Massey Vet

[annichi]

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Is there anyone out there who is going/went to Massey University and could offer some advice?? 😎
thanks!!

 

[soccerduck11]

I've been accepted to Massey for the July semester as well. Are you going to be attending for sure? I should know definitely by the end of this week. I am really excited about it though, everyone that I've talked to has only positive things to say about the school.

 

[lazyjayn]

What kind of advice are you looking for? I'm at massey, but not currently in the vet program (something about studying....) but if you've got more general questions about the school, town, whatever, I might be able to help out. Other wise, every once in a while a couple of the other current students (the studious ones) come wandering thru....

j.

 

[laurafinn]

Sure, I'm in second year vet here and always willing to give advice 🙂

 

[laurafinn]

I'm procrastinating tonight, so here is one piece of advice I can think of:

Get some of your books before you leave the States, it's cheaper and faster. There is no one book you must have or you will fail the course, but these are the common texts used in first semester last year (things might change, but I think these are pretty standard vet school books):

• Evans' Guide to the Dissection of the Dog - any recent edition is fine, they don't change much - pretty much essential
• Saunders Veterinary Dictionary - pretty much essential
• Dyce's Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy (used for 2-3 semesters) - I'm on the fence about this one, but I believe it is listed as "required" - you may be able to find a used copy once you get here
• Cunningham's Textbook of Veterinary Physiology (used for 2-3 semesters) - hate this book, but it is suggested every term by lecturers, so I feel like I have to include it here - may be able to get by without it
• Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy: Vol 3. The Dog and Cat - nice to have, a bit of a luxury
• McGeady's Veterinary Embryology - not essential, but nice to have as background

There's a book for biochem, but there should be a number of used copies for sale by other vet students once you get here.

You can actually check some of these books out of the Massey library - they do carry multiple copies of the Dyce and Cunningham books -- but it's a bit of a gamble as to whether they'll be in when you need them.

 

[annichi]

omg, gosh, thanks for all your advice. That's awesome!
I'm set on going to Massey for the class of 2011.
I actually studied abroad to Massey from Feb - July 2006 and fell in love with the country basically and met heaps of amazing people, in which i'm meeting up with all over again!!

Here's some random things I thought about....
I was just wondering about how everyone is paying for vet school!! I mean.. I calculated.. and with the loans I have out after graduating undergrad, I'll probably be $140K in debt! Are there specific loans that are good. I'm going to take out the maximum federal stafford loan.. but i'm going to need way more money than that... and do we need to get the rabies vaccine before we arrive to massey.


Thanks for all that advice on the books Laurafinn... but won't it be expensive to put all those textbooks in your suitcase??? I taking biochemistry now ... and it's the 3rd edition of Donald and Judith Voet's Biochemistry txtbook.... For all those other books and such.. should I just search amazon or half.com and buy any edition?? or were they specific kinds??? I'm definetely going to take your advice and start buying now!! thanks sooo much!!!!

I'm sorry if i start bombarding these pages with questions... =T

 

[lazyjayn]

OOh! Ooh! Some stuff I can answer!

After the staffords, there's gradPLUS loans that are your friends, and private loans the school approves that are your friends, and sallie mae or similar loans that don't go anywhere near the school and keep you from getting deported when the school/ loan company/ bank combo stops dead (as it does).

Once you apply for the loans and get everything set, make sure you e-mail the loan chick every week until she sends it out/ approves it. Then when classes start, again with the weekly (or daily) e-mails until the money clears into your account. She can be a bit forgetful otherwise.

NZ doesn't have rabies, so I don't think they vax students for it. But you probably need it before you do any extramural-type-stuff back home. I hear it's cheap in BKK, but you have to be there on and off for most of a month.

split the books between your bags and you should stay under the weight limit. Or hunt down a super cheap land freight company and send them now. they might get here by july. or both.

 

[annichi]

thanks for the advice!!

So sallie mae is probably the best way to go? is that what you're using??

ooo.. and what's a good website to get cheap tickets from the U.S. to NZ??

