Massey University - any veterinary students or former students with advice?

[landis792]

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Hi all,
First off, I am an older applicant, 49 years old, who is in the final stages of completing a MS degree in biology. In the past, I applied to vet school at UC Davis (my home state); as well as, AVC, Massey and Murdoch. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful getting accepted. I applied to UC Davis twice, and talked to their admissions to discuss my application. I was told my experience has been too narrow (zoo medicine) and the length of time between when I completed undergraduate and graduate school appears to be a negative. Working full-time, while I attended grad school P/T, seems to have be an issue as well. Since I appear to be uncompetitive, I have thought about attending Massey University for the February semester and competing for a spot for July. I have had a number of vets discourage me from applying to either Western or the Caribbean. What advice might you recommend? Thank you in advance.

 

[wattsy13]

Hi! I studied at Massey for a semester on a study abroad program during my undergrad. It was a really great school. I actually almost stayed for vet school but changed my mind about it as I wanted to be closer to my family. If you're looking to gain acceptance, they prefer if you do a semester there and take the Stat-F test (Group 1 admissions). They said it shows that you've already taken the plunge and moved to New Zealand - it shows you're committed. I was there Spring 2013 and there were about 40ish people competing for 10-15 spots. The odds really don't get an better. As far as classes go, you can take whatever you like so long as you've fulfilled their pre-req courses. New Zealand is a great place to live, Palmy, where the school is located is a super nice little city. I would suggest you contact the school and see what they say. Massey only requires like a day of shadowing a vet or something along those lines in terms of needed experience. It is a 4.5 year program (5 with the semester of undergrad) and it is a bit pricey. In terms of the education you'll get, you will not be stepping down in terms of the quality of program. Massey has a top notch program with great resources. I walked by their teaching hospital everyday to class and would gawk at everything going on. You might feel a bit out of place with all the younger students around but it's a pretty great school. If you want to come back and practice in the US, there are few issues that we have (like lymes disease) that they don't and vice versa so you may have some gaps in your education that are more pertinent to practicing in the US but I could be totally wrong. Feel free to message me if you have more questions!

 

[landis792]

Thank you very much wattsy13. Did you really get accepted into Cornell? Congratulations!
I've talked to two American women who went to Massey for vet school. One had an overall negative experience and the other had a positive experience. I have contacted their admissions department, after not getting accepted directly into semester two. I guess the question I have to answer is how important is vet school to me and secondly is their a way to accomplish it in the U.S. If not, then I have to think is it better to be a vet or not.
I very much appreciate your advice. Thank you so much 🙂

 

[ChittyBang]

Hi all,
First off, I am an older applicant, 49 years old, who is in the final stages of completing a MS degree in biology. In the past, I applied to vet school at UC Davis (my home state); as well as, AVC, Massey and Murdoch. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful getting accepted. I applied to UC Davis twice, and talked to their admissions to discuss my application. I was told my experience has been too narrow (zoo medicine) and the length of time between when I completed undergraduate and graduate school appears to be a negative. Working full-time, while I attended grad school P/T, seems to have be an issue as well. Since I appear to be uncompetitive, I have thought about attending Massey University for the February semester and competing for a spot for July. I have had a number of vets discourage me from applying to either Western or the Caribbean. What advice might you recommend? Thank you in advance.

Didn't you start a thread just the other week asking this exact question?...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/1046512/

 

[landis792]

I did ChittyBang and I appreciated your response/advice. I didn't mean to "troll" the same question, however, at the time yours was the only response I received. I hope a couple more people might weigh in.

 

[ChittyBang]

No worries, just "bump" older threads next time by simply commenting on them...they'll go right to the top 😉

 

[landis792]

No worries, just "bump" older threads next time by simply commenting on them...they'll go right to the top

Thank you. I didn't know that "bumping" was allowed. In some forums it isn't.

 

[wattsy13]

Thank you very much wattsy13. Did you really get accepted into Cornell? Congratulations!

Eeeek! Yes!! I am super excited, it's been my dream school since I was like 4 so it's been a long time coming! I'm glad I came back to the US and applied!

As far as Massey goes, it is a big move for sure. New Zealand is an AWESOME country and I loved my time there. If you're interested in dairy or sheep, that is the way to go! It was a big change for me to live in a different country even for 5 months, so 5 years would really be a challenge. If you're flying solo and don't have much tying you down, you don't really have anything to loose. I am really close to my family and have a young nephew and just wasn't willing to give that up for the next 4.5 years.

Best of luck though and if you're still interested in vet med but vet school just doesn't seem reachable, you should check out the masters of public health program that ohio state offers. It has a concentration in vet med, but you don't need a DVM to earn it (compared to most vet related master of public health degrees). You could be working within the profession just in a different aspect. That's the link to their program: http://vet.osu.edu/vph-mph

 

[landis792]

Eeeek! Yes!! I am super excited, it's been my dream school since I was like 4 so it's been a long time coming! I'm glad I came back to the US and applied!

As far as Massey goes, it is a big move for sure. New Zealand is an AWESOME country and I loved my time there. If you're interested in dairy or sheep, that is the way to go! It was a big change for me to live in a different country even for 5 months, so 5 years would really be a challenge. If you're flying solo and don't have much tying you down, you don't really have anything to loose. I am really close to my family and have a young nephew and just wasn't willing to give that up for the next 4.5 years.

Best of luck though and if you're still interested in vet med but vet school just doesn't seem reachable, you should check out the masters of public health program that ohio state offers. It has a concentration in vet med, but you don't need a DVM to earn it (compared to most vet related master of public health degrees). You could be working within the profession just in a different aspect. That's the link to their program: http://vet.osu.edu/vph-mph

Again thank you for the advice. If given the choice, I would prefer to go to Davis, than go overseas to another country, however, I do ponder what you said "but vet school just doesn't seem reachable". I know, I can get the grades to get accepted into Massey, however, given the cost, it might not be the best idea given the debt I will accumulate. I could be a field biologist in S. California, but will I have regrets because I never reached my goal of becoming a vet? Difficult question to answer, I tend to think yes. For me though, advice from others can help me focus on what is really important. Thank you very much. I wish all you dreams may be fulfilled.

 

[wattsy13]

Best of luck!!! And if you really have your heart set on it, keep trying! If you have any other questions about Massey, feel free to message me!

P.S. Another thing to consider about Massey is the living cost in NZ. You can eat pretty cheaply if you buy the right stuff but everything there is more expensive. Chicken is like $15-20 kilo 🙁 Rent is also higher and you pay by the week, not month. But on the plus side you can do without a car and Massey students ride public transit free with their ID.