Colorado State Class of 2014

Started by AlaskaGrad
Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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AlaskaGrad

AlaskaGrad

CSU PVM c/o 2014
10+ Year Member
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Guess it is time to kick off this thread. Congratulations to the rest of those accepted today, and best of luck to those waiting to hear. 😀

My mind is still doing cart wheels over the news. Knowing the posting date drove me crazy.

This was my third time applying, but I am sure it was worth it because I know we are going to be an AWESOME class.

Let me know if you guys have any questions about Colorado or Fort Collins

I can't wait until fall. 😍
 
i'll be starting with you guys!!!! 🙂

i'm already here so if you want to meet up that'd be fun!


and i've started working out b/c i want to get in shape for our retreat. LOL. i really want to do the zip-line and rock wall.

anyway, i'm always checking this site...so if you guys want to meet up for lunch or whatever i can ask my friends who are already in the program to talk to us. 🙂
 
ckgilabert said:
i'll be starting with you guys!!!! 🙂

i'm already here so if you want to meet up that'd be fun!


and i've started working out b/c i want to get in shape for our retreat. LOL. i really want to do the zip-line and rock wall.

anyway, i'm always checking this site...so if you guys want to meet up for lunch or whatever i can ask my friends who are already in the program to talk to us. 🙂
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Wait!
What retreat? Sounds so cool!😀
 
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ckgilabert said:
if you guys want to meet up for lunch or whatever i can ask my friends who are already in the program to talk to us. 🙂
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Hey ckgilbert. I am in Fairbanks right now but will be flying and/or driving down a few times over the next 6 months to get my life settled back on Fort Fun.

It would be great to meet up with people from our class and students in the program.

I'll send you a message when I know my timing.

Thanks!
 
I am a grad student at CSU right now, so I'm all settled into Fort Collins. I'm so excited to meet my new classmates though. What do you guys do in your "spare time" ( I put that in quotes because I don't know if it really exists 😉 )
 
ColoGirl said:
What do you guys do in your "spare time" ( I put that in quotes because I don't know if it really exists 😉 )
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You're right, not much free time,but I try to make the most of it.

I like to play outside, goof around with my dog, draw/paint, travel, play intramural volleyball, watch movies and hang out with friends.

Nothing too exciting, mostly relaxing "back to reality" type activities
 
I too will be starting this fall at CSU (special program where I was accepted last year🙂 Nice to meet some of my future classmates!

I love it here in Fort Collins and can't wait to begin vet school. See you guys soon.😍

Toni C.
 
CSU said:
Wait!
What retreat? Sounds so cool!😀
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CSU has a week long orientation that involves a retreat in the mountains. They probably won't give you any info until late spring but if you are interested I could provide the itinerary for my class. I suspect that yours will be very similar. I know that just reading the site helped me to get more excited about starting vet school.
 
TSUJC said:
CSU has a week long orientation that involves a retreat in the mountains. They probably won't give you any info until late spring but if you are interested I could provide the itinerary for my class. I suspect that yours will be very similar. I know that just reading the site helped me to get more excited about starting vet school.
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Interested!
 
yeah, pitbull lover and I already know each other so when you contact either of us we can make it a group lunch or something. 🙂

my friend told me that at the retreat they had a lot of guest speakers and you get to meet with your professors and stuff. remember Emergency Vets, the guy with the white hair and mustache was there this past year(Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald).

and they also do group exercises and stuff. like skits? i dont really remember what my friend said. i just got excited that we had a retreat!


OH, what's everyone's last name, or what does it start with? mine is gilabert (if you don't feel free to share online, i understand). the only reason i ask is that they separate everyone in "cubes" (it's basically rooms with a bunch of desks and a fridge and microwave) and they separate everyone by their last name.

and i'm still NOT that familiar with fort collins. so far i've been spending my time online, or with my dogs, with my new kindle, OH and i'm going to learn to ice skate (hopefully). old town is cute. there's A LOT of restaurants here. they also have City Park that's a park that has a pool with slide and stuff...and the last day that it's open (right before winter) they open it for dogs to go.

anyway, i'm always available to talk. 🙂 and i'll talk your head off...ask pitbull lover. LOL. 🙂

hope to meet all of you soon!
 