 

[lazyjayn]

for tickets I use either kayak.com or expedia, tho depending on the season you might get some good deals by calling air NZ directly. kayak will find flights from small local airports to the small airport here (PMR), which expedia won't. by small I mean anywhere airNZ doesn't fly in the us.

sallie mae (or something like it) is the evil demon of way too high interest (libor +1.5-10%?- credit card rates) that you have to deal with if you want money within about 4 months of school starting. molasses will flow uphill in the middle of an alaskan winter before this school will start dealing with loans competently.

eta: most of my loans are thru student loan xpress, with some stafford straight with amsa, or whatever it's called. Mostly held by b of a, i think. there's a couple co's around that specialize in foreign enrolled NA students. but i'm too lazy to hunt them down at the moment.

more?

j.

 

[Emio]

sallie mae (or something like it) is the evil demon of way too high interest

thanks for bringing that up. i made financial mistakes in undergrad (i.e. not making an effort to search for reasonable loans, etc) and ended up taking a sallie mae loan out every single semester. some of those loans have interest rates of 14.5%. not even kidding.

i'd advise staying away from sallie mae. my interest alone is over 4500 dollars. easier said than done, but scavange for scholarships! but i'm sure you already knew that. just giving numbers to consider 😳

 

[laurafinn]

Thanks for all that advice on the books Laurafinn... should I just search amazon or half.com and buy any edition?? or were they specific kinds?

Annichi, Great! It's cool that you're coming back to Massey.

I haven't flown since the whole you-can't-carryon-anything-an-airplane debacle, so I don't know if you can do this still, but... no one weighed carryons at the USA end when I went, so I just stuffed all my heavy stuff in my carryon. Of course, I got busted at the Auckland Domestic Terminal by a very earnest AirNZ clerk, but they checked my carryon through to Palmerston North gratis.

Biochem is the one book it may just be easier to buy here - it's only NZ$100 or so, and there are usually tons of used copies going for NZ$65. The book is available at the college bookstore, since it's used for the general biochem class as well as the vet one. The lecturers do give a bunch of references like "read pages xxx-xxx in Elliot & Elliot 3rd edition" (which is the book we used). Also, bring your syllabus for your current biochem class, because you may be able to get out of taking biochem here (by taking a challenge exam), which would save you 1/4 off tuition.

The thing about buying books in the States vs. here is that most books are available through the "Vet Bookshop" where you order books the first or second week of school, and then wait 2-3 weeks for your books to get to you Being American and all, I'm not that patient! Luckily, the lecturers try to make most examinable material available through the (free) study guides, so the books are less important - but still, it's hard when you want to read more about something, but can't. A lot of students are buying direct from Amazon these days instead of going through Vet Bookshop.

For the other books - just buy them off Amazon or Half - any edition of Guide to the Dissection of the Dog is fine - you can save a ton of money on this book - I have the 3rd edition, which is ancient, but the content is essentially the same as the 6th, which is the current one. Dyce and Cunningham are both on 3rd edition now - I haven't seen older editions, so I don't know how much has changed. Vet Embryology (McGeady) just came out - I don't think there'd been a new vet embryology book for 20 years. lazyjayn's idea of buying them and having them sent ahead is a good one - if you buy a bunch at one time from Amazon, you could have Amazon ship them to NZ for you. The main PITA about getting books here is the wait, and the added shipping costs of getting several used books from multiple sellers.

For student loans, it works best to use companies the financial aid coordinator is familiar with - ie, Student Loan International (aka SLI or Student Loan Express). They are actually trying on this end to make the process go more smoothly, and this year I got my loan $$$ without problem. Stafford and GradPlus loans are how I'm paying, both received through SLI.

Anyway, hope this helps. You could just show up here in July with the clothes on your back and be fine, so don't worry too much about the books. I'm a bibliophile (and frugal about some things) so I've kinda overfocused on the bookbuying angle.

All the best,

Laura

 

[annichi]

Hey again,

Thanks Laurafinn!! I'll definitely start shipping and buying books!!

Did any of you guys, from America, had to do a full medical exam and chest xray and all that stuff? What about getting vaccinated for rabies?

I've been emailing the international office at massey with heaps of questions, but they sure do take a while to respond...

and those who have or are in the Massey vet program, I know that we graduate with a Bachelor of veterinary science, but when we go back to the states, are we considered Doctors? for instance, will my clients refer to me as Dr. annichi or will I just have a degree on my wall that says "BVSC"

And does anyone know the % of massey vet graduates passing the NAVLE exam after they come back to the states, cause I know that a school such as St. George's has been raving about their 95% rate of their graduates ace-ing the board exam.

