Illinois CVM c/o 2023 Hopefuls

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Who do I call if I haven't received a letter?
 
Fooke said:
Who do I call if I haven't received a letter?
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I’d call ASA (Office of Academic and Student Affairs) and they should be able to help you sort things out.
217-265-0380
Honestly not sure if they opened at 8am or don’t open until 9am, but either way it shouldn’t be too hard to reach them.
 
Not sure if this has been asked already but how exactly did some of you current vet students go about getting vaccinated for rabies? Does insurance usually pay for it? And do we need them for day 1 of classes or just by the first set of clinical rotations?
 
-Catecholamine- said:
Not sure if this has been asked already but how exactly did some of you current vet students go about getting vaccinated for rabies? Does insurance usually pay for it? And do we need them for day 1 of classes or just by the first set of clinical rotations?
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You need them by the first day of rotations unless you want to participate in the wildlife clinic

My insurance paid for my rabies series but i don’t think most do. I got mine through Walgreens, you just need to call ahead for them to get the vaccine
 
SportPonies said:
My insurance paid for my rabies series but i don’t think most do. I got mine through Walgreens, you just need to call ahead for them to get the vaccine
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Same same. I was quite shocked mine were covered since my insurance doesn’t pay anything until I reach my deductible and I hadn’t when I was getting the vaccines.
Though my Walgreens close to my house wasn’t able to order the vaccine for unknown reasons and the only one that COULD was like a 30-40 minute drive which sucked.
 
-Catecholamine- said:
Not sure if this has been asked already but how exactly did some of you current vet students go about getting vaccinated for rabies? Does insurance usually pay for it? And do we need them for day 1 of classes or just by the first set of clinical rotations?
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I got mine through the school, which did not pay for it. You need it by second quarter unless you join wildlife. In that case, you can't handle mammals until you complete it.
 
batsenecal said:
I got mine through the school, which did not pay for it. You need it by second quarter unless you join wildlife. In that case, you can't handle mammals until you complete it.
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How much did you pay for it if you don't mind my asking? Does it cost less to do it through the school vs. getting it done somewhere else?
 
-Catecholamine- said:
How much did you pay for it if you don't mind my asking? Does it cost less to do it through the school vs. getting it done somewhere else?
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Currently McKinley charges $320 per vaccine and you need 3. They raised the price last August so hopefully it won’t go up again this year, but August 1 is the earliest you can start them at McKinley iirc. I know my ones from Walgreens were more before my insurance decided to cover them, but I can’t remember exactly what. Less than $400 each, but for me it was easier to just do them at home and get them over with over the summer and not have to worry. Mine somehow they ended up being covered though which I am a fan of.

Update: found my stuff from Walgreens and it says they were $350 before my insurance.
 
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Did you have to get a titer after getting vaccinated to make sure you were producing enough antibodies? I had previously interned at a wildlife rescue and needed to get the rabies vaccine series, and they also made us get a titer, and my titer was too low so they told me I would need to be vaccinated again. My titer was also only a month after receiving the series.
 
aspiringvet7 said:
Did you have to get a titer after getting vaccinated to make sure you were producing enough antibodies? I had previously interned at a wildlife rescue and needed to get the rabies vaccine series, and they also made us get a titer, and my titer was too low so they told me I would need to be vaccinated again. My titer was also only a month after receiving the series.
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They told me to get a titer 2 years after getting vaccinated.
 
-Catecholamine- said:
Not sure if this has been asked already but how exactly did some of you current vet students go about getting vaccinated for rabies? Does insurance usually pay for it? And do we need them for day 1 of classes or just by the first set of clinical rotations?
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I got mine done at school, because finding someone near my hometown was not easy for me. They were also more expensive at home and my insurance did not cover it.
 
aspiringvet7 said:
Did you have to get a titer after getting vaccinated to make sure you were producing enough antibodies? I had previously interned at a wildlife rescue and needed to get the rabies vaccine series, and they also made us get a titer, and my titer was too low so they told me I would need to be vaccinated again. My titer was also only a month after receiving the series.
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Oh man so did you have to get the series all over again or just a booster?
I got my rabies vaccination done about three years ago now so I am going to have to look into getting a rabies titer too.
 
Chihuahualove22 said:
Oh man so did you have to get the series all over again or just a booster?
I got my rabies vaccination done about three years ago now so I am going to have to look into getting a rabies titer too.
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I will have to get it all over again, I haven't gotten it again yet because it is so expensive and I haven't been accepted to any schools yet, just waitlisted.
 