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Here ya go! This info is for the class of 2013, it probably won't be updated until June or July but I thought is was extremely helpful and it will give y'all an idea of what to expect!

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/PVMOrientationInfo/

P.S. Unless you are a serious gunner, don't buy the Textbook of Veterinary Histology, I never opened it! All of my friends have said the same. It is a waste of money. On the other hand , the histology atlas that isn’t required is VERY helpful, it should be on the required list!

Also the radiology book is crazy expensive and again I never opened it. The one chapter that you are required to read is posted on WebCT so there is no point in purchasing it. I wasted a lot of money on those two books.


Added: The radiology CD is good and the histology atlas that I used was Bacha and Bacha: [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Color Atlas of Veterinary Histology.
...
 
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TSUJC said:
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Here ya go! This info is for the class of 2013, it probably won't be updated until June or July but I thought is was extremely helpful and it will give y'all an idea of what to expect!

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/PVMOrientationInfo/

..
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OMG Thanks TSUJC that link is FANTASTIC!!! There are answers there to more PVM questions then I could ever think of asking.

and thanks for the text book heads up too.

This whole experience is so awesome!
 
Congrats Alaska grad! Did you get to come home for the holidays?

I am headed back to Barrow to work for about 10 days before we start classes again on Jan 19th

When is your defense?
 
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TSUJC said:
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]

P.S. Unless you are a serious gunner, don't buy the Textbook of Veterinary Histology, I never opened it! All of my friends have said the same. It is a waste of money. On the other hand , the histology atlas that isn't required is VERY helpful, it should be on the required list!

Also the radiology book is crazy expensive and again I never opened it. The one chapter that you are required to read is posted on WebCT so there is no point in purchasing it. I wasted a lot of money on those two books.


Added: The radiology CD is good and the histology atlas that I used was Bacha and Bacha: [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Color Atlas of Veterinary Histology.
...
Click to expand...

DITTO, I never opened my histology book, the radiology book, or that weird hematology book (why did I buy THAT one lol). I used the Immunology book some, and the Physiology book some, but a lot of my cubemates didnt...personal preferences I guess. I found the anatomy books priceless if you've never had it before.

Plus, what they don't tell you is that each cube (you will be assigned to a cube with ~15 other classmates) has its own "library" with 20 or so veterinary books. Some of them are out of date but still helpful. Our cube has a copy of the histology book and atlas so I was doubly sad that I wasted my money on them 😛
 
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The cubes are the areas in the anatomy-zoology building for the first year CSU PVM students. I cannot remember exactly how many people are in a cube-probably about 20? Each class member is assigned to a cube based upon alphabetical order-I am in cube E for example. Each person has their own chair, workspace, and shelf space in their respective cube. Each cube also has two computers, a microwave, refrigerator, etc. Each cube also has a collection of books that are used for the classes. The people in your cube really become your family-many of the in-class demos for anatomy are done by cube. The dissection group for functional anatomy is made of of four people from your cube, again based on alphabetical order.

I totally agree with my classmates on the book recommendations-if you really find that you cannot live without a reference for histology, I recommend Wheater's Functional Histology-although it is a human histology book, tissues are tissues. But seriously, Dr. Stewart posts her notes from the VS 331 (online histology)-I especially found this useful when reviewing for the weekly online quizzes.

Congrats on getting in to CSU! Next year you will be assigned people from our class to be your "big sibs", but if you have any other questions, we are here for you!🙂
 
Hi all,

Looks like I'll be joining you...woohoo! 🙂

I am at CSU now, grad student.

SO RELIEVED to get the actual offer letter in the mail today. I was worried they might change their mind...
 
iheartpandas said:
Hi all,

Looks like I'll be joining you...woohoo! 🙂

I am at CSU now, grad student.

SO RELIEVED to get the actual offer letter in the mail today. I was worried they might change their mind...
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I didn't apply to CSU, just had to say nice pic! 😉
 
Congratulations iheartpandas glad to have you aboard.

Wow another grad student... are there any students in our class who are not current grad students?

Are you guys plan "B" students at CSU?

My research has been in respiratory neurotoxicology?

What are the rest of you studying?

Is anyone else finishing their PhD?
 
AlaskaGrad said:
Wow another grad student... are there any students in our class who are not current grad students?
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Nope, I'm not! but I do work full time as a research technician in a neuroendocrine lab.

