Murdoch Students -- Vet Entry program?

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

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For those of you at or accepted to Murdoch -- how much undergrad did you do here before applying? According to their website, you can apply right out of high school for the 6 year Vet Entry program. I do have some undergrad work done (15 credits) with a 3.9 GPA. I took the basics, math/writing/bio, did you have those credits accepted in the Vet Entry program, or did you need to take the entire extra year?

 

[Nexx]

For those of you at or accepted to Murdoch -- how much undergrad did you do here before applying? According to their website, you can apply right out of high school for the 6 year Vet Entry program. I do have some undergrad work done (15 credits) with a 3.9 GPA. I took the basics, math/writing/bio, did you have those credits accepted in the Vet Entry program, or did you need to take the entire extra year?

The Vet Entry program is somewhat of a new thing and is the route that Australian students have to take. International students can go that route obviously but it has some downsides, mainly in the form of available funding. That is without the equivalent of what Murdoch considers a bachelor's degree you will not be able to get graduate level loans and instead will have to take out undergrad (max $10k/year) level loans + private loans to make up for any tuition not payed for + cost of living to support yourself. Graduate level loans (staffords + GradPLUS) cover that full amount at a better interest rate and are MUCH easier to get than private loans.

To get exempted from the first year (entry year) you pretty much need to take the equivalent of the classes offered in that first year with the main ones being cell biology (Bio 1/2, can't remember which), Chemistry 1, and Statistics (preferably biostatistics if possible)

You probably can update your application, but it may confuse them a bit 😛 When I applied I know I put in an extra sheet of paper for courses currently being undertaken but not in official transcripts as of yet.

 

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

Nexx -- if you forgo the entry year, can you get gradPLUS loans? I will complete Statistics, Bio I and Intro to Chem before I apply, and be enrolled in Bio II and Chem I when I apply. I have a high GPA currently, extensive vet experience and glowing recommendations from highly respected/board certified vets I've worked for. Am I being unrealistic in applying in the fall?

 

[Nexx]

I'm certainly not an expert on the topic but I would doubt it's a matter of getting exempted from the entry year to qualify you for graduate level loans. You probably need at least 72 credit hours of university (12 credits a semester, 2 semesters a year, three years worth) for them to consider it. However you would probably be best to talk to the school about it (which annoying is hard to do most times).

As far as competitiveness, I can't really comment on that at all. Some people on here have had pretty good stats and not made it in. Others, haven't seemed as impressive and made it in. It just depends on who's applying and when I guess 😉

 

[Drbooge2be]

I got accepted to Murdoch this year (in 1st semester right now) and I applied with already having a full Bachelor's degree from the States in Animal Science. Obviously I got exempt from the prerequisites: Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Statistics. Now, I have realized a setback for me in reference to my current classes. Apparently, the biology prerequisite here at Murdoch must have contained some physio components in it, so anyone who took that class here has some previous knowledge on that subject. My bio class from LSU (from what I can remember) did not contain any physio components. The bio I took was alot of cell components, ecology and diversifications, and plant species. There was probably more to it but I took that class back in 2004, so I don't recall eveything that was covered, however I know for a fact that neurons and membrane potentials, ect wasn't. So, the point is, it would probably be to your best advantage to take the prereqs that Murdoch has to offer, if your coming straight out of high school. And during that time, prepare yourself for the insane amount of material they expect you to know for anatomy. =) Cheers!

 

[Nexx]

You are kind of right....

But the physio component isn't in Murdoch's cell bio. There is a course called VET107 that can be taken prior to the physio you are in now. I had to take it as it was part of the last curriculum, frankly in my mind I wasted a semester on it. A lot of what was covered in 107 gets covered again in the course you are in now only more usefully and more in depth.

If you are finding yourself bit behind or needing more info I would suggest purchasing the cunningham veterinary physiology text book. It's probably the only one of the books I bought at Murdoch that I found really helpful.

 

[Drbooge2be]

Thanks Nexx,

and yes, I have Cunninghams Physio and Samuelsons Histo textbooks.

 

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

I assume you both are in the 4 year program? I think there is a 6 year program at Murdoch that I am looking at, as I'll only have 30 undergrad credits when I apply in June.

 

[Nexx]

I am in the old '5 year' program in which I was able to get exempted from the first semester and much of the second semester.

DrBooge2b is in the '6 year' program but was exempted from the first year.

Overall the degree is still 5 years in length, they just added some things towards the end of the degree and are essentially making Australian students taking a year of study before fully committing to the veterinary degree.

The extra year at the beginning is the pre-requisite classes and some general education items that many international students complete before coming over here.

A LOT of students were starting out in the first year of the vet program and not making it so they put in what is essentially a 'pre-vet' year -- my guess would be mainly due to it being a lot of people coming from high school and starting their first year in university and doing more partying than studying (guilty of that myself in my first degree!)