If my semester starts this July 2007... when do I need to start processing my VISA stuff? Will Massey guide me in doing this? cause they reply soo slow!!!! =[

Thanks again for all your help everyone =]

 

[lazyjayn]

because the vet thing is more than 6 month (I think that's the limit....)s, you need the full medical exam and x-ray. mine cost about $800 for everything, but it may be cheaper or more expensive, depending. you can get the forms (pdf) from the immigration web site. You can't do it more than 3 months out, I think (or was it 4...). You need to get your fingerprints to the FBI ASAP, if you haven't done it already. they'll take every last one of the 8-12 weeks, I promise, and you can't send off for your visa until you have it.

My visa was processed at the LA office and they sent my passport back to me the day after they got it, shiny new visa and all. I think it was $30 or $36 round trip for my passport and papers overnight on FredEx.

Re: the doctor thing- they've talked about this in the RVC/ other threads. Once you're practicing as a vet, You're Doctor name BVSc (or whatever).

Eloise (the international student contact person) says they pass, but I don't remember at what rate. I think you take it between 4th and 5th year, not after you go home, actually.

You need to find actual people at the school to e-mail. Much faster that way. Eloise's e-mail (if you're not already in contact with her) is on the vet school page- some where.. I'm sure she can help you out with some/ most of your questions. And if not, I think she has a staff directory with all the phone #'s and e-mails in it.

Sorry I'm not more exact, I be a bit sick.

j.

 

[hzoobie]

hey lazyjayn, you went Massey through the group 1 didn't you? How competitive was it? How many people were in that program?

 

[laurafinn]

Annichi,

I did the health exam stuff when I still had insurance with my employer in the US, which was cool. It ended up being $50 in copays. The NZIS web site has good info about the student visa process - http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/. They change the rules often, it seems, so you want to follow their advice, not mine! The one thing I remember is that any UPS Store offers fingerprinting, in case your police dept doesn't do it for free. The visa process sounds a little complicated, but if you just take it step by step, it's really no problem. Massey may not give you much guidance on the issue, but worst case scenario, you come in as a tourist and get a student visa once you get here. It's free to apply from the US, though, so try and get it beforehand 🙂

I don't know about rabies - I ended up getting vaccinated for my volunteer work in the US before I came to Massey, but I don't recall hearing other vet students here getting shots. The vaccinations in the US cost a small fortune, so I would avoid it if possible. NZ is rabies-free.

Massey hasn't had many students go to the US to practice yet, but I haven't heard of anyone who has failed the NAVLE. I know of one woman who took it last year and passed.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Laura

 

[laurafinn]

hzoobie, I did the pre-selection semester last year so I'll chime in. There were 25-30 people for the 8 spots. This year, it's 32 international students plus any full-fee paying Kiwis, or that's the rumor.

I think the level of competitiveness really depends. If you are doing the core 4 papers, it's fairly rough going. (The core 4 papers are Biology of Cells, Biology of Animals, Physics for the Life Sciences and Chemistry & Living Systems. Each has a weekly lab.) If you've gotten excused from 2 or more of the core 4, I think it's much easier. This is because all grades at Massey are curved. The core 4 classes are composed almost exclusively of very motivated pre-vet students. Other classes at Massey are composed of, well, students with a wide range of motivation levels.

What makes it harder is that the majority of your grade in most classes is determined by the final exam. So you really don't know how you did until the semester is over - the midterms give you some idea, but nothing set in stone.

 

[annichi]

hey laurafinn,

again, thank you for all this advice! i hope i can get it all done in a month =]

When you said a lot of massey grads didn't go back to the US, are you talking about Americans that did not return to the US to practice?

One last question, do you have any idea how much a vet makes a year in US dollars? Cause i'm filling out my loan exit and entry stuff and it seems that if I don't make X amount, I won't be able to pay my loans back.

And did you health exam include the xray stuff?

 

[lazyjayn]

annichi- a vet working in NZ or one working back in the states? intern, farm, SA, emergency?

I had to get an x-ray (2 actually) for the health exam, and a bunch of blood work. If you're covered by insurance right now, you might want to call and ask them if they'll consider it a reasonable expense. There's extra forms and stuff... um... on the immigration web site, I think, for the x-ray part.

