Here is what a friend of mine from Colorado said:
"I got a phone call a few MONTHS after everyone else got their letters. Unless you get a rejection letter, there is still a VERY GOOD chance you may get in. This school lets in A LOT of people off their wait-list (usually put 150 people on the list). I was in the 100's and enough people decided to go to other schools that I was granted a spot."
This made me feel better so I hope it has the same effect on all of you.
Hey....I know that kid. Haha.
Ok people.....I use to use this network and found advice from my "elders" to be very useful....so please allow me to give you some advice, hope, and possibly lots to look forward to.
1) If you don't get a rejection letter from CSU: GO out an be happy.
Rejection letter means, "sorry, we didn't feel you're right for us". No rejection letter means, "Hey, you're still in our minds and we're looking for a few things to go through before we make our decision about little old you."
2) I was accepted to a few schools and decided between Western and CSU. If you are accepted to CSU and don't visit, you're an idiot! I was an idiot for a while but my gut feeling told me to at least visit the school before I made my final decision (and I had a hefty scholarship to Western which is close to my peeps). I came, I saw, ehhhh, I thought the area was "aight". But I thought the tour I got (from upper classmen) was bomb. THey are students (like me) who can tell you all the bad/good qualities of the school and why they ended up coming here over other school. Very very glad I did the tour and that I came up. I didn't get to experience the nightlife very much during my visit, but it's not bad....it's not LA....but it's not bad.
3) Western (for those of you who care to know)....I mean the ENTIRE western campus.....is the size of our vet teaching hospital. THe peeps who run Western are like family though.....they gave me the royal treatment and I felt like crap telling them that I was withdrawing me app and that they could keep the deposit. THey have hired down-to earth people to run the school....and I think anyone going there would like the people.....PBL was just not something I thought too fondly of.
Moving on.....
4) Our teaching schemes, labs, and even professors have been around for a while (no disrespect to any of them). They have been doing the same thing EVERY YEAR FOR A LONG LONG TIME. They know what they are doing 3.67 years from now, on Wed, at 3PM. That's tiiiight! No surprises. Don't believe me....go to the CSU web-site .....and find out who teaches Physiology in Fall of 2009 and when his 3rd exam is....hey, and what's on it too while you're at it.
Moving on.....
5) There are annual parties, socials, blah blah blah and lots more going on.... a "NET" program which is basically you getting teamed up with a person from every class and a professor. Not the best system since it just started, but your big sib is just 1 of 4 people who can give you advice. Guess every school has something like this though....nothing special.
6) Opportunities up the @ss. I get 10-20 e-mails A DAY about this clinic needing help, a owner whose patient has cancer needs extra help bringing the dog to the hospital and is willing to lend you his keys to the Aspen cabin for a few days, blah blah blah. That's just one example....but just belive me, I try not to check my e-mail because I get a headache just trying to figure out which experiences I want to have. .....
7) Hmm.....ok, what else. Ok.....here is something cool. My professor Ray WHalen...look him up. Awards up the you-know-what....well, it turns out he's been making these programs for vet school students and nearly EVERY vet school uses his stuff. If it wasn't for his programs...I would have surely failed anatomy last semester. He lets us contribute to the programs and has meetings with a few of us so we can tell him what WE want to see done. Funny thing....he actually does it. He's not just BSing around....he makes changes to the program and thanks us for helping him. You'll feel helpless when in vet school because of stress with classes....when a famous, world-renowned professor says "Thank You" to me"..... I get happy.
8) If you get accepted, call Dr. Sherry Stewart. She's the assistant dean...and she's da bomb. If it wasn't for her help/advice/outgoing nature, I would have been in Western's campus right now.
9) Hmmmm.....what else. OK....so it turns out they put A LOT of people on their wait-list because they accept good students and good students often have a lot of choices. Many go to lower-ranked schools for family/work or other reasons. Everyone has their own life to worry about....but this is a good thing if you're on that list. You can be #120 and still have a good chance of getting off that list and in a seat. I did......
11) Not having a GRIP of hours under your belt is OK. Relax....breathe....it's ok. I did more hours in research that your mom and uncle combined....but very few, if anything....in the others. I know what I am interested in....and did just that.
12) No, I decided not to do the joint DVM/Ph.D program...just in case you are wondering.
13) If you're coming....come early. I moved here from Cali the night before school started.....yeah, I had no friends. People start hanging out and bragging about their fabulous undergrad lives a few WEEKS before school starts. They get to know the town.....I waited till later.
14) You need to find 3-5 people you wanna be friends with in grad school.....yes, 3-5 good friends. You will meet people who grew up on farms....have cows as pets.....and wear cowboy clothing on a daily basis. It's alllllll goood, but I was not use to this coming from Cali so I felt out of place for a while. BUT, I found and got to know a few people in my class that I can relate to (even the cowboys) and hang out with them. CLasses are hard....find people to help you cope with that stress early!!!
15) Did you even notice that there was a #10 missing? Gosh....and you want to be a doctor? Haha.....relax...everything is going to be ok. Breathe.....ok, 1 more time. Aight.....I did this for my girl Melissa because she was just as stressed out as some of you people. I hope you all (including her) haul your @sses over here and at least give the school a view. I wish you all the very best....
The Voice Over Your Shoulder,
-Ash-
P.S- I got luv for people with cows as pets....please don't think otherwise. Haha....
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P.S#2 - Hopefully I have addressed your concerns and given some of you hope (which was my original intention). Again....good luck and smile! You've made it this far....we'll get through this together
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That and the out-of-state tuition is really expensive!
like ash said in a previous post, if you're waitlisted, there is an extremely good chance of being accepted.