Chihuahualove22 said:
Oh man so did you have to get the series all over again or just a booster?
I got my rabies vaccination done about three years ago now so I am going to have to look into getting a rabies titer too.
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McKinley at school does titers too, so you could get one here if you can’t figure out somewhere else to get one or its more expensive. Their price list says $55.
aspiringvet7 said:
I will have to get it all over again, I haven't gotten it again yet because it is so expensive and I haven't been accepted to any schools yet, just waitlisted.
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Really? You have to do the whole thing again instead of just a booster?? 😱
 
ISO: Hey guys! My current third year roommate and I (current first year) are looking for one more person to fill our townhouse! We live right next to mejier, monica's pizza and Carle! We are about an 8 min drive from vet med and would love to mentor a first year. Please message for more details!
 
Current Illinois students - do you remember how financial aid went for you? For instance, I'm a little frustrated with Illinois because I reached out in an email a few days ago and they said that they do not start doing fin aid for graduate students until April/June. Which means that they expect us to make a decision for school without any financial aid info which I personally think is a little crazy. I got my fin aid information from Purdue and they're offering me $6,500 in scholarships which I thought was really great and I just wish Illinois was more open with their process. From what I hear though hardly any first years get scholarships, correct? Any thoughts or insights you guys have would be great!
 
ZeusDVM13 said:
I just wish Illinois was more open with their process.
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So financial aid is totally different from vet med. Did you talk to ASA or to fin aid? If it was the former, it would be worth your while to call fin aid directly.

If it was fin aid that told you that, then that's unfortunate, but still separate from vet med. It would be great if they would be more forth coming, and I'm surprised that they told you that. our scholarships are currently being discussed. I would give them another call.

It also might not hurt to tell them you have scholarship offers at other schools and want to weigh your options evenly

ZeusDVM13 said:
From what I hear though hardly any first years get scholarships, correct?
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Correct. Very few first years get scholarships and the vast majority are told outright I think.
 
aspiringvet7 said:
Did you have to get a titer after getting vaccinated to make sure you were producing enough antibodies? I had previously interned at a wildlife rescue and needed to get the rabies vaccine series, and they also made us get a titer, and my titer was too low so they told me I would need to be vaccinated again. My titer was also only a month after receiving the series.
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You should get a titer every 2 years, but the school has not required titers from students since I've been here.
 
SkiOtter said:
McKinley at school does titers too, so you could get one here if you can’t figure out somewhere else to get one or its more expensive. Their price list says $55.

Really? You have to do the whole thing again instead of just a booster?? 😱
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I'm honestly not sure. My titer level was basically as if I hadn't been vaccinated so I wouldn't be surprised if I had to redo the entire series.
 
Thinking of adopting a dog before starting first year, for those vet students who brought a dog into first year, how hard was it to balance financially and time wise? Thanks in advance!!
 
ZeusDVM13 said:
Current Illinois students - do you remember how financial aid went for you? For instance, I'm a little frustrated with Illinois because I reached out in an email a few days ago and they said that they do not start doing fin aid for graduate students until April/June. Which means that they expect us to make a decision for school without any financial aid info which I personally think is a little crazy. I got my fin aid information from Purdue and they're offering me $6,500 in scholarships which I thought was really great and I just wish Illinois was more open with their process. From what I hear though hardly any first years get scholarships, correct? Any thoughts or insights you guys have would be great!
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In the same boat! I emailed them asking when we would know about scholarships/fin aid (not expecting to be awarded any scholarships, but still....) and they said most likely we would know that after the April 15th date which worries me. I agree it's an important deciding factor especially as I, too, received a small scholarship from another school....
 
I called financial aid just now and they said we’d find out abt our package by around the end of March, or at least before that mid-April deadline! they’re taking care of the incoming undergrads first before they get to all their grad students apparently
 
moogz said:
I called financial aid just now and they said we’d find out abt our package by around the end of March, or at least before that mid-April deadline! they’re taking care of the incoming undergrads first before they get to all their grad students apparently
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MVP :claps:
 
I feel like it is very weird to have to pay $500 (non-refundable) for an alternate status while other veterinary schools don't have their alternates pay to hold their place. Can someone let me know if this is a new thing or if other vet schools do this?
 
wildfox123 said:
I feel like it is very weird to have to pay $500 (non-refundable) for an alternate status while other veterinary schools don't have their alternates pay to hold their place. Can someone let me know if this is a new thing or if other vet schools do this?
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I'm also an alternate, and my letter did not say anything about paying a $500deposit to hold my place.
 
wildfox123 said:
I feel like it is very weird to have to pay $500 (non-refundable) for an alternate status while other veterinary schools don't have their alternates pay to hold their place. Can someone let me know if this is a new thing or if other vet schools do this?
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What
Are you sure you got the correct piece of paper? You shouldn’t have a deposit for the alternate list. Contact ASA. I assume they stuck the wrong form (seat acceptance) in your alternate letter instead of the alternate list form.
 
