Hey!
I was denied Western in the 2005-2006 application cycle. GPA 3.2, GRE 1260 (verbal 650, analytical 5.0, quantitative 610). over 1500 hours SA clinic, about 100 equine practice. Hardships mentioned in application, mother having terminal cancer for large amount of college(mom was still alive when throughout the application cycle), three deaths in one year two right before finals. I was wait listed and requested an exit interview. In my exit interview they said I was a perfectly acceptable candidate, they just didn't have enough spots. It took some hard questions they did not want to answer but I got them to tell me straight out what would help me the most. The answer was improve my diversity, after passing the interview they seat for diversity. So the only thing I could do was get 200-500 hours in other veterinary environments. That way I'd be more of an asset in the PBL system. They also informe dme that I could send an updated CV at anytime during the application cycle and the newest would be used upon any further evaluation.
So if you want western and they have told you your academics are alright go do different things! work in LA (equine and farm) SA (GP and specialty), exotic, wildlife, shelter etc. Look at your experiences and really beef them up. They told me 200 hours at any one place would be considered enough to be significant, and 500 would be more than enough. Send them an updated CV after you add and every chunk of 200 hrs.
That being said, I didn't reapply to Western, even though I LOVE their program because I was accepted to Murdoch University in Perth Australia. If you are coming to the point of considering schools outside the US look into the AVMA accredited ones too please. There are lots of options for you and I could not be happier with my choice. It is costing me significantly less than Western would have; I get Federal Loans; it is accredited. I have no idea what the conditions for importing a horse would be though... I've copied below my post from another thread. I thought you might find it informative.
Good Luck whatever route you choose!!!
There are eight AVMA accredited foreign schools at the moment. Seven of them are located in English speaking countries. You can find the list here:
http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/c...ed/foreign.asp The websites for the schools is also listed on that page.
I am in my first semester at Murdoch University and couldn't be happier with my decision. It is "easier" to get into some of the accredited foreign schools. I say easier in quotes because it is still competitive. At Murdoch, for instance, (up until now) the majority of incoming Aussie students were school leavers. In other words right out of high school. When you compare a North American applicant that has a BA or BS, years of experience in a clinic, LORs from vets, and is a bit more mature to the other applicants we look great. I have a feeling one's LOR, essay, and experience carry more weight in comparison to GPA here because they can take those things as a measure of commitment to the profession.
Murdoch is changing their process for incoming Aussies to require at least one year of college before matriculation. North American applicants are not actually competing for spots with Aussies students; there are two different applicant pools, however, the way the system was originally set does influence the current criteria for application.
Also, not as many people apply to foreign school yet, smaller applicant pool = better chances. I've found that the caliber of North American students here is NOT lower than one would find in a US school. Rather, those people who have horrid GRE scores or not a so great GPA that would have spent the time an money on 2-3-5 application cycles to eventually get into a US or Canadian school can get in here. Like I said earlier, it is still competitive. There are 30 odd spots for international students every year at Murdoch. The year I applied (2006) there were just over 300 applicants. That number includes other internationals. The mix in my class seems to be about 20 North Americans and 10 other internationals.
Some other things that always seem to come up:
You can receive federal financial aid if you attend an AVMA accredited school. This is not always the case at non-accredited schools.
This is not true for everyone, or every school, but I am spending less overall coming here than I would have to go to a US school.
Your spouse or defacto spouse can come with you and work. Defacto's must have shared a household and bills for at least 1 year. They can work as much as you can work in Oz, 20 hrs per week during school, 40 hrs on breaks. They can also apply for their own visa and get a full working visa that does not have an hourly restriction. There are jobs for you and your family in Australia. I cannot speak for other foreign schools on that one.
You can bring your pets. It's expensive and time consuming but it can be done and a large percentage of my class are doing it.
You do not graduate with a DVM or VMD. Because the intake for most foreign school is right after high school this is considered a bachelor's program. This part is really odd, and some people have a really hard time with it. However it really doesn't mean anything in the long run. The letters after your name will be different, yes, but it does not affect how or where or under what circumstances you practice medicine. You can still be called Doctor, you can still practice veterinary medicine just like any of your North American colleagues.
For me going to a Caribbean school just wasn't worth it since I had other options. it wasn't worth the hassle and money of the extra exams. It wasn't worth the extra cost of attendance and not getting federal financial aid. It wasn't worth my SO not being able to find a job in his field.
For everyone thinking about going abroad for Vet school: Please Please Please do all of your research. It takes an awful lot of commitment to pack everything up and move to another country and start a rigorous program. There are lots of options if you decide it is for you.
