something and save them in multiple (different) locations. I have known a few people who lost a ton of work because their computers blew up or something right before the deadline and it's a position that always sucks to be in. Email essays to yourself, save them on Google Drive, whatever - but make sure you can access them if for whatever reason you can't get to your computer.
Click to expand...

To add to this, save early and often. Technology is great, but not when it shuts down right in the middle of writing. I know most programs have an auto-save and auto-recover, but it's not 100%.
 
vethopeful_2 said:
I'm having a really hard time with the personal statement/ questions aspect of the application. There are so many different things that have influenced me and motivated me to pursue this career that I think I'm having a hard time condensing everything into a cohesive paragraph.
Click to expand...

I literally did what @SkiOtter and @StayingPositive2017 suggested. I just wrote without trying to think of structure or focus too much on content. Then I went back and re-read what I wrote, making sure I was actually answering the prompt and edited it for length. Then, I sent it to three people to review, my mom (she's known me the longest), my step-mom (who is an English teacher), and my friend's husband (works in HR/IT, known me for a few years and would give me the most objective feedback). Between the three of them, they helped me weed out grammar and flow issues as well as making sure the paragraphs really represented me. I can be quite self-deprecating, so they helped make me sound glorious where I only made myself sound average. 😀
 
First time applicant! I'm really excited but also super nervous because I'm only applying to one school right now because it's really my only option. Hoping for the best
 
CoffeeQuestionMark said:
I don't get the whole Canadian thing??

Is there like an interprovince war between vet schools where you aren't allowed at the others?
Click to expand...
All of our schools are regionalized due to public funding, so you can only apply to the schools that your province gives money to. For most of us, that is only 1 single school.
 
Hello!
Have always been lurking on here. Have actually made a few posts, asked a few questions. Gotten some great advice so far, hopefully that trend will continue because I can promise I am going to need it. :laugh:
But this is going to be my first time applying. Good luck to everyone this cycle we can do it!! :highfive:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

supershorty
University of Liverpool 2025-2026 hopefuls
Replies
0
Views
360
supershorty
supershorty
supershorty
University of Bristol 2025-2026 hopefuls
Replies
0
Views
429
supershorty
supershorty
supershorty
University of Sydney 2025-2026 (c/o 2030 hopefuls)
Replies
3
Views
705
turquoisemink
turquoisemink
supershorty
University of Bristol 2024-2025 hopefuls
2 3 4
Replies
170
Views
16K
Future Emo Veterinarian
Future Emo Veterinarian
supershorty
University of Liverpool 2024-2025 hopefuls
Replies
44
Views
4K
Future Emo Veterinarian
Future Emo Veterinarian
Top