Hazeldogtor said:
Thinking of adopting a dog before starting first year, for those vet students who brought a dog into first year, how hard was it to balance financially and time wise? Thanks in advance!!
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I did it and it's worked out fine! If you do, I would do it sooner rather than later so you have time to commit to initial training. And obviously be smart when choosing a dog. I personally wouldn't want anything too high energy, and I wouldn't want to deal with a super young puppy right now. Then again, I know several people that got high energy puppies right as school was starting and they survived lol, so I guess just know yourself and what you're ready for. You pretty much lose the option to study outside of your house during the week so if you're an obligate library or coffee shop studier, you might struggle. Otherwise, my dog is the best study buddy, study distraction, and emotional support! I haven't regretted my decision to adopt her and bring her here with me once!

Financially, I've been able to afford it just fine, even with my lack of self control when it comes to impulse buying cute doggie things lol.

If you have any other questions, feel free to message me!
 
c/o2023hopeful said:
does illinois have mandatory attendance for any class?
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Clinical Correlations (generally once a week) is usually attendance based or sometimes it’s an assignment instead. Some elective classes are mandatory attendance and anatomy lab you have to go to since dissection points will be deducted if your group thinks you’re not participating(which, if you’re not attending lab you’re essentially not really helping dissect the animals).
But the core first year classes like physio, histo, anatomy lecture, neurobio, and imaging are not mandatory attendance and are lecture captured.
 
would anyone mind posting their schedule or just describing it with times included? just trying to get a feel for what a week is like!
 
c/o2023hopeful said:
would anyone mind posting their schedule or just describing it with times included? just trying to get a feel for what a week is like!
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We don’t have a set schedule and everything changes daily. This year it’s been generally 9-4 MWF (with 1-4 being anatomy lecture then 2 hours of lab), 9-3 or so Tuesday, 9-12 Thursday. Sometimes we have 8 AMs but the course coordinator for first year tries to have them as infrequently as possible. Sadly we have a whole week of them the end of this quarter </3
And then if you take any electives, they’ll be later in the day or Thursday afternoon.
 
c/o2023hopeful said:
does illinois have mandatory attendance for any class?
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Also worth noting that many/most of the second year lectures will have "pop quiz" clicker questions during the lecture. They're not graded and based entirely on attendance, but you often don't know when they'll be ahead of time, so you have to attend to get those points if it's a clicker day. You WILL be hit with major repercussions if other people are found using your clicker for you while you're not in attendance.
 
Curious to know what type of technology is allowed during lectures? I currently use an iPad to take hand written notes during lecture and just wanted to see if this was allowed?
 
ZeusDVM13 said:
Curious to know what type of technology is allowed during lectures? I currently use an iPad to take hand written notes during lecture and just wanted to see if this was allowed?
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90% of people take notes on computers or tablets
 
ZeusDVM13 said:
Curious to know what type of technology is allowed during lectures? I currently use an iPad to take hand written notes during lecture and just wanted to see if this was allowed?
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I use an iPad Pro! You’ll definitely want to make sure you have access to some sort of laptop though. I don’t think they allow us to use the iOS app version of the exam software 🙁
 
thetrukillat said:
So I got accepted, but other than my actual interview, I didn't go to any of the other activities on the itinerary during interview day. What did I miss?
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A tour of vetmed (you can get one at orientation or schedule one if you’re on campus over the summer) and an info session with our associate dean!
 
What do you current students use to haul your stuff around campus? I'm debating between laptop bag and backpack.
 
Backpack all the way. You're going to carry around more than your laptop more than likely.
 
Is there a general timeline of receiving info over the next couple months after sending deposit? like when was first correspondence about student accounts and schedules and things?
 
sophiecat17 said:
Is there a general timeline of receiving info over the next couple months after sending deposit? like when was first correspondence about student accounts and schedules and things?
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Class schedule you won’t get until just before school starts. I wanna say netID/e-mail address was mid to late May? And once you get your netID you can even REGISTER FOR CLASS. Make that **** official.
And then basically everything else you’ll need to do eventually will be on the admitted students page on the same website that had info about interview day, but I don’t think they’ve updated it yet from the dates for 2022.
 
Where do most of the vet students live around? Any particular area or are they all scattered as i know our schedules are a lot busier than the undergrads and some Appartments suggestions please
 
zekepatel1997 said:
Where do most of the vet students live around? Any particular area or are they all scattered as i know our schedules are a lot busier than the undergrads and some Appartments suggestions please
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The Village, Fairlawn Village, house rentals, Hessel on the Park are a few that come to mind.
 
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