As for what I like to do when I have free time... I know it's really sad... but mostly it's couch potato-ing watching some stupid tv show or clicker training my foster cat to do dumb tricks. haha, I guess having diversity in a class also means having some boring people in there too :laugh:

Thanks TSUJC for all that info!!!!! It's super helpful! I'll probably making a trip out there in the next couple of months to make sure that I'm not crazy for putting down $60K/yr just to be close to my birdies... so it would be awesome if i could meet up with some of you who are already there!
 
AlaskaGrad said:
Congratulations iheartpandas glad to have you aboard.

Wow another grad student... are there any students in our class who are not current grad students?

Are you guys plan "B" students at CSU?

My research has been in respiratory neurotoxicology?

What are the rest of you studying?

Is anyone else finishing their PhD?
Click to expand...

I am finishing up my PhD right now. I work on West Nile virus and vaccines. Hopefully I will defend by April then have the summer to relax a bit before starting vet school.

I would love to get together with any future classmates for some coffee or lunch or something.
 
AlaskaGrad said:
Congratulations iheartpandas glad to have you aboard.

Wow another grad student... are there any students in our class who are not current grad students?

Are you guys plan "B" students at CSU?

My research has been in respiratory neurotoxicology?

What are the rest of you studying?

Is anyone else finishing their PhD?
Click to expand...

I'm doing a Plan B in Zoology (no microbiology for me 🙂), which will take me through the summer to complete...eek! No break! It's probably bad to start vet school already brain dead, huh?

Would love to meet up with you all sometime.

Hey CSU, glad to see you're chasing this dream... Took me awhile to convince myself that turning 40 and getting DVM in the same year was okay. 😱 I guess I got nothin' on you!
 
im not a grad student. and i'm 28 yrs old.

i got into Vet Prep so i'm at CSU right now. i graduated animal science from cal poly pomona in 2009. next semester i'm taking classes: immunology, physiology and pharmacology.

i'm totally interested in meeting for lunch...... or going to play laser tag at fort fun! lol.

PM me or look me up on facebook (i like farmville!) 🙂
 
iheartpandas,
no, i'm taking BMS 300, BMS 450 and MIP 342. and also an independent study class.

so i guess that means we wont have any classes together. that means we'll definitely have to do a group thing for lunch.

if anyone really wants to meet up, we can do it this week. right before school starts. how about Tuesday or Wednesday?
 
I'm a commuter, so doing lunch for me would be easier after school starts--maybe the first week, before any of us really hits the books?

Also, does AlaskaGrad know when he's going to be in town yet?

ckgilabert: bummer--it would have been fun to be in class together.
 
that sounds good. my classes are in the mornings mwf 10-1pm. so i'm free whenever. i live near school, so if you guys plan a tues or thurs i can still make it. i guess if everyone could write down when they're available, we can set up a time to meet. 🙂
 
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Right now,
My schedule is super flexible...
Should we throw some times/ dates out there?
Who is up for this Thursday- noonish
or
Friday- noonish or dinnerish?

and yes...40 with a DVM would have been better than 53 with a DVM, but it's still DVM😀
 
iheartpandas said:
Also, does AlaskaGrad know when he's going to be in town yet?
Click to expand...

I will know more after my next committee meeting in two weeks. I need to schedule the date for my defense first. I will be in Colorado (and Fort Collins) for sure in mid April. Hope to be down for a few weeks in Feb or March too.

:highfive:
 
Sounds like MWF would be better than T/Th... since we don't have a Monday the first week, is anybody up for Wednesday the 20th?

(We'll meet again when you're in town, AlaskaGrad!)

BTW- 1) what are you all considering specializing in, and 2) how'd you get yourself into this mess in the first place? 😛

I'll go first: 1) I waffle between the totally-impractical-at-this-point-in-my-life exotic wildlife vet traipsing about Africa and Asia, and holistic cat vet. Or both. 😀

2) A) Ongoing medical saga with my cat that traditional medicine couldn't touch B) happened at the same time I turned 30 and freaked out about what I was doing with my life, plus C) a lifelong fascination with animals. I think I was the last person to figure out vet would be a good fit for me--everyone else is slapping their foreheads and saying "Well, duh..."
 
wednesday works great with me! want to meet at around 1:30pm? did you want to meet on campus or at a restaurant in old town?

