Massey & Undergrad questions

[SaintSamson]

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Hey,

So I know this is a bit of an odd time of the year to inquire about everything, but my friend gave me a veterinary pre-req book, as she is done with it and has been accepted to 3 different vet schools.

After reviewing everything, I am really, really drawn to Massey University. I have a TON of questions though. Has anyone been accepted/attended Massey in NZ?

I am about 2 years away from completing my degree in biology, and after a rough college start, my gpa is lower than I want it to be, but steadily on the rise. I am attending university full time, even during the summer. I work at a veterinary clinic and will be shadowing a large animal vet in the near future. Aside from making sure I've taken all the correct courses and eventually the GREs, what else should I be doing?
Will the average grades at the beginning of my college career affect me negatively if they steadily improved?

Also, how competative is getting accepted for group 2 of Massey?
I have a lot more questions, lol

 

[hopefulvet21]

As far as Massey goes, I am going to say that yes, bad grades will hurt you because Massey accepts US students based only on the following two criteria: GRE and GPA. They are weighted equally and the top 16 US applicants with the highest GPA/GRE avg. are accepted. You only need a minimum 10 days experience for Massey. I think Massey is hard to be accepted to just because of what their criteria are. I was accepted to 5/7 schools, waitlisted at one, and basically rejected only at Massey. I haven't heard from them so I'm assuming its a rejection....

 

[lazyjayn]

By group two I assume you mean the 4.5 year program?

They do pretty much take straight gpa/ gre. They are *very* grade oriented there.

you could call or e-mail and talk to someone there about your specific case, they tend to be (with some notable exceptions) very helpful, if sometimes slow to answer.

Alternately, you could try the 5 year program- you'd even have time to start this coming february. As a warning tho- the grades are curved interestingly. Something like the top 5% receive some form of A, the next 10 or 15% (don't recall exactly) get some sort of B, and then everyone down to a course grade of 50 or 55% gets a C or C+, and the few percentage points below that can get an R (I think it was) which is a C-, but doesn't count as a pass in major course requirements.

So it's pretty competitive, but if you think you would do well at it, try for it. Oh, and if you're going to live on campus when you first get there- find out where the Year abroad people are- and get them to assign you to the other end of campus. The mainly int'l student hall was pretty quiet, but fun, and you get to cook for yourself.

If you want to know about the town, feel free to ask me- it's been a couple years, but I can give a general idea, if LauraFinn is busy- I think it's fall break there now...

 

[littlehooves]

I did a bit of research myself too and sometimes they will offer you a position into the 1st entry (pre-vet) I guess if they feel you aren't ready for Vet Sci yet. However, be weary of this because if you get accepted into the pre-vet program, this does NOT guarantee you into VetSci, you still have to apply like everyone else, and are still up against the competition.

What the previous poster said, I guess your best bet is to try and ace the rest of your courses- and apply after you are done. If you are still rejected, perhaps look into doing a Master's.....

 

[twelvetigers]

We have a Massey student on the forum here, I'm sure she'll be back on the boards soon.

 

[SaintSamson]

Thanks for all the info!

The not so good grades are not in courses that relate to sciences or to my major and I transferred from a semester school to a term school, so I lost a lot of credits and grades, so I have lots to make up for, and have been receiving good grades since transferring. So by the time I graduate I can definitely achieve a good gpa. I emailed Massey a week ago and have yet to receive a response about whether they look at overall gpa's or course grades more. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but that means I have plenty of time to prepare so I can receive a good score.


I've heard various stuff about the weather in Palmerston North... some say it's like the pacific northwest....I'm from Oregon, and all it does here is rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, and it gets below freezing in winter, but can have heat waves around 100*F in summer.... is Palmerston North similar?

What if I'm planning on renting if I am accepted? Would it be recommended to arrive before the start of school? What about furniture, house furnishing stuff... is it more expensive to ship or to buy stuff in NZ?
What food will I miss (I know peanut butter and mac n cheese and reeses...anything else?)

 

[Massey2ndyear]

Thanks for all the info!

The not so good grades are not in courses that relate to sciences or to my major and I transferred from a semester school to a term school, so I lost a lot of credits and grades, so I have lots to make up for, and have been receiving good grades since transferring. So by the time I graduate I can definitely achieve a good gpa. I emailed Massey a week ago and have yet to receive a response about whether they look at overall gpa's or course grades more. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but that means I have plenty of time to prepare so I can receive a good score.