Somehow I don't think that's what you're asking tho.

j.

 

[laurafinn]

Annichi,

It's not necessarily that Americans don't go back to America to practice. Massey only received AVMA accreditation in 2002 (they were the first school in Australasia to earn it), so it hasn't graduated many Americans yet. 🙂 I am returning to the US after I graduate from Massey, as are most American students I know.

As for salaries, UC Davis' 2006 New Graduate Survey: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/placementservices/2006_Compensation.pdf The average is in all types of private practice is about $65K + benefits. Other areas of the US may offer slightly less. Becoming a vet makes no economic sense, which is probably something you should confront before signing on the bottom line. 🙁 You can extend your loans over 30 years, which makes your monthly payment less, but still pretty high.

In NZ, first year vets make about US$35K, which obviously will not allow to you pay back loans.

I got the chest X-rays as part of my visa process.

Laura

PS: I think our intl vet student liaison is in North America for a couple of weeks, so don't stress if you don't hear from her immediately.

 

[annichi]

Hi again guys,

sorry for all these questions....... but...
I'm not quite sure I understand the process of getting a stafford loan through the government, because my undergrad university set it up for me.
I have completed the Fafsa, and have completed the entry counseling interview on mapping-your-future.org and now I don't know what my next move is. Do I just chose a lender from a bank and apply?

I have also looked at my COA sheet. How do I get my subsidised and unsubsidised stafford loans? Do I need to go to a bank/lender to get that done. And the COA minus the stafford loans, is that something I need to get from a private lender???

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank you!!!

 

[lazyjayn]

If you use one of the lenders that laura listed (you should be able to google them) they offer stafford's and gradPlus loans. You can only use the Plus loans if you are going straight into the prof prog.

Basically, you fill out the online thingy (I think they all have one) print it out, and send it (I really suggest fed ex) to the school- to Melissa Fuller, I think. And then you pester the living daylights out of her. There's a form from the university you have to fill out too.

Anything left after COA minus 38,500 (unless that went up) you can get from a private loan. It's really not *that* complicated. Just time consuming.

 

[imagine21]

I just received an email telling me I am waitlisted @ Massey for the term beginning this August. The letter states that if they are unable to offer me a place in the group starting July 2007, however, they will offer me a place in the next group that starts Feb 2008. Does that really mean that I am now guaranteed a spot next yr?? If I am not reading this wrong, that is wild and I wish the US schools had a similar way to handle alternates. It does not appear as though I would even need to reapply. Am I wrong? Does anybody know how this works at Massey? I would just email to ask but I never get a reply to my emails there.

 

[laurafinn]

I just received an email telling me I am waitlisted @ Massey for the term beginning this August. The letter states that if they are unable to offer me a place in the group starting July 2007, however, they will offer me a place in the next group that starts Feb 2008. Does that really mean that I am now guaranteed a spot next yr?? If I am not reading this wrong, that is wild and I wish the US schools had a similar way to handle alternates. It does not appear as though I would even need to reapply. Am I wrong? Does anybody know how this works at Massey? I would just email to ask but I never get a reply to my emails there.

Huh. As far as I know, there is only one yearly intake into the professional part of the vet program, that's the July one.

The pre-selection semester starts in February, maybe that's what they are referring to? The way it's worked in the past is that doing the pre-selection semester does not guarantee you a spot in the class (there is 1 vet school spot for every 4 international applicants who are doing the pre-selection semester this year).

 

[annichi]

hi all

was just wondering what the percentage is of massey vet students passing the NAVLE exam that they're required to take when they return to the states? Will Massey prepare me enough for it like any other school in the states?

For anyone that is enrolled at Massey vet right now or is a massey vet grad, do you feel that you've made the right decision and that you don't regret having just a BVsc degree? If you had the chance to go to a school in the states, would you turn back time? What were some of the reasons you decided to go to new zealand?

=T just wanted to see if my thoughts about going abroad are shared by others

thanks =]

 

[annichi]

Hi all,



If I hand in my visa application in mid-May, do you think this is sufficient time to receive the Visa before I depart for Massey on July?


This is because my health insurance at home will most likely cover my charges for the health visit and chest xray, but i'm away at uni, 7 hours from home and won't have time before I graduate to do all the health, lab work and xray stuff.