and to answer your questions:
1-I want to do food animal...like USDA stuff.
2-I had dogs that threw up on dog food, so i was thinking of going into small animal nutrition. then i worked at a small animal vet and thought it was really SAD. i cried every time they put a dog or cat to sleep. and at Cal Poly Pomona we worked with large animals and i thought it was a lot of fun. palpating a pregnant cow was the most amazing thing ever. and people don't like this...but i DO think cows/pigs/sheep have feelings...but i'm not sad when they get euthanized. i want to be there from 'gate to plate'. i lived in an area that they mistreated cows(chino, ca)...and even though i eat them, i dont want them to feel unnecessary pain.

iheartpandas....there's a vet club that does trips to africa! i forget how much it costs (maybe $3,000, i'll ask my friend who went the club meeting) and you go in the summer. 🙂
 
Wed the 20th works for me! I am up for meeting up wherever. I am a foothills campus so either would be about the same for me.

And for your questions....
1- I really want to work on infectious disease research, especially zoonotic viral pathogens. I work on vaccines now, and would like to keep working in that area.
2- I grew up on a farm and started working at the local vet clinic as soon as they would let me. I moved to CO for my undergrad specifically to get residency to go to vet school here. I took some detours along the way, worked in the real world, got a PhD, etc. It took a little bit for me to be sure this is what was right for me. And, well, now...here I am! And I couldn't be happier.

Can't wait to meet you all in person 🙂
 
I am interested in clinical research either in neurology or radiology. I also enjoy lecturing. Ideally I hope to one day be a professor at a vet school where I can conduct research, treat animals and teach students.

I wanted to be a zoo vet as a kid. Science classes and volunteer experiences steered me toward small animal medicine in college. 10 years later, now with my Masters and PhD, I can't imagine walking away from research and teaching. Ergo I plan to do all three.
 
Yay for diversity--so cool how different our interests are. I can't wait to meet you guys.

Wednesday the 20th, 1:30... I don't know anything about FC restaurants. Suggestions? Otherwise I will suggest the only restaurant I frequent, Buttercream Cupcakery, which really isn't a restaurant but has cupcakes to die for... :hardy:
 
Hey All!

Just wanted to let you know that there is a 1 cr research methods class that was offered to first years this past fall semester that those of you interested in pursuing research careers in veterinary medicine can take instead of the traditional 1 cr perspectives class-it is offered by Dr. Vanderwoude-I highly recommend the class. We had guest speakers from all walks of veterinary research.
 
restaurant: the only places i will NOT eat at are beaujos, old chicago, culvers, waffle house, chik-fil-a, the crown, tasty harmony, pizza casbah, the chocolate cafe, and i think that's it. just very disappointed with the food there.


i am willing to try ANYTHING though. and i am sooo not picky. i like cici's and wild boar and cafe vino, i want to try drunken monkey and bisetti's. but there's SOO many restaurants in old town that i still haven't tried.

or even on campus...i havent tried any of the food there. i usually bring a brown bag. LOL. anyway, hopefully someone on here knows a great restaurant!

and for dessert we'll head to buttercream cupcakery! i havent tried it yet. but i shop at that albertsons and keep wanting to try it! lol. 🙂
 
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Aivuq said:
Hey All!

Just wanted to let you know that there is a 1 cr research methods class that was offered to first years this past fall semester that those of you interested in pursuing research careers in veterinary medicine can take instead of the traditional 1 cr perspectives class-it is offered by Dr. Vanderwoude-I highly recommend the class. We had guest speakers from all walks of veterinary research.
Click to expand...

I was told that there's also a class where you can palpate cows...and at the end of the year they have a competition against other schools where you have to determine the age of the fetus...and whoever is closest wins. I want to take that class!
 