Massey calculates your GPA from the science courses taken during the last two full-time years of study, so in that sense it is somewhat forgiving. The key is "full-time" (which I'm not sure is four versus five courses/semester courseload) so if you might want to clarify with them what their definition of "full-time" is. But the minimum amount of pre-vet to get into the actual vet program (starting in July rather than the competitive semester that starts in February) is two years, so depending on how good your grades are since since transferring you might be able to apply to start next year and not have your earlier bad grades drag you down. The GPA and GRE scores are weighted equally, so the GRE is quite important. I don't know what the average marks are for getting into the semester 2 start, the last couple of years have apparently been very competitive for the international students who are doing the competitive semester starting in February.
So....take science courses that you are interested in enough to do really well in. I suppose it's a balance between taking ones you will do well in while still keeping your options open to meet the prereqs for other schools but Massey does make it possible to get some kind of amnesty for a less-than-perfect academic past with that most-recent two year rule.

Because most of the NZ students are applying straight out of high school, they don't have huge expectations in the way of vet experience. Just getting handling experience in all sorts of animals (yes, meeting that farm practical requirement beforehand) would be helpful. If you are working in a clinic in any role that will be useful.

Palmerston weather is rotten for lots of the year, wet and windy. It occasionally freezes at night, but never all day. The late summers can be nice. That said it has been a great fall.

It is expensive to go back and forth to the U.S. but living expenses are relatively low here compared to other vet school towns. You can get almost whatever you want food-wise, even real peanut butter. Maybe not macaroni and cheese, but hopefully you don't eat it so much that a few boxes in your luggage couldn't carry you through the year.

 

[lazyjayn]

Shipping things is prohibitively expensive. Two ~60lb boxes were going to cost me about $500 to bring back. You are, for the most part, better off bringing the stuff you think is most important (computer, clothes, maybe a bike) in your luggage, and buying anything else there. Clothes and electronics tend to be much more expensive- With the exchange rate where it is it might not be as bad, but they figure your living expenses in NZD, so you want to bring as much as you can.

Printing can be done at the library, and probably works out cheaper than buying a printer.

The min and max while I was there was something like 25f-75f, with rain and wind from mid march until about x-mas, then mostly sunny/ breezy with some rain x-mas to mid march. They don't call it the land of the long white cloud for nothing.

Oh yeah- if you have a thing for tex-mex or spicy stuff, either be able to fake it with spices from the import stores, or bring it with you-the salsa is pace, and the tortillas are all old el paso. I found myself craving spice enough after a couple months that I was begging everyone I knew at home to send me cans of chipotles in adobo sauce. But YMMV.

-j.

 

[SaintSamson]

Yay, thanks again for all this info!! I enjoy planning and organizing things, so this has been great!!

good to know about the 2-year thing for gpa, as I've calculated that it'll take me about 2 years to finish my degree (since I transferred, none of my general university requirements transferred to the new university). I'm considering retaking the only science class I received a so-so grade in... do you think that's advisable? So far I've been doing very well in my classes and I'm hoping for a 4.0 for this term and to keep that trend going!

Can international students get driving licenses in NZ? Are there swimming beaches nearby? For studying for the classes, do most students study on campus (like the library) or offcampus (home or coffee shops)?

What are some things that every international student should know about applying/coming to Massey??

Also, I've been looking quite a bit at renting and it seems to be a bit difficult to find housing for rent that is okay with dogs? I have two medium sized dogs (40lbs and 50lbs) that will be coming with me (I've already done research on importing dogs, airline costs, quarantine, medical records, etc). Is it possible to find housing that accepts dogs, especially multiple dogs?
If I am accepted, I plan to leave early to find a place to live before school starts... how long would be a safe enough time to find housing? A month? More?

 

[lazyjayn]

If you don't load heavy on the science classes for your last two years, they might make you take the preselection semester- because they'd have nothing really to judge you on. Just a warning.

You can drive on your NA driving license for about a year, then you have to go to AA and change it over. I got the impression that it wasn't very difficult to do. Only major changes (other than k vs m) are the wrong side of the road thing and something called give way- which you'll figure out very fast.

the tasman sea is about 15 or 20 km away, but other than going way up to the northlands you'd have to be a real cold-lover to want to go swimming in it. The weather in wellington is quite similar to that of SF, with nice chilly water. There is public swimming at the Lido center for a small fee.

Study- Seemed split about half and half between the library and home. During the day there are lots of people in the library- after class is over and the in- library cafe shuts down, most everyone goes home.

Things you should know? NZ looks a lot like the US/ Canada, so you won't expect it as much when the really weird stuff happens and throws you off. Oh, and don't sit or put your feet on tables.