Acc. to the NZ embassy in Washington D.C., it usually takes 15 working days, but it did mention that May is peak season, so it might take longer.


Btw, do we mail the Visa app to California or Washington D.C.?



What was everyone's experience with the VISA application? Is one month enough time for them to process my visa?



Thanks much again 🙂

 

[lazyjayn]

Two months should be fine. I only had two weeks- was leaving for a trip right after. They said just include a note if you think you're cutting it too close, and they'd process it faster. They received, processed, and returned my passport/ visa all on the same day.

I doubt it'll take them more than three weeks, at the absolute outside.

Um... where you send it to depends on what state you're in. I can tell you anything from wyoming west deff. sends to LA. If you're east of the Mississippi, you deff. send to DC. after that, you have to check the consulate pages- there's links to them at the NZ immigration web site.

j.

 

[laurafinn]

do you feel that you've made the right decision and that you don't regret having just a BVsc degree? If you had the chance to go to a school in the states, would you turn back time? What were some of the reasons you decided to go to new zealand?

At an AVMA-accredited school overseas, the veterinary education is at the same level of that of US vet schools who award a DVM. Only the letters are different. I do believe that I am receiving a solid education and that I have the same chance at passing the NAVLE as I would at a US school. I don't think there is any coaching specifically for the NAVLE at Massey, so if you want material spoonfed to you, you'll be out of luck.

The reason I came to Massey is probably a little different from most. Their pre-selection semester option was really appealing, since I was in my mid-thirties, hadn't done any prereq's and lived in San Francisco, an area where (costwise) I couldn't really downshift, get vet experience and start taking courses. Or, at least, not easily. Plus, applying to vet school in California is a crapshoot, even if I improved upon my 3.5 GPA. And Davis is expensive.

My Plan B at the time was to move to Columbus - which had a relatively low cost of living and a decent number of jobs in my field - gain Ohio residency, complete the prereq's there and apply to OSU. That would have taken 2-3 more years, and there was no guarantee I'd get in on the first try.

During the pre-selection semester, I really regretted not following Plan B. (Note that, if you stumble, the Massey pre-selection semester will decimate your GPA and thus imperil your chances for acceptance at any vet school.)

Now that I'm in vet school, I'm happy with my decision. If I had had the prereq's completed at a younger age, though, I would have gone to a US school - not because Massey is bad, but because in the US I think students have more opportunities for networking and for receiving scholarships (I could be wrong about that though).

HTH,

Laura

 

[annichi]

thanks guys

I feel a lot better about my application process now.

I am going to be fresh out of undergrad with a B.A. in biology and getting only a month of my summer and then headed out to NZ. I would love to have went to a school in the states; I thought I had everything needed to get in: GPA, heaps of volunteer and work experience with animals, involved in extracurricular clubs/activities, member of a varsity sport, everything and they didn't take me, so I had Massey as my back-up school, because I just loved New Zealand so much. Although I think my low GRE score might have affected their decision (which I think is ridiculous because you don't learn anything from that test and it definetely is not a good indicator of how intelligent you are). I hope I'm making the right decision doing what i'm doing.

I mean, I could wait a year and re-apply, but that process was so time-consuming and stressful and not to mention costly that i didn't want to go through it again. I know i'll be in debt forever, but at least i'm going where I want to as opposed as going where it's convenient financially, right?

 

[TheDuck]

What's it like trying to get into an internship/residency coming from Massey? I only ask because I'm applying next year, and for various reasons, I may choose to go to Massey even if I get into another school. I know it's AVMA accredited, but do applicants still get put at the bottom of the list since the school is in NZ?

 

[laurafinn]

What's it like trying to get into an internship/residency coming from Massey?

Sorry, not ignoring you. I just don't know. 😳

 

[TheDuck]

Haha, it's okay. I'm assuming that since it's AVMA accredited, you'd be preferred over people from places like SGU and the like.