Be nice to Barry Litwin for me! He is a great guy, y'all will love him! Welcome to the profession! (I did my BS and MS in Fort Fun -- I love that town!) Remember to bring a bike, everything there is done by bike, including riding out to New Belgium (Fat Tire beer) on Fridays for free samples.
 
iheartpandas said:
BTW- 1) what are you all considering specializing in, and 2) how'd you get yourself into this mess in the first place? 😛
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so jealous that you'll all be able to get together! i'm very much looking forward to meeting you all at some point (hopefully before orientation).

to answer the above questions:

  1. pretty sure shelter medicine (though i highly doubt i will do a residency), but if i can do an externship at the gabriel foundation and i like it, i might consider avian so that i can devote my career to avian rescue
  2. i was hooked into shelter medicine during my first week volunteering as a teenager. a necropsy on a cruelty case as well as seeing all the cool things that the vets at the humane society were able to do really inspired me. even now, 7 years later, i can totally see myself as one of those vets. i also decided that becoming a vet was the only way that i can surely have a career where i would be able to take care of my two parrots (naive thinking i know, but it was a big deal for me as a high schooler). i figured i could always find a place where i can take my birdies to work or have a work place where my birds can live. i love mol bio research, and i think it fits my personality well... but i don't think i can have the lifestyle of a researcher and be the mommy i want to be for my birds.

soooo... it sounds like a lot of you are non-trad. is anyone else in their early to mid 20s? i feel like a baby!

and totally off topic, but how high/low is the cost of living over there? I looked on craigslist and it looks like for about $400/month you can have a pretty decent apt if you have a roommate. Is that true? About how much do you all pay for utilities/month? and groceries (i know it totally depends on your lifestyle but i'd like to get an idea)? Are there a lot of cheap eats out there? or will going out be something i will NEVER be able to do if i'm living off loans?

also... is a bike a total necessity? and how much snow do you get in fort collins?

thanks all!
 
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Restaurant-- Bisetti's looks interesting. Also, someone recommended Lucile's to me once and I've never tried it... anyone else have a suggestion, or are we raiding the cupcake store?!

A cow palpation class sounds fun? I have found my people. 😀

Minnerbelle-- Being young is a good, good thing! Think how much faster your brain works, how much less creaky your joints are, and how much more time you'll have to pay off those student loans! If anything, I am jealous you figured out what you wanted to do already, and here I've been floundering around for years... 🙂

I don't live in FC but if you're not a big biker, there's plenty of people that don't have bikes. The bus service in FC is pretty good. Also, there's a place right on campus that sells used bikes: http://www.recycled-cycles.com/

And yes, there are definitely cheap eats--gotta cater to the college crowd.
 
iheartpandas said:
Minnerbelle-- Being young is a good, good thing! Think how much faster your brain works, how much less creaky your joints are, and how much more time you'll have to pay off those student loans! If anything, I am jealous you figured out what you wanted to do already, and here I've been floundering around for years... 🙂

I don't live in FC but if you're not a big biker, there's plenty of people that don't have bikes. The bus service in FC is pretty good. Also, there's a place right on campus that sells used bikes: http://www.recycled-cycles.com/

And yes, there are definitely cheap eats--gotta cater to the college crowd.
Click to expand...

Thanks iheartpandas! I'd never thought about creaky joints before. haha, good point! but i would hope that my brain doesn't slow down that noticibly in my 30s-40s!!!

Cheap eats = 👍👍👍. I went to an undergrad where everything in the area was $$$$$... and cambridge, MA is pretty expensive for an area with so many colleges around so that's very good to know! The tiny 2 bedroom apt that i currently share with 2 other people is a whopping $2100/month!!! and i get paid peanuts so i barely have ANY savings after working 2 yrs full time. being broke isn't fun... but i gotta get used to it!
 
ER and critical care is where it's at! 😍
small animal/ possible equine with a dash of shelter med for good measure
 
iheartpandas said:
Restaurant-- Bisetti's looks interesting. Also, someone recommended Lucile's to me once and I've never tried it...
Click to expand...

Lucile's is really good, one of my favorites!

As for Fort Collins, you can get a place that allows pets for about 3-400/mo. I lived in a townhouse with a yard big enough for my two dogs and a garden with 2bed 2.5 bath for most of grad school and it was 725 plus maybe 50 in utilities.

We do get snow in the winter (probably the thing I like the least about FC). However, the good thing is it usually snows one day and is sunny the next. It may be cold, but the sun is out! And, if you are used the the east coast, here is a very dry cold. This mean carrying around lotion, chapstick, and a water bottle everywhere, but when it is cold it doesn't feel so bad.

Let me know if there is anything else you want to know about FortFun. I really like this town. I was skeptical when I moved here 10 years ago, but I have to say it has really really grown on me.
 
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