Dogs can be a bit tough. Small dropkick-type dogs are fairly easy for housing, anything bigger they don't usually have in the house there. You can play around on trademe, and the school can offer a list. Also, there are usually listings on the classifieds in the secured area of the school website, and on the boards all over campus. For dogs I'd say to ship yourself, then bring them the next semester- time without them would suck, but it'll give you time to adjust... and it's really only a couple of months. You could realistically stay in a hostel when you first land, and be in a flat within a week.

hth

-j.

 

[laurafinn]

Just coming back to the internet after a week. Lazyjayn and Massey2ndYear have summed up things well. The only thing to add, maybe, is that it will be difficult to find a rental that will accept two indoor dogs. To most NZ'ers, 40-50lbs dogs are considered large, and most people in Palmerston North think that large dogs belong outside, not in the house.

This is not to say that finding a rental that will accept your dogs is impossible, just that you'll hear a lot of No's before you hear the essential Yes. And you may have to ...umm... downplay the fact that your dogs will spend time inside. The least dog-unfriendly resources in town to check are the Manawatu Standard newspaper on Saturday, the Professionals rental agents, and Property Brokers rental agents. Also, there are occasionally For Rent posters in the Massey Vet Tower.

It took me about 2 weeks to find a house that would accept my 60 lb dog, and I got the agent to amend the lease to allow him inside.

 

[CatVet2Be]

If you don't load heavy on the science classes for your last two years, they might make you take the preselection semester- because they'd have nothing really to judge you on. Just a warning.

What happens to the people who don't make it past the preselection semester? How tough is it and approximately what percentage of the students continue on to the vet program? A couple of friends are looking into doing this next spring and I know they'd love more information.

 

[lazyjayn]

preselection semester varies- you can pick just about any science class in the catalog, which gives plenty of leeway -- so long as the class isn't a repeat, or (usually) first year science. So plenty of options. If you take the main four that all the local kids are taking it's rather more difficult, because of the curving, and all the local kids doing everything they can to get in that top 5 or 10 percent. they rather skew the curve.

Second year courses (xxx.2xx) require more work, but have a less demanding curve- the A range could be all the way down to 88%, rather than the first year series that can be upward of 95%.

If you don't make it the first semester, you can continue in a different program for spring and the next fall (with course approval from sue gribbon (who's name I've just misspelt)) or you can go home for spring, and do pre-selection again the next fall, with both (or all three) semesters going to your GPA for selection, or you can give up. But you only have to take the goofy STAT F once... Unless you take 5 years off, then you have to take it again.

Or you can go home for 3 years, do something else, then go back with a clean slate. Time consuming, but if you totally fail, it's an option.

Oh, on the off chance the changes throw you totally, you can only take a single course 3 times, then you're excluded from it, and it takes special permission from the departments to get it accepted from a different school- so try not to do that. It's not fun. Or cheap.

 

[lazyjayn]

Oh, yeah- I think they have the acceptance rates for the program on the FAQ page at the vet school site. Pretty sure. I saw it in there somewhere.

It's usually about 1/2 to 1/3 of the people who start make the minimum grades, then about 1/2 to 3/4 of those get a spot. but my numbers could be off a bit.

eta- found it-

"Group 1 International students: The minimum grade will depend on the number of applicants, but all applicants who have completed the pre-selection semester will need to have a minimum weighted grade point average of at least a B, along with a STAT F test score at the same level, in order to be considered for selection.

In 2007 there were 30 students competing for 8 Group 1 places, while in the 3 years previous to that there have been between 24-26 students per year. In 2007, 19 of the applicants met the eligibility requirements for selection and 13 were offered places. In the 2006 intake 9 of the 25 students met the minimum GPA requirement for eligibility of a B average and therefore were eligible for one of the 8 positions. In 2004 and 2005 the number of places was not a limiting factor as in those years only 5 or 6 people actually met the minimum GPA requirement to be eligible for selection"

 

[SaintSamson]

Thank you for the info!!
I'm currently trying to map out the classes I need to complete for my degree in biology and for vet school... I take summer term courses, so I'm hoping to speed things up and finish in 2 years. Almost all the classes I need to take are science classes, so now that I've gotten into the stride of working hard and studying, I'm hopeful that my gpa will turn around quite a bit.
I think I will try for group 2 applications first as I will be completing all the biology courses that coincide with the ones that are offered for the first semester at Massey.
Hopefully I can save up my money in the next year+ so that I can visit Massey and the area (as well as the other universities)!