 

[imagine21]

I was accepted off the waitlist at Massey via email for July's class and now have a million questions.
I would love to know if anyone has brought a horse over with them. I would love to bring my horse by my second year if at all possible so I am wondering about how to look into it-cost, quarantine period, etc.????
I also found the sites showing all the living accommodations and wonder where any new students are considering living or where current ones would advise are the best places??
This is exciting but is a huge move & I was wondering how people deal w/ what to pack to take along at first.
I am also having a terrible time getting my fingerprinting done. My local police agency says they no longer fingerprint and they referred me to an agency now handling it. Trouble is, when you call them, you never get a real person and the message on the phone says you can make an appointment via the internet. The messages on the internet and phone say you must come with your own fingerprint chart and must have a number from your "employer" for your fingerprinting-I have no employer requesting my fingerprinting so I can't even schedule an appointment without one.

 

[soccerduck11]

I can help with the fingerprints part. If you're local police agency can't do it, you might check with the county sheriff or the highway patrol. I was sent to the county sheriff after trying the local police station. Also, the FBI website said that some mailing places, like Fed Ex or UPS store, offer fingerprinting, so you could check there. It took me several tries to get fingerprinted, as I could never seem to come in at the right time. Good luck!

 

[imagine21]

I can help with the fingerprints part. If you're local police agency can't do it, you might check with the county sheriff or the highway patrol. I was sent to the county sheriff after trying the local police station. Also, the FBI website said that some mailing places, like Fed Ex or UPS store, offer fingerprinting, so you could check there. It took me several tries to get fingerprinted, as I could never seem to come in at the right time. Good luck!

Thanks, soccer... I think a state trooper I know is going to help me get it done this wkend after finals. Have you been looking into where to live @ school?

 

[soccerduck11]

I decided for the first semester there that I would live on campus, mainly cause my parents have offered to fly me home for the first break. I applied to Fergusson, Taraua, and Ruahine, as those were the ones recommended to me. I don't know when I will hear from them, what were you thinking for housing?

 

[lazyjayn]

I was on campus at rotary court last year. It was pretty quiet, cheapish, and not the best housing, but I *wasn't* the oldest one in the hall, which was nice.

Depending on what my flatmates say and when you're getting here, and what kind of place you need/ would like, my room off campus (just one short block from the bus) will be open (I think) at the end of june.

j.

 

[laurafinn]

This is exciting but is a huge move & I was wondering how people deal w/ what to pack to take along at first.

packing - one of my favorite topics! Bring nice bedsheets (they have sheets here, but they're nowhere near as good), index cards if you use them as a study method. A laptop, since the ones in the US tend to be faster and have more memory. Reese's peanut butter cups if you like them. A nice, breathable, rainproof jacket. If you like Danskos, Merrells, Born - type shoes, bring them with you. Bring lots and lots of clothes - they take some time to dry out on the line during NZ's rainy winters.

 

[Hollycozza]

Reese's peanut butter cups if you like them.

I've become addicted to Reese's since an American friend introduced me to them. Fortunately I can get them quite easily in Sydney 😀

guess the area round Massey probably has a lot fewer American residents than Sydney does though!!!

 

[imagine21]

You guys have all been really helpful w/ everything-packing and everything.
Reeses are one of my favorites-how did you know??? Although, I must say I prefer Goldenberg's peanut butter chews.
Don't go away; I am sure I can think of a million more questions. I have never moved farther away than the state next to mine before.
I did ride in New Zealand when I was 17 but that was only for 2 1/2 weeks.
I thought it was the most beautiful place. I went sky diving while I was there. I emailed my mom to tell her and she wrote me back "absolutely not-don't go" and I emailed her that I had gone the day before.
I do remember the rain although I was there in December/Jan. but what I remember most is the beauty, how nice the people were and the strawberries-they were the best I had ever had. Are the strawberries still amazing in New Zealand? They are a reason to go there all by themself!

 

[soccerduck11]

imagine21-if you haven't sent off your fingerprints yet, make sure you write on the outside of the envelope when you need them back, cause they get it to you so much quicker that way. I sent mine off about 3 weeks ago, and I just got them back today and their website said that it would take at least 12 weeks

 

[laurafinn]

Reeses are one of my favorites-how did you know??? ... Are the strawberries still amazing in New Zealand?

How funny. My roommate just came home with a box of Reese's that one of our classmates got sent from America. I'm surprised to say I don't miss them that much! The chocolate here is to die for, sooo good. Strawberries are still great. I had some boysenberries a couple of months ago that were a revelation. It rains in the Manawatu - where Massey is located - more than in many other parts of New Zealand. The weather is very pacific northwest. 2006 was extraordinarily rainy though, they say, and to be fair, the weather has been gorgeous since January.

guess the area round Massey probably has a lot fewer American residents than Sydney does though!!!

No doubt. The whole of New Zealand probably has fewer people than Sydney does! There are quite a few Americans associated with the university (and even more British expats), but not enough to make importing Reese's viable 😉 We do have access to Heinz Ketchup, American Mustard and Dr. pepper though!

 

[annichi]

hi all,

I'm a bit torn about some decisions.
I just got a call from the University of Missouri vet school and I've been offered a seat, since I've been waiting on their waiting list.....

I've already given in my deposit, tuition for the first semester, accomodation fee, and booked my ticket.

I was wondering if any of you could offer any advice as to where I should go? to a US school or to a NZ school?

thanks for all your help always =]

 

[bubbles525]

hi all,

I'm a bit torn about some decisions.
I just got a call from the University of Missouri vet school and I've been offered a seat, since I've been waiting on their waiting list.....

I've already given in my deposit, tuition for the first semester, accomodation fee, and booked my ticket.

I was wondering if any of you could offer any advice as to where I should go? to a US school or to a NZ school?

thanks for all your help always =]

I vote go to Massey. When else will you get to live someplace like NZ for 4-5 years? You'll learn so much living abroad... I did when I studied for 3 mo. in Ireland and I can't wait to start at Murdoch in Oz myself. I mean unless there is a pressing reason to stay in the country, family, health concerns etc. why not?? when else will you? It's AVMA accredited. I say go 😀 plus you've already put a lot of cash in.

 

[soccerduck11]

I'm on Missouri's wait list as well, and am pretty much where you are in the process of going to NZ. I haven't been offered a spot at Mizzou yet (and don't know if I will), but I have considered what I might do. At this point, I'm so far in the process, that I'm going to NZ no matter what happens. Although its cheaper for me to go to Mizzou, since I'm instate, at this point I've got the loans and everthing and I think it would be so much trouble to try and get those cancelled and or changed. So I'm off to NZ, no matter what! Good luck with your decision, and I hope to see you in NZ!

 

[lazyjayn]

To stay or to go.

on the go to massey side, it's pretty here. It's never *that* cold. The farm animal stuff is really neat, and the set up ain't half bad, Heck, they're accredited, I think that's all you really need to hear about that.

You need to think about what's important to you.

My mother's getting married in september. If I was still going to be here, I couldn't go to the wedding. There's no way to get from palmerston north to SC and back, with time for a wedding, between end of class friday and start of classes again on monday.

So, things you have to be willing to give up to come over here-

You close to your family?
Do you like to visit them?
Do you like to call your parents during the day when you're down? Just to talk?
Do you like for them to visit you?
Do you have friends you've known forever? Do you see them often? Do you think seeing them regularly is important in your friendship?
Do you like spending 12 or 14 hours on a single plane? Normally one without good leg room or in seat entertainment, because decent coach will be out of your budget?

You *might* make it home every other year. For a week or two, or if you have people who'll let you crash their home for longer, you can do that. Starting your first summer, thru to the start of fourth year you're supposed to be getting practical experience on farms and whatnot. Sure, you can do that at home. But you need to do at least half here. So there goes most of your fun time. Thanksgiving? probably out- it's either in the middle of finals, or the week your tenancy is up, and you'll be moving. X-mas? tickets are insane.

Have you moved before? on your own? Another town in the same state doesn't count. If it's close enough to run home if something goes wrong, over the weekend, it's too close. Cross country? Can you deal with knowing that if something happens to your family, like an accident, or a wedding, or a birth, you probably won't get to go?

Do you like comforts? How about central heating? I've yet to see a student flat with central heat, and don't imagine that your loan will stretch to cover a better place. Electricity is running about 23 cents kW/h. The bill here was 192 last month- no heat, no AC, just a couple lights and a water heater.

How are you with debt? You can maybe pick up summer work at about 10/h. It might earn you enough to pay your rent for most of a year. It might not.

The NZ dollar is going up, the US dollar is dropping. What I figured 2 years ago as costing about 35000 a year all in is running closer to 42k this year. Yes, really. Add an extra half a year. And if you're thinking about an internship, you have to fill the months between when you finish in november and when they start in june/ july. If the school in the US will cost you less than about 190k, I'd seriously consider it.

You have a thing for mac and cheese? peanut butter? mexican food? Even if you only eat normal american junk food once a year, you'll crave it here. I don't know why- probably because you can't find it. You can ship it of course, but it's really expensive.

How about drinking? Everyone here does it. Cheap wine can be had, but that bottle of jack that cost me $15 at home is running over 50 here. even with the exchange rate, that's a bit high.

Can you deal with sharing classes with people who are away from home for the first time? Can you deal with their less than dedicated attitude to what you're learning? Do you like hearing all about who "rooted" who (or what) over the weekend while you were studying?

Will you make friends with the locals, or stick with the other yanks? There's a club just for international students, but most of the american students I see wandering campus are wandering with other people from home. Not that that's really bad- Chinese and Japanese kids here do it too. But if you're going to come all the way around the world to hang out with people from home, you're just going to be more homesick. You'll all sit around and talk about what you miss. And then you'll either be miserable, or live for your short trips back. Or drop out.

Wow, I'm all debbie downer, huh? I'm actually a leap before looking-er. If you can hack it here, you'll be fine. If you don't want city stuff, or fun stuff, or visits too/ from your family, familiar foods, convenience foods, easy travel, up to the minute tv or decent internet service, you'll be fine here. The people are friendly, the veggies (in season) are usually fresh. The school is nice. If you can get out of the straight vet stuff, there's some really interesting stuff taught here- much more career based instruction than what you'll find in the states- not so much training for academia, more real world focus. Heck, they taught aseptic technique in a first semester first year class. And let us play with who knows what.

But ya gotta look at the real life stuff too. Like how much you'll have to earn right out of school to support your debt from massey, vs how much you'd need if you go somewhere else.

If you're independently wealthy, or you think this is your only chance, or you've lived overseas before and you know you love it, then go for it, no second thoughts. Otherwise, this is the stuff you gotta consider. I can't make the choice for you. Heck, I can't even make choices for myself.

Good luck.

j.

 

[twosoakers]

wow, j. that is a thoughtful reality check. the only thing that would worry me would be the expenses. i could ship mac and cheese 😛

 

[giles]

If I were you, I would definitely go with the in-state, cheaper option.

Although debt may not seem that important now, it will be a huge restriction on freedom and lifestyle in the future.

From what lazyjayn has said, you would be looking at being around 200K in the hole once you're done with Massey. Presumably your in-state is a lot cheaper?

You can always go and work in NZ after you graduate.

Sounds like you have made up your mind though so good luck with whatever you choose.

I'm on Missouri's wait list as well, and am pretty much where you are in the process of going to NZ. I haven't been offered a spot at Mizzou yet (and don't know if I will), but I have considered what I might do. At this point, I'm so far in the process, that I'm going to NZ no matter what happens. Although its cheaper for me to go to Mizzou, since I'm instate, at this point I've got the loans and everthing and I think it would be so much trouble to try and get those cancelled and or changed. So I'm off to NZ, no matter what! Good luck with your decision, and I hope to see you in NZ!

 

[soccerduck11]

Considering I'm not very high on the in-state waitlist, I'm pretty sure I won't be offered a spot before I leave in July, so there probably won't be a choice for me. I know that it would be cheaper to go to my instate school, but I've spent time in Australia and loved it. I have been planning on going back to that part of the world, and am glad I get to take the opportunity now, before I get tied down with a career and family, which might make it difficult later. Like I said before, I'm pretty sure that I won't get off the Mizzou waitlist anyway so I probably won't have the difficult choice that annichi has.

 

[dandyandy]

Hmm....that was slightly depressing to read 🙁 I think I will be going to NZ in July and I have a question about applying for a visa. Some of y'all were talking about a blood test being required?? Maybe I missed something huge but I didn't see that...I only saw what it said about your character and chest x-rays. If someone could give me a heads up, that would be great! Also, for those of you going, where are you all going to live? Thanks!!!

 

[soccerduck11]

On the immigration web site, you can find the link the the health certificate form required. I can't remember the name right now, but there is a link. Its the long one, since we will be in NZ for more than 2 years. That one requires a chest x-ray, blood tests, and urinalysis. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